Rehearsal Hall

Just for fun! Vote me as Mr. Twitter Philippines! :))

2009-07-15T22:42:00.001+08:00

I still don’t know what the heck I was voted to be Mr Twitter Philippines but since its already there I’m asking anyone to please vote for me. Just for fun. :)) My username is 'paperstainer'. Thank you!

http://twitter.com/paperstainer/

I apologize for the numerous posts on different accounts.

Update Twitter via SMS in the Philippines for FREE!

2009-07-02T15:38:00.003+08:00

I finally found a way to update Twitter via SMS thanks to @kevinmr!

ISIP.PH updates quickly and for free BUT it'll have this ugly suffix at the end of the tweet saying "-Update via SMS using http://www.isip.ph/".

It would have been perfect.

51 Interesting Tweets about Swine Flu in De La Salle University - Manila

2009-06-05T15:40:00.000+08:00

(NOTE: I have not included usernames or any links pointing to any person to protect their privacy. Their posts could be seen on Twitter's public timeline so it means that they are not protected and are allowed to be viewed by any random person who gets to see them.)

A(H1N1) virus or 'swine flu' is a deadly influenza that caused a panic at Mexico and U.S.A. But it has reached the Philippines and has even caused greater panic and became a big issue when a case of A(H1N1) infection was confirmed at De La Salle University - Manila where about 15,000 students roam within the campus.

A lot of people have different points of views on the issue, but Tweets on Twitter are one of the most tangible and straight-forward comments which are easily accessible to the public. I gathered some Tweets about the issue scattered all over the Twittersphere and here are some Tweets I believe most would find amusing.

I have categorized them so that it would be easier to distinguish between the different points of views.

Informative

These tweets are just plain facts and their main goals are to update the viewers and provide full information about the issue.

Doubtful

These tweets are believable but are not provided with full information to guarantee its content leaving the reader to figure out for himself

Misleading

These tweets rely on rumors and gossips without even having the urge to confirm the information received because of excitement to be posted.

Know-it-all

These are tweets that give you the impression of saying, "I told you so!"

Advanced

These are tweets that are posted by either people who want to share what they think might happen or by accidental fortune-tellers.

(Notice that it was posted about 3 or 4 days before the infection.)

Belated

These are tweets which intend to inform readers of urgent happenings but are posted days after the issue.

(I didn't think he surprised anyone.)

Stylized

These are tweets that reflect the posters' characters and personalities.

Panic

These are tweets which show worry or fear.

Anti-school

These are tweets from people who'd rather sit at home and pass the time away.

Scholarly

These are tweets with rationale intentions and meaning.

(I don't agree with this post but he seriously believes in it.)

Offensive

These are tweets that could either be true or false but ends up being quite offensive to either parties.

Stupid

These are tweets that make you want to scratch your head.

Join LSDC-Street! (1st Term SY 09-10)

2009-05-25T00:43:00.000+08:00

Photoshop Movie-Effect Tutorial Outcome

2009-05-03T04:35:00.000+08:00

Stumbled upon another useful Photoshop tutorial where it teaches how to give a photo a movie-like effect.

Browsed for photos I could use as testers and found applicable photos taken from my mom's camera this summer.

Cannon

I searched for photos that looked like it has a story, since the effect was after all supposed to look like a movie, and found this cute photo of my broters touring Fort Santiago with the map and cannon as props.

Before...

...After

Fort Santiago

Tried to find a different type of photo like the one below where the objects are far from the camera.

Before...

...After

Guitar Hero

The next photo I used caught my eye while browsing because of the lights illuminating around the picture. A photo of my brother playing Guitar Hero at Timezone.

Before...

...After

I found the tutorial really helpful as it is one of the effects I think I would often use. Try it out and share your own attempts. Post your links at the comment boxes.

A Happy 19th Birthday Indeed!

2009-04-25T23:00:00.001+08:00

Stayed up late watching a lot of YouTube videos on 'Standing arabian' for Spongebob gig. Slept at around 4:30AM. Woke up saying "Sh*t!" repeatedly as I woke up at 11AM where our call time was 9AM. Felt really bad. Promised 'street' I'd treat them breakfast. Rushed to Bonifacio Global City open field. We had two sets of lunch. Food from Spongebob crew and another from Skechers.

Whole family attended and supported :D Lara was surprisingly there all the way from Lipa, Batangas! Danced twice. 'Gainer' was sucky but was safe. So was 'Standing arabian' which was not quite an arabian but more of a 'Full-twist-to-side-of-the-leg-landing' Hehe.

Rushed to outdoor foodcourt to meet with Family again. Ate at 'Seafood Island'. 'Street' was lucky that breakfast didn't go well so that they had a big dinner. Haha. Kidding! Lots of good food! Couldn't breathe from chewing non-stop.

Lara gave me customized shoes as a gift with the help of her sister. Best gift I didn't expect! Something I want to do but she did it for me and really well! Will upload shoe photo album soon.

Thanks to everyone who greeted! I have a hard time replying to you all because of my new phone. Its so hard to keep track of contacts but "Thank you!!!"

Downloading iTouch 2.2.1 Firmware FAIL

2009-04-22T02:23:00.004+08:00

Been attempting to download iTouch 2.2.1 Firmware so that I could jailbreak my mom's iTouch but I failed each time because it always pauses when it reaches 52.6MB of the 277.7MB.

I even tried using a different link address. Maybe it's because of the university proxy.

Does anybody know how to fix this?

Twitter Locked Me Out!

2009-04-21T14:09:00.004+08:00

https://twitter.com/account/locked

So this is what happens if I'm not able to distinguish between my different passwords.

My New Desktop's Look

2009-04-21T03:09:00.004+08:00

I've had a hard time recently keeping my desktop clean and I thought that the best way to keep it clean, along with not having to choose limited amount of icons to show on 'Quick Launch', is to install one of those softwares I've seen others use which holds icons quite similar to that of a Mac. At first I stumbled upon ObjectDock but my friends said that RocketDock was better and looked more neat. So I visited http://rocketdock.com/ and downloaded the installer.

I removed all my icons and added all the icons I needed on RocketDock. I changed all the icons to ones that have higher resolution and looked better. So I downloaded a LOT of icons with the help of the two links below.

600+ Free Design, Twitter and Social Media Icons: A Collection Motherload!
40+ Stylish and Trendy Icon Sets

Some of the icons were in PNG format only so if you couldn't use it without having the ICO format you could download 'AveIconifier2' which converts ICO to PNG and vice versa just by dragging. You could convert multiple files at the same time too. Its just so easy.

After installing RocketDock, I added the items that I needed which were:

My Computer
PaperStainer
My Documents
My Music
My Pictures
DLSU
TweetDeck
Google Chrome
Yahoo! Messenger
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Dreamweaver
iTunes
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Powerpoint
Evernote
Counter Strike: Source
Left 4 Dead
Windows Mobile Center
Control Panel; and
Recycle Bin

I then changed the icon settings and chose better-looking icons. And it turned out to be like the image below.

I also chose a wallpaper which both looks good and means something of value.

I spend about a half of my day using my laptop and it is quite useful to have a background that would remind me that the everyday decisions I make would affect my status in the after life.
RocketDock also lets the icons "bubble" when you let the mouse hover over them just like in a Mac.

I noticed that I've been sharing a lot of stuff recently. Maybe it's because of all the free time I have from my summer vacation.

GOSH! I LOVE CUSTOMIZING!

This has been another PC user's attempt to get as close as he could to a Mac.

Time Used to Practice Art Skills

2009-04-17T18:54:00.001+08:00

I've had so much free time after my 'early' end of the school term recently that I was able to browse so much information on the web and learned so much especially with the help of international contacts on my Twitter. This was an advantage for me as I am not formally educated in creating digital artworks.

Below are the outcomes of some of the work I've done with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator with the help of some online tutorials just for the fun.

Super Happy Octopus Character - April 9, 2009

This was my first attempt in using Adobe Illustrator to create vector images. I've created vector looking images before but with Photoshop and Illustrator does have its advantages in creating vector images because it's easier to create complex shapes.

The tutorial I followed, titled "Create a Super Happy Octopus Character" could be found here: http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/illustration/create-a-super-happy-octopus-character/

Vibrant Light Effect - April 16, 2009

This was the outcome of following a tutorial on creating simple vibrant light effects on Photoshop which could be found here: http://www.blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/create-a-simple-vibrant-light-effect-in-photoshop

The image of my name, "efren", was from an image made by my girlfriend's sister, Erika Rellora, months ago:

Desert Trip (Vintage) - April 16, 2009

I could probably say that I gave my heart in creating this one. I had an early vacation going back home to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to visit my family and we always had a stop-over at Dubai International Airport because we rode on Emirates Airlines. I had to buy Lara a present and I knew that she wasn't 'that' materialistic. A picture frame at Dubai Duty Free caught my eyes. It had an antique arabian feel with its bronze-plated surface with two functional opening doors.

It left room for me to be creative so I made this image to complement it. It was fun making. What was challenging was to make it appear that 'we' and the background weren't separate images. I also added a sort of sepia/vintage/damaged feel to the image to suit the theme of the frame.

A tutorial on creating vintage effects on Photoshop could be found here: http://www.emanueleferonato.com/2007/10/15/create-a-vintage-photo-effect-in-photoshop/

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I have enjoyed making them! :D

The worst thing that lasts for an hour...

2009-04-07T05:32:00.000+08:00

This feels so weird. I've been twittering non-stop and typing a limit of 140 characters, but now...

"Twitter is currently down for unscheduled maintenance. We expect to be back in about an hour. Thanks for your patience."

Nooo! I need to Twitter!

My Wordles

2009-04-06T20:21:00.000+08:00

DISCLAIMER: I did not create these images. They were created using http://wordle.net/

LSDC-Street Wordle (Light)

LSDC-Street Wordle (Dark)

My Twitter Wordle

LSDC-Street's Revive! (Free admission!)

2009-03-23T05:48:00.000+08:00

LA SALLE DANCE COMPANY - STREET'S YEAR-END RECITAL

A mix of the group's most memorable performances and a tribute to its outgoing seniors

MARCH 27, 2009

3pm

William Shaw Little Theatre, DLSU-Manila

IT'S FREE!

DON'T MISS THIS AWESOME EVENT!

Friendster

2009-03-22T03:03:00.001+08:00

A presentation I made for my Social Computing class last term.

Friendster

View more presentations from PaperStainer.

Twitterfeed Test #1

2009-03-18T12:52:00.000+08:00

If my Twitterfeed settings are correct,

then people should be able to see this blog post on Multiply,

which will be cross-blogged to my Blogspot account (http://paperstainer.blogspot.com/),

whose RSS Feed (http://paperstainer.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss) is used by Twitterfeed (http://twitterfeed.com/) to gather information from the new blog post,

which it will then post to my Twitter account.
http://twitter.com/PaperStainer <--VIEW HERE!

I'm feeling nerdy right now. I wonder how much more I could bring to my future job.

Spread the Word! :) Watch PUMP UP THE ANIMO!

2009-03-18T11:57:00.000+08:00

Start: Mar 26, '09 6:00p
MARCH 26, 2009 - THURSDAY | ENRIQUE RAZON SPORTS COMPLEX (DLSU),
9th FLOOR | 6PM - 8PM

TICKETS AT P40 EACH.

You can buy tickets at the SJ walk starting on March 16, Monday. For outsiders, don't hesistate to contact any of the following people: Alvin, Jensher, Karla or MJ (numbers located at the poster after this message).

BUYING A TICKET DOES NOT ONLY GET YOU IN THE MOST AWAITED FIRST-EVER INTERCOLLEGE CHEERDANCE COMPETITION, BUT IT ALSO GETS YOU IN

EMBASSY SUPERCLUB'S FEVER FRIDAYS

WITH NO COVER CHARGE!! (Present your ticket at Embassy on Friday, March 27 to avail of this promo.)

pump up the animo!

[PERSEF3 Blog #4] The Things I've Learned from PERSEF3 Seminar

2009-03-02T11:39:00.000+08:00

PERSEF3 students were required to attend a seminar on personal effectiveness. I attended mine last Saturday on February 28, 2009. Even though I wasn’t used to going to class early, the thought of past students not allowed entering the venue because they were late pushed me to.

We started by dividing the class into three groups. We were assigned to write an ideal resume on manila paper from co-curricular activities to seminars attended. We chose to apply for a job in the Information and Communications Technology field. We found it important to exclude irrelevant information from the field being applied to and only include those that apply like professional organizations of the College of Computer Studies, La Salle Computer Society, and show the achievements and projects headed. The seminars we included were relevant to the field such as I.T. Lounge and programming seminars and conventions. We then presented our work.

The other groups were assigned to the other parts of the resume. The first group was assigned to make a resume from the objective to education. The applicant should include as straight-forward as possible, his purpose for applying for the position in company in the objective section as it is the first to be seen by the interviewer. The picture attached should be 2 by 2 inches. The education section should include the schools or colleges attended and should show clearly the important awards received like dean’s list and others of the like.

The last group presented an example of the proper resume from personal background to character references. Personal background should include personal information which the interviewer may need to know like the birth date, to determine the applicant’s age, address, technical skills, working habits, and other useful information. Character references should be those who are credible and not biased like the applicant’s thesis adviser or college dean.

The facilitators then explained some career concepts. One of them is the types of employment according to a famous author. One could be employed, self-employed, business owner, and investor. The employed has a job, the self-employed owns a job, the business owner works for money, and the investor has money working for him.

When we got back from our 15-minute break, we had an interview simulation. There are several types of interviews. Some of them that I could remember are one-on-one, group/panel, case analysis, stress, and intimidating interview. The first group had one-on-one interviews. Most of the questions asked to the applicants came from the resume. So it is important to be careful on what they put on the resume. The second group was a panel interview where there were several interviewers interviewing several applicants at a time. Our group was assigned a case analysis interview where we were to discuss a case study of a boy having attitude problems. We discussed our thoughts with each other as the company representative observes us and looks for the most competent applicant.

I learned a lot from the seminar and it helped me prepare for future activities after graduation.

2009-02-15T16:49:00.001+08:00

I stumbled upon this song on Secondhand Serenade's Valentine's playlist on imeem. It's so cute and somehow it hit me in a different way compared to other love songs. Maybe it's because my current perception of love is not deeply emotional or sensual, but more of it being cute and the unique joy it brings to both our hearts. Hmm. Our love is cute? Could be.

Happy Valentine's week, Lara.

Oh, It Is Love
by Hellogoobye

Oh, it is love
From the first time I set my eyes up on yours
Thinking oh, is it love?

Oh dear
It's been hardly a moment
And you are already missed
There is still a bit of your skin
That I've yet to have kissed
Oh say please do not go
But you know, oh, you know that I must
Oh say I love you so
But you know, oh, you know you can trust
We'll be holding hands once again
All our broken plans I will mend
I will hold you tight so you know
It is love from the first
Time I pressed my hand into yours
Thinking oh is it love?

Oh, dear, it's been hardly three days
And I'm longing to feel your embrace.
There are several days
Until I can see your sweet face.
Oh say, wouldn't you like to be older and married with me
Oh say, wouldn't it be nice to know right now that we'll be
Someday holding hands in the end
All our broken plans will have been
I will kiss you soft so you know
It is love from the first
Time I pressed my lips against yours
Thinking oh is it love?

Your heart may long for love that is more near
So when I'm gone these words will be here
To ease every fear
And dry up every tear
And make it very clear
I kiss you and I know
It is love from the first
Time I pressed my lips against yours
Thinking oh is it love?

Oh it is love from the first
Time I pressed my lips against yours
Thinking oh is it love?

I kiss you and I know
It is love from the first
Time I pressed my lips onto yours
Thinking oh is it love?

[LSS #2] From the Inside Out (Acoustic) by Hillsong United

2009-01-26T03:44:00.002+08:00

From the Inside Out by Hillsong United

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out,
Lord, let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out.

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out,
Lord, let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out.

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out,
Lord, let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out.

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out.

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

[LSS#1] One God by Citipointe

2009-01-26T03:39:00.002+08:00

I admittedly didn't attend service for 3 weeks in a row and was only able to yesterday (or a while ago) and it's been a good day of worship. This song was performed and I was happily singing along and as usual I felt my eyes tearing up as I sang. The Domino Effect series has ended this month. I wonder what the next series would be.

It's good to be back closer to Him.

One God by Citipointe

Verse 1
My sin, it falls at Your feet
Broken, my soul's set to seek
The One who gave it all

Verse 2
New heart, the stars in the sky
Your hand it opened blind eyes
You gave a father's only son

Pre-chorus
Nothing can compare
To the greatness of our King

Chorus
There is only one God
In this world
There is only one God
I will serve
There is only one God
Only one God above it all

Bridge
Jesus, You're the only name I live for
Jesus, the one true God I adore

Nick Vujicic, Inspirational Video

2009-01-26T03:38:00.001+08:00

Nick Vujicic, Inspirational - Watch a funny movie here
This video was shown at VCF service yesterday and most likely people almost cried to it. To see more go to http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org and be inspired.

[PERSEF3 Blog#3] When I Felt Most Resilient

2009-01-26T01:07:00.004+08:00

Think of a situation when you felt most resilient. What events are most stressful? How did you react? What helped you feel more hopeful about the future? What have you learned about yourself?

It was the month of November 2008 and LSDC-Street was preparing for our upcoming competition at Skechers Streetdance Battle Year 4 at the Araneta Coliseum, when on the 5th of November while attending a gymnastics session at the Rizal Sports Center, I had an injury. A wrong move made me land on the top side of my feet and I heard a *pop!* kind of sound.

It was the ligaments of my left ankle being torn apart!

It was my first major injury. Other injuries were painful and soon went away but this was different. It cost me to have a weak ankle for the rest of my life only to be prevented from getting injured again by strengthening it through proper exercise.

The doctor gave me a cast and I was forced to walk with crutches. He said that I should keep it on for three weeks but the competition would be on the 23rd.

"What do I have to do?!"
"I wouldn't make it!"

My dance-mates were getting worried and were thinking if they should still wait for me or drop me off the competing team. After a week of walking on crutches I asked the doctor to remove my cast. He refused and suggested not to take it off. But I wanted to compete so bad that he made me sign a piece of paper saying that he would not hold any responsibility over anything that would happen to me. It was a mixed feeling of joy and worry. I was happy that the cast was off. But when I was to use my left foot I thought that it was too weak to use. It made me think twice if my decision was right or if I was being suicidal. I could have kept the cast on, not compete, and have more time for my group thesis proposal.

But my faith in my GOD was solid.

I knew he would help me through. I kept praying and it was as if my injury was just a way for me to get closer to Him. After the 2nd week since the incident I was able to dance like normal and do my old stunts only with a little hint of fear--traumatized from being injured again.

But it all paid off...

La Salle Dance Company - Street represented the Lasallian community as champions in the competition with over 100 national schools who joined in and competed. Because of that and our faith in God we have gained a lot:

We had, "The champions of the Skechers Streetdance Battle 4", announced as introduction before all our performances and guesting.
Guesting opportunities such as performing at SOP and Mel & Joey.
Being featured soon at Proudly Lasallian.
Having Danz Dish 4 be shown two times to be able to accommodate as much people as we can for our thanksgiving.

"Who knows what would have happened if I gave up and did not attempt to adapt to my injury. Would we still have won?"

(Not that I was THAT important).

I just want to think of the possibilities. My resilience guided me through and it had its rewards. I learned that I am able to adjust through unwanted incidents but must still not take what I have, such as my health and safety, for granted and should be more careful next time.

Deadline: January 26, 2009 MON 6PM

2009-01-25T23:15:00.007+08:00

Watch the La Salle Dance Company - Street as they celebrate a year of blessings in their exciting major concert! With passion as this year's theme, see them perform different dance styles touching issues on mistaken passion, passion for life, and more!

IT IS ONE SHOW YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS!

Special Guests: Skittlez Crew, LSGH Airforce, Miriam Sayawatha, Claret Hataw, and more!
Tickets: P180 each

Show Dates:
FEBRUARY 5, 2009
FEBRUARY 6, 2009

7pm sharp (gates open at 6:30pm), Teresa Yuchengco Theater, DLSU-Manila, Taft Avenue

Visit our booth at the Central Plaza from 9:00am-5:00pm from Jan.26 to Feb.6 to see our special exhibit and to buy tickets!

Spread the word! :D

My Plan for LEAP09

2009-01-25T23:15:00.001+08:00

The Lasallian Personal Effectiveness Program 2009 enrollment will start tomorrow and it looks like this LPEP will be quite different for me.

I would be teaching an AM class in Breakdancing along with Mike and Jap of La Salle Dance Company - Street. I was quite excited when Andrew Tan, representative of CSA texted me last year if I would like to conduct a breakdancing class for LEAP this year. Of course I wanted to but I was a bit nervous because of my little knowledge in the history of breakdance. I told it to coach and she said to take Mike and Jap. This was an investment since it will develop our leadership skills. But it was a good thing we attended a workshop within LSDC-Street training for Danz Dish 4 about breakdancing.

However, my interest in Parkour has persuaded me to enroll in PM class of Parkour and Freerunning. I just couldn't resist. The opportunity can never get closer to me than this! It'll be a whole day of LEAP for me! WOOT!

Class Details:

"BREAKDANCING"
Code: ARTS226
Name: Breakdancing
Group: Arts, Music, Film and Theater
Requirements: Sports attire (white shirt/ jogging pants), extra clothes, towel, water
Venue: E701
Time: AM
Sponsoring Org.: CSA
Max: 35

"PARKOUR AND FREERUNNING CLASS"
Code: SPOR055
Name: Parkour and Freerunning Class
Group: Sports, Beauty, Health and Fitness
Requirements: None
Venue: Amphitheater
Time: PM
Sponsoring Org.: EDGE 2006
Max: 30

[PERSEF3 Blog# 2] ME? STRESSED?!

2009-01-20T01:26:00.001+08:00

Why ask?

I'm not stressed!

What kind of a student would I be to be stressed? Oh wait... I'm a student artist. Great. Even more work and responsibilities to do aside from making my thesis proposal, blog assignments, and other academic work as a student.

...

...But also as a member of the La Salle Dance Company - Street and with our 4th annual major concert,

Danz Dish 4,
coming up (on February 5 and 6, 2008. Please watch! Visit our booth at SJ walk. Advertisement? ),

I have these posters and tarpaulines that I have to design, AVP commercials of sponsors, minimum of 3 hours per day training, props to make, and other production work to do.

Heck!

Who's stressed?
Me?

And how much time do I have to "de-stress" anyway? Umm... None?! If ever I was stressed (if ever), I would just sit down and do nothing for once. Opposite of everything that I do.

*This is not a rant. I'm just being sarcastic for the humor. I hope nobody would be offended.
But I was serious about watching Danz Dish 4. Please do! Visit our booth at SJ walk.*

[PERSEF3 Blog# 1] A Glimpse of PERSEF1&2

2009-01-20T00:35:00.001+08:00

The 1st term of the 1st year of my college life was critical in getting a jumpstart at my academic and social life. None of us knew each other and it was the time to start making friends. PERSEF1 offered us that chance as there are many activities that we did that encouraged teamwork.

PERSEF1 discussed topics mostly about etiquette. We had to create a skit of a scenario where one will be bad and the other would be good. Our skit was quite simple. There's a group of friends which chat together and I played as a newcomer and tried to get into the conversation. I jumped right in speaking at a crazily fast pace,

"Hi, my name is Efren Rodriguez. I'm 16 and I'm short. *Shake hands* I'm 16 and I'm short. *Shake hands* I'm 16 and I'm short. *Shake hands*. I came from the dry lands of Saudi Arabia where all types of water, rivers, seas, oceans, waterfalls, lakes--"

and so on.

PERSEF2 had a different feel because my classmates were from other frosh blocks. We were grouped together and each group would have its own uniform. Our group needed to wear jackets. The others had bandanas, neckties, and other accessories.

I wonder what PERSEF3 has in store for me. Hmm?

LSDC Jazz presents Dream Dancelebration

2009-01-18T17:03:00.000+08:00

The longest running inter-school dance competition, now on its 22nd year.

DREAM DANCELEBRATION
A celebration of Dreams in Dance.

Come and witness dance in its most creative level playing with fairies and pixie dust, running around the clouds of wonderland, laughing along the invisible cats and talking trees.

January 31, 2009

High School Category - 3pm

College Category - 6pm

Teresa Yuchengco Auditorium, De La Salle University - Manila

LA SALLE DANCE COMPANY - STREET 3RD TERM SY 08-09 AUDITIONS

2009-01-09T21:36:00.003+08:00

WHAT:
LSDC-Street Audtitions

WHEN:
January 13, 2009
6-9pm

WHERE:
SPS-507

HOW:

Prepare a 2 minute routine
Wear training clothes
Submit application form

Application forms are available at the LSDC-Street website lsdcstreet.org

See you there!
God bless!

My Year 2008 Evaluation

2009-01-01T01:16:00.000+08:00

Stolen from nix who stole it from anjow.. Who also copied it from stu/gb..
Haha.

Where did you begin 2008?
In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with my family.

What was your status by Valentine's day of 2008?
In a relationship for the first time! Woot!

Did you have to go to the hospital?
Yup. I had to get a cast for my sprained ankle.

Did you have any encounters with the police?
Yes. My sister was mugged in an FX so my lola and I had to pick her up at the police station. Does that count?

What did you purchase over 500pesos?
Many. Shoes of course.

Did you know anybody who got married?
Meg's brother. Haha. Random answer.

Did you know anybody who passed away?
I did. Just forgot.

What sporting events did you attend?
UAAP!

What concerts/shows did you go to?
Danz Dish 3, Remix 08, Art in Action, Carnivale, Skechers Streetdance Battle, Fubu, Unilever Christmas party and lots more!

Where do you live now?
EGI Taft Tower.

Describe your birthday.
I had 18 choco mallows given by 18 different people with Lara as mastermind even if she was away in Batangas :( Also had a flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for summer.

What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did?
Get a sprained ankle.

Any new additions to your family?
No.

What was your best month?
November. Skechers month. :D

Who was your best drinking buddy?
Didn't enjoy drinking much but it would have to be with LSDC friends.

Made new friends?
Yeah!

Any regrets?
Yes. Some. But I can't help it.

What do you want to change in 2009?
Study harder! Dance better! Be more careful. And know how to prioritize properly.

Overall, how would you rate this year?
7/10

Have any life changes in 2008?
Yes! Spiritually.

Get a new job?
No. But had new business ideas.

How old did you turn this year?
18 :D

Did anything embarrassing?
A lot!

Get married or divorced?
Sorta. I had a pretend marriage ceremony in Puerto Galera.

Be honest - did you watch American Idol?
Yes,

Start a new hobby?
Design and customize Nike Dunk's!

Are you happy to see 2008 go?
Yes.

Drank Starbucks in 2008?
Duh.

Been naughty or nice?
Just right.

What are you wishing for in 2009?
For 2nd term SY 09-10 to be my last term. Re-defend the championship title in Skechers.

Done something you've regretted?
Hmm.. Yes.

Lost someone?
Sorta.

Cut class?
Happens often. Bad habit.

Was involved in something you'll never forget?
Skechers Streetdance Battle championship and Animo Squad 2k8!

Cooked a gross meal?
No. I thought it was edible.

Lost something important to you?
No. I take care of my stuff.

Got a gift you adore?
Yes. Gifts from my GF and I's anniversary.

Tripped over a coffee table?
Tripped. Not over a coffee table.

Dyed your hair?
No. But I had urges to.

Came close to losing your life?
YES! JJ's swimming thing with LSDC.

Went to a party?
Totie and Joee's Grad Party.

Read a great book?
Brisingr!

2008: FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

Did you meet any new friends this year?
Yes.

Did you dislike anyone?
Yes.

Did you grow apart from anyone?
Yes.

Do you have any regrets when it comes to your friendships?
Yes. Have to fix it.

2008: YOUR BIRTHDAY

Did you have a cake?
I had choco mallows :D

Did you get any presents?
Yes.

2008: ALL ABOUT YOU

Did you change at all this year?
Yes.

Did you change your style?
Yes.

Were you in school?
Yes.

Did you have a job?
No.

Did you drive?
No. Wanted to.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
No. Good discipline has its rewards. Hehe.

Did you go on any vacations?
Yes. Puerto Galera and Saudi!

Would you change anything about yourself now?
Don't want to think about it.

2008: WRAP UP

Was 2008 a good year?
DEFINITELY.

Do you think 2009 will top 2008?
Yes. Graduating year. New business opportunities. More free time. New challenges. Welcome!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

My Customized Shoes

2008-12-11T10:15:00.000+08:00

After getting an ankle injury, I needed to take precautionary measures and as much as possible wear high-cut shoes. So I bought a black one. But needed white recently for costume for performance requests. So I bought an 800 peso all-white Nike Air Force One Imitation just to pass the requirements. But the stage I've been on badly stained my right shoe with blue. So I had nothing to lose and I experimented on it getting the right blue and green shoe.

Then I got this design idea from the web: http://shoeciety.com/tienda/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=14&products_id=88

DISCLAIMER: Yup, it’s their design. Not mine.

And tried it on the other shoe. And now I got this cute blob on the left shoe.

I hope I'll be able to make my clothes compliment the shoes.

Art Attack!

Mirror page on Multiply

Think before you express. Respect please!

2008-11-30T00:20:00.001+08:00

I apologize to some people if they think that I'm reviving what we've been trying to diminish which we (LSDC-Street) and along with other college dance groups have noticed on YouTube lately about videos on different Skechers Year 4 performances. But I just can't keep this to myself.

How do I define a good comment? A good comment is one's personal opinion on a certain topic given with free will (may be positive or negative) but is constructive, meaningful, and sensible.

But what have I been seeing lately?

(Comments could be found on LSDC-Street’s videos on YouTube on Skechers Year 4)

"nde dpat lasalle ang nanalo... nde nga nmin npansin ung sayaw nila...either tip or ue dapat ang ng champ!!so suck"

I saw this comment posted 2 times on 2 different copies of video. TIP and UE were great out there. I was able to watch UE and I was inspired by their very daring stunts which I would love to learn myself. And I heard a lot of good comments about TIP from my own group. TIP was even nice and friendly to my group mates backstage. So I fully respect them because they have shown a great performance and sportsmanship. The comment would have been fine. But “so suck”?

"unfair judging... i was there! i hav watched all performers!? go, UE!
ang ganda ng production na to! ang mhal ng talent fee, 100k...
nice one! nkktawa nlng...."

Judge ka?

“oh no!! kitang-kita mo naman na may mas magaling dito pero bakit sila pa ang nanalo. wew!! tsk tsk..”

Apparently hindi “kitang-kita” sa mga judges.

“Lasalle. I hate you. I am a hater. HAHAHAHA”

I don’t know if trip lang toh pero at least may pa joke effect ka at naka-ease ng tension haha.

“LSDC champions ------> ???? ??????.....”

Answer: Yes.

“Champ? bkit? dko mkita reason kung bt cla nag champion.”

Simply God’s will. We honestly also didn’t expect to be champions ourselves because we prepared our hearts for that whatever may happen, we know that it was according to His will.

“ang panget!! mukhang tanga lang....
ang gulo ng sayaw..anu kaya yun?!
ahahahaha nagkalat!!
panoorin niyo kaya ulet?? paulet ulet!! shet nasuka ako......”

Sorry. Perfect ka? Some of us admittedly made a few mistakes in the performance, but we didn’t let it affect us. What more right do you have to say those words? Kung sumuka ka man habang nanunuod edi puro suka na ngayon ang kamay mo dahil nakapag-type ka pa ng comment.

“ano b yan ang panget walang thrill!!!!!!
bakit champion?
wala man lang "nervewracking" na mga steps o sayaw....
masyadong pinahalata yung pandadaya....”

"Adj. NERVE-WRACKING - extremely irritating to the nerves." Talaga? Wala nun? Thanks! :D

“hahahaha........
d naman sabay sabay boring yung music...”

We actually found the music to be really great and we were happy about it. By saying that it’s boring you actually made a very offensive comment to one of the top (and I mean TOP) DJs in the Philippines.

“pasikatan lang pala ang skechers eh..kaya pala...kaya champion ang pangit at magulo na sayaw..hahahaha..bale napansin lang ang TIP gawa s Stunts..at hindi dahil sa sayaw..wala din pala kwenta kahit sumayaw ka ng sumayaw..pasikatan lang kelangan..at payamanan..mahihirap lang taLAga TIP eh..hehehe...dami nga nag ddrop sa TIP dahil wala pera eh..hehe..sorry..di q balak mang offend sa mga taga TIP..aun lang ang totoo..daya naman unfair tlaga..mas lamang pa rin talaga ang rich.”

Grabe ka magsalita. Nasa LSDC-Street Skechers performance page ka tapos nangdadamay ka ng ibang school. Di mo balak mang-offend ah? TIP proved to be a strong team this year and it seems that money isn’t a factor for them to perform well. Kudos to TIP!

That’s all. I just want to share my thoughts. And like what kuya RJ keeps on saying to all of them. GOD BLESS!

Support LSDC-Street at Skechers Street Dance Battle: Year 4

2008-11-08T21:22:00.004+08:00

Watch and support La Salle Dance Company - Street as we compete again at the

Skechers Street Dance Battle: Year 4
on November 23, 2008, 2pm at the Araneta Coliseum.

Ticket prices (PHP) are as follows:

Patron - 500
Lower Box - 400
Upper Box A - 300
Upper Box B - 175
General Admissions - 75

Final order and payment of tickets for De La Salle University - Manila supporters is on November 10, 2008, Monday from 9am-1pm at the Yuchengco Lobby (La Salle Dance Company, Remix '08 Booth). Claiming of tickets will be at 4pm of the same day and venue.

Please support us. Thank you!

[SOCCOMP Blog Week # 3] Me Talking and Me Posting

2008-10-09T10:32:00.016+08:00

"Identity is reputation."

I do believe so. Every action and impression I make affects how others think of me. But people interact with me in two different ways:

1. To me in person

(I don't really smoke.)

(I also don't really look like that when I pray.)

...and...

2. To me online

It seems that I am different online, don't I?

There are personal attributes of a person which pure images posted online cannot describe. Most personal accounts online give others a different sense of impression on that person compared to when they both meet in flesh. This is why most people who meet online aren't as successful in connecting their similarities when they decide to meet in the real world. Your identity in person and your identity online are two different things depending on what you filter out from your real life and you make up in your virtual accounts.

Speaking of identity...

In our past DIG-MED and current SOCCOMP class, we were shown a video about "Identity 2.0"

"Its emphasis is a simple and open method of identity transactions similar to those in the physical world, such as driver's license."

The suggestion of "Identity 2.0" sounds great but is quite hard to implement. Unlike the current habit of different websites requiring you to have different accounts (e.g. paper_stainer@yahoo.com and efren.paperstainer@gmail.com), Identity 2.0 will make the user the center of all accounts. With its implementation, users will be able to access all website on the Internet using only a single account--making it far more efficient than the repetitive task of logging in all different accounts.

The Championship Game between DLSU and ADMU in UAAP Season 71

2008-09-28T22:39:00.012+08:00

I was browsing my through contacts' latest posts in Multiply and I found this article from Ryota's blog. It was about the Ateneo Blue Eagles triumph over the De La Salle Green Archers. It shows some very strong points.

Gloating Blue Eagle -Talking Points
By Bobby Cabral
Dear La Sallians:

By now, you would have experienced gale force winds in Katipunan. Or you would have read articles in newspapers or blogs proclaiming the greatness of this season 71 edition of the Blue Eagles, Rabeh, Chris Tiu, Buenafe et al. They will also criticize our Archers as pikon and lacking class for not receiving their runner-up trophy, so perhaps we should be prepared with the facts.

1. While UP is the host of Season 71 and they selected the Narvasa Brothers (both former Blue Eagle varsity players) and were directly responsible for the referees.

2. Commissioner Chito Narvasa penalized La Salle and Coach Franz Pumaren during the first La Salle-Ateneo regular season game for not wearing his ID and gave two free throws to Ateneo. This inspite of Coach Pido Jarencio of UST being shown not wearing his ID during the earlier game and not being penalized.

3. During two regular games during the season, one versus FEU and the other against UST, referees who called technical fouls against La Salle's opponents were punished by Narvasa after the game with a termination and one with a suspension.

4. During the the final championship game, Buenafe, Jobe and other Ateneans could be seen taunting and trash talking but were not penalized.

5. The referees called 29 fouls on the Archers and only 13 fouls against the Blue Eagles. They awarded 28 free throws (18 which were converted) to Ateneo and only 8 free throws to the Green Archers.

6. The phantom finger of Rico was not clearly evident and since there was no reaction from the Eagles, it must not have happened.

7. The Green Archers were in the dugout during the awarding and no official from the UAAP called them out to receive their award.

Finally, if the Ateneans wanted to win with honor, they failed to do so. The Ateneo community should have asked the Narvasas to inhibit themselves due to their school history and obvious bias towards La Salle.

I will concede the first three La Salle-Ateneo games in Season 71 to the Blue Eagles. But we will never know the outcome of game 2 of the Championship series.because the referees panicked when La Salle reduced a 15 point deficit to three in less than five minutes.

Animo La Salle!!!

I was also there during the game as a member of The Animo Squad - White Jackets when we repeated our UAAP CDC Competition piece during the halftime as it was a finals game between the most popular Philippine rival schools. The effect of the 15 point lead of Ateneo during halftime was easily observed through the La Salle side's quiet reaction to our performance. They had no motivation to cheer.

Even if we did officially lose the championship title this season, we could always go Back to Not to Back next year.

[SOCCOMP Blog Week #1] Tools for the Generation Y

2008-09-24T03:13:00.001+08:00

Most students enrolled in the Social Computing course, who were required to "web log" about the discussions during the 1st week of class, have been blogging about "Generation Y". So I have decided to blog about something else which had greater effect on my personal behavior in social computing which has been discussed in class.

Aside from the hogging topic of "Generation Y", Ms. Kiran also discussed and gave examples of different social computing tools. After listening to her discussion, I am currently using some of the tools she had mentioned. Some of the tools she mentioned which I remembered (and were also in the slides she uploaded) were:

Blog or Web Log (blogger: subscribe to or view my blogspot!)
Wiki (wikipedia)
Social Networks (friendster, multiply, yahoogroups, googlegroups)
RSS or Really Simple Syndication (google reader)
Social Bookmarking (delicious: what an amazing gadget! highly recommended! :P)
VOIP or Voice over Internet Protocol (skype: you could dial free calls through this software)
Internet Forums (pinoyexchange: para sa pinoy!)
Multimedia Sharing (photobucket); and
Virtual Reality

Because of the discussion, I decided to visit some of the web sites and try them for myself. Thinking that it was required for creating blogs in SOCCOMP (which could already be done within the "soccomp08t2" Ning network), I created my own account in blogger and got my own blogspot. I titled my blogspot as "Rehearsal Hall", after the official dance studio of La Salle Dance Company - Street where I spend most of my time in school. I don't have any other main reason to name it that way--except that it just sounded cool. Haha! Blogspot was really easy to use just like Ms. Kiran said. The gadgets were very useful. The importance of customization is a major attribute of Generation Y and so I lived up to our generation's reputation. I designed it as personal and aesthetic as I could (or have time for). As mentioned above, you could visit it at paperstainer.blogspot.com. And please leave comments! Thank you!

The other tool I have tried is under the area of Social Bookmarking which is "Delicious". I downloaded and installed the add-on to my Mozilla Firefox browser and now it's working great. I could keep track of the important sites I have visited or which I find would be useful in the future. Try it for yourself! Visit www.delicious.com. I also asked for Ms. Kiran's account in delicious and she gave it to me without hesitation. I find being able to share my bookmarks and being able to view others bookmarks collaborative and resourceful.

And so, try them! They will prove useful to you and may help you in your search for your identity (as defined being an attribute of the Generation Y).

My Creator's Arrival

2008-09-20T17:52:00.000+08:00

Creator? No not God. It's just my mom. Growing up in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 12 years before college, I've experienced typical child care from her. But eversince the start of my days in the Philippines to study in De La Salle University - Manila, I and my elder sister have had a distant relationship with my family who still stays there. They visit the Philippines from time to time and vice versa.

She arrived alone in the condo at around 6PM last night. As soon as I heard her voice I went out of my room to give her a 5month-long-wait hug. I did not notice much difference in appearance from her. Neither is her loud (sort of) irritating voice which I've been scolded with during my childhood. Even more irritating is when her voice is synchronized with that of my aunt's. One could really see the traits they've shared in their blood. We had "pasalubong" from her! I received different assortments of sweets. Yey!

Friday, being the start of DLSU's weekend, I invited my mom to catch a movie or just go to the mall that night. So we went to SM Mall of Asia to watch "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army". Amazingly, she didn't fall asleep during the run of the film. She usually does. Well, she did when we watched with my younger brothers last summer.

Oh! to give you guys a trivia about Saudi Arabia. There are NO CINEMAS in Saudi Arabia. With the exception of family-reserved cinema houses. To add to that, they only show kiddie stuff. Yup, they're strict alright!

Anyway... The popcorn was good. I also bought her "Minute Maid" so that she would be able to try it's pulpy goodness. Yummy!

I was planning to line up at the taxi bay area and it was a good thing she stopped me because I didn't know it was possible to take a jeepney ride that would go straight to the La Salle area. "At ako pa ang nakatira sa Pilipinas diba!" We then took a jeepney ride home.

And so I have just shared a son's happy trip with his mom. They are usually taken for granted. But you guys should cherish such moments because you are lucky that your parents are able greet you just as you enter your front door. So c'mon! Give them a hug!

Free Food People!! (April 25 2007 / My Birthday) SUPER LATE POST

2007-04-27T20:17:00.000+08:00

(I found this blog in my drafts folder.. nung 17th birthday ko pa toh dapat pinost.. nakalimutan ko siguro tapusin at ngaun ko lang ma publish haha.. grabe antagal na!!)

the 25th of april... my birthday.. but 2007 held the longest and most unique birthday i ever had...

reason # 1:

i had a 2-day extension for blow-outs...

reason # 2:
both blow-outs were held in the same location...

reason # 3:
it's my first birthday with friends...

on the 25th, i invited my high school friends out to glorietta... guests who were present...
-ella
-kim
-meg
-albert
-jeremy
-aron
-joseph

we met at 4pm.. walked around with no plans hehe... kasi naman.. naplano ko lang kung san kami kakain.. malay ko bang wala kaming magagawa run.. eh aun.. nag timezone n lang kami.. dun kami sa musiczone.. nagkaraoke.. kumanta ako ng blurry at duet ng kahit kailan kasama si meg.. naka 100 kami.. kaya siguro biglang hindi gumana.. six swipes ng credits.. pero wala!! di na gumana! hmph... sayang pera... hehe.. kaya kumain na lang kami...

8pm nakahabol na si albert at joseph sa Aveneto's.. 3 orders of pasta and 14" pizza... d

(never finished.. just published)