A reader dropped by yesterday and, I think, was a little bit annoyed with what a friend said about my last post. Of course, I replied back explaining why my friend had to say that. I decided to drop by her site and was a bit shocked when I found that it's my template BUT in a different language. I thought it was just translating my site in Brazilian (uhm sorry I don't know what language you use there.) Anyway I browsed a bit and was really dumbfounded that she actually used my template. Hay ewan ko kung maiinis ako o ano. Syempre hanap naman daw ako ng site na nagta-translate ng libre para malaman ko kung ano pinagsasabi nya. Sa huling post nya, inamin naman nya na plinagiarize nya ko. Akala pa nga nya Kano ako (hence her angry post towards my friend) at nde ko daw alam na kinuha nya ang template ko. Kung nde ba naman engot eh, nag-iwan ba naman ng site sa Haloscan syempre pupuntahan ko. (Halata ba na ayaw kong pabasa tong portion na to sa kanya? Hehe. Tingnan lang natin kung makahanap sya ng site na magta-translate in Tagalog. Wehehe.) Anyway, I'm not angry. Not even annoyed. I think, in a subconscious level, I'm actually flattered. Heehee. It's really ok with me. And to show good sportsmanship, I will offer her something.

Hey Sukita if you really want my template, that's perfectly fine. Although if you want I could change the graphics a bit and put your name on it instead of Loryces. Have fun with that!

Perks of being a student here in the US:

• LOTS and LOTS of resources -- no excuse for not doing the homework


• FREE printing (unlimited) of documents (hmm could I print my ROTK script and Quenya lessons I wonder? Ssshhh.)


• FREE photocopy (max 50) at the library


• hundreds of computers *drool* you can use ANYTIME


• lots of instructional media services available (ie videos you can use to review certain topics like ANS)


• the library is droolicious (lots of books and videotapes you can borrow)

Grabe!!! And right now I just printed my homework from the computer lab here! I'm just dumbfounded, you know.

I'm at the netcafe again. Been circling around it for the last 10 minutes. No one was inclined to leave their preciousss I guess. Buti na lang I was able to grab an empty seat just now. Heehee. BTW somebody just asked me a favor: if I can watch their belongings for a while. I said yes, of course. Cute yung guy eh. (*Karen type mo promise!)

Second day today of Child Psych:

I like my professor. Kakabilib. He's dyslexic and a college prof. Imagine that! What a stretch from having a learning disability to becoming one of the professors here in Oakton. (In case you didn't know, one has to have a PhD or Master's Degree before you can apply as a teacher in OCC.) However, he said something earlier that I totally disagree and I'm out to prove him wrong. Ssshhh.

You are a true fan of Lord of the Rings or all of
J.R.R Tolkiens works! You've read or your on
the process of reading all of his books! You've
even watched the movie too many times to
remember!! I congratulate you, you've become a
Tolkienite!


Do you know your Lord of the Rings?(knowledge)
brought to you by Quizilla

So be it. You have read books many times and
closely, and you speak about Tolkien's books
more often than anyone can listen. You knew
answers in every single question (at least
almost).
Good work, my mellon!
You deserve to be in Gondor after the War of the
Ring, when king Elessar rules the land.


Test your knowledge about the Lord of the Rings -books
brought to you by Quizilla

On a scale of 1-5, 1 being the lowest and 5 being
the highest, you are.......Level 5 obsessed!
Maybe you've studied Quenya so much that you
can speak it fluently, maybe you've watched
FotR over 50 times, or maybe you just know that
you'll marry Orlando Bloom some day. I gotta
hand it to you: you are absobloominutely
obsessed.


How obsessed are you with LotR?
brought to you by Quizilla

Second day of classes today. You know where I am? In the school netcafe. Heehee. I have ~2 hours of breaktime -- no breakfast yet and still no lunch and look where I'm spending my break. Been away from my preciouss for so long, well approximately 12 hours pa lang, I feel a withdrawal syndrome coming on. Grrrr. So many emails to reply to, so many posts to check, so many news to post. Ack.

Saya ng first day -- well techinically, for me this is my first instead of second day coz this time, I get to meet all my non-Nursing profs. Hopefully I can post a longer and more elaborate kwento about it later .

Oh my. I just had a realization. I haven't visited all my links for a while. Oops. Sorry guys. Later maybe?

Congratulations to the people who made New Worlds possible! A convention of wizards, hobbits, jedis, slayers, agents, fremen, aliens, and elves, New Worlds offered a lot of exhibits, seminars, costume-playing, and contests that any geek would looove to attend. It's a pity I'm way over here and couldn't join the event. Thanks to an angel, however, I was able to call them. You see, I didn't see any hope, two weeks ago, of being able to talk to them during the con. Good thing though I saw this online phonecard store. I immediately contacted my friend if she can buy me one using her credit card. And she did, bless her! So anyway, to make it short, I called the gang up on Saturday and Sunday. I was so happy, you know -- so happy that I finished up all the minutes hehe! Sigh. Bakit ba kasi ako nandito eh. Hmph.

BTW they dedicated this pic to me! So sweet of them!

I've been so sad these past days. Been thinking a lot and questioning some of my decisions -- what am I doing here, is it worth it, any other options available -- that sort of thing. And yes, I'm still thinking about that. Ang lungkot kasi dito eh. Kaya kayo, if you don't have any other "strong" reason of wanting to come here, don't go. Anyway I think these musings took their toll on me. I now have a nasty headache and cough.

Hehehe.

Orientation week. First day today, two more days to go. Haba noh (daming arte kasi) but I guess it's ok. I mean it's good that they're going to acquaint us with all the ins and outs of this course, not to mention, the school itself. Especially for me, it would be hard getting around with no one to guide me. But you know what, after today, all I can think of was "Whew!" I guess it's both a relief and exclamation -- relief because you can see that the faculty really do care about their students (explain ko later) and exclamation because there are a lot of things I have to think about... and I mean a LOT. For the first time in my life, I think I'm going to experience the real meaning of independence. Well not really. Come to think of it, I'm living with a relative so basically I still have someone to turn to. Hmm let's take it into the context of living in the Philippines. Back then and there, I have my mom. When I need baon (money or food or whatever I need for school), andyan ang mommy. When I get bored, I just hail a cab and off I go to Marikina -- to watch a TV show, a movie, or just relax. But now, even though I have my aunt, somehow I feel it's not the same thing anymore (duh). She works full-time, 5 days a week, with her day-offs dedicated to my cousins' school activities. So kung yung mga anak nya wala na syang time, ako pa kaya?! Then add to that a foreign environment. I mean I have to gauge how they do these things around here -- how do they study, what methods do they use, how different is it from Pinas, is there "politics" involved within the confines of the room or of the school (layman's term - favoritism), will I be able to do it -- minor stuff like that. Tapos, I also have to think of these non-academic things that wouldn't really matter in my academic standing right now but will probably help in the long run -- a job, a driver's license, and a gym membership. Hay ang hirap pala.

However, of all the things I faced and thought of today, the thing (or rather persons) I really admire are the professors I've met earlier today. They seem so friendly, caring, and supportive of the students. There's no hostility (Karen you know what I'm talking about) in their faces. No "Let's see what you are made of and I will break it" kind of attitude in them. No "There's 50 of you but when you graduate, there will just be 20 mwahaha." No "All my students failed! Success!" No "I don't care if you fail, you stupid idiot!" Oh sorry guys. Got carried away. Let's just say I graduated from one of the worst colleges when it comes to student rapport. Heehee. Actually, the professors said it themselves -- once you're in the course, they will do what they can so you'll stay in the course and finish it. Isn't that amazing? I think it is -- to have your professors backing you up, helping you every step of the way, and insuring that you succeed in a course that's very demanding of its students (physically and mentally) -- I think it's just great. Haay. Wish ko lang ganito rin ang CA.. err my first college.

Haay sa kakaisip ko ng mga kelangan gawin for this semester, nahilo ako ha. BTW ang mahal pala ng libro dito! Waaaah! I bought two books today and guess how much!? $200 for two friggin' books!!! Both are hardbound. One is brand-new, the other used (although the used book costs $80 -- can you believe that?!). I still have to buy 2 more books tomorrow. Egad.

Took pictures of my school earlier. Hopefully I could post it tom. Tomorrow's another orientation day. Yikes!

EDIT:

Here's a pic of the school. More tomorrow (I hope).

It finally snowed the other day. I forgot how beautiful snow can be. I'll upload some pics tomorrow -- as soon as I have the chance to go outside and get to take some decent photos of it.

I've been preoccupied these past few days. Not with anything remotely related with LOTR but with something else. I've been reading this book, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and let me tell you, nothing else I've ever read has left me like this. Well I don't quite know how to put it. It's merely a different feeling I've been accustomed to when I'm reading other books, particularly fantasy. And it's not a horrible feeling, mind you. Let's just say I think I've found my new idol. Ayn Rand's philosophy is very different although I suspect she's not alone. I may not get what she's trying to say, not at first reading at any rate, but I intend to find out more. This book, I believe, gave Ayn Rand a "lasting recognition as a champion of individualism." Hmmm intriguing. Really. I suggest you go and find yourself a copy.

Well you might be rolling your eyes again but this is the last time I'm going to post any LOTR-related thing for this uhm, day. Oh ok fine, for the week then. I was just surprised to see a parcel for me the other day. It turned out to be something from New Line Entertainment. Didn't expect it to come so early since according to lotradventure.com it will take two months for them to ship the free item. It was part of their promo -- 12 days of Holiday Savings. Good thing I was able to avail at least one of their promotional thingies. Heehee it's so cute.

Happy New Year!!!

There's no substitue for celebrating New Year with your family, complete with dinner and sharing fireworks. There's no substitute of waking up in the morning of January 1 with a fog-like atmosphere and a parade welcoming the dawn of the new year. Somehow I miss all that -- and I never thought I did -- not when I experienced New Year here. There are no fireworks, no family dinners, nothing whatsoever. Most of my friends are offline so I had no one to talk to. Well most of them anyway. I'm glad I chatted with a friend earlier. It made the waiting for New Year bearable. Ah yes I almost forgot. I also got to talk to some of my college friends today, over the phone!!! They were friends that never left me, never pushed me away, and never judged me so of course, they are my first priority when I'm lucky enough to have the phone (and a phonecard) all to myself. Heehee. There's nothing funnier (and heartwarming) than friends who are overjoyed to hear your voice that they'll spill their guts to you, if you just let them. Got to talk to my family today too. Haay miss ko na sila sobra. They had some bad news, more of health problems actually, that I know will leave me wide-eyed later, unable to forget and sleep. Sigh.

Anyway, no resolutions for me this year. They ended up being tramped anyway. I'd prefer a goal list. It's more realistic and have better chances of being achieved than making up a list of resolutions. And I tell you, I'm hell bent on attaining these goals.

My GOALS for the year 2004:

1. I will have a job (even as a student employee).

2. I will learn how to drive.

3. I will lose ** lbs (or more) by Christmas 2004.

4. I will be more health-conscious.

5. I will be more outgoing and sociable towards strangers and old friends/classmates.

Erm have to think of more.

Now give me a week or so and I will make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound) and functional. Oops sorry, it's a PT thing.