time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time. ~ t.s. eliot

thank you

2009-04-06T06:11:00.000+08:00

it's been getting easier each day, & i'm thankful for that.

yun lang. : )

prayer

2009-01-04T10:47:00.001+08:00

Lord,

i know that when this blows over, i will be eternally grateful to you for having gone through this experience.

but please make this end soon. you know that i am not that patient!

amen.

(hehe.)

random ramblings from nerd-dom

2008-11-13T21:40:00.004+08:00

hello world! i'm alive!

our first term officially ended last october 25, but lucky me, the deadline of our take-home stat finals was october 29. you know how an endeavor expands to fill the time allotted for it? that's exactly what happened. so at around 7pm on the 29th, i was in a cab on my way to campus (dead-tired from facilitating a training session from 9 to 4, and attending a meeting from 5 to 6), encircling my final answers. hehe.

that's it for the first term. my 3 grades are out, and i did well. i'm so happy!

this term, i'm only taking 2 subjects - methods of research and financial accounting. not exactly exciting courses, but i need these if i want to understand business.

(pause first, condition and convince self, hehe)

okay, attempt futile. brain refuses to cooperate. : )

i'm stating the obvious, but i love being back in school. i love learning from my professors and classmates. the eager beaver in me is rejoicing at being given opportunities to read and recite.

it's not easy since i'm still working full time and trying hard to make time for friends, but i don't see myself giving up anytime soon. i don't care that i got sick a few times last term. i'm in no rush, i can always take a lighter load if my work load becomes heavier than usual.

i'm not complaining, not at all. in fact, i feel so grateful that i'm doing this right now. if you told me a year ago that this is where i'd be, that this is what i'd be doing, i wouldn't have believed you. i would have thought that you were just pulling my leg.

after all, i was just picking up the pieces of myself, trying to get back on track. studying was so far off - making myself whole again was my priority. it was my heart that needed attention; my mind had to take a backseat.

but now, i'm okay. i'm happy. sometimes, i even find myself wondering if i deserve all that i'm getting - this seems too good to be true. i know that i prayed and hoped for this for a long time, but it's still incredible that i have it now.

enough of the mush. back to the real world which includes an accounting presentation that i still have to do. hehe. : )

if you love someone, ask them for nothing.

2008-08-24T09:26:00.002+08:00

stolen from ate cla's multiply. : )

= = = = = = = = = =

If you love someone, ask them for nothing. Don't hold them back from their destiny. Don't keep them from going off in search of their own answers. Don't ask them for commitment. You will know commitment is real when it is something given willingly, and not as something obligatory. Don't ask them for promises. If you are patient, if you have faith, you will know in your heart when the right time for promises has come.

And when that time arrives, then you will see that you have both lost nothing by setting each other free, and have instead gained a richer, fuller life, a wealth of experiences, and a stronger certainty of your desires.

But should they not return to you, then life hasn't cheated you because no promises were broken. Your bitterness will not last long, and you will feel thankful and blessed that at the very least, this beautiful soul has colored your life, that knowing them has already made life infinitely more meaningful.

By setting a person free, you run a risk of them not returning. But always remember that you found them beautiful precisely because they were free. People are like sunlight. You can feel their warmth, and their glow, but you can't hold them in your hand and keep them with you forever. People CHOOSE to stay. But a choice is made more meaningful when it is made despite so many other options. Love has no restrictions and it is through mistakes that sometimes we see the right answer. Because if you love someone, you ask them for nothing and they will come back to you.

schedule, schedule

2008-08-12T07:33:00.001+08:00

kagabi ko lang na-realize na ganito pala ang sched ko this week, until next week:

monday: class
wednesday: 2 classes
friday: class (though make-up lang ito)
saturday: whole-day new student orientation and prayer meeting
sunday: FRM homecoming
next monday: group meeting (on a holiday!)
next wednesday: 2 classes
next friday: class (make-up ulit)

oo nga pala, full-time pa rin akong nagtatrabaho.

grabe, para akong nagsaksak ng sarili. parang lang naman. ; )

the nerd goes back to her comfort zone : )

2008-07-21T23:57:00.002+08:00

wow, it's been over two months since i last posted here!

since then, nakaakyat na ako ng mt. sembrano, at nakapunta na ng mt. pinatubo. nagkita-kita na ulit kami ng embryo, at ng thesis mates ko. at nag-aaral na ako ulit. : )

i started my MBA in ateneo rockwell last july 14. i'm taking 3 subjects this trisem - business communication, managerial statistics and applied math. so far, so good. i got home from buscom at past 11, since the class is from 6 to 9. pero okay lang.

we had a presentation last night, and a really exhilarating feeling came over me right after we finished. i don't know, i guess it's just the rush that comes after you've done something well. it's been three years since i was last in school, and there's nothing like compliments from the professor to make you feel that it's been worth the effort. plus, since our group is done, petiks muna kami next meeting. wahaha!

getting back to school is probably the biggest decision i made for myself recently (this, and asking for a lateral transfer at work a little over a year ago). this means that i will be broke and harrassed for probably the next three years. my practically non-existent social life will plummet to the darkest depths of nothingness (if that is even possible). i expect that at some points, i will regret this. after all, who wants to be bogged down with projects and papers? i know all these, but getting back to school feels right to me now.

what better timing could i ask for? i'm young and single. i still have the eager beaver spirit of my high school years. my work and my friends' experiences in their jobs make the theories real to me. i believe that i am still a sponge. i crave for experiences that will add to my knowledge, challenge my beliefs, and widen my perspective.

there, i have just recounted to myself why i am doing this. gives me something to go back to when stat and math start to get the better of me. : )

si Lord talaga

2008-05-09T12:22:00.005+08:00

hay, naku. binibiro na naman ata ako ni Lord.

okay lang sana na magbiro Siya, e. sana lang, huwag sa aspeto na ito. hindi ko kaya e!

hay...

for the sake of having a new post

2008-04-28T02:20:00.002+08:00

i just want to say that i am still alive and kicking. yay!

haha.

okay naman ako, masaya pa rin. wala nga lang nangyayaring bago lately, kaya wala akong maikwento.

well, gusto ko na ulit mag-aral. actually, ilang buwan ko na ring pinag-iisipan ito. pero konti pang dasal. sayang naman kasi kung hindi pa ako sigurado.

hmm, ano pa ba? wala na! hehe. : )

kasi, kasi

2008-03-22T21:11:00.001+08:00

ayan, napapaisip ka tuloy.

after 1,051,200 minutes

2008-03-09T08:12:00.004+08:00

its been two years since that fateful day, & for the most part, i felt every excruciating moment of it. there were days when i shed enough tears to make me believe that it would be the last time that i would. of course, there were sequels. days when things were unbelievably bad, that it seemed as if all my energy has been zapped out of me. on these days, staring blankly at anything took precedence over everything else. i have probably memorized the position of each little glow-in-the-dark star on my white age-stained bedroom ceiling. days when every tiny memory sparked a full-blown, unbidden recollection of what had been, which almost always ended up with me wishing to bring back "those times".

yet, i don't feel any embarrassment in admitting that i had days like that. on the contrary, the memories tug at corners of my lips, & add to the immense gratefulness that i feel in my heart. i could only say, thank you, it's all over.

after 1,051,200 minutes, i find that...
...i'm back to my old, optimistic, bubbly self. i'm seeing the world again through rose-colored glasses. every situation seems to hold much promise of pleasure & learning, every nook & crevice worth exploring.
...i've rediscovered the joy & peace of solitude, when i talk to myself & let the events of my day go on auto-rewind.
...i'm making plans for me, myself & i, & expanding my horizons to include options that wouldn't even have crossed my mind before.
...i'm going out again, & enjoying good conversation. i love being out of the house, just hanging around. i'm reconnecting with the people who have always been there, waiting for me to break my self-imposed hermitage. the very same people who listened intently to me when i was finally ready to talk, were brutally honest with me so it wouldn't even cross my mind to delude myself (or if i was doing it already, i would snap out of it), & openly supported me in the decisions i made. the very same people who i know i could always count on to be there, whatever pickle i get myself in. i only have to holler or squeak.
...i'm singing again - literally & figuratively. can't help it, there's music in my head. happy, wonderful music.
...i've reunited with my old passions - reading, cooking, thinking.
...i'm perfectly happy with who i am.
...i'm actively involved in developing my spirituality, & in trying to discover the beauty of my faith. i acknowledge that without Him, i am nothing. He may send me humongous challenges, but He would never give me more than i can take. & it is by His infinite grace that i have each & every day to look forward to.
...i understand why i had to go through this. it's not a matter of whether i deserved it or not. things happen, albeit painful ones, & we have to find our own ways of dealing with them. what won't kill you would make you stronger.
...it's quite okay for me to go about things on my own pace. i shouldn't compare myself to other people for even if the situations seem exactly the same, we all bring something different to the equation. also, i shouldn't push myself to go beyond what i can manage at a particular point in time. after all, healing is a process.
...while letting go is a sign of weakness, it can also be a testament to one's maturity & strength of character. we have to recognize what it is that we can & should keep, & what it is that we should leave be.
...i feel no anger at him (never did, actually) or at myself for the way things ended. i still believe in my heart that we were lucky to have what we did - a 52-month relationship that was built on friendship, trust & love. a relationship where we let each other be, & supported each other's decisions.
...i've come so far, & i got here on my own.

overall, i am grateful for the things that were, contented with what i have now, & hopeful about the things yet to come. when you've come from below, there's no way to go but up, after all. up, up, up i go! : )

high tech na ang lola!

2008-03-02T01:09:00.003+08:00

naka-DSL na kami! woohoo!

isipin mo, more than 2 years na akong nag-i-internet na dial up lang. felt like a million years. hehe!

ayan, mas mabilis na ang pag-post ng pics sa multiply at sa blog. ; )

hodgepodge

2008-02-23T16:00:00.003+08:00

i don't remember when i last posted, kaya anything goes na lang this time. ang dami nang kwento, e. : )

= = = = = = = = = =

last thursday, i texted eloi, a classmate from embryology, about something that i did. here's her reply: i bet u wud hav given anything 2 hav seen my reaction 2 ur msg. facial expresions ko: shock, apprehension, worry, relief, joy. in that order :-) m hapi 4 u! :-*

nakakatuwa. : )

= = = = = = = = = =

last february 15, my boss & i attended the philippine government's economic briefing at the rizal ballroom of makati shangri-la. it was supposed to start at 10. unfortunately, we were late.

ayun, kalmadong-kalmado pa rin kaming naglalakad paakyat ng ballroom, nang bumulong ang isang guard: ma'am, paki-double time po ang paglakad. nasa likod niyo na po ang presidente.

at this point, tumakbo na kami ng boss ko. hehe!

= = = = = = = = = =

nung wednesday naman, asa ateneo rockwell ako for a half-day economic & political briefing. one of the speakers was gov. joey salceda of albay, who is also one of gma's economic advisers. panalo yung isang comment niya about gma: she may be a bitch, but she's the luckiest bitch around.

after he said that, everyone laughed. & then, biglang natauhan siya: may TV nga pala. (he slumps a bit on the rostrum and holds his head in his hand.)

may camera at crew kasi ng abs-cbn sa likod, not to mention reporters in the audience. hehe.

that comment made it to the first page of the inquirer last thursday: "after 'evil' tag comes 'she's the luckiest bitch' ".

medyo surreal lang. i never thought that i would find myself reading articles about economic briefings & actually understanding the implications of the movements of the economic fundamentals. not to mention thinking, "ay, eto yung article about the briefing yesterday. andun ako."

surreal. surreal, but nice. : )

= = = = = = = = = =

i've lost 10 pounds in the past month!

kaya ko palang mag-diet. ang hirap nga lang i-convince ng mga tao na hindi ako umiinom ng fitrum o xenical. at na hindi rin ako gumagamit ng shabu. ; )

wala lang, kailangan nang magkasya nung college clothes ko. wala akong balak na bumili ng mga bagong damit! hehe.

= = = = = = = = = =

ngarag sa work ngayon. i have two major papers pending, tapos malapit na ang mancom planning. i'm already working on my presentation for the pre-planning. this coming week promises to be a very hectic one. baka nga pumasok pa kami sa weekend.

pero okay lang. masaya naman ako. : )

road to romantic ruin is paved with practical gifts (by dave barry)

2008-02-09T13:34:00.000+08:00

over two years ago, deirdre gave me a copy of chicken soup for the romantic soul. this is one of the stories that i enjoyed immensely. just want to share it, as valentine's is coming up.

read on, guys! ; )

(buy the book too if you can, it's a fun read.)

= = = = = = = = = =

the other day my son and i were talking, and the subject of women came up, and i realized that it was time he and i had a Serious Talk. it's a talk every father should have with his son; and yet, far too often, we fathers avoid the subject, because it's so awkward.

the subject i am referring to is: buying gifts for women.

this is an area where many men do not have a clue. exhibit A was my father, who was a very thoughtful man, but who once gave my mother, on their anniversary, the following token of his love, his commitment, and - yes - his passion for her: an electric blanket. he honestly could not understand why, when she opened the box, she gave him that look (you veteran men know the look i mean). after all, this was the deluxe model electric blanket! with an automatic thermostat! what more could any woman WANT?

another example: i once worked with a guy named george who, for christmas, gave his wife, for her big gift - and i am not making this gift up - a chain saw. (as he later explained: "hey, we NEEDED a chain saw.") fortunately, the saw was not operational when his wife unwrapped it.

the mistake that george and my dad made, and that many guys make, was thinking that when you choose a gift for a woman, it should do something useful. wrong! the first rule of buying gifts for women is: THE GIFT SHOULD NOT DO ANYTHING, OR, IF IT DOES, IT SHOULD DO IT BADLY.

for example, let's consider two possible gifts, both of which, theoretically, perform the same function:

GIFT ONE: a state-of-the-art gasoline-powered lantern, with electronic ignition and dual mantles capable of generating twelve hundred lumens of light for ten hours on a single tank of fuel.

GIFT TWO: a scented beeswax candle, containing visible particles of bee poop and providing roughly the same illumination as a lukewarm corn dog.

now to a guy, Gift One is clearly superior, because you could use it to see in the dark. whereas to a woman, Gift Two is MUCH better, because women love to sit around in the gloom with reeking, sputtering candles, and don't ask ME why. i also don't know why a woman would be ticked off if you gave her a fifty-six piece socket-wrench set with a seventy-two-tooth reversible ratchet, but thrilled if you give her a tiny, very expensive vial of liquid with a name like "l'essence de nooquie eau de parfum de cologne de toilette de bidet," which, to the naked male nostril, does not smell any better than a stick of Juicy Fruit. all i'm saying is that this is the kind of thing women want. (that's why the ultimate gift is jewelry; it's totally useless.)

the second rule of buying gifts for women is: YOU ARE NEVER FINISHED. this is the scary part, the part that my son and his friends are just discovering. if you have a girlfriend, she will give you, at MINIMUM, a birthday gift, an anniversary gift, a Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa gift, and a Valentine's Day gift, and every one of these gifts will be nicely wrapped AND accompanied by a thoughtful card. when she gives you this gift, YOU HAVE TO GIVE HER ONE BACK. you can't just open your wallet and say, "here's, let's see...seventeen dollars!"

and, as i told my son, it only gets worse. looming ahead are bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, Mother's Day and other Mandatory Gift Occasions that would not even EXIST if men, as is alleged, really ran the world. women observe ALL of these occasions, and MORE. my wife will buy gifts for NO REASON. she'll go into one of those gift stores at the mall that men never enter, and she'll find something, maybe a tiny cute box that could not hold anything larger than a molecule, and is therefore useless, and she'll buy it, PLUS a thoughtful card, and SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHO THE RECIPIENT IS YET. millions of other women are out doing the same thing, getting farther and farther ahead, while we guys are home watching instant replays. we have no chance of winning this war.

that's what i told my son. it wasn't pleasant, but it was time he knew the truth. some day, when he is older and stronger, we'll tackle an even more difficult issue, namely, what to do when a woman asks: "do these pants make me look fat?" (answer: flee the country.)

good morning, world! it's a manic monday!

2008-02-04T04:19:00.000+08:00

i woke way ahead of my phone's alarm clock. read a text message, & couldn't get back to sleep anymore. okay lang din, monday naman. sa hirap sumakay, dapat maaga ako. better yet, dapat makasabay ako sa service nina mommy. mukhang aabot naman ako. hehe. : )

= = = = = = = = = =

tuesday morning last week, mahirap sumakay. well, what else would i expect (wala kasing terminal dito sa bundok namin)?! pero sinwerte ako kasi nakasakay ako ng van, kahit isa na lang ang bakante.

akala ko, okay na (kahit 7 na, at 8:30 ang pasok ko). after all, nakasakay na ako. no small feat, if you're coming from cavite & going to manila. but no...

kalalabas pa lang ng van ng subdivision, iba na ang dinaanan ng driver. may banggaan daw kasi dun sa usual na daanan. (i said to myself, sana hindi ako ma-late...)

nag-gasolina si manong. (certified commuters lang ang makakaintindi kung gaano ka-bad trip ang driver na naggagasolina during rush hour.)

lumipat si manong sa kabilang gasolinahan para magpahangin ng gulong. (waaaaah!)

at dumaan pa kami sa vulcanizing shop! panalo!

i swear, kung dumaan pa si manong sa drive thru at bumili ng agahan, babatuhin ko siya ng barya.
or maybe not. after all, 2-3 times a week din akong sumasakay sa van nila lately. hehe.

pero in fairness, hindi ako na-late. ; )

= = = = = = = = = =

it's a manic monday! gising naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! : )

these make it all worthwhile

2008-01-12T23:18:00.000+08:00

during college, i was part of gabay, a socially-oriented organization. we tutored grade 6 kids, & support some of them throughout high school. when i was in fourth year, we had a scholar named mark, who was a freshman in ateneo high. pa-graduate na siya this year! this was his letter, which we got through our egroup:

It has already been four years of great Atenean experience being a scholar of Gabay. Having a 100% tuition and fees financial aid, a monthly allowance and a chance to study in a very prestigious school, no doubt, one will get more motivated to deliver more than what is required. More than these things though, Gabay has given me this great opportunity to lay out the foundation for my future. This kind of opportunity rarely comes in our lives and I know by myself that this won’t simply be wasted.

When I was still in Grade six, entering the Ateneo wasn’t on my mind. I just thought of that idea as something impossible to happen, knowing that I wasn’t included in the list of three people who would take the entrance exam. I also thought that my parents wouldn’t send me to this very prestigious school because of financial incapability. But fortunately, Gabay opened up a door of opportunities. They helped me take the exam and they even prepared me for it. I remembered, we arranged all the files needed for the entrance exam only on the day of the deadline. That’s also the time a benefactor came up. Luckily, I passed the exam and the interview. Hopefully, through my efforts in studies, I have been able to demonstrate my greatest gratitude for the kindness and opportunities this organization has been giving me.

Two persons that took a big part on this achievement were Kuya IC, a Gabay member, and Ms. Marcia Gokongwei. Kuya IC was the one responsible for organizing my scholarship documents and files needed for the entrance exam. Also, because high school life in Ateneo is most certainly different from the simple and trouble-free life that I knew in grade school, he guided me and gave pieces of advice for some adjustments. On the other hand, Ms. Marcia Gokongwei is the one sustaining my monthly allowance since first year. She made it easier for my family and me because we don’t have to worry about my daily expenses in school. I believe that with the exclusive assistance of Kuya IC and Ms. Marcia, I was able to cope up the requirements needed during my four years in high school.

Gabay has always been very supportive of me and at the same time, very reliable. They have been providing me tutorial sessions since my first year. I was also given the privilege of entering the Gabay room where a lot of Ates and Kuyas would always help me and would always surround me with an air of encouragement and strength. The brotherhood and sisterhood I learned from this organization made me realized that helping out someone is one best way of expressing my gratitude to the blessings God has been providing me. I realized that Gabay has granted me these precious and valuable presents and there is really nothing more that I can ask for.

I believe that studying here in the Ateneo with the Gabay at my back has brought me in a relentless drive and determination of proving that I am worthy of receiving this honor of being a Gabay scholar. I am very thankful for being the recipient of Gabay scholarship. I’m also thankful for all the knowledge and advices that my Ates and Kuyas have always been providing me. I’m sure this organization will serve as a model to everyone and certainly, God will prolong this organization doing its whole-hearted and remarkable service so that many people will also get the same opportunities that have been granted to me.

Hopefully, if God will let me in the Ateneo College, undeniably, I will support this organization to the best of my capabilities and be very active so that I can help it become more beneficial than already it is. The exceptional help and provisions of this whole organization continue to encourage me to surpass all the struggles and uncertainties that come along my way of reaching my dreams. Thank you very much and God Bless you all and your families.

Sincerely Yours,
Joseph Mark H. Jimenez

kung matiyaga ka at binasa mo ito nang buo, maiintindihan mo kung bakit naluha ako dito. sobrang affirming. it reminded me that what we busied ourselves with in the organization really bore fruit. mas natuwa pa ako nung nalaman kong nakapasa si mark sa ateneo, BS ECE ang course. wow.

thank you Lord! : )

= = = = = = = = = =

last december 19, our company hosted a jollibee kiddie party for the kids of caritas manila. i was part of the team that organized it. according to ma'am kristine, there were two kids who really wanted to touch jollibee, but were too shy to do it along with the other kids. kaya huli na silang lumapit. here's their pic, taken by sir noli, our corporate affairs head:

pagod na pagod kami after the party, but things like this push all the weariness away.

so, kailan at saan ang sunod na outreach?! ; )

ito ang nangyayari kapag nakawala si grace sa book sale

2008-01-11T04:23:00.000+08:00

in fairness to my book hunting skills, 540 lang itong lahat. :)

panalong araw with friends

2008-01-07T23:58:00.000+08:00

ang isa sa mga hindi ko maintindihan ay bakit kung kailan todo-todo ang pagpaplano, hindi natutuloy ang lakad (akala niyo, kung anong malalim, no? hehe.). sa bagay, okay lang din. mas nagiging amazing yung mga lakad o gimik na biglaaan, pero natutuloy. katulad kanina. :)

lunch time. hindi ako naka-order, kaya pumunta ako sa ministop. nakapila pa lang ako nung nakita ako ni sarah at benj. kakain pala sila sa unit nina benj sa 17th floor ng building namin. nauna na si benj sa taas, kami naman ni sarah, bumili muna ng dalawang lata ng meat loaf. magluluto pala kami. may vienna sausage pa raw si benj. ayos!

pagdating namin sa taas, iniinit na ni benj yung kanin at nakapagsalang na rin siya ng mantika. niyaya rin nila si connie, pero hindi siya nagre-reply.

sobrang nakakatuwa kasi ang tagal ko na silang hindi nakakasama. to think na nung management trainees pa kami, halos araw-araw kaming sabay kumakain. sa bagay, that was almost two years ago. patapos na nga yung bond namin sa february 6, e.

ayun, siyempre, usap-usap. nakaka-miss yung ganoon, sobra. sayang lang kasi kailangan ko nang mauna pabalik ng office. anyway, pwede pa namang ulitin hanggang wala pang umuupa sa unit nina benj. :)

after work naman, dinaanan ko si nel sa HR. biglaan ulit, nagkayayaan. si nel na dapat 7 pa uuwi, nagligpit before 6. sumama rin si kacey at si elcie (na napadaan lang sa HR). ayun, get-together ulit! libre ko nga lang. buti na lang, minsan lang. :)

we ended up eating at mang inasal. siyempre, chika galore ulit. naputol lang after umalis ni kacey with cliff, her boyfriend. pero tuloy pa rin kami sa starbucks, kung saan si nel lang ang bumili ng kape. hehe.

ayun, bago namin namalayan, past 9 na pala. oras na para umuwi. kami ni nel, may round three pa ng chismis sa FX.

kaya gabi na ako umuwi, kahit na maaga ako dapat bukas. kaya inaantok na ako. kaya malapit nang iluwa ng mata ko ang contact lens niya. pero okay lang. okay lang talaga. :)

panalong picture

2007-12-28T22:00:00.000+08:00

i think papu posted this already, pero aliw, e. this was during the embryology christmas party/inuman at her house last saturday.

can('t) get away from work

2007-12-27T07:47:00.001+08:00

i've been on leave since december 21, & will be back in the office on january 2. ang haba ng bakasyon ko, woohoo!

sa kasamaang-palad, hindi pa sanay ang biological clock ko sa walang pasok. woke up at 6am yesterday, 7am today. anyway...

do you know about g-live alerts? those are the messages that globe sends for free, & that flash on your phone's LCD from time to time. natawa ako sa alert kahapon ng umaga:

"BSP cuts overnight rates by 25 bps."

grace the bank employee reacts: 25 basis points? that means that the reverse repurchase rate is down to 5.25% and the repurchase rate is now at 7.25%. ang baba na....

of course, grace the girl on vacation also has a reaction: what the, i'm on leave! tsaka ko na lang iisipin yan. hehe. : )

merry christmas!

2007-12-25T02:46:00.000+08:00

it really is a merry christmas for me. buti na lang. :)

balanced

2007-12-15T00:26:00.000+08:00

You Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

mortification beyond blushing

2007-12-02T02:04:00.000+08:00

i haven't blogged in a week because i didn't have anything to blog about. i was actually in netopia southmall yesterday evening, but i really couldn't think of anything worth posting. i haven't read a new book, or watched a new movie. i don't have much to say regarding the earthquake (despite having felt it) & the coup attempt (because i haven't read the papers yet, & we weren't listening to the radio while it was going on).

so, have i already established that i have nothing to blog about?

well, that was a couple of hours ago. in true i-can't-believe-it-happened-to-me fashion, i now have something to blog about.

after the prayer meeting, deirdre & i decided to have coffee at mocha blends.

= = = = = = = = = =

(while deirdre was parking the car)
grace: siguro sasabihin nila, "eto na naman yung dalawang nakabasag ng bote!"
(we broke a water bottle there almost two months ago, as we were standing up to leave)

= = = = = = = = = =

(before the food was served, grace bumps into her glass, spilling peach tea all over her blouse & pants)
grace: (to the waiter) sorry, sorry!
(waiter hands grace tissue, starts wiping the spill)
grace: (to deirdre) i'll go to the CR muna to clean up.

= = = = = = = = = =

(grace is in the CR, drying her shirt. she hears the door open, & sees a mocha blends employee turning back. grace shuts the door quickly.)
grace: (in a voice loud enough for the whole coffee shop to hear) sorry!

= = = = = = = = = =

(grace is back. deirdre & her drink have moved to a new table.)
grace: i forgot to lock the door.
deirdre: (smiles) i know.
grace: (in a whisper) i was drying my shirt!
(deirdre holds her laughter in)
grace: let's just eat fast, okay?
deirdre: do you want to take the food out? we can eat at my house.
grace: that would look weird. let's just eat fast.
deirdre: okay. (takes a bite of the spicy chicken wings) wow, this is good.

= = = = = = = = = =

deirdre: di ba nga i had a throat infection. then i twisted my ankle. now i bumped my knee into our bedpost. ang sakit talaga!
grace: hello! i'd rather have your pain over my mortification.
deirdre: oo nga, not comparable.

= = = = = = = = = =

(while walking to the car, after gobbling up the chicken wings in record time)
grace: i had my shirt off!
deirdre: what?! oh my...!
grace: i know! i won't be able to go back here for five years. i actually wanted to ask for an official receipt but then they would know my name & would remember grace sarmiento as the girl who knocked off her drink & forgot to lock the CR door while she was drying her shirt.

= = = = = = = = = =

(in the car)
grace: bilis, bilis! i want to get out of here!
deirdre: it won't start. why?!
grace: waaah! pero sa bagay, it could have been worse. i could have been sitting on the bowl.
deirdre: i was afraid to ask that.

= = = = = = = = = =

(as the car is moving out of the parking lot)
deirdre: buti hindi ka nagba-blush. kung ako siguro yun, todo blush na ako.
grace: hindi talaga ako ma-blush, e.
deirdre: siguro there's really mortification that's beyond blushing.
grace: (in her head) gee derder, that really helps. thanks.

= = = = = = = = = =

(after an almost-accident near times)
deirdre: siguro 1,000 ang guardian angels ko ngayon.
grace: kaya naman pala walang nag-guard sa akin ngayon, e!

surreal

2007-11-24T12:25:00.000+08:00

i got home very late last night (or very early today). i came from a four and a half hour figaro date with deirdre, so i got to moonwalk at past 12. surprise, surprise, my mom was there, waiting for a jeep with one of her friends!

nung naglalakad na kami, sinabi niyang nag-starbucks daw kasi sila. my mom & starbucks?! unfathomable. haha.

good afternoon, world! : )

one more chance

2007-11-17T01:53:00.000+08:00

on the way to the cinema...

nel (walking briskly): bilisan natin!
me: bakit?
nel: baka may makakita sa atin!
(nel, maam maggie & i laugh)
nel: ganito din kami dati sa got 2 believe.

: )

the mermaid chair

2007-11-12T05:50:00.000+08:00

" i had thought our lives together were vouchsafed. it was of those unpremeditated facts that i'd live with every single day. like the sun going through its motions - coming and going, an automaton. like the stars fixed in the milky way. who questions these things? they just are".

- jessie sullivan in the mermaid chair
by sue monk kidd

kita-kits sa mcdo : )

2007-11-05T01:51:00.000+08:00

one night, after the prayer meeting, at mcdo philam. thanks to ate malou for the pics. : )

mabel & i.

with cleo, & some articles from his collection. : )

pinagtinginan kami ng ibang customers. bakit kaya?! hehe!

in the pressure cooker again

2007-11-04T01:26:00.000+08:00

i found myself in a messy fix last week. i had information that i thought a new friend needed to know. sadly, "what you don't know can't hurt you" does not apply in this situation. if i don't tell her, she can get hurt. but if i tell her, she will definitely get hurt.

if she finds out from someone else, i'm sure that she will get mad at me for keeping it from her. but if she finds out from me, she could also get mad at me, & even think that i had an ulterior motive in telling her.

thank heavens, there is a pinprick of light shining from the end of the dark tunnel. if i tell her, she might appreciate my honesty. telling her could, in turn, become the start of an open friendship.

in the end, i decided to tell her. & she did appreciate my honesty.

whew. : )

just thinking

2007-10-28T18:07:00.000+08:00

in our party last week, i told embryo about some of the decisions that i've made in the past two years. on second thought, it must be more appropriate to say that i told them how i handled the nerve-wracking events of my past two years - my realizations, the things i said, etc.

it's been a long time, & it's very weird that i only told them the story now. after all, we are pretty tight, it's our style to talk things over, & the experiences i went through are not easy to go through alone. but i guess that's just my way of dealing with the cards dealt to me. & i guess i was only able to tell them the story now because i can now do so in a detached manner. because lately, i've started being happy again. it took me a long while to get here, you know.

so i can't help but feel so flattered that they approve of the way i handled things. 'ika nga ni john, "top 1 sa academics, top 1 sa buhay". nakakatawa kasi habang nagkekwento ako, sobrang in-affirm nila yung decisions ko. feeling ko tuloy, asa pedestal ako. sabi kasi ni eloi, tumaas daw ang respeto niya sa 'kin. eloi & je-ann even memorized some of my lines. je-ann went further by saving it on her phone so she won't forget. haha. :)

i don't remember who said it anymore, but i was told that i am proof that intelligent people are not necessarily stupid in affairs of the heart. sabi nga ni kamille, rational daw ako. nagagamit ko yung talino ko sa pagdedesisyon. sabi niya, hindi ako yung tipong matalino pero wala lang.

funny talaga yung reactions nila. looking back, i don't even know how i managed to say the right things in what deirdre has coined, "pressure cooker moments". siguro, pasalamat na lang ako kay Lord kasi binigyan niya ako ng grace under pressure.

because of their questions, i realized one thing: i make decisions on my own. i rarely ask for advice. i don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but that's the way i do it. i only ask for advice after i've made my choice, & i need help in dealing with the aftershocks of that choice.

so far, it has been working for me. i can't recall a decision that i regretted for years & years on end. sure, there were those i cried about for a while. but even when i was crying about those, i knew that i made the right choice, & that things will turn out well in time.

haha, grabeng pagbubuhat na ito ng bangko. but in the end, all i really want to say is, "thank you for the affirmation." i really needed it, you know. ;)

quotable quotes

2007-10-21T04:12:00.000+08:00

just got home from bobby's & john's joint birthday celebration. lest i forget these words in my sleep-deprived state, here they are:

"you can't have all the benefits without the responsibility."

"open ka, open din naman ako, eh di i-close na natin."

cryptic as these may seem without the context, i'll leave these as is. good morning, world! :)

grieving

2007-10-13T02:00:00.000+08:00

we just came home from the wake of ate belen, a distant cousin. she died of a stroke last monday. she left behind two teenage kids & her husband.

the way it happened was so sad. she was in church last saturday, when she started feeling dizzy. she was brought to the hospital, & was unconscious ever since.

kuya nono, her husband (who is a distant uncle), was at sea in europe. my mom called him to relay the news. i don't know if he was just in denial, but among the first things he said was maybe, ate belen was just stressed out.

the doctors told ate belen's family that an operation had to be done immediately, though performing it was not a guarantee that she will be able to recover. however, they needed my uncle's consent. understandably so, he wasn't able to decide immediately. he only consented to the operation on monday morning. i'm not sure if the operation was done that time. ate belen died on monday night.

kuya nono arrived only three hours ago. it was so heartbreaking to see him hold his head & hesitate before going inside the room. the room was full, but everyone was quiet as he & his family were gathered around ate belen's casket. i can't even begin to imagine how hard this is for them.

fortune cookie says...

2007-10-10T23:49:00.000+08:00

soon, someone will make you very proud.

mangyari lamang ni rico abelardo

2007-10-07T14:49:00.000+08:00

mangyari lamang ay tumayo
ang mga nagmamahal
nang makita ng lahat
ang kagandahan ng mukha ng pag-ibig
ipamalas ang tamis
ng malalim na pagkakaunawaan
sa mga malabo ang paningin

mangyari lamang ay tumayo rin
ang mga nagmahal at nasawi
nang makita ng lahat
ang mga sugat ng isang bayani
ipadama ang pait ng kabiguan
habang ipinagbubunyi
ang walang katulad na kagitingan
ng isang nagtataya

mangyari lamang ay tumayo
ang mga nangangambang magmahal
nang makita ng lahat ang kilos ng isang bata
ipamalas ang katapatan ng damdamin
na pilit ikinukubli
ng pusong lumaki sa mga enkanto at diwata

mangyari lamang ay tumayo
ang mga nagmahal, minahal, at iniwan
ngunit handa pa ring magmahal
nang makita ng lahat ang yaman ng karanasan
ipamalas ang mga katotohanang nasaksihan
nang maging makahulugan
ang mga paghahagulgol sa dilim

at sa mga nananatiling nakaupo
mangyari lamang ay dahan-dahang tumalilis
papalabas sa nakangangang pinto
umuwi na kayo
at sumbatan ang mga magulang
na nagpalaki ng isang halimaw

at sa lahat ng naiwang nakatayo
mangyari lamang ay hagkan ang isa't isa
at yakapin ang mga sugatan
mabuhay tayong lahat
na nagsisikap na makabalik
sa ating pinagmulan

manatiling masaya
at higit sa lahat
magpatuloy sa pagmamahal

home from a four-hour conversation

2007-09-30T02:48:00.000+08:00

just got home from deirdre's house/cybercafe. miracle of miracles, em went to the prayer meeting tonight! haven't seen her since may. it was great to see her so happy &, as deirdre put it, sparkling.

maybe we really are getting older (or maturing, to put it in a better-sounding way), but i'm finding that i'm enjoying good conversation more & more. there doesn't need to be any special ambiance, just friends who are in the mood to share, laugh with & at each other, & listen.

as an added bonus, i was able to get copies of our pics from the singles discovery weekend 2 (a retreat) last february. hindi nga lang mukhang retreat pictures kasi ang kulit namin. hehe. :)

i miss these girls! that's rocel, rica, jacqui & em. jacqui is still in the states, while the others are usually not able to make it to the saturday prayer meeting. so it's usually just me.

in the morgue slash girls' room. :)

sunflower girls. ay, daisy pala. :)

the monstrosity that is the ateneo diploma

2007-09-24T21:54:00.000+08:00

believe it or not, i still have 11.5 days of unavailed vacation leave. sabi nga ng boss ko, mag-leave na lang ako every friday para magamit ko. hmm, tempting. :)

ewan ko, pero parang weird naman kung every friday. kaya nag-sched na lang ako nang paunti-unti. yung consecutive five-day leave ko, sa november pa. pero nag-leave ako ngayon para kunin ang aking long-overdue diploma.

i went to the registrar to apply for it. i was expecting to be advised when i could get it. to my surprise, available na! wow, it took dean cruz only 2 and a half years to sign it this time. dati kasi, 3 years daw. hehe. (but we psych majors are still not the last ones to get our diplomas. sabi ni tenten, hindi pa rin daw nakukuha ni ate maria yung diploma niya, to think that she graduated the same time we did. grabe ang english dept!)

since it was in latin, i requested for an english translation. that cost me 80 bucks. nakakainis! well, medyo. just think, you toiled away for four grueling years only to get a diploma that you don't understand. where's justice in that? i'm being so melodramatic. hehe.

(oo nga pala, pangit din yung papel - parchment lang! buti pa sa uste, colored at makapal.)

nakakatawa kasi nung inaabot sa akin nung guy yung diploma, nag-explain pa siya:

guy: miss, once lang po kami mag-i-issue nito. kaya pag nasunog, nawala o nabasa, hindi ka na pwede mag-request ulit. gusto mo po bang mag-apply for a certified true copy?
me (thinking quietly): pagkatapos mo akong takutin nang ganyan, makaka-hindi pa ba ako?

seriously. tama ba naman yon! hehe. :)

i knew the diploma was big, but i didn't realize how big. just to give you an idea:

grabe. i had trouble taking it home, as it was raining. iniisip ko nga, idiretso ko na sa taga-frame. kaso, wala nga pala akong perang pang-deposit kung sakali. hehe!

finally, masasabi ko nang graduate na talaga ako. :)

grace & papu at work

2007-09-24T00:00:00.000+08:00

i am currently handling the development of our annual report, & papu's agency is bidding. here are snippets of our emails:

Hi Grace!

May we go there to present the Annual Report Concept tomorrow at 3pm? Please advise.

Thanks,
Papu

Yes, 3pm is okay with us.

Thanks, Papu.

Oki oki.

Wow we are so formal. Huwaw. Hahahaha. So how are you my darling bee?

= = = = = = = = = =

Hi Grace!

Please see my comments below, in pink. Hope everything is clarified. Please advise if there are other concerns.

Thanks!
Papu

-----Original Message-----
From: Grace Roselle D. Sarmiento
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 11:04 AM
To: Papu Abjelina
Subject: Re: Annual Report Quote

Good morning, Papu!

Thank you for the quotation. I have to tell you though, that your quote is way above the quote of the other four agencies that presented. I'm afraid that we would not be able to consider your proposal, if the cost remains such. Would it be possible for you to send us a revised quote within the day, so that we could decide? We need it ASAP, as the paper is due tomorrow.

Just some clarifications on the current quote:
1. Photography - Does the P100K already take into consideration that many shots will probably have to be done outdoors? Our assumption here is that we will have photos similar to the one you used for the Financial Scoreboard. How many photos are included in the P100K? Does this already include the make-up artist?

The typical price per set-up is around 8 to 10,000, depending on the shots that we'll be taking. Our photos will mostly be shot indoors, with a few shots outdoors (much like We can factor in the make-up artist with the cost.

2. Final Artwork - How did you arrive at the FA cost computation?

As per our telecon, Final Artwork means the material ready for release. We have a specific rate that is:
a) Size of the file: 100php per megabyte of the file. (in this case it is 20 MB per page, with 90 pages)
b) Computer time: 2700 php per hour (in this case around 22 hours for the entire thing)

Please note that this rate that we are giving is standard supplier rate, as this is done by a third party.

3. Printing - Could you send us a quote for perfect binding instead (the committee was not too keen on the ring bind)? Also, would the unit cost remain the same whether we print 700 or 900 copies?

Re: perfect binding, as per our printer, the cost would still remain the same whether or not we use the ring bind. The unit cost is stilll the same whether we print 700 or 900 php.

As per our conversation, however, we can still package the cost as we can flexible with the package. If possible, let us know how you would like us to package the cost, to fit everything into your budget. We're open to adjustments with regards to the costs. Hope you can advise.

Thanks!
Papu

Hi, Papu.

Explanations noted. I'm afraid that I can't give you a budget or a price range, as that would be unfair to the other agencies. Will just wait for your new quotation.

Thanks. : )

Hi Grace,

Kindly see the attached revised quotation for your perusal. Please note that we've made the printing costs separate from our costs, as that is a third party. We've adjusted the cost items that will be credited to ___ perse. However, please note that we will still look for a printer that will print within the budget. We'll help find suppliers who will give lower quotations.

Please do let us know if the attached is alright with you.

Thanks and we hope to work with you soon!

Good afternoon, Papu!

We appreciate the adjustments you made in the cost. We also appreciate your effort in looking for a cheaper printer. In line with this, could we ask you to quote the printing cost based on the following specs?

Size: A4
Paper Stock: Cover - C2S # 220
Inside - Matte # 120
Color: Full
Cover Finish: Matte lamination with spot UV
Binding: Perfect Binding

We have also asked the other agencies to quote using the above specs, so that we could compare the proposals better.

Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.

Bago ko sagutin ng seryoso:

Who would have known that we'd go from you consoling me with BTS after theo orals to THIS? kulang nalang gamitan kita ng "AS PER OUR LAST EMAIL"

Hehehe. HEHEHEH!!!

Love,
papu

Oo nga, e. Who would have known? : )

the battle of ateneo (harry potter and the deathly hallows - ateneo version)

2007-09-19T20:48:00.000+08:00

got this through email. benta, i swear. lalo na si padre ferriols, father dacanay at dr. rosana (the last two were my teachers). mahaba nga lang, but i encourage you to read on. walang mapipikon, ha. ;)

= = = = = = = = = =

This was written by Miguel Antonio Lizada and was taken from www.animoateneo.com.

This started as three separate entries in my blog I must be honest and say that this was nothing but a mere product of boredom. I wrote this after re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and after asking myself "What would Ateneo be like if it was attacked by Voldemort and his dark creatures?"

Friends who read my blog forwarded this to their friends who in turn forwarded it to their friends. At the request of my colleagues here in AnimoAteneo. com and people who have enjoyed this, I have edited and polished this story as well as added a few new elements to it.

Just a few pre-reading reminders:

This, in essence is a parody of Ateneo life. Yes, there are of course anti-school and UAAP-based jokes here and there but this mainly satirizes Ateneo life - the people, the language, the culture etc.

This is also a parody of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Its ending resembles the ending of the Harry Potter book. So if you have not yet read the book and you do not wish to be spoiled, I must warn you to read at your own risk.

My thanks to those who have enjoyed what-used-to- be-just-a-time-filler and to those who contributed several suggestions.

= = = = = = = = = =

Chapter One: Before the Storm
Fr. Bienvenido Nebres SJ was just finishing the day's work when Harry Potter, a senior of the Ateneo de Manila, burst into his office.

"Fr Nebres!" Harry shouted.

"Harry!" a surprised Nebres said. "I thought you were out of school destroying the horcruxes to kill Lord Voldemort."

"That's what I wanted to tell you. I discovered that there are two horcruxes here in Ateneo itself. Voldemort has enlisted the help of the De La Salle University and the University of Santo Tomas. They are coming."

"Don't worry, Harry." Nebres said "You know for a fact that Ateneo -- its teachers and students -- are more than capable of defending our Loyola campus. We will hold them off while you search for the horcruxes and destroy them. You will need this." He waved of his wand and out of the air appeared a sword. "The sword of St. Ignatius." Nebres said. "Powerful enough to destroy the two horcruxes."

"Thank you, Father" Harry said. And with that, he sped off to find the last two things which protect Lord Voldemort.

Nebres then waved his wand once more and this time, four people appeared in his office. "Marlu, Rudy, Toby and Joey. The school is in danger."

Nebres then explained the situation to the four Deans of the Ateneo de Manila University. "I want you to assemble all remaining students in the college covered courts. We must evacuate the freshmen through Marikina. The sophomore, junior and senior students may stay and fight if they want to. Next, I need you to assemble all the teachers, both part-time and full-time."

Without a word, the four deans Disapparated and went on with their tasks. Nebres too Disapparated back to the Jesuit Residence and briefed the Society about the impending attack.

Fr. Adolfo Dacanay was the assigned to lead the Jesuits to battle "My team is ready to fight anytime anywhere. We will crush them!"

"Excellent." Nebres said

After a few minutes, Nebres, the four Deans and some members of the faculty and administration gathered in Xavier Hall to discuss the battle plan.

"The School of Humanities can summon mythical creatures to help defend us," Marlu Vilches said. "The English Department professors are summoning creatures from Dante's Inferno and Greek Mythology as we speak. The Filipino Department is summoning all the manananggals and white ladies from the haunted trees on campus.

"The Philosophy Department," interjected Fr. Ferriols "is summoning creatures from Meron pond right now. Those rascals will soon feel the wrath of Meron! Magiging WALA silang lahat! Konsepto lamang yan sila!"

"Now is the time to test the newest chemicals and inventions from our SEC laboratories. " Toby Dayrit said, "The Department of Environmental Science professors are enchanting the trees to life right now. We will purge them with the help of Mother Nature."

"I have just received a call from MVP," Rudy Ang said. "Reinforcements from Makati are coming soon."

"My apples and sunshine are ready to fight as well," Tim Gabuna said. "Go CERSA!"

"I have just finished briefing my school. The Department of History is ready to fight. The Western history professors led by Dave Lozada and JoEd Tirol are summoning the three hundred Spartans and soldiers from the World War II to fight. Fr Bulatao and the Department of Psychology are locked inside the SocSci Conference room right now. They will use their psychic powers to toy with our enemy's mind," said Fr. Joey Cruz.

"I have roused the athletes also," Norman Black beside Ricky Palou said. "They are ready to put up One Big Fight with their super strength."

A voice interrupted them. "I KNOW YOU ARE PREPARING TO FIGHT! You are no match for us! I have allied myself with the La Salle brothers and the Dominicans of UST. You cannot win against me, Jesuits. Push the limit! Animo Spirit! Give us Harry Potter and the sword of St. Ignatius and we will let you live! We will even let you win some of the games."

Chapter Two: More Help
The Ateneans ignored the warning and instead began to prepare for the impending battle. A few minutes later, the voice shouted for a second time:

"I can see you are not listening! It is such a pity. What happened to your Prayer for Generosity? Give me Harry Potter and the Sword of St. Ignatius. Give without counting the cost, you always say! You have until midnight. I also call on all students of La Salle Greenhills and La Salle Zobel. It is not too late. Come and join us. Convert! Repent!"

Fr. Dacanay, interrupting his briefing with his exorcists turned and said "The idiot is taking the prayer out of context. Besides, St. Ignatius also said to fight without fear of being wounded. And we will do just that."

Three figures -- two women and a man -- suddenly appeared. "We are from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology," said the man.

"Ricky Abad!" Fr. Nebres exclaimed.

"I brought with me our Department Chair Bopeep Saloma-Akpedonu. And this is Czarina Medina, one of our newest lecturers. We apologize for being late. We were preparing our I-bombs."

"I-bombs? What are I-bombs?" Nebres asked.

"Ideology bombs. Once they detonate, they will spread false consciousness in the area -- the La Salle brothers and the Tomasians will think they are winning. It is all false really. We will use their pride against them."

"Excellent, excellent," Nebres said. "And here comes Andrew Ty and Mark Escaler for the Department of Communication. "

"Yes!" Escaler said. "We will infiltrate their communication processes by adding "noise" and ambiguity between the message relay of the sender and the receiver so orders can be reversed and thwarted!"

"The creatures from my horror films are coming!" Andrew Ty said. "We will use them to our advantage!"

"Father President! Some people are coming!" somebody shouted.

Some five hundred people then Apparated out of nowhere. Wearing either red or white shirts, they marched towards Nebres. A young man then stepped forward.

"We are from the University of the Philippines," said the young man. "For years, our academic communities have built a strong relationship with each other. We have shared professors. We went to rallies together. We have had our differences, yes. But in the end, our similarities and accomplishments outweigh our differences...We are here to help! We are honored to fight with Ateneo once more!"

Cheers and applause errupted from all sides.

"Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baba from the hill," the Ateneans cheered.

Five minutes to midnight.

The School of Humanities stood with their mythical creatures summoned from the Classics, and the haunted trees and the gigantic swamp creatures from the Meron pond.

The John Gokongwei School of Management with their reinforcements from Makati, along with Venus Ibarra, Ricky Pilar and other professors.

The School of Science and Engineering with their mysterious inventions and weapons. The gigantic trees in the campus now walking sluggishly by their side.

The School of Social Sciences with their unique yet powerful defensive weapons; the Psychology Department ready for the psy-war.

The Ateneo Professional Schools ready to defend their Loyola-based counterparts; the two fraternities in the Law School forging a temporary alliance.

The Alumni, the D.A. (Dalandan's Army), led by Benjie Laza and Mon Cualoping.

The statues of Thomas More, Horacio dela Costa, and the Blue Eagle come to life.

The students from U.P.

Two horcruxes left.

Now all is still, where Loyola's colors fly.

Chapter Three: One Big Fight
Midnight.

There was a burst of light emanating from the sky, brighter than the moon and the stars. What seemed like a horde of fireflies turned out to be arrows. Thousands of arrows. Tips on fire.

The arrows struck the Blue Eagle Gym. The oldest building in the University. The symbol of their athletic pride. Now aflame.

Toby Dayrit tossed a beaker of water to the burning building. He pointed his wand at the beaker now mid-air and shouted his spell, "magis." The water transformed into a surf huge enough to douse the fire. The Blue Eagle Gym was safe.

The Archers outside roared their disappointment. But they shot again, this time targeting the Erenchun soccer field where some of the Ateneans were camped. Nebres pointed his wand at the arrows raining from the sky and shouted his incantation, "Cura personalis" and the thousand arrows turned into bubbles.

The Ateneans cheered. The first two attacks of the LaSallians and the Tomasians have been thwarted.

"You have had your fun, Ateneans." a voice boomed. "Now it is time to get serious."

Darkness suddenly enveloped the University. The enemy had sabotaged their electricity. Immediately all the Ateneans took out and flickered their wands, "Lux in Domino" they chanted. Light emanated from all the wands.

The illumination came just in time as suddenly a stampede crushed the fences between Gate 2 and Gate 2.5. The Ateneans have realized the magnitude of their danger: it was not just the LaSallians or even just the Tomasians they were confronting; the other schools were there as well. A thousand Green Archers were riding the backs of the giant tigers of UST. Charging with them were the giant tamaraws and a hundred warriors whose bodies were painted red war paint. Above, falcons were soaring in the sky.

"YOU FOUL THINGS, noh?" somebody from the Ateneo crowd shouted, charging at the stampede; it was Tessa Rosana. "How dare you attack us, noh? You don't know who you are dealing with, noh? TAKE THIS, noh?" She hit her gong with all her might. A powerful sound wave spread throughout the area knocking a hundred Archers and animals out.

"HA! noh?" she triumphantly yelled.

And so the other Ateneans started counterattacking as well. David Lozada and his 300 Spartans. The ROTC cadets. The mythical creatures of the School of Humanities. Dalandan's Army.

Ricky Abad and the Department of Sociology soon deployed their Ideology Bombs prompting some of the LaSallians to cheer instead of fighting. "Strawberry shortcake nananananana. " "Recticano! Recticano", allowing some of the Ateneans to easily knock the LaSallians out.

Somewhere near the Covered Courts, Norman Black was briefing his team, "Nonoy. I want you here. Chris, here. Jai, there. Alright? Any questions?"

"Aaaaah! GOD DAMN IT!" a raspy voice screamed. It was Joe Lipa, former coach of the Blue Eagles, who arrived with the contingent from UP. "Just charge! Attack them! Now!" And so they did.

The LaSalle brothers and Francisco of UST were outside, watching the battle, waiting for their turn to strike.

A handful of LaSallians were found trotting back to their base.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" Francisco yelled.

"You told us to retreat!" the Archer said.

"You idiot! That's just Escaler and Bulatao toying with your minds! Go back! That's it! I am joining the battle!"

She then stepped forward lifted her two arms and shouted "Tiger Power! Raar! Tiger Power! Raar!" The LaSalle brothers thought she had lost her mind. But then she suddenly transformed into a giant tigress, twice larger and fiercer than the ordinary tigers. Seeing their comrade ready and willing to fight, the LaSallians cheered.

"HOY!" Goldie the Tiger roared. "NO CHEERING DURING BATTLE! NO CHEERING!" Then she advanced.

Her first target was Fr. Dacanay who was busy exorcising some of the Archers and paralyzing them.

"FATHER! Behind you!"

Quickly, Dacanay whirled and performed his own counterattack "Expellus Inferius" blasting her into the middle of the Erenchun field, knocking her out.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" The La Salle brothers shouted upon seeing their comrade down. "It is time we even the score."

The earth began to quake. And out of the night came a gigantic robot. It was DLRT; the LaSallians had transformed and brought the LRT-1 which passed Taft Avenue into a robot.

DLRT was making quick work of the Ateneans and their creatures, crushing the mythical creatures here and there, tossing the trees brought to life by the Department of Environmental Science.

"Let us not lose hope!" Nebres said. "We are after all committed to hope."

"Now is not the time to talk about GK, Father!" somebody said.

"I am not talking about GK. I am talking about SECtor."

He pointed his wand the Science Education Complex. The building shook and assembled itself into a robot. SEC A was the head and the torso. SEC B became the left arm and leg and SEC C became the right.

"Mang Freddie!" Nebres called.

"I am ready, Father!" shouted Freddie, the man in charge of Escaler Hall which has now become the control room SECtor.

"Attack, Freddie! One Big Fight."

DLRT was no match and quickly collapsed under the strength of SECtor.

"Fr Nebres!" Harry Potter appeared. "Two horcruxes have been destroyed and..."

"Animo La Salle!" "Animo La Salle!" "Animo La Salle!"

There were screams of terror. The LaSalle brothers had entered the battle. They were using their most dangerous spell: The Animo LaSalle -- the Killing Curse!

Finale: The Animo Wand
Ateneans were dropping dead left and right. The Animo La Salle curse was unblockable. Some of the more veteran teachers provided extra defense and protection to the students but most of their efforts were futile. Dacanay and his Jesuit team however managed to stun a few Archers.

Victory however seemed far-fetched. Francisco had been revived from the Stunning Spell. Back in human form, she was battling Jai Reyes, Kirk Long and Chris Tiu at the same time. While the players were certainly skillful, Francisco was able to block all spells launched by the Blue Eagles.

Francisco pointed her wand at Chris Tiu and shouted "Animo La Salle!" But the curse missed him by an inch.

"Not Chris Tiu, you BIATCH!" somebody shouted; it was Achoot Cuyegkeng. "Out of my way! Out of my way! SHE's MINE!"

Francisco laughed. "You are no match for me! I am the greatest servant of the Dominicans! What's gonna happen to your Loyola Schools after I kill you?! What's gonna happen to your Blue Eagles after I kill Chrissy?"

"You will never touch any of our students again!!" Cuyegkeng said.

Francisco laughed. And with her unerring skill as jack-of-all-trades Professor Cuygekeng sent a Stunning Curse at her opponent. The curse hit her squarely on the chest, knocking her out once more.

"Enough!" Harry shouted. "Voldemort! Where are you? You have been using the LaSallians and the other schools to come after me. Where are you?"

"I am here, Potter," a voice hissed. The voice came from Bro. Armin.

"Brother Armin?"

"No! I am Voldemort! Armind is my past, present and future. See?" he wrote the word Armind then with a flicker of his wand the word became Voldemort.

"I don't get it." Harry said

"Ako rin!" an Atenean said.

"Ha? Can you make ulit?" another one shouted.

"How did Armind become Voldemort?"

"Bai, nalibog na ko!" A Cebuano Atenean shouted.

"Bah! Never mind! Anyone knows the LaSallians can't spell. So anyway, I stunned Armind a few days ago and using his name and face I used the school and all the other schools to come and find you!"

"But you are too late. I destroyed all the horcruxes!"

"No, Potter. I win. You see, while I was Bro. Armind. I was able to find the long lost and most powerful wand in the entire world -- the Animo Wand! And you will be its first victim!"

"Are you kidding me, Tom?" Harry said. "Don't you get it? The wand chooses the school. The Animo wand does not belong to La Salle! It belongs to the Ateneo."

"No! You are the fool! The LaSallians have been cheering Animo La Salle for such a long time. The LaSallians truly own the wand and since I am a LaSallian for now, I own it. Die Potter die!"

"But you see, Riddle, you did not review University histories. If you did, you would know that the Ateneans used AnimoAteneo first. And they still use it now. There is even a website right now named AnimoAteneo.com. The Ateneans have reclaimed Animo Ateneo!"

Silence.

"So. It comes down to this, doesn't it?" Harry whispered. "Does your wand know that its original owner still values it? If it does, I AM THE TRUE MASTER OF THE ANIMO WAND!"

Voldemort points his wand at Harry who in turn has prepared for the final duel.

"ANIMO LA SALLE!" Voldemort shouted.

"OH! GET. THAT.WAND!" Harry shouted.

The curse rebounded and hit Voldemort instead of Harry who caught the Animo Wand with his other hand. Cheers from the Ateneans and even some La Sallians, who realized that they were duped were all around.

That morning both Ateneo and La Salle forged a cease fire -- temporary because the next day was the Ateneo-La Salle basketball championship. Francisco, who was revived after hours of being stunned by Dacanay and Cuyegkeng, decided to lift the "No Cheering!" rule during time out. However, she still flinches whenever Dacanay (or any Jesuit for that matter) would approach her.

There were however, a group of La Sallians who disagreed with having a cease fire. They believed that the death and defeat of Voldemort was unfair so they decided to file a protest. This was later junked due to lack of merit.

Epilogue. Nineteen Years Later.
It was the day of the ACET. Harry Potter was accompanying his son Ben.

"Dad! What if I fail the ACET and end up in DLSU?"

Harry looked at his son and said "Bienvenido Adolfo! You were named after two of the most powerful Jesuits in the country. One of them is a good friend of ours. In fact he was the one who officiated our marriage."

"But... but... so what if I DO fail the ACET and end up in DLSU?"

Eh di bobo ka talaga! Harry thought. But he didn't say that. "But we will still love you as our son!" Harry said. "Alright. Your test starts in a few minutes. Make us proud. One Big Fight."

and i thought panties with pockets are weird

2007-09-15T01:12:00.000+08:00

coffee @ LP, breakfast @ tagaytay

2007-09-10T20:26:00.000+08:00

saturday, at mocha blends along gloria diaz

yesterday morning in front of mile hi, in tagaytay (sayang, closed na! hindi nga pala planado ang lakad na ito. basta, hinila lang ako ni dianne sa bahay ni judy. the next thing i knew, we were on our way to tagaytay.)

in casino filipino

rotonda

sa 7-11 (na katapat ng rotonda)

sa sanctuario (na malapit lang din sa rotonda)

= = = = = = = = = =

grabe ang araw na 'to. pero thankful ako, kasi okay kaming lahat.

kita-kits sa gateway : )

2007-09-08T08:01:00.000+08:00

matagal ko nang kinukulit ang thesis mate kong si badz, bago pa ang aug.28 niyang birthday: kailan ka manlilibre? siyempre, ang kapal ko! to think na hindi ako nanlibre nung may. hehe! ; ) well, kumagat siya. september raw. nung tuesday, actually. eto nga lang ang masaya: sa gateway raw. GATEWAY?! sa tingin niya, yun daw kasi ang gitna naming tatlo nina candy. teka, paano naging gitna ng malabon, manila at cavite ang cubao? oh, well. libre naman. : )

so straight from my roxas boulevard office, i took a jeep, LRT & MRT to get to gateway. when i got there already, grabe, memories. hindi naman ako malimit doon nung college kasi third or fourth year na ako nung natapos yun pero familiar pa rin. tanda ko kasi na palatandaan na turo sa akin ni guiller yung mga watson's. wala lang.

sa food court kami, para maraming choices. nauna na si candy, kaya hinanap ko siya. but before i saw her, look who i saw:

si de-anne, friend from gabay & the SOA EB!

siyempre, tuloy ang paghahanap kay candy. nagulat ako nung nakita ko siya kasi:

nagpakulay siya ng buhok! in fairness, bagay sa kanya kasi maputi naman siya. dahil forever na late si badz, chika muna kami. wala na pala siya sa st. bridget - sa ateneo na siya, formator sa office of social concern & involvement. right now, she's organizing the outreach program to the introduction to ateneo culture class. mentor din siya sa eliazo hall (the dorm for females). cool! pag nag-aral na siya ulit next ng counseling next sem, hindi na siya mahihirapan pumasok. hehe. naikwento ko naman na wala na ako sa HR. there were also the usual love life-related questions. wala naman akong bagong maikwento. hehe! ayun.

past 8 na ata dumating yung manlilibre, grabe! nagtago kami ni candy para hindi niya kami makita agad. hehe! tawa kami nang tawa kasi kitang-kita namin si badz, pero hindi niya kami makita. hehe, para kaming bata. : D

well, nakita rin niya kami kasi naka-pink si candy. buo na uli ang HAS (hernandez, abad, sarmiento - the name of our thesis group)! at kainan na!

food from jumbo japs.

crunchy tuna maki. even after this variation on the ever-popular maki, i don't think i'm ever going to like maki/sushi.

habang kumakain, kwentuhan to the max. badz told us about his work. siyempre, inevitable na balikan naming tatlo yung college days namin. after all, lagi kaming magkasama sa group work. binalikan namin yung father dacanay/theology 131 days namin - mga panahong sobrang tense kami pag malapit na ang 9 ng gabi, kasi deadline yun ng pagpasa ng group reflection paper. grabeng stress yun, to think na 5% lang yun ng final grade. nakakaloka pa kasi inuna pa namin yung reflection paper kaysa report namin sa cognitive psych, to think na 20% yun ng grade. grabe.

badz & i even reminisced on our eddie boy calasanz/philo 103 days. candy took another teacher, kaya kinuwentuhan na lang namin siya. kung terror si dacanay, mas terror si calasanz. grabe, to the nth level. but on second thought, terror ba si calasanz mismo, o yung mga grades lang na binibigay niya? hehe! kasi naman, highest grade sa ateneo ang 4, passing ay 1. alam mo ba kung ano ang nakuha ko sa first long test namin kay calasanz? 0.5! o di ba, half lang ng passing grade. but it's not too bad when you consider that other people got 0.1 or 0.2 or plain zero. to think na open book ang exam, pwede kang mag-discuss with classmates, umuwi sa bahay, gumamit ng computer at kung ano-ano pa, basta maipasa mo yung essay mo by 12 midnight. amazing.

at some point, i asked for dessert. ayaw na manlibre ni badz, kaya ako na lang para hindi na ako manlibre next time. hehe! i got three servings of halo-halo from razon's (grabe ang patong. 68 sa gateway, to think na aroung 40-50 lang sa guagua. hehe.).

ayun, kuwentuhan pa ulit nang todo. november last year pa kasi kaming huling nagkita. past 10 na nung umalis kami. kung hindi lang malayo ang bundok ko, hindi ako magyayayang umalis.

past 12 na ako nakarating sa bahay. nakakatawa kasi hindi pala nila alam na wala pa ako. wehehe.

nakakapagod, grabe. it took tremendous effort to keep my eyes open during the whole trip. but it was worth it. sa uulitin, friends. : )

kitkat's "surprise" party

2007-08-31T19:37:00.000+08:00

kadarating lang ni kitkat galing states nung wednesday, after staying there for a year & eight months. sakto, birthday pa niya. what else does this call for? of course, a surprise party!

habang papunta, nagtatanungan kami nina loui, papu at tenten. teka, paano nga ba tayo na-contact ni jomel (yung brother ni kitkat)? walang nakakaalam. oh, well.

basta, diretso na lang sa bahay nina kitkat. pagdating doon, tinanong namin siya: alam mo bang darating kami? oo raw, kasi sa kanya hiningi ni jomel ang number ni papu. pasaway! : )

in fairness to me, on time ang posting ko ngayon! at least, not that late. pics are courtesy of eloi. : )

the birthday girl (the white ones are my hands! grabe, mukha pa ring kamay ng bata.).

eto na, reunion of sorts na naman ang embryo.

kailangan talagang mag-project?! :)

all girls naman ang drama namin dito.

weird ang kamay ng mga tao rito. animated!

beautiful eyes...teka, bakit malungkot ang bago naming nurse? smile naman diyan, amory!

nakakatawa si atom dito! he looks as if he's thinking, "why the hell am i listening to this girl?!" pero sabi niya, ang tumatakbo raw sa utak niya nito ay, "why am i wearing this?!" in fairness, bagay sa kanya ang formal. okay lang yan atom, minsan ka lang magdurusa nang ganyan. ; )

tama si eloi, blurred nga yung ibang pics, kaya dapat magkita-kita kami ulit for another round of picture-taking. 'til the next time! : )

conversations with deirdre

2007-08-26T22:50:00.000+08:00

me: (while moving right hand as if flicking a wand) wingardium leviosa. hay...i wish it would just levitate towards my house.
deirdre: why?
grace: so that i wouldn't have to carry it home. then when i get home, i could pretend that i only saw it for the first time, & don't know where it came from.
(laughter)

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

me: you've taken up enough time already. we're now going to move on to another topic. (after hopelessly & fruitlessly talking about the same subject for over 30 minutes)
deirdre: as if we can talk about anything else.
me: oo nga, e.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

deirdre: guys don't think as much as we do.
me: i don't think that it's right to say that they don't think as much. they just don't go down the same roads that we do.
(deirdre agrees)

SOA EB get-together

2007-08-20T16:06:00.000+08:00

ten million years ago (july 7, to be exact), my superfriends from the SOA EB had a get-together at pasto in the fort (first time ko sa fort!). sayang nga lang, kasi wala si mana.

with my bad luck, i got sick while we were having dinner. as in ang sama talaga ng pakiramdam ko, kaya hindi ako masyadong nakakain. i spent the first part of the night hunched over in my seat. i even threw up. nina & ginj had to go out to get me medicine.

but i felt better a bit later, buti na lang.

ang saya, kasi ang daming stories! i shared how i just had a career shift. one of us just left her current job to pursue film making. one is taking up medicine, another shared about how she met her current boyfriend in law school. one is thinking of taking up a master's degree in christian education, while another one is already working for a religious organization. lastly, one of us told an unbelievable-but-true love story. this prompted one of us to say, "nangyayari pala iyon sa totoong buhay! nag-iba ang world view ko!" : )

may joke nga pala si fred na bumenta talaga sa akin: xavier high school was allegedly trying to come up with a chinese name for their mascot, which is a stallion. suggestions are horse sy, giddy yap, & kaba yeo. haha!

anyway, here are the pics, courtesy of me & trina. sayang naman kung hindi ko ipo-post, maganda pa naman ako dito kahit na may sakit ako. haha!

ang mga kasabwat: ginger, janina, fred, me, nats, de-anne & trina.

while in pasto:

my sweet tooth called for dessert. so we got roma, an absolutely divine chocolate cake, & verona, which is basically a ref cake.

we left pasto at past 12. grabe! we were the customers who stayed the longest. afterwards, we decided to have a road trip. sayang, hindi pwede si nats at fred.

we ended up here:

starbucks tagaytay.

sayang, hindi kita si ginj.

i think we left starbucks at past 3. bago umalis ng parking, picture muna:

may nadaanan pa kaming fruit stands, kaya namili muna kami. would you believe that i got this many bananas for only 70 pesos?!

we went back to the fort, where the night started.

ginj went back to her car. janina drove me & de-anne (to katipunan) home. look how light the sky is when we got to the toll gate in alabang:

i got home at 5:40, tired & sleepy. pero okay lang!

sa uulitin, friends. (but let's make it quite soon, okay? not after 20 months!) ; )

a love story

2007-08-20T15:57:00.000+08:00

i watched "a love story" with francis, mabel & anna last night at ATC. jologs na kung jologs, but i enjoyed the movie. the twist was good - before it came, i was really expecting the opposite to happen.

anyway, there was this part where aga asked maricel if she's okay. maricel said that she has to be okay, if she's going to do what is right. she goes on & says what makes us happy may not necessarily be right, but eventually, doing the right thing might make us happy.

note to self: remember the above. ; )

prayer

2007-08-13T01:05:00.000+08:00

dear Lord,

sana po magkaroon na ng bally (nude) medium tan stockings sa sm department store. tatlong branch na po kasi ang napuntahan ko, out-of-stock sa lahat. hindi po kasi talaga ako natutuwa sa ibang kulay o ibang brand. hindi po tuloy ako makapag-skirt ngayon.

promise ko po na iingatan ko ang mga iyon kapag may nabili na ako. makikinig na po ako kay nel at ilalagay ko na sa freezer bago ko isuot, para lalong tumibay. bibili na rin po ako ng surgical gloves para hindi sumabit sa kuko ko kapag sinusuot o tinatanggal ko.

amen.

; )

the time traveler's wife

2007-08-11T23:29:00.000+08:00

"do you love her?"

"very much," i whisper. we lie silently side by side, watching the swaying trees, the birds, the sky. i hear a muffled sniffling noise and glancing at clare i am astonished to see that tears are streaming across her face toward her ears. i sit up and lean over her. "what's wrong, clare?" she just shakes her head back and forth and presses her lips together. i smooth her hair, and pull her into a sitting position, wrap my arms around her. she's a child, and then again she isn't. "what's wrong?"

it comes out so quietly that i have to ask her to repeat it: "it's just that i thought maybe you were married to me."

- by audrey niffenegger

thinking out loud (or in print, as the case may be)

2007-08-05T00:52:00.000+08:00

i went to the family renewal movement's (the community i've been part of since february) corporate worship tonight. i'm really glad & grateful that i did, as it helped me to take stock of all the good things that have been coming my way lately.

since i started in my new position, i've been feeling so much lighter. it is a cliche, but i actually feel as if a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders. i am able to go home a lot earlier than before. on days that i go home quite late, it's usually because i went out with a friend or did some shopping. if i do decide to stay late to work, i don't feel burdened about it at all. i am also home on saturdays (i used to work around 2 saturdays per month, by choice), so i have plenty of time to devote to alternating between sleeping & reading.

i am happy that i not only feel the change - a couple of people have already commented on how much more relaxed & calm i look, & how i smile a lot more. their comments make me feel even better, & a lot prettier. haha! ; )

i am grateful that things happened the way they did - that i was able to decide for myself, that I was able to muster the courage to talk to my bosses, & that God guided me all throughout. in hindsight, i know that i couldn't have done it with divine intervention. i could have chickened out. my bosses could have been horrible to me about it by not acting on my request for transfer. it's also possible that no position suitable for me was available.

a million other things could have gone wrong. i shudder at the thought that things could have been very bad for me. but they weren't, so i feel so blessed.

thank you, Lord. : )

= = = = = = = = = =

i just finished the devil wears prada. believe it or not, miranda priestly was even more horrible in print than on screen. i didn't think that was possible! hehe. : )

i was also able to finish the 7th harry potter book last saturday (despite going home at 6 am, after spending the night with embryo). i must be the only one who didn't go gaga over it. for me, it was plain okay, nothing spectacular. definitely overrated. book 7 fans, please do not use avada kedavra on me. i am entitled to my own opinion, as you no doubt are to yours. : )

= = = = = = = = = =

speaking of embryo, we were able to get together friday last week. we met first in ATC, then went to bobby's house, where a couple of us ended up spending the night.

it was worth not sleeping at all, as i was able to talk to them a lot. we reminisced about high school. we bitched about our horrible teachers. we talked about each others' problems, & gave advice. we ate a bit, & drank a bit also (at least, they did).

= = = = = = = = = =

as i was saying, i feel so grateful about the developments in my life lately. even my tickle happiness test says so:

As you now know, your relationships have a positive effect on your overall happiness. However, your greatest source of happiness is your gratitude. Gratitude is a feeling of deep thankfulness for what your life offers you in both good times and bad. When you're grateful, you view life as deep and rich with meaning and feel thankful for the whole experience of living. You may cultivate this awareness on a regular basis through reflection or prayer.

Your strong sense of appreciation for life's blessings is where your happiness springs from most. It's also the place where your happiness gains the most power and stability. Because gratitude appears to be the natural anchor point for your happiness, know that you can always tap into this quality when times get rough.

i sure hope that i keep on feeling this way for some time. : )

si bel talaga! : )

2007-07-29T13:02:00.000+08:00

baguio na, finally!

2007-07-29T10:16:00.000+08:00

grabe talaga, it's been a month since our trip to ilocos & baguio! tinatamad na akong mag-post ng mahaba. basta, ito yung baguio pics.

on the way to baguio from vigan, we passed by narvacan, ilocos sur. ang ganda ng beach! (madumi nga lang yung bintana ng bus...)

nung sa baguio na, grabe ang fog. actually, ang baba ng clouds.

starwood hotel, along kisad road. katabi ng branch namin.

view sa harap ng starwood:

sa loob ng branch:

burnham park:

siyempre kahit sa baguio, hindi namin pinatawad ang isawan:

in fairness, masarap!

sa lake:

sa SM baguio terrace:

kailangan talagang naka-beautiful eyes. haha!

sa ukay-ukay sa calderon:

bought this for only a hundred:

sa grotto kinabukasan:

siyempre, bumili kami ng pasalubong bago umuwi. ended up with these:

sundot-kulangot (hehe!) for P30, mikasan choco flakes for P65 each, strawberry jam for P65, ube jam for P20, chocolates with rice crispies at 3 for P100, & pineapple jam for P25. also got a kilo of fresh strawberries for P300, i think.

we checked out of starwood before 12nn, on saturday.

buti na lang, malapit sa highway ang starwood. nakasakay kami agad sa victory liner bus papuntang manila. P390 ang pamasahe.

ganoon pa rin, mababa ang clouds.

may nadaanan din kaming konting terraces:

grabe, nakakatakot tingnan yung dinaanan namin:

we had 2 stopovers on the way home - sa tarlac at nueva ecija ata.

we saw mt. arayat in pampanga:

& this:

what a nice way to end a great vacation. : )

fish balls!

2007-07-18T19:34:00.000+08:00

maaga ako umuwi ngayon kasi inaantok ako. dahil maaga pa, may nadaanan akong fish ball stall. siyempre, bumili ako. ang sarap, as in! magaling yung nagluto ng matamis na sauce.

nung high school, sobrang hilig ko sa fishballs. na-miss ko na! puro squid balls lang kasi sa manila. : )

wala lang, the small joys of life. ; )

vigan na!

2007-07-15T09:21:00.000+08:00

grabe, tingi-tingi ang pag-post ko! wehehe!

pahabol lang sa laoag:

nakuhaan pala ako ni ma'am maggie. wala lang. : )

after laoag, two-hour trip naman to vigan. nakakahiya nga sa mga taga-vigan, 5:30 na kasi kami nakarating. buti, malapit lang ang vigan branch namin sa tricycle terminal. hindi kami nahirapan pumunta.

nalungkot nga lang ako nung nakita ko yung branch. luma na kasi yun, eh. matagal nang for renovation, pero hindi namin mapa-renovate kasi hindi ata na-a-approve ng vigan council yung design. sa historical area kasi kami located.

good thing, tomorrow na ang start ng construction ng bagong branch. lilipat na kami! mas maganda ang magiging location kasi nasa sentro mismo ng vigan. parang gusto ko tuloy bumalik para tingnan ang branch pag gawa na. hehe!

though medyo late na, maliwanag pa naman. i decided to go exploring on my own. na-excite ako dahil hindi pa ako nakakalayo, nakita ko na ito:

shopping time na! : ) bought these:

big vigan mug for P180, abel iloco bag for P120, vigan shirt for P130 & cellphone bag for P20. also bought a massager for P70, & 3 hand towels shaped like dresses for P100.

dahil nga sobrang excited ako makita yung mga lumang bahay, i couldn't get enough of them when i was already there.

nakakalungkot lang kasi some are in dire need of repair already. actually, kahit repainting nga lang. sana i-restore, para mas maganda.

sakto kasi when i got back to the branch, paalis na sila for dinner. sir mon, our vigan branch head, drove us to alad, a nearby resort own by the family of his wife's sister. kasama rin namin si raizen, one of our vigan branch personnel.

they served us bagnet, fish, red chopsuey (as in red talaga, parang may ketchup, weird at first pero masarap) & rice. may nagsiyasiyam (not sure of the spelling) din - sabi ni sir mon at ni raizen, basically pritong balat daw yun ng longganisa. masarap din! meron ding malalaking chicharon na coquillas daw ang tawag. ayos ang dinner namin, marami akong bagong natikman. : )

after dinner, walang kamatayang videoke. as in. baka hindi lang P150 ang naubos namin sa machine.

oo nga pala, naka-100 ako! lost in your eyes ni debbie gibson. akalain mo! ; )

i think it was almost 10 already when we left. hinatid kami ni sir mon sa gordion inn, where he booked us for the night. kahit gabi na, hindi pa rin namin pinatawad ang camera.

naks, makaluma ang itsura ng pics! in keeping with the look of the place. : )

i think 11 na nung naka-settle down kami. the room was okay - malaki naman. a movie of ann curtis was showing on cinema one. hindi ko alam yung title - basta yung anak pala siya ng demonyo. grabe, tinapos ko talaga yun. tinapos ko rin yung isa sa mga librong dala ko - crazy as chocolate by elisabeth lowell. kaya 2 na ako nakatulog.

ma'am maggie woke up nel & me before 6. gusto kasi namin habulin yung biyahe ng partas to baguio, eh 7:30 raw ang alis. kaya dali-dali ang pagligo at pag-aayos.

we had our breakfast in what they call, "the ruins". in fairness to gordion inn, maganda ang ambiance. good thing, the weather cooperated. hindi muna umulan. : )

i had tapa & pomelo juice. masarap naman.

weird lang kasi basil leaves ang kasama ng juice at gulay. basil?!

all in all, okay naman sa gordion. i paid only P400 for my extra bed & breakfast. pwede na, no?

on the way to the main road, photo ops na naman ulit:

babay, vigan!

sa kasamaang-palad, naiwan kami ng bus papuntang baguio. hindi pala 7:30 ang alis, 7! kaaalis pa lang daw pagdating namin, as in 1 minute pa lang. hay...

we just decided to take the bus to manila, then bababa kami sa san fernando, la union station ng partas. baka maabutan pa kasi namin ang bus papuntang baguio. kaya hintay muna.

sa susunod na ulit. : )

laoag

2007-07-07T13:29:00.000+08:00

the plane landed in laoag on time - 11:10. siyempre, bumaba ako agad. excited! : )

our laoag branch head - ma'am baby puruganan - was there to pick us up. sinabi agad nila na "turista" ako - i went there on my own expense. kaya para hindi naman daw sayang ang punta ko, idinaan muna niya kami sa fort ilocandia.

nakakaaliw kasi nung may dumating na bus, nagkantahan sila:

o di ba, full costume pa!

sandali lang kami sa fort ilocandia - less than 15 minutes lang siguro. nahiya kasi kami kay ma'am baby kung magtatagal kami kasi nasa kotse lang siya.

after fort ilocandia, malacañang of the north naman. past 12 na kami dumating kaya hindi na kami nakapasok. hanggang 11:30 lang pala sila, then 1 na ulit. from afar, kita na lumang bahay ang itsura - with wood & capiz windows. nadaanan din namin ang maharlika hall.

on the way to the branch, marami kaming nadaanang kalesa. may pila rin sa tapat ng branch. naaliw ako kasi hindi ko alam na marami pa rin palang kalesa sa laoag.

gusto ko sanang sumakay, kaso hindi ko naman alam kung saan ako pwede pumunta.

past 12 na nung dumating kami sa branch. sakto, lunch! nag-serve sila ng bagnet, pancit, fish, bagoong, kanin at pinya. masarap yung pancit, kaya tinanong ko kung anong klase yun. canton lang daw, pero promise, masarap talaga. bagnet pa nga ang sahog, e.

you might ask, ano nga pala ang bagnet?! basically, it's an ilocano version of lechon kawali. pareho lang ang lasa. the good thing about it is hindi yun makunat, kahit sa toaster lang namin ininit. sobrang lambot din ng laman. nagpabili ako ng 2 kilos para sa bahay at sa corplan.

well, dahil OB nga ang pinunta nina ma'am maggie doon, i was left to my own devices. kaya...

nagpalinis ako ng kuko. yup, kailangan talagang sa laoag pa ako magpalinis! hehe, exciting! wala kasi akong magawa. mabilis lang kami doon, kaya hindi naman ako makapunta sa malayo. a few weeks ago, nagpalagay kasi ako ng nail polish. hindi ko natanggal nang maayos kaya ang pangit tingnan. ayun.

buti na lang, sa harap lang ng branch, may parlor. well, luminis nga ang kuko ko, uminit naman ang ulo ko. ang sakit kaya! next time, i know better. i'll give my specifications first. maarte kasi ako, e. ayokong sinusungkit yung kuko, o ginugupitan yung balat. ayoko rin ng merthiolet (tama ba ang spelling?). linis lang talaga ng kuko dapat. okay?

there were some technical difficulties, kaya past 3 na sila natapos sa branch. siyempre, photo ops muna bago umalis:

talagang gumitna ako. hehe! at the back are sir laurich and ma'am elma. in front, from the left: kuya allan, nel, ma'am maggie, me, ma'am judith, ma'am baby, and ma'am mely.

hinatid kami ni ma'am baby sa station ng partas, para sumakay ng bus papuntang vigan. malayo pa rin pala - P121 din ang pamasahe. the trip took us two hours, which i used for sleeping.

sa bus ngayong gabi...

2007-07-05T21:35:00.000+08:00

kunduktor: saan?
ako: sa moonwalk. kasasakay lang.
kunduktor: estudyante?

woohoo! mukha pa rin akong estudyante! woohoo!

wala lang. the small joys of life. : )

p.s. to think na naka-business attire ako nito. ; )

back from a "tour of northern luzon" : )

2007-07-01T13:10:00.000+08:00

yay, i'm back from laoag, vigan & baguio!

i started my thursday rather early. nel woke me up with a call at 4:30, after which i immediately started packing my stuff. sabi na nga eh, crammer ako sa pag-iimpake. : )

in the end, maluwag pa ang bag ko. i had one big bag, & a small hand carry. here are the stuff stashed in my hand carry body bag:

i was supposed to meet nel and kuya arnold, nel's brother-in-law, at the shell station near pag-asa subdivision at 5:45. pero dahil nag-iinarte ang left eye ko, 5:45 na ako nakaalis ng bahay. i arrived at the shell station at 6:00. buti naman, nauna pa rin ako sa kanila.

since PAL ang sasakyan namin, hinatid kami ni kuya arnold sa centennial. because of the early hour, wala pang traffic. we were already at centennial airport at past 7.

when we got there, sobrang hindi namin alam ang gagawin! hehe! 2nd time ko pa lang kasi sumakay ng plane. the first time was when i was 3, so that practically doesn't count. si nel naman, first time sa centennial. kaya ayun, pumila na lang kami sa kung saan.

we ended up where we should be, buti naman. we had our luggage weighed. 5.1 kilos lang yung akin. yung lalaki na nag-weigh, bakla ata! nung tinanggal ni nel sa hand carry niya yung makeup niya, hinihingi ba naman! saan ka pa?!

we then got our boarding passes, which set us back by P200 pesos each. actually, hindi ko maintindihan kung para saan yun. nagbayad na naman kami ng P1766 for the plane ticket, right? ang gobyerno talaga natin. oh, well.

while waiting for ma'am maggie (our payroll officer) & kuya allan (our network engineer), nel & i ate sausage croissants from delifrance. ang pangit ng itsura! if you've seen it, you'll know what i mean. hehe. boring nga rin pala ang lasa. should have just ordered ham & cheese.

here's us just hanging out:

at dahil wala akong magawa, eto ang aming mga paa:

dahil maaga pa, we both needed a dose of caffeine. so we went to cafe nescafe. naaliw ako sa sign na ito:

how slang could one get?!

cafe nescafe features coffees from around the world. i got what i think is called cafe manila - a frozen coffee topped with whipped cream & pandan syrup. masarap naman.

in fairness nga pala, maganda ang centennial. i especially appreciated their small landscaped patches, which really broke the monotony of the place.

to pass time, i checked out the stores. we were waiting at s8, so i went all the way to the other end, near s1. doon ako nakita ni kuya allan. i asked him what he was doing there; after all, s8 kami dapat. as it turns out, s1 ang nasa boarding pass niya. he checked with the authorities, mali nga yung pass niya.

later, dumating na si ma'am maggie. wala lang, upo at kuwentuhan muna.

in fairness to PAL, on time sila. since our flight was at 10:10, we were asked to board at 9:40. unfortunately, s1 nga kami dapat. ang saya!

here's our plane:

at dahil ngayon nga lang ako nakasakay ng eroplano ulit, camwhoring na naman:

naaliw kami ni nel kasi may small screens na na ginagamit to demonstrate the safety features of the plane. dati kasi, stewardess lang ang gumagawa nun, di ba? at least, that's what i see in movies.

dapat, si nel ang sa window seat. pero inagawan ko siya. hehe!

i was generally restless before the flight. naaaliw kasi ako, e. i kept looking around. i observed how they were getting another plane ready for flight. i read the manual on safety tips. & of course, i took pictures.

i only started to get nervous when the plane was about to take off. hindi naman ako takot sa heights, pero i just didn't know what to expect. sabi lang ni nel, medyo nakahihilo raw sa simula.

so, how did i find it? it was scary for a while. first, the plane was just on the runway, then it gave a sudden lurch, & we were off to the sky, to an altitude of 26,000 feet.

after the initial scare, i started to enjoy the trip. it was so amazing to see the clouds up close. nakaka-addict! cumulus clouds look just like cotton candy - sobrang fluffy!

when i took this pic, we weren't so high up yet, so the land was still visible:

as the plane was going up, the types of clouds that could be seen were changing also. from cumulus, naging cirrus then stratus (cirrus ata yung parang feathers, then yung parang strips lang, stratus).

i think around halfway into the flight, they started serving snacks. natawa ako kasi eto yung binigay nila:

feeling ko tuloy, asa office lang ako. may happy peanuts din kasi ako sa doon, 2 flavors pa!

i think it was also halfway into the flight when the pilot announced that the plane would be descending already. naaliw rin ako, because i was able to take pics where the sky met the sea. ang hirap nga makita kung saan ang water, at kung saan ang clouds.

i also saw this long stretch of beach that was really breath-taking:

talagang blue-green ang tubig. unfortunately, i don't really know where this is. ilocos norte na, i guess.

since the flight was on time, we arrived in laoag at 11:10.

we were fetched by ma'am baby puruganan, the head of our laoag branch.

medyo mahaba na eto, to be continued na lang next time. ; )

= = = = = = = = = =

i took the lakbayan test again. may improvement na! i got a C- (D ako last time).

i'm actually looking forward to visiting other tourist spots here in the philippines. next on my list is boracay (bago pa siya lalong pumangit at ma-commercialize). tsaka na siguro ang puerto galera, malas ako, e. twice na akong hindi natuloy dun. : )

buti na lang, i'll be traveling this week...

2007-06-24T19:09:00.001+08:00

My Lakbayan grade is D!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

laoag, vigan, baguio, here i come! : )

2007-06-24T13:33:00.000+08:00

sasama ako kay nel at ma'am maggie sa laoag, vigan at baguio sa thursday 'til saturday. they will be setting up titanium (our online attendance & payroll system), while i'll be milling around on my own. i'm so excited!

i'm actually going on vacation! i'll be taking a leave! woohoo!

i'll be riding a plane (2nd time ko pa lang, 1st time was when i was three, so that practically doesn't count). yehey!

wala lang, i'm just so happy. : )

conversation with kiko

2007-06-17T15:17:00.000+08:00

kiko (to mommy): where the one should we going?
me (to kiko): "where should we go?" o "where are we going?".
kiko: thank you for correcting me.
me: you're very welcome.
kiko: you're very thank you.

WAHAHAHA!

mukhang marami pang lessons kaming pagdaraanan. ;)

friendster pics

2007-06-11T13:18:00.000+08:00

isang gabi na wala akong magawa at hindi ako makatulog, tiningnan ko yung friendster accounts ng madlang people. ang saya! eto ang mga pics na nanakaw ko. hehe!

from aiza mae: a pic with the dwarfs, my high school barkada. bago pa ata ito magpasko.

from crystal: management trainees, on the day of our final revalida. january 31, 2006 ata. ang formal naming lahat!

from de-anne: pic with soa during the 2004 formsem at the house of ginger's relatives. marami sa amin, hindi pa naliligo. isa na ako dun.

from de-anne again: soa eb with sir redg plopinio, after the soa launch. up to now, i still find this pic cool. asa floor lang ang camera nito. : )

from gel: pics with the musheez, first year and second year ata.

from guiller: i don't even remember them taking a pic! gabay christmas party 2005 ito. i just dropped by with gel.

from john: embryo christmas party 2003, in a venetto along alabang-zapote road. typical embryo shot, sobrang gulo! : )

from kamille: a pic during her surprise birthday party last year, which bobby and je-anne organized. we were in batang's. maaga pa ito, kaya konti pa lang kami. later, more people came, which meant more drunks. hehe! actually, tinamaan din ako nito but i drank a lot of water so it passed. i was awake all throughout, til 1 or 2, i think. : )

from kacey, nel and ma'am maggie: HR in subic, camayan resort specifically. this was just last february, during our outing.

ang saya! pag wala ulit akong magawa, gagawin ko ulit ito. hopefully, there are new pics for me to grab. haha! : )

bumenta ito sa akin : )

2007-05-31T22:51:00.000+08:00

Save water.
Shower with your boyfriend.

The wise never marry.
And when they marry they become otherwise.

If your father is a poor man, it is your fate.
But, if your father-in-law is a poor man, it's your stupidity.

I was born intelligent.
Education ruined me.

A bus station is where a bus stops.
A train station is where train stops.
On my desk, I have a work station.
What more can I say?

How come "abbreviated" is such a long word?

Money is not everything.
There's Mastercard & Visa.

One should love animals.
They are so tasty.

Every man should marry.
After all, happiness is not the only thing in life.

Children in backseats cause accidents.
Accidents in backseats cause children.

Your future depends on your dreams.
So, go to sleep.

Hard work never killed anybody.
But why take the risk?!

Work fascinates me.
I can look at it for hours!

When two's company, three's the result!

A dress is like a barbed fence.
It protects the premises without restricting the view

The more you learn, the more you know.
The more you know, the more you forget.
The more you forget, the less you know.
So...why learn?

23 on 23

2007-05-28T01:58:00.001+08:00

another year was added to my age, as i turned 23 last may 23. it was a rather quiet day. workday kasi, e. i originally wanted to take a leave, but i had to cancel that plan because of my turnover (which was from tuesday to friday last week).

nel (whose birthday was on may 7) & i had a joint blowout for HR. upon my request, may isaw at kwek-kwek! ang saya! buti na lang, mabait si ma'am cora (from IT; siya ang usual caterer namin sa office). unique tuloy ang menu ko: carbonara, barbecue, isaw, puto, kwek-kwek at iced tea. saan ka pa?!

in fairness, mabenta ang isaw at kwek-kwek. ubos agad! the barbecue was sold out also. everyone was quite full in the end. i even had some leftover carbonara that i brought home, & some puto that i gave to kuya jerry. when i got home, i ate chicken, liempo and cake with my family.

nung friday, blowout naman ng HR for me. may chocolate cake, siomai at spaghetti. in fairness, hindi ko in-expect yun. hindi ko rin napansin. masyado siguro akong aligaga dahil sa trabaho. basta, sinabi na lang nila na kumain na kami. nakahaing na pala lahat dun sa dating testing area na ginagawa rin naming dining area.

well, what's new with me, other than being a year older? as i mentioned in an earlier post, i would be moving to a new department. in a way, i guess the blowout of HR for me was also a send off. effective today, i'll be a project management officer (PMO) for corporate planning.

why? it was my request, actually. i spoke to my supervisor & told her that i felt that it was time for me to move on to something else. i felt that i've given it enough of a shot, as i have handled recruitment for over a year already before i came to this decision. even though i understand the importance & the impact of the job, there was something missing, as i was not happy.

being a psych graduate, i subscribe to the theory of job fit. i believe that there are certain jobs that are right for some people, but not for others. i believe that certain qualities make people right for certain jobs. & i believe that a misfit would cause the person to be unhappy & unfulfilled.

maybe recruitment is not the right job for me; i could only hope that being PMO is. but i know that i tried. i really did.

at this point, i pray that i will be able to do better as PMO. after all, there's no turning back now. i'm going to miss the company of HR a lot, but i will do my best to blend into corplan, my new family in the office.

= = = = = = = = = =

for my past six birthdays, you were around. this is the first time since then that you weren't. i miss you.

my visual DNA

2007-05-20T22:24:00.000+08:00

Read my VisualDNA
Get your own VisualDNA

the idiot's guide to using a flash drive

2007-05-20T21:14:00.000+08:00

after ten million years, i have decided to junk my floppies in favor of a two-gigabyte toshiba transmemory. hurrah to me! HURRAH!!!

you may ask, what prompted the ever-kuripot grace to buy a Php 1400 flash drive? well, i'm moving to a different department (more on this some other time), & my new position would involve doing some presentations. nahihiya naman ako sa boss ko kung forever ko na lang ipapa-email sa kanya yung mga powerpoint, kasi wala akong flash drive. ayun.

here's how the newest addition to my office stuff looks like:

at dahil medyo nakakaloka ang presyo ng device na ito, binasa ko ang manual. marami akong natutunang mga importanteng bagay tulad ng:

* accidental swallowing may cause suffocation or injury. contact a doctor immediately if you suspect a child has swallowed the product.

* the product shall not be used with equipment (including but not limited to atomic energy control, airplane or spaceship, transportation, traffic signal, combustion control, or medical instruments, as well as all types of safety devices) that requires extraordinarily high quality and/or reliability, or equipment a malfunction or failure of which may cause loss of human life or bodily injury.

* toshiba assumes no liability for damage or losses due to fire, earthquake, natural disaster, accidents, acts of third parties, or negligent or intentional misuse.

buti na lang, may manual. hahaha! :D

serving crazy with curry

2007-05-06T19:43:00.000+08:00

"some love deeply, some love forever. my love for her is beyond tomorrow, beyond today, beyond forever. i will always remember her, always mark the day she came and the day she left. she will forever be inside of me, along with regret, which will not be as heavy because she will be there as well, easing this heavy load inside of me."

- devi veturi in serving crazy with curry
by amulya malladi

2nd day in mindoro: water fun!

2007-05-01T08:15:00.000+08:00

our second day in mindoro was devoted to the beach. but before we attempted to frolic (& roast) under the scorching heat of the sun, we went around pinamalayan for a while.

we passed by the police station where lorryle's uncle works. akala naman namin, pulis lang siya dun. chief of police pa pala! eto, photo ops:

asa police station din pala yung may-ari ng resort na pupuntahan namin. sabi niya, maganda yung place, kaso hindi pa developed. may mga cottage nga raw na nasira ng bagyo. of course, that's okay with us. libre naman ang paligo, e. hehe! i, for my part, was really excited. this is my first time to go to an undeveloped resort after all. my mind was already conjuring up images of unspoiled beauty.

we passed by the plaza first kasi may moriones daw. surprise, surprise! hindi lang pala sa marinduque ang moriones.

nagpakuha rin ako katabi ni Jesus:

sabi nila, penitensya daw ng participants yung moriones. sa bagay, sakripisyo nga naman yun kasi ang init dun sa plaza!

tapos, namalengke na kami. they had picky me in mind, so they bought squid along with the fish. alam niyo naman ako, maarte sa pagkain.

we got to the resort after a very short drive. siguro, mga 20 minutes lang. these were the images that greeted us:

wow!

this was our cottage:

in fairness, cottage talaga siya.

naglublob lang ako sandali, kasi sobrang init. tapos, natulog na ako. hehe...when i woke up, it was lunch time already. yehey! unfortunately, they forgot to cook the squid along with the fish. so, nagtiyaga muna ako sa isda. pero touched ako kay tita lolit kasi nung naalala nila, niluto niya agad yung pusit. isa lang muna, para sa akin. pero nung naluto na lahat, eto na ang ginawa namin:

mga bona kids po yan, mga batang may laban. hehe!

siyempre, after stuffing our faces with food, lumangoy kami ulit. nakakatuwa kasi sobrang linis ng tubig. yun nga lang, mabato talaga pag nasa mababaw ka pa lang. we also tried to fit ourselves into this small boat:

ang sakit sa puwet, i swear!

later on, we also tried climbing a coconut tree.

the end result:

let me re-emphasize the word, "tried". hehe! (hindi ko kasi maabot yung susunod na hawakan)

after frolicking a bit more, we decided that we've had enough of the water already, kaya nagbanlaw na kami. ang hirap kasi isa lang ang shower! ma'am maggie, nel and i ended up taking turns using a hose, while a korean family was watching. haha!

when we were dressed already, we walked along the beach. i decided to take a couple more shots:

we went home before 6, i think. sobrang bilis magpatakbo nung driver! may libre tuloy kaming "natural powder" galing sa kalsada. grabe.

we proceeded to chief's house. since we were still early, we heard mass first. holy thursday nun, so they re-enacted the part of the last supper where Jesus watched the feet of His disciples.

naaliw din pala ako nung sermon ng pari. he mentioned JVP! that means na may JVP volunteer na na-assign sa pinamalayan, o sa isang malapit na area. ang galing! it also means na malayo na talaga ang narating namin (literally) kasi usually, sa malalayong area pinadadala ang jesuit volunteers para tumulong. hehe...

after the mass, we went back to chief's house for dinner. videoke naman after, but i didn't sing. inaantok na ako, e! we went back to the house of lorryle's aunt at around 10. if i remember correctly, we just freshened up a bit, then went to sleep.

zzzzz.....

= = = = = = = = = =

up next: last 2 days in mindoro - good friday and black saturday

new discovery

2007-04-29T09:43:00.000+08:00

i just found out from my dad last night that my paternal grandfather was a war veteran. ain't it cool? it's just too bad that he has passed away already. & even when he was alive, he was in catanduanes. if he were living closer, maybe he could have regaled me with stories of his adventures in chasing away the japanese.

i wonder, what other new things will i learn about my family in the future?

mindoro: the trip to the island

2007-04-15T11:53:00.000+08:00

as promised, i will be posting about our mindoro trip. pero one day at a time lang, ha?

= = = = = = = = = =

early dismissal kami sa office nung holy wednesday, april 4. buti na lang! at least, we were be able to leave early for mindoro. ang nag-aya, si lorryle, yung company nurse namin. dun kasi ang province nila, so sila ng mom niya ang mag-iikot sa amin. magkakasama kami nina ms. maggie at nel. sumama rin si richard, yung isang messenger namin.

by the way, here's how my bed looked like while i was packing that morning:

ang gulo, no? crammer kasi ako sa pag-iimpake, e.

nel was on leave that day, so she just met us at the office. after we left the office, we passed by allied bank (for money, of course) first then mercury drug (for batteries). after that, we rode a jeep to buendia-taft to get to the bus that would take us to batangas pier. ang swerte namin kasi may RRCG bus na nagsisimula pa lang magpuno. here's nel and i while waiting for the bus to move:

i just borrowed the digicam from my cousin, ate belen. during this time, hindi pa ako marunong maglagay ng flash. hehe...

sobrang naaliw ako sa ticket! digital na pala. they have this small machine which prints the ticket right then and there on thermo paper. cool! the fare was P146.45 pesos.

traffic pagdating sa laguna, at sa labas ng batangas pier. when you come to think about it, it's not that far, but because of the traffic, the trip took three hours.

when we got to batangas pier, we ate dinner first. simple lang ang kinain namin, pero ang mahal! for one, i ate lechon kawali and 1 rice, pero umabot na ng P60. mas nagulat si ma'am mags, kasi P100 ang inabot ng kinain niya, kasi may gulay at saging pa. sabi ko nga sa kanila, expected ko na mahal ang pagkain, kasi mahal din yung carinderia na kinainan namin ni daddy dati noong papunta kami ng albay. oh, well.

we bought our tickets after eating. dahil inaantay pa namin si tita lolit (lorryle's mom) at si obet, yung kasama niya, we bought tickets for a ferry that would leave at 11:30 from besta shipping lines, even though it was only a few minutes past 10. the name of the ferry was MV baleno, and the ticket was P160.

sa loob ng pier na lang namin inaantay sina tita lolit.

the blue bag with the orange zipper is mine. hehe...

gusto sana mag-coffee ni ma'am mags, kaya umikot muna kami. she decided against having coffee a little later.

akala ko, mababagot ako sa kaaantay, pero hindi pala. ang bilis lang ng oras! we boarded the ferry in what seemed like less than an hour. grabe, unahan ang mga tao! buti na lang, mabilis si tita lolit, kaya nakakuha pa siya ng upuan. wala na nga lang kama. sayang.

pangit yung ferry, overloaded pa. we found out later na cargo ship lang pala yun dati ng asia brewery. maliit lang, kaya ramdam na ramdam mo yung alon, kahit nakadaong pa. just see how blurred the pics are, even though my hand was perfectly still:

pero kahit na blurred, i still like this picture:

medyo kinabahan ako sa alon, kaya kahit hindi ako biyahilo, i asked lorryle for bonamine. i was not able to bring water, so i had to take it with the sprite that was left over from our dinner. it was lorryle who gave me the bottle. konting ikot pa lang ng takip, pumutok na! sobrang lakas, nakakahiya! people were actually looking in my direction. lumipad talaga yung cap sa harap, but i was too embarrassed to bother getting it. not to mention that the sprite was drenching my right hand in the manner of bubbly champagne that was just released from the prison of a bottle and a cork.

supposedly, the ferry was to leave at 11:30, but it left at 12. i don't know why there was a delay. throughout the trip, i tried to sleep, but without much success. i think it was at around past when i felt so bad, i threw up. luckily, i had a plastic bag with me.

we arrived in calapan port a few minutes before three.

we rode a jeep for over an hour to get to pinamalayan, to the house of lorryle's relatives. they gave us some pancakes, then accompanied us to our rooms. i was so tired that i slept immediately, without bothering to wash my face, change clothes or remove my contacts.

= = = = = = = = = =

up next: it's water fun day!

hi!

2007-04-11T20:30:00.000+08:00

i guess this must be the longest time that i have not updated. it's been what - 3 weeks? i have just been loaded lately. i go home late, tired from a day's work (not to mention exhausted from a workout).

btw, that's something new with me - i've been going to fitness first! wala lang, i just wanted to do something for myself. if i lose all the weight that i gained in the last year, that would be great. if not, then at least i could tick "went to a gym" as one of my life experiences. : )

= = = = = = = = = =

i was in mindoro last holy week with some officemates. will be posting pictures soon. : )

walang tulugan!

2007-03-19T04:11:00.000+08:00

grabe, gising pa ako! well, i had over 15 hours of sleep yesterday, pero grabe pa rin!

first time ko atang ginawa ito - walang tulog, then pasok na sa office. tingnan natin kung kakayanin ko. well, hindi pwedeng hindi! i have a full day ahead of me, after all.

wish me luck! ; )

weird dream

2007-03-11T10:16:00.000+08:00

i dreamt that i have started dating again. in my dream, i was dating someone from physiology (my ex-boyfriend's fourth year high school class). the weird thing was, practically the whole physio was against the "relationship", because they felt that that guy was not right for me. they were mad at me for going out with him, to the extent that a group from physio was berating me about it. sobrang weird.

i remember who the guy i was supposed to be dating was, & i remember one girl who was lecturing me against going out with him. my ex was not in the dream (or at least, i don't remember seeing his face).

if i remember correctly, one hypothesis about dreams is that these are our mind's way of making sense of the signals that it sends when we are unconscious or semi-conscious. whatever.

what is this dream supposed to mean?!

any ideas?

back, after a two-week hiatus

2007-03-04T22:48:00.000+08:00

holler!

natawa ako, may comment na si chi na "update!" sa chatbox ko. first time ko atang nakatanggap ng ganoong comment. busy kasi ako during the past two weeks, kaya hindi na ako nakapag-update. tinatamad din. hehe! ; )

i went to a retreat last last week (feb. 23-25). buti na lang talaga, nakapunta ako. it was sponsored by the family renewal movement, a community that deirdre belongs to. actually, siya ang nag-invite sa amin. i went there with rica and rocel, two embryo classmates. there, i met jacqui & em, two of deirdre's college friends. we hit it right off. as in. we got to the BLD covenant house at 4:42 (sakto ang estimate ni manong driver!) but were already laughing our heads off at each other's stories before sunset. grabe kasi ang kwentong fitness first nina em at rica! i bet nagsisi si deirdre na kami ang pingsabay niya sa isang batch. hehe!

at some points, ang hirap ngang tandaan na retreat pala iyon. ang kulit kasi namin! 2 o'clock na kami natulog nung friday night (este, saturday morning) kasi puro kwentuhan. ang hirap tumahimik! pero kailangan, baka magising ang mga kasama namin sa "morgue" (mukhang morgue kasi ang kwarto namin, puro nakatalukbong ng puting kumot ang mga kasama namin).

kaya ayun, inaantok ako nang todo habang may nagsasalita. buti na lang, may kape.

nung saturday night (actually, sunday morning), 2 ulit ang tulog. ang masaya nito, ginising pa kami ng 5! as in! hinarana kasi kami ng sponsoring class. in fairness, na-enjoy ko yung songs kahit na single na ako. : )

buti na lang, balik sa tulog afterwards. then gising ulit ng 7.

teka, retreat nga pala iyon. haha!

maganda naman ang talks. i appreciated the one given by tita rose & tito paulo pabalan most. it was about traditional versus progressive beliefs. napaisip talaga ako sa discussion. a couple of times, napaiyak din ako sa reflections (as expected). natuwa rin ako nung nakita ko yung envelope na puro palanca letters from my family & friends. thank you. : ) & in fairness, i left BLD feeling a lot lighter & more optimistic. thank you, Lord. : )

kagagaling ko nga lang pala sa southmall dahil may 3-day sale. i was able to buy a bag, & two blouses today. nung friday naman, 1 business attire (na kailangan ko pang ipa-alter!) at amy tan's "the bonesetter's daughter". tapos ko na, kanina pa. bumili nga rin pala ako ng desk organizer nung friday. kung nakita mo na ang mesa ko sa office, obvious na kailangan ko. hehe! well, sobrang nice nung organizer! ican't wait to bring it to the office! yay! : )

oo nga pala, bumili rin ako ng walang-kamatayang stockings. : )

o siya, eto lang muna. may pasok pa ako bukas. balak ko pang pumasok nang maaga para ayusin yung mesa ko. career! : )

sweet dreams, friends. : )

happy valentine's : )

2007-02-14T05:40:00.000+08:00

whenever i watch romantic movies, witness couples kiss & make up, & listen to love songs, i smile & feel good because i know that love still works...if not for me, at least for others.

happy valentine's day, friends! : )

will buy: digicam, & all HP books

2007-02-04T01:09:00.000+08:00

the past week went by slowly. as in. i was out of the office on official business (to participate in job fairs) from tuesday afternoon to friday afternoon. hence, the pile i saw on my table come friday afternoon was more than enough to make me wish that there is more than one of me to process all of those papers.

needless to say, i am quite tired. i was supposed to drop by the office yesterday, but i decided against it. my soft bed & blanket got the better of me. i woke up at around 3 pm, contented with all the sleep that i got. haha...

= = = = = = = = = =

okay, i have now decided to buy a digicam. any suggestions? :)

= = = = = = = = = =

the hp 5 movie will be shown on july 13. yay! nag-schedule na ng leave si kacey at nel para dito. gusto ko na rin tuloy mag-leave. hehe! tapos, the 7th book, harry potter & the deathly hallows, will be out on july 21. shocks, gastos na naman. major expense ito, since i already intend to buy the whole set of 7 hardbound books in a box. mababa na siguro ang 10k. grabe...

i'm thinking of...

2007-01-29T22:57:00.000+08:00

...buying a digicam in time for the HR outing in subic on feb. 9. kaso, ang mahal. parang sayang ang pera...

tsk, tsk. eto na naman ang kakuriputan ko. ; )

finally...

2007-01-21T15:05:00.000+08:00

you've said your piece, & i've said mine (most of it, anyway). you've made your point, so have i. we've each made our resolves, & i know that we will try our hardest to stick with it.

i know we will both try. i, for my part, have thought things over countless times & i am sure that this is the best course for me to take, under the circumstances. i still love you, though. you know that.

i could only hope that i really am doing the right thing, handling this this way. i am certain that this will be hard...no one said that this will be easy, anyway. i pray too, that you are right in your decision.

there will be regrets, i'm sure (at least, on my part). for me, there will be also be tears, bittersweet recollections, maybe even sleepless nights. but i will be strong. falling apart is not an option.

i had you for some time, & i'm thankful for it. i wanted to have you for a bit longer, but i guess that's just not in my cards.

anyway, thank you, dear. i wish you well.

what tarot card am i?

2007-01-14T23:19:00.000+08:00

You are The Tower

Ambition, fighting, war, courage. Destruction, danger, fall, ruin.

The Tower represents war, destruction, but also spiritual renewal. Plans are disrupted. Your views and ideas will change as a result.

The Tower is a card about war, a war between the structures of lies and the lightning flash of truth. The Tower stands for "false concepts and institutions that we take for real." You have been shaken up; blinded by a shocking revelation. It sometimes takes that to see a truth that one refuses to see. Or to bring down beliefs that are so well constructed. What's most important to remember is that the tearing down of this structure, however painful, makes room for something new to be built.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

bridget jones: the edge of reason

2007-01-14T18:25:00.000+08:00

"the room started to go blotchy. hate this thing about dating. one minute you're closer to someone than anyone in the whole world, next minute they only need to say the words "time apart," "serious talk" or "maybe you..." and you're never going to see them again and will have to spend the next six months having imaginary conversations in which they beg to come back, and bursting into tears at the sight of their toothbrush."

- bridget in bridget jones: the edge of reason
by helen fielding

pride & prejudice

2007-01-01T06:54:00.000+08:00

"you are too generous to trifle with me. if your feelings are still what they were last april, tell me so at once. my affections & wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever."

mr. darcy in pride & prejudice
by jane austen

if i were in hell, i'd be...

2006-12-24T09:25:00.000+08:00

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Fifth Level of Hell!

Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Moderate
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Moderate
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Very Low

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test

...

2006-12-12T00:53:00.000+08:00

since last night, i have been rereading my previous blog entries. going back a couple of months, i couldn't help but miss what we used to have.

i know that it's been 9 months since we broke up. i have not forgotten that my friends have been pushing me to put more effort into getting over him, & i realize the wisdom of their counsel. i know that they not only mean well; they are also right. after all, i can't wallow in misery forever.

yes, i know that having loved & lost does not justify curling into a fetal position & wishing that the world would just go away & leave me alone in my despair. i know that i am not the only one who has gone through this, & that so many people before me have survived. i am also quite aware that at some point, the piercing pain would subside into a dull ache, & happy memories would begin to bring smiles once more, not by-products of my lachrymal glands. & i know that this phase is not easy. wow, that's probably the understatement of a lifetime.

i know that this is not easy because i am in this. i'm feeling the immense pain that comes with losing someone i love deeply. once in a while, i am hounded by "what if...?" questions. when i pass by places that have been "ours" at one point or another, i am flooded by memories of what used to be. & almost everytime that happens, i can't help but wish that i still had him with me.

a friend of mine said, "you will always go back to square one". how painful & true. did i already say painful? think about it. you put all your energy into trying to forget that he exists, and/or into trying to accept that what you had is gone. when something new, sad, happy, exciting, or boring happens to you, you make a conscious effort not to text or call him or to give him a blow-by-blow account of your life as it is at that moment. you may even let yourself be dragged to gimmicks that well-meaning friends have set up for you, though you are in "my life sucks & nothing can change that" mode.

after some time of pretending that you're okay, you realize that you can do without a big chunk of the pretending. surprise, surprise, you've made progress! there's significantly less pain in your chest, you feel a lot lighter, & the spring is back in your step. high five! pat on the back! *hug* your baby steps have actually brought you somewhere.

with this superb realization comes little flutters of panic. oh no, i'm actually starting to get over him! without meaning to, you find yourself singing along to lea salonga's, "let the pain remain" (on the count of three, one, two, three: let the pain remain forever in my heart / for every drop of it is one more moment spent with you / i'll let the pain / bring in all the rain / if that's the only way / if there's no other way to be with you again).

what did my friend say again? square one. back to where it all began.

in cooking heaven

2006-12-10T17:43:00.000+08:00

i think that all of my high school friends know that i love to cook, & that i'm good at it. during our Christmas party in third year high school, i offered to bring lasagna, which turned out to be a hit with my classmates. the same was the fate of the mango cheesecake that i made for dianne's birthday a couple of years ago (nahuli ko pang sinisimot ni pat at tenten yung container na nasa sink na).

give me a recipe, ingredients & equipment, & more likely than not, i will be able to cook whatever is in the recipe. there goes the reason i was touted as "housewife material".

my major cooking frustration was that i couldn't learn baking because we didn't have an oven. but now, we have one!

last tuesday, i bought an elba gas range with oven as a gift for my family. it looks like this:

it was delivered yesterday afternoon. i already tried baking a dish of brownies this afternoon, & they turned out great! okay, i cheated because i used a brownie mix, but still! :)

i sure hope that i'll have enough time (& patience!) to practice baking in the next few weeks. i want to learn how to make brownies, pies, cookies, even cakes! who knows, i might be able to whip something yummy in time for Christmas. can't wait! :)

bugging you

2006-12-07T16:26:00.000+08:00

got this from ate ria's blog. this bug is so cute, it didn't bug me at all.

click to enjoy! :)

vacation mode na! (medyo...)

2006-12-06T01:02:00.000+08:00

i actually felt well today. yipee! i was able to go out & shop in southmall, & i made a major purchase. double yipee!

wala lang. masaya lang ako kasi okay na ang pakiramdam ko. i actually had to cancel a gimmick yesterday because of my headache. since okay na ako, let's reschedule! badz! ;)

kaso lang, i'm practically broke. kaya okay na ang level ng mcdo. haha!

= = = = = = = = = = =

to somehow make the rest of my fiscal year easier, i need to finish the following, hopefully while i'm still on vacation:

1. recruitment workflow
2. service head & senior sales executive recruitment matrix
3. service head & senior sales executive interview guide

waaah! ayoko munang gumawa ng trabaho!

my first day out of the office...

2006-12-04T22:43:00.000+08:00

not really a happy way to start the week, as i had a horrible headache for more than 12 hours. argh. so, i was confined to activities that i could do while lying down (read: watching TV or a movie).

was able to watch the american president again. call me corny, but it made me cry. it really is one of my favorite movies, along with my bestfriend's wedding and my girl.

i then proceeded to 7 episodes of season 1 of grey's anatomy. overdose ba? haha! wala lang, i just wanted to know what it was about, as everyone seems to be into it. well, this quote from meredith in episode 4 stuck:

intimacy is a four-syllable word for, "here are my heart & soul. please grind into hamburger, & enjoy." it is both desired & feared, difficult to live with, & impossible to live without.

true, isn't it? at least, somewhat true.

on a lighter note, here's part of an email i got that really made me laugh:

kung pwede lang, no?

first day of vacation!

2006-12-01T20:27:00.000+08:00

i'm finally pushing through with my mandatory, consecutive five-day vacation leave next week, from december 4 to 8. but since today is a holiday, my vacation has started. yehey! i slept through most of the day, but somehow managed to finish two books:

my other accomplishments for the day:
1. bought a whole chicken for lunch, and shared it with everyone.
2. ate at least 5 nestle milky bars.
3. ate a handful of grapes that i bought from our building's "fruit man" yesterday.
4. ate two minute burger cheeseburgers.

in other words, i accomplished nothing. haha! what a day!

two ateneo trysts in one week

2006-11-25T23:53:00.000+08:00

despite the fact that i reside in the far flung hills of cavite, i found myself in ateneo twice this week. the first time was on thursday, the second time was today.

last thursday, i went on undertime. ako, nag-undertime?! hehe! it was actually supposed to be a half-day vacation leave, but things kept coming up, so i was able to log out only after three. i was going to meet candy & badz (my thesismates) in mcdo katipunan, a date that was organized by badz a week ago as a result of my incessant prodding (when i was still under the delusion that i will have my five-day mandatory vacation leave from nov. 20 to 24). paano ba naman, graduation pa kami huling nagkita-kita! it was definitely high time for a reunion.

but instead of walking to mcdo, i took a trike to ateneo. nabasa ko kasing may AMA mall na. pero as usual, traffic sa loob ng campus.

but before i could even find out where the AMA mall was, i saw the eagles of hope bazaar in front of cervini & eliazo.

there were so many cute stuff!

while checking out the merchandise, i called both candy & badz. after a couple of tries, i finally reached badz. as it turns out, both he & candy were already in mcdo. i told them that i wanted to shop for a while.

maybe 20 minutes later, i called badz again. sinabi kong hindi pa ako tapos mamili. buti na lang, siya na ang nag-volunteer ng option na sila na ni candy ang pupunta sa school.

obvious bang excited ako? i was walking towards them, & my arm was moving. nagmukha tuloy apparition sina candy at badz. hehe. shopping resumed.

i ended up buying two beaded ID laces, two beaded bookmarks, a pack of big paper clips, & a cloth doll. we were hungry, so we decided to eat in....(drumroll please).....the caf! grabe, graduate na kami at lahat, caf pa rin! at least, iba na ang color scheme. yellow na ang walls, unlike dati na plain white. at least, warm na ang ambiance ngayon.

pero in fairness, marami na akong miss na food sa caf. chicken strips, pasta with pesto, chicken wrap, meat sauce spaghetti, & green mint tea, to name a few. i settled on a tuna casserole from healthy kitchen & a glass of tang from beef teriyaki.

needless to say, even while eating, it didn't take much to get us to talk. mahigit 1 year ba naman kaming hindi magkita! nabulunan si candy sa isa sa mga balita ko.

si badz naman, dati pang alam, so wala lang.

after finishing my tuna casserole (na 50 pesos na ngayon, 40 lang ata dati), i decided to get a chicken wrap. nakakainggit kasi yung kinakain ni candy, e. unfortunately, ubos na. i ended up buying a tortilla wrap, which i asked badz to finish.

after eating, we went back to the bazaar to get the ID laces that i had ordered (it took a while because i asked for one to be customized). then, we walked to gate 3. on the way, guess who saw me? our former SOA president, ginger!

nakakatawa kasi nagmamaneho siya palabas ng parking ng xavier nung nakita niya ako. ako naman, talagang kumuha pa ng picture! imagine us in a flurry of hi's & goodbye's, right in the middle of a driveway. of course, ginj had to leave immediately. nagpromise ako na magkikita kami ulit. shocks, kailangan ko nang mag-organize ng lakad ng EB! good luck na lang sa akin.

tuloy ang paglalakad. at some point, badz gave this back to me:

si candy naman, binigay yung Christmas gifts niya sa amin last year. mine turned out to be a bottle of lacoste perfume - touch of pink. ayan, shining shimmering splendid pa.

while walking, nagbibiro si badz na kung hindi pa gawa yung overpass (sabi ko kasi, gawa na) sa tapat ng gate 3, bubuhatin ko raw sila ni candy papuntang katipunan. buti na lang, gawa na. wala pa yun nung nag-aaral pa kami! i tried to take pictures of it, but it was too dark to be visible in a picture.

we opted to go to cello's for dessert.

chika na naman, siyempre. ayan, nakikinig talaga ako kay badz.

at some point, i requested candy to take a pic of me when i'm not looking. para naman may kuha man lang ako, no!

well, masaya akong nakausap ko ulit sila. lalo akong masaya para kay candy. she's quite happy & contented now. also, she has healed already. ayun, naulanan tuloy ako ng mga payo. hehe! may matching reading list pa:

1. i kissed dating goodbye by joshua harris - done! 1st year pa.
2. boy meets girl by joshua harris - same as above.
3. when God writes your love story by eric lesley
4. passion & purity by elisabeth elliot
5. cure for the common life by max lucado

sige na po, counselor candy, susundin ko ang payo mo. :)

we had to leave at 8:30 to make it to the LRT stations in time. pagdating naman doon, nakababagot mag-antay. 7 minutes pa, e. bawal daw kumuha ng picture sa loob ng station, but who cares? wala namang nagbabantay. hehe...

later naman, sa loob ng LRT, picture ulit. wow badz, ang ganda ng kuha mo! kitang-kita tayong lahat, lalo ka na. harhar.

candy went ahead of us. badz & i were left, as we were both getting off at the recto station. buti na lang, sinamahan ako ni badz papunta sa kabilang LRT. after all, it's been a long time since sumakay ako dun. i mentioned to badz na college graduation pa ni bene yun.

naaliw ako kasi naaalala pa ni badz yung araw na yun. sobrang insistent ko raw na huwag muna kami mag-thesis meeting. sabi ko raw, any day but that day. tapos, nakabihis daw ako that day. rather, iba raw ang bihis ko. siyempre - gray skirt, yellow knitted blouse, stockings, black shoes with heels. grabe, parang ang tagal na nung araw na yun. bittersweet memories.

anyway, we went our separate ways. i found myself at the end of the last LRT car. even though my arm was still, sobrang shaky naman nung ride. as in bounce galore.

ayun, i got down at the buendia station & went home. nakakapagod, pero ang saya. nakakamiss talaga sila. ang sarap ng feeling kasi ang tagal naming magkasama nung college. yung tipong kilala na namin ang isa't isa, kaya hindi kami hirap magtrabaho nang magkakasama. tsaka ang daling mag-share.

ngayon naman, i went to a seminar with ate ava & mark. guess who i met in aurora boulevard? ivan reyes!

shocks, 2 years na kaming hindi nagkikita. nakakatawa kasi pareho kaming tumatawid to the opposite sides nung nagkita kami. ayun, nagchikahan muna kami sa island sa gitna ng aurora. i wanted to take him with me, but he had a date with kristine, his girlfriend. sayang. at least, we saw each other again.

ayun, i went to ateneo already. after the seminar, mark, liza, elmer & i walked to the direction of gate 3. nakailaw na yung lights sa bel field! sayang, wala nang batt yung digicam na hiniram ko kay sarah. anyway, here's how it looked like last year (or was this two years ago?), in a pic taken by badz:

ang ganda, promise. though parang konti lang yung lights this year...siguro, sa december pa nila sisindihan lahat. i'll be back for the simbang gabi then. : )

the 3 of them went ahead. ako naman, i passed by the eagles of hope bazaar again, as pinky wanted me to buy her a doll, too. i also bought two ID laces, one each for ma'am jo & ma'am ting (nagandahan kasi sila sa ID lace ko, hehe).

i had to wait for the doll i wanted to be delivered at 8 o'clock. it was only seven, so i decided to watch the ongoing ateneo idol competition. jay-r, ekai & kuya rolls, fellow gabayanos, were also there. so was boy abunda! he was a judge in the competition. atenista rin siya, e. some even say na gabayano rin. panalo yung ibang comments niya:

"in your youth, you're not just bold, you're hot."
"mas magaling kang kumanta kay pacquiao."

haha! anyway, i left as soon as the competition was over. jay-r, ekai & i walked to gate 3. they invited me to the Christmas party. tapos sabi ni ekai, parang hindi raw ako tumatanda. sabi ko, tumataba naman. jay-r agreed, saying na mukhang hiyang ako sa work kasi nga tumataba ako. sabi ko, stress eater kasi ako, e. oh, well.

naghiwalay na kami sa aurora. i went to cubao, they went to marikina.

the day ended very well for me. i was tired, but i felt very peaceful inside. basta, ang sarap ng feeling. thank you for such a great day, Lord.

Saturday Group: A Dats Entertainment Christmas

2006-11-19T22:21:00.000+08:00

Naalala niyo pa ba nung uso pa ang shoulder pads at sikat pa si Kasielyn Francisco? (yung kulot na maingay na nag-Miss Saigon) Eh naalala mo pa bang love-team si Jano at Mane? Alam mo ba kung anong grupo ang laging nanalo?

Hindi mo man namimiss ang panahong kunwari'y astig pa si Kuya Germs, mapipilitan ka nang alalahanin!

Sa December 16, 2006, magiging parte ka na ng young talent extravaganza!

Saturday Group: A Dats Entertainment Christmas
Come in your favorite 80's matinee idol ensemble!

(I CALL TINA PANER's HEADBAND!!!!)

December 16, 2006
59 E. Kalaw Street, BF Resort Village, Las Piñas City

SEE YOU! :)

RSVP
Papu

Please bring 200php for your food contribution.

= = = = = = = = = =

dalawang Christmas parties na pupuntahan ko ang may 80's theme: embryo Christmas party at bankwide Christmas party sa Gloria Maris. both are less than a month away, but i still haven't settled on a costume. i've been surfing, & here are some of my 80's fashion finds:

i have a baby pink version of the green stilletos shown above.

i love the purple & black ensemble! any ideas where i can scout for similar tops? :)

brings back fond memories of the cartoon (& of my cutesy water container with a picture of my little pony minus the rainbow).

at least, may ideas na ako. shopping spree na lang ang kulang! can't wait! :)

question of the day from kiko:

2006-11-18T15:06:00.000+08:00

ate baby, na-i-inlab din ba ang mga aso?!

The Guys' Rules

2006-11-16T00:03:00.000+08:00

Got this from an email.

= = = = = = = = = =

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down. Finally, the guys' side of the story. Please note, these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us to act like soap opera guys.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of them makes you sad or angry, then we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle, besides we know you will bring it up again later.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or golf.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round is a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight. But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Pass this to as many men as you can - to give them a laugh.

Pass this to as many women as you can - to give them a bigger laugh...and to teach them the rules.

4 years ago...

2006-11-06T00:41:00.000+08:00

a musheez (my gabay batch) pic, circa 2002. ang payat ko pa dito! why, oh why, did i have to gain 14 pounds since then?!

...

2006-11-05T23:49:00.000+08:00

naalala ko lang yung sinabi ni kamille nung birthday niya: you will always go back to square one. as much as i hate to admit it, tama siya.

the little prince

2006-10-30T22:28:00.000+08:00

Saint Exupery's 'The Little Prince' Quiz

Take this quiz!

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savor the moment!

2006-10-30T21:27:00.000+08:00

37 na lang ang vacancies ko! kung ibabawas pa yung mga scheduled nang pumasok, 23 NA LANG!

madami pa rin ba? in a way, oo. pero kung nanggaling ka sa 48 (even 71, prior to the freezing of the hiring of positions without plantilla) at one point, solve na solve na ang 37. salamat naman, bumaba na rin, kahit papaano.

basta, masaya ang araw na to. excited na nga akong magbakasyon, e. 3 weeks na lang! : )

teka, hindi pa settled ang plans ko. saan ako pupunta?! but when all else fails, i could always stay at home, & read all the books that i've been hoarding lately. tulog, kain, basa, kain, tulog. okay rin yun, buhay-baboy muna. ; )

in the spirit of the (halloween) season

2006-10-28T13:00:00.000+08:00

You Are A Drunk Pumpkin Face

You would make a good pumpkin martini.

What's Your Pumpkin Face?

life wishlist

2006-10-28T11:52:00.000+08:00

tagged by chris, again.

name ten things that you want to do or accomplish before you die. afterwards, pick 5 people to do the same.

1. have a family with 2-3 kids of my own.
2. teach a psychology class.
3. regularly spend a substantial amount of time for volunteer work.
4. save enough money to buy a house, and have all windows converted into bay windows (so that i can sit & read).
5. have one full room of my house made into a big library, complete with desks, chairs, & bean bags.
6. learn to take care of plants other than orchids (i'm not sure anymore how many cacti have died under my "care").
7. see the white sands of boracay, the chocolate hills, & the coral reefs of palawan.
8. frolic in the immaculate snow of some non-tropical country.
9. get a job that's not really a job but a ministry that would give me more time for the things that matter most.
10. achieve inner peace, amidst the hustle & bustle of everyday.

not tagging anyone in particular. hehe... : )

flip-flops get into stingy little me

2006-10-23T23:32:00.000+08:00

elcie: parang hindi ko mapagtugma, e. si grace, bibili ng havaianas? magugunaw na ba ang mundo? baka dapat bumili na rin ako, para masubukan ko.

opo, bumili po ako ng havaianas. eto po siya:

natawa naman ako dun sa sinabi ni elcie. legendary na ata ang kakuriputan ko. hehe... : )

a great respite from work

2006-10-21T08:05:00.000+08:00

thanks to advance screening tickets from my dad's officemate, kris & i were able to watch this for free at rob galleria last tuesday. premiere seats pa! sana may free tickets ulit this tuesday. kahit corny or mushy movies, papatulan ko! hehe! :D

gabay tag thingy c/o ate ria

2006-10-15T01:32:00.000+08:00

Everything Gabay
kilala mo si Tita Chit
sumali/nag-perform sa org tours - nung 3rd year
natakot/nanakot sa trust walk - natakot nung 1st year, nanakot every year after that ; )
naluluha sa Gabay song (hehe) - tuwing roasting lang : )
nakasama sa mga planning sessions - 1st to 3rd year
inabutan ang Gabay hacienda
naging bahagi ng execom - 1st & 3rd year
nanalo ng best tutor award - all four years : )
nanalo ng most outstanding gabayano award - 1st to 3rd year
sumali sa caroling - 1st to 3rd year
naging bahagi ng Gabay choir
nag-attend ng retreat
umattend ng 25th year anniversary
...e ng 30th year anniv?

Tambay ever
tumambay at nakipag-jamming sa mga kapwa gabayano
inubos ang lahat ng alam na kanta sa 1001 Hits na songbook
nag-aral at natuto (pwede ring hindi) mag-gitara
tumambay o kaya'y nag-meeting sa "sunken garden" (na hindi naman talaga garden)
ginawang caf ang GR - siyempre! : )
natutulog sa GR - in fairness, minsan lang (ata)
kilala mo si Mang Manny
nabiktima ng higad sa harap ng GR - nung first year ata
ginawang locker ang pigeon hole - minsan lang po, sorry na : )
ginawang notepad/drawing book ang logbook - 1st to 2nd year lang
gumawa at nagpapirma ng birthday thingy - para kay gel at ate ayan

Matters of the heart
nagka-crush sa isang ate/kuya
nagka-crush sa lower batch
nagka-crush sa angel/soul mo ^_~
nakahanap ng best friend/s - for this, i'm most thankful : )
nakahanap ng true love ^_^

nakakamiss tuloy... : )