'Type' Kita

One of my lesser (but in the end, will be one of the greater) concerns regarding law school life is the handwriting part. I have (or I'd like to think that I do have) substance in writing but I lack the form part. I may have bright and not-so bright ideas but sometimes I have a difficulty conveying them without the use of technology.

Example: I have lots of things going on in my head; lots of opinions on everything... well, basically, I have a lot to say but I have a difficulty conveying these ideas through public speaking. Being an Org president and law student, people readily (and quite wrongly) assume that I take public speaking with ease. No I don't. Second to performing in front of many people, this is one of my greatest fears. I find it relatively easier to write down my thoughts rather than actually speak them.

But, here's the problem... the writing part is actually typing. In order for me to be able to convey successfully my thoughts and ideas to other people--which, for me, is the main point of communication--I have to use technology. Thus, I type relatively well compared to most people. I type better than I write. :)

You see, I'm one of those gifted people who draws and does lettering wayyy better than writing. My brother Jay and I blame our faulty handwriting to not being strictly-taught by our father, who taught ate Jane who has one of the clearest handwriting in the world, and to being taught to write by a pre-school named "Quick Learners." Haha, quick indeed.

My nearly indiscernible Morse Code-like handwriting was one of the reasons why I thought of entering Med school instead of law school. People kept saying, "Ang pangit naman ng sulat mo, pang-doktor." Doctors, as I was told, had an excuse for having a not-so legible handwriting because the burden of proof, haha, of understanding their handwriting lie on the pharmacists who read the prescriptions they wrote. They weren't forced to try to have a more legible handwriting.

In contrast, law school is all about writing. That exams are handwritten, that some profs prefer handwritten case digests, that the bar exam is all about four Sundays of writing legibly, and as I learn through the Leg Big homework earlier this week, that even homeworks are handwritten. Oops.

To be honest, I was surprised, and to a point relieved, to find out that I was not the only one, in our block at least, to have the scrappiest handwriting but others had the handwriting thing going for them. And I mean, really. They were like lean-mean breathing handwriting machines.

Here are a couple of photos of the handwriting of my blockmates...

Kirby's

Richard's

and mine...

Although I was not alone in having a not-so legible handwriting, I realized, sadly, that mine was one of the most indiscernible ones.

Hayyy. Another area to improve. And I'm not even concerned about passing the bar exams, I'm thinking about passing my exams this semester.

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Sana pwedeng i-type na lang ang sagot sa exams. :/

Food for thought

Great things may break us; the smallest things glue us back together.






.

The Old Has Gone; The New Has Come

With every old thing thrown away, I believe there is something new to gain. Either its a renewed hope, renewed fear, or something as tangible as a new band.

Almost a couple of years back, I started wearing this ICanServe awareness band--much like a baller ID--for the advocacy to battle breast cancer and well, it also stood for another, more personal reason. Before Graduation last April 2010, that band snapped. It was the second of the same design already; for the first snapped while I was in Batanes. I took it as a sign--a goodbye sign of sorts. All things I did, and happened to me while in Undergrad (funny, painful and downright interesting), I realized, as that band snapped, should be chalked up to experience--and not something I have/should to dwell on no matter how memorable and how unique they are.

So, as melodramatic as it may sound--and believe me I rarely get this dramatic--I chalked up everything to experience. Life lessons, as they say.

Come law school, though, I didn't see it coming. I didn't see myself acquiring another band. I didn't foresee that that something that I was gaining in replacement of the other would be as tangible/as literal as this. Yes, the Universe have conspired to let me have one--for without one, I feel empty. My left wrist, aside from the occasional watch I wear to class, is left bare.

But this one, this particular band has an altogether different meaning. The difference between the band of then and now are these:

1. This New one was given by a friend who went to Macau for summer; I bought the other one from PinkRibbon.

2. This New one was a harmony of pastel colors--a sign of brighter things ahead, maybe?--while the Old one was black with the occasional pink and white letters.

3. The Old one stood for deeper and maybe darker or sadder memories while this New one stands for, I guess, not much. HAHA It's up to me to make it mean something, right?

4. This New one said: When I grow up, I will run away and join the circus. The old one said: ICanServe. While the other stood for greater, more nobler causes/goals, this New one simply stood for personal (not necessarily, less) nobler gains. I'm not saying that I will forget the causes of the Old one, it's just that this New band reminds me where my priorities lie (the present) and the things I value (friends, family, loyalty, etc.).

5. All things that the Old one reminded me of, the New one reminds me to put aside for greater things. ;-)

 

 

The Marcel Proust Questionnaire

The Marcel Proust Questionnaire

What is your most marked characteristic?
_RATIONALITY and SENSE (be it common sense, sense of humor etc)

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
_GRADUATING WITH LATIN HONORS FROM UP, and yes, GETTING INTO UP LAW

When and where were you happiest?
_WHENEVER/WHEREVER I'M WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY

What is your greatest regret?
_THINKING TOO MUCH ABOUT WHAT OTHERS MAY SAY

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
_BEING ABLE TO DO WHAT I WANT TO

What is your most treasured possession?
_MY GLASSES, without them I could not see the world clearly

Where would you like to live?
_If not the PHILIPPINES, maybe NETHERLANDS

What is your greatest fear?
_LOSING SOMEONE THAT IS DEAR TO ME

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
_TOO MUCH RATIONALITY

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
_IGNORANCE, IRRESPONSIBILITY

Who is/are your hero/es in real life?
_WALA

Who is/are your heroine/s in real life?
_MAMA and ELAINE MENDOZA. Go figure.

Who is/are your hero/es in fiction?
_Does CHUCK BARTOWSKI count? If not, perhaps JOHN COREY, WALTER FANE

Who is/are your heroine/s in fiction?
_SARAH from Sweet November and SYLVIA from Wrong Information is Being Given Out in Princeton by JP Donleavy

What is/are your favorite name/s?
_GABRIEL, HENRY, CARLA, RIA

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
_HONESTY XD

What is your greatest extravagance?
_BOOKS

What is your favorite journey?
_TO THE UNKNOWN, haha. pero seriously, LIFE :)

What is it that you most dislike?
_HYPOCRISY

What is the quality you most like in a man?
_SENSITIVITY

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
_CERTAINTY

What do you most value in your friends?
_LOYALTY

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
_A WRITER or maybe AN INVISIBLE CREATURE

How would you like to die?
_QUICKLY, NO PAIN IF POSSIBLE

'Twas Fun While It Lasted

Today, It snapped.

Although I was aware of  the frailty and brevity of Its "life," I was still taken aback. Of all places, of all times, of all moments, It chose to snap when I wasn't looking, when I was unaware.

It snapped days after it sinked in me that I wasn't getting any nearer, that I wasn't getting anywhere. This would have been a perfect time, as if God, or someone else who controls the littlest details in this universe, cued for his Angels, or whomever, to cut It to make me realize how fruitless that path was, and I'd have to switch gears soon.

Though I would love to continue Its advocacy, I realize the attachments I gave to It shackled me in a way that made it hard for me to let go. With It around my wrist, I was constantly reminded of all the things I could not achieve, I could not have, and all the things I gave more priority to. It reminded me of weaknesses I could not strengthen, vices I could not avoid, flaws I could not straighten out, desires I could not simply ignore, and memories I could not forget.

Sadly, it reminded me of my personal commitment, obviously one-sided, to all things connected to that past.

Now my wrist is left bare--without that familiar band encircling me, keeping all my emotions in check. It has left a white discoloration on my relatively darker complexion--a constant reminder that It may have snapped and that I had to move on but there's nothing wrong with missing Its presence for in Its existence I experienced a different joy in my heart that never fails to put a smile on my face once remembered, a feeling that I chose, sadly, never to feel again.

The Universal Language

If it's any worth to you, or to anyone, because it is of no use to me... uhh, well, most of the time... I know how to curse in four different languages. And that's not because I Google-Translated cuss words in these languages.

Filipino
English
French
Russian

The most memorable (in a not-so-good but funny way) experience I had with cursing was when I was around 10 or 11 years old. My youngest brother James was annoying me--this has become his natural-born talent--and I just had to do something. So yes, I uttered--no, shouted at him, the words, "Fuck you" as he ran away just as I was asking him to ran an errand for me. My baptism of fire, my red test, so to speak.

Upon hearing the F word come out of my young mouth, what my brilliant mom did was this: she called me back into the house, (The way she said, "Joann pumasok ka nga dito sa loob" gave me the [correct] idea that I was in big trouble.) and asked/ranted about what I said and why I said it. Then, (Surprise! Surpise!) she asked me to get our bulky and dusty Webster's Dictionary--because she knew how I loved that piece of shit--and made me look for the words I just uttered. (Surprise! Surprise!) The word "Fuck" cannot be found anywhere in that heavvyyy peace of shit. Moral lesson, as my mom pointed out, that word was so bad, it meant so bad, that it was not fit to be learned and used by an educated person. Let alone a child of my age.

This experience made me shun the "F" word for the most part of my growing years. In high school though, I opted to use and curse (still) in English rather an in Filipino because it sounds less... vulgar. Words like "shit" and "fuck" and "fudge" became staples in my vocabulary as the years went on. I even used "shit", "oh fuck" and "fucker" more than "oh god" or variations thereof.

But I became inclined to using the Filipino language more because I acquired the belief that it was "so conyo" to use English words as cuss words. So, "gago" and even "puta" slowly became part of my everyday words. Though I still have some reservations for using "putang-ina" or "tang-ina" because I think/believe that the more frequent I use these words, the more times I drag my mom's name (and all other mothers' names) into something bad--shameful, even.

I learned to curse the Russian way (Yeb vas) from Nelson DeMille's book "Lion's Game" (in the book though, "Yob vas" was used). Yeah, one of the many Joys of reading. *wink* These two simple Russian words might come in handy, as Russians are known to be un-hospitable, indifferent and, to some point, rude. I'm ready for you, Klaus, Boris, and Natasha. Ha ha ha

Come senior year in UP, I learned how to curse in French during the very first meeting of French 10. AND I learned to curse in 3 different ways: Va te faire foutre, Va te faire enculer, and Putain. I believe these are very handy phrases/words to know. It is for those Emergency/I-need-a-backup-plan moments when you find yourself in a sticky encounter with the French-speaking population (which is btw, an enormous number) and you feel the need to curse. He he

Still, nothing beats the old but trusty way of getting messages, whether pleasant or hateful, across using the language almost everyone understands... body language. I have yet to use this language though because I find it rather offensive. You see, I'm a visual person.

So, what does this mean? Does my extensive *ehem ehem* knowledge on cuss words and cursing in different languages reflect to a violent, war-freak behavior? I hope not. To be honest, I'm trying not to curse too much and/or just utter these phrases in vain, in pain--or whatever. And to be more perfectly honest, I haven't said the Russian and French versions to any human/living being. Nor have I used, as pointed out, body language towards anyone to convey my message of hate.

Let me be clear that I do not encourage anyone or everyone to curse all they like because I think this is a bad habit I need to shun to be become a real Christian.

I think the knowledge of these words provide me some sort of security (albeit rather shallow or superficial, depending on your views) that in case someone of whatever nationality harasses me or does something I do not like, I can say it straight in their faces, in a language they could understand.

Be it in Filipino, English, French, Russian or plain old "giving (them) the finger."

One More Reason To Love Saturdays

Just the other day a friend asked me, "Bakit mo love ang Saturdays?" Well, probably he didn't see my other posts. Now, I have one more reason.. Technically, the great news was delivered to me on a Friday (12 February 2010), and I took the exam on a Sunday (22 November 2009).. which makes Saturday in-between those days, but instead of making today, this Saturday in particular (13 February 2010) mediocre, the news only made me love Saturdays even more because today I get to wake up thinking, "Shit, nakapasa ako sa LAE."

Thank you Lord for this great great blessing.

(Well, since I've written a more comprehensive blog in my Multiply account, I'd stop here.)

Stop Kahirapan--the right way

Sadly, Philippine elections is highlighted (or marred) by fraud, violence, and well, popularity. There is no need to dwell in fraud and violence for as of now with about four months to go 'til the May2010 elections, these two things are sprawled all over the news. So I'll dwell on the last one, having seen one of its effect/example the latest.

Tropa ni Manny

While on a bus on my home to Laguna, I saw this segment, some sort of game show, on Eat Bulaga! that looks and smells (figuratively, of course) fishy. The segment, hosted by Michael V. (*hint hint*), Ruby Rodriquez and other orange-clad (*hint hint*) hosts of the show, started with Michael V. rapping and singing (and everyone else doing this supposed-to-spread dance move) to song entitled, I suppose, Stop My Hirap. The mechanics of the "game" was this: before the start of the show, the live audience of Eat Bulaga! were asked to complete the phrase: "Nais ko..." on an orange (*hint again*) paper and put into some transparent container, from where Michael V. would get one, thus, proclaiming "the winner." This winner is then given the chance to spin a color-coded roleta--no names, different hues of the color orange, and the familiar "check" sign at the top of the roleta. The Grand Prize was P25,000 + groceries. After spinning twice (because the first one resulted to the "check" pointing to the line between two pizza-shaped portions of the roleta), "the winner" still didn't land on the coveted orange spot, but Michael V. decided to just give away the Grand Prize (*HINT HINT*). What the--

I admit, when the talk of the May2010 elections came up in 2009, I said I would vote for Villar (I guess by now, we all got the hint that that portion was his pakana). But seeing how he tries (vainly, painstakingly, and expensively at that) to out-popularize Noynoy, Gibo, Erap and other presidentiables, I suddenly abhor him. He shows the makings (or even the result?) of a Traditional Politician. Trapo, ika nga.

A friend once said to me, "Nakakatakot kaya siya (Villar) kasi andami niyang ads." The reality, implications and gravity of this statement didn't come to me until I saw that lousy, cheap-shot Eat Bulaga! segment and Villar parading himself in pristine white in Wowowee on the same day at that! I was forced to look into the future, a la Nostradamus and the Mayan calendar makers, where he is the President, and I came back with a question, "Pa'no niya kaya babawiin lahat ng ginastos niya sa kampanya kapag naging presidente siya?" (How will he regain the costs incurred by the campaign when he becomes President?) The answer was simply, "Alam na."

Giving out money easily, in game shows or wherever, just goes to show what kind of President he will be, at least from my point of view. He is and will be promoting the (bad) practice of dole-outs, just like Wowowee and Willie Revillame (I weep for the deterioration of Eat Bulaga!). Having seen that anyone could have such amount of money in almost less than twenty minutes, Filipinos would now envision themselves being "uprooted" from poverty by such quick, un-merited and value-less ways. They would rather waste their time lining up for such contest opportunities, or worse wait for these opportunities to knock on their doors (literally) than work and strive hard--which, I believe, is the true Filipino way.

Saturday Soliloquy 6: Why I'm DEFINITELY loving the Saturdays of 2010

Just to update. I love Saturdays because of...

1. UAAP Women's Volleyball games. Watching these games over Studio23 (made possible by ABS-CBN Sports, Thank you guys!) almost eats up four to five hours of my Saturday afternoons. It has become an addictive habit. And here I am breaking partly another New Year resolution (Not getting addicted to another, one more series). Well, technically this is not a series but still an addiction. This is not new though for I have been watching volleyball ever since... the Desiree Hernandez and Diane Gotis days of La Salle. But I newly acquired it since the games started mid- or late 2009. So, anyway, I am still rooting for La Salle (9-0 na!)--even in that year when Alarca was unenrolled and they got suspended--this year and for the years to come! Unlike Hector the Heckler (I refuse to call him a fan) whose "monstrosity" I personally witnessed in an Adamson (the team he was rooting for) and UST women's volleyball game last January 13, 2010 at the Arena in San Juan. 

2. Chuck Season 3. The 7:30pm timeslot is just perfect because the Women's Volleyball games usually end at 6pm or so, giving me time to wash the dishes(!) which I am tasked to do on Saturdays which brings me to my next reason...

3. the "opportunity" to use the Internet all (mor)night long! This may sound mababawa but... well, you see, I belong in a big family of six, all of whom use the Internet hooked to one laptop (except for my father, who actually bought the thing haha). You get the picture? So to avoid cutting each other's throats and screaming our lungs out in reminder, "Pa-Internet naman," my brothers devised a "schedule": whoever is tasked to wash the dishes, a.k.a "the toka" (we have schedules for this too) goes to use the Internet at night, which, btw, is faster. So this translates to more/faster time to DL stuff. Hehe

4. the Saturday paper. Time and again, I've said/shared that I enjoy immensely reading the morning weekend newspaper (The Philippine Star, to be specific), and yes, this practice is so... suburbs na suburbs! I especially love the Supreme fold because they have a lot of good, young, and I may say, "budding" writers, and directors (this is where I first knew of the Pepe Diokno).

5. (to put it simply) the at-home-sa-Laguna life. You have to be here and experience it though because no words could describe the feeling I get whenever I get a whiff of the cold suburban night air (or the balmy one during the day) or whenever I wake up in the same bed I grew up sleeping in or whenever I see the food (usually breakfast, because I usually do the laying out part for lunch and dinner) prepared and laid out before me...

and a lot of other intangible, incomprehensible, unnoticeable, un-point-able reasons. I love Saturdays.

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You may want to read:


Saturday Soliloquy 1: Must Sees 
Saturday Soliloquy 2: Tsk, tsk, tsk  
Saturday Soliloquy 3: Quickie 
Saturday Soliloquy 4: Meeting the Mother 
Saturday Soliloquy 4 (Pahabol) 
Saturday Soliloquy 5: Poverty porn, fash speak, and celebirty spawns

Deflections

Though I find it easier (and getting more easier) to think/conjure/write a bunch of words--actually, at least a paragraph--in reaction to something. I know my reaction/okray skills are getting better as I get older (I think) but I would have been more thankful if this getting-better-okray skills translated to something academic--because really, no matter how much I try to convince myself that grades really don't matter in "the real world," I think/feel they do. We all have our convictions.

At the start of the year, I had three principles that I'm supposed to live by this year, but I failed at the first one--saying Yes to everything--the moment Ren asked/said to me last Tuesday, "Tara, inom." I don't know if saying "no" to "acquiring" yet again this sole "vice" of mine is a good or bad thing. But after reading the introductory essays on/to Jack Kerouac's original scroll of On The Road, I realized that he is right, life is a series of deflections. And that same instance with Ren showed that I was deflected from my initial goal of saying "Yes" to everything thus putting me in that position where I am supposed to be making yet another goal, in response to that deflection.

Another (seemingly simple yet complex) example. When I was in high school my sole goal/aspiration in life was to go to college and be a lawyer as soon as I can. Because, to be honest, I was one of those crazy/nerdy high school kids that wish nothing more but to graduate because they think everyone else is not living up to their expectations. Yes, I was that mayabang though I didn't show it. In my mind, and believe me this is the first time I will be admitting this in writing (I haven't done so verbally), I believed that I was smarter than everyone else--including my teachers. That everybody didn't read enough.

Come college, I was right though... everyone in high school, at least in mine, didn't read enough. I just got my high school yearbook and I noticed despite being First Honorable Mention I had no other awards aside from the Leadership Award and Best in TLE (Technology and Livelihood Education). The latter, I think, was a consolation because I was the only honor student in the top three who didn't receive anything else. Yes, I admit I wasn't textbook smart--hell, I even copied off others' papers during CAT exams--but I knew and believed, then, (this may sound cliche-ic) that I was destined for something greater. :O So, anyway, I was slightly deflected from my sole goal in life: Law School (though I still want to be a lawyer). I now have another (additional) goal: Reading More.

Now, with less than 12 weeks before graduation (thanks to Ate Josh for counting), I ask myself, "Is this the greatness I have envisioned for myself four/five years ago?" Or is there something greater than this? I know and choose to believe that there is. Because I realized once you get to that point of greatness you envisioned for yourself in the past, you seek for another "greatness", for greater-than-great things. Ah, one of the (fallible) qualities of the human race, discontent, which can be good and bad.

I guess what Kerouac mentioned as life's deflections has something to do with (hu)man's inherent discontentment. You wish to achieve something which you think will define your existence (or at least, make it livable) and when you achieve it, you realize/decide something else will define you more/better.

For some, this (pseudo) philosophical ranting may be gibberish or may mean nothing now but I guess, ten to fifteen years down the road, I want to look back and find out that 20 year old me was doing its best to achieve more, become greater or at least, try--with or without (the necessary) deflections.

(Do Not) Make Me A Supermodel (or Designer)

I always pride myself on being able to make the right guesses. Well, most of the time. Be it in a academic-related situation or as random as guessing who will win what reality show or simply who wins a particular sporting match. My so-called Guessing Track Record speaks for itself. I correctly predicted Fantasia Barino to win season three (or was that four) of American Idol; Amber Brkich in Survivor All-Stars, Flo and Zach in Amazing Race season four (yata); La Salle over... well, anybody else (haha) in women's volleyball... and so on.

But, in the all the wins I predicted, I grief (haha) over the one win I didn't predict is so great I had to blog about it. After watching--for countless times already--the Part 1 of Project Runway Philippines finale, I finally had the chance to watch the Part2--the juicy part. Upon seeing the collections of Manny, Santi and Russell, I hastily predicted Santi Obcena to take the "crown"--so to speak, basing on his "Warla" explanation and so-called concept of his collection. I thought watching all those episodes from Season 2 made me fashion literate, at least. But I guess not.

To be honest, I didn't like Russell's collection any bit, and my reaction towards Manny's was more of indiffence bordering on dislike. I was rooting for Santi just like Brent Javier and Sarah Meier. Yeah, I was thinking like them already. But Manny Marquez went on to win the competition--and the trip to Milan--because he showed the most "potential."

This failure of prediction, a blemish, so to speak, to my otherwise reliable Guessing Instincts just goes to show how ignorant and how un-fashionable I am. I am too visual. I lack the know-how in different techniques and styles. This is not a painful realization because I know I suck at fashion. Srsly. Though I do love watching Project Runway Philippines and Make Me A Supermodel.

But I guess, watching shows about fashion will not make me fashionable, in the same vein as watching volleyball games doesn't make a volleyball player. Good thing though being a supermodel (or fashion designer) and volleyball player is not high up in my list of Jobs That I Would Love To Have.

I want to blog like Jason

More than wanting his singing or guitar-playing or songwriting skills, which I would love to have any day, at this very moment (and the few minutes before this) I would love to have his other skill... his writing, particularly blogging, skills.

Really.

Click here and see for yourself.

He's just about the coolest guy I know, so far. Freshness epitomized.

Saturday Soliloquy 5: Poverty porn, fash speak and celebrity spawns

It's been a long while since I wrote on a Saturday night (last September to be exact), in reaction to the Saturday paper--The Philippine Star. In short, my Saturday Soliloquy. So to (sort of) start the 2010 right (meaning: informative) here goes my first Saturday Soliloquy for 2010, and my fifth overall, which centers on three key phrases that made noise/s last 2009:

1. "Poverty porn" Filmmaker/columnist Pepe Diokno (Engkwentro) wrote about "poverty porn", as defined to him by a filmmaker friend, being prevalent in Phillipine cinema, particularly the independent filmmaking industry. He says Adolf Alix's Adela, Ralston Jover's Bakal Boys, Jim Libiran's Tribu, and even his own film Engkwentro are a lot like, if not perfect examples of, poverty porn which, in a nutshell, are those films that make its audience "get off" on sad (and inspiring, maybe?) stories of poverty that leaves "that sinking feeling."

Well, if some (if not most) of the audiences "get off" on sad stories of poverty and plight, I think sappy love stories of unrequited/not-so-happy-ending love do the same thing for me. Think Sweet November, Prime, (500) Days of Summer and so on. So that would be called... Unrequited-Loves porn? Bleh. Basta.

I couldn't agree more with Mr. Diokno when he said, "Two centuries ago, it took Rizal's books to spark change. I have no doubt that motion pictures will do that for this age. Today, we read Rizal's books to remember what it was like then. In the future, people will watch films to remember what it is like now."


2. "fash speak" The so-called "fashion-forward people" were asked by Daryl Chang to name "their particular choice of fashion jargon" for 2009. Here are the interesting ones that I may use despite my not-so-fashion-forward status:

aura n. scene in the context of hooking up (Pam Quinones, stylist)

fresh adj. an alternative to fierce, extremely hot (Omar Ermita, makeup artist)

kabog adj. local vernacular that means it beats everything else. Winner. (Rajo Laurel, designer)

scurr v. derivative of scared. Something that's a bit too much to the point of being frightening

wisel adv. a response that expresses no, or I don't, or I can't

3. "Celebrity spawns" If you haven't noticed, today's news is dominated by the sons and daughters (biological, adopted or otherwise). From Jon and Kate Gosselin's (yes, I know they are not that famous but still) eight kids to Maddox and Pax of the Jolie-Pitt brood to Michael Jackson's kids (Paris, Prince Michael I and Prince Michael II) to Baby James to the likes of Frances Bean Cobain (the Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love's daughter), Mick Jagger's children and other Rolling Stones babies--what Gino De La Paz calls the "rock 'n roll offspring." All of them made the news last year, and will sure be making 2010's news as well. De La Paz says that the offspring to look out for is, drumroll please, Lourdes Leon, the Material Girl's mini-me. I say Tom Cruise's and Nicole Kidman's "kids" Isabella and Connor are also age-capable of becoming newsmakers for 2010.

There, done.

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You may want to read:

Saturday Soliloquy 1: Must Sees
Saturday Soliloquy 2: Tsk, tsk, tsk
Saturday Soliloquy 3: Quickie
Saturday Soliloquy 4: Meeting the Mother
Saturday Soliloquy 4 (Pahabol): Winners and Losers (Emmys 2009)

Tickling or Whatever-Verb-is-Appropriate That Hopeless Romantic In Me

There lies somewhere deep within us a hopeless romantic that deserves to be tickled or whatever-verb-is-appropriate once in a while for it not to vanish/die/disappear because we have to admit we need this hopeless romantic at least once (or twice?) in our lives.

I don't remember having tickled or whatever-verb-is-appropriate my hopeless romantic nature this 2009 and since it is about to end barring any global-warming-induced hitches, I was faced with the question, Which movie to tickle it or whatever-verb-is-appropriate with? Since 2008 left me exhausted when I chose to tickle it or whatever-verb-is-appropriate my hopeless romantic nature on someone, this year I figured... watching a movie would be a less taxing endeavor. 

So, (500) Days of Summer or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Both movies have long titles, and I've heard both are good ones. But since I believe that oldies are always better--in movies, music, arts, and even science, research, politics. Basically, you name it, chances are our predecessors are better at it--I watched Eternal Sunshine.

Again, as a testament, to my liking of the film, I quote here a random line said by Joel Barish (played by Jim Carrey) which stuck to my mind for some reason...

Sand is overrated. It's just tiny, little rocks.

Thanks (or maybe no thanks) to Jecy A. and Google for informing me how great the movie is. So, I was going into the movie, thinking... This has got to rock. This has got to knock my socks off.... Despite watching the movie "pre-briefed" (and in Dr. Sheldon Cooper's of The Big Bang Theory words: Once my mind is pre-bombed, it can never be re-bombed.), I still liked it. This decision sure ranks as one of the better decisions I've made this year--despite its seemingly shallow nature.

Like The Beach, Eternal Sunshine made me think--which is what I love about movies, they make me think of all things philosophical (and otherwise) that wouldn't come to mind if not for the movie itself--about the possibility of erasing someone or something from one's mind without affecting other unrelated memories? And can the mind, as what happened with Joel's, develop a resistance to the erasing process once it has started? Is the mind that powerful?

In the end, what the Eternal Sunshine leaves in its viewers' minds is not the possibility and conveniablity (yes, I know that's not a legal word but it sort of means, for me, the state of being convenient) of having memories erased once these memories hurt us but the consequences and the emptiness it leaves. That no matter how bad/painful/[insert negative adjective here] these thoughts, these memories, these people make/made us feel, they still define who we are as a person.

That, everyone, is the moral "lesson"--if you may--of the movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Altered Eclecticism

"It is enough for a person to have to die once, don't make him have to die twice."

-Jose Saramago, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ

I'm not even halfway done reading this book and yet I'm already quoting it. Well, technically I lifted this quote from Bob Corbett (http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/personal/reading/saramago-gospel.html) who did a review of Saramago's "irreverent, profound, skeptical, funny, heretical, deeply philosophical, provocative and compelling" book.

First things first, I'm a Christian--a Born Again Christian, to be specific. But I don't let my faith, my religion interfere or hinder me from intellectual pursuit (yeah, right). As a UP student, I'm taught to be critical of things but I do not drop my faith altogether because this same faith helps me keep my feet on the ground and provide the answers, the solace I need in times of great distress and challenges. But still, I have questions.

And the answers to these unanswerable questions I try to find in other sources--a method in research called triangulation.

I have wanted to read this book by Saramago the first time I saw it at the bookstore. The title, book cover and the author's "Nobel Prize for Literature" made me want the book but the price (yes, that one thing) kept me from buying it. But as a Christmas gift for my blockmate, I picked this book thinking I'll read it first before giving it to him. But it turns out he preferred receiving a long-sleeved polo. So there, I was stuck, fortunately, with the book, which is, by far, the most expensive book I've bought with my own money, for myself.

Anyway, this book, aside from giving a bit different account (take note I'm at pg. 58 of the 341 pages) of Jesus' life, instills in me a rather fleeting doubt of the truth of what the Bible says. Add to this doubt, my UP professors' unsettling empirical facts that goes against what is in the Bible (ie, there were no tables in Jesus' time and yet the Bible says, in different accounts, that there were tables). Remember, lies are like cockroaches--if you see one, there are others. All these "additional" facts made me, yes, doubt the truth behind God and Jesus Christ etc. But I assure you, or anyone else who cares, that this doubt is not big enough to make me refute my faith in Jesus Christ.

Yes, I understand there may be alterations to what really transpired in those times thus, I shouldn't believe everything that is laid for me as facts. What I do is this, I become eclectic. Yes, I believe that Jesus Christ is my Savior, I believe that our faith (supproted by our actions) saves us, I believe that everyone should be treated equally--men, women, rich, poor, I believe that things--whether we like it or not, whether it seems good or bad--happen to us because God allows them to happen, and that He wouldn't let it happen if it's not good for us, in any way. I believe we have no right to judge others according to morality because the very idea of morality is a mere social construct. Thus, the central thesis of my so-called eclectic belief system is this: If what you're doing does not hurt others in any way, do it. Because chances are it makes you really happy. As a social science major (I don't want to call myself a social scientist just yet), I believe in this,

".... in a great history little truths can be altered so that the greater truth emerges."

-Umberto Eco, Baudolino, Chapter 40

Maybe, just maybe, Saramago altered the "truth" so that the greater truth emerges. Hmm get it?

"Men, forgive Him, for He knows not what He has done."

It's now about how long it is; it's how you use it.

I have said time and again that if I quote things, it only means I (to say the least) like them. Lines from movies, songs, books, etc. So here's the latest batch of words to live by. Or at least, listen to.

"If you want to find something, you have to stop looking." -Dr. Temperance Brennan, Bones

"Nothing in this world worth having comes easy." -Dr. Kelso, Scrubs

"I'm trying to get there, Turk, I'm just not there yet." -Carla, Scrubs

"Don't come here editing my life just 'cause you're not happy with yours." -Kenny, Last Kiss

"There's no Morocco. There's never been a Morocco." -William Miller, Almost Famous

"Let's get scared together." -Carl Allen, Yes Man

"He's like Gandhi, only better: He likes puppets." -Dwayne the Bartender, Forgetting Sarah Marshall

"Friends are like glasses. They make you look smart but get scratched and then bore you. Lucky for me, I got Sophie." -Julien, Jeux d'enfants

"Perversion is a matter of taste, like Chinese food. You like it or don't." (paraphrased from Jeux d'enfants)

So it's safe to say I like the movies (and/or the actors) where these lines came from. As with the movie, I especially like the line from Almost Famous because it shows the "secret" aka unique character/essence of the movie. You won't understand what the line means unless you've watched the movie--or Googled it. Haha

More than the movie's story, I like it's ending because it sort of gives you, us, the viewers, the chances to think of an ending of our own. Maybe, just maybe, (and I say this because I'm pro-William-and-Penny) William called Penny, just like what Russell suggested, and did what they failed to do the entire movie. Talk. Haha

Anyway, do you agree with my new list? Good. No? Go make your own list, and get back to me. I may like some of them.

The Birthday and Christmas Timeline

1st Birthday Party. You're too young to care and enjoy. People go to your party to eat amazing food (1st birthday party foods are usually better than good because it's the first the family tends to overdo the first one, really) and watch you drool over your mom's (or maybe your dad's or the yaya's) sleeve. And hey, no one's complaining because at age 1 everything is considered cute.

Christmas When You're One. Chances are you're probably asleep with your parents "oohhh-ing" and "awww-ing" about how great it is to spend their first Christmas with you--although you don't know what the hell is happening.

7th Birthday Party. You (or your parents) invite your "friends"--but you and I know they're the same people who bully you at school and at the playground--(and their guardians) to a party with prizes, clowns, cake, ice cream, spaghetti.... and if you're lucky, magic. Everybody's nice because hey, it's your party.

Christmas When You're Seven. Or when you're young. You and your family troop over some relatives' place for a big reunion--or maybe your family is the one hosting the ritualistic event. You (and your equally young and pissed) cousins are tasked and sometimes bullied into performing something that shows how cute and talented and fun kid all of you are. It's either belting out any Celine Dion song (to knock their socks off) or singing and dancing to the latest dance craze. For seven year olds this year, it would be "Nobody, Nobody But You."

16th Birthday Party. You're not quite sure what to do, who to invite and what the theme is gonan be (if there is gonna be one) so you just go with the "safe" choices of either just treating some friends out to dinner (or at home) or not having a party altogether.

Christmas When You're Sixteen. You spend most of the time, during the annual family reunion, locked up in the attic (or somewhere) telling the kids horror stories or watching cable in your uncle's and aunt's room.

18th Birthday Party. Finally, the day when you're allowed to do something you want. Either have a grand party complete with dresses, tuxes, ties and 18-somethings or you just treat all the cool people you know out for drinks. Yes, you're legally do buy what you want to drink so might as well exercise it.

Christmas When You're Eighteen. You're allowed to drink with the "adults." You're offered drinks and obliged to drink them. Yay! for some. And for some lucky ones, they're allowed to get drunk.

20th Birthday Party. You feel somewhat nostalgic for not being a teen-ager anymore although you know deep down you have done a lot of not-so-teen stuff when you're halfway through the last decade of your teen years. You definitely treat people out for drinks... and do some other stuff 20-somethings do--whatever that may be.

Christmas When You're Twenty. You actively participate in organizing your barkada's Christmas Party because you realized it is more fun to celebrate Christmas (even an early one) with your friends and/or classmates. You do "fun stuff twenty-somethings" do, and try to forget about these things the morning after.


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Although this is not a verbatim transcription (Hahaha, alam na) of what my Christmas and Birthdays are like, I can safely say this is an honest guess of what usually happens on Christmases and Birthdays during these "formative" (haha) years. And since I haven't gone past twenty I have yet to experience what Birthdays and Christmas are like when you're twenty-one and so on. So tune in for updates. Haha

Pre-LAE thoughts

I'm trying my best not to freak out about the UP LAE tomorrow at 7:30am but, just as I was about to sleep, I see a batchmate's (a PolSci student) Facebook status saying something about LAE and laing. Haha Now I'm freaking out.

But srsly, I think I'm going to flunk this one. 1) I haven't studied well enough (like the others); 2) people say it's like the UPCAT only tougher. Well, guess what I technically didn't pass the UPCAT. So.. and 3) I'm not so hell-bent on spending another four years of my life being shouted at (because from what I hear, that's what they are experiencing there--at Malcolm Hall).

Hay. Buti na lang I'm too tired to think too much.

Thank you my ever-loyal "companions" Scrubs, Bones, and Glee. :)

HELL YEAH

HELL YEAH

17 November 2009


No matter how hard I try to imagine winning over the would-be make-or-break moments of my life, and no matter how badly I wanted to react with instinct and irrationality (and everything else that is needed to do that one thing I wanted), I think it will all boil down to one thing: doing what is right.

I came this l l close to one of those make-or-break scenarios I've thought about... about a few weeks ago. To cut the long and controversial story short, when the opportunity presented itself in the most mundane and straightforward way than I could have imagined, I chose the right way.

In this post be reminded that:
Right = safe

In that crucial moment when I was asked in front of the most intimate friends to do that one thing I would have loved to try--no one else knew how badly I wanted to say "yes" easily but I had to act unfazed, of course--I said, "No." Well not a verbatim "no" but something to that effect. Why? Because during those crucial moments of hold-your-breath two-second silence, my mind fastforwarded to the next minute, the next day, and hell, even the next months if I did reply "Hell yeah" to that question. I thought of the consequences, all negative of course to convince myself it wasn't worth it, that a "yes" would have brought to everyone--considering the "haziness" of everything, of everyone.

To say more about that make-or-break moment would be close to revealing its nature and the circumstance/situation that happened--and I'd rather not do that. Because really, as I think of it, even if I blog/rant about "emotional" and non-emotional moments in my life, I still TRY to maintain a tinge or a hint of vagueness. (See the Headlights and Deer series.)

Now, of course, I feel that "Sayang" feeling everybody has after turning their back on something that they have wanted for so long yet has to say "no" to just because. But let me say this, if and when that moment presents itself in whatever manner possible/imaginable, I would definitely, without blinking, say, HELL YEAH. Just because.

Parallel Universe

The idea of the existence of a parallel universe somewhat appealed to me.

Parallel universe. For some, it's a destination. A location. A specific place. A latitude and longitude. A specific part on the face of the Earth. For some, it is simply a state of mind. Ironically, the latter thinking is not simpler per se, in fact, it's more complicated than finding the physical location of a parallel universe--if there is one--but when one is contented with his/her state of mind, if one attains the peace he/she has been looking for, everything becomes simpler.

Siddharta Gautama/Gautama Buddha was right when he posited that, to end suffering is to end one's desire. When one desires nothing/no one, suffering will not be attained. This may seem too much simplification, but really, think about it. No desire, no disappointment, no suffering.

I think Richard (from The Beach, played by Leonardo DiCarpio) was right when he said something like... "I still believe in Paradise. But now I know it's not someplace you look for. Because it's not where you go. It's how you feel in a moment in your life when you're part of something. And if you find that moment, it lasts forever."

To be honest, I think the geography/physical aspect of Paradise/Parallel Universe is important--and for some people, an inevitable characteristic in the assumption/imagination of its existence. One has to be physically isolated from what he/she was used to in order to feel the freedom and be free from the "shackles" of his/her usual way of living. I do not want to sound philosophical here but one has to feel this freedom before embracing something new. 'Cause I think, no matter how much we think about it, Paradise/Parallel Universe is way better than we imagine it to be.

The opportunity and the actuality of being part of something special--"that moment" that "lasts forever"--is hard to find. Hell, maybe some people die without experiencing it. But I do hope I will be not one of those people who miss out on this life-changing, life-lasting moment.

If I was to look back to the closest I got to achieving that near-Paradise or near-Parallel Universe experience, I think it's the whole Batanes practicum experience. In the summer of May 2009, I and twelve other blockmates flew to the northernmost island/province of Luzon, Batanes. It was a heavenly place. Too beautiful for words. The place's beauty can only justified by being there. For two weeks, we laughed, learned and lived miles away from our families, our comfort zones. There were laughs, tears, shouts, whispers and whatnots, but I think what made the whole experience near-Paradise was this.. What happened there, no matter how much we try to capture and preserve the moments (on camera, and in words. hell, even in our memories), will always be in our hearts.

Yes, that sounds too romanticized. But really, when we all came back from Batanes, all thirteen of us--a diverse group of individuals--we brought something with us. Something we cannot point our fingers to, but something that binds us together. I'd like to think that the whole experience made us closer to each other. We may not have much to say to each other when we pass each other in the halls, because some of us were not really friends, but when worse comes to worse, we all can reminisce that experience and smile and say, "Hay, I miss Batanes."

But like what Richard said, "We adapt. We carry on." We all did--though nothing "tragic" happened there like in the movie. We had to face the sad fact that no matter how much we clicked in Batanes, we're not really buddies or pals or lunchmates in Manila. We had different priorities and cliques. That no matter how much we loved that experience, we had to go back to what/who we were before that experience.

Maybe that was my near-Paradise/Parallel Universe experience, in the nearly two decades of my life.



Or maybe not.

I really don't know what this near-Paradise/Parallel Universe moment is. Maybe it has happened already. Or maybe it hasn't. Or maybe, just maybe, it's currently happening. I just want to be aware when it does.

Scrubs: Yes I took the hit*

Here's a hint: If I like someone/something, I quote it. Books, authors, songs, TV shows, a famous/infamous personality, celebrity, politician, whatever. If I quote he/she/it, then there's a good chance that I like it/him/her/them.

The Big Bang Theory
How I Met Your Mother
Chuck
Dr. Thirteen (House)
Bones--but not too much because there's not much to quote anyway
Chuck Palahniuk--really, this guy is clever with lines
Jonathan Lethem
Chinua Achebe
Mohsin Hamid
J. P. Donleavy
Leonardo DiCaprio
Nelson DeMille--I quoted this guy and I won P1000worth of Globe load (The first time I really won at something that involved luck). I didn't claim the load though. Haha. The line: The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you're finished. Clever, huh.
Barbie Almalbis-Honasan
Gino dela Paz
William Shakespeare
Colin Hay
Alexi Murdoch
Hootie & the Blowfish
Joshua Radin
Tristan Prettyman
Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz again
Snow Patrol
and so on...

I'm really into Scrubs now, since the abovementiond series/shows I'm into are either ongoing--which means I only get to see an episode a week--or are in hiatus/break. I am what some may call a late-bloomer when it comes to liking/loving Scrubs (hey it's already going on its 9th season when I picked it up) but you see, the saying/cliche "better late than never" not only applies to school/work stuff. Just to give you an idea how "late" of a bloomer I am in terms of series and TV shows, I haven't watched a single complete episode of Friends. Yes, in all its 10-season run, I haven't watched a full episode--though I am aware who the characters are, just not to be baduy or on the receiving end of the rhetorical yet degarding question, "What rock have you been hiding under?"

So anyway, back to quoting. Here's a good line from JD (aka Dr. John Michael Dorian) of Scrubs:

"Because even if it breaks your heart to be 'just friends',

if you really care about someone, you'll take the hit."

Okay.  So maybe one of the reasons why I like/love Scrubs is because I'm a romantic sap and all that. Maybe. But really. I like the show because:

1) It's less than 30mins an episode. I barely notice the time I spent just watching it. You see, I have a very short attention span. Where was I? Hahaha joke lang. But really, time constraints me to a particular show/series. Time--the same reason why I got hooked on The Big Bang Theory (and other "short-episoded" series) and not, say, Fringe (look, I've had a crush on Joshua Jackson ever since he was Pacey but really, that show's longgggggg), and just recently, House (which I hope to marathon-through once Season6 is finished :D).

2) It's funny. Not The-Big-Bang-Theory funny but the How-I-Met-Your-Mother-meets-House-meets-Chuck funny. Yeah. That's three of my favorite shows rolled into one. :)

3) The storyline/characters are great. Really. I don't particularly love/like anyone to separate themselves from the pack--like I do Barney or Marshall or Zack or Bones or Chuck or Raj or Sheldon... you get my point do you? I like it that I'm not liking a particular character to single him/her out--because sometimes that could be a bad thing because you're playing favorites and taking sides. I just love (and hate) them all! Hahaha

4) The guest stars are great! I'm watching Season2 (out of the eight that's already shown, season 9's coming up this December 2009) and they've already guested Tom Cavanaugh(!), Colin Hay (yeah, they even guested one of my favorite singers, see what I mean?) Brendan Fraser, David Copperfield, Sarah Lancaster (yeah, Ellie Bartowski!), Sean Hayes (Jack of Will & Grace, as a guy--as in not gay, sorry nasanay lang--medical intern), Heather Locklear, Ryan Reynolds, Richard Kind (you may not know the name but believe me you've seen the guy/that face in some movie/TV show from way back you can't remember exactly), and others you may have seen somewhere but I haven't. Haha

5) I love the music! Joshua Radin! Colin Hay! and a lot of other wonderful stuff I haven't heard of but am loving/will love. :) I realized I can't--since, uh, How I Met Your Mother--love a TV show/series without a good soundtrack. Well, The Big Bang Theory technically doesn't have a soundtrack but having Barenaked Ladies sing your opening theme just about makes up for it.

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*This is not originally a QNBS post but it can, sort of, be considered as such. Except for the possibility of me choosing it as the best since I've finished watching all of it.

**Btw, one of the reasons (who knows, maybe it's the only one) I liked that JD line was because... once a upon a time, in the Kingdom of Nowhereland, during the Time That I'd Rather Push Into The Dark Crevice Known As My Memory, I did took the hit... for a friend. Actually, I did it twice. 

The Joys of Reading Rediscovered

When asked to tell a story of my formative years, I recount this one story that I recently just realized to be weirdly--some may say "cutesy"--funny.

I have three siblings--an older sister and two younger brothers. But my youngest brother James was born much later (three or four years later than Jay) so he wasn't that much included in most of my adventures as a young girl.

With that said, let me go on. Our mom's sister, Auntie Marlyn, gave us presents--I cannot remember what for; I can't even remember who gave use the gifts but I was told later that the gifts were from her. These presents were a set books. Story books to be exact. These story books came in sets of threes so Ate Jing, Jay and I got one each. Each book I later believed to be a hint to our personalities. "Later" meaning college. Haha

Ate Jing being the demure, prim and proper little lady that she was got Little Red Riding Hood. Jay being the rowdy and michievous boy that he is got Puss in Boots. I, lo and behold, got Three Little Pigs. I wonder why. Really. Haha

Anyway, despite the "hidden meaning"--if there really was meaning--of the book, it didn't stop me from liking it. In fact, whenever a TV/cartoon adaptation of Three Little Pigs was shown on TV I would proudly turn to Jay--whose Puss in Boots rarely got adapted--and say, "Oy book ko 'yan." Thus started my (and Jay's) love-hate affair with books. Sometimes he does the loving and I do the hating. But most of the time it's the other way around.

One, if not the only, of the books that we both loved was The Science Library. It was some sort of illustrated encyclopaedia (six slim volumes) on science and experiments for kids. My mom said we used to read it all the time. Sometimes, while in the middle of playing with our other toys, Jay and I would remember The Science Library, and we'd "make halungkat" wherever it is Ate Nita stored it. Then, we'd lose interest and leave it lying around for her to store away again, and for us to remember again. Making her extremely irritated. This interest/disinterest cycle seemed to be window to the future for neither Jay nor I turned into science geeks. In fact, we turned out to be not-so-good with science--especially physics.

The Science Library was the only book (actually it was a set of books) we both loved. I was hooked into reading mostly "serious" stuff that involved story lines like The Fern Gully while he was hooked to informational fascinating stuff like The 1993 Guiness Book of World Records and some science picture books that were given to him as Christmas presents.  

We went on separate ways, so to speak. I read more and more novels. Each more serious (aka classic) than the first. He regarded books as sleep-inducers. He borrows one of mine just to put himself to sleep. And the only published things he laid eyes on, and that captured this attention for more than an hour was.. I hate to admit, porn magazines. Boys.

But like any other journey, recently, our paths crossed--reading-wise. He willingly read--out of boredom--My Imaginary Ex by Mina Esguerra (published by Summit Books), one of my chick lit books. Ha. I didn't expect that of all my books this is the one he would read. And guess what, he liked it too. I guess his secret longing for reading and his deep-down romantic nature drew him to read this slim volume lying on our unused TV set.

I didn't love or even liked this particular book, but hey, at least he read it. And liked it.

He may not like, or even try to read, the books, the novels and the stories I read and love now but it makes me smile to know that somehow he has not forgotten--or has found again--the joys of reading. One of the many things we shared in childhood, and I hope we'll continue to share to adulthood and beyond.

This is my something

To quote a friend's blog:


It's 'that' something that's screaming in your head that you cant say nor can you keep to yourself. it's 'that' something thats not meant for the world to see but neither is it for your eyes only.. it's 'that' something you wanna shout to the world but just cant find the voice to do so. well... this is my something. go find yours^^

Well, this is mine.



(Wala munang Saturday Soliloquy para sa week na 'to. English: No more Saturday Soliloquys for this week.)

(Pahabol/Dagdag) Saturday Soliloquy 4: Winners and Losers (Emmys 2009)

2009 Primetime Emmy Awards Winners and Losers

Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) edged out Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series


Toni Collette--who is she???--(United States of Tara) won over Tina Fey (30 Rock) for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series


Bryan Cranston--who is this guy?!--(Breaking Bad) won over Hugh Laurie (House) for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series


Glenn Close (Damages) won over Holly Hunter (Saving Grace), Mariska Hargitay (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit), Sally Field (Brothers and Sisters), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series


30 Rock won over How I Met Your Mother, Entourage, Family Guy, Weeds, and Flight of the Concords for Outstanding Comedy Series


Mad Men won over House, Damages, Big Love, Breaking Bad, Dexter and Lost as Outstanding Drama Series


The Amazing Race won over Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Top Chef, and Project Runway as Outstanding Reality Competition Program


Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) won over Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

2009 Daytime Emmy Awards Winners and Losers

Good Morning America (ABC) won over NBC’s Today and CBS’ The Early Show for Best Morning Show

Rachel Ray--who are these people?--won over The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Live with Regis and Kelly for Best Talk Show (Entertainment)

Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Whoopi Goldberg and Barbara Walters (The View) edged out Ellen DeGeneres (The Ellen DeGeneres Show) and Rachel Ray (Rachel Ray) as Best Talk Show Host

Cash Cab--what is this show?!?--won over Jeopardy! and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? as Best Game Show

Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Sesame Street




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You may want to read:



Saturday Soliloquy 1: Must Sees 
Saturday Soliloquy 2: Tsk, tsk, tsk 
Saturday Soliloquy 3: Quickie 
Saturday Soliloquy 4: Meeting the Mother

Saturday Soliloquy 4: Meeting the Mother

Together, we can fight Feelings. -Barney Stinson's blog

Just finished How I Met Your Mother Seasons 1 to 4. Yes, that is my week's greatest, biggest, most fulfulling highlight.

It beats that fact that (oops, sorry Strunk and White) last week was my hell week;

It beats finishing that as 122 (History, Politics and Culture of South Asia) paper;

It beats reporting about Gender and Development for BehSci 121 (Gender and Behavior);

It beats the PI100 fieldtrip in Dolores, Quezon (and that was greaaatt ha);

Actually it beats just about everything else. I love that show. It's my F.r.i.e.n.d.s--because I didn't watch that show.

Let's go Season 5! Barney and Robin! and the Mother!


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

You may want to read:

Saturday Soliloquy 1: Must Sees 
Saturday Soliloquy 2: Tsk, tsk, tsk  
Saturday Soliloquy 3: Quickie 

Saturday Soliloquy 3: Quickie*

"It's not a cover; it's his life."

Today I just finished watching Season 2 of Chuck. Err, technically it's not all of it but since what I have was just up to Episode 15, then I guess that can be considered as finished.

Anyway. Chuck's a good entertaining series. Watching it makes me miss Thieves more. That's the series that stars Melissa George as Rita and John Stamos as, well, John and, as you may have guessed by now, they are thieves. When I ask people about this series, no one seemed to have watched it--but me. No wonder it only lasted a season. But, going back to my earlier point, the John-Rita chemistry is very much a resemblance of the Chuck-Sarah chemistry.

Now, where can I get Episodes 16 to 22?!?!?!?!?!?

Quaipo, here I come!

*Quickie because, unlike my other Saturday Soliloquys, this is relatively shorter and therefore quick to make. :) (Glad we cleared that up. Ha ha)

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You may want to read:

Saturday Soliloquy 1: Must Sees 
Saturday Soliloquy 2: Tsk, tsk, tsk