POETRY -------------------------- Once, It was a Garden
The old man stands on the winter dirt. It’s cold. He shrugs up his jacket against the dead wind and says: “I lost her a long time ago.” The bare trees, tangled arms. The gray sky, a dress.
“This was a garden once. These trees here were green and cast cool-slate shadows, this bench was wrought with ivy. There were flowers, here. Colors, thrown across the earth by the sun.
"She would take a white rose and place it in her hair, like this.” He holds up a twig. "Then she would talk to me. Her old man, her old friends, her old loves, the nature of love. The brightness of the fading stars. The beauty of night bridges, rivered forests.
“Really, a lot of things she didn’t know about.” He laughs. The twig slips out of his hand. “But I listened. I guess that’s what I always do. Listen and wait. And, well, it was a summer day and the sun rose high, higher, I'd like to think, than it had ever gone before... that was the day our lips touched. Over here. A sun-patch in the shade that made her hair glitter and dance, the sky toyed with her face.
"I remember leaves like burnt poetry. Autumn. The sun falling into gray. I remember: she felt like the sun, she tasted like trees, she smelled like flowers lingering in earth."
He stops. “So it was. Winter came. A look. Pity. Dried leaves." He sits down on the bench. "Anyway. Nothing more to say."
He leans over and picks up the twig. He watches it. He waits. -------------------------- Serenade You At Nightfall
If I poured down as drops of wine from a crimson heaven, Would your lips then catch me? And would it be to quench your own self-righteous thirst - Or, out of pity, to break my fall? [I have been inside you at nightfall]
Would you sway with me if I were the thunder that made your very feet tremble? Would you sing to me a lull song? Would you carry me across the darkness and devilish lies upon your back? [Were you strong enough?]
Just once I'd like to make you as weak as you make me- With trembling knees and my name spilling out of the breath you'd rather breathe for me... Oh, and if I could paint my love with words, I'd carve them into the face of the moon and make them shine. [A signal to kill the death of the night]
I'd give it all to be worthy of you, I'd never again slowdance with the tide, Or fly away on shooting stars! Just breathe me deep down into your soul, I'll curl up safe and warm inside your heart. [Don't leave me lost in your eyes at nightfall]
We suck major ass. Seven days into the competition and still no medals for the SEA Games over-all champs, the Philippines. What's happening here? Halfway into the tourney and there's no sign of bragging rights which our athletes usually brings us. Our last Asead stint delivered us 3 golds and more silvers and bronzes, and there's STILL no sign of our team beating the bar we set four years ago.
The bowling team was a disappointment. Powerhouses C.J. Suarez, Paeng Nepomuceno and Biboy Rivera did not finish standing on the podiums, but instead bowing to surprise champs Malaysia, Singapore and get this, Saudi Arabia.
Although given that Chinese and Japanese tankers would dominate, Molina still gave us a teeny bit of hope by making it into the finals in his sport. Kudos to him. At least.
I was surprised to learn that we have a gymnast. He even made it to the finals of the vault amongst the more or less 300 competitors!
I just got out of the Infirmary (UP Health Service) this morning. It seems I contracted a virus that causes severe chills and heavy migraines from the Sportsfest last Friday. I was confined there and let me tell you, it was NOT a good experience. I was shaking all over and it's as if my head was being lumberjacked on all sides.
I gotta go and get some pills from the pharmacy now.
What's Hot --Just bought The Fray's CD and obviously (if you haven't noticed the lyrics on the sidebar) I am very much hooked. I especially liked Over My Head and of course, who could erase the song How To Save A Life in one's head. The lyrics are awesome. All songs have the same rythym though, slow rock with a healthy dose of lively piano. Well written, sung, and arranged. Four thumbs up!
What's Not --Great actors doesn't really imply great singers. I have to admit I listened to Ciara Sotto's CD (by force, not by will). I know, I know. Just as you expected. It suck soooooo bad you'd wish you never listened to her at all. You'll only hear her loud gasps of breath and nothing more. If you consider her "good," then everyone's a singing master.
What's Hot --The Prestige. One mind-boggling movie only for the smart. It's hard to find a movie worth your 150 bucks (Manila is way too expensive). However, I was pleasantly surprised that the movie actually delivered. It might leave you bewildered at times but it promises to tie all loose strings up until the end of the movie. A good watch.
What's Not --Wag 'Kang Lilingon did not really suck, but it ultimately just didn't fir the "horror profile." Frankly, I wasn't expecting to be frightened considering it's a Filipino movie and stuff (homeland discrimination) so it was not that so depressing to find out I was a hundred percent correct in my assumption. Blah movie.
What's Hot --Streetdancing and sportsclimbing! Hoorah for the UP CHK for including freakishly wierd and extreme but awesome sports in the P.E. choices! It left me with a strained body and possibly fractured metacarpals, but it's worth the pain. Take them on your next semesters, it's fun AND free!
What's Not --10-Pin Bowling. With a humungous fee of P1500, (other P.E.'s are free, mind you) you get to play a wee bit of bowling and take quizzes all meetings. Why the hell would you take quizzes on a bowling class? They say it's to test if we are studying and if we pay attention to the objectives and the logistics, but HELLO?!? We are UPians remember? It's given.
It was the best night in Kalayaan Residence Hall history so far. The semestral starter party and Executive Board induction (which I by the way am included as the Over-All Kalayaan Publications commitee head) was held. It started at eight in the evening. All commitees and the cor-reps and the main board made a fashion show. I was so damn nervous to walk the runway! So the academin com started first, and their theme was nerds. All nine of them dressed up as nerds walking the catwalk. To my surprise, the 500+ audience really applauded them and seems to be really enjoying the show. Next was the Finance com, who dressed up as businessmen. Then the food com, and next were us, the Publications com. We dressed up as men of the media. All of us wore black. I was wearing a UP Diliman shirt topped with a black polo and blue jeans. I had a Philippine Collegian at hand, since I am a Kule writer. I was glad the audience was screaming and cheering and stuff. It really warmed my heart that the show was a success.
Sports com of course wore sports attire. And someone actually wore a Speedo! It was hilarious abd astig at the same time. Cor-reps cross dressed, and my friend Lawrence wore a kinky pink duster. She looked like Kakai Velasquez!! Hahaha...
After the show, the lights were off and the disco started. Some went out to get some food, a few (the KJ ones) went out to sleep already, abd most were dancing to the nice disco beats. It was really awesome to see some familiar faces grooving to the sounds. There are girls that I actually got to dance with, some of them are my crushes (Elo Pia and Oida and Jodee ^_^). Many did dirty dancing, and I was no exception since it was really what is expected of you. You get thrown into the middle of a dance cirlce with your crush and you find yourself enjoying the beat, dancing like there's not tomorrow. It made me realize that I am in college. This is how you dance at a college party. You are growing up. Live life always.
It was memorable. One-of-a-kind experience. I loved it.
OLD PEOPLE SHOULD BE BANNED ON ATM MACHINES
I had the most irritating part of my UP life so far yesterday when I tried to withdraw some cash at the UP-PNB. There was a long list of fellow cash afficionados, as usual. There was this old man who has three ATM cards (I kept on looking at him). It took him about 20 minutes to withdraw! Thank God there were two machines, but to my dismay and old lady asked me if she could go first because she is in a hurry. Being the good samaritan that I am, I agreed. And not surprisingly, it took me another 10 long minutes to get my hands on some Ninoys.
Anyway, I haven't updated for quite some time now. So here's what happened in the first few days of my classes.
My Math 60 class is not really going well as planned. My professor isn't really the greatest prof. Maybe because I already know what he's talking about or he's just a lame teacher. I only know 5 of my classmates, three of them are my floormates. I don't know. The class just doesn't click.
On a lighter note, however, the rest of my classes are really fun. Mondays and Thursdays lead my to favorite class so far - *drums* Creative Writing. My professor asked us to introduce oursleves in the most creative way possible. Most of my classmates did a paragraph of some witty adjectives and comic phrases about them; I, however, made a three-stanza poem about math and my sheer hatred of it. I think he liked what I came up with. Anthropology 10 is really a great class too. Dr. Jocano discussed all about the human senses and the so-called sixth sense. He also tackled the idea of the "kutob" or intuition. It was really a very interesting class.
Goegraphy and Marine Science are on Tuesdays and Fridays. Marine Science is good because I really wanted to learn about these kinds of things, but there's one problem. My most abhored person in the world is my MS1 classmate. Oh well, I don't really care about him so why pay attention and waste my life worrying, right? Geography seems to be a light class. Our prof is very funny.
I woke up especially early today so that I will be able to copy my scratch notes in Math 60 yesterday, and I didn'y want to be late on my retaken class. So I went to the very far away Math building, took a Toki and found out I had no coins left. As much as I hate to say it, yes, nag-123 ako. :D
In the classroom I saw some familiar faces which I didn't recognize yesterday. I was surprised at how immense the pain Math 60 has brought upon us mathematics majors. Still anticipating for the professor, we (Jonah, my lone block-classmate) talked about how we missed our old classroom. Definitely, I missed the very stylistic handwriting of Sir Manjo, our orig blockmates, Room 117, DotA after Long departmentals... Yeah, it sucks to retake - but I tell myself everytime that I HAVE to jump from the sixth floor of the main library if I do not get a flat one.
Anyway, as expected, my professor did not come. My next class is in the Marine Science Institute, which I haven't been to ever. Surprisingly, all MS1 classes are cancelled today. Just my luck (you can take it as sarcasm or not). And so another break time for me, that is why I was able to update now here in the UP Computer Center. My Geography class starts at 11:30. I am very much anticipating this subject. I love Geography and I can't wait to reap that 1.00 of Deocariza's card.
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
-Herm Albright
A symbolism of my new self. I tried to keep a part of the old me intact, but I realized it will ba a foolish thing to do,
like a tree trying to grow - and on the process of growing it loses its aged bark, from which a lot of things not to be forgetten should fall
and decay. I am growing, and this will be the encounters of my eternal uprising. Take a peek at my life.
The Profile
Name: Arch D.
Nicknames: The Math Gunner
Birthday: October 9th
School: Univeristy of the Philippines, Diliman
Zodiac: Libra
The Backstage
Fave Drink: Nescafe Ice
Movie: V for Vendetta
Songs: Chasing Cars
Singer: Snow Patrol, Panic! at the Disco
Book: Atlas Shrugged
Get Up - Ciara
Uh, yeah! Uh, ow! Uh, yeah!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Ciara!
You said, "Hi, my name is so-and-so,
baby, can you tell me yours?" You look like you came to do one thing;
set it off! I started on the left, then I had to take him to the right.
He was out of breath, but he kept on dancin' all night.
Keep tryin, oh baby, but you just can't break the feelin' inside.
You know it, and I can see it in your eyes! You want me,
smooth as a motha*. You was so undercover, by the way that you was watchin' me.
Ooh, the way you look at me I'm feelin' you.
I just can't help it, tryna keep it cool. I can feel it in the beat,
when you do those thangs to me, don't let nothin' stop you. Mo-o-ove,
ring the alarm, the clock is jumpin', now. So get up!
I said, "Ciara's on your radio,
everybody turn it up!" Spicy just like hot sauce.
Careful, you might burn it up. You can do the poplock,
ragtime, don't stop. That's the way you gotta get it to make ya body rock.
Keep tryin, and maybe, but you just can't break the feelin' inside.
You know it, 'cause I can see it in your eyes! You want me, smooth as a motha*.
You was so undercover, by the way that you was watchin' me.
Ooh, the way you look at me I'm feelin' you.
I just can't help it, tryna keep it cool. I can feel it in the beat,
when you do those thangs to me, don't let nothin' stop you. Mo-o-ove,
ring the alarm, the clock is jumpin', now. So get up!
The bowling team was a disappointment. Powerhouses C.J. Suarez, Paeng Nepomuceno and Biboy Rivera did not finish standing on the podiums, but instead bowing to surprise champs Malaysia, Singapore and get this, Saudi Arabia.
Although given that Chinese and Japanese tankers would dominate, Molina still gave us a teeny bit of hope by making it into the finals in his sport. Kudos to him. At least.