back to zero

i had to reformat my pc. it wouldn't start.

no really.

trying to get it to work was like starting a car with run-down batteries. it'd boot for two seconds then the power would just go out. as luck would have it, i just burnt bj copies of all my mp3s so a reformat wasn't out of the question [a clear example of where my priorities lie]. the only software i didn't have a backup or installer cd of were office and the os itself.

the parents were headed towards makati so my sister and i hitched a ride until glorietta. she had to find an english translation of noli me tangere so we split up. three hours later, neither of our searches proved successful, so we took a taxi to makati cinema square, where we found the cds, at least.

if anyone knows where i can get my hands on a paperback copy of leon guerrero's translation of noli [the red book that has el filibusterismo on the flipside], the tip'd be much appreciated.

anyway, we commuted back in the rain. my sister was ribbing me about leptospirosis, since i was as usual wearing sandals. the funny thing is, i'm actually running a fever.

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 8:25 PM
comments (0)

maligayang batî part 2

trish held her blowout at home, so the biologically and gender-wise male members of the bitterbeans crew dropped by for a spell. i actually don't remember much, except that there was a lot of running around in the streets and another round of hammock twister. trish was ranting about how paco and i were "making her wet". carmen was taking incriminating shots left and right.

(the shirt says it all)

but of course the most blogworthy event of the evening was when trish and i were quasi-napping on her couch and i was trying to elaborate on the intricacies of college life. i was halfway through my speech when i realized that her lola was standing two feet away, staring at us. the dialogue came out something like this:

self: things'll be way better once you hit college. but then again, college-level shit is really deep shit.
self: *realizes lola is standing there*
self: ah, good evening po!
lola: i think it's time for you to go.

happy birthday.

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 9:38 PM
comments (0)

maligayang batî

sometime after watching harold and kumar go to white castle, paco and i developed a hankering for cajun burgers burgers. in line with this, and with pogz' birthday, we [chudor, dux, paco, pogz, and i] decided to watch a movie and eat at the aforementioned cajun burgers.

paco originally wanted to watch because of you* [don't ask] but due to a schedule conflict, we ended up watching national treasure instead. i was initially intrigued by the plot, but the dialogue turned out to be the more noteworthy thing about the film. let's just say people with bitter streaks would enjoy it a fraction more.

this weekend, aside from the introse and webdeve projects, i also have to think of trish's birthday, my story for malate [due this tuesday], learning basslines for three or four new songs, and possibly making headway in any of the 11 games i've started over the last month.

the fact that there aren't any classes this monday doesn't help - the more free time you have, the less free time you get.

sige ingat.ü

---

* paco did have a point when he justified that you don't have the right to condemn movies you haven't watched. i mean, although feng shui was a waste of time and money, the plot did show signs of intelligence; what more the "gala event of the year"? hell, they even got a foreigner or two to say it was "wonderful". 
posted by stani at 10:26 PM
comments (0)

T_T

i've been down lately. as stupid as it sounds, life has suddenly decided to give me my fair share. i guess i just got too used to getting by on dumb luck alone. i had originally planned to rant a bit in this post, but blogger's been fucked up the past three days so by now i've obviously lost momentum.

i really need a pick-me-up. it also goes without saying that my academics are shit and [as you all know] i've already used up my one allotted failure.

it's shape up or ship out.

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 11:31 PM
comments (0)

O_o

omfg i got drunk today. as in i-just-woke-up-and-can't-remember-anything drunk. as in how-the-hell-did-i-get-home drunk. there's a list in my pocket of imaginative things anna supposedly said while under the influence. it's not in my handwriting so i'm assuming erika wrote it. to save face, i digress:

"'pag nag-meet 'yung sperm at brain cells, 'di na [ako] manganganak!"

"si zeus pati si hera galing sa brain cells!"

"pinatay mo brain cells ko, hindi na ako manganganak!"

"opposites attract."
"hindi ba sa magnet lang 'yon?"

"hindi ba mangingitim 'yung braces ko kasi nagyoyosi ako? kasi 'di ba maluluto sya kasi mainit?"

"magkakaroon kasi ng lint 'yung car seat."
"huh? anong feather?"
"lint, eng-eng."
"hindi ba 'yon 'yung sa ballpen?"

"ahh! 'yung buhok ko nasusunog!" [when her hair was clearly not on fire]

"alam mo, matigas 'yung kama ko. minsan umihi doon 'yung aso ko, kaya binaligtad ko lang."

"ba't mo ako sinasampal!?" [after slapping herself]

"si saul mas may boobs kaysa sa akin!"

"dorm? hindi ba lock 'yon? hindi ba tao 'yon?"

"anna, hindi ko na nakikita mata mo."
*anna closes her eyes*
"ako rin hindi ko na nakikita!"

"sun cellular? e gabi ngayon. 'di ba 'pag gabi, moon?"

"ahh! lumilindol! sino ka?"

funny as hell. too bad i can't remember exactly how she said them.

in other news, i forgot to attend the first of my two orient2 classes. why the hell do they offer two-day subjects anyway? plus, nobody bothered to remind me.

salamat ha.

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 1:02 AM
comments (0)

alaala ni batman

this is final and undeniable proof that batman is gay. straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

and while we're on the subject of gay, here, knock yourself out.

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 6:09 PM
comments (0)

kok

passing through our sala on the way to the bathroom, i had the misfortune to glance at the tv and recognize the show as mtv supahstar [god, i hate the way that title is spelled]. this particular episode featured one kok crisostomo [to correctly pronounce his first name, try choking yourself] who apparently has tim yap's favor. given the contestant's vocal competence, this exercise served only to confirm speculation on tim yap's sexual preference. come on, the guy can't even memorize the lyrics to wherever you will go [eg: and maybe / i know now / a way to make it back someday or the ever bastardized i'll be with you for all this time].

tim yap even had the audacity to justify his decision by stating that kok was not only 'talented' but an academic achiever as well. last i checked, academics are a moot point in a singing contest.

the music industry really should stop giving priority to no-talent outfits who happen to have a pretty face or two.

that's what modeling is for.

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 10:22 PM
comments (0)

erehe at filibustero

i attended a catechism training seminar and a diocesan general assembly today. i honestly don't know what motivates me to show up once in a while. it's most probably the friends i made. i'm the kind of guy who'd go anywhere, as long as the company's good and the food's free [pancit and salted-egg puto, this time].

i slept through two out of the three catechism talks [it's not like i'm going to be a catechist anyway; my prescence was just pakitang-tao] save the first. that one was delivered by a former teacher, so her points were more on how to improve teaching skills. that, i have to admit, i found that more than a bit educational. i'm still seriously considering a professorial position, at least for a while.

on the other hand, renz is coercing me to take a music course at the u.p. with him after our graduation. i'm not really that convinced yet, primarily because i have no intention to destroy my love of music, as gox did for my love of computers.

mj banaga [son of former congressional aspirant jun banaga] sent me a text message this afternoon asking if i'd like to play rhythm guitars and bass for his band. i replied that i already had one. sending that reply message was one of my most fulfilling moments in recent memory. what dampened my burst of patriotism was his reply that he didn't mind sharing the cake, so to speak.

hmm. that thought, along with that of another project i've recently committed to, suddenly makes life a lot more complicated.

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 9:44 PM
comments (0)

bitter disappointment

my consolation lies in catch2t7 winning the dance competition. retribution for last year, at least. also, the audience liked our original song so at least i have something to brag about. renz mentioned some gossip about how some bands during the acoustic night weren't penalized for overtime. naturally it's easier on the ego to think that, but the way i see it, the better course of action is not giving them any reason to deduct points in the first place. as they say in any annual competition: "there's always next year."

as for the title, let's just say i suddenly realized that those two words are also a perfect description for an issue i've been avoiding recently.

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 11:14 PM
comments (0)

heto na naman kami

kimber managed to convinced me to watch this year's faculty variety show, despite my qualms about the hefty price [110 pesos]. well actually, she only had to tell me that sir joel ilao would be dancing the otso-otso. although that line turned out to be nothing more than seductive irrelevance [translation: she was lying], i must admit that the show was worth what i paid for it.

even if he didn't perform any novelty items, joel i. was still the star of the show, with three dances, a song, and a skit. borgs followed a close second with his three dances and one song [but it was stevie wonder's isn't she lovely, and he dedicated it to his wife, who was in the front row]. bart played the usual lobo, as well as gary granada's address and the eraserheads' maling akala. special mention goes to ethel ong, for her flawless portrayal of sandara park, as well as to joel r., the gwapong technician, for his flawless impersonation of martin short. ms tangkeko was dancing like she'd downed an entire pitcher of tangkeko. pantola, on the other hand, was dancing like chudor.

the only thing wrong with the event was that ms nats was wearing a t-back. i dunno. i don't think the words "teacher" and "skimpy underwear" should be seen in the same sentence.

ms nats, of all people.

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 1:23 AM
comments (0)

the visitation of the gods

the acoustic night was ok, i guess. batopik won second runner-up, and bigote first-runner up [due to time technicalities]. i didn't bother remembering what the champions called themselves. they struck me as the by-the-books kind of arrogant. a pity, considering that they played songs from ross' era. that would've won them points in my book.

going back to bigote, they played no. 41 and the hell freezes over version of hotel california. they brought out all 10 instrumentalists for that second piece, as well as one of those chinese waving cats. pong almost knocked a mike stand into the judges' row. that alone should've guaranteed their win.

we [dai mayuge] didn't win any awards, but the event was very educational - i managed to verify two of my theories about myself and music: first, that when push comes to shove, i somehow manage to nail guitar solos and bass riffs, even if i trip over my fingers during practice; and second, that renz' bass [or his homemade cords, at least] hate me.

two bands played masaya and at least three played jeepney. after hearing the different versions of the last mentioned song, i proposed a new hypothesis - that vocalists rarely bother verifying if the lyrics they're about to sing are correct. take for example the following:

naaalala ko ang mga gabing
magkatabi sa ilalim ng kalawakan.

versus

naaalala ko ang mga gabing
nakahiga sa ulan.

either way, close but no dice.

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 10:55 PM
comments (0)

"baila! baila!"

this year's malate writers' workshop [the 5th annual, to be exact] proved to be more encouraging to my career as a writer than last year's. but then again, last year i submitted a poem i was sure would be too substandard to merit a workshop slot. obviously by now that hypothesis lies in ruins.

the panel this year was composed of [from left to right]: allan popa, paolo manalo, luna sicat [daughter of rogelio sicat], and louie sanchez. by the second day, they had conferred upon me the title of 'junior panelist', probably after i had played grammar police one too many times. i still feel that dandi would have been a better recipient, especially since i made a fool of myself trying to critique a piece i hadn't read yet [mental note: zobelian bullshit techniques don't work in the face of greatness].

as for my own story, the panel spent much time lauding details from it that i didn't consciously intend when i wrote it. sure, i'd be lying if i said i'd rather that they found fault with everything, but this also puts pressure on me to produce a good sophomore story.

and yet i can easily picture myself a year or five from now teaching here at dlsu, writing game source or music* or literature** during my free time. not one of the panelists advised going into the academe, but i think i'd enjoy a job where i don't have to think at all. that way i can maximize mental focus on my 'non-essential' essentials.

(here's a map of my future, a la lj-cut)

random thought number one:

this year, cresta monte almost claimed a wallet, a cellphone, and my second habitat sweater. yot plans to haunt the pabellon flamingo after she dies. now that's not a bad idea.

random thought number two [something for the goose]:

miko's eyes told me
don't
hurt me please.

random thought number three:

"life is like a rosary - it's full of mystery!"

sige ingat.ü

music: renz is half-intending to stick around as well. if all goes as speculated, we will become the next bart(s).

literature: by that time, malate will be publishing me at least once a year. no, this isn't pride; this is conviction. 
posted by stani at 11:54 AM
comments (0)

fuckthetitlebox

i. codemonkey level 99

i was up 'til 2am yesterday playing warhammer finshing our second mp for this term [we have three], and i come in today only to find out that the deadline has been moved down to tuesday. strangely enough, i don't feel like my efforts were wasted; quite the opposite in fact - i have a mad desire to add more functionality to the program. perhaps tonight.

ii. shameless self-promotions

the ccs acoustic night is on tuesday and the pasicatchan is on thursday. we'll hopefully be able to do justice to sponge cola's partisan, urbandub's sailing, the itchyworms' buwan and|or imago's otherwise. we desperately need practice, but both renz and i will be away this weekend. i don't know what he's up to exactly, but i'm off to cresta monte [aka the repository of all negative energies] for the 2004 malate writers' workshop. i may upload the revised version of my story sometime next week.

iii. total recall

while paco, chudor, and i were on the lrt, it stopped for a few minutes between the libertad and edsa stations, probably to accomodate the train before it. i then remembered something that happened to me during my first weeks of college but which i neglected to share online:

that time too, the lrt stopped between the cursed stations. after around 10 minutes, the operator announced over the loudspeaker, "ahh... pasensya na po tayo, tumigil po ang tren."

someone from the back shouted back, "alam namin, gago!"

after another 10 or 15 minutes [by which time the lrt had been converted into a mobile sauna], the operator announced , "ahh... pasensya na po tayo, gagalaw na po ang tren," after which the lrt moved a couple of feet before stopping again.

that same guy shouted, "mabuhay si gloria!" and the entire car burst into applause.

in hindsight, the situation could've turned really ugly, really fast. good thing they directed their anger at the happily oblivious lrt operator instead of at each other.

iv. senti mode on

Your granddad left home for the circus.
He was young just like me, with hope to explore.
He married a girl in Virginia.
She could swing the trapeze; they could sleep on the floor.

Your mother was born in December,
On the one sunny day that winter gave up.
She had warm summer eyes that flickered like fireflies,
When she stared at the world.

So why do you leave these stories unfinished,
My Cheshire cat doorstop with tears in her eyes?
Why do you look when you've already found it?
What did you find that could leave you walking by?

She was raised in a New England village.
Then she moved to LA with her firefly stare,
And you loved sunset strip when it sparkled,
You grew up and you sparkled but why don't you care?

These nights I get high just from breathing.
When I lie here with you I'm sure that I'm real,
Like that firework over the freeway.
I could stay here all day but that's not how you feel.

So why do you leave these questions unanswered?
The circus awaits and you're already gone.
My Cheshire cat doorstop with fear in your smile,
What makes it so easy for you to be walking by?

And what did I do that you can't seem to want me?
Why do we lie here and whisper goodbyes?
Where can I go that your pictures won't haunt me?
What makes it so easy for you to be walking by?

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 11:53 AM
comments (0)

"let's volt in!"

paco hosted a lan party cum mp marathon over the weekend. chudor, pogz, and renz stayed the night. i only went home twice: once for sunday lunch and this morning to get ready for school. three-fourths of the time, my eyes never left the monitor [that's 54 hours, if you're keeping count]. i can easily see myself doing that for the rest of my yuppie existence, although to be honest i created more dreadnaughts than functions.

i mixed up a couple of batches of what was meant to be lalabu but they turned out instead as new drinks christened levi and bart respectively. as in real life, levi's harder to swallow but bart's "a bad for you".

while tipsy, renz and i made some more headway on our original composition. hopefully the band will be complete this saturday, so we can get everyone's inputs and finalize the damned thing already.

paco said i'd miss the bandwidth. not really, but what i do miss are the fileservers. as chudor would say, "aling nena! matigas na'ng saging ko!"

sige ingat.ü 
posted by stani at 11:27 AM
comments (0)