• http://upcat.pregi.net/
• http://tinyurl.com/upcat2010.

The printed results are posted at the Office of Admissions in UP Diliman, as well as in other UP campuses.

I was about done eating late lunch at Mang Inasal, Tomas Morato when the rain poured down heavily, and the street outside was immediately flooded. At first I thought, this was usual in this section in Morato. But my was I mistaken – the flooding also covered the sidewalk this time. :O
Obviously all of the customers (and of course, the Mang Inasal staff & crew) inside were stranded.

I said to myself, good thing Mang Inasal’s floor level was several inches higher than the sidewalk level, so there’s no need to worry. But I was mistaken again. The water did reach Mang Inasal’s floor level, and it went inside even in the air-conditioned section. :O The water inside rippled, caused by, well… “waves” from the street which was further caused by passing vehicles who were stubborn enough to brave it out treading the river that is Tomas Morato Avenue. And it smelled like mudwater, carrying with it dirt, dried leaves and of course, dead roaches.

I was typing this entry with my feet resting in one of the table’s legs, and it’s already been an hour since we’ve been stranded in here (checked my watch, it’s 2:20pm).

Here are some of the pictures I took when all the action was happening:

This was taken when before the water level breached Mang Inasal’s floor level. The van is parking on the T. Morato sidewalk of Mang Inasal. Notice the small boy enjoying in the middle of the street.

Another view of the mayhem outside.

Snapshots of water gushing inside the Mang Inasal air-conditioned area.

I wasn’t able to take decent pictures anymore when all the floor area was covered with water since the lights went out in Mang Inasal at 2:00pm…

I wonder how it was with the other establishments in Tomas Morato, or in other parts of Quezon City for that matter…

PS: I finally got out of Mang Inasal as the water level receded below Mang Inasal’s floor level. Good thing the establishment has no window so I was able to jump out easily on the sidestreet and proceed to Starbucks Morato. When I got out that section of the street was still flooded and the sidewalk’s pavement was starting to be visible again…

We’re trying to resurrect an original Christmas song, which we played a few times in 2006. The song was written a couple of months after the band was formed.  We didn’t have the luxury (and the common sense) to record it even as a demo, that’s why it was buried in our subconscious minds after Christmas 2006 was over.

TJ will try to remember the lyrics, or just write a new set of lyrics if he cannot remember the entire song. I’m not sure if we’ll be playing this song tonight, but most likely on Sunday night at KBCF’s 33rd anniversary.

Hope you’ll tune in tonight though, Christmas song or no Christmas song from Tiny Cactus.

1. The 10 Worst Job Tips Ever: http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/aug2008/ca20080829_918789.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories
2. Important Work Can Be Done While Daydreaming: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/08/31/daydream_achiever/
3. The World?s First MP3 Player (c. 1998): http://www.teamteabag.com/2008/08/31/retro-computing-corner-the-worlds-first-mp3-player-c-1998/
4. It?s A Joke: In A Linux World Without Walls, Who Needs Windows? http://www.itwire.com/content/view/20342/1141/
5. Is Sex Addiction Real? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/30/earlyshow/health/main4400786.shtml
6. Google?s Insights on BitTorrent Clients: http://torrentfreak.com/popular-bittorrent-clients-googles-insights-080831/
7. Five Things Steve Jobs Must Do Before He Dies: http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/28/jobs-not-dead-tech-personal-cx_bc_0828jobs.html
8. Perfume ‘risk to unborn babies’: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7590641.stm
9. Divine Lightning Reaction? http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2987246.html
10. Virtual Mirror Makes Trying On Clothes A Snap: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/150514/virtual_mirror_makes_trying_on_clothes_a_snap.html

But there I was, in the midst of tens of thousands who trekked to the Fort Bonifacio Global City open field in Taguig to watch the much awaited Eraserheads Reunion Concert last night. (You can view a few seconds of qik streaming coverage of the concert here.) It was surreal, and again bitin as it was cut short because Ely was rushed to Makati Medical Center after he collapsed during the supposed 20 minute break before the second set.

We still couldn’t believe our ears but Lally (Ely’s sister) announced it and his bandmates Buddy Marcus, and Raymund were serious when they got back on stage and apologized for the unfortunate development. There was also a minute of silence as prayers were offered for Ely’s condition. So we had to exit the venue and thankfully no untoward incident happened and the thousands of paying fans were calm and understanding, albeit confused and saddened.

Again, it was such a dramatic event. I was just beginning to get hold of the reality that I was witnessing Eraserheads perform again (which I never thought would be possible ever), and it was cut short just like that. I feel sorry for Ely, who suffered a slight attack due to overfatigue and the stress of losing his mom a few days back. He had just recently undergone surgery following a major attack last year and physically it’s really too much for him. Fortunately his condition is now stable according to recent reports as of press time. Hopefully he’ll fully recover without a hitch.

But then again, for me it still stands as the concert of the year, easily besting even the foreign artists and bands who have visited this country. It might as well be the concert of the decade, as this page in history will still be talked about in the years to come.

Aside from that, this concert has been much more memorable (I mean I could stop at “Eraserheads, together again – in concert. Period”):
- this is the first time for Sweetie to be in a secular concert
- this is the first time that Sweetie and I was able to watch a concert together
- watching it with Tiny Cactus bandmates (immediately after our gig at Pasig) who are also die-hard Eraserheads fans.

The Eraserheads first set were the following:
1. Alapaap
2. Ligaya
3. Sembreak
4. Hey Jay
5. Harana
6. Fruitcake
7. Toyang
8. Kama Supra
9. Kailan
10. Wag Kang Matakot
11. Kaliwete
12. With A Smile
13. Shake Yer Head
14. Wag Mo Nang Itanong
15. Lightyears

My bandmates and I speculated what songs could’ve been included in the second set. And it sort of became our wishlist. If there’s a leaked setlist for the 2nd set it should be fun and interesting to compare it with this list (in no particular order):
1. Magasin
2. Sa Wakas
3. Ang Huling El Bimbo
4. Waiting for the Bus
5. Pare Ko
6. Overdrive
7. Superproxy
8. Para Sa Masa
9. Tindahan Ni Aling Nena
10. Tuwing Umuulan
11. Hard To Believe
12. Maling Akala
13. Tikman
14. Minsan
15. Torpedo
16. Spolarium
17. Back2me
18. Walang Nagbago
19. Fine Time
20. Poor Man’s Grave

Aaron (our drummer) suggested Filler should be in the list and Justin (our rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist) insisted that Maskara should also be in the list.

I know the concert is slated for 30 songs only. Just think of the 5 extra songs in my wishlist to be additional songs as the crowd shouts “more! more! more!”

I do hope another reunion concert should be brewing, but not after making sure that it won’t be detrimental to every band member’s health, especially Ely’s.

Group hug everyone!