Paper Exhaustion

I have never been more exhausted in my whole academic life than today. Also the main reason why I have been missing from my blog. I apologize, readers.

This was my workload this week (which I have managed to complete and submit). Subject; paper title; description.

Domestic Aspect of American Foreign Policy
"The Reluctant Sheriff: America's Role in a Post-Cold War World"
Thirteen pages of Garamond 11 of why I do not think that the United States is a global hegemon, and is instead, a reluctant sheriff. I had to read so many books for sources. Roughly 3000 words.

International Organizations
The United Nations: January 8, 2009 to March 16, 2009
Twenty-six pages of reviews and reactions about United Nations' related news in this one. Compiling was rather tough; reviewing was tolerable. In the eleven weeks that I have followed the United Nations, I am starting to feel that this international organization business is very complicated, and am sympathizing with them when they are criticized. Heaviest workload.

Triangulating Peace: A Book Review
Eleven pages of review about the book Triangulating Peace. Not only did I have to suffer the long waiting list for the book (the University only had one copy, for roughly 40+ students, and we have strict photostat laws within the campus), reviewing it was really challenging. The only plus point was that I actually liked the book, which made it tolerable. It took roughly eight hours for me to read, and another four to jot notes.

Power in Global Governance: A Book Review
Six pages of review about the book (more of a compilation, actually) Power in Global Governance. I had a HARD time reviewing this book. It was very technical in nature, and comprised of so many contributing authors and theories, that sometimes, I just cannot wrap my head around them. :( I predict a low grade for my review here. Why? I could not finish the last 2/3 of the book. :(

Books I read in the past two weeks:
Russett, B, Oneal, R 2001, Triangulating Peace: Democracy, Interdependence, and International Organizations, Norton and Company, Inc., New York.

Owen, J 1997, Liberal Peace, Liberal War: American Politics and International Security, Cornell University Press, New York.

Frankel, M 2004, High Noon in the Cold War: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Presidio Press, New York.

Huntington, S 1996, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Simon & Schuster, New York.

Guyatt, N 2003, Another American Century? The United States and the World Since 9/11, Zed Books Limited, London.

Maier, C 2006, Among Empires: American Ascendancy and its Predecessors, Harvard University Press, Massachusetts.

Haass, R 1997, The Reluctant Sheriff: The United States After the Cold War, Council on Foreign Relations, New York.

Huntington, S 1999, ‘The Lonely Superpower’, Foreign Affairs, vol. 78, no. 2, pp. 35-49

I favor the Harvard style of citation.

Wish me luck for the three more papers due on Monday. :( No weekend.

Jay~

Math for Dummies

I really am beginning to have these horrible, judgmental thoughts on some of my classmates. I know it's so wrong to look at them and the first thing I think is "idiot", but seriously, you cannot help but think so.

Setting:
American Government class
Actors:
Bro. Wright, FSC, PhD; Mario* the Moron

Bro. Wright: There are 435 members of the House of the Representatives, and 100 members of the Senate. Mario, how many members does the Congress have in total?
Mario: *awkward silence*
Bro. Wright: *sighs* Never mind.

A few minutes later..

Bro. Wright: If a Senator gets 51% of the votes, he wins a 'majority'. What percentage of the votes did he not win, Mario?
Mario: Um, sir.. *smiles stupidly*

Oh good heavens shoot me now.

*Name has been changed to protect the moron from death squads.

Jay~

Valkyrie

Ask anyone who vaguely know me, and he/she would tell you that I am a hardcore history buff. I happen to love the Second World War a lot too, and not just because of the spectacular way it brought every continent except South America to war, but also because of Colonel Klaus von Stauffenberg, one of my two German heroes in the war (the other being Erwin Rommel).

This was definitely one of Tom Cruise's better movies, and his resemblance to Col. von Stauffenberg was uncanny. I love how the movie was shot in the real places where the events happened (mostly, anyway), and the accuracy was high. I believe history buffs would appreciate that. The plot was crisp and well-written, with the progression beautifully paced. The only 'negative' thing I might have was the distinct lack of German accent in most of the actors. Not that it changes the feel of the movie (Cruise was actually speaking German at the start!) but I would have preferred it more.

Definitely a must-see.

8/10

Jay~

Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans

The third in the series, this one is a prequel, and I have to say, it really delivered.

I actually watched this a couple of months back, and I was very excited having been a fan of the first two (Underworld, and Underworld: Evolution). Unlike many other prequels (or for that matter, sequels), Underworld 3 really brought a clearer picture to the audience about the happenings in the first two films, and tied up a lot of loose ends about the Lycans.

Sick special effects, great plot, and very emotional scenes are the strongest points of the movie. The fight scenes could be better and there was a little excessive use of blood and gore, but in the end, if you've seen the first two, you must watch this third installment.

7/10

Jay~

Krump Living

I believe that I have found my passion in dancing: KRUMP

I don't want to attempt to explain what that dance style is here, because someone as young as I am in the world of Krump would probably do more harm than good. So kindly just Google 'krump', and look for sites that have 'Krump Kings' on the links.

Anyway, the Krump dancers here in Manila (props to Krumpinoy) have organized two street Krump sessions so far, both at Bonifacio High Street, Serendra, Taguig City (about 20 minutes from Makati). It's been a great success! I have honestly improved so much, and I can really see myself growing in this dance style, to the next level, even.

After my first battle yesterday, which I humbly emerged victorious, I see the spirit and emotion that moves Krump dancers around the world. I am not anymore wondering why this style is being taken up in every major dance capital in the world (assuming), and thanks to the visit of Kaos from Melbourne, Australia, I have been so inspired to continue this.

Thanks Krumpinoy, and the various other Krump dancers who have helped me see which dance style I belong in. :) Here's to many more sessions, and let's get Tight Eyez here in Manila!

Jay~

Immortal Fries?

If you eat McDonald's food, this video is a must-watch.
Frankly, I was terrified.


Emjoy. LOL.
"I'm Lovin' It!"

Jay~

Attack of the Morons

I know, I know.. I should not be so judgmental, and I should always see the best in people. I know I should. And I do, for a GREAT majority of the time, but there are times when I really wonder what sort of idiots I get as classmates. It's so bad, it's ridiculous.

Take for instance my classmate in three major classes, Mr. Beard*. He barely comes to classes, and when he does, he just sits at the back talking and talking and talking. More than a few times this term was he called out by the professor and reprimanded verbally, but I suppose nothing gets past his 3-inch skull. During American Government class, our professor, Bro. Gregory Wright, FSC, PhD (yes, he has a lot more letters after those), explained what an 'adversarial media' was. He calls Mr. Beard five minutes later to repeat what he said.

He stared at Bro. Greg like he was just born.

Come on! Seriously?? How do you idiots survive our major subjects?? I am astonished to see you people get 1.0s! (1.0 is the barely made it grade)

I don't mind that these guys are idiots, or are too damn lazy for their own good. What I am bothered about is that the professors take so much time to explain again the simplest crap over and over again, just so these monkeys can pretend they understood the lesson. They don't even come for quizzes. And the coming in and out of class is very distracting. I think bathroom breaks should be limited to one per three hours when it comes to these people. How much urine can a human body produce in an hour?? Jeez!

Okay. That felt good going out.

And to you people in another class:
Being nice to a professor does not mean I am sucking up to them. I do not NEED to suck up to anyone to get the grades I get. It simply means I can be actually civil to my professors. There are no laws stipulating otherwise, so until then, STFU in class, GTFO of my life, MYOB always, and GFY. :) Remember, I said these while smiling.

Jay~

Bargain Books

Where can one get two books for $5? (Or P200/RM13)
And not just any book. These two books have been on my list for a while now, and who cares if they are a little battered, when the pages are still fine. :)

Michael Crichton's Prey

Michael Crichton's Sphere

Got them at the 168 Shopping Mall (where they sell RIDICULOUSLY cheap items). Both books for 200 pesos, or a little under $5. :D
Jason is very happy.

P.S. I finished Sphere in slightly more than 6 hours. Wow. LOL.

Jay~

Happy Valentine's Day

To everyone, whether you have a partner or not, just enjoy the day and always love yourself first before loving someone else. :)

Happy Valentine's Day especially to Mum and Rog. I hope you two are enjoying Disneyland and Universal Studios. :)

Last but certainly not least, Happy Valentine's Day to my darling Gayle. <3
Thanks for the ice-cream and Timezone. :P

Jay~

Right, And You Are?

Hi readers, I apologize for having disappeared for a week. Paper work has really been getting at me.

Anyway, I have a story to tell.
This was during Danz Dish 4, right after our performance. We were sent to the eight floor of Yuchengco Auditorium, where the view was wanting, and some of us stayed there and watched a bit of the concert before going down. At the seventh floor, where the main auditorium is located, I met up with the rest of Skittlez, and we decided to go inside using our guest passes to say hi to some of us who weren't able to dance. We went in, and looked for the others. Then IT happened.

A young man (I do not know if he will take that as a compliment, because he's gay) went around asking each of us in the most arrogant voice, "Are you in Skittlez? Because you are not allowed here in seventh floor. Please leave." Okaaaaay. We said we were performers, but apparently, since "we were Skittlez" we had to leave the seventh floor auditorium.

We gather outside (there's a lobby of sorts right outside the auditorium door) and discuss what had just happened. We all agreed on one thing: he was unnecessarily rude and arrogant. He managed to piss off not only the hottest tempered Skittle, but every single one of us! Then he made it worse.

He comes out, hands behind his back with that silly sing-song tone of a guy who has an ego larger than the Levy-Shoemaker asteroid, and asked us, "Is there a problem here?" Damn right, dude.

He confronts us, and a heated exchange between him and Ann ensued. Our point was very simple; he did NOT have to treat us like that. Why were all the other ushers so polite to us? We already performed for free, for Pete's sake. What really burst my patience bubble was when he asked if he was being 'bitchy' (in Tagalog he used the word mataray, and I don't know how to accurately translate that). It was bad because he asked it in the most arrogant way I have ever heard.

So I point a finger at him, and told him that it's about time he shut his mouth.

At this point, the whole crew was already seething. Even Decky, our daddy and usually the most composed, asked him to apologize already. Well, he sort of did, but even a blind rat could see the insincerity.

So Mr. Mack, of the La Salle Student Artist Managers, it is solely because of you that Skittlez Crew have turned down all and any request of dance performances for De La Salle University, including, unfortunately, the sponsored event this Friday. I hope you sleep well at night. Have a good time at work when you graduate.

Oh, and God bless you.

Jay~

Ann is 20

Bakla! Happy birthday! LOL.

I wish you all the best, and may you graduate this year with flying colors. Thanks for the patience and understanding whenever I get so stressed with our choreography and practices! Haha.. Our fight last year was memorable in that it made the crew so much stronger.

You'd better stay for Remix 09!! :P

Jay~

Chynna is 19

Happy 19th birthday to my Skittle sister, and our prayer leader in Skittlez!

It has been a pleasure and an honor to have you in our crew, and I am looking to many more shows and performances with you, and your sister Cyrene. God bless, and keep on getting the great grades you always seem to have. :)

Jay~