Prey is one of Michael Crichton’s techno-thriller novels. It tells the story about Jack Forman, a father of three, jobless and the lovely husband of Julia Forman, who embarks on a quest to solve the series of mishaps of the latest scientific innovation of nanotechnology. The novel was indeed compelling, the plot was delivered in a straightforward manner and the facts were presented evidently.
We all lived in a cynical world and reading this novel makes you realize that a small mistake would lead into a catastrophic disaster. Small things, like the programmed nanoparticles can coalesce with each other and wreak unimaginable havoc to humans. It’s an eye opener for us, and gives us an opportunity to take a peek on to the possible drawbacks of science and technology.
I think Biology, Computer Science and Biotechnology majors could relate or even love this novel. Imagine the intricate courses like Biology, Computer Science and Genetic Engineering in just one book.
A great book, kudos to the late Michael Crichton.
One of my favorite authors (I love Robert Ludlum too!). Sigh.
Almost everyday, when I check my Yahoo! Mail, I get numerous invites from my friends and online buddies telling me to join Twitter.
I am pretty much familiar with the platform of Twitter. It is the same as Plurk, minus the Karma madness. Both of are social networking sites which allow users to shout their current state of mind, their status shout outs, whatnots, sweet nothings, greetings and etc. Users are allowed to write anything as long as it's only a hundred forty (140) characters long. Now this is what you call microblogging. You don't need to blog something in more than a thousand words, but instead you need to state your points directly.
I already have an account in Plurk. I joined Plurk last September 20-something 2008. At first I thought microblogging was more exciting than anything else. Plus, people are becoming crazy of accumulating more karma points, more smileys to choose from and more friends and fans to add with. But when you reach Nirvana (starting from 81.00 karma points), the drama starts to unfold and everything gets dull and boring as time goes by.
You know, I already have accounts from different social networking sites (as well as blog sites).
I have 3 accounts in Multiply. I have an account in Friendster and I rarely open it. I have an account in Tagged.com and God, why did I sign up on that site in the first place?! Maybe I should cancel it though. I have a Plurk too and karma’s almost 97. Like who cares. I have a Facebook and somehow it connects me to my old classmates and distant relatives which I think will play a significant role in the near future. I have several accounts on different blog sites namely Blogger (my first home), Livejournal, Wordpress, I.ph, Windows Live Spaces, AlivenotDead.com, Imeem.com, and in G-blog (because I had to have an account there). I also have an account on YouTube, well just for commenting and video streaming purposes.
I have watched a news clip from Yahoo! and it tackles about different Hollywood celebrities who have recently joined Twitter (boo Plurk for having less celebrities on your site, lol). It all started with Ashton Kutcher’s dare and I think it had attracted internet users to join Twitter. According to the news, in just three months, the number of registered users has increased by up to 700%, thanks to the advertising powers of the stars. Even Oprah Winfrey had just signed to Twitter about a week ago or two.
So, should I join the bandwagon?
The answer is NO.
Why?
The answer is simple. Hindi ko na siya ma-follow up or ma-update ng todo-todo. Plurk seemed enough already and the platform is pretty much the same.
But then again, my behavior is not inevitable. If you possess this “ultimate convincing powers”, then convince me why should I join Twitter.
Roughly two years ago, I went to an accredited hospital of UPMin to pass the medical requirements – urinalysis, stool analysis (that was a disaster), blood sample and X-ray. I was pretty anxious and curious about college. Lots of “what-if” thoughts have entered my mind.
Will I survive UP? Will I have a hard time to gain friends? Will I get something prestigious when I graduate in UP?
I have envisioned my goals before I entered college, and I even wrote in on my secret notebook. But it seems that not all of my goals will come true. So sad, but I guess you won’t get everything what you want.
My first day in UP was a little bit awkward – new faces, new environment, new set of subjects and new professors and instructors. I thought I was a crazy teen, who kept on smiling to everyone I meet in hallways, library and other places in school. I even remembered I was nominated as our batch’s Isko, and during the nomination process, Mark mumbled something sinister and Mon got surprised with the result. But eventually, Neil got it due to some “cultural reasons”.
The girls kept their heads low and were somehow gullible. Haha. =)
Enough of this “first bloc encounter” cheesiness.
Basically what I did to survive UP was simple: Set your goals and stay focused.
We have been through different predicaments, yet we’re still survivors. Even though our population is dwindling at an alarming rate, we still grasp on each others arms and try not to fall into the pit of darkness.
I have learned a lot from the first half of my college life, and I really don’t know what’s in store for us on the second half of our college life.
I think it’s a wrong notion to fear college. It’s the most exciting part of man’s life, I tell you. :)
A big good luck to all incoming college freshmen of this country.
For the past fifty years, we all have witnessed the different technological advancements on various fields on biology, mathematics, computer science, forensic science, and the list goes on and on and on. We have already known that the body and faces of models in plush and glossy magazines were enhanced by digital editing program like the ever reliable Adobe Photoshop. Sometimes their physiques have been altered to hide some flaws to achieve faultlessness.
We once thought that only experts can handle this job. But today, everything’s different.
Even a common individual has full capabilities on media editing, as long as he knows how to use various programs related to this. Videos, music, voices, pictures can be easily abridged in just one click and can be further enhanced with the help of inventiveness.
Recently, I got hooked with this video from YouTube. In this video, Beyoncé sang her latest single, If I Were a Boy on a live show in New York with a terrible voice. At first I can’t believe on how appalling her voice is. She had won numerous Grammy awards and with that voice, I think it’s a wayward idea of her winning and claiming those prestigious awards. I can’t help but laugh on her voice squeaky out-of-tuned voice.
All were confused and disappointed until this video appeared on YouTube.
Apparently, this YouTube user, Matthew aka aladin82 made a confession that he was responsible of altering Beyoncé’s voice. He explained the process of different ways on changing the diva’s voice. Just a few clicks and some basic knowledge on notes, tones and variations, altering voices would be effortless. But using Beyoncé as a subject for his experiment is not a great idea. But I can see his points of posting such videos. It’s an eye-opener, a surprising revelation from the tri-media sector.
Not everything you see on TV and magazines are real. Not everything you hear on the radio is real.
I should say that this is the good time to venture on a numinous business of tarot card reading, most especially on predicting the outcome of American Idol’s disco week. The discotheque week of the show would either have a humdrum upshot or due its inexorableness, the show will conclude in one of the biggest surprises ever. Nevertheless, the former is likely to occur than the latter. The seven remaining soon-to-be-idols-of-the-music-industry have made their best shot but sometimes, even if you tried your best, there comes a time when your best isn’t good enough.
Consider Lil Rounds. She’s a great singer and I have to agree with that. But her predicament keeps on repeating on to the show, as well as the comments and suggestions made by the four judges. Simon couldn’t wait for her predicted demise tomorrow. I think the best song for her, if ever she leaves the competition is James Ingram’s Just Once.
I did my best, but I guess my best wasn’t good enough…
Too bad Lil, there’s a slim chance that you’ll be on the Top 5. Coldplay’s Fix You is also appropriate on Lil’s current quandary.
When you try your best but you don’t succeed…
Awww. Okay, I’m getting a lil’ harsh with Lil. Oops.
Kris Allen may be short of height but he never fails to stand out on the stage. It seems that he’s taller than Yao Ming when he belts the high notes. If Paula was an ice, she should have melted faster than the normal rate and a Pool of Abdul would be visible beneath Simon’s chair. Thanks Ryan for that, uuuh, joke. Girls really love him so much, and so as Simon. Kidding.
I do not remember anything significant that occurred on the ninth month of year, until Danny Gokey sang Earth Wind and Fire’s September. As usual, he puts his own husky rifts and adlibs which made the simple Disco song into a super disco one. His performance is as hot as Allison Iraheta’s Hot Stuff. Both of them were great and I think it’s going to be a tough competition if they’re in the final five, together with tender dog, Kris.
But the competition gets hotter, wilder and uhh, crazier with Adam Lambert. As usual, he didn’t fail to smash the judges and the studio audiences. It seems he exerts minimal efforts whenever he belts on to the hair-raising high notes. He’s definitely the bomb on to this show. Then again the judges, most especially Paula have been consistent of seeing Lambert on the final episode.
But a lot of people fail to recognize Matt Giraud’s talent. I think he really deserves to be saved by the judges a week ago. He has the talent but I really think he lacks this star quality or whatnot. If we compare him to the three crowd favorites, namely Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, he didn’t stand out that much. But yeah, people will soon realize how talented he is, with the utmost support of the judges.
Forget about Anoop Desai. I think he’s getting bored on the show or is it the other way around? Whatever. He sings well. That’s it. Period. Being in the bottom three for three consecutive weeks is really hard, but I guess he’s getting immune with America’s verdict. You should join Lil as she gracefully exits the stage tomorrow. She can shake your booty whilst you flash your almost perfect grin on the national television. You have a great smile, as what Paula quipped after you sang your song. What’s your song again, Anoop? Sorry, I forgot it, again.
But definitely, aside from your talent, we will never forget Lil’s big butt and Anoop’s signature grin.
But who knows, right? The future is not foreseeable. Maybe tomorrow, Lil and Anoop will stay on the show while Danny and Adam will savor their last moments on to the show. Now that’s freaky.
At all times we hear news about cheaters on different forms of mass media; radio, newspapers, tv, you name it.
They often ring a bell to us. Every one of us has the capability of being a cheater. For instances, it comes with a vast array of groups such as the simple cheater, the big time cheater, the two timer, the political cheater and the list goes on and on and on. Apparently, nobody really admires the works of a cheater. But incongruously we love being a cheater. We love to cheat.
Why do people cheat in the first place? Obviously they want to attain their goals in an illegal way. Apparently, they just want to take the easy road and use to have this mentality that challenges aren’t necessary. We may be successful with our plans but the the art of learning isn’t there. We may not accept this kind of ordeal in our society but surely it can’t be totally eradicated by any possible forces. Prohibitions of this illegal act were being ratified on several agencies, administrations and schools, but we cannot totally accuse a person unless he is caught in the act. Cheating is an illicit behavior and mustn’t be practiced at all. Sometimes it can affect economy of our country as well as its standing indirectly. As we all know, it can be a powerful tool, no matter what. It can start on small things. Little by little it will amalgamate and an imminent disaster will take place.
I won’t be a hypocrite, telling every one that cheating is bad. I myself enjoy this unhealthy behavior a few years back, most especially in my high school life. Peer pressure is one of the reasons on why I cheat. If I don’t cheat then I lose friends. Wow, talking about gaining “true friends”. Even those bullies, I was the apple of their eyes during the finals. I couldn’t forget the look of their faces when they need my answers, pleading as if they haven’t eaten for three weeks. Sometimes, we use this method called “silent communication”. We just follow one simple rule: Give me the answers and I’ll provide you with my answers as well. In simple Biology, this can be a perfect example of mutualism, where each organisms benefit from each other. I’m getting tired of having bees and flowers as an example for this kind relationship. I thought it was an exciting adventure, but no, if I cheat, I didn’t learn a lot from it. What’s the sense of writing an answer if you really don’t understand it? Obviously, we really want to pass. After graduation, guilt and conscience slowly exits from your body and makes you realize that cheating is really bad and there’s nothing to be proud of if success was derived from it. Likewise, we often deem those people who didn’t catch us as stupid, dimwitted and foolish. But the truth is we are fooling ourselves when we cheat.
When someone cheats on you, it means another thing. It creates a total distraction and it somehow degrades your own self. When you’re cheated by somebody, you feel like you’re the most stupid person to have existed on this planet.
I was cheated by those monkey-looking freaks just moments ago.
Two of my cousins from the maternal side visited us and wanted to have dinner. We already finished eating our dinner and thus the quick solution for it was to pick up the phone, dial the number and order a viand. I ordered buttered chicken because my cousin likes it so much. After 20 minutes, the order had arrived. Mom gave me three paper bills (two 20 peso bills, one fifty peso bill) and a five peso coin. The chicken costs 95 bucks, for your information. Then I went outside the house gave the money and the delivery boy handed me the order. I was about to enter our house when the crook claimed that he only have forty five pesos on his dirty hands. I was quite confused because I remembered that I gave him the exact amount. So I asked mom if she really gave me the fifty peso bill. She said she already gave the money to me. So I politely asked him whether he saw a fifty-peso bill on the floor or not. I was about to finish my question when he immediately blurted out that he didn’t see any fifty peso bill lying on the ground. I was quite suspicious with his reply. So I chose not to argue anymore and eventually gave another fifty pesos from my wallet. And then he thanked me as if I gave him a tip. Then he went off together with his partner.
So why did I choose NOT to argue? For obvious reasons, I won’t settle for a big issue on just a fairly small amount. But apart from that reason, I chose to be silent and let this feeling pass through since I really hate arguing; that’s my weakness. But I have to admit that the dishonesty of these mongrels made me realize that I was prone and susceptible of being cheated; a gullible one. I may be suspicious but I still continue with the routine.
50 pesos seems to be a small amount, but the dishonesty of these two scoundrels cost half of my dignity. At that time I felt stupid.
And for the two of you, yes, you two monkeys should enjoy my “unintentional” tip.
Today’s summer and I should have hit the picturesque beach right now. I should have a “sexy” tan complexion. But no. I’m too lazy to hit the beach. Why should I hit the beach? I don’t want burn myself from the sweltering heat of the sun. You know, I already consider my bedroom as one fo the cubicles on a sauna bath during midday. God. Why on earth would people want to roast their rosy cheeks and skin under the scorching heat of the sun? Hmm, personally I opt to spend my summer vacation on a cool place situated in the middle of the Cypress and Pine Forest.
Speaking of this boring summer break, it’s been a while since the last time I walked into the halls of UP. It seemed like it was yesterday when the emancipation act was finally ratified when I passed the answer sheet to my Zoo 3 Final Exam. Unfortunately, in my case I won’t consider myself of being happy on to the sanction of the said act. You see, I flunked a certain subject and I have to repeat this on the coming semester and this is just a simple reminder to me that I shouldn’t be overconfident and underestimate small things because small things will eventually pile up and will be the catalyst of a deadly disaster. So much for that.
Speaking of school, I already have finalized my topic for my thesis and I guess I’m ready for my outline. I haven’t emailed this “good” news to Mamy Gamby but heck; I’ll update her about this. I have to download an e-book about Marine Biology, Marine Ecology and books that are related and significant to my study. I’m quite excited for the experimental method though. Come and join me as I venture the realm of the deep blue sea. Hahaha.
So what am I doing this summer break? Too bad the school didn’t offer summer classes due to sensible reason. Sheesh, at least it was a sagacious reason. Right now, I’m having troubles on sleeping. You see, I sleep at around four in the morning and wakes up at around one to two in the afternoon. I just hate this. I don’t know, even if I’m tired or sleepy, I usually sleep late. I started to experience this predicament when I was fifteen and eventually got worse when I entered college. Maybe because, I wasn’t conscious with the time, hmm, sounds plausible. Whenever I’m busy with a certain thing, I am sometimes focused on it but we can’t avoid temptations, that is, doing unecessary things. Probably that’s the reason behind my bittersweet demise last semester.
Oh yeah, I’ve been busy reading these books:Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events.Actually it’s not a book, hehe, I have just downloaded e-books of it three months ago, well, thank God for the internet! Today, I have an ample time to finish all thirteen series within a span of one week or two. I’m already finished with the first two books namely The Bad Beginning and The Reptile Room. Oh, definitely I loved and really enjoyed reading this literary work of Lemony Snicket. I have been dying to read the thirteen books since high school. My best friend introduced me to Lemony Snicket. The problem is all of his books were a bit expensive. So I paid no heed to it and just concentrate to cheaper books or books in the library. Haha. I can’t wait to finish the thirteen books. I’m pretty curious of the Baudelaire orphans’ series of predicaments and adversities in life. Count Olaf, you’re so desperate yet I love your character. HAHAHAH. And yeah, I don’t like Mr. Poe, he’s a dimwitted middle aged man who had a commiseration for the orphans.
I think I have talked too much.
One more thing, I am really obsessed withplanes. SUPER.
“Sabihin mo sa akin, sino sila?”“MGA ENGKANTO!”“Pssst!” ---
I always hear this trailer on TV. Directed by the talented Chito S. Roño, this horror flick reflects on to Filipino’s culture and ingenuity. It shows how artistic and how imaginative Filipinos are when it comes to literature, particularly when we delve on different classical folklores and tales. Some of which may be true base on eyewitnesses’ accounts while some are just impossible to believe at.
The story revolves only to the two main characters with a few minor characters that add color to the storyline. I think it was a great idea to focus only on to the main characters since people won’t be confused while watching flick. With a few touches of colorful flashbacks from the main character, I think the storyline wasn’t bad at all. Another compelling thing about the movie is the cinematography and the visual effects. I really commend the “rat” special effects because I thought it was real. I had goose bumps, upon seeing those millions of rats crawling on Maricel Soriano’s body.
Overall, the movie wasn’t that SCARY, but rather what made this movie scary were numerous “surprising scenes”- scenes that intentionally focus on one character and then all of the sudden, another character of the movie appears on the screen accompanied by a frightening sound. Speaking of the characters of the movie, I thought of the acting to be good and natural. Maricel Soriano is still the Diamond Star. Mika dela Cruz is going to be the most promising young actress of the Philippine television in the near future. Elias’ (Eric Fructuoso) character is funny. All other characters portrayed their roles well, at least.
I consider this as a true horror movie because:
One, real horror movies do not need knives, chainsaws, and other scary thingamajigs.
Two, real horror movies do not need to have flying decapitated heads, mutilated fingers and toes or raging rivers of blood.
Third, real horror movies do not need to have sex scenes before the character dies from a morbid death.
Well, just sharing my insights about it.
Feng Shui was scary, Sukob was predictable yet creative and T2 was surreal. Kudos to the production team of Direk Chito S. Roño!
Today, the weather is killing me. I guess this is the way that the Almighty God has to remind us that today is the day where His only son saved us from our sins. Imagine this crazy scenario:
At 12.30 pm, the sun was shining brightly and you noticed that your electric fan is already sweating and panting.
After two hours the weather started to change abruptly.
2.30 pm: The first drop of rain hit the ground and lasted for 30 seconds, leaving an unpleasant smell emitted from the once wretched and arid soil.
Then for almost an hour, the area around us became radically dark, mimicking the scene from Mel Gibson’s Passion of Christ where Christ had died on the cross an hour after he was nailed by those Roman soldiers.
Okay, I haven’t attended any Bisita Iglesia or have participated on any ritualistic Filipino tradition, Pabasa. I haven’t experienced these holy adventures to be honest with you. But yeah, I will try my best to do such things during Holy Week. But how soon is soon? Is it when my life in the future would suck big time and the only “person” that I could talk with my predicaments is God? Nah, I won’t wait for that moment. I should be thankful for my subsistence and the life that I’ve been experiencing for almost nineteen years.
So basically what I did today, aside from doing derisive things like reading a sci-fi book, attempted on watching Mamma Mia online and doing this entry, is to drink a cup of coffee. It complements with the cold weather today and I have to drink something that my system has been craving for a very long time. It’s been two and half weeks since my last cup. It’s something very significant to my life that I just want to indulge (or drown) with it forever in my life. A cup of coffee is like a drug, like a chocolate, like a stick of cigarette, or like your long lost lover.
I have to do whatever it takes just to have a cup of coffee. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not prohibited of drinking coffee.
But here’s the real deal.
People crave for intangible things, say power. They do whatever they can just to achieve their dreams in every possible ways no matter what. Morality isn’t a big issue, after all. All they want is to have power on to their own hands. Of course, history didn’t fail to amuse us, that is, if you’re a big fan of this subject. In school, it has taught us that the world has undergone several leaders that craves for power and did something horrible to the society.
Napoleon Bonaparte, Gengkhis Khan, Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Mao Zedong… uuhhh, do they ring a bell to you?
Apparently, everyone can be like that. Nations may have suffered too much brought about by these notorious leaders, but there are some who wreak unimaginable havoc to the society, in a subtle way. Some people, for example may become spiteful to others, so green that they want to be on top and leaves certain damages to others. This is common in schools, companies, and even in the government!
Sometimes, they even take advantage to those people who are actually nice. They help those who are in need, but in reality, those who are in need are just faking it and eventually emerge on to his bittersweet victory, leaving the nice person to accept its demise. Shall we consider it as a victory?
Okay blame this entry for coffee. It just made me realize something about life. But I think everyone has the capability to realize these simple things.
Sshmackityshmuck.
Let’s drink coffee again, shall we? And we’ll talk anything under the sun. Ahhh, I can now foresee a perfect venue for a date – a coffee shop.
Right at this moment, more than half of the entire population of the Philippines are hooked and connected on the internet. If we combine the total population of the internet users worldwide, this would account of more than one third of the entire world population. Applying for an internet connection on selected service providers (according to your area) is relatively easy and it’s becoming cheaper with more promos that await interested clients. It may come to various forms. Some may opt to dial-up connection (no offense but I think it's an obsolete type of connection), some may have the standard DSL connection while others may enjoy the WiFi connection or steal their neighbor’s WiFi signal.
The question is: What is the reason of its subsistence?
The history of the internet is vague but to cut the crap short, it was first developed as an important tool in the office and was later modified for home use until such time those computer programming geeks have modified and redeveloped a software that allows users to surf the internet and basically share some important information in various areas.
Today, one can do virtually anything in the cyberweb. One can find an online buddy through instant messaging such as Y!M (Yahoo! Messenger), MSN and other IM service providers. One can share his thoughts through online journals or commonly known as blogs. One can also watch videos on various television programs such as the video sharing community YouTube or one can listen and download songs on Imeem, iTunes and other P2P programs such as Limewire, uTorrent, etc.
People nowadays are in loved with the internet. It is already the part of every individual’s life. Around the world, people are connected for some various reasons. These are some reasons on why people love this technological advancement:
One.It is relatively easy to find friends online. The style is this, you just say hi, hello, engage in some interesting topics and poof! You have just won an instant online buddy! As long as you share the same interests, then it won’t be a problem.
Two. It’s relatively easy to fake emotions in the cyberweb. C’mon guys, admit it. When something’s not that funny, you still type the ROFL smiley on Y!M or if you’re angry, you simply type your message on all caps but in reality, you are actually not angry, not at all! But there are some cases wherein people are really pissed off that they destroy their computers. Pffft. That’s an absurd idea. The computer is just following your commands.
Three. There’s an easy access to almost every websites, even the ones that are restricted due to the content of the website. There’s no way that the internet can determine your biological age. You can just fake your personal data through email, or just click the YES button, stating that you’re 18 years old, which in reality, you’re not. These common predicaments would lead to various problems in the society.
Now, these are some main problems brought about by the internet:
Number one, cyber bullying is one. It’s is so easy to bully and ideally, it is VERY easy to be a victim of it. Racial discrimination is common to the internet too! I have read some comments on YouTube and there are some people who are just racists. One thing for sure, you can type anything WHAT YOU WANT in the cyberweb. Besides, the only solution for it is to block you on a certain site. Of course, you can change your identity in just a few clicks. That’s it. According to my own research last year (because this is my topic on my Comm III project) there’s a young boy in America who committed suicide because of cyberbullying. This is very alarming since the internet can also be a tool to afflict damage and danger to someone, most especially to people with very low self esteem.
And number two,child pornography and child trafficking are also common problems brought about by internet. As what I have mentioned earlier, every one of us has a free access to restricted sites, like the porn sites. Even a 12 year old teenager can have a full access on millions of porn sites (and may even lead to porn addiction) available on the internet. It may have detrimental effects on man’s behavior. Thus their “horniness” would somehow be transferred to innocent children. I think the reason of this psychological addiction is to seek pleasure NO MATTER WHAT. I have seen numerous police entrapment videos on a certain TV show against child trafficking and this is somehow an effective way to eliminate such scoundrels in the society. But then again, it won’t be totally eliminated. It is such a sad truth to our society.
Well, there are some good things in the internet. Disseminating information is relatively faster than any other forms of mass media, aside from television. Nowadays, politicians are creating fan pages on Facebook (and other blog and social networking sites) and they just post their propagandas, ambitious promises and plans when they won the certain position that they vie (and die) for. In this way people will share their views and perspectives on to their certain bet.
Human beings are known to be the most intelligent organism living on this planet. For the past thousands and even tens of thousands of years, we have shaped our planet through different forms of advancements, particularly in technology. Advancements may add comfort to our life, but sometimes we fail to recognize its negative attributes to our society. So far, there are no provisions or constitutional laws regarding on prohibiting and limiting users to visit restricted sites. Each one of us has the capability to shape and modify the cyber web. There are some institutions wherein it regulates the internet access but above all, everyone can OWN their own spaces in the realm of cyberweb.
The world may be a cruel place to live in but our alternate home, which is the internet, is a more vindictive place to delve with. But still, people love to lurk and stay on their respective alternative places on the cyberweb.
This is a sad reality – the drawback of human advancements.
This is going to be the longest break ever. I mean, I don’t like the admin’s idea to abolish summer class (except if it’s a part of your curriculum or a practicum). Grrr. So I have to allocate the remaining time this summer break. Psshh.
Anyhow, this is my checklist for this summer break.
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One. Your future lies on the deep blue sea. Finalize my topic on my thesis. I was thinking of optimizing the environmental conditions of Sea cucumbers (Holothuria scabra). Hmm, I’ll email Mammy Gamby soon. I need to get the contact numbers of Mammy’s RAs (Research Assistants) so that I can somehow join their marine expeditions in the near future. Oh yeah, classmates if your inclination is in the field of Marine Biology, c’mon, join me as I venture the realm of the deep blue sea. LOL.
Two. Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Speaking of marine expedititions, sometime this summer, I’ll attend a one day scuba lesson somewhere in Talikud Island. I hope dad will accompany me since he thinks my thesis is really dangerous for I have to deal with the strong currents of the Davao Gulf. Ugggh. Sorry dad, but I’m an adventurous lad and I’m not afraid to take risks, even if my life is at stake. Seriously, I understand your concern, so join me!
Three. Read books, and e-books. I haven’t finished Fairyland (Paul J. McAuley). God, I have to finish this book as soon as possible! After that, I’ll start on Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. But I think two months on reading the thirteen books (or e-books in my case) isn’t enough. Haha.
Four. Be a Biochem Geek. Review, read and understand Biochemistry. Since I have understood the cycles, the applications of those cellular metabolisms in life, I’ll just have to extend my knowledge beyond the lecture handouts. Too bad, I didn’t do well in her exams since I ain’t a big fan of memorizing terms which aren’t accompanied with calculations. Pfft, bummer. Okay I have to nail Chem 160 next semester.
Speaking of Biochem, I went to school yesterday to get my batch shirt from Neil. While running in the stairs, I came across with my Organic Chem prof. I greeted him, and he smiled and make a remark, “Magretake ka pala ng 160? Bakit?!” Naah. I just laughed and gave a plausible reason behind my failure, “Hindi kasi ako nag aral sir. Hehe”
Five. Oozing Juices. So yeah, it is summer, so why not spend my time in front of my laptop and doodle anything in Adobe Photoshop? I mean, it’s one of the ways of expressing my own self, well aside from writing blog entries. Though, I still have to learn how to create wonderful vector-related arts because I suck on using pen tool. Oh, practice makes perfect, but then again nobody’s perfect, so why practice? Haha. Stupid but at some point of my life, the infamous saying from Aiai de las Alas’ latest flick makes sense. Lol.
Six. Write as if there’s no tomorrow. So yeah, normally when I really have topics on my mind, I usually write three blog entries per day, but I think it’s a bit overwhelming. But yeah, I’ll write something that is related to my life, your life or about anything under the sun. It may be a sensible entry or not, it depends. Haha.
Seven. Get a LIFE. If don’t have money, then I do not have a choice but to stay home. I ain’t a big fan of window shopping, you know. But yeah, I’m talking about real adventures. I am willing to spend my whole allowance on bungee jumping, zip line or spent an overnight stay in Camp Sabros. Speaking of Camp Sabros, I’m very interested on mountain climbing. But then again, my mind can do it but my body can’t. You see, I’m not that type of dude who loves exercise, or obsessed with his muscular physique. Ugh, I do not have Adonis Complex for crying out loud. But according to dad, who had climbed Mount Apo twice or thrice, you need to prepare for at least one month before the scheduled climb. Mount Apo is one of the most difficult mountains to climb. But yeah, I’m very interested to find some endemic species in that majestic dormant volcano, thanks to Doc Obsioma’s wonderful slides in Philippine Biodiversity. I want to meet Batrachostomus septimus aka Philippine Frogmouth. BWOOOK!
Eight. Ala Critique. Watch movies in the cinema and write a review about it. Period.
Nine. Summer acoustics. Listen to songs that could somehow relate to summer, well it depends on your imagination. I always listen to these songs:
a) I Love You Always Forever (Donna Lewis) – It reminds me of last year’s summer trip and the bumpy road trip to Maragusan. Reminds me of the beach too!
b) I’m Yours (Jason Mraz) – with his playful style on his guitar, it feels summer all year round whenever I listen to this song.
c) Vienna (The Fray) – I listen to this song whenever I want to meditate.
d) Built to Last (Mêlèe) – Ralph introduced this song to me last year. You’ve guessed it right.
e) Read My Mind (The Killers) – I will always remember my overnight stay in a beach last summer 2007.
Ten. Clean the house. Nothing beats this ‘natural’ form of exercise. Sheesh.
For almost thirteen years, I studied in a Catholic School here in Davao City ran by the notorious (este) caring sisters or nuns. They have taught us through the help of the competitive faculty to pray and learn how to thank God for all the wonderful blessings that He had bestowed upon us. Every hour, we pray before the official lecture starts. If it’s our Chinese subject, we pray in Mandarin, one of the main languages in Mainland China (I can still speak and write a few Mandarin characters). I can even recite the Lord’s Prayer in Mandarin.
Well, that’s not the whole point.
Ideally, every first Friday of the month, we always have this Friday ritual, the First Friday Mass. Once a month, our batch will sponsor a Eucharistic celebration in our Parish Church, just meters away from school.
For thirteen years, they all have taught the same values, philosophies and teachings of Christ and have also interpreted the Holy Bible as well. Okay, I have nothing against with these since I have studied in a private and sectarian school; as if I have a choice. But sometimes, I do not understand some things regarding their teachings which somehow changed a little bit of my beliefs.
Apparently, they have taught us how to be simple, to reach out for the poor and needy and most of all, be the nicest-man-on-the-planet-to-have-a-deportment-award-in-graduation. I hate it when some of us will be graded according to our donations. The more donations, the more incentive points you’ll get. I just loathed that scheme. Where’s the essence of “reaching out to the poor”? I mean, this shouldn’t be practiced at all. Because young as we are, we already have this mentality that if we give something to the less fortunate, we must have an equal blessing and should be received ASAP. Now that’s not cool. This is also similar during the Mission Month, on October, where the mission boxes are distributed to all sections from preschool to high school. Now here comes this unhealthy competition. Since the teachers really wanted to help those poor people, some of them relate the heart-warming activity to our grades. The same practice goes on and on and on.
And then, we now go to the nuns. Like what I’ve written earlier, they have taught us to be simple in all aspects of life. I think they should reconsider on practicing that too on their own selves aside from practicing the vow of Chastity. While walking in a plush mall a few years back, I saw this gang-of-sistahs, headbanging on an expensive sandals store. Nah, I’m just kidding with the headbangin’ thing, but the thing is the cheapest pair of sandals on that shop ranges from a thousand to five thousand bucks! And yeah, who would have thought that they were the first users of the N-series. Even the richest kid in school didn’t have an N-series phone, not until two months after the sisters had started using it.
Speaking of my belief, yes, I still believe in God, the only God who had saved us from the fires of hell, the ever forgiving God who always treat us equally as His sons and daughters of the heavens above. I didn’t doubt on God’s existence. I always believe that He is just there. But sometimes, the ones that preach the word of God had some serious trouble. I think all of you have heard certain issues regarding priests as well as popes that have sons and daughters or worse one of the church leaders convicted to rape and sexual abuse/harassment to innocent people. If we review the history of church, we might have noticed that there are some provisions that were indeed barbaric and satanic.
Another good example is this. I have a friend who had a neighbor that goes to church everyday, and chants different prayers on different saints every hour. She also has numerous statues of saints in her house. But she is famous for her crappy attitude. I mean, she easily gets mad when things aren’t on smooth pace. Wow, now that’s… ugh… appalling.
Here's the thing. I believe that I don’t need to confess my sins to the priest. Why not communicate to God directly and ask for forgiveness? It doesn’t matter if you need to pray the Act of Contrition or whatever chants or prayers they demand to us after confession.
These scenarios have made me upset; I was thwarted by these, actually. I mean what’s the essence of practicing good moral values if the mentors didn’t do those things in the first place? Change starts within us - and the process is gradual.
Don’t get me wrong. I do NOT detest them because of their behavior. No, I can’t blame the institution, the people or the congregation for having these flaws. I mean, we are all human beings, prone to mistakes and mishaps. We are all bound to experience such mistakes. Indeed, mistakes in life make us grow stronger and more mature. Now that’s the nature of life.
So for those who have doubted my religion, wherein I’m gradually changing to an Atheist, the answer is no. I still believe in the subsistence of God.
I know doing good things to others isn’t enough. It is NOT enough.
I’m still searching for an answer in this profound world. It’s like finding a needle in a one-hectare grassy field.
