Two more days before HS is over

Woooopeedeeee. High school is almost over. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. Weeeeeeee. BUT, I still haven't finished my final research paper :p And I still haven't studied for my last. Math. And. Bio. Perio. Ever.

Accompanied to Ange to UP awhile ago. Pending siya. Just because UP lost her transcript (but of course, they didn't admit to losing it). I'm sure she'll pass. Baka nga maintarmed pa eh ;) I'll offer eggs and pray for you in Sta. Clara church. Wahaha. Hindi naman, sobra naman :D Meanwhile, I still don't know if I'm going to UP or Ateneo. I feel that I need the TLC from teachers, haha. Unlike in UP, there are profs that give you a failing grade just because you came from Pisay, or just because they don't know you well (Kla's mom, who teaches in UP Bio, said that the Animal Physiology prof is quick to giving failing grades. Oh joy.)

That's why I'm taking Ange's suggestion, I'm going to the Ateneo Bio Dep open house next week (I think) to see if their Bio courses and offerings are good. That's the only thing that's holding me back, I'm not too sure about how good Bio in Ateneo is. On the other hand, going to UP is like going to Pisay. You get to be around all kinds of people (which is great) and you get to learn how to suck up at kung paano mangplastic ng tao. hahahaha The world is harsh and I'll be needing that to be able to go around. Especially that I don't have much "people skills" (i.e. hindi marunong mamplastic. If I don't like you, I show it. Wehehehe.)

I know, I know. I seem to be blabbing about nonsense.

So please, Bryn Mawr or Swarthmore or USC or Duke. TAKE ME (and give me scholarship or financial aid). And yeah, Northeastern... I am qualified to get scholarship so I better get one. (Nyahahaha, I'm just kidding. I'm not being a demanding, stuck up bitch.)

I'm getting less and less traffic in my dA account. So, I am going to mask my real intentions of increasing my dA page views and tell you I want to share my photography and get my photos out there. ;) hahaha Click, click ---> Cultureddirtbag @ dA. I swear, the photos are awesome. Nyak. Ang yabang. You know I'm kidding :D Kinda... (I don't want to be pseudohumble so I'll admit to having some pretty cool photos up there ;)).

I am 30 minutes behind my scheduled agenda for today. Because of the damn internet.

And oh. Our dysfunctional band is thinking of joining the Pisay Battle of the Bands 05 (it's open to the public btw) but we're all lazy to get our asses in a studio and too lazy to waste money...

BUT, I had a crazy moment yesterday, bugging my little sister's best friend on the phone (scary? you bet) and then I put on Sum41 in the CD player. I was telling my sister's best friend to listen to Sum41 instead of Simple Plan (hehe, brainwashing). And then Over My Head played, and I remembered last year's BotB... which was tragic, but a bit fun. And then the memories came rushing in. I called Ayisse immediately and said we should definitely join this year. And that I'll be shifting to rhythm guitar from bass since I miss the guitar. Dixi told Ayisse anyway that she's going to kill me so she can be the bassist instead. And then came Ayisse's genius idea regarding what songs to play... (I told her I need to play something adrenaline-pumped, noisy, and hard) La La. Yes folks, Ashley Simpson's La La.

I had to pause for awhile and objected... The ingenuity of the idea was not evident at first but alas it surfaced. Yes. We can do a rendition of it. And it's gonna be awesome. (Not because Ashley Simpson sang it but because we're playing it... hahaha :D) The song is jumpy and fun and it's gonna be trippy anyway.

*evil genius smile*




No, no evil genius laugh.

When all titles fail: Untitled

First day of exams today. COntrary to what I said last night, I didn't open my chem book. Weeeeeee. hehe But I'm alright since what I've studied about anions and cations from last Tuesday is still somewhere in my brain. It's crazy. I haven't even studied. And I spent all my energy doing my final Research paper and blogging and bloghopping. Oh man.

And then it dawns on me... dumdumdumdum. I'm leaving Pisay soon. Woohoo. Thanks for the low self-esteem biatch ;p Kidding. Actually, thanks for making me a better person and thanks for the best people in the world (aka my friends). That sums it well :D But the thing is, I would never want to go back to Pisay. It's all over. I'm sick of the Pisay system already (which is why I still don't know if I'm going to UP). I'm not some freaking anarchy-wooh-wooh asshole. (First of all, there's no more anarchy in the UK, so all you demented "punks," please shut up. Thank you. :)) If you look at Pisay closely, if you look underneath. There is something wrong. I pity that I lost what I wrote about that certain aspect of Pisay. It died together with my previous hard drive.

What I'm wondering is that if I didn't attend Pisay, aside from having to go through 7th grade and not meeting the best people in the world (aka, again, my friends), will I still be who I am today? Probably yes, probably no. There's no way we can find out. This lack of a ctrl+Z for life sucks huh?

I don't regret a lot of things. Probably because I think through what I do. Even if I do something on-the-spur, I don't regret doing it for some reason. Maybe I'm too in-sync with my self. Not sure if you get what exactly I mean.

So yeah. Goodbye and thanks for all the fish. ;)

--

RANDOM:

I just remembered a conversation wherein friends and I contemplated what the purpose of pseudo-curse words such as "frigging", "'effing", etcetera are. Are they better, friendlier ways to say "fucking" or just sissier ways to say (or type out, for all the bloggers out there) "fucking". I think both. What do you think?

Chronic Bloghopping Disorder

Yes folks. I have diagnosed myself with chronic bloghopping disorder. Only later did I realize, while talking to Ayisse, that I have it.

Symptoms include repeatedly going online just to bloghop even when you have tons of other more important matters to attend to, know that nobody has updated their blog yet, and even if you're fully aware that you will not benefit from it (for the most part). You are growing older by the second and yet you choose to spend, waste, your time bloghopping and reading about thoughts and about the life of people you don't even know. You read blogs so often you don't even care to rant anymore just as long as you read and read and read. You cheat, scheme, and manipulate other people who are using your computer just so you can go online and read blogs or blog. Worst case scenarios include reading even all the archived posts (yes, sad but I have reached that point for some *extra* interesting blogs and those only a few months old).

You can channel this bloghopping disorder and put it to good use. Read books instead. Or if you have reached the point of not caring anymore as long as you have something to read, take out that dusty textbook. I'm doing that after I publish this.

I'm not sure if I'm the first one to coin such bloghopping disorder. Hmm... let me check all the other blogs.

Or better, easier and less wasteful, I'll google it instead.

Yeah Yeah

I have always wanted to write about certain things that grew on me, most of them things or people that I have absolutely no liking for at all. It's funny because they're mostly things you wouldn't expect me to like. haha So, yeah. You're all free to laugh. (And note that there is actually a difference with like and appreciate here. Some I like, some I just plain appreciate.)

Sweet Home Alabama. I first saw this on Star Movies (I think, or was it HBO?) one year after it was first shown in cinemas. And I liked it. Weiard.

Another movie: What A Girl Wants. I never considered watching this one. I used to watch Amanda Show but thought most of the segments on her show are not really funny. Plus I'm not an Amanda Bynes fan and I thought What A Girl Wants is a pathetic movie title. But when I watched this one last Christmas vacation I really. Liked. It. It was amusing and was set in England :D which made it even more amusing. And Amanda Bynes's character was just fun and the dad was hip. (Although no, I did not develop an affinity or anything for her love interest in the movie.)

Atomic Kitten. I know. It's so weird in an almost sick way. How the hell did I like Atomic Kitten? (Ladies' Night is not a song I particularly like from them.) Watching their videos and listening to their songs by chance have that effect. It helped that they always had a new single and new album out. After about a year of single after single, I got to appreciate their music. You can wonder for the next 9306.20349 years and you probably won't understand why and how I learned to appreciate them (especially when I'm already in my right mind and not my second-grade-spice-girls-liking phase.)

McFly. Wait... I liked them instantly. hahaha Although it was hard for me to admit that I like their music. Imagine having to spend my math classes rationalizing, not the equations but, that I like their music and not just D... So, what's next on the list?

Water World only seemed like a cool movie when I was a kid. But when I watched it again after 3 years or so, and then again and again after that, I thought it was a great movie. It's one of my most favourite movies as well. Same with The Usual Suspects. I thought it was an extra cool movie when I watched it when I was in grade school. Only last 2003 did I realize that I love that movie so much.

Natasha Bedingfield. I'm not a fan of Daniel Bedingfield. And I'm not a fan of Natasha's as well (up to now, I'm still not.) But watching her perform on Top of the Pops over and over again made me appreciate her music. She's pretty cool actually.

Have you realized that all the musical acts in this list so far are British? I'm telling you, it must be because of Top of the Pops. Damn. Reminds me, I haven't watched that show in ages. And I haven't seen McFly perform in ages as well.

After hearing Penny and Me on my way home in the school service and watching its video over and over again (all in the span of a month) I suddenly realized that I like it. The subject in the song is bi-polar or something yet, I actually feel happy when I listen to it. I felt so happy I wanted to buy Hanson's latest album until I realized I'd feel happier buying 4 rolls of Fuji film on promo, caramel creme frappucino, two slices of blueberry cheesecake from Red Ribbon and a cup of yogurt. Or two boxes of yogurt.

I remember boring afternoons in my elementary school life eating cupcakes and drinking milk (used to be my favourite snack, replace that now with Keebler's Soft Batch Cookies) while watching Fantastic Max. I used to think it's such a pointless show. Actually, it still pretty much is. But it suddenly grows on you like mushrooms. The same with Scooby Doo. I was even excited upon learning a Scooby Doo movie was going to be made. (Yes, I ended up watching both SD movies.)

Maybe I'll add to the list once I remember all the other things.

Just a random observation: Have you noticed that Britney Spears seemed to have decided, ever since doing the video for Toxic, that she needs to dance or roll around only in her underwear in every video?

Oh, and feel free to share things you thought you'd never appreciate.

---

Damn. I had my phone set to alarm at 11:29 last night just so I can watch the Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert on MTV. Yeah, you guessed it. I didn't wake up. And I missed Lindsay Lohan's video again (meaning I missed seeing Drew Fuller.. nyahaha). I miss my TV. And nobody's doing anything about it, so I have to share with someone else's TV.

Unfortunately...

A Series of Unfortunate Events was a well done, enjoyable movie. The art in he ending sequence was fantastic. Emily Browing (Violet) was really pretty *_*, Sunny was very cute and funny, Liam Aiken (Klaus) is a good looking kid and all of them are very promising actresses and actor. Yes, even the babies can act. Jude Law's... er... silhouttes were great). And Jim Carrey! Man, Jim Carrey was ... uhm yeah. Haha And Jim Carrey! Man, he was really funny and was the very good actor he is. He cracked us all up when he was trying to be a "dinosaur." :D

The background music, the shots, the effects and the acting all go well together. And the acting was very good. It was funny when it was supposed to be so, a bit scary (in a way that you feel nervous for the kids) at the right time and there are the heart-felt moments on cue. I can say it's better than Harry Potter, if it weren't for all the magic and pizazz in HP.

Watch the movie. It's enjoyable and Emily Browning is pretty. No, no lesbian moment. Okay, fine. Liam Aiken and the twins who portrayed Sunny are really cute kids. I haven't read the series yet but if you ask me, they did a wonderful job.

Quizzes once again

You scored as Artistic. Congratulations, you scored Artistic. You're looking for the unique movie in the bunch. You've probably watched a lot of movies that nobody has ever heard of, and good for you. You also know good filmmaking when you see it. You just get it, no questions asked. Check out: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Amelie, Garden State, Lost in Translation.

Artistic		85%
Sci-Fi/Fantasy		80%
Mindfuck		80%
Sadistic Humour		70%
Drama/Suspense		50%
Romantic Comedy		35%
Mindless Action Flick		35%

Movie Recommendation.
created with QuizFarm.com

Photoblog

Dear Readers,

My photoblog has been up since last night but I forgot to post about it on here. hehe It's at Blog Wagon. Join in the blog wagon. Bladibla. Put a smile on my face, comment there. :D Whatthefuck? haha

I came from having my photos screened by Sir Cipriano (the Art head in school... actually there are only 2 art teachers.) And I am going to have a one-woman photoexhibit in the hall near the library and faculty center. W00t w00t for me. w00t w00t. Para bang dream come true? hahaha Mababaw pero at least, it's still an exhibit no matter how no-biggie it seems to us Pisay students. But photography's just something I love that I do for the sole purpose of realizing I'm good in at least one thing (actually, it goes deeper than that... remember, socioeconomic awareness and NatGeo? haha) I'd have to spend having the photos reprinted in a larger size but I don't care much, it's photography <3 :-*

Send me a hi note through e-mail dammit,
AM

Konbanwa. Hola. Aloha.

Where the hell will I go this summer? All I know is that I need money. And I want to get that scholarship and financial aid to Bryn Mawr, or USC... or better yet, SWARTHMORE. SWARTHMORE. SWARTHMORE. I can almost feel myself murmuring it in my dreams. SWARTHMORE. Nah... I just want to be all cliche about it haha.

Went to Remika's post-birthday dinner party today. Good thing Dixi agreed to come or I wouldn't have someone to talk with. Ayisse didn't come. She ditched us for a date... with the Kjwan Street Team. Which is all good and fine by us. If I were her I'd trade in hearing Kjwan play live than eat extremely good and cheesy home-made baked mac (the highlight of Remika's party) as well. On second thought... ;) haha

Ayisse, I know... You probably murmur Kjwan like I do Swarthmore. Haha, just kidding ;) Anyway. Went with Dixi. We were "the others" there, as usual. Some semi-interesting stuff happened. Food was really good. The lechon was funny... it was arranged in one of those heated food trays like a dead cat face up and splat in the middle of a busy Makati intersection. I forget to tell Remika how funny that was hehe. We got a kick out of teasing her for wearing ballet flats as well. She didn't have a choice anyway since the venue is not her house and she just had her clothes brought there. And her mom insisted on them since her sneakers were in the "laundry."

I went on a semi-desert whoring with Dixi again. We only shared one plate though since we needed to make room for the baked mac. hahahaha After that, it was a series of self-portraits up on the roof top of the building with the blinding flash of my sucky digicam. Sadly, we did not get a single decent photo. And by this, I really mean NONE.

And to end this post, here is a quiz knocked off from Cess's blog.

Your Brain is 60.00% Female, 40.00% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

What Gender Is Your Brain?

I just remembered something I told Ayisse awhile ago. My old grade school dream of strutting in a power suit by the age of 22 is already replaced with simultaneously running around the globe, volunteering for humanitarian aid and working for National Geographic whil wearing Safari shorts, a dirty shirt and a "reporter's vest" (you know, them with many pockets). Hehehehe You see, I wanted to become a diplomat before entering Pisay. That was after I realized I didn't want to become a lawyer instead.

And... another quote. It's something I got out from one of the January editorials in Super! Inquirer. I formulated it, basically sums it up:

In this generation of strippers, there's no more room for humility. Else, you'll get trampled on.

*Stripper used in the context of people letting out there all their achievements and basically anything to get make them note-worthy (academically, scientifically, socially... I'm opting for life/career-related though) or flaunting all they've got. Yes, we are living in a generation of strippers. As Super! said. If you're too humble or pseudo-humble to lay all that you've got to offer out there, then everybody else are going to trample on you. It's not all negative and competetive though. I think what it says is that we are a more confident generation that knows what we've got and what we want.

Thousand Years of Pain

I am plugging a blog. Guess who's? My 12 year old sister's. Haha. Yeah. She now has her own blog and... and... it's actually a pretty fun read. I guess the blog is a good way for her to improve her grammar and spelling (you'll find out ;) but at least she can spell pretty decently). So visit her at Thousand Years of Pain Her URL is actually cool, ass-poke.blogspot.com And she has this whole "yeah" and "yah" gimmick going on. You'll find out if you care enough to read.

Blog Wagon

Yippee for all the people who appreciate my putting up of a photoblog. Hahaha Not all the photos are going to be high quality. And I will be using my time-forsaken digicam. Yes, yes. You may have guessed it. The photoblog will be under the name of "Blog Wagon."

Just dropped by to check my mail and blog and all the other daily stuff I do online. I have yet to finish making one human-sized chicken wing for out Filipino play tomorrow, Sa Pula, Sa Puti. Pretty funny because one pair's white and another's red. If you watch GMA 7 you probably know why it's funny. Mulawin. Er... Mulawin at Ravena? *goes into defensive mode* No, I don't really watch, *watch* the show. It's just that Dennis Trillo is there. But now, Dennis Trillo turned into a villain-bird so his face is no longer visible under the bird make up so I don't watch it anymore and besides I have too much school work to do.

Yeah right ;)

Blog Wagon will probably be launched some time next week. I am nearing the final academic day of my whole high school life so I'm cramming more requirements than normal. haha Actually, the only major paper I have left to write is my final research paper. Which is... probably worth 2 major papers and 3.004328951 minor ones. :D Oh joy. And there's the math long test, and Bio long test.

I just realized that I rarely studied majorly for a long test (periodic exams not included obviously). The ones I usually studied for, as in read book plus class notes, are my bio long tests. I probably only studied seriously for a math long test thrice in my whole high school life. One of which was this year. I solved problems from the book and read my notes, the works. If only I studied for each long test then maybe my grades will be notches higher. heh Well, I promise to do better in uni. I mean, I know I will do better because I'm definitely going to be interested in the lessons since I get to choose which courses I'm going to take.

Yay for that.

W00t w00t, remember?

W00t w00t.

Good night kids. I've got to finish a chicken wing.

And watch out for Blog Wagon. ;)

Idiot Crap Box

I am still up. No, I'm not trying to wait for who's going to be announced as the winners for this year's Starstruck (although I was watching it a while ago). I am doing some touch ups on my research oral defense powerpoint presentation for tomorrow. I decided to procrastinate since, meh, it's only 8 slides and I'm only doing some final tweaks (which can turn out major, not sure yet).

I've had enough of the "Starstruck Final Judgment" (yes, that's what was written on my TV screen).

There are the "dance crazes." These dance crazes don't even get as popular as, let's say, the Sex Bomb Girls' dances. It cracks me up everytime a dance craze is up. This morning, my brother was dancing to every "dance craze" song they had playing in National Bookstore. Chocolate, Chupeta... God, please save my brother's soul from dance craze damnation.

One other thing that sucks is that they dubbed every single performance that requires uttering words. It's a shame that they're calling it a live performance when they cheat the viewers by having to dub. Maybe they're playing safe but this is supposed to be a professionally organized event. It's a professional media production.

CJ sang Bring Me To Life with Yasmien Kurdi (or whatever the title of that Evanescence song is... I don't even know if I spelt the band name right). His... actions were just awkward. I don't know if he was trying to dance like he's stepping on hot coals or he was trying to imitate the way nu metal/rap-rock vocalists sing. It's like a bad combination of both. Kind of an awkward, exaggerated performance.

And then there's LJ. A lot may not agree with me (and a lot may not care) but there's just something wrong with her. She looks like a kid but then again, something about her face looks old. How old is she really? What's sicker is that she did a dance number with Rainier. Philippine's very own "F4" and "Chinovela Princess." What the fucking hell??? Chinovela princes? It didn't add much for me that they both have sickeningly sweet smiles. And they danced to a song titled "Bop It." Only when the whole joke performance ended did I realize that it's about that game, Bop It. Yeah, the game Cathy brought to school last September when we had Pinoy practice.

Please don't get me wrong. I don't really hate these people, even though it appears so. I don't even know them. I don't even hate anybody. I have a problem with this Pinoy Showbiz trait of giving everynewbody a title. It started with the "Stars": Star For All Seasons, Mega Star, etc. These are well established, talented actresses so I don't mind. But nowadays, whatever the trend is, they feel the need to name somebody or something after it.

These teenagers are like walking zombies. They are dressed by "fashion consultants." Translation: wear what we want you to because we have to make a new pauso to the masses. They are given sick titles that blare copycat, or wannabe. But that's their job. They're reliving and becoming whatever the media consultants think thr masses wants.

So, we have something to ponder about here. Are the masses being spoonfed the "latest" or are they the ones who are calling for these to happen. If entertainment TV is just following the masa's wishes then Philippine TV is not going to evolve much and step on to a higher level if what the masses want do not change for the better first. Or in the case of the masses being spoonfed, why don't the media consultants and all the media almighties out there do the masa a favor and introduce to them something new that's better, creative, and reconstructed instead of just recycled.

You might say that that's how the media is. But the media can change. It's not written anywhere that they have to be like that. */me gets hit by a book, The Way The Media Should Be*

I don't know if these kids are just beind told what to wear, if they like what they're being told to wear, if it doesn't matter to them or they just have to do it because it's part of being artista. Are they selling out, are they really like that, or are they just afraid to be how they are?

Someone please slap me, send me death threats, or hate mail if ever I join show business.

This is what happens when you're bored, have finally figured out how to send cam phone shots to your e-mail, and have installed Hello (from Picasa... Blogger's partner in photo uploading). My brother, goyomon and me. What monkeys.

It's Titania, Queen of the Faeries. Actually, it's just Dixi in costume. She'll probably kill me when she sees this. 

Now what was I supposed to blog about again?

I love how Quizilla is always there for all the lonely nights... and afternoons. hahaha I was supposed to post this last night but here it is anyway.


Wine


?? Which Alcoholic Drink Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

Hmm... is that cabernet sauvignon? haha Actually, I don't think I really know much about wines. ;)

Oh, there. I blogged to update everyone on the status of our Baler trip. Things are looking good. Dixi will ask her weird tito to come with us (he's Citibank's VP yet he wears chucks and shorts to work, doesn't own a car, and lives in a dingy apartment). He seems cool. And different. hehe

And then we're planning to ask other people if they want to come. I'm going to ask my older cousin to come as well. Maybe if we ask enough people we wouldn't have to take a bus... hmm, transpo anybody?

If you want to come with us to Baler, drop a note. It'd be an awesome even though we'll probably only spend 4 nights and 5 days. W00t w00t.

Flash

I check my e-mail as often as I can. And it sucks to find out I don't have any messages. Haha So, everybody drop me a note, ask a question or send me hate mail at amlcortez[@]gmail[.]com I also have 47 more Gmail invites left, so drop me a note or a comment with your e-mail address if you want an invite.

Actually, I probably will not receive any e-mail hehe.

So yeah, I went online to check my devArt account and inboxes before sleeping. And I'm now listening to "Yama No Yori Mieru" (A Mountain A Go Go --- that's the english title according to my sister, how odd. It's supposedly "looks like a mountain to me or I see the form/shape of a mountain.) Groovy bass, addictive guitar riffs, foot-tapping head-banging sway-inducing drums and almost hypnotic melody and voice. The song's on repeat even though there are 21 other tracks from two animes here (Naruto and HunterxHunter... it's my sister's, thus the presence of HunterxHunter songs.) It's almost psychedelic. I am going to get myself tired of this song. But nah... too groovy to get tired on easily.

Too. Groovy. *changes track immediately*
Just kidding :D

Damn. Japanese bands can make good music. If only I can download Sounan's album for the meantime. Wait. Better yet, I'll pick it up when I get to Japan. :D Woopeedeedooda.

I have actually shifted to another song already. It's surprising how good the melodies Japanese bands come up with are, whether it be pop or rock. Wait. I miss Glay. I miss Glay's bassist (hahaha). And I remember how much I like Asian Kung-fu Generation. I'm not making sense again. And I'm boring everybody else. Please forgive me. ;)

If you don't listen to J-Rock and are willing to sample it then here are some suggestions: Glay, L'Arc~en~Ciel (you might know them already), Asian Kung-fu Generation (somewhat leaning towards melodic punk), the dudes who made Yama No Yori Mieru (hehe I don't know their name, melodic, solid bass lines and drum beats, and somewhat psychedelic music), Sounan (Jazz-infused, female vocalist-guitarist, it's great), Tommy February 11 (pop-punk, female vocalist-guitarist).

*shift in writing style*

And I go back to playing Yama No Yori.

And then it hits me that I'm nearly a college student.

I start wondering whether I'll be study in UP or some school I get to in the US.

*back to normal mode*

If I stay here in the country, I made up my mind on going to UP. I can still choose my electives. I can still minor in Anthro if it's allowed. I can still take whatever artsy fartsy elective I want. I can still choose which courses I want to take and what to learn about (although there is not as much freedom as studying in Bryn Mawr). And then I'll take day trips at least every month and out of town beach or nature trips every 2 months or so. Best thing about it is that the chances of getting in the way of a frat war or getting shot by a drive-by shooting are low already.

If I study in the US, the curriculum will be different. Actually, I like the curriculum there better. But I'm not snobbing the schools here. And then I'll be exploring whichever place I'm in and a whole new culture altogether (or cultures... since there'll be other foreign students). Maybe with a part-time job I can easily save up for a back-packing trip around Europe or Asia with my new college/uni buddies.

Either way, I won't stop going on adventures. I'll still be taking tons of pictures. I'm still going to learn something. Admittedly, not many things are easily accessible to me here. There aren't much chances of exposure as a young, struggling photographer. But all that is changing in this country. Younger people are getting recognized more and more (and I'm not just talking about the star searches that's currently infesting national television).

I don't know about you but I can feel a change in ways and other things. Something is different nowadays.

The future's looking bright. It has yet to reach an intensity that can blind anybody who's not cool enough to put on their sunglasses though ;) Actually, it's possible that it's already here. We just can't see with these walls around us. Good thing I built mine with those nifty transparent hollow blocks :D

Woops, bad ending statement. I just remembered, I don't own a pair of sunglasses. *buys one before the dawn of blinding realization and neo-renaissance arrives*

And can you feel that I'm getting cornier? hahahaha

Casualties

The death toll is rising. I mean the casualties created by the release of U... *ahem* UP results are already posted in Palma Hall Annex. I got in UP Dil, Bio. I wrote MBB as my first choice just for fun hehehe If I do get in, then that's okay. If I don't, then it's still okay... actually, it's better. It's because I'm not much for lab work. ALthough I have to admit that genetics is very interesting. If ever, I'll probably take genetics electives instead.

Anyway, as the seconds tick, text messages drop, and the results scanned for the 2948023th time, more and more names of Pisay students are being added to the "Not Found List." And that sucks. Especially when you're so sure you'll get in. Especially when we thought all of us will pass (frankly, not *all* but, let's say, 98% :D). My friend's name is missing, and she has good grades. Maybe it's because she had a tricky combination of campuses. (Dil and Manila? Yeah.) Probably something went wrong with her UPCAT like how something did when she took the SAT for the first time. Maybe she should just sent her SAT I scores to UP.

Congrats to everybody who passed and to all those who have been shattered by an unfortunate turn of events (ie. not passing), UP is not everything.

I wouldn't be so devastated if I didn't pass UP. But if I didn't pass UP and the only other school I applied to, with all due respect, was Mapua (for safety purposes), I'd be devastated. (Not that I'm dissing Mapua, it's just not my school. heh.)

Here's a quiz I knocked off from another person through blog hopping.

You are a Career Girl! You may not be a CEO yet, but you're well on your way to success. You take your career seriously, and you wouldn't stop working for any guy! An independent woman, you pay for your own car, clothes, and housing. And men appreciate that - at least, the ones as driven as you are. What Kind of Girl Are You? Take This Quiz :-)

Hope for the future (this post is actually more intelligent than it sounds, hrmm... :D)

I used to have no hope for the Philippine's future. What with the rampant corruption, anti-technology oldies holding seats of power and apathetic, too patriotic, unmotivated, wrongly motivated OR undisciplined citizens with a bunch of other negative traits. But all that changed.

Today's discussion in Economics class about Importing->Nationalism (Think Filipino First or Buy Filipino)->Globalization reminded me of how much the country is changing already. What my friend's rather overqualified driver said about the Filipino people somehow gives hope and inspiration as well:

"Kung ipapakita lang ang tamang daan sa ating mga Pilipino, uunlad tayo. Pagnakita naman natin ang tamang daan ay susunod na diyan ang pagbabago sa mga attitude at pamamaraan natin." (If only we are shown the right path then a change in attitude and ways will follow, eventually leading us to success.)

Now, I believe that a large, significant number (if not already most of the population) of this country's people are changing. We are now concentrating our energies in things we have advantage in instead of dwelling in our negativities. Corruption can never be totally eradicated from this country but at least, those who are next in line to various positions of power are those willing to embrace technology and move forward towards a united country which is in oneness with the rest of the world at the same time.

Nationalism doesn't mean we have to stick only to ourselves or things of our own. Foreign influences are inevitable and can sometimes be good for us. We should be open to what the "outside" has to offer while trying to locally develop as well. We don't have to cut ties with the rest of the planet. We are now living in a borderless world and everyday, more and more people realize that. Everyday, it is more evident. Again, we should not be afraid. Blurring the lines between countries and peoples will not make them lose their identities or lessen the distinction between each culture.

It will only be for the better to live in harmony amidst the diversity. We cannot take away nor ignore all our differences. Instead of having wars and genocides spring from it then why don't we just learn how to live with it? If you try to look a few years back and compare that time with what is on about now, you'll notice that that's what slowly happening.

After all, what if a bee hive only has queen bees (let's just say it is possible to have more than one queen at the same time, despite the laws of nature)... who will work then? Can the human body function with only reproductive cells? Of course not. So specialization/diversity AND coexistence is good. Sorry if I killed everything with my nature-related examples but I hope you get my idea. Hindi tayo mabubuhay kung pareparehas tayo, madaming kailangan gawin at hindi tayo matatapos kung pareparehas lang tayo ng ginagawa.

We cannot improve in all goods production and services in which we are poor, and we cannot be wholly self-sufficient. As a classmate of mine said this afternoon in our class discussion, "We should stop thinking of competing with the US in producing goods of the same calibre as theirs if we ours is of low quality. US 'yan eh... They're like the number one country at the moment." And like what another classmate said, "We should concentrate on things we have advantages in," ...and live with having to import from abroad. Globalization is what the future holds and we have no other way to improve but to move forward. Whether you take a direct step forward, diagonally to the side, or run around in loops, chances are you're still moving forward.

When I read Patricia Evangelista's speech on a borderless world I instantly fell in love with it. It's the kind that sends chills down your spine, in a good way that is. You get to see what we're approaching and hear about a way to approach it. And it was well put together.

A borderless world. Doesn't that sound nice? We have only to step forward. And please, leave the nuclear weapons behind. :)

*** Oh, and of course, I'm not saying that this is the way to absolute peace as well. I don't believe that absolute peace can be attained and won't believe until we actually do attain it (chances are way-below-sea-level low ;)). I see violence or whatever non-peaceful measures as an evil that will always be there. Not that I'm saying it's a totally necessary evil but sometimes we just need it to open our eyes and realize things we have to do. If the Spaniards didn't conquer us for what seemed like forever, do you think the Filipino people would have become as united? If Flo from the Amazing Race didn't nag 98.598450349% of the duration of the race, do you think she and the somewhat passive Zach would have won?

But I may be wrong. All I'm saying is that a borderless world is not a ticket to world peace and elimination of poverty. Besides, there will always be poverty as well. I mean, just imagine how bad it would be if everybody were rich and had money? Do the cognitive/economic and affective calculations. ;)

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And, if you were lucky enough to read up to this point (or chance upon this bit), I have 47 more Gmail invites left. Leave a comment with your email address if you want an invite.

High School And Beyond

Dang. Was supposed to post this at about 5:45am yesterday (because it's alrady early morning hehe) after being told that I am no longer going to China but to Japan:

Yes, my early morning blogs are back. :D Well, not really. It's just for the moment.

I blogged to let you all know that my dreams of going to China are shattered... Nah. I can always go there next time but not this time.

Instead, it's final. I'm going back to Japan. I love that country so much. :D And then I can go to Harajuku and take photos of the extremely interesting. Woohooo.

And then I can go to Kyoto. Eat real cream puffs. Do another one of my every-5-years-only shopping (but well, this time there's only a 2 year gap). Get cheap stuff. hehehe

W00t w00t for me.

w00t w00t.

---

Well, I'm still crazy happy. And I still get to go to Baler. I am seriously going to be depressed if I don't...

And why am I up so early slash still up? I fell asleep while trying to reconnect last night, actually. I put the network connection into 100.570938547694 times redial and deposited myself in my bed. I was thinking that I might fall asleep. Well, yeah... I did.

Now I am trying to finish my 2-page essay on the History of Anti-Semitism, uncopy-pasted.

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One more week and we're going to have the final high school periodic exams of our lives. I'm not easily saddened by events of similar nature. I have to admit though that I cried a bucket and two tears when I left grade school. But people change. And now I am easily unattached to things like school, old sections, etc. But never friends of course. I am not *that* cold and heartless.

Everybody can't wait 'til college. For some reason, I'm thinking it's going to be the same as high school, only with less subjects, more people and a number of things in between. But it's going to be different from college as well. Depends on how you look at it I guess.

What I'm worrying about is that it may turn out the same in such a way that as the years progress, I'll grow tired of the school and studying altogether. But then, it's like that after every year. You miss going to school during vacations and curse it when it's school season.

If I don't get in a school in the US (uhm... I remember, I got into NortheasternU hehe... still waiting for the scholarship though) I guess I'm fine with studying here. I'd probably be crazy happy going on day trips and out of town trips. Although I'm doubting if the UP system, similar to the Pisay system, I heard, will work as effectively for me. That's why I want something inclined to liberal-arts, and the nearest I can get is education in Ateneo.

UP results have been postponed to Saturday again. I don't know... I'm not too hot about the results. Never was. Whichever college, that I applied to, I get in is fine with me.

Er... I actually applied to just UP and Ateneo. And I already got accepted by Ateneo. So yeah. hehe

China Here I Come

I am now teary-eyed from staring at photos of picturesque China. I don't know why. Probably because it's so beautiful... and that I may finally come visit it.

Actually, I got teary-eyed when I saw the photos of Tibetans and of Tibet and realized the possibility of being face to face with its people at last.

My mom told me that I can go to Hong Kong this summer. I want to go to Hong Kong not for the shopping but for all the cultural and nature tours. There's hiking along the Dragon's Back Trail, people watching in various markets, the giant Buddha. And the wonderful thing about it is that I can take loads of photos. Man, my artistic soul's going to be bloated.

After that I am planning to extend my tour to the Guangxi province and Shaanxi provinces. I'm still not sure on where to go but I definitely have to go to Xi'an (that's in Shaanxi) and visit the Qin Terracotta army. Or I can go on a Silk Road adventure instead. Or better yet... Lhasa? But if ever I'm going to Lhasa I want to spend months there, exploring Tibet and all that.

I have to analyze all this and research for the best arrangement. One can get up to 70% discount on hotels and such online though. Someone has to go with me. I hope my dad goes with me. I need to go to China.

I might cut short the Sagada trip but I'm still going to Baler.

[Edit]
After much searching, from Hong Kong I can go to the Guangdo and Guangxi provinces. And then it's off to Shaanxi Province.

If anybody's been to China and recommend something apart from all the touristy things, that please, please, feel free to comment on this post.
[/Edit]

Irish creme, hot goth dude, and the phantom with a pathetic mask.

Watched Phantom of The Opera with Dixi today. What a way to spend Valentine's Day. hahaha It's a great movie. The cinematography is great and the acting is just... so real. You can feel it in your bone marrow. Really. hehe

We watched in Robinson's Nova. Dixi bought the tickets while I bought the popcorn. And then DIxi comes up behind me saying with awe in her face, "There's a goth family behind you." They're hanging out at Coffee Experience. They didn't look like suicidal goths because they were pretty happy while chit chatting. But they're definitely not poseurs either. Three girls (wearing all black with skirts and a colored ribbon on each of their hairs) and a guy (who had really cool hair, like Julian's from The Stroke or Nick's from AAR --- wait, they look similar hehe). I told DIxi I didn't have my glasses on so I can't quite stare at their faces but the guy looks pretty good I guess. And she goes, "Yes, he is cute." Wait. No. Scratch that. We have witnessed a goth dude who isn't actually freaky/gay/morbid but hot. Hahahah Oh well.

And then, we took advantage of the free coffee stub at Starbucks. Had latte with irish creme. It's been 2 years since I drinked irish coffee. I haven't found a place that offers it here yet. Coffee plus alcohol. (The best irish coffee is the one in Daniel Tibu's in Waimea, Big Island Hawai'i. THe alcohol is not too strong, well balanced irish coffee.) Well, irish creme with suffice, despite the lack of liquor.

That's it. I can still remember the goth dude.

And Phantom of The Opera is unbelievably a really good movie. The acting was superb. Although I have to admit, I couldn't help but crack jokes in the middle of scenes. Thus Dixi and I were laughing at various parts. Like for example, when the Phantom brings Christine to his deep, dark, hide-out (hehe) for the first time and lays her in a clam-like bed. I went, "Dixi... I know the Phantom's true identity. He's little mermaid." hahahaha And we go, "Welcome, you are now in La La Land, CHristine," when the Phantom brought Christine to his, er, room.

Best scenes from the movie have got to be during Don Jose, the Phantom-CHristine duet right before Christine reveals to the audience the poor guy's deformity. And the part when the Phantom let go of Christine (when he was murmiring the masquerade song while staring at his toy monkey). The acting was just wow.

By the way.... the phantom's mask was pretty funny. I mean, "Oooooh, I wouldn't be able to recognize you." ALthough yeah, it was basically to conceal his face deformity (and his identity, I do not know.)

Aha. Late Night Madness 11.

I haven't been doing any late night madness posts lately (it's just a title, really.) But anyway...

I finally have a gmail account. Yes.

W00t w00t for me.

Thanks to Pearce from dA (that is, if that's really his name). So people, send me pictures, anything, everything at amlcortez[at]gmail[.]com

I'm a boring person, huh? Can't think of a much more creative e-mail ad. But it suits my purposes. Besides, I want something that I can use to send messages to professors and elderly family members (thus I came up with the same hotmail username, the one which I was using before that).

I joined Taking It Global, as advertised by Dixi. All hail her super google searching powers. It's definitely better than mine, me thinks. I'm still scouring for projects to join although I already joined one. And I already met a new friend. He's from Uzbekistan but is currently taking his MA in Public Administration in New Delhi.

W00t w00t for multiculturedness, volunteerism and going global.

I have finally gotten some old photos scanned and posted them on dA already.

W00t w00t for Netopia, dA, and me.

I still haven't seen Lindsay Lohan's new video by the way :(

Translation: I still haven't gotten the chance to stare at Drew Fuller on TV.

I have conjured an 8-page (3 pages above the minimum, yay) Filipino book report on Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig. And I only bought the book today.

W00t w00t.

And I'm getting crazy already.

W00t w00.....

I know. This is hopeless.

Forgive me friends for the brainless post, once again.

Oh... before I forget. I have decided to buy the packed coffee from Starbucks instead. I can finally make 10 cups of coffee from a pack of that, or more. Not sure though if it's whole bean. To my pleasant surprise, my mom said we have a whole coffee making gadget, grinder included, stashed away in some rotting cupboard.

W00t w00t for that.

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I know... Too much use of w00t.

Unfinished business(es)

I scheduled myself to start editting my research papers tomorrow. I have to make an extra effort since I want to get back my grade (slacked off in STR so I went from a consistent, mediocre 2.0 to 2.5 hehe) and have Dr. Miranda have a look at it since he really likes my project. W00t for me.

And we also have a Filipino book report due on Monday. Honestly, I was only able to read up to chapter 6 of the damned thing. The wording is what you'd call "mutated" filipino (or old filipino heh). And I'm not very good when reading those kinds of Filipino novels. Sabi kasi ni Kla madali lang daw basahin yung Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig (or Mundo?).

I only have approximately 9 1/2 hours before I sleep and I'm still eating cheese and taking online quizzes. How the hell do I do this? Hrmm... I guess I have to speed read or something.

I have actually come up with a plan on how to do a 5-page, single-spaced, Times New Roman font size 12 book report. A title page, one-page summary, and for the remaining pages I'll come up with 2 paragraphs of assesment of the novel itself, analysis of each character (so that's about one paragraph each), the setting, and conflict/s. Sounds like some plan. And I'm thinking it'd be pretty effective.

I promise to start working at 3. If I don't, you'll know about it because I'm probably going to drop blog about it.

I was actually thinking of running to the mall to get coffee and have some photos scanned (since my scanner is uncooperative, it's yelling for replacement, methinks).

And the quiz results. Wahahaha.

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few.

What kind of blogger are you?

Your Dominant Intelligence is Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

You are great at finding patterns and relationships between things. Always curious about how things work, you love to set up experiments. You need for the world to make sense - and are good at making sense of it. You have a head for numbers and math ... and you can solve almost any logic puzzle. You would make a great scientist, engineer, computer programmer, researcher, accountant, or mathematician.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

You Are the Very Gay Peppermint Patty!

Softball is the huge tipoff here... As well as a "best friend" who loves to call her "sir"

What Gay Childhood Icon Are You?

Peppermint Patty? Why? Hah.

You Belong in 1977

1977 If you scored... 1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in! 1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too. 1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all! 1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day. 1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What Year Do You Belong In?

You Have A Type B+ Personality

B+ You're a pro at going with the flow You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer A total joy to be around, people crave your stability. While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity. Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done You're passionate - just selective about your passions

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Pretty much like that. Just like what it says, selective about passions heh.

You Are 24 Years Old

24 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Er... what?

Your Famous Blogger Twin is Moby

Creative, cosmopolitan, and a bit moody If something's on your mind, it's on your blog

Who's Your Famous Blogger Twin?

Weird. I never associated myself with Moby. Interesting. But I guess it's kinda true.

You Should Try Adventure Racing

Not only do you have the extreme attitude You've the extreme endurance for an adventure race!

What Extreme Sport Should You Try?

I don't think so... I'd probably die doing this.

Vertigo by U2

"The night is full of holes Those bullets rip the sky Of ink with gold They twinkle as the boys play rock and roll" In 2004 you partied so hard... you forgot how to count.

What 2004 Hit Song Are You?

What? No. Why??? But every year's a blur.

You Are Socks!

Cozy and warm... but easily lost. You make a good puppet.

What Crappy Gift Are You?

Your Christmas is Most Like: The Muppet Christmas Carol

You tend to reflect on Christmas past, present, and future... And you also do a little singing.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

You Are "Wow"!

What Japanese Smiley Are You?

You Are From Mercury

You are talkative, clever, and knowledgeable - and it shows. You probably never leave home without your cell phone! You're witty, expressive, and aware of everything going on around you. You love learning, playing, and taking in all of what life has to offer. Be careful not to talk your friends' ears off, and temper your need to know everything.

What Planet Are You From?

Jian Wen and Zhiao Wei and Movies

I watched 3/4 of the AXN Chinese New Year Movie Marathon today. I got home at around 1:00pm, an hour late for So Close. I've seen it already anyway. Only thing is that, I got to see Zhiao Wei less (she's the younger sister, Sue, in the movie). She's very pretty and there's just this something about her. Waaah, ang ganda ganda niya.

Okay, I'll snap out of my short lesbian moment there.

So Close is one of my favourite movies. Ever. The next two movies after So Close shown in the movie marathon this afternoon are now included in my all time faves. Those two movies are: Missing Gun and Warriors of Heaven and Earth.

I admit to being in tears when Sue was burying her video cam with a running footage of Lynn's dead body in So Close. And I admit to crying in the last scene of Missing Gun, the more dramatic parts that lead to the credits after Jian Wen's character got shot (the flashback of getting his last secret look at his wife and son). Missing Gun seems like a simple story but is actually more than that. The plot and twists are very good, the characters well played... Only it becomes depressing near the end.

Warriors of Heaven and Earth has awesome cinematography and plot. The desert footages remind me of Hidalgo. hehe The story is actually a very good one although the ending kinda leaves you hanging... And it's depressing (why does the relic of Sakyamuni have to have its own life??? Why couldn't they just have opened the relic of Sakyamuni so it can destroy the enemies by itself??? Why???) Jian Wen is the main character there too. He's my new favourite actor. hehe (Uhm, alongside Brad Pitt hehe) And Zhiao Wei's in that movie too. She's really pretty. Wahehehehe...

Something all three have in common is that they're not your typical all-the-good-guys win. They've got this pretty sad, why-the-hell-did-that-have-to-happen kind of ending. Some good happens in the end but it's the gloomy, depressing, at-least-some-form-of-greater-good-was-achieved kind of good ending.

All these movies reminded me of all the other movies out there that I like so much. So, prepare to be bored by AM's list of her all time favourite movies (now in alphabetical order):

Casino

Collateral (The character development here, the characters themselves and their portrayal are awesome.)

Fight Club

Gladiator

Kung Fu Hustle

Missing Gun

National Treasure

Ocean's 11

Snatch

So Close

The Beach

The Godfather series

The Last Samurai

The Terminal

The Usual Suspects (I'll treat anybody who gives me a copy of this or Donnie Darko a life-time supply of coffee.)

Troy (The cinematography, the sets, the acting are all great.. Really, just those. *shifty eyes*)

Warriors of Heaven and Earth

Water World

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the first version)

Among all these, my favourite style of movie (in terms of cinematography and general plot/layouting of the story) would have to be the ones similar to Snatch, Missing Gun and Kung Fu Histle. While I think The Usual Suspect has the best plot (and plot twists) among all these. I'm a sucker for awesome sets like Troy's and awesome plots and plot twists. They're all pretty much similar to each other to some degree. Willy Wonka's a little out of place there though, methinks.

And these are not exactly favourites of mine but those that are worth watching if you have nothing to do, no longer in alphabetical order:

+ Taxi
+ Shanghai Knights/Noon
+ Bourne Identity
+ Bubble Boy
+ Interview With A Vampire (actually really good)
+ Seven Deadly Sins... or something about the seven deadly sins, I forgot the exact title, it's very good too.
+ The Recruit
+ Blue Crush (It's not all that great but I love the feel of the movie.)
+ Stark Raving Mad
+ Mel Gibson's The Patriot
+ Analyze This
+ Analyze That
+ The Crew (This is hilarious)
+ The Perfect Score
+ Spring Break Lawyer
+ About A Boy
+ Master and Commander
+ Mr. Deeds
+ After The Sunset (despite the saucy Salma Hayek-Pierce Brosnan scenes)
+ Meet Joe Black

And some chick flicks that are actually good. I assure you.

+ Sweet Home Alabama
+ Legally Blonde 1
+ What A Girl Wants (Amanda Bynes was really funny here.)
+ Princess Diaries 1 and 2 (Funny ones too.)

It's such a shame that I haven't watched a bunch of other movies that are probably going to end up in my fave list. Some of them are: Lost In Translation, A Clockwork Orange (which for some reason I think I've already seen but am not sure), DONNIE DARKO (where the hell do I get a copy of this???).

I might look like some huge fan of movies but I'm actually not. I just realized that this must be the effect of watching too much HBO. Oh, and I'm easily pleased by movies. I'm not too picky about them, but I don't pick just anything and everything.

I called Remika and asked to borrow Platoon and Euro Trip from her. I borrowed Deer Hunter from her but it just won't play in any DVD player I put it in. Tomorrow I might watch A Very Long Engagement. And I might buy a bunch of VCDs because they're on sale at SM and Video City. Or I can go pick up a something on regular price at AstroVision (Which reminds me, the day before my first SAT I, I ran to the mall, went to AstroVision and got a copy of Perfect Score because I felt the urge to watch it.)

I want to watch a bunch of these chinese movies shot mostly in Hong Kong. Like that trilogy that involved chinese gangs and the HK triad. There are a bunch of other very good Chinese movies out there. I can just feel it in my bones. I'm better off watching Japanese movies though, since I can understand them even just a little. At least I wouldn't have to glue my eyes on the subtitle for the most part.

But I think we develop this certain 'skill' of getting to watch the whole thing WHILE reading the subtitle.

Coffee Stubs

Who doesn't love freebies?

So, I went home early after the Achievement Test (was dismissed before 12nn) today to study and get extra online hours. I started reading for Physics and fell asleep at around 4. Woke up at 6 and then ran to the nearby Starbucks to buy coffee. I've got a free coffee (of anything equal to or less than the amount of your initial coffee) stub from the Starbucks Planner. I can only use it on the 9th of February because of the Chinese New Year. So, I took advantage of it. Lino from the local Starbucks gave me another set of freebie stubs again, only this time it's for mocha marshmallow only.

I'm keeping the free caramel macchiato for tomorrow morning hehehe.

I can't sleep, still. So I decided to finish the write-ups some people asked me for. After finishing three (pretty quick since the creative juices are flowing :D) I go online to look around and blog. Heh.

I remember making a group write-up on one person with Ayisse, Dixi, and Kaye yesterday. And then Neil came to our table and dished out all these suggestions and side comments. He just sucked out all our creative juices, after that we couldn't write anything anymore.

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Kendra and what's-his-name won the Amazing Race by the way. Why do all the "bad" people have to win? I was rooting for Adam and Rebecca & Kris and John. I don't like saying this but I have to admit but, what Aaron did was truly sweet, proposing to Hayden and all (despite her being a bitch at times and all, as he himself said).

The next AR's pretty interesting. What with the Operation Iraqi Freedom soldier (one of the soldiers hostaged... remember, the bunch with the female soldier?) and a pair from Survivor.

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Marvs wants me for the "Jade Squadron" picture taking tomorrow. Why do they even want to make a book about themselves? Well, I guess that's how bonded they are. But the thought of taking photos of a group of friends, of people you know, in a set up manner is a bit cheesy. In fact, being a contract photographer itself in a photo shoot type of thing itself is a bit cheesy. I have to get used to it I guess.

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Things I have to do for next week include:

Finish my Research project oral defense slide show

Finish the "Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig" book report by Monday

Start reading Les Miserables

Since I'll be dismissed at 10:30am on Friday, I'm planning to watch A Very Long Engagement. Reviews have been good, so yeah. I'll probably watch Shall We Dance with some family members. At first, I thought it was sort of adultery film with Richard Gere and JLo hitting on each other. Because of that, I initially didn't want to watch it since I still have a bit of trauma left from watching Unfaithful (on my aunt's suggestion). But it's gonna be a fun and funny movie.

Drew Fuller and Documentaries

Dixi and I are going to write the screen play for the movie of our life... Nar. Not THE movie of our life but our first one. hehe

Wait. I didn't make much sense, did I?

Just blogging for the sake of blogging. But don't worry for I haven't run out of things to tell (corny, useless, mushy, whatever...)

Remika called me at about 10:00 last night. This was how our conversation went:

Remika: */me imagines her wide-eyed and all* Hulaan mo kung sino nasa bagong video ni Lindsay Lohan. (Guess who's in Lindsay Lohan's newest video.)
AM: *By some weird occurence of electrical waves, I just knew who. I went wide-eyed too.* Drew Fuller!?!?!?
Remika: OO! At naghahalikan sila ni Lindsay Lohan, parang wushgushwushwoosh. (Yes. And they're making out like crazy.)
Remika's Brother: */me overhears her brother* O, bakit ka umiiyak. (Then why the hell are you crying?)
Remika (to her brother): I'm not crying! *we both laugh*
Remika (to me): Nakakalungkot. (That was just sad...)
AM: Aaaaaaaah! Drew Fuller! Why? Why? Why does Lindsay Lohan have to have Drew Fuller in her video!? Why!?
Remika: Oo nga... (Yeah.)
*We're both silent and pseudo-weeping*
AM: Well, at least we get to see him again. Pero bakit kailangan pang nakikipaghalikan kay Lindsay Lohan. (But why do we have to see him... like that.)

(Drew Fuller is that white lighter that replaced Leo, who turned out to be Piper and Leo's son, in last season's Charmed. He was also that dude in the Where Ever You Will Go video of The Calling... he's the one the girl sees in the tattoo shop.)

Hahahaha. I know. It's our teenybopper moment there. Oh well, gwapo parin naman si Drew Fuller. haha

Remika got accepted to Northeastern as well, by the way! We get to freeze our asses in Boston together, if God permits. heh

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I told Drea I'm volunteering to do/help out in making the batch documentary for the yearbook. I'm jotting down a few of the ideas I have for it here. If you have any suggestions, then tell it through the comments page. It will be much appreciated. :D

A series of close-up head shots of ALL the 05 students describing the batch in one word. All are flashed in the screen one after the other, without pauses. And as suggested by Kaye, if somebody uses more than one word, we'll insert a fast clip of a person (I hope someone does it, when we shoot the clips) saying "Uhm... one word?"

A series of shots again of people answering to the question: How do you feel about leaving Pisay? Express yourself in one syllable only. Y'know, I'm thinking it'd be like a sequence of these: Sad :( Uhm... Wooh! Shit! Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! Wag! Excited... I mean, Exctd.

Some snapshots of photos.

No skit, absolutely. Just random people. Aside from going cinema verite style, I think more people are going to be able to relate if it's not just one person in a main skit/acting segment. I mean... maybe they'd just remember that person. I'm sure there's another way to express grief, loneliness, etc.

People walking along the halls and disappearing. Or walking aimlessly around the football field and disappearing one by one, probably.

Of course, the sentimental lines from poems and quotes have to be there. You gotta make them cry... or sad at least. hehe And give them hope or something like that.

That's about it. I haven't come up with a lot yet.

Pseudo-Hollywood

Pseudo is not a negative word at all. The prom the juniors prepared, which I call pseudo-hollywood (since the theme was Hollywood), was actually good and fun. Maganda siya, sa totoo lang. I liked the dancing better last year but for some reason, this year's dancing was better because everybody were hyper.

The food was a bit so-so except for the fish fillet and blueberry cheesecakes. It was really funny since the spaghetti tray kept on having to be replaced. When we (Dixi, Remika and I) got our hands on the spaghetti noodles, we only had about 8.5723593000000001 strings left to each of us. We pretended it was gourmet food instead and arranged the little left on our plates and put on the sauce in a fancy way. I got almost all the parsley on the tray and placed it on my plate. And then, Dixi hoarded the cheesecakes. She took 5 or 7, I think and made me carry that place. And then a second serving - according to her - of the cakes, about 5 pieces on another plate.

It was supposed to be a "mass plate" thing. In case we get hungry for the remainder of the night and decide to eat. Last year, it happened. All the cream puffs were out and we wanted to eat, so we had to resort to the fruits.

And then we went on critiquing different dresses and suits. Don't get me wrong, people looked wonderful :) Okay. You don't believe me. I can just feel it. hahaha There were those he really went Hollywood, and that was fun: Drea, Lou, Mariel 05, Mariel 06, and others. Ange looked like a party girl. I think I did fine with my black dress and pearls. Ayisse and her extra cool dress were cute. Dixi looked like Cinderella and Remika looked like little mermaid... Just kidding. Well, actually, a bit. hehe Oh, and Kla had a plankton on her head. :D wahahaha

Chubibo played. At first, a couple of us liked the female vocalist's voice. But then, it got pretty annoying after a few songs. They played Beatles so it was cool. Dixi and I just had to dance to Obladi... near the band, so we can stare at the bassist in the dark. Yes. I know. It was funny, trying to check out the bassist. Hey, he was really cool (yes, he had the prerequisite bassist moves... just kidding). And he had this gorgeous singing voice hahaha (he did the vox for one slow song). Sabi ko nga at ng ibang tao, ang gwapo ng boses ng bassist!!! */me freaks out* The band, except for Irene, the vocalist, are all Pisay graduates (batch 95). Check out http://photos.philmusic.com/thumbnails.php?album=35 for some photos of Chubibo in last year's Rock the Ramp, together with other bands. The captions are really funny. :D

Somewhere at the start of the program, some of the teachers came in. And then, *dumdumdumdum* when Sir Llanura (the homosexual math teacher) came, Remika went: Oy, si Sir Llanura! And Dixi went: Shit, ang gwapo nga nya! And then I went: Sabi ko sayo eh! Kahawig pa niya si Dennis Trillo. Dixi: Shit, oo nga! Me: Sabi ko sayo gwapo eh! And then we stand up to tell Ange, who was in another table. We even voted him for Teacher of the Nigh. (Dixi wrote in the ballot, which was for the whole table: "Mardan Llanura... You are HOT!" Hahahaha But of course, his hair was metrosexual and all.)

That's all. I suddenly ran out of things to say.

Northeastern! Holy Crap!

That was a very early reply.

I open my e-mail inbox and find out a message from Northeastern University saying "Congratulations" in the subject line.

And then I opened it to find out that, holy shit, I got accepted. I guess it wasn't that hard getting into Northeastern (not that I'm being boastful or anything, my SAT score was well within their usual range).

At least they have a marine lab! hehe And Boston's a pretty place.

I just hope I get a scholarship as well. The admission message didn't say anything except to notify me since there might be a lag in the post office. Apparently, the scholarship decision and all will be included in the full admission packet sent in the mail.

I hope Remika got accepted as well. No word from her yet.

I'm really aiming for Swarthmore. But well... :( Or Bryn Mawr :D Or USC :?

My friend is in front of John Joe Joseph at this very moment

[Edit]
So, I turn my TV to MTV (I haven't tuned in to that channel in an awful long time) and to my surprise, John Joe Joseph is there, hosting UBreak with another VJ. I like him better with his short hair but yeah, he still looks cool (can't you see how much I'm struggling with saying he's hot? Okay. He is. There. I've said it. hehe) And he speaks straight Filipino... hahaha.

I just remember that Super! Top 20 People to watch out for in 2005 list. I was supposed to give the spread to Ginnie so she can take Japoy's picture in there (she's really friends with Japoy from Taekwondo so I'm wondering why she still wants that newspaper picture...hehe). I ended up going around the school asking people what they think about John Joe Joseph (who was in the same spread).
[/Edit]

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I was happily sitting in front of my computer, ready to type in a new blog entry when my cellphone suddenly vibrates. It was Ayisse, calling me like she does whenever she has something to tell. And then I answer hello to a panicky-sounding Ayisse.

Wtf? Is there a fire or what?

Only to realize that she's telling me in a half-screaming, adrenaline-soaked voice that she is at the MTV party and that she saw John Joe Joseph.

John Joe Joseph.

It took me a full second to realize who she has just seen. And then she rants in that hurried pace how so much of a good looking lad John Joe Joesph is (sorry, I like typing-saying-his whole name. It just rolls off the tongue nicely :D). Oo. Gwapo siya. And Ayisse was ranting and ranting, Ang gwapo niya! in an unexpectedly teenybopper way.

And then she goes: He's right in front of me! Pwede ko siyang kausapin!
I go: Ano? Nasa harap mo siya ngayon? Edi kausapin mo!
She goes: Ang gwapo, gwapo niya!

I ask her who she's with (Kjwan Street Team), etc. etc. And then she hangs up with her last words, Ang gwapo, gwapo niya!.

My friend is one lucky person. Very lucky.

I don't think I've seen an MTV segment with John Joe Joseph in it yet. But I have to. I mean...! Come on, it's him.

*sigh*

Why couldn't there be more John Joe Joseph's in the world?

Update!

The trip is going to be on the later parts of April or some time during May.