Monday, August 27, 2007

Pilipinas, Game KNB?




We taped the episode just this morning (Monday, August 27, 2007). It will air TOMORROW, Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 11:30 AM at ABS-CBN. Why should you watch it? Well for one thing how many contestants that you personally know actually reach the 1 million peso jackpot round? Besides I have always been this uptight boring person that I am. Have you ever seen me dance? What about seeing me dance a crazy dance called PAPAYA? What about seeing me dance a crazy dance called Papaya SOLO? That’s for tomorrow folks. =)
When Edu Manzano asks you to enumerate hospitals both private and public in Manila and Quezon City and you give him an unbelievable first answer such as Makati Med people will view that as stupidity.  However for me I don’t view that as such because I know stupidity is not the reason, it simply wasn’t meant to be. If I managed to outmaneuver three moms, a UST student, and a 1-day champion how the hell did I come up with a MAKATI Med answer when it was clearly stated in the question that they are looking for Manila and QC hospitals. I don’t know. For lack of better reason I think my reason holds at least for me. It simply wasn’t meant to be.

If you look like a nerd in real life you should take advantage of it when joining game shows. Walking in a dressing room dressed like a walking Encyclopedia Britannica instills fear in the hearts of vulnerable opponents specially when they are middle-aged moms with low self-esteem. You could actually use it as an indirect way of attacking their concentration and the good thing about it is that you don’t get blamed for it. You don’t get blamed because for one it is not your fault that you look like a nerd and two it is not your fault that people are actually judging you based on how you look, hence creating their own ghosts that they shouldn’t really be afraid of.
Being a student from UPD has its perks. It is common knowledge that we do get first preference when applying for jobs. Some people don’t see it as that. My challenge is GET REAL! It does happen. Unfortunately in joining game shows if you could hide the fact that you are from UPD you will be safe. If not, prepare to suffer the consequences and I tell you, consequences could be nasty. Just one thing: If something is for you nothing can prevent it from happening.
Of course there is the first round where there are ten of you. A “roleta” is flashed on the electronic board. It will stop in a category then the second row will stop with a letter. Your answer must be in that category starting with that first letter. A Letter B for characters starring in the Simpsons movie is quite easy. “Bart Simpson!” I shouted. I was the second one to qualify. The secret in this round is good eye and hand coordination. Your eyes must be fixed on the board. Once a category is selected you must already think of the universe of that category. Once the letter flashes the answer should already be on your head and your hand should already be in the sensor in front of you. If you get that right, you are in and that’s where the fun begins.
Out of the three guys in the Round of Ten elimination I was the only one who made it to the second round of 5. All of them were girls. Three were mothers of different age groups while the other one was a Med Tech student from UST. I was second in line. Edu introduced first the mother on my left who got in first and then after that it was me.
When Edu was finally in front of me he asked me, “Mukhang ninenerbiyos ka?” I replied, “Yes, maginaw po kasi.” He joked back, “A kaya ka ninenerbiyos dahil sa ginaw.” Then that’s when he went to one of the production assistants and asked for his jacket. He put the jacket on me and the crowd jokingly teased, “Uy, yihee...” It was weird because the jacket was so big for me but it did help me concentrate. I’m the kind of person who would die first if you put me on board the Titanic. I wouldn’t die in the water. I would die before reaching the water because of extreme cold. Ginawin ako, in short.
¿Cómo te llamas?” was his first question. I didn’t know that Edu could speak Spanish. I adit I was caught off guard. And so I replied with “Me llamo Alfredo. Me llamo Dan Alfred pero cuando hablo español me llamo Alfredo.” It would have pained a former professor to hear me overkill the verb “llamarse” but like I said I was caught off guard. He continued. I barely remembered if he asked where I lived or with whom I live but I remember that I answered, “Vivo con mi hermano. Mis pa, mis padres están en el extranjero.” (I live with my brother. My parents are abroad.) After that I think he stopped. He just commended my Spanish. I was actually kind of embarassed not by Edu but by the fact that until now I can’t seem to sustain a simple impromptu Spanish conversation. I also told him that I worked part-time in a call center once as a Spanish speaking agent and he told me that we make more than other call center agents do. I did not contradict him because it is true.

Then we talked about my plans. I told him that I was in Journalism first and that when I realized that I wasn’t good in writing straight news that was also the time when I fell in love with the Spanish language leaving myself torn between EL and Pol Sci. He asked me what year I am in and I replied “6th year technically.” That’s when the whole “I did not fail the UPCAT” fiasco came up.
The jacket turned out to be a lucky jacket. I think I was able to answer the first question and then it was smooth sailing until I reached the last step. That’s when someone got a correct answer and then the crowd went wild cheering the woman to make me ATRAS and she did. The second time I got to reach the last step another contestant managed to get an answer right and pulled me back again. The third time was of course quite nerve-wracking already. How do you advance when all of them are against you? This is where the UPD game show stigma comes in. I just kept on taunting the audience that I am really the one meant to dance PAPAYA in front. If you get to cross the line first you are obliged to dance Papaya whether you like it or not. I just used that as a handle to keep myself psyched. I was already having doubts. I was just able to hang on because of one constant thought in my head, “If I am meant to cross that line I will be able to cross it no matter who or what comes my way.” It did work. I crossed the line second and then the crowd remembered my battle cry. I was asked to dance Papaya solo in front. When you are in front of national TV, super nervous with the knowledge that the whole world is watching (Hello TFC) doing a little crazy dance and losing all your jitters does help. Besides I was already on national TV. I just took advantage of the fifteen seconds of fame.
After that round I was already more confident. What else had I got to lose? I think I already lost my dignity dancing the Papaya in front with the whole world watching, hehehe. The defending winner was called in front and she chose a category called, “At Home.” This is the trickiest part of the program, the Challenge round. The categories are simply hard to figure out. It turned out that we were to give the 20 Most Populous Provinces in the Philippines. I admitted on air that, “Bobo ako s Philippine Geography.” Ask me the capital of Zimbabwe. Ask me to enumerate all the countries in Europe. I could do that but ask me this? I don’t even know what the difference is between a city and a province in this country. Is Cavite a province? Is it a city? I have no idea! I just remembered that there is region called CaLaBaRZon. Maybe those are provinces. And so I prepared my bets in my brain, come what may. I only had three: Laguna, Cavite, and Bulacan. I answered Laguna and it was correct. And then the other two players answered wrong. That’s when I realized that I didn’t need Cavite and Bulacan anymore. I tried in vain to give Edu all the 20 provinces but I failed.
Of course what comes last is the million peso jackpot round. There are eight categories to be flashed on screen and you have ten seconds to look at it. The categories were actually “friendly” to me because I saw European Cuisine there along with another one called Flags of the World. Unfortunately it was the John Travolta Films category that got chosen. Before I knew I was asked to supply three letters. Instead of another letter I chose letter G as my third letter at the last moment. because I remembered the John Travolta category. If there is one Travolta flick that I know that would be GREASE. And then that category popped out.


Again I openly admitted that I am not a John Travolta fan and that I barely know any movie of his. When the clock started ticking I went straight to letter G and shouted “GREASE!” followed by a “Sure na!” In the little thinking time that I had I knew that there is another John Travolta film called FACE-OFF, the cover of which I remember well from our pirated VCD collection. I forgot that when I came to letter F and so I skipped that and went to another letter. Suddenly a vision flashed in my mind that of a movie poster with Uma Thurman seated on a couch. There’s a lot of gold in that poster and John Travolta was in it! I tried my best to remember the title and then it hit me. The title was “BE COOL! Sure na!” After that I remembered FACE OFF. And then of course since Uma Thurman already helped me with the Be Cool answer I remembered another film where the two of them starred together. Who could ever forget PULP FICTION? “Sure na!”
In the end the four answers I supplied were all correct. “Not bad for someone who is not a John Travolta fan,” Edu said. I too was quite impressed with that. I’m still wondering where all those movies came from. Well the answer could have very well been in the dark corners of my brain, pieces of useless information waiting to be utilized. I didn’t have an answer for A. Of course John Travolta had a cameo in Austin Powers in Goldmember. He was Goldmember in the movie version of Austin’s life story. The other letter was S. Saturday Night Fever was a popular movie (I think) but not as popular for my memory during that moment. He drew out six envelopes containing each of the six letters on the board. Having 4 correct answers the probability was high that I would get the computer showcase. I did.
Celebrities played in the next episode. They were the cast of the upcoming movie My Kuya’s Wedding. Of course Maja Salvador was there and I couldn’t help but stare at her. Aside from winning the million I must admit that the other thing that drove me to strive to get to the next episode was to see Maja and snap a picture with her. Too bad it did not happen. Maja didn’t get past the first round and I was afraid to withdraw my camera and approach her because I thought it was prohibited. (The contract says no mobile phones in the studio, it didn’t say NO CAMERAS, but I was just playing safe.) She had already gone after my challenge round.
Kitkat and IC Mendoza (Inday Badiday’s gay grandchild) were the ones who made it through the challenge round. They were both friendly. They both made beso to me when I went up the stage and talked a little asking me how long I have been the defending champion. It’s just too bad I didn’t take a picture with them. I chose the category. I was torn between “Who’s the Boss” and “In Sickness.” I chose the latter because I thought it would be a question about diseases or illnesses. I was wrong. When the hospital question flashed on screen I was already a little disoriented and like I said in the first few paragraphs the first two hospitals that popped in my head were Makati Med and St. Luke’s, completely disregarding the fact that the category was asking for hospitals in Manila and Quezon City, not Makati. I do know that PGH and Lung Center are in QC but the Makati Med answer disqualified me from the game. I was the first to answer. I confidently said, “Makati Med.” It was when the crowd collectively sighed disappointment that I finally realized my mistake. Hello, MAKATI!
My game ended there. I snapped a photo with chairman Edu and signed all the documents that needed to be signed. My Php50, 000 has a 20% tax which only leaves me with Php40, 000. The computer showcase has 20% tax too! Surprise! Since it costs Php23, 000 the amount of Php4, 600 was also deducted leaving me with Php35, 400 that I can claim a month after the episode airs: September 29, 2007 – three days after my birthday. And so it ends.

The Best Week of My 21st Year on Earth

August 20 - 26
The Best Week of My 21st Year on Earth

Soundtrack of the Week
  1. Papaya [PGKNB THEME]
  2. Crazy for You [MADONNA]
  3. Walang Kapalit [PASCUAL]
  4. It Must Have Been Love [ROXETTE]
  5. Si Volvieras a mí [GROBAN]
The Week in Bullets
  • We already taped the episode of 1 vs. 100. I did not make it through but I had the time of my life in that game show. Hell I would join it over and over again whether I win or not, if only for the experience! I actually lost but I was kind of “high” in the end. I was hunting celebrities to take pictures with them at the cafeteria! How high is that?! That is so not me.
  • I will pass the second Calculus exam with flying colors. If not for two items that my cramming brain overlooked I would ace that exam. Of course this is weird because this is the first time that I actually felt happy in a Math exam ever (I was smiling during the exam, imagine!) I only slept two hours the night before the exam because I was cramming and yet this.
  • On the other hand I think I will not fare well in the Political Science 186 exam. I had two weeks to review for it. I didn’t. That’s a good thing for me if I crammed the night before the exam. Neither did I. In short I was only armed with stock knowledge I had from lectures. Is this reversal of fortune for the two exams mentioned? This is so weird.
  • I will be employed once again starting September 1, 2007. Same old part-time call center stuff but this time 80% of the clients is from Mexico. My Spanish has been dormant for quite a while. It’s time to wake it up.
  • I had a gay person cut my hair in a Bench fix Salon before I went to tape the 1 vs. 100 episode. I told him: “Bahala ka na, basta magmukha lang akong tao ngayong araw na ito.” Mukha naman daw akong tao (Nanghihingi siguro ng tip.) I don’t know if I should be happy with the new haircut. It’s quite different from the usual barbero haircut that I get. But in fairness, hindi na ako mukhang taong-gubat. Maybe that’s a good thing.
  • The average hours of sleep I had this week were 4 hours. I had three exams. I had the taping which was postponed several times. The week was very hectic but I enjoyed a lot. Definitely the best week of being 21.
  • I’ve met a lot of interesting people because of the 1 vs. 100 gig.
Since this is the second to the last weekly report before the New Year starts (My New Year starts September, don’t be weirded out...) I think I will just discuss the weirdness of the bitch we call life.

1. Life is a Bitch – True. However we should always remember that life is our bitch. We are the boss. We control it or at least we get the illusion that we are controlling it. That’s the way it should be.

2. Everything happens for a reason – This sounds like a cliché right? However there are weird occurrences in life that we can’t explain specially when it comes to making decisions. It’s as if our decisions are pre-programmed. They happen because they should happen and they will lead to something else, something that we don’t know about yet at the beginning but will become clear in the end. Of course in the end you marvel at the weirdness of it.

When I got a little exhausted studying Spanish a year ago I decided to buy a book-CD combo from Powerbooks using the money I saved during that time. I wasn’t working as a call center agent yet back then. I was torn between Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese. Both languages were available and I can’t decide which one to buy. Mandarin was the popular choice among the three personalities living in this body of mine and so I almost bought it. At the last minute I changed my mind and chose Portuguese instead. I got accepted as a Spanish agent in a call center a month after that. Three months later I was working for the Portuguese support team. It may have been pure coincidence but I can’t seem to shake off the feeling that I was drawn to buy that Portuguese book/CD because somehow life knew that I will land a Portuguese Support agent position in the near future.

Want a weirder example? Let’s look closer.

The day after passing the screening for 1 vs. 100 Pilipinas Game KNB sent me an SMS asking me to come to ABS-CBN for screening at 9 AM Saturday. I had an exam at exactly 9 AM Saturday in UPD. I was devastated. I’ve been waiting for that screening for two years already. A few hours later NDCC declared classes suspended. The exam was moved to another date. I was able to go to the screening as if the weather made it possible for me.

The 1 vs. 100 taping was moved Saturday (yesterday), the call time for which was 1 PM. Again, I was supposed to have an exam at 1 PM in UPD again. Last Friday I opted not to go to UPD anymore because of lack of sleep. I wanted to rest. Somehow I was drawn to come to my 3:00 – 4:00 class, a one-hour discussion class in Economics, the exam for which was the one scheduled at 1 PM Saturday. It was obviously a waste of money for the fare but I went. I found out that there is to be a LATE EXAM scheduled this coming Wednesday, a more difficult exam for those who have conflicts of schedule. I wouldn’t have known that if I didn’t come to that class. If I didn’t know that I would have spent the whole day studying for the 1 PM exam that I could opt to take on another date. If I studied all day I wouldn’t have been able to go to the meeting with my former supervisor who offered me the job starting September 1.

I know it’s weird but I am really amazed by this. It seems as if my life is in chaos but then everything just falls into place as if the path is already being cleared for me. All I have to do is walk though that path.

Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Edu Manzano, Here I Come!

August 13 - 19
Edu Manzano, Here I Come!

Soundtrack of the Week
  1. All I Want for Christmas is You [CAREY]
  2. One Night Only [BEYONCé]
  3. Love at First Sight [KYLIE]
  4. One Night Only [HUDSON]
  5. Papaya [PGKNB THEME]
Movie of the Week: A Love Story
  • The title is already sufficient for you to know what the movie is all about. It is a love story which makes it different from other love stories because it has a guessing game portion in the first half of the movie.
  • There were scenes shot in Macau but of course you only know that because I’m telling you now (unless you have seen the movie already).
  • The trailer is very effective because it makes you very curious. You want to know who the mistress is and who the wife is. And so you end up watching the movie.
  • Possible alternative titles: “Sino ang Kabit?” “Guess the Mistress.”
  • A lot of drama scenes for Angelica here but the one in Délifrance with Maricel simply did not work for me. As for the other drama scenes, ok tolerable. Is it me or is she fatter than she should be? I’m talking about the first half of the movie (the flashback scenes). Fino photoshop ba talaga yung mga magazine centerfold niya?
  • Maricel is the one you should watch in this film. Her acting here is just normal. Hindi siya nagtataray. Hindi siya dumadakdak. Her acting was plain and for me that’s a good thing. Parang walang ka effort effort. Natural na natural ang dating.
  • The only thing that’s new about Aga is his abs. Lagi na lang ganitong characters ang pino portray niya. From Dubai to All My Life to this film lagi na lang siyang eligible bachelor. It’s as if wala na siyang range as an actor. I remember him play a psycho in a 90’s movie once and effective naman siya. I wonder when he will play a more challenging role.
  • With three or more love scenes in the film the love triangle did show some of their “assets.” Aga flaunts his abs once in a while. Angelica flaunts her cleavage as usual and Maricel flaunts her legs.
  • I’m just a little worried about Angelica Panganiban’s roles every time she does a TV series or movie with Maricel Soriano. In Ama, Ina, Anak she was Maricel’s daughter. In Vietnam Rose she was Maricel’s sister. In this film she is Maricel’s kaagaw. I wonder what role she will portray in her next TV show or movie with Maricel. Maricel’s mother perhaps? Granny?
  • Dante Rivero was funny. Old sick people who talk nonsense in movies are funny. That’s why they are there, to be funny.
  • “Ang bulaklak parang babae. Wag mong pipitasin kung sisirain mo lang because you will never find another flower as beautiful as her.”
  • Best scene for me was the Aga - Maricel confrontation scene in the kitchen.

1 vs. 100: The screening was fun. I arrived at ABS-CBN at 10 AM and we finished at around 5 PM. There was an exam (10 Identification and 20 Multiple Choice.) The Multiple Choice questions were easy and the Identification questions were the hard ones. Only 107 of us remained from the more than 500 (approx) who came. We introduced ourselves one by one after the one-hour break. They said that they only need 101 and so 6 would be removed. Being the eternally dull human being that I am I’m actually nervous that I’ll be removed! Hahaha. Our face was registered via webcam along with our finger prints (haha, parang NBI, lol) via a special finger scanning technology thingie into a computer system. This game show will be hosted by Edu Manzano and it will be shown in primetime once a week (Saturday or Sunday). Wish me luck. Sana matuloy.

Alfie’s Luck: When it rains it pours. Ambergris also called during my 1 vs. 100 screening asking me to go there for an interview. I don’t know what the heavens are trying to accomplish in giving me this lucky threesome (pardon the term) but whatever it is I’m definitely taking advantage. Opportunities knock only once. I have two knocking on my door right now. Ambergris I already dismissed. Aja! =)

Pilipinas GAME KNB?: The day after the 1 vs. 100 screening PGKNB texted asking me to go for a screening to ABS-CBN Saturday at 9 AM. I was devastated because I also had an exam at 9 AM in Diliman but thanks to NDCC classes were suspended. I’ve been waiting for this for 2 years now. That’s how frustrated I am to join PGKNB. I arrived at 9 AM. We were at once brought to the PGKNB set. The set is so small!!! Cameras really do magic tricks, parang ang laki nito sa TV e! We were asked to answer a 10-question exam. Only those who got 8 and above were asked to stay so from 500+ only 106 were left (107 sa 1 vs. 100 nung isang araw). We were asked to introduce ourselves (All 106 of us) and say something different about us. So I just told them that my hair is weird because when it’s long I look gay; when it’s semikal I look like a convict; and when it’s short I look like an addict. The 2nd exam was similar in format to the first one (also 10 questions). The result was not revealed. Pa suspense pa ang mga mokong. You’ll only know if you passed if they text you or call you within a few weeks. First taping day is on Friday at 1. I think I only got 8 in the 2nd exam because I didn’t know that siling labuyo and siling haba are different kinds of SILI! Ano ba! I also answered “Smile, JESUS loves you” instead of “Smile, GOD loves you” Stupid me.

Long Weekend: Thanks to Bagyong Egay (how insensitive sa mga nasalanta!) we had a very long weekend. Last Tuesday I declared a personal half-day holiday. Classes were suspended from Wednesday to Saturday and Monday is another holiday. If and when I feel like it I could declare another personal holiday on Tuesday which makes this the longest weekend ever, a whole week to be exact!

Academics: Because of the three consecutive typhoons that hit the country classes were suspended and all of our exams were postponed. Kamusta naman. Now I have to face four exams by the end of this week. At least I could still review because laziness got the best of me this week and I wasn’t able to review seriously for these exams. Bad me. Tambak na naman ang make up classes, tsk tsk tsk.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

HS MEMOIRS


This is just a random collection of memories from the high school days for the sake of reminiscing. Visiting the past once in a while is fun but don’t forget to snap back to reality after your tour down memory lane.

Ang di raw lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan, pero sa palagay ko yung mga lingon ng lingon hindi rin makakarating kasi kada lilingon sila gusto nila bumalik, hehehe. Kaya paminsan minsan na lang lumingon at tandaan, ang biyahe ng buhay ay paharap, hindi patalikod.

First Year

v     Kinwentuhan tayo ni G. Tanpueche ng Ibong Adarna. Inalipusta rin siya ng ibang estudyante (kasama na ako) kasi malaki ang ilong niya. Meron pa ngang gumawa ng kanta e pero di ko na babanggitin kung sino, sabi niya to the tune of Eat Bulaga, “isang singhot, isang singa, buong mundo, mawawala!” Bad... Ako naman sabi ko magtatayo siya ng sarili niyang eskwelahan, ang pangalan ay Tanpueche Laki-Ilong School. Ang salbahe ko talaga kahit kailan...

v     Natutunan natin na dayap lang pala ang katapat para hindi ka makatulog sa kanta ng intrimitidang Ibong Adarna. Nagtaka rin tayo kung bakit laging ang role na lang ng amang hari sa mga kwentong ganun e magkasakit.

v     Nakilala natin si Miss Sharon as our guidance counselor at naging bestfriend siya ng buong batch!

v     Pagsakay natin ng school bus e kumakanta si Britney Spears ng “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” ka duet niya si Ricky Martin na kumakanta naman ng “Maria.”

v     Naabutan pa natin si G. Mampang bilang AP teacher. “Munika” (rising intonation) ang tawag niya kay Azalea Milan, at may mga gumawa pa ng chismis na may relasyon daw sila ni G. Tanpueche. (Hindi ako yun.)

v     Ang kwarto ng Science Faculty ay hiwalay sa iba dahil sila ang pinakamarami. Dun pa ang kwarto nila malapit sa Principal’s Office na malapit din sa mga lockers na malapit naman sa guard ng Gate 6.

v     Nakilala natin si Miss Alba. Tinuruan niya tayo ng General Science. Alam din natin na siya ang tinutukoy pag may nag drawing sa papel ng siopao na may bigote.

v     May phobia tayo sa demerits.

v     Napansin natin na may namumuong rivalry sa pagitan ni Mama Marz (Mrs. Marzan) at Mrs. Grape. Binansagan ding Mrs. Doubtfire si Mrs. Grape dahil kamukha naman niya talaga.

v     Maraming nag akala na galing sa kumbento si Mrs. Marzan dahil daig pa niya si Fr. Tarsi kung mag opening prayer. Sino ba naman ang makakalimot sa “Dear God, my manager, yada yada yada...”

v     Si Mr. Cordova pa ang principal. Marami ang takot sa kanya at isang sigaw lang niya e senyales na para magtago ka sa saya ng nanay mo. Binansagan siyang “Gudo” ng iba nating ka batch.

v     Kauupo pa lang ni Erap bilang presidente samantalang si Gloria naman ay vice president.

v     Sumikat si Miss Alarcon (Mrs. Sayo na ngayon) sa kanyang favorite line, ang TEK NOT (Take Note).

v     Wala tayong place sa cheering pero tayo ang pinakamaingay at pinakamagulo. May mga lobo pa tayong green na may nakakabit na picture ni Judy Ann at Wowie.

v     Nakilala na natin sa wakas yung High School teacher na orange ang buhok na nakikita natin nung Grade School tayo. Si Sir Willie pala yun.

v     Ambisyoso tayong lahat. Ang primary goal natin e maging honor student hanggang tinuruan tayo ng Algebra at umulan ng 77 at 79 sa classroom.

v     Natanim sa mga isipan natin na bawal mag loiter sa classroom pag lunch dahil may mga martial na naglilibot.

v     Iba pa ang ayos ng library (Malamang iba na naman ngayon), katapat pa ng pinto ang multimedia center (yung PC Internet) at unahan ang mga addict sa Internet pag recess.

v     The Dancers ang entry natin sa Dramafest. Pinag audition ako dito kasi kailangan ng batang-malnourished-na-mukhang-galing-Somalia role, buti na lang hindi ako natanggap.

v     Ginawa tayong mga utu uto ng mga Seniors para makakuha tayo nung pulang stub na kailangan e maka sampu ang bawat isa para walang punishment. Pinagalitan pa nga ako nung SEB officer kasi namigay ako ng stubs at nagtira lang ng sampu para sa sarili ko. Pakialamerong nerd.

v     Maraming pinagawa sa atin nung Integration Week. Yung una e yung 1/8 illustration board na may baby picture. Tapos yung nakapalda ang mga lalaki at naka pantalon ang mga babae. Nandaya pa yung iba nun kasi black ang sinuot nila para hindi halata. Nakalimutan ko na yung tatlo, basta alam ko lima yun.

v     Nag present tayo nung integration. Magkasama ang section 10 at 18 na nag present ng Martial Law. May nagsayaw pa nga ng traditional dance. Ang role ko nun e anak ni Asis kaya ang costume ko e yung Grade School uniform ko. Pagtapat ko sa mga Seniors, sabay sabay sila nag chant ng “GRADE SCHOOL GRADE SCHOOL!”

v     Ginagawa pa lang ang swimming pool. Ginagawa na nga ba? Basta dinadagdag na sa tuition yung panggawa nung pool na isang taon lang naman natin nagamit.

v     Bawal mag gel. Bawal magsuot ng jewelry except for wrist watch. Bawal ang sando sa mga lalaki at dapat black socks. Kulang na lang pati tatak ng underwear pakialaman, lolx.

v     Wala na ang mga softdrinks sa canteen. Apektadong apektado ako ng event na ito, hehehe.

v     Pinauso nung MIP teacher (Mrs. Ordonez yata yun) ang 99 or 65 quiz, yung isa lang ang tanong.

v     Hindi masyadong enjoyable ang retreat kasi kasama si Mr. Gavazan (yung bading na teacher), ang dami niyang tinakot na papauwiin nung retreat namin. Nag share din ang bawat estudyante tungkol sa mga drama nila sa buhay.

v     Nung mga bandang December, madilim na paglabas natin kasi 5:30 ang dismissal.

v     Si Fr. Tarsi pa ang rector. Siya ba? Oo alam ko siya.

v     Pinag donate tayo nung mga pambukas ng Coke in can para daw i donate sa mga gagawa ng wheelchair.

v     Binisita natin ang mga preso sa Munti nung Outreach.

Second Year

v     Kinwentuhan tayo ni Tita Fe ng Florante at Laura. Kinumbinse din niya tayo na tawagin na kuya at ate ang isa’t isa. Siya rin yata yung nagpauso nung hand gesture na sign ng quotation marks.

v     Ginawan ko yung isa kong kaklase ng Obesity Family Tree sa board kaya napagalitan ako ni Tita Fe. Ang salbahe ko talaga kahit kailan.

v     Kumuha na tayo ng Pact and Pois (yun ba ang tawag dun) examination, basta yung career track examination na madali namang dayain, hehehe.

v     Nabiktima tayo nung MIP teacher na galit sa mundo. Nakalimutan ko ang pangalan niya, basta siya yung laging pagpasok hahanapan ng butas ang ultimo kaliit liitang bagay, magse sermon tapos uuwi na siya.

v     Section 20 ang laging first sa convocation.

v     Sumikat ang Pokemon sa gameboy at maraming na addict.

v     Nilabas ko ang Pin-up-styrofoam-schedule-board Beta. Yun yung styrofoam na square na felt paper ang background tapos ipi pin yung subject, teacher at time na naka pentel sa mga construction paper cut-outs. Pinag initan yun ni Mrs. Marzan nung nag substitute siya kasi siya raw ang may ari ng blackboard.

v     Maraming bumagasak dun sa AP exam ni Mr. Caballero regarding the dynasties of China.

v     Mahilig magbigay si Mrs. Non ng special projects para tumaas ang grades ng mga estudyante sa Math.

v     Nauso rin sa Biology yung scientific names ng mga gulay at kung anu ano pa na pinauso nung Pera o Bayong segment sa isang noontime variety show. Pag walang underline ang scientific name mo, mali na yun agad, tapos dapat yata capital letter yung first name.

v     Silver tayo sa cheering at mukhang tayo pa rin ang pinakamasigla.

v     Nauso yung pakain kain sa college cafeteria imbes na sa ERV or Skyline.

v     Dumating na ang Jimini pizza. Hindi ako sure kung second year... Basta.

v     Isinama na ang Science faculty dun sa bigger faculty room.

v     Marami ang sumali sa COCC para maging officer ng CAT.

v     Sa Pula Sa Puti ang entry natin sa Dramafest.

v     Nag dissect tayo ng palaka kaya biglang nagkaroon ng negosyo yung guard sa Gate Six dahil siya ang tagahuli.

v     Inabutan pa natin si Mr. Quiambao sa PA noon na ang lessons sa Internet kinukuha tapos kailangan mo kopyahin ng long hand kasi kailangan ng notes.

Third Year

v     Naghiwa hiwalay na tayo ng landas. May Phy Sci, may Med Sci at may Lia Com, at gaya ng mga naunang batch, may discrimination din kahit paano.

v     Kinwentuhan tayo ni Clarita ng Noli me Tangere. Sumikat din siya sa pamamagitan ng kanyang mga matatalinhagang pananalita gaya ng ATEYNSHON, EKSTEYNSHON, IVARRA at marami pang iba.

v     Nalaman ni Maria Clara na si Padre Damaso pala ang tatay niya. Pinasayaw ni Donya Consolacion si Sisang baliw. Nakatakas naman si Ivarra ng ratratin siya ng mga gwardiya sibil dun sa ilog. Bakit nga ba hindi nila gawing telenovela ‘to ano?

v     Pinauso ni Mrs. Agbuya ang third bell dahil subject niya bago mag recess. Kung ang ibang teacher hanggang second lang, siya may third kaya wala na ring recess.

v     Si Mr. Mangaong na ang prefect. Hindi ako sure kung Third Year yun o Second year basta siya ang pumalit.

v     Kulay orange ang suot na T-Shirt ni C.Flo nung cheering. Hindi natin alam kung ano ang gusto niyang palabasin e blue dapat ang suot niya. Ang teorya ko naman ay: Since ang third year ay nasa gitna ng fourth year (red) at second year (yellow), pag pinaghalo mo ang dalawa at nagkita sa gitna (third year), orange ang kulay na lalabas.

v     Naka all red naman si J.Flo nung cheering, mula sa laso na nagtatali ng buhok niya hanggang sa sapatos niya. Hindi siya supportive ‘no?

v     Naging Chemistry teacher si Mrs. Monzon ng mga Med Sci na sumikat sa nunal niyang pinaghihinalaang source ng kanyang knowledge sa chemistry.

v     Champion tayo sa cheering pero ka tie natin ang seniors kasi natakot si Fr. Alloy na baka magka riot sa gym.

v     May entry pa rin tayo sa Dramafest pero nakalimutan ko yung title. Halos isumpa ako ng mga kasama ko dahil hindi ako marunong umarte. Kailangan na naman kasi ng batang-malnourished-na-mukhang-galing-Somalia role, e this time walang audition, pinili na lang ako bigla. Pag tripan daw ba ako.

v     Nag dissect na ng pusa ang mga Med Sci. Masaya ang experience na ito lalo na pag before lunch ang oras niyo, at least tipid ka na sa lunch kasi mawawalan ka ng gana kumain.

v     Naging Math teacher natin si Miss Zoilo at si Mrs. Mateo naman ang nagturo ng Trigonometry.

v     Dumami ang kainan sa ERV canteen, may Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts, UFO taho at yung isang tindahan ng shakes at frappes na mahal ang mga tinda.

v     Pinauso ni Miss Torres ang “Questions, Clarifications, Violent Reactions?” lessons ender.

Fourth Year

v     Nag exam na tayo sa iba’t ibang eskwelahan. Unang una na ang UP na kapapasok pa lang yata natin e nagbigay na ng application forms.

v     Nag enjoy tayo sa Peace Retreat, probably the best retreat ever. Three days yun at talaga namang pinaghandaan. Meron pang big bro at big sis. Si Mr. Cordova ang big bro namin nun pero hindi na siya Prefect. Nagbigay pa ng talk yung writer daw siya ng GMA 7 na sobrang enjoy magkwento at yung kasama niya na valedictorian daw nung high school. Meron pang gigisingin ka ng madaling araw tapos “kiss the cross” na medyo horror ang dating sa unang tingin pero ok din pala. At siyempre merong drama session pagbalik sa Bene kasama yung mga magulang.

v     Nagkaroon ng Book Two ang telenovela ni Ivarra, this time si Simon naman daw siya at nagbebenta siya ng alahas. Dapat talaga gawing telenovela ito e.

v     Nagkaroon ng bagong teacher sa Filipino na ang favorite vocabulary term e “klase” at parang mga Grade School ang kausap pag nagtuturo.

v     Merong mga new student na nakasama natin sa batch for the last year.

v     May entry pa rin tayo sa Dramafest pero nakalimutan ko ang title. This time wala nang role na bagay sa akin kaya sa sounds ako nilagay, haha. Nakakatawa na kung ano pa yung dalawang play na involved ako, yun pa ang mga nakalimutan ko ang title.

v     Nanalo yung entry natin sa Dramafest at nanalo ring best actress ang isa nating new student na ka batchmate. Masaya si Mama Marz nung ending nung play at nung tinawag na lahat sa stage para magsayaw, umakyat siya, hinubad ang blazer at winagayway. Masaya talaga siya nun kasi nanalo tayo.

v     Unfortunately hindi ni record ng IMC ang play kaya sa ala ala niyo na lang mapapanood yun. Basta ang mga kasali nun e sila Donna, Pia, Altair, Pam T., Mary Grace B., Raymond, Nelson, Johnus, Rommel, picture ni Jolina na nilagay sa ibabaw ng kabaong at boses ni Mrs. Sison.

v     Nag Human Anatomy at Biotechnology na ang mga Med Sci. Ang masaya dun e may mga mind boggling terms kang pwede gamitin para hindi ka maintindihan ng Phy Sci at Lia Com gaya ng sternocleidomastoid, vomer, ostoeblasts, at marami pang ibang weird. Pamatay naman yung 50 slides requirement na kailangan i pass or else hindi ka ga graduate.

v     Inantok tayo sa Economics classes ni Mrs. Saulog.

v     Nauso yung love letters nung bandang huli na. Promotor si Mrs. Marzan tapos sinundan naman ng Guidance. Hehe, hanep din sila mang trip ng estudyante e ‘no.

v     Nagkaroon ng debate na ang magkakalaban e lahat ng section ng fourth year with topics like Abortion, National ID System at Intellectual Property Rights.

v     Nagkaroon ng Interscholastic Debate kung saan nag walk out ang mga taga San Beda kasi pikon yung bading nilang coach. Naalala ko pa yung isa nating ka batchmate na medyo naasar dun sa lower batch, sabi niya: “Gumalang ka sa ‘kin ha, fourth year ako!” Ang tapang!

v     Nagkaroon ng Musicfest ba yun, basta yung magko compose ng song ang bawat section na naaalala ko e hindi sumali ang Section 42.

v     Maraming nainis sa Graduation Practice kasi feeling nila Mr. Mangaong gumagawa sila ng pelikula at gusto nila perfect ang kalabasan.

v     Graduate na tayo, meron pa nga akong naalala na isa nating ka batch na tumanggap ng award para sa isang subject tapos ang lakas ng palakpakan sa gym, naiyak nga siya e, probably the most touching scene nung graduation.

v     Umattend tayo ng grad ball at nag enjoy. Meron pang give away na VCD na remembrance ng batch natin.

v     Hindi tayo nag champion sa cheering. Third year ang inaaway natin nun kasi sila yung posibleng makatalo sa atin. Kampi tayo sa second year, tinulungan pa nga natin sila mag cheer dun sa Manlalatik Dance segment tapos nung nanalo sila biglang naging third year ang kaalyado natin, hehehe.

v     May mga gazebo nang bagong tambayan ng mga magkakabarkada.

v     Required mag swimming lessons para nga naman hindi masabing hindi natin nagamit ang swimming pool. After classes ang session. Hindi naman daw required yun pero di yata mapipirmahan ang clearance mo pag di ka nag attend, e di required din yun di ba?

     Unfortunately yan lang mga yan ang naaalala ko. Siyempre marami pang iba at kung gusto niyo dagdagan e di dagdagan niyo para masaya.

THE END

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Killing Me with Cuteness and Mediocrity

August 6 - 12
Killing Me with Cuteness and Mediocrity

Soundtrack of the Week
  1. End of Me [RAVEN]
  2. Lights and Sound [YELLOWCARD]
  3. One Night Only [HUDSON]
  4. It Ends Tonight [ALL AMERICAN REJECTS]
  5. Holler [SPICE GIRLS]
Movie of the Week: The Simpsons Movie
  • I am not a Simpsons fan but this movie certainly converted me into one. Has this show always been this sarcastic and funny? I thought South Park was enough comedy for me. I didn’t know I was actually missing a lot!
  • LSS na ako sa Spider-Pig! Sino ang may mp3!!! What happened to Spider-Pig anyway? Hindi na siya pinakita after the escape sequence.
  • Spider-Pig. Spider-Pig. Does whatever the Spider-Pig does. Can he swing from a web? No he can’t. He’s a pig. Look out! He is the Spider-Pig. ROFL!
  • Every scene in this film is actually funny but for me the funniest was that of Green Day performing on the barge. When they paused for a minute to talk about environmental awareness the people started throwing anything they can which made the barge sink and then the trio did a spoof of the Titanic violinists. Afterwards there was a mass where there was a “funeral version” of American Idiot being played on the piano, lol.
  • May sense din naman yung movie behind the laughs. I think they are fighting to save the environment nga, hehehe. I don’t know it seemed to be the main focus of the movie. Kahit comedy siya beneath it all may message. Sa South Park movie naman parang tolerance of other cultures kasi lagi nilang tinitira ang Canadians tapos sa ending nagkabati bati rin sila lahat, lol. Bakit hinahanapan ko ng meaning? Shet nababaliw na ko.
  • There simply is no dull moment in this movie. I think almost every scene made the audience laugh. Of course the funniest scenes were the awkward ones like when Maggie smashed her baby bottle and threatened the monkey back. There were a handful of celebrity cameos as well.
  • The movie is like an extended single episode as some people in the online community already pointed out. The story of the movie is about environmental pollution and how it almost destroyed the town where they lived. I think that summarizes it. Homer is the culprit of course.
  • Another funny scene was when Marge and Bart were inside the convenience store and they saw their WANTED poster. Marge distracted the store owner and then Bart drew fake hair and everything on it and then the family he drew came to the convenience store and got arrested instead of them. Luma na yung joke pero benta pa rin.
  • This definitely is the best comedy I’ve seen so far for this year. Ratatouille is no match in terms of comedy. As in.
  • It managed to rake in $74 something million in its opening weekend at the North American Box Office. $75 million lang ang budget nila. Bawi na.
1 vs. 100: This is ABS-CBN’s new quiz show franchise. The premise: 1 vs. 100. The studio player will be asked multiple choice questions and there will be a group called the MOB with 100 members. They will also answer the questions and those who get it wrong will be eliminated. The prize money accumulates and it could only be taken home if all of the 100 is defeated. Exciting!

Language: Needless to say the Korean language is killing me with its cuteness right now. I’ve realized that I already have 4 Koreanovelas in line for DVD marathon sessions. I’ve decided to restart learning Korean & divided the 15-chapter book into mini sessions lasting 3 months. My problem in language learning is that I’m always ambitious in the sense that I tend to rush language learning by reading a couple of chapters in 1 session. I’ll try this new method & see if it’s better. I’m already familiar with the hangul and I’ve already memorized the “Important Expressions” that a typical foreign language book will give you at the first chapter. My favorite so far is soo-goh-hah-shoss-soh-yoh. The book says it means “Well done,” or “Good job.” I think this is the cutest among the expressions I’ve learned so far, lol. Pronounce the bold o like the o in love. Cute!

Academics: The PS 150 exam was overrated and yet my performance was mediocre at best. I can’t seem to change this study habit of mine. I think I’m a crammer by nature and seeing that it works simply means that there is no effort to eradicate it. It seems that I really do prefer cramming on the day of the exam than studying tidbits of the coverage a week prior to it. As mentioned, mediocre.

Weather: It was raining the entire week except Friday I think. If I remember correctly there were two storms named “Chedeng” and “Dodong.” As usual DepEd suspended Wednesday class right after students had already come to school. Hello where’s the sense in that? As usual they suspended classes for all levels the next day (Thursday) when there was less rain. At least we got to rest.

Work Again?: My former supervisor is contacting me and arranged a meeting for Thursday. Some of my co-workers were also invited. They will be establishing a new call-center and will be in need of Spanish-speaking agents. This would mean work again. I’ll still think about it. If it won’t match with my schedule maybe I’ll just defer the offer (if possible) until the semester ends in October. Confused...

Water: We now have water supply, that which could fill a 5-gallon container in three days. How fun! The good news is that at least the water boys are allowed access of the elevators again and so the 25 pesos decreased to 10 pesos once again. The bad news is that they could only access the elevator after 12 midnight, which means we have to sleep late if we don’t want to stink the next day. Fun!

Health: My average daily sleep is just 6 hours which is 2 hours less than necessary. The sad thing is I guess I wouldn’t be able to pay off that sleep debt, shet. On the other hand I’ve been making “lamon” oatmeal everyday regardless of its blandness and drinking lots of water has been part of routine lately. I don’t know if that would offset the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation. Bad me.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Protected by Copyscape DMCA Copyright Detector
 

Film Review

Film Review

Film Review

Film Review