Nerdness of the Day - Nerd-bama Strikes Again.

The Force is strong with this one. This is one of the many reasons why I like Obama, he isn't afraid to admit he's a big nerd, and he actually enjoys it. 

Someone should following suit, a Gloria-Palpatine methinks. 

Photo via Gawker

Pure Awesomeness of the Day - Love Story Taylor Swift meets Viva La Vida Coldplay

Simply amazing.


Here are the credits as follows:
Arranged by Jon Schmidt
Co-arranged by Steven Sharp Nelson
Recorded at Big Idea Studios
Engineered by Jake Bowen and Chuck Myers
Produced by Jon Schmidt
Co- produced by Chuck Myers
"Love Story" written by Taylor Swift
"Viva la Vida" written by Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin
Video Produced by Amenat Studios
Directed by Matthew Mclelland
Director of Photography: Patrick Ryan Gass




I own nothing. Please don't sue me.

we are what we give.

since when did trivial, mundane and fleeting things and facts become the deciding factor to how good a friend, relative, lover, child, student, we are? since when did remembering and forgetting the dates of certain determine who we are to others?

we are not good friends because of how we stick by our friends regardless of the situation, but because of our ability to remember when a friend's birthday is, what that friend's favorite color is, how that friend likes this certain food to be served, what kind of coffee this friend wants, what kind of favors we are able to give.

how did we become a society whose basis of a good relationship are various trinkets of more or less large monetary value but of no sentimental value, the remembrance of utterly trivial facts, and the giving of various favors. Since when did human relationships become so materialistic and pointless?

Parang Pelikula Lang.

Kadalasang sinasabi na sa buhay ng kabataan, ang panahon na nasa kolehiyo siya ang isa sa pinakamahala at maimpluwensiyang parte ng kanyang buhay. Dito maku-kwestyon lahat ng kanyang pinapaniwalaan. Kung anu-ano mga pilosopiya at paniniwala ang sinusubukan pumasok sa kanyang pagiisip. Samu’t saring mga bagay na nakikipagunahan para sa kanyang atensyon. Sa panahon na ito, nakikipagunahan ang mundo sa Diyos para mahubog ang isip, ang puso, ang buong pagkatao ng isang kabataan.

Ngayong semestere, mayroon akong isang klase ngayon na tungkol sa cinematography. Pinagaaralan naming kung paano ayusing ang nakikita at posisyon ng kamera, ang posisyon, lakas, kulay at timpla ng ilaw, ang bawat kilos, galaw, ultimo suot ng mga artista, halos lahat ng elemento na makikita at hindi makikita sa frame para maipakita, maparamdam at maipahiwatig sa pinakamagandang paraan ang emosyon at ibig sabihin sa eksena. Isa sa mga pinakamahalaga kong natutunan sa klase kong ito ay kahit gaano mo artehan ang pagkuha mo ng shot, madalas mas maipaparamdam mo ang gusto mong ipahiwatig sa simpleng bagay, minsan, sa kung bagay na hindi nakikita.

Sinabi sa akin ni Ate Ging nang ialok niya sa akin na isulat ito, i-kuwento ko lang kung ano para sa akin ang ibig sabihin ng “God with us.” Sa ilang taon ko ng pagaaral sa kolehiyo, naramdaman ko ang kamay at ang gabay ng Panginoon sa aking buhay. Natutunan ko na sa bawat pagkakataon sa aking buhay kolehiyo, nandyan lang Siya, nakabantay, nakaalalay. Na kahit nararamdaman ko man ang Kanyang presensya o hindi, makakasiguro akong nandyan lang Siya. Dahil dito, alam kong ibalik sa Kanya ang pasasalamat sa bawat naipasang exam, quiz, paper, subject. Alam ko rin na sa Kanya lang ako makakapanghawak at hihingi ng tulong para sa lahat ng pagsubok. Siya ang naging Cinematographer ng aking buhay. Inaayos Niya ang bawat pagkakataon ng aking buhay para sa ipakita sa akin, pati rin sa iba, ang mensahe na nais niyang malaman ko. Hanggang sa pinakamaliit na aspeto ay parte pa rin ng Kanyang plano. Siya ang pumipili ng kulay, pumipili ng paggalaw ng bawat taong bahagi, pumipili ng dapat makita at ng mga hindi dapat makita, o kung kailang makikita ang hindi pa makita. Alam ko na may nag-a-ayos ng lahat ng aspeto ng buhay ko, alam ko na may parating nakabantay, at nakakaalam ng balak Niya para sa akin. Parang pelikula lang dahil alam ko na sa huli, magiging maayos din ang lahat, na lahat ng nangyayari ay mayroong ibig sabihin. Alam ko na ang bawat pagod, bawat puyat, bawat tawa, bawat galak, bawat singko, bawat uno, bawat tres ay parte ng plano ng Diyos at isinaayos ng Diyos para sa ikabubuti ko at ikaluluwalhati ng Kanyang Pangalan.

God with us. Isang pangako na sa likod ng bawat simangot at ngiti, sa likod ng bawat bagsak at bawat pasa, sa likod ng bawat terror na propesor at mga masasayang kaklase ay isang magaling at mabusising Cinematographer, isang mapagmahal at maarugang Diyos na alam at pinlano ang lahat ng nangyayari at mangyayari, isang Diyos na mapagkakatiwalaan mong may hawak ng lahat ng aspeto ng aking buhay.

nakakatawa

Nanonood rin ako ng balita kanina at pinapakinggan ko ang mga reaksyon ng ilang kilalang mga personalidad sa pag anunsyo ni Noynoy Aquino ng kanyang kandidatura.

Nakakatawa.

Pakinggan mo ang ibang mga Presidential Aspirants ng oposisyon. Pare-pareho lang ang mga kinakanta nila, "gusto kong magkaisa ang oposisyon at ang sambayanan." Ganon ang sinasabi nilang lahat. Pare-pareho nilang pinagmamalaki na handa silang mamuno at magsakripisyo para sa ipagkakaisa ng oposisiyon at ng sambayanan.

Pero sabi nga nila, actions (or the lack of it) speak louder than words.

Tinanong silang lahat kung handa ba silang umatras sa pagtakbo para sa ipagkakaisa ng oposisyon. Kanya-kanya sila ng paraan ng pagpaliwanag pero pare-pareho lang sila ng sinabi, "Hindi ako aatras." Maaring talagang gusto nilang tumulong, maaring tumatakbo sila para lang sa pansariling ambisyon. Pero ang nanginigbabaw, gusto man nila tumulong o hindi, gusto nilang pangalan nila ang mapuri at mangibabaw. Na mas pipiliin nilang makilala at mapursigi ang kanilang mga ambisyon kaysa sa ikaaayos ng mas nakakarami.

Nakakatawa.

nakakatuwa

Kahapon ng umaga, pormal nang idineklara ni Noynoy Aquino ang kanyang pagtakbo sa pagka-Pangulo sa padating na eleksyon. Matagal ko ring inabangan ang announcement niya. Sinundan ko ang bawat update sa kanyang pag-de-desisyon. At nangyari na nga ang matagal na hinihintay kaninang umaga. Sa ika-40 na araw matapos mamatay ng kanyang ina, buong tapang na inako ni Noynoy Aquino ang responsibilidad sa pagtuloy ng laban ng kanyang mga magulang.

Nakakatuwa.

Hindi na natin kayang ipagkaila na sa mga nakaraang taon, unti unting nahulog sa pagiging apathetic ang mga Pilipino, lalo na ang kabataan. Mas interesado pa sila sa pinakabagong chismis, pinakabagong scandal, mas interesado pa ang kabataan sa Dota, kaysa sa kung anong nangyayari sa bansa. Madalas sabihin ng mga matanda na nalulungkot sila, iba na nga daw talaga. Siguro dahil napagod na rin ang mga tao, o nawalan na rin ng pagasa ang kabataan, kami. Nakakawalang gana nga, ang mga taong natural na dapat tinitingala at nagiging ehemplo ng pagiging isang mabuting Pilipino ang siya pang dahilan para ikahiya mo na Pinoy ka. Iba kasi noon. Iba nong panahon ng mga magulang natin. Oo, panahon ng diktadurya noon, pero malinaw noon. Mayroong mga mambabatas at mga public servant na karapatdapat tingalain. Ginagawa nila ang ikabubuti ng lahat, di bale nang masira ang kanilang buhay. Noon, kilala mo kung sino ang dapat tingalain, at kung sino ang kalaban.

Pero iba na ngayon e. Ngayon hindi mo na kilala kung sino ang mali, kung sino ang tama. Nagpapalit ng partido at ng panininindigan at ng ideyalismo ang mga mambabatas at public servant na animo'y nagpapalit lang ng sapatos, pag di na trip, papalitan, pag trip ulit, babalikan. Malamang kaya nawalan na ng gana ang kabataan dahil wala na tayong tinitingala ngayon sa mga namumuno sa atin. Wala na tayong pakialam. Iniisip natin, paulit ulit lang naman, hintay ka lang ng ilang araw, ng ilang buwan, at yung mga naninindigan ngayon ay siyang mga nangungurakot bukas. Nawalan na tayo ng pagasa na magkakaroon pa ng politikong pwede talaga nating tingalain at pagkatiwalaan.

Natutuwa ako sa pag-deklara ni noynoy ng kanyang kandidatura. Oo, marahil sasabihin mo na hindi naman siya sikat, o mas mahalaga, na hindi naman siya si Ninoy o si Cory. Pero. Pero tignan mo ang nangyari sa mga nakaraang linggo. Nabuhay ulit ang diwa ng EDSA. Matanda man o bata na nawalan na ng pakialam ay nagsimula ulit magtanong sa nangyayari sa bansa. Parang napadilat ulit, nakaramdam ulit. Nawala ang partido at kulay at nagsama sama ulit ang mga tao. Siguro. Siguro sa pagtakbo ni Noynoy posible na talagang ayusin at pagkaisahin ang lahat ng nagkawatak-watak. Parating rason ng mga tao na kaya sila nawalan ng pagasa sa gobyerno o nawalan ng pakialam ay dahil wala naman silang makitang matinong papalit o mangunguna. Hindi kaya na ito na ang hinahanap natin?

Aaminin ko na mayroon pa rin akong pagaalinlangan sa pagpagtakbo ni Noynoy. Marahil nga kailangan pa niya ng kaunting experience, malamang bata pa siya. Pero sa lahat ng nagsabi o nagparamdam ng kanilang intensyong kumandidato, siya lang ang pinagkakatiwalaan ko na di masisilaw sa kapangyarihan, at kayang ituloy ang lahat ng ipinaglaban ng lahat ng tao noong unang EDSA.

Nakakatuwa lang makita na sa panahong ito, dahil sa lakas ng loob at sakripisyo ng iilang tao, nagigising nang muli ang diwa ng mga Pilipino.

things that respond to threats

as of late, my internet connection has been very unreliable. it disconnects at the oddest moments, it says it's connected when nothing is up-/down-loading (case in point, as i write this blog, blogger notifies me that it cannot connect to its system). youtube takes an eternity to load. stuff i'm downloading tell me to expect the download to finish in a day (it said the same thing 3 days ago).

funny thing is, whenever i hit refresh, videos, files and sites suddenly load. it's as if they respond only by threathening. i use google chrome as my default browser and whenever i find that it loads too long, i open firefox. interestingly (or as pure coincidence) chrome suddenly loads properly. yes i know it's completely coincidental and is absolutely childish, but somehow i find that threathening inanimate objects seem to make them work more efficiently.

or probably it's just the rain.

the waiting game continues

it's been over a month and i'm still waiting for my thesis respondents. i'm still waiting for their definite responses. it's been over a month and i've only gotten one actual interview and another actual confirmation.

please God, let me graduate this semester.

i find it weird though. i want to graduate, but i'm not that ecstatic to leave behind the recklessness college provides and enter the hustle and bustle, dog-eat-dog state of the real world.

a thank you, a farewell, and a request

as the papers say, cory magic is alive again.

my parents whisper "it's 1986 all over again" as we see people in yellow shirts lining up in the streets, as yellow confetti rain from the sky, as yellow ribbons hug tree trunks and car side mirrors, and the arms of people, as people pull over lifting their hands in an L, as people line up despite of the rain, the wind and the heat of the sun, as tears roll down the cheeks of the rich and of the poor, of the old, and the young.

in her final moments of life, and even in her death, President Corazon Aquino did more to unite the fractured and divided Philippine people than anyone else in recent Philippine history.

in her death, she was able to do what she did best, she was able to bring the Filipino people together. walang mayaman, walang mahirap, walang sundalo, walang aktibista, walang maka-kaliwa, walang maka-kanan, walang pula, walang dilaw, lahat ng pagaalitan ay isinantabi muna. kahit sa huling sandali ng kanyang buhay, napagsama niya at napagkaisa ang mga Pilipino.

even through her sickness, and even in her death, she continued to live up to the ideals of nationalism, of peace, of unity. as a lot of people have already said, she personifies the Filipino people's desire for moral change, for nationalism, for growth. She personifies the best in the Filipino people.

hindi rin naman perpektong tao si President Cory, may mga pagkukulang rin siya, pero hinahangaan ko na ginawa niya ang lahat, na ibinigay niya ang lahat ng makakaya niya, sa kabila ng hirap at ng sakit, dahil sa kanyang pagmamahal sa Diyos, sa mga kababayan, at sa bansa.

they say that it's 1986 all over again, that cory magic is back, that the spirit of EDSA is alive again, and this is evident now everywhere we look.

i pray that this serves as a wake-up call and a rebuke for us to change, for us to get our acts together, to set aside all our bickering and our issues against people, to get rid of the apathy that has seeped into the hearts of people as of late.

may this serve as a wake-up call for the youth to step up to the plate, to do our part, to stop letting others handle the problems of our country and to be the hope that everyone wishes us to be.

may this serve as a rebuke against all the politics and mud-slinging, against all the self-serving, all the financial and moral corruption that our present state of government has become.

nakakalungkot isipin na kinailangan pang mawala ng isang bagong bayani na kagaya ni President Cory para magising tayo sa ganito. pero mas nakakalungkot kung makalipas ng ilang araw, ilang linggo, ay mawawala rin ang lahat ng ito.

sana, sana ang nakikita nating ngayong pagkakaisa at nasyonalismo na nabuhay muli dahil sa pagkawala ni President Cory ay maipagpatuloy natin. sana hindi ito ngayon lang, pero sana maipamuhay natin ang mga adhikain na isinabuhay at ipinaglaban ni Cory.

from a grateful youth who now enjoys the democracy and freedom that you lived for, suffered for, fought for and died for, maraming maraming salamat po President Cory.

an itching on the roof of my mouth

i have this feeling like an itch on the roof of my mouth. that feeling that you know wont go away but you feel like you have to do something to make it go away.

i feel like i have something utterly important to do, that i've forgotten something that i need to do. i have this itching desire to write, to sketch, to shoot, to edit, to read, to do something productive. somehow i feel like i've been a bum for too long (despite being utterly exhausted from doing stuff).

this is probably my worldy self kicking in, in the sense that i have to constantly keep myself busy which'll lead to me being burnt out again.

must'nt do it.

till then.

and now the waiting game begins.

sent my request emails for my thesis waiting for replies. i'm still looking for the contact details of other docu-people. now i'm here waiting for their replies. hopefully they won't be the scary, nosebleedy people i envision them to be.


on the other hand, i'm still waiting for my pending paycheck. computer upgrades here i come. i can't wait to be able to back up EVERYTHING i have into a 1 terabyte external hard drive and to be able to doodle on a tablet.


still waiting for the succeeding issues of blackest night, batman and robin, green lantern, irredeemable and flash: rebirth. most of these comic books (i'm looking at you irredeemable and flash: rebirth) are taking too long to be published. it's like they've completely forgotten that the story lines are still dangling. i shall remain patient and wait on these story lines to finish.


waiting for superman/batman: public enemies. green lantern: first flight was such a blast! it was such an amazing ride therefore i only have high hopes for this new DC feature. (looks like DC is mopping the floor with Marvel's ass when it comes to cartoon features; can't say the same for the film scene).


still still waiting for pixar's up. when will they screen this?! waiting for updates on the status of the ever elusive of batman number 3 (is gary oldman's statement true?)






there. i've fanboyed for far too long.
hahaha.
see you on the other side.

ernie and bernie

respect.

as difficult as it is to see what's happening and to see you like this, as painful as it is, there is always the call to be obedient. God asks us, me, to be obedient. He demands it, but He doesn't rub it in our faces. He gave us free-will and I'd like to think - and i'm sure - that He respects it.

as hard as it is, i have to stand by the call. to obey.

i hate seeing you, me, us, like this.

but i hold on to the hope that He who began a good work will see it through.

i have hope and i believe that God didn't make me, us do this as a joke, for some sort of sick amusement, but for us to grow and to become the people that He's always wanted us to be, people after His own heart and people who will please Him in everything.

i'm really sorry. you know how much i hate seeing you in such a foul mood. and all the more i hate it when i'm the one that causes it. seriously i'm sorry.

i'm not giving up. if i let my emotions get the best of me and do what i want instead of what He wants me to do, that would be giving up. for both our sakes, and to please Him, i won't give up. i'll continue to draw strength from Him.

i'm sorry if i'm not turning out to be the best friend that i promised i would be. i'm sorry if i've said a handful of promises that, apparently, i can't fulfill now that, well, that that's happened. i'm sorry, really i am. i'm sorry if it seems like i'm not trying, know that i am. it hurts me whenever you say, or don't, that i don't try because nothing can be farther from the truth.

i try. you know that i do. i just respect your decisions that i don't want to question them. i respect you that i don't want to push myself at times that you don't want me to be there. i respect you that if you say you don't want to be my friend, i won't fight for it.

but i want you to know that despite you pushing me away, i won't do that to you. don't take this the wrong way. this isn't me puttting up a litany or sounding self-righteous. i just want to assure you that even if you don't want me to be, i'll still be here. think of it as the jla's reserve - people in the background, not really wanted at times but there whenever they're called for.

i'm always praying for you and i'm always here. not really sure if you'll be able to read this soon, eventually i know you'll stumble across this. not sure if that'll be on time, but then again, all in His time.

you know how to reach me if ever you decide you want to again.

til then.