(the title, my friend, is taken from an accounting term -- freights, End Of Month discounts -- for lack of a good one. it's pretty apt... right? i'm not making sense!)

my cousin from taiwan's in the country since last friday for the annual Chinese New Year homecoming... so i've been virtually stuffed with food from the eating-outs from the weekend... and now i feel really fat and bloated. though i would really like to eat. like a connoisseur, ya know? ;p

i've got a new cellular phone -- Motorola C550! it's pretty cool... colored screen, with a camera! (and i'm a little addicted to the Hungry Fish java game..) plus, i got a flash drive for a present -- i've been wanting that the last time around. i might not have an mp3 player just yet -- i'm honestly going to start earning dough for that -- but the things i have right now just suits me fine.

tomorrow's february.. less than two months left in school! hooray for closing semestral panic and breakdowns!

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there's going to be a major overhaul again this weekend:

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ok... how did my prelims go? down, down, down. *wails in agony*
i mean, it was really difficult (& damn the departmental proctor! #*$%~!), plus how can you make an incorrigible lazy bum work? she seems to be out of herself everyday... (that's why she's schizo)... but let me tell you this.

i WON a CD -- Jason Mraz's "Mr. A-Z"!!! *giggles*

i've been suppressing this for quite a while... it happened last friday, while i was studying sleepily on my desk... we didn't have classes that day. so of course, being alone in the house, i ALWAYS make it a point to bum around - ha! i listened to the radio. my choice station, 103.5, has this "friday cd giveaway" promo... they give a cd for free to anyone who takes their cue (on every shift), and the friday cd was "Mr. A-Z"... i have never tried joining that although i've known the promo for years... (i knew the other month they gave away Franz Ferdinand's "You Could Have It So Much Better" and Coldplay's "X&Y"...) so, i joined in for kicks -- maybe i'll win! the first time their cue to sms was "name one of jason's songs" but then i was too slow to text... that was around 1pm... i groaned, waiting for the next signal... i checked my prepaid balance and found out i only had 1 buck left! i wondered whether i could still text... after four and a half hours, the cue came again... "what is jason's homestate?", something i definitely knew (i like jason, haha) -- virginia! the DJ'll be taking the 8th text with the correct answer.. i rushed (and flustered) my texting, sending it frantically. the messages i got were "sorry, you do not have enough credits" which dampened me. but then the DJ just announced the winner -- Moi! it was a late reaction, really... due to answering one of those accounting problems at the time. i smiled and pumped my fists in the air! yay! i won something! must be my lucky day! =D (on one note: this is technically not the first time i won in a contest -- only the second. i never got to claim the first one 8 years ago, which was cosmetic certificates.)

my mom helped me claim the CD from the station (thank you so very much!) on the 25th, and i'm listening to it since yesterday. it's the first record i've had in many months... don't really buy anymore due to the proliferation of mp3's hahaha... i actually like it! my favorite songs from Mr. A-Z are "Life is Wonderful", "Wordplay", "Geek in the Pink" and "Bella Luna"... his songs have the good easy listening groove i like (the last time around, i celebrated the first few minutes of 2003 New Year's with my ultra-fave Jason song "Sleep All Day", and literally slept the whole day.) ...the cd's currently on repeat mode. what a life.. =)

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(i initially typed encoded this post last friday, before i studied for my last exam - naughty! .. i was supposed to post this asap, but the phone lines in our area was unexplainably down 'til yesterday.)

geroff, robert pattinson! (i blame you for my traffic explosion! -- just see my referrals at sitemeter! ) there's a new golden boy in town, and that's brandon routh. (to Vic : hee, i regret to inform you that i *abhor* anything that has to do with mariah carey -- i think it started with "glitter" or her racecar mtv -- although i was an erstwhile fan. save topic for future post! ;p)

i (and i guess many others out there) saw brandon's first major appearance at the recent 63rd Golden Globes... if you weren't able to catch it, he (as the latest Superman) and teri hatcher (lois lane from the tv series with dean cain... i watched that!) were together as presentors... well, he looked fine. much better than the pic you're looking at right now. he appeared tall, had a small script (outstaged by teri... come on!) and was beautiful with the glasses. i believe the canadian newcomer was overwhelmed by everything, standing before all those big hollywood stars (i mean, he hasn't proved himself yet... "S" is to be his breakout movie), so he just flashed his toothy grin most of the time.

the first time i saw a pic of the latest clark kent (back in early 2005), i thought "yuck, too propped up!"... i adore tom welling (of "smallville") and i thought he was also going to do the movie version... but since brandon has revealed himself sans cape, tights and red bikini, he's actually bearable. good luck to him.

and it's great that "lost" and "desperate housewives" got their respective awards...
and i wanna watch "brokeback mountain", "good night & good luck" & "syriana" soon...

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life has been pretty unsatisfying lately. i've been in a ho-hum mood, nothing seems to excite me, and i am quite irritable. must it be i've LOST MY DRIVE? looks like i've been sucked out of my vigor and self-esteem.

I WANT TO WRITE AGAIN.

maybe it's the lack of brain stimulation that's making me so lackadaisical (my favorite word)... writing means not just blogging (although it's a great help), but the essays i got fired up on for years... and maybe a possible story.

i'm thinking of writing a novel! that's so crazy since i've never done that... i've attempted doing so when i was a child, but i never get them continued after page 3. but it's fiction anyway! let my imagination fly...

could i write a chick lit and be famous? i've noticed a lot of that lot on the bookstores, and while they aren't that thick in length, they're expensive. maybe the publication costs, the shipping and stuff, but still. they're hot and money-making.

or maybe i could write an expose. unless i fear of death threats and blacklisting. and i'm no "details" girl... i can't be a historian and dig up those archives for a pseudo-"da vinci code" offering that will never sell.

memoirs are absolutely out. my life is unworthy to be read by you.

i'm thinking of ideas.

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hmmm... i'm in the library, idling around...
just thought i'd go & cool myself from the sweltering afternoon heat...

THIS IS MIDTERMS WEEK -- WTF AM I DOING?!!?

so please, please wish me the best in all the subjects i'll dive headfirst into... especially crap english (w/c is for tomorrow)... and accounting... and well, everything else. i'm not gonna be working the PCs til saturday maybe... i need flat ones to make up for my faltering grades... waaah! it's too much to ask of myself! :|

**preview -- upcoming blog posts: about hopefully flexing up my writing skills AND the latest eye candy! (if you've seen him in the Globes, you'll guess who!)

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ginger foutley couldn't have said it better: what's life without taking chances? (hence, she is our cover girl of the day! -- well, "as told by ginger" is one of my favorite cartoon shows... ;-) )

alrighty, i'm not supposed to really talk about anything due to my self-suppression of all things internet-related in the house for 2 weeks (see last post), but anyways i would love to share (and would itch if i didn't) my fateful january 9 experience...

1) arrival: my first solo train expedition
otherwise, monday would've been still a humdrum, boring day, were it not for the annual nazarene feast in quiapo... it was the root of all my worries since saturday because if you didn't know, there's bound to lots of devotees rushing in and i bet it will humongous traffic and bs whatnot. and boy, i hate traffic -- the agony of waiting, the smoke, the sweat and all the horrible effects! the problem is that i cross through the quezon (?!) bridge -- very unavoidable -- in my daily college commutes since the first day of classes, and holy f i'm going to be stripped off of that convenience for the day! i was tuned in to the tv for all the updates in that side of town, and they were saying (and showing) there's a lot of people already geared up for the festivities, and they're closing the bridge by 10! my class being scheduled on 11, and the usual time i set off from home is 10:15+, i'd better have to leave early!

and so i ate my brunch an hour short, frantically going around the house for anything i missed, finally getting out at 9:25... it was good that i was able to board a bus in a short while... but the horrendous came -- there's already traffic in our road! we're not even near the area! so for 40 impatient minutes (instead of the usual 10-15 min) i was stuck on the way to city hall. after that, i'm supposed to board a PUJ (the one that crosses the impenetrable bridge), but i've made up my mind: i'm gonna take the LRT.

my classmate-friend told me about this alternate route saturday, because i know of a station near city hall, and she says it connects to a station a mile near ust, so i can try riding one in case of traffic. still being a newbie about all these commuter trains -- i only rode the MRT twice in my life (mrt, lrt -- what's the difference?!?!), and they were both accompanied with mom... i was a little hesitant to embark on this seemingly scary journey... but (!) nevertheless (ha... my flair for being overdramatic ;p), i mustered my guts and went on the underpass to board a jeep to the station... when i went down, i raced up the stairs to the LRT station... and on the ticket booth, i said i was going to tayuman, but the guy said that's on station of the opposite end! i went to the other staircase, turns out they're just the same! you'd think i really was some lost soul (stupidus maximus)... so i crossed the street to the (finally!) right station. i went on the booth again, paid the 15 bucks, got the ticket. everything's going fine eh?? wait till you laugh at my ignorance! :p

getting a ticket card was one proud moment for me, but swiping it right? wait a second. i was in front of the "swipe-to-hole-machine" entry gates before you go and wait for the train to arrive, and i tried jamming my card in... once... twice... hmph. i was starting to make an a*hole of myself (i probably looked ridiculous to the guards -- didn't know their reaction, gladly there were only a couple of people around then), and so i backed down, waiting to see others swipe and enter. i observed my card -- oh! did i only know that my card was to be turned the other side, with the arrow in. (crap, being amnesiac and unobservant doesn't help in my past rides...) ahhh, freedom!!!

it was fascinating that the trains are prompt and fast... the feeling of a stress-less, traffic-less ride was comforting amidst of my OC-ness (obsessive-compulsiveness, more on that soon) to do things right. this is my first solo journey, remember? i might miss my stop, get stuck with the crowd and everything! after few seconds of waiting, the cable of trains came... there were so many people inside, and few people coming out... i went in and stood near the exit. oooh, air-conditioning! that was a welcome factor to my wracked nerves... i compulsively looked at my card -- 5 stops... 4 stops... at the 3rd stop i was already able to sit... 2... 1 more... this is it. my stop was correct.

as the doors open, i took a step out and swiped the card in the machine (which ate it, yes!). i looked both ways, and saw a commerce freshman! i MUST follow her - or else i'll go idiotic again! so being the natural stalker that i am, i walked near her, following the straight stretch until i saw the bank my classmate was talking about -- it has a semi-terminal of PUJs beside it that will me to the intersection of ust... whee! success! there was barely 15 minutes before 11, and i had my stop. (the jeep was load mostly of studes like moi)... walking, walking, and i got through.

pat myself on the back for this "wild" adventure!

2) departure: a stroke of lovely luck
after the differing trip to ust, i found out there wasn't much hullabaloo with my other classmates' arrivals (they said there was no traffic yet on the bridge -- WHAT?!) ... i tell you, every single classmate was present today, and all the profs present too... yuck! seems like nothing beat them. i was a little frustrated my trip wasn't worth the hassle and the extra fares, but still i was surprised i could do it. so i justify my actions.

what about going home?!? that was the other half of my problem. definitely the bridge will be blocked by the time, and the roads will be suffocated with people and cars (since the procession will cover it)... the PUJs will be diverting to another route, one i have NEVER tried. i thought of taking the LRT again, but it will be costly and takes a lot of walking. and i thought the diversion will take me to mendiola, the street near my high school (that will be easy by then)... so again, i'm risking for another less-traveled road (drama, drama!)

i went solo again, walking to the other side of school (espana), walking through the park. i was a little scared of the possibility of getting lost, and annoyed i might be in the middle of jam-packed traffic while at it. but anyways, i passed by the so-called "lover's lane" and thought that was such an apt description of the place -- there were a dozen couples in benches in the whole strip! i wallowed in self-pity for being unattached... reminder, i have no crush for almost 10 months! grrr!

and so i walked past through the arch, heading for the exit, when then someone was calling me. it was desiree!!! (Hi!) i was surprised at seeing her there, and anxious for all my troubles ahead, and told her i don't know exactly what i'm going to do to go home... the recto route was unclear to me... but she said that they were passing by the 7-11 near my SJ route home, and offered me a ride there. that's manna from heaven! just then her dad arrived and we got in the car. i was relieved i wouldn't have to think of all the hassle i was to encounter if not for the coincidence of meeting des! (ok, my face was probably expressionless that time, but i was immensely relieved. *sigh*) she showed me her iPod nano -- my eyes couldn't believe it was that small and wafer-thin! such a joy to behold! :) and before i knew it, i was already at 7-11! there was only 1 jeep ride to go, and i'm actually home after only 40 minutes -- 3:40, earlier than ever in my 3pm dismissals! thank you soooo much des! :)

this is one awesome day i'll never forget!

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just thought i'd do that... haha.

i don't think i will be able to post these days, since i temporarily have no internet connection at home (i'm doing this at the library), and we're going to have the preliminary exams (sort of midterms) in 1 week... omg! please bear with the dormancy... there's supposed to be lots of crazy things happening... but anyways, i need to pass! ciao!

(p.s. volleyball still sucks big time! :( )

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