Joane’s Blog

so i’ve decided to move in with anne. we’re renting a place near our review school. board exam’s just a month away and our refresher starts tomorrow. i figured that it would be kind of hellish commuting 6 days a week from here to manila, hence my decision.

i dunno how it would feel living away from home, but whatever. with the rate i’m reviewing, i really can’t afford to slack off. and neither can i postpone my taking the board exam just so i could study more. "it’s now or never", as one blockmate had said. let’s just hope we pass this one so we’d REALLY never have to take it again.

so goodbye home. i’m gonna miss you.

our house is somewhere there -photo courtesy of google earth, thanks daniel for emailing it to me

anyway, i’m just glad that one tree hill season 4 has not been aired here yet, otherwise i won’t be able to watch it. etc’s still playing reruns of season 3. i didn’t like the ending, btw. some were pregnant, others were drowning - it’s just too much. and so bitin. so i’ve been prodding my aunt ever since to text me asap what would happen in the season 4 premiere. that was last thursday i think. *phew* i’m just relieved haley still has a husband.

on another note, i’m also moving to blogspot for my trivial posts it’s still not all done yet (although i’ve posted an entry already), as i’m still asking crazy to fix the template for me so anyway, feel free to stalk me at http://christinesixteen.blogspot.com/

that is all.

i swear, birds really scare the hell out of me sometimes. i dunno why i even did my thesis on the whole migratory birds issue. i remember last year during daniel’s birthday, we decided to go to the parks and wildlife at north ave., where they have big aviaries with big trees and *eep* eagles. it was pretty dark already cos it’s about to rain, and we were looking at this one aviary but i couldn’t see the birds. then my guy friends pointed out this big eagle with this mean look in its eyes and i got so scared that i think i buried my face on someone’s back. i had to turn away and look down whenever we’d pass by the other aviaries. that’s the exact moment i started to agree with cathy on her opinion that birds are the ugliest creatures. well ok, not entirely, because i think some birds are really pretty. and some are funny and clever to make up for their not-so-good looks. but some are dead creepy. and their eyes. *shivers* they’re just so emotionless. =/

well this afternoon, my mom and aunt were playing with my cousin outside when this creepy black bird attacked them! i heard the commotion as they all went in, and we watched this bird from the window as it traipsed around the lawn. then it saw us and tried to break in! the guts! omg, it probably took 5 years off my life! *sigh* my mom tried to shoo it away, and to our relief, it flew to our neighbor’s house. but then a while ago, it returned and was hanging around our window again. it really creeps me out that that bird’s still lurking outside flying from one window to another despite our efforts to make it go away. one time it’s trying to break in our kitchen window, and the other time in the living room windows. why couldn’t it just stay on trees?? omg, that bird’s so stubborn, annoying and CREEPY. i took a long look at it and it creeps me out all the more. it’s got yellow glassy eyes, a yellow beak (that pecked on my aunt’s feet) and relatively big claws. and it’s black all over. so when it still didn’t go away, my mom asked someone to capture it and take it away from here! it let out a cry that gave me goosebumps but i’m just relieved now that it isn’t staring at us from the windows anymore. ha! it almost got me thinking about supernatural stuff again. but enough of that. it’s silly and i’m creeping myself out already. =S

we watched the final match live at eastwood, which was probably the most palpitating 2 hours of my life.

i woke up with a headache after a mere 4 hrs of sleep, and i still can’t believe it! omg, the Azzurri won!!! missed school, but that’s ok i couldn’t text my blockmates because i might spoil it for them, except carlos who later changed his mind and asked for the results… it really took a lot of self-control not to text julius that his idol zidane was sent off with a red card and that his team had lost. naaawa ulit tuloy ako… especially kay barthez after the penalty shoot-out, but i still can’t shake off the feeling of triumph because my fave team WON the world cup. (i can’t even remember the last time i rooted for a team that actually emerged as champions. =S)

my tita who’s on the other side of the globe was also watching and constantly texting me during the game, her first text informing me that france scored and consoling me that it’s only 10 mins into the game and that there’s still a lot of time for italy to score. i was so nervous until materazzi gave the equalizer. and i was ecstatic of course, during italy’s supposed 2nd goal, until they confirmed toni was offside. i thought he’s offside too, but they showed the replay so i thought he was onside na, especially since they changed italy’s score to 2, but then they took the point back and decided it was really offside. my anxiety only increased when no one scored in the second half and the 30-min additional time. (i was really quite disappointed at the italians’ offense =S) omg, penalty shoot-out na. aahhh!! i couldn’t take it! i was actually shaking on my tall chair, it felt like my heart’s gonna burst any minute! BUT THE ITALIANS WON and i was grinning like an idiot. *sigh* 8D i love this game.

"it was written in the stars, it was written for italy to win the world cup of 2006." the commentator believed it was destiny. well that’s one destiny i’m thankful for.

ps: props to andrea pirlo, my favorite player in the team! he’s scored the first ever goal for italy in this world cup (match against ghana) and also the 1st goal in the penalty shoot-out. plus his corner kicks and free kicks were excellent it’s love! <3

i don’t normally check the match results unless i missed the game completely, but even before i slept last night (or early morning because it’s past 2am then :D), i was itching to go online to check who won between germany and argentina. and of course i prayed for italy too, because their game against ukraine was next (3am here)… i really want to watch at least one game live, and i want it to be italy’s game.

since i wasn’t able to watch the 1st 2 matches in the quarterfinals, i just rushed to the pc to check the results. and i haven’t even finished my breakfast! anyway, i’m just so happy to see this! omg, i’m gonna watch the semis! even if it’s at 3 in the morning next wednesday! i’m so excited! i’ll probably be the only italy fan there while everybody else is rooting for germany (i’m a bit scared though, i don’t want to be there just to watch italy get slaughtered =S). omg, i hope they win! it’s kind of a long shot though, playing against germany i mean, but whatever, they’ve come this far, and anybody can win. i’m counting on buffon to NOT let germany score, he’s only conceded 1 goal so far, so that’s a good thing.

i’m soooo excited! ok, nuff said. i’ll go finish my apples now.

i told brian during lunch that if the italy-usa match were aired this afternoon, i’d really regret not going straight home today. we went ice skating at sm mall of asia after class, which i was actually really reluctant about, since the money i saved the previous week was for my birthday gift to my mom… so this time, i want to save some money for myself. and well, it just doesn’t feel right to spend my mom’s *yikes!* money for my little after-class gimiks. =S

anyway, ice skating was fun (and regret’s a waste of time :D), although my body’s a bit sore right now but i still wanted to check the world cup match skeds at sports plus before hitting the sack… and so i found out that the italy-usa match was today. nooooo! :’( oh well… since i can’t watch the game anymore, i just checked the results (i couldn’t help it, i have to find out!) and boy was i relieved! it’s 1-1! 8D i really don’t want italy to lose, so a draw is good enough for me i want them to win the eliminations at least. last game with czech republic this friday. won’t miss it this time.

i miss going to school… that’s in quezon city. i’ve lived here practically all my life, and from grade school to college, i studied here, in QC! but since i graduated, it’s goodbye UP and hello board review school! =/ i’m having quite a hard time actually, because my classes start at 8 and it usually takes me more than an hour to get to morayta. it’s a totally different environment for me. during the past week, i’ve been to several places in manila that i’ve never gone to before. nun lang ako nakapunta ng u-belt. everyday was exhausting, and going home’s always sweet. just like what cathy said, it’s like there’s a surge of relief pag alam mong nasa philcoa/katipunan ka na.

classes are over by noon, so there’s plenty of time to hang out and squander your allowance. so last week, i was able to save a grand total of… zilch. =S thankfully, i got hooked on watching the world cup matches and since most are aired in the afternoon (delayed telecast at sports plus), i’ve been going straight home from review school for the last couple of days. and i’ve saved more than half of my allowance already, because i only spend money for fare and bottled water. =P

i’m rooting for italy, by the way.

see, my ice cream says it all!

anyway, we planned on watching the brasil-croatia match over at carlos’ place this afternoon, but before we even left school, jason spoiled it for us, saying that brasil won: 2-0, goals by kaka and ronaldinho. so medyo nakakatamad na. but we still watched the game, despite knowing that all of croatia’s attempt for goal and that of brasil that were not by kaka or ronaldinho, would be futile. then kaka scored a goal, hindi man lang namin na-feel! so si ronaldinho na lang… but the game ended and he still hasn’t scored. apparently mali ang info from jason. naloko kami! but it’s good na rin that we’re misled, at least hindi completely naspoil.

*sigh* got home late ulit, since we hung around manila pa… i must’ve lost 5 lbs from all the walking (but that’s a good thing ;D) and nasermonan pa ko for walking alone along some "dangerous streets" in manila. i swear, when we reached philcoa, parang maiiyak ako. i really miss going to UP, and the 30-min ride home. i’m just glad that we’ll go there tomorrow for our clearance.

can’t wait.

and so it ends again. american idol, the reason why i go home early when i still had classes, why i don’t play football on wednesdays or jog on thursdays, why i pass on will and grace, why i lose hours of sleep, and the reason for a whole lot of other changes in my past routine, is over.

friday nights used to be my only free nights, basically because i had nothing to watch. now wednesdays and thursdays would be too. ack! i don’t need more free nights!! it’s still summer! save it for board review season! ;P

oh well. so i alarmed my cel at 7:55am for the 8am AI finale, so i’d still have a 5 minute grace period which i used unwisely for a 5 minute nap =S my mom woke me up at 8, and so i ran to the tv only to catch the end of AI’s opening number =/ i couldn’t believe they started about 3 minutes early… waking up at 8 sharp was a real effort you know, considering i’ve only slept for 4 hrs - i couldn’t resist watching the 2:30am AI rerun (and martin mystery, hihi :D), cos i love the part of daniel powter singing bad day and the crowd cheering loudly when elliott’s face appeared in the background i’ve actually seen it 6 times (not on purpose ha =D) that it even shocked emman - i was on the phone with him while watching it for the 6th time

i couldn’t quite remember what happened in the finale last year, except for the funny presentation randy, paula & simon did, and that i watched it 4 times (according to this post) well, i don’t know if i can beat that record this time, cos i’m the one who’s beat =S i met up with cathy this afternoon, we went to the mmda office to submit their thesis paper. and we were sick to our stomachs upon arriving there, having exhausted the long stretch of edsa just to find an open u-turn slot =S (it’s kind of like the same feeling i had while watching toni braxton sing-slash-flirt with taylor in her skimpy dress, ugh. i mean, the song was in the ghetto.. hello?) anyway, we couldn’t be more relieved to reach the nearest one - in pasay. =S

well, despite the little roadtrip, i think we still enjoyed the rest of it i’m just glad to spend time with her - rave about taylor winning AI, and clay aiken appearing in the show *sigh* he’s so cute 8D

but what i really enjoyed in the finale (besides seeing elliott there, which is already a given =D) is watching one of my all-time favorite bands - LIVE - perform with chris!! i’ve loved them since selling the drama in ‘95 (despite my fondness of boyzone =D) so i was just so psyched that they did that number with chris daughtry. *sigh*

curious cats are texting me right now, asking who won. *sigh* i’m gonna miss this.

til the next idol season!

i don’t like going out on thursdays cos i want to catch american idol live. i want to be sitting comfortably in front of the tv by 5pm.

it’s thursday once again. and of course, i did what i said - i braced myself, wednesday pa lang. i was especially nervous for elliott this time, cos i didn’t think he had the best performance last night, and of course, it’s tough enough getting to the finale.

anyway, i went to eastwood this afternoon, with my mom and tita. and we’re supposed to be heading home by 4pm, it’s just that i haven’t shopped much yet, so we went to tiendesitas pa after that (sabi ko na kase, greenhills na lang para 1 stop shop na e, but my brother refused to drive us there =S) so i asked cathy to text me who will get eliminated.

i checked my cel around 5:30 and still no text from cathy. then by past 6, i got a text from her na, saying that it’s elliott. i knew it, but my heart was crushed nonetheless. and i kind of regret it that i didn’t ask my aunt to vote for him. she doesn’t even watch the show.

so i was sniffing and crying while watching AI (since i already knew it’s elliott who would go home), especially from the part of elliott’s trip back home to virginia. cathy was crying too. i think his was the most overwhelming of all (i mean, by the number of fans who went out to see him) …or is richmond just more populated than alabama (taylor’s) and LA (katharine’s)? anyway, it’s quite consoling that it was such a close fight - only less than 1% difference in the votes among the 3 of them. but the look on elliott’s brother’s face - it’s enough to make tears stream down my cheeks! my mom was even telling me to calm down (jokingly, of course :D) while we were watching AI’s little tribute to elliott (where is the moment when needed the most…)

oh elliott. i love him <3

"…over a work of fiction?"

i just received an email from my father, with the subject "the da vinci code"

hooboy… here we go again.

i’m actually quite reluctant to post an entry about that considering how big an issue it is… and how many have read it… and have proclaimed it their favorite. i mean, i even know some guys who haven’t read a single novel in their lives until that book existed. too bad they couldn’t wait for the movie… reading must’ve been a drag. anyway, i’m gonna post a link here, which essentially contains the same thing my father forwarded me…

http://www.charismamag.com/display.php?id=12860

…just in case you’re interested. it’s about the 20 big lies in the da vinci code, btw.

actually, i haven’t read the book. i was going to, i even asked my aunt to buy me the 2 dan brown books - the da vinci code and angels and demons (because everbody’s reading them) - until of course, i found out what they were about (i asked my aunt to buy me the artemis fowl series instead :D) so i guess you’d know by now that i’m against it. some may, and have indeed told me, that there’s no harm in reading it, that it’s only fiction. but it also happens to be heresy, so i refuse. and though i may sound preachy yet again, i’d still want to include an excerpt from the book the faith explained by leo trese:

unwise reading can be another threat to faith. a person who himself is suffering from intellectual poverty may easily get caught in the quicksands of smart and sophisticated authors whose attitude towards religion is one of gentle amusement or lofty scorn. reading such authors, the superficial mind is likely to begin questioning his own religious beliefs. not having learned to weigh evidence and to think for himself - forgetting that ‘a fool can ask more questions in an hour than a wise man can answer in a year’ - the unwary reader surrenders his faith to the sparkling sophistries and the profound absurdities which he reads.

now that it’s been made to a movie (with the tagline “seek the truth” – ugh, give me a break) and would probably reach a wider audience, i’d be relieved if everyone who’s read it and who’s gonna watch the movie has kept it in mind that it is fiction, and that they’re still unfazed by the “accurate” details dan brown claims.

so to my gay best friend, pls understand that i’m not gonna watch that movie with you, even if tom hanks is in it. treat me to dinner na lang.

watching american idol on thursdays makes me palpitate… at least for the last 3 weeks. i’m just scared to hear that it’ll be elliott yamin’s "end of the journey on idol". he’s been my favorite since stevie scott was voted off, and that’s when there were still 20 of them! i didn’t even know he made it to the top 24, but i knew even then that he’s good because i liked it when he sang "the shoop shoop song" =D anyway, he’s been in the bottom 3 a couple of times, i think, so everytime i’d watch the elimination, i kind of brace myself already in case it’s his time to go home.

brian told me last monday that he thinks elliott will win AI, but i could only hope, because i think katharine will, even though i don’t exactly like her. anyway, i don’t want taylor to get eliminated either, because i enjoy watching him perform, especially when he sang "play that funky music". i wish someone would give me a copy of that.

anyway, i watched AI a while ago, crossing my fingers it won’t be elliott who’ll get eliminated today. he and paris were the bottom 2 last time so that only heightens my anxiety. i swear my heart was pounding in my chest! so i was sooooo glad, ok, scratch that - ECSTATIC - that he’s in the top 2!! 8D

so thank you america! (and carlos and cathy, if you voted for elliott while you’re there! :D)