i know christmas is still light years away and i probably have a snowball’s chance in hell of actually receiving any of these following choice items, but it certainly doesn’t stop me from hoping (”hope springs eternal…” ‘ika nga).

1. Nintendo Wii console — wiiiiiii!

2. MacBook Air — wooo-hoooh!!

3. a flat-screen HDTV — oh yeah!!!

4. a home entertainment system — *cough, cough*

5.  and while we’re at it… how about an all-expense-paid trip to the 2008 Beijing olympics! *kneels down and clasps hands in earnest supplication*

it looks like michael phelps is in fine form these days despite some minor kinks that he obviously needs to iron out before he heads for beijing for the 2008 Olympics.

just in the recently concluded Toyota Grand Prix meet in Santa Clara, CA, he was able to win 3 races — 100m freestyle, 200m IM, and 100m backstroke — in less than an hour!

what makes michael phelps’ win in the 100m backstroke event even sweeter is that he was able to trump world record holder aaron piersol! this also marks the first time he has ever triumphed over piersol in backstroke

in a related news, the 2008 US Olympic Trials is set to begin on june 29 in Omaha, NE.

today i established another personal record: i climbed 12 floors worth of stairs!

i was about to jab the UP (elevator) button in the lobby when the lady guard approached me and told me that none of the elevators was working today (a Sunday, incidentally).

“what?! you’re kidding!”

she shook her head with a smile. “‘fraid not. there was an electrical blackout about an hour ago and the emergency back-up is acting weird again so the elevators are the first to go. the elevator technicians are on their way.”

“but i work on the 12th floor!” i almost wailed. just thinking about it was almost enough to make me weep.

“your officemates are still in your floor though, so i guess that means all the other electrical circuits are working fine. it’s just the elevators.”

i was keen on leaving right there and then, but the kindly guard offered to accompany me and even brought a flashlight with her. her helpful comments and our looming deadline decided the matter for me. and so, with a martyred air, i followed her to the stairwell.

here’s a report detailing our progress
1st floor: determined
2nd floor: holding on
3rd floor: second thoughts creep in
4th-6th floor: started to pant like an asthma sufferer
7th floor: begged for a break and plonked down like a sack of potatoes after my companions and fellow sufferers gave in to my request.
8th-10th floor: wondered if this torture will never end; my legs were beginning to feel like they weighed a ton
11th floor: groans, pants, tortured breaths are fighting for their right to be expressed first
12 floor: felt like a hallucinating sailor finding land after months of travel. only the presence of my companions kept me from shouting for joy. “finally, deliverance!”

i collapsed thankfully at my table and fanned myself furiously (even though our centralized AC was working full blast). i was virtually incoherent for the first five minutes. i could hear my officemates laughing and exclaiming over my state; i could only smile weakly in return. i hope to heaven i’ll never have to go through this again.

it was only then that i learned that a girl who was also working in the same building had been trapped in the 7th floor. fortunately the guard noticed it, and was able to come and release her before she freaked out. i also learned that a couple of my officemates nearly suffered the same fate.

oh man. what a day.

aside from Iron Man, which was a pleasant surprise, there are other movies that i can’t wait to see this year. below are my top picks.

1. X-Files 2: I Want to Believe
WHY: mulder and scully. it hardly matters what the plot is all about. just put them together in one movie and i’m there. ’nuff said.

2. Batman 2: The Dark Knight
WHY: the highly anticipated sequel to the superlative Batman Begins. let’s hope chris nolan and christian bale deliver the goods. and it’ll be like saying goodbye to heath ledger (as Joker no less)

3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
WHY: hey, it’s Indy — harrison ford prancing across the screen in what may be his last fling as the intrepid, adventurous archeologist we’ve all come to love. and of course, there’s cate blanchett.

4. Kung Fu Panda
Why: a richly textured animated movie that features cuddly animals (and not-so-cuddly ones) as kung fu fighters — and jack black’s in it? it’s a cinch, natch!

5. Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
WHY: actually i found the first installment a bit bland. i’m hoping this one will up the ante. and the guy who plays prince caspian looks cute. we’ll see…

runner-up: harold and Kumar escape from guantanamo bay — naah, just kidding!