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The name is Elaine or Ien or Pssst or Hoy ...or whatever suits you
...from the city of Davao
...26 with fine lines and wrinkles already
...short-haired, two-eyed na! (thanks to constact lenses), right-handed, flat-footed
...wants to be a Buddhist and a United Nations interpreter someday
...confused about life in general
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Tuesday, July 26
Chopseuy Chika and Other Diliman Stories
(in no particular order)
last week, we did "bridge-stressing" for my structural design topic studio. it was fun. i felt dytoc-like. of course, i took some pics of their bridges. compared to the output of students from diliman, theirs (UP mindanao students) were a bit conservative. our next activity will be egg-dropping. hehehe... i'm giving them a piece of the diliman experience.
------------------------
UAP induction ceremonies last saturday reunited me with someone from high school (not in a romantic way though). i thought his name sounds familiar. you see, i went to a very small high school. there were only 3 sections per year level. 30-40 students per section. and everybody knows each other. and so we're both there, at the registration table...
i said,"di ba taga-women's ka? and he answered,"oo, ano nga name mo? ha! i told you i'm easy to forget. well, i don't really consider myself popular back in high school. that probably explains his question.
then i asked,"saan ka pala nag-arki? he replied, "UM. ikaw saan? uuuyyy! keeping the conversation alive. hehehe actually, parang naghahamon pa yung tone ng voice nya when he asked that. i answered, "sa UP diliman."
then out of the blue, his architect-mentor butted-in, "actually, Neo is one of the best students we had in UM" o di ba, to the rescue and lolo mo!!! ok, fine!
yes, his name is Neo... sabi ko di ba, sounds familiar. hehehe!
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a friend of mine asked, "what will make you come [back] to manila?" i mentioned a lot of impossible things like UP in UAAP finals, a scholarship grant for an MA, a date with anton or richie ticzon (yeah, as if!), etc. but there's one that i thought was pretty exciting to anticipate -- an eraserheads reunion concert! yeah, that will make me go to manila and buy front row tickets for sure. i was (and still am) a big e-heads fan. to tell you the truth, i wanted to study in UP because of them. too bad, when i entered college, they were already busy touring the states. and when they came back, they broke up. splinter bands of the former e-head members can never out-do their orig band. and no matter how many "UP bands" enter (and exit) the music scene, all they can do is walk down the same path e-heads trailed for them and (god-forbid) revive its old hit songs. for me, e-heads is the bestest [sic] band in the history of philippine music. better than apo hiking society or side A or south border or parokya or rivermaya. definitely worth any trip to manila.
-----------------------
ok, so UP lost. sanay naman tayo sa talo eh. hehehe joke lang! the last two opponents of UP were pretty rough. parang larong kanto. i can imagine bruises and whatnot on the maroons after each game. no foul was given without that extra nudge or slap [disguised as "defense"]. we gave our share of hard fouls, but not as barubal as they did. in the last game, nobody actually stepped up. defense was tight, as evidenced by the low game scores. but shooting was extremely poor. my gosh, mag-enroll nga sila sa Milo Best! well, i'm looking forward to the next game. i hope things will get better. and with "things", i mean the shooting.
(in no particular order)
last week, we did "bridge-stressing" for my structural design topic studio. it was fun. i felt dytoc-like. of course, i took some pics of their bridges. compared to the output of students from diliman, theirs (UP mindanao students) were a bit conservative. our next activity will be egg-dropping. hehehe... i'm giving them a piece of the diliman experience.
------------------------
UAP induction ceremonies last saturday reunited me with someone from high school (not in a romantic way though). i thought his name sounds familiar. you see, i went to a very small high school. there were only 3 sections per year level. 30-40 students per section. and everybody knows each other. and so we're both there, at the registration table...
i said,"di ba taga-women's ka? and he answered,"oo, ano nga name mo? ha! i told you i'm easy to forget. well, i don't really consider myself popular back in high school. that probably explains his question.
then i asked,"saan ka pala nag-arki? he replied, "UM. ikaw saan? uuuyyy! keeping the conversation alive. hehehe actually, parang naghahamon pa yung tone ng voice nya when he asked that. i answered, "sa UP diliman."
then out of the blue, his architect-mentor butted-in, "actually, Neo is one of the best students we had in UM" o di ba, to the rescue and lolo mo!!! ok, fine!
yes, his name is Neo... sabi ko di ba, sounds familiar. hehehe!
------------------------
a friend of mine asked, "what will make you come [back] to manila?" i mentioned a lot of impossible things like UP in UAAP finals, a scholarship grant for an MA, a date with anton or richie ticzon (yeah, as if!), etc. but there's one that i thought was pretty exciting to anticipate -- an eraserheads reunion concert! yeah, that will make me go to manila and buy front row tickets for sure. i was (and still am) a big e-heads fan. to tell you the truth, i wanted to study in UP because of them. too bad, when i entered college, they were already busy touring the states. and when they came back, they broke up. splinter bands of the former e-head members can never out-do their orig band. and no matter how many "UP bands" enter (and exit) the music scene, all they can do is walk down the same path e-heads trailed for them and (god-forbid) revive its old hit songs. for me, e-heads is the bestest [sic] band in the history of philippine music. better than apo hiking society or side A or south border or parokya or rivermaya. definitely worth any trip to manila.
-----------------------
ok, so UP lost. sanay naman tayo sa talo eh. hehehe joke lang! the last two opponents of UP were pretty rough. parang larong kanto. i can imagine bruises and whatnot on the maroons after each game. no foul was given without that extra nudge or slap [disguised as "defense"]. we gave our share of hard fouls, but not as barubal as they did. in the last game, nobody actually stepped up. defense was tight, as evidenced by the low game scores. but shooting was extremely poor. my gosh, mag-enroll nga sila sa Milo Best! well, i'm looking forward to the next game. i hope things will get better. and with "things", i mean the shooting.
Thursday, July 21
Uso
eto, obserbasyon ko lang naman...
sa commercial...
- mga commercial jingles custom-made by famous rock/pop bands (e.g. bamboo for nescafe, barbie for close-up, parokya for rexona)
- mga old hit songs na ginagawang commercial jingles (e.g. tindahan ni aling nena for sun cellular, ulan for nescafe)
- charlene-aga tandem (for solmux, even feminine wash!)
- and of course, kris aquino (it's always about her)
sa koreanovela plots...
- poor girl, rich guy. never the other way around. bakit kaya?
- accident scene, usually involving a vehicle.
- dying, usually kasunod ng accident scene hehehe
- karga-karga sa likod moment. according to jessica soho, it's equivalent to our "love scene". nyak! ang baduy!
- love rectangle. it's always 2 guys and 2 girls with complicated love stories. para in the end, everybody happy!
sa showbiz...
- actress-basketball player loveteam (e.g. kris-james, kyla-rich, rufa-rudy, ethel-alex)
- gay actors and their invisible or make-believe love interests (piolo, yul, paolo bediones (?))
- "nabuntis ako ni kwan" issues (jay-r, cogie, ogie diaz)
- son or daughter of a celebrity trying to enter showbiz (FPJ's, bembol's, dolly ann's)
sa politika...
- jumping ships
- resigning. so i guess si GMA ay wala sa uso. hehehe
- going abroad (e.g. mike, mikey, garci, FVR)
- tapes & CDs pirated from somewhere
(to be continued)
eto, obserbasyon ko lang naman...
sa commercial...
- mga commercial jingles custom-made by famous rock/pop bands (e.g. bamboo for nescafe, barbie for close-up, parokya for rexona)
- mga old hit songs na ginagawang commercial jingles (e.g. tindahan ni aling nena for sun cellular, ulan for nescafe)
- charlene-aga tandem (for solmux, even feminine wash!)
- and of course, kris aquino (it's always about her)
sa koreanovela plots...
- poor girl, rich guy. never the other way around. bakit kaya?
- accident scene, usually involving a vehicle.
- dying, usually kasunod ng accident scene hehehe
- karga-karga sa likod moment. according to jessica soho, it's equivalent to our "love scene". nyak! ang baduy!
- love rectangle. it's always 2 guys and 2 girls with complicated love stories. para in the end, everybody happy!
sa showbiz...
- actress-basketball player loveteam (e.g. kris-james, kyla-rich, rufa-rudy, ethel-alex)
- gay actors and their invisible or make-believe love interests (piolo, yul, paolo bediones (?))
- "nabuntis ako ni kwan" issues (jay-r, cogie, ogie diaz)
- son or daughter of a celebrity trying to enter showbiz (FPJ's, bembol's, dolly ann's)
sa politika...
- jumping ships
- resigning. so i guess si GMA ay wala sa uso. hehehe
- going abroad (e.g. mike, mikey, garci, FVR)
- tapes & CDs pirated from somewhere
(to be continued)
Tuesday, July 19
Life's a Ball
UP is (as of posting) 3-0 in UAAP Men's Basketball (pwera buyag). and although i'm pretty ecstatic about it, i am bamboozled! it's not every game you see them win (and by that i mean in the past UAAP seasons), let alone topping the league with a clean win record. i like the fact that every game a different player stands out. it makes the other teams think who's the next "it" guy to stop. i told my sister that if UP enters the Finals, i will fly all the way to manila just to watch the series live. yes, itaga nyo yan sa bato! hahaha... as if!
Go Marvin Cruz!
ah, marvin (the martian)! i can still remember how bwakaw he was with the ball. actually, he still is (in lesser proportion). but i got to admit, he's been the life of the crowd in the past games. pwede syang pang-mascot, actually! hehehe seriously, i can't wait for the UP Juniors who won the champs to step up and dominate the league. although i don't really think we'll be able to produce another magsanoc-paras tandem anytime soon, a championship title would be very much appreciated.
astig no?! wala namang superstar sa UP (like arwin santos or joseph yeo) pero we are winning. actually (naka-ilang actually na ba ako?), if our winning streak ends at 3-0, i really don't mind. that is already a feat for a hungry UP fan like me. pero syempre, mas ok kung all the way to finals. maybe it's really our time. indeed, life's a ball... so let's hold on to it for as long as we can.
UP FIGHT!!!
UP is (as of posting) 3-0 in UAAP Men's Basketball (pwera buyag). and although i'm pretty ecstatic about it, i am bamboozled! it's not every game you see them win (and by that i mean in the past UAAP seasons), let alone topping the league with a clean win record. i like the fact that every game a different player stands out. it makes the other teams think who's the next "it" guy to stop. i told my sister that if UP enters the Finals, i will fly all the way to manila just to watch the series live. yes, itaga nyo yan sa bato! hahaha... as if!
Go Marvin Cruz!
ah, marvin (the martian)! i can still remember how bwakaw he was with the ball. actually, he still is (in lesser proportion). but i got to admit, he's been the life of the crowd in the past games. pwede syang pang-mascot, actually! hehehe seriously, i can't wait for the UP Juniors who won the champs to step up and dominate the league. although i don't really think we'll be able to produce another magsanoc-paras tandem anytime soon, a championship title would be very much appreciated.
astig no?! wala namang superstar sa UP (like arwin santos or joseph yeo) pero we are winning. actually (naka-ilang actually na ba ako?), if our winning streak ends at 3-0, i really don't mind. that is already a feat for a hungry UP fan like me. pero syempre, mas ok kung all the way to finals. maybe it's really our time. indeed, life's a ball... so let's hold on to it for as long as we can.
UP FIGHT!!!
Saturday, July 16
Peke si Peque
like Fongi, i watched the movie pinoy blonde. the ads and commercials, convincing. the effort, appreciated. good actors, over-flowing. script, sucked. technique, copied. in fact, the whole presentation reminded me of kill bill. infusion of cartoons. foreign subtitles. shadow play. foul language. even the stunts, very kill bill-ish. just to prove myself correct, i borrowed kill bill and kill bill 2 VCDs right after watching the movie. and my theory was validated. see it for yourself. now i ask, "Peque, are you a disciple of Tarantino or what?" try again, direk!
i say the script sucked because of its insensitivity. throughout the movie, boy-2 and epi scrutinized the techniques of brocka and bernal (probably the two most sensitive directors in the philippines) and derided the behavior of present filipino moviegoers. paulit-ulit na lang daw ang plots. yeah, yeah... i've heard that from gerard lico over and over again. my contention is if they really know the precise ingredients and right mix of what ticks the senses of these movie buffs, how come it's not in their movie? trying to make a statement? well, i don't think it came across... not a bit! proof? i was the only person in the theatre when i watched the movie. para ngang private showing eh. you can't sell a film like that because it's not commercial. commercial is the present culture. the film is a parody of the filipino moviegoers' culture. therefore, it's insensitive to the very people it tries to attract.
and so probably most of you might say i'm the mababaw one [to even see the film in this light]. but how come a movie presented in the same technique (like kill bill) was not as flop as this one? yes, it's a flop. more than the filipino's not being ready for films like pinoy blonde, i guess it's the writers who are not ready to embrace thicker plots. half-baked or fake, pinoy blonde (the title) says it all.
like Fongi, i watched the movie pinoy blonde. the ads and commercials, convincing. the effort, appreciated. good actors, over-flowing. script, sucked. technique, copied. in fact, the whole presentation reminded me of kill bill. infusion of cartoons. foreign subtitles. shadow play. foul language. even the stunts, very kill bill-ish. just to prove myself correct, i borrowed kill bill and kill bill 2 VCDs right after watching the movie. and my theory was validated. see it for yourself. now i ask, "Peque, are you a disciple of Tarantino or what?" try again, direk!
i say the script sucked because of its insensitivity. throughout the movie, boy-2 and epi scrutinized the techniques of brocka and bernal (probably the two most sensitive directors in the philippines) and derided the behavior of present filipino moviegoers. paulit-ulit na lang daw ang plots. yeah, yeah... i've heard that from gerard lico over and over again. my contention is if they really know the precise ingredients and right mix of what ticks the senses of these movie buffs, how come it's not in their movie? trying to make a statement? well, i don't think it came across... not a bit! proof? i was the only person in the theatre when i watched the movie. para ngang private showing eh. you can't sell a film like that because it's not commercial. commercial is the present culture. the film is a parody of the filipino moviegoers' culture. therefore, it's insensitive to the very people it tries to attract.
and so probably most of you might say i'm the mababaw one [to even see the film in this light]. but how come a movie presented in the same technique (like kill bill) was not as flop as this one? yes, it's a flop. more than the filipino's not being ready for films like pinoy blonde, i guess it's the writers who are not ready to embrace thicker plots. half-baked or fake, pinoy blonde (the title) says it all.
Tuesday, July 12
Pakapalan na Lang
ewan! i was ngarag ever this morning. maybe because i stayed oh-so late last night watching correspondents and reporter's notebook. i think i just had three hours of sleep before dragging myself to the bathroom. huy gising! the cold water was just not enough. palibhasa my Tuesday-Thursday life has been a routine for more than a month now that i don't even have to think how to reach the jeep stop at the kanto. 'got on a jeep. it drove away. still in a state of trance, i reached inside my bag to get my wallet... lo and behold, no wallet!!! ah, baka naman may barya ako sa mga bulsa-bulsa... oh no! none!! ok, freak-out mode na. stop.
ok, ayoko na ituloy ang kwento. nakakahiya ang mga sumunod na pangyayari... naalala ko yung kwento ni kai noong college na nanlimos sya sa bangketa para mabayaran nya yung tricycle na sinakyan nya. no, hindi ganon ang ginawa ko... a lot worse!
the jeep was starting to get spacious as i was getting closer to ateneo. nobody's flagging the jeep. shucks, mahahalata ng driver na hindi pa ako nagbabayad. ok, here's my stop and i'm getting off... now na! miss, bayad nyo? did the driver say something? or was that my alter-ego thinking out loud?
boss chief, naiwan ko po wallet ko. wala po akong pambayad. hindi po kita niloloko. teacher po ako ng ateneo at sa likod ng indonesian consulate po ako nakatira. araw-araw po ako sumasakay ng SM-Ecoland jeep. kung ok lang po sa inyo, pagkatapos ng classes ko, hahanapin ko kayo sa may terminal at ibibigay ko po bayad ko. kung pipilitin nyo pong ngayon ko kayo bayaran, male-late ako sa klase ko at baka hindi ko na lang kayo bayaran dahil maiinis po ako sa inyo. so ano po ba?
yes, we're tagalog-speaking people in davao. and that piece was delivered in a super pa-awa voice, but the latter part was more of the wala-kang-choice tone. so, did the driver buy it? well, he didn't. that was only me practicing... y'know, just in case. hehehe. what really happened was i tried to jump off the jeep without saying "para". parang yung mga nakasabit lang, tapos bigla na lang baba, tapos goodluck na lang kung mag-landing ka sa paa mo. yup, that's what i did. i told you it's embarrassing.
ewan! i was ngarag ever this morning. maybe because i stayed oh-so late last night watching correspondents and reporter's notebook. i think i just had three hours of sleep before dragging myself to the bathroom. huy gising! the cold water was just not enough. palibhasa my Tuesday-Thursday life has been a routine for more than a month now that i don't even have to think how to reach the jeep stop at the kanto. 'got on a jeep. it drove away. still in a state of trance, i reached inside my bag to get my wallet... lo and behold, no wallet!!! ah, baka naman may barya ako sa mga bulsa-bulsa... oh no! none!! ok, freak-out mode na. stop.
ok, ayoko na ituloy ang kwento. nakakahiya ang mga sumunod na pangyayari... naalala ko yung kwento ni kai noong college na nanlimos sya sa bangketa para mabayaran nya yung tricycle na sinakyan nya. no, hindi ganon ang ginawa ko... a lot worse!
the jeep was starting to get spacious as i was getting closer to ateneo. nobody's flagging the jeep. shucks, mahahalata ng driver na hindi pa ako nagbabayad. ok, here's my stop and i'm getting off... now na! miss, bayad nyo? did the driver say something? or was that my alter-ego thinking out loud?
boss chief, naiwan ko po wallet ko. wala po akong pambayad. hindi po kita niloloko. teacher po ako ng ateneo at sa likod ng indonesian consulate po ako nakatira. araw-araw po ako sumasakay ng SM-Ecoland jeep. kung ok lang po sa inyo, pagkatapos ng classes ko, hahanapin ko kayo sa may terminal at ibibigay ko po bayad ko. kung pipilitin nyo pong ngayon ko kayo bayaran, male-late ako sa klase ko at baka hindi ko na lang kayo bayaran dahil maiinis po ako sa inyo. so ano po ba?
yes, we're tagalog-speaking people in davao. and that piece was delivered in a super pa-awa voice, but the latter part was more of the wala-kang-choice tone. so, did the driver buy it? well, he didn't. that was only me practicing... y'know, just in case. hehehe. what really happened was i tried to jump off the jeep without saying "para". parang yung mga nakasabit lang, tapos bigla na lang baba, tapos goodluck na lang kung mag-landing ka sa paa mo. yup, that's what i did. i told you it's embarrassing.
Friday, July 8
Civil War
i can't believe i live in this country. i can't believe that people who claim they serve the best interest of fellow filipinos could not do such without power. what i can believe though is that we brought ourselves in this state of "political confusion". as much as i want to shut my stupid mouth up about this pressing national issue, i can't. i just can't.
i will not beat around the bush. i want a civil war. actually the thought just came to me after a co-teacher pointed out how it will destroy and help the philippines. ninoy said (and so did the 500-peso bill), "the filipinos are worth dying for." let's take our cue from there. if war is the only excuse for me to kill these traditional politicians, by all means i'll wage it. yes, it will damage much of what we have built over the years, including heritage thingamajigs and valued architecture. but we only have so few of those, so it's really not much of a problem. in fact, after the war is over, architects will be so in demand that even poor people will need one. no, actually, there will be no poor people after the war. much like how slavery was eradicated during the american civil war. and besides, everything and everywhere in the philippines is filled with corruption. even the very oxygen we breathe has corruption molecules [if there is such]. it's about time we fumigate ourselves, don't you think?
don't worry about your possessions. it will all be equitably returned to us. unless you're greedy, this process will appease you. i say civil war is the true test of knowing who really thinks of the nation's best interest and who just wants to grab power.
after the war, we can start anew. planning is now a known science and therefore should be practiced before we allow ourselves to commit the same mistakes again. i guess the only permanently damaged construct after the war is culture. our culture will never be the same again. but that's also fine. our culture brought us where we are now. and where we are now is a lot worse than a post-war scenario. in a post-war scenario, there is hope of rebuilding. at our present state, it's hard to even think of hope.
so guys, will you join me?
i can't believe i live in this country. i can't believe that people who claim they serve the best interest of fellow filipinos could not do such without power. what i can believe though is that we brought ourselves in this state of "political confusion". as much as i want to shut my stupid mouth up about this pressing national issue, i can't. i just can't.
i will not beat around the bush. i want a civil war. actually the thought just came to me after a co-teacher pointed out how it will destroy and help the philippines. ninoy said (and so did the 500-peso bill), "the filipinos are worth dying for." let's take our cue from there. if war is the only excuse for me to kill these traditional politicians, by all means i'll wage it. yes, it will damage much of what we have built over the years, including heritage thingamajigs and valued architecture. but we only have so few of those, so it's really not much of a problem. in fact, after the war is over, architects will be so in demand that even poor people will need one. no, actually, there will be no poor people after the war. much like how slavery was eradicated during the american civil war. and besides, everything and everywhere in the philippines is filled with corruption. even the very oxygen we breathe has corruption molecules [if there is such]. it's about time we fumigate ourselves, don't you think?
don't worry about your possessions. it will all be equitably returned to us. unless you're greedy, this process will appease you. i say civil war is the true test of knowing who really thinks of the nation's best interest and who just wants to grab power.
after the war, we can start anew. planning is now a known science and therefore should be practiced before we allow ourselves to commit the same mistakes again. i guess the only permanently damaged construct after the war is culture. our culture will never be the same again. but that's also fine. our culture brought us where we are now. and where we are now is a lot worse than a post-war scenario. in a post-war scenario, there is hope of rebuilding. at our present state, it's hard to even think of hope.
so guys, will you join me?
Monday, July 4
From Ninna's Blog
Ninna posted these 5 "interview me" questions. pretty interesting questions i must say. reminds me of the hotseat days we had in college. hehehe
1. what do you think of BSB's comeback?
i love BSB... to the bones! they look a bit old. their music a bit different. but hey, they're still the same guys who made hits... and will be making more hits, for sure!
2. how do you lure a gay guy into having a relationship with you?
sex change! hahaha joke! seriously, hindi yata kaya ng powers ko yan. mukhang hindi kase tumatalab kay Lex mga "damubs" ko. Hahaha! siguro if we're around 35 years old na and still unattached, i'll bribe him with my egg cells and a lifetime of companionship. charing! pero mukhang ayaw nya ng genes ko eh. hahaha!
3. what, for you, is the best invention?
wrist watch or clock. i'm a time freak.
4. which is better - teaching or studying?
studying or being a student. when you teach kase you also have to study... then teach it to your students, then think of exam and quiz questions, then check papers, then think of reasonable grade for your students, then study some more... haaay, kapoy!
5. if you were to be mute for the rest of your life starting now, what would be your last spoken word?
hirap naman nito... as in word lang?... siguro, i'll call my mom and say "thanks".
Ninna posted these 5 "interview me" questions. pretty interesting questions i must say. reminds me of the hotseat days we had in college. hehehe
1. what do you think of BSB's comeback?
i love BSB... to the bones! they look a bit old. their music a bit different. but hey, they're still the same guys who made hits... and will be making more hits, for sure!
2. how do you lure a gay guy into having a relationship with you?
sex change! hahaha joke! seriously, hindi yata kaya ng powers ko yan. mukhang hindi kase tumatalab kay Lex mga "damubs" ko. Hahaha! siguro if we're around 35 years old na and still unattached, i'll bribe him with my egg cells and a lifetime of companionship. charing! pero mukhang ayaw nya ng genes ko eh. hahaha!
3. what, for you, is the best invention?
wrist watch or clock. i'm a time freak.
4. which is better - teaching or studying?
studying or being a student. when you teach kase you also have to study... then teach it to your students, then think of exam and quiz questions, then check papers, then think of reasonable grade for your students, then study some more... haaay, kapoy!
5. if you were to be mute for the rest of your life starting now, what would be your last spoken word?
hirap naman nito... as in word lang?... siguro, i'll call my mom and say "thanks".