Lucky Man

After a more than a year, I have decided to finally write the next edition of the Colophorn! Yeah boy! There are a lot of things that I want to talk about, but this will be heavily condensed, because nobody cares anyway ^_____^

I know I haven't updated this in quite a while, hopefully I could post more stuff, but honestly, I live a very boring life ^_____^ Anyhoo, I'm just loving Plurk, because, well, almost everyone I need to talk as far as my LIS life is there!

Join the first and biggest library and information science congress in the Philippines brought to you by the pioneer library science student organization, the UP Library and Information Science Students' Association (UP LISSA).

Sign up now for seat reservations at http://uplissa.org/#/2009/02/12/lis-congress-2009 or contact the UP LISSA Executive Committee for more details (marj@uplissa.org or jen@uplissa.org).

So, yeah, I rarely update this blog, although I really want to. As the title implies, tomorrow is kinda err... Honestly, a part of me wants to not get up tomorrow. Emotionally, it is exhausting, but tolerable. First of all, tomorrow will be enrollment day. I hope nothing goes haywire or something, I want to get this out of my system as soon as I can. I want to go to school, but enlisting in a "blind" kinda way just sucks big time. I hope I can just get advising and pay-up tomorrow. Second, is the U.S. Elections. I guess I shouldn't care, but the race has been so exciting, and just not caring now is not an option. In a way, I am envious in a way. To campaign for a Barack Obama or a HIllary Clinton sounds cool, and is something one can be really proud of. Here, it's more of the same, no matter how much a political party spins it. Too bad I can't watch the climax. Stupid enrollment sked, they are all adding up!

Finally, I just found out that one of my highschool classmates passed away yesterday night. Tomorrow, we are going to the wake as a class. It's a bitter-sweet feeling; on one hand I get to spend time with my classmates, some of whom I really miss, and on the other, we lose one of our own; a part of our little family. Earlier, I made a sort of collage to remember him by, and you know what? It was harder than we thought. We weren't crying or even deeply emotional, perhaps still in denial; the truth hasn't really sunk in yet, but it was seeing the pictures again, it was surreal. I guess it was a reunion we didn't expected and never wanted.

So forgive me if I will be a a-hole tomorrow, my apologies in advanced. And to the family and loved ones of our beloved classmate and friend, Cyren Villareal, my sincerest condolences.

While waiting for my DLs to finish (Discovery's The Ultimate Guide: Whales and The Ultimate Guide: Dolphins, thank you very much.) I was bored and browsed around Oricon because, ThePPN is like...dead. Or in a comma. whatever. I came across a new Japanese boyband (?). Now, I'm an Arashi fan myself, but that's about it. But this group had a member who looked like...

Madel?!

I dunno about you, but the resemblance is uncanny!
Anyhoo, Marj, Randolf and I still have to finish our LIS 190 paper, so there. I have no confidence in my statistical abilities, but mean, median and mode should be easy enough. Honestly, my nose is bleeding from the English. Not really. You get the point, though. And I still have my Socio exam, and my 171 paper. The plus side is that I get to attend only two classes. But I still need my shut eye.

P.S. Looking for the full version Christiane Amanpour's North Korea documentary re: NY Philharmonic for my NoKor video collection (Because you know my devotion to the great leader). If you know where to get it, send me a PM or leave a comment!

Well, summer's almost over, so here's a song from melody.'s latest album, Lei Aloha. If I have the luxury that is time, maybe I'll post something here before school starts. Ja!

Door
Words and composition : 白鳥マイカ

戀のはじまり　目と目が合った
時から感じていた
あなたの存在　やっと出逢えた
気がしてた

 

Koi no hajimari meku me ga atta
Toki kara kanji te i ta
Anata no sonzai yatto de ae ta
Kigashite ta

誰かの言葉より
I just believe myself
この胸に溢れてく予感を
信じたい　もっと素直になって

 

Dare ka no kotoba yori
I just believe myself
Kono mune ni afure te ku yokan o
Shinjitai motto sunao ni natte

It's time to open the door
まだ見えない明日へと
手を伸ばして
今　あなたへと　想いを伝えたい
I'll give my love
誰よりも愛してるよ

 

It's time to open the door
Mada mienai ashita he to
Te o nobashi te
Ima anata he to
Omoi o tsutaetai
I'll give my love
Dare yori mo
Aishiteru yo

思いがけない　涙を流したり
拭ったり
いつでも笑って
いられる毎日ならいいけれど

Omoigakenai namida o nagashi tari
Nuguttari
Itsudemo waratte
Irareru mainichi nara ii keredo

目の前にあるもの
大切な人でさえも
疑ってばかりじゃ
進めない　だから素直になりたい

 

Me no mae ni arumono
Taisetsu na hito de sae mo
Utagatte bakari ja
Susume nai da kara sunao ni nari tai

It's time to open the door
過ぎてゆく昨日へと
手を振りながら
そう　ゆっくりと
願いはカタチになる
踏み出せば　何かが変わるから

 

It's time to open the door
Sugite yuku kinou he to
Te o furi nagara
Sou yukkuri to
Negai ha katachi ni naru
Fumidase ba nani ka ga kawaru kara

耳を澄ませば　ほら
Oh let's believe ourselves
可能性を信じたい
少しの勇気　それだけあれば

 

Mimi o sumase ba hora
Oh let's believe ourselves, believe ourselves
Kanou sei o shinjitai
Sukoshi no yuuki soredake areba

It's time to open the door
新しい明日へと　手を伸ばして
今　心から　想いを伝えたい
I'll give my love
いつまでも愛してるよ

 

It's time to open the door
Atarashii ashita he to
Te o nobashi
Ima kokoro kara
Omoi o tsutae tai
I'll give my love
Itsumademo aishiteru yo

愛しあおう
愛してるよ
愛しあおう

Aishiaou
Aishiteru yo
Aishiaou

Eh, hello mina-san! It's been quite a while, ne? Been busy with school, projects, exams, more exams. I wish I didn't miss anything or something, that would have been...darn unfortunate. And now, the first Colophorn for 2008! (Ata, I'm not keeping count)

29th Gabriel Bernardo Lecture Series
Last March 14, was the annual UP-SLIS GAB lecture series (The topic was "The Library in a Changing Age of Information"). At the risk of saying something unbelievably stupid, I will refrain from making any smart-ass comments about it. That said, it was an actually a very entertaining and enlightening talk (Well, it did felt like a talk, rather than a lecture). Personally, I thought that Manolo Quezon's opining that librarianship is becoming more of a vocation than a profession is more of a confirmation of what many of LIS students, teachers and librarians maybe thinking. As for the other things he said, well, just wait for the Centennial Edition of the Philippine Journal of Librarianship.

After the lecture, I went straight to SLIS...and lo and behold, no one was there, and no one could enter. Sayang, akala ko wala nang pasok sa 170...grr...hehe. By the way, I think that I have been to Balay Kalinaw way too many times these past couple of months. Also, scroll down for details on when I'll be dumping most of my photos.


My trip... to the Manila Zoo!

Why the hell you ask? It was for a project (Which you will see later), of course! I honestly thought I was going to be disappointed. But you know what? I was! (Pwned!) I cannot clearly remember details from my trip when I was, like 6 years old, but I can definitely say that the zoo was way better then. Today, there are quite a few animals in oh-my-lord do you call those enclosures? I mean, no wonder that animal rights groups want the zoo closed. Honestly, I think that the only thing that's going for it is the people; the veterinarians, the zoo staff, who work everyday to oversee the health and well-being (or what's left of it) of the animals. Despite what you could call deplorable conditions, the City Government is still trying to rehabilitate the zoo, although I don't think it would really make much difference anyway. To go to the Manila Zoo, take the LRT Yellow Line, and get off Quirino Station. Then, take a cab. Or if you are cheap like me, walk to the darn place. It's along Quirino Avenue. Also in this photo set: a Lucky Man VOX Exclusive! Two Tigers Mating!

My projects... online!
Since the semester's over, I might as well share with you some of my projects I did for two of my courses.
Japan-O-Media
Japan-O-Media is Japan-O-Media. What? Basically, it's a review site for everything Japanese. Music, movies, computers and whatnot. I haven' t finished uploading the site, but I hear it's working.

Kahayupan Index
This is a project for our LIS 64 class. It is an index to animal images, most of which, I took at the, yes, Manila Zoo.

I dunno if you noticed, but both the sites basically have the same coding! I always keep it in case of a project, so I could just copy and paste it. Haha! And well, we were allowed to pass the same project, so there.

A Plethora of Topics (Meh~)

• Argh! The semester is finally over! No more waking up at 4 AM every weekday and boarding a bus by 6. Sigh~~~ The only thing that kinda pissed me off are the free bus rides. A company is testing these CNG buses for a limited time, and they will be testing these buses in Laguna and Batangas. Now, most of the time, I ride normal (Diesel) buses to Cubao, or crappy ordinary buses to Fairview (So I can get off at Philcoa, thus saving me time and money). The Laguna routes for the free rides? Calamba to Fairview. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Lord, why the timing?!
• I did say a plethora right? Okay, not really. I'll be writing a review for my not-so new portable media device soon. And maybe a music colophorn for the first quarter of 2008? Eh? Not so shabby?
• Gosh, I want one of those Audio Technica headphones. The SQ5 White is the headphones used by Utada Hikaru in her Heart Station video. Naturally, I want them (These cans are also the pair that Shun Oguri uses). The ON3 also looks really cool. Great for casual use, because of the size and the metal head band. すごいですよ!
  

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• Anyone saw the J-Melo special last week! Woot! I am so excited! New graphics, new set, but the same great host...melody. Have you seen her new site and myspace page?! So cute!!! Plus both sites have sample audio from her upcoming album, Lei Aloha.
• Anyone saw TV Patrol last night? Biggest TV news re-branding disappointment since GMA aired 24 Oras and moved-in to that crappy yellow set from an otherwise professional looking red-slash-fake wood (Kinda like BBC World circa-2000 meets an American news set). The new set simply lacked depth and color it once had. It passes off as bland and simply unappealing. The graphics...you call this a new look? It looked like a rehash from God knows where. Still better than the current on-screen package (I'm talking about stuff like the lower thirds and graphics bed here) of 24 Oras, though (Although 24 still has better bumpers and idents). And that opening billboard...boring. Seen it, done that. TVP had a better OBB during Korina Sanchez's stint as anchor. TVP has definitely seen better presentation. Sadly, this new re-branding is just forgettable. Also, please scrap Citizen Patrol. Or at least, get a fucking segment host. It sounds like an amateurish piece of crap (I can't find the words here...it's that bad). Once I saw this segment with a highschool student. Oh my God, she is sooo reading a poem (With the stops and the intonation. God bless her). I never cringed out of disgust because of a news program's presentation.
• 4Megaupload.com is a real blessing. Finally, a search service that you can use to look for files in Megaupload. This is really cool, just now I'm d-ling all the PVs I can find using the site. The only caveat I find is that the site only supports alphabetic searches (No Kanji, Romaji, Chinese, Thai, whatever), which is unfortunate, considering the amount of *files* uploaded in Chinese and all those old JPop PVs hiding from plain sight. If you have a premium account, then make sure you get the most out of it by using this site! (Actually, I'm thinking of renewing my premium membership...kahit one month lang).
  
• And now, let me present the photodump for 2nd Semester 2007-2008 (From my German and Psych 101 classes)
  
  

Now, when is the great photo dump you ask? I'm planning it this summer, hopefully by mid-May. Unfortunately, most of the photos I'll be up-ing will be raw ones (As in, hindi Phi-notoshop. Kaya kung lumiit ang boobs mo, or biglang inatake ka ng Acne...sorry ka na lang. Hehe Joke lang. I never do those "touch-ups").

^____________^　　　　　　ジャ！

At least not yet. Ah! Andami kong ginagawa!

Dati ko pa sinagutan 'to. Let's give it a try anyway.

1. Student number?
- 2005 - 4****

2. College?
- Kolehiyo ng Ekonomika at Pangangasiwa (CEM) (UP Los Banos), School of Library and Information Studies (UP Diliman)

3. Ano ang course mo?
- Bachelor of Library and Information Science (Diliman)
- Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management (LB)

4. Nag-shift ka ba o na-kickout?
- Transfered from LB. Soon to be kicked out (Hehe)

5. Saan ka kumuha ng UPCAT?
- Farming Systems and Soil Research Institute, UPLB

6. Favorite GE subject?
- BC 10, Archeo 1, Geog 1, POSC 1, SPCM 1

7. Favorite PE?
- Social Dance!

8. Saan ka nag-aabang ng hot girls sa UP?
- sa Ateneo ka na lang mag-hanap

9. Favorite prof(s):
- Marami eh.

10. Pinaka-ayaw na GE subject?
- Wala!

11. Kumuha ka ba ng Wed or Sat classes?
- First year ko sa Los Banos, Mon-Fri classes namin. Ngayon, wala pa.

12. Nakapag-field trip ka ba?
- Ay, oo. Accident waiting to happen grabe.

13. Naging CS ka na ba or US sa UP?
- CS once, US once, pero jumping for joy na 'ko sa Tres.

14. Ano ang Org/Frat/Soro mo?
- Wala

15. Saan ka tumatambay palagi?
- Basta may ventilation, pwede na

16. Dorm, Boarding house, o Bahay?
- First Sem, First Year -> New Dorm
- Second Sem, First Year -> Bahay
- Second Year -> Boarding House
- Third Year -> Bahay (Uwian ako mula Calamba, angal ka?)

17. Kung walang UPCAT test at malaya kang nakapili ng kurso mo sa UP, ano yun?
- Lib Sci pa rin. First choice ko yun eh. Pwede ring Geog.

18. Sino ang pinaka-una mong nakilala sa UP?
- Blockmates ko sa AgriBiz

19. First play na napanood mo sa UP?
- Wala pa. Kahit isa.

20. Name the 5 most conyo orgs in UP:
- Don't know, don't care.

21. Name 5 of the coolest orgs/frats/soro in UP:
- Don't know, don't care.

22. May frat/soro bang nag-recruit sa yo?
- Meron. Freshie ako nun eh.

23. Saan ka madalas mag-lunch?
- Hindi ako nag-la-lunch.

24. Masaya ba sa UP?
- Gusto mong sapak? Syempre.

25. Nakasama ka na ba sa rally?
- One time. Sulit rin naman.

26. Ilang beses ka bumoto sa Student Council?
- Twice

27. Name at least 5 leftist groups in UP:
- Alam mo na yan

28. Pinangarap mo rin bang mag-laude nung freshman ka?
- Oo, libre naman.

29. Kanino ka pinaka-patay sa UP?
- Kay Juan Nakpil, Cesar Concio, Leandro Locsin at yung mga planners ng Diliman campus! Ang galing nyo!

30. Kung di ka UP, anong school ka?
- Lyceum sa Calamba...oh, my. Or somewhere na may Lib Sci.

These are quite old. But, better late than never, eh? I warn you, though, that this will sound rather amateurish, but, heck, I just want to have fun. Just doing my part for the UP Centennial... (There's just something wrong about these posts...they're very geeky.)

The other day, I overheard someone saying something like the Diliman campus buildings are fugly, especially the old ones. Fugly ka 'din hayop ka. Sure, maybe other schools have new, sparkling edifices, but Diliman is quite different. And it just saddens me that that person happens to be from UP, too. To me, one of the thrills of walking around the campus is seeing all the history that surrounds the sprawling Diliman campus and in its buildings. Here are some of my favorites ^__^

• Quezon Hall, the admin building. Here, you could find, well, all the administrative brouhaha. The UP President Office is here, as well as the offices of the Vice Presidents. The building was designed by National Artist, Juan Nakpil, son of Julio Nakpil and Gregoria de Jesus (Wow, a family of heroes). Completed in 1950, the building is an example of the architect's Art Deco style, and at the same time, a tribute to the architecture of the UP Manila campus, the first site of the University.
  
  

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• Gonzalez Hall, or the Main Library which also houses the School of Library and Information Studies, where I study. To most students, there are only three storeys in the Library; few people ever venture into the Third Floor (SLIS and Archives), and even fewer people can enter higher than that (The estimate is that there are at least seven levels). The building was also designed by Juan Nakpil, and when it opened in the 50's, the architecture of the Main Lib was highly praised for its high ceiling and ingenious layout. That has been, more or less, a curse for today's students. Before, there was a time when one had to wear sweaters in the campus because it was that cold. Do that today, you'd suffer from heat stroke. It can get really hot and humid, and is sometimes not very comfy for that rare extended studying. But, they take service very seriously here, so I'm not complaining.

• Carillon, the bell tower, was also designed by Nakpil. Its bells, ignored for many years, has now been replaced with shiny new ones, donated by UP's most important resource, its alumni. The 130-foot structure has withstood many storms and earthquakes and still stands high today. In the 1970's, the Carillon was used by students as a watch post during those very hard times of protest.
  

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• UP Theater. I thought that this building was constructed fairly recently (1980s recently), but apparently, the current brick facade was only a part of the renovation. I think that Leandro Locsin (who happened to design the building next door, the FIlm Center, also of extensive brick work) designed it, but I'm not sure. It has been the site of various events, like the annual Freshmen convention, and last year's Miss Earth pageant (hehe). The last time I've been there is for a College of Music concert (Their rendition of Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 was breathtaking, by the way).
  
  
  

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• Church of the Holy Sacrifice (Click here. I did parts of the article)
  
  
  
  
• Palma Hall / Melchor Hall are the one of the two twin buildings in Diliman. Contrary to popular belief, Nakpil did not design these buildings. Cesar Concio did, and these buildings defined the International style in the 1950s. The first two pictures came from the family photo archive. It is the newly completed Melchor Hall. The second picture is actually a restoration job by me. Hoot! My Photoshoping has improved! The sundial; a UP Diliman landmark, by the way, is located at the back of Melchor Hall.