Monday, May 31, 2004
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Of fevers and potion stains

Like Head Ball "Magical Illusionist (read: nag-iilusyon maging magician) Head Ball Kilabot ng mga Witchard" Beejay said, I've got a fever... a Harry Potter fever."

Just two more days to go before "Prisoner of Azkaban" debuts here, and us Potterheads are bouncing with excitement. Good thing there's that event at Shangri-la Plaza to keep us happy. (Pictures to be uploaded soon. Hey Colin Z! Pahiram ng pictures ha. Heheheh.)

Despite the rants during the first days of the event, I think everyone is doing a good job co-existing in Hagwarts Castle and... oops. Sorry. I mean, everyone is doing a good job co-existing at HOGWARTS Castle. There. And the whole thing is turning out to be fun.

The UNO Card Game finals was held last Saturday and I'm glad to report that one of my "sons", Rian, won third place over-all! He's possibly one of the youngest contestants, but everyone agrees he's brilliant. Posting a scan of one of his artworks during our past weekend art sessions later.


Justin, Nicey and Rian

At the castle, so far, I've had the chance to be stationed at Ravenclaw House, where the kids get kinda scared trying to tame the Monster Book and won't really go near it. I think the book is adorable. Wahaha. But then again, I would have just given it a well-cast Rictusempra! to make it stop growling. Heeeeeeee. But that's just me. Doing potions class is the best job I've had so far. Though my hands are now weird colored with "potion stains". Heheheh. And who could beat working with my pets Botherus the First and Botherus the Second? The dear rats are now great potions masters. :D

But all the really great stuff you can do at the castle won't be any fun or any good if you aren't with your fellow witches and wizards, fellow Potterheads who share my HP addiction, hanging out, chatting, and feeling oh so pretty in our great robes created by Monsieur Malkin. :)

More stories about magical adventures to come....

Friday, May 28, 2004
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My new obsession is...







~*~*~*~

Happiness is... *grin*

Thursday, May 27, 2004
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To blink or not to blink

I say... BLINK! Hahaha. Taking a short break from that "personal project" to put up some stuff I tinkered with last night...

I'm still trying to figure out how to do blinking borders, but while those are in the works, here's a little fun with our favorite Trio.



I've always wanted a S.P.E.W. badge. Heheheheheh.

"Weasley is our king" is dedicated to my other favorite brother, Ickle Ronniekins. *hugs MamaG*

Feel free to use them (as if someone actually would! Hah!), just link back to me. :)

EDIT: Oops. I forgot this:



Wednesday, May 26, 2004
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Blink. Blink. Blink.

I finally recovered from that really weird feeling I've been having the whole day yesterday, after playing with some nice little sheep on the PC, talking to my love, and watching The Bothers. Then I went home to eagerly wait for a 10 minute "Prisoner of Azkaban" feature on TV, which was really fun to watch, because I saw some stuff I've never seen before. The movie looks really really good, and I'm so excited, I'd give Bouncing Ferret Malfoy a run for all the Galleons in his Gringotts account at being bouncy. :)

Ickle Ronniekins (also known as MamaG) has been tormenting me for ages with the nice little blinky graphics she was able to download from a website that just wouldn't show me any graphics at all! I've been trying to access the site to no avail, all the while, wanting to hex the PC for being such a stubborn heap of metal. But I thought, well, if you can't get 'em, make 'em! Except... I'm a Photoshop-ignorant person, remember? So just as I always do, I ran to the experts.

So thanks to Lily Grace and her easy to follow tutorial, I now have my very own, self-made blinky graphics!




This was my first try at creating blinkies, so it doesn't really look like much. Naturally, it had to be Ron and his famous "follow the butterflies". The darned song just won't keep silent in my head. Darned puppet pals. LOL. And I dedicate this first attempt at making blinkies to my teammates from NBS Quezon Ave (yes, even Filonila, who was abducted by aliens from Filinvest). I love you all. You guys are the best and the funnest teammates one could have. :)




And this is the product of my 3rd attempt. After seeing Draco get socked by Hermione in the PoA feature, I figure I'd give him some blinky time. And hey, some Malfoys I know (yeah, I know like three of them) could use these on their blogs. Heheheh.

I'm off to make more! I've found a new addiction. Go me!


p.s. Oh, and if you "follow the blinky link. follow the butterflies.", it is actually a portkey to the Potter Puppet Pals website. Don't forget to slow down the movie frame by frame when you see Voldemort AK Snape in "Trouble at Hogwarts". If you find the green star shooting out of Voldemort's wand, click on it... and hear Ron sing. *follow the butterflies. follow the butterflies. follow the butterflies...* :))

~*~*~*~

The Adventure Continues... Harry Potter at the Shangri-la Plaza

May 27 to June 6, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, 10AM-10PM. You'll see Hogwarts magically appear right before your eyes. :)

*whispers* Hogwarts Castle is already under construction. Nobody is stopping you from going there and taking a peek. Heheheh.

Tuesday, May 25, 2004
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magmukha bang tanga at umiyak sa office sa di malamang dahilan? shyet.

Monday, May 24, 2004
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It wasn't exactly the weekend that dreams are made of.

Saturday. Saturday started out like any other Saturday... except I decided I was going to skip work. And then I found out he was sick. And then I started panicking. And I ended up getting to the UNO event very late. So we started late. And then all three groups of regular rowdy, funny, makulit kids actually came out during our last Saturday. At least my storytelling session went well, although not exactly how I outlined it in my handy-dandy printout of the second to the last chapter. I still say whoever picked the last chapters of Prisoner of Azkaban for a storytelling session should be, in the very least, errrrr... never mind. After the UNO sessions, it rained. And I didn't have a jacket nor an umbrella. Meeting at Shang with the marshals and with Bates production team. Shuffling and re-shuffling of skeds gave me a headache. And look! Glaring typo and grammatical errors on the lovely lovely huge tarp banner at Shang! Duh! After the meeting, decided to have a quick dinner and go home. Ack! Raining! Thanks to Miao, at least I didn't get soaked... until I had to go down at my stop. Lovely. The rain decided to pour then. *sniff, sniffle, shiver*. And we missed Oneal and Rain's birthday party. Sorry guys. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Sunday. I wanted to sleep until the afternoon, but I couldn't. Had to wake up a little earlier to get ready for a family thing. Had to be proxy godmother at my cousin's confirmation. That went smoothly enough. Went home and got my nails done courtesy of my Aunt's lovely glittery nail polish. Sabi nga ni my love, I have glamorous nails now. Wheeee!!! :)

I feel kinda sad that the UNO sessions have ended. I'm going to miss the kids. And I'm going to miss Joa and RB!!! (matagal ko nang namimiss si Filonila kahit na traitor siya. harumph!). And now I think I have colds again. *sniffle, sniff, sniffle*. And I'm a little behind on a little personal project. And I miss him terribly.

Not exactly the weekend that dreams are made of. But like the Hamster said, you take what you can get.

At least the magic is just about to begin....

Friday, May 21, 2004
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"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Thursday, May 20, 2004
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365 and Counting Down

As of yesterday, there are 365 days to go until Star Wars: Episode III. For Force-fanatics like me, this marks the start of a year of conventions, activities, the release of the Original Trilogy DVD, possibly more Clone Wars cartoons, and much anticipation and excitement over the final saga of what, to me, remains to be the greatest science fantasy saga ever. :) Can't wait until around December for the first teaser trailer and posters to come out.

There are now approximately less than 365 days until New Worlds 3. Time to get to work.

Anyone up for joining SPEW (Society of Philippine Ewok Worshippers)? :D :D :D LOL.

Wednesday, May 19, 2004
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Sinfully Yummy

Made the mistake of watching another one of them food shows on Discovery Channel... and now I find myself thinking incessantly of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Doggone it!

Monday, May 17, 2004
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One More Saturday To Go...

Just one more Saturday to go before our weekly UNO sessions are over. I actually dread the last day... I'm really really loving those kiddies.



Boy, how many secrets do we now know about Kyla, Bianca, and Justin...


But hey! The last Saturday of UNO signals the start of the championships... and the Big Event! Yippeeeeeeeee!!!

Thanks for the pics, Joa! :)

~*~*~*~

After last Saturday's little origami session (bother bother!), I spent Sunday afternoon with my sister, making even more hand puppets! I've finished Ginny, planning to re-create Harry, thinking of how to make Gred and Forge... and thinking Star Wars... Princess Leia in Episode IV... Hrmmmmm...

~*~*~*~

I've only just discovered JK Rowling's Official Website courtesy of the witches and wizards of Hogwarts Philippines who have been exerting Constant Internet Vigilance about anything HP. Visiting the site regularly just might pay off for us fans, because as the author says: "Regular visitors to this site will find information about what’s in book six if they can work out where to look. Patience is the key." Hrmmmm....

JKR's site is really cool, and quite useful for those who have read and reread the books a million times, and are itching to find more Potter material to ponder on. I highly recommend visiting the "Other Stuff" and reading about the scenes she cut from the books. Really really cool. :)

Ms. Rowling is thankfully hard at work writing Book Six. "Book six is well underway, hooray, though I am still at the stage where I have a large and complicated chart propped on the desk in front of me to remind me what happens where, how, to whom and which bits of crucial information need to be slipped into which innocent-looking chapters."

I learned quite a lot about the books from reading the stuff on the site. But it did shock me to learn that Ginny Weasley's full name is Ginevra Molly Weasley (I think she should've been just "Ginny", Ginevra sounds so much like... you guessed it, that local brand of gin. I guess it's fitting her friends call her "Gin". Wahaha.). I was glad to discover though, that Fred and George were born on April Fools'. That sure puts things in perspective. LOL.

However, it is Nearly Headless Nick's "song" which has got me ROTFL.

It was a mistake any wizard could make
Who was tired and caught on the hop
One piffling error, and then, to my terror,
I found myself facing the chop.
Alas for the eve when I met Lady Grieve
A-strolling the park in the dusk!
She was of the belief I could straighten her teeth
Next moment she'd sprouted a tusk.
I cried through the night that I'd soon put her right
But the process of justice was lax;
They'd brought out the block, though they'd mislaid the rock
Where they usually sharpened the axe.
Next morning at dawn, with a face most forlorn,
The priest said to try not to cry,
"You can come just like that, no, you won't need a hat,"
And I knew that my end must be nigh.
The man in the mask who would have the sad task
Of cleaving my head from my neck,
Said "Nick, if you please, will you get to your knees,"
And I turned to a gibbering wreck.
"This may sting a bit" said the cack-handed twit
As he swung the axe up in the air,
But oh the blunt blade! No difference it made,
My head was still definitely there.
The axeman he hacked and he whacked and he thwacked,
"Won't be too long", he assured me,
But quick it was not, and the bone-headed clot
Took forty-five goes 'til he floored me.
And so I was dead, but my faithful old head
It never saw fit to desert me,
It still lingers on, that's the end of my song,
And now, please applaud, or you'll hurt me.

Awwwww.... Poor Nick....

Friday, May 14, 2004
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Too Excited About PoA To Be Coherent





On my way to work, I passed one of the new Prisoner of Azkaban billboards they put up along EDSA. This one featured Hermione and was really really absolutely fantabulously cool. :) And what's even cooler... the billboard says PoA shows here on JUNE 2. Yes! June 2! So I've adjusted my countdown clock accordingly. Heheh. :) *bounce jump skip, who cares if I start looking like Draco the Bouncing Ferret*

===

Playing now on YMBeta's Launchcast Radio: "The Reason" by Hoobastank

I found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you....

Tuesday, May 11, 2004
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From last Saturday's Harry Potter UNO sessions, I learned that:

- When you shout "Expecto Patronum", the thing that will come out of your wand will be... a Patrolguard.
- The spell to make the lights turn back on is: "Open the lights!"
- Professor Lupin teaches "Defense Against The Dementors"
- Harry Potter's favorite game is "Chase the Snitch"
- A kid named Lawrence's happy thought is... to become President.

Kids are just so entertaining. :)

~*~*~*

And so the counting of votes begins. I don't really know what to believe anymore, so... Lord, let your will be done.

Saturday, May 08, 2004
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Wheeeee! Another Saturday with the kiddies! This sure would chase the election blues away. Yes. A few days to go and there are still a lot of blank spaces on my sample ballot. But I'll tackle that tomorrow. Today should be dementor-free and absolutely happy. Yes. It will be absolutely happy. :)

Had dinner and coffee with the Goddesses last night. Thank goodness. You can measure just how long it has been since we've been together. See last time we had coffee at Starbucks, the Bearista stuffed toy was "Rudolph". And now, it's Easter-themed. That's how long it's been since we've seen each other. Zoiks. Not good.

Although, I must say.... I really shudder at the thought of being grilled. Hahaha.

Friday, May 07, 2004
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Okay. These conspiracies have become too freaky. By a twist of fate, am I to become tomorrow's storyteller? Am I to truly become Wendy?

(sana marealize ng dalawa kong kasama na boring ako magkuwento para sila na lang. nuninuninu....)

Wednesday, May 05, 2004
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More Universal Conspiracies

As I write this entry, I'm on Yahoo Messenger BETA... listening to "Clocks" by Coldplay, my very first song off the Launchcast Radio feature. And to hear that song today! If this isn't a universal conspiracy, then what is? Yesterday, I was at Maraisms and read about Mara's entry on Coldplay songs. After looking at my blog, Gabe also mentioned associating "Clocks" with Peter Pan. And while reading the Peter Pan thread in a movie message board, the forum posters there also posted about that song. Whoa.

Well, it did remind me of Peter Pan, specifically the music in the "I do believe in fairies" segment. Freaky.

~*~*~*

(Thanks to maraisms for the lyrics....)

Clocks
by Coldplay

Lights go out and I can't be saved,
Tides that I tried to swim against,
You've put me down upon my knees,
Oh I beg, I beg and plead (singing),
Come out of things unsaid, shoot an apple of my head (and a),
Trouble that can't be named, tigers waiting to be tamed (singing),
You are, you are

Confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks (gonna),
Come back and take you home, I could not stop, that you now know (singing),
Come out upon my seas, curse missed opportunities (am I),
A part of the cure, or am I part of the disease (singing)

You are (x6),
And nothing else compares,
Oh no nothing else compares,
And nothing else compares

You are (continues in background),
Home, home, where I wanted to go (x4)

~*~*~*

Now Playing on Launchcast Radio: "Come Clean" by Hilary Duff

P.S. Hilary Duff should have just stuck to doing Lizzie McGuire.

Tuesday, May 04, 2004
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Monsieur Malkin, 3 - Inquisitive Me, 0

Here's an example of what can happen when you're sleepy, bored, trying to get around to doing Muggle work, and being just all around silly, chatting with that taray wizard fashion trendsetter we all know and love:

ME: monsieur! monsieur! i have a question! when you released your latest line of invisibility cloaks, how did you manage to pull off the fashion show? how did you make the audience see the cloak? ;;)
MM: there are special glasses dear :p
ME: oooooooooh
MM: similar to omniculars :p
ME: ahhhhhhhhhhhh.
MM: :)) nakalusot
MM: e bakit yung 7-11 bukas 7days a week 24hrs a day
ME: oo nga, ano :))
MM: e bakit pa may kandado yung mga pinto nila? =))
ME: :)) good point. punta ka sa isang branch, tanong mo ang manager. :)) para yang yung isa kong friend na talagang lumapit sa isang manager ng mcdo para itanong kung ano ba talaga si grimace. wahaha!
MM: ano sabi?
ME: di daw alam! ano ba yun!
MM: wala sa training :))
ME: oo nga! hay!
ME: this just in from prof malfoy: monsieur! monsieur! if i ask you to make invisibility underwear, how do you make sure it fits me well? :p
MM: di ko linya ang underwears e :p :))
ME: abaaaaa! :))
MM: lusot na naman :))
ME: from prof malfoy ulit: monsieur! monsieur! paano kung special request? like for dumblydorr, or fudge... or snape? :p
MM: special request na ano? underwear? :D
ME: yep!
ME: fudge, dumblydorr, snape, moody. dancing the full monty, modelling your latest line of invisibility underwear.... di kaya sila magmukhang manananggal nun? :-S
MM: well since it's special, custom made, i only have one who could do the measurements :))
ME: oooooooooooooh
MM: only, if the client consents to let "him". alam mo kung sino? :D
ME: ooh, it's a "him". kelangan hindi witchard yan ha. :)) sino?
MM: masyadong special field yan e :p si PEEVES =))
ME: :)) :)) :))
MM: backup niya si Bloody Baron =)) kaso dapat di ka gagalaw kapag siya yung nagsukat. 3-0 na ba? :))
ME: :)) taray malanding malkin: 3; makulet at inquisitive clients: 0

Monday, May 03, 2004
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PHP Appreciation Week has officially ended. I think. And thankfully, the PHP Gryffindors have reaped great rewards for their efforts. We won phase 1 of the PHP Webby Awards for the Lions' Den, for which we earned 5000 house points. Our Head Ball Head Boy Beejay was proclaimed PHP Shoutbox King, and Head Girl Giselle was proclaimed PHP Shoutbox Queen. Brother Georgie-pooh (Apolsauce) was also proclaimed PHP Shoutbox Princess. Other Lions won other awards including... well... me. Look the list up here!

 

Well, heller! It just won't fix itself! Ugh! Ermmm... think I've been hanging out in her blog too much....

Someone please help me fix my layout problem. I want the spacing between same-day posts to be less than the spacing for different-day posts. Example. I want there to only be two carriage returns between this post and the one i wrote a few minutes ago, but I want there to be three carriage returns between today's posts and tomorrow's. (get it? Hope so.) I still can't figure out what's wrong with the code.

Oh well. Until I can troubleshoot the darned source code....

This is Across the Stars Version 4.284 (yes, it's been coded and re-coded almost that many times in a span of around 24 hours). Entitled "Second Star To The Right", it was inspired by P.J. Hogan's whimsical take on Peter Pan (released 2003, please read credits and disclaimers), Pinoy Harry Potter's Never Ending Story, and you.

 

Like, heller! Why ba?!?! What's wrong with you?

 

Damn spaces....

 

This really should be called Version 4.175. Duh.

 

A few more tweaks here and there....

 

Oh the pain... the headache... not only am I programming-challenged, I'm also photoshop-challenged. Which means no snazzy flashy graphics. At least it works. I think....

 

Yeah, yeah. I just realized this is really just a radical variation of the previous layout. Radical, but a variation nonetheless. So sue me. *shrug*

 

This is Version 4.0 beta.

Darn it. Still have stuff to fix. It's a pain being programming-challenged! Gah!

Sunday, May 02, 2004
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Yesterday marked my Saturday #2 of participating in the HP UNO Challenge. There were more kids than there were last week, and this batch was more enthusiastic than before. They were prepared to play, too.

Unforgettable moments:
- Fab Fil doing the "Whomping Willow Dance". :D
- the little boy called Rian and the other little boy called Justin, and the little girl called Nicey.
- overenthusiastic Csam running over to a shelf to look at the title of book 3 and win a prize in the storytelling session
- Lawrence teaching me how to shuffle cards... as if he's worked in a casino... but he's just 6.
- Daphne and her prize-winning artwork
- bother bother bother!
- Fab Fil: "What is the name of the map that Harry used to get into Hogsmeade?" Kids: "Map!!!!!" :))
- The longest UNO game PHP has ever played (I think).
- and... errr... :)