To my dear readers...

I'm aware that I haven't posted for a LOoooONG time...

Sorry, I'm very busy with my schoolwork, orgwork, et cetera and so I rarely have enough time to do leisurely things such as blogging and writing. In this regard, this site would be left idle for quite some time...

I promise to update this blog as many times as I can, but if I fail to do so, do drop by my Multiply site at http://splgum.multiply.com/ and enjoy the pictures I upload once in a while to my page.

Until then!

Affixed Agony

I never knew anything,

except for the fact that if he initiates the conversation,

my life would soon be over...

Foreword: Some parts of this post may be written in a way that is hard to understand for secrecy.

I couldn't sleep last night. I lay down at 4 in the morning after doing all my LSCS work but I just couldn't doze off. The promise God gave me couldn't be true, could it?

Signs. I needed a sign. I got one during my haircut session yesterday. The channel was switched to ABS-CBN, featuring Kapamilya Deal or No Deal. The contestant and her fluctuating faith...

Today is this term's D-Day. My feared subject this time is ANMATH1. All of us were scared. BISPROC comes first, though. Ms. Tangkeko hasn't finished checking our research papers yet. Others got a 0.0 in the activity. Oh no...

We went to get our SCIENVC/LBYENVC course cards but ATE wasn't there yet. We had no other recourse. ANMATH1 was next.

The entry of Dr. Diesto made us all petrified. With him were many failing course cards and desperately low quizzes. As the course cards were being handed out, I noticed that our professor sometimes talks to the students he hands over a course card to. Soon enough, I realized that every person he talks to got a 0.0 in his or her respective course.

I gazed at the blackboard. There were some writings which go like this...

"All forms of emotional outbursts... sent to the Discipline Office."
"All forms of love and kindness were included in the computing of your grades."

It was our class's turn. I felt more hopeless after seeing the low grades of my excelling blockmates. If they got such low grades, what about me, who performed drastically poorer than them in previous quizzes? Joy came to the front soon afterward. Next was my turn. I was in despair. My face was proof enough.

I wanted to sit down immediately after getting my course card and forget all about the day, but unfortunately, my professor had a dedication for me...

"Sayang ka. Ang baba ng mga quizzes mo."
"Oo nga e, sir..."

I sighed as I took a brief glance of my course card. My classmates pitied me when they saw a concave down curve painted on my face. I returned to my chair and sighed once again, still in deep sadness.

"Ilan ba nakuha mo?"

I showed them my course card. I got a 2.0.

"2 ka pala e. Candidate ka pa mag-DL."

Even so, the words of my professor kept reverbating inside my head...

"Sayang ka... Sayang ka... Sayang ka..."

I figured out that I had the potential to gain higher scores if only I had exerted a little more effort. It turned out, at the very end, that I got a 92% in my finals examination.

(Actually, this is no time for me to blog. I'll keep the next part as short as possible...)

SCIENVC - I will miss our professor. The last words he had for me were: "Meron rin akong damit na iyan a!" I got a 3.5 in both SCIENVC and LBYENVC.

Someone had to drive the other out.

BISPROC - We returned after getting our other three course cards. No comment. 3.5.

We went to eat lunch. The scary part was finally over.

All restaurants were flooding with people. We were left with an overcrowded Jollibee.

JAPALA1 - I got a perfect score in the finals exam. 4.0...

Before long, I was trying to compute if I would be able to reach the quota for first honors Dean's List or not...

(I'll skip the other subjects due to time constraint.)

It turned out at the very end that God kept His promise. This gift of His I would never forget. I was only hoping to pass ANMATH1 at the beginning. Praise be to Him!

I would also like to thank the following sponsors aka friends, relatives, et cetera who helped me exceedingly the time I needed help:

Rochelle Santos for the tutorial at her house.
Chester for the comprehensive lessons and exercises that he had for me.
Dianne Tiffany Chan for tutoring me at our store and lending me her notes.
James Andrew Lim for borrowing me his exam booklets.
James Sy for making me aware of the 10-point question before the exam.
My parents for their unconditional love and guidance.
And all other friends for moral support.

A big thanks to all! I'll be gone in a few days, but I'll try as much as possible to update my Multiply so check it out daily. I'll be back before you may even know it.

Ittekimasu!

PS. Did anyone notice that my blog titles are becoming negative in nature?

Sleepless Nights

The sky cries once again.

At last, the DEVEWEB designing phase is *almost* over. A bunch of frustrated programmers would soon have their long deserved rests from more than a week of overnight sessions.

I want to swap brains with math geniuses.

It's been a long time since my last post. We had a lot of activities at school. I have my worries, and one of the most critical ones are my ANMATH1 grades. Many of us, including me, are worried that we may not even pass the subject. I've lowered my expectations regarding my GPA this term. I'm not after Dean's Lister status; I just want to pass ANMATH1. If I do that, there would be no more calculus subjects in our course syllabus. For me, ANMATH1 is the hardest subject I had taken. I believe no other subject I will be taking up would be harder than this one. Oh, the anxiety...

Latest updates? Check out my new videos in YouTube. Just type in "splgum" in the search box and enjoy navigating.

No classes again. I hate the weather.

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Copyright © 2007 Solomon Lim. All rights reserved.

Stressed Satisfaction [Part Two]

Stressed Satisfaction

Foreword: Parts 1, 3, and 4 can be found at [my] Multiply, Black Anime Den, and Friendster pages, respectively.

No homework, no quizzes, nothing. I still sleep at 2-3 am. Now that is strange. No wonder, I've distortedly trained my biological clock. It's bad for me, trust me that I know. Adjusting one's sleeping habits can't be accomplished with the snap of a finger, you know...

I've been terribly frustrated with my grades, especially my ANMATH1's. With only little enthusiasm and motivation, my grades have gone way beyond the passing line; and to think I was competing in international math competitions back in high school. I wish I were Austin, our resident math genius, who can solve almost any math problem with ease.

Just recently had I acquired motivation for ANMATH1. It was funny when Dr. Diesto, our ANMATH1 professor, said to me:

"Ngayon lang kita nakitang naunang sumagot a. At least gumagawa ka na ng seatwork."

Those words he uttered had a profound effect on me. I started feeling that the subject wasn't as hard as I had imagined it to be. I am now motivated to study hard for the course. From this point on, I assure you that Kristine will not have the hard time of answering seatworks without my participation. I just hope it's not too late to turn over a new leaf...

Before Thursday, I felt that only bad luck was overtaking me; however, things changed positively. Even though Friday was Friday the 13th, the only bad luck I had was the inability to watch Honey and Clover in JAPALA1 class thanks to technical difficulties. We were to watch it on Monday instead.

After classes, I rode the LRT to Bambang station. Instead of going to our store, I rode the tricycle to PC Express, and that's where IT all began...

Continue to Part Three by clicking HERE.
Click the BLOG tab on the left sidebar to view.

Concerns and Consequences

I've heard people say that the freshmen year is the easiest time in college, and that it gets harder and harder as time goes by. I believe so...

Firstly, I am frustrated about my workstation. By workstation I mean my desk, my convertible notebook, my computer at home, its bundled hardware, software, and accessories, and the like.

My Core 2 Quad processor was supposed to arrive sometime earlier to give me an extra boost in my heavy multitasking. My 400 GB hard disk storage memory is almost entirely filled up, and I have to upgrade to a terabyte (minimum of 2*500 GB) system soon. If I do that, I would have to install Windows on one of the two hard disks that I am planning to buy.

The problem: I misplaced my Windows Vista AND my Microsoft Office 2007 installers.

Steph had long been waiting for me to borrow her my CD, but, no luck still...

My notebook had not yet been upgraded yet. Drat!

As for school, I am preoccupied with lots and lots of schoolwork. FILDLAR, DEVEWEB, SCIENVC/LBYENVC, JAPALA1, ANMATH1, BISPROC, and PERSEF2.

Yes, we would be having our first class of PERSEF2 later. I wonder how "interesting" it would be...

Regarding my blog, I've made a "major" revamp on my Multiply blog found here. The site is now fully animated, but I can still implement a lot of changes and improvisations. If you observe carefully, all my three major sites (Blogger site, Friendster profile, Multiply page) have animated backgrounds instead of steady, boring ones.

My head is all dizzy now so sorry if you can't understand much of what I am saying. Right now it's 1:50 in the morning and I still have a lot to do.

I'll end my post here.

Jaa, mata.

Stress and Summer

Summer vacation... is about to end... soon... sigh...

I never had the opportunity to enjoy this short break from school (almost).

A lot of people were laughing about my being busy in summer. Believe me, I'm pooped.

Firstly, I am frustrated with my computer at home; two years ago it was the best of its class, but now, I couldn't visit even one website without getting mad at my machine. Windows Vista Ultimate really draws a lot of power from my computer...

Yes, I've upgraded my computer's RAM to 2GB. It sped up a bit for a few days. Only a few days, however...

Nikko and Steph were planning to buy their own notebook PC's this summer; I was mesmerized by another convertible one Unean Reunion as I gazed upon a twistable, touch-screen HP Pavillion. Equipped with Windows Vista (whatsoever), it is an object of beauty; I won't get it for sure however... Sadly...

I'm satisfied with my Fujitsu Lifebook P1510 at home; it's the smallest convertible in the world. If only I could upgrade its RAM using cheap means. Because of it's miniature size, the upgrade costs at least Php 40K. People, kindly inform me if you know of a place selling 1 GB DDR2 NanoDIMM RAM's for a cheap price.

It's unfair. Other RAM's only cost from 2K to 6K...

I'm here at home, writing this blog entry as well as playing Pokemon Pearl. There are some things I want to accomplish this summer, some of which have been completed.

1. Buy a new pair of shoes - COMPLETE
2. Buy a new printer - Pending
3. Buy Pokemon Diamond AND Pearl - COMPLETE
4. Complete "Crest of the Wind ~ The Three Seals" - 87% Complete
5. Fill up my summer schedule - Extremely Overfilled
6. Go to Hong Kong - Pending
7. Remove two irritating wisdom teeth - Scheduled
8. Upgrade to 1 GB of RAM (Notebook) - Under Negotiation
9. Upgrade to 2 GB of RAM (Home PC) - COMPLETE
10. Upgrade to Core 2 Quad (Home PC) - Under Analysis
11. Get ready for a new year of college life - I don't want to think about this yet.

That's about all. A while ago I was in Gateway with Nikko, picking out some stuff which I'm interested in. We played Dance Freaks (my first time to do so) and were intrigued by a song so familiar that we first heard in Audition Online... La la la la la la la la la. What's it entitled again? In English?

Understanding Men and Women.

Another Mission

Foreword: This will be a short post. I have a lot of other things to do besides blogging...

Today (actually, yesterday), I had a performance in Makati Shangri-la where I would have to play two rather difficult piano peices to a multitude of people for my grandma's birthday...

Although I made some mistakes, they (according to many) were hardly noticable and many complemented on my piano playing skills. Yay! (Have to learn a lot more though.)

I finally got my hands on a copy of Pokemon Pearl (although I like Diamond better... next time) Version and I'm playing now. Where did I buy it? Toy Kingdom Express SM San Lazaro. Grab one now!

This ends my post.

My Freshman Days

Foreword: After long, stressful weeks filled with deliverables and projects to be submitted, it was finally our vacation (April 13, 2007 - 12:00NN)...

After months of dormancy, my blog has come to life again, starting with this post. Enjoy reading!

--------------------

1. Pre-confirmation Orientation

I remember way back to the first day, no, the preconfirmation orientation we had in La Salle for our course. If I remember right, it was also the day that we were going to have our Chinese History (li shi) periodic exams in Uno, so we were permitted to wear civilian clothing inside the school grounds...

I, along with my mom, arrived late for the event held at Yuchengco. There were games, speeches (...), and an open forum. There was even a campus trip but we were not able to attend because I had a quiz. Oh well...

Back at Uno. I really regretted wearing civilian clothing that day. Eyes were fixed at me and people commented things like "o, ganda ng suot mo a" and other similar comments. It was humiliating. Mr. Yu (our school disciplinarian, also had a short talk with me about my attire. Apparently he wasn't informed...

2. LPEP (and first few days of college life)

LPEP was (an atttempt) to let blockmates know one another. We were at the Yuchengco Theater watching a presentation; I remember getting lost on our way to our seats at the chapel. We went to a classroom at Gokongwei and was introduced to our facilitator and his two assistants. We had a nickname elaboration session. I was so timid back then, avoiding speech. When people asked me what my nickname meant, I replied with this (actually, I had so many nicknames but I chose this one):

M - Mysterious -> someone asked me why I didn't write "mature" instead...
O - (I forgot. Pardon my short memory.)
N - Nostalgic / Not Nostalgic -> depends

Anyway, we had campus tours and were also dragged to the Sports Complex for a grand welcoming from (almost) all student organizations in the campus. It was funny how they said "Hello, [name]! Welcome to La Salle!"

Then I met my former facilitator from CCS Summer Camp 2005. She was very excited to see me; I was shocked. It turned out that she was a very high ranked officer in LSCS, the only professional organization in the College of Computer Studies. I thought about joining...

We watched the pep squad and other presentations at the top floor of the Sports Complex. There was even a mini-concert afterwards.

This was the time I made my first few friends. Vero, originally calling me "little bro," as well as Aya and Treisha, became my first few friends.

3. First Term

Additional people (Lou and Yan) were added to our lunch group, and I became more attached to them because or similar interests and the like. The other three became my groupmates in a subject called INTRICT (Introduction to ICT), where we had ouur group reporting on 'The Internet and the World Wide Web.' Because I was pretty reserved back them, I wrote them a letter discussing our plan instead of actually talking to them. I planned to make our report a very interesting one like how I had done my reports back in my high school days, and we partially succeeded. I made a short video (actually, my first video) featuring the different functionalities of the Internet (It didn't work during the first day. I was shocked.) I was also forced to bring my humongous speakers at home because I forgot to get the speakers from our store. I also brought with me my smoke machine...

I found many similarities in my block and my batchmates from high school...

We had our INTRPRG classes by Ms. Shirley Chu, a not-so terror professor (who looks like she's going to punch people every time she asks "Nagkakaintindihan ba tayo?") I vowed to do well in this subject, but was saddened by the fact that I wasn't able to answer one of her recitation questions. I struggled to eliminate the loss, and virtually succeded upon receiving a 98% and 105% for my two departamental exams and a 135% for my machine project. I was happy to get a raw score of 106.25 and an overall grade of 4.0 (I hope there's a higher grade that 4...)

We also had other subjects, which included FWSPORT (Taekwondo), SCIENVB, and the like. PERSEF1, Mr. Molano, Jake, The Venue, Period.

Was it Bea who invided us to her birthday party at Yellow Cab? I forgot...

Near the end of the term I really felt the need to have my very own laptop computer.

Other important events included my becoming an officer in LSCS, my being caught by a discipline officer for writing on the blackboard, et cetera...

4. Second Term

I finally got myself a laptop, no, it would be better if I address it as a convertible notebook...

It was finally time for us to have Saturday classes - NSTP-C1. Also, we had our ENGLCOM classes, where I almost got a 4.0 (if I didn't miss a quiz).

DATABAS was the hardest subject this term, and by that time, E-MAD Productions (formerly known as Solomon's Descendants) was formed. We struggled for weeks just to finish our MP. It was my first overnight experience at my own house.

Nica and Jerlou soon became close friends of mine (along with Bea, Cecille, Jamie, Joy, Kristine, Michelle, Raisa, Yna, and the others -> did I miss anyone?) in the absence of Lou and Yan (sometimes).

My video editing hobby also started this term wherein we had to make videos for our ORGMGNT classes and an MTV for our TREDONE classes (along with numerous Unean Reunions that took place).

The lowest grade I got this term was from ORGMGNT, a flat 2.0. I barely hung on to my stand as a Dean's Lister. Hopefully I'll do better next term...

Other important events not mentioned were te activities held in LSCS, the unretrieved shirt of Tin, the CCS Summer Camp Reunion, the Enchanted Kingdom trip, the confirmation trip to JCDC, my new camera, and many others.

5. Christmas Break

What I remember most in this span of time was the formation of the UniFuzion (formerly known as UniFusion) as Nikko, Yan, and I (known as YanMeMon by Nikko) went to SM Mall of Asia (up to 3 in the morning) to watch the Pyro Olympics.

Nothing much to say...

5. Third Term

The emergence of Windows Vista had become critical. I planned to buy an original one four years ago, and my plan will definitely be fulfilled. I bought the MS Office 2007 Professional first at XXXIII K at SM Mall of Asia during their launch. The place was packed. Computer illiterates were being conned into Microsoft's new product as they were enchanted by Vista's eye candy. Fortunately, I knew what to byt because I've tried the product two times before (MS Windows Vista Beta 2 and MS Windows Vista RC1). I ordered the Windows Vista Ultimate full edition and got it weeks after.

We had our very interesting SPEECOM classes wherein we made a video for our panel discussion. A video, a podcast, a blog (http://emadproductions.multiply.com/), and a flash presentation were made for our HUTECIN classes where there was very high competition among blockmates. The daring MTV for our FILKOMU classes.

Who wouldn't forget the hard quizzes in NETCOMM? The Saturdays on JCDC? The negative grades in FWTEAMS? The curse being passed on in FILKOMU (only applies for 'The C' of S18)? The weariness in coding MP's for APPSDAS? The funny speeches of Philip in SPEECOM?

I ascended in rank as I became the VP for Publications in LSCS. I was surprised when my firends showed me that I was in the Plaridel newspaper...

Just yesterday, The Comedic Trio (Jerlou, Nica, and me) had another overnight session at my house wherein we coded for a partially finished MP for APPSDAS. We also prepared for our NETCOMM defense which took place a while ago.

The funniest moment occured a day before yesterday, wherein the three of us (and none else) lost balance in the LRT going form Central Terminal to Carriedo.

The course card distribution day is on Thursday, April 19, 2007. I have high hopes...

I can't wait until April 22...

--------------------

My classmates notified me of my behavior change from the first day of classes until recently from my being timid to my being 'hyperactive and paparazzic.'

I replied with this story:

"Back in elementary, I was more of a warfreak type of person who usually picked up fights with other people. People also called me Pastemaster and other weird names because of my weird habits back then.

I wanted to change the bad stereotype my classmates had made about me, so in high school, I became a bit more timid. I became quite shy; however, and I lost the ability to express myself according to my feelings. The things I wanted to do, like joining in a FunFest game, getting a particular role in a play, et cetera, I lost my chance...

Fortunately, I got to do the things I wanted to do in college. How? I dunno... Figure it out yourselves. >:)

The GUI Master aka Gadgetkid will strike again!

--------------------

Lou... we haven't said goodbye personally yet, and now you've already left for Canada. Your video... I'll be done with it soon, and you'll be able to see it in YouTube. Let's meet again when I get a job in Canada! Until then, we'll miss you.

PS. Always be online in Yahoo! Messenger, alright? <(^_^)>

Catalog Catastrophe

At last, APPSDAS Mini-Project # 1 had come to pass. The effort, blood, and sweat I've exherted will always be seen in my work, though, and as I gaze upon it, I become nostalgic...

It was time for the LRT - Line 1 Generation 3 trains to go on operation. I was excited and I wanted to ride on one. My first ride was with Lou after we dropped off Yan at Vito Cruz Station after leaving SM Mall of Asia. Presently, my Generation 3 train ride count sums up to 13.

A lot of things also happened at the time interval. After watching Pyro Olympics Denmark-Canada and China-Philippines with Nikko and Yan, I propagated the idea of UniFusions (Uneans meet blockmates of fellow Uneans) to my friends and they seem to be confortable with the idea. The current UniFusion count is 3.

HUTECIN was also quite interesting. Our first major project involved us to make a video critique on 3 cellphones / music players. With my (developing) video editing skills and my friends' advertising talents, we were able to make a good presentation. The video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u565A1e4nPs

There came APPSDAS... As I was very well disappointed of a grade of 85% for my first hands-on exam, I exerted extra effort in implementing my E-Catalog program. If you know me, I like to add additional features... so I added and added...

Search still doesn't work. It's already Saturday (deadline is on the following Monday). I worked as hard as I could, and was finally able to search entries. A very unfortunate incident which almost led to an immediate cause of heart attack struck me as I accidentally overwrote the codes I took 2 whole days to come up with, and it's 2:30 in the morning...

What will I do? Realizing that the file I created is unrecoverable (as I had no backup copy), I sighed and almost cried. The time won't be enough. I had to finish it today, before I sleep...

I prayed to God for help. I asked my mom (who just woke up) for encouraging words but what she gave me were the opposite). Sadly, I returned to my workstation and began coding again...

The song "True Courage" played inside my mind and I regained hope as I listened to the lyrics. With rekindled passion for programming, I miraculously finished (for the meantime) my program in an hour. I then went to bed...

The next day, (I'm not sure about this, but) I think I saw Mr. See (long lost brother; Mr. Java) at our tower elevator. I ignored him because I wasn't sure if it was really him, but very short hair... short beird... "sloppy" movements... cranky voice... hmmm...

I edited my codes and added the New and Print functions that afternoon.

The next day, which is today, I submitted my work. Mini-MP # 1: Complete!

Mini-MP # 2: On progress... Philip, prepare yourself!

Video Posting

For a very long time I have disregarded blogging and have head straight on to video editing, since some projects of ours require us to make video presentations.

Since I don't have much time for blogging, I'll use this site to inform everyone regarding new videos I have created or whatsoever. Please do comment and rate on YouTube, as I would be posting the video URLs also.

Currently the EDITED videos I had already uploaded in YouTube are:

1. The Internet and the World Wide Web


2. Controlling


3. Christianity


4. Pokemon Johto [Nicachu Version]


5. TREDONE MTV Presentation


6. Lang Song


7. In and Out


8. Pokemon Johto [Jiovannie Version]


9. HUTECIN: E-MAD Cellphone Review


10. Precious Memories [REVIVED]


I'll be posting updates soon. Stay tuned!

Debilitation on D-Day

Ah... My head hurts. Who would have imagined eating a can of sardines could have such an effect on me?

Disclaimer: This is a summary of last month's and this month's happenings.

Leaving aside all those Unean Reunions, Raisa and Yan held their birthday parties at Yellow Cab; well, most of my blockmates birthday parties were held there. Next in line was Yna's birthday, and after one day, Tin's. I suggested that we all go to Enchanted Kingdom since the former one was cancelled. My friends suggested that I, along with the two birthday celebrants, as well as Jerlou (whose birthday is tomorrow, December 20), treat our lunch group aka circle of friends to Enchanted Kingdom as birthday treats. I quickly agreed. Joy volunteered herself too because she didn't treat the block back when she had her birthday. The magic begins here...

We had our finals exams in DATABAS, our business case defense in ORGMGNT, our MTV submission on TREDONE, etc. I remember us (Rai, Lou, Yan, etc.) being scolded by the master lecturer back on the last session in SOCTEC1 for being late (because I accompanied the group in printing their reflective essays. I hate SOCTEC1 - almost didn't learn anything from the subject...

Jump to Finals Week - Apparently, we had nothing to worry about except for the final exams we were going to take for SOCTEC1 that Friday, as well as the ENGLCOM submissions we were going to pass on some designated dates. Our EK trip was set after the test on Friday, everything seems to go well, until...

I realized that I (being the organizer of the event) was unable to go on Friday. Despite the complaints I received from blockmates (the EK participation had been expanded so that the whole block can join), I ignored the remarks because it seemed stupid that the organizer wouldn't be around on the event he organized. Additional reasons were added though, as many groups would be having their DATABAS mini-project demos on Friday.

The trip was now scheduled on Wednesday.

Disclaimer: The next few paragraphs will be summarized according to my memory's capability.

Enchantment at Enchanted Kingdom (December 13, 2006):

I was terribly late because I had to wait for the driver aka uncle to arrive. From a group of more than ten, the participants, excluding me, decreased to a mere 5.

Jerlou, Joy, Lou, Nica, Yan and I were dropped off at South Superhighway and we ate lunch at Jollibee. We were awed at their Computer station which featured fast DSL connections, sleek computers, and even sofas and such.

We met with Ces outside Enchanted Kingdom, for her house was just around the corner. It was hard to believe that she hadn't been to Enchanted Kingdom all her life.

The first ride we rode was Dodgem (Bump Cars), followed by this and that. What's worth mentioning is that we were able to ride the Rio Grande Rapids for three times (1 time during the afternoon and 2 consecutive times by daybreak). We had our "Racist Wars" and crazy competitions, and they were fun. It was also fun to see how Ces and Yan reacted when we were riding Wheel of Fate (Ferris Wheel).

We didn't ride Space Shuttle (Roller Coaster - 3*2 loops), by the way. We did play arcade though, as well as watch the 4D movie, et cetera...

We ate dinner (take out) at Jollibee, again.

Lou stayed at my place overnight because LRT and MRT stations were already closed.

SOCTEC1 Finals (December 15, 2006)

I slept so late the night before (5 AM); I woke up two hours after. After the test, which was definitely not worth mentioning at all, we submitted our ENGLCOM portfolios at Ms. Gaerlan's p-box (pigeonbox / pigeonhole).

By afternoon, we had our mini-project defense for DATABAS. A 2-hour activity turned into a 6-hour activity just to improve our grades. Jerlou and Nica were afraid because Mr. See said very negative things about their research paper.

Evening, my parents arrived at Gokongwei and we went to Century Hotel to celebrate my grandmother's birthday.

Course Card Distribution Day (December 19, 2006)

I couldn't rise up from bed the time I woke up. My stomach was experiencing excruciating pain. I realized that this phenomenon was caused by my eating of an entire bottle of sardines the night before as a midnight snack. As a result, my liver was inflamed; thus, leading to various pains throughout my body.

I could barely move. I told my mom to wait for me - I would just get my FWDANCE and TREDONE course cards, then I would return. She would then take me to my acupuncturist, who could perform instant wonders just by piercing needles through various pressure points in my body. I got my FWDANCE - a 4.0, no wonder.

I wasn't worried about SOCTEC1 for I knew I got a 3.0 in the subject (via Internet reference). My friends were the ones who were scared. I was scared about ORGMGNT. Anyway, SOCTEC1 course cards will only be distributed after lunch.

I was in for a shock in TREDONE - I first received my reaction paper regarding the temple visit; I was shocked to get a 0.0. I organized the whole thing and I got the lowest grade?! Impossible. I was shivering when I reached out to get my course card. What's difficult to believe is that despite my low grade, I managed to get a 3.5 in the subject. I was in a state of disbelief.

I went to my acupuncturist...

It's still a long story, the Blumentritt LRT ride to Quirino, the pains inflicted on people upon receiving the course cards, this and that. In the end, I managed to attain my goal, even if my grades were terribly lower this term that last term's. Here are my scores:

DATABAS 2.5
ENGLCOM 3.5
FORMDEV Pass
FWDANCE 4.0
NSTP-C1 3.5
ORGMGNT 2.0
SOCTEC1 3.0
TREDONE 3.5

Next term... It shall be different... Until that time...

Worst Case Scenario

It's been really a long time since my last post - been busy the past few weeks (past whole month; my normal sleeping time is 3-4 AM) Whoever said college life is less stressful than that in high school?

Now that finals week is over, a regretful feeling encompasses me whenever I look back into the past. The second term was very short; I don't think I did very well this term:

Sorted below are the courses/subjects we had in this term, from (I think) highest to lowest [grade I will receive]:

1. FWDANCE - Basically, I'm worried if Prof. Ronda would consider my tardy marks and deduct 0.5 points from my final grade. I hope not...

2. ENGLCOM - If it wasn't for that day wherein I missed THAT quiz, attaining a 4.0 wouldn't be much of a hassle, but now there's only a low chance left...

3. TREDONE - The truth is, I don't really know how well I performed in this subject. I only ranked this according to the grades I got during midterms and other online quizzes we had. I'll be more than satisfied with a 3.0. 3.5, I wish, but a 4.0 is, I think, impossible...

I don't know how to rank my grades starting here:

4. DATABAS - True, we've spent much time and effort trying to complete our mini-project, with Je, Joy, and Nica staying overnight at my house for one day - Mr. See promised us a grade of 120% - 130% in the project, but the research paper, anlong with the finals exam that nobody passed makes the odds turn against us...

5. ORGMGNT - My grades (in exams) in this course are actually low; I don't know how we did during our business case defense. I'm pretty worried about my grade...

6. SOCTEC1 - How I hate this subject! Not only did we have an ineffective lecturer who didn't enjoy teaching her students, we also didn't learn much from her - and to think that we had a finals exam just for the course! I did very badly (I think I failed.) in the exam although I studied for it. Is it still possible to get a 2.0 - 2.5?

Finally, I concluded that I may not be able to be among the Dean's Listers this term (The chances are 35% (YES) - 65% (NO).)

I know I tried my best. Let's just leave it to God to decide if I decide the title or not...

Stressed Out

I've got to apologize to everyone for not posting here for a long time.

Seems that college life isn't so easy after all. Every day we are bombarded with lots of work and projects to do. It's no wonder that we full-fledged bloggers post less often lately.

My Multiply blog is now more updated than this one in Blogger, especially since Multiply became my main blogsite. Still, I wouldn't want to leave my other two blogsites behind. This post was meant for that purpose.

My Multiply homepage can be found here. Browse through the music, videos, and pictures I have uploaded. If you are an anime fanatic, Join my Multiply groups at Animotaku Otakanime. There, you would be able to upload or download files without the hassle of space constraints.

See you there!

Time Capsule

You and what matters to you. Preserved for eternity.

Hundreds of years from now, many people will wonder anout this time and place...

These words struck me when I accidentaly hovered my way to Yahoo! Time Capsule...

I uploaded three pictures to participate in this memorable event:

Beautiful, light brown fur...

Me and my friends pose for the camera at the SM Mall of Asia ice skating rink...

Triangle of Hope - Skates on ice: A symbol of friendship from now until eternity...

Visit them in any way you like. These are not photos taken from my new camera.

PS. There is another photo I uploaded but eventually cancelled because some details were missing. You can view the picture here.

Reunited

Written from Tuesday's point of view, this post is an attempt of mine to shorten/summarize the events and happenings that occured on Tuesday with the use of evocative descriptions and euphemisms. View the pictures taken at my Multiply (currently offline at the moment)!

Speaking of pictures, my digicam betrayed me again, this time, all pictures before the skating session (Hey wait, I'm not discussing that yet!) had been corrupted and erased by my [sleek and cool - for other people, especially those nouveau riche; worn-out and distasteful - for me] camera.

I'm glad all my moaning would be over in, let's say, about a week, perhaps, as my aunt would be returning home from Taiwan. With her is my brand new professional-looking 10.1 Megapixel Sony Cybershot™ DSC-N2 Digital Still Camera. I'm so excited that I bought a tripod to complement its features. Till that day...

I woke up early waiting for my mom to drive me to GUM & MUG, our meeting place. Knowing that Steph and the rest had a dislike for latecomers, I got pretty anxious when the clock struck nine and my mother hadn't arrived yet. Not long after, I began to receive call threats from my friends about leaving me behind.

I managed to arrive at my destination but time had already overtook me. Everybody seemed to be grabbing spears to lance me from behind. Feeling innocent (Yes, I am - it was my mom's fault), I went into Lisa's van's (Van!) compartment and took out my Palm Tungsten to do some minor pranks.

I also took a few shots of us along the way (and everything had been erased; visit Nikko's album instead). Upon arrival at SM Mall of Asia, we first bought tickets to the rink; I paid for our locker rentals. Then came Teriyaki Boy.

Some people were kind enough to treat us to some gyoza (Chinese dumplings) and California Maki. Memories were rekindled as we shared about the "brownies" treat. I also took pictures of the area, which sadly had faded with the smoke...

Ice skating. At first I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that we were going to skate for three long hours - it turned out that they weren't kidding. Joanie gave up too easily; it's safe to say that she slipped more than 17 times. Well, practice makes perfect. I slipped because she clung unto me.

Steph moped the area for a consecutive 2 times. Nikko also. Lisa was the professional among us. By this time, I successfully took photos and these photos can be found at Multiply (check above link).

Cafe Breton - I usually hear Nikko mutter about this place for quite some time now. We got a chance to be gourmands at the venue. Nikko's mom was there, as well as his sister. His mom treated us to a great selection of dishes. I found the vanilla shake to be quite fascinating.

We went to Havaianas All Flip Flops because Nikko wanted to buy something which wasn't actually there at that time. We left empty-handed.

Who wouldn't forget about Dance Maniax. As Steph had said, it was dessert. She and I played the first game. Then came next... I also raced with Lisa and played Air Hockey with her because she wouldn't want to partake in our dancing experience. I also managed to accomplish an S rank in DrumMania. Poor Joanie didn't get what she wished for (Dance Dance Revolution). And also, I sucessfully completed Quickening Wild Mode in my duel with Nikko. Hooray!

With hungry stomachs, we walked our way through the audio/computer/electronic shops and made our way to Chef de Angelo, which was fully occupied at the moment. We settled for second best and dined at Shakey's instead.

After dining, we found our way to BreakTalk where we encountered Lisa's parents who drove us home.

Thank you, everyone! It was a fun day.

PS. It looks like everything turned out to be okay after all...

Magnitude

My 100th post...

Anyway, because it is already 2 in the morning, I will briefly explain yesterday's happenings in one word:

EARTHQUAKE

Twice it had happened - about 10 in the evening and just now...

Aftermath? No casualties, considering that we live in the 9th floor of a building. (How's it going there, Shirlina?)

What else? We had our reporting in TREDONE. I went to SM Manila with my mom and her assistant. I submitted my reflection paper for NSTP-C1 due 11:59 pm yesterday (online submission). I also reformatted my notebook PC by myself to get rid of the contagious malware (worm) that's slowing down my computer.

That's about it.

UPDATE: Two earthquakes struck again making a total of 4. Is it the end of the world?

Let's Roll!

Disclaimer: This entry was supposed to be my article for Bits and Bytes (La Salle Computer Society Official Newsletter); however, I modified some of the content so some things might need to be revised. Also, many days had passed before I worte this article, so some details may not be very specific. Please correct me if you see any grammatical/spelling errors. It would help a lot. Thanks in advance!

On October 11, 2006, the La Salle Computer Society spearheaded the event “Roll the Dice!” in celebration of the famous Mooncake Festival. Officers, members, and non-members flocked to the second floor of Gokongwei Building to play, knowing that proceeds of the event would go to charity (I think). The prizes at stake were also a big draw, ranging from ball point pens to bags to a Sony 512 Megabyte MP3 player for the grand prize.

Many officers volunteered to help during the event. Some sold tickets, some ushered guests, some facilitated the game, and some worked at the registration table. Before the game started, the president of LSCS, Evelyn Sy, gave a short briefing about the rules of the game. Sponsors were then given recognition for hosting the event. The games started about 1 pm. Major as well as minor prizes were given out to players who rolled out winning combinations. Raffle tickets were also drawn and lucky people were given an issue of Gadgets Magazine (Ahem, Yna!) to take home as additional prizes. The first prize winners were then summoned to compete with one another. At 2:30 pm., the grand prize was finally won by Loullevette Salvador (Lou! What luck!) amid much celebration and cheer.

As the people were coming down the building after the event, the smiles on their faces proved that the occasion was not about winning. It was about being with other Lasallians, making new friends, and knowing that with each ticket bought a contribution was made for a cause.

Epilogue:

And to think Lou won the grand prize. We were so happy for her. (And to think I sold her the ticket.) I told her to use her MP3/MP4 immdiately. All in all, she already has 3 MP3 players (according to Lou). 256 MB, 512 MB, and 1 GB...

Neophyte's serendipity!

Moneygrubbers

I had my first boothmanning session today. It was fun, interesting, and exciting. How's that? Read on to find out...

What's boothmanning anyway? Well, as an officer of LSCS, it is one of my responsibilities to allot some of my time to help operate a booth(s) of the organization. Today was finally my time to shine...

I came in a little late because I thought my boothmanning session was at 9:45 AM. I was shocked when my schedule was set ten minutes earlier. I rushed to the LRT station via pedicab and arrived at my destination soon after.

The first thing we did was to affix some stickers to the Roll the Dice tickets we were selling. I could say that (even though I was late) I did the majority of the work. I expected some of my friends to drop by so that I can sell them something...

We were required to sell at least one ticket per officer. Me, being the ambitious type, set my own standards. I won't be satisfied until I sell at least 10 tickets. Some of my co-officers asked me why I held in my hands so many tickets. "Tinitignan ko lang" was my reply...

I saw Dtiff passing by. I don't know if she intentionally ignored me or she didn't see me at all. I should have sold a ticket to her...

Joy came soon after. I rushed to where she was sitting and saw that she was with Kristine. I convinced them to buy tickets and they did so. Joy even bought a bag. Alright!

2 tickets sold - and more to go. Jerlou soon arrived and I sold one to her. That makes 3...

Being the proactive type, I called Dianne (and Lou) and asked if they would want to buy some tickets. They agreed. 5 tickets sold; 7 pesos lost.

I tried to convince Gelo, James, and Johann, but unfortunately...

Fellow officers commended my marketing techniques.

We ate at La Casita; my boothmanning was successfully completed. I brought 6 additional tickets with me, hoping that I would be able to sell them this day...

Before eating though, I had to rush to Vito Cruz to have our group's (Solomon's Descendants) entity-relationship diagram "acetated." I also had to go to SPS Bookstore to buy a plastic folder for our SOCTEC1 submission.

I slept at 5 AM by the way...

I saw Richard at our school lunchroom. Two days before I saw my former neighbor Christine Enclona, as well as many other Uneans. Austin's face had changed. Anne, Jensen, Shirlina, and the rest haven't changed a bit...

SOCTEC1 class. Lecture room. Nothing interesting. I used the time to complete my ENGLCOM timeline...

ENGLCOM classes - Chavz and I got a 14 in our context clues search activity. I sold some tickets to my blockmates too. Interestingly, I was excited for our DATABAS class.

DATABAS - I never expected Sir Solomon to call me to defend our ER diagram. Because we had an acetate, the professor told our group (representative - me) to recite first, and I was pretty nervous. My group mates also had that vicarious feeling within them.

"Don't be afraid to commit mistakes," our professor said. Everything went smoothly, until we discovered that our 1 page-full ER diagram can be minimized into an eighth of a page. Our project proposals were also in desperate need of correction. We'll do it sometime later...

Class dismissal. I had to muster up all I had to convince Bea and Jamie to buy tickets. That's because Yna wanted them to buy from her...

"Bakit ka naghihirap? May incentive ka bang nakukuha?"
"Wala."

"E bakit mo gusto mabenta lahat?"
"Gusto ko na maubos ang lahat ngayong araw. Kung hindi, malalagot ako..."

"Kanino?"
"Sa sarili ko."

At the LRT station, the two finally realized that my determination to achieve my goal was stagnant and firm. Touched by my perseverance, the two voluntarily approached me to buy my final two tickets (that were for sale). That's it. A total of 10 sold tickets apon my arrival at GUm & MUG, where Joanie was waiting to boast about her new, sleek cell phone.

Remaining ticket left for myself if needed: 027 (any number ending with 7 will do)
Sold tickets: 009, 020, 021, 022, 023, 024, 025, 026, 028, 029
Tickets sold to: Bea, Ces, Jamie, Je, Joy, Lou, Nica, Rai, Tin, Yan

To sum it all up...

LSCS owes me 40 pesos of change; I owe LSCS 400 pesos.
Bea, Ces, Nica, and Jamie owe me 80 pesos each.

Weekend Madness

It had been a long time since my last post. I was afraid my readers would disappear one by one... Miraculously, my blog reached 2000 views while I was out (No, I didn't cheat.) Anyway, this is my post after a long break...

I may have forgotten most of the details so this would most likely just be a summary...

Monday - I really forgot most of the details... All I remember is that we went to the Smart Room for our TREDONE classes (Oh yes! We'll be going there tomorrow again! Yahoo!). Joy, Lou, and Yan (as well as I) went to our store to interview Ms. Christina Liao-Pangilinan for our SOCTEC1 report.

Tuesday - I wasn't late for our FWDANCE classes. We transferred to another room and watched a video on Dance Sport (International Dancing). Raisa and I accompanied another group to interview our former SCIENVB professor, Dr. Wilfredo Licuanan - his pictures can be found all over the campus. Everyone in our class got a 0% in DATABAS.

Wednesday - We listened to a group report in ORGMNGT. Aside from that, I don't think anything interesting happened. Was Lou absent? I forgot...

Thursday - Again, I forgot all the details. Blame it on my short-term memory loss. I only remember this thing: Naruto 201 was released today, and it was the final filler episode. I got too excited so I watched it at once after downloading it.

Friday - We had a treasure hunt (and I was reminded of Naruto) in ENGLCOM. Lou was absent. We listened to a group report in ORGMNGT. Nothing else.

Saturday - I was late for our NSTP-C1 class. Johann also. We had some speakers from the partner organization. After dismissal, Lou, Rai, Yan and I went to Glorietta and eventually visited 4 additional malls (namely: SM Makati, Landmark, Greenbelt, and ViewPoint). Of course, we played Dance Maniax. We also got to meet Raisa's younger brother, who was a DotA addict for his age. We also played O2 Jam at B-Connected, which was located in Greenbelt. After some more mall-hopping, we went to our respective homes. Raisa stayed behing.

I got to ride four different trains today. (LRT-1 going and returning, MRT-3 going and returning). I also visited Van at GUM & MUG. For more information, visit my Multiply Photos page -> click here.

Sunday - Today. After going to CGC, we went to eat at Ling Nam. We then went to SM San Lazaro, where I played Dance Maniax with my mom (She always runs out of hit points.) I also bought a The Sims 2 Glamour Life expansion pack. We then went home. I organized the photos on my Multiply account and now they're ready to be viewed. Afterwards, I worked on this blog. The next thing I'll do is end my post and start working on my homework.

Concentration

Many people dropped me mails yesterday asking me if I had a new post or not...

It seems that many people had been waiting anxiously to see what my new post is all about. Today's post would be a breif summary of what happened these past few days, so stay tuned.

Before anything else, I would like to ask for everyone's cooperation by clicking on this link to help me earn points. Thank you for your neverending support.

Let's get down to business. Last Sunday was like the usual Sundays, except that I brought a lot of money with me. I planned to make major upgrades to my computer and notebook. With the money I had with me, I bought a D-Link Wireless DSL Router, a 1 GB Apacer DDR2 memory for my notebook (although I returned it a few hours later because it didn't fit into my notebook's memory slot. I also bought a 1 GB Secure Digital (SD) card for my digital camera. Imagine what kind of a buyer (how extravagant) I am...

It was also my aunt's birthday (my dad's sixth sister). We went to eat at Barrio Fiesta and went home as soon as we finished eating. I showered her with tons of gifts hour by hour. (This was the main reason why I wasn't allowed to join the LSCS Reboot. If only it was scheduled at a later time, then maybe...)

Monday - Everything went on as usual, we had our FORMDEV classes and we were divided into groups. Dianne was terribly late. Also, an announcement was made that we were to go to the "Smart Room" for our TREDONE class. The room was so cool! The place was packed with computers and control devices - the professor had the ultimate control and he or she can set the screen output of one's computer terminal. The best thing is that we would go there every Monday. Yay!

Aside from the "Smart Room," nothing else was new...

Oh yes, the essay! Guess what this is referring to:

A newspaper is better than a magazine. A seashore is a better place than the street. At first, it is better to run than to walk. You may have to try several times. It takes some skill but it's easy to learn. Even young children can enjoy it. Once successful, complications are minimal. Birds seldom get too close. Rain however, soaks in very fast. Too many people doing the same thing can also cause problems. One needs lots of room. If there are no complications, it can be very peaceful. A rock will serve as an anchor. If things break loose from it, however, you will not get a second chance.

Tuesday - Oh, how late I slept because of our DATABAS Code Challenge. We were to make a Notepad using Java, and we didn't know how. What's more, we had a text (S-25) in ENGLCOM, and we had to be at school at *shrudder* 7 AM for our FWDANCE class...

FWDANCE - We watched a video about dances and stuff. The professor only got mad at three students who were late.

During our spare time, Raisa and I joined Yna's group and went with them to interview Mr. Licuanan (His pictures were all around the area.).

SOCTEC1 - We went inside the lecture hall. The discussion of Ms. Pineda was quite interesting today, despite initial technical problems.

ENGLCOM - We had a 25-item quiz (essay and enumeration type). After that, we discussed some aspects of reading. That's all.

DATABAS - All our hard work paid for nothing. All students (maybe not all), weren't able to answer Mr. See's questions the way he wanted to. An ultimate massacre...

The three day post ends here.

Sabotaging Saturday

We had our first Saturday class at 9 AM. NSTP-C1 commonly known as NSTP-CWTS (Formation Phase - National Service Training Program - Civic Welfare Training Service) headed by our facilitator, Ms. Ira Tamis. We played Wordles to liven up the day and did some more activities to boot.

After we were dismissed, we walked by the soccer field and saw how arduous the tasks those cadets taking up ROTC were enduring from. We felt priveleged to have stayed inside an air-conditioned room.

Plans for the day bere crushed into bits when Rai and Yan wouldn't be able to join us in our trip. We took lunch at McDonald's before parting with each other (Lou).

Miraculously, the two of us saw Jerlou and Nica lining up in front of the cashier. We were told that Ces was around also. Not long after, Mich and Kristine also arrived. I saw Kate by the way. Hopes were rekindled.

I was glad that Lou was "not herself today" so she agreed to join me in my escapades. We went to GUM & MUG. I saw Dianne (Dtiff) there. By that time I greatly felt remorseful of not bringing my camera with me. We went to make an appointment with Mrs. Rivera (on Monday). We visited Ms. Lim and greeted her happy birthday. We went to the gym and saw Kathy and Mr. Go watching a basketball game. All this time Lou was at GUM & MUG waiting. She didn't want to join us.

After a few games of O2 Mania (some Sophomore students' attention were also attracted in the process), an episode of Bleach, and a few episodes of Digimon Savers, we went to SM San Lazaro, where we played Dance Maniax.

Skip to the end of the day - I'm home. I hope Lou enjoyed her day, and I hope she makes good use of the book I borrowed her.

Assignments... Ji - guly - puff - jiga - li - li - li - puff...

Second Impressions

The first week of the second term (set aside tomorrow) had just ended. I encountered dirrerent kinds of professors - carefree to starchy to stringent and the like. What I liked most (for now) is ENGLCOM, for English is my forte. The other subjects... I don't like them very much.

And now, a summary of this week.

FORMDEV - I usually confuse this with ORGMGNT. Our facilitators were students from higher batches, and I believe this course would be much like PERSEF - fun-filled and action packed.

ENGLCOM - Our professor is Ms. Marianne Jennifer M. Gaerlan. Our current topic is about critical thinking - a high-level mental activity which enables a person to do a careful examination of a subject. Our first quiz is on Tuesday. Since our block was divided into two, 18 of us went to S25, and that includes me. We ended up at Room A905 and there we take our ENGLCOM classes.

TREDONE - Our professor is Sr. Pinky, MACE. She gave us a simple recitation a while ago to show our blockmates how creative we can be. I've heard rumors that our professor teaches well, so I have high expectations of this subject.

ORGMGNT - Uh, this subject is quite boring. Our professor is Ms. Pineda. This subject is quite like Economics with a twist. Since our course involves management (as in Information and Communications Technology MANAGEMENT), we have management courses to boot. We had a surprise quiz a while ago, and I did very badly. Oh boy...

FWDANCE - Our professor is SCARY - Professor Martin C. Ronda. I got scolded by him the first day (Tuesday) when I arrived 4 minutes late. He encourages me to arrive at school an hour earlier. I'll try... my best.

SOCTEC1 - Another Transformative Learning course - we were to interview a scientist and ask him or her about certain things. By the way, a while ago, when I went to Metropolitan Medical Center, I met Gian, his mom, Ron, and Mrs. Rivera. Ron told me how unlucky our batch was in the sense that Uno is already featuring Theater, Music, Math, and other clubs. So what, the progress began with us. We were the pioneers. Anyway, an idea came to me. I asked Mrs. Rivera if we can interview her for our SOCTEC1 project. She agreed but she told me that I have to set an appointment with her first...

DATABAS - Our professor, as I previously said, looked like the 'previous' Kevin (Tan) and sounded a lot like Mr. Ang. Later I figured out that we shared the same first name; his name was Solomon See. Judging by his attire, I could see that he was a Philippine Cultural High School alumnai, just like Kristine (and Christine Enclona - she and her family have already moved to Bay Garden). We were given a difficult task of making a Notepad program with a lot of specifications. Good luck to us.

NSTP-C1 - Tomorrow, we'll see...

New Beginnings

Today was the first day of our second term in college. Believe me, things did not go out as expected. There had been many twists and turns today, but I was happy. Happy in the sense that school started once again and I do not have to endure days of boredom at home.

I was even happier when I found out that Lou's and Yan's schedules wasn't drastically different from mine's. The trio lives on...

Realistically speaking, the day faced a terrible start when I was late for my first class, which was FORMDEV (Formation and Development). This is a 0.5 unit non-academic course which we would take up every Monday at 11:40 to 12:40 PM for the whole term. I was even more surprised when I saw the president of LSCS in front of the classroom. Fellow students would become our teachers? Interesting...

We had an introduction, then formal classes started. We were grouped accordingly and then had an activity which involves writing about positive traits of different people. We then proceeded to our second class, which was located at the same floor (Room 905 this time, FORMDEV was at Room 902). I became an S25 student, as well as the two and some of my friends, and the others got separated and remained as S15 students.

ENGLCOM (ENGLONE - English One) was our next subject which we will take for four days (MTHF). Our professor was Ms. Marianne Jennifer M. Gaerlan (She told us to remember and not misspell her name. Writing her name in my post would be a good start.) and she asked us to partner up with another person and ask him/her about some information. Yna was my partner and we ended up doing well...

There was a long break, so I took out my notebook (which I am currently using to write my blog; somewhat getting used to its diminutive keyboard) and played some games. Before long, we returned to our former classroom (Room 810) and had TREDONE.

TRED - Theology and Religious Education Department
TREDONE - Humanity's Search for Life

What a vast difference. Our professor (sister, perhaps would be a more proper salutation) was Sr. Marlene Anne Garcia Aquino, MACE or Sr. Pinky, MACE for short (She also told us to remember her name - It might come out as a bonus question in
her quiz.) Anyway, I thought TREDONE would be about Bible characters and figures, but I was wrong. This subject involves interreacting to other religions, oh my gosh.

Lastly, ORGMGNT (Organization and Management Concepts)... I recognize our professor. She was the one who taught us blogging back during summer camp time. She's our teacher now? Great... but I heard that she's a "terror." We'll see in the following weeks...

Classes were dismissed, and we went to the bookstore to buy... books. Yna and I had to wait until 6 for our LSCS meeing though...

Jump to 5:30. Yna (after meeting with her friend) and I went inside L'Hermitage (second visit) and stepped inside the prayer room abd waited for the meeting to start. Yna went home early, but I waited for the meeting to end before going home (with my mom, I waited for our car).

At home, I pondered over a interesting text message I received (and ignored) a few days ago. It was from Nikko. (I just realized now...) It goes like this:

R u smart? I'm male. Add a letter and i'm female. Add another letter and i'm male again. Add 3 more letters and i'm female again. What am i? ='p

Let me think...

1st Term Break (Part 6)

I realized that I haven't posted for two very important days - yesterday and the day before that. To cope for that, I would be dividing my post into 3 shorter ones. The first part can be found here; the second at Friendster, and the last one at Multiply. Please remember that my blog here in Blogspot would contain the most updates.

Part One - The day my blockmates came to my house.

Meeting place: Gokongwei. Lou was the first to arrive. Bea was the second, and Kristine and I came in simultaneously. After a few chit-chats, Lou and Bea decided to accompany Kristine and I to the admissions center to pay for second term's tuition. It took us a long time to go over step two, despite spending so less a time to finish step 1. (Lasallians must know this.)

After enrollment, we ate lunch at KFC, where I ordered two pieces of fried chicken, an order of extreme hot shots, a chicken barbeque stick, and a cup of iced tea. Delicious!

Initially planning to go to Glorietta, the constraints of time forced us to go home instead. We rode the LRT all the way to Carriedo, and my blockmates did some DVD shopping there.

We then rode a jeepney to Madrid, a block away from my home. Upon arrival, and a few camera shots later, Lou was already playing O2 Jam. Within a few minutes, Bea and Kristine were also playing. It took me a few moments to showcase the different musical instruments present in our room. My dad's collection of Coke cans from all over the world also fascinated my friends. After a few minutes of preparation, the GameCube was ready for a game of Mario Party.

My blockmates were easy learners; thus, we started playing early. Every minigame deserved two practices at that. Lou won in the end. Shocking! We also played Speak Up! of Mario Party 6, and I won while my friends were enjoying themselves in the process.

It was 5 o'clock, and it started to rain. We took separate side cars and went straight to GUM & MUG. Van can be seen wandering around. Joanie was also there, and I introduced her to my blockmates. She left soon after.

Lisa arrived all of a sudden. She expressed her emotions about her not pursuing BS-ICTM in La Salle when in fact she passed the entrance exam. She went to Ateneo by the way. Moments later, my mom drove my friends to Bambang station and the day was soon over.

Click here for Part Two - The day Steve Irwin rocked the planet.

PS. Yes, I intentionally didn't place the link to my Multiply account here. Navigate your way the hard way!

1st Term Break (Part 5)

Memories of My Great

Grandmother

Today started out fine. I went to GUM & MUG to meet with some of my close friends from high school. We were set for a trip of a lifetime!

Shirlina was indeed late. Nikko arrived way before him. He easily became fond of Van, and he took some photos with my pet. Meanwhile, Shirlina was on her way...

The three of us, along with her mom, were happily chatting as we headed for World Trade Center. Text messages "entertained" us and so did jokes.

We arrived soon after and took some photographs of the area. Nikko and Shirlina immediately rushed out to purchase some good books, while I calmly walked around in search for a Java Databases reference book. I found one but it was definitely not of my style; it was not a thick book which looked easy to read.

There had been rumors of Christabelle and Keith roaming around the vicinity. Too bad we didn't get a chance to meet them.

Lunchtime was approaching. We initially planned to have our lunches within the realms of World Trade Center, but circumstances forced us to have our lunches outside - into the depths of Blue Wave.

Pizza Hut - we ate a Super Supreme Pizza, Fetuccini Alfredos, drank Tropical Fizzes, and ended up with laughs. Jocke / Robin's got to see this...

On our way home, I suddenly recieved a call from my mom:

"Great Grandma is in the hospital and she couldn't breathe. The doctors are tying to save her. Please pray..."

Immediately my head went blank. Tai-Ma (great grandmother) was one of my most cherished people. I didn't know what to say so I quickly said yes and hung up the phone.

Why are these things happening to me? Just yesterday I heard that my aunt's father-in-law just passed away. My brain was starting to crumble apart...

I was afraid to touch my cell phone. Any minute I may receive that dreaded message. Perhaps not? Shirlina's mom dropped us outside the Reina Regente Tennis Club. After expressing my gratitude, I walked my way to GUM & MUG.

Upon passing by Elan, our school's resident hair salon, my dad called me up informing me of the bad news - my great grandmother just passed away...

The expression on my face didn't change. I continued walking until I finally arrived at our store. Tai-Ma's dead... Am I dreaming?

No, it couldn't be. She just went to Malaysia a few months ago. Last April, she also joined me and Joanie to Baguio. She was so strong...

I remember Nikki joking to me when she saw Tai-Ma without an upper garment last year. We were happily playing Mario Party along with the rest of my nephews. Those memories...

Nooo...

Shirlina was the first one to condole me. My mom wasn't at the store, so I was the supreme ruler that time. I ordered Van to be released from prison, and told my maidservants to bring a cold mango shake and some delectable food in front of me. All things were done in a snap of a finger.

At night, I went to the funeral ceremonies of Tai-Ma. I figured out that the coffin wasn't in it's proper place yet. My mom and company were still in the preservation chamber, and my aunt told me to join her in going there.

For the sake of those people who have hematophobia or any related fears, I will not be posting what happened inside the morgue.

This question bothered me...

You cry for a loved one who just passed away. You miss that person. Why is it that, after a few weeks, those tears are nowhere to be found? You just speak about that person treating him or her like a lost object? Where do your tears go? It's not like you still love the person.

My question would sound stupid to most of you, but if you analyze the question thoughroughly, ever so deeply, the feeling of sorrow may also engulf you.

This is the sad reality of life.

All things change but Jesus never - Yes, only His love is unchanging...

PS. I still have some more things in mind, but since I'm trying to keep my posts as short as possible, those paragraphs had not been included.

1st Term Break (Part 4)

Today's post would be short.

I was finally able to download all 14 episodes (and 1 trailer) of Digimon Savers (for now). Since I had matters to do, I went to GUM & MUG and waited for my mom (or anyone else) to accompany me to the (tooth) x-ray station, for my dentist was concerned about my wisdom teeth.

Surprisingly though, I found Shirlina and Stephanie there. (Who would forget about that darned tricycle trip I had. That driver was to naive.) Shirlina was back from her tennis trip, and Steph - it was my first time to see her in her new hair makeover in person. Before long, Marija, Tinselle, Allyanna, Nikko, George, and Kelvin arrived. Wow! Reunion party!

Denzel (DK's clone aka younger brother) was obsesed with his Pokemon Fire Red version as I was busy earning Bug Fragments for Mega Man Battle Network 6. Van entertained us quite a bit and everything went okay...

At home, I played a few games of O2 Jam with Lou and afterwards, I watched the remaining few wpisodes of DS (Digimon Savers) I downloaded. Seems like starting episode 14, resemblances to the other Digimon series have started to emerge. But still...

I'm ending my post here.

1st Term Break (Part 3)

I've met with so many Uneans today. There's Mhir, Sharmaine, Rominick, Karl, Rochelle, Tinselle, Jester, Jhovee, and even (Professor) Andrew Pua! It seems that today really was kind of different...

The moment I arrived at school, I immediately set forth to LSPO, without knowing where it actually is. I'm glad I met Raisa, her friend, and Bea on the way. Because LASARE1 course cards are not yet available, we set toward the sports complex in front of Gonzalez Hall (Andrew) to (hopefully be able to) get our FWSPORT course cards.

How long we waited for Mr. Andrei Ablaza, who would give us our course cards in our professor's place. While waiting, I met Marija and Sharmaine, who got pretty impressive grades in their respective PE courses. I envied most of my classmates who got a 4.0 in Taekwondo for I only got a 3.5 - maybe it was because I was late once. Oh well. FWSPORT's not a course to be afraid of. There was more to come.

(We were shoched when we saw a failing mark in one of the course cards. Later on we realized that it was Jake's. We were relieved.)

We headed to LSPO and got word from the person in charge that our course cards were with Lichelle. We looked for her and found her waiting in the Warp Zone on our way to Gokongwei to get our INTRICT course cards. I passed even if I submitted my soft copy late (because of that wrong email address). Again, one problem down; more to come, and the worst is approaching...

INTRICT - I got a 3.0 and it let me computing if I would be a Dean's Lister or not. The next ones we would eventually receive are our ALGTRIG course cards. Everyone (almost) was afraid of them, for the final test was really difficult and it looked like more than half of the class is going to fail in that quiz. My heart started pumping wildly. I was starting to get nervous and "hyper." I expected a 2 in ALGTRIG but pretensions stated that I might actually go lower than that. We proceeded to Saint Joseph Hall...

Thanks to Cecille's commanding voice, we found out that our ALGTRIG course cards would be distributed at 1:00 PM and so we left. It was still early but we headed for lunch at Jollibee.

I ordered the usual. 2 pieces honey-spiced chicken - I hate the smell, but I like the spice. After the meal, Lou, Raisa, "Both (or is it "Boat?"), Lichelle, and I went to Netopia. Neopets and Dance M... I mean O2 Jam time!

After all our anxieties were poured out on our crazy games, we headed for Saint Joseph Hall, where we anxiously waited for our ALGTRIG course cards. We had some photographic escapades back then...

2.5 was the highest grade? No way!

The professor called one of our blockmates and told him or her (I forgot who the person was.) that course cards would be distributed an hour later. What's with him?

We waited for Ms. Shirley and joked around with "to-be-made" GIF files in the process. Tunes of O2 Jam were also hummed and performed. Oh wow!

We got our INTRPRG Quiz 2's first, then our course cards. I was surprized that I got a 105% in quiz 2; I was happy to get a 135% in my machine project (for I was anticipating a grade of 130% only). A 4.0 with 12.329 points to spare.

Unfortunately, these INTRPRG course cards were the cause of sorrow to most of my blockmates. My conscience greatly bothered me when I found out that... should have helped them...

Yna arrived and she had Joy's course cards with her. Perfect 4.0's. Wow! Would she be the next... or the first "Goddess of ICTM," just like him... Jester Sia?

ALGTRIG - "This is the worst." I remembered from Digimon Savers - that was the most commonly used sentence in the series as of now. In case you were wondering, the most common word uttered was "aniki," which means brother. (Agumon loves to say that!) I was utterly shocked when I saw that I got a 3.0 in ALGTRIG. Is this possible?

SCIENVB - I met Tinselle. I got a 3.0; Joy also. "Sayang! Perfect 4.0 na sana!" Still, she's a First Honor Dean's Lister. I envy her.

After all those trials, I had a meeting with my Publications committee at the Student's Nook. After that, I went to McDonald's, gave Lou and Yan a little surprise, went to Netopia with them, went to GUM & MUG, to an uncle's (and his dad's) birthday party, went home, submitted my class schedule to my officer, then worked on this blog.

It's almost two in the morning, and I'm still wide awake. What to do? I can watch some episodes of Digimon Savers I downloaded overnight. Maybe my dad would force me to sleep. Who knows?

PS. There's also PERSEF1, in which our kind professor gave us all in our class 4.0's. Isn't that nice?

1st Term Break (Part 2)

It's really boring here at home doing nothing...

Course card distribution day (August 31) sure is drawing near, and I become more and more anxious in the process. I finally admit defeat to the one I am competing against. Getting a 4.0 in all subjects is not as easy as I thought (especially ALGTRIG) and by that, my chances of becoming a Dean's Lister are becoming slimmer and slimmer. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about it, except to hope that somehow, our professors would have compassion over our flunking (maybe) grades...

Monday

My father "disturbed" my sleep calling me Solomosaurus and acted like a kid in the process (His second childhood has once again returned.). After 30 minutes of rampage, I finally rose up from my bed and got up to work. It didn't take me long to realize that my eye had swollen...

It was scary - the white part, the sclera, had puffed up leaving the colored parts (the iris and the pupil) compressed. I thought I would be blind in a few more days, but after consulting an ophthalmologist, I learned that it was caused by allergic reactions in my eye. He prescribed some medicine for me. After applying a drop to my eye, my eye was back to normal. Brrr, the power of steroids - mustn't overuse them.

I missed an old anime which I enjoyed watching more than 5 years ago - Grander Musashi RV. After days and days of searching for download torrents, I made no progress (for it was indeed an old show). I looked for Digimon Frontier torrents instead, and I encountered something interesting in the process. A new series? Really?

Digimon Savers.

At first sight, it looked nothing like the provious series of Digimon - the goggle-boys, Digidestined kids, and stuff. It looked more like Gundam Seed characters, woth captains and commanders, missions, et cetera. Another look made interested in the opening and ending themes of the series - quite good. I decided to delve into the series. Download progress: 0.24%...

Tuesday

I woke up and found that not a single episode of Digimon Savers had finished downloading yet. I was bored. I played a little O2 Jam and Mega Man Battle Network 6 to cool off. Finally, I was able to return to the point where my game suddenly restarted. Within a few minutes, episode 2 had successfully been downloaded, leaving episode 1 far behind...

I waited for episode 1 to finish downloading and ended up with an avi file of episode 3. Waah! I was forced to watch episode 2.

The show looked really interesting, and it created a vast gap between the provious series. (Agumon was so cute! Agu-chan!) Watch it yourselves...

Episode 1 had finished downloading. I watched it, of course, and now I am waiting for the others (Currently, up to episode 14...) It's a long way to go... Finally, I'm not limited to Naruto and Bleach, and nobody can tell me that I was following after him or her. After all, Digimon had always been my favorite...

I also had a battle with Johann in Neopets, and I garnered victory without a single hit. (I used my level 1 Blusster.) After teaching him the basics of Neopets, I left him exploring the vast worlds of Neopia...

I went to the prayer meeting this night and ate dinner afterwards at David's Tea House. We had a Sate hot pot and I ate the biggest share of food (Who wouldn't be hungry at 9:30 PM?). At home, I waited for the downloads...

Wait. Wait. Wait. Be done already!

1st Term Break (Part 1)

Sunday it is. After going to church, it was time for some mall frequenting. Today, we went to Greenbelt...

It was sad to see none of my friends coming to join me, but what's the matter? It's their loss. Anyway...

The moment we arrived there, there was a heavy construction going on. It must be because of that Greenbelt 5 their trying to come up with.

We were also surprised to see the changes in Greenbelt 3 - 4's food court. The place was missing and was replaced by different exquisite restaurants.

We planned to eat at Jollibee today to indulge in the "Chiliwings" that I am very fond of. Things turned out differently and we settled for Krocodile Grille instead. Hmm, brings back memories... (Aww, cute little Crocks...)

I parted ways with my parents and had my weekly dose of Dance Maniax. I tried out many new songs which I have never played before, and ended up losing in Quickening Wild Mode. (Obviously, that song's crazy. Those who can surpass the stage must be really good...)

After that, we proceeded to Powerbooks and I browsed for certain Java Database reference books to get ready for the next term (I really hope INTRODB is more on programming than memorizing. Then again, some may not agree.). We passed Landmark and went to Glorietta. There, there was this Intel showcase which caught my attention...

High Performance.
Low Power.
Absolute Perfection.

The new Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processor.
Introducing the world's best desktop processor.

From the time I saw PC Express's advertisement two weeks ago, I was really interested to find out what this revolutionary processor can do. Yeah, it's fast. So what? Can it really exceed my SSS (Sterling Silver Station - I call my computer, for it had a silver theme.) built with Pentium 4 HT 3.2 GHz processor? If yes, how so? I took the tour...

If I wanted to upgrade my computer to Intel Core 2 Duo, I would have to replace everything inside the casing (Hey listen non-techies, the casing's not the CPU, it's called the system unit, or to sound more professional, call it the chassis [pronounced: shassy]). Guess I'll have to earn more money. The computer at GUM & MUG desperately needs upgrading though, I could replace it with mine at home, after upgrading...

Wow Thermaltake Shark! I saw the chassis Intel are using. Makes me want to buy them... Hmmm, guess I really want one. Okay, start earning.

Target Gadget: Thermaltake Shark, Kandalf, or Kandalf LCS

It took us a long time to get back, and we reached home at around 6 o'clock. What if my friends join me? We would definitely have a fun time playing Dance Maniax, but would I be able to accomplich this much things? I don't think so.

I guess God's will for each day is perfect after all.

Absence

How unnerved we were yesterday after our ALGTRIG final exams. Many questions were left unanswered. There goes my hopes of becoming a dean's lister...

It was a difficult test. I could say that it was an average test to the 6th power - a level or two below Mr. Ang's quizzes. Grumblings filled the second floor of Gokongwei lobby. Sigh... (I wonder how Rochelle found the quiz...)

We ate at Tapa King and went to Netopia in University Mall (after frolicking various areas) to relieve our trobles and anxieties. Lou and I taught Rai-chan how to play O2 Jam. Star (Yan), on the other hand, was busy talking to her friends (maybe?) through the Internet and MY cell phone. After a few minutes, Raisa had to go...

I thought they were joking when Lou and Dianne said that they would go to my place. Well, I expected their presence the next day, which... read on...

We first went to GUM & MUG. Van was anticipating us, and he greeted us warmly. We went home and played Mario Party, thanks to that broken computer table (keyboard stand). We had some road trouble on the bay back, but nonetheless...

I'm trying to keep this post short, so I'll skip some major portions...

The next day, whick is, in fact, today, Yan's presence was missing; she couldn't come because she caught a bad cold. Too bad... Nicolo became her proxy. We went to SM San Lazaro (because of Nicolo's bidding for he had some matters to do there).

We ate at Jollibee. I figured out that the honey-spiced chicken of Jollibee tasted a lot like their Chiliwings which I really liked. I'll definitely order that again next time...

We played Dance Maniax after Nicolo and us parted ways... We (Lou) bought some posters at Comic Alley. We also had a short game of O2 Jam at Netopia. Afterwards, the day seemed to end. A day without Yan sure is different...

At home, I tried my best to convert my 9-class file 58.2 megabyte scientific calculator into an applet. I also converted my blog into a different format. (Most of you wouldn't notice this...) Currently, my right eye is irritating me...

I'll end this post here.

Crash Landing

Today had been an awful day for me. First off...

Anyone wondered why I wasn't online yesterday? The reason is simple. Well, after our exciting trip to SM San Lazaro yesterday, and after returning home
(that's about 6:30 in the evening), I immediately dozed off...

I woke up at 6:30 in the evening stupefied. What's this?! I slept for 12 hours without eating dinner. What's more, I discovered that I had a serious case of eye inflammation on my right eye because I forgot to remove my contact lenses last night. My eye sore affected my brain which led to a minor headache.

I brushed my teeth, took breakfast, then went to bed again to cure my headache. I woke up at 11:30 in the morning...

Jump to 4:30. I met two Unean friends of mine on my way to GUM & MUG. Upon arrival, I saw Kathy. Then Joanie, then Lisa, then Kenneth, then Joyce, then Kem...

Anyway, here are the BAD things that had happened today, listed in chronological order (and aggrevating order):

1. My eyes got inflamed by overusage of contact lenses.

2. I only got a 95% in our Hands-On Examination 4 when I expected a 100%. Oh well, that's still a 4.0...

3. I can't seem to find my USB card reader. Without it, I wouldn't be able to transfer the pictures I took to my computer. Oh no! Update - Found it!

4. My Game Boy Micro's exquisite black velvet covering was misplaced. I hope I can find it soon.

5. My computer table, 70% of which was made of glass, shattered and broke into pieces when a cup fell from the top layer. Good grief. I was expecting to put up a nice show on Friday...

Till then. I have to study for... *shrudder* ALGTRIG!

Unexpected Occurrences

Unexpected Occurences

To start my post on a happy note, I am pleased to announce that my blog setting have been modified for easier and faster access. You can now only view my 7 recent posts on my blog's main page. For those who want to check out any posts before that, figure out a way...

Why did I do this? Well, my blog overloaded two days ago and most features were disabled for quite a while because of that. I'm trying to prevent that from happening again so please bear with me.

My cousins would be going back to Taiwan tomorrow...

We ate lunch with them at Mandarin Oriental Hotel a while ago. There are some pictures I want to post, but never mind.

I'm sorry to tell everybody that this may be my first and last post for today, well, until Wednesday. Too much had already happened. Next week is already our finals. Good luck to me and my blockmates.

That's only half of the problem. We had to submit a 7 + 2 page proposal / action plan for SCIENVB, and there is also this tedious machine project. My head is bursting. Enough already!

Birthday Bonanza

I met with my friends at Starbucks this morning in preparation for a special surprise party for our two blockmates. Together, the four of us...

Cell Phone Addict Dianne Añes (Yan)



Anime Fanatic Loullevette Salvador (Lou)



Block President Raisa Aquino (Rai-Chan)

and of course ME!

... went to SM Manila to buy some gifts for our two beloved birthday celebrants, Bea and Joy.

Firstly, we went to Designer Blooms and bought some flowers for our two celebrants. Afterwards, we went to Tokyo Kids and I reserved a copy of the original Final Fantasy VII Advent Children DVD which was out of stock in more than 5 locations I've visited. Lastly, we went to Blue Magic and bought some cute and cuddly stuffed toys for our two friends...

We went to McDonalds Taft and waited for Joy...

That was Joy's initial reaction upon receiving her gifts.

We went to school via South Gate and encountered some problems which were soon resolved. We went to EGI Taft and left Joy's gifts (and cake) at her place, and we left for Andrew Hall.

I met five classmates today (although only 4 may have noticed my presence. These five are:

1. Rominick Lee
2. Jillan Yu
3. Raymond Dizon
4. Diana Bulang
5. Jacqueline Chuacokiong

I ate lunch at La Casita - Nissin Beef noodles and iced tea.

Before long, Bea arrived and...

Today, I'll be introducing to you (non-blockmates) some of my classmates in S-15. Before that, though...

Introducing our ALGTRIG professor, Christopher "Tweet" Cruz!

Blockmates, show yourselves! Dun dun dun!

Lichelle Acebuque



Nica Lorraine Tanjutco



Blushful Louie Sioco



Johann "Panda" Sy, Nicolo's former classmate



Cecille Santiago (Ces / Cess)



James Victor Sy



Cesar Padre Jr.



(Left to Right) Raisa Aquino (Rai-Chan), Michael Chavez (Chavz), Yna "Cinel" Bicol



(Left to Right) Michelle Ty (Mich), Caselyn Joy Lim (Joy)



EAF Distribution - Dianne Añes (Yan) and Jamie So



(Left to Right) John Philip Torres (Philip), Marcky Lumayag



(Left to Right) Batch President Eloize Mendoza, Nadia Cayco (Nadj)

That's all for now. I'm running out of storage capacity... Before I end this post, though, I would like to show you two more pictures...

This is Andrew 810, the classroom which gave me my humble (and horrendous) beginnings.



(That's Aya over there, and Gino...)

Only one university offers its students a 21-floor tower complete with up-to-date and efficient facilities, and that is...

De La Salle University!

My past regrets have already been cleared. Now I see how lucky I am...

Animo La Salle!