>>> the balcony

sweet summer '05

2005-06-02T05:55:00.000-07:00

my summer was a bit more interesting than i had expected. yes, i FINALLY went home to tacloban to take a quick break from city life. it was there where i did practically nothing but stay in bed for two whole days, an impossible concept here in manila.

this summer i did some things i didn't want to do. i didn't do some things that i wanted to do. some things happened the way i didn't want them to happen. and finally, some things things i never thought would happen happened. realizing this, though, has put things into perspective... that i don't control the world, nor do i control people's lives.

let me explain. who thought i'd ever try my hand at movie sciptwriting?? not me. but kuya joey like approached me and gave me the offer, although he presented it as an "extra challenge". the stint was short, yeah, but i guess it's not excatly on my to-do list everyday.

i also got to play the violin more often: tutorials. whenever i do, i feel like... rejuvinated. (i used to play first violin back in saudi arabia, although i think i kinda grew out of it as soon as i came here.)

i've also moved into a NEW HOUSE! it's much better, more spacious, two stories... and the rent's cheap. i'll post pictures of it in "the hall" soon.

schoolyear annotated

2005-03-23T03:40:00.000-08:00

SCHOOL'S DONE! it's vacation time and i'm hitting the beach, taking a quick detour to the hills of rizal along the way. college life, i've discovered, is actually fun if u let it be... although temptation to waste money, time, and resources lurks everywhere. i'm not sure whether i got promoted to the full scholarship at lyceum or retained my partial crap. anyways it's free money so who am i to complain. i'm still teaching koreans! gosh i can't believe i'm still alive!

despite the high-pressure tension building up in east asia, and the proposed charter change modifying the philippine constitution for the eighth freakin time, and the continuing rise of prices....

life's still okay :)

tutoring who?!

2005-02-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

this january i've started tutoring a couple of korean friends who are learning the english language. the actual teaching is, for me, rather simple: basic english, around 15 hours a week. the only thing is the culture factor. i'm (guiltily) so used to the filipino & anglo-american cultures that i can't really reach out to them in a real sense. my plight's so terrible that when invited to eat lunch with them, i had to interrupt the meal and ask for a spoon and fork since i was hopeless with chopsticks. i was even on the brink of fainting to discover that after driving for hundreds and hundreds of miles on the road, we'd stop to dine korean style as usual, but this time cooking instant noodles on a portable stove.... that should be my new year's resolution: adapt.

mewy wishmash evryone!

2004-12-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

it's christmas time again...

i dunno, but it seems like christmas this year isn't as *christmasey* as it was before... is it because i'm missing the thrill of celebrating the yuletide season under a shari'a government that bans all open practices of christmas, or is it just because i'm older? maybe it's because i hear more of the sexbomb girls et alii seasonal jingles blasting away at me as i pass by the novaliches plaza everyday on my way home. call me old fashioned, but i still prefer "Pasko na Sinta Ko" to Bayani's "Mag-ocho Pasko Na!". i do miss the song with the line "I'm dreaming of a white christmas..." altho the song's kinda invalid now since nothing's really white here in the Philippines at christmastime. but it's all good.

i recently played a couple of caroling songs on the violin at a recital somewhere in sta. mesa, i'v attended tons of parties (and i'v still yet to attend tons more - like tonight with the fellas at cornerstone), i'v given out some gifts already, i'v received some for myself (yesterday: a cute red schoolbag - thanx tita vangie :) , the FOOD's plenty and it's not even noche buena yet, the air's crisp and cold, and i'm with my family. heck, despite the jobsearching and the "simbang gabi traffic" and everything else, my sleep's gonna be sound tonight. and nope, i haven't fogotten at all the true reason for the season.

merry christmas...

a weekend in Pangasinan

2004-11-02T02:59:00.000-08:00

late november found me in a rather isolated corner of the philippine map. the reason of going there: evangelism. we'd spend the afternoons and nights 'fellowshipping' with the Cabungan church's young people. on the first night and last day, we had hilarious yet bonding games which got the visitors and visited acquainted with each other in no time... one afternoon, both worked as teams in sharing Jesus to the people of barangay Cabungan (around a hundred responded!), which was one enriching experience for me, to say the least... later on some played basketball evangelism, while others taught the kids... i functioned as the DAKILANG EXTRA, you know, the guy holding the props... a few hours back we attended a funeral service, and honestly i had a hard time maintaining a solemn face, what with the beach just 20 feet away and all... probably the best experience was the Tondol beach experience... IT'S THE BEACH! need i say more? and on the way home, we played "The Amazing [G]Race" with all of us running around frantically trying to catch the Cubao-bound bus, and hey, the feeling was delicious! i even had to play the flight attendant on the bus for a while; don't ask how or why... the entire trip was really cool, and i'd just like to thank CCBC, Kya Joey, Mam Vicky, Kya Joel, and Kya Joven for their efforts and supervision. to the AndaBoys and Girls: Isaiah, Kurt, Alain, Nimrod, Te Baggy, Agnes, Marjie, Bethel, Keren, Felynn... thank u...one thing i learned: JESUS is the same in Anda, Pangasinan as He is ANYWHERE! Thank you SO MUCH JESUS!

fun english factoids

2004-09-28T02:56:00.000-07:00

i picked this cool post from friendster...

* There is no egg in eggplant, no ham in hamburger, and neither pine or apple in the pineapple.

* English muffins were not invented in England, and French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take english for granted but if we examine its paradoxes we find that:

* Quicksand takes you down slowly

* Boxing rings are square

* Guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor a pig.

* If writers write, how come fingers don't fing?

* If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth?

* If the teacher taught, why didn't the preacher praught?

* If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what the heck do humanitarians eat?

* Why do people recite at a play, and play at a recital? Park on driveways and drive on parkways?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language where a house can burn up as it burns down and in which you fill in a form by filling it out (or fill out a form by filling it in!). English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which of course is not a race).

*That is why when the stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

* Do infants enjoy infancy as much asadults enjoy adultery?

* If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

* Why is the man who invests all his money a broker?

* Why is a person who plays the piano a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?

* Why are wise men and wise guys opposite?

* If horrific means horrible, doesn't terrific mean to make terrible?

* Why isn't 11 pronounced as onety-one?

* If lawyers are disbarred and clergy men defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and drycleaners depressed?

* Why is it that when someone tells you there are 1 billion stars in the universe you will believe them but when someone tells you wet paint, you needto touch it to be sure?

* If people from Poland are Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?

* And why is it that when I wind up a watch it starts but when i wind up this story, it ends?

colonial christmas??

2004-08-29T02:54:00.000-07:00

there's something totally ironic i saw yesterday while reading a magazine, you know, one of them Good Housekeeping Philippines types. CAN YOU IMAGINE their christmas theme is NOTHING BUT THE CHRISTMAS STUFF YOU'D FIND IN THE STATES?!?! candy canes? stockings? eggnog? mistletoe??? IS THERE EVEN ANY MISTLETOE IN THE PHILIPPINES?!

the publishers didn't even care about HINTING the REAL filipino christmas! what about noche buena? firecrackers? paroles?? nilagang baboy? queso de bola? nope. not even a syllable. i don't know what's happening to the philippine pub industry but i think they've gotta have the word NATIONALISM drilled into their heads.

i thought we're supposed to modernize, not westernize...

rain, rain, go away...

2004-08-07T02:50:00.000-07:00

TV5, la météo aujourdui...

...Asie : Samedi, les pluies de la mousson continueront de sévir de l'Inde aux Philippines en passant par le Sud-Est de l'Asie et de la Chine ainsi que le sud du Japon. Les cumulus seront très importants à Bombay, Rangoon, Manille, Colombo ou Vientiane. Un temps humide touchera également par endroit les régions allant de l'est du Kazakhstan à l'est de la Russie. Le soleil s'imposera sinon de l'Asie centrale au nord de la Chine. Le mercure évoluera dans une fourchette comprise entre 20 degrés à Omsk et 37 à Pékin. Dimanche, les averses tropicales liées à la Mousson continueront de se produire sur les régions situées entre les côtes occidentales de l'Inde et les Philippines en passant par la péninsule indochinoise. Elles déborderont également sur le sud de la Chine. Plus au nord, des passages perturbés circuleront sur la Russie. Des averses à caractère orageux se produiront également sur les deux Corée. Le soleil s'imposera sinon de l'Afghanistan au nord de la Chine en passant par l'est de la Mongolie....

And on CNN...

...Manila, Philippines

CURRENT CONDITIONS80°F(27°C)
Rain
Rel. Humidity: 88%
Wind: W at 6 mph (10 km/h)
Sunrise: 5:42 AM
Sunset: 6:23 PM
Barometric Pressure: 26.1"Hg (F)....

well well, it's rainy season again. what's unique about the rainy season here in manila is that it's during these times when the weather swings back and forth from hot sizzling sun to stormy soggy showers, all in one day... and that's how so many people get the flu or somethin nowadays. the rainy season is most unmerciful on commuting students, ya know. and when it rains, oh man, traffic soars. for others the rains lock them inside their homes. where i live, rain means free showers and water games to kids.*sigh* in my case rain means just one thing: (what else?) sleep.

eighteen questions

2004-07-21T02:47:00.000-07:00

all about me. i answered this questionnaire lately while i was in one of my hyperactive moods. it does contain truth in it, don't worry.

1. MY COMPLETE NAME IS... Let's stick to RON. closer friends call me RJ. take ur pick.

2. I LIVE IN ___________________ WITH... I live in a makeshift house with a bunch of dust bunnies, around a hundred mosquitos, and maybe five thousand rats in the sewers? I also have a cat named Cleopatra but has totally unroyal manners...

3. IN THE DAYTIME YOU CAN FIND ME DOING... Oh. you'd see me either convincing my professors that the egg did indeed come before the chicken and writing nuclear formulae just to prove it... otherwise you'd see me lying around at home having a philosophical conversation with - who else - my pet fireants.

4. MY FAVORITE THING TO DO ON A LAZY SATURDAY MORNING IS... To continue my philosophical and theological debate with my pet fireants.

5. I PREFER TO WEAR... Depends on the situation. if it's an emergency, i'll leave the house wearing boxers. if at school, i'll be wearing - derrr - a uniform (that's one of the catchback in philippine schools; schools that don't have uniforms charge a hundred thousand bucks?!?). and if it's a date somewhere at greenbelt, i'll show up in a fluorescent-yellow chicken costume. just kiddin... i actually prefer to stick to two color outfits; you know, matching type. on a typical day you'll see me wearing a shirt and a pair of jeans - sans jewelry.

6. I WAS BORN ON... A Thursday. tacloban city rtrmf. the hospital staff had to drop everything they were doing just to check out this new born white kid-o cause he was just so gorgeous!

7. MY CLOSEST FRIENDS ARE... *top secret* i'm under oath by fellow agents James Bond, Alanis Morisette and Barney... actually, one common trait of my closest friends is that they accept me as who i am. and THEY'RE NOT HYPOCRITES.

8. AT NIGHT AFTER WORK YOU WILL FIND ME... Continuing my philosophical conversation with my pet fireants.

9. I LIKE GOING TO _________ BECAUSE… I like going to the Ortigas area. SM, Galleria, the Podium, El Pueblo... a mere stroll is enough to take your breath away... and enough to burn a hole in your pocket the size of the Grand Canyon.

10. AT A PARTY, I AM GENERALLY... Parties?! I'd be in one corner totally quiet and diligently reading Martin Luther's 95 theses.

12. MY IDEA OF A FUN 3-DAY VACATION IS... Wow... i'd fly to bukidnon and check myself into a hospital. Serious! then i'd sleep the whole time through. it has something to do with the climate...

13. IF I COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD FOR I WEEK… I'd honestly go Spain with them castles and all. i'd play King Arthur (or was it in England...?). OH! i'd also go to Taiwan and get my POSTER signed by Jerry Yan!!!

14. ON A RECENT TRIP I WENT TO... A "family park" in Laguna. i was dead silent the whole trip (zero exaggeration, man). i just act that way with the whole "family" thing. (the "good boy" image...?)

15. MY IDEA OF A COOL LIFE PARTNER IS... Oooh. that's not on my list yet.

16. IF I COULD LOOK LIKE ANYONE, I WANT TO LOOK LIKE... Angelo dela Cruz!!!

17. IF I GOT A 20 THOUSAND PESO BONUS RIGHT NOW, I WOULD... I'd start a business of selling eggplant and salt. why not?

18. MY FAVORITE BAND IS... Ooooh. hard question. I'll just name my top favorites: Savage Garden, Savage Garden, Savage Garden, and of course... AIR SUPPLY!!!!

19. WHAT HAPPENED TO QUESTION #11?

acoustica

2004-06-30T02:46:00.000-07:00

now's a time where i'm practically addictd to guitar music. nah... i'm not talking about Rage Against the Machine and stuff; i mean light, slow rock, easy, alternative-ish. john mayer. maria mena. switchfoot... you get the picture. i actually can't explain why; but then again, music is for the ears, not for words- well, lemme try: it soothes the soul...? yeah, somethin like that. when i get home from a VERY tiring day at school or work or while studying, it the kind of stuff i wanna hear. what's great about this genre is that you usually don't hear cusswords all over the lyrics... yeah, i guess that what makes me like it. i admit i know bananas in playin' the guitar, just call me 'a guitar appreciator'...? nah....

back-to-school blues

2004-06-21T02:43:00.000-07:00

yep, school's started once again, and once more i find myself flowing back into this myriad called college. i found out that it's actually fun! you meet people who are serious, like you (or me), in pursuing their own dreams... yeah, one may have his share of klutzes and glitches and a bitter dose of bullies once and a while, but hey, 99% of college grads say it's worth it- the working hours, the sleepless nights, the agonizing exams... i'm still exploring my college, though, looking for things to do, and other stuff...you know.

wala lang...YES! I'M FINALLY IN COLLEGE! it's the risk of a lifetime, you can get (or get someone) pregnant, you can fail, you can make loko-loko, or you can succeed. fortunately, i've geared up and chose to succeed...yup, with flying colors.

hi there!

2004-06-18T03:10:00.000-07:00

ok so this is my first blog post. to those of you wondering about my title... well i chose it because i feel that NOW is the time to live my life- it's not gonna last forever. i'm a kid (not really tho), and i don't want to let an overdose life's sorrows and disappointments render me prematurely old.

if you want to change the nation...the world, do what you can now! if you wanna rise up from the ashes which once were your crowning glory, do it now! and while ur at it, enjoy life to it's maximum, this, tho paradoxically requires (for me) its own share of restrictions, boundaries, and limitations- but never on one's idealism and soul...

i'm kinda sounding wierd now...anyway you get the picture...