GTA IV is perhaps the most anticipated video game of the year has and it certainly has lived up to everyone’s expectations. Reading through snippets of reviews from major critics is enough to make one believe in the sheer brilliance of Rockstar’s newest addition to the already remarkable Grand Theft Auto series.
This GTA fan is salivating. I haven’t been this excited for getting my hands on a video game since LEGO Star Wars! If GTA IV can top GTA: San Andreas’ gameplay, then it is indeed close to perfection.
The DSL connection at my mother’s place is so slow I almost always forget they actually have broadband connection. I never really thought I’d allow something as superficial as an internet connection to get into my nerves but I can only take so much. I’ve lost count of how many pages have failed to load, flash videos that never showed up and 50mb downloads that took five days to finish. Errors like those can easily be blamed on the connection speed, the browser and even the server that hosts the files I download but I’ve actually never encountered those errors with my ISP before. What a perfect way to keep me away from my laptop and the internet this summer.
And here I was thinking summer would have been the best time to catch up on my blog. Guess not.
My nephew has an unhealthy obsession with that Heigh Ho song from Snow White. He listens to it when he wakes up in the morning. He watches it on YouTube while eating his snacks. He has commandeered my iPod and plays in on repeat. Heck, even my old Snow White VHS is already worn out by the constant replaying of that Heigh Ho sequence.
I mean, once is enough, twice is too much, thrice is overkill, twenty-one times is enough to numb my brain and drive me to the brink of insanity. I f*cking hear that f*cking song everywhere I f*cking go. But then again, if the song makes him happy, then I’d gladly play in on repeat on my iPod.
It felt weird walking through the same corridors I walked through for ten years of my life. It felt weird seeing the same classrooms I once sat in for almost ten hours everyday for ten years. It felt weird seeing the same open field we once played cops and robbers on. It felt awkward how our 6th grade classroom was now a 5th grade classroom. It felt awkward seeing how that already creepy St. Lorenzo statue near the monkey bars got even creepier. Or maybe it was just because of the statue’s new paintjob. Do statues even suppose to have paintjobs?
I actually wouldn’t have gone to SSA if I didn’t have to drive my mother around town last weekend. I was perfectly content with my memories of how the school used to be, I still am. But going back made me reminisce about the way we once were, the fun we’ve had, the tears we’ve shed, the friendships we’ve made and the experiences we probably will never forget.
I’m not really sure if that was in 3rd grade or in 4th grade but what I do know is that The Crystal Maze used to be our favorite show on cable television. We were so fangirls that we even had our own Crystal Maze during lunch breaks. Memories, memories. Hahaha. Wala lang. Hahaha. Walking down memory lane can be therapeutic, no?
Speaking of fangirls, I have run out of words to describe Rafa Nadal. Somehow HOT just isn’t enough. I very rarely watch sports on TV these days but Rafa’s hotness and his biceps are just too hard to resist. And this is coming from someone who gets turned off by overly muscled men. Ugh.
For me, the perfect summer afternoon is sitting on the beach with family and friends while waiting for the sun to set. Nothing else comes to close.
While I would rather spend the Holy Week in Roxas City and watch the Good Friday procession from the window of our house’s living room, I couldn’t complain about our vacation last week. With deadlines to think about and quizzes to study for, I found it difficult to let loose and enjoy. But the paraw rides, late-night strolls along the beach and early morning swims made the long weekend worthwhile.
This year, my parents and I will spend the Holy Week in Boracay. Yes, Boracay. I really ought to feel guilty now because all I can think of are the food, the parties and the booze when I should really be reflecting on my spirituality, which I must admit has waned in the last few years.
Its almost impossible to believe now but I used to be a religious kid who went to mass four times a week, prayed the rosary every night, read books about the lives of Catholic saints and toyed with the idea of becoming a nun. These days, I’d rather go to the mall on Sundays than spend an hour in church. The last time I prayed the rosary was six months ago and the entire time we were praying, all I could think of was how badly I wanted to get it over and done with. Churches and religious artifacts still fascinate me but it is purely for aesthetic reasons. And as for joining the convent? Well, the last time I entertained the thought was six years ago which, to me, seems like an eternity.
While I still believe in the idea that there is a god, I find myself drifting farther and farther away from my convent-bred childhood which taught me that belonging to a religion is a surefire way to salvation. This notion about the nature of religious affiliation has made me wary about organized religion and what they stand for. My parents are not conservative Catholics but religion is still very much a big part of their lives. The hypocrisy of going to mass on Sundays just to appease them makes me wrestle not just with my own Catholic guilt as well as my conscience. But at the end of the day, my spirituality is not dictated by which religious denomination I belong to or which church I go to but a personal relationship between me and my god.
Everynight, I still say the same prayer my parents taught me when I was a child. I still ask the lord to bless my mom, my dad, my aunt, the chickens, the lizard and the dogs. And this Lenten season, I will ask the Lord to bless and guide me in this journey of life that I go through every single day.
Supergirl is Eunice, a superhero wannabe.
Born on the 13th of July.
Lives somewhere in the middle of a crazy metropolis called Manila.
Loves purple flipflops, yellow bedcovers and pink sneakers.
Hates traffic, pollution and early morning flights.
Is destined to be a corporate slave.
Tries too hard.
Works too little.
