Martin maliblog

lyrics ulit

2007-09-10T23:14:00.000+08:00

You, you made me feel like I could
I could be part of your life
But then you took it right back
Took it right back despite

You are the queen of my heart
You are the soul of my art
You tell me stories I just adore
Tell me more

Everything that I do
I dedicate to you
Your eyes keep shining like lights off the shore

Anytime we are together, I feel
Like staying this way forever
We had a good run,
But still I miss all the things we have done
And now the end has come,
And as I watch you I wish you had tried

I, I had one friend in my life
But I think I lost her tonight
And I don’t think that I can
Get her back despite

All of the things I could do
They never seem true enough for you
The more that I try, the more I step all over your shoes
And now you hear me sing, I let these words ring
But still I see you don’t hear a thing

Anytime we are together, I feel
Like staying this way forever
We had a good run,
But still I miss all the things we have done
And now the end has come,
And as I watch you I wish you had tried

(And now you hear me sing)

(You hear me let these words ring)

(You can’t escape the reality)

(And now you hear me sing)

(You can’t escape the reality)

You never really left
You never really learned

I’ll always occupy that place inside that you called mine
And I can’t get too familiar

Anytime we are together… I feel
Like staying this way forever
We had a good run
But still I miss all the things we have done
And now the end has come
And as I watch you I wish you had tried

I wish you had tried

Sick ass lyrics. One of their more straightforward songs. It's a good thing they're loud.

G-Live

2007-04-07T12:36:00.000+08:00

Haha guess what I dug up from my old files...

But first, here's an excerpt from the Globe Customer Service website:

Globe G-Live is a SIM feature that allows you to receive unlimited news and public service announcements. Information simply appears in an unobtrusive manner on the phone screen and doesn’t even go to the inbox.

How to download using a symbian phone:

1. Go to myGlobe wap site

2. For 2G phones, go to What’s Hot! Click on G-Live to download the feature for FREE.

3. For 3G phones, make sure your phone is on GSM mode. Click on myGlobe2G and follow the 2G phone instructions.

4. To turn on the feature, go to phone Menu or My Own folder. Click on G-Live then select Activate.

Symbian phones compatible are: Nokia 3230, 3650/3600, 3660/3620, 6600, 6630, 6670, 6680, 7610, 7650, N70 and N90.

G-Live was a value-added service launched by Globe last September 2006. The print ad was prepared only a couple of days before the supposed launch date, and Globe needed models immediately. They got a professional as the lead, and a handful of Globe employees, mostly Ateneans, who were willing to take an afternoon off from work...and I was gladly one of them!

And due to persistent public demand, here are the scans of that ad:

Yes, one step closer to my dream of being an artista. But sadly, 7 months na ang nakalipas at hindi pa rin ako nadidiscover...

Breathe

2007-01-31T23:06:00.000+08:00

Breathe
Faspitch

How should I consider this baby?
How should I consider this tenderness?
All I really hoped for was maybe, maybe,
You'd be the very best

Why should I consider this baby?
When all I really wanted was just one kiss
If were you, If I were you, If I were you,
I'd take a look at me, this won't last long

I breathe,
hoping the winds won't blow me away

You, in the front row, in the black dress,
off with the day, off with day

How should you consider this lady?
YOu know I only wanted just one more chance
If were you, If I were you, If I were you,
I'd take a look at me, this won't last long

This is the day... I breathe

I breathe,
hoping the winds won't blow me away

I dream,
Cool as the dawn

You, in the front row, in the black dress,
off with the day, off with day

New, cool and new
New, cool and new
Don't understand... I don't understand

I breathe,
hoping the winds won't blow me away

I dream,
Cool as the dawn

Cool as the dawn... cool as the dawn... cool as the dawn...

Ahh another great bisaya band! I finally have their album! :)

I'm alive

2006-11-01T21:03:00.000+08:00

Lo and behold! No, the rumors weren't true. I did not die in a car accident nor in a plane crash like Hanson or Aqua did. I'm still alive.

Thanks to the holiday, I had a whole day to bum.

Stuff worth writing about:

1. G-Live Ad. I came out as an extra in Globe's print ad for the new G-Live SIM/service last month. I didn't tell you, huh? It was nothing really worth mentioning. Believe me, ipagyayabang ko pag nagkaroon ng ad na ako yung lead. Hahahaha!

2. I got my camera back. I dropped my camera a couple of months back while using it during one of my site surveys in Pampanga. I had it repaired in Canon's office in Makati and spent almost 11K. Lesson learned: never use your personal camera for work. Anyway, expect more vanity pics to be posted here, friendster, and multiply in the coming days. ;)

That's it for now...sana makahanap ng time magpost ulit.

Whatever happened to Battery?

2006-07-16T23:54:00.000+08:00

Some of you might remember them with their hit songs Toxic Hate and Coming Home back in 2000. Where has this Pinoy Christian Rock band gone?

Ok that was a useless post. Masabi lang na nagpopost pa ko.

I'm getting ooold...

2006-02-12T20:12:00.000+08:00

Some signs that I am indeed getting old...
1. I hate those boys and girls who wear polo shirts with their collars intentionally raised.
2. Saturday night is spent playing poker with cousins (and girlfriends/boyfriends), sipping wine, and eating cheese.
3. My barkada and I hang out in Joe's house...and rarely seeing each other, it feels like a reunion.
4. I can no longer wear my tight baston pants because they're now too tight!
5. When I finally find the time or energy to spend the night out, I feel out of place because everyone looks three or four years younger than me.
6. ...and as the clock strikes one, I'm sleepy and ready to go home.
7. I'm concerned with taxes during pay day and wonder where they go.
8. I get to see kick ass indie bands perform live...and I say to myself "I could have done that when I was their age."

*sigh*

I can't believe I'm done with high school and college, the supposed "prime time" to enjoy. And so to make me feel better, I'm singing this to myself:

Time is never time at all
You can never ever leave without leaving a peace of youth
And our lives are forever changed
We will never be the same
The more you change the less you feel
Believe believe in me believe
That life can change that you're not stuck in vain
We're not the same we're different tonight
Tonight so bright tonight

My 2005 In Review

2006-01-02T22:48:00.000+08:00

After watching numerous TV shows featuring recaps of events that happened the past year, and after reading Jamie's blog...I just have to do this. Some highlights of my life in the year 2005:

Performance Comparison of 802.11 b and g Over a Wifi Ad Hoc Network
The year began with IC and I having ideally less than a month to finish our thesis, thanks to some erroneous data gathering the previous year. We had to starve during meal time and strive to stay awake both at night and during the day just to meet our deadline. At that time, I thought that every day spent working on our thesis was physical, intellectual, and emotional torture. Looking back at those days...it actually was. But then at the same time, I'd say those were one of the best times of my college life! Who would ever give up the cozy lab, chicken invaders, and the company of admuECEzerofive?! And aaahhh what fulfillment when we were done with everything! Cheers to IC!

AECES Tournament
I don't know what got into me when I volunteered to be a project head for AECES, maybe I got this sense of responsibility of being one of the big brothers in our org during my super senior year. It's a good thing I was assigned to a project which I was more familiar with, for I would have screwed the Career Talks big time. I enjoyed planning the events for the sportsfest, preparing the logistics, coordinating with the representatives of the lower batches for the schedules, and even pulling money out of my own pocket due to the small budget. With the efforts of everyone involved, the project culminated successfully. Successful in the sense that it was the first REAL sportsfest of AECES, despite a number of lapses and changes in the schedule. At the end of the day, I guess most of the participants had fun, be it in basketball, chess, badminton, table tennis, or DoTA. =)

Graduation
It wasn't as dramatic as I imagined it to be, but graduation is graduation. How often do I have my name called, get to march up the stage, and bow infront of an entire batch of Ateneans?

Summer Vacation
After five gruelling years of studying, I needed a vacation en grande before studying again for the board exam. A summer vacation isn't complete without going to the beach, so along with a bunch of friends from different groups, I headed to the most popular beach in the Philippines (I think I posted about this Boracay trip in my blog already). From Boracay with friends, it was then U.S. with family. This year, I got to appreciate the States more, since I could go around more independently. I got to spend time with my cousins, uncles, and aunts whom I haven't seen for so long. I got to experience the night life in Vegas (the last time I was in Vegas, I was WAY below 21). I got to spend more than $2000 in gimmicks and shopping just for myself (I would have saved that amount and spent it in pesos, but then I wouldn't have enjoyed my U.S. trip that much if I did). I got to skimboard in Laguna Beach and snowboard in South Lake Tahoe. Tell me that isn't a highlight.

Excel Review
I got back from the States having been absent from review class for three weeks already. I thought I would have to study double time to catch up on lessons I missed in Math and Electronics, but the reviewers' corny jokes which they incorporate in their lectures encouraged so much complacency (at least for me, hahahaha). Still not over being an alumnus already, I would accompany Jamie to Ateneo after review class to give her moral support in doing her thesis. I killed time by reviewing that day's lecture notes and answering the take home exam given by Excel, which was another excuse for me to spend more time in the thesis lab I really missed.

Globe Telecom
Getting hired at Globe was one of the best things that happened to me this year. It was not the perfect time to get hired, as I planned to start working only after the board exam, but I couldn't let that good opportunity pass. First of all, I really wanted a job in the field of telecommunications, and not in I.T., software development, or consumer products. I wanted to feel the worth of being an ECE graduate first, before venturing out to different fields. Second, Globe has been a company I've always believed in, and I've patronized their services ever since my first cellphone. I wanted to be part of making great things possible. Hahaha. No shit here, 'coz I doubt my boss reads blogs of his subordinates. ;-P

On Being an Engineer
Towards the end of the year, I took the ECE board exam and passed. With all modesty, even if it were by the skin of my teeth, I think I deserved to pass. I took my review sessions seriously, and followed my Starbucks study routine religiously, even after I completed the stickers of my promo card. =P When I started working, I still set my weekends aside for reviewing, and even went to the extent of wallpapering my room with manila papers of electronics and communications formulas. I did not lack in prayer either, as I constantly asked God for His guidance; and as the priest put it in his homily during the tedium mass, that God's will be done. And fortunately, God's plan was similar to mine. Being a licensed engineer is one of the achievements I will be proud of all throughout my life.

Looking back at my year-long highlights, I'd say 2005 was definitely my year. I got all the experience, luck, and blessings I wished for, and then some more. With that, I would like to thank everyone who was involved in making the year that had just passed a most successful one. That goes especially for you, Papa Jesus.

And oh...

*running back up the stage*

*bow*

It's all over

2005-11-13T23:03:00.000+08:00

I'm officially welcoming myself back to the world. Twenty-one weeks of reviewing for the ECE licensure examination, overlapping with eight weeks of training and working as an engineer for Globe; this was one of the most 'wicked' challenges I've encountered in my life (although I'd still say not as bad as my thesis, but equally fulfilling). It's all over now. I took the two-day exam last weekend, uncertain whether I was prepared enough, but thanks to my bahala na mentality, I was the least bit nervous. After taking the exam, I honestly was pretty confident, not only for myself but also for the whole batch of Ateneo de Manila graduates who took the same exam. Knowing the potentials of all my batchmates, I thought we all deserved to pass. After each subject, I remember praying at the UE chapel not to ask God for me to pass, but to thank Him for helping me answer most of the exam's items pretty well.

After the exam, each day that passed waiting for the results made me grow a bit anxious. Pano kung overconfident lang pala ako? Pag bumagsak ako, ano kaya ang gagawin ko pagkatapos? Mag-take two kaya ako sa April? Anaaak! Ipagsasabay ko na naman ang review sa trabaho, mahirap yun! Sayang naman yung pinaghirapan ko ng limang buwan! Those were some of the thoughts that crossed my mind. Some of my batchmates sharing the same feelings were texting and calling me, asking me if I knew when the results would be released. This made me more nervous.

Then came Wednesday night, I got home around 9 PM from working overtime. Right after eating dinner, I received a text message from Sweet saying the results were out and congratulating those who made it! Woohoo! I literally jumped out of my seat, rushed to the computer and checked http://inq7.net/exam/ which was already bookmarked on my browser since I've been checking it very often for the past days. The funny thing was that I didn't scroll down the list of passers to search for my name right away (probably because I already knew I passed; thanks to Sweet for spoiling the suspense =P), but for the name of my batchmate whom I was most worried about. Unfortunately, I couldn't find his name. I went through the whole list thoroughly, and noticed that more names of my batchmates were missing. I had extremely mixed emotions that night, as I remember one moment running to my parents' room to tell them about the good news, and the next moment shedding tears because not all of us were able to pass. It was really disappointing, but then we just had to accept it.

And then after all has been said and done, I'm now one happy engineer. A great amount of pressure has been removed from my back (thus reducing the stress on the small cross-sectional area of my centroidal axis. Hahaha! Help! I can't get over it!). Though my occupation still demands me to frequently work overtime during weekdays and occasionally during weekends, at least I have my 'life' back. Aahhh sarap! =P

The Controversial T-shirt

2005-09-15T22:05:00.000+08:00

In commemoration of the most recent UAAP game, Christiane, allow me to rip off this post and these pictures from your blog. Makakapag-generate ata 'to ng traffic sa blog ko, hahaha. Not to mention I'm quite busy with my double occupation, trainee/reviewee. =D

A number of Ateneo students (sabihin ko pa bang ECE sila? hehe) thought of making a t-shirt that would sell to a lot of Atenistas, students or alumni. Here's what they came up with:

Sure enough, bumenta 'to sa mga Atenista. Matalo ka ba naman ng La Salle sa basketball for countless times, di ka ba bibili ng ganyang shirt? Damn, I would have conceptualized the shirt myself!

But I'm sorry, it's the "Gang-green" shirt I wanna buy. Shame on me for being Atenean. ;)

With a bit of rock music, everything is fine

2005-09-05T22:04:00.000+08:00

It started with jk and I chatting on YM, discussing songs to download for our iPods, when she said, "hay nako hindi tayo magkasundo sa songs". She listens to Hiphop, R&B, pop, and a bit of rock, while I...I listen to rock. Hehehe. Just rock and its different flavors. This difference in musical preference doesn't affect us much (only when it comes to deciding whose iPod to play in the car), but it led me to reflect on why I've been a devoted rock fan.

I remember first being exposed to rock with the influence of some classmates during the early 90's, Metallica/Guns n' Roses/Nirvana era. Listening to rock music at this point was a means of feeling wild and tough, like most wimpy kids would want to be. Then during the mid-90's it was my cousin Manay Candy who was my main source of alternative rock influence, like Silverchair, Bush, and Garbage.

In high school, I learned to play the drums and tried playing with different bands formed with neighbors and classmates. I explored the heavier flavors of rock, testing my threshold for noise to the limits with artists like Black Sabbath, Pantera, Sepultura, Slayer, and other bands some people would never dare listen to due to aesthetic or religious reasons. I guess rock music in that stage of my life was an outlet for my self-created "teenage angst". It's amazing how I got to appreciate and find melody in those really loud songs. I felt that, "if I could listen that, I could listen to anything."

Upon entering college, I've had a clearer understanding of my musical preference; I choose my music based on the way the songs make me feel and not what the artist is trying to convey. To hell with lyrics and what they mean (though it's nice to know the lyrics of your favorite songs, hehe), it's the vibe I get when I hear the song that matters. For example, a Dave Matthews ballad however cheesy it may be, could make me feel nostalgic and the least bit romantic. Blink 182's Stay Together for the Kids, although obviously about a broken family, is really my stress-relieving song. Weird, but that's how it works for me. That's why I'm grateful for other genres that have been incorporated into rock, like jazz, funk, reggae, blues, etc. But once in a while, you might see some Hiphop, R&B, pop, and even novelty songs in my playlist -- because rock can't always capture a certain mood I'm in.

But at the end of the day, it's mostly rock. Nothing gives that "edge" like good ol' rock n' roll. Anyone who agrees gimme a scream like Fred Durst! Oh...maybe not. =P

My name is out of this world!

2005-08-25T22:09:00.000+08:00

I remember a couple of times when my friends and I would Google up our own names and see if we were on the internet. Some of them found their names in blogs, class websites, and registration listings of random numbers. I however, found thousands of hits for "Martin de Leon" (which I think is really common among Spanish and Latin Americans), none of which was really MY name. I never found myself on the internet...not until tonight.

Apparently, my full name, along with my sister's, three cousins', my aunt's, my uncle's, and one million other people, was engraved on a microchip in a small spacecraft called Stardust. This spacecraft was launched in 1999 to take samples from a comet to be studied, and is scheduled to return to Earth in 2006. The names were placed on the microchip as a public outreach effort. "It allowed people to be personally involved with the STARDUST Mission and helps to promote public interest, awareness and support of the space program. It also provided a way to honor individuals by enabling them to be associated with mankind's most advanced technological endeavor and to be part of the quest of the human species to reach for the stars." (JPL, NASA)

Click here to see the list of names and here to learn more about the microchip and Stardust.

Finding my name was really cool, though I have no idea how my name was submitted there. Manay Candy, do you know anything about this?

On Godskitchen, Homophobia, and Rockstardom

2005-08-15T00:33:00.000+08:00

A lot has happened this week, and who knows, sinisipag ako magsulat! Here's a diary entry for those with free time:

Last night at around 9 PM, I went to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Salcedo, where my friend Monica works as a barista, to study. Yes, study alone on a Saturday night and every other night, at different coffee shops...that's what I do. So as I ordered my regular Tropical Passion Tea Latte, Monica asked me if I wanted to go out with her, Carmela, and some others after her shift. She invited me to this Addict Mobile event featuring Godskitchen mixing it at PTTC. I said I could, since her shift ends at 1 AM, and that would give me more than enough time to study while waiting. I texted Marjoe if he wanted to come with us; he actually went, but he was with an officemate and we didn't really get to spend time together. So there I was at PTTC with the baristas of CBTL. Luckily, Carmela's sister Joan works for Smart, so we got in for free. Inside, their I was dancing to the music with thousands of other people high on weed, E's, V's, and satan knows what else they were popping or smoking. That's not how we rockstars do it, but it's interesting to observe that kind of music culture. I went home at around 5 AM, clean...considering all I had in my system was half a can of beer, no pills, maybe some second-hand smoke. My parents greeted me good morning and invited me to join them for breakfast. Haha, very funny.

As the title of this post suggests, we move on to the controversial part of my diary entry: Last Tuesday, I went to Fitness First Greenhills for my regular workout. After working out, I usually take a quick shower, spend a few minutes in the sauna, and then take my "long" shower. But last Tuesday was different. As I stepped in the sauna, a big, bald, stocky guy in his 30's was inside, leaning against the wall. I flipped the 15-minute hourglass behind him, and he gave me a really mean look. I thought, "fuck man what's your problem? kararating ko lang, wala kong atraso sayo." Later, he struck up a conversation, introduced himself, and asked my name and a couple of other trivial questions. I responded politely to the "small talk", which I'm used to. Then he started to ask how often I visit the gym, how long I've been working out my body, and what my waistline is. All I answered was "'di ko alam." He put his hand on my waist, pretending to measure my waistline, then...AAYYY!!! Mama wag po!!! Buti naiwas ko yung bird ko...mahal ko pa naman 'to. Di ako pumapayag magpahawak pag walang bayad!!! Yung libre hawak sa mga kabarkada ko lang! Haha joke. Anyway, I immediately stood up and left. I transferred to the steam bath, and the freaking fag followed me there to apologize. I wasn't able to take my "long" shower after, since I hurried to report him to the manager. Inabangan ko siya sa front desk, so I could identify him to the security guards. Then the manager talked to him in private. I filled up some incident report form, and I still don't know what Fitness First plans to do about it.

Before this incident, homosexuals were totally fine with me. Heck, I have a couple of gay friends, and they make good company (because I make fun of them, hehe sorry!) Gays are ok, as long as they keep their gay activities among themselves! Mukha man akong bakla minsan (ganun talaga pag pretty boy =P), manigurado muna kayo. Hehe. Ngayon naiilang na ko makipaglokohan ng baklaan, na dati sobrang comfortable naman ako.

Now to more manly stuff: Tonight I took a step closer to my dream of rockstardom. This afternoon, after I took my weekly exam at Excel review center, I received a text message from my childhood friend JC, asking me if I was doing anything tonight. He usually asks me to play the cajon, as I mentioned one gig with him at Cafe Dapitan in one of my previous posts. With just a late Sunday night jam in mind, I said sure, I'll be free around 8:30 after I attend mass and have dinner. I asked him what we're practicing for, and when the gig will be. He replied, "Ngaun sna gabi? Pde ka ba magdrums? Simpleng beat lang...Isang practce lang sna ngaung hapon..Tpos tugtog na s gbi..Party lang ng friend ko.." Woah!! Wait!! Teka lang ha!! Hindi ako ganun kagaling na kaya yung isang practice lang! And to think the last time I played the drums with a band was 5 years ago! Anyway we had some trouble meeting up in the afternoon, so even practice wasn't possible...I had to do everything in adlib! We got to the party only having 10 minutes for JC (guitars/vocals) and Julius (bass/vocals) to let me hear the two songs, which were both covers of Ash songs I didn't know. Great. And the party was a debut, with friends, relatives, candles, roses, treasures and all. Sige lang, fight! At the party, we ended up playing the two Ash covers, their own rendition of the novelty song "Pamela", and two of their original compositions. Five songs for 10 minutes of practice, with a retired drummer, our performance was understandable. Horrible, but understandable. Excuses aside, I sounded like a six year old hitting some empty cans on the two cover songs. Okay I'm exaggerating. Good thing I didn't know anyone in the party. And none of my friends were there to see me in shame. I had more fun playing the "on-the-spot" songs since I was all warmed up and there was less pressure. On those three other songs, the audience enjoyed us because we were enjoying ourselves as well.

So how did this experience make me a rockstar? It didn't. It only proved that my dream is nothing but a fat chance. Haha. Or maybe rockstars go through something like this in one way or another? Hmmmm. Hopefully when I book a "gig" again, I'm able to get enough practice.

New Layout

2005-08-04T12:22:00.000+08:00

I'm currently working on a new layout for my blog. I'm not changing the design, I'm happy with the way it is. I just want to use the space efficiently, so I decided to make the divisions wider. Also, scrollbars look way cooler. So etong nagawa ko so far, almost 3 hours ko pinaghirapan. So much for self-study HTML. Now, if someone could teach me how to align the whole page to the top, sayang yung space dun eh. The template looks fine offline, but once I publish it on Blogger, somehow the page moves down.

Kwarta o Cajon

2005-07-26T23:01:00.000+08:00

The cajon is a box made of wood sat on by a percussionist and played by slapping the resonant surface between the legs. It originated from Latin America, used especially for flamenco music, but because of the instrument's versatile sound, it has been adapted to different genres, from funk to samba, reggae, blues, and rock. A couple of years ago in the Philippines, it has been used in most acoustic acts.

I've played a cajon a couple of times before. My first time was in an acoustic night event in Cafe Dapitan near UST, with a band formed just three days before the performance. The next time I got to hit one ("hit" 'coz I really didn't think I was playing) was at Dencio's when jk's cousin Ynigo asked me to play while he sang during the resident band's open jam session.

And this morning, I got myself a cajon! Haha. Being a drummer, it's supposedly easy for me to play the cajon since it's also a percussion instrument. But then iba naman yung style ng pagtugtog ng cajon, more of the snare sounds. With the drums, I love kicking the bass. Ngayon wala na kong masipa. And with the cajon, I often find myself producing a bass sound when I actually want a solid snare (e.g. hitting the snare drum dead center o kaya rim shot). I'm still a bit confused, but that's why I bought one, so I can practice right?

Here are a couple of pictures of the instrument:

It has four vertical strings, unlike the more common horizontal-stringed. Tribal designs on both unused sides, one looks like a dragon. Antique finish, which the seller claims it would look chameleon when under the spotlight. AS IF I get to play under a spotlight. Haha.

Tag I'm It!

2005-07-03T00:54:00.000+08:00

So unfortunately PJ, our Detroit Pistons lost.

If only President GMA was as in control of the armed forces as FVR (funny how we Filipino's like to call our presidents using three-letter acronyms), these destabilization plots wouldn't be a problem. Just allow her to undergo the due process, and then we'll see if she's guilty or not.

And so we go to less serious stuff. I think this quiz is for those who were "tagged". I wasn't, but I found it in one interesting blog. Let me answer it anyway and start some tagging. :)

In 3s

I was tagged by myself.

Three names you go by:
1. Martin
2. Mart
3. Marts

Three screen names you have had:
1. mardehn
2. mar10dl
3. martintong

Three physical things you like about yourself:
1. Eyes
2. Hair (sometimes)
3. wala na kong maisip eh...my bird?

Three physical things you don't like about yourself:
1. Height
2. Teeth
3. Legs

Three parts of your heritage:
1. Peninsulares
2. Insulares
3. Indio

Three things that scare you:
1. Being unsuccessful
2. Having a dysfunctional family...or not having a family at all
3. Rats and mice

Three of your everyday essentials:
1. Phone
2. iPod
3. Handkerchief

Three of your favorite musical artists:
1. Dave Matthews Band
2. Incubus
3. P.O.T.

Three of your favorite songs:
1. "Crush", Dave Matthews Band
2. "A Certain Shade of Green", Incubus
3. "Panaginip", P.O.T.

Three things you want in a relationship:
1. A connection/understanding
2. Acceptance
3. Growth

Three lies and truths in no particular order:
LIES:
1. I want to become an action star.
2. I'm rich.
3. I'm gay.

TRUTH:
1. I listened to The Spice Girls and Hanson at the same age I was listening to Korn.
2. I cry over sad movies when I'm watching alone.
3. I dream the great American dream

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you:
1. Cute smile
2. Smooth skin
3. Perky butt. Hehe.

Three of your favorite hobbies:
1. Internet
2. Singing/soundtrip
3. Finger tapping (started when I sold my drum kit)

Three things you want to do really badly now:
1. Get an easy-money job that will still allow me to focus on my review
2. Learn how to surf
3. Go on a vacation out of town, e.g. Baguio

Three careers you're considering/you've considered:
1. Uh...er...Electronics and Communications Engineer?
2. College Professor while studying for a Masters degree
3. Rockstar

Three places you want to go on vacation:
1. Baguio nga
2. Europe, a quick tour would be fine
3. Australia

Three kid's names you like:
1. Noel Ed
2. Leona
3. Mufasa (tapos yung apo ko Simba)

(My children would hate me for this :D)

Three things you want to do before you die:
1. Perform with a band infront of a big crowd (with at least one song wherein I get to sing)
2. Deep sea dive
3. Skydive (pero wag naman sana literal na "before I die")

Three ways that you are stereotypically a boy:
1. I get fascinated with machines, gadgets, techie toys
2. I dream of wrestling bears, tigers, and crocodiles
3. I always forget where I placed the parking ticket/card

Three ways that you are stereotypically a girl:
1. A bath isn't complete with just plain soap and shampoo
2. I've played with barbie dolls, jackstones, and chinese garter when I was a kid
3. I memorize the songs (and reprises) of Disney cartoons from Little Mermaid to Lion King

Three celeb crushes:
1. Foreign: Rachael Leigh Cook (when she was younger)
2. Local: Marieton Pacheco (fresh face when I wake up in the morning)
3. Foreign ulit pero negra naman: Zoe Saldana

THREE people that I would like to see take this quiz:
1. jk (magupdate naman tayo ng blog dyan!)
2. PJ (oh you love surveys)
3. Jamie (libre naman internet mo sa 208)

I voted for her...so what?

2005-06-23T22:25:00.000+08:00

I'm joining the bandwagon (of PJ and Monje) and giving my two centavos worth (hehe pinoy na pinoy tayo Peej eh) on the political situation. The Jackass put it well: "Who didn't cheat in the last election?"

Yeah, the tape was acquired illegally. But why does the opposition continue to distribute copies of that recorded conversation even if it's invalid court evidence? Because they know so well that valid evidence or not, Juan dela Cruz will judge her based on that anyway. Mrs. President is the antagonist they are trying to establish in a telenovela. I wouldn't be surprised if that recorded conversation triggers another "EDSA Revolution"; just like Erap was overthrown without even being convicted guilty yet.

I've seen us Filipinos thriving too much on emotion. Like a banana republic, we have been accustomed to impeaching the next president anytime we felt he/she wasn't good enough...and with how the people are responding, NO ONE IS good enough. And all it takes is an influential few to organize a majority to destabilize the government. In short, our country has become a large scale U.P. full of "aktibista's" (hehe sorry to my friends from UP, but you know it's true).

So here's the bottomline (since I'm getting sleepy, haha): She's not a great president. Heck, she's not even a good president in the true sense of the word. But as long as we can't find a replacement whom no one would want to overthrow, keep her impeachment out of the question. Our incompetent government is all that we have for now, and destabilizing it will only make things worse...unless you're a Noli De Castro fan...

Let's go Detroit Pistons!!

Blogthings galore!

2005-06-22T14:53:00.000+08:00

Just not in the mood to write something about myself, and really lazy to talk about any issues. So allow quiz interpretations to take much of my blog space:

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Your IQ Is 110

Your Logical Intelligence is Genius
Your Verbal Intelligence is Exceptional
Your Mathematical Intelligence is Above Average
Your General Knowledge is Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

I'd like to think that my Mathematical Intelligence should exceed my Verbal Intelligence, or I should have ditched ECE and majored in Literature. But then again, it's called "A Quick and Dirty IQ Test".

What Kind of Kisser Am I?

Part Passionate Kisser

For you, kissing is about all about following your urges
If someone's hot, you'll go in for the kiss - end of story
You can keep any relationship hot with your steamy kisses
A total spark plug - your kisses are bound to get you in trouble

Part Expert Kisser

You're a kissing pro, but it's all about quality and not quantity
You've perfected your kissing technique and can knock anyone's socks off
And you're adaptable, giving each partner what they crave
When it comes down to it, your kisses are truly unforgettable

What Kind of Kisser Are You?

Haha! I'd rather not comment...

Who's the True Me?

The True You

You want your girlfriend or boyfriend to be more relaxed, calm, and composed.

With respect to money, you spend as little as possible.

You think good luck doesn't exist - reality is built on practicalities.

The hidden side of your personality tends to be methodical in your ways - with trouble adapting to the rules of society.

You are tend to think about others' feelings a lot, perhaps because you are so eager to be liked.

When it comes to finding a romantic partner, you base your search on information from your friends.

Who's the True You?

Most of these are true in some way or another...except for the luck thing. I believe a stroke of luck can always help, but no one should ever rely on it.

How Normal Am I?

You Are 60% Normal

(Really Normal)

Otherwise known as the normal amount of normal

You're like most people most of the time

But you've got those quirks that make you endearing

You're unique, yes... but not frighteningly so!

How Normal Are You?

Sa lahat ng tumawag sakin na weirdo...putangina niyo!!! Hehehe.

I'm Italian

2005-06-14T07:28:00.000+08:00

Your Inner European is Italian!

Passionate and colorful.

You show the world what culture really is.

Who's Your Inner European?

More of Boracay

2005-05-07T12:45:00.000+08:00

One more post before I leave for the States. Since I've been to Boracay twice since my post last October (Remembering Boracay), I figured it would be worth writing about again.

Boracay December 2004. Father's side relatives wanted to see how Boracay was like in December, right before new year. We stayed at Boracay Terraces, the finest place I've ever stayed in among all my Boracay trips so far. It had a bathroom almost as big as the bedroom, and a spa just outside our door. Mejo malayo nga lang, almost as far as the Diniwid beach. Manay's boyfriend Mon was also there to handle Gentxt events, and this gave us perks of getting free drinks at Summer Place enough to get us all wasted. When my cousins would go home, I'd meet up with my friends Monica and Hannah for a second round of drinks. I don't know how I survived the banana boat ride the following day! Although not as wild as summer, December was still a good time to party in Boracay.

Boracay 2005. This was supposed to be the third summer bash started by Joe, Brice and me...but they couldn't come because of work. This was also supposed to be Ateneo ECE batch 2005's graduation getaway...but only four of us could come. So after much convincing, it was PJ, Rica, jk, Terence, Aaron, Tennessy, Karen, Monica, Cat, Michelle, and Gui...coming from three different groups of friends. Haha ang gulo. We got a package trip from Surf and Summits that covered transportation, accomodation, meals, and activities for a really cheap price. Yes, activities like skimboarding, flag football, and beach volleyball. Skimboarding was my favorite despite the cuts, bruises, and twisted ankles.

What's In My Name?

2005-03-23T21:41:00.000+08:00

It's the nickname game. I've been called by different nicknames, depending on how we're related or who you are. Try to find where you belong. Here are a few:

Martin - This is my real name, for crying out loud. You are probably an acquaintance, or a friend who just wants to stick with calling me this.

Mart - You are my kabarkada, probably Marjoe, PJ, or Joe.

Marts - You are my kabarkada who is trying to sound cute. Haha kidding. You're a cousin or a friend from Bacolod.

Kid - You are PJ or Marjoe.

Tintin - You are Ma'am No when I tried to think of a cute nickname in 2nd year college. Or you're Cris Silva who simply stuck with calling me this.

Aaron - You are a classmate from first year or second year high school who remembers me as a kid with long hair back in the days when that Carter brother happened to start singing.

Martintong / Tongtong - You are an aunt or uncle. I got this nickname from being totally amazed with the song about the crab which goes "tong tong tong pakitong kitong" when I was a baby.

Mardehn - Unbelievable how I got this nickname in my college freshman year. I was buying Zagu, and when asked for my name, guess what the tindera wrote on my cup. By calling me this, you are either PJ, Rica, Laica, Joe Fajarillo, or jk pag nanlalambing.

'Noy / Nonoy - Nickname called for "little boy" in Ilonggo. You are my mom or dad.

"Marteeen!" - Yes, with the prolonged "e". You are my mom ready to ask me to run an errand.

Duck - As in pan-Duck. You are jk.

Marvin - You're deaf man.

Tonight I Can Write

2005-03-01T22:22:00.000+08:00

I missed my blog. I even posted something on my chatterbox to prevent it from expiring. Does anyone even read my blog still? Bahala na. I'll just go on writing...because tonight I can. :D

In a few days, I'll be done with college. I just have to submit the hard-bound copies of my revised thesis, some kind of promo poster, and get clearance from different laboratories and offices. In a couple of weeks, I'm supposed to have no official business in Ateneo.

I can't believe it. I'm leaving the school that I've spent five years in. Five gruelling years. Ten semesters. Four summers. Countless overnights. I'm surely gonna miss Ateneo. I'm currently going through what I would like to call the "super senior's syndrome". This one is different from the popular senior's syndrome in that the super senior finds more meaning. The departing senior experiences nostalgic sentiments for fellow the fellow seniors he will not be seeing anymore; the departing super senior experienced that last year. This time, he has been given one full year to appreciate the splendor of the university...alone. He observed many fellow students and criticized them for taking many of their youth's benefits for granted. He found meaning in interacting with the security guards, janitors, cashiers, and other school personnel. He probably has made use of most of the school's facilities. He has criticized issues regarding the university with more maturity. He has reminisced his freshman and sophomore days more than ever. Over the past year, the super senior has developed more love for the school! (Shit what's with the third person discourse! Philosophy has kicked in! Haha!)

Many of you are still probably not convinced how different the senior is from the super senior. But different or not, both seniors and super seniors will find it hard to part ways with Ateneo. After all, Ateneo is one exceptional school.

(P.S. I've spent 5 years here already, but I'm still not going to call it The Ateneo.)

Ulol di tayo close!

2005-01-18T11:16:00.000+08:00

Hehehe. Wala kong kagalit. Yun lang yung title ng bulletin post ko sa friendster, advertising my new friendtest quiz. I remember a lot of people were into these friendship quizzes before. I thought of bringing it back. Try it.

http://mardehn.friendtest.com

Pag mababa yung score mo...text mo ko para gimmick tayo at maging close na talaga tayo. Hehehe.

Blue and Yellow

2005-01-12T18:56:00.000+08:00

I realized I've posted just once in almost two months before this one. I have nothing much to blog about right now...or let me say I'm just too lazy to share what I've been up to lately. I'm actually working on my thesis since crunch time is just around the corner. I've been playing babysitter to my six year old godson Dave, letting him sleep by my side for the past few nights because his mom is critically ill...she actually got paralyzed yesterday. Despite all these and some other things that keep me busy...my latest LSS:

Blue and Yellow
The Used

And it's all in how you mix the two
And it starts just where the light exists
It's a feeling that you cannot miss
And it burns a hole
Through everyone that feels it

Well you're never gonna find it
If you're looking for it
Won't come your way yeah
Well you'll never find it
If you're looking for it

Should've done something
But I've done it enough
By the way your hands were shaking
Rather waste some time with you

And you never would have thought in the end
How amazing it feels just to live again
It's a feeling that you cannot miss
It burns a hole through everyone that feels it

Should've said something
But I've said it enough
By the way my words were faded
Rather waste some time with you

Should've done something
But I've done it enough
By the way your hands were shaking
Rather waste my time with you

Should've said something
But I've said it enough
By the way my words were faded
Rather waste my time with you

waste some time with youuu...jk. Hahaha. I couldn't get the song out of my head since I first heard it from some guy in UST last month.

Saying goodbye to Blogger

2004-11-25T09:37:00.000+08:00

I haven't posted a blog in almost a month. I haven't really been that busy, I just lost the urge to write...or at least stuff to write about. But I'm not saying goodbye to Blogger. Especially after finding my cousin Manay Candy's blog last night. Reading through her posts inspired me to write again.

I also went through Marjoe's blog this morning, and found his post entitled Candles and Demonites totally hilarious. It's about a squabble with a little girl selling him candles in church. Marjoe para kang na-WOW MALI hahaha!

Still evidently nothing to write about. Tamad pa rin. Next time.

I'm about to sell out

2004-10-31T18:24:00.001+08:00

I'm really tempted to switch to Sun Cellular, for their unlimited call and text promo. Anlaking tipid nun, especially if jk gets a Sun Cellular SIM too. And I can make irresponsible calls to my other friends as well, who have already made the switch.

Actually I already had a Sun Cellular SIM since last christmas. I got it as a prize for winning an on-board contest in my Cebu Pacific flight to Bacolod. I used up the free credits that came with it, and never got to reload credits. Bakit pa kase nung time na yun ang hirap makahanap ng signal sa Sun. So yun, nag-expire yung SIM (Sa'n pwede magbenta ng mga lumang SIM?).

Now it's totally different. John Gokongwei is really serious in the expansion of the network. Lumalawak na yung coverage ng Sun, because according to my friends, matino naman daw yung signal. Sabi nga ni Drea sa commercial, "dali ta malingaw sa hapos nga gamiton nga mga serbisyo." The question now is....what is Sun Cellular thinking with this kind of promo? I said to myself a few days ago: "Does Sun really think that if I buy their prepaid SIM, I'm gonna get rid of my ol' Globe? Syempre mas madalas ko pa rin gagamitin yung Globe SIM ko."

That's what I thought...until Dulce texted me today that she's permanently gonna use the Sun Cellular SIM. Napaisip ako...ba't kaya? Oo nga naman, nakakatamad siguro kung every now and then magpapalit ka ng SIM sa phone mo. And it would be less of a hassle for your friends since they wouldn't be confused at which number to contact you. If Sun's services and network performance satisfies one's needs naman, one might as well stick with a single SIM. (Pag dalawa yung phone mo...ibang usapan na yun. Mayaman ka nga.)

Sembreak na!!

2004-10-16T09:42:00.000+08:00

At long last! I'm done with the sem! Well, not quite because my group in Signal Processing still has to make some revisions on the final project we submitted. But that's practically gonna be done in no time!

Ang saraaap ng bakasyon! Well again, not quite because I'll still be working on my thesis. My partner and I need to do measurements in school, ideally when no one else is present to minimize interference, and sembreak is the perfect time to do it. I finally got my dad to buy me a laptop that's wireless b/g capable, which I badly needed. Now I'm totally in thesis mode, full throttle. Haha!

So there's one more semester ahead of me before graduation. I can't wait to get it done with. Early this week, I've been playing with scans of my graduation pictures taken last year and this year. Since my last post was on comparison using pictures, I decided to do the same with my grad pics. I came up with a flash movie, and published it as an SWF file. So you'll need a flash player installed on your browser to view it.

Haha I noticed that I looked exactly the same in both pictures, only this year, with the hair. Wild huh? Try to spot the other differences and post them as comments!

Remembering Boracay

2004-10-02T21:12:00.000+08:00

This morning while having breakfast with my mom, a feature of Siargao, the surfing capital of the Philippines, was shown on TV.

Mom: Daw wala pa ta da kakadto haw? (Parang di pa tayo pumupunta diyan ah.)
Martin: Wala man ta ga-surfing. (Hindi naman tayo nagsu-surfing eh.)
Mom: Oo gale no. Te where will we go naman this summer? (Oo nga no. O saan naman tayo pupunta ngayong summer?)
Martin: Boracay!
Mom: Boracay again? Somewhere we haven't been to naman...like Palawan.
Martin: Pwede. Kagamo na man sa Boracay. It's not like before anymore when it was really a "survivor" type island. (Ang gulo na rin sa Boracay.)
Mom: Sadya to mga adventures naton no? Subong ya lain na guid. (Ang saya noong mga adventures natin no? Ngayon iba na talaga.)

Then I started reminiscing my first few Boracay trips. Iba na nga talaga ngayon. I decided to take scans of pictures of my past Boracay visits, and compare them to how Boracay looks at present. Here are a few.

Boracay 1989. My first time in Boracay, with my mom, lola, sister, and cousins. It was a USLS PALS board trip, and we stayed at Abram's Place. Bamboo cottages pa lang meron noon na wala pang kuryente, so we had to use oil lamps and mosquito nets at night. Namamalengke yung mom ko sa talipapa then she would have it grilled at our cottage. We were so fascinated then with how fine the sand was. We even tricked our lola to put sand in her coffee, telling her it was sugar. I remember walking to the outskirts of the island and finding huge rocks and caves. Sobrang daming foreigners noon na nagto-topless, na-pollute yung innocent mind ko.

Boracay 1991. My second time was with my bestfriend Anton's family and mine. We stayed at Pearl of the Pacific, na wala pang aircon rooms noon, but it had electricity for light na as I remember. I was still fascinated with the fine sand as you see in the pictures. Do you see Pier One or Cocomangas in the background? Probably not. Maybe 'coz they didn't exist yet. The rooms then were not as close to the shore, we had to walk a couple of meters more, unlike now when it's a stonethrow away. I remember visiting club panoly on the other side of the island during this trip.

Boracay 1994. This time I went with my family, my uncles, aunts, and cousins in my mother's side. We stayed at La Playa Blanca, which was owned by Tirol and Tirol. We kids made friends with a stray dog on the island, and named him Charlie, who followed us wherever we went, even when we swam. May pagka-remote island pa rin yung Boracay no'n, pero medyo dumadami na yung pumupuntang tao. Dun nauso yung Bazzura bar. Notice the shore, ang cute ng pagka-moist and shiny ng sand.

Boracay 1995. The following year, nainggit yung father's side relatives. So we went and stayed at Pearl of the Pacific, which had one of the first airconditioned rooms then (or maybe the first affordable ones haha). My mom and I woke up early one morning to take a long walk around the island, and I saw Charlie again who was still as friendly (and still a swimming dog!). Yeah that's me in the tiny speedos. And that's not a leprechaun. That's my cousin Beau.

Boracay 2001. Di ako nakabalik ng Boracay buong high school, I don't know why. The next time was during the summer after my first year in college. Father's side relatives pa rin, with my sister's friends JP, Poti, and Trisha. We stayed at rented houses in Diniwid Beach, a 10-minute walk away from boat station 1. My sister, cousins and I rode the banana boat, and the whole family rented a pumpboat and went island hopping. Ahh the financial perks of going with parents! This time buhay na yung mga bars like Cocomangas, pero wala pang Pier One. But then I wasn't able to go out that much at night 'coz wala kong kasamang ka-age ko aside from my cousins. This was the first time I saw establishments such as restaurants and shopping centers near the shore.

Boracay 2003. This was my first time to go to Boracay without my family. We had to manage our budget, which I think we did pretty well. Brice, Joe, and I went to Bacolod for 3 days, then stayed at Casa Camilla in Boracay for another 3 days. We made friends with Camilla, the daughter of the owner of the cottages we stayed in, and her friend Jessica, who were both from Connecticut. Wild na yung Boracay neto, with college students partying every night at Pier One. The beach was still as beautiful.

Boracay 2004. The following year, Brice, Joe and I did another Bacolod-Boracay summer bash, this time with those who weren't able to come the previous year, Marjoe, PJ and Richard. Mas pahirapan yung budget this time. We saw many of our college friends there who were also on vacation. Joe Faj was there on our first night. Our friends Patty and Negh stayed with us at our accomodation, again at Casa Camilla. John G, Nadia and Ai, and spent a couple of days and nights with us too. We went sailing around the island, stopping at the Puka Beach to take pictures. Crowded na talaga Boracay, pero masaya pa rin.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying pangit na yung Boracay ngayon; masarap lang mag-reminisce how it was before. Dati kase it was a quiet and peaceful vacation island; now it's a venue for a summer-long beach party. Tama yung mom ko when she said after our first Boracay trip, "after you've been to Boracay, there's gonna be no other beach." Wala talagang tatalo sa Boracay. I've grown to love this island through the years.

P.S. I cringe when I hear cool people call it "Bora". It reminds me how commercialized the island already is.

Meant to hear this song...

2004-10-01T22:44:00.000+08:00

Finally I got myself the iMesh peer-to-peer file sharing program, since I lost Kazaa when I reformatted my hard disk. I woke up this morning to download the song Meant To Live by Switchfoot, but since I was running late for my 8:30 class, I had to hold the download at 37% 'til next time. So as I got in my car and turned the radio on, guess what was playing on NU! Haha!

Meant To Live
Switchfoot

Fumbling his confidence
And wondering why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he’s bent for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside

Dreaming about Providence
And whether mice or men have second tries
Maybe we’ve been livin with our eyes half open
Maybe we’re bent and broken, broken

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside

We want more than this world’s got to offer
We want more than the wars of our fathers
And everything inside screams for second life

Apparently I just realized Switchfoot is Christian rock. The only songs of theirs I've heard before this one are You and their cover of Only Hope. I've been hearing Dare You to Move on the radio lately, and it's pretty good too. Thank you Lord for giving us awesome music like this. Go Christian rock! Have you been healed? Have you been saved? Has it happened to you, brother? Praise the Lord sweet Jesus! Give me a hallelujah brother! Amen!

I am so gay!

2004-09-24T23:33:00.000+08:00

I found this Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Quiz while browsing through Denise's blog. I took the quiz from a guy's point of view...taking the choices that I think would best represent me. And guess what. I am meant to be. Oh yes,

Kyan: The Grooming Guru.
Kasabihan nga namin sa CTC 208...I AM SO GAY!

Which Member from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is your type?
brought to you by Quizilla

Taning means deadline

2004-09-17T21:35:00.000+08:00

After three months of working on my thesis...three months of bumming in the lab, fastfood deliveries, and physical inactivity...I'm totally out of shape. I haven't gone to the gym for ages! It's not like I was totally buff when I was working out, nor am I a real fat ass now. I just miss the feeling of tight muscles and the look of a well-cut body. Si jk nga may nahahawakan nang bilbil sa tiyan ko pag naka-slouch ako eh. Haha yun lang.

I watched Feng Shui at Robinson's Metro East with jk this afternoon. It was quite good for a horror movie in Philippine cinema standards. But it had a lot of inconsistencies. And I hated the ending! Shit sarap sipain ng writer pagkatapos ko mapanood!

I'm currently in love with Imago's song entitled Taning. Astig yung song. Ganda ng boses ni Aya de Leon. If anyone could give me the lyrics of this song, I would gladly appreciate it. Or give me a cd nalang! Hehe. Imago is playing tonight at Capones Makati for the Son of a Bar Tour along with Stonefree. I wanted to watch but I couldn't find anyone to go with me. Ako nalang ata yung natitirang tunay na rocker sa barkada namin. Lahat nagconvert na hehehe.

Thesis is fun!

2004-09-11T06:53:00.000+08:00

Good morning! I just woke up. I spent the night here at the network testing laboratory in CTC 208, working on my thesis. It's a performance comparison of three wifi standards (802.11a, b & g) using Video Conferencing over a mobile adhoc network (MANET). It sounds pretty complicated, and you can bet it is...but I think I'm gonna be enjoying it. Here are a few good reasons why:

1. An airconditioned laboratory where you can sleep comfortably
2. Computers with internet access, networked locally as well for gaming
3. Being able to run around the corridors of CTC half naked
4. Singing and dancing infront of a webcam in order to test the video conferencing application
5. Hot milo anytime you want, courtesy of the vending machine at the 1st floor
6. Yelling across the CTC parking lot at night in total darkness, to tell your thesis partner whether the signal strength between the laptops each of you are carrying is ok or not
7. The comfort room for disabled here at the 2nd floor...since it's the only one unlocked for the night
8. And of course the company of friends who share in the fun and stress

=P

Happy birthday Martin!

2004-09-07T10:23:00.000+08:00

Kudos to my friends who attended my birthday party last Saturday! Although I expected more guests to arrive, it still was one good party. May natira pang isang case ng Red Horse. Boys, pano ba 'to? Bwahahahahaha!

Earlier that day, I played basketball at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig, together with my fellow Ateneo ECE students for the IECEP sportsfest. Our first game was against TIP-QC, and the second was against UE. Talo kame sa parehong games siyempre...tambak pa ng more than 20 points. Before the sportsfest, a lot of schools were intimidated by us, kase raw ATENEO. Gusto namin sabihin sa mga kalaban namin: "Yung mga napapanood niyo sa UAAP...ibang course yung mga yun! HIndi ECE!" Hahaha. Konti lang naman kami ECE sa Ateneo eh. Puro pa kami geeks. Hehe.

Brice, Earl, Joe, Richard, Marjoe, and Alvin surely knew what to give me for my birthday: a Marks and Spencer set of cocoa butter shower gel and lotion. Wag kayo magrereklamo kung mas lalo ako tumagal sa banyo ha! Katz gave me a cute keychain with my initials on it. Laica and Rye gave me an autographed cd of Sandwich's Thanks to the Moon's Gravitational Pull. I already had that cd, but the one they gave me was obviously better. I'm giving the extra album to jk.

I'm now officially twenty-one years old. I still feel like a kid. Although I know I'm already capable of handling the responsibilities of an adult...ayoko pa. Can I just live in Neverland like Peter Pan? Hehe. Sarap maging bata.

Photoblog ba 'to?

2004-08-31T11:57:00.000+08:00

I have nothing to blog about. I just wanna share a few photos...

I took a pic of myself last saturday at the UPJMA event called "Caged Heat" at Club V. Lakas ng trip. Gimmick king daw.

Here's Foed singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" at Tia Maria's Cantina. Hayop Foed all heart! I was chewing down chicken quesadillas.

Just by looking at the pic, you could hear jk say "ngeeh!"...haha! I like this pic taken by Joe Faj 'coz she captured that moment candidly.

Jk and I at Pizza Hut Katipunan. We had eat-all-you-can lunch there with my blockmates last Thursday.

From L-R: me, Melai, and Armi. They're my friends from Bacolod. Armi came to Manila, so we visited Melai at her dorm and had beer at a bar in the Taft area.

This pic was taken last July pa. I still had hair, please verify. Incidentally, my blockmate Avic and I were both wearing Bench shirts that day. Feeling models haha!

Halikinu! Rektikano!

2004-08-22T20:36:00.000+08:00

Whenever La Salle and Ateneo play against each other in the UAAP, I'm always torn between the two teams.

Part of me wants to cheer for Ateneo, since it's my current school. I'm gonna get my college diploma from this school. Dito ako sa school na 'to naghirap (at kasalukuyan pa ring naghihirap) para makapagtapos sa minamahal kong kurso. Also, I can relate more with Ateneo's players, seeing almost all of them regularly in school. Pake ko ba kay Macmac...kahit magaling siya, di naman kame magkakila. And he doesn't study philosophy and theology the way we do in Ateneo. Yuck kadiri ang yabang ko na rin...para na kong Atenista hahaha!

But I'm a La Sallian at heart. I've known La Salle's alma mater song for fifteen years already, having studied in University of St. La Salle from prep to grade 3 and in La Salle Greenhills from grade 4 'til I finished high school. Religio, Mores, and Cultura have played a big part in my formation as a person. The fundamentals of my academic knowledge are grounded on what I've learned from my teachers in grade school and high school. My value for friendship is unparalleled, thanks to my fellow La Sallians whom I shared wonderful memories with. I wouldn't be who I am now if not for that kick ass school.

So whom do I cheer for during the UAAP games? When the two schools play against each other, I cheer for both (kase alam ko yung mga cheer ng pareho hehehe). Or sometimes, I don't cheer at all. I just wait for the outcome of the game and give my congratulations to the winner. But a greater part of me is still La Sallian. 11 years in La Salle is still far from my 5 years (hopefully 5 lang) in Ateneo.

Sige I've watched more games seated in the Ateneo side, since I started watching UAAP seniors basketball. But a few years after my college graduation, I feel that I'd still be watching the UAAP games in Araneta...LA SALLE SIDE. :)

On gimmicks and smoking

2004-08-21T11:19:00.000+08:00

I haven't gone out at night for the longest time...'til last night. I went to Greenbelt with two groups of friends: my barkada and my friends from Bacolod. Switching from Tagalog to Ilonggo and back was quite a challenge, but I managed to get us all into one group. From my barkada, only Joe, Marjoe, Earl and Rica were present. Sa Bacolod friends naman, Carmela, Monica (who arrived from Switzerland after being away for a year or so), and Armi (who's here in Manila for an interior design congress). It's the first time I went out with them here in Manila! We usually see each other only in Bacolod during summer and Christmas vacation! It was fun to be out with them. But I spent more attention to Joe, Marjoe, Earl and Rica, kase namiss ko sila! All of them have jobs already. Joe's gonna start in IBM in two weeks. Marjoe started last Monday in PLDT. Earl of course has his own company. Hahaha! Hindi lang anak mayaman si Earl...anak makapangyarihan! Talo ako! Si Rica lang yung student...but I still don't get to see her in school because of my busy schedule. So we spent the night sharing tons of stories over dinner at Food Choices, over beer at Krocodile Grillery, and over acoustic music at this place along Valero, I forgot the name. Sayang nga eh, I hope I can go out with my friends from Bacolod again.

Last night, andaming nagyyosi. Of course I wasn't one of them. A lot of people can't believe that I haven't smoked a single cigarette ever in my entire life. Or kahit isang puff man lang para mag-try. I have nothing against smoking, but it's just not my thing. Masunuring bata lang siguro ako, since my parents told me not to smoke. But then again they also told me not to drink. Hahaha. Neither of my parents smoke, so siguro malaking influence yun. Sometimes I get curious of why people enjoy smoking so much, and I feel that it won't hurt if I try. But then it becomes a will-power trip for me. Pag matanda na ko, gusto ko masabi na never ako nagsmoke ng cigarette...kahit puff. Kaya ko naman siguro yun. I don't really get the urge to smoke.

2004-08-12T13:46:00.000+08:00

In parallel to Marjoe's blog post entitled "I'm Gay" last Tuesday, August 4, 2004...I'm gay too! Hahaha. I was labeled by Rica, the only girl in our barkada, as Kyan Douglas, the Grooming Gay from the show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

She labeled us pretty well. I was the grooming guru, Marjoe the fashion savant, PJ the design doctor, Joe the food and wine connoisseur, and Brice the culture vulture. Ba't grooming guru ako? Matagal daw ako maligo. Maraming kikay stuff. Bading o metrosexual? Hahaha! I just like the feeling of being clean.

I feel that today is the last day of my hell weeks. Yes, WEEKS. I've been in hell for a couple of weeks already. But that doesn't mean everything's gonna be easy now. Purgatory muna ako. Babalik ulit sa impiyerno after a week or so.

2004-08-06T11:08:00.000+08:00

Para sa mga "athletes kuno"...Hahaha. I went to Hong Kong last summer and bought two cans of WariActiv. I don't know what to do with the other can, so I might as well sell it. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's an analgesic spray. "First aid pain relief" is what's written on the can, containing "Ethylchlorid".

But of course a lot of you know there are other uses for it. HAHAHAHAHA -- that says it all. It's sprayed on a piece of cloth (usually a handkerchief) then inhaled...it gives you a 30 to 40 second laugh trip.

I'm selling it for 800 pesos. Mahirap pumuntang Hong Kong noh! Leave a message on my chatterbox if you're interested. Or text me at 09163652445.

2004-08-04T00:06:00.000+08:00

I just came home from my tita's birthday party at Captain's Bar in Mandarin Hotel. Spirit of '67 was playing. They're a band who graduated from Ateneo High School class of 1967. They decided to have a reunion a few years ago, and now they're hitting it big with the audience of their age group -- e.g. my parents! I've spent almost two hours listening to 60's and 70's music, accompanied with a couple of beers together with my uncles. The three beers I drank tonight are surely gonna give me a good night's sleep.

So I went to Banahaw last weekend for my Fil 14 class. I didn't want to go at first, since I had 5 exams scheduled for this week. Plus I didn't know anyone from my Fil class. I couldn't get any of my friends to come with me either. But after a few words from my professor, I was convinced to go. The trip turned out great. I made friends with my sophomore classmates, 4 of them were also ECE majors, and the other 4 were from MIS. They were awesome man. Buti magkakasundo kami lahat. I'd do another out of town trip again with those guys any day.

Yesterday, I had my graduation photo shoot. After my exam in mobile communications, I rushed to Bench Fix Salon along Katipunan to have my hair trimmed. Para mukha naman akong maayos sa formal pose ko. I went to the "photo studio" in SOM 102 30 minutes early, had my makeup done and my formal shot taken. It was all good. Then for my creative pose. I had the entire top of my head shaven, using a clipper I borrowed from Alvin last Sunday. Then I asked my friend Chochay to pose as if she had just shaven it off. It was hilarious. My blockmates Christiane and Mike were there to witness it. Christiane even took a picture of me right after, using my phone. Here it is.

After my photo shoot, I bought lunch at the caf and ate in The Driveway. I hid my hair under a cap of course. Then I had my head completely shaven at a barbershop along Xavierville Ave. May GA kase kame later that afternoon eh. It was quite embarrassing to show the barber my "reverse mohawk". Hahaha!

I've noticed that I've been really lazy lately. Andaming kailangan gawin for my classes, and unfortunately, sobrang tamad ako. I get by naman, but with mediocrity of course. This just ain't right. Dala siguro 'to ng idea na halos lahat ng friends ko tapos na mag-aral. Kaya ayoko na rin!!! I hope I find inspiration to get myself back on academic track...soon.

I have this slight crush on someone right now. Ewan ko ba pero may dating sakin ang gandang pilipina ngayon. Ayoko ng pancit, ayoko ng fruit salad! Gusto ko ng adobo! Hahahaha! I won't tell who it is, and I'm definitely not gonna do anything about it. Kase torpe ako? Hahaha! No, it's just not right. Tama na 'to, the alcohol is doing a lot of talking. Good night boys and girls.

2004-07-28T16:09:00.000+08:00

Long time no post ulit! Hehehe. I've been busy in school again lately. I'm actually blogging from CTC 208 in Ateneo...my thesis lab. I've been here practically the entire day! Since 9:40 to be exact. Now it's 3:58. I've gone out a couple of times to go to class (10:30 to 11:30) and to buy food in the caf (kaninang 1:00). I ate my lunch right outside the lab. In a few months, I would have to be actually staying overnight here. It's quite comfortable naman. Dadala ako ng kama dito pag kailangan hehehe.

Last saturday was awesome! I attended the First General Assembly for the year of IECEP (Institute of Electronics and Communications Engineers of the Philippines) in PUP Taguig. Mejo boring. Then PJ had a party at his house. He cooked for the whole barkada! Sarap chong! Mga nandun: PJ, Rica, Joe, Marjoe, Patty, Negh, Pao, Aubrey, Jenn, jk, Joe Fudge, Cholo, Brice, Earl, VJ, and syempre ako.

After dinner, Marjoe, jk, Alvin and I went to Chadd's "Lasalista Dinner" at Dencio's, Powerplant. Classic yun!!! Sobrang saya!!! Lasalista for life!!! Of course one of the topics during the night was work...most of us were working na except me, Alvin and Rix. We reminisced the good old high school days...we had so much fun recalling them that we almost died laughing! Tapos syempre di mawawala ang usapang bastos sa mga Lasalista. Mga nandun: Chadd, Matoy, (Antoine) Monje, Matt, Alvin, Marjoe, ako, Rix, Raffy, Nuki, and jk who was the only girl. Katz and Mig dropped by pero sandali lang. At the end of the night, I had five beers. We were supposed to have a next scene, but then I decided to take Marjoe and jk home nalang. We dropped by Burger Machine on the way to Marjoe's house. Then I felt so sleepy pahatid kay jk...I caught a few minutes of sleep muna after ko siya hinatid, then I went home.

Here are some pictures. I uploaded it already.

From left to right: Alvin, Rix, Monje, Matthew, Chadd, Marjoe. Ako yung nasa taas.

From left to right: Rix, Monje, Matthew, Chadd, jk, Marjoe

2004-07-10T22:49:00.000+08:00

So last night was unforgettable. After taking a shower in the covered courts (since there was no water in Moro), I went to meatshop (actually Rod's pero meatshop pa rin yung tawag) to meet up with Joe, Marjoe, and Nicole. By then, they each have already consumed a bottle of san mig light and a bottle of strong ice. I ordered 5 barbecues and a cup of rice to serve as my dinner. Tapos sabi ko sabayan ko sila uminom so I ordered a bottle of san mig light rin, followed by strong ice a few minutes later. PJ, Rica, and Brice arrived. One more san mig light and a red horse later, I was out. You could view my picture in Marjoe's blog, tinatamad pa ko maglagay ng pics sa blog ko. Patty, Negh, jk, Joe F, Cholo, and I don't know who else arrived. I threw up in the toilet, and the rest was a historical account related to me when I woke up this morning. Sabi nila four times ako sumuka...thrice in the toilet and once just outside my pickup. Marjoe drove my pickup, brought Brice home, and he let me sleep nalang in his house (Thanks! Thanks!). Hangover the next morning was awful. I got it off this afternoon lang.

Tinalo ako ng apat na beer?!?! (Plus quite a number of gulps from others, especially Marjoe's Colt 45...I don't remember anymore) Supot!!! I was really surprised. So were my friends. The most number of beers I had was 6 bottles of red horse in Kaye's party...and I was good enough to drive Joe and myself home pa after. Bat ganun tama ko kagabi?? I didn't neglect my alcohol training naman...I've had regular alcohol intake in steady amounts for the past month. Did I drink too fast? Was I stressed? I've lacked sleep for a number of nights this week due to school work. Damn olats ako...I could have enjoyed the night with my friends. But thanks sa inyong lahat na nag-alaga sakin. Cheers to you boys and girls sa susunod nating inuman! Hahahaha!

I just got home from a date with Brice sa Ice Monster along J. Abad Santos. Guy talk. And I don't mean usapang bastos hehehehe. It concerned matters of the heart...and mind. Naks! It was all good. Hanggang dun nalang...Good night!

2004-07-03T18:43:00.000+08:00

Three weeks into the schoolyear. Maybe it won't be that bad after all. I found some distractions from missing my friends: going to the gym, hanging out with blockmates, and of course...tons of schoolwork. On the friday of the second week of class, I found myself in the digital signal processing laboratory practically the entire day! Most of us in that lab were cramming for an activity which was due the week after. This week, we had to prepare for defense.

This was just the third week. And all the work I'm complaining about is just for one subject. I haven't mentioned a few exams we already had for other subjects. For what is yet to come this semester, I dread to imagine. I just want to see images of my graduation.

Despite the busy schedule, I have found time...to feel lonely. The single life seems so meaningless and incomplete. Am I now ready to get into a relationship? I still don't know...I'll give that thought more time until it whacks me in the head for being too dense to realize that I obviously am ready.

2004-06-14T21:24:00.000+08:00

Ateneo has never been the same since March of 2004. Done with their final examinations, all the seniors then have been on vacation and simply waiting for the day of their graduation. Except for some others who were, fortunately or not, blessed with another semester of college or more. Yes, including me. For the course I so love most happens to be a painful five-year suffering. What led me to this ranting was today's first day of classes this first semester of the 2004-2005 school year. Gone are most of my barkada whom I spend my breaks with. Gone are the hi's, hello's, high-fives, and smiles I give and receive to friends when we pass each other by. The only familiar people are my fellow fifth year ECE students, and a handful of friends who are still studying as well. All others are complete strangers. Why am I so bothered? Because I crave for socialization and I need people to greet whenever I walk around campus. Bullshit. I miss my friends. I miss my batchmates. I miss y'all motherf*thers. And brothers*sters. Tsssssssssssssssss...

Good thing PJ and Rica share in my plight. I spent my long break with them. And Brice visited Ateneo too. We ate in A Venetto, Libis, just like the good ol' days when we had at least an hour and half break. Dami nga lang kulang kanina. Kaya kayong mga ungag (Marjoe, Brice, Joe, Richard) kahit may trabaho na kayo bumisita pa rin kayo sa school ha? At least throughout the schoolyear. Pakabait kayo, practice safe sex.

2004-06-10T15:36:00.000+08:00

Finally something to blog about! I'm back from Hong Kong. Actually I arrived two days ago. The last time I was there was in 1995, and things there have changed a lot since then...or so I think. In '95 I went crazy over Toys 'R Us. This time, I was seeking to improve my wardrobe. But then when I visited Shenzen, China, where the locals boast of the best bargains, I didn't find anything worth buying. The stuff there were mostly "made in China" (in other words, fake brand names). The other stuff that weren't fake brand names were China's own brands which didn't look like it had quality. Sure, bargaining there was insane. My mom bought a bag which was initially sold for HK$700, but got it at only HK$350, after ten minutes of haggling. But then for my taste, I thought the quality of the stuff being sold at Shenzen wasn't worth its price, even after the "tawad". I could find stuff like those being sold at Greenhills even cheaper. So back in Hong Kong, next to our hotel (Marco Polo Gateway) were the Harbor City and Ocean Centre. Branded clothes there were extremely expensive, comparing their peso equivalent to prices here in the Philippines! Ok, so Hong Kong has a higher standard of living. But what the heck, I'd rather shop for clothes in Manila. So I ended up spending all my shopping money on an mp3 player. I noticed most of the Chinese teenagers wearing these lighter-sized gadgets around their necks equipped with a pair of earphones. Going with the flow I got myself this Samsung yepp, 256MB. Good stuff, I filled it up today with more than 60 songs and I can even play it in my car using a car adapter. It runs on only one AAA battery for about 9 hours.

Enough about shopping, let me relate my experience with the tours. Our first tour was to Aberdeen where you can ride the "bangka" or whatever the Chinese call it. I didn't ride since I already did in 1993. The next stop was at JC jewelry factory. My grandmother spent a fortune there as if she were a child in a toystore. Then we went to Shenzen, a 40-minute bus ride away from Mong Kok. We visited this museum, but it turned out the museum was only a front. Staff of the museum ended up selling lychee tea, slimming tea, ginseng tea, and more jewelry to us. The next stop was a leather factory outlet/showroom where more stuff were sold to us. Not only did they sell leather goods, but also chinese herbal medicine. We then visited Windows of the World. This 20-hectare theme park showcases smaller replicas of the different wonders all over the world, classified into continents. Cute naman. We wanted to cut our tour short, so we took a train ride around the park, stopping at the more important sights (pyramids of egypt, eiffel tower, leaning tower of pisa, niagara falls, etc.) to have our pictures taken. After that, we proceeded to the shopping mall I mentioned earlier. We ended up taking public transportation back to Hong Kong, which was horrible. The locals were rude in getting on the bus, cutting queues and shoving other people...even the children and the elderly. (Were they too eager to get home? Well I guess we have some of those kind in our country as well.) I even helped some fellow filipino kids to get on the bus, since they were separated from their mother by the sea of people. In the process, I got myself and my family left behind, which was fine. Nothing was more rewarding than the smile the mother gave me when she saw her children get on the bus. We took the later bus and got back to the hotel past twelve midnight.

Later that night I pondered on how the travel agency was making lots of money. To give you a background, the Shenzen tour was free, but we had to pay extra money for visiting the mall and Windows of the World. Lakas ng kick back. First of all, we paid more than a hundred Hong Kong dollars per person just to visit the mall. Bakit may entrance fee ba dun parang sa Windows of the World? Then we had to take public transportation going back to our hotel. On our own. Without a tour guide. Lastly, the travel agency was probably being paid by the places we visited for advertisment, since tourists were being brought by compulsory to their place. Anyway, that was one helluvan experience. Although tiring, it was fun. Especially because we travelled together as a family. And our tour guide in China was cute. No! I don't mean attractive. Her mild manner and soft-spokenness amused me, since not too many Chinese I've encountered there were like her.

So that's the end of my account. In 1995 it was sight-seeing, Toys 'R Us, and Ocean Park. This year, it was more educational. It was experience of the Chinese culture, be it museum visits, meals at dimsum restaurants, or close encounters with the people. I enjoyed it.

2004-05-17T15:56:00.000+08:00

I'm blogging now at an internet cafe in Globe Telecom Plaza. I should be in school now kaya lang free cut. So I went back here to Globe. Now I should be in the office, pero wala namang pinapagawa, kaya nagpapadelingkwente ako dito.

My life's becoming a routine during weekdays. Boring shit. OJT, class, uwi. Buti nalang nag-inuman sa bahay ni Joe nung saturday. Good hit kami ni PJ. Hahaha.

I'll post something more worthwhile next time. Promise.

2004-05-10T13:03:00.000+08:00

I have nothing much to blog about. Typical day...went to work, did nothing...ate lunch at Aysee's, played pool, won some, lost some...went to class, learned nothing. The gym was crowded, so I went straight home. I hope summer would end soon. Or at least my practicum and summer class.

I've been seeing Sandwich's new video on MTV and MYX lately, Two Trick Pony. Sandwich sure does know how to reinvent rock. The rock gods must be thinking why the hell are the audience DANCING while the members of the band are jumping around, pounding on guitars and drums. It's a good song though. They sound great. But the video looks lame. Diego Castillo's awesome guitar riffs, Marc Abaya's ever exhausted voice. Damn I love Sandwich.

S is 4 shoe, and D is for dad
pam threw a shoe and hit a stupid ass lad
up pinup girls and peanut butter boys
i love u records like Jing loves toys
we're down with the marikina riverside posse
sucat españa qc makati
loads in the hood old school like tame
blast u 2 space like dex is insane
mental is garlic rude rudy is a chauffeur
bring the noise like a robot monster
this is not radio loud and clear
bring your demos over here (over here)
grip stand throw, catch the semi automatic radio show...

2004-05-09T21:25:00.000+08:00

My mom woke me up at 10 this morning to attend mass at 11. Happy mothers' day! 7 hours of sleep is quite ok na for me. Went home at about 2:45 last night hanging out with PJ, Rica, Joe, Alvin, Patty and Negh at Moomba, somewhere in Timog. Haha it was a debut of a friend of Negh and Patty, and the rest of us crashed. The place was full of homosexuals (the most politically correct term I could find for the moment). It was quite scary dancing on the floor, but I dealt with it. Kahit anong focus ko sa mga kasama ko lang, mahirap pa rin yung may kumikiskis na pwet ng bading sa likod mo diba? Anyway, I attended mass at 11 and went to an uncle's birthday for lunch. Practically I did nothing the whole afternoon. I just finished watching Princess Diaries, and damn Anne Hathaway (Mia Thermopolis) is one fine lady. I've seen this movie a couple of times na before, and I don't know why I got teary-eyed listening to her speech. I'll be voting tomorrow morning, and I have yet to fill up my sample ballot. Para pagdating sa voting precinct bukas kokopyahin ko nalang. But probably tatamarin ako at magffriendster and YM lang ako tonight. I'll post something more interesting...uhmm not tomorrow, not on Tuesday, but when my life gets interesting na. Haayyy...

2004-05-09T15:22:00.000+08:00

I've just read a few of my friends' blogs, and I was inspired to do the same thing. This is my first blog post ever. This blogging thing is the new diary for everyone else to view online. At least anyone who cares to read. Haha self revelation ba? Now lets get to the point. It makes me look like a sweet, sensitive guy. Bakit, hindi pa ba? Hehe so much for a trial post.