Murphy's Law

remember him who said something like this: if something might possibly go wrong, it definitely will go wrong sooner than later.

looking for proof? well, yesterday, i was intent on reviewing for my psych 108 exam the next day (which is today). however, when i was to start on my ever reliable bluebook-notebook, a glass of water decided to tumble smack on my shabby notes. drying it took overnight, and i was fortunate enough to recognize my handwriting through the mess.

here's another one: this very post should've been published one hour ago, but by pure chance, my dad came along and shooed me off the desktop. now i'm sitting pretty on front of mommy's laptop... rewriting in verbatim some portions of this text.

anyway, it's one more month to freedom for the UPD studentry. yes, i considered the two-week lag, and yes, this tireless guy needs a good dose of rest. i won't mind bloody red x's on my papers, i just want to lock myself up inside the house, enjoy the cushions for once.

i'm quite sure most of you would agree, as i'm probably not the only one who had three exams in two weeks, practicals in bowling, loads of tennis practice, a six-game match, intermittent asthma attacks for three weeks, and bill payment errands, among others.

the roadblocks? maybe some reporting tasks, exams, quizzes, 15 hours community service, job orders, financial constraints, bad hair days, shallow-breath tempests, and more trivial stuff to come. take my word, friends: remember Murphy.

anyway, some announcements:

1) UP lost again, this time to our Katips neighbors... again. duh. why am i even including this? because, the final score is 59-93, the largest losing margin this season, and probably one for the record books.
2) to all UPD Psych majors: does pavlov ring a bell? the new Psych shirt is out now, for only Php 150! reservations can be arranged at PHAn Lobby until september 11, for only 50 bucks. (tiff, i hope this counts as spreading the word, hmm? :D)

for the last time, take heed, and remember Murphy.

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.

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?