At Least...

...this brought the first smile to my face today.

Graaaaaaaaah!!!

7:20 AM. Just finished putting my jeans on.

"Eje...tapos ka na magbihis?", went Manang Eden. "Ang kotsee mo hindi mapaandar ni Franco. Nilabas n'ya kasi mamalengke sila ngayon e. Nung ipasok na sana n'ya, hindi na mag-andar."

I immediately grabbed the first decent T-shirt I could find in my closet, and slipped on a pair of Sketchers boots I haven't worn in quite a while. Been meaning to be in casual clothes since yesterday afternoon. I was supposed to go with some officemates to a department-wide paintball war game in Taguig. Emphasis on the word "supposed".

I don't know what Franco did. He wasn't really there to explain to me what had happened when he took my car out of the garage. For some weird reason, I couldn't get my key into the ignition, like it just didn't fit anymore. I managed to get the key in eventually with a little work, but by this time I couldn't turn it. It wouldn't turn. So I gave up and left the car outside the house.

That was at around 7:30.

If I'd have stayed longer I would've been late for work.

I took a cab.

So here I am, in the office, ranting about how fate started making a mockery of my Friday, by rendering my vehicle useless (until I find a mechanic who can fix it) and crippling any plans that come close to me having a good time.

Fehk.

What's in My Name?

Recent studies by name societies disclosed that names influence character and do have a definite bearing upon one's life path. Letters carry their own energy patterns relating to personality traits and needs. Name analysis using letter qualities is called ACROPHONOLOGY. This analysis is a brief summary of the hidden meanings found within the letters of my own name.

EDWARD JAY:

You have a need to communicate and express yourself. You are inclined to over intellectualize, and hate to be misquoted. You have a discriminating nature coupled with perseverance and family pride. You have high aspirations and a cheery disposition. You have much enthusiasm with a driving attitude toward achievement in life. You enjoy a challenge. You can take thought-directed actions. There is a need to learn to evaluate family ties properly. You conduct yourself in a fair and just manner. You enjoy watching or participating in sports. You have a need to be up front. Your independence and freedom are important to you.

PAULINO:

You don't fair well under inharmonious conditions. You are very peace loving. You can get very upset when you are frustrated. You have a need to be up front. You are soft-hearted with a charitable nature. You have a diplomatic flair to your nature. Equality and fairness are important to you. You are relatively demonstrative in your affections. You enjoy being stroked verbally and physically. You can handle details well. You have a methodical mind. You have a great deal of loyalty to those you love. You have much inner strength.

PAZ:

You have a talent for working with people on a one to one basis. You have a need to be up front. You are compassionate, highly imaginative and creative.

Click here to analyze your name.

Different Kind of Survey Thingie

LAYER 0NE:

• Name: Edward Jay Paulino Paz


• Birth date: February 10, 1981


• Birthplace: Al Hasa, Saudi Arabia


• Current Location: Manila


• Eye Color: Dark Brown


• Hair Color: Black


• Height: 5'9"


• Righty or Lefty: Righty


• Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

LAYER TWO:

• The shoes you wore today: My Rusty Lopez black leather shoes...for work.


• Your weakness: Comics, Toys, PCs, and food.


• Your fears: earthquakes, death of my loved ones.


• Your perfect pizza: seafood with vegies and cheese, or just cheese...a lot of cheese; Yellow Cab's shrimp and garlic pizza, too.


• Goal you'd like to achieve: Short-term: get promoted, Long-term: Run my own business or become part owner of one; Teach.

LAYER THREE:

• Your most overused phrase(s) on YM/ICQ: "ayos." or "OK."


• Your thoughts first waking up: "Tsk! 5 more minutes..."


• Your best physical feature: eyes, shoulders, BUTT!


• Your bedtime: 1030 - 1100 pm (on good days).


• Your most missed memory: The LaSallian.

Layer FOUR:

• In love?: Yes.

LAYER FIVE:

• Smoke: Nope.


• Cuss: All the time.


• Sing: Always.


• Take a shower everyday: Of course.


• Have a crush: I'd be abnormal not to have a few.


• Do you think you've been in love: Duh!


• Want to go to college: Done with college...further studying is an option...someday.


• Liked high school: Definitely.


• Want to get married: Yes.


• Believe in yourself: Most of the time.


• Get motion sickness: Nope.


• Think you're attractive: Sometimes.


• Think youre a health freak?: Lately, yes.


• Get along with your parent(s): Of course!


• Like thunderstorms: Depends.


• Play an instrument: Guitar...haven't picked it up in a while though.

LAYER SIX:

In the past month...

• drank alcohol: Yes.


• Smoked: Nope.


• Done a drug: Nope.


• Had Sex: Nope.


• Made Out: Uh-huh.


• Gone on a date: Yes.


• Gone to the mall?: You betcha!


• Eaten an entire box of Oreos: Nope...I couldn't in the first place.


• Eaten sushi: No.


• Been on stage: Nope.


• Been dumped: Nope.


• Gone skating: Nope. The last time I put on a pair of skates was in high school.

LAYER SEVEN:

Ever...

• Played a game that required removal of clothing: Never.


• Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Hell yeah!


• Been called a tease: Yeah.


• Gotten beaten up: Nope.


• Shoplifted: Nope.


• Changed who you were to fit in: Once...in my freshman year in college.

LAYER EIGHT:

• Age you hope to be married: 27-29...hopefully.


• Numbers and Names of Children: One boy and one girl my ideal...I'm having a hard time coming up with names that sound nice with my last name though.


• Describe your Dream Wedding: In a beach or a nice church.


• How do you want to die: Like I was just going to sleep.


• Where do you want to go to college: Nothing beats a Lasallian education. An MBA in AIM or a Masters in Singapore would be nice.


• What do you want to be when you grow up: I think I grew up to fast. Trying to slow down a bit.

LAYER NINE:

• Drugs taken illegally: None.


• People I could trust with my life: My family, Pi, Jon, Gerwin, Pao.


• CDs that I own: A few original music CDs, a couple of burned software and data CDs, some pirated games.


• Tattoos: None...I'd like one though.


• Scars on my body: Mostly on my legs, but there's one nasty scar on my left index finger.


• Things in my past that I regret: I'd like to think there are none...but there are a couple of things.

Whew! That was long.

Six More Days...

I can't wait.

Tickle Your Mind

1. Key in the first 3 digits of your phone number into the calculator (Note: not the 917 or 919 but the 3 digits after).


2. Multiply by 80.


3. Add 1.


4. Multiply by 250.


5. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number.


6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again.


7. Subtract 250.


8. Divide by 2.

The final answer that appears is your handyphone number. Neat, eh?

Some News...

...now that the politically bothered side of me has decided to take some time off.

1. Watched Freaky Friday and The Rundown Saturday afternoon. Good movies. Worth the hundred bucks. Go watch if you have the time.



2. Went to Pi's old high school classmate Bianca's belated-happy-birthday dinner Saturday evening at their home in Ayala Heights. I've met Bianca once or twice prior to the dinner so I was actually quite surprised (and flattered at the same time) to be invited. Pi's other high school friends were also there so you could tell it was quite the reunion. The house was really, really, reeeally nice, food was great, and stories of old teachers' antics and annoying mannerisms were very entertaining.



3. Got to play a short game of billiards in the game room (oooh...game room) after dinner, which was obviously the highlight of Pi's night. Being the 9-ball aficionados, we naturally kicked some serious asses. Called it a night at around 11, brought Pi back to her place, then went on home shortly after that. Was in the dorm by about 12. I fell asleep so fast that I was already making Zs even before the first sheep could jump over the fence. It was a good feeling.



4. Woke up at 6 am on Sunday. Had to attend a wake with the folks. My Grandfather's cousin had died of lung cancer a few days ago. The mass was held in Nacional Memorial in the Araneta area. Met some relatives for the first time, which was nice. Even the priest who celebrated the mass, Father Abe, was a relative. He was also, incidentally, the same Priest who presided over my Mom and Dad's wedding 25 years ago, and my Dad's classmate in his elementary days. The atmosphere was rather glum, so I had to save my amusement with the discovery for after the ceremonies.



5. Went to fetch Pi after the burial. We were invited, this time, to Joey's, her godchild's, first birthday party...the kid looked real cute in her Tigger costume. Too bad I didn't have a camera. Pi's high school classmates were present again so it was definitely Part II of the previous night. I'm not complaining...I got to listen to some interesting conversations anyway. And I ate like a king. The food was fantastic. Watching the emcee/magician make a complete fool out of himself was also an amusing sight. Like I said, too bad I didn't have a camera.



6. Watched My Boss' Daughter in G4 after leaving the party. Big mistake. But like an old friend used to say, "touch-move, pare!" Well, it wasn't that bad...but it wasn't that great either (save for Tara Reed's yummy "strip tease" scene). Out of my extreme guilt, I didn't ask Pi to pay for her ticket anymore. So there.

It was a tiring weekend, obviously. How I managed to get to work early today is nothing short of a miracle. My brain, however, really feels like crap. So until it graduates from this crappiness, you'll have to pardon my sorry excuse for a post. More substantial stuff later...I hope.

'Bayan Muna'

BARELY three years since the Filipino people got rid of the international embarrassment and the national disaster that was the Joseph Estrada administration, some unrepentant backers of the former actor and sorry supporters of the 2001 People Power II uprising are pushing another action star to the presidency. Senator Edgardo Angara and former senator Ponce Enrile together with business magnate Eduardo Cojuangco -- all key players in Estrada's election campaign and later his administration -- are urging movie king Fernando Poe Jr. to throw his hat into the presidential ring. And the Left, which supported the ouster of the grossly inefficient and highly corrupt Estrada, seems inclined to back Poe's candidacy.

Poe himself, to all indications and to his credit, appears reluctant to take on the rigors of the campaign and loath to take up the burdens of the presidency. His wife, actress Susan Roces, shrinks at the thought of wading into politics, which she has called "dirty." Other members of his family are also said to frown on the idea.

A sane and sensible attitude to take, all things considered. If Poe were to enter the race, he would be the least prepared and the least worthy among all the serious contenders for the presidency in our history. So bereft is Poe of any real credentials for high office that one lawmaker who is inclined to endorse his candidacy, Bayan Muna Party-List Representative Crispin Beltran, had to look back to his movies to find something positive to say about him. Beltran said he appreciated the "nationalistic themes" of Poe's movies. He cited in particular the movie "Asedillo," in which Poe played the role of a schoolteacher who rebelled against American colonial rule.

But if that is all it takes to make Poe fit to be president, what position will Beltran give to actor Cesar Montano, who played the role of the national hero in the movie "Jose Rizal"? Does Beltran propose to elevate him to a god? Some officials who claim to serve the people are not above taking the people for fools.

At least Estrada, before seeking the presidency, had logged many years of public service, even if they were marked by mediocrity. But look what a mess he made when he assumed the highest office. Poe has never held public office all his life -- not even that of village watchman. If elected, he would bring absolutely nothing to Malacañang by way of knowledge, experience or expertise in governance. And his sponsors would make the Filipino people believe he can do a better job than Estrada? To paraphrase comedian Dolphy, Poe's problem may not be winning, it's what to do when the office is won.

To Poe's sponsors, governing well is the least of their worries. Which is hardly surprising, knowing how hard they campaigned for Estrada and how fiercely they defended him despite all the evidence of corruption and misrule when he was in power. To them, now as then, winning is not everything, it is the only thing.

If all he has going for him is his celebrity and popularity, this doesn't matter at all to opposition politicians. Senate Majority Floor Leader Loren Legarda, who says she hasn't made up her mind as to what position she will seek but is obviously tickled pink by the possibility of running with Poe, describes such a pairing as a "box-office hit."

Right now, Poe looks like the best bet for the opposition to wrest control of Malacañang. Senator Noli de Castro, who has been leading the surveys on presidential preferences, seems secure in the administration camp and is being talked about as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's running mate. Former senator Raul Roco, another strong performer in the presidential surveys, appears to be unacceptable to many opposition leaders. So Poe has to be persuaded to be the opposition standard-bearer.

But Poe had better be wary of his sponsors. If they are rooting for him, it's not because they like him or they believe he can do a good job of leading the nation. Each of them probably thinks he can do a better job, but then he can't win. They want to wield power, and given Poe's inadequacies they probably aim to serve as his puppet masters.

Senator Vicente Sotto, whose self-appointed mission is to talk Poe into running, has said the actor needs a few more days to make his decision. He wants first to hold consultations with the groups that are urging him to run.

But Poe ought to spend more of that time on serious reflection. And the one basic consideration that should guide him in making his final decision is what Beltran and those other calculating politicians seem to have forgotten: "Bayan muna." The nation first.

~ Inquirer Editorial, 24 October 2003

Suspense

Keeping the people at the edge of their seats seems to be the trend with the Presidentiables nowadays. Everybody knows about GMA's dramatic U-turn a couple of days back...today, I read the article on the deferral of Fernando Poe Jr.'s controversial "announcement" to All Souls Day (click here for the full story).

The suspense is just to much for me to take. I am anxious to know what his decision will be, but for reasons that don't even come close to being pro-FPJ. My discomfort stems from the fact that a part of me just knows that he will run...but in the name of everything that is holy, I hope and pray that this part of me is wrong. One would be foolish to think that there's just no chance in hell that he'll become President if ever he decides to campaign. If there's anything Erap's victory in '98 proved, it's that he who charms the masses and promotes himself as "one of them" in spite of the vast and obvious riches he has managed to amass, has the greatest advantage (and I can't emphasize this enough) in the political arena, especially in a country where a great steel wall divides the rich and the poor, and empty promises blind the majority of voters from the truth.

I hate it. I hate the Circus of Philippine polictics. I just wish that for a change, a truly deserving candidate wins the Presidency. "Deserving", of course, is such a relative term.

Zoolander Digest #1

Courtesy of friendly friend Koryn.

This is taken from a questionnaire answered by model Marjay Ramirez:

Q: How would you respond to critics who think that modeling is not a worthy career requiring intelligence and hard work?

A: I will tell them to join the modeling and see how they can cope and deal with it!!! If they say that the modeling is not a worthful career that requires intelligence and hard working, I think they are ignorant!!! They should shut their mouths when they know nothing! Because the modelling is not just all about glamour, it definitely requires brains, physical attributes, talent, and hard work!!! Now, can you say that its easy and worthless?!!

Good God...

Love in its truest form...

...has no language or words, it just has a thousand and one actions we all wish we could describe.

~ Kenneth B. Emery

27 months and I'm still counting. Happy, Happy Monthsary.

Night's Bringer of War

"Let me make this situation clear for you. I know what special abilities you have. I can see the enhancements. I can detect the increased electrical activity in your brain. I know what moves you're preparing to make. I've fought our fight already, in my head, in a million different ways. I can hit you without you even seeing me. I'm what soldiers dream of growing into. I'm what children see when they first imagine what death is like. I'm the Midnighter."

Image by Bruce Timm. Courtesy of Comic Art Community.

The Weekend News

Watched Matchstick Men with Pi on Saturday morning. It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was a pretty good movie nevertheless. Good story, with just the right mix of comedy and drama. And the acting was superb. Nicholas Cage's performance was the best (which isn't really much of a surprise). Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman also displayed great acting prowess in this one. That should make for a good and interesting watch. I give it a 4 out of 5, but don't take my word for it...go and see it for yourself.

We made the rounds in Megamall after a hearty lunch in El Pollo Loco. Pi occasionally got to check out some clothes that were on sale, but didn't find anything worth buying. I, on one hand, was able to find an arnis set at the good price of Php280. Went to Greenhills to get Pi's positioners checked shortly after that.

Met my Dad and my brother for dinner at Rockwell. Ate great food in Mongkok, talked about family stuff, then went and delivered the old PC to my sister. Watched part of The Two Towers in Pao's and Gerwin's room before finally tapping out and retiring at 1:30 AM.

It was obviously a long day.

***

Sunday morning was spent with the folks. Heard mass in La Salle, then brought my Dad and my brother to the Victory Liner station after having brunch in Jollibee. It's my bro's semestral break, so he gets to enjoy a 2 week vacation back home. I, on the other hand, forever swearing off any term break-related privileges upon graduation, am stuck here to try and fulfill my function as an analyst and programmer. Not that I mind, it's just that since November 1st and 2nd fall on a Saturday and Sunday, respectively, my chances of getting a little "R&R" will have to wait 'til Christmas (or if I'm unlucky enough, 'til next year even).

Most of my afternoon was spent in PC Express. Pi found a good venue to draw her little monsters while I looked around for stuff. Had to buy a brand new monitor, a UPS, and a power strip after officially retiring and handing over the old PC set to my sister the previous night. As a result, my wallet is dead...again...with 10 days still to go before the next pay out. It's a good thing that Ger and I got our sideline money today. That should last me 'til the end of the month. Fahk.

Bruce Timm Art

As promised, here are some of Bruce Timm's best works:

Ok, I guess I didn't really qualify what I meant by "best". I obviously have an obsession with his women...I mean the way he draws his women. I particularly like the Vampirella and Girl with Pistol pieces. They're very...nice.

Bruce Timm

Spent most of my day going through the archives in CAC (I swear, it is my new favorite site...next to this one, of course). The major highlight of my surfing would probably be coming across Bruce Timm's works. This name ring a bell? Well, it should. Not until that time did I realize that this man, whose name I have been seeing countless times in all those Justice League episode credits, was another one of those artists whose drawing style I really admire. Funny how I never even bothered to look his name up before. He's practically made his mark as the best animated style artist there is. Anyway, I've always loved Batman Animated, ever since it came out, also the other shows that followed shortly after that (Superman, Batman Beyond, and JL). It was a natural reaction for me to download all of Timm's best works. You can look forward to a showcase of these in future posts.

***

Fanboy Trivia: Remember those colored mini-comics that came with the He-Man toys? Bruce Timm started his early career as the artist of said mini-comics. Now how cool is that?

The Promise

"I made a promise on the grave of my parents to rid this city of the evil that took their lives. By day, I am Bruce Wayne, billionaire philanthropist. At night, criminals, a cowardly and superstitous lot, call me...Batman!"

Image by Jim Lee. Courtesy of Comic Art Community.

Comic Art Community

Added a new link to Comic Art Community in the side bar. I came across this very interesting site yesterday, which features hundreds of works by the Comics' most notable names: Jim Lee, Mike Deodato, Ed McGuinness, Mike Mignola, Travis Charest, and Adam Warren just to mention a few. The yummy piece of art you see here was done by no other than Wonder Woman cover artist Adam Hughes, another one of my favorite artists.

The great thing about CAC is you can register for free. You are then given the right to add the images you prefer to your own personal album. At the click of button you can compress the images into a ZIP file, which is automatically downloaded into your PC. Registered users are also given uploading privileges, to be able to contribute other or their own art to the existing database. I guess it would be nice to add an archive for some of our local artists like Leinil Yu and Gerry Alanguilan. Or for the great Francisco Coching even. Hmmm.

Anyway, go ahead and check it out. I guarantee it's worth it.

The Brain Is A Wonderful Organ

Although the following image seems to be moving, it is actually static. Your brain is doing the moving for you.

Amusing, eh? A noted genius in the field of optical illusions named Akiyoshi Kitaoka, an associate professor of Ritsumeikan University's Department of Psychology in Kyoto, has been creating tons of these images for quite some time now. His books, "Trick Eyes" and "Trick Eyes 2" contain all of his works but are, unfortunately, only available in Japan. You can, however, find tons of his illusions, dating as far as May 2002 (ok, maybe not too far), in his website. If you're into this type of mental masturbation, go check it out at Akiyoshi's Illusion Pages.

Now, back to work.

It's Amazing...

...how life has the funniest ways of making you real proud of what you know.

Marc Silvestri

I wouldn't be worth calling a comic fan if Marc Silvestri wasn't on my list of favorite artists. Though I didn't really collect his works (Wolverine, Cyber Force, Darkness), I've always liked his art style. His and Jim Lee's art have had a huge influence on my style and on everyone else's (well, at least on those who have read or browsed through the aforementioned titles) during my early drawing days. They were practically the gods of comics back then. It was unfortunate though, that they had to retire and move to "greener pastures" (like heading their own respective production companies). They have been sorely missed ever since.

However, as every comic reader knows, Jim made a heck of a comeback last year with his run on DC Comics' Batman: Hush. It felt really good (and unreal) to see his art still as fantastic as before...in a Batman comic at that to top it all off. With the Hush story arc coming to an end recently, you'd think that would be the last we'll ever see of the well-loved Mr. Lee, but numerous sources have confirmed that he will be working on a Superman run very soon. The mere thought of how great this project is going to be is giving me goose bumps. I can't wait.

Inspired by Jim's dramatic return, Marc has decided to do a "Michael Jordan" and get back in the game. Fifteen years after his last stint with X-Men, Silvestri will officially come out of retirement to pencil for New X-Men in Grant Morrison's farewell run entitled Here Comes Tomorrow. "Set nearly two centuries in the future, the story reveals an entirely new team of X-Men (with some familiar faces) facing a global conflict. It’s not post-apocalyptic, as Silvestri explains, it’s set at the brink of the apocalypse. And it’s Morrison’s last word on the Phoenix."

According to recent news, it's supposed to be a story independent of regular X-continuity. I've never really been a fan of futuristic takes on my fave comics characters, possibly due to my traumatizing experience with Marvel's (horrible) 2099 series. I am, however, willing to gamble on this upcoming story arc. Besides, Grant Morrison's works are always a good buy. Just ask Jon or Ger.

Check out Newsarama for the full story and more of Marc's awesome sample pages.

My Past Life

Went to a site referred by my friend Kris that gives a diagnosis of who and what you were in your past life. I'm not much into this kind of stuff but it seemed interesting enough. All you have to do is enter your birthdate and wait for the results. Here's what I got:

Your past life diagnosis:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know how you feel about it, but you were female in your last earthly incarnation.
You were born somewhere in the territory of modern Yukon around the year 1675.
Your profession was that of a leader, major or captain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your brief psychological profile in your past life:
Timid, constrained, quiet person. You had creative talents, which waited until this life to be liberated. Sometimes your environment considered you strange.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:
It always seemed to you that your perceptions of the world are somewhat different. Your lesson is to trust your intuition as your best guide in your present life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you remember now?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At least they got the "creative talents" part right. Check out yours at thebigview.com.

Addiction

I am officially hooked on Friendster. For the past few days, I have been growing my network of friends, which just started with Pi and my sister, Joyce. That is why there have been no recent updates on this blog. Don't get me wrong, I have not lost all interest in blogging. I'm still, in fact, very much addicted to it. It's been a great venue for my thoughts and random rants. It keeps my mind well-exercised, and best of all, it's free (and it is my strong hope that it will stay that way). With the advent of the Friendster Fever, I have just added to the list of things that amuse me (especially after a long and tiring day here at the office). It's been real fun so far. Got the chance to keep in touch with old friends and see how I'm connected to their friends and how they're connected to mine and well, you get the idea. Funny how the "Six Degrees of Separtion" theory applies here. Go ahead and check it out.

***

Last Saturday, the kumander and I were able to watch Underworld. It's a good movie, considering it was made on top of a small $20M budget (yup, SMALL...that's just Julia Roberts' talent fee). The background story isn't really new, but it's still quite nice with an interesting twist, and the action scenes are fantastic. Though it clearly tried to go the Blade/Matrix way, much to the disappointment of die hard fans of said films, I still liked it. Plus, I got to see Kate Beckinsale (who I don't actually find pretty) look reeeally good in black skin tight leather (mmmmmm).

Unfortunately for those who failed to watch it, a suspension order has been issued for the film, for reasons that have yet to be revealed. Who else would pull a stupid stunt like that but the all-knowing and all-powerful MTRCB. Too bad. Could probably be the high-level violence...but what the heck do you expect from a frickin' VAMPIRE VS. WEREWOLF MOVIE anyway? Damn fools, it's high time you re-evaluate your out-of-this-world rating standards! Stupid board.

Dish

The kumander and I, along with some officemates and friends, went to Dish at Rockwell last night to catch all-acoustic, all-OPM performances by Hourglass, Paolo Santos, Nyoy Volante and Mannos, and True Faith. It was my first time to watch Santos and Volante and I must say, they really know how to put on a show. I would definitely recommend watching their future gigs. A night of fantastic guitar playing and good songs and being with the Supreme Overlord would have been a great way to end my day...if True Faith hadn't gotten on stage and ruined everything. Yep, of all the frickin' bands to destroy the frickin' night, it had to be True Faith. It was such a pathetic performance, people started leaving as soon as the first song was done. Apparently, True Faith front-man and DLSU alumnus Medwin (that handsome, handsome man) had one too many beers to drink. He was so drunk, he kept on messing up the words...he didn't even memorize the damn songs!!! I guess the people were just being nice when they cheered everytime Medwin filled in with "Yeah, lemme see yer haaaynds!" or "C'mon, sing wit' meh now!" to make up for fcuking up the lyrics. His bandmates were obviously so embarassed they just tried to keep their cool and played right on. *Sigh* It was such a depressing sight. But overall, we got our money's worth. It would have been a whole lot better though, but there's really nothing I can do about it now. Just needed to vent it out, I guess.

From Creepy Thin Man To Incredible Bulk

Browsed through some old pics in the TLS yahoogroup. Being the sentimental bastard that I am, I couldn't help but smile and remember the good times (aaaw), when Weekends at Jon Z's were frequent, Summer Workshops were way "cooler", and when my weight was still at a desirable reading. Aaah, those were the days...just take a look at the picture that follows. This was taken over two years ago by one of the TLS Photo greats, Jerome "Photo! Photo!" Tambaoan during my stint as Art & Graphics Editor. Naturally, the person in the "spotlight" would be yours truly. With me are mentors and former A&G Editors Peejay Canlas and Bryan Ocampo. We will refer to this as Exhibit A.

I decided to weigh myself again just 2 months ago, giving in to the subtle pressure of family and friends. Imagine my shock when I registered an unbelievable 190 pounds. The following picture, which we shall refer to as Exhibit B, was taken a few months back during our immersion/vacation in Cebu. The overweight and hairless monstrosity in focus would be the result of a twisted genetic experiment involving the use of highly sophisticated computers and programming languages coupled with continuous saturated fat intake and an extreme lack of physical activities.


After further analysis of the differences in exhibits A and B (which are so damn obvious), I have arrived at the following conclusion: PROGRAMMING IS THE DEVIL...IT WILL PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF BOOBIES AND MAKE YOU LOOK STUPID IN YOUR BEACH SHORTS!!!

This oh-so-depressing revelation has led me to adopt a personal weight loss program. Since the start of September, I have painstakingly refined my eating habits, veering away from my favorite traditional dishes of meat and chicken whenever I could (which sucked at times), and concentrating on see...err...SEA food and a whole lot of vegetables. I have also been using the stairs lately, in place of the elevator in going up to the office (I figured I might as well since the only frickin' exercise I get around here is for my frickin' fingers). So far, the results have been rewarding. My next appointment with the scale is on November 1st. I am hoping to have shed a considerable amount of pounds (say 5 to 10?) by then. I'm really hoping I pull this off. Wish me luck.

Save It For Later

So you're thinkin' 'bout tomorrow
And all those simple things you think you might like
Well youve been slippin' in the daylight you see
While I've been tryin' to keep things light

So youre looking for approval
To do those stupid things you think your father might like
Well you might kill yourself to get it you see
But it might never make things right
It just might leave you more uptight

And all the things within the world
And all the boys and all the girls
That never seam to get enough
They save it for later you see
All the saints and all the freaks
And all the strange philosophies
The novelities the memories
They save it for later you see
They save it for later you see

So now youre lookin' for some revelation
But your still lyin' to me
Still in your bed
Well I've been stealing with the motions
but have you heard a word I've said

So youre thinkin' 'bout tomorrow
About reliving every minute of your past
Well i'm just living for the moment you see
'Cause I'm just tryin' to make it last
'Cause I've just seen it come to fast

And all the things within the world
And all the boys and all the girls
That never seam to get enough
They save it for later you see
All the saints and all the freaks
And all the strange philosophies
The novelities the memories
They save it for later you see
Save it for later you see

And the best part of my life
Is the worst part of your day
And the best part of my song
Is the last part you ever played

And all the things within the world
And all the boys and all the girls
That never seam to get enough
They save it for later you see
All the saints and all the freaks
And all the strange philosophies
And everyone that never speaks
They save it for later you see

And all the things within the world
And every boy and every girl
That never seams to get enough
They save it for later you see

And every time you build it up
And put it in your paper cup
It never seams to be enough
You save it for later you see
You save it for later you see
Don't save it for later you see
You're not looking greater you see

~ Splender