Tuesday, August 31, 2004

General Room Cleaning

I cleaned my room when I got home this afternoon. Other than putting my books in a semblance of order and reorganizing my notes, I reformatted my laptop.

Though it's such a big hassle reformatting and reinstalling programs, but there's something exciting on starting afresh. I managed to reconfigure my system to adapt to my changing needs.

I'm still not yet done in installing other programs, but I managed to reinstall the necessary ones (MS Office, Yahoo Messenger, PH Stat).

Part of my housekeeping is to FINALLY organize my postcard collection in a photo album. It was fun going back to some of the postcards (I think the oldest one was 10 years ago). I have a number of postcards from Europe, and one from Nepal (although I'm trying to figure out who came from Nepal....oh yeah! It was a friend of a friend!). I had one from Africa although it was not postmarked :(

So to my friends abroad, please do send me postcards wherever you may roam. I will really appreciate it.

Monday, August 30, 2004

MUHAMMAD ALI THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL WORLD WEIGHT CHAMPION

Finally! Had my last day of finals today. Tackled the very difficult subject of Business Law.

I was very nervous about it since the tip that our prof gave us was to focus on terms and definitions. Since memorization is not my strongest suit, I just read through my reviewer and prayed he won't ask us to define terms.

I refused to study yesterday since all I wanted was to get it over with. When I came to school today, I was just hoping for the best. I instead, played with my new palm games and waited for our professor to arrive.

When he handed us our finals, it was basic matching type with a few modifications. I knew I could handle that and I managed to finish my finals in less than an hour. It helped that one way to figure out if you managed to answer everything perfectly, is that our answer will form a sentence. It may mean something or it may not mean something, but it's still a sentence. Maybe one thing that helped me figure out how to answer the finals, was that I love solving crossword puzzles and the such. Even if I was not sure of all the stuff I answered, I managed to do get the answers by the process of elimination and getting the right word to fit in the sentence.

I was the first one to submit my paper and he immediately corrected it showing me that I got a perfect grade (wonder if I can hope for a 4.0?)!

Wish all exams were this easy.

Leo and I also attended the wake of B's father yesterday. We arrived at Manila Memorial (it's my third time to go there this year. Three times is too many) around lunch time. We were a bit perturbed when we saw two adjacent rooms having the same name. Turns out that one room was reserved for the flowers and food, and the other room was where the body was lying in state. I was also pleasantly surprised when I saw that they had a Seattle's Best booth inside the room. Makes you want to stay the whole night!

Sunday, August 29, 2004

Godson pic




Inaanak #2: Above is my favorite godson, Kiko. This picture was taken at Tagaytay for a picnic to celebrate my lola's birthday.

God-daughter



I was a popular choice for Ninang nowadays. This is one of my cute and lovable god-daughters. Her parents are good friends of mine (her mom is half-Japanese). She's turning three this November and she's quite a handful.

One Down

and another final exam to go. Today was supposed to be my last exam day. But due to inclement weather causing cancellation of classes for two consecutive days, my finals that was supposed to be held last Thursday was moved to Monday.

My Business Eco finals was so-so. It was comprehensive--that's for sure. Out of five questions, I think I got three right. I guess I won't be expecting that much high of a grade at course cards. As long as it's not a 2.5, I'll be fine.

Leo and I also celebrated our 6th month together today. Wow, it has been six months. Half a year! We had an early dinner at Italliani's, drank coffee at Dome and watched Princess Diaries 2 (I'm sorry, that movie does not even deserve a commentary. Much as I enjoyed the first movie, this movie does not make the cut). As my present to Leo, I had silver bracelets made with our names on them. So now, we're wearing two bracelets each, sporting each others names. Is that sweet or redundant? :)

Saturday, August 28, 2004

Hellos and Goodbyes

I'm not much of a party person. I'm not even someone you may call a life of the party. I'm content to be just a participant (although there are times wherein I'm "forced" to be a host. But that's another story).

I went to two parties today. The first one was for my Business Law class held at Congo Grill Pasay Road, and the other party was at Krocodile Jupiter which was a despedida for my officemate who also happens to be a close friend.

I wanted to go to both parties because first, I wanted to bond with my classmates and perhaps, future groupmates and second, I also wanted to see the surprises we had planned for my officemate.

As luck may have it, I missed the salient points in the program of both parties. All I caught was the eating (hey, I actually got my money's worth of food!). However, they waited for me to give my speech at the despedida (which reduced me and our officemate to tears). Ganon pala yon? If you're forced to give an impromptu speech, you barely have time to think and all the words that come spilling out of your mouth comes from your heart. That's what Sands, my officemate, told me. My speech was the only one that made her cry because she knew it came from the heart.

When I first started working at SC four years ago, I was basically a loner. I ate lunch by myself and barely socialize with my other officemates. But on my first year, I was befriended by Rach. She was then, newly married and pregnant with her first child. She, together with Eu, were my lunchmates and confidantes. We would have lunch at the pantry and walk around at Megamall afterwards (this was when we were based in Ortigas).

Those two people were the first two real friends I ever had in that office. Rach was the first one who noticed that I'm a person who makes acquaintances easily, but rarely makes friends. I guess it's a big thing if I call a person, a friend. But then, not all my "friends" know that.

Less than a year after we transferred to Makati, Rach moved to another department leaving Eu and me alone to enjoy each others company. However, as luck would have it, our department was split into two separating me and Eu. Less than a year after we got separated, Eu was pirated by our previous boss and is now working for another company.

After we went our own ways, I returned to my old habit of having lunch by my lonesome or waiting for my other officemates to invite me out (which rarely happened). I didn't mind though since I'm comfortable with my own company. Moreover, I had God to talk with.

A couple of years ago, Sands joined us fresh from CB. I barely noticed her and was happy in my little corner. It was only by accident that we discovered that we shared the common passion for God, among other things. She started inviting me to have lunch with her and we were there in our little corner swapping Bible stories and personal experiences. It was a mini-prayer meeting at lunch. It was there that our friendship started.

When I was given more responsibilities, our manager grouped us three girls together: Sands, Jas and me. We would have lunch out together, consult with each other, laugh with each other and moreover, cry with each other. I knew then, that I found new friends who I can share my life with and for them to share their life with me.

But now the cycle starts once again. Sands resigned because of her wedding preparations and to help her husband with his business. Jas is due to resign soon since her husband is a nurse and they're due to leave--hopefully--by early next year.

It's sad for me to see all my friends go leaving me there in my little corner. But that's ok. As corny and as cheesy as it may sound, people come and go, but friends will always stay. Even if these people have gone to other places, they have touched my life and have imprinted in my memory, their presence and their characters. People whom I will always remember and whose goodness and beauty will forever reverberate through my life.

But you know, perhaps, I'll make new friends again. People who will discover me in my little corner. People who'll notice that I'm not another face in the wall and having a personality that's distinct and unique. Maybe there will come another Rach, Eu, Sands or Jas.

Thursday, August 26, 2004

No Classes, No Work and a Funeral

Classes were called off the second day in a row. I guess it's also good that I've been on vacation leave for the past two days. Hopefully, the rains won't be as bad tomorrow since I'm going back to work. Our finals were also moved tomorrow.

Around 6 this morning, I received a text from a close friend that her mom died. I was barely awake and I texted our common friends and waited for news on where the wake/burial will be. At lunch time, in the middle of my pedicure session, her hubby called me and begged me to come for moral support. Unfortunately, he could not wait for me since they had to catch the mass before the cremation. Furthermore, the cremation was all the way at Sucat, Paranaque. I was ready to beg off but I knew I could not disappoint my friend so I tried to find another way.

To make the long story short, I just decided to take an expensive cab ride all the way to Sucat (cost me around Php200 inclusive of toll fees. Doh!). I got there while the cremation was ongoing and I chatted with her hubby while my friend was fixing the other cremation/post-cremation arrangements.

I stayed until they opened the viewing room showing the bereaved the cremated remains (wonder why the skeleton is white after burning? should it not be black?). They gathered the ashes in an urn and we hied off to the funeral parlor where her ashes, instead of the usual body, was displayed for viewing before it will be flown to Iloilo to her final resting place. Afterwhich, her hubby and I returned to Mandaluyong so he can pick up his mother to return to the wake and he dropped me off too.

I was not sorry that I went through all those hassle just for a friend who I haven't seen for a long time. But that's just the point. It was an opportunity for me to see her and my goddaughter as well (who has grown up to be a very cute kid--albeit a naughty one at that. Will show a picture soon).

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

I am French Vanilla!



Your Icecream Flavour is...
French Vanilla!
You're a smooth and silky suave type! You exude class and you believe in tradition. A classical taste who doesn't like things to be too flashy or showy. Climb the Eiffel tower of taste with a spoonfull of you! Oui Oui!
What is your Icecream Flavour?

Find out at Go Quiz

How can I be vanilla? Was hoping for strawberry or mango.

Pagudpod


We visited Pagudpod, Ilocos last April. Here's one of the pictures that I took. Maybe one day, I'll be able to say that I visited all the beaches here in the Philippines. That might be quite a feat considering that there's 7100 islands. I guess this goes to show that I'm and always will be a beach person. I strive in the tropics and would no doubt be miserable in cold weather.

AVP and the Stepfords

(spoiler alert)

I'm allergic to the AVP initials since it reminds me too much of work (Assistant Vice President). Though I do wish that I have AVP status (not!), in this case AVP means Alien vs Predator (was going to say Predicate. doh!).

I was hesitant in watching AVP since I do not relish the thought of seeing mankind so helpless. However, the SO wanted to see it and after a bit of barganing, we went off to Greenbelt.

I did not expect much from the movie, but boy was I entertained! Entertained in a sense that I did nothing except pick fun at the cheesy dialogue (The enemy of our enemy is our friend. Hahahahahah) and absurd plotline (not to mention the misleading teasers). I found it hilarious when a Predator, who is supposed to be "superior" to the wheedling and worshipping humans, communicated with the only human left in the expedition. I expected more from him/it, but to describe a "bomb" in such a way was just humorous.

Leo said that he expected more action from it and there was less gore as compared to the Alien movies.

Bottom line, don't expect anything new in this movie. If you like cheese, then you'll like this.

STEPFORDS

This movie is a remake from a classic. I can't recall who were part of the first movie but this new one featured an amusing Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick. In the supporting roles are Glen Close, Christopher Walken and Bette Midler.

With such an outstanding cast, I expected so much from this movie, but the hole-ridden plotline brought everyone done. There were so many questions raised by the movie which it failed to answer in the end.

I'm sorry, my mind has been trained by my sci-fi/fantasy freak friends that I could not help but question their concept of robotics. It seemed so improbable that it's difficult for me to suspend reality just to accept their premise.

Bottom line, not worth watching. Although seeing Nicole Kidman and Faith Hill so dolled up could be nice. They're so pretty!

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Accomplishments

I came home early today hoping to get a head start in studying for both my Law and Economics finals. Instead, I found myself fixing my blog and making it "friendlier" to my limited and accidental readers.

I've managed to figure out how to photoblog as well as to a tag or the tag feature.

So enjoy the read and please feel free to tag!

Subic


This was taken while we were at Subic last April (or was that May?). I don't know if it's clear, but you can see what a rainshower is. If the clouds are not too low and there are no large buildings about, I think this is what we're experiencing now. Talk about rainshowers and thunderstorms.

Max Brenner


A month ago, a friend and I met up and we lounged about at Max Brenner's Greenbelt 3 (I think I mentioned this in a previous post). Now, you get to see what we ate (but did not finish). The chocolate was so rich and thick and the cake was just divine.

AT LAST!

Hah! I managed to figure out this photo-blogging thing. :D
Now, I can post and share as many photos as I want! Mwahahahaha!

You are a Trekkie!

Which internet subculture do I belong to? [CLICK]
You are a Trekkie!
It's a geek, Jim! You probably have a starfleet uniform and a tricorder. Bonus points if you speak klingon. One day you will walk down the aisle with your buttertroll trekkie partner, humming to the Yoyager theme.
More Quizzes at Go-Quiz.com


Why am I a Trekkie? I barely watch the series anyway. Must be something which I got from my friends.

5 lbs

That's the amount of poundage that I lost in a month. My doctor was more excited than I am for the weight loss. Our aim was actually only 1 to 2 lbs a month. She's looking at a 5 year plan for me to lose all these excess and bad weight. Hopefully, the loss will be dramatic in 6 months so I can return to my regular cycle.

I had my ovaries, thyroid gland and whatever organ that should interrupt with my cycle tested. All of them (including my testosterone level---yes, we women also have that) are within the normal bracket. I just had to accept the fact that I'm naturally fat. That I'm fat not because of any organ or hormonal imbalance, but just because I eat a lot and have led a sedentary lifestyle.

I lost those 5 lbs, I guess most of it, last weekend. I think I mentioned in my previous post that we had to finish reading this 72 page paper and during that day, we also had an oral report (with a small percentage that we will be called to report). I barely had something to eat for breakfast because I found myself engrossed in the paper (The Asian Financial Crisis. Wow. So exciting!). I also decided to skip lunch since my partner and I were still putting some finishing touches on our report. I only had one bottle of gatorade which sustained me the rest of the day.

When Leo came to fetch me from school, I was beside myself with hunger. We went to Greenbelt and while waiting for Leo to cool down from the heat outside, I brought myself a light snack and proceeded to eat verrryyyy sloooowwwllly. I did not want to "surprise" my stomach with a heavy meal.

I was eating less than usual before that and that sort of set the stage for the decrease in my food intake. Hopefully, I would be able to sustain this.

Now comes the disadvantage of losing all these weight. What will I wear now? I can't afford a wardrobe overhaul. Hopefully, I can find something in my closet which would fit me. I think I haven't given away some of my old clothes yet.

Saturday, August 21, 2004

Five, Six, Seven Days

It's finals week again. Another week of sleepless nights and frayed nerves. My finals for Business Law will be on Thursday plus a mandatory class party (can you believe that attendance will be 15% of the grade?! Where's the equity, fairness and justice in that?!) for the aforementioned subject on Friday and Business Economics finals will be on the succeeding day (Saturday afternoon).

I'm taking a couple of days off from work on Wednesday and Thursday. Hopefully, that would give me ample time to cram 14 weeks worth of lectures into my brain. It does not help that our law finals will be theoretical in nature (unlike our midterms which was something akin to a case analysis). I still have no idea what our economics finals will be like but I pray to the high heavens that it will be UNLIKE our midterms which, literally squeezed every economics knowledge from my brain. I was reduced to playing the addicting Bejeweled game afterwards (I did pass that--by the skin of my teeth!).

Even with the tons of readings and analysis, I'm grateful for these subjects. I just finished reading a 72 page paper on the Asian Financial Crisis in preparation for our discussion later and I'm still trying to sort the information out in my mind. We also have a reporting as well regarding Economic figures and whatsoever during that.

If I survive this week without losing my mind, I'm going to relax next week. I don't know how I'll be able to do that considering that "term break" is only for two weeks. But at least I won't have Saturday classes again next term.

TEN DAYS

to go before the end of the month. Time surely flies by so fast (especially when you're having fun?). It's been one year since I started my MBA (and since I met Leo. Hehe). I'm formally starting my core subjects next term: Ethics and Marketing Management. I'm a bit nervous about Marketing since anything related to selling and PR is not my strong point. Contrary to what people think, I'm actually an introvert by nature. Second term of SY 2004-2005 will formally start on the 13th of September.

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Norrie's Daily Planet

Want to have a glimpse of what British life is all about? Here's a link to my aunt's blogspot who's based in Honiton, England. I love reading her posts, I hope you will too.

In case you're wondering, she's one hell of a writer and her grammar is definitely more impeccable than mine.

Assembly

Our bank had a general assembly last night at the swanky Manila Polo Club. The bank chorale (which I am a member of) was recruited to sing the opening number (a tacky rendition of Starship's "We Built this City" although changing the last word to SCB). The program's theme was "SCB School of Rock", which was derived from the Consumer Banking Regional Meeting last February. Everyone came in their rock outfit best.

The assembly confirmed what we've always known, and have somehow affirmed our belief that our profit sharing next year won't be as impressive as this year's. Our division has been floundering in the first half, with the other division outperforming us in terms of business deals and net profit made. The other division showcased their recent deals and were we astounded by the amount of currencies they dealt with. We're talking of Euro dollars and US dollars in the millions and Philippines pesos in the billions! I was suddenly embarrassed by our measly performance. At least we're already in the black.

Have to cut this short. Just remembered that I have a couple of law papers to finish. I'm so glad that this will be last. It's our finals next week!!! Aaaargh!!! And our prof just told us that his finals will be purely theoretical and closed books! We'll be like law students studying for a condensed bar exam.

Recommended Restaurant: Plato Platina (Bluewave, Roxas Blvd). SO has been raving about that place for months! We were supposed to go there for our 3rd month celebration but were only able to do so last weekend. Place is fine dining and you should try their paella! It's what they're known for and definitely a bestseller! I don't know if I was just hungry but it was definitely delicious!

Monday, August 16, 2004

AAAARGGGGHHH!!!!

One thing I hate about interfaces such as these. You press the wrong button at the wrong time, all the text that you worked hard to type just disappear. Now, I have to remember what I just spent a good portion of an hour writing.

PMS

I've been suffering this dreaded syndrome of women for more than a week now. I'm feeling better today, although I did break down this afternoon at work (don't you just hate when a person at work makes life so difficult for you? And this is not even my boss?!). And was I such an obnoxious bitch in class last Saturday. Don't even let me start on that.

Men can't seem to fathom this mystery called PMS. All they know is that if a woman is suffering from it, the best strategy is to stay away. Hell knows no fury of a PMS-stricken woman. Heck, I think I made so many enemies this week. Or maybe I'm just so sensitive that I'm thinking that everyone hates me even if it's nothing. At least my SO is so supportive about the whole thing.

Heck, there should be a support group for PMS suffering women. This is too much for me to take on alone. Even if Leo is there to listen to my griping and whining, nothing beats women empathy.

All the while, I thought PMS was just a myth (if you've been experiencing amenorrhea regularly for more than four years, you tend to forget), but after these few weeks, I'm an avid believer. I just wish there's an antidote for this.

LATEST MBA NEWS

We got a 3.5 in our Business Law report. We were a bit disappointed since we're aiming for a 4.0 but because of a "technicality", we got a 3.5. I feel that we should've disputed the grade but I was too tired to say anything anymore. AT least it's all over. Now all I need to do is to study for our final exam two weeks from now.

I'm glad that this term is almost over (it seems that I always feel this way every term-end). My workload at school is getting heavier and heavier every term. I think it'll be heavier since I'll be taking core subjects already next term.

One thing I appreciate about my subjects this term, is that I'm learning to appreciate discussion programs on TV. Just a few days ago, I was channel surfing when I came upon this forum in ANC or Channel 23. The topic was the 2-child policy that's making the rounds in the news. I would normally switch the channel to a different program, but I found myself watching it and would have stayed if not for the objections of my siblings who were watching tv with me.

According to a yahoogroup post that I read (thank you Patrick Salamat), currently, the government's accepted number of children is 4. This was deduced from the number of child exemptions a married with children taxpayer can claim. If they want to make it uncomfortable for taxpayers to have more than 2 children, just reduce the claimable exemptions to 2.

However, the problem with this system is that you'll be making it more difficult to those who are already having difficulty with their lives. Note that majority of those who have more than 4 children come from the lower-income or below minimum wage bracket . The politician who wants to introduce this bill believes that he is taking the cue from China (I don't think though that the government would be slaughtering infants or legalizing abortion soon). But our circumstances are different from them.

I think though that population is not the main problem. Yes, minimizing population is a good thing (it would increase our GDP rate and would hopefully make our poverty levels more manageable. Hey, did you know that Bill Gates can buy us if he wants to? He's worth more than our country's GNP), but it's not the major problem that should be addressed. What that main problem is is still open to debate.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Videoke Night

As some sort of celebration for our August birthday celebrants at work, as well as our boss' treat for her recent promotion, our department had a big room to ourselves at the Red Box Videoke over at Greenbelt. The place is quite new and their song list is very much updated.

We started singing at 7 pm. When my SO and I left at 1030 pm, they were still at it. It was fun singing songs and I managed to prove that I can do a mean rendition of Evanescene's "My Immortal" and "Bring me to Life". Our boys also goofed around with Backstreet Boy's "I want it that way". It was really hilarious! Too bad it's a work day tomorrow thus we can't stay late. Moreover, I have a paper due tomorrow and a reporting as well. I hope I'll still be able to finish it tomorrow afternoon considering we have a meeting with our Head.

On our way home, my SO and I had fun singing songs to ourselves. I found myself falling more in love as he sung "Points of View" off-key with the wrong lyrics. He was so adorable! (he'll hate me for saying that. Hehe).

One song which I dedicated to my SO:

You brighten my day in showing me my direction
You're coming to me and giving me inspiration
I won't ask for more from you my dear
Maybe just a smile in your heart.

Oh, and not to forget The Company's (which is my new ringtone for him):

Now that I have you
Everything just seems so right
Now that I have you I'm all right (that's according to the videoke lyrics)
You are the song that I'll be singing my whole life through
I'm living in a brighter world
Now that I have you.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Focus on Problems vs. Focus on Solutions

I'll never forget the forwarded message sent to us by our boss back then. It's a perfect example of focusing on problems rather than jumping immediately to solutions. Sometimes, that's the problem that everyday people experience. People argue because they can't agree on the problem on the first place. Once you focus on a problem, a solution will come easily.

I know, easily said than done. Heck, I have lots of problems with ready solutions yet I find implementation so difficult. I still hold hope that someday, I'll be able to get through this.

==========================

When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (Ink won't flow down to the writing surface). In order to solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

And what did Russians do.......................................??

The Russians used a Pencil!!!

101...and Stopping

My December 14 post mentioned us going to a place somewhere in Quezon City wherein we celebrated the 101st birthday of the eldest sister of my grandfather. We received news this morning that she died in her sleep. We'll be going to the funeral parlor later to pay our last respects.

This led me to the thought of how I would want to die. I know these thoughts may be too premature considering I'm a bit too young to think of dying. But hey, it's a fact of life that we would all eventually have to face.

Some people would want to die early, while others would want to die late in life. It depends on how they perceive the world and their life. I would prefer to die late in life and hopefully, not violently. I want to live my life to the fullest so that when I eventually leave this world, I know I was able to accomplish my role in the scheme of things.

Monday, August 09, 2004

Deceptionally Cold

It's been really cold the past few days. It did not help that the book I've been reading (Dan Brown's Deception Point) is set in Antarctica.

I'm not really much of a "cold" person. That's why I don't think I'll be happy living in the US or other northern equator country. I really abhor the cold. I'd rather be warm and live in the tropics. Think of it this way. It's difficult to get warm when you're cold, whereas it's easy to get cold when you're warm. Just strip! :D

Others would say, "sanayan lang yan!" (you'll get used to it). I don't know though.

Oh yeah, Deception Point is ok. It still has the suspense that Dan Brown is famous for. Although I loved Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code more.

Anyway, am sleepy now. Need to be up early again tomorrow. Am hitching a ride with the sisters tomorrow. No doubt they will be waking me up early.

Saturday, August 07, 2004

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!" - Alexander Pope

The SO discovered this movie a few months back. He's been harping for us to see it, even as far as finding the poem of Alexander Pope containing the said title and sending it to me. I had doubts back then since Jim Carrey in a serious role sounds...serious. But since I trust my SO's taste in movies, I acceded and we watched the film this afternoon.

I left the theater feeling so in love than I have ever been before. Maybe because I saw myself or my SO in Jim Carrey's (Joel) or Kate Winslet's (Clementine) characters. I don't know if it's the introversion of Joel or the extroversion of Clementine. Maybe because I loved the movie's premise wherein if the memories of a person has been erased, the feeling will always remain. Moreover if the love shared is the real kind of love.

It's actually an enjoyable movie. To quote one review I read: "Think of a bad memory, your most painful memory, your most painful memory involving a loved one, your most painful memory involving a lover. To what lengths would you go in order to expunge that memory? If you succeeded in expunging those most painful memories, would it make you happy? The preceding philosophical postulate is the basis for the latest in the all too brief list of films written by Charlie Kaufman, who gave us Being John Malkovich, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Adaptation. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind stars Jim Carey and Kate Winslet as Joel Barish and Clementine Kruzynski, a couple who, after a rocky relationship, decide to expunge one another from their respective memories in order to move on with their lives without the "getting over each other" period."

The timeline might be difficult to follow at first, but once you get the hang of it (watch out for Kate Winslet's hair), you can settle down and enjoy the scenery.

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Sleep Hungry

I haven't been this sleepy hungry or deprived for quite a long time. I already drank one small cup of nescafe this morning. I'm still sleepy yet I would not want to drink another cup for fear that I might not be able to sleep tonight.

I'm here again at the DLSU RCBC campus. Although not in the library. I found a small nook in one of the hallways here and connected my laptop to the LAN. Really nice although I would prefer the library where the lighting is better and I could leave my stuff without worrying over them. Whereas here, everything's so exposed. At least I can get some shut-eye here (I hope). Unfortunately, somebody beat me to my usual spot at the library. I had to go somewhere to look for another connection. Maybe later, I'll check if the place is available again.

I'm so looking forward to the weekend. I don't have class on Saturday so I can sleep as late as I want. Although I think the SO has classes so I have to wait for him. That's two more days of waiting until this kalbaryo is over. Even my officemates noticed that I've been very quiet for the past three days. Usually, I take some time off to talk to them and ask how they are. But now, I would sit in my chair and decide like crazy until I reach my daily quota.

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Walking in Sunshine

I literally walked in sunshine today and it was not a very good experience.

No, I'm not disavowing the pleasure of my existence. It's just that I had the (mis)fortune of re-experiencing EDSA in the middle of the afternoon.

As part of our case report tomorrow, a couple of my groupmates and I commuted to the SEC office in Mandaluyong to interview some people and collect some reports as well. Since neither of us has ever been to the place, we asked for directions and opted to take the MRT instead of my usual taxi. My officemates suggested that we get down at the Ortigas station and walk to the SEC office instead of getting down at Santolan. Since I was familiar with the area, I followed their suggestion.

We got off the Ortigas station at around quarter to 3. I froze in my tracks when I first glimpsed the length of EDSA that we had to traverse in order to reach our destination. According to my vague memory, the SEC Office was right under the Ortigas flyover. And the flyover looked so far! So there we were, walking along EDSA with the hot afternoon sun beating down our sweat-soaked backs.

Good thing my groupmate was not one of those maarte kinds (heck, if she was maarte, we would not be commuting in the first place!). We valiantly trudged along. Braving the pollution, impolite commuters and the hot sun. We arrived at the SEC Office with 5 minutes to spare. We hurriedly looked for a restroom where we were able to freshen up and face our interviewee not looking like we were dragged out of a DSWD van. (I saw a pink DSWD van drive along EDSA, picking up homeless people and street kids. Wow. Didn't know we had that. Our government is doing something with our money. Hah!).

It's been a long time since I sweated sweat that was not exercise-induced. Sweat excreted while walking along a busy street in mid-afternoon. That kind of sweat. I'm talking about the nitty gritty, soaked-through-your-shirt kind of sweat. I guess I've been spoiled with our office aircon and my daily hatid-sundo c/o my brother and/or SO. When I told my siblings about my EDSA experience, they said that I should experience that from time to time since they experience it everyday.

Nevertheless, I'm not looking for a repeat experience. When in doubt, take a cab (with a companion, of course).

Monday, August 02, 2004

Whiling the Afternoon Away

I'm here at the library of DLSU-RCBC. I've been here since 3 pm and I haven't done anything constructive since then. I brought my laptop with me and I connected it to the internet LAN. I'm supposed to stay here until our group meeting tonight and looks like I'll be able to do that. As long as there's internet, I can keep myself amused. Although I'm supposed to do my BUSLAW paper and not chat. Actually, come to think of it, I won't be able to chat since there's an existing firewall which prevents the users from chatting. I'm still happy here in the my little corner in the library. All I need is coffee and water and I'll be fine.

This is going to be a long and bloody week for me. We have a major case in our law subject to be presented on Thursday (my groupmates and I are pressured to get a 4.0). Other than that, there's another case which we're also supposed to submit on the same day wherein the original decision is 26 pages long! That's three times the length of our ordinary cases! I'm so glad that there's no classes on Saturday (although there's a make-up this Friday). Oh, I got a 9/10 for my Eco report last week. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a good grade this term.

Did I mention that my department went bowling a few days back? I think it was last Tuesday. I was not able to join in the fun and was a mere spectator. I had fun cheering everyone and hopefully, I'll be able to get enough practice for the next event -- whenever that may be.

I'm so sleepy. Unfortunately, there's no hidden corner here in the library where I can catch some shut-eye. Hmmmm....

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Imeldifically Imelda

I had second thoughts watching Imelda since I'm not much into documentaries. But since the SO loves watching art films (e.g. Zaoitchi, et al), I went along and wondered whether I should've lobbied for "Ella Enchanted". But since I was curious on whether the film really deserved the "Best Cinematography" Award and also to see why Imelda asked for a TRO, might as well watch it.

I was prepared to be bored. I mean, I've always known Imelda to be imeldific, so what else do I need to know about her? But I found myself being surprisingly entertained.

The film presented Imelda in a different light. I haven't laughed that hard over a film in a long time. Usually, it's just half-laughs or forced smiles. But four hours after leaving the cinema, I still chuckle out loud whenever I remember her quips and the testimonies of Fr. James Reuter and others. You will definitely get more than her shoes.

Based on the film, one could say that Imelda is child-like or even naive. But then it could be all an act. Imelda is obsessed with beauty. Specifically, her beauty. Her philosophy is that God is love, love is beauty, therefore, God is beauty. She even harbors the thought that when she dies, God will embrace her and welcome her to heaven (feel free to think otherwise).

It was also the first time that I learned that Imelda survived an "assassination" attempt wherein a man in a suit came at her with a jungle bolo. I was laughing when she narrated this experience. She still managed to "joke" about it although when she first said it, I really thought she was serious!

After leaving the theater, you would not know whether to love her or hate her. One thing's for sure, Imelda Marcos is definitely one of a kind.