News, reviews.

Some new stuff about my recent movie reviews. (Sounds so prominent, hee). First off, we all know what discrepancies my opinions have with that of the knowledgeable critics, so I'm including their precious marks with my humble ones. What I'll do is I'm going to tally my grade for the film, and beside it, I'm going to tally the grade given to it by critics (courtesy of Metacritic). And in this special edition, I'm going to include the Gutierrez-Locsin starrer Let the Love Begin even though I normally don't include Filipino films. (Don't ask me why I don't include Filipino films, what I'm going to say won't probably be nice.) Let the Love Begin gets special mention because 1) it's a hilarity that cannot be ignored; and 2) it brings my list of recent films to 5. Now, let's proceed!

(By the way, check out the old list of movie reviews. The changes mentioned have been applied there, as well.)

Kerwin - C+: Critics - F (I'm assuming this, of course.): Let the Love Begin. It's in one of my latest entries. Go read. :)

Kerwin - C+/B-: Critics - D: Elektra. I've read the reviews, and as I've said in one of my previous entries, Elektra isn't that bad. I don't even think it's bad at all. It's just... lacking, for lack of a better word. It would have been more engaging if it had better fights, and better endings for fights. I myself thought that the enemies were cool, what with their living tattoos, penetrating poison, super speed, and brutal strength. When Elektra did her stuff, though, they all came out as losers. The battles were too quick; the enemies' death were too easy and convenient. It's like the film-makers just got lazy and decided to get the whole fight scenes over with. Those scenes were the only things memorable in the film, don't they get that? The rest was pure drama bullshit. (Boredom was not a problem, though, so that's why I'm giving this a C+/B- instead of a C-.)

Kerwin - C+/B-: Critics - C-: Meet The Fockers. Once again, the original is better. The jokes have been rehashed relentlessly, and most of them fall flat. I think I have had enough of Ben Stiller's stupidity. In fact, I think I have had enough of Ben Stiller. Sigh. If not for the superb and hilarious performances by Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand, as well as the subtle performances by Ben Stiller's wife and mother-in-law (I forget their names, I'm too tired to Google.), this movie would have been a C-. The critics and I would finally have something to agree on. Stuff to watch out for: Watch it for Hoffman and Streisand.

Kerwin - B: Critics - B+: The Aviator. The latest Scorsese-diCaprio movie proves to be better than the last one they collaborated on (Gangs of New York): this one didn't bore me. And as I always say, boredom is a sure way to get a C-/D/F in my reviews. I'm sorry to hear that Scorsese got edged out by Eastwood in the Best Director Oscar Award; it must be hard having all those nominations and getting none. The directing wasn't the thing that got me, though-- it was the performances. I thought Leonardo diCaprio has finally grown. His acting as the mentally-disturbed Howard Hughes was convincing, to say the least. Alec Baldwin played the Pan-Am mogul with an evil flair which I loved. And as usual, John C. Reilly played his part with perfection. The women were not to be left out, either. Kate Beckinsale exuded sexiness as the feisty Ava Gardner. And Cate Blanchett, an actress who I already love, I loved even more as the loud Katharine Hepburn. That twang really got me! How can an actress so flawlessly slip into a role, and a well-known character at that! Wow. I really think she deserved that Oscar she received (I haven't watched the films of the other Best Supporting Actress nominees, so I can't rightfully say.).

Kerwin - B+: Critics - C: Constantine. At first I had my reservations about this Keanu flick because, well, we all know what Keanu's acting's like. But I went on to watch it all the same because of Rachel Weiss who I think is divine. But as it turned out, Rachel Weiss is not the only thing divine in this movie. Keanu was perfect for the role, as I found out later on. Furthermore, the whole concept of devils and angels battling it out on our world, the fast pacing and movement of the plot, and the breathless yet dreary cinematography made this one of the best films I've watched since Kung Fu Hustle. That may not be saying much, considering the span of movies between Kung Fu Hustle and Constantine, but believe me when I say that it is saying much. Stuff to watch out for: Angel Gabriel, the cockroach monster, and the possessed Filipina.

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed this week's edition of 5 movies!

A time span of half-a-day.

The day started with me cramming my paper in financial math. I set the alarm last night to 8:30 AM so that I can have the luxury of working on the paper for 2 hours, but I was too doggone tired and there was really no real urgency to the requirement, so I slept through half my luxury time. I woke up at 9:30 AM, instead, and crammed the damned thing until 10:30. 10:30 was supposed to be my call time to report in front of Doc Mara, but then it was too late, and I haven't even frigging showered yet, so I threw the idea of being able to report early out the window.

I emerged out of the dormitory by 11:10. I met up with Joey in the Economics department, where our Financial Economics grades were being posted. Unfortunately for us, the list of grades wasn't there, or perhaps it was invisible. This was against our teacher's promise to post them as early as 8:30. (Not unless the list was indeed invisible.) There was nothing we can do, though, and since I still had a report to attend to, we decided to head out to the Math Department where a sober but smiling Doc Mara was waiting.

I reported on the immunization technique used by banks to offset the damage caused by small changes in interest rates. The technique does this by allocating the right amount of funds in the different assets to balance the different liabilities. Without this equilibrium, the bank (or any other financial enterprise for that matter) may incur losses. Fascinating topic, isn't it? This is what mathematicians and actuaries are paid for. All in all, I thought the report was good (as are any other reports which have been delayed consecutively and whose contents you're sure to memorize after the second delay).

After the report, Joey and I ate lunch at Ken Afford. I had my usual 85-peso chicken lollipops with 15-peso extra garlic rice; Joey had his 100-peso sisig with egg plus 30-peso Sprite in can (30 pesos for a softdrink? Goodness.). As expected, the lollipops were superb (and hot!).

We went back to the Economics Department at around 1:30 PM to check out the grades. Mark texted us while we were having lunch, saying that he just saw his grades, so we hurried back. We went there, though, only to find out that our frickin' teacher just took off the list we never even saw (perhaps it was indeed invisible, goodness, how unmagical of us) and even announced "No grades after 12." Nobody told us about that bit. I could have understood his policy by way of my ignorance, but we were there around 11, and the list wasn't there. He should have extended the "viewing"; it was only proper. And what were we supposed to do with the list? Chew it after having learned of our dismal final exam scores and even more devastating final marks? Needless to say, we went away disappointed.

Our next stop was to get our clearance sheets in the Registrar's Office in Bel. Joey had to go home around this time, so he was unable to get his clearance signed, but since I just lived right inside Ateneo and had nothing else to do, I went on and hunted the signatories needed in my clearance sheet. In the next two hours, if anybody bothered to check on their crystal balls, I would be seen waiting in line, waiting in line, and waiting in line. And, oh! Waiting in line. Seriously, though it was not all waiting in lines. There were also waiting in queues, waiting in vertical alignment of patient people, and waiting in organized single-person files. After all that waiting, I was finally able to complete my clearance.

And after all that reading, I am finally able to tell you that I am done! Yes! Pau hana, the day is done! College life as I know it is finally over! Do not worry about my pissed-off tone, it does not exist! I am happy! Wee! Happy! Wonderfulness, I think I'll pass out. :)

A nice article about Davao.

Here.

Just like what I always say: No matter what those people outside Davao may think, we are a happy people in a happy place. Davao is hell for those who do wrong; it is paradise, otherwise.

Almost, but not quite.

Almost done, just a little less than a week left. I have a finance paper to finish, a finance topic to finally, FINALLY report on, and an actuarial exam to take. I'm not taking these three seriously, however, so I might as well be done. A clear proof of my nonchalance is that I have finally returned to the Heroes of Might and Magic map I've started working on a few weeks' back, the one which involved me and my roommates on a quest to fight the evils of The World Beyond.

College is ending. It's inevitable. We're not even going into the home stretch, we are already in the home stretch. I just had my first job testing (Bank of the Philippine Islands) a week ago, and that's a clear sign as any that I have finally come to the clearing at the end of one path, and the start of another. The experience in Makati was enlightening to say the least. To see all these people wearing coats and long-sleeved shirts and shiny black leather shoes was one thing, but to actually see myself wearing them was another. I remarked to Joey as we sought the BPI office: "Malapit na tayong maging ganito." Numbingly exciting.

Another obvious sign of the impending end of college was the Ateneo Mathematical Society despedida party I attended awhile ago. The lowerclassmen prepared some videos and notebook dedications to the graduating batch, and while it didn't create much of an effect on me (not being active in AMS had its certain disadvantages), their efforts were commendable, nonetheless. Again, the whole event brought home to me the inevitability of graduation. Perhaps it was the first time since getting all worked up about graduation that I felt a certain pang of sadness with the idea of finally leaving Ateneo. And with good reason. Ateneo wasn't (isn't) just a university for me, I actually lived (live) here. It was (is) my home. As I've written in my dorm yearbook profile: "What makes a dormer a dormer? The Ateneo is your backyard."

In a few weeks, Ateneo will be my backyard no longer. Even as I anticipate the next wonderful home, Ateneo will always remain with me. Cheesy as this may sound, it has always been the case for every Atenean, whether they recognize it or not. It has always been the case, and always, ALWAYS, will be.

Saturday of no mercy.

I'm supposed to be on a hiatus, at least until the finals are over, but I have to post about my "Saturday of no mercy" so badly that I'm willing to eat my words and stick a foot in my mouth just to do it. Beware, gross details to follow.

I vomited awhile ago. After enduring hours of dry-heaving and swallowing my saliva just to keep it down, the vomit still finally managed to see the light. I haven't vomited since high school, not even during that time when I got drunk during the dorm's annual junior drink-all-you-can party, so the experience was pretty disorienting, not to mention disgusting, for me.

The shift of events was so rapid that even I didn't quite catch how it all turned sour (pun intended). During the earlier parts of the afternoon, my spirits were high. I just received news that I was exempted from the final oral exam in theology. Even though it wasn't proper for him to tell me that after studying the thesis statements for 10 hours, sleeping for 4, and eating for 0, I couldn't really remain pissed at him after getting an exemption. I became pissed, though, during the latter parts of the afternoon, when my lack of sleep and nourishment finally caught up to me. The sticky humidity of the weather didn't help, either. Unsurprisingly, after a few moments, I was gripped by a headache. Surprisingly, the headache gave me the sharpest and most acute pain I have ever experienced in my life.

This headache, I believe, was the direct cause of the above-mentioned vomiting. My body didn't want the Tapa Joe I ordered from Tapa King (mainly because of its ughsome fat content), so I threw all 74 pesos of it in the trash can. Unfortunately, my body didn't want the Sweet Banana, either, and it was unfortunate indeed because the sweet bananas were already inside my body. Hence, the vomiting. The headache didn't abate easily even after I have already vomited. After rummaging the dorm for for Biogesic-- a medicine from the gods, if I may say so myself, the sharp pain became a dull one, and eventually, subsided. It was then I finally found the power and strength to blog.

One last week, and I'm getting sick. Not a good sign.

Definitely not a good sign.

I have to study, but...

Just want everyone to know that I'll be taking a few days' break to study for my last finals' week, and consequently my last week of classes in college. When I come back, I'll be posting about Strunk and White's Elements of Style, the new Amazing Race 7, the movies Constantine, Meet the Fockers, and Elektra, as well as my thoughts on college and schooling in general.

Stay tuned. The hiatus begins now, but I will be back. :)

Awfully brilliant, or brilliantly awful?

It's the latter. Let the Love Begin is one of the most brilliantly awful films I have ever seen in quite some time. There's only one reason (well, make it one and a half) why I watched the film, but even that reason could not make up for the film's two-dimensional characters, conventional plot, and atrocious acting. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Awful: Almost everything. First, the two-dimensional characters. Each major character involved in this film can be boxed into rigid personality types. Here's the kikay cheerleader who's so boba that she even has to vandalize school property with easily researchable questions such as: "What is Newton's Third Law of Motion?" Here's the cute, down-to-earth poor boy who's so awesome that he's able to work as a janitor in the morning + study his lessons at night + make his friends' assignments + compose a love letter for the token funny guy + take care of his lola + be a model for Bench shirts. Aside from these two characters, we have the ailing lola, the domineering dad, the token funny guy, the subplot friends who almost talk of nothing else but the main characters, and the mean girls.

Second, the conventional plot. Boy sees girl. Boy falls for girl. Girl ignores boy. Girl starts to see boy. Girl likes boy. Mean boy comes in. CONFLICT! Girl rejects mean boy. Girl loves boy. Boy loves girl. Boy and girl smooch. HAPPY ENDING!

There are, of course, various subplots. Subplot 1: Boy's friend has a tomboyish best friend. Tomboyish best friend falls for boy's friend. Boy's friend sees the lady inside the tomboyish best friend. Boy and girl smooch. HAPPY ENDING! Subplot 2: Dad scolds girl. Girl fights back. Dad slaps girl. Girl runs away. Dad has a heart attack! PLOT TWIST! Dad and girl smooch. (Kidding.)

Third, the atrocious acting. I like Richard Gutierrez and Angel Locsin in Mulawin, and I think they've carried themselves well in that series, so I don't understand what's with this atrocious acting? Every scene seems forced, every line lacks conviction. The only times their acting succeeds are when they're smiling their pa-cute smiles and wiggling their little asses.

Brilliantly awful: It's a film to be laughed at. We snickered at the most dramatic scenes, when the audience was at its most silent. We rolled our eyes at the funniest scenes, when the audience was at an uproar. If you wish to laugh at all the wrong reasons and keep silent at the right ones, then this is the film for you. Make sure you have another agenda in watching the film, though, because even though it's unintentionally funny, it might eventually get the best of you and you might emerge out of the theater fuming mad, eager to box the ears of those who stole your 80 pesos.

Wonderfulness.

Gonzaga. Katipunan. Eastwood. Somethin' Fishy. MRT. Taft Avenue. Chow-King. Atrium Hotel. Jollibee. Mandarin Hotel. Kuh Ledesma. Christian Bautista. Rachel Ann Go. Jollibee. LRT. MRT. Megamall. Let The Love Begin.

Fitting of toga. Milo Freeze. Red herrings. Hipon in Aligue Sauce. Sizzling Boneless Bangus. Price formulation. Taxi driver from the nearer parts of hell. Walk. Camp Crame. Dobermans. Walk. Long line. Have a prepaid MRT Card in Taft! Wrong jeep. Scary MMDA people. Ving Card. Bath tub. Hot shower. Cable TV. Air-con. Dressing up. Balcony. Candlelit set. Costume changes. Christian's intrigue. Christian's emergency. You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore. Streisand, LeGrande, Groban. 5-star hotel. Cool receptionists. Jeep back. A Very Brady Sequel. Mall. Richard Gutierrez. Angel Locsin. Scary Gloria Romero. MRT. Internet cafe.

Laughter. Happiness. Joy.

Wonderfulness.

Before I head to lead the Rational Treasure Hunt...

...a few words: Wee! Wee! Wee!

Hell day over. Heaven begins!

So much for my hell day yesterday. The definition of "hell" is up for grabs, though, as it was more of a cold I'm-too-tired-I'd-rather-sleep hell rather than a flaming OH-MY-GOD-I'M-GOING-CRAZY kind of hell. But then again, a frozen hell is no better than a blazing one.

In theology, my teacher subtly smacked our report... as he should have done. I admit, it was not the best report. One of my groupmates kept on narrating the experiences we had in Zambales (come to think of it, I haven't told you guys that I went on a 3-day immersion with the Aetas in Zambales-- a way too cool experience)--

[*EEEK! Let the Love Begin just played in the background!*]

OK. As I was saying, one of my groupmates kept on going on her narration, which I think took up much of our time, and was pretty much what the teacher didn't WANT to hear. Sure, the experiences may be quirky and fun, but this was a report! The rest of the report wasn't that creative and engaging, either, and I think we lost focus on the essentials for the most part, so I think I deserve the low grade that I would probably get. *Sigh.* During these times I miss my Philo 102 group. In fairness to my current group, though, I think the paper was well-done (special kudos to Monique, who I think is brilliant); it was just the presentation that sucked.

In financial math, nothing much happened. I didn't attempt to recite as Doc Mara was drilling everyone who dared to answer the seemingly "easy" assignment questions. Never be deceived! You never know what a math veteran like Doc Mara can come up with. For most of the period, then, I studied for my political science exam. Which, as it turned out, was pretty easy.

My teacher in Pol.Sci. has got to be the most careless teacher I have ever met. As Lady, Mark, Maita, Alec, Dea and I waited for him to arrive, we realized that he has left the set of test papers from the previous class on the table. Just one peek and we would have the entire exam imprinted in our memories. Good students as we were (HEE), we stayed away from the path of easy A's. We really didn't need to succumb to such temptation, though, because, as I have already mentioned, the test was pretty easy. There were a few infuriating numbers which I got wrong, but that was it. Lady, Alec and I even had a bet that whoever would emerge out of the classroom last would treat the others to some delicious AMPC Satellite Station arroz caldo. Alec, who was last, still owe Lady and me some of that yummy stuff.

Well, that's it for my hell day. Frozen or blazing, I'm still alive. Tomorrow, heaven begins!

Let the love begin! (Sorry, can't help it.)

Freddy and Kendra won the Amazing Race. OK.

It's been a really busy day, and I'm expecting a busier one tomorrow. I have a Theology paper and reporting due tomorrow, as well as a long assignment in Financial Mathematics, as well as a long test in Political Science. I've only done the paper, haven't prepared for the reporting, haven't solved the math assignment, and haven't studied for the long test. And yes, I'm blogging. It's easier to ease the stress this way.

After tomorrow, though, will be Friday, and after Friday will be Saturday! And Saturday is the day to be happy! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY! (clicks heels and claps hands)

Yeah, Freddy and Kendra won. I got spoilered, which means someone told me who the winners were before I even saw the finale, which, during some other season would have blown my top off, but since this is the suckiest season ever and the worst set of teams casted (except an exceptional few), I was able to keep my calm. Meh.

Rob and Amber of the Survivor fame are going to race for the million in the next season of the Amazing Race, which, fortunately, begins 3 weeks from now. Ugh. Don't they have enough money already? Are they starving? Enough already. I hope they get kicked out on the first episode. I may change my mind, of course, but that's my opinion as of now. But I feel they may be in the Top 3. But what do I know?

Let the love begin.

Before anything else, I'd like to greet Jeland and Joseph on their birthdays. Great guys deserve long lives. Wee!

I just watched Elektra last Monday. The movie wasn't as bad as the critics made it seem, and, despite the glaring flaws, I wasn't bored by the movie. Entertainment, of course, is of primary importance. I'd take Elektra over In The Bedroom or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind anytime. I'm shallow that way. But enough of Elektra. That's not the movie I want to discuss right now. The movie I want to talk about, the one I almost watched instead of Elektra (which pretty much means I didn't get to watch it) is Let the Love Begin by GMA Productions.

Last February 7 was the premiere of Let the Love Begin starring Richard Gutierrez, Angel Locsin, Mark Herras, and Jennielyn. Jel and I didn't quite notice it at first, but as soon as we saw the mob gawking their necks off, we realized that we were in the presence of some "stars." And that there was a premiere going on. I knew that there were two Filipino Valentine's Day movies, Dreamboy (by ABS-CBN) and Let the Love Begin, and I knew it was going to be one of them. As I found out which it was-- it became pretty obvious as soon we saw the gigantic posters-- the jologs side of me kicked into gear. I immediately pursuaded Jel to purchase tickets for the film. He didn't like to, at first saying it jokingly, but when he saw that I was serious, he said that I was impossible. I didn't back off that easily, though, and it took some logical persuasion for me to understand that I could not possibly afford a premiere ticket. We watched Elektra then.

We weren't able to enter the movie theater right away. The SM Management has barricaded the entire length of the entrance to the six cinemas up to the escalator, and the entire barricade was flocked by fanatics. There was no apparent way to get around it... and I wasn't really feeling rushed at that time. Hee. Jologs that I am, I wanted to see the stars of the movie. Jel would hear none of it. I only managed to see the side view of Mark Herras, and that was about it. We were able to get around the barricade eventually, and while we walked its entire length, we had the urge to act arrogantly and wave at the gawking fans. Maybe we could have fooled some of them, who knows?

After Elektra, I asked Jel to accompany me to the "red carpet." There was no red carpet, though, just an aisle created by fans. I calculated that around the time Elektra finished, Let the Love Begin would have finished as well. We waited among the fans. I was waiting expectantly; Jeland was whimpering exhaustedly. I told him to wait a few minutes more (it was nearing his birthday by this time). When 40 minutes passed and no sign of the stars were present, we decided to leave. I kept wondering what I would have done if I had seen them. Would I have asked for an autograph? Would I have shouted their names? Jeez, talk about being crazy!

You might be wondering what in hell am I doing with a GMA movie production. Nope, I have not switched sides. It's just that ABS-CBN's Valentine special featured Piolo Pascual, and you all know how I feel about freaking Piolo Pascual. And to add to that, I find Mulawin and the Mulawin stars more engaging than Krystala and the Krystala stars. I'm only human, and Judy Ann and Piolo are Judy Ann and Piolo. So that's that.

Ummm... so that's that. Hee.

Iba magmahal ang kapamilya.

ABS-CBN decided to change their slogan from "ang lakas mo sa amin" to "iba magmahal ang kapamilya" as part of their First Quarter Storm revamp of shows. I agree with the change. Both slogans had the same thing to say, how the audience is important to them, but each had a different way of saying it. The first was direct but blunt. It addressed the audience directly, but the words seemed to connote a certain sense of "bribery." "Ang lakas mo sa amin" sounds like the audience was asking favors from ABS-CBN, and that is certainly not the case. If anyone's asking favors, it's ABS-CBN. The second slogan, on the other hand, the one I prefer, is indirect yet personal. Indirect, since it does not address the audience right away, and in fact addresses the station itself. However, there is a personal tone to it that would appeal to the people's heartstrings. "Mahal" always wins the Filipino.

Anyway, here are the Top 25 Programs of 2004 based on the AGB Survey Group.

[The image was too large, I'll resize it first.]

Super Size me no more.

My roommates and I just watched Super Size Me, that huge and controversial documentary showing the changes in the lifestyle and diet of a man whose experiment involved eating only McDonald's food for 30 days. McDonald's food, take note, and nothing more. As he himself says, "If it isn't served at McDonald's, then I can't eat it."

This experiment was primarily motivated by a lawsuit filed by two, perhaps obese, teenagers against McDonald's with the claim that it has been responsible for their dietary and health problems. The judge dismissed the case, citing that the teenagers failed to show that it was indeed the Golden Arches which was the cause for their problems.

The "hero" in the documentary decided to prove just that.

I won't say much about the details of the film, but it will suffice to say that it's enlightening as much as it is entertaining. Here are some random information taken from the film:

1. Unlike our McDonald's here in the Philippines, McDonald's in the United States have the option of a Super Size Value Meal. This consists of half-a-pound of fries (almost 5 times the size of our Go Big Time fries), and a LOT of Coke.
2. The chicken used to create McNuggets came from old chickens who couldn't lay eggs any longer. A poster in one of the scenes of the movie had a chicken's picture on it with some words written above ("Can you find the nugget in this chicken?") and below ("Neither can we.").
3. They serve salads (similar to KFC's Asian and Caesar offers) in the US McDonald's.
4. A calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of water by 1 degree Celsius. (I knew that.)
5. After the film won First Prize in the Sundance Film Festival, McDonald's pulled out the Super Size option from their meals. They also advocated a fitness program for adults. McDonald's claimed that their recent moves had nothing to do with the success of the film whatsoever. Nothing. Who would have thunk it, right?

The "hero" of the film gained 30 pounds in 30 days, got depressed more often, craved for food more and more and encountered headaches when he couldn't have it, had a fatty liver, increased his risk of getting a stroke by as much as 200%, and claimed to have a "worthless" sex life.

The next time I'm eating at McDo, I'm skipping on the fries.

Five questions that need to be answered before I leave Katipunan.

1. Why are there internet cafe shops that cater to Koreans?
2. Why is there no footbridge to help Miriamites and Ateneans cross the street?
3. Why did Kamirori increase the price of their Spare Ribs, within just a span of few months, by as much as 90%?
4. Why do shops erected between Yellow Cab and World Topps close immediately?
5. Why did Red Panda close?

Think it over.

Is this luck or what?

I don't know, but it seems like Lady Luck is by my side these past few days. The most obvious sign of this being the Actuarial test I took awhile ago.

First, a brief background.

Yesterday, I went to Greenhills to get the recopies of my graduation picture. The traffic getting there was horrible, and the time I spent looking for the place from the taxi was next to eternity. I found it eventually, but inside Child's Play (the studio who catered to our graduation picture needs), I was met by a bitchy little lady. Well, she wasn't really that bitchy, but she was certainly a high-caliber taray queen. Needless to say, she fueled my irritation more.

I went out of there to walk a daunting distance to Level 3-C, Shoppesville Arcade, in Greenhills. I had some business to attend to there, see, and I was under the impression that I had to hurry lest Level 3-C might close. So I arrived in Shoppesville, panting and sweating, only to find out that I had no freaking idea where Level 3-C was. After three misdirections and a lot of guard-asking, I finally found the place. By then I was so worked up that I could hardly breathe.

After the business was done, I went to Robinson's Galleria to relax. Suddenly, although my feet were telling me to relax, my mind was telling me to walk some more and explore the place. Conflict, I tell you. I walked. And walked. And walked. Yes, my mind can become stubborn sometimes.

I finally went home after. I knew I had an Actuarial exam to study for, but I was sooo tired that I just plopped my heavy body on the bed. It was already 6 PM then. I slept for a few hours, waking up at 9 PM to meet Joey at Mocha Blends where he had been diligently studying. Upon arriving there and consulting with Joey, I realized how much little I knew about the test the day after. I immediately told myself that I was gonna get a low score. The subject was obviously an Achilles heel of mine. Despite Joey's brilliant efforts at teaching me (brilliant, because I learned a lot from that guy), I knew that it was of little hope. That pessimism deepened further when Joey was fetched by his father and brother. Who was to help me? Will I survive? (Hee.)

Joey's father drove me back to the dorm. After going up to my room, I surfed the internet a bit. After which, I plopped my body again on the bed, telling myself not to fall asleep, as not only did I have an exam the day after, I also had a reflection paper to pass. The exam was not yet quite studied for (and I had difficulty understanding it), and the reflection paper had not yet been done. It was going to be a major, MAJOR error to sleep at that point.

I slept.

And woke up at 8:30 AM, 30 minutes before the exam.

I hurriedly took a shower and dressed myself. I typed a nonsensical, bullshitty paper on Treasury and Risk, had it printed, and while walking towards class, read a little on the things I missed on studying. I fervently hoped that the teacher wasn't there yet so I could ask some tips from my classmates.

The teacher wasn't there, but his proxy was. And the exam had already started.

I immediately took the paper, and realized, to my utter horror, that I did not know how to solve for numbers 1 and 3. PANIC! I calmed myself, going through that process I call being psychologically ready (This deserves a separate post.), and looked at the paper again.

This is where Lady Luck entered the picture. (That was quite a background, sorry. Hee.)

The test was easy. I was stuck at numbers 1 and 3, and there were a lot of formulas I forgot, but nothing that couldn't be solved by a little geometric and arithmetic manipulation and an elementary knowledge of series(to those who care, the exam was on annuities). And after sometime, I remembered some of the stuff that Joey told me ("Go back to the basics."), so I was able to answer 1 and 3, as well. When I gave my exam to the proctor, Joey and I compared answers, and voila! Exacto. If Joey got a perfect score on that exam, I might have gotten the same!

I was darn lucky this time. The teacher could have made that test a lot harder than it was. I should know. I almost failed his last exam, which was supposedly the "foundational" application of what we discussed for this exam. Whew! Talk about Lady Luck!

One must not have so much fun!

I've been blabbering a lot about how I want to get out of college as soon as possible, how excited I am about the prospect of work, how goddamn tingling my nerves are with the idea of moving out of the dorm and living in another wonderful place. I've also been blogging a lot about how I want to hurry things up, how this semester has had me counting days 'til graduation, and how the days just pass by me like water through wide-spread fingers. It's been said before and I'm going to say it again: time does fly when you're having fun.

It just struck me awhile ago, though, as I was tutoring someone for his math long test, that perhaps I'm having too much fun. "Perhaps I've been lax about my academics?" I thought. Not really. Even though I've been quite the laid-back guy this semester, I've managed to do things on time, and do things well. Of course, the stress that accompanied each cram session got into my nerves, but the stress was less powerful, and the annoyance was, well, less annoying.

So being lax about academics is not really the issue. The issue at hand was that I seem to be forgetting a lot of things lately. It was only awhile ago, during that said tutorial, that I remembered that I had five academic activities to attend to for the next five days. It was not that I didn't know remember each of them individually (I had each activity listed on my planner), but it had a different sort of effect to remember them as a group. It sort of... sort of froze me. So it was then that I questioned my "having fun." Hee. I should step back a bit from all this giddiness and try to focus on what's right in front of me.

So what's right in front of me?

1. Philosophy long test #3 to be passed during class time tomorrow. Question: Was Descartes successful in proving the existence of God?

2. Actuarial long test #3 on Saturday.

3. Financial economics long test #2 on Wednesday.

4. Theology immersion report and paper on Thursday.

5. Political science long test #3 on Thursday.

Ah, yes. Wonderfulness. I have a long test due tomorrow, and what exactly am I doing right now? Blogging. Yep, I'm still having fun.

Let's see what tomorrow brings. Yebah!

It's my party and I can cry if I want to.

It's February! Wonderfulness. Despite (or perhaps it's due to) the fact that this is the last lap of my senior year (not to mention my college life), and the final hurdles are just ahead-- reports, exams, orals, finals-- nothing can faze me from appreciating the wonderfulness that February is.

What is there left to do anyhow? Well, aside from a few academic requirements, not much. In fact, it can be safely said that I'm just waiting for college to be over. I'm just waiting for the toga fitting, just waiting for the release of final grades (even though the finals are still two weeks away-- hee), just waiting for that first job interview call. By the end of wonderful February, I expect a lot of these things taking place. One can hope, of course.

But the end of February is not the only thing worth looking forward to. There's Valentine's Day, for sure. That part of the year where gifts shower from the heavens and flower shops get richer by as much as 500%. Ahhh, the sweetness of companionship, the beauty of friendship, the joy of family. Ahhh, love.

The beginning of February is also quite a blast! I know of some people who are getting pretty excited about their birthdays... I wonder who they are. Hee.

Anyway, I gotta take off now. I have a projector to borrow, some happy foods to buy for a certain grumpy someone, and some very important people to call. It's all good, guys! Welcome to wonderful February!