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rowlandanthonyimperial

Life's increments & excrements.

rowlandanthonyimperial




17
29/09/90
roman catholic
filipino overseas student

sjii 08-present
sji 06-07
gsc sped 03-05
nddc-ibed 97-03
cic mandaue 95-97

rowlandanthonyimperial

ERAP: Hello, I would like to inquire how long is the flight from Manila to San Francisco?

OPERATOR: Just a minute, sir.

ERAP: Ok, thank you. (click)

It's over.

We never know, believe me, when we have succeeded best. ~Miguel de Unamuno, Essays and Soliloquies, 1925

It was a peaceful night. The tree outside the window swayed with the autumn wind; the peculiar side to side movement of the branches looked like a friendly gesture of bidding farewell. I just finished taking a night shower, and was changing to my pajamas. The next thing I knew was that I heard a loud thud coming from the basement, thunderous thuds which shook the whole house.

"Dude, I heard you wanted to take art."
"Well, I'm considering... but I'm not good in art. I don't think I can do well."
"Do you really want to take art? It's kinda tough, ya know."

A wave of valuable information I heard earlier washed away my plans of saying yes.

"I don't know."
"You should have decided about that a long time ago."
"And the school gave me a triple science combination. I'm in 336."
"Oh. I thought you are in 334?"
"I thought so too."
"Lex and your Filipino seniors are in 434."
"I know that."
"Hahaha, all classes are the same."
"Really. I see the room numbers and they already look so different to me."
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, you should have decided about taking art a long time ago."

I remembered what heard earlier that morning.

"As far as I could remember I was in primary 2 when I first thought about taking art. But I think I'll be taking biology."
"Hahaha. You're lame dude. Very well. Oh, I have to go see my teacher. See you in school."
"Bye."

I heard that my school's distinction rate for Art in O Levels is always 100%.

So I decided not to take the subject.

***

And I realized today, what the hell does drawing shit have anything to do with my results.
Nothing will change the printed ink on my certificate.

"So what made you become a deejay?" she said curiously.

"Oh, I don't know. I wasn't very good at work. Scraped through A levels. I spent more time listening to radio than studying."

"So who did you like?"

"The Beatles, of course. Jefferson Starship. Marc Bolan. David Bowie-but that was much later-"

"Hey, I liked him too." She raised her eyebrows expressively. "I think he's cool. Besides," she added thoughtfully, "you're not stupid."

"Why-thank you-" but she had to wait, as the record playing had come to an end. He spoke deejay patter into the mike and spun his next record.

"-about my not being stupid," he said encouragingly , grinning.

"Well," she said. "What's a crummy mark anyway?" It just shows how you did well in a test at a certain date at some point in your life. But no one here buys that. The other Asians in my school in LA, they were all crammers too. Some crazy tomfool idea of success. It's their parents' fault. Look, maybe you and I can't study. So what? It's just one facet of learning. I don't see why a guy who can memorize facts is necessarily smarter than a guy who can surf really well. It's just-" she frowned- "different centres of the brain being sharper than the rest."

A A A A A A A


Seven As. Seven subjects.
So what about straight As.
Didn't get six points anyway.
Who cares about how many As you get.
Who does?


They only care about the "1" beside the A.



I should have gotten worse; that would be easier for me to accept.
Getting some A2s is just too painful.
I'd rather have them give me a B.

It is a rare opportunity to meet people with amazing and unbelievable superpowers.

Anyway, I would like to thank Auntie Jo and Annabelle for the barbecue party. It was awesome!


**************


More bbq party photos.

















Niko and I.

















Mr. Lightning and Mr. Tornado.

















Superhuman Hypnotizer and two normal earthlings.

















Water Goddess and Hypnotizer.

Texas Instrument Graphic Calculator TI-84 Plus.

An International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme requirement for Mathematics and Sciences.

An exorbitantly expensive gadget for school use.

In the outside world, it's no use.

I just got it for free today.

:P

That is why it is so important to let certain things go.
To release them.
To cut loose.

People need to understand that no one is playing with marked cards;
sometimes we win and sometimes we lose.

Don't expect to get anything back,
don't expect recognition for your efforts,
don't expect your genius to be discovered
or your love to be understood.

Complete the circle.
Not out of pride,
inability or arrogance,
but simply because whatever it is
no longer fits your life.

Close the door,

change the record,

clean the house,

get rid of the dust.


Stop being who you were
and become who you are.

She waves her hand. Suddenly you feel the whole world shaking, as if there is an earthquake, and your body feels so heavy you can't move. You can barely move, to be more precise. Shit, this ceiling above me is going to bury me alive. You try to smile, but your mouth seems to be superimposed with scotch tape. A thick one. And a cheap one. She says hi. Upon hearing that hi you immediately feel a tingling sensation inside you. You don't really know what it is. Excited? Afraid? Nervous? Aroused?

I see myself in this awkward situation of having to explain everything to my friends about my current life here in Singapore. It's a tremendous task of saying the same things over and over, like a teacher telling tales of Physics to a new cohort of lazy students every year, and it has made me feel exhausted to hear the same responses emanating from a multitude of inquiring mouths.

Wow.
Shit man.
F**k!
Chey.
Walao so good!
I'm so jealous of you!!
Damn!

And it makes me feel guilty to be living in a state of "luxury", as what many of them say, although we jolly well know that me and my friends here are deprived of some friendly company and tolerable noise in this residence situated far from the hustle and bustle of downtown Singapore. Nevertheless, I am grateful to be here, and with the comfy bed and pillow alone I am wonderfully satisfied with my new home. Thanks be to God. :)

************

And, I am starting to loooove French.

Bonjour, je m'appelle Rowland.
Et toi, comment t'appelles-tu?

A beautiful language indeed. Oh how I long for the day that I could finally and beautifully swear in French.

************

The IB Diploma Programme rocks, by the way. So far.
I loooove it too. As for now.

************

Au revoir.

Inferiority complex.

This effing inferiority complex is driving me crazy.

Why should I feel this way?

What is wrong with me?

Effing inferiority complex.

And effing personality.

I shouldn't be feeling this way.

I don't understand myself.

Ok.

Whew.

Somebody just sent me a message in friendster that goes like this:

ask ko long ko ha..
bisexual u??
hilig u guro sa sex trip ano??
want to be your friend lng naman ano man??
ok lng bah??


- now that's what I call a nightmare. Much more terrifying than Sadako.

We log in to online sites to meet friends. We join online sites so that we can keep in touch with our distant friends. We create accounts in friendster, facebook, multiply, etcetera, in order to meet new people whom we can develop wholesome friendships with. Well that's the moral idea of joining them. But it is really a horrendous fact that online sites are now hot spots for sexually-driven, maniacal, and horny gay predatory bastards who prey on penises and testicles to satisfy their sexual appetites. This is not only the first time I have encountered such online gropers; it seems that there are a lot of them lurking around the vast ocean we call cyberspace.

Oh sheet. Not a gay Sadako please.

Furthermore, there are also female ones, and normally (yes, normally) they would say things like

"hey, it just happened that i stumbled to your site, and I actually found you quite interesting."

or like

"Hey, what's up? Wanna chat?"

then they would give a link to some site, and once you click on the link...

pooof..

You know what i mean..

*******

(Where's the decency in this world?!)

Social night was fun.

I had fun. It was blast! Although the first few parts of the event made me feel as if I'm attending a funeral. But overall, it was fantastic.

And it made me realize that my previous blog entry is actually bullshit.
:)

And I'm happy about it.

First day funk.

It seems to me that I always have this some sort of difficulty mingling with new people for the first time. Whatever the occasion is, wherever the place might be, a school, an international school, an IB school, an expensive school, a new school, a Lasallian school, it is truly a challenge for me to take the risk of saying 'hi' or 'hello' to someone and end up being beautifully rejected for the shallow reason that I look like a regurgitated piece of expired satay to him or her.

Of course, no one thought of me that way for this week. I guess. I still possess that obvious tinge of shyness emblazoned right smack on the face, a very prominent indication of the presence of anti-social-ness and introversion. I am not. I am loud. noisy. very noisy. extremely noisy. I can't just stay put and shut up forever. I always love to go around messing around with other people. Even more wonderful if they're of my age. Most wonderful if they're already very old. I just love taking part in destructive and constructive arguments. Oh, how beautiful the art of fighting is. I love to play. Not basketball, not soccer, of course. But it takes time. A long time.

Actually, I wasn't even able to show how overtly extroverted I really am when I studied at SJI. I lived for two years wondering whether people would appreciate me if I would show myself as such, in a boys' school to make matters worse, and so with that confounding notion I had to resort to being quiet and reserved, a big lie I was indeed, and in a way, an un-horny guy which was so unlike the rest of SJI boys. And maybe because of that I received my honorary prefect tie, a very boastful tie to be honest, a tie which separates the school into different castes, a tie which, in a way, helped me to get my A1 for CCA. Thank you for that.

I still don't know if I should be myself this time. Should I be quiet? Should I be introverted? Should I be noisy? Should I act as if I am smart? Or should I act dumb? Or should I just be physically present there, but socially absent? Or should I ecstatically mingle with other people the way I usually mingle with my close friends? A lot of quotations, sayings and proverbs are filled with flowery, verbose words of encouragement to 'be yourself'. Ha. As if they do the same thing. We're all beautiful liars. Shakira and Beyonce can prove that to you with matching belly tidal waves.

You know what, I discovered something interesting a few minutes ago.

Mabaho rin pala ang tae ng mga mayayaman.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

The Guinea pig (also commonly called the cavy after its scientific name) is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea. They are native to the Andes, and while no longer extant in the wild, they are closely related to several species that are commonly found in the grassy plains and plateaus of the region. The guinea pig plays an important role in the folk culture of many indigenous South American groups, especially as a food source, but also in folk medicine and in community religious ceremonies. Since the 1960s, efforts have been made to increase consumption of the animal outside South America.

In Western societies, the guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a household pet since its introduction by European traders in the 16th century. Their docile nature, their responsiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them, continue to make the guinea pig a popular pet. Organizations devoted to competitive breeding of guinea pigs have been formed worldwide, and many specialized breeding of guinea pig, with varying coat colors and compositions, are cultivated by breeders.

Guinea pig is also used as a metaphor in English for a subject of experimentation; this usage became common in the first half of the 20th century. Biological experimentation on guinea pigs has been carried out since the 17th century; the animals were frequently used as a model organism in the 19th and 20th centuries, but have since been largely replaced by other rodents such as mice and rats. They are still used in research, primarily as models for human medical conditions such as juvenile diabetes, tuberculosis, scurvy, and pregnancy complications.

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Furthermore, the guinea pig is also widely used to provide tissues and organs for research. Guinea pig blood components are widely used, and isolated organ preparations such as guinea pig lung and intestine are extensively used in research to develop new medicines. Such tissue and organ preparations were important in the discovery and early development of beta blockers to treat high blood pressure and drugs to treat stomach ulcers.

Numerous developments have used guinea pig intestine at some point in their development, for example the anti-nausea drugs used by cancer patients and the identification of naturally occurring pain killing substances known as enkephalins. Guinea pig intestine has also been extensively used to study the 'little brain' in the gut, which contains as many nerve cells as the spinal cord. This has given giving insights into not only the control of the gut itself but also the workings of nerve circuits. The information gathered from these studies is being used to develop computer models.

Today, guinea pigs are used mostly in research and testing to develop new medicines. The whole living animals are used as well as isolated tissues. 27,101 experiments using live guinea pigs took place in the UK in 2004, representing less than 1% of total animal research in the world.

from RDS: Understanding Animal Research in Medicine

Labor and Employment Secretary Arturo Brion said last Thursday that the Philippines' economic and industrial sectors were expected to close 2007 with six strikes.

In a statement, Brion cited the Department of Labor and Employment's National Conciliation and Mediation Board report that between January 1 and December 15 in 2007 only six strikes were reported, making the year "one of most industrially favorable, harmonious, and peaceful years ever in the country's entire history."

wow.

-news from www.abs-cbn.com

Can you believe it?

What?

You know what I mean.

Oh, that one?

What else.

Of course I don't.

Why?

Why not?

Is is not believable? I mean, it's there. It's written there.

And so? A lot of people get jailed for publishing malicious and scandalous articles.

I know. And it's not a mere article.

Okay then.

So you believe it?

No. Not at all. And why should I? I have my own beliefs.

Like?

Um. Like Murphy's Law.

It's not your belief then. It's someone else's.

Then what do you call yours? Your own?

Okay, okay.

See what I mean.

No, it's not that. I mean, how can this be unreal when we all know that these things have happened indeed.

And do you have proof?

Isn't this enough proof?

It is not. You jolly well know it is not.

All stories are true, someone told me.

It's his belief. I can't blame him.

Then you can't blame me for believing this.

Well, I hope you can't blame me too, for believing something else.

Very well then.

Settled.

rowlandanthonyimperial

rowlandanthonyimperial




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ian jessica joey jose
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