Saturday, March 28, 2009

And Winter Came



It's about freaking time. Listening to Christmas songs in late March...oh the irony...

Friday, March 27, 2009

For Batch 2009

You came into my lives during the second year of my teaching profession.

Though you were not the first class of Freshmen I handled, you most certainly were the largest (ALL four sections, heterogeneous pa na! whew!)

And it was in your batch that I had my first - and only - class advisership. (ST. THOMAS OF VILLANOVA - 1C! YAHOOOOO!)

And now you are poised to leave the portals of your dear Alma Mater in search of new horizons...

First off, I must apologize for not being present as a witness to this momentous event - one of many that will come in your lives - but based on my personal experience, high school life has always been the most meaningful of all "lives" that you must live in this world. It was a time of curiosity and wonder leading to many realizations; the loss of childlike innocence paving the way to the unfolding consciousness of young men and women on the verge of realizing their potential. As the cliche goes: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

I am sure that you have trodden on your own meaningful paths during the four years you were cloistered in the halls of UNO-R High School. And whatever "lessons" you have learned most surely do not confine themselves to the academic realm alone. I am not sure if you could still recall the capitals of the provinces of the Philippines, and to which region they belong; recite the lines to "Go, and Be Like the Molave" from memory; factor a polynomial equation - or expand - I forget which is which (hehe); but I am certain that for each and every year you have gone through, you and your peers have grown. And I do not mean only the physical aspect. Know that you have taken a journey through your four years, and that journey was - and will continue to be - a journey of wonder.

Each step that you took in your journey, though the path has been laid out, was taken in your own pace, to your own beat, following the rhythm of your soul. Again, the journey could be summarized in another cliche: "To each his own."

And now you have reached journey's end. For now. Though this may be the end in your viewpoint, you also know in your heart that it is also another beginning. (there's a cliche somewhere in this statement, but whatever...) Thus this moment where you bid goodbye to your hallowed halls, and raucuous classrooms, the familiar faces, the beloved comrades, the respected elders (naks), the comforts of the routine and the expected, is met with sadness, resignation, and even fear.

But be not afraid. Treasure this moment. When you go up that stage and claim that piece of paper, take a moment to take in the scenery, take a minute to scan the crowd of faces, pause and savor the emotions filling the air. Know that in this moment you have truy LIVED.

Yes, you have LIVED. You have experienced, you have learned, you have felt loss and triumph, a whole maelstorm of emotions. It would seem that your whole life is flashing before your eyes. But this is not the harbinger of an end, but rather a herald for your rebirth...into a new world you go, on to another journey, a new life to live, a moment of clarity to be achieved...

And thus I break off this reverie to wish you all - my one time children - the best of luck. You have been molded into young ladies and gentlemen truly deserving of the "UNO-Rian" seal (i.e. tatak UNO-Rian gid ah). Face the new world with courage and conviction, let not your spirits waver before the challenges of an uncertain world.

But enough of the future. The stage is yours. Go forth and claim the moment worth treasuring for a lifetime. Stand tall, claim your place.

Now you are truly UNO-Rians.

Congratulations, Batch 2009. Vaya con Dios!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

To INC, Or Not To INC

...whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer,

the slings and arrows of outrageous --

RESEARCH?!


WTF? LOL


I'm almost done with the notes consolidation phase for my Kas 208.

Now I'm wondering if I could spit out a decent historical paper in just five days.

Hmmmmmm...

This Is Why I Don't Want A Roommate



random violence...*sigh*

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Cherry Twist

For those who might think I'm spending way too much time online -- I'm a master of multi-tasking. hehe

I'm now compiling my notes for my Kas 208 term paper and I'm halfway through my Anthro 225 take home exam.

I have been listening to "Cherry Twist" by The Crystal Method since I started typing out my notes. I have the track on loop on my media player since the beat gives my brain a much needed boost. The effect is like an adrenaline rush or a prolonged (think Matrix bullet time) "kick" I get from a shot of tequila. I'm posting it here so that even if I'm online and blogging I'd still be reminded of work. haha adik!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The GOOD: a firefighter turns into a superhero in Thailand


read about it here

The BAD: ako yung bad. A bad Enya fan. I wandered into Astroplus at The Block SM North and saw a new album by the Goddess...


Please don't look at me like that...

Huwat?! May album na pala siya? Syet, ba't wala akong kaalam-alam?

It was a Christmas album that was released 2008. WTF?

Di bale, next week bilhin ko yan to atone for my transgressions...Forgive me!

The UGLY: eto...si Bayani nagwawala...



Hay naku, sana na setel - este - settle na ang problema...

Saturday, March 21, 2009

WTF?! Latest Naruto and Bleach

Naruto 44O:

1. Minato reveals himself to Naruto -- and tells the boy that he is his father
2. How did Naruto react, you ask? well...


3. Madaraaaaaaaa! For me, Pain is already inconsequential.

Bleach 350:

1. Kubo seems fixated on "Lust" lately, it's been four freaking episodes...
2. Ichigo goes "Super Saiyan"


Translation: Find me a hairstylist mga ateh! Now na! Ang chaka ko, ano vah!

3. Ulquiorra's gonna get his ass kicked -- big time.


Pics from mangafox.com

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The DVD Works...I'm Loving It

I'm currently watching the 2nd season of Millennium.

This season is weirder, more apocalyptic, more existential...wanna know the true nature of evil?



After watching four episodes, the answer(s) could be ANY of the following:

A. the rational choice of an obsessed man -- and a comet.
B. a force of nature -- who's a bitch that'll send a pack of dogs to maul you to death if you intrude on her turf
C. our very essence. ACTG. Sense. Antisense. A bit of biochemistry helps.
D. a murderous, sociopathic, soulless -- five year old girl

or it could also be ALL of the above...

I look forward to seeing again the episode entitled "Anamnesis" which featured a young girl suspected to carry Christ's (yes, THAT Christ) bloodline, and of a secretive group tasked to protect the descendants of Christ. This episode also asks which Mary are we really praying to when we recite the "Hail Mary"...

Take note that the series aired mid-90s so medyo naunahan na nila ang Da Vinci Code. Take that, Dan Brown!

For those dissing the second season for being inferior to the first, I believe that the first season, with all its emphasis on serial killers and the blood and gore, was a precursor to the second season. What could be the natural next step for a trail of murder and evil...the Apocalypse, of course!

Ya No Quiero!

Dios mio...my head is swimming in spanish verbs, tenses, and conjugations. Been studying for tomorrow's ultimo examen since this morning so I'm slighty bangag for the whole day.

I'm calling it quits for now or else baka overload ang labas natin mental block ang resulta bukas.

Patalastas muna...

Goodluck to mi prima pebi as she is busy attending to her papers. Toxic na toxic ka in fairness, pero kaya mo yan! Ano, pigaw? hehe

Thank you to Regina for granting my request. Ipapadala natin 'to sa Maalala Mo Kaya, lagyan ko lang ng konting vetsin hehe joke!

Now I'm looking forward to watching the 2nd season of "Millenium", a DVD I bought along Philcoa just this afternoon bago nagkahulihan...It seems that fate smiled upon me since I was able to find this rare and relatively obscure series. Hope my laptop will play the DVD...and sana magpatuloy ang suerte bukas. hehe

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Bruno!

After Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen unleashes another of his alter egos upon America.

Ladies and Gentlemen, heeeeeeere's Bruno!


Watch Bruno's reaction to the guy mentioning Jews...hahaha

And there's a new movie coming up. read about it here.

WTF? Post-Coital Shenanigans

WARNING: Suggestive -- not to mention sacrilegious -- content up ahead...Not for minors and conservative Christians, oh well...

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Their Town Didn't Deserve A Child Born of Innocence and Love

My one sentence review of Tinimbang Ka, Ngunit Kulang.

Thanks, Pebi.




Click here for a review of this Filipino masterpiece.

WTF? Temperature

Another one of those "misheard lyrics" video, this time featuring Sean Paul and his peculiar singing style...and pronunciation.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

WTF?! Bye Old Mechanic Man?

This is what happens if you happen to have a vocalist who just growls through the entire song and the hapless listener having no access to a "Songhits" -- with animation pa 'to take note...



eto yung correct lyrics...

You need some lovin' o' monstermaniac
style and fashion
and I'm a device of horny steel
You need to believe in the dirty lovin'
o' lusty passion
You need a spin in the torture wheel
I say yeah, now who could put it there
Now who could really care
I hear the call yeah
I can
Biomechanic man

You need to be on a roll and make
a show of money
You need to get the healer here
You gotta know when it's bad
It's gonna be funny
you gotta get in the cyber-feel
I say yeah, need to know when and were
Now who could make you fear
I hear the call yeah
I am Biomechanic man

I'm all man and all machine
a little sicko, little mean
I rock your brains out
And you're sure to be damned
I lick your little finger
then I chew up your hand
for that's who I am: The Biomechanic man


Well, hello again...Lordi!

I'm enjoying my youtube sojourns for now. Next week will be serious work on my Kas 208 paper. I'll enjoy this respite while it lasts, though....

WTF?! Left4Dead Hysterics

The Original title of this video clip was "Zombie Bukkake":



Fave lines:

1. "...Follow Me! Follow me -- WTF, Hunter's got me! Abort! Abort plan!"
2. "Who shot the car?! Who shot the car?!...Somebody shut the car up!"
3. "You used me like a pipe bomb!"

I was laughing all throughout the clip. grabe. hahaha

Friday, March 13, 2009

Something to Look Forward to...



Honestly, I'm more of a TNG and DS9 kind of guy. Never got to watch Voy, and Ent sucked big time (the f*cking opening theme song was enough reason to avoid this series). Saw some episodes of TOS on Maxxx channel and I appreciated it for paving the way for SciFi geekiness in mainstream TV. The Startrek TOS movies could sometimes be freaking weird though -- Spock talking to whales; the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Guess who can save it -- right, the whales...

I remember I once got into a philosphical discussion on TnG episodes at Bob's Cafe at LaSalle-Bacolod haha. Then waaaay back, I shed tears over a TOS book featuring the creatures and monsters of TOS. Hay naku...

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Yataaaaaaaaaaa!



Yeah, baby! May grade na ako kay Sir Jose sa 226...and I'm loving it!

Salamat! Salamat! Salamat Sir! Arigato Gozaimas! haha

Isang INC na lang sa Kas 205 kay Sir Jose ulit (hehe), yung paper ko pa kay Ma'am Camagay, atsaka ang Span 11 ko...dito medyo nanganganib ang career natin -- pero carry pa rin yan! Sobrevivire!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Harana (?)

Inspired by Gracia's friendster blog post...



Now, to whom shall I dedicate this song? Hmmmm...

Amen to That

Why do I read?...I read because I only have one life and much as I love it, I don’t like the limitation. So I read books, especially novels, for the extra lives. By my reckoning, a good novel is an extra life lived. I’ve never fled Moscow at the approach of Napoleon’s army, but I know what that’s like. As a child I never met an escaped prisoner at a graveyard and helped him get away, but I know what that’s like. I didn’t personally fight in the Trojan War, figure out a way to end it, then spend ten years meeting cyclops, sirens, witches who turned my crew into swine, before getting home, but I remember the experience as if I’d lived it. That’s why I read books.

from Jessica Zafra's latest blog post.

A Partial List of my fave books:

1. "It" by Stephen King
2. "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair
3. "Iliad" by Virgil
4. "La Divina Comedia" by Dante
5. The Tragedies of Euripides - most fave: "Trojan Women"
6. The Old Testament - for the sex and violence, and also -- the Biblical lessons. oh...
7. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolien
8. The Silmarillion by Tolkien
9. "1984" by Orson Welles
10. "Animal Farm" by Welles
11. "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad - until now this book still intimidates me...

Why do I read? Because it's the only economical (and possible) way I can tour the whole world and travel back in time.

Respite

Just got back from UP Press from a consultation with Dr. Camagay. Thankfully, Ate Angie and I managed to gain an extension of our deadline for our paper. I was also able to revise the scope of my topic and it looks like I will be able to pass my Kas 208 paper on time. Maraming salamat Ma'am!

As always, suabe pa rin si Ma'am kahit busy. hehe

Hopefully I will finish going through The New York Times next week. But given the materials I have gathered, I am confident that I would be able to support the arguments in my paper. Arguments that are still yet to be composed and organized, though. hehe

Additionaly, I could also file a libel case against the Times on behalf of the Filipino nation and General Aguinaldo. hahaha

Sunday, March 8, 2009

"The Velvety Ones"

I discovered this Latin American band a long time ago, searching for songs for my Span 10 class. Never got around to featuring them here, thus:

One of the first latin rock bands in Colombia, Los Aterciopelados is one of the Latin American country's top groups. The recipients of Grammy award nominations in 1997 and 1998, the band has fused its own sound by combining a rock-solid approach with a variety of Latin American musical traditions including mariachi, bolero, tropical and flamenco. The last two studio albums, Caribe Atomico and Gozo Poderoso have a definite hip-hop feel to them, whereas earlier albums were influenced more by hard rock and punk. from www.rockero.com

Sampling their songs, I immediately fell in love with the whimsical, fanciful, and slighty-bangag musical creations. Reminds me somewhat of Moonpools and Caterpillars or Belly...



Apparently Youtube now is concerned with copyright issues and has disabled embedding for videos featuring copyrighted content. But I still managed to grab ahold of these...



Live Performance of "Mujer Gala" (fine/elegant woman). Cute ng vocalist. hahaha



Thanks to 6 units of Spanish, I can now understand about 50% of whatever Spanish text I'm reading. I'm still having a hard time translating song lyrics as I hear them, even spoken Spanish, as Spanish-speakers generally talk like machine guns -- ratatatatatat! hehe

BTW, I'm surviving in my Span 11. The final exam's coming in two weeks...buena suerte a mi...

Thursday, March 5, 2009

I Wanna Feel Dirty Tonight

Salamat kay Pebi at mapapanood ko ulit ang Irreversible starring the beautiful Monica Bellucci. Ewan ko ba kung bakit masochistic ako ngayon at gusto kong masilayan ulit ang mga di kanais-nais na aspeto ng ating pagkatao. hehehe

For those of you innocent souls out there, this film was notorious for being the most "walked out" film during its screening at Cannes. Wonder why they'd do that in the first ten minutes of the film...

well...it involves a fire extinguisher and some person's skull. You do the math...

WARNING! EXPLICIT AND VERY VIOLENT CONTENT! DO NOT VIEW THE VIDEO! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NOOOOOOOOO!



If you've managed to survive that clip, congratulations! you have outlasted some of the more seasoned critics at Cannes.

The movie then features one of the longest rape scenes ever featured in a (non-porn) film. When I was watching this I was going:

Okay, here's the rape scene...

Monica Bellucci sure is comfortable having her boobs hanging out like that. Oh wait...that's not right...

Is that guy...Oh my God...he IS...Okay...

This rape scene is long...should we like, fade out here or cut to another scene, or maybe ANOTHER ANGLE?

*Ditch fidgets in his seat* Seriously, I would appreciate a cut at this point. Calling the director...

Oh...OH SH*T! PUTANGINA! Gago! Gago! Gago! Ba't mo ginawa yon?! Gago ka! Putang-ina!Linti! Yudiputa!


Ditch summarizes his feelings after the scene: I feel dirty ...and violated...I'm the lowest scum in the universe...I don't know if that's the intention of the Director but...putanginang director na yan...inom muna ako ng tubig...

I'll have to spare you the video since ako medyo hindi ko kinaya. And that's coming from me ha?

If you really want to watch this film, better be prepared to confront some really disturbing notions and themes. And, the film is not structured like normal films so it would be a bit disconcerting initially for those not used to weirdong style na films. And also..."Calmate" is Spanish for "(you) calm down" and "Mira!" is Spanish for "Look!". That'll come in handy in the scene with the transvestite prostitutes...

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

WTF?!



This is so wrong in so many levels...

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Naipasa Na!

Finally! My Kas 226 term paper has found its way into the hallowed hands of Prof Ricardo Jose.

I was anxiously awaiting Prof Jose at the FC around noontime. I knew from an acquaintance that he has a Tuesday class at 1 PM but I was informed through text that they were already on their research break. But still, having waited this long to complete my paper I'd rather spend a few more minutes hanging around the halls than putting off my submission for another day. Ako mismo ang dapat bumigay kay Sir ng paper. Nakakahiya naman sa kanya. hehe

And arrive he did, punctual as always. Sir was all "Oh, kamusta ka na?" as if wala akong utang sa kanya hahaha. I handed my paper to him, apologized for the very long delay, made a short appeal for that other delayed paper ("Baka first sem na po sir, hehe"), and finally closed my case with "Kayo na po ang bahala dyan sir...thanks po" before sauntering off into the corridor.

Making my way outside the FC my inner voice was going like: "Sir Jose is reading my paper...Sir Jose IS reading my paper...oh sh*t, oh sh*t, oh sh*t..." I imagined him poring over the pages of my paper, mercilessly obliterating line after line with corrections, annotations and whatnot...

Or, he could've just set my paper aside. To be read sometime when he's not too busy. When he's no longer busy...then THAT'S the time that he'll obliterate my paper...

...more incoherent thoughts as I walked through Palma Hall...

When I got out of the Palma Hall lobby, I took a deep breath, exhaled, and imagined dropping all my Kas 226 anxieties and "mental baggage" on the AS Steps. That done, I proceeded to the library to continue working on my other term paper.