Moja!

Before Agnes' "it's so fluffffay!" unicorn, there was a flufffay fur ball we loved. Mojacko.

Now my siblings don't even know who Mojacko is. Fine, even I don't know WHAT he is aside from being an alien fur ball from the planet Moja Moja. He bought with him in a spaceship his siblings Mojari and Mojaru. Plus a friend tin can robot, wazzitsnameagain? Even with cable tv, we still watched the show when we got home after school.

They're so cute, I drew Mojacko using a drawing app in my smartphone.

This drawing's been in my phone for a while now.

And I do remember the archenemy Momoja the ninja! I drew him too!

Oh my childhood!

I also like the closing theme song for this show, "If my lover was an alien." Used to find myself humming its tune.

I want a Mojacko stuffed toy!

Tweety and Sylvester

Tweety and Sylvester
Originally uploaded by mafoxci

The cat WAS sitting beside the bird cage. Yellow bird's mourning the loss of its partner. I think someone forgot to feed the birds.

Hold on there, Tweety!

Shoo cat! Shooooo!

cute twitter nails

Twitter nails
Originally uploaded by mafoxci

Go green! Painted them myself.

I like my nails like that.

graduate, we gotta graduate...

Last Monday we had our photoshoot for graduation. We had this toga shot, corporate look shot, sablay shot, and creative shot. And boy was it tiring! (and our sablay shots were kinda, sablay. aaagh.)

12-1 sched ended at 7. Sheesh. But it was fun playing around the dressing room with blockmates.

I was ze colorful nerd for the creative shot. 

K5 loves. <3 Let's all graduate together, k. Monday was at the same time, the deadline for the submission of the 2nd draft of the thesis proposal. Haggard look for some of us, but who cares? We're just too happy with the idea of graduating.

After the shoot, it was back to work, back to doing things for us to graduate.

Fifteen books I've read that will always stick with me

It's all over Facebook, and I now wanna make my own list!

1. Genesis -yes the book from the Bible. First Bible verse I memorized was Genesis 1:1 in kindergarten.

2. Revelation -yes, THAT Revelation. That last book from the Bible talking about beasts and scrolls and other scary stuff. Second verse I memorized was Revelation 3:20.

So much for first and last books. XD

3. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens -first novel I read when I was in second grade, I think.

4. Dracula by Bram Stoker -creepy.

5. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift -great story. I found the ending reaaaalllly weird, tho.

6. Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus -Stripe and Yellow and the caterpillar pillar! This yellow book I truly liked.

7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee -opened my eyes to the fact that people are oppressed in the real world. Didn't think much about racism until I read this.

8. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice -very... Interesting.... Vampires of the same kind as in Bram Stoker's... not like other vampires people drool over these days.

9. The Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsela -haha guilty pleasure in reading chick lit. So what if the story promotes capitalism anti-feminist ideas, I liked reading them. My apologies to my professor in Gender and Feminist studies. Haha

10. Dune by Frank Herbert -oooooh, sand worms. The first of the series with Paul Atreides aka Muad'dib was great. Again, "ooh, sand worms!"

11. Elements of Journalism by Kovach and Rosenstiel -gaaah what a nerd. I did read the whole book. The book reminds me of one of the best professors in Journalism, Professor Yvonne Chua. Classic -the book and the prof. XD

12. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro -just finished reading this and it was sooooo sad, but the writing style was superb. Like the book better than the film because the book focused on the butler thing, not on a love story.

13. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare -and The Taming of the Shrew, if I may add. Romeo and Juliet was depressing because I really can't understand their...ugh. But I find pleasure in reading it, still. Same with The Taming of the Shrew, but it made me laugh (duh, a comedy, duh).

14. Perfume by Patrick Suskind -oh this creepy story! Don't exactly know how those scents in the story smell like, but the description made me feel all stinky, I HAD tO take a bath to move on. And the creepy ending could just haunt me and give me nightmares.

15. Not Even A Hint by Joshua Harris -Guarding your heart against lust. Gave me a different view on love and lust. Sadly, I gave this book away one Christmas. :( After reading this, I wanted to buy "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" but until now I haven't.

Back from the mountains!

I'm back from our class field trip! Lakbay-aral in Mt. Banahaw. As for pictures, we don't have any cos we're losers like that. lol jk. We have two pictures taken by another group. From the eight of us, none thought of bringing his own camera (all thinking others will bring cameras anyway).

We three members from our original group were merged with a group of five from another class.  We conquered the Mount Calvary in Laguna. We were passed judgment upon in the Husgado cave. We crawled like worms and walked like ducks in other caves. And we got "baptized" in the Banahaw rivers for at least three times. Now hooray! I got home with a box of cassava nilupak, a chunk of ube/yam, and lots of scratches and bruises!

I missed my bed (we slept on the floor), my stuffed toys (couldn't just hug my group mates sleeping beside me. Haha), and the Internet (couldn't even use my phone because there was no signal!). But but but, I've to say I had fun. It was exhausting but definitely fun. Last time I climbed a mountain was three years ago in Romblon (and oh we got stuck in an island. Good times, good times.). Last time I slept on ground was five months ago (in Isabela, we camped in the middle of a field. I slept inside the tent, others in the open, and some on the hood of a car. Haha.). Now I'm like, OHMYGOSHHHH! I miss OJ! T.T

This post isn't about OJ, so I'm going back to the Banahaw trip. The food was great, the view from the mountain was great, talking with and having group mates was great (helped me keep my sanity, really. thanks guys!), everything was great xept my bruises aaand the bus rides (I hate bus rides. I get cranky.).

We learned through experience. We saw how different religious groups live side-by-side, with the common understanding that Mt. Banahaw is sacred. Now I see that these people are truly devoted to their belief. Makes me stop and think how far I can go endure for my faith. These people go up to the mountains and exert that much effort regularly for their belief. How much effort am I exerting for what I believe? After reaching the top of Mt. Banahaw, I was sooooon happy (not because of the view, and the feeling you've achieved something) for the Lord has forgiven our sins by grace through faith. Climbing up there was the literal "taking up the cross," and it was exhausting.

Now I'm home, resting for the whole day because by whole body hurts even after taking pain relievers. Last night I was also happy at the sight of Christmas lights hanging so beautifully in trees around the nearest mall. Was thinking how come 1/3 of the year is Christmas - all 'ber' months are "Christmas Season." And this iPad I'm using right now... I was like, "who! Dad has an iPad! I want one! I want one! I want one!" haha. Seriously, I want my own. Christmas gift, anyone? XD

How to Kill a Mockingbird

Over dinner, my younger brother (age 13) asked me if I have a copy of the book "How to Kill a Mockingbird." I was laughing when my sister's "guy friend" who came over our house exclaimed neither had he read the "How to Kill a Mockingbird." Obviously he didn't get to read even the cover page to get the title right.

Students should be given more books to read. It's the only way to teach them how to write. As a professor once said, "reading is writing," so read read read. I'd read more literature books if I had more time to spare. I actually like classes that require book reviews. And watch films. hehe. So I have this 'Film and Literature' class right now. I wish they made us read more books in high school. And I wish they don't make the prices of books too high because of tax. I wish the government cared  more about education. I wish our school were to be given a higher budget. I wish...

Well anyway I told my brother I don't have a copy of "How to Kill a Mockingbird" but I do have Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and that it's such a great read. I have no idea if there's a guidebook on How to Kill a Mockingbird (might be giving a step-by-step guide on how to kill a mockingbird nicely).  I think my brother's still wondering if he got the right title of the book.

what princes like

A sloth who sleeps for hundreds of years, a flat-footed girl who runs around with one slipper, one who eats anything shiny from weird-looking strangers (read: apples with odd colors from an old witch), and eeew -one who kisses toads. Seriously Prince Charming, what's wrong with you?

hey, hey YouTube!

Never been a YouTube fan before, and now I see how entertaining it could be. It's like everything's in there and viewable except those that say they're "copyrighted content" and are not viewable here in our country (what a shame, I know).

Anyway I've been turning to YouTube for entertainment since stress from a lot of things in school. I used to check out YouTube only when I get soooo bored but I just woke up so I can't go back to sleep immediately. Now I find entertainment a necessity. I'm actually Fred the annoying... human. And the Annoying Orange.  Of course there's Marie Digby whose videos I've been watching before. What else? Aside from friends who have their YouTube accounts, honestly, I think nothing else. Lame. I'm on the lookout for some other good YouTube channels. Facebook and twitter friends suggestions! Oh joy! *back to browsing YouTube*

artsy artsy

When mom and dad came home I was surprised to see paintings. Yes, mom bought paintings. A couple of moths ago it was a TV, then an organ, then cabinets, another cabinet, and now speakers and paintings. Mom could really be a surprise. Being an Ilokana (and a CPA, to add) she monitors her expenditures. I once saw her doing a ledger of the family budget. O.O But oh my, how she goes on buying all sorts of stuff when she thinks it's a bargain.

I told her she could just give the paintings to our tito (her brother) in the States. He's an abstract artist himself so mom simply said her has his own paintings. Talents just didn't manage to be passed on to me, sadly.

This painting now hangs in my room.

This big painting, I do not know where they'll put. :| It's such a shame because I think it's beautiful. I don't want it lost in some clutter somewhere in our house.

This painting is named "Best friends." It even has some mark at the back indicating the art gallery it was displayed in.

Mom said this one's from Africa. Yes I thought of that too.

Painting is the popular fine art. I honestly don't appreciate paintings and sculptures if I look at them from afar. But I can get into paintings once I take a closer look. Needless to say, digital form of paintings is nonsense since I find the texture of the a painting very important, more than the overall "look" of it.

Anyway as I was browsing through Meme, I found this and of course reported it. Originally from @leandronunes, it was a laugh.

the old in old school

Surprise, surprise. This I found last night at our friends' grad party. They were playing Carpenters songs and to our surprise, we saw the music came from an old school player. The giant CD was turning round and round.

CD owned by the Pinzons.

Now I have a picture with the Carpenters. How sweet is that?

Congratulations to Ate Tatika Catipay and Kuya Jefty David! 9Yes it's their grad party.) And I'm attempting to enumerate my friends who are now UP Alumna, batch 2010, lest I forget even a single one. :) But you know who you are. *winks*

I'm getting old. Senior. Eeew. Next year it'll be us graduating and taking our pictures with Oble. But for now, let's just look ahead for a great school year as a senior (and rubbing it off on friends who just graduated, the fact that they too are growing old). In a matter of time we'll be singing Yesterday Once More.

blabbings

Internship it is and I'm with ANC for until May 31st (according to the contract). And no I'm not blogging from the newsroom. That would be so unethical. lol
-----
12 days before the Philippine elections and I'm so excited -not just to vote but also about what's going to happen. Until now I'm not sure who to vote for president but it's definitely not the leading candidate.

In choosing the right candidate, we also have to look at the minuses, not just the pluses. Eliminating those who do not have the skills, I simply ask why not to vote for these candidates and weigh these minuses. I don't care how smart the candidate is, although it obviously matters -a lot. But there are some flaws that we could and should not overlook. Candidate this is corrupt to the core; this one has been in office for so long but didn't accomplish anything -so why even vote for them? I don't care if they graduated from all prestigious universities you can think of. If they didn't do anything for such a long time, what makes them think they would do anything now? If they don't have any spine of their own, what makes them think they can stand?

Fine, you're all smart and have held public offices and are popular in surveys. So what?

Summary:
Good track record + corruption record = NO VOTE FROM ME
No track record + no corruption record = NO VOTE FROM ME
No track record + corruption record = NO VOTE FROM ME
Good track record + no corruption record = YOU MIGHT NOT WIN BUT YOU HAVE MY VOTE

Seriously, I find people narrowing their choices to two simply because they don't want their votes to "go to waste" stupid. It's their choice; the ballot is asking "who do you want to be president?" Binibigyan ka nga ng eight choices, papadikta ka pa sa sabi-sabi. It's like wanting to eat halo-halo in a hot summer day but buying a taho instead because the taho vendor comes to you, unlike the halo-halo.  In the end you don't even finish your taho. The taho is wasted, your time was wasted, you're still not happy. But then again it's our choice to be happy -and that is a different story.

This May 10 I'm voting for who I want to be president. The ballot is asking who I want to be president, not what others want. Vote for who you want.

Pink of health, green with envy

From UP just this morning, I was surprised to see men painting the overpass at Katipunan. They were painting green over the pink MMDA footbridge.



Maintenance? The pink paint was in good condition. The footbridge was put up not more than two years ago.



At the other side of the footbridge lay the men's paint and other stuff, including a construction cap with a green sticker that says "Dapat Gibo."

Summerrr

Summer love is reading heaps of e-books. Done with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Perfume. Next read: The Ebony Tower.

And I plan to review books I read too. Reviews here in my new site.

Hello happy reading summer!

Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep?

I have no idea. Even after reading Philip Dick's novel. But the good guess is no.

Empathy is still something robots/humaniods/androids -whatever you wanna call them- don't have, as far as Dick is concerned with Nexus 6.

In conclusion, humans are still the dominant life form even if some androids become smarter than some humans. Empathy, the ability to feel and feel the same way as others will always be unique to living creatures. Then again it points out that it's not about how smart a creature is, but on how human it/he/she is.

Lesson learned: Intellect is not everything. There's more to this world and that is life. What profit is it for us when we gain the world but don't have/lose the soul? The lesson learned is very similar to the old Little Mermaid story (with the wind maidens at the end of the story).

[But it still differs because Rick Deckard the protagonist is human. Were the story told from the point-of-vie of androids, then that would be something. However the androids in the story and not capable of contemplating and feeling emotions.]

**photo from http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/philip-k-dick/13**

By the end of the story I didn't know what happened to the dead cat and if its owner recognized the new one as a fake. And I wonder what happens to J. R. Isidore the chickenhead -I find his character too interesting. What happened to the other bounty hunter Phil Resch? And how's his squirrel? When will I have my own electric sheep and when will Google come up with a Nexus 6? lol

I still have questions unanswered after reading the book. Which is ok. I love wondering about what happens next.

-----

Will post a decent review at SCRATCHPOST. Next book: Perfume. 

back to civilization!

Been here for more than a week! Haha!

Anyway, to reward myself after sleeping in a tent for seven nights and walking a couple of hundred meters to get to the bathroom, I treated myself with: karaoke-ing and eating grilled food a few hours after arriving, buying myself a new wallet, and putting on nail art.

Yay nail art! My 12-yr-old brother taught me how to apply the nail shiz. Weird how my brother being around five feet, eight inches tall with a bulky built was actually teaching me how to do this girly stuff.

I'll be posting stuff from Isabela. Well, friends have posted pictures and video logs on Facebook anyway. Butbutbut, I want my own posts. A few pictures here.

find the geek

I had to beg for a friend to answer these questions. We see each other almost every school day so interviewing him seems a bit exploitative, but for the sake of grades (yes, grades before friendship. joke lang. haha)... I asked asked if I could write about him. haha


I got to interview and post the the story on Dr. Gapalon anyway so there's really no big need for me to be posting this -but it'll be such a waste. BUT wait, I could post this for my 5th story. haha


*photo grabbed from his Facebook account*
---

Not all geeks wear thick glasses and spend their lives stuck in front of a computer. No; sometimes you'll find a geek jogging or biking, playing frisbee, playing the drums, goofing around in a mascot on top of a van, or maybe even approaching you and asking if you've heard the news that "God loves you."

Geek, from the Urban Dictionary definition number four, is "an outwardly normal person who has taken time to learn technical skills."

Stanley Semilla -Stan, Es or Tan, whatever you want to call him, is a normal 18-yr-old UP student. He wakes up early in the morning, goes to school, sleeps in class, is active in a student organization, he eats, does his school work, goes to Church, listens to music, just like a regular teenager. Just add that he trains in the Computer Science Department's Programming team, and spends the rest of the night until the wee hours of the morning in front of the computer.

What's a geek? Stan threw a strange look at me, as if saying "Mafi nakakasakit ka na ah!" but laughed it off anyway. "Somebody who wants to know and learn about computers," was his own definition of a geek. No saying about spending countless hours in front of the computer and programming using different computer languages -which is by the way also true to him.

Are you a geek? And the answer I never heard him say, I read from his reply via e-mail: "yes." He said that by his definition of a geek, he qualifies as one. He does love learning about computers and how they work.

Stan grew up as a pastor's kid in the province of La Union. He first wanted to be a pastor when he was in pre-school, and later on wanted to be a computer programmer when he was in elementary.

When he was seven years old, Stan learned how to play the drums. He said he does not recall exactly why he agreed to learn how to play, but what he said he knows for sure is that he plays for the Lord. Until now, he still plays when he goes back to his hometown, and gets to self-study via Youtube videos.

His first encounter with computer programming was in high school, where they, along with other high school students, simply copy-pasted codes. When he was about to enter UP as a Computer Science student, he felt pressured and did his self-study on programming. And that was it. He was later invited to be part of the department's programming team.

Aside from programming, he also does other stuff when he uses his computer. He is one creative chap who also tinkers with the Photoshop for fun. In the student organization he belongs to, some refer to him as the one-man Photoshop committee. He has been active in his organization that he played one of their mascots the last UP Diliman Lantern Parade.

What is remarkable about him is how he manages to balance his time. It's given he spends hours and hours in front of the computer, although not necessarily programming. But other than that, he also has plenty of time for friends and other activities. There goes the Urban Dictionary definition number four that geeks are "outwardly normal persons."

Right now his new passion is biking. He sometimes bikes the considerable distance from Cubao to UP Diliman. He also goes jogging and plays ultimate frisbee. So much for geeks having a sedentary lifestyle.

Stereotypes are just what they are, stereotypes -based on oversimplification. Stan is but one example of the deviations from the view on the geek. Thick glasses, antisocial behavior, sedentary lifestyle, use of jargon, inability to communicate in spoken English, may not be true for all geeks out there. You just have to observe more and find out that geeks come in different packages. Or who knows, find the geek within you.

planning 2010

I'm planning 2010 and what better way to plan than with a... planner. Sabaw much. But seriously, I got a cool planner custom-made for CCC. Designed by none other than ze Donya Quixote, Ate Chebi. *cheers*

I know it's the middle of February and I'm writing about a planner. Life gets hard with other things I have to write about and submit for grades. XP

Where was I? Oh.... For 165 pesos, you get a cool planner. And and and! I availed of the buy-one-take-one promo in UP, and gave the other one to a good friend. :)

First, I like the size. Spiral-bound at around 8x6 inches in dimension, it's super handy.

It also has good space for the monthly calendar.

Wide spaces for the dailies. However, the smaller spaces for the weekends is a con for those who plan stuff for the weekends. Quite encouraging for me, nonetheless, to treat them as weekends and confine work in weekdays. XD

See? I started planning. Yay!

The downside: It came our on January 28. Blank spaces for the first few days of January. (I used them for taking note of possible internship employers. Haha)

Some other bonuses (big bonuses if you're from CCC) found at the back part are the pages for prayer journal, disciple list, address pages, and the Four Spiritual Laws! Haha

You really get your money's worth. I just hope they start on next year's planner so a December release would be possible. :)

Importing Sugar

The Philippines is expected to import sugar for this year while domestic price increases.

The current market retail price of refined sugar is estimated at 48 pesos per kilo, and consumers are suspecting that there is a shortage in  our country's supply.

The Philippine Sugar Regulatory Administration however stressed that there is no shortage in the country's sugar supply. "We are in our peak season. There is no shortage," said Rosemarie Gomera, head of the Planning and Policy Department of the PSRA.

Consumers think there is a shortage while there isn't; the prices went up but we have ample supply, said Gomera. The problem is that people won't buy sugar because it's expensive, but there is sugar, she explained.

Gomera attributes the rise in price as an effect of the world market price. India, formerly the second main sugar exporter in the world, has faced cultivation problems that resulted in decrease in their sugar production. The country has turned from a major exporter to an importer.

The Philippines on the other hand is not experiencing the same scenarion, according to PSRA. There is a 'perceived tightness of supply, but no shortage at the moment,' according to Reuters interview with Rafael Coscoluella, administrator of the Philippine Sugar Regulatory Administration. Archimedes Amarra, executive director of the Philippine Sugar Millers' Association said in an interview with ABS-CBN that the country will not run out of supply 'as far as local production is concerned.'

The typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng did not bring about significant damage. While Tarlac and Pangasinan were submerged in water and crops were destroyed, the impact on the country's supply is negligible. Sugar canes withstand weather conditions such as strong winds and much water.

The PSRA said they recommend the importation to secure a safe buffer, as they projected an increase in demand. A safe buffer would mean a supply that could last up to two months.

Importers and food processors used to buy from the world market since the prices from previous crop years were better. Now, food processors have turned to domestic supplies because of the increased cost in the world market, which resulted in the increase in demand, explained Gomera.

Imported sugar will also be used to ensure the country's quota to US will be met this year. 60,000 - 65,000 metric tons of sugar is needed to comply with the US quota. The Philippines has to meet the quota since the US offers a good price for our exports.

The government will ensure that imported sugar will be more or less of the same price as local sugar. Tariff rates will apply just as in other imported goods.

According to Gomera, they reccomend an estimated volume of 150,000 metric tons of sugar to be imported. This will come preferably from a neighboring southeast Asian country, for less shipping cost. Gomera said they are looking into importing from Thailand. The sugar imports are to be shipped into the country between May to June, the lean months of sugar production.

Gomera said this is not the first time the country is importing sugar and that we have done so in the past.

Sugar price may have increased for the year but Gomera said that hopefully next year would give us better prices. Fertilizer price has gone down and by next year the world market may become more stable, hopefully.


-------
Business story for j109 class. But wait, it's news. :|

comment: ohmaigulay. everyone had featurized stories. (doh)

**edited**