Because more than a year has passed...

If and when I have the time to actually sit down and write a blog entry like this are indicators that I'm not: spending my time in class, spending my time with Kai, doing schoolwork or sleeping.

Sometimes I get surprised with the whole idea that when I started this new blog, I had all the time in the world to type entries about anything that came to mind to serve as an interesting topic. Nowadays I realize that I've gone through almost a week without so much as a short blog entry to keep this going. On the upside, that tells you that I don't have all the time in the world to be sitting down, typing away these types of things regularly.

I'm already three days late for this, but it's still something that should be contemplated upon, especially with someone so dear to your heart. My lolo's death anniversary was last Monday, August 24. I can still recall that Sunday noon when it was confirmed that he had passed away. The loss was overwhelming that I couldn't stop crying.

Growing up in the one household that I've known my entire existence has been a place full of memories. From the very beginning, Lolo Tomas was living with us, so he literally watched us grow. He took care of us almost as much as our own parents did, and spoiled us on some occasions as well. Taking us out to eat for an afternoon snack, bringing home some food from his trips to play Bingo were one of the things I can still recall.

A French Baker baguette and a roll of Mentos Spearmint are perhaps two food items that I would often associate with my lolo. My interest in that particular flavor of Mentos was because of him, though I don't quite remember how. And growing up, I was quite a fan of bread (with dreams to become a baker back then) and would often ask him if I could have a portion of the bread he bought.

At the time he was hospitalized, I felt a wave of nauseousness every time we went to visit him. I guess you could say that seeing my grandmother pass away on a hospital bed right before my eyes more than three years ago would be a cause for that. I could never prevent my tears from falling every single time we would go to see him. Oh how I miss him.

Last Sunday, we brought his urn home and invited some relatives over to pray for him. Seeing that urn after a year immediately brought back memories of the mourning period; nights spent at the funeral parlor, late nights crying myself to sleep and just more tears falling when he was placed in the columbarium.

But I really hope you were happy during your first year in heaven, Lolo. You're with Grandma Rose, Uncle Art, Uncle Arthur, Ninang Cecile and others, after all. Love you and miss you much.

Saturday Classes

I could hear the rain pouring in the early hours of the morning as I twisted and turned in bed trying to get a few more hours of sleep in before I had to wake up to get ready for school. Having Saturday classes ruins the long weekend, especially if they're scheduled in the morning. This is probably where living in close proximity to school comes in handy, as I don't have to leave extra early just to get to school on time.

At about quarter to 7 in the morning, I was still laid out in bed, blinking away the last of the sleep as I pondered whether to get up or not. I had to be in school within the hour and I was taking a car. With my body aching still from my fall on the pavement (scraping my right elbow and my phone) last Thursday, I pushed myself up and headed to the bathroom to grab a shower.

I was dressed not long after, got some money from my mom before heading downstairs, had a banana and brushed my teeth before heading off to school. A 15 minute drive from the house to school. It was raining a little bit even until I got to school and parked the car. My section left a little later than usual, waiting for the rest of the group that could arrive. Personally I was hoping that classes would be cancelled, but alas, my wishes (as well as my classmates' wishes) were unfulfilled and we were on our way.

The jeep ride was always quite silent with everybody keeping to themselves and would most often be taking naps while listening to their iPods. It was a long drive, after all.

We got to the area a bit before 9, where me and my co-tutor Bianca spotted our tutees Joyce, Gaile, Honey Mae and Novelyn. We were a little lax with the lesson plan provided since apparently our kids already knew a thing or two about what was to be taught, so all that was left to review them or on the rare occasion, teach them from scratch.

I actually enjoy teaching little kids. I've been doing them a number of times while I was growing up as part of a club or requirement for a subject so it's really nothing new. Guess this is why I chose to go into the LTS component of my NSTP.

Tezuka's Brand of Mizuno

The rubber shoes I've been using these past five years that my godfather bought for me in the States back in 2004 has finally caved in, so I say good-bye to my PE shoes for my entire high school life and first year of college (well, just put it away in my little shoe cabinet, but don't expect me to be wearing it again).

So I finally got my mother to buy me a new pair of rubber shoes last Sunday. After hearing Mass, the family went to eat out to kinda celebrate my mother's return from India. We ended up eating at Tempura, a Japanese restaurant that newly opened in TriNoma. Afterwards, my mother and I went shopping for my shoes. I pulled her towards the Mizuno store to look at the shoes there, but my mom commented at how expensive they were before we moved onto the next store: Badminton Hub.

For people who know, I'm quite the fan of Prince of Tennis, and Mizuno happens to be Tezuka Kunimitsu's favorite brand. In the second store we entered, however, a pair of Mizuno shoes caught my eye with an affordable price so we asked for my size to try it out. Quite satisfied with the fit, my mother purchased it along with a replacement grip I wanted for my badminton racket.

Leaving the store a bit after that, she went back to the Mizuno store to see if the price was the same for the same type of shoes, and indeed it was. ^____________^;;

Well, bottom line is: I have new shoes. 8DD All that's left is to find a Mizuno tennis racket and my Tezuka Kunimitsu cosplay kit will be complete~

Past Week's Events

This week has been a busy one. You notice I wasn't able to post at all since Sunday. Geh, this is just one of those 'hell weeks' school keeps chucking at us students. Piling the week up with long tests and the bunch. Not to mention CompSAt's Tambay Week. I'm absolutely beat. Thankfully next week is a lighter load. I guess I can try and talk about what's happened the past week to make up for the posts I owe this blog of mine. An update for myself and my readers, if you will.

For most of the week, I was able to bring a car to school. I would almost always be coming home late, so I was able to gain some experience night driving in the most familiar places. ^___^b

Monday, August 10:

Badminton was as it always was; fun and tiring. Academics-wise, there isn't much to talk about. The first day of Tambay Week in the org room was quite the interesting thing. If I recall, I played a game of Twister with a few friends, as well as a game of Clue. I had a shift from 3:30-5:00 before meeting with Kai for dinner.

Since we couldn't really celebrate properly for our 9th monthsary the day before, we decided to have an early dinner that evening in Katipunan (since my dad didn't want me going beyond Katipunan with the car yet). So we settled with Teriyaki Boy as was our custom. Yes, tempura and sushi is always the best way to celebrate.

Tuesday, August 11:

The second of our Physics Lab professors was taking over for the latter half of this semester, and we were further paired with another lab pair to form groups of four to do the next experiment. So my partner Gie and I joined forces with Izza and Joyce.

I had another shift for Tambay Week from 1:30-6:30, so I enjoyed myself once more with Twister and Clue with the people available. Of course, playing Twister had its consequences. (><)

Wednesday, August 12:

And lo and behold, my fatigue was diminished by the time of the matches for badminton that morning. I was literally out of breath halfway through the class when I normally had so much energy to spend. Oh well. Wednesday was AMC 124 (Math) second long test day.... consisting of 5 questions. CS 110 had a take-home seatwork. Java after how long. @__@

I didn't have a car with me that day, so I decided to meet up with Kai and go to Cello's for a doughnut before moving to McDonald's afterwards. We passed by National Book Store twice; the first was so I could get a form to replace my lost National Card, and for Kai to purchase some notebooks and pens before we parted ways and I commuted home.

Thursday, August 13:

Filipino Critical Quiz and Theology long test were scheduled on this day. Found time to meet with Kai during her lunch break, where we went to Chowking. Afterwards, I spent some time in the CompSAt room once again. I played a game of Clue with the people before rushing off to my Guidance routine interview before returning to the org room for the rest of my shift until 6:30. Clue is the best way to spend your time, really. Especially since the version that was provided was like an improved version of the original Hasbro game.

I attended the Tennis Club session and watched the people there play. My body was aching from badminton to let me play, but I stayed to update our IVP Cy on some matters before finally heading home.

Friday, August 14:

Today was the scheduled Physics 21 second long test. There were only about four-five problem solving questions in the test, so all the equations and conversions we scribbled down were practically useless. xD Oh well.

Being the last day of Tambay Week, Jim brought his Wii to the room, and Liban brought his projector. Of course, what better way to play than by playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It was a huge hit the way everybody was eager to have a turn. At one point, I had my turn playing and I never really switch my character and always use Pikachu. I paused the game, the screen zooming in on the current position of my character who was hanging onto a ledge. I didn't really understand it, but people started exclaiming how cute the position was and wanted to take pictures. So everybody was suddenly taking out their cameras and taking pictures. xDD

And from another angle...

After a game of Mahjong with the mini-set that was brought, I left early to come home.

-----

And that completes the report for the week. I'm tired for reasons I don't know why, so I'll most probably be sleeping early if I don't gain any strength from dinner in a bit.

New TeniMyu Blog!

I just want to plug-in a new blog I started yesterday evening, authored by this same account. Since I was in such a TeniMyu mood I decided to make a blog containing the cast and song/music list of the myus.

Click on the link!

TeniMyu Lists (http://yudansezuniikou.blogspot.com)

Don't kill me for the lame title. It was all I could think of at the time. ^___^;;

A little trivia: 'Yudan Sezu ni Ikou' was first performed by Shirota Yuu in the 8th musical, The Imperial Match Hyoutei Gakuen. It's a Tezuka song that was sung brilliantly by Watanabe Daisuke during the final live concert Dream Live 6th. I've used it countless times across cyberspace as a title for things like my Multiply. 8D

Back to TeniMyu

After getting back into the TeniMyu craze upon downloading and watching the last live concert that is Dream Live 6th (Ueshima-sensei said so himself Dx), I'd have to say IT'S GREAT TO BE BACK! Recently my iTunes or iPod has put my TeniMyu playlist on shuffle as I listen to songs spanning the 19 musicals to date.

Six years, TeniMyu's lasted since 2003. With Dream Live 6th, there have graduated four Seigaku casts, with the 5th cast set to do the final two myus to close the first season of the manga, covering the Finals of the National Tournament against Rikkai Dai Fuzoku.

It's actually quite nostalgic to see the 'evolution' if you will of the changing actors, and the myus in general. The time of the Legendary Seigaku cast led by Takigawa Eiji playing Tezuka Kunimitsu has come a long way indeed. One has to admit that the casts that followed have become more flexible and capable of doing more complicated choreography, which is quite evident in the continuity of the shows.

To be honest, I'd dub Dream Live 6th to be my favorite among the live concerts, and it's not because it's the last; nor is it because of the Seigaku 4th cast, whom I've come to love as well as the preceding casts. The songs that were featured in this particular concert covered songs ranging from the first cast to the fourth cast. A quick breakdown of the 30 songs from DL6 (title-Seigaku cast-first musical sung) to give you an idea:

1. Overture (This is the Prince of Tennis) - 1st cast - 01.Musical Tennis no Oujisama
2. Do Your Best - 2nd cast - 08.The Imperial Match Hyoutei Gakuen
3. Koori no Emperor ~ Hyoutenka no Jounetsu - 2nd cast~4th/5th cast - 08.The Imperial Match Hyoutei Gakuen ~ 17.The Imperial Presence Hyoutei Gakuen feat. Higa
4. Katta Mon Gachi Ya - 4th/5th cast - 18.The Treasure Match Shitenhouji feat. Hyoutei
5. ECSTASY ~ GO GO FUJI! GO SHIRAISHI! - 4th/5th cast - 18.The Treasure Match Shitenhouji feat. Hyoutei
6. Boku wa kawaru - 4th/5th cast - 18.The Treasure Match Shitenhouji feat. Hyoutei
7. Kore ga Shoubu to iu Mono ~ Hijou no Tennis - 3rd cast - 12.Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service
8. Ore wa Koroshiya to Yabareru Otoko -4th cast - 15.The Progressive Match Higa feat. Rikkai
9. Yudan Sezu ni Ikou - 2nd cast - 08.The Imperial Match Hyoutei Gakuen
10. Samurai - 3rd cast - 14.Absolute King Rikkai feat Rokkaku ~ Second Service
11. Koori no Sekai - 4th/5th cast - 17.The Imperial Presence Hyoutei Gakuen feat. Higa
12. Ore wa Moeru - 4th/5th cast - 17.The Imperial Presence Hyoutei Gakuen feat. Higa
13. Omae wa Seigaku no Hashira ni Nare - 1st cast - 02.Remarkable 1st Match Fudomine
14. Isshindoutai - 4th/5th cast - 18.The Treasure Match Shitenhouji feat. Hyoutei
15. Bukiyou'su kara - 4th/5th cast - 18.The Treasure Match Shitenhouji feat. Hyoutei
16. Kikumaru vs Fuji ~ Rival na Futari ~ Good Combination - 1st cast ~ 2nd cast - 01.Musical Tennis no Oujisama ~ 06.Side Yamabuki feat. St. Rudolph
17. Koitsu wo taoshitai! - 4th/5th cast - 18.The Treasure Match Shitenhouji feat. Hyoutei
18. Kejime - 4th/5th cast - 18.The Treasure Match Shitenhouji feat. Hyoutei
19. Shinuki made BURNING! - 4th/5th cast - 18.The Treasure Match Shitenhouji
20. Poker Face Fighter ~ Active Volcano - 4th/5th cast - 17.The Imperial Presence Hyoutei Gakuen feat. Higa
21. Remember Hyoutei - 3rd cast - 11.Advancement Match Rokkaku feat. Hyoutei
22. Heavy Rain - 4th/5th cast - 17.The Imperial Presence Hyoutei Gakuen feat. Higa
23. Challenge ~ Subete wa Shouri no Tameni - 1st cast - 02.Remarkable 1st Match Fudomine
24. Oretachi no Aikotoba - 4th cast - 15.Dream Live 5th
25. Now and Forever - 1st cast - 03. Dream Live 1st
26. One More Step ~ The Top - 4th/5th cast - 18.The Treasure Match Shitenhouji feat. Hyoutei ~ 17.The Imperial Presence Hyoutei feat. Higa
27. This is my best! - 4th/5th cast - 18.The Treasure Match Shitenhouji feat. Hyoutei
28. Refresh Aratana Jibun e - 4th/5th cast - 17.The Imperial Presence Hyoutei feat. Higa
29. On My Way - 2nd cast - 09.The Imperial Match Hyoutei Gakuen in Winter
30. F-G-K-S - 3rd cast - 13.Dream Live 4th

Nostalgia doesn't hit you this hard. Hearing the line-up of songs will make you realize that the range of songs encompassing the past 19 musicals can withstand time and still be appreciated with much fervor. ^___^v

To end, let me just share with you guys some pictures I took while watching DL6. This was during the graduation speeches of the 4th cast Seigaku. Subjects of course are Tezuka and Fuji played by Watanabe Daisuke and Furukawa Yuuta respectively. ^____________________^b

Watanabe Daisuke as 4th cast Tezuka Kunimitsu

Furukawa Yuuta as 4th cast Fuji Syuusuke

I'll put up a track list of the songs from the myus for the heck of it. Probably create another blog for it. xD

What's for Lunch?

So we have a wide array of food choices in our school cafeteria. Two floors, with the different food stalls bordering the numerous tables where most anybody can sit down and eat. For me and my blockmates, we usually spend our lunch time eating up on the second floor. Since my freshman year, that's been our practice.

It's actually quite funny how buying the same thing one too many times because it's just 1) delicious and 2) affordable makes the vendors recognize you and already know what you want. That's actually the case with me in two particular stalls in school; particularly in Chillers and Sumo Boyz, which coincidentally, are adjacent to one another.

Yesterday, Gie and I finished our lab early and went to have lunch. The time was still around 12:30 or so. We went upstairs to find the rest of our blockmates who had their lab after ours still there, which was a rare sight in itself. Sitting ourselves down with them, I decided to have my usual tonkatsu-ripe mango shake lunch combo that day, so went to buy.

My Pork Tonkatsu lunch from Sumo Boyz

When I set my food down on the table, I looked at it and found that the guy who added the sauce for my tonkatsu put it on my rice in a particular manner:

I love Sumo Boyz~ <3

Badminton Revisited

Mondays and Wednesdays are two days that I look forward to. I guess for me, PE is one of those few stress-relievers that I want to get the most out of. It's partially my form of exercise when Monday and/or Wednesday classes aren't suspended.

I've probably been stressing my body out since the second semester of my freshman year ever since I joined the LS Tennis Club and got busy with the clinic and club sessions. But hey, tennis is a sport I want to improve at, so what the heck.

To add to a previous entry of mine concerning Badminton (self-titled entry found here) is a little event I got myself into today. What I failed to mention is that I scheduled my PE at 7-8 in the morning under Coach Vargas. Coincidentally, he handles an 8-9 badminton class for the boys. I've developed a habit lately of waiting for my blockmate Gie to get out from her 8-9 Wushu PE class at the covered courts.

Earlier, I was merely watching a doubles rally of people from the other class before I heard Coach Vargas calling me and asking if I still wanted to play. I agreed and found out that he set me up to play with Ernie, a former classmate of mine from my Fil 10 and Fil 12 classes, who was now taking up badminton under the coach. I ended up playing two matches with Ernie and another guy from the class against the same opponents, which was, sad to say, a pretty bad defeat. ^___^;;; Oh, the level of play these aggressive boys have. Well, one of them really does have talent, so I won't complain.

After everything, Coach Vargas told me that if I wanted to play with his second class, I was free to do so; so that my workout spanned two hours, which was something I didn't mind at all. In fact, I welcomed the invitation. I guess that's another thing to look forward to. Too bad this Wednesday is a non-working holiday.

This month of August will hurt my PE days a lot, though.

o(>__<)o

August 19 - Quezon City Day (a Wednesday)

August 31 - National Heroes' Day (a Monday)

*shrugs* Howell.

Real Time Driving

It was an awkward morning. Last night, I found out that my sister didn't have her usual Saturday class because of the UPCAT. So basically I was the only one who needed to go to school. That kinda meant that I was eligible to bring a car. Of course, my parents being a little uneasy with the idea as it was technically my first time to drive alone, they wanted to make sure I was ready and all that.

At one point, my mother said that they'd accompany me, but eventually took it back, both of them finally trusting me to go on my own and just told me to be careful and all that. One couldn't blame them, really. ^___^;;

So I was off. I experienced some light traffic along the way, but all in all it was a nice experience to be driving on my own. The weather conditions didn't bother me at all since I practiced under it when I was in driving school. Parking was rather smooth as well.

I left the house at around 7:40 and to my surprise, got to school at 7:58. Not as much traffic as I expected. So that basically meant that I was an hour early for class that ended at around 11-ish. I had lunch at the cafeteria with a few of my classmates before killing some time in the usual open lab before heading back to the car, waiting for Kai's text.

I picked her up, much to the dismay of a freshman or two that were there at the lanai (yes, my girlfriend is quite popular) before we headed back home to spend the rest of the afternoon together. We experienced some 'heavy' traffic on the way back, but hey, that's where some tunes can take up the time (if Kai wasn't busy skipping through my 3000+ songs on my iPod to find a good song xD).

It was an interesting afternoon as usual. She managed to beat me in one game of Wii Bowling, which I think is quite an achievement for her. Though she has yet to beat her own best score. ^___^;; Wii Tennis is always a bundle of laughs. We kinda like injecting some Prince of Tennis moves and characters while playing to make it a little bit more entertaining for us both.

And since my parents didn't want me to take her home yet, we settled for calling a taxi for her. I guess there'll be next time. But hey, my first real time driving was a huge success.

^_________________________^v