Goodbye, 2007!

Today marks an end and a beginning. 2007 has been an eventful year for all of us. Some of us might have experienced their firsts this year, and perhaps a few have found a new hobby or craft. As 2007 nears to an end, let us look back and reminisce every single second in our lives and reflect on it, whether good or bad. Imbibe the memories and learn from them. Cheers to the year that has passed!

2007 Round Up

This year, I learned that: (I'll put it as succinctly as possible)
I'm good at lying to myself.

Christmas Parteeeh

Pardon me for posting this crap. Brain has taken a vacation as well. Lol.

Last Wednesday, we had our Christmas party at Benj's place in Dasmarinas Village… Okay, I really can't construct complete sentences right now. I'll do fragments instead.

Was supposed to wear Hawaiian-ish. But opted to put on my jacket and jeans. Dropped by the mall to buy a cake which cost me eight hundred bucks. Went straight to Benj's place. Had fun with my blockmates. Pictures below.

Dar and Bea.

Tabs, Ken and Camae.

Girls.

Mike and Benj.

Thanks Dar for the tumbler!

Mike, getting ready to shoot those IS students at the park. Lol!

Turning junk into gold

The Ongs across the street are having their annual garage sale this week which will run until Tuesday. Last year, I got myself a copy of Patricia Cornwell's Blow Fly for only three hundred bucks. I searched for this book in literally every book fair I came across with. But the hunt was futile until I found one in the Ongs' garage sale. I haven't visited their stall this year, but I might drop by later to check out what's in their booth. I am hoping I could find a Crichton classic or at least, a hoodie, or The Loop DVD series.

‘Tis NOT the season to be jolly

I got creamed pretty well in my Aggregate Economics finals. It was as if my brain had gone haywire or something. I began to completely blank out. Especially on the IS-LM Framework part. I had already exhausted and summoned everything there is in my brain. But it wasn't good enough. For now, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

The borrowers are not illusory

Are you familiar with the flick/novel, The Borrowers? If you happen to hail from a different quadrant of the universe and have not heard of it, The Borrowers is a novel by Mary Norton, which later on turned into a film, about lilliputian people, roughly six to seven inches tall, who borrow things from human and somewhat manage to keep their existence unknown.

Apparently, in the real world, they don't exist. They are only fabricated in the creative mind of Norton. Maybe Norton used to lose a lot of objects, and she had nobody to pin the blame on.

Which leads me to my point. Recently, I am losing a lot of objects in my room - my Powerbooks Membership Card, CSI Miami DVDs, two books, nail cutter, razor, violet striped long sleeve polo - and I have no one to blame. I am beginning to suspect that Norton's idea of The Borrowers is actually true. Why? The objects which were allegedly stolen have significant use. Maybe the Borrowers got bored under the floorboards, and decided to join the bandwagon by watching CSI. Hey, they need to be in the trend too. However, there is a lapse in my hunch. My stuff are too big for the Borrowers, therefore my suspicion is implausible. But whatever, I reiterate, I have no one to blame.

I insisted to check the floorboards. The Borrowers aren't there. Maybe they are hiding. 

8 will soon hit the bookshelves

I am definitely getting a copy of Zafra's eighth Twisted, a collection of her seriocomic rantings. I got wind of the book's price and it's roughly 'round 250 bucks. Now, anyone bighearted enough to get me a copy? May I just remind you, Christmas is the time for giving and the time for sharing. I'll be waiting for it.

The Dogeaters

"Proximity to the arts is cleansing for the soul…"

Saw The Dogeaters last Saturday and I effing loved it. It wasn't a Shakespearean caliber, but the play was worth the price.

I was early for the show. Too early, actually. So I grabbed a drink at the nearest cafe. While I was sipping my coffee, a guy moved towards me and asked if I can provide him a light. I retorted, "I don't have a light, sorry." But at the back of my mind, I wanted to shout at him and say, "I don't have a light, but I can provide you that with the use of my flaming breath." I am an arsonist, so you know. I emit flame out of my nostrils.

After the guy-asking-for-a-light incident, I rushed back to the auditorium. I got in the lift, and saw an old chum. He will be watching the show as well, together with his friends. We had a little chit-chat outside the auditorium then bade farewell after.

So I went inside and was escorted by an usherette to my seat. I spotted a couple of celebrities and other figures as I proceeded down the aisle. The usherette delivered me to my seat and immediately turned away to assist other viewers. Few minutes after, I foresaw the arrival of a group of American yuppies donned in formal attire. I heard their crisp American accents from the auditorium entrance.

The ushers checked if everyone is already settled, then signaled a thumbs up. Lights off. Curtains up. Show time.

I don't want to discuss the whole play since there are a lot of stories going on, and I'll leave that task to you. See it for yourself, I mean. Tip: Pay attention to every second in the play. You won't get bored, I assure you that. Thank God Jon Santos and Andoy Ranay were around to zest up the show with their incredible gay stints. Their roles however are rather significant to the story. Gina Alajar was flawless, performing the role of a penitent. In a nutshell, everyone performed impeccably. The running time of the show was two hours and a half. Relatively long but nonetheless diverting.

Went home afterwards to study for Economics quiz. Bummer.

Thanksgiving

I hereby propose the establishment of our own Thanksgiving Day here in our country.

In the United States, they annually celebrate Thanksgiving Day and they fete it on the fourth Thursday of November, which was yesterday. This is a traditional holiday for them and its primary purpose is to express their gratitude at the conclusion of harvest season.

We don't have Thanksgiving Day here in the Philippines. Is it because we don't have something to be thankful for? We have lots, mind you. Let me lay down some of them for you. We own a language. We are independent. We have an unusual disposition, we are always cheerful even in times of despair. We have a wide array of native delicacies. We embrace and harbor arts. We are blessed with natural resources. We gather in the dining table every Noche Buena. We practice bayanihan. And these are only a smattering of what we should be appreciative for. So my proposition? Our own Thanksgiving Holiday. But we will not only celebrate it once a year. Not twice. But everyday. Although the items listed above are often overshadowed by the rather bad experiences that we go through as a nation, we must always look to a brighter day. Everyday is a new day, consider it a blessing, not a bane. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Tidings

I went back to my original layout. I've been figuring out what I want for my blog for the past two weeks, and what I got from my contemplation is that I want it to be stark simple. I am sort of a minimalist, so it reflects in my blog layout. 

On a not related topic, Amazing Race Asia will be airing its second season on November 22. I heard Marc Nelson will be on the show. I gather the production team of Amazing Race has seen Marc Nelson's formidable vigor and impressive profile. He paired himself with some editor guy. I think they make up a good tandem since both guys are physically and mentally fit.

I am also considering the idea of joining the race. I reckon the show needs some flavor and pizazz. The producers should pick a diverse set of players. Yes the current roster is diverse, i.e. the players hail from different countries, but what I meant of diverse here is in terms of behavior. I, having an erratic behavior, am a good pick. I erupt under emotional strain. I curse. I provide people with names such as nitwit. I succinctly will be a good element for the show. I can flood the producers with lots of profit. Then again, no one would want to be paired up with me. Makes no sense.

Look at the bright side. I got myself a ticket for The Dogeaters. Yey!