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!

Taking things out of context

An example of why one should first think about what to put in their status messages.

Random hearts

Random hearts; wandering together
the world lost to them
looking for solace
looking for meaning
everything is empty
the trees are colorless
Waiting
waiting
waiting
waiting
desperation waits for no one

One Week in New York

I've tried to reflect on my stay here in North America in contrast to life there in the Philippines but alas my discourse has yet to come full circle. So just indulge me into writing about a week I spent in New York injected with some reflections.

It's always exciting in New York city. Being my fifth time, i've started to question why this is so. Perhaps because of the unfettered liberty that i have in roaming around the city and sample the plethora of food characteristic of New York's myriad of adapted cultures and nationalities. Yet this reason might not be appropriate considering that Manila is quite similar to the vast stew of cultures celebrating through food. Manila comes out on top even, shit, there's no substituting a special chelo kebab from Mr. Kebab at Quezon Ave. to a 4 cheese potato gnocchi dish in little italy for a 2am meal even if the italian place has a good zagat rating.

So is it the character of New York then? The hardass workaholic demanding, no-bullshit character. Even so, the people are still nice enough to greet with a hello and answer if you ask for directions. But in a certain respect, Manila is also like that, even heightened as the hardass workaholic culture of ours is always accentuated with frustration of an undeniable doom, thanks to the media and the church with poster girl Cory Aquino. (side note... stupid bitch)

Perhaps i am still incapable of specifically understanding the allure of the city thus am resigned to sucking in as much as i can of the New York experience, this is an account of such

Wednesday

I decided to try my luck at broadway, as it would have been inhumanly pathetic if i walked around central park by myself. Wicked wasn't available at TKTS so i had to resign to hairspray (so gay a decision). it was enjoyable, Diana de Garmo was in it. Later that afternoon, in what i thought then as the dumbest decision i made in my life, i asked my mom if she wanted to watch avenue Q. We actually got good seats, Avenue Q was really good and beside the segment when the lead puppets of the show were having muppet sex on stage, my mom actually liked it. Oddly enough, she was humming "everyone's a little bit racist" on the way home. My penchant for prejudice apparently is in the genes.

Thursday.

Carnegie deli. The one stop in New York that i absolutely have to make everytime I'm visiting. it's a really old delicatessen with characteristically strong willed and demanding waiters serving sandwiches. The sandwiches were more like three inch piles of meat with a novelty slice of bread. It was glorious as usual. The beautiful thing about carnegie deli is that it's supposed to be a flop if you ask management teachers (especially the idiot management "teachers from ateneo) The food is drastically expensive with no presentation to speak of, the interior's cramped, old and questionable. The owner and the waiters are rude if you don't follow their system, they get pissed if you don't order fast, eat fast and get out. but whatever they're supposed to lack in "sound management principles" they overcompensate majestically well with character.

We spent the afternoon walking around the city and tiring my mother out so that i could have a night all to myself in Manhattan. it succeeded and she opted to stay in the hotel room. I fell in line for chance cancellation tickets for wicked. they apparently sold cancelled tickets a couple of minutes before the show opened and lines usually started around 4 hours before curtains rise. the hours of wait were well worth it. Perhaps i have a preference for strong-willed social outcasts wanting to do good but Wicked's story really hit me, the music was really good at elevating the experience by drawing the audience closer into their world. Wicked was just exceptional. I don't know what it is with musicals that attract some part of childhood back into dreaming and being happy and that sort but Wicked did that for me, I was honestly dreaming and imagining all sorts of stuff. Maybe my tendency for theater and music isn't over yet, hopefully anyway.

Friday
My mother wanted to try the restaurant of the French culinary arts school. It's this beautiful place in SoHo called L'Ecole and we got reservations for lunch. Always follow the michelin stars. Michelin stars, not similar to the tires, are ratings given to restaurants that really surpass expectations in terms of taste, presentation, service, and everything else you'd expect from a restaurant. L'Ecole had them and there was a reason why they did. The food was nothing short of fantastic.

I got to shop around new york for a while. I even tried to get into Late Night with Conan o Brien. Apparently to get in as an audience member, you have to write a letter to the producers telling them you want to get in, they'll give you a date when you can get into the show. Usually the date's around two months later so you either have to live in new york or plan ahead. Another thing you could do was to fall in line for cancellations which they give out at 9am on the morning of the taping. This was the procedure for all comedy shows that had audiences. This was Friday afternoon and people were already camping up for SNL cancellations. Before I die I have to watch Conan.

Saturday - Wedding day

The wedding was slated at 3 but there was an 11am tea ceremony at the houses of the bride and groom's parents. I never got to understand why tea ceremonies are held, judging from how it's handled, i guess it's supposed to pay homage and show service (by serving tea) to the people who have taken care of the bride and groom, traditionally, the parents and the first born of the siblings. The wedding was quiet and clean, which was a direct contrast to the reception.

An American wedding at a Chinese restaurant. The system apparently in North America is to have a the couple do their first dance, then the groom with her mom and the bride with her dad. Then the dance floor opens to all couples before you eat. Ideally it's a very elegant ceremony. Imagine a fast rapping white DJ host the whole ceremony, now that really sucks out the elegance in anything. But he was able to carry it out, instead of the elegant wedding, it turned out to be a really big party which one should enjoy. That is prior to the dancing... They opened the dance floor after the lauriat and things started getting interesting. Perhaps it's because of the age difference of the people there (most of my relatives present were from my mom's generation and age and skips to the age of my grandmother) but it really turned out to be a memorably odd night. See, when you see your grandmother, grand aunts and uncles, your mom and her sisters dance to lyrics like: "it's getting hot in here so take of all your clothes" it's not really something you forget easily, even if you attempt to drown the image away with alcohol.

So there's New York. I think the fun thing about New York is you see so much semblance to Manila, the crowded streets, the density of the buildings and the commerce. Manila is so far behind but honestly, it's really possible to achieve something so beautifully complex as New York. It's all a matter of demographics, economics, and time. Maybe that's why i love New York so much (and I'm speakig in terms of me wanting to become president one day) it's always fun to see something so flawed, rough and even to an extent dangerous get by and be regarded as the greatest city on Earth on culture, character and hardwork. It's an inspiration.

The Vicente Code (~complete piece)

What if you knew a secret that could shake the very foundations of an organized institution, would you keep the secret for yourself, or would you expose it, and change history forever?

This is a novella of one such secret.

All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret messages in this novel are somewhat accurate.

Due to its controversial content, this novella will be removed in a week's time. Madadale nanaman ako nito pag kumalat e. hahahaha

Tinamad na rin ako magrevise, so please don't mind the grammar and the poor sentence constructions.

-----
Prologue
Early February, 2006

Renowned commercial model Jean Cammhall II stopped at the corner of Yale and Harvard Street as he was trying to catch his breath. A robed figure behind the mist of the foggy night was not far behind and is slowly closing in on him.

As he started to run around the street corner, trying to quicken his pace, his foot was caught on a stray rock and he tripped. He lay for a moment, gasped for breath and stared at the sky with the yellow crescent prominently glowing behind the clouds. I am still alive. He tried to crawl and stood up when he heard the grating footsteps of the man against the concrete road that had just caught up with him.

A voice spoke, chillingly close. “Do not move.”

On his hands and knees, the model rose, turning his head slowly.

About five feet away, behind the blinding streetlights, the silhouette of the attacker stared right back at him. He wasn’t that tall of a man but had a firm stature. His skin was darkly tanned and he had a prominent unibrow.

The man drew a pistol from his coat and aimed the barrel directly at Jean, right between the eyes.

“You should not have run.” The man’s voice was really low and his accent, not easy to place. “Now, tell me who else you have told it to.”

“I told you guys already!” answered Jean nervously, now kneeling on his knees. “I have told no one else!”

“You are lying.” The man stared at him, immobile, as if he’s contemplating on what to do with the helpless model. His beady eyes looked at him with intensity as he spoke. “Tonight, the rightful guardians will be restored. Admit to me everything and you will survive.” The model could not breathe.

The cloaked man tilted his head and peered down the barrel of his gun. “When you are gone from the Priory of Thirteen, we will be the only ones who know the truth.”

Jean closed his eyes, with swirling thoughts of fear and regret.

The click of an empty chamber resounded through the empty streets.

The man then glanced down at his weapon, looking almost amused. He thought about pulling the trigger and contemplated on popping a few more bullets through Jean just to make sure, but then seemed to reconsider, and smirked at him. “My work here is done.”

-----

Chapter 1
Early December, 2005

“What do we do now, my preacher,” asked Jean to the snotty, scenic ego who calls himself as such “now that you know the Priory's secret, that the upcoming Book of Eternity holds the key in exposing the Jubilee?"

He was able to deceive Jean into believing that the Priory uses that knowledge as an instrument for them to exercise their political power. The organized institution cannot afford to let the Priory expose that furtive matter for it would cripple their integrity forever.

“My friend, what we have here is an instrument.” He explained to his pawn. “We will elicit the editorial staff to disclose the contents of the book but we will have to be discreet. We cannot afford to converse about the matter blatantly since everybody will identify and grow suspicious.”

The preacher paused for a while to contemplate. “There is a reason as to why the editorial staff is holding the book's publication back, and it is apparent that they are revising it, trying to eliminate all indications that would point out to the Jubilee’s surreptitious hidings to the populace.”

“How will we able to get the staff to tell us?”

“Simple. We will put insinuations in our query.”

With that, the preacher started to type on his brand new Mac laptop.

“Jean, I want you to read this before I send this to the groups. I am certain that we will get a coded response as well.”

He showed his pawn his poorly written message. It read ( “[ ]” are omitted or revised parts) :

“[…] Commi[t]tee! Any updates on our "REALLY BEAUTIFUL" […]book? I am really concerned about its slow paced production and I have heard some reasons why it[‘]s not out yet. I hope none of them are true or related in anyway. This might be exaggerating[,] but do we want our […]book out another 4[four[ years or even a decade? Come on! Some of us will already receive our [other] […]book by Jan or Feb! Moreover, some of those who I asked sponsorship from have been asking me about what happen[e]d to our […]book and their money. It's very embarra[s]sing!

I plead to you to finish this simple project. Also, please give me as well as [the others] the "true" details on what caused the delay. It [is] our right as well as the sponsors to know.

I hope for you[r] soonest reply and immediate action regarding this matter.”

And with one click, he sent the message.

“..Now Jean, I want you to flagellate yourself for no reason.”

“Yes, my preacher."

-----

Chapter 2

Michael Longdong awoke at four in the morning from the ringing of his cellphone. He fumbled for his reading lamp and turned it on. Without his glasses, he squinted at his surroundings and tried locate his phone.

He pushed the green button. “Ack. Why are you calling me at this time of the hour?”

The woman’s voice then answered “I hope I have not awoken you. I have received this mail from the groups and had just replied to it. You were the next person that I have called about it and I think you should have a look at your mail too.”

Dazed, Michael looked at his alarm clock. It was 4:08am. He had been asleep for only an hour and least expected her, of all the people, to give him a call.

Michael groaned. “Bloody hell you hope that you haven’t awoken me, harassing chic. I just hope that this one’s urgent or something else.”

“Gagu. Basta check your mail. You guys have to do something about it.” And she abruptly hung the phone. ..Just typical.

He turned on his PC and logged on the messenger.

What the Fuck. He thought to himself as he read the message. All of sudden, his cellphone rang again.

A low voice spoke. “What do we do about this? It will still take us a week or two to iron things out. It seems that he wants to get his hands on the unrevised version of the Book of Eternity. Goddamn sponsors.”

“No JC, I don’t think that that’s all to it. I sense something else. Something covert. I’m still not sure about it though. Try to gather up all the others, especually Jean, and we’ll meet in Berkeley Manor at noon. We’ll all know by then." Michael shifted his gaze from his computer screen to the moving cutains by the window. "For now, I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet and take one for the team. I’ll lure them back.”

“Whatever.”

“Just let me do this and back me up. I’ll explain everything later if what I suspect is true.”

Michael and JC hung up their phones at the same time, as dead air was all that was left. He analyzed the content of the message and then noticed a peculiar hint. What's he really trying to say? I know this guy and I doubt that he would write such a simple message.

He took his time to ponder as to why a part of the mail was deliberately capitalized. He tried playing with the letters until something came up, something that gave his message a whole new meaning. Damn. Everything was made clear.

Michael then decided to reply back. Fine. we'll play your game.

His message read:

“[…] Ako hindi ako […] committee at wala naman akong malaking naitulong sa paggawa […] pero wag mo na titirahin ang [Book of Eternity] ok? Oo matagal nga din nga talaga ang paglalakad ng […]book 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 […]book.

[…] Issue na ito ng publication […] at hindi na sa kamay ng […]book committee at design, kaya wag nyo na tirahin yang paglalakad at lalung-lalu na ang disenyo nya Anyway […], don’t 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. QUIT WHINING.”

Michael was content with what he wrote and sent his retort back to the groups.

A fine pen could be wielded like a sharp saber or a blunt mace. This occasion obviously called for the mace.

-----

Chapter 3

The cold December air was well abound when everybody got to Berkeley Manor. Well, everyone in the Priory, except Jean.

In the lounge, where the Priory members formed a circle, JC threw a question to open up the discussion. “Michael, why’d you gather us at Berkeley’s, and where the hell is Jean?”

It was time. Michael thought to himself, as he swallowed. And with a dry throat, he said “Someone in the priory’s a snitch. Jean told the secret to the man who sent the first message in the groups.”

He continued. “I suspect that he is now aware of the secret that the Jubilee is hiding and he wants to get his hands on the unrevised copy of the book. If I am not mistaken, we should be receiving another message from Jean with a new coded reply, right about now.”

Just then, a voice exclaimed “Hey guys, take a look at this.” it came from the smallest among the Priory.

Michael Longdong cannot believe what he saw on the white WiFi enabled laptop. It confirmed his suspicions. Another coded message was in the reply, and this time, written by no other than Jean. Fuck.

The poorly written mail read:

“First of all[,] I would like to thank ____, _____, [and] ___ for giving a COURTEOUS reply to my inquiries. They've presented their repl[ies] with [the] utmost integrity and respect, [and] they faced the situation like true leaders. I admit I admire what they did.

The purpose of the letter I've made was (1): to inquire about the developments of the […]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 ____’s courteous reply[,] I am already satisfied with the an[s]wers he and the committee provided. I was merely stating facts about my life this past 4 y[ear]rs[…].

Right now the issue at hand is not about the […]book any longer it is now a question of respect, my letter was inquiring politely on behalf of _____ Press Incorporated about the developments of the said […]book and you answer "QUIT WHINING hindi pa ba kayo pagod?[this is a blatant misquote]" 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!!!”

“It seems that they are blaming you Michael, for deliberately blocking the information regarding the publication of the book.” Wil retorted.

“Just as I wanted them to do. But I’m afraid we don’t have much time, Jean had told him where the unrevised copy of the book is and he will get to it. We have to get there before he does.”

“Well, what about it? Will you tell us first as to how you came to it?” Jim asked with skepticism.

With that question, Michael turned and looked at Jim right in the eyes, with intensity, but with a hint of fear and replied, “The preacher has sent anagrams about their knowledge through the messages.”

-----

Chapter 4.

“This bloke who calls himself The Preacher is fond of anagrams.” Michael explained as he went to another room in Berkeley Manor to get a pen and paper. “Let me show them to you.”

Tension filled the manor as everybody tried to fathom all that had happened. To them, all they saw was that someone and Jean, no less, one of the Priory, are pressuring the Book of Eternity's Editorial board to hasten the publication of the book. Jean knew better that its contents should be revised because hidden messages were put in the book that would point out the dark secret that the Jubilee was hiding.

Jean, of all the people. He swore to protect the secret, for God's sake. Michael thought to himself.

“In his initial message, notice the capitalization of this particular phrase” he then scribbled the words just as what was written in the mail:

REALLY BEAUTIFUL.

“It seems innocent.” Retorted Jim.

For a moment, Michael paused after Jim’s response as if he was trying to gather his thoughts, trying to remember something that he had done in the past, to use as an answer for him. He paced around the room and stared blankly. And with a sigh, he relaxed his tight lipped expression and started to explain everything.

“You see, I designed the layout of the book and I have personally put the information regarding the secret, information that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Someone outside of the Priory now knows about it and he intends to use it for his personal gains.”

He then scribbled words just below the ones that he first wrote.

I BEFALL A YULE RUT.

“This was what he meant. He knew about it and I tried to persuade him not to, so I wrote him this in reply.”

Michael wrote a new phrase on the piece of paper from his reply mail, another capitalized phrase.

QUIT WHINING.

“What I meant was” and he showed what he wrote to everyone,

NIGH WIN, QUIT.

Silence befall the priory as they realized that they were not dealing with some bickering discourse in the groups. Ulterior things were being discussed.

“And now everything was confirmed when Jean sent another reply mail, no doubt under the order of his now preacher.” Michael tried to look for a new piece of paper and a pen as he needed a new one. "..Umm, wala bang ballpen at papel sa pagkalaki-laking bahay na ito?"

"In the blue case, I've left some from last year." said Mark.

Michael took a new piece of paper and wrote what the coded message in Jean’s mail.

COURTESY, PARE!!

He then wrote the unscrambled meaning of the phrase.

A RUT SO CREEPY!!

Everyone in the room felt the hairs on their arms rise, as if a slight breeze had passed through the patched up, broken window. Funny, considering that the air conditioning wasn't working most of the time and that the windows were never opened. They all looked to each other with slight nervousness, waiting for each other to utter something. They wondered about the talk on this rut and of why the Book of Eternity is so important that people would go lengths just to get their hands on its unrevised copy.

“So, what does this rut mean, anyway?” Wil asked.

Michael finally replied “…The secret.”

-----

Chapter 5
(I got tired of writing so here's the summary. The priory is now on a race to get to her place first before the preacher because the unrevised copy of the Book of Eternity is with her. They contacted her and they went on their way, not wasting a single minute. well, actually, they dawdled for a while and watched an NBA game. While on the road, they thought about exterminating Jean and Siles [pronounced sai-les, for lester] elected to do so.)

-----

Chapter 6
(They got to her place at around eight in the evening and asked for the book. they decided that the book has to be disposed but first, Michael should reveal to them the secret. He told them to gather around in her ground floor office.)

-----

Chapter 7

“Mademoiselle, would you be so kind as to observe the markings on the book, just between the spines?”

She eased her heavy clutch on the Book of Eternity as she turned it sideways. What everyone saw were two logos.



The one on the top was that of the institution, and at the bottom, the Chinese character ‘Heng’, which meant ‘Eternity’ in English.

Everyone inside the room was baffled. Why would he let her identify markings on the book’s spine? What does this have to do with the secret?

“You must first understand that a RUT means a depression or groove along a path, commonly used to describe the markings of a traveling wheel, or the result of erosion from flowing water. In this case, it was used to describe the grooves between the spine of the book, and thus pointing to the symbols.”

Everything was a tad clearer.

Michael Longdong continued on by pointing at the triangular symbol. “We are actually concerned with this one, the one above. Now I ask you, what do you make of it?”

With that, she snootily replied “Of course, the three sides of the equilateral triangle stand for the institution’s motto. You should know that. They taught us that long since we were young.”

“True, but there’s more to it.”

Michael asked for a piece of paper and took out this silver pen.

“A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry; it is a polygon with three vertices and three sides which are straight line segments.” He then drew an equilateral triangle on the paper, similar to the one printed on the book. “It has many uses, and one of which is an arbitrary marker. If you are aware of the Bermuda triangle...”

“Yes, Devil’s triangle.”

“…Exactly. We have then realized that a triangle also has the purpose to that of a parameter, similar to a circle that one would draw. And what do you see inside our little triangle?”

It was unmistakable. “Why, the cross of course.” What else could the triangle give emphasis to, but to the cross?

“You are following quite well mademoiselle…”

“I wish you would stop calling me that. It’s starting to get really annoying.”

“Heheheheh, just messing around. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah.” Michael proceeded by drawing a cross inside the equilateral triangle, as if he was trying to copy the logo.

“Bear with me with this one. An arrow, on the other hand, is a graphical symbol used to point or to indicate direction, with its simplest form being a line segment with a triangle affixed to one end.” Michael then extended the line of the cross that he drew downwards. “What we have now is a rudimentary symbol to indicate a position or of a direction.”

Nobody ever thought that the institution’s symbol would mean something similar to that of an arrow.

“Go ahead, open the book and browse through the pages. You will notice that one particular page also has the institutional logo, but this time, placed precariously, as if pointing to something.”

She opened the book and flicked through the pages.

Lyrics to a song. Pictures of unfamiliar faces. Endless write-ups. Advertisements. Messages. Where could it be?

As if her thumb was guiding the pages, it flipped to a page and true enough, she saw the emblem. This time, the symbol was in the Executive Directress’ page.

“I ask you now to draw a line from the vertex of the triangle with the cross as the guide and extend it through the length of the page.” She did so and everyone felt the eerie silence.



She started to become tense. Although her heavy breathing did not make any noise, everyone in the room still noticed her growing anxiety.

“..Umm.. Stop staring.”

The men were all red with embarrassment.

Michael spoke again. “Note that the line that you have just drawn had passed though several words.”

To her amazement and to everybody else, he was right. It did pass through several words, words strung by the beeline that she drew to make a new meaning. Maybe, she thought to herself it’s the secret.



She wrote what she saw on the piece of paper where Michael Longdong drew the triangle.

I LAID HIS HAND IN A REVERE ADVICE

“Is that the secret?” she asked with puzzlement. WTF, that doesn’t mean anything!

Michael answered “Yes it is, but still not quite.”

It seemed to mean something, but it sounded nonsensical.

“Before I tell everyone what it means, you must all know why the institution went to great lengths to keep it a secret.”

Everyone nodded eagerly, beckoning him to continue with his tale.

“What we all conventionally know, that the Directress equates to the omnipotent symbol of the institution. That, my friends, is untrue. She actually had a clandestine affair with an influential individual in the institution and it bore fruit. Their union, unfortunately, if known to the public, would shatter the institution’s integrity and reputation. She would no longer be seen as pure and as supreme. Now you all know of their dark secret.

“And who’s the lucky guy?”

“Let me help you.” He took the piece of paper and arranged the letters to form a new meaning.

“There.”

Everyone was stunned.

REVEREND SIA II AND I HAVE A CHILD.

-----

Chapter 8
(Now you know how the title of the novella got its meaning. Vicente was the guy's first name. they decided leave and go to the institution to find the guy [well he lives there]. and just as they were about to leave, a million peso car swooshed by and it was the preacher.)

-----

Chapter 9
(what followed was an exciting chase between the priory and the preacher. unfortunately, the preacher was caught by the police because he was beating the red light. isnt it weird that a deus ex machina would intervene? and what's weirder is that it's a goodie goodie policeman. [no, i wasnt talking about the red light])

-----

Chapter 10
(They got to the place and met the guy. instead of destroying the book, they decided to give the book to the guy for safe keeping. the priory held true to their oath of protecting the institution's secret. FIN)

Drunken reveries

As I was trying to sober myself up this morning when we (Stip, Dodong, Eug, and I) were still literally drinking the night away in a minimart (with the gayest cash register guy that one could ever come across, and drinking until the morning sun greets you and reminds you that liver cirrhosis is not your friend still didn't help to tone his fagness down), I remembered Eug’s story about his two Atenean friends who got their sorry asses kicked for no apparent reason.

I had a number of similar silly experiences in college too to some extent, and here are some of them. So gather around, little boys and girls, Uncle Glenn’s going to tell you about a little story.

Once upon a time some jerk named Michael (no, not Jan) treated his college friends to TGI Friday’s because he wants to show off his new discount card. So they went there one Wednesday afternoon and he told his friends to spend like the sky’s the limit, pero P4,000 lang. That cheap-ass.

Then as they were enjoying their buffalo wings, and on their fourth or fifth San Mig Light at that, Michael felt his cellphone vibrate. Another college friend texted him from school and told him that there was going to be a softball pitching and catching exam later in the afternoon (Michael and his friends intended to cut this PE class just to try the discount card and get drunk). So they finished their food, chugged all the remaining drinks, hurriedly returned to school, just in time for the test.

Now drunk, Michael couldn’t feel his hands in the catching glove even if he stuck needles through it (“oh, fucking no!”). His hand eye coordination was so poor that a lobotomized capuchin monkey could weild a bat and could hit an incoming ball better than him (well, the monkey’s bat would be itty-bitty. Cute). He failed both the pitching exam and the catching exam.

That night, as Michael was gathering his thoughts before ending the night, he learned his lesson. He cursed himself for letting himself be duped to buying that TGIF discount card, along with all the coupons, and vowed never to listen to any sales agent.

The end.

Enjoyed the story boys and girls? Next time, I’m going to tell you about the time when Michael once chugged a bottle of Bubblegum Lambanog and later realized that the unconsciously destroyed his college friend’s CPU by kicking it silly. Oopsie.

SM Mall of Asia

Set against the backdrop of Manila Bay, the newly inaugurated two-story Mall of Asia is SM's foray into the high-end mall. It boasts itself as the third largest mall complex in the world. They also have the largest IMAX theatres in existence. But I wasn't that impressed.

Maybe I should have gone ahead and watched an IMAX movie just to appreciate the Mall of Asia more. The design of the entire mall is very impressive but somehow you get the feeling that its just another SM mall. Let's look at it this way, I was more impressed with Greenbelt and Gateway when they first opened. But the only thing that impressed me with the Mall of Asia is its larger skating rink, the Manila Bay and Baclaran Church. Maybe I might be impressed with the IMAX after I watch it next week.

My biggest complaint with the Mall of Asia is its small eating establishments. Each restaurant I saw probably can't sit comfortably 30 or 40 people. The lights keep on going on and off and the airconditiong wasn't as reliable as well. Maybe they have to iron out the electrical works first.

If there's any consolation, there were a lot of hot chicks who were exploring the area. That was really the sight to behold. Haha.

Postcript

Some months ago I wrote about living a double life. One as the normal Wilson we all adore and love and the other as riohotchick in cyberspace. As a netizen, I was able to fool horny sex-starved virgins into sending me cellphone load credits in exchange for a stirling performance in front of an imaginary webcam. The scam was a success.

But then, conscience kicked in and told me to stop it since it was becoming my fundamental option when it comes to dealing people in internet relay chat. Since that fateful day, a personal promise was made never to do anything like that again no matter how tempting.

Exceptions abound in our world. Just last Monday while doing virtually nothing in the Rizal Library, I thought of texting a personal friend that I haven't seen for a long time but found out that I didn't have any cellphone credits left.

So I remembered riohotchick, and using the wonderful technology of meebo, I was able to log into yahoo messenger. Scores of horny assholes immediately messaged me if I want to chat hot with them. Since I wasn't in a playfool mood that day, I sent a message to a random guy telling him that I'm meeting my fuck buddy at the Ateneo but I don't have enough load to send a text message so if it was any bother maybe he would like to send me load.

He sent me P50 load immediately. The things that horniness can do to you. Tsk.

So dark the con of man

If the church is clamoring about something that's against the teachings of the Bible, why aren't they condemning the self-flagellating and self-crucifying people in the province? C'mon, think about it. The government's even promoting that annual quaresmal event as a tourism racket.

I'm talking about the movie verion of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. The Philippine Church wants to ban it because it's blasphemous; the organization against Pornography here in the Philippines sees it as pornographic; local politicians are against it because it's against some revised penal code or something; and SM cinemas chose not to show the movie. WTF.

.. !@$# It's only a ‘friggin movie for God's sake.

But in contrast, what got me rolling on the floor laughing was when the national albino association got into the act and aired out their sentements on Silas' portrayal as being negative to the albino population (he's the albino dude in the story). It’s nice to see that albinos now have their moment in the sun.

Anyway, in retrospect, they should’ve banned the Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe for featuring a talking Aslan, or Toy Story for depicting the alien plush toys worshipping the claw, if their line of thinking is like that. That’s how absurd it is.

Again, !@$# It's only a ‘friggin movie for God's sake.

ps. (postscript, not princess sophie. hehe) In case you're wondering, no, I'm not one of the haters, in fact, I really would like to see the movie adaptation. I just hate all the negative thinking that's surrounding the flick. I'll make a new post about it as soon as I've seen it.

Commencement speeches that I you'd like

http://www.february-7.com/features/conan.htm

http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=3650

The Definitive E vs L

When I commented on Team Eugene vs Team Lester, I talked about it being like Superman (Eugene) vs Batman (Lester), about how it was a preference of a wholesome hero to a darker hero. But it's not actually like that.

I think it's more of a dominating favorite against a strong and resisting underdog.

It's the Yankees against the Red Sox. An empire against a stabilized rebellion. That's more of what Team Eugene vs Team Lester is.

But who really has the edge? Let's find out.

BACKGROUND

Team Eugene started four years ago. After years of progression from Meo, Tuxedo Mask, Kurt Angle and many many more and also the growing popularity of the actual freshman Eugene Ong in the Ateneo and the Ateneo covered courts, it seemed like the next step in the evolution of the Eugene mythos.

Team Lester, on the other hand, spawned as a result of Team Eugene. When a government gets too drunk with power, a group of resistance will always arise to fight the corrupt. Margaret Mead said "never doubt that a group of committed citizens can change the world", and change the world they did, for Team Lester was born.

Advantage: Team Eugene (history with tradition trumps newly made history)

PURPOSE

Team Eugene was created to solidify the power base of the actual Eugene Ong.

Team Lester was created to keep Team Eugene from taking over the world.

Advantage: Team Lester

RESOURCES

Team Eugene has a friendster account, a DLSU clone and hundreds of followers from the Ateneo, the covered courts and that computer place across the street.

Team Lester has sewer rats.

Advantage: Team Eugene

POWER

Team Eugene was at its peak years ago. Now, it still enjoys power but has begun it's decline partly due to too much mainstream appeal.

Team Lester has not yet reached its peak. However, it has lurked around the shadows all this time and continues to exert power. It's got to peak something soon, right?

Advantage: Team Lester

GREATEST PERFORMANCE

Team Eugene: Soca-dancing Eugene
Team Eugene: Falling out of his chair and pretending it didn't happen.

Team Lester: Survivor-singing Lester
Team Lester: Puma quoting Lester

Advantage: Tie

SUPPORTING CAST

Team Eugene has his basketball teammates, dota whatevers and many other innumerable people we still don't know.

Team Lester has Sherri.

Advantage: Team Lester

LEGACY

If the world ended today, Team Eugene will be remembered for its remarkable 4 year run of dominance and prolific accomplishments.

Team Lester has yet to peak and if the world ended today, it would be a rebellion that ran out of time.

Advantage: Team Eugene

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

So who won? Well, no one really knows. Again, it depends on who you like better, the Yankees or the Red Sox, did MJ broke free or did he push Miller? Each side has its merits and I suppose time will tell on who will be victorious.

In the end, Team Eugene flies together and Team Lester crawls together. Who takes the middle ground wins.

Just Wicked.

Seeing that this pseudo-faction warfare is dying a natural death from everyone waiting for each other to post, methinks that we should hold the thought of Team Eugene vs. Team Lester for a later date, and talk about something else.

You know, life’s just peachy keen when everything’s black and white. All that good vs. bad business - Superman foils some smalltime crook (who just wouldn’t get it), Ultraman kicks some giant crustacean's arse (who also wouldn't get the point), and America pummelling decentralized militant groups with shock and awe. Yup, very two-dimensional and very ‘friggin boring.

Thank our non-denominal monotheistic deity for giving us the little shades of grays, and the other colors that make up the rainbow for our else mundane existence. Thus to this, sprouts my ethical commentary on what good and bad really are, based on timeless characters and their parallels to recent events.

In a land called the Emerald City, where the roads are paved with gold (and maroon, as you would understand a little later) bricks, lived the scarecrow, the tin woodman, and the cowardly lion. Let's get to know them - Meet the scarecrow, with his long straw hairs, and who would trade his all his hay just to have a throbbing brain. Tsk. Unlucky chap. Well how about the tin woodman, 100% metal and 100% stoic? The chump's got no heart to beat so he couldn't feel a single thump of social empathy. Poor laddy. And finally, how could we ever forget the cowardly lion? Born without an ounce of courage. Most unfortunate of him to hide behind his mother's shadows all his life. Tsk tsk. Depressing sight indeed. Anyway, to make things short, they were the goodies and the witch was the baddie. Oh yeah, DDorothy (I spell it with a double 'D' as you would understand later) and the wizard fled to some place.

Ding dong, the witch is dead. End of story.

Now here’s my question. What if you got to know the witch’s side of the story and realized that the witch was only driven into conflict out of concern and for the welfare of preserving the integrity of justice (hmm, wasn't that just a bit too deep for skippity children to comprehend)? Was the witch’s death (physically and later metaphorically) reasonable?

Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1996), is a revisionist look on Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), with a political, social, and moral perspective on good and evil (Wiki). The story centers on Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, who has gotten a bum rap. She lived a life of disapproval and embarrassment from her parents and through college. She also learns that the Wizard of Oz is politically corrupt and causing economic ruin (among his dawdlings were animal experiments, murder, and the usual political manipulation for personal gains), and thus she found a sense of purpose in her life, to stop him and to restore harmony & prosperity to the land (Amazon). Nice satyrical book and equally well Broadway adaptation (I'd say they're both 4/5's on some hick's little black book).

So how about it?

Who was/were right? Was it the half-witted scarecrow, the dehumanized tin woodman, and the cowardly lion (who I'm positive that he was a most unfortunate menopause cub) who were right? Or was it the witch, who sacrificed personal integrity to stood up for what she believed was right? (remember DDorothy and the wizard? They play the key role in this because they were the 'status quo' that Elphaba stood up for and against).

There. By the way, I'm actually really talking about the yahoogroup yearbook fiasco. =) Oh yeah, what's the latest about it?

Team Eugene and Team Lester

This, my friends, is a coin. Not only is it an object of monetary value, that could remind us who our national hero is (and would also remind us of our currency’s measly purchasing power), but it is also a symbol for duality.

Duality. Heaven and hell; good and bad; right and wrong. The Republican Party and the Democrat Party; Partido Nacionalista and Partido Liberal; leftists and rightists.

…Team Eugene and Team Lester.

What we could use right now is a good venue to express our social commentaries, to do some literary exercises, and most important of all, to have something that we could waste our time and our lowly IQ’s with.

Think about it. One could align himself to be in Team Eugene or in Team Lester and then debate upon a topic of anything and of nothing. It may be deep or it may be nonsensical. The point is that one would take a side and then argue against the other just for the sake of it.

Imagine Jeco's post on benevolence. He's (for illustration purposes) on Team Eugene. Then I, on Team Lester (kunwari) would argue against his stand and point out that we need not impart a single drop of pity to them (to the less fortunate. See "On Benevolence"), as it is merely natural for the poor and of the rich to exist.

Wil, let's say is from Team Eugene, with counterargue and say that be as it may, it also ignores the fact that we are human, and as such, it is only humane to have compassion. yadda yadda yadda. you get the point (pretty lousy line of argument to tell you the truth).

So there you go. The coin is now flipping in the air. It’s time my friends, to take your sides and prepare yourselves because we are about to loose five IQ points.

The Basketball Post

The recent USA Today/ESPN preseason college basketball polls show that Duke is ranked #7 while the Tar Heels is ranked #14. I was really surprised to find out about this since Duke has lost all of their star players from last season namely JJ Redick and Shelden Williams while North Carolina will lose one player only and that player didn't even matter. Furthermore, North Carolina has better recruits than Duke this coming year. Good thing Lance Thomas chose Duke. That narrowed the talent gap between the recruits of both schools.

But from my observation over the past few years, preseason polls tend to minimize the strength of the incoming recruits of any school. Instead, they factor in more on the previous season's performance and how many major talents are leaving the school. That is why Florida and UCLA are ranked 1 and 2 respectively while George Mason (sweet ol' George Mason) is ahead of North Carolina at 8. Of course, this is not a law and there will be deviations from it.

One thing that I'm excited is how Ohio St. will perform this coming season. Even early last year, sports analysts have been quick to predict that their batch of recruits led by Greg Oden and Mike Conley will probably be one of the best ever, if not the best. Could this be another season where a freshman will lead his team to the national championship just like what Carmelo Anthony did with Syracuse a few seasons ago? Only time will tell.

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

The beauty of basketball is shown by the Detroit Pistons, The Chicago Bulls and to a certain extent, the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs. These teams doesn't have any certified top-5 or even top-10 players on their rosters yet they keep on winning and even making it to the finals ! Compare that to the New York Knicks that has a total player's salary that is more than double than the Charlotte Bobcats but with less wins to show. Their local counterpart? Talk n Text. Let's look at the current roster of Talk n Text: Taulava, Alapag, Washington, Cardona, Meneses, Allado, Ritualo, Juinio.

This is a certified powerhouse team. They even have one import in Taulava ! Yet if i'm not mistaken, they only sport a 5-7 record in the win-loss column. What a shame ! Compare that with Purefoods that has a 9-3 record with only James Yap as their certified star (both in the basketball and showbiz world) and a team full of role players.

Buti na lang purefoods ako simula nanood ako ng pba.

It's in the name

http://greenarcher.net/forums/showthread.php?t=14403&page=1&pp=20

This one's such a novel. When you have a name like Eugene Ong nga naman, you just can't go wrong, no?

Move over Eug, we have a new Eug in La Salle. lol.

I remember you

It's been over six years
It feels a lot more than that
Like a lifetime ago
But I still remember you

I remember our innocence
It was simple then
We followed how we felt
And the rest was noise

And now, it's hardly like that
But I still remember you

I remember your scent
And how it lingered even when you're not there
Even now, I can still smell you
An iris blooming in the rain

I don't miss us
Because we never really knew each other
We were young; a slave to our feelings
And it led us to each other

I don't know you anymore
But I still remember you

I remember us dancing
Moving slowly with the music
The magic of the night took over
And we were lost; swept in ecstasy

We had our moments and our endings
We made each other smile and cry
And if our paths never cross again
I will still remember you

Remembering Sweetness

How badly he wanted to live the days again where he could see nothing but goodness in everything and in everyone.

He dreamt of the days where he would greet the morning sun with a smile. He would then stare up at sky and admire each cloud formation.

He dreamt of the days where he would fold up his pants and play in the afternoon rain. He would then stretch his arms and feel its every pat.

He dreamt of the days where he would end the evening with a chapter of a good book. He would then tuck the book snugly under his pillow.

..For now, he tries to enjoy the caramel syrup on top of his vanilla ice cream.

Koan

If you are not enlightened, life is maya. So what you consider as truth, is only a conventional category of perception.

Here's a contemporary koan that I have received from a good friend of mine. I just thought I'd share this with everyone.

"Who should be blamed when the leaf fell from the tree?
Is it the wind that blew it away?
Or the tree that let it go?
Or is it the leaf itself which never held tight?"

Let it out

Okay, enough with the racist whatevers.
I believe, into my very being, that we all should stand together...

To stand together and scream at the top of our lungs...

SUCK ON THAT, KOBE!!!!!!!!

Ahhh.. that felt so good....

Categorical Syllogisms

Time for a little healthy dose of insult humor =).

Major Premise: it seems that most of the "annoyingly effeminate archetype" people that we can oh so dearly know are overachievers. Let's hypothetically "assume" that we had those in highschool and in college.

Minor Premise 1: An inferiority complex, in the fields of Psychology and Psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. It is often unconscious, and is thought to drive afflicted individuals to overcompensate, one of which often results to spectacular achievement. Unlike a normal feeling of inferiority, which can act as an incentive for achievement, an inferiority complex is an advanced state of discouragement, often resulting in a retreat from difficulties (Wiki).

Minor Premise 2: Alfred Adler (an Austrain Psychologist, and the proponent of Individual Psychology) classified homosexuality among the "failures of life." In 1917 he began his writings on homosexuality with a 52 page brochure and sporadically published more thoughts throughout the rest of his life. The Dutch psychiatrist Gerard J. M. van den Aardweg underlines how Alfred Adler came to his conclusions, for in 1917, Adler believed that he had established a connection between homosexuality and an inferiority complex towards one’s own gender (Wiki).

Conclusion: This further reinforces the common knowledge that these individuals, who are biologically male, may have questionable gender identities, and may have even more questionable sexual preferences, despite the fact that (for the sake of an argument) one "hypothetical individual" had a spring romance with a nameless woman, and another "hypothetical indivudual", had supposedly fallen for a lady batchmate *(see disclaimer). So what if it's vaguely true? Nothing, I'm just saying. I have nothing against them. =)

Now, so as to be fair to feminists and gay activists, let's use the "weightlifting jock" archetype that we could also oh so affectionally identify.

Conclusion? Klein Tottie Sindroom.

...Go find out the meaning for yourselves. =b

-----
*Disclaimer: All I'm saying is that my major and minor premises are phenomenological facts. =)

朋友

這些年一個人　風也過　雨也走
有過淚　有過錯　還記得堅持甚麽
真愛過才會懂　會寂寞　會回首
終有夢　終有你　在心中

朋友一生一起走　那些日子不再有
一句話　一輩子　一生情　一杯酒
朋友不曾孤單過　一聲朋友你會懂
還有傷　還有痛　還要走　還有我

一句話 一輩子 一生情 一杯酒

-----
(han yu pin yin / romanized version)

Peng You
Zhe xie nian yi ge ren Feng ye guo Yu ye zou
You guo lei You guo cuo Hai ji de jian chi shen me
Zhen ai guo cai hui dong Hui ji mo Hui hui shou
Zong you meng Zong you ni Zai xin zhong

Peng you yi sheng yi qi zou Na xie ri zi bu zai you
Yi ju hua Yi bei zi Yi sheng qing Yi bei jiu
Peng you bu ceng gu dan guo Yi sheng peng you ni hui dong
Hai you shang Hai you tong Hai yao zou Hai you wo

Yi ju hua Yi bei zi Yi sheng qing Yi bei jiu

-----

[As sung by Ms. Natty Chua and by Kim of PBB's teen edition heheh.]

This is a heartwarming, tearjerking song about friendship that we lambasted in highschool. heard it again the other night when Kim of PBB's teen edition sung it for reasons beyond logical comprehension.

To my friends, acquaintances, and especially to my enemies, do sing this song to me on my grave. heheh

Everyone's a little bit racist sometimes

For our enlightenment....

Princeton:
Say, Kate, can I ask you a question?

Kate Monster:
Sure!

Princeton:
Well, you know Trekkie Monster upstairs?

Kate Monster:
Uh huh.

Princeton:
Well, he's Trekkie Monster, and you're Kate Monster.

Kate Monster:
Right.

Princeton:
You're both Monsters.

Kate Monster:
Yeah.

Princeton:
Are you two related?

Kate Monster:
What?! Princeton, I'm surprised at you! I find that racist!

Princeton:
Oh, well, I'm sorry! I was just asking!

Kate Monster:
Well, it's a touchy subject.
No, not all Monsters are related.
What are you trying say, huh?
That we all look the same to you?
Huh, huh, huh?

Princeton:
No, no, no, not at all. I'm sorry,
I guess that was a little racist.

Kate Monster:
I should say so. You should be much more
careful when you're talking about the
sensitive subject of race.

Princeton:
Well, look who's talking!

Kate Monster:
What do you mean?

Princeton:
What about that special Monster School you told me about?

Kate Monster:
What about it?

Princeton:
Could someone like me go there?

Kate Monster:
No, we don't want people like you-

Princeton:
You see?!

You're a little bit racist.

Kate Monster:
Well, you're a little bit too.

Princeton:
I guess we're both a little bit racist.

Kate Monster:
Admitting it is not an easy thing to do...

Princeton:
But I guess it's true.

Kate Monster:
Between me and you,
I think

Both:
Everyone's a little bit racist
Sometimes.
Doesn't mean we go
Around committing hate crimes.
Look around and you will find
No one's really color blind.
Maybe it's a fact
We all should face
Everyone makes judgments
Based on race.

Princeton:
Now not big judgments, like who to hire
or who to buy a newspaper from -

Kate Monster:
No!

Princeton:
No, just little judgments like thinking that Mexican
busboys should learn to speak goddamn English!

Kate Monster:
Right!

Both:
Everyone's a little bit racist
Today.
So, everyone's a little bit racist
Okay!
Ethinic jokes might be uncouth,
But you laugh because
They're based on truth.
Don't take them as
Personal attacks.
Everyone enjoys them -
So relax!

Princeton:
All right, stop me if you've heard this one.

Kate Monster:
Okay!

Princeton:
There's a plan going down and there's only
one paracute. And there's a rabbi, a priest...

Kate Monster:
And a black guy!

Gary Coleman:
Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Kate?

Kate Monster:
Uh...

Gary Coleman:
You were telling a black joke!

Princeton:
Well, sure, Gary, but lots of people tell black jokes.

Gary Coleman:
I don't.

Princeton:
Well, of course you don't - you're black!
But I bet you tell Polack jokes, right?

Gary Coleman:
Well, sure I do. Those stupid Polacks!

Princeton:
Now, don't you think that's a little racist?

Gary Coleman:
Well, damn, I guess you're right.

Kate Monster:
You're a little bit racist.

Gary Coleman:
Well, you're a little bit too.

Princeton:
We're all a little bit racist.

Gary Coleman:
I think that I would
Have to agree with you.

Princeton/Kate Monster:
We're glad you do.

Gary Coleman:
It's sad but true!
Everyone's a little bit racist -

All right!

Kate Monster:
All right!

Princeton:
All right!

Gary Coleman:
All right!
Bigotry has never been
Exclusively white

All:
If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit,
Even though we all know
That it's wrong,
Maybe it would help us
Get along.

Princeton:
Oh, Christ do I feel good.

Gary Coleman:
Now there was a fine upstanding black man!

Princeton:
Who?

Gary Coleman:
Jesus Christ.

Kate Monster:
But, Gary, Jesus was white.

Gary Coleman:
No, Jesus was black.

Kate Monster:
No, Jesus was white.

Gary Coleman:
No, I'm pretty sure that Jesus was black-

Princeton:
Guys, guys...Jesus was Jewish!

Brian:
Hey guys, what are you laughing about?

Gary Coleman:
Racism!

Brian:
Cool.

Christmas Eve:
BRIAN! Come back here!
You take out lecycuraburs!

Princeton:
What's that mean?

Brian:
Um, recyclables.
Hey, don't laugh at her!
How many languages do you speak?

Kate Monster:
Oh, come off it, Brian!
Everyone's a little bit racist.

Brian:
I'm not!

Princeton:
Oh no?

Brian:
Nope!

How many Oriental wives
Have you got?

Christmas Eve:
What? Brian!

Princeton:
Brian, buddy, where you been?
The term is Asian-American!

Christmas Eve:
I know you are no
Intending to be
But calling me Oriental -
Offensive to me!

Brian:
I'm sorry, honey, I love you.

Christmas Eve:
And I love you.

Brian:
But you're racist, too.

Christmas Eve:
Yes, I know.
The Jews have all
The money
And the whites have all
The power.
And I'm always in taxi-cab
With driver who no shower!

Princeton:
Me too!

Kate Monster:
Me too!

Gary Coleman:
I can't even get a taxi!

All:
Everyone's a little bit racist
It's true.
But everyone is just about
As racist as you!
If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit,
And everyone stopped being
So PC
Maybe we could live in -
Harmony!

Christmas Eve:
Evlyone's a ritter bit lacist!

Just a clarification

I'm not against gays, I'm against annoying gay people and with that, my hatred towards those annoying gay people stands. I've always said time and time again that I'm ok with gay people, just don't annoy me. That goes the same with straight people. While what I wrote wasn't able to distinguish that especially the Sodom and Gomorrah comment, I hope this would.

Gay Fags

If I were to have the authority to hire somebody, I wouldn't necessarily look at where the person graduated. I would look at more than that. A history of success and achievements given the opportunity is probably more important for me. Enough has been said about how the top-three schools (UP, Ateneo and DLSU) are monopolizing the best jobs there is on the Philippine market. However, I'm sure our collective experiences will tell us that our colleagues in these schools are just as human as those from other schools.

It is with this thought that I'm going to bash a gay graduate school student in my school who studied at FEU when he was an undergraduate. I'm not going to bash him because he's from FEU but because he's downright fucking annoying. He's just new to the Department and he has annoyed everybody already. I got to know that first hand when I came in late for my laboratory class and was forced to accept that sick excuse for a human being as lab partner. He just keeps on whining on why we are the ones who have to prepare the reagents or why I refuse to dip my pipette into the bottle of Sulfuric Acid.

Normally I wouldn't mind these annoying habits, but one thing I can't stand about him is that he keeps on challenging me by asking questions regarding Chemistry. "Alam mo ba kung ano meron sa detergent kaya ginagamit na panglinis?" "Alam mo ba kung ilang carbons ang fatty acid na ito?" are some of the questions that I have been asked and when I wouldn't respond not because I don't know the answer but because I don't like to mind him anymore he would quip the answer and boast a proud smirk on the face.

Oh yeah, one more thing is that his whining bogs down my pace during lab period. He would keep on screaming on gay lingo as to why we should do this and that when his alma mater would already prepare what is already needed. It was tempting to kick him in the groin and tell him to shut up because thats the way we do things around here. We're not spoonfed.

Which leaves me to my final point: Given the opportunity, I wouldn't mind starting World War III and capture all the gays then torture them in my concentration camps if one more fag ass messes with me. Hopefully, God would see all those gay fags in the concentration camps and proceed to burn them down like what happened to Sodom and Gomorrha.

The class of 2002.

I stumbled upon this highschool batch picture while I was rummaging through some old stuff. The pictures (I'll post the others as soon as I get to scan them) are from Toch Arellano, and I haven't got a clue as to why they are in my possession.

Hello to Jeco who's in Canada right now; to Pierre, who's in Taiwan right now; and to Jim, who's in New Zealand right now. Happy birthday to you na rin heheh.

..Pasalubong.

Heheh, just kidding.

Gratia

Hi guys, nasa Canada na ako ngayon. Fucking cold and it's supposed to be summer.
I'm writing this recalling the several hours before i left the Philippines, which turned out to be an eye-opening experience. This post is grossly long and violates the 8th commandment of this blog. I say screw the eighth commandment (even for just this once, sige na even God violated his own commandments, look up Ananias and his wife, and everybody who wasn't BFF's with Noah during his time) but regarding the length I truly apologize sa mga magbabasa.

Let me begin by saying this: Jim was right. Hindi to tungkol dun sa recent na post niya about saying goodbye, although my notion and feelings regarding the dread that would accompany my departure were somehow similar to his, i am more referring to what he has told me way before...

It was High School, fourth year, during the whole epistle-retreat segment of the year, a relevant portion of the batch was huddled up inside my late-grandfather's room the evening after the first segment our retreat; talking; writing epistles; and taking the opportunity to bond with fellow batchmates during the supposedly emotionally vulnerable and open time while in the middle of spiritual retreats. I distinctly remember where jim was: sitting up at the window side of my grandfather's bed (which is the same spot my grandfather died on). He told me one thing: "Jeco you really don't know and don't appreciate the friends that you have". I was never able to fully grasp the gravity of that idea and realize the depth of the relationships that I had with the Glee Club kids, my college friends and my high school family, until the last 24 hours before i left the Philippines.

Glee Club
I invited the group for dinner and a movie marathon at my place, on April 30, the Sunday before I left. We had fun, the kind of fun, nothing really special and particular about the night, it turned out to be the usual thing we do when a lot of us crash at somebody's place, talk the night away. The group went home in the morning and I had to prepare for another party on May 1st this time for my high school and college friends. We said our goodbyes, friendly hugs and fair bids of farewell, with me telling them that i'd try to make it to rehearsals one last time to hear the group before i left.

I sat outside the church that the group was rehearsing at that same afternoon, listening to my charges, my kids for the last two years, continuing on with their mission only this time without me. It was a very odd experience listening to them, i was really proud of what they have grown into. The first step was already there, but of course they still had a lot to develop along the way. I didn't want to disturb their rehearsals and I honestly did not want to have any emotional crap before i went to dinner with my other friends so I just left a message for the group to be read by the current president, this is what it said: "Hi Guys, I'm sorry I can't be with you anymore. I hope that I've whipped you enough to make you better people, if not then I trust that the musicom (musical directors ng Glee Club) and the execom (administrative bosses) would do the whipping. It's been an honor serving you, Goodbye GC". I don't know what made me stay hidden and listen to the group's reactions while my friend read my last address to the GC. it was enough to actually make my eyes water, I left right after that shedding some tears while driving towards Gerry's

What I didn't know was that the group was planning a small package of notes and letters for me. I never quite felt the gravity of the effect that I had on these people until then. It really made me feel good with messages like "you were the reason I stayed here, because you challenged me" shit I was a decent father to this group afterall.

College and High School
I always had this fear with me leaving that I would have nothing to come back to when i get back home. Perhaps triggered by insecurity or some other dramatic juvenile tendency. I was experiencing the same fears and sadness weeks, even months before i left. Maybe it's because my friends also made a scrapbook, or maybe i actually prepared a notebook for them to sign (brokeback mountain is rubbing off on me) which i threw out since they already informed me they were doing something already. That really mademe quite happy, add to the fact that Aya, who was supposedly in Cebu until May 3rd took an earlier flight back to Manila just to send me off. The dinner and the party that moved to my place turned out really well, I wish i had more time to actually thank everybody. I didn't feel the sadness, fear, or depression associated with leaving. Whether they meant it or not, and ironically, it was one of the few times that i really felt that everything would be alright that I would have something to come home to.
As cheesy as it sounds i think we've come to a point of maturity that we're now excited to live our lives more, come back and meet up and share our experiences with each other. So let me thank you guys na rin (brokeback mountain really is rubbing off on me... Pierre! Ugggh) for everything.

And so jim eto na siguro and birthday gift ko sa iyo, I appreciate my friends far greater than before, you were right and thank you as well.

Speaking of experience. Hindi pala illegal ang absinthe 89% dito sa Canada. Pucha sabihin niyo na kung ilang bote iuuwi ko.

High School Basketball with Mr. Menguin

Reminiscing my once promising basketball skills, I remember how Mr. Menguin and somebody I forgot challenged I and Pierre on a game of pick-up basketball right after Citizen's Army Training. The game was shortlived though, when I quickly grabbed the rebound off the first shot and quickly ran to the three point line to hoist up a quick three.

Swish.

Then, I stole the ball from Mr. Menguin's teammate and quickly ran to the three point line again and quickly shot the ball.

Swish again.

Mr. Menguin walked away from the game.

Heeheee.

Regarding the three-on-one game, when you have Furell and Odell who considers brute strength as basketball IQ than you will have problems. I would have fared in the game better myself playing one-on-one against you.

Saying goodbye

It was on February of 2004.
A couple of months before that, I stopped school for personal reasons.
A couple of weeks before that, I had dinner with Billy and he invited me to New Zealand.
A couple of days before that, I had begun making preparations to leave.

All that was left was saying goodbye.

Let me tell you how one feels when one is about to say goodbye to both his blood family and the family he's made over the years.

One doesn't think about it.
At least that's what I did.

I don't remember fully what happened that month although some memories stick out.
Predictably, I had dinner with everyone and then we all hung out at my place.

When you're hanging out with everyone, that's when it starts hitting you that you're leaving.
And when one by one, people start going up to go home, that's when you a small panic starts at the pit of your stomach.
You wonder "Can I really do this? Can I really leave this place and not see this people for this amount of time?"
And it drives you crazy because our group isn't a group that's easy to say goodbye to.
Ask all our teachers from high school.

I have vague recollections about my last night, but I remember very vividly a tearful goodbye with Tahnee.
Saying goodbye makes you appreciate the people around and what they're worth to you.
And that night made me appreciate her a lot more.

The thing with leaving is that you don't realize you're leaving until you're about to.
Usually, tasks fill up at the last week that you don't think about leaving because there's too much to do... until it's time to leave.
And that's when it gets hard.

After Feb of 2004, I've been back and I've been gone many times now. I think I do a lot better leaving and going home to a point where it doesn't make me sad as much as it used to. It took a lot of time though, and I think it helps that I'm done at the end of the year.

So why mention all this?
Obviously, everyone knows Jeco is leaving in a few hours.
I wish him a safe trip and that he'll do well in whatever endeavour he faces in Canada.
And it's to let everyone know what it takes to say goodbye to family and friends.
That though it gets easier eventually, the first time is always.. always that much harder.

Filipinos can't get no respect

Its like the analogy, African-americans to the USA then Filipinos to the World

Lunch monitor tells student his eating habits are ‘disgusting’
BY ANDY BLATCHFORD
The Chronicle

A Roxboro woman has filed a formal complaint with a local school board after her son was disciplined by a lunch program monitor at Ecole Lalande for eating in what she says is a customary Filipino manner.

Luc Cagadoc’s table behaviour is traditionally Filipino; he fills his spoon by pushing the food on his plate with a fork, his mother, Maria Theresa Gallardo, says.But after being punished by his school’s lunch program monitor more than 10 times this year for his mealtime conduct — including his technique — the seven-year-old told Gallardo said last week that he was too embarrassed to eat his dinner.“Mommy, I don’t want to eat anymore,” Gallardo says Luc told her at the kitchen table April 11. “My teacher is telling me that eating with a spoon and fork is yucky and disgusting.”When he eats with both a spoon and fork, instead of only one utensil, the Grade 2 student said the lunch monitor moves him to a table to sit by himself.

Upset over Luc’s story, Gallardo confronted the lunchtime caregiver the next day and on April 13, she telephoned the school’s principal, Normand Bergeron. His reaction brought her to tears, she says. “His response was shocking to me,” Gallardo, who moved to Montreal from the Philippines in 1999, told The Chronicle. “He said, ‘Madame, you are in Canada. Here in Canada you should eat the way Canadians eat.’“I find it very prejudiced and it’s racist. He’s supposed to be acting like a professional. This is supposed to be a free country with free expressions of culture and religion. This is how we eat; we eat with a fork and spoon.”

Luc’s father, Aldrin Cagadoc, was also surprised by the comment. “I can’t believe even the principal would say that,” he said. “A person of that calibre, I wouldn’t expect him to say that.”Gallardo, who operates a day care out of her Roxboro home and is close to completing her studies in early childhood education, wrote a letter last week and lodged a formal complaint to the Commission scolaire Marguerite Bourgeoys (CSMB) yesterday.She disagrees with the lunch monitor’s approach to teaching children how to eat and says it is emotionally abusive to Luc.

When she questioned Bergeron about punishing students for their table habits, she says he replied that, “If your son eats like a pig he has to go to another table because this is the way we do it and how we’re going to do it every time.”But Bergeron says it was Luc’s eating technique combined with his behaviour at the table that was inappropriate that day, which is why he was moved. “Luc can be turbulent,” he said yesterday. “Like other children, he is frequently in situations where we have to intervene. It’s normal, he’s a child. He is in a period of learning.

”The principal of the 387-student Roxboro school said he explained his position on using two utensils to Gallardo during their telephone conversation. “I said, ‘Here, this is not the manner in which we eat.’“I don’t necessarily want students to eat with one hand or with only one instrument, I want them to eat intelligently at the table,” he said. “I want them to eat correctly with respect for others who are eating with them. That’s all I ask. Personally, I don’t have any problems with it, but it is not the way you see people eat every day. I have never seen somebody eat with a spoon and a fork at the same time.”CSMB spokesman Brigitte Gauvreau says the board will not comment — due to confidentiality procedures — until Gallardo’s complaint is filed and she makes a public statement.