Tada!

Am once again in an in-between. Took the bar exam almost a month ago. Have two more weeks at a civil rights organization. And then a break - a short period of rest and relaxation (and well, a little work) after three months of so of running on sheer willpower and a fear of the embarrassment that goes with failure (and not failure itself, note). And then life as a firm lawyer will begin and perhaps life as a a more-or-less average 25-year-old will end. Que sera sera. Bring it on. Bring it. And I will take it away.

* * *

Have entered the "hip-hop" phase of musical obsession. When people ask me what kind of music I like, it always takes me a while to answer. I dabble in all genres, see, but my genre of the moment always changes. For example, last summer, I was into 80's songs as my then-boyfriend was. And then I got into country music after my spring break trip to Nashville. And now, I'm into hip-hop. Of particular significance is Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls" and "Me Love." So addictive, seriously. As regards the former, I actually prefer JoJo's version more. But when I tried to download it from the iTunes store, I found that the store didn't carry it. So the ever-reliable youtube will have to do for now.

* * *

Am shifting around among five books right now. I love reading, and at any one time, I'm always reading something. I used to finish one book before I turned to the next, but in recent times, I've found that it gets harder for a book to sustain my attention. I don't know if that's because of the glasses I refuse to wear or because I've somehow developed ADD. So I'm going back and forth between these books: Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," Ron Jeremy's "The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz," Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories," Jeanne Birdsall's "The Penderwicks," and D.B. Gilles' "The Screenwriter Within."

Three of the five are children's books, one's an instructional book, and one's a porn star's memoir. I got Ron's book along with "Little Women," believe it or not. I was at an Urban Outfitters nearby, presumably shopping for cute tops but really just basking in the aircon for a bit before I had to walk on home, when I caught sight of their sale table. They were selling "Little Women" and Ron's book for $5. That was 1/3 of their retail price. There was no-way-in-the-hey that I was turning down a deal like that. So I got both. I usually don't like memoirs, but a sale is a sale and a book is a book.

I'm still in the first few chapters of the book, and I have to say it's an interesting read. It's definitely not porn, so if you're getting it just for sex, don't bother. There's more action in romance novels, of which I heartily, heartily recommend Susan Elizabeth Phillips who writes the best dialogue in the genre and whose characters are oh-so-familiar but oh-so-lovable still. Nah; Ron talks about his life. He's definitely led an interesting life, but I'm already started to get bored with him, just as I got bored when reading Gilda Radner's memoir. And I find his habit of doing

this for emphasis very annoying. So I'm probably not going to touch his book for a bit.

* * *

Just recently discovered the sundeck in my building. Awesome view. I know where my next hang-out's going to be, then. I hate hate hate that it's Sunday already because that means that Monday is coming soon and I don't feel like I've gotten my weekend's worth. Ah, but the weekend is not over yet. And so I still have both time and opportunity to make something happen.

I've missed blogging. And now I'm back. Tada!

Race

One of the social constructs that I have come to hate the most is race. I don't like being called a minority or a 'person of color' (which is a misnomer, if you think about it). I'm not ashamed of who I am - being who I am, what is there to be ashamed of? Grin. Seriously, if anything, call me Filipino or foreigner or even alien if you like. There's just something insincere and almost ridiculous about me claiming to be a minority or a 'person of color.' I'll try to be clearer about what I mean in a later post - and believe me, I have a lot of thoughts on that matter, thoughts that involve Barack Obama and his race issues and Tiger Woods' discomfort with being called African-American and his preference for being called Cablinasian instead. Just wanted to vent.

Questions for Me and You

Did J.K. Rowling rely on the [clearly non-Christian] Christian Identity ideology for her race theme in the Harry Potter books? Who else thinks that, among all the other characters, James Potter I needs to be redeemed? Who else has liked Sirius Black less and less? Who else thinks that the dialogue between Harry and Voldemort in the final showdown is too long to be believable? Okay, I clearly have to get back into this "legal" frame of mind.

Two units passed a few days ago, btw. Forgot to commemorate that with a post. But as a make-up post, this is surprisingly apt. And I think only one person will get that. All right, back to work now!

5 Down

Imagine me smacking my palm on the table. Full hand slam with enough force to make the earth shake. One finger per credit - five credits down.

Obsession

This is my latest obsession:



I would have loved to be alive during in the 50's and 60's. Talk about good music! I wonder if there is a place centered around this kind of music. Sort of like how Nashville is for country music. Probably not.

Ah, but there is good music in these times too. My latest obsession? "Wait a Minute" by the Pussycat Dolls. It is the catchiest song. The intro kind reminds me of Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous Girl."

In other news, two credits down. Boo-yeah! And thirteen left to go.

Descriptive Quote

Here's a blog post in a quote:

You can drink and talk all you want, you can bask in the afterglow of Rilke and Plath and Neruda and whoever moves you, and quote them till the cows come home; but when it comes to your own work, it’ll still be just you and the blinking cursor, and maybe a tepid cup of coffee or a half-finished cigarette. ... Writing is always a solitary act and solitude can get lonely, but the books get written and suddenly there’s more than you listening to your voice at 2 a.m.

Credit goes to Sir Butch Dalisay of the Philippine Star.

That quote is exactly what I needed to read right now, when I will be shooting off law school credits (the last ones ever) with papers instead of exams. One observation, though - if you type fast enough, the cursor does not blink. It just moves forward.

P.S. Zbi and Sully did get drafted today. And that's it for ND football for a while.

Goin' Out of My Head

I love, love, love, love Little Anthony and the Imperials! They are definitely one of the best musical groups not only of the 50s but also of all-time. Here's a hit medley video. The group is amazing.



Another song I've been quite taken with today is T.A.T.U.'s "All About Us." Very different from "All The Things She Said," which I don't like. Sonic Syndicate, a melodic death metal band from Sweden, did a cover of it. I half-like it and half-don't, and the clincher is the lead singer's electro-screaming.

In other news, two Notre Dame players got picked in the NFL Draft today. Both were second-round picks: John Carlson, TE, was picked 7th in Round 2 (38th overall) by the Seattle Seahawks and Trevor Laws, DT, was picked 16th in Round 2 (47th overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles. Hope Zbi (Tom Zbikowski) and Sully (John Sullivan) get picked tomorrow!

A Post in Pictures

This is how I feel right now:



And this is how my bed makes me feel:



Images stolen from the best photographer ever. Thanks, Hans!

Quarterbacks

It was a three-way debate among wasting time, blogging, and putting the laundry away. The laundry put forth the most rational arguments, but blogging tugged at the heart strings and was ultimately more compelling. And wasting time has had her time, so I don't feel too bad about letting her down. And here we are.

Guess who I saw two days ago? Jimmy Clausen. I was on Asphalt, and he was in a black SUV with the music blaring. So jock-y. Can't he be more like Brady Quinn, who constantly and unfailingly talks about his double-degree in Political Science and Finance and his plan to take up law eventually?

I announced this chance meeting to a friend I was walking home with, and he asked me, "who's Jimmy Clausen?" He caught sight of my horrified expression, and he said quickly, "is he a rock star?" I looked even more horrified so he tried again: "is he an actor?" I barely managed to squeak out that Jimmy Clausen is only Notre Dame's quarterback!

I've clearly been bitten by the Irish bug. It's only April, but I am already so excited for the upcoming football season. Unlike last season, we won't be having the four-way quarterback battle among Evan Sharpley, Demetrius Jones, Zach Frazer, and Jimmy Clausen. The drama was so exciting to follow. First there were four. And then Zach Frazer was out. He transferred to the University of Connecticut. Then there were three. And then Demetrius Jones pulled a shocker and transferred first to Northern Illinois and then to the University of Cincinnati, where he's at, currently. Here's a look at all the dramz. And then there were two: just Evan and Jimmy. And then the non-existent season happened.

Flashforward to Fall 2008. Jimmy is the clear starter this season, with Evan kicking ass in baseball and choosing to focus on that instead of football. While Jimmy may have the spot all to himself this year, there might be another quarterback battle next fall between him and Dayne Crist who, though definitely not as highly touted as Jimmy was, was definitely heavily recruited himself. I love competition.

And that's all I'm going to say about ND football. I like talking about it and reading about it, but I honestly don't understand the game that much. For those who just like following like I do, this is the best site out there. Know how I discovered this? I glimpsed it on my classmate's screen one class day. That's also how I discovered Perez's site, by the way.

Before I end this, let's talk about yet another quarterback: Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators. 2007 Heisman Trophy winner - and the first sophomore to win the award too. Dual-threat quarterback, meaning he can both pass and run the ball. Born in the Philippines to missionary parents.



Sizzling.

Rolling

Caution seems to be in order as regards the cool-looking three-wheeled baby stroller, as it seems to have a morbid attraction to lakes and other bodies of water. Last Saturday in the (Really) Windy City, this stroller rolled into the lake along with the two-year-old in its arms. The report suggests that winds of 20-30 mph had something to do with it. That boy is now in critical condition in the hospital. A little more than a year ago, a five-month-old baby drowned when his stroller rolled into the river. This report suggests that the steep paths contributed to the accident.

Wind or steep paths aside, be careful when using that stroller. Or any other rolling thing for that matter.

Should you be careful when talking, though? This is what Colorado Rep. Douglas Brown had to say about a temporary-worker bill: "We don't need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in the state of Colorado." Oh my goodness. While I definitely agree that he could have used more appropriate words to express himself, I am not sure I support an ethics investigation into this matter.

People, lawmakers especially, should be able to say what they want to say however they want to say it without being automatically shut down or dismissed by terms like "bigot" or "racist" or what-not. It's best to have conversation out in the open. And to remember that every side, for better or for worse, has an agenda. Political consultant Alfredo Gutierrez once said "We call things racism just to get attention. We reduce complicated problems to racism, not because it is racism, but because it works." (Got this from a comment in one of the news articles, but here's apparently where it can be found: quoted by Richard de Uriarte, The Phoenix Gazette, March 14, 1992 (quoted in The ProEnglish Advocate, 1st quarter, 2002).

Be open-minded for real and don't fall into the labeling trap. Mindless following is scary. Informed conviction is not.

Music Review

My Chemical Romance is the best band ever. Check out 'Welcome to the Black Parade,' 'Teenagers,' 'Famous Last Words,' and 'Mama.' The first three stream from the website, and you can of course find all of them on the most addicting site ever. The lead singer, Gerard Way, has an awesome voice. It's really strong and powerful, and it never falters or goes out of tune. For proof, just listen to the last minute of 'Famous Last Words.' Seismic. Apart form the vocals, I love this band because the elements of the songs just fit together perfectly - from the lyrics to the melody to the tempo to everything musical that I was taught. Perfect.

Some songs don't work out that nicely. Consider Garth Brooks' "Standing Outside the Fire," for example. Now that song is a really good song too, and I've listened to it enough to know it by heart (well, almost), but I don't quite like how the chorus slows down from the verses. Does anyone share this impression? I feel that the chorus disappoints after the suppresed tension and rising crescendo of the verses. While that song doesn't really make me go whoa, Garth has other songs that do work spectacularly: 'Callin' Baton Rouge', 'The Thunder Rolls,' and 'Friends in Low Places.' Listen to the first if you want something catchy, listen to the second if you want to hear a sad story, and listen to the third if you're drunk and doing karaoke.

Consider this other song that kind of works but doesn't: 'Give You the World' by The Dey. The song streams on the site, by the way. I love, love, love the first few seconds of the song (when the girl is singing), but I have to stop listening when that guy rapper starts with his "I'ma give you the world, Mama." Yick. For some reason, that just doesn't work for me. Maybe this has to do with my newly developed aversion to rap, care of the lyrics of 'Crank That (Soulja Boy).' I'll only post an excerpt here because I don't want this blog to be obscene:

Soulja boy off in this hoe
Watch me crank it
Watch me roll
Watch me crank that soulja boy
Then super man that hoe

Full obscenity here. Seriously, superman that hoe?!? You have little ballerinas dancing to this! Heck, I tried to dance to this! Golly. Soulja boy baboy.

Some rap songs though, I do like. I like Eminem a lot, especially 'Lose Yourself.' I like Nelly's 'Country Grammar.' And of course, who could forget 'Gangsta's Paradise.' But genre-wise, rock is still the way to go.

The other songs on my radar right now are Imago's 'Akap,' which I initially checked out because of Lea's raves in that podcast but which I now really like, Sam Milby's 'Close to You,' which is so embarrassingly catchy, and Maroon 5's 'Makes Me Wonder,' which is light and bubbly like Cali Shandy. I'm done with Fall-Out Boy's 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' and all the songs in Panic in the Disco's first album, which I was obsessed with for a while.

And that ends my music review, pay per view. Pay up, *J! Grin

Kuwentong Filipino

To all Filipino writers, painters, photographers, and graphic designers: here is Story Philippines to send your submissions to. I saw this in a Philippine Star article and just wanted to share.

To all non-Filipinos: you might find the site entertaining. I personally have not read any of the stuff here, but I recognize some of the contributors. I browsed through the webpage, and I think most of the stuff here is in English. The submission guidelines don't specify that the stories or plays have to be in English, but I guess that's how the submissions have played out.

I'm not getting anything out of this pitch. Unfairly. Sadly. As my siblings and I used to say, "oh well, towel."

Depreciation

My coconutBattery says that, after 33 months, my current battery capacity is only 32% of its original battery capacity. Just like my drive and patience.

The unwanted side effects of caffeine? Probably not, as I didn't have that much of that today. It's the weekend, so I try to go easy on that stuff. Watch me fail that attempt in a few hours though. Of age? Uh, no. Of maturity? Definitely not.

Start song: The coconut nut is a giant nut. If you eat too much, you get very fat.

Shakey-Wakey

I experienced the third earthquake of my life here in Notre Dame. I was in bed this time, when the world shook. In my semi-conscious state, I thought that workmen were drilling and uprooting my apartment. I also thought that my downstairs-neighbors were complicit in this scheme. Ah, I never think of the obvious.

In other news, I have enough reward points to get myself a personal shredder. Yay! I love office supplies, and I've been wanting to get a shredder for a long time. I love free stuff.

I Work = iWork '08

Less than 24 hours after I first decided to get a Xootr Mg (which I still haven't gotten, btw; I'm giving myself the weekend to "think" it through so I can say that I made an informed decision), I am thinking of picking up yet another toy: iWork '08. I'm using the trial version right now, and I am hooked. I've been playing around on Pages more than Keynote, but it's been an absolute blast so far. The templates are awesome, and the formatting is very easy to use. The Apple Store prices this at $ 79, and the student discount just gets me $ 8 off, so this won't come cheap. But I want, I want, I want, I want! Let's see if I will get.

I've also thought very briefly about getting the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. But I'm going to desist and say no. I'm happy with my Microsoft Office 2004. Besides, I tried the Microsoft Office 2008 on Windows, and it's nothing fantastic. So no to that. But if someone gives that to me as a present, I won't say no. Just saying.

Let's shift gears now to free stuff. I've been downloading freeware sporadically since a few weeks ago from this awesome site. These are the stuff I've gotten so far: Quinn (Tetris), HandBrake (which lets you rip DVDs - important for making movies), Celtx (for screenplay writing), Shredder (you have to pay if you want to shred free disk space, but you can shred your web browser cookies and history for free; you can also shred any of your files by dragging it onto the icon; in this age of identity-theft and what-not, can't be too careful), and xPad (like Notepad on Windows, except that this has tabs, so you don't have a lot of documents running around). I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff, but this is all I'm willing to write right now.

Oh, software is so fun. But I [have to] Work. Now. Bye.

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

What is it with me and my narcoleptic tendencies? Seriously! I think I have selective narcolepsy, triggered by anything that is work-related. You give me Bob Loblaw, and I'll give you Sleeping Beauty.

Now my head is buzzing because of too much sleeping
Just the day before, it was buzzing more
I didn't sleep then, like a good mother hen,
Who was laying her eggs in a nest for a test
But the merciless farmers want more.

That was an original and completely spontaneous composition, thank you very much! If you didn't like it, then rotten eggs to you, you hen! Buck-buck-buck! (Er, those were sound effects for a squawking hen, by the way.)

Enough of this sleeping! Diet Rockstar juice, you're going to save my day and make me pay! And we'll be rocking when the sun sleeps, when the moon wakes, and when the sun rises again! Party on!

The Xootr Scooter

These days, I've been going around on a Fusion Asphalt. I bought it two years ago, and, since then, it's served me well. There was a time when I didn't use it at all, but I'm using it much more often now because I have to travel to my part-time office, which is slightly off-campus.

I've been thinking of what to do with with the Fusion Asphalt after I graduate, and I think I've come up with a good solution: I'll donate that and get another scooter for myself, this time a Xootr MG. When I was on the bus in Chicago last summer, I saw this office person riding it, and I remember thinking that it looked really cool. I'm really excited about this! I'm wondering whether to get the Xootr MG or the Xootr Roma. The Roma is more expensive because it's the lightest and most compact kind, but the Xootr MG has more panache. I think I'm sticking with the Xootr MG.

The Xootr MG is more than twice as expensive as the Fusion Asphalt, but I think the difference in price is well worth it. First, the Fusion Asphalt is more like a toy, while the Xootr MG is more like a legit commuter vehicle. For another, the Xootr MG has brakes and an apparently awesome engineering design. And most importantly, the Xootr MG actually looks like something I could ride to and from work in Chi-town.

I'm feeling pleased with myself. But the pleasure is quickly fading as I contemplate the money I used to have but don't have now. Ah, well. Let's think happy thoughts and leave those sad ones to themselves. Things will work out.

Xootr MG, see you soon!

Delta

Why do I react to certain things in the weirdest ways? That I can't control my reactions, or direct them toward the more proper path, drives me up the wall. If I were being charitable, I'd call myself special. If I were being mean, I'd call the shrink.

On a less personal note, the New York Times (NYT) has been bugging me with news that Northwest (NWA) and Delta are merging. Less than a minute after the NYT reported the merger as true, I got an e-mail from the Managing Director of NWA confirming the news. The only thing that bothers me about this? Why call the new company Delta? Why not Northwest? What's at play here? The legal possibilities abound.

Depressing

I thought I was being really clever in picking topics for my final papers. I'll write about something interesting, I said, so the work won't feel like work, and I will be happy. Not so. For one thing, work always feels like work. And for another, the work I chose for myself is downright depressing. Through three distinct legal frameworks, I will be writing about hate crimes, cults and religious extremism, and the so-called "new civil rights movement" spurred by the Jena 6. My goodness. Talk about disturbing. One of these alone is really disturbing. But to tackle all three at pretty much the same time?! Granted, I will be writing about Harry Potter for another paper. But even then, I will be focusing on the death of Lily Evans Potter and the abandonment of Ron Weasley. And yes, I am not saying that these are of the same gravity as the more real-life problems on my plate. I'm just saying that they're not happy-happy-joy-joy either.

Don't get me wrong, people. I am grateful for the opportunity to weigh in on these very important social phenomena. It's just educating myself about them that I find problematic in oh-so-many levels. But whatever, right? This ends in less than one month.

Until then, I'll march on.

iBook Dilemma-emma-emma

My iBook is officially deaf.  It can't hear anything.   Neither its internal mic nor the USB-headset mic picks up any sound.  At all.  It's deaf.  Disabled.  Differently abled.  A laptop with a disability.  I called the Apple Care Protection Plan number (the ACPP is a must-have for all Mac users, fyi; as much as you are careful with yours, anything can happen in three years), and, since I still have 133 days on my warranty, the lady I spoke to offered to have the computer fixed.  As of now, I am expecting a self-addressed box to arrive here on Monday.  I have to put the computer there and send it back, and I can expect to get it either the Friday of that week or the Tuesday of the week after.

I'm hesitating now, though, on whether to get my computer fixed that way or whether to wait until after I turn my last paper in.  One week is a really long time to go without a laptop, especially with all the papers I have due.  I work in the library for a significant amount of time, and they have computers there, but I also like to go home before my work is done and put in an hour of two of work before I go off and watch the election music videos of Obama and Clinton, my latest obsession.  Obama's videos are winning the day, hands-down.  Especially because Will.I.Am of the Black-Eyed Peas is so gung-ho about campaigning for him.   Have you guys seen his "Yes We Can" and "We are the Ones" videos?  Inspiring.

Yeah, I think I'll wait for three weeks before I get my mic fixed.  It's not urgent anyway, and I'll be out of South Bend for a little more than a week before graduation.  I won't need my computer then.

The Buzz

I'm working harder than I've ever worked in my life, so naturally, the need for a "fun" thing to distract myself with has become pressing. And what is that fun thing?

Celebrity gossip. Yes. The Perez Hilton and the Philippine Entertainment Portal kind. As to why I find these things so riveting, do not ask for I won't tell. Ask me instead about the Gerard Butler - Cameron Diaz affair and the latest interview of Sam Milby. A second obsession? Filipino romantic comedies. From "One More Chance" to "All About Love" to "You Are the One." I have seen a lot of them, friends, make no mistake. Sam Milby's Filipino makes me cringe. But I have heard worse from individuals in my high school.

And so I don't come across as a complete ditz (I do a good job of it online, but not in person, apparently, because I project the resilience and determination of a Ninja turtle), I have something semi-profound to say. Vhong Navarro said something sexist. In a Pipol segment of maybe seven years ago, he said that Toni Gonzaga was sharp and witty, and that was unique for a girl. The fool of a took. He must not know many girls then.

Ah, but I'll let that pass. I'm fighting my own battles and have neither time nor energy to rally to this cause.

Monogamy

Around 4 AM this morning, I was working on non-school stuff while listening to Lea Salonga's 25-minute interview in Philmusic's podcast.  This is a must-listen-to for any Lea fan, by the way.  Jay Ayson asked Lea what she thought was the key to her success in the music business, or something to that effect, and she said this: having a "strong monogamous relationship with your craft."  That was a very profound statement.  And if that really is the key to success in any business, then holy cow, I'm screwed.

Hello, 2008

It's my first post of the year. Hello, new year. Hello, new me. Hello, new you. You'd think that I'd have something more substantial to say given that long and totally unexpected hiatus. That's what I thought too, but I was wrong. Obviously.

Well, just stay tuned. Patience is key. And to whoever I had given that key to, time to give it back.