life ain't fair

Harry Potter in Ateneo

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:24:26 GMT

This was written by Miguel Antonio Lizada and was taken from www.animoateneo.com

"This started as three separate entries in my blog I must be honest and say that this was nothing but a mere product of boredom. I wrote this after re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and after asking myself "What would Ateneo be like if it was attacked by Voldemort and his dark creatures".

Friends who read my blog forwarded this to their friends who in turn forwarded it to their friends. At the request of my colleagues here in AnimoAteneo. com and people who have enjoyed this, I have edited and polished this story as well as added a few new elements to it.

Just a few pre-reading reminders:

This, in essence is a parody of Ateneo life. Yes, there are of course anti-school and UAAP-based jokes here and there but this mainly satirizes Ateneo life - the people, the language, the culture etc.

This is also a parody of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Its ending resembles the ending of the Harry Potter book. So if you have not yet read the book and you do not wish to be spoiled, I must warn you to read at your own risk.

My thanks to those who have enjoyed what-used-to- be-just-a- time-filler and to those who contributed several suggestions."

Chapter One: Before the Storm

Fr. Bienvenido Nebres SJ was just finishing the day's work when Harry Potter, a senior of the Ateneo de Manila, burst into his office.

"Fr Nebres!" Harry shouted

"Harry!" a surprised Nebres said. "I thought you were out of school destroying the horcruxes to kill Lord Voldemort."

"That's what I wanted to tell you. I discovered that there are two horcruxes here in Ateneo itself. Voldemort has enlisted the help of the De La Salle University and the University of Santo Tomas. They are coming."

"Don't worry, Harry." Nebres said "You know for a fact that Ateneo -- its teachers and students -- are more than capable of defending our Loyola campus. We will hold them off while you search for the horcruxes and destroy them. You will need this." He waved of his wand and out of the air appeared a sword. "The sword of St. Ignatius." Nebres said. "Powerful enough to destroy the two horcruxes."

"Thank you, Father" Harry said. And with that, he sped off to find the last two things which protect Lord Voldemort.

Nebres then waved his wand once more and this time, four people appeared in his office. "Marlu, Rudy, Toby and Joey. The school is in danger"

Nebres then explained the situation to the four Deans of the Ateneo de Manila University.

"I want you to assemble all remaining students in the college covered courts. We must evacuate the freshmen through Marikina. The sophomore, junior and senior students may stay and fight if they want to. Next, I need you to assemble all the teachers, both part time and full time."

Without a word, the four deans Disapparated and went on with their tasks. Nebres too Disapparated back to the Jesuit Residence and briefed the Society about the impending attack.

Fr. Adolfo Dacanay was the assigned to lead the Jesuits to battle "My team is ready to fight anytime anywhere. We will crush them!"

"Excellent." Nebres said

After a few minutes, Nebres, the four Deans and some members of the faculty and administration gathered in Xavier Hall to discuss the battle plan.

"The School of Humanities can summon mythical creatures to help defend us." Marlu Vilches said "The English Department professors are summoning creatures from Dante's Inferno and Greek Mythology as we speak. The Filipino Department is summoning all the manananggals and white ladies from the haunted trees on campus.

"The Philosophy Department" interjected Fr. Ferriols "is summoning creatures from Meron pond right now. Those rascals will soon feel the wrath of Meron! Magiging WALA silang lahat! Konsepto lamang yan sila!"

"Now is the time to test the newest chemicals and inventions from our SEC laboratories. " Toby Dayrit said, "The Department of Environmental Science professors are enchanting the trees to life right now. We will purge them with the help of Mother Nature."

"I have just received a call from MVP" Rudy Ang said "Reinforcements from Makati are coming soon."

"My apples and sunshine are ready to fight as well" Tim Gabuna said. "Go CERSA!"

"I have just finished briefing my school. The Department of History is ready to fight. The Western history professors led by Dave Lozada and JoEd Tirol are summoning the three hundred Spartans and soldiers from the World War II to fight. Fr Bulatao and the Department of Psychology are locked inside the SocSci Conference room right now. They will use their psychic powers to toy with our enemy's mind."

"I have roused the athletes also." Norman Black beside Ricky Palou said "They are ready to put up One Big Fight with their super strength."

A voice interrupted them. "I KNOW YOU ARE PREPARING TO FIGHT! You are no match for us! I have allied myself with the La Salle brothers and the Dominicans of UST. You cannot win against me, Jesuits. Push the limit! Animo Spirit! Give us Harry Potter and the sword of St. Ignatius and we will let you live! We will even let you win some of the games."

Chapter Two: More Help

The Ateneans ignored the warning and instead began to prepare for the impending battle. A few minutes later, the voice shouted for a second time:

"I can see you are not listening! It is such a pity. What happened to your Prayer for Generosity? Give me Harry Potter and the Sword of St Ignatius. Give without counting the cost, you always say! You have until midnight. I also call on all students of La Salle Greenhills and La Salle Zobel. It is not too late. Come and join us. Convert! Repent!"

Fr. Dacanay, interrupting his briefing with his exorcists turned and said "The idiot is taking the prayer out of context. Besides, St Ignatius also said to fight without fear of being wounded. And we will do just that."

Three figures -- two women and a man -- suddenly appeared. "We are from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology" said the man.

"Ricky Abad!" Fr. Nebres exclaimed.

"I brought with me our Department Chair Bopeep Saloma-Akpedonu. And this is Czarina Medina, one of our newest lecturers. We apologize for being late. We were preparing our I-bombs."

"I-bombs? What are I-bombs?" Nebres asked.

"Ideology bombs. Once they detonate, they will spread false consciousness in the area -- the La Salle brothers and the Tomasians will think they are winning. It is all false really. We will use their pride against them."

"Excellent. Excellent." Nebres said. "And here comes Andrew Ty and Mark Escaler for the Department of Communication. "

"Yes!" Escaler said "we will infiltrate their communication processes by adding "noise" and ambiguity between the message relay of the sender and the receiver so orders can be reversed and thwarted!"

"The creatures from my horror films are coming!" Andrew Ty said. "We will use them to our advantage!"

"Father President! Some people are coming!" somebody shouted.

Some five hundred people then Apparated out of nowhere. Wearing either red or white shirts, they marched towards Nebres. A young man then stepped forward.

"We are from the University of the Philippines. " said the young man. "For years, our academic communities have built a strong relationship with each other. We have shared professors. We went to rallies together. We have had our differences. Yes. But in the end, our similarities and accomplishments outweigh our differences. .. We are here to help! We are honored to fight with Ateneo once more!"

Cheers and applause errupted from all sides.

"Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baba from the hill" the Ateneans cheered

Five minutes to midnight.

The School of Humanities stood with their mythical creatures summoned from the Classics, and the haunted trees and the gigantic swamp creatues from the Meron pond.

The John Gokongwei School of Management with their reinforcements from Makati, along with Venus Ibarra, Ricky Pilar and other professors.

The School of Science and Engineering with their mysterious inventions and weapons. The gigantic trees in the campus now walking sluggishly by their side.

The School of Social Sciences with their unique yet powerful defensive weapons; the Psychology Department ready for the psy-war.

The Ateneo Professional Schools ready to defend their Loyola-based counterparts; the two fraternities in the Law School forging a temporary alliance.

The Alumni, the D.A. (Dalandan's Army), led by Benjie Laza and Mon Cualoping.

The statues of Tomas More, Horacio dela Costa, the Blue Eagle come to life.

The students from U.P.

Two horcruxes left.

Now all is still, where Loyola's colors fly.

Chapter Three: One Big Fight

Midnight.

There was a burst of light emanating from the sky, brighter than the moon and the stars. What seemed like a horde of fireflies turned out to be arrows. Thousands of arrows. Tips on fire.

The arrows struck the Blue Eagle Gym. The oldest building in the University. The symbol of their athletic pride. Now aflame.

Toby Dayrit tossed a beaker of water to the burning building. He pointed his wand at the beaker now mid-air and shouted his spell "Magis." The water transformed into a surf huge enough to douse the fire. The Blue Eagle Gym was safe.

The archers outside roared their disappointment. But they shot again, this time targeting the Erenchun soccer field where some of the Ateneans were camped. Nebres pointed his wand at the arrows raining from the sky and shouted his incantation "Cura personalis" and the thousand arrows turned into bubbles.

The Ateneans cheered. The first two attacks of the LaSallians and the Tomasians have been thwarted.

"You have had your fun, Ateneans." a voice boomed. "Now it is time to get serious."

Darkness suddenly enveloped the University. The enemy had sabotaged their electricity. Immediately all the Ateneans took out and flickered their wands, "Lux in Domino" they chanted. Light emanated from all the wands.

The illumination came just in time as suddenly a stampede crushed the fences between Gate 2 and Gate 2.5. The Ateneans have realized the magnitude of their danger: it was not just the LaSallians or even just the Tomasians they were confronting; the other schools were there as well. A thousand green archers were riding the backs of the giant tigers of UST. Charging with them were the giant tamaraws and a hundred warriors whose bodies were painted red war paint. Above, falcons were soaring in the sky.

"YOU FOUL THINGS, noh?" somebody from the Ateneo crowd shouted, charging at the stampede; it was Tessa Rosana "How dare you attack us, noh? You don't know who you are dealing with, noh? TAKE THIS, noh?" She hit her gong with all her might. A powerful sound wave spread throughout the area knocking a hundred archers and animals out.

"HA! noh?" she triumphantly yelled.

And so the other Ateneans started counterattacking as well. David Lozada and his 300 Spartans. The ROTC cadets. The mythical creatures of the School of Humanities. Dalandan's Army.

Ricky Abad and the Department of Sociology soon deployed their Ideology Bombs prompting some of the LaSallians to cheer instead of fighting "Strawberry shortcake nananananana. " "Recticano! Recticano", allowing some of the Ateneans to easily knock the LaSallians out.

Somewhere near the Covered Courts, Norman Black was briefing his team, "Nonoy. I want you here. Chris, here. Jai, there. Alright? Any questions."

"Aaaaah! GOD DAMN IT!" a raspy voice screamed. It was Joe Lipa, former coach of the Blue Eagles, who arrived with the contingent from UP. "Just charge! Attack them! Now!" And so they did.

The LaSalle brothers and Francisco of UST were outside, watching the battle, waiting for their turn to strike.

A handful of LaSallians were found trotting back to their base.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" Francisco yelled.

"You told us to retreat!" the archer said.

"You idiot! That's just Escaler and Bulatao toying with your minds! Go back! That's it! I am joining the battle!"

She then stepped forward lifted her two arms and shouted "Tiger Power! Raar! Tiger Power! Raar!" The LaSalle brothers thought she had lost her mind. But then she suddenly transformed into a giant tigress, twice larger and fiercer than the ordinary tigers. Seeing their comrade ready and willing to fight, the LaSallians cheered.

"HOY!" Goldie the Tiger roared "NO CHEERING DURING BATTLE! NO CHEERING!" Then she advanced.

Her first target was Fr. Dacanay who was busy exorcising some of the archers and paralyzing them.

"FATHER! Behind you!"

Quickly, Dacanay whirled and performed his own counterattack "Expellus Inferius" blasting her into the middle of the Erenchun field, knocking her out.

"NOOOOOOOOOO! " The La Salle brothers shouted upon seeing their comrade down. "It is time we even the score."

The earth began to quake. And out of the night came a gigantic robot. It was DLRT; the LaSallians had transformed and brought the LRT-1 which passed Taft Avenue into a robot.

DLRT was making quick work of the Ateneans and their creatures, crushing the mythical creatures here and there, tossing the trees brought to life by the Department of Environmental Science.

"Let us not lose hope!" Nebres said. "We are after all committed to hope."

"Now is not the time to talk about GK, Father!" somebody said.

"I am not talking about GK. I am talking about SECtor."

He pointed his wand the Science Education Complex. The building shook and assembled itself into a robot. SEC A was the head and the torso. SEC B became the left arm and leg and SEC-C became the right.

"Mang Freddie!" Nebres called.

"I am ready, Father!" shouted Freddie the man in charge of Escaler Hall which has now become the control room SECtor.

"Attack, Freddie! One Big Fight."

DLRT was no match and quickly collapsed under the strength of SECtor.

"Fr Nebres!" Harry Potter appeared. "Two horcruxes have been destroyed and..."

"Animo La Salle!" "Animo La Salle!" "Animo La Salle!"

There were screams of terror. The LaSalle brothers had entered the battle. They were using their most dangerous spell: The Animo LaSalle -- the Killing Curse!

Finale: The Animo Wand

Ateneans were dropping dead left and right. The Animo La Salle curse was unblockable. Some of the more veteran teachers provided extra defense and protection to the students but most of their efforts were futile.

Dacanay and his Jesuit team however managed to stun a few archers.

Victory however seemed far-fetched. Francisco had been revived from the Stunning Spell by Dacanay. Back in human form, she was battling Jai Reyes, Kirk Long and Chris Tiu at the same time. While the players were certainly skillful, Francisco was able to block all spells launched by the Blue Eagles.

Francisco pointed her wand at Chris Tiu and shouted "Animo La Salle!" But the curse missed him by an inch.

"Not Chris Tiu you BIATCH!" somebody shouted; it was Achoot Cuyegkeng. "Out of my way! Out of my way! SHE's MINE!"

Francisco laughed. " You are no match for me! I am the greatest servant of the Dominicans! What's gonna happen to your Loyola Schools after I kill you?! What's gonna happen to your Blue Eagles after I kill Chrissy?"

"You will never touch any of our students again!!" Cuyegkeng said.

Francisco laughed. And with her unerring skill as jack-of-all- trades professor Cuygekeng sent a Stunning Curse at her opponent. The curse hit her squarely on the chest, knocking her out once more.

"Enough!" Harry shouted. "Voldemort! Where are you? You have been using the LaSallians and the other schools to come after me. Where are you?"

"I am here, Potter." a voice hissed. The voice came from Bro. Armin.

"Brother Armin?"

"No! I am Voldemort! Armind is my past, present and future. See?" he wrote the word Armind then with a flicker of his wand the word became Voldemort.

"I don't get it." Harry said

"Ako rin!" an Atenean said.

"Ha? Can you make ulit?" another one shouted.

"How did Armind became Voldemort?"

"Bai, nalibog na ko!" A Cebuano Atenean shouted.

"Bah! Never mind! Anyone knows the LaSallians can't spell. So anyway, I stunned Armind a few days ago and using his name and face I used the school and all the other schools to come and find you!"

"But you are too late. I destroyed all the horcruxes!"

"No, Potter. I win. You see, while I was Bro. Armind. I was able to find the long lost and most powerful wand in the entire world -- the Animo Wand! And you will be its first victim!"

"Are you kidding me, Tom?" Harry said "Don't you get it? The wand chooses the school. The Animo wand does not belong to La Salle! It belongs to the Ateneo."

"No! You are the fool! The LaSallians have been cheering Animo La Salle for such a long time. The LaSallians truly own the wand and since I am a LaSallian for now, I own it. Die Potter die!"

"But you see, Riddle, you did not review University histories. If you did, you would know that the Ateneans used Animo Ateneo first. And they still use it now. There is even a website right now named AnimoAteneo. com. The Ateneans have reclaimed Animo Ateneo!"

Silence.

"So. It comes down to this isn't it?" Harry whispered "Does your wand know that its original owner still values it? If it does, I AM THE TRUE MASTER OF THE ANIMO WAND!"

Voldemort points his wand at Harry who in turn has prepared for the final duel.

"ANIMO LA SALLE!" Voldemort shouted.

"OH! GET. THAT. WAND!" Harry shouted.

The curse rebounded and hit Voldemort instead of Harry who caught the Animo Wand with his other hand. Cheers from the Ateneans and even some La Sallians, who realized that they were duped were all around.

That morning both Ateneo and La Salle forged a cease fire -- temporary because they next day was the Ateneo-La Salle basketball championship. Francisco who was revived after hours of being stunned by Dacanay and Cuyegkeng decided to lift the "No Cheering!" rule during time out. However, she still flinches whenever Dacanay (or any Jesuit for that matter) would approach her.

There were however, a group of La Sallians who disagreed with having a cease fire. They believed that the death and defeat of Voldemort was unfair so they decided to file a protest. This was later junked due to lack of merit.

Epilogue. Nineteen Years Later.

It was the day of the ACET.

Harry Potter was accompanying his son Ben.

"Dad! What if I fail the ACET and end up in DLSU?"

Harry looked at his son and said "Bienvenido Adolfo! You were named after two of the most powerful Jesuits in the country. One of them is a good friend of ours. In fact he was the one who officiated our marriage."

"But... but... so what if I DO fail the ACET and end up in DLSU?"

Eh di bobo ka talaga! Harry thought. But he didn't say that. "But we will still love you as our son!" Harry said. "Alright. Your test starts in a few minutes. Make us proud. One Big Fight."

Reaffirmation

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 02:13:41 GMT

I am a writer. I like being able to express myself with words, and being able to somehow share what I learn and educate other people in the process. With each assignment, I am inducted into unfamiliar terrain – a whole new world, if you will – and I love that I am allowed (and even paid) to share my thoughts and fascinations with other people.

I love how writing is an intellectual pursuit. Though the tough assignments drain the heck out of me, I love that I am able to exercise the dormant neurons in my head. I imagine them crackling to life when an idea or a realization about something I’m analyzing occurs, like a weak light bulb that hasn’t felt the surge of electricity for quite some time now pulsing to life.

I like words too, and there is a certain delight that comes with finding the right word or phrase that only writers will understand. Language is a beautiful thing, and the fact that the English language is alive – therefore, changing constantly – gives me a bit of relief, knowing it will always provide me with something new to learn.

I like that my work is something that is both creative and scientific. The methods we employ in gathering data and structuring our ideas sort of border into the scientific, but expressing these data and ideas on paper is always a creative exercise. This is what differentiates us from academics writing in journals and fiction writers; the former is highly technical, while the latter is purely creative. Journalism/reportage is both.

I also love learning new things. The school of life is something I will never graduate from. I seek challenges always, and while conquering them is a goal I ardently pursue, it is something I fear too because mastering something inevitably brings about a sense of boredom. And so I constantly search for the next lesson, the next challenge.

I fear that one day, writing will no longer present enough challenges to keep me interested and fulfilled. That writing will someday be a job and no longer a passion. That, no different from the suited workers who trudge to their office everyday, I will also someday be writing because I need to; not because I want to.

So yes, I am a writer, but I am not only a writer. I am not defined by the career I choose for now. It is an expression of who I am through a talent I have been given. I am a student of life, with boundless curiosity, seeking a creative outlet. I can be a photographer, substituting words with images. I can be an advertising creative, dealing with market research data instead of journalism research. I can be someone else; something else. I can be anything I choose to be.

Wishlist

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:28:39 GMT

If I didn't have credit card debts, and household expenses to pay, and planned savings/investments, I would buy:

1. A Nikon D40x with Nikon AFS 18-135 Zoom-Nikkor

P41,000 from www.jerry.ph, with free Tamrac Velocity 6x SlingBag

2. Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

$459.00

3. Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

$108 (or the f/1.4 version for $289)

4. Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight

$318

5. Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras

$109

TOTAL: P86,724 (at $1=P46)

Happy Birthday Jorem!

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:15:22 GMT

Goldmine for freelancers

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 17:30:53 GMT

Came across the Freelance Switch while blog hopping, and this is by far the most helpful website I've found for freelancers. Posts like 8 Simple Online Time Management Tools for Freelancers and 46 Must-Read Productivity Tips for Freelancers are winners.

I've been thinking for some time now that there should be a blog or website like this - sort of a "homebase" for freelancers that posts both freelance jobs and tips on how to survive as a freelancer.

Hmmm, maybe I should turn this blog, which has so far been a personal one, to something like freelance switch... only I'll localize the content as much as possible since, of course, there are no boundaries to freelance work. I recently met yugatech and he offered to turn my moolahmatters blog into a problog. Maybe I can turn this one into a problog too?

I want this toy!

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:07:33 GMT

I call myself a professional hobbyist, but now I want a hobby that's not a job! No pressures, no deadlines, no worrying about how much to charge... just plain fun!

Harry Potter is here!

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 03:18:04 GMT

Look at what the owl delivered to my doorstep:

Yipeeeee!

the loveliness of june 27

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:41:14 GMT

June 27 was a particularly memorable day for three very good reasons:

1. Yvonne Mallion-Samson was born - the first baby among us friends

2. We found out that a second baby was on its way (yikes, they say these things come it three's. wonder who the third one will come from?)

3. The entire group, sans those abroad and those who just gave birth, watched the midnight showing of the uber-cool Transformers!!!

Happy Mum's Day

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 03:32:25 GMT

No, I am not several weeks late, nor do I not know what the world should be celebrating this day. I know it's father's day, but we've never really celebrated it as such.

See, my two sisters and I didn't grow up under the care of a father. Our mom raised the three of us all by herself - helping us with assignments, talking us through problems and issues with boys and friends, and guiding us to finding and pursuing our own individual paths in life. She did all this while working to provide for all of our needs.

And so on this day, we celebrate the person who fulfilled all those fatherly duties in our family by honoring our Mom. Incidentally, today is also her birthday.

Happy Birthday and Happy Mum's Day! We can't thank you enough for everything.

my lakbayan grade is C-. what's yours?

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 03:03:19 GMT

My Lakbayan grade is C-!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

curious sights around manila

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 08:21:13 GMT

Discovery Suites recently held a fire drill and I saw firefighters demonstrating what you see in the video below to an appreciative audience.

I'm not exactly sure what the point of all that was. So yes they can walk down walls, but can they save me from the 97th floor of a burning building??

* * *

The photo below was taken along Katipunan, right across Ateneo's main gate.

Sigh. Another reason to push for better English proficiency in the country.

Random thoughts

Thu, 31 May 2007 01:15:03 GMT

- Caffeine doesn't wake me up anymore. I need something stronger.
- Life was perfect last week. Now, it's perfectly out of my control.

- I absolutely love working at home.

- I've gained 10 pounds since the start of the year. Whoopee!

- I don't want a full-time job. I like freelancing. But I hate instability.

- Moisturizers clog your pores.

- Can't life go back to being perfect again please?

- The tummy always shows the first sign of getting fat.

- This is just a test of faith. HE always, always knows best.

Lovin' Mom and Tina's

Wed, 02 May 2007 04:11:49 GMT

We discovered a new place over the weekend - Mom and Tina's - a cozy little resturant across the street from SM Hypermart along C5. It used to be a small kiosk selling delightful cupcakes (actually, it was our search for good cupcakes after being disappointed by Sonja's that led us to this place), but now it's a full-pledged restaurant that's already one of our few favorites - great food with exceptional desserts, value for money, lovely place.

Cozy ambience

Love the couches!

Filling Philly Cheesesteak for P185

Turtle Challenge!

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 09:22:26 GMT

This short video was brought to you by Nokia N70

These cupcakes are what the fuss was all about??

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:15:47 GMT

The multitude of mixed reviews the little cupcake store at Serendra has received piqued my curiousity, and so, even though the hype over Cupcakes by Sonja has already dissipated, I still had my mom get a box for us when she went to The Fort so we can finally judge for ourselves.

As a bit of a background, the press release says that: "Cupcakes by Sonja will be a cozy, comfortable New York Style Bakeshop, serving the best Cupcakes in the city. It will be Manila’s first and only bakery dedicated to selling Cupcakes." Owned by restaurateur Sonja Ocampo, it was "inspired" by the famous Magnolia Bakery featured in Sex and the City, where Sonja worked for a time.

The design and packaging is, indeed, cute and cozy. I'll give them that. But for what they're charging for their cupcakes, they better have something more than pretty pink stickers.

This box of 4 cost us P253.00, or something like P63 per cupcake - about twice the price of other, bigger sized cupcakes out there. Seems pricey, but we pay P100 for good coffee anyway, so let's give it the benefit of the doubt.

First up, Vanilla Sunshine (P48) - the basic vanilla cupcake with vanilla icing. If you're a store dedicated to cupcakes, you better be sure you have this one, not only right, but beyond perfect. This should define what a really good cupcake is all about. But if this - Sonja's banner cupcake - is what cupcakes should be, then I don't think I'm going to be eating any more cupcakes.

The cake is dry, the icing is way too sweet and granular (and I like sweet. heck, i love Krispy Kreme), and it had absolutely no hint of vanilla flavor. Between me, my mom, and my mom's friend, we couldn't even bear to finish the whole tiny thing.

Next is the Chocolate Surprise (P62), with French chocolate Valrhona.

Now, I like chocolate. We like chocolate. And so it's not that easy to disappoint us when it comes to chocolate-flavored food. But this one, amazingly, managed to. I'm guessing the bitter chocolate in the cake was supposed to complement the sweetness of the chocolate icing. But all we tasted was dry cake with chocolate too bitter, and chocolate icing that was too sweet. Again, we couldn't finish it.

Third, Strawberries & Cream (75). "Brown butter almond cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream icing" Yep, it sounded promising, especially since my mom loved strawberries.

We eagerly sliced it in half to see the "fresh strawberry" hidden inside. And as soon as we did, a chorus of "Where is it?" erupted. Apparently, it only had dubious, thin slices of strawberries under the whipped cream on top of the cake that was, this time, too oily. Oh, did they say almond cake? Yeah, right.

("Are we going to eat more? This feels like torture," says my mom's friend. "Just one more," I plead.)

Finally, Goin Bananas (P68). Chocolate cake with peanut butter and bananas.

At this point, I kept my expectations low already. Fine, their cake is either dry or oily. At least let this be good-tasting chocolate cake with peanut butter and banana flavors.

But this one isn't even cake; it's a brownie shaped like a cupcake! You all know how brownies were invented right? It was a chocolate cake gone wrong. In fact, it's not much different from the P25/P30 brownies you can get from Brownies Unlimited. And the only peanut butter and banana I tasted are the ones you see on top of the cake in the photo.

I think precisely because it's not a "cupcake", this was the only one I managed to finish. But what does that say of a cupcake store, that the only think they make that I can eat is a brownie?

Oh well. There goes P253; wasted for the sake of curiosity.

how to remove a massive writer's block

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 08:24:43 GMT

I've been sitting on my ass for three days now, unsuccessfully trying to meet my deadlines. Coming off of a 5-day holy week weekend, I just can't seem to write. All I do is browse and blog and work on non-writing work. Cigs aren't working. Food isn't working. A cold shower. A jog. Reading my old articles. Reading other people's articles. Nothing's working.

But I have a deadline. How the hell am I going to be a bajillionaire if I can't work?!

I'm a ghost!

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 14:52:04 GMT

Penitence for show

Carcinogenic lunch

Horsy-horsy

Walking on water

Long exposure without a tripod

Images taken in Leo's Park, Pampanga

Alanis Morisette does "My Humps"

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 07:49:08 GMT

I dunno whether to laugh or puke:

Moolah Matters

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 09:29:06 GMT

Like most people, I am making my way through this twenty-something life on an employee’s income. Let’s face it, more often than not, we want to buy and experience more than what we can afford. Join me in my quest to becoming debt-free and a bajiliionaire by the time i retire - http://jetskee.wordpress.com.

60% of the world's billionaires are self made

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:57:29 GMT

Out of 946 billionaires in this year's Forbes list, 60% are self-made. That's over 500 people across the globe who made oodles of money from scratch. Yes, it's possible. In fact, two of them (the self-made ones) are Filipinos - Henry Sy and Lucio Tan.

These people made it because of ingenuity - overpriced coffee and frozen dumplings, fictional boy wizards and search engines, vast media conglomerates and towering real estate, and of course, softwares and kickass mp3 players.

The average age of billionaires is 62 - that gives me around 35 years or so to make it to the list. If they can do it, so can we, right?

View Poll: Free Money

Ugly Betty marathon!

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 05:46:10 GMT

Ahh, the wonderful perks of being unemployed - I get to sit for 9 hours straight in front of the telly to watch the first 10 episodes of Ugly Betty.

The show's good performance at the recent Golden Globe awards piqued my curiosity, and so I got a copy when I spent the whole of Monday shopping with my friend Chris. And all this is after a weekend of partying and playing badminton. I'm absolutely loving this month! But that's beside the point =P

America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, and winning in the SAG awards

Starring America Ferrera (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants) and based on a popular Colombian telenovela, Ugly Betty follows the life of Betty Suarez - an, well, ugly girl working in the world of high fashion as assistant to the editor in chief of a fashion magazine. It's similar to The Devil Wears Prada, with Betty too smart and too good for the world she works in, but she's treated like an outcast for the way she looks. Unlike the movie though, Betty doesn't turn into a beautiful swan.

It is an amusing way to spend time I would otherwise waste some other way, but it's not downright hilarious or engaging, like Friends or House. Some of the issues tackled are a little superficial, and this is why, I think, it appeals to a younger market. I heard somewhere that young girls look up to Betty as their hero. Still, the fact that I was able to sit and watch it for 9 hours straight means that it is entertaining enough.

FOOD FIND: this roti i love

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:10:17 GMT

While others have been raving about it, I'm not a big fan of roti. The only roti I've ever really tried is the one from Kopi Roti, and I didn't enjoy it. I did like the buttery soft inside of the bread, but I just found the coffee flavor too overpowering.

But yesterday, my sister and I noticed a new little bakeshop near Powerbooks, Megamall - Rotimum - where large roti buns were being prepared and baked right in front of us. Through a glass window, of course. We're both huge bread lovers and so we dished out the P40 needed to get a bun, although I still wasn't very optimistic I'd like it.

When we tried the buns around 30 minutes later, we were pleasantly surprised. It was perfect - the sweetness of the coffee cream that melted onto the top of the bread balanced perfectly with the saltiness of the butter inside. The texture was also perfect - lightly crisp on the outside and soft and airy on the inside - considering it wasn't warm anymore when we ate it. It was so light we almost didn't notice we finished a whole bun already.

I read that it was voted by the Sunday Times as the best coffee bun in Singapore. I can see why =)

pro-blogger wannabe

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 03:50:33 GMT

I'm attending a blogging workshop hosted by Newsbreak with the great Abe Olandres as instructor. I'm still constantly amazed by how the Internet is changing life as we know it, and I think the blogosphere is one of the most incredible things to come out of it. I'm a huge blog fan, and in fact I read more blogs than news sites.

Anyway, here are some nifty sites I got from the workshop to help bloggers and Internet users in general improve their weblife:

How to find popular search tags
http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/

How to edit pictures online
www.snipshot.com

How to analyze your website traffic and optimize your site for search engines
http://seo-analyzer.com/

How to read your favorite websites all at the same time
http://www.netvibes.com/
(There are lots of other RSS readers, like FeedDemon and Bloglines, but I like this best)

How to YM without downloading YM
www.meebo.com
(I didn't get this from the workshop but I'm using this now on the PC provided)

How to create podcasts using a free audio editor and recorder
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

How to integrate podcasts into blogs
http://www.gcast.com

Check out our very first podcast at: http://www.gcast.com/u/jetdamazo/main

Once more, Tagaytay

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 02:59:39 GMT

I've been meaning to write this post for a long time now but never got around to doing it. Since I'm 100% freelance now, I finally have a few minutes to spare.

We celebrated New Year in Tagaytay to get away from air-polluting firecrackers. And what else can people do in Tagaytay but eat, right? Here's a rundown of the places we discovered and revisited:

Manno's Greek Restaurant
Owned by an authentic Greek guy, this place serves authentic Greek food cooked in homemade olive oil at affordable rates. While the food was good - we especially enjoyed the salad and the hummus - I'd still go to Pasha in Greenbelt or our all-time favorite Cafe Mediterranean if I'm craving for really good Greek cuisine. Their wine, though, was pretty good for a non-connoisseur like me.

Bag of Beans
This place is a favorite stop whenever we're in Tagaytay, but we usually just have coffee and grab some of their pies to go. This time, though, we ordered food and discovered how excellent their blueberry cheesecake and biscuits are. We even came back the next day to buy these two items, to go.

Breakfast at Antonio's
I have such high expectations of this place, and after having enjoyed their chocolate waffle and eggs benedict on an earlier visit, I was eager to try out their lunch meals. Unfortunately, I wasn't wowed. I had the special for the day - bulalo steak with mushroom gravy. While the beef was tender and the gravy good, overall, my meal did not leave a significant impression on me. My sister and mom loved the eggs they ordered though, and the waffle with bananas and pecan was particularly enjoyable. I guess it's best to stick to breakfast items here.

A chicken dish my sister ordered that I can't recall. She didn't finish it.

Sonya's Garden Spa
This isn't about Sonya's food but I want to mention it anyway. A few months earlier, I enjoyed a one-hour, full body massage here for only P700 - way, way cheaper than in Nurture Spa. So during New Year, we went to Sonya's again to get a foot spa. Unfortunately, the place was busy and the line of people waiting to get spa services was long, so the guys serving us all seemed to be in a rush to finish our massage and increase their turnover rate. I'd still recommend Sonya's spa, but you have to make sure you're there on a lean day.

My celebrity look-alikes

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:36:56 GMT