Where All The Squishy Thoughts Come Out. . . :D

Andy-ing Devotion

2012-03-02T01:37:00.002-08:00

Every once in a while, a new discovery comes up and it becomes the latest craze that everyone can't stop talking about. Let me share the Xian Lim craze a.k.a. Andy Wu in My Binondo Girl. There actually came a time in the office when everyone's Skype profile was him, and everyone - Director of Sales included - would go home early to catch it on TV!

MBG has ended already, but I still can't help but smile whenever I see remnants of the Xian Lim craze that haunted the office. At a recent visit to the doctor, I was flipping through a local magazine and came across the "stars to watch out for" section. Who else could be in it but our young Xian? ;-)

Two Months to Go...Leggo!

2012-03-02T01:05:00.003-08:00

My sister is getting married in two months' time. I'm not sad, mad or feeling anything quite near those sentiments. In fact, I'm extremely happy she's finally settling down. I'll miss her when they leave for Malaysia though. But let's just say - I gained a new brother...and a new place to stay in Petaling Jaya ;-)

The Ultimate Goal

2012-03-02T00:53:00.003-08:00

I believe firmly in dream diaries, in writing down the things you want so badly, and in praying fervently for something you wish for. I have had a lot of instances in my life when I have written down goals or wishes for the future that I simply left in a forgotten notebook as I went on with my life. Although you don;t think that much about it, the wish is always a nagging thought at the back of your mind. And in the end, eventually, you realize it only when it finally comes true.

I am currently reading a travel blog whose author is based in Paris, and I realize - I ~~want~~ ~~need~~ ~~MUST~~ by hook or by crook go to Paris in this lifetime :)

Birthday Surprises

2012-03-01T07:35:00.005-08:00

Birthdays, they don't come by everyday ;) But when they do, and people do something out of the ordinary for you - it makes you feel extra special.

Thank you to all the well-wishers, and the people who made this day so much more meaningful :)

Sinulog Weekends

2012-03-01T07:15:00.009-08:00

This post is waaaayy overdue. My colleagues from Manila were still way too traumatized to go on another sinulog adventure since that unfortunate sinulog event last year. So Yvonne, Van and I decided to have a Sinulog sleepover at my house instead! - where all we did was laze around and watch cartoons, series and movies.

Here are a few excerpts from our TV marathon, pancit canton dinner, fireworks-viewing and finally retiring to bed as we had to go to work bright and early that monday.
Sinulog Sleepovers. Can't wait for next year! :)

All Aboard!

2012-02-26T00:47:00.005-08:00

And again, one of the many perks of being an employee of a five-star hotel. Here's to more sunset cruises... This is the life! :)

Sick Leave Blues

2011-07-19T03:06:00.000-07:00

Away on sick leave...

I'm flipping through the channels and cannot seem to find anything interesting to watch. I came across the Disney Channel just in time for the start of the Phineas and Ferb cartoon. I haven't heard their opening song yet, so I got quite a chuckle over the catchy tune and the fun lyrics. I got so entertained by the song that I actually googled it and even went as far as blog about it :D

There's 104 days of summer vacation
And school comes along just to end it
So the annual problem for our generation
Is finding a good way to spend it

Like maybe...
Building a rocket
Or fighting a mummy
Or climbing up the Eiffel Tower

Discovering something that doesn't exist
Or giving a monkey a shower
Surfing tidal waves
Creating nanobots
Or locating Frankenstein's brain

Finding a dodo bird
Painting a continent
Or driving your sister insane

As you can see
There's a whole lot of stuff to do
Before school starts this fall

So stick with us 'cause Phineas and Ferb
Are gonna do it all
So stick with us 'cause Phineas and Ferb are
Gonna do it all!

Hahahaha =D

Back of the House

2011-07-19T01:40:00.000-07:00

In the Hospitality industry, and as I believe exists in all other fields, we have those personnel known as the following people:

A. Front of the House - meaning those whose job involves concentrating on providing for the needs of external customers
B. Back of the House - those people you don't necessarily see, but are there and are involved in supporting the activities of the front people.

In one of our latest trainings in the Hotel, we were given the chance to recognize our hidden heroes, who in one way or another, have helped us in any way.

Stickers from training

Hidden Hero nomination sheet.

Just made me think... Everyday, we meet a lot of people who unexpectedly go out of their way to help us. These people may think what they did was menial, but it might have meant a lot for us.

So let me ask - How about you? Who's your hidden hero? :)

Hola!

2011-06-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of working in a five-star hotel - apart from the training and the experience you gain - are the following:

1. food
2. fooood
3. FOOOOOD!!!! :)

Here are a few excerpts from my latest trainings-slash-eating activities...

CHEF'S TABLE

We have one GREAT Executive Chef! And he came up with this great program to expose all his trainees - especially those at lower positions - to challenge their artistry and culinary mastery. He came up with the Chef's Table program, where a theme of the week is given, and a neophyte cook is given a chance to showcase his cooking prowess. He/she will then, serve to us who have no talent whatsoever in cooking - but end up making a lot of comments over their masterpieces. See a few dishes our "junior" masterchefs came up with during my Chef's Table duty.

Theme of the week: SPANISH!

Appetizer: Grilled vegetables and manchego cheese ^^
Main Course: Salmon fillet and paella negra
Of course, the Spanish meal would not have been complete without the specialty beverage: SANGRIA in the middle of the day! LOL
To top it all off...Dessert was: Pecan tart, cinnamon churros with honey, and Crema Catalan - which my officemate Cass has dubbed "is what creme brulee wants to be when it grows up"!
CHHEEEESSSSEEE!!!

I am a self-confessed cheese lover!!! So imagine my JOY when last week's chef training was all about - CHEESE!

Gouda, blue, feta, gruyere, brie, camembert, parmesan and the rest of the lot. But somehow, I still prefer my good old supermarket-bought Cheesemelt in a box! :)

FOODTASTING

A few yumyum treats from my most current foodtastings

COCKTAIL TASTING
Encouraged by my boss to learn a bit about the cocktails we serve.
Chambord and molecular drinks with Yvonne! :)

'Till the next few trips to the Chef's table!!!! :)

Lea wants to start a travel blog!!!

2011-05-29T05:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, the title of this post says it all..

What they say is true. That once you start something, it spurs you on to do more!
This said, I'd like to mark the start of my travel blog!

I'd have to find all the old pictures first, so let me start with... Indonesia 2010! :)

Hit and Run Victim! :(

2011-04-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

Mean car with a mean driver - with no mercy on a poor, beginner, lady driver with a small car! Yes, I was the victim of a hit & run...

It was a terrible feeling, and I actually emerged a better and more cautious driver. Going to work early and going home with few other cars just gets you tempted to cruise faster^^

Anyway, here's my car after a week-long overhaul at Toyota :)

Yeyyy, good as new! With a promise to start driving more carefully :)

Saturday

2011-02-26T00:37:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking...

Two is better than one ;)

DECISIONS

2011-02-24T06:30:00.001-08:00

I'm at this point in my life when I look back and realize that every decision I've ever made all played a part in where and what I am right now. I may not have made the best decisions in ALL things that I needed to decide on, but can confidently say that I've made a fair share of good decisions in my life.

I just realized that though a number of those were quite impulsive...and that an even greater number turned out to be instances which makes you think of 'what could have been', I am honestly happy with how everything turned out.

Everything written above all have deeper hidden meanings which probably only I (or a few select people) may be able to understand, so let me stop this post right here and get down to the biggest decision I have to make at the moment:

... Shall I buy an iPhone4 or a Blackberry Torch? :D

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-13T07:18:00.001-08:00

I saw this really funny post in facebook:

To those who have dates on Feb 14, Happy Valentines Day! To those who don't...
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! hahahaha :D

- made me laugh! :))

The Apple to my Pie!

2011-01-23T06:33:00.000-08:00

My sister got me hooked to this really cute song!!!

"Perfect Two"

You can be the peanut butter to my jelly
You can be the butterflies I feel in my belly
You can be the captain and I can be your first mate
You can be the chills that I feel on our first date

You can be the hero and I can be your side kick
You can be the tear that I cry if we ever split
You can be the rain from the cloud when it's stormin'
Or you can be the sun when it shines in the mornin'

Don't know if I could ever be
Without you cause boy you complete me
And in time I know that we'll both see
That we're all we need

Cause you're the apple to my pie
You're the straw to my berry
You're the smoke to my high
And you're the one I wanna marry

Cause your the one for me
And I'm the one for you
You take the both of us
And we're the perfect two

We're the perfect two
We're the perfect two
Baby me and you
We're the perfect two

You can be the prince and I can be your princess
You can be the sweet tooth and I can be the dentist
You can be the shoes and I can be the laces
You can be the heart that I spill on the pages

You can be the vodka and I can be the chaser
You can be the pencil and I can be the paper
You can be as cold as the winter weather
But I don't care as long as we're together

So fuuunn :))

My horoscope says...

2011-01-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

There have not been quite a lot of events lately. MICE seems a little low lately, as well as local catering groups. What's keeping me preoccupied are the two Indian weddings coming (which will need an entire post dedicated to it when it will finally be over and done with), as well as other administrative tasks... but other than that, I feel like I currently have the time to take a step back and review what's been going on.

At this point, allow me to share that for my last six months of working in the hotel, I've been able to attend twice more weddings than I have been able to witness in my almost 23 years of existence.
It's quite funny actually how after a while, a lot of the concerns/processes/themes soon become quite routine. The planning stage is always hectic, but the day itself proves to be even more hectic. The entire process just drains you unlike for when you plan meetings where you can afford to forget a marker or two. Imagine if you forget one of the items promised to a client on the wedding day (heaven forbid!)

The start of January seemed to be quite busy for the Local Corporate Socials. We had back to back weddings on January 7,8,9,10,11 until the 15th! Thank God this month had a break before the next one on the 30th. As mentioned above, though it is seeming to be already quite routinary on our end, weddings still never fail to make you go "awwww"... Especially if I like my couple :)

What brought this up?

For one, I realized I haven't been blogging lately.
Second, I'm attending (not organizing) a wedding of a friend today.
And finally, my sister and I were laughing over the paper the other day when she came across my horoscope that read:
"You will attend a wedding today"
HAHAHAHA!
That made my day :))

Listen to the beat of my H-E-A-R-T

2011-01-12T05:11:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to Sarah Bareilles' "King of Anything" for the third time now tonight. It's fast becoming a newer favorite. Step aside 519! :))

That aside,
while listening to old songs on my laptop, I'm skimming through old multiply and facebook photos. Ever get that feeling when you hear a song and remember a certain time, a certain place, and certain people?

"Pictures of you" just suddenly made me feel nostalgic, and made me realize how much I miss school and old carefree days with my college friends :(

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

Hurrying home...
Christmastime is here once more!:)
I wish for nothing more than a happy Christmas for all, and a wonderful New Year ahead^^

Scream!

2010-12-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

HELP ME!

It's becoming a Manic - MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY!!!!

Nearing the new year once more!

2010-12-08T15:49:00.000-08:00

Let's skip the Christmas season and dedicate an entirely different post for it - it being... (breaks into song) the most..wonderful timmmmeeee of the yeaaarrr...
The New Year is coming! and with it comes the thing that I get most excited about - choosing a new planner for the year! :)

I love daily planners, post-its, markers and other marking pens. Here's what I went through for the quest for next year's planner:

1. Started out with the conventional Starbucks planner. I had already started out with the Christmas drink section, but gave it up and gave the card to my sister (who just last week claimed her Starbucks planner).

2. Attempted a moleskin planner. But then I decided that I was limited to very few colors and designs, and was too common that I may end up having my planner swapped with somebody else's. Besides, that amount for just a planner just did not work for me. At least with Starbucks, I get a yummy drink for my money :)

3. Wanted to go with another Belle du Jour (like what I had for year 2010). But my experience with this year's planner was that it had too much stuff in it that I get confused with the REAL planning part. I get too distracted by the other items inside that I end up not really using it for the purpose intended. Besides, I haven't even consumed half of the coupons in the BDJ planner, and it's nearing the end of validity of December 31! Probably already time to start Chrsitmas shopping and using my coupons =p

4. Considered an oldie planner like the ones my mom uses (haha!). But then I really did not want an oldie planner no matter how I convinced myself that it was okay.

5. Ended up with a planner I found buried within the mounds of other planners in NBS. I dont even know what brand it is!haha But I liked its simple plain design, and its very distinct color. Its cover seems like a moleskin (with a better price), the space for writing was similar to a Starbucks planner (one page per date), with the ribonny thing of the BDJ...but still simple like the oldie planner=p

Ahhh the joys of planner shopping ^^

I could watch you over and over again...

2010-11-27T22:12:00.000-08:00

I'm spending Sunday afternoon in the office. Just finished foodtasting for a wedding this December, and waiting for my 2PM occular with another couple...what else can I do but Blog=p

On the drive to work, the radio was playing a song off of the School of Rock movie, so I decided to do a blog about the movies that I used to watch over and over again until I could already somehow memorize the lines before the characters could say them.

Here are the movies that made it to my list of "over and over again's":

1. The Little Rascals

Who could ever get tired of Alfalfa's impossible cowlick? The adorable "Dear Darla, I hate your stinking guts" line? and the "What's the number for 911?" bit?
I grew up watching The Little Rascals, and learned a lot of my new words from that movie. I loved every little character in that movie, and even took a hand at directing a skit based on the movie back in Grade 2. I loved Waldo's glasses and Darla's tutu! I adored Spanky and the He-Man Woman Hater's Club!hahaha
Luveeettttt... :D

2. The Sound of Music

Back when there were no DVD's, our Sound of Music VHS started to get scratchy from all the times we would rewind, fast forward, pause and play the movie.
I remember how I used to think that the end of the movie was when the Von Trapp children started going up the stairs singing "So Long, farewell" to the guests. That was because my dad usually stopped the tape at that part and told us that it was time for bed. It wasn't until later on that I found out that there was actually a continuation to the story after that goodnight song. It was LATER still when I found out the meaning behind all the running away to the mountains based on Austrian history. Back then, it was all song and doe a dee-ah to me ^^

3. Ever After

The very fist Cinderella story...after the original Disney cartoon. I love love love Drew Barrymore movies, and I must say this is one of her very best.
There was a time when Star Movies played this movie for a week, and I would sit on the couch with my Green Pringles at my side, and wait for it to air again!

"A bird may love a fish signore, but where would they live?
Then I shall just ave to build you wings!" Awwww...
Cameo role by Leonardo da Vinci!hahaha :D

4. The School of RockThe PRIME reason for the existence of this post. At the time when my brother and I were at that stage when we quarreled over anything (TV, food, etc), this was a movie which we could both watch while peacefully coexisting. We watched it almost everyday for an entire summer's duration, and even ended up buying 2 DVD's of the movie!

5. The Phantom of the Opera

This is the ONE movie where I love all the songs in it. For this movie, I don't bother skipping scenes to get to my favorite part. I love even the insignificant parts of the movie! In this movie, I honestly believe that they gt everyone in the cast right!

Till the next bout of boredom! :)

Remember the date!

2010-11-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

November 15, 2010 <--- Just not my day :(

Enough said.

Merry Merry Merry Merry Christmas!

2010-11-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

What tells me that Christmas is close?
Not just the Christmas songs played everywhere, the festive Christmas decors, the cool -ber breeze, the Christmas texts and the party invitations...it's...

The CHOCOLATE MINT variety in the chocolate brands in the supermarket =p

Chocolate mint kisses, chocolate mint musketeers and yummy chocolate mint ice cream.. Thank you S&R! ^_^

Glee gives me glee =p

2010-11-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY saw the new set of episodes of GLEE!
They did a really NICE song from Paramore :)

The Only Exception

When I was younger
I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind
He broke his own heart
And I watched
As he tried to reassemble it

And my momma swore that
She would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist

But darling,
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

Maybe I know, somewhere
Deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone
Keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now
I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk
Well, You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving
In the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream

Ohh---
And I'm on my way to believing
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing

Finally on DAYOFF!

2010-11-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

Remember how I used to think that life after school was going to be a piece of cake?
Towards the end of my fifth year in college I was super excited to finally be free of exams, projects, theses, and all the other school requirements I had to constantly deal with for the last 15 years of my life.

I had always pictured life after school to be an 8 to 5 thing...where I would work my ass off within this timeframe, hang out afterwards, be able to sleep at 10 or 11, and basically just be rewarded after all my hard long years during school.

Boy was I wrong!

Contrary to my earlier assumption that I was going to work in this company where I would be practicing my IE profession, improving productivity, setting time standards, charting processes and the like...I ended up quite far from my field.
I ended up working for the Events Department of this major hotel chain, which entailed the following consequential details:

1. Since my workplace is quite far, my day starts at 5AM when I have to wake up so I can leave the house by 6:30 to avoid heavy traffic and the big trucks that usually infest the streets I have to pass through.

2. Because of the heavy workload and the demands of the company and its clients, I go home late at night to avoid having my work pile up for the next day, or to ensure the success of an event.

3. I have to tie back my hair (which I hate), as part of company policy.

4. Pressure from management, from clients, and even from yourself to do your job with special attention to detail.

5. You have to learn how to multitask. In a single day you have to meet with clients, coordinate with others for an upcoming event, generate your revenue reports, update weekly lead logs, deal with returning clients, answer your phones and emails, route paperwork, handle a tour group and supervise an ongoing event all at the same time. And I'm not saying it's just ONE event in a day. The hotel has numerous function areas, and for some reason people like holding events at the same time (10/10/10 for example, or Valentines and the Christmas Season).

6. Since events usually occur on weekends or on holidays, there go my hope of holiday offs.

7. An events person's work is never done. Before the end of one event, you are already in the preparation stage for the next one, in the negotiation stage for another one, and also in the process of getting new business for more others.

8. You are on call 24/7. Since you take ownership for whatever group and task you handle, the hotel and the rest of the team call you for whatever concerns may be going about your group, even on dayoffs.

9. All these, plus the pressure of having lots of bosses you have to answer to.

Did I say I hated it?
Honestly, I did at first. I thought to myself:
'What did I get myself into?'

There are, however, several upsides to my job:

1. I'm actually learning a lot! Everyday I meet different people, get to try different things...and the opportunities and the exposure that I experience everyday are (no exaggeration), BOUNDLESS!

2. Then, I used to hate having to go home late. But now, there's a relaxing rush you feel when you walk along the hotel at night. There's just something cool about walking through the expansive lobby while acoustic music plays at the lobby lounge, something great about greeting the different people you pass by, and something relaxing about the cool evening breeze in the open hotel air.

3. There is actually this fulfilling feeling when you cross out your long list of things to do everyday.

4. The happiness and accomplishment you feel upon the successful execution of an event.

5. The contacts you get to make with the groups you handle.

6. I've grown to love the people at the hotel.Everyone in the different departments have slowly become close to me. Having met these different people and knowing their stories, and working side by side with them has made me realize that the hotel's credo of US being a heartwarming family was not cheesy anymore...as it now holds true for me.

7. The pressure that comes with the job is actually good training. Emerging from all the stress, I can honestly say that a little more time in this profession and I may be callous to whatever challenge life may throw my way.

I guess what they say is true, that you really never know where you will end up. As I write this blog, I'm enjoying a long overdue day off from work. After 11 October weddings, the Nephrology group and the ADB ministerial meetings, and with the Accounts Review coming up, I feel like I've been practically LIVING in the hotel!
But I'm not complaining. No matter how exhausted I am, I just feel really good right now :)

One of these days ^^

2010-09-09T00:41:00.000-07:00

Everyone who knows me know that I'm not that into loud music, smoky bars, crowded dancefloors and flashing lights. I'm more the coffeeshop, frozen yogurts, roadtrips, movie marathons and sleepovers type :)

I have nothing against the people who enjoy the former, I just prefer activities related to the latter. Hey, everyone's entitled to their own unique way of how they want to enjoy their time! :) With this said, I would just like to share this longtime laag I have in my mind. Every time the group is at a loss as to what we are to do during laag days, I have always wanted to suggest this, but usually bite back my tongue because not everyone might want to do it... and weirdly because I've pictured it so long in my head that I'm scared the activity becomes a flop and the "charness"(for lack of a better word to describe it) as how I imagined it may never be the same again (haha! im so weird).

It's like this:

We start out at morning, say 5AM, and head to the nearest McDonalds. We order by drive thru for everyone! We'd buy extra fries of course, since they're a favorite...and won't forget to ask for additional salt; We'd buy coke float even if it's too early in the morning, and it might upset our stomachs; Coffee is also a must-have beverage, so let's hope the car has built-in cupholders.

To whoever the driver of this fantasy adventure may be:
Don't worry! I'll hold your coffee cup for you and save you fries! hahaha :D

We'll go somewhere far...the beach perhaps or a highland? :)

But it's so far that we have to stop for lunch at this tiny mall that none of us have ever set foot in. It has a grocery where we stock up on chips, nuts and sodas...and then prepare to hit the road once more! We arrive at our destination sometime between 2:30 to 3 in the afternoon. Of course we've already driven thru this Starbucks that wasn't suppose to exists this far away from the city (but it's my fantasy, so lay off!haha).

We spend the day at our lovely destination chatting it up over our Starbucks drinks, playing card games with ridiculous punishments, recalling funny stories, taking pictures, and basically just having fun!

At around 5PM we head out of the area and go straight to a fancy eat-all-you can buffet in the city. We have the best dinner money can buy, but feast more eagerly at the yummy desserts! We again have late night coffee, complimentary of the aforementioned buffet, and spend at least another 3-4 hours talking and having fun.

By 10:30PM, we start sending everyone home. Take note that we are all in one car and we have to send everyone who attended this trip home one by one. I'll beg the driver to adjust the route so I'll be the last one home..and so can enjoy seeing everyone else sent off.

When I get home at around 12:30AM, I log on to Facebook and see myself tagged in all the lovely photos that brings back all the wonderful memories of the day that just passed :)

When would all this happen? I guess when I'll be able to find a willing driver game enough for this trip!hahaha :D

Roadtrip anyone? :)

MY 10 things...

2010-09-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

I got tagged in another Facebook note that challenged everyone else tagged to write down their own "10 things" they wanted to accomplish before they died.

You can actually write down even things you may feel are impossible, so a number of my friends have written down extreme sports they wanted to experience, or places they wanted to go to. But here are the things I REALLY want to get done before I pass away:

1. Be able to travel to all the cool destinations of Asia and Europe.

Don't get me wrong, I would also love to venture to the other countries as well. But there's just something about the richness of the culture of these two continents :)

2. Find all my lost friends since kindergarten.

While I've still been able to keep in touch with most of the people I went to kindergarten/summer school/summer job with, I've almost managed to lose touch with quite a number. Hopefully they'll still be able to remember me, and I can catch up with them on the good old days :)

3. Be able to take a really good landscape photo.

I really do envy the people who can take such shots effortlessly. Just allow me one GREAT photo, and I'll die happy :D

4. Cook a 5-course meal for my family and friends.

...and a good one at that! All the people close to me know that I have minimal talent in the kitchen, so wouldn't it be great to serve them this yummy treat and shut them up?hahahaha :D

5. Watch Lea Salonga in concert.

I've had a series of failed attempts on this. But during Lea Salonga concerts that I set my mind to going to, something else comes up. A birthday party, the trip to Indonesia, misunderstanding with friends, lack of funds, etc!hahaha :))

6. Own a Louis Vuitton tote handbag.

I am entitled to one materialistic WANT before I die!hahahah :))

7. Drive around a racetrack in a red racecar!

I just think it's really cool!!!hahaha :D

8. Get married.

...and stay married, with a person I can confide and enjoy precious moments with :)

9. Re-play Japanese, patintero, jackstone, tubig-tubig, chinese garter, luksong tinik, and all the other games I used to enjoy playing back then.

10. Compose a great song, that touches a lot of people.

Now wouldn't that be great? It has happened a lot of times when I would get so attached to a song and wish that I were the one who had written it. That said, I'm attaching this to my wishlist :)

The Dawn of a New... Job?!

2010-08-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

Yes! After several months of being a bum, I finally have my first REAL job! Why do I say "real"?Maybe because I've had so many other summer jobs, part-time jobs, and on the JOB trainings, but never any real job where I'm actually considered a real employee.

Hello Blog, I guess you feel like I've been neglecting you. It has admittedly become quite tiring to write in you, and frankly I've had nothing interesting to write about for the past few months.I just, however, recently got hooked on another personality's blog, and decided that if she could write about nonesense stuff, then heck! So can I :D

Let's hope I keep this up ;)

I survived with casualties...

2009-10-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

YES! I survived my 5th year and 1st semester in College with high spirits, but dampened by minor casualties. Allow me to enumerate the number of small injuries I've managed to sustain at this short period of time:

1. RED EYE
I'll start with the most visible injury I've managed to acquire. In my quest to try to be more economical I printed the notes, that my teachers sent via email, in very small font sizes. I was able to save at least 3 additional bondpapers which I may have had to use had I printed using larger script. However, after studying the material for hours for that subject's exam, I woke up the following day with my right eye sporting super red eye veins... =s

2. WOUNDS AT THE BACK OF MY FEET
I went shoe shopping sometime along the first semester because I was looking for a nice pair of black flats. I found a gorgeous pair in Ayala, which I excitedly bought (or had my sister buy for me =D ). That night, I had a birthday dinner to go out to. So excited-new-shoes-girl that I was, I abandoned my older pair of white flats and happily put on my new purchases!
That night, we ended up walking for hours around Ayala, undecided where to eat. And afterwards, walked around again, undecided where to hang out. We eventually hung out shooting hoops in Timezone, where we won three stuffed bears by the way. But by the time we finally decided to go home, it took every ounce of strength in me to finally TAKE OFF THE PAINFUL SHOES! I ended up putting band-aid over both wounds for weeks, since it hurt even when I wore other shoes. It doesn't hurt now...And I can wear my new black flats without pain...
But the scars, (sigh) remain...

3. CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
Ironic as to how I could attain an ergonomic-related injury, when my thesis, which I have been living and breathing in morning-noon and night, is all about ERGONOMICS!=D
But it's true, my right hand is suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, due to unergonomic laptop use. It's not that annoying anymore though, so I'm hoping it will heal through the semestral break.

4. HEAVY MIGRAINES
... which means I have to visit my eye doctor very very soooonnnn.....

5. I'm actually doing a visible eye check on myself, and I can't seem to see and think of any other injury that I may have acquired. (Unless you count this growing pimple on my chin that may largely be due to stress..) =D Till then, let;s hope I make it out of the second semster ALIVE :)

I'm back... Again!

2009-10-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling really guilty about neglecting my blog...again!
But school's just been so hectic lately... I don't even have to time to do most of the things I love doing when I have nothing else to do. Which enforces my point that, I just don't have that much free time anymore :(

Finals week is over, as we have an early semestral break for this half of the school year. I've discovered quite a lot this semester, which reminds me that I still have to write another sequel to my "things i learned in college" blog... That will have to follow. For now, allow me to have fun with my blog and write about the nonsense stuff I miss writing about. =D

I'll take a break from all the thesis, systems, and other projects where I feel like I have to squeeze my brains out for the words and ideas that I need to encode quickly considering the many deadlines I have to meet. I'll try and update my blog this semestral break, so I can remember and rediscover why I love writing so much... :)

What next??!

2009-06-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

I've just lately been able to breathe after a long summer vacation of hectic OJT activities. I'm not complaining... I loved both my OJT's! Both companies gave me a chance to have a look at the world where I suppose I will probably be (hopefully) by April of next year.

But at the last day of my second job, I was awake all night till the wee hours of the morning, suffering from what I can only term as my "midlife crisis".

Wikipedia said:
Midlife crisis is a term coined in 1965 by Elliott Jaques and used in Western societies to describe a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some individuals in the "middle years" of life, as a result of sensing the passing of youth and the imminence of old age.

Okkkkaaayyyy...

Being exposed to what life might someday be just made me think if it was all life was cut out to be. I'm afraid that after I've done everything that I have plotted and planned to do in my life, I'll one day realize that I've not done anything worthwhile...

Hmmm... after everything, what next? :s

All Is Not in Vain

2009-02-05T15:36:00.001-08:00

Rummaging through my old college stuff led me to an old essay that I wrote two years ago for my ReEd class that my teacher eventually submitted to the World Essay Competition. The requirement was an essay about corruption and your views about it. My composition goes something like this...

I am now 19 years old.

When I was a child, I grew up in a safe and protected environment in the comfort of a loving and supportive family. The security of my surroundings shielded me from the harsh reality that was corruption. Either that or I was purposely ignoring the realities I did not want to see. As a young child who was ignorant of the ways of the world, I was an idealist who blithely and purposely made my own self blind to the growing problems the real world struggled to overcome.
But many years have passed since then. I have gone to school, met and talked to different people, and I have seen many things. I have found out that the once ideal world I believed to have existed is not so ideal after all. Knowing that, I felt like the kid who just found out that Santa Claus was nothing more than a myth.

Corruption need not be something very dramatic. It is not only those blown-up cases where politicians are found guilty to accuses of corruption and plunder. Rather, it exists even in small, almost unnoticeable, ways. And because we somehow manage to get away with these little misdeeds, we feel confident to do them again and again. When people start to compromise for convenience, when they do things expediently, when they start twisting the rules to their advantage and when they compromise their ideals and principles, this will be a good breeding ground for large-scale corruption.

In my Religious Education class, we learned that the sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin. Corruption is gradually eroding our moral fiber. We start justifying our actions and convincing ourselves that there is nothing wrong about the things we do because everyone else is doing it too. We shun the things we don't want to hear and make ourselves believe that we are not doing anything wrong. Thus, through our continuous practice of corruption, it integrates itself into our culture and blurs our sense of what is right and what is wrong; it becomes a way of life.

Corruption will eventually reach me. I am young and idealistic, but I am also young and easily enticed. Corruption will not tempt us with the word "evil" written all over it. Instead, it will come in a wonderfully-wrapped package that promises of easy solutions to all our problems. It will taunt us until we can no longer resist what it has to offer, and eventually succumb to the temptation. What will happen then to young people like me who are dubbed as "the hope of the land" and the "leaders of the future", when we are introduced to the prospects of corruption at such an early age? Will we not be tempted to consider the perpetuation of this practice in the guise of an easy and good life?

Imagine a world ten years form now when corruption will be so rampant that it will no longer be considered taboo in society. People commit dishonest acts for personal gain, leaders abuse their power and use it to get the things they want, and depravity and perversity become the norm. How do we achieve the hope that we are supposed to bring, how can we stop ourselves from committing these acts that have become a part of our lives?

Our kids will someday grow up to be part of the society we love, in the same society we are currently corrupting. Even if every corrupt act starts out small, it will eventually blow up to become a grand-scale corruption which will involve more and more people. One child that comes to this world will soon be one more corrupt citizen in society.

Wouldn't we rather have uncorrupted minors who will someday lead the community?

What can I do then, as an average 19-year old student, that can help combat this prevalent problem that has adhered itself to the lifestyles of so many?

I start with myself, and let it begin in me.

It is a solution we've all been advised and heard of so many times. But as easy as it is to say, it is not that easy to do. Human as I am, I have my weaknesses and vulnerabilities. But I find comfort in the knowledge that I am not alone in this struggle. As what has been said in the Desiderata :

"For the world is full of trickery;
but let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism",

that many people of high ideals are still willing to do and die for a righteous cause, so that honor and justice may live.

As how Anne Frank aptly put it,
"Despite everything, I still believe in the inner goodness of man."

The Christmas Sermon

2008-12-26T17:37:00.000-08:00

As like every other day of obligation, we went to church on Christmas day. We attended the 9:30 AM mass presided by Fr. Benjamin Sim. Sad to say, I was not very attentive throughout the entire service, having just had a couple of hours sleep due to our little Christmas Eve celebration.

The Gospel was over and I was still spacing out, unable to retain even a single word of what the priest was saying. I'm hoping God will let this inattentiveness pass by...this being Christmas and all... :D The priest started the sermon, and I continued staring off into space with a blank expression on my eyes, hoping I looked like I was really listening to what Father was saying.
hehehe

I was able to catch just the last part of his sermon... but it made a great impact on me. Fr. Sim said:

" A smile is contagious, let's start an epidemic!"

Merry Christmas everyone! :)

Filipino-Chinese

2008-12-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

My fil-chi friend tagged me in this note in facebook.. and i just wanted to see how many of them applied to meee :D

1. your standards for evaluation are limited to "not bad" (bwe-phai) and "good enough" (ham-ham).

* Hahaha not really..my comments are usually expressed in the superlatives. Like "nindota ana uy!! (That's so great!) or Batia ana uy!! (That's so NOT great!) hahaha

2. you watch the old chinese variety shows on cctv and the rest of the chinese channels on cable.

*Hahaha sometimes I do. But I really really love old Chinese movies, especially the nostalgic Chinese ghost movies. And a recent IP Man movie night has me quite taken too :)

3. the only thing you can read in a chinese daily newspaper is the daily's name .

* Correct!hahahaha

4. your pinoy friends ask for tikoy/hopia/mooncake from you, and they're more excited eating it than you are.

* Quite right. I never did seem to like these delicacies...only the ube-flavored hopia from OngPin.

5. you're usually not allowed to wear black, although you want to look thinner.

* Super NA! I have a lot of blacks... and I want to look fatter!hahaha

6. your family car's plate number begins with 8.

* The family car doesn't, but my car does. Though I don't think that was done on purpose :))

7. when you speak to an elder and you forget the chinese term for a particular item, and say "hio-nge hio-nge hio-nge basta hio-nge, la!".

* Haha, for lack of better things to say, mouth hio-nge three times:))

8. your friends greet your parents "a-pe" or "um-a" or auntie, or uncle.

* Yes we doooo=p

9. you affix "-la", "-lo" to your pinoy/taglish sentences.

* Hahaha, no I don't!!:))

10. you affix "ba", "naman" or "pa" to your chinese sentences.

* Hahaha super guilty of this one. But really, hello? Gua bui KA kong STRAIGHT eh Chinese MAN!hahahaha :))

11. your food vocabulary consists of kiam-peng, cha-peng, am-beh, mi-sua , cha-sio,ma-ki-mi, hee-chee, mazhang.

* All my favorite foods in the world =p

12. your parents think that a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship is the same as getting married.

* To that effect..yes!:))

13. you speak chinese at home, speak filipino with friends, and write in english!

* I speak Bislish, and Taglish to friends ; Chinese to the oldie Chinese and parents of friends; and whatever language at home!hahaha

14. you love lao fu zi even if you could never figure out what they were talking about.

* No I don't. I tried to read, and maybe even muster a fake laugh...but nooo, I dont really get lao fu zi.haha!

15. you know the beneficial effects of chrysanthemum tea and black duck soup.

* Haha I don't, but I love tea ^^

16. you say "wa-kong-ah !" or "wah-pai-ah!".

* No no...

17. you have a cough, and your mom insists that you drink 'pei-pa-koa' and for stomach ache, 'tsing-lo-ing'.

* Hahaha YES! Pei pa koa is my staple cough medicine, along with the coconut extract, and the ball medicine in wax. :))

18. when seated around a chinese lauriat, you insist back and forth that other people take the first serving.

* I thought that just meant I had good manners^^ Hahaha!

19. you mix the hard-boiled egg cooked in adobo (lo-neng) with your rice.

* Yes, it's my favorite!! :D

20. you had culture shock in college.

* No, not really. :)

21. your pinoy friends ask for the chinese translation of "i love you", and certain "curse words".

* They also ask me to baptize them with Chinese names!hahahaha :D

22. the only first aid kit you bring with you is white flower.

* And the ever reliant jap Stick.hahaha :))

23. you are a tsinoy, when in math class, you mumble the chinese multiplication table when mutiplying numbers. ex. di it di (2x1=2) ; di di si (2x2=4).

* So truuuueee! LOL

24. you understand why "kai-shao" is more complicated than a "blind date".

* I dooo.hahaha

25. the first reaction from new pinoy friends is "mayayaman ang mga intsik!".

* Yes, this one is true as well.

26. you greet a friend on the phone by asking if he's eaten (dee chia beh?) or what he is doing (leh tshong shia?).

* But that's how you should always greet people right??

27. you say: (a) 'kain ng gamot' instead of 'inom ng gamot' (chia iyo kasi, eh) (b) 'hugas ng picture' instead of 'pa-develop ng picture' (swe siong kasi, eh).

* hahaha, d sad uy!:))

some of the "down sides":

1. your 'howe' must be a chinese too.

* Nope, but I have a partiality for cute oriental looking guys man.haha!

2. literacy in fukien is a must.

* Yes if you hang out with the older peeps!

3. black is a big no.

* N/A :)

4. you should be home by 9pm or 10pm (for girls with extremely strict families) or 12pm max (for girls with medyo strict families)

* Extremely strict diay ko na category!hahahah :D

some of the "good sides":

1. you get a lot of "ang pao" during your birthday, christmas, chinese christmas, new year, and chinese new year.

2. you get new set of clothes during chinese new year.

3. you get a lot of stuff during mooncake festival at "pua tiong tsiu"

4. you are always fetched by car (for girls with extremely strict families :)

New Friend

2008-12-04T05:02:00.000-08:00

Last week, we met a Korean who was visiting here in the Philippines. He had already graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering and had served in the military for quite some time. He was a friend of my friend and was introduced to us as he was staying in Cebu for two days.
At lunch in Jollibee, we got to know him a little more! :)

Everybody, meet ...
WINTERS! (or WonChoeLee in Korean...)

-Who loves to have his picture taken "naturally"... I think what he really means is that he wants "candid" shots as he dislikes choreographed ones, but his English is not so good so we had to settle for his "NATURALLY" posing preferences.hehehe :D

- Who refuses to disclose his real age, thinking we might find him to be too old to hang out with. :D

- Who was almost conned by a taxi driver to pay a taxi fare of PhP300.00 on a taxi trip from Ayala to IT Park.

- Who I asked about the Korean movie "Sassy Girl" which he says is not familiar. Who after a long racking of his brain suddenly exclaims: "The title is... Sexy Girl ?!"

Oh my, what must he have thought of me.HAHAHAHA :D

- Who got my ketchup without asking!hehehe

-Who I asked to talk about the scenery in Korea. When asked about the beaches, he said that the water was not as nice as the beach waters here in Cebu.

Lea: Why? Are they dirty?
Winters: (with a lot of gestures and head movements) No, no, no..not dirty..ahhhhh....
Lea: Murky?
Winters: What is murky?
Lea: Err.. not clear?
Winters: (Looking exasperated) Ahhhh...uhhhh.. shhhh....uhhhh... (smiles) Yes dirty.

HAHAHAHA! :D

-Who after a whole lunch hour of conversation, reduced our English into simple, one-worded sentences with no articles. :D

- Who wrote super nice things about us on his blog. Awwwww :)

Let's hope we see him again soon! :)

Oil Pulling

2008-11-29T06:17:00.001-08:00

Have you heard of this new (or maybe not so new) breakthrough?

I've been trying to regularly perform the oil pulling process, and have successfully done so for the past 3 weeks. I'm trying this out mainly because I want to stop serious bouts of migraine that I keep having. It's also supposed to give you better sleeps at night, improve your heart's condition and remove toxins from the body... If it really does work, I'll disseminate the information! :)

Click on the link to find out more about Oil Pulling.

This frustrated photographer may have a future...

2008-11-24T05:10:00.001-08:00

... I think! :D

I love taking pictures! Scenery, people, animals, flowers, infrastructures and all else. I have long admired people who could take such wonderful photos even with simple, low-end cameras. I view people's works on deviantart and multiply and flickr, and scan over photos I find breathtaking and beautiful... I then sigh and wish I could take pictures as great as those. :( I had two informal shooting lessons from my friend Ryan, who covers weddings and pre-nups and shoots models as a sideline. It was with him that I was able to first hold and shoot from a DSLR camera. Since then, I've been shooting at every occasion that I get... Only I had to do it using the family camera, a Sony point-and-shoot digicam, or my phone (a 3.2 MP Sony Ericsson). The results were not bad... but they were not good either!hehehe :(

I got a chance to shoot using a DSLR again during last semster's Market Expo, ME/IE International Conference, and during the summer at another photography tag-along in Taoist Temple. I have fallen in love with the DSLR camera, and spent the summer of 2008 trying my best to earn money to save up for my very own DSLR, and the semestral break helping out at home to try and get on my dad's good side so he'll sponsor my dream cam.hahaha When at long last my dad gave in and asked me to canvass for the cheapest price of my desired camera model, I was so excited that I spent the whole day comparing prices on the Internet. However, I found the prices to be too high, and felt guilty at having to ask for something so expensive. So I momentarily abandoned the dream of owning a nice cam.

But YEY of all YEY's! Last Wednesday, abovementioned Ryan was going to buy new lenses from a "suki" store in Manila (that costs PhP82,000...wahhhh!), and told me that if I bought my camera along with his lens, I could probably get it cheaper, and that we could also split the freight cost. To make the long price story short, I got my camera (with accessories) at PhP10,000 lower than the price of the same model sold at SM, and PhP2,000 lower than its price at the cheapest camera store in Cebu! :D Not only that, but I got a FREE camera bag that should have cost me an additional PhP1,900! My cam arrived last Friday ( November 21), and I already got to bring it to the farm to try it out. :) Like any brand new thing that I get, my new cam is getting special care and attention. It is stored safely, carried around carefully, and meticulously guarded... hihihi :D
hehehe OA I know, but give me a break, considering how hard it was to finally acquire it. Give me a couple of months and I may be able to behave a little normally.hehehe :D

I'm hoping school will be a little considerate in the following days so I can get out and have time to try stuff out with it. It hasn't left its case since Sunday...but the manual does not anymore look new!hehehe Anyway, enough of this long introduction. It's time for the climax of this post.hehehe Meet my Nikon D60.... Archibald! :D

fs

2008-11-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

I rarely show myself in YM. I go online but use my stealth settings to appear invisible to all my YM-mates.hehehe :D Oops, secret's out! =p Well, out of desperation in searching for a Feasibility Study to conduct for our, well...Feasibility Study course, I decided to go online with a status message that read:
" Any topics/suggestions for our Feasibility Study?"

Let me share with you the good...and the crazy ideas people had.
Friend 1: Casino La! Feasible man sya!
Friend 2: Disneyland theme park in Cebu! Or if mas nahan mu lower scale sa... Enchanted Kingdom!
Friend 3: Try daw chopsticks na hollow para pwede mahimu ug straw! Chopsticks when eating, then just submerge sa imu drink to sip... hahaha
Friend 4: Drive thru movie, like sa Flintstones!
Friend 5: Try doing a business with a concept like ebay...except for the online part. People leave stuff they want to sell with you, and you just put a markup on the original prices they give.
Friend 6: A mall! A mall!
Friend 7: Customized coffins! Hahahaha
Friend 8: Tshirts that insult other schools!
Friend 9: Vendo machine na RICE!
Friend 10: Reloadable cards na e swipe nalang ig ride sa jeepney La! Suwayi daw...hahaha
Friend 11: Kanang foldable na chair nga naa nay umbrella, cup holder, etc! With all accessories na!
Friend 12: Instant egg! para ma eat anytime...anywhere!

Hahaha! Thank you YM-friends, I had a lot of laughs that night :D

Purple Fiasco!

2008-11-04T23:50:00.001-08:00

Our female labrador Debbie has been having flea problems for quite some time now. My mom, ever sensitive to the needs of everyone around her, could not stand Debbie's suffering itches. So she went ahead and bought a medicinal spray that guaranteed the elimination of every single inhabiting flea on a dog's body. After incessant egging from my mother to treat Debbie's fleas, my brother finally gave in and went off to spray the medicine on Debbie. Unknown to us, the spray was not your ordinary odorless, colorless aerosol. It had a color...
PURPLE!

Thus happened Debbie's purple fiasco!hehehe Pictures to follow! :D

Flowers for Algernon

2008-11-01T18:43:00.002-07:00

My Japanese teacher made us bring home a book, "Flowers for Algernon", by Daniel Keyes. It's supposed to be a classic, yet I have never heard of it. With nothing better to do after we got home from church last night, I started reading it. I just finished the book and I have to applaud the storyline. The book is in a journal-entry form that records the author's intellectual progress credited to an experimental surgery. It is so well-written that except for a few momentary lapses, you actually see the world through the eyes of Charlie Gordon. You feel his struggles, his confusion at all his newfound knowledge, and you feel his fear of being laughed at and his fear of regressing back to his original retarded state.

The parts of the story that touched me the most were the parts of the journal when Charlie innocently marked down happy events in his life when he was laughing with the people that he thought were his friends, yet was unknowingly the butt of their jokes. His simple mind did not permit him to see what was really happening, and so he saw only good in everything and everyone in his life. Sadly, attaining intelligence turned Charlie into a suspicious cynic who became angry at the world.

A must-read!

Things I Learned in College (cont...)

2008-10-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

Sad to say, I missed blogging about the second semester of my third year in college. I'm sure I had a pretty good excuse at that time, although now I can't seem to remember what it was.hehehe :D
I think it's a waste to not finish the series of 'things i learned in college' posts I started since my first year of college, more so now that I'm already in my 4th year and just have 1 year and 1 sem to go!

So here goes!
This 4th year 1st semester, I learned -

1. That right now my typing position is not ERGONOMIC. My elbows do not form a 90-degree angle, my feet actually need a foot rest so that they do not suffer from strain, and that my lumbar spine is not getting enough support!

2. That if Ma’am Dakay has a toothache, we either have no classes…or we get a relatively easier exam.

3. That OC does not only mean “Obsessive Compulsive” nor “Orange County”, it also stands for “Operating Characteristics”.

4. That I need a thicker notebook and more ballpens if ever I will be under Engr. Cabilao’s class again.hehehe (thank you diay sir for our grades!wahhhh)

5. That I need to thank the makers of Excel OM and Excel QM, because without them POM would have been a lot lot LOT harder!

6. That people sometimes go crazy during the making of case studies. ( I heard si Peter daw kay mag sayaw2x?hehehe )

7. That Peter(again), Sheng, Cinco and Jing2x prefer their rice to their viands=p

8. That if Engr. Cabilao gives out tables that you are clueless about, you SHOULD REALLY ask him about it! It’s the basis for his FINAL exam

9. That it can take as long as 45 minutes for you to travel from school to Neo Neo riding an average jeepney. Riding with Aaron however (shortcut), can eliminate at least 25 minutes waiting time.hehehe

10. Likewise, it will take you as long as 1 hour and 30 minutes to travel from Echavez to USC-TC on a very busy Tuesday on an average jeepney.

11. That Sir Gimena is also known as Sir Chbz!hehehe

12. That if…

“All girls are beautiful.”
and,

“Lea is a girl.”

Applying the rules learned in this sem’s Logic class will yield the following VALID conclusion:

“Ergo, Lea is beautiful.” Ha-ha-ha ” <---THE laugh! :D

13. That according to the speaker in the convention:

“Customer loyalty is more important than customer satisfaction. Because there will always be times when you cannot satisfy your customers…but some customers will return anyway out of LOYALTY to the company.”

14. That Ladygay is a GREAT test subject for I/O Psych

15. That walking under a midday sun from UC to USC (for fear of being stuck in traffic and ending up late for OR finals) is no mean feat! You’ll feel even WORSE when you reach school all sweaty and find out that the exam has been postponed, and won’t start for another 45 minutes! Wah!

16. That…

“More and more companies are realizing that the cost of hiring the wrong employees greatly outweigh the cost of investing in good employment screening and selection programs.” (Ni gawas jud pag finals..hehehe!)

17. That to get a BIG grade in OR lab… you have to utilize every color and hue available in MS office to beautify your tables and graphs!!!hehehe

18. That the boys in my batch are GREAT dancers! Always I wanna be with you…nananana…HARMONY HARMONY oh love…hahahah

19. That Jing2x’s burgers are lifesavers! especially on Wednesdays when we have no… as in NO… breaks!

20. That POM is super duper useful in English class where we have to make stuff up for business letters for our respective fictitious companies.

Dear Sir, Due to the use of incorrect forecasting methods, capacity was not able to meet demand…and so on…

21. That I should order the McDonalds Chicken Fillet over the standard fried chicken because I can save more…and I won’t have chicken bones to contend with.

22. That according to our Logic teacher himself: “Lingaw2x raman ning ato!”

23. That if you are stalling for time to think about your next line in a mock telephone conversation, do what Jingle and Dotz did… Sooooo…hehehehe

24. That Peter is always the only person who’s happy on exams!hahahaha

25. That an 18″ Yellow Cab Pizza, a box of Spaghetti, a plate of Calamares, a plate of Shrimp and a plateful of rice is MORE than enough for the six of us, no matter how hungry we think we are!

26. That Mango Jelly is super yummy if it is frozen overnight!

27. That when it comes to paying for our tuitions, in terms of queuing analysis, lambda is far greater than myu. This may explain why a lot of students tend to renege and balk.hehehe

28. That Sheng did a GREAT job as council president this sem!

29. That case studies get easier once you get the hang of it

30. That we’re almost there! Hopefully… 1 sem, and 1 year to go nlng peeps!

The Man Who Can't Be Moved

2008-10-29T05:12:00.000-07:00

Have you heard this song "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" by The Scripts?
This is the link to their music video in YouTube.

Going back to the corner where I first saw you,
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag I'm not gonna move,
Got some words on cardboard got your picture in my hand,
Saying if you see this girl can you tell her where I am,
Some try to hand me money they don't understand,
I'm not...broke I'm just a broken hearted man,
I know it makes no sense, but what else can I do,
How can I move on when I'm still in love with you...

Cos if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me,
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I can be,
Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet,
And you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street.

So I'm not moving...
I'm not moving.
Policeman says son you can't stay here,
I said there's someone I'm waiting for if it's a day, a month, a year,
Gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows,
If she changes her mind this is the first place she will go.

People talk about the guy
Who's waiting on a girl...
Oohoohwoo
There are no holes in his shoes
But a big hole in his world...
Hmmmm

and maybe I'll get famous as man who can't be moved,
And maybe you won't mean to but you'll see me on the news,
And you'll come running to the corner...
Cos you'll know it's just for you

I'm the man who can't be moved
I'm the man who can't be moved...

News Number 1: Presley

2008-10-28T23:46:00.001-07:00

For those who know me, I have this habit of naming my stuff.
Call me weird but I don't really think I'm the only one who does this. For one, my friend Jane does too. :)

I named my violin Kino, my phones Kane and Eloise, a stuffed toy is now known as Mrs. Clocksworth, an old NEC laptop is "The Colonel", my flash drive is Starfish and my Japanese eDictionary is Arthur.
Well now say hello to the newest member of the family....

My laptop Presley! :D I should think that I would be able to blog more frequently now with Presley. But really my laptop was bought just in the nick of time as schoolwork last semester was making my schedule sooo hectic! Presley was able to lighten at least 20% of the hassle. I love my new laptop! It's fast and I finally have all my stuff organized in one notebook. It makes everything a whole lot easier. From now on, everything blogged in my blogger will be via Presley. Whoopee! :)

I'm Back!

2008-10-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

Hello to my blogspot account! It's been a long time since I last checked up on you. Sembreak is here by the way. No, scratch that. I'm embarrassed to say that I'm in mid-sembreak yet I have not had the time to update you. To make it up to you, I'll try and write as many posts as I can between today and until we get back to school...when I'll have to take a quick leave again.

So what have I been up to lately?

XOXO

2008-10-04T03:50:00.000-07:00

"You know you love me...
XOXO
Gossip Girl "

I love the Gossip Girl scenes and clothes too much to care about what's really happening in the story. The story is not that spectacular, but I enjoy watching it anyway! :D

I love the fashion, and the elite drama, and the closeted lives each character leads...
... but wouldn't it be horrendous if someone like 'Gossip Girl' was really around? One who spies on your every move and spreads it to others?

Scary...

Ouch!

2008-07-04T02:10:00.001-07:00

Last week, my dad cut his finger.

He was soldering together a couple of electronic parts, and was so engrossed with his work, that he failed to notice that his finger had wandered over to where the blades of his mini exhaust fan were. After the incident, he sported a bloody finger and a chipped nail!

Funny how I always see my dad as someone invincible and impenetrible. It's quite shaking to see him get hurt and see that he is still human, who bleeds and feels pain. I am so used to my parents caring for me when I'm hurt that I don't quite know how to react when the tables are turned. . .

Do all children feel like this?

The Evolution of my Phone

2008-05-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Last night I was texting fervently from both my Globe and Sun phones and then it hit me how much the phones I used back then and the phones I’m using now have changed. I know this gets said a lot, but I’ll say it again anyway.

"Technology is really something!"

I made up my mind to “pay tribute” to my old phones that I’ve eventually left for newer models, yet never had the heart to fully discard. Each of my phones tells a story. From my very first, very big mobile phone, down to the one I am currently using.

So this post will be all about my attempt to help you understand the Lamarckism of my mobile phones. Hehehe :D

Though cellphones were already widely used by the time I was in the fifth grade, I wasn’t allowed to have one because my parents believed it was more of a luxury rather than a necessity. And no matter how much I argued my point that if I had a cellphone they could contact me easier, I could not find a suitable argument to the fact that I hardly needed to be contacted since I was sent and fetched everywhere I went.

Phone #1:

One summer when I had just graduated from the Sixth grade (Yes, I still had no phone at that time), relatives from my mother’s side of the family came to visit. They stayed at our house for about two weeks. One of my aunts owned a Bosch cellphone that she permitted me and my sister to use during her stay here. We texted and miscalled and explored every feature it had in that glorious two weeks. Before we knew it, my relatives were going home. And guess what? My aunt decided that the phone could stay. So that was my very first phone --- which I shared with my sister. She got to bring it to school of course. And I got to bring it on special occasions (my birthday). Hahaha, I know, I know. Loser. :D

My sister was eventually given a Nokia 3310 by my parents when they themselves finally had to admit that a cellphone was also quite useful to us kids. So I now had full access to the Bosch phone.

I forwarded quotes to people on my phonebook, miscalled my friends, used it as my alarm, and carried it around proudly wherever I went with its noticeable antenna sticking out. At around this time, more and more Nokia phones were already emerging with new and better features. Suddenly I wanted a new phone.

Phone #2

I struck a deal with my dad. If I make it through the first year of high school at the top of my class, he would give me the phone of my choice. You would not have guessed how hard I worked during that school year. I studied and strived and solved just so I could get what I wanted. And the phone was indeed a good motivation for I did emerge on top of my class. When I got the news that I had succeeded in this almost impossible feat (considering that Ralph the boy genius was my classmate), I was literally white with disbelief. That summer, I got a Nokia 3350. You can imagine how I treasured that phone considering how hard I worked to get it. I bought it lots of casings and even bought it the latest craze at that time which was an anti-radiation device! After three and a half years, my Nokia 3350 started behaving strangely. It started to have a mind of its own. It turned off without me asking it to, its keypads were no longer working, its LCD starts blinking in the middle of the night, and the mouthpiece no longer worked. This time my dad agreed I deserved a new phone.

Phone #3:

Say hello to phone # 3! Colored phones were coming out and I really did want one. I didn’t mention this though thinking that this was too much to ask since colored phones were a little expensive at that time. But during Christmas of that year I received a gift from my parents. I unwrapped the gift to reveal a Nokia 3350 box. I thought they had gone out and bought me the same phone model! Much to my shock, I opened the box to see a different phone… a Sony Ericsson T610i! I had a colored phone! And...it had a 1.2 Megapixel camera, which was already big news at that era.

As you can observe from the picture, my third phone has minimal scratches despite its years. This is because by this time, I had grown up and had learned to take better care of my things. I loved my T610i so much that I invested hundreds of pesos to buy it crystal covers for protection. I did not mind that it made the phone bulky, just as long as my T610i was covered and protected from any damage.

I am still currently using my T610i as my Sun phone. It has now been with me for five years and it's still very much functional.

Phone # 4

I still do not know how I was able to swindle my parents out of a few pesos to buy me my fourth phone. My fourth phone is the phone I am currently using for my Globe sim. I saw it in the Internet when I was looking up Sony's newer phone models. My fourth phone is a Sony Ericsson K800i. I got it for my birthday last year and now it has totally become an integral part of my life. It still looks new, because again I have been investing much in protecting it from scratches and any other possible damages. I love its sleek look and I love its features!

It's becoming easier and easier to replace phones nowadays. Unlike before when phones were so expensive and when there were still few models available. But I don't think I will ever discard any one of my phones. They have so much memories attached to them. The things that happened when I was still using those phones, the people I texted with and called on using those phones, and everything else that I am able to remember just by looking at them.

Nobody throws away memories, and I'm definitely not letting go of any of my phones. Irregardless of how scratched, gashed, damaged and dysfunctional they may be. . . :)

Twilight

2008-05-28T01:22:00.000-07:00

I have just read the first of the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer and I am in love!
...with the characters. hehehe

I am happy at the character of Isabella Swan, who like any ordinary girl, is beset with insecurities and flaws. She is one of the few heroines in books who was not described by the author to be inhumanely beautiful. She may even border on being a very awkward teenager.
I loved the way Edward Cullen was described by Isabella to be one who possessed unworldly looks. You see, I sympathize with how Bella viewed herself as someone who was not even worthy of a glance from someone as gorgeous(?) as Edward. But I also loved the way she described Edward to be someone who was utterly good-looking. Because in my opinion, if you get attracted to someone, you will most probably end up describing him as ethereal and heavenly as how Bella described Edward. Awww... :)

I was very much enraptured at how the story unfolded. The book was written so well that it makes you feel like you really know the characters...and I am not exaggerating even a bit!
I love its vampire-meets-human love of his life plot, and I thoroughly enjoyed Edward's inner struggles with his human and vampire self.

I didn't really have the book since I never got the chance to go to National Bookstore due to the messy enrollment transition from ARIS to ISIS, so I settled for the e-book. I haven't attempted to read an e-book again since the last Harry Potter book (which I couldn't afford) because of the bad migraine I experienced right after. But the book was just so captivating that I ended up reading it till the very last page... and then getting my expected migraine last night. So to anyone who's reading, one of my gift wishes for this Christmas would be the Twilight series. (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse) ---- My very own paperbacks that I can read over and over again whenever I feel like it. hehehe :D

And one more exciting news still very much related to my happy new find! They are making a MOVIE from the book! Twilight will be showing in theaters early December of this year. I am definitely watching! Look the trailer up in Google or something to get you as hyped as I probably am right now.

Oh, and I'll share with everyone where I was able to read the e-book.
http://www.scribd.com/word/full/2960662?access_key=key-19ybf7qgu7aca9ptovkj

You'll find "New Moon" and "Eclipse" on that same site. I'll be starting "New Moon" tonight and brace myself for another bout of heavy migraines. hehehe.
Happy reading everyone! :)

Good People Still DO Exist

2008-05-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

May 24, 2008
Papa was picking us up from Japanese class. So there we were in the car, and it was raining so hard that you could hardly see the road even if the windshield wipers were already working double time. Just when we were so near home, the car suddenly lurched over to one side. The car had fallen into a ditch that my dad had failed to see because it was full of water that the downpour had caused. No matter how hard my dad revved the engine, it was just no use. We were stuck in it too deeply. After several other attempts and failed shots at trying to get the car out, dad eventually decided that it was time to concede and call my mom to ask her to send us a tow truck.

So there we were.
Waiting, waiting, waiting...
Cars, jeepneys, and people were passing by and giving us curious looks. They glanced at us sympathetically, and went on their way.

Then there was this guy from a house across the spot where we were stranded in. He ran towards us and offered his sympathy, and would you believe...his help. He helped my dad prop up small rocks to guide the car to break free from the ditch, and even volunteered to help push the car free as my dad gunned the accelerator. Of course he wouldn't be able to accomplish this on his own, the car was just too heavy, and was buried way too deeply. And he actually didn't do it alone. Because about five minutes later a guy on bike stopped and helped, and a guy on a motorbike did too.
Would you believe, that after several propped rocks and several pushes and accelerations later, the car eventually came free.

Quickly calling my mom to cancel the towing services, we watched as our three good Samaritans each went their own way. Profusely thanking them was really not enough, I wished we could have done and said more. But they actually did not mind. They waved away our gratitude and exclaimed that they were happy to help.

Suddenly, I realized that with everything that has been happening in our country and in this world, there are still good people worth believing in.
And that strangely, there is still hope for this crime-infested and corrupted world we live in... :)

Bee in My Bonnet

2008-05-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

I heard this from the movie "Akeelah and the Bee" which I saw the other night. And somehow it stuck in my head because of the message it was trying to convey. So I looked it up. And I just wanted to share it:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?
You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of God that lives in us. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others."

- Marianne Williamson in Return to Love: Reflections on a Course in Miracles

Pillars of the Earth

2008-05-05T23:52:00.000-07:00

So one night last week I was watching a rerun of the Oprah show, and they were talking about some of the greatest love stories you've ever heard. Let me share two of those stories that have touched me so much that I actually made a post in my blog for it.haha :D

Love Story # 1

Years ago, a Polish boy and his family were taken by the Nazis from their country and sent to a concentration camp in Germany. At that time, the young boy who went by the name Herman, was still 12 years old. At the concentration camp, Herman worked alonside others shoveling bodies into a crematorium. Of course, in the course of shoveling, one would also have to think if perhaps next time it would be HIS body being shoveled. (wah..)

When he was 14 years old and still staying at the same concentration camp, Herman happened to walk towards a fence where he saw a little girl about his age on the other side. He begged her for something to eat, and she gave him an apple out of her pocket. From that day on, the girl gave Herman an apple everyday for seven straight months.

One day Herman found out he was to be transferred to another camp. He told the girl not to come see him anymore as that may be his last day there. That day, both of them cried at the thought that this was the last time they were ever going to see each other.

Herman was shipped off to Czechoslovakia and was able to evade being put to death by the timely intervention of the Russian troops who liberated the camp.

Fast forward 15 years later, and Herman is in New York on a blind date his friend had fixed up. The girl he was set up with was named Roma. They had a good time talking until they got to the subject of where each other had been during World War II. They found out shockingly that Roma had been the girl throwing Herman an apple everyday for seven months.

Let me quote to you Herman's exact words during his interview with Oprah. He said:

"Well, what can I tell you? I proposed right then and there... I said, 'Look, I'll never let you go anymore. … Now that we're free we're going to be together forever.'"

Herman and Roma have now been married for almost 50 years. And Oprah's very words to describe them was, "You have become the beautiful metaphor for what love can be, for endurance, and fate and destiny."

All together now...

AAAaaaawwwww... =,)

Herman and Roma after 50 years of marriage

Love Story # 2

This is the love story of a 67-year old man named Moti. Many years ago when Moti was still 17 and was living in Israel, he came across a picture of a beautiful woman named Ronit. When he saw her picture, he said that there was something about her eyes that just blew him away, and he felt an instant connection to her. Moti eventually moved on with life, and succeeded in his dreams, but he said that Ronit was always there at the back of his mind. Moti got married, had children, but he never forgot Ronit. He felt that she was always there somewhere deep in his heart. I think at this point in the story Moti's wife had died and Moti thought that he had nothing to lose and would want to try and give love a chance. He had dreamed of this girl for so long and he felt that he needed to try. So he asked around and eventually got her phone number.

I'm at a loss for words on how to tell this so I'll give you their exact words from the interview which I found on a website...

"I heard about this guy that was interested in calling me who has been in love with me for many, many years," Ronit says. "Since I'm a romantic, I decided I would give it a chance to see what comes up."

What do you say to someone who you've loved for years but never met? "I called her, [and] I said, 'You've been in my heart 40 years. I believe we are soul mates, and I believe we might be husband and wife someday,'" Moti says.

The first time Moti called, Ronit says they talked for a long time. "He sounded very positive and [he had] wonderful energy," she says. "I told him on the phone, 'Moti, I am almost 60 years old. I'm a grandmother of eight. Don't expect this 18-year-old to come down the runway.' Moti said, 'I know you. I know you from the age of 18. I know these eyes and I know you. I am waiting for you.'"

A year and a half after their first meeting, Moti and Ronit were married.

What Ronit has to say: "For sure we are soul mates, we are like two 16-year-olds starting all over again. Moti loves everything about me, and he makes me feel like a real beauty queen inside out and outside in."
What Moti has to say: "I had a vision of having her eventually and really connecting with her in a soulful love, but nobody's really sure about this. You have a dream, and you try. You go for it."

What I have to say: "Good thing you went for it" :)

Moti and Ronit (the girl Moti has been dreaming of for four decades)

Why is the title of this post "Pillars of the Earth"? Well, because Oprah advertised it during the show together with "Love in the Time of Cholera". Pillars of the Earth is a love story by Ken Follett which unfortunately, National Bookstore and Powerbooks has run out of. Sigh... Guess I'll have to wait for 2 weeks beofre the next shipment comes. Till then, I'll settle for soap operas! hahaha :D

I NOW KNOW what I want as a job

2008-04-15T04:22:00.000-07:00

... and it's not having to sit alone all day long typing.

Don't get me wrong, I love my summer job. Thinking, clicking, typing, sending. I mean it's basically okay, I'm not really that choosy about jobs. But I do see room for improvement in this kind of job. Say...
A person on another computer, doing the same job, within talking distance of me. haha :D
See? Wouldn't it be nice if I had a "jobmate"?or jobmateS is even better! I need someone to talk to so I can coax my brain to come up with more words so that the descriptions I'm typing won't all end up sounding the same. Because at the end of the day, even if I am providing descriptions for different companies... It's all still monotonous work. :(

So back to the title...
YES! I do NOW know what I want to be doing when I get a degree and get a job.
I want a job that involves people!
Meeting people,
Shaking hands with people,
Talking to people,
Drinking coffee with people,
Making friends with new people,
... you get my point. :)

Though some alone time wouldn't hurt, too much alone time is also too much to handle. I want to be alone when I want to think, when I'm reading, when I'm studying, or when I just feel like being alone. But I want company when I'm watching a funny show, eating, talking(duh!), or when I simply need someone to be with.
I think a lot of people will agree with me on this.

Anyway, I have news, but I'll reserve that for my next blog... tomorowwwww. :D
Goodnight dear readers. :)
xoxo

Saturday night...

2008-04-05T05:19:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday night and I'm home typing away company description after company description, when I had the sudden urge to write a blog. . .

Wala lang, just wondering...

Five years from now, on a Saturday night similar to this one,

Where will I be?
What will I be doing?
Who will I be with?
Will I look the same?
Will I have the same friends?
Will I have more internet accounts?
Will I be as happy as I am now?
Whose computer will I be using?
Will I be earning enough money?
Will I even BE earning?
Which countries have I already gone to?
Will my hair look the same?
Will I have a new favorite color?
Will I love milk by then?
Will I still have the same mobile numbers?
Will I still be wearing a mouthguard?
Will I still sleep in pajamas?
Will I still need my hotdog pillows?
Will I still watch cartoons?
Will I still swoon over the same matinee idols?
Will my perceptions in life remain unchanged?
Will I gain vices?
Will I love the same songs?
The same movies?
Will I still love dimsum?
Will I have no regrets?

Hahaha! What the...
I think I've been typing too many company descriptions, I need a break. :D

The Fear You Won't Fall (Joshua Radin)

2008-04-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Digging a hole and the walls are caving in
Behind me air's getting thin but I'm trying
I'm breathing in
Come find me
It hasn't felt like this before
It hasn't felt like home before you
And I know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel
This way
And I miss you more than I should
Than I thought I could
Can't get my mind off of you
I know you're scared that I'll soon be over it
That's part of it all
Part of the beauty of falling in love with you
is the fear you won't fall
It hasn't felt like this before
It hasn't felt like home before you
And I know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel
This way
And I miss you more than I should than I thought I could
Can't get my mind off of you
And I hate the phone
But I wish you'd call
Thought being alone
Was better than was better than
And I know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel this way
And I miss you more than I should
Than I thought I could
Can't get my mind off of you
Can't get my mind off of you
And I know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel
This way
And I miss you more than I should
Than I thought I could
Can't get my mind off of you

A Review Spurred by Boredom

2008-03-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

While trying to figure out how to pass the time while waiting for my callback from Starbucks...

Ging2x's Top Books:

1. Sweet Valley Series
- My first novels. Perfect for young readers who have huge book budgets. Because you will want to collect as many books in the series as you can. They offer a wide selection for their varied readers.
(Sweet Valley Kids; High; Saga; etc)
Sadly, my entire Sweet Valley collection was given away. :(
If I remember correctly, my first ever paperback was a Sweet Valley High book "Booster Boycott". :D

2. Clearwater Crossing Series
- Involves numerous touching moments among a group of friends you'll wish you were part of. Ideal for meager book budgets as the series does not involve a huge collection. I'm a big fan of the Jesse-Melanie love story.
I lack only 5 more books from the collection!!! :D

3. Five Geese Flying
- Involves a lovely European setting that tackles family, love for countrymen, love for God and a beautiful love story. At the end of the book, you'll find yourself capable of at least ten French words...hehehe
Aside from that, the book is very valuable to me because of Melody and EE's birthday message for me on the front cover. :)

4. The Da Vinci Code
- The controversial Da Vinci Code, but several parts of the book are missing in the movie. And for those who have read the book and like me have never been to Europe, the movie was a great follow-up for my imagination! :)
Someday, I will stand on the exact spot where Jacques Saunière was murdered (hehehe) :D

5. Angels and Demons
- an even more exciting and exhilarating Dan Brown book, and a very unexpected ending!
I never thought _____ was behind it all!

6. Digital Fortress
- Perfect for computer geeks. Another Dan Brown masterpiece!

7. Judith McNaught books (Whitney, My Love; A Kingdom of Dreams; Once and Always; Every Breath You Take)
- Lovely settings and wonderful heroines! Judith McNaught books are really worth buying as you cannot help but read these beautiful love stories over and over again. You fall in love with the story, and with its characters as well. I'm still so thankful to Carol for introducing me to her books.
To date, I still consider McNaught's "Whitney, My Love" her best work! :)

8. Shakespeare Stealer
- An amazing literary work that involves the competition and treachery of the theatres long ago during the days of Shakespeare. I didn't know it was that intense.

9. The Five People You Meet In Heaven
- Unexpected but touching. Makes you wonder who could possibly be your own five people in heaven. . . And mortified at the thought that in my lifetime, I could possibly be responsible for the death of my own Blue Man.

10. The Bridges of Madison County
- From my mom's old collection. A love that can never be, but one that stayed with them for the rest of their lives. Awww :)

11. The Secret Garden
- A seemingly impossible girl and a house full of secrets. There were parts in the book that were a bit dragging, but I loved it still. :)

12. Hillary Rodham Clinton : Living History
- Inspriring! Makes me want to read Obama's autobiography for comparison. :D

13. The Harry Potter Series
- Very expensive! But very worth it...
The movies can never compare to their printed counterparts. I have my own softbound copies until Book 5, but had to settle reading eBooks for Books 6 and 7. It's amazing how Rowling can come up with these plots and characters!

14. The Butter Did It
- One of my best finds ever! It cost me only 39 pesos at a book sale back in High School when I used to go to old bookstores downtown when school let out early.
A beautiful Washington setting, with a food critic as the heroine. The book tells of a chef's murder, and dishes described exquisitely by the writer that always ends up making me hungry. :/

15. True Believer
- The mystery behind strange lights in the cemetery of an old ghost town. The journalist investigating the lights ends up falling for the local librarian. Wonderful how he was able to leave everything for her! :)
I want to have this book's sequel..."At First Sight", which supposedly continues the same couple's love story, plus another important character's supposed psychic abilities..
'Till my next trip to Natio...hehehe :D

16. The Reader's Digest Book of Strange Stories and Amazing Facts
- This time its from my dad's book collection of which the Reader's Digest collections is dominant. But this particular hardbound copy is by far the most interesting! It is a very thick book with stories such as Nostradamus' predictions, the scariest places on Earth, the most eccentric people that ever lived, and stories of famous serial killers and mysteries left unsolved.
My particular favorite text in this book is the Lincoln-Kennedy connection and the 'moving coffins' story. :D

17. Agatha Christie Mysteries (The Collection)
- In true Agatha Christie fashion, Christie is always one step ahead of you and you can never seem to predict the true culprits!

Come on Starbucks, call me now...
Or I may end up writing a review on coffee. hehehe :D

Bananas

2008-03-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

IE Week, Major exams, booths, projects, ...and I had to catch Amoebiasis. :\
I do not really know where I got it, but I would have to surmise that it's either:
1. The drinking fountain - with its rusty pipes.
2. Siomai-yan - rumored to be so dirty yet ... siomai is siomai. :D
3. The Vanilla Ice Cream we were sharing
4. Utensils in the canteen
5. Water refilling station
6. Contamination by an unsuspected amoeba-carrying person! ...
Of course, there are several other possible causes. I'm just stating the more blame-able ones. :)

So again, back to the top of this post, just when I thought I needed more than 24 hours each day to get everything I had to do done, I land myself in the hospital... Helplessly tied to a dextrose! :\
I could not possibly relax in my room all the while thinking the mountain of work and studying I would have waiting for me once I got out!

Looking at my dextrose made me remember that dextrose tubes are made from special Polyvinyl Chloride (discussed during our Industrial Processes study of the plastic industry), which in turn made me think of my IP subject and made me realize I had to study for three industries for the following week! (Wah, nerdy na kau ko paminawn... )

This was my special diet during my stay there... Full, low fat diet, no milk and milk products + 1 banana per meal Ugghh... I may never drink Gatorade with bananas ever again! :\

Not only does staying in the hospital make you feel helpless and useless, it makes you... BORED :( I had pretty much watched all the sitcoms of VELVET during morning, and watched all of them again during the afternoon. In between this, I was switching channels to tune in to the news ( at the insistence of my mom) who wanted to know what was happening at the Interfaith Rally in Makati that day. But I really was thankful for the wonderful family and friends who visited... Awww... :)

Special mention to:
Aaron and Jane - who brought me IE320 notes, were there during my de-dextrosing (napami video.haha!), and were STILL there when the doctor said I could finally go home,
WHOOPEE! Napami pictures! haha

Hia Ryan (and friends) - who insisted on visiting even when I said AYAW kay wa koy ligo!hmph.. But then ahia had brought his laptop and let me see my shots from the IE Week Opening which I never got around to seeing due to my amoeba-related absence in school. :D

Dave, Uncle Tommy, sgeee si Ian nalang sad... =p ...bsta tnan! :) Hey, I lost my name tag pic :(
Oh well, bananas anyone? :D

Awww...

2008-01-03T23:26:00.000-08:00

You might want to have a look and see our adorable puppies. :D
On October 25, 2007
the world welcomed:
Albus, Athena, Amethyst, Apricot, Andie, Achilles, Alpha and Adam of Grand Oak!

Sadly, after a few weeks, we found out that the milk Debbie was feeding her brood was poisonous, and so our little pups soon suffered from a serious illness due to sour milk. It was during this time that Amethyst and Apricot died. Fortunately, we were able to save the rest of the puppies.

Soon after, when the puppies were weaned, we found them nice people who would care for them and give them nice homes.

* Andie went first when she was bought by a friend of the stud's owner.

* Alpha followed suit when a friendly lawyer bought her from us.

* We brought Athena to Pampanga on our Christmas vacation where she is now staying under the loving care of my uncle. (Who has jokingly promised to make Athena a bomb-sniffing lab)

* And on January 2, we sold Adam and Achilles to a pet shop.

Albus, as you may notice, remains with us. :D

>>>>> Here are the puppies as of two months, taken by Xtin's phone.

My Friend the Winner

2007-11-27T14:56:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated entirely to a friend of mine who has been through a lot, but still emerged victorious over all the challenges thrown her way...

I have a friend. All throughout this post, I will be referring to her as "Monica" after her favorite F.R.I.E.N.D.S character Monica Gellar. Like the original Monica Gellar, this Monica is just as obsessive about how clean and organized her things, as well as her life has to be.

I met Monica during my first year of college. We were both IE freshmen and at that time, making friends and exploring college life seemed to be at the top of our young minds' list of priorities. She started attending classes in the middle of the first week of the start of the semester. By then, we were already hanging out in groups and had gotten to know most of our classmates pretty well. To our surprise, Monica started hanging out with US! She looked snobbish and stuck up and looked like she didn't enjoy spending time engaging in the niceties of getting to know other people.

To cut the long story short, Monica proved that first impressions indeed often prove to be false. Monica and I became not just friends, but she actualy turned out to be one of the BEST friends I had. Monica was direct, sensitive, understanding, caring and sincere in everything that she did. She was frank, but her frankness meant well, and she was almost always right. This could have been the perfect ending for a story. Except.... I haven't even started yet!

At a very young age, Monica's parents separated. She lived with her mom, as did her brothers and sister. Not long after, her father died from a severe illness and it seemed for her that from then on, she had only her mom to call her parent. Monica grew up to be a smart and wonderful woman! She had a loyal group of friends in high school, she graduated as the batch's valedictorian, and she even had a wonderful boyfriend who adored her as much as she adored him.

But no love life is perfect, and hers wasn't an exception. Monica soon found out that "boyfriend" was having an affair with another girl, and even courting another one. She broke up with him after confirming the stories were true and the couple who everyone thought would make it till forever ended up broken. At this same time, Monica had just shifted from IE to Pharma, and she bore the pressure of catching up with her batchmates and the pain of a love lost. In our third year of college, we soon found out that Monica and boyfriend were once again together. Given how long they had been together, it may have been stupid not to give it another try. (Especially since boyfriend had supposedly realized the error of his ways.) By the second semester, they had broken up again. And just as easiliy as changing his shirt, boyfriend had once again replaced my friend for another girl.

Why am I writing this blog? Because Monica and I just saw each other at the Rigney Hall where the Pharma peeps were having their Recognition Day. Turns out, Monica is number ONE in their Dean's list! Aside from that, she will be flying along with two others to Manila to represent the school in a quizbowl against the top schools of the Philippines.

I am so proud of her!

P.S. Aside from naming two rabbits(who they will be using as experimental animals in the lab) after her ex and his current beau, Monica harbors no ill feelings. HEHEHE

The Wedding Survey

2007-11-22T17:47:00.000-08:00

This is a survey about your dream
wedding, whether it be in the next or
after ten years. So, please answer
after you read, the person who
answered this before you took a great
deal of effort. This is going to be
fun.

1. How old are you?
-- I'm 19.

2 .Are you single or in a relationship?
-- I'm very much single. ;-)

3 . In what age do you think you’ll get
married?
- - It will probably be between 25 and 28. HAHA

4. Do you think you’ll be marrying the
person you are with now?
-- Who? :D

5 . If not, who do you want to marry?
-- I don't know yet........................

6 . Do you want a garden/beach wedding,
or the traditional church wedding?
-- I want the traditional church wedding :)

7. Where do you want to get married?
-- in any church in my hometown...

8 . Where do you plan to go on a
honeymoon?
- - 1. Paris 2. Hong Kong 3. Singapore

9 . How many guests do you think you’ll
invite?
-- If pwede, everyone I know! But with budget constraint, I'll settle for my family and closest friends.. and my husband's family and friends of course. :)

10 . Do you want an extravagant
wedding or a simple wedding?
-- Doesn't matter... :) but I WILL be splurging on a wonderful photographer who HAS TO produce many beautiful pictures of our wedding day :D

11 . Do you want the traditional vows
or something you’d make up on your own?
-- the traditional vows.
HINT to future husband : I'd like to hear one you make especially for me though ;-)

12 . How many layer of cake do you
want to have?
-- I don't know. Again, depends on the budget.

13 . Do you prefer having your
reception at a hotel or at a simple
place?
-- I have to think about that...

14 . When do you want to get married,
evening or morning?
-- Morning. :)

15 . You’d rather have your reception
outdoor s or indoors?
-- I'd want it outdoors if I'm sure it won't rain. But let's have it indoors to be safe :D

16 . Do you like a grand entrance?
(for girls)
-- I'd like to say no... but it's OUR day! so... YES :D

17. How do you like your bride enter?
(for boys)
-- I'll remember to ask him when I finally meet him.HAHA

18 . Name the song/tune you’d like
played at your wedding.
-- Canon man to sauna!!!! but it became so common during weddings...so I changed my mind.hehehe. We'll see... :)

19 . Are you a morning person or a
night person?
-- Morning and Night :D haha

20. Do you want a solemn ceremony
or a light one?
-- Solemn...

21 . What age do you want to
get married ?
-- Didn't I already answer this? :)

22 . Describe your ideal husband/wife
-- one who'll love me as much as I will probably love him, and someone who can be my best friend and trust me enough to be his. :)
BIG BONUS if I can make him laugh as much as he can probably make me smile. heheheh @"@

23 . Do u prefer fine dining or just
the normal spoon & fork?
-- doesn't really matter

24 . Champagne or red wine?
-- depende, I have to check the menu first to see what goes well with the rest of the food. :)

25 . Honeymoon right after the wedding
or days after the wedding?
-- Right after. :D

26. Money or household
appliances/things?
-- We accept cash!hehe but I do love unwrapping gifts :D

27 . Who will pay for the bills?
-- sabuton pa!hahaha

28 . Are you ready for married life?
-- NOPE, nalingaw lang kog answer.haha

Repost as “The Wedding Survey"

Funny!

2007-11-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

I just had the rubber bands of my braces changed last week. I had powder blue braces which I loved so much! They made my teeth look super white and they did not clash with anything I wore (which is an important thing to consider when choosing your rubber band's color.HAHAHA)

Last Monday, one of my aunts came to Cebu. My dad wanted to show her his NEW favorite restaurant where we have been frequently eating in ever since he discovered that they serve food without MSG.

So there we were at Persian Palate... Eating... Talking... Laughing... Eating again...
And suddenly,

Lloyd: (to achi) Chi, unsay color sa braces ni Ging2x? Dba blue man to?
Achi: O, nganu man?
Lloyd: (pointing to my teeth) Green na lagi...

I borrowed a mirror from my mom, and apparently my very observant brother was right... Maybe because of all my curry intake in Persian, it somehow mixed with my pretty blue elastics.
Yellow (curry) + powder blue, somehow turned my rubber bands into a horrible shade of GREEN!

Sadly, no matter how hard and how much I brushed my teeth when I got home, it stayed green.

Oh well...
Next month, I'm still choosing the powder blue color.
And I'm not eating curry until I've fully enjoyed its blue color.
Till then, I have to live with green for 3 more weeks. . .
HAHAHA.. funny

3rd year, 1st sem

2007-10-15T04:39:00.000-07:00

Funny how time seems to fly by so slowly whenever we're waiting for the sembreak to arrive. . . The days that led to this much-awaited vacation seemed to drag on and on and on.... and ONNNNNNN.... hehe :D

But anyway, the sem is over, so here i am...blogging once more! :)

The 1st Semester of my 3rd year of College has certainly been the MOST tiring and MOST stressful sem so far...
Advanced Math, Advanced Stat, Mechanics and MatSci..wahhhh
This is now PART III of my "Things I Learned In College" blog! :D

This 3rd Year 1st Sem, I learned:
1. That Engr. Melchor rarely fails to give out homeworks. According to Dulce who started counting all of our homeworks from Day 1, the official count until the last homework Sir gave us was "Homework Number 30" !

2. That at 5% level of significance, there is sufficient evidence that Peter Cuizon is indeed an outlier from the rest of the class.
Where: n=the whole class,
with degree of freedom, n-1.hehehe :D

3. That there still exists teachers like Engr. Sanchez who gives the best, and easiest set of exams. Hence, our high grades in Thermodynamics.That and the fact that he makes up excuses just to give plus points to the class.
Sir: You are all present, plus 20 to the whole class!

4. That according to Sir Yap's words of wisdom:
"I'm going to tell you guys the fastest way to get rich!
For the girls, I advise you to marry rich, and fall in love later.
For you boys, I'm telling you to go panguyab na the nursing students who will soon be getting out of the country and earning dollars!"
HAHAHA..

5. Not to go home alone at night lest you end up with an oversized ankle. :D

6. That 40% of our daily allowance is being used for photocopying notes for Stat, MatSci, Accounting, the answer key of the Mechanics book, Peter's solutions for Advanced Math, and as reporters' handouts and test papers for Economics.

7.That being part of the enrollment staff is sooo cool! You get to enroll yourself before everyone else, which means you get to be advised and encoded at ease. Best of all... You don't have to fall in line! :D
* hello to partner-in-crime Sheng! :)

8. That it is possible for us to get a correct answer in our Advanced Math exams even if we get the solution wrong, considering the fact that after a semester of Mam Fuentes' gruelling class, we can now memorize the questions, their answers, and even the corresponding graphs of the problems in Spiegel and Rainville.wahaha

9. That the happiest day of our 3rd year 1st Sem lives was that one Tuesday when we saw the post that said we had no class in Accounting AND IeElec Lec! Ahhhh... :D

10. That the most cooperative times of our lives is during MWF's on the break before Economics class, where certain three different people each week give out what the rest of the class wants to know. *wink wink*
HAHAHHA :D

11. (cont. from #10) That ma buking jd ta ba when Sir checks the final exam, and wonder why we get low grades on exams he makes, and perfect in exams that reporters of the week make. :D

12. That I have three jeepney buddies, plus one CR buddy! hahahaha

13. That "peteranswers" is a hoax! And that Philip is the best actor, because he was able to deliver his peteranswers testimony without once smiling and giving himself away. Idol Philip!hahaha

14. FD's spaghetti is still the best, though Kawin's tacos and Jane's softbatch are competing closely. And so is Mama's breadpan. :D

15. That in our Advanced Math class, and applicable in all classes handled by Mam Fuentes only... "fi" is equal to "pi" and is equal to 3.14159265358979323846... :D

16. That I don't need to buy the very large and very stuffed pizza in Sbarro. They offer a white cheese pizza which is considerably cheaper than the stuffed one. You just have to buy their tomato sauce which they sell for 22 pesos... Then you mix! Ahhh..lami na au!hehehe :D (wa lang, just had to tell you guys.hehehe)

17. That Sir Gimena and Cinco make the cutest loveteam.HEHEHEHEHE.

18. That the most difficult times are when we have seatworks in Advanced Math and there are only minimal problems to choose from, and you have to make sure you don't pick the same number with the person sitting at you back, your left, your right, and your diagonals, or it's minus 50%.WAHHHHH!

19. To drive an automatic car, and I have the video in FD's phone to prove it. Thank you Jane for letting me try and drive. :)

20. To always check my phone in case my brother (now in first yr college..uuyyy.haha) again leaves his keys inside our locker and texts me to open it so he can take his books out!

21. That siomai at Ricardo's is cheap if they are celebrating their anniversary!!! :)

22. All the hotkeys of Microsoft! ...memorized in alphabetical order.wahahaha

23. That Accounting tests are the most exhuasting, Stat tests are the most rare, Advanced math tests are the most pressuring, Economics tests are the most tricky, Mechanics tests need the most analysis, and MatSci tests are the tests we pass only if we are LUCKY enough to pick the right schedule that holds the easy set of the exam. :(

24. That if you have no idea how you are going to solve the figure in your Mechanics exam, you just have to draw the trusses and the hinges artistically and solve one Moment, and Sir will pity you and grace you with a few mercy points.heheheh :D

25. Lastly, that Tuesday is the best day of the week because we have a three-hour break, AND are dismissed by 1:30! :)

1st Sem is over, next sem na sad!
No kidding, pas2x jud ang time bsta vacation.wah! See you guys enrollment! :)

Look into my eyes

2007-09-25T04:48:00.000-07:00

Lea's pupils are currently dilated, and as a result, my vision is very much blurred! hahaha
I just cannot pass up this chance to blog about this on the spot. So here I am, blogging, even if I'm having a very hard time actually seeing what I'm typing. :D

Man, those dilating drops sting!

The doctor's assistant said that the blurriness eventually wears off after six hours, so I'll have to check this blog at around 11:30pm to see if I typed stuff right. :D

I can't text, I can't type and I definitely can't read... I guess I'll go to bed early tonight.

Yaaaawwwnnn.. Goodnight world! I'll see you again in about three hours! :)

=c

2007-09-17T02:49:00.000-07:00

We (Maurice and I), visited Sian Si Sedi in the hospital today. According to Maurice, the doctor is giving her only six months more...and this happens to be her second month. But she's deteriorating so fast. Even now, she can't eat, and she can't even talk. I wish we had visited her earlier. :(

She tried to talk, but she couldn't. She signaled us to sing a couple of her favorite songs we used to practice singing with her during High School. And while we sang, she smiled...just like she always used to smile to encourage us during practices and performances.

And though no words were spoken, her firm grip on my hand said it all. I love you too Se, and I'll sing ALL your favorite songs, even the karaan ones if it means getting you well again. :(

Sorry for the short post, I have to study. Arrgghh

Please pray for my Sian Si

UPDATE
Last October 9,2007 at 7:24pm; I received a text:
"SHIRLEY Sian just passed away this noon, 1 plus"

The six months the doctor promised for my Sian Si was apparently an overestimate.
My Sian Si passed away even before she could hear the cd we made for her... She passes away a week after we promised we'd visit her again soon but never got the chance to go back...
I hope she was able to hear the things we said to her during her funeral, so hopefully she'll know just HOW MUCH she meant to us.
My only consolation is...the week before she died..I got to kiss my sian si goodbye...

Goodbye seh, I will never forget you...

Puppies! =D

2007-09-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since Debbie has "mated" with Tag.

Debbie's taking a vain pic of herself :D

Lately it seems as if she has been losing her appetite.
Her tail has not been wagging as frequently as it used to, and her ears even seem a little droopy. We know that it would probably take a month to be sure. . . But you can't expect us to wait that long.

Could it be possible that she is suffering from symptoms of pregnancy ??? :D
. . . or are we being overly excited in presuming that we'll be having puppies in two months' time?

I can't wait!!!!

To Japan. . . or NOT?!

2007-08-31T06:42:00.000-07:00

I really did not expect that my scholarship application would go this far. I complied with all the requirements and sent my application thinking (HONESTLY!) that my records were not impressive enough for them to even give my application a second glance. Don't you have to be like a super genius to get into these kinds of scholarships?

Two months have passed since I supposedly (and luckily) passed the written exam. The other day, I got an email from the embassy asking me to call and Yes, by some miracle, I was told that I had also passed the interview and that they were now processing my papers to be sent to Tokyo.
To make the long story short, I have only to wait for the first week of January for that phone call which may mean that I may be flying to Japan this April.

At first when all was uncertain, I was super excited at the idea of studying there, but now that the dream is within reach... I'm not so sure anymore :(

So...

But I may still not get in, so why worry and make this decision now?
Why does January suddenly feel as if it's coming too fast. . . :(

Adventures of a Loutish Teenage Brat

2007-08-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

I recently found out that what they said about how every theory and every logical thing you know you should do changes once you are facing the real deal.
This is the story of my adventure that led to a swollen violet left foot, a skinned knee and my almost missing the acquaintance party.

August 17, 2007
It was the day before the acquaintance party and the council was finally confident that we had ironed out all the little details needed for the next day's affair. The payments were all taken care of, the batch presentation was already taking shape, the money accounted for, and it looked as though everything was in order.
All that was left to do was to prepare for the mass. . .
So after helping buy materials for our banner and practicing for the batch presentation for a while, I went to FD's house to take care of the final thing bugging my mind. . . my responsorial psalm.

*Thank you by the way to FD for the beautiful psalm and for bringing his organ to Vistamar no matter unsa na ka hassle ^_^

I was confident about going home late that night since I had nothing to study for the following day, and because achi was eating dinner with her friends in Ayala where all my jeepney companions would be getting off. I could easily go home with achi and Ian no matter how late I would get to Ayala. But just as we were about to head home, achi texted saying that they had instead agreed to meet up at IT park for dinner and asked if I was fine going home alone. I said I was, and went home. This was already around 9:15 in the evening.
I reached our street safely, but the jeepney dropped me off very far from my house that I had to walk past several other houses. The streets were already empty and it was very very dark save for one streetlamp down the street.

My Adventure Begins!
As I was nearing our house, I saw two guys across the street from me who were pointing. I acted as if I didn't notice and continued walking. But then they crossed the street toward me and started walking in my direction. . . so I tried walking a little faster! (At this point, nag buto2x na tawn ako HEART! :D )
I started walking very fast, and guess what?! So did they! WAH!
I broke into a run and they started running too! I was finally very near the gate when I tripped and fell face-down the pavement, hence, my physical injuries. I was hurting badly but struggled to get up and continue limping towards the gate where I knocked long and loudly on the knocker. To my relief, the two men ran away as I continued knocking louder. By the time my brother finally opened the gate, the pain was already so unbearable that I could no longer stand. And for the first time in my entire life. . . I passed out! wahaha! ana diay na ang feeling... your vision starts to dim and everything goes black no matter how hard you try to keep your eyes open. I woke up and I was already in the house.

My left ankle had an apple-sized bulge. (Though I cannot quite capture its grotesque size with my phone's cam)

. . . and it turned an unflattering shade of violet the next day.
And green the day after :D

and yes, there's my right knee. sigh :(

But I wanted so badly to go to the party, we had all worked hard for it and I did not want to miss the chance to see the product of all our weeks of stress. So I did go... although I had to go with a bandaged foot and my bruised knee showed through my beach shorts. HAHAHA.
But at least I DID get to go to our wonderful acquaintance party! And yes, it was heartwarming when many of my friends offered to give me a ride to and from the party. :)

And no, Sir Yap, I was not limping because I have gout! =p

So back to my first thought in this blog. . .
1. I knew I should have prayed and called on divine intervention during the time I was running away from the 2 guys. I don't know why I did not. I guess I was too busy thinking what would happen if ever they did catch up with me.
2. I should have started shouting at the top of my lungs. I did not also, because at that time, I could not even whisper.

Lesson learned: Don't go home alone at night. :(
To Achi: Hmm..Nag bring home lagi kag pizza? GUILTY?hehehe =p

Tribute to my mentors

2007-07-27T02:30:00.000-07:00

Technology is so nice. I can keep up with everyone I know even if we don't see each other anymore. One time, I was chatting with Shawn, and he told me that Ms Cruz just passed away, it got me thinking, and it got me thinking sad.. Ms Cruz was one of the people who played a BIG role in molding me to be who I am now... I wished I could have said "thank you" or hugged her or even just let her know how much she has helped me. So this blog is dedicated to all the people in my life, who have in one way or another, taught me and shared with me stuff I'll never forget. . .

Miss Tan
Miss Tan was my tutor during my pre-school years. She was a strict old lady who would have none of my foolishness. She was always there to bear with the burden that was a loudmouthed mini-me. She struggled to get me to practice my math, make my assignments and color only within the lines of the drawings. Every Saturday I would go to her house in Guadalupe, which I remembered had a long pathway leading towards her house. There, she would whip up these big notebooks made up of recycled paper where I was to do everything required of me. She would tirelessly spend the day patiently explaining to me the week's lesson, having to constantly subject herself to my annoying complaining. As a kid, I thought I knew everything, and that I did not have to study for it... she proved me wrong. She taught me that no matter how good or great you are, you still had to work hard to reach your goals.

Franz
Tito Franz was my very first piano teacher! I was a kindergartener who barely knew what music was, and he was a seasoned pianist. He taught me the instrument, even when I did not want to be taught. I would pretend to be sleepy and once even slammed the piano shut with his hands still there (I'm so so so sorry for that...) I really had no interest whatsoever in what he was trying to teach me. In the end, he won the game. Sitting with me every week on that piano bench and skillfully guiding my hands, I learned to love playing the piano and... I gained a friend in the person of my teacher who now had to deal with a less bored student.

The late Ms. Corazon Cruz
Ms. Cruz was my Elementary principal who I first met when I took the entrance exam in CEC. She was softspoken and encouraging that I remember immediately looking up to her and thinking proudly that she would be my principal if I do get in the school. And when I did get into the school, she used to greet me every time we met, even making it a point to mention my name. I felt ridiculously honored and pleased that someone as superior as the principal would even bother to remember my name. I did my best in school to try and please her, since it felt extremely gratifying to hear her praise me whenever I did something good. She had a lot of faith in me that made it very difficult to disappoint. In the end, I ended up trying my best to do what she said she always knew I had in me. She monitored my performance even until I reached high school, and she was no longer my principal...

Madame Villa
I was 10 and my mom decided to enroll me and my siblings to a summer speech course that was said to be highly-recommended. There I met Madame Villa. She was a jolly woman who spoke very good English. I was in awe at her confidence and of how she was so sure of everything she did. She spoke without falter and carried herself with a grace that I can never explain. I wanted to be just like her, so I ended up enrolling at that same class every summer. When I was 17, I finished her speech course as the youngest student in her class of professionals.
Until now, I will never forget the pink room where I learned that there really is NO glory if you have NO guts!

Sian Si Sedi
Sedi Sian was the High School disciplinarian of the Chinese department, and was my adviser as well as my Hwa Wen teacher during my very first year of high school. She was this tall Chinese lady who, though already advance in age, still carried herself with the poise that she must have possessed back when she was young. Sian Si Sedi made me sing Feng Xian to represent the class in the annual Chinese Singing Contest. Disappointedly, I let her down since I caught dengue on the day of the competition and wasn't even able to participate. But what she did for me goes far after the contest. Sian Si Sedi believed in my talent and in what I could do, she pushed me to use my (ahem) talent, and opened doors of singing opportunitites for me you could never imagine. It was in her hands when I became determined to develop and test the limits of my abilities. Singing is not the same if Sedi Sian is not in the audience, standing up, beaming at me and clapping her hands off. She was my most loyal fan - and unknowingly to her, the mentor I loved so much.

Words can never explain the wonderful relationships I have with these special people in my life, the companionship, the hard-learned lessons and the beautiful friendship I shared with them may forever always be just between them and me. But I hope, just like them, I too have touched someone's life...

There are too many, I may never stop typing! hehe.. But this is it for now, all this blogging made me miss them. I hope I will finally have time to visit Sian Si Sedi this week...

Once Upon a Dream (forgive me, OA ni na post)

2007-05-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

My cousin just got married (May 26, 2007)

It feels funny to see someone you've known since you were little take such a big step in life. I like weddings, but seeing someone I know really well getting married makes my tummy feel kinda funny. @_@
It's also funny... Just when I started contemplating how "grown-up" and "mature" my cousin has become, I hear him discussing Naruto with his brothers!

Hahaha! La na hia... nabungkag akong imagination!hehehe :D

Haha! Anyways, I'm happy they asked me to sing for them. I've never before sung in Church while the bride was walking down the aisle. It made me feel like I was part of the entourage, even if I was just at the church's corner beside the organ. :D

It was also nice seeing Ahia David and Shiela at the altar...

Which brings me to my question. . .

"Will I ever find the person I was destined to stand next to in the altar?"

And if I do, how do I know it's him??
See..libog man! :(

It's like everyday another one of my friends falls in love,
. . . and ends up getting hurt the next day! :(

Hahahaha, I was thinking about this so deeply after the wedding maybe because of the height of the excitement, the talks that were going around at the table. . . or maybe because I had the misfortune of being the single female guest of the bride unlucky enough to lose the bouquet-catching game.
To my credit, the emcee changed the rules!!!!! Unfair!! Second to the last man ko to catch, si Kim man unta kay sya last, shouldn't have been me. :(
Hmph! My brother could not stop laughing. @_@

I remember I once asked my mom how I CAN know, and she said I had to pray, family background, know him well, etc etc etc.
And she also said... "You'll just know"

. . .

. . .

. . .

Will I really?

I know you I walked with you once upon a dream.

I know you The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam.

Yes, I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem.

But if I know you, I know what you'll do,

You'll love me at once the way you did

once upon a dream . . .

May 24, 2007

2007-05-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

Advance Happy Bday Karina! :)

Hehehe.. So Chris, Kimby and I were finally able to organize Karina's bday surprise.
And it almost didn't happen...

Go back the night of May 23, 2007 when Karina said she was going to go somewhere the following day. What were we going to do with the balloons and cake?? :(

After several "palpak" excuses, we finally had to tell her that we were planning to go to her house the next day. Karina sad uy!!hehehe.

May 24, 2007 at approx. 10:40 am

Happy Bday Karina,
Happy Birthday Karina...
Happy Birthday, happy Birthday..........................
Happy Bday Karina!!!

Yeyyyy...

And who knew Jollibee was this much fun? ;-)

We took over the kids' pen even if we kept bumping our heads on the tubes.
It was fun even if Karina was too big and I was too old for the play pen. :D

Si Ahia wa ni apil kay di na nya kagawas.HAHAH. kidding!ü

...but maming was there to meet us at the bottom of the slide.

pictures of maming will follow. :)

I love you 3! Next time nsad! :)

Happy Bday Kar!üüü

With A Smile

2007-05-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

Bummer! I didn't make it to the Dean's List. :(
All because my Probstat grade was 2.6, give me a break, that's just 0.1 lower than 2.5!
But no, to qualify for the Dean's List you must not have a grade lower than 2.5. But come on, even with my 2.6, my average was still big... The dean said I should have been in 4th place (sa course ra ha..d sad the whole college.hehehe) .
:(

Isn't it really annoying how you work so hard for something only to find out in the end that only a teeny thing was holding you back from getting it? That makes me so........... Sad. ='c

Anyway, there I was feeling gloomy on the jeepney ride home. I was feeling pretty discouraged and down and depressed (Yes, low grades depress me, so what?! =p hehe ) .
Now I'm REALLY wishing my transfer application gets accepted. That's how sad I was!

While I was so busy feeling sorry for myself, in walks this old lady and she sits beside me in the jeepney. She was round and jovial and as soon as she sat down, she started fidgeting in her seat as she tried to fish coins out of her very big hadbag. As the jeepney was so crammed, all her fidgeting was not doing everyone good. The passengers started giving her angry stares which made her attempt at fishing out coins all the more difficult for her. She was already turning so red that you could not help but feel sorry for her as several insensitive people in the vehicle continued still to stare down at her.

After she got her 6 pesos out, she looked up and caught my eye. I didn't really know what to do... I'm not good at stuff like this. But I felt I needed to tell her that it was alright.
So, I gave her an "it's ok" smile.

She blinked at me and in a split second, her face was no longer red as she smiled back at me with a grin that was so wide I finally understood the 'smiling from ear to ear' phrase. She had a few missing teeth, but that smile was the most beautiful one I hed ever seen.

After that, we sat in companionable silence throughout the ride. But just with that one smile, I forgot my lousy 2.6 and I felt really, really, REALLY good.

I guess angels really do come in disguises.

Mine was a plump old woman with an oversized handbag with missing teeth and a beautiful smile. :)

I am officially a Claymate!

2007-05-17T03:26:00.000-07:00

I have fallen in LOVE with Clay Aiken's voice! :) I just recently started watching American Idol during the idol days of Taylor Hicks and Katharine Mcphee. I knew a Clay Aiken existed, I just wasn't able to follow his career. Well during that season's finals night, Clay happened to come onstage to surprise an impersonator of his. At that time, I wondered why the guy(Michael Sandecky) won for 'best impersonation', he looked NOTHING like the Clay Aiken that came out of the big sliding doors onstage. Despite that, Clay Aiken won my vote, I LIKED his voice immediately! :)

Because I had nothing to do one day this summer of 2007, I decided to log on to youtube and watch reruns of American Idol episodes I didn't get to watch. I chanced upon Clay Aiken again, and I was shocked! He wasn't Clay Aiken! The Clay Aiken I saw had brown hair, and.. and..and he was not THAT scrawny... I looked up his AI Audition, and lo and behold! Clay Aiken was...weelll...he's definitely changed!haha :D

After that, I spent day after day downloading Clay video after Clay video. I especially liked his version of 'Solitaire' and 'Open Arms;. I not only fell in love with his big voice, I fell in love with what every other Claymate will tell you is one of Clay's most prized talent! I love his banters! He is great even when he is just talking!

So for the rest of the world who have not yet been able to experience the prodigy that is Clay Aiken, I suggest you start downloading. ;-)

Halalan 2007

2007-05-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

Naka vote nako!!hehehe..
and I still have traces of indelible ink on my finger to prove it! :D
I get excited over little things, and my first election is just one of those times when my excitement gets cranked up. ;-)

My senatorial bets were:

1. Escudero
2. Arroyo
3. Pangilinan
4. Lacson
5. Villar
6. Angara
7. Cayetano (Alan) haha
8. Recto
9. Roco
10. Aquino
11. X
12. X

*My arrangement of names do not necessarily pertain to ranking...
Weeelll, except in the case of Escudero who my sister and I both adore. :D

I wanted to fill up all 12 slots, (this was my first election after all!hehe) but my dad said I didn't have to fill everything up and that I just had to stick to the candidates I felt were really worth voting for.

May 14 - On the election day itself, I was probably the most enthusiastic voter in the precinct! I already had a mayor, a vice mayor, and a party list in mind. But I didn't really know any of the councilors who were running, so I asked my parents who they were gonna vote for. My dad murmured something about voting for "Archival" and another name that I didn't quite catch, but it was something resembling "Corella".
So when my time to vote came, I wrote for councilors:

1. Archival

... I searched the sample ballots, and there was a "Labella"... it kinda sounded like "Corella", so I voted for him too.

2. Labella

... only to find out that the name my dad really mentioned was Carillo.hehehe. Well I have to admit, Carillo does sound closer to Corella than Labella ever will.hehe. :D

I wrote all my candidates' names clearly and legibly and with their complete names!, making doubly sure I wrote Alan Peter Cayetano's whole name. HAHAHA
Then came the most awaited moment of every first voter. . .

. . .

. . .

. . . the applying of the indelible ink.hehehe :D

wa lang, wa ko lingaw.hehehehe
human gi kasab-an ko ni Karen kay d lagi daw e vote si Roco.hehehe. :D
Legarda raman ako nadawat na txt kar!! :D

My "Things I Learned in College" sequel

2007-05-15T01:14:00.000-07:00

Things I learned in College(PART I). . . posted in Friendster: Oct 13, 2006

Hehe.. Finally, finals week is OVER!!! :)
Kapoy na au.. @_@
The first semester's over and there is now just ONE more day before semestral break OFFICIALLY begins.:)
The things I learned this sem:
I learned. . .
1. That Calculus needs practice! :\

2. That if you end up "doctoring" your data in Physics Lab, you'll get your desired result faster if you "doctor" first the temperature.hehehe!ü

3. That you should bring your book everyday otherwise risk being the only one not to get Sir Cabrera's much-needed plus points! :(

4. That Pringles is essential if you plan to forego sleep. . . (diba Jane?hehehü)

5. That STARMART is heaven on Earth. :)

6. That I should not sit on the left side of FD's car during noontime. :p

7. That we should not inform Joan if there is a LIVE chicken in the area.HEHEHE :D

8. That we should also not tell "mama" there's a chicken because she can't help it and will end up telling Joan. :D

9. That room 248 is usually vacant during the afternoons and they leave the aircon on...

10. That when Engr Fornis says "I'll get my all my problems from the book", he does not really mean ALL.hehehe :D

11. That "We are one body in Jesus" *wink* :D

12. That they spear kittens in "K**l**l*" :(

13. That among all the canteen personnel, only Tessie fills up your water bottle to the rim and makes your five-peso refill worth it! :)

14. That Socsi photocopies make good scratch papers.hehehe :D

15. That a stapler is a necessity!

16. That you really CAN study in the library. . . (special thanks to my study group Chain and F, you make early morning trips to the library so much more worthwhile üüü )

17. That Aaron’s voice sounds funny at around 3 a.m! HAHAHA :D
(Just had to say it Bon!hahaha)

18. That you have to switch off your cellphone whenever Flores and da gang are having an overnight because they thoroughly enjoy waking up people who are supposed to be sleeping peacefully! :\

19. That if your lunch break is REALLY during lunchtime, there is scarcity of food :(

20. That I still have 3 yrs and 1 sem to go . . . so watch for my next post. . . next sem! :)
printf("End");
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HEHEHE (I couldn't resist!ü) :D

Things I learned in College (part II)
posted on Friendster: Apr 01, 2007

I've learned quite a lot on the second semester of my second year of College. This sem, I already had IE major subjects..namely my IE 220, IE 221 and my IE 222. But they're not all I learned this sem.. So here's part II of my "Things I learned in College" saga. :DThis second semester of second year, I learned:

1. That the best differential equation is an EXACT differential equation, because it allows us to use LIM's method.*Thank you Mam Cabanilla*

2. That if ever you were able to solve problems on your very thick Physics book, NEVER throw that paper away! You get points for that in boardwork!Waaahh

3. That you have to always check if there's a note posted outside Room167 because it will drive you crazy to wait 3 long hours doing nothing, and you find out at 6:30pm that Miss will not be holding classes after all @_@

4. That this is my last sem of ReEd! Yes! :)

5. That this is my last sem of PE! Yes! :)

6. That YM is good company when we are doing those looooong projects, research papers, reaction papers and documentations!

7. That if all the answers you got in an exam are the same as Peter's answers in the same exam, the probability that you will get perfect in that exam is equal to ONE! :D

8. That what Jamesdin quoted from GoodQuotes is true:
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research. . . " :D

9. That Red Ribbon can serve the same purpose as the library.. ;-)

10. That.. TALAWAN kaayo si Kevin!!! He has to be between two persons at night time for him to feel secure. Because if one person on either side walks away, he shouts:"Oh no! Wa na akong terrain!!! "

11. ROFL <----- Flores

12. That defense is not as hard as I thought it was. :)

13. That it is still possible to find lots of good friends in a class. *Hi to my new friends in PE14 and ReEd40..special mention goes to those I was able to successfully add in friendster. :)

14. That wall climbing REALLY REALLY REALLY hurts the following day! :(

15. I learned to dance! WAHAHAHAHAHAHHA

16. That when "PE teacher" is watching, you have to EXAGGERATE the dance moves because she likes it that way. :)
Teacher: No no, not like that. You have to do it like this, see? EXAGGERATE! EXAGGERATE!hehehe

17. That...
True love starts with a smile,
Grows with acceptance,
and ends only in Death
.... from the Chastity talk. :D

18. That you'll never know what to expect in Sir's exams in Management. :o

19. To keep all of your notes.. They give you bonus points for those!!!

20. That if you don't have answers in your departmental exams, you just have to act really bored with the exam. This triggers the proctor to say "Those who are done, you may pass your blue books". Then everyone stands shaking their heads and you'll realize. . . You're not alone. Di sad sila khbw sa test! :D

21. That the school is nice at night time. And going home at night time is nice too. Because according to Sir Orosco,
"You don't see the dirt and dust of Cebu at night."

22. That the expensive drink in IT Park tastes kinda like Kool-Aid. Dba Jane?hehehe :D

23. That you can have nice conversations in the jeepney at night. *Thank you Jo for pliti-hing for me when I have no coins, I owe you a total of 19 pesos.* HEHEHEH

24. That Manang Tessie is still the BEST, Even if I don't get to eat at the canteen that much anymore... :(

25. That ice cream is toooo sweet, it hurts my throat and I get tonsilitis the day after eating it!

26. Inner row, Niel Cutter and Mas Puti To! ROFL :D

27. That my eyes don't work in Physics lab Optics experiments. "Why, why, why can't I see those lines?!" :/

28. That Sir Cabrera will miss our Physics class... uuyyy..HAHAHA :D

29. That I don't like ending my blogs in numbers that are not multiples of 5. . .

30. That I'm still debating whether or not I can survive till the 5th yr.
WAHAHAH! Till then, I'll keep all you friendster friends posted. ;-)

I got bangs!

2007-03-23T02:56:00.000-07:00

And oh yeah, I got bangs now.haha
It feels nice to have something new to welcome the summer with! HAHA :D

Do I have to put up with it? ;-)

2007-01-18T16:53:00.000-08:00

There exists a VERY thin line between

Teasing someone and publicly humiliating them,

Laughing innocently at others and insulting them,

Talking about others and backbiting them,

Being fun and hyper and being annoyingly loud and boisterous,

Curiously trying to be a part of others' lives and meddling in them,

Listening to the ideas of others and plagiarising them,

Trying to be the life of the party and seeking desperate attention. . .

It's not the same. ;-)

Judas

2006-11-24T04:01:00.000-08:00

Dear Friend,
Please don't pretend to be someone you're not. Someone can tell that the face is a facade and that the words are not meant. Someone can catch on that you do not mean your praises and do it just to get on everybody's good side. Do not feign idealism because you do not practice what you preach. It only makes you more of a hypocrite than you already are. You try to justify every wrong thing you do and pass it off as goodness. But friend, even the devil can quote the bible in his favor.
Does everything you do have to take credit? If it does, then I wonder who you really are when no one else is watching.
It seems like we are living in a farce,
so think twice before you provoke again. For the world may not be as considerate the second time around.

" Exercise caution in your business affairs,

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals,

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass. "

- Desiderata

D E S P E R A T I O N !

2006-11-21T01:13:00.000-08:00

DESPERATE!
I badly want to have a copy of the "Management" book by Bartol and Martin. :( And the only ones I can find are those through the Internet which will cost me my whole month's allowance just to have it shipped from the U.S to me!

So given my meager resources, I have decided to abandon any hope of ever acquiring the book. But after thinking it over for quite some time,
I have FINALLY come up with an ingenious plan! ( sinister laugh inserted here)

First off, I go to a bookstore very accessible to me like National Bookstore. This costs me only 6 pesos for my jeepney fare. There, I find a tattered paperback on Aerospace Engineering. After much persuasion and annoying wheedling, the management finally allows me to have the
book for free given its pitiful state. I shall then read the book thoroughly until I master aerodynamics, materials science, avionics and fluid mechanics! I become so much of an expert that a prominent airline company soon offers to pay for my education if I agree to work for them as their chief engineer. I consider the offer. . . but then realize that this might sway me from my original goal. So I reject their proposals and continue in my quest!

Equipped with the knowledge, I realize I needed the resources to put my plan in action! I look up "stock market" on Wikipedia and read about the legendary Warren Buffett who began his multi-billion dollar fortune with just 100 US Dollars! Inspiration strikes and I decide to emulate his feat. I gamble away 100 pesos from my earnings and wait patiently for a result, ready to accept a good or bad outcome. Luckily, just after a few days, I find out that the stocks I bought come out big time! I had struck the gold, and was now another step closer to my destiny.

With my newfound fortune in hand, I design and finance the building of a powerful aircraft! And again, I was getting closer and closer to my goal.

Even with the best attempts I had at frugality, I am now left with only a little cash in my pockets. I then opt to sign up for a crash course in Aeronautics. Through hard work and sheer detemination, I am able to graduate the course at the top of the class! Even before my graduation day, I already begin receiving several offers from different companies for me to lend my expertise to them. Each promises me a handsome salary which I graciously turn down in favor of my now almost-complete plan.

On the day before Christmas, I fly my self-designed and self-financed aircraft across the skies! After an hour or two, I finally land in the United States of America where I am AT LONG LAST able to purchase a hard-bound copy of my book! I am in a state of euphoria as I fly back to the Philippines, directly to USC - TC.

Fortunately, I am just in time for my IE 220 class. I happily fish out my new book from my bag, and join in Engr. Maglasang's discussion. . .

- T H E E N D -

Hehehe! Wa koy lingaw. . . :D

Btaw, kung kinsa naa ani na book, pyde ko mu xerox? :)

UPDATE!! as of March 2007

I didn't need the book after all..Sir provided us with photocopies and discussions and everything. Wee, lingaw au management!!ü

Downtown!

2006-11-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

Downtown Cebu! We have a store downtown located right smack in the middle! I'm here helping out almost everyday during days with no classes. And since today is (sniff) the last day of semestral break. . . Here I am! :) So I decided to write about the beauty often left undiscovered of downtown Cebu. . . :)

It's nice to be here amidst the flurry of activities of people of all walks of life. Everyone is busy and hurrying around as each one tries to accomplish what he needs to do before the day ends.

As early as 6:00 AM, the streets are already streaming with people and transport vehicles. The wet markets known all over the island for their über- cheap prices are situated here, and it is a sight to see the groups of middle-aged women in their floral dresses as they lug around big bayongs they hope to fill up with market purchases after they scour the wet markets. They are mostly loud, but jovial in manner as they greet acquaintances and haggle for lower and lower prices. :) Passing by the streets, you will ALWAYS catch a glimpse of vendors selling any item feasible enough to endorse to a crowd! Pirated DVD's, mechanical toys, fruits, pets, flowers, accessories. . .and the occasional vendor who squats on the sidewalk with a reptile in tow who goes on and on in a droning voice how the concoction containing the skin of his pet snake, can heal anything from a toothache to cancer! ( Modern medicine, eat your heart out! :D )

By 9:00 AM the "licensed" stores finally open. Mostly owned by the Filipino-Chinese living in Cebu, the business establishments downtown offer you whatever you may be looking for at very affordable prices. Hardwares, electrical stores, boutiques, banks, book stores, special services agencies, all with similar rusted signboards that usually say "since 1981", stand side by side, lining the streets of the area.

At this point, let me write about one of my favorite aspects of this exciting part of town. . . :)

Downtown Cebu overflows with boutiques with the latest in fashion! Wandering around the busy streets allows you to discover little stores found in hidden corners where you are able to buy clothes marked originally at 200 pesos in your local department store at 2 pieces for 99 pesos! OMG! A shopaholic would go wild!
There exists the "Tabo sa Banay" where they display clothes openly! You just have to point any item of clothing you want to try out and the person in charge promptly and excitedly takes it down for your inspection. The "Tabo" is like a mini labyrinth where you enter one opening and you find yourself in another street upon your exit! :)
There's also the "Metro Center" where you can find bags, shoes and more clothes! They have heap stocks of what's IN this season at very very reasonable prices that you find yourself vowing to patronize this place instead of the department stores you usually favor.
Crossing over to another street of downtown Cebu, is a small dark store you would never expect to be of your liking. Shockingly though, you enter to find accessories of different colors packaged by the bundle where one bundle would cost you just somewhere between 10-30 pesos. Now you have a variety of accessories that goes pretty well with the rest of your rainbow-colored wardrobe! :)

Walk along the streets, you'll definitely find more. . .

It's not only the "shopping aspect" of downtown Cebu that will capture your heart. In that part of town, there are still those old dimsums,bakeries and bookstores that you thought didn't exist anymore. But you're wrong! They are still there, though not that visited anymore because of the uptown competition. They are still standing, still with the old charm they were once loved for. . .

The sun starts to set and the stores eventually start to close again. You soon hear the successive closing of rusty old roll-up gates being pulled down one after the other. But the day doesn't end here. . . Soon, big truckloads overflowing with vegetables, fruits and any other edible rootcrops imaginable start to arrive! A new group of vendors usually hailing from the mountains set up their products at the doors of the now closed establishments. It is a delight to walk past them at this hour when the air is cool and you smell a faint scent of fresh fruits and vegetables wherever you go! What srikes you even more though, is when you see these vendors who are supposed to be "competition" help each other weigh, pack and recommend each other's goods. :)

Cebu is supposed to be known for its crunchy otaps, crispy chicharons, our sweet dried mangoes, the yummy lechons and as being the most-developed city in the southern part of the country. But next time
you do chance a visit to the city, take a time out of your busy schedule and explore the not-so-developed part of town. I promise you, it's most probably where you'll find the beauty and charm of this little city I call my home. :)