what is beautiful?

what is beautiful? well, beautiful is defined as having qualities that delight the senses, especially the sense of sight. if that's the definition, then its something that is visually wonderful.

what then is gorgeous? Gorgeous is defined as "dazzlingly beautiful or magnificent".

so, why the crap am i defining these words? well, obviously because i want to post some pics which are good examples of such words. who then could be an example of these two words? well, im thinking of the "world's most beautiful news reporter" (as voted in 2006 in the Daily Express), Melissa Theuriau as the perfect example...at this moment. just look at her pic below to see an example of what is beautiful and gorgeous.

so, is this also good example of res ipsa loquitur as a literal translation, without referring to the doctrine to which its legal term connotes? i mean, the latin maxim is used in Tort law and obviously there is no negligence involved here, but only a picture of a very wonderful looking female of the human species. point is, the latin phrase means "the thing speaks for itself". why the hell did i resort to using the latin maxim when i could have just said the literal english translation? well, not because it has something to do with being a law student. its far from that. the reason is not even law related. its more of a "subliminal message" for future purposes. so if ever i read this entry again after lets say...ummm...3 years or 5 years, remember, res ipse loquitur.

anyway, the people in France (meaning those who get to watch her) are very goddamn lucky to have such a reporter that has the word "beautiful" as her perfect description. Watching the news must be a wonderful experience for them. unfortunately, there isnt much pics of her that's available for people who couldnt watch her on tv (like me!). well, there are vid caps of her while she's doing the news. and also there's YouTube. but that's not the same as seeing her on your own TV and knowing that she's the one reporting your news ( i mean, there's YouTube but you cant understand what she's saying. but French is a nice sounding language). from the word beautiful, lets move to the word "hot"? why? obviously, im not done yet with posting pics of beautiful girls. or pics of hot celebs. i mean, the words "beautiful" and "hot" are two separate and distinct words. the word "sexy" also has a different meaning. anyway, what is "hot"? do i still need to define it? lets just go directly to the pics that serve as good examples. at this moment, a good example of a sizzling hot celeb is Transformers movie hottie, Megan Fox. ive noticed her in the movie "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" and its nice to see she's hotter now than she was back then. and its nice that she didnt end up like lindsay lohan.

height is might. yeah right

being tall isnt always good. the stuff and environment we have isnt really "height friendly" or at least "tall friendly" (if there could be such a thing). i remembered this thought because i boarded a tricycle two days ago where i hit my left knee on the tricycles cd player (which is a cd-rom drive). and ive mentioned this in this blog before, its really uncomfortable to ride in a tricycle because i always hit my head while its running on bumpy roads. thats understandable because tricycles arent usually designed to accomodate 6 foot tall people. the same thing is true for jeepneys where ive learned to bow my head whenever there's a road hump. its become an automatic thing, a reflex of sorts. its also hard to ride in front because most of the time, my legs would fit perfectly, with no more room to really move my legs. sometimes, my legs wont even fit, so i have to lean a little to the side. and as for riding "sabit" on the jeepney's estribo, thats also hard because i have to bend more. its a "back-achin" experience. but even if that's the case i still like to commute. i enjoy it, and regard it as something like a science, where i calculate and approximate the time needed to reach the point of destination.

going back to a non-height friendly environment, back then, when i wasnt used to the height ive reached, i always hit my head. be it a sign post, a pipe, a doorway, etc. also, i felt a bit paranoid because whenever i go to malls or crowded places, people always look at me. why? because i stand out. not that they were amazed or watching me or something. its just that, its easy to see a tall guy among people of average heights. its like the "sticking out like a sore thumb" thing. good thing that through the years, the number of tall people have increased compared to the late 90s. i mean, people from lower batches in school are taller than the older batches. this isnt fact of couse but just mere observation where i noticed in school that more tall people come from the younger generations. so is this like an evolutionary thing? like, in the next few years the average height has increased? well, i dont care that much. im not one of those who really think tallness matters a lot. or tallness is some sort of superiority. to a certain and limited extent it is, but it does not follow its better to be tall. there are some perks and advantages but there are disadvantages as well, like what i said in this entry. the environment we have is not "height friendly". also, they say tall people have lower life spans. ok, add that to the fact that im left-handed which also lowers the life span and also is a problem because the environment is also not lefty friendly. going back to the height thing, sometimes i forget that im tall and what makes me realize it is the adjusting i have to do to the environment we live in. but some would probably say, the disadvantages are minor things, as opposed to the advantages. what exactly are the advantages? well, if that's true, maybe i just complain a lot.

alcohol...nuff said

To alcohol...the CAUSE...and SOLUTION...to all of life's problems
--- Homer Jay Simpson

Alcohol only causes problems if you dont know how to drink. anyway, a friend once said to me, what's the point of drinking if you wont get intoxicated. it runs against the purpose of drinking alcohol when you will not drink to the point of intoxication. another friend also said that one bottle of beer is bad for your health, implying that a person should drink at least two. others say that a person should not drink alone, unless one is watching tv or to quench a thirst while eating something. point is, alcohol is not meant to be drank alone or its meant to be enjoyed. if one drinks just to drown one's sorrows or problems, then at least have some company to enjoy it with.

why do i drink? well, because i enjoy it. and i only drink when im not worried or bothered by something. but if i am burdened by something, i make sure i drink not because of such. why? because i might get used to the idea that i should drink whenever i have problems, and knowing myself, i have the tendency to abuse or indulge in stuff, like alcohol. so, i always make sure that whenever i drink, its because i want to enjoy its intoxicating effect, and most of the time, i enjoy it in the company of good friends.

focusing on the intoxication part, aside from the fact that it loosens up a person, it has this "mind clearing" effect on me. usually, my mind is cluttered with stuff and thats why i easily get confused. im always thinking of a lot of a things, including non-sensical ones (or maybe usually non-sensical ones). but once i get intoxicated, i start to think only of what's right in front of me and nothing else. i dont worry or think about anything else except what im doing at the moment. i more focused on the conversations and interactions i have during drinking sessions. my mind isnt elsewhere as it usually is, its right where it should be, attention focused on the people im drinking with. so, some people might say im a "better" person when drinking. i worry less, my mind doesnt fly to some other place and well, i talk. actually, thats why i talk, my mind isnt occupied.

wallpaper addict

one thing i like to do on my spare time is collect desktop wallpapers. why? i dont know, i just like to collect them. i even remember my very first desktop wallpaper. the moment we had our very own PC (which was back in 1998), i knew what my desktop background would be. it was the skull picture i saw on my cousin's PC. it was just a small skull image probably not more than 25kb. so i grabbed a diskette, copied it, and loaded it on my PC. then i tiled it as my desktop background. anyway, that's not the reason why i started collecting desktop wallpapers. i dont recall when i exactly started but it was sometime during college. and the wallpaper software i use is webshots. i think this has been the wallpaper software ive used way back in highschool (cant recall exactly). i think it was because of webshots i started collecting desktop wallpapers because its website offers a lot of good nature and scenic wallpapers. these were the wallpapers i started collecting. over time, i started to look for other wallpapers, based on my varying interest. and over time, i focused less on nature and scenic wallpapers (ive lost the early ones because my PC crashed) and moved to movie wallpapers, and then moved to hot celebrities (females of course). and at this moment, i have 7286 wallpapers and counting! ok. what the crap am i going to do with thousands of wallpapers? nothing except look at it (the desktop wallpaper automatically changes every 15 mins and could be used as a screensaver). i mean, its a wallpaper after all. maybe start a wallpaper site or something? i dont know. maybe i just have this thing for collecting stuff. when i was a kid, i used to collect cards and comic books. why did i stop collecting comic books? tragic thing actually. lost the entire collection, sometime during my sophomore year in highschool. its really something that pisses me off until now. from comic books, i started collecting skull figurines and other merchandise. it wasnt much of a collection compared to my comic books but its still a form of collecting. from there, i tried collecting pins, but that didnt kick off. so i settled with collecting wallpapers. aside from its free and easy, i really like to look at desktop wallpapers sometimes. its like appreciating a nice picture, especially when its a picture of a sizzling hot and uber sexy celebrity.

7286 wallpapers:

5209 sexy celeb wallpapers (giselle bundchen - 99, jennifer lamiraqui - 110, jessica alba - 105, kelly brook - 105, liv tyler - 108, monica belluci - 95)
1117 movie wallpapers (ghost rider - 30, xmen - 35, LOTR - 38, underworld - 37, spiderman - 32
255 3D wallpapers
249 anime wallpapers (Full Metal Alchemist - 51, Samurai X - 65)
176 music wallpapers (beatles - 16, metallica - 17
97 nature wallpapers
36 automobile wallpapers
32 tv show wallpapers

the future of movies/film?

now that they can make a transformers movie that's so realistic with such amazing special effects and sound effects, what's next for the movie/film industry? i mean, it started with silent films, then moved to films with sound, then from black and white, then came films in color.

animation now comes in 3D format. and with the recent transformers movie, the level of special effects was astonishing. but that made me think, what could be the next best thing? i mean, what more do cinemas have to offer aside from what it has accomplished right now. not that im not happy with it, im actually excited what kind of movies they could do under the same level of entertainment the transformers movie was able to bring. of course a good plot/story will never go out of fashion or something like that, but a movie shown in cinemas must have something so people would prefer to watch them on cinemas and not in the comfort of their homes with their big screen LCD TVs or HDTVs (not that we have one, but it seems eventually, these television screen types will replace the CRT ones. point is, if you have a home theater, a movie should be able to have something aside from release date so people would rather watch them in cinemas). over time, a transformers type of movie would eventually become a norm like 3D animation (that's why its amusing The Simpsons movie proudly states its shown in 2D, and its like an acknowledgement that 3D animation has become the standard or at least the next step in animated movies and going for 2D is like reverting back or taking one step backward in the progression of movies/films). so, what's next for the movie/film industry? not that the special effects cant go any further or that we have seen everything film has to offer but im just wondering if IMAX 3D would be the next step. im not sure about it if film is heading that way but as of now, having movie in 3D is very appealing. the quality of IMAX film is better but having it on IMAX 3D is a step further. let me clarify, im not saying IMAX 3D is the next best thing, what im trying to say is having a movie in 3D is a probable step and only IMAX, as far as i know, offers that. maybe 3D could be taken a step further than what IMAX 3D currently offers. i dont know. i watch movies often, sometimes as often as every week. and sometimes the only reason i watch them is because they're not available on video. that's why i started to ask what could be the film industry's next step so people would still watch movies in movie theatres or cinemas.

Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet

june 28 was a good day. i was supposed to have three classes that day but the two were cancelled. so it left me with one class. not bad. but that's not the best part. the best part is, i was able to watch Transformers on its release date! i thought i had to wait til friday before i could watch the supposed Best Summer Movie You Havent' Seen Yet. good thing mam avena didnt have class that day because if she did, i would have stayed in school until around 630pm. i could still watch the last full show but since i had no idea if the movie was good or not, i would rather watch it the following day. but that wasnt the case, i was free to go to the mall by 430pm! but i was still unsure if i should watch it since i always watch movies on its first screening for the day. but jump was already ready to watch it and somehow he infected me with his anticipation and excitement for the movie. so, i tagged along and watched it. and after seeing it, holy shit, its fucking good. no, its fucking awesome! there's really more than meets the eye. they did a good job in promoting the movie, because not only did they arouse the interest of the would-be watchers (they made sure we dont get a good look on how the autobots and decepticons look like), they didnt show the best parts in the trailers. the trailer wont even give you an idea how good the movie is. after stepping out of the cinema, i mentioned to jump, "kaya na nila gumawa ng ganitong transformers movie?". i never thought they could pull-off a transformers movie this good. i cant imagine at this moment what they can do with this level of special effects.

when i got home, i just felt i needed to replace the background picture on my multiply site. my former picture was composed of wolverine, ghost rider and venom and i did that after watching spiderman 3 which reminded me of my love for marvel comics and its characters. but after seeing Transformers, shit, i wished marvel movies were this good. also, i just had to make a Transformers background picture. so i started looking for pics the autobots and decepticons of the live-action film.

then came the day after. i had a 9am class. i found it hard to concentrate because i was singing the transformers tv theme in my head and my mind kept thinking of the nice scenes in the movie. i just have to watch it again. so i did, this time with my brother. its not as awesome as the first time but still its nice to watch the eye-popping scenes again.

like i said in my reply on sheryl's multiply site, its hard not to love a movie this good. but i know some people who wouldnt like it. so what would make a person not like this movie? well, if he or she is someone who hates cars and robots and cars transforming into robots and vice versa and do not appreciate special effects and sound effects, and not interested in kick-ass fight scenes, then this movie would be a very big bore. some people find it idiotic to watch a movie that's not realistic or not grounded on reality. they prefer to watch something that happens in real life. well, that's his or her opinion and its hard for me to understand that (but i tried to understand it nonetheless) because ive always thought the reason people watch movies was because they wanted to take a break from reality. if i wanted to watch something real or something that happens in the real world, i would watch a documentary. anyway, going back to transformers, its great, its awesome, its (ive said this so many times) mind blowing! but its not perfect, almost, but not quite.

first, the megatron live-action film look is ok, but i would have loved it if they used the G1 Megatron look. also, i was expecting the old starscream voice but, like i said, what they did in the movie is ok.

second, they didnt introduce the decepticons that well. its fine they had "surprise" decepticons like brawl and bonecrusher but it could, probably, have been better if they gave more information on starscream's and another decepticon's personalities (barricade perhaps?). starscream didnt seem like megatron's second in command or showed his ambitious side (maybe they intend to show this on the sequel). correct me if im wrong but i think scorponok didnt report when frenzy alerted the decepticons. he wasnt in the final battle. i thought he was with blackout, but blackout came and well, scorponok was not in sight. also, when bumblee had his legs crushed, i think jazz remained in his car form and didnt even react or do something to help bumblebee.

third, its hard to tell who's who on the fight scenes. or at least try to see what's happening. sometimes its just looks like two big heaps of metal rolling around. the slow motions were helpful but of course they cant use it in every fight scene.

fourth, it would have been better if they started with a face-off type of battle where all of them arriving on the battle scene on their alternate forms then transforming into their robot forms. i mean, by the final battle, it was already five on five. optimus prime, jazz, ratchett, ironhide, and bumblebee vs. megatron, brawl, barricade, blackout and starscream. bonecrusher was out of the equation since optimus prime decapitated him even before they reached the "battlezone". frenzy remained in the hoover dam headquarters and scorponok didnt go with the other decepticons. ok, maybe this was what i was expecting, the autobots squaring off with the decepticons, before they do the fight scenes they did in the movie. but what they did wasnt that bad.

dont get me wrong, i love this movie. its more than what i expected. it had a good balance of staying true to the 80s cartoon and adapting it to modern times. the special effects were amazing, the sound effects, and the soundtrack as well (but i think the 50 First Dates soundtrack is better). from time to time there were scenes in the movie where i cant stop myself from reacting and saying "shit! that's nice!" (referring to starscream's mid-air fight scenes), "whoa" (when bumblebee switched from the 1974 or 1975 camaro into the 2008 model; when barricade transformed back into a police car in mid-air to follow bumblebee), "nice!" (first look on how they transform, this is when blackout transformed at the beginning of the movie. actually, it was more of because of the sound effects; when i first heard optimus prime's voice; when optimus prime used his energy axe).

induced to reminisce

today wasnt just another ordinary day. not that it was extraordinary but just not too ordinary. it was like people from my past, distant and recent, made themselves felt or at least some things made me remind of people from my past (its like something that you read from a horoscope).

sometime this morning, got a phone call from someone saying she's from the office of alumni affairs of claret school (or something to that effect). she was updating the contact details so it would be easier to inform us if there's a homecoming or something like that. she also mentioned that she just called a highschool batchmate of mine, frederick tolentino, who is also in law school. she then asked whether i could give her the contact details of some of my highschool batchmates. unfortunately, the only way i keep in touch with my highschool friends is through yahoo messenger (like ordz/patrick and orland/oj) so that would be no use to her. orland gave me their new landline but he's in japan. so that wont count either. so i really cant refer her to anyone. she also mentioned my previous cellphone number, asking if it was still my number. it was 09195519424. i only used that number for a few months. i remember switching to 09193643380 by april 2000. and by june 06, 2006, i switched to my current globe number.

as the day went by, the focus went from highschool to gradeschool when carmin texted a nice forwarded message (i was in the library studying when i got the message, wow, im studying! just wanted to insert that...intentional digression). classmates from SVS are the only ones i get in touch with recently. ive lost contact with my SSA classmates (although ive received friendster messages from them, the last one was already months ago). actually, carmin is the one left that i have constant contact with, through exchanges of forwarded messages. speaking of forwarded messages, i remember i had textmates. and when i say textmates, i mean, real textmates. people i have never met but only thru text (i still remember some of them, one is jocelyn from zamboanga, teresa who says she's from miriam college, and this girl from OLGM. im not sure if the first two were being honest about their personal info, and i just hope they really were females and not some gay dude (no offense to those who might get offended) but the third one was really from OLGM, a highschool batchmate knows her and i have no idea how we became textmates). i stopped having textmates around 2nd year college. since then, i stopped being a textmate type of guy. i still forward...ummm..forwarded messages from time to time, especially when im doing nothing and a lot of load credits.

from gradeschool, we shift to college. nikki was in UP to do her thesis research. it was nice to see a college blockmate again, and i havent seen my college blockmates for quite some time now. also, mark texted me regarding chris benoit's death. tragic thing happened to the guy. anyway, going back to my college blockmates, it seems that things have changed since we graduated 3 years ago. there are good things as well as bad things. also, those in ateneo law will graduate next year. of course they will say its not a sure thing because, like mark said in his text message, its still a rough road ahead but i really hope all of them makes it and eventually pass the bar. they deserve it, they've worked their asses off just to get to where they are right now.

so there. that's the not so ordinary day. i wonder if im going to meet people from my future. how can that be possible? i dont know. gut feel? usually when i have a gut feel, it happens or its true. i havent had them gut feels for about a year now.

stupidity is the best policy

have i reached my limit? it seems like im no longer improving on anything, like i stopped evolving or something. i feel like im no longer learning anything substantial. when i read my blog entries, i say to myself, "im like de-evolving! these entries could be written by a high school student!" when i read the papers, i tell myself, "how come i cant write like them! i should be writing stuff near their level!" that's one reason i started blogging, thinking i was just rusty. i thought i needed some constant practice. but i dont seem to be improving. now, when i write a paper and compare it the ones i wrote in college, what i usually do after writing it is swear and mutter some profanities. why? its like im having some kind of retardation! my college papers were better, and i found them easier to write back then. now, its a struggle to merely think of an idea that i could write about. i think i took mediocrity too much. im even having trouble with my grammar and from time to time with my spelling. that wasnt the case three to four years ago. back then it was very easy to study. i dont even need highlighters or notes. i dont use notebooks back in college, if someone saw me with a notebook, it was merely a prop, pretending that im listening or i use it to make some doodles to keep me awake (so when i say that the stuff i carry are merely props, im not joking, until know, i carry lots of stuff but i really dont use them...some of them anyway). i absorbed easily what i read back in college. i even did some extra reading in the library on Marx and Nietzsche and other books that weren't assigned by any of the subjects i was taking. now, im just this stupid, absentminded, careless, loser, psycho loner! i dont mind looking like that as long as i have the same intellectual capability i had before. i mean, i dont need to appear intelligent as long as i am intelligent. unfortunately, the case has turned into what you see is what you get! i dont know what happened, its like my brain cells are dying at an accelerated speed. i would like to think maybe its because of my blood illness which is said to affect higher brain functions (i dont even recall where i got that, whether i read it in an internet article or whether it was my doctor that informed me of that. although im sure it was my doctor who said that if my condition is in its aggravated stage or phase or whatever its called, i would feel like im floating or doing a man on the moon type of moonwalk). but, i dont want to think that's the reason for this sort of retardation im experiencing. with the kind of thinking i already have, i might abuse the idea that my illness makes me dumb. so i guess i will try to just study harder, triple the effort. not sure if that will work. if im no longer absorbing stuff, its like a waste of time and energy. but still, i should try right? i just feel so stupid.

just another day in the life...

the last 24 hours really sucked. 24 hours ago, more or less (around midnight or close to midnight), i was starting to study for my wednesday classes. after finishing 3 pages of a pile of cases im supposed to read, the lights went out. why? power outage! and my PC was running! ok, that would just worsen my PCs hard drive. so, i started to wait for the power to kick back in. about an hour later, i learned from my uncle (he called meralco minutes after the power went out) the power outage was due to a scheduled maintenance or repair being conducted by the electric company. how come we didnt know about it? apparently, we dont know where they announce it. well, since it was scheduled, they also knew when the power will be back, and well, they said it will be back by 6am. ok, that's a lot of time lost for me to study (yeah right...actually i was really in the mood to study that night...so was it a sign from God that i shouldnt study?...no, it was not) and it also meant a sleepless night because, well, even if its supposed to be the rainy season, its still soooo hot!

anywany, electricity was back by 6am (on my cellphone clock, i was four minutes behind, so when i checked the time, it was 5:56am). since i barely slept, i decided to take a two hour sleep. then, a few minutes before my two hour sleep ended, jason called, asking me to print a PIL assigned article. no problem, if its important, i dont mind. so i switched on the PC after hanging up. and since the PC was running when the power went out, it had to do its scan disk to check the hard drive for errors. and since i knew it was going to take some time, i decided to take a quick nap while waiting. and since i didnt have much sleep, the quick nap turned into another two hour sleep. good thing my mother asked why im still sleeping. thats when i realized that ive lost more time...again. so, i got out of bed, printed the article which was 57 pages long. minutes later, the printer for some reason stopped printing after around 20 pages. thats the first time it did that. it just switched itself off for no reason at all. i had no idea what was wrong with it. so for a few minutes, i tried figuring out what was wrong with it. i could use the other printer, since we have two printers, but unfortunately, i was out of black ink. and it doesnt print in black with its colored ink. anyway, while trying to figure out, i noticed the pages i printed were 20 pages of footnotes! crap! so i had to check the article and found out that it was only 25 pages long without the footnotes! ok, that was stupid. and it was a good thing the printer had its weird malfunction or i would have wasted ink on the damn footnotes! when i got the printer working again, printed the article and off i went...to school. thats one obstacle down, a few more to go.

my class, i thought was at 5pm. as usual, i was wrong, it was at 4! i was in malcolm hall, law library, by 1230, with a pile of cases (about more than an inch of readings, i think). how the crap am i supposed to finish all of it by 4pm? well, i cant, so i had to read it quickly and finish as many as i could, without really absorbing what im reading. what's the point of doing that, right? well, i do it hoping that i might pick up something along the way (its like the more the better, quantity over quality). i did pick up things along the way but it wasnt enough to save my ass on my recitation for my second class (wasnt called to recite on my first class). so i was called , and was asked "what's the importance of making a distinction between a public utility and a non-public utility?" i dont even know what a public utility means! i havent read a single codal provision, all i read were the cases. that sucked. so, i had a problem putting into words what i think the reason a distinction should be made because it was like trying to define a public utility and a non-piublic utility based from how i personally know it. which of course is not the correct answer because it must have its basis, or at least emanating, from codal provisions. so i looked like an idiot, again, for the nth time. good thing im already used to looking like an idiot, and i dont mind because i am an idiot (like that adam sandler line from billy madison: "Sometimes I feel like an idiot. But I am an idiot, so it kinda works out. ") . anyway, while i was doing this blog, my clothes rack behind my door where i hang my pants just broke. nice. cant fix it tonight. what a way to end the day. and this is just an average day. not an everyday thing but it happens very often. actually this day is considered good compared to days that fall under august, my worst month of the year, where nothing goes right no matter what, where every turn has an unpleasant surprise.

tagablog...tagalog blog...ok, its not funny

what the? the have blogger in tagalog now? not that i have anything against my national language...wait its not called tagalog anymore right? if i remember correctly back in grade school its Pilipino is the dialect, and Filipino is the person. doesnt seem right. or is it tagalog again? anyway, i dont like opening my blog dashboard and reading it in tagalog. not that its awkward, i just dont like it. except for one of my blogs which is my tagalog blog (which i rarely use and update...should really work on that). not that i dont love my country or my language but seeing the blog in tagalog...its something i have to adjust to.

unfair!

got pissed last friday. my mother told me that my brother had a classmate or schoolmate whose dreams were crushed by their own school. my brother is in his fourth year so he's already applying to get into a good university or college. anyway, last friday, my family were talking about the UPCAT. and then my mother told me about my brother's schoolmate or classmate, not sure which one, for sure batchmate. this schoolmate of his already had an UPCAT application form since this recent summer (obviously). and what pissed me off is that their school, their highschool, rejected my brother's schoolmate's application! why? the schoolmate had a line of 7 in his or her grades (not sure, again obviously, whether the schoolmate's a guy or girl). that's absurd! the highschool cant do that! can they? as far as i know, nothing is indicated in the UPCAT application form prohibiting a student with a line of 7 from applying. what matters is that the student is a highschool graduate. that's it! what right did the high school have to reject the student's application? if its the school's rule, then it shouldn't be valid! cmon, the school is limiting the student's options just because of a line of 7! its infringes the right of the student to education, quality education. the highschool was in no position to dictate to the student which schools to apply in. the student was even excited to have the UPCAT application form, it was probably his or her dream to be a UP student (not sure if i can relate, ive applied to study in UP since kinder and i always failed, so when UPCAT came and i failed, i was disappointed but i didnt feel that my dreams were crushed. why? i dont have a dream, highschool made me a cold and heartless individualist with no ambition). i guess he or she wasnt expecting that his or her own high school would turn down his or her application. what the fuck is wrong with that school. ok, they may think the student is a mediocre student of sorts, because the kid has a line of 7 but dont these kind of students deserve to be given a chance? besides, its not like the kid cant improve himself or herself. if a school is doing that for the purpose of not tarnishing its reputation, well, that would be pointless because it doesnt have a good reputation to maintain in the first place. its just fooling itself on how good their school is. this is what i hate about schools nowadays, this accreditation and reputation thing is taken wrongly and abused by some schools. they're no longer student-friendly. schools should keep in mind their purpose, which is to teach and educate.

anyway, i asked my mother, what did the parents do? she said she didnt know, and when i asked my brother, he also didnt know but his schoolmate just said he or she is just going to improve his or her grades this schoolyear. well, if that's the case, it would be too late for him or her to apply (i think Aug 5 is UPCAT entrance exam day). the school might have argued that, if the student can perform well, he or she should have done so in first place. he or she wouldnt have a line of 7 and he or she could have applied. that's stupid! i had a line of 7 in highschool, i was able to apply in UP, i didnt pass but i ended up in a good university, the one in Katipunan with a blue eagle gym, and graduated there, in four years. and grades dont mean a fucking thing! ok sorry, that's an exaggeration, it means something, but its not everything. my grades in college could have been better. my grades in law school could also have been better, but i didnt believe in grades. i have nothing to prove to anyone, im there to learn. so what i do is just give my professors what would satisfy them so i could continue studying (well, that applies from gradeschool to college, not much with law school where mastery of the law is needed, unfortunately, there is this thing called force of habit). not because a student's grades are low automatically means he or she is not intelligent. there are some people i know who are brilliant, but their brilliance dont reflect in their grades. they are probably even smarter than the ones with good-looking grades (i think grades should be called as good-looking than be labeled to be just good, because that's what grades really are to some people, high grades look good, it doesnt always follow that the person that owns those grades is in reality "good). point is, grades are not a perfect way of measuring a student's capability and intelligence. it never was and never will. the only reason we use this grading system is because there is no other alternative.

not that fantastic

ive seen fantastic four: rise of the silver surfer twice! the first was on june 13, 10:15am (if i remember correctly). it was the second day of classes, i thought i had a 1pm class so i made sure i got there by 10am. so the moment the movie was done, i rushed to the jeepney terminal so i would be just in time for the 1pm class. i think the movie ended around 12. well, i found out that my class was really 5pm! i should have checked my form5! that sucked. anyway, im digressing. i watched the movie again on saturday because my brother wanted to see it. so the question is, was it a good movie? like i said it wasnt fantastic. i think its better than the first movie. i would give it a 7 out of 10. the good thing and unfortunately also the bad thing about the movie is that they really portrayed the comic book team correctly (or at least that's how i remembered fantastic four when i was still a comic book collector 10 years ago). fantastic four is really a bunch of nice guys, a family friendly, very wholesome team of superheroes (unlike the xmen which is composed of a more diverse set of individuals, ranging from rebellious mutants, to average joes with powers, to those who are just plain weird). this is why i liked the x-men more than the fantastic four. for me, the fantastic four is just too nice for my taste, too noble, too heroic. at least the x-men are composed of individuals who starts out as having no direction in life, still adjusting to who they are. well, fantastic four also did some adjusting to their acquired powers but they dealt with it with maturity. that's it, fantastic four is composed of mature individuals who are thrust into greatness because they use their powers for good. they felt it was an obligation they had to take, done with, well, mature deliberation.

anyway, about the movie. for me, its much better than the xmen movies, all of the xmen movies. although the xmen characters are cooler, they just werent able to bring that to the big screen. fantastic four on the other hand did, to a certain extent. what made the sequel better, i think, is due to the fact that silver surfer is in it. im not a fan of the character, but the guy looks so cool in the movie. the CGI was great. sound effects? good enough. another reason is that you get to see jessica alba! isnt that a good reason to see the movie? ok, maybe not very much (almost but not in all instances...yeah right, even if the movie is about jessica alba talking to a cardboard box for two hours, i would still go see it...on video, hehehe), but its a marvel film, so i cant be that bad, right? well, as long as its not like the daredevil movie. anyway, the reason its only a 7 is because of the ending. where the fuck is galactus! the cloud! that sucked! what's the point of saying the destroyer is here, i.e., galactus when they will just show a planet-size cloud formation! the beginning of the movie was ok, the middle part was ok, then the ending just ruined everything. having galactus as a cloud is not a good teaser for a 3rd movie. if they will not do galactus correctly, then leave galactus out of it. namedropping galactus would have been better. worse part? the surfer confronting galactus! ok, that was just lame. but i saw the movie twice, right? well, like i said, i love marvel, so i do have a bias in favor of marvel movies (except daredevil). up to now, i havent watched the superman movie. the only DC character i like it batman.

i love garbage!

i miss Garbage and of course the band's lovely vocalist, Shirley Manson. i think that's why i love garbage. i love Shirley's voice, her style and i like the band's sound. so i decided to post some music videos which i got from YouTube, where else.



WHY DO YOU LOVE ME lyrics:

I'm no Barbie doll
I'm not your baby girl
So I've done ugly things and I have made mistakes
And I am not as pretty as those girls in magazines
I am rotten to my core if they're to be believed
So what if I'm no baby bird hanging upon your every word?
Nothing ever smells of roses that rises out of mud

Why do you love me
Why do you love me
Why do you love me it's driving me crazy
Why do you love me
Why do you love me
Why do you love me it's driving me crazy
Why do you love me
Why do you love me
Why do you love me it's driving me crazy
Why do you love me
Why do you love me

You're not some baby boy
Why you acting so surprised
You're sick of all the rules
Well I'm sick of all your lies
Now I've held back a wealth of shit I think I'm gonna choke
I'm standing in the shadows with the words stuck in my throat
Does it really come as a surprise when I tell you I don't feel good?
That nothing ever came from nothing man
Oh man ain't that the truth

Why do you love me
Why do you love me
Why do you love me it's driving me crazy
Why do you love me
Why do you love me
Why do you love me it's driving me crazy
Why do you love me
Why do you love me
Why do you love me it's driving me crazy
Why do you love me
Why do you love me
I get back up and I do it again
I get back up and I do it again
I get back up and I do it again
I get back up and I do it, I do it again

I think you're sleeping with a friend of mine
I have no proof but I think that I'm right
And you've still got the most beautiful face
It just makes me sad most of the time

I get back up and I do it again
I get back up and I do it again
I get back up and I do it again
I get back up and I do it, I do it again
I do it again
I do it again
I do it again

Why do you love me
Why do you love me
Why do you love me it's driving me crazy
Why do you love me
Why do you love me
Why do you love me it's driving me crazy
Why do you love me
Why do you love me
Why do you love me
Why do you love me



WHEN I GROW UP lyrics:

Cut my tongue out
I've been caught out
Like a giant juggernaut
Happy hours
Golden showers
On a cruise to freak you out

We could fly a helicopter
Nothing left to talk about
Entertain you
Celebrate you
I'll be back to frame you

Chorus:
When I grow up
I'll be stable
When I grow up
I'll turn the tables

Trying hard to fit among you
Floating out to wonderland
Unprotected
God I'm pregnant
Damn the consequences

Chorus

Blood and blisters
On my fingers
Chaos rules when we're apart
Watch my temper
I go mental
I'll try to be gentle

Chorus

When I grow up
When I grow up
When I grow up
I'll turn the tables

Bridge:
Don't take offense
Better make amends
Rip it all to shreds and let it go X2

I'll rip it up to shreds and let it go
I'll rip it up to shreds and let it go
I'll rip it up to shreds and let it go



IM ONLY HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS lyrics:

I’m only happy when it rains
I’m only happy when it’s complicated
And though I know you can’t appreciate it
I’m only happy when it rains
You know I love it when the news is bad
Why it feels so good to feel so sad
I’m only happy when it rains

Pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me
Pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me

I’m only happy when it rains
I feel good when things are going wrong
I only listen to the sad, sad songs
I’m only happy when it rains

I only smile in the dark
My only comfort is the night gone black
I didn’t accidentally tell you that
I’m only happy when it rains
You’ll get the message by the time I’m through
When I complain about me and you
I’m only happy when it rains

Pour your misery down...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down...pour
You can keep me company
As long as you don’t care

I’m only happy when it rains
You want to hear about my new obsession
I’m riding high upon a deep depression
I’m only happy when it rains...pour some misery down on me
I’m only happy when it rains....pour some misery down on me
I’m only happy when it rains...pour some misery down on me
I’m only happy when it rains...pour some misery down on me
I’m only happy when it rains...pour some misery down on me...pour some misery down on me...pour some misery down on me...pour some misery down on me



CHERRY LIPS lyrics:

She gave you everything she had
But she was young and dumb
She'd just turned twenty-one
She didn't care to hang around
So when the shit came down
Why she was nowhere to be found
This life can turn a good girl bad
She was the sweetest thing
That you had ever seen

You're such a delicate boy
In the hysterical realm
Of an emotional landslide
In physical terms

With your cherry lips and golden curls
You could make grown men gasp
When you'd go walking past them
In your hot pants and high heels
They could not believe
That such a body was for real
It seemed like rainbows would appear
Whenever you came near the clouds would disappear
Because you looked just like a girl
Your baby blues would flash
And suddenly a spell was cast

You hold a candle in your heart
You shine the light on hidden parts
You make the whole world wanna dance
You bought yourself a second chance

Go Baby Go Go
We're right behind you
Go baby Go Go
Yeah we're looking at you
Go baby Go Go
Aw we're right behind you
Go Baby
Go Baby
Yeah we're looking at you
Go

The Times They Are a-Changin!

just found out about this great song by Bob Dylan! my cousin asked me to get a copy of the song because they need it for an event. when i listened to it and read the lyrics, it reminded me of the country's situation (the libel suits, impeachment cases, the protests on the streets, etc.). this should be the younger generation's theme song...or something like that. this song also reminded me of the 2007 Philippine election results, where it seemed to me that the voting population has matured politically and more critical in choosing which candidate to vote for. the citizens appear to have learned from the mistakes of the past. unfortunately, even if there is a better voting population, that isnt enough to counter election fraud and other similar election offenses.



lyrics:
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

election day

its may 14! i would have said go out and vote, but its too late now. they're already counting the ballots! i woke up around 730 am to vote with my family and got home around 9am. not that the precinct was far, the ones manning my precinct were inefficient or maybe, was inefficient. not that there's only one teacher, in fact there were three but one of them wants things centralized. everything had to pass through him. so it appeared that the two other teachers were just idling around. that's why early in the morning i was reminded of the value of teamwork and trust (which i need to learn because i always go solo). i mean, there's three of them, they should share the workload. try to work as a team to make things more efficient and trust each other. the guy shouldn't have to check everything that's going on. its not an easy task to be a teacher during election day! that's why it took some time for me to cast my vote and why our precinct appeared to have a large voter turnout because of the long line. one even commented that it is as if the teacher was intentionally making it inconvenient to vote.

focusing on election day itself, well, it's really nice to see people going out to vote. its my second time to vote, and like before, we try to get there as early possible to avoid long lines. so, when i woke up, i went directly to my precinct to vote without eating breakfast nor taking a bath (ok...at least im honest). i thought it would be quick like the last time but it wasnt as mentioned above. that's why i thought i didnt need to dress up or take a bath, i mean, the precinct's just nearby, its like going out to buy something from a sari-sari store. i wasnt expecting that i would fall in line for quite some time.

anyway, i went there with my parents, my sister, my aunt and my grandmother. my grandmother even had a greeting of "have an honest elections". when we reached the school, its really good to see a lot of people, hustling and bustling around the school grounds, looking for their precincts. its like a form of social event. well it is, but what i mean is that, people residing in an area get to see and talk with each other, congregate to update each other with neighborly stuff. so, people just dont vote here, some linger and chat with neighbors, talk about politics and their candidates aside from asking what's new. i didnt notice that the last time i voted. i guess i wasnt observant enough the last time. i also noticed that some looked fresh from the shower and were dressed as if they were going to a mall (unlike me). i guess they were more prepared than me. but i wasnt intending to stay long and chat with people anyway. so i think that makes it ok.

Austin, Taker and Sports entertainment

who doesn't love sports entertainment, specifically WWE wrestling? well, a lot. ok, a lot of women to be more specific. they see it to be pointless and just brutal. but what can i say, it is entertainment and i enjoy it. as a kid, i remember being a fan of Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior, well, more of the Ultimate Warrior. Hogan was just popular. Next to The Ultimate Warrior, is The Undertaker, and incredibly, not only is he still around, he recently became world heavyweight champion (too bad its a shortlived title reign but he is a five time champ). then came Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Attitude Era. i didnt like this wrestler at first because i remember him as The Ringmaster, Ted DiBiase's puppet, but his bad-ass personality really rocks. and he really is good in playing his role as the lawless Texas Rattlesnake. i never get tired of his rowdy antics. unfortunately, he's no longer wrestling like the Undertaker. that's why its really nice that he comes visit WWE from time to time, doing a couple of Stone Cold stunners to anyone any time he feels like to do some ass-kicking. he even "stunned" Donald Trump. now that's classic Stone Cold Steve Austin (watch it on YouTube, click here. its a lame stunner but hey, that's still Donald Trump receiving a stunner, and besides, Trump cant act or fake a stunner's impact). after Austin, i never really liked the wrestlers. ok, they're still good, they do riskier stunts, more of them bleed and they still get the crowd pumped. John Cena is ok, and so is Batista but they really aren't like the Phenom or Stone Cold or the wrestlers of the 90s. maybe im just old and miss the Federation and Attitude Era. i mean, when Cena started, i thought his rapping was crappy and his character wont sell (maybe im just not into the hiphop culture...do people even call it hiphop?). look at Cena now, still throwing rhymes and already a WWE superstar. Batista had potential when he was a part of Evolution. He did become a superstar eventually but im not sure for how long compared to Austin and Taker who are now legends/likely hall of famers. anyway, all wrestlers dont start out as superstars and it takes time before they reach that level. and unfortunately only a handful reach the superstar level and be on the same league as HBK, Bret Hart (ok, putting their names together just reminds people of the Montreal Screw Job), Hogan, Warrior, The Rock, Triple H, Austin, Undertaker, etc. Even Austin and Taker started out as "loser", crappy wrestlers. here's a video of the two of them, wrestling with each other way before they reached the superstar status they have now. who would have thought back then that Austin and Taker would be very big WWE superstars.

Steve Williams (Stone Cold) vs. The Punisher (The Undertaker)

spiderman 3 and marvel films by a 1997 comic book guy

After 2 weeks, I finally got to see Spiderman 3. Was it good? Well, I would give it a 7.5 out of 10 but because I like Marvel characters and I like Spiderman, I would upgrade it to 8. I dont know about other people's ratings (or if there's a standard movie rating) but here's mine:

1-2: its not worth watching, go wash your eyes if you see it!
3-4: sucks! not worth my money unless its a gift for someone i dont like
5-6: good enough to watch on video and kill time or beat boredom
7-8: good enough to watch on cinemas
9-10: its great! its perfect! its mind blowing!

Now, I haven’t been a comic book guy for 10 years (I think the last comic book I bought was in 1997, Marvel vs. DC or DC vs. Marvel, and the reason I stopped collecting was because I lost my entire comic book collection, which I started back in grade school) so I really don’t have much authority on this subject, but having a bit of knowledge of the characters (the way I remember them 10 years ago), I really cant stop myself from saying something about the movie Spiderman 3 and other Marvel films.

Review...sort of: Spiderman 3 was great when it comes to special effects (that was expected). I also liked the fight scenes. As for the acting, can’t really complain. What matters to me more is that they bring the comic book to life and that the actors don’t suck (umm...Daredevil? sorry, not a Ben Affleck fan). So I guess they were ok (besides, it’s already the third installment, so i wont even try to dicuss the way Tobey Maguire cried...wait, is revealing that Tobey Maguire cried in the movie a spoiler? i dont think so, no one would probably notice where he cried in the movie...ouch!).
Thomas Haden Church was good. I don’t mind Topher Grace either as Eddie Brock. As for the movie's story, well, it really revolved on Peter Parker and not on Spider-man. it was like, the first two movies introduced Peter Parker and his alter ego Spiderman. The third movie gave me the impression of showing Spiderman's alter ego Peter Parker. i mean, now that Spiderman's famous, Peter Parker has become the secret identity. It was a good ending for the spidey trilogy and in a way, allows a fourth but fresh installment. in case there is a spidey 4, i hope there's a new set of villains (meaning, no need to bring back Sandman and dont settle with one villain unless its Carnage) plus a better, badder and funnier Venom (Venom need not be a villain, for me, he's not really a bad guy because the only reason he's spidey's arch enemy is because he hates Parker, that's it). or try to use Ben Reilly for a change.

Spidey Spoilers and i mean SPOILERS!: I had a problem with the Spidey 3 villains (Green Goblin, Venom and Sandman...ok, maybe not Sandman). of all the villains in the spidey trilogy, Doc Ock appeared to me to be the best one. In spidey 3, it looked like the best villain among the three was Sandman. Ok, I have a bias against Green Goblin, since I’m not really a fan of all the goblin villains, but Venom is supposed to be the best villain in the movie (well, in my opinion). Eddie Brock was ok as Eddie Brock, but as Venom? Not really. I was expecting a more kick-ass type of villain from Venom with a lot of taunting and trash-talking. That’s why I liked Venom as spider-man's arch-enemy, insults fly as they fight, mocking each other until one of them is knocked unconscious or defeated (that's the way I saw it). There wasn’t much of that in the movie. And whenever Venom talks as Eddie Brock, it just doesn’t work. Venom just looked like an arrogant jerk in a costume. And where's Venom's tongue? Ok, maybe they were just introducing Venom but still, why put Venom in the movie without playing the major villain? Anyway, I'm just disappointed with the way Venom was made in the movie, i mean, Venom could have been much better.

Another thing I didn’t like is the ending, the one where green goblin 2/green goblin junior showed up. Ok, like I said, I really don’t like the goblin villains. I would have preferred a cameo from any superhero and team up with Spiderman. It would still be good if Daredevil showed up (but not as Ben Affleck, Matt Murdock should just keep the mask on) or the Ironman (pic on the right is supposed to be the ironman armor for the movie. i hope the ironman costume really looks great and not just some great image editing). If it was ironman, it could help promote the upcoming ironman movie. but that's just called shameless plugging (like the number of times i mentioned ironman in this paragraph. is it really shameless plugging? its a good way to promote an upcoming marvel film). i would rather have Venom doing the team-up (but that would just ruin the story for spidey 3 but they do team up in the comic books...i think). i would rather see Stan Lee turn into the Incredible Hulk! ok, maybe not.

Marvel movies: Now that Spidey 3 is out, what's next? Well, there's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Not much of a Fantastic Four fan, but the trailer looks good (and Jessica Alba's there! a movie hottie is always a must! but she looks different this time, i wonder why?). There have been rumors about Galactus being part of the movie but not really "in" the movie (so some are saying why bother having Galactus when they arent going to do it right...like Venom perhaps?). There’s also an Incredible Hulk sequel and a Punisher sequel. There's also the Ironman movie. Again, not a fan of Ironman and any member of The Avengers because im more of a fan of the X-books (X-men, X-Force, X-Factor, Excalibur). But if I had to pick my favorite Avengers member, I would pick Thor, and i think there are also plans of creating a Thor movie.
Ghost Rider wasn’t a disappointment but it wasn’t really that good. I think there's also a plan to make a Doctor Strange movie, a Wolverine movie, and a sequel to the Ghost Rider(got my info here). When I saw this line-up of marvel characters, I thought, why not make a Secret Defenders movie? I would really like to see Wolverine, Ghost Rider (with Daniel Ketch as alter ego, my favorite Ghost Rider version; that's why I didn’t complain much about Nicolas Cage as Ghost Rider, he can be Johnny Blaze anytime he wants), Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk and Silver Surfer teaming up in one movie. I would like to add Venom to the line up but I don’t think he ever became a Secret Defender member. I would like to see Wolverine and Ghost Rider working alongside Venom. Now as for the villains, well that would be a problem. which supervillain or group of supervillains could fit in a story fighting Doc Strange and his team and at the same time, plausible enough to be be capable of at least matching the strength of this group of superheroes? well, how about a Galactus infected by the Carnage symbiote with a minion of Doc Ock clones? ok maybe not. maybe a team up of Thanos, Loki and Mephisto and minion of Carnage infected Doc Ock clones. That won't work (and what's up with the Carnage symbiote and Doc Ock clones? i dont know, i think it would be a good villain). Anyway, they can’t even pull off a good x-men movie. So I guess a team composed of the "major" superheroes of marvel comics wont work. and even if it does, the question is how much will the budget be for this kind of movie.

After writing this blog, I realized, I miss collecting marvel comics! And some batman comics (I'm not a DC fan, Batman is the only exception).

vote SANLAKAS for party-list!

for more info visit: http://sanlakasonline.blogspot.com/

weird ways: umbrella

i have this weird thing about umbrellas. i dont like them to get wet! well, not all umbrellas, only the foldable ones. people find it weird when its raining and i refuse to use my umbrella in my bag. when they ask me why, i tell them, "its going to get wet!". ok, umm, isnt that supposed to happen when one uses an umbrella? yeah, but i dont know why i have this weird habit with foldable umbrellas (is that what they are called? not even sure). the reason i dont want to get it wet is because once the rain stops or enter a building and its time to keep it again in my bag, its wet! so i would rather get wet than use my umbrella. then what the crap is the umbrella for! actually, its not some "props" so i could offer it to some girl who needs it or share it with her (like its handy to have a lighter in case some hot chick needs a light), im not that type of guy, obviously. the umbrella is just there in case im in the mood to use it. like in times when i cant afford to get wet because i have a digicam with me, or some thing that cant get wet (like a paper that comprises 50% of the final grade and im rushing to school to meet the deadline and to make things more challenging, nature decides to send a heavy downpour). so, i use the umbrella not because i dont want to get wet, but because either im not in the mood to get wet or i have with me something that should not get wet. but that's not the case when it comes to those big umbrellas, hell, it can get wet anytime, i dont keep it in my bag anyway.

besides, there was this one time when not using an umbrella was good. back in mid-2004, wearing long sleeves and slacks, i was waiting for a philcoa jeenpney at vinzons. while waiting, it started to rain. it was just light rain at first but since it was taking a while for the jeep to come, i was starting to get more wet by the minute. to make things worse, the rain was getting stronger, people who had umbrellas started using them, those who don't have umbrellas left the line and ran towards the waiting shed. with weirdness kicking in, i refused to take out my umbrella. the two girls in front of me, who were already sharing one umbrella took pity on me and asked me to take cover on their umbrella. of course, i didnt refuse, that would be more weird right? besides, they didnt know i had an umbrella in my bag, so i didnt appear that weird. anyway, we engaged in some small talk while waiting for the jeepney. im not sure if they were serious about it, but they said they also wanted to go to law school. i have no idea where they are right now, nor do i remember who they are (all i know, one of them had glasses). i would like to repay them for their good deed but the most i can do is hope that they are ok and that they were able to get into law school. ok...did i just mean what i wrote? its not like me to say such things. well, sure, why not, its not like they would read this and ask for something in return for their good deed since i fooled them into thinking i had no umbrella. but seriously, i do mean it, that im grateful for these two girls. i was a bit surprised that some people are kind enough to offer to share an umbrella with a stranger (strange stranger) even if there really isnt much room.

second opinion

Im stil aliive! well, of course i am. i just drank some alcohol last night and i dont feel anything weird or wrong with my health. besides, its not like im going to die overnight after a night of drinking. and i didnt drink to my heart's content to reach the piss drunk level. i miss those days where i cant even find the guy's restroom and end up being surprised because im about to enter the wrong door. anyway, this blog isnt about getting drunk, its about second opinions. well, sort of.

i had this hematologist back in 2003 to advise me on my blood concerns, back then, the only thing she prohibited me from eating was sisig. that was a bit of a bad news to me since i liked eating sisig. so, aside from sisig, there were no other prohibited stuff (well, except for smoking, but i didnt admit i was a smoker and like i said, i WAS a smoker. it took me 4 attempts to quit before i finally stopped and im not even a heavy smoker). anyway, for some reason, i switched to another hematologist for a second opinion. and this hematologist caused a lot of problems for me. im not even sure if she knew what she was doing. ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration but still she did piss me off a lot. why? she's the doctor that told me to stop drinking alcohol! what the? if i remember correctly, this was back in january 2005. when she told me that, my reaction in my head was like, "holy crap, i love alcohol, what's wrong with you woman!". she's also the same doctor that told me to drink at least 3 liters of liquids everyday (which i was hesitant to comply because it meant i had to take a piss often and i find that a bit annoying and uncomfortable). she is also the doctor that prescribed i take chemotherapy pills (which i refused to take because i thought it was absurd and as far as i know, i dont have to take those until its really necessary and the way i see things its not necessary). so i did my own research on the chemotherapy pills/capsules she prescribed and found out many things the doctor failed to explain (from the side effects to the precautions she should have taken, its not like some medication she can prescribe that easily). i explained this to my mother and was able to convince her that i know more than this doctor when it comes to taking care of myself. so, i returned to my first hematologist and this time, she didnt prohibit me from eating or drinking anything (which some people find a bit questionable or problematic because i didnt really ask her if im still not supposed to take the stuff prohibited by my second hematologist). the only thing she asked me to do is just keep hydrating myself so my blood wont get too dense. i also sort of got a third opinion from the UP infirmary, and the doctor told me to just follow what my current hematologist asks me to do (and the reason my arm went numb is because of anxiety, most likely cause is my civil procedure professor and not my blood condition).

wait, was it really a second opinion? because i switched back to the first doctor so its like just reverting to the first opinion. but, its like a second opinion from the second doctor, so...third opinion? would that make the UP infirmary be considered as fourth opinion? to make everything simple, all of them are just opinions and for an excessively skeptical person like me, i take such opinions lightly (to my mother's disappointment because i rarely take anything seriously). Well, what can i do, i cant stop doubting what doctors tell me about my health, Yes i admit they know more, but that doesnt mean they are entirely right.

tristanism ver4

the toss coin rule

now, when i cant decide on something, i apply the "when in doubt, do the toss coin" rule. ive used this in some instances like back in 2004 when i dont know whether to enroll or not. my friend berated me for this, saying it was foolish to leave such an important decision to chance. so, ive used it on less serious situations, like whether to cut class or not. i almost used it on another instance, this time the question was, whether to go for this particular girl or not. i didnt use it because i really wasnt required to make a decision, i could just leave it unanswered since im really not that interested at the moment. i just used this rule recently, twice. one was on whether to study flash animation, and the other was on whether i should go to bicol. on both intances, the coin's answer was yes. but unfortunately, on these two situations, i used the new, modified toss coin procedure. back then, i only used a single toss. now, i do it 2 out of 3. so, im not really sure if i should follow what the coin says in the modified toss coin version. that's why i didnt follow it. i should be in bicol right now if i followed what the coin told me. and right now, im still not sure whether i was correct on not following the coin.

its complicated

after a year and a half, the handle of my 500ml mug broke. i dont know what i will do with it. i mean, im still going to use it but what i dont know is whether im going to replace it. it's only the handle that broke off, i can still use it. problem is, its a 500ml mug and without the handle, its just not the same.

why am i making a fuss out of it? well, im the type who gets attached to some objects. like this mug for instance, its the only drinking container i use at home (for more than a year already, i think i started using it on november 2005). as long as that mug is available, i wont use anything else. and i dont allow anyone else to use it either. it just broke a few minutes ago and here i am blogging about it already as if something tragic happened. that's how attached i get to some objects. like my current cellphone (nokia 3660). the very first thing i look for when i wake up is my cellphone. i always it keep it within hearing distance wherever i go. i also found out that ive grown fond of my digicam. i wouldnt have realized it if not for my friend who borrowed it. only then did i find out that i easily missed my digicam. im also attached to my black jansport backpack (which i always carry around if possible), black "eccentric" cap (which i no longer use but still irreplaceable since i dont like my other caps as much), my first cellphone (nokia 3210 which almost got stolen but for some reason, i was able to retain possession), my green philips earphones (which i had since 2nd year highschool), my blue philips headphones (i think i had this one since 3rd year college), my mp3 player (which i frequently use recently), my tigger pencil case (which i last used back in high school for drafting class), my black pearl beads necklace (the one sold in stalls in baguio which i wear during summer days), my rosary (got this when i was in grade six which i no longer carry with me since i accidentally broke its plastic case when i was in 3rd year high school), my swiss army knife and leatherman micra (which i carry with me, 90% of the time i go out of the house), my bicycle deck of playing cards (already worn out, that's why i use a Cathay pacific deck of cards), my 50 First Dates OST (which i dont use as often since i made my own compilation to make a more complete soundtrack), my Guess Waterpro wristwatch (the longest wristwatch ive ever used - 8 years!), and my black and silver Parker pens (the silver one's a bit broken already, i dropped it on graduation day on 2004 but it's still useable). these are the items i won't throw away and i would be really affected if it breaks or worse, if i lose it.

im free to decide but...

i cant decide! decide on what? decide on whether i will go to bicol or not? that is the crucial question at the moment while im taking a break from the stuff im doing. half of me wants to go, while the other half doesnt. now that is a problem right? usually, when this happens, i try to think of the pros and cons.

ok, why do i want to go? well, first, its a good place to spend a short vacation. a little break from all the stuff im doing. anything else? well, there's the company of good friends. anything more? hmm...cant think of anything else.

now, why dont i want to go? well, im not in the mood to travel long distances at the moment. actually, i dont like to take a bus at the moment. if i could drive to bicol, then that would be enumerated above as a reason for me to go. and well, i dont know how to drive there, so there's no other choice but go to bicol by taking a bus. another reason is the expenses. i dont have much money at the moment. so, i really dont want to use up a lot of money when it is still midsummer.
there are a bunch of other reasons in between that just makes this decision making process more complicated. so, what now? usually, when i still cant decide, i do a toss coin (this is my, "when in doubt, do the toss coin" rule, where lately, i make it 2 out of 3 and not just a single toss). as far as i can remember, the coin has never failed me. so, will i use it now? maybe on the last minute. right now, there are two strikes (for the three strike rule, refer to blog entry somewhere below). if there comes a third strike, i might change my position. my position right now is not to go. that was my first decision, which apparently, not yet final because im reconsidering it. why am i reconsidering it? umm...because half of me wants to go? but why take my current position not to go? well, because i feel like its not a good idea for me to go with the kind of company i have. but the problem is, that has never stopped me before, i always do some form of "gatecrashing" (i should think for a term for this, or if there is a term, i have no idea what it is...its not gatecrashing because there's an invitation, but even if there is an invitation, given the circumstances, one is not really welcome or the appropriate response would be to turn down the invitation. its like the invitation was extended as an act of...umm...politeness?). i dont know, maybe im just complicating things. another problem is my urge to contradict myself, so the more i want to go, the more i dont want to go too. and usually, the latter part wins. that's why i employ external methods to help me decide.

TMNT

i watched TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) last March 30. And its April 19 already! Why the delayed blog entry? i dont know. i just wasn't in the mood to write about it. anyway, i saw it a few weeks ago and like i said to people who asked me whether its good or not, an 8 over 10 is a good rating for the movie. I liked it and its good because its really a movie (it didnt rely much on the TV series except for assuming that everybody knows the origin of the turtles). i liked its story and i liked the animation. the only problem i had is that only 2 of the turtle characters were primarily used. the two others were underdeveloped. of course, if there's a sequel, then maybe its the turn of the other two turtles to have their characters portrayed more vividly. most likely, its hard to have all four turtle characters to be treated equally in the movie, given the limitations of having a good story in a more or less 2 hour movie. another thing is its more mature theme. yeah, they're still teenagers but they aren't like the ones people remember watching from TV. The personalities are intact but the problems and situations they face have changed. the turtles' story is no longer kid stuff. they may not have grown up very much, but it shows an emphasis that they are getting older when it comes to dealing with their lives.

as for the soundtrack, its good! it really fits the movie. in my opinion, the collection of songs is like a cross between Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift soundtrack and American Pie 2 soundtrack (because these are the 2 soundtracks that the TMNT soundtrack reminded me of). what i mean is that, there are songs you would like to listen to while driving at night on a clear highway and there are songs that fit teen movies (hence, American Pie).

well, that's pretty much what i recall as the things i wanted to write about when i saw the movie a few weeks ago.

another chick to like in a chick flick

i just watched The Devil Wears Prada a few days ago (rented it), and until now, i still am not over it (what do i mean not over it? well, im still thinking of the movie even if ive seen 3-4 movies after it). For some reason, i really liked the movie. Why? I have no idea. the reason i rented it in the first place is because Gisele Bundchen was in it (i thought she had a significant role, like in the movie Taxi or was playing a supermodel character in the movie). When this movie was still playing in the theater, i didnt even show any interest in watching it.
What made me like it then? Most likely, its the characters since i know nothing about fashion. I liked Emily Blunt's character (Emily Charlton) and Meryl Streep's (Miranda Priestly). I also liked the song by KT Tunstall (Suddenly I See) at the beginning of the movie (which im listening to right now). As for the soundtrack itself, its not bad (it does not include the KT Tunstall's song, which i think is the best song in the movie, next to U2's "City of Blinding Lights" and Alanis Morissette's "Crazy").

Aside from the picture above of Gisele with Emily Blunt, here's two more nice pics of Blunt (if not for Emily Blunt, the movie would have been a big disappointment because i was really looking forward to watching Gisele Bundchen):

what if?

If I was a dog, i would probably look like this:

Why? i dont know. when my sister saw this dog, she said it looked like me. maybe because its a shady looking dog.

my N3660 on vacation

ever wondered whether im crazy or not? well, i think im not. it just so happens i have crazy ideas. like this for instance. i had my digicam and my cellphone. in addition to the two, i was bored and so, this got me thinking, what would it be like if my cellphone had a life of its own? if it had, then i think it deserved to have a break since it's been serving me for more or less three years now. it deserved a day-off (since i dont think i can allow it to "retire" any time soon since it can still fulfill its function) and have fun with its other cellphone buddies. the only social life it has is its "text" life where it gets to interact with other cellphone thru SMS. so i said, why not allow it to roam around and be with its "phone pals"? deciding to give my phone a day-off, here is a day in the life of my nokia 3660:


here's my nokia 3660 doing the "totem-phone" with its phone pals:


my nokia 3660 as a spider:


nokia 3660 taking a quick rest:


having a group pic:




as for the rest of the pics, well, its just my n3660 posing as some very gorgeous hottie/sizzling sexy celebrity:

phone pals in a huddle to admire the lovely Ana Beatriz Barros!


take a hint, jeon ji hyun won't answer your calls!:


alizee was framed by phone pals:


behave yourselves calvin and hobbes, you're blocking reese witherspoon:


rose byrne a bit camera shy:


hey harvey, dont be fresh with keira knightley:


diet or not diet, that is reese's question:


keeley hazell got tangled:


jessica alba bored with the junkfood gang:


stephanie leonidas is going to make your day punk:


eat your fruit and veggies says rachael leigh cook:


lovely charlize theron posing for a shot:


stephanie leonidas waiting in line with the phone pals:


elisha cuthbert listening to some soothing sounds:


amy acker doing a group pic with the phone pals:


now it's kate winslet's turn: