The Circuit of Subsistence

Bleh.

2005-08-18T19:17:00.000+08:00

Doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo... Woof woof chug chug choo choo, obaka san dewarimasen desu de gozaru datte ba yo! Daikirai datta sobakasu wo choto-senaka ni mimi wo pitto tsukete dakishimetamorhosisandragondormouseckayawkona. Doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo. If you call Louis Ting "Lougee" one more time, prepare to see the world from an upside-down perspective, in the event that you haven't felt that yet. Bye bye.

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Jon feels bleh.
Jon is listening to noise V313 aircon. Jologs.
Jon is contracting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from stupid Acer Kybrd.
Jon is viewing an eye-straining Acer 15" CRT.
Jon is surrounded by flesh-eating zombies.
Jon will kill everyone who desecrates Lougee's name and likenesses.
Jon is desecrating his blog - you notice?
Jon, what happened? Jon? Jooooonnn!!! [/metal gear]

Phy-Sick

2005-08-11T01:48:00.000+08:00

I've been in the dumps for the past few days, already pressured by the onslaught of hell week's purgatory. It's not even finals week yet, but my brain's already being battered by the flurry of activities that I can't seem to parry successfully. Kindly excuse my self-centeredness as I talk about myself (as per definition of a web log, so why am I apologizing?) and myself only. This will be a moderately long rant.

I'm doing fine in all of my subjects, save Physics, and my average in the subject is a tad below the passing mark. This being said, it seemed that the third and final long exam would be my saving grace to up my quiz average. However, our ever-amusing professor gave us the option: "You can choose to take the third quiz, and your avewage will be divided by three. If you don't want to take it, that's alwight. Your quiz avewage will be divided by two." Not the exact words, but um... go figure.

Interesting proposition, ain't it? It feels awfully tempting to forego the third exam, but my average needs a savior. The ideal err.. idea was: Take the first quiz, get a score higher than my current average, then everybody's happy. However, it wasn't as easy as I originally thought. The scope for the third exam was short, but sweet. And sweet is by no means a positive adjective in this case. Okay, anlabo nun.

So, I read the two chapters spanning the test coverage, re-read them, solved along with the practice problems, and took notes. That's all I did starting the other day up to about one hour ago. But lo and behold, when I started answering the exercises at the end of each chapter, I was stunned. My answers didn't come out right, I kept referring to my notes (which would no way in hell be beside me during the exam), and I seemed to lack problem comprehension and visualization. I was amply studied for these chapters, yes, but with the caliber of exams our professor gives, I would do my already low average more harm if I pushed through.

Therefore, I decided to retreat and regroup. For now. It may seem like a cowardly act, but I don't care. I've made good time by studying, and that's what matters. Sure, I'd need a (potentially) higher score in the finals, but at least, I won't enter the war without equipment. Yeah, yeah, others have M4A1 Carbines in their arsenal, and they'll surely go RATATATATATAT over the final exam papers. I'm stuck with a miserable 9MM pea-shooter, so it's up to me to use my bullets wisely. I never was a good shot. Now it's time to prove my own history wrong.

Australia... and stuff.

2005-08-08T11:48:00.000+08:00

The Land down Under; The Outback; The Country with lots of cutesy Koalas, Kangaroos, and Wallabies; Home to the majestic Sydney Opera House. Sad though, since these things don't seem to mean anything anymore, 'coz all the only way I see the country is as a massive green-eyed blob eating everything (FINE, SOMEthing)in its path.

I hate Australia. It's just so unfair. Why now? Why EVER? My angsty selfish self is starting to come up again. 'Nuff said.

Moving on to other [and] stuff...

Surprise, Surprise! MODCOMM was excessively kind to me, and I got a total midterm grade of 98.14. Then, the first exam results for ENGCOMP were returned, and I fared (unexpectedly) pretty well. How's a 91 sound? :D

But I'm afraid that the high numbers end there. I have to get a 61 on the LAST PHYENG2 EXAM come tuesday, or I'll kiss the next term bye-bye. Then there's the rapidly approaching finals week, ready to skin and eat us alive. Couple the exams with the project deadlines, and you've got one hell of a monstrosity. There are times when I feel that I've exceeded my limit, and giving up is the only solution I can think of. But thinking very smugly and optimistically, I say to myself... "Where's the fun in that?" :)

ln|c|

2005-07-24T20:22:00.000+08:00

Okay, I'm not looking for the natural logarithm of a constant. This entry's title is my poor attempt at making "Chain Letter" sound better. I tried, didn't I? Hehe. I'm in somewhat of a ranting mood, so without further ado, may I present to you my entry for today's update: ln|c|. Linked Notes of Crap.

My celfone beeps, and I grab it in anticipation of a possibly important message. One out of three things happens:

1. I get the important message I was waiting for, read it, and everybody can go on with their happy little lives.

2. I see the 221/2654/2-whatever number header (denoting an advertisement text) and a quick couple of presses on the navi key, it's gone.

3. I begin to read a message that looks like a quote, but ISN'T, then I delete it in the same fashion as number 2, but with a bitter psychological mental note saying: "Yuck, eto nanaman..."

No offense to other people, but I hate chain letters. I get them in my mobile, my email addy, in friendster, etc. I honestly don't see the purpose.

"Send this to a bazillion people in 645 minutes or else your dog's cousin's uncle will be run over by a Magnetic-Levitation train. In Germany. While Naked."

...okay, obviously exaggerated example but, get the picture? Sometimes, the messages are scary, making it look like a rejected script from a horror B-movie. (It's a rejected script FROM A FRICKIN' B-MOVIE! Can you believe the stacked cheesiness already?!?!) Other times, it's a message about God. Now, I'm in no position to badmouth the Big Guy up there, since I'm kind of religious myself, but it's obvious that these messages are fabricated (and spread) by people who a.) don't have anything better to do with their lives b.) want to make uto out of others, or c.) ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT SADAKO IS GOING TO KILL YOU AT 12:00MN TONIGHT! Sick.

Anyway, if you can't beat 'em, ignore 'em. That's what I'm doing. I'm just in a ranting mood like I said, and I had to open up the topic. Incidentally, this entry was inspired by a text message I received a few minutes ago. Out of inis, here you go, a whole rant on the issue.

No classes tomorrow! I actually prefer going to school, but I guess the extra day off will net an extra studing opportunity, provided that I don't procrastinate. Much. Hehe. Later people.

Lougee, come here and cheer me up.

2005-07-18T23:39:00.000+08:00



"I don't care what they say,
I don't care what they do..."

My earphone clip-ons were blaring with Hale's music while I was waiting for a bus ride home under the slightly heavy rain. I was attacked by a funny thought; I walked a bit and imagined myself in a... um.. sentimental music video or a cheesy soap opera with an equally cheesy theme song. The music continued to play while I punished my wet unbleached chucks by intentionally stepping into the small puddles. Oh, but oh, an empty bus came soon enough and I was forced to temporarily stop the awful ideas brought about by my virus-ridden imagination. Thank God for solid-state memory storage - my flash-based MP3 player made it through the rain.

In my first blog update in two months, I won't recap. Instead, I'd like to make my online journal a haven for my apologies to all the people I may have annoyed/hurt/been cold to. Prior to that erm.. musical stint under the rain, I was feeling frustrated for reasons beyond my comprehension. Something was obviously wrong with me, but I couldn't do anything. Well, it doesn't matter now (I hope) because the rain sort of whisked away those feelings of guilt, pain, and . I do think I'm fine now, I just overreacted a bit (okay, a LOT) during the past few days. There's nothing to be sad about! Life's good - enjoy it.:)

So, I'm awfully sorry for the wave of bad aura I've imbued to the people concerned. Next time I have a bad day, I'll try to run through the day inconspicuously.^_^

Skills of the Subconscious

2005-05-17T20:38:00.000+08:00

Hm... Been a while since my last update, but there's a pretty darn good reason.:)

Messy, no?

This pic IS NOT scripted/fabricated in any way. Those cans are really where I left them.

My baby kept chugging for more than 48 hours, finally succumbing to a BROWN-OUT. Geez...

The pics (and the gif) more or less describe how my days have been. I've been commissioned three video-editing projects within a span of one week, each taking over 24 hours to completely accomplish. The most recent one, which I completed two days ago, left me with an abnormal sleeping habit and disgustingly large amount of caffeine in my system - and both effects continue to haunt my persona screaming for normality. Unhealthy as it may seem, the "caf" actually was quite effective. I was teetering on the brink of sanity (and consciousness), yet I was still able to type 15,000 characters worth of manuscript, edit+encode+burn a total of 5 vids, and modify countless other still images. It was awfully tiring, but enjoyable to an extent. I don't think I'd be sacrificing my sanity on a task I disliked!:) My clients were all 3rd year students, and I got a taste of their grief and sorrow. Well, I hope my journey through hell and back will prepare me for what's about to come. :)

Anyways, the job did have its perks. I was "tipped" 1k for the first service, pro bono became the case for the second, and the third and most recent *will* (not yet) net me a second monitor plus a renovated table setup, courtesy of my tita who was the mother of one of the clients. A second monitor you ask? Yep. As gimmicky and intriguing as it may sound, it's supposed to increase productivity output by at least 50% by expanding your workspace and enabling easier multi-tasking. Funny concept, but it's tried and tested. I'll post screenies when my setup's done.:)

Realization: Captalizing on your hobbies to earn is a good thing. It's pretty fulfilling once you get dough from something *you* did. The summer was supposed to be a whole month of empty wallets, and fortunately, I've alleviated the predicament somewhat.:) Anyway, I've still got a (hopefully) potential business venture requiring the skills of a self-proclaimed, company-less, entry-level system analyst who's only source of income are the tips that come his way.:) Hm.. now I have CPU Fans to invert, Cold cathodes to install, and a plethora of other issues to troubleshoot - I've gotta go! Later!:)

Insignificant factoids worth knowing (oxymoron!)

2005-04-24T19:07:00.000+08:00

Products yet again of my boredom... Enjoy!

Starting off, this is rather familiar...
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1. As lnog as the frsit and lsat ltetres in a wrod are crorcet, the hmuan biarn can raed it jsut fnie woiuhtt sutbminlg too mcuh.

Tihs is basceue yuor biarn raeds wrods as a wlohe, not lteters ivindulailidy.

->You got that? Hehe... how about this!
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2. The "Twelve Days of Christmas " gifts: A partridge in a pear tree, two turtledoves, three French hens, four calling birds, five gold rings, six geese laying, seven swans swimming, eight maids milking, nine ladies dancing, ten lords leaping, eleven pipers piping, and twelve drummers drumming. There are 364 gifts altogether, one for everyday of the year (except for Christmas!).

->Bet you didn't know that, huh?
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3. Try drawing two different shapes with both your hands fast, starting and finishing at the same time. It's very hard to do coz the brain is seperated into hemispheres...

->I'll give you an autographed picture of me if you manage to pull that off...:)
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4.
The bird went into the
the large birdhouse.

The average human will not find the error in the above statement.

-> My personal favorite, probably because I fell for it... haha...
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5. Lastly, by the time you finish reading this, the earth will have travelled close to 1000 miles in space. O_o

Thanks for reading! I hope you all get stuck on number 4 like I did! (or maybe I'm just stupid?) Later! :)

Welcome to MY Circuit

2005-04-19T18:46:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since my last entry, and because the vacation is upon me, I've pretty much been reduced to a lifeform that only knows and does four things: Eat, Sleep, Watch TV, and Use the Computer. Still, it can be boring especially considering the fact that the Net is my only haven for a friendly conversation or two. Another thing, I might be the only one who has my baby on 18 out of 24 hours a day, and that leaves certain time periods where I find my Yahoo Messenger List empty... Just what can I do to alleviate the boredom? But of course! Give my blog a make-over!

Oh humble visitors of my online abode, I give you the Circuit of Subsistence. My Circuit of Subsistence. Herein, you will be entertained (or not) by periodical occurences that may befall my route of life- hence the cheesy-sounding-sci-fi-idea-spawned-by-boredom blog name. With the theme change, I'm hoping to reduce immaturity in the succeeding entries, and give the whole site a more serious, albeit darker, tone. Of course, immature/funny comments and constructive criticisms are still welcome. The reason for the revamp: I'm no longer a frosh! I've levelled up! I've frickin' suffered the grueling hell of three terms; suffice to say, I've been beat down plenty of times, but I've emerged victorious.:) (okay, that was a bit immature...)

For now, I just want to recap the events that have occured for the the past couple of weeks. The headline would be, well, I'm still a regular student! I don't want to fail... ever! Engineering Calculus 2 (Integrals and its applications), which used to be my major bane this third term, astonished me with a final grade of 2.0! English One, the subject I live for, disproved my I-thought-so-grade of 3.5 giving me a 4 instead! Okay, I pretty much blew Physics, with a lowly 1.0 as a final grade, but still... I MADE IT! I wasn't running for honors this term, but the past month pushed my mental capacity to its limits. That made me realize that I was capable IF I tried hard enough. Good for me!:)

On to more sour news... I have this good friend (and idol!;p) who unfortunately did not make the dean's list for the third term, despite her apparently high average of 3.2 (i think). If you scroll down to past entries of my blog and hers, you'd find the countless encouragements and stuff... because I believed in her, and I knew that she deserved the spot the most. But oh well, it wasn't meant to be for this term, and God must have a good reason. Still, my encouragements will never cease, and for me (whatever that's worth..:/), she's still a dean's lister. Go kimmie!:)

I don't know what the summer holds for me... I want to go on vacation, and all I have on my list are sketchy plans on the 29th and 30th with my college friends. I want a summer job to get the experience and the extra dough, but the idea looks bleak for me as well. What comes will come, I guess. For now, I'm chillin' the whole day, and even if it's boring, it's the life! Thank you for reading this far. I've exceeded 3000 characters already (care to count?). 'Til next post!

A happy day of jinxes...

2005-03-30T23:14:00.000+08:00

Last night, I tripped over the gutter near the DLSU north gate (which prompted some CBE girls in the area to scream... O_o), spilled noodle soup over myself (reminds me of a light pink shirt with McDonalds' gravy... hm...), and tore a pant leg on my way home during commute... but there wasn't the least angst in my expression...

Before the three consecutive instances of bad luck, I was celebrating because of an "okay" test in ENGCAL2 ("okay" is still not equal to easy)... It was the last exam as I said in my last entry, and I was rather nervous because I had it all banking on this last test, excluding finals. Suffice to say, I did well if I do say so myself... Upon comparing answers with my blockmates, I discovered that out of the four multiple integral problems, I got one wrong- not because of a mistaken solution, no! IT HAD TO BE A MISTAKE ETCHED IN STUPIDITY... (I'm obviously overreacting over the whole deal...ü) Earlier in the day, while solving problems in preparation for the exam, I asked kimmie what the value of arcsin1 was... and she answered pi/2. Well, the same value appeared as a final answer in the exam, and I ANSWERED ARCSIN1 'coz I forgot to simplify it! I forgot a value dictated to me only a couple of hours before!!! SURE, it's only a minor deduction but STILL!!! IT HAUNTS ME!!!

That is why the site banner has changed, at least temporarily...:) Once I get over the the whole shallowness of my frustration, I'll change or revert it back to normal. Don't let the emoticon gif fool you, I'm actually happy and relieved, albeit a bit stressed out 'coz of the insufficient 3-4 hour sleeps I've been having for the past couple of days...

Well, to finish things up, I just want to thank AR-gel (haha) for being very patient with a student with a formerly Calculus-proof brain... kimmie for her role in the whole arcsin1 incident, and spicing up the boring study sessions with incessant kuwentos (sumasarap 2loy mag-aral ;p)... and 'laine rae for stressing me out even more... haha... Well, I'm going to sleep AT NIGHT ('stead of dawn) for a change... so good night everyone...'til next post! :)

cram v. crammed, cram·ming - to prepare hastily for an upcoming exam or project...

2005-03-29T00:08:00.000+08:00

I'm officially cramming.:/ Wow, i've got tons of stuff to do, yet I still manage to squeeze in some blog-time? I even threw in a quick gif just to prove my point. Man, I have to take lessons in time management...:)

Anyway, before I attach myself for a couple of hours to Microsoft Word to type yet another essay (mine this time!) from scratch, I wanted to let off some steam first- damn, it's been a tough day. I have my last Integral Calculus exam tomorrow (my last chance to up my grade), a major paper draft deadline, and a graded recitation in Politics and Governance. Yay for me.

By the way, I took the this Act-Age-Whatever-Thingie quiz I saw in kimmie's blog and... It said, I acted like a 23-year old! "...feel excited by what's about to come... love, work, new experiences..." NO! I'm not ready yet! I'm still a kid!!XD Do I look that mature? 'Coz I sure don't act like one!

Okay, that cooled me down a bit... It's now time to leave a trail of fire along the keyboard. One major essay draft coming up. Later days, people.:)

Techie-mode...

2005-03-27T15:05:00.000+08:00

This morning (like, 2-3AM), I had to type myself to sleep. I helped a friend create a 20-page paper from scratch and although I accomplished the whole thing, my vocabulary and I were low on blood. I'm still really sleepy, but I felt the sudden urge to update my blog, as well as create a new emoticon gif. Please excuse me if the entry (or the gif for that matter) contains retarded thinking or ideas as a result of the lack of sleep...:/

I'm a techie. I help people. A popular pastime of mine is generating imaginary specs on a new PC, not minding the P150,000 pricetag that comes with it. I'm armed with a broadband connection, and this enables me to roam around the net in a Ferrari. I try to update myself with the latest technological advancements in various computer-related fields, and this further sinks me into the kingdom of nerdox-ness...

Anyway, I'm a college student, and practically everyone has a PC. Most are, for the first time, exposed to technology, and as a result, they want to upgrade. Some want to be technologically-equipped while on the run, so they plan on buying laptops and PDA's. They all share a common notion though: They are prepared to shell out a lot of $money$ to buy a metal box that displays pretty pictures. I'd just like to turn my blog into a PC-advice corner for one moment, and maybe I could help you potential buyers to spend less $$money$$, and get a metal box that displays prettier pictures.

1. Pre-built or D-I-Y (or assembled)?

Many PC's on the market are pre-built, meaning, it is ready to use once you buy it. There's no need to install an OS (Windows...etc) and all the drivers are installed. It's like any other appliance that's storebought. While this may be advantageous for first-time PC owners, or those who are too lazy to set things up, keep in mind that you don't exactly get what you pay for. Pre-builts are more expensive to begin with, and you don't get great deal of customization for your PC.

Do-It-Yourself or "Assembled" PC's are common nowadays, with warehouses like PC Express, PC Corner, and others offering minimal assembly charges of P500 and below. You get to choose every part of your PC from a pricelist, and the overall cost is cheaper than a comparable pre-built. One thing, though. It is not usable upon purchase, as the hard disk most likely requires formatting, and there's no Windows to speak of. You can purchase the Windows CD from them, but they only sell originals, and they come in prices ranging from P5000 to P9000, which is a lot, considering that you could give your hardware a pretty good upgrade with that kind of cash. You could install pirat...Never mind. Moving on...

2. Why do you need a PC?

Before buying anything, consider what you are going to use the PC for. If you are only planning to use them for word processing, and the Internet, then P10,000 is more than enough. If you are a heavy gamer, or you're adept in the realm of video-editing, consider shelling out AT LEAST P50,000. If you are one of the people who are in the middle, then you may want to prepare at least P30,000 or so for something not spectacular, but not obsolete either. These prices are dynamic as new products often warrant a significant price drop in the former latest model. The same thing goes for laptop-buyers. If they are after portability, then buy a system with lackluster specs, but with small dimensions and minimal weight. If they are power-hungry, then they have to settle for a bulkier laptop, but one that can be used as a desktop PC replacement. PDAs? Same thing. Do you want a multimedia PDA with all the bells and whistles - camera included? Or will a normal digital assistant suffice? Do you want a PDA-phone? Or a PDA with great gaming capability? Knowing what you want and what you'll do will save you from spending that unnecessary cash.

3. Go Broadband if you can!
PLDT MyDSL, Eastern Access, myDestiny cable... there are many providers. If you can force your folks or whoever is spending for you, get rid of that 56k modem! An internet-savvy person can have his/her productivity rate boosted by more than 300% with a broadband connection.
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I hope those tips would help any potential gadget-buyer... I'm sleepy... You're welcome, everybody...

Monotonous Boredom... (redundant)

2005-03-25T13:34:00.000+08:00

New emoticon! I think i'll be doing this for every succeeding post. What do you guys think? It's a very crude product of my less-than-stellar Photoshop/Imageready skills. I'm not that good at Flash so I just stuck to my elements... Hopefully I'll be able to smoothen my new-found skill of making gifs as time progresses.

Anyway... It's Good Friday today, and Christians should be fasting, abstaining, and um... limiting their happiness. I don't know if it's a good thing, but my mood today is coinciding with the occasion. Maybe i'm still puyat from our Visita Iglesia last night... which was kinda fun by the way. We visited seven churches around the Metro Manila area, and we didn't fail to fulfill an important parameter of our yearly family tradition- we ate Chinese! Man, Dim Sum and Cha-Shu really- WHAT? Hey, I'm not exactly Chinese!! So excuse me if I excite myself over something that's supposed to be a "usual" part of my life! Hmmph. (We don't celebrate Chinese New Year, I haven't tasted a mooncake my whole life, and I speak pidgin Nihonggo.) That's why I'm excited over something I don't do often. :D

On the way home, we stopped by the Baywalk, and we err... walked by the Bay. The place was so... alive, even if it was nearing midnight. There were bands, mimes, cruise ships, and lots of guys with dates. Haha, talk about some place cheap, but romantic... I wasn't totally happy tho', as I never saw even a remotely-attractive chick wearing chucks...:(

Okay, I apologize for my unnecessary ramblings about stuff that are nonsensical to a degree... I'm just in a state of temporary "Monotonous Boredom". Don't worry, oh kind patrons of my blog (i wish), my next entry will focus on necessary issues that are in dire need of Jonnie's Reactions. Til' then, Later Days...

One more time!

2005-03-20T14:08:00.000+08:00

LOSERS!!! XD

Wah, in love na ko... These ch"u"cks are so hot! :)

Galing ko kumuha ng pic noh??? Pang photographer!

Yesteday was probably the happiest I've had the whole term... Yep, I said right in my previous entry when I called the trip "much needed". I've gone to EK four times before, but it's different this time... Mas sulit. Mas masaya! :) We only paid 300-plus since they had group packages, and about three sections worth of students came. Still, the place was almost deserted! Well, maybe not exactly, but let's just say it's possible to come back to same ride that just ended without long queues- and that's saying a lot because you know how EK can get during the peak of the holiday/summer seasons.:)

Anyways, we still had volleyball competitions in the morning. I suck at the sport, but still, it was a lot of fun! I lost the first game for my team!! Haha... (sorry guys, i thought the net was at the back side of the court...:D) At least I got a serve in during the second game, and thanks to a particular lost teammate (he was in the beginners' team?!?!), we managed to spare ourselves the humiliation of having no wins. Final score: 1-1. The other groups in our team also bagged a win and a loss each, so I'd have to say we did good- but we still could've done better! HAHA... By the way, I brought three pairs of chucks ("hi", "mizu", and "kaze") along because I... um... because I can! ^___^

After the games, EK nAAh!! Kimmie's van took us to Laguna, and we got sight of the magical (no, I still have a grudge against the word) facade of the structure at around 2PM. Sayang Kaiser!!! Bat di ka sumama samin? Uwi-uwi pa kasi ng maaga... OO NA, KJ kasi kami!!! :/ Of course, if you're in EK, you'll never truly get your money's worth unless you try riding the Space Shuttle! And that's what we did first! I think it was Kimmie's first time, so grabeh cia makakapit lalo na kasi dun sa dulong cart ung first ride nmen! Haha... poor kid...XD The ride was totally exhilarating! Nothing's better than an 116.5-foot drop (naks, rineasearch!), three inverted loops, and a repeat of the whole performance!:) Anyway, we tried the Jungle Log Jam after, and quite obviously, the attraction warranted a clothes change. But that's why they built the Flying Fiesta, right?? To dry your clothes??:D

Even with the endless picture-taking breaks in between, we still managed to ride almost all the major (and by major, I mean no "kiddie rides" hahaha) attractions including the even wetter Rio Grande Rapids. Now, this ride made our clothes (and chucks in my case) scream "OH PLEASE, CHANGE ME NOWWWW!!!" but it wasn't until our second time at the rapids that we bothered to change. By this time, it was already getting dark, and we intended to go home at 9PM so we could hitch a free ride again.:) Anyway, we rode the Space Shuttle two more times (from both extreme sides) before calling it a day. The ride lets you experience a frickin' force of 5.2G! Who wouldn't have a headache from that?? (I didn't but that's just me... I'm not normal.:D)

Anyway, my only rant about the amusement park was the lack of onboard facilities like a working first aid station! There was one, sure, but they didn't provide first aid medicines to the park customers! You had to buy them! For a premium price, you'd have to think that all basic services are included, but no, they can't even install en effective first aid station! HMMPH! Even so, EK still owned!!! :D

I got home at 10:30, after eating pizza in the dark (Kimmie's van again), and eating a King Cone in McDonalds outside our subdivision. Then, a very tired Jonnie retired for the night after checking if his baby (PC) was still in love with him.

Feeling: Happy!
Listening to: Love Song for No One - John Mayer
Biggest damn problem right now: School na tomorrow... Need to study for Engcal exam... (hell week starts tomorrow...:/)

EK Tomorrow!!!

2005-03-18T23:06:00.000+08:00

I have volleyball inter-section (huh??) team competitions tomorrow morning at 7, and I'm not thinking of getting some shut-eye yet... Good for me... I guess I'm a tad excited about the EK class trip tomorrow afternoon... It's been a while since I indulged myself into something that relaxing (if you don't count my PC, of course, which will still be my ultimate relaxation!ü). I'd have to say it's much needed though... The next week alone has three major quizzes waiting. O_o

Still, the whole day wasn't happy for me... I felt the frustration kick in right after Physics this morning because I knew I was gonna fail the third exam. Yeah, we're gonna get the papers back on Monday (probably to make us enjoy the weekend without too much depression) but the correct answers were written on the board, and they all looked alien to me. In other words, j00 ph4il3d!!! :'( Well, the frustrations carried on to my next class, English, and I shut off the rest of the world (with help from my MP3 player) in an attempt to finish my paper. I couldn't do it completely tho', as there was this 8-year old kid who kept making cute faces (and the batch-famous "pout"..XD) in an attempt to cheer me up... (naka-ilang kurot ka kanina?!!) and then later, there was this 21-year old (haha... mature kasi.. ;p) who gave me a few encouraging words (bawal bumagsak!), and an excerpt from one of my favorite poems, Don't Quit. Thanks guys.. err.. girls. :) And guess what... I didn't finish my paper. Thanks a lot. :) At least I'm feeling better hahaha...

Well, the afternoon was unproductive, but I made up for it during the evening by studying in the Conserve with a few of my blockmates. Even so, I'm replacing that "tad" with "really". Now I'm excited... YAY EK NA BUKAS HAHA... :) Okay, ja ne for now folks, I gotta charge the batteries for my digicam, and fix my stuff for tomorrow's game...

Feeling: Excited, feeling Jonnie! ^____^
Listening to: Only Hope - Switchfoot
Biggest damn problem right now: How the hell do you bump pass a volleyball again??? XD

Well, that just sucks...

2005-03-14T05:21:00.000+08:00

....and to put it bluntly, it does! Rae messaged me last night, while I was watching the extended scenes of LOTR:Return of the King. My eyes, formerly glued to the TV screen, fell to my phone as I read and re-read the message, trying to piece out the information that surprised the hell out of me. Sure, I missed a minute's worth of the scenes (I wasn't at home, so no rewind for me!) but I didn't care... I was too bummed out to notice something "I" wanted, even if it was right in front of me. Instead, I thought about the possible implications of what the message said. I soon forgot all about it, coz I needed to get a bus ride back home, while carrying an overnight bag and my 35-lb PC.

It was the next day when my thoughts reorganized themselves, and after reading Rae and Ryan's posts, I said to myself "Jon, what the hell? You gonna keep it to yourself too?" I was taken aback for a while, as I digested the strong words both of them wrote. Then, I started typing...

I'm no politician, but I agree with most of the points I read. I've had experience with being a major student leader in high school- I was a CAT officer for a two years. Although my leadership history wasn't democratically-healthy, the point is: Governments are all different, and perhaps the only common thing they share is their concern for the welfare of their citizens... which brings us to the recently-concluded General Elections...

My biggest rant about the line-up concerns the la-rep slot... These guys are supposed to present, examine, and debate upon serious issues that concern the whole student body. You need a serious guy who knows the product. A serious guy who knows what to improve on the product. And yet another serious guy who gives a damn about the society and its denizens. From what I see, there's an error in the equation- One error that affects the final answer by a mile. I don't think we'll be receiving partial points for that one...

I personally voted for a party because I believed in what they had to offer, and I knew that they had the capability to do what they said. Sure, there are a few candidates in that party who didn't have 3.9 GPAs, or those who weren't star scholars... But those are just the superficial aspects of a person! You don't vote for an Einstein with empty promises just because he's a frickin' Einstein! And although some candidates may have a whole slew of eye-catching proposals in his/her platform, you ultimately have to wonder if he/she is really capable of implementing them. Is it even feasible under the circumstances? If majority of a particular party wins an election, then that party's platform will likely push through. I liked what I saw in the party I voted for... and I wanted their plans to succeed. That's the primary reason why I voted straight.

Yeah, it's easy to note if this Batch Rep candidate has better creds than the other or
something... but if the rest of the inferior candidate's line-up and platform blow the other
party's out of the water, then the stronger party's got my vote. That's all there is to it.
It's like buying a car with parts made by one company alone. Sure, this other company's engine
is a bit faster, but question is... will it work with the rest of the components? Is it optimized
to do so? Does the original company answer for you if the different engine mucks up??

I chose ECE because I knew our University had plenty to offer. I knew my mind had to keep up
with the pressures and challenges I was about to face. Now, having a Student Council is essential,
as problems in the system must never be taken lightly. And who better to voice out these problems
than the students themselves? Engineering is a tough course, and it's oriented with high mortality and drop-out rates. Programs should be implemented to bolster an ENG student's development, favorably those directly related to his field! Of course, all work and no play makes Mang Jack a dull boy, but focus on play and only passing references to work?! In COE, that's FATAL! Known fact: Some students vote on face value... Sounds clichè, but elections turn into popularity contests. Others look at the party platform, basing their siding on the projects that will make them happy now. "Okay, if this party wins, we get our very own University PC-Gaming room! Now, we can play counter-strike for free during break!"... OR "WOW! This guy promises to raffle out free iPod mini's every month!"--- Sure, these look good on a party's proposal list, but gimmicks like the aforementioned are unimportant if they don't have long-term effects on the student body.
They may look cool, and they may garner the "coolness" vote, but in the end, who loses?? You play CS every break, you walk as slow as possible through DLSU to sport your cool iPod mini. But to others, you're just a "cool" kid. You're no engineer. I wanted the SC to put a death to the examples I mentioned. They don't empower students! They just give students what they want! And what the hell do some people know what they want and what they need?? What's good now isn't always good for the future. Lasallian engineers are supposed to work through equations, double-checking
each process to make sure that there's a final answer. I'm afraid that now, there are those who stop at equation 1, just because the answer is a whole number- nothing complicated!

I'm an engineering student. I don't want to be stereotyped as something I'm not, I want to be known and regarded as something I AM. I want to stand proud of who I am now, and who I will be in the future. And when the time comes that I succeed in my chosen path, I hope that I'll have my fellow Lasallian Engineers to thank for helping me reach my goals. I really hope so. I don't want to remember them as my co-basketball players, co-gamers, co-gangmates... Nothing like that. I want to remember everyone as my CO-ENGINEERS. Then and only then will I stand tall, and say
"I'm a Lasallian Engineer, and I'm proud of it".

Just had to get that outta my chest... I don't speak my mind that often, but when I do... it's usually an entire blog-ful. O_o

Later days, I've got a Chem at 8...

Feeling: Dirty (haven't bathed yet)
Eating: Um... corned beef.
Listening to: Rurouni Kenshin
Biggest damn problem right now: READ POST. And oh yeah, that Physics test later today.

Finally, I got it working!!!

2005-03-13T18:29:00.000+08:00

YAY! My Baby works! It's been one week since I bought myself that motherboard, a new hard disk, and this really cool Anodized Aluminum case... and the following nights after, I was stuck with the problems of misplaced jumpers, unplugged ports, and hanging systems. Well, I made quite a mess in my mom's room (where the PC was before), and this prompted her to allow me to (finally!) transfer the whole rig to my room! :) Yep, DSL modem included. Haha... I'm not exactly bragging but... I'm drooling over my new case with those cool blue cathode lights!!! Gonna post screenies when I have the time...

Okay, enough Baby talk... Well, we have a surprise Physics quiz tomorrow, and I haven't even opened my notes yet. I didn't do particularly well in the last exam, and I've got no one to blame but myself... Sure, I passed the first and second exams, but my scores weren't blisteringly high enough to compensate for the negatives that the third will give me... :( (Dammit, Jonnie... study!) OK, hello eyebags and hot chocolate...