strange condition.

I wonder when Sir Bataller will return our Math long tests. The suspense is killing me. So far, I'm safely over the 100 passing mark. I've passed, but by how much? I hope he's generous with partial points! *crosses fingers* I know I said I would forget about that test, but I just can't! I can't believe what a nerd I've been today. Yesterday, on a Friday, I started reading a few pages of our assigned readings for Eco. Now, I'm trying to read Chapter 7 of Mankiw's book, (not that I'm making any progress) but the mere fact that I'm opening my book on a Saturday night is pretty... disturbing. Unnatural at the very least. *hehe*

Grr... my throat still hurts. Of course, seeing the now-familiar first spew of bloody phlegm whenever I get coughs and colds didn't help either. Sorry for being so gross... I remember the first time I saw that, I panicked: instantly went online to check out the symptoms of tuberculosis (although thinking it ridiculous that someone like me would have it). As expected, it wasn't TB. *hehe* And it only happens on the first day I have coughs so, I don't really know what that means. Does my throat have a scar or something? Pretty weird if it does. For now, this strange condition of mine shall remain a mystery. *hums to Pete Yorn's Strange Condition*

crazy about jordi.

Listening to: Blind by Lifehouse

I was prowling through the Internet when I found these! New additions to my must-have list! Actually, I've never had a must-have list, but I've just got to get my hands on one of these! The wallets are just so cute! And don't even get me started on the messenger bags! Aaaaah! Why wasn't I born in Spain so I can have unlimited access to wonderful Jordi Labanda merchandise? And at cheaper prices too! *sigh*

*drools* Cute, cute, cute!

Whoa! The door just slammed shut! I find that very odd considering it's an extremely hot summer day absent of any refreshing gusts of wind! I actually went to school in shorts today, no longer caring if people think it inappropriate. To hell with it, it's just way too hot to be wearing jeans when the denim ends up sticking to your legs. *makes face* Thank goodness I don't have any SOM classes this summer lest I be subjected to the wrath of our beloved dean whose nostrils flare up at the slightest sight of skin. *hehehe*

pasalubongs galore.

Wheeee! My parents came home from a convention in Shanghai (with a little side-trip to Hongkong for shopping) last night and I got some pretty neat pasalubongs! Here's what I got:

1. Jordi Labanda notebook with holographic cover - The reason why I'm so happy with this one is because Sketchbooks (at Greenbelt 3) is for some weird reason, no longer selling the Jordi Labanda stuff I love so much. I've been there two times in the last 6 months and still no sign of any new Jordi Labanda merchandise. Hehe, I still have 3 Jordi Labanda notebooks stored away. They're just too pretty to be written on! *laughs* Still haven't found something worth writing in those notebooks.
2. Jordi Labanda pencil case- Yey! I finally have something to replace my old Jordi Labanda metal pencil case that has rusted all over from the abuse it's received in the last year or so.
3. Skechers slip-on sneakers- Finally! I can finally retire my old Diesel slip-on sneakers that have become yellow instead of white and are constantly the butt of insults from my mom! She finally realized that I would not retire it unless I can replace it with something that looks similar and serves the same purpose! *hehe*
4. Diesel sneakers- Cuuuute! They're futuristic! Can't find another way to describe them cause they're made out of suede and this shiny material that reminds me of spaceships!
5. Pink bikini- Yey! Looks like my mom took care of the swimsuit shopping for me! I can't wait for our Boracay trip on May! Sun, surf, sand! Anything away from the impending stress of classes, I'll take it!
6. Only Jeans- Oooohh... considering they're not the typical cut of jeans that fit me, they fit pretty well! I'll have to have them cut first though!

Considering they only had 2 days worth of shopping, they sure did a great job at it! It's always after these business trips of theirs that I realize time and again how well they know me! I loved everything they got me. Ang galing! *hehe*

feeling hot hot hot.

On a normal school day, being given 60 pages of readings is not too bad, especially when you've got 6 subjects that could have contributed to that mountain of a pile. But if it's the first day back in school (summer classes) and you have 60 pages to read for only two subjects, well, that's a different story altogether.

After reading exactly 39 pages of Mankiw's Macroeconomics for tomorrow, I have no desire whatsoever to open my Math book. Heck, the title itself is enough to discourage me! "An Introduction to Mathematical Statistics and its Applications" Waaahhh... I can't believe I was actually excited to have summer classes when I went to sleep last night. Goodness. What was I thinking? *laughs* I am going to diiiieeeeee! Not just from the prospect of failing Math, (seeing all those weird notations that Cel and I described as Arabic on the board today made my knees go weak), but also from the unforgiving heat that screams "Welcome back to the Philippines!" to all those lucky enough to escape for a few glorious weeks of perfect California weather. And how about those who had snowflakes settling on their eyelashes while some of us sat here melting like butter? The only thing I have over those who went abroad is my getting used to this weather. Well... I still complain every hour or so, I guess staying in that air-conditioned office for two weeks gave my body the illusion of being somewhere farther from the equator. *hehe* I am sooo stocking up on shorts and skirts! Why is it so hot this summer anyway?

Hayayay! I'm bankrupt na! I had to borrow money just to buy the two books required by the two subjects who both assigned two chapters to read for tomorrow's class! Odd thing is, both books turned out to have orange covers! Just a random thing to say... I am soooo bored. Anyway, I better put some money into my wallet so I can pay off all my debts. Plus, speaking of books! I just realized I have to change my messenger bag for a backpack! The books won't fit into my sky blue Billabong bag now, so I'll have to put it in another blue Billabong bag (this time ocean blue and white in color with accents of orange), resurrected from the dead! *laughs* I remember the last trip I used that bag on, we went to Phuket back in 2002... (I miss Phuket... I doubt we're going back though, my mom's too scared of the spirits she says are roaming its beaches...)

Hmm... I'm starting to become extremely disorganized with my thoughts. I think I better sign out now before I end up saying something stupid, if I haven't already! *laughs*

DL semester as notes payable

Again I stare, not knowing what to write.

Grades-wise, I should be happy! And I am! *laughs* I just managed to get myself on the DL. Whew. Thanks to a wonderfully ended semester with Sir Darwin and his kind kind revised grading system and the fairly easy fourth long test. Thanks to Sir Bayot for awarding me an A and for all the bonus points without which I would not have made the 95 needed for the first letter of the alphabet we want so much to see on our grade sheets. Admittedly, I skipped around SEC when I saw that A in Eco. *sheepish smile*

On the flipside, no thanks to my Filipino teacher who did not give Kevs his well-deserved grade, and did not let me slip by with a B when I was sooooo close. Of all the times to get a C+ in Filipino, it had to be the very last one. I always managed to squeeze by with a B. First with Capino in Fil 11, and then with our pare, Mikael in Fil 12. Now, well, our teacher just broke my Filipino B streak. I can only breathe a sigh of relief that all my other subjects seemed to fit in just right for the DL combination.

Why so desperate for that DL? Well... it's a stupid story, really. Back in the day when Math was an easy thing, back in the day when my study habits had not yet started their steady decline, back when I was so scared of college life that I'd wake up in the morning earlier before classes just to go through my notes again, well basically, back in the first semester of my first year in Ateneo. (What an introduction, I just had to make you all dizzy.) Where was I? (See, even I got lost. But then again, I always can't seem to remember what I want to say!) Ah yes, I got onto the DL without much hoopla. Somehow, it didn't seem like too much stress, or too much work. Compared to what I put in today, that semester was well, forgive me for sounding full of air, but it felt effortless.

Because it felt so effortless, I didn't think that getting on the DL was such a biggie. I guess that's the mistake of having been blessed so early on, you tend to take it for granted. So when there was a DL ceremony, I completely shrugged it off. I didn't even tell my parents about it. Needless to say, I didn't go and I just got the merit card from Bellarmine Hall one day when I had the time. The "trouble" started when my mom got to talk to an officemate of hers who happened to have a son in Ateneo. That officemate of hers started talking about her son and how she went to this ceremony for Dean's Listers. My mom stood there with a quizzical look, knowing that I got on the DL, and yet not knowing anything about this event that to me, seemed merely a place for parents to show off their roosters (i.e. us). She stood there with a muscle smile, gears churning in her head, a big question starting to form at the back of her mind.

At the dinner table, as I innocently put a spoonful of rice into my mouth, she started with her story. She looked at me at the end of it accusingly and said "I looked stupid there not knowing what this ceremony was all about with a horrifying realization that my daughter did not tell me anything. I would have wanted to go!" (Of course, she said all this in Chinese, which made it sound even more oh-no-inducing.) And of course, I didn't tell her why I never mentioned the ceremony to her and decided for myself that I didn't want to go. She would never have understood that, heck, even I think myself a little stupid now too. I mean really, when else could I have gotten on the DL? So she tells me, "You shouldn't have decided not going for yourself! We're part of that decision..." she paused and continued, "You owe me another DL semester so I can go to this ceremony. I'm holding this over you." *big gulp*

The next two semesters after that glorious first semester were clouded with disappointment. Finally, the so-called bengga semester came along. As Nati would say (in that way only she can,) "This is it!" I quickly realized it wasn't going to be such a smooth-sailing ride after all. Piles and piles of papers and handouts started providing carpet cover to our little blue study room. Accounting got me sad for a night or two. Filipino got me biting my fingernails each time we had a long quiz/test. Eco, at least for the first part of the semester, had me straining my already weak hearing to catch Sir's lectures and occasional emotion-filled muras. But thankfully, everything DID fall into place, (save for Filipino) everything that needed falling into place anyway. Praise the lords, alleluia, I have just paid off my life's biggest "notes payable!"

One more time, let's hear that sigh of relief. *whew* My mom better not expect anything after this! *laughs* Nah, of course, for personal satisfaction, I want another DL semester. Let's see when I can manage to scrape another one by.