Campaign whore time!!!

Hi guys, for those few who follow my Blogspot...

The National Cosplay Competition 2006 Online Polls Are Up!

If it's no trouble at all with you, please be so kind as to open up an account on my baby project (click on "Cosplay.ph" at the Communities section to your left) and vote for me. I am contestant # 89. v^_^v

Thanks heaps!

ORIGINAL SIN: An old meme resurrected from the dead.

WRATH
1. Who did you last get angry with?
- OMG... too many people to count.
2. What is your weapon of choice?
- Words, fists, claws, and whatever is easy enough to haul to the offending party. Seriously.
3. Would you hit a member of the opposite sex?
- Definitely. In Filipino, I'm the type that's "walang sinasanto." NOTHING and NO ONE one is sacred to me when I'm mad. Ask my family.
4. How about of the same sex?
- Ask my family and friends. Or read above.
5. Who was the last person who got really angry at you?
- So many people too.
6. What are your pet peeves?
- Losing my stuff. Big and small alike.
7. Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily?
- If the offence done to me was just too grave, I would keep the grudge up to my deathbed.

SLOTH
1. What is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven't done in a long time?
- Contact reports and timelines. UGH. >_<0
2. What is the latest you've ever woken up?
- Seriously? 2:00 pm! XD
3. Who have you been meaning to contact, but haven't?
- My older sister.
4. What is the last lame excuse you made?
- Um, sorry, we're still saving it. XD;;;
5. Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through?
- Nope.
6. How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock today?
- I didn't use it today.

GLUTTONY
1. What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice?
- Anything from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. XD
2. Meat eaters are?
- Fun! XD Sorry, vegetarianism is tough. T^T
3. What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting outing or event?
- 4 glasses of weng-weng, which has 4 different kinds of alcoholic drinks in one pitcher. All from the restaurant once owned by the person who passed me this meme. XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDd
5. Do you prefer sweets, salty foods, or spicy foods?
- Sweet, definitely. ♥

LUST
1. How many people have you seen completely naked?
- More than I can count with my hands. UP does that to you. XD;;;
2. How many people have seen YOU completely naked?
- I can count them on two hands, with one hand being the number of people who accidentally saw me completely naked! XD;;;
3. Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a member of your gender of choice during a normal conversation?
- Chest, I think. Save for one person... XD;;;
4. What is your favorite body part on a person of your gender of choice?
- For the gents, face and chest. For the ladies, legs and booty definitely. XD
5. Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute?
- Nope.
6. Have you ever had a pregnancy test?
- Nope, and I'll be damned if I have to have one.
7. Is love at first sight really lust?
- Not really.

GREED
1. How many credit cards do you own?
- None, sadly. Just a bunch of ATM cards.
2. What's your guilty pleasure store/brand?
- Bookstores, high-end clothing shops
3. If you had $1 million, what would you do with it?
- Give half to charity, the other half to divide among my assets (insurance and people alike :3).
4. Would you rather be rich, or famous?
- Rich. XD
5. Would you accept a boring job if it meant you would make megabucks?
- Maybe.
6. Have you ever stolen anything?
- Only by accident.
7. How many MP3s are on your hard drive?
- 16 GB's worth and counting! XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

PRIDE
1. What is one thing that you've done that you're most proud of?
- Won the third-place Palanca.
2. One thing have you done that your parents are most proud of?
- Won the third-place Palanca. XD
3. What thing would you like to accomplish in your life?
- Get published, draw more, write more, read more... too many things.
4. Do you get annoyed by coming in second place?
- OH HELL YES. It pisses me off like fuck. >_<0
5. Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than all the other competitors?
- Yes. But I didn't think I'd win anyway.
6. Have you ever cheated on something to get a higher score?
- Nope.
7. What did you do today that you're proud of?
- I finished a lot of work today!

ENVY
1. What item (or body part) of your friends would you most want to have for your own?
- Boobs! Seriously. I'm all fat. >_<0
2. Who would you want to go on "trading spaces" with?
- I'll get back to you on this.
3. If you could be anyone else in the world, who would you be?
- God!
4. Have you ever been cheated on?
- I hope I haven't been cheated on yet.
5. Have you ever cheated?
- Nope, but I very nearly did. >_<000
6. Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own?
- Always.
7. Finally, what is your favorite deadly sin?
- WRATH. ♥

A new quizzie! Hope I haven't posted it yet...

Your true color is Green!


What's Your True Color?

Brought to you by Tickle

I guess I have to spoil it all by saying something stupid like...

Now I still say, "to each his (her) own," but because I do feel my growth in ICTUS hemming and hawing at me, and besides that I really am no fan of the Da Vinci Code (sorry, tried reading it but grew bored by it ... and Angels and Demons offered nothing new either as I've read quite a number of books of similar ilk), I'll be posting this here. Besides, her argument are rather persuasive, although there's a bit about male suppression of females and femininity in Roman Catholicism that even I disagree on, and just warn people about being too gullible. Sadly, this intelligent argument is above and beyond some people I know who would rather point hither and thither instead of answering each point. v^_^0 Propagate this at your own risk. v^_^v


+++++++++++++++++++


What do you say to a Da Vinci Code believer?
By Amy Welborn

[*underlines originally italicised, and are the original author's]

Just as in any religion, there are different levels of The Da Vinci Code faithful:
• Those who believe every assertion made in the novel is true. These people come to my talks clutching copies of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar, one of Brown’s main sources for the novel. They stand in front of reproductions of Leonardo’s Last Supper and solemnly point out the presence of Mary Magdalene.
• Those who are startled by the claims of the novel, suspicious because they’ve never heard them before, but at the same time accepting of the possibility. These folks usually lack any background in history and suspect that there’s no way to know the truth anyway.
• Finally, there are those who really don’t care about the exact content of The Da Vinci Code, but are glad that it subverts Christianity, and so “believe” in the project in general, and heartily approve of it.
So…how to deal with them?
In answering the questions of those first two groups, “evidence” is the word to keep in mind at every point, and to stay focused on the basics.
The Da Vinci Code is a mess, a riot of laughable errors and serious misstatements. Almost every page has at least one of each. It would be easy to get swamped up in the small stuff, to spend hours debating the relationship of Marian imagery to Isis or who’s who in Leonardo’s Virgin of the Rocks The good news is, however, that’s not necessary. When discussing the factuality of The Da Vinci Code, all you really need to do is stick to a few fundamental points – and stick to them!
They say….. “But there’s a page in the front of the novel that says “Fact.” There’s a bibliography in the novel and on the website – those are real books – I’ve seen them in the library. His characters say that historians believe that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married, for example.”
You say…There is enough truth in The Da Vinci Code to be seriously misleading. Yes, the sources – like Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Templar Revelation exist. But they don’t reflect serious historical scholarship. You’re not going to find a university history department on the planet that uses the works that provide the meat of The Da Vinci Code theories as part of the syllabus.
What’s also important is what Brown doesn’t use. There are scores and scores of texts that have survived from the mid-1st century through, say, the era of Constantine in the 4th, that tell us very clearly what early Christians believed. Brown uses none of these.
It might be interesting to ask - and discuss – why. What do these reliable sources say that Brown would prefer to ignore?
They say….The case is pretty convincing – that the Priory of Sion has been protecting this secret about Mary Magdalene, the real Jesus and the real Holy Grail. It sounds like a tight case to me.
You say…Well, maybe – until you consider the following:
• The Priory of Sion, as Brown describes it, did not exist. The Priory of Sion was a small group of disaffected right-wing anti-semitic monarchists founded in 1956 in France. They forged the documents Brown describes in this book, and snuck them into French libraries. The fraud was widely exposed in the early 1970’s in France. Repeat: There was no Priory of Sion for Leonardo to belong to or to hide secrets.
• There’s actually no evidence to support a marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The Gnostic writings that suggest a special relationship between them were written at least a century after Jesus actually lived, and reflect, not the events of Jesus’ life, but the Gnostic interpretation of them. Mary functions as a symbol within those narratives, not as a historical person.
• There are voluminous studies done on the myth and legend of the Grail. Mary Magdalene factors in exactly none of them. That association is a modern invention of 20th century pseudo-histories.
They say…Well, there’s probably no way to know the truth anyway. Jesus lived so long ago; we can’t know for certain who he was or what he said. This explanation is as good as any of them.
You say…That is simply not true! Historians apply the same standards of evidence to early Christian documents as they do to any other text, and the general conclusion is that there is a consistent picture of Jesus and the early Christian movement that arises from those texts. There are ambiguities and differences of ultimate interpretation, but it’s generally agreed that:
• Jesus preached in a Jewish environment, drawing on the themes and traditions coursing through the Hebrew Scriptures.
• Central to his preaching was the “Kingdom of God.”
• He preached, did mighty deeds (miracles), told parables, and was finally arrested and executed by the Romans
• His disciples claimed that he rose from the dead, and made this the center of their earliest preaching about Jesus.
Note how radically different this is from the Da Vinci Code scenario. It’s different for a reason: the Da Vinci Code version is fabricated from whole cloth and bears no relationship to the evidence.
Yes, there may be different interpretations of what Jesus meant by “Kingdom of God” or the precise shape of the early Christian communities. But hold fast to this basic truth: There may be different theories about some aspects of early Christian history, but Jesus wedding Mary Magdalene, his chosen successor…is not one of them.
So, as we discuss these particular points, here’s where we need to focus. We need to challenge the evidence used in The Da Vinci Code and not let up. These works aren’t serious history. Why use them? There are plenty of interesting texts, easily available on the Internet, that do give a good sense of what early Christianity was all about. Why not check them out, indeed?
They say…oh, but the material on Leonardo da Vinci is very interesting.
You say…Perhaps, but it’s all wrong. The Da Vinci Code is wrong on every single point in makes about Leonardo: from his name, to his religious and philosophical beliefs, to every statement about every art work mentioned: the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, the Madonna of the Rocks, and The Adoration of the Magi.
I once gave a talk at a university. At the end of my talk, an art historian stood up and addressed the group. She said, “So many people come up to me and gush about how much art history they’ve learned from The Da Vinci Code…I tell them they’ve learned nothing about art from The Da Vinci Code!”
Indeed, if you asserted to any art historian that what is really going on in the Last Supper is that Leonardo is revealing that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and she is the real Holy Grail…they would laugh. They would.
Besides, just keep repeating…There was no Priory of Sion. There was no Priory of Sion. How could Leonardo be working on behalf of a group that didn’t exist?
There are, of course, many more questions that you’ll be asked. But if you can stick to the basics and keep questioning the evidence, you’ll go a long way in undercutting the assumptions that are brought to the dialogue.
But what about that third group?
I’ve met them – they write to me all the time – and perhaps you have too. They’re all over Internet discussions of The Da Vinci Code as well.
These are the folks that aren’t as much interested in defending the particulars of The Da Vinci Code, but are committed to this premise: that the Catholic Church is the enemy of truth and has been largely engaged in a 2000-year political power play.
To be honest, there is not much that an intellectual discussion is going to do to change these people’s minds. They are truly True Believers, largely immune to reason. But there are a few things you can say.
They say…forget the details. The fact is, there were alternate visions of Christianity, and they were brutally suppressed by the Church so that Mary Magdalene’s presence would be erased and women’s voices would be silenced and the males in charge would retain power.
You say….let’s try some logic, before we get to the facts.
• If early Christian leaders were determined to suppress Mary Magdalene’s role in their history, they did a lousy job of it. They forgot to take out the part in every Gospel in which Mary Magdalene is the first witness to the Empty Tomb, the witness on which the whole story rests.
• If the Church through history were determined to silence and demonize Mary Magdalene, again, they failed, considering that by the 8th century her feast day had been established, she was, after the Blessed Virgin, the most widely-revered saint of the Middle Ages, and she’s called, in Eastern Christianity, “Apostle to the Apostles,” among other honorifics.
• If those early Christian male powers wanted to suppress the “real story” of Jesus’ ministry and purpose, you would frankly wonder about their sanity.
Given the fact that a female disciple carrying on a movement based on the wisdom purveyed by one of many wandering teachers of the time would have not caused one Roman eye to blink in surprise during the first century, much less prompted anyone to arrest and execute followers of such a movement….you’d have to wonder why these power-hungry men decided to make up a story that would get them arrested and executed, and then stick to it during those same arrests, tortures and martyrdoms.
This, in my experience, is not what power-mad people do.
They say….it’s the bigger truth that matters. It doesn’t matter what particular version of the Jesus story you pick. You need to pick the one that’s right for you, that fits your spiritual needs. That’s why The Da Vinci Code is important. It encourages people to do that.
You say…the crucial issue in The Da Vinci Code isn’t “spiritual truth.” It’s history. And the fact is the story of early Christianity is not a total mash of conflicting, yet perhaps all equally true, accounts.
More over, most people are interested in basing their views and opinions, as much as possible, on reality. When we’re in a relationship or friendship, just “believing in the truth” of the relationship doesn’t work. It’s based on the reality of the lives we live together – what we really say, what we really do – our real histories.
It’s the same with religion. Faith is, indeed, a step forward in trust. But it’s not blind, and Christians have never described it this way. Our faith is built on what the apostles said about Jesus. We believe what they said was true, we move forward in faith, and, we believe, we encounter the real Jesus along the way, just as they did, through the Scriptures, through prayer and through sacrament.
No, not everything can be true all at the same time. Either Jesus was Lord or he wasn’t. We know what the early Christians believed – there’s no question about that. It’s not up to us, if we have any intellectual integrity at all, to just make up another story that pleases us. If we don’t like what the early apostolic witnesses said, we don’t have to listen. But if we do have that intellectual integrity at work, and if we are interested in Jesus and his movement….we do. The decision we make at the end is ours to make. But at the beginning, we do have to listen to the witnesses who were there and what they passed on about what they saw.
They say…The Jesus of The Da Vinci Code is so much more human. I can relate to him so much more easily than I can the Jesus of the Gospels and the Church.
You say… The Jesus of the Gnostic writings more human than the Jesus of the Gospels and the Church?
Really?
If you believe that, you’ve never read a Gospel.
If you believe that, you’ve never set foot in a Catholic Church.
Because, when you read the Gnostic writings, you meet the most unearthly, abstract, and frankly, boring and yes, barely human figure you can imagine. He walks around talking, talking and talking. He doesn’t suffer, and for sure he doesn’t die.
But when you actually sit down and read a Gospel, what do you see? Or rather…who?
You meet a man who was born of a woman, who, it is said in the Gospel of Luke “grew in wisdom.” He eats with his friends, goes visiting, gets into arguments, has to get away from people at times, weeps, and is even afraid. He dies. On a cross, in agony, he dies.
You’re going to tell me that’s not human?
Think about Christian iconography, as well. What are the two most frequent ways of depicting Jesus that you see in 2000 years of devotional art from this church intent on suppressing the humanity of Jesus?
An infant on his mother’s lap…and a man suffering his death throes.
You’re going to tell me that’s not human?
So yes, those who are enraptured and obsessed with The Da Vinci Code, who believe its lies, are being misled. For the truth is exactly the reverse of what this work would have you believe: it’s the Christian Church that has preserved, in that mysterious but necessary tension, the full humanity of the One it also proclaims as Lord.
I sometimes wonder why people are so fascinated with the Jesus of The Da Vinci Code and why they so resolutely ignore the Jesus we meet in the Gospels and through the Church, why people don’t want to take that Jesus seriously. Why they just want to brush him off and focus on esoteric, abstract windy speeches on inner light offered by a stick figure.
But then I go back to the Gospels, and I read, "…Sell everything you have and give the money to the poor…love your enemies….Feed the hungry…clothe the naked…visit the imprisoned…Blessed are the poor…those who mourn…the peacemakers…what you do to the least of these, you do unto me…the last shall be first…"
Of course. No surprise. No wonder we don’t want him to be the real Jesus. No surprise at all.

[Amy Welborn is the author of 13 books, including "De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of the Da Vinci Code," "De-Coding Mary Magdalene: Truth, Legend and Lies" and "The Da Vinci Code Mysteries: What the Movie Doesn't Tell You" all from Our Sunday Visitor Publications. She was also the founding General Editor of the Loyola Classics series of reprint editions of great religious-themed fiction of the 20th century.]

Focus

While riding with Daddy today my eyes began to tear up. I was glad when Daddy told me "I believe you completely" but I wasn't sure if he believed my fib that the bright lights made me cry. We were talking about LASIK, or "Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis." Essentially, this is refractive laser surgery for the eyes, meaning it permanently re-sculpts your cornea in such a way that you regain perfect 20/20 vision. This had been here in the Philippines ever since I was eighteen - the minimum age for such corrective eye surgery. But I could not avail of it back then because the degree of impairment of my vision then had not stabilized. More importantly, it was a new technology and one had to be wary of new technology, especially one as life-changing as making a "seeing" patient see even better without implements like eyeglasses or contact lenses.

So there I was, riding with Daddy in the late summer rain, telling him that it was never my fault I was such a klutz. My recent Vietnam trip with my family proved to me what I already knew all along - when one's eyesight is bad, corrective implements can only work so hard to help improve it. There I was falling over myself, over things, over my poor "assistants" (my hapless, patient and loving family) even. In fact what convinced me to have LASIK done was getting a rather deep wound on my knee after falling on gravel on my FIRST day in Ho Chi Minh City (and we were there for only FOUR days). On one hand, I was too busy trying to achieve the perfect angle for pictures using our digital camera (which was stolen exactly three days later in the country). It is also true that frequent bouts of near-fatal illnesses in my early childhood years have ruined my locomotive skills and sense of balance; the most I could do while I fell was to make sure my head didn't hit the gravel first. But I could've sworn that the little raised piece of cement separating the asphalt road from the gravel soil of the war tanks on permanent exhibit called the bar blended so well into the road under the glare of the sun.

For those who know me and follow this weblog, I'm sure you're all thinking, "Why?" I know I'm young, and my eyesight remained at 350(right eye)/600(left eye). But I AM YOUNG, and already everything to me is literally a mass of depthless, shapeless blurs. I can't count how many times I've nearly gotten run over by speeding vehicles just because I can't estimate how far they are from me. My "souvenir" from Ho Chi Minh City wasn't the first of many imprints on my skin; a good number of which came from my old home. My professor in creative writing class last summer forced us to read Diane Ackerman's "The Natural History of the Senses" (excellent book, by the way), and was THRILLED to find out that I was the most severely visually impaired seeing person in class, and used me as a perfect example to illustrate the book's point that visually impaired seeing people literally see things differently. I had to describe to her that I couldn't see the trees, the grills, the lawn and the sky outside my window, but just the rearranged vomit of green, brown-black, black, and blue cut piecemeal. (Of course, the book said that visually impaired seeing people also make the best painters, and cited an entire painting movement - expressionism, with all its dots and strokes - to prove the point. This makes me wonder why I never bothered to shift into, much less fight for, my original college course of choice, fine arts, instead.)

Yes, I've decided to end fifteen years of clumsiness brought about by severely impaired vision. I waited nearly my entire current life to find a cure for my near-sightedness, and I won't wait a second more. Of course I know it isn't easy, but I am optimistic that it would be much better than falling all over myself, or becoming a victim of a hit-and-run incident just because I can't tell how far or near a car is from me. As much as I have loved using my glasses, and would never, EVER consider replacing them with contact lenses, my dependence on them and on other people to watch over me when these glasses fail me have made me unable to be a bit more carefree, a bit more relaxed, and a lot more able to enjoy my young life with few worries.

Author's Warning: I cannot stress enough that this process can lead to complications if it is not done by a VERY experienced eye surgeon. Therefore, those who decide to subject themselves to it MUST be no younger than 21 years of age, and MUST know what they are going to get themselves into. The LASIK Eye Surgery website is an excellent primer on this, but search engines like Google can also help provide links to more information. If you are ultimately convinced, like myself, that LASIK is the only cure to your problem, Godspeed.

Oh look! New quiz!

Oh wow, haven't done this in AGES. v^_^0

What kind of little girl were YOU?

Quiet Girl
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I finally did it. v^_^v

Yes folks, as of 23 April 2006, I am now a cum laude graduate of the degree Bachelor of Arts in Communication, major in Broadcast Communication, of the University of the Philippines (Diliman campus) College of Mass Communication.

See the complete set of my graduation day pictures here.

Kaka Fun Club at Alfonso, Cavite!

+++ This post is found in both Ligaya's Joys and in Ligayadiwata, Multiply-ed. +++

OMFG. I am STILL itching with rashes, but I am SO happy to have had one last hurrah with the Kaka Fun Club (sans the Transient Freak... but that's another story) at Azalea/Hikari's vacation cabin in Alfonso, Cavite, which is at least 30 minutes' drive from Tagaytay. It's rather warm since it's in between mountains, but the cabin But not after everyone played two rounds of bullshit.is COZY and VERY pretty... and it's built on a modest estate with lush gardens, tons of gazebos, two hammocks, tons of coconut trees, nearly a dozen dwarf ponies, and TWO HUGE SNAKES (sawa! @_@). They were still building the walls when we arrived just this past Tuesday, but it looks good without the walls.

Unfortunately, during our entire trip no one realized that we forgot the following:

1) board games
2) playing cards (we borrowed some from the caretakers of the estate)
3) food (good thing the caretakers were so gracious to prepare something for us!)
4) and, ultimately, booze (we found some liquor shops on Tagaytay thankfully)

After quick shopping at Mercury Drug-Santa Rosa, and takeaway orders at Mushroomburger in Tagaytay, we arrvied at exactly lunchtime. After our Mushroomburger lunch, we played two rounds of bullshit, then half the Club went to sleep while Azalea and the Chiq N' Joy trio played speed and tong-its. We were treated to halo-halo, and then went around Tagaytay, we had a tough time deciding whether to go to the posh Tagaytay Highlands, or to the heart of Taal Volcano instead. Finally, we opted for the latter ... and found the tour guides only around sunset. Oh well. Too bad we couldn't go up to the crater since the 15-minute horse ride was ginourmously expensive, and besides, Chiqui was... incapacitated (that time of the month). But I learned a lot from our boatmen, and my trusty new mini-DV camera withstood the strangely salty waves that took us by surprise. And the people were friendly.

Dinner was a short affair of adobong tuyo, and everyone save for me took turns bathing. Then it was finally drinking time! Out of all the alcoholic drinks we bought, we only consumed the red wine, 1/3 of the HUGE Absolut Vodka (which tastes like metal and rubbing alcohol when taken straight - is it really supposed to taste like that?!), Sprite, 1/2 of Bailey's, and 2/3 of fresh milk. A good number of interesting things were revealed, which was FUN. XDDDD Once everyone and their cameras were low in battery, we all watched Kill Bill, making good use of the fast-forward button to the gory bits. But we didn't finish it because surprisingly enough, we were all sleepy because of the alcohol, so at 2:00 am (give or take a few minutes) EVERYONE was in bed. @_@

On Wednesday, I got up at 6:00 am to find Chiqui gone to bathe again. I went down to bathe after her while we waited for the rest of the girls to find the sun in their faces. (I'm glad I didn't bathe earlier though, the smell of alcohol really clung to our bodies. But damn, the sun was BRIGHT. I actually awoke at 5:30 am - I was wearing my watch into the night - and was so sleepy, not to mention too hung over, to kick the blankets off me.) Our resident goddess was the last to wake and complained that she was supposed to be up MUCH later in the day, but the corned beef, hotdogs and fried rice prepared for us was too delicious. Then we watched Beautiful Boxer, which is about Parinya the transvestite Muay Thai champion, and one by one people went back to sleep. Soon the Chiq N' Joy trio began playing tong-its, until finally I had to go home (I made arrangements so that I would leave earlier in order to check my graduation dress.)

Here are some things I learned overnight, mostly connected to drinking:
1) When I am tipsy, I still have full control of my mind.
2) ... Unfortunately, whatever little control I possess over my limbs just fly off the window. (It's a miracle I didn't drop my video camera at all!)
3) Chiqui hates cockroaches like the plague, I still despise insects, and Azalea/Hikari can kill insects like nothing.
4) Azalea/Hikari likes Bailey's, and thinksthat vodka served straight with no mix tastes like rubbing alcohol too.
5) Chiqui, like me, can be ecchi. (Oh noes! My secret's out! :O)
6) Chiqui has UNUSUALLY HIGH tolerance for alcoholic drinks (then again, she hangs out with Mica and Mia too much X3).
7) Neko, no matter what you do, will NEVER get drunk, act drunk or look drunk.
8) ...But Sherry will turn red with only ONE shotglass' worth of alcohol. Really! @_@
9) Besides Sherry and Diana, Cathy and Azalea/Hikari will get rashes due to alcoholic beverages and not lose them for some time (this is especially true for Azalea/Hikari, whose tolerance ranks among the lowest among us since she hardly ever drinks).
10) My talent/penchant/obssession with thinking aloud and talking to no one in particular multiplies when I'm drunk.
11) Tons of shameless and fun cam-whoring abound when we're drunk (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hikari_91584/album?.dir=2544, courtesy of Azalea/Hikari XD).
12) And finally, for some reason, I apparently haven't recovered from thesis stress, so although I've gained tons of weight (T^T), my tolerance to alcohol is still stupidly and dangerously low, and my body belatedly reactive to it! I still have blasted rashes, but at least they're concentrated strictly on my chest and back area now. >_<

Well, that's it. I need sleep, I've got a busy, early day ahead.

Gosh I miss the Kaka Fun Club. T_T

OMFG.

I have taken time out of my busy schedule to tell all of you...



THAT MY THESIS HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR BINDING BY SOME MIRACLE.


Thank you good Lord in heaven! {weeps for utter joy}

DAY OF DOOM

Tomorrow will be the deliberations for my thesis. The thesis that I'm doing bit by painful bit, piecemeal, because of so many unforeseen circumstances. The thesis that is exhibit A when it comes to Murphy's law.

I'm praying as hard as I'm crying right now. And I mean VERY, VERY HARD.

Prayers and well wishes will be most appreciated after the hell I've been through.

Thanks and God bless you all.

Goodbye graduation.

Screw you people from the Panday production crew, SCREW YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! >___________________<

Oh well, I suppose this is the only bit of advice the heavens gave me today:


You are the Chariot.

You are the Chariot.

The chariot is one of the most complex cards to define. On its most basic level, it implies war, a struggle, and an eventual, hard-won victory. Either over enemies, obstacles, nature, the beasts inside you, or to just get what you want. But there is a great deal more to it. The charioteer wears emblems of the sun, yet the sign behind this card is Cancer, the moon. The chariot is all about motion, and yet it is often shown as stationary.

What does this all mean? It means a union of opposites, like the black and white steeds. They pull in different directions, but must be (and can be!) made to go together in one direction. Control is required over opposing emotions, wants, needs, people, circumstances; bring them together and give them a single direction, your direction. Confidence is also needed and, most especially, motivation. The card can, in fact, indicate new motivation or inspiration, which gets a stagnant situation moving again. It can also imply, on a more pragmatic level, a trip (usually by car), a vehicle - in the shop for repairs if the card comes up reversed - or a message.


18 other people got this result!
This quiz has been taken 280 times.
6% of people had this result.

Campaigns. Please pass.

Free the Sagada 11. Stop police brutality.

Oh, and for UP College of Mass Communication students and ICTUSians: PLEASE SUPPORT INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE KAROL YEE FOR CMC COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVE.

Thanks guys. v^_^v

Wala nang nagpapasaya sa akin.

My thesis is a mess, people who are supposed to be civil enough to at least reply with a "sorry, we can't help you right now" won't even call me back on important matters (particularly the production crews I've contacted for the purpose of my thesis), this fucking PC ain't working AGAIN (it hung for like... the nth time already, and my HDs decided one by one to just die), my broadcast journalism outline is screwed up, AND I read this fucking post.

This must be, "Hey let's make J_y miserable today!" day WEEK.

I'm trying not to cry (again) as I write this. But this is too much.

If no one hears from me tomorrow I do hope you will have it in your hearts to look for me, or to at least come to my funeral.

And I'm making this public - though screening comments - just to be emo.

Heaven is a call center.

Dear God,

When I prayed that I wanted to finish my documentary for BC 133 and my thesis (BC 200) within the same timeframe, I DIDN'T say and certainly also DIDN'T MEAN that I wanted to have ALL the interviews for both subjects at EXACTLY the same time. Of course, I may have worded my prayer wrong, but I DID say that all I wanted was just to finish everything at the same time ... and not DO everything and the finishing at the same time.

So now I implore You, please, PLEASE help me move my GMA-Encantadia staff interview to Monday or Tuesday next week, because having it this Friday would require me to become three persons, and sadly I am unable to retain my one-ness unlike You once I have been split into three.

Thank You and Amen.

Welcome to the family Maia!!!

My oldest cousin in my dad's side, Ate Grace Arguelles (nee Pascual) gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Wednesday, February 8th, 12:30 am. According to her, her labor was relatively painless and completely epidural-free thanks to the Lamaze exercises she and her husband Kuya Michael did, although it was terribly drawn out because the baby wouldn't come out.

Congratulations guys! Welcome to the world Maia! =^~^= {cuddles her baby niece}

This is a shot of Tita Linda (Grace's mum, Maia's lola or grandma, and my dad's older sister) kissing Maia. So, SOOOOO cute.^~^

(Picture hidden for protection purposes v^V~v)

For more pictures, please visit my virtual family album right now. Thankies and enjoy! v^_^v

HELP WANTED FOR THE STUDY

Good day!

Against all possible odds (notably not having the actual proposal sheet to be used for the pitch), the winning pitch was, ironically, the one about Japanese music and how it has slowly but surely affected Filipino society.

For this reason we are now looking for THREE (3) friends who are close, who like Japanese pop and rock music, and who are DEFINITELY going to the upcoming Core of Soul contest.

Here is a copy of our modified proposal, it describes everything you need to know about our study. (If you have any input on this we would appreciate it, as most of this actually came from our professor.)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Name: Ma. Jocelyn C. Bordador, Christian Eric P. Martinez
Title (tentative): Magandang Hapon: Ang Pagpasok ng Popular na Musikang Hapon sa Pilipinas (The Entry of Japanese Popular Music into the Philippine Mainstream)
Date of Presentation and Airing (for class purposes ONLY): 27 February 2006
Synopsis: In World War II, Japan used tora-toras (army aircraft), tanks, guns and much force to take over the Philippines. However, that did not last. But in the 1990s Japan began to use not force, but the sheer power of color, cuteness and a certain avant-garde mode in the form of Sanrio mascots, animation (anime), comics (manga), robots and machines as well as building them (mecha), video and PC games, costume play (cosplay), fashion, and – most importantly for this documentary - music. And now on its 50th year, the Philippines’ relationship with Japan is stronger than ever.
Treatment: The shooting will be done in real-time, with segments of all the case studies pre-edited to give way to the Core of Soul concert which will transpire last in both real-time and the time within the documentary. The focus will be on three Filipinos who are friends not just because of their participation in the Core of Soul fandom, but also because of other shared interests in various aspects of Japanese pop culture. Each meeting time at the favorite tambayan or hangout of these three will serve as the transition point between the story of one fan-friend and another, then slowly this will build up to their literal as well as figurative entry into the “Core of Soul” concert, which we are planning to use as a symbol of Japanese music reaching out to and touching the Filipinos for our artistic, practical and story-related purpose. Humanization of the effects of being Japanese music fans will also be of extreme importance, chief among them being the management of time and financial resources as well as the conflict of a “foreign” culture integrating itself slowly into Filipino society (acceptance into the mainstream being the most feasible to study).
For the technical aspect, montage scenes may be used but may not be necessary depending on the content involved. However, juxtapositions of shots between the people and the concert will definitely be used. The slice-of-life or a-day-in-the-life-of-(name of case study here) is being considered for use. Other elements that the team wishes to consider will be data-gathering of (understandably limited) statistical information and a brief glimpse into the recent events in Filipino-Japanese relations especially in the light of popular culture.
Case Studies: We are currently looking for THREE (3) people, gender and age notwithstanding, who are willing to be subject to being the subject of our camera(s) for at least an entire day to become our case studies. We are in need of people whose lives we can immerse into, subject to their consent of course, because it would make the story of the documentary seamless and easy to understand for the viewers (technically just our class, but we shoot with the mass Filipino audience in mind). Our criteria for choosing them would be their willingness to work with us for days on end, their addiction to Japanese music (especially Japanese pop and Japanese rock, or J-POP and J-ROCK), their interest in the group Core of Soul, and – just as important as their availability – their unwavering decision to go to the Core of Soul concert and watch it in its entirety.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you are interested to join and you have two willing friends to tag along, please do contact me ASAP. If you have any input do contact me as well on them, my classmate (my partner for this class) and I would appreciate them. Thank you very much.



Sincerely,

Ma. Jocelyn Bordador
Y!M / Y!Mail: haruka173
MSN-M / MSN Hotmail: sailor_misato
Contact Numbers: 896-7477; 0917-816-3296

News on the life of Ligaya and quizzes ganked from my friends' Livejournals.

Good news: My blockmate and I are done with the free-topic documentary. Apparently, he hadn't awakened since 6:00 pm yesterday when we were supposed to meet at 9:00 pm ... and suffice it to say he woke up at 5:00 am today, and then barged into my house at 7:00.

Bad news: We still have to take care of the transcriptions and scripts. Oh, and we're still getting a 5 because we submitted late. After all, submitting something to your boss obscenely late is a grievous crime in the media industry ... someone PLEASE remind me why I wanted to be a broadcast journalist again...? >_<0

Worse news: The transcriptions and scripts are due TOMORROW, JANUARY 31ST, 5:00 PM - and sadly I won't be in school to give them

Worst news: We still have HEAPS of documentaries to do! The pitch is due next Monday!

So, to keep my mind off things and as a break before I venture back into transcribing, here are some wonderful things I've stolen, because they rock. v^_^v

+++ QUIZZES SUCCESSFULLY POSTED FROM Ligaya. +++

Men See You As Choosy

Men notice you light years before you notice them You take a selective approach to dating, and you can afford to be picky You aren't looking for a quick flirt - but a memorable encounter It may take men a while to ask you out, but it's worth the wait

How Do Men See You?

Mahal, I do hope you agree with me on the last line of one. ^_~

You Are Independent Sexy

You drive men crazy with your "playing hard to get act" Except, it's really not an act at all. You're a strong, sexy woman with her own life and interests. And that makes men even more interested in you!

What Kind of Sexy Are You?

What about this one Mahal? ^_^

You Are Independent Sexy

You drive men crazy with your "playing hard to get act" Except, it's really not an act at all. You're a strong, sexy woman with her own life and interests. And that makes men even more interested in you!

What Kind of Sexy Are You?

This one was hilarious because I had to admit that I DO NOT shave or wax my legs for anyone except myself. XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Your Fashion Style is Trendy

You love fashion and live to shop And keeping up with the lastet trends is what you love best You know what's in, out, about to be in, and about to be out You love to dress your friends and would make a killer celebrity stylist

What's Your Fashion Style?

I originally got "Girly," but I realized that I would rather pick boots over any other pair of shoes, so I took the quiz again (I originally picked "sandals showing a bit of toe"). v^_^0

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city girl with a small town heart Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand And gorgeous Italian men - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong In?

Gosh, this was a hard one... ^_^0 I'm glad I got something close to my personality, or so I hope! (Well, except maybe for the gorgeous Italian men bit... Mahal is gorgeous enough! v^.~v

Okay, I'm now off to dinner and then later I'll be offline to finish transcribing. I can handle ANY kind of slave-driving in the media world EXCEPT TRANSCRIBING. @_@


Post-script: If anyone here knows where in either Makati or Katipunan (QC) I can get origami paper, I will be forever grateful. v^_^v

HELP WANTED FOR BROADCAST JOURNALISM STUDENTS!

Good day! My classmate and I in Broadcast Journalism are looking for ANY of the following people:

1) A PERSON (or family) CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN A (ROMANTIC) RELATIONSHIP WITH AN OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKER
2) A PERSON (or family) CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN A (ROMANTIC) RELATIONSHIP WITH A SOLDIER WHO IS OUT ON DUTY

We are prioritizing those who have been involved in such relationships for MORE THAN ONE YEAR.
This is because our topic for our Valentine's Day-themed documentary segment is LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS. Hence, above all others we are also looking for parties who consent to be interviewed for this purpose. Please don't worry, all that we will be asking will be based on the following questions:

1) How long have you been in this relationship?
2) How long have you known the person with whom you share this relationship?
3) How do you manage to maintain the relationship, especially when you can't be with the other person on important days such as birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, or Christmas and New Year?
4) What is your advice for people out there who are involved in relationships like yours?

Interested parties may contact me, JOY, at 0917-8163296, or ERIC (the blockmate) at 0919-8608795. Please be ready to be interviewed ANYTIME WITHIN THIS WEEK (JANUARY 23RD-28TH) since this is already due on January 30th (and yes, our topic was only approved earlier today).

Thank you very much!

* PS To some people: For the record, MY BLOCKMATE chose the topic. Not me. v^_^0

From Friends at the UP Broadcaster's Guild

++ Everything quoted verbatim, spelling errors included. I'm just sleepy and lazy. XD To Presea Fuaru, tara punta tayo!!! XDDDDDDDDDDDD +++




Ei friends, suportahan nyo naman 2.. punta kayo sa ACLE on January 19, THURSDAY, 1-4 pm, sa AS (venue to be announced..hehe). It's entitled ...


ABISALA: Travelling back to Etheria where it all began:
A Closer look on the transformations in Philippine TV brought by the fantaserye Etheria

Our speakers will be Ms. Suzette Doctolero (headwriter) and Sunshine Dizon(actress/cast). Please punta kayo para masaya! :)


Also, punta kayo sa SYMPOSIUM namin next week, TUESDAY, January 24 at the COLLEGE OF MASS COMMUNICATION AUDITORIUM (CMC AUDI), 1-4 pm. It's entitled ...

PINOY BIG BROTHER: How real is reality?

Our speakers will be Lauren Dyogi (director of PBB), Ms. Linggit Tan (manager) and Bob dela Cruz (one of the housemates). Punta naman kayo to know more of PBB.. masaya to! :)

Please tell all your friends about this! Iforward nyo naman ha... thank you so much! I'll see u guys there! God bless!! :)

A Warning For Philippine-based Fandom Groups And Filipino Hobbyists

I, MA. JOCELYN C. BORDADOR, LIGAYA OF BLOGSPOT, AM REPRINTING THIS FROM A DEAR COSPLAY FRIEND'S EMAIL MESSAGE BECAUSE OF WHAT THIS MAN BELOW HAS DONE TO THE PINOY COSPLAY MAILING LIST, OF WHICH I AM THE CURRENT MODERATOR. PLEASE READ AND HEED THIS POST BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. THANK YOU AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL.


During the last quarter of 2005, an individual named MIKE ABUNDO bought the domain and created an online cosplay forum answering to the name "PINOYCOSPLAY.COM". In
doing so, he has bypassed a Yahoo mailing list named PINOY COSPLAY, which has been active and in existence since the year 2000, during the years following the first major anime conventions in the Philippines (ANIME EXPLOSION & ANIME QUEST of the years 2000 - 2002).

Members of pinoycosplay mailing list who are also active administrative members of FILCOSPLAY.TK, (a cosplay forum created during 2002, and thus older than Mike Abundo's PINOYCOSPLAY) pointed this out to Mike Abundo.

Mike Abundo denied his knowledge of the existence of the Pinoy Cosplay ML, saying that if it existed it was an old and inactive group anyway, and it did not register highly in Google searches.

When NOELLE DE GUZMAN, founder of the Pinoy Cosplay ML, spoke with Mike Abundo, he admitted that he did not, in fact, make a Google search for the keywords and terms "pinoy cosplay," "pinoy_cosplay," "pinoy-cosplay" and "pinoycosplay" before buying the .com domain and creating the forum.

Mike Abundo, in the latter part of the conversation with Noelle de Guzman, proposed that the Pinoy Cosplay ML merge with his pinoycosplay.com forum, saying the mailing list would benefit from the boost of traffic that would soon visit his pinoycosplay.com site, claiming that his .com site was far
more accessible to people everywhere.

Noelle De Guzman rejected the offer and said the Pinoy Cosplay ML will not be affiliated with pinoycosplay.com under any circumstance. Mike Abundo chose to keep the name of his .com site, saying that he has already invested his monetary resources into the creation of his forums which, in reality, uses the format given by the invisionfree.net service providers on the creation of an online bulletin board/forum.

Mike Abundo bought the site domain name pinoycosplay.com to lead to the
www.invisionfree.com/pinoycosplay forum.

Since then, Mike Abundo, who is also a member of Filcosplay forums, a cosplay oriented forum not unlike his own pinoycosplay forum, has frequently made various attempts to lead members of the Filcosplay forums to his own pinoycosplay forums by posting his site links within the threads of conversation in the Filcosplay forum, oftentimes in a blatant manner thru hotlinking and making off-topic posts that pertain to his pinoycosplay.com forum site.

Additionally, Mike Abundo has often criticized the Filcosplay forums by emphasizing the advantages of his Pinoycosplay forum - like accessibility. Pinoycosplay.com does not require member registreation to enter, in contrast to Filcosplay.tk which requires this. Mike Abundo claims that this enables more user traffic to his pinoycosplay.com site as this registers higher on Google searches and has more memory recall than a long series of link names like Filcosplay's
"HTTP://S7.INVISIONFREE.COM/FILCOSPLAY" link.

Also, as Filcosplay uses the "WWW.FILCOSPLAY.TK" link as an alternative to its original "HTTP://S7.INVISIONFREE.COM/FILCOSPLAY" link, Mike Abundo claims that some people would have difficulty going to Filcosplay, as the Filcosplay.tk link suffers from regular downtime, unlike his pinoycosplay.com site, which is a more direct connection to his own forums.

The Filcosplay forum moderators have generally ignored Mike Abundo's actions, reprimanding him only when his actions were excessive, but allowed him to remain a member of the Filcosplay forums.

Early this January 2006, the Filcosplay forum moderators have found out that Mike Abundo has bought the domain name of "WWW.FILCOSPLAY.COM" and has used this as a link to his own pinoycosplay.com forums.

When Mike Abundo was recently confronted by the moderators of Filcosplay.tk, he said he will gladly give the www.filcosplay.com domain to Filcosplay, only when the
moderators make a public announcement of Mike Abundo's "generous donation" to Filcosplay.

As of this writing, many Filcosplay members have aired their concerns over Mike Abundo's actions. Meanwhile, the Filcosplay forum moderators are making plans with how to act against Mike Abundo's virtual act of cyberterrorism.


Other anime/manga/cosplay/hobbyist/fandom-related groups should be warned against making future connections or working with Mike Abundo. Take utmost care against this person and his underhanded dealings.




pertinent links to this report:

FILCOSPLAY - http://s7.invisionfree.com/filcosplay or http://www.filcosplay.tk
PINOY COSPLAY MAILING LIST - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pinoy_cosplay/

MIKE ABUNDO: http://.mikeabundo.blogspot.com
pinoycosplay.com - http://filcosplay.com and
http://pinoycosplay.com

HOW TRUE! (CROSSPOSTED IN LIGAYA the LJ)

I got this in my Yahoo inbox today.



How so, SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO true... XD

To FILCOSPLAY peeps: Thank you for coming EVERYONE, grabe! No matter how short a time each of you was present, I am happy to have met you and gotten to know you a bit better. God bless you and I hope you all got home safe! Happy New Year and goodnight! --> FILCOSPLAY BIG SISTER l_i_g_a_y_a_h_a_r_u_k_a

PS Pictures available HERE. Sorry, I got lazy to resize everything (hey cut me slack please, I'm the hostess you know!). :P

From my newest obssession, SPILT MILK.

Which St. Sophronia's Clique would you be in?
brought to you by Quizilla


WTF?! Vapours...!

CHRISTMAS CARDS FROM ME TO YOU (WARNING: LARGE BANDWIDTH AND SIZES, CROSS-POSTED MULTIPLE TIMES

To everyone whose acquaintances I have made, deepened or renewed, I thank you, and I thank God as well for bringing you into my life too.


Please greet Kuya Jess (aka Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, if you are Catholic or Christian) today, it's His birthday you know... (Basta 'wag lang natin kantahan nang "Sa 'Yo ang kainan / sa 'Yo ang inuman!" the way one of my orgmates sorta did... Hindi po yata tama 'yun... v^_^000)


Here's some cards I made in the spirit of the occasion (special thanks to Anime Wallpapers and all its contributors). Please click only on the links you’re qualified to see (if you qualify on more than one, i.e., you’re a Povedan and also a cosplayer, click on whichever link mentions which qualification first). This is because I've customized them for each of you. ^~^ Thanks heaps!

For my relatives, my barkada, the Kaka Fun Club gang, other Poveda grrlz, and Mahal only

For my cosplay and otaku friends only, both Filipino and foreign

For my ICTUS friends only – hope you’ve greeted Kuya Jess already! v^.~v

For my UP Green Minds friends only

For my K1 Blockmates, CMC friends, UP friends and all my other friends who don’t belong in any of these

ALUMNI HOMECOMING 2005 (We're sorry if you get/read this more than once.)

To all ICTUSians past and present,

We cordially invite you to the 24TH ALUMNI HOMECOMING on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, at BAGABERDE RESTAURANT in Pasig City.

There will be a 6:00 PM MASS at the DELANEY HALL within the UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice complex.

Tickets are priced at PhP300.00 for alumni and PhP 250.00 for resident members.

This is also going to be the campaign launch for the SILVER (25th) ANNIVERSARY of the founding of UP In-Christ Thrust for University Students which will take place in 2006, so we enjoin everyone to go (or, if not, TO PASS THIS AROUND).

... In short, sana po pumunta kayong lahat. Kailangan namin ang tulong ninyo ngayon pa lang kasama naman kayong lahat, lalo na po ang mga founding members, sa ating Silver Anniversary celebrations. Kayo rin. ^_~

Thank you very much and Jess bless!

Sincerely,

Ma. Jocelyn C. Bordador
ICTUS Liaisons Committee - Alumni Homecoming 2005
ICTUS_Liacom Email Maintainer



Postscript: Thanks to those who updated their profiles in whole. v^_^v

Raise the Philippine Flag! Brandish and wave it proudly! (SOUTH EAST ASIAN GAMES 2005 Update 1 of ?)

CONGRATULATIONS THUS FAR TO THE PHILIPPINE TEAM IN THE ONGOING SOUTH EAST ASIAN GAMES 2005!!!

(Aside: I don't know why but whenever I see the SEA Games 2005 official emblem mask, I keep remembering the station ID of Studio 23 instead. 6@_@0 )

Please check out the results of the games as of today, the 28th of November 2005, at the Official SEA Games 2005 Website.


Postscript 1: I got to ride the Metro Rail Transit (Metrostar Express) for free today because of the start of the games! Coolness! v^_~v

Postscript 2: Let us celebrate Bonifacio Day (birthday of hero Andres Bonifacio) on the 30th of November! Even if we do not take to the streets, let us all try to fight corruption in the government through any means possible!



*** This can be read and will be continued at ~+*Ligaya*+~. This was originally released in _ligaya_.

Make a Christmas Wishlist - stolen from a friend v^_^v

Step One:

Make a post (public, friends-locked, filtered... whatever you're comfortable with) to your weblog of choice. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.

If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.

Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines, or link to this post so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two:

Surf around your friends list (or friends-friends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list.

And now here's the important part: if you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream pure-bred Basset Hound for free -- DO IT. You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf -- to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just... wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

Ang tunay na makakapagpaligaya kay Ligaya (The things that will truly make Ligaya happy):

1. A ONE / UNO (1.0) on her thesis
2. To see her parents become friends again, which is better than seeing them die slowly day by day from hating each others' guts
3. To be able to support her parents while earning her master's degree
4. To meet and have a happy, fairy-tale ending with her Mahal
5. To have more than PhP3,000.00 in her ATM account
6. To find her shiny happy pink cloth so she can proceed with her final costume
7. To be inspired to draw and write freely again
8. To be 20 pounds thinner, 6 inches taller and a cup size fuller -- or at least to get all her fat to concentrate itself on her tiny breasts
9. To collect all her favourite (and a notable number of lost) anime, manga, J-music and music CDs before she turns 30, which is when she plans to stop collecting these and concentrate on real life
10. To restore her singing voice, piano-playing and note-reading skills as soon as possible

Of course, I know I can actually do many of these myself, but a few prayers and comments of encouragement through my guestbook (see upper-left corner of this page) would help me a lot.

Thanks heaps.

Postscript: Hopefully this time around I can be the spirit of good Christmas cheer... but I'll need number five (5) from my list first! v^_^0

BIRTHDAY SHOUTOUT

MANY HAPPY RETURNS TO ONE OF MY CLOSEST ACQUAINTANCES... EDEN ANGELI. v^_^v

Hopefully I become more deserving of the title "friend" very soon. I'll treat you when I can sugar! v^.~v {huggle-glomps-kisses}

REPOST: First-ever foray into weblogging - MARCH 2003

** I am reposting all the posts I've retrieved from my first-ever weblog, which has sadly passed on. This section will be their new home, at least for the meantime. I guess I can't let it go just yet, so pardon my poetic waxing and all that sentimentality stuff. Thanks for understanding. **

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

Sunday, March 09, 2003

<--3/9/2003 09:21:35 PM-->

Hello! This is Ligaya, signing on. ^_^

I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't help it...Anyways, this is going to be an online journal that I'll be posting on INTERMITTENTLY, depending on my schedule. So please, be kind. (Although really ... who'd want to read it? I'm such a boring person...)

One more thing: All the info here is as close as you'll get to the real me, so you can't do anything about it. No stalkers, flames, obscenities, etc. can be directed at me at any time for any reason. Questions about intimate details of my life will never be entertained. And yes, if you really must know - this is just a screen name.

Well! Let's begin!


<--3/9/2003 09:34:37 PM-->

Pakshet. I couldn't get into some of my old accounts (namely ezboard, Topica, GirlTalk, etc.)!!! No thanks to their stupid administrators I had to fill out new profiles and add new accounts. Is that RIGHT?!

And my search for a free web server provider ... let's not even go there. XP

My body hurts from sooooooooooo much dancing... @.@;;;
And my head hurts from that bloody Econ 11 exam...

Hope tomorrow gets better! T_T

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

<--3/19/2003 07:21:11 PM-->
And a VERY (UN)happy Birthday to me, too...

Paaaaaaaaaaksheeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!! Of ALL the times the US, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal and Iraq to pursue war, it just HAD to be on my birthday. (My birthday was on the original deadline flung by the US to Iraq in order for the latter to destroy all its supposed "weapons of mass destruction.") No thanks to all of them, we are living under the shadow of war here in Asia right now... XP

The stock market's predictably down, the exchange rate between my country's currency and the US dollar has gone completely off the wall, and we have only 65 days' worth of crude oil plus only about 13 million metric tons to tide us through the crisis. I mean, dude, SIXTY-FIVE DAYS' WORTH OF CRUDE OIL?!?! Who the hell is the government kidding?!?!
>_________________< Worse, my body STILL hurts from the awkward judo throw done by some girl ... guess who was thrown from an UPRIGHT position (a definite no-no in judo). X_X;;; My shoulder blades are aching, my back, although better, still is in pain, and my sprain's showing no sign of getting better. I hope I'll be fine. -_-;;; And of course, dancing just made everything WORSE. Plus, I STILL don't have any of the books I need for Polsci 14... @_@;;; The few things that's making me live through the rest of this week are the voice of Mahal and the Alichino manga I bought. ~_~ Oh, and the many friends I have who've gone through great lengths to surprise me on my birthday. (Though I really wish they hadn't - I wasn't completely surprised... ^_^;;;)

Anyways, I've still got TONS of schoolwork to do.

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

<--3/26/2003 08:25:00 PM-->

Gaaaaaaaaaaaah!!! My exams suck!!! ... And I can't find a way to make this blog public!!! T__________T If anyone, ANYONE at all can read this in public, please help me ok? I really need to know how this works...
Thanks!

<--3/26/2003 08:42:30 PM-->

On second thought... I've finally figured it out!!! ~______________~

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Thursday, March 27, 2003

<--3/27/2003 05:38:14 PM-->
Goddamn those traffic jams in Metro Manila!!! >_<>
Yes, folks, I STILL haven't finished reading any of the other books (thank goodness I'm done with Under the Crescent Moon, though, but still...). I wasn't even able to return the books at once. And my head hurts from my suddenly vampiric sleeping habits. (Cherl-dono would've been proud. Hey, Cherl, how's Japan? \~_~/ )
My brain refuses to think. I really do hope my prof posts test questions, as from what I heard they helped a teenie bit in making the students pass in the last test. (Of course, that's still too little, but anyways... ^_^;;;) I better go.
Mode: Bitch Goddess (I hope the b-word shows!!! ;_;)
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Friday, March 28, 2003

<--3/28/2003 10:43:36 PM-->
Please check out the KAKA FUN COLLECTIVE!

There, I've done it. My first site. Although it's actually a collective and most of my friends (who form the collective and the club where the collective is based on) will hate it because of its pink template (I didn't have a choice! Don't hurt me guys! T_T), I'm PROUD. ^___________________________________^

Will update when I've the time, but until then, ciao for now!


<--3/28/2003 09:18:49 PM-->
Isang tulog na lang, birthday na ni Miss D!!!

Tomorrow is already Miss D's debutante ball, and although I'd normally be excited, right now I'm TERRIFIED!!! @_@;;; Why, you may ask? Here are the reasons...

1. I can't fit into my gown (I am FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!! T_T );
2. My throat hurts (I have to sing);
3. I KNOW I'll screw up during the dance, especially in the waltz;
4. My brain is officially roasted

BTW, yes, I flunked my PolSci exam. No, my prof didn't put up test questions; yes, he made life difficult for all of us students.
I don't know though, he's such an amiable man too. -_-;;; Oh well...
I'll try to put up some buttons I have with me. I wanna link to some luvverrly Sailormoon sites. ~_~ They're the only things to keep me in high spirits right now.
Congrats to Spirited Away for winning Best Animated Motion Picture in the recently concluded Oscar Awards!!! \~o~/ Studio Ghibli the best!!!
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Monday, March 31, 2003

<--3/31/2003 09:38:04 PM-->
Guys, visit these sites ok? ^_~ A friend of mine, Krystal, needs some promotion badly. Thanks!

Haruka Studios ~and~ My Xanga

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Gosh, it's quite a shock to see myself sounding like this... as opposed to how I (generally) sound like NOW... >_>0

TO ALL NETIZENS: THIS IS HOW PINOY COSPLAYERS SHOULD NEVER BE.

It was brought to my attention, as a co-moderator of the ORIGINAL Pinoy Cosplay Mailing List, that some unscrupulous cosplayer-n00b by the name of MIKE ABUNDO was using the name of our group with the help of another person who I thought was a friend of mine.

And here's how they used it! And all WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION from the list owner (a friend of mine who no longer cosplays) and any of the moderators, including myself.

Now this would have been fine, except for the following evidences which shall present below.

** Identities have been emitted to protect the privacy of certain individuals involved. This post is just between Mike Abundo and myself, so even if they have played any roles in this these people will not be mentioned. Also, statements with highlights are mine. Anything with "sic" points any serious perceptual error on the part of any correspondent listed below. However, everything else will be posted verbatim

EXHIBIT A:

Hello guys,

I wrote mike a private latter via Filcosplay forums and it goes like this:
============
Just a notice and not Filcosplay related. Thanks for inviting me to be a part of Pinoy Cosplay but i cant help but wonder if the original owner of the name had any affiliation with your forum. You did mention that itis not in any way related to the Mailing List that has been in existence since 2001 (tomy knowledge). Would this cause confusion in both parties? It would be best that you change the name. You cant say that you have not heard of thisgroup since if you Google the name Pinoy cosplay, you would find it there. Incidently ifi google Pinoy Cosplay, your site comes out first, then {name removed} and Joy's ML comes rightafter until the second page.I would recommend that you change the name of your group as soon as possible, somethingthat would not induce any confusion to {name removed}and Joy's Mailing List. Even if it had minimal activity, it still has the right to its name.
Im PMing you so that we could quietly come to a solution like mature adults. But if thisthing continues, or if this letter is ignored, i have no choice but to vocally go againstit, in an open debate if you like, and in your forum if you must. Again, do not take these action as a means of sabotaging your forum just because i am a mod of Filcosplay. I'm doing this because i know {name removed}and joy (with {name removed} a barkada of ours from OAV) and i respect both of them. Once this is settled and the name changed youwont hear this topic from me again.

{name removed}
{email removed}

After an hour Mike has chose not to ignore this letter and replied:

Hi Robert,You have a point, but a new domain name would cost real money. I have a solution that will benefit the entire Philippine cosplay community.I've invested time, money, and expertise (in terms search engine optimization, trackinginfrastructure setup, CSS customization, web strategy, and online community management)to build an open, user-friendly web forum. {name removed} and Joy have invested time,connections, and community knowledge to build a respected mailing list.As such, I propose a merger between the two. That way, Philippine cosplay can besynergistically developed across two online media: a web forum, and a mailing list. Thesum will be greater than its parts.I would be happy to apply my seven years of web strategy experience to help {name removed} andJoy catapult their mailing list to new levels of usefulness and popularity.We have a golden opportunity here, Robert: an opportunity to bring Philippine cosplay out of closed-garden insularity, and into the global conversation. We can rid this country of cospolitics. Let's not waste that opportunity.

Regards, Mike

---> Now I know that the cosplay community is sadly rampant of politicking, but the reason many of us continue to engage in cosplay is because we have been there since the politicking, and believe that we all can rise above it.

Isn't it obvious though how much he keeps proclaiming himself as "the saviour of the Filipino costume play community"? (see highlights, again those are mine) And when did domain name ever become the issue? The issue of the matter is that MIKE ABUNDO IS USING OUR DOMAIN NAME FOR PERSONAL GAIN.

EXHIBIT B: http://mikeabundo.blogspot.com/2005/10/pinoycosplaycom.html#links

---> I replied to this as nicely as possible, but go read the comments section for the reply. See the same phrase, "closed-garden insularity"? Get used to it. You'll be seeing this and many variations of it later on. How rude and insensitive. He isn't even apologetic over taking the name arbitrarily, the cad.

EXHIBIT C: http://thealternativeme.blogspot.com/2005/10/all-for-show.html

---> Well, goes to show that halfway around the world, great minds think alike. (To the good lady who owns the aforementioned blog, I'm terribly sorry for dragging you into this mess!)

FROM ONE WHO MISUNDERSTANDS THE TRUE ESSENCE OF PINOY COSPLAY

This is about a person who isn't worth my time, but who brilliantly works my easily frayed temper into overdrive. His name is ODNUBA EKIM (in reverse please), aka Mr. Moron.

Consider yourselves warned people.

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Me: I understand that you used the name "PinoyCosplay" for your new board. I also understand that you may have been spurred into creating this board along with Ms. J.P. because of personal and political reasons which may or may not have to do with the politicking that is sadly rampant in FilCosplay.

Moron: It's not about politics. It's about programming.
Did you know that the domain FilCosplay.tk has an estimated 25% downtime? Did you know that FilCosplay.tk's frame structure prevents login session persistence, search indexing, and individual page bookmarking? Are you aware that required registration renders external links useless to nonmembers?
As a social media web service, FilCosplay.tk's design flaws make it unacceptable. Thus, we built a service without those design flaws.

Me: However, I would like to say that the "old-timers" of the PinoyCosplay eGroup/Yahoogroup do not approve of you taking the name arbitrarily and most of all, WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION. I for one am particularly aghast because most of the moderating rights currently belong to me, after a consensus with the other moderators.

Moron: With all due respect, no one needs your permission. Please refer to a similar scenario in Singapore.
Nevertheless, I still recognize your past contributions to Philippine cosplay. Our merger offer stands. Don't let pride get in the way of a chance to better serve the Philippine cosplay community.

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

--> So it's all about programming now is it? Is having a cosplay community like Filcosplay all about "downtime," "login session persistnce," "search indexing," "individual page bookmarking" now? Something tells me you watch too much sci-fi flicks, boy. I never thought I'd live to see the day when even the very word "community" ceases to exist in the vast expanses of cyberspace.

Also, if the original founder of FilCosplay were to talk to you now, I am sure she herself would say that she created our group not because she wanted it to be a social media web service, but because she just wanted a place for cosplayers like herself to hang out in. She originally created it to be closed to non-members, and we not only respect her decision but her reasons for doing so.

Now I would not mind having the name copyrighted but you see, in the linked post you mentioned about, the copyrighted name in question was COSPLAY. NOT "Pinoy Cosplay." They are two entirely different things. Think of it this way - EVERYONE uses the word "cosplay", BUT ONLY FILIPINO COSPLAYERS USE THE PHRASE "PINOY COSPLAY" in any and all possible transmogrifications thereof. I suggest you look into this page. It contains statements I have salvaged from the old layout of the old Pinoy Cosplay website, and I quote them verbatim from the list's original owner to see what exactly makes a Pinoy Cosplayer, because frankly, I don't believe you deserve to be one at all. You are not above sexual exploitation, no matter how mild, just to promote yourself as a legitimate cosplayer. Granted, there are many instances when flesh overrides skill as a factor for winning cosplay contests, but at least those who have won (I have not) have used their skills in costuming, absorbing the characters (even temporarily) and understanding the characters they portray in order to clinch their prizes. And they have always made it a point to emphasize that cosplay isn't just about titillation and staying under the spotlight, pun intended.

As for the legal technicalities of this, I admit that the Philippines does not have enougb laws protecting cyberspace abuse in any form, and even less teeth to enact these laws, but I also believe that this is because the principle of freedom of expression, which is stated in our constitution, has always been the goal in mind among Pinoy Netizens. However, with freedom comes responsibility, and this responsibility is to make sure that one's freedom does not step on and hurt another's. Unfortunately, I believe you have abused that freedom by 1) openly refusing to ask for permission to use the name "Pinoy Cosplay", 2) creating a flamboyant site with the name "Pinoy Cosplay," which sadly seems to be advertising the revelation of skin and the perks of persistent, unabashed self-promotion when cosplay has always been about promoting your favorite character, your personal skills and your personal fulfillment at having fun while in costume, and 3) getting the Creative Commons License site to vouch for you when you did not even come up with the moniker that started five years of growth for this growing hobby. I am only consoled by the fact that you have not been able as of yet to register the name fully, and I dread to think that you might do it soon.

I do not regret declining your offer, or any other offer you wish to present to me later on. Go ahead, keep the domain name, I obviously do not have enough money to buy it. But please do remember that the label "PinoyCosplay" is not just a label, but a full of history and a demanding, overwhelming sense of social responsibility, which I am sad to say you lack, if your incoherent, inaccurate statements in our forum and your blog picture alone are all that an outsider have to go by.

It was so difficult for me to write this as calmly as possible, but it DOES beat sending you a notice asking your presence at court, or sending fellow cosplayers and our personal friends to finish you off, though indeed those two scenarios are tempting.

The BC 130 class on Program Planning and Concept Building of the College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman, invites you to
POWER FEVER: A Fantaserye Fun Fest!
Featuring the program launch ofLonggaFRIENDS, one superspoof of a sitcom with a fantaserye twist, andMATCHBOX, a light fantasy drama about building relationships.
Happening on the27th of September, Tuesday, 6:00 pmat theUP College of Mass Communication parking lot and veranda area.
Slowdive and other rocking bands will be there.
Admission is FREE!!!
Catch the POWER FEVER!

PS I'm an editor-crew member-bit role player for LonggaFRIENDS so I COMPEL ALL MY FRIENDS WHO LIVE IN MANILA, PHILIPPINES, TO COME!!! Nyahahahahaha. XD XD XD

Farewell, +~**Ligaya**~+

It is with deep regret and infinite sadness that I must inform everyone that I am now deleting my first blog, +~**Ligaya**~+. HTML difficulties have overwhelmed me and I can no longer fix her.

Thank you very much and God bless you all.

El Santo Papa ha muerto. Viva el Papa Juan Pablo II!

Words can't seem to describe the feeling of loss I have right now ... even if I never met him personally, I feel sad nonetheless. Not just as a proud, practising Roman Catholic, but as a person. He seemed like a very nice man. I am forever glad to have had a glimpse of him back in the 1995 World Youth Day here in Manila.

For some reason ALL of the people I've wanted to meet for the longest time have died or are dying before I ever get the chance to meet them, but that's just me.

Though ... I am glad he is now at peace, resting in the bosom of the Lord.

It's at moments like these when I wish I could return to drawing...

CRIES FOR HELP

1. My friend Nicole needs to know if anyone among my friends out here has "lucky pets" (think arowanas, snakes, three-colored cats, etc.), and if they have interesting stories to tell about these pets. She needs them ASAP. Please forward your stories here.
2. My other friend Ate Sasa (Teresa Morales, for all you Povedans who graduated before, after or with 4D of Batch 1997) suffered her mother's sudden and serious operation. The family needs prayers and comfort since her mother shows no sign of recovery to date and the family's resources have been drastically lowered because of the operation.

Please guys, let's help them out.

Thank you so much and may God bless you always!

Finally!

Hey all! First off, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE UP COLLEGE OF MASS COMMUNICATIONS (where I am studying right now) FOR WINNING THE "MOST CREATIVE LANTERN AWARD" at the UP Lantern Parade held today, 16 December 2004! WHOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! \^0^/ {cheers} (Of course, I'm a part of the Lantern Parade Committee as the overworked hardworking Broadcast Communication Committee Head. hence my justified bias. ;P)

Next, I've gotten HEAVILY into Ayashi no Ceres. Now, though I must admit I'm a Watase Yuu basher (I mean good Lord, Fushigi Yuugi may be the ultimate fantastic rendition of having an all-male harem at your beck and call but man, Miaka and Yui are THE PITS! XP), but A no C is SO compelling particularly if you approach it with the knowledge of celestial maiden legends. (There's one in my country, and it's arguably the only one where the maiden DOES NOT resist returning with him even if she is restored to her heavenly home.) If you like strong female lead characters, a solid and tightly-wound (and preferably revenge-centered) plot, magic-based stories, subtle drama and a bit of horror in your shoujo manga, I HIGHLY recommend this book. v^_~v At least its run has been completed (the Japanese and various Chinese versions are, anyway), at ONLY FOURTEEN VOLUMES to boot! ^0~ (That's a lot less considering how long most shoujo manga are these days! @_@) And for more enjoyment, here's the results of a quiz I took from Fighting Destiny: Ceres.Nu! ~_~

You're like Aya Mikage!

You're an ordinary person living a normal life, but things can change so quickly. Your life has turned upside down! You're battling against a part of yourself that seems unreal.

PLEASE SUPPORT MY FRIEND!

My blockmate owns Screwed Prophet. And right now, I'm still reeling because his blog is a Philippine Blog Awards Nominee (the lucky dog! T_T)!

Please support him by telling EVERYONE about his website. And it doesn't hurt to visit, at least you'll see why I believe he deserves the award here: http://www.screwedprophet.com.

Thanks heaps and God bless you all! v^__________________^v

PS Many Happy Returns to my beloved Daddy, who turns 59 today!!! ^_______________________~

Ara, my other blog's layout can no longer be fixed! O_o How sad! T_T Bye-bye http://l_i_g_a_y_a.blogspot.com. Y_Y


So, to cheer myself up...











Take the CCS Guardian quiz!

Heh. XD {ROTFLMFAOOL}

OT: TO ALL RP ANIME FANS WITH ANIME-RELATED JOBS (EVEN PART-TIME)

As I wasn't able to talk to most of you on Saturday and I don't have most of your cellphone numbers, I have no choice but to ask you HERE.

I need your help badly. My radio show goes on the air TOMORROW (THURSDAY), SEPTEMBER 23, and I'm STILL lacking one guest because my original guest, Ate Dice/Krizelle, can't make it tomorrow (the other guest's Kuya Igor, and although he's said he'll try to bring another person with him for my radio show with my blockmate, I can only rely on the word TRY). Please, PLEASE text me at 0917-8163296 ASAP that you do not have a day job and that you ARE free from 10:30 AM to 12:00 NN on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23.

Also, if you agree to be an interviewee, please fill up the following and email it to me ASAP at haruka173@yahoo.com:

=======================

FULL NAME:
NICKNAME:
AGE:
BIRTHDAY:
SEX:
GENDER ORIENTATION:
CURRENT RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS:
PERMANENT RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS:
ALL POSSIBLE CONTACT NUMBERS:
OCCUPATION:
OFFICE ADDRESS:
OFFICE CONTACT NUMBERS:
HOBBIES: (wholesome please)
LIKES: (anything wholesome under the sun)
DISLIKES: (anything wholesome under the sun)
FAVOURITE MANGA:
FAVOURITE ANIME:
LEAST FAVOURITE MANGA:
LEAST FAVOURITE ANIME:
DESCRIBE YOURSELVES: (wholesome please)

=======================

Sorry for all the questions but this IS a personality interview, so we'd like to get to know you all a bit better before we go on the air tomorrow. Before I forget, the interview will be at DZUP, Broadcast Media Center, College of Mass Communication, Plaridel Hall, UP Diliman (if you're coming from University Avenue, go all the way to the Oblation and turn left; it's at the LEFT-MOST BUILDING and is ACROSS THE COLLEGE OF MUSIC/ABELARDO HALL).

I'm waiting for all your replies (SMS and email) by 2:00 PM TODAY, SEPTEMBER 22. Thanks heaps!!!


Sincerely,
M. J. “J-Y” Bordador
Manila, Philippines

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

This must be payback for my ignoring my other blog for my Livejournal, because now...

...IT'S MESSED UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!! T________________________T

I SO wanna cry now... It's been my favest layout for a year or more! T_____________T

{weeps inconsolably}

But at least I'm going to be the first to experience THE BIG MOVE!!! ~_________________~