For that, I thank you. While I am still bitter about Dick Gordon not winning, not even close, and I am aghast of everything going on, I stare at the TV. Sa susunod, di ko na susundan ang aking puso.

And I find amusement of media’s victory,because this is their victory as well. I see TV stars, I am reminded of Estrada’s inauguration.Yeah, I know, they are different.

Anyways, not minding the current events and my disapproval of everybody in the government, I mean every single one, and my growing irritation of Kris Aquino, let us celebrate the day!

For today, I will wear my favorite black shirt and go out on a dinner date with my favorite conversationalist.

Thank you, Noynoy, for what you’ve done. You have laid out a beautiful front of unity at a time where there really isn’t. Let us ignore how this government, just as before, represents the bifurcation of the classes in our country. I thank you for your self-righteousness and ignorant altruism, for as you say, you carried the obligation of being an Aquino, sacrificing whatever you say, to rise to the challenge of being Chief Executive after your infant stay in the senate. This, as willed by the people who placed Arroyo in her seat, is the voice of the people.

May the gossamer of illusion never fade and may it inspire us all.

May you learn from the lessons of the past, of your predecessor including your mother. It does not matter if I think you are an idiot, because we live in a democracy and the will of the people is to be followed.

Thank you. At least, I have a free day out of work and I will be watching, too, keeping my fingers crossed. Pag walang korap, walang mahirap. Sana nga yumaman na tayong lahat!

God, I hate Mike Enriquez’ voice.

Anyway, pipila na ako tapos tinanong ko kung Antipolo ang pila, and there he is. So we were talking about classmates we had and how they are doing, and then the people who are abroad, we mentioned a lot of names, people I am not close with.

Then I mentioned a friend who is working in a cruise, who travels a lot.

He then said, “Sino sya?”

“Si Aizza,” I answered, “yung tahimik.”

“Sa tootoo lang,” he chuckled, “di ko na sya maalala.”

No matter what I hinted, until I dropped it, she was not remembered.

In a way, I am grateful that I seem to be unforgotten. Aizza is a friend of mine, who really did not touch many lives. She is really quiet and awfully below radar.

My friends are like that, below radar, except the weird architect who ha gone gay.

So maybe I was such a big dork that people still remember me. Ha-ha!

I sometimes wonder if people remember me and they still do. And they still call me by my given name, both of them, Jose Paulo, like a weird character from a telenovela.

Sila ang unang pumapansin sa akin, from the dorks, dweebs, jocks and intellectuals, it is nice to know that I am still remembered, despite my eccentricity and lack of proper social skills.

I don’t know why it’s such a relief to know. But, well, someday, they might forget me, too. At least for now, they know me. Hahaha!

I guess it was because of them that I have learned love the RCC as a religion, and even now that I became agnostic (or whatever), I still have this soft spot for the Roman Catholic Church.

When I was in 2nd grade, that was the time we had our first communion, Sr. Josefa was in charge of the batch that will be having it. I think it is a big deal for catholic schools. It is after all, part of the seven sacraments.

She is the type who makes a big deal out of every detail, making sure that everybody does things properly. You need to walk straight while your hands clasped together properly all the time, there is even a way with how you should stick out your tongue when taking the host. Rehearsals are ok; after all, we won’t be taking classes for that, and instead, be going to church to prepare for the big event. She is like the guardian who watches everything, even to the point of humiliation, by kid’s standards. Kids are afraid of her.

I think she has this power over kids. Every Mondays, she would ask who did not attend mass the day earlier. It’s like of one of those dreadful moments in school for a kid. Typically, I go to mass, but there are times that I don’t. My parents are sometimes busy. In some instances, somebody will take me to church, which is just a good walking distance away from home.

I remember a time when my mom told my brother to go with me to mass, but he didn’t (because he’s normal).

On that Monday morning, the good sister asked everybody, as usual, who did not attend mass. So one by one, those who did not attend mass would stand up.

Let me explain her power¹. She will ask the class who did not attend mass. Kids will reluctantly stand up. The first ones are those who had the courage or had reasonable excuses². Now some would stand, after the first person stood up. She won’t really finish there. Just when you thought all the sabbatical delinquents already stood up, she would speak in her stern voice-of-God voice, “meron pa dyan!” some more would stand up, and then she continues to do that until someone else stands up. This ends until she is satisfied and feels that all the prodigal children have admitted to their neglect.

But back to the story of me and my bother not attending mass, so I stood up. She asked me why I was not able to attend mass. I told her that my brother was not able to accompany me (I really have not learned lying at that age yet, that was three or four years later). She asked me to look for my brother (he’s in the 5th grade).

So i called him, and he spoke to the sister. My CLE class was already finished, and she was at another room teaching another class. So in front of the other class, I learned later, she scolded my brother about being “lakwatsero” and not doing his Christian duty of allocating one hour for the Sabbath in front of second-graders.

That is sister Josefa for you. She was already old and wrinkled when she was in our class. I graduated and she was still there terrorizing other kids. I learned that she has mellowed down through the years, and she was actually nice to talk to, if you’re no longer a kid and is not in her class. I also remember that she teaches a lot of good things. She also has good handwriting, that i remember well, the loopy unconstrained kind that gets narrow upward and heavier downward.

When i think back, she might just have this strong devotion to her god, something that should be expected from her generation and her vows. Teaching about God in our school has become her life. Nuns come and go in our school, but she chose to stay. I might check if she’s still there teaching, or if she’s still alive. She’s really old now.

I think there are few teachers I can remember from grade school, but she really is among those that I remember, and I am sure that others from our school, too. Now those terrorizing moments came to be fond memories.

1. I’d like to call it that, i still have not met someone who has that same kind of ability over children
2. like dead relatives or being sick

So apparently, I have not lost it yet. I thought I was beginning to be one of them.

I hate a lot of people right now. I hate Vice Ganda. I don’t know why people in facebook are all of a sudden fans of Vice Ganda, I don’t know what good she ever did? Really. All she did was made an insipid defense (actually lame rebuttal, which is not even a real rebuttal) against Rosanna Roces’ comments against teachers. FB makes me see the sick and twisted minds of people who are fans of Jason Ivler. It is not much different from worshipping Charles Manson. You sick, sick people!

I don’t like the president of the country, and I like the presidential candidates no better. What am I supposed to do?

And all the funny attacks I do against the Twilight and New Moon are ignored. Like it is so easy to find people who hate Meyer books online but in the waking, conscious world, They all LOVE Bella and Edward, especially pasty-sparkly, romanticized Edward who needs to get some therapy. I haven’t even started with Jacob. Actually, they both do and all the readers of that stupid book who does not get how twisted the relationship is! And mind you, I know what I AM TALKING ABOUT!

Wooh!

What has the world gotten to? Tell me.

Note: This post is offensive to Stephenie Meyer and her fans.

I once took a Facebook quiz on which literary character you are, it came out with Holden Caulfield. Nak ng –!I am not like Holden Caulfield. It killed me. Do I strike you to be the type of guy who complains a lot, and has all this angst against the world? I am not like that! Do you see me complaining that way?!

Okay.

I read The Catcherwhen, I think, I was in college. I was young but not that young that I have already a good grasp of who I am, which is probably one of the reasons that the book did not hit me as hard as others. I liked Franny and Zooey better.

It was the book that that guy who killed John Lennon was reading before the assassination.

I guess there were several things I liked about the book. It captured a part of that angry time in your youth. Also, Holden may be a consistent whiner who insult people a lot but he still does the right thing, and in the end he felt he was in that field catching those falling off the cliff. I remember the intense emotions when I was reading the book toward the end. That I still remember.

O Holden, you are a stupid smart-ass.

We will remember Mr. Salinger.

There are rumors that the elusive writer left a safe with lots of unpublished stories. I will probably wait for those if they do come out, and if indeed, there is….

I do not know if I am going to be regularized by February. I have some absences and my performance isn’t exactly what you’d call stellar.

But if I do, and if there is some sliver of hope that I am to be regularized, I need a friend. A friend that gets it, a normal friend.

Not that I hate the people I hang out with, they’re actually very nice to me. But it sure would be nice to hang out with someone, male and heterosexual, for a change.

A co-worker once said that men in our company are either gay or ugly, they then look at me and say that I am an exception in that category. Now, they have changed it. The men in our company are either gay or geeks. I think superior geeks will shudder at the nature of our jobs. But seriously, I dont see many geeks here, maybe they were all transferred in the evening shift. But it sure would be nice to hanging out with some one different.

Yesterday, I confessed to Meow that I am beginning to talk like them. She was surprised that I said Gora so casually. Hahaha! It is not wrong to speak Gay Talk but it doesn’t really suit me. I don’t want to say all those stuff in normal conversation. They are beginning to rub off on me. NOOOO!

I want a friend who likes fantasy and cartoons. Someone who smokes and drinks. Someone who have a sense of humor that is similar to mine. Someone who does not fornicate with men. Please, please, please…

My first reaction:

• Isn’t he married?
• I did not know they were dating.
• Does this end any chances of a Dresden Dolls reunion?
• They would make an awesome couple.
• Why do I care too much about celebrities that DO NOT KNOW I EVEN EXIST!

So I checked the Internet, not a good time, our ISP’s service is so SLOW last night. I learned that Gaiman was separated from his ex-wife for more than 5 years. It turns out I am not that big of a fan, anyway. Hahaha! Meow has been telling me I am beginning to be one of the stalker-type fans, but no! I did not know. I am normal after all.

I can’t sleep much last night thinking about it. So, that was creepy. I take it back, I am not normal, after all!

Checking the validity of the news, it appears to be true. Gaiman posted it in his blog and Palmer has tweet about it. This is like BIG NEWS in the geek layer of the blogsphere, geeks are abuzz about it, and they are happy. And you’d hear the type of geekiness you hear when a geek icon marries someone cool. They are inspired.

The spunky singer of the Dresden Dolls marries the the Sandman creator. What can I say about that? Really! I am out of words.

Today, I will be posting musicians that I like. Yes, musicians I like. Now, why I have to reiterate that, I don’t know. Maybe for dramatic effect.

Today, let’s start with Tori Amos.

I like her a lot! Ever since… I don’t know. I just did. I’ve known her from high school, Jackie’s Strength. I liked it even if it isn’t a very manly song. Then, I started to hear other songs. Very original and unlike anyone else’s. She sing songs that tell a story, sometimes sweet, surreal, tragic or dark, at times even disturbing.

I was just listening to her ’97 Bonnie and Clyde cover. I can’t believe how she transformed an Eminem song into a creepy, thriller-type song. I am dumbfounded.

***

Then, The Dresden Dolls, the duo of Brian Viglione and Amanda Palmer. They’re androgynous and spunky. I really like this photo below. Their music really speaks to me. I think these two are one of the more individualistic musicians out there, and they’re pretty beautiful.

Amanda has a fun blog and released a solo album that’s quite good.

***

Manowar! I was once looking for something to read about gods, and I was able to find their Gods of War album. Many weeks later, and many re-listens after, I’ve grown to love them. I love mythology, and they are using it in a lot of their music. I learned that they weren’t a really popular band, but  was enough to have one of their music in the 300 soundtrack.

Then, I was curious how they looked like.

Boy! I was not prepared for that!

They must really want to be vikings. They really remind me more of WWF wrestlers from my childhood. Then I thought, why not? I really like them. Parang ako lang, may sayad! Yes, I still like to listen music from them.

***

Going ahead, Ours. Ours reminds me of Muse and of Dishwalla, but they’re still different. Yeah! They are my favorite band yet!

This time I am out of words, I just listen to them and the rest of the world stops and I just get trapped inside their songs. Hehehe.

Now that’s enough for now. Maybe another batch next time.

Unlike me, I either like or hate people, and I try to get along with anybody who wants be friends with me. She doesn’t like people if she senses something. It’s a woman-thing that I stopped trying to understand. I sometimes think she’ll like some people but finds them very annoying.

One day while browsing  Facebook, I found a friend request from an old classmate. She’s not really one I’d call a good friend but rather a very good acquaintance who’s been nothing but nice and pleasant to me.

Boy, she looked old. I think I look younger than my batchmates but she looked older than my batchmates. She looked just as old as my mother.

“Hala!” she exclaimed.

So Sydney looked older, she has always looked older. She has this facial feature that made her look really old. When we were in high school, I do remember that she did look older than she really was.

“Nag-asawa ba sya ng foreigner at M***er ang apelido nya?” I didn’t think so. I think some people in Facebook make up these ridiculous names. The reason, I don’t quite understand. I have friends on my list with names like Steve Loire and Ryashi Kyo. Maybe she did marry or maybe not.

What made it more amusing after checking her profile while she eagerly looked at the content of her wall.

It had things like Hoy Indai, wala na kami kanin. Magdala ka naman dito!!!

saka na indai, un na muna. cocontakin kita kapag meron pa. kunin mo nlng sa driver ko ang bayad mo.

At feeling ko yung driver pangalan sharon?????waaahhhh…. O cge mam, sana di month makalimutan mag lock ng kwarto at baka ma batukan kta ng bongang bonga para magising ka sa katotohanan na ako pala ang amo mu…haahahahaha

The room that I shared with my brother is all mine now. He is getting married this month. I guess I felt a bit sad.

My brother and I, I guess, has gotten closer as we got older. Growing up, we never had much in common. He was fairly goodlooking, amiable, was popular in in school, engaged in sports… and I am not — just the opposite.

My mother got sad. I guess, she just realized how it’s like to have the nest being left. Boom! My brother’s not perfect but he’s far more affectionate than me.

He was the one with the biggest appetite.

I just have all my things in the room, my books that used to be lying on the floor are now in the shelves that he used to place his trash. Nobody will be borrowing my clothes anymore, I guess I’ll no longer be complaining that I haven’t seen my jacket for a long time now nor will I get irritated by him wearing the jeans that I like.

Nobody will be borrowing my computer anymore. And I could now sleep without hearing his loud snoring or his late arrival smelling like chico.

The room is surprisingly clean, I have to maintain it that way now coz I can no longer pass the blame on my brother.

It’s weird. I guess, I too am a bit sad.

That’s OK. Life has taught me to just pick up with what I have, and move on.

I wonder if he’s gonna give me something on my birthday. Probably, like always… wala!