We got home 45 minutes before curfew because of this...

Upsilon batch ’57 marks 50th year
Inquirer
Last updated 11:24pm (Mla time) 11/29/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Members of the Batch 1957 of the Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity, Asia’s oldest fraternity, started Thursday three days of celebration of their golden jubilee dubbed “Tagay-tagay sa Tagaytay.”

Antonio H. Abad, chair of the ’57 jubilee steering committee, promised a “weekend of fun and nostalgia” for all Upsilonians and Sigma Deltans attending the three-day event, which ends tomorrow.

A host of activities is slated at the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines UP, Calatagan Golf Club in Batangas, and Royal Tagaytay Resort, Abad said.

Calling themselves “Gold Bond 0057,” the jubilarians will have Batch 57 of the Sigma Delta Phi as co-celebrants.

According to former HUDCC chair and jubilarian Dion dela Serna, Upsilon-Delta Batches ’67 and ’82 are also holding their respective celebrations with Batch ’57.

A celebration of the Holy Mass, tree-planting at the UP lagoon, brunch at the UP Bahay ng Alumni, and a presentation of excerpts from well-loved Upsilonian musical cavalcades Aloyan, Hanako and Linda kicked off the festivities yesterday.

Upsilonians Dick Zamora and Mart Martell wrote the songs, lyrics and scores of the musicals in the 1950s.

Today, the celebrators will hold in Calatagan the Romeo Liamzon Memorial Golf Tournament in honor of the the late Upsilon head in 1957 and Batch ’57’s Illustrious Fellow.

But the highlight of the jubilee will be the presentation of the Gold Fez and Golden Cane to the jubilarians today to be presided over by Abad and Jun Aniag at the Royal Tagaytay Resort.

Abad and Aniag are chair and president, respectively, of the Upsilon Alumni Association. They, together with businessman Vic G. Puyat, will bestow on Martell and Zamora the Fer Bautista Memorial Award.

Dela Serna will deliver the closing remarks after a minute of silent prayers for all the departed Upsilonians and Sigma Deltans belonging to Batch ’57, and the singing of the Upsilon Sigma Phi Centennial Song.

~ ~ ~ ~

It was so surreal... While the country was falling apart and tanks broke down the doors of the Peninsula Manila, I was in the Bahay ng Alumni preparing for my harang (My Igorot costume from Narda's served me well, as I played Aloyan the mountain maid).

My mind was not entirely focused the performance; I don't think any of us were a hundred percent mentally present (except for the Golden Jubilarians, who sang and danced the night away. They seemed to metamorphose into teenagers before our very eyes!!). We were discussing politics backstage; one of the cast members vehemently expressed his anti-GMA sentiments whilst others fixed his lapel and bahag, courtesy of Lonsi brod Kidlat Tahimik).

Am so glad we got home safely. This is a night to remember.

U.P. Sangkil Karasak Graduation 2007 (Beginners' Arnis)

Our induction video. :) Starring: myself (haha!), JJ, Jere, Jacq, JP, (hmmmm notice a trend yet?) Sir Jocano aka Sir Bot, Mich, Miko, and EG.

You can learn all this in just one short sem!! Join U.P. Sangkil Karasak na!

Thank you so much to the great Marga for the video!! (Visit her website at http://faiyah.multiply.com)

It's A Small World

I have an arnis clubmate who is in the same English 11 class as my brother.

I have another arnis mate who is the orgmate and friend of someone very *ahem* special to me... ("special" : not really in a good way), as well as being the churchmate of my arnis prof.

And a shadow passed through my happy, golden state ... The ghost of my past comes knocking.

It is such a small world, and we are all connected. I'll bet if you struck up a conversation with a random stranger (i.e. the person sitting next to you in your G.E. class, or the student sitting across you in the IKOT jeep), you'll find that you have a common friend or "frenemy", or that you both attended a special event that influenced you greatly.

I used to believe in coincidences. But now, no longer.

And I used to feel lost and alone in what I thought was a huge and empty universe, but now my heart has been opened and I feel so happy, so "at one" with the beautiful world and all the living things in it ... if only this feeling could last. I know it can't. And so I pray for guidance and for grace that will let me navigate through the perils of this hard road called Life... even without my "happy, golden bubble."

~ ~ ~ ~

Two weeks into the sem, and I've checked out quite a number of books from the Main Lib. None of them have the slightest connection to my course, or to any of my classes. But they are for my self-edification and "building up," and how I regret not taking earlier advantage of the vast literary opportunities made available to me by virtue of my orange U.P. library card!!

I'm trying this new thing called "picking and choosing what I read." I used to read anything and everything, but 20 years of that and I've very little to show for it in terms of knowledge gained. There's something wrong with my reading diet, so I'm going to emulate a wise friend and stick with the tried-and-true.

~ ~ ~

I've been blessed with quite a number of good "harang" opportunities recently. Like next week, I'm being asked to fill in for another soprano who can't make it to the "musical" being staged for the Upsilon Fraternity Reunion. I got recommended by my former teacher, and although I have to memorize four songs in less than a week's time, I'm not complaining. :)  I never thought I'd be able to sing jazz, and I didn't really find it musically interesting before. But Dick Zamora's love songs are first rate masterpieces, and I am having the time of my life learning them. And I laugh at myself now when I think how worried I was about my "new voice." The new technique is serving me well; I can now sing pop/jazz/broadway songs in the vocal style that suits them best, whereas before I was limited to only one "big" voice.

I'm also very lucky to have been asked to sing as one of the soloists for J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Parts 1 and 2 with the UP Camerata Choir on Dec. 11, Parts 3 and 4 with the Ateneo Chamber Singers on Dec. 14 ... both with the Metro Manila Community Orchestra).

I am very grateful.

~ ~ ~

Yet another reminder for all of us, that knowledge gained is useless and will be forgotten unless practiced constantly and faithfully.

We were asked by our Env.Sci.1 prof this morning to answer a really simple question on 1/4 sheet of yellow pad: What is the degree wherein Celsius is equivalent to Fahrenheit?

It was an easy question, it was so easy that some of my Mech.Eng'g. and Chem. major classmates were able to solve it mentally. They submitted their papers with a flourish in under 30 seconds, accompanied with a slightly disdainful sneer that seemed to say, "Sir, you're nigh near insulting my intelligence."

The question was so basic that I distinctly remember encountering it when I took the UPCAT half a decade ago.

Problem was, I couldn't for the life of me remember HOW to go about getting the answer.

In the three minutes given for us to answer the question, my little messenger brain cells hurriedly scanned the innermost recesses of the brain, only to come up with broken synapses : "FILE NOT FOUND."

And so I left the room, humbled but grateful for the lesson.

(Just in case you're wondering, the correct answer was - 40 degrees Celsius. My brother was good enough to walk me through the basic mathematical processes involved. Thank goodness for genius siblings!)

Doodles in the Loo Part 2

Probably written by a student who got a failing grade (or worse... is getting kicked out of the Math program):

"I wish that there will be a second chance... masaya pala dito. "

~ ~ ~

This poor thing was looking for sympathy/advice and found none.

"3 years niya akong nagustuhan. Ngayong gusto ko na siya, may iba na. Ganun ba kabilis?"

          The reply: L.O.L!!!

~ ~ ~

More ranting and raving about crushes, in TV-land as well as real life.

"Try to watch PRISONBREAK! Ang pogi ng bidang si Scofield... AMP*T*AH!"

 

And more about Mr. Crush-ng-Bayan:

"DESCRIBE ATOM ARAULLO."

   -- "Yummy!"

   -- "Hot! (Nakatabi ko siya sa jeep)"

   -- "Neat"  (I'm not quite sure if this means he's neat-looking and clean-cut, or if he's an OC person who likes to keep everything clean and tidy...)

   -- "Yabang"

            To which someone replied: "Bakit? Dahil di niya pinansin beauty mo?"

 

Ouchie ouch! ;) Hahahaha. Funny doodles make my day.

My Mission

I am a graduating student with a mission... to eat in each and every kainan/ cafeteria within the U.P. Campus, at least once.

In all my years in U.P., the only places I've eaten lunch in are:

-- the Music canteen

-- the Mass Comm. canteen

-- the Bahay ng Alumni restaurants (only during very special occasions, mind you!)

-- the Alumni Association Cafeteria

-- the College of Engingeering canteen

-- the Tea Room, College of Home Economics

-- Katag

-- CASAA

Can you say pathetic and boring?

I started on my quest yesterday... I tasted veggie meat at Latasia Fusion (my first time!!), the vegetarian resto behind Romulo Hall. And today I had my first sit down lunch at the Beach House (I was amazed at how long the queue got, I spent 20 min. in line. Just like enrollment! haha ... but it was worth it... their barbeque is really something else).

So many places to eat in, so little time!

~ ~ ~

I was lucky enough to be able to watch a very talented collegemate of mine sing and play her own compositions on the piano, last night. It's very humbling and inspiring, when one realizes anew the sheer amount of raw talent present in each and every fellow student. Her haunting melodies and inspired words are still running through my mind ...

Oh, to have half her talent, and to be able to write such marvelous songs!!!

~ ~ ~

Bukas Palad -- A Blog

http://bukas-palad.blogspot.com
Absolutely inspiring.

A Saturday Morning Lecture and The Meaning of My Name

 

I got a text message late last night, informing me that I was required to attend a lecture/seminar at the U.P. College of Education at 8 a.m. the following day. 

Thanks to that 3D movie BEOWULF (movie review to follow, soon!), we got home really late and I slept past midnight, only to get up at 5:30 today so I could make it in UP on time.

So this morning I attended the 1st Annual Seminar in Values and Moral Education with the Theme: MORAL REASONING AS A TOOL FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS.

There were three speakers: a senator (with the initials F. E.) , a U.P. Philosophy prof (A. A) , and a reverend (M.L). 

The first spoke of the role of the youth, and of political leaders, in shaping the nation. He said that he believed in drastic change, but that this change had to come from the top.

The second speaker spent the better part of an hour delivering a lecture that would have been more fitting for a Philo 1 class, and soon had half his audience slumbering away in their comfortable chairs. I valiantly fought to stay awake but really couldn't see why he had to go into all those details.

The third speaker had very little time left to him and had to cut down his lecture to 1/3 its original length. Sayang. I felt that his message was the one that the audience (consisting of mostly Educ.majors) really needed to hear.

It saddened me, witnessing this reverend speak from the depths of his heart about God's word and seeing his message fall on indifferent ears.

And so the debate rages on... do we need to teach Values Ed. in the classroom (whether implicitly or explicitly)? 

I think it is necessary, now more than ever. Just look at what is happening to the U.S. with its "neutral" curricula. In their quest to avoid "indoctrination,"  their children are growing up amoral and lost in a sea of knowledge without certainty.

I see the effects of the liberal education system even here in U.P. How many times have I come across profs who preach idealistic values like honor and integrity in their lectures but do not take a stand consistent with what they preach when put to the test?

And the U.P. student, having been taught to accept everything as true in this postmodern world of ours with its several truths, having gotten used to a buffet-style of knowledge where you pick-and-choose-what-suits-you-best...   I've witnessed this far, far too many times:  when there is a stance to be taken, the average student chooses to be a fence-sitter.

It is not enough to know right from wrong. There is a huge difference between knowing and actually acting out your beliefs.

The Philo.prof. made the mistake of saying how he believed that little good would come out of a GMRC (Good Manners and Right Conduct) class, because values are only effectively taught at home. Values Ed. is "an exercise in futility," he said.

How sad for him to believe this! And him being a teacher!

He also went on and on about there being only two sources of knowledge: reason and sense perception.

A brave soul spoke up, questioning the validity of his argument about there being only two sources of knowledge and defending the role of teachers in character formation. He suggested coming up with a set of values taken from the commonalities in the holy books of the major religions such as the Koran and the Bible.

The poor, poor Philo. prof... he couldn't fathom there being Truth outside what is logical and measurable, because his whole life has been spent studying epistemology and logic.

But when you think about it, you cannot intellectualize ethics and religion!!

I was delighted at how ably he (the brave soul, NOT the Philo prof) spoke, so I came up to him afterwards and introduced myself. What an admirable teacher he will turn out to be! He used to be a scientist, until he was called to the Ministry, and is now a curriculum designer. We talked a bit, it was so nice to find that we had the same ideas.

Had a blessed talk with an old friend afterwards.  She shared with me a link that led me to this site, where I found the most wonderful meaning of my name:

Gabriela

Woman of God "Hebrew"

 

Your calm manner and maturity belie a fierce determination to be at the top where you can exercise authority and get things done. Although somewhat of a rebel you attract much support through treating others with kindness and friendship. You have a broad scope and are naturally drawn to travel or projects which can expand your knowledge and understanding. Your talents and generosity bring you emotional and material contentment.

 

Francisco

Gentle, affectionate and tolerant you are nonetheless determined and ambitious with the ability to lead. Sympathetic and understanding you are a humanitarian who wishes to improve the lives of others less fortunate. You have a keen intellect, strong intuition and creative ideas which are always put to practical purpose. You are loved by others for your inspiring optimism and for being a genuine friend.

 

I never knew that my first name meant that!! I was so delighted, and still am.

Dear Lord, thank you for such a beautiful name. Please help me live up to it.

~ ~

Am soooo sleepy, and my brain isn't functioning properly so I won't edit this entry anymore.  Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Doodles in the Loo

Just wanted to share some of the graffiti (yeah, it's vandalism... tsk tsk tsk) written on the cubicle walls of the Girl's Loo, Math Building.

There's some poetic stuff (that probably never saw the light of a CW 10 workshop... but there's some heartfelt pathos in between the lines and one can't help but sympathize):

What hurts the most was being so close

And having so much to say

And watching you walk away

And never knowing what could have been

And not seeing that loving you

That's what I was trying to do ...

 

And by the same author (I think... her signature is a drawing of a flower):

 

He's the reason for the tear drops on my guitar

The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star

He's the song in the car I keep singing

Don't know why I do.

 

There's some of the usual kilig rants: ATOM ARAULLO I LOVE YOU!!!

To which a helpful soul replied: Here's his number! 0927_ _ _ _ _ _ _ TEXT HIM NA!

 

There's some literary discussion as well:

Maganda pa ang PANDORA ni Anne Rice?

   Oo, pinakamatinong sinulat niya ito.

 

Some more musings on love:

Pwede bang ma-inlove dahil lang sa in love ka sa ideang love mo siya? (Ang gulo no?)

     And the reply: False love, in short... NO, my dear.

 

A frustrated girl wrote: Graduate na crush ko! WaaaAAAaaaaa.....

 

And who is Stephen Larcia?? His name was written all over the place... he and Atom are the contenders for "most-beloved" of UP iska's.

 

There was a list of FASCISTS:

1. Hitler

2. GMA

3. (A certain math prof)

4. (Another math prof)

 

And this is my personal favorite:

Math 17 is just a phase... This too shall pass.

   To which someone replied: But Math 100 is eternal.

~ ~ ~ ~

Busy busy days! I'm so sleep from waking up before 5 a.m. everyday to make it to class on time at 7.

Unfortunately, there are days when the traffic is so bad (like today!!!) because of rain/ traffic accidents... like today, I arrived 1 hour and 10 minutes late for Math 2. T.T  We were on the road for two hours and a half, almost. AaaAAArgh! And then U.P. decides to suspend class at the beautifully late hour of 3 pm. What's the point?

~ ~ ~

I was assigned an opera! We're doing DON PASQUALE by Gaetano Donizetti. I'm playing Norina, a flirtatious little vixen.

Must. Internalize. The songs are quite challenging, not to mention SUPER DUPER HIGH! Oh well. Practice practice practice!

Enrollment in U.P. vs. Enrollment in Ateneo

I did the legwork for my twinnie's M.A. enrollment a few days ago. Since my mindset was fresh from my U.P. enrollment, I made sure to dress appropriately that day: dark shirt (so sweat stains won't be quite as visible), "macho" jeans and comfy sneakers. I didn't know quite what to expect, so I prepared for the worst and armed myself with tissue paper, alcohol, a bottle of water, a fan, an extra T shirt and a book to read while waiting in line. (Haha, told you I was thinking of U.P. registration!)

*gasp* It was so different from UP enrollment!

For one thing, all I had to do was walk the short distances in between buildings, present myself to the registration assistants, and sit pretty in an airconditioned room (complete with magazines for our reading pleasure).

The lines for payment and i.d. validation were laughably short. ("Line? You call THAT a line?") They even had cordoned-off areas for lining up! Impressive, huh?

Registration assistants were everywhere, and would announce various reminders on their megaphone every few seconds. Imagine not having to ask what the next step is because, hey! They're spoonfeeding the instructions to you! :)

That was the first time I enrolled and didn't even break into a sweat. It took all of *gasp* 30 minutes.

On the other hand, this sem's electronic enrollment in UP did speed things up, but only if you were lucky enough to get all the subjects you enlisted for online (*thank goodness for graduating students being given priority*). 

Good luck to all the pre-rog-ers next week!

Oh, I almost forgot... I have a 7 a.m. class tomorrow. 'Night everyone.

Toblerone (the little ones) and An Incident With A Magazine

Maybe it's just me, but I find the little toblerones (a.k.a Tobleronini's) considerably more delicious than their giant counterparts.

I'm crazy about the stuff! We bought a couple of packs in Baguio (1 pack containing three Tobleronini's), and three of them survived long enough to reach Manila.

Now, there is only one pack left.

I haven't counted how many Tobleronini's I've consumed in the span of a few days... and I don't think I want to know.

My brother said that to burn the calories from one tobleronini, I'd have to jog 6 km.

I AM DOOMED.

*sigh* Never mind. A little blubber will serve me well in the upcoming months. Just as the camel drinks plenty of water in between desert expeditions, so too shall I store away fat for the dark and dreary days ahead (haha, the melodrama!).

~ ~ ~

Today, I went for one of my bi-annual hair cuts at a salon somewhere along Katipunan. (It's a really great place where they serve you complimentary iced tea and even give you a cold towel face/neck massage for free... how nice!).

They brought me a few magazines to read while I was waiting for a barber -- no, a STYLIST -- to attend to me.

Still sleepy from the cold towel massage, I drowsily skimmed over one R_ _ B _ _ _ magazine. Somewhere in the middle, a few pages were of different material (i.e. nonglossy). I glanced down, and to my shock there was a full-length, no-holds-barred "romantic episode" that would have been at home in any FHM / Playboy magazine (not that I've read one, mind you). 

I mean, it was practically porn!

The disturbing thing is, this magazine wasn't "one-of-those" magazines... I'd place it in the same category as Marie Claire or Seventeen.

And yet there was that... that... excerpt.

What if a little girl picked it up and read it? *shudder*

Nowadays, you can't judge a magazine by it's cover.

The last movie of the sem break...

(I don't wish to spoil the movie for anyone who'd want to watch it, so I won't go into details)

Ang Lee's LUST, CAUTION (Se, Jie) was marketed as an "erotic spy-thriller," but after sitting through all 2.5 hours of it, I think this is too simplistic a description.

There's lust, to be sure, and we are shown lust in several forms, the sheer destructiveness of it, the irrationality of it... and at the end one realizes how vulnerable we human beings are to this vice... that no matter how educated and morally upright one prides one's self to be, lust can still prove to be a temptation too powerful to defeat.

But there are also various issues tackled in the film... such as what kind of ethical code can a society have during wartime. And the choices one must make between personal morals, patriotism & "love."

What adjectives to ascribe to the movie? Interesting? Definitely. I FELT for the characters, five minutes into the movie pa lang and I wanted to see how it would end (in fact, I forced my rebellious bladder into submission because I couldn't bear leaving my seat, even for only a few minutes).

Erotic? Excluding the R18 scenes, I'd say it was very sensual. Certain images remain in my mind's eye: the blood-red lipstick stain left on a pale white coffee cup... a young girl leaning out of the bus window to let the raindrops fall on her moon-shaped face... the harsh white stage lights knifing through the dark to partially illuminate the lonely face of a youth who's been forced to mature too quickly... for the cinematography alone, I'd say this movie would have been worth a ticket.

Haunting? Yep! The story is still playing over and over in my head... it's definitely one of those movies that will stay with you long after you've left the cinema.

~ ~ "Caution! There is lust!" says my twin sister.

Call me a prude but I was shocked by the controversial love scenes, and while some would argue that they were necessary for the audience to fully understand the characters, I still think that it was too much. You can film tasteful love scenes by just showing the emotions on the actors' faces. And it's more of a challenge to the actors and the director that way, I think.

~ ~

Enrollment time tomorrow... the last time, for me.

God Among The Shakers

That's the title of the book I was talking about in my last post, subtitled: A Search for Stillness and Faith at Sabbathday Lake, by Suzanne Skees.

The author graduated from Harvard Divinity School and was agnostic for most of her adult life. All that changed when she went to live amongst the Shakers (at that time, there were still eight of them) in the last Shaker community in Sabbathday Lake, Maine.

I just checked online and found out that there are only four of them remaining, today. :(

~ ~ If you've taken MuL 15, surely you remember Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring from one of the listening cd's? Copland took the famous Shaker song, 'Tis The Gift To Be Simple, as his motif and composed some variations on it. ~ ~

It was a very good read! The author describes in great detail the Shakers' rigidity in their schedule, the Spartan way they lived, their community confessions... she even includes one-on-one interviews. I was quite entertained by the way this Western woman kept pestering the Shakers, "How on EARTH can you commit to a LIFETIME of celibacy?!?" I couldn't help but think that if she were Asian, she wouldn't really have a hard time accepting it.

She writes, of the Shaker brothers that she met: "What a waste. What a waste of glorious manhood." Haha! I know of women who say that when they meet a handsome priest. But is it truly a waste? These men & women are free to pursue their relationship with God, to focus all their energy into it, in a way that wouldn't be possible if they were married and had children to take care of. What is so bad about that?

What I liked about Shakerism is their emphasis on union, on community. I'll include a portion here, when the author is conversing with Miriam, a Reform Jew.

Miriam: "I could never be Christian or Catholic because I cannot accept the idea that someone else died to atone for my sins. In Judaism, we are taught from early on that we hold full responsibility for our actions. If some Saviour died on the cross to make up for whatever horrible, evil things I might ever do in this life, then what is the implication there? It's cause-and-effect: If you are saved no matter what, then what's to stop you from doing "no matter what?" No, this whole Jesus-Savior thing is a real turn-off for me."

The author thought of a way to achieve peace, by reminding her of what they shared in common in their beliefs. Hence she brought up the Shaker view of "Jesus as Christ-Spirit," as not being the first nor the last to embody it, and that "he was one of many including Plato and Buddha." To which Miriam the Jew replied: "Yes, I can live with that."

In the epilogue, the author writes:

"The heart of Shakerism offers, even to us who would remain in the world, the chance to see life in a new way. We can consider the possibility that the Christ-Spirit, not coming in on some distant cloud from heaven, dwells within us right this minute. The spirit, already within us even now, can be freed. It becomes love -- it IS love -- which is God.

... Shakerism beckons towards simplicity ... and offers a different way of loving, loving all people equally and seeing them as hosts of the spirit, loving from the gut rather than the mind, without judgement, without limit. Shakerism ... will change my life -- not by converting me into a celibate sister on the farm in Maine, but by fleshing out the beliefs I hold dear into a way of living them daily.

...I may never be a Shaker, but I think my journey to Sabbathday Lake may help me become a better me... Simplifying my life, absurd as that seems in my materialistic experience, can happen in small steps along the way... Keeping myself honest, speaking gently my truth to those around me and -- most importantly -- to myself, can evolve me from the pain of rigid expectations to the serenity of what really is. Sharing with others the feelings that well up from deep within, and giving testimony to the inexplicable faith I have in the unseen, can extend my own personal church beyond Sunday mornings to the weeks that follow."

~ ~ ~ ~

We're back in Manila, yay!! Our time in Baguio was really great, but like the saying goes, there's truly no place like home. Oh piano I have missed you!!

CRS results are out. I still have a missing grade in Oratorio Lit., so I can't compute for my GWA. I got all the subjects I enlisted in, but there's a catch: I have 7-8:30 a.m. classes everyday except Wednesday. Haha! I'm just grateful that I got IN those classes.

Of Reading and Gaining Weight

We haven't really gone out much in the past several days. Our typical schedule is:

7:00: Breakfast (usually consisting of eggs, fried rice, ham/ longganisa/ tocino and the freshest tomatoes on earth... heavenly!!)

7:30 -- 11:00: Reading Time ... we sometimes go back to bed for another hour of peaceful Zzzzz's. Ang sarap talaga matulog at kumain dito! There's something about the air.

11:30 -- 1:00 Lunch Time: Sometimes we step out of the house and go to one of the famous "only-in-Baguio" diners like the Star Cafe or the Luisa Cafe in Session Road (their lechon rice bowl is DIVINE!)

1:00 -- 5:00 : Reading Time Part 2

5:00 -- 7:00: We go out for a "joy ride" of sorts... usually we end up having coffee or a late merienda

7:30 Dinner

8:00 -- 10:00: Taking-a-bath-time/ Watching-a-VCD-on-Tata's-laptop-time

(So far we've watched: THE FOUNTAIN, TRANSFORMERS, the old version of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE starring Laurence Olivier himself as Darcy, THE HISTORY BOYS, and the definitive movie of our childhood: CONAN THE DESTROYER!!! Yeah! I've got the soundtrack memorized, haha)

10:00: Lights off (but I usually stay up late reading with the aid of my flashlight, hidden under the covers)

~ ~ ~

Last night, though, I hardly got any sleep. It was around 11:30 p.m., and I was in the middle of a rather confusing Johannine passage when the neighbors living in the cottage upstairs got their party started by turning on their radio at a REALLY loud volume! It was soooooo inconsiderate of them.

They played Sitti, the Beatles, Karen Carpenter, and even Fall Out Boy until it was around 1:30 a.m. (I know because I couldn't sleep until they turned off the darn thing)

Some people talaga..... Grrrrrrrr.....

*rubs eyes bleakly*

~ ~ ~ ~

I just finished this fascinating book on the Shakers. They have quite an interesting theology! They believe in the Father/Mother God as having both a feminine and masculine spirit , and in the Christ-Spirit that was present in Jesus as well as their founder, Ann Lee, and other historical figures such as Buddha.

Shakers (different from the Quakers and the Amish, mind you) share everything with the community, have no private property, take vows of celibacy and live apart from the world though they do not shun technology like the Quakers do.

More on that next time... I am summoned.