rocKEM' roll

roots

last saturday, one-fourth of my (extended) family gathered and well...ate a lot, and got to know each other. but not very much, since i am the shy one in the family, and i do not mingle even with my first cousins too much. we just did some small talk. so i did not even talk to the second cousins.

my father's father is ramirez, his mom, francisco. last july 29, the francisco clan met again at las pinas. my lola is the eldest of the francisco children, but my other lola, the 7th child called the reunion because it is the first time she went to the philippines in many years. all my lola's siblings came, except for the deceased ones: their families went instead. my lolo and lola has 6 children, with an average of 3 children each. other lolos and lolas had about 4 children each with 4 children each. i won't do the math, i'll just say it was a rather crowded reunion (we ran out of the nice buttered salmon).

there was a lot of people there that i didn't know. me and my younger sibs just followed a rule: if the person looks old enough, then we should mano to them. to make things worse some uncles and aunts were actually cousins and some uncles and aunts although legitimate, did not want us to mano to them. everytime someone arrives, our lola or some other relative would introduce us as apo ni manang auring or anak ni benjie. then they would say, "ang laki-laki mo na ah! ganto ka pa kaliit nung huli kita nakita!" why not? we are hormonally normal children. other cousins also suffered from this routine. then they would ask what year we are in now, and what course we are taking. of course it is normal for me and for other cousins (some of them are working now), but my kuya was a popular apo that night. my lola and some of my papa's siblings were always showcasing my kuya as a cum laude graduate, a UP instructor and a masters student at 19 years old. it's ok, but the way they said it (and the times they said it) was too much.

so, like all family events, the host house brought out wine and beer and all people who are allowed to had a sip or two. one uncle (he came with my lola from US) even offered me a vodka-orange juice drink, which i politely refused. i had a sip of white wine from my mom's later on, but just a sip because my mom does not want us drinking alcohol yet. on the other hand, another uncle went around and offered everyone legal a shot (or more) of tequilla. it was okay, but you don't know this uncle. as a child, i remembered him as the uncle who initiated drinking of alcoholic beverages, lighting of fireworks at new year's and everything naughty.

all i did was eat, watch over younger sibs and well watched people. i saw a lot of relatives which resembled other relatives, both physically or in behavior. there was a lot of alaskadors, which my mom pointed out affectionately, referring to where papa got that attitude.

the night ended after my la salle choir cousin and her friends sang 3 songs for all of us. they were good, although they lacked a bass singer. (they were supposed to sing 2 songs, which was all they can sing due to the lack of a bass singer, but were bullied by my uncle [the one mentioned earlier] to sing a third song.)

over all, it was a nice night.

KEM Month 2006

still sane

crazy things keep happening every minute in this life.

i witness cats fight so fiercely. they bother me for some reason. and i don't want these cats fighting. animals such as cats should not fight. they're so cute. and somewhat friendly.

there is such a place when you complain about the look of flowers they bite. how unfortunate. flowers don't bite.

'steady state' flow actually applies in real life. when something leaves another takes place.

the hardest tasks are handled by one person, and are expected to be done very soon.

i now hate the things i used to love.

i miss my family more than ever. our life is so simple. my little brothers fight a lot, and hurt each other a lot, but make up easily. they are angels.

and i have an exam tomorrow.

plan of action: focus life on acads and org work. entertain once in a while. have family life on weekends. ignore too much bothering things.

angge is right: i must not have too much on my plate. i could still come back for seconds. if i'm ready.

it's a piece of cake

a story

one day in the ever since feudal world, there lived a peasant. he was a normal peasant who worked his *ss off. he had a lot of work: he fed the noisy chickens in the morning, went to the fields at about noon, milked the cows in the afternoon and baked bread and made cheese at night. however heavy his workload, this worker is happy because he knows that he is serving his community and his feudal lord in his work.

which brings us to the feudal lord. his feudal lord is the owner of half the chickens he feeds, three-fourths the cows he milks and all the fields he sows along with others. this feudal lord is a just person. he knows what is right for the fields and the animals. he usually treats his peasants nicely. but, as feudal the world is, the feudal lord makes all the decisions, and although he listens to the peasants' suggestions and concerns, these mean so much little to him.

in the normal series of events, the main goal of the feudal lord is to get a lot of money. of course he makes a lot of money from his farms, and has grown increasingly popular with the other lords and his farm, with other farms. but before we proceed to the dynamic relationships of the lords and other farms, let us take note of the farm accountant and the farm supervisor.

the farm accountant sees to it that the peasants give their yearly quota of wheat. they also have a weekly quota of milk and eggs. the accountant is just in collecting these from the peasants. but there was a time when there was a huge feast in the kingdom so he required the peasants to give six times more milk and eggs. the peasants could not give more than twice their quota because they also take some to eat and of course, you cannot force the cows to give more milk and the chickens, more eggs. so they paid the accountant twice their quota of eggs and milk for about three weeks to make up for their not giving six times their quota in one time.

the farm supervisor sees to it that the peasants are working. he also tells the feudal lord if there is a sick peasant which could not work and needs to be taken care of. he handles much of the individual problems of the peasants, or if two peasants fight, he mediates and helps solve the problem. some peasants see him as very manipulative because sometimes these peasants feel that they are being told how to feel about something. of course, like everyone in this farm, the supervisor is working to please the feudal lord and to make the farm one of the best farms in the kingdom.

not very far away is another wheat farm. this farm was owned by the first farm's feudal lord's cousin, who was previously in the first farm but broke away because he wanted a farm of his own. take note that there are only two wheat farms in this kingdom, so these two farms are competitors in the wheat industry. however this farm is a purely wheat farm, as supposed to the first farm which has eggs and milk.

let us go back to that hardworking peasant. this hardworking peasant is known because he is very opinonated. the feudal lord respects him for this because he also learns from his opinions. this peasant also respects the feudal lord because he thinks that the feudal lord does a good job in managing the farm.

at the end of each summer, the farm opens the farm to the other townpeople. the feudal lord planned a big feast for this event so that the townpeople would enjoy the open farm event. the other farm, somewhat inspired in this idea, tried to copy, but later decided to join the first farm. of course, because of the many complications the merge might bring, the first feudal lord did not agree. his cousin bitterly complained to the king. the king decided that for the benefit of the townpeople, the two should work it out and merge to have a bigger event. as no one dared to disobey the king, the two planned the event together which turned out to be a great open farm event. however, the two constantly disagreed and fought about money and who gets to decide on what.

after that big event at the end of summer, the farms went on to work again. of course the cousin's young farm has a significant place in the wheat market, but he could not match the good reputation of the first farm, which was passed on in the feudal lord's family.

life goes on as usual in these two farms. the hardworking peasant goes on to feed the chickens, tend the fields, milk the cows and make cheese and bread.

i hope there's cake in the ref

i had always hated studying. back in grade school, i just do my homework at school (which isn't supposed to be, because it's called homework), and just shrug off the worry of an exam (although i forced to memorize some bible verses for that unjust religion exam). same with high school. i can not imagine how i survived that vicious stage of my academic life without studying. well, studying to a certain level of expectation by people. so now, haven't learned the art of studying, i am this kid who chooses to play than to open books. which equates to some *unlucky* failures (academic ones of course).

---
i often took my teenage years for granted. for me, being a teen means i gain more pounds (because of the natural increase in body mass), grow taller than the kids who tease me for being short and just undergoing all the changes the body undergoes. also, i was allowed to sleep much later than kiddie bedtimes, cover more of gala places and can come home at a much later time.

when i stepped into college, a new world was opened up to me. i had freedom, more, much more than i had. i had learned to do stuff at school, i had learned to eat stuff i haven't eaten or would have not eaten. much more than what the es department has taught me, i have learned these imporatant lessons:

everyone has a certain degree of maturity, but be mature enough to understand.
not all people will like you, or will agree to you all the time. people who you think act immature or too mature for you will make you very much, um, furious. i learned that lashing out only gets you more trouble. increase in entropy of a system will only increase the entropy of the universe. of course the entropy of the universe is increasing, but don't add salt to the wound.

humility is best consumed with sincerity.
there is this grade school joke "pinagmamayabang ko na mapagkumbaba ako." of course it was funny that time but it is really annoying. i have met a lot of people an they sense, especially the professors if your humility is sincere. there should be no ulterior motives. it is like sinigang. although all your meat and vegetables are there, if it isn't sour, then it is not sinigang.

your instincts are not always right, so go ahead a make that mistake.
i make a lot of mistakes ranging from those choosing the wrong flavor ones to really life-changing ones. i usually base my decisions on my instincts (but i know better now), and end up screwing up a lot of things. it's really sad but at least i have experienced commiting the mistake early enough to learn from it. now, i take a lot of time thinking, usually in decision making, but anyway, instincts can be trusted, but not all the time.

when we get hurt, there is a lesson afterwards.
i get hurt everyday. one day, i might have an upset stomach. another day, i might be spoken to very harshly. still another, i might fail in an exam. everyone of us gets hurt more than once a day, and it's not a good thing to get hurt because it requires a lot of time to recover from, a lot of fun things to make you feel better, and so much compromise on a lot of things. just to look at the bright side of it, we get hurt because we failed to see, do or understand something. we should learn from the hurt we felt.

you can actually overdo minding others' business.
there is such a thing as being too nosy. actually, there are a lot of things in our life that we should pay attention to. also let us give our brains a rest and give it space to breathe. if we pile ourselves with too much burden from others (or on the other side of things, chismis), we can actually destroy our lives. also, over-reacting to what people say belong to this category. everyone is entitled to their opinion however biased and filthy they may be. so if you are expecting a big rise in your blood pressure, drop it and eat some ice cream.

being hardworking can actually mean a lot.
diligence goes a long way. it isn't enough that you have superbrains. hardwork is important.

you have your own beliefs, principles and ideals, but if it is to disregard others' beliefs, principles and ideals then yours are null and void.
we are all humans and we are entitled to believe in what we want to but we should see that other people want to feel that they are free to believe in what they want. #1: do not force others to believe in things they do not want to. #2: respect their beliefs. who would have thought that the earth revolves around the sun before Copernicus? however, some beliefs are far-fetched and therefore should be dismissed. but who knows? and it is very bad to bully a person to believe what you want him/her to. spreading false rumors are equally wrong.

there is no 'free' in this world anymore.
with the increasing prices of oil in this planet, every potato chip you eat would cost more than what our parents used to pay for whole meals. also, there are a lot of new 'responsibilities' that bind us. damn the media for that. but then freedom is free if you decide that it is. but it will be costly. get the point? ok. recently two persons were abucted because they were outspoken protesters of the current administration. they chose to use their freedom, and they had a price to pay. i pray that they be released because freedom should be free.

at least my life isn't a big waste. if you think so then yours may be.

boredom

from ate shally's blog.

(x) worried about getting bullied by fratmen or getting killed in a riot
( ) got bullied by fratmen or was killed in a riot(if i marked this, then it would be creepy)
( ) witnessed a riot
(x) watched the oblation run
(x) made friends with a teacher
( ) was tricked as a freshman into attending a rally / prayer meeting
( ) wore red or black on one of those wear red or wear black days
( ) wore red on Valentines Day
( ) wore black on Valentine's Day
( ) celebrated a birthday at Mang Jimmy's
( ) learned UP Naming Mahal
(X) got on the deans list (CS or US)
(X) slept on a bench
( ) was an RA (registration assistant) or SA
( ) lied or begged to an RA for a slot in class
( ) participated in a there's-only-one-more-slot-are you-feeling-lucky? raffle during registration
(X) jogged around the campus
(x) visited the Vargas Museum
(x) knew at least one xerox lady, manong, or technician by name
( ) attended university level graduation
(X) got an activist for a teacher
( ) itched from higad bites
( ) had gotten a 5.0 in something
( ) had taken a crap in school
( ) watched a La Salle vs. Ateneo UAAP game
( ) watched a UP vs. any school basketball game
(X) gave a powerpoint presentation
( ) studied in CASAA
(x) studied in McDonald's or Jollibee Philcoa for one full night and bought just one regular-sized drink
( ) studied along Katipunan
( ) studied along Katipunan and affected the mannerisms of a stereotypical Atenean (accent and all)
(X) watch a play that's not required for CommIII <-- sa eng 11
(X ) went stargazing
(X) ate in Chocolate Kiss, Tea Room (in CHE) or Chateau Verde
(X) slept in the lib
( ) struck up a conversation with a taong grasa
( ) wrote to / for the collegian
(X) seriously pondered about the identity/ies of the people described in Eksenang Peyups
(X) went to the chapel (either of the two)
( ) got a pebble stuck in your shoe/slippers while walking in Sunken Garden
( ) cut class with your block to watch a movie
( ) had a voltes V for a teacher
( ) took a class under Joseph Palis
( ) lied to the transcript lady to get a transcript earlier than the standard 3 months
( ) went to a Freshman-only concert
(x) subsisted on just streetfood (fishballs, half footlongs, kwekwek, squidballs/rolls, mais, dirty ice cream) for a day
( ) learned how to smoke
(X) went on an out-of-town trip during a break with blockmates or orgmates
( ) fell in love
(X) actually read the book you keep borrowing from the lib
(X) played cards during your free time
(X) dress in business attire
( ) sumabit sa jeep
( ) got sung to or sung to someone in class during Valentine's day
(X) watched the lantern parade
(x) helped out a total stranger
( ) helped out a total stranger because he/she was hot
(X) learned to stay awake for more than 24 or 48 hours straight
( ) got bullied by fratmen and feeling cool wannabe people who were actually losers
(x) took Wednesday and/or Sat classes WILLINGLY
( ) volunteered for the pahinungod
( ) ate "tasteless white sauce" pasta from cock-a-noodle-doo
( ) got a boyfriend/girlfriend
(X) took time to read the vandalism in the CR
( ) watched a sexy art film for any GE class
( ) got held up or pickpocketed
( ) felt depressed because you were not as good academically (or popular) as you were in high school
(X) did a last minute paper (
X) had spent a lot for 1x1 ID pictures (for index cards and teachers seat plans)
(X) got exempted from final exams
( ) got exempted from a final exam but still took it
( ) attended a varsity pep rally
(X) watched LIVE AIDS, Androgyny, Maskipaps or any well-known variety show
( ) promised to quit smoking
( ) got into at least one (org- or council-sponsored) adventure race
(X) knew where the best restrooms are on campus (NSRI and Bahay ng Alumni - for those moments when Mother Nature just has to call -- korek!)
(X) joined an org
(X) allowed yourself to make mistakes
( ) went to the gym in spite of having no PE class just to ogle varsity players / cute boys
(X) took summer classes
(X) admired the oblation
(X) made a video for a project
(X) had a crush on a teacher
( ) had a teacher who had a crush on / tried to court you
( ) attended your ROTC Bivouac
( ) faked sickness to get an absence excused
( ) got your car scratched by one of those "kuya bantayan ko kotse niyo" kids
(x) took a PE class where you had to pay for tuition (i.e. sportsclimbing, ten pin bowling, scuba diving, etC)
(X) went to school in your crappiest yet most comfy clothes
(X) learned how to use the Bayantel pay phones
(X) participated in school activities
( ) caught the UP Pep Tryouts
( ) dated someone from UP
(X) rode an IKOT and TOKI
(X) found a tambayan
( ) went drinking at Sarah's
( ) learned how to beg for a higher grade
(X) used your 6 allowable absences wisely
( ) lived in a dorm
( ) volunteered to be beadle or go-to guy for your group / class
(x ) had the worst schedule<<830 andg="" report="">
(X) had mountains of unused sample exams and/or old testaments
(X) resolved to be "better this semester"
(X ) slept during a test<
( ) had groupmates from hell (ie no-shows, babblers, dependents, airheads, dreamers, idea stealers, plagiarists)
(x) learned how to work with groupmates from hell
( ) perfected the art of parking on campus
(x) had a bad encounter with one of the guards on campus<
(X) developed a love for sisig
(X) practiced those UP cheers in the first meeting for PE class
(X) looked at microfilms in the library or poked through archives
(X) reserved a classroom, AVR, etc. for a class or org function
(X) attended UP Fair
(X) went to a library other than your own college's to research
( ) lost a perfectly functioning umbrella
( ) used consultation hours properly
( ) went to the Guidance Office for real,heart-to-heart guidance
(X) went to the infirmary
( ) Attend class with a hangover
( ) Drink beer or alcohol while inside UP grounds
(x)Walked all the way to Philcoa or Katipunan from UP (or a 2km radius fromcampus grounds) from math building to New Era Univ
( )Buy frogs from NSRI or a Bio department...
( )Maxed out on the 6 allowed unexcused absences but DID NOT drop
( )Got invited or pursued by a sorority or fraternity
(X)Wore slippers to school (hindi Dupe or Havaianas, regular slippers lang)
( )Had a professor who smoked in class
( )Got diagnosed by the Infirmary as pregnant or infected with STD.

week update

i hate che 133 now. (see, i would only like it 'for now' --as mentioned in the previous post) but its a good place/time to write poems. the odes...

a lot of work is coming my way. and i am so afraid of what may happen. but then you have already read that.

so, i met all my publicity heads (for kem month), exhibit heads and SP heads last monday. i had transferred to them the burden of thinking what to do for publicity. but half of it stays with me. i also have to find a good time to have the photoshop workshop for publicity heads since they need to do their own materials, or else i die two weeks before august.

yahoo! the kem foilio editorial board has already been completed. congratulations to them. BUT YOU HAVE TO START WORK, OK? oops i pressed the caps lock key, but it's what i wanted to happen anyway.

so there. having fun but not too much. happy because i signed 4 i2k7 receipts last monday. mina only did one. :D

if you are a ChE student. join UP KEM. the organization who really has the gold (celebrated its golden anniversary two years ago). just a thought: turning non-gold items into gold is nothing but the product of imagination. let us take iron for example. what can you add to iron to transform it to gold? [Fe + imagination -> Au] that's stupid, don't you think?

but if you take carbon(graphite), it turns to diamond when exposed to high pressure over a long period of time. figures. KEM @ 52. what once was graphite is the diamond. and the gold ring shines even more with the diamond on it. now, that has a scientific (therefore, academic) basis. hindi kami bobo. :D

peace.