I managed to locate TriNoma, that new mall near SM North, today. It’s still unfinished, and it’s a bitch to get to because of the traffic over at North Triangle, but it shows great promise. The architecture and aesthetics remind me of both Glorietta and Greenbelt, and the multi-floor, indoor-garden atrium is designed well. The fountain system, in particular, is fun to watch.
I’m finally going to read The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Some of my long-time friends will know that this has been on my pending list for years, and more than one person has insisted that I have to read it because I have similar sensibilities to the ones detailed in the novel. I was in Powerbooks yesterday with a friend, and when I pointed the book out to her to explain the significance it has for me, I decided to buy it instead of waiting for a chance to borrow it from someone else.
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Here’s one now, from Ian. :p
Instructions: Each player starts with seven random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose seven people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment saying that they’ve been tagged and to read your blog!
1. I pick up the verbal expressions and accents of people I like.
2. My musical tastes are extremely eclectic.
3. I think clearer when I’m drunk. Seriously. My motor skills suffer, though.
4. The right fragrance on a girl can turn me on better than a hot outfit.
5. I used to hate convergence devices like cellphones with cameras, but now I want one.
6. My jaw was dislocated once because of a too-intense makeout session.
7. I like making my friends happy. And tempting them with what I know they’ll enjoy.
And now I tag Rej, Luna, Helga, Kelsi, Joon, Shey and Raffy. If you’re inclined. 
One thing I dearly miss about being a student is the constant influx of information that, from a certain point of view, has absolutely no practical reason to be in your head. I’m not referring to the class lessons, though. I’m referring to the broader spirit of academic discourse: the vast gestalt that we are enveloped in during our years in the educational system.
As students, we literally live and breathe information; the consumption of it (regardless of whether we enjoy or abhor it) is our sole purpose in life. I believe that it’s not so much the curricula per se that turn us into … infovores, if you will … but the lifestyle and perception of reality that we have to work with: the social role of being students. We do homework, we get involved with other students for group tasks, we do research, we pound the info pavement in search of “original” things to debate or present.
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I love telephone conversations. I’m the sort who can stay on the phone for hours on end, provided I don’t have pressing matters in person. There’s something about the shared intimacy that I enjoy. It’s an extradimensional space with no one else but the two of you. Even if the world goes on around you, there’s an undeniable exclusivity in the invisible link of the telephone.
That is, of course, if your phone line is clear and your respective environments are quiet enough. Given that, I like late night and early morning conversations in particular. It’s easy to feel like there’s no one and nothing else except for the two of you. The sound of the other person’s voice can fill your awareness so completely that even the barest whispers get across with crystal clarity. It’s a sensation that’s only a tangent away from having that person right beside you, breath and lips ever so faintly grazing against your ear.
The vagaries of the world can be set aside when there’s nothing but the other person’s voice. Sometimes, though, the trappings of the real can even enhance the experience. Think of being stretched out on your bed, ensconced in smooth linen, gentle pillows offering just the right resistance to your idle movements. Your mind dwells on the voice that feels like it’s wrapped around you as well, caressing you in ways that go beyond skin….
Ahem. Okay, not ALL phonecalls have this sort of quality, especially if you’re talking business, chatting with family or speaking to someone who isn’t your preferred gender. But you get the idea.
(originally posted in my LiveJournal - October 2, 2004)
I’ve been having troubled sleep the past two weeks. I keep having vivid dreams. I don’t want to talk about it, but I feel the need to say it. At least when I give people the look of someone who’s got a lot weighing on his mind, I’ll know that I actually bothered to tell people that I’m under the weather instead of trying to hide it.
I had an interesting time last Saturday, drinking with Helga and the various editors of The Man Blog over at Cable Car. Meeting new people is always fun, especially if they’re eloquent, intelligent and possessed of a caustic sense of humor. I got home at 4am, something that I can’t seem to avoid whenever I go drinking in Makati. :p It’s practically a personal tradition now.
Rej and Oneal are heading to the US in a few hours. They’re going there primarily to attend Celebration IV, the biggest and most important Star Wars convention in the world, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the franchise. I hope you have great fun, guys! 
Everyone who remotely cares about gaming is by now aware of the Starcraft II announcement. If you haven’t visited the site and checked out everything there is to see, you should now!
