I would have written earlier if my brother wasn't using the phone at 1:30 am in the morning. Oh well, the difficulties of dial-up. So I slept.

If there's anything good that's been happning for the past week, it's that I've been well fed, especially since it was my birthday last Friday and I've been treating people out like there's no tomorrow. I actually spent more than half of my ampao (Chinese term for money gifts that are placed inside a red envelope) on treating people out. Do I regret it? Of course not. It was nice seeing and talking to old friends. *sigh* I wish I could do it more often.

Anyway, I spent most of the day cooked up in the room. I was even surfing the Internet when dad suddenly pops out and wants to take me out for a ride so that he can teach me to ride. As much as a spontaneous person I am, I don't like other people turning "spontaneous" on me, especially when it's obvious I'm busy doing something.

When evening came, I was supposed to meet some batchmates from Xavier at Congro Grill at 7 pm. By 7 pm, I was still at the house, waiting for my carpool to fetch me (they live in the next street). Apparently, they were waiting for Dragonball Z to finish. >.<

Got to Congo Grill at around 8 pm. Dennis, Hubert, Affie, Saturn, Budi, and accompanying girlfriend, were seated just by the entrance. Me, BJ (my carpool), Terence, and Mata arrived just in time because the food was just going to get served.

Hubert, who is known for his appetite, wanted to challenge me to match him when it came to rice. Budi offered himself but Hubert wanted me. I agreed. One hour later, Hubert had consumed two cups of normal rice and one garlic rice while I did the same.

Food was plentiful with sisig, crispy pata, and squid. There were also some other food stuff that I don't know what you call. Eat, drink, and be happy.

I also offered to play Warcraft 3 after but here are some replies:

Affie: Warcraft 3? Java na lang (How about Java instead).

Dennis: Have to pick up my parents.

Budi: *no explanation needed... girlfriend is beside him*

Budi: Saturn, bakit di mo kasama girlfriend mo? (Why isn't your girlfriend with you?)

Saturn: So that I can play afterwards. =P

Affie and Dennis are in UA&P and I think they're taking up IT. Affie tells me that he seldom has time for Warcraft 3 anymore. If it's not Java programming it's a term paper. And of course he also has John's PS2 and the only game he has is Tekken Tag. Warcraft 3? I don't think so.

So after dinner, the rest of us headed to Area 51 to play (because Blitzkreig and Powerplay were full). *sigh* It's been a long time since I last played Warcraft 3. Actually forgot my stack.

Managed to come home at around 1:30 am and not able to check email.

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Chanty: What are you favorite anime?

Charles: None.

Chanty: Don't you have a wish list or anything?

Charles: Nope.

Chanty: Don't you want to own something?

Charles: Hmmm... a new PC? Oh wait, I mean a new video card. My PC is brand new. But I still can't play games on it. And perhaps a DSL or cable connection?

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I was looking through the 4th edition of the American Heritage Dictionary and look a word I found:

an-i-me ->n. A style of animation marked by colorful art, futuristic settings, and violence. [Jap. < Animation.]

Should I be happy with that definition?

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There's a lot of sad things that happened this month. And I'm not being self-centered when I say that. Condolences to Chev, and I really hope Izza's mom gets better. There's also my blockmate Coni who has yet to cope with her grandfather's death, and my mom who is worried about grandma.

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Layout layout layout... the things that make stuff a nightmare, especially when you're trying to configure them to BOTH Netscape and Internet Explorer, even if the former isn't used by a lot of people nowadays (or at least to navigate to my site).

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I'm exhausted. I was so exhausted that I didn't wake up for Saiyuki (although I had the VCR record it) at 7 am. Didn't even bother reading my emails... just turned on the computer to download them and then headed for school.

Can't say anything spectacular happened yesterday. Same old routine: theology, CCHQ, philosophy, carpool home. With the exception of my blockmates greeting me (Coni even told it to Fr. Dacanay, who just shrugged) and the occassional text message coming in at various hours.

Managed to get home at 5 pm and then I hit the sack. Woke up at 6:30 since we had to eat out, no matter how much I've been protesting for the past ten years.

Dad: Where do you want to eat?

Me: Kitaro.

Dad: No, no, no. Where do you want to eat?

Me: Kitaro.

Dad: Where do you want to eat?

Me: Kitaro.

And then later in the car when we fetched my mom:

Mom: Where do you want to eat?

Me: Kitaro.

Mom: Daddy doesn't want that place. Daddy, where are we eating?

Dad: Sugi.

Wow. And they even bother asking me. It's the simple things in life that make you happy. My parents refuse to believe that. I mean for the past ten years, when I'm asked to eat out, I just say at home. Since I knew that would fail, I offered to eat Dim Sum last year. Father consented, after much argument. This year, I chose mom's restaurant. But would dad consent? Nooooooo. Because we have to eat in a fancy and expensive place. And he tells me that we're not rich. I think people just say that in case some thief is overhearing the conversation.

At least dad was right in one aspect. When it comes to food, the family comes to shambles. He was making a criticism last Sunday about how mom's side of the family always argue when it comes to dinner or a place to eat. A pity dad doesn't see his own reflection as well. Then again, my family only believes what it wants to believes.

And of course, in the restaurant, my dad and brother pester me again about driving. And they ask me why I'm in a foul mood.

When my dad wants to talk to me, there are only seven reasons behind this: 1) wants to inquire if I'm "here", 2) wants me to learn Chinese, 3) wants me to learn to drive, 4) wants me to eat a lot, 5) gives me money, 6) wants me to wear new clothes/shoes, or 7) wants my room cleaned up.

My mother, on the other hand, has also seven reasons for talking to me: 1) gives us our allowances, 2) wants something taped, 3) wants to arrange the schedule of the car, 4) wants me to eat a lot, 5) wants me to try something she's "cooked", 6) wants my hair cut, or 7) wants to tell me something my dad wants to tell me (see paragraph above).

And while my family eats out together every Sunday at our grandmother's house, I leave the table as soon as I finish my dinner (five minutes) and people don't even notice I'm gone. They're usually busy gossiping about the actors, actresses, politics, and the latest trends. There's no depth in my relation with my family. They don't even listen to me.

Anyway, I have to reply to emails now. Oh yeah, haven't seen Steph during the week except last Tuesday. It's perhaps for the best. Time for me to get over, time for me to move on... it's different knowing you have no chance at all.

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It's been a long day and I still have a Theo quiz in a few hours. And I have seventy seven freaking emails in my mailbox. The things I do for my friends...

I think I should start with my nonfiction class, considering it's my only class on Thursday (effective now) although I've been at school since 11:30 am while the class begins at 4:30 pm.

The mood in class radically changed from perky to depressing and painfuly. I mean it was Betsy's birthday tomorrow (actually now today) and she was selling some pastries for their fund-raising. Everyone was smiling and happy. And then came the topic we were supposed to discuss. We read this haiku:

The world of dew

is a world of dew

And yet, and yet...

-Kobayashi Issa

As we were discussing what it meant, Coni felt it the most as her grandfather had just died and their family didn't receive the body yet as it was still abroad, somewhere. She burst into tears and the Hedda would later cry as well as it was the death anniversary of her friend.

In a way, I can relate. I mean I've lost a friend whom I met through ICQ. We weren't that close though so perhaps the emotional attachment isn't that strong. Still, I miss her now. She accepted me for who I am. It's a sad story though. Her entire family died in a car crash.

I've also lost my grandmother eight years ago. I had to absent myself from school just to attend her funeral. But I wasn't close to her (I'm not close to any of my relatives if truth be told). I don't even know her name. I just call her "ama", the fookien dialect word for grandmother. I don't think she has an English name. I'm bad at memorizing Chinese names. The only Chinese names I know are my own. I don't remember grandmother speaking in English. It was usually just Chinese words and gestures. I'd pay my respects to her but that was all. No intimate conversations, no in-depth interactions.

Now my grandfather is another thing. He died last year (which is why I'm wearing dark-colored clothes for the past year... it's a Chinese custom not to wear bright colors for two years). He didn't speak English also, although he did say a few Tagalog words and I saw a lot of him. He also has an English name. Sam Yu. That's the name given on his funeral in addition to his Chinese one. I actually miss him. But his death didn't cause me much distraught. I'm not that close to him. There will always be the language barrier I have with my grandparents. And they didn't exactly show a lot of affection towards us. Grandfather is like the caring relative who's near yet so far. I don't know much about him and the same goes for him. But he's always there. At least he used to be.

And now, my grandmother on my mother's side is in the hospital for the past two weeks. I haven't visited her though. I don't think she can talk. She's had this tube connected to her throat for the past few years. And even if she didn't have that, there's always the language which I never cared to learn and one that everyone expects me to know even if no one bothered to teach me.

I can relate to the deaths my classmates experienced, but not the feelings. Maybe I'm turning apathetic. Yet I feel so much pain around me...

Of course the class also talked about sadness, especially the one Coni was feeling. People cope in different ways. Concon would jog around UP so that she actually does something and gets her mind off the subject, as if she was "running away from the dilemma". Coni, on the other hand, stays at a secluded place near the observatory where she can think by herself and admire the view.

How do I cope with sadness? Ela and Izza awhile ago told me it was corny. I mean when I'm depressed or sad, one thing that cheers me up is people's smiles. I want to make them happy. While my own happiness if far off, I can feel its presence in others. The fact that I contributed to that happiness makes me feel better. Ela and Izza told me it's a reason that's not quite believable. But it's true. Which is why I'm generous as of late. I'm semi-depressed but that doesn't impede my life. I try to make the most out of it and try to help others when there's not much I can do for me. At least I'll make a difference in another person's life, and that somehow affects me, giving me my own inner strength.

Anyway, before the class, I was able to see Denise and offer her a Chips Ahoy cookie. Denise is cute and kind. *sigh* I'm glad she consented to taking a cookie.

And as if my bag wasn't heavy enough, I brought my yearbook since Christine wanted to see it. Stayed with her for around an hour, allowing her to browse through the yearbook. It's only now that I actually got to see it in its entirety. Gosh, I didn't know it had our graduation ball pics. There's even a picture of the table I was in. Bundi and Erin were in the middle of it while Sheila and I were in one corner.

Of course Christine was looking for familiar faces. She did say that she remembers the faces but not the names. Of course she was also looking for prospective suitors. I guess I fall for the same syndrome: remembering faces but not the names. I mean I could tell this person's habits, his mannerisms, his likes, dislikes, everything but his name. There's something probably wrong with my thought process.

I was at the Podium by 8 pm since I was supposed to meet Arianna and company by 8:30 pm. I was expecting around eight people to come. Only Arianna and MM showed up. And then there's the almost one hour wait for Tin to arrive. She came from Los Banos. And Tin doesn't have a mobile phone. It's hard to contact people you're supposed to meet without a phone.

Since there was only three of them, I treated them out to Burgoos. I could afford it. Of course strangely enough, the bill for the four of us was more costly than the bill I got last week in treating out nine people from OAV (plus me).

Oh yeah, Benj, Garrick, and Richie have no reason to complain. I ate a lot. Some ribs and tomato soup along with the side dishes of vegetables and rice. And don't forget the onion rings. Carrot juice was my drink. I was full. Even Arianna, who usually chides me to eat, didn't complain. I wonder if they'll blog about it.

Of course by the time we ended, it was 11 pm. The MRT was closed and we had to take a "normal" bus meaning one not air-conditioned as Tin suffers from claustrophobia. Yes, claustrophobia so phobic that air conditioned buses causes her sickness. But the one normal bus passed us by so we decided to take a taxi. And there began my walk from Annapolis to home.

Unlike the other day, I was wearing my Nike Presto rubber shoes. They're soft and comfty that I didn't even feel my blisters. Of course at the price I bought them, they should be.

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As I was testing my new layout, I decided to check my archive and behold: my post about Tolkien nine months ago. I think that best sums up my feelings about him and it's better said than anything I've written in the past two months.

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Everyone should be happy now. New template and comments section... all in thirty minutes. =P

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Blogger is getting quite annoying... I always seem to get the "unable to load template file".

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*sigh*

*sigh* *sigh* *sigh*

Somehow, my life seems purposeless now. Oh well. I miss my crush but I should stop thinking about her. Time to get over...

Anyway, I awoke this morning to find my feet aching from yesterday's blisters. I hope my *yellow* rubber shoes are dry by now. I don't plan on walking around Katipunan in my new shoes or else I might even be walking come evening.

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Blogger can really be annoying at times...

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I love walking. I really do. I mean it's the most common means of transportation. I walk from home to Megamall. Heck, I was even crazy enough to walk from Ateneo to Greenhills. Of course during those times, I was wearing tried and tested shoes. Today, I was forced to wear new shoes since my rubber shoes was wet from yesterday's rain, one pair of leather shoes is too worn out that I walk strangely with it, and the last pair of leather shoes is so ruined that if I step into a puddle, I might as well have not been wearing any shoes at all. It was so painful that walking around Megamall was already causing blisters.

I did manage to treat Erin and Chanty out this evening. Crept up on Chanty when she was in Powerbooks and followed her to Erin. As usual, there's an argument over where to eat. Chanty hates spicy food. I hate Chinese. Erin deduced either something American or Japanese. We were to decide either Sbarro or Pancake House. Chanty and Nissie felt like having Pancakes. I told them why not. Erin didn't know where Pancake House was. I didn't either (actually, as far as I know, there's no Pancake House in Megamall). Chanty commented that there's a Pancake House in every mall. -.-

So Sbarro it was. I even forgot my change but I rushed to the cashier and thankfully she had it set aside. It was nice conversing with the two. It's been quite some time since I last saw Chanty and quite some time since I had a good chat with Erin. It's a significant improvement over the phone calls I used to have with Erin during my fourth year in high school.

Chanty had to get to DLSU so we brought her to the MRT. Walking the distance from Sbarro to the MRT was pain. I was probably getting three to four blisters on each foot. On the way back to Megamall, my feet were already numb to the pain. Helped Erin look for her mom in an optical shop which is on the opposite side of the building. After that came the hard part: walking home.

I guess I could rant about Theology and Philosophy but well, I was really looking forward to dinner the entire day (actually the whole week), especially since I've given up hope on my crush. I guess it's a deficiency of mine: cheering other people up makes me happy. Is that so bad?

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Persistence has won the battle again. Made Noelle agree into allowing me to treat her out. Brother's Burger can be expensive, especially since it is only a burger, no matter what stuff they fill it with.

Of course not everything can be won through persistence. Steph still doesn't agree in allowing me to treat her out. As usual, the excuse is that she's busy. (That's an excuse, while is probably true, has been used on me for the past three years.) But then I heard she was able to drop by CCHQ with her friends. *sigh* Honestly, I should know when to quit. It's hopeless. I should get the "hint". Maybe I should jump off a cliff.

Oh yeah, had one of those famous Ambeth Ocampo long exams this afternoon. All I can say is that it's Ambeth. Fail? Most probably. Will it count? Probably not as well. And he did give us the next three weeks as free cut since I'm sure he's going to be busy. Looks like I got my wish of having a holiday. No more Tuesday classes for me until October 8.

I was supposed to hitch a ride with Aaron at 4:30 pm. I fnished the exam at around 2:15. Went to CCHQ afterwards. At 2:45, I realized that I had left something in the classroom. It was a mad rush in the rain as there would be a new class at 3:00 pm. Did I make it? Yes. Was I wet? Yes as well.

Of course I was supposed to meet Aaron at the MORO sports complex. But when I got there, he told me he was in Bellarmine. Oh wow. Nothing like a walk in the rain. When I finally got to Bellarmine, Aaron still wasn't ready to leave as he was waiting for his girlfriend. It was 4:45. His girlfriend sent Aaron a text message that she would be dismissed early. I told Aaron that "early" meant 5:30. He didn't believe me. He was hoping for something like 5:00 pm. She came out at 5:30 pm.

It was also getting dark and Aaron was telling his girlfriend to cut her Philosophy class so that they could go home together. That was the reason, after all, why he waited for her. The girlfriend was indecisive. We ended up waiting until 6 pm to see if Mr. Bulaong would arrive and teach. He did. Girlfriend stayed for class. Aaron dropped me by the gas station near our village. At least he brought me that far (in comparison to dropping me off at Corinthians which is a 20-minute walk away from home).

Came home just in time to watch the last few minutes of Saiyuki. Oh, and managed to catch the season ender of Angel!!!

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Hmmmm... I really need a comments section soon for errors and the like.

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It baffles me why cars that have the steering wheel on the left are called right-hand side cars. Anyway, as Benj pointed out, a lot of countries have right-hand side cars and a lot have left-hand side as well.

And since this is a spontaneous thing for me, not an article, not even a homework, researching isn't something I'd take the trouble of doing unless it's something serious.

As I said before, it's usually the offhand comments (not even serious ones) that get me in trouble. Now I can only hope blogger is fixed...

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Wow. Blogger has another error. Fortunately, I've figured out that your latest post doesn't get published unless you make a more recent post. Hence, this senseless explanation.

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Finally got a 4 (equivalent of an A) in one of Fr. Dacanay's quizzes yesterday. I never thought it would happen but hey, I managed it. Too bad quizzes only count for 15%. Still have to make up for the lost 35% percent.

And I was hanging out at Caleb, Noelle, and Christine's table when Christine suddenly asked me about a certain Wesley Soong from my alma matter. To put it bluntly, he's a jerk, a bully, and a drop out. Of course I'm not getting any complaints from his girlfriend so he might have changed. Or perhaps he just acts differently with girls. So to be fair to him, I tell Christine that he acts differently with girls so she has nothing to fear. Besides, Christine is in good relations with Wesley's girlfriend so...

Ack! Was going to get Erin Gravitation #2 and actually had it on reserve from CCHQ but apparently, she dropped by the shop last Saturday and got herself one.

Speaking of people I cannot contact, Athene's phone is always busy. And while I can call up her landline, most likely she's at work. That's what happens when you're in the night shift for customer service. >.< Anyone know how I can get in touch with her? Still need to treat her out. And she has the Arislan manga #1 I'm getting for Steph.

It's probably only in my situation where my father is bribing me to take driving lessons. To make a long story short, I got driving lessons three years ago, dad didn't allow me to practice, license got expired. Learned to commute and have been hitching rides, walking home, and commuting the distance ever since. Now he's offering me half a million pesos in my bank account (whose account number I do not know, by the way) and the old car (or he could buy me a new car and no more additional funds in the bank account) if I *cough* *cough* "learn" to drive. And since he doesn't trust me as usual, he's offering me the automatic even though I was trained to drive manual. I even remember my lessons where I was driving these strange Hyundai models that needed your foot on the clutch when you turned the ignition on.

And then I remember the episodes of Initial D. Only the Philippines, America, and probably Hong Kong that has the steering wheel on the left side.

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So many things to reply, so little time... it's a good thing my class is at 1:30 pm. =P
First off, here's an essay by China Mieville on what's wrong with fantasy today

And as Gaiman wrote in his journal, the beauty of linking is that I don't have to agree with everything he says.

And I think Mia would enjoy this, a review of Gaiman's Coraline by Pullman. Yes, I got these links for Gaiman's blog but since I doubt if people actually visit my links...

And I didn't really think anyone would pull off a crime taken straight out from American Gods (or as Gaiman said it, from the book Scam School or any other possible sources on scams).

And since it's not too late to post this, might as well advertise:

BOOK FLEA @ the Filipinas Heritage Library!

September 18 and 19, Wednesday and Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Rare titles, sci-fi novels, popular fiction, historical & teen romances, and magazines available at P5 to P30. Everything must go!

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It was raining a few hours ago and it's raining now. Is it too much to hope that classes will be cancelled?

Got an advance from my mom so I can still treat the people I'm supposed to treat out.

My right eye has something that makes it sore. Maybe it's what they call a "kuliti" (can anyone translate this in English?). I get it often enough that I stopped wearing contact lenses.

Oh yeah, my random quotes is up to 41 now. I guess I still have to read a lot to make it reach my 365 goal. =P

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My waking hours seem to grow shorter and shorter... Which is why I end up writing TODAY about YESTERDAY's events.

You'd think I'd get a break after getting home quite late from Friday evening. But since I have to meet up with my gaming group at 9:30 am, I have to wake up early despite the message that my body is telling me. I was suppose to meet Mars at Chowking in Robinson's Galleria at 9:30 am. Apparently, he wasn't at Chowking. He was at McDonalds, which is beside Chowking. >.<

Of course you see the strain in the gaming group when barely half the players are present. Only four out of the seven PCs (Player Characters) were there: me, Ronil, Timothy, and Wesley (he should be there... we're staying at his place). Russel is still abroad, hopefully buying me the books I asked him to buy in addition to conducting his business. Dennis has car trouble and told Mars that he'll try to catch up, which when translated to Filipino lingo is "I really want to come but I can't". Miggs, on the other hand, is through a depression so much so that he directly tells Mars about it and stops with all the Filipino subtleties. Of course I figured out that he lost his motivation for gaming since for the past few games, he hasn't been attending despite saying that he'll catch up (as I said, when it comes to talking to Filipinos, you have to read between the lines).

I got a number of text messages that day, which is actually a bad thing since Wesley's place is a deadzone when it comes to mobile phone signals. I had to place my phone on top of Wesley's piano and type my messages from that place, since that's the only area in the room where the phone has one bar worth of signal.

At 1:30 pm, I got a message from Mitz and Ellaine saying that they were already at Megamall. How early, considering that I was supposed to meet OAV at 5:00 pm.

Of course at 4:00 pm, I'm stuck at Wesley's house since it's raining and no one has a car. At quarter to five, since we're still at the garage waiting for the rain to let up, Wesley offers to drive us to Virramall where we can get a bus ride. Of course when we finally get to Virramall, the rain lightens up. I rush to the house to get some Pics I owe Mitz and run to hell to Megamall...

...Only to find out that aside from Mitz and Ellaine, the rest of the people still weren't there. Some were caught in traffic, some because of the rain, and a couple didn't show up. The bulk of the group was consolidated at around 6:30 pm and we had trouble choosing places to eat. While I may be the one treating out, I'm not exactly the person that goes out to eat. Don't really expect me to choose where to eat. I live that up to the people I'm treating out. The event went something like this:

Charles: I let you decide. Anyone have complaints against a certain kind of food? I don't like Chinese.

Ria: No Japanese for me.

Vincent: No pasta.

Gem: I'm vegetarian.

The rest: Anything suits us fine.

I decided to lead them to Sbarro but the place was filled like hell (yes, I think hell is crowded, since according to most religions, anyone that doesn't believe in their religion goes to hell). Vincent and Mitz offers to go to DADS but when we got there, I saw the prices. I do not have the budget to feed a dozen people are such a restaurant. Pizza Hut and French Baker were full so we decided to head to the Podium. We were supposed to pick up Sheila when we find out that Sheila couldn't come as she's eating out dinner with her parents (well, I also have the idea that Sheila doesn't like to be with me, talk to me, etc... but that's my ultra-paranoid intuition telling me that).

At the Podium, the same restaurant problem occurs. I might have afforded Burgoo's but I didn't want to risk it. Ended up eating at Kitaro which was something I could surely afford since 1) I had a 10% discount card, 2) they don't have service charge, and 3) in the worst case scenario, I could call up my "aunt" (translation: family friend) who owns the franchise. ^^

Paul comes in time just as we were ordering so I had to treat out ten people all in all. Interesting orders were the bottomless GREEN Ice Tea Vincent and Mark ordered, the rice toppings Ria had since she didn't like the regular Japanese menu, Mixed Tempura (which consists of eggplant Tempura, Kamote Tempura, etc...) for Gem to suit her vegetarian appetite, and a sudden craving for Miso soup for the rest. Had to leave at 9:30 pm since I didn't want to walk all the way from the Podium to Annapolis just so I could get home at a late hour (I would have done so any other time but I'm afraid my leg muscles are still aching so I didn't want to strain them, especially considering all the walking I've been doing the entire day, not to mention lack of sleep). On my way home to the village gate near La Salle Greenhills, I ran into Mars and Ronil who had just came from watching Reign of Fire at Robinsons Galleria.

I got home at 10 pm, which means I just missed Mutant X. It was an episode I was looking forward to, since the commercial was showcasing an actual "supervillain" compared to the "normal" adventures that were showcased in the past few episodes. I find out from Chanty's blog that Ateneo won against DLSU in the UAAP basketball game.

Of course this morning at Sunday School, I find out that not only did Ateneo win against DLSU, but they won with such a huge lead (double digits). And DLSU was playing with its full roster. I don't know whether to be happy or sad. Dominic shared that on the DLSU side, when Ateneo won, they suddenly clamored that they're still #1 in the ranking. In Psychology, there's a term you call for things like that. Rationalizing? I forgot. Whatever.

I'm not exactly the type of person that gets excited about basketball games, much less the UAAP. Ateneo's win leads me to a few conclusions: 1) the DLSU team lost on purpose because they can, 2) the DLSU team got too confident, 3) the Ateneo team finally played at full efficiency, 4) the DLSU team wanted to see Ateneo's tactics, or 5) the DLSU team lost on purpose so that Ateneo won't have to fight them first in the finals. Of course this victory leads me to some concerns over the Ateneo team: 1) Ateneo might become too confident in the finals, 2) Ateneo might not strive as hard training for the finals, 3) Ateneo might have won a battle but not the war (I mean Ateneo would still proceed to the finals had they lost this game... winning this one puts DLSU on its toes), and 4) DLSU might work extra hard so that they can beat Ateneo in the finals.

Of course it would just be funny if neither Ateneo nor DLSU won in the finals since those are the two teams the media have been ancitipating (I mean they even released a VCD of the game between Ateneo and DLSU last year). Personally, I wouldn't mind DLSU winning (after all, it's just a game... I find it hard how some people take things too personally), but winning for the past few years consecutively is so... stagnant. It wouldn't be bad if DLSU won three consecutive years, then perhaps UST won the next, and then DLSU reclaimed the title or something, but several straight wins is just so... bland. Of course I'm not suggesting that they do what America did to the Chicago Bulls: redistributing the players to various teams. I mean the DLSU team is good, but not that good. Personally, I think the Ateneo team can beat them, but perhaps not as consistent as DLSU would beat them. I'd just be happy if this year, some other team like UST would win the finals. Then again, Ateneo winning doesn't hurt either. =)

Yes, this is a really long post. Enough of sports, which is a subject I'm not really that interested in. I wish I could have invited Lea to yesterday's celebration but I didn't bother, mainly because I think she's still mad at me. I emailed her last month and she didn't reply. She hasn't contacted me since July 8 when she told me she's angry at me. Oh well. At least I'm getting better at "reading between the lines". (Hmmmm, I hope Vern is just busy and not mad at me for my 9-11 post or something I said, which is why she hasn't emailed me in the past few days. Again, that's just me in my ultra-paranoid state.)

Five more weeks to go before the semester ends. Finally, I'll get some "free time". Meanwhile, I'm broke and I still have a number of people to treat out. (*pokes Daimira* oi, I still have to treat you out... congrats!) ^^ I will perform a miracle and somehow fulfill all my obligations. ^^

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