Half of your life: a silly argument.

We've all heard this statement at one point in our lives: "You just missed one half of your life." Or a slight variation may be: "You just lost one half of your life." This statement is usually uttered when you failed to experience something of great worth, and some obnoxious guy who managed to experience that great something found out that you failed to experience that great something. The statement follows soon after, of course.

Now, my friend Jel and I had a little argument about the precise meaning of this statement. The story begins like this. I was blabbering about something that I heard (I forget what it is-- but of course it was of great worth) and when I found out that he failed to hear it, obnoxious that I am, I told him: "You just missed one half of your life." To which he commented: "Negative na ang buhay ko kaka-one half of your life na yan." It was then that I found myself thinking of what missing one half of my life really entailed. After a few moments, I said to him:

"Nah, you're wrong. Every time someone tells you that you just missed one half of your life, you must multiply each 1/2, not add them. For instance," I continued, trying to make a very important point, "you still have your life whole. I say to you: 'You just missed one half of your life.' Then what remains of your life is 1/2. Now if another person tells you that you just missed another half, then you subtract 1/2 of your remaining life, which, by simple algebra, is 1/4 of your original life. So what remains of your life is 1/4, not 0, as your argument of adding two 1/2's and subtracting them from your original life would yield. If another person suggests the same thing, then you subtract 1/2 of 1/4 which is 1/8. In your calculation, that would yield a negative 1/2 life, which is just absurd, but you believe to be true anyway. That's wrong, I think. It's just the concept of half-life, really." I felt proud about my arguments. It sounded logical, for once.

At which point, Jel told me: "No, that is not right. You are assuming that people who tell you that statement are aware of your remaining life. But whenever they tell you that statement, they don't mean your remaining life: they mean your original life. So when they say that 'You just missed one half of your life,' what they're referring to is the totality of your life, not just that which remains. Hence, for every utterance of that damn statement, I lose 1/2 of my original life. Every time. So it will eventually yield to a negative life."

Jel got me. Again. I always lose out on all sorts of arguments. But anyhow, to protect my deflated pride, I argued some more, still convinced that I'm fighting for the right reasons. The light of nature (as Descartes would put it) dawned on me, though, and I realized that he was right. Again. So I conceded.

I must be a negative entity right now. Stop saying I've lost one half of my life! I'm the undead now!

A short post before the net goes kaput.

Just watched 2 ABS-CBN shows awhile ago. The first was Search for a Star in a Million. So far, so good. I like the hosts' rapport with one another. Christian, Mark, Erik and Sarah all have the charisma to pull off and host a show like this. Meanwhile, the resident judges-- Agot Isidro, Rowell Santiago, and some other dude-- seem to have the musical credentials necessary to make them reliable as judges. The first eliminations begin next week. Let's see how this show compares with Pinoy Pop Superstar.

The second show I've watched was the Star Circle National Teen Quest Grand Questor's Night (Star Quest, according to Maricel Soriano). Erich, that pretty girl from the land where I grew up (Davao, for those not in the know), won. Good for her. She looks a lot like Angel Locsin, only better. Hee. I hear rumors that they're going to pair her with Hero Angeles now that Sandara Park's leaving for Korea to "pursue her studies." I think this is a good idea. Hero and Erich will look fantastic together, I think.

(Personally, I was rooting for DM. I wasn't able to follow this year's batch of Star Circle Questors, so I didn't know that compared to Erich or Paw, DM and the rest of the guys were just mediocre. I just thought that DM had an innocent look that was unique to him. Oh well.)

A theory about roads and paths.

The theory: I have this idea that the Ateneo administration is trying to eliminate all paths either inadvertently or intentionally created by Ateneans. To those who don't understand what in hell am I talking about, let me elaborate.

What is a path?

Well, let me first begin with what a path is NOT. A path is NOT a road. It is not a fixed structure created with a fixed purpose and destination in mind. For instance, the way from the Gonzaga Caf to SEC is a cemented road. It was created and cemented for precisely that purpose: to have a way from the Caf to SEC. On the other hand, consider the way from the Chem Building to CTC. There exists a cemented way (a road), but beside that road lie two earth-based paths. One path leads to CTC through a space between two columns, and the other directly leads to SOM. These paths are not fixed. They are pregnant with potentiality. Of course, the argument may be raised that these are just roads without cement, but that is precisely my point. Neither their ways or their purpose have been dictated and established by cement.

What the Ateneo administration tries to do is to eliminate all these paths. How? My theory is that their action is two-fold. One, and by virtue of my argument above, by placing cement on the earth-base paths. It has been done before. Look at the Chem Building-CTC road I have mentioned earlier. Years ago, while the CTC was only in the process of construction, that road was only 2 square stepping-stones in width. When CTC was finally constructed, and people began to deviate from the road, they cemented another 3 square stepping-stones' worth of road width. Just to make sure that the Ateneans step on the road, and not create their own paths. Unfortunately, with those two dirt paths lurking beside the road, their efforts don't seem to have succeeded all that much.

The second way by which they eliminate paths is by barricading them. Take the example of the extended CTC (or Faura, whichever way to see it) road leading to the overpass near National Bookstore. Instead of allowing people to take the hypotenuse to reach the foot of the overpass, the admiministration decided to barricade this option so that people may be forced to take their Luneta-like road (complete with lampposts along the way). Unfortunately for the administration again, I have sighted a path in the making behind the trees near the barricade, so the efforts, once more, don't seem to have succeeded all that much.

There are more examples to prove my theory. The road to the Gabay Org room was just a path before, as well as the road to DSWS. The Caf-SEC road was laden with square stepping-stones with gaps between them; now, the gaps are gone and what remains is one intact road. Path-to-road occurrences are dime a dozen; one just needs to search them.

I don't really know why the administration is pushing for this mass eradication of paths. Perhaps they think that paths are ugly? Or they consider them a defiance of their structured ways? I do not assume to know their mindsets. But whatever efforts they may place to eradicate these paths, the sad fact must be faced: they are utterly failing in their endeavor. Ateneans like making paths. I suggest that they leave them be.

Job hunting is like shopping.

Shopping and job hunting. What's the difference?

Stalls and salesladies. Stalls and HR representatives. Salesladies to entice you to buy their product. HR representatives to entice you to enter their companies. Both waiting for a prospect to pass by. Both anticipating the next excited victim. Hawrrr...

Nevertheless, Joey and I, as well as a thousand more graduating seniors in Ateneo, are willing victims. Not only willing, but excited willing victims. (Hmmm... I guess not all of us are that excited, after all.) For two days now, we have been typing resumes, retyping, printing, going to UP to photocopy our graduation pictures, going to Bel to get our transcript of records, pasting, gluing, stapling everything, and finally preparing ourselves to enter the Great Arena of SEC. Where the lions await for their gladiator victims. Hawrrr...

Roman Colosseum shows and job hunting. What's the difference?

I'm not making enough sense right now, but let it suffice to say that I am thoroughly enjoying this. I'm a little disappointed, though, with the lack of actuarial opportunities. So far, I've been stuck with a management training program, a financial analyst post, and other vague positions besides. I don't even know if I'll take these seriously. (I probably will.) I'm waiting for Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, SonyLife will be present, and on Friday, Philamlife will be present. These are the only two insurance companies included in our Placement Office's line-up for the Job Fair. Disappointing, really, but the whole experience of going from booth to booth (stall to stall, den to den) and asking the HR representatives (salesladies, lions) about opportunities available for Math Majors (shoppers, gladiators) is truly exhilarating.

I'm looking forward for tomorrow. Wonderfulness.

Just a little note: Jeez, I've really overdone my analogies this time, haven't I?

A for A Very Good Movie.

If you look under the silver screen heading on the right side of my blog, you will find my last five English movies seen. (This "feature" is a revival of what I used to do before the first revamp of my other blog.) Since I sorely missed grading movies, here's my own critique of those five movies.
[Updated to include critics' marks.]

Kerwin - D/C-: Critics - C+: Ocean's Twelve. Meh. The original is way, way, WAY better than this sequel. It's like they just decided to create a sequel because the original (which was just, in fact, a remake) was a hit. Perhaps they thought it soared in the tills the first time because of the cast? Well, they're wrong. Despite-- or inspite of-- the cast, no one did anything in this movie. It was a total waste of actors' fees. (In fairness, though, there was a very nice sequence involving Julia Roberts. But you probably should just wait for it on video.)

Kerwin - C/C+: Critics - C-: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Again, another instance of the original having more spunk than the sequel. Aside from a few outstanding sequences, this movie was just another run-of-the-mill feel-good love story. In short, it's just really a so-so film. If you're feeling so-so, you probably should watch this. Perhaps. Maybe.

Kerwin - B: Critics - D: Blade: Trinity. A good action film, but I really don't know if the first two Blade films were better than this one, having failed to watch those two. That said, this installment of the Blade series is better than more than half of the Marvel comic-book-character adaptations out there (Daredevil and The Incredible Hulk, for example). I especially liked the casting of Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds in this film: Biel brought the attitude, Reynolds brought the funny. However, I thought the new characters were not well-developed, though, and action scenes fell a little short. There was also that one particular sequence which bothered me: What was that initial chase between Blade and The Ancient One for? Aside from being filler?

Kerwin - B+: Critics - D: National Treasure. If you watch a film to enjoy it, not to analyze it, then you will definitely get a blast from watching this movie. Of course, it's reminiscent of the now very famous Dan Brown stories (Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons), but assuredly, it does not have the same plot. I really don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. One thing's good, for sure: The treasure DOES NOT lie in your heart. I've always hated treasure hunts in films and books which end up saying, "The treasure lies within you." UGH. Good thing this movie stays away from that shitty ending. Another good thing: Nicholas Cage is good. I normally don't like Nicholas Cage, but it seems that he is most pleasant playing characters which are laid-back and witty, which in this film he most assuredly is.

Kerwin - A/A+: Critics - A/A+ (I'm assuming here. The film hasn't reached American market yet.): Kung Fu Hustle. Great, great film. From the story to the progression of the story to the relevance of the story to the subtleties in plot to the foreshadowing in every corner to the comedy to the "love story" to the drama to the action to the cinematography to the location to the actors to the characters they play to the magical powers they possess to the one heap of a great ending, this movie rules. I won't say more lest I spoil everyone else. JUST WATCH IT. I beg of you: WATCH IT.

Kapamilya, ang lakas mo sa amin.

I've been a Kapamilya ever since I was born, and I've always wanted to see ABS-CBN triumph over their rival GMA. News have arrived, though, that GMA shows garner way higher ratings than their ABS-CBN counterparts-- that is, if the AGB Surveys are to be believed. However, despite the gap between the two rival networks, the ACNielsen Survey shows a more competent ABS-CBN. I don't know which TV survey group to believe in, but either way, ABS-CBN has a long way to go before it can dislodge GMA from the Number 1 spot. It's nice to know, then, that the executives of the Kapamilya Channel have stopped clucking like retarded chickens (cancelling a show here, adding a show there) and decided to take an aggressive stance by completely revamping the entire ABS-CBN line-up with its 1st Quarter Storm new shows. The shows are:

[Taken from the ABS-CBN Forums.]

1. ABS-CBN Comedy Originals
2. Ang Panday
3. ASAP '05
4. A.S.T.I.G
5. Ava Naman!
6. Bora
7. Dear Sharon
8. ETK
9. Sandara's Romance Presents Farewell Firefly
10. Gatekeepers
11. Goin' Bulilits
12. Home Boy
13. I-bol TV
14. Kamao
15. Kaya Mo Ba To?
16. Mirada
17. Mission Odyssey
18. M.R.S.
19. My First...
20. Nginiiig! Season 5
21. Pilipinas Game KNB?
22. Quizon Avenue
23. Reach Out (Might be name of Vilma Santos' Talk Show)
24. Rubi
25. Sabado Kapamilya Nites
26. Save Your Last Dance For Me
27. Search for The Star in a Million
28. Star Dance
29. Till Death Do Us Part
30. Tonight at the Manzanos
31. The Willie Revillame Show
32. Vietnam Rose
33. Wowowee
34. Y Speak Now!

I'm hoping that these new shows would slowly eliminate the tough competition on the other side. Don't worry, Kapamilyas, this station will be Number 1 in no time.

It's the actuary profession for me, baby!

Finally, I find time to blog about this. Hee. All these posts but no post about passing the exam? Well, here it is: I PASSED THE FIRST OF SEVERAL ACTUARIAL EXAMS. I didn't write about this right away, because I wanted to write about it in the way most representative of what I felt during the day I found out about the results.

Eyes: Passing Candidate Numbers: 11038.
Heartbeat: DUG DUG DUG DUG DUG DUG DUG DUG DUG DUGGGGGG!!!!!!
Brain: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
Mouth: I passed! [grins]
Brain: YOU PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Heartbeat: DUGGG!!! DUGGG!!! DUGGG!!! DUGGG!!! DUGGG!!!
Mouth: I passed!! [grins wider]
Brain: Maybe there's an error.
Heartbeat: DUGGG!!!! [stops]
Mouth: [wide O]
Eyes: Passing Candidate Numbers: 11038.
Eyes: Passing Candidate Numbers: 11038.
Eyes: Passing Candidate Numbers: 11038.
Brain: OH MY GOD YOU DID PASS! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
Mouth: I PASSED!!! [a wider grin, if that was even possible]

My non-sem break was worth it. The endless computations were worth it. The McDo breakfasts, lunches, and dinners were worth it.

I'd like to thank everyone for supporting me during those times. Those times were also the toughest on me, not only academically, but also mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. Jel, thanks for being there despite... everything. You really managed to snag this one for me. Without you on my side, I would have lost this battle. Well, this victory's for you, and don'tcha know it! (Dinners, movies, and appliances to follow. Hee.) Joey, my comrade-in-war, you know how important this test was for us. You also know that you were a big part of this victory. We did it, man! We deserve this! Thank you for e-very-thing! Tsikee and Jamie, the emotional burden was overwhelming; you were my safety nets. Thanks for saving me. Every gesture made this victory possible. Thanks again. Thanks are also in order for my roommates, for making that sembreak an easier one to bear; for my dorm berks, for always believing in my ability to pass; and for my blockmates, for sympathizing with me: math can really be difficult. THANKS! THANKS! THANKS!

I feel exhilarated once again. Perhaps I should opt to take the next test this May? Hee. ACTUARY, here I come!

Human baggage vs. emotional vampires.

Lesson for the day: The correct usage of the terms "human baggage" and "emotional vampires." Never interchange the two!

Joey has a term for people who used to occupy your past but now you don't even need (or in extreme cases, recognize): "human baggage." People say that the term makes it sound as though they were once extremely useful, but now are useful no longer. Others might even say that "human baggage" suggests that these people were objectified or boxed into their functionality. Well, I don't think that that's what Joey meant. In fact, I believe that it is to the contrary. People who are "human baggage" are people whom you used to think had decent qualities in them. In fact, these people are those whom you considered once upon a time as "friends," those whom you treated subjectively. Unfortunately for you, these people managed to destroy the friendship in a single blow: either they managed to misunderstand you, or they managed to fuck up an aspect of your life, or they managed to create a fool out of you. Hence, you decide to ignore them, or get rid of them, or just think that they never even existed in your life. Once you succeed in doing this, then you have just gotten rid of your "human baggage." "Good riddance," as most of us would say.

I find myself relating this to a similar type of people: the "emotional vampires." Thankfully, I stopped myself short of equating "human baggage" with "emotional vampires." For me, emotional vampires have teeth. They suck the living joy out of your life. Either by boring you to death, or by creating a non-negligible mess, or by acquiring what you are rightfully entitled to, the means do not matter; what matters is that they have managed to take something away from you. Human baggage, on the other hand, have no teeth. They just lie there as a dead weight. They don't really affect you. Descartes would disagree, but for me, they are non-entities. Or if they are entities, they are desperate, laughable entities. Of course, they once managed to do something that disrupted your life. Coming back or bouncing back from the damage they have caused is easy, though, and treating them as the non-entities that they really are is easier still.

In fact, I think "human baggage" is too kind a word. "Non-human garbage" is more like it. Note that I used "non-human" instead of "inhuman." Inhuman people have teeth, similar to emotional vampires; non-human garbages have no worth whatsoever. Equating "non-human garbages" to "emotional vampires" will be an insult to the latter, and hence must be stopped in its usage immediately.

That is my lesson for the day.

Amazing Race 6 is back in the ballgame.

After a satisfying Jonathan and Victoria elimination, The Amazing Race is now back in the ballgame. No more wife-abuser! No more stupid wife! My favorite reality show of all time has been handed back to me after it was raped by those two fucking famewhores. But now, they are gone! Hallelujah!

That's not the only thing nice about this episode, though. For once after so many episodes, there is no unnecessary bunching! Yes, there was one at the beginning of the leg, but that was okay. It didn't negate anything because nothing important happened before it. And aside from that, the tasks did not suck! The Detour, which was a choice between carrying a roof from one place to the other (with the help of locals) and slapping mud on a wall, was just dandy. Of course, I don't understand why the teams chose to go for the longer and arm-tiring mud-slapping, but I guess the heavy roof was more arm-tiring still. The Roadblock was also enjoyable to watch. The team members had to enter the local Church to receive a pendant. After which, they had to match this pendant with those worn by worshippers outside. Sweet!

Even the normally annoying racers did not annoy me as much. Kendra, with her usual elitist comments, managed to realize that not all Third World countries suck. Adam looked pathetically cute trying to convince Rebecca that he loved her. Hayden did not whine as much. Aaron was funny, as usual, and the "nice" team, Kris and Jon, were looking their best, as usual.

All in all, this has got to be the best Amazing Race 6 episode ever. And Jonathan and Victoria got the boot! YAHOO!

7-11: A Happy Place.

I went off to McDo last night to study for my Pol. Sci. exam awhile ago. I thought I was going to be by my lonesome there (which is fine by me, since I study better alone-- unless it's a difficult math subject, of course, in which the presence of my blockmates will surely ease... the... PAIN). To my surprise, though, Wamar and Dennis were there, and apparently, Sam and Topher were there, as well! A few moments later, Toj and Maita arrived, making me think that the universe was conspiring to get us together at that place. Hilarity ensued, of course. Whenever Math Majors would gather, hilarity would always, always ensue. The yang side of it, though, was that I was unable to accomplish my goal of going to McDo in the first place: to study. But anyway, it was a good night, and I was with happy company.

Somewhere between sipping Toj's sundae and debating between the number of sides of the old 2-peso coin (Can anybody tell me if it had 8 or 10 sides? Please?), I was suddenly contemplating on my happy places. As to how I came across this line of thinking, the reason was immediately evident: hunger. First, it was just hunger, then specific hunger: I was craving for 7-11's hotdogs. 7-11, you see, is one of my happy places.

I really feel that 7-11 is Katipunan's final gift for me before I graduate. The place just ab-so-lute-ly ROCKS! From the clean white tiles, to the organized shelves, to the things inside the shelves, the place just makes me smile with glee (OK, that was an exaggeration, but close enough). I especially love their 25-peso siopao and their 20-peso hotdog. The Slurpee is an addictive delight. Plus 24-hour breakfast meals. And you know what the best thing is? They're open for 24 hours! Good news for us dormers who miss Red Panda (I still miss Red Panda's 99-peso meal. Sniff.).

There are other happy places, such as Mocha Blends and my future boarding house in Makati (WEE! GRADUATION! WORK!), but they are happy places for entirely different reasons. 7-11 provides me with the respite I need during these stressful times (WHAT STRESS???). If I'm not feeling too good about a homework, or if my dinnertime passed me by, I am confident that there's place out there, waiting for me, calling me out, telling me: "Chill out. Have a hotdog."

I hope 7-11's breed and populate.

Detour: Slow Things Down or Rush Things Up.

A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this detour, I will have to choose between two attitudes regarding my future: Slow Things Down, or Rush Things Up.

In Slow Things Down: I have to take a break from all the rush, and reflect on what I have done these past four years in college. I can reminisce and look back at events past. I must also stop and smell the roses: that is, I must cherish each day that I remain in college. This Detour is fun, but graduation will seem so long, and the future, more often than not, will be out of one's mind.

In Rush Things Up: I must take each day in stride. I must think not of the past, but of the future. I can count the days 'til graduation, and reflect on how fast time flies. I must not do anything to impede the rush of days. This Detour is not-so-fun and uneventful, but the graduation will come quickly, and the future will be all that one can think of.

It must be evident which Detour I'll choose. Hee. YIPPEE! Graduation is near! College is almost over! WEE!

The 1 AM post.

[This post should have been posted awhile ago at 1 AM. Unfortunately, the net here in the dorm got cut off before then. Damn. Anyway, here it is.]

1 AM of Monday, and I've spent my entire Sunday sleeping and writing in my blog. Nothing academic whatsoever. What's the use, anyway. It's two months to graduation, I'm a senior, I can bum now. It's an inherent right-- which I won't be using today.

You see, I have this Philosophy report later today. I've been blabbering about Sartre in one of my entries below, and that's who I'm going to report on in class. I have to prepare 10 minutes' worth of oral presentation tomorrow regarding his essay: Existentialism and Human Emotions. I have created the slides already (with a little bit of stressful prompting), along with the hand-out to go with it, so what I have to do is just make myself a rough outline of what I'm going to say tomorrow. The slides won't be enough; I made them as stripped down of detail as possible.

This task isn't really making me nervous as it would have if this was given last year or even last semester. Nothing really makes me nervous now. I think that's a good thing. Que sera sera. But this doesn't mean I will be lax about my studies. Well, okay, I am being lax, but what I mean is I won't be throwing my last semester away. I'm still the academically-conscious Kerwin. I'm still aiming for that With Honors title. I'm just doing it, this time around, with a pen in one hand, and a cocktail on the other.

1 AM. Tick tock, tick tock.

The cast of "Spirits" and their powers.

Spirits, ABS-CBN's new horror-novela, is Chito Rono's newest masterpiece. It is seen to be a long extended prequel to his smash hit Spirit Warriors. Well, I won't be writing about this show in detail, but I'll just be putting in the cast and their powers, of which Jel is interested in.

[Taken from the ABS-CBN site highlighted above.]

John Wayne Sace plays Lloyd, who can see the dead as clearly as the living. It Might Be You's Maja Salvador is Gabby, the school's classic overachiever whose sunny ways ensure she is liked by everyone she meets. Rayver Cruz is Red, the
group's de facto leader, and the first of the teens to consider banding together
to figure out why there are so many "gifted" kids in town.

Bata, Bata's Serena Dalrymple plays Liz, a mind-reader who eventually realizes that "curse" for reading other people's thoughts is really a gift. And La Vida Rosa's Jiro Manio is Nato, the descendant of a long line of healers who now struggles with his gift of speaking with duwendes.

Mico Aytona plays Thor, the easy-go-lucky class clown who joins the Camera Club for his own not-quite-honest reasons.

And finally, two of Star Circle Quest's young stars come into their own as Michelle Madrigal and Joseph Bitangcol take on the roles of Maya and Jesse, respectively. Maya is an empath, a psychic who can sense, understand and absorb another person's emotions even if that other person is not in the same room as she is. A more dangerous power lies within resident rebel Jesse, who finds out he can start fires with just his mind.

An accomplished cast of veteran and up-and-coming stars complete the Spirits team. The veteran cast is composed of Ricky Davao, Liza Lorena, Lotlot de Leon, Marjorie Barretto, Cris Villanueva, Lito Pimentel, Jhong Hilario, Miguel Vera, Ilonah Jean and
Sandy Andolong. Maoui David, Allyson Lualhati, Glaiza de Castro, Nica Peralejo, Helga Krapf, Blair Arellano and Sergio Garcia make up the junior members of the cast.

Just a side note: Jiro Manio used to be this endearing kid (I remember him quite well in Bagong Buwan), but now that he's grown and sports an earring, I don't find him that adorable anymore. What's with the oily face, man?

Also: Yay for SCQ's Joseph and Michelle. More power to you guys.

My take on The Amazing Race 6.

I've been in blogging hiatus for so long that I have failed to write about my favorite reality TV show of all time: The Amazing Race. I missed analyzing the racers, missed praising the Detours and Roadblocks, missed capturing my hate and love on virtual text. Now, to start things off, let me just say this: I do not like this season.

It was off to a promising start. Although there were no immediate favorites (like Reichen and Chip or Colin and Christie), there were those who appealed to me, albeit to a lesser extent. For one, there were Kris and Jon: the designated nice team. I am not a fan of very nice racers with huge fan bases (Ken and Gerard - meh, the Clowns - meh meh, Chip and Kim - ugh to infinity), but Kris and Jon were not annoying, were competent, and were nice. Competence always get to me over anything else (see: Colin and Christie). After all, this is a RACE, right? Aside from Kris and Jon, there were Hayden and Aaron, Lena and Kristy, and Gus and Hera. Cool guys overall.

There was also that wonderful addition of the Roadblock rule. Only 6 Roadblocks per person per team. If this had been implemented during Season 3 of The Amazing Race, Flo and Zach would never have won. They would have been out on the 7th episode. If this had been implemented during Season 5, Brandon and Nicole and Chip and Kim wouldn't even have stepped on the Top 3. (You might say Colin and Christie would never have been on the Top 3, but I have never doubted Christie's skills even for a moment. I'm biased, of course.) Aside from the fact that this rule balances out the work, it also calls out for some good strategizing, race-wise.

It was all downhill from there. The casting, for one, has casted one of the most annoying, most exhausting, and at the same time most boring racers ever: that asshole Jonathan. It is not fun to look at him, unlike certain villains (see: Guidos, Colin). He can't even be considered a villain. He hasn't done anything to disrupt other teams' progress, only their own. By pushing his freaking wife around. And that isn't being villainous, that's being stupid. Plain and simple.

That's only the beginning of it. Every week, Jonathan and Victoria's team subjects me to never-ending boring torture. I don't know how such an oxymoron can exist, but it does, and it is maddening. I have little sympathy for Victoria, too. Divorce him, strangle him, sic your dog on him, just do something, for Chrissakes! Ugh. Not even Kris and Jon's happy and healthy relationship can counteract this team's negativity.

And that's not the only negativity around here. As the weeks go by, I get more and more annoyed with Kendra's kaartehan, Adam's childishness, Rebecca's condescendingness towards Adam, and Hayden's screechiness. If that won't make you lose your love towards this Race, I guess the next complaint will.

Race-wise, the bunching has become ridiculously excessive. And what the fuck was that double leg for? The second part of the leg, with all that bunching, just nullified the first part of the leg. All that trouble for nothing. What happens is that good racers are left unrewarded; there is little or no movement at all among ranks; and Victoria and Jonathan are still in the race. And the tasks! How much less boring can they get? I have nothing against food tasks (Season 5 had tons of them); my beef lies with those riding tasks: go-karting, zip-lining, traincart-riding. Woo! Exciting! BLEH.

I don't know how this Season can get any better now that it is in this state, but perhaps a very satisfying Jonathan and Victoria elimination (a la Colin's breakdown in Manila, only with the elimination thrown in) or better yet, disqualification, will be a good way to start redemption.

As for now, though, this season sucks.

It is a cold, cold day.

Just like it was a cold, cold night last night. And the other night. And the other. I don't know what's up with the weather. Christmas season is already over, so I don't really get this cold. Manila weather can sometimes be so freaky.

Anyway, here I am, huddled inside my blanket, facing my computer, just finished checking out my e-mail and the sites I frequently visit. I found some interesting news to keep me warm (in both joy and irritation) despite the freeze:

1. Sandara was named as one of the People of the Year last year. Well, it was her year. I vividly recall getting annoyed at her during her stay in Star Circle Quest, but after SCQ, I found myself endeared to her. Finally, I got the charm. Now, for a little not-so-secret: I thoroughly enjoyed Sandara and Hero's love team in Star Cinema's Bcuz of You that I watched it in the cinemas not once, but twice! Wonderfulness. I plan to buy the VCD as soon as it gets out.

2. Estrada comes back to the Philippines, vowing to lead people to a 'new dawn.' Ugh. I have written about this at least one time in my blog last summer, and still the sentiment remains: Ugh. I don't know what's happening to the Sandiganbayan nowadays, but I think Erap has been pampered enough. If this was Indonesia or Malaysia (not that I'm comparing), no ousted and convicted president will be able to go abroad for any reason whatsoever, much less get out of "prison." Estrada's defense team is just pulling strings and fucking around with the Sandigan's heads. No wonder one of the justices there resigned. (Which was rejected by the SC, by the way.) Show no mercy! Let guilty heads roll!

3. Metacritic releases its Best of 2004! Yep, this is definitely good news for list-lovers and movie-goers out there. Both of which, incidentally, apply to me. The critics from all different sorts of American publication have released their official Top 10 Best Movies of 2004, and Metacritic compiled them all into a single list. Now, Jel and I have a theory that if critics love it, then we won't, what with snorefests like In the Bedroom and The Hours. (One critic accused me of being a bad-movie-lover by liking The Butterfly Effect, one of my favorite films of all time.) Surprisingly, critics and we have something in common as well. Included in the top 10 are: The Incredibles, Hero, Spider-man 2, and House of Flying Daggers (this last only appeals to me because of its "aesthetics").

4. Heroes V: Fans left in the dark. Indeed. Rumors have it that the announcement of the game is to be this January, but fans such as I have difficulty becoming patient. It's almost been two years since the last installation of Heroes IV (the blech Winds of War), so it's not surprising that fans would be wanting at least some word from the makers, Ubisoft. I'm not much of a game person to know everything there is to know, but from what I've gathered from Celestial Heavens, Ubisoft is keeping a hush-hush policy, at least until the announcement goes out. Come on, guys! It's almost two years. Heroes IV is not my favorite Heroes installation (Heroes II remains on the throne), so a Heroes V installation will be a welcome change.

Living the title of my blog.

Okay, now that I cannot change the blog title (the damn title is split into two parts, so any efforts in Photoshopping the thing will lead to a major headache), I might as well live the title. Perspectives: This is How I View My Life. With mirror effects. Yay.

I really do not wish this blog to be a very "thoughtful" blog. Okay, lest people think that I'm being intellectually lazy, let's all step back and see that the operative word is "very." Yes, every now and then I'll let an insight or two (aherm, perspectives) get into my blog, but then that's the start and end of it. The last blog had been too focused on the construction of insights that it lost some (if not most) of its spontaneity. Besides, those who really know me know that I'm really quite an insightful guy. Hee. Way to raise my own bench, there.

But despite all these disclaimers, nothing beats the old adage: "I'll just be myself." Seems like a blatant contradiction of what I've said above, because what if being myself is actually being perspective, but I've taken Jean Paul Sartre's philosophy this semester and he's all for absolute freedom and yet at the same time he says that we are in despair because there are things beyond our control so how can we really have absolute hold over our lives if there are things we cannot control?

As to what that has to do in defense of my contradiction, I have no idea. But you can't do anything about it! Wee!

Damn, I missed writing.

At long last, QED.

I have sat down for 6 hours now, first in the internet room in CTC, and now at this internet cafe across KFC. Finally, my blog is done. Or the basics of it anyway. And you know what? Even if my fingers are now all suffering from typing too much, even if my body's freezing from the ice-cold aircon temperatures, and even if my system's yearning for much-needed food, I am happy. For now I can write again. Welcome everyone, but most important of all, welcome back Kerwin.

That was one hell of a season ender.

[Republished to mark the birth of this new blog.]

If my life were a TV series, then my last entry was one hell of a season finale. Half of the audience might be contented with "Awww, so that's that, then?" while the other half might be debating over themselves, "What the fuck happened?", "Who will get kicked out next season?", "Who will remain?", "Is there a next season?".

Well. There is a new season, and I'm pretty much still in it. (Of course I'm typing this, but... bah!) I'm back on my feet, you guys, so better hang on tight.

Welcome to a new season, and welcome to the season premiere.