E-Bay Excitement Getting In The Way Of My Blogging...

I must win!

And no, I am not going to link-whore The Challenge Of The Super-Duper Friends! That is just soooo juvenile!

Sigh...

.:Speaking Of Bushed...:.

Well, with all the hoopla about The Super-Duper Friends going around, I've really gotten around lately, just enjoying my workload, albeit it's been fairly heavy.

That being said, I've been getting back into getting some more magic done as of late. Thanks to Ellusionist's M5 system, I now have a new PK routine just waiting to be unlocked...

.:Wish Me Luck For Tomorrow...:.

I have a VTR!

For what? Beats me...

Variety

.:If You Know Me As...:.

It’s been a few years since I last did this. I suppose it’s time I revisited this little bit and check out how people call me…

Marcelle Michael Bertrand Fabie y Timbol: You're weird. Can't you stick to something shorter?

Marcelle: You're most likely a college friend of mine, or you've worked with me in RX last summer onwards. If not, you simply aren't used to calling me "Marc", prolly because there are too many people named "Mark" to begin with. This name is often spelled as "Marcel" by the uninformed. Those who do know wonder why I was given a girlie name.

Marc: You're most likely a relative, someone who's close like my Beloved or the Divine or thinks he/she's close, or worked with me with RX two summers ago, and never got used to "Marcelle".

Fabie: You're most likely from my high school.

Fabs: You heard me during my first four days with WAVE 89.1.

Kel: You’re from or a listener of WAVE 89.1, or you’re Clair or some of my other friends who like calling me Kel. You might also be from The Story Circle.

Magi-Kel: You know me as Kel, and you saw me do magic.

Ertai: You're most likely Delamar, or Chico or Brad Turvey (When he was still with RX.), reading off my messages. You may have also known me from my earlier days in RX, during Chico and Delle's first run there.

Mister Vader: You either know me online, or through Chico and Delamar's KC days.

Voldemort/Voldee/Vold: You know me through Otakuboard, or through chatting with me on YM.

The Rush: You know me through Team Canada or Gamewinners.

Magic: You're an LJ friend of mine named Cammy, or one of her friends, who saw me perform magic tricks and never knew me except as "Magic"...

David Blaine: You’ve seen me do magic.

GTM/ATM: You're probably Peppy, or you read my LJ in 2004. A lot.

Ranma: You're probably my classmate in high school around second year or prior, during my Ranma 1/2 heyday.

Kurt Angle: You know me through something wrestling related, or RX. Same goes for The Rock and The Undertaker. I was never too well-known for any of these names, though.

Mars: You know me through my stint as a Mandaluyong City Youth Counterpart of their SK Chairperson. I could’ve sworn another group of people called me Mars too, but I don’t remember whom.

Bessie-Moo: You’re Estelle, my Bessie-Moo.

Bert: You're either Ato, Yaiba, Elvin, or Cyril. Not satisfied with Marcelle, they discovered my full name, and used the "Bertrand" to give me a nickname.

Mi Tang: You’re history.

Mogg Fanatic: You know me in RX during my active days at the time when Chico and Delle first left the station. The Divine used to call me Mogg for the longest time.

God: You've read my Philosophy or Theology thesis statements. ::winks::

Looking at the list, things haven’t really changed by much at all… people still know me however they knew me. Heh.

.:Industrious Is An Understatement:.

Fruit Haven’s saleslady is arguably the most industrious employee I have ever encountered.

You see, she mans the stall at Makati Cinema Square near the IAS office. During the afternoon, on a daily basis, she goes around the entire Mile Long area, asking people one by one if they want shakes. After she gets people’s orders, she then goes back and delivers the shakes ordered. Words cannot express my respect for how hard she works, considering she’s not even being paid on commission.

It’s too bad she plans to resign soon. I’m going to miss out on these awesome, awesome shakes. Jonas was considering pirating her, though, which to me sounds like a good plan.

Just imagine it. With someone as hardworking as that, how undeniably effective do you think she would be in marketing The Challenge Of The Super-Duper Friends?

I owe you guys another post in a few… heh.

Just Some Random Thoughts...

.:Hardsell:.

So as I go on and spreading the word about what I feel is (I should get a trademark on this…) the biggest internet joke fad since The Juggernaut Bitch, and of course, I’m talking about The Challenge Of The Super-Duper Friends.

Marketing work isn’t easy. Producing results all around in a snap is not in the least bit simple, but I have to admit, seeing 42,000 hits on YouTube for the video, and over 140 favorites really makes me smile. Not bad for a week of traffic, especially since there’s traffic to consider on YouTube, Newgrounds, Devil Ducky, Daily Motion, and of course, the main site itself of the Super-Duper Friends.

The amazing thing is that people still don’t know that the video is actually Philippine-made, which means the people who made this video are not necessarily Democrats.

To be honest, I am still disturbed whenever I see Hillary Clinton as Reform Girl in a one-piece suit, but I am more disturbed when people run by me that they think she’s hot. I would sooner understand Condoleeza Rice as 9 Lives, but seriously, Hillary?!?

I’m honestly proud of the work I’ve managed to achieve so far, although I definitely didn’t do this alone. All the guys who have helped Jonas and I spread this video around are made of pure win!

.:My Beloved…:.

We met for a short while at her school today, and she wasn’t the least bit hesitant to be seen with me, although I wasn’t even so much as able to hug her since well, you know, it’s a campus, and all eyes were on us, truth be told.

In any case, I am more than happy that I managed to squeeze in that bit of time to be with her. My Beloved and I have had a lot of hurdles to go through, and I know I’m going to keep changing myself for the better because she deserves no less.

Another Day At Work...

It's awesome when you're blogging for a living... heh.

.:Remember This?:.

Weekend all go home.

As a kid, did you watch the Street Fighter movie?

Do you remember the speech Jean-Claude Van Damme made when he was addressing the troops upon being informed that his superiors at the Allied Nations have called off the assault on General M. Bison? If you didn't, allow me to remind you of the transcript of that very speech from the diction-challenged Van Damme...

"True Peers!!! I just recede new orders! Org superiors say, the war is canceled! Weekend all go home. Bison is getting pay Duff for his crimes, and our friends will have DYED HAIR!!!1 ... will have dyed, for nothing. But, weekend all go home. Meanwhile, I deals like piss, freedom, and just dis... day get tacked up. But... weekend all go home.

Well... I'm nut going home. I'm gonna get on my boot and I'm going up writher, and I'm going to kick that sun of a bitch Bison's ass SO HORDE!!!1 ... that the next Bison wanibi, is gonna fill it!

No who wants to go home, and who wants to go with MIG?!?1"

What? You don’t believe me? Well, then go here and listen.

I don’t even need to say anything anymore. I just have to sit back and laugh.

Just so you know, I got to thinking about this film thanks to the "Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game" thread somewhere out there on Shoryuken.Com, by a Mr. Alan Noon.

.:Scissor Sisters:.

No words are enough to describe how brilliant their performance is. I don’t like their music, but this is one heck of a live performance! This is very similar to that Matrix ping-pong video, except they really pulled out all the stops to just floor people in a live audience as it happens.

You just gotta love YouTube!

And if you still haven’t caught on, you might want to check out these videos!

.:And The New Bet From Vote For The Worst…:.

Well, now that SanJaya is gone from American Idol, Vote For The Worst is endorsing Phil Stacey for the win.

I’m especially amused how people just flame the site for trying to shove the worst Idol hopefuls down the throats of America, because as we all know, controversy creates cash. These guys had so much traffic their site bogged down a couple of years back.

There is just something intrinsically awesome about having that kind of impact on American Idol, since the Vote For The Worst campaign has definitely kept a load of clunkers well into the Idol Finals before long after people have caught on how much these ones actually suck.

Philippine TV Is FAR From Dead...

.:Make Me Whole:.

That’s the title of the song my Beloved sang to me when I was asking her to sing me a lullabye…

The song is a beautiful song with beautiful lyrics, and in a time where the two of us have to deal with fits of jealousy, trust issues, short tempers, and everything else, it’s a somber reminder to the both of us that what brings us together is how we stay strong for each other when the other is weak. It’s that kind of complementary configuration, that kind of biorhythmic synchronicity, that truly makes me believe we have a chance of bucking the odds and making this work.

I continue to pray that she is the half that would make me whole…

.:A Meantime Vlog?:.

Jonas recorded a video of the two of us at work while marketing (Yes, I’m shameless.) The Super-Duper Friends, and he just might make a vlog about it. Gah. Visual and audio evidence that not only was I listening to a Steven Seagal song, I was also wearing a hot pink shirt!!!

.:Blind Item, Courtesy Of Ogie Diaz:.

“Isang pulitiko ay madalas pumunta sa Bulacan ngayon, dahil kailangan niyang dalawin ang kanyang Ilokanang nobya na kanyang inanakan ng dalawang beses!”

“Sino itong pulitiko na ito? Well, hindi naming kayo pwedeng bigyan ng clue ngayon. Sa Wednesday na lang!”

This is an explosive rumor! Apparently, this politician is married, has had two kids with this mistress, and the wife knows all about it! Now, the kicker is, who is this politician? Is it just a congressman? Or a senator? Or a senatoriable?

There was a hint right there, and it seemed to narrow the suspects down to four, but you never really know. I wonder who this really is…

.:Counterpoint: Philippine Television? Dead? Hah!:.

The Premise

Mike Abundo made an entry sometime last year essentially detailing the fall of Philippine TV, where he essentially asserts that the local TV industry is slowly crumbling in the face of Filipino YouTubers and other emerging technologies.

Well, not to knock him, or the very industrious Filipino YouTubers out there, but I have to respectfully disagree. A lot of his points of argument have been non sequitur, particularly when he cited falling profits, without looking at the factors why profits were down, to begin with. It was especially glaring how he glossed over the fact that GMA-7 in particular opened QTV 11 during October 2005, which has resulted in a dip in profits for them during the succeeding year.

Philippine television continues to be the medium for entertainment (And even news, oftentimes.) of choice for a country with around 90% of its citizenry below the poverty line. A television is more likely to be found inside a squatter’s home than even a radio, more so than a computer. Televisions still account for millions of voters, and hours upon hours of programming, even from the local networks. To say that the growing internet community of the Philippines will kill television in the country is ludicrous, because we are in a society of couch potatoes. We are in a country where the TV will not go away just because of computer access.

I will not play the apologist and say that television programs like “Wowowee” and “Atlantika” were classics and we should continue to rally for the wonderful local shows we have on the air. I do not shy away from talking about local programming when I get to watch it, and yes, I was especially thrilled when I heard about the switch going on at Pinoy Big Brother, where Bruce from PBB gets traded with someone else from Big Brother Slovenia. For better or for worse, that’s interesting.

The Nitty-Gritty

Ratings are up, TV’s are still on. It’s untrue to assume that Philippine TV is on the decline, when all signs point to otherwise. While I look at ABS-CBN’s move to take down their programming from YouTube with disdain, I believe that it’s only a matter of time before either network realizes that YouTube should be working for them, not against them.

Sure, there are still clunkers like Super Twins, although I really don’t see how people can scream “rip-off” if they are not even aware about who has the rights to what, and before even seeing what the show is about. I always believe in “wait and see”, because it just reeks of contrarianism to naysay something before even seeing a single episode of it. Half of the time, and you must admit to the truthiness of this, people are quick to bash a local program because it’s a local program, and not because of anything else. I still remember the kind of people who would bash the non-linear storytelling of “First Day High” and cite “The Grudge 2” as a great film for the same reason.

For starters, people screamed “foul” over Lupin, screaming “rip-off” all the way. What they failed to realize was that if they only bothered watching an episode of Lupin, it was far from the way the anime was executed. An anime, by the way, which was heavily Filipinized when it was dubbed by GMA-7. While Richard Gutierrez’s Lupin is still a thief, he is no longer a bumbling larcenist at the mercy of a hot girl. The only thing they really tried to keep from the anime was the Detective character, played by Janno Gibbs, and to that, I say “blah”. I don’t care about Janno anyways, since he was never a particularly great actor, and I’ve seen him since his “Ober Da Bakod” days.

I don't like how people condemn something without even knowing what it's about. Truth be told, Lupin is a pretty good series, and Asian Treasures isn't half bad, either. Robin Padilla is a good actor, and Angel Locsin, is, well... never mind. On top of that, my mom makes cameo appearances there a lot, too! =P

It’s Not One Or The Other…

… why can’t it be both?

The Filipino netizens don’t have to grow at the expense of TV viewers. Personally, if I were working for either network, I would heavily push for a way to simply have those episodes freely available online, simply because it actually draws the viewers in, especially the international audiences. Local viewers will still prefer watching the telecast over the netcast for the most part anyways.

There has been a lot of good local programming on TV, from Maging Sino Ka Man to Sana Maulit Muli (Except for the Gawd-awful ending.) to Starstruck, to the rival news programs of both networks (For the most part.), to even that independent film segment they have on ABC 5. Local TV has a lot of gems, although admittedly there are a lot of tacky shows on the air that remain. Well, that’s too bad, but it’s not my problem, since I’m only trying to disprove the notion that TV is dying, not that the programming is good.

For those who cite “steadily declining standards of programming” as a reason for TV’s decline, know that rose-colored glasses get you nowhere here. Truth be told, that is far from reality, as it is very clear that there were clunkers then and there are clunkers now, and decades from now, when some new host is so popular, people will always say that Willie Revillame was a class act in contrast to the new guy. Most of us would hopefully know better.

TV is far from dead. The internet is really, really great (For… mmpphhh!), but that doesn’t mean TV will die because of it. I just wish the programming wouldn’t be this consistently unappealing even to me, though. Since SMM ended, I can’t bring myself to watch the replacement soaps, nor could I bring myself to jump to the other network. Gah.

Paths Taken...

.:Walang Kapalit:.

They are replacing Sana Maulit Muli with this show… well, while Piolo and Claudine are pretty good, I do feel queasy about the pseudo-incestuous themes of the plot, since Piolo and Claudine are step siblings in the show, and they fall in love with each other. There’s just something about it that really puts me off, truth be told.

.:Reassessment:.

I think as I spend yet another day here at Integrated Arts and Services trying to get people to check out how The Super-Duper Friends are doing, I’m realizing that the pipe dream of making it big in the radio industry just isn’t in the cards for me.

Three years down, and still, nothing. No recognition, no progression, and overall, just really a stagnation that has been driving me nuts. I can’t say I blame WAVE for it, really. At least, I now know better than to. You can’t expect a company to pay attention to all their employees, least of all the jocks they can’t even get up out of bed to listen to since it’s in graveyard.

That being said, here I am doing marketing for Jonas, and I’ve been considering a career in marketing in other places after the stint here, assuming I don’t end up working for Jonas on a more regular basis. I’ve applied for Google, and I’ve considered going to Singapore and shipping for work there.

But of course, the call of the academe still holds me. Even though the Communications Department didn’t find an opening for me to teach in this coming June, I still want to teach at some point, and the best way to accomplish that is by simply getting on with the show and finishing my Masters degree already, even if the Philosophy Department doesn’t really seem to like me that much anymore.

Ever since I left the department, I’ve been contending with regret. Considering what mainly led to me not teaching anymore, and the aftermath of that, and even the aftermath of that aftermath, I can’t help but feel it was a waste, but even then, I’ve spent well over a year mastering in Philosophy, so I guess I may as well finish it and take it all the way to Ph.D.

As the English Department has been very dubious as well over hiring me, it would like I definitely have to choice but to support my own Masters on my own, and that being said, diversify by taking up Cultural Studies or the like after my Doctorate.

Why Cultural Studies? Why not Communications or Film? Well, for one, I want to have a better grasp on Pop culture, and depending on what my inclinations are, I might specify myself into Asian or Philippine culture in order to really fill out a niche I can teach in. As a doctor of Philosophy with a masters degree in, say Asian studies, and a degree in Communications, I am more than capable of teaching Asian film with a Philosophical slant, for instance.

That being said, there are a lot of plans going on around me as of late, but I can be certain that going corporate with a Unilever or a Procter & Gamble is rather not likely at this juncture.

It seems like a good plan so far… the magic career is always around for me to work around with, but it definitely is far from the first thing I want to consider.

.:I Wish You’d Know Better…:.

I thought better of you than to think you’d do that. I wish you realized that… there is nothing I’d want more than to lay this matter to rest.

Sigh...

.:A Chain Of Failures…:.

I’m not going to teach for the Communications Department, apparently.

Then, I get mistrusted by the person I least want to mistrust me.

Then, I am reminded of even more failures as I dumbly go on, hoping they would still come around after all this time. Unbelievable. I wish that after all this time, the matter can be laid to rest, but it isn’t meant to be…

It pains me because it all just happens one after the other. And yet, if only that mistrust never happened, I know I’d still see this as a good day. Sigh… i

.:Practically A New Fad:.

The Challenge Of The Superfriends (Or Super-Duper Friends, if you’re not as lazy.), a video parody of the beloved Superfriends cartoon most of us born in the 80’s may have seen as a kid, is quickly catching on as one of the most popular internet fads since The Juggernaut, Bitch!

Check out the video whenever you can. It’s a load of laughs, and maybe we can gently nudge Jonas to get working on an actual episode, and not just a teaser…

.:Sana Maulit Muli On Videocam:.

When I met my Beloved last Saturday, it was a really lovely date…

… but she has done the ultimate act of love.

You see, I wasn’t really home when the last episode of Sana Maulit Muli came out, so I was a bit down, since I had no idea what was going on.

Obviously, referring to my last post about the show. it’s pretty obvious that the ending really sucked, but hey, we didn’t know that initially, right?

That being said, my Beloved recorded the finale on her camera. When we met up, the first thing she did was whip out the camcorder and then let me watch the episode right then and there.

My goodness, she sat through half an hour of absolute horsecrap, gathering from the fact that she actually turned the recorder off during commercials. That has got to be true love right there. I’m just glad we had The Reaping to wash out the horrid taste of the show afterwards.

I still can’t believe I downloaded a logo for my phone!!!

And now, for your moment of Zen, one of the last images forever etched in my mind after the show, nicked from a blogger named Pinoy Rickey…

.:Spongebob:.

Children’s animation is taking it too far!!!

Thank goodness for people like Pastor Deacon Fred. He has shown us all that children are unwittingly being exposed to such horrendous content!

Down with Spongebob! Down with improperly suggestive giggling from a gay starfish! They really ought to do something about this!

.:Walang Kapalit:.

They are replacing Sana Maulit Muli with this show… well, while Piolo and Claudine are pretty good, I do feel queasy about the pseudo-incestuous themes of the plot, since Piolo and Claudine are step siblings in the show, and they fall in love with each other. There’s just something about it that really puts me off, truth be told.

I'm Just So Giddy Because...

... my Beloved pretty much officially said kami na.

To her friends.

I'm so smitten!

Political Barrage 3...

.:On A Lighter Note Before We Get To The Nitty-Gritty…:.

Apparently, The Challenge Of The Super-Duper Friends is turning into quite a cult favorite, having been viewed close to 20,000 times in a mere three days.

That being said, pass on the word! It’s a pretty well-made video, and it’s even animated by Filipinos, for that matter! Politically charged, yes, but all in good fun.

Here’s a nice graphic link by Jonas to help you out in linking:

.:V-Games, V-Tech, And Psy-Cho:.

I have little to say about this, because I think there are only so many ways I can describe this horrible tragedy. What Seu-Hui Cho did at Virginia Tech was extremely reprehensible, but I don’t want to wish the killer ill because he was still a human person with severe issues he unfortunately was unable to deal with.

I know it’s ridiculous to blame video games (Jack Thompson doesn’t.) for the shootings, so I’m glad that some gamers wanted to stage a peace demonstration to show their condolences and at the same time underscore that video games don’t kill people. Heck, not even guns kill people. People kill people.

I can’t believe that Dr. Phil, a guy who sawed his own foot off in Scary Movie 4, would have the audacity to say that video games were to blame for the killings.

He said: “common sense tells you that if these kids are playing video games, where they’re on a mass killing spree in a video game, it’s glamorized on the big screen, it’s become part of the fiber of our society. You take that and mix it with a psychopath, a sociopath or someone suffering from mental illness and add in a dose of rage, the suggestibility is too high.”

Well, no duh. You mixed a violent videogame with a psychopath. What did you expect?!? Did you even consider for a moment that a psychopath doesn’t need a video game to run amok? The first school shooting in the States was in the 1960’s, long before Pong even existed. You cannot just directly link video games to violent behavior, especially since Cho had no video games in his room upon search. If they were going to say his previous times of playing video games caused this, then they are just grasping at straws. How many kids in the States have never played a video game at all?

That being said, I’d love to see Jack and Dr. Phil weasel out of this, now that their assertion has been proven patently false.

Games are games are games. Some are good games. Some are bad games. Some are clean. Some are violent. But unless they shoot bullets at you or give you a fatal seizure, games do not kill people. It’s common sense, of which neither Thompson nor Phil apparently have.

Political Barrage 2...

.:Genuine Opposition Ads Are Too Hot To Handle?:.

The G.O. Political Ads have been a hot-button topic for a while already, and I honestly still find it problematic that their best option for victory is to attack the administration much the same way John Kerry tried to win against George Bush during the 2004 elections in the United States.

I am not a Team Unity, Team Arroyo (T.U.T.A.) apologist, but neither am I a blind follower of the Grand Alliance of Genuine Opposition (Okay. Let’s skip the acronym on that.). I can’t find twelve senators I want in power, and it annoys me that the only thing G.O. can push for is that they are not T.U. That’s the crux of their campaign. They’re not the same. They can’t quite qualify how not being the same automatically means they are better, and it amuses me how all this party-jumping has been extremely laughable after how candidates from either side have hurled not-very-flattering words towards each other, yet I am willing to bet that some of them will be running on the same side in three or six years.

The attack the G.O. has been taking has been extremely ruthless, practically crucifying the current administration for the woes of this country, although I can’t really disagree with them on that count. Nonetheless, would they not be better served by showing what they as a group can do for the country? Why use the collective slogan of “a vote against those in power”, when they could ask for a vote on their own merits, and not on the demerits of the administration? Or is attacking T.U. really the only leg they can stand on?

They had better do better than that. The divisive and polarizing language politicians have been using this season have done nothing to help the country patch anything up. It’s been nothing but self-serving agendas being pushed left and right…

.:Noynoy's Aquino Amuses Me:.

Noynoy Aquino’s political ad where his mom, Cory Aquino, endorses him, is really witty.

I like how she says “I would vote for him even if he weren’t my son”, and how she says “I think he’d make a great senator. Kung hindi, lagot siya sa nanay niya.” (…If not, he’s in trouble with his mom.)

The commercial was light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek, and emphasized a platform merely by echoing Ninoy and Cory.

Sure, he won’t get my vote, but his ad still deserves props.

Political Barrage 1...

I’m going to try from now on to have more links when I make posts, so at least people can get backstories and the like when I write stuff…

This is especially true for today because I’m writing a politics-heavy post, so I need all the references I can get.

.:Manny Pacquiao Crushes Opponent In Ring… Time To Crush Opponent In Polls?:.

I know, I know. Belated news, but it had to be said, what with all the political hoopla going about. Manny Pacquiao, showing shades of a Mason “The Line” Dixon from Rocky Balbo because of how easy it almost seemed for him, handily knocked out the erstwhile undefeated Jorge Solis in 7 rounds.

While newspapers all over the country fawned all over his victory and cited it as a moment where “Filipinos of all walks of life united”, the underlying message was that it was time for his next opponent to get ready for him.

This time around, it wasn’t going to be in the ring. He is going to run for Congressman, no less, riding the wave of the adulation and admiration he’s been getting for winning. His opponent is crying foul play, but it won’t help them at all. In the eyes of a lot of people, Pacquiao is untouchable. However, unlike before, this claim is no longer as valid. He was booed in the Battle of Mactan, and the hoopla over him has waned noticeably but not necessarily significantly.

The misplaced nationalism in him has been a mixed bag. While it has inspired a lot of Filipinos, children training to box can be quite difficult to watch as they do get hurt a lot at such an early age, and teachers who give their students low grades just because they didn’t watch his fights have been just a few of the specific detriments of all this misplaced patriotic pride. Now, people are beginning to be warier of Pacquiao because of this political escapade, and you just know that his victory party was practically a proclamation rally that just reeked of star power politics.

This situation bears watching. If I were voting in his district, I’d practically abstain from voting for him or his opponent. Yech. Slim pickings.

That’s exactly why I can’t even find twelve names to put into my ballot come election day, and why I refuse to endorse any candidate, even if I intend to vote for them.

.:Campaign Jingles And Local Elections…:.

Lemme guess.. these local candidates for Councilor and the like did not pay for any rights to campaign songs, did they?

I would really like to know if they did, because if they just ripped a song and used it as a campaign jingle with no regard for the song’s composers whatsoever, then I do believe these people aren’t even worth voting for by their clear and utter disregard for proper decorum.

Assortment

.:First Day At A New But Very Short-Term Job…:.

For most likely one week only, I will be doing marketing for Integrated Arts and Services as a New Media Marketing guy, who will pretty much be doing promotions and awareness campaigns for the company under Viral Medium, which appears to be a new company under them for new media marketing.

I got to work and it was really eventful, considering I was really just in front of a computer the whole day. It more or less boiled down to me finding numerous ways to promote the Hades out of The Challenge Of The Super-Duper Friends in order to generate a lot of awareness about the video. So far, with all the hits it’s been getting on YouTube and the site itself, the effort has been working out.

I even ran into a friend online and she was wondering if I could do the same kind of marketing for her, but the obvious problem would be she wanted me on referral basis, which is a problem for me since marketing does not automatically translate to sales, yet I would still invest time and effort into it, regardless. There’s also the problem that it’s hard to trace any business back to me even if I do bring them business… Sigh…

That being said, I mostly spent the whole day at work and playing footsie and exchanging gay jokes with my temporary boss, Jonas, and bonding with my brother’s ex’s sister, Laya. Talking to them and hearing from them really gives me less skewed and more objective ways of looking at things, truth be told. That’s a good thing.

.:Sana Maulit Muli Terribly Disappointed Me…:.

For the entire season Sana Maulit Muli was on, I praised the brilliant writing of the series. I let the bad acting and the heavy product placements slide, because the script was tight, and even if it was unoriginal in the face of “If Only”, I still didn’t mind since their execution was going pretty well.

Throughout the series, I felt the highs and lows of young love, sweet love. It was a bit heavy-handed with all the forever’s being thrown about, but hey, almost everyone’s idealistic when it comes to first love. The dynamic between Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson when they play off of Michael De Mesa is brilliant because Michael De Mesa as the guardian of fate really works.

Even the other cast members were pretty good. Who would’ve thought Mickey Ferriols could pull off the mother role? Glydel Mercado was good at being the villain, and Jay Cayuca pulls off the angsty but sensitive brother very well. The less said about Gloria Diaz and Chritian Bautista (Or is it Mark Bautista? Or Erik Santos? I tend to forget.), the better.

So with a mostly good recipe for a soap opera, how could they screw it up?

Why, pretty much the way nearly every single ABS-CBN soap screws itself over: the ending.

Just once, I wasn’t expecting a happy ending at all. The episode before the last one, Travis was in critical condition because he was there when Jasmine was almost hit by a truck that flew through badly done CGI. In order for him to live, Mang Andres implicitly struck a deal with Jasmine that if she followed what was supposed to happen and killed herself, she would make sure Travis doesn’t die.

But that doesn’t happen, and at the cost of Travis’ life, Mang Andres lost the game. Travis flatlined almost at the moment Jasmine jumped, which resulted in Tonton Gutierrez, who plays Kim Chiu’s father, managing to stop her from completely plummeting to her death. This pretty much invalidated Mang Andres’ agreement with Jasmine, since Travis died already, so the whole funeral bit happens, and we get a similar ending to “If Only”.

If they left it at that, it wouldn’t be a happy ending, but it would be a sensible one. But knowing how Filipinos love happy endings, you know they wouldn’t let that happen.

When Jasmine was handed Travis’ belongings by Travis’ mom, she finds the watch that Travis got from Mang Andres to help him go back in time, and for some weird reason, she figures out a way to use it to do the same thing.

How stupid was Mang Andres to not have a failsafe? I mean, if he really safeguards destiny, why does he even let people turn back time? It’s ridiculous because he not only left the watch with Travis even after he died, but it even worked indiscriminately.

The Deus Ex Machina was such a cop-out. She used the watch to turn back time, and they ended up meeting in Jollibee, because “lagi tayong masaya kapag nandito tayo”, and the product placement was just overboard! Even I can’t stand it anymore, how they just showed shot after shot after shot of Jollibee, and it was really just tacky.

Sana Maulit Muli started with a bang and ended with a horrible, horrible whimper. It was a gutsy series all the way, from putting two very untested talents in their lead roles, to breaking storytelling conventions by going back in time and frequently referencing past episodes for important plot points, to an engaging script, and it got to a very contrived and unpalatable ending that just made me reel in disgust.

.:Uh-Oh…:.

Ma, makikipag-lunch lang ako sa Katipunan today.

Sino naman ka-lunch mo?

Kaibigan ko lang.

Alam ko na. Yung pumunta dito nung isang araw, ano? Alam ko siya rin yung palagi mong kasama tuwing umaalis ka…

Ha? Hindi, ah!

Uh-oh… I think she’s bluffing, but I don’t want my Beloved to get into trouble…

.:Drawn Closer…:.

That recent brush with danger has helped draw me and my Beloved closer together, and for that, I’m thankful.

I understand her situation all too well. It’s not something new to me at all, but what I really find is that with that kind of understanding, I do not resent her for the situation she finds herself in, which is far more than could be said of me in the past, when I simply refused to understand that.

It helps that we have very open lines of communication. It helps that I feel she’s the closest friend I’ve ever had in years. Most of all, it helps that despite all the arguments, despite all the mood swings, despite all the quirks and idiosyncracies, we honestly love each other, and that love has already withstood our worst qualities.

That being said, we practically saw each other five times last week. That’s got to be a record of sorts…

My Beloved, you’ve been my source of sanity in the midst of all this craziness going on in my life today. I love you, and I am thankful you are by my side in spite of everything. I love you so much.

Gyeesh...

.:Oy, Vey!:.

It was great hanging out with my Beloved and Elbert for lunch. There’s just something so fun about being ganged upon by your significant other and your best friend… heh.

However,I met an unfortunate… mishap while hanging out at World Chicken and enjoying the company of comic book people in Katipunan.

Long story short, while I was there during one of Elbert’s comic book seminars, I had the misfortune of hitting my head on what appeared to be an upside-down fishbowl that they use to cover their lights at the second floor, immediately causing breakage. After much grief, I ended up forking over payment for the damages, to the tune of 4,500.

Dammit, I don’t just pick up 4,500 in a snap, you know. That was a painful hit on my finances, and I’m seething right now over the fact that if it happened in the U.S., I could actually have sued because the bloody thing could’ve cut me in the head.

I feel stupid not complaining about it. That I just tried to pass it off as if nothing happened when I would’ve been better off complaining and simply letting them know I could’ve been hurt by that thing. It was situated low, and it was fragile, since I stood up and barely hit the damned fishbowl.

I guess I didn't want to assert myself, since I planned to eat there in the future and I certainly didn't want them spitting in my food...

That being said, I would really appreciate any gigs or sidelines you guys could refer me to in hopes of recouping this unfortunate loss. I haven’t had a magic show in quite a while, and I’ve been developing a lot of new magic for my routines lately, so it would be a huge help if I managed to do a show or two…

The Challenge Of The Super-Duper Friends!

.:This Is Pretty Cool...:.

I am loving this gem of a video.

Speaking of Democratic Presidential hopefuls...

Regardless of your political alignments, I think I found something amusing, to say the least, featuring the Democrats vs. the Republicans in old-school, knockdown drag-out superhero glory...



Pretty okay Flash animation, and Karl Rove as the Joker really takes the cake.

Check it out. :p

Randomicity Weekend...

.:Two Weeks... Gah...:.

Feels so weird to not be on radio for two straight weeks, not by choice.

You know, next time I get suspended, I'll make sure it's over something controversial. Ahahahaha...

This is considering there have been WAVE ads lately where finally, you can see all the jocks and their names... ah, well.

.:The Misadventures Of A First-Time I-Blog Speaker:.

So for the past couple of years, I've been attending I-Blog, and it's been a load of fun being there and hearing from the luminary speakers like Dean Alfar, Jonas Diego, Ma'am Connie V, and so forth.

For the longest time, I wanted to be there, to talk about blogging, and how it has been a huge influence on my life for the past five years since Maia introduced me to it. I've been blogging for so long, and it's certainly helped me improve my writing for the most part.

When I was under sir Jim Paredes' creativity class, I learned quite a bit about the Artist's Way, and it's been a constant source of inspiration for me to push on writing despite a bad rash of bad ideas every now and then.

When I arrived at I-Blog 3 last Friday, my talk was almost up next, so I had little time to collect myself. I honestly didn't have much time to fix up my Powerpoint presentation mainly since I use Open Office and it was the first time I made a presentation with it. It certainly felt different from how it usually would be when I make a presentation via MS Office.

Anyways, with little more than three slides and four pictures to help me out, I pretty much had to wing it all the way, relying on the fact that my presentation had more visual aids than just the Powerpoint. I got up there, and I looked at the audience, recognizing more than a few faces and at the same time turning to my Beloved, who was there to give me support.

So I opened with how I got into blogging. I was really just keeping pace because I was worried I'd be horribly undertime if I went ahead with my bit by basing what I have to say off the slides already. At some point, I started bringing up the fact that whenever I have a drought of writing, I just keep on drawing from within, and it may even feel like I'm just drawing from an empty paper bag.

But you see, sometimes, you just have to dig deeper into that empty paper bag, and next thing we all knew, I was pulling boxes out from the paper bag, which caught the bloggers who have never seen me do this stuff completely off-guard.

I moved on to discussing the methods to breed creativity, and then moved onto force of will at some point. The moment I brought out the forks, I got quite a few reactions, and there was a huge uproar when I thanked SM for the forks. They were laughing their heads off as well when at some point...

Marcelle: I will put this fork into your hands, and I just want you to tell me if you're feeling any strange, tingling sensation... *pauses* I'm holding his hand, after all! You never know, right? It's 2007, and we don't judge!

I ended my talk fairly well, even if I missed out on my finale. I then stayed for a few more minutes, then headed out for lunch at Mang Jimmy's with Charo, Jonas, and my Beloved.

All in all, despite my haphazard presentation brought about as a result of my unexpected technical difficulties among other things, I think I did well for a first-time I-Blog speaker. Interestingly enough, I was invited to make the same talk sometime this May by Sister Ding for kids, which kind of flattered me... after all, to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing when I was up there half the time, and the other half, I was doing magic.

.:More I-Blog Stories:.

After my Beloved instantly bonded with Jonas and Charo, I had my meeting of doom at WAVE, and then called it a day for I-Blog Day 1. That means that for the first time, I missed out on Dean's talk, which is such a shame.

Day 2 was interesting, because I went there to really watch speakers and hear about what they have to say, and it was during the time that my Beloved was on her way home from Tagaytay. During our lunch break, I did a bit of magic for the bloggers while Jonas became my videographer, which really went fairly well. Still, my Beloved was on her way from Eastwood...

Unsurprisingly, I cut out and met up with her at Eastwood when she asked me to, thereby missing the afternoon sessions, but not before I shamelessly plugged my blog and my magic. I then met up with her and spent about three hours in her company, since she'll be having classes in two days, and we wouldn't have the chance to have moments like these any longer...

It was really great, although there's not much to say because all we really did was just spend time with each other. We didn't have enough time to watch “The Reaping”, so well... it was just bonding time...

After hanging out with Row, I went back to I-Blog for the last speaker, and the massive photo opportunity for all of us. I met up with a lot of the other bloggers from the past couple of days, and it's been really cool as we headed off for an after-party at the University Hotel, which had a humorous acronym... welcome to “UH”... which just gave people the wrong ideas.

Anyways, I did a bit of magic here and there, and we even talked about how cold reading works, and why it's frowned upon when mediums use that very technique. After a while, we even talked about gay bars, and Mike Abundo actually volunteered the information that they're “overrated”... uhh... okay.

I-Blog 3 was a riot. I wish more people turned out for it, though. Maybe some new attractions need to be set up or something...

.:More Thoughts On Local Television...:.

Who the heck thought that Ariel Rivera doing snake style Kung-Fu was going to be the least bit credible?

Holy crud, watching Ariel Rivera doing Kung-Fu just made my jaw drop last Saturday. It was the point where my suspension of disbelief completely flew out the window, because quite honestly, it was just impossible for me to look at him pretend he's Jackie Chan when I half-expect him to burst into song all throughout.

I don't remember what the show was. I think it might have been “Fantastic Man”, but truth be told, I was just watching the show with much incredulity.

.:More Thoughts On Politics...:.

I am not a fan of Mike Arroyo. I really am not fond of him, but when he was challenged by Alan Peter Cayetano (Or was it Chiz Escudero? I tend to forget.) to waive his rights to his German bank accounts and he did, unsurprisingly, it was discovered that the account was clean. Cayetano then proceeds to demand that Arroyo waive his secrecy rights to all his accounts, which Arroyo naturally declined, since Cayetano's accusations already fell flat.

It's like that rape case in U.S. Where a newscaster was harping on the guilt of the accused only to discover after an entire year that he was innocent...

It's like having someone say you have warts on your back, and to prove you don't, you take off your shirt, then he accuses you of having warts on your butt instead and insisting you should take your pants off to prove him wrong.

The funny thing about all of these things is they have one thing in common: the moment you decline to metaphorically take off your pants, you're accused of hiding something, when quite obviously, you are simply maintaining the little privacy you happen to have left...

Yeesh. This is exactly why I can't fill out 12 names for the Senatorial race.

.:Gah...:.

So near yet so far at last Sunday's tournament! I really tried hard, but I made a bone-headed play during the semis against Mike Juan...

.:Handicapped Humor:.

My only male best friend is politically incorrect...

Elbert and blind people should never be put together. Apparently, El's idea of putting lazy but able-bodied men to use is to help blind people do jobs they normally couldn't, like traffic enforcers, and apparently, call people... gah.

It really disturbed me when he started suggesting they should work for gay bars and that when they get there, they literally wouldn't see it coming...

Agghhhh!!! The images!!!

.:It's Amazingly... Normal:.

My Beloved had her first day of classes yesterday, and amusingly enough, after I ate brunch, she ended up asking me if I wanted to have lunch with her. Ignoring that I was stuffed like a turkey, I still went ahead and met up with her.

After just sitting at McDonald's for a while, I walk her to school, and we just stuck around with each other, simply trading jokes and stories at the library. The really awesome thing about it was that we were just acting like it was something so everyday and something so expected. My Beloved and I enjoyed each other's company, as she was practically craving for a cheeseburger so we went back to McDonald's after staying in the library for a while. It was so funny how she craved. It was almost as if she were pregnant (Obviously, she's not.), and we were laughing our heads off over the whole thing.

And what really made me feel so happy about her all the more was that it turns out that she finally told her friends about us. I'm glad she managed to pluck up the courage to do that... I feel validated, and I just saw a glimpse of how it would be to spend the rest of my life with her. She's already the closest friend I've ever had in years, and it's been amazing how we just managed to spend a simple day and have it become really meaningful to the both of us despite the mundane goings-on around us.

Through highs, lows, and plateaus, Row's still the one I chose...

Rhyming is cool. =P

I-Blog 3 Post Coming Up Tomorrow...

Yes, I know I should be posting about what went on at I-Blog 3...

Unfortunately, I have to attend to taking some names and kicking some @$$ in a Magic (The Gathering) tournament today, so that will have to wait for tomorrow... heh.

.:Speaking At I-Blog Tomorrow...:.

... wish me luck, guys!

Sigh...

.:Extremely Delinquent:.

I'm posting only now because I've simply been offline for the past couple of days. That being said, that means I haven't been to work in quite a while as well.

You just know that can't be good at all...

.:Dinudugo:.

So I spent some time with El and 'Elle the other day, and after dinner, I accompanied Elbert to Gateway as he went and got himself some groceries.

Well, at some point, we were talking about him getting a toothbrush, and after dismissing my offers for him to take mine (=P), we talked about the kind of toothpaste I can use for my sensitive gums.

Elbert then absent-mindedly quips...

Elbert: Diba, Marcelle, dinudugo ka?

He really could've phrased that better. We had a lot of amusing stuff going on that day, especially since an A1-N'Sync CD was playing... heh.

.:102 Kisses...:.

To celebrate the 102nd day we've been together, since we completely forgot about the 100th day. Of course, the kisses were over the phone, but they were as good as in real time... heh.

I love you, my Beloved!

.:A Lullabye:.

I wish I remembered what song she sang, but since I was having problems sleeping last Monday, I definitely appreciated that she actually went ahead and sang me a lullabye... sigh.

I know she sang "Stay" for me, though. I wish I can remember the other song she sang...

.:Movie Day...:.

This Thursday was a really great day for my Beloved and I, as we watched "Battle Royale" followed by "Windstruck" at her place. Lots of things have been going on, and I'm just glad that despite the hurly-burly, I still found the chance to have a few quality hours with her just so we could watch a few movies and enjoy each other's company. She really made my day this Thursday.

.:Career Reassessment:.

With my impending doom looming over my head, I may just no longer be a jock even before I get to resign. Well, whether or not that happens, I have pretty much resolved that I'm taking my education all the way to the Ph.D.

Just last Wednesday, I had an interview with the English Department, and it was pretty clear what the problem was: sure, I wanted to be in the academe, but why the English Department? Nothing in my resume said anything about them, and it simply didn't make much sense, to say the least.

I really didn't know what to say when she said all that, to be honest. She had a valid point, and I simply had no idea what the English Department would be to me beyond a way for me to hotshot my Masters.

After much deliberation, there is simply no other recourse for me: not the corporate world, not anything else, save for a Ph. D., and the academe.

On the other hand, developments in other fronts have been making themselves felt as of late... I just might be willing to give problogging a shot, even in a realm I never thought I'd end up really getting myself this into... you'll find out soon enough, I suppose, but there. I'll be vague for now because I don't want to jinx anything.

Lovestruck...

.:Ups And Downs:.

My Beloved and I have been quite on a rollercoaster lately, but it's a ride I hope to never get off of.

The past few days has been an astounding series of highs and lows, and while the lows tend to really get me all in a tizzy, the highs more than make up for it.

It's been the case lately that I tend to make mountains out of molehills whenever I push her into resolving a problem without giving her the time to really process things and just let things roll off her back.

But it's not easy. I'm a bit too solution-oriented, and we end up just escalating what should be an issue that wouldn't have been an issue at all in a mere couple of hours. What annoys me about myself is that whenever the going is good, I keep on saying things that just ruins everything. I hate myself for that.

Yesterday, I was going through a marathon of Rocky. At that point, we were okay. But I just had to blow things out of proportion and by Rocky II, we were fighting like anything, and I ended up saying things I sincerely regret saying. Unbelievably, we were patching up in the middle of the Ivan Drago fight in Rocky IV. It was a strange rollercoaster of emotions, that's true, but it's all part and parcel of who we are.

Just this day, we were on cloud 9 with each other, as during the middle of the night, she just asked me a question that floored me. You see, despite how long we've been "together", it's not like she referred to me as anything more than my name. Next thing I knew, she asked if I could be her "boyfriend", and I was just absolutely slackjawed and didn't know what to say. I felt very validated and more importantly, very loved that moment.

So for the rest of the day, we've been simply enjoying spending our time with each other even just over the phone. As I went with Charo and her family (Whom I spent the Holy Weekend with as they so graciously adopted me.), my Beloved was practically with us as I told her what was happening as we went from church to church to church. We didn't get to go through seven churches though.

Nonetheless, I felt bad because my stupid mouth got me in trouble again. I hate it when that happens. It seems whenever the going is good, I just have to put my foot in my mouth and everything just goes to Hades in a handbasket.

Yet through it all, she still finds it in her heart to still put up with me. And I can never thank her enough for that. I love her, and she's been such a powerful influence in my life. She's changed me in ways I never thought possible, and I truly pray every night to Him that it would be my Beloved and I because I can see myself with her for the rest of my life.

My Beloved has been super sweet this day. Sometimes I wish I could just record this day and rewind it the moment it ends.... I love her so much!!!

.:Marathon...:.

I watched the entire Rocky series yesterday. I'm so inspired.

I feel like I wanna punch a guy.

Randomicity... Giggles And Grimaces

.:Ripped From Mark Poa:.

You might find this amusing. Hahahaha. Regardless, I don't think the author is really gay, because he didn't spell his p's with f's, and his b's with v's.

Di kinaya ng powers ko ang kahotness ng movieness na itetch! It's raining men! (haleluya)! like go go go mga anik anik at ang mga mudra mega tarush ang haba ng hair production number clothing designer eklavu powerness! kaboom!

It's like go papa spartans! go delisyus fighting karne! i get so weak on the knees i can't hardly breath go go go! spapartans make bugbog the evil persia! make warla the queen xerxes.

At antarush naman ng lolaaaaaa xerxes mooooooo! nagmamaasim ang fingerlets ng hinawakan si spapartan head papa! ang entrance pang vilma with matching solid gold dancers itetch! with diamente ala maricel! wiiinnneeeeeer! ang eye brows ha! mega shoot to the stratosphere sa katarushan!

Ang warlahan ditetch daig pa ang rineregla sa dami ng vlood! at ang nacut neck na cutie spartan...nag cryola aketch! di kinaya ng emoticons ko ang death by tamponess ng cutie spartan. huhuhu.

I'm sure proud si musra ricky dahil ang ganduuuuuuuuh talaga ng movieng itetch. like super mega walang halong chorva!

PERO LYER SILA! binilang ko ang mga papa...di umabot ng 300. 127 lang ang mga spapartans! etchos!

.:Drivel:.

Machiavellian notions aside, I don't think it's a mystery that Mr. Ducat, the man who took a busload of children hostage, should really go to jail.

It's ridiculous how he thinks that his intentions should be enough to nullify the fact that he held these kids hostage. It doesn't matter how much good he's done. Mayor Lim said it best when he said, "the law applies to all, otherwise, none at all." Doing good doesn't buffer you against doing something wrong in the eyes of the law, and that's the point.

I'm literally grimacing over the fact that people are thinking he should get off the hook because of the good he's done. That's about on par as a father feeling justified molesting his daughter because he put her through school. What's one act of rubbishness in the face of a million good acts, right?

But it doesn't work that way. It shouldn't work that way. As far as I'm concerned, he should go to jail for doing what he did, political statement or no political statement. That much is clear.

.:Now, *That's* A Good Commercial:.

Splash has a new conditioner commercial that really made me laugh. You have to see it to believe it. It involves what seemed to be an exorcism, and it turns out that they were trying to condition her hair. Hehehe.

.:The Plot Thickens:.

In Sana Maulit Muli, Fate is challenging Jasmine and Travis. If Travis can save Jasmine again, then that simply means that he will let them be already. Jasmine was supposed to die, and Fate believes they are only delaying the inevitable. While that's true, the fact that it's going to immediately happen seems to be what Jasmine and Travis aren't too hot about.

I believe that they're really going to make these next few weeks one hellacious ride, what with Camille and Jasmine and Emily finally reunited, Jasmine knowing all too well that George is their real father, Clara scheming to get revenge, and everything else in between.

This is shaping up to be one great series. I still insist they should've gotten lead stars who can act though, but hey, Kim Chiu isn't too hard on the eyes, so I can let that slide a bit.

.:I Knew It!:.

Brian, Ryan Eigenmann's character in Maging Sino Ka Man, is a very empathic and interesting character in the show, and he's married to Celine, Anne Curtis' character.

Of course, the crease in this happy picture is the fact that this show is supposed to feature not Celine and Brian, but Celine and JB. JB, as you know, is Sam Milby's character.

Well, there was only one way to get Brian out of the picture without ruining his well-established character, so they did it.

Last week, they killed off his character.

Well, there was no way in hell people would root for Sam Milby's charater to get with Anne's if they didn't pull that stunt, so I guess that was just right.

And if you're asking me why I know this much about that show, well, can I help it? It comes after Sana Maulit Muli, and it's a lot less idiotic than Maria Flor De Luna, which is such an annoying TV show...

.:No Approved Therapeutic Claims:.

I'm beginning to have a slightly better understanding of how people can let a brand with no approved therapeutic claims go into the market.

Apparently, having your claims approved takes loads of money to cut through BFAD, even if your product should intuitively work. When you're a small to medium-sized business just starting off, you really can't expect to afford that kind of approval, and so your only alternative is to put your product on the market and label it as having no approved therapeutic claims.

The biggest problem with that is just about anyone can make a product, make the most outlandish of claims, and with an ever-so-small label of "no therapeutic claims", absolutely get away with it.

That's the obvious problem right there. There are people who'd still believe in advertising no matter how far-fetched the claims might be, and unfortunately, there really is a sucker born every minute.

One could hope that being BFAD-approved would be a more stringent but less costly process, but I don't know exactly how that process works...

.:One Day Only:.

It wasn't an April Fool's joke. DiMark's really had 50% off on all their pizzas, and it was pretty good. April and I hung out for the day and we really pigged out. We had a whole pizza between the two of us, and we even ended up pigging out on desert as we purchased an entire half-gallon of Dulce De Leche ice cream and had our fill of it...

That was a pretty fun day, no question about it.

.:It's Been A Great Time...:.

I'm really happy that I managed to go out with my Beloved last Saturday. It was really fun just meeting up at Eastwood, truth be told, and although we didn't really do much since we didn't have much time at all, and it was really great knowing that I can make her smile that day..

I'm very grateful that she's still with me through thick and thin. It's not everyday you can find someone who knows you so well inside out and still likes you, despite it all.

I love you, my Beloved. Thanks for giving me a reason to smile everyday.