Twilight

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke

My buddies Richard and Verge texted me yesterday, asking me to watch Twilight with them today. I agreed kasi sa Trinoma kami nanuod--mas malapit kasi (since laging Megamall kami nanunuod ng movies if I'm with those two). So about the movie...

The movie starts off with Bella Swann, a girl from Phoenix, moving to Fork, Washington to live with her father. Adjusting to life there, she gains new friends and all. All is well until she meets Edward Cullen, a mysterious and enigmatic boy. They form a tensed and awkward friendship until one incident wherein Bella finds out that there is more to Edward than meets the eye: he's a vampire. Instead of freaking out and running away, she finds herself falling madly in love with him, and likewise. (lol!) A new world opens up for the two star-crossed lovers, as they both struggle to fit in with each others' world.

Okay, first off, I have to say that I haven't read the books. I know its mighty popular, specially with the girls, because of its mushy-mushy love story, kilig factor, and what not... but yeah, I have yet to read the first book. My actual ignorant view of the story is... its like Dawson's Creek and the kind, but with a vampiric twist. Haha!

With that being said, I looked for movie reviews just to know what to expect of the movie adaptation--and the reviews were mixed, with the most common denominator as: "it will appeal to the book fan base but not much for the uninitiated".

But hey, I liked the movie! I expected it to be crap but its actually good, and this is coming from someone who haven't read the book.

The casting was surprisingly good, with the two lead stars having GREAT chemistry. I don't know about those "stare with each other" scenes during the start, I guess that's part of the appeal of the book to generate some "kilig moments", but Stewart and Pattinson actually compliment each other.

The support cast also do their jobs well. I actually found those Cullen coven members cute as a masquerading human family. Haha! But seriously though, I can't base my criticism because I haven't read the book. So I don't know how faithful the characters remained from the book. I guess I'll just ask my friends who read the book and ask their opinion (*ahem* Ade, Donna, Jem, and Che ;p).

Some of the girls inside the cinema house were actually 'kinikilig' at tumitili during some parts of the film, so I guess the movie is successful in maintaining those 'kilig moments' from the book.

My only gripe is the low-budget special effects. I'm talking about those moments when the vampires were using their abilities (with the exception of the baseball scene with the Cullens, I actually dig that part).. like when they move fast then they have those motion blurs around them! Yeah, I know its a romance movie, but shit.. the last time I saw special effects that bad was when I was channel surfing and saw a low-budget movie in Cinemax (Cinemax!!!).

Beside the effects, there's nothing much that I didn't like. At least for me, the movie was actually successful in portraying Bella and Edward's frustration over their vampire-human relationship. And like I've said, I guess it worked since maraming kinikilig na girls sa movie house! Haha!

So I guess this is a good date movie. Girls will definitely appreciate it with those mushy moments. I don't know about the guys though. I guess guys like Dale will not like it much; guys like me and Pilep, who are vampire fanatics, will appreciate it; then guys like Myk (favorite movie of all time is the incredibly sappy/mushy Korean flick, "My Sassy Girl"), who are impossibly hopeless romantics, might actually LOVE it (hahahaha! ewan natin! tanong natin kay Myk pag napanuod niya na! hahaha!) Score: 8/10

Hairspray

Last Friday, we went out to watch Manila adaptation of Hairspray by Atlantis Production. I watched the play along with my "playmates" (friends who also like to watch stage plays! props to ade for coining the term! lol!), Ade and Che, together with Jem and Drey.

Since watching West Side Story, we wanted to watch another musical production. Ade and Che decided to watch Hairspray so I tagged along! Thanks to my nigga Dale for giving me a ticket! Haha!

With the play starting at 8pm, I picked up Che in her house around 6pm. She skipped tutoring just to see the play! Naks! Haha! We then hurried to pick-up Ade, pero medyo traffic. We also got lost along the way to Ade! Haha! Wala kasing left turn, so we went straight ahead. Yung next left turn, sa Robinson's Place na! So Ade walked nalang to meet us! Haha!

But that was the least of our problems. When we got to CCP, SUPER traffic! As in nag-lock yung mga kotse sa traffic. Buti nalang, once we got to the parking lot, may palabas so naka-park kaagad kami! Hehe. We immediately went to the building with a BIG sign saying, "THEATER". Akala namin nandoon yung Hairspray, yun pala concert ng Toto yun! Haha!

Star Theater was at the other side pala, so we immediately went there. We're late, after all. At least, we only missed a few scenes. Drey and Jem, on the other hand, almost missed the whole of the first half. Haha! Galing kasi sila from from work (Makati).

Che, Jem, and Drey

Fil and Ade

The "Playmates"! Haha!

Now talking about the play, it was GREAT! I've heard of Hairspray before as its an award-winning play which was then made into a full motion picture with John Travolta as one of the cast. I knew it was great but I've never seen the movie nor any formats of the play. This is actually the first time I'm seeing an adaptation of Hairspray... and I can proudly say that the Atlantis Production is good! :)

The story is about Tracy Turnblad, an obese teenager who dreams of joining her favorite dance TV program, the Corny Collins Show. Eventually, she got her chance to be on the show. She got noticed by doing some new dance moves, thanks to her black friend, Seaweed. Eventually, she got popular. Wanting to return the favor, she wants Seaweed and the rest of the black community to be accepted (remember that the play is set during the 50s where racism is still rampant) and to be featured into the show. Of course, not all goes well as Tracy gets the ire of the show's producer, the racist Velma Von Tussle. Great humor, dancing, and singing follows! :D

The songs were extremely catchy, and the dance sequence were amazing, thanks to the great cast! The cast included stars such as Michael De Mesa who plays Tracy's mom, Edna; Mechu Lauchengco-Yulo, a seasoned veteran performer as well as a musical director (she directed Stages' West Side Story!), was amazing as the villain Velma Von Tussle; Nyoy Volante was a pleasant surprise as Seaweed... I never knew Nyoy Volante can dance well! Then there's Dulce who plays Motormouth, Seaweed's mom, with great, great vocal range!

The real star however was Madel Ching, who played the chubby protagonist Tracy Turnblad. Drey said it best: "Ang galing niya, para makasayaw ng ganun sa laki niya!" Hahahaha! She's gonna be a star! ;p

The production sets were nice too. Not as extravagant as West Side Story, but still nice.

We were very satisfied. The show was worth the admission. Che was even dancing the whole time during the show!! (hahahahaha!!!! walang kokontra, blog ko ito!! hahaha!)

I think the show lasted for a good 2 hours, and all five of us haven't taken dinner yet! So we rushed towards Harbour Square to have dinner at Dencio's. Drey and Jem left right after dinner. The three of us, however, went to have deserts at Icebergs. Panalo yung mga discussions the whole night. Si Che kasi, very colorful yung mga topics! Hahahaha!! ;p

Around 2am, we decided to go na so I gave my fellow "playmates" a ride home. Haha. I had a really great time. I'm wondering what the next play we'll watch! Haha! (Che and Ade are even contemplating on repeating the Hairspray.. I just read Che's text message now! Haha!)

Anyhoo, I'm actually praying that someone produces a Grease adaptation here in Manila. ;p

Quantum of Solace

Starring: Daniel Craig as James Bond
Directed by: Marc Foster

The 22nd installment of the James Bond franchise is finally here! And I'm a VERY big fan, so you can only imagine how stoked in anticipation I am for this movie (think teenage girls with "Twilight"! haha!).

The story picks up directly where Casino Royale ended. James Bond, out for revenge, catches Mr. White-- the (secret) main bad guy from Casino Royale. Here, they learned that they are facing a powerful secret terrorist organization (Quantum) that is very influential that "they have people everywhere". This was proven when an agent attempted to kill Bond and his boss, M, inside an MI6 headquarters. After Bond dispatches the turncoat assassin, they find that Mr. White has escaped. With Mr. White gone, Bond starts his mission by piecing clues together to learn more about the secret organization. This leads him to Dominic Greene, a chairman of a Environmental Organization, who happens to be one of the high-ranking members of Quantum. Bond is out for revenge!

Ok, so I understand all the "good, but not great" mixed reviews that the film got. I'll go straight to the point: Quantum of Solace is not as good as Casino Royale. It doesn't take a big fan of the franchise to tell the difference. The problem with QOS is that its ALL non-stop action. It's like 90% action, and 10% everything else.

Pretty much like Kill Bill. Volume 1 told how it all started, then Volume 2 concentrated on all-out action (the Bride's revenge).

But don't get the wrong idea. QOS is not a bad film. The action scenes were spectacular... probably the best I have seen in recent times.

The main draw is still Daniel Craig himself. Still phenomenal as James Bond. This time around, Craig's performance is more physically demanding with all those action scenes. I heard, he even broke his arm and sliced of a finger tip! Craig also showed a gritty portrayal of a man quenching for revenge-- taking everything personal, and being reckless.

In this movie, Craig portrayed Bond as he's torn between his duty as an MI6 agent, and his personal vendetta-- revenge for Vesper Lynd. Bond becomes very reckless, killing everyone in his path, that leads to M losing confidence in him, as he's taking everything personal and might start to be liable to the mission.

Aside from Craig, the other standout is Judi Dench, who always gives a great performance. Now aside from Judi Dench, I'm not really impressed with the other casts. Aside from Mr. White and Bond's informer (both from Casino Royale), the cast in QOS is somewhat ho-hum. Mathieu Almaric as Dominic Greene is just an ok Bond villain at best. Olga Kurylenko as the main Bond girl is somewhat boring... she's not the worst, but she's one of the weakest.

So there you have it. It's still a good movie, but not as great as Casino Royale. To Bond fans, watch out for the homage to Goldfinger! Plus, I somewhat missed the gunbarrel sequence from the start... why the hell did they place it during the end!? ;p Score: 7.5/10

Birthday Inuman with Bakal

Wow, and this is the first time since College that I celebrated a birthday without Maki (we always have joint parties). This time around, the venue was at Pilep's.

I was actually feeling not that well during that night, pero tuloy pa rin! Haha. I left the house around 8:30pm na since sasabay raw si Dale... eh nasa Bulacan pa, mga 8pm na! So yun, we were late. Haha!

The funny part was yung binigay ni nigga yung gift. Nag-bigay ng plastic bag sa akin. Akala ko shirt yung gift.. pag tingin ko, t-shirt ko yung nasa loob!

Me: Tae ka nigga, t-shirt ko 'to eh!
Dale: Hindi yan! Merong nasa loob yan! Tignan mo.. baka nahulog!

(stopped over the road, searched the car)

Me: Anu ba yung gift?!
Dale: Basta tignan mo muna diyan..

(tae, ayaw pa sabihin.. hindi ko tuloy alam kung ano yung hihanap namin. haha. mamaya, nag-give up na at sinabi na kung ano.. yung ticket daw sa Hairspray! tuloy ang pag-hahanap! haha)

Dale went back to the overpass where he was waiting.. dun nag-hanap. Ako naman todo hanap sa kotse. Pota. Haha. Then after a while, I finally found it. Nahulog nga sa gilid ng car! Hahaha!

We then proceeded to fetch Ade. Since Che's house was on the way, dinaanan na rin namin. We got to Pilep's house around 10pm na! Nakakahiya nga at natutulog na yung parents niya.. akala kasi hindi na tuloy! Hehe!

So yun, munting get together lang. Konting inuman at pulutan, kwentuhan, at medyo maraming kantahan sa videoke.. haha! Wala na rin kasi yung mga lasenggo dito sa bansa eh (cough Ed and Mark!! cough cough), kaya wala na rin masyadong uminom! Hahaha! We also watched the video that Donna made for Maki. Nakatawa. Hehehe.



So there was Pilep, Che, Ade, Dale, Donna, Myk, Drey, and Jem. Around 5am, we left na. So thanks to Pilep for hosting the venue, and to my friends for coming. :)

Birthday

Yes, it came and passed like a normal day. I woke up late as usual. Then later that night, we went to Trinoma to have dinner... Mexicali, my favorite! Then we watched Quantum of Solace after wards (movie review coming up).

Just wanted to thank all the people who greeted me. You know who you are! All the BAKAL peeps, HS barx, friends, former schoolmates, and loved ones! ;)

Special mention though to Ed who called me right around 1am! The call got disconnected though because of my broke-ass cellphone. It was great to get a call from Ed though! Big Papa Pump rules!!!

Then last but not the least, thanks to Ungas aka Jannah (baliktad eh noh.. ung alyas talaga ung nauna kesa ung pangalan! haha) who called me in the morning. No thanks for waking me up though! Hahaha jk!

Ungas is now residing in Houston so its a big thing to call me for a long distance telebabad session! Haha! Tradition na namin ni Ungas yan dati pa! Haha! So Jannah, if you're reading this, thank you! Mag-ipon ka na para pag-uwi mo ulit dito, tuloy ang Tagaytay! Pero siyempre libre mo! Hahahaha!

Then thanks for all the gifts that I received. My "nigga" Dale's gift was great! A ticket to Hairspray! Muntik pang mawala yung ticket at hinanap pa namin sa kalsada ng Q.Ave! Hahahaha! So nigga, a BIG thank you! (Ade, hindi naman nagbabasa ng blogs yun kaya pakisabi nalang sa kanya! hahaha!)

So there, another birthday that came and passed. If only we age in reverse, then it would've been more fun...

(Come to think of it, there's an upcoming Brad Pitt movie wherein his character age in reverse! lol)

upcoming birthday

It wont be long before I celebrate another birthday. Another birthday, another year older wiser. Gahd! I feel so ancient! Haha!

And to keep my friends updated as to what is up... I just recovered from severe colds. Haha! As in bedridden ako the whole of yesterday. I think I just got up for a few minutes to log on to Facebook Wrestler (ok im an addict, but that's another story ;p). I'm slightly better now... thanks to my mom's lugaw, a few pills of Decolgen, and lots of sleep. I'm still feeling a little dazed and my throat hurts like fuck though.

Back to the 'birthday' subject. I completely loathe turning a year older. If only I could turn back time instead of growing older. Haha. But the presents, I completely love them. Gimme, gimme. ;p

To make this a complete "birthday blog post", I'm including my wishlist! Haha! (Walang aangal, blog ko ito eh! ;p)

FM Modulator - you place this gadget on your car radio and it will stream your mp3s straight from a regular USB flash drive! It's sold cheap from CD-R King. Problem is, I can't find a stock! Laging out of stock! Leche!

Ok.. this is tougher than I thought. I can't seem to think of anything I like. Haha. If I would be completely daydreaming with this list, I would mention Ipods, PS3s, HD TVs... you get my point?! lol

(After 10 minutes from writing the last paragraph) Well there.. I tried thinking of something but can't! Haha! Nak nang.. isip nga muna ako. Baka mabasa ng mga tita/tito ko ito, mabigyan pa ako ng maagang pamasko! Hehe!

Saturday Gimik Day!

Last Saturday was fully loaded. From morning to the evening, I was up and going! And by the time I was over, my legs are so strained that I'm still having a hard time walking around (I actually went to UST earlier today complete with a walking cane.. hindi ako makalakad ng direcho! haha)


Garage Sale

My mom and sister joined the Filinvest 2 garage sale. They decided to take all those unused/old stuff that they have lying around, and sell them. So as early as 6am, we're already up to help bring those things onwards to the club house. The garage sale was done on the covered basketball court, by the way.

Anyhoo, it was great. They were able to dispose their things--and at the same time, they were able to earn some money. Mejo nakakainis lang yung ate ko. Mejo nauto kasi ng mga ibang buyers! Haha! The problem with her is that she's an impulse buyer. She loves everything branded. Buy this shirt, buy this shoes... then she ends up not using them. It will all end up on the garage sale... some of the items, brand new--at dirt cheap price!

And she's a novice at selling them too. Like she bought a Mango shirt worth 900 bucks, and take note that she haven't even used it even once, then sells it for 100 pesos! Yung nakakatawa pa, may tumatawad pa ng 50 percent!!! At binibigay naman niya! Hahaha! Makes me cringe actually, now that I remember it! Haha!

I also looked around the other sellers too. The reason I was motivated to join the sale was para makita rin yung mga chicks na nagbebenta rin ng gamit! Haha! True enough, there were some cuties... like those three sisters. Haha!

Around 11am, I bid them goodbye because I was going to meet Drey in Philcoa. We have a cosplay to attend to! ;p


Cosplay - UP Diliman, Bahay ng Alumni

So as early as Tuesday last week, Richard was bugging me to join him on this cosplay he's attending. For those who don't know, a cosplay is an event where people who love Japanese animes gather, and dress up as their favorite anime characters. I, myself, am a stranger to cosplays as this was the first time I'm attending one.

By around 12:30pm, I met up with Drey at Jollibee Philcoa. We ate lunch then proceeded to the cosplay. To say the least, we were a bit culture shocked! Haha! There were all these people who were complete fanatics, dressed up as anime characters and acting silly! :D

By the way, the reason I brought along Drey was so that I could introduce him to Richard (my highschool barkada). Drey is into DSLRs, and Richard just got his own DSLR recently... so it might be a great idea to introduce them since Drey was also looking for photo shoot companions.

I was surprised though that Drey accepted the invitation! Haha! Wala kasing hilig si Drey sa mga animes, and most of the shots he does are not from events. So I was very pleased when Drey confirmed he was joining us. :)

Back on the cosplay, we arrived and saw the great line. We we're a bit worried at first na baka pahirapan makapasok since ang haba ng line. Buti nalang mabilis din pala. And as soon as we met Richard (and Mike, Richard's friend), they began shooting those costume clad people! ;p

Like I've said, both Drey and I we're culture shocked. Drey doesn't even watch animes. Even I, who knows a little anime, got a little lost. I could only identify 10% of the costumes there. (Surprisingly enough, Pilep knew most of them after looking at the pics later that day)

The few that I recognized were Asuka and Xiaoyu who were Tekken characters. They were played by those cute kids which I think are sisters. The Asuka was chubby but she's still great. The Xiaoyu though, is excellent. Bagay dun sa bata! Ang cute, cute! Haha!


Another cosplayer that I liked was that girl with the purple dress and the samurai. I think she's playing that vampire from Blood Plus (I'm not sure, only Mike told me). Cute! ;)


After a lot of pictures and a lot of sweat (ang iniiiit!), we finally went out. Drey left earlier because he still had to pick up Jem. Richard and Mike joined me instead and hitched a ride until Tiendesitas. I was on my way to Market Market in Taguig, and picked up Dale along the way...


Market Market - Laser Extreme, Dinner

By the time Dale and I got to Market Market, medyo masama ang pakiramdam ko. I had a tummy ache, parang acidity. Buti nalang nawala in a short while. Medyo nainip na nga kami ni Dale kasi ang tagal mag-datingan! Haha! ;p

Eventually, we all met up at Laser Extreme. We started to gear up for it since its our first time. Only Jem was the veteran. Haha! So there were: me, Donna, Dale, Pilep, Che, Drey, Jem, and Jem's siblings. There were also 3 strangers.

So my thoughts for the game? It was great! Haha! It was actually exhausting for a 15 minute game since takbo ka ng takbo just to dodge enemy fire. You're also inclined to sneak para mahuli mo off-guard yung kalaban. Haha!



Nakakatuwa si Jasper, Jem's uber competitive little brother. Kaming dalawa yung nag-babarilan dun. Haha. In the end, Jem's team won. Si Che kasi, picture ng picture imbis na bumaril eh!!! Hahaha! ;p

Afterwards, I felt my legs are starting to strain. Medyo nagsimula na yun nung morning pero mukhang na-aggravate after nung Laser Extreme (and it did... I was still using a walking stick earlier today! ;p).

After walking around, we decided to have dinner at Trellis. I actually liked the food very much. Dale paid for me since sira lahat ng ATM machines na na-encounter ko! So I still owe him money. Haha! Myk, by the way, followed after the Laser Extreme game. He joined us for dinner.



Drey had to send Jem and her siblings home after dinner. We decided that the next stop would be Eastwood since hindi pa raw na-experience ni Donna doon! Haha! Medyo magulo nga yung plan kasi akala ko Eastwood then Tiendesitas... then it became Eastwood-movie-Tiendesitas... and then Eastwood-bowling... haha!


Eastwood, Libis

Finally, we decided that we're gonna watch Quantum of Solace na after Drey arrived but we ran out of seats. I was actually so frustrated that time kasi gusto ko na talaga panuorin yun, me being a BIG fan of the 007 franchise. Haha! ;p

Daniel Craig ain't got shit on me! ;p

We decided to have a few drinks at Gerry's grill para barkada kwentuhan and all that. Afterwards, we went to Starbucks to hang out for a while before going home. Grabe sina Myk, walang humpay ang Magic cards!! Tumigil nga sa DOTA, Magic naman ang pumalit! Haha!

Koya and Dick-O. Haha!

So there... it was a LONG Saturday for me. I was actually pretty tired after I got home. I asked Dale na magpalipas na muna sa house namin kasi baka delikado nang mag-travel ng 3am at the morning. I gave him a ride nalang hanggang Q.Ave after we woke up. Nagmamadali umuwi kasi pupunta raw si Ade sa house nila. When I asked him kung anong meron, "mamamanhikan daw si Ade... at pinapaglinis niya na raw ng bahay nila dun habang wala pa siya"! Hahahaha! Ade oh! Haha! ;p


***Pics from Drey and Che's cameras

Maki's Despedida

And so the day came, we were sending off Mark. Since yung alis ni Mark for Singapore was on the 25th of October (Saturday), ginawa niya nalang na sa 22 (Wednesday) yung despedida niya.

So we all went at Maki's house that night. Kainan then walang humpay na inuman! Hahaha! Fifi also bought two Bacardis with him! So yun, mejo durog durog kami! Hahaha!

I think everyone was in attendance that night just like Ed's despedida. It will be long before we see Mark again. Present on the party were: Donna (malamang! hehehe), Drey, Jem, Pilep, Che, Dom, Jeff, Joy, Oninz, Dale, Ade, Pay, Myk, and me. Wow, complete attendance! ;p

I fetched Dale and Ade in Banawe on the way to Maki. I got there late because I was tending to something earlier that day. I also forgot to pour water on the car so mejo "car woes" na naman, at least hindi malala. ;p

The guys also filed for a sick leave/ vacation leave para makapag overnight nalang kina Mark. Todo na talaga inuman. lol. After everyone is exhausted and all, we were all sitting in the sala and talk shifted to "love talks". Haha! As in advice galore sila! Hehehe! I was so tired that I eventually excused myself and slept at Maki's sofa in the sala inside.

I was supposed to go back to UST the next day pero nakalimutan ko na coding pala ako. So medyo mabilis akong umuwi the next day... I got home in less than 30mins from Mark's house! Hahaha!



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On Maki's departure

Each and everyone of us will miss him in our own special way, just like we did when Ed left. On my part, I lost a confidante which I always seek for advice when the going gets tough.

Maki was always that guy who gives you unbiased advice. Siya yung tipong pag nag advice, sasabihin niya rin sayo yung mali mo... hindi lahat pabor sayo yung sasabihin niya. And I always admired that. At least nalalaman ko kung saan ang mali ko. Dami niya rin talagang inadvice sakin na ginamit ko para mai-ahon yung sarili ko sa hukay. And with him leaving, I'll definitely miss his presence.

And of course, yung birthday. Mark and I were born within a span of a day at the same year! Haha! Since college, we always held our birthday together. This is the first time since then na magkahiwalay na ang birthday celeb namin! Haha!

But if you'll think about it, hindi naman ganun ka-sad yung pag-alis nila sa 'pinas. If we're missing both Ed and Maki, we always know that they're just one click from YM away! So Donna, don't be saaaad! Haha! ;p

So guys, until then, take care! :)

Redefense!

Immediately after my dad's party, I resumed working on the Thesis. The next day is the dreaded re-defense.

One o'clock. Two o'clock. Three o'clock. The time winded down until it was time to go! The redefense was at 1pm and I still had to print the docu.

But wait, something is still missing. Erick's final program revision and Dom's portion of the docu! Fuck!

So I went to PIA to wait for Dom. Erick decided to go straight to UST nalang after sending in (late) the program. After Dom finished her test cases, it was already 11:30am! We need to print, ASAP!

The day before, I asked my mom na kung pwede paki-ready na for printing yung printer niya sa office. She told her secretary. So yun, nag-iwan pa ng trouble shooting tips yung secretary niya.

After I pressed print, PUTA... WALA NANG INK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tapos yung inventory room nila, naka-lock since it was a Saturday! Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!

So went on the other room to use the printer there. It took us a while to find the master switch para bumukas yung electricity! Then halfway while printing, nag-loko na yung printer dun!! When I looked at my watch, it was already 12:45pm!! It can only mean one thing: we're fucked!

We decided to rush to UST nalang and try to print the missing documents sa Carpark nalang. And putek, the taxi that we got was sira! As in ang ingay kasi may topak yung makina, tapos mas mabagal pa sa prosisyon yung takbo!

During this time, I really felt like crying na! Hahaha! Kung may maitutulong lang ang iyak. Haha. I decided to talk to the taxi driver nalang just to take away my mind off the stress.

It didn't help either that Erick kept texting us: "Oi sina ma'am nagmamadali na... aalis na daw... bilisan niyo... ekekekekekekek..."

We finally got to UST, mga 1:30pm na! We rushed straight upstairs, and our panels are nowhere to be found. There is no room for the defense, and the panels are nowhere to be found... fuck.

But I refuse to lose again. I rushed straight to the Eng Office and ask for a classroom to hold the defense. I eventually got the room on the fourth floor. All this while Dom and Erick are trying to search for the panels.

We finally got Ma'am Mich and Ma'am Pearl together. Sir Dota was nowhere to be found... yun pala may grad school so he asked kung pwede 3pm nalang. I think it was already 1:45pm na. Then the defense immediately started.

I was really thankful that we had Dale on our side during all that. Dale was probably the x-factor that day, naks! Haha! He bought the food for the panel while we were defending and assisted us with everything that we needed for the defense. I was really really thankful that my "nigga" was with us that day! :)

Rio also came around during Sir Dota's turn for defense. :)

Back on the defense, everything went well! We finally got all those revisions that they asked us last time. We were also thankful that the panel was very understanding during that time. Dba nga we weren't able to print most of the docu because of printing woes... pumayag sila na kahit sa laptop softcopy nalang namin pinakita yung kulang. :)

At the end of the day, we were very happy na wala nang re-defense at minor revision nalang sa docu yung kailangan! :)

Afterwards, we all went home. I slept a little while since wala pa talaga akong tulog. After a while, alis ulit kami ni Dale onwards to Maki's house! Buti maayos pa yung drive ko! Hahaha! Anyhoo, I was so happy that night... plus telling my friends the good news was extra extra great! :)

My Dad's 70th Birthday!

My dad's birthday is in the 7th of October, but he celebrated it this year on the 10th para Friday and many of his friend could come.

And the highlight this year is his friends from Upsilon Sigma Phi, his fraternity from UP Diliman. Many of his brods came, and my dad was very pleased. My mom also groomed the house specifically for this occasion. And daming pinaayos. Haha.

Regarding my dad and his brods, I don't know if it has a positive or negative effect on my dad. Might be positive because anyone would be very happy if he meets his old time friends again. Then again, it might be negative, to be able to see his old brods still up and running with their antics.

As you know, my dad had a stroke... and ever since, he couldn't talk nor walk normally again. So him seeing his friends still active and kicking, maybe he suffered a bit of self-pity or what. I don't know.

And to the other well wishers, my titas and titos also came, along with my cousins. Then late that night, Verg, Richard, and Karen also came. Richard finally got his Canon 450D DSLR camera, as well as his new laptop. I'm happy for him since he was eagerly awaiting for those for a long time now.

Then late, late that night. Dale finally arrived. Haha! When the visitors eventually left, nakahinga na kami ng maluwag... ay sila pala. Hahaha!

Why, its my THESIS REDEFENSE the next day! lol! So no sleep for me that night! ;p

one freakingly unlucky day

This happened during the first Wednesday of October. I went to UST to arrange the second defense for the Thesis.

When I got to talk to my professor, there was a conflict in schedule so baka hindi kami makapag-redefense! So dito pa lang, stressed out na ako. I was running all around the building to look for my panels and get their approvals for a certain defense schedule. After being stressed out with all the talking and convincing with profs (couples with a unreliable partner that time), medyo lost in senses na ako.

After I finally fixed the schedule (with a whole lotta nagging! haha), I noticed something from my pocket is missing! What?

MY CAR KEYS ARE MISSING!!!!!!!!!!!

So panic mode. Next thing I remember was me running around the building, asking students, janitors, security guards, and professors if they saw my car keys! When I tried to backtrack my path, I was certain that I dropped it in that room on the fifth floor where I talked to Maam Mich, one of my panels. I was crouching kasi while inside the room just so I don't distract the examination that is going on.

Thing is, hindi na si Maam Mich yung nasa loob ng room. It was another prof na since the previous class has ended. So I decided to knock and ask her if she saw my car keys.

"Sorry pero wala kaming nakita eh", she said.

"Ah, ok ma'am. Thank you nalang po", I replied.

"I'll pray nalang so you can find your keys", the prof added.

Awww. Ang sweet naman. Hahaha!

Then next up, binulabog ko yung mga janitors. Wala raw nakita. Then yung security guard (who is now my friend) na wala din nakita. Then Maam Mich herself na wala rin nakita, and now teases me about it every time we meet. ;p

Eventually, I found it on the Eng Office where a kindhearted student found the keys and surrendered it there.

"The Lord is good", I exclaimed! Hahaha!

Then on my way home, it was already 2am. Until this time, I still haven't slept, eaten, and even take a bath yet! And as my body battery is waning...BOOM! I just grazed another car... in the middle of a heavy traffic in Pantranco! Fuck!

So baba ako, usap kami nung nabangga ko right in the middle of the road with all those cars around us! It was a woman in her early forties, I think. Of course her initial reaction was that she was mad. Obviously.

So we decided to stray at the side and talk about it. Nagkasundo nalang kami na mag-canvass kung magkano aabutin ng damages. When I looked at the damage, parang dumikit lang yung pintura ko sa pintura niya! No bumps whatsoever. But being a middle-aged woman, intindihin mo nalang rin.

Thing is, I actually commend the woman's attitude. She was well-educated and was not the "bungangera" kind. She was actually polite when talking to me after we moved at the side. Turns out, she was a psychology professor from UP Manila.

So I called up my mom since she knows a place where to have the damages checked out (remember that a car just bumped us a few months ago... dun pinaayos). So once my mom arrived, we proceeded to go to the talyer. As we exited the block from Pantranco, HINULI KAMI NG MMDA!!!

Putek, one way daw yun! Hahaha! During that time, I was convinced na someone must be jinxing me! Baka may kumukulam sa akin! Hahaha!

But a few minutes later, we explained to the MMDAs that we just bumped into each other and that we need to go to the sidelines. The MMDAs understood so they let us go. ;p

So after reaching the talyer, nagkasundo naman sa deal and everything went well. We parted with smiles on our faces.

After that, I dropped off my mom in the office and went to Trinoma to fetch my ate and to have brunch (at freaking 5pm in the afternoon!).

When I got home that evening, I just took a shower and slept! ;p

movie nights

Another lazy Monday... and so the blogging marathon continues! lol

This time, I'm gonna blog about movie nights. I can't remember the exact dates I watched them, so not much details (again). ;p

Tropic Thunder

This is probably the most entertaining movie that I've seen these past months. This one actually deserves a movie review in this blog but I'm so tamad busy these days to do so. lol

Highlight of the movie is definitely Robert Downey, Jr. who plays Kirk Lazarus, a 5 time Academy Award Winner, who plays a dude playing the dude disguised as another dude! lol! Tom Cruise's cameo is worth mentioning too. And then you got the rest of the superb cast with Jack Black, and Ben Stiller (who wrote, directed, and produced).


Max Payne

Now this one is the stinker! Haha! I watched it with my highschool buddies, Richard and Verge. Actually, its really not that bad. The movie actually opens up good with an intriguing premise... then it all goes bullshit afterward.

Funny thing is, the night before, I was also supposed to watch these with the rest of Bakal in Greenbelt as Myk's birthday blowout. I begged off because it was late na and no one is left tending to my dad but the maid (I also had to finish something for the docu). Thing is, hindi ko nahingi yung feedback nila about stinkin' Max Payne! Haha! Dapat pala tinanong ko na sila Che kung ok yung movie or what! ;p


City of Ember

It was an ok movie. Thing is, it had a superb cast led by my favorite Bill Murray. I think the movie just fell short because it lacked the makings of an exciting movie: not enough thrills and memorable scenes.

It's based from a hit novel, and is the first of four books (so far). I heard the movie didn't do all that well in the theaters so I don't know if they'll still produce the sequels.

Like I've said, its an ok movie. Nag-sisisi nga ako... dapat yung kay Vhong Navarro nalang ang pinanuod namin ng ate ko! Hahaha!