Prognostications

Yes, I haven't been posting as often as you people think nowadays, for a valid reason...

Well, you see, we had this INTRICT (Introduction to Information and Communications Technology) project and we had to report this Monday. Being the group leader, I couldn't help but feel a responsibility surging up to me. I organized a video shooting last Friday at Portal, the Internet cafe above Yellow Cab near La Salle. We were to take videos and pictures of our blockmates playing their addictive games, namely, Counter Strike, Battle Realms, DotA AllStars, Gunbound, O2 Jam, Ragnarok Online, Warcraft, and a lot more...

Lunchtime arrived, and so we ate at Luto ni Ina. I ordered a Chiksilog. After that, we went back to Portal.

Although, I was late for a few minutes, we managed to achieve our goal, and the finished product can be found here.

If you're too lazy though, the file can be found here:

It took me four hours to fabricate that video, and with my video editing skills and a very familiar melody, walla, a job well done. We're only doing this for INTRICT! (And this is Wazzup! Wazzup! Just Facts.)

The next day, my hopes of holding an organized meeting was shattered as schedules were driven crazy. In the morning, only Veronica was there, but she had to go before lunch. After lunch, we fetched Treisha at Bambang Station, with Aya nowhere to be found. We had a brief discussion of our plans and tactics. Eventually, she had to leave.

Aya never arrived. We could only communicate to her by text messaging.

Sunday, after uploading the files to our INTRICT e-group, and after returning home from Shangri-La Hotel, I coordinated with my groupmates through instant messaging (IM). We ought to finish discussing at least half of our module tomorrow.

The next day, I went through all the trouble by bringing with me my smoke machine, my Altec Lansing 220 speakers (which are no match for my Altec Lansing FX6021), two 'mountains,' and the like to La Salle. After meeting up with Shirlina and her peers, Aya was the first one to arrive at school. She helped me with my things and we left them at the guard.

Lunchtime, Vero arrived. I went down to meet her from the Sports Complex. She brought with her two notebook computers. After uploading the necessary files into her laptop PC, I went to lunch myself, spending the least time and money.

Treisha arrived afterwards and taught us our choreography. We then practiced for quite a while. People were looking at us. What do we care?

We begged to our ALGTRIG professor to have us dismissed early. He didn't mind.

After ALGTRIG classes, I rushed to Gokongwei and set up our props. Most of them (smoke machine and speakers), however, needed to be plugged into an electric socket. I waited for our maid to bring me the things I needed, and then hastily returned to the classroom.

We took a quiz. After that, we had our report. Everything was going on smoothly until our video presentations experienced some technical problems. My head went berserk and my head went blank, forgetting my lines...

It was awful, my groupmates were seemingly mad at me. I promised to make it up. We figured out that we have the option to extend our report until Friday. We did so...

Let's skip Tuesday...

Wednesday, after editing the script and converting the videos into SWF format, we were ready to go for another shot. We restarted back from the very beginning of our report and ended up with an Internet Timeline game / quiz. Group 3 was outstanding and garnered 14 points. The rest got scores of below 10.

Vero pleaded to our professor to share her insights about our report. At first she hesitated, but we managed to squeeze some information from her. She wasn't satisfied with our report, and was expecting a major improvement on Friday...

(Starting here, I'll be more specific...)

Thursday, My father insisted that I ride a jeepney instead of the LRT. Why? What's the use? I have a trauma for jeepneys, not because that I was held up in one, but because for me, jeepneys are much more dangerous than LRT trains, although the two both pose hazards and risks for passengers.

Here are my reasons:

1. There are far more people in LRT trains than jeepneys. Those marauding incidents ought to occur less than in jeepneys.
2. An LRT train is usually air-conditioned, so I don't mind standing up for the whole trip. Jeepneys, on the other hand, make you feel constricted. Any time, one would be able to grab a dagger and stab you in any part of your body and then make a grand escapade.
3. I don't know about this, but I feel that there are more civilized people riding LRT trains than in jeepneys, and so I feel more relazed.
4. Compare the crime rate in jeepneys and in LRT trains, which one posts a higher risk?

I've heard multitudes of unfortunate events that happened in jeepneys. Why be one of the victims?

To anyone out there who has a right mind, can you knock some sense into my father? He won't listen to me. He won't even listen to my grandma, or my relatives.

It's better to spend more money in transportation than to be an unlikely victim of snatching and kidnapping.

Back to my story, I arrived a few minutes late for my INTRPRG (Introduction to Programming) and was happy to receive my first 100% in that particular subject (Hands-On Examination), I received another perfect score when I successfully corrected the syntax error in a given source code. Off to lunch.

We ate at La Casita (Andrew). This time, I tried their speribs... I was amazed to see my food served almost immediately after I ordered them... We had a test in ALGTRIG (Algebra and Trigonometry) at 1 o'clock, and so we reviewed...

My day was ruined...

Jump to Friday, we were not sure if we would have PE classes...

Turned out to have none... We didn't prepare for our reporting today. We only have at hand our PowerPoint presentations, our background music, and our presence of mind.

"Bahala na..."

We started our report. Everything turned out much smoother than expected. We lacked time for games though, but everything went well...

Our professor was glad with our improvement, and she promised us a high grade.

Chavz recognized the music I used, two songs from Naruto Movie 2. I knew it. Yesterday, I accidentally browsed through his profile and saw this Naruto video in his site. Figures.

"Hay salamat, tapos na!"

No, it's not yet over yet...

On Tuesday (this coming Tuesday, Thursday, or the Tuesday after next week), we would have another presentation. This time, it was SCIENVB (Environmental Biology). I'm interested in how things would turn out...

I never thought college life would be so stressful. Yesterday (or a while ago), I slept at 3 in the morning and woke up at 9AM. This may be the reason why I feel weak today...

Till here. I better get some rest.

Retribution

It feels bad not posting for a long time...

Terrible... Homework's increased a hundredfold! I'm losing the attention of my treasured readers...

Here's a post - a long one, perhaps, to capture you back.

Sigh... My memory's not that good. I can't remember all the details that happened...

Anyway... I'll try my best!

Friday, what can I say? Oh yes! I slept quite late the day before... 4:00 AM, just to finish the flash presentation I was to submit to MooMedia. What's more... I hate Macromedia Flash...

If there's anything I don't know about computers, it's Flash. Yes, I've programmed some Flash animations before, but they are just animated words, so on and so forth. Time and again I was envious of Sherman because he knows flash. Jehanne too...

Travelling back...

Four days before (Monday), I got the application form of La Salle Computer Society. A day after that (Tuesday), I got the application form of MooMedia. I really wanted to join the Media Productions committee (I had a lot of good impressions on this group.) and I invited my friends also. They told me to fucus my attention on one message written on the form:

If you want to join the Media Productions committee, please submit a CD containing your sample work.

Bummer! Sample work, hmmm...

I could submit a website which I had created, but something tells me that it won't do. I could submit pictures which I have designed. Same feeling...

MooMedia is all about Flash presentations, I thought. I have to make one, or else I won't ba able to attain my goal. And so... With the best of my ability, I learned how to make Flash presentations in a day! Stupendous! I never expected that I would make it.

Click here to view the SWF file which I have created, or should I say, my first Flash animation...

I quickly saved my website (created using Macromedia Dreamweaver 8), picture (edited using Adobe Photoshop CS2), and the Flash presentation (obviously, conceived using Macromedia Flash Player 8) to a CD. Soporifically drowzy, I plopped into my bed soon afterwards.

By the way, did anyone know that Macromedia is under Adobe nowadays? I was surprised when I saw the Macromedia website. How could such a thing have happened. I couldn't imagine Adobe Photoshop and ImageReady CS2 and Macromedia Fireworks 8 merging together...

The next morning, I was mad. Really mad. I had a meeting with my group mates at 12 noon in Portal (whereever that is) because we need to take some photos and videos for our presentation on Monday. I woke up at noon. I was shocked. I told my mom to wake me up at 10AM because I need to edit the flash presentation which I haphazardly made earlier. I ended up meeting my group mates at one. Boy, I believe they were mad at me... and I was the one who organized the meeting...

So, Portal is an Internet cafe located above Yellow Cab...

My blockmates offered to teach me how to play Dota. Sorry, no time...

We captured our blockmates on action.

After the video recordings, I sat on a chair watching the people (gamers) enjoy themselves as they endulge into hardcore gaming. Dota, Ragnarok, Counter Strike, O2 Jam, Warcraft, Battle Realms, and a lot more. And oh, how I wanted to play...

We ate at Luto ni Ina (Well, for the first time... Where was it located? Trans-what? I can't remember!) I ordered a Chiksilog and iced tea. The rest is not worth mentioning...

Group 1 did a good job improvising their report. Clearly, one can detect a lot of improvement, and so, they deserved a higher grade. Their interview with the IT (Information Technology) specialist is a little bit funny though...

After classes, we asked permission from our professor to bring my smoke machine for our reporting.

"If the room doesn't catch fire, it's okay."

My friends were waiting for me outside. Recruitment time! The central plaza was bustling with action. (The whole place was crowded.) We first went to the booth of LSCS (La Salle Computer Society). I submitted my two application forms, along with my essay, to the person in charge. I (voluntarily) paid 220 peses for the membership fee. (I volunteered to pay for the 10 pesos's of my friends.) We were entitled to a free INTRPRG reviewer. Then we heard that the area was about to be closed.

Rush hour! I hurried my friends to MooMedia. When I arrived there, Jhovee recognized me.

"Sorry, next time nalang..."

Wow! All those efforts for nothing!

"Meron na pala siya e."

So, they've run out of application forms...

I submitted my application form and the CD which I have tediously engineered a while ago. Some were wondering why I submitted a CD. Gosh, you're MooMedia officers. Don't you know better?

Many were happy that I wanted to join the Media Productions committee...

"Yes! May mag-memedia productions na ngayon palang."

I sure hope I'll be able to join...

Anyway, I joined another group, ENGLICOM. I never planned to join this group but when I saw my Chinese blockmates joining, I was left with no choice.

I lost my precious ball point pen.

BJ (Brother Joevir) and his group came to visit me during the evening.

Nothing more to say about Friday...

Saturday... *sigh* We planned to have a meeting... The 4 of us (Aya, Treisha, Vero, and me)... We planned to meet at 9:30 AM at Cello's. After we all met, we would go to my store in Alvarado Extension (Take an LRT ride to Bambang, then ride a tricycle to our store.). We would then plan on what to do on Monday. After conceptualizing all the details and ideas, we would then go to our house in Camba (Binondo). Using this nifty computer of mine, we would create presentations that would make the audience stare in awe. After eating lunch and finalizing our presentation, I would bring them to La Salle so that they could go home.

Unfortunately, everything changed...

Treisha had an important matter to take care of at home, while Aya had to go to the dentist (or was it the other way around?). Veronica was available, somehow, and we met outside the Burgundy Transpacific Place, where Cello's was situated. I got to see her mother, and she looked kind...

Treisha said that she would be available at 10:30 in the morning; we decided to wait for her. Aya, on the other hand, said that she would meet with us after lunch...

Vero and I decided to look for a place to discuss some matters at hand. After going round in circles, we arrived at McDonalds. She took out her laptop. Low power. We shifted to pen and paper...

I ordered an order of Twister Fries and a cup of iced tea. We then started our "small group meeting." I thought someone called me...

"Mon!"

It was Anne! (aka Dong Shutian) I was surprised to see her. She was studying at CSB (De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde) and was with another person (classmate, perhaps?) We talked for some while and then she lined up to order food.

It was 10:30. Some really bad things happened. Treisha couldn't make it! She'll only be able to arrive after lunch, along with Aya. Vero, on the other hand, was to be fetched by her mom. Oh, what in the world is happening?

Sadly, I went to our store alone, riding the LRT and such. The day had turned out to be an absolute worst for me, especially when it rained.

Joanie was supposed to treat me and my mom at 1 in the afternoon at Greenwich. That morning, about 9:oo, I told her I may not be able to make it for our group had an emergency meeting... Sigh, I guess she took it too seriously...

Anyway, arriving at GUM & MUG, I told my mom to tell Joanie to postpone her treat to a later time. After a few minutes, I told my mom to tell Joanie that I may be able to attend her treat. My mom, however, was afraid to call up Joanie, her mom might answer the phone...

I told her to call Joanie via cellphone. I don't know if she was able to do that...

We fetched Treisha at Bambang station at 1:30 in the afternoon. It was raining so hard that I could see numerous umbrellas flung up by the wind to the sky. Treisha was almost soaked...

Upon our arrival at our store, I showed her the smoke machine which we are going to use for Monday's presentation. We talked about our script; we divided topics to be discussed among ourselves. We discussed about the visual aids we were going to use; we planned games for our blockmates. We awaited Aya's arrival...

Aya texted me saying that she may not be able to attend our meeting. She didn't arrive. My goodness...

Shirlina arrived at GUM & MUG. She was carrying a Prince 03 backpack which stood out among the rest of her attire. It was a beaut. I thought she already had her dream racket... She'll get it (as she said), if she was admitted into the tennis varsity, or if she was in the Dean's list. I bid her good luck.

Joanie came and she looked mad. Initially wanting to gain some ingenious ideas from her, I changed my mind. Guess my mom didn't tell her...

When it was becoming late, we accompanied Treisha to the LRT station and bid farewell...

What a drastic change of plans!

Sigh... Sunday... I was supposed to go to church, but with the ton of assignments stacked up on me, I wasn't able to attend today's church meeting. Also, today at SM Mall of Asia features a judo competion wherein two of my blockmates would be participating in. I'm sorry for not being able to attend...

After uploading our presentation handouts to our DLSUINTRICT e-group, I proceeded on and did our introduction video (my video post before this). It took me a long time and a lot of effort to make that short video clip, and I hope everyone would enjoy it!

We went to eat lunch at Shangri-La Edsa. A 1-year old boy was celebrating his birthday there. We were welcomed by three robotic people whom we had already seen at SM Mall of Asia. What's more, there are stalls of Dippin' Dots, Ice Craze, and many more. Wow, what a birthday party. The organizers must have spent hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions!

After the party, I went to my dentist and had an impression (The first step in making a model of your teeth. You bite into a container filled with algenate, and the algenate hardens to produce a mold of your teeth.) of my teeth. I'll receive my retainers next week.

Back home, I proceeded with my work. I had an Internet conference with my groupmates. Finally, I completed my video...

... 96... 97%... 98%... 99%... 100%

On Monday... We had no PE this Monday. It was my first time to wear my new contact lenses. I told my groupmates to come to school early to meet with one another. After the accidental meeting with Shirlina, I had to pass through a very long procedure just to leave my things and props at the Gokongwei lobby. Aya was the first one at school, and ironically speaking, the rest are unavailable at the moment. We discussed about our plans and eventually, it was lunchtime.

We were to eat lunch at Red Spoon; however, the place was packed with action. (It was full.) Oh well... She told me that she won't have to eat lunch anymore. I was silent.

No lunch? I'm hungry! (Although my face didn't show...) I continued my act.

Soon enough, Veronica called and she told me to meet her at the Andrew lobby. From the 8th floor of Andrew Hall, I went down to see her not around. I took the time and went to the Sports Complex to buy food for myself...

I told myself, maybe I'll meet my classmates again...

However, as soon as I arrived at the 2nd floor of the SPS (Sports Complex), my phone rang and it was Vero, asking my whereabouts... Eventually, I had to return on an empty stomach.

I met Vero and we went up again to our classroom. I told her that I would be away for a few minutes...

I rushed down to the 6th floor, went to La Casita, and ordered my lunch. Cup noodles and iced tea. My cheapest lunch ever. 57 pesos! The noodles cost me 20 and iced tea 37 pesos. Wow! Drinks cost much more than food!

We requested our ALGTRIG professor to have us dismissed early. He didn't mind. Then again, he never cared what we were doing, or anything we were about to do...

On the minute the 4 of us were about to leave the classroom, the indifferent professor called me up for recitation. Bummer! I was able to answer the problem correctly, and after that, we left the classroom.

The others followed shortly...

Rushing to Gokongwei Building, I brought all my props to the classroom. The story of the adaptors and the extension cord will not be mentioned for my sake...

We took our INTRICT exam (which I nearly didn't study for) and afterwards, proceeded with our reporting. It was somewhat of a fiasco... The movies which Treisha and I have created didn't work. Oh no... Don't ask any more details.

We decided to report from the very beginning on Wednesday.

Tuesday... Nothing much to say except that we had our first hands-on exam in INTRPRG. Sensing that there was no one who submitted his/her source code for printing yet, I decided to jump to conclusions. I placed 2 "System.out.println ();" on my program for easier reading. After compiling and running my program for a few times, I believe I was ready.

In the end, I got a 100%! And I thought it was another person's paper... Glee!

(Starting from this point on, this post won't be in chronological order...)

Scary day... My INTRPRG professor got mad at one of my blockmates and warned him about disciplinary actions. My SCIENVB professor shamed two blockmates of mine in front of the class. Scary indeed... I hope I won't be one of them...

After our exam in INTRPRG, we went to Portal...

My friends offered to teach me how to play DotA... I was reluctant and said that I'll be playing Ragnarok Online instead...

And so we played... When I got bored, I switched to online surfing...

Lou, Dianne, and me ate lunch, again, at La Casita (Andrew)...

We were late for our class. Then again, the teacher never cared to check the class attendance...

Evening, I met with my groupmates via the Internet. I edited the two videos and made them AVI format. I had second thoughts, and so I converted them into SWF (Flash Presentation) files.

The next day... or today... We were more prepared than last time... Except that my mom forgot to bring the speakers at our store. I texted my groupmates to see if anyone was still at home. No one. I had no other recourse but to bring my Altec Lansing FX6021 2.1 speaker system to school...

I really didn't want to bring it for a variety of reasons:

1. It may get damaged.
2. It was bulky.
3. People may think that I'm showing off my gadgets.

Well, I brought this "luggage" to school and left them once again at the Gokongwei lobby. I went to my classroom at Andrew and got my new script for today...

Presentation time:

1. Our introduction speech... erm... Treisha was too excited.
2. The flash presentations worked.
3. I wasn't the one who made the PowerPoint presentations; It was Vero.
4. Thumping bass rocked the room to action.
5. We were excempted from wearing business attire.
6. We gave a test (or we had a game) to our blockmates. Blockmates, see your team's current standings at the DLSUINTRICT e-group. I have already uploaded the file Score Board.pdf
7. Not everyone wore their team color.

Well... Prepare to be entertained a lot more on Friday... and be sure to go over the handouts we've uploaded over the Internet...

My post ends (Finally!) here.

PS. Blockmates, wear your team color already!

Team 1 - Pink
Team 2 - Red
Team 3 - Orange
Team 4 - Yellow
Team 5 - Green
Team 6 - Blue

You would really want to get your hands on the prize!

Get Hooked

Here's a video which I have created for our INTRICT report:
Hmmm... Sounds familiar...

(I want comments on this one.)

(Violent reactions are welcome.)

I would appreciate it if you would rate my video at YouTube.

PS. Please be patient and wait for my other post to be published...

Jirachi

Our first class today involves going to the computer laboratory. It would be my first time to go there (this year) and I was so excited. I was really glad that my ID was already with me, and I swore never to forget to bring my ID to school again.

My mom drove me to La Salle because I was almost late for school. Initially, we were planning to pass by our store to get my USB (Universal Serial Bus) hub. Why? I had a trauma for USB ports.

I've said this before. My sleek USB flash dirk got burned to a crisp. It was my first and my favorite one. The horrible nightmare happened at Uno High School, when I plugged my thumb drive into the computer's USB port. Click here to read Friday Frenzy, my complete post.

Going back to my story, I arrived at the entrance of Gokongwei Building 2 minutes before time. I took out my ID and scanned it through La Salle's famous card reader. Beep beep beep beep beep (Actually, it sounded like *toot toot toot toot toot*)

"Left id?" The guard on duty asked.
"Yes." I replied, "yesterday."
"Punta ka sa South Gate. Pa-validate mo."

What?! This couldn't be happening.

This ID of mine had already ruined my whole day yesterday. Don't tell me it's back for more... vengeance...

What can I do? I had my mom bring me to South Gate and I told the person in charge that I want to validate my ID. He told me to go to the Registrar's Office.

"Saan yun?" I asked him.
"Doon sa picturan ng ID." he replied.

It's hard to imagine that I, who had already stayed in La Salle for a month, still do not know how to go about the campus. This is the reason why I prefer not going out alone, despite my type of person.

By the way, for those who think that they are starting to understand my true self, think again. I'm not that easy to decipher. *wink* It's just that I'm good at hiding my true identity. Having said all these, don't think badly of me. I'm a very kind and friendly person.

I rushed to the Registrar's office. Number 66. Currently, they were only serving Number 48. Oh no! How long would it take me?

The time ticked away fast. I was very worried. My teacer could call me up for recitation any time. If I were not present, it would mean a 0% for me.

Two days ago, I was happy when I found out that I got 80% in my recitation grade instead of 0%. Ironically, I was sad because if I got a 0%, I can eliminate that score by getting 5 100%, and I haven't even gotten one yet. Why wouldn't you call me, ma'am? The 80% mark I got cannot be wiped out, for it's a passing score that is considered to be 'high' for some people. For me, what's considered a high grade is any grade >= (greater than or equal to - my, some programming here) 94%. I'm aspiring for a grade of 4.0; I exert all my effort to surpass "him."

Soon, it was 10 o'clock. The number was still stagnant at 48. I was sweating buckets. I called up my mom. She was waiting for me outside McDonald's. I told her that I desperately wanted to attend my classes. I went back to the South Gate and pleaded with the person in charge to give me a temporary ID pass; I would validate my ID after my classes end. He had compassion on me and granted my wish.

My heart was crying when I finally arrived at G302 (Gokongwei Building Room 302). In my confusion, I wasn't able to remember much except that the ConsoleIn and the Computation classes that our professor uploaded to our e-groups brought in some errors to our java documents, so to speak...

After our classes were over, we crossed to La Salle (main) via Warp Zone. We (Bea, Dianne, Jamie, Lou, Raisa, Yna, and of course, me) had a hard time choosing between Kenny Rogers, Pizza Hut, Shakeys, and the Animo Canteen for our lunch destination. We ended up at Wendy's, where I ordered a Big Bacon Mushroom Melt Burger with large fries and iced tea that cost me 176.98 pesos. Most of my companions ordered a chicken meal, while the others ordered burgers like me. Munch! Chomp! We discussed about school and yearbooks, pictures to IDs, and alumni cards to togas. Thinkers!

We returned to South Gate. I asked for an entry permit and quickly proceeded to the Registrar's office. Of course, I had to part ways with my group, for they were headed towards a different direction. I hoped that there won't be many people in the office so that I wouldn't have to wait for that long. My wish came true. Within seconds, I got my ID validated. (Seriously, why did it take minutes to validate an ID a while ago when it only took me seconds?)

Having calculated the distance to Andrew Hall and the walking speed of my group, I figured out that they haven't gone far. True enough, they were surprised to see me walking ahead of them. Teleportation - if there was only such a thing.

Rejoice! My ID was fully functional again.
Never again would I forget to bring my ID. Never ever...

We had our ALGTRIG classes and the lesson was becoming much tougher than I thought. Our professor gave us a seatwork and it was pretty much challenging. It became our homework when half of the class wasn't even able to answer at least half of the equations given to us in his designated amount of time.

We had no SCIENVB classes; my friends (Dianne and Lou) invited me to join them to pass the time. I joined them and went down to the sixth floor. The lunchroom was damp and hot. We decided to go to La Casita at the Sports Complex instead.

Having a functional ID, I felt that it was so much easier to travel through Lasallian compounds. I'm thankful that I already had it validated.

Readers, especially Lasallians, don't forget to bring your IDs to school. You won't want to commit the mistake that I did.

I went to the bookstore and purchased a folder (for hidden purposes, you'll find out soon) and 10 test booklets (5 small, 5 large). Afterwards, I accompanied the two, watching them eat, copying their movements, and calling up Ate Pole. Seems like they are going to watch the movie Cars in Glorietta (or was it Greenbelt?). Enjoy!

I met with my groupmates (SCIENVB) and we discussed among ourselves how we would go about the experiment designed for transformative learning. Before our discussion ended, our PERSEF professor entered the room. Boy, time zooms!

We had such a great time. All the 6 of us in our team wore the correct color (Blue) and we were given 6 additional points for that. In our first game, Wordles (it's not Wordless), we got 5 out of fifteen questions...

(5 correct answers) times (3 points each) = 15 points

In our second game concerning etiquette, we garnered 8 out of 10 points. Only one team got a perfect score and was entitled to 5 additional points.

We were staggering at third place.

Our third game consisted of two rounds. Each group was to select five strong-hearted individuals to participate in the game.

The game was like this...

Clockwise. Team one will choose a representative and that person would choose who he/she wanted to 'kill' by choosing the numbers 1 to 5...

No, the rules are too complicated, so I'll just skip them.

We won the first round, garnering 10 points. On the second round, we were second with 8 points.

Overall, we ascended and became first place! Yeah! Go pink team.

Ha ha ha! Nobody was able to 'kill' me. Guess I was too sly for you people. Well, maybe I'm not. It depends how you look at me.

Our teacher had good and bad news for us. He started with the bad news...

Our class president, also our team captain (I believe), was going to leave us for good. He was going to transfer to a different university...

The good news is that he would enjoy his stay there, after all, it was his first choice.

When faced with such complicated situations, I don't know how to react. I feel sad deep inside, although my face doesn't show it. We are pilgrims on a journey. People come and people go. It's hard having someone leave our block...

If I should leave this lonely world behind
Your voice will still remember our melody
Now I know we'll carry on
Melodies of life
Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts
As long as we remember

Sigh, what can I say... I hope you have enjoyed your stay with S-15 (and if you didn't, I hope that during these last few days of your stay, we can make your stay in our block a memorable one) and I thank you for being a good friend. I wish you the best of luck in your journey in life. Don't let the fire go out; don't let your vision die!

I love this song. It can truly capture my innermost feelings as well as express my deepest thoughts...

So now, maybe you were wondering why I named my post like that. Well, in the anime world, Jirachi is a legendary Pokemon who awakens once every 1,000 years to grant wishes. If there was such a thing...

Science will remain as science, and nonscience, nonscience. Things that can be proven can be considered as scientific, but those that cannot, well, are just matters of faith...

I'm still going to do some other things.

My post ends here.

Stay tuned.

Dream Eater

The title itself says it all. This day was, well...

I kept on telling myself to "wake up, wake up..." when I felt that it was already late.

I woke up at noon. I brushed my teeth. It's still hard to imagine that I already had my braces removed. I'm not used to it. Anyway, no more hardship (except the pains of wearing a retainer after a few days). I ate lunch instead of brakfast, and I did everything I was supposed to do. I left the house at 1:45.

I waited for a side car to bring me to our store. When one finally was available, I told him...

"Sa Uno."
"Ha? Saan yun?"

(Now this question irritated me a lot. It's hard to believe that side car drivers don't know where my alma mater is. It's very near... And pshaw, you live in Manila, so you must know.)

(Most of you blockmates are excusable. I know there are only a few Chinese in our block, and many of you came from different parts of the Philippines. But for these side car drivers, this is unacceptable. Uno is a very famous Chinese school. Come on!)

(Hey Uneans! Make a good name out of our school! I'll start by telling people to visit our school's website at http://uhs.edu.ph/)

Every time drivers ask about our school, I always try to explain...

"Sa may Alvarado Extension."
"Ha? Saan yun?"

(Now I am really irritated.)

"Doon sa may Abad Santos!"
"Saan?"

(Inhale, exhale. I now know that there are many barbarians living in this city of ours. Not one, not two, but three. Wait! There may be more. Much more than I thought.)

He asked his 'colleagues' on the whereabouts of Alvarado.

What entered the other pedicab drivers' minds, obviously, was where was Alvarado Street located.

(I hate it! I hate it when people confuse Alvarado Extension with Alvarado Street! I tried to explain it to the driver, but he ignored me. How dare him!)

"40?"
He nodded.

When he was about to make a turn at Soler to go to Alvarado Street, I commanded him to go straight to Abad Santos. And then, I discovered that I left my wallet at home.

This greatly troubled me. I was supposed to pay for the membership fee of two organizations I wanted to join today, namely, LSCS and MooMedia (aka Baka, as told by my friends). My LRT Multi-trip tickets was also inside my wallet, so my anxiety was greatly increased. I assured myself that my mom would let me borrow money from her. My fears were cut short.

When I arrived at our store, after all the anger and anxiety, I discovered that my mom only had a few bills in her wallet. Trouble came. The membership fee of each organization I wanted to join was 220 pesos. My mom only gave me 300 pesos, and I have to set aside some money for my LRT fare. That means I can only join one organization today. Bummer!

So, I went on my way to La Salle via LRT. After alighting at Quirino Station, a ghastly truth occured to me; my ID was inside my wallet.

Without my ID, I wouldn't be able to enter the university. I've heard many a person warn people never to forget bringing their IDs to school. I checked my bag. I had my EAF (Enrollment Assessment Form, our temporary ID) with me, good.

I entered Andrew Hall with only a minute to spare and showed the guard my EAF...

"Sorry, di na kami nagtatanggap ng EAF dito."

I tried to convince them. They were so stubborn and cold-hearted...

I rushed to the back entrance of Andrew Hall, and again, the same response. Seems like I have to go all the way to South Gate to get a temporary gate pass. I informed my mom about my current situation, and an uproar started.

She wanted to call up our dean, Dr. Caslon Chua, and try to convince him to permit me inside. I warned her not to; I don't want to have a bad record in my stay in La Salle. And so, I rushed to South Gate. It began raining.

In case anyone noticed, I wasn't wearing my new shoes today. I wore my black pair, for my dad told me to. He said that it might rain today; I don't want to damage my shoes.

After receiving my passport to La Salle, I entered Andrew Hall through the back gate. I asked the guard how I would be able to go to Gokongwei Building after an hour of classes. He said that since left IDs are not offenses anymore, the punishment is that I would have to return to South Gate and get another pass. Oh no! Our INTRICT professor takes punctuality very seriously. One tardy mark and it's goodbye 4.0 for me.

I called up my mom again, and the rampage became worse. I went up to 8th floor by walking up the endless flight of stairs. I arrived at our classroom 15 minutes late, and many were shocked.

I'm really glad that our ALGTRIG professor doesn't check the class attendance, if not, I would be tardy, obviously. I try not to be a latecomer whilst only coming to school 5 to 15 minutes before the bell (for various reasons, I prefer not mentioning them).

I'm glad that we were dismissed early. Again, I scurried to South Gate to get another pass. Almost losing my breath, I ran to Gokongwei Building and entered the classroom. We were to watch a group report.

I was really worried because our group will be the next one presenting, and we still haven't had a formal meeting of our own. For the first time, we were able to utilize time and meet with our group properly while there was still some free time.

Free time? Well, the group who reported today mostly relied on their video presentation. They didn't bring with them a set of speakers and the sound coming from the laptop they brought was too little. Fortunately, one of my blockmates volunteered to go to EGI Taft Tower to lend hers to the group. While she was away, our group had a conference for a short while.

Our professor looked fiercer than usual. She gave the group a grade of 50% (The passing grade was 70%.) for disorganization. Because the reporters weren't in business attire, the teacher gave extra deductions. Everybody agreed to give the group a second chance, for they were the first group that reported. They were to report again on Friday.

Our group would have a meeting this Saturday, and I hope that everything would be fine by then. As a perfectionist, I wanted our group to get a grade of 95% or above, if not 100%. It's for our own good, anyway. And it covers up 30% of our grade...

When we were dismissed, I was worried again about returning to South Gate to get a pass to the Central Plaza. My worries were eliminated when my friends told me that we would pass through the Warp Zone. Seriously, I forgot about that area...

We got the application forms for MooMedia today, and I met Jhovee in MooMedia's booth. We still didn't submit our application forms to LSCS because my friends wanted to avail the ten peso discount offered...

On my way home, I saw Rominick. I said hi, hello, and goodbye.

My friend wanted me to meet his cousin. We stopped outside university mall and sis some introductions. Afterwards, I bought myself a regular-sized Mango Parfait (Zagu - It was the first time I drank a pearl shake in 5 months time.) Afterwards, we (Lou and I) proceeded to the LRT station.

I know that I would not be admitted inside because I brought refreshments with me, so I drank as fast as I could, amidst the brainfreezing. I met Kathleen. She was wearing a business attire, which makes me wonder...

When I finally got in to the station. I situated myself in a designated area for departure. I was surprised when Raymond suddenly stood beside me. I figured out that he didn't see me, so I called his attention. We were even surprised when, for the first time, the LRT train was empty. Dark, there were no people inside yet... Hmmm...

Raymond asked me how such a thing could have happened. I didn't know. We talked about our college life. I asked him what his PE was - basketball, he replied, with tests every session. Boy, that's tough. He had 19 units, he told me. I told him that Nicolo had 29. He was shocked.

He advised me to wear slippers because they feel a lot more comfortable. After all, wearing slippers was allowed in La Salle. I remained silent. Many people were telling that to me...

We rose from our seats when we arrived at Bambang station. We bid farewell. He was going somewhere else. I went to GUM & MUG and installed Microsoft Office 2007 Professional onto my computer. It took quite a while, but the job was done successfully.

My Yahoo! Messenger wasn't working! I tried reconnecting for a number of times but Yahoo! just wouldn't give in. I was finally able to reconnect after installing a newer version of YM (Yahoo! Messenger) found at this site: http://messenger.yahoo.com/. I was astonished when I saw the enhancements made, especially the Yahoo! tab found at Internet Explorer.

I also had flute lessons today. We tackled how to play ear-piercing high notes today. It was not easy. I had to catch my breath all the time.

Overall, today was my worst, and ironically, my best day in college. I never met so many classmates before, and it was my first time to ride an empty train. I feel that I have accomplished quite a lot of things today, including my post.

Check out my sidebar. I have updated it with new features worth looking.

My post ends here.

A Hard Day's Night

Today was not a typical day of my life.

Yesterday (or today) midnight, we were trying to do a painstaking assignment our SCIENVB professor had given to us (in groups). What's more, he also gave us (individaully) a research paper homework with only two topics to choose from: "Aliens Cause Global Warming" and "Environmentalism as a Religion," both of Michael Crichton, the famous writer and director.

By two o'clock in the morning, Vero and I were the only ones left doing the project. I was already sleepy. She volunteered to help me by sending me a word document containing all her ideas; I only had to do the revisions. It was a great help. Thanks groupmates! Sorry you had to stay up so late...

In the end, only I was left doing the step-by-step instruction experimental design project. It was 3:00 AM when I finished my work. By that time, I was already very, very sleepy. My chest pains started...

I really wanted to go to sleep, but sensing that I still have responsibilities to fulfill, I endured the continual pains that kept on bothering me from time to time. I still had a 2 page reaction paper to do, and it was quite difficult. You'll understand when you see the article.

Check it out for yourself! Go to a search engine and type in the keywords Michael Crichton Aliens Cause Global Warming. It really makes an interesting read.

As time continued to tick, I realized that my drowziness were being eliminated slowly; however, my body felt heavy. I was too hard on myself. I shouldn't be awake at this time, especially since I had a liver infection.

I plopped down to bed immediately after finishing making the hard copy of my work. It was 5 o'clock. It was time for some people to wake up; it was way past my bedtime. My whole body hurts a lot. Never again, hopefully, would I ever sleep this late.

With this said, let me share you some interesting facts about my life.

My earliest wake-up time was _____, don't ask...

My latest sleeping time was 9 o'clock in the morning, when I had to submit a portfolio for our chemistry class.

My latest lunch was food taken out from Red Ribbon at 4:30 PM. We went at Child's Play waiting to be photographed that day.

My latest dinner was served at 1 o'clock AM, when we had to ride a 9 hour train to go from Kuala Lumpur to Malaysia.

I woke up at 8:30 AM, sleepy as ever. My chest pains continued to bother me, and I had minor headaches. I pleaded my mom to bring me to La Salle via our car today because I was not feeling very well. How could she deny?

Today was the first time I felt sleepy in class (specifically, in college). My brain was not working properly - during our ALGTRIG class, I wasn't able to answer any of the exercise problems given to us. In our SCIENVB group meeting, I couldn't think of a good solution to our problem.

It was a miracle that I could have written my blog just now...

We ate lunch at Red Spoon at AGI Taft Tower, well, after observing two groups hastily making their SCIENVB experimental analysis. I ordered Beef Curry for 89 pesos and Iced Tea for 15 pesos, with a total bill amounting at 104 pesos. (Wow! The first math problem I solved today!)

I initially had a dentist appointment by 3:40 PM, but because our SCIENVB class was extended, my appoinment with the dentist was postponed to a later time.

After classes, me and my friends pproceeded to the organization booths located at the sports plaza and asked for application forms from LSCS (La Salle Computer Society). MooMedia, unfortunately, was unavailable as of the current time. Tomorrow...

On my way to GUM & MUG from Bambang Station, I met Mhir. Intriguing, this LRT station does a lot of wonders, from meetings to reunions and many more.

Denzel was standing with his parents outside our store. He told me that Joanie was waiting for me inside our store. Indeed she was.

I'm glad that my computer update was completed. After installing Windows Media Player 11 on my PC, Mr. notorious Keith arrived. He wanted to borrow my tennis racket. Being the kind soul I am, I lended mine to him. But if in any case...

Prepare yourself, you owe me a lot.

I went to the dentist and had my teeth examined. He told me that I can already have my bonding brackets (braces) removed. And so he did. I was glad. It only took me two years.

My plans were already 39% completed. Readers, you will know what I mean when the percentage reaches 100%.

So long...
40... 41... 42... 43... 44... 45... 46... 47...

朋友

Inspired by a friend, here's the lyrics to an old, yet beautiful song...

这些年一个人
风也过雨也走
有过泪有过错
还记得坚持甚麽

真爱过才会懂

会寂寞会回首

终有梦终有你在心中

朋友一生一起走

那些日子不再有

一句话一辈子

一生情一杯酒

朋友不曾孤单过

一声朋友你会懂

还有伤还有痛

还要走还有我

Psyche

A typical day of college life...

I woke up and drowsily did all my chores once again. Last night (see my post Impressions), I slept at around 3 AM because of the seven chapter test we will have in INTRICT today. That explains why I feel so sleepy - stress.

I used to sleeping during early hours in the morning. I developed the habit when I had the wonderful task of being the layout editor for our school newsletter and the layout artist of our science club's publication.

Sleeping late at night is bad for your health. (Yeah, I knew that.) This bad habit of mine continued up to a point that my liver got injured. (Ask your doctor for more details.) It affected my heartbeat, my lungs (that often hurt), and well, you get the idea.

Before that though, we (block S-15) weren't sure if we would have PE classes today. I still had to ask a lot of people...

Anyway, I put on my jogging pants and my PE uniform and headed to La Salle via a gospel car (My first aunt, father's side, was a missionary.) I arrived fifteen minutes early. Too early.

I learned from my mistake.

We were taught a 20 step stance and it confused us for the first few times we tried to perform it. It was a combination of punching and blocking, and a lot of footwork. We were also told that we would not have PE classes the next Monday; we would be having classes on Friday instead. Bummer!

I was supposed to go back to GUM & MUG after our classes. Fortunately and unfortunately, I decided to join my friends and go eat with them. My lunch just costed me 90 pesos. My second less than a hundred peso meal, and my first time to eat with my blockmates on Monday. Palatable!

Review...

This INTRICT stuff is getting really irritating... Let me explain.

1. The topics look so simple that (I think) I don't need to review for the quiz.
2. Most of these topics I have already studied when we were training for the IT General Quiz Bee contest held at Chiang Kai Shek College last February.
3. I needed to review or else I would fail.

It was still very early but we headed to our classroom. On the way, we talked about a lot of things. I was dumbfounded when I remembered that we had to fill up a form and submit it today to our class president, and a 1 by 1 photo to boot!

I finished my work as soon as we arrived at our classroom. Thank God I had a photo with me.

Lou approached me and let me hear a song from her phone. It sounded familiar, especially the chorus part. 朋友一生一起走。。。 She said it was her singing. What?! She sounded like a man.

Our professor was late once again. I took the time and reviewed for the exam. Many people borrowed my notes.

"Siguradong dadating yan by 2:45," I heard someone say.

True enough, our professor came. He looked different though. He's wearing more formal clothes than before. What's more, he shaved his head...

"Ano kaya, magpakalbo na rin tayo," I heard another say.

He started, "Please submit..."

Huh, sir, wala kang binigay na assignment."

"... my pasalubong!" He continued.

Soon we realized what he meant.

And so we chorused, "Happy birthday to you!"

He started the lecture. It ended faster than I thought. Oh no! D-Day.

And so we took the test. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't difficult. Don't ask why...

After the test, I joined some of my blockmates (for no particular reason) to SPS(?) and soon after, I returned home.

Some interesting things to note:

1. Raymond called my attention.
2. I saw Rominick and he was to watch a presentation (as he have said).
3. LSCS and MooMedia have already started their annual recruitmant. (Hmmm, should I go for 'it?'

Well, I returned to GUM & MUG and saw many Uneans passing by the street corners. One Unean recognized me and said hello. We talked for some time. At least someone remembers me.

Surprisingly, Joanie entered our store. Long time no see! I asked her if she wanted to visit the school. She agreed.

Before that though, I saw Gian and Phillip walking by a while ago, though they shouldn't have seen me.

We explored our alma mater. We also met Keith, by the way...

I wanted to speak with Mrs. Rivera. She wasn't around. *sigh* Ms. Josie was sitting in her room as always...

Joanie shared with me some interesting facts about her college life... *snicker*

As we were on our way back, Mrs. Rivera walked by. We greeted each other. Joanie told her something she shouldn't have did... retribution.

We returned home.

My post is over.

Impressions

I really wanted to post today but I just can't (I'll try to do so later...)

I had a really fun time today so my post would be quite long...

Catch it tomorrow at my other blog Melodies of Life. Surely, you won't want to miss it.

PS. Yahoo! I was still able to post.

Mixed Emotions

What a nice day...

Writing blogs had been my hobby since classes started.

I feel bad deep inside if I don't post for even a day; hence, writing blogs had also become a burden to me. A responsibility that I shouldn't just overlook.

I should be studying for my INTRICT test now. Ironically, I'm sitting at my chair writing this entry.

Let me begin.

I woke up at 9 in the morning when my aunt laid my godson beside me. I was still very sleepy that time, and I tried to catch another shut-eye. Unfortunately, given the responsibility to look after my godson and prevent him from toppling over the bed forced me to keep my eyes open.

I gave up.

I alighted from my bed slowly, as to prevent my godson from waking up (for he was also sleeping). I proceeded to my computer chair and sat down. Turning on the computer monitor, I saw that there was a person calling me at Skype. It was my third aunt (father's side; the one who gave me the painstaking task was my fourth aunt). We chatted. She looked for other members of the family. They talked over the internet. Technology is great.

Fortunately, because of the pristine clarity of my Logitech Quickcam Sphere, my aunt who was living in Canada was able to see and hear us with unparalleled quality.

We could also hear her clearly because of my highly-defined Altec Lansing FX6021 speaker system. Even if the volume was just set to one, we could hear my aunt's voice from all over the house. Sheer power. It only eats up 75 watts of electricity.

There I go again, boasting about my gadgets. One thing I can tell you, if there's anything not high-tech about me, it's my cell phone. No doubt.

The usual things - making my bed, brushing my teeth, eating breakfast, and lots more.

I decided to play Ragnarok again. (Players would understand this:) Luckily, I was able to find a person selling a Pipe for only 12M zeny. I bought it without hesitating. I spent the rest of my 18 million on Dead Branches. (I was bored. Burning some money wouldn't hurt.) I summoned a lot of monsters outside towns, and I inderectly annihilated a lot of players. I summoned loads of monsters up to a point that I got killed as well. Thank goodness I already attained the highest base level. (My Job experience decreased though.)

I understand that many of you cannot relate to what I was talking about, so, moving on.

There is a ToyCon held at MegaMall today and tomorrow. I invited a lot of people but I'm not sure if they would be able to join me. I was planning to go there tomorrow, so I had to study for my test in advance, but as I have stated above, why I'm writing this blog instead of reviewing? Beats me.

I organized the files on my computer to prepare it for Windows Vista instalation. It took me a lot of time. 2 hours and 41 minutes (and 16 seconds) to be exact. In the end, a job well done.

I was talking about the darned technician who didn't show up yesterday. I did the procedure myself and successfully accomplished it; however, it wasn't Windows XP Service Pack 2 that was installed; it was Service Pack 1! I need Service Pack 2 to update my PC with the latest Microsoft Office, but I don't have the installer. I ordered my mom to call up the technician. The technician 'promised' to come as early as possible. I was burning up...

What do you expect from computer technicians? He didn't arrive. Oh, I wanted to kill him. Inhale, exhale... No word of honor. Despicable.

I had flute lessons today, and boy, was I improving. I played Ode to Joy successfully and moved on to another song. Canon in D, I suggested. It was tough...

Shirlina started the Canon trend in Uno (or in our group). Afterwards was the Canon Electric Guitar Version by Jerry C and FunTwo. Joanie introduced them to me. *haha* (remembers a funny memory) I showed the video (of FunTwo) to my flute teacher. He was impressed and took out his video camera and recorded the whole song. Then, we returned to Canon Flute version. I checked if there was one available in YouTube. There was none. My teacher told me to record us playing and then upload it to YouTube. After all, it was a site where you had to broadcast yourself. (My, when would I be able to do that?)

One hour passed and we had to say goodbye. My father approached me and showed me a snake trapped inside a large bottle of mineral water. His friend found it inside his store, thinking that it was an aluminum cord. After realizing that it was a snake, he placed it inside a bottle and gave it to my dad. Would that snake eventually become our pet? I'm afraid to ask.

I turned on the piano and played some of my favorite pieces (and some invented pieces). Afterwards, I returned to playing the flute while playing the piano. (The song was already recorded into the piano, I was playing the accompaniment in flute.)

My father told me to rest for a bit. He told me to give him my (his) cell phone. I wondered why...

He brought our his cellphone and exchanged his with mine. Alright! The day had finally come. My first (originally second*) cellphone with a colored LCD. I was happy. If only it had a memory card slot...

* My first colored LCD phone was stolen from me when I was travelling with Nikko in Tutuban. It was really my fault that I got hold-upped. I got angry with him (when I shouldn't had) and parted ways with him. Anyway, long story. Sorry, Nikko...

I was satisfied. At least I got a decent phone. Even though it wasn't eqipeed with high-end technologies, the point is that my cellphone is already part of today's technological progress.

I ate dinner with my family. I played the piano again. I moved on to editing my blog.

Notice that the sidebar has been equipped with a lot more information than ever before. Brought to you only by yours truly.

Suddenly, I had terrible chest pains, and they were aggrevating every second. I explained my situation to my father, even if I knew that I shouldn't have did.

I had to undertake some 'serious' measures...

Well, after walking round the podium for 15 times, I returned to my computer.

The rest is self-explanatory.

Perfection

Somehow, I don't feel like posting today, but, it'll be a waste. Here goes...

Another thing, this post would be short.

Today seemed like the great day for me. I woke up at nine and was happy to accomplish many things in the morning. My RO (Ragnarok Online) character finally attained the highest base level and my Windows Vista download progress had already reached 10%. My morning was ruined when I heard that the computer technician hasn't repaired (performed a maintenance check on) the computer at our store yet. What's more he hasn't even arrived.

I watched some episodes of Bleach once again (with nothing to do). Somehow, I got addicted...

I went to our store by two-thirty in the afternoon. The technician wasn't there yet. *grumble* Keith arrived while I was eating lunch. He was raving about the concert held at ADMU (Ateneo de Manila University) yesterday. He said his PE will be tennis; he want's to borrow a racquet...

White was the theme of this weekend and I'm glad I was part of the group. After dismissal, I gave my groupmates some notes which I would like them to take note of.

I really hope they would be online later... (No, they're not.)

Groupmates, you'll finally see how cranky I get when doing projects like these...

I returned to GUM & MUG. My flute skills are finally getting better. I petted my turtle and my rabbits. Some mischievous kids were torturing the two lovebirds at our store...

In the end, the technician didn't arrive. I decided to do things by myself...

And now I'm home, practicing the piano and trying to master my favorite piano piece.

That's all.

PS. Notice how short and ambiguous this post is?

Hacker

I was woken up by ma dad at 7:30 in the morning. Gosh, it was still so early yet. Today was also my first time to ride a jeepney to La Salle. He accompanied me.

It was just 9 in the morning. I told him I didn't want to go to class yet. My reason is that I would have nothing to do except wander around (until I get lost). He accompanied me to Chowking and we ate our second breakfast there.

Time passes by so quickly. Within a few minutes, it was already 9:45 AM (My watch is fast.) I told him that I wanted to go to class by this time. I'll enter through the Hotel (aka Andrew Hall), I informed him.

Eventually we said goodbye. I went to Gokongwei Hall from Andrew Hall and headed to my classroom...

It was just 9:30 AM. I got a good seat in INTRPRG class today. (I always change seats in INTRPRG.) Our professor gave us our dreaded seatworks. She also called up many prople to the board for recitation. It was scary.

She denied the fact that she was the translator of F4 and 5566. She said the translator was her good twin - she's the evil twin. And as a proof, she'll show to us how evil she really is in our upcoming exam. Brrr...

Classes were dismissed. For the first time ever, we ate at the canteen closest to us (the non-air conditioned one). I didn't imagine that there would be a vast price difference between La Casita and this one. The food was good, and it costed me only 95 pesos (with drinks). It was my first time to eat lunch with my peers spending less than a hundred.

In our ALGTRIG class, we discussed word problems (the topic that most people hated). I loved word problems, especially the consecutive part. We were dismissed 30 minutes early.

With nothing to do, I took out my sketch notebook and drew out a sketch of my blog. I thought of improving the layout but I think that it's still fine by now. A few blockmates noticed that I was wearing different shoes (white instead of black). Well, I was excited to try out my new shoes, so I wore them today.

There came SCIENVB class. I tried to recite as much as I could. We were left with a painstaking homework and a research paper to boot. And so on and so forth...

Alright, PERSEF! Our team was the defending champion - GO PINK TEAM! All of us wore pink and so we got an additional 6 points. It was Johann's birthday today; our professor was disappointed that he didn't cook food for us. We had a lot of games. And *sigh*, some other teams overtook us. The Yellow team was able to catch up, but they still weren't able to overtake us though.

Don't lose hope Pink team, we still have the winning edge. Teamwork!

Here's my favorite poem dedicated to our team:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Invictus - I have shared this before to my teammates in our DLSU CCS Summer Camp 2005, and boy, were they impressed! (http://splgum.blogspot.com/) I'm sharing this once again, and I hope this poem would encourage everyone of us to strive harder.

It was drizzling when I was on my way to the LRT station. Thank goodness it didn't rain so hard (unlike now). When I arrived at GUM & MUG, I visited my rabbits, said hello, and played with them. They are so cute.

I miss Uno High School (the school I graduated from). I see many Uneans passing by our store and it makes me nostalgic. One day, I would visit the school again...

Hello to UHS Batch 2006! If you've read my post, please leave a message at my message board or comment at this post. I miss you all.

I arrived home and I figured out that 'someone' unplugged my PC. When I turned it on, a message popped out, saying that I may be a victim of software counterfeiting. A pirated Windows XP - what more do you expect from those computer stores along Masangkay? The messages irritated me, and I wanted to get rid of them. Finally, thanks to my cracking skills *grimace*, I was able to eliminate those nagware and my PC is as good as new.

Yes, I remember the game wherein people have to write down three statements - two true, one false.

My first statement was that I had tuberculosis when I was still a child. - True
My second statement was that I had a fracture in my nose. - True, but it's not noticable; it already healed by itself.
My third and final statement was that I was feared by my classmates for my hacking skills. - False, I know how to hack, but I don't do it unless I needed to.

That's it folks.

PS. Don't ask me to teach you how to hack.

Routinary Encore

Sigh... today is the day my dad would arrive home. Guess I'll have to do the same old, boring stuff (chores) again...

The telephone rang while I was still asleep. It was my mom, telling me to hurry because I would be the one to accompany her (reluctantly) to NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport).

I went back to sleep. She called again...

It's hard to wake me up, I tell you, when I'm at home.

Finally, I woke up myself after a few more minutes and brushed my teeth, ate breakfast, changed clothes, prepared my things, and turned on my computer. My downloads have been completed - except two (the Windows Vista installer for normal computers [3.13 GB] and the installer for 64 bit computers [4.01 GB])

My mom was waiting for me downstairs. We headed to NAIA but we will make a stopover at Blue Wave. As soon as we arrived at Macapagal Highway, we got lost (As usual, how many times has this happened already?). Soon enough, I had to steer us to the right direction (as always), to the direction of SM Mall of Asia! Yahoo! It's my fifth time to visit the mall - thrice this week! Hello once again!

Something puzzled me. The A, B, C, D, E, F clusters of SM... What are they? If anyone knows, please help me with my dilemma by posting your answers on my blog. Comments are welcome.

When I finally met up with my dad, I was excited to recieve my cellphone and my new shoes. He disappointed me when he said that he'll give them to me after I was dismissed from today's classes. No comment.

Nothing interesting happened. We (me and my mom) ordered lunch at KFC and ate along our way. We arrived at GUM & MUG a few minutes after. I took the time to practice flute and play the piano. Some time later, we headed to the LRT station.

I reached our classroom pants and gasps later. Our professor arrived, carrying with him the test booklets everyone in the class feared...

All I could remember was our poor INTRICT professor who had to go up and down the stairs more than 5 times to fix some technical problems in our classroom. It was funny, yet pityful...

I went to the LRT station with my friends and suddenly met somebody I know from Uno. We talked for a bit, asked some questions, and arrived at my destination soon afterward. We bed farewell.

Many hours later, after going back to GUM & MUG, playing with my pets...

We arrived home at last! My father told me to go to my room for the 'surprise.'

DUN! DUN! DUN!

I saw on my chair a new pair of Reebok (as he told me before) rubber shoes. I was disappointed. Why white? It would easily get dirty...

I went to the living room and tried my shoes on. My family members all said that it looked classy and nice. No comment. Every time I have a new pair of shoes they always say that it's nice.

So, I have to stick to this pair of shoes until I receive a new one. Oh well, they fit comfortably though...

I wanted to ask for my cellphone already. Before I tried to start the conversation, my dad took out another pair of shoes and gave them to me. This one was a beaut. Whoa, state of the art. Although its still white, well, it was top of the line (as my father had said). I believed him when I saw the heavy price tag. I got a good pair of shoes at last!

Before my parents left the house, I asked my father about 'it.' He said I'll receive it by this week. Grrr... How long would you let me wait?

My post is over. Thank you for your time. Guess I'll have to sleep early again. *sigh*

Last Resort

Note: This may not be like my usual posts.

(As I have always said,) Time passes by so quickly... (I can't believe this school year is almost over.*)

* Quote from our computer project in high school first year

It was already June 13.

The Ateneo de Manila University had already started marching forward. I heard some good and bad rumors about today's OrSem. Perhaps because it rained so hard...

Yes, it was also my first time to experience being stranded in the middle of nowhere.

We were dismissed at 3:40 in the afternoon. Drops of rain sipped through the windowpane. It was raining cats and dogs after all.

I called my mom and told her that I wanted her to fetch me up today because of the terrible weather condition. She couldn't; she was still diagnosing a patient.

My mom was an optometrist. She opened up her clinic near my former school (Uno High School) for my travelling convenience. Our store (GUM & MUG) and her clinic (Canaan Vision Center) had already lived for 10 long years. Be part of our legacy. Visit us at 1390, Alvarado Extension, Tondo, Manila. See you there!

Back to my plight - there was a storm raging outside the refuge of Andrew Hall. I was 'fortunate' enough to bring with me my umbrella (which I used for the first time, for it was the first time it rained during dismissal time). My blockmates would go "pasabay" with others, but sailed through the tumultuous seas alone.

Sea? Yes. I was terribly flooded outside the De La Salle University. My sneakers got soaked. What's more? My shoelaces got untied. What luck! I tried to ignore it, and on my way to the South Gate, strong gusts of wind greeted me.

I waited for a taxi cab. No. No one was available. I waited some more. Finally, one stopped in front of me. Abad Santos, I said. The driver refused and went on his way.

Side cars parked at the front gate. One of the drivers asked me where I was headed. Hmm, how much would it cost? I thought to myself. If a taxi fare to our store reaches approximately 100 pesos, how much more a side car's?

"Ma, magkano po sa may Abad Santos?"
"Ha? Saan yun? Malayo ba? Sa may Quezon City?"

What the?! Quezon City? This was my second time to hear a side car driver asking me the whereabouts of Abad Santos street. Gosh! It's one of the most common streets in Metro Manila. How bohemian can you get?

Finally, I was left with no other recourse but to take an LRT trip to Bambang. Still with my shoelaces untied, my shoes wet, and my clothes soaked, I went up the stairs of Vito Cruz station. The guards had mercy on me and didn't bother to check what's inside my bag. Seriously, do they really check what's inside a person's bag? No!

A tricycle drove me to our store, its driver demanding 35 pesos for a change.

I changed clothes so as to prevent myself from getting sick. Denzel was there. I told him to prepare for the biggest surprise in his whole life. Ironically, I was the one shocked when I heard the news that...

Beet! No, why did you die? I figured out that evil Congo was the one behind the plot. I'll avenge you, Beet... Your life would be born anew. Just watch me. (Oh well, at least Van, my favorite rabbit, was still alive and healthy. But still, Beet was the only female rabbit I had...

I showed Clone (Denzel) the CD I burned yesterday (and brought with me to school today). Inside contained the latest state-of-the-art tools that can promote world peace, if handled carefully. (I'm getting out of my mind once again...) Inside contained the installers for Windows Media Player 11 and Microsoft Office Professional 2007! Wow!

Still, I wasn't able to install them today onto my computer at GUM & MUG. Why? Long story. The bottomline is that my system needs to be operating with at least Windows XP Service Pack 2. Bummer. I was excited for this the whole day. I'll just install it to my PC tomorrow, along with many other components which I have been (and are now) downloading today.

Speaking of tomorrow, tomorrow is the date when my father would be arriving at the Philippines after a 3 week long vacation in the States. I'll be saying hello to a new cell phone. And I'll be saying goodbye to my soaked sneakers - I'll receive a new one tomorrow.

Tomorrow, tomorrow. I love you, tomorrow. You're always a day away...

Warping back. Today is the last day I could live a life without chores. Today is my last day I could abuse my computer. Today is the last day I could sleep late. Today is the last day I could enjoy a good night's sleep...

The things that happened today:

• We ate for the first time at Tapa King.
• I met Rominick on my way home.
• A violent storm raged, causing many streets to flood.
• My beloved rabbit passed away.
• I wasn't excited about tomorrow for the first time.

Better take full advantage of today...

Technological Trailblazers

I'm in a hurry to do my homework, so I'll try to keep this post "short."

I woke up this morning and stumbled upon the greatest shock in my whole life. Not only was Microsoft releasing its newest operating system Windows Vista (formerly codenamed Longhorn) the next, or perhaps this year, I discovered that it has already released a Microsoft Office 2007 beta 2. Knowing me, I'd immediately download it.

How did I arrive at the Microsoft website? Simple. Being the group leader of our INTRICT group 2, I thought that it was about time we sprang into action. I went to Microsoft.com to look for some interesting templates to use on our presentation, and walla! I arrived at this great discovery.

Thanks to DSL connection at home, I was quickly able to download the Windows Media Player 11 also available at the site. Installation took a lot of time. I figured out that it was best if I let it install by itself when I was gone...

It was three-thirty. My mom was waiting for me downstairs, as well as my friend Joanie. We were late for the special gospel meeting held at our church. Off we went!

~~~
Special Gospel Meeting (3:30 - 5:30 PM)
~~~

It was late, and we had to go to SM MoA. We got lost again, but I steered us to the right direction. I wondered how easier maneuvering would be when we have a navigator attached to our car...

My INTRICT professor told us that driving was really fun in the United States, especially if you have a navigator attached to your car. When you want to go to a specific location, just tell it to the navigator and it would compute for the shortest route for you to travel. Best of all, navigators talk! Don't be surprised if it tells you, "You've arrived!"

It was the first time we parked inside the mall.

My mom went to the comfort room. Joanie was so excited that she went to Tom's Playhouse. I followed her and we explored the area. We returned and, together with my mom, went to the main mall.

Finally, I was free to do the one thing I wanted to do for 7 years.

Whenever we visit SM MegaMall, I always shared to my parents my interest in ice skating. My dad, wouldn't allow me because he heard that someone died because he / she slipped on the ice and broke his / her skull. Harumph! My dad and his conservative ideas

My mom, on the other hand, strongly encouraged me to take up the sport. She wanted to enroll me in ice skating lessons but just couldn't do so because of my father's intervention.

Now that my father is in the United States, I wanted to utilize this freedom properly. Without my father, I could do many things I couldn't do with him around. (Now don't you go thinking that I wanted him to be blotted out from my memory.) Finally, I was able to go ice skating.

I remember Joanie and Nicolo during our first trip in SM MoA. They wanted to visit the skating rink and skate. I told them it's impossible to do so with my father around. Sadly. they could only watch the skaters zoom around the arena. I feel sorry for them, and I wanted to make up for it...

I had to teach Joanie how to tie her shoe (or blade). We learned to balance on dry ground first. Sensing that balancing was as easy as balancing from a pogo stick, I led the way. Joanie caught me and wouldn't let go. We had to walk slowly...

Having been warned in Nikko's blog, we took extra precautionary measures upon entering the rink. (We were waiting for our coaches to guide us. We entered the rink so as not to waste time.) It was slippery. We needed the wall's support. Slowly, we circled the rink.

Halfway, we were surprised to see my acupuncturist (or my 'uncle') there. We said hi. Joanie asked him if Moses (her beloved) was there. He was!

We encountered some obstacles on our second half of 'skating.' Joanie almost slipped in the ice. Thank God she didn't, or else who knows what would happen?

After almost giving up on ice skating, we met our coaches. I don't know how well it was with Joanie, but I could say that I was a fast learner. Within minutes, I could already cross to the other side of the rink without falling over. I learned how to skate balkwards. My coach gave me a lot more tips.

I asked the coach about the falling 'snow.' He told me that it was just made of detergent powder. The 'blizzard' occurs every hour, he told me. To attract more visitors, I thought to myself.

Soon enough, our 30 minute lesson was over. I had to bid farewell to my coach and say hello again to Joanie. I asked her how well she did. She got irritated when she learned that I already know how to skate balkwards, her coach didn't teach her that. We skated for another 15 minutes, despite Joanie's bleeding foot.

"You should have taken a picture of me when I fell." Joanie said.
"Are you crazy? Why would you want people to laugh at you?" I asked her.

"It could become a priceless memory."

We, along with my uncle and company, ate dinner at Tang City Express located at the Foodcourt. Initially, I wanted to try out the restaurant I was raving about in my other blog (Melodies of Life), but circumstances have changed.

"Moses, Moses..." Joanie called out.
"Atsi Joanie a!" Moses said.
"Beautiful a di... and tall!" I blurted out.
"Hush!" Joanie commanded irritatingly.

After eating, we parted ways. Joanie and I went to Entertainment Mall and went to Q Power Station. I told her that we just ate.

"Let's not do some strenuous exercises first..."

I loaded my VIP Card with 50 pesos. (I just loaded it yesterday.)

We played one game of House of the Dead. She was 'annihilated,' and, without an ally, I followed soon afterward.

Onward to Dance Maniax 2nd Mix! I could clearly see that Joanie was improving. She was already able to do a 55 combo in Wild mode. Go for 100 next time!

My highest combo to count was a 617 combo that I was able to perform in Power Station in Rockwell. Hmmm... I try to make it reach 700 next time

I miss the times we played Dance Maniax with Stephanie, Shirlina, Nicolo, Nikko, and company. Let's meet sometime! See how I have improved! ^w^

After two games, Joanie loaded up my card with a 100 load. We played another time.

We went to TimeZone Arena and played Dance Dance Revolution (It has another name, I forgot.) Thrice, the first was a mistake. The second and third time, well, we did okay...

As we exited the place our eyes stumbled upon the motion simulating machine near the entrance.

"Wanna try?"

We looked at the price tag.

"No thanks."

We returned to Power Station and played one last game of Dance Maniax. Again, ending with the song "All My Love." I got my second S rank. Joanie miraculously performed a 51 combo. Nicolo, you better catch up. You won't want to lose to her... *w*

We hastily returned to the car because of various reasons. Joanie has to sleep early for her OrSem tomorrow morning. I still have a lot of homework. My mom, well, has a lot of sleeping to do...

I caught my last glimpse of SM Mall of Asia, the gentle sound of the crickets, the perfect symmetry of the globe...

It was a spectacular sight.

I returned home and was glad that my downloads were finally completed. I installed Microsoft Office 2007 Professional to my computer, and I could say, it looked great. Still needs some getting used to, I know, for its unique user interface...

Now I wonder... is it possible? To build a mall comparable (larger) to the size of SM Mall of Asia? To develop an operating system better than Microsoft? Maybe my dreams are too icarian? Then again...

If it is to be, it is up to me.

Neural Complexities

My headache is finally gone. I could think normally again. So, I'm going to tell you in advance that I'm going to post twice today. One could be found here, the other at my Friendster blog. Happy viewing.

I was 'blessed' with a balancing broblem since childhood. When I was learning how to walk back then, I needed to wear a special kind of balancing shoes to support my every step. Eventually, I learned how to balance myself perfectly as the years passed.

My parents were concerned because I had occasional headaches. When I was in elementary, my mom brought me someplace to check for any disease that was plaguing me. The doctor there told me to place one foot in front of my other foot, extending my hands with my eyes closed. I had trouble balancing. The doctor told my mom that I needed to be diagnosed.

I was scared and I didn't want to. My mom kept on begging me telling that it was for my own good. I accepted after she agreed to buy me a Pokemon booster pack. (When I look back to the past, I wonder why I was so foolish... Booster packs were so cheap. I could have asked for more expensive things, like a new computer.)

I remember myself seated in a soundproof room. High pitched sounds were played. Beep! I had to determine if the sound came from the right or from the left side of the room. I also remember water being squished into my ears. I felt dizzy afterwards.

After the three-hour physical diagnosis, the doctor found out that I had vertigo, an incurable balancing disorder that can only be prevented. It is caused by the balancing mechanism inside the ears. The doctor gave me a list of daily exercises to perform every morning, but even until today, I never bothered to try any of those exercises.

My headache occurs approximately once every month. If it occurs, my whole day would be ruined. Let me site a few examples.

We had a field trip in our semestrial break in Year Two. A trip to Enchanted Kingdom! Everyone was so excited. My mom wanted to join me. I didn't want her to join because of various reasons. She said that I still couldn't take care of myself. Eventually, I had to comply with her bidding.

I woke up that morning, my head hurted a bit but I ignored it. We went to the bus. I was a bit late, that time, but I brought pizza for my classmates to enjoy. The bus accelerated. Soon after, we were in the amusement park.

Each one fled to his or her group (of friends). We went to ride in the Ferris Wheel, the Log Jump, the Grand Carousel, and many more. A few friends and I waited for the Rio Grande Rapids to open. After waiting for half an hour, we were one of the first people to experience the thrill of a lifetime.

Keith wanted me to accompany him to the Flying Fiesta. We rode 3 consecutive times. Afterwards, my headache worsened.

We went to the Realto with Dianne. In the middle of the simulation, the phone rang. It was my mom. I was very irritated. My headache aggravated. After that ride, I went to my mom and sought for care and attention. Who knows what would happen if she weren't there?

We rode the Rio Grande Rapids once again. This time, I wasn't able to enjoy the ride a lot because my head hurts. After a few more minutes, we were headed back to Manila.

I forgot to mention the video being played in our bus. It was about a cheerleading team trying to win in a contest. I wanted to watch the film but my health just couldn't stand up to it. This calls for the saying: The spirit is willing but the soul is weak. I slept the whole trip.

Usually, after one round of sleep my headache would be healed. I woke up feeling fine again and I asked everyone about the movie. It seems that the protagonists only won second place. I wonder what could have happened?

Because I didn't enjoy the trip to EK, I organized another trip during our last year in Uno. That time, the 4D theater was just recently opened, and everybody, I think, went there and watched the horror film. In our group, it was only Joanie and I who rode the Rio Grande Rapids. The other groups didn't enjoy the 50% discount that we had enjoyed, probably because they weren't able to read my announcement to bring their ids with them. In the end, I was glad that everyone enjoyed the trip. I was glad that my vertigo didn't affect me that day.

Yesterday, I had another headache (as stated in my previous post Vertigo). I could say that I was fortunate enough. That was my first headache in two months. Pain in the neck!

People can also be considered as headaches. I hope you won't consider me as one.

Vertigo

My sleep was cut off when the telephone rang. I ignored it, but the ringing just wouldn't stop. Finally, I gave up and answered the phone. It was my dad.

My dad went to the United States after accumulating a lot of points in his insurance proposals. He was finally able to buy me a pair of rubber shoes (after 2 weeks of searching). He'll return to the Philippines by Wednesday. When he comes back, I'll receive my new pair of sneakers. When he comes bask, I'll have a new cell phone! (Although it's not the one which I really wanted.)

I turned on my computer and started working on my first blog. I was waiting for them to invite me to eat lunch. Surprisingly, I looked at the clock and discovered that it was only 8 in the morning.

Due to excessive boredom, I wrote down two additional blogs today. I also played Ragnarok Online, surfed the internet a bit, plated Neopets, watched TV, and did many other stuff.

My tutor (in Chinese) visited me and stayed over for dinner. She asked me to do some things for her, and somehow, things went on smoothly. Until...

My head hurts a lot. It's caused by the balancing mechanism inside the ears. Vertigo. Somehow, this is not my usual blog post. Notice that I'm... never mind.

I hope my headache gets well later on. If my headache worsens a bit more, disaster would happen. I would not be able to do anything except lie down in my bed and moan in pain. No, I don't want to think about it...

內疚

内疚

With nothing to do, I rummaged over my CD collection and found a disc which was missing for the past few weeks. This song captivated me to write my third post for this day...

(Note: This post contains Chinese characters. You may not be able to read the text if you do not have East Asian languages installed into your computer.)

不斷的摸索自己
企圖改變一些歎息
我知道你對我的期許
是將來眼光的抵禦

你今日無助的詞句

都帶著明日的訊息

我知道你對我的心意

而我就是有心無力

我還有什麼可以給你，

我不斷的問自己。

我不斷的想，

不斷的在找尋。。。。。。

我知道你一直都辛苦 為我默默地付出

就算流淚也不承認你哭 我是身在福中不知福

所以我用盡我的全部 來告訴你我沒有認輸

還有什麼可以給你 我的爹娘我的父母

還有什麼可以給你 我的爹娘我的父母

Welcome Back to School

... or welcome to college

Either way, it seems that summer's ending for most students. Welcome back to school.

I passed by Metropolitan Medical Center (initially named Metropolitan Hospital) a few days ago and I saw some students from Chiang Kai Shek and St. Stephen walking with their so called 'barkada' sharing about their summer experiences. They wanted a longer summer vacation. It seemed that summer was too short for them.

I brightened up a bit when I saw the internet cafe in MMC (Metropolitan Medical Center) bustling in action again. Students crowded the room. Some were chatting with friends, some playing games, particularly Dota (What aspect of the game makes it addicting anyway?). It'll be great to see students doing internet research.

Well, for me, summer's just starting. In fact, I'm glad to have survived a summer vacation with nothing to do but study and study. Now that I'm in college, I don't feel any burden at all (except Monday and Wednesday evenings, because of our INTRPRG assignments).

I'll use five letters to describe what I feel now: E N N U I - which means boredom...

I'm bored! With nothing to do, I've played tons of games, surfed for hundreds of gadgets, and did a lot more than usual. I'll do my homework next...

I guess it's human instinct. When it's summer, students want to go back to school. When school starts, students want to have a vacation. The human mind is really perplexing.

Friday Frenzy

It was Friday once again. (It was hard to believe that we are already ending our third week of college life.)

I woke up at noon. Not long after my cousin's third son, who was born a day before the dreaded day, met his godfather (me). My grandmother said my godson had many attributes similar to mine, examples are his nose, his head, et cetera. After a while I left, bringing with me my treasured flute (so that I wouldn't regret anymore, don't ask me why).

I arrived at GUM & MUG after surviving an hour of teaching a side car driver how to go to Uno. I couldn't believe it! I really wanted to take out my flute and knock him out when he didn't even know where Binondo Circle, Reina Regente, or Abad Santos was. Pitiful...

I ate lunch. Afterwards, I spent my free time playing the flute (I'm finally improving!) and the piano.

I pondered over my dream, my dream of learning how to play (and master, hopefully) all the musical instruments in the world. Still a long, long way to go...

My mom drove me to Bambang station by 3 o'clock. I rode to Quirino station, as usual, and went to my classroom. As I went in, I was welcomed with various greetings, and this made me feel awkward.

"Oi, Mon!"
"Treisha, may kasama ka na!"
"Ai, di nakapink."
"Yahoo! Dumagdag na uli tayo!"
(and many more)

I scurried into my seat. I looked around. A lot were wearing pink clothing. I was wearing yellow. I then remembered, we were supposed to wear pink clothes on Friday, as requested by our block president (for unknown reasons). There were three people wearing yellow; I was one of them. 6 people were wearing black. A person wearing blue. Another wearing gray. Others were wearing white. The rest were in pink. I didn't care much.

Our professor arrived. We talked about storage devices and the system unit. One interesting thing I noted was the "outdatement" of the floppy disk. Optical disks (compact disks) can hold much more data compared to magnetic disks (floppy disks), and yet, they are much cheaper compared to the latter. I really abhor saving data onto floppy disks. I've had several experiences...

One time, I saved my precious data into a diskette from my computer at GUM & MUG (G&M). When I arrived home and inserted the disk into my floppy drive, an error occured. I tried slamming the disk to the floor to see if it would become functional again (It sometimes works, try it!), but alas, my efforts were futile.

This incident didn't just occur once in my life. It occured to me more than a dozen times already. This evidence proves that a magnetic disk's life span is generally shorter than that of an optical disk.

Our professor also told us to invest for a USB flash disk; we would be needing one for our many projects of INTRICT. Recalling back...

I remember myself two years back, my cousins from Taiwan went to the Philippines and would stay with us for a week or two. They brought in a lot of stuff; I was waiting for a gift. My uncle gave me as a present a USB flash drive (by that time it wasn't that popular yet), hoping to ease my burden a bit.

The next day I went to school, showing off my gift to my classmates. They gazed in awe. They wanted to have one also.

I loved my flash disk. I utilized it properly, transferring huge amounts of data from this computer to that. Songs from my computer to Joanie's and Nikko's. Manga from Joanie's computer to mine. Pictures from my other computer at G&M to the one at home. Oh, what a glorious history it had.

One day, in our computer class at school, I decided to download a file (it was large, and DSL subsciptions still cost about 2000 pesos) and transfer it home using my flash disk. As soon as I inserted the storage medium to the USB port of the computer I was using, the monitor went blank. After a few seconds, an acrid smell of burning rubber filled the room. I quickly detatched my flash disk and put the medium into my pocket, acting as if nothing happened. The whole class went into a commotion. "What's that pungent smell?" Many left the room afterwards.

My heart felt that it was stabbed with a thousand nails as soon as I found out that the chip inside was burned to a crisp. I tried inserting it into my computer, but it just wouldn't work. From that day onwards, I had a trauma of inserting storage media into any of the school's computers.

After a year, when MP3 players were becoming the fad, I acquired an iPod Shuffle from my dad. He asked me why I didn't want the bulkier iPods. I told him that I wanted to use the iPod Shuffle as a flash disk. He willingly agreed.

That was the history of my iPod Shuffle. Moving on...

Classes were dismissed. I went back to G&M and visited my rabbits. I loved Van, the brown one who looks like an import from the States. Congo, initially Joanie's rabbit, had block spots in its body. Beet, on the other hand, looked like Van and Congo combined. (Did the name sound familiar? Aside from Congo, it's Ludwig Van Beet[hoven]. I was taking care of a rabbit named Ludwig before...)

I went home, Nicolo came afterwards. We went to Pineapple, my other home. On the way, I shared about my newfound friends, my professors, my test, and my experiences in college. He, on the other hand, shared with me his interest of entering college life.

We arrived at our destination. The first thing I did was to play my favorite piece on the antique brite piano located at the ground floor of our house. The next thing I knew was that I was already upstairs, watching Nicolo pogo jump.

I was the eldest among my cousins in my mother's family; on my father's side, I was the second youngest. (Thanks for pointing out my mistake.) Nikki and his younger brother were the only cousins of mine who were present, and before long, we were playing Mario Party 5 and 6 with her. It was a shame that Joanie weren't able to join us a while ago.

We left. After driving Nicolo to his house and arriving home, I made some great discoveries...

1. Shirlina had a blog of her own.
2. Chapter 3 of The Chronicles was already saved as a draft copy; however, Nikko decided to add spice to his story. Come on...
3. I made a mistake in my post "Kickin' My Style." We didn't have classes this coming Monday.
4. I needed to get started working on my two projects.
5. It is already two in the morning and I have to go to sleep. Good night!