To whom much is given...

I played the piano today!

That's pretty much it. Well, not really.

It was more of I played the piano today and wow, did I suck at it. It's incredible how much skills deteriorate when we don't use them. I played basketball last week and I barely did anything and I sucked and the next day, my whole body ached. Anyway, back to the piano story.

On Billy's last night here (yes, I have the house to myself, more on that next time), I met one of his friends who happened to be a music student. Strangely, she was the first artistic/musically inclined person I've met here in my 3 years in New Zealand, not counting Devin's ex who was a dancer (ballroom, the other kind). Especially strange considering half of my friends back in Manila are artists (or at least they think they are). So it was very surreal talking music technically again to someone. Anyway, long story short, I got her to book a room in her school so I can tinker with a piano.

So when we got there, it was pretty obvious that I didn't have it anymore. I played some broadway songs for her and it was just terrible, especially embarrassing because Billy told her I had perfect pitch (which is like telling someone I had an IQ of 200). Actually, I have relative pitch (a slightly more common gift, like saying I'm gifted instead of I'm a genius) but because of a lack of practice, I barely showed it today. She was the better pianist, especially since she's been playing a lot and she's a music student obviously, but I think I had the better ear. Anyway, it just goes to show how much I took my skills for granted.

Back to basketball, in high school, I played summer ball for 5 hours everyday. When there were classes, after the bell rang, we all ran to the courts so that we'd get first dibs or at least get a quick game in before the varsity took over the courts (damn varsity, oh wait I was one too). In college, I could run with the best of them and took over the game everytime. And then it got to a point where I paced myself so I can take over at the end. And then, I stopped taking over. And then, Wilson started posting me up and getting away with it (which I should have taken as a sign). And then I couldnt run with everyone anymore. And now, I can't run without getting dizzy and aching the next day.

I guess the lesson here is that we all have skills that were inborn (music and performing for me) and some that we worked for (basketball and knowing when Jeco is bluffing, although that isnt hard... oooh SNAP!) and much is expected to whom much is given. The comic book version for that is with great power comes great responsibility. So in that note, I'm going to shape up my powers, I plan to start playing ball again maybe once or twice a week and definitely take a crack at the piano once a week. And maybe one day, it'll all come back to me (especially abs, sigh I remember when I had abs).

Another Top Ten List (Wholesome version)

The top ten gastronomical delights that my crude taste craves for (Which I can think of at this ungodly hour)

1. Peking duck

2. Pansit Palabok

3. Country Chicken

4. Iyong maalat na crab sa Emerald

5. Crispy Pata

6. Pizza Pie

7. Jollibee spaghetti

8. Bulalo

9. Steamed Bangus na luto ng mom ko

10. Lucky Me Pancit Canton

Feel free to make your list :D

The Yearbook Post

I'm sure we're thinking the same thing
























Spot the difference

In Defense of Reverend Sia

I heard the best church sermon ever when Boksu was the speaker. It happened during first year high school when he was telling us that he once met a pretty hot and cool chick at bible camp way back when he was still in his teens (isn't it funny how he sets his sexual fantasies on a bible camp?) but he had to continue his story by sourgraping and telling the whole congregation "Kaso si Mrs. Sia ang binigay sa akin ni Lord".

Bitterness is a scary thing to hold

Jim's post about marriage reminded me about one of the promises i made to myself and to Aya way back. I told myself that before i start a family, before i get married or go into any of those things, i have to find God once again. Not religion but faith, I want my kids to grow up believing in something and i wouldn't want some idiot Pastor with an immature penchant for Dragon Ball Z directing my kids' faith. I'd much rather my children hear about faith and see a good example of what a human being should be (although the two are completely unrelated) from their own father. And hence begins another inquisition on myself, considering that I was the first person awarded the "Christian Leadership Award" in beloved Jubilee, any responsible human being that sees me right now should ask: What the fuck happened?

To answer that I'd have to study why I harbored such ill feelings ever since i graduated high school. My distaste isn't indigenous to religion alone, besides being anti-religion, i'm also very much a bigot, albeit in painful humor, against pretty much all existing races but most fervent against the Chinese. As unnecessary and stupid as it sounds, I am supposed to be those two things, A Chirstian and of Chinese heritage. So why do I hate it so much?

And here comes the main topic of this post, I'm looking for feedback (especially mula sa mga psych majors diyan kung may relevance ba yung quasi-freudian pschoanalysis ko). Instead of using the endless arguments against Christians or the Chinese to justify my anger i'm doing the mature thing and analyzing myself.

I can't think of a more relevant factor in directing my life than my mother. Congruently, i can't think of a person i am more bitter against than my mother. She exemplifies the characteristics i hate: the self-righteousness, naivete, and complete idiocy of Christians, and the selfishness, and arrogance of the Chinese. It would be much simpler to stop the post here and leave the explanation of my flaws as psychological defiance against parental acts. But that would mean that i hate Christianity and the Chinese because of my mother being so misdirected into the stereotypes of both. But it's just not the case. I can specifically determine a point in my life when I started becoming bitter against my mother. Alongside my conscious resignation into coming here to Canada out of respect for my parents' wishes came the bitterness against them redirecting (and dare i say misdirecting) my life for the next couple of years.

My prejudice and anger came as a by-product of my distaste for my mother, it became much more convenient for myself to paint stereotypes into her character and be angry at her as a reaction against her decision to uproot the whole family off to Canada. My proclivity in criticizing nearly everything in the world and add sarcasm to it comes from my defensive reaction to my letting go of nearly everything i held dear in submission (gah) to my mother's wishes. So in a general sense, my dominant characteristics come from one distinct feeling, bitterness, Filial Piety sucks.

It's gone progressively worse ever since this Canada fiasco triggered it. I began associating my anger to the things that my mom held dear: her church and her blood. Instead of developing my own faith, i grew distant and scornful towards Christianity and all religions for that matter. Instead of being respectful towards my Chinese bloodline and history, I lambaste and criticize the Chinese with utmost glee. It's rebellious inductive reasoning at its most immoral.

Not to say that all my arguments against Christianity and the Chinese are now unfounded. Christianity truly does have a horrible self-righteous side to it's system and the Chinese's instinct to arrogantly feel superior and self-indulgent is always present in all Chinatowns you walk on but let's leave that to another blog entry.

Of course part of myself recognizes what pushed her to decide to move us out here. To an odd sense, i can appreciate what she did, however, accepting her decision is another thing. As much as we shouldn't count what we have lost and at what price do our choices warrant, i can't help but think about the things i've let go just to follow her wishes: lucrative job opportunities, 12 in total, and various responsibilities and people that i've had to disappoint by my departure. It all just adds to the bitterness.

It's definitely unfair to blame every thing that I deem wrong with myself to my mother, i definitely do not. It was a conscious choice on my part and responsibility primarily falls upon myself. But cost is something we can't overlook especially if a decision (like this migration issue) is made not through agreeing out love but through surrendering out of respect for parents. I'm not advertising myself as a moral person, in fact this post is anything but that. This is an attempt to first recognize how hideous i have become and second, to understand why i'm so fucked up.

I am at a point of indecision. Recently my mother learned of the sacrifices i made by coming here especially with me prematurely leaving the Glee Club and not being able to tour Europe with them. She admittedly feels guilty about it. Guilty enough to arrange flights and an itinerary and stop short of commanding me to go to Europe joining the group for the latter leg of their trip. Perhaps as a way for her to buy back what we've lost in our relationship or even to buy herself out of guilt.

As a testament to how hideous a person I am, I don't know what's more important to me right now. Allow my mother to live out her guilt or join my friends in Europe for two weeks and alleviate that guilt from my mother?

I can honestly say that her feeling guilty gives me a tinge of satisfaction. It's a sincere sweet taste in my mouth knowing that she's agonizing about the fact that she made me lose so much, even thinking about it indulges me. This is how horrible a person harboring bitterness inside can turn out. I'm literally admitting and attesting to how monstrous a son I am for feeling elated at my mothers expense.

I don't know if this post is a confession or merely an aired out secret. A confession requires a change of heart but my situation has come to such a sad point where I do not know if want this bitterness and anger to go away. Bitterness is a scary thing to hold.

What's up with marriage?

Seriously, what's up with marriage?

Everywhere I turn, it's what everyone's talking about.
When it comes to Jubilee people, it's always out of us, who's going to get hitched first or last or some variation of that. I'm not really commitment-phobic, but it's definitely getting weirder by the day.

Two nights ago, I texted a girl who I knew from another city here in NZ. I haven't hung out with her for maybe two years now, but we were very flirty then. Before I left, I made a bet with her that she and her new boyfriend won't even last a year, so I texted her last night asking if I won. Turns out I lost huge cause she's engaged to be married by the end of the year. Needless to say, I was floored.

Last night, Poy and I made a bet, whoever gets hitched first buys a bottle of Dom, although the person getting hitched will probably want to celebrate anyway. We also talked about who'd get hitched first and last and at what age some of the guys, like Wil for example, would get married at.

And today, in my weekly Monday drinking binges, the topic suddenly shifted to marriage. The girls who come with us couldnt come this week, so it became a guy's day out and the talk went to settling down. The guys were talking about how their long time girlfriends are starting to give "hints". Wow, how did I qualify in this conversation?

We also talked about what to do if you find out your girlfriend's pregnant. Wow, that was quite a topic, sobrang tameme lahat after a Swedish friend of ours talked about how his ex-girlfriend told him she was late and she ended up getting a miscarriage.

All of a sudden, it's like the topic of conversation. It's starting to weird me out. It also weirded out Iz, cause if I have a natural guy tendency for commitment-phobe, I still wouldn't be in the same league as her. Everytime she hears the "M" word, she gets all quiet and stuttery.. it's very cute actually.

Anyway, it's just probably a coincidence the past few days. Maybe the fact that my dichi got married at age 22 (my age now) is getting to me. For everyone's piece of mind though, I don't think it's going to happen to me anytime soon. Give it a few years, a stable life and the perfect girl and I'll get there.

Oh and don't worry, invited kayo lahat sa wedding haha.

wikimapia.org

jubilee hehehehe click for larger image

I can see my house from here!

NOTE: If you're a terrorist or a kidnapper, please don't click the link below, thank you for your consideration.

Ever wondered how your house would look like from a bird's POV, just before he takes a huge dump over your newly washed auto?

Gow residence / tambayan ng the13: http://wikimapia.org/#y=14587809&x=121055791&z=18&l=0&m=a

The 200th post

200.

I love how everything seems to come together. This week, the yearbook was released and now, our little blog that could has now reached post number 200. Since we started this blog 15 months ago, there were moments when it was dead as dead could get. There were also times when posts overlapped each other becaues everyone wanted to put a post or comment in. Nevertheless, everything has it's time and season and our blog has certainly had its share.

You'll have to excuse me if I'm a little sentimental but I'm reminded of a story I once made up about us. It's about our high school reunion set in the future. Maybe I'm reminded about it because everyday seems to bring us closer and closer to that event taking place. When I was writing that story, I could envision everything in my head and it humbled me to think that after all the years, we're still going strong.

I raise my glass to you all.

I raise my glass to Pierre and Glenn, who have made this blog aesthetically pleasing.
I raise my glass to Wilson, who always makes this blog controversial as well as entertaining.
I raise my glass to Jeco, who managed to smarten up this blog (remember when all the posts in this blog were links to porn sites?)
I raise my glass to Eugene, whose mere existence keeps this blog and topics going.
I raise my glass to Stephen, Lester, Franz, Jed, Dong, Odell. Post more for the next 200, but nevertheless, here's to the next time I see you all.

I raise my glass to our little creek, the whole batch and the institution which is responsible for us being here today.

I raise my glass to our families and to God, who manages to be there for us even when we're at our naughtiest.

I raise my glass to you all. Here's to the yearbook release, the xmas party, the 5 year reunion soon, the next 200 posts and the future.

Drink up.

Thank You, Friend

In honor of the yearbook release and more importantly, a milestone for our blog, I'm posting the lyrics of a familiar song. Aside from the occassion I noted, I also wanted to put this up so that there's a record of it in case I start to forget it as the years go on. Looking back on it now, the words really reflected us and who we were: cheesy, idealistic and naive and I wouldnt want it any other way. Thank God for the good times.

--------------------------------------------------

I.
I can't believe that we've come this far
It seems just now that we began
And now it feels like it's the last day of our lives
Don't want to let you go, but I just want you to know

Chorus:
I will love you for all my life
Though it's hard to say goodbye
There's so much to say, may God bless you each day
And guide you in your path

I will treasure the memories
All the laughter and all the tears
Till we meet again, I will smile and then
I'll hold you close and say
Thank you friend

II.
You were there from the very start
Through the ups and downs, you're always in my heart
I'm here right now because of you
And I'm so grateful of how you saw me through

Chorus:
I will love you for all my life
Though it's hard to say goodbye
There's so much to say, may God bless you each day
And guide you in your path

I will treasure the memories
All the laughter and all the tears
Till we meet again, I will smile and then
I'll hold you close and say
Thank you friend

Heng.

Heng [n.] Han Yu Pin Yin. Romanized pronounciation for the Chinese character, ETERNITY. Syn. JCA Seniors 2002.

Ah, irony. =)

Our "really beautiful" highschool yearbook's finally out! Yey! I'll be getting my copy some time next week. It's been so long that I honestly forgot how it looks like. lol.

Oh yeah, I have been hearing some negative comments as to its design and for some supposed batch CD (not to mention all the rants and whines of everyone before on its incredibly late date of release).

Screw 'em. =)

Unplanned Win

I woke up yesterday too lazy to go to school intending to just stay home and bum around. Fortunately, I got off my ass to go to class (cause I had to) and I went home a tourney winner with a heavier wallet.

How did that happen? Well I'm glad you asked.

So after my Tourism Marketing class yesterday (a class where I still haven't decided if it's a good class or not), I saw a couple of poker buddies and they let me know that there was a mini-tournament at a friend of theirs. Since I had nothing else to do, I figured why not, at the very least, I get a free ride home after the game. It turns out it wasn't the mini-tournament had 50 players ready to play poker. Since I haven't played in a long while, I was very eager to start playing a large field.

We all started with 3000 in chips with the blinds at 25-25 that rises every half hour. By the time the blinds got to 25-50, I was severely crippled to just 275 in chips after I pushed all in with KK and got called with top pair/flush draw and hit the flush on the river. I got lucky and doubled up twice after that and by the time the blinds got to the 3rd level (50-100), I got back to the buy-in amount.

Anyway, by the time the final table rolled around, I was in the middle of the pack. I got lucky with good cards and won a race (AK hit against 99) and built a stack. And then, I made what would turn out to be the play of the night (at least for me lol).

------------------------------------------------------

Blinds: 300-600 Ante: 50

Seat 5: 39000 chips (? ?)
Seat 9 (Me): 25000 chips (A hearts, Q spades)
Seat 2 (Big Blind): 33000 chips (? ?)

Preflop: Seat 5 raises to 2,000. I call with AQ offsuit. The Big blind calls as well.

Analysis: Seat 5 is a tight player, so I put him at a pocket pair or AK. I called with AQ and hope a Queen lands instead of an Ace. The Big blind could have anything from a pocket pair to suited connectors, maybe KQ.

Pot: 6,800 (2,000 x 3 + 300(sb) + 500(ante))
Flop: J hearts, 5 hearts, 6 diamonds (J 5 6)

Action: Seat 2(BB) checks. Seat 5 bets 2000. I call the 2000. Seat 2(BB) also calls.

Analysis: I called the 3000 to try to bluff seat 5 at the turn, but I didn't expect seat 2 to call. At that point, the only hand seat 2 can have is a flush draw, a straight draw or a set of sixes. Note that I only have Ace high at this point.

Pot: 12 800.
Turn: Ten of spades (J 5 6 T)

Action: Seat 2 checks. Seat 5 checks. I check.

Pot: 12 800
River: 9 of hearts (J 5 6 T 9)

Action: Seat 2 bets 6000. Seat 5 thinks for a minute and folds. I raise all-in for my last 20 000 and change. Seat 2 takes forever to think and then throws away 78 offsuit (he had the straight 789TJ). Seat 5 threw away Ace of spades, Ace of clubs. I take down the 18 800 pot with Ace high.

Analysis: If there was a card I could have hoped for, it would have been an Ace or a heart (If the ace hit, I would have been wrong but just in case he had QQ or KK). Because I had the Ace of hearts, I knew that no one had the nuts. I put Seat 2 at a flush or straight draw and I put Seat 5 at an overpair. I played my hand like a flush draw and the nine of hearts on the river "made" it for me. When seat 2 bet, It confirmed my read. The player in Seat 2 also happened to be a solid player which made it easier to pull that bluff off (A weaker player would have called regardless). All that mixed together made my river push much more effective.

----------------------------------------------------

After that, it wasn't much to push around the table. I got down to heads-up with a 3-1 chip lead and was the more aggressive player. With a flop of KQJ, I called an all-in with K6. He had JT and failed to improve and that was that.

Oh and by the way, I'm slowly changing my ym to peppericious@yahoo.com. The reason being at age 22, it might be a little too old to have a handle like true_love5484.

JC

Jesus dies and goes up to Heaven. The first thing he does is look for his father, as he has never met the man before and is curious as to what he looks like, and whether or not Jesus looks like his mother or father, etc. He looks high and low but cannot find him.

He asks St. Peter "Where is my father?" But St. Peter says he doesn't know.

He asks the archangel Gabriel "Where is my father?" But Gabriel doesn't know.

He asks John the Baptist "Where is my father?" But John does not know. So he wanders Heaven, impatiently searching.

Suddenly he sees out of the mist an old man coming toward him. The man is very old, with white hair, stooped over a little. "Stop!" Jesus yells. "Who are you?"

"Oh, please help me, I am an old man in search of my son." Jesus is very curious. Could this be his father? "Tell me of your son, old man."

"Oh, you would know him if you saw him. Holes in his hand where the nails used to be, he was nailed to a cross, you know..."

"Father!!!!!" Screams Jesus.

"Pinocchio!!!!!!!" yells the old man.

Jubilee Creek

JUBILEE CREEK (TV series, slang)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


DEFINITION

Jubilee Creek is a term used to describe the non-ceasing activities that occur between a group of people. Its origins can be rooted back in 2000, when the term "Jawson's Creek" was used to describe the life of a certain classmate. Since then, it has gone through a series of transformations (see "Jubilee Nights") to where it is now.

A season of Jubilee Creek lasts a year long and experiences highs and lows depending on the activity. From a blooming romance to a tearful goodbye, one can expect that in Jubilee Creek, something is always going on.

TAG LINE

"This week on Jubilee Creek..."

SERIES RUN

Since its awkward inception in 2000, Jubilee Creek has continually produced on-going drama for 7 seasons (years) now.

EPISODES

Creek episodes are normally found at the nearest Yahoo! Messenger Chat Conference. An episode varies depending on the valued importance of the subject. A season lasts for a full year and reaches its finale usually around Christmas Time where the 20-odd members reunite.

CAST

Main Cast

Jubilee Creek is made up of a large cast and is seen congregating at Christmas Time. Ultimately, however, there exists a core cast that changes from year to year. These are the cast members that appear more regularly and have more storylines.

2006 Cast members

Eugene
Glenn
Stephen
Cathy
Eesh
P3

Main cast departures

Over time, the cast of the Creek have endured changes leading up to several cast members' departures. In 2006 alone, the audience witnessed the departure of Stephanie and Jeco as they headed out west for career opportunities. Other main cast members have been relegated to supporting members as they now only appear in guest appearances throughout the year (though they are sure to be at the year ending finale). Here are some former main cast members.

Jeco
Stephanie
Jim
Wilson
Odell
Dodong
Franz
Cha
Carol
Shoba

Supporting cast

These are supporting characters that appear less regularly (or heard of less regularly) but still appear from time to time. They help shape the show and also provide sparks and tension when needed.

Miko
Lester
Nikki
Billy
Garrido
Janny
Antonio
Chet
Alden
Jeff
Johann
Fu
Ben
Patrick
Jasper

TIMELINE

2000 - 2002
The High School Years

The Creek had a much larger cast then. Given the closeness of the high school batch, an activity would always involve a large group of people. However, the first few seasons chronicled the life of Jim, Jeco, Eugene, Cathy, Shoba and Stephen as they waded through the ins and outs of high school life. These first few seasons were significant, given that while there was a core cast, its storylines had a wide variety involving multiple characters at a time. Suffice to say, the true cast of the High School Years was the batch itself.

Notable episodes include "The Prom" and "The Ball", "The Retreat" and of course, the "Graduation Episode".

2002
Transition

After graduation, the main storyline focused on settling in at the new colleges as the cast of characters would be heavily thinned from a hundred to around 30-odd members. Most of the cast would also end up in rival universities, providing new material for the series. The core cast would include Jim, Jeco, Eugene, Cathy, Stephen, Glenn, Wilson and Shoba. It marked the beginning of many cast changes.

2002 - 2006
The College Years

Again, the cast ended up getting thinned down to the current cast shown now. These years would end up vital as personalities rise and new relationships formed. Throughout the long stretch, the cast included Jim, Jeco, Eugene, Cathy, Stephen, Glenn, Odell, Wilson, Shoba, Dodong, Cha, Eesh, Stephanie, Franz, P3 and Carol. The changes in cast would be due to tearful departures (Jim) and reclusion due to scholastic activities (Shoba, Dodong, Franz, Carol). 2003 marked the beginning of the annual Christmas party where the cast would reunite for one night of conversations and congregation.

2006 - ?
Beyond

2006 would mark the departure of Jeco and Stephanie. It would also thin down the regular cast to six members. As everyone shuffles for jobs, the storylines have now focused on the individual's attempts to start a career. Though we still see the cast in certain episodes, there is a lot more distance between them. New relationships have formed and new friendships made. It's a whole new Creek nowadays as main characters have new love interests and new paths.

We see the emergence of Eugene as he leapfrogs everyone in career-building. The storylines would also revolve around the Glenn, Wilson and P3 as they figure out what shenanigans they can come up with next. We also see Jeco trying to adjust to his new surroundings and Stephen as he finishes his academic work. And finally, we see Jim try out a path in Poker where he can hopefully find a way, no matter the obstacle of cost, to find his way back (hee) to the Creek. It will certainly make for an interesting 2006 finale when old characters come back, old flames are rekindled and new tensions arise and it can only happen in Jubilee Creek.


AWARDS

WIN - Cyberfair Project (Historical Landmark) Boo-yah!

DVD RELEASES

Multimedia can be found at http://peppericious.multiply.com and other multiply sites of peppericious' contacts.

REFERENCES

1. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (regarding format)
2. Personal Experiences (regarding text and message)

God's Love

I had an interesting chat with a Jesuit brother the other day. It started with witchcraft, sorcery and other supernatural stuff but later ended up about God's love. He mentioned that St. Joan of Arc (yes the French girl who led the nation against the mighty and might I say bloody English) once said that God's love is so great that He can't bear to see you suffer in hell. That's why most likely, hell doesn't exist.

But then again, there's also the side of God where justice abounds. Is it fair to live a life full of rape, massacre, robbery, rape, grand larceny, rape and arson (did I mention rape?) and still get to go to heaven along with your victims?

Wilson's What If Post

There are times when I think what if I took up hockey when I was still little? Could I have been in the NHL now? What if Pierre seriously took up the saxophone? Maybe he would have had been the most famous Jazz player in the US now. What if Eugene auditioned for AngTV ? Maybe he could be the next young up and coming drama actor.

There are so many things in the world to excel on. What if you're so naturally talented at something yet you've never tried your hands at that thing because the opportunity is lacking or the environment you are born in wasn't the best place to hone your talents? For example, the environment here in the Philippines is that BASKETBALL is the only sport. What if soccer is being played like crazy here? Maybe some kid from Tondo could have been starring for Manchester United now. Or what if Jeco embarked on a career as a cyclist? Maybe he could have put an end to Lance Armstrong's streak. What if Odell played competitive Rugby? Jim as a Formula-1 driver?


The list goes on...

Why I Hate Forwarded Christian Messages

Being connected to the internet is both a blessing and a curse. Blessing since so much information are within your reach ( chemistry research journals are much easier to search now) but a curse when you consider how much forwarded Christian messages there are.

No, I'm not a Christian hater like those Romans that persecuted the early Christians. I just hate it when they end it with a sentence that goes something like "If you love God you will forward this message to a gazillion people".

Damn it. God knows if I love him or not. IT WILL NEVER BE FUCKING BASED ON ME FORWARDING A STUPID CHRISTIAN MESSAGE THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANY POINT. Yes, they don't have a point really if you ask me. Especially the one about an atheist professor and a Christian student blah blah. I say those "Christians" are so close minded as to base my love of God on forwarding a stupid message that doesn't have any point.

Ok, granting that spreading the gospel is one of our missions as a Christian, if you're going to forward a Christian message, might as well forward a good THEOLOGICAL message. Don't just forward crap like God is good and God loves you to people who've heard it more than ten gazillion times already. That's why I subscribe to the newsletter of Bishop Spong. His theology is so open-minded (God didn't really resurrect, Moses didn't cross the Red Sea etc.) and makes you think about your faith. Not that I believe in him entirely. Its just refreshing to read new opinions about the message in the bible.

Anyway, I haven't opened a "Christian" forwarded message for a few years now. But they keep on popping out in new mediums like text messages, yahoo messengers and internet relay chats. Damn it.

Being heroes

I understand the first world way of living now: I have a job at Ikea that pays well enough for me to survive; growth possibility that would give me a stable option to fall back on; an amount of money that when invested properly would grant me decent financial standing in a couple of years; extra time to develop my fondness for cooking that also has the potential of developing into another stable financial direction. There's definitely no denying that life can be good here. I could settle down and live out my life with relative ease provided i don't make overly stupid decisions.

And yet i remember back when i was dreaming of becoming the President so that i could do great things like develop agricultural economies through better ports and logistics systems; enhance the education system by debunking traditional learning, expand responsible media that teach as well as entertain; kill Cory Aquino and turn the Edsa Shrine into a DOTA hub managed by Eugene; focus on dignified livelihood and training. Or the other option of being able to establish businesses that would focus on the skills of the poor and become profitable enough to actually help develop whole countries not just financially but also through the corporation's hyperactive take on social responsibility providing the right education, moral rooting, nutrition and cultural pride all on the company's check. All this I dreamed possible by setting up a high-value business like proper organic farming for the benguet people and I take care of the logistics, marketing and develop the company to enter the global demand and at least pump in money back to benguet. I have other ideas: value eco-tourism, cheaper and cleaner energy through garbage-power conversion, natural and organic medical products, a controlled inter-archipelago transport system, an educational televisional program, an upgraded port to challenge Singapore and so on... lots of other ideas on how to help and make something good for the ones that need it.

It is naive to a certain extent isn't it? thinking that I could actually change the world in a huge way. I can specifically trace this back to when i saw the March 2002 cover of time magazine where Bono was featured and the cover read: "Can Bono save the world?" It triggered perhaps my most distinct and clear dream and direction that i wanted for my life. I dreamt of a time that I, along with the company I create would be featured like that. I want to save the world.

When put in that sense, it does sound juvenile. When people say "I want to help the people in need", "I want to save the world", "I want to be a hero" it brings back moments of Q&A on "little miss Philippines" and "little boy Pogi" where the generic and pleasing albeit pre-determined and fake answers like "gusto ko maging Doktor! kasi gusto ko tumulong ng tao!" were treated with cheer owing to cuteness/naivete of the pre-pubescent contestants. But now, the best we could give to people our age that say the same thing is the supportive nod, and eerie quiet that follows, or worse is the uncomfortable smile with the questionable adoration for altruism. Even worse is when somebody associates and belittles this as an unresolved and childish fascination with comic book heroes.

Heroes were given a gift and they chose to help people by using their gifts. How hard can it be for us to associate that concept to our lives?

When did we stop dreaming big? When do we actually fall into the redundant mundane existence of wake-up, work, spend time with family, sleep. When do people stop feeling the weight of the responsibility they hold for their mere existince? It certainly is controversial to judge people that say they're quite content with having a family and a decent life as lacking, empty and incomplete in their life but i guess that's what it takes. Too many people have lived out and eked a form of dignity in living this concept of a "full" life that it would be social suicide to judge it wrong and meaningless.

However it is still quite disturbing since we know that there's an option on what you can do with your life. The general sentiment is to live you life full; get a dignified job, take care of your family, make sure your kids are decent and that's it. But there are other samples to choose from albeit from printed cartoons. Heroes, people who live out their lives devoting it to filling the needs of other people, the Pederson Specials devoting and eventually sacrificing their lives to change the world, Spiderman forfeiting his simple life to answer his uncle ben's challenge of responsibility in exchange for his talents. These characters are fictional true, but it never limits the fact that their decisions aren't possible for us.

I'm not saying that it's a sin to eke out our lives as so many have done before, However, why should it stop there? Why should we limit our existence and pound out a good life when we can be something great?

Perhaps it's not as stark now for a lot of you and admittedly, i'm writing this more for myself so that if I do shut out my spiderman dreams and settle into that place where I choose the mundane self-devoted lifestyle, i can remember my naive child of a self still dreaming to be a hero. We should never forget.

Wilson's Little Fantasies

Once in a while, the child in me dictates some fantasies that I want to be fulfilled if only I were given the necessary talent/powers. My top 10 includes

1.) Being a professional NBA player

2.) Cook as the top chef in the world

3.) Formula One race car driver

4.) Light Heavyweight boxing champ

5.) UFC light heavyweight champ

6.) Super Hero

7.) WWE RAW wrestler...wag smackdown

8.) Late Night talk show host

9.) Novelist/Poet, someone in the Hemingway or Neruda mold

10.) Legendary porn star

Cheating and Asymmetry: A primer

After weeks and weeks of wrestling my thoughts on whether I’d buy myself a copy of Levitt and Dubner’s Freakonomics (you see, some people become cheap when they’re flat broke and have no means of income yet. Damnit Ms. Dada, why won’t you call me?), I finally decided to buy myself one (after lingering in Fully Booked for an hour and a half, just staring at it) and I’m having no regrets whatsoever since. It’s both an insightful book and eye opener.

I have yet to read pass the book’s third chapter but already I’m having circling thoughts and personal reflections on various related events. I have also noticed that I haven’t really contributed anything meaningful to this group blog lately, heh.

So with this, I’m planning to write something up related to the psychology (and economics pala no?) of cheating, and information asymmetry, as paralleled in chapters one and two of the book.

1. Incentives as a motivational factor for cheating among students.

Together with Anteola, Arellano, and Cabaluna, we once wrote this Experimental Psychology research (albeit poorly written then) on the different kinds of incentives that would motivate a student to cheat. I’m planning to expound on this and give my additional insights, heh.

2. Networking pitching process – it’s all about information asymmetry.

Having personally experienced being pitched by a networking agent, and actually being connected to one, I’m planning to give my additional reactions as to why this field leaves me much to be impressed.

Well, so much for introductions. Here’s to being a devil’s advocate. =)

José +10

“If you don't give my football back, I'm gonna get my dad on you
I only kicked it over your fence and broke a silly gnome or two..”

I was immediately captivated by the Jose +10 ad campaign of Adidas when I first saw it on Sports Plus. Not only was Jim Noir’s Eany Meany delightful (a feel-good jingle that’ll surely evoke nostalgic memories about our good ‘ol days), but the concept behind the commercial series was equally wistful.

Adidas understands as few others have that football is about dreams for over a billion fans worldwide. It gives these ordinary people an outlet for their imagination.

Few of them will ever get to play in a World Cup and even fewer will become legends, but every single one of these boys and girls will be transported from the reality of their lives by the fantasy of the beautiful game.

It shows the power of soccer to transform (source).

…Too bad Filipinos have little awareness and appreciation for the sport.

Still, the campaign’s charming. Simply charming. =)

____

The video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkm86AfI48I
The press release: http://www.press.adidas.com/DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-11/16_read-5785/
The Impossible team: http://www.press.adidas.com/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-260/
Oh, and btw, viva azzurri!

Flight 4061

It was already raining the whole day.

I just finished a three week vacation in Auckland and I was about to leave for Wellington. I spent the day packing and got in the airport shuttle at just about 6pm. Flight leaves at 730pm. On the bus, I met this family from Missouri and they talked about their New Zealand vacation. Their little girl, tired from the trip, cried as her mother held her.

I get to the airport just before 7pm. I was cutting it pretty close. Weather hasn't changed, it was still raining. I checked in and found out that most of the flights have been delayed, so the flight boards at just before 8 and gets there at 9pm. I make my way to the gate, text Billy about the time change and play my new PSP until its time to board.

I hear the crowd at the waiting gate groan as a flight to Christchurch has just been delayed. My flight, though initially delayed, boards at the new time specified, so I'm happy about that. I pack my PSP, turn off the cellphone and get on the plane.

It's not a crowded flight and I make my way through the aisles to my seat. I spot a beautiful local girl sitting right behind me. I find myself staring at her an extra second than I should have. She looks right back at me and I look down, trying to look casual. Damn, I should have smiled.

I'm seated at 13D, aisle seat at the left side. No one else is sitting at my side. Good.

I stand up again to get something from my bag at the compartment above. I'm only pretending, I only want to see the pretty girl behind me. She's reading a book, so I can't start small talk.

I flip through Kill Phil, a book I got from a poker pro that was selling it at the casino the day I placed fifth at the Pot Limit Omaha tournament. That was a good day.

The flight attendants do their little show, I hardly pay attention to those anymore. Finally, the plane takes off and I read through a few more pages of Kill Phil before I decide to sleep. I am a little tired, running around the whole day and packing at the last minute. It was a damn good trip. I spent too much money though. Tsk.

The flight goes smoothly, the attendants go back and forth giving food and drinks and the same show. I find myself looking at the aisles front and back, but I'm only just trying to get a subtle glance at the pretty girl behind me. I give up and go back to sleep.

The pilot wakes me up as he announces that the plane is about to land soon. Wow, that was quick. I sit up straight and think about how good resting in Wellington is going to feel like. I haven't touched my laptop in three weeks too. I hate unpacking. Wow, sleep is so gonna feel good tonight.

The pilot says that because of the weather, they're going to stay in a holding pattern for a few minutes before they try to land. I think of all the airplane disaster movies for fun. I really liked Langoliers. I also think of the final destination movie, also cause I just saw the trailer for the third movie a couple of days ago.

I get lost in my thoughts and eventually, I realize that it's been awhile and we haven't landed yet. That's a little strange. I go back to daydreaming about my plans to bum around the next day.

The pilot announces that we missed the approach. He says the weather in Wellington is really bad, but that they're going to turn around and try to land again. I still don't think much of it. I'm still lost in my thoughts.

Minutes go by and I hear the sounds the plane makes when its landing gear is activated. I feel relief as finally the flight is over. A few seconds after, I hear the landing gear retract and I can feel the plane ascending again. My initial reaction was 'come on, land or crash; make up your mind'. In retrospect, I really shouldn't have thought that. Maybe I was just tired. Anyway, after that, the first hint of worry hits me.

The pilot announces that we missed the approach again and that the weather in Wellington has gotten much worse the last few minutes. He says that they're going to some place and stay above there for 15 minutes before they try to land again for a third time.

I flip through my book and read a couple of pages before I get a little dizzy. I put the book back and try to sleep my way through it. The turbulence is a little nauseating.

Finally, the pilot announces that they're going to try to land again for a third and final time. If it's too unsafe, then they'll fly us back to Auckland. My thoughts go from how to get in touch with Billy or if I'm getting a taxi cause Billy might have left already to what I'll do if they fly us back to Auckland. I can still probably make the poker tables there and maybe just book a hotel room. Although it sucks, cause I already packed and all that.

The pilot tries to land and I find myself reaching for the barf bag. That's a first for me. I catch myself saying a short prayer 'keep us safe'. Then I spend the next minute thinking about the semantics of that line. 'But heaven is safe, then is keeping me safe mean letting me die so I can go to a safer place?'. It's really a weird time to have a mini-debate in one's head.

And then the thought hits me. I might die. I might die in the next few minutes. You try not to think about it, but it's overwhelming. I think about my family and my friends and how I need to see that special someone before I die. That thought was probably just a few seconds long, but it felt like an eternity. I shake the thought loose from my head.

The landing attempt is very rough. The plane shifts from side to side and I can see the wings of the plane shift up and down. I finally see the city lights and I say 'this is it' to myself. I still hold the barf bag as some passengers behind take notice. Finally, the most awkward landing in aviation history takes place as the plane forces its way to the ground. Wow, I was second away from throwing up which is a feat considering I haven't eaten anything yet at that point. But I'm alive. Wow, I didn't die.

Half a second later, all the passengers cheer as the wheels roll on the runway. The pilot goes on to talk, a little self-congratulatory by the way, as the passengers continue to cheer and applaud. I find myself doing the same too. I'm safe and on the ground, surely that's reason for applause.

I look to my back and see a male passenger giving an inquiring thumbs up to me. I give the same thumbs up back to him and smile. Finally, the wheels stop, the doors unlock and this nightmare is over.

As I grab my bags, the male passenger and the pretty girl behind me strike up a casual conversation, about how scary the flight was, etc etc. I join the conversation while we wait for the passengers in front of us to start moving. I get in a few small talk at the pretty lady, although I know it's futile at this point. There's no chance for a longer talk and I probably looked like a wuss with me and my barf bag.

The passengers finally start moving and I walk by and see Billy waiting for me. I turn for a quick second to look at the outside view past the windows. The rain and winds were still blowing hard.

I was really lucky. I should have listened to the pre-flight show though.

Manny Pacquiao!

Got this from some site...

Poker odyssey

Well I'm back. After weeks of non-stop poker, I came out scathed, but alive.

Here's what I have to show for myself.

- a substantial profit.
- a trip to australia for the poker championships in August.
- 3rd in a no limit tournament.
- 5th in a pot limit omaha tournament.
- lots of sit and go wins.

Anyway, it was an incredible experience and there are so much stories to tell. It was so eventful from beginning to end from the hit and run incident that landed me in a police station after I arrived to the terrifying plane trip that took three tries to shakily land in Wellington airport because of the tumultuous weather.

For now, I try to recollect myself and settle back down and unpack. After that, we'll see what I can share.

Ciao for now.

Suggestive status pt. 2

Oh, how can I not make a mockery out of it when it's simply so inviting?
Ladies and gents, I hope you all agree that this case (or more appropriately, closet)is closed.

Why most HR firms suck

“Mornin. I’m supposed to have a scheduled psychological testing today. Ms. _____ of _____ called me last night and told me that I could have my test anytime within the day, so here I am.”

“Oh. Your name sir?”

“Michael _____

“Ahh. Please sign the logbook and follow me to the other room to take the test…”

Welcome to _____, an HR outsourcing firm somewhere along the busy and congested Boni Avenue, in Mandaluyong City.

As you may have noticed, HR firms have come a long way from small, never heard Psychometric distribution offices, to Global HR consultancy and business process outsourcing companies. From what I understand, these third-party industries cater to a wide spectrum of services including headhunting, consultancy, assessment, recruitment, placement, and to compensations and benefits. I’m even seriously thinking of setting up one of these with a couple of associates in the near future when I get the chance, heh.

It’s nice to see that companies like these are growing like wild mushroom sprouts, but (there’s always a ‘but’) I was able to notice a number of glaring issues (at least, from the point of view of a tester) in my most recent foray into testing, that seriously needs to be addressed.

And just in case you’re asking, no, I’m not going to sugar coat my thoughts and opinions just because I’m a psychology graduate.

It is with my firmest conviction to say that most third party HR firms here in the country have abysmal testing conditions (‘shitty’ and ‘terrible’ are acceptable adjectives), which could in turn, affect a tester’s performance.

Let’s take _____ as a case in point.

When you realize that you’re taking your SRA’s, RAVEN’s, SCT’s, essays, IPAT’s, or whatever, in a testing room converted from a kitchen (that’s a room away from the reception area, with no doors dividing the two whatsoever), complete with pots, pans, and the kitchen sink; in a testing room where car exhaust and ambient noise can easily seep through the glass door; in a testing room where smucks linger in the room discussing what nots (two staff members were talking about financial matters the whole time that I was taking my test. One even handed checks to the other), as if they have the room to their own; and finally, in a testing room where you have a receptionist/facilitator handing to you photocopies of the battery with no instructions explained whether written or verbatim, you’re simply screwed. These unfettered testing conditions can easily throw you off.

Ideally, applicants would come in, take their tests, and end at the same time. But understandably, it’s simply not possible since HR firms like say, _____ have lots of clients, and each needs different batteries of tests to administer, even for the same position between companies.

Also, testing rooms should be quiet, well lit, good ventilation, and staggered seating arrangements.

Yet despite everything, HR firms like ____ simply neglected these most fundamental regulations. As far as I’m concerned, testing conditions in _____ leave little to be pleased.

I do hope that the PAP, or whatever, as long as some organization with an authority over this can look and regulate these test conditions.

When you have the biggest FMCG companies like _____ or _____ relying their sourcing on third party head hunting companies like _____ for the sole reason of downsizing and cost cutting, I will seriously doubt my test score validity and their assessment.

I’m planning to write a letter to the sourcing firm, to PAP, and one to Ms. Joice.

Oh yeah, happy testing =)

First day in Auckland

Okay, as of today, I'm two-thirds done with my Auckland trip. I've met a lot of new people, I've hung out with ladies that are sooo not the type I hang out with and I've met a lot of poker players and made new friends.

Anyway, my first night here was interesting in itself.

The original plan was that Devin was going to pick me up from the airport and take me to the place I'm staying at and then take me to the casino where we'd have a meal before I play. But it turned out to be far from what I'd expect thing to turn out.

When Devin picked me up, he got called to a job at a hospital so I ended up watching him work for two hours. On the way home, Devin's friend Dave drove and on the highway, he might have cut into some dude who ended up chasing us till we found a public place to stop. When we did, the guy got out and started bashing on Dave while me and Dev kept breaking it up. We ended up in a police station giving our statement for about two hours.

Finally, I made my way to the casino and won 300 bucks on my first night.

It wasnt how I envisioned my first night would go.. but it was eventful at the very least.

Bookdrive progress (06/20)

Two weeks ago, Jeco spoke with JCAAA’s head honcho about the bookdrive plans, albeit still vague. The talk went well because Jeco said to me that the alumni association will help in ANY way they can.

So, last week, Wil and I went to Jubilee’s main campus and passed a formal letter addressed to the executive directress asking for an appointment to further discuss the matter.

A secretary from the administrative office called me yesterday to follow up on the letter and asked us for a possible meeting with the executive assistant and the head librarian. Two meetings, two days, for two campuses. Talks about the aim, specifics, and other matters will be discussed.

But as of today, the meetings between the two parties are moved to sometime next week. The secretary will call us again about it.

Until then, let’s keep our hopes up.

Do post your comments and suggestions.

Dia de mierda

We all have shitty days. Michael's was yesterday.

It was a dark and stormy night when he received a message from some bloke named Malou, inviting him to take a company exam the next day. He felt suspicious but acknowledged the message nonetheless (turns out that she was an acquaintance so it's really not that bad). He slept soundly that night, not knowing that the day ahead would be a day of infamy.

-----

Michael's day can be summarized in twelve sweet little lines:

1. He left his house without his hanky on a particularly sunny day,
2. He forgot to drop the kids off the pool before leaving,
3. He nearly fainted while in the MRT,
4. He had to stay in Buendia station for a while for a breather,
5. He wasn’t able to find a loo roll,
6. He had to sacrifice his Transcript of Record envelope
7. He realized that the flush and faucet were broken
8. He left a present for the janitor
9. He finally arrived 15 minutes late
10. He was sweating profusely
11. He shook the interviewer’s hand VERY FIRMLY and then had the naughtiest grin.
12. He walked three kilometers from the establishment to Ayala station afterwards.

Savor the mental images boys and girls. I'll be waiting for your dia de mierdas. >=)

Prelude (3 of 4)

Well, bags are packed. Everything's good to go.

I just finished the last of my exams today and I'm flying out to Auckland tomorrow to see Wikus, Devin and everybody else.

Oh and there's also gonna be poker involved. heh.

Before I dive into that, let's get the coming home thing out of the way.

No, I don't think I'm coming home this June. Sorry. I don't think it's gonna happen. I would like to, but if ever, I'd be using my own money and I'm just not sure it's worth it especially cause everyone's so busy nowadays. Although I'm saying never, that is if I win extremely big in my first week of poker, then I'll take that as a sign that I can come home. Other than that, the next time is pretty much gonna be Merry Xmas.

About the bookdrive, which I hope you guys are still working on, I'm still game to help you guys with whatever you need, although it seems the help I can give from here would be pretty limited. Anyway, good luck with that.

So about this trip, I'm headed to Auckland and I've already booked a place in the city. The goal is to basically to build my bankroll. Along with my trip to Christchurch two months ago and my weekly games here in Wellington, I've built my two year going bankroll to a good amount now and if I get a good month in Auckland, I'm sure to reach my target mark. I don't want to name figures, but it's a good amount so wish me luck on that.

This trip is pretty much poker and being on my own. It's a new feeling to not organize every single minute of the trip and it's very liberating. So if this is the prelude to the next month, then all I'm saying is I am sooo ready for this.

So that's it for me. Keep the blog alive while I'm gone.

Ciao.

The People's Plumber & Socialist Men Under Red Father

Hey paisanos!

Move over GI Joe and Superfriends, your futile propaganda campaign for American nationalism is no match for the people's plumber and the socialist men under red father!

I remembered this internet meme about the mario brothers game being a communist propaganda campaign. Here's the link:
http://www.aethiamud.org/communist_mario/

I did some googling and found another one, this time on the smurfs. This one's quite a hoot lol:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smurf_Communism

The Greatest Villians Ever

Mwahahahahahhahaha!!!! (evil maniacal laughter)

A couple of days ago, I bought the newest issue of Wizard magazine (I like having something to read on the bus on the way home). Anyway, one of the features was the top 100 greatest villians of all time.

Here's the top 5

5. Zombies (dawn of the dead)
4. Dr. Doom (Marvel)
3. Palpatine (Star Wars)
2. Pazuzu (The Exorcist)
1. The Joker (Batman)

Sounds about right, I guess, depending on the person. But what I found a lot more cool were the other villians that made the list. Here were the notables.

72. Tony Montana (Scarface) - Yo need pipol like me!
68. Megatron (Transformers) - he killed Optimus Prime, 68 is an insult
61. Johnny Lawrence (Karate Kid) - Daniel Larusso's enemy in the finals where he did the cheesy crane kick
57. Principal Rooney (Ferris Bueller's day off) - hee!
53. Cobra Commander (G. I. Joe) - has anyone else noticed that no one has died on G. I. Joe?

45. Mr Burns (Simpsons) - 45 is an insult. He should be in the top ten. Excellentttt.
29. T-1000 (Terminator 2) - I remember when I was a kid, we had a driver who looked a LOT like him and I was scared of being in the car alone with him. He got fired when he flipped one of our cars upside down outside La Salle Greenhills and his gun got tossed in the street where a kid found it. Hee!

15. Pennywise (It) - If this list was a list of the things that creep me out the most as a child, the clown in "It" would be number 1. I remember when he was the sewer grate and he grabbed the poor child. Brrrrrr.

14. Freddy Kreuger - on the same creepy list, Freddy would be number 2. When I was 10, I had a dream about him chasing me around a cemetery which is incredibly creepy to think even now cause Freddy kills in dreams.


And that's that.

You haven't heard the last of me, Penelope Pitstop!!!

(that dude wasn't on the list. stupid inaccurate list.)

e-buy

For sale: Brick from Jubilee Wall.*

Have you ever thought to yourself how great it would be if one had a piece of history like let's say, a section of the Berlin Wall, or a slab from the Great Wall of China? Wouldn't that be just dandy? A perfect conversation piece, right?

But I assure you, you would not be able to get one of those even after a hundred years. Might as well wait for fifty and have your own tombstone.

Well here's the next best thing.

Presenting, an authentic red brick taken (stolen) from the facade of Jubilee Christian Academy.

Stolen months ago from the facade along 3rd street and Dona Hemady, the brick measures 6 inches(l) by 3 inches(w) by 2.5 inches(h). It weighs a couple of pounds, no more than two dead chickens. 100% oven baked to achieve the crimson hue, that red bricks are known for. Ideal for cabinet display, and equally useful as a paperweight or as a bludgeoning weapon. Comes without packaging when purchased.

Perfect gift for that die hard Jubilean or to your pesky mother-in-law.

"Yup, it's the real deal alright!" -assures Mang Tony, the magtataho who saw the pilfering.

"100% authentic!" -exclaims Mang Ramon, the fishball vendor at the other corner of the street who also saw the pilfering.

If you call now, we'll even include the authentic dirt and mold from the brick. See the dead little critters from the brick crevices!

So what are you waiting for? Treat yourself to this one of a kind treasure right now!

*Novelty product. Not really for sale.

The City

There is a kingdom whose name cannot be pronounced by our tongue.
To try and describe it would be to describe a combination of an answer to a long mathematical problem, a forgotten macedonian tradition and a momentary yet lingering look two strangers make on a train.

And in this kingdom, there lived a proud prince.
His parents have long past but he could never take his father's crown.
It didnt feel right, he thought, to be worthy of a crown at his young age.

On Mourningday, he visited the lake of hope and found it dry.
He bent over and looked for fishes but he could not find any.
The trees by the lake were purple colored and tasted like the last day of summer.
He sat by the tree and waited, in case an animal would happen by.

After hours of waiting, he grew restless and decided to move on.
He walked on a steel-coated valley that smelled of years past.
Before he or even his parents were even born, the valley was where a great city used to stand.

This magnificent city had streets paved of gold and buildings made of sheer brilliance.
It was a citadel made of generations of accomplishments passed down to create perfection.
The citizens were intelligent and peaceful, creating new ways for which their city could be better.

At the peak of their existence, a group of strangers arrived at their gates.
They were dressed in strange garments and smelled of new fragrances.
They were courteous, of course, yet there seemed to be a hint of willfullness and pride that was evident in their eyes.
The citizens have never seen such a group, but they were a hospitable society and made the strangers welcome.

A month after, there was nothing left of the magnificent city.

A few citizens, who happened to be outside the walls when it crumbled, tried to rebuild the city.
Magnificence, however, could not be duplicated.
The prince's parents found that out.

The prince makes his way back to his throne; in his empty kingdom.
He finished his tasks on Mourningday, he sits silent and content.

He sits waiting.

Bookdrive

My my, this is turning out to be quite a healthy and colorful discussion, no? This post is a compilation of all that's been happening in our yahoo groups. Everything started when Jim wrote this to the groups:

hey! what this? a non-forwarded message??? what is the world coming to???

Remember the days when posting a yahoo groups message was the norm? I might have had beeper 150 too, but I don't remember as much

Anyway anyway anyway, what brings me here is to announce our plans to have a bookdrive.

I know.
I know what you're thinking.

You're thinking "who are you?"

well, i'm jim, your high school batchmate!

Now you're thinking "what the hell do you want, mr someone who hasnt kept in touch with me"

Well, because it has been brought to my attention that jubilee's library has no books (well they have, just not enough to be actually called a library), we decided to have a bookdrive in order to raise books so that our younger brothers can have something to read aside from the old crappy encyclopedias we used to read before.

But before we suggest this fantabulous idea to the jubilee admin office, we felt that its important to get support from you guys first because we want to make it a batch thing.

That's right, we're all batchmates... ahhhh i can see you're all starting to remember now, a minute from now we'll all be singing "thank you, friend"

well, reply one and all and let me knw if this cause is important enough for you guys so i can decide if i want to go home or not (yes, im actually not in the philippines right now).

Or talk to Glenn and Wilson or go to the 13 blog, where laughter and
happiness abound.

if you want to get in touch with me... my email and ym is true_love5484@yahoo.com .... say hello, flirt with me a little if you want..

anyway, thats it for me...

y'all take care... i miss you all

except for you stevenson, i dont miss you at all hee

Chika responded positively, so did Jirbie, although we suspect that her affirmation was about the flirting thing.

Erwin then retorted with this profound statement:

No offense to anyone... but i came to realize the evils of Jubilee...

And posted another one which went:

I realized that what I said a while ago is not Ok... so here is an alternate and in my point of view better and a more helpful and beneficial suggestion to your idea, Jim. :D.

I think that Jubilee has more than enough and they can support themselves IF they WANT to. I think the more worthy to give help to are the public schools. Try going to any public school, look at the poor kids. I think it would be more helpful if we help these people. They are the ones who really need our help. I'm sure they will
appreciate whatever we can give, even old text books and encyclopedia will definitely and surely help them.

What do you think? :D

Mariane also voiced her opinion:

Hey peeps. Bigla ako napareply....

Anyways, as much as I think the earlier suggestion was really cool,
I would have to agree with Erwin that if Jubilee really wanted to upgrade
the library, it could, and that if we would really want to help,
that public schools might have a greater need. Hehehe, just a thought.
Anyways, it's a fabulous idea to do this to help other people :D

And as expected, Jim responded with:

Oh no! my evil plan to corrupt young minds with the gift of better literature has been foiled!

Everyone got surprised when Eug posted his sound arguments (kudos!):

might as well reply hehe...

As much as i like erwin's alternative suggestion..i would want to stick with the
idea of further enhacing JCA's library..for the following reasons:

1.) If we are to start this bookdrive..let's not be too ambitious in trying to start it off on a school that we totally have no influence on..at least sa Jubilee..kahit konti naman cguro meron tayo d b?

2.) It's true that JCA may have the capability to support itself..but having been there we should know that they lack the initiative to do something about the problems of the library..maybe our actions would be something that would appeal to the senses of the admin to do something about its problems

3.) Lastly, a lot of us will be very busy after some time..some because of work..others because of something else..(by the way congrats to those who just graduated last march) so why don't we just spare ourselves a little less time in looking for other school's problems when we have one right in front of us.

That's all for now, take care everyone and God bless

Now comes Necisto's reply. Classy. It went:

better give to unfortunate people. Most of the jubilee people are well of anyways. Come to think of it, how many Jubilee students go there to do research? I'll
just support the poor kids cramping into a small classroom.

Sab followed with an obscure reply:

The Center for Peace Education in Miriam College just posted a message that Students from Patikur, Sulu are in need of reference materials. Well, from my view point, it would really be "better" if we could help public schools instead.
I believe that raising funds for the library of Jubilee is the responsibility of the School and the JCAPA.

Sabb

From Stip:

is stibog a member of this yahoo group? hehe di ata... baka walang
nakaalala mag invite... buti nga si jim naalala nya eh... hehehehe
naalala lang nya... pero d nya naalala iiinvite... hehe or baka
nainvite den... d ko alam.. hehehe

Jim finally got fed up with all the irrational alternatives:

okay, this is just silly now. If you think that public schools need books, no one's disagreeing. if you prefer giving to public schools, then thats fine too.
however y'all are missing this

we're talking about our alma mater. this isnt just a case of choosing whether to give to a middle class kid or to a really poor kid, because in that line of thought, then jubilee would never get anything.. ever. someone will always need more than jubileans will, but that doesnt mean we cant give back to our school. i hear that's what people who graduated there do.

so if you want to do something charitable, then cool, lets do that too.. but what i was saying was to do something for our school... but then again, im not even in the freakin country, so what the hell do i know

I then started to explain our initiatives. I chose not to be too vocal about it first:

Hello.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted something, seeing as being candidly vocal about telling the truth equates to public persecution. Nevertheless…

My friend, my friend, please explain to us the idea behind the necessity of doing this proposed bookdrive project instead for the poor, because a paragraph of word salad wouldn’t be enough of an argument to justify a batch-wide project. Be reminded that we are talking about making a batch project that will be specific, practical, and sustainable.

Providing those deprived kids the learning resources is such a novel idea, I really do think so. I really do. But it’s too broad of a project for the batch to manage. Why not address a need that we could easily reach? So I agree with Eug and Jim. We never really appreciated our library because we never had good books to begin with.

Now what about the thing on responsibility? It’s as much of a responsibility for the school and to the parents association as for concerned alumni. I’m afraid that sounds utilitarian, devoid of human empathy. I wouldn’t just leave jubilee behind after she cared for me for oh so long.

We are consulting the different sectors of the school community, like the students, the teachers, the head honchos, the parents, and of course, us.

-Glenn

And the mother of all replies, and from a business managment savant no less:

"planning is key babe, planning is key..."

Jeco replied, in three parts, taking the matter to the preparation phase:

kunin na muna natin yung mga required books nila, i'm sure people will back this project up if we give them something more specific i.e. quantities, and categories of books that they need. Can somebody over in Manila do this? si Ms. Singan naman madali lang kausapin e. Then we can offer this up to our batchmates and our contacts and just post the list of requirements para may pang-check tayo.

Anson Tan, the alumni association president (for the past X number of years) is here in Canada, kasama ko sa simbahan (WHAT THE FUCK???!!! SI JECO NAGSISIMBA???!!!!) anyway i'll talk to him on Sunday about this para mas legitimate and mas marami tayong maitutulong.

-----

The thing with jubilee now isn't indigenous to our school alone, it's the lack of money and the lack of teachers because of the low salary, they really have bad teachers ngayon hehehe. The whole CE department left including pastor Sia hehehe. Si Paul lang naiwan, that's a sign of something bad na e no? Christian Education teachers leaving a Christian school and society to look for work in Muslim country hehehehe. Religion doesn't pay unless it's coupled with violence hahahaha.

Anyway I do encourage fresh grads to try teaching there kasi kailangan nila ng decent na teachers (ang dali sabihin e no?) When i get back yun yung una kong balak gawin, although governemnt policy disallows part-time teachers, i heard na the case can be altered when it comes to jubilee with a little negotiation (godfather style sana para mas masaya).

-----

sorry ang daming messages na, as for helping the poor, honestly guys, those acts of benevolence might be better if we really could commit to the project, otherwise masasayang lang. If we really "REALLY" want to help then let's warm-up with something we can plan, execute, monitor, and evaluate with ease before we undertake some other altruistic act. So i think the Jubilee thing works well as a good first step. let's get the list muna ng kailangan na books then let's see how we perform, after such then tingnan natin kung kaya ba natin tong gawing sustainable.

So game? we really need somebody to go to jubilee and get an initial needs analysis muna.

Cha followed with her affirmation:

All of us know that the number of times we entered the Jubilee library can be counted with our fingers and for the diligent ones, their toes included... and we CANNOT deny the fact that there IS a scarcity of books in the library due to well, probably the non-need of the high school students to look into books since well, there was the internet to turn to every time we cram our research papers...

But 4 years in college has taught me (all of us, i must assume) that the need to look into books as references for papers and projects just so the professor can take it as legitimate... A book drive for jubilee could actually be beneficial as even if the new building boasts of new facilities like speech labs and science labs (that they actually use) the library oh, the educational resource center pala... remains small and bare. I agree that the people in our school don't read much but this book drive might give the students a push towards the right direction. Going to college before discovering that libraries really exist isn't something that we can be proud of.. so why don't we start helping them now? by providing the students with more books and more options for their readings, we might actually grow a number of readers...

The project within jubilee may seems small and irrelevant after all, as some may say and point out, the JCAPA has the money and the means to expand it. The problem here is that it's not their priority. And we might as well make it ours...

For the alternative suggestion that we should just do the book drive for a public school, its not a bad idea. But I agree with the people who say that this is something quite large and for the meantime unmanageable for us. Let's take a look at it this way, if we donate our books to them, we cannot even make sure if the people actually have the capacity to read and make use of the things that we are going to donate. Not to go against the public school system, but there are a lot of students there who do not know how to read even if they are in high school, the books then we are going to donate will simply go to waste...

Maybe someday, if we have more means we can create a learn-to-read program for them instead of just giving them books in the hope that they might learn to read and get a job at the nearby call center...

-Cha-

Also Karaine:

hey..!! nabuhay si karaine! heheeh;p

anywys. it has come to my senses..i have been out of our batch's circle for a million years now.. haha;p

nice to hear from all of you.. and replying to jim's suggestion..! its a brilliant idea! it really is.. well, i have noticed that problem when i visited jubilee for the past few years na umuuwi ako sa christmas time.. the library is just bare(haha! yes, i went into the library when i visited!).. well, it needed some books.. really.. so i think what you guys are planning is excellent.. as much as i want to help, im overseas.. but maybe i can.. and id be happy to!

kayalang, food for thought, medyo broad nga ung project na to! and i think its not so much the idea of having more books in the library..its actually getting the students used to the fact that research is needed in doing assignments and referencing and stuff.. (unlike how i did it before.. literally print stuff from online encyclopedias..!!) so we hav to not only donate books but kind of hav to work with teachers in the school.. i mean, this may also improve skills of students specially in english and all.. coz i got news.. legit source.. that jubilee had a high
percentage of first year ateneo students not passing the college english level..

thats my thought..hehe;p update me on whats happening.. miss you all!!! looking forward to reunion!heheh

karaine

As of post time, the last thread ended with Wil's summary:

Well said Charissa. When Glenn and I first thought of doing something for the library after visiting Jubilee (the Dona Hemady branch), we never saw it as a charity case. As much as I would like to help the needy, its also about time that put our acts together and do something for our school (This coming from somebody who has a
massive messianic complex). Thats when we talked to the other members of the 13 about it namely Jimson, Jeco and Eugene. We saw it as an opportunity to correct a deficiency in our alma mater's system, not as something to just plainly do while bored and get as many books as we can and dump it to jubilee. Ginawa naman natin basurahan ang jubilee kapag ganon. Also, its so pathetic for us to do nothing to
correct a deficiency, especially now that we have the power and resources to actually do it.

While many of you showed doubts on to why jubilee can't produce a better educational resource center (doubts aren't necessarily a bad thing though), how many of us know the real score about Jubilee's finances? Or better yet, how many of us know how much Jubilee's tuition is this coming school year without asking your shobe/shoti/mommy that are still connected to Jubilee? I'm sure Dr. Coyukiat and Ms. Singian aren't blind to the situation of the library. There must be a reason.

Now many of you also ask, why the library? As said earlier by Glenn, Jeco and Cha, its a feasible idea. Plain and simple. Better than suggestions from other people that we interact with jubilee kids. Also, as all of you may know now, learning doesn't stop in the four corners of our classroom. There's a wealth of knowledge hidden
beyond classrooom discussions and textbook reading. This is what a good library can afford to its visitors. It is also our dream that this be the start of a culture of reading and critical scholarship amongst our young brothers and sisters in jubilee. Only a fool would deny children the opportunity to read a good book. We are inviting
you to be part of this dream.

Isn't it also a great idea that the first thing the batch did after getting their degrees from reputable universities is to create a bookdrive? How many batches can claim they did that for their alma mater? Btw, it would make a perfect gift for Jubilee since it is her 40th birthday. Now that is a good plan, "babe" heeeeheee.

They walked these hallowed halls

Wil and I decided to revisit Jubilee today after my unproductive morning of waiting incessantly for nothing in Fully Booked, Gateway. So much for manipulative serendipity. =(

As we arrived, we noticed that security got tighter. We had to have a purpose of visiting just to enter the campus, so we told the officer in charge (whatever happened to Georgette?) that we came to see Mrs. Yan. The OIC however directed us to Mrs. De Guzman. WTF.

Anyway, we took the opportunity to chat with the teachers and the staff. Some, we looked forward talking to, and some, ummm.. let’s just say that we enjoyed the company nonetheless.

Mrs. Raymundo, our grade one Filipino teacher, now holds an executive position. I reminded her of the time when she used to punish me every day at lunch by letting me squat. This wasn’t an exaggeration.

Ms. Ordinario, whom Jim, Dodong and I met again in February, is still the same. Again I teased her about wanting to teach Statistics (she taught us Geometry and Stat in our sophomore and junior year), and Wilson reminded her that “didn’t Jasper Lim used to have a massive crush on you?”. Nice retort.

I miss Mrs. Solinap. You remember her. She’s our petite and perky AP teacher who used to carry her maiden name Pajarito before she got married. I can fondly remember the time when I used an itty bitty notepad as the notebook for her subject just to spite her. I later went home that day with a sore right ear. By the way, did you know that Pajarita in Spanish means little bird?

Heh. Moving on, we also got to chat with Mrs. Sofia Chua (Lin Lao Shi). She’s thinking about stopping teaching in two years because her daughter’s nearing highschool.

Mrs. Nancy Clemena also passed by, and we got to chat with her too

Oh, you may think that it’s a picturesque moment, no? Yes, but not quite. When everyone in the room realized that I was a Psychology graduate, I suddenly became the darling of the discussion as they were desperately looking for a school guidance counselor pala. Damnit.

As if the moment was not awkward enough, Mrs. Sally Coyukiat (our Executive Directress, the head honcho for you non-Jubileans reading this) peeped in the office and joined the discussion. Everyone then told her that I was a Psychology major and she candidly persuaded me to apply too.

…!#$ Save me Mrs. Yan!

Mrs. De Guzman and pretty much everyone else didn’t allow us to explore the campus at first (apparently because of security issues), but have they forgotten that we were the golden batch? That we were the LAW? So when Mrs. Coyukiat came into the administrative office and personally suggested that we should take a look around the campus, I wasn’t able to hide my smirk. We then explored the campus like little boys in a toy store.

I felt like I was back in time. Back in the time where we had healthy class section rivalries, where Pollux would dominate the freshmen year, Hibiscus in the sophomore year (however they cheated to win so the prestige really belongs to Mimosa), Nickel for the junior year, and Galileo for our senior year, with Pascal trailing not far behind.

Who could forget those inspiring teachers? I’m sure everyone could still remember the science mantras that the late Mrs. Ramos taught to us.

Not a lot of people know this, but Wilson and I have a deep respect for the late Donia Gonzales. Not many of you know her. She was a secretary. We used to chat with her whenever we needed documents to Xerox, and connived with her everytime I was late to arrive in school.

Jubilee also had its share of uninspiring teachers.

Enter Mr. Ramos. Our third year math teacher who only cared about Friday madness and the first row of students.

Wil, Stip, Lea, Bev and I were seated at the very back at that time and we got so pissed by his selective attention. We then tried this one experiment where we’d raise our hands for the remainder of the class and point our bad fingers at him just to see if he would notice us. He didn’t. He was too busy letting Stibog kiss his scrawny ass.

Finally, who could ever forget the puppy loves? The crushes, the heartaches, the sexual tensions in a love triangle, and your eye sparkling moments? C’mon, we all had at least one.

We then found Mrs.Yan and got to chat with her. She’s still the same Mrs. Yan that I know, still witty, still articulate, still my idol. =)

Wil and I also snuck around the closed chapel and its cloisters. The renovations that they made to the chapel are breathtaking.

But what got our attention was the deteriorating state of our library. The Charlie Brown kiddie encyclopedias that we used as references, circa early nineties were still there! Not to mention the complete 1992 edition of Collier’s Encyclopedia. Numerous other TEXTBOOKS were on the shelves.

We never appreciated the library because we never had good books to begin with. Wouldn't it be nice if we'd initiate a batch-wide bookdrive to address the problem? So much for our JCA Parents Association and for our JCA Alumni Association.

So much has changed since we graduated highschool four years ago. Some teachers moved on, some passed on. Some structures were raised, some razed. But even after all the changes, one thing still remains and still remains true, that our roots belong to jubilee.

Always remember that every red colored grade, every SDR record, every peck on the cheek, and every moment of joy that we experienced in highschool is a mark. It will whisper and we will then hear the laughs that we had in our memories. We will remember that, at the end of our every endeavor is a celebration of our making. Our roots.

I personally consider my little visit today as a little gift for myself, to remind me of living.

Shakey's v-league scandal

Yesterday, Glenn and I went to watch the semifinal game of the Shakey's v-league tournament between DLSU and San Sebastian College at the Blue Eagle Gym. The game was an instant classic as the efforts of both teams brought out the best in them. `Baste won the first two sets but the proud archers wouldn't give up on their perfect season without a fight and later rallied to win three straight sets to win the game.

But between the game itself and the crowd, we observed that there's something about volleyball that keeps its crowd into coexisting. Maybe its the sportsmanship and team play being displayed by the volleybelles on the court, but seriously, when have you seen a crowd fight over a volleyball game?

Glenn and I made sure that culture would change. What fun would volleyball be without violence anyway?

With nothing good to do, we kept on cheering (yes me included) for the good ol' green and white when we chanced upon one of those die-hard gay fags (yes the annoying ones that makes my blood boil). Such boorish behavior didn't go unnoticed and between some trash-talking and middle-finger flashing between I and that fag-ass, he started to point and provoke us whenever `Baste scored a point. That fag ass also started to point and shout profanities at the DLSU volleybelles.

Glenn and I thought we were greatly outnumbered by Baste fans because of the hot air `Baste fans have been shouting. But in a moment of unity between an Atenean and hordes of LaSallian, other DLSU fans were encouraged by our trash-talking and would later make sure that fag ass would be made fun of every time DLSU scored a point. Dozens of Lasallians, including us of course, pointed their fingers at the fag-ass and screamed the worst curse words the toddlers watching along with their parents must have ever heard. Scores of children instantly losing their innocence over a senseless game. It was then at that point that a moment of epiphany struck to me. I told Glenn "Di ba turo sa atin ni Miranda bawal magturo sa tao? Kasi tatlong daliri ang tuturo pabalik sa iyo?" By the way, the one in the white t-shirt at my back is the subject of our ridicule now.

Anyway, what would turn out to be the true highlight of the game itself happened in the fourth set when a DLSU fan lost his cool and started a fight with him. Glenn managed to capture a video shot of that incident (You can download the only clip of this fight here). People later clapped, not towards the DLSU players who have by then rallied and tied the game two sets a piece, but to the guy who was able to land a straight haymaker towards the jaw of that big mouth.

Afterwards, when it was almost clear that DLSU was going to win the game, the fag ass ran for his life probably towards some godforsaken sanctuary where the likes of him are tolerated. He was never seen again in the premises of the Ateneo on that night. Glenn asked his contacts about any information leading towards the identity of that fag and here's what he found out:

1.) He's from Adamson and the only reason why he's cheering for `Baste is because DLSU beat Adamson the last time around. Heehee.

2.) He once had a fight with Kris Aquino in a PBA game while James Yap was playing.

3.) Those in Adamson are ashamed to have him as their schoolmate.

I'm looking forward to the next Adamson game and see if he's still going to be there heeeheee. Sayang mga iba di nakasama haha. Sulit ang trenta pesos sobrang nakakatuwa nangyari kapag nandoon kayo.

xxx

Since I'm writing now, might as well throw in my congratulations to Choi who has a girlfriend now. Hehehee.

la Fee Verte

My my. To think that all this time, we have been consuming our holy grail improperly. For shame, for shame.

I found a couple of articles on the net on the proper way of serving the drink ("So that's why a friend of mine was shocked when I told her that we were consuming it straight off"). Anyway, let's give the 'ol 89.9%(179.8 proof!) a touch of class and a sense of appreciation the next time we give it a go, okay?

How to Serve Absinthe (Some parts taken from absinthex.com):

There are two popular methods for serving absinthe, both require the use of an absinthe spoon (a large spoon with open slots in it, allowing liquid to pass through), ...although a large fork can work just as well.

Method One: Louching

Step 1: Pour a measure of absinthe into a tall vessel (heheh vander).
Step 2: Place a slotted absinthe spoon (or fork) over the glass and place a sugar cube on it (the lozenge-shaped French cubes work best).
Step 3: Slowly pour 4 to 5 parts of iced water over the sugar and let it drip into the glass. The absinthe will turn from emerald green to a milky white.
Step 4: Sip slowly and imagine yourself in a Belle Epoque Parisian cafe.

Method Two: Flame method

Step 1: Take a reasonably sized spoonful of sugar, or sugar cube and briefly dunk it in your glass of absinthe.
Step 2: Light absinthe laced sugar on fire and hold over glass, the burning alcohol will melt the sugar into the glass.
Step 3: When the fire gets low, stir the remaining sugar into the absinthe and drink.
Step 4: Enjoy!

Korsakoff's Syndrome and liver cirrhosis, here we come!