Fairly long post, considering how long I haven’t been around… ah, well.

.:Philosophy Can Be Funny:.

Apparently, Mr. Bulaong couldn’t help but keep up the notion that debaters are an inferior class to philosophers. While I’m not too inclined to disagree, one has to realize the fact that I’m not really that much of a debater, per se, if only for the consideration that I never really made it to varsity to begin with, nor did I really win any big debating tournaments for that matter. Simply put, I’m a king among insects, which isn’t much of a consolation, all things considered. I’m still a bit flattered by the notion that I can “go beyond being just a debater”, as I am more and more open to the idea of teaching Philosophy once I graduate. All I need is to be invited after I have made my desire to teach clear enough.

Anyways, Mr. Bulaong was employing me as an example a couple of days ago, saying that being a debater, I could try to use every logical nook and cranny just so I could convince one of my classmates that 1+1=3. Interestingly enough, I have such an idea in mind, but I’ll save that for later…

Lots of quotable quotes for sir this week…

“Maria, bakit ka tumatawa? Bastos iyan, ano?” (“Maria, why are you laughing? That’s green, isn’t it?”)

“So maybe you people have gone through that, I don’t know. Failing Math, for instance. Ako, hindi ako bumabagsak sa Math.” (“…Me, I don’t fail Math.”)

“Wipe out is such an American expression. As a Filipino, I think, ‘Wipe out? What? The dirt?’” (Gestures in a wiping notion in front of a girl’s face.)

As usual, Arthur tries to argue the 1+1=2 thing because of the possibility of exceptions. Apparently, he’s been trying to disagree with Kant’s notion of an a priori conception of truth, such that certain exceptions can and will exist. Mr. Bulaong easily debunks that… ah, well. However, here’s a classic bit of dialogue…

Marcelle: Sir, kamukha ninyo si Arthur. (Sir, you look like Arthur.)

Mr. Bulaong: (Class laughs really hard, as he asked me to repeat the above line a couple of times before getting it.) Marcelle, see me after class. Naka-“A” ka lang sa 102 mo… (You just aced your Philosophy 102, and…)

Later, Mich reiterates…

Mich: But sir, hawig niyo talaga si Arthur.

Mr. Bulaong: Let’s not talk about that…

.:A Shot In The Arm:.

It’s been a while since I last met up with Tsumenki, so I was genuinely glad when I managed to last Wednesday. Grace and I waited for her at McDonald’s, where we simply chatted around for an hour or so. Even more interesting was that nice anime store Tsumenki showed to us in Shoppesville. Perfect. I have all the anime I’d ever need, one stop. Nonetheless, I was pretty happy about the whole thing, simply because I was now able to find the perfect spot for anime and wrestling videos. At the same time, Tsumenki later on in the week gave me the opportunity to practice my voice by having me read the transcript of a few scenes in Sensei 2… pretty interesting stuff, really.

I didn’t get to stay there long, though, simply because I had a surprise party to attend, which further made me feel that I was pretty close to being an honorary member of the Computer Science class, considering how often I hang around with a good deal of them. I was the first person out there at Earl’s house, so it was pretty amusing when I called Vida up on her phone because she obviously couldn’t talk distinctly enough, lest she ended up getting found out before the appropriate time. I hung around there and ended up realizing that Earl’s family is Chinese… his sister kind of reminded me of the fact. Ah, the hotness of it all. Haltered-backless is… err… impressive. Anyways, in any case, the people were pretty hospitable, and it wasn’t long before other people slowly showed up, some of them thankfully people I actually knew. I was just talking a bit with them, and Christopher was trading magic trick techniques with me. Nonetheless, the food was good, and the company was pretty okay. If I was known as Ranma back in high school, I’m being called Onizuka now… heh.

Christopher also had something interesting to say to me… but I’ll stop right there.

And so I noticed that I’ve been getting quite a few votes already for my categories in the Blue Roast. I simply hope that I could win in the “Crush ANG Bayan” (“Crushing on the town.”) category, though. I can do without “Batch Genius” considerations, though I’d appreciate at least making it to the final four. Lately, I know I’ve been pretty mean in saying this, but the signs that Mr. Benedicto is a lot more human than he’d wish to be has been quite a consolation for me. Nobody’s bothered voting for the jabroni as “Batch Genius”, to begin with. Nor did he win the Dean’s Awards in the Literary Essay category in spite of his extensive portfolio which, from what I heard, was about seven times as thick as mine was. I guess I couldn’t complain about not winning if that were the case, then. But it’s good to know that the bastich didn’t exactly get too far ahead, either.

So what’s all with the Bobby B hate? Oh, wait. My bad. Not Bonifacio. Benedicto. Nothing really. Call it envy or what you will, though envy is far from it, considering there are worthier people to be envious of. I just call it an aura of annoyance that the jabroni emits. Besides, he’s got a lot going for him already. Let him retain a bit of his humanity by having detractors…

.:GTO Again?!?:.

I just saw an episode of GTO that simply made me realize that irregardless of how much a person knows, irregardless (It’s not a word! Who freaking cares?) of how brilliant he or she is, that person is still human. I have to remember that. I’m not dealing with Chii 100%: I’m dealing with someone who comes pretty close, but is still very much human. Simply put, I have to recognize their humanity, and make a clear effort to do so if in case my realization of such faltered.

Kanzaki in GTO was a genius, but she was a human being, in spite of her being a test-tube baby. In Chobits, Ueda the manager married his Persocom. The Persocom is clearly not human. Bah Gawd, this anime is getting more and more gripping by the moment. Nonetheless, this is all simply a reiteration to myself that Sacha Chua is very much a human being, and as such, I should recognize her for what she is truly worth: a good friend who has her quirks and her seeming invincibilities, but is inevitably human in spite of it. Kanzaki clinched this fact for me. I guess I’m taking that renewed realization with me when I go to her house on Saturday. I know I have some issues and all, but let’s face it: granted different circumstances, I will still not expect to be anything more. So many reasons why it is simply so…

I’ve never been this moved by an anime for the longest time. I can actually argue that Rayearth and Ranma didn’t really strike this kind of an emotional chord in me, but maybe that’s just a product of hindsight. Ah, well.

.:Better Training:.

I don’t expect people to believe that I’m this amazing on-air talent with a golden voice, simply because it’s not true. Maybe I should really take Cherry’s advice and train in a Call Center for a while (With pay!) to learn Amspeak, then once I’m good to go, I simply quit. Haven’t been able to speak to Cherry in quite a while. That was a welcome development, no doubt. Ah, well. In spite of that, I’m pretty glad that I didn’t get any harsh rounds of criticism last Thursday, and in fact, I had a good time with Chico and Delamar today, considering the fact that it was a four-hour show this time around. Lots and lots of funny dialogue, and just in time for me to use my newly-purchased walkman, which is exactly Grace’s model.

Chico: So this guy boards the jeepney with a bloody handkerchief. Everyone in the jeepney was scared sick for the guy and wanted to help him. Soon enough, considering how he refused all their help, they opened the handkerchief, only to find in the bloody hanky two severed fingers with rings on them.

Delamar: Oh. What did they do?

Marcelle: He must’ve been trying to steal the ring!

Delamar: Yes, Marcelle. We know. I was wondering what the passengers did.

Marcelle: I guess it’s one of those “duh” moments…

Chico: Yes. It sure is.

Delamar: “Stealing the ring”! Ahh… my precious…

As if those moments weren’t enough…

Chico: Knock knock!

Delamar: Who’s there?

Chico: Egg.

Delamar: Egg who?

Chico: Excuse me, can I have an egg?

Talk about corny. Much to Delle’s chagrin, that was labeled a “Superfun” moment… heh. She did have her chance to pay back the favor, though, when she more or less declared that my handwriting is worse than Chico’s…

Interestingly enough, today’s Hot 10 was about the “Hot 10 Movie Lines You Want To Quote To Somebody”. My answer was pretty much something from the top of the head. I had ideas about funny lines, but never mind. I stuck to my guns with “Got 2 Believe”, and then quoted that line someone said to Claudine Barretto…

”You know, Mr. Perfect is not always Mr. Right.”

.:Relax…:.

I guess it’s about time I gave myself a bit of leeway, considering how our group project for Pol Sci turned out really well. My groupmates were extremely good, as we collectively managed the time well enough for us to do just about everything right on schedule. Interestingly enough, Even Sach was relaxing with her class just a bit last time I sat in on her class. She was doing those multi-tasking tricks where your left hand turns clockwise and your other hand counter-clockwise. Pretty interesting, to say the least. Only then did I discover that she actually plays Percussion Freaks and Dance Maniax, so there should be something to look forward to in the future… ah, well. It was entertaining, to say the least.

.:What A Sappy Schmuck:.

I can’t believe this. It’s either I’m more easily affected by films now, or the films I’ve been watching as of late were simply that great. Apparently, “My Sassy Girl” is one such film that has so much emotionality that it haunts me. And all of those matters that may have seemed to be merely pure chance in the film were really poignant moments that certainly made me feel rather emotional and all. Bah Gawd, I can’t believe this. I appear to be really affected by that movie…

Anyone who hasn’t seen “My Sassy Girl” and is strong enough to admit to being a sucker for sappy films should watch this movie… and yeah, you can borrow it from me after I’ve seen it one more time… or two… or three… gah! I’m such a sap, after all! Ah, well. It doesn’t hurt to revel in my humanity every once in a while, I suppose. This film is just so great and therapeutic for me… I will review it soon, but as early as now, I’m handing it an A+ for its sheer beauty…

“Fate is merely building a bridge of chance for your love.”

.:The Top Five:.

Next Week’s Top Five: The Top Five Non-Politicians Who Should Run For President Of The Philippines.

As for this week…

The Top Five New Year’s Resolutions You’re Bound To Break:

5. To stop making New Year’s Resolutions.
4. To not migrate come May.
3. To avoid any repetitive redundancies and other wrong mistakes on grammar.
2. To stop repeating myself.
1. To stop repeating myself.

.:Whoa! Can You Believe This? Fun With Math!:.

Here’s an interesting proof of how 5=1. I will merely use basic Algebra to show how this equation works, and I leave it up to you jabronis to let me know what you think about it…

-5 = -5 (Basic equation.)
25-30 = 1-6 (Just another way of stating the above.)
25-30+9 = 1-6+9 (Add 9 to one side, balance this by adding 9 to the other.)
(5-3) squared = (1-3) squared (Both sides are perfect square trinomials.)
square root of (5-3) squared = square root of (1-3) squared (Get the square root of both sides.)
5-3 = 1-3 (Result of getting the square root of each side.)
5-3+3 = 1-3+3 (Add 3 to both sides to cancel the –3.)
5=1 (THE RESULT.)

And now, here is the proof that women are evil (Not my idea, but I thought I’d just relate it…)

Woman = Money and Time
”Time is Money”, so Time=Money
Therefore, Money and Time = Money and Money
Money and Money = Money SQUARED
”Money is the root of all Evil”, therefore, Money SQUARED is evil.”
Since Woman = Money and Time = Money and Money = Money SQUARED = Evil…
…We come to the conclusion that WOMAN = EVIL

See you jabronis next week!

I have a post on Philo I'm writing right now. Don't worry. I'd just be talking about what happened in class. Pretty funny stuff.

GTO and Chobits were really nice today. Chobits had a bathing suit special, although there're some more mysteries that presented itself in the series. GTO, on the other hand, introduced a cute girl with glasses to me, though I sure don't like her attitude... that's why I, err, Eikichi spanked her...

I'll do the post some other time. Gotta meet up with Tsumenki.
In the meantime, do continue nominating me at the Kostka Extension for the Blue Roast Batch Awards. I'm gunning for gifted child and crush Ang bayan. Do note the "A". :)

.:The Evil Sound Trip:.

I’ll take a hiatus from talking about GTO and Chobits (Though both shows proved really interesting today. Tomoko in the former, and the ghost story in the latter.) for today, and just relate to you this pretty weird thing Abby did to me when I called her on the phone today. We were just talking a bit here and there about the Blue Roast when the topic jumped to songs. She was asking me about this particular song by Lisa Loeb and for a huge fan like me, I was surprised that I didn’t even know about it. I then started telling her about this particular song that simply rended my heart. It’s something I should tell you jabronis about in the near future. Maybe on a special occasion… heh.

Anyways, Abby then started playing lots of different songs on her MP3, among them, “Muntik Na Kitang Minahal” (“I Almost Loved You”). Sad song after sad song, more or less, including Nina’s “Jealous”, and a couple of Freestyle hits. I suppose she wasn’t really trying to depress me or anything, but that first song was simply one of my crying songs. And to be honest, some of those songs she played were songs that used to apply to her. So maybe they don’t hold as much significance any longer, but they still do strike a chord. I guess she didn’t mean any harm, but she sure dampened my spirits a bit. Nonetheless, we had a pretty interesting, although short discussion…

I just wish it didn’t sting like this from time to time, though.

.:Being In Touch:.

Ah, interesting. It would appear that my talk with Angie today yielded something very noteworthy about her… apparently, my gut feel about her relationship status was pretty much appropriate, as it was obvious that this wasn’t even her first go at it. In spite of that, it was good to hear from her, truth be told. I missed talking to her for the longest time, and I do realize that Anj and I are far from the closest people I would know of. Irregardless (A-ha! The nonexistent word!), she has always been a good friend to me, and it was good to hear from her after the longest time… I must say that I was simply happy about all of that…

Got to speak to Rachel Reyes, who’s CP 6 by now, I believe, but that’d easily change when I make yet another update the next week, thanx to my short chat with her. It would appear that one of the CP’s I wrote off, Faye Reyes (I suppose you get it now.), is actually Rachel’s sister. Talk about surprises. I find myself a bit slow on the uptake, considering this is the second time I’ve run into someone who was actually related to one of my CP’s, and yet I didn’t know about it, clearly. Mark Lim was one. And now, Rach is another. Of course, to Grace’s chagrin, the rather merciless image of the two sisters in the same regard is a wee bit… unorthodox. It never even occurred to me that they may have been related, but it was, without a doubt, a pleasant surprise. Too bad I couldn’t get a photograph of Rach on short notice, though. It would’ve been good, simply because that’d enable me to actually let Tsumenki see some of my friends at that point… ah, well. It’s no biggie, I guess.

.:Hate Mail:.

This time, in the form of text messages sent in to 2299 during my stint this morning with Chico and Delamar. Apparently, I was right in being hesitant over the prospect that my sore throat voice was preferred by the listeners, and thus, constantly lambasted me over my not-so-spectacular voice throughout the show…

From Bartender: I’m sorry to be mean this a.m., but who is this marcel from Radio 1? He sounds like most of your callers. We kinda wanna here (sic) natural English with a twang.

That’s interesting, jabroni, because there is nothing natural about a contrived twang in your voice when you speak in English. At the same time, you might “kinda wanna” learn to spell “hear” correctly, neh? I can write and spell (Except for the word “irregardless”::winks::). I can talk a bit competently on the air, or else I wouldn’t even be at level 4 in Radio 1. It must really blow to be you, neh?

From ???: Who the hell is with Chico and Delle right now? Get off the airwaves if you can’t sound like Chico and Delle. Pang-AM lang ang boses mo! (Your voice is only for AM radio!)

Let’s get this right. If I sound like Chico and Delamar, that would mean I have two voices at the same time. And why would I even want to call myself Marcelle if I sound like two different people? I’m amazed, lady. You seem to have a spectacular talent to expect people like me to talk like two different people, since you want me to “sound like Chico and Delle”. Talk about a Herculean task. And yeah, don’t knock people on AM radio, either. That’s where I spent four years of my life. I grew up with the AM modulation style, and the FM mindset. Plus, Mike Enriquez is prolly ten times as rich and as famous as this nameless bastich happens to be, anyway. So don’t go around assuming that AM people sound bad.

So I don’t sound like Frank Sinatra on the microphone. So I have a nasal sound accompanying my r’s, and my diction is off at times. Maybe that explains why I’m training, and why I’m not a full-time disk jockey yet, doesn’t it? I know I can’t please everybody, but those sumbishes just really took the wind right out of my sails, to the point that I had a hard time just chiming into the conversation like that, simply because I was seething over the remarks of these people who don’t even provide me my paycheck, to begin with, so I suppose I shouldn’t be taking any crud for them.

I’m working on my speech patterns. I know I sound pretty good off the air but otherwise on the air, but that’s exactly why I’m training with Chico and Delle, so I could actually be able to do it well when my job would depend on it already. I’m tempted to make myself a batch of salabat (Ginger juice.) on a regular basis just to help myself along there. Or maybe I should get my sore throat back, because I seem to have gotten rave reviews for that run and not this one. It’s not like I said anything rather noteworthy, either. “Putting the runaway groom together with the fickle-minded bride” does not constitute an exceptional amount of wit on my part. I know I can’t please everybody, and I know Chico and Delle get even more criticism than I do, but you can’t help but admit that those stinging remarks really just eat away at me. It’s a challenge to improve, but I may as well have fun at the expense of these sumbishes who lambasted me.

I guess this means I have to train some more. Maybe on Thursday, although I’d be on air on Sunday, 9-12 in the morning as well. I shudder to think how I sound in the School Gimmick Board voice-over I made… this ought to prove quite interesting.

**********************************************

.:The Blue Roast Awards, And Other Instances Of Shameless Plugging:.

My short term goal is quite simple: to be nominated in the Blue Roast Awards. There’s a particular category that I have the feeling I fit to a “T”, although of course, it’s not something I ought to take seriously, considering my state with Grace (And to all you naysayers, eff you all. Four years don’t lie.). Still, it’d be interesting to see myself nominated for the “Crush ang Bayan” (“Has a crush on the town”) award. So to all those Ateneans who can find the time (And the two bucks or so. Nominations are unlimited as long as your money is.) to nominate me for this category, I’d sincerely appreciate it. Please, please do. It’s a cheap thrill yes, but I’d go for it anyway.

Gee, I wonder who my blue rose would go to, and if I’d ever receive even just one from someone who’s not a guy. Nonetheless, given the limited people I know, here are the categories, my chances of finding my name in there, and the people whom I believe simply deserve to find their place in this year’s Blue Roast Awards…

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES:

Batch Kengkoy: He or she is the batch comedian. As far as I’m concerned, I believe this distinction should go to Omar Flores.

Batch Celebrity Look-Alike: Hmm… I guess Jose Sixto Dantes looks a lot like Dingdong Dantes. Oh, wait. Seriously, I don’t think I fit into this category, regardless of the Cogie Domingo crud. Ala Paredes looks like, well… Ala Paredes. Patty Laurel looks like, well… Patty Laurel.

Batch Frequent Cutter: I iron man my classes, so no go for me at all. This goes to Renee Funtanilla, I guess.

Batang Cov Courts: This person is almost always in the covert courts, most likely a basketball addict. Nope. I’m far from it. Maybe Don Umali or one of the guys who also play with him there often?

“The Lib Is My Home” Award: The person who has decided to spend most of his or her college life in the library. Not me, definitely. Hmm… Zennia Mariano, perhaps?

Manyakumlaude: The epitome of green. Green-minded, that is. While I’m a bit guilty of such, not too many people know that. Given the people I know, I suppose it would have to be Rod Cantada who should get this.

Gifted Child: Sigh. Would’ve wanted to be this, but Bobby Benedicto will probably sweep this one, hands down.

“Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig” Award: The person whose bag seems to contain just about everything. I don’t have much of a bag. The only one who comes to mind who does would be Charles Tan, but that’s mostly books.

“Bahala Na Si Batman!” Award: The person who lives for the deadline. The king or queen of cramming. Hmm… Elbert Or, perhaps? I don’t cram as much.

Most Talked About Senior: Ha! That’d be the day when I’d come into play for that. More likely, it would be someone like Patty Laurel, or some other UAAP player who’s also a senior.

The Fashionista: Nuh-uh. I’m not too fashionable. Still, Audrey Tanco and at times even Daph Villanueva, perhaps. As for the males, Jeci David? Not sure, though.

Rock Star: Count me out. Katwo Librando for female, I have no idea for male.

“Bottomless Pit” Award: Who do I see eating food all the time? Not me, nor do I actually see anyone. Closest thing is Darnell Kho, but even that’s a long shot.

Drama King And Queen: If we’re talking about real life, I’m a shoo in. But we’re talking about acting prowess. Bro Andaya? I wouldn’t know. Neither would I know for females because Abby Yao no longer acts for T.A.

“Plume!” Award: The batch writers. Willard Cheng and Mich Orosa, hands down. I’m a net writer, so that doesn’t count.

“Cut!” Award: The director. Don’t look my way. This has Bobby Bonifacio written all over it…

Beadle Of The Year: I was never a beadle my whole life. However, Angie Bautista, Don Umali, and Elbert Or all have been. Lots of times.

Kikay Queen: I’m not even the right gender. Heh. I still say Audrey Tanco.

Human Whirlwind: Bobby Benedicto and maybe Daph Villanueva, or even Diane Sayo, but this is mostly from personal experience. I’m more of a whirlwind, but due to activities outside the academe…

Forever Harrassed: I hardly look that way. Elbert Or does, though, usually. Kate Mendez at times, too.

Coffee Addict: I don’t drink coffee. Faye Ibanez should be a strong contender for this, as it’s “Starbucks Queen” herself.

Mr. And Ms. Friendster: The friendliest people in the batch. Count me out. I’m very selective. However, Angie Bautista and Don Umali aren’t. I know. Top of the head. I’m sure the latter has another contender.

Love Siya Ng Batch: The most beloved student of Batch 2004. Me? Ha! I’d give this sooner to Angie Bautista, or maybe to Bobby Benedicto.

Taray Queen: Hmm. The feistiest of them all. I’m the wrong gender again! Madeline Dy seems to fit this bill perfectly.

Proud To Be Jologs: Not too many people know that about me. However, Bobby Bonifacio is conspicuous about it, as he’s devoted two short films to the whole idea.

Master Showman: The sheer performer. That’s obviously not up my alley, to be honest and to shelve aside the self-delusion for a moment. I’d give this to Don Umali, but lots of people say Jethro Tenorio should not be overlooked, either.

Mr. Suave: Damn, I wish that were me. But no, Wilfred Segovia is a lot smoother than I can ever be. Plus, he has the moustache for it.

Master Stalker: I can stalk, but no one is as popular for stalking as Charles Tan is.

Bootylicious Award: I’m sorry. I rarely look at that part of people’s anatomy, so I wouldn’t know at all.

Super Sereyna: The ultimate gay icon. Stop pointing at me, dammit. Some argue it’s Trixie Reyna, but she’s not really gay (I guess that’s hard to believe, but…), is she? Carlo Aquino, a.k.a. Anjo Lorenzana Jr. is more apt.

“Simply Amazing” Award: The most respected in the batch. Not me again. Not Luis Geronimo, either. I forgot the name of that other guy in Eco-H. That’s the one everyone seems to hold in esteem quite highly.

He’s Got Game: Not me. Larry Fonacier, I suppose.

She’s Got Game: Wrong gender for me. Becky Van Ommen would be the best choice.

“Ang Laki Ng Bahay Ko” Award: The person who wears house clothes often. I wouldn’t be caught dead doing that. Elbert Or, and just about a third of all senior dormers in the Ateneo at times.

Where’s The Partay?: The glam student. Audrey Tanco? I sure don’t fit the “glam” description, either. I have no idea who else, but I’m sure there’re quite a few.

Always Hyper: I’m mostly morose. I guess this one should go to Arthur something from our Philo class. He’s always got something to say.

Tomador: Sharleen Tan? I don’t drink, so I wouldn’t know. Carlo Romero is another option.

Gimmick King And Queen: Absolutely no idea. Renne again? Rose?

Crush Ng Bayan: Audrey Tanco, Bobby Bonifacio, LA Tenorio, Larry Fonacier, Daph Villanueva. I’m out of the running…

Crush Ang Bayan: No question about it. MARCELLE FABIE! Who else, neh? CP’s be damned, otherwise.

Say Cheese!: Best smile. Abby said Pia Faustino. I guess. I’m not too fond of my smile. I’m sure Jeci David is.

“Getting Better And Better” Award: Ah, the one who looked better as time passed by. Not me, obviously. Don Umali, who lost a whole lot of weight, sure fits this.

“Paganda Ng Paganda Ang Buhok” Award: Again, not me. Diane Sayo? Err… Dione Cotoco? My hair isn’t too good, but theirs are.

The Buzz! Award: The gossip mills of the batch. Willard Cheng and Je-An Aquino seem to be good options. Not my line.

Phat Award: The sexiest in the batch. I wish. Females clamor for Larry Fonacier, and the men fall head over heels for Patty Laurel.

Batch King And Queen: I dunno. I’m out of this, no question about it. Patty Laurel and Larry Fonacier again?

GROUP CATEGORIES:

“Sarap Maging Barkada” Award: The batch’s coolest group of friends. Mine graduated. The other mine exploded elsewhere… maybe one of the SEC groups, like Lotte Villarosa’s and maybe Jen Simons’, but of course, the trifecta of Darnell Kho, April Rojales, and Trixie Reyna should cause some buzz.

“Together Forever” Award: Grace is in UST, so that leaves me out of it. Maybe Abby and Bro, but they got things moving in 3rd year. Lala and GJ perhaps? Or would Mich Orosa and Carlo Ople be better for this?

“Better Late Than Never” Award: Not up my alley. This is for those who got together as a couple only as seniors. Frankly, I have no idea who fits this. I’m sure someone in Comm does, though.

“Pagdating Ng Panahon” Award: Those whom we wish would be a couple after graduation. I have 12 wishes for myself that I wouldn’t even wish because of what I already have. I have no idea who would look together, but as a totally out there comment, I guess I’d go for Carlos Navarro and Sharleen Tan. I have no idea why this idea came to mind.

“LQ” Award: Again, Grace is in UST, so… Elbert Or and Jamie Zamodio would’ve gotten this, but one LQ too many kept them permanently apart. I have no idea who…

“Friends Lang Talaga Kami” Award: Should’ve gone to me and Abby, except that we really are just friends. Those who deny the obvious are more likely people like Dione Cotoco and Wilfred Segovia…

“PDA” Award: I know someone who should be getting this, but never mind. Again, Grace is in UST, so I’m out of this.

TEACHER CATEGORIES:

Favorite Teacher: Sacha Chua, Sining Tanedo, and Dr. Barbazza. But I’m biased.

Best Dressed: Sacha Chua and Andrew Ty, perhaps? The former is a definite. I’m not sure if the Goth style of the latter is considered as “Best Dressed”, though.

Sanskrit Penmanship: Hmm… Fr. Carlito Reyes, I guess. Talk about horrid handwriting.

Funniest Teacher: Ambeth Ocampo and Sev Sarmenta are heavy contenders here.

To Sir, With Love: Rafael Dy-Liaco, Jon Bulaong, and Mark Escaler. No question about it. Their legions of fans agree.

To Ma’am, With Love: Sacha Chua may be appealing, but she doesn’t have too many senior students. I guess she’d win that award when her freshmen graduate. Ma’am Sining, I guess, but that’s prolly just me.

“Wise Teacher” Award: These are obvious choices: Ediboy Callasanaz, Fr. Nemesio Que, Dr. Remmone Barbazza, Fr. Roque Ferriols, and Fr. Dacanay. Notice how most of them are terrors or stringent.

Most Promising Teacher: Sacha Chua? Maybe, but my Economics teacher seemed just as promising. Forgot her name, though.

There're other categories, but I mostly couldn't answer them... never mind.

Uber-long post ahead…

.:Whew:.

It was amazing, I tell you. This weekend was simply one of the busiest weekends I’ve ever been through, no question about it. It wasn’t easy to begin with. You might say that I had quite a lot on my plate, because of all the things I had lined up, but I just had to take the extra mile and push through with it. The first thing in line was the wedding I needed to attend last Friday on short notice. My cousin, Kuya Martin, was about to be married to his girlfriend of two and a half years, Ate Peach. It wasn’t much, as far as the actual wedding went. It was essentially a carbon copy of Kuya Ian’s wedding a couple of years back, same venue, same host (Only with the addition of Ate Patty, a.k.a. Kelly of Magic. Kuya Ian’s wife.), and even the same way of getting the garter part of the ceremony out.

However, what I realize is that in all the four years I’ve been with Grace, we are arguably the least photographed couple I happen to know of. I’d be willing to wager that Abby and Bro are photographed more (A conversation as I typed this confirms this fact.), and Sach and her computer (::heh heh::) are simply inseparable to begin with. Of course, rumors from the grapevine have been abounding about Sach and her mystery man (Whose identity I believe I have a good idea of.), but I have a feeling there’s more to this than what the people actually know. Of course, being a bit more privy to this, I suppose I have to hold my piece on it, lest I betray some measure of confidence that has been placed upon me.

So with that in mind, I suppose I really ought to have myself and Grace photographed a bit more often, if only to keep our memories alive. Funny how I’m such an archivist and yet I don’t archive something as huge as this (Well, relatively speaking.). I ought to get started on it sometime soon, then.

The wedding wasn’t so noteworthy, to be honest. I guess I can’t help but not be so enthusiastic talking about the wedding, if only for the fact that it was so rushed, such that my mom wasn’t even expecting me to make it to the wedding because of the ill planning for the whole affair. Still, I guess they really just didn’t get to do it well because it’s their first time to get married. ::snickers::

.:A Foursome:.

No, it’s not what you think. I just meant that I went to train with Chico and Delle last Saturday, completely neglecting the fact (But not forgetting.) that Brad Turvey and Matrix might also be there on the show. On top of that, I likewise forgot that there was Radio 1 Campus Central to deal with, which essentially means some Radio 1 person would be doing his or her portion with Chico and Delle.

I got lucky because out of the three possible additions to the booth, only one showed up: Lani Lao, a batchmate of mine, for Campus Central. She was about to do tips, and since I realized that I actually couldn’t train much, I just hung around the booth, although things suddenly got interesting when they actually decided to involve me in the show, anyway. I arrived about twenty minutes before the show started, so to be honest, it would’ve been quite a waste if I didn’t get to do anything, really. Nonetheless, I ended up participating in the show when they started talking about Chinovelas, particularly “A Promise Of Love On Dolphin Bay”, because they didn’t know the exact title of the show. If you’re wondering how the topic went to that, it was because that day’s call-in Hot 10 was “The Hot 10 Theme Songs For You In 2004”, and someone sang “Journey” by Angela Zang, who is the female lead in “A Promise Of Love…” Delamar was denying watching it, and she was just wondering because she heard a particular song that didn’t seem like a fit for the program’s soundtrack.

Delamar: It’s “Love On Dolphin Bay”, right?

Marcelle: Actually, it’s “A Promise of Love on Dolphin Bay”.

Lani: Oh. Just a promise.

Chico: I see.

Marcelle: And the lead star is also the girl in “My MVP Valentine”.

Delamar: Wait a minute. Why do you know so much about Chinovelas?

Marcelle: I’m a Comm student. I have to keep up with the times.

Lani: Rriiighhht.

Chico: So why is it “MVP”? Is it, “My Most Valuable Player Valentine”?

Marcelle: Yes. The male lead is a basketball player.

Chico: I swear…

Pretty soon, people were telling Delamar looked like someone from “The Truth”, and every time a hint of Chinovelas were being mentioned, they would be quick to blame me about it.

Nonetheless, even the off-air talk was fun. There was the story I related to them about the weird soundtracks GMA uses to plug their shows, which essentially explains why Delle didn’t seem to find the song used in the ad she was talking about earlier as suitable. I still remember that commercial they did for Daimos, where they used “On The Wings of Love” for their commercial. We were also talking about soundalikes for songs and all. At the same time, Lani and I were mostly having a fun conversation, as she was talking about how she would’ve wanted to be in Comm instead of MIS had she had the chance. Chico and Delle were also planning for the movie premiere of Brother Bear, as while they had a lot of tickets they had to give away to some of their friends, they themselves couldn’t be there to do it, so I had to give tickets to Cholo and to Fay. More on that later.

Anyways, we were just having fun on the show. Lani showed shades of her quick thinking on the fly, as she made a blunder by reading the results of the Generation RX question again, but she then quickly caught herself and said that it was “merely for the benefit of the listeners”. Really clever thinking, if I do say so myself. Ricky Cruz was hilarious when he went on the air, as he said that his song was “Leaving on a Jet Plane” because he intended to go to Japan and work as a “Hostos”. The clincher was that he was dead serious about it. Here’s another funny caller…

Delamar: So what’s your song?

Caller Girl: ”Bulaklak” (“Flower”) by the Viva Hot Babes.

Chico: Okay. Go for it.

Caller Girl: (Tries to sing, but couldn’t finish it because she keeps on laughing.)

After she finally gets to sing for just a short while…

Delamar: Okay. Thank you, and take care of your flower!

Caller Girl: Okay. You too.

Sheer hilarity, no question about it. It wasn’t long before they noticed the funny tones I had for my cell phone, as it was pretty clear that they liked the “Psycho” clip. I was able to send it only to Delle, but the dialogue that ensued was what made it really interesting.

Chico: I guess my phone isn’t compatible.

Marcelle: I’m sure I can send it to Delle. Compatible kami, eh. (We’re compatible.)

Delamar: Huh?

Marcelle: I mean, our phones are compatible.

Apparently, a Freudian slip came along. Lani was snickering at that point, because it almost seemed like I was flirting with her. Couple that with the moment I compared her to Maui Taylor sans the implants, and I could understand why Lani was thinking I was hitting on Delle. Ah, well. Still, it was interesting how things happened when Lani discovered how Grace and I got together (A story I assume most people know of, but is worth telling another time.), plus the fact that both of us actually listened to Chico and Delle back in high school. And now, the both of us are boarding with them. Talk about a turn of events. A part of me still can’t get over it, truth be told.

The topics of discussion were pretty valid. From the turtle pincushions I gave them back in fourth year high, to the chimes Lani gave them, to why Brad Turvey took a slightly different path in show business in contrast to his brother, to the fact that Lani was actually also from Assumption Antipolo in high school, which essentially means I could’ve run into her without knowing it back in the day…

The last part of the show was simply the best, when we finally had to answer the Hot 10. Lani gave one of those Ed McCain songs. Delle sang “Sunlight”. I sang Jason Mraz’ “The Remedy”. Forgot what Chico sang, though. To think I just came from a sore throat. That didn’t stop me from singing a good deal of it. Pretty much the way I completed most of the lyrics of “Yes Yes Show” off the air… heh. I swear. The booth was simply so bubbly with the four of us in there, and we really had a lot of stories for one another, no question about it.

So I suppose you’d be hearing from me again this Tuesday…

.:Oh, Brother!:.

Right after the show, Liane walked into the booth. She’s also Radio 1, although she wasn’t there to go for Campus Central, but to hang out before going to the movie premiere of “Brother Bear”. We were just talking inside the booth about a lot of things, and it was pretty interesting, because the day was pretty ADMU-dominated. Tina entered the booth shortly afterwards. Anyways, Liane is pretty nice to talk to, actually. She’s been pretty unsuccessful thus far with certain personal endeavors, but it’s still fine, regardless. Anyways, while I was pretty much continually speaking about the CP’s affair, that wasn’t much, really.

As soon as we arrived in Galleria after leaving the station (Before those shoot fighting guests for Boom’s program showed up.), we realized how right Boom was in telling us to be there earlier, simply because the line for the film was already so bloody long. I met up with Cholo, who used to be a DJ in KC with Chico and Delle. It was pretty fun meeting up with him again, considering how he was the host of the program a few years ago called “The Overdrive”. Similar to Sir Louie D’s “All-hit Daily Survey”, it’s a show that determines the top song for the day. Through my rabid campaigning (And voting. But don’t tell Cholo.) a couple of years ago, I managed to let “Friends For Life” get the Powercut honors for 23 days.

So there. We had a long line staring us in the face, so we decided to pull some strings and get to “helping out” with the premiere, which guaranteed us good seats. Heh. Grace showed up a little bit later, so she managed to watch the premiere with me.

Brother Bear was an amazing film. I’d give it an A- off the bat, although I have to ask myself whether or not Mammoths still existed during the times that humans already did. I’m not really so sure. Nonetheless, Grace ended up doing a Ronan and crying at the end of the movie. I guess I couldn’t blame her. Of course, the really interesting question came up shortly after…

Grace: If I were Chinese, would you love me more?

Frankly, I don’t think so. That’s a trick question, any which way you look at it, but it’s like eudaimonia. While it does need some external goods in addition to virtue, this doesn’t mean that more external goods can make a man more eudaimon if he already is. As such, you can’t add to infinity.

.:And The Rest:.

Afterwards, things weren’t done for me yet. I still had a tournament to run, aside from a dental appointment. Ah, yes. The tournament was fun. I joined, using my deck, and I must say that my Ric Flair deck is simply amazing. I had problems with Brothers of Destruction, but it’s not like I needed to win the tournament, anyway.

I met up with Grace in Centerpoint a while later, which was rather interesting, because they finally have KOF 2003 there. Apparently, I don’t know much about the game yet, so I guess I need to work on my strategy a little more. Ah, well. Grace gave me the gift for my stepdad, and then I went home. I hope my stepdad liked the lamp.

Yesterday, we had a family reunion/double birthday celebration in Pampanga. Not much, really. It was just exhausting for me, but the food was great, no question about it.

Glad to have heard from Tsumenki after the longest time. I’m certainly looking forward to meeting her on Wednesday…

.:Overhyped:.

It’s occurred to me that one of the things that’s been getting to me for quite a while already was the fact that I was never really considered “The Best” in anything. Fine, I’m a decent debater. But I’m not varsity. Fine, I’m a decent student. But I’m not Suma Cum Laude. Fine, I’m a decent writer. But… never mind. Point is, I really couldn’t lay the claim of “best” in anything I’m particularly into, and while someone like Abby could conceivably face the same dilemma, my personality is just one that doesn’t sit as well with that fact.

Maybe that explains all the fascination/frustration with Sacha (I’d apologize in advance, in case she reads this.). Now, that’s a person who’s been called “the best” more times than I could care to count. Lani said so last Saturday, and she’s not even personally acquainted per se with her. Just about any CS student I hang out with would feed me that superlative about her, for that matter. I know she’s a human being, but so am I. Here’s a person who excels in her own field, and while I’m not too intent on competing with her in her own turf, I’d at least like to think that I have some congruent ascendancy in my own field… whether it be communication arts or Philosophy.

But that’s obviously not the case. I’m not exactly the “best” DJ now, am I? Or am I the “best” writer, popularity votations for “Best Philippine Blog” be damned? Or am I the “best” journalist? Or the “best” potential Philosophy teacher? None of these distinctions aptly describe me, nor could I ever expect them to. And that gets to me. I’m not too keen on competing with Sacha’s level, but I suppose being around greatness will always make you feel rather miniscule by contrast. Look at it this way: if Sacha were the least bit more interested in romance than she currently is, would she even have the slightest problem finding someone? I highly doubt so. I don’t think I ever had that clout, nor will I ever have that kind of clout.

I know this is so bloody selfish of me, thinking how inferior I do seem in fact when contrasted to Sacha, or perhaps some other genius-of-the-day. In spite of that, I guess I can’t help but feel that way because I’ve been letting way too many opportunities pass me by for the longest time, and now, I’m feeling the crunch of it all.

Don’t get me wrong, Sacha’s a nice friend, for what she’s worth. It’s not like she’s trying to lord her technological superiority over me, in the first place. But it’s not like she has to flaunt it for me to take note of it. And now, I have something to spur myself towards. Never mind if I wouldn’t get a million people to recognize it when I achieve it. Never mind if there would be no award to stand as testament to my milestone. But in the end, I wish to at least feel deserving of being the “best” in something that I put my heart and soul into. Maybe the “best” Philosophy professor. Maybe the “best” DJ. Maybe the “best” PR man.

Maybe a “best” friend.

****************************************************

.:Cry Me A River: The Unsent Series, Part III:.

Dear Delusion,

You only get what you give. And oh, Marcelle’s heart bleeds for your plight so. He realizes how bad what has happened to you is, that you are trapped in this state of affairs that you have actually set for yourself. And while this does not justify your transgressor’s sin, does it not make sense that you had it coming?

If you were to teach your son to steal, would you be so surprised the minute he takes your wallet while you’re asleep? If you were to steal a heart from the arms of another, would you be surprised to lose that heart in the same way? Such is the seeds that you have planted, you poor, poor jabroni. If only you realized that, but no. You’re too wrapped up in your metahumanity. You’re too wrapped up in your boons. Ultimately, you’re too wrapped up with yourself. And now you’re hurt. Wounded. And you turn to your support group for them to hear you out. Sadly, you have no clue. To this moment you don’t realize what you have done, and you are merely getting a dose of your own medicine. Is your transgressor right in doing this? Of course not. But were you right in setting yourself up for this? Ah, obviously not.

So cry your heart out, if you so want to. Marcelle can listen to you, Marcelle can likewise condemn that bastich who sent you to that state. But don’t expect Marcelle to tell you that you are so right about everything. Because you’re not. Because you refuse to open your eyes, and it’s not Marcelle’s job to open them for you. You only get what you give, jabroni. You only get what you give.

.:Emotionality:.

Image courtesy of www.tbs.co.jp/chobits/.

I can't believe the sheer emotional rush I got from Chobits last night. It was this particular episode wherein Chii just escaped from her part-time job of being a web diva, yet for some strange reason, all the Persocoms end up getting really funky (And nobody better spoil to me why this happened, or who's talking to Chii about her switch, but maybe why Hideki's boss' daughter is depressed about Persocoms. The last one, I WANT to know...). She then gets a more... err... respectable job as a promotions girl for a confectionery, and in spite of Chii's social ineptitude, she does the job rather well.

At the end of the day, she gets her paycheck, and she's so happy about it, because she can make Hideki happy by giving him money to buy what he wants. She hugs the manager really tight, and then...

Manager: You don't just hug anyone.

Chii: Who can I hug?

Manager: Well... I guess someone you really like.

After a few moments, Hideki walks into the store and brings Chii home. The two are talking, and Hideki tells Chii that the money is hers, because she earned it, so she shouldn't give it to him. Sweet guy, no matter how ecchi he might be. Then...

Chii: Hideki, can I hug you?

Hideki: Chii, why're you being so polite?

Chii: Hideki, can I hug you?

Hideki: O-okay.

And then they hug... (Darn. Where's the actual screen cap when you need it?)

Sigh...

.:More Job Fair:.

If I REALLY need a photo, I guess I can't apply for Unilever today. I could alwa ys do it some other time, though. Anyways, I've been running into people left and right at the job fair, even HER. I guess it's too bad, but if she really doesn't want to work things out yet, so be it. Still, I'm giving her the easy way out soon enough. I've nothing much else to do, neh?

At the same time, I'm surprised Lotte actually accepted my invite. I was assuming she still has some bad blood with me, and of course, I still am inclined to think so, considering how we've never spoken since about a couple of months after she broke up with Ato...

Ah, well.

.:The Top Five:.

First, feel free to e-mail me any replies at mistervader@otakumail.com. Secondly, next week's Top Five will be: The Top Five New Year's Resolutions You're Bound To Break Again. As for this week...

The Top Five Funniest Album Titles:

5. Sugar Ray- 14:59. Apparently, one second short of their fifteen minutes of fame.
4. Apo Hiking Society- The Worst Of Apo. How ironic that this turned out to be one of their best-selling albums ever.
3. Jessa Zaragoza- Phenomenal. More like "Flopzilla".
2. Aerosmith- Get A Grip. Pictured on the album's cover? a cow's udder.
1. Will Smith- All Original Hits. Does this even exist? Didn't think so, either.

Yes, short post. I'll let you jabronis digest the rest of the posts first, as I seem to have been posting a Hades of a lot this past week. I have a wedding to attend.

.:Got My Wish, But The Daily Vituperation Ensues:.

As I asked for feedback, it is apparently the case that instead of actually being given feedback on what they think of what I say, I am instead challenged on the veracity of the word “Irregardless”. Granted that such a word does not really exist in formal language, it doesn’t deny me the right to use it as I see fit now, does it? “Jabroni” and “bastich” are not going to show up in any formal dictionaries either, but I throw them around like… like… nah, forget it. I don’t go for that kind of language.

Anyways, irregardless of the nitpicking, I would have to say that it’s funny I received feedback like that. I mean, people never even realized the Loren Ipsum test, which was sooo glaring, and yet something as tiny as this? Oh, well. Them’s the breaks.

Irregardless of the nature of the feedback, you just have to give some credit to the second guy who made the comment (Assuming he’s not also the first person who commented.). He sure does his homework, and he actually has the spinal column to speak up without the guise of anonymity (Not that anything he said was so earth-shattering. Marcelle is human, after all. It is inevitable, Mr. Anderson.). I do recall a particular bit of hate mail in “defense” of this bastich who aired out dirty laundry on her thesis partners in the University paper. To this day, that person hasn’t really bothered owning up to it…

At the same time, as I was walking to school, I ran into this guy who’s handing out stickers with “Jesus Loves You” on it. What a despicable M.O.: using the religion card to make money off of poor people who gladly take the sticker, then feel compelled to give money when the guy tells them that any donation will do. It’s low, I tell you. I can’t begin to fathom how this guy wakes up each morning making these appeals to one’s religion just to make a buck, and one that uses guilt, even.

Irregardless, you might say that I decided to use a very effective means of warding him off. It’s not like he knows me personally, anyway. Thus, every single time the bastich approaches me, I simply tell him, “Bawal iyan sa relihiyon ko.” (“That’s prohibited in my religion.”) The day he asks me exactly what my religion is will be the day I have a really good laugh at his expense.

.:Still Sick:.

I sort of got my voice back already, but I still have to keep it under wraps. I killed my chances of being fully recovered by today (And thus being able to greet all the fine people this Chinese New Year on air.) after having eaten some Non-Stop ice cream for free at the Job Fair. At the same time, some bastich either used or poured out the contents of my bottle of Bactidol for my sore throat. I have no idea why anyone would do that, barring sheer clumsiness. But then, the bottle should’ve been broken, if that were the case. Someone could very well have done this on purpose to spite me and make sure that I don’t get well soon, and I have a sneaking suspicion who the bastich could very well have been…

In spite of my being a bit under the weather, I’m still doing pretty fine, nonetheless. It’s interesting to point out that while I have indeed lost my voice, that wouldn’t really stop me from going online, be it writing Friendster testimonials for most of my friends (I have 49 or so by now. Can you believe it?) there, although of course like Ron, I don’t expect to be given too many testimonials in return. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the few ones I have. Pretty weird testimonials, actually, especially the ones from Elbert and Purple. Peppy’s by now is pretty obvious, considering how into GTO I now am, and how that series is evidently shaping my perception of things… heh. GTO is such a fine, fine series, and likewise, Chobits. No wonder Ato goes gaga over Chii. She is just simply so cute. I still don’t get why adult magazines are called “side dish”, though. Pretty odd use of slang there, but I don’t mind. GTO can be a bit ecchi at times, but it’s simply hilarious. I almost pity the vice principal over losing his Cresta twice now, but then, he had that coming.

And yeah, a note on Sensei 2: amazing voice acting. ::snickers evilly:: Simply amazing voice acting, and now I can prove to Darn how such voices can be better in the right places…

.:Mick Foley:.

I frankly don’t care if it was a storyline or not, but Randy Orton has no right whatsoever to spit at Mick Foley. He doesn’t even deserve to hold the man’s jockstrap. Foley is GOD, and Randy Orton is nothing but some rookie who has yet to really pay his dues and actually come out with a great match without needing someone to do a Herculean carry job for him. Neither is he the least bit golden on the mic. I don’t give a flying freak if it was scripted, but I simply take personal offense to Randy Orton for that dastardly act. Whoever wrote that piece of crud about Foley walking out at the last RAW should be hanged, regardless of where this leads to.

.:You Learn Something New…:.

Ah, I think it’s time I added a new weekly portion to my weblog. I know for a fact that I’ve been using terminologies that are somewhat alien to my readers, especially those who aren’t so into euphemisms and professional wrestling. As such, starting next week, I will be defining one word a week, every Wednesday, until I run out of jargon to define, which means I’ll have to turn this weekly thing into a trivia portion. For now, feel free to click on my tap-outs at the end of this post and ask me what words you don’t get. I suppose I’ll acquiesce to the word most asked, assuming I actually get any feedback on this…

I’ve proven myself right, unlike someone I know in Lords of Pain, regarding the Loren Ipsum test. I realized a few people have read that post, gathering from the records I have on my webcounter. In spite of that, my attention was not called to the test, unless if people just logged on to read the previous post. I felt that if the people actually read it, then they would realize something was amiss, but then, giving them the benefit of the doubt, it proves people tend to skip the middle of my posts and get to the end most of the time. That’s too bad, because the middle content tends to be pretty good, actually…

.:The King Of Masks:.

Will be showing in the Philippines soon. It’s actually a relatively old film, and I’m glad they decided to show it. A word of warning, though. If you can avoid the trailer, do so! The ruddy thing spoils everything!

Overall, I loved this film. I’ll get around to reviewing it soon, along with Return Of The King, which I couldn’t review as it sure as Hades needs a second viewing in order to be manageable. Right now, I fully intend to watch that and Kill Bill, which features Lucy Liu. To Hades with Uma Thurman. At the same time, you know those bits where they show on TV people coming out of the theater and making comments about the film? My former co-worker in RX, sir Jojo, was in that commercial. Funny.

.:Mr. Suave:.

Ah, lots and lots of random topics today, neh? This last one is what I would call an homage to all those smooth operators out there…

Ei, happy Chinese New Year! Ü Is it true that you’ll have good luck if you kiss someone for the first time today? If it is, well… Ü

That’s the content of the SMS I sent to a couple of my friends (Mostly Chinese.). One of them didn’t think it was so, but I humored it further…

Darn. I sure could use kissing a cute Chinese girl, kahit sa cheek lang (Even just on the cheek…).

Anyways, while I was indeed joking, that was a nice way to fish out people. Of course, Rachel took the safe way out by cheering me on, obviously not thinking for one moment I was hinting at her. Heh. It’s funny, really. Nonetheless, I suppose Grace herself will find that funny, because she herself reminded me last night that it will be Chinese New Year today. Apparently, I nearly forgot, which is quite… uncharacteristic of me.

Ah, well. That bit was hilarious, for what it’s worth. Imagine if that “tradition” I made up were actually true… good Feng Shui for me every single year!

Ah, the hotness of it all…

And yes, I did meet up with Rachel Reyes, one of the people I sent that message to. We didn’t have much time to talk, as we met up around 12:40 in the afternoon and we had to be off by 1:30. Nonetheless, she was fun to talk to, and I’m glad that irregardless (I just love using these non-words! ::laughs maniacally::) of the fact that we haven’t known each other for so long, we’re still pretty much doing well, talking with each other and more or less just getting along pretty well.

So when we were on my way back, I got half a dose of good Feng Shui for the year, so it seems. She gave me a hug, and as I’m sure most of you jabronis know, I really, really put a lot of stock in them.

With that being said, thanx for your time, Rach! I really appreciated it. And thanx for the measure of confidence you put in me, as well. Rest assured I shan’t betray that.

.:Train On The Track:.

I actually went and watched “Riles” (“Rail”) for today, as it was a requirement for Philosophy class. Irregardless if it was required or not, I must say that I really enjoyed the film. It may have been quite depressing because it was set in a very destitute local, i.e. those people who used to live by the railroad tracks, but the documentary/film was a very realistic slice of life. It certainly got its point across, though as I have yet to read Kant (Contrary to popular belief, I rarely do advanced reading for any subjects.), I would want to see how the whole film ties up with Kant’s Metaphysical Grounding bit. I must say that without a doubt, I’m glad to have seen the film, although for some strange reason, it did put my dedication to the things I am interested in, be it public relations or teaching, to the test. At this point, I’m simply taking things as they come, and hoping that I’d be clearheaded enough to do what I really want to do when the time calls for it.

.:Kulang Sa Pansin:.

Admittedly, Marcelle has a problem with pouring his heart out into nothingness and not getting so much as a “U SUXXORRZZ!!! HAHA LOL 1337!!!” in return. The term some people might use for him would be “Kulang sa pansin” (“Lacking in attention”), and while he is somewhat guilty of that, it would be a good idea to likewise note that he is not without justification for such a state of being. Neither is he alone on this boat, as a good deal of people Marcelle knows are pretty much the same in varying degrees.

Marcelle does not expect to be regaled with so much feedback in a day that he couldn’t take the time out to personally e-mail each and every person who did give him that feedback. What he would like to think is that he’s not the only person pumping up his hit counter, and as such, is actually being read by people. Maybe the 71 votes didn’t matter, after all, if they merely voted but didn’t even read the ruddy weblog. It certainly looks like that has happened to a great extent. Interestingly enough, the most comments Marcelle has received are from non-bloggers like his girlfriend Grace, and his best friend Abby.

Maybe this explains why no matter how he works on his content, nobody cares. So fine, Marcelle isn’t writing to cater to an audience, but the bottom line is, people should at least tell him how he’s doing. Or ask him how he’s doing. Or better yet, tell him how they’re doing. It’s been the case that for Marcelle to not lose a friend, it would have to be him who would be doing all the keeping in touch. It’s something he’d love to do, but it’s both taxing and impossible at times. Moreover, Marcelle doesn’t care if you have nothing good to say about him. It’s been pretty clear, as he even flaunts the hate mail that he gets from time to time. All Marcelle is asking is that if you actually give a flying freak about what’s going on in his bloody life, magparamdam ka naman (Make your presence felt.). Is that so ruddy hard to do? People who don’t even update one bit for five months get far more feedback than Marcelle does. See that guestbook? There’s your proof.

So Marcelle is leaving himself quite open for a smackdown right now for asking for feedback. If that be the case, so be it. That’s far better than not knowing whether or not anyone actually gives a damn.

So there. Thank you for indulging Marcelle’s vituperation…

.:Jobs Ahoy!:.

Dropped in on the ADMU Job Fair again today, this time sending in resumes to the likes of Nestle, some Coconut company, and Rustan’s. Not exactly companies that he’d really want to work in, but as they are the ones available to him today, he may as well avail of the opportunity. No reason to waste such a chance by going to La Salle for no apparent reason except to flagellate himself… what a waste of time and energy, neh?

Nonetheless, I ran into Abby there, and she was wearing glasses, since she’ll be having a shooting.

Abby: We have a shooting, so I’m wearing glasses.

Marcelle: Oh. Good for you. ::pauses:: …and, good for me.

Abby: Huh?

Marcelle: Let’s just say it’s easy on the eyes.

The conversation eventually moved to how Sach may very well be a closet exhibitionist, and how nobody would dare to call her on that. Abby ends up making me want to gouge my eyes out when she remarks that the case is the same with our department head… oh, bah Gawd. Please, have mercy. At least things were better that time with Abby. No room for pensiveness and all, actually, although my voice is still a bit worse for wear. I’m still awaiting Friday, when Unilever comes around again. I ought to be able to see how that would go. After all, classes were admittedly boring the past few days. I suppose that’s because sans the debatable topic of letting an offender off without so much as a slap on the wrist in Theology class, there wasn’t much inspiring discussion, even from Pol Sci.

In spite of that, lots of nice run-ins today. Ran into a former CP, as well as that person who was the topic of my recent post, “Who Says I Don’t Know How To Stalk?”. Mich was laughing at me when I froze as the person walked by me… talk about sheer luck. Then, Cami did me a bit of a favor by posing with a potential CP so that her picture wouldn’t seem so conspicuous… heh. It was overall an entertaining day, no doubt.

Lastly, a link that I should’ve added a long time ago: The Happy Tree Friends are now on my sidebar.

.:Even More Philosophy:.

I never quit, do I? As soon as regular classes with Mr. Bulaong began once again, the pace picked up right then and there. The discussion was about the nature of utilitarianism, and a few of the people were talking about its merits as something that was simply practical, while some others such as Maria, were passionately in opposition of utilitarianism if only for the fact that it dehumanizes us.

I recognize the problem with utilitarianism, but what should be clear is that utilitarianism should not always be a blanket standard. Rather, it should be used in situations where it would be apt. For instance, in law, there is no question that utilitarianism should be employed to make law fair and arbitrary. The impersonality may seem rather daunting, but I’d rather that one person is good as another in the legal viewpoint than for the legal system to play favorites (Except of course, in obvious circumstances, such as children.). At the same time, the fact that utilitarianism is impersonal likewise means there will be quite a great degree of dehumanization involved.

.:Results?:.

And it stands at this...

I am not all too confident about Philosophy in the sense that I am taking it for granted. In spite of that, getting an A does not particularly amaze me. Maybe because I feel that if I followed closely enough what a Philosopher was saying and knew how to contextualize it through argumentation, then there is no reason for me to be denied of a good grade.

Ergo, getting an A for my oral examinations with Mr. Bulaong was not the least bit of a shocker. But something interesting has had to have happened for me to write about something like this, neh (Again, I point you to the fact that I don't say an "A" is mundane because it's easy for me, but because I believe I bled enough for it.)?

The clincher is that I was only one of two people who actually hacked an A.

Even better: the other person was Mich Orosa, who is incidentally my seatmate.

I know Mich keeps on singing my praises to me until I begin to believe with all sincerity that I'm overrated, but I can't help it. I don't think any intellectual osmosis has brought about that A she got. I'd like to think it's simply the fact that I opened her up to what was already within her: a vast store of memories and reflections that would best explain exactly what Nichomachean Ethics would mean in her life.

Marcelle: Mich, from now on, I’m calling you “God”

Mich: If I’m “God”, what the heck are you?

Flattering. Immensely flattering, although I can’t help but take that merely with a grain of salt. No use getting more arrogant than I already am. :) I must admit, though, that a significant part of me, a significantly guilty and sadistic part, feels just a bit vindicated that someone else didn’t... hmmm... lest I shut down the big shot, let's stop there. Still, I’m obviously not the only one who was being perturbed…

Mich was cussing to the highest heavens out of joy, and can you blame her? Getting an A is achievement enough, no doubt, but top that off with being the only other student to get the grade? No wonder she’s pleased as punch. Nonetheless, I may as well stop talking about it. Any songs of praise for her will inadvertently point back to me, because I’m that other student in the equation… heh.

I’m exceedingly happy for Mich. She sure worked hard for it and deserves all of the credit for her grade, really. One thing is clear though with my interaction with her. Perhaps, just perhaps, I am looking more and more into the possibility of teaching after I graduate. Mich merely unlocked what was already within her, and if I really was instrumental in that, then I may have some chance at being a decent teacher, after all. So fine, I tend to joke about being a teacher merely as a means of landing more CP’s, but I’d like to think that when we get down to things in practice, I’d be turning out a little more substantial than that, neh?

Bah Gawd, I never thought I’d say this. I really, really want to teach. So many circumstances have simply been pointing me to that possibility, and yet I just don’t feel that certain about it, since I have other options open to me. Maybe I’m cut out for it, and maybe I’m not. But if the opportunity would ever present itself, you can be almost certain that I’d take it…

And I do not expect to be the paragon of virtue in anything, but…

.:Great Teacher Onizuka Rekindles My Anime Fire:.

It appears that Peppy has established quite an amusing analogy between me and Professor Onizuka of GTO. Sans the biker dude tendencies, it would appear that Eikishi’s motivations for teaching share quite a lot of similarities with mine… at the same time, in spite of his preoccupation with fine, fine high school girls in miniskirts (As opposed to my preoccupations? But you know those already…), within him lies a heart of gold, willing to do the right thing in order to help out his students, irregardless of his own ineptitude.

I am exceedingly pleased with GTO, no doubt about it. I haven’t seen too much anime since I stopped watching for a while a couple of years ago, and while Full Metal Panic did help me keep my interest in anime, It didn’t sustain it because I had little access to it, since it’s not available on regular television. Or cable television, for that matter. If anything, I must say that GTO, without a doubt, is simply an anime that I cannot help but appreciate a whole lot. Ah, well. It’s so fun, really. The whole series is so funny, especially that part where he hits a German suplex on the Vice-principal. It was sheer hilarity, and the whole setup is shades of Golden Boy to me, no doubt.

Ah, to be a teacher like Onizuka…

Anyways, aside from GTO, another anime that is obviously catching my eye right now is Chobits. It’s simply hilarious how preoccupied Hideki is with, err, breasts (Or in my case… non…). He’s so funny the way he goes, and that Chii is simply so cute, no doubt about it. This episode right now is so hilarious, as Hideki is asking Chii to purchase panties, and you can just hear her repeating her objectives over and over and over again. It’s simply hilarious. Nonetheless, you can tell that I’m enjoying myself immensely with Animax, and yes, Chobits is such a wonderful piece of work. Clamp is my all-time favorite anime company… hmmm…

*************************************************

.:The Unsent Series, Part II:.

I suppose it’s time I continued with the “Unsent Series”®. I’ve neglected it a bit because I didn’t want to think it over too much and lose the emotionality, so I decided to work with it only when my emotions do call for it. I also realized that if I referred to somebody in there once and wish to write him or her a letter again, I would end up using the same pseudonym. I guess that’s just fine.

*************************************************

Dear Misguided,

Oh, you of little faith. How could Marcelle ever accept any responsibility for this folly? It’s not like he was the fool in the equation. He valued the worth of the tie that binds, and yet you were oblivious to that fact. And to this day you wonder why Marcelle can have the audacity to sneer at you. How sad, Misguided. You know not what you have done, nor do you even know the true meaning of the word “maturity”. It’s not like you’ve really been the paragon of that, and Marcelle would not dare lay claim to such an outlandish assertion. Laugh as dryly as you wish.

Your soul may be looking for answers, and Marcelle cannot provide them for you if you refuse to listen. You know all too well his pattern: his iniquities in the great picture, you are aware of. Yet you keep your eyes blinded to the truth: that Marcelle is right, and you are sadly mistaken. For you were hasty to condemn yet slow to remember. You were quick to forget all the good, yet tardy in realizing your own faults. Ah, Misguided. You are surely deserving of your label.

May the time come that you are no longer blinded by your own shining light. Such a waste of a brilliant mind and a loving heart, to be swallowed by one’s own foolish presumptions and one’s blinded creeds. Misguided, Marcelle wishes upon you no less than enlightenment.

You sure as Hades need it.

*************************************************

Dear Brilliance,

How difficult it is to compromise your sheer repute with your irrefutable humanity. Indeed, it may seem that you are nothing but an aberration, yet in reality, you are a boon to all the lives you may touch. Marcelle cannot express in words the sheer appreciation he has for your presence, albeit he recognizes that you are indeed far from perfect.

Without doubt, Brilliance, you are a good friend. A good mentor at times, even. Though your winsome smile may entice the weak in the manner you wish not too, and though you may at times manifest more of yourself than you intend or realize that you are in your flimsy coverings, it does not take away your beauty as a human being. Marcelle realizes that he has no opportunity to let you know how he regards you with the utmost of respect and even admiration, and you never cease to remind him of the fact that he is indeed quite overhyped for his own good most of the time.

And maybe there are things Marcelle realizes about you, Brilliance. Things you don’t realize about yourself, even. Perhaps there are things about you that Marcelle appreciates which you may not, as it cements your humanity in his eyes, which is something he needs to realize your value as a friend and not as an overlord. And though the arcane may abound, it simply does not remove the fact that Brilliance, you are someone Marcelle is glad to be able to call his friend.

The world is in your grasp, Brilliance. And though Marcelle may deny you of your traveling boon by waiting things out, you still have so much more going for you, anyway.

*************************************************

Dear Torch,

And so Marcelle is back. And so he laughs with you as you tell him of your latest exploit. And he won’t begrudge you of that. Nonetheless, he realizes that you have quite reached a state neither of you ever expected to be able to. And that unsettles Marcelle even more. For now the doors are open, and yet you speak so easily of them being eternally closed. Is that the way it is supposed to be? Marcelle wishes otherwise. Marcelle prays otherwise. It is not that Marcelle shall ever have to traverse such a path, but simply that Marcelle deserves in the very least the recognition of worthiness.

But you will deny him of that, inasmuch as you deny him of any chance to be of pertinence to you for yourself, and not for him. And Marcelle realizes that it hurts to have it that way. It hurts because it shouldn’t be the case. Marcelle shouldn’t be resembling a parasite in front of you, groveling for your aid, yet never able to return anything in kind. Marcelle’s pride crushes him for such a disparity, and much as he wishes to change that, it still lies with you, Torch.

And still Marcelle keeps on fighting every day that he must burn with the flame again, as does he in every day choose to align himself with the Divine. And as such, Torch, you shall realize that only time can tell if “never” can truly be said.

.:Wild Horses Couldn’t Hold Me Back:.

A rash of bad luck has afflicted me, without a doubt…

It looks like I lost my sunglasses again. How many times has this happened to me? Ah, well. Nonetheless, I’m still glad over how things turned out in spite of that, as my short talk with ma’am Sining was pretty fine, albeit I guess I’d want to be able to talk more on random things with her than the requisite “What do you intend to do when you graduate” routine. Still, things were fine, in spite of that, but for the nth time, her photo wasn’t so good. I guess I need to take my phone out of the case if I want to shoot a good picture, neh?

Worse, and this is quite problematic: I appear to have quite a bad case of sore throat. Talk about absolutely bad timing. I have my Radio 1 stint today with Chico and Delamar, and I’m hampered by a sore throat. Of all misfortunes to go through… ah, well. Nonetheless, the show must go on, neh? And I certainly will.

Nonetheless, I managed to make it through my “baptism of fire”, so to speak. I’ll be damned if I didn’t give it my all in spite of the fact that my vocal range was about as wide as a street alley for two-bit one-night stands. I had a pretty deep voice and I couldn’t keep the volume up. Chico and Delle were having fun at my expense by asking me to talk during the most inopportune of times… but it was all good.

Here’re quite a few sample dialogues…

Marcelle: Our generation RX poll question’s results are in…

Delamar: Chico! Your voice has changed!

Chico: No! It’s just Marcelle, from Radio 1! Okay… now get to work!

Marcelle: “Do you agree with the new Venezuelan law being proposed to legalize minor thefts if the thief is really starving? 6% said no, but a much larger 94% disagree…

A bit later into that segment…

Chico: So get to it, Marcelle! Do your job!

Delamar: Look at him! He’s flustered!

Marcelle: Not this time, Chico. You flustered me once, not this time.

Chico: Ah! A challenge, huh?

Marcelle: You won’t fluster me again… but apparently, I can’t read your handwriting. ::everyone in the booth starts laughing::

Even later into the segment…

Marcelle: Vote now! The results will be announced tomorrow morning here on the Morning Rush!

Delamar: Why are you serious? Uuuuyyy… pa-pogi! (Uuyy… trying to look good!)

Chico: He’s Mr. Husky.

Marcelle: It’s not an act!

That was funny. There were so many other great moments there, and those text messages were just funny. Someone was asking who I was because I had such a “cool” voice. Another one was asking if “Mr. Husky will replace pretty boy (Brad)”. While I had problems managing to speak with my sore throat, everyone else was giving me props for it as though that were my ideal speaking voice. Come on… maybe the “Ultimate Bedroom Voice”, but not “Ideal Speaking Voice”. Nonetheless, I simply had fun there, and if I get better before next Tuesday, you can be sure I’d be on air on Thursday or Saturday…

Even the off-air banter was fun. I suppose I managed to really work well with the two, and I couldn't help but hope that things will be better next time I go on air (By then, I hope my voice is fine.)

A few other off-air laughs...

If someone has to be natural-born to be a legal candidate, does that mean you can't run if you're Caesarian section?

Delamar: Apparently, a person with an inverted nipple will have her nipples pop out normally when the need arises, such as for breastfeeding, except in severe cases.

Marcelle: Are boyfriends sufficient "arising needs"?

.:Unconnected:.

And yeah, a quick random thought on my Media Law class: it was pretty funny today, as two people came into the class looking for something they left a class or two ago, and Mr. Perez places the responsibility upon me to search for the missing items “upon my family’s honor”. Abby looks at me and rolls her eyes the first time around because the girl who walked in was CP material. Someone named Sabrina Chua, which makes me realize I have quite a tie-in with Chua’s… ah, well… and yeah, Abby was warning everyone else not to put me near cute Chinese girls with high-pitched voices and glasses, to which Darn responds with bewilderment.

Darn: Bakit glasses saka high-pitched voice? Ang sagwa kaya nun! (Why glasses and a high-pitched voice? Aren’t those awful?)

Marcelle: Okay kaya ang mataas ang boses! (High-pitched voices are okay!)

Darn: Ang sama kaya pakinggan kapag kausap mo sila! Okay lang yung Chinita, pero yung glasses saka yung boses… (It sounds bad when you talk to them! The Chinese-looking part is fine, but the glasses and the voice…)

Marcelle: Masaya kaya yung maliit na boses in the right places! (Small voices are great in the right places!) ::accompanied by a wink::

You wouldn’t want to know what Darn had to say after that…

I suppose the sequel to Abby’s first film is shaping up really well. While I do tend to get pensive from time to time being around her, I guess it’s no big deal as I can manage myself, anyway.

Lastly, my LJ has a cute new layout. Wish I can do that for my blog. ::chuckles::

I have a nice long post ready. I'll upload it later... I had fun with today's Radio 1, although my voice was way too husky due to my sore throat.

Quick succession of three posts... whoa.

.:Job Fair Was An Eyeful:.

Here's the scenario: Elbert and I were done with Theology class, and we had nothing much to do. We were walking around, intent on going online, when we chanced upon the opportunity to attend the Job Fair gala. So with that in mind, we went to get our letters from Procter and Gamble (As if I'm ever working for that company. My family would kill me.), and along the way, ran into Ma'am Sining. Elbert claims that Sach sounds cuter, but I'm not in the market for evaluating the cuteness of someone's voice at that point.

Anyways, as soon as I went with Elbert to Escaler hall, I ran into *jaded*, and then Dione was there. I immediately had this feeling that I will, sooner than I expect, run into one CP after another, and was I right. Charlene Chua was also there (Although I have yet to squeeze her into the ranks.), as was Diane, whom I recently had a nice conversation with. Let's just say that Diane is a very nice person, and I'm glad I managed to have her as a friend. She's one of the few people who's aware of the CP deal, and I'm glad she realizes that I'm not too inclined to take it that seriously. Wonder how the Blue Roast would turn out, though. And yeah, Jack was there, too. Pretty fun stuff, really.

.:A Rose Can Go A Loong Way:.

I was never too fond of flowers, particularly giving them. The common retort to the lack of utility flowers have is, "Hindi naman sila nakakain" ("You can't eat them."), and I suppose, I realize that's how things really are on the surface.

In spite of that, I realize the value of a rose yesterday, when I decided to relent in concession over the admittance that I may have been a bit too CP-struck the past week or so (And admittedly, yet another CP-oriented segment just preceded this one, neh?), and so when I paid Grace a visit yesterday, I couldn't resist but purchase her three red roses (While I have given roses before, I haven't ever given any red roses to any non-relative prior to Grace.), and she simply melted when she saw them. Call me a believer in the power of flowers now. Not that I intend to exploit such power for gaining favors and rash forgiveness, but I do believe that a kind gesture like that, when unexpected and not meant as a cover-up, will certainly go a long way in a relationship's longevity. Everyone and their mother knows that I'm not the most romantic jabroni in the world, so I suppose that doing that was simply out of character for me.

I would admit, though, that I did enjoy giving the roses. ::blushes::

.:Media Law And Ethics:.

Read : The Fair Election Act [ R.A. No. 9006 ] and the cases of Gonzales vs. Comelec, National Press Club vs. Comelec and Osmena vs. Comelec in the light of the guide questions furnished to you.

Based on the foregoing, write a short paper, at least 3 pages in length, double-space, defining what you think should be the extent of media involvement in political campaigns considering the issues raised by the readings, e,g equality between rich and poor candidates, the democratization of public service, the unfair advantage of media personalities who are politicians, right of speech of candidates, the right to information of voters, the debasement of the electoral process and the duty to have the right candidate elected. (Like in Quiz #1,avoid the words “fair, responsible, objective etc “ . These do not score points.)

It would appear that there has been much said for and against the use of media for political campaigns, and both sides have their respective convincing arguments. The Fair Election Act, which is a fairly recent law that was not in effect during the time of the three cases, reversed the prohibition of employing media for political campaigns, although some measure of restrictions were still in place to prevent abuse. Media, without a doubt, is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to forming a society’s political awareness and agenda, and as such, we are hard-pressed to scrutinize the extent to which politicians should be allowed to harness this potent cog in their political machinery.

The status quo provides for Comelec-sponsored media access as well as restricted media access by the candidate himself or herself. This appears to be adequate as far as giving ample ground for any candidate to air out his or her side. Media, being considered as a “marketplace of ideas”, should eschew from allowing a cornering of such a marketplace, and this is exactly what the restrictions in the Fair Election Act address. As far as media allocation for a candidate’s campaigning, there is no more need to grant them more than what they already have.

However, this is not to say that the media should not participate in anything outside of granting candidates a sufficient venue for their side. Media likewise has a role in discussing pertinent issues about the future leaders of this country, and I am inclined to say that in the status quo, media is doing enough in this respect. A clear manifestation of this is the “Bio Data” miniseries by the GMA News and Public Affairs team, which amply introduces the presidential and vice-presidential candidates for this year’s elections. In this respect, the media is certainly manning an educative role in its attempt to introduce the candidates to its audience. We cannot expect pure objectivity from the media, but we can at the very least expect equitable coverage of these candidates, which is a double-edged sword as it does give them ample media coverage yet also does not spare them of being questioned on the controversies they may be mired with.

I believe that media should simply steer clear of personality-oriented politics for the most part and instead be more conscious of being issues-based since while this approach is still political, the people themselves would be better able to discern for themselves which personalities are addressing which issues, instead of having media bombard them with personalities who tend to rely on their mass appeal instead of their ability to address the issues integral to the well-being of the nation. Opinionated statements for or against a candidate are tolerable, but must appropriately be disclaimed as mere opinion and not a particular stand by the network per se. A disclaimer such as this will avoid the confusion between a media practitioner’s opinion and the audience’s ability to formulate his or her own opinion.

It’s unfortunate but this country is clearly easily misled by media practitioners who use their advantageous position to push for their own agenda, resulting in a hegemonizing of the mentality of the audience. This is exactly the reason why in the three cases reviewed, the Supreme Court ruled against declaring the so-called “ad ban” as unconstitutional, if only for the potential for abuse by the richer candidates in availing of media if the ban is lifted. Even then, the “ban” was moot. The “ban”, even if it were still in place to this year, would not have prevented someone like Ping Lacson from endorsing Emperador Brandy and launching political advertisements on his own behalf that did not really cover any campaigning on his part. This exposure he garnered for himself was simply a flagrant display of the disparity between the rich and poor candidate, and as such proves that an ad ban does not address it as well as the current Fair Election Act does, albeit still imperfectly.

An alarming pattern as of late has resulted in having media practitioners, who themselves are regarded by most as opinion leaders, running for public office themselves. The sheer advantage of their being in media reflects the need for them to resign from their positions or at least take a leave of absence for the duration of the campaign period. In spite of that, it is still alarming because they have already established themselves well enough prior to the campaign period, as is reflected by the sheer dominance of Noli de Castro in the 2001 Senatorial elections.

If this be the case, I cannot help but believe that media is already doing more than its fair share of political involvement, and there should be some form of restriction in that respect. In the status quo alone, this can already be viewed as “media intervention”, as one of them is now working within the system, and we clearly see that the paranoia surrounding this development is far from unfounded. Any candidate who does not have access to media is easily shortchanged in the electorate because they cannot build up their credibility or debunk any assaults to their character. If only for this fact, I believe that it is time we re-evaluated the extent of media participation in politics, and perhaps acknowledge that they have gone beyond their fair limit.

Much as it may seem beneficial to all to allow media such great involvement in politics, it becomes clear that there is a need to keep them in check because of the immense potency their field holds for them, especially if they themselves wanted to enter politics. As such, media should still be involved but be more particular about dealing with issues at hand than personalities, especially since the personalities will come into play in that respect, anyway, although by being more issues-oriented, the final say is left in the hands of the voter, as it is up to them to discern which of the candidates available to them can address the issues that are pertinent to them.

This is clearly a better alternative to us than to insist on a framework of intervention from media than is what is already available to them, and that which should actually be closely watched because politicizing media makes it representative of its own agenda and not that of its audience. Electing the right candidate will simply follow by making media focus on positively contributing to the illumination of the different issues this country faces, rather than to let politics keep on saying over and over again how they will resolve the basic necessities of their potential constituents, which is nothing more than a quick fix as it offers no long-term solutions to the development of the country.

If media were to fulfill the role of a moderator, initiator, and perhaps even an advocate of issues-oriented politics, then maybe we can find actual solutions to the problems this country faces, instead of just more popular actors or basketball players running for public office without a clue as to what they should do once they’re in power other than to enrich themselves. As such, I believe I have aptly framed the extent of media’s involvement in politics. While personalities are admittedly integral to the system, they must still take a backseat in favor of issues, and any favorable or dissenting opinions regarding them from media practitioners should be clearly regarded as opinion to prevent media from directly setting the political agenda of its audience.

.:More Radio 1:.

In spite of the fact that I had quite a Herculean task of reading through pages and pages of annotated legal text to find something to say about the Fair Election Act and how far the media sector of society should involve itself in politics, I still had a rather interesting weekend nonetheless. One of the highlights of the weekend was the meeting I had to attend for Radio 1. Apparently, as I did find out, I’m already at Level IV which is one step away from the top level of Radio 1 members. Hopefully, I can reach that before March comes along, so that I’d graduate from Radio 1 as a Level V member. Nonetheless, what makes this even more interesting is that among the things discussed was the rescheduling of the Radio 1 show itself, which is now from 12-2 in the afternoon instead of 8-10 in the evening. I’m not so sure if that’s entirely a great thing, but I don’t mind the change at all. Nonetheless, I’m exceedingly happy that things worked out there, and there was room for a lot of comedy.

For instance, sir Raffy was harping on sir Paeng over the lack of food, so every chance he gets, he tries to include the food considerations in the agenda. Likewise, it was pretty amusing that they implemented a new “Big Buddy” system wherein if you have anything you wish to address about Radio 1 but couldn’t address it to your buddy, you could contact your “Big Buddy” instead for the help. Of course, that was wide open to the pun, “Bigger than my buddy”, which is not funny if not delivered via the spoken word… Troy from UP then chimed in that he’s going to report his buddy, Brian, for molesting him. Brian shot back, “Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy it, Troy. Besides, you started it.” Chico was wondering why I never made them coffee. “You never asked,” I replied. Lots of funny stuff, really. Chico was pretty funny with his side comments.

Other highlights that came along was the change of Campus Central to become more interactive, although it would be interesting how the Radio 1 person would keep up with the word life when it’s a Sunday and it’s Hip 26. I did suggest to freestyle every time you go on air, but of course, nobody’s going to take that seriously, neh? ::chuckles:: Moreover, Campus Central is no longer purely tips. They also have small events now, such as “Beyblade Tournaments” (More laughter from that comment.). I commented even more, as if there are no events, one has to stick to tips, so pure tips for those from “Pamantasan ng Bekekekwa” (Bekekekwa University), to which Jojo of La Salle commented, “Discriminatory!” Troy then retorts to that with, “Look at La Salle: puro tips lang iyan!” (Look at La Salle: They’d be purely tips!). And yes, everyone’s excited over the chance to get to talk on the show more often, albeit Troy, I believe, added that you can talk, just off the mic. Sheer comedy for that meeting.

Anyways, with that aside, I’d like to remind everyone who’d care to listen that I’d be on the air AT LEAST every Tuesday (Possibly on Thursdays or Saturdays as well.), from 6 to 9 in the morning, with Chico and Delamar. The station is of course RX 93.1, and if you have internet, you can go to http://www.rx931.com to listen to the webcast. Yes, I know! Shameless, shameless plugging!

.:Outside Looking In:.

And now, all I can do is wait.

I’ve spoken to HER last Saturday as well, and apparently, I am perceived to have said or done or written something derogatory to her that resulted in her still eschewing from finally returning me to “friend” status in her book. I’ve no idea what this perceived mistake is, and as such, am reduced to cluelessness as to how I could defend myself against such allegations if indeed she was not bluffing and that someone has indeed told her that I purportedly did something. Not related to her at all, but I’m pretty used to being wrenched out of context a lot already, at the same time being crucified without a trial. If that be the case with HER, then I humbly accept it. I have no reason to fan the flames with her, for I do believe she is rational and humane enough to come around eventually, unlike some other miscreants I tend to run into. And yes, Adi, the offer still stands: I have a Friendster testimonial eagerly awaiting your approval if and hopefully when you and I are on good terms again.

I know I was wrong at one point or another, and if she feels I’m not yet done atoning for them, then so be it. In spite of that, I do not believe that I should badger her for forgiveness any longer as it is a collective waste of my time and her time. Better for her to let me know when she’s ready and willing to be on good terms with me again, as that is perfectly within her power. As far as I’m concerned, I shall treat her civilly, and even regard her as a friend, if only to prove to her that I am not as vengeful or as filled with hatred as she may believe that I am. I respect her decision, but I hope she’d likewise respect my decision to treat her as a friend who deserves all the time in the world to think things over. Because unlike my subsequent transgressors, I recognize that for her, whatever I may have done or conceivably done is certainly worth this kind of grief, and so I shall grin with it and bear it. I hope that I wouldn’t have to wait to get my diploma before this gets worked out, though. I just hope not.