Reminiscing High School Life

It's back to school for my younger siblings. As they go back to school, I look back to some of my memories and thoughts.

1. Filling up my Library Card as fast as I can. I don't even opened a single page of the book. (Just to be in the list of Book Lovers! hahaha!)

2. Copying the content of an entire book into your notebook. A revolution in today's notes are colorful illustrations. What a waste of my precious time! That's why it's called notebook, where you write personal notes, on what you've understood on a lesson. I wonder why notes are included in grading systems?

3. Laziness. It's a cycle of life. There comes a time when you think the world moves so slowly. You've been studying for years, then wondering when it will get finished

4. You can try to aim for the second best. What's the purpose of striving to the best when you cannot sustain it?

5. Don't get caught. Whatever happens, don't get caught being nasty. (you know what i mean!)

6. Misadventures. The worst that I remember is that I hide in my own locker (its kinda big), just to escape from classroom cleaning.I asked my buddy to lock me up there and luckily(?), he was asked to run for an errand. I was locked for one sweaty hour.

7. I propose to DepEd to have this subject: Self-esteem 101. Topics include: how to survive peer pressure; how to be emotionally stable; and how to be cool, despite being a nerd.

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Nice ad! very catchy! Applies to great pretenders!

My wishlist

I'm kinda in shortage of funds right now. I loaned for a digital camera last Sunday. I have to, 'coz it is the last stock available, and I consider it as a "best buy".

And there's a lot more things I consider a necessity:

1. Sony Ericsson W810 (any MMS phone will do)
Why I need this: 3 technologies in one: a megapixel camera, a walkman-quality mp3 player, and a cell phone. Having this phone is a status symbol for me. Why I don't need this: In this poverty-prone times, it's so scary to bring this outdoors. Verdict: I don't need this. (yet!)

2. Apple iPod (any MP3 player will do)
3. Digital camera

4. USB extension. Why I need this: The USB port in my PC is at the back. I have to pul it out everytime to hook my usb devices. Why I don't need this: There's no reason. Verdict: I badly need this.

5. Smallville DVDs. Why I need this: I'm a superman addict. I missed a lot of episodes nowadays. Why I don't need this: I don't have the resources yet. Verdict: I don't need this. (yet!)

Basketball recap

Watched last Sunday, Barangay Ginebra fighting for dear life, to defend their All-Filipino championship, on the wild card phase. Wow, Mark Caguioa is amazing! 45 points, he can do it all (offensively, at least). He had to, they are undermanned due to the injury bug, or else he will walk Roxas Blvd. barenaked. (that's what he dared, in case Ginebra failed to become back-to-back champions) Let's see what happens next round, against Red Bull. (Hopefully, they would win it, coz I'm a die-hard taga-barangay)

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The NBA finals will start Thursday (Friday morning, Manila time). The protagonists are the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks, which are both playing the Finals for the very first time. In basketball, they have a motto, "Defense wins championships" and its nice watch how the Mavericks improved their defense, as what coach Avery Johnson insisted. I love to see the 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki shoot the lights out (Larry Bird reincarnated).

On the other hand, its also nice to watch the Heat, bannered by Shaq and the flashy Dwayne Wade, together with their revamped supporting cast. I'll go for the Heat, primarily because of the dominance of Shaq, who can stop him? But, as always, anything can happen. Don't you remember when the star-less Detroit Pistons applied the word teamwork to win over the star-studded LA Lakers two years ago?

Pollution

AS I am on my way home, I rode this jeepney, emitting poisonous black fumes into our ozone.

And I come up with this blog entry...

How is the smoke harmful?

Smoke is a by-product of incomplete combustion. Incomplete combustion can significantly increase the quantity of certain toxic chemicals discharged by vehicles into the air.

These chemicals can cause mild to severe irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. They can also be absorbed into the body and cause deterioration in general health. The extent of these detrimental effects on people's health is related to the length of time one is exposed to vehicle emissions, the concentration of fumes breathed and various other factors such as age and health.

What causes a vehicle to be smoky?

There are many reasons why a vehicle might emit continuous smoke:

• Damaged air filter
• Faulty fuel injection system
• Clogged air filter
• Wrong grade of fuel
• Incorrect fuel injection pump timing
• Engine overheating
• Low compression ratio

Motor vehicle myths

Most people know that cars are major pollutants. But there are some nasty myths going around about what causes car pollution. Let's put them to the test right now!

Myth #1 Old cars pollute more than new cars. Old cars do not necessarily pollute most. Newer cars, which are not properly tuned and maintained, also cause a lot of pollution.

Myth #2 Unleaded petrol is better for the environment. Whether you use leaded or unleaded petrol your car will still pollute more than necessary if it is not tuned and maintained.

Source: Environment Protection Authority of Victoria, Australia

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Fuck, i went last night to an internet cafe to update my blog. And to my surprise, I cannot access Blogger.com

I asked for assistance, and guess what the resident techie over there has to say: "There's a problem with the site."

Duh! How come? Can you please elaborate?

There's a lot of other guys there video streaming, that's why i'm battling for a precious bandwidth.

Every cafe has its flaws, there's the greedy one that don't turn on the aircon and let the fans do the ventilation. Then there's one where they have 20 units with the slowset DSL connection. Grrr! And finally, there's one with no technical support, no firewall, no pop-up blocker, no anything. (My haven! I can download anything I want! but with frequent virus attacks, ouch!)

Anyway, I end up blog hopping again...

2006 Soccer World Cup, Germany

Goleo VI (official mascot of the 2006 World Cup) did you know that the sales of Golio stuffed toys are so slow, that the manufacturer of that stuffed toy has declared insolvency?

watching the whole game is so boring... if you're an insomiac needing a good-night sleep, i recommend you to watch it live (& away from the remote!)

wonder why the fans (proofs are the jam-packed stadium and, people rejoicing in every goal made) are so gaga over the sport?

i'll just watch SportsCenter for the recap & highlights. i go for Brazil to win it again... but hey, the football is round, so anybody can win it...

SM Mall of Asia

New month, new template! What can you say about my new layout? I WANT to hear from you..

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Going to SM Mall of Asia on a tight budget? These were our misadventures w/ my friends: (Giant mall deserves a long composition!)

6:00 PM - Start of the walkathon, from our place, to the walls of FEU, to LRT-2 at Recto, to the bridgeway connecting LRT-1 at Rizal Avenue. (0 pesos but a glass of sweat)

6:30 PM - Doroteo Jose station, going to Baclaran. Rushing to the ticket booth to catch up the incoming coach. As we are nearing to enter, the door closes. Desperately hurrying to get a ride, I block the door with my bare hands, not realizing that it was an old coach, so it has no sensors that will detect if there is an obstruction at the doorway. (actually, it was my first time I did it. Kaya nyo 'yun?) Luckily, I was able to pull my hand out at the nick of time. (Hayyy! Akala ko katapusan ko na!) Then the guard approached us, warned us that it was an old coach, that it has no sensors, blah, blah, blah! As we were waiting for the next coach, we laughed about my foolishness.
The story goes on...
7:00 PM - We went down at EDSA-Taft Station. No need to ask someone for directions. An orange cab (just like the one circling CCP) is waiting for everybody. We were at Mall of Asia in no time. (the trip will not be complete without a taste of pollution NCR was known for)

7:30 PM - Strolling at the Mall of Asia. Of course, my personal agenda is to look for that IMAX Theater. First building: the Main Mall. Whew! It was so HUGE! Approximately half of the total shops are now opened. (contrary to my presumption, which is only within my fingers, hands and feet). The interior is not the traditional SM "box-type" mall. As a gifted child of map-reading, I was wondering where can I get a map of the mall or maybe have a glimpse of it.

8:45 PM - Our empty stomachs started to make some sounds. Yet we can't decide where to dine. A few more walk that we decided to eat at the Foodcourt. (because of its variety? Absolutely not! They, excluding me, were on a tight budget, remember? Sorry friends, this is my blog, hehehe!)

Then, they tried some pastries at BreadTalk. (because they only had a light meal. Ok, whatever!) What! A bun for 50 bucks! No way! Good thing is that I'm already full. (Really, I am!) Then they end up sharing, taste testing, their purchases. As always, they can't leave me behind, I took a pinch and taste it. Oh! It tastes good; I'll be coming back for you!

9:30 PM - We decided to go to the non-air-conditioned section of the mall, since it was late night. We stroll at the cellphone/gadgets/electronics wing. (As always, I'm dreaming to have that latest gadget in town.) The walkway looks like I'm in Greenbelt, mainly because of its greenery). Then there was the IMAX Theater everyone is talking about. It doesn't look like an eight-story to me but, considering that the entrance is at the first floor, and the exit is at the second floor, I can say that it is big.

10:00 PM - Wrapping things up. We went at the back to see the Entertainment Hall. (as in HALL, it was spacious!) Then there was the viewing deck for the famous Manila Bay Sunset.

10:30 PM - The misadventures didn't stop there. On our way home, I saw a guy from afar, wearing the same shirt as I was wearing. How luckless I am, he got on the jeepney we were riding. "Are you blind?" Are there any laws prohibiting people with same shirts from passing with each other? Good thing, we were ends apart, or else, it will be a battle of the fittest. (For sure, I will keep that shirt at the bottom of my closet)

Postscript: I went back there two days later, to watch X-men 3. At last, I watched a movie without bringing someone along. (That means savings for me! Hehehe!)

Postscript 2: Trivia: The Mall of Asia has a floor area of 386,000 square meters -- one of Asia's largest and almost as big as Vatican City.. Planning to tour the whole mall in a day? I don't think so.