o beware

reming's just hours away from reaching manila. and i hope it is not as damaging as milenyo. i hated milenyo. as long as reming only brings in strong winds, big rains, and no blackouts, then we're good.

but can i really order reming to do just that? of course i cannot. i can only wish. so it is very possible that soon enough, manila will be filled with darkness once again. wahhhhh.

ingat na lang tayong lahat.

Smile naman dyan. God bless us all!!

an open letter for the iconic manny pacquiao

Dear Manny,

Later, you will face the biggest fight of your life against your toughest opponent to date—Eric Morales.

The whole nation will again pause to watch you either beat your nemesis or get some beating yourself.

Win or lose, your face will be all over the papers and the television—you will edge out even the handsomest man in the world in number of TV appearances and newspaper exposure all over the world in a single day. Speaking of handsome men, Tom Cruise is in Italy right now marrying a less hot version of Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes. But heck, I am sure TomKat, and even the Pope, in Rome will tune in to watch that boxing match.



face of an iconic filipino


Should you win, the whole Filipino nation will be in jubilation. President Macapagal-Arroyo will issue a congratulatory statement. She had a great week, what with the capture of Gringo Honasan. The rich politicians who are with you in Las Vegas right now will also be elated. They witnessed a great match, using their own money or not, and they even got media exposure. Cristy Fermin will also be happy because she can interview you “exclusively” for the buzz.

Your sponsors will also be happy, because u allotted bigger spaces for them in your trunks than what you have allowed for the Philippine flag. After your win, sponsorships will again pour out. You are one happy man with a fatter pocket—your ugly kids can now afford plastic surgery. Kidding. But seriously, your youngest child is lovely.

Should you lose, the whole nation will weep. But they will soon send statement that they are still proud of you. You will still get your victory parade. But little sponsorship will flow in.

Finally, Manny, in your game tomorrow you will be interviewed by foreign press. You can speak better English than Morales. But do not be over-confident. And next time, please bear in mind that the word “laban” as in your “laban” against Eric Morales has other English counterparts other than “fight”. Next time, try using “match”, “bout”, and “battle”.

Good luck

Yours truly,
Fabulous epal


Smile naman d’yan!! God bless us all!!

18 + 1

Tomorrow, I’ll be turning 19. Time flies. One more year and I am no longer a teenager.

Being 18 was absolutely fun. But it has also taught me a lot of lessons.

18 memorable lessons I have learned as an 18-year-old:

1. Being 18 gave me lot of liberties. I can now watch R-18 movies in the cinemas without having to lie. I’ve also been guided with the same philosophy each time I go out. Hey, I am not covered by any curfew. I can stay late.

2. Although, I am already 18, my dad and my lola still think I am their soooooper young baby. The fact that other people worry about me instills in me the value of responsibility.

3. My parents really love me. They may have been separated for a long time now, and I may not be living with any one of them, but they never made me feel that they do not love me. And I actually knew this even before I hit 18.

4. I have not been part of the Dean’s list for a year now. And that sucks. But I have learned that being part of the dl is not the end-all, be-all of my being a student.

5. Sometimes, your friends in high school stay in high school. You just realize that you have less and less time to spend with them. Sometimes, no matter how badly you want to see each other, your plans to go out and bond just do not materialize.

6. Being part of Varsi is not as easy as being part of any other school paper; it is definitely tougher than being a member of your high school paper.

7. Being part of V requires a lot of things. It is very demanding. And coming up with the paper is not as easy as it seems—researching, interviewing, writing, revising, no sleeping. In short it is a labor of love.

8. There is life outside Varsi. Camilled told me so. And yeah, I feel it.

9. The Philippines is an extremely hot country. Miski tag-ulan, mainit.

10. Falling in love is fun and tricky. On my 18th year, I’ve been into two serious relationships on my 18th year. But the two lasted for just one month. I really loved my last ex. But hey, things won’t always go my way.

11. Sometimes, flirting is much more fun than falling in love. Because at least in flirting, you do not really risk your heart. In the past year, I cannot even remember how many flings I’ve had. I even stole some guy from his ex, only to tell him that I do not really love him. I am just interested.

12. Sex is definitely fun. I only tried doing it this year. Before I was just curious with how it felt. But now that I already how it feels like, I definitely enjoy it.
13. Some people think that I’ve become haughtier ever since I became part of V. The truth? I do not think that I’ve become haughty. I may now come across as someone who knows it all each time I correct some of my classmates’ works. But in all honesty, I don’t do it because I want to embarrass someone. I am not perfect, and I do not think I have any right to do it to anyone. I still have the same kayabangan I used to have before. It is just that I have learned so many things from V. So the next time you tell me I am mayabang, take a look at yourself first.

14. Feeling indifferent toward the people you do not like is definitely easier than hating them. At least you do not carry the burden of hatred in your heart.

15. Some people whom you consider your friends are not really your friends. At one point in your life, no matter how seemingly close you are to these people, they can just stab you in the back.

16. No matter how tough life can be, I still am luckier than more people in this planet. Some of them do not even get to eat nor study. So I might as well lessen my complaining.

17. The mind is powerful. So is the heart. God is sooooooooooooooooo good.

18. Ang buhay, parang ako—Maganda!!

Happy 19th birthday, self!!

***

Today, I placed 1st runner-up in the Mr. Journ competition. I was sooo close to bagging the crown but I know God has other plans for me. Congratulations, Val, for winning the Ms. Journ title!! I am very proud of you.

Smile naman d'yan!! God bless us all!!

basketball moves, moving forward, movies, moving on

This is going to be text heavy.

I am here stuck at home doing my sports magazine article while everyone’s partying at the free concert being held in the sports complex to celebrate the Tigers euphoric victory in Men’s Basketball. But I am not complaining. After all, I am not that ecstatic over the concert only that I am missing my chance to see the gorgeous vocalist of Callalily for the Nth time. But I am fine. There will be other chances. And who knows, we might just end up together? Kidding.

I am doing a feature on UST captain Allan Evangelista . Sobrang makwento siya kaninang umaga habang kinakausap ko siya pagkatapos nila magensayo. He gave me more than what I expected. He was an above average interview, actually.

I also got to see some of the Team B and reserved players practice. There were a few standouts. Of course, I already liked the Basa guy since the first time I saw him. He is also cute, by the way, except the hair. The Mirza guy also shows a lot of promise. He is tall and lanky, so as that tall American, white guy. There was also this short Caucasian-looking guy who plays really well. Scott is of course a very promising guy. I am pretty sure he will be fielded in next year as back-up for Japs and Jun. I also got to see Derick Hubalde. Hot!! It was also nice to see Warren play again.

***

UST has a new rector in Fr. Arceo. Many expect him to continue what Fr. Tamerlana Lana has done during the latter’s term. I expect him to do a good job.

UST ranked 500th in the world’s top universities according to a survey. I really think that UST deserved a higher ranking. Maybe the people, and some organizations, including the one that funded the survey was just used to UST being number 4 in the Philippines. But I disagree.

Fr. Arceo said in his inaugural speech that sometimes, people equate cheapness with low quality. True.

Good luck, Fr. Arceo. See you in my future interviews. I hope you won’t give me a hard time. Hehehe

***
My classes started last Tuesday. Out of our supposed 540 minutes of classes, we only spent 20 minutes. And that’s only during our final class.

Now that the classes have begun, I am going to miss what I used to do during the sembreak. Stay up until 5 or 6 A.M. and wake up late in the afternoon to do my writing chores.

I am also going to miss watching the vcd’s and dvd’s I rented at Video City.

During the Sembreak, I have seen quite a lot of movies. And here is their ranking:

1. Closer - stars Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen. It is an amazing movie about chance encounters. The actors were all amazing. Portman and Owen won Golden Globes for best supporting actress and actor, respectively, for their performance. It was also nice to see Julia Roberts play a character that is outside of her comfort zone. She was the only one who did not show some amount of skin in the movie. I loved Owen’s and Roberts’ confrontation scene when she announced that she was cheating on him with Jude Law.

2. The Talent Mr. Ripley - stars Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, and Cate Blanchett. The movie tells the tale of Tom Ripley, a poor nobody who went the extra mile just to be somebody—to the point of killing people who oppose him. The good thing about the movie was that it made me side with the bad guy which is Ripley. I wanted him to kill the people who were against his plans. Fine performances from all the above-mentioned cast including 2006 Oscar best actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

3. A Very Long Engagement - star Audrey Tautou and Ulliel _____. I have long been wanting to watch this movie. It showed in the Philippines, I think that was the same time when the Phantom of the Opera was also shown here. I did not get to see it because I was busy and I did not have enough money. Tautou was very effective. This is her movie. Ulliel is very hot. The whole ensemble also gave amazing performances including the girl who killed all the men that hurt her “Angel.” The story-telling and the cinematography were also superb.

4. Hostel - a very grotesque movie. Grabe. Yun nay un.

5. Cube 2: Hypercube - I got interested to watch this movie because I got to see the first one in a film showing back in high school. The movie is also grotesque, but the first one was wayyyyyyyyyyyy better than this.

6. Final Destination 3 - I liked the first one, and I liked the second one better. But this one is not as good as the first two. The first death scene was not as grotesque as the first two. The ensuing deaths were predictable. I kinda liked the female lead, very pretty. My favorite death was that of the two “hot chicks” in the tanning bed.

7. Bring it On 3 - I liked the first one, I did not really like the second one. But the third one? It is the worst among the three. It stars Solange Knowles, Beyonce’s younger sister, and a Britney Spears look-a-like, whose character is named Britney. The “villainess” was a Sarah Michelle Gellar dead-ringer. The script was baaaaaaaaaad. The guy who played the jock was fugly compared with the previous two. And what was Rihanna doing in the movie? Basta pangit talaga ‘yung pelikula!!

***

Today is our montsharry.

Tomorrow, I will break up with him.

“Muli na namang umihip sa akin ang hangin ng pag-iisa.”

Smile naman d’yan!! God bless us all!!

nov. 6 rambling

may pasok na kami ulit bukas.

second semester, baby. last sem, i did not make it to the dean's list by just .03 point. well this semester, i am planning to get back to the dean's list even if i have to juggle my studies, my writing chores, and my ojt. i am also planning to have fun because after this semester, i only have one year left in ust. i am also planning to stay from a few people, especially to those who disguise as my friend/s, or those who try to be nice to me, but in reality are just a bunch of well, i cannot find words to describe him/her/them. i am also planning to do well in varsi, especially now that leaving it is not really on my mind.

i am excited after a long while. i am gonna make this semester a good one.

***

i feel so forsaken by someone i really love(d). i am gonna leave him. when? of that i am not sure.

Smile naman dyan!! God bless us all!!