Exactly twenty-four hours ago, I arrived home with overflowing excitement. I'm still in awe with what had transpired just yesterday, even more so with the surprise call we received last week.

Confused? Read on.

As some of you might already know, the Clan was chosen to be one of the wild card entries in the upcoming finals of World Supremacy Battlegrounds - Philippines. We were surprised and puzzled at the same time, because we're perfectly aware that although we did our best that elimination night, our routine really lacked "something". Quite a few had the dilemma whether to push through or not. I for one did. But it all came down to the fact that us being chosen is His will. To quote Ma'am J.Lu; "It is His Will na kayo ang maunang mag-perform. It is His Will na hindi kayo makapasok sa Top 15. At naniniwala ako na it is His Will also na kayo ay napili para sa wild card". Thank You, Lord for the blessing.

The Clan's Competing Team going to Cuneta Astrodome is a big thing already , considering that the Compet Team is relatively young (re: 6 out of the 11 competing members are new to the team), but we all wanted to go through to the finals of Skechers Street Dance Battle Year 4. I know I very much wanted this. We all did. And man, did we work hard to prepare for our elimination leg. From eleven, we became ten, because Joie had to prioritize her upcoming play/production, after all, it's one of her major subjects this term. All ten of us, plus our choreographers, all sat down and talked about what the routine lacked. We took every single criticism and from there, we worked again. We re-blocked, re-defined, and upped our routine. We practiced till Kuya Ade closed Baker Hall down. We even practiced till 3am two days before the competition. We were all tired. But we were more excited and driven. Because at that point, we were not only doing this for ourselves, but also for Ma'am J.Lu, the other members of the competing team, our junior members, for UPLB, and most especially for Him.

Come the day of the Skechers elimination leg, excitement filled the our souls. We arrived in SM San Lazaro without even thinking of the competition that'll take place. I guess it's safe to say that we were there to perform and showcase His blessings, rather than compete. Of course jitters came when we saw friends from other schools as all of them are very talented. We prayed, and decided to just enjoy the afternoon. The competition started and man, LSDC-Street opened the show with a bang! After several performances, Sir Jeff called us up and motioned us to go backstage to prepare. We didn't have time to have another run of the routine, instead, we used our time to pray, and pray, and pray. We were praying, and crying, and hugging each other like we'll be performing our last routine. From that moment on, it was all up to Him.

We all felt awesome after the performance. Sure we had several mistakes, but we couldn't care less. The fact that we brought our game and enjoyed our four minutes is enough to make us feel like winners already. When we got off the stage, we huddled and prayed, and cried, and prayed, and prayed. We were just so thankful and overwhelmed with the whole experience. We couldn't care less about getting through to the final round.

Nakulitan si Lord sa'tin eh. Haha. UE placed 3rd. We placed 2nd, and LSDC-Street bagged the 1st place. The sort of quiet UPLB crowd roared when JC announced that we got the 2nd place spot. We jumped out of our seats and rushed to the stage! And yes, we were jumping up and down! Haha. I knew in my heart that LSDC-Street will top the elimination leg. Not only are they talented individuals, they're inspiring and modest people too. Congratulations, LSDC-Street for a well deserved victory!

Exactly twenty-four hours ago, I was sitting on my computer chair crying over what happened. Exactly twenty-four hours ago, I started praying and thanking Him for everything. And I don't intend to stop :)

This whole experienced further strengthened my belief in prayers. It's not enough that you pray, you also have to work hard, I know. But it's much, much better if we're working hard because we want to be able to give back to Him, for all the blessings He has graciously showered upon us.

UPLB Street Jazz Dance Co., we're such a blessed group. It is only rightful the we give back. I love you, guys. God Bless us all :)

Trivia: The Competing Team for WSB and Skechers is very iyakin. Haha.

The very competition that gave rise to the much-acclaimed dance groups Philippine All Stars and Xstatic Crew will stage its Finals this coming October 11, 2008, at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Feast your senses on more than 20 dance crews from all over the country, all vying for the much coveted championship title.

Come and support the UPLB Street Jazz Dance Co., as well as the other teams. Holler to LB's REVAMPED and Kabataang ELBI, and also to UNITED 101!

Good luck and God Bless us all!

Come and support the UPLB Street Jazz Dance Co.as we battle it out with other collegiate teams for a slot in the finals of Skechers Street Dance Battle Year 4.

Expect nothing but awesome and breath-taking hip-hop routines only from the best dance groups in NCR and nearby provinces. See you there!

I barely listened to my first two classes, thanks to a very timely insomnia attack which made my eyes all heavy and my head all droopy. I hope my professors didn't notice my bobbing head. Fingers crossed.

I almost wasn't able to take my 9:00am Botany110 exam. To much of my surprise, the Institute of Biological Sciences suddenly re-imposed the "No ID, No Entry" rule. Good thing I know my way through IBS and made sure I didn't bump into one of those grumpy "lady guards" lurking in the building's entrances. It's quite a good thing actually, this rule, I was just surprised and wasn't prepared. Tss. Now I really have to buy one of those plastic ID cases/protector. Oh another good thing about it? I can wear my Pilipinas lace all the time now. Hoho.

After breezing through the exam (come on, halos wala na akong maisagot), I went home to get some well-deserved sleep. FYI: I have a 9:00am-3:00pm vacant period every Wednesday, it just so happens that the pesky exam was scheduled at 9:00am-10:00am.

I had one of the most enjoyable siestas ever, and caused me to arrive 10 minutes late for my 3:00pm class. Good thing the only thing I missed is the teacher/instructor/professor evaluation. Sayang. Sana naka-bawi na 'ko sa prof. ko.Kidding.

As usual, I went to Baker Hall after my class and left my brain inside my duffel bag upon arrival. Haha. I always look forward to afternoons (sometimes even till the wee hours) spent without having to think about things related to the academe. The competing team's in a better shape now. We're more driven and more serious about rehearsals. I think. Haha. We've like, 2 nights to finish up the routine nad make sure that it's as close to perfection as possible. No pressure. Haha. I know we can do it, right guys? Hoo. Excited. Haha.

I came home late, for the second time this week. I spent dinner time again with some of the Clan's members. As usual, enjoy. As usual, Iziz. As usual. Haha. Wait till we finish the "tutting" routine Ate Joys choreographed for us. Haha. Even Louie got hooked! Haha. Iba ka talaga, Kristine Kreuk-ed.

Amph. This turned out to be one of those "blog about my day" entries which I almost always avoid. Haha. Oh well, this is so much better than posting another one of my emo entries, right? Haha.

So how's it been lately huh? Last week was a whirlwind experience, both academically, and Street Jazz-ically (Belison, 2008). See, I'm actually learning things from my ENG 10 pala no? Haha. Nevermind the acads, I've been wanting to blog about the recently concluded WSB Groove Manila since yesterday eh.

We were excited, stoked and all, because we got to perform and compete alongside 36 other dance crews from Luzon for the very much coveted top 15 slots for World Battlegrounds Supremacy. The competition was held last Saturday night at the Teatro Marikina, in, err, Marikina City. You could just imagine how much we prepared for that compet. I said imagine, right? We did our best that night, but to no avail. We were out-danced by other groups, and no, going first ain't the problem. The competing team wasn't a team, really. I am quite disappointed because we were never complete for rehearsals. And I believe that cost us a lot. I heard it from other people too. Sure the routine was malinis, and that we were conformed. But we didn't dance as one. As Ate Joys put it, walang harmony. We weren't even interacting the whole 5 minutes of the routine. I think it all boils down to the lack of time spent together, not only in rehearsals but also with time outside trainings. The team I came to know during the past three years was tight. I have yet to experience that tightness from the new set of competing team members.

This Sunday, we'll be in SM San Lazaro for the elimination leg of Skechers Street Dance Battle Year 4. I hope by that time things work out for the team. I know we all want this. I know we want to get a spot in the finals. But the question in my mind right now is, do we deserve it? Because if we continue on being like this, no harmony and all, then, harsh as it may sound, we don't deserve to be be chosen as one of the finalists. We're not a team for nothing, y'all.

I'm not even sure if any of you could read this, as none of you know this blog site. Haha. Let's help each other out. Let's do this, not for ourselves, but for the group we've come to love, for Ma'am J.Lu who believes in us, for the other members of the Clan, and most especially for Him, whom we owe these talents to.

And that ends my sort of ranting for tonight. For tonight. Get ready for more doses in the coming days. Or hours. Whatever.

Fuck. Let me say it again. Okay, maybe I won't. I'm stressed and burnt out. And by the looks of it, I wouldn't be having a decent break, not until the end of this disastrous semester. Three weeks. Three more effin' weeks to go till it all ends. In three weeks, I'll be able to sleep as early/late as I want, and wake up when I want (or until my mom pushes me out of my bed). In three weeks, I won't be thinking of formulas, metabolic pathways, species, genera, and such. In three weeks. In three weeks.

For the meantime, I have to gather up my thoughts and muster up enough drive to finish this research proposal for ENG 10, due 2:00pm tomorrow. It's safe to say that ENG 10 is the most enjoyable subject I have this semester. Firstly because it deals with English, and I don't care if it's scientific writing, just as long as it's writing. Secondly, because I was blessed with a very good professor and awesome classmates. The only thing I don't like about the course (in elbi, our subjects are called courses, by the way) is the scheduled lecture sessions. An awesome 7:00AM lecture class every Tuesdays and Thursday. I got used to it, eventually. What, with several instances when I came in late. Haha. It's all good though. I'm gonna miss ENG 10. Sigh. If only my family would believe that I could make decent money with writing. They believe that only good writers get decent sums. So you think I'm not good eh? ASA. I know I'm good. Haha.

Anyway, the Clan's Competing Team will be in Teatro Marikina this coming Saturday, September 20, 2008. Hip-hop mode: ON. We gon'be joining Battlegrounds Supremacy: Groove Manila, the very contest that gave rise to the much-acclaimed (and my personal heroes) Philippine All-Stars and Xtatic Crew. There'll be a total of 40 dance crews that'll be competing on Saturday's elimination leg. I don't have word yet as to how many groups will be chosen for the Grand Finals on November 23, 2008, which will be held in the Cuneta Astrodome. The team's routine is finished, we actually performed it yesterday for an event here in UPLB, but we're still thinking of ways to "up" its level. I'm proud of the choreographer's for this competition set. Awesome job, guys! Ang hirap ha! Haha. Guys, if ever you do have the time, and 150php to spend for the ticket, please come and support all the groups that'll be there. It's gonna be a long and wild and groovy night, that's fo sho! Hip-hop mode: OFF.

Shoot, I can't believe I actually have enough reference materials for my paper already. Don't you just love the world wide web? I'm sleepy now, I can't sleep though. I'm here in Blitz Wave Cafe, waiting for GMak. We're gonna hang till 5:50pm. We've got a performance later nga pala for College of Human Ecology's ECOJAM.

Okay, I've ran out of words to say. Haha. Till next time.

There are days when I feel good and do good. For crying out loud I even look good. These are the times when I feel like everything's falling into place. It's as if everything I've ever wanted is already within my reach. Like I've no right, and no intention to complain with what's going on, what I'm being told, and what I'm being asked to do. I act as if I'm friends with everybody. I smile,. I laugh. These days, I am contented.

There are days when I feel like a rebel. No, a free spirit. Like I want to do everything and anything my heart wants. Even if that means defying and crossing other people. Friends? Yeah. I get drunk. I smoke till I can't breath anymore. I spend so much money like I own a bank. I flirt. I sleep with women I've not known for more than a day. Funny, because on these days, I do not know of consideration. I go about everything in my life without minding others. These days, I care about no one, except for me and how to gratify myself. These are the days when I consider myself selfish.

And then there are days like this one. Wherein I'm not good, and also not bad. This is when I'm no one. I am no one, and have nothing to do but think of all the days I've spent, how I spent them, and pondering on what tomorrow will be like, and how I'm gonna face it.

Disclaimer: This entry is a form of counter-boredom in Bot110 class. The question is, are the things written above real or not? You be the judge.

So last weekend gave me the chance to watch the whole first season of the overrated Gossip Girl. I hate to admit it, but I quite liked it. Okay, I liked it a lot. I like Blair Waldorf. A lot. Now I know why the series is getting all the media hype. Unlike The OC and One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl's plot is, well, scheming. It brought teenage drama to a higher level, and came with a higher financial status, while at that. Whoever thought of the "Gossip Girl" web log manoeuvring most of the happenings in the story is a genius. It took narration to the "upper east side" level.

The characters are all well-thought of. They all have reasons for being who they are. And I like that. People don't just go off about being who they are just because of nothing. No one in the story seemed shallow, except for Chuck Bass at first. You heard (read) me right. Chuck Bass. The epitome of rich boy gone bad. If you've seen Gossip Girl and know how Chuck Bass is, you're pretty much close on getting to know me as well. Let's leave it at that, alright? Haha.

Anyway, I first heard of Gossip Girl from buddies Roy and Dennis. Dennis nudged me to go and watch it because of the hot chicks and hot scenes that came even in the first episode. Let's just say that rebellion, alcohol, and hot women altogether can make me glue my eyes on the telly. Pardon this young man for being normal. Haha.

I've mentioned above that the characters all have reasons why they act in such fashion and why they should get what they want. Chuck's reason? Get ready for this. I am Chuck Bass.

While others admit having Gossip Girl on top of their guilty pleasures list, I on the other hand don't mind wasting precious time watching Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2. Be it on prime time television, or on YouTube, albeit coming from TFC subscribers who have access to the live-streaming of the reality con-singing contest TV show.

This isn't a first for me though. I've long been a fan of reality talent searches, whether international ones or the local, mostly franchised versions of talent searches. For people who know me very well, this might not come off as a surprise, because by now, y'all should know that I've been singing slash performing ever since I learned how to walk and talk. And no, I'm not pulling your leg on this one. I've been groomed to become a performer since my early childhood days. Too bad the people who "made" me are now the ones whom I have to cross just for the sake of living "the dream". I'm at the point in my life where I can't see myself doing any other thing aside from singing and being a performer. Seriously. I want it that bad. I once went for it by joining a reality singing contest on the same network, but to no avail. They wanted a Star. And looking back, I know they made the right decision about me. I was big, and no camera trick could help me with my size. One of the judges though, commended me for delivering a good performance. Her remark helped me a lot. The moment I walked out of the studio, I told myself that I'll be in there again someday, and before that someday comes, I'm gonna prepare for it like it was the end of the world, or the second coming, or whatever.

Maybe this IS the reason why I indulge in such TV programs. It's because I can relate to these contestants. It's because I was once there. It's because we have all have the same dreams. It's because we're all normal people finding a way to get noticed and get the affirmation that we have the talent and whatever it is that the world (or at least the viewing public) wants to see on that little black box we come to know of as the television. And maybe, because I still want to be one of them so called hopefuls that someday, will break into the business and make a mark for himself.

Back to my story. I usually check up on the contestant, aptly dubbed as Scholars, on a daily/ nightly basis. Come weekend, I watch them all day and all night. I don't really care if all I see on the screen is a couple of individuals bumming around the house, waiting for their "classes" to start. Maybe I'm a walking affirmation that indeed, Filipinos are natural voyeurs. We like people-watching. We want to know what others do. That's why Pinoy Big Brother, and now, Pinoy Dream Academy (oh, and there's Pinoy Survivor too) are such big hits.

Or maybe not. Maybe we're not voyeurs at all. Maybe we're just really curious how a dynamic group of individuals will hold up inside one house, or academy, or an island, for crying out loud. And for the record, I know most of you out there have though about being one of the contestants in reality TV shows. Come on, we all dream of that naman eh. Haha.

Judging from the post's subject, yes, this'll be another one of those rant all you want web log from none other than me. I'm still sick, and not having a decent internet connection at home only aggravates my current situation. I'm just so pissed off with our internet service provider. It's been what? Two weeks since we've had internet connection in our house? Paying a thousand pesos a month for the service is really not a big deal, after all,internet usage in our house is like, a necessity already, with almost all of the review and lecture materials from our professors being forwarded and filling up to my e-mail/s every single day (or night). I know I can always go to some internet shop or WiFi cafes such as Blitz Wave Cafe, where I currently rest my behind, but then again it beats the point of having an internet connection set up in my own house, right? The internet's actually a luxury. By luxury I mean it's something not always needed, but something that you can't live without. Don't go praising me for what I've just written, I got it from an editorial in Metro hiM. Haha. Moving on...

Ten more months and I'm gonna be 21 years old young already. I want to finish studying by that time. I want my own car by then. I remember just last week when Prof. Mabini Dizon was discussing how she got married at the early age of 24 (24? I thought early marriage is like, uhm, when you're sixteen or something) and was proudly telling the whole class that she'll have 2 college graduates by the time she hits her 50th year of existence (which will be in 2 years time, I think). Marlem, my seat mate, and I thought it cool because come to think of it, 2 college graduates even before retirement time comes is going to be a big help, and a big upper for parents' ego and pride, while at that. Haha. Anyways, we were suddenly hit by reality that we're actually young adults now; him being 19 and me being 20 years of age. Imagine, in four years time, I could actually go get married and start my own family. Haha. The thought would excite me, really, if only I have that someone right now to be my girl. No wait, I think I've found her already, I'm just not sure if she's thinking of me as her man. Well, enough for the marriage thingy, let's get back to what this post is all about.

So yeah, we're thinking of changing our current internet service provider once again. My mom's even considering not having any internet connection at all. Now you wouldn't do that mom, would you? Haha. You know very well how the internet makes my world (academic and sometimes, social) go about its normal processes, right?

Anyway, I'll end ranting here. I'll post something else a lil later.

Literally. I've been feeling under the weather since Saturday night. For those who know me, y'all know very well that I don't catch any sickness/illness that often; it's like a once a year event for my body. However, once I do catch a simple cold, it can sometimes turn out into a really uncomfortable feeling, followed by head-cracking migraine attacks and high fever. Anyways, this past year has been different. I've been getting sick a lot lately. This maybe the effect of my 2 years worth of chain smoking, OR the effect of me quitting on my cigarettes (it's been what? a couple of weeks since I had my last puff?). Can anyone tell me if this is actually a symptom of withdrawal from nicotine?

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this is just because of the perpetually-changing weather here in hometown. Worst year ever, in terms of weather changes. One minute the sun's scorching hot, the next minute it's raining like there's no tomorrow. It even came to a point when a total of four (4) twisters landed on hometown's area. Weird. ain't it? Not really if we consider the effects of the global climate change, as attributed to global warming. Alright, I won't even try to go there. I'ma leave it all to you guys to research about the hot topic (no pun intended) we all know about, and yet do anything about.

So this is how Alexis is when sick, huh? Pretty intellectual, right? Haha.

Ang pumitik, paslang.

Finally, finally. It's Friday once again. I can almost taste the weekend. Not. I've tons of things to do this weekend. As in. Writing all of them here would lead to the bleeding of my fingers and will cause an eye sore to the ones who'll be reading this piece o' shit. Anyways, I had no intention to blog, really. I only wanted to upload photos from last night's event, but Multiply's kinda acting up again and asked me to wait for 15 looooong minutes just to upload 20 images. Mind you, image size is just about 200kb each. Sigh. Maybe this is Multiply's way of telling its users to shell out cash and go Premium. Tss. Indeed, nothing's free in this world anymore.

My legs hurt. My arms hurt. My ankles hurt. Even my neck hurts. Blame it on three sequences for our new competition piece we were taught earlier. And I guess because of the absence of the warm-up/ stretching before the actual instructional. I sort of had fun anyways, with me now being able to do a hopefully decent 6-step, and doing some more advanced forms in popping and locking. I'm quite excited for this new piece. It's different from all the others we've had. I personally am looking forward to some major krumping inputted into the piece. Let's get buck, y'all bunch of inner groove-rs and swabe masters! Haha.

Now my eyes hurt. Bad computer, bad. Tss.

It feels good to come back home. It feels bad because I know I won't be able to maintain and sustain. Blame it on sporadic me. I'm gonna try though.

Plakado (Filipino, adjective)

• in music, the absence of sharps and flats and other distortions.
• in the most simplest sense, the word implies Perfection.

Why choose such blog site title? Because I'm not at all Plakado. I do great things; I screw up. I believe; I doubt. I succeed, I fail. I rise; I fall. I like, I hate. I love; I love.

Expect nothing of/from this blog site. As mentioned earlier, I have the tendency to sometimes forget that I have a blog site hence, entries might become sporadic.