He is Lucifer

I am angry. Very angry. No, make that mad. Fuming mad.

My professor at Transmission of Signals laboratory scheduled a makeup class today. Why? Because he was absent for the last three meetings, that's why.

So I got up early, made coffee, left the house and flagged the tricycle. And then the text message came. He can't make it. YET AGAIN.

Good thing I've always been a bit tardy and was still inside our village. Or else I will never ever forgive him for canceling when I'm halfway to school.

And no, he cannot set a makeup class next Saturday and ruin my summer getaway that I've been dreaming of since last year's summer getaway. I just will not let him do that.

Never underestimate an insomniac who got up early to attend a subject that should not have been on a weekend. The same insomniac who had summer classes last year (and will have summer classes this year) and who is allowed only a two-day beach vacation each summer.

God I need some sleep.

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What A Night

I finally talked to my father again. That means our night ping pong sessions will resume once again.

Oh what joy!

My mouse broke, so I had to get it replaced. I went to Mall of Asia.

I took some pictures.

And some more.

I was supposed to buy my summer shirts today as well. But I found out the store has already moved on to a new collection, and they're all gone. I've been meaning to buy them since last year. Now, I'm paying the price for my procrastination.

Feeling upset, I headed to Chocolat, my favorite cake station, for comfort. I had a slice of NY Cheesecake and the requisite Cookies 'n' Cream milkshake.

It was heavenly.

The cheesecake was thick yet soft and creamy. But by the time I devoured half of it, I was full and sick of it already.

I must confess that I am was under a self-imposed starvation to make my body look decent for the summer.

As I was devouring my cake, the Friday night fireworks started and I totally missed it. The Top Dog was not feeling very top that night so I decided to head home.

I took the shuttle and continuing my mini-run of bad luck, the driver was totally reckless. He was a madman. I can count at least three incidents where we almost got hit/hit someone. This includes almost side-sweeping a poor old man on a bicycle.

But the first one was, uhm, the most memorable. It was less than five minutes after he started the van when he decided it was fun to beat a racing bus to turn a corner.

We were literally a feet from being bumped. The girls, all ten of them, just screamed at the top of their lungs. I think I set a personal record for repetitive cuss-firing that very moment. Pota. Good thing I was on the far side, or I would've been screaming like a rooster for dinner as well.

Imagine the emotional scar the girls on the near side would have to recover from. Bless them.

I looked up, and realized the van's ceiling looked like the interiors of a coffin.

Great. Just great.

While passing the beautiful World Light Expo, we saw their fireworks show. We were just a few meters away from the actual firing spot. It was that amazing I forgot to take photos.

That wonderful moment made me relax for a bit and smile at least.

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Post-Valentine Roll

After a lame Valentine's, I was on a roll today.

I had promised my best friend Maricar to take her to the movies today. Even though I teased her that she'll receive no flowers, I felt that it was appropriate to give her a gift. It is hard to pick a nice inexpensive gift with 10 minutes to spare, so I was sweating profusely and in panic mode.

Good thing there was Marks & Spencer, the savior that it is as always.

Of course, we can't decide where to get lunch. We ended up at Duke of York Pizzeria.

The place was cozy and well-lit.

We got the garlic & shrimp, and barbecue-something pizza.

I ordered the Queen's sampler

and she chose the Manhattan Brooklyn sampler.

The food came cold but tasted okay. I loved the pizza, especially the garlic & shrimp half. The fries looked like it came only from the supermarket's frozen section, while the cajun chicken strips were forgettable. I was not sure of her spaghetti though.

I am not sure what I was doing here. Either I was sneezing or praying.

My friend was strangely shy that day.

We watched "The Messengers" afterwards. We have this hobby of seeing together comedy films disguised as horror flicks. While others are screaming their lungs out, we are giggling at the idiotic moments unraveling before our very eyes.

She went home after that, and I attended my first and only class. But not before she toured me in her campus.

I was on a roll. And so were my grades. Rolling down the cliff they go. My first quiz in Signal Processing was a disaster.

I decided to go see the World Light Expo along Coastal Road in the hope of distracting me. But the ticket price was too steep for a student like me. I know it is pretty and all, but I'd rather waste my 300 bucks on coffee or good food.

And that is where I stopped rolling.

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Passed Around

I think no one wanted to have me as their Valentine.

Nah. I'm not one of those single people who weep about their single blessedness or feel hatred during Singles Awareness Day Valentine's Day.

But I quite looked like being passed around today. On the 13th, my friend Claudine agreed to have dinner with me. Cathy would have joined us. But alas, that didn't push through.

So I messaged one of my best friends Maricar if she would like to catch a movie or grab a bite. She said yes, and that she was even willing to flee her dad. It was a date. As I was to leave school already, she said she cannot wait for me any longer. Ouch. We agreed to just catch a flick on the 15th. But I warned her she won't be receiving flowers anymore. Hehe.

So I'm stuck at school. Without a Valentine. (Why do I make it sound like this is such a weird thing, when it is actually the norm?) Luckily, the boys were there to save the night.

So there we were at the trusty Engwalk. Hot single young boys waiting for equally hot chicks to pick us up. All nine of us: me, Lex, Baldo, Leo, Wil, Mark, Asia, Patrick, and Renz.

There was a lot of great talk. And a lot of tasty revelations. It was a great appetizer for the coming night. Unfortunately, Patrick had a date to respond to. That traitor! The esteemed Singles Club is thereby revoking your membership.

Hungry from all the yapping and tired of waiting for girls to pick us up, we decided to move and invade McDonald's. Frank joined us, but Asia had to leave. I was not too sure, but he was wearing red and punching the walls minutes before he left. Go figure.

I learned that it was a sort of tradition for them to eat at McDonald's and just pour their hearts out. Leo and I got initiated. Yaahhooo! Woot! Woot!

Okay, seriously now. I had Valentine's dinner with the boys and I did not regret it a bit. We talked about everything. And it was not just trashy useless gibberish, it was an actual conversation. We talked about our frustrations: academics, women, and friendships. It was surprisingly serious but refreshingly funny.

Wil and Baldo had to unfortunately leave earlier, but we carried on til around 2230. Even though we have obvious differences in interests (read: DotA), I never felt out of place with the group. In fact, I really felt that I belong.

I always have fun with these guys. There is something about them that makes the conversation free-flowing, true, and surprisingly meaningful.

Remember the Tropical Hut dinner a year ago? Battered by summer classes, an uncooperating project, and a lunatic professor, we just poured it all out that night. I saw this dimension in them that I did not even think they had.

That was seriously one of the best nights I ever had. And this one too! You see, I'm a sucker for those poignant talks.

Riding the bus home, I saw the World Light Expo in its blinding glory. It was beeyootifool. I am definitely going there!

I actually felt sorry for my dad today. As my mom was still in the province caring for my grandma, my dad was left all alone this Valentine's. I'm guessing my sister had dinner with somebody, my brother was definitely with his girlfriend, and I was, well, with the boys.

My dad had actually prepared a lovely Chinese dinner for us. I got home at midnight, and saw the cold food, still untouched. It actually broke my heart. So I took a few spoonfuls. Still feeling guilty, I actually washed my dishes for the first time. I actually hope that I can make it up to him in some other ways. But that requires a separate post altogether.

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From Bean to Cup

I've always belong to Team Coffee Bean. But today I'm on Team Starbucks, even if I still find their coffee too sweet, as I attended their little seminar, Starbucks: From Bean To Cup held at La Salle.

The Coffee Masters talked about coffee of course.

We got lots of media.

And a bag of free coffee beans too.

Starbucks thinks their customers are sticker-happy, so they decided to throw in the Coffee Passport as well.

But the best part was tasting the different regional coffees.

And also which pastries go with which coffee.

This tarpaulin sums up everything.

After the seminar, we had coffee at, you guessed it, Starbucks Taft. We raved and bashed our professors, which was fun. I suggested a feature to Brian and Steph for our organization's paper. I'm counting on them to take what I said seriously. *Grins*

I went home with Kat, who I had a great time talking to. It's really nice to get to know someone new a lot better.

Because Starbucks made me drink a lot of coffee, my bladder was about to explode by the time I got to SM Southmall. And because of this near-catastrophe, I'm sticking with Coffee Bean.

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Hair & Age

Valentine's Day is nearing so I decided to have my hair trimmed today. I went to Fix at Alabang Town Center. After a half an hour wait, I was finished. So I handed out 200 bucks but lo and behold, the cashier, who was a bit cute, courteously said the bill was 225 bucks.

225 BUCKS? Up by 40 bucks since I last went there? For a haircut? Don't get me wrong. Fix is a great salon. 225 bucks is totally worth it, considering I get my hair shampooed and conditioned with lovely imported products, and I get a top haircut which the Top Dog truly deserves. Have I mentioned the free head massage as well? It feels like their hands are making love with my hair. It's so good that I can happily sleep with my head in the sink.

But then again, 225 pesos is a bit too much for me. I am sure I can find a similar salon offering similar services for a lower price. I'll just have to go and find one.

Let the hunting begin!
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On my way home today, the tricycle driver called me 'boy'. I'm not so sure if I should be happy or not. One thing I'm sure is that I am amused by this. Do I look like a kid?

Yes, I am old. There are times when I can see the effects of alcohol and sleepless nights to my body, especially my face.

I feel old yet act like young. Childlike even.

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Unlikely sartorialist

Life always has a way to surprise us.

Never did I think I could regularly have talks with Josef. No, they're not the useless yakety yak kind. We share our frustrations. Talk about different people. Discuss our academic woes. And then comes the fashion.

Yes, most often than not, the chatter are of the sartorial kind. I've never thought Josef has this side of him. It is worth mentioning he often starts these talks.

We gripe about size and fitting. We rave about Giordano, Folded & Hung, and Topman. Complain about skyrocketing prices. Inform each other of current and upcoming sales.

Very masculine, I know.

The end-of-season sales have commenced. Since I'd like to keep up with my fellow students in the blogoshpere, err, here are my recently purchased clothes. All from Topman.

Stripes for the win!

Yes to military.

Look at the detail.

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So long, Anna

Anna Nicole Smith died today.

I was amused how my friend Marix and I talked about her death over the phone tonight. I mean, who was she? What did she really do for a living anyway?

Nevertheless, she was a beautiful trainwreck waiting to happen.

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Mozart Effect

That's it. Another term, another slew of botched quizzes. It hit me then that if I want to get rich and buy useless stuff later in my storied life, I better get my ass working right now.

So I've gone classical. Ever heard of the Mozart Effect? One study suggested that listening to Mozart (or any classical music for that matter) will increase your performance in class. I was THAT desperate, so...

For the past two days, I was listening to Vivaldi. Great stuff, actually. I listened as I reviewed. I listened before I slept. I listened while riding the bus. I had Vivaldi for breakfast.

Now, I cannot verify if it worked or not (I hope it did), but what I know was that I got weird looks as I bumped my head up and down like a rabid pianist. Treat this method with caution, people.

But that wasn't enough for me. Hell, if I wanted better grades I must as well feel like I could really get them. I needed to dress the part as well. So may I now present to you, Top Nerd.

That knitted jacket was my dad's way back in the 70's. Yes, it smelled like aparador.

Now I have had a few similar fashion blunders quirks. There's my "punk" phase.

I had a penchant for things cranial.

My heroes? Simple Plan and Avril Lavigne. You may now shoot me.

Next came my athletic look. I used to wear these wristbands all the time.

I even came to my cousin's wedding looking like the top seed at Wimbledon. The image still haunts me to this day. Notice the cute kitty drawing on my bedsheet. I hate pussies. Except the other kind.

Over the years, I managed to collect necklaces

and caps.

I am not promising to look like this everyday. It will just cause too much damage in my already crippled life.

Will the Mozart Effect work? The Top Dog Nerd will have to wait and see.

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