Memento.

Maybe I need a shrink

2010-08-10T12:17:00.003+08:00

Preferably one who gives massages too, so I can shake off this soreness or tingling or aching in my back. Among other things. Restless again aren't you, Mr Joe? Blogging out of the blue, and during office hours, too much of a giveaway? Hohoho.Stop overthinking, get some sleep, run more, sweat more. Mama reminded me of what she calls my 24.5th birthday. Happy (half-)birthday, Mr Joe, even if you

I'm no Superman

2010-05-17T13:20:00.002+08:00

Stupendous Man, more like it. More of a six-year-old in a superhero costume. A six-year-old absolutely convinced he’s a superhero as much as he is believes he has an imaginary best friend of the tiger sort who talks to him. (For the record, I love Calvin & Hobbes – I even painstakingly created two blog templates some years back using the comic).But what I want to vent out right now, actually, is

Good vibrations (or lack thereof)

2010-05-01T04:45:00.007+08:00

446am and I'm up already! Never mind that I slept at 1230am and woke up at 2am, or that I slept again soon after. Well done, Mr Joe, after weeks of speculation, I confirm that you officially have a sleeping disorder.There's quite a lot of things I want to say, actually, especially about the eventful month of April. Quite a ride that month was, oh my God. Seriously, that month just rocked my

Under the weather

2010-04-09T10:36:00.001+08:00

There are good days, and then there are bad days.Sometime ago I had a run of good days, and as with other good days – when they’re good, they’re very good. In fact, I was too high on these series of surprisingly good days that I posted on my Facebook status message the other day that “someday, I’ll look back on these past days, weeks, and even months with incredible fondness.” I meant it too.No

The Saltwater Room

2010-03-06T02:55:00.002+08:00

Because tender songs with cheesy dreamy lyrics and geeky titles tend to appeal to me.Time together is just never quite enoughWhenever we're apart, what are you thinking of?When you and I are alone, I've never felt so at homeWhat will it take to make or break this hint of love?We need time, only timeSo tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?All the time, all the time

Of exploding hearts

2010-02-20T02:47:00.003+08:00

Five minutes past two early Saturday morning after a two-hour nap, an episode of Survivor: Heroes vs Villains, a bit of memorisation of choir songs with earphones and handphone in hand -- hardly the right time to blog no?So I just want to ping (!) this blog, say that despite the monster tasks I'm juggling right now,I'm actually all right; say that I'm 24 now, and feeling good about it, feeling

It ends tonight

2009-08-31T01:13:00.006+08:00

I can't help but smile my silly smile when I realise it's the end of August already. What a ride it was, huh, Mr Joe. And you're alive and well and survived the madness of this wave, before jumping onto the next. Well done.A lot of things in my head now, again, and that's all good. I'm quite physically and mentally tired, really, but surprisingly, I've discovered some sort of zen about all this

Random spurts

2009-07-17T01:09:00.002+08:00

Mmm I think a massage. Something to relax me and get this sensation of sorts, of my back, off my head, off my chest. It's nothing much, but I'm itching to.. do something. What it is I do not know exactly, so maybe I'm just blogging after two months of inactivity. See if it does the trick.Wah so many things on my mind right now. So lemme just fire away randomly and see how much base I'd cover.I

What's on your mind?

2009-04-16T07:15:00.001+08:00

Ahh, the perennial Facebook question: What's on your mind?Or, if it were the early 90's, it would have been, 'In your heeeead, in your heeeaaad, what's in your heeeeeeaaaad?' Hehe hello Cranberries.But really, that happens to be my favourite question, or a variant of it. In a particular quiet time, I go ask the nearest person, "So.. what are you thinking?"And I mean it, it's fascinating. I love

Waters of March

2009-03-17T02:16:00.007+08:00

It's a March thing I think. Must be the March weather or something and my genetic make-up not compatible with the workings of the cosmos at this time of the year. Yeah, whatever right. Relax, relax, relax Joe. Chill. But dunno, know the feeling where there's something stuck in your back and you can't shake it off? I was thinking maybe a massage or a jog or a swim will do the trick. Until then, I

Restless times

2009-03-10T05:37:00.003+08:00

5:54AM and I'm already up! I've been up for more than hour now. Who wakes up at 4:30AM in Singapore? Apparently the restless ones like me. But hey, good morning!My brain's pretty much fried from work actually so, as per recent plan, let's not overthink this blog post and just get crunching.* * *What can I say, work is getting exciting! Exciting times man, the type that makes me want to sneak in

For no apparent reason

2009-03-02T00:35:00.003+08:00

Goooood morning blogosphere. Feels good to be back after two months!This time it will be different; no (empty) promises of sticking around and blogging more regularly, no long journal entries that are overthought and sanitized as if they were articles. Then again, that promise to be 'different' I'm also not sure I can keep. Haha.Plan for this entry is to for me to let the fingers do the thinking

The big (toe) surgery

2008-12-11T05:46:00.000+08:00

Another of those wake-up-early days, and I guess I have no reason not to blog now. I'll make this nice and short and as quick as I can get, but of course, if you know me, this won't be short at all.* * *Big toe surgery finally pushed through last week, Tuesday! This Dr L of my neighborhood clinic has to be the most deadpan doctor I've ever met. I went to see him the Thursday before, and like the

Detours

2008-12-02T05:21:00.002+08:00

Oh no it's back again. The waking-up-insanely-early-in-the-morning thing. I remember this occurring before, usually when I'm anxious, sometimes when I just sleep too early, sometimes when people and places and events just like to annoy me in my dreams. But the fact that the dreams exist at all -- and that I remember them -- at least tells me it was quite a restful sleep. Can't remember tonight's

Good intentions

2008-10-18T08:41:00.008+08:00

I was about to title this post "Stream of consciousness", but I realize I've already used that in a two-year-old post. Ever easily distracted, I read through it, and it amuses me that some things never quite change.I'm finding it hard to accept criticism, and that's a fault I need to fix. It's a qualified sort of statement, actually, as there are just a few buttons I don't like being pushed. Push

Early edition

2008-10-06T05:08:00.005+08:00

5:08AM. Strangely enough, I find early mornings good times to blog. I woke up at 3:30AM, and after a round of Facebooking and YouTubing, I still don't feel like sleeping, so I might as well.. Can't say I'm not sleepy though. ('Sleepy' != 'feel like sleeping' I think)Hmmm makes me wonder if I'm really that anxious that my VP (aka my boss of sorts) is coming back today after his two-week reservist

Conversations with Myself

2008-09-26T01:30:00.009+08:00

Ah, it's been a while. Considering it's been three months(!) since my last post -- where I shamelessly claimed to be "back" and implied it to be the first of a series -- and that post was about one month after the previous, if this trend continues then perhaps the next entry will be right about five months from now. Just nice. I was thinking of closing down the blog, even, as maybe things just

And we're back (Part 1)

2008-06-20T01:37:00.005+08:00

Ahh.. it's good to be back. Not that I ever left, technically. But a six-week hiatus is quite a long time eh? I guess it's high time I fill you in on the events that happened since that (semi-panicky?) entry two days before my final exams.Oh where do I start.Maybe I'll digress a bit first and say that the reason I haven't been blogging is that I've been busy moving out (of school) and moving in (

Last Two

2008-05-06T23:30:00.003+08:00

The last's are always remarkable stuff -- and you don't even have to go the emo route to at least acknowledge their significance.I was thinking that since I'm halfway done with my finals, and I have two remaining exams in two days, I really should be doing some counting down of sorts. And making these last two exams significant one way or another. The last exams of my university days! The last

Free Cones, Cheap Thrills

2008-05-02T03:35:00.004+08:00

So I finally got me my Me Time, when I least planned it. It was Tuesday. There I was, leaning on the railing at some spot at the expansive view deck of Vivo City, my free Ben & Jerry's strawberry ice cream cone in hand (my bad flu notwithstanding), and before me were the breathtaking sights of the harbour and its randomly dispersed fleet of ships, and of the (real) deep blue sea (in contrast to

At times I do believe I am strong

2008-05-01T21:40:00.003+08:00

... so someone tell mewhy, why, whydo I, I, Ifeel stupid?Apparently, Matchbox Twenty's Mad Season is quite the anthem during this time of the season --- or any season for that matter. I can even pick a random line that's resonant to me one way or another. Dunno if that's a good thing.Whether it'sYou figured me out that, I'm lost and I'm hopelessorI feel stupid, but I know it won't last for long

Lost

2008-04-22T04:30:00.002+08:00

Firstly, I think there's something wrong with working in the Statistics lab at 4:31AM, and worse, for only a part-time research assistant job, and even worse, right smack during reading week, the week before the final exams. My final final exams too.But that's that, I'm here, and while the two programs (R and Microsoft Access) are still running, processing millions of high-frequency observations

Pagmumuni-muni

2008-04-07T03:31:00.001+08:00

Ang di ko lang masyado gusto kapag nagtatagalog ako magsulat, ay 'yung nagmumukhang sobrang seryoso at medyo makaluma ang dating nung mga sinisulat ko. OK lang sana kung yun nga naman talaga ang gusto ko sabihin, di ba, pero hindi naman talaga. Gayunpaman matagal na rin akong hindi nakapagsulat nang ganito, so mabuting ngayon na lamang habang medyo trip ko pang mag-blog. Gagawin ko na ring medyo

Let the truth sting

2008-03-29T14:39:00.002+08:00

Let it sting. Feel the numbness and pain for a while; that's the only way to heal.I hated having to lie to M thrice about the Deep Blue Sea thing. Sorry man, I hope you understand. But it was the timing, I couldn't tell you sooner. I dunno, it's this sticky situation where I was torn between telling the truth and cushioning the blow while factoring in the circumstances during the time. Anyway, I

All HYPed up

2008-03-23T23:29:00.002+08:00

Okay, I shouldn't be blogging, and yes yes this is the absolute worst time to blog, but with my heart pumping like mad, the blood flowing through my caffeine (no typo there), I think I should distract myself yet a 1002nd time and post something.HYP presentation later, 1600hours. That's the Honours Year Project, or Honours Thesis, which took me two semesters to make, and which is given 24 modular

Wistful Thinking

2008-03-17T01:23:00.002+08:00

Final year in the University is really something eh? I don't know if it's the same thing for everyone, but this final semester has really pushed me to the edge. Amidst the mountain of school tasks I had to clear, I found myself tempted to raise my hands in resignation and quit; and that's something -- the Joseph I know never quits.(For the record, Joseph being Joseph, he didn't quit eventually.

Back to blogging

2008-03-08T03:15:00.006+08:00

Three months. How I managed not to blog for three full months I have no idea. But it happened, and that's that. For the record, I scribbled something of a blog entry aboard the plane on my December 31 flight back to Singapore, but I didn't quite manage to post it. Hmm I don't even know where that sheet of paper is. Hehe.Anyway, it's been more than three months since that 'SOS' entry posted end of

SOS

2007-11-30T01:18:00.000+08:00

Let me first say that I don't enjoy writing depressing entries. Yes, yes, Mr Stress Personified notwithstanding.But really, dear God, I'm about to break down. I feel defeated academically, and it's draining me, mentally, emotionally, and heck, even physically. Nobody seems to get me, too. I'm just sort of here, in a totally different wavelength from everyone else, and it gets lonely. Sure there

Two weeks notice

2007-11-15T15:33:00.000+08:00

Two weeks since my last post, two weeks (less actually) before my final exams, and I'm going back home to the Philippines two weeks after that. As much as I'd love to count in two-week lengths so that it would be only two time steps more before I land in Davao City and feel the Davao lovin' that I sorely miss (last I've been there was last January still!), I can't quite be too excited as that

Randomness

2007-10-29T22:37:00.000+08:00

Milo vanviolinsJason Mraz's "You and I Both"Nerina Pallot's "Sophia"am i a lucky roommate or what?sponge bath!pull a fast onethe mythical lift (elevator) i've been pondering over lately(is "over" the right word to follow "ponder"?)why do people sink into depression?(not why do people sink into depression?)happy birthdaymusic! and choirPenshoppe pink shirt that reads "out of my mind/back in 5

Whatever happened to..?

2007-10-19T13:56:00.000+08:00

Me.I don't seem to like me very much right now. Just now I heard myself spurt out an expletive I didn't mean at all. I was shocked myself. Now I'm no stranger to expletives, and I believe that, when spoken at that precise time when the situation calls for it, an expletive works perfectly. It's still not a very nice thing, but that's the Joseph of late for you.Lately I've been oscillating between

Three's

2007-10-17T22:56:00.000+08:00

Joseph can't quite blog as long as he would love to, because there's just no time. There's a draft saved, but he couldn't finish it, so that's that. It's a shame, really, because catharsis would be a good thing right about now.* * *Over dinner with Cedric at Burger King last night, I again mentioned the Superman Syndrome (or well, actually, Spiderman may be a bit more accurate since Peter Parker

It goes without saying

2007-09-24T14:42:00.000+08:00

It's been ridiculously long since my last post, but I feel that now may possibly be a good time. My eyes are sore, I have a throbbing headache, the Self-Access English Learning Facility where I'm currently am doing my part-time job is quiet and cold (both because there are too few students around because it's the midterm break over here at NUS), and there have been too many thoughts swimming in

Wipe that smirk off your face

2007-08-30T23:41:00.000+08:00

For the record, Joseph is exhausted. He has been doing his part-time job (8 bucks an hour baby) at SELF for the past few afternoons, and been swamped by lectures and tutorials and editing The Ridge's September issue. Last night, he stayed at the statistics lab until past midnight to do his tutorial due at 8AM this morning (went to Computer Centre to print too at 720AM). Turns out all his answers

The Multiply No-Cross-Post Test

2007-08-30T22:54:00.000+08:00

This is the Multiply No-Cross-Post Test.Blah blah blah yada yada yada oooh wheee shoobidoowapIf this works, then I can get some reasonable degree of privacy after all.Why did I cross-post some entries on Multiply again? Haha maybe I just got a little too giddy.This is the end of the Multiply No-Cross-Post Test.Nothing follows

Happenstance

2007-08-29T04:06:00.000+08:00

It's a story of randomness, really, our lives. No matter how we think we've calculated our every move and figured out the trajectory of our course, we almost always end up with those little surprises, pleasant or nasty -- but for now let's focus on the good stuff. Partly because it's 4:06AM and I'm feeling reflective, and partly because Joseph is still high on Rachael Yamagata's lovely, lovely

That Bloggin' Feelin'

2007-08-23T00:11:00.000+08:00

Haha apparently I've lost it, that bloggin' feelin'.I want to blog, really, and there have been more than enough events and sufficient flurry of emotional/physical/mental/even mathematical and statistical activity lately, that the Joseph of 2004 or 2005, would have blogged about instantly. But I dunno. Apparently, (cue music) I've lost that [bloggin'] feelin'. Kulit ko.If I did blog, I would blog

Make my day

2007-08-09T22:45:00.000+08:00

It takes so little, actually. Joseph isn't hard to please.Thank you to those who do it effortlessly. Who need not even do it consciously or with intent.You make my day. And I am most thankful even if I don't spell it out.* * *Sigh. I wish Blogger could read my mind so I don't have to type out what's in my head. I miss blogging. I miss telling my friends and family what mind monsters I've recently

Great.

2007-08-05T00:22:00.000+08:00

One of the increasingly rare times I decide to make a blog entry, and after completing the bloody long post, it won't publish and I receive an error message from Blogger. And that's it. Poof. Gone.Just great. And I thought the function that autosaves drafts works. Quite an emo post that was, and I'm not sure I have the energy to write it again. Oh well.Apparently blogs are cathartic only when the

Time to think

2007-07-20T03:44:00.001+08:00

For the record, I'm tired of overthinking.But this is the time to think. Time to think about the friendship (its nature and complexities), organizations (how it sometimes brings people together, sometimes breaks them apart), honours year project (and how to make it exist), work (and colleagues and towering buildings and lunch hours), what-ifs (keeping in mind the butterfly effect), issues (social

Snob

2007-07-10T03:49:00.000+08:00

I checked my Friendster after a long hiatus (I've recently moved to Facebook, but even there I'm rather inactive too), and I realise I can be quite a snob. Haha and all that wanting to connect crap right? Haha. But that was a sincere previous entry okay! Busy lazy tired yeah my usual excuses.XD And yes I'll try not to be a snob anymore.Okay, for real now, goodnight!

Talk is Cheap

2007-07-10T03:38:00.000+08:00

There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know howI'm still thinking whether I like it when songs tell exactly what I'm thinking. It's like BAM! that's my song -- but so it is to thousands of others at any given time. Anyway it's Wonderwall by Oasis this time.* * *My roaming handphone was cut off the other day. It's what I use to receive SMSes from the Philippines (saves

Like restless wind inside a letterbox

2007-07-04T02:50:00.000+08:00

Thoughts meanderLike a restless wind inside a letter boxThey tumble blindlyAs they make their way Across the universe_________I suspect I may have been a die-hard Beatles fan in a past life. Theirs are my happy songs, and quite poetic and quotable too. Even their melancholic songs strike me, and Sgt Pepper, Eleanor Rigby (All the lonely people, where do they come from?) are intriguing

what i really want

2007-06-20T02:26:00.000+08:00

is for youall of you to whom i matterand who matter to meto get inside my headto swim in my thoughtsthoughts and thoughtsthat have been swirlinground and roundthoughts i'm too lazytoo busy too exhaustedtoo scared too paisehtoo selfish too proudto articulate,by way of this blogor otherwise.the events and places i've been topeople who've kept me company(and those whose company i keeponly in my

All's well that ends well

2007-06-04T00:57:00.000+08:00

It was a lazy weekend -- and I liked it that way. It was a weekend consisting of a book and a movie at Central Library, Grey's Anatomy, card games like Bridge and Hearts until 5AM, Absolut Vanilla, Choir practice at some faraway place, and capped by a relaxing back-of-a-green-pick-up ride at 1030PM to this prata shop at West Coast, with friends around, in a table with excellent cheese prata (one

Thankful

2007-05-27T02:42:00.001+08:00

Results were out Friday -- I'll blog the details sometime else -- but yey Joseph's going for Honours Year! The grades were better than expected, and so Joseph is happy and thankful and will be blogging more about this the next time around.:)OK I just have to add on something, because I fear it might be a while since I post.It feels great to achieve something I've been working hard for. Really,

Restless

2007-05-24T22:48:00.001+08:00

I've been wanting to blog for the longest time, but I couldn't for some reason or another. I was walking to Old Chang Kee to buy a breakfast of sorts on my way to the bus stop, where I'd wait for my ride to the MRT station (where in turn I'll take a train to the office), when the thought struck again: Blog tonight.Now after a long day at the office, heavy choir practice as soon as I arrived in

I wouldn't have posted but...

2007-05-14T00:20:00.000+08:00

... it was Moms' day until about 20 minutes ago, and when I called home one of the first things she asked was whether I had any new blog post.:)Mama was never the type who would talk long with you on the phone (maybe she's worried about the phone bill, I don't know haha... and it was even me who was doing the calling), but you just know she keeps tabs on you, in an affectionate kind of way.Now

Hello World!

2007-05-09T02:32:00.000+08:00

Here's a quick holler to the blogosphere just to say Joseph is alive and well, and that an unblogged lot has happened since his last post. He'll update when he shakes off this nasty flu bug, and he gets a break from internship work during the weekend.Joseph's feeling good tonight -- and he hasn't even toothbrushed nor showered yet! (Will do so in a minute Ma!)Sweet dreams to you all!

Joseph's World in Numbers

2007-04-23T19:09:00.000+08:00

OK, Joseph has been conspicuously MIA in the blogosphere lately, but for good reason! Mugging season has long begun, and in fact, the exams have been streaming in! Woohooo.I've been thinking of the exams as this series of random bullets fired away at all of us poor undergrads, and mugging (i.e. studying like crazy) has been our means of defense: crafting out formula sheets, reading and re-reading

Detachment

2007-04-06T22:36:00.000+08:00

Detachment is the key to getting any work done.:(Joseph is swamped and stumped and stressed and sleepy. He's so tired he could sleep for a week. But no, he must conquer a mind-numbing ten-page film history essay, a statistics assignment involving hours at the lab, a group homework for linguistics class. Fortitude, Jose. Fortitude.

Here come the blues

2007-03-29T01:32:00.000+08:00

The time's 1:33AM, and I feel like giving myself some good ol' self-flagellation. I shall spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say that exams are in three weeks' time, and Joseph has not received any good news for the entire semester.Lately he's been distracted too.. wandering around in Multiply and Friendster and Blogger and chitchatting on Yahoo Messenger. His batchmates and close

My Stupid Mouth

2007-03-19T03:12:00.000+08:00

Tonight the NUS Choir performed at Amplitude (combined concert of the NUS hall choirs) as guest choir. I rushed off afterwards to attend Rohit's birthday celebration at my hostel. He's my friend Ivy's Indian boyfriend, he lives in the same floor as me (in fact the room I stay in currently was his room last year). Oh and I called my dear Lola Doding this morning. I love talking to my grandmas --

Waiting for my rocket to come

2007-03-13T01:40:00.000+08:00

So, where have my blue skies gone?And so I remain... sitting, waiting, wishing, for that rocket to come.Who knew that a film history essay could be so bloody painful?

Wala Lang

2007-03-09T01:51:00.000+08:00

Too many blogworthy events happened lately, and as usual, I haven't the time to blog.I thought I'd mention the following in passing, by way of a short phrase, but it turned out much longer, so I'm making it a separate paragraph. The significant events were the memorable and enjoyable NUS Choir concert (small ensemble was the smallest group I sang in and with the biggest crowd), the interesting

Agent Tomato

2007-03-02T22:31:00.000+08:00

My longtime friend Agent Tomato has been scolding me just now. He says I've been acting childish and emo and immature. He'd get me a lollipop too if that's the only way to pacify me.Nope, I said. It's bad enough I've been making a mountain out of a mole hill, I'll try to grow up on my own.But really, what's the fuss about? It's just another much-ado-about-nothing case.Anyway nice to know you're

Found and Lost again

2007-02-24T16:02:00.000+08:00

I found my lost tickets! Yey. Thanks for the concern everyone, thanks to Johni for helping me locate the missing file, and to my dear Ma and Dad for sending me encouraging messages via SMS or email. Thanks too to those who just knew and trusted that I would find the tickets. Sometimes I worry too much and don't trust enough.* * *Sometimes too I trust too much. I don't know whether this is just

Lost

2007-02-23T09:54:00.000+08:00

Sigh.As Secretary of the Choir and Head of Marketing, I've been working my ass off spamming, faxing, calling churches, schools and companies to either buy tickets for the concert oradvertise in our concert booklet. (And as I've mentioned, this is taking its toll on my studies.)Now guess what. I was looking for the tickets I took out and "sold" to friends (although I haven't physically given them

Send it up

2007-02-23T01:38:00.000+08:00

I'm really at my wit's end right now, and I can't believe I'm still busy with Choir stuff when I really should be studying for my midterm tests next week.It's just so draining sometimes and it's very tempting to give up. I also realized that the fate of my possible Honours Year next year depends largely on my performance in Monday's Financial Maths test, which constitutes 40% of the grade. I'm

Catching Up

2007-02-21T21:19:00.000+08:00

Woohooo what do you know, a surprise post from me.Wow it's been incredibly busy the past weeks and it's not gonna slow down anytime soon, but Jose's catching up baby. I've been overwhelmed the past few weeks -- overwhelmed with a lot of work, then overwhelmed with Nothing, which in turn led to a more thoroughly overwhelmed me most recently.But I'm catching up soon you guys. I've done SO MUCH WORK

Not the Birthday Post

2007-02-14T00:15:00.000+08:00

To paraphrase what I had mentioned many times before, the "eventfulness" of an event isn't measured by the presence or absence of blog entry to chronicle it, especially in this age when the great issues of the world can be given equal blog treatment as the mundane.While I still believe that, I'm making an exception. I believe that one's birthday -- a person's own space and time of all the days of

Mr. Brightside

2007-01-30T23:06:00.000+08:00

"If anything," Sgt. Pepper was telling me earlier tonight, "this whole experience has taught me to appreciate myself more, to find solace in solitude, to hang on to those to whom I matter, to take more notice of what I am capable of (never mind whatever else), and to be more keenly aware of the presence of God."Well said. Your rainy days will just be miserable if you don't find anything to be

Sgt. Pepper

2007-01-28T02:05:00.000+08:00

I was walking one night when a little man called me."I've been following you around. Fix me, I'm broken," he said.And that's how I met Sgt. Pepper.

Shut Up and Smile Pt. 1

2007-01-24T03:46:00.000+08:00

It's been an incredibly exhausting week, and I'm beginning to feel the stress of taking 6 modules (5 of which are level 3000, and thus far, one of them has stunned me and left me gaping in horror at my sheer empty-headedness), being an editor for The Ridge and in-charge of lugging around brand new Ridge stands, and being NUS Choir Secretary and head of marketing for our upcoming concert.I won't

Happiness

2007-01-20T10:01:00.000+08:00

Happiness is feeling the presence of friends and family, no matter the means or proximity.It's knowing you matter to those who matter to you, and forgetting to care for those who don't reciprocate.Happy days ahead. And clubbing therapy tonight, too. Yeah baby.

The Boat is Sinking

2007-01-17T22:23:00.000+08:00

To describe what I'm feeling now, maybe I can refer you to the Beatles' classic Yesterday. I dunno what's gotten into me, really, but it's this lingering sort of melancholy, too diffuse I can't quite pin it down and give it a name or attribute it to something I can fix.I can tell you a few things though. That I'm lonely (then again maybe it's just the weather). That I feel others don't respect me

New Year, New Me, and a New Blog

2007-01-16T02:24:00.000+08:00

This year is gonna see a new and improved Joseph. I've started doing some "housekeeping" on several levels (the literal sort I did last night, although I can't figure out how to rearrange my shelves and tables), and Project New Joseph is kicking off. The transition's more bumpy than I thought, but it's there, it's on its way.There's a new Blogger/Blogspot too. It's so much easier and more

Must-Blog

2007-01-09T00:31:00.000+08:00

Must-Blog Hi. I'm back in Singapore, and as much as the holidays in the Philippines were eventful, I didn't feel the need to blog them (or maybe because Internet was slow because of the Taiwan earthquake). Whether I blog the events or not doesn't mean anything anyway, in this time when the significant and the mundane can be given equal blog treatment. About my holidays, suffice it to say that

Still Alive

2006-12-21T21:36:00.000+08:00

Still Alive Hey there, whoever I’m supposed to address. This is an overly overdue blog entry, but yahoo it’s here and it exists, and it will lend a sense of activity in this otherwise seemingly dormant blog.Actually, this format of blogwriting is getting familiar, come to think of it. The previous paragraph was me expressing the overdueness of the entry, and this next part is me summing up what

Keep your enemies closer

2006-11-21T03:52:00.000+08:00

Keep your enemies closer It's that sort of saying that supposed to be witty or funny, or it could possibly be straight out of the successful businessman-slash-corporate-player's handbook: Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer. In the current state of mind I am in, I choose to interpret it as a quote that's in the same vein as "Familiarity breeds contempt." Enemies and friends are

The End

2006-11-19T00:39:00.000+08:00

The End My GEK1046: Intro to Cultural Studies projectmates and I finally uploaded our project online yesterday. Samantha and I worked the longest and hardest on it (the day before I was powered by coffee and slept at 7AM making the rough final draft, as Sam was similarly burdened with a truckload with essays to do on top of her church commitments), thus we both felt totally relieved that it was

Happy Post

2006-11-06T18:45:00.000+08:00

Happy Post I know I haven't been blogging, and I presume that equates to less blog visitors (not that I was one for the big crowd anyway -- I was more after the small intimate crowd after all, but I digress), but I just cannot quite stand a depressing post at the forefront of the blog, when I'm not quite depressed anymore. Seriously, it's just not right. And hence, this post.Yep, Jose is in

Shared misery is halved

2006-10-25T02:20:00.000+08:00

Shared misery is halved It was Hari Raya day in Singapore today (or yesterday), and that meant no classes! To the Muslims in Singapore and elsewhere, it meant celebrations of joy (and food)! It was Deepavali also last Saturday, and that was a cause for celebration for all Hindus everywhere. Ah.. holidays are good things. They make people happy, and in a meaningful way at that.My day was OK. I

Conversations with myself (edited)

2006-10-22T19:37:00.000+08:00

Conversations with myself Some people cheer you up just by being there. Thank you very much. If not for you, I would have broken into shards by now. Thanks too to Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger for crossing the gap.What's your problem, Jose, really?*paragraph deleted*Hmmm.. maybe I should not post this on the blog. Maybe I can, but not without omissions, at least.

No hangover

2006-10-21T14:45:00.000+08:00

No hangover It's official. (Caution: unpleasant blog entry, don't read if you want a happy post)Although this semester has had a few of its bright moments, and even if last sem seemed impossible to top on the "worst" list, I declare this semester as the worst one ever, on many counts. I've never felt so bad about myself, until now. I think I've turned into a monster, and I'm a hazard to everyone

Joseph gets high

2006-10-21T02:52:00.000+08:00

Joseph gets high The song's not very popular, but the title of this entry is patterned after Jimmy Gets High by Daniel Powter, you know, the guy who sang the smash hit Bad Day.Anyway, Joseph's feeling all good tonight. Feeling Absolutly fine, in fact. Haha.I thoroughly enjoyed the BBQ at West Coast Park in celebration of Ivy's birthday. Rohit, Ivy's Indian boyfriend (Ivy's my high school

Feel better in the morning

2006-10-15T22:46:00.000+08:00

Feel better in the morning It's been said that if one's feeling unwell at night, he should sleep just sleep it out and he'll feel better in the morning.Thanks to a good nap, Joseph is, apart from a mild headache, feeling much better now and all ready to take on more of Financial Maths and Linear Algebra and English tutorials.And it's not even morning yet. :)

:(

2006-10-15T20:55:00.000+08:00

:( Life sucks. It's worse when one realises that the common factor in all of one's misfortunes is himself. Then again, it's good he realised it long before he deludes himself into thinking otherwise.I suck. Maybe a personality change is in order. Maybe I should go and hide my blog in a secret place too.

Happiness comes in spurts

2006-10-11T17:58:00.000+08:00

Happiness comes in spurts Wow, that previous entry had a lot of grammatical errors. Oh well. It was a blog entry anyway, not an article or an essay, and it pretty much, like blogs do, described my state of mind at 4AM in the morning.Too many depressing entries lately, don't you think? Well, it's not all that bad, really, I must clarify, lest you think I'm going in a hopeless downward spiral and

Five depressing texts (and counting)

2006-10-04T03:21:00.000+08:00

Five depressing texts (and counting) I still can't believe I posted only two blog entries in September. Joseph the once-hardcore blogger--who would have thought? Oh well. There's always something blogworthy really; I just don't have the time.It's now 3:18AM and I have a 9AM class. Why am I blogging? Do I really have the time?No. Not really. Sleeping is the better thing to do.I'm just sad. And

Stream of Consciousness

2006-09-30T14:12:00.000+08:00

Stream of Consciousness Midterm break. Life sucks. Choir Ridge The Body Financial Maths. Linear Algebra assignment untouched, Stochastic Processes midterm absolutely clueless about.How are all of you today? To you, I'm sorry. To you, I miss you. To you, try to get online I need some cheering up. To you, thanks a lot. To you, why haven't you all done your work and now I'm the one scrambling to do

Age of Iron

2006-09-03T10:31:00.000+08:00

Age of Iron I'm currently taking a module called EN3249: The Body: Politics, Poetics, Perception. Maybe it's just me, but it promises to be one of the most interesting modules I've taken thus far. It discusses the issue of corporeality: the bodily experience of a reader reading a text, the corporeality of the narrative and the metanarrative,It's a level 3000 module, so I was initially hesitant

Great.

2006-08-22T01:11:00.000+08:00

Great. Apparently, I was indeed correct when I mentioned at the beginning of this sem that this academic year will find an angrier, more bitter, me.Latest in a string of unfortunate events: fried my 80GB external hard drive, causing me to worry about whether my TV shows, movies, a large dump of MP3's, galleries and galleries of PHOTOS, old lecture notes and tutorials and projects and

I'm depressed.

2006-08-20T11:38:00.000+08:00

I'm depressed. And stressed and exhausted from all the co-curricular activities I'm doing and I haven't even started studying for this year's modules yet. And this eczema is the most annoying thing that's managed to corrode my self-esteem in record time. It's all over my arms, and they spew golden goo all day.Life sucks.

Kick-off

2006-08-14T03:54:00.000+08:00

Kick-off There's something wrong with how this semester is kicking off. My first class of the semester is at 2PM later, Linear Algebra II, but right about now I'm feeling exhausted already. Strange. I'm supposed to be feeling this way well into the semester whenI do my sparring sessions with midterms and projects and tutorials and exams.I never quite realized how much Choir and Ridge stuff took

Red volcanoes and golden lava

2006-08-12T01:26:00.000+08:00

Red volcanoes and golden lava I sympathize with the affected families in Bicol, a region in the Philippines, who are experiencing the horrors of a volcanic eruption, courtesy of Mt. Mayon. Mt. Mayon is this beautifully-shaped and almost symmetrical volcano that has been dormant for years, but is spewing out lava onto the villages and fields along the slope and at the foot of the mountain.I

Wounds that forgot to heal

2006-07-30T02:37:00.000+08:00

Wounds that forgot to heal Yey. About time for an update eh? Yeah, before this blog gets moldy despite its new template and all. 2:56AM and I should be sleeping as I should wake up at 8AM to do some work for Matriculation Fair, but what the heck. Let me type some stuff here before the past few weeks go unchronicled and I lose my sanity from not being able to well, talk about stuff.Now that

Two Weeks' Notice

2006-07-07T21:03:00.000+08:00

Two Weeks' NoticeHeya! It's the 7th of July, and that means it's a mere two weeks before I set foot again on Singapura, and the manic schoolyear begins anew. Today also means it's exactly one week before I leave my lovely city of Davao, to drop by Metro Manila to spend a week with friends and relatives. Ahh.. time. I'm running out of it, so I'm trying to make sure I settle all my affairs

Fresh

2006-06-30T15:48:00.000+08:00

Fresh Whew. Finally the new template's up. I'm not sure if I'm crazy over it, I wasn't wowed by it when I first saw it assembled. I remember thinking, 'Oh dear. All that hard work for this.' I dunno, I was just too caught up with the coolness of Mondrian art (Google him) that I think I momentarily forgot about blending. I'm not even sure what's the tree for again. Haha. And hmm.. something tells

Not the usual

2006-06-19T18:20:00.000+08:00

Not the usual If you're a frequent stalker/reader of this blog (yes I know frequent can't be too frequent as my posts don't come often enough anyway), you'd know that there are a few things that don't quite come up. Don't bother thinking what they are, I'm gonna bring up one right now, and that's sports. People who know me know that I am barely sports-minded, and that I'd much rather prefer

No dishes left unwashed

2006-06-15T18:22:00.000+08:00

No dishes left unwashed I've just finished my kitchen chores, and let me prouldly announce that there are no dishes left unwashed. I say it with a sort of leave-no-stone-unturned accomplishment, because of all chores, dishwashing hits the top 10 of my dislikes.In any case, I'm still domesticated for my own good, but it's a good thing I guess. My friends began their classes on Tuesday, and so did

"Busy"

2006-06-01T18:30:00.000+08:00

"Busy" Another day, another blog. The previous entry I wrapped up and uploaded only today, May 31st, because I was busy once again. With what? Busy with the usual things that have kept me busy the past two weeks I've been back home.. Ridge stuff, and Choir stuff. But actually that doesn't really cut it, 'cos most of the day Jose's doing nothing.Haha. Nothing but watch TV and lying down and

Overdue

2006-05-27T15:53:00.000+08:00

Overdue Yep, overdue. That's what this entry is. As is the case with everything else overdue, so many things have happened since the supposed due date (whenever that is), and this may be the right time to fill you in (whoever you are).OK, so let's start with the here and now. I'm home! Here in the beautiful city of Davao, Philippines, and better yet, right in the comfort of our own family home.

Closing time

2006-05-14T16:50:00.000+08:00

Closing time OK, so this is it. I'm really leaving now. Haha, the previous post wasn't really goodbye Singapore, but this is. I'm leaving tonight for the airport, sleep there, to make it in time for my 7:00AM flight tomorrow for the Philippines. Yes I'm such a cheapskate for not choosing to take a cab tomorrow morning and incur the 50% off-peak surcharge, but another reason is that I'm afraid to

Time to say goodbye

2006-05-04T11:55:00.000+08:00

Time to say goodbye As if on cue, the very 'operatic' Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman plays on my Windows Media Player. Sigh. What a fitting end to the most difficult semester of my life.I just finished my final exam for this sem, the one for the Actuarial Statistics module that had me tear at my hair over and over for the past months. Sucked. I declare it is humanly

Crunch crunch

2006-04-24T06:09:00.000+08:00

Crunch Crunch OK, this is another of those times when I shouldn't be blogging but I do anyway, and this time it's just to say that I'm still alive, and the reason for my absence is that exam season has begun over here at NUS.I sat for my first two papers last Friday and Saturday, and it feels good to flush out brain disk space for those two modules Operations Management and

Hodgepodge

2006-04-14T17:10:00.000+08:00

Hodgepodge Nope, this isn't because Nestor and Ferron have in some way urged me to update this blog. It's more because, well, it's been a thoroughly disappointing day for mugging, and what the heck, I have a few minutes to spare before I grab my dinner and fly away into the night, engaging Regression Analysis in an intensive batttle of the brains.That, and, maybe the fact that I miss blogging

Sometimes you can't make it on your own

2006-03-26T08:39:00.000+08:00

Sometimes you can't make it on your own Trust me, i'd like to blog about something happy. I could, too, because interspersed amongst my woes are happy memories with friends and family (thanks for the emails and SMSes Ma and Dad). But I dunno, even if I want to talk about bunnies and flowers and chocolate cream puffs, I'm sorry, I'm just, on the whole, a sad person right now.It's mostly academics

All in a day's work

2006-03-21T21:33:00.000+08:00

All in a day's work Woohoo. This has got to be the worst day of my life. And yes sir, I know full well that the last thing I should do is blog, but nah, I give myself permission to write this short short post.Welcome to the pits, I tell myself. And seriously, it's true! I realized that it's been about one and a half months now that I've been constantly caught in high-pressure situations. And

Busy Busy

2006-03-11T18:58:00.000+08:00

Busy Busy Yeah, can't you tell? If the absence of a blog entry here means something, it's that.After the choir concert last Saturday, I've been taking the plunge into the deep dark world of academics, of deadlines and essays and midterm tests.There was a Hall Bulletin Board article I rushed because I was gonna be too busy this week. Turned out, well, early, so no problem with that. Essay One