nil. nada. none.

what's the use of waking up early for your only three-hour class for the day when there won't be any class?


where else but in UP do you find security guards and cafeteria concessionaires filling up 4-star sudoku puzzles in a jiffy?


when was the last time i actually read my high school yearbook?


did i see a red moon when i searched for it?


why do i even bother asking myself these questions?


haha. wala lang. but the answers to the first four questions are: nothing, nowhere, never, no. again, wala lang.


p.s. erratum: the final deficit in the UP-dlsu match was 28 points, not 18. sucks to be a maroon fan.

bad hair day?

my blog is not well-maintained. that is usually the first thought that comes to my mind when bloghopping. next moment, i laugh at my notions dismissively, even if its truth stands. thing is, i can only twitch this site during my spare time, which happens to be now.

anyway, my father forced me to a haircut a week before schedule. i dunno why, but 'pops has developed a monthly angst against my hair, and he always finds ways to get me into a barber shop. last saturday, he did again. while we were watching the last moments of the la salle-UP game...

pops: anong next match?
me: ateneo-feu.
p: ah, feu yan.
m: wag naman. kawawa na ateneo eh, 3 straight na rin yun.
p: talaga? sige, tingin mo ilang points mananalo ateneo?
m: siguro mga sampu. bakit?
p: ah, ganun? sige, ganito. pag hindi nanalo ang ateneo by 10 or more...m: ano po?p: hmmm... alam ko na! sasamahan mo akong magpagupit. hindi, magpapagupit ka!, tapos, dapat pareho tayo ng gupit!
m: ano???!!! seryoso? ayoko nga-
p: okey na ah! sige, magdasal ka na gabo!
m: *silently* syet!

ateneo did win... by eight points. and before i could blame kirk long or chris tiu or anyone else for missing their free throws, my dad and i were both sitting at barbers' chairs. and there goes my short hair... shortened.

moral: gambling is detrimental to your image. [hello, erap.] do at your own risk.

p.s. updated active links, right at the sidebar. for those who i missed out, please advise me. also, i recommend using Blackle over its derivative, Google. comparatively, it saves 15 watts per page load. so if your jumper-free meralco bill is still posting alarming rates, start saving through small ways like this. unless you hate black.

sunday stumper

after two weeks of interrupted classes and inclement weather, four straight days seem to be an unprecedented feat, with added bonus in the return of the previous weather patterns of morning sun and afternoon rains.

but even as the storms have drawn away, the fighting maroons are still in shambles, dismantled by the green archers 61-89. according to my younger brother it was 69-81, but i happened to realize that he was just trying to raise any hopes that i had left for the team. well, honestly, i'd be happy for even if they managed to lose just by a dozen, i'd be saying that the effort is there, i'd be lauding their desire to stay in the game, and all that against a clear-cut final four entry... although maybe there's next year for that.

anyway, i've had a series of mood swings lately. one day i feel that extra bounce, extra hop in my every step, like a child waiting for his candy rations; the next day my entirety's not even interested in budging an inch, and the day after my nerves go haywire, utterly confused with the inconsistencies.

tennis training resumed last wednesday, also affected by that virtual and cold three-week cold. faulty jitters were abundant, but somehow i was confident with my strokes, and it showed - more control, more power, less errors. meanwhile, i realized that i were only two days away from getting my eyeglasses back, thus making me assume that things can only get better.

the saturday that followed was disastrous. i did get my glasses back, i saw the ball better, but my play was a far cry from wednesday's, and that was when i was fortunate enough to slight the ball. pity it had to happen on a day when sky and wind conditions were tennis ideals.

coincidentally, my swings were better when i removed the specs. later in the day, i accidentally left them [glasses] at a friend's place. a sign that fate wants me to part ways with my spectacled past? loads of crap, but even the best poor-sighted athletes rarely use their visual aids during play. i ought to learn from them.

putting things in perspective, i lost 7 pounds (reduced food intake) and P1.5K for that newly-refracted, silver-rimmed pair. i will definitely not sleep with them on.

the ray of light

home is behind / the world ahead /
and there are many paths to tread /
through shadow / through the end of night /
until the stars are all alight /
mist and shadow / cloud and shade /
all shall fade / all shall fade //

my friends, thank you for pointing out the joys of a six-day weekend. as for my part, the star wars bi-trilogy, the harry potter series (1-5), and if anyone recognizes pippin's song, the lord of the rings, all of them. that's thirty-plus hours of viewing time. i wish i hadn't started on hp, though. they might be at par with other box office hits in terms of dollar sales, but in overall grandeur, nahh, not even two cuts away.

regardless, it was an upgrade over excruciatingly waiting for a fighting maroon to exhibit some miniscule form of defense.

meanwhile, who said we have to wait for a "ber" to start christmas festivities? or maybe it's just my dad who fired a gun too early, but i heard him singing white christmas two days ago.

actually, i'm running out of creative juices, but with a stroke of luck, a shred of tomorrow's news, coming from a reliable source through y!m express:

m*_t*: THE BEGINNING OF THE END... OF TOFI! JOIN THE AUGUST 21 MOBILIZATION, 1130AM AT THE AS LOBBY! EMULATE PUP WHERE 5K STUDENTS WALKED OUT OF THEIR CLASSINGS, CAUSING THE JUNKING OF TOFI. PLS PASS - SPARE and UPX

look, i don't have anything against them fighting for their own causes, for others' causes for that matter. but this guy just instructed us to emulate another school's histrionics when we should be the trendsetters. and we are part a University, an institution dedicated to help our families and fellowmen through the best education our country and taxes can offer. so please, if i may say this, let our action materialize inside the classrooms, not out of it.

however, what struck me the most was one of the two organizations purportedly involved: UP Xientia. Xientia, for starters, is derived from Xientian, a term used by students and alumni of my alma mater (QCSHS) to identify themselves as part of the said institution, usually within themselves, but nowadays even to others.

the latter was reinforced with the advent of this new organization, which apparently aimed to gather UP-D Xientian alumni, for whatever the cause they agreed upon. i, along with many others, was invited to this organization, but declined as i did not see the need to differentiate myself from others who do not come from my alma mater, if ever that was their aim in the first place, and i thought it was.

obviously, i missed the mark by a mile. i can't help but wonder if the whole organization thinks as one in this issue, as claimed by that announcement above. now i wish classes would be suspended tomorrow as well, for whatever reason anyone might mind conceiving.

anyway, the sun was up earlier this day, from the east it rose. the clouds were nowhere behind it. with sheer stupidity, i went up to the rooftop, as always, whenever i needed a boost of inspiration. i saw my own shadow, long and flat against the sloping roof. and there i found it - my writer's epiphany. you love it when it happens. i'm already working on it.

p.s. i would like your opinion on a poll i would be posting. details are to follow. thank you.

the sick mind

the last time i went to a hospital to visit my sick lola, i ended up confined on the same room with her, on counts of mild pneumonia, severe asthma, influenza, and mild tuberculosis. and two weeks after lola was released, i was still there. i was a grade 3 student back then, missing at least 15 school days and a field trip. worse, from then on, the cute, chubby kid that i was started dying, and gave birth to the sickly, thin figure that i am now.

a week ago, and eight years later, lola was sick again. last time it was about kidney stones, this time diabetes. 'twas a good thing one of her daughters (a tita of mine) worked before at the philippine heart center, so she was rushed there without worrying about how hard it would be to get a decent room for her (not an establishment on earth is free of politics, i believe). so there she was again.

and today, i was tasked to bring some home cooking to her. memories of almost a decade ago were triggered, recalled, even primed. but i assured myself, oh, but my mom is there.

but then, she was also there, eight years ago.

anyway, i had no choice. and besides, depending on announcements regarding class suspensions, i just might have to do it again the next day, and the next, and the next... so i better get used to it.

nearly an hour later, i had arrived, towing two tupperwares-full of sinigang na bangus and rice with me into an elevator, went up four floors as the guard instructed me back down at the lobby (felisa limpin? room 443c, petal d po, ayun po yung elevator), and started on the series of corridors up a head.

suddenly, my body went chill, as i haply sniffed out some murky, unpleasant odor. of course, it was just air conditioning and the usual clean banyo smell always present within hospital confines, but my system reacted to it violently, at least for a few moments.

i got there alive. lola was stationed right at the left wing of three separate cubicles only separated by dividers, privacy only provided by curtains. she was half-asleep on her bed, iv tubings pierced on the veins of her wrist, the lights dim; then i saw my mom, who looked like she didn't have any sleep, watchfully sitting on a thin bench beside the bed. i set my pasalubong on a nearby table, then sat down beside my mom.

that was when i noticed: my hands were dry and shivering. my lungs were starting to constrict, my every breath strained with wheezing. then, as if preordained by time, an unused electronic thermometer, hiding in one of the drawers, took my gaze. it was still boxed, but the gadget manual was sticking out. i pulled it out, unfolded it, and started reading.

press the button to turn on/off. when 37.0C appears on the digital screen, it is ready to take measurements. for oral or rectal temperatures, one minute; for axilliary temperatures, 2-3 minutes. a slow beeping rhythm means that the temperature is within non-fever range (<37.8c);>

axilliary means armpits, eh? so i turned the thing on, waited for the said beeps... and they came. however, rapidly. i comprehended the digits as 3-9-0, then took the manual again, trying not to believe at the device. yet there was nothing wrong with the thermometer.

that was the last straw. "mama, uuwi na po ako."

i was 15 minutes and a jeep away from home when i learned that classes were suspended around midday due to supertyphoon egay. however, the sun was lurking over the clouds. i basked in that patch of sunlight, thanking each drop of saltwater coming out of my pores. the sun is a lovely thing to behold, i thought.

right after that thought, a raindrop fell from the heavens. the chill returned, but now it took more effort to breathe. seven followed, then tens, then dozens. and i was still fifteen minutes away from home. the wind was harsh, the storm relentless, i, drenched, stuck, in pain, and without an umbrella.

a jeep finally came. i half-ran, half-wobbled into the vehicle, found a quarter of a seat, nearly sat on an elderly woman beside the spot, squeezed my lean frame in, but i was falling. before all went black, i heard someone screaming.

-------

"gabo, gising! mamayang hapon pa klase mo diba? daanan mo ng pagkain si lola sa heart center, mamayang mga alas-onse."

=======

a few notes:

1. saw a replay of the ust-dlsu 2nd round match earlier. sharon yu (dlsu) wasn't wearing glasses, and i thought she looked horrible. diane querrer... duling yata siya?
2. i don't remember mentioning my younger sib taking the upcat. i'll be passing his admu application form tomorrow. (perhaps i'll see you, miles? and bring along the others too, if you please? teehee.)
3. state u was supposed to lose to uste today. supertyphoon egay didn't want that, but it wanted us to get our 9th loss against our friends in katipunan. not much of a difference, hmm?
4. honestly, i miss having classes. even if it means the destruction of my two eyes, a severe headache and tons of stress. but then, the government bogeymen say wait until 11 pm tonight. sheesh.

caught up... barely.

(last of a 3-series special)

i'm *cough* dead *sneeze* sick *faint*. lately i've been snacking on caps and tabs like they were popcorn, hoping that drinking water encourages a placebo effect, and experiencing early morning asthma attacks twice its normal occurence rate. and ever since i accidentally slept on my eyeglasses, i've had five days worth of sore eyes (and nearly a long exam), a very strained left eye and a virtually helpless right, deep-set eyes being showcased to everyone, and not a day without eye-mo, as my eyes seem to be waiting for just one big kamot before all turns red.

all these, plus the irregular weather, the slew of national holidays, a glaring lack in extra-curricular activities, the absence of friends and usual companions, and mental pressures led to a school life burnout, wherein everything seems to be tiring and/or boring. imagine: i have 12 units worth on mondays and thursdays, and those are the days when either a professor called sick or classes are off by chance. i mean, what are the odds?

my dad would tell me half-jokingly that it's all in the head. i hope he's right.

=======

three incentive papers.
two film showings.
a quiz, a practical, an exam, tons of readings.
15 hours community service. 0 hours completed.
a prospective cssp reg assistant.
19 units next semester, including two 5-unit courses.
2.5k pesos of expenditures before the end of this month.
borderline balance in my atm.
another UP loss.
two months before their application process ends.
a still empty, partially crumpled tennisUP sigsheet.
muscle pains and slight weight loss.
a need for inspiration.
nostalgic dreams.
a dismissing smirk.
a cheery smile.

p.s. happy birthday to everyone who had birthdays from june to tomorrow. dami nyo eh.
p.s.s. jessica zafra rules. jessica alba is hot.
p.s.s.s. errata: sorry for raising your hopes a bit too early, UP fans. the writer was referring to preseason performances. but they'll do great nonetheless.

catching up: two

(part 2 of an n-series special)

so far, we've had four suspensions of classes virtually nationwide. and i'm not complaining, but... i wanna learn! and having a bumlike lifestyle doesn't help, just when i learned how to wake up early and all those whatnot.

and the rains... ah. they came in two months late. why? remember hurricane katrina and that big earthquake back then? they both literally shook the world, tilting it off its axis by two more degrees. unfortunately, our government relies on a poor, outdated knowledge base, thus they didn't know about it, so two months later, and having a threatening dry spell at hand, they are forced to administer cloud seeding for the survival of our agribusiness sector.

well, as of now our lands are still relatively dry, and children are forced to stay within the confines of their homes (or commercial centers, probably), thus cutting short any academic momentum gained from early june up to last tuesday. at least that's how i feel right now, and there are more who share my sentiments, then it spells a potential problem for the current Philippine educational system as well, i.e. the start of classes being moved from june to september, american style.

but wait, at least two more holidays are to come. oooh, i can't wait.

p.s. talk about academic momentum being halted: i'm supposed to have made a write-up on cinemalaya 07's best picture, tribu, two days ago. until now i haven't started yet. sheesh.

catching up: one

(part 1 of an n-series special)

inasmuch as i want to dwell on myself immediately, the UP men's basketball team says otherwise. thus i divert my attention into uaap season 70, where State U has become the laughingstock of media-misinformed rivals and faithful alike.

after one round in men's basketball, UP is currently the cellar dweller, having accumulated a 7-0 standing in favor of the losses. blame it on the coach, on the inexperience of the players, on the virtually nonexistent fanbase. but seriously, who would cheer for a team that loses by a bunch of points in a regular basis, that gives up right after halftime? point is, where has that FIGHT in the maroons gone? everyone understands that this is a year of rebuilding for the team, but heck, it's never an excuse for not trying.

worse thing is, the so-called ill luck of the men donning maroon are gravely overshadowing UP's achievement's in other sports. take the women's basketball team, for example, which earned a photograph in one of the University periodicals recently because they have not lost a single game in 5 tries, so far. our swimming team is bent on steamrolling any competition, and the tennis team is right on cue to contend for a gold. all that, and i haven't even mentioned the UP Pep yet.

ahh, finally got all that off my chest. i'm supposedly done for this entry, but someone commented on one of my previous papers regarding objectivity in reporting, and asked me what i thought of season 70's courtside reporters (i got to be paid for this one, dear). a reminder: i have no intention of offending any institution, just my two cents' worth (ranked them from worst to best):

NU - rizza diaz. what the heck, you are supposed to be a courtside reporter who tries to minimize personal bias as much as possible, not a live-game cheerleader. but perhaps, those are what you'd call... rookie mistakes.

AdU - aaron atayde. look, no bad blood, but in the media-hyped uaap, men play ball and women talk. and honestly, if i were a player on that bench, a girl's presence could do way better than a guy in boosting my morale. who knows, maybe you'll get more than a win. but you're good, really. you just happened to be a guy.

UST - diane querrer. ahh, so-so. considering that you patrol the bench of the reigning champions, you're doing fine. nothing spectacular, though. but you're definitely an upgrade over last year's reporter.

ADMU - vanna lim. had the blue and white not been my first love, i would've put you next to last. i know, it's hard replacing a lovable gal like lia cruz, and that you're clan's basically English-speaking, pero kung susubukan mo mang mag-Tagalog, please, ayusin mo naman, nakakahiya ka eh. even norman black's better than you, truth be told.

FEU - andi manzano. if you haven't noticed, as i go up the rankings, i become a bit more... er, biased. i put dj andi-9/vj andi right in the upper four because she somehow knows how the trade goes, and i think she's cute. but please, keep those mistakes to a minimum, and don't distort your face every now and then. you're not on radio, you're cute, and you're on TV. so smile, dearie!

UP - cathy untalan. aha! and the crowd goes wild. however, you have read about the bias thing by now. i also had to give her some leeway, you know, she replaced her excellency gretchen fullido and that her last courtside job was with the reigning ncaa champion san beda red lions. now she is with the league's carpetfeeders, no need telling you that she has a lot of adjusting to do.. but haven't you noticed how she towers above all other courtside reporters, coaches, and even some players?

DLSU - sharon yu. cute, and she wears glasses, plus she's doing really good for a rookie in coming to duty for last year's league absentees. and again, she wears glasses. i wonder how much fun those newly-shaved green dudes are having.

UE - tracy abad. the only non-rookie among all of them, she is two cuts above the rest; always smiles, never rattled, charismatic, very clear and concise, and it also helps that her team is winning. she is definitely who the others ought to look up to, season 70's best courtside dame. she also has sleek, long hair, for a bonus.

maybe next time, i'll start talking about me... that is, if the maroons give some justice in their losses, perhaps?

a fresh start

ahhh... this should do. hello again, and welcome to lineofscythe.blogspot.com's version 2.0 beta. it has less graphics, yes, but it's sparkling white, maroon, green, and clean! and more importantly, it basically serves its purpose. i'll go for this look at least for now. however, i'm hoping that i'll be able to maintain the site updated on a regular basis. rest assured, i'm doing my best.

that's it for now until next time. toodle-oo!