well, looks like i'm down in the dust once again.

as anyone can see by now, the sem break is over (for a week now), and far as i can see, this site hasn't changed one bit. there goes my pride and promise.

but for a good reason, i can promise that. as seen in my previous entry, christmas plans have just gotten under way. and the last week or so of the break was devoted to the completion of those plans (which now run a little over halfway through), before which i finished the second installment of the wheel of time, just to rid myself of distractions. and as i see it, christmas plans are definitely more urgent than my desperately needy site. so again and over again, this site takes second station. at the very least, i'll try to update regularly.

and of course, with the end of the sem break, comes the second sem of this academic year. and as far as i've seen this past half-week, it's looking to be a good sem. definitely lighter, with around 21 units (compared to last sem's 23++), tons of free time and breaks in between classes, and *nearly* all of our classes starting at 10 am or later. the only downsides seemingly obvious are 7 am philippine games pe classes on wednesday (not just the 7 am call time, but phil games! we could have had table tennis!) and sts classes on saturday 10-1. it's just the most efficient way to cut short the already deficient weekend, not counting the long exams and practices i'm expecting to come.

oh well, it's a new start. and with tears, intrigue, and sleepovers gracing but the first week, it's looking to be a very good sem. or very interesting, at the very least.

nearly two weeks since classes resumed

still have 15 christmas tasks to complete

finished the wheel of time: the great hunt and new spring, nearly done with the dragon reborn

have to scout out a decent copy of the shadow rising

fretting over what to wear on the dec. 1 gala night (white semiformal, so waiter-y)

watched the goblet of fire at gateway globe platinum cinema, was absolutely a perfect experience (at the mere expense of P300), stockpiled 3 sets of popcorn-drinks to hold me out till before halfway the movie, but loved the lazyboy seats

the goblet of fire was a blast, amazing graphics, stunning soundtrack, much better acting caliber than the last incarnations of harry potter, can drool over hermione and fleur for hours at a time, the guys just got inexplicably buff (how unfair, actually, at only 16 years old)

can't wait for kris kringle and the christmas party

the nights are getting colder

and dance like nobody's watching.

on the eve of the 26th, a birthday surprise was planned to happen in our little condo to the south. plans were made (some against my complete will), some plans were shattered (a play of timing and weird circumstance), but most plans pulled through. i did my little stint as planned, not as bad as i thought it'd be, but some people did try to make it all the more awkward. and yeah, happy birthday pat!

after the little put-together party came the *major* event of the night: clubbing, second round. the last time some of my friends went out, i declined the offer, owing to a tech rep (which we didn't do that night anyways) and extreme lack of sleep. this time around, the second condition almost stopped me from going again. i had to catch an hour or so of sleep before we actually went out. but am i glad i did go.

we never went out in this big a group before, with about 15 of us together in clubber's guide. but thankfully, not too many random jerks attempted to rub bodies with some of our female friends, so rounding them up and fencing away others wasn't much of an issue this time. instead, it was all about what we went there for: dancing. dancing down the tiredness, dancing away the stress and toxicity, dancing our ways to pure fun and ecstasy. with so many of us, there was never a dull moment, or still, for that matter. though a few casualties hit us early on, like kc getting "dizzy" after a bottle of vodka and migz sleeping through the music and noise, it was still a blast.

but wait, what's the most surprising bit of it all? aside from a brief respite when the booty-shaking contest took place, i was shaking and waving and grinding my body the entire experience. no matter the song, regardless of the size of the crowd on the dance floor, be there many or just three of us together, i was grooving to the music like there was no tomorrow. i supposed it showed that i took street dance pe to heart, and i guess i t came in handy. it also surprised me a bit, considering that little over two hours before, i was the least expectant going along with the plan at all. it was like dancing all my fatigue and worries away, taking advantage of every spent peso (it's been miser mode for a week now) by burning time on the dance floor. besides, the highlight of the night was being with my friends, most of which i've never gone to a bar with before, and being there the whole time ensured that i would experience every satisfying moment with them. and besides, i never ran out of a dance partner out there.

sometime during the night, someone actually mentioned "si ibn ba ang hottie of the night ngayon?!" well, i won't stand here pretending i didn't feel flattered at all, since just remembering that brought a smile to my face right now. and that was all i could do, grin, and think that maybe the next time, a compliment like that might just come along my way again.