Thursday, February 27, 2003
I can't believe that Finals are only a month away. I can almost taste sheer freedom! Lest i forget, of course I have to finish all the icky requirements for school. But that's okay, I can handle that... as long as it will all soon be over.
The reason why I haven't been updating lateley is that we've been having tests and papers left, right and center. For instance, I had a history long test a while ago which comprised only two questions, none of which we I had studied for since it is not something you can prepare for.
To explain this, you have to understand who our instructor is. Our teacher, Ambeth Ocampo, gives strange tests. HIs quizzas, for example, would be to jot down the second stanze of Bahay Kubo.
He is also reputed to give out-of-this-world final exams with only one question. For instance, last semester he asked his class (and I kid you not), "What is the significance of the dog in (this particular scene) in the movie Rizal?"
The answer? Nothing. And the students were given two hours to figure that out.
***
I'm excited! Tita Mae, the tita I am v. fond of, the one whom I stayed with in Vancouver last year, is coming home in three weeks! Sayang we won't be able to meet her in the airport, since she'll be arriving the same time as my cousin's (the one who lives with us) graduation--my mom insisted that we all go since he's graduating valedictorian of his class in La Salle. But still I wish I can greet Tita Mae in the Airport.
Speaking of airports, I received an email from an unfamiliar sender recently. Upon opening, I discovered it was Rhiza, the one I met at the Tokyo Airport while waiting for our flight to Seattle last summer. It's difficult to be alone during a long stopover (4 hours), so I was glad to have a friendly face sitting near me then. We started talking, and soon I discovered she was flying alone also.
After a long while, when we were boarding already, we had exchanged e-mails and I promised to e-mail her once I get to Vancouver. But I never did. Which was sad since she also went to Vancouver a few weeks after we met at the airport, meaning we could have met up and I could've gone around with her. She was so nice, and I remember her telling me where I could score the cheapest bags and perfumes in the outlet stores in Bellingham, near Vancouver.
Now she's e-mailing me, telling me about what happened recently to her as if one year hadn't passed. She didn't even ask me why I didn't e-mail her like I promised to.
She's asking me if I'm going back to the States or Canada this year, and if ever I'd pass by Seattle she'd take me around. I really want to see her again, when she goes back here (since she's Filipina) I'd have her over my house for dinner. Sometimes, when you make a good connection with a person whom you thought you'd never see again, you never try to contact that person again. But now I'm thinking, maybe I should've made an effort.
***
I'm reading "The Last time I saw Mother" by Arlene Chai. It's v. good , written by a Fil-Australian author. I like reading good novels set in the Philippines. I'm still half-way through though, I'll tell you what the verdict when I'm done.
posted by melich on 02:38
Friday, February 21, 2003
I haven't updated this blog in the looongest time. Blame it to hell month. I swear, I had the most hell-harrasing week this week, what with Philo orals, Theo long test and other such activities too tiring to even try to recall clogging every minute of my spare time. It's a good thing that my 12 hour janitorial stint in UPIS is finally through, though.
***
Since we felt we needed (no, deserve!) a break after finishing our Philo immersion and Theo/Philo exam, Gracie, Ann and moi treated ourselves by going to the spa! After Dacanay's class, we took a trike to Profiles Salon, a spa owned daw by a high school batchmate near school which was featured recently in the Inquirer according to Grace.
The place was amazing. The peppermint scent that hung around the place was soothing, while the ocean waves background music just lulls you to la la land. Ahhhh.. twas exactly what our sleep-deprived bodies required.
I had an hour of Swedish massage (P550), while Grace and Ann ganda had the papaya body scrub (700). It was so so saraaap. Ann fell asleep nga eh! Gracie and I would've let her sleep, but we had to hurry to Galle to catch the next showing of Hero. We made it to the movie 15 minutes late.
***
Something scary happened during the Honor's Assembly a while ago. During the latter part of the show when the School of Social Science students were being called to received the award (and I was lining up to go to the stage), one of the emcees rushed to the mike and said something that abruptly halted the show.
"Is there any doctor in the house?"
That immediately stopped the murmurs and buzzes in the auditorium. You could hear a pin fall at that moment.
"Please, it's an emergency. Someone here just had a stroke."
Then suddenly the auditorium was in pandemonium (well, medyo exage but you get the point). Then the doctors (ang dami nila) in the audience all stood up, all willing to help. It was so scary, and weird that it happened during one of the most crucial parts of the program. For one stupid minute, I thought it was my dad (haha, I'm so paranoid talaga) since he had high blood so I immediately borrowed Rom's phone (since my phone was dead) and called up my mom.
It turns out the one who had the stroke was a person from backstage-- so we deduced that it was a student or someone young. The audience had an unexpected 15 minute break because of that, which they used up to eat the merienda served outside the theater.
***
Arrgh, have to finish a five-page, single-spaced reflection paper on my UPIS janitorial stint due at 12 mn and I don't have a friggin clue what to write about. Grrrrrr. I'm so sick of running and running to meet deadlines. Somebody shoot me now.
posted by melich on 07:49
Saturday, February 08, 2003
I slept the minute I got home last night (make that this morning). I swear, after going through the hassles of yesterday, I felt like a tube of toothpaste that has been squeezed out.
Lemme recount it. I woke up a wee bit later, only to remember I haven’t studied for my Theo quiz that morning. So I crammed for it, and time flew by quickly and soon the bell rang, warning me that class is about to start. Since my classroom was a bit far from where I was studying, I had to run--which was a feat since I was wearing platform sandals. As you would have guessed, running + platform= tapilok. While walking along SEC A, I tripped BIG time--the kind that makes everyone within 5 meters of you stop and stare. Syempre I tried to act as if nothing happened (even though I was majorly embarrassed shame deep down) and made a quick beeline to my classroom.
There were a few minutes to spare before the quiz, so I reached for my notebook to cram a bit more. Then I realized my phone (not really mine... I borrowed my mom's 6310 since I lost my phone's battery) was missing! My heart skipped a beat.
I rummaged through my bag again and again but it really wasn't there. Oh no, I thought, don't tell me I'm going to lose another phone--having lost three (yep, that's right) since college started. When the quiz began, I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't shake that nagging feeling that the phone was gone forever. After the quiz, I bolted out of the classroom and began to retrace my steps... which was a futile attepmt since I didn't see any trace of the missing phone. Soon, I marched back to the classroom feeling forlorn and all.. I scanned my bag again, not really expecting to see the phone anymore, but voila--the damn phone was there! Aarrrrgh. Napagod ako dun ah.
After a group meeting, Grace, Ann and I went to UP for a 4-hour janitorial stint. To summarize what we did, we broke our backs clearing off leaves with a walis-tingting for two hours, relaxed and ate merianda for an hour (which we weren't supposed to do, but the hell--we were drained), and left an hour early (but we still indicated that we worked for four hours in the log book) to go to Rom's house and prepare for the Stephen Speak's concert. Watched Never Been Kissed in Rom's house before dressing up and finally going back to school (Grace didn't go with us to school anymore though, she left early to go to the Guidon meeting).
We began lining for the Stephen Speaks concert, along with Nikki(whho was so excited to see dear Rockwell then, tee hee) and Ria, at around 5:45-- and that was one long wait. We were at the beginning of the line, and we were glad, but for that privilege we paid a lot: we stood up in line for two hours (only to stand up for three or so hours more during the concert). Our poor feet screamed for a break, but we had no choice. Twas so nice to see Lia again... she went with us during the concert. Nikki, my hs kabarkada, was also at the concert but she got there late so she stayed at the back with her college friends and the guy she is seeing, Jem. I got to talk to her for a while though.
The concert was okay, but since we were so uncomfortable (it was so hot we could barely breathe... it also didn't help that we were packed like sardines) we couldn't wait for it to finish. Dain was such a heartthrob pala, no wonder Angela felt so lucky to get a kiss from him.
Before I forget, the opening act, Acafellas, was galing. I want to see them perform again the next time.
One of the good things about being in front is that you have a good chance of getting the freebies they throw on stage. Dain was wearing the Stephen Speaks T-shirt (which was available for P200) to promote it. Then he started peeling it off and after that, he threw it to the crowd. Unfortunately, he threw it to the poor camera guy, who got clobbered by Dain's fans trying to get the t-shirt. I don't know what exactly happened but the shirt got thrown again... to our direction. And Lia caught it. This was uncanny because a moment ago she was chanting “I will get that t-shirt”.
But there are some downsides to it also. Towards the end of the show, Blake the cutie drummer decided to gift his fans with his drumsticks...so he threw it to them. Guess where it landed? Smack in Room’s stomach (imagine the impact). "Ang sakit!" cried Rom. But that's not the end of it... pretty soon, people crowded around Rom to get the drumstick.
***
I couldn't wait for summer to start, please let hell month end. I'm tired of papers and tests and orals and reports. Please.
posted by melich on 01:06
Tuesday, February 04, 2003
Lesson for today
There is one lesson I've learned from today: never be late for a presscon. Although most artists/singers/stars are expected to be late when it comes to these things (as the rule of thumb goes, when the organizers say it starts at 6:30 pm, they really mean 7:30), there is that slim chance that the artists may be considerate enough to actually begin on time. Take, for instance, Stephen Speaks during their presscon a while ago.
If only I had known this earlier, I wouldn't have taken my sweet time and would have gone straight to the venue. Cher and I went to my house first right after school to get a few things like my camera and a blank tape for cher (although we weren't able to get one because and we lack time to look for one), and also to fix ourselves. We were about to leave at 6pm, but we encountered some problems regarding the driver so I dragged my mom to bring us to the venue, and we left at around 6:15 already (the presscon starts at 6pm). Luckily the hotel was near my place, so we got there in 15 minutes.
Angela was antsy already by 6pm (she was already waiting for us to pick her up since 5pm) so, instead of waiting for us, she made a beeline for the venue. When the three of us got there, the presscon began already and everyone was already there. The place was just jampacked with people so we had no choice but to get the seats at the back, which was really bad because we could barely hear them (Stepehen Speaks) talk because we were so far away...
Also, the bad thing about being late is how you have a hard time scrambling for a nice spot to take a picture, since all the good places are taken already by other reporters who arrived early. You literally have to step on a few fingers and toes in order to get a good view (good meaning at least you can see the artists' faces).
The Stephen Speaks people were amazingly down-to-earth. Also, I don't think they are used to being "famous" yet because they kept repeating how shocked they are with their sudden fame-- in a foreign country at that. "Our relatives just couldn't believe it," one of them exclaimed. Hehe.
After the presscon, we headed downstairs for a more private interview. Angela and I were there, along with three writers from other magazines and broadsheets. Cher was supposed to go with us also, but the organizer made a big deal about including her in the group which I didn't really understand. I mean, what is one more additional person? It's not as if the room was cramped ir anything... Also, I didn't see how that will distrupt anything. I can see why Cher got really pissed off at that. She planned hard for her article but it was just in vain because she didn't get that chance to interview the band.
Anyway, the interview went great. Angela was floating in the clouds when we left in the room because she got a kiss from Dain (ask her how she got that kiss from him!), while I had a pic with TJ (i'd post it here, but I don't know how). I also had Nikki's CD signed by the band. Oh and can I just say that Rockwell's girlfriend, Jaime, was so nice and sweet? It's too bad I forgot to take her picture while Angela forgot to ask her a few questions.
***
Aaaah! It's hell week again. I don't want to think about all the tests, papers, oral exams, quizzes I have to do. Summer come here now, and be quick about it.
posted by melich on 06:34
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