It’s all about the big “C”

Courteous [adj. Pronunciation: 'k&r-tE-&s, British also 'kor- ]

1 : marked by polished manners, gallantry, or ceremonial usage of a court.
2 : marked by respect for and consideration of others
- cour•te•ous•ly adverb
- cour•te•sy noun

[taken from webster.com]

Allow me to take a few minutes of your time in sharing what irks me. Now, admittedly, I’m sometimes a pig when I’m in Jim’s place (sorry man). But more often than not, one tries to be the best gentleman that he could possibly be.

Yet despite that, inevitable instances of improper decorum will come up. Here are my top no-no’s that will surely get a violent response if you do so:

On cellphones:
1.do try to acknowledge one’s message
2.do try to introduce yourself when you call someone who doesn’t have your number.

On dining:
3.do let the ladies sit first
4.do not ever masticate with an open mouth
5.do not ever make noises when you masticate
[I will humiliate you if you do so]
6.no money on the table please

On relationships:
7.do be thoughtful above all else

On e-mails:
8.on group messages, do practice the utmost respect for your fellow members.
[Ah my, favorite. A show of arrogance is a sure-fire invitation for me to bludgeon you. Hehe, enough said.]

It's all about courtesy. I apologize if I’m honest with my feelings, sharing with you my pet peeves.

Now, what are yours?

The 13: History and Origin

Okay kids, time for a history lesson.

Why am I doing this? I figured it's good to keep record of all these facts so that we won't forget where this whole thing came from.

So here it is, historical facts about our blog. It's good to know about history heh.

The 13 Blog Fact #1: The term "The 13" was first used on April 30, 2005, a Saturday. And no, it wasn't me who coined it. You really think I came up with something as cheesy as "The 13"? No no no. That phrase was first used by our cheesiest member, Doug! Oh and since I've been doing papers the whole week, here's an in-text reference in case Doug forgot this little tidbit (http://peppericious.blogspot.com/2005_04_01_peppericious_archive.html).

The 13 Blog Fact #2: The founding members of The 13
Jim Glenn Doug Odell Dodong
Eug Pierre Lester Jeco
Poy Wil Jed Janny

The 13 Blog Fact #3: As shown in the link above, The 13 was only supposed to be a name I can use to call everyone as a group so I can write features on each one. It turned out that the first and only subject was Jed. I dont know why I stopped writing about everyone after that. Maybe someday. Anyway, the 13 eventually caught on, I don't know how or why, but it did, thus a potential name for what would eventually be this blog.

The 13 Blog Fact #4: The 13 blog was created on May 30, 2005 by yours truly. I gave Pierre and later on Glenn administrative powers because it dawned on me that I have no idea how to create layouts. The first post was a post about the 10 commandments of the blog which today, no one has followed hahaha. The second post was about the things that we all needed to bring for the Bohol trip. Ahhhh Beach.

The 13 Blog Fact #5: The third post was the first post by someone else. A crappy poem entitled My Crappy Poem by Glenn. heh. It would also turn out to be the first of Glenn's many artistic posts (better ones the my crappy poem, of course).

The 13 Blog Fact #6: June 2005 was when people started posting on the blog. The one that stands out was this gem by Doug (Doug, bakit d ka na nagpopost ngayon?) entitled "crappy NBA":

matatalo na suns.. crap..

nakachamba detroit.. crap..

d ako drinaft sa nba.. crap.. hehe

The 13 Blog Fact #7: June 24, 2005. The first of my many poker posts which no one replies to. I hope it's just that no one gets it. heh.

The 13 Blog Fact #8: July 5, 2005. The first of what would be numerous Wilson posts that would end with someone getting pissed off at Wil after something Wil did that seemed funny at the time. This one included Wil replying to a forwarded chain mail and getting a really pissed off reply.

The 13 Blog Fact #9: March 22-23, 2006. Wilson proves that he is undoubtably the most controversial poster in the blog. 2 posts in 2 days, the first about swindling horny chatters by pretending to be a female stripper and the second, posting "humor" about God. Remember to keep away when lightning finally hits Wil heh.

The 13 Blog Fact #10: March 30, 2006. Jeco makes his first post. It's about regretting not graduating cum laude or something like that. Remember in high school when Jeco was as lazy as me?

The 13 Blog Fact #11: March 31, 2006. On the eve of April Fools, Wilson posts about getting hit by a bus only to get a reply that someone's friend died the same way. Whoops!

The 13 Blog Fact #12: April 2006. This month is our record breaking month in terms of posts. Also, on the 1st of April, the Blog layout was again changed to what we have today. It started out as a Yahoo-looking blog, then a generic blog and then finally a blog that is personal and one that we can all be proud of. Also, the first change in the 13 lineup occurs as Billy replaces Janny.

The most horrific night of my life

On stress-filled nights, I dream about it
On desperate days, I think about it
That fateful night, drilled into my psyche
Torturing and tearing me apart

I remember it like it was just yesterday
the group sat in a circular table
the sea roared deafening the silent night
oblivious to the events that is about to unfold

They all started laughing and screaming
The screaming, oh god.. I can still hear them in my sleep
I had lost that fateful round, resigned to my fate
wishing I was somewhere else rather than there

And then, I could stall no longer
I grabbed the spoon filled with the horrible substance
A substance that should never be consumed
A substance that hell itself spat out

With a small prayer, I took a huge breath
And then, I took it all in
eyes watering, mouth burning
my tongue knew this was no ordinary meal

And just like I predicted, my throat said fuck off
I felt it rushing back out, my body ready to release
I ran to the other room, with everyone chasing after me
But they could not catch one as desperate as I

Finally, the demonic liquid was expelled
my eyes still watering at the scarring event
I made my way back to the battling ground
Ready to seek vengeance at everyone

The night ended in laughter
but in my dreams, I wake in cold sweats
As I will remember that fateful eve
when I ate a spoon filled with mayonnaise

Left alone.

(old school baby! not as subtle nor as well written as I would like it to be but hey, at least it's something new here)

Seeing that she was a terrible mess, I decided to console her.
After all, what harm could it do?

Befriended her, I did.
Rest assured that my intentions were clear - to help her be whole again.

I've then realized that I have opened a can of worms..

Now, her constant self-assurance and flirting are becoming disturbing.
Ack. It’s just creepy.

Please, if only you could read between the lines and help me.
One reply is all I need.
One.

Now would be a good time.

Dream on

I had a dream a week ago. I dreamt that I was back in high school, but I knew what was going on. It was like a groundhog day, matrix-like feeling where you know something is wrong but you're the only one who knows it. So it was kind of like that. It's the type of dream where after you wake up, you're just speechless and you're just trying to process everything.

Eventually, I thought about it some more and I figured it would be really cool to go back to high school with everything I've learned now. Of course, a lot about it would suck like having to sit in a room from 7:30 to 4pm, not being able to cut classes, a more strict environment and freakin uniforms. But, then again, there would be a lot of cool things I'd want to do. Here's some off the top of my head.

1. Challenge an argument a teacher makes in class.

Now in Jubilee, if you do this with any teacher, you're bound to get in trouble. But if you do this to the wrong teacher, like say Mrs Corpuz, then that's a sure-fire mark in your Student disciplinary record or SDR. But, it would still be really cool that when an AP teacher asks a question, you'd go "why? and present evidence supporting this claim."

2. Answer a high school question with a collegiate response.

If you can go back to high school and not act like a college ass, then it's not worth it heh. Imagine answering a book review question where the expected high school response would be "it was well-written and I enjoyed reading it" and answer it along the neighborhood of "the author's attempt to showcase a world on the precipice of post-modernism is well-documented" and just watch the blank faces of everyone listening would be really cool.

3. Ask a philosophical question in Bible Class

There would be no greater joy than hearing Pastor Pan talk about Dragon Ball or his new cell phone and then interrupt his delirious rant, asking him about the ontological argument or Nietszche's views on existentialism. Ten bucks say you get foldered.

4. Join in on the high school chatter

Remember when we didn't know anything about anything? Well, innocence once lost can never be regained. But it would still be nice to be surrounded again with high school jubilee students who think and talk like high school jubilee students.

5. Did a lot more stupid things

If I slugged Kenneth Coyukang on the mouth when I was high school, I'd probably get in trouble. But to be honest, in the long run, which is sort of now, I doubt it would have made a difference in my life. And think of the satisfaction. So if I had a fictional day in high school, I'd enjoy the good things on the first half of the day. After lunch time, all bets are off. At the end of my wild day, I'd find my SDR and rip it to shreds in front of Ms. Albano. heh.

Jubilean: a primer

Once in a while, when the topic demands it, when the situation calls for it, or maybe when there is simply a lack of anything useful to discuss, we all dwell into another world. This world should be avoided, yet we stumble to it every so often. This world is called the world of scholastic stereotyping.

You all have been in that world. It's when we talk about Xavierians and then one person makes it a point to call them smug assholes. Everyone.. and I mean everyone.. seems to know at least one Xavier student who fits into this profile. When we talk about Xavier, one person will go "oh, they're all assholes" and then like clockwork, another person will go "oh yeah, remember so and so? yeah he was an asshole".

Scholastic stereotyping affects every school. Girls from St. Paul are associated with.. er.. a white hanky (to which I've seen done to no result yet after numerous attempts), Girls from Assumption and Poveda are sluts, Icans are arrogant and carries the most superior complex around, anything south (IS, Brent, etc) are people who party too much and are high everytime.

Interestingly, to these "south" students, they seem to harbor a North vs South mentality, like there's a rivalry going on or something. Until I got to college, I didn't even know there was a north and a south. You hear it from Blueridge kids who'd go "that is such a North thing to do" and I'd just stare at them blankly. But I digress.

Anyway, back to the point, the question it seems, is what makes a Jubilean?

Now we can all expect biased comments here, but what is more important is we take a step back and judge our upbringing through Jubilee and make proper analysis. Any donk can say Jubilee is great because of so and so, but it's a lot more challenging to say Jubilee is great at so and so but it sucks at so and so.

So I'll leave it like this first to let it swirl in our heads before I put in my two cents.

14 of men’s oddest quirks

[I stumbled upon this article today from a link that Wil gave to me. Quite funny and interesting, heh. If you guys are interested, I have Gray's books and Allan and Barbara Pease's works on gender Psychology and Paralanguage for further reading.]

Fourteen of Men's Oddest Quirks

1. Why won’t he stop and ask for directions?
You’ve all been there. “There” being nowhere near where you are supposed to be because the Magellan wannabe behind the steering wheel would rather drive around in circles, cursing at street signs for hours, than pull into a gas station and ask for help. But his resistance isn’t merely macho - it comes from a primal, evolutionary place, explains Allan Pease, coauthor of Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps. “Men had to rely on spatial skills to survive - they needed to know where to throw the spear to hit the zebra running at high speeds. They also needed to remember how to get back home with the meat. So to have to stop and ask for directions is to admit you’ve failed at your number one evolutionary task!”

In other words, our big, fat egos are at stake — even if the task at hand isn’t exactly life-and-death. “If Columbus could find America, I feel like I should be able to find my niece’s third-birthday party,” says Rich, 35, a geologist from Miller Place, NY.

2. Why is he obsessed with the Discovery Channel?
Flip to the Discovery Channel at any given moment and you’ll see people blowing things up, animals eating each other or men with ridiculous mustaches riding around on motorcycles. It’s everything we wish we were doing instead of working from 9 to 5 every day (besides the getting-eaten-by-a-wild-jackal part).

3. Why does he love quickies so much?
It’s simple mathematics. Dudes experience spontaneous sexual hunger about twice as often as women, according to a study conducted at Oxford University. Add to that the fact that 30 percent of men experience premature ejaculation at some point in our lives, and you’ve got an equation for a quickie. Nick, 31, an actor from Braintree, MA, has a somewhat less scientific explanation for the male proclivity for fast-and-furious love: “More pleasure, less effort,” he says. “It’s like my favorite beer - tastes great, less filling.”

4. Why can’t he be bothered to wrap a present?
So we think the store bag counts as wrapping paper. It’s not because we’re uncaring jackasses. As evidenced by many a single guy’s apartment, where a $2,000 TV set can coexist happily with a coffee table fashioned from a cardboard box, attention to detail often eludes us. We see the big picture — i.e., the gift — but little finishing details like bows and ribbons seem superfluous and inconsequential.

And believe it or not, there is actually a lot of loving thought that goes into the lack of shiny paper and Scotch tape. “When I’ve bought my girlfriend something expensive from a fancy store, I want her to know that it’s the real deal and not some knockoff I bought on the street,” says Jimmy, 32, from Bowling Green, OH. “Giving it to her in the store bag proves it.” And, really, isn’t a pretty blue Tiffany shopping bag nicer to look at than something wrapped in three-year-old Christmas paper and duct tape?

5. Why can’t he throw out those junky T-shirts from college?
No, we don’t think armpit-stained Guns N’ Roses concert tees are the must-have item this fall. Two impulses make us hold onto those old shirts until they fall off our bodies: One is — yes — sentimentality. “This is where men and women are alike,” says Nick. “This is the X in our XY chromosomes. Whenever I put certain old shirts on, I can’t help but remember a game of touch football or the first hike I went on with my fiance while I was wearing that shirt.” The other reason we can’t part with our tees is that guys are, well, kinda lazy. Throwing something out requires effort — and replacing it requires one of the most dreaded activities in a man’s life: going to the mall. If it’s comfortable and covers our torso to a reasonable degree, both our hearts and our shopping phobia will have us holding onto it for dear life.

6. Why does he call his friends by rude nicknames?
Your husband is on the phone with one of his buddies and just referred to him by a funny but foul name. Are they in the middle of a fight? Just the opposite, says Austin, 31, from New Orleans: “Only someone who loved us would say something that harsh to our face.” Allan Pease explains, “Giving friends nicknames shows an emotional connection, but the filthy humor prevents it from being too emotional, which makes men uncomfortable.”

7. Why does he suck at chitchatting on the phone?
It’s all about hormones, says relationship expert John Gray, Ph.D., author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus . “Oxytocin, a hormone that reduces stress in women, is stimulated through communicating and collaborating. For men, testosterone reduces stress - and it’s stimulated through solving problems and competition. Chitchatting is basically the opposite of accomplishing anything. It can actually lower a guy’s testosterone levels, and he’ll start feeling uncomfortable and bored.”

8. Why must he repack the car when you fit everything in fine?
Whether you are loading Costco loot for the short ride home or shoving suitcases in the trunk for a cross-country trek, there is one thing you can be sure of: Whichever way you cram everything in will be “all wrong.” Why do guys insist that they’re expert packers? “Well, typically a man is better at packing the car,” laughs Gray. (Yeah, we men stick together like that.) “Most research reveals that men have a much more developed sense of spatial perception, which is what makes a person good at arranging things.” And don’t be fooled by those moans and complaints he makes about having to redo your alleged packing disaster. “We love the challenge,” admits Nels, 34, a writer from Savannah. “It’s like a life-size game of Tetris.”

9. Why does he always think it is 20 degrees hotter than it really is?
Some experts say men have a higher internal temperature. Others say that more body hair = warmer bodies. Whatever the reason, all guys agree: If you need to pile seven blankets on the bed every time the temperature dips below 68 degrees, keep them on your side of the bed!

10. Why does he have a garage filled with power tools he never uses?
Guys are born to love gizmos - literally. In a study of newborns who were given the choice of looking at a human face or a mobile, the majority of boy babies were more interested in looking at the whirling, twirling thingy than the adoring person making goo-goo faces. (Baby girls, conversely, preferred human interaction. Weirdos.) In addition to this apparently instinctive love of things that spin and buzz at the push of a button, many guys experience a kind of nostalgia when perusing the Black and Decker aisle at Sears. “It’s often his attempt to live the fantasy of being the Man of the House,” says Pat Love, Ed.D., author of The Truth About Love. We grew up seeing our dads and grandpas running around with hammers and monkey wrenches fixing (or making worse) whatever ailed the house. We want to be just like them, not some 21st-century wienie who’s afraid to chip a nail. Having the tools on hand at least gives us the illusion of competence.

11. Why doesn’t he want to talk about his day when he gets home?
“I just want to leave all the annoying crap of the day behind me and think about nothing for a while,” says Jim, 31, a father of two from Beacon, NY. At the end of the day, men are tired of thinking, and, more important, we’re tired of talking. “Studies show that women use 8,000 to 9,000 words a day. Men use 2,000 to 4,000 words a day on average,” explains communication expert Allan Pease. “By the time they come home from work, they’ve used up their words. And women have 5,000 left to go.”

12. Why can he remember the score of a baseball game played 10 years ago, but forgets his own mother’s birthday?
Sixty percent of men forget birthdays and anniversaries, compared with only 16 percent of women, according to one British survey. Are all guys idiots? (Don’t answer that!) “Birthdays and anniversaries are linked to emotional events, which brain-imaging studies show that the male mind doesn’t respond to as much as the female mind does,” says Pease. On the other hand, as we’ve already seen, testosterone is what really soothes the male soul, and watching or competing in sports is one of the primary things that gets it pumping. “You hold onto those scores and memories because they make you feel good,” John Gray notes.

13. Why does he get jealous about a boyfriend from seventh grade?
Bringing up an old flame, no matter how innocently, is a sure way to ignite the fires of jealousy in your guy’s heart. Men, you may have noticed, can be incredibly competitive, and as Pat Love notes, “Talking about an old boyfriend makes him feel powerless. He’s thinking, ‘How can I compete with a memory?’” He can attempt to outwit - or, in the worst-case scenario, punch out - some guy he thinks is flirting with you at a bar, but there is nothing he can do about little Johnny Smith, who held hands with you on that field trip to the natural history museum. Man, we hate that guy.

14. What’s up with all the lesbian fantasies?
“Two words: No penises,” says Jimmy. Truth is, in the pantheon of ridiculous sex fantasies floating around the male mind, one scenario reigns over all others: stumbling upon two women going at it hot and heavy, and being asked to join in the fun. And watching two porn actresses experience orgasm after orgasm with each other (they wouldn’t fake it, right?) is the closest 99.9 percent of men not named Hugh Hefner or Dirk Diggler will ever get to living that fantasy.

The dance

There she was. An epitome of a lady that one could only have the blessing to meet, politely greeting everyone on every table, thanking them for attending her night on a cold December eve.

The thought of one having met a woman with just the right amount of wit, quirk, and the warmest of smiles would melt you right there, right on the spot. But all that I could do then was to wish the debutante all the best and celebrate the night with her, with all the others. This was after all, her night. I paid my courtesy, and sat down with my friends.

It felt like it was one of those nights when I wished that I should’ve hid inside my shell and sulked though the night away instead. If only I wasn’t so deluded to take ill advice from someone that I need not mention, things would’ve unfolded more naturally. No, don’t get me wrong, nothing bad happened, it’s just that I gave my trust to someone even more deluded than me. Hah. Am I the only one who’s not enjoying the night?

Just when I was dancing my despairs away, someone approached me.

"Would you care to dance with me?" she asked.

I hesitated. I wasn’t intending to slowdance with anyone, let alone be caught sharing my woes with her. But one look and you could tell that she’s not a little girl anymore. She had troubles too. I surprised myself by saying, “okay”.

She placed both her hands around my shoulders and I placed my palms on her waist. We danced and we talked. She told me all her troubles and I told her all my dreams, like I did in my sleep. We danced again and we talked. We danced and we laughed, and talked about the silliest things.

Personally, it didn’t matter that we danced for hours, and that everyone else stared at us. We closed our eyes and became blind. We just listened to each other.

It was the night where two hours seemed like just a dance.

Yearbook launch(?)

Just a thought. Isn't it ironic there's not a single buzz (nor news) about the upcoming yearbook launch on the 25th (which is four days from now), when people everywhere were whining like they stepped on a doodie months back?

I think half gave up/forgot about it while the other half (as what Jim said) are simply afraid to ask about it for fear of conflict. lol.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/31749732/ (circa 2002).

GK's Repartee, et. al.

"GK's Repartee"

No, not Gawad Kalinga. Glenn Kho.

What I am discontented about Gawad Kalinga is that they are aggressively marketing it as a nationwide community building project yet it deemphasizes the importance of educating the community. I know that they have livelihood programs but it is treated as a supplement rather than a complement. I firmly believe that education is just as important and it deserves the equal amount of right as voluntary carpentry.

We (our Psychology org) realized their shortcoming and took our own initiative. We made our own long-term sustainable education project through building a small library in Baseco, Tondo (DLSU's adopted GK community) and go there weekly to teach the young minds of tomorrow. I'm glad to say that it's been going well since.

Thank you by the way for expanding our insights on attaining the higher needs of an individiual. Yup I've been meaning to talk about that but the topic then was mainly about sustinence. Yes, I also agree that giving out small pledges and even solidarity meals can make significant contributions. It's a good strategy to try out.

Hmm. My final thought: do make your every decision in life an opportunity for personal & social growth, not merely on covering up in your deficits.

Wow. An optimistic Glenn. Bah!
-----

"Hola"

Shifting gears to a more casual tone, I was quietly minding my business as of late, checking my email and then completing my digital portfolio before deciding to truly take a hiatus when I noticed that I got a message by some guy named Eneko.

Turns out that the guy's the head designer of some online magazine and he was interested in featuring my artwork.

Yes, I'm featured at some SPANISH ONLINE ART MAGAZINE (it's not the feature that you might think, the one with articles and pictures and all. just a gallery of some of my works). I could not discern whether I should be glad about this or not because on one hand, hey, it's not everyday that people get to notice your work. But on the other, WTF, why not in a Filipino art magazine instead? It kind of makes you sad too no? Well anyway, I realized that it's going to be a fun experience anyway so I agreed hehe.

Oh yeah, the URL's http://autografico.org. Do check it out.

-----

"Double rip-off"

Having read Lincoln's The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail a year before the Dan Brown novel craze emerged, the phenomena then has left me unimpressed. I was naturally skeptic.

Anyway, I went to your local friendly fake DVD stall today with the sole intention of buying a copy of the Da Vinci Code movie adaptation (I was also trying my luck trying to find a copy of Mirrormask, but to no avail), since my mom's nagging me for weeks now to obtain a copy, and that the recent issue of the Philippine Roman Catholic Church banning its film showing has oh so lured me.

"Da Vinci Code". Well the cover says so, Tom Hanks is even on the visual montage. You can't go wrong with that.

After only two minutes of watching the DVD over dinner with my mom and my aunt, I realized that something wasn't right. We were watching documentary film about Rennes le Chateau with a Da Vinci code cover. I cannot believe that I got ripped by a fake DVD of a FAKE DVD. No return policy. Ack.

Pissed, I watched Scary Movie 4 instead.

Damnit, I want my friggin' 40 pesos back.

In Defense of Gawad Kalinga and Some Things I Bet You Don't Know about Ginebra San Miguel

Gawad Kalinga isn't merely a one-stop charity act. In fact, it proposes a long term vision to the adopted community. It is also a very powerful evangelizing tool, albeit the Roman Catholic version. This reply isn't meant to be a rebuttal of Glenn and Jeco's posts. It is intended to straighten out certain facts. I won't give out any thoughts about benevolence, since even after 3 years of SOA work, I'm still confused up till this very day.

I remember how two years ago, Gawad Kalingan wanted to adopt our Marikina Heights apostolate area as one of their project sites. They promised to provide livelihood education and projects, help in the educational formation of the kids in the community and the like. They've also got the spiritual formation of the people in the community since Jesuit brothers will be assigned to go there from time to time. Name it, they've got it covered when it comes to the needs of a community. For some reason, Gawad Kalinga didn't want to partner with our organization and wanted us to leave the area. I'm quite sure they've got good reasons, and as a disclaimer this is not to put GK in a bad light. I know quite a handful of GK and YFC people hehe.

Of course we felt sad that we have to leave the area, but we were mature enough to allow Gawad Kalinga to invade our territory. After all, it was the best option for the area. Our organization had planned to provide livelihood projects and scholarships to the kids in the community but it has since become a long-term dream due to lack of funds. But here is Gawad Kalinga that has the financial and professional resources to make it happen. This is an opportunity that cannot be passed up.

For some reason that I don't know, only one house was built by Gawad Kalinga on that community and we still continue to go to Marikina Heights up until this very day. I can only assume two things : a.) GK abandoned the area or b.) The elders in the community would rather have us than GK. I've heard that some of the elders told the GK people that they don't want us to leave since we were the first one to recognize and adapt their community. I prefer letter b, and to think that our community is the really poor kind in which some of the kids roam around the streets begging for alms or sell strands of sampaguita while a typhoon is ravaging the metropolis.

On foresight (and avoiding a direct argument with Glenn), I guess GK was practising what most of us humans have forgotten a long time ago. We are all ultimately responsible to the others. It is this belief that makes me want to propose a project to the ADMU administration. Imagine if we can get at least P1.00 out of each and every 7,000 ADMU student. That would be about P28,000.00 a month or roughly P112,000.00 a semester, more than enough to finance two bright and promising students on their studies. Or maybe to get more out of each student, they would be required to give P1.00 each week for every subject that they attend. We don't see protests when the administration announces a 7% tuition fee increase so I don't think there would be protests. I don't know about the feasibility of such a project but I'm thinking about it. Maybe you guys can help me out on this one. Ah yes, I agree wholly with Glenn on one point and that is we should see the world from their point of view. And yes Glenn, you can still volunteer for GK. GK is the evolution (a mini-evolution at that but an evolution nevertheless) you are looking for.

I won't assume that I completely understood the full meaning and implications of Jeco's post but one flaw (which I think Glenn was on the path to mentioning but didn't) is that Jeco gave out a consumable matter that happens to be on top of a human's needs. In my org which promotes education, we teach our kids in the hopes that some day they can stand on their own in this fierce land called the world. Ever seen the face of a Grade 6 kid that just learned how to multiply? That is my motivation for staying in Kaingin, never mind that the org also happens to have the highest concentration of hot/cute chicks among all socially-oriented organizations. While I know that my kids might still wallow in poverty in the future because of forces beyond their control, I know that they have a fighting chance to get out of their misery. Although I can't provide for all of my kid's needs, I hope that what his schooling has done to my kids is to let them know that they don't need to get everything from somebody. In the end, aside from we being responsible to the others, we are also responsible for ourselves.

xxx

Some interesting facts about Ginebra San Miguel (Taken from the Ginebra San Miguel website)

• Ginebra San Miguel is the largest-selling gin in the world
  
• In the Philippines, about 22 bottles of Ginebra San Miguel are consumed every second. Ginebra (Imagine how many students can finance their education with those 22 bottles per second hehe.)
• San Miguel is the first ever Philippine gin.
  
• It was first produced in 1834 after the abolition of the Galleon Trade.
  
• It was served during the Malolos Convention in 1898.
  
• National Artist Fernando Amorsolo designed the label (St. Michael) to finance his studies abroad.
  
• The round bottle was designed after the perfect packaging – the egg.
  
• It has been referred to as ‘stainless,’ referring to its pure, clear, and safe quality.
  
• The Barangay Ginebra Song was composed by Gary Granada to pay homage to his favorite basketball team. The melody eventually became GSMI’s corporate anthem

My answer to Jeco's post on the thing about benevolence

(I've decided to make my comment into a post since it's turning out to be quite long. Hehe sorry.)

Psychology and Economics both belong to the discipline of Social Science. They both deal with the metacognition and decisions of persons which result to behavior.

Recall the foremost proponent in the third wave of Psychology, whose model of Hierarchy of Needs is a staple in Economics.

Here are my conclusions based on my unobtrusive (sometimes when I watch you guys give alms to the street children) and obtrusive observations (when it's my turn to give alms, or at times when I bash on them based on the assumption that they work for supposed syndicates): they are merely satisfying their most basic hierarchy of need, that is, their physiological needs.

But going beyond that level of meaning, I'll try to give my two cents as to what motivates them and my personal ideological insights.

I do not blame them at all if they seem to be acting out of our social normes, not practicing cultured decorum such as sharing or giving thanks. Again, this is under my assumption that I have interacted with children who do not work for supposed syndicates (this idea is actually farfetched when you think about it because if there are people that they should be working their poor souls for, it's for their family). My point is, to try to put things into their perspectives. See the world from their innocent eyes, walk the streets using their worn-out slippers, beg for alms with a calloused palm and an empty stomach. It would make a huge difference.

Now for the second half, I agree that not only does it make you feel bad, but actually, terrible. The hounding idea that your noble efforts are still not enough to change the status quo would give you sleepless nights. But give that thought time to grow that will then make you realize that changing the status quo is not a process of revolution, but more of an evolution. It takes time.

And that's one facticity of life that we could not circumvent.

This is also my personal reason why I condone the Gawad Kalinga project. Although I have never been vocal about my stand (seeing that my alma mater is turning to be a GK country, where initial YFC volunteers are becoming zombies, churning out mindless fervor over it. "blind zealots" as I would prefer to identify these youths for Christ), I do not see the significance of its goal of 7,000 homes for 70,000 families in 7 years. Yes, it's a staggering number, but it's just statistic.

The flaw of this vast project (I'll relate this to the topic in a while) is that it ends when the house is complete. Well what about livelihood? One just basically gave the marginalized sector a house (take note, house and not home) to take shelter. Well, they're dry alright, but they're still going to be hungry. Be as it may that it's still better than nothing, but that better is not good enough. It's basically just a patch. This is why I refuse to contribute my physical efforts because after seven years, it will still be a project in vain. Values of Filipino Kapatiran my scrawny ass. It still neglects the more important value of FORESIGHT.

What Gawad Kalinga lacks, as well as our act of kindness to the people asking for alms is the lack of foresight for BOTH parties.

Give them foresight when they have satisfied their physiological needs (i.e. let them realize the bigger picture when they're not thinking on an empty stomach), and that, I would say, is the real significant start than giving them alms and food.

When we've realize that benevolence is not a one-shot process, and they've realize that they should learn to fish as opposed to merely being content to receiving it (ika nga, isang kahig, isang tuka), real lasting change begins. Not only for both our needs, but more imporantly, change (growth) in both our values.

An Indian nun from Calcutta never once gave up even when she realized the big picture. Her unbounded altruism, in a way, became her foresight - to be generous until her world's end.

Yes empathy, then benevolence, but it doesn't end there. Foresight comes next.

I hope i've given a comment/post that's relevant and pertinent.

The thing about benevolence

I was having lunch here at the office with my grandmother and aunts (the benefits of having a penthouse above your office building) when my aunt's dogs started fighting each other. Two devastatingly cute yorkshire terriers fighting over a bone. It was distracting regardless of whatever conversation is present. Then one of my uncles articulated an interesting point: "binigyan mo pa kasi ng buto e, tuloy may pinag-aawayan pa" (because you gave them the bone now they have something to fight over) Hence begins one of my philosophical inquiries again.

Flashback to Monday, April 10, the Chinese Community we created in college had dinner at Dampa, this seafood market/restaurant row in Roxas that takes the seafood you buy at the market outside and let's you choose on how you want your seafood cooked. We ordered quite a lot and I opted to take home the excess.

Being in Manila, there of course was no shortage of beggars asking for alms, outside the restaurant, there were two kids who asked for the excess food we had, I thought about it and told them to share it with their co-indigents trying to pass it off as our group's benevolent act, being holy week and all. On our way to the parking area, we were approached once again with another pair of street kids. I informed them of the food we bestowed upon their fellow destitutes and told them that I ordered they share the food thus they would have equal claim on it as the ones that I handed the food to.

What followed was an argument among the poor street kids trying to stake their own claim (rightful or not) on their sustenance. We didn't stay long enough to witness the outcome, nonetheless the extension of the effect of that event leads me to the ensuing series of reflection:

Should we be angry at the street kids for fighting over their food? The immediate response would be to get angry at the kids and act as mediator controlling their every consumption. But upon thinking on it, are the kids actually at fault? Similar to the dogs, they were only acting upon impulse (don't give me the bullshit that they can think, when you're hungry screw morality); starved children with this little gracious act providing for their sustenance until the uncertain next time they can get some food in their bodies, of course they'll claw at it for every morsel. It's not that I look upon the street children as animals that'll kill for food, I'm just saying that given their situation... I understand.

Hence the next question, given that we do understand the plight of the impoverished should we still have given them the food thereby trigerring a brutal fight over something as innocent as grace. Once we've determined that the one that was graciously given the gift might not be at fault for fighting over it, should we crucify the one that giveth?

The thing about benevolence is that if you know the whole picture, regardless of your act of kindness, you still feel bad. You feel bad because you know that whatever you do, how much you give it still isn't enough. Which is in a sense good that you feel bad. It definitely is much better than not doing anything at all and just giving up. I'd much rather have given the kids the food rather than just consuming it all. But the fact that we can't provide everything to anybody in a sense still gives that dreadful incapacity to do anything. Lest we just close our eyes, be happy about our small insignificant contibution, be naive about our altruism, that's when things turn out for the worse.

It's tells two things for those people that individually see the world now as it is; have a clear vision of what the world should be; as well as the big gaping hole in the middle. That 1.) because of this they are good people, that they do good acts to do what they can. and 2.) that because they somehow have an idea of all its effects, they will never be happy.

Secret Wars Reenactment Society

Y'all gotta check this out heh

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YveSHqhOkdo&search=secret%20wars

7 days as a Poker Pro

So I just came back from our week-long vacation. It was supposed to be 50% hanging out with Billy's friends and 50% playing casino poker, but when I got there, it turned to 85% poker and the latter 15 for other things because I just basically lived at the casino playing poker. I played everyday for at least 8 hours and at most 14 hours. By the end of my trip, I was known by all the players and the staff and the casino felt like a second home of sorts.

Anyway, for the sake of table image, I decided to introduce myself as an online pro. It's to let people respect my play before I even played a hand; to get them to lay down when I need them to and to get action when I need action as well. The coolest part of the trip is that everyone was pretty convinced that I was a 26 year old online poker pro from New York because I had the game and the game analysis to back it up. Oh and I won a good lot too heh. Here's my day to day breakdown.


Sunday

Game: $10-20 limit holdem/omaha (1 round limit, 1 round omaha); $200 min buy-in ( I bought in for $400)
Story: Billy and I got to the casino around 10. I quickly found out that they do more of a limit game in the casino. And also, the New Zealand World Championships was just last week so the table was filled with poker pros who still hasn't flown out yet. Anyway, because I made the trip already, I figured I might as well play anyway, limit and no limit is pretty much the same hold-em anyway right? WRONG, I got crushed heh. Limit is very different, especially when you're against experienced players. For one, you can't push them out of a hand. So if you make your top pair, it's not a sure win. I have no idea how many times I got runner-runnered which turned out to be part of the game.
What was cool: First, the hottest and coolest Floor manager ever: Mariana. She had the glasses and the business suit and the quirky sense of humor that just makes me melt heh. Then I also met Michael, an Israeli poker pro who travels the tournament circuits. Because he had nothing else to do, we basically played in the same tables every night till they closed. I also knew I could pass as a pro when he sought my advice on hands and vice-versa. It was cool to have a buddy who knows poker inside and out, especially limit poker.
Not cool: Well, I got crushed so that wasn't fun.
Results: Lost $50. Which I was thrilled about because seriously, I have no idea how to play the game.

Monday

Game: $1-2 no limit holdem; $50 buy-in min/max
Story: This was a unique game. You can only buy in for 50 bucks and no more, no less. It's really to create more players who just want to try it out. But for me, it was no limit holdem so this time, my israeli friend was asking for my advice because this is more my game than his.
Not cool: With what would be my week long trend, I would crush the table the first few hours, get bored the next few hours and then end up donking off a lot of my chips so that I'd finish the night just above even.
Results: Won $20. Which sucked cause I killed the table but a winning night is a winning night.

Tuesday

Game: $1-2 no limit; $50 buy-in min/max
Story: There was supposed to be a weekly tourney, but because they just had the major tournament last week, not a lot of people showed up, so it ended up a no limit cash game. And here's the cool part: On my table, sitting two spots to my left, is poker pro who finished third in the main event . He had the aura of a successful tourney player and let everyone on the table know about it . Needless to say, I had to go after him.
What was cool: After frequently raising and showing premium hands after everyone folded, I developed a tight table image. So, to keep things mixing, I raised with 27 offsuit. The pro called the raise. Flop was A23. He checked, I bet out and he folded, showing 55. I showed him my 27 offsuit. I bluffed a World Series of Poker bracelet winner with 27 off suit. That is soooo my "Bluffing Johnny Chan in Rounders" story.
Results: A little better this time. Won $100. But not too big because I donked it again in the end.

Wednesday

Game: $1-2 no limit holdem
Story: At this point, I was really comfortable with the casino, the staff and the players. I would be singing a lot, talking to everyone about hands and flirting with the women dealers and Mariana.
What was cool: I would execute what would be my greatest set-up yet. At one point in the game, I got dealt consecutive AK and AQ hands and I would get nothing on the flop. I'd check it and another would bet and I'd fold showing AK or AQ. Even when I didnt have AQ or AK, if no ace came on the board, I'd say I threw away AQ. At one point, everyone was bully-betting me already if no A came. So I waited and got my AA. No ace came on the board, I checked it, a person bully bet me, I reraised him all-in and trapped him with my bullets. That trap was set-up hours before which was really cool.
Results: Won $200. Still not big enough because no limit is my game but again, a win is a win.

Thursday

Game: $4-8 limit holdem/omaha ($50 min) and a $10-20 limit holdem/omaha ($200 min)
Story: There wasn't a no limit game available. I was aiming to try and get good with the limit game anyway so I sat at the 4-8 table. Everyone I knew was at the 10-20 table and was goading me to play with them. I bought in for 200 and was down by a bit, so in the final hour, I switched to the 10-20 table to everyone's delight (they liked my singing heh). Predictably, they all grinded me down until the the very last hand which would turn out to be the hand that plucked my limit holdem cherry.
What was cool: At the last hand of omaha, I got dealt AA45 single suited. Since it was the last hand, everyone jammed it preflop. The flop gave me two more clubs and I was drawing to the nut flush. By this point, I was committed. So I called every bet and they were still jamming it. Thankfully, the board didn't pair and I got my club at the river. I won the biggest pot of the day. A $600 pot (24,000 pesos) on one hand on a 10-20 limit is pretty good heh.
Results: Won $600 and already starting to get a good rep among the pros.

Another cool part: The game ended early because of Good Friday, but it wasn't enough to satisfy the poker players. So I, Micheal (the israeli limit pro), Owen (an irish doctor) and Andrew ( a serious casino gambler), went to the bar across the street and continued playing. We ended up drawing a crowd and it felt all world series but in a bar heh. As predicted, the irish guy got all the hands, maybe because we were in a bar, his home court. So he won our mini-tourney and took home $100.

Friday

Story: The casino was closed. But the pros who were waiting for sunday flights had nothing to do. So we met up outside the casino and went out. This was where I was exposed to the poker lifestyle. The guys were basically throwing around money because let's face it, when you play 10-20, 20 dollars doesn't seem a lot because it's just one bet.
What was cool: What happened that night will always stay with me. It was my one night to live the poker pro lifestyle. Let's just say it involved a looooot of alcohol, buying strangers a lot of free drinks and a girl named Sky. Other than that, my lips are sealed.

Saturday

Game: $10-20 limit holdem/omaha; $200 min buy-in
Story: By this time, I was brimming with confidence. Limit games are patience games so I tried to keep it simple. I waited for hands that gave the nuts and played them. Hands that didnt have that, I threw away. It turned out, the strategy worked. I was up for most of the night and didn't fluctuate.
Results: Won $400.


Final Tally

It was a memorable week. It was kind of sad when I was leaving the casino because I spent so much time there and met so many interesting people that it was hard to let go of the lifestyle. But by then, Michael had already left for the next tournament in Australia so it was easier for me to leave. I flirted one last time with Mariana who turned out to be in a relationship with another dealer who was so goofy I couldnt help but laugh about. It's like one of those relationships where a hot chick ends up with a goofy guy. Oh well, good for them.

Financially, I won a lot on the trip but I spent so much which I tend to do on vacations, so I just ended up paying the trip off which was my goal anyway. What I really liked is that if I decide to one day, I can live the poker pro life because I have the game to back it up. I probably won't because theres so many other things I want to, but its good to have options.

And so, that was my week where I lived a totally different life and became a totally different person. It was cool and enjoyable and definitely a memorable experience I will never forget, but for now, it's good to be me again and back at home (my New Zealand home, that is).

(I can't think of a title for this one so this entry will go without a title for now)

I'm chatting with this wonderful girl right now that I know from ADMU. Basically, she's the sweetest, most innocent, most down-to-earth humble person Christ loving person you can ever meet and I'm not exaggerating this a bit. She really tries to model her life after God. I've met a lot of people who claim such but in reality doesn't and that's from Jubilee alone. It also doesn't hurt that she's sooooooooo cute.

Anyway, I'm concerned about her right now. She's also chatting with three of the most sex-starved, weirdass, dirty people on the entire earth that constantly tries to show off that they are good people when in reality they aren't worth shit. To top it off, she's completely clueless about the true characters of these asswipes. My dilemma now is how to warn this girl off these opportunistic sexual predators.

The first guy - Big fat-ass that is fixated with porn. He's like 26 years old but still goes to admu just to check out chicks. Tries to score the younger sisters of his friends. Basically a soon-to-be D.O.M.

The second guy - Crappiest guy on the planet. His normal insults typically make girls cry and men wanting to get into fistfights with him. Nobody wants to be his friend.

The third guy - He reads this blog so I won't describe him. Just want to say fuck you man.

In addition, she also chats with a fourth guy that is on top of the weirdness scale. I also won't dwell further on him because he might also read this blog.

On the ideal grand scheme of things, I want to literally kick their asses now so that they won't hurt my friend.

Websites that sound smutty (but aren't)

cummingfirst.com - Cumming first united methodist church

gotahoe.com - Lake Tahoe visitor's bureau

speedofart - A personal website of an art director

whorepresents - A listing of people and their agents

ipanywhere - add on pc software

penisland - personalized pens

expertsexchange - European IT consulting firm

therapistfinder - database of available therapists

Things to do before I die

These are some of the things that I would like to experience. I'll update this list as the need arises. Feel free to make your own one. The list is by no means a ranking.

1. Get married

2. Have kids

3. Write a book

4. See my kids grow up and get married

5. See my future grandchildren

6. Still continue to go out with high school friends until I die.

7. Climb another mountain (The first one was excruciatingly painful, yet pleasant. I'll prepare the next time I'm gonna climb again)

8. Buy a house in Tagaytay, and retire there.

9. Get at least a master's degree.

10. Travel in at least 50 countries.

11. See a live pay-per-view wwe event.

12. Watch an nba game live.

13. Form my own company.

14. Ride on a sailboat until God knows where.

15. Joyride with no specific destination.

16. Make amends with that person (NOT SABRINA).

17. See that person live a happy life.

18. Travel to all the safe provinces in the Philippines.

19. See all my friends live a happy blissful life.

20. Be a teacher in a high school (all-girl's school would be an attractive option, but not necessary).

This list will be continued.

The Ultimates

I was walking around Metrowalk the other day looking for new DVDs when I was able to browse upon a movie version of the Ultimates. It's true the ultimates have a movie , it wasn't that good especially when compared to the comic book. Although they stuck relatvely close to the storyline of the book, they wern't able to bring out the humanity in the characters although they did try to bing out Captain America's new badass image, the turmoil of giant man and wasp, iron man's internal trouble with cancer, bruce banner's weakness contrast to the hulk, and thor's hippie ass lifestyle.

Anyway hindi yun yung point nung article na ito.
First, i am wasting supposedly productive time here in the office while i am writing this blog.
Second, i finished the whole movie because of an internal inclination to dream of one true thing: I want to be a super hero.

So here we go boys, pili na kayo ng super hero ninyo and who you want to be, I know ginawa na to dati pero wala pa in writing, it went something like ako si iron man, si wil si hulk or something.

Ako siguro either dotor doom, magneto or si Thor.

A great idea for a charity fundraiser

A couple of weeks ago, the CEO of the feed Jim's wallet foundation Jimson Gow proposed to create a concert as a means of generating funds for a charitable foundation. However, this idea died a natural death due to a general lack of financial backers willing to risk making a dent out of their young bank accounts.

I have a counterproposal.

Let's have a boxing fight night.

Imagine this. It would be beneficial to all. Scores will be settled and a charitable foundation will benefit from gore and violence, not to mention the illegal underground betting. 6 rounds of boxing to be enjoyed by guests drinking overpriced booze. The undercard :

Pierre vs. Katong

Dodong vs. Jasper (wala lang)

Glenn vs. Necisto and Janni in a handicap match

Jeco vs. Lester

Jimson vs. Louis

and for the main event :

Wilson vs. Mr. Menguin with guest referee Mr. Abad

I'm quite sure many will turn out and watch this truly historic event.

Would you like to be a top notch crime investigator?

I really have too much time. Tried to surf for the FBI most wanted list and thought it would be cool if I know the most wanted list in the NBI. The employment link on the NBI website piked my curiousity. The following lists the requirements before you can become part of our trusty and efficient law enforcement system. Do I hear a secret agent Kwok? or Inspector Glenn who would glady volunteer his inspecting skills by bodychecking female shoppers before they enter malls?

Basic Qualifications for NBI AGENT
1. Filipino Citizen, of good moral character and in excellent physical and mental health.
2. Lawyer or CPA
3. No pending criminal, civil or administrative charges and never convicted of any crime.
4. At least 5'5" in height for males; 5'3" for females.
5. Between 25 and 35 years of age.
6. Vision within normal range.
7. No tattoo marks or pierced ears.


Basic Qualifications for SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR
1. Filipino Citizen, of good moral character and in excellent physical and mental health.
2. Baccalaureate degree holder.
3. First grade civil service eligible and/or Board passer.
4. No pending criminal, civil or administrative charges and never convicted of any crime.
5. At least 5'5" in height for males; 5'3" for females.
6. Between 25 and 35 years of age.
7. With a general weighted average of 84% in the transcript of records, without any failing
grade.
8. Vision with normal range.
9. No tattoo marks or pierced ears.

Requirements to be Submitted:
Original and Photocopy of the following:
1. Diploma
2. Transcript of Records
3. Eligibility (CS Prof/Bar/Board)
4. Birth Certificate
5. Marriage Contract - if married
6. Residence Certificate
7. 2 Pcs. 2X2 picture
8. NBI Clearance
9. ITR/W2 - if working
10. Assets and Liabilities - if working

The Phenomenology of E

I just came from a full week in Boracay partying in the name of 4 years of diligent responsibility and the occassional hard drink-tambay until morning routine in the Ateneo. Yet there's one thing i never got to understand during those four years: the upper crust clubbing scene/house music partying scene. I always felt that there were two great evils existing in that world. 1.) Men were there to get a one night stand at best, and at worst, get to grope other women. and 2.) Women liked being groped at and taken advantage of, probably some socio-psychological frustration they get high on. Needless to say, being jeco, these assertions of course vomit of prejudice.

On the first night I told my friend of the one thing i haven't done in college and I wanted to try it, I wanted to go full cicle and try what they're taking, not pussy ass dope, but full blast pills, what the hell it's bora. Thus, amidst our hand-carried sound system, dimmed down lights, and around a 20 sq. meter hotel room including the balcony, all 12 of us got hit either by one shot, 1.5 some even chased down 2.

The whole group was surpisingly supportive. Apparently they were really appreciative of a "virgin" (forgive the connotations of the term). Their reactions were far from what i prejudged. They were supportive not in the sense of wanting me to be addcted to it, but wanting me to have fun in the safe (ironic) full bodied way. They told me that for the night, they were there to attend to my needs and that i shoud just take it as it comes. It had a weird sense of security and support that i never expected from them. They were there to educate and guide and they loved the role, they lived the role everytime they handled a virgin. On the receiving end, the sincerity of these people were overwhelming and flattering.

After an hour or so it kicked in, i seemed to be much more sensitive to everything all my senses were heightened. My eyes dilated and became much more sensitive to light, the blue lights we were playing with seemed to write things out of thin air, my sense of smell became more sensitive and taking whiffs off the inhaler i had seemed to elevte everything, the beat of the music being played got me to move and want to jump up and down continuously couple this with my heart pounding much harder than normal, it seemed that i was working out and had to run or do something cardiovascular just to catch up to it, my skin was more sensitive to touch and we were all giving wach other massages and touching and hugging each other.

All of these however were just empirical changes, scientifically measured phenomena in the human body as a result of the chemicals running through my system. But something in the camaraderie present that night went beyond scientific alterations to the brain. Everybody was more open, more accepting, more appreciative of each other, myself included. I was able to open up to total strangers and them to me, and we were all able to understand each other. I was actually thankful for being able to open up to these people and more so thankful for them being accepting. I wouldn't want to oversell the actual act of partying but it really made me good friends with the people i was with that night. It turns out that while I was getting high on their attention, giving and taking care of others in turn also gets other people rolling. In a sense it's an odd but beautiful sense of camaraderie. That's the aspect of partying that i never understood before and that I fully appreciate now, that as cheesy as it sounds, it realy makes good solid friendships.

And hence prejudice once again is redirected. Let me get this straight first, there's absolutely no justification for partying. It really is bad for you. however understanding the attractive side to it adds some notches in the experience category; i've learned how people get addicted to it, it makes every moment more special, more sensuous, it makes you live more. Not to say that we should all do it, i can't stress that addiction is an absolute evil, but that even with such a negative thing in the world, it exists because people want it to, I now understand why they do.

P.S. I don't think i'll ever do it again, that is anywhere outside boracay :)

The one about the yearbook argument over christmas

I was cleaning the inbox of my e-mail account and chanced upon these e-mail exchanges. Jim's reply is a classic to me. Of course, things have patched up between them. But reading these all over again cracks me up.


from necisto

HighSchool 2002 yearbook commitee! any updates on our "REALLY BEAUTIFUL" highshool yearbook? I am really concerned about its slow paced production and i have heard some reasons why its not out yet. I hope none of them are true or related in anyway. this might be exagerrating but do we want our yearbook out another 4 years or even a decade? come on! Some of us will already receieve our college yearbook by jan or feb! Moreover, some of those who i asked sponsorship from have been asking me about what happend to our yearbook and their money. It's very embarrasing!

I plead to you since it's christmas to finish this simple project. Also, please give me as well as our batchmates the "true" details on what caused the delay. It our right as well as the sponsors to know.

I hope for you soonest reply and immediate action regarding this matter.



from charissa:

hi, actually, as ive already mentioned for everyone to know nalang rin, it's not with the the yearbook committee anymore. its with the printers as of last update from the admin of jca...

merry xmas.


From Johnny who hired a writer for this:
i would like to inquire about the developments concerning our year book, i've already recieved my college year book even before my highschool year book and our company (TGPI) Tone Guide Press Incorporated as sponsor is wondering about the developments of this situation, it has been 4 years and i'm already about to graduate without my highschool yr. book,Seniorball pic, and my highschool Graduation pic., i appeal to those who are in control of the project to apply a solution in order to hasten things.


From Glenn:

nes at janny ako ndi ako yearbook committee at wala naman akong malaking naitulong sa paggawa ng yearbook pero wag mo na titirahin ang yearbook natin ok? oo matagal nga din nga talaga ang paglalakad ng yearbook pero wag nyo palabasin na hindi ito binigyan ng pansin ng committee. kahit ako hindi ako parte ng committee kusang loob akong tumulong sa paraang alam ko dahil gusto kong matapos ang yearbook. nes at janny issue na ito ng publication ng yearbook at hindi na sa kamay ng yearbook committe at design kaya wag nyo na tirahin yang paglalakad at lalung-lalu na ang disenyo nya (dahil ito ang ginawa ko). anyway nes, dont worry. it's gonna be "REALLY BEAUTIFUL". it's been four years already. di pa ba kayo pagod magwhine? dapat nagreklamo kayo 2-3 years ako like i did. lol. QUIT WHINING.-glen
ps. wag nyo tirahin ang paglalakad malapit na yan matapos.
pps. wag nyo lalung tirahin ang magiging itsura ng yearbook ok?


From Cathy:

merry christmas!!! guys... about the yearbook... just wait a little longer... the "simple project" is not as simple as it seems... there is a lot that goes on to making the yearbook and the yearbook committee is not the only one involved... i've seen the dummy.. and the design and the layout is really beautiful.. yeah.. without the "...". we've been patient enough to wait for almost four years.. i'm sure we're patient enough to wait for a few more months... right right? no? right? righhhtttt... if you guys want, we can bug the printers about it.. whatchathink? merry christmas guys.. merry merry christmas.



From Jeco:

Una pasasalamatan ko muna yung mga tumulong sa yearbook Si Pua, Ange at si Anna na naghabol ng mga tao para maupdate yung directory natin. Si Glenn at Wilson na single-handedly nagdesign ng yearbook natin.Yung mga tambay sa bahay ni jim habang ginagawa namin yung yearbook. Wala langAt si cha na kasama maglakad nung yearbook.Ok Nes at janny sasagutin ko na tanong ninyo.Totoo it's taken sa shameful amount of time to finish this thing and no excuses mali namin. If you want explanations mahaba siya including missing photos by the publisher, production line ng previous yearbooks sa jubilee, plus write-ups that we had to make kasi hindi gusto ng board yung nakasulat. But nonetheless mali pa rin namin. I've seen the initial printing na and the first set will be out by January. It was what Mrs. Bumatay told us. I appreciate the people concerned about the project including the parents especially the mothers of the students that are the asking me about the yearbook. If you want to comment on anything my number is 09178937115.Sasagutin ko tanong ninyo.


From Johnny:
first of all i would like to thank charissa ching,jericson co, catherine see for giving a COURTEOUS reply to my inquiries. they've presented their reply with utmost integrity and respect, they faced the situation like true leaders and i admit i admire what they did...the purpose of the letter i've made was (1)to inquire about the developments of the yr. book (2)to find out the reasons for the delay and (3)to appeal in making a solution to hasten things. as you can read in my letter.now that i have found out thanks to Jersicson's COURTEOUS reply i am already satisfied with the anwers he and the committee provided.i was merely stating facts about my life this past 4 yrs that i am about to graduate and and that i've already received my college year book.right now the issue at hand is not about the yr. book any longer it is now a question of respect, my letter was inquiring politely on behalf of Tone Guide Press Incorporated about the developments of the said yr. book and you answer "QUIT WHINING hindi pa ba kayo pagud?" i think that's below the belt!!!! and anyone concerned such as the sponsors or people that are waiting patiently wouldn't like that kind of answer!!!ps. COURTESY PARE COURTESY WAG BASTOS PAG MATINONG NAGTATANONG!!!!


From Necisto:
Cha, Cathy, and Jeco, thank you for updating us with our yearbook. I know all of you are taking time to do this with your preoccupied time and i appreciate what you have done. Its good to hear that its already with the printing and it's comming out soon. Hope there's no problem regarding the printing. Keep us posted.

By the way, Glenn please be more courteuous next time. ok? I know the yearbook is great so don't be offended with what i said. We feel insulted with what you said in your reply and my stand goes the same with janny and other people. I think you just went too far saying "its been four years already. di pa ba kayo pagod magwhine? dapat nagreklamo kayo 2-3 years ako like i did lol. QUIT WHINING." You're telling us as if we did not care about our yearbook years back, and the fact is that we did. Fortunately, we'll be cool since someone appologized for you. Respeto nalang sasusunod.

Thanks

Nes


From Jim:

dude, while glenn stepped on some toes with hisremarks, you didn't really do yourself any favors withyour opening letter. "really beautiful?"... that'scondescending, patronizing and downright insulting. first, you're talking to your peers, your batchmates. second, this is a yahoo group site, not a boardroom.To talk to everyone in this manner just makes you looklike an ass. oh and if you all agree that glenninsulted you, then we all kind of agree that youinsulted us first.



The mother of all replies, From PUA:
Hi,Sagot ko lang about the Seniorball pic. As far as i know, all the pics havebeen distributed already. If you had a couple pic, chances are i handed itto your partner. But I'm 100% sure that all the senior ball pics are nolonger with me. I remember that I handed the pics during the graduationrehearsals ....four years ago hehe. All i have with me are group pics whichI had paid for myself =pBut, i'll try to ask the Photo Company if they still have copies of thepic...just in case. But im really positive that I don't have your picsanymore and that I have given them already. But i'll try checking ah..And just like what glenn, cathy and cha said...kaunting buwan nalang..ithink so kaya ito let's just be patient. Ako honestly i haven't beencontributing ...at all to the team..but i can say that they (those who'vereally helped) have done a good job in layouting/designing/editing.Anyway have a HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY PEACEFUL AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!!Jonathan

It's a sports week

Well it was definitely an eventful sporting week (if you consider WWE as a sport), so here's some of what happened...

NCAA men's: As I'm typing this, Florida is up by 15 and there's about 27 seconds left. Out of the 4 final four teams, Florida was my least favorite. I didn't root against them with passion like I do rooting against Duke or Boston College, but I kind of wanted George Mason, LSU or UCLA to win more. But, I'm glad for Coach Billy Donovan and Joakim Noah so good for them. UCLA just couldn't score against the Florida defence and Humphrey just kept lighting UCLA and George Mason up all over the place with dagger after dagger. The weird stat about him is that he shoots 47% percent from the 3 point arc but he only shoots 52% from the free throw line so I don't know what's up with that. Anyway, next year is gonna be all Ohio State and North Carolina because they're getting the best recruits so that should be fun.

NCAA women's: UNC lost in the final four match against Maryland only because Ivory Latta injured her knee 7 minutes into the game. She returned and just wasn't the same. It's a shame because she's so fun to watch, she's basically the female Allen Iverson. She plays like a guy and it's fun to see her move against the women players who play like girls. It's a shame because UNC and Duke would have went at it in the finals but I think UNC and Maryland have the bigger rivalry in women's basketball. They seem to not like each other for some reason.

NBA:Two of my three teams are killing the league. New Jersey is riding a 12 game winning streak and Cleveland has won 8 straight. Here's a list of the top teams New Jersey has beaten for their streak: Dallas, Detroit, the Lakers (they're not really a top team, but suck on that, Kobe), Phoenix (aww, but someone had to win), Memphis and Miami. That's basically all the top teams. Lebron James, meanwhile, was just part of the best game of the season. Faced against Dwyane Wade and the Heat, the two stars traded basket after basket. Wade finished with 44, 9 and 8, while Lebron killed with 47, 12 and 10. Over the last 5 games, Lebron is averaging close to a triple-double (9.8 assists). Aside from all that, Barkley, Dominique and Dumars also got inducted to the hall of fame.

And finally,
WWE: Wrestlemania was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Or maybe it was just a boring Monday night, I can't tell.

What I liked about it: Cameo by the million dollar man. That rocked. He even did his bit where he offers to pay someone (in this case, Eugene) to do some silly activity where he ended with his phrase "everybody's got a price with the million dollar man" followed by a hilarious fake laugh. The pirate made a cameo too heh.

Kurt Angle was great. He's smackdown's top performer right now. For most of the triple threat match, the crowd was cheering more for him than obvious fan favorite Rey Mysterio (who ended up winning). Trish Stratus was great, but she injured her knee in the end (she lost, by the way) and had to be helped out back. The money in the bank ladder match (RVD won) and the triple threat match were the best matches. The Cena/HHH match was alright. Oh and HHH and Shawn Michaels (on different matches) both did the DX "suck it" thing. So maybe there's a comeback for that, which would rock.

What I hated: Carlito barely did anything, so that sucked. They glitzed up Cena and HHHs entrance for Wrestlemania which ended up sucking (HHH looked like conan the barbarian and Cena had a machine gun.. which.. what?) and since I was looking forward to Cena's entrance, I was disappointed. Bret Hart still wouldn't show up for the hall of fame inductees presentation. The match with the undertaker was boring (he won). The less said about the bogeyman, the better. The pillow fight match was so un-hot. I didn't enjoy the Shawn Michaels/McMahon thing as much.

What was interesting: John Cena is an interesting champion. He seems to have the aura of a WWE champion, but the fans really keep on booing him. I had to look it up on the net to find out why. The reason, apparently, is that Cena is a crappy wrestler. He's a good speaker and performer, but he can't wrestle in-ring. Apparently, the die-hard fans can tell, and while they wouldn't care if he's just a middle performer, now that he's the top guy, the fans expect more especially when he's following the legacies of Stone Cold, The Rock, HHH and so on, who are excellent in-ring wrestlers. So in the main event, the fans were booing Cena with passion. HHH, who was a bad guy, was cheered so much that the announcers couldn't hide it anymore and were saying that it was a road game for Cena which didn't make sense because HHH isn't from Chicago where wrestlemania was held.

Overall: For a pay per view, it was entertaining and good. It being my first paid pay per view, it was an excellent experience. Again, it might just be a boring night. This is the most I've written about wrestling in my life, so I hope the only time I do this again would be wrestlemania. I don't mind this as a once a year thing, just not a daily thing cause I sooooo don't want to be that guy in the video who's crying while saying "wrestling is still real to me".

And so, Florida won, UNC women's lost, New Jersey keeps on winning and Lebron is in another level. Kurt Angle rocked and Cena sucked, Trish still looks good and Carlito is still cool. A good Monday night, overall.

50 First Tears

No, I'm not crying now. I just wanted to put that title there hahaha.

I just watched 50 First Dates ago for the nth time. And I must admit, it almost made me cry again.

No, I think I did have tears on my eyes at that time.

Phooey.

I remember the first time I watched 50 First Dates, it also made me cry.

Something about the ending makes me feel good. Its the ultimate feel good movie.

I'm sounding like a gay fag right now.

Through The Panes

[http://lykwys.deviantart.com/journal/8340348/]

Through The Panes

How every evening, he would anticipate her window panes opening up, her fingers gently tapping the frame (where he would imagine where he was instead, beside her, getting a glimpse of everything from her perspective), opening her room's full bodied window.

He would opt to hide every morning in the shadows of his own room, as a result of being in waking for the whole night, until the morning chirps of the sparrows beckon him to call it a day (or night). His bed, (now streaked with the morning rays coming from his grilled windows) with lights from the sky seemed hesitant, of whether to accompany him or not.

The woman through the other window (although he had the chance of knowing her name, he would dare not mention it) would move between the small square panes of her now open windows. Shadow fleeting by, it's a most peculiar feeling. Like a gust that had just brushed by, her presence was felt.

For a moment, the curtains would be draped again. He wonders what could she be doing on the other side, and his only thought was of her ruffling through the pages of her readings. After all, September rains tend to be gloomy although he doesn't think it to be so. Absorbed, she would drape the curtains. Rationalization for the comforts him.

He compares her to the air - unbounded, free-spirited, and enigmatic. She takes you where she wants to go. But he also knows that beneath the strong winds lie a gentle breeze.

If she is the air, then, he wishes to be the water (he thought of this while looking through his windows, with nothing but the draped curtains returning his gaze). Like water, he wishes to be her complement.

He can start to feel the raindrops getting bigger and bigger by the resounding sound of its patter.

His fingers refused to reach out the window, into the other house where the draped windows teased him. His slender fingers, the tips of them, trembled, with his veins throbbing like a flickering candle slowly losing its light. The rain would now drum harder against his roof. The sound of drumming against his head. The only sound that he hears.

The woman's panes, that he saw with great despair, were being slowly opened again exposing perhaps her whole room. Maybe not. Maybe just enough for him and her to exchange polite glimpses at each other. But the rain now flowed like a great curtain and his window panes were beginning to fog.

As the rain was easing to a slight drizzle, the man's hands were damp with cold sweat. His knees could barely hold him as he crawled from the bed to the floor and tried to stand up to take his final peek.

Between the streaks of the faint raindrops he thought he saw a silhouette of someone standing there, the woman, right in the middle of her window's frame. In his mind, a self-dialogue as unfolding. A self-dialogue that he would like to keep to himself. When he finally looked up to the woman's face, he saw her, smiling, staring back at him.

For the moment, he felt content. He felt content that the woman through the panes smiled back. It made him happy.

New group blog layout

Obsessive compulsion kicked in again.

Here's the new group blog layout. Tagal gawin ni webmastur Pierre eh.

Umm. The shoutbox's still green, maybe p3 can do something about that. And oh yeah, I'm having problems with the tables. Everything's looking good when viewed from IE but the tables go screwy when it's viewed using firefox. argh. Oi p3 paedit heh.

Oh yeah, the header changes everytime you hit the refresh/revisit. cool.

April fools

lalabas yearbook sa april 25.

hahahaha

I spit in the face of people who don't want to be cool

Wrestlemania is this Sunday (monday to us).

Yeah, I know. It's wrestling crap. But hey, when you're here in quiet NZ with not much to do, you start appreciating mindless entertainment. So yeah, I guess I've seen more WWE here than I would if I was back home. And yes, I'll be wasting money to buy Wrestlemania on pay per view this monday only because a) Wrestlemania only comes once a year and b) I've never paid for pay per view ever and I always wanted to do it.

So okay, here are the matches.

The main event? For Raw, John Cena takes on HHH for the first time for the WWE title. and for Smackdown, it's a triple threat matchup for the World Heavyweight title with Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton battling for the honor.

The other matches include Kane/Big show vs Carlito/Chris Masters, Some boogeyman dude vs Booker T and his "wife", Trish Stratus vs Mickie James, Shawn Michaels vs Vince McMahon, the Undertake vs Mark Henry, Mick Foley vs Edge, Chris Benoit vs JBL, and of course, the Playboy pillow fight between Torrie and Candice Michelle. Oh and a money in a bank match with six losers from Raw and Smackdown.

What am I excited for: Well, not much actually. I really enjoy Cena's entrance music so that's probably the most I'm excited about which isn't really complimenting the whole thing. I really think this whole main event with HHH being the bad guy is sooo played out because I remember when I was watching regularly with the Rock, HHH was also the bad guy. Why couldn't they get another bad guy for this, I don't know. Anyway I'm excited for that only because of the entrance music and entrance of John Cena, that's it. Oh and Cena sometimes looks like trying a little too much with way overacting with the facial expressions. It's kind of funny and boring at the same time.

I'm also excited for the Trish Stratus and Mickie James match. They really made Trish look like a champion and she's got the aura of a champion thing down now. Remember when she was with T&A and she was getting bodyslammed to a table by the dudleys?

I'm also a little excited for the playboy pillow fight for obvious reasons. But then again, I'm not really excited. I'm just not bored about it, I guess. For one, I'm not really attracted to anyone (if they had Stacy Keibler, Lita, Trish or that new Ashley chick there, it'd be a different story) and two, these matches are usually awkwardly done.

Oh and I'm really really excited for anything involving Carlito. He's cool heh.

The triple threat looks alright only because Kurt Angle looks really cool these days. He's got the deranged overcompetitive champion down good. He's basically playing Ken Shamrock, in case you didnt notice.

I really hope Stephanie McMahon pops in there too.

What I'm not excited for: Old timers who are still there. Ric Flair, HHH, Vince McMahon, Mick Foley, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, I'm talking about you. Also, Mark Henry on wrestlemania? Wasnt he the dude who made out with a tranny before? I mean Ric Flair is freakin 500 years old. I'm tired of anything with Vince, Shane McMahon involved. We've been having Vince screws someone plots since the 90s. Shawn Michaels reminds me of Steve Nash so I can tolerate him. The Undertaker is in a casket match... Again. Mick Foley.. well it's sad. He shouldnt really be wrestling anymore but I read that his ambition is to be the United Nations ambassador to the Philippines so I will have to tolerate him for patriotic reasons lol.

Oh and I really really want to punch Randy Orton in the face. Either he's a really good actor which I dont think so or he's really that annoying in real life.

What the WWE needs: The Rock. I miss the Rock. Oh and the pirate guy. Did you know they have a pirate on the smackdown roster? He even does the swinging on a rope entrance and says Arrrr. He and Carlito should just team up and rule the WWE. Oh and Batista. They really should do the Cena vs Batista Wrestlemania match. Maybe I'm just feeling bad cause JP Batista's Gonzaga choked against UCLA.

Why am I watching again: I don't know. After more than 500 words of pseudo-analysis, the only reason I've come up to watch this thing are these: Cena's entrance music, Kurt Angle, Trish Stratus and Carlito. Oh and because I've never subscribed to a pay per view show before. But isn't that kind of a waste of 20 or 30 dollars? Well yes. But still, I don't have anything better to do on a Monday Night, so Wrestlemania here I come.