Monday, December 31, 2007

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

My Music

been browsing in wikipedia for bands and musicians when a thought suddenly came to me: why not make a list of all the albums that I have listened to? Most of these are in my possession -- carefully tucked away in their respective CD racks or cassette tape boxes. Others were lent to me by my friends. (notably Rona and Corazon)While a few I lent, and then subsequently lost...this list is just a sample of those albums I think are "seminal" and "unique" in their own right. The best of the best 'ika nga...

For those of the more recent generation, this list may be a bit perplexing but try googling them and hopefully you'll like some of the artists that I featured in this list...it's a sample of the music that shaped my life. Most of these albums I've got either in CD or in cassette tape (old fashioned gid ah -- gone were the days when cassette tapes were the rage...they only cost 100 to 150 pesos then hehehe nowadays cassette tapes are practically extinct...)

Foreign Artists

1. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins (had the double cassette AND the double CD...that's how much I love these guys...)
2. Watermark - Enya (LOVE!LOVE!LOVE!)
3. Post - Bjork (I remember I used to play "Army of Me" full blast on the stereo whenever I feel pissed off...second year high school pa ako nun hahahaha)
4. Dummy - Portishead (sad, gloomy, and sexy...)
5. The Joshua Tree - U2 (CLASSIC! what more can I say?)
6. Frogstomp - Silverchair (here is what i feel for you...and I want you to know that I WANT YOU DEAD!...talk about catharsis! hahahaha)
7. Throwing Copper - Live (I Live! I walk! I will! I talk! blah blah blah)
8. God Shuffled His Feet - Crash Test Dummies (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....)
9. Universal Mother - Sinead O'Connor (the rap song "Famine" was required listening in my Imperialism lesson in Third Year World History: "all of the lonely people, where do they all come from? all of the lonely people, where do they all belong?")
10. The Fat of the Land - The Prodigy (scary...)
11. Tiger Lily - Natalie Merchant ("San Andreas Fault" was a beautiful lyric chronicle of an earthquake in San Francisco)
12. White on Black - Texas (a bit POPpish but great)
13. There's No Need to Argue - The Cranberries (Dolores O'Riordan's unique voice catapulted their band to fame in their sophomore album...and to think they brought a sofa to all those places? niiiiice...)
14. White Ladder - David Gray (what got me hooked on him was the music video for "please forgive me" the floating piano and the boy breakdancing -- was he breakdancing? I can't seem to remember...in the rain)
15. Boys for Pele - Tori Amos (one word: WEIRD hahahahaha)
16. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (last night I heard the screaming...loud voices behind the wall...galeng! some of the best socially relevant songs she has ever made...all her albums are a must-buy)
17. This Fire - Paula Cole (the word motherf*cker was a classic!)
18. The Cross of Changes - Enigma (chanting, chanting, and more chanting -- wait is that heavy breathing I hear? Music for sex orgies hehehehe)
19. Whaler - Sophie Hawkins (as I lay me down to sleep...)
20. Book of Secrets ( - Loreena McKennitt (the one that was never returned to me! grrrr! new age meets medieval music...plus I love Loreena for making a song about Dante Alighieri -- O, kaya nyo yun?)
21. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters (reminds me of the Mentos commercials hehehe)
22. X-Files the Movie (Soundtrack) - the best soundtrack album ever...another lost tape...
23. The Craft (Soundtrack) - second-best soundtrack album and must-have for those who wish to get a sample of alternative music during the 90's...one of the songs was used as the opening theme for the TV series "Charmed" -- "I am Human" by Love Spit Love...damu pa di nami nga kanta...
23. City of Angels (Soundtrack) - U2 and Peter Gabriel...whew! grabe!
24. Duncan Sheik - Duncan Sheik (swabeeeeeeh...)
25. Formica Blues - Mono (the song "Life in Mono" is simply haunting; and I think that this album is RARE...I think I'm one of the very few who has this album in their possession in the whole Philippines -- calling all Mono fans out there!)

OPM (I apologize, but my OPM music sense has been fairly limited since then...when it comes to music my nationalism falls short hehe

1. Circus - The Eraserheads (liked the song "sembreak" hahahaha)
2. Rivermaya - Rivermaya (long hair pa si bamboo)
3. Oracle - Sugar Hiccup (use the word "flambeaux" in a song...)
4. plus a smattering of songs from Yano, The Teeth, The Dawn, Grin Department, etc.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Silent Night (Gaelic) by Enya

Let's forget about politics for a while...

I'm posting the song and the lyrics to Enya's rendition of "Silent Night" sung in her native Gaelic tongue. I bought all of enya's albums but I still have to get the album that features this song...think the title was "Oriel Window"...

So if you please dear reader, enjoy the angelic voice of the one and only Enya. Have a Blessed Season...



Oíche Chiún [Silent Night]

Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé, [Silent night, night of God's son.]
Cách 'na suan dís araon, [Soundly in slumber, the pair together]
Dís is dílse 'faire le spéis [The pair and love, watching with affection]
Naoín beag gnaoigheal [The small bright beautiful child,]
ceananntais caomh [darling little one.]

Críost, 'na chodhladh go séimh. [Christ, calmly asleep.]
Críost, 'na chodhladh go séimh. [Christ, calmly asleep.]

Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé, [Silent night, night of God's son.]
Aoirí ar dtús chuala 'n scéal; [Shepherds first heard the tale]
Allelúia aingeal ag glaoch. [The angels crying out Alleluia.]
Cantain suairc i ngar is i gcéin [Lovely chanting near and far.]

Críost an Slánaitheoir Féin [Christ, the saviour himself.]
Críost an Slánaitheoir Féin [Christ, the saviour himself.]

Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé, [Silent night, night of God's son.]
Cách 'na suan dís araon, [Soundly in slumber, the pair together]
Dís is dílse 'faire le spéis [The pair and love, watching with affection]
Naoín beag gnaoigheal [The small bright beautiful child,]
ceananntais caomh [darling little one.]

Críost, 'na chodhladh go séimh. [Christ, calmly asleep.]
Críost, 'na chodhladh go séimh. [Christ, calmly asleep.]



I Love Enya 1.02

Raping Justice

Hearing of the news of Jalosjos' release from prison (and the subsequent scandal that ensued) was the last straw for me.

I have consciously avoided posting commentaries on current issues on my blog as I considered it separate from the intended "reality" that I currently chronicle here. But events have pointed out that to render oneself half-blind to what is happening around you would onyl result to a rude awakening.

Today's editorial on the inquirer website (www.inquirer.net) articulates my sentiments on the issue. If I were to put my feelings into words, it would read like an Eminem song -- full of expletives and the fire and brimstone of discontent and anger.

Now, if only I had a Death Note...

The Inquirer Editorial:

Convicted rapist Romeo Jalosjos is said to be ready to leave prison a free man; his victim, who is now in her 20s but was 11 years old at the time of the crime, has been reduced to sending an angry e-mail to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. “She’s very upset. She can’t believe it’s happening,” the victim’s former counsel said.

But this is the Philippines in the year 2007, under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and rapists and plunderers and assassins get preferential treatment. On Jan. 1, in an editorial entitled “Rapist’s justice,” we wrote about the Arroyo administration’s assault on the rule of law, after its agents transferred convicted rapist Daniel Smith—in the middle of the night, despite the lack of a court order—to the US Embassy. The illegal transfer was obviously an attempt to please the United States. But the “same spirit of expediency animates other initiatives that will forever be associated with this administration ... They are all marked by the same attitude to law: What is legal is what we can get away with.”

Rather like rape itself, actually: an act of violence that seeks to intimidate victims into submission, and thus allow criminals to get away with the crime.

The assaults on the rule of law have continued. The absolute pardon granted to deposed President Joseph Estrada remains a divisive issue because it was obviously undertaken for political expediency, and because Estrada refuses to acknowledge any shortcoming or offer any restitution. The conditional pardon granted to former sergeant Pablo Martinez, who was convicted for his role in the assassination of opposition leader Ninoy Aquino, is similarly controversial—it brings us farther away from, rather than closer to, a resolution of the mystery surrounding the assassination, a true turning point in our history.

And now, this: the much-reported granting of parole to Jalosjos, the wealthy ex-politician who is a political ally of the President’s. His early release, after some 14 years in prison, is possible because of good behavior, some officials have taken pains to point out. But that’s like saying that a box of matches in the hands of an arsonist is the real cause of a given fire. The true cause of Jalosjos’ early release, when it comes, is the President’s decision to commute his sentence last April, from two life (40-year) terms to only 16 years. That decision was like putting lit matches in the hands of a known pyromaniac.

No question about it: The Arroyo administration has prepared the groundwork for the once and future politician’s Christmas release. No amount of dissembling from Malacañang officials can disguise that essential fact.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita either deliberately misrepresented the situation or is shockingly ignorant of it. He said there was no recommendation from the Board of Pardons and Parole for Jalosjos’ early release. “There are no papers, no documents,” he said. And then the clincher: Ermita said Jalosjos was not eligible for pardon because he wasn’t 70 years old yet. True, but you don’t need to be 70 to be paroled.

No one disputes the President’s prerogative to grant executive clemency; in legal language borrowed from theology, the exercise of that prerogative is an “act of grace.” But the President is given those awesome powers to rectify the sometimes inevitable errors of justice, not to violate the rule of law. The exercise of that fateful prerogative is meant to uphold what lawyers call the majesty of the law, not to soil the administration of justice with the dirt rags of politics.

What does a rapist like Jalosjos learn from President Arroyo’s act of grace? That this President will take care of her own. If that means launching a fresh attack on the rule of law, then so be it: She will commute a rapist’s life sentence to repay a political favor, pardon an assassin to spite political opponents, undo a conviction to ensure her political survival, transfer a convicted US Marine without a court order to curry US support, feign inutility in extraditing a key campaign financier, issue an immoral executive order to protect her secretaries and generals from a Senate investigation, condone the incendiary policy of a favorite general.

Caught in the web of the law, a rapist like Jalosjos will say: I’m a friend of the President’s. It’s only a matter of time.



My Thoughts:

*hinga ng malalim...*

Putang Ina mo Gloria! Magsama kayo ni Jalosjos sa Impyerno! Salot!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Heroes Season 2 Marathon



Finally!!!! My long wait has ended!

VERY BIG THANKS TO RONA FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE. Ma-ano na lang ko kung wala ka? hehehe

Friday, December 14, 2007

Oblation Run

my thoughts on the recent oblation run sung to the tune of "I've seen it all" by Bjork

(It's not a faithful rendition of the original but just follow the tune of the first stanza all throughout this piece hehe I posted the original song so you can sing along...)

I've seen it all I have seen their t***s
Their naked bodies causing quite a scene
I have seen young ladies gawk and shriek and point
At the naked bodies running through the halls
I have seen how it was and I'm not that shocked you see
I have seen them all there is no more to see...

With their placards and roses and their masks all adorned
'cept for those they were naked as the day they were born
There were people shouting, making catcalls in glee
Others were protesting what's that got to do with me?

Up at front were the ladies so eager to see
With their cellphones and cameras to capture as they please
There were men from the media so anxious to see
And record naked bodies for the nightly news on TV

Now we've seen how it was, now we've seen what it is...
Those with cellphones are lucky they can replay the scenes
of this march of the naked, carried out through the years
Now we've seen it all, until then we'll wait and see...


Stand Alone 1.31

Thursday, December 13, 2007

LUST...



Drool...hehehe I saw a car exactly like the one pictured above pass by in front of Palma Hall and my head almost did a full 360 degree turn. Hanep ng kulay! Now off I go to take driving lessons hahaha

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

UP Prof meets "Honorable" Congressman (circa 1961)

here's a sample of my notes regarding the stuff I'm researching in the archives of the house of representatives.

From the transcript of the March 9,1961 hearing of the Committee on Anti-Filipino Activities, the congressional "watch-dog" against communism:

A former UP professor was giving testimony regarding the alleged communist infiltration of the University of the Philippines. Prof was discussing about the concept of communism and she happened to mention communism in russia, when this "honorable" congressman butted in:

Congressman: So you say that there is communism in Russia?

Prof: Yes.

Congressman: Have you ever been to Russia?

Prof: No.

Congressman: Then how could you know that there's communism in Russia?


I'm assuming that there was a very long, and veeeery uncomfortable pause before Prof could reply

Prof: Mr. Congressman, I do hope you're joking...

reading this my mind went *TOINK!* I can't believe that people could be so retarded hahahaha

Then this "honorable" congressman's antics continued on for several more pages. The other congressmen were quick to pounce on their comrade while another expressed dismay that a committee investigating communism had to argue about the definition of communism. hahahahaha

This is what I like about studying philippine history -- you find humor in the most unexpected of places...

Stand Alone 1.30

Back at Batasan

its been two days since i've been shuttling back and forth from Peyups and the Philipppine Congress. Don't worry wala ko plano mang-bomba or ma-rally. Research ni aton ya ah...

In a previous post (First...) I described my initial Congress experience as that of irritation and disappointment. PT&T. putanginang taragis na Congress. hehehe

well the past few days have more than made up for the bad first impression.

My usual destinations inside Congress are the Legislative Archives and the HOR Library (why not call it the "Library of Congress" para astig? hehe) First, I have to say that whatever the budget allocations of Congress are, they sure don't scrimp on airconditioning expenses. Daw mall sa katugnaw ang offices.

staying for 4 hours inside the library poring over voluminous congressional records, directories, indices, and whatever is enough to turn me into a human popsicle. It may be a blessing in disguise that the photocopier is located at another building -- the long walk carrying a document that weighs about 4 pounds, basking in the warm afternoon sun was sufficient to defrost my insides. The long wait as I watch a hapless attendant take about 5 minutes to photocopy one page from the Congressional Records was not enjoyable though *sigh*

Kag nami ila elevator...pang-hotel hehehehe

And it was quite a pleasant surprise that I found an overwhelming majority of the people at the Congress POLITE and PLEASANT. and we're talking about a government establishment here, folks. The library and archive personnel have all been accomodating; even the guards at the entrance gates were mild-mannered and not masungit. Yung mga masungit yung mga bisita hehehe

So since I'm in Congress...who have I bumped into? Sad to say daw wala pa gid ko "celebrity/politician moment." Though one time I was coming out from the archives and I saw a glimpse of Kiko Pangilinan's back. haha likod lang pero siya gid to ah. I saw a few "typical" (read: TRAPO) congressmen but they all look alike to me -- old and reeking of corruption. (haha)

Got a kick out of listening to the privilege speeches though. Sometimes the speeches in the session hall are broadcasted over the PA system. Mostly rhetorical bullshit though...will let you know if I really bump into one of the "honorables" in one of my trips back to Batasan.


Stand Alone 1.29

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Enya Brennan and Clannad

for fans of Enya only...hehehehe




I Love Enya 1.01

Saturday, December 8, 2007

VERBAL ABUSE (?)

read a comment from a former student on my friendster account which made me laugh until my stomach hurt, I'm reproducing it here:

"elo sir!musta na?heheheh!miss na miss na namun ang mga singgit mu sir!,,permi q guid gaka dumduman ang gin hmbal mu nga "ndi q bulag, ndi q bungol kag ndi q gago"hehehehe!take care olweiz and god bless u sir,hope to see u soOn!"

hahahaha seems that they had one aspect of my personality permanently seared into their brain...truth be told, I really exude an intimidating aura in my class most especially during the first few months of classes. If you're handling first year kids barely out of grade school, you really need to put them in their place once in a while. Unfortunately (for my students) I seem to be an expert at manipulating my vocal cords which enables me to throw my voice (a few decibels higher) at them like a fully-packed nuclear tipped ICBM whenever the need arises. A few instances where my "ability" comes in handy:

1. kanami sang discussion mo sang philippine revolution, may ga-revolution nga mga estudyante sa likod sang klase

2. after one whole week of discussion, you ask one student to recap the lesson and all you get is a blank stare...even worse, palagpat na ang answer, mahirihi pa na ang animal...(This actually happened in a fourth year class I handled, the unfortunate being that caught my ire went pale as a sheet of high quality laser print bondpaper but survived nonetheless. Then their adviser told me that the student-whom-i-chewed-up had a nervous habit whenever faced with anxiety-inducing situations (such as being asked to recite in class): uncontrollable giggling. Oooops... :P)

3. I am giving a 40 item test in my class and the the students in the classroom beside the one I'm in are going at it full blast kay absent ang ila dakilang teacher. If they were my students, one look ala yamato of naruto shippuuden would suffice. Pero kung wala pa sila ka-experience sa akon then the fireworks will start after three GENTLE (repeat gentle ha) reminders (in-english pa na ang reminders...and singgit teh mix na na sang ininggles kag ilonggo para may igo gid) -- i remember I once evicted two classes from their rooms for this sin...I was standing in the hallway barking at them to hurry and get out of my sight!)

4. whenever I am a proctor during exams and MY INSTRUCTIONS AREN'T FOLLOWED PROMPTLY AND TO THE LETTER. I turn into a real a**hole when that happens...

But despite my "bad habit" of screaming. I have never verbally abused a student. Although that unfortunate senior student was the catalyst for my high-decibel harangue, I first asked him to sit down before I began the fireworks. I have never used obscenities against a student. (though a well-placed "LINTI!" often does the job of a hundred-word essay of pangakig)

The "screamfest" is my last weapon -- kung sa voltes five pa kung indi makuha sa rocket, latigo kag electromagnetic top, ipagwa ang LASEEER SWOOOOOOORD!If after several (okay -- two) gentle reminders, the THIRD ONES gonna be a whopper.

And as a rule I keep my pangakigs short. I consider it a diservice to the rest of my students if I waste an entire period just to address the transgressions of one unfortunate soul. (who usually won't last until august in my subject *insert evil laugh here*)

My kids eventually figure out my pattern so after a few months, the whole class will immediately be quiet if even one syllable in my speech goes above my usual volume level. Usually after august, everything is fine and that's when I reveal my "lovable side" baw! hahahahahaha

miss gid ko nila kay daw naghipus na ang high school...or basi wala na may gasaway sa mga katuntuhan nila? (may ara ah, galing mas buot siya compared sa akon hehe)

to my kids: I miss you all, good luck sa studies, tuon mayo....

oh, by the way...

andaman niyo lang makabati ko sang katuntuhan niyo kay MALINTI-AN GID KAMO SAKON!!!!!!!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

First, First and First (basta damo Firsts ah!)

these past few days were a bit of an adventure for me. things will begin to become more hectic now that the deadline for our research proposal is approaching (next week na...hala...) and my search for primary sources continues -- which leads me to today's blog post...

FIRST FIRST....Sonofaditch and the Search for Batasan
(hehehe daw epic trilogy ang gwa sang title bah...)

yesterday I braved the vastness of Quezon city and ventured alone and unaided to look for the Batasan Complex (the building that houses our BELOVED Congress) since my research requires some archival materials from their library. So of i went to philcoa to scout for jeepneys to take me there...

siyempre dapat gamitin natin yung powers of interrogation and observation natin (PT&T: Patanong-tanong) So i was asking around which jeepney would take me to batasan and one manong told me to ride a Fairview jeep for it would surely pass by Batasan. (turned out to be half-true)

I was amazed at the sheer size of Quezon city. Indeed, on the map its huge but I didn't really get its vastness until I was sitting for about 20 mins in the jeepney thinking to myself (kung ara lang ko sa negros, lab-ot na ko ni San Enrique...)looking around for any familiar landmark (PT&T: Patingin-tingin) and marking it down on my "mental map."

The Fairview Jeep only passes by the entrance to Brgy Batasan Hills (not the actual Batasan) and manong driver forgot to drop me off, thus I missed my stop by about half a kilometer. Therefore I had to climb up an overpass that seemed to have been erected during the time of Marcos to get to the other side, ride another jeepney so that I could get off near Batasan Hills, climb another looooong overpass and then I walked about a kilometer before I got to Congress. Why I didn't bother to ride a tricycle I don't know...wala lang...

When I got to the entrance of Batasan it was already 4:30 in the afternoon, there was a slight drizzle and dark clouds were looming overhead, I left my umbrella (ella-ella, eh,eh,eh) at the main lib (another loooooong story, which I will not tell here), and there was a loooooooooooooooong line of people at the entrance gate being frisked. My chance of making it into the Congress library and archives (of whose location inside Batasan I had no idea) on time was dismal.

PT&T

P-T---- ---! T------ na Congress na 'to!

So with a sigh, I decided to try my luck on Thursday, vowing to arrive after lunch so that I would have the time to make PT&T and locate my source materials this time.


SECOND FIRST Sonofaditch and the Twin Towers
(buildings gle ah)

If yesterday's trip was long, this morning's jeepney ride was LONGER! For this morning's trip from Quezon to Manila Ate Angie (fellow MA student and classmate in 199.2) and I got on a Kalaw jeep at Philcoa at around 7:30 AM. our destination so early in the morning was the National Library and the National Archives in Manila. After what seemed like an eternity of traffic, dust, non-top Pinoy Rap on the jeepney stereo and the early morning pollution we finally reached our destination -- at around 8:40 AM!

But the experience inside the National Library and the Archives was worth the torture of public transportation. I even bumped into a former student, Lelis Palmares at the National Library. At the National Archives we were treated to a showcase of primary documents and manuscripts dating all the way back to the Spanish Period. History was literally everywhere -- we can even smell it in the air. (it's mostly the smell of mold, dust and centuries old parchment -- not good for the lungs, we were told) The most exciting part was when we watched the restoration of old documents by the staff. To restore a document which was literally falling apart into itsy-bitsy pieces is indeed a difficult endeavor...kag saludo ako sa mga restorers who, even with only the most basic training in the process of restoration, still manage to salvage scraps of our history from the ravages of time. they are indeed the unsung, and hidden, heroes of philippine history.

Touring the facilities of the National Library and National Archives also made me realize how woefully inadequate our library and archival facilities are. A number of restoration and archiving projects in the National Archives are funded by the Spanish Government. (how ironic that the nation that nearly succeeded in wiping out our precolonial history is now helping us preserve our historical heritage) But it seems that funds from our own government could only cover the basic upkeep of the buildings and not subsidize additional improvements in facilities and equipment. But despite these depressing thoughts, I was glad that we were given a chance to explore additional venues that would help us in our research.

Plus...we got our hands on a copy of the Catalogo de Apellidos...I searched for my family name but no "ditchella" was on the list, only "ditching"...WTF?!!! hehehe


THIRD FIRST...Libre!!!!!!!
(Yehey! Ginlibre kami ni Ma'am Diokno panyaga! hahahaha)

A number of us went with Ma'am to eat lunch in this chinese restaurant near the National Library. The food's a bit expensive but it tastes quite good. And we were surprised when Ma'am offered to pay the bill for all our meals.

Ma'am said we now owe her...had we known she would treat us, we would've ordered more...sarap pa naman ng sotanghon guisado at siopao sa peter lee's restaurant. Pero libre yung buchi courtesy of ma'am. hehe Thanks Ma'am!

FOURTH FIRST

without any further ado...



amo ni ang epekto sang two days of "adventure" (plus several months of boycotting the barbershop hahahaha)


Stand Alone 1.28

Monday, December 3, 2007

Mahirap talaga kung History Major Ka...

overheard at a bargain book sale somewhere in Trinoma...

child: (points to a man's picture on the cover of a thick book)sino yan mommy?

mom: ay...si Mahatma Gandhi yan.

child: sino po yun?

mom: isa siyang leader sa India...

At this point I was nodding my head in quiet assent...Go Mommy....

mom: (continues)...atsaka anak niya si Indira Gandhi...

To that I went "Huh?!" (silently of course)

Trying his darn best to suppress a snicker...Ditch slithers away...


Stand Alone 1.27

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Ditch Recommends...

I am starting a new thread in this blog. Once in a while I stumble across a wonderful discovery -- be it a cheap book in some obscure corner book store, a song heard on the radio, a movie seen on the big screen (or its pirated version swiped from the sidewalks), or even a website I happened to stumble upon on the internet. This will be my chance to present them to you, my dear readers...


Ditch recommeds the FOREIGN POLICY WEBSITE (http://foreignpolicy.com)

This online journal features articles on topics regarding politics, economics, and international relations. So far from what I have browsed, their articles and features are solid (facts-wise and opinion-wise), but what I really enjoyed in this site were the featured "lists" that detail interesting trivia presented in a well-written manner. My Personal Favorite is "The World's Stupidest Fatwas" go check it out and if FP piqued your interest go on and register for updates and access to their online archive. (though some articles are reserved for subscribers to the journal, those available to be accessed freely on the web provide valuable info -- especially their 'recommended' articles and web-exclusive articles)


Recommended 1.01

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Sa Sulod sg Gym

I guess I already mentioned here somewhere that I often go to the UP gym for my exercise and weight training (often na subong kay during the 1st few months of the previous sem regular pa to hehe)

I always try to squeeze into my busy sked a visit to the gym. It may be due to the fact that my time in the gym is a welcome break from the monotony of the library and a deserved rest for my myopic eyes. Plus since I enrolled in the gym and after doing the prescribed program for a few weeks, I can say that there are results...no it's not what you think...wala pa ko abs kag pecs nga pang-model hehe. At the least my "often" visits in the gym has helped me avoid gaining too much weight from all the greasy stuff I have been consuming. In fact I think I haven't gained weight since I got here in manila.

Today was one of the "often" visit days to the gym. I entered the gym(more like descended into the basement, because that's where the gym is located)to find the place jam-packed with people. Sus! Inagaway naman ni sa gym equipment haha

It has been a habit for some of the regulars to play their music for all to hear in the gym while they're going about their routine. This one guy had this mp3 player that he could "tune into" the player in the gym. Oftentimes the music would be from various genres (would you believe kis-a may jazz concert pa nga nagatukar sa gym? hahahaha) Often times I would find the songs not to my liking but they're still tolerable enough that I would remain and finish my workout. Tutal wala man ko nagkadto sa gym para mamati music di ba? hehe

But this afternoon I found myself pleasantly surprised that the songs that were playing were suited to MY generation...

I shall go about detailing the songs for each exercise I was performing (sorry if i can't remember the names of the exercises too well):

1. squats - the song playing was "wonderwall" by oasis
2. leg extentions and bends (?) - would you believe that tori amos' "sleep with butterflies" was playing -- I was impressed!
3. pectoral fly (dumb bells) -- now this is what blew me away...the familiar drum intro (the sound of drumsticks tapping) the unmistakable bass rhythm...that voice...HOLY SYET! IT WAS THE SMASHING PUMPKINS AND THEY'RE PLAYING "1979"!!!!!!

wohoooooooo! I felt so happy I felt I could benchpress 100 lbs! Without any care in the world, unmindful of the sweaty strangers milling around the gym -- I was singing my heart out...

Shakedown 1979, cool kids never have the time
On a livewire right up off the street you and I should meet


I didn't think that my voice was that loud but still I wasn't ashamed of what I was doing -- laterally lifting two 12.5 lbs dumb bells while going on about

June bug skipping like a stone
With the headlights pointing at the dawn
We're not sure we'd never see an end to it all...


And the most awaited part, no holds-barred kag gin-career ang pagkanta...I was singing in my best billy-corgan voice hehe:

And IIIIIIIIIIII don't even care to shake these zipper blues
And we don't know
Just where our bones will REEEEEEEEEEST to dust I guess
Forgotten and Abso-horbed to the earth - below...


hahahaha I have never been happier and lost in nostalgia...Thank God I went to the gym kanina!

other songs that were played and exercises done:
Bench Press -- "Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band
Lateral Pull (?) -- "Breathe" by The Prodigy

...And I think I heard a Pearl Jam song and another by Incubus...couldn't figure out their titles though

The only song nga daw bulilyaso was "Crazy" by Britney Spears but thank God nga ginbalhin dayon ang kanta after the chorus *whew*



Stand Alone 1.26

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Outburst

here's the reason for the outburst in my previous blog post ("Damn You..."):



anybody researching on the Philippine-American War is bound to stumble upon this cartoon depicting the gruesome reprisals of the Americans for the Balangiga Massacre in Samar. (Sept. 28, 1901)

Here's the description courtesy of wikipedia.org:

"General Jacob H. Smith's infamous order "KILL EVERYONE OVER TEN" was the caption in the New York Journal cartoon on May 5, 1902. The Old Glory draped an American shield on which a vulture replaced the bald eagle. The bottom caption exclaimed, "Criminals Because They Were Born Ten Years Before We Took the Philippines." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balangiga_massacre"


All this time I keep hearing Ma'am Diokno's voice in my mind saying: "Historians should be objective!" hahaha But I can't help it -- any Filipino couldn't help but feel outraged when confronted with this image. Oh well, there's always a way out -- if you feel you cannot be objective in your historical writing, either stop writing your essay and move on to more "neutral" topics OR continue with the essay but make it clear to the reader where you're coming from (i.e. state from the beginning your bias but don't twist the evidence to support your assumptions -- historical objectivity with a caveat 'ika nga)

Anyway, it is only here in my blog that i'll be "subjective" and "emotional". In my report I will be presenting both sides of this sordid affair and hopefully come up with a more "sober" conclusion in the class discussion. But still...

I already finished finalizing my notes for my report on thursday. The finale will be a presentation of the photo above. (I can just imagine my classmates' reactions to this...) Wish me luck...

Stand Alone 1.25

Monday, November 26, 2007

Damn you Americans! I Hate You!

Sorry...I just had to get it out of my system. Been reading too many books about the Philippine-American War. Basta...more details to follow kay I still have to polish my report on the Phil-Am War. hehehe

Stand Alone 1.24

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Library Tour...Ilonggo ka gale?

this morning we met in our kas 199.2 class to take a tour of the facilities in the diliman main library. a short orientation regarding the library's online services was made prior to our tour of the library. i found the orientation very enlightening as we were introduced to the various online databases that were available for us researchers but unfortunately majority of us didn't have an idea about. the librarian was showing us the different search options of one particular database when she started to solicit keywords from us. one my classmates asked for "camilo osias" and "epifanio san juan", i manage to sneak (more like holler) my prospective topic...

"COMMUNISM IN THE PHILIPPINES!....please?" (may please pa na nga pahabol...hehe)

unfortunately for me, the database came up empty. the thought that i'd have to utilize the "old-fashioned" manual ukay-ukay of archival documents was increasingly becoming apparent to me. but at least i'm thankful that we were informed of the various databases available so the range of possible arenas for research has become wider because of information technology -- even if you're outside of UP you can still access the public access databases (may iban nga within UP system lang ma-access -- the library had to pay several thousand pesos, even millions to avail of the database services for us students...ika nga ni ma'am diokno "this is where your library fees go.")

after the orientation we had a short tour around the library, focusing on the archives and filipiniana special collections. I realized that the library has documents on negros somewhere in the filipiniana special collections, and one of my classmates is also an ilonggo...we went inside the UP rare books collection where we were given a short description of the collection and the challenges of preserving these rare -- and priceless -- documents. we didn't stay long inside the rare books room because our presence was adding unnecessary humidity inside the room, so off we went to the archives where we entered the room where document restoration is being done. sayang walang demonstration -- all we saw were stacks of boxes and files with names written on them. one of the names looked familiar: "diokno", and ma'am immediately pounced on his father's collection, rummaging through one box and showing us a drawing of jose w. diokno which she said she wanted to take home -- to which the librarian meekly protested, and ma'am said she knew she can't take them out...joke!

after the tour we went to the "beach house". it's not an actual beach house...and it's NOT ma'am diokno's beach house. it's a small cafeteria located behind the main library. i knew that such cafeteria/eatery was there but wasn't able to eat there yet. I heard their pork barbeque was delicious. Since my being an ilonggo was now out in the open (hehe as if it was a national secret to begin with), i decided to try their version of chicken inasal and let me tell you that it was GOOD....KANAMIT! hehe

the lunch at the beach house afforded us a chance to bond with each other. I made a new acquaintance during the tour -- a fellow masteral student who is also a teacher and we were chatting about work and studies and whatnot. Some of us who were lucky to sit next to ma'am had a chance to interact with her and get to know a "milder" side of maris diokno. hehe

while we were chatting with ma'am, my being ilonggo came up again. (that's because i suspect ma'am is an ilonggo also...possibly from her mother's side, not sure hehe)

ma'am asked: "so, ilonggo ka pala?"

me: "opo ma'am..."

Ma'am: "Ba't wala kang tono kung magsalita?"

it seems that ilonggos when speaking tagalog often have an accent...when ma'am pointed that out i suddenly realized, "do i speak tagalog THAT well?"

I suddenly got conscious and was only able to blurt out an incoherent response about me participating in speech contests in filipino...so i just ceased rambling, shut up and smiled meekly. Bigla ba naman akong nahiya hahahaha

Stand Alone 1.23

Monday, November 19, 2007

Hitting the Books...Hard!

did i forget to mention that this sem I enrolled in two history courses -- kas 111 and kas 199.2? Guess nyo kung sin-o prof ko da sa duwa ka course...


........................


TUMPAK! si Ma'am Diokno man gihapon mga abyan! parang walang kadala-dala si ditch. parang gusto ko pang magdusa dito sa UP. hehehehe

but even if i'm "suffering", i'm sure i'll get something out of my sessions with ma'am diokno. so far i can say that despite the workload, i have learned a lot from the courses i took under dok diokno. (hala, in praise of diokno...baka may additional points kung mabasa ni ma'am hahahaha)

but it seems that i've placed myself in a position of more suffering... In our kas 111 (colonial philippines 2) we are required to lead a class discussion in any chosen topic based on ma'am's course syllabus. In our kass 199.2 (historiography 2 - with thesis) we're required to do our survey of sources and literature because we have to pass our research proposal this december.

It so happened that magkasabay ang deadline ng dalawang requirements...my kas 111 discussion is scheduled within the week that i'll be passing my research proposal.

That's why i'm hitting the books...and hitting them HARD!

So far i'm concentrating on the kas 111 class discussion...so far, so good in terms of the number of books i've read. will start hitting the archives for kas 199.2 on wednesday...sige, kaya natin 'to!


Stand Alone 1.22

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Friendship

Just received some photos through friendster from a friend and colleague.Made me think back to the good old days. I consider myself lucky that in such a short time I found two souls that were perfect complements to my quirkiness, deep-seated perversions, and of course -- intellectual brilliance. hahahaha

this one's an old photo taken during the JS Prom of 2007.


L to R: Alon, Myself, and Grace. I'm the luckiest guy that night. hehehehe


This is one of the photos taken during my visit at the High School last october.



Grace, Myself, and Alon. I still consider myself lucky...hehehe


Miss you guys...can't wait for December nga magkit-anay naman ta liwat.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Bored in UP (Part 2)

dali!...sugod na ang klase!...damu-damu ginapahimo si Ma'am Diokno...daliiiiiii!

hahaha...let's get this over with. Trust me, I'm no longer bored in UP...turns out last week's halcyon days were exactly that...the calm before the storm...(sounds something out of a movie trailer hehehe)

Upon breezing through the sliding doors of Trinoma... (I feel like a character in Star Trek whenever I go through those automated glass panels..."damage report, Number One!...shield status, Commander Data!...open hailing frequencies, Mr. Worf!") I immediately felt the urgent rumblings of my stomach.

I haven't had breakfast dahil late na po akong gumising, and I was looking for some variety in my meals so i took awhile for me to decide where to eat in Trinoma. And when I say variety, I don't mean something super-expensive from the various pricey restaurants in Trinoma. Believe me, if I didn't have the fortitude to resist temptation, I would've squandered a whole week's allowance in just one day...pero na-reform na po ako, I learned from my past mistakes na. Ever since I got here in Manila I have been partaking of greasy meals that don't have much nutritional value from the various cafeterias and stalls in UP. I wanted something hot, and with soup. and so I went to the one place which could meet my needs...Chowking. Last time when I got sick, their chicken noodle soup did wonders for me. I was hoping that their ancient Chinese recipe would counter the biting cold of the AC as well as banish the boredom and all other negative energy caused by the enrolment. This time I tried their beef noodles (not beef wanton as I mistakenly posted last time...apologies...) and as usual, the soup was hot and wonderful and their beef was a slice of heaven itself. *slurrrrrrp* aaaaaaaaaah!

my hunger was sated, but there is another hunger that i need to satisfy...since I got here in Manila I have been prowling around the bookstores in SM North, Trinoma and Megamall looking for a Spanish language dictionary. I've enrolled in an elementary Spanish course and I was thinking that having a Spanish-English dictionary would be an added tool to help me on my way to achieving a decent proficiency in the Castillian tongue. This one dictionary that I found at Powerbooks Trinoma captured my attention since it was a Spanish-English and English-Spanish dictionary and it was cheaper compared to the other titles i've seen. and it is of sufficient bulk to be of substantial use in the long-run...but still the price was of a range that had me second-guessing myself...should I? or maybe next time na lang?I feel like Hamlet...To buy or not to buy? that is the question... hehehe
So being of two minds and not making a definite decision...I made my way out of Trinoma and crossed over to its evil twin...SM North...

Now, since i was still feeling bored, I felt that a little recreation time would be sufficient to dispell the boredom. so I made my way to the internet/gaming cafes and had myself a round of Warcaft DOTA action. what turned into a narcissistic venture became an impromptu social moment as one boy approached me and asked, "me kalaro ho ba kayo?" to which I responded, "wala..." and so the boy said, "Online game tayo..."

Had he known that since the past hour i've been playing I haven't won a single game against the AI (in fairness, insane level ang Computer hehe) maybe he wouldn't have invited me. but I suspect that the boy, like me, was also bored (bored of studies and home maybe) and since he and his friends were lacking one player for a 2-on-2 game, he just had to invite me...beggars can't be choosers, can they?

when we started playing, i began to realize how far behind I was on all this new shortcuts and cheats in Warcraft DOTA. Ever since I've started playing DOTA, I never relied on the cheats to progress in the game. But to some of these kids, winning was everything and some resort to cheats just to beat the AI or their opponents.

But my gaming buddy didn't employ any cheat code that would give us an unfair advantage over the competition. we were playing on the side of the scourge and he just switched to a character from the Sentinel side--but we're still on the same side. (didn't know there was a cheat code for that)...

To tell you honestly I found our game exciting. it's different when you're up against a living, breathing, non-omniscient human being compared to an AI which has all the strategies stored in its virtual brain. But my opponents still had the edge -- they've been playing the game more frequently than I am and they know all the ins and outs of the game...and here I am still figuring out what the ingredients for a sange are...but still, I enjoyed playing...especially the moments where our heroes were going at it one-on-one and we're waiting who gets to die first (it's me of course, but i console myself with the fact that my hero could still inflict so much damage that after killing me, the enemy would usually scurry back to their base for healing). I would always punctuate every hero death I suffer with a laugh...and then wait out my hero's respawning...

In the end, this game among strangers ended on a rather pathetic note. My buddy got disconnected (possibly because his PC time was up, or maybe he'd just had enough of me) and so I was left handling two heroes. the enemy was getting stronger (ika nga ng computer...GOD-like!) my hero deaths were becoming more frequent, and the enemy now began to encroach on the borders of our base. The attendant in the internet cafe called my attention and asked if I wanted to extend my time but I declined. The remaining few minutes were spent going at the enemy kamikaze style. still more hero deaths...wala nang gold si ditch...the screen flickers and the desktop background appears, signaling the end of my session. I pick up my bag and leave without saying goodbye to my gaming buddies...

Postscript: Ditch finally decided to buy the Spanish-English dictionary...he still thinks that Chowking's beef is manna from heaven...and he regrets leaving without saying goodbye...

Stand Alone 1.21

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Bored in UP (Part One)

this past week has been a bit of a bore for me. aside from the enrolment, nothing much has happened. in my previous blogs i have expressed my frustration than classes haven't started yet while at the same time dreading the oncoming workload. Now this saturday, I was feeling the BOREDOM.

during the first sem, I would usually find myself inside the library during saturdays catching up with readings, research and whatnot. Since I am still not officially enlisted in my classes and i am only half-way in the enrolment process (the enrolment process implemented, in my opinion, is very tedious and long-winded, i still have to wait until next week to have my official schedule validated because of some class that was not made available for us during the enlistment period last sem...basta, LONG STORY!), I still can't get inside the library to do research (or sleep, another fave thing to do inside the UP lib hehe)

the only thing that occupied my time during the enrolment was assisting my pregnant classmate ate angie with her enrolment. by the end of the first day of enrolment the line, "pinapahirapan talaga nila ang buntis." may have been repeated about 50 times both by me and ate angie. if i endured the boredom of an uneventful week, ate angie had it worse -- almost due, and hounded by various problems every step of her enrolment (i.e. wrong student number, misplaced OTR at the OUR, closed yung mga subjects that she wanted to enlist in, etc. etc.) TALAGANG PINAPAHIRAPAN NILA ANG BUNTIS.

so for this week i found myself shuttling to and fro different locations, seemingly lost in UP, SM North, Trinoma and Megamall. Even the movie I watched at SM (Balls of Fury) was boring...and the boredom was escalating...This Saturday I could really say that I was BORED OF UP. Katalaka!that's why i invited my cousin pebicentric for another movie/book swapping session: I'll be lending her my assorted books (catcher in the rye, jonathan livingston seagull, nat geo's ultimate guide to photography), VCDs (rocky horror picture show, election, ghost in the shell OVA 1), and DVD (the VERY pornographic Shortbus...O say, can you see by the dawn's early light...hehehe). Pebi, on the other hand, gave me her DVD collections featuring Monica Belluci -- especially my most anticipated IRREVERSIBLE (time for some skull-crushing folks!)and an assortment of films to whet my movie appetite.

We were to meet around noontime since she's having french lessons until 12 o'clock. since i couldn't enter the library, i found myself in one of the rooms at Palma Hall, reading Bonifacio Salamanca's The Filipino Reaction to American Rule: 1901-1913. I mentioned that I've read this book already. well i'm reading it again, but this time I'm taking the time to make notes on what I'm reading (amo ko ni ka-bored huhuhuhu)

when pebi and I met, we launched into a quick exchange of wares since she had an appointment with her dentist...in Cavite! at 2 PM! Unfortunately for her, I wasn't able to treat her to lunch. (gaplano pa naman ako...hehehe sige lang ah next time pebs ah) But the conversation that we had on the jeep going to the MRT station was, though quick, more meaningful than the usual jeepney banter: a short discussion on the merits of David Lynch's Mulholland Drive (I still believe that there was NO reality in the movie; both milieus were all in Naomi Watt's character's head, how else can you explain her suicide? basta ah...watch it folks and you'll have a migraine, guaranteed!); our discussion of the Benjo and Tonton youtube videos that Mon and Pebs stumbled upon (too bad they didn't find the one entitled "Benjo, Mahulam ko Kwarta" which I think was the funniest of the lot) anyway, I was happy that Pebs had an opportunity to get in touch with her "Ilonggo side" again. We then parted ways at Quezon Ave MRT station. Pebs got on the Taft-bound train, while I crossed over to the other side and boarded the North-bound MRT going to (drumroll please) TRINOMA! Malagaw naman si Ditch! another opportunity to expose myself to the arctic conditions in Manila's malls. is it me or did the malls become extra-cold when I came back to Manila? or has it something to do with the fact that I'm strolling Trinoma in my cargo pants and sandals? what are the symptoms of frostbite? hypothermia?.......

TO BE CONTINUED

Next Episode:

Beef Wanton Noodles, Should I Buy a Spanish Dictionary?, Warcraft DOTA...Bantayi mga Abyan!


Stand Alone 1.20

I Just Had To Post This...2nd edition

seems everywhere I look, I am confronted by images of my past. Gapahiwatig haw?
this time its my second year of employment at UNO-R...the ghost of employment past?





I believe this pic was taken SY 2005-2006. that was the year of my first (little did I know that it would also be the last )advisory class (First Year Section C - St. Thomas of Villanova, korek?) and my first full load in Social Studies (phil history for First Year and World History for Third Year C). I believe this was the second time I had the honor to pose for a pic as a member of the UNO-R HS faculty, amongst friends, colleagues, and mentors...prospects of studying in UP were just ethereal plans floating in the clouds of my imagination...

Friday, November 9, 2007

I Just Had To Post This

i was browsing around my friendster account when I happened to visit our grade school batch account and lo and behold! this image presented itself...



image my reaction upon seeing this...I couldn't stop laughing for five minutes hahahaha! mga walahuya, gabarakang gid itsura ko da hahahahaha...anyway, the picture of the honors list of the graduates of 1995 indeed brought back memories (some good, some bad hehehe) I was looking at myself and I was thinking "this boy has the makings of a nerd..."

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

What Hast Ditch Wrought?

wala lang...been on the web for a few hours...katalaka gle wala himuon no? a part of me yearns for classes to start, another dreads the workload that looms like a dark cloud on the horizon. huhuhuhu

ano ang ginahimo/ginhimo ni ditch subong?

1. gapamati BJORK the greatest hits...always good ang music niya for gloomy, "boring" nights

2. gahulat nga matapos download ang latest episode of Avatar: the Last Airbender. wohooooo!

3. once in a while i pore over Salamanca's book The Filipino Reaction to American Rule: 1901-1913. been reading it since monday...hahahaha nerd-nerd ba!

4. gaplano maglantaw DVD nga Inuyasha. Arf! Arf!

5. gapost sa iya blog hehe

6. ginlantaw ang blog ni pebi...nag-post message

7. kagina sang aga nagpa-advise kay prof llanes para macontinue iya enrolment. kagamo!

amo lang na anay sa subong nga akon nga ginbuhat na sinulatan. (baw! dalum nga hiligaynon bah...tsakto ini ayhan? hehehe)


Nagatindog nga Mag-isahanon Kapitulo Uno - Dies y Nueve (Stand Alone 1.19)

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Makikigulo na rin...compilation album number one

was strolling around Megamall and I happened to wander into odyssey music store. One odd (and quite irritating) fad nowadays is the release of so-called compilation albums under the name of an actress which coincidentally is no singer (not counted and mga obligatory off-key renditions in noontime variety shows) like "Songs of Healing...(?)" and another album which I forgot the title "by" Kris Aquino and this new one I saw which featured Judy Ann Santos naman for heaven's sake. It seems wala nang matinong maisip ang mga record companies but to make these "so-called" compilations of mostly foreign songs then package them as something that had been "handpicked" by some celebrity whose life seemed to echo the themes of the songs featured in the album. Much worse is that they hire these "divas" and "singers" to make their own "rendition" of the song -- the end result is a horrible pastiche of shrieks and unmelodic vocal gymnastics that is an insult to the original song and artist. it's like recording all the bad production numbers of ASAP where "singers" engage in a vocal equivalent of a World War -- the end result is pretty much the same: utter desolation and suffering among all those assembled in the studio as well as the millions tuned in.

So I am hereby turning this fad one notch higher into the level of absurdity. Yes, ladies and gentlemen...sonofaditch officially throws his hat into this "compilation wars" by launching my own, albeit unofficial, unrecognized and unfinanced, "album-in-the-works" ay sori..."compilation-in-the-works-that-ostensibly-poses-as-my-solo-album-kuno" hehehehe

First we need a title...I think Kris was like "Songs of Love and Healing", in reference to the James Yap-Hope fiasco. I remember watching ASAP (kay wala na gid malantawan nga iban haha) where Kris was promoting her second "album", this time the theme was about her life. (with Kris Aquino, nothing is unpromotable and unsellable...I think that b*tch will sell her soul to Chunky Corned Beef or Goldilocks if they offered her the right price, hehehe) and her hubby was standing backstage looking like an "udong" as my mother described him. hahahaha pasintabi po sa mga fans ni Kris...i'm not done insulting her yet...

OK so what will be my title? I'm tempted to ape the classic rock albums like "The Wall", or "Joshua Tree" or "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness", or "Are you Experienced?"...so para wala away the title will be...

"Have you Experienced the Joshua Tree walled in by the Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness?" hahahahahahahaha

and now the album cover...the first thing that comes to mind is the promotional poster of the movie "tenacious D and the pick of destiny" where Jack Black poses a la Adam in the Sistine Chapel painting whilst reaching for a shining guitar pick...

For my album cover, instead of reclining on clouds, ill be stretched out on a Joshua Tree branch while the background's all blazing with psychedelic colors -- parang northern lights pero kita lahat ng colors of the spectrum. And instead of a guitar pick, i shall be reaching for the Holy Grail. Two imposing figures shall emerge from the clouds, on my left shall be the personification of evil most vile -- Kris Aquino with tentacles sprouting from her vagina and with acid frothing from her mouth (her real mouth mind you...) while on the right are the forces of good and light in the person of the original Smashing Pumpkins all garbed in shiny white polyester jumpsuits and wielding their respective instruments all made out of...automobile parts.

Then the title shall be superimposed on the uppermost part of the album cover. Font style is similar to that seen in the Incredibles movie. The title shall be in deep red...bwahahahahaha

now that the title and album cover's done...what songs will be featured inside "my" album (hehehehe)

let's see...my musical taste is a bit diverse so let's just make this compilation a halo-halo of sorts, doesn't have to make any sense since I apparently don't make any sense either hehe

the album shall feature twelve --no, fourteen ---NO...let's make it FIFTEEN tracks. a most eclectic collection of songs spanning various genres from several decades of the best in music ever created..

track one: "tell it like it is" by tracy Chapman
track two: "true faith" by new order
track three: "let's dance" by david bowie
track four: "young manhood" by the wild swans
track five: "satisfaction" duet performed by bjork and p.j. harvey
track six: "no woman, no cry" by bob marley
track seven: "troy" by sinead o'connor
track eight: "teardrop" by massive attack
track nine: "hyperballad" by bjork
track ten: "1979" by the smashing pumpkins
track eleven: "rape me" by nirvana
track twelve: "walking after you" by the foo fighters
track thirteen" "seal my fate" by belly
track fourteen: "the great gig in the sky" by pink floyd
track fifteen: "it's the end of the world as we know it (and i feel fine)" by REM

BONUS TRACK (baw may bonus track pa nga nabal-an): "orinoco flow" by enya

SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION: all these songs will be sung by ME (yes, including the orgasmic cries in 'the great gig in the sky' kakayanin natin yan! haha!)

the idea, title and cover may stink but the songs listed here are top-notch. Kaya ba nina Kris at Judy Ann to?

so, watchutink huh? I need your support people of the philippines...let's show these people that there's more to life than theme songs and sappy renditions...express your support by posting a favorable comment on my comments box...pleease!

Friday, November 2, 2007

That Old Familiar Feeling Part 3...

long delay in blog updates + fuzzy memory = a less-than-ideal blog post (shorter and less descriptive than usual), my apologies....

That Old Familiar Feeling (3)

and so began the "catching-up phase" with my old colleagues, my friends. as usual busy man gihapon ang mga teachers sa UNO-R, though some are busier (and thus more stressed) than others. Sir Harrry was juggling roles between being the academic chair, the CLE teacher for the 3rd and 4th year, and his role in the preparations for the upcoming Living Rosary. Alon had been busy over the I-debate these past few weeks, she has about a TON of folders from her research class that are still to be marked, and her Starlight hasn't been released yet. Grace has been stressed since day one of being the Discipline Officer, aside from her responsibility as chem teacher for the third year. and since the deadline for the 40% grades were looming over everybody's heads that time, everyody in the faculty room were busier than usual. (the usual situation in the faculty room: busy - all other situations are variations of the usual situation)

but still, my presence there required Alon and Grace to drop everything and treat me to dinner. ako na subong ang gapalibre hehehe. the irony was not lost on them both, especially Alon -- who would often point out my state of er...destitution. so after taking care of their various responsibilities, preparations were made for a "group date" with me, Grace, Alon, and Cindy. The venue was Bigby's at SM. getting their required us four to stand for a few minutes in the rain -- finally squeezing ourselves into a small taxi which transported us to SM Bacolod.

Over bottomless iced tea (my staple drink at Bigby's) and the walang kamatayang Food Trip Platter, we reminisced, gossiped, commisserated, and mulled over the past, present and future. it was a welcome break not only for me, but for my hardworking friends who were just too happy to take a break from their routine and accomodate me in their schedules. hehehe

As the night wore on, we were rudely pulled out of our reverie and into the reality that some of those assembled still had classes early in the morning, and piles of requirements to fulfill, and a slew of deadlines to meet. while I, who had chosen to pull myself out of their world for the meantime, had to thank them for their generosity, wish them luck with their work, and wave goodbye to them as they went off to their homes.

Thanks guys, missed you all...

Stand Alone 1.18

Friday, October 19, 2007

That Old Familiar Feeling...Part 2

where was I? Oh yes...

"SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR!!!!!"

and so for the next few minutes I felt like a moviestar, a politician, and a member of the royalty -- waving to adoring fans left and right. hahahaha to tell you frankly i found the situation very awkward. while the freshmen had no inkling who i was, the other upperclass students were waving and greeting me with "Sir!". Some of them were caught a bit off guard by my sudden presence and didn't know how to react (though I was going to find out later on).

and so i made my way inside the office and was greeted by a surprised staff who were glad to welcome me back. It seems that I hadn't left UNO-R when I was greeted by my old colleagues and mentors.

One reaction stood out among the others. While others were going "Welcome back!" or "Kamusta ka na?" or "Grabe, naglain na gid hitsura mo" or "Nga-a naglaba buhok mo?"; Raylyn took one look at me and went "Ngeeeeeeeeh!"

hahahahahahahaha...the reaction was so her...

The first few hours were spent chatting with the faculty, which was once in a while interrupted by another hugs-and-kisses greeting from another faculty member who had just come in. It felt nice to see familiar faces and be in a familiar location. Everybody was busy because exams were coming next week -- the busy atmosphere was something I could relate to, a familiar feeling that I didn't realize I miss...

It wasn't long before I got to see Alon and Gracie again. and both their reactions were WEIRD...Alon didn't recognize me for a second and I was standing right next to her...Grace gave a curt "Hi, Mike" like I hadn't left the High School for six months. hahahaha the difference a few inches of hair could do....

But after the initial weirdness, we got down to business. all the "Kamusta" and the old friendly banter ensued, then the ladies had to excuse themselves for they had classes or other business to attend to. Sige lang 'ga, kadto na to sa klase mo..." or in Grace's case "Lakat na 'to kay manakop ka pa late!"

As for me, I had some unfinished business to settle with Sir Harry. And the rest of the morning was spent poring over the pages of the yearbook graduate profile drafts...here I am at the High School office, being my usual busy self.

Parang walang nagbago...

TO BE CONTINUED

Stand Alone 1.17

Thursday, October 18, 2007

That Old, Familiar Feeling...(part 1)

i beg the indulgence of the wayward soul that finds its way into my thoughts posted in this my blog...may pagka-senti ni dyutay ang mga posts ko for this week until the end of the month...feeling balikbayan daan si ditch. hehehehe

whenever one finds himself back in the place that he has considered home for such a long time -- and considering that this person had just come back from several months of "self-imposed exile" (baw!), there are just a few places that immediately beckon to this long-lost traveler. Places that have been considered havens of most cherished memories and one just had to make the pilgrimage and indulge in the ambience of past memoories if for a fleeting moment...

in less metaphysical terms, there are just some places that I had to visit once I got home. Sort of like a self-imposed itinerary. And these places are chosen for various reasons, most of them sentimental (others monetary hehehehe)

Now that I've made "bisa" at home and to my loving family circle, I just had to visit my next most memorable place...none other than my Alma Mater the University of Negros Occidental Recoletos.

cue Alma Mater Hymn...ready one, two, three...

It was the strangest feeling as I was coming through the gates of UNO-R. I half-expected that I would be accosted by the guard and then made to leave an ID and register on the logbook like any ordinary visitor to the school but I wasn't having that...I swaggered in like I owned the place (or rather, like I was still employed by the University and occupied a/an (quasi)administrative position in one of the departments hahaha)

Maybe it was because of the "aura" I projected that the guard didn't dare to hinder my entrance with an "Excuse me sir? Visitor ka? Bilin di anay ID sir..." and so I entered the portals of my Alma Mater unmolested. The guards still knew me gale...

whew

Coming back to UNO-R after just six months I immediately noticed a lot of new things...like the new information booth advertising the wifi zones on campus, the retiling of the Caritas et Scientia Park (daw wala pa man five years nga gin renovate na, renovate naman liwat?), the covered walkways, the multitude of tarpaulin banners hanging around campus, the directories and the "you are here" maps...basta, kadamo ko bag-o makit-an...

But all of those were to me only fleeting landmarks as my goal was to reach the High School Department. I wanted to see my former colleagues, my old friends, and my former students again.

My pace quickens...maybe it was excitement, or maybe it was just because I was hurrying so that I would not be seen by my formers students which will result to a mob of fans gathering around me. (daw feeling artista ba...hahaha)

But despite my best efforts, my timing was still off. I was walking along the corridors at the exact moment that the bell signaling the next period had rung, and the students who were exiting the computer lab and pouring into the hallway were the first to glimpse the long-haired me.

I could hear whispers behind my back...

"Daw si Sir Ditchella man na?...Oo, si Sir Ditchella gid!"

Then came the inevitable...

"Siiiiiiiir!"

ITUTULOY....


Stand Alone 1.16

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Ang Pagbalik/Ang Pagbabalik/The Return

OK, so the title is a bit OA. hahaha since I consider this a special post, i'm presenting the title in the three languages (or is it two languages and one dialect?) that I know.

After more than six months, I am once again HOME. It took a while to get adjusted again to the comforts of home, though. After having been acclimated to the cramped conditions at the boarding house, for the first time I felt out of place in my own house. Daw nanibag-o ko di sa Bacolod...but given a few days, I'll be getting my groove back again hehehe...

I didn't realize that I missed my family terribly. Seeing them again was a welcome relief from the mostly anonymous and casual faces that I see on campus (except for the relatives I see here in Manila, which is not often -- except for pebi, that is).
The welcome onslaught (as in sa airport terminal pa lang non-stop na ang wakal-- English pa na) of my nephew Brian was like a breath of fresh air to me, along with my sister-in-law Nang Jen and my niece Irene. And of course...the dynamic duo of Mama and Diding hahahaha

I'm Home...and I get to hear and speak Hiligaynon again. Ma-miss mo man gale ang makahambal Ilonggo nga dire-diretso...Now I get to watch TV non-stop (though I found that several months of going cold-turkey on TV viewing made me a bit disinterested wih cable TV now. But anyway there's still enough time to "re-learn" the habit)...Now I get to take a break from the challenges of academics and enjoy this respite from the pressure of research works, readings, exams, lectures...for now, the "stand alone complex" will be a thing of the past...

This few weeks will be another adventure for me...and I'm just getting started...

Stand Alone 1.15

Friday, September 28, 2007

I'm So Sick hehehe

update, updates....go!

HEART OF GOLD (?!)

for the past few weeks scores of "student scholars" (not from UP) have been roaming around the UP grounds selling ballpoint pens with their built-in calendars. I have often been approached by some of them and have been subjected to their sales pitch which to me at best is both heartfelt and a bit disturbing. Who the hell makes scholars sell merchandise to finance their scholarship?! Ganun na ba kahirap ang public school system na kailangan na ng mga iskolar na magbenta ng ballpen sa kalsada?!

But of all the scholars i've encountered this particular girl gets first place among her peers who have tried (unsuccessfully) to convince me to buy their "cute" pen. Here's why:

I was on my way to my second home in UP (ang main library hehehe) when i was "accosted" (gin-gubat) by one of them "scholars". She started her sales pitch with a "good afternoon Kuya, pwede ba kayong ma-istorbo?" -- and we were in the middle of the road...

So i gently guided her to the side of the road saying, "Dito tayo hija, baka mabundol tayo..." and listened to her making her "sales talk". I was thinking this girl either had guts to confront me in the middle of street with vehicles speeding by, or she was so desperate to land her first sale of the day that she would risk bodily injury and death (both for herself and me)...

Either way, she must've caught me in a good mood for i was quite receptive to her sales pitch (even though i have to admit that her speech could've used a few improvements, and the way she presented the ballpen --complete with 'tsaraaaaan!' was just so pathetic and abysmal, but then she caught me during one of my good days...na-abutan niya ang good (and generous) side of ditch...

But before I could part with my P100 (thats how much the #%$@ng ballpen cost) I still had to pry regarding the "supposed" scholarship.

Ditch: "Meron ba kayong receipt for your ballpen? Para malaman namin na talagang pupunta yan sa scholarship niyo..."

"Scholar": wala po eh...

D: Ay naku, parang problema yan...I need to know that you're keeping a record of your sales for this. And para din ito sa mga bibili para malaman namin na pupunta talaga yan sa scholarship niyo..how do I know that this is really part of your scholarship program?

S: (produces an ID and a brochure of some organization called "CARP" -- not related to that vile instrument of exploitation and elitist greed that's the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program -- basta CARP...i just flipped through it quickly)...hindi po talaga kami binibigyan nu'n (receipt) kasi tine-train po kami ng mga "seniors" namin sa values...

D: (huh?! what values?) well they're teaching you wrong values, because you need to be transparent in your transactions...it's what you call HONESTY and proper procedures especially in a business transaction...(at this point ditch is now an a****le hehehe)

I no longer remember the rest of the conversation but at that point I was thinking, what the hell might, as well buy her ballpen, kawawa naman...and to have survived this long under my interrogation...she deserves that P100 (for putting up with an a****le like me hehehe)

But handing her my money (actually not my money, allowance from my parents yun) I reiterated my misgivings about the way they're doing their fund-raising. It might be with the best of intentions, but how they're doing it smells suspiciously of exploitation (on their part) and utter stupidity (for the organizers). I got a ballpen, with built-in calendar...colored YELLOW. (all she had were pink and yellow colored ballpens)

The girl thanked me and said, "...meron po kayong 'heart of gold'..."

To that I replied, "Well you've certainly overestimated me..." (insert evil laugh)

Damn, if I had a heart of gold, i would've pawned it already. hahahaha I could've just told her and her "seniors" to go you-know-where and marched off to the main lib but something told me to trust the sincerity of her words...whatever it was, it sure wasn't the prodding of a metallic mass of muscular tissue located near the center of my chest cavity...alam n'yo na kung ano yun...

Let's Party like it's 1945!!!

this week i'm stuck in the basement of the main library -- that's where the filipiniana and media services section are located. in my research for my kas 112 course I was poring over books and archival materials regarding the national elections held during 1946 which featured the entry of the Democratic Alliance in politics (the DA was the political wing of the Communist Party during that time). the fun started when i went into the microfilm collection and looked over the newspapers during that period.

Very interesting... I get to glimpse a relic from 60 years ago and learn something of life during that time. I keep getting distracted and would often read the whole newspaper instead of skimming for articles related with the DA. here's some of the things i've read:

1. a kilo of sugar cost 50 centavos during that time. that's because the gov't was guarding against abusive retailers who would increase sugar prices to as high as P2.50. may sugar shortage during that time and this was worsened by hoarding and price speculation from several businessmen and planters...many of them coming from Negros (ehem...)

2. newspapers depended upon the US Army to supply them with newsprint for the printing of their newspapers. That was during the first few months after the liberation of Manila (around Feb 1945) which explains the poor quality of the issues from the months of July until August after that the paper (even layouting) improved. but their editing could use some help, their copyreaders missed some misspellings which rendered some headlines comedic. e.g. ("Mathay Rapped with Charges" on Page 1 became "Mathay Raped..." when the article continued on Page 4)

3. our generation only heard (or read) a fraction of the atrocities committed during the liberation of Manila. Manila was second only to Poland for being the city which suffered the most destruction during the second world war. I happened to read articles regarding the trial of gen. tomoyuki yamashita and during his trial the military commission that heard his case was flooded with testimony of the most inhuman deeds of the Japanese...it's different if you've read it from people who've experienced it...

4. government scandals are not new to the filipino nation...a few months after liberation, a scandal involving the distribution of cloth among the provinces was reported. this concerned a certain number of congressmen who would receive an amount of cloth which was to be distributed in their respective districts. It was either the cloth didn't reach the people or a ridiculously large amount was requested by congressmen who often kept a large part for themselves. hay naku, some things never change...

5. there is a prevailing mysoginistic tone in the newspapers i've read. especially in advertisements and in some articles, feminists would surely howl in outrage if they read some of the articles i've read.

That's just a sample of the interesting things i stumble upon as i make galing the microfilm machine (hehehehe)

I've still got a few more rolls of microfilm to view and the past few days i have spent viewing records in the airconditioned microfilm-viewing room , which leads me to the last update

I'm So Sick

as in "sick" nga ginmasakit hahaha. I think i caught a cold because of too much exposure to the cold temparature inside the microfilm viewing room. That, and the alternating rain and warm weather didn't do a thing to improve my condition. My frequent exposure to old, dusty books was also a factor...

But despite not feeling well, i still attended classes and went to the library. not much time is left for me to complete my research. So what I did to combat my illness is buy medicine and eat chicken noodle soup at Chowking hehe. it seemed that the Neozep Forte-Chicken Noodle Soup formula was effective for today i'm feeling okay na.

Archival Research is Hazardous to your health pala...hahahaha


Stand Alone 1.14

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

I Survived!

today was our critique session with Prof. Diokno regarding our historical essay for Kas 10. I have spent considerable time and effort in making my first draft for Ma'am because I had the impression that Prof Diokno would be one mean critic. Turned out it was an understatement...Prof Diokno is one very f*cking mean critic...

i was scheduled this afternoon together with three of my fellow masteral students: Bert, Kathy, and Krisdel. Since we were to meet Ma'am at our given schedules (mine's at 3:30 PM) I spent my time at the main library poring over additional readings for Kas 112. My Kas 10 historical essay is not the only paper I have been busy making these past few weeks. I have two more papers for Kas 112 -- the individual paper and the group paper (see Note to Self - Stand Alone 1.11). But for this day thoughts on my Kas 10 paper and the prospect of a severe mauling (figuratively speaking, that is) at the hands of Ma'am Diokno was looming like a dark cloud over my head.

Then I met Bert at the Library. he had just finished with his session with ma'am and he was, how do I say this? -- a bit depressed over what ma'am had to say regarding his paper. So with utter disregard for his feelings (ang sama ko talaga!) I immediately quizzed him on how his critique went: what did ma'am say? did your argument survive relatively intact? what changes are you making? nagagalit ba siya kung crappy yung paper mo? etc., etc...

The only thing I got from him is that ma'am told him that he needs to revise his paper -- as in TOTALLY. Aray ko, I thought. With just two weeks to go until the end of the semester, that would be a daunting task indeed. Another thing he mentioned is that he saw my paper on Ma'am's table -- and it was separated from the pile where the other papers were placed.

Hearing that, my mind just went numb. Did I do something wrong? Was there something wrong with the format? Is my argument worth sh*t? Did I plagiarize somewhere? I checked my draft several times - even going over the books in the library a second time - so i'm sure that i didn't plagiarize -- am i really sure? Oh, God...

With my mind reeling over dark portents and prospects of failure, I decided to leave Bert in peace so that he could resume his search for additional sources. It was 3:20 PM and from what bert said, Kathy should still be conferring with Ma'am...I decided to go to the FC...bahala na...

I arrived exactly at 3:30 and standing outside Ma'am's room, I could hear voices. Kathy was still inside. The long wait begins...

Fifteen minutes passed. The door to Ma'am's office opens and out comes Kathy -- her eyes were bloodshot. She had been crying. This does not bode well...

I hesitated for a few moments, but finally summoned the courage to knock on the door and come inside. Ma'am turned to face me and her first words were:

"Finally, a paper that has a point...sit down..."

It seemed that "Hallelujah Chorus" was playing on the background. Whew! It seemed that I would be spared the fate of my predecessors. But knowing ma'am, she'll have something to say about my paper. Things are looking up for me, though...

What follows are Prof. Diokno's "Greatest Hits", my paper may have survived, but it did not escape unscathed, so here are some of her most memorable critiques:

1. "You're consistently wrong...":she was referring to inconsistencies in my verb tenses. I was cringing when it was pointed out to me -- to think that I didn't notice that... :P

2. "I don't understand why you're so fond of doing this...": She was pointing out my frequent use of quotation marks. I think I saw this style in a few history books...oh well, what ma'am says, goes...so revise.

3. "these are the usual mistakes of students..." pointing out some of my grammatical and spelling gaffes...on a positive note, at least napapagkamalan pang student hehehe

Prof Diokno's critiques have made me realize that I still have to polish my English -- I seem to have taken for granted verb tenses and some simple grammatical rules that even a high school student could get...it's a bit of a blow to the ego but I have to accept that there is still room for improvement on my part -- nobody's perfect naman, 'di ba?

Anyway, I am just so happy right now that my paper passed Prof Diokno's standards. I am increasingly becoming confident that I would make it in my Master's studies here in UP. Now, to focus my attention on the revisions Ma'am pointed out and to resume my work on my Kas 112 papers...thank God I survived!

Stand Alone 1.13

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

English 101

I really don't know how long this has been going around the internet but it still makes me laugh...poor Ms.Marquez, she's stuck as the stereotypical english-mangling celebrity...magsama kaya sila ni Erap? hehehe

speaking of which Erap's verdict will be later today...may justice prevail...whatever THAT is...

for the meantime read and weep...while laughing, that is...


We' ve been friends for a long time ago. We come from the same alma
mother. Actually, our paths crossed one time on another. But it's
only now that I gave him a second look. I realized that beauty is in
the eyes. The pulpbits of my heart went fast, really fast. Cute pala
siya. And then, he came over with me. He said, "I hope you don't
mine. Can I get your number?" Nag-worry ako. What if he doesn't give
it back? He explained naman na it's so we could keep intact daw.
Sabi ko, connect me if i'm wrong but are you asking me ouch? Nabigla
siya. Sagot niya, The! Aba! Parang siya pa ang galit! Persona
ingrata!!! Ang kapal niya! I cried buckles of tears. Na-guilty yata
siya. Sabi niya, isipin mo na lang na this is a blessing in the sky.
Irregardless daw of his feelings, we'll go ouch na rin. Now, we're
so in love. Mute and epidemic na ang past. Thanks God we swallowed
our fried. Kasi, I'm 33 na and I'm running our time. After 2 weeks,
he plopped the question. "Will you marriage me?" I'm in a state of
shocked. Kasi mantakin mo, when it rains, it's four! This is true
good to be true. So siyempre, I said yes. Love is a many splendor.
Pero nung inaayos ko na ang aming kasal, everything swell to pieces.
Nag-di-dinner kami noon nang biglang sa harap ng aming table, may
babaeng humirit ng, "Well, well, well. Look do we have here." What
the fuss! The nerd ng babaeng yon! She said they were still on. So I
told her, whatever is that, cut me some slacks! I didn't want this
to get our hand kaya I had to sip it in the bud. She accused me of
steeling her boyfriend. Ats if! I don't want to portrait the role of
the other woman. Gosh, tell me to the marines! I told her, "please,
mine you own business!" Who would believe her anyway? Dahil it's not
my problem anymore but her problem anymore, tumigil na rin siya ng
panggugulo. Everything is coming up daisies. I'm so happy. Even my
boyfriend said liketwice. He's so supportive. Sabi niya, "Look at is
this way. She's our of our lives." Kaya advise ko sa inyo - take the
risk. You can never can tell. Just burn the bridge when you get
there. Life is shorts. If you make a mistake, we'll just pray for
the internal and external repose of your soul. I second emotion.

- Melanie Marquez

Monday, September 3, 2007

Note to Self

i think i've hit a slump these past few weeks...there has been not much "stand alone" posts and the promised "(almost) forgotten tales" (see LQS:Huling Kabanata) seems to have been lost in oblivion.

parang tinatamad si sonofaditch...this is bad...tsk,tsk,tsk...

therefore starting this week I have taken it upon myself to start the month by setting a few goals for me to accomplish. the problem with living by yourself is that you are your own worst enemy, so I have to remind myself of what I should be doing this time...(confusing, no?)

1. pass your first draft to Prof. Diokno within this week...and hope for the best...magtirik ng kandila sa Holy Sacrifice, hehe

2. return to the gym...nakukulangan ka na ng energy...

3. budget, budget, budget

4. start on the research for Prof Dante (ang GROUP kag ang INDIVIDUAL): I already consolidated some of my notes, a few more readings to go...

5. additional readings for Kas 112

hope this "to do list" would be sufficient to guide me this month. I have to recapture the energy I had during the first two months of the semester...sige, kaya natin to!


Stand Alone 1.12

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC: After Hours

just a sample from a series of videos posted on youtbe. very funny...

Saturday, August 25, 2007

25

this is a countdown of sorts as i am once again reminded of the inevitability of maturity and old age (hahaha)...25 wishes for 25 years...unique, no? hehehe...these are just some of the "it would be nice if..." thoughts that i've had...a collection of wishes that are idealistic (or too idealistic), mundane, overly sentimental (read:CORNY) and others that are just downright weird...but what else can you expect from sonofaditch? : )...hope someone out there can make one of my wishes come true hehehe

1.I arrive home to find ENYA playing on a piano and singing in English, Irish, Latin, Japanese, Loxian -- even in gibberish. The private concert lasts for days as she performs all her songs from "Watermark" up to "Amarantine". During her breaks I shower her with compliments and professions of my undying love. The concert ends and she exits carried by angels into the heavens...then i die out of sheer happiness.

2. The Smashing Pumpkins reunite! The complete cast of Billy Corgan,James Iha, D'arcy Wretsky and Jimmy Chamberlin play in an exclusive concert for all SP fans in the Philippines (i'm willing to share this time hehehe) The Pumpkins play all their songs and in the middle of "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" I kick Billy off the stage and replace him on vocals. Hahahaha!

3. I gain the power of time-travel and go back in time to visit my favorite historical period: Ancient Greece. Then I get to watch ALL the plays of Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides and Aristophanes. I get into a roundtable discussion with Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and all the philosophers. Then I beat everybody in the Olympics!

4. Use my time-travel powers to alter the history of the Philippines -- turning it into a socialist utopia. Go!!!!

5. Unlimited access to all libraries and museums around the world.

6. For one whole week, all the radio stations will play nothing but my fave music. Then MTV, Channel V and Myx will do a marathon of all my fave music videos kag AKO ang VJ! Hahahaha!

7. Learn to read and write Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin and Greek.

8. My own personal GUNDAM

9. All the anime ever produced will be specially delivered to my doorstep by robot geishas ( as seen in Ghost in the Shell 2 -- pero indi na sila deadly *wink*) -- must have impeccable English translation (if #7 comes true, nevermind the translation)

10. Resurrect/Revive/Reanimate/Summon/Clone Andres Bonifacio and have him run for President of the Philippines...ilabas ang mga bolo mga kapatid!

11. Dishonest politicians will be afflicted by hives and festering boils -- the public will finally shun them for the unclean monsters they are -- the politicians take refuge in a secluded island where they have to put up with each other --it's hell on earth, baby...Bonifacio gets elected in a landslide and first thing he does is nuke the damn island of politicians...gisingin n'yo ako!

12. My own private library to store all my books. As large as the US Library of Congress and cooler than the Guggenheim and the Louvre...

13.state-of-the-art facilities in the National Archives and the National Library to preserve our historic documents

14. Social Studies given as much emphasis in the basic ed curriculum as Math, Science and the Languages (hello? DepEd?)

15. a travel visa to ALL states, no restrictions para pa-ayaw lagaw!

16. when i do historical research, primary source materials magically appear when i need them. I also gain the power to hypnotize librarians and archivists and turn them into my slaves...bwahahaha!

17. a wallet that never runs out of money. A credit card with no credit limit.

18. an RPG that lets one become his chosen character -- literally! Therefore I can now become an elven sorcerer... Let the games begin!

19. All cigarette production will cease. All beer and alcohol will disappear...only Red Horse will remain. :P

20. Stephen King shall grant me an exclusive interview and give me copies of all his works -- signed by the author of course...Also, we co-author the greatest horror story ever written: The History of the Philippines? joke!

21. Good fortune and a long and healthy life for my family and friends

22. A lifetime of misery and despair for all my enemies. BONUS: they all go to hell bwahahaha!

23. I become the cover model for "Men's Health" magazine...siyempre dapat may perfect abs, pecs, biceps, triceps, quads, lats, glutes at kung ano pa...hahaha in my dreams!

24. VIP seats in all restaurants, bakeshops, cafes, fastfood, cafeteria, turo-turo (may VIP seats sa turo-turo?) -- basta all places with good food. Then I get to eat all I want without gaining weight. Ha!

25. to make a difference in the lives of my students (I sincerely hope I did)...and would-be students...(naks! pang Teacher-of-the-Millenium Award bah...)