This way to the stars

I'm leaving this blog...

...since cross-posting to both blogger and lj has been too much of a hassle. I'm moving to http://greenlightsaber.livejournal.com. :D 

posted by steph @ 11:12 AM 0 comments

Holy kamote!

I just HAD to post this.

Werder Bremen beat Chelsea 1-0. Omg! I did NOT expect that! I also did not expect that Per Mertesacker (oh, the name!), of all people, would be the one to get the goal. Kudos to the reliable Frings to set it up. It was a home win; Michael Ballack must be eating his shoes haha.

Despite the loss, Chelsea's still sure to be in the round of 16. Bremen can go IF they defeat Barcelona. Oh I hope I hope I hope I hope...coz it won't be easy.

posted by steph @ 7:02 PM 0 comments

You were never needed in the first place

I want to try being mean to someone and thoroughly mean it. I think it must be incredibly satisfying.

-------

Here is yet another rave on Casino Royale. Sure Daniel Craig was not as dashing as Pierce Brosnan (imho), but never had James Bond been this visceral, soul-searching, vulnerable, and human. It was as if James Bond didn't really come back; the man behind the trigger-happy finger is actually being revealed for the first time.

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Scales. Boring, boring, boring. Plus there are a LOT, which I think can very well burn my brain once I try to memorize all of them through the whole fretboard (as if I didn't have enough memorizing to do with Org Chem and Histology). Still, once I know them I can make my own solos! Yay, I am exciteddddd! :D

posted by steph @ 6:56 PM 0 comments

The need to escape

Sometimes I wish I could bury myself and never come out of one of those fantasy books or sci-fi movies that I love so much. Call it escapism if you will (and you'd probably be right), but I am sick of having to face stark, banal, and utterly unescapable realities.

We've always been told - either by those awful sugary self-help books or inspirational stories of famous icons and mavericks - that we can go as far as our imagination takes us. That reality can be bent and shaped to your will if you're strong enough. But more often than not reality has boundaries as immutable as a brick wall; make what you will of the space between, but it is so hard to move beyond.

I've once read that life is like a sonnet - we are given a definite set of rules, meters, and guidelines that define the elements of a sonnet, but we are given the freedom to say whatever we want as long as we comply with them. Hang sonnets and give me a free-form poem any day. In fact, hang poems altogether; I couldn't be happier if life was a blob of neon-colored play-doh in my hand.

posted by steph @ 2:08 AM 0 comments

Holy *German* *Football* Cows

I really must congratulate the German football team for making it this far into the Euro qualifiers without losses, and for scoring 18 goals in just 3 matches! I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them rise to the top of the heap at the final tournament. Joachim Low is definitely doing very well as head coach; the German team coached by Klinsmann disappointed at the last Euro Cup, though they did redeem themselves very well at the World Cup. :) I really can't wait for FIFA '10!

As for the Bundesliga, Werder Bremen maintains their spot at first place with 20 points, with Stuttgart only two points behind them at second place. It'll be interesting to see how things turn out; If Stuttgart wins at the match vs Hamburger SV (which they might, since it's at the bottom of the league), they could challenge Bremen for the top spot. Thus, Bremen's gonna have to win against Nuremberg to maintain their standing. Bayern Munich drops to third place (from second) after having a draw with FC Schalke, with whom they are ahead of on goal difference.

I'd really like Timo Hildebrand (Stuttgart's fancy-haired goalkeeper) to play on an international match sometime. After King Kahn retired from the German team, Jens Lehmann naturally took up the No. 1 jersey, and Hildebrand moved up from third-choice to second-choice goalkeeper. Poor him, being perpetual benchwarmer and understudy to two famously temperamental players despite being very good himself. Bet he can't wait for Lehmann to retire, hehe.

------

The upcoming sem promises to be a killer. Every day starts with an early class, dammit, for which I'd probably accumulate a dangerous number of lates. I suppose I'd better start cursing Mondays, which start at 8:30 in BELL (of all places) and end at 4:30 with a four-hour lab session, with only one hour break in the morning to last me the whole day. Tuesdays are worse, which start at 7:30 and end with another four-hour lab session, but with only two thirty-minute breaks before and after PE, which unfortunately is in between the two very pleasant-sounding subjects Histology and Organic Chemistry. I guess I'd better prepare to starve! Haha, I haven't even started, and I'm complaining already!

------

Playing a Santana song is exhilerating. The man is a genius for composing expressive solos, no two of which are same in one song, which make them hard to memorize. I'm about a third through Smooth, and I wanna get on with finishing it. The dance-y song is so addicting to play! I could play it till my fingertips bleed.

Still, I wonder what it'd be like to play a Steve Vai piece. Kuya Benjie says I could have those next if I wanted. Must be both torture and thrill at the same time, eh?

posted by steph @ 2:07 AM 0 comments

Werder Bremen vs Bayern Munich

Werder Bremen is now at the top of the German Bundesliga, courtesy of their 3-1 win over Bayern Munich last Sunday.

From www.bundesliga.de/en:

The top-of-the-table clash brought Bremen a sold-out Weserstadion. 42,500 fans wanted to see leaders Werder take on second-placed Bayern, and the match was broadcasted live in 93 countries!

They witnessed a magnificient goal by Diego with eleven minutes gone. A good ball by Torsten Frings found Diego just outside the area, and the Brazilian dribbled round compatriot Lucio before unleashing a dipping shot that hit the cross-bar and went in, leaving Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn absolutely no chance.

Werder doubled their lead after 33 minutes. Pierre Wome fired home a 25-yard free-kick for his first ever Bundesliga goal. However, Bayern were back in the match just four minutes later when Roy Makaay artistically fired home from seven yards following a set-piece - Bayern's 3,000th goal in Bundesliga history.

The Green-Whites regained their two-goal advantage one minute after the hour mark. Lucio, surely not with his best of days, deflected a Wome cross from the left past his own keeper. Werder stay top of the table, Bayern drop down to fourth, now three points behind the pacesetters.

Thus Werder Bremen rose to the top (at 16 pts), while Bayern slids down one rank to #4 (at 13 pts). Looks like Werder has this year's league cup on sight. But there's still a long way to go before the games end; they'll have to keep up their fine form. And Klose, please score already, sheesh!

However, their positions are reversed in the Champions League. Bayern is on top of Group B, while Bremen is tied with Barcelona at 2nd/3rd place in Group A (since both won over Levski but lost to Chelsea). It seems that Bayern does better in away games than Bremen. I hope both will survive the group stages to give the Germans a shot at a European cup. :D

Speaking of, I hear Lukas Podolski scored a brace to clinch Germany's 4-1 win over Slovakia at the Euro '08 qualifiers. Of course, he had assists from Klose. Good job! :D

posted by steph @ 2:05 AM 0 comments

Werder Bremen vs Bayern Munich

Werder Bremen is now at the top of the German Bundesliga, courtesy of their 3-1 win over Bayern Munich last Sunday.

From www.bundesliga.de/en:

The top-of-the-table clash brought Bremen a sold-out Weserstadion. 42,500 fans wanted to see leaders Werder take on second-placed Bayern, and the match was broadcasted live in 93 countries!

They witnessed a magnificient goal by Diego with eleven minutes gone. A good ball by Torsten Frings found Diego just outside the area, and the Brazilian dribbled round compatriot Lucio before unleashing a dipping shot that hit the cross-bar and went in, leaving Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn absolutely no chance.

Werder doubled their lead after 33 minutes. Pierre Wome fired home a 25-yard free-kick for his first ever Bundesliga goal. However, Bayern were back in the match just four minutes later when Roy Makaay artistically fired home from seven yards following a set-piece - Bayern's 3,000th goal in Bundesliga history.

The Green-Whites regained their two-goal advantage one minute after the hour mark. Lucio, surely not with his best of days, deflected a Wome cross from the left past his own keeper. Werder stay top of the table, Bayern drop down to fourth, now three points behind the pacesetters.

Thus Werder Bremen rose to the top (at 16 pts), while Bayern slids down one rank to #4 (at 13 pts). Looks like Werder has this year's league cup on sight. But there's still a long way to go before the games end; they'll have to keep up their fine form. And Klose, please score already, sheesh!

However, their positions are reversed in the Champions League. Bayern is on top of Group B, while Bremen is tied with Barcelona at 2nd/3rd place in Group A (since both won over Levski but lost to Chelsea). It seems that Bayern does better in away games than Bremen. I hope both will survive the group stages to give the Germans a shot at a European cup. :D

Speaking of, I hear Lukas Podolski scored a brace to clinch Germany's 4-1 win over Slovakia at the Euro '08 qualifiers. Of course, he had assists from Klose. Good job! :D

posted by steph @ 10:16 PM 0 comments

Boredom

A is for age:
Just turned seventeen! Whoohoo one more year to go before my license! :D

B is for beer of choice:
I don't drink beer. Period.

C is for career right now:
Officially, pre-med student. Unofficially, master of procrastination.

D is for your dog's name:
I don't have any. If I HAD, I wanna name it Sauron. Or probably Hannibal. :))

E is for essential item you use everyday:
Cellphone. Yes Ma'am Theo, we are dependent on technology.

F is for favorite tv show at the moment:
Ouran High School Host Club anime.

G is for favorite game:
Minesweeper and the "Which one is Hikaru-kun game?! from Ouran

H is for Home town:
Erm, Pioneer, Mandaluyong City

I is for instruments you play:
Acoustic and electric guitar, and my armpits (haha I wish)

J is for favorite juice:
Tropicana orange, and those 10-peso refillable diluted orange Tang sold at the Ateneo caf

K is for whose butt you'd like to kick:
Bill Gates.

L is for last place you ate at:
The moviehouse at Galleria where we watched the Banquet.

M is for marriage:
The scariest thing on earth. Hahaha!

N is for your full name:
Stephanie Patricia Alinea Jordan

O is for overnight hospital stays:
Lots when I was young, most notably for an eye operation.

P is for people you were with today:
Tam, Dad, Raj, Ate Tess, Ate KC, Migs, Mia

Q is for quote:
I am singing at the Party! and If you are a man, sometimes you wear stretchy pants in your room. It's for fun. - from Nacho Libre

R is for Biggest Regret:
That I didn't take my voice lessons and choir seriously.

S is for special talent:
Playing the guitar and my Jedi mind tricks.

T is for time you woke up today:
8:30 am.

V is for vegetable you love:
Hehe I hate all vegetables except lettuce in salads.

W is for worst habit:
Procrastination, which leads to cramming, which causes stress. And nail-biting.

X is for x-rays you've had:
Very few.

Y is for yummy food you ate today:
Chicken barbeque in UP, and chicken burger in Burger King.

Z is for zodiac sign:
Libra

posted by steph @ 10:16 PM 0 comments

Tagged by Mia.

Can you name 28 people you can think of right off the top of your head? Don't read the questions underneath until you write the names of all 28 people. Ready, Start!

1. Mom
2. Dad
3. Tammy
4. Aemie
5. John
6. Mia
7. Maiqui
8. Jen
9. Eliza
10. Maggie
11. Athena
12. Jocelyn
13. Monica
14. Janilyne
15. Charm
16. Karla
17. Adrienne
18. Karen
19. Maxx
20. Tonton
21. Ron
22. Jose
23. AJ
24. Exo
25. Ada
26. Erwin
27. Ralph
28. JA

1.How did you meet 14?
Janilyne was Karen Kalaw's friend, who was my seatmate in third year.

2. What would you do if you never met 6?
Mia. Aww, college life would be really different. No more band, no more dorm to hang out in, no more gulp machine to laugh at, no more OPM appreciation sessions, etc.

3. What would you do if 25 and 11 dated?
Ada. I would be really freaked out! 25 is taken (by 24!) and 11 is kinda far.

4. Did you ever like 5?
John. I believe I am obliged to like my cousin. HAHAHA!

5.Would 4 and 12 make a good couple?
Aemie and Jocelyn. No, coz neither are lesbians.

6. Describe 8
Jen. A real kikay girl who's been my faithful companion and unofficial alalay at amp gigs (where I have HR shifts).

7. Do you think 13 is attractive?
Monica. Oo naman. And hopefully a certain PHYSICS teacher thinks that too! *wink wink*

8. Tell me something about 17
Adrienne. A a smart and wacky Chinese girl who was my seatmate and Omer-bashing partner. She also used to pinch me really really painfully. Haha, memories!

9. Do you know any of 4's family members?
Aemie. Of course! Tito Thany, Tita Grace, and the whole brood of devilish toddlers (namely Moh, Matt, and Jaemie).

10. What's 21's favorite color?
Ron. Er....blue? Haha ewan.

11. What would you do if 18 just confessed he/she liked you?
Karen. Pinch myself and wonder if I'm dreaming, coz it's not gonna happen!

12. What language does 20 speak?
Tonton. Tagalog, *basic* English (haha!) and whatever Cotabato's language is.

13. Who is 9 going out with?
Eliza. Wow I've no idea. Kwento ka naman! ;)

14. What year is 16 in?
Karla. 2nd year college

15. When's the last time you talked to 27?
Ralph. Last Friday, before the Compa Ana long test.

16. What is 2's favorite band?
Dad. The Carpenters.

17. Would you ever date 7?
Maiqui. Nope, coz Maiqui has SHANE hahahaha!

18. Would you ever date 23?
AJ. Haha no! ;)

19.Is 10 single?
Maggie. Hala hindi ko rin alam. I've been losing touch with high school friends, oh no

20. What is 26's last name?
Erwin. de Guzman

21. Would you ever want to be in a serious relationship with 22?
Jose. Nope again! ;)

22. What is the name of 3's honey??
Tammy. Hmmmmmmmmmm now was that Alberto? Nico? Gian? Lesbo high school friend? HAHAHA!

23. Where does 28 live?
JA. In the Wonderful World of DOTA. Otherwise, in a dorm along Katipunan.

24. What's your favorite thing about 24?
Exo. Always challenging me to eating contests where I always lose.

25. Have you seen number 1 naked?
Mom. Of course. She's my mom.

25. What is 1's favorite animal?
Mom. Dog, I think Brownie was its name...

*****

I am officially finished with Black Hole Sun! I just need to polish up the solo more. ;) Now I'm being taught Sugar We're Going Down by Fall Out Boy; apparently my guitar teacher liked it after one of his other students made him teach it. It's easy apart from the part with the changing beats and the palm mutes. Hayy, I hate having to count one-ta-te-ta two-ta-te-ta.

*****

I intend to start two sci-fi series this sembreak: The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Dune by Frank Herbert. Thus, I made my dad buy me Book 1: The Eye of The World (The Wheel of Time) and The Battle of Corrin (Dune). Good luck to me, since those two series have the length, density and intiricacy to rival Tolkien's works. Hehe ang kapal ng mukha kong bumili ng bagong libro; I still haven't finished Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Sorry, sci-fi and horror are still my favorite genres. Speaking of horror, I also bought Anne Rice's The Feast of All Saints. Hopefully someday I can complete my Anne Rice collection. :D

posted by steph @ 10:14 PM 0 comments

News from the German (football) front

Bayern Munich has made it to the top of the Bundesliga charts, with 3 wins out of 5 matches! Woot!

Last week I was lamenting how Bayern, which is known for being THE German football club, was only in third place at the German league. I was expecting better from the club with the players in the international team. But I guess they're delivering after all, even after El Capitane Michael Ballack defected (hehe) to Chelsea. They actually beat Italian club Intermilan at UEFA to the tune of 2:0 - with goals by Pizarro and Podolski (woot!). Finally, sweet revenge to the Italians. >) Currently, Bayern is at the top of UEFA Champions League Group B.

On the other hand, Werder Bremen is underperforming. :( Last year's Premier League Cup winners now in 9th place? They haven't won any of their last six matches. What happened to Mr. Golden Boot, Miroslav Klose? So far, he's only scored 2 goals for Bremen. I want to see more of your somersaults, dammit!

But on the flipside, Bremen actually had a decent draw (1:1) with Barcelona in UEFA. Okayyy, so actually both goals were from Barcelona, but one was a hapless own goal (the other was a last-minute goal by the 19-year-old Argentinian boy wonder Messi). Klose was unlucky, having many opportunities to score goals but all shots either wide or blocked. Werder Bremen is only in third place of UEFA Group A; Chelsea and Barcelona are 1st and 2nd respectively.

Stay tuned to Bundesliga.de and UEFA.com for the latest updates! I know I will. :)

posted by steph @ 1:12 AM 0 comments

The last gasp!

3 weeks 'til sembreak!

In the meantime, I have to slave away for the upcoming chem, biostat, and history long tests. The theo and compa ana tests were just over, and we're studying again! Like we noticed, there is never a week when our block caf table is not flooded with papers to review and accomplish. We are not superheroes; we can't do things at superspeed or stop time (though I really really wish we could). But this is always pushing us towards our limits. In the future, we will save lives, but in the meantime, Bio is taking over ours. ;P

But it's ok; I'm looking forward to things we've already planned for our sembreak. There are the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings marathon sessions to educate Mia in the ways of science fiction epics. There are the band planning (?!) and bonding sessions with Migs and the girls. There are my daily guitar practice sessions (I haven't been able to practice now because of so much to do!).

And oh yeah, I plan to super download progressive rock songs! I love the genre so much now. Although Pink Floyd still makes me sleepy (hehe), I think that Dream Theater, Rush, Tool, Fates Warning, Coheed and Cambria are great! I downloaded songs by Pain of Salvation and Symphony X yesterday; I still haven't listened to them, but I promise I will later. And oh yeah, although they aren't really in the genre, A Perfect Circle is also great. :D Maybe I should start reviewing these artists seriously one day.

In the meantime, I should really focus on raising my grades even just a leeeetle bit (yuck, am so gc!). I am in danger in biostat; as of yet, I do not understand anything at all, and the long test covers 4 freakin' chapters! Thank God for the life-saving statistical invention called "curving".

--------

Woot, I met Tanya Ruiz at the LRT Katipunan station yesterday! It was really unexpected since that's the first time I saw her commuting, although she does it everyday. Hehe, it's funny, we're both really tired and complaining about our respective hell months, but we actually managed to reminisce on our old high school days. Tanya, if you're reading this, remember the High Life, whoohoo! And good luck on your readings and exams, I know you have a lot. Kaya mo yan! :) This goes to the other St. Paul people who might be reading this too.

--------

I should put a new Compa Ana trivia every time I post (hehe Maxx, I took a leaf from your book!). It shall now be called "The Nerd Bulletin" - for short, NB. Hehehe pauso. :P

NB # 1: Diabetes is not caused by eating excessive sweets. According to Dr. Jugo, "that's a bunch of crock" (hehe tell that to your parents!). It's caused by the inability of your pancreas to secrete sufficient amounts of insulin that converts glucose to glucogen (Type I diabetes) AND/OR the inability of the peripheral tissues and cells to absorb insulin although the pancreas secretes sufficient amounts of it. Type I is treated by insulin secretions while Type II is treated by insulin-sensitizing drugs, although diabetes is usually a combination of both types.

NB # 2: Bangungot is caused by the rupture of your pancreas (pancreatic hemorrhage) due to a blockage in the duct (I forgot the name). Thus, pancreatic secretions can't go out of the pancreas, and they collect inside it until it explodes. Unfortunately, the secretions are for the digestion of protein, fats and carbohydrates; thus, when they bleed out of the pancreas, they eat away at your whole digestive system. Thus, people who die from bangungot have a large stomach due to inflammation. Incidentally, it's the males who generally die from this; there are very few cases of females having pancreatic hemorrhage.

That's comparative vertebrate anatomy for you. :)

posted by steph @ 2:20 PM 0 comments

The last gasp!

3 weeks 'til sembreak!

In the meantime, I have to slave away for the upcoming chem, biostat, and history long tests. The theo and compa ana tests were just over, and we're studying again! Like we noticed, there is never a week when our block caf table is not flooded with papers to review and accomplish. We are not superheroes; we can't do things at superspeed or stop time (though I really really wish we could). But this is always pushing us towards our limits. In the future, we will save lives, but in the meantime, Bio is taking over ours. ;P

But it's ok; I'm looking forward to things we've already planned for our sembreak. There are the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings marathon sessions to educate Mia in the ways of science fiction epics. There are the band planning (?!) and bonding sessions with Migs and the girls. There are my daily guitar practice sessions (I haven't been able to practice now because of so much to do!).

And oh yeah, I plan to super download progressive rock songs! I love the genre so much now. Although Pink Floyd still makes me sleepy (hehe), I think that Dream Theater, Rush, Tool, Fates Warning, Coheed and Cambria are great! I downloaded songs by Pain of Salvation and Symphony X yesterday; I still haven't listened to them, but I promise I will later. And oh yeah, although they aren't really in the genre, A Perfect Circle is also great. :D Maybe I should start reviewing these artists seriously one day.

In the meantime, I should really focus on raising my grades even just a leeeetle bit (yuck, am so gc!). I am in danger in biostat; as of yet, I do not understand anything at all, and the long test covers 4 freakin' chapters! Thank God for the life-saving statistical invention called "curving".

--------

Woot, I met Tanya Ruiz at the LRT Katipunan station yesterday! It was really unexpected since that's the first time I saw her commuting, although she does it everyday. Hehe, it's funny, we're both really tired and complaining about our respective hell months, but we actually managed to reminisce on our old high school days. Tanya, if you're reading this, remember the High Life, whoohoo! And good luck on your readings and exams, I know you have a lot. Kaya mo yan! :) This goes to the other St. Paul people who might be reading this too.

--------

I should put a new Compa Ana trivia every time I post (hehe Maxx, I took a leaf from your book!). It shall now be called "The Nerd Bulletin" - for short, NB. Hehehe pauso. :P

NB # 1: Diabetes is not caused by eating excessive sweets. According to Dr. Jugo, "that's a bunch of crock" (hehe tell that to your parents!). It's caused by the inability of your pancreas to secrete sufficient amounts of insulin that converts glucose to glucogen (Type I diabetes) AND/OR the inability of the peripheral tissues and cells to absorb insulin although the pancreas secretes sufficient amounts of it. Type I is treated by insulin secretions while Type II is treated by insulin-sensitizing drugs, although diabetes is usually a combination of both types.

NB # 2: Bangungot is caused by the rupture of your pancreas (pancreatic hemorrhage) due to a blockage in the duct (I forgot the name). Thus, pancreatic secretions can't go out of the pancreas, and they collect inside it until it explodes. Unfortunately, the secretions are for the digestion of protein, fats and carbohydrates; thus, when they bleed out of the pancreas, they eat away at your whole digestive system. Thus, people who die from bangungot have a large stomach due to inflammation. Incidentally, it's the males who generally die from this; there are very few cases of females having pancreatic hemorrhage.

That's comparative vertebrate anatomy for you. :)

posted by steph @ 5:13 PM 0 comments