Saturday, January 19, 2002

Just when I thought things would go wrong...

Anyway, I decided not to go to Anima Anime's relaunch party today becasue of ROTC and the fact that EDSA might be closed off. Besides, staying home gives me more time to read here. ^^

ROTC when better than expected. We actually did something productive. We managed to make a census of Sitio Payong in the morning and interact with the kids in the afternoon. Origami is not my specialty so I just watched as the rest of us taught them how to fold and shape.

Just when I was beginning to miss Steph, I checked my inbox and saw that she replied to my email. That reminds me, I should get back to replying...

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Friday, January 18, 2002

I'm baaaaack!!!

Friday seems to hold a lot of things in store. Normally, you'd think I'd be happy it's a Friday since it's the start of the weekend. However, that's not the case.

For one thing, there's probably a rally at EDSA right now. I can't hear anything from here though. Second, I have ROTC tomorrow. That's a big hassle. But I'm in CWS, so it's not a total waste of time. Third, there's going to be a service at the EDSA shrine on Sunday so I can expect heavy traffic among other things. It's not quite the weekend one would like to have. And it's only the third week of January.

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Thursday, January 17, 2002

I've set up a new BLOG. It's entitled Stalker Chronicles. So what's it all about?

Thanks to my BLOG and my fiction class, I've been inspired to write about myself. I somehow found it strange at how my life is more interesting than my works of fiction. My life, ever since I was a child, has always been far from easy or pleasant.

Unlike the current BLOG, what I'll write about there is not my present life but my past. Bear that in mind when you read it and don't jump to conclusions. I've gone a long way since then.

Also, while I'll update that place less frequent, the content will be more. It's a more coherent story than my current ramblings here. Feel free to comment about it.

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I forgot to add from my last post that Anima Anime is having their relaunch this Saturday. So what does this basically entail?

For one thing, they're fixing their marketing strategy. Their acquiring new products and will reevaluate their target market. More DVDs? More J-Rock? Only time will tell.

Second, they've fixed their heirarchy. No more Azrael. You don't know how happy that'll make the customers.

Third, they'll possibly relocate. Acquiring a place of their own has perhaps always been a dream for them. For the past few years, they've been sharing space with someone else. Hopefully, they'll find a place which they can call truly their own.

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Looks like I've lost my rhythm. I just got home and I don't foresee myself waking up later this evening. Or waking up vey very early tomorrow. Oh well.

Nothing much interesting to say about today. I did find out that the owner of the new comic shop at the FBR building belongs to the sister of my former history teacher, Karl Cheng Chua. How strange that when I was asked by Ayee and Claudette if I knew any history teacher who had a last name of Chua, I told them the only teacher I knew was Cheng Chua. And it looks like he was the person they were pertaining to regarding the ownership of the shop.

I only have two classes tomorrow: Sci10 and Jap1. I'm really tempted to cut... but I won't. The bad thing is I have to wait for Jobert since he has a Math exam so the earliest I'll be getting home is 8+ pm. At least I could always hang out with Anima Anime...

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Wednesday, January 16, 2002

Here I am, awake at a time when people are just starting to get up. Looks like I'll be having classes today, although I foresee running into traffic later because of the reroutes. Apparently, EDSA was closed off because it's the anniversary of EDSA 2. -.-

After just waking up, I could feel no lonelier. No one really cares about me. My crush isn't with me. My life is back to yesterday. That's how I feel most of the time when I wake up. That's why don't expect to get something coherent from me early in the morning. =) That's what you all get for reading a 6 am post.

Anyway, I was supposed to do a lot of things last night. Except I fell asleep after writing here. I actually lost a day's worth of work.

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I just got home because our D&D game started late (hence ending late as well), there were lots of guards patrolling the streets, and my carpool had to drive Elvin home. This isn't the best of days.

I managed to drop by Anima Anime today and Bernie was there by the store. I discovered that there's a soon-to-open manga shop on the third floor of the FBR building and by the looks of, it's pretty cool. The only question now is how much it's all going to cost.

I also managed to give Kara her belated Christmas present. I never knew Slytherin would prove to be so popular.

In other news, I had some varied encounters with the Philosophy block. First, I gave Joy (and Lea) a pack of Aji Ichiban (means "first taste") marshmallows. Second, I went to their bench an hour later where I met up again with Joy and the rest of her block. I planned on buying Camillo a Fellowship of the Ring book except National Bookstore in Katipunan was out of stock. I managed to say a few words with Mz (I actually keep on forgetting her name) regarding LotR. Lastly, I saw Peachy in the afternoon who was suffering from food poisoning. Don't worry, she's already recovered. Who would have thought though.

Did I mention that I came to Japanese class without knowing we had a quiz? Apparently, my former history teacher also came to class (an hour later)without knowing that they were also having a quiz.

Right now, I'm wondering if classes will be suspended because of the anticipated rally. I don't really watch the news so I don't even know what the rally is all about. =(

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Tuesday, January 15, 2002

The Greenhills Theater is now officially open. While in search for a Legolas figure (didn't find one, only SM distributes LotR dolls), I happened to pass by the place. So what did I find?

The mall inside the theater is small. There are a couple of outfit shops (I don't really care about clothes), some fast food restaurants, and a new hobby shop (another supplier of anime!). It's really a small place but looks cool.

I also happened to pass by Virramall. People are still selling pornographic VCDs. Of course they've manged to upgrade it. They're now selling anime as well. -.-

Lots of computer shops are now up. I was impressed by the huge Pentium IV processor posters. And Windows XP. Wish I had the money.

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I don't have any deadline as of now so things will be more lenient, at least for this week.

One of the things I pondered upon is if I should write nonfiction. After all, most of my fiction work have been drawn upon actual experience. I just can't help but think that the "real" stories have been much more interesting than my fictional work. That's why I've thought of maybe documenting them so that people can judge for themselves. You can also see how much weirder my life really is. Or how pathetic I actually am. ^^

Lately, I've been enamored by Games Workshop's miniatures. I've actually thought of painting them...except as you'll know by now, I don't have the budget nor the talent to do so. I was also musing lately the thought of being an expert in such hobbies. My first lesson would probably be about priming.

Priming is the coat you apply to the figures before actually painting details on them. The color you choose for priming depends on what suits the figure best. For example, when it comes to Warhammer, many people have found black to be handy. However, don't expect to use black when it comes to Gundam model kits (gunpra in Japanese) unless you're going to use a lot of dark colors. Instead, white would be a better choice.

Spray cans make priming a figure easy. However, this requires experience and precision. The old fashioned way of using a brush and paint works fine. Unlike some people though, don't submerge the figure in a bucket of paint. Unless you're really planning something creative.

Mind you, the previous two paragraphs are just musings rather than actual experience. I wouldn't be surprised if some of what I've written there is faulty advice. Garrick would definitely know more about this. And Benj as well. They actually paint their Gundam model kits. I just watch and display the figs. Of course a lot of my figs got burned during the second Virramall fire...

Anyway, I really want to make a requiem for my Hong Kong Edition 1/100 Deathscythe Hell Custom and 1/60 HG Wing Gundam Zero but...

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Welcome to another part of my eccentric life. So what do we have up for today?

For one thing, I spent P150.00 on photocopying my story for fiction class. It's a good thing I went to Copylandia. It cost me 60 cents per page.

Of course a weird thing happened during that time. Some Miriam freshmen entered the place and one of them probably dared their classmate to approach and talk to me. A Miriam student suddenly came up to me and asked if I was having something photocopied. I said yes and resumed reading the book that I had brought along. She then continued on, asking what I was having photocopied. I told her it was for my fiction class since my course was Creative Writing. She was shocked. She asked me what year I was in. I told her I was a sophomore. She then shouted to her friends at the opposite end of the room that she finally talked to me and that I was older than them. She mistook me for a high school Atenean. -.-

Of course it was obvious that all that was merely a dare or something similar. For one thing, she never introduced herself. For another, she didn't even ask my name. She just went up and talked to me. Which was probably why I was impassive the whole time.

I wonder though what would have happened if I started to freak them out, saying that I was a stalker and all that. I'd love to see the expression on their faces. Then again, I'm not a mean person. I'm shy most of the time. Besides, it's just not worth the effort. Not even if someone dared me to.

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Monday, January 14, 2002

I never thought I'd come to the day when I'd be glad of buying a dictionary. After being frustrated of using my old American Heritage Dictionary while writing my stories, I finally bought the latest edition last Sunday. Was it worth it? I haven't been using it enough times in the past 24 hours to know.

Actually, I've always been interested in reference materials ranging from thesauri to encyclopedias. What I'm trying to save up for now is DK's Visual Encyclopedia. It's really useful when you need to know the anatomy of the human body, ships, guns, and anything else you can think of. Of course it also happens to cost P1000+ so it might be awhile before I get one.

Danton Remoto, my fiction teacher, told us as writers to throw away our thesaurus. While he has a good point to use the appropriate words in describing a scene rather than just a synonym, there are times when you just don't know what to call it. Or if using the same word dampens the atmosphere. Whatever the case, having access to more words is never a bad thing for me. He has a point though. You shouldn't overuse the thesaurus. The words there should only be a guide. There are circumstances when using them is appropriate, and circumstances when using them is not advisable.

Hmmm, what else do I need? I already have a new dictionary, I wouldn't mind getting a new thesaurus. Microsoft Word's built-in features always seems inadequate. Oh well, don't mind me. These are just the musings of a lonely writer.

Oh yeah, did I mention I finally finished writing my story for fiction? And Benj, I don't have the time to sort out through your entire archive which spans one year.

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Maybe I was wrong in my previous post. What's the difference between the artist and the writer? They both apply their skills to describe a scene or image, utilizing all the resources given to them. Of course I still won't get into Warhammer. I just don't have the money. ^^

I got a gift today... from Lea! She gave me a Saruman figure from Lord of the Rings. Someone actually gave me something. ^^

One and a half week has passed and I still haven't changed my sleeping habits. In fact, I just woke up and I'll probably be up until 12. Of course I'll be needing those waking hours since I still haven't been able to finish my story for fiction class. It'll be well worth it though.

My miniature figures for today's D&D game worked. I'll need more variety though so I can identify which is which. Maybe I should save up for the Fellowship of the Ring package...

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Sunday, January 13, 2002

Looks like my week is starting anew so I'd better start things right. Amazingly, I've managed to finish my assignment for Jap 1 as well as writing half of my story for fiction. Even my D&D campaign is prepared as I've made the statistics for some of my villains as well as providing figures for them.

Actually, my players should really appreciate what I'm doing. I spent nearly a thousand bucks on the figures for tomorrow's game. I'm sending them vampiric orcs as well as a vampire and a blackguard so I bought Games Workshop's Lord of the Rings miniatures. It's a good thing I opened it at Hobby Cafe. It was then I realized I didn't have the materials to assemble them such as tweezers and glue. It's a good thing Paul and Jun (and Garrick) were there to help out. Now if only I knew how to paint...

The bad thing about getting into Warhammer and its ilk is that I have to spend a fortune on materials such as glue, tweezers, and most importantly, the paint. It's not only a financial problem. It also involves lots of free time, which I don't have. It's either the BLOG or Warhammer. Guess what's more feasible for me? Besides, I'm a writer, not an artist. =)

While reading through other people's BLOGs (apparently, Benj refuses to answer my question as to why he didn't tell me before that he has been courting a girl for five yearas now), I realized something Survivor: Africa and Lord of the Rings has in common. They both have men which girls simply adore! Ela told me last Friday that Ethan was a guy that many girls liked among the contestants of Survivor. I agreed but I didn't think it was to the point of Legolas-like status. After reading the BLOGs of several people, well, it is true. Oh well, how fun life can be...

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