Sunday, March 16

Did yoga. Went to Reitch's for dinner with Marc, Rakel and Mike. Had dal, crispy pata, chicken paprika without the paprika, and fruits in ice cream. Found out Mike and I were neighbors and that his family knows my family down south. Watched a couple episodes of Flight of the Conchords. Went home at 2:00 AM.

Monday, March 17

Stayed home, did laundry. The only day this week I didn't go out or was visited by friends.

Tuesday, March 18

Went with Marc to Festival Mall so he could get a pair of nice-looking glasses. I also went to look for a pair of jeans. Neither of us got what we'd intended to get, and instead got shirts, and Marc got pants, which are hard to find in his size in New Zealand. Got home around 8:00 PM.

Wednesday, March 19

Went to Gateway to meet with Selena and Kathy to get a Rivers Cuomo CD and a Sondre Lerche-autographed notebook page for Aldus. Met with Aldus at Coffee Bean two hours after that to hand over the stuff.

Went to Alan's Grill in Cubao X to celebrate Alec's promotion with Beejay, Hec, Jovan, Nick, and Tobie. Alan's closed early, so we repaired to La Casa Palomo's rooftop for more beer, where Jovan promptly got an allergic reaction to the Japanese tuna Alec's parents had brought back. Was branded Chair Man when Tobie took my shoes and used his belt to tie me to a chair, the bastard. Managed to stand up with a Monoblock belted to my waist. Went home at 2:30 AM.

Thursday, March 20

Hung out with Luna at Yale when she came over to visit us. Had nilaga and strawberries in sugar and condensed milk over fruitcake. Nakakahilo.

Friday, March 21

As expected, Mika and Patton arrived at Yale at 6:00 PM. Had pasta (shamelessly used Rej's crushed tomatoes, smoked bacon ham, mushrooms, and trivelle) and more strawberries in sugar and condensed milk (finished the fruitcake the night before). As not expected, Duds, Ron, Tobie, and Urim showed up. Watched several episode of the Sarah Connor Chronicles. Had longganiza (the Flavor of Oriental!), eggs sunny-side up, and tomato salsa as a midnight snack. Went to bed at 4:00 AM.

Saturday, March 22

Looked forward to seeing the Purplechickens in two gigs, but ended up hearing the last song of their first gig from outside Freedom Bar, and not going to the second gig at all. Which was OK, because Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man was there, and I hadn't seen them since August last year. Plus I got a nifty button! Missed Jesus Is Watching the Gig when it relocated, though, as well as the Wuds and Outerhope. :(

Repaired with Aldus, Marco, and Zig back to the Manox pad in Morato, had some rum cokes. Was joined by Jonas (one of Aldus's friends from high school). Went home at 1:00 AM.

Sunday, March 23

Rej, Boks, and Tita Marian came to bring lunch and to drop off my haliparot housemate. And of course, Mika and Patton are still here, so the party hasn't ended.

And there's another party next weekend, too!

I'm hooked.

 

Damnit, Jane.

If you played in the street as a kid, there's a big chance you know how to play this game.

You need two teams and a playing grid. One team is "it". (Complex though it may be, the English language doesn't have a word for "taya". A shame.)

The other team has to pass from one end of the grid to the other and back again (There and Back Again, by Bilbo Baggins!). Once a line has been crossed, going back is not allowed until the player in question has crossed the final line at the end of the grid. (Walang balikan, you may remember your playmates shouting.)

In some cases, all it takes is for one member to make it through the gauntlet and this team wins. Once this has been achieved, the teams switch roles. To make things more challenging, we can rule that all the players of one team have to make it through.

The objective of the "it" team would be to prevent the other team from achieving said goal. (You shall not pass!) This is done by tagging the intruders. In some cases, all it takes is one tag and the other team loses. The teams switch roles at this point. The more challenging version is to eliminate tagged individuals from gameplay while the rest of their team plays on.

The grid is composed of several lines that run across the playing field. In average street play, this consists of three to five lines, depending on the number of players. A single line runs perpendicular to all these lines, cutting across the center. The "it" team's movement is restricted by the grid: each of the players gets one line, and they must have both feet on their line to legally tag someone out.

The center line is reserved for a special player: the patotot. This role is special in that it helps increase the chances of the "it" team to tag out a player from the opposing team, since they can trap players in specific boxes within the playing grid.

Suffice it to say, this game calls for speed and flexibility. One does have to spread their legs wide for a wider reach, after all.

Additional clarification and rules would be much appreciated. Plenty of time before the games begin in April.

'Nuff said!

Since it's the birthday of our much-loved Ricky, we (my multiple personalities, that is) are unveiling the Ricky Sunico Memorial Games!

Tentatively set for all the weekends (Saturdays and/or Sundays) of April 2008, at UP's Sunken Garden, the New Worlds Alliance will remember our grandaddy's surprisingly fleet feet by playing games that involve a lot of running: Philippine games!

Moro-moro, tumbang preso, Pinoy football (complete with cheap-ass plastic ball), tuksong tinik, patintero, and whatever else we played as kids. We can even play hide-and-seek in the lagoon; remember, this has the potential hilarity of someone actually falling into the water.

Tentatively, the program consists of a warm-up walk around the University Oval and a few calisthenics, for which I will need your assistance, Mika. ;-) After that, game on! Food should be no problem, since there are a lot of places to eat, and we can always bring our own. And if everyone builds up the endurance, we can have a marathon to start off the fourth day of the games!

Yes, I'm a sadist.

Why announce it this early? First, to give people time to prepare their gear. How long has it been since you ran in those cross-trainers, anyway? Second, to get the rules out there so everyone knows them. Third, this is to open the topic for any other suggestions people might have: food, scheduling, and the most important of them all, giving the games a geek theme. (I suggest renaming Monkey, Monkey, Annabelle to Blink, by the way. *maniacal laughter*)

Please keep posted, repost this in your blogs, and do reply with your suggestions. Thanks, dahlings. And happy birthday, Ricky.

Oneal: We probably need one of those large freezers, like the one in Fandom.

Rej: Yeah, that's big enough to hold a body.

Me: Too bad we don't have enough space for a freezer here.

Rej: We can always cut it up.

Me: We'll need to exsanguinate the body first to minimize spatter. The Luminol will always get us that way.

Oneal: Yeah, and the Luminol will pick up a lot of other fluids.

Me and Rej: Oh yeah.

* * *

With conversation like this, who needs tv?

I found this video while looking for the lyrics. For all you female geeks out there.

Star Wars Philippines Outing, at Gary's beach house in Zambales, on April 24-25, 2004.

Words and music by Az.Video by Oneal.

Inspired by Ricky, remembered with much affection and naughtiness.