Hello.

I am back. /epic flailing

Actually, I have been up and about (in case this, this and most recently, this weren't sure signs of me still living a life). It's just that with the forced hiatus (due to stupidity on my part), plus life for the past two and a half months flew by at breakneck pace that it was impossible to have done a decent blog. Nope. Nu uh.

So, this will be like a monster posts of sorts, just to tie in the past two and a half months to the present.

Here goes everything.

Monster randomness post | Hiatus

Hello people of the intarwebz.

Updates are really hard to come by, being UNBELIEVABLY BUSY the past weeks. But, as usual, Tumblr and Twitter have been updated religiously, but nothing beats a blog post. I'm about to do a monster update.

The first term has been overcome...with a 3.5 on both subjects. Considering how hard this term was together with the workload outside school, I'm very, very happy with these grades. =D

The second term began last week, with Media Planning every Thursday and Public Relations every Monday. Based on inside info I got from my classmates, I have a strong feeling that this term will be very reminiscent of undergrad classes. HAHAHA! I don't know if that's good. I hope it is. XD

Also, I won't have any class at RCBC. THANK GOODNESS. I don't want to have another class at that campus again. Death by aircon lagi.

 

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I did my MIBF shopping yesterday! =D

I love MIBF. The atmosphere is soooo good in spite of the thick crowd. Oh, and the books are pretty cheap, too.

This was the damage, este, loot this year. I lost my small NASB, so I bought a compact thinline NIV. I've seen this in bookstores before, but didn't buy it because I thought P1,550 to be too steep. I found this particular copy (IN PURPLE) in the fair, its last price was *drumroll please* P945. Without a doubt, this year's best buy.

The Elements of Style is a recommended required reading for our Copywriting class. I got an ebook last term and read through parts of it, and realized that this book was too good that a physical copy was a must. The version I bought was illustrated and printed on glossy paper. It looked like a woman in a LBD. Last price: P479.20.

I heard Any Human Heart was good. It must be, because Fully Booked had to transfer its last copy from its Rockwell branch for me to purchase at the MIBF.  I love you, FB. Thank you, Lucy. Last price: P502.40.

I have read The Hobbit when I was in college, but never owned a copy. This one, like The Elements of Style, had illustrations, was LARGE (fairy tale book size) and printed on glossy paper, for a very reasonable price of P576.

Hay, new books. Too bad I can't read them until November 15.

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Bad decisions make good stories. In lieu of which, this blog will be on hiatus effective today until November 15. Other haunts (Tumblr, Twitter, and yes...even FB) will be inactive as well.  =D

It's for the best, really. I think I'll do the occasional reply to @ tweets, but nothing out of my own volition.

So, until November 15, then. =D 

By the way, my birthday is on November 5. OHSNAPWAIT

Breaking the kuripot rule and midterms, among other things

I AM ALIVE.

Just like that, we're halfway through the year! Midterms are officially done (I think my grades aren't too bad), and the job's keeping me busy. My job is evolving into a creature (LOL) that I never expected it to become, and I'm just taking everything in stride. Yup. Striding is key.

And now, on to a QUALITY POST.

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NEW GLASSES. The last time I bought a pair was six years ago, and I wouldn't have changed it if weren't for the screws becoming loose just days after I have it fixed. So, ayan! I bought these last Sunday and got it with my grade an hour and a half after. Somehow, I've always preferred glasses over contacts because they have more appearance-changing powers (LOL, that was a weird way of putting it). Tsaka I'm not really into changing my eye color anyway. =/

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I am really excited for Cinemalaya! Haven't read the summaries of the movies this year, but I'm happy that I'll probably get to catch a few of the movies with some friends. =) Cinemalaya is probably the only time I get to watch homegrown stuff. And...le sigh, I can go on with this topic forever, but I think it's going to be this way for a while. 

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I am NOT DONE with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. /ashamed It's taking longer than expected due to the immense amount of spy jargon. I honestly have to stop and try to remember my trail of thought whilst reading the book whenever I encounter something unfamiliar. 

This book should have started with a glossary, in my opinion. XD

Speaking of books, let me just detail what's in the pipeline:

1. Spirit-Controlled Temperament, by Tim LaHaye. More of a required reading, but will also consider it for leisure =D
2. Bram Stoker's Dracula. Catching up on my classics, especially on the vampiric. I've honestly stayed away from that part of the bookstore ever since the Twilight movies came out, but a classic is a classic. I'll probably also re-read The Vampire Lestat, and get a copy of The Tale of the Body Thief (my UBER-FAVORITE among The Vampire Chronicles). Have I ever fangirled in this blog of how much I LOVE The Vampire Chronicles? Okay. Now you know. =D TVC is the standard for me for vampire stories, in spite of its...errr...decline (read: Blood Canticle. What.)
3. The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. I thought this would be an interesting read for the future book club. (I REALLY WANNA PUT UP ONE, MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT THAT)  And in relation to #2, I wish I can insert some TVC books in that book club (libre mangarap!) 
4. Lady of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Bought this book for a whopping FIFTY PESOS, and it's in near-mint condition (near-mint because it's been on their shelf since 2007 and for some reason, no one really cared to buy it. NO ONE CARED FOR A MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY BOOK. Unbelievable.)
5. (lest I forget) Elements of Style, by Strunk and White. Nothing screams REQUIRED READING more than this book. Yes and Amen.

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Epic: when someone you looked up to when you were a kid tells someone that they should get more people who are like yourself. Did that make sense? 

June 20 marked the proudest moment of my career so far. Like, seriously. I shed a tear. 

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There's stuff I want to write about...like seriously write about. There are stories in my head that are begging to be written on the page, but there's just no time. Basta. Abangan niyo na lang. A time for everything; a season for every activity. 

Happily ever after - a longer version this time

As promised, I am posting about the Author event that happened yesterday. Of course, I have to repost the epic Samantha Sotto photoset, and along with that my pictures with our other speakers  - Larry Gamboa, RJ Ledesma, Charles Tan, and Grace D. Chong (I had to be the host during the afternoon session. HOST!!!!! /dedz).

I feel really privileged to have organized this event (though it is rather tiring, LOL. By the time the event ended I realized I had a poor excuse of a meal for lunch and had next to nothing for merienda. I would have crashed along Pasay Road if weren't for CBTL.). But being a reader and a writer myself, having to listen to all of these people talk about their author journey is nothing less than inspiring.

About this time last year, I remember that I was seriously contemplating on returning to Manila even if it meant resigning from work and being unemployed. There was so much uncertainty during that time, as well as self-doubt.

But looking back on it now, I realized I didn't have to fret so much. From that very low point last year, I'm now meeting people whom I though I'd never meet in my lifetime, learning new things at a speed that I'm not used to, and taking on responsibilities that I never even thought I'd handle...oh, and did I mention writing a book?! It's all just amazing. It's far from "living a dream", but it's far from half-bad.

And on this note, you've just been Loki'd. #appropriatelokireactiongifisappropriate

Happily ever after

So today, I...
1. Asked Samantha Sotto to autograph my copy of Before Ever After---
2. And not just any autograph - but a GEEKY autograph---
3. And I asked her if we could do a wacky shot.
Check, check, and check.

(Autograph says: To JC, Find your inner chicken. Love, Sam).

 MY DAY. IT IS MADE.

 Ms. Sam, if you're reading this, thank you so much for being a sport to my wacky/off-the-beaten-track whims during Project Author today. It's the first time I met an author to whom I can actually relate to, especially when you were gushing over Dr. Who!

It was such an honor to have heard the story of before Before Ever After. Now, I really have to keep on writing. Thank you also for giving me the tip of texting myself in order to store book/plot ideas in the middle of the night. XDDD

(Okay, I know what's written above is pretty much what I posted on FB and Tumblr, but I just want to get this down cause I'm still in utter disbelief of what happened! Hahahaha! I'll probably blog more about this event in the next few days.)

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Okay. I seriously need a day off. SO TIREEEEEDDDDD.

Tomorrow - 2PM service, and SLEEPTIEMZ. And maybe BLOGTIEMZ also. Let's see...

RDJ/Opera

Hello, people who read this blog.

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The April 27 event went quite well. There were things that didn't exactly go the way I planned or intended, but overall I'm relieved that it's over.

Like...YOUHAVENOIDEAHOWRELIEVEDIAM relieved. XD

Up next on my pipeline is the author event on May 5. I'm more excited with this event than the one last Friday, but I have a feeling that there is more work for this one than the other.

I also have to buy myself a copy of Before Ever After to get that awesomesauce autograph. XDDD

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Guess what. I HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE. I just have to try harder at it.

I watched The Avengers last Saturday. It was PERFECTION. Everything was awesome and nothing hurt. Though I did initially feel bad that Edward Norton won't be reprising The Hulk, it didn't dampen my expectations for this movie at all. This was also the first movie I watched this year with a group. 

I would like to officially induct RDJ to my list of Papas, along with Johnny Depp and Lolo Ken Watanabe. Because. He is RDJ. 

Oh, and I get to watch it again tomorrow. For free. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. 

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About an hour ago, I bought myself a ticket to this Broadway show coming to this country on August! I got a decent Balcony 1 Center seat on September 1, and I'm not complaining. I need some opera in my system, and I should at least get my butt out to watch one opera in my lifetime. 

The only letdown I see with this is that I don't have anymore money to buy a decent ticket (read: AT LEAST LOWER BOX) for the NKOTBSB concert that - read this - may have Kevin Richardson joining BSB again for good! Then again, I've already watched a BSB concert, and Phantom or the really good Broadway shows don't just come around here often. 

You reap what you sow

Reaping time has begun.

KWATRO.

(with hagod)

I wish I could call this a repeat of the First Term Epic Grand Slam but it really isn't...first of all, I only have one subject this term, whereas during the first term, I had a full load for a part-time student. But looking at the bright side, this term also had its own brand of "epic grand slam", in the sense that I had to handle a full load of work and ministry, along with school. 

The real test though happens when I go full load again next term. /sigh I hope I can deal with it.

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Anyway, I have two events coming up, and if perchance you are interested in any of these, please leave a comment with your email address so I can send you more details :-) 

• Friday, April 27: The Happy at Work 2.0 Conference 2012. Happy at Work is an event that seeks to share best practices on employee engagement and happiness in the workplace. Recent studies on positive psychology have shown that it is happiness that fuels success, and not the other way around. We've got really good speakers (award-winning), so it's definitely value for money.
• Saturday, May 5: Project Author. This is BIGGER than the one last December. We actually have Samantha Sotto as one of our speakers (yes, the Samantha Sotto who wrote Before Ever After). Also invited are Grace Chong (her talk is wonderful, believe me), who's an amazing down-to-earth person in spite of her five Palanca awards and 30 books; RJ Ledesma (It Only Hurts When I Pee and three other books), and Larry Gamboa (Think Rich, Pinoy!, and two others). We also invited Flipside Digital Publishing's Honeylein De Peralta, and her talk's a must-listen if you want to get the lowdown on e-books, a publishing route that's established itself as a force to be reckoned with.

Again, if you're interested, please leave a comment with your name and email address so I can send you more details. We've got discounts available, plus these are two events that have wonderful content. You won't be disappointed.

Please also pray for me - these three weeks will be very tough on me (it's kind of like hell week last December). 

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Now reading: A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. I knew this had to be included in my reading list after last year's happenings. I think it will be very interesting to see how the famous apologetic dealt with grief, and how he wrestled with God throughout the entire grieving process.

I tried to keep a grief journal. I was dead serious with doing it that I even bought a notebook for it. But, I only got to write a few pages. It was tough writing about my personal grief story. Finding the words to describe how you feel is both a fearful and challenging ordeal. Fearful, because in many ways I wasn't prepared to face my grief, and instead opted to put layer upon layer upon layer of protection (work, getting more work, getting more and more work) over my true feelings at the time, and shedding all of it would be like opening a can of worms. Challenging, because putting words to describe "grief" on a page is like limiting the definition of my personal grief. One word, like "depression", or maybe "longing" puts limits on the overall scheme of things. 

Until today, many pages are left blank. 

By the way, I highly recommend The Case for Christ. Like, mark it as one of your must reads before you turn 30 or before you turn agnostic/atheist...or something. XD

Book buy this month (and probably the only buy, because I have stuff to pay for) is...finally my own Maxwell Leadership Bible. If you've been to the bookstore, you know how much this costs - over P1000 bucks (when I went to the MIBF last year, it was P1200 I think). I got mine - a brand new copy - for a price that screamed YOU'LL SO REGRET NOT BUYING ME SO BUY ME NOW.

There was a time I got second-hand, yet very good condition leather bound Bibles (like BIG ones) for a thousand bucks (got my big NIV and NASB from that source). But this ... I got for much cheaper than that. *grin*

You got to deal with it: The Obligatory Fangirling-about-The-Legend-of-Korra Post

Aang is dead. 

Since last week, I've been spazzing on the awesomeness called The Legend of Korra. Knowing my country, it will be a while before the series reaches our shores, so I took the liberty of seeing the first two episodes for myself.

 I regret nothing.

Quit piddling and write that book

I AM ALAAAAIIIIVE.

Hello, people who read this blog. I am currently in Tagaytay for the author class' Writer's Retreat. As of 10PM, my brain has officially fallen asleep, which is why I've resorted to making a blog post.

My progress with the book I'm writing is going along well, which is FANfreakingTASTIC! As usual, I was fearing the worst. I get the butterflies and awkwardness of extreme proportions when people look at what I write, so for the boss to tell me that I write good and what I've written was good made me feel so relieved. I just need to add a few more details here and there, but I'm on the right track.

Now, what I really wish I was writing right now is a fiction piece. If I get to finish Unforgiven, I swear I will throw a party and invite everyone I know. That's a story that's been brewing since...I don't know exactly when, but I'm pretty sure it comes all the way back to grade school. So if that gets done, then ye gads, a celebration is definitely in order.

Sorry for such a crappy entry. Like what I said, my brain has fallen asleep. =/

[static] Support Cherry Cherry Boom Boom at Bagyo Berde - the DLSU Centennial Battle of the Bands

Cherry Cherry Boom Boom (a 100% Lasallian band!) will be performing next Wednesday at Bagyo Berde - the Centennial Battle of the Bands of De La Salle University.

There are many ways you can support the band! We will appreciate it if you can come and watch us at 6PM next Wednesday at the Amphitheater. Tickets are being sold at Php150 along Miguel and Velasco Halls of the Alma Mater, as well as in the SDA Building of DLS-CSB.

If you cannot come on Wednesday night, you can still support us by doing any or all of the following:

1. Vote for us. If you have a Smart number, text BAGYOBERDE <space> POLL <space> 3 and send to 700DLSU (7003578). That's "BAGYOBERDE POLL 3" and send to 7003578. If you don't have a Smart number, you can go to the Bagyo Berde booth along Miguel and get a Smart SIM for free. You can also pasa load to my Smart Bro number 09396652946 so I can use whatever load you send to me to vote for CCBB. If you will pasa load to my Smart Bro, please text me on my Globe number (wahahahahaha!).
2. If you are in DLSU until 5:00 PM, visit the Bagyo Berde booth (either along Velasco or Miguel) and drop a few bills in the Cherry Cherry Boom Boom coin bank/can. 
3. Donate to Youth Church (YC) of Church of God-Makati. Our entry is fully supported by the youth ministry of our church. Your money will go a long way towards building up leaders out of our youth in Makati, and in other places of the metro and beyond. 

Thank you!

Because I'm usually the one who takes the shot (a.k.a. The Cherry Cherry Boom Boom Photoshoot)

For my utter lack of coherence in the previous post, I regret nothing. (HAHA!)

But to save face, here's a more coherent version.

I am obligated to provide a link to the portfolio of the uber-demanding photographer (sobrang demanding niya, you have no idea).

Being the person who's (unofficially) the official photographer for events - whether they are family reunions, work or church related events, I RARELY get really good photos (as in VAVAVOOM GOOD). The people I take pictures of end up with the good photos (and eventually, DPs), while I end up with the usual substandard selca or a picture of myself that wasn't taken well because of poor lighting, composition, and/or laziness. I get even more pissed if a person who has zero knowledge about the use of DSLRs handles Oberon, but that's another story.

So, you could just imagine how happy I was when this photoshoot was scheduled, and how much I was freaking out when I saw what came out of the shoot. YE GADS - I finally have a decent photo!

It was a night of too much eyeliner (not only for me, but also for the guys!), too much black eyeshadow, and questionable fashion sense (blazer + shorts + rubber shoes = say what now?). The photos were taken in fire escapes and hallways. This particular picture was taken at the hallway, with no light except from the flash. We found the sofa stashed at the corner leading to the CR.

It's actually fun being photographed when you don't have to be "pretty", cause I pretty much suck at that no matter how hard I try. =P

Can I say that I was trying to channel Coco Rocha fierceness during this shoot? In my head I was telling myself, "think Coco Rocha fierce, be Coco Rocha fierce..." Now that I think about it, I don't understand why I would I think of a high-fashion model during a band photoshoot, and not someone like Gwen Stefani or Amy Lee.

Anyway, some of the friends who saw this said that I look like the female vocalist of Taken By Cars. That wasn't my intention at all, but I do see the similarity. XP

Oh - in other band-related news, we have decided on a cover song. =)

This is so epic I can't even find the words to describe it

Booyaaah

Yup, I have to post it again. Our "band" got in the battle of the bands of DLSU, which will be held on February 8. A little research was done some of the competition we're facing, and we learned that some of the bands hold regular gigs (and have FB pages!). I thought to myself, if one would consider our Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday assignments as gigs, then we hold at least two each week! We just don't have a Facebook page. /heehee

One of the songs we did during the audition was Oo by Up Dharma Down. Learning it was such a challenge - I couldn’t nail the vocal by just listening to it a hundred times, and listening to it a hundred times wasn’t possible, since I was given the song less than two days before the audition date. Oh, and to aggravate things further, my fellow band members did a bossa arrangement for the song. Bossa is a genre I am NOT comfortable singing with.

So, on the eve of audition day, I wrote the lyrics down and “drew” the melody (see left). Then, I practiced it. By the time we did the audition, I nearly forgot some of the words, but at least I nailed the melody. =D

Now that we’re in, we're so excited! They chose only 10 out of 46 bands that auditioned! For sure, wala na akong kodigo by February 8 (hahaha!!!). We'll be getting t-shirts to wear for the finals - I found two sponsors and I've drafted various shirt designs already. We have no setlist yet, or a solid original song, but we have time to prepare. =)

I'M SO LOOKING FORWARD TO FEB 8

WE GOT IN. THIS MAKES ME SOOOO RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY.

(salamat kay Lady Gaga for the name of our band XD)

One/One/Twelve

Happy 2012!

The family heaved a collective sigh when the clock struck twelve midnight. We've had it with 2011. We welcomed this year by watching the neighbors' fireworks, which was kind of boring. I went to bed thirty minutes after midnight.

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This term, I am enrolled in just one class, which falls on a Monday. First day is next week. Tomorrow is the first working day, and I'll have to go to work ALONE, because the parents won't be coming in. Bummer.

I'm still pretty sore about ministry-related stuff, and that's kind of an open secret (LOL). I think the reason for this is that it's not been resolved until now. Because of that, for the past two months I've been leaning towards not going for the extra mile, or not giving a damn about stuff that others think I should. I know I have to find that passion or whatever that is somewhere inside me and take it out of last year's major funk. Something has to change.

I think the key to making this year different from last year is attitude. I've been told this a zillion times (and if you're one of those people, thank you), and I think it's about time that I heeded that advise.

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By the way, I haven't talked about my birthday present to myself. I bought a Yamaha PSR E323. I was learning how to play this last year, and was even assigned to play synth a few times during services. Buying this wasn't necessary, but I was dead serious with wanting to learn how to play, since I don't have an instrument I could play aside from voice.

I have...four months(?) left to pay for this baby, which I have named Angela, after Angela Aki. =D  How I decided on "Angela" is quite interesting. I was mulling over possible names on Twitter, and the first idea that came to mind is to name it after a really good pianist, and I tweeted that Angela Aki was my top-of-mind pianist. I mentioned others like Hiromi Uehara (who at that time was also a very viable candidate), but all that changed when this thing below happened: 

Turns out that THE Angela Aki herself retweeted said tweet of mine (which was in Taglish, increasing the epic/fail of it all).Hence, I have decided to name it Angela in homage to her. =D

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And that's it, basically. I'm watching Tron now, and up next will be Tron Legacy.

This feels so hipster. 

Asante sana, Disney 3D

As (I have) promised (myself) in an earlier post, I watched The Lion King 3D tonight. I actually was planning on watching it tomorrow, but when I looked at the schedule, I didn't think it would be a good idea. So, I decided to go for tonight instead.

OHMAYGASSS GAIS IT WAS EPIC. THE GRASS WAS GREENER, THE SMOKE SMOKIER, THE STARS STARRIER!!! EVERYTHING WAS AWESOME AND NOTHING HURTS. 

I know I’ve got a big TLK bias, this being my all-time favorite Disney movie, but if you’ve watched the movie countless times like I have and you think you’re getting the same (asante sana squash) banana, you’re not. They added so many layers of detail to this movie, so much so that it’s as if Zazu’s wings popped out of the screen when he was flying towards Mufasa, the stampede scene became even more ravaging, the stars actually sparkle (and it was very believable too - when Mufasa said, "Look at the stars," I actually stared at the stars for the rest of the sequence), and the rising sun scene at the start of the movie … ye gads, I got goosebumps all over. The colors seriously pop out of the screen - they don’t look faded or worn over compared to when you see it on DVD or Disney Channel.

I almost cried when Simba found Mufasa dead. I almost cried when Circle of Life was coming to an end. And the "Simba, you have forgotten me" sequence - TEARS. Some things never change. =)

The 3D version is so awesome that I think I will always refer to the 2D as substandard from here on in. (HOHMGIWANTBLURAYNAO)

As expected, part of the crowd tonight were families with small kids. After Circle of Life ended and the loud beat of the drum sounded off and the title in red over black showed on screen, I heard a kid ask his parents: "Tapos na?" I had to smile, because that was the exact same reaction I had when I first watched it 17 years ago (wow, it was that long na pala...)

Fast forward to after the stampede - when the screen showed that Mufasa was dead, the same kid (I'm assuming) blurted out, "He's sleeping!" Again, I smiled (while trying not to cry - which surprisingly, wasn't so hard) because that was what I thought at first too when I watched it as a kid. Looking back on it now, it was not actually Mufasa's death that was traumatizing, it was Simba's reaction to it that scarred me for life.

After Simba was banished by Scar, not a sound could be heard from the kids watching. I wanted to see if any of them were crying, but I was just so engrossed with the added detail that I couldn't afford to look away.

Anyway, again...if you loved TLK but you're thinking twice of watching it on 3D - DON'T THINK, JUST DO IT. I don't think you'll have any regrets. =)

"It's so magical that words cannot describe"

For this post, indulge me/yourselves by listening to this song sung by this awesome man to the left. This was taken from the 2011 SMTown Winter album (when was the last one released? LOL I can't even remember).

Was I expecting a ballad? Of course I was.

Was I expecting an English song? HOLY MOLEY GUACAMOLE NO. You could just imagine what my reaction was (in the office, to boot!) when I heard "I loved you the first time I saw you" - it took every ounce of dignity and professionalism for me not to freak out and say "HOHMYGODBBILOVEDYOUTOOTHEFIRSTTIMEIHEARDYOU" or something like that...hahahahahaha!

Okay, the song has its rough edges -  the rs and the ls aren't as distinct in some parts, there are a few words that I couldn't understand at first (granted the accent). The song is, again, the template power ballad you'll expect Kangta to sing - complete with the piano intro and strings that drive said template power ballad into predictable positive results. The lyrics of the song are predictable, not poetic to say the least (in one word - commercial).

Having said the negatives, I CANNOT KEEP CALM WHEN I LISTEN TO THIS SONG. The way he sings the song sans accent, r-l differentiation fail and fool-proof song formula is fan-freaking-tastic that I can't find the words to express it. The dynamics, the vocals, ohhh myyy starrrrsss. The"design" and the "cannot" parts in the chorus are just...beyond!

And this, people who read this blog, is exactly why Ahn Chil Hyun-sama (ORZ ORZ ORZ) is one of my muses. It's not just random one-volume singing, it's about knowing when to be p, to be pp, or to be ff or f, or to do the < or > (hahahahahahaha!). I'm rambling, but if there's anything that's just as important as proper breathing and placing of vocal cords, it's dyna-freaking-mics.

I'm so tempted to do a meme that says something like this:

EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT SINGING
I LEARNED BY LISTENING TO AHN CHIL HYUN 
or something like that...

It's not really the whole truth, but ye gads, listening to how he sings and applying the same principles makes so much difference, you have no idea. Secret: When I have to sing a song, especially when I'm singing it for the first time, the first thought that will always come to my mind is WWKD - What Would Kangta Do? By the way, this includes church songs. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

In the words of Austin Kleon, you steal like an artist. 

Boo

I have not been updating. I am sorry. *facepalm*

This sorry state is about to be remedied.

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I turned 26 two Saturdays ago. Twenty-six is a good age (I think I don't look 26 - I certainly don't act like  26!), but it's a few years shy from 30. Not so good. =/ I don't think I fit into the "thirties' mold right now, or anytime soon...

Anyway, I decided on a Guy Fawkes birthday theme this year. Apparently, not too many people in my circle of friends knew about Gunpowder Plot Day/Guy Fawkes Day/Remember, remember, the 5th of November day. I keep on telling people in the days leading to November 5 that it is a holiday declared in my honor and that they should page homage to me by sending cash gifts or in kind. They simply knew my Guy Fawkes mask as the V mask from V for Vendetta, which is close enough.

I cut up a bunch of Guy Fawkes masks and gave it to the people whom I was with during the day, and I shot photos of people, including myself, wearing the mask. It's kind of like a mature children's party, if you will - wala nga lang party hats. I decided on not having pasta for my birthday dinner. Instead, I had some risotto and fish & chips. *shrug* 

The only major detail I missed was the bonfire. /tsk

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I finished reading this book last month. It took me a whole frigging month to finish it. /le sigh Things haven't exactly been smooth-sailing the past two and a half months, which explains the whole hiatus/drought of posts that this blog had experienced. Kafka is a good writier, although I feel that his writing style isn't engaging enough. 

The Hunger Artist remains to be my favorite Kafka story, as well as this other short story included in this collection, the title of which escapes me at the moment. In the Penal Colony was nice in its own disturbing way. I usually am very partial to those kind of stories but my imaginings of the Bed, the Designer and the Harrow were too detailed. By the time the climax happened, I was cringing.

Now, I'm reading A Wild Sheep Chase by - you guessed it - Haruki Murakami. This is the first of three Murakami books that I bought during the MIBF, and on top of this I've got other readings for school to do...but the great thing about Murakami's books is the way his stories draw you in, that you don't realize that you've read this many pages until you glance at how many pages you have actually read.

After this book, I still have Norwegian Wood and South of the Border, West of the Sun from my MIBF stash to read. After that, I will move on to to this ...

1Q84 BABY!!!!!! ZOMG KEYBOARD SMASH ASFOPHSDIOCVNASDHV9PAWEYFHP0IO!!!!! All my kuripot-related arguments have become invalid. /le sigh

Already I'm getting requests if this book can be borrowed after I'm done reading it. I'm okay with lending, but I'm not really sure when I'll be able to lend it. This is the thickest Murakami I've ever laid eyes upon. It doesn't help too that I've got other Murakami books in the pipeline, plus real life and everything else in between.

On the subject of lending, I think I ought to be making a list of the books I have here so they can be lent out. Hmmmm...that might be a good project. 

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This year, I am officially grandparent-less. Tatay and Nanay (side ni Papa) passed away just over a week apart last month. It's really sad, and for a while the family was in a state of funk. 

On both occasions, I was asked to look for a solo picture of both of them to be displayed during the wake. Looking for a good photo wasn't hard, but when I did that I realized that I have no recent photo of me with my grandparents, or even with one of them beside me.Ako kasi lagi ang tagakuha ng picture. That really depressed me for a while. But, when I shared this to one of my titas, she chastised me: "Hay naku, JC. Kung hindi dahil sa iyo, wala tayong magandang picture na maipapakita ng sa Nanay at sa Tatay, at wala rin kaming  magandang kuha kasama sila kung hindi dahil sa iyo." Though the thought of that was quite relieving, I still wish I had a recent picture with them.

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A few years ago, sinabihan ako ni Tatay na bilhan ko siya ng libro. I always knew that he loved to read - kadalasan nga mas updated pa siya sa showbiz happenings kesa sa akin. Mwahahahahahaha. 

Tinanong ko sa kanya kung anong klaseng libro ang gusto niyang bilhin ko. Very specific ang sagot niya - gusto niya yung mga biography. He wanted to read the life stories of the likes of JFK, Nelson Mandela, etc. I was fully intent on buying him a brand new book (as in hardbound - I remember even looking for a good enough biography, choosing between JFK, Winston Churchill, and I think even Adolf Hitler) but I was convinced by the parental units to try my luck at second-hand bookstores.

That's where I found that book - the unauthorized biography of Frank Sinatra as written by Kitty Kelley. It was the perfect book - laging kinakanta ni Tatay ang My Way (aka second national anthem ng Pilipinas) at New York, New York tuwing magka-karaoke. I bought it without giving a second thought, and gave it to him nung sunod na uwi ko sa Calumpit. He was able to finish the book within days. When I went back, kinuwento na niya sa akin ang buong libro (it fascinated him that Sinatra was part of a mafia of some sort, but admittedly, I don't really care about the mafia, I just like listening to his songs XD). 

The book was damaged because of Pedring, hence the not-so-good condition in the photo above.

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Nung namatay ang Nanay (nauna siya sa Tatay), ramdam mo kaagad na wala na siya. Lagi kung umuuwi kami sa Calumpit, pagka-mano mo pa lang tatanungin ka na kaagad: "Nag-merienda ka na ba?" or "Nasaan si [insert name of kapatid/pinsan/tito/tita na absent on that day]?". Nung umuwi ako for the first time since namatay siya, walang nagtanong sa amin nun. It was downright depressing.

One of the reasons why Ondoy became bearable was because pinahiram niya kami ng maisusuot. Actually, na-enjoy kong suotin ang duster niya. Hahahahaha! Tsaka, we were very well fed for a storm like that. As in walang de lata or instant noodles kind of food - we had real food that day (birthday celebration kasi ni Tatay kaya maraming pagkain, but I think even without the birthday we'd still be decently fed). All of the beds available in the house had mosquito nets over it because of her. Lahat kami nagkaroon ng unan nung matutulog na kami because she prepared our beddings. Sa umaga, meron kaming sinangag at hotdog dahil maaga siyang nagigising. Or, during very special days, may gatas ng kalabaw pa. Haaaaaaaay. 

She was the one who told me to put ice on my skin asthma in order to relieve the itching. I got the idea of putting my arms/legs/face in front of the aircon whenever I have a skin allergy attack from her. Naiisip pa nga niya at times, lalo na kung may ulang na ulam kung may dala pa akong gamot (at naalala niya pati ang pangalan). Hardcore. 

I guess that pretty much explains my hiatus of sorts. There's nothing really "happy" to post about. For a while, everything was in shades of gray, and if something were colored, the hues were faded. I wasn't also in the mood to meet with people - even for birthdays. Heck, I even toned down my own birthday celebration (I didn't have a bonfire XD). It's just...le sigh. 

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I know, November is NaNoWriMo, but I haven't got time for that - add that to the fact that every time I joined NaNo and crossed 50K I have to have MAJOR THERAPY done to my back. Not good. 

Plus, I don't really know how to do 50K with my workload + grad school + everything else in between. It's next to impossible right now. 

Most importantly, I don't have a plot. So yeah.

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I want a new header image. I was doing a vector awhile ago but scrapped the idea. Whatever it is, I know it will come sooner or later.

The epic First Term Grand Slam

KWATRO.
(with hagod)

When I came in as a grad student in DLSU, I was psyching myself that a 3.0 or 3.5 final grade is "high enough". Since a 2.0 kind of equates to a 1.0 - anything lower than that and you have to retake the subject.

So, imagine my surprise when I opened MLS this morning and saw that BOTH of my subjects got a FOUR POINT ZERO. Tears of joy. Previously unknown [bad] dance moves emerge. Sheer bliss.

The Stat grade was something I wasn't expecting at all. Just last night, I was musing that I will be happy with either a 2.5 or a 3.0, because even if I did really well in my finals (I got a perfect score), I have no idea how midterms went down.

Anyway, this means that I officially have my Friday nights back (WOOHOO!) - I can once again attend Friday practices until December, and I have a (OMGWHUT) 4.0 GPA.

Slap me, this must be a dream.


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In hopes of refreshing my RK quotient, I watched the Rurouni Kenshin movie (―維新志士への鎮魂歌) last night. I always thought it was an awesome movie, primarily because of the Hitokiri Battousai flashbacks that were replayed seven or eight times (hahaha!). 
Hitokiri Battousai's like my husband from another life. HAHAHAHAHA /ehem

The iris, it thrives in the rain

For someone who's not working, I'm kind of sort of very very very busy right now.

I'm just saiyan saying. (LOL sorry I can't help but make the reference.)

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Here's what I've been up to:

I did a rewatch of Rurouni Kenshin Tsuiokuhen. Why did I do that? I don't know. Maybe it had something to do with the 15th Anniversary...but I decided to indulge myself.

What happened? Oh, well, pretty much the same reaction when I watched it for the first time. I CRIED. Being a hardcore Kenshin x Tomoe shipper (never was for KxK, though I admit that the nighttime-fireflies scene struck a heartstring or two...), this OVA was basically my most anticipated part of the RK series, until it was doused in cold water when it became evident that the Jinchuu arc won't be animated (but the reanimation solves that problem, oh sweet rapture!).

Another thing that I love about this OVA is the blood. I remember when I first watched this, I was going "OHMAAAHGAAAHHHHDDDD" at the bloodwork that was happening. It's quite on the extreme side, but then again that plus the animation (including character redesigns) looked very realistic. I'm not sure if the key to fully appreciating this OVA is a good background on the anime series...but if you were to ask me it would be best if the non-RK fan will watch a major fight in the anime prior to watching the OVA so he'll be able to see (and appreciate) how striking the difference is with the rurouni and the hitokiri. Just my two cents.

Also, they symbolism. OMG THE SYMBOLISM. The top, the differing tastes of sake, dead bleeding Kiyosato with a buddha at the background...and more...when I first watched this I couldn't understand a lot of these things; though now I understand most of them  I sometimes feel that I'm still scratching the surface...

Okay enough about the serious stuff! The reason why I cry everytime I watch this is because of this scene: