What has KHQ gone down to?

I may have temporarily left KHQ, but this has not stopped me from lurking. A while ago, I was just doing this activity and found (it's no longer surprising, really) that there was a new troll invading the kid-friendly forum. Or, should I say, once kid-friendly forum. It's sad to note that back in 2006, KHQ was still the greatest online tambayan for many of us. The members were nice and amiable and the atmosphere awesome. But, now... Look at what KHQ is now. It may have gotten a new layout but this masks the cruelty and the not-so-awesome people who hold the forum in their hands. I don't mean the admins or the mods when I said that. I mean some of the members do.

The atmosphere in KHQ today is changing: choking and full of smog. It's much like what our world today is like, slowly deteriorating.

Kuya Micael told me once that this slow downfall is not only cause by its members, but by the ignorance of the moderators also. I admit that I am guilty. I refused to reprimand these other members because I thought that it would be for the better. Or that I could influence them more if I joined them. But, alas, no. It caused all the more ruckus, not only in the forum but in my life also. When once the disease spread, I began to be plagued by guilty feelings. I hated myself, really, for making all this happen because, back then, I had the power to stop this. As a moderator, I had the will to do so. I could exert my power. But I did not. Maybe I was afraid...

The disease is worse now. I don't know if even the banhammer would do to cure it. Trolls are invading.

Just like what soul_hunter said, even one not-so-smart post would bring in the vultures. The newbie would experience all kinds of flaming and bashing (I'm looking at the DLS girls here) until finally, the member is driven away... It's just not right. Why couldn't we see that we were once in their place also? Innocent and perhaps a little ignorant? Just because you people are smart doesn't mean that you can undermine and trample on others. Give yourself a break. KHQ was no better with your blog. It has driven a lot of members away.

I don't get why trolls keep appearing. What do you guys gain by messing up a nice forum? You make me sick.

Many KHQ veterans keep saying that KHQ has changed. It really has. An awful lot. I no longer wonder why Kuya Micael left a long time ago. It was no longer about duty; it was more of a personal need, I think, to leave the past behind, especially when you've seen how great it was back then. (This reminds me of those early settlements...)

Like Carmine said, if the forum is just going to die like this, why not remove it now? I think it would be easier if we did that..

Dorm Blues

Sa nakaraang entry, naisulat ko ang tungkol sa ilang problema sa dormitoryo, lalo na sa pagkain. Hindi lang iyon nag-iisa; napakarami pa. Ngunit ngayon, gusto kong isulat muna ang tungkol sa nakaraang GA o General Assembly noong nakaraang ika-26 ng Enero 2010.

Pinag-usapan sa pagpupulong na ito ang tungkol sa UP Fair, Kalai Week, Yearbook, at kung ano-ano pa. Ang resulta? Ninanais ko na ngayon na matapos na ang lahat ng ito. Masyadong maraming gastos na wala namang benefit sa amin. Katulad ng Yearbook. Aanhin ko iyan? Wala nga kaming yearbook nung elementary at highschool, sa pagkakaalam ko. Alam kong makakadagdag lang iyan sa kalat sa bahay, lalo pa't hardcover and pinili niyo. Ganoon din ang batch shirt. Dapat kasi merchandise na lang iyan, 'yung bang optional ang pagbili at hindi ang sapilitan. Ano kami? Mga bangkong labas lang ng labas ng pera? Isa pa nga pala ang financial report na iyan. Tama ang argument ng ibang residente. Hindi nga naman pinapaskil ng House Council ang mga gastos nila. Nakakagulat tuloy ang laman ng financial report nila... Lalo na ang paggastos nila sa TV na 20,000. Nasira kasi yung malaking TV kaya binalak nilang bumili ng bago: 40 inches daw at may home theater system. Home theater system? Aanhin ko 'yan? Nakaka-survive naman ang isang tao ng walang TV, lalo na ng walang home theater system. Isa pa ang Open House, kung saan bukas ang kwarto ng mga residente sa ibang tao, tulad ng mga kaibigan at mga myembro ng kani-kaniyang pamilya. Sabihin niyo, ano ang benefit niyan sa mga residente? Paano ang mga may exam sa Sabadong iyon o kaya'y sa susunod na linggo? Hindi lang iyon, kailangan pang bigyan ng dekorasyon ang bawat corridor kaya siguradong bagong gastos na naman iyan. Nandiyan din ang pag-record umano ng kanta ng bawat corridor para i-compile na magiging batch CD. Pweh! Anong gagawin ko dun? At ang arte pa, kailangan daw ay mag-rerecord pa sa studio. E magkano naman iyon? 600 hanggang isang libo mahigit ang presyo ng pag-rerecord. Gastos na naman! Isa pa ang Formal Dinner... Na magiging katulad din ng nakaraang Acquaintance Party at Christmas Party? Sabihin na nating catered nga at hindi sa Kalai gagawin, ano ngayon? Babayaran namin ang caterer tapos mag-rerent pa ng susuotin... At sapilitan ding magbabayad ang hindi pupunta? Napaka-unfair naman ata niyan. Kung alam niyo lang, maraming residente na pinili ang Kalayaan dahil mura ang bayad kada buwan. Nabasa niyo ba iyon? MURA. At ang ginagawa niyong mga gastos ay hindi kaayon ng dahilan nila kung bakit sila nag-dorm sa Kalai. Sa bagay, marami kasi sa inyo mga mayayaman na nasa Bracket A, di ba? Bakit hindi niyo kaya ilagay ang inyong mga pampered na sarili niyo sa lugar ng iba? Wala akong nakikitang point sa mga pinaggagawa niyong project at kung ano-ano pa. Lalo na't patapos na ang ikalawang semestre. Oo at malapit na ang bakasyon ngunit hindi ba't sa panahong ito, marami ang mga exam at projects na binibigay ng mga propesor? At isisingit pa nila ang mga dorm activities sa stressful na buhay ng mga UP students? Ano ba naman 'yun? Ginugusto po namin ang academic excellence, at hindi ang excellence ng mga activities sa dormitoryo.

Hay naku...

Happy breakfast... NO!

January 28, 2010 marks one of the most memorable breakfasts I have ever had in the dormitory. Of course there were a dozen yarns about maggots, half-cooked fish, the omelette, and the like. However, I do not think that every dormer has had remembrances of these "incidents." This day is particularly special because it made such a grand ruckus and there are odd points that may or may never be unanswered.

The morning was wretchedly cold and the sun was, as of that time, still no more. There was want of sleep in me - for I had slept past midnight, finishing three essays for an examination - and I was horribly shivering when I entered the canteen. It was chilly enough inside, too... Perhaps a foreboding of things to occur? But, nay, we ignored it.

I took up my meal card, dropped it in the respective box, and proceeded to get a tray of food. Ah, it was supposed to be a moment of happy eating but it was the contrary. How unfortunate... Terribly so.

You must imagine how hungry one is in the mornings. That was how I felt that I gave little attention to the odd taste of the egg cooked in sunny-side up fashion: it was like eating toothpaste (as one dormer remarked, it was like eating and brushing your teeth at the same time). I disregarded it, for the egg looked completely normal, and I went on eating, every now and then dipping the slices in ketchup generously to get rid of the "flavor."

The scene was temporarily forgotten.

What truly happened, I really don't know. But there were rumors of food poisoning, contaminated cooking oil, and such and such. In my case, I have not felt anything queer. Nevertheless, I was thankful to write a comment about about said breakfast which, I presume, will be handed to the canteen staff.

As you can clearly see, things are not going too well and I verily want to see the end of the days that I shall spend in this wearisome place. What I want most right now is a break, a looooooooong break.

3 New Books!

Yup, yup! Here are the titles:

1. The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton

2. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

3. The Black Mountain by Rex Stout

And all three for 85 pesos. Yay~

This week was...

One of the best I've had in UPD! It is one of the most stressful weeks but - thank God! - it's fun and oddly relaxing.

Well, let's start with Monday: We had our first exam in Math 1. To tell the truth, I wasn't very confident with my answers. More or less, I might be likely to get a score of 36 - 54. I forgot to write that there were no Toki jeeps that day (at least I didn't see one...) so I had to walk all the way to the Math building. It was my first time, by the way. It was quite far and my legs were aching when I arrived. Anyway, after the exam, I walked again to the OUR to check the 2010 UPCAT results. Ha! There were a lot of people, mostly students, who were running their fingers down the lists to see if their names are printed. I wriggled my way in and took out a piece of paper where my sister's and her classmates's names were written. I went to the 'S' section first and looked for our surname. Voila! It was there! And guess what? She was eligible to enroll in UP Diliman and will take the course BS Tourism. Yes, I could jump up to the ceiling. I sighed, relieved, and all the tiredness went out of me when I read that name. Unfortunately, only my sister and Kim passed. But it's okay. At least somebody passed. :)

On Tuesday, I lost a Scrabble fight. My wins still outnumber the losses, though, with 5 to 2. Oh well. One can't win every game. At around 11:00am, my J100 group mates and I went to Philcoa to shoot our presentation (Libertarian Theory). We had lunch at McDo; we also planned to shoot there. However, when my group mates were shooting the second scene, the guard noticed and told them that they'd have to stop or else the manager might get angry. No choice. We left the restaurant and decided to shoot outside. However, some street children tried to grab our almost empty sundaes (we were using them as props). They were really scary, I tell you. When they finally left us, we went to Mini Stop and decided to shoot there. It was a good thing that the people there allowed us. :) After that, we went back to U.P. Haha! This is one of the fun parts of the day! We shot a scene where all of us had to lie on our backs along the University Avenue!

Wednesday saw one of the best experiences I've ever had as a MassCom student. Yeah, yeah, this isn't going to be the last, I know. ;) During the afternoon, we went to the studios of TV5 and watched a taping of Who wants to be a millionaire? It was fun for a lot of reasons. Mainly because they fed us three times? Haha! It was also my first cut... Which turned out to be unsuccessful because Ms. Mata wasn't around. Also, we went back to the dorm by 12:30am or later - my first. I was really scared, you know? What if the guard didn't let me in? LOL. But I did get in and slept soundly.

We were supposed to have our buddy date - Yna and I - today but the first workshop (a requirement to be able to enter BroadGuild) was going to occur that day, 4-7PM. We had to re-schedule. The workshop was all about flash animation and layouting. It was fun. I got to meet my buddy and gained 11 trivias about Kuya Rhai. I also got to meet three other FG's who didn't come with us on the media tour. I went back to the dorm at around 7:20 and took out my dinner. Tiring day...

It's finally Friday and I'm able to go back home. We still don't have Lingg 1 so I slept until 7am. :) Kas 2 is better since I'm more familiar with the discussions (the beginning of civilizations in Asia). Oh yeah. We're going to have our first exam January 30, Saturday, from 10am - 12nn. As the days pass, I feel more and more calm about the exam. Thank God... We didn't have English 11 (again) so I was able to go home at 1:30, I think. I arrived in Pampanga at 5 in the afternoon.

Haa... Rest until Monday. I'm able to go home on early Tuesday morning since we won't have Scrabble classes. :)

Wishing you were somehow here again - Phantom of the Opera

I just wanted to post these lyrics 'cause they're so nice and sad. :)

You were once my one companion
You were all that mattered
You were once a friend and father
Then my world was shattered

Wishing you were somehow here again
Wishing you were somehow near
Sometimes it seem if I just dream
Somehow you would be here

Wishing I could hear your voice again
Knowing that I never would
Dreaming of you won't help me to do
All that you dreamed I could

Passing bells and sculpted angels
Cold and monumental
Seem for you the wrong companions
You were warm and gentle

Too many years
Fighting back tears
Why can't the past just die

Wishing you were somehow here again
Knowing we must say goodbye
Try to forgive teach me to live
Give me the strength to try
No more memories no more silent tears
No more gazing across the wasted years
Help me say goodbye'.

To the UPCAT passers

Welcome to the club! :)

You have just defeated the first boss, which is the UPCAT, and is now heading towards the next one. Don't worry 'cause there'll be friends to help you get through it all, such as your batchmates and your blockmates which you will soon meet. I just got around to writing something for you, guys. Just some tips to help you survive.

1. Don't be over your head... Yet. At least, not until you grab that summa cum laude!

2. Always do and pass projects and assignments before the deadline. Some professors give additional points to those who pass before the deadline.

3. Know your professor do's and dont's. An easy subject can seem hard because of a professor; a hard subject can seem easy because of a professor.

4. Buy yourself a calendar to take note of events.

5. HAVE FUN!! Have a blast studying at one of the best universities in the Philippines!

Cheerio!

Movie Review - Bleach: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name

Rating: 5/10

Predictable ending. Crappy story. Those nameless punks made the Captain-class shinigamis look weaker than they actually were. Cheesy lines. Too much shouting from Rukia (Don't get me wrong; I like Rukia... But not when she's like this). All that fuss and more... It's been done over and over and over and hopelessly over and over again. Why don't they ever learn?

But I've got to say, the animation's not bad. It's probably the only good thing about this 3rd movie; the rest are either predictable or just plain puny. Really, I don't think it's much worth watching it for an hour and a half. But if you're a die-hard fan of BLEACH you just might like it.

Book Review - Seven Deadly Wonders by Matthew Reilly

Rating: 9/10

Seven Deadly Wonders is wicked. The style employed by Matthew Reilly is stunning. The intensity rises steadily as the story progresses. I thought that the beginning was quite bland, but as things went on it just grew better and better. No wonder it's a New York Times bestselling book! There is also no doubt as to why Australians called Matthew Reilly "our Michael Crichton." He really is comparable to Crichton (although Crichton is the better of the two, for me). I liked the Indiana Jones-like adventure and escapades the team went through, but most importantly, the sense of the team being a family. It's a nice thing to read about their interactions and their experiences with each other.

The story also has a dramatic side, of course. The reader cannot help but attach to himself to the characters. In this instance, I liked Liam Kissane, that sort of dumb Irish commando. Why? Because he's Irish (like the Dylandly twins of Gundam 00) and because he's an endearing lovely thing (not the sort of phrase that describes a commando, eh?)! I am just saddened by his death and just the fact that Cal Kallis made "fun" of him (he was the one who ultimately killed him) by calling him a "gurgling bloody mess" makes me sick. Jack West Jr. is also a nice kind of character, and so is Lily! I can see the equally Australian Hugh Jackman playing the super soldier. Jack West, you are the man!

Altogether, it's a novel filled with adventure, excitement, and suspense. This novel, coupled with its archaeological alignments and adventure, is a great gift for me. I could easily put it a notch higher than Crichton's Jurassic Park (but I still consider the late Crichton as the best adventure genre writer ever). It's a great read and it's worth spending six to eight hours of your time poring over it.

Movie Review - Sherlock Holmes

Rating: 8/10

The movie is okay; the soundtrack and the graphics are great. But, dear friends, I wasn't watching the Holmes of the books; I was watching the comedic Holmes (but it really is funny and I can't get the lines off of my head). It is a good one, if you love comedy and action, but if you're looking for the original Holmes, you might not like it.

I liked the film but it feels like something is still missing (perhaps we'll see the missing part in the second installment). The movie's plot is very far from those of the books. First of all, Mary Morstan's father is dead. She was an orphan, if my memory serves me right. Also, Mary was a previous client of Holmes. It is very much impossible that Holmes could not remember her (Mary referred to herself as a "complete stranger"). In fact, it was in The Sign of Four where Watson first met his future wife. Mary Morstan is also not previously engaged. (If you observe, the fallacies are mostly with the character of Mary.)

(While reading the books, I always imagined that Mrs. Hudson was a fat, old lady. In the movie, she was thin, tall, and stately.)

I am looking forward to the sequel, though. It sounds more interesting (I just don't like the idea of Brad Pitt playing the great Professor Moriarty).

So much for negativity. I will now point out what I liked about it.

Frankly, I am surprised at how Robert Downey, Jr. acted out the part. I could not envision him playing Holmes when I first heard that he was playing the lead character. He did a magnificent job with the role. One should also not forget to praise Jude Law's portrayal. He was also fantastic with Dr. John Watson. The bull pup, little Gladstone, is a very cute companion. I absolutely LOVE him. Mark Strong as Lord Blackwood makes a creepy antagonist. I can't help but fear his fabulous hair (not to mention the teeth). Guy Ritchie also did a good job with showing how a detective's job is so full of action and danger.

Even with the mixed reviews, I do hope that fans of the movie would turn to the books. It would be much better. The books are suffering so much stagnation.