I just want to say....

it's the FIRST DAY OF FEBRUARY!!! woohoo!

How's that for a splash?!

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I'm just happy that I've finished at least half of what I was supposed to do. I feel better already.

At least I can run after 'Catch Me If You Can' in theaters tomorrow.

Hehe.

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and Paolo Santos would be performing on 89.1 this afternoon along with other artists like Jimmy Bondoc, Luke Mijares, etc.

Another woohoo!

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I'm just too easy to please.=D

EFFORTS WASTED. Today was a disappointing day for me. I had a quiz in structural class and reporting of our preliminary findings for our housing project for design class, and I didn't feel I did well. I kinda got lost in the middle of solving a problem for the quiz, and we weren't able to finish reporting our findings. In fact, our report got cut in half because we exceeded way over the time limit. It was rather disheartening, because I really prepared for the presentation well. But we never even got to the part that really mattered.

After those two things going belly up for me, it just occurred to me, I am pushing myself too hard? Am I putting too much pressure on myself? I was like this last semester, and it felt good last sem. I didn't feel I was burdened. And my efforts really paid off. I breezed through last sem.

Oh well. Maybe it's really just one of those bumpy days.

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On the lighter side of things, I'm currently watching Missy Elliot strut her stuff in the 2nd MTV Asia Awards. Wow. I'm glad that the awards show is finally gaining ground. Last year's award show was really a dud, with only Ronan Keating and Mandy Moore lighting up the event. All of the rest of the so-called music artists were really, duh. Yup, that's it. It also didn't help that a lot (as in a lot) of the nominees didn't show up, along with the winners!

Anyway, I liked the way those big puppets opened up Missy Elliot's number. They kind of remind me of those big papier mache people in Pinoy parades.

Even Shaggy's turn as host wasn't as bad as I expected. (Suffice to say I'm not a big Shaggy fan)

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Tessa Prieto Valdes actually looks young. I saw her in an E! Eksena interview and I was surprised that she looked fresh faced. Oh. I thought all that flamboyant and drag queen dressing were attempts to hide her real age.

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I have only praises for the 2003 MTV Asia Awards. The show is getting to be more than the usual parade of musical videos from different parts of Asia. There is actually an attempt to show Asian talents in their natural background. Oh well. At least I thought I saw some guy in an MTV suit standing on the Great Wall of China.

TAKING A BREATHER. Joyce, Rish, and I managed to catch Paolo Santos at the Dome last Friday night, and I consider myself really lucky to have watched him. He is just so good. (Sidenote: watching him made me feel like I was watching Joey Mangaser strumming a guitar, hehe)

Really. I'm currently undergoing into a musical renaissance of sorts, the kind that occurs with the function of age, (well as my friend would put it) and the guy's take on all the covers he did was certainly pleasing to moi. I especially loved it when he played Jason Mraz' Sleep All Day and Stevie Wonder's Overjoyed.

Also, I found out the titles of those songs I usually here at Wave 89.1.(Added note: Paolo Santos hosts Wave Late Night guitar, Wednesdays at 8 p.m.) I usually hear them, but I never really had any idea what their titles were or who sang them.

Watching Paolo would definitely happen again!=D

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NOT-SO-COMFORTABLE NIGHT. Yesterday, I went out with my friends (childhood ones) at the Powerplant Mall for dinner, and went home feeling irate and disappointed. I usually don't go out on a Saturday night, but when I do some good soul gives me a ride home. Well, last night I didn't have a ride home so I had to commute. And when commuting I don't want to stay out late. Hmm...what happened was I went home really late (by my standards) and I didn't feel comfortable going home by myself at such an hour.(nearly 12 mn) And my mom was really upset when I came home alone by that time.

We agreed to meet in front of Page 1 at 7 p.m., and my friends showing up more than hour later REALLY left a bad taste in the mouth, creating a disturbance on my paranoia about going home late. We got around to eating dinner by past 9, and said our goodbyes by past 10.

I was already fidgety by the time 9 p.m. rolled around, and I just kept quiet all throughout dinner. It didn't help that my friends brought with them their boyfriends, who were really quiet too. And I could just imagine that meeting them was part of the reason why they were late in the first place!=( Sigh, it didn't help knowing that one of my friends live just a stone's throw away from Rockwell!*p

Hehe, sorry for the griping. It's just that what really took the cake was that they had the gall to be cute about it, when there's nothing really amusing with the matter.

Oh well.

Hmm...just an afterthought. I just read something interesting in the paper earlier. An exhibition of the life and times of Anne Frank is currently on at the San Agustin Museum in Intramuros. Reading about it just made me think of the time I spent in Amsterdam - I actually saw her hideout! (...uh huh, actually I only got to see the door of the apartment where they hid. *chee....*)

Kidding aside, I want to know more about this courageous young woman's life. Her eternal positive disposition is really something to emulate, especially in this trouble-laden world we live in. Well, I was thinking about making the most of my free day tomorrow and head to Intramuros, but nah. I would play hermit and lock myself up in my room the entire day. Or if not, figure out what's this computer's problem!

Probably I'll just wait until the exhibit moves to the Shang.

Kinda fits my mood. Hehe.>-)

Which Personality Disorder Do You Have?
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BLASTED INTERNET SERVICE. I just hate the way I get disconnected all the time! I really don't know what's the problem. Well, I'm still hoping that it's the server and not my modem or phone line which has the problem.

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I'm glad that I WON'T GO TO SCHOOL TOMORROW. Yipee. Now I can concentrate on having a real break. I don't know why, but lately all of my friends wonder why I look so depressed.

Honestly, I also don't know the answer. But if I was really depressed, is my face that easy to read? If it is, that's just so sad. My friends are really concerned. I don't even know what to tell them. I just know I have this eternal pained expression on my face. And it bothers me that other people are affected by what they can see of me.

Why oh why?

I guess I better buy another card. This situation simply drives me nuts.

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Ironically, the name of the server is BLAST. Blasted that damn blast! *P

INTERNET BLUES I honestly don't know why I'm having such trouble connecting. I always get disconnected! At first I thought it's the card, but then I bought another one and I'm still having the same trouble! Arrgghh!

The same thing with the monitor. Now I can't see the red color, so my monitor's kinda bluish.

Why oh why?

May the computer gods help me. =(

DO COCKCROACHES SPEAK IN FRENCH? Just an odd thought that entered my mind while I was walking home. Earlier, me and my friends were on our way to Greenbelt, and traffic was moving at such snail pace that we were practically rambling on and on about nonsensical stuff. I don't remember exactly how the topic of cockcroaches came up, but I remember that Ros suddenly came up with an anecdote about cockroaches in Lourdes (as in Lourdes, France). She and other kids from the exchange student program stayed in this dingy hotel (probably a 2 or 3-star hotel) and she saw cockcroaches in her hotel room.

It's funny, but the thought of cockcroaches in France is just so...novel? Absurd? I can't pinpoint the perfect adjective to describe it. Of course, cockcroaches are cockcroaches and just like you and me, they can be found anywhere in the world. Maybe it's just the thought that the general picture of cockcroaches is that they exist in dirty gutters and dark corners and trying to connect this mental image with one of France (or anything French) is like trying to connect A and Z.

-0-

Tomorrow, me and my groupmates are off to another site visit. We again set foot in Manila, this time in Malate. We have to interview people for our design class (housing and urban design) and get some stuff out of them. Basically find out how they live. Hehe, kind of broad but basically that's the apt way of describing their work, home activities, members of the family, recreation activities, etc. etc.

Sigh. I am so not psyched up to do this. I'm reeling from the site visits we made last Wednesday and today. It's gonna be a day-long tour of walking.......again.

MY WEEK. Last week was a slow one for me...nothing really much happened, except that stupid STS exam and a guy friend's coming out party.

First, on the exam. Super kakaasar talaga! I couldn't believe I spent most of my quality time (well, the quality time I spend on acads) studying for that exam. NOTHING from my reviewers came out in the exam...okay, maybe one. The Afghans indeed invented the first windmill.

Yuck, crap. Anyway, I guess the first exam's a done deal.

Moving on, yesterday me and my friends went to Mark Ong's 21st birthday party. Everything about the party suggested more like a girl's 18th birthday debut than a guy's party (with the balloons, wishes, nicely decorated place, dinner-dance party - kulang na lang 18 roses, hehe), but hey - the age 21 is something of a 'debut' for guys too, right? Anyway, at first I really found it exagg coz I don't really think guys go for that kind of thing.

But I reversed my opinion about the whole thing at the end of the party. It's really more of a family affair more than anything else, and for Maong to be celebrating his birthday with the rest of his family and friends in that manner ...it was really cool. His parents are probably two of the hippest parents I've ever met in my life! His dad even outdanced us (as if we did any dancing, hehe) especially when that repetitive(read annoying) song 'Asereje' came on. And the rest extends to his relatives.=D

NOTHING REALLY NEW. Last Friday, I was supposed to write how tired I was after our STS shoot. (We shot some scenes for STS, doing something - or a rip off - of Tado's Strangebrew.) I haven't been out in ages (except going to my cousins for Christmas, and that wasn't really tiring) and... the point is I haven't been doing any walking or other strenuous activity, and suddenly I was walking to and fro the whole day, trying to 'restrain' Peter from punching some guy (at least, in our shoot), sigh.

Oh well, as I said, I was really tired. My bones and muscles were aching all over. Plus, Bubble Gang had a recap last Friday of all the funny gags they had in 2002.=D!

There is a new tv show that is just about to air in the US called 'High School Reunion'. It seems interesting. And it makes me think - has it really been that long since 1992? Oh well, I wonder when it would be shown here. It kinda makes me wish that we came up with a show with that kind of premise before them.

With all the interesting plots that could be thought of, I wonder why we still make copycats out of foreign shows.

(I already thought of a great answer, and it has nothing to do with bad plots.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I know, I know, it's already the 2nd of January, but I can't help but feel like celebrating. It's again the season of cheering for the new year...everything just seems bright from here. If it didn't make me feel really old, I'd wish that my birthday would fall on the first day of the year.

Anyway, before I'd sound positively, too sickeningly cheerful, it's also back to business for me. I have to take care of some assignments for school. I have to call people, do somethings...in short get my act together.

The only difference between today and last year is the fresh new feeling that energizes me.
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Yesterday, I saw my cousins again. It was my uncle's (and his brother-in-law's) birthday, and of course, it was food galore once again. Or should I say seafood galore. Poor Thea, she couldn't really eat any of the foods served because of the adverse reaction of her gums towards seafood. While me...I was in heaven. I love seafood! *grin*

It was also the Feast Day of the Virgin Mary so we visited the neighboring church, who had Our Lady of Guadalupe as patroness. It was my first time to wish and make a love offering...I was never a marian devotee, but I felt less jaded when I heard about the custom. What if plain, simple devotion was the answer? Sometimes, we need to see in the eyes of a firm believer to believe things ourselves. Sigh, years of being in a school where religion is relegated to eclecticism (if there is such a term) just made me a bit skeptic over such things.

Yesterday was really fun. Too bad I only get to see my cousins once in a blue moon.