True Love

The Canadian Crippler

He wasn't my hero, but I was a fan. Any wrestler who stepped into that ring automatically took a million hopes with him. They are deemed as unstoppable and unbreakable by steel, bone and wood. It's just a shocker when you see one, especially one as good and refined as Chris Benoit die just like that. Blame steroids and blame the drug addictions that these guys go through.

Call professional wrestling sports or call it entertainment, but whatever you call it, realize that people are dying in it. They are dying because they believe bigger muscles lead to bigger paychecks. But no one is telling them that they can't spend a nickel of it if they are dead.

I hate being called Bonjing. I mean, I just said "Nikki!!" to Nikki and her kasama can speculate and call me Bonjing based on those 1.8 seconds of verbal acknowledgment. Fuck it. Where are my toys?

BF

BF has its charm.

Tucked away in the middle of south metro manila, it has become this wonderful community of families, shop owners, businessmen and, last weekend, joggers. 

I joined Carls and Anj for some jogging around Phase 3. Of course we met up at Mio mart, the usual starting point for most of our adventures. And then, just like that, a gap had grown between me and them. Despite their obvious advantages in fitness and speed, it wasn't hard to lose them. Its easy to spot the unique running styles that they had fostered. Carls' head moves up and down so quickly, that it seems like the rest of his body is catching up, while Anj thrusts her elbows backwards with such ferocity, you can tell she's in constant suspension, waiting for someone to attack her from behind.

All in all, there I was, 20 paces back, just admiring the small houses and shops that have become our beloved BF homes. You sometimes wish more places in Manila were like this. The two that boast similar characters are the Tomas Morato area and Maginhawa or UP teacher's village, where I was last weekend as well.

After watching Ratatouille with some friends, we then met up with their friends in Maginhawa for some drinks. I cannot fathom how many times I, a non-drinker, end up with friends drinking. It's like the inescapable default bonding means of our time.

Another bonding means unique to this generation is YM. Phone exchanges shan't be exchanged, but the adding of YM addresses is the thing. And then during this inuman, I was pressured to YM this girl I had been wanting to hang out with for a while now. In a room full of men, priority number one is to force their friends to message a girl. Any girl. I was lucky that there was somebody I was mildly interested in.

Or was I. 

The thing that I forget about these impromptu declarations of interest is that you yourself would also be interested. Case in point me. After I got home and sent my emboldened message, I could not sleep.

Would she reply? What do I say if she says this? Do I look cool with one-liners or try to keep the conversation going with wordy responses that could also be a turn off?

I tried sleeping, using every trick taught to me. Look up while closing your eyes. Relax every facial muscle and breathe in slowly. Yet, when the heart pounds as fast as it does, there's only so much you could do.

I didn't sleep. And in a few minutes, I'd be joining Carls and Anj for a BF run. They'd be wondering why I was so slow that day.

Bragging rights

More than the actual win, it's who you beat and bragging rights that matter.

And when you lose it just like that, it hurts.

Fucking Jay. I was one shot away from victory and I miss the shot. I rarely beat this man. His talent is there, but you never know. In this funky time, it could just be your day. And it was nearly mine.

Jay sinks the nine-ball and goes into a victory lap. No songs were sung except the new hit "Fuck you chong! That was the plan! That was the plan!"

Again. Bragging rights ARE important

No matter what you do. You could do well in class, get a nicer phone, go out with a prettier girl, but he can always go back to that time when he beat me in pool. And then I just shut up and take it. Why?

Because, it's the law of men. All we care about are sports, computer games and drinking contests. Winning in these is like earning a championship belt. 

Justin today made me listen to Maroon 5's "Nothing lasts Forever". It's the addictive voice of Adam Lavigne that carries this song and writing the lyrics down here doesn't do it justice. Hopefully "Nothing Lasts Forever" applies to bragging rights.

Now time to focus on CS175. Gotta get my game on.



NOTE: THIERY HENRY IS GOING TO BARCA!!!

Idiots guide to the BF carpool

1. Greet Anj Mendoza and her breasts regularly. The right one is called "Lick". The left is "Me"
2. Lorenzo Pedro greets them with a handshake
3. Do not tease Carlos Agana about his recent sex change. The former "Miss Tawi-Tawi" is a bit sensitive about the issue.
4. Enzo Perez is a Nobel prize winner for his humanitarian actions and is also one of the nicest guys around.
5. Lorenzo Araneta has, what we call, face-o-phobia. As a result, we must bow when talking to him.
6. Lorenzo Pedro leads an underground cult of perverts.
7. Amboy is just a nickname. It is short for "Ama gonna lick me some boys".
8. Mel likes to be tickled.
9. Manoy Infante is a drunkard and likes peeing on trees. Unfortunately when he's drunk, we all look like trees.
10. Snow White used to have 8 dwarfs. Until Nikki Isaac joined the carpool on 2006.
11. Serge almost failed Ateneo last year. He will most likely ask you to do his homework. Throw him a quarter when provoked.
12. JV Sebial is not part of Carpool. If he asks for a ride or money, the will most likely be used in relation to DOTA.
13. Those who ride with Alfie must remember one thing. Sangkyu Han was the last person to offend him. Now he is plucking nuclear waste from the pores of his face leaving him scarred for life.
14. Back in the day, when Carlos was a woman. She used to date a guy named Kyle. Saying "Kyle" is the best way cheer him up.
15. Miko Galvez's camera has X-ray vision. That's why he smiles when he takes photos.
16. Pin is a man.
17. Talking to Frances is like talking to the terminator. No matter what you say, you die.
18. Lorenzo Araneta comes from a mixed chinese-japanese-filipino heritage and in order to avoid offending him you are to address him as "lord hibachi"
19. Nico does not matter on this list

First day

I've never had a foreign Prof. So count my lucky stars this guy was British.

He says "Good morning" and its just the most wonderful accent in the world. So proper and intoxicating. Whew! Just fanning myself here.

What's funny is that he's just a computer guy. I wasn't fortunate enough to have him as a professor of Literature to remind us of the beauty of Shakespeare. Nope. He's just my Photoshop Prof. He probably retired here or something. But he says "Computer" like "kempyutah" and "Araneta" like "Eiranida". 

I love it.

Can you marry a voice??

First day of school. And the women dressed up today. I don't know if these girls just hit puberty, but they dressed up.

The mind of a man is more immature that what he'd like to show.

Pao, Kes and now Oli, Coo, Belle and I also caught up during lunch

It's great to see you guys again.

School

Everybody wants to see Rica Paraleho. She's apparently coming to Ateneo this year. Or is she here already? God Dammit. I hate being late on the gossip.

I don't like the new marketing of Rexona. First day Funk is the most overplayed song in history. Play it in front of me. I dare you.

Preparing the list of books to Xerox in UP. The great convergence awaits. There are Ateneans I see in the UP xerox place that I never see again in Ateneo. 

To Mangohead, my Un, true Love

So it's funny. 

We weren't supposed to be here. I give us props for staying together this long. What a couple we make. Of all the obstacles that kept us from being together, the main one being that I. do. not. like. you. at. all.

Kester has this knack of pairing me up with the best friend of a girl he secretly wants to date. And you were that, my untrue love. The best friend of my friend's heart's desire.

So, to my chagrin, Kester started a rumor that I liked you. He got everyone to play along. And when I mean everyone, I mean every guy sitting in the back row of Theology class. Whenever I submit my group's home works to the front of the class, you, my untrue love, suddenly hear a below of "yiheeeeeeeee" from 8 men sitting at the back whenever I pass your chair. The shame. I know. But we play along. For Kester's sake.

And now we've come to this point. Theology was last year, but we're classmates again, with Kester and his unknowing love.

You're now telling you're friends to tell me that you're not interested. Hahahaha.

Oh my untrue love. You're barking up the wrong tree. Tell your best friend to answer Kester's advances and we shall be rid of this embarrassment.

But for now, let's take this emotional beating.

Really?

Yes... really

I'm thinking that there's something seriously wrong with my body. Count the number of physical activities I do and fill it up on paper, it'd be pretty impressive. I'm not the best athlete out there, but I play enough. I sweat enough to not be considered a geek on the field. Now, with all that said and done, doctors need to explain to me why I always feel pain after every climb or every game. All the sports seem to take away my ability to walk after I play them.

We do it every Saturday Morning. The SR courts gladly welcome back 8 - 12 alumni every week for the nostalgia to keep us busy while we play. On the field, we pick up balls that were kicked too strong and remember the football games we played against La Salle and dominated during PE class. We dunk on the 7 foot high basketball courts that we waited till Grade six to reach. Mark makes the ungood panis everytime they try to make a name and take the ball from him. Jerome and Jonas finally show-up. Banez now knows what a classic Araneta elbow feels like. Alain slips and everyone laughs, because he did it again. God had it scripted and unfortunately he got the job of reunion idiot. After that, everyone goes out, they get a bite to eat and leave in separate directions.

Futsal is the ultimate release of stress

Nostalgia pare