Archive for October, 2006

31
Oct

Halloween’s Resolutions

By ihcahieh 1 Comment
Categories: Special Articles

I know it’s weird but let me explain what this means. It’s just that every New Year, people formulate a list of plans, or goals to be exact to accomplish for that year. Some people get to fulfill the promise they made themselves while some miserably fail. As for me, the New Year has already arrived.

I turned 21 last September and ever since I got to college I told myself that the real New Year starts September. It’s just logical, right? I was born on the month of September so you shouldn’t argue with me when I say that I want the “Real” New Year on September!

Unfortunately, people won’t celebrate my own personal New Year with me because if the start of the New Year would depend on our birth months, we would all have different New Year celebrations. But I won’t give in to that, a compromise should be made.

Since the “Traditional” New Year starts January, why not meet halfway? Count 2 months ahead starting September and you reach November. Count 2 months back from January and you reach November. And so, the “Compromise” New Year starts November. And instead of calling it “Compromise New Year’s Resolution,” why not just call it “Halloween’s Resolution”? And so be it.

I started formulating resolutions even before September. I named the article 21 Things to Do Before You Turn 22. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to complete the list on time. Thinking of 21 weird things is quite difficult, specially knowing that some of the entries would just seem normal to others. I could only think of a few weird things and so I stopped writing and gave myself more time. Now I would just have to list whatever I want to, no more quotas. Begin!

Write a fictional blog starting November…

I am so psyched about this idea. I’ve always wanted to write a novel, but again to use the word “unfortunately” (Ok fine let’s toss in the Romance equivalents); Por desgracia, I don’t have a lot of time specially now that I’m already working. I would barely have time for anything. Another concern is that even a good story would turn out to be trash if you don’t have that ability to narrate stories creatively. In order to be an effective storyteller, brilliant ideas won’t suffice, you need creative writing skills. So what now? Should I transfer to the BA Creative Writing program? Hell no. Because of this I plan to write the novel when I turn 40, which is a rather long wait. 19 years? So I’ve just decided, why not use the blog? I could use the blog as the medium to tell the story but instead of narrating it 3rd person omniscient, I could just do it on 1st person point of view with the main character doing what normal people do, blogging. It would be updated every week so it would be like a weekly series and because it is a blog, there would be no pressure to write as if writing a piece for Oprah’s Book Club. It would be just like reading someone else’s blog entries! But I would have to warn you now. Starting on the first Sunday of November, a new category would be added to the existing Weekly and Special categories in my blog. It would be named Luna’s Corner. Yes, the main protagonist is a girl and to top that, she’s pyrokinetic. Has Dan the Wrathful met his match? It would be of the fantasy genre, written as if it were a normal weekly blog. Excited na ako!

Dye my hair white…

Yes white, as in totally white. I’m not promising anyone anything about this, not even myself. In my Spanish class last semester a lot of people underwent drastic changes with their hair and a lot of people branded them as depressed. When I had my hair cut they asked me if I was depressed. I wasn’t. I was but not so much. I believe that this year the Great Depression, the mother of all depressions, would hit me hard. I could feel it. And when that time comes that’s when I would say that I am truly depressed. But what does it have to do with the hair? Well, it’s just that I’ve always envisioned Dan the Wrathful having white hair with a ball of fire on the left hand. I can’t do anything about the fireball but I think something could be done with the hair. So what does this mean? I don’t know. Maybe boredom and depression are best buddies and when one hits a person the other would hit him or her too. Maybe I just want to have a radical change in my life? I don’t know. One thing I do know is that this particular resolution won’t be 100% sure. There is a possibility but it is not as sure as the fictional blog. This is crazy, it got 3 star-(what? You’ve got to be kidding me!)-rating in the unpublished article mentioned above. Well… Let’s see if it comes to fruition this year or the next. Just thinking about it makes me cringe

Read and finish foreign language novels…

I am a serious language learner and I know that reading would benefit me the most. I have nothing against translations but for me they are like movie versions of books where details are often omitted and sometimes overemphasized. For me reading the original is like reading the book first before seeing the movie, which in this case would be the translation. I love reading and I believe it would be the perfect way to enhance my abysmal vocabulary in the languages I’m learning. I’ve already planned some books to be read for each language. Again I am not sure if any of this would be realized but I hope I could do at least one. I am planning to read Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) by Laura Esquivel. I’ve already seen an original Spanish copy in Fully Booked but I didn’t have the money then. I hope it would still be there once I have enough money to buy it. Don Quixote is an alternative but hello, are you high? Have you seen how thick the book is? For Portuguese I plan on reading Veronika Decide Morrer (Veronika Decides to Die) by Paolo Coelho. The good thing about Coelho’s books is that they are conveniently thin. I’ve always been intrigued by that particular book and been tempted a couple of times to buy it because it sells for less than 300 pesos in bookstores, but then my stubborn self would like to read it in the original Portuguese. The good thing about Portuguese is that it is hard to speak but easy to read, specially if you know Spanish. For French I plan on reading Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. It is a book for children, right? But still if this is to be done I think it would be by the end of the year because I have just started French again (This is like the fourth time I’ve restarted learning it). For Italian I have no idea. I don’t want to read Macchiavelli’s masterpiece in the original Italian. I think Umberto Eco’s books are complicated, what more in the original language! So should I just read Dante’s Inferno? I don’t know. So far the reading challenge only targets the four languages mentioned.

Do public service for my high school batch mates…

When I started the blog I’ve always thought of interviewing my high school batch mates (around 400 in total). Wala lang. I would just like to know what they are doing with their lives after 4 years now and at the same time inform the others via publication in the blog. I also want to include some high school teachers specially the notorious ones. I know this would be time-consuming and again I’m not committing myself to anything. If this goal is to be achieved I think it would start January 2007. I would still have to think about the details. How many should I interview per month? Would 1 batch mate be enough? Should I also interview the teachers or should I leave them alone? What should I ask them? Should it be a serious interview in the form of an article or should it be just a mere transcript of the kamustahan session? Isip isip muna.

Be more than just the average student…

I love school but I haven’t really excelled to realize my full potential. I always have this strange mentality that most students have, that of may next sem pa naman e, pahinga muna ako. I think some people in the university who know me would find this weird. Last semester I had like 32 units (20 enrolled, 12 sit-in) just for the fun of it. Isn’t that loving school more than enough? I think not. Though I attended a lot of classes for the last semester, I would have to admit that I didn’t do my best. Yes I had a lot of classes but what happened was quantity over quality. I spent almost all my time attending classes from different fields of study but I didn’t give my all, not even to one particular class. I would just attend class, listen to the professor, daydream, and then cram once the exams started coming. I could have read all the readings. I could have appreciated and viewed them as leisure readings instead of required readings if I wanted to but I did not. Deep inside apathy ruled and I had a so-so semester. I’ve been a consistent College Scholar ever since I started in UP. What occurred last semester could very well break the chain. Gusto ko na mag level-up. I want to be a University Scholar. It is possible but the question is am I willing to do it? I could do it but do I want to? Of course I want to but in reality would I do everything in order to achieve it? That’s the question. Knowing that I would be having Calculus this coming semester, chances are seen to be slim, or fat, whatever. Oh look, did I commit a grammar crime: Misplaced/Dangling Modifier? Well, do I care?

All of these are due before the year ends. But there are three New Years, which is which? Ok, let’s just make it eerily similar with CRS (UPD’s online enlistment program), the first run would be on September 26, 2007. Second run would be November 2007. Final run would be on December 31, 2007. I think there would be no problem for most of the goals. I just wish I could have included the smaller ones, those which were trivial, ordinary, and less weird.

Well anyway I’m done with writing. I am excited about the fictional blog. I’ve been writing and rewriting the same novel in my mind for almost 2 years now. I started formulating ideas November 2004 and now I’ve done a couple of revisions. I was even pissed off when brilyantes were used in Encantadia because my novel includes them too, except that there is no jewel for Earth. Oh well, it’s common in the fantasy genre. Let’s wait and see. =)

28
Oct

Pasensya Na, Callboy Po

By ihcahieh 0 Comments
Categories: Weekly Report

Octubre 22 - 28

Pasensya Na, Callboy Po

Soundtrack of the Week

  1. Bitiw [SPONGECOLA]
  2. Breakaway [CLARKSON]
  3. She’s No You [MCCARTNEY]
  4. Maging Sino Ka Man [SANTOS]
  5. Confessions of a Broken Heart [LOHAN]

Movie of the Week: La Vita è Bella

  • Roberto Benigni did deserve that Oscar for best actor but I would have to admit that his acting or perhaps his character in that film scares me.
  • Medyo hindi ko gusto yung ending with all that “Abbiamo vinto! Abbiamo vinto!” stint, hello parang namatay kasi yung tatay mo e no. Pero sige pagbigyan, bata naman yun tiyaka di niya alam na morto na si Babbo.
  • Sa film na ito ko na-witness ang true horror ng holocaust. Akala ko sa Germany lang, sa Italy din pala. I haven’t seen Schindler’s List yet.
  • Loved the transition scene when they entered the (Greenhouse ba yun?) tapos paglabas may anak na sila. Galing ng transition.
  • Yes, no matter how bitchy life could be, it is indeed beautiful. I concede.
  • Was nominated for both Best Film and Best Foreign Language Film. It won in the latter, only the second film daw to be nominated in both.
  • A movie about a father’s sacrifice for his son; will make you appreciate your father more.
  • Sorry but I still prefer La Finestra di Fronte as my favorite Italian film.

Moron of the Week: Mamang Guard

Hindi naman talagang villain na villain si Mamang Guard. Wala lang talagang super moron this week kaya consolation prize na lang siya. Naiirita lang ako sa kanya kasi. E paano lagi na nga akong 1 AM nakakauwi. E laging siya ang bantay na guard sa labas ng building. Aba isang gabi ba naman nung papasok na ako tumingin siya sa relo tapos sabi sa sarili niya, “A la una na ha.” sabay tingin sa akin. Wala namang ibang tao kami lang dalawa. Paringgan ba ako! Well pasensya na kuya, callboy po e. May magagawa ba ako. Wala tayong pakialamanan ano. Walang personalan, trabaho lang. =p

En el infierno enterita enterita te vas a quemar… AMEN.

Angels of the Week: Braz-03 and Braz-06

Work could be extremely boring. Thank God I found 2 companions that could share the boredom w/ me even if they’re 11 hours away & Portuguese-speaking to boot. I added Vanessa (Braz-06) and Juliana (Braz-03) on my MSN Messenger list just for the sake of adding them when 1 night they sent me a message. Ang cute nga e, they talk to me in Portuguese but I reply to them in Spanish pero nagkakaintindihan kami. Aliw! But I also talk to them in Portuguese kahit medyo flawed pa. Ngayon mas masaya na pumasok sa office (Bad!), di bale on the side lang naman ito, nagagawa ko pa rin naman ang trabaho ko e, hehehe.

Politics: Nae epalan talaga ako sa US, pagbukas mo ng Yahoo! Lagi na lang ang headlines kesyo US BLABLA IRAQ, US BLABLA NORTH KOREA. Lagi na lang involved ang US. Hehehe, anti-US ba ako? Maybe… Nag field trip si Ate Glo sa Xiamen, China. May date siguro sila ni Hu Jintao. Sino ba talaga, si Hu Jintao o si George Bush Jr? Yihee intriga. Hahaha. Ang nonsense ng segment…

Showbiz: Sa wakas nakaabot na ng $200M ang Superman Returns sa North American Box Office! Siya ang 8th slowest film to reach $200M. Good news for fans, there will be a sequel and Brian Singer already signed pero may budget cut sila. Ito ang highest grossing Superman movie to date pero di natalo ang Batman Begins na nasa $205M yata. X-Men: The Last Stand is at around $234M.

Work: Grabe namatay ako sa nerbyos sa aking first ever phone call. Napa overtime tuloy ako ng wala sa oras. I called a client to confirm the cancellation of his account. Receptionist pa ang sumagot tapos ni transfer ako to her boss (Big time!), thriller! Tahimik naman siya pero nung nagsalita aba parang hinahabol ng 10 maniningil w/his Mexican accent! Buti na lang naintindihan ko pa rin. Horror!

Chatmates: Napaaga ang Portuguese immersion dahil na rin sa mga kasamang Portuguese speakers both in the office and those working in Brazil. Ka chat ko na si Braz-03 at Braz-06 every night kahit medyo ilag sila kasi wala akong pic. Nagtatanong talaga sila ha, nasaan daw yung pic ko. E ang nakalagay sa MSN ko yung pic ko sa Friendster na may towel sa ulo, hahaha! Pasensya po hindi talaga ako naglalagay ng pic ano dahil tatlo lang ang pwedeng kalabasan: A. Mukha akong addict; B. Mukha akong zombie; C. Mukha akong bading. Yung latest pic ko for the job application falls under letter A. Asa pa sila na maglalagay ako ng picture! Hahaha. Si Braz-03 kahawig ni Nicole ng PCD, si Braz-06 naman pa tweetums ang itsura pero may boyfriend na, at talagang sinama pa sa picture. Nag aaral din sila pero full-time sa call center. Ganun din pala sa Brazil, cool.

Academics: Nadagdagan na yung mga grades ko sa CRS. Sorry pero kailangan ko magyabang, bwahaha! Pumasok na yung grades ko for Spanish 12 and 13, doble 1.0! Siguro nag enjoy si Sir dun sa final radio play project namin, Almodovar Jr creation yata yun, hahaha! Bale sa aking UP life, meron na akong limang (5) 1.0 at isang (1) 5.0. Ang cute di ba? 2.0 GWA nilang anim, pwede na.

Future: Dahil depressed ngayong week, nagpalipas na naman ng oras na nakatunganga sa pader at nagpaplano ng buhay. Naisip ko, bakit MA Asian Studies? E di BS Economics na lang sa UP din. I made an analysis, sa dami ng free electives ng BS Econ, kaya kong tapusin in 3 semesters after graduation, 12 units per semester. Pwede na di ba? Malaking dagdag pa yun sa résumé. Isip…

Surroundings: It’s getting eerie. He managed to get a pirated CD copy of that Regine Velasquez song and he plays it over and over again. We are not talking about two or three times here! Let’s say around five to six times per seating. As I said I’ve already managed to make myself love the song through constant repetition but I also need a break so I just drown it with my own music playlist.

27
Oct

Breakaway

By ihcahieh 0 Comments
Categories: Special Articles

Sing it for me Kelly. There you go. Were you thinking of me when you wrote that song? Did you write it specially for me? Because I have to admit I could totally relate to it! Damn you Kelly Clarkson. Damn you.

Lately I’ve been quite exposed to people who have broken free from the chains of monotonous daily life, people who had the courage to defy social norms and then live life the way they want to. Damn you people. Damn you.

I’ve seen the Coconuter episode of Nagmamahal Kapamilya last Saturday after watching Scream 3 via pirated VCD. I wasn’t able to catch the whole story, just his interview and the phone call to his mom. That night I went online as usual and bumped into his blog. Wow, his résumé is quite impressive. He was about to face a bright future in the US when he decided to just come back here in the Philippines (He’s Fil-Am) and live life as a nomad. Some people see it as a waste of time. As I said his résumé is impressive and I wonder what made him abandon all that he had in the US and do what he thought he wanted to do with his life. A lot of reasons could be tossed in but he would never be totally understood. On the contrary I think I understand him. I think he is bored with his life, as bored as I am with mine right now. Damn you Coconuter. Damn you. Is “God” sending me a sign?

Another one would be that guy from Peyups who chose to drop out from his last (?) semester in UP to do what he loves doing, writing. He won’t be getting his diploma anytime soon and again some people think that it’s a waste of time, but I on the other hand think that I understand him. Maybe he is bored with his life, as bored as I am with mine right now. But knowing him, I think he just wants to get more out of life, more than he could get from UP. I admire his courage. I admire the fact that he is not afraid to breakaway and try something new with his life. I think he works with Chito Roño and Erik Matti now. Damn you Peyups guy. Damn you. Is “God” sending me a sign?

Another would be that guy from that European movie who went through the typical route that people take to achieve success only to find out in the end that his definition of success was different from that of others, hence choosing to break free from the tedious daily routine awaiting him. Damn you Guy from that European film. Damn you. Is “God” sending me a sign?

Another would be that writer who I admire. I think she didn’t get her diploma from UP as well for some reason I’m not aware of but still now I find her successful and I also admire the fact that she’s doing what she loves to do, writing. Her case is almost similar to example number 2. Nonetheless, damn you Writer that I admire. Damn you. Is “God” sending me a sign?

I hate the fact that I am not like the people mentioned. I hate the fact that I can’t break free from the invisible chains that bind me, chains that might not even exist in the first place. I hate the fact that I am so bored with my life. I hate the fact that I am bored with my boring life when in fact there is no reason to be bored and yet I choose to bore my boring self making me a so very boringly boring person who sometimes try to infect others with my boredom so that they would also be bored and finally understand and realize the effing boredom that I am. Damn my boring self. Damn me.

Sometimes I wish I could imitate these people, but is that what I really want? The thing is I don’t even know what I really want, but shouldn’t that be exactly the reason why I should follow these people’s footsteps and try to find out what I really want? Ito ba yung tinatawag nila na hinahanap yung sarili? Hahaha, what is this, a boring telenovela?

Suddenly a thought flashes to mind that of a particular quote saying that if you would like to find yourself you shouldn’t go very far because if you do you run the risk of not finding yourself at all. But is that true at all? Isn’t it that sometimes you have to go places to realize some things that you won’t discover unless you abandon the life you currently have and take the risk of starting a new one? Or perhaps just taking a break from the life you are living and then just coming back when you are ready to face it all again?

I don’t know. I’ve tried having a job to shake off the boredom. It’s working somehow. During the first few days I couldn’t even find the faintest sign that this decision to have a job would change a little bit of me somehow. After a week or so the flicker of hope is starting to grow but still I am not convinced that this would finally be the answer. What’s next? A radical change perhaps? How radical? Perhaps a fashion makeover? This is funny. Perhaps a shift in career plans? What about a suicide attempt? Hahaha, roll on the floor laughing. Don’t worry, I’m not thinking of jumping off a building or slashing any of my wrists anytime soon. If you know me oh too well then you should know that I won’t settle for such primitive acts of desperation. Besides, I am that type of guy who goes for reforms, not radical revolutions.

What to do? What to do? A quick trip to the Agencia Española office would certainly put an abrupt end to all of this but after that, what? I don’t know. I am so confused and tired of obsessive compulsive planning. I predicted in the Halloween’s Resolutions article (not yet published) that the Great Depression is sure to hit me this year. Could this be the start? Maybe. Maybe not. Damn life.

Maybe I should relax? Maybe I am just doing so much planning that my system is starting to reject it? Renewable and dynamic five-year plans are good for planning the future but maybe what I’m doing is just plain overkill that it leads me to that freaky feeling of wanting to break free. But how do you break free from yourself? Is that even possible? As the subtitle says, how do you vanquish the enemy when the enemy is yourself? Crap.

Crap, crap, crap. Soon I would initiate new diversions to spice up this boring life a bit. I hope they would finally work because if they don’t then I know definitely that the escapism aficionado deep inside would take over, and then I would blackout and just recover my sanity when all is lost, or when all is changed… for the better. If that would ever happen then I hope the latter would come true. I certainly won’t like being stuck in one hellhole after another.

Harry Potter, pray for me.

Luna the fiery pyrokinetic, pray for me.

Clark Kent, pray for me.

Sadako, pray for me.

Crisostomo Ivarra, pray for me.

Chichiri-san, pray for me.

Amen. Burn me now.

21
Oct

In an Ocean Full of Portuguese Motor Mouths

By ihcahieh 0 Comments
Categories: Weekly Report

Octubre 15 - 21

In an Ocean Full of Portuguese Motor Mouths

Soundtrack of the Week

  1. Over [LOHAN]
  2. On Ne S’aimera Plus Jamais [LARUSSO]
  3. Maghihintay Ako [VELASQUEZ]
  4. Gocce di Memoria [GEORGIA]
  5. Bituing Walang Ningning [GERONIMO]

Movie of the Week: If Only

  • Is it me or is Jennifer Love Hewitt really anorexic?
  • And the Ghost Whisperer becomes the ghost! Hehehe.
  • I so love movies like this which deal with turning back time, basta yung mga second-chance plots like that of Femme Fatale, Tru Calling, etc.
  • I specially liked what happened to Ian, ganda ng character development.
  • Ok din yung kinanta ni Samantha sa concert, si JLH ba ang nag compose?
  • Oo na sige na pwede nang singer si Jennifer Love Hewitt.
  • Ang kulit ng reaksyon ni Ian dun sa “Read one word and I’ll kill you” scene, haha, matakot ba daw. Dapat nga yun bear hug agad e.
  • This film deals with the most common thing that happens to us human beings, working like robots and taking for granted those that should be given due attention, and then having regrets when it’s already too late.
  • I don’t like Nicholls’ acting… Workshop, workshop!
  • Dapat may sequel tapos si Samantha naman ang may alam ng mangyayari, hehehe, tapos paikot ikot lang yung storya, alternate silang dalawa!

Moron of the Week: *Censored1*

Pasensya na talaga *Censored1* at napag initan kita. I hope you don’t take this personally kasi super nainis talaga ako sa nangyari. E paminsan minsan lang naman ako magalit at paminsan minsan lang naman nakakapagsulat si Dan the Wrathful ng article kaya pinagbigyan ko na. Sana lang sa susunod maging mas responsible tayo para walang hassle sa akin, sa iyo, sa mga ka group mates natin. Pero sige ok na nai submit na naman yung paper kaya pwede na akong matahimik…

Nonetheless, so the saying goes:

En el infierno enterita enterita te vas a quemar… AMEN.

Angel of the Week: Luna

I thank Luna for helping me maintain my sanity for the week. Ok, bago kayo mang intriga diyan e manahimik muna kayo. I would be sharing my Friendster blog with her starting the first Sunday of November. Who is she? Well, you’ll have to find out. Makulit din siya mag blog e. Hehehe, sana lang pag nabasa niyo yung weekly blog entries niya e maliwanagan kayo tungkol sa tunay na estado ng kanyang pagkatao. Marami kasing mga mambabasa na hindi marunong magbasa between the lines, hehehe. Basta, mahirap i-explain. Tama na ang pagpapaliwanag. Hintayin niyo na lang. Weekly series, weekly series! =)

Politics: Ang narinig ko sa news lately is that issue regarding automated elections. Bakit ba kasi hindi na lang nila gamitin yung mga machines na yun, sayang naman yung pinangbili dun. Complicated issue. Medyo tahimik or maybe hindi lang talaga ako nakakanood ng news. About North Korea naghain na nga yata ng resolution ang UN pero nag test pa rin si Kim Jong Il. Tsk tsk tsk.

Showbiz: Naaaliw na ako sa Bakekang. Ang galing umarte ni Sunshine Dizon. Nagtataka lang ako kung bakit parang naging hobby na nung mga characters na isilid sa sako si Charming (the ugly daughter). As for Maging Sino Ka Man, ok din siya kaya lang mababa ang ratings. Hindi ako nanonood ng Atlantika pero malalaki na sila sa Monday kaya baka manood na ko. Ay work pala, tanga.

Work: Yes I am surrounded by Portuguese motor mouths. That’s not derogatory naman, I enjoy it nga e. Napapanganga na lang ako lalo na pag tumatawag sa customer yung katabi ko, Brazilian ata kasi talaga yun e. Nakakaaliw! Tunog bakla talaga pero itong Brazilian Portuguese parang pinaghalong French (nasals + elisions) at Spanish (the open vowels), nakakaaliw! As for the job itself I would have to admit that it is boring. We deal with customer requests through e-mail. There are instances na kailangan silang tawagan but for my first week I just concentrated on answering customer e-mails. Medyo natatakot pa ako tumawag e, di bale darating din tayo diyan. By the way the company is still hiring. Mas kailangan ang Portuguese speakers pero naghahanap pa rin ng Spanish speakers. E paano kasi ang e-mails for Portuguese nasa 3,000+, for Spanish 200+ lang.

Languages: Stopped French grammar studies. Concentrate muna ako sa Italian grammar. Will start Portuguese full immersion next month (books, audio-lingual, talk to Portuguese speaking people at work) and hopefully ay mag improve. Ok naman ang Spanish, gamit na gamit sa work pero I plan on taking Portuguese seriously para at least makatulong din ako sa Brazilian customers.

Academics: After the what-seemed-like-a-hopeless final exam in Math 17 (Algebra + Trigonometry), I was super mega ultra surprised that I finally passed the course, at 2.75 pa. Magpapa fiesta ako! Lol. Got a 1.25 in Filipino 40 even if I missed one quiz. So kung di ko na miss yung quiz na yun flat 1.0? I therefore conclude na gaya ng Geography 1, unoable din ang Filipino 40. Kuha na!

Future: Parang decided na talaga ako na mag lie low muna two years following graduation. Siguro magfu full-time na muna talaga ako sa Spanish call center para magkaroon ng pondo while taking MA Asian Studies part-time. Wala lang trip ko lang. Mas ok sana kung MA International Studies kaso gusto ko sa abroad yung MA na yun e. Bahala na. Ito ang prevalent plan for the future as of now.

Surroundings: My uncle is still in the hospital, brother and I visited him last weekend. Ok sige na gusto ko na yung theme song ng Atlantika, after hearing it played for the nth time now. Makati after dark? Ok lang, marami rami pa rin namang tao ng mga bandang 12 midnight to 1 AM, kahit paano maliwanag naman at may mga jeep pa rin. MRT rest muna ako, sem break na e.

16
Oct

Look What Depression Brought Home to Dinner

By ihcahieh 1 Comment
Categories: Weekly Report

Octubre 8 – 14

Look What Depression Brought Home to Dinner

Soundtrack of the Week

  1. I Just Don’t Love You No More [DAVID]
  2. Pwede Ba [SOAPDISH]
  3. Luxurious [STEFANI]
  4. She Could Be [BAUTISTA]
  5. Sabihin Mo Na [SUZARA]

Movie of the Week: Piedras

  • I am officially addicted to European movies. =)
  • Ang galing ng pagkakadugtong dugtong ng stories nung how many? Halos kalahating dosenang characters ata yun e, galing!
  • Kung gusto mo makita ang magiging itsura ni Famke Jannsen (Jean Grey) pagtanda, titigan mo si Isabel.
  • Nandito na naman si Lola Dueñas ata yun, basta yung makulit ang role sa El Mar Adentro, makulit din ang role niya dito, addict naman siya ngayon.
  • I particularly liked the subplot of the lady taxi driver, her family, and as it turned out, her connection to Leire and later to everyone else.
  • Hindi cute na retarded si Anita pero naaaliw ako sa kanya, with the yellow rubber shoes and stick people drawings.
  • Another of those large-cast-we-are-all-inter-connected type of film.
  • Wag mo na itanong dahil hindi ko rin alam kung bakit “Stones” ang title.
  • Kawawang Leire, pinagpalit ng boyfriend para sa ibang lalaki, hahaha, sorry Leire, lalaki rin ang gusto ni Papa Kun mo.

Moron of the Week: The Bitch We Call “Life”

Minsan nakakainis na, hindi mo alam kung anong gusto palabasin ng buhay mo. Minsan nakakaaliw kasi tatangayin ka off-course (hyphenated ba yun o hindi? Kita mo na nakakainis talaga!) only to find out na ayos na pala ang lahat, merong alternative na naghihintay kaya ka natangay pero minsan wala e. Minsan ginagawa mo na lahat ng sa tingin mo ay tama pero it turns out to be wrong after all or kung hindi man, insufficient to fill your needs and those of others. Ewan, siguro sinisisi ko lang ang buhay dahil ayoko maging moron of the week pero sa totoo lang minsan hindi mo rin maiiwasan maasar. Naiinis ka rin sa buhay di ba?

En el infierno enterita enterita nos vamos a quemar… AMEN.

Intention of the Week: Speedy Recovery of My Uncle

He is in the hospital. Yes, he is ill and he needs prayers, lots of prayers so please include him in yours. You don’t need to know his name, just mention in your prayers “Dan’s uncle” and I believe “God” would know which is which. I also wish him a speedy recovery, I do everyday but not through prayers because “God” and I have issues right now. Medyo cool-off muna kami kaya hindi kami nag uusap. Pareho lang naman tayo ng gagawin, yung wishes and hopes niyo nga lang ifo forward niyo sa kanya through prayers. Mine would be similar to yours, only that I would be appealing to nature by sheer force of will. Please, pray for him.

World Affairs: Ang alam ko nagkaroon na yata ng UN Resolution to deal with North Korea. Suspense thriller naman tong mga ito, mamaya bigla na lang mambomba yang si Kim Jong Il ha. Kaya Gloria manahimik ka muna ng kaka sipsip mo kay Bush baka mapagdiskitahan tayo niyan. Pag nabomba tayo dahil sa kakasipsip mo mumultuhin talaga kita promise. Bilog pa rin pala ang mundo.

Showbiz: There’s a celebration because the new Regine-Robin film took in 4.3 million pesos on its opening day. If I remember correctly, Sukob grossed 13 million on its first day, You Are the One had 11 million, so what is the fuss all about, honestly? Besides, aren’t they a little too old for movies of the romantic-comedy genre? Anyway, positive naman ang feedback kaya sige panoorin niyo.

Depression Update: Well, as stated in the title, depression brought something home to dinner. Well, to be straightforward, depression brought an extra workload of 4 hours a day/5 days a week, answering calls from Mexico, along with a monthly paycheck to the tune of… Sorry can’t discuss, it turns out that confidentiality is valued in the company. Grounds for termination daw yun. Anyway, I would be starting on Tuesday, night shift. Part-time lang kaya I would be able to do it and my studies simultaneously. By the way, if you happen to be fluent in Portuguese (do Brasil) and Spanish (de Mexico), send me a private message, that is if you would like to try this out. Sayang naman ang opportunity. Ako naman ay depressed pa rin. Now I ask you, what has your depression brought you this week? Who knows what mine would bring next…

Languages: Nag start na ako ng French/Italian grammar review. Weird yung French review, dumirecho na sa grammar… Hehehe. Pwede naman e, you get to read better but you won’t be able to speak that well for lack of practice. Ok na rin. Practical application na nung Spanish yung sa call center, di na ako nagre review ng grammar, hands-on na sa Tuesday e. Game na!

Academics: Tadtarin ba naman daw ng exams ang linggong ito. At talagang hiniwa hiwalay pa ng araw, sayang ang pamasahe ano ba! So ayun nga may pasok pa rin ako the whole week kahit officially done na ang sem last Monday. Tapos meron pa hanggang Monday – Tuesday next week! Hay ano ba, pahinga naman po! Sem break na po ang utak, sem break na!

Future: Because of the new job, future would look a little different. After graduation, part-time job would become full-time, full-time studies would become part-time via MA Asian Studies. Wala lang, trip lang para continuous learning habang nag iipon ng two years pa. Then lipad na kung saan pwede, foreign service! Foreign Service! Hehehe, asa. Bago na naman ito next week.

Surroundings: Wala na namang tubig. Ano ba, nasa disyerto ba tayo? Ang sistema yata e every after three days laging nawawalan dahil bumabara ang tubo hanggang ayusin na ulit. Hanep talaga. Nag field trip kay Oble kasama ang 3 Span 13 classmates, umupo sa Quezon Hall hanggang dumilim na (mga bandang 7 PM), nagkwentuhan. Brother addict pa rin sa theme song ng Atlantika.

09
Oct

Tila Gorillang Aligaga

By ihcahieh 1 Comment
Categories: Weekly Report

Octubre 1 – 7

Tila Gorillang Aligaga

Soundtrack of the Week

  1. Me and You [CASSIE]
  2. She Could Be [BAUTISTA]
  3. Gocce di Memoria [GIORGIA]
  4. Pero Me Acuerdo de Tí [AGUILERA]
  5. Bituing Walang Ningning [GERONIMO]

Movie of the Week: L’Auberge Espagnole

  • Panira ng plano itong movie na ito, ngayon parang gusto ko naman mag Erasmus Mundus. Ano ba! Ang dami na ng future plans ko umabot na yata ng Plan J, ngayon madadagdagan pa ng Plan K, bwiset.
  • Dakilang extra si Audrey Tautou pero her presence was felt pa rin naman.
  • Also known as “The Spanish Apartment,” “Euro Pudding,” etc.
  • Parang ang sarap idolohin ni Xavier, in the end he chose what he wanted to do instead of what he thought he needed to do with his life.
  • Gusto ko pag nagliwaliw ako sa Europe sila rin ang flatmates ko! Hahaha.
  • Barcelona yata ang favorite when it comes to movies and TV Shows alike, lagi na lan dun ang setting basta Spain e.
  • If modern day Europe were a movie, this would be it.
  • I love the English flatmate! Ang kulit niya! Hahaha, lalo na dun sa “La Fac” portion, nakakaaliw.
  • Word of the day: JODER, as in “Shit” in Spanish. Baka sawa na sila sa MIERDA. French MERDE.
  • Ayan nadagdagan na ang French films na napanood ko, tatlo na sila!

Moron of the Week: The People Who Stare

Ok, I am sick and tired of playing “Guess the Gender” with the people who stare. Lalaki po ako. Mag isip naman kayong mga imfatti (New Term!) kayo, kung babae ako kawawa naman ako di ba, nung nagpaulan ang Diyos ng hinaharap e nagkulong ako sa kwarto at nanood ng rerun ng Lost. Para kayong mga gorillang aligaga. Naka droga ba kayong mga hinayupak kayo? O ayan nagpagupit na ako siguro naman hindi na “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” ang theme song ninyo this time ano? Mga moron, ayan inimbentuhan ko na kayo ng bagong term at talagang ginawa ko yan para sa inyo, parang yung sa mga “KSP” sa jeep. Lechísimo.

En el infierno enterita enterita os vais a quemar… AMEN.

Thank You for the Week: Spanish 14-15 Prof

Kailangan ko talaga pasalamatan si Ma’m. Ok sige banggitin na natin, si Ma’m Mercado ng Spanish 14-15. Maraming salamat at pinayagan niyo ako mag sit-in sa klase ninyo kahit hindi ko sinabi ng diretso na nagsa Spanish 12-13 pa ako. Ang dami kong natutunan. Mahirap ang mga lessons dahil medyo pamatay ang subjunctive mood pero ang dami kong natutunan talaga. Mas lumawak yung mga expressions na nagagamit ko ngayon to express myself in Spanish because of attending your class. Needless to say nag improve ako. ¡Muchas Gracias señorita!

World Affairs: Sorry people pero hindi na ako nakakanood ng news, next week malamang makanood na ako ulit. Hell week kasi e. Anyway, ang alam ko lang ay magnu nuclear test ulit ang North Korea. Go North Korea! Hehehe. Mega react naman siyempre ang China at Japan, aba mahirap na yatang mabomba sa mga panahon ngayon. Bombahan sila ng bombahan. Hay nako.

Showbiz: Ang ganda ng pilot ng Maging Sino Ka Man! I would have to say, of all the primetime additions starting September, ito lang ang nakakuha ng attention ko. I expected too much from Crazy for You but it failed to deliver. Atlantika is still on its boring kids-muna-tayo fantaserye syndrome. Bakekang is the runner-up, superb acting from Sunshine Dizon but Sheryl Cruz is intolerably OA.

Depression: Depressed ako this week. Shet ano ba yan feeling artista naman ako, hahaha, may pa depressed depressed pang nalalaman. Anyway the funny thing about me is that I’m not like them other depressed people. Ang mga depressed na mababa ang self-esteem, nagsu suicide. Ang mga depressed na alcoholic, naglalasing. Ang mga depressed na may pambili ng drugs, nagpa pot session. Ang mga depressed na barumbado, bigla na lang nanghahampas ng bote ng San Miguel beer. Pwes, si Alfie pag depressed, nag a apply sa call center. Shet malala na ang topak ko. Psychologist! I need a psychologist! O psychiatrist ba? What’s the difference ba? Pero basta ganun, yung pag gising mo sa umaga parang tamad na tamad ka na ayaw mo kumilos. Parang iniisip mo gagawin mo na naman yung daily routine mo na walang kabuhay buhay. Hay, kay monotonous.

Languages: Itinakwil ko muna ang mga libro for the week, time for practical application. Nag walk-in application ako for Spanish bilingual erep sa Temps and Staffers Agency (Level-up na, Spanish-speaking na ang tinitira ngayon, hehehe). Pumasa ako. Shet. They endorsed me to a certain Winsource Solutions Company. Pupunta ako. Pag pumasa ako dito dilemma na naman. Hay nako.

Academics: Puyat ako all week kasi medyo hell week nga pero ok din kasi alam ko next week e tapos na rin ito lahat. Puro final exams na lang ang mga natira at talagang ikinalat pa nila for the whole week yung mga exam. Sayang ang pamasahe ko ano ba! Hindi ba pwedeng one day na lang? Anyway, highly anticipating next week. Ang saya kasi ng feeling after hell week e, refreshing.

New Term: Nabibwiset na talaga ko sa mga taong tingin ng tingin kahit na hindi ako ang tinitignan. Mabulag kayong lahat mga impakto kayo. Speaking of impakto, nilagyan ko siya ng Italian twist para cute, kaya IMFATTO na siya. Pag babae IMFATTA. Pag grupo ng lalaki or mixed group of males and females IMFATTI. Pag all girls, IMFATTE. Not to be confused with INFATTI = “in fact.”

Surroundings: Medyo addict lang naman ang kapatid ko sa theme song ng Atlantika na kinanta ni Regine Velasquez. Hindi ko gusto yung kanta personally, parang tumitiling kabayo na nabundol ng jeep si Regine. Last week naman addict siya sa Crazy for You ng Spongecola, naapektuhan tuloy ang mga laman ng Soundtrack of the Week ko. Anyway, yun lang. Depressed pala ako, hehehe.

01
Oct

Hayop Ka Milenyo, Hayop Ka

By ihcahieh 0 Comments
Categories: Weekly Report

Setembro 24 – 30

Hayop Ka Milenyo, Hayop Ka

Soundtrack of the Week

  1. Complainte de la Butte [MOULIN ROUGE]
  2. Hindi Sad Diamonds [MOULIN ROUGE]
  3. Crazy for You [MADONNA]
  4. Crazy for You [MYMP]
  5. Crazy for You [SPONGECOLA]

Movie of the Week: DOA Dead or Alive

  • IMHO, One of if not the most successful videogame to movie crossovers.
  • Sana nanghiram sila ng soundtrack from the videogame gaya nung kantang background na binigyan namin ng title na “Summer Fish.”
  • Watching the movie is like playing the game but having real people this time as the characters kicking each other’s ass.
  • The Lei Fang character could have been put to good use had they tasked Zhang Zi Yi to play the role.
  • Too much brawn but in the end the geek had a hand in the saving.
  • Focused more on the girls, the boys got left out as main protagonists.
  • Well-executed fight scenes, if only the local entertainment industry would introduce choreographed fight scenes like those, I would be very happy.
  • Ayane was bitter because Kasumi got invited to DOA instead of her, hehehe, intrigahin daw ba yung dalawa.
  • Holly Valance reminds me of Christina Aguilera from the Genie in a Bottle days, Jaime Pressly looks like Fergie from BEP.

Moron of the Week: Bagyong Milenyo

Siyempre dahil sa bagyong yan na according to Philippine Star’s Saturday issue (Sept. 30) e pinakamalakas na in 11 years ata, walang kuryente at walang tubig. Hindi ko pa napanood ang ending ng Majika, hehehe. Isa pa ngayon ko lang na experience panooring nagliliparan ang mga yerong bubong ng kapitbahay habang nagsasara ako ng mga bintana. Ano ‘to, Twister?

En el infierno enterita enterita te vas a quemar… AMEN.

Misunderstood Person of the Week: Señor Ebreo

Nag stick na kasi sa kanya yung image ng isang terror prof na palasigaw daw, laging badtrip at kung anu ano pa. Ang napansin ko lang ang mga may negative reaction sa kanya ay yung mga nag drop at mga nakakuha ng mababang grades pero yung mga nag enjoy naman at nakasakay sa way of teaching niya ay ok naman. Siguro intindihin na lang natin na talagang mahal lang ni Sir ang Español at gagawin niya lahat para matuto ka. Wag mo na nga lang personalin kasi hindi naman dapat. Ika nga nila, trabaho lang. Yung iba kasi ang gusto lang ay makapasa dahil required sa curriculum. Ano naman yun? Ang language ay di parang social science subject na magbasa lang ay ok ka na. Dapat nga magpasalamat tayo kay Sir kasi inaalis niya yung notion na “language elective lang ‘yan, wag seryosohin!” Mabait si Sir, magaling pa magturo!

Politics: Medyo natabunan ng bagyo ang politics this week. Sabi nga sa Philippine Star Saturday edition, isinangtabi raw ang mga hindi pagkakaunawaan para mag declare ng State of Calamity. Ganyan lang naman yan e. Bakbakan na sila ulit pagdating ng Lunes. About UPD, ang mainit na issue ngayon sa e-group ay yung sagutan ng mga pro at anti egg-throwing incident. No comment…

Showbiz: Start nang Atlantika Monday. Nako corny-han ako sa pangalan ng characters but the weird thing is natututunan kong maaliw sa mga pangalan nila in the long run. Kung may LSS sa words, LSS ako kay Celebes. Hindi na lang dagat ang Celebes sa akin para ngayon dahil sa kanya. Naaliw naman ako kay Jean Garcia, matapos magkukukumpas lalangoy naman ngayon. Versatile!

Weather: Nagpasikat si bagyong Milenyo. Saksi naman tayong lahat na mahangin talaga ang kupal kaya nga napatumba niya yung mga dambuhalang billboard sa EDSA. May nabagsakan pa ngang bus yung Pancake House billboard sa may Magallanes flyover e! Napaginitan tuloy ang mga billboards, pinapatanggal na ni Sen. Defensor – Santiago! Hala, lagot kayo kay Miriam!

Books: Nabasa ko na rin yung The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe! Na corny-han ako, normal lang yun no? Kasi kung nag enjoy ako malamang retarded ang labas ko knowing na pambata siya… Na corny-han ako sa pagkabuhay ni Aslan, parang… Ano yun? Tapos namatay si Jadis ng ganun ganun lang? Hahaha, first name basis kami! Sayang hindi na siya makakapambatok ng lamp post.

Languages: Sobrang naghabol ako this week, as in marathon habol talaga. Kung anuman ang mga na-miss ko last week ay binawian ko ngayon. Halos tapos ko na yung Spanish grammar book photocopies. Effective pala pag pinag aaralan mo ang grammar at ang medium na ginamit ay yung wika na yun mismo. Para tuloy akong retarded na halimaw na nag enjoy sa subjunctive mood. Hehehe.

Academics: Mayroon akong ginawang kagimbal gimbal nang mag login ako sa CRS this week. Pumunta ako sa Pre-enlistment section tapos nilagay ko Math 100, Economics 100.1 at Economics 100.2. Dahilan ni ihcahieh, bakit daw yung mga Math at Econ majors hindi naman nababaliw pag pinagsasabay sabay yun. Ang sagot ni Dan the Wrathful: E hindi ka naman Math major e, gago ka talaga!

Future: I’m torn between 2 future plans. It involves waiting for a year or two before a career start would be possible. Ang tanong ngayon, anong mas maganda gawin habang naghihintay? One choice involves a high paying job (as in high, go figure…) but zero career growth while the other is a scholarship abroad, abante career but zero in terms of finances. Siyempre problemahin daw ba, tagal pa!

Surroundings: Siyempre ang focus pa rin ng segment na ito ay ang disaster na dinulot ni Milenyo. Mga tumbang billboards sa kalsada! 40+ na katao patay! Traffic na buhul buhol! MRT na hindi umaandar! Pero congrats sa nag announce ng class suspension, sa wakas sapul ang announcement niyo! Suicidal lang ang mag aatim na lumabas ng bahay nung kasagsagan ng bagyo no. Life goes on.