Fifteen Seconds of Internet Time

My sollipsistic blog, bear with me.

I swear I'll post stuff as soon as I get back home.

My Pre-Christmas Weekend

As if the synthesis paper was THAT hard. Oh, yeah, I remembered that it ate most of our time and energy, and we nearly did not have any chance of playing Call of Duty 4 and Left4Dead 2 extensively.

So food and alcohol became our solutions.


After the submission of our synthesis papers, the senior Philosophy block had a short ritual of exchanging gifts, and we San Jose seminarians trotted off to prepare for our Christmas caroling at some congressman's house.

After earning 10k for 4 simple songs, we headed straight to Cannan Bistro to join the Philo family for our inuman and year-ender. It was a happy moment for all of us, as we were able to share stories and joke around holding bottles of bear and Kate's weird ashtray (which I wouldn't dare describe in this blog). Heck, the Bistro was so full of happy noise and interesting stories, that we even reached up until 1:30 in the morning before going home.


But this was all preparation for another big day. Come Saturday night, we headed to Merville and into Kate's house, for her birthday treat. Greens, Lights, Tequila, and getting home wasted was all there is for us. Ah, what a way to end the year!

[I wouldn't want to divulge a few details here. Just ask my blockmates as to what exactlyhappened during that night, most especially when I left together with Walt, Marie, and Agno.]


My Sunday was reserved for rest. But then, my mom called and asked me to go home to Batangas and join the whole family in celebrating the Christmas with a party. As usual, we've had lots of food [meaning I would soon get fat after all the munching I have done for the past three days], games, and gifts for everyone. I myself got board shorts that I need for my coming Palawan trip.

I got back home the next day after I got my license card at LTO. Monday was my real rest period as I used up all the time for sleeping and catching up for studies.

All to prepare for the peak of all celebrations outside family. After passing by San Jose Seminary to just get some things needed for our Palawan trip (beach things, of course), I went up to one of my classmate's house in Commonwealth to join my classmates from Guadalupe Minor Seminary, for some food and vices.

However, at about six in the evening, I had to leave and take the bus to Sucat, Paranaque, fo r a big Christmas night composed of shisha, vodka, and Playstation 3. Justin and his bro, Amanda, Mike, and Kate came over to Mykee's house for our little post-Christmas work gathering. Basically, we spent the whole night eating, a few nasty things to begin with, UFC, Tekken, and Guitar Hero World Tour, and telling stories of our nearly ending college days, starting from square one up to the present. Oh, and don't forget the debates on "grand gestures" and the usefulness of philosophy, reaching up to 4:00am.

We boys woke up at around 11am and had our brunch, followed by more Tekken and UFC. Unfortunately, the meeting has to be adjourned and we have to go, and Michael and I had one hell of an adventure trying to ride the jeep from South Bay to Sucat, crossing the street and taking the jeep from Sucat to Baclaran, and then parting ways when I rode the FX to Lawton on the way home. As soon as I arrived, I took a bath and prepared myself for the "last" hurrah.

The Manila seminarians had a Christmas audience with the Cardinal, and besides the very great message on the return of "Christ" in Christmas, another session of great Arzobisopado -served food coupled with stories and our "Christmas aguinaldo."All of us went home together satisfied and prepared to celebrate Christmas in the grandest yet simplest way possible, bearing the true message of Christmas.

The way I told the story of my near-Christmas weekend seemed to be pretty messed up. But then, my point here is to show that Christmas is about having fun and being happy with how things are going. I myself have a lot of work to do, but I had to just set them aside and enjoy the moments while they last [I promise, though, that I will do them after Christmas]. After all, the kings and the shepherds just enjoyed their moment with the child Jesus.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

RIP Brittany Murphy

Another loss for us.

November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009

One For The Fracture, Two For The Win

Kobe Bryant, playing with a fractured finger.

Incredible, isn't he?

On-the-spot: Collaborations of '09

I had time to take a look at buzznet.com, and I came up with this article about the best collaborations of 2009. Let me breeze through some of them and see if it was really worth it.

1. Boys Like Girls and Taylor Swift - Two Is Better Than One (from the album "Love Drunk."



Yes, Taylor Swift is beautiful, and yes, she can do a good job being with Boys Like Girls. Apprarently, I think it is obvious that Tay can sing almost anything - be it rock, pop, or RnB (hint: Thug Story). BLG sounds like whiny little boys, but they could pull off the trick quite well with good drumbeats and guitar riffs. It would be interesting to see more of this partnership in the future. Tay, pick up the phone and start recording your parts for the next album!

2. Cobra Starship and Leighton Meester - Good Girls Go Bad (from the album "Hot Mess")


Talk about the cover girl and the hip boy being together. I just learned (and watched in YouTube) that Leighton singing live really sucks (but then it was "Somebody to Love"). But admit it, she and Gabe Saporta appear great in the video. In the music? Nearly perfect. Just get Leighton a few more voice lessons and training programs in live perfs. You wouldn't want to spoil a Cobra concert just because of that hot little girl who doesn't know to make her move in the stage.

3. Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson - Album "Break Up"

Uh huh, Scarlett can sing well. In fact, she did it too well with Pete Yorn around. This is definitely one of my "easy music" albums to date.

4. Lady GaGa and Beyonce - Telephone (from the album "The Fame Monster")


Sexy dancers in sexy outfits: check. Superb performances which could go together in world tours: check. And of course, the voices: triple check. "Telephone" is a must-have in your music player, and don't you dare delete it.

5. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - The Empire State of Mind (from the album "The Blueprint: 3")


First the girl worked with Usher, and they made a great "Boo" partnership. Jay-Z had it with everyone else. Now, adjustments for both were, I think, managed easily. Any future projects for them is not a problem. And check out A.K.'s Part II of Empire State of mind.

6. Forever The Sickest Kids and Selena Gomez - Whoa Oh! Remix (the original could be found on the album "Underdog Alma Mater")



FTSK has been one of the best powerpop bands to date, and Selena Gomez is the worst Disney singer to date. Even though Whoa Oh! is great in itself, I just have to give the middle thumb to them.

And I would like to add this new collab I found out when I checked out my newly downloaded music stuff:

***



We The Kings and Demi Lovato - We'll Be The Dream (from the album "Smile Kid")

Yep, both are getting better and better. Besides the fact that Demi Lovato gets more beautiful as she grows (minus the fugly mouth), she actually has POWERPOP talent, and I mean it (well, not like the other Disney girl that wasn't mentioned in this blog post who remained Partying In The USA). We The Kings, on the other hand, have been emerging with great fame in the powerpop scene. Indeed, there is a future.

Mupptes and Queen

What I once loved when I was a kid, added with the music I could have loved had I been a little bit older. Great combination.

My Lucky Batch

I have all my own "celebrations" as I went through my school days, and it is not personal, but institutional.



Back in the days when I had my grade school in San Beda College, I was part of the community that celebrated its centennial (1901-2001). Yes, those were the days of serious fighting, Half-life and Conterstrike, math and science clubs, rallies in Mendiola that cause class suspensions, uncaught porn that went as early as grade five, basketball on school uniforms, looking at young women from the Law School without ever thinking that they wouldn't start relationships,and the list goes on and on an on. Also, these were the days when I grew up under the guidance of the moderately conservative Benedictines, most especially with Fr. Anscar Chupungco, OSB, who was my rector. But more importantly, as part of the Grade School community, I was able to take part in the centennial celebrations. As far as I can remember, The Little Bedan staff, under the headship of Gabe Baleos (who is also one of my friends here in Ateneo) with myself as the Assistant EIC, covered in our most "grade school" way possible, the different events of the celebration. In the end, our batch were deemed as the 100th who graduated in San Beda. Somehow, I felt quite sad that SBCGS had to be transferred somewhere. I wish it had just retained the Manila campus.



Anyway, moving on, in hopes of trying to find a new life which could fit, I transferred to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary, under the care of the diocesan priests of the Archdiocese of Manila. During my senior year in high school, we celebrated its Golden Anniversary, and again, I played a big part in its celebration. As co-head of the Academic Committee (with Paul Bansil), and the chief of the Publications Committee who spearheaded the 50th Anniversary Souvenir Program, a collection of messages, testimonies, and other memorabilia which witnessed to the growth and development of this institution dedicated to the formation of young men in the service of the Church. And of course, I proudly say that I led this class who celebrated this historical event, the class who could truly say "Laking Guadalupe, Maipagmamalaki!"

[By the way, as I write this, we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe]



And now, as part of the formation of San Jose Major Seminary, I have to be part of the Ateneo de Manila University Loyola Schools community, and I have been part of yet another historic event. Just a few hours ago, I attended the celebration of the Eucharist to thank the Lord and Our Mother for the Ateneo's 150 years of existence. Though I did not have a big role this time, I was there to celebrate with the community (but then, I thought, it was during the 150th year of the Ateneo that I It was then that I realized that I was really lucky in my school life to have celebrated three grand celebrations in different schools, and I could say that I was part of it.

Intermission Number: Let's Give It Up For The Five

hell yeah.

Forgive Me, But I Seem To Be Not of My Age

When talking about maturity, somehow I felt that I was different. There were a lot of times when I felt that I was really a mature person of twenty years old, and most of the time, the rest were just like little kids who have not yet seen life completely.

And experience seemed to have been a witness to this, as I think. For the past 8 years, I think of myself as having dealt with life in the most complicated way possible, and this involves intense seminary formation which helped me to somehow stand on my own feet. Even until now, I handle responsibilities which seem to be that of a normal adult living his life alone. Also, my life during vacation attests to a certain level of maturity. When I am not in the seminary, I wake up at six in the morning, clean the car and the house, do the laundry, and spend the day running some important errands. Besides, I can say that I already have a worldview that is, in my own words, straight-edge: already planned, with a definite timeframe, and with a different disposition and way of looking at the world. As I have said, everything will be faced with such straight-edge and smug-faced look at the reality.

But then, as I look back at my college life, it seems that I cannot be the one I once wanted myself to be. Many times, I still found myself wearing that smug face everytime my co-seminarians and classmates make immature remarks and actions, most especially to me, when I feel insulted. "Damn kids," I would say to myself. However, most of the time, I see myself being immature, with all the pranks, the green jokes, and the verbal suckerpunches I throw. I can and enjoy at times the way I piss off people that I both love and hate. Oh, and add to that the way I use some of my time playing "Call of Duty" and "Left4Dead." Indeed, part of me that I couldn't throw away for now is the kid in me.

I would say that this is neither good nor bad. Being a kid at times is fun and reminds me of the beauty of life; however, I think that one should heed the call to be fundamentally mature, to have a serious look at world and act in ways that people would expect me to. Of course, it is important to remember that though boys grow but don't grow up, we cannot avoid the fact that we have to be men eventually.

The Worst Christmas Party Could Be The Best Christmas Gift

I'm furious all over.

Today, I just received the WORST ever gift for my Christmas party, and it's not even worth mentioning here because it will be inappropriate. To be honest, I felt like being sucker punched in the face during a social gathering.

During the party, I just laughed it all away, and even admitted in a joking manner that I would not accept these gifts, and instead intend to give them to those who are in need. But then, deep inside, I felt really bad, not because I got what I want, but because gift-giving was used as a means for insulting me.

And with these, a few thoughts on this Christmas ritual.

1.Gift-giving is not just giving gifts that could help one person remember YOU. It is important to note that gift-giving isn't all about the self. Rather, it is about the other. Perhaps the best gift would be that which helps the other remind, not remember, you in a special manner, be it in gifts that could be used in everyday life or could in certain situations.

2.Gift-giving is all about placing yourself in the foot of the other. It is thinking: if I were be the one given this gift, would I be fulfilled enough? Clearly, the person who picked me in this Christmas party sucked at this. It is in the moment of real and sincere gift-giving that one decenters from the self, which, again, my gift-giver was not really good at.

3.Gift-giving signifies the value of the presence of the other to the self. It reflects how the self regards and treats the other. In some way or another, it is a symbol of relationship and intimacy, and if this is not remembered, then gift-giving will lose its essence.

Personally, I cannot accept the gift, but then I would just channel my frustrations and convert them to something good and beneficial. I'm going to donate to a toy drive or just give that to someone else who needs it. I secretly thank my gift-giver for, in spite of making me feel bad, letting me do some good this Christmas season. After all, isn't Christmas about making others, instead of the self, happy? Didn't the Savior do this during the moment that He encountered humanity?

An advanced merry Christmas everyone.

… And I pray that that person will be able to realize what it means to be a person for others.

And This Is Where "The Real Game" Begins

The real game starts right after Phoenix.

After having most of the quarter of the season finished, the Lakers will have their next 19 of their 28 games on road. And I believe, that this is where Kobe and the rest of the defending champs have to toughen up and play like a real championship team.

But there is something that Lakers fans need to talk about with a serious tone: The "Taco Club," A.K.A. the rest of the bench who blew off the good leads during the past games.

Believe me, as a group, they were reallty performing poorly, but then, it seems that this is out of being too comfortable, since the starting squad have done enough. I say give them a little time during these road games. They might prove themselves worthy.

Jordan Farmar had big games of his own. I wish he was really consistent, like the good ol' times.

As well as DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell, whose presence in and out of the paint have been significant (during garbage time, that is).

Adam Morrison still has to prove himself, maybe Luke Walton's absence in the team (because of his pinched nerve).

Most of all, the one I hate the most for this season: Sasha Vujacic. I mean, he really sucked during these first 18 games, conmpared to his performance back in '08.

The Lakers would win as a team, not just a bunch of 5 great guys, 2 who could do fairly well to replace the starters (I'm talking about Odom and my new dunk idol Shannon Brown), and 5 Taco Boys.

Thanks to www.forumblueandgold.com for the TacoUnit pic.

Respect To #24

It just took nine seconds from a 106-102 MIA lead to a 108-107 LAL win.

And all because of two key three-pointers, one that of Derek Fisher.

The second? Guess who. Just watch this:



One of the shots that will definitely go down in history. Lakers in 2010!

Freshly Squeezed # 2: For December's First, We Have…

Might not be that special, but here are a few that deem to be noteworthy:

-Bukluran was over. Everything went well, and thanks to those people who extended their hand just to make this project successful.

-Post-bukluran makes me want to just bum around and think of letting life swing away. But then, there is the Philosophy synthesis paper, which takes up most of my time. It's 20% of the Philosophy Seminar course, one that we need to pass in order to graduate. I'm currently working on it.

-… while the rest is on thesis making, spending sleepless nights to read Kant and Rorty just to finish a 50-page piece of philosophical work. They're supposed to be done on the 18th, while our journey will be finished once we finish our Final Comprehensive Exams and the Final Examinations in our different second semester subjects.

-Christmas spirit! Everyone is getting ready for gift-giving, caroling, and Kris Kringle. Just this Saturday, I spent the whole evening in SM Marikina to buy gifts for the parties.

-Fire and earthquake drills are irritating when you are the height of the interchange between doing your synthesis paper and idling on Facebook and blogger.

-And on a deeper note, I was able to appreciate being one with the Ateneo and San Jose community on reflecting and doing something about the recent Maguindanao massacre in the light of the upcoming 2010 elections. I was empowered and encouraged to write about it and send it to the Samahan sa Pilosopiya groups so that everyone could start sharing their thoughts and sentiments regarding the matter.

-The San Jose College community was invited by the Jesuit philosophers to have a Fusion Dinner at Loyola House. It was fun eating with and telling stories with our Jesuit friends, and we finished the night with our first ever Tinig Kolehiyo performance, singing "Diwa ng Pasko."

Can't wait for the weekend immersion (in spite of not being able to attend the Sesquicentennial Celebration).

The Joy of Christmas

As I say goodbye to November Bukluran, I now say welcome to the December Christmas (synthesis would be another concern altogether, and I would not want to go to that, because I am in the middle of actually doing it). Indeed, the whole San Jose College house welcomed Christmas in a different but significant way, and I would be happy to share to you some of what we really do here to prepare for the Birth of the Lord.

As early as November 21, we have already set up the Christmas decorations around the house, and immediately after the feast of Christ the King, we have already prepared the Advent Wreath in our chapel. I've told you, this is something different, and oh, did I say more surprising than everyone wants it to be?

For this year, we started our Kris Kringle right after Bukluran, because we will have our Christmas party as early as the 7th of December, because the seniors will not be available because of synthesis papers (argh darnit). We also are preparing for our College Christmas Party, which is a really really big event for us. In fact, we even came up with this wish list just to let those who picked us for exchange gifts have a glimpse of what we really want. Don't mind the impossible things though, they are just plain crazy:




As for the Kris Kringle, I'm thankful that there is a Vente store at Riverbanks Mall, where I just passed by and bought everything required in the list:

1.something soft
2.something that the AEMC will approve
3.something related to your person's favorite color
4.something tri-colored
5.something with the Registered mark on it (the R on a circle)
6.something you can bring inside the Chapel

Of course, as to what I have gotten used to, I made fun of these Kris Kringle gifts (please translate this in Filipino to nangungupal). I bought a lot of really funny gifts, and I wouldn't say what they are in this blog because there is a big possibility that the person I picked would read this. But then, to make up for all this, I would try buying a grand Christmas gift for that person.

And speaking of gifts and parties, I will be having two more Christmas parties. The first will be the community Christmas party of San Jose where the Tinig Kolehiyo will be performing "Diwa ng Pasko" for the second time (hence, learning to hone my lip-syncing skills again… Just let me do any dance number, anything just to make me not sing!). The other one would be the Philo block Christmas party, and I think the best part of this party will be the gift giving, because we were asked by my blockmate Carlos to come up with two words that could more or less capture what we want. I went for a "readworthy piece," wanting to have a good book for the holidays.

And of course we still have a lot of celebrations to come. There is the KASAMA Christmas party with the Cardinal, the two great drinking sessions (the first for the Philosophy family, and the second for the Triple Humanities Org Inuman, consisting of Samahan, LitSoc, and HumOrg). Most important of all will be our family will have a trip to Palawan for five days of fun and excitement. Mom already texted me that it has been already booked (too bad, the Kuala Lumpure trips were fully booked. That was what my brother and I were hoping for).

Happy holidays, everyone! Now, all I need to do is finish editing and revising this darn synthesis paper.

To distract myself.

I took a break from my tiring synthesis paper... because I have to.

Why? The earthquake bell sounded at about ten in the morning yesterday in the new Rizal Library, and we all have to get out as if there was an earthquake. And yes, the sound was really irritating.

And to quote:

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

Earl: Pare, kung ganyan kabwisit ang earthquake bell, gugustuhin mo ba talagang lumabas ng Lib?

JoFar: Ewan ko, pare. Pero pag nangyari 'yun, si-save ko muna thesis ko tapos layas agad dala yung flash disk.

Earl: Good idea. Pati pala log out ng account.

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

And for the successful drill yesterday, an important lesson learned: learn to press Ctrl + S every five minutes, and as soon as you hear the bell, log out all of your accounts. You don't want to be hacked after the disaster.

More of Maguindanao

Yesterday, I (with Justin, Ken, Gio, and, behind us, Sasha) attended the mass for the victims of Maguindanao presided by Fr. Jun Viray, sj. This just compelled me to address the Samahan sa Pilosopiya in view of the current situation, and so I write in the groups:

"I'm sure that almost everyone of us in the philosophy family have already read and heard about the recent incident in Maguindanao involving the murder (and for some, rape) of more than sixty men and women. I would not go into further details, as I believe that it is our responsibility to know more about it (on which I will discuss further later on), but I would just like to call your attention to what happened and how we would react against it.

We are not philosophy students for nothing, just doing our own mental gymnastics and not caring about what is happening in this world that we live in (after all, we philosophize for this world… and of course I do not believe that we are doing silly mental games), and in these times that we are most needed, that we ought to make a stand regarding these matters and do something about it. What just happened goes against what we envision for our country as philo majors. This act is a sign of grave disrespect towards the value of man and society, those that we consider of high value in virtue of their existence. What has just transpired goes against the very lessons in life that we learn in four years of philosophizing.

Hence, an answer, an active and dynamic response is needed, and perhaps it would help if we ask ourselves the three questions that one of our great philosophers Immanuel Kant asked himself (although we put these questions in the light of our own context and of this situation. Our friend Imman asked this according to his own background and situation, which eventually led him to answers different from our own).

What can I know? Perhaps we could start by constantly informing ourselves of what has happened so far. Besides knowing the events as we read them in the Internet or in the papers, we are challenged to broader our horizon. We are called to look at it from different sides and perspectives, as well as think and reflect about it, to figure out the implications of this event. I encourage everyone to take a little time off just to probe into this event (in spite of the heavy school requirements) and be up-to-date.

What ought I to do? In our current situation, we have to act according to our own contexts and situations, sa kung ano ang napapaloob sa ating abot-tanaw. The closest thing that we can do is to attend different activities that address concern for this event (e.g. masses, candle lighting ceremonies, talks and seminars, etc.). For most of us, we could show our stand by committing ourselves to vote wisely (after all, this was an event rooted in the upcoming 2010 elections), keeping in mind that the change that we long for in the system (which goes with a personal conviction to always choose what is good for our country and our fellow Filipinos, in view of the greater common good) could only be decided upon by us people. And hey, idling in Facebook and Multiply would help too. I encourage you to put your blog posts and views regarding this issue in our Yahoo! Groups, so we could start discussing amongst ourselves that we could bring greater light into this situation.

What can I hope for? And of course, we have to project everything that we have been doing in the future which in two or three years' time, we take the center stage and do our roles as, possibly lawyers, teachers, priests, and other professions that we could think of pursuing. In spite of these happenings, we should never stop dreaming for a better Philippines and a better future for all of us, when the world would be close to what we envision it to be. In our continuous response to the call of our times, let us always remember that we are doing these things with a certain end in mind.

I hope that what I have written here, as a member of the core group of the Samahan sa Pilosopiya where we all belong, would encourage us to participate in the constant efforts of our fellow Ateneans in doing everything that we can to respond to this situation."

I hope this message would reach to the farthest bounds of the earth, that we may be able to do things together and hope for the better.

Shannon Brown Is Shiz.

the next big thing after kobe bryant.

Celebrating Vocation: Bukluran '09

More than four months of preparation was needed for this one big day to happen, and I think that each and every effort has been worth it. As executive chairman for the 12th Bukluran Inter-College Seminary games, all I could say that in spite of a few glitches and misunderstandings, everything was a huge success.

This has been an effort of the whole San Jose Seminary community of fifty, for hosting more than 500 seminarians from 8 seminaries from South Luzon. It was consisted of countless hours of fundraising, contacting people, arranging appointments and meetings, and organizing all things just to be able to guarantee that seminarians will have a good day.

During the day itself, everyone was relatively up by 5:30am in the morning. Most of us have to rush back and forth to the Church of the Gesu, where each seminary will register and wait for the Mass. After everyone was inside and the concelebrants and the presider, Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Manila, were all set, we began the mass. Everything went well as the San Carlos Seminary servers were able to do it well along with the assigned readers and commentators. Though we had to tweak a lot of songs, the Bukas Palad Music Ministry was able to do a good job as well. The mass finished by 9:00am, and the theologians together with Ken Habana, the Accommodations Head, led the seminarians back to San Jose and straight to the College Covered Courts.

The merienda and the Opening Program started at about 10:15am, hosted by Nathan and Portia. Prior to that, we had each seminary prepare for a simple cheer before everything else. I was quite surprised that what they did was really prepared, as they were really livelier than the usual cheers that we did way back 2008. After that, we asked the Ateneo High School's IndAK to perform a simple dance number, followed by the Torch Lighting Ceremony led by Justin and me (for the second half). The Amazing Race, which lasted for about an hour and a half, capped off the morning activities.

A sumptuous lunch was served, and everyone was able to eat well before the games began. During that time, I was asked to be one of the table officials for basketball, and in my three years of attending Bukluran (our community was not able to participate during my first year because of the typhoon and the cancellation of a holiday), it was only then that I was able to watch the whole series of basketball games, and I have to say that each seminary has greatly improved in terms of sports. While UST Central Seminary was able to breeze through the whole tournament bracket (for they haven't lost their key players. One of their players were really good that we just had to give an Eric Salamat salute to him), St. Francis de Sales, the other finalist, had a pretty hard time defeating the powerhouse basketball team of San Carlos Seminary, as well as Mount St. Aloysius College Seminary. Eventually, UST grabbed their second straight championship in basketball, while St. Peter's College Seminary grabbed the volleyball championship.

The evening liturgy was also a highlight. Basically, we just had a repeat of what we did during the 80th San Jose Alumni Homecoming, and for me it was quite pleasing that everyone was able to catch up with it. Of course, we have to thank the Lord and the Blessed Mother for all the graces that made this big event possible.

I believe that Bukluran is at its highest point during the dinner and the evening program, consisted of many different presentations which were unbelievable and, in the words of our Father Rector, magis-tic. Together with Entablado's short cute play and Coro de Sta. Cecilia's early caroling, presentations ranged from black light performances (which should have been done not just to "holy songs," but also to pop and rnb greats), to outstanding ethnic and hip-hop dance numbers which include a bit of good stunts (which say don't go "CADs" on me) , and even "tunog-tao" remixes, which amused everyone. San Jose, in part, gave the seminaries a replica of the Caedo statue, a certificate, the 2009 Pilosopo Tasyo and the special issue of the College community newsletter, Sangay. Though we were not able to have our presentation which every year astounds everyone (last Triple Encounter with USTCS and SCS we did a mix of I Wanna Make Love/Jai Ho/Thriller/Nobody), I believe that we already have something in store next year. Overall, the presentations were truly unbelievable.

During the end of the program, I was able to give the concluding remarks as the Executive Chairman with much emotions and passion flowing over, as I was able to highlight that this event is a way of thanking the Lord for calling us together towards a common goal. Father Rector and I was able to pass the Bukluran flag to Mount Saint Aloysius College Seminary in Gumaca for next year, as we thanked everyone for participating well and went home.

Even at this moment, I have been receiving text messages of gratitude for everything that happened during that fateful day. And all I could say is that everything is the work of the Lord, I am happy to be able to lead and bring everyone together for this event, and I thank everyone: from the San Jose community, to our classmates and friends who helped out, to the seminary heads, and most of all, to the Lord and our Blessed Mother, in making this event, technically impossible, possible. Ad majorem Dei gloriam!

Freshly Squeezed #1: Introduction

As much as possible, I try not to add any sophistication or personal touch in my blog posts, since I believe that I do not have that enough level of fame to have dozens of followers. Simply said, I am not that famous and well-known and no one would even care for a minute to read my blog. But then, considering all the things that this internet page could do for me, I did a little tweaking for my (hopelessly dying) blogging career.

That's right, and I'm going to put a personal side into it, coming in with personal tastes, personal choices, and a little bit of "I" in my posts, all coming from experience and insights while walking (around Ateneo in these last months of college life).

And perhaps to start off with the "this is me" part:

-Being the subject of recent bashing of a few political science majors with regard to the newly promulgated Sanggunian Resolution on voting and its officers, Gio Tingson earned a new title. I told him that starting now until his term ends, he will be called the Fuhrer of the Sanggunian. Joking aside, it seemed that this move made a lot of noise from different sides. And I think that everything just boiled down to an exaggeration and a misunderstanding of the issue at hand (I know where Gio was coming from, and I think that it is something good that he could push for). However, the harshness contained in the Resolution is another issue altogether.

-Bukluran, the inter-college seminary meet, is the thing of the week, and during the last minutes before the event, I really felt really panicky, worried that there might be something that I totally missed. As I write this, I try to make sure that everything is in check and things will turn out to be alright. Although I was quite disappointed with a few circumstances that changed the plans (for example, one org who thumbed down our request due to lack of personnel), the 50-something seminarians of San Jose (the College and Theology community combined), was able to try accommodating 500 seminarians or so.

-And on an additional note, I was not able to watch New Moon with the block (of the course the block experience is what counts, not the film, mind you), but was able to do progress in sorting out things for the seminarians. Also, I was able to make it in spite of having cough and colds (God knows where who

-More tambay moments with the Kant boys (minus Baltao, plus Justin). From synthesis and thesis to philosophers' bed talk, all up to Wittgenstein's picture-face and rabbit-duck, it seems that bonding becomes a necessary factor of senior life.

-First dibs with Ma'am Tonette and Sir Calasanz's quizzes. Period.

-Good spiritual direction advice for me: just be open with the future. We never know and I will certainly not want myself to foreclose my identity.

-And of course, I'm trying to establish online connections through the use of this blog. I'm hoping that there are still more who would follow me and be my "online friends."

'Til next week. More to come.

i constantly thank you for making me happy.

In the middle of my struggle with cough and cold and my ongoing inter-college seminary work, I thought that maybe going down to Barangka to buy some groceries (together with medicines) would ease my feeling up a little bit.

But then, this:



made me really really satisfied, with no pressure put upon my pocket.

I think that the guy who came up with the idea of selling Hong Kong Style Noodles should be given the Nobel Price. Twenty-five pesos, and then satisfaction.

the fold's miley cyrus cover

While I was searching the Internet for pretty much everything I need (meaning the set of songs of the eleventh episode of Glee), I found this pretty good cover of The Fold. And I have to say this: I hate Miley Cyrus, but I think that her hit song is quite good and could actually be covered and parodied by several punk rock and power pop bands, and here are two of them.

The first is the cover made by Life on Repeat, and I think that if you haven't heard that it is actually a Miley Cyrus song, you would realize that it is call in its new power pop sound. (Listen to the drums, baby.)



This second one is made by Christian power-pop band The Fold. However, they pulled off the trick by changing the lyrics:



Notice the change in the lyrics. Cool, huh?

On Maguindanao killings

I figured that I have to take the time off from writing my (really hard) philosophy synthesis paper to just say a word or two about this horrible event that badly affected not only Filipino politics, but the life of the Filipino as a whole. After all, it is in these events that real philosophizing happens, which I hope would overflow into action, doing something even beyond my own limits to respond to such situation.

Reading Fr. John Carroll, S.J.'s theories of consensus and coercion and pushing it to further reflection (yes, I have been philosophizing on Theology 141 readings), it seems that power seems to have been an indispensable resource for the elite as well as to those who hold it. Indeed, it has enslaved not only the society as a whole, but also the individual's sense of the whole - which involves beliefs, values, and even everyday life. Many things that seemed to be unexpected and unimagined have been done. Indeed, we as the public who are supposed to benefit from these, have already been witnesses to numbers of crimes and anomalies, seeing them as attempts of those in power to save for themselves the government positions that they sought.

But then, this is going over the edge already. The slavery to power has been more evident than ever. It had completely corrupted not only the morals but the conscience of those power-holders. Those who were completely responsible for these have already their conscience wiped out and their sense of morality destroyed and dominated by the want for more power which continuously corrupts the system as a whole. They took up the means to obtain more power and influence not just by striking fear among their political opponents, but also, more importantly and fundamentally, they literally treated humans as obstacles to obtain the power that they want to have, just like trash that needed to be disposed. And now, institutions who are supposed to do something about this, still do not have anything to offer but hopes and promises that should be carried off now.

What has become of us? Just a few months ago, the Filipino people were like superheroes on drugs trying to reach out to one another and help rebuild the nation through community relief efforts. Now that we are in one way or another becoming stable as we have rebuilt our comfort zones that we call "ordinary Filipino life," some people would return to their old routines, using the same old techniques to cope up with life and remain in their comfortable positions. This statement applies in so far as those who are handling power and trying to lay hold of it.

Yet I believe and I hope that each one of us have not built those unbreakable walls called comfort. I believe that we could think of it and make a stand to condemn this seemingly unforgivable offense and stand up for what is right in various ways. As with Ondoy and Pepeng, the moment for us to show who we are as true Filipino heroes is now. We may not be able to do anything with the situation right now, but the best we can do is to look forward in a reflective manner, to go and think about what this event would mean for us. Perhaps starting with a little step, we could fight for a better Philippines by proper discernment concerning the elections. Through this, we should be able to take a stand while within the limits of our abilities, eventually pushing forward and being able to take part in fighting for justice and moral integrity in the Philippines.

And as a Churchman, I would like to pose a challenge. The Philippines is primarily a Christian country in terms of her moral convictions and principles. Are we going to surrender the principles of selfless love and instead embrace immorality and abuse of power? Our actions would tell our answer to this question.

in this era, it's not the philosophers and the genius we have to count, it's the work ethic. and the tricks.

i just want to brag that this generation has one thing to say: it's proud of having a straight-edge legendary figure around.

it's not really genius, but then hardwork counts

important life lessons count:

-you're no genius. it's just rigor and hard work combined with streaks and lines of talent.
-suspend your judgment. you might be hitting on something that you don't actually know
-and most important of all, know what you mean and say it. be clear on what you are trying to communicate
-and though truth develops in history, claims could only either be true or false, nothing beyond that.

The beginning of the end

Once the inter-college seminary finishes, then I will be able to really start with my synthesis. I promise that, and I will write about it later.

the best move of november

and we go down to two for the first phase of the NBA season. have your pick:

1.lebron james doing the volleyball?



2. or his highness kobe bryant doing a jordan?

Too much issue.

Jordan 25th Anniversar Edition

i dig this.

sasha and sharapova?

i
unbelievably, yes. they are dating.

Putting My Media Player on "Waking Up Mode."

The first of a probable series.

I grew up inheriting from my parents a lot of Pinoy pop-rock and classic rock, as well as a dose of '80s new wave and lite rock. But then, I reached high school and college loving punk-rock, powerpop, and a few indie sounds and a little bit of party toppings. And so what I have now is 13 gigabytes of a musical cocktail.

With that plethora of mp3s (which I could not put on a Creative 2-Gigabyte Stone), I decided to create a playlist to bring life to the day by shuffling everything and finding 30 good morning songs, and this is what I have:

1.Pretty Vacant - The Sex Pistols (or you could go for the Lady Sovereign cover)
2.Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
3.What I Didn't Know - Athenaeum
4.Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
5.Your Kind (Speak To Me) - Danger Radio
6.Feel Good, Inc. - Gorillaz
7.(Coffee's for Closers) - Fall Out Boy
8.The Beautiful Ones - Suede
9.The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
10.Talk Shows on Mute - Incubus
11.Dancing With Myself - The Donnas
12.One Month Off - Bloc Party
13.Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
14.Do The Panic - Phantom Planet
15.Everyone Who Breathes - School Boy Humor
16.I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You - Black Kids
17.Just Dance - Lady GaGa ft. Colby O'Donis
18.Love, Sex, Magic - Justin Timberlake ft. Ciara
19.She Will Be Loved (Maroon Five Cover) - runneRRunner
20.Stuttering - The Friday Night Boys
21.Ruupu & Ruupu - Asian Kung-Fu Generation
22.The Cure - Tegan & Sara
23.A Song Is Not A Business Plan - The Rocket Summer
24.California Girl - Cheap Trick
25.Disconnection Notice - Pupil
26.Teddy Picker - Arctic Monkeys
27.Rock DJ - Robbie Williams
28.Prostitution Is The World's Oldest Profession (And I, Dear Madame, am a Professional) - Cobra Starship
29.Watch The Tapes - LCD Soundsystem
30.Can't Stay The Same - Saves The Day

I have, I can send.

500 Days of Summer

spelled the stages of wonder and disillusionment, and the return to reality.

sounds good, but the soundtrack sounded better. but then, it's a must-watch.

After Season 72, What Next?

During the bonfire, Ryan Buenafe and Eric Salamat promised that we will have a three-peat. In reality, can we? What could be up next for the Blue Eagles in the next season?

Hypothetically, without considering yet any new players that might arrive or be elevated to Team A. The first five could be as follows:

Center-Justin Chua
Power Forward-Nico Salva
Small Forward-Ryan Buenafe
Shooting Guard-Eric Salamat
Point Guard-Juami Tiongson

And of course a few notes:

-I think that it would be better for Kirk Long and Eman Monfort to just come off the bench. The former could be a formidable replacement for Eric Salamat in terms of defense. Thus, while the Court General runs the offensive side of the game, it would be Long who would take care of the men-to-be-checked. The latter needs to be relieved of some pressure, but as soon as he gets his game, he could alternately start the game.

-Perhaps the advantage of Tiongson being in the first five is that with his consistent shooting and playmaking skills way back in high school, he could easily fit in the rotation.

-the strongest points in the team for next year is the backcourt, contrary to this year's focus on big men. Perhaps Norman Black would do a few tweaks in the offense and defense of the Blue Eagles, putting the 1, 2, and 3 spots at the heart of the plays

-Salva and Chua, as starting men, have to be men of the post to stand against the big guys of the league. Perhaps, they would receive the ball less than Rabeh or Nonoy Baclao used to. There has to be at least one of them to be equipped with sleight of hand and proper timing to block shots.

-bench players who need serious leveling up include Oping Sumalinog (he did an awesome job on the defensive end this season), Frank Golla, and Tonino Gonzaga

-we have to have really strong and big men who would make it to team A. We would be facing a stronger Paul Lee, Aldrech Ramos, or Yutien Andrada for that matter. Simply put, we have to be just prepared for everything.

It might be too early to predict things, but it's what we have for the moment. Hopefully, Coach Norman and the scouts would come up with something that would fill in the spot of Rabeh, Nonoy, and Jai.

One big fight. Onwards to 2010.

P.S. Seeing the stats of the UniGames, it is possible that the current line up will be used in Season 73. It's too early to tell if this would work well, but then, considering the performance of the newcomers in the starting line up, it is possible that they could get better and we have our next big inside scorers. Ateneo is like the Lakers these times. We have a load of backcourt players but lack frontcourt intensity. I hope that we a)make up for that, and b) use that to our advantage.

Paranormal Activity

and i ask the question of all questions: is it worth watching?

seems real to many.

NBA Tips Off: A Look at 2 Big Openers

NBA Tip Off, and we've had lots for today. There's the Wizards-Mavs opener with the return of Gilbert Arenas and the absence of Josh Howard, as well as the Rockets-Blazers game without Yao. But here are those that count the most:

Big Game Number One:

Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers


Boston was able to pull off an outstanding first game performance when they shrugged off a 15-point slump and made their way in the second half to get past the newly designed Cleveland Cavaliers. They ended the game with 89-95.

-Shaq didn't make any difference in the game. All he had to contribute was post presence that didn' even assure an instant field goal. I think it would be better for him to come off the bench rather than start, because the Big Z could fill in as a true, legit, scoring teammate for James.

-LeBron James hasn't changed at all save his post play. We see on this first game how LeBron plays the post much better than last season. Perhaps with this skill, he could already play the number four position at times when they need it.

-Though with all the hate in the world, I would love the Celtics being complete for their first game, and I hope that this will last until most of the season. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce did it too well on the outside, and KG and 'Sheed seem to cooperate well. But then, it is surprising that they have to get over a slump in order to win. Is it age dragging them down? Or the Cavs are that hard to be taken over early in the game?

-Best move of the night: Jamario Moon receiving James' pass for the alley oop. Non-factor? Mo Williams

-The star stamp for the night would be for Paul Pierce. There is already a trace of determination to get back after months of trying to argue his way into Twitter that the Celtics will be better this season. But I seriously doubt it, considering that the first five (and even some members of the bench) are highly injury-prone. Yes, a double-double would be sweet for a first game.

-Seriously, I loved the way Boston beat Cleveland, even though I hated them both. This game is already a reason for bad blood to boil and loom over the two teams

And for Number Two (the better one actually):


The Lakers held off the Clippers' runs and was able to grab the first win in L.A. with 99-92. More important than these? The Ring Night, especially when you give one to the true Triangle Master: Tex Winter.

-Hey, can we say that this is a fair fight? Blake Griffin is absent, but so is Gasol. Thus, no extravagant big man performance included.

-It's surprising that this is not a big and grandiose opener for the Lakers since forever. Rather, many of them went back to the fundamentals (with the exception of Kobe Bryant and a few individual performances, of course). Basic passes, layups, and post-ups became the keys to winning.

-But Andrew Bynum remains to be the first-game factor. With his splendid performance in this game (26 points, 13 boards, and only 2 fouls for the game), he is groomed to be the next go-to big man of the Lakers, next to Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.

-In spite of Ron Artest's speed, the Lakers still managed to set up running plays. I guess Ronron could somehow catch up and make remarkable offensive influence. He has made a substantial contribution to the team, not to mention the crucial baskets and stops he had made during the second half. And I dig his 'hawk design today. He came out well-behaved and well-disciplined. Good one, Ronron.

-The preseason groove still hasn't faded and made way for the regular season dibs. The Lakers gave up a lot of turnovers, and the bench was as soft as the cushion of the championship rings given earlier. They gave up an 11-1 run to keep the Clippers as close as 3. They should have owned the game a little earlier if not for this. But kudos to Josh Powell and Shannon Brown with their presence in the court (in spite of going -4 and -1 respectively in the stats). In the following games, I hope to see the bench becoming a better and more versatile force to replace the Lakers big five.

-Again, I'm giving the First Game MVP Award not to Lebron (in spite of his 38 point performance, with the rest of the game centered on him 80% of the time), but to Kobe (who had 33 points and gave way for Andrew Bynum to seize scoring opportunities). As for me, the Mamba is still above The Walkout.

-I don't feel the Kardashian Kurse on Lamar Odom today. Probably, she's the one for him, and the other way around.

-The first game kinda sets everything right. I hope that for the back-to-back champs, it does.

And never forget that it was ring night tonight. Probably next year, it will be the same in Staples Center... and Artest will finally receive one he could call his own.

'Mates?

i wouldn't put any personal comments here. you may find them @ http://thenobletruth.wordpress.com

PH 100 - Philo Seminar (Synthesis and Comprehensives)
-Fr. Nemy Que, sj and Dr. Guss Rodriguez

PH 118 - Contemporary Philosophy
-Dr. Ramon Reyes
-MWF 3:30-4:30pm

PH 131 - Epistemology
-Dr. Tonette Angeles
-TTh 7:30-9:00am

PH 103 - Philosophy of Religion
-Mr. Eddieboy Calasanz
-TTh 6:00-7:30pm

TH 141 - Theology of the Catholic Social Vision
-Ms. Rachel Sanchez
-MWF 1:30-2:30pm

Classmates? Just inform me. We could do something together to A them.

The Battle of Lepanto and the Battle of Araneta

A few days ago, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Rosary, and it made us recall the miraculous battle of Lepanto, where the Spanish Armada halted the invasion of Rome.

And after a hundred years, one territory was defended, but now a day after the feast of Our Lady. That territory was that which belonged to champions.

Again, another victory of another Marian squad of the 21st century. It's for your white and blue, mama.

One big fight.

Ateneo goes back-to-back!

We were nervous, but we were expecting the same thing. Confirmation came by the middle of the third quarter.

The Ateneo Blue Eagles grabbed their second straight championship by beating UE in the do-or-die game, 73-51. The Katipunan destruction squad played perhaps their best team game, shrugging off the 88-68 Game 2 loss and did a good job on both sides of the court, even declaring the game over a little beet sooner than expected.

And of course, we had to congratulate everyone from Coach Norman to the sixth men and women of Ateneo, both inside and outside the Coliseum. First dibs goes to Rabeh Al-Hussaini, the main man of the game who garnered as well the Finals MVP Award, who kept his cool in the game and scored when it mattered most. And there is Jai Reyes whose treys kept Ateneo very much afloat in the second half, as well as Nonoy Baclao who did his role as the defensive brick wall of the Eagles. As much as they are leaving, the incoming role players of the Eagles have already asserted their roles. Upcoming King Eagle Eric Salamat was there with his same pesky antics (including crucial steals and one And-1 spin move that brought Ateneo basketball fans wild). Kirk Long (in spite of two missed reversals, one coming from an alley oop attempt) with a good job defensively, Ryan Buenafe and Nico Salva who provided extra firepower, and of course the rest of the team whose presence lifted the spirits of everyone. Credit also goes to the loud cheering team who shouted their hearts out in every moment of the game, from the jump ball to the last ball (with special mention to the loud and proud Blue Babble Battalion who led the Loyola Heights crowd in providing the best support possible).

And what did the team exactly do? Nothing save good ball rotation, timing, scoring, and proper execution of the zone. They scored important treys, scored points off turnovers and second-chance points, and held the Red Warriors back. Surprisingly, Elmer Espiritu and Pari Llagas were non-factors in the game, while Paul Lee's scores were only out of fastbreaks, and Val Acuna couldn't make much. A bad day for UE perhaps, and also good defense for Ateneo. Such perfect gameplay merits not only the championship, but the cheers of everyone in the blue crew (not Mike Baldos alone, no pun intended), plus a five-minute garbage time.

One big fight! See you all in the Saturday bonfire!

What? Game Three?!

Actually, it's hard for us Ateneans to take a deep breath now and say that "everything's gonna be damn fine." It was just our second loss of the whole season, and yet this was the one that left us aghast.

The Eagles left Araneta Coliseum with such heavy load after suffering from a humiliating 88-68 loss against the UE Red Warriors, all in Game 2 of the Finals, something that most of us expect as a game which would bring home the bacon.

Remember Season 70? When Ateneo battled a rookie coach, Pido Jarencio? The Eagles fortunately took Game 1, was dumped in Game 2, and broke down in Game 3. Now, only one has not yet happened. But we all wish that it wouldn't.

Totally, it was a shocker, and it's something that we never expect. Now we have to take the long road to the crown, perhaps the longest one for Season 72. Now, the pressure is on us. The top team now faces the underdog on almost equal grounds. Will we stage a comeback and eventually win it, or will we give in to the pressure and break down at this very essential moment?

But of course, we need to see things and circumstances that will greatly affect the outcome.

Ateneo wins if:
-it shrugs off the pressure and continue to play their A-game
-Rabeh al-Hussaini will do his job
-the treys will keep on clicking
-they check Elmer Espiritu and prevent those alley-oops
-keep Val Acuna cold from behind the arc
-Eric Salamat will continue to poke through significant steals and spark scoring runs
-the bench will step up and keep the game afloat, most especially those who are expected to take major roles next year (I'm talking about Ryan Buenafe and Nico Salva)
-Paul Lee will be locked and down for good (defensively, I mean)
-they play the same team game that they have always done season long

On the other hand, UE wins if:
-they are consistent inside the paint
-Paul Lee and Val Acuna get their hands hot on shooting
-Elmer Espiritu is all over Nonoy Baclao
-they checked al-Hussaini, Reyes, and Salamat
-ball handling will be as efficient as game 2
-the hole in the zone will be discovered
-they could run breaks without being stopped
-Rabeh was kept at foul trouble
-they are afloat by the fourth period

So much reasons to either keep the faith or give it up. What will be yours?

One big fight.

--
*again, thanks to NFP for the picture

The waves of "Ondoy"

This storm might not be prove to be the strongest one in the recent decades, but it sure left great damage leaving everyone startled and unprepared. Oh wait, maybe it was since 1967.

After our semestral feedback giving session, we experienced a black out, and it was only then that calls for help along Pentecost and Marikina were heard and heeded. Being the older ones, our theologians responded to the call of going to Katipunan and Barangka to reach out and help in the affected areas. Meanwhile, we collegemen were instructed to do 3 things :1) keep track of the radio reports, 2) help in the kitchen to prepare food not only for the community but also for those where we will reach out, and 3) secure the house by checking the open windows, bringing in things that could get wet due to the heavy rains.

Before doing so, we decided to go up the fourth floor, and lo and behold, we saw a sunken Marikina. Seen from that point where we were, we saw that almost half of Riverbanks was submerged. All of us were startled, surprised that the rain that continued to pour for more than 12 hours has brought this.

Afterwards, we then decided to get the job done. We agreed on several radio shifts and take down notes just to see what areas are heavily affected, what do we need to know from the government, and any other information that might be helpful as we stand by. We learned that along the expressways both North and South, there were hundreds of vehicles stranded and areas submerged. Various places in the Metro were badly affected, and people are actually calling radio stations just to search for their loved ones.

Also, we were able to pack up old but usable clothes, which were sent through the theologians responding to the call in Barangka. We stood by until 9:00pm, for we were called to rest just in case anything would come up early in the morning .

All of us woke up late at Sunday, thankful that there was no more grave situation called for. I peeked in the window and saw Marikina still with waters, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard rescue choppers in the sky. While the theologians helped out in cleaning the house of the Paulinian Sisters in Barangka, we cleaned our house and checked if there were any damages caused by the heavy rains (we discovered that there were two areas with very minor leaks). We also took over portering assignments as we kept watch over the battery-powered radio for new updates concerning the storm. There was still no electricity in the seminary, since we are connected to the Barangka line, and the power can't be turned on because people would be electrocuted, since the waters were still quite high. So during the afternoon, we went to the college campus to charge our laptops and cell phones, for we think that they will be useful later on.

After hours of charging up, we thought of going to McDonald's in Katipunan to have dinner. We spent the rest of the time playing Call of Duty as a way of relieving ourselves from all the pressures brought about by the typhoon.

I woke up early morning of Monday and was glad that electricity finally returned in Barangka. I also peeked through my window and saw land (very much like the Noah experience) in Marikina. We spent Monday morning resting and saving up on energy, while the afternoon was spent for the Task Force Ondoy, held in the Ateneo CovCourts. We caught up with some of those we know and helped in packaging clothes to be deployed to the affected areas.

The next day was supposed to be a day for studying, as we expected that there will be classes starting Wednesday. However, during the afternoon, it was announced that there will be no classes until Saturday. Instead, students are to make up for classroom hours by helping in the relief operations. So during the afternoon, we already proceeded to the covered courts, even reaching up until 12 midnight. Not only did we do the usual packaging and taking part in the assembly line, but we also helped out in deployment of goods in different areas. We also helped shut down the operations by 12mn, which will resume the next day at 6am.

Wednesday was very different for us, as we went to Calumpang, Marikina to check on our blockmate whose house was submerged in the floods. We helped out in cleaning the house, and we delivered goods not only to their family but to the neighbors as well. Indeed, bayanihan at its best. After resting for a while in the afternoon, we went back at about 930pm to deploy goods in a far-flung Novaliches area (which were unfortunately left unnoticed by their government officials) and to Barangka, Marikina. We turned over the goods to the San Jose Manggagawa and then headed straight home to San Jose Seminary.

If you thought that this was already hardcore, then Thursday became a tougher day for us. During the morning, we went down to Provident Village and drove by the mud-filled areas in order to reach the Holy Family Chapel and do some clean up there. It was literally a mud party. We went down to the streets, made our way through thick layers of mud until we reach the chapel. Using simple cleaning materials and a single hose, we cleaned up the floor of the chapel, washing the mud away. We finished at about 11:00pm, though we weren't able to get the job fully done because we really can't do using those simple materials (it's even a good thing that 2 shovels were donated to us, but it really didn't do much because we lacked the water to wash all the mud away). We paused operations for a while to give way to AdMU-UE game 1 (which ended with a victorious note for us, fortunately) and the SJS Community Mass with the Carmelite sisters at Gilmore to celebrate the feast of St. Therese. We just spent the rest of the night resting and praying the rosary with the hopes that the next typhoon won't hit that hard, and this is our way of closing our full-time relief operations, for we would be busy for the next two days.

Well, perhaps there were still a lot to do, but I believe that we did all we can to at least extend a little help to those affected by the floods. And perhaps that after all these, all that we can do now is to pray for those hit by Ondoy. This flood had shocked us and left us unprepared, and all we can do now is to lend a hand even a bit.

lock and load, courtesy of Ateneo #5

apparently, this is what you get out of too much basketball and CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE.

it seems that there is a correlation. we COD boys just happened to play Call of Duty with them (though we didn't join their server and started our own... for we saved our guts to trash two "seemingly" good players in Killhouse)

can the tv flash yellow "+5" text and a green, Courier New "Challenge Completed: Sniper Marksman" text?

for the finals, jai reyes should equip the perks "sleight of hand" and "steady aim," and we could aim for eight good treys.

one big fight.

*thanks to nonoyforpresident.blogspot.com for the jai reyes animated pic.

Where "150>400" Happens - AdMu vs. UST Final Four

After all, this 400-year old Dominican university got a one-two punch from this 150 year old Jesuit institution that used to exist as "Colegio de Manila" more than 10 years before Santo Tomas became a "Catholic, Royal, Pontifical" university. Last week, the Blue Babble Battalion got the second place in the UAAP Season 72 Cheerdance Competition, a position that the UST Salinggawi dancers have held on to for the past years (since UP got the cheerdance crown). And now, the Blue Eagles completely toppled the Growling Tigers and sent MVP Dylan Ababou and ROY awardee Jeric Teng home with their trophies, but not with another chance at the finals since 2006. Well, in the postmodern world, a hundred and fifty just meant more than turning four hundred, and if Rizal were alive up to this day, he could probably be the one to say this in his blog.

And chemistry is the key word for the week. Discipline and proper ball distribution became the keys to the lopsided 81-64 win over UST. The ball distribution was so smooth and the plays were executed well, to the point that almost all the players put on the floor had a chance to find open shots and score. In terms of working on the other side of the court, the Eagles held down the Tigers to an all-time low 27 percent shooting, keeping all their scorers checked and forcing them to put up forced treys.

The opening canto served as a way for testing the waters (no, not the floods in Espana) of the Tigers. A little tit-for-tat there from Dylan Ababou and Jeric Fortuna vis-a-vis pretty much every Ateneo baller put in the court. UST relied too much in their outside shots, for the inside was pretty much difficult to penetrate. So we could say that the first phase was a little close - eventually the closest that UST was able to get.

But come second quarter, the Eagles were on fire, as they were able to widen the gap and manage to keep UST to only as close as nine points behind. Despite having a lot of fouls (which people of the Ateneo side would presumably judge as bad calls), everyone managed to keep their head in the game and go for the win. Even the second squad was able to maintain the momentum courtesy of Ryan Buenafe and company (and yes, even including Oping Sumalinog and Justin Chua, who replaced Nico Salva, who was suspended because of the "incident" with Jens Knuttel of FEU). The Tigers, on the other hand, became deeply pressured and was not able to climb back. Even though Ababou was able to keep the Tigers a bit afloat, the performance of the rest of the team, most especially Chris Camus and Jeric Fortuna carrying the burden of guarding the fastest and most dangerous men of Ateneo, broke down.

And the second half was, as they say, Ateneo all the way. The lead extended to 25, all because of smooth offense and tough defense. UST continued to shoot from beyond the arc, but as they made their treys, Ateneo would respond with daggers of their own. Even Nonoy Baclao managed to make a side three-pointer near the end of the game. The semifinals closed out in a celebratory note, as a message both to FEU and NU as they gear themselves up and decide on who's going to duel with the Eagles on Sunday.

Then again, a few notes needed to mention:

-Surprisingly, it was not General Salamat who led the way, though he had an unbelievable 4 key steals that came with 6 points and 5 assists

-The future of the Tigers lie on the two Jerics (Fortuna and Teng). The Eagles should be prepared to face these two in the years to come.

-Oping Sumalinog contributed a good deal for Ateneo. And also, it was a pleasant thing to see Justin Chua playing the post. We're eyeing the future here.

-Rabeh still has to learn a little discipline and stop acting like a VIP. The eyes of the refs are on him, and I think that this will still be the case in the Finals.

-It is in this game that we see the real contribution of Ryan Buenafe, something that the statistics would not show. Killer drives and passes eventually distract the defense and leave other players open.

-Two equally unbelievable treys: Nonoy Baclao's and Eman Monfort's (though this one missed, but hey, who could pull off a trick-shot three that nearly came in? No one but in Ateneo)

-For opponents: don't dare bring bad vibes to Jai Reyes. He gets better when the rage meter goes up.

-I sense new Smart Gilas members here (read: Nonoy Baclao and Eric Salamat) and better Ateneo players next year.

-The sixth man did a good job cheering for the blue today.

-there is no mention of FEU swingman Andy Barroca for the day. I say that if it would be proven that he does no game-fixing, then FEU will be in big trouble. C'mon, you don't kick out a player for being that too bad for several games.

*photo courtesy of fabilioh.com