Irrelevance

To the wind that I share my bed with.

To the empty expanse that I have my meals with.

For giving me the irrelevance I don’t deserve

I have equal irrelevance for you reserved.

When the glass empties its contents

That’s the only time it approaches water.

When is the only time to repent?

When one has become a sinner.

You take time to be with other persons

And avoid me as much as possible

For nearing me is always the last option

For you think my effort is always available.

To you who approaches me only when in need,

To you who is already consumed by greed,

Your sins have ran out of forgiveness

Your fake smile is no longer my happiness.

This heart knows when one abuse has been enough.

This mind is no slave of anyone.

Someone may stay hurt for a minute and be tough;

But no one can stay forever a martyr for someone.

To the wind that I share my bed with.

To the empty expanse that I have my meals with.

I have equal irrelevance for you reserved.

I have irrelevance that you deserve.

Para sa mga taong user. Bow.

Defining 2010: Part 1

This is a collection of new words that have received new meaning this 2010. From funny quotes to bizarre events, from petty conversations to the talk of the town, these are the neologisms that defined my 2010. :)


Dictionary key:
n - noun
adj - adjective
interj - interjection
exp - expression


JANUARY
Back from the Christmas break, ahh, the air is still cold but the school work is building up. As a graduating student, this is the start of the busy period -- the 4th Quarter. Welcome to 2010, and let us start it up with January.


Stressured (adj) - totally stressing and pressuring, really heavy (portmanteau of stressed and pressured)


SPCnian Hymn (n) - a song that I'll never sing in microphone again. NEVER. (Jan 4)


Bungee Fun (n) - a fun experience in the middle of SM Clark where Paul once flew like crazy.


For This Cause (n) - a concert that made me drink my first cup of coffee ever in my life. (Jan 10)


TuloNoman (n) - a merger group formed on Ampere that brought friendship and unity back. (jan 12)


Impromptu 1. (n) - something that is unprepared 2. (n) - a word that you tell Chica and he'll go disgusted.


Business Plan (n) - a project in Economics that is just full of copy and paste -- and some editing to peso sign


"How cute" (interj) - an expression used to express something big. (credits to Ate Jov, and you better do it with the hand gesture)


Dr. Pearlers (n) - a group of Ampere students who just went to Dr. Pearl (Jan 8)


Bad Romance (n) - a Lady Gaga song with a horrifying music video from Paul (which includes fitting himself in a rostrum and tumbling in tables)


Mary Shaw? 1. (n) - Kareejil, Ayhon and Mother's love 2. (n) - A character from Dead Silence who'll eat up anyone who screams


Mrs. Responso (n) - a name written on the last page of Sir Responso's third periodical exam.


Nyominyominyo (exp) - it is uttered when you have nothing more to say.


PDS (n) - Personal Data Sheet. One of Jefran's formalities in life. haha :))


Kokology 1. (n) - the science of mind and spirit being predicted or read through your answers on a series of simple questions 2. a book that became a hit in the classroom


"You did good" (quote) - a thrilling statement (and yes, it made the whole Ampere laugh and scream at the same time) answered by Sir Dungca which means that, ehem, that's what he'll say after, ehem...


FEBRUARY
The academic year is almost over, and everything is in a rush. From our campus' literary folio and English Week, to outside-the-school competitions and marketing. With only a few days remaining on college life, February is one heck of a busy month.


Seniors Shockwave Alert (n) - a title of a champion newscasting presentation by the 4th year students during the English Week (Feb 5)


Walking walking down the road (quote) - 1. a line from "The Good Samaritan" 2. a line wherein you can clearly hear the voice of Kevin and Vhinna. Haha.


On the record… (adj) - pertaining to anything that should be recorded in a meeting (by Jefran)


Hot Air Balloons (n) - the prime attraction at Clark every February -- the International Hot Air Balloon Festival!


Ah-Ah-Ah-Aiti (quote) - a line from a song for Haiti which keeps playing in my head.


Marketing (n) - an activity to endorse one's high school in different elementary schools in the city.


Mr. Number One with a Smile (n) - a name given to me at a Mathematics quiz bee for putting a smiley in my acetate.


Blogsary (n) - my anniversary as a blogger. (celebrated on February 1)


JS Prom (n) - an event that we all know to be costly. HAHAHA.


Topnotcher (n) - a title given to me during our JS Prom after writing an on-the-spot essay, surviving a full English interview and passing some certificates.


Bitter 1. (n) - it is me back then 2. (n) - ampalaya or bittergourd 3. (n) - a stick that you smash to the lyre pieces to make a sound (or noise) 4. (adj) - one who hates the past


Hole or Eyo? (quote) - two great universities in Angeles City, can you guess what are those? (credits to Ate Jov)


Man of my Dreams (n) - a man who you'll see bringing you to romantic places on your dreams (hi Kheng!)


Family Feud (n) - a lame gameshow hosted by me to give teachers fun on Teachers' Day.


Overture (n) - that is what we are supposed to do on English Week


Toupee (n) - our winning word for Wordfest 2010 :D


Prusisyon (n) - a yearly march from a bakery to a church, smashing out slow, religious songs from a lyre, and eventually playing Gaga at the end.


Baby, where are you? (quote) - a question from someone crazy who killed her baby on stage (credits to Angelyn)


MARCH
As everything is near to commence, the grandest and hardest of projects came to us like a big wave this March. With more of the competitions and more of the sentimentalities, March emerged as one of the best months this year. As they say, save the best for the last month of high school life.


"Excellence is contagious" (quote) - a line from TOSSA winner Matthew on his radio interview.


Big Break (n) - an interview in local TV networks and radio stations, a televised speech on stage, a glass plaque, some scholarship grants and an experience of a lifetime.


Mr. DJ (n) - a nickname given to me after a DJ actually said that I sounded like a DJ (credits to Ate Kristy)


Yearbook (n) - a project by our Filipino teacher -- total chaos! :)) from the picture taking to the printing.


Floor Plan (n) - one that we drew in a graphing paper instead of doing it in AutoCAD. I eventually rose to be an illustration board house. 88?


kaPokers (n) - a group of nocturnal yearbook authors endlessly arranging pictures and information in Powerpoint until early morning.


OVER! 1. (exp) - a word that Paul always screams 2. (n) eventually, a group composed of four people.


Presentation (n) - that's what's plenty during graduation -- something that flashes back all of your pictures from the start of classes to the end, or even more dramatic and sentimental, from the start of your high school life to its approaching end.


APRIL
Who would have thought that I'll be having a speech at out graduation, which incidentally is my birthday?! Then after high school, of course, comes the preparation for college. With every now and then trips to Manila for my college, this month is another one worth remembering.


PUPCET (n) - the first ever college entrance examination I took, and the result was outstanding. 155 XD


FTI (n) - a place somewhere in Metro Manila that I already forgot. I just keep on hearing it every time we go to PUP back then.


Congrats (n) - everyone's word of mouth to me at my birthday, and not happy birthday. haha :))


Trianggulo (n) - title of Bianca's epic novel :D


Letran 1. (n) - a small campus inside the walls of Intramuros with a rich tradition due to its almost 400 years of existence. 2. (n) a strange rectangular space back then, a home today. :D


Formspring (n) - a new networking site wherein you're only task is to ask questions, read answers, or answer questions to you.


Jejemon (n) - a linguistic and cultural phenomena that swept waves across Philippines, mainly due to the excessive attention brought upon by Web. it is a person who ungrammatically uses sticky caps, extra letters and punctuations on communicating on the Web and through text.


Jejerepma (n) - with the dawn of jejemons comes a new name for Amperians. (prefix jeje- and 'erepma', reverse of Ampere)


Brownout (n) - a daily occurrence at our home because of the power crisis brought by the El Nino.


One bitter fact 1. (quote) the first three words of my birthday speech 2. (n) High school ends today. :))


Like! (n) - well, I thought 'Become a Fan' would evolve to 'Become a Centralized Air Conditioning'. I'm disappointed to see a thumbs-up and this word. haha.


May onwards, to be posted soon :)

Good Morning Araneta! (Part 2)

There’s a passage, and from those passages are rumbling noises. We entered one hole from the wall, and as I ascend to the GA seats, the noise becomes eminent. It was MAYHEM!!! It was WILD!!! Pure energy is filling in Araneta! It was really, really noisy, and everything was like going wild as College Wars is about to begin. We hurried up, for chairs are precious resources at that time that could quickly be gone. Unfortunately, there are no more chairs available in the GA, so we have to stand at the back.

The view was just awesome. Well, I thought that I’ll be looking at dots. In fact, the centerstage is not that far. The dome is BIG, and when I say big, I mean it, it’s BIG! The ceiling is huge, and I’m running out of synonyms for the word ‘big’. The area is really wide, and adding to the thrill of being in the Araneta is the energy out of the competing schools. Everyone was cheering, yelling and beating drums, and with nine competing schools, the heat of the war is just burning the whole coliseum. Nine bands, each with hardly-beaten battalion of drums, and nine squads, each with an army of cheerers and yellers that has their vocal cords trained to scream out a hundred decibels, add to that nine student bodies, all screaming out their school yells and cheers, all in an effort to be the loudest, and therefore, the most supportive among the rest.

“Arriba! Arriba! Arriba Letranista!”

Everyone is on high, as everyone is cheering against one another. For minutes, it was like that, an endless exchange of drum beats, yells and cheers.

The lights closed, and everyone screamed! Whoooo! The show is about to start. As a freshmen from the province, the excitement is overwhelming, and I can’t help to stare at the spotlights swimming around the whole seating capacity of the Dome. Someone spoke, and introduced the hosts.. wth! It was Iya Villania along with KC Montero. (or was that JC? I don’t know, but I am certain of his last name.)

Of course, with that, everyone screamed, specially the girls in the audience: they constituted 80% of the total sound energy released.

The opening ceremonies was prepared on a scale I rarely see. Though it was a little bit biased over the side of the San Sebastian (because they are the host school), I found the opening really great.

Who wouldn’t call it great if one will see Kyla, Jay-R, John Prats and Billy Crawford singing and dancing on a free live show? Hahaha!

“Let the Games Begin!” shouts Iya and KC.

The nine colleges and universities included just yelled out their energy after hearing it, and the opening ceremonies concluded. Now, on to the first game.

As the utility team is removing the set-up for the hardcourt to be revealed, we went to some vacant seats left after the opening ceremonies. Some schools already went home, for they do not have their teams competing on the later games. At last, after two hours of standings, we sat.

Now, I get why bottled water is not allowed. It is because they sell items here at skyrocketing prices. You can purchase a glass of iced tea for P60-, and a hotdog sandwich for P60- too. Very affordable, right?

I am anticipating the removal of the black mats. I am longing to see the logo of “the Big Dome” in the middle of the court. I only see it in TV, and I cannot wait to see it personally.

One by one, as the rectangular sheets were removed, bit by bit, the logo is revealed. A minute or two after, at last, the long wait is over. The long seen trademark of Araneta that was once just on my television screen, is now just a couple of meters away.

Moving on, the games is about to start. The line-up is introduced, and as each player is called, some cheering squad is ready to yell out their throats for their team. Unfortunately, our star player is not around, and I only knew about it after the game.

For the first time ever in my entire life, I was thrilled by a basketball game.The “Arriba Spirit”, as they call it here in Letran, comes alive when competing with other schools. Wahahaha! I was also screaming my throat, larynx, Adam’s apple, alveoli, lungs and bronchi like hell every time there’s a steal, a rebound, an attempt to shoot, a fastbreak, a tight defense and a foul – in short, every time!

I was raising my bag in mid-air everytime we make a point, and we were screaming cheers and yells against Baste all the time. “Beat Baste! Arriba Letran!” became the battlecry of Letranites throughout the game. Maruz, my female seatmate, is also going wild beside me. She was screaming as if her life is on the line. haha :)) The game was tight, with Baste winning the first and third quarter. The fourth quarter was one thrilling quarter, for we are in an exchange of leads. Letran will lead, Baste will tie, then Baste will lead and so on. It was one hell of a game.

It is really enthralling to see half of Araneta, all wearing blue shirts, standing and raising their hands every time the Knights score in a shot. The feeling of having a team to support, and a school to support really sank deep in to me. Everyone was just screaming in joy and boastfulness everytime Letran scores, and our band just starts the beat in and we scream some of our endless cheers. And so is Baste, the yellow army just screams out on every score that is added to their team, accompanied by some drum beat and cheers.

The last minutes of the game were the most exciting, as in I watched half of it standing, in thrill of all the three point shot attempts, and on dismay at the misses, for we are trailing shortly behind Baste. The last seconds of the game were marked with desperation, with Baste gaining a firm lead with the successive free throws.

To conclude it, the Letran Knights lost by six points to the defending champion, San Sebastian Stags. We are defeated, but the experience I gained has just purchased me a victory in my life.

THE END. hahaha :D what a nonsense ending XD

Good Morning Araneta! (Part 1)

Wahaha! And this is my first blog post about my college life.

Araneta. Araneta. Being inside of this Big Dome was just a dream back then. Mentioned on our history books, being the venue of major concerts, and being the past home court of PBA, who would not want to be in it? With a said capacity of around 20,000, I surely want to be one of the fraction of a percent of the population that could get their butts in to sit in one of the chairs.

It was our Theology1N class when someone from the Office of the Chairman of the College of Business Administration and Accountancy (CBAA) knocked at the door.

“Scholars, scholars,” he said.

The hot topic back then was our requirement in P.E. to watch the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) opening ceremonies at Araneta Coliseum, with tickets priced at P50, (and that was the cheapest.) Good thing, we, the special, so loved scholars of this institution, were exempted at PE and NSTP, for we have review classes for Advanced Accounting to attend to, in exchange for the grade that they’ll give in PE and NSTP.

I have no plans to go, but I want to. But I do not want to spend P50 for a general admission ticket, which seems to me like a place so far far away from the centerstage that we can only view moving dots, where in fact, they are a whole cheering squad. So what is the sense of spending P50. The other tickets are priced at three digits, and with that sum, I considered it a luxury.

“Bibigyan tayong ticket,” my co-scholar said.

That was the talk of the town during our lunch break, that scholars will be given free tickets as sponsored by the VP for Academic Affairs, who was also in charge of bringing us in into the scholarship. He is the father figure in the scholarship program. Some have already received their tickets, while I have little interest in getting one, because I never wanted to waste fare and effort to go to Araneta only to watch dancing dots.

“Pupunta ako!” everyone confirmed.

So as not to be an outcast, I forced myself to join. On the other hand, it is another experience of riding the MRT (or LRT, I still do not know which is which.) and another new landmark to go to.

We got our tickets, and everyone was complaining that it was just only a GA ticket. (GA- General Admission). The second year scholars however, were reminiscing their freshmen moments at Araneta. They are also at GA, and they can remember the sound of drums banging their head like hell. GA was the noisiest part of Araneta as they described, because you’ll sit “with the whole band beside”. “Masaya!” they commented. Though sometimes, what is happy for them is sometimes annoying and uncomfortable to me. Anyways, gotta give it a try.

The next morning was an ordinary one. I have to roll again on my bed before finally waking up, for my biological clock is still asleep, though I need to get up early. Our first year leader asked us to wear blue, when I am supposed to wear brown. My blue shirt sucks, that’s why I do not wear it that often. Our leader said that what we are going to wear should have a significance to Letran, and that is – BLUE. Red is for San Beda, the ultimate rival of Letran. Yellow is for San Sebastian (also called Baste) and Jose Rizal University. I forgot the other colors and the other schools.

Now, I am on the thrill of riding an MRT (or LRT). Wahahaha! The Central Station is just a walking distance from our dormitory, and that makes me have access to some parts of Metro Manila. Along the way, I saw my new favorite, the Waffle Time stand, and I specifically like the Swiss Choco waffle. There is also a Siomai House stand there, but I never tried to eat there yet. Soon, I will! Anyways, it is just my second day to ride an MRT, and the thrill of paying the exact coins to get a card that you’ll swipe in to pass through a turnstile sparks my mind that I am living in New York… (concrete jungle where dreams are made off!!! Sing with me!)

Then, we waited for the next train to come. I have only watched this in movies (Slumdog Millionaire?) and now I am experiencing the thrill of riding in a train. There are many passengers, maybe because the early morning rush hours are not yet over. And since there are many passengers, we patiently stood for two stations before walking on a long footbridge to another station. There, the new train is empty, and I got a chance to sit.

We are now heading for Araneta! Woohoo! And as we pass stations, more and more students come in at the train. First are the red ones, with blood red t-shirts proudly claiming that they are Bedistas. Letran vs. Beda has been a hot rivalry ever since, for blue and red combine to make dead violet, haha!

On the third station, yellow fever comes in – the students of Baste. They are Letran’s first opponents in the basketball event after the opening ceremonies, and for a fact, they are the defending champions in Men’s Basketball, whereas Letran is the defending overall champion for the whole NCAA.

How I love the train ride! It makes me wanna sing in to the tune of Empire State of Mind whenever I see those towering skyscrapers at a distance. Yes, a new world has opened up to me. The soft murmur of rails soothes me, and the female voice that tells the passengers on which station are they in now makes me have that LSS, though it is not a song, it’s a phrase.

At the Cubao-Araneta station, the train went empty. The half-filled train all drained out in that station, for everyone is going to be in the big event. We walked in past Gateway, and to the footbridge leading to the Coliseum, marked by a whole wall picturing the view of Araneta in a full-housed PBA game.

And there goes the Big Dome, big as I assume. We are still outside, and we went down the stairs to fall in line. The line for GA ticket holders is different from those of Patron, UBox and LBox. The line to GA is lengthy, and I have to wait for about two minutes to finally surpass the strict inspections of the guard. Surprisingly, no bottled water is allowed, and that made me wonder why.

There’s a passage, and from those passages are rumbling noises. We entered one hole from the wall, and as I ascend to the GA seats, the noise becomes eminent.

and to be continued.. :)

---oh sorry, it is LRT Line 1 and 2, as corrected by Mr. Manuel Ayson... hahaha :D he was laughing at me because of this. :))