Lowdown: DLSU vs FEU (4-Mar-09)

Game Two of the Women's Volleyball Finals was a reversal--up to an extent--of what happened in Game One, which I watched at The Arena. This time, I watched at home, half thinking that I may have jinxed La Salle, my favorite team. Well, they won so I guess watching at home was better for me--and the team--than watching at the venue. Ha, chika lang. I had tons of schoolwork so I had to watch at home.

Anyway. La Salle won in four-set fashion. FEU won the first, then La Salle won the next three. Set Number Two was, for me, the clincher. It spelled the difference. It was a neck-to-neck set that either team could have won. If FEU won that one (Coach Nes Pamilar put in the injured Shaira Gonzales for emotional sake I think) they could have easily won the championship. La Salle was defeated in the first set, 25-17. La Salle winning that set pumped up their game--slowly--and gave them the confidence that they needed.


Why La Salle won:


1. Jacqueline Alarca stepped up big time. She said--in the post-game interview because she was the best player--she had to prove that she wasn't a Best Blocker for nothing. :D Boom Gonzales, the commentator, pointed out that when Alarca started smiling and enjoying every point she won for the team was when the other players were affected. Which brings me to the next reason..


2. Intensity. FEU players have always been known to have intensity. From the onset, Morada and company rejoiced after every point scored. Thus, iritating the La Salle Spikers, who were very much affected by the crowd in Game One. In Game Two, La Salle players started feeling every point in Set Number Two and Three. Behind Alarca's exploits and Michelle Datuin's ever-present intensity at the net. She got Morada's number, definitely.


3. Defense. Blocking was surprisingly missing for La Salle in the first two sets but they adjusted. Floor defense improved as the blocking materialized. I think losing the first set made the La Salle players realize the urgency of winning, and stepping up. Thus, they dove for every ball, jumped for every spike, and tried to dig every attack that went their way. All of April Jose's drop balls were checked. :D


4. Much-improved service. In Game One, as I've pointed out, there were too much service errors on La Salle's side. This time, Manilla Santos (who was by the way always checked and dug by FEU's libero, Taganas) only had one service error--as per my unofficial count--and Alarca and Mercado had one each as well.


5. Other players stepped up. Aside from the usual suspect on offense--Illa Santos (who was berated by Coach Ramil De Jesus for not variating her shots. I think he said something like, "Sa lahat ng pinalo mo, ilan ang napatay mo?" With that, she was brought to life and scored points on her varied attacks.) Stephanie Mercado finished the game (at the end part of the third and fourth set), scored a flurry of points, for La Salle. Alarca stepped up into the scoring parade as well. And even players like Datuin and Cha Cruz scored on some of their attacks.


6. The presence of an improved-in-numbers La Salle fans. Now, there was a Barangay La Salle--na wala nu'ng Game One.


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


Why FEU lost:


1. Shaira Gonzales didn't play much because of her injured left--or was it right?--ankle. I hope it's just a serious sprain, not anything more. She was able to play though. And scored dramatic points in the second and third set. They sorely missed her quicks. Their seventh--or eighth--player was Cabanag, who is obviously not as great as Gonzales.


2. Cherry Mae Vivas wasn't in her element. She was often asked by Coach Nes during timeouts, "Ano ayaw mo na?" She even "scored" La Salle's winning point in the fourth set by miscalculating what should have been "an easy over."


3. Morada's attacks were well-read, checked or blocked by the La Salle defense in the latter sets because the offense became predictable with Daquis in the back row, and Jose having no other options but to go to Morada. Her psy-war and verbal tussle with Datuin at the net really went up the next level, so to speak.


I am excited for Game Three, the deciding Game, but I won't be able to watch the game because I'll be in Sagada this weekend. But still, I will be rooting for the Lady Spikers, of course.

UAAP Season 71 Women's Volleyball

Individual Awardees Season 71

Awarded March 4 2009

Best Attacker - Aiza Maizo (UST) as seen in the stats

Best Setter - April Jose (FEU) as expected..

Best Server - Irish Morada (FEU) as seen in her mean jump-serve..

Best Receiver - Manilla Santos (DLSU) as always..

Best Blocker - Jacqueline Alarca (DLSU) as predicted..

Best Digger (aka Libero) - Lislee Ann Gata (AdU) as per last year..

Rookie of the Year - Melissa Gohing (DLSU) as surprised (Hehe, maipilit lang ang "as")

(I didn't know Gohing was a freshman.. she didn't look like one. He he)

MVP - (yet to be awarded, on Sunday Either La Salle's Alarca or FEU's Daquis. Darkhorses: FEU's Gonzales, Morada DLSU's Santos or Mercado)

Lowdown: Game 1 of the Finals, UAAP 71st season Women's Volleyball

I was stunned that La Salle lost to defending champs FEU Lady Tams. Stunned because La Salle won the 1st set in a very convincing fashion, and lost the second and fourth sets in a very convincing fashion as well. Stunned, that they won the fourth set: 26-24. And more stunned that they lost the fifth, considering they should have had the momentum (having won the fourth set) come that final set.


I watched the game from the "Lower Box" of San Juan Arena, unfortunately behind me was the FEU cheering squad (made up of loud, coarse-voiced men) and drummers. Sitting there, watching the game, made me feel what it was really like to watch the games live.


First, magastos (expensive). Going there by G-Liner bus costs around P15.00 from Lawton (but I still had to take prior transportation to get to Lawton). And, the ticket! It costs P120 for "ringside" which was like a dozen rows pa behind the "School Officials" seats. Hay nako. (Lesson: Be there at around 12.30nn for a 2pm game.)


Second, maingay. The men behind me (as mentioned) was very loud and..well, I guess they were too below-the-belt with their cheers (which helped FEU a lot) and jeers (which affected the La Salle players, Illa Santos the most). They were saying things like: (To Illa) Mag-trabaho ka na lang! or Laos ka na! (To Steph Mercado) 'Wag ka na ang chaka mo!


If I were more courageous (and pikon) I would have stood up and cheered whenever Illa scores a point, "Sino'ng laos!" or "Hindi ito beauty contest."


But I guess that's part of the game. Cheers are cheers, no matter how foul they may be.


Third, full of energy. Every point scored (especially in the first set, and the fourth and fifth) people got up to score and cheer. Yes, it was a La Salle crowd--on the count that there were many La Salle fans there--but the FEU fans (though outnumbered) cheered their hearts out. And I guess, being champions, they have earned a following.


Why LA Salle lost:


1. Manilla Santos was not in her usual impeccable game. I guess the crowd (jeering her) affected her game. She had some service errors, and her spikes were not that..um, accurate? But I had to give it to her though, she really led her team out there. She was constantly saying things to boost the morale of her teammates, even though they lost two straight sets.


2. Melissa Gohing (libero) had notable receiving errors during the end part of the game, which could have spelled the difference, though she had some nice digs (on Shaira Gonzales, who was by the way injured at the end of the fourth set, and Rachelle Ann Daquis).


3. Blocking was great, as usual.., but not as intense.


4. Intensity-wise, only a few players were intense. Santos, Gohing (as always), Michelle Datuin and.. I guess, they were the only ones who wanted to win it all.


5. Kaye Martinez is still not the best of setters--which makes it hard for La Salle since she's going up against a witty April Jose of FEU.


6. Service errors killed La Salle. And April Jose's drop balls (three I think) translated into points. All her attempts at the drop. :'(


6. They lacked focus, and the heart to win. They had errors which I think were brought about by the intensity of the game, and the crowd going against them. The La Salle crowd should come out to watch and cheer in Game Two. Rally behind the team, so to speak.




What La Salle needs to do to win in Game Two:


1. Focus. Don't let the crowd affect you. Play your usual game.


2. It has been said that La Salle is not the type of team who wins five-setters so I think it's better for them to win the first two sets to give them the confidence they need.


3. Illa Santos should really dominate--not in the Daquis way--but in her own support-your-teammates-and-do-your-thing way.. The team needs a leader. A true one that gets things done. Her serves should be accurate the next time.


4. Though they were well-prepared for Daquis, La Salle shouldn't take for granted other players like Gonzales, Maika Morada, and even Vivas. They attack and score. So beware.






What the La Salle community needs to do:

CHEER (Y)OUR HEARTS OUT!

The team needs the support. It's war out there, as I've seen and experienced.

First at 81st (Yes, its my Oscars blog.)

Instead of going to IPER, UP Village (for the practicum--Manila chapter--orientation) or study very hard for our Socsci 120 (Directed Readings in the Social Sciences) exam, I watched first, the 81st Oscars (via satellite daw on ABS-CBN) and, like always, wasted my time on teeny-bopper, romance flicks which our house seems to ran out of.

Oscars. Well, I was surprised that being the self-declared movie buff, I have let 80 Oscars Awards Nights--too many s--to pass unwatched. Well, you could forgive me for the 70-plus awards night since I may not be born yet (Ha, asa Joann) or I wasn't too worldly (Hahaha) to watch the stuff, or know of it.

Continue Reading

Fearless Forecast

for the individual awards in the UAAP Season 71 Women's Volleyball Tournament:

(These are the ladies I think deserve and I like to win the individual awards.)

Best Scorer - Rachelle Ann Daquis (FEU) or Aiza Maizo (UST)

Best Spiker - Manilla Santos (DLSU) or Angela Benting (AdU) or Shaira Gonzalez (FEU)

Best Blocker - Jacqueline Alarca or Michelle Datuin (both DLSU)

Best Server - April Jose (FEU) or Jacq Alarca (DLSU)

Best Libero - Melissa Gohing (DLSU)

Best Setter - April Jose (FEU) or Jam Ferrer (ADMU)

Best Receiver - Bernice Co (UST)

Rookie of the Year - Bernice Co (if she's considered a rookie: She's a 4th year student playing on her first year) or Pau Soriano (AdU)

Most Valuable Player - Manilla Santos or Jacqueline Alarca or Rachelle Ann Daquis

DLSU vs. FEU Season 71 15-Feb-2009

Why La Salle won:



1. Manilla (Illa) Santos simply took over althroughout when her teammates seemed to be struggling. Leading by example, as commentator Boom Gonzales said.
2. La Salle's floor defense really improved. Special mention to libero Melissa Gohing, and setter-spiker Cha Cruz.
3. The team's blocking was--as always--impeccable. Jacqueline Alarca was really a master at the net. Save for some--as in very few--spikes that got through because they were too powerful.
4. The players were intense. Michelle Datuin was seen trash-talking--in the subtlest way--the frontliner of FEU. Vivas in particular. Also, Illa Santos was seen celebrating every point her team scores as if it the last.
5. Although Celine Anne Hernandez scored only one attack--as of my unofficial count--which was the winning point in the fourth set, she provided the ceiling (the height) coach Ramil de Jesus wanted from his team. Quality minutes indeed.
6. The team's setter, Kaye Martinez, brought her A-game. No noticeable and glaring errors, and she even added the drop ball-on-the-second-touch in her arsenal (got a couple of points with it).
7. The La Salle players were, simply, more conditioned, more prepared, more focused than their FEU counterparts.





Why La Salle nearly lost:

1. Steph Mercado missed 4 out of her 5 serves. The last one became a good ball when they were in the lead in the fourth. Her nerves seem to get the best of her.
2. Santos, Alarca and other La Salle players also muffed their serves.
3. Poor reception in the third set, which FEU won.




Why FEU lost:

1. The pivotal error in the line-up rotation the FEU coaching staff submitted for the second set, which last won in a fairly easy manner comapred to the hard-fought first set.
2. FEU lacked the spark. The oomph, so to speak.
3. Mika Morada was very much not in her element.
4. The FEU players were weakened, I guess, by the not-successful blocked attacks they were giving La Salle.
5. Rachel Ann Daquis was also not in her best playing self although there were glimpses of her leadership and skills.
6. The FEU players may have gotten tired of all the chasing they did in the game (Law of averages, says Boom) because La Salle was always up, except for that lone third set when FEU led and won that set.

LSS=Common sense?

"If you like it then you should put a ring on it. Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh."

-Beyonce in Single Ladies (from the I Am Sasha Fierce album)

Movie Review: Same-old Paul, Lovable Rowan, and Annoying Wills

The Ten

Well. A parody of the 10 commandments of God given to Moses seems to be good idea. But I wasn't really that impressed with the results. I think it would've been better if the movie was a theater play na lang, which it was, as I found out at the end of the film. (That explains the minimalist setting Paul Rudd and Famke Janssen was acting around on, as if it was their house.)

One disturbing thing though--if the movie was a theater play, as shown in the film--why or how did Paul Rudd got out of the minimalist set, and saw Famke about to ride a taxi. On a real street? It's either blame it on the bad editing or a bad idea.

Paul Rudd, no matter the level of his bida-ness, always end up--so far--portraying the same kind of character. Boy-next-door-boy-buddy-slacko-type. He and Famke had no chemistry, for me. I think she's wayy too tall for him. :P And, Adam Brody's character is kinda . . . unrelatable.

Keeping Mum

Best movie among the three-movie line-up I had today.

It is funny, with a little bit of drama, mystery, romance and whatever-it-is-that-British-are-known-for all rolled into one movie. It stars the getting-to-be-my-favorite-actor Rowan Atkinson as the lovable, warm and awkward Reverend Walter Goodfellow, Kristin Scott-Thomas as Rev. Goodfellow's cheating wife Gloria, Patrick Swayze as a Peeping Tom/golf trainor named Lance, Maggie Smith as the grandmother with unusual ways of solving problem, and Tamsin Egerton as the concerned-but-trying-not-to-look-it daughter Holly are great as well.



The Brothers Solomon


A very annnoying movie, for many reasons:

1) Will Forte and Will Arnett are really annoying comedians. They don't have the Adam Sandler charm, or even the Ben Stiller charm. (Or was that part of their acting?)

2) The characters Dean and John Solomon--(particularly John) are bit... dumb yet unlikable, arrogant and self-conscious. It was just right that the girl from Rm704 didn't date him, or else the story would be utterly unconvincing considering the many loopholes in the story.


3) The movie makes it appear that home-schooled boys from Antartica are naive and... whatever, which I know they can and will disagree on.

Dream Roster: Women's Volleyball

If I were a women's volleyball coach, my dream roster would be made up of:

Chi Saet - setter

Wendy Semana - setter/spike

Desiree Hernandez - middle hitter

Charo Soriano - middle hitter

Jacqueline Alarca - middle hitter

Aiza Maizo - middle hitter

Manilla Santos - open spiker

Angela Benting - open spiker

Carla Llaguno - open spiker

Gretchen Ho - utility spiker

Melissa Gohing - libero (Lislee Ann Gata, as alternate; also Taganas of FEU)

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*This is a cross-post from my Multiply page.

Two things I learned from sports today

(read: today = 11 Feb 2009)

1) Don't be greedy. For power, for fame. Let others shine. (The Aces lost the Game 7 of the 31st PBA season--kanina lang--because Willie Miller suddenly decided to take the team on his shoulders. Take the cudgels for winning, depsite the fact that he muffed both free throws that could've tied the game at 91. And, he refused to set up, or pass to the hot-handed Larry Fonacier who I think could've won the game--and the championship--for them. Too bad.

2) Like the very young Ateneo Lady Eagles-Women's Volleyball (who lost to AdU in a nail-biter of a five-set match) "we all have to learn." The hard way.

Posterized

"Ano'ng karapatan ng iilan na kontrolin ang kayamanan ng daigdig?"

--Prof. Edberto M. Villegas, The Political Economy of the Current Global Financial Crisis forum (February 6, 2009)

Book Talk

One blog entry a week, keeps insanity away.

Books. This week is a Book Week aside from being my Complacency Week. (I'd rather not delve into the latter aspect of the week. ;p) I read two books, and bought a record-breaking EIGHT books in three days (I bought one last Wednesday, another on Thursday, and all the rest yesterday). In case you're interested, these books are:




READ:


1) Gun, with Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem. A futuristic spy novel (pwede ring fable, Hahaha) by the author of You Don't Love Me Yet. Babyheads, evolution therapy on kittens, apes, kangaroos, rabbits, etc, and modified drugs like Acceptol, Forgettol, Blanketrol, Believol, Regrettol, and characters such as Catherine Teleprompter, Morgenlander, Walter Surface, Orton Angwine, Danny Phoneblum, Pansy Greenleaf, Grover Testafer, Celeste Stanhunt, Conrad Metcalf. (Can you guess which are the humans and which are the animals?) A very . . . different book. (Available from Elaine. Hahaha)


2) Feminist Fairytales by Barbara G. Walker. Your (and my) favorite fairtytales given an interesting feminist twist. Panalo 'yung version ng Snow White. :D (Available at UPM CAS Lib.)




BOUGHT:


1) Plum Island by Nelson DeMille. I already had a paperback copy of the book but since the hardbound cost much less, binili ko na. I had in mind what Sir K said about paperbacks not being book-books. Gets?


2) Family Life by Russell Banks. Wala lang, I just felt like buying a book (a relatively thin novel, actually) separated by numbers, in between paragraphs, transitions in POVs, and chapters. Maraming numbers, promise. :D


3) Chasing Cezanne by Peter Mayle. I'm a frustrated painter, and have a shallow (for some people) list of qualities to look for in books. Books with interesting topics (like Jews, Arabs, West Asia, basketball, art, et al), interesting titles, a familiar author or title, and good, weird, unique cover designs easily get my attention. With this one, the topic got me looking at its synopsis. Pero, when I got home I realized Peter Mayle is actually the author of the book I wanted to read last Christmas break pero unavailable sa bookstores: A Good Year (Yes, from that movie.) I guess this is a step closer to finding a copy. Hehe.


4) Autobiography of Malcolm X. The reason behind my all-week book-hunting was for the autobiography we were required to read for our next module in Socsci 120 (Directed Readings in the Social Sciences). Any would do, except for basketball players. I searched CAS Lib, but found thick autobios of Mussolini, Nehru, Trotsky and a Western yogi (ewan ko ano 'yun, HAHA). So, why Malcolm X? This time, the name got me. Malcolm X, parang rockstar lang. Sana interesting ang buhay ni Malcolm X. :D


5) Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Familiar title, familiar author are my reasons for buying this book. I heard that it's a World War II classic, and I've been trying to get hold of a copy, pero wala. To satisfy my then-curiosity, I bought his book, Something Happened instead. Boring and draggy. I think what really drove me to buy this book was its scarcity. (Ayoko kasi ng e-book or PDF.) I felt I had to own (actually I own a few rare books, Bridge of San Luis Rey and Brave New World) something rare. Papansin ako eh. Ha ha ha.


6) Death of an Englishman by Magdalen Naab. Mistaken identity. I bought this book thinking this was the classic, Death of a . . . It turned out na Death of a Salesman pala 'yun. Nakupo, sorry Mr. Miller.


7 and 8) Cliff Notes on Animal Farm and 100 Years of Solitude. I'm secretly attached--magnetized, actually--to literary book guides. I previously bought one on Brave New World. I don't know if I'll find the time and interest to read both these reading guides with the books.


I'm not sure if I'm going to read all these books in the coming weeks. Pero, I'm sure I'll read all of them, in due time. Ha ha ha.


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(Below is the cover of the the very first book I bought with my own money for P27 [It says so in the price tag.] when I was in Grade Five yata kasi may doodles 'yung book ng names of my grade five classmates. Fern Gully. 'Yan ang Harry Potter, Twilight, at Narnia ko. Hahaha)

Road Rage

Ren shared his "dreams" of having/buying a car, Jecy said she'll be a "reckless driver" and Janjan is, I think, a very calm (and collected, Hahah) driver.

I think, in the future, it's better for me to have a driver because I foresee myself being a temperamental driver, in the sense that, if you cut me, or nearly hit me, I will run after you, and kill you. Haha. Not physically, siguro. Pero, harm will definitely be done. (Jecy thinks she'll be the done who'd do the car-cutting.)

Just yesterday, as Ken and I were trying to buy time by going to UPD and be back at UPM for our 5:30pm class, I experienced my first ever road accident. No, I wasn't driving. And neither was she.

We were in this Guardian Angel bus, JM and Doms and Ate Josh were very fond of, when it all happened. The driver was feeling like Schumacher or Tyson Sy or maybe Gaby Dela Merced, and kept swishing through traffic (in other words, cars) and before he, and we, knew it, he struck a harmless taxi driver who was getting ready to stop because of the red light, which the GA driver was trying to beat. (Whew, long sentence.)

I don't want to recount the incident that followed because it's too stressful. :)

Not a guardian angel after all.

Today, traveling the same route but longer (I was going to Sandiganbayan), I rode an fx, to sort of erase the bad luck I seem to have with GA buses. But again, it happened.

But this time, the driver of the maroon (Go, UP!) FX I was in, was the "victim". There was this Mitsubishi Adventure who kept cutting and cutting, and cutting. I thought both drivers were going to race their way (to wherever) but cooler heads prevailed (meaning our driver) and nothing violent or stressful happened.

All this makes me wonder, do I want a car (like Ren)? Do I want to be a driver (like Janjan or Jecy)? Do I want to be part of the stressful environment I call: the Metro Manila driving "scene"? Hmm.

Para Kay B:

"Please leave

everything behind

the memories, the laughter

my heart

(that you took unknowingly)

that I gave you,

that you ignored,

willingly.

Please leave

my mind soon.

my heart sooner.

me alone."

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

Sorry to Ricky Lee for using the title of his book as my excuse to address my own "B". For a more critical review of Para Kay B (the book), click here.

Of Lanterns, right of view, rotating Oble, driving, MDJ etc.

Instead of uploading pictures of the Lantern Parade (Dec 17 2008), I will blog about it. Para maiba naman. (With pictures pa rin, syempre).

Last Wednesday was my first time to watch the Lantern Parade "Diliman version" despite all the hype that is associated with it. Pero it was not my first time, overall. Syempre, 'yung UPM Lantern Parade 'nung Freshie ako was my first. Ha. At, naglakad ako with the Parade.


This time, naki-nood na lang ako. Not wanting to shed off unwanted calories(?!) we just sat in front of the waiting shed just outside the AS parking lot, near the Palma Hall Annex (Exact location 'yan! We kept telling people where we were exactly kasi nagkakawalaan na. Hahaha). That spot, which for some was not-so-good, turned out to be the prime spot. We watched half the Parade sitting.

We miss you, Pau.

No one would dare stand in front of where Teppie, Elaine, Janjan, Jecy and I were sitting. They could walk, run or drag their selves to somewhere in front of us but not stand there and linger! Because, I argued, that space was our "right of view" just as passersby had their "right of way". :)


We (or I did) spent half the time making fun of people's funny outfits, quirky "props" and, uh, their behavior. Example: Merong "couple" in a yellow Pimp-My-Ride-ish car parked directly across us. They were taking pictures and stuff. Ayun, just like the Piattos commercial, we (or, again, I did) dubbed them. Haha. Masaya. :)

I didn't take notice, and note, of the lanterns of each of the campuses, orgs, admin, etc per se (Hehe). What I noticed was, of course, CAS or UPM's which "featured" this rotating replica of the Oblation. Pero, thanks to Justine's very observant eyes, we were able to see (and appreciate) that it was rotating because two men were alternating at making the Oblation replica turn. Yes, they were manually turning it. (I can just imagine how their arms ached after the Parade, which we didn't bother to finish watching).

If you were observant enough in reading you'd notice that I mentioned " watching half the Parade sitting". Tumayo kami later on because there was this, uh, group in green-colored pants and black tops making wonderful(?) noises using plastic drums (and things of that sort). And one of their dancers actually sat beside me and Janjan! Hahaha. (Meron ding group with wonderful dancers in green, pang-magsasaka-like long sleeves. They were good. :D)

But really, the highlight of the night (and the afternoon) wasn't the Parade. :) It was two things.
1) Seeing Janjan drive for the first time! I was so perplexed (Ha!) that I was quiet the whole time; laughing occasionally because of Harold's Panalo comments (Dapat mag-i-isaw siya kasama namin kaso uwi na siya, so parang hinatid lang niya kami sa may Kalayaan dorm. Salamat pa rin, nonetheless); ****Photo to follow**** and;

2) Nanlibre si Ma'am Doti ng kwek-kwek, squid balls, fish balls at C2! (She was true her word! Hahaha. Salamat Ma'am. Merry Christmas!)

Area Studies Batch 2010 and Prof. Jose

***Nga pala, there was one downside. (Two, actually, but I'd rather not talk of the first. Ha) Here it goes: Dinaya kami ng Rodicks! I saw Jecy pay P120 (two fifty-peso bills and two ten-peso coins) for two Tapsilogs but the lady with unlady-like behavior at the counter said "Kulang pa ng ten." Hay. Not wanting to cause a scene for just ten pesos, Jecy and I gave her an extra ten. Badtrip. But the food is okay. :) So bawi lang.

Enjoying our food, which cost P10 more

Are you Christmas-ready?

It's roughly two weeks (or less) 'till Christmas. Everyone has finished their to-do lists, to-buy lists, wishlists and every list there is to make that is relevant to this season of giving.

But are we really ready?

To make it sort of easier to check (and do, later on) if we are really prepared and ready for Christmas, Pastor Oly took down and shared his own list. :)

1) Clean your heart. Just as we are, or maybe our parents or relatives or kasambahays, doing a yearly(?) general house cleaning to make way, sort of, to the holiday decorations, we should also do the same with our hearts. General heart cleaning, so to speak. In Matthew 5:8: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." How can we be pure in heart? Fortunately for us ". . . because God has poured out his love into our hearts . .." (Romans 5:5) it will be relatively easier. So, ask yourself, "what is the state of my heart today?"

2) Arrange your priorities. Come Christmastime, lists (aside from parties, food and gifts) are in season to sort of keep up with all the holiday hype. Instead of being stressed out with other trivial, unnecessary things, we should focus on our relationship with God. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33) Many celebrate Christmas without the celebrant. Remember, it was not called "Christmas" for nothing. Jesus is the reason for the season.

3) Decorate your life. After the general cleaning and prioritizing, we now go to the second (or third?) most fun activity during Christmas (for some people): decorating. In Ezekiel 36:26, it is said: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Allow God to decorate your life with the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, kindness, patience and self-control amongst other things) because the Lord wants to make your life beautiful.

4) Receive and give the gift. Gift-giving has been identified with Christmas since, uh, time immemorial. :) Well, it started, I guess, with the three kings giving the new-born Jesus three gifts. The Lord gave us the best gift we could ever receive, and He can give: salvation. So it is just appropriate that we give Him the best gift we could ever give. For in Proverbs 23:26, it said: "My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways." Receiving Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour is about accepting Him; and letting Him take control of your life.

In Luke 2:17: "When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child." When the disciples and the people knew of Christ's birth, they prophesized and told the others of this good news.

Pastor Oly asked, "Are you that selfish to keep secret the reason for your meaningful Christmas?"

I am not. So I am sharing this to you.

Merry (and meaningful) Christmas! :)

**I made a longer, more correct entry but as fate would have it, the computer, to my utter disbelief, shut down. Nag-brown out kasi. Tsk. I have tried my best to re-think and re-type what I thought of earlier. :)

Without God,

our week would be: Sinday, Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday & Shatterday.

-from my Facebook friend. ;P

"Modern-day" white man's burden

I saw this ad on one of the bulletin boards of one (Philippine) government office. I immediately asked my sister to take a picture of it. Why? Well, I was half-pissed, half-amazed. Half-amazed? Well, meron pa palang manifestation ng white man's burden nowadays. When, in fact, they are the burden. Yet they managed to boast about saving the rest of the world, when, in reality, they can't save their own.

Half-pissed? Obviously, as a Filipino, I feel like this is 1900s all over again. For me genuine help lies in the willingness not to boast of one's kindness. That it will not matter whether other people see or know that you helped. What matters is that you've gotten your goal across. To help. Without expecting to be repaid, without expecting to be wow-ed over. Without expecting good coverage and media mileage. (Such as this ad.)

Chinua Achebe said

in his book Things Fall Apart:

"There is nothing to fear from someone who shouts." p. 140.

"Living fire begets cold, impotent ash." p. 153.

"He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart." p.176

Remember Judy Abbott?

Judy Abbott

"The first Wednesday in every month was a Perfectly Awful Day--a day to be awaited with dread, endured with courage and forgotten with haste."
and
"PS. This is the first love-letter I ever wrote. Isn't it funny that I know how?"

-First and last lines in the book Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster.

Of all the cartoons I have watched when I was a kid (Remy, Heidi, Romeo, Charlotte, Marcelino Pan Y Vino, Princess Sarah, Cedie, Ghost Fighter, Flame of Recca and others) and now as an adult (Barbie series: The Nutcracker, Princess and the Pauper, Mermaidia, Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer, Detective Conan, Slamdunk), I loved Judy Abbott (ABS-CBN Channel 2's title) the most. It's different and unpredictable. Yes, it's bad in a way that it encourages (by showing) a May-December love affair between guardian and his ward, Jervis Pendleton and Judy Abbott.

But, why not?

My friend and I were on the phone the other day (night, actually) when we talked about the cartoons (series and otherwise) we have watched growing up. Her brother, Harold, really knows every cartoon by heart. I asked, "Sino nga ulit 'yung naglilinis ng chimeneya? (Who's that guy who cleans chimneys again?)" Without a pause he replied, "Si Romeo." Oh, di ba? (FYI: Harold's twenty-two.)

Anyway. She told me that Judy Abbott, the cartoon series that I really loved (and miss), is actually from a book. The animated series I watched and loved as a kid was an adaptation after all. So I turned to the ever-ready-with-answers Google. There it was. Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster. I immediately wanted a copy. I wished I can buy from Amazon.com directly. But I cannot. I am regretting my (and my parents') decision to not have a credit card.

From this day on, I promise to find a copy of the book though I have the PDF version already. It's just that... having a copy, as in a book copy, is better. It's easier to read. Basta.

Bookstores here I come!

Should I be an assassin?

If I'd name one of the semesters, in college of course, that I had the least time to read, it would be this one. So far.

Factors supporting my claim are:

1) I've bought/read some books just because they were required (Lord of the Flies, McDonaldization, Marx for Beginners).

2) I've only managed (Ha!) to borrow a book from a friend. (Things Fall Apart from Am.) And I have yet to read it.

3) I've bought only five books, using my own money. Downsize This! by Michael Moore, Gentleman's Agreement by Laura-something, A Trip to Quiapo by Ricky Lee, Line to Stroke: Art Techniques from Pencil to Paint by Paul Taggart and J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. Well, I have yet to pay for Chuck Palahniuk's novel Diary that I will get from a friend. (My mother paid for Lord of the Flies.)

4) And I have yet to read the Ricky Lee, and Paul Taggart books. (Nasira kasi yung pagkakabind nung Ricky Lee book. Tsk.)

5) I wasn't amazed with Catcher in the Rye. Yes, it had roaring and controversial reviews. Pero, wala talaga eh. Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold had more effect on me (I was in first or second year highschool when I read it) than Salinger's. Siguro it has something to do with the age I am/was in when I read the books.

It was Jecy who first told me that Salinger's "coming-of-age" book was read, or carried, by assassins and would-be assassins after their crimes or after being caught. Google provided me with case(s) in point: Mark David Chapman on John Lennon, John Hinckley Jr. on Ronald Reagan (failed), and Robert John Bardo on a certain Rebecca Shaeffer (failed).

So, after reading the book, should I be one of them? As I write (type) this, I have read the book for weeks now. And surprisingly(!) I don't find myself feeling so much hatred towards some person/event that can motivate me to kill, or inflict pain. Or find joy in thinking of such act/s.

This article on Catcher in the Rye talks about it (and the Beatles' songs in their The White Album) being "mechanisms of conrol" to motivate (negatively speaking) people, random civilians, into killing political/social icons. "Legend" has it that J. D. Salinger once worked for US Intelligence, specifically with the de-nazification (a code word alluding to the importation of high-level Nazi spies into the highest ranks of the American Intelligence Community under the auspices of Project Paperclip, the top secret operation which smuggled hundreds of Nazis out of Germany. These "reformed" Nazis were then given new identities, in time forming the core of the new U.S. intelligence, defense and aerospace establishments) of Germany. Wow. I love conspiracy theories.

Well. This mini-review of Catcher in the Rye (I say mini kasi I mentioned it towards the end of this entry) has brought to light, on/to me especially the controversy and the hype that came with it that must have led it into being a "cult-ish" publication. Thus, being labelled a classic. Or maybe, I'm not that of a good critic/reader, to like/appreciate this one.

Having read the book, and not liking/appreciating it, am I, now, a candidate for being the Assassin of the Year(s to come)? If I do become an assassin, I think I would not blame (or credit) this book. Maybe someone else's work. He he. And if that day happens *evil laugh*, you'll read about it in the news.

I think, as Ate Avic of San Cristobal tours once said (as we were traversing the dangerous terrain of the Sumaguing Caves in Sagada), "It's all in the mind."

Bell-buster: The Balangiga Bells

For those who haven't heard of the Balangiga bells, or their history, here it is, or a brief one:

During the American period (1901, to be exact), the natives of Balangiga, Samar "surprised" aka ambushed the American soldiers, killing many. The soldiers, in an effort at reprisal (a lousy one at that), stole (yes, they did) the bells (there were three; one big and two smaller ones) of the town church.

Now, after 107 years of that fateful day ("the ambush"), the bells are not yet in Samar (neither are they in the country) despite the government's efforts to "persuade" the (hard-headed) US Military. Presently, "the smallest bell is on permanent display at the traveling museum of the 9th US Infantry, now stationed in Korea while the two bigger bells are displayed at the Trophy Park at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming".

Balangiga town mayor Viscuso de Lira said, “Our wish of getting back the church bells remain,” as he expressed belief that this could only be done through diplomatic way.

Mayor de Lira and, maybe, the whole town of Balangiga are still hoping (not wishing because wishes tend to be "impossible") to hear the church bells.

Kamown. These bells, old and rusty they maybe, signify the town's, and of Samar's, history. These bells signify that once in many battles have the Filipinos won against those arrogant military soldiers. Keeping the bells in their custody (and on display at their museums) shows how childish Americans are, in general.

They can't even give the bells back, for godssakes, when in the first place these bells belong to us. To our country. These bells are, for them Americans, just "war booty". But for the Samareños (and Filipinos) they signify/mean a lot. Not just military history. I know for a fact that these bells mean a lot to the town church, the parish, and the people (being the devout Catholics that they are).

And yet, after years and years of keeping these bells, they (Americans, the US Military at that) refuse to budge. Despite the "diplomatic" efforts to get the bells back, nothing. Goes to show how diplomatic the US can get. They don't.

Well, just a hunch. I think the US Military are not giving (or does not have the intention to) the bells back because in doing so would mean defeat. They were defeated by the natives (maybe, they were even gunless), who had no prior military experience, etc. So giving back the bells, now, would mean that they accepted that they were wrong. Na dati pa, hindi na dapat nila kinuha. Talk about power-tripping.

Bells, bells, bells. Kept or held on to by them people without balls, balls, balls.

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All facts and quoted statements are from: this article.

Sinok

Sabi ng Chem teacher ko nung highschool, si Mrs. Rubio, "Less talk, less mistake"

Sabi naman ni Ren sa blog entry niya na nabasa ko kani-kanina lang. "hindi rin sagot ang katahimikan, kailangan may sabihin kahit wala na nga talagang masabi, sulat lang ng sulat"

Dagdag pa niya, "Magsulat para may masabi lang, dahil pag dumating ang oras na wala ka na talagang masabi, kahit ang mga salitang wala ka nang masabi ay hindi na lalabas, hihinto na lahat at mawawala, parang"

Sabi ko naman. Less talk, less mistake ay pareho rin ng "Less emo-ish blog entries, less things, less thoughts to explain or to justify." Tama?

Pero minsan talaga, kahit hindi ka na dapat magsalita o magsulat ay napapasalita o napapasulat ka pa rin. Minsan kasi, kailangan lang talagang ilabas. Parang dighay (burp) lang. Pag hindi mo nilabas, nakakasinok.

Mrs. Rubio, I am saying less, compared to what I plan to or can say (which is more) kasi ayoko pong masinok. Bow. :)

Peace in the shadows

"But us, we found peace in the shadows

Long enough to see the monsters rise . . .

You left your thumbprint inside me now for months it seems

But mine only brushes your soft surface

And somehow, somehow it leaves me listless."


-0% Interest, Jason Mraz

Phenomenal Thursday Nights

I spend my Thursday evenings with 40-plus co-students listening to this tall forty-something wide-eyed sleep-deprived (I think) guy rant about Marx, Luis, and Catholicism all in one breath. For three hours, with no breaks at all.

This is maybe not your idea of a perfect Thursday night. Some find this boring. Some spend their Thursdays at home lounging around or at the streets (or bars) partying, as if Thursday is their Friday.

But for me, these Thursday nights are the "high" of my relatively uneventful school/university life. (If you're wondering what's my low, my answer in two words would be: Anthro One.) Aside from reports, ACLEs, quizzes, poem analysis, practical exams in Fencing, I don't really look forward to anything. Except for this class.

My professor (who I shall not name). He's like Joey De Leon/Tito Rod/Sir Esguerra rolled into one. He's funny and has that weird, uniquely Pinoy sense of humor. Plus, he's very, very smart (ask Peter Blau). when he's talking you'd know that he knows what he's talking about. And no matter how far-fetched (and nose-bleed causing) the concepts he's trying to teach us are, he'd find a way, an example to make you understand. Before you know it, you'd find yourself agreeing with him.

No, this blog is not about his greatness. So I'd stop here.

One of the many things he taught us is that we don't really understand what other people are going through perfectly, exactly. Because we are, simply, different individuals. We are shaped by our lived experiences, the environment we have, and the people we interact with.

Also, he told us, "The one you love is the one you have to set free." No, this is not a Joe D'Mango class. What he said basically is this: You don't own anyone. Even the one you love. So, let them free.

One more thing. Phenomenon. He said that for every person, there is that one defining moment called "phenomenon" which shapes, molds or forces a person to change. For my professor, his son is his phenomenon. When his son came into his life, he started thinking more about his health because he realized that he wants to see his grandchildren, suddenly.

As I walk the streets of Vito Cruz and Dominga, on my way home, I find myself thinking: What (or who) is my phenomenon? When is it coming or going to happen? Has it happened? Or is it happening now?



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*This is a cross-post from my Multiply page.

House-hold

"No one can describe themselves in ten words, why would we want to hear anyone else do it?"

-Olvia Wilde as Dr. Thirteen, House M.D.

New words to live by

From Mr. Gino Dela Paz:

1) Aspire to only post things that are inspiring. The world doesn't need more negative energy than it already has.

-You're not the first to tell me that, Gino. Pero, nonetheless, being the second makes the message all the more pressing and important. From now on, no more emo posts. :s

2) The less you spill about yourself the less you have to clean up in case of an online emergency.
-Okay. No more emo posts na nga.


From the Supreme fold of the Philippine Star:
thumb lashing - to be reprimanded through SMS
gr7 - less than "gr8" (great)
serial chiller - person who does nothing but bum
retox - to consume alcohol after a hiatus

Unusual.

Unusual ang style ng damit na ito.

Isa sa mga nakakatawang bagay na resulta ng isang Friend Day. Syempre, marami pang iba (mula sa ibang Friend Day) pero ito lang ang pwedeng picture-an. (Bawal sa Powerbooks eh).

Isang hapon, habang naghahanap ng board shorts si Ren para sa isang party na kanyang pupuntahan...

Am: Uy Ren, ayos 'tong damit na 'to.
Jecy: *nung makita ang style ng damit* (see photo above) Oo nga, Ren bagay na bagay 'to sa'yo. Unusual.

Hindi verbatim ang pagkaka-translate ko ng usapan between Am and Jecy kasi matagal na 'tong nangyari. :) If you want to see for yourself ang Unusual styles, punta kayo sa Rob Department Store. Meron doon. Madami.



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*This is a cross-post from my Multiply page.

To the girl who calls me Frankikay:

"Well, I haven't seen you in a while. You know I miss our talks, I miss your smile."
-Song For The Rich, Tristan Prettyman

For some, name-calling is a start of something bad or it's not a good way, or the way, to start a relationship. Be it a friendship or a romantic relationship. But for me and Janjan, it isn't.

Thanks to our History 3 prof (whom we call by the wonderful, endearing name of Shawie) I became Franky. Yes, Shawie-Frankie just like the Megastar and her Mega daughter. :) I forgot the whole story behind the name but somehow the name stuck.

Flashback: Janjan, Pauie (Raizel) and I, after the NSTP Bisitang Institusyon decided to call each other degrading names. Or rather, degrading forms of our true, normal names. I call Raizel "Pauie" and Janjan calls her "Paupau". Janjan calls me "Franky" and Pauie calls me "Franks". I call Janelle "Janjan" and Pauie calls her "Pare". Gets?

Anyway. Instead of hating the name "Franky" I tolerated it (despite the "truth" that it doesn't actually fit me like a glove). Just for the simple fact that it became some sort of bond between Janjan and I. That even though we are separated by two psywar-ring campuses (separated by miles apart) who tend to say they are better than the other, we still consider each other close friends. Or at least, I do.

If this is was Area Studies 101, our freindship can be called "crossborder friendship".

And just in case you're still wondering about the "kikay" part . . . that's from the Sagada fieldtrip. Justine called me "Kikay" and Janjan (I think she finds the name funny) sort of adopted it and formed a "neologism" (haha). Thus the name, Frankikay.


To You, Janjan:

Who still calls me Frankikay.
Who shared my dislike for Ma'am alam-mo-na before (kasi ayaw niya sa maingay)
Who liked, like me, to call people codenames (secretly, of course)
Who knows who Hannibal is
Who knows who all "our" Bestfriends 1-6 are
Who likes chismax :))Whose insightful (haha) blog posts I read,
Whose sister I call Wachel,Who is, by far, the youngest ka-batch I know
But certainly not the most childish,Who just celebrated her 18th birthday . . .

Happy, happy birthday!
May you find what you are really hoping, wishing and waiting for in the right time.
Always remember, just what I said before, you are maybe losing friends but "You're not losing me." :))

----------------------------------------------------
Janjan, alam ko long overdue na 'tong post na 'to. :) Naging busy lang. Sorry, and Happy Birthday.

Pantay(o)

Pantay(o)*
by Jo Ann Madarang

Sa unang tingin
maaari nating tanungin,

"Di ba't ang pagsulong ng ekonomiya
ay pagsulong rin ng nakararami?"


Isang masaklap na katotohanan:
Ang mga mahihirap, sa pulitika'y walang laban.
Pa'no maisusulong ang kanilang pangangailangan,
Kung ang mga pulitiko ay ayaw silang pakinggan?


Ating tatanungin, pa'no nga ba gagawing
ang pagsulong ng ekonomiya ay pagsulong rin ng nakararami?
Ang gobyerno, korupsyon, mga programa at implementasyon
Sa kanila nakasalalay ang tunay na pagsulong.


Laganap na korupsyon, nagdudulot ng kahirapan tiyak 'yon.
Ang gobyerno at pribadong sektor
dapat magtulungan, at may isang layon:
Maihatid sa mahihirap ang benepisyong hinintay ng maraming taon.


Hindi man maganda (sa pandinig) ang tulang ito:
sana'y nakinig pa rin kayo.
Tandaan: ang tunay na pagsulong
ay ang pagsulong na "pantayo".

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*This is my first poem in Filipino. I made for my Econ101 class under Prof. John Ponsaran. The topic assigned was pro-poor growth. 

Preparing for rain

"God saves the best for last, and the best is yet to come." -Pastor Oly

Waiting has its rewards but sometimes one cannot help but feel tired. More than being tired, one may feel hopeless that the wait is never gonna bear good fruits. Rather, the time one spent waiting is considered time wasted.

But as I listened to Pastor Oly last Sunday I realized the value of waiting. That good things comes to those who wait. That in moments you feel that time is being wasted on waiting, and not acting or doing something, you should pray and trust God that what He wants will be done.

Thus, my second favorite verse,

Hebrew 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and being certain of what we do not see."

In the movie Facing The Giants, Mr. Bridges told Grant Taylor a parable of two farmers who prayed to God for rain. But only one prepared his fields for it. Mr. Bridges asked, "Who do you think deserved and got the rain he prayed for?" Grant replied, "Of course, the farmer who prepared his fields."

No matter how long I have to wait, I am assured that what I'm wairting for will come.

And, yes, God, I am preparing for rain.

Lots of it.

An SATC review: Another one bites the dust

Warning: Sex and the City spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk (if you have watched it already or have no plans to do so, read on).


Any TV series that makes a jump from the small screen to the big screen piques my interest, regardless of the show. The logic behind this: there must be something that the TV series did right for it to be made into a movie. Or in some cases the producers just push the series' popularity a bit too far.


Barks.


In all fairness to the scriptwriter/s of the movie, I never felt left out or OP (to use a 1990s jargon) while watching the movie despite the sad fact (I now realize) that I didn't even get to watch a single episode. (Why, you might ask. I can imagine the dialogue between my mom and I if she chanced upon me watching that show . . . Ma: O anong pinapanood mo? Me: Uh, Sex And The City po. Ma: Ha? Ano ulit?)
Anyway, kudos to the four women/actresses who played Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte. They're the Richard-Gere-Julia-Roberts-tandem of friendship movies. Well, what I meant by that is they have really good on-screen chemistry. They appear to be really good friends on-screen (though they must be in real life). Way better than what Eva and company are doing at Wisteria Lane. Also the guys who played Mr. Big, Steve, Harry, and Smith should be commended for such acting, minimal-yet-just-right. The girls are the bida, and the guys didn't outshine them, or tried to.


Hmm. The jokes are . . . grabe, nakakatawa talaga. Not slapstick, of course, but really funny in the uninhibited, natural sort of way. My Funniest Scene Award goes to (drum roll, please) Kristin Davis as Charlotte York when she did a number two, a.k.a. "poopsied" in her pants just because she drank a few drops of Mexican running water while showering. Natawa talaga ako 'dun. As in. (Though I didn't get what's with Mexico and contaminated food.)


I really really seriously love Charlotte's Asian adopted daughter (sounds familiar?) Lily. She's adorable. Partida, all her lines in the movie were merely one-worded comments or butt-ins except for this one time when she uttered a sentence. One simple sentence! Something like, "There's mommy" or "Mommy's here" or something to that effect. She makes the scenes, in which she's in, playfully funny. She is definitely the fifth SATC girl. (Note: It turns out twins Alexandra and Parker Fong alternately played Lily. So fifth and sixth SATC girls. :P) And because of her (err, them) and the aforementioned factors, I love Color and the City. Gets?


Bites.


There is one hole in the story/script though. What I didn't quite get was the Mr.Big-running-away-from-the-wedding part. Tell me, can a guy not be married just because he's afraid (really now) to get out of the frigging car? Come on. He's not even a first-timer I-do-er (haha, nice term). Already on his third wedding, he's actually a veteran, for goodness' sake. Lesson of the story # 1: Always keep your phone within an arms reach at your wedding. Lesson # 2: Let the groom ride a less comfortable car, that way he'll be itching to get out of it, the first chance he gets.


Another sad sad thing is: watching the Philippine version of the movie was like watching a pirated DVD copy of it. It effing jumps, mehn. My sister rarely spotted the jumps and cuts (except for one, the part when Samantha was supposed to peek/watch while her neighbors are doing the deed then *poof* she's suddenly sitting in the living room, waiting for Smith) but having been taught by Sir Joey in Comm2, these glitches didn't go unnoticed. The movie had a handful of cuts that it bleeds.


Grabe naman, Ms./Mrs. Laguardia (I hope I got her name right). Please choose which films do deserve your cutthroat discipline (pun definitely intended) and which do not. Sayang kasi. I hope the DVD version (orig, opkors) will be literally uncut. Not because I'm some hot-blooded pervert easily turned on by these scenes but because I went to the cinema expecting a full, whole, unglitched version of the movie. No scene-jumping, please.


It wouldn't be titled  Sex and the City if it contains no "sex", right? Common sense people. And why would a parent let her child or anyone for that matter watch such a film without expecting sex scenes. Kaya nga sa title pa lang may warning na. Sex and the City. No subliminal messages there.