Yay! I love getting my paycheck! Nice to see all that hard work pay off in the form of sweet cold cash. First things first, set aside the family contribution... wouldn't do good to spend that. And the rest is mine! Yahoo!!!

Welcome to the 30th Century

I finally got a lot of the Legion of Super-Heroes: Five Years After issues from Kintaro! I haven't read 'em yet, just scanned through 'em, but I can't wait to dive into my new stack!

A little backgrounder on the Legion, which began publication in the late 50's/early 60's...

It was the future.

Enter a public spacecraft bearing passengers going about their daily routine of commuting from planet to planet. Three teens happened to be at the right place at the right time. Rokk from Braal, with the native power of magnetism. Imra from Titan, could read minds better than anyone else on a planetful of telepaths. Garth from Winath, got struck by a lightning beast thereby gaining the same powers.

Enter R.J. Brande, one of the richest men in the galaxy. Another passenger in a journey that would lead further than expected. Potential target for men who want to get rich quick.

Enter three would-be-assailants, bent on attacking R.J. Brande.

Three strangers who don't know each other come together to stop them. Imra, alarmed by the thoughts of the three crooks, pre-empts the attack. Rokk and Garth pool their powers to stop them. Brande, a witness and participant to all these, decides that the age of heroes is indeed deserving of a comeback.

Enter the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Cosmic Boy (Rokk) leads his team of three. Lightning Lad (Garth) and Saturn Girl (Imra) stay by their leader's side. Brande finances the organization.

Soon after, word of these three crimefighters' exploits reach other planets. Other teens begin realizing their own potential to do good.

First to join is Luornu. Three women who look exactly the same meet up with each of the Legionnaires, explaining to them why they deserve membership in the Legion. They have a power that they can't reveal as of that moment. As soon as the three women lead the other Legionnaires into one common room, they merge to become one single woman. Triplicate Girl gains instant membership. Days after, a ghost invades their headquarters. The invader turns out to be another aspiring member, Tinya, with the power of intangibility. Phantom Girl becomes their second new member.

Other teens try out for what started as a club, but not everyone makes it. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of the Legion when it came to their membership, was the induction of Smallville resident Superboy! The three founders travel to the past and invite Clark to apply. As a member, Clark would race to the future each time the team needed him. The same would hold true for another member of the Legion, Kara, better known as Supergirl!

Tales of the 60's would revolve around idealistic stories, perhaps echoing a simpler time where heroes and villains were as distinguishable as black and white. The 70's ushered in interplantery wars, long-time couples getting married, betrayal from within and even deaths that would prove to be irreversible. 80's plots were more complicated, featuring a former Legion member murdering another, and the dramatic execution of that traitor, ramifications brought about by Kara's death alongside a crisis that would threaten to end all that lives, and a mystery that would almost drive a member to the brink of insanity.

Enter the 90's. The future is grim, desolate and hopeless. The Legion is no more. Welcome to Five Years After.

What makes the Legion so interesting is that they start out as bright and happy teens in the 60's, and end up as mixed-up pessimistic adults in the 90's (well... with the exception of Tenzil that is, who this blogsite is named after). You really can't blame them, with everything that they went through, which the reader is privy to every step of the way. The readers see their heroes grow up, as they themselves grow old in the real world. I remember a story about a guy reading the Legion in the 90's, found out that his dad read the Legion back in the 60's!

Here's a good resource site if you want to learn more:

http://members.shaw.ca/legion_of_super-heroes/mainpage.htm (Legion circa 60's)

Something That's Been Bothering Me

You know the song "1968. Tell me what to say. Baby, please don't leave me..." I'm not sure 'bout the lyrics, but I have to know. Is it really "1968?" Because it sounds more like "nineteen six to eight." The things we think about sometimes...

Coming of Age

That's the title of this week's episode of Degrassi. It's because Emma gets her period. I used to think when I was a kid that the blood comes out of women's butts. Then again, I also thought that their urine came from the butt as well which is why they had to sit down to pee. I'm glad my female friends set me straight. Ashley and Jimmy break up because she feels suffocated by him. A brief peek into Jimmy's home life explains a lot of things. This line really struck me, and I mean struck me hard:

"You don't bring people into your life just to throw them away."

Brrrrrrr.

Jon the Jerk

Very emotional episode of Survivor. Having their loved ones visit and be part of the reward challenge was prolly the proverbial straw for a lot of them. That Jon is one big a-how. What an @$$! Anything to win, eh? Can't wait 'till the others find out (and they will).

Beaten Up

A friend of ours got beaten up by a drunk acquaintance in a club a few days ago. Along with James, Al and Alden, we visited Lenin in the hospital yesterday. I hope that his surgery went well. It was hard seeing his mom trying not to let her tears fall. We'd catch her wipe her eyes a couple of times. Lenin seemed to be taking things well. I hope our visit helped uplift him a bit. I wish we could do more.

And In Other Related News...

I also got the 3rd installment of JLA/Avengers. Time gets messed up. Both teams' histories mesh and intertwine. Penultimate chapter of Planet X. Magneto kills Basilisk. Angel and Beak realize their mistake. Esme learns the real score between her and Magneto. Everything is falling apart. Penultimate chapter of Draco. More on Nightcrawler's true origin and Polaris' crumbling mind. Penultimate chapter of Back from the Dead. The Orphan kills Spike! Spike's black market secret. Lacuna is shot by the sniper (nnnnnoooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!). Henrietta is losing her hold on the public. The higher they rise, the harder they fall. Halfway through Wildguard's first storyarc. Last installment of JLA-Z. A real stinker, just like the first 2 parts. Emma Frost: Higher Learning Part 5. Her brother, Christian, hangs himself (echoes of Nyx #2's suicide in the bathtub). Trouble (Last Chapter). Mary's sacrifice. Everything comes full circle as Spider-Man's real mom ("Aunt" May) ends up raising him in the Ultimate Universe. Cosmic Karma :)

Cake Time!

A slow, leisurely Sunday spent with friends.

Childhood friend James and I went to Greenhills because I was meeting up with Reeves to get Fantastic Four #500 Director's Cut which I bought online from him. We met at C.A.T.S., and I was also secretly wishing I'd bump into the cutie I met there exactly a week ago. No such luck, hehehe.

We also passed by Book Sale, and I got a Voltron and He-Man comic book.

Afterwards, we met up with Francis, and James got another stack of CDs from him. We also bumped into Paolo (my grade school best friend) and Cris (ex of Marcus F) and his friends.

We had merienda at Red Ribbon with Yeng and Trix. I love cakes! I can't believe their son, Andre is turning 1 next month. Where did all the months go? I still remember visiting Trix at Cardinal when she gave birth last year. It was a lot of fun spending time with friends that I don't get to see much of anymore. These are my childhood friends, and I will always feel 100% comfortable whenever I'm with them. We saw each other grow old, and grow up.

Once again, I had a crush in Red Ribbon hehehe :P

Then James and I went to Galleria. I saw some officemates there, as well as Randy and Noemi. I also saw an old college orgmate, Melissa. I bought a lotta comics there, like Micronauts, Alias, and Power Company.

I might go to James' house later to see Final Fantasy X-2, but I also wanna read my new comic books.

What a very relaxing Sunday :) Survivor and Degrassi in a bit!

The Perfect Storm

I dreamt that Cathy and I were in a big ship, and there was a huge storm, with thunder and lightning all around. We were on the deck, the waves were strong, the rains were hard and the winds were unmerciful. We held on to each other, trying to get back to our cabin room, which we were able to do sometime after.

That's what I get for reading a Pike book, hehehe.

I forgot to mention, the best part of "Chain Letter" was when the Caretaker attacked Alison in her own house! Pike's words were magic!

Oh, and I'm interviewing applicants again. Started last week.

Chain Letter

Back when we were kids, I remember our barkada getting into a big fight because of a chain letter. One of our friends delivered a neatly wrapped letter containing commands and curses to each of our doorsteps. No one found the idea cute.

In college, I remember my 1st ex receiving a chain letter. I also remember my ex's mom making copies of that chain letter for my ex.

Late this afternoon, I finished reading "Chain Letter" by one of my favorite authors, Christopher Pike.

I first learned of Christopher Pike back when I was 17, when Delia, Desiree and I were at National Bookstore Quezon Avenue, buying some art materials for a project. I came upon his books and was very intrigued by the creepy artwork and the brief summaries written behind the books. I asked Del, a big book reader like me, if she knew of Pike. She told me to try him out, as she was a big Pike fan. Like a kid in a big candy store, with so many selections but not enough money, I had to limit my purchase and settle for just one book. After reading all the back cover summaries one after the other, I chose "Chain Letter 2: The Ancient Evil."

Funny, as there wasn't a copy of the first "Chain Letter." The hunt for the elusive prequel to "The Ancient Evil" would prove to be fruitless until many years later, when I would chance upon a copy of "Chain Letter" in Book Sale, of all places. Many years later, I would stumble upon a second copy of the first "Chain Letter" and buy it as well, to give to whoever has a copy of 2 but not 1. This was last weekend.

Another irony was the realization that the 1st time I saw the first "Chain Letter" was in a bookstore, while I was looking for a good story to base my book report on. I was in High School then. If I bought Pike's book, I would've been introduced to his concepts at a time when I wouldn't be ready for them. But then again, who knows?

So going back to the 17-year old Al, I remember reading it in my older sister's room. I don't remember what I was doing there, only that it was raining, it was cold, and that I couldn't put down the book. Even if I felt like I was entering the last act of a play, having missed the prequel, I enjoyed it. Every bit of it. The whole damn book.

Alison's pulling of the trigger was an act of selflessness, one that I could only aspire to doing if placed in the same situation. And that's what drew me to Pike. His characters were flawed, human like the rest of us. Despite all their faults, they were heroes and heroines. They still tried to do the right thing. Each character would have a trait that I could relate to. Each adventure would be a trip to a strange new world, shared with new friends and hidden enemies. Each betrayal would be painful and all-too-real. What would creep me out later on was the introduction of Dusty in "The Wicked Heart," with the revelation that the lead character of the book was also the villain. Some friends called me by my nickname "Dusty" back when I was younger, and this book was released at a time when I felt empty and lost. Just like Dusty Shame. Talk about timing.

Through the years, Pike's books kept me company growing up. Mark's feeling of not belonging in "See You Later." Julia's tour of vengeance in "Witch." Shary's rebirth as she walks the Earth again in "Remember Me." Herb's tragic discovery in "Die Softly." Ilonka's bout with reincarnation in "The Midnight Club." Angela's final fate in "Monster." Teresa's long suicide in "Road to Nowhere." Rela and Christopher's doomed future in "The Eternal Enemy," a personal favorite. And all the rest, there's just too many to mention.

Pike even paved the way for my friendship with my best friend. One of the things that Cathy and I first talked about on the phone? Christopher Pike's books.

Pike has influenced much of my short stories, and has made an impact on the way I write. Which is why I'm not surprised, that even with the passage of so many years, I still enjoy reading his works. This afternoon with the rain and the cold, I read "Chain Letter" for the very 1st time.

I wasn't disappointed.

Rupert's Out

I'm on the graveyard shift tonight, so I got to watch Survivor 7. Rupert's out, and the look on Sandra's face was one of shock. I wonder why she voted for Jon instead of Darrah.

Marvel Legends V

They're out! They're ooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Marvel Legends V is out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last night, I was supposed to meet up with my crush, but the best laid plans...

Anyways, Ninoy bought the whole series V for me, 'coz I had work. He was nice enuff to pay for it initially. Otherwise, I prolly would've missed out on this. We met up at Starbucks Podium and the figs were so kewl!!! We both got the same stuff, and turns out we get the same shit from our moms 'bout our toy collecting addiction.

There's Mr. Fantastic, with bendable, seemingly stretchable arms. Colossus, with a real kewl paintjob. Silver Surfer, which you can pose in a lotta ways with his surfboard. Sabretooth, the comic book version, and he really looks menacing. Nick Fury, with a way cool rocket pack base and a sneer. Howard the Duck, as cute as a Pokemon. Blade, who looks so much like Wesley Snipes.

Can't wait to pose 'em and put 'em on display! I'm in toy heaven :)

DI-VORCE Thing That Can Happen to Kids

Yesterday's Degrassi episode was about Parents' Day, and how Toby's divorced parents had to accompany him to school together. When the two were put in the same room, poor Toby was stuck in the middle of all their bickering and arguing. His mom even blamed his dad for the poor grades that Toby was getting. They stopped, only when Toby accurately pointed out that they were just using him as an excuse to fight.

Most of my friends belong to broken families. Despite this, they grew up to be really great people. I guess the experience strengthened them and made them appreciate what they have even more.

Divorce would probably be the final option in a doomed relationship. When does one stop being in love? If ever I do fall in love again, I'm scared of having that person fall out of love. I also don't want to fall out. Where's the guarantee in this?

I had a long talk with Kuya Gilbert early morning of Saturday. I asked him if he still believed in love. He said he did. I don't know if I still do. I mean romantic love. Maybe some people are destined to be alone. I've been an extroverted loner for the longest time, I don't see why I can't spend the rest of my life alone. Alone but not lonely. I think I can handle that.

I find it easy to connect to people on a superficial level. It's easy to be nice, just always place yourself in the shoes of the other person, and you realize that we should always be careful not to hurt other people's feelings. People hurt, people bleed, and careless comments can do a lot in damaging a person's belief system and outlook in life. In the same way that a sincere, uplifting comment, can really brighten a person's day. The effect we have on people is so huge, we sometimes forget how just one person can make a life-changing difference.

The people that we allow in, at least, to some degree.

I find it hard to let people in. It's so difficult to lower walls. I know I'm a weirdo. An eccentric sometime-brat that people don't understand. My friends always tell me that they don't understand the way my mind works, the strange manner in which my thoughts are processed by my brain. I don't understand it either. I just think the way I do. I love being alone most of time, going my own way. I just make sure that I don't hurt people along the way.

I found out a couple of months ago that my infamous "disappearing acts" hurt my friends. I go to gimmicks or parties and suddenly disappear without notice, except for one text to someone in the group telling him/her that I have to go. A friend even told me that she found me to be strange. I am so friendly and approachable, but I can be really anti-social when I want to. Whenever I leave abruptly, they said they feel insulted and think that I don't enjoy their company. Nothing's further from the truth. I love my friends. It's just that i wanna go home for different reasons, like to contemplate, or watch TV, or rest and read a good book. It has nothing to do with them at all. It's me. I just wanna be alone a lot of times. I'm just a little unwell, I suppose.

So... this leads to my not wanting to lower walls. I don't wanna get hurt. I don't want someone I like to suddenly shy away from me because of my eccentricities. I don't want someone I like to find me weird. Weird AL. I'd rather not be close to the person instead. I'd rather not love, than love and lose. I'd rather not marry and end up in a divorce.

Speaking of marriage (nice segue), we spent Friday evening at Mario's in Galleria with Lorna, the bride-to-be. That was me, Yanni, Wil and Marcus. Afterwards, I brought the ladies home, just like I used to back when we were all teens, and no one was in a relationship yet. Hmmm. Before the break-ups of this year, for the longest time, I used to be the ONLY SINGLE PERSON in the whole barkada. Everyone else IN THE WHOLE BARKADA was attached! And then people just started to break up with one another this year. Cathy, Joey, Winston, Pines, James and Alvin suddenly found themselves single again. And last I heard, Amor and Ronald's relationship was on the rocks, which was why their wedding for this year was cancelled.

Why? Why do people come together, only to break apart?

Do people really stay together? Do people grow old with each other or do parents all over the world have a conspiracy going? In truth, do they hide from us the fact that no couple remains truly in love, forty years later, and remain together only to propagate the biggest myth of all - -the sanctity of marriage? Is this done to make sure that future generations continue to marry?

Do people still believe in love?

Do you?

Do I?

I don't know.

I really don't know anymore.

Marrying the One You "Crush"

I love watching "Friends," one episode after another. The characters remind me of my own set of friends, and further drive home the thought of how much I miss 'em. Used to be that we'd see each other every month, since someone would be celebrating their birthday. Now, for the first time since the early 90's, we didn't have a Christmas Party. Maybe it's because the one who always organizes the party is married and has a kid already. Maybe it's because we don't have the time, we're too burned out because of work. Maybe it's because we are all travelling on different roads, finding our own way; where once we held hands, now we hold on to ourselves, afraid to lose our identity... rediscovering the man after being the young adult for the longest time. Maybe we just grew... old. Or worse, just grew apart.

A third member of the barkada is getting married this December 6. One of the prettiest girls of the group is walking the aisle and riding a boat to unsolitary confinement. Our very own "Monica," Lorna, is marrying her childhood crush - seaman Kuya Weng.

Kuya Weng is the older brother of Ana, also a member of our barkada. Even as a kid, Lorna would see Ana's big bro and gush and dream of one day becoming her friend's sister-in-law. Ana especially would cringe at the thought of her friend having a crush on her brother. Ironically, Lorna used to be the girlfriend of Titan, one of Kuya Weng's close friends. When Lorna and Titan broke up, Lorna and Kuya Weng started becoming close to one another. One fateful day in Baguio, her dream destiny was fulfilled.

We were buying silver in the palengke when Lorna told us that she had to go back to where we stayed to "discharge" a lil waste. Kuya Weng gallantly accompanied his friend. Cathy, Ana and I were left to wait for them. Tired of standing around while waiting, we decided to stay at Starbus. Yep, that's not a typo. We sat in some chairs right outside a big red bus *slash* diner.

10 minutes. 15. 30. 45. An hour. An hour and ten. And more.

The 3 of us just waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And then, the best thing happened.

It started to rain.

Since good things come to those who WAIT, it didn't just rain.

IT RAINED. HARD.

While waiting for the "you-will-soon-die"-namic duo, lo and behold, far out in the horizon, we see two tiny figures, happily holding hands while swaying their arms, lazily approach us. Lorna and Kuya Weng got hitched while we got drenched. In between proposals, the two slept for a bit, forgetting the time and apparently, the three of us as well.

Some time later, the two had their first major fight. While walking up session road, we saw some posters of Liv Tyler, Kuya W's biggest crush. Lorna asked Kuya W in her sweetest voice: "If Liv Tyler went to the Philippines, would you leave me to be with her," to which Kuya W replied with no hesitation: "OF COURSE!"

And that was that :)

Lorna is one of my funniest friends.

I can't wait to see what new blooper would come up at the wedding. Lorna's fond of committing bloopers, all of them unintentional.

"Cathy, does your phone have color-coding?" (yes Orny, you can't use that every Monday, but the good thing is it has caller-ID)

Selena singing "I'll Be Dreaming of You" in the background... "It's sad that Selena's dead," I tell my friends, to which Lorna from the other side of a long table reacts loudly: "Ano?!?!? Patay na si Selena Dion?!??!"

"Joey... ang ganda naman ng "grandfather piano" mo.

"You mean... it isn't called 'jailwalking?' I thought it's because you get thrown into jail when you walk there."

"All these years, I thought it was "Mary-go-around" (yes Orny, she just goes round, and round, and round...)

"Pag pasok ko ng CR, ang daming ebs! So ginawa ko, nilagyan ko ng maraming maraming tissue, para hindi ako pagbintangan na gumawa non. Paglabas ko, sabi ko sa nakapila, grabe yung nauna, ang dami nyang tisyung ginamit!"

One-two-three pass in Fontana, after I discreetly remove her hand from the pile, 'causing her to lose: "Ccccccccccccaaaaaaaaaattttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!" And then she lunges at Cathy like a madwoman, thinking she did the deed.

The Cathy-Lorna synchronized swimming.

"Bye guys, I have to go!" After kissing everyone good-bye, she walks out of Cathy's room... and into Cathy's CR!!!

I really really love my pretty friend, Lorna :) I can't wait for the wedding... and when she says... "I, too." :)

Revelations and Changes

Seemingly deep title for obviously shallow musings, hehe.

I'm at work early today because Mickey's car is coding. Mark's sick... allergies I think. Hope he gets well soon.

Coming to work, it was nice to see some old friendly faces... former applicants who I don't get to see much of anymore. :(

Moving on to the "revelation"... Ivy approached me and congratulated me. And then she said that she found out about my promotion through this blog.

To quote Rob, complete with the exaggerated and prolonged nuances...

"Hhhuuuuuuuwwwwwaaaaaaaaaatttttttttt?!??!?!?"

Hehehe, I know I placed the link to this blog in my Friendster account, but I never knew someone would actually... read it... hehehe :P I lead a very boring and uncomplicated (read: babaw) life.

Speaking of Friendster, an old crush added me yesterday. Yay!!!!!!!!!! 1st thing I did was to write a testimonial, wehehe :P And my crush is "in a relationship." I didn't know that. But now I do. And knowing is half the battle, padu-dum-dum.

On to changes... Cathy, you are going to love this... I had a haircut!!!!!

Yep. After almost 2 years of having long but not too long hair, I finally had a haircut. It's back to spiky hair for me.

And another "change," I'm starting to go out again! Bespren, I still think of you everytime I go to Greenbelt, 'coz that's where we usually went to before. James and I hung out with Cookie, Bike and Ting at Temple. Then we met Karina and Mara. Mara's from Saintscho (is this how you spell it) and she knows you. Turned out there was Friendster Party at Temple that night, so I also saw Carmela and Paul, Patrick, Aldo, etc. I also hung out at Starbucks with Pee, CJ, Pen and Cayo. I missed those guys. Haven't seen them in months! I missed the thrill of having two separate gimmicks at the same time, and transferring from one group to the other, back and forth. My former applicant and current officemate, Blair, who also works at that branch, even gave me a discount. Cool :)

On Survivor, both tribes have merged already!!! It was a close fight between John and Savage, but the latter got booted out. Lillian was the swing vote. Perfect example of how the past always has a way of catching up to you.

With the upcoming return of Dark Phoenix in X-Men, I reread The Dark Phoenix Saga last night. Classic build-up, climactic battles and a tragic resolution. The way Jason slowly corrupted Phoenix was very chilling. Especially the part where Phoenix realizes that she's addicted to the power, similar to the feeling of lust. It gave her a thrill just to kill.

Shiela and I rearranged the HR Dungeon yesterday. It now looks like a college registration area.

There's this weird show on TV. Starstruck. Some showbiz reality TV show. There's another one, Extra Challenge, which is kinda amusing.

Mickey asked me if I was single and I blurted out "I'm jaded."

Hm.

I still am, after all these years, eh?

Saw my ex in Friendster. Something in my ex's profile made me cringe.

Meeting's postponed. I really think a part of it is financial in nature. I hope what I contribute every month helps in some way...

I liked Degrassi's episode tonight, "Under Pressure." Sean was the lead character. Out of anger, he pushes Emma while in a fight with Jimmy. And there's The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie on Cartoon Network tonight. I loved this movie as a kid.

I still do.

Learning to Go Out Again

I went out two nights in a row! Just like the old days.

Last night, I went to Coffee Bean with James. Soon after, we met up with Ian and Tonito. I had a crush in Coffee Bean. I miss getting crushes. Cathy, I thought of you when I went to Greenbelt, 'coz we always used to go there.

This afternoon, I went to Megamall and Shangri-La with James. Food fest!!! Cathy, I kept thinking I'd bump into you in Powerbooks, as I always did before.

Tonight, I'm watching the Survivor rerun and Degrassi: The Next Generation.

And then the dreaded family meeting. I can't really write much tonight. Too many thoughts in my head seeking release, but they end up clogging my brain.

Balikbayan

A childhood friend of mine just came back from the States. His name is Jopet, and he's getting married to a cute Filipino-Japanese woman named Mayumi. He and his wife are staying here for good. We had a great time talking about the past, like La Salle, and camping, and scouting, and lantern parades, and teachers.

We also talked about batchmates who have passed on, God rest their souls...

Signs that we're getting older.

Happy halloween.