mos kick off

Here's a nice idea to enjoy the weekend. The best ministry will be here in Manila TONIGHT. So assuming that this is my last fun stint, I've set chunks of work for my thesis, one that would hold me over the next coming weeks. So I guess it'll pull me away from feeling guilty while wasting the night with some buddies. See you there!

tour de manille: part une

Welcome to the kooky world of experimental travel! If Japan has Shinkansen, Europe has Eurostar, well.. the Philippines has PNR. For fun, we risked ourselves to take photos and experience the rusty freight cars of the Philippine National Railway. Once you're there, there's a sad little booth that says "train tickets" handwritten in recycled cardboard. Don't expect people to be accommodating.. those slugs are too busy with nose-picking while waiting for something to eat.

The PNR runs through the central business district of Metro Manila, so I guess there’s a concealed potential for our humbling line. It operates train services to commuters along the metro manila which also traverse near provinces of Luzon. With such route, a high demand for the line would be possible to meet if there’s an improvement on the operation.

From that experience, we found out several flaws on the line’s service that perhaps caused the dramatic lost of passengers for the past decade. First, the train does not run on schedule. Squatters populate the lengthy stretch of the track causing frequent delays which hassles train users. Terminals are awful and confusing. Our security is at risk. Lastly, train itself is horrible. "Walang ganyan sa states!"

Yes, there’s a long list of issues to be solved but you see, there’s a possibility for progress that could restore the convenience of the PNR. The PNR links key cities within the metropolitan area efficiently. I believe it could serve as an instrument to reduce traffic congestion due to the continuous growth of motor vehicles in the city.

I know it could take a while, years, or maybe decades before we could appreciate the convenience of the PNR. The PNR may be considered as the most hair-raising train so far.. very third world indeed. And It's so disappointing to see and witness the misuse of our local train services. But honestly, I'm still looking forward to go back someday and comfortably sit without consciously looking left and right like a paranoid local tourist.

tour de manille: part deux

For decades, the Pasig River has been the symbol of pollution and urban abuse. It has become the unsanitary toilet facility and ironically, a diving spot of squatters populating close to the river. Most would consider the river as dead, useless, hopeless and incapable to sustain life. The contaminated brown water and strange odor has been tagged as the river’s distinct profile. So the mere idea of taking the Pasig River Ferry service would sound ridiculous.

Out of curiosity, we traverse the river through the pasig river ferry service. The minimum fare is just P25 to P45 for a terminal to terminal trip. The stations are modern and clean with an air-conditioned waiting area. Accommodating uniformed guards guide passengers in and out of the station which is new to the usual transportation services in manila today.

The boat itself is nice. It has a spacious interior with a mounted flat-screen tv and a fully air-conditioned cabin that comfortably seats 50 something passengers in plastic chairs.

You see, taking the Pasig River Service could help regular commuters to appreciate the potential of Pasig River despite the appalling view and strange smell. It promotes awareness to the efforts of rehabilitating the river, which is seriously polluted with industrial and household waste. I guess the revival of ferry service in the metropolitan area could encourage people to use the water-way as an alternative transport route.

The Pasig River Ferry is a great idea for city slickers. You'll see manila in a different perspective. I recommend the tour for everyone. If you're in for some kooky experimental travel.. then I guess this "scenic" tour is for you.

fucktardish

Friday sucked. Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to be going against you? Have you ever had one of those days where you irrationally hate everyone? Have you ever had one of those days where you just feel like shooting every single person who has the rotten liver of looking at you? Last Friday, I hate everyone and everything. I left school pissed and didn't care if I had shits left to do for my thesis.

What can I say? I have anger issues. I wish at least I can get an idea of the whole deal. I guess I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and I will take it all out on this blog. Naturally, in this situation you try to get yourself untwisted. But the more I try to unravel myself, the deeper I get irrationally angry at everything.

This is when you finally lose it. You begin swearing and screaming as every inanimate object within your reach becomes your enemy. And you see, having no filter on my fucktardious mouth does not help me at all.

I tried to pull myself together with a cup of coffee. I thought at least it will make me feel better. I snatched a cup, added creamer and sugar and realized we're out of coffee. P********! So irritated, I decided to take a shower to clear my head. While in the bathroom I realized, I was being illogical. There are many ways to respond on conflict situations and I chose to be a freakin tard. I was such a dick for letting anger dictate how I deal with every situation.

I've been vacillating between short bursts of anxiety, anger and fear. I've been nurturing these without trying to explain or talk myself out of them. I'm taking up my thesis and this month has been hard and I want it all to be over. I feel like a helpless victim of my own emotions. The thing is, I've been fearing it ahead of time. I spend the present fearing how I might react to it later. Fearing any future event really isn't about the event, it's about how it might make you feel and how will I react against it.. that's my problem.

this is late..

I ran track back in highschool in la salle green hills and before my dad moved out, we run together every saturday in our not so manly running shorts. My dad and I enjoy running especially on mornings with the cool breeze after sunrise. A few years back, my dad had to leave our house and since then, my running has been out of gear. So I quit.

I said goodbye to the outdoors: tennis, running and parkour. At home, I tried to pick up a weight, but I thought: well, there are more fun things to do than lifting and working out. I completely lost the spirit and my saturday mornings became bed, breakfast and tv. Sounds suweeet right?

Last January, while struggling under a 4-day backpack, we hiked around the province of Batad. On our way up a steep course, my buddy who was walking behind me complained that I was moving too slow. We were far behind our guide and he kept asking me to pick up my pace. I made an excuse that I need to take my time since my shoes were soiled and muddy. But what I really wanted to say was that if I pushed myself a little harder, I might lose consciousness and fall into the ravine.

That was the time I finally realized and humbly admitted to myself that I was indeed out of shape. I never intended to have the perfect abs and biceps like those guys in nike ads. I just need to be fit. I need to regain the required fitness in order to keep up with the exhausting sports I usually do back then.

Last summer, I made it back and I've been running alone. I run at a fast pace and often joined by neighbor dogs. I've been eating a bit smarter now, a little extra on protein and good carbs. Last night, while I was sprinting down our street, I suddenly miss the old guy. I miss running with my dad. Hence, I kept my speed and figured, I'll be back in shape for my dad. Belated Happy Father's Day to my dad!

happy friday the 13th

I see that productivity drops dramatically on a Friday the 13th since it is commonly associated with bad luck as recognized by everyone. Most people would be paralyzed by fear that they refuse to get out of bed. However, to us it's an ordinary day like the rest. We were off to pet a black cat and check our luck.

The night was capped off waiting in line to get into a club. We thought everything was smoothly polished not until some numbnut promoter missed my friends' names on the guest list. But ironically, friday the 13ths are lucky enough to fix some exclusive guest list hassles.

We expected the main hall to be insanely packed by celebrity has beens and spoiled little rich kids. But with or without these party rats, Embassy will remain as our one-stop party place for our little social needs. Once we got inside, we found a spot and the craziness began. Music was great, loud and as random as my ipod. I just had a few drinks which made the evening very long indeed.

It was almost five and we were all starving so we called it a day. I left embassy with a funny tummy and it wasn't much of a bad luck day indeed. Our friday the 13th was great. It turned out to be a fully fledged night of luck and happiness.

cheers to 21 years

21 years ago, this blogger was born. I guess the best birthday present of all would be waking up on a wednesday in the middle of a school week. I just turned 21 and I know everyone will make a huge deal later when I go to school. You see, I'm not good in celebrating. I'm better as a guest. And I usually get stressed out on my birthday. I hate it. I hate birthdays. I hate it more than christmas. So cheers to twenty-one years! You can call me a freak now.

one last bloody year

I know most of us still have this summer hangover and therefore get lazy when it comes to thinking about school. Like here we are again slaving ourselves from deadlines, tests and homeworks. Well, I still feel young, lazy and hungry for fun. But should we allow ourselves to succumb in our pointless actions? Should we give in to our needless urges? Yes, we are still young and active but should we submit to the consequences of our silliness? The right answer would be no.. of course.

Some of us may still have not realized the value of education. Like we’re here to have fun and do whatever. I’ve struggled with my lethargic actions and I know the cost. I’ve experienced the consequences and it’s not really fun.

I know it sucks to like follow certain schedules. Like waking up early, staying up late doing researches and studying for exams. I know it's a cliché but, this is definitely for our own good. I know it’s a weigh down as of now but perhaps in the mere future, our sufferings would undoubtedly be visible.

You see, we school to make ourselves prudent, responsible and useful people. It's a duty that will determine our future. Last night I saw a short film about the value of education in the country. A lot of kids thirst for education but they can’t afford it. These kids dream of our reality in the streets begging and cleaning our car windows. Use this example as an inspiration. Strive at least for these kids who desire to be like us. They dream of such life that we throw away in exchange of needless urges.

It’s not too late. The school year’s just starting and let’s make it good this time. Treat it not as a burden but an obligation, a responsibility that will trace us to our success.

the king of claycourt

The greatest tennis player is falling like a lead balloon. I guess Federer just can't beat Nadal on clay. Nadal has been playing really well and it seems like the world number one is in a serious slump right now. Rafael Nadal made four French Open titles in a row and a bit part of tennis history. Last night, Nadal won the first set in 32 minutes. He was unstoppable, firing strong forehands, seeing and chasing down every ball. From what I've seen, Federer was completely outplayed.

movie roundup

21
A film based on a true story of real MIT blackjack team. The film follows Ben Campbell, a smart kid struggling to afford his scholarship to Harvard Med School. Impressed by his skill in numbers, his math professor introduced him to an underground blackjack team formed by five MIT students trained with the skill of card-counting. Ben then joined the team until greed and arrogance corrupted his way, where he nearly lost everything he had. Yes, it's almost predictable but it's a bit better than you'd expect.

21 is a good movie to watch with friends on a saturday night. Considering the concept of las vegas.. money, gambling, clubs and business schemes, the movie is indeed intriguing to watch. However, flaws were everywhere. A bit predictable, cheesy, fairly acted with a weak writing. But still, it's enjoyable to watch, very interesting indeed. 21 is not the deep kind of gambling film, but it has this feisty sense of fun nonetheless. Overall, 21 is not bad, enough said.





chapter 27

Chapter 27 is a film portrait of Mark David Chapman, the insane man behind Lennon's death. The film follows Chapman, two days before he killed John Lennon in the Dakota entrance gate. Basically I was only curious on what led up to John Lennon's pointless death, but the movie offered me more with a piece of psychological fascination. There's a certain disturbing beauty to this film that comes out naturally from the absorbing cinematography and the haunting narratives.

The movie is basically a one-man show. So it tends to be a little lethargic and exhausting though it barely runs for an hour and a half. But Jared Leto's brilliant acting saved the movie from disaster. He was undoubtedly committed to the character. An award worthy performance indeed. Leto somehow made the audience believe that Chapter 27 is worth a watch.

men in skirts

People you meet in clubs are very interesting. Interesting, since it's the legitimate term to sum up the creeps, the hot ones and the OK ones. It was thursday night, which means.. Whatever Thursday! a fluxxe nightout in 32nd street. I figured it's a good idea to take down a couple of beers before trying to squeeze in this madness. I got to the bar and had one beer.

The fluxxe spinner was OK. There were a lot of OK people, from the celebrity has beens to the familiar faces who celebrate semi-famous career. Moving on, a freak came up to me and my friends, offered his hand before us and asked if we're straight. It seemed like my gaydar has been jammed. My innate alert system that activates every time a gay guy approaches is confused. "Sorry man, we're not gay." I gave an unreserved response and a quick tap on his shoulder then we walked off.

We looked for a place to sit and unfortunately the only place to sit is in the couch next to this couple whose legs seemed to be intimately locked. The girl to my right is attempting to swallow her boyfriend. She makes this giggling noise as she plots her kisses on her boyfriend's face. There was no other place to move so I stayed and ignored their amusing noises.

I guess in our world today, it is no longer possible to tell someone's gay at a glance. My friend confirmed that the girl next to me is actually a dude.. a pillow biter, shit stabber, sausage jockey, yes, you know.. gay! His fashion sense was confusing and deceptively ladylike. So imagine our faces to learn that this girl indeed is a HE.

Mother ******! You see, it's really bad enough to see two guys hold hands in malls. But gay guys tongue wrestling a ruler away from you? Well it seems to me that the society is collapsing.

Men nowadays are getting too close to their feminine side. We're in this world of flamboyant men sporting low riders, slim jeans and tote bags. Now it is cool for guys to cry, yoga, gossip and makeout. What is going on? In this era where in it is OK for guys to be stylish and stare at each other's pores.. I can't help but think, how far should a man's femininity go?