For the first time in my entire academic life, I have very low motivation to attend classes and even study.
For sure, I drag myself to class.. but therein lies the problem. I see my going to classes as 'dragging myself'; I don't seem to have the fire that has sustained me for the past three years, the fire and drive to be one heck of a smart-ass in my major. I suppose it's because I don't like my minor subjects, and I'm taking the real crappy ones this term.
With the exception of Economics (struggling) and Biology (amateurish), I am not enjoying my academic college life at all. Thank God for the once a week judo practices where I get to release all the stress.
The much anticipated and most recent game-to-movie film so far has delivered well, and with class and style, in my opinion.
At first glance, I thought that PoP would be a terrible sword-and-sandal adventure flick; pretty-boy lead actor, inspiration from a game (my God, we've had lots of bad ones, haven't we), and an ancient setting. Surprisingly, I was glad to have had my expectations shattered.
Jake Gyllenhaal was not in his usual fare of films, and I never really thought he was much of an actor (he was not stellar in PoP as well) but this one was one of his better performances, and one of the better performances in this genre. He looked the part of the Prince of Persia, which is never a bad thing as the game does have quite a loyal fan-base, myself included, and it added a tad bit of 'realism' that it was the game.
Scenery, 3D effects, costume, and props were top-notch, and I appreciate the film for giving justice, at least to that, to the original game. The Prince's moves and weapons were also classics, and it was good to see they tried their best to remain faithful to the original concept. Props for that.
The only dodgy thing in my opinion was the choice of the particular PoP game. Sands of Time was never one of my favorites, and I actually think the movie could have been a lot more if they used another game (the first one wouldn't be a bad choice). Still, it is a good watch on a quiet afternoon. Popcorn is a welcome companion.
The celebration was strung out over three days; a nice, alone-time birthday dinner where we had some pizza, a house party at her place where I showed off some manly skills with the grill - and thankfully, her friends loved the food; PJ's a pesco vegetarian, so boo you :P - and an AMAZING day at Enchanted Kingdom theme park.
No pictures of the birthday dinner at Brooklyn Pizza, but it was a little marred by the fact that twice, the power went out at the place. The emergency lights were pretty bright anyway, so it didn't really ruin anything. We ordered a little too much food though, and ended up really full, and with some take-home pizza and pasta. :)
The second day's celebration was pretty fun as well. I manned the grill, and did my thing. I was pretty proud of myself that the liempo (grilled pork) I made was a hit, as well as the squid. Yay :P Good amount of fun and partying that night, and I really enjoyed spending the day with most of PJ's close friends. Some pictures of the party:
The big one was the Enchanted Kingdom trip. I am NOT one into rollercoasters, but since the birthday girl requested, all of us who went had to go on this monster: (Picture courtesy of Leonor's Diary)
The Space Shuttle is a pretty extreme 'coaster; it takes you up really high (I assume it's about the height of a 10-storey building) then drops you down. You go through three loops forwards.. and then it hits the end of the tracks, and slides back and loops you yet another three times. Insane. And I rode that monster. TWICE. :D Actually, after the first terrifying ride, I now understand why some people LOVE the adrenaline rush. It was crazy, but it felt so damn good.
On the way to EK :) Pictures around EK. They also made me try the bungee trampoline, and it was fun (I did a few flips, and it was funny seeing other people try after that - it's almost impossible without the right technique :P) until of course, the general groin area started hurting.. :/ We also played paintball, but unfortunately for PJ, the paintball that struck her leg failed to explode.. resulting in a pretty spectacular bruise. It kinda resembled the solar system :P Happy birthday PJ, and I'm happy to have been a part of your 20th :)
Skittlez Crew performs at the second summer dance workshop recital of Step-by-Steph Dance Studio at Tanghalang Pasigueno, Pasig City, Philippines.
Skittlez performed alongside the SBS students, Groovejackz, Stellar (the women of the Philippine All Stars), Krumpinoy, Funkin' Styles, Pilento, the La Salle Dance Company - Contemporary, and Unschooled Dance Crew.
I'm fourth year now, but in a funny way, I never finished third year. :P It's only my eight term in DLSU-M, and with three terms a year, I think I am finishing my course a little too fast. LOL.
Thank you to the hundreds and hundreds of people who greeted me on Facebook, through text messages and phone calls, as well as email messages. I have never felt more remembered in my life. :)
It's scary, thinking that I am already another year older (jeez, who among us cannot remember our last birthday?) but I am sure I am pretty prepared for the next batch of challenges this year. It will be my graduating year, and (hopefully) the start of a satisfying and fulfilling career.
Looking back through my blog posts since I started this thing, I really see how much I've grown; it's a beautiful realization. My birthday wish this year is to never lose that awareness about my own life. It is only when we are aware of what we are doing when we are doing it, where and with who, and especially why, that we can truly grow as great people.
An entire day has passed, and this post will mostly be personal observations and should not be taken personally by anybody. This year's elections featured some clear winners - and when there are winners, there are definitive losers.
Winner (New) President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III Why Well for one, he is the new president of the Republic of the Philippines. He is also a clear winner because he was not as well-known as the other presidential candidates such as Manuel Villar or Joseph Estrada. Apart from being very unexperienced vis-a-vis some of his opponents, he is mostly riding on the fame of his parents, Philippine heroes Ninoy Aquino and Cory Aquino.
Loser Senator Manuel "Manny" Villar Why After having spent TONS of money from his billion-peso business empire, the tycoon saw himself a distant third in the presidential race and correctly seceded the victory to the Noynoy camp. His massive advertising campaigns and catchy songs are definitely now part of local political folklore.. as well as his rather obvious snips at the Noynoy camp which ultimately proved his downfall.
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Winner (New) Vice President Jejomar "Jojo" Binay Why Apart from being mayor of Makati City (and apparently doing a good job at it), he has edged out Noynoy camp vice presidential bid Mar Roxas for the VP position; something a lot of critics believed he would not have won. Makati wins on this as well; their former mayor is now VP.
Loser Senator Mar Roxas Why He saw his President win his respective office, and he loses out. Not something to feel good about, especially losing to a city mayor. Also, he didn't lose by much; the results were showing close statistics all the way, but Jojo Binay edges him out in the end.
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Winner Villainous Individuals Why Political conflicts arose all around the country as Election Day started, violence erupted in several areas (especially in hot-spots such as Mindanao), and vote-buying still stayed rampant, with voters allegedly receiving groceries and/or cash to vote for another candidate (or not vote at all), as well as armed thugs raiding polling booths in an attempt to scare honest, responsible voters away.
Loser Filipino Voters Why Apart from extreme weathers (extremely high temperatures or pouring rain), many voters could not even vote: their names disappeared from registries, processing of votes was snail-paced at best, and the automated machines (being used for the first time) were breaking down all around the country. In the end, many patriotic Filipinos were denied their right to vote for their future, all because of a lack of properly managed voting system, a novel method of voting for many, and impossibly long queues before they could actually vote. Also, instability in several districts prevented many from really voting, willingly or otherwise.
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In the end, the new administration has a lot to work on. With way less than the 50 million registered voters voting, it needs to gain the trust and confidence of the Filipino people; reducing the national debt, increasing attractive employment opportunities in the country (the Philippines is suffering massive brain drain annually), revamp a struggling economy, and of course, repair the political system that has made many Filipinos discouraged, distraught, and disappointed with their own homeland.
My friend since high school, Justine Cuevas, recorded this original song and uploaded it on YouTube. Here's to her (and a possible music career!). Enjoy it; I sure did!
Today is the day. The Republic of the Philippines - my motherland - will elect its new highest public servant today. Hopefully, this new president (whoever it is, but polls show that Benigno Aquino III is a clear favorite) will indeed put some truth in the title public servant.
God bless the country, the voters, and the next six years of new administration.
It's our 5th day in Davao, and we went shopping. No pictures there, but we did have an awesome traditional Davao dinner, as well as my receiving a VERY pleasant surprise..
Dinner with Julian's mum. Native chicken Stewed Goat Had a picture as well with a local celebrity - this guy, despite having no properly developed arms, was a huge hit at a local television show showcasing Filipino talent. He plays the PIANO. And he plays it well. Finally, on to my surprise. Julian's mum knows that I box (shout out to the boxers and trainers of Elorde Boxing Gym) and so she arranged a little surprise.. AUTOGRAPHED souvenir mini-glove from the Pacquiao-Clottey match, and an AUTOGRAPHED souvenir shirt. Can we all say "OMFG"? :D These two need to be framed. Haha! Signed by none other than the greatest pound-for-pound boxer there is, MANNY "PAC MAN" PACQUIAO. We're almost going home, and I've really grown fond of Davao.. Tomorrow morning, it's goodbye Davao. :( I'll miss this place.
