More "little" news

- I went shopping yesterday. A few really gorgeous tops have been added to my wardrobe. You have no idea how happy new clothes make me, lol.

- We were required to watch two plays by an Ateneo org (Entablado) for our Filipino 11 class. Surprisingly I really enjoyed them. The first one was entitled "Sino Ba Kayo?" It was hilarious. The actors were amazing. The second one was "Fantasya." The acting was superb, but the story wasn't as good as the first one. Still, I liked both. The only downside to it was that it finished at 9 PM Thursday, which meant I missed thirty minutes of Desperate Housewives. Oh well.

- The AMA General Assembly was ok. I really liked the decorations. The theme was "Off Limits" so the whole place was decorated in yellow and black with (police tapes) that says "Caution" for effect. There were bands, dancers, a comedian (who was, quite frankly, not even
remotely funny), a sort of raffle contest, and food. I was able to interview a few people for my deputy secretary general trial. Hopefully I do well and get the position. But if not, the experience will certainly contribute to my improvement. Anyway, I guess I like AMA too much, so I have nothing bad to say about the GA.

- We watched a documentary called "Spellbound" for English 11. It was about eight kids determined to win the National Spelling Bee in the US. It wasn't as boring as I thought. I rather enjoyed the last hour of the film, actually, when it was time for the contest.

- I'm very very happy with the grades I'm currently getting in my classes. Hopefully I'll continue doing well. I've also grown closer with some of my blockmates and met lots of interesting people in campus, so overall I'm enjoying college, despite the impossible amounts of assignments given everyday.

- I think Partido Agila won the elections. Can't be too sure.

- Oh yeah, I finished reading Half-blood Prince a few days ago. It was very very good. No spoilers here, don't worry. I don't do that.

- The President was at Crossroad 77 awhile ago. I was really near the building (this is where my wushu class is held) when we stopped dead in the middle of the road. There was an absurdly long line of traffic and we had to circle a long way to get to the entrance. Police were stationed everywhere and I saw the presidential car along with numerous huge cars (GMA's motorcade, I guess) in the parking lot. She was attending a wedding, it was said. My Dad said he thought she'd joined my wushu class, haha. Also, congratulations to Chelsea of my wushu class (she's in the advanced class) who bagged the 2nd place in an international (or Asian) Junior Wushu Championships.

More soon =)

Sunday fun

Jensen's birthday party was nice. We met at Jon's house (note that his house is Invictus2005's perpetual meeting place), caught up with each other while we waited for Jensen, listened to the "radio program" Jensen and Ralph recorded in our 2nd year, and shared our "views" on freshman council elections. About fifteen minutes after I arrived, Jensen came with three of his La Salle friends. We all crammed into his car like sardines in a can (one of us *ehrm* Gi *ehrm* had to go home for a project) and headed for his place. It was quite a pleasant surprise when we stopped at a towering semi-mansion. Jensen has always been too modest for his own good. We never realized he was a billionaire. Hahaha. The interior was, needless to say, furnished to be fit for royalty. We stayed at the entertainment room awhile, then lunch was called. There was a buffet prepared for us, and it was delicious =) Some pictures were taken afterwards, gifts were unwrapped, and once more we trooped up the stairs to the entertainment room. Some of the guys played something on the PS2, some others watched, and a few others (including me) played Scrabble. The guys decided to shoot some hoops, so the girls and I stayed in and just talked. I got to know Riva a little better. She's one of Jensen's best friends from our "rival" school. The car ride home was fun too. By the time night had fallen there was only me, Jensen, and Chris still in the car. Chris, btw, is another one of Jensen's best friends. The other's Omar, but he left early and so I never got to talk to him much.

Thank you for a great day, Jensen.
To my old high school friends who came, I was really happy to have hung out with you guys again.
And lastly, to Riva, Chris and Omar, it was really nice meeting you.

Little news

- I got a 91 on my Math 11 long test. Frustrating, really, as I have been solving mixture problems throughout the entirety of my high school life. I only got one question wrong, actually, but it was the one that was worth fifteen points, and my professor only gave me a six for effort. It was a big effort, too. I had about three different solutions plus illustrations and I worked on that single problem ALONE for twice the amount of time it took me to finish the rest of the test. How depressing.

- We have been asked to write so many essays and papers that I've lost count. This was NOT how it was in high school. I have about five different papers yet to finish. I've already completed two this week.

- I had a nice time behind the reception desk during Dean Rudy Ang's seminar for the deans of other schools and universities. I met the upper classmen officers of AMA, most of whom are taking up BS Mgt-H as well. I think I might like this org more than any of the others, if only because of the people in it.

- I'm now on chapter 19 in the Half-blood Prince. J.K.'s done an excellent job again. Is that why she's now richer than the Queen? Hahaha. I particularly liked one line in the book. It said, "Hagrid gave another great snort. Harry rather thought some bogeys landed on the potatoes, and was inwardly thankful that they were not staying for dinner." Lol.

- My Introduction to Physics I long test did not go so well. I've rather lost my liking for the subject. Our professor does not teach well, although he's quite a jolly man. There were also portions of the exam with questions of which he'd never even so much as mentioned in his lectures.

- The first General Assembly for AJMA (Ateneo Junior Marketing Association) took place yesterday. Sadly, nobody had much fun at all. The videos were so corny, and half the time we couldn't even understand what was going on, the programs weren't very interesting, and the people weren't interacting much. We left way before it was over. I felt sorry for the organizers, really, as hoardes of people hastily left at six, which was actually the supposed dismissal time. They started too late, that was the problem.

- I am so in love with Desperate Housewives. I don't advise guys to watch this, of course. It was obviously created for women. But hey, I'm not saying don't watch it either. It's up to you guys, only remember, you ARE guys, aren't you? (Paul is exempted from this- he's a different kind of guy, haha. But a genuine guy nonetheless, one whom I miss very much, in fact.)

- I have long been searching for that newspaper wherein contained the picture and information on Sony's latest music gadget. Charge it for three minutes and you can listen to it nonstop for three hours. Battery life is two weeks, twenty four hours a day. Awesome, right? I want to get that.

- The Celadon General Assembly was MUCH better than the AJMA one. I wouldn't say it was the height of excitement though. I did get free food, and almost choked on it too, lol. Guess I was just hungry.

- I went shopping Saturday. I haven't shopped for the longest time. I bought two pairs of pants (as my sole black one ripped when I tripped the other day), a top, Kelly Clarkson's CD, a musicals compilation CD (such as Chicago, Fame, etc.) and Jensen's birthday gift. Hope you like it, Jensen =)

And that's all for now, folks.

Book crazy

It was July 16. I was up at six in the morning and got ready as fast as I could. Riding in the car to National Bookstore, I checked and rechecked that I had everything I needed. I arrived at forty minutes past, and as they were opening at exactly 7:01 A.M., I ate a hurried breakfast at a fast food restaurant immediately next door. As I finished my peach pie, I noticed that a line had already formed and had reached the street, so I went and joined the line. I was fifteenth in line and more people (most of them from the same fast food restaurant I'd just eaten at) filed behind me. Everyone waited impatiently, excitedly. As the doors opened, we all rushed to the main cashier in a slightly straight line. Customers with reservations were referred to the Customer Service counter. I was now ninth in line. As I beheld the books that were artfully placed on the table nearest the main entrance, I smiled in longing. When my turn came, I handed over my reservation form and loyalty card, entitling me to 20% off. The clerk also gave me a 100php book coupon and, as I was one of the first few customers with a reservation, I got a free HP metallic bookmark that cost about 300php. I was extremely happy with all the free stuff and discounts I was getting, but nothing could compare to the way I felt when I finally got the book in my hands. It was exactly 7:20 A.M. when I finally received my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince book. I clutched it lovingly, protectively. I had it.
Sadly, I had to attend a class for INTACT (Introduction to Ateneo Culture) from one till five in the afternoon, so I had not much time to read. By the end of the day I had only finished two chapters. And from the way those chapters were written, I know I'm going to enjoy that book very much.

Cheers to J.K. Rowling!

Advertisement: Effective July 1, 2005, get HP and the Half-Blood Prince at 10% off at National Bookstore (I don't know if that's for all branches, though, I reserved mine at the Sct. Borromeo branch). Get a copy now!

Strike two

Humiliation. Unparalleled helplessness. That was what I felt last night.

It was a wushu night. The warm-ups were exhausting. The stretching was painful. The last part was unbelievably wearisome, even more than any of our other practices had been. My body was getting used to all the hard work again, after I missed the practices last week. I managed to get through the entire session, and was even smiling at the end of class, happy in my accomplishment. Assembly time came. We all lined up facing the trainers as they gave out the usual reminders and announcements before dismissing us. I felt a little lightheaded at first. My breathing quickened. My vision slowly blurred. I had to exert a lot of effort just to remain standing. I started to wish they'd hurry up and let us go. I swayed, and suddenly all I could see was....nothing. I was conscious and my eyes were open, but all I saw was black. As the last of my strength gave out, I collapsed to the ground. Some of the trainers rushed toward me and lifted me up to a nearby window. Opening it up, they told me to breathe. I was having a really hard time. All I wanted was to sit. They asked me questions; it was terribly hard to answer. I got a word or two out, and even as they supported me, I could no longer support myself. I dropped to the floor. They gave me a little water. It did nothing to make me feel better. I still couldn't see. I knew I needed sugar. As they called a doctor (I think), the elderly man from our wushu class came to help. Was he a doctor? I didn't know. At that time, I really didn't care. They gave me some mint candy, and propped my feet up on a chair. I felt my vision returning after a few minutes. The dizziness was dissipating. My blood pressure was normalizing. I was ok. I wanted to cry. Why did it always happen to me? What is it that I lack? Why couldn't it have happened in private? At home? Did it have to happen in front of everyone in my wushu class? I held back the tears, though. I was going to have to work hard to increase my stamina. I had to stick it out.

A few years ago, five to be exact, the very same thing happened to me on my first day at the Fitness First gym. I had slept only four hours the night before and eaten nothing. Last night, however, was a different thing. I'd eaten a stick of bread two and a half hours beforehand and I'd slept the whole day. I'm never going to give up, though. This is only the first step to my improvement.

I want to thank all the trainers, the man in our wushu class (I still have yet to find out if he really is a doctor or I was just imagining things), and my wushu classmates who've been concerned enough to help me through that episode. Your help was much appreciated.

Time un-conservation 101: free cuts

What a day. I am so tired, I can barely lift my head. Now, what events could possibly have occurred so as to drain me so much of my energy?

The following is a rundown of the things that happened today:

6:10 A.M. - Alarm makes that annoying noise, forcing me to wake.
6:10-6:30 A.M. - I sleepily (and grouchily) make the necessary preparations for school.
6:30 A.M. - I hop into our waiting car.
6:30-7:20 A.M. - I try to sleep in the moving car as we drive to the Ateneo.
7:20 A.M. - I am dropped off at my first class's venue, Faura Hall.
7:30 A.M. - Classes are supposed to start.
7:30-7:45 A.M. - We wait idly for our Physics teacher to appear.
7:45 A.M. - We are about to leave the classroom as it is stated that for a 1 and 1/2 hour class students must wait 15 minutes for the teacher and afterwards may leave if aforementioned teacher is still absent by that time.
7:46 A.M. - Teacher arrives; we groan as we have not yet left and should have, therefore lessons would undoubtedly commence.
7:46 A.M. - Teacher signals for us not to leave. We are further depressed.
7:48 A.M. - Teacher says he only wants to show us something quickly and then we may leave as technically he's a minute late and it was to be considered a free cut even though he was present by then. We cheer happily.
7:55 A.M. - We are dismissed.
7:55-9:00 A.M. - We walk around doing nothing.
9:00-10:30 A.M. - Official breaktime.
9:30-9:45 A.M. - I go to the de la Costa consultation room to get interviewed for Celadon.
10:30 A.M. - We are supposed to have our second (and my last) class up to 12:00 but our Filipino teacher is absent yet again and so we avail once more of a free cut.
10:31 A.M. - I hop back into the waiting car bound for home.
11:01 A.M. - I am home.

Total time wasted: 4 hours and 35 minutes.
Total productive time in Ateneo: 15 minutes.

And now I'm asking myself, what did I even go to school for?

The day of the play

Ah, Saturday. Obviously one would know why majority of the student population (sadly, my fellow Graceans are exempted from this as they have P.E. on this day) wakes up with a smile on this particular day. If in any case you're cursed with incompetence and lack of common sense, I'll tell you why. There are no alarm clocks waiting to ring us awake. Translation: We have no classes. And so it was half past ten when the sandman's dust wore off. I started to do my math homework, but I got bored and decided to idly lie in bed instead. Naturally, the cool air and soft silk mattress lulled me back to dreamland. The maid's voice was heard calling at noon that lunch was ready. After a pleasant meal with the family, I attemped once more to concentrate on school assignments. I managed to read "Photography as Rape" by Resil Mojares in its entirety, after which, for the aforementioned reasons, sleep took over again. It was 3:30 when I woke, and just on time, too. Necessary preparations took an hour of my time, then I was off in my chic tube top and heels to fetch some guys who were coming with me to the play.

It took us about an hour to get there. We thought we were early, as we arrived at six for a play which was due to start at eight. However, to our dismay, hundreds of people had already arrived before us and had formed absurdly long lines at the ticket exchange tables. We did finally get to the front, after quite a wait. Sadly, we were designated to seat at the Balcony One, which is at the top of the theatre, second to highest. We ate a quick dinner at one of the restaurants at the CCP complex, which was where the play was to be held, found some of our other friends and briefly chatted with them, and lined up outside our respective doors when eight o'clock came. I was seated next to Ralph, but Andrew got separated from us.

The show started about fifteen minutes later. Full of expectations, I was highly disappointed when the first play, Nic at Night (performed by the GCHS Elementary Chorale) ended. After a ten minute intermission, Bow Down, starring the GCHS Glee Club (of which I was part of but regretfully dropped out of because the play practice schedules clashed with those of my wushu classes) took place. It was better than Nic at Night, but it did not make a fantastic show. The costumes were too conservative, the color choices were not very smart, there weren't enough props, and some of the actors' voices did not project well. I would personally like to commend the superb acting of some of the cast, however. Kesterson, who I believe played Haman, Glenn, the person who played Anesthetes, and the kid who played Nicodemus stood out in my opinion. (I think I'm missing someone else, but I can't remember who right now) Congratulations to all of you and the rest of the cast who have worked so hard to make the production a reality. It was not because of you that the play needed improvement.

The operetta ended about 10:20. We went to meet some of the cast, who were our friends from high school. I miss everyone so much.

We left at eleven and I got home, exhausted, thirty minutes later.

Overall, it was a good day. Happy 55th anniversary to my alma mater, Grace Christian High School. My loyalty will always be to you.

Less than satisfactory Fridays

The sun dawned bright and warm. Another day had started. I was curled up comfortably in bed when that damned alarm sounded and broke the serenity in my room. My happy dreams were abruptly cut short; a groan escaped my lips.

It was time to go to school.

Today was a day like no other. It was Friday, and this meant only one thing. Physical Education 101’s one mile run test. Sadly, I looked at the jeans and skirts lining my closet, all of which now rendered useless. I unwillingly pulled on some jogging pants and rubber shoes.

Eight o’clock came in no time.

We were to run eight laps on the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center track in less than thirty minutes. Hannah and I ran. When we were out of sight of our dearly beloved teacher, however, we walked. It was not cheating, as we were actually allowed to walk.

“You can even crawl to the finish line,” said our compassionate instructor. She meant to be funny, but she meant it literally, too.

We finished in 15:59 minutes. It was excruciating and unbelievably tiring. I’m exaggerating a bit, yes. We were let out an hour and a half early, but to compensate for the free time we were required to attend the cheer rally at 4:30 in the afternoon.

Breakfast in the gym café took an hour.

And then we had our other classes, with an hour’s time of break somewhere in the middle.

There wasn’t a smile in any of our faces as the bell rang to signal the end of our last classes for the week. The weekend couldn’t start yet. The rally was in the way of much-awaited freedom.

And so we went. The gym was noisy, packed, and hot. Because we came later than most of the others, we were forced to seat near the top. It wasn’t a bad program, although it was utterly useless. My blockmates and I (and most of the other student spectators, I’m sure) didn’t see it to the end, obviously. We left the noise behind at roughly six o’clock.

But my day wasn't over, still. Wushu was still to come. And I had no time to rest for it, either.

I had barely closed my eyes when *rooster crow repeat x times*, there went the alarm again, telling me,

"Get your lazy ass off the bed and haul it to your wushu class right NOW!!"

Which I did. And that was when I sprained my ankle. In wushu class. I landed wrong in one of my back kicks. So there I was, pathetically clutching an ice bag to my throbbing ankle while everyone else did the usual routine and learned really cool new moves. My bad luck had struck again.

When you add up all that happened today, what do you get? The title.