"You hate yourself so much it's hard to love you."
I have to admit that I never saw this coming when I (we) watched the movie. More so from a Will Ferell flick. Ah well.
Oh, and I suppose this is worth noting: all of my HS barkada (who were with me that time) stared my way after this line was said.
(And maybe this sudden sympathy for the man is because our house is located on the street named after the famed scientist/mathematician/inventor. And might I add that that street intersects with one that goes by the name of what is, perhaps, his most famous phrase, "Eureka.")
Anyway, I got the info on Archimedes while reading about the origin of the number(?) zero in Seife's umm... well, "Zero". I came upon a part that talks about Archimedes' death. This was during the Roman invasion of Syracuse. Apparently, Archimedes' genius helped keep the Romans at bay. However, the city was eventually sacked and poor Archimedes - who was 75 at that time - wasn't aware of this at all, simply because he was busy drawing circles in the sand, trying to prove a theorem. When a Roman soldier asked him to leave, he said he didn't want to just yet, because he wanted to finish his proof. Angered by this, the soldier struck Archimedes down on the spot.
At this I felt like crying.
Because I want to die that way. For something I believe in. And with something I love doing. Unfortunately, there isn't much left worth dying for nowadays. I think. (Ah, well. Maybe I really was born in the wrong era. Die in this one and it comes around full circle. Just another one drawn in sand, I presume.)
... I am now without a mountain bike. It was an 18-speed metallic blue Giant mountain bike with front and rear shock absorbers. Even after nearly a decade, the paint still looks new (that is, if you'll ignore the scratches). It still rides well and has great balance (I could ride it through traffic without touching the steering bars). Its brakes could use a replacement though. Plus I suppose the gearshift mechanism got damaged when it crashed one time. The seat had been changed twice and the tires (both the interior and exterior) had been replaced on countless occassions. I used to ride it wherever, in the rain, under the sun, during a storm, across floodwaters, wherever. The farthest distance I've covered on that bike was from Makati to Paranaque. That trip took me 45 minutes, one way. Back when the brakes were still functioning properly, I used to ride it fast and push the front brakes suddenly so that the rear part of the bike rises while the front skids on the asphalt. I used to get a kick out of that. I had gone to a lot of places on that bike: Makati, Pasay, Manila, Paranaque, Mandaluyong, etc. Practically, all over the Metro. On it, I had found out a lot about the highways and byways of Metro Manila. I rode it down a flyover once. I walked beside it whenever it had a flat tire; once I had done so from CCP. I brought it to Starbucks and Bob's (Torrelorenzo) when the Old Malate were still alive and active. And I also remember riding it to church one night, when I went to talk to a priest when my dad was admitted to Makati Med due to a motorcycle accident. I pushed on the pedals as hard as I can then, only to be disappointed with everything I believed in. I was never the same after that. By the way, Aleck gave it a name: Jaya. That's because she misheard me when I said "Giant". Wish she hadn't named it that though; makes it difficult for me to ride my bike.
Needless to say, I loved that bike. And now it's gone. It would not have been this big a deal with me had it been any other bike. And I'm not grieving its loss because it's such a great bike. It could've been a BMX or any locally assembled bike and I'd still love regardless. It's also not because it's been with me for years, not because of sentimental value due to the time it was mine. Not that. Not any of those reasons.
I love that bike, simply because it was the last thing my father gave me.
Well, that was the idea. But since I mentioned it wasn't supposed to be about that day, it now well, becomes exactly just that. Oh, the irony. Haha.
(Para lang may masulat naman ako regarding Valentine's Day. Or should I say S.A.D.? Hahaha.)
Says the butcher as he raises his arm.
Err... That was just a line from a Cursive song that just popped in my head all of a sudden. Anyway, this had really been a good day. Of course I'll say why. Haha.
1. Got my ATM card from Metrobank. A new one since my old one was eaten a few weeks back. Didn't get the chance to write about that but that was definitely a hassle.
2. Got my Shell ID. This is really a cool one. It says "Consultant" next to my picture.
3. Got a new laptop bag courtesy of my supervisor. A backpack to replace the old, worn down shoulder bag. Hahah.
4. This is the first day I'm using my new jacket. And man, do I like it! Got it after scouring the ukay-ukays of Makati, Manila, and finally, Cubao. The moment I saw the gray-blue jacket, I knew it was meant to be mine. Got it for 300. Woohoo. Haha.
Due to a small cut (around a centimeter long but deep) near the tip of my right hand's index finger, I couldn't quite use it for the usual stuff I do. Say type properly, press the left mouse button, hold the spoon properly, etcetera. It's not much, really. But it is deep; I noticed it last night. I even attempted to see how deep it was.
And I don't even know how I got it in the first place. Oh well. It'll heal, eventually anyway.
I'm sitting here in the office with nothing left on my hands. I mean, nothing I can do while I'm stuck here. Of course people like me never really have any free time. We have what passes for it though, by procrastinating.
I remember my supervisor here told me that I could come in and out of the office whenever I feel like it. I'm just too shy to ask if I could leave now. Or in a while. Imagine that.
