hypeRory... wHo wAntS 2 bE nOrmAL aNywAy?

moving day

2006-09-26T21:10:00.000+08:00

Hey folks. I'm all grown up now (not). Well, I am an adult technically. (99% of that technically part attributing to the fact that I pay my own bills nowadays). So partly inspired by my sister's sixth blogmove, I'm also moving to a new blog.
Check it out here.

sick

2006-09-16T10:04:00.000+08:00

If my nose wasn't so clogged I'd probably be able to tell you that my room currently smells like a shrine to the god Men-Thor, the patron god of clogged noses and Vicks (the vaporub and the braincell-killing inhaler). I've been stuffing Neozep, Ascorbic Acid and Multivitamins down my throat for the last week to chase away this darn cold and having ten vicks steam facials a day.
*Sigh* At least I'm not coughing up half my soul...

6 phases of the MIS project cycle

2006-09-10T20:49:00.000+08:00

Enthusiasm
Disillusionment
Panic
The Search for the Guilty
Punishment for the Innocent
Praise and Honor for the Nonparticipants

I miss being a student...

my crush is useless

2006-09-04T21:15:00.000+08:00

I haven't been posting in a while, so I just wanted to make a stupid post about how useless Hisagi Shuuhei is... He's appears more in the Bleach animated series than he does in the manga, but even in the anime you don't get to see him do anything! Yumichika whoops his ass and you don't even get to see what Shuuhei's zanpakutou does! Argh! And even in the Bount arc all he does is run around looking pretty!

And oh how pretty he is...

Two years later and I'm still histrionic... plus narcissistic

2006-08-08T23:02:00.000+08:00

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid:	Low
Schizoid:	Low
Schizotypal:	Moderate
Antisocial:	Moderate
Borderline:	Low
Histrionic:	Very High
Narcissistic:	Very High
Avoidant:	Low
Dependent:	Low
Obsessive-Compulsive:	High
-- Personality Disorder Test: Take it yourself! -- Click to see last year's results

booze

2006-08-01T10:40:00.000+08:00

I went to the cross-cultural communication seminar for France and I got confirmation that my French exchange will be for the Jan-May term, so needless to say I was ecstatic! I've been waiting for them to get back to me for a few months now so I'm glad to be able to breathe easily, as well as begin making travel arrangements and coordinating with l'Universite Catholique de l'Ouest to do the art program during my term! Yay!

I got a bit too excited with the news and as usual my overactive imagination got active. I saw myself sitting outside a quaint cafe in Angers taking a break from painting, contentedly sipping a glass of... water?

Hey. Waitasecond. It would be weird to be in France, home of the world's best wine and cheese and not enjoy it! But I don't even like the taste of alcohol!!! So having heard many times that wine is an aquired taste, I left the seminar convinced that I would "aquire it" before December.

Saturday night...
I'm walking into the liquor store. So many bottles... What to buy? I don't know what I'm doing here. What if someone from church sees me? Well, Jesus drank wine. What will my parents think of me!? Am I being a bad example to my siblings? A stumbling block? They probably won't sell me booze anyway, I look underage. Man, why didn't I wear my grown-up clothes today? Wait, I gots ID! Birth certificate in wallet? I have everything in my flippin' bag, why is my birth certificate not here?! Oh well, maybe my Ateneo Alumni Card will do. Minors can't graduate, can they? Oh there it is! Don't get ahead of yourself, Ror. Just buy a bottle of cheap wine. Get used to the taste first. You won't be able to taste the diff between cheap and expensive wine anyway.

Ooooh SALE! My favorite word. Okay, I'll get one bottle of red and one of white. "Semi-sweet." That has to be good, right? Now... I can't very well drink wine out of a mug. That's so crass. Go get a glass...

(In the Supermarket)
Don't they have any NICE glasses? Oh well, beggars can't be choosers. Next... I know I have a corkscrew somewhere in the flat but I can't remember where I dumped it. Oh well, I'll just buy one and some stoppers while I'm at it. Just get the cheap ones. Oooh, P150 for two plastic corkscrews. Kawaii! (cute in Japanese) Now for the cheese. Dang... none of the nearly-expired buy-one-take-one offers? Dang. I'll just pick up some from Pan de manila on my way home.

(On the way home after having lugged huge bags of groceries and a backpack of hardware from a long day, gotten on and off the train, and walking for ten minutes in the rain towards Pan de Manila...)
"IT'S CLOSED! ARGH!"

(Back at the Batcave)
Okay... How do you work this...? You just have to screw it into the cork right? Okaaaay...
[screw, screw, screw]
It won't go any farther. Now what? Pull? Sige...
[heave, heave, SNAP!]
Oh %@&#!!!! The stupid cheap plastic corkscrew broke and the screw is stuck in the cork and the flipping cork hasn't even budged one bit!!!

I spent the next hour and a half digging the cork out of the bottle with the help of a small knife, two tweezers, some yarn, and a mountain of ingenuity and patience. And I didn't get any cork into the wine at all! Yay!

And how did the wine taste? Horrible. How the heck am I supposed to distinguish the taste of cherries or maple-aged barrels or whatever it's supposed to taste like? It all tastes sour to me! Oh well, I have five months to "develop the taste." Ech...

in hongkong!

2006-07-06T13:08:00.000+08:00

Free Cake from Hyatt! (before and after pictures)

My second day in HongKong and I'm partaking of the free email service (of course may internet din 'yan) and just wanted to post a quick update. I almost didn't make it yesterday because I left my plane ticket and passport on the living room table and I only found out about it when I was at the airport. So I had to go back and take a cab to the airport.

I was praying reaaaaally hard because I had an hour before my plane left and I didn't have a cab yet. Finally God sends this ratty old Kia with no air con and I can't help but think, "God, you really like to have the cards stacked up against you, noh?" Well, as Paul said, "in my weakness, He is strong." So I suppose God just wanted to flex his muscles for me. And he did! That ratty cab was sooooo fast and the driver was a dear, and there was no traffic my second time to the airport! (the first time took us quite so long because of an accident right before the flyover, which caused a major bottleneck) And even though the cabbie initially brought me to the wrong terminal (NAIA instead of PAL), I still got to Counter 51 just on time (they'd been expecting me because my tita was really stressed and weilding her inhuman social engineering powers so they knew I was on my way) and made it to the waiting area as everyone was boarding the plane.

Phew!!!

I've been so laid back because I'm just leeching off my tita and she's taken care of all the arrangements so I needed something to jolt me out of my complacency.

i've been just a little bored

2006-07-04T09:35:00.000+08:00

A new way to get the bill...

Just bored...

You Have a Choleric Temperament

You are a person of great enthusiasm - easily excited by many things. Unsatisfied by the ordinary, you are reaching for an epic, extraordinary life. You want the best. The best life. The best love. The best reputation.

You posses a sharp and keen intellect. Your mind is your primary weapon. Strong willed, nothing can keep you down. Your energy can break down any wall. You're an instantly passionate person - and this passion gives you an intoxicating power over others.

At your worst, you are a narcissist. Full of yourself and even proud of your faults. Stubborn and opinionated, you know what you think is right. End of discussion. A bit of a misanthrope, you often see others as weak, ignorant, and inferior.

This is so me!!! Buwahahahah!!!

What Temperament Are You?

i am not a mindless factory

2006-06-26T17:30:00.000+08:00

I don't think people realize that to artists, their work is not just something "manufactured", like a factory-produced flowerpot. Artists inject parts of their soul into the works of their hands, and yes, even the corporate drivel I've been churning out has Rory-dust mixed in with the generic genius. And that's why I've been getting so frustrated with my clients who can't make their minds up about what they want and keep asking me to massacre my babies for their revisions (not my fault!). And they call females irrational!

I wonder how long I'll last in this job. Maybe I'll just move to Dubai. Hehehe...

In other news, I met this really nice guy on the train two Sundays ago (je crois qu'il n'est pas l'homme de ma vie parce qu'il manque quelques caracteristiques que sont tres importants pour moi) who just last Sunday introduced me to his Filipino-Chinese friend from Cebu and who looks a lot like Nikki, so much that I think I freaked her out by staring, looking like I'd bawl any moment. They have the same hands and the same mouth, as in their manner of speaking and smiling and laughing is uncannily similar. I had quite a time keeping my composure. Am trying to find a funny angle, but there just isn't one. *Sniffle*

I just finished watching The Pink Panther. I wonder how Jean Reno felt, being the only genuine Frenchman in the whole movie, to have his countrymen's English taken the mickey out of by people whose native language IS English... I think I enjoyed the scene of him dancing like a hussy more than a normal 21-year old should... Hehehe... I love Jean Reno. (Andie, thanks again for sharing "The Professional" all those years ago. Natalie Portman was a very lucky girl... :-D)

KKB :: children of the CORN

2006-06-21T17:04:00.000+08:00

Am working on the KKB webcomic so we can have it up by July 7 (kiba's birthday!). In other news, KKB watched Rex Navarrete LIVE (free show but we would have paid if it wasn't!) and it was great! Here is our stalker pic. We are Children of the CORN (Cult Of Rex Navarrete!)

Funny story: I met my new flatmate after we bumped into each other in the hallway. Traded quick info and after thinking about it, decided to introduce Leo (who was bunking on my floor that night) coz it might be awkward if they bumped into each other in the middle of the night and she might think, "Oooh, naughty things going on in there!" and I'm just too prim and proper to have anyone speculating about nonexistent naughty activities going on in my room.

Rory: This is my cousin, Leo.
Flatmate: Hi.
Leo(wearing my tye dye PJs): Hi!
Flatmate: So you're MIS? You must know Andie then!
(Dang! Then she'll surely know Leo isn't my cousin! Why does this always happen to me?)

Moral of the Story: Don't lie. Sigh.

rory heart kiba

2006-06-10T16:48:00.001+08:00

I love having my mother and sister over in my little tiny room. It's fun and I love their company, they're my best friends and you're sure they'll never abandon you (unlike other friends) because of the very important blood link. The one thing that irks me about having them over is the fact that they use up fresh towels... towels which cost twice as much to have laundered... towels which last me a week each. And they use up around three in one stay. Oh well, I love them anyway.

For work purposes, Lazarus had to have several upgrades, like 512mb more ram, a DVD writer for backup, a new media keyboard (with ports for the usb and headphones!!). However when I got Allen to help me set up the DVD writer, the monitor conked out. My lovely 19inches of graphic designer's dream display turned pink. And although I love pink, I NEED the G in the RGB spectrum! So my company shouldered the cost of a new monitor. So I now have a 17inch AOC monitor (in silver and black so it matches perfectly with my new keyboard and my old CPU Case... and my speakers) because the 19incher cost twice as much (WHY?!?!?) Oh well, beggars can't be choosers can they.

And my new set also matches my new Wacom perfectly!!! (Man, I look like a kid in this picture... Note the new ring from my parents' trip to Indonesia)

6x8 Grapphire4 (I didn't think I needed the Intuos for my first tablet) and I named him Kiba and the pen's Akamaru! It took me a while to get used to it. Still can't draw yet (haven't really had time to try serious sketching straight onto the comp) but I can do vector art now! I did this sportscar for one of my projects for Abbott. Pretty soon I should be able to do some stuff I can use to animate... ^_^

hold my hand

2006-05-31T13:23:00.000+08:00

Instructions:
1. The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different descriptions of their perfect lover.
2. He/she needs to mention the sex/gender of their perfect lover.
3. He/she must tag 8 more people to join this game and leave a comment on their respective sites anouncing that they've been tagged.
4. If tagged a second time, there's no need to post again.

I've been tagged. By my sister. Whose responses are much like mine...

1. Nice hands with slender fingers (think the kind of hands that the pre-Raphaelite painters were fond of) and the kind of face you could wake up next to for the rest of your life (Like Pike, who's gonna start teaching Freshman English at Ateneo this school year. I so want to stalk him)
2. SOLID - physically. As in he won't look like a wimp beside me. (Allen and Leo are sick of this adjective already) Inuzuka Kiba from Naruto is so very solid. (Drool!)
3. Solid - More mature spiritually and so much wiser than than me. (A man I can follow. Yes, I believe that the woman should submit so you better make sure that you're submitting to the right bloke!)
4. Not scared of being "weird" - willing to crazy dance with me on the dance floor while everyone else slowdances (although slowdancing is also fun ;-p)
5. Artistic - I'd love him to be a photographer and/or a percussionist. (Drool!)
6. Intelligent - If you don't understand why this is on the list, you're an idiot. Idiots should be neutered. There are too many stupid people roaming earth already.
7. Eloquent - Watch your gramaticals! Rex Navarette English/Filipino is fun some of the time but please don't end the vows at the altar with, "Ah don' know how I doh et, ah jazz doh et!
8. A Balloo kind of daddy. Look for the bear necessities... (*Sigh*)

HE'S A HE! HE! HE!

New Victims:
1. Andie
2. Allen
3. Liz
4. RJ
5. Aeo
6. Milo
7. Eric
8. Josh

I love "Get Fuzzy."

I've always been part of the trio. This is my latest one. We're starting a webcomic soon about life after college (and bashing everyone "normal.") So watch out for it.

In other news, I finally got a new ring. The old ring was just getting too painful to look at so I got a new one. Haven't taken a pic of it yet though because I just received it yesterday from my parents' last jetset to Indonesia, my dad's going to Malaysia tomorrow. I'm being a jetsetter myself, business trip to HongKong in July... Just in time for Inuzuka Kiba's birthday! (July7)

Further Proof of God's Existence

2006-05-22T17:11:00.000+08:00

Just when I thought soymilk couldn't get any better, I found my favourite Thai brand of soymilk (discovered initially in one of the myriad of Sleven stores scattered around Bangkok) in green tea flavour when I was out hunting wild singkamas in Shopwise Cubao. Green tea flavour and soymilk: the best of both worlds. With a free mini-carton of chocolate soymilk. As Leo would say, "'San ka pa?" To all you atheists: how much more convincing do you need?!

I love the supermarket, I don't know why particularly. While a friend of mine enjoys nothing more than shopping for designer shoes whose price tag would match half one semester's tuition at the most expensive school in the Philippines (while grumbling about the social injustice of Pancake House's menu), my favourite past time is roaming around a nice big supermarket with a list haphazardly put together on various occasions (never on paper) which somehow managed to survive in my goldfish memory long enough to be transferred from potentiality to actuality via the medium of a nice shopping cart (not one of the possessed ones) and a bank balance safely above the minimum. Money is good.

Perhaps it's what I've always pictured as a very grown-up activity, shopping for the necessities of the week or the month. Maybe it's the potential for finding "THE ONE," as voiced by my Eggplant Story from ages back, or maybe it's just the banality of it all that pulls me back into the solid world from which my imagination always attempts to rescue me. My imagination is my prince charming. (That sentence works for me on so many levels... Those who have seen my dude-doodles can testify.)

But then again, it's probably my stomach walking.

Wails of a one descending into the pit

2006-05-17T14:00:00.000+08:00

I am slowly slipping into the abyss that is called jolofong (a more severe case of jologs syndrome). I've been noticing that due to the amount of time I spend in front of the computer (mostly doing graphics WITH A MOUSE --> my Wacom tablet to arrive next month!!!) my right wrist has developed a dark callus. Not nice.

I got one of those mousepads with a cushion for the wrist. The thing is, although my wrist was comfy, my mouse wouldn't work properly. I have an optical mouse and the red light bounced off the mousepad. So not nice.

So recently I got one of those wristbands favoured by the the jolofong ma-niggas (hifhaffer-wannabes), from DICKES no less!!! (just coz the ones from sports shops came in pairs and were more expensive either way) So now I have this fear of not remembering to take it off before I go out and some mah-homey guy approaching me. A new scary thought to keep me up at night.

The wristband is surprisingly comfy... BUT IT'S NOT REPLACING MY BLING! WERD!!

battle of the chocnut

2006-05-15T15:00:00.000+08:00

Working from home has opened up so many opportunities for me... For instance, I've finally compared the many brands of very Pinoy chocolate-peanut sweets on the market: Chocnut, Choco-star, ChocoMani, ChocoFighters, I was about to get Hany but they didn't have it at Shopwise (one of my new meccas) and Ministop puts such a big "patong" on it I didn't want to get it from there.

Anyway, the findings:
Chocnut: The original. Nice flavor. But the texture is a bit grainy, as if bits of peanut shell got thrown into the mix and got crushed up with the peanuts and chocolate. Kinda like chewing ground glass... Well, I know some people who prefer that so good for them.

Choco-star: Comparable to chocnut. Same texture. A little sweeter. Not bad.

ChocoMani: I really didn't go for the ground glass chocnut, I looked for something smoother. So I thought I liked ChocoMani. But then came the chocnut-fest. And I had the chocoMani last. Bad idea. It tasted like Chalk-o-Mani. Yech. It's a bit too milky compared to the rest and the texture... a bit chalky.

ChocoFighters: My Favorite! Smoother texture, not too sweet, just chocolatey enough. Complete with plagiarized characters (from various games I think) on each wrapper and even on the "free" pseudo-Pongs made from card.

horror story

2006-05-10T19:20:00.000+08:00

I was in Abbott, just killing time because my client hadn't showed yet. Decided to grab a cup of tea in the cafeteria. I never get bored, there's always more stories to cook up in my head, some scrap of tissue to doodle on, and luckily on that day I had my sketchpad with me so I was good to go. Grabbed a booth near the wall because I wasn't in the mood to be harrassed. I settled down with my cup of strong tea and my pens...

Scribble, scribble, scribble...

And then I felt something brush against my leg. Because I have an overactive imagination, I try to downplay such strange happenings because they've caused too many embarrassing situations. So I ignored it.

But then I felt it again, something long and rubbery brushed against my thigh... I thought it might have been just just a strap from my binder.

Then something scratched my thigh.

Something was inside my pants...

I jumped up, shrieked, stomped my foot, trying to get the creature out of my pant leg! After a while I lost my breath and thought it must have been gone. I looked sheepishly at the rest of the cafeteria people, who were looking at me bemused.

"Ummm.. I think a cockroach crawled up my leg."

And then this guy goes, "Miss, daga ata yun..." (Miss, I think that was a mouse.")

Eeeek. To say the least. I don't know who was more traumatized, me or the mouse.

This happened exactly six months after I had been kissed on the cheek by a cockroach (on my birthday). Add to those images the traumatic faces of the guys who thought me a prospect (double-yuck), I can't help but think that I must be a creepy crawly magnet.

everybody dies

2006-04-21T01:59:00.000+08:00

Why is it all the anime I have seen and finished the series have bad endings? Samurai Champloo, Elfen Lied, Furuba, Wolf Rain, and yes, even Cooking Master Boy. Bad, bad, bad. Good beginning, promising middle, wretched ending. Ugh... Good thing I'm used to sucky endings with all the French movies I've seen. I just bet Naruto's gonna die in the end...
*Sigh*. At least now I like two Kibas (from Naruto and Wolf's Rain.)

In other news, I'm finally gonna get my grad present from my dad tomorrow! We ordered a French Bible online and it arrived yesterday. For some reason it had to be collected from the Central Post Office so someone collected it a while ago. So excited to do my QT!

Work is fun... I've forgotten what "sleep" means tho.

pregnant women are beautiful

2006-04-06T19:48:00.000+08:00

I've always wanted to be pregnant. Not just for the fun before part but because of the delicate condition of all expectant mothers.

My latest project for my job is a pre-natal book, and I was researching pics of pregnant women online. They're so beautiful! Average women or ugly bodies are magically beautified by pregnancy. It's amazing...

Xenophobia

2006-03-22T02:36:00.000+08:00

For all of ya "politically correct" folks, don't read any further...

The Japanese are absolutely ridiculous! Well, it's my fault I suppose because I AM the one who chose to get the entire Cooking Master Boy series from my friend, RJ, knowing full well what to expect, having seen a couple of episodes from that freak season 5 years ago when our TV in Baguio was somehow getting cable TV reception, including AXN (and no, we weren't scavving off someone else's cable, thank you very much). That's when I got into anime, when I fell in crush with Slam Dunk's Hanamichi Sakuragi (so cute!) and the toothless wonder, Miyagi (je pense ce comme on s'appele).

What's funny is the version I'm watching has English titles (bien sur!) but the audio has been translated from Japanese to Chinese, so the anime-sound I've come to expect from watching a gazillion episodes of Naruto isn't satisfied. I mean, the Japanese voice actors are so expressive and hilarious, therefore watching any English-dubbed anime is the ultimate letdown afterwards. Chinese voices aren't bad, and since the setting's in China it kinda adds to the mood. It's just weird because I expect someone to yell, "DATTEBAYO!" any second and they don't. (Yes, andi, calm down...)

Back to Cooking Master Boy. Ridiculous! (But then again I love ridiculous things...) I was just thinking that the Japanese must be REALLY bored. I mean they have series about practically anything: Cooking, Fishing, Racing, even a Sailor Moon-type series called "Wedding Peach" where the girls' ultimate powers are to change into wedding dresses and I suppose knock the baddies on the noggins with their lacy-garter-slingshots or something...

Where was I... Oh yes... cooking. Who else but the Japanese would think of cooking as a competitive event (think CMB and Iron Chef... and I'm trying to recall if they had a cooking event in Takeshi's Castle...) and a medium which transports the food connoisieur into nirvana, complete with lotus flowers blooming out of nowhere and fireworks going off in the background (in complete daylight, mind you!). Who else but the Japanese would imagine chefs performing their own jutsu!? And being attacked by an agents from a cooking underworld all fighting over a set of legendary cooking utensils?

And I love Mao and someone I know very well could stand to learn a lot from his humility (ehem! ehem!). I mean he chooses to hide his badge of honor, his Master Chef badge which he earns very early on in the series so that people won't treat him different BUT of course there has to be a silly sidekick who'll take off the armband to reveal that he is Chef Genius Mao, youngest Master Chef ever!

EVERY SINGLE EPISODE!

Oh well, I guess that means I just need to find some silly sidekick to drag around to do my bragging for me.

sablay mother

2006-03-15T22:08:00.000+08:00

yayangmorales: I have to go to bed na
yayangmorales: been writing to a friend in thailand
hyperory: you write WHILE on the internet? as in email?
yayangmorales: Hay, it took me 1 hour to write a 2 paragraph letter
yayangmorales: grabe
hyperory: MA, next time write it offline then copy it and send it when you get on. para di maaksaya sa net time. suggestion lang
yayangmorales: yes....sori
yayangmorales: di ko pa alam magword...then transfer to email
yayangmorales: papa taught me hyperory: at least was able to talk to you
hyperory: buwahahahah!!! ma, you're so cute tlaga
yayangmorales: pero you know me, this is not baking or cooking
yayangmorales: this is very hi tech for me
yayangmorales: he he my teacher is very impatient
hyperory: again, ma. you're so cute

... tee hee ...

2006-02-27T20:11:00.000+08:00

bah humbug

2006-02-14T16:00:00.000+08:00

rex navarette weekend

2006-02-07T14:25:00.000+08:00

Mood: scratchy throat
ThemeSong: Pobre Diablo
Watchawearing: eggplant outfit: neon green with purple. yummm...

Just got back from 2ish days in Baguio with Leo and Allen (pics to follow since Leo forgot his usb adapter) and it was wild!!! Buwahahah! I've learned something important though: if no parents are at home, I am not a very good tour guide. I need structure in order for my creative juices to flow!

Day One (Saturday)
4am arrived in Baguio, woke up around 9am. I was the only breakfast person among the three of us... *Sigh* Made me realize that Baguio makes me eat so much. Maybe it's the cold that activates my must-keep-warm-with-blubber mentality...
Then we went to town via jeep (for the authentic Baguio experience) and wandered round Session Road. Had lunch at Oh My Gulay, one of my favorite restaurants in Baguio because it's vegetarian and the ambience is so artsy and the view is great. Unfortunately, Leo forgot that his phone has a camera and we didn't document our stay at Oh My Gulay. Sniff...
After lunch, wandered through some of the ukay-ukay and it's funny because I bought more stuff than they did. Then we did the only really touristy thing by going round Burnham Park. Went around playing "bumper-boats" "Burnham Lake" (green-watered pond really) screaming "Crush, crush, crush, MORE CHIP!!!" (Rex Navarette fans will get that magical lolo joke) every time we scored a hit, mostly at boats being manned by couples. Buwahahaha!!!
Went home for dinner. I made tuna pasta (a specialty in my very short repertoire of recipes) but we had to make sure Josh didn't know who was making it because he never eats what he knows I cooked. Then watched The Longest Yard (love the movie) and Allen kept on going on about how beautiful Adam Sandler's butt was and Ice Age. Leo left to go to bed before the end of Disk One, Allen and I tried to stay awake for the rest of the movie but she and I feel asleep somewhere in the middle of disk 2.

Day Two (Sunday)
Woke up late and rushed to the PMA Grandstand to catch the Silent Drill. We thought we were late because a friend had said that the show started at 10, but it started 10:30(my initial assumption). After the Silent Drill, we went to the Bowling Alley for batchoy. Did a very small portion of my PMA walkthrough (it was a Sunday, sunny and we were all lethargic) and went home. Wanted to go to town for lunch but Josh was stuck to the computer, watchin his beloved Naruto, and didn't want to budge. So I rang all the people in PMA I knew looking for the number of Pizza Hut to get pizza delivered but Pizza Hut people said PMA is just too far. So ended up scrounging round the kitchen looking for edibles and Allen and I just made champorado instead for a very late lunch. Finished Ice Age and watched Shawn of the Dead. Hilarious, especially with my oh-so-very unattractive shrieks.
After dinner we went to town to partake of the Baguio nightlife. What's sad is that I haven't been out in Baguio in 5 years and the place we went to at first had already closed down (Cue Maalaala mo kaya theme) so we just went to Session. Session Road at night is nice. Showed them SM 30 minutes before closing time and found out that Spaceflower (my favorite Baguio band -- they play reggae and ska) was playing so we went to watch them. They are so goooooooooood. (Tulo laway)
Saw Conrad Rillo (classmate for the whole 6 years of primary school). We went Nevada Square afterwards for coffee and we were home at 1:30 (an hour and a half early)

It's amazing how many Rex Navarette references a group of three can make in one weekend...

sleep deprived

2006-02-01T11:24:00.000+08:00

Mood: bangag to the max
ThemeSong: Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap
Watchawearing: whole outfit's from thailand -- i love shopping!

Yesterday jogged for the first time after a year. I hadn't slept and I was hoping that the exercise would rejuvinate me, wake me up. Today my muscles are complaining, but that was expected.

Went to Dusit Hotel yesterday to see Tita Liza and Tito Peter (the German husband) before they flew back to New York to save the world (they work in the UN, Tita Liza is working the Israel-Palestine case, Tito Peter is in environmental economics) . Was waiting in the lobby for them, bought my most expensive cup of cappuccino (PhP130.00 + 13.00 SC) waiting, didn't get to eat my cookie (don't like hard cookies, prefer the chewy ones) only to find that they were at the hotel restaurant with the terrors from Bonifacio. I didn't know Tita Edith (photographer) was there else I'd have called her right from the start. We had dinner there, which was yummy. I got the light buffet (Their salads are divine and the desserts... I don't know how I managed my self-control... ) The only prob was that BoniBrat #1 was really TRYING to get on my nerves. Times like those I really appreciate my sweet bruhvah.

I keep thinking back to that small but pricy cuppa coffee. Wasn't even as good as Starbuck's. Sniff...

I have my XHD! (External Hard Drive) I got it from my Tito yesterday but it's frickin' HEEEYUGE! Dimensions are 9"x5"x1.5" and I was expecting it to be half as big. But it IS 100GB. But it's to0 freaking huge!!!! I know I shouldn't be complaining, Andie is about ready to murder me for my pc scraps but IT'S JUST TOO FREAKING HUGE!!! Hence I named him Colossus. (My favorite X-person from the movie... Sigh...)

Haven't been sleeping well, my body clock is ruined thanks to Zuma, which I beat, and yet I can't seem to shake its hold upon my soul. So now I'm woozy but I can't sleep, have to go to Galleria tonight for ENLI. First, Taka's Tea Bar again with my philosophy and political science readings and buckets of green tea... I've been there so many times they gave me one of those frequent visitors cards. (YaY!)

Why isn't the ground stable? Feel like I'm on a ship deck, and I'm getting motion sick.

All a' bored..

back to old habits

2006-01-29T19:15:00.000+08:00

Mood: oh so dull
ThemeSong: Isobel - Bjork
Watchawearing: Emily the Strange tee

I'm supposed to be studying for the MIS midterms tomorrow night but no matter how much I try to read the book, the words get garbled while in transit to my brain, and anything I try to understand just turns into mush. Basically, the usual struggles with MIS concepts. We're just incompatible, I suppose.

In other news, I finally beat Zuma... Now I can stop playing it. At last when I close my eyes I won't see long lines of many-colored balls chasing after me. It's really distracting. I suppose I'm sad that way. I don't like playing combat games because I just can't stand dying, so I stick to games like Sims or Spider Solitaire. But like my mom, I have obsessive tendencies so I play the game until I finish it... so much so that I dream about the game. This was especially sad during my Freecekk phase when I'd dream of all the different moves I could make to finish the game quickest.

How sad...

Currently downloading Imogen Heap songs. I've always loved the name Imogen, I think I heard it in England. And Julia Stiles (who plays characters I often resemble) played an artist-chick named Imogen in the movie "Down to You" with Freddie Prince Jr. (<-- bad movie, redeemed only by the fact that there was an almost-pseudo-me in it)

Oh well... Should I name my daughter Imogen?
Imogen all the people...
She's gonna have to be into emo... and instant messaging..

Okay, getting too corny now, even for me.

MIS is melting my brain.

too much bjork

2006-01-27T10:57:00.000+08:00

Mood: Ho-hum
ThemeSong: Aurora - Bjork
Watchawearing: A red/yellow scarf I wear as a sash (a la Miss Universe), practicing for my Pinoy Fashion Statement for France

Am listening to way too much Bjork. I love most of her stuff. So wyrd!!! As for the sash, I'm making "pauso", because I really want to show my Pinoy-ness in France. I'm gonna get some native fabric with indigenous patterns and wear it sash-style. Proud to be Pinoy, pare! Well, at least I'm trying to be nationalistic, too many people hate the Phils already... Brain Drain Go away, come again another... no... just go to the States. Not much brain to drain... Buwahahahaha!!!

Bjork is so kewl! Am loving Human Behavior and Army of me. Can't get over how long I've been deprived of true wyrd music... :D

Hepi Bertdey Juice!!! (my bro) As of tomorrow morning, my sibs and I are going to be practical orphans again as my mum is going to Thailand for about a month to cheer up my very sad and lonely dad. (Awwww...) And yes they are really sweet. As in they call each other "tart," not like the Brit insult meaning slut but as in "sweet'art. " (Collective sigh from the crowd.)

No wonder I'm a closet mushie...

Here's my other creative pic... Kakatawa lang...

after the valley

2006-01-26T22:39:00.000+08:00

Mood: lifted up
ThemeSong: Holding Out For a Hero - Frou Frou (Shrek OST)
Watchawearing: Green dress, green blazer, green shades, green streaks in hair... and a semi-green bruise on my arm

God's so amazing. After the valley, He really brings you to greater heights! Seriously, God is so good. And I actually asked Him for this shaking experience because I've been feeling too protected. So you get what you ask for talaga!

I've been telling on that jerk to some of my friends, and am a bit disappointed at their lack of violent and murderous reactions to what happened. Leo and Allen said that if I was still upset they'd probably be feeling more vindictive but since I'm okay they're just glad nothing bad happened. And I AM okay, but I wish more people would want to defend my honor. That's what you get for being a scary girl... Hehehe...

And Aeric, no, I wasn't being corny or pa-cute saying I was a lioness (I shall be brave), it was a reference to the fact that I scare boys away (and enjoy doing it on the most part.)

Here's what I've been doing lately...

Oh, and it's my sister's 18th Birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHEV!
And it's my bro's 16th birthday in a few hours... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSH!

i am a lioness

2006-01-22T21:47:00.000+08:00

Mood: dazed and confused
ThemeSong: Stranded - Plumb
Watchawearing: a big purple bruise on my left arm

I am a lioness. Strong, fierce, proud.
I am a lioness, she is a gazelle. Gazelles are graceful and they photograph well. Men run from lionesses, as well they should.

I am a shark, she is a dolphin.
Everyone likes dolphins, they swim away from sharks.

Rare strength is needed to tame a lioness, true courage to swim with a shark. It takes a rare breed of man to deal with such creatures, for most men are really just boys. And they are not strong enough, nor brave enough to face the challenge.

I am auROARa. I am woman, hear me ROAR.

back to grunt work

2006-01-07T00:51:00.000+08:00

Mood: frazzled yet again
ThemeSong: fly away - lenny kravitz
Watchawearing: pyjamas (I'm in internet cafe and i'm wearing my pink tye-dye ones without any holes in them so i'm decent)

It's the first week back from the Christmas holidays, last few months before graduation, and I'm already neck-deep in work. That's what I get for being overenthusiastic about graphic design, getting into a position of authority (I should be in ideas, not administration!) and being too... much! I need to learn the meaning of moderation.

Andi just turned me into a shrew again. Again, I am thankful for the foresight that prevented us from being roomies. Two strong personalities in close quarters, constantly in each other's faces... We'd kill each other. And I'm not talking the shoot ya in the back while you're sleeping killing, more of a slip laxatives into their drink so they die in a very unpleasant way. Yes, Andi, you are the only one reading this so I might as well say, "YOU ARE SO CUTE!" (cue Andi's glower)

New Year's Eve. Everyone else is counting till midnight, ready with their noisemakers and sparklers, me with a fork and my mother's famous chocolate cake before me. After a year of abstinence, I was finally having a taste of chocolate!

10... 9... 8... 7...
6... 5... 4...
3... 2...
1...

The rest of the world sings "Aude lang syne," blows trumpets, roams around the room smooching random people. (Sounds like fun)

I go: "CHOMP!"

The first bite was rich, moist, delicious and oh, so chocolatey... but it was strangely disappointing. After 365 days of anticipating magic melting in my mouth, I suppose I built chocolate up too much. 365 days... How much chocolate did I turn down from the gazillion members of my ever-expanding fan-club? (A: not that much...)

*Sigh*

cockroach girl in thailand

2005-12-24T18:09:00.000+08:00

Mood: well-fed
ThemeSong: I'll be home for Christmas...
Watchawearing: new green combat trousers i bought last night from night market

It's Christmas eve and it's our third day in Bangkok. Arrived on the 22nd despite departure problems (Chev and Josh are under 18 so apparently some DSWS paperwork was needed but we got through it thanks to Mama's super-charm skills) and checked in at KT Rest House. The taxi (taxi-meter here, which I suppose is comparable to a centi-meter)was really nice, a new toyota van painted BRIGHT PINK AND BLUE (v. cheerful) and we were all at awe at the generally good traffic, and lack of pollution, and lack of honking everywhere, and the fact that Bangkok looks so much better than Manila... *Sigh*

Anyway, on our first day we went to Siam Paragon, a new mall and apparently the largest in Asia. So posh... saw a really cute Washbourne guitar for a pretty good price. I could have gotten it, given that I wouldn't get anything else during the duration of our trip. Went to a big-ass aquarium INSIDE THE MALL, saw sharks, mantas, jellyfish (my fave animals) and some really cute otters and seals. The otter was scratching itself on this log, and it was really funny. When it was rubbing its back against some faux-rocks, you could almost hear the dodgy funk music playing in the background, and I could imagine Leo doing his weird dance especially reserved for Franz right beside that otter. Hahaha... And the seals were so cute and chubby and mejo pa-epal. Had dinner at the mall, monster food court. So yummy! Oh, we took the subway and skytrain to get to the mall. The trains are so cool, the subway has this token you use instead of a card, we looked like a bunch from the boondocks when we first went on, had no idea how to use them. The skytrain's tickets were pretty standard, but again, the trains and stations were so clean! The subway had a slight eau de wee though, but that may be because it was underground after all, so I assume near the sewage system.

Second day we went to the floating market (too touristy for me) and then to the Elephant Park to see the Elephant show. The magic show in the first part wasn't too bad actually, given the really bad costumes and acting. The Elephants were so cute!!! They were such professionals. Okay, okay. There were the inevitable poo moments, but they were just amazing anyway. Here's a stolen shot of them playing footie.

Afterwards we went to the King's Rose Garden which ironically didn't have many roses. They did have a Thai cultural show of sorts. The Thai culture (from what I got from the show) has a lot in common with the Pinoy. They even have a tinikling-like dance. *Sigh again*
In the evening we went to the Night Market. The prices were okay, but was a bit disappointed. It was like one huge tiangge and I was expecting more of a wag-wag place. Bought lots of pasalubong and so it wasn't so bad.

Third day, today, we went to see the King's palace. There was this epic mural that ran around the whole palace and it was so cute because there were some mini-stories you could pick out. For example there was the turtle in the hare, several funny mini-scenes (think couples making out behind the bushes and lechers peeping at girls bathing), just really funny. Saw the jade Buddha. Interesting and sad at the same time. We saw lots of little Buddhas in the museum, I really liked the smaller Buddhas because you could see the fine detail especially on those (some Buddhas were as tall as a thumbnail.)

And we've been food tripping basically. Ate street food a while ago. We were feeling adventurous. I had to go and get food at a third place (the first place's food was uber-spicy and the tom yam from the second place was made with innards so YUCK!) and it just made me realize even more how hard it must be to live somewhere you don't speak the lang. At least in Fance I would still be able to communicate even a little bit. But on the whole we're having fun. :D

late birthday present

2005-12-13T14:47:00.000+08:00

Exactly one month after my 21st bithday, Allen gave me a late (but still welcome) greeting card with a coded message, giving clues on what she got me for my birthday. Solving it, I had a tough time because I was thinking too much because I solved the "puzzle" and came out with B1233 and I thought it meant a word (bantu tree? like a bansai tree?) and it turned out she got me a locker. Kinda complicated to explain if you're not from Ateneo. But B1233 is a locker number. *Grin!*

What an unexpected present. I love suprises!!! :D

It was Miko's birthday yesterday. He was my crush in grade school from grades 2 to 5, so my crush for the longest time, even longer than Nasim... Heheh. I wont forget his birthday because he's exactly one month younger than me and I shall never again like a younger guy.

I'm just bored and rambling... Sigh...

i am cockroach girl

2005-11-20T21:24:00.001+08:00

Hey y'all.
Felt guilty for not updating since last century. Internet at Baguio during the term break was so slow I got so annoyed every time I TRIED to go online. (Yeah, yeah. Excuses, excuses.)
Anyway, news...

I turned 21 last Saturday. I am officially a grown-up. Spent the first half of my special day having a massage. I treated myself because I felt like crap. Why? My right cheek was swollen, my jaw was aching, and it hurt to open my mouth, much less to chew. UNABLE TO EAT ON ONE'S BIRTHDAY?! Yes, it was horrible.

But what was the source of my engorged face? On Wednesday I got bitten by a cockroach while I was sleeping over at chez tita (or cousin? basta she's my mum's age). Apparently the little bug wanted to greet me an advanced happy birthday.

Hmmm... (A friend of mine who never fails to make me feel good about myself told me the reason why I got bitten is because i had ketchup on my cheek. Not an implausible explanation actually but I actually washed my face the night before so that wasn't it.)

Reflecting upon my dire situation, I thought of other people who suffered bites from toxic insects. Peter Parker became Spiderman through a spiderbite!!! This swollen face, this horrible feeling, may all be part of my transition into (tan-ta-nan-tan!) "IPIS-GIRL!"

Okay, so maybe I'm still not over the fact that I am now a grown-up. Funnily enough, turning 21 isn't as big a deal as turning 20 was.

Am currently updating my portfolio. Ambitious girl. I have no idea how I'm going to be able to do it AND manage to go through my mountain of readings. (In fact I don't know what I'm doing blogging right now. Okay, it's called procrastination but I don't know why I'm indulging.. Like Paul said, "What I want to do, I do not do. What I do not want to do, I do all too well." -->My paraphrase from somewhere in Romans, I didn't bring my Bible with me. --- OOOH! Speaking of Bible, my beloved NIV Bible of 5-6 years gave up on me -- it's now spineless. So for my birthday I asked my rents for a new NIV Bible (I have NCV, KJV, NLT but I still like NIV best). So I picked out a ZonderKidz Bible for ages 7-12!!! It's gray and PINK!!! Teeeheee!!!

I was about to write about something else, but with my scatterbrain alter-ego taking over again, i've forgotten what it was.

Oh I remember!!! I got new shoes from Vans! I was wearing my old blue Galla2 ones (sale items, as usual -- from 4,5 to 1,9!) and I bought the new ones from Vans. Right after I bought them, my Galla2 shoes fell apart. Literally. As in the sole of my right shoe just made like a banana and SPLIT! I had to change shoes in the middle of the mall. Kinda funny actually.

Right now I am still sick from the cockroach bite (jaw hurts and migranes -- or at least splitting headaches in the right temple area) and from the fact that it's almost that time of the month again so resistance is down. I ALWAYS GET SICK ONCE A MONTH!!! So I'm nuking my body...
Strepsils for itchy throat. I even bought "fisherman's friend" coz they're "lozenges but i don't know if they help at all.
Neozep to stop my nose from running away.
Industral strength pain killers for my head.
Antibiotics to stop my transformation into ipis-girl.
Airborne specially requested from the States to aid my poor system.
Lots of water to flush my system.
Ben Gay, my best gay bud. I love him so much.

Sigh. Still have my philosophy and history and theology readings to trudge through.

Cheerio, dahlings!

bye, lola

2005-10-26T10:34:00.000+08:00

My maternal grandma passed away last Saturday. I loved her a lot. I was named after her, and I've never valued her name before now. Come on, I'm not a "Pilar," am I? But still, at least I'll respect the name more.

Sigh. My mum and my sis have flown to Davao for the funeral and my dad's coming in from Japan for a few days to speak at the funeral service. Me and Josh in Baguio. I have work, he has school. Right now I'm in Manila though, getting stuff ready for my application to France. So Josh is all alone in the house. Well, at least until tomorrow night.

I've let go of Nikki.I don't want to stress about it any more. I've tried everything I could have. It's out of my hands now.

Man, what a depressing post.

Anyway, on a lighter note, here's my creative pic for the year book (edited by me so the real thing may or may not look like this):

...

2005-10-04T16:44:00.000+08:00

I know I haven't been updating in a while. Been uber busy. But finals is next week already so after that I can breathe. For a while at least.

I'm not dead.

as frazzled as a fried egg, sunny side up

2005-09-15T18:39:00.000+08:00

Too much to do, so little time. Placement Office Talks, Brochure stuff, Web stuff, Arts Ministry Work, Meetings, meetings, meetings... Grabe. Extra grace talaga. At least no exams to look forward to in the near future.

Going up to Baguio next weekend for my first (and probably last) hop. Even though I'm drowning in deliverables, I just had to go to one hop before I graduate and get too old to be a cadet's drag (in civilian speak, that translates to "date"). I'm going with a church friend who's graduating in March too. The nice thing about church friends is that the "friends only" clause is tres clair. Besides, they know my dad so... bwahahahaaa!!!

Speaking of my dad, he's in Japon. Sniff... My mum's joining him next week and flying back in time for our sem break.

Aside from the stress, nothing significant to report. Except the fact that every single guy people are matching me up with are younger, which is a good thing. Reading "Captivating" right now, and it's saying I shouldn't be too scary but... I like being scary. And it's not as if I'm scared of relationships. Just NOT NOW. Like I've been telling myself for the past five (ish) years, "the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing."

Oh, and I have a "stalker." Texting me stupid stuff (not obscene or anything, just very... STUPID AND BRAINLESS. And miss calling my phone every once in a while, which is annoying. So if you, Mr. Stalker are reading this, "Shoo fly, don't bother me. For I belong to somebody [else]." I don't want to waste piso on him. (Gawrsh I hope at least it's a him.)

busy, busy, busy

2005-09-04T09:26:00.000+08:00

I'm very busy. EGR!!! Hehe...

Oh, and my dad is in Japan already. Sniff...

aching-all-over and totally humblified

2005-08-21T22:17:00.000+08:00

Just got back from Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija, where I spent the weekend with
Gawad Kalinga, helping to build houses for some lesser-fortunate people. Stayed with a family: Manong Jimmy and his... partner, Ate Juliet (they're not married yet) and their children: Ivy, Jethro and baby Joshua. They were very hospitable and welcoming, so much so that staying with them was a very humblifying experience. I mean, this family had lost most of their belongings in a flood, they eve apologized for their lack of stuff, and yet their welcome was so warm, they really took me and my groupmate, Kris, into their lives so wholeheartedly... it was amazing.

The community was closely knit with everyone, even the children, helping build more houses to be awarded to even more families. As for us, we helped paint some houses and dig this DEEP hole to be used for a septic tank. Hard work, but fun because the other GK volunteers (mostly ADMU juniors) were so passionate for what they were doing and so funny. As for eye candy, there were some life forms but i won't get into more detail because one never knows who reads one's blog any more...

Made some new friends and bonded with some old aquaintances. Before I forget, I want to say that I was also convicted of some deep-seated prejudices. I don't like children much. Especially the... aesthetically-challenged ones. That's why I was so happy that my godson is so cute, I'd have a lot of trouble loving him if he was an ugly baby. Anyway, the daughter of our family, Ivy, isn't very pretty. She has a lot of pus-filled sores on her feet, and she's very insecure because she's "bulol." I even wished this other girl, Den-den, was my "sister" because she was pretty. Anyway, as I spent more time with them, I noticed that Den-den was bullying Ivy. She kept on calling her "ugly" and "bulol" (how does that translate to English anyway?).

I could see myself in Ivy. I had my own world in grade school and maybe that contributed to the fact that I just didn't belong. But the other kids in school just didn't like me. And that really affected how I looked at myself for years. Even now, the main instigator of the bullying still has emanates this bad "aura" in my head.

What's my point... my point is the reason why I don't like kids is because I'm scared of them. It's so easy to mess them up, to give them inner scars that stay for life. Simple words, small actions, I've read that children can read adults amazingly well. Basta, I'm so scared of children. Plus I don't have patience for their annoying little things. And I'm jealous of their world. Basta, even though I extremely dislike children, this weekend I tried my best to be very nice to Ivy. It was hard, especially when she asked to sleep next to me and Kris. A sweet gesture, but knowing that she had headlice, I didn't know how to say "No frickin' way, kid!" Good thing I didn't have to do it because by the time me and Kris got back from "Processing" (no, we did not get injected with preservatives and canned) the family (except the dad) was already asleep.

I want to go back to Gabaldon and help some more, and I know Chev would want to as well. This country is not going to be changed by people in higher governement. If we want to redeem the Philippines, we have to start from the ground up, we have to change the way our people live and think. Only when the problem of poverty has been alleviated can we start thinking of real development.

**********************************************************************************

On Wednesday I saw Jihanne, one third of our TRLA trio, for literally three minutes. We hadn'te seen each other in around two years. We shrieked like little girls and hugged and tried to catch up the best we could in the three minutes we had. It was kinda sad that we hadn't seen each other in so long, but it was also nice to see that she hadn't changed much. I think when friendships are built not on superficialities but on solid love, they last. Although years may pass, when you get back together, the core of the person stays unchanged however much external things change. (She said I lost weight. Yaaay!)

postponed... again...

2005-08-17T10:35:00.000+08:00

Gabaldon postponed to next weekend nanaman. No more Baguio... Sigh. At least I was able to do everything I set out to do. Did poorly on MIS exam. Grrrr. Pamatay talaga and part ni Maguyon. Anyway, gonna do better next time. Sigh...

fun, fun, fun

2005-08-11T13:29:00.000+08:00

Naka-record na kami! Worth Waiting for and Kaya 'To are done, we can now do the video!!!! But gigs... being rescheduled AGAIN. It's hard only being a part-time star. Been getting compliments on my bass riffs though, so that is nice.

I am trying very hard to be "nice." It's starting to work.

Went to ENLI last night to make up for my absence on Saturday, I'm finally going to Gabaldon this weekend for immersion. That should be oodles of fun.

J.B. finally texted me back. Apparently he lost his phone. Imagine my relief upon finding out that he hasn't yet discovered my stalking lapse. Hehehe...

Next weekend planning on going to Baguio with my sister because no school on Friday, so long weekend. But in the meantime I have buckets and buckets of work for school, but mainly for extra-curriculars.

And I hate my French teacher, the new gorgonite in my life. She was late for OUR exam, so I was frazzled by the time I got my paper and I made all these stupid mistakes. So I just got a B. I could have done better dangit! Still, it was a high B. But the woman can't teach!!!

Ror, remember you're trying to be nice.... Be nice.

Joe Bonifacio, Atenean YOF leader, had a basketball accident this week. Fell on his head and fractured his skull. His operation went well, he's now bald and with metal plates protecting his brain, but the wound won't clot, so it could get complicated. Praying he'll get better soon and I'm hoping to visit him next week.

sigh...

2005-08-02T21:13:00.000+08:00

So di natuloy ang aking immersion sa Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija dahil sa dengue fever scare.

Wheehee. Hopefully I can do back-breaking labor at a later date.

On a lighter note, I saw my favorite Atenean teacher of all time a while ago: John Labella, my freshman english prof! Wehey! I wanted to take an elective taught by him this sem so imagine my dismay when I discovered he wasn't teaching any more. I was planning on giving "tokens" (what a cheesy word) to all the teachers who I really learned from. Labella said to us on the first day of class that he was so not "Oprah," but I dunno. I really loved his class. We were standing outside the Chapel for a quarter of an hour or so just catching up on each other's plans for further studies abroad. The discourse of nerds is a riveting thing.

Practiced at Blue Room again last night. Went okay. I now know how to mix the bass amp for slap-and-pop-ing. Need to practice.

Have to study for French Test tomorrow. I don't know what she wants AT ALL. None of us do.

Jih friendstered me, saying "I miss you."

Nikki still not talking to me.

Sigh...

me-time

2005-07-24T10:34:00.000+08:00

I have had very little me-time recently. So busy preparing for our talk on Friday this week and catching up on my readings for Philo (pretty successful on this front) and Theo (uninspired so efforts have been half-hearted at best.) Thank goodness we don't have class tomorrow because of SONA (State of the Nation Address by the Pres.) so I can study Aquinas and read through my thick theo book, among other things. I hate Theo. I'm changing my yearbook profile info from hating MIS101 to hating Theo. Three sems so far of that useless subject and I have had three uninspiring teachers. It's quite pathetic really.
And to think I have one more sem of Theo to go. Great, just great.

I was updating my excel sheet to compute the grades I need to get my cum laude. And I'm glad to say I have more slack than I previously thought. Last night had our first practice with the current band:
Jen - vocals, rhythm guitar
Raygen - lead guitar
Rory (me) - bass guitar
Adrian - drums
Tusa - percs
Bombi (other percussionist) is unfortunately still MIA. But we did okay. Gonna try out another studio tomorrow, which should be cool. I'm finally getting to slap and pop with one of our songs, so that's a real step up on the food chain (hehe) for me. And I'm adjusting to playing with a drummer. It's always been me and percs so I could basically do my own thing without worrying about what Bombi was doing, but now Adrian and i have to be "tight." So I'm learning a lot. I just have to keep telling myself, "I'm teachable. I'm teachable..." I've been told it's one of my best traits, which is kinda strange coz I've always thought of myself as a very stubborn person.

Tangent Thought: It's weird to type on a mac. I'm on my aunt's G4 Powerbook... Weird but nice texture overall.

Still praying for funds for my bass and for France. The "big picture" is getting clearer and blurrier at the same time. So many more options but the dream for the animation studio is getting so much REAL-er. Ahdunno.

Had my bi-annual interview with my guidance counselor the other week. As usual, she sounds very impressed. Apparently she's fascinated by the fact that despite my artist-ness, I'm very organized. (Most artists are very bahala-na and kalat but I have a ten-year plan --> i'm the first person she's "counseled" with a ten-year plan.) I think it's only because I have a vision for my life and I'm very committed to it that my obsessive-compulsive tendencies arise. I asked her what I need to work on. Apparently my aggressiveness could be a danger zone. And she said with my passionate nature, my O.C. streak, that aggression focuses like a laser beam whenever I'm displeased so when I'm in "that zone" i think i should just hang a sign on my neck saying, "Run away. Run very away."

On a lighter note, emceed my first talk last Friday on consultancy. Pretty fun. I did okay, except in one part where we were strapped for time and I had to decide on the spot which lines I would cut out and I said "uhm" twice. Just twice in the whole talk and only when I was in a tight spot, so not bad at all. Pity I can't emcee my own team's talk on Human Resource Management because I'm gonna be in Nueva Ecija building houses for my immersion experience. Tant pis.

It's actually funny because we'll be back in Manila 9pm Sun night, and I'm supposed to have a gig with the band in Malate, on the other side of the huge cuty, at tat time. Fortunately we were able to resched to the following Sunday (Aug 7). And we have OUR FIRST GIG NEAR KATIPUNAN the Sunday after that, (Aug 14) in Magnet.

I'm excited for my project management project! Our proposal to develop a website to promote Filipino children's story books (to promote literacy and the Filipino culture) targetted at Pinoy parents and children both in the country and abroad was approved! Wheee!!! I really did NOT want to do SAD (Systems Analysis & Development) this sem so this project is much more fun, and we'll also get to work on our managment and HR skills. I'm okay now with the fact that my group this year is less perfect than it was at the beginning of the sem (political problems necessitated a line change), the project should be good enough to distract me from any potential internal-political problems.

My passion and drive for excellence should not be at the cost of breaking another person. Sigh...

I have a new favorite verse. "If we are out of our minds, it is for the sake of Christ." 2 Cor 5:13a.
And my new fave quote: "There is a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line." --Oscar Levant.

Normal is so boring....

not invulnerable

2005-07-18T12:26:00.000+08:00

Apparently my obnoxious behavior has started affecting more people close to me (as in proximity and not relational closeness). Basta. And apparently I can be non-confrontational too, not to mention dense. And I give WAY too much credit to the power and potency of PMS.

On a lighter note, my stock went down over the weekend. I had 1035000ish on Friday. Now I just have 1021000. It has been a mournful weekend in the New York Stock Exchange...

Have work up to my ears and I've been spending WAY too much money.

Think Positive And Drink Lots Of Coffee.

Think Positive And Drink Lots Of Coffee.Think Positive And Drink Lots Of Coffee.Think Positive And Drink Lots Of Coffee.Think Positive And Drink Lots Of Coffee.Think Positive And Drink Lots Of Coffee.Think Positive And Drink Lots Of Coffee.Think Positive And Drink Lots Of Coffee.

This is my mantra.

bored stalker

2005-07-12T17:54:00.000+08:00

Here I am again, bored during my non-playing time at my Games and Management Games class. Boredom has turned me into a stalker. Hehehe. I googled my French buddy and I got a lot of hits from the chess community. He ranks 263 in the world! Cool noh? Having lunch with him on Thursday and I'm bringing my little chess set. I'm going to take away his queen, his rooks, his bishops... I think that'll do. Just so I have a fighting chance. Come on, up agains Number 263? He NEEDS a handicap!!!

Anyway, that's him on the right.

So this week has been hectic and it'll continue to be hectic until Sunday. So much stuff to do, so little time. I doubt I'll be able to update till next Tuesday when I'm bored again. Am trying to find a new place, my current one is so dusty it's making me sick.

I like school. Such a nerd...

i didn't get lost!

2005-07-05T19:00:00.000+08:00

Had practice last night with another new drummer, (Adrian, almost 26, really good) sans drums though. And sans lead guitar because Raygen's dad got his while he was sleeping. So we had me on bass, Jen singing, Raygen on lead/rhythms, Adrian on the kajon... it was a good and fruitful practice session!

This weekend me and Chev went up to Baguio to go to an old family friend's debut. So old, we dont' even remember her. It was kind of weird because we were part of the "entourage" (18 candles) so we had to say something to her, but we'd never spoken to her before the time we had to actually say our little speech. Just kinda weird.

Didn't even get to go to town or eat out, we were just so busy getting our hair done and stuff. Oh well, at least I got new shoes! Wheee!!! They're wedge heels and pretty comfy. So gorgeous, they make me wanna wear skirts to school every day -- a bit tricky because rainy season has started.

Went to Makati today to get my dad's shoes exchanged from size 9.5 to size 10's. And I didn't get lost! Woohoo!!! And saw a beautiful boy on the MRT on the way back (gorgeous intense eyes... ) and another across the platform while I was waiting for the LRT2. Sometimes I wish I could just whip out a sketchpad and start doodling all the beautiful boys I see. I mean, I see a lot of pretty, drawable girls too, but pretty girls are kinda common. And let's face it, really nice male faces are VERY rare, especially in the Phils. Yes, even in Ateneo. In my whole course only ONE guy is drawable.

Anyway, enough with that. There's this REALLY supercute green rubber frog-roadkill bookmark in PowerBooks in Greenbelt. So cute. 200 lang but can't buy it coz saving up for a bass and every cent counts. So, to all my friends reading this... HINT, HINT! Cheap lang naman sha! And my birthday's coming in a couple of months! (Please let's forget which birthday it is... Eeek!!!)

So there... Just finished my Games and Management Games class, going off to the lib to do my nerd thing. Good thing I have a new CD/MP3 player ever since my old Sony one conked out on me. It likes Josh though because he's using it and it's fine with him... Oh well, at least mine has a remote! Heehee!

updates lang po...

2005-06-29T10:32:00.000+08:00

I've been hella sick recently. Friday took off after my Philo class to sleep all day. Got a fever, so called the blind masseuse and got a full-body massage, which killed my fever. Still felt rather retched after, but better. I think the world's ills could be cured if everyone got a backrub once a week. Saturday dragged myself to ENLI, still felt unwell but it was bearable. I hated having to walk slow. I'm usually a very fast walker. A trait of impatient people I suppose. Then went to Makati to meet up with my first real PAYING client. So now I've got to come up with a concept for a jewelry store. Concept's actually done in my head, just gotta do sketches, photoshop them and then dreamweaver them. Sigh. Then there's a couple of competition deadlines in July, one for painting, one for writing. Sigh again...

Monday saw Barbie's cradle at Tomas Morato with JB and Jen. Raygen and the rest of his rocker musician tropa came too. Me and Jen asked Adrian (drummer guy) kung sasagutin niya kami, if he was "ready to commit." We thought that particular turn of phrase was funny. We'll start practicing with him on Mondays instead of Wednesdays starting next week, but we still have practice later. JB has lost some of his initial cuteness. I think I was just especially startled because I was expecting a total minga (ming! ming!) and he's quite the lifeform. He's still very doodle-able. I want to just bring a sketchbook one time and ambush him. Lovely bone structure. Pity he isn't very photogenic. We were having a pic taken together and I wasn't looking at what he was doing, and when I saw the pic in the camera's LCD (jen's luverly digicam) he was mock-smooching the side of my head.

BUT JEN DELETED THE PIC!!! AND I WANTED TO POST IT! She said she thought I looked uncomfy. I didn't! It was kinda cute and harmless, and funnily enough I don't feel uncomfortable AT ALL, probably because he's european and all... It's probably for the best anyway, baka ma-stumble pa daw ako. Sigh... still, too bad.

Anyway... so there. Going up to Baguio on Friday for this debut. Yay, I get to play dress-up. Pity I don't think I'll be seeing nikki anytime soon. Sniff....

there IS a God!

2005-06-23T14:06:00.000+08:00

Mood: Speechless
ThemeSong: With Jaws Wide Open (a la Creed)
Watchawearing: my supa-flattering Esprit trousers

I've been thinking all this time that in France all the women are beautiful and the men are kinda... Gallic-looking, to be "nice." I take it back...

Woke up to a very lovely text message this morning from one of the head honchos in ASEC (Ateneo Student Exchange C... Company? Er... sorry ha...) saying that my request for a French buddy was approved, avec the guy's number and everything. So texted Jean-Baptiste (or JP, pronounce Jeep) and we set up to meet for lunch. Was supposed to meet him at 12:10, right after my illustration class, at the overpass. So was walking, walking, walking. Expected to see a tall, lanky Gallic-looking guy. So when I saw this kinda-short (for Europeans, but average for Pinoys) guy, I kinda hesitiated. But I went on anyway. "Jean-Baptiste?" And it was him.

Let me just say that I was pleasantly suprised. Very pleasantly suprised. Let's just say he looks like Christian Bale (drool!!!) with some Tom Cruise thrown in (as in nose, bone structure). Basta... super drool worthy. So anyway, I was being all friendly lang because even though there's no way I'm going there, I still appreciate masculine beauty. (Actually me and Jen were just talking about that last night during band practice.) And let me say this guy has A LOT of masculine beauty going for him.

I'm reminded of the song Jen played for us last night, that we tried to figure out when Raygen (perpetually late but stuck in the rain so he had a valid excuse last night) eventually showed up. It's entitled "Come may?" and that phrase is Italian for "How can" in literal English and "Pano na" in the more aptly-fitting Filipino. Pano na? Coz he's younger than me (9 months younger lang naman, but still...) and... basta. Cute lang siya. Scratch that and make it guwapo. Sigh...

Well, he IS Christian, but not that active, but that's still rare for a French guy, and--GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF, ROR!

Sorry ha. It's been a while since I've seen a supercute guy. The last one that made me gobsmacked was the guy in front in my Philo class during first sem, and by second sem came I wasn't drawing him every spare second during class. Who happens to be in my Theo class this sem... Anyway, I just noticed that YEAH, all the guys who've made me gobsmacked have chiseled features. Like I've observed before, I don't want to stand next to a guy who makes me look scary in comparison, especially as I stop being scary when I know he's THE ONE therefore no more super-evasive tactics coz I can just say nicely, "I'm married, sorry." So there, THAT'S why I don't like maamo guys.

So why Mr Rhino? Maamo ba mukha niya? I think he looks brooding all the time. A friend (if I put her name here it might give the game away) said she was scared of him when she first met him so he probably DOES look scary... Besides, I crushed Mr. Rhino's brain and his gentleman-ness. I mean he NEVER made me feel uncomfortable. Probably his maturity.

Actually I've been in a bit of a smeg (Theo's word) during past few days due to a series of unfortunate events. Let's just say i was upset and I had a really heavy feeling inside (mabigat ang loob ko.) Anyway, yesterday after French I saw Ate Bon, my CCC discipler, leading a small group of Ateneans in the SS Foyer. And one of them was my crush from... Filipino 14, sophomore year ata. Basta cute sha. Looks like a gentle giant. Christian pala!!! Hehehe.

Again, I'm not going near there, but I think God was just trying to cheer me up. Because He knows naman na I was down and one of the things that makes me feel better is the sight of a really doodle-able male. Because although I really appreciate feminine beauty, it's kinda common especially in ADMU. Now handsome guys who aren't full of themselves are rarer. So God's strategy worked. Even though I just waved and didn't talk to my ex-crush (whose name I've forgotten but I still say "hi" to when I see him), I walked away grinning like a loon.

And then today I met Christian Bale/Tom Cruise guy. Sigh. I'll ask him if I can draw him. Such lovely eyes... (No Jen, didn't notice the color but the lashes... Ooohlala!) Sana naman since he's not Pinoy he won't read my wanting to draw him the wrong way, devah. And just the face naman. Speaking of, sana may nude drawing during ACP this year. I've been trying to get it since forever but... Anyway.

My gawrsh I sound like such a boy-crazed airhead. Anyway, I know the truth naman, and the truth will set you free. (Hahaha! Jen, another inside joke!)

There is a God. Thanks, Lord. You really cheered me up... :D

sticks and stones... and words

2005-06-21T09:56:00.000+08:00

1 John 3:18-20

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything.

I just did the right thing but I think I did it the wrong way. Frankly am quite annoyed with myself. Oh well, I'll get over it.

Nikki, I miss you. So much is happening right now and I wish I could share it with you. Your advice would have been very helpful right about now... Sigh...

i'm so happy!!!

2005-06-20T10:30:00.000+08:00

Mood: absolutely fantabulous!!!
ThemeSong: Perfect Day

Just finished my first Philo class with MIGUEL DE JESUS!!! WHEEE!!! I'm so glad to be out of Fr. David's class. Actually, when I came to school to get my load rev'n form this Saturday, the department had just moved me to his earlier class. But I had explicitly put in my schedule that I couldn't make it to the earlier class because of training (a perfectly valid excuse because I do really want to do dragonboat rowing again, but I probably won't) so I was quite upset. I went into the department looking like a lost sheep until this man came in, carrying a sheaf of load revision forms and he was signing them on the secretary's desk. Then he goes to me and asks, "Can I help you?"

I figured he must be the department chair, so I was quite ecstatic even for the possibility to talk to him and plead my case. So I explain how it's conflict with my possible-rowing training and my new lllustration class, and he brought me into his office to check if it was so. Anyway, so he tried getting me into one of the open classes (de Jesus' class had 0 slots open, but this was better than the negative digits on most other profs') but I explained that all the open classes (even in the other Philo course) were conflicting with mine. So I sweetly said, "Sir, look at that class (didn't mention de Jesus' name, lest he think I'm interested in the teacher, not the schedule), 0 ang slots, ung iba overloaded na pero yan hindi pa. And look! The time is perfect! (Didn't mention that I had a class at that time that I could easily reschedule because it's in my home dept) I have a class before that! Sir, dyan nalang po!"

Ainsi, I got into de Jesus's class! And I'm so happpeeee!!!! :D Thank you, God!!!

So my sched is as follows:

MWF
8:30-9:30 :: MIS 141 with Olpoc --> very good!
9:30-10:30 :: Philo 104 with de Jesus --> very good!
1:30-2:30 :: Theo 141 with Tejido --> the lesser of many evils
2:30-3:30 :: French 5 with M. Soriano --> the only one teaching this course this year, so no choice

TTH 10:30-12:00 :: ILLUSTRATION!!! --> fun, fun, fun!!!
T only 4:30-7:30 :: ITM122x (Management Games) --> should be fun
Th only 6:00-9:00 :: MIS131 with Rodriguez --> good prof and I love my group!

This year is looking good! Quatro na 'to!

Sat morning went to my first day of ENLI Youth (I started VLI in my sophie year but didn't get to finish coz of dragonboat training). It was fun, waaaay more fun than VLI in QC. Met Pastor Luther's two daughters, Arky and Mikee, who are really nice. We got on so well that at the end of the first day we were practically planning for a Baguio trip in the middle of August (just in time for QC day).

That afternoon after finished dancing about in glee after getting into deJesus's philo class, JenSomeone and the somebodies had our first practice with our drummer, Andrei, Raygen's disciple. He's quite good and he picks things up fast. We practiced in this studio near Jen's house and it was kinda loud, but fun. And the owner, Ray Amigo, was recording! When we were packing up, he played back our practice run of "Kaya 'to", our hyperactivating Tagalog song, and we sounded pretty darn good for a first practice with a drummer and in a studio!!! We miss Bombi, our percussionist. He's busy with work as a director for the month...

After practice went to Fete de la Musique in Ortigas. Man, it was so packed. Wanted to go to the World/Ska/Reggae stage but it was shoulder-to-shoulder, and oh-so-sweaty. Sayang... And didn't see that much music because we were trying to dodge the crowds half the time. Around 1/2 am we moved to Megamall, Aeo treated Jen and me to some cold drinks and we waited for Rommel from Barbie's cradle to join us. When he finally did, Jen and I helped him plan for his proposal to this girl in Denmark. I succumbed to a major kilig moment, which was quite embarrassing. Then Rommel drove me and Jen to T.Morato as I was spending the night at her place. We had some food at the McDo near Jen's house before finally crashing for the night at around 4am.

Sunday we went to Church and I got dropped off at the Bonifacio-Moraleses place, where I made up for the 4ish hours of sleep from the night before. The rest of the time I was hyperexcited for the next day, (today) my first day of school with a finalized (and oh-so-yummilicious) sched.

I'M SO HAPPY! And although I hate to say that it took circumstances to change my bad mood of the past month so far (because after all joy isn't circumstantial), I've got my joy and peace back!!! Wheeeeee!!!

pls let me get de Jesus...

2005-06-17T11:49:00.000+08:00

Mood: hopeful
Watchawearing: so girly today!!!

I managed to get out of my history class, which is very good. Not bad anyway since the rest of my coursemates are taking it next sem. I just wanted to advance and overload THIS sem, but instead I'm overloading for both sems. Which is fine considering I replaced an uberhard class with PRACTICAL ARTS: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING FOR CHILDREN. Wheeeeee!!!!

And the PERFECT thing is that it conflicts with my current Philo class. I just want to say that I was so desperate to get out of Father David's class that I was THIS close (pinches fingers) to committing something so dark and shady it could have gotten me expelled just to get out of class. (I bet you're intrigued at this point. Buwahahahahaha!!!) As in I did everything already and just needed to submit my masterpiece of deception, but then the opportunity to do illustration came up.

It really is true that when we are tempted God provides a way out so we don't have to succumb to the temptation, no matter how desperate we are to achieve the "greater good" (in my case getting out of hell prof philo). I'm praying to get Miguel de Jesus instead, not because he's supposed to be cute, but Jen said he really challenges your thinking, and I need that. I know how to get a B+ with Fr. David, but I want to LEARN, not just be another parrot. And I want an A.

I want to have my cake and eat it too....

Ricky saw me and I asked him to pray for me. So he walked with me for a while and prayed with me. Thanks bro!!! Whenever I go up to Baguio, I end up backsliding because it's so darn comfortable up there. But no more. My sem just got jump-started by all these problems. It makes me think yet again that God allows us to go down so low that we can't help but go to Him and say, "M'aidez mon Signeur!!!" (Help me, my Lord!!!")

Makes me think of my absolutely most favoritest song:

GET DOWN :: AUDIO ADRENALINE
(but i admit to liking the one by Backstreet Boys too... hehehe)

Lavishly our lives are wasted
Humbleness is left untasted
You can't live your life to please yourself, yeah
That's a tip from my mistakes
Exactly what it doesn't take
To win you've got to come in last place
To live your life you've got to lose it
And all the losers get a crown

I get down and he lifts me up
I get down and he lifts me up
I get down and he lifts me up
I get down

All I need's another day
Where I can't seem to get away
From the many things that drag me down, yeah
I'm sure you've had a day like me
Where nothing seems to set you free
From the burdens you can't carry all alone
In your weakness he is stronger
In your darkness he shines through
When you're crying he's your comfort
When your all alone, he's carrying you

I get down and he lifts me up
I get down and he lifts me up
I get down and he lifts me up
I get down

This valley is so deep
I can barely see the sun
I cry out for mercy, lord
You lift me up again

I get down and he lifts me up
I get down and he lifts me up
I get down and he lifts me up
Every time I'm down the Lord lifts me up

my first REAL class

2005-06-16T20:39:00.000+08:00

i hate this sem. so hard to do load rev! but i think i've figured something out, so... we'll see. maybe this sem won't be so bad... anyway, just had my first "real class". Went to History on Tuesday and my teacher is really good, except it's in Tagalog, so I really can't take it. So I have to load rev out. And the Philo and Theo departments are being such %&*#ing *&#@'s so it's getting VERY difficult to get out of Father David's class (yes, the infamous Father David who gives knee-high readings. But again, I have a plan...). Thank God I got out of Dy-Lliacco's Theo class. He's such a close-minded prig. The person I load rev-ed into might be just as bad, but... still she can't be as bad as Dy-Lliacco right?!

Went to Makati yesterday to catch the last day of the French film fest in Greenbelt One. Thanks to a nice guy-friend I didn't get lost. (Thank you AEO!) He actually met me at the MRT to see me safe to the cinema. Awww... He suprised me because he was supposed to go back to school right after we had lunch but he plopped down beside me in the theater after saying goodbye. Then he had to go to class after that movie, which was too bad because the next two movies got progressively better.

The first movie, "L'Affaire Marcorelle" was really confusing. As in dizzying. (Hi Dizzy!) It was about lawyers and Polish prostitutes and crime rings. Basta, sobrang weird, not really in a bad way but it was so... French. Next was "Les Marchands de Sable" which was about drug dealing. Not bad considering the "bad guys" die. Meaning practically everyone dies. Then finally "Scenes de Crimes," the best in my opinion because it's very CSI-ish. Blood and gore, and a really good corpse on the autopsy table, with pubic hair, a believable crotch and everything. (The French don't seem to have any foibles against crudity or bluntness, which I kinda like. Few peoples are so candid.) Okay, it's almost Hollywood enough to satisfy most people.

First real class of the sem went well. MIS 141, Project Management. 6-9pm, but my prof says he usually finishes at 8:30. I like my prof. My group looks promising as well. Liz (supernerd), RJ Mendi (geek-weirdo, he's asked to be called "Bogart" by our none-the-wiser prof), Leo (metrosexual Flash-er -- as in of the Macromedia kind) and... someone else. Oh yeah, Franz... who I guess is smart but I don't know in what exactly...

Anyway, our first GA at the Placement Office is tomorrow and I have to make the Flash. Plus I have to do my French homework (one page on "how i spent my summer vacation") -- and I cut yesterday to watch my French movies. So I have French and Theo tomorrow... Then my GA, then... sleep.

MY ROOM'S CLEAN! Okay, fine. Clean-ER. :D

first day of class

2005-06-14T09:00:00.000+08:00

Mood: Sweaty
ThemeSong: Manic Monday (kahit Tuesday)

I had such high hopes for load revision this semester, but it looks like things are going to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated. The Theo and Philo departments are such pains in the proverbial asses. (And we're not talking donkeys here, people!)

It's been an eventful week. On Wednesday something happened that got me crying waterfalls in a restaurant with a guy-friend in front of me. It was funny because it looked as though we were breaking up, but what actually happened couldn't be farther from the truth. Anyway, don't want to go into details lest I burst into tears again. I've decided not to think about it any more. I think too much, and my thinking too much has caused me problems, it seems. Drats!

I think we all NEED to get our hearts broken at least once in our lives. And since I'm not letting any guy close enough to break mine, a girl had to do it. (We're not talking girl-on-girl action here kiddies. I'm 100% attracted to the male of the species.) Basta. So anyway I made up with Josh that evening after a month of him giving me the silent treatment. I couldn't very well let two people I care about not talk to me right?!

I was so depressed on Wednesday, I went to the supermarket to look for chocolate. Yes, the girl who gave up chocolate for her New Year's Resolution was scavenging the aisles looking for Dove chocolate. Good thing there wasn't any Dove chocolate else I'd have been scoffing chocs like there was no tomorrow. Then I looked in the spirits section for strawberry daquiri or some fancy sweet white wine, but again no such luck. I realized that even if there was some alcoholic beverage I liked (meaning "that didn't taste like alcohol") I wouldn't have been able to buy it because I had no ID on me. Not that I think they'd have asked me for it, but it was a good excuse by my conscience. So I borrowed four thick novels (as in the funny mushy type) and finished them all within the next 24 hours (including the long breaks in between of course -- sleeping, eating, using the toilet...).

Thursday to Saturday was filled with me trying not to think or feel about Wednesday. And with the help of four more books (8 within 48 hours, including breaks) I was successful.

Saturday evening I watched Lissa's ballet recital at SM (great venue. really.) again since I missed the second half the first time it was on because my mum wasn't feeling too great. Cute guys on the tae kwon do team were in a couple of numbers. Wait. Make that cute guy. A bit young though. Still, you don't have to touch to appreciate beauty, right? Chevy was in UP Diliman already, so she wasn't around to go boywatching with me. And Saturday was the FIRST and only time my radar was activated in Baguio this summer. On the escalator, several life forms (as in grade-8 sila, Chev!) and while queueing for chicken at KFC a major crushable on the line to my left (so crushable I'm putting that moment in theMushpit!)

Stay away from Baguio, Cris. When you go away then the cute guys come out of the woodwork.

Yesterday spent the day with Aeo in Makati. Saw his school --> so small!!! Watched Mr and Mrs Smith --> SO FUNNY!!! Aeo's really nice. 'Nough said.

So now I'm just waiting for 10:30 to come so I can go to my philo class, the philo class I'm trying to load rev out of. *Sigh*

recurring dreams

2005-06-07T11:00:00.000+08:00

Yes, I dreamed about Mr. Rhino again last night. Weird considering I really don't crush him anymore. But still, he keeps coming up in my dreams, like a bad cold. (I've got a perpetually runny nose it seems) Am getting quite annoyed with Mr Rhino dreams, even though I like Mr Rhino the person. (but not like-like mind you!) Ayun. My goodness, I feel like such an airhead sometimes. Always obsessed with boys even though I'm running in the opposite direction. Well, the way I see it even if I'm not looking for "the One" right now, I still think God is pointing out certain qualities that I find attractive in men that I should look forward to in "the One".

I like texting with Mr Rhino. Ever since I've invested time in him, he's developed a wicked sense of humor :D (Shut up Chev. I do NOT find him crushable at all. He's just really smart and really nice, even if he reminds me of a rhino... Andi, not the big, dark and horny joke again please.) Please get out of my dreams Mr Rhino, as nice as you are in the real world!

My comp is back in the dorm but going back up to Baguio tonight so we'll be estranged again for a week...

Had band practice last night at Jen's. It was our first since last sem! Well, me and Jen had practiced before but it's not the same when it's just the rhythms and bass, is it? And although we have performed just the two of us, we still need... more oomph with the rest of the Somebodies.
Raygen (rhythms) was late but at least he was able to make it. Bombi (percussions) is still filming (he's a director!) in Subic and Andre (drums, and the youngest member) wasn't allowed out. Raygen came bringing Mel (bassist from Judah's Tribe ata) and Phillip (from Pigs and Pearls), so I was quite scared of playing in front of two good bassists (Mel's taking up bass in UST conservatory) but also eager for any pointers. They liked my riffs!!! Wheee!!! Must be influenced by my classical piano experience. They just said I have to practice my touch. We finished at midnight, and I'd only slept four hours the night before (cramming my powerpoint for my presentation) so by that time I was dead on my feet.

I think I've mentioned already that I've started a book of letters for "The One" that I'll give him on our wedding night. Some of them I've addressed to "Phillip", as in Aurora and Phillip from Sleeping Beauty. However, after having met several Phillips already, I don't think I'm going to end up with a "Phillip" as much as I'd love to. Di talaga bagay sa mga pangalan nila ang ibang tao. Daming Tristan na di naman cute... :c

I love my name. Aurora... the other two names can go hang.

presentation done! wheee!!!

2005-06-06T08:45:00.001+08:00

Just finished my practicum presentation, got 10/10. Whoohoo!!! And I only did the powerpoint last night!!! Crammers rule!

Saturday I went out with Liz and Shine to Gateway, ate at food court (not bad) and Sim-Sim joined us to watch "A Lot like Love" starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet. Ashton K's not really my type... pretty and smart... okay he is. He is too darn pretty!!! Story's pretty cute too. It was a fun brainless movie.

After went to Andie's "pad" to watch movies. Watched Ferris Bueller's Day off ( spelling?!) and she hated it (which means I have to love it. Andie and I just HAVE to be contrary). Her roomie was getting drunk in the common room/kitchen area with some of her mates and smoking (gross) and she barged in, dragged me and Andie out to introduce to her drinking buddies. Andie's a real antisocial crab so she enjoyed it a lot. I just hated the smoke.

Slept over coz Andie didn't want to be alone in her room with the rowdy crowd outside. Went to sleep while Andie watched Reservoir Dogs AGAIN. Slept with my pillow over my head (as usual) so the gunshots weren't that distracting.

Sunday me and the Antisocial Crabby-Patty went to Gateway again to catch Jet LI's new movie. Turns out it wasn't showing at 4 because they were having a Gay/Lesbian Film Fest so some of the cinemas had single-showing films going on. That's why all these Porn films were on.... AAAAAH. Andie probably wanted to watch summa that, the perv. So ended up watching Madagascar for the third time and I still love it, but Andie just had to be contrary and she hated it. Typical crabby patty.

Went to the BIG National Bookstore which Dennis Duran-Duran had brought me before (he had to get a big nerdy physics book), so didn't see the 4th Floor. When I saw ONE WHOLE FLOOR OF USED BOOKS, I knew I was in heaven. If my mother's ashes are to be scattered in Surplus, mine are gonna be scattered there. You could leave me there and just bring me food once a day (good for my figure) and I'd be happy.

Saw quite a few French books. (thanks for that 'Dre!) Most of them were boring ones about pregnancy (oooh!!!), tennis equipment and alien sightings. I did see some interesting ones though! Romance novels (as in Harlequin/Mills&Boone type) in French! Buwahahaha!!! I bought a couple (I figure these are gonna be way more interesting reading than "Nutrition for Athletes"), a book of poetry (Quebequois but then beggars can't be choosers) and one volume of this body&psychology encyclopedia (which was all i saw of the set), each selling for 10-20 pesos! Wheee!!! Bought this cookbook for students (wish i had it as a freshman) and this mushy novel "6 Reasons to stay a Virgin".

IT IS SUCH A CUTE BOOK!!! Mushy and sweet and funny and my convictions are almost like hers, except hers have the Faith-aspect cut out. But still, one small step in romance publishing, one giant leap for virgins!!! Wheeee!!! And unlike other romances which go into the act in explicit detail (yes, you'd like that Dre.) this one is so good I'd lend it to my sister, and I will. It's so cute talaga!!! Gonna read it again later. I'm in the first chapter of my first French romance though it's taking me looooooooooooong. (Finish books of that thickness -- very thin -- in an hour if it's in English) Consulting my trusty French-English dictionary every other sentence. Not that great, but not that bad either right?

Wanted to break the monotony of plain text so took a coupla pix of me. Here ya go! Get your sick bag out NOW.

hypeRory does an impression of "trying to smile for your driver's license right after sucking on a lemon"

ME TODAY in the placement office with my lovely red top.

Me in March (in the board shorts) doing my first hosting gig: Luau-themed Senior's Going away party at the Placement Office. I heard that the first time is never that good. I heard right, but it was still fun.

m0re surrealism...

2005-06-04T10:01:00.000+08:00

It seems people who've crushed me are popping out of the woodwork. Was chatting with this guy I knew in England who I was really good friends with, and see what happens to our conversation. Oh, and to protect his identity I've changed his name to xXx. I can be nice, Chev!

xXx: heya
xXx: hows my gloria
gloria: YOUR gloria?
xXx: lol
gloria: i'm working on a report i'm supposed to present on monday
gloria: you?
xXx: yeah not bad, im a little drunk
gloria: drunk? xXx?!
gloria: whoa!!!
xXx: first time iv drunk this year
xXx: only had half a glass of wine
xXx: but im not a lightweight
xXx: dunno what it id
xXx: is
gloria: hahaha
gloria: okay i'm relieved
gloria: never figured you for the getting drunk sort
xXx: theres a lot of things u dont know about me...
gloria: i know...
gloria: 5 years does tend to change people
gloria: for instance me, used to be the crazy-about-boys girl. remember nasim? hehehe... anyway, now...
xXx: nasim!
xXx: lol
gloria: total opposite. i wear spike cuffs to scare them away...
gloria: you do remember him. i was such a stalker... *sigh* those were the good ole days
xXx: lol yeah
xXx: but the question is wud u be able to resist the xXx charm now
xXx: most girls do in fairness
gloria: hehehe. i have to say you never turned the xXx charm on me
xXx: i thought u were out of my league
gloria: haha. "out of your league" meaning "snob"?
xXx: no just didnt think ud be interested in me
xXx: truth be told i had a massive crush on u
gloria: REALLY?!
gloria:i had such low self-confidence i doubted anyone liked me.
xXx: still do in a way..
xXx: even though i havent seen u in ages
gloria: well, 'cept for rob, and he wrote me this weird love email
gloria: that's sweet xXx
gloria: actually, i was teasing becca to find me a man and she said your name
gloria: hehehe...
xXx: dyu fancy going for a drink or bowling sometime
gloria: love to, dear.
gloria: plane ticket might be a bit pricey though...
xXx: il pay for it, i got a job at a burger van in the summer
gloria: hehehe. raincheck. can you hold that thought till after september 2006?
gloria: it's been 5 years, what's another year or so, right?
xXx: i understand if u dont want to, its not a prob
xXx: im used to it
gloria: aww, xXx i'd love to go bowling or something. but being on the other side of the world it's kinda... difficult
gloria: besides, i know you come from good stock, so i won't be too guarded.
gloria: i promise i won't evern bring my pepper spray.
xXx: im a different guy to the one u knew u, some people say im really muscular now
xXx: got a six pack and everything
xXx: u love it
gloria: oh, are you oozing the xXx charm now?
xXx: do u want me to...
gloria: well... i won't guarantee that it will get you anywhere. nothing personal, it's just i'm waiting till 2009-2010 for prince charming to come. i have a ten year plan you see. but if you want, feel free to try anyway
xXx: its fine, i knew i wasnt in ur league
xXx: id better stop making a fool of myself
gloria: what is "my league" anyway?!
xXx: well ur so hot and im not
gloria: wahahahahahaah!!!
gloria: now that's funny
xXx: what?
xXx: y
gloria: xXx, being "hot" is a subjective thing. believe me, i'm not getting that sort of attention here. well, not until recently anyway.
gloria: but still, physical is only one level'
gloria: you were really nice when i knew you. has THAT changed?
xXx: yeah but still i shud have known i wudnt have a shot with u
xXx: nah im still the nicest guy south of oxfordshire
gloria: xXx, honest question: have you ever had a serious relationship?
xXx: well the closest iv come is with u
xXx: lol
xXx: nah i had a 6 months relationship with this bird at uni
xXx: but she cheated on me with this really popular and fit guy with really big pecs
gloria: i've never had one. never been kissed and proud of it. and i think it's better this way, to hold out for that forever-factor
gloria: your ex --> she sucks
gloria: well, i told you that bit about me because... well, i still remember youth alpha nights
gloria: have you read "I Kissed dating goodbye" by josh harris?
xXx: yeah!!
xXx: have u
gloria: have i read it? yeah --> it totally changed my life
xXx: wow, i cant believe it!!!!!!!
xXx: ud really like my housemate oli
gloria: he got changed by it too?
xXx: hes the funniest and best looking guy iv ever met
xXx: and hes the best kisser around
xXx: hes got such soft lips
xXx: apparently
xXx: hes so intelligent though
gloria: man, i hope you don't know that from personal experience...
xXx: got an iq of 140
xXx: lol
gloria: what are you trying to do? push me towards this smart, cute super-snogger?!
xXx: il add u to his msn
gloria: okaaaaaay....
gloria: xXx, so have you read the book? what did you think of it?
xXx: yeah it was unbelivable
xXx: that last chapter!
gloria: so, you agree with it?
xXx: blew me away
xXx: yeah wish it reas it earlier
gloria: why's that?
xXx: well it was so life changing, wish i cud have been enlightened at an earlier age
xXx: what tangled webs we weave
gloria: man, you sound as if your life's been as complicated as a soap opera
xXx: u say that but iv learnt so much from neighbours
xXx: i know it sounds silly but its true
gloria: like... ?
xXx: never sleep with an arsonist or photographer
xXx: does that sound ridiculous??
xXx: dont laugh at me
gloria: i'm not laughing..
gloria: well, just think of it this way. singleness is a season. there's a time and a season for everything. you still go to church right?
xXx: iv seen the light

stuck in a surreal universe

2005-06-03T16:15:00.000+08:00

Just finished enrolling. And considering my number was 372 out of the 402 students in my school (of Science and Engineering), my classes weren't that bad. Granted, my schedule stinks like month-old leftovers in the fridge, but still my profs are mostly okay. Gonna load rev out of my Theo though. I've hated my past two teachers in Theo (narrowminded yuckies, but still got B+'s in their classes) so gonna try really hard to do better this sem so I can actually ENJOY my class.

Warning: Tangents Ahead!
Why am I always the target rebound skank?! When I try to be friendly to guys they always end up interpretting it as something more, which is compounded by the fact that most of the guys who hit on my just want a rebound skank! Boys suck. (Note: Wide difference between boys --immature churls -- and guys and men) My life has been so surreal lately. Like something out of a bad soap opera. No wonder I love my spikes. They scare sucky boys away... (Papa, that's the point. My spikes are supposed to be scary...)

To the missing best friend: HOY Bruhita! Bakit di ka nagrereply sa text ko, sa tawag ko?! Nakalimutan mo na ako noh? *sniff* Dami ko pa naman san i-chichika, tapos palagi nalang "the number you dialled is out of coverage area..."

To the estranged best friends: Beloved! Missing you! See you December 2006! Wheee!!!

To the sister about to enter university: Remember the rules sis! No boyfriends while you're still studying! You are not going to get one before me! (Yes Chev, I agree with you. We are so Taming of the Shrew, and I am the shrew.)

To the brother who's still not speaking to me: Humph yourself.

To my parents: I love my spikes. Now when are we having our family picture? :D

such a lazybones

2005-06-02T14:45:00.000+08:00

Mood: lazybones
Listening to: Tantric and Perfect Circle
Watchawearing: Marshmallow Sweater

The sem hasn't even started yet (enrollment is tomorrow) and I'm already procrastinating. You see, my practicum presentation is also tomorrow. I still have to write my final paper and prepare my powerpoint presentation. I have about 3 hours to do all this. Sigh...

At least I have my registration form already and I've printed out a list of my prospective classes. At least the profs I want are challenging enough that it seems like all my fellow seniors are running like scared little girls who've seen their first corpse away from their classes. This is a GOOD thing because I have a crap random number : 372. My friend Peachy is 4 and my other friend John (of the aborted junkfood game noteriety) was 2 last sem and he's 27 now! It's not flipping fair!!! Grrr...

After I present at 3-4pm tomorrow (hopefully by that time my enrollment will be done) I'll catch a bus to San Fernando, La Union for a our PMA Christian Fellowship Family retreat. (Hopefully no cute cadets go -- well, not much risk of that anyway coz there are no cute cadets in church, thank GOD! because I shore don't need the temptation... Well there is this one cute-ish cadet but he's way too young. Again, a good thing because no temptation! Focus, Ror, Focus!!!) Anyway, at least I have a chance to break in my new swimsuit -- a cute red/orange tankini which goes perfect with my orange/red board shorts. I'm modest at the beach. I have to be, been mistaken for a beached whale too many times. And the Riveras won't be there, so I won't have any pachyderms nearby to make me look better in comparison. Haha! I'm such an airhead now.

Anyway, I'm doing something brave this weekend. I'm facing my fear of... children! (Yes, children terrify me. Why? No idea.) Anyway, bought loads of art supplies, so I'll be leading art sessions with 10-12 preteens. Hey, I taught piano to ickle terrors for a year, so I should be able to handle a small gaggle of children. Please keep your fingers crossed that I come out of this alive!!! If all else fails, I plan to lock myself in the bathroom with a good book (I packed two!) and just come out for meals. I've done it before and it's actually quite pleasant given that the bathroom is well ventilated.

Reg tomorrow!!! I'm gonna be a senior na talaga!!! I remember being a Freshman and crossing the Katipunan overpass in front of Jollibee and looking at the id tags of the people I came across (Freshies get green stickers, Sophies red, light blue for Juniors and dark blue for old fogies) and feeling all smug about my relative youth. And now I'll be the old fogey grumbling about stupid freshmen who don't know anything... The fact that I'm not TNTint this year is probably making me bitter. Sigh...

Last week something weird happened in Baguio. I don't want to go into the details but I plan to put the story into MUSHPIT (get it? mush? mosh pit? oh, never mind) , this online comic I plan to do as catharsis, where I basically draw the different "meeting-the-ONE" scenarios I've run in my head. And closet mushie that I am, there are A LOT of scenarios. Anyway, the incident last week was just so... surreal. I don't think at all that he's THE ONE but it still makes a funny MushPit Moment.

So there. I better get started on my stupid paper if I plan to do well on my presentation tomorrow. Sigh...

blast from the past

2005-05-29T21:42:00.000+08:00

Mood: A bit tired
ThemeSong: Girls Just wanna have fun
Watchawearing: Denim, Denim, Denim!!!

I'm at this internet cafe in Nevada Square in Baguio, with some friends from PMA who I haven't seen in NINE years. The de Vera's lived a couple of minutes away from our house and Tita Mae (the mom) was my first piano teacher ever, and she was so good i still remember the pieces she taught me.

oh, before i forget, UPDATE ON THE MISSING BOOK.
False alarm girl strikes again. Turns out I didn't bring it at all.

Ayun, enough with the tangent. So the de Vera boys are here. The only one who looks the same is Miko (the eldest). Mon and Aeo look sooooooooooooooo different. Man, if I saw them in the street I wouldn't recognize them. I remember stuff about Aeo the most. The guy as a kid was such a character!!! Seal noises, screaming "tinapa!" on the ride home from school, turning into werefolf at a Full moon... the list goes on. And Mon was the quiet kid. I had an huge embarrassing crush on Miko the whole time I knew him. As in my ears would turn red just hearing his name.

Enough with the embarrassing revelations. No more work!!! Really pissed at the news I received on my random number. Turns out i'm student number 372, meaning i get left with THE DREGS of the classes. *&^$&$%$#%$#!!! (i don't swear, but i'm thinking very bad thoughts.) PALAGI NALANG AKO!!! AAAAAARGH!!!

At least my shackles from Moog are off. Back down to Manila on Thursday/Friday for Reg.

NUMBER 372, for crying out loud!!!

something terrible has happened

2005-05-23T12:30:00.000+08:00

It's my last day at Moog... No more all-day internet. And something terrible has happened. It's a slow day, I expected it to be so. So I brought a book I borrowed. My trainer took me out to lunch (my favorite, inexpensive vegetarian place--i've been craving eggplant parmigiana) and an hour and a half later, i look in my bag and the book is gone! The book I borrowed! Which I haven't even read yet!!! AAAAAAAAARGH!!!! How could this happen?!

Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Good, Ror. Now just keep doing that and you'll be fine.

Take your mind of it... Watched Episode 3 last night. I wasn't really looking forward to it, because I had a feeling it wouldn't have a happy ending. (Like DUH!) Anyway, right after something tragic happens to Anakin/Vader (trying not to be a spoiler for you who haven't watched it yet), Anakin/Vader goes "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!" and I suppose it was supposed to be a serious moment. But me and Chev burst out laughing at that (no wisecracking beforehand, I guess we both just saw the humor in the situation), and I think the entire movie house was quiet except for us. Anyway, it was funny...

Hayden C. isn't that cute... when he's glowering all the time anyway. Why is it boys are so moody?

Anyway... starting the mushpit, my mushy comic (and you thought I was a die-hard cynic, noh?) which will act as catharsis for me (thanks for the vocab, j!)

Whatever happened to that book?! ARGH!

I'm going down to Manila early tomorrow morning. Hitching a ride with the Riveras, so at least I'll have lots of pillows. (the Riveras are... softies. *snigger!*)

Whatever happened to that book?! AAAAARGH!!

one week more!!!

2005-05-17T13:30:00.000+08:00

Mood: Relief
ThemeSong: Shackles by Mary Mary (get it?!)
Watchawearing: all black. suprise, suprise

Jen's back from Europe!!! Whoohoooo!! Chev's already enrolled in Diliman, mine's not for another couple of weeks. The Headless chickens are starting a web comic. More news on that as it comes.
Some intern-ship strips from one of my favorites, Pearls before Swine

One more week of wearing this ball and chain known as practicum!! I have to admit though that this is my best summer since I entered the Ateneo. Seeing as my sophomore and junior summers were at Manila, with me doing my darndest to stay awake through my summer classes, a summer of unlimitted internet in an air conditioned facility in Baguio isn't all that bad.

As for news on my "ONE ADVENTURE", I really really really want to design furniture for kids and teens. I've been researching (Thankyou Lord for Moog letting me surf whenever I want!) on different design schools in New York (because we've got family there and the best design schools are there besides) and the graduate degrees are two years and it looks super expensive. As in a lot more expensive than my France trip...

Still, God will provide.

...i'm in love...

2005-05-12T09:35:00.000+08:00

Mood: Totally
ThemeSong: I knew I loved you before I met you -- Savage Garden

I am so totally head over heels in love.
*Sigh!* For those of you who know me well, you know how I get when I'm infatuated. I talk too fast, have a glazed look in my eye (kinda like a donut. Mmmm... donut...) and I can't stop blabbering on about the object of my infatuation. Darnit it's not even infatuation. It's... lust!

His name is Ash. De Armond Ashbory to be exact. Isn't he totally gorgeous and droolworthy?

Rubber strings.

18-inch fretless neck with ghost fretlines.

As light as a feather.

And i bet it's smaller than Chev's violin...

Sorry Boadi, but I'm in love with another bass.

The reviews are all good, standard prince is around $600 but it's $250ish on the net so not bad at all.

Rubber strings.... Drool...

Oh, and wanna see a pic of one of the geniuses behind Ash?
Nigel Thornbory.
The other guy's last name Ashworth.
Ash+bory = Ashbory.
Duh.

for once, my emotions aren't in overdrive...

2005-05-09T15:10:00.000+08:00

Mood: Apathetic
ThemeSong: Lately - Skunk Anansie

I feel so... blah. Two more weeks of work, then back to Manila to work with the band. Jen's gonna be back in a week or so, so I'm looking forward to seeing her again.

Yesterday was Mother's Day. We went to Swiss Made, our regular dive. (As in we know the life stories of the owner and the waitresses. Hehe) They've been renovating the place, so it looks a lot chicer. Anyway, a funny thing happened on the way to the restaurant. My mum tripped in the middle of the road, and she said, "Kaya mo 'yon, Ror?" (Can you do that?) I couldn't help but laugh, even though she was in a lot of pain. She scraped her wrist quite badly. She's so cute though. I think I know where me and Chev got our klutziness...

We're working on our sibling-site (http://3headlesschickens.blogspot.com) and we were making up our list of top 10 loves and hates (Mandy Moore's my No.1 pet peeve --> i really really hate her) and scribbling them on this tea-bag wrapper. (No paper, how sad. At least Chev just bought a new pen) Josh's list is still incomplete, mine and Chev's are overflowing. It was just nice to talk and share about things that we like and that tick us off.

It was only when I moved to Manila that I realized that our family situation is so rare (our parents are still so in love with each other and we siblings get along really well, and we have good parent-child relationships). We're so blessed.

Enough happy stuff. I finally got hold of some Skunk Anansie music (my tita downloaded some for me) and I'm so obsessed with them right now. "Lately" (this song that's been echoing in my head since England) is still the best song!!! Skin's got such a powerful voice. Must have something to do with her humongous mouth...

Mixed feelings about Chevy moving to Manila... Sigh. We're all growing up so fast...

I can't believe I'm gonna be a senior this year! Nooooooooooh!!!

photoshop junkie

2005-05-05T10:50:00.000+08:00

Mood: On my second hankie of the day
ThemeSong: Things can only get better
Watchawearing: New Cool denim jacket!!!

Been working on this for two days. Quite proud. Nothing interesting to post... except my fellow OJT people in Manila are getting paid. Sniff...

from this ordinary looking jeep...

TO THIS!

green like a frog

2005-05-03T08:35:00.000+08:00

Mood: Green
ThemeSong: I can see clearly now the rain is gone
Watchawearing: Red turtleneck, black sporty trousers

One of the joys of being away from work (and the internet) for the past week is going on MyYahoo and looking at the comics page -- you get to look at a week's strips on one page -- and seeing on that page strips you haven't seen before. Simple joys...

After a week on my back surrounded by used tissues, I'll take what I can get. Lets you appreciate the simpler things in life though. Like sleeping with your mouth closed (with a bad cold it's really hard to breathe without rushing for the steamer every hour, let me tell you), or even sleeping on your back. Sigh...

While struggling to breathe, you also get to reflect on your life. Deep existential questions such as "if only I knew four years ago that I wanted to make furniture for kids and teens and funky young adults, I wouldn't be stuck in a stupid boring course like Management Information Systems" and "who would want to have kids anyway? So much could go wrong? And isn't this planet overpopulated as it is? Isn't it just some egotistical narcisstic sadomasochistic urge to have a bit of immortality by passing your genes to some poor human being who didn't ask to be born anyway much less have you infect your insecurities and hang-ups onto them?!"

Sorry... Sickness doesn't become me. I have to admit I look better when I'm sick though... Something about looking at your blurry reflection through eyes about to shed cold-induced tears...

And I just realized (maybe not JUST realized... for those who've known me since forever, this may not come as a suprise) that my idea of heaven is being locked in a library. With electricity of course -- no point having all those books if you can't read them. And a fully-stocked fridge inside. I loooooooove books. Even the boring ones (a.k.a. "Classics") aren't so bad once you get past the first few chapters.

Oh. And boys are gross. ( Guys, don't be offended. There's a world of difference between boys and guys and men. )

Enough maudlin thoughts for now. Have to catch up with a week's worth of work. Great, just great...

Rainy Days and Mondays get me Down

2005-04-25T12:04:00.000+08:00

Mood: Not enough tissues in the world. *HONK!*
Theme Song: Stupid Girl - Garbage
Color: Black (does it ever change?)

It's Monday, and I'm sniffling at work, because I've just caught Josh's cold. Great...

Saturday was good though. Got off work (i asked permission, besides, i'm supposed to be having fun this summer! and i love Moog!!!) Anyway, spent the day resting (aka vegging out). The night before I was the only one in the house because the 1st class cadets (graduating class) of my church had a retreat and my family was with them (my parents organized). So all alone, not even that scared of the dark, I kept Pola ( our Yorkie ) company and trusted Elvis ( handsome dalmatian) to guard us.

Was supposed to have lunch with Chevy on Saturday but i was re-reading this book so by the time I finished, I was running late. So cancelled our date (i could see Chev grumbling at me in my head) and went to town to borrow some more books. Me and Chev really like books by Meg Cabot, the author of Princess Diaries. She's really good but it's kinda weird for us to admit she's one of our favorite authors because that's practically tantamount to saying "I like Harry Potter" ("like... duh! you poor sheep!" --my usual response) But she is!!! Anyway, borrowed another Meg Cabot book (for older audiences now), "Boy Meets Girl" which is really sweet and proves yet again what an unlikely sap I am. I stayed in Honey in the Rock (so much smaller now after their renovation) from after lunch to around 8 just reading (of course I ate too. Coffee, cake and dinner - aubergines/eggplant, tomatoes and spinach covered in mozzarella. heaven!), and I almost finished the book.

Moved to Porta Vaga at 8ish coz Honey in the Rock was closing, met up with Chev, who had dinner at this inexpensive Japanese place and I kept on reading. Celery ( Ceres Marie - friend for TRLA) joined us at around 9 and I had to put my book down. Reluctantly... Celery and I were going to the Reggae Ska Fest on the roofdeck so I had to.

I was a little dizzy by that time because I had drunk too much. Iced tea lang naman, me and Chev ordered bottomless iced tea, but they were closing so I rushed through 3-4 glasses just to be sulit (and to think it only cost P30.00 -->shows how chipipay i am). So I got a brain freeze and nausea. Stupid me... So i was feeling drunk on absolutely no alcohol. Great. Such a good girl!

So anyway, Chev went ahead (she had a violin thing the next day so couldn't stay up late) while me and Celery caught up. (Haven't seen each other in months) And I was reminded of why I am single : Boys are way too much bother. Have enough problems as it is. 'Nuff said.

At 10ish we went to the Roofdeck coz the thing was starting. The girl who took my money (i thought it was free... apparently not. Ssigh!) recognized me. Apparently it was Bryant's sister. Bryant was a guy I met at this Christian youth conference I attended during my gap year, run by CCC. He was nice but... well... Let's leave it at that. (See Chev! I can be un-nasty if I want!!!) The one thing I remember about that guy is that at my 18th birthday when I had some girlfriends over (and some of my mums' friends too --> titas give good prezzies) he gatecrashed (okay, he dropped by the house and he didn't know about my all-girls get together) bearing gifts. Flowers for my mum and my sister and this huge bright pink stuffed dog for me. (It was big and ug.... not that nice. I'm trying, Chev!!!) Called it Strawberry, and it's still with us today. I think it's either under Chev's bed or in her closet...

Enough with the tangent thoughts. Back to the "concert" (me and Chev had another argument about the definition of concert last night) : my friend Conrad's band was playing first. I had spent six years of my life with him... In grade school... (Kala niyo iba noh?!) He's got dreads now. They were okay but there were no crushables on his band (lemme just say that was me being nice). The other bands that played were also pretty good. Crushables... well if there were any they were short. Except for this tall skinny logistics guy in a red shirt (Duh! they were all wearing red shirts!) who was kinda cute.

Stop it with the boys already, Ror'!

It was my first time at a reggae/ska anything, so when i say their dance, naaliw ako (I was amused). So cute!!! By the time the second-to-the last band was playing, me and Ceres were boogieing on the (half-empty) dance floor. The fact that I have very few friends in Baguio does wonders for lowering whatever inhibitions I may have left. Basta, I had fun! Who cares what people think anyway right? Okay... maybe it's my histrionic personality asserting itself again.

Got home at two, took a cab and my dad allowed me --> miracle of miracles! Actually the whole night was very... special because my dad's really strict/protective (military man, what else would ya expect?) and it's the first time in my life that I went out in Baguio with permission (there was this one time when I was 16 but the "permission" there was the result of miscommunication).

Sunday was hard. I had little sleep because had to be at church without excuse at 8:30. Good thing one of the good speakers was giving the message or else I'd have been hitting my nose of the floor and injuring myself AGAIN. Good thing, my dad was on the front page of the Inquirer yesterday. It was about the reforms in the military, which he's been spearheading for the longest time and he gets paractically no credit for it (his bosses always get it, and he doesn't even really mind!) So I was very pleased with the article and even prouder (if that's possible) of my dad. So you can see why my standards for men are really high.

Anyway, that's it. I'm tearing in front of my monitor waiting for my site to upload to the intranet. They've allowed me to go home early to rest. (Again, I love Moog!)

Apparently I'm histrionic

2005-04-21T09:34:00.000+08:00

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid Disorder:	Low
Schizoid Disorder:	Low
Schizotypal Disorder:	Moderate
Antisocial Disorder:	Moderate
Borderline Disorder:	Moderate
Histrionic Disorder:	Very High
Narcissistic Disorder:	High
Avoidant Disorder:	Low
Dependent Disorder:	Low
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:	High

Quick Summary:
People with histrionic personality disorder are constant attention seekers. They need to be the center of attention all the time, often interrupting others in order to dominate the conversation. They use grandiose language to discribe everyday events and seek constant praise. They may dress provacatively or exaggerate illnesses in order to gain attention. Histrionics also tend to exaggerate friendships and relationships, believing that everyone loves them. They are often manipulative.

Symptoms of Histrionic Personality Disorder:
- Needs to be the center of attention
- Dresses or acts provocatively
- Rapidly-shifting and shallow emotions
- Exaggerates friendships
- Overly-dramatic, occassionally theatrical speech
- Easily influenced; highly suggestible

Colors Yevgeny Yevtushenko

2005-04-20T14:26:00.000+08:00

When your faceappeared over my crumpled life

at first I understoodonly the poverty of what I have.

Then its particular light

on woods, on rivers, on the sea,

became my beginning in the colored world

in which I had not yet had my beginning.

I am so frightened, I am so frightened,

of the unexpected sunrise finishing,

of revelations

and tears and the excitement finishing.

I don't fight it, my love is this fear

I nourish it who can nourish nothing,

love's slipshod watchman.

Fear hems me in.

I am conscious that these minutes are short

and that the colors in my eyes will vanish

when your face sets.

total klutz

2005-04-19T12:34:00.000+08:00

Monday: I broke my computer table. The slidy thing for the keyboard got jolted and fell out, and I spent the better part of half an hour fixing it. Saw fresh frog meat by the airport, but it looked as if it had been flattened by a car, not a plane. (Not flat enough to have been done in by a plane or even a helicopter...)

Tuesday: Skidded down the steep rocky path as I was walking to work. This wretch of a german shepherd (alsatian to you Brits) barks at me without fail every singly time I pass by. I was distracted, skidded on the slippery rocks and skinned my knee. Oh well... At least I was able to make friends with the people from the Clinic... *Sigh*

Wednesday: Again on the way to work, was passing by the checkpoint. It's got the gate that goes up to let cars pass through. Well, I ducked under it but snagged the back of my neck on something really hard. Now my nape is sore... Dagnabbit... Have been pretty depressed lately, with the loss of my summer, lack of decent landscape (my euphemism for "NO CUTE GUYS AROUND!") and the fact that me and John broke up +padloc (our team for ugotgame) coz it's just impossible... Practicum is keeping both of us busy and the fact that we're in different zip codes doesn't make things any easier.

This is so not my week...

Oh well, I decided to start a blog in french today. Wonder how long I'll keep it up. Check it out here... http://pardon-myfrench.blogspot.com Oh and by the way, the theme is "eau de toilette" --> You'll get it when you see the site. Buwahahaha! :-)

And I bought a French DVD "Shut Up" (Tais-toi) starring Jean Reno and Gerard Depardieu. I have yet to watch it. I think I'll go home on time today (usually I go overtime) and watch it...

Oh, forgot to post some great news. Thanks to the wonders of msn messenger, i've been catching up with some of my mates from England. Isn't that fab?! Apparently some of them are even regular visitors to my blog! Whoohooo!! ^.__.^

Some casual observations. My corner here at work is right next to the photocopiers, and I have this monster trash can right beside my desk (as in it's RIGHT BESIDE ME PRACTICALLY), which fortunately only holds paper refuse. Anyway, loadsa people pass by to use the machines and such. And the traffic has refreshed my memory of that unpleasant sour smell most men have.

Not nice. Not nice at all...

Excuse me while try to find a gas mask.

"Needs" - Collective Soul

2005-04-18T12:55:00.000+08:00

All around me I see what weakness has made
Too much tomorrow I think I'll take all today
Am I a poison, Am I a thorn in the side
Am I picture perfect subject tonight

I don't need nobody
I don't need the weight of words
To crash on thru
I don't need nobody
I just need to learn the depth
Or doubt of faith to fall into

Here I slumber to awaken my daze
I find convenience in this savior I save
Am I a prison, Am I a source of dire news
Am I a picture perfect reason for you

I don't need nobody
I don't need the weight of words
To crash on thru
I don't need nobody
I just need to learn the depth or doubt
Of faith to fall into

In this time of substitute
It's my needs I've answered to (All the while)
And the hope that I invest
Still turns to signals of distress (All the while)

revamped site

2005-04-16T11:16:00.000+08:00

And i expose my love of frogs for all the world to see...

Our parents arrived yesterday, and they brung gifts. Shoes (really nice sandals for school) and a bag (purple!!!) and this really soft fluffy sweater from Old Navy that's for kids and the arms are too short for Chevy (there are perks to being shorter than her after all!) so she passed it on to me. It's white and so fluffy! Chev's been calling me Marshmallow!

Workwise, it's okay. No scary people as yet. Plus my daily walk to and from work will hopefully have me really fit by the end of this! It's a 30-minute walk downhill going to work and 45-minute hike going uphill (the same route!). I have to go through the airport runway, past a small village and into the mountains where PMA is. The slope on the mountain is really steep in some parts. Imagine walking up a 45-degree angle for a kilometer. Fun!!

My PC and Boadicea (my bass) arrived yesterday. I can begin living again!!!

Life is good when you have technology on your side...

working... daw!

2005-04-12T09:43:00.000+08:00

1st post of the month. Amazing.
Working at Moog, designing webpage for Moog Philippines to go on their intranet which covers eight countries. Fun so far.
Cuties... nada. nil. zip. zero.
Which is fine. Really, it is...
Freaky "friendly" old fogeys: quite a lot. Kinda scary, but I'm learning how to be scary gracefully.

Good news: Me and john were getting frazzled because our game entry was due this thurs, but apparently they moved it to next thursday. Whoohoo!!! Now if only we can make it, deadline extension and all. The problem is he's doing practically everything (poor programmers get all the fun) and me (useless artist) can do nothing more than send encouraging vibes from Baguio to Manila. Great...

Chevy's okay, Josh is also fine. They can get a bit bratty, but that's to be expected from all sibling relationships. We're orphans for the week. My mum's still in Davao, my dad's gone down to Manila to pick her up and have meetings and all that crap. They're coming back up to Baguio this Friday, so we're totally free until then.

Now if only I was the partying type, then I could go out and boogie or something. But I'm not!!! Ror, you're such a nerd.
And proud of it, baybeh!!
Btw, I got on the Dean's List again. Wasn't expecting it AT ALL, but I'm not complaining.

Jen's in Europe... I miss England.

Last night I dreamt I caught Pola's fleas. Please no!

Work is fine. No distractions. Please feel free to distract ANYTIME. :D

i have a job

2005-03-30T15:08:00.000+08:00

i have a job... meaning goodbye summer. Anyway, no more Texas Instruments coz they were giving me way too much hassle. Instead working with Moog, they make parts for planes. And since I'm working in Baguio the probability of having a cute colleague are close to nil. Cheers!!!

Managed to have coffee with my best mate Nikki last week. We went to Gloria Jean's. Thank God for small blessings like gift certificates. I got a nice green tea smoothie thang. It was real good. I'm starting to miss chocolate. No mocha, no nothing. Plus yesterday for breakfast we had champorado (chocolate rice porridge) and i was salivating but i managed to restrain myself. Self Control!!!

Saturday I had coffee with a guy I spent six years of my life with. In grade school. (Kala niyo iba noh?!) I remembered that a number of my friends used to have a crush on him. I looked at him across the table and I couldn't see why. Smoker. Sigh... Dreads. Not so bad actually, but the way his hair was dreaded was a tad skanky. Eek, i hope he doesn't read this. There was this guy in my Game Dev't class with really nice dreads. And nice hands and feet. Yes, I am weird and i notice these things. I have a hand fetish. Mr Rhino has okay hands... (Shattap Ror'!!!!)

Still trying to work on the artwork for our game (TWO WEEKS TO GO!!!) but our computer at home is so freaking' slow!!! ARGH!!! Photoshop nalang nga ang tagal tagal pa talaga gumana! Basta, kakaasar. I miss my computer...

My godson is so cute. Generally I really don't like kids and ugly kids are the worst, so I'm glad he's such a handsome smiley baby or I'd find it really hard to love him. He's an angel. And even though he puked on me this Sunday, I still love him.

Gonna watch Robots with my sis now. Signing off!

eherm...

2005-03-23T15:28:00.000+08:00

"Count your blessings, name them one by one..."

(a song i always sing when i see someone less fortunate.)

DON'T YOU THINK THIS IS SO FREAKIN' FREAKY?!?! :-O

in baguio

2005-03-22T11:32:00.001+08:00

heellleeew people.

my life is so riveting.

I arrived in baguio last night around 8 after 6 hours stuck on my arse. Great huh? Still trying to fix my practicum. Not much luck...

Me and John have named our team finally. +PADLOC (+hink Positive And Drink Lots Of Coffee) --> the only way we're gonna finish our game in less than four weeks. *Sigh.*

I still think FlowerFaeries is cuter, but i don't think he likes it much. I told him if he cross-dresses for the competition he won't look out of place because there'll be a COSPLAy --> probably with a lot of grown men dressed as little girls. I'm evil.

But we're sticking with +PADLOC for now.

And I'm so blah.... Sniff...

exam week

2005-03-17T14:20:00.000+08:00

Just my French orals later and my MIS finals (killer finals!!!) and i'm home free.

Just to reassure my sister that she's not the only klutz in the family, last night i was with some classmates preparing for our orals in Seattles best. I bought a large cookie (oatmeal raisin -- gave up chocolate so no choco chip for me) and a large cup of hot water ( i brought my own tea - tazo from starbucks. buwahahahah! ) and guess what happens next? I trip on the stairs, spill water everywhere and scald myself as well.

I'm so graceful it's amazing. Good thing I didn't break anything.

Infamous klutziness strikes again.

I miss my tagboard... Comment nalang kayo s'il vous plait. :D

pictures

2005-03-09T12:52:00.001+08:00

was cleaning up the placement digicam and i dug these up. hahahaha!!!

GOOD NEWS: i'm getting over my crush on mr. rhino. Yay!

this is me and jen at the Carnival with the Anchors Away ride behind us. We went on twice!!

This is us ON the Anchors Away ride a few minutes later. ^_^

it was my bro's birthday when this pic was taken. as in three months ago.

Belated birthday JOSH!!!

Ranier and me at the carnival. I actually look good in this pic!

i got this pic coz he was Chev's fave. Mainggit ka Cheeeb!!! (as if)

this is me today at the placement office. i love my skirt...
the phrase of the day is: "Stay away! Stay very away..."

work, work, work

2005-03-04T13:18:00.001+08:00

This week has been very... stressful. Monday we defended our Game Dev't project, and I felt so bad because Eric, our teacher, was expecting a lot from our group and we didn't deliver. He looked so disappointed. A lot of stuff didn't work, mostly from the programming end, but also from my end (art) because our textures didn't work. And on the programming end I couldn't blame them either because there was only three of them and John (my partner from last sem) was doing most of the work on his own. Sniff...

And then for four days (Saturday to Tuesday) i had been getting very little sleep trying to get our database program up and running. So bangag. It's a good thing that Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights, a CS graduate came over to help. TJ looks like a bigger version of Joaquin Phoenix, it's uncanny. Anyway, he's really funny and really good and we worked from around 10-2am each night. I had done most of it on my own, but since I was rusty at programming generally and I didn't know C# or SQL (the languages we used for our proj), it was good that someone else was helping me debug. Also, the lack of sleep made me so scatterbrained, and I really appreciated the extra pair of eyes that checked that the error I was getting was caused by a mere typo. (make that lots of "mere" typos)

So there, Wednesday (when our presentation was due) early morning practically everything was up and running. I took a power nap and when I woke up and fixed the code some more.

Turn on PC and open program... OK.
Compile... OK.
Run... OK.
Change some lines of code... OK.
Compile... IT WOULDN'T COMPILE!!!

For some reason it would only compile when I had just restarted my PC, so each time I wanted to compile I had to shut down and restart!!! I disabled some functions to try to spot where the bug was but... no time left. Burned everything on the CD to port onto Hannah's laptop. Rush to school, try to install stuff and overwrite Hannah's database. It wouldn't drop the existing tables!

So Liz had to drive me back to the dorm, pick up my CPU in my 4-inch heels, carry the heavy fricking CPU back to school. And NOT A SINGLE GUY OFFERED TO HELP!!! Whatever happened to chivalry?

No actually Leo, a classmate saw me struggling with the CPU and said, "OH MY GAWD. Let me open the door for you."

WHAT THE HECK IS THAT ALL ABOUT?!?! >:-O

And so we presented and the rest of my groupmates took so long. And i didn't even know i was supposed to do a program demo, and a frazzled scatterbrained girl with very little sleep and very little time to present is not a good candidate for showing off her work. And to top things off, since I had disabled some functions while hunting for that stupid bug so it looked as if some functions weren't working when they actually were, they were just disabled.

ARGH!!!

Basta. On a more positive note, I'm learning the difference between liking someone and being interested in someone. Right now I really don't want to be "with" anyone so I'm not interested in anyone, but there's a someone I "like-like," even if it is in a nerdy way. ("I want him for his brain." -- How much nerdier could you get?) I just realized my crush on this guy is just like my crush on Mike Wilson in England, the guy's not my type but he's just so darned smart (in high school Gabs Vogt and Mike were my only competition academically, and I couldn't be attracted to someone who wasn't smarter than me. And since I had to have a crush, I fancied the more attractive of the two boffins.)

Anyway, gotta code some more for our game. Yay. :-/

i'm such a nerd... help me!

2005-02-25T16:43:00.000+08:00

Am going half out of my mind trying to finish this long program by tomorrow (plan was for tonight but got such a bloomin' headache) in a language and in an interface i'm not too sure in. Sniff...

And I'm not even having fun yet...

And if I'm not thinking about that, I'm getting very distracted by my nerd-crush, Mr. Rhino, my longest lasting crush in the Philippines to date. And he's not even my type! (my type being still geeky but a pretty boy, lovely fingers.. eggplant fan).

Speaking of, andie made me watch Battle Royale last night. If you've seen it, there's a lot of cute Japanese guys in it. And the 'homme de ma vie' (man of my life) is the guy on the laptop who made the virus... have to find nice pictures of him and plaster them on my desk top.

AGAIN, i'm such a nerd.

And the other cute guy is the 'exchange student' with the short hair, who has an uncanny resemblance to Marc Nelson.

I wonder if Marc Nelson can speak Japanese.

and the hell week begins

2005-02-18T13:06:00.000+08:00

Sugar junkie! Pretty much me, except for the chocolate ice cream. Gave up chocolate for the New Year, you see. Got this link from my sister's site. Make your own South park character! Check it out here

just had two hours of sleep last night doing a ten-page paper for French. Sniff... Then might not go to YOF tonight because have a module to submit tonight for our PS2 class... then this weekend is coding for our database project, 10 days to finish a .net program, a language i don't know YET. But i will.... Sniff....
Valentine's Week this week. What did i do Valentine's day? Had an exam. Oh yes, it's great to be a nerd! No complications. Sniff...

Weird Facts

2005-02-13T15:59:00.000+08:00

The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.
Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.
Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.
The first owner of the Marlboro company died of lung cancer.Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.
The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; "7" was selected because the original containers were 7 ounces. "UP" indicated the direction of the bubbles.
No standard 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.
Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older.
A Boeing 747's wingspan is longer than the Wright brothers' first flight
The albatross drinks sea water. It has a special desalinization apparatus that strains out and excretes all excess salt.
In Clarendon, Texas, there is reportedly a law on the books that lawyers must accept eggs, chickens, or other produce, as well as money, as payment of legal fees.
Cats purr at 26 cycles per second, the same as an idling diesel engine.
A dragonfly flaps its wings 20 to 40 times a second, bees and houseflies 200 times, some mosquitoes 600 times, and a tiny gnat 1,000 times.
Marilyn Monroe had six toes.
The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.
A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
The combination "ough" can be pronounced in nine different ways. The following sentence contains them all: "A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed."
Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order, as does arsenious, meaning "containing arsenic."
The United States has never lost a war in which mules were used.
Blueberry Jelly Bellies were created especially for Ronald Reagan.
All porcupines float in water.
Non-dairy creamer is flammable.
When opossums are playing "possum," they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror.

a very long engagement... perfect

2005-02-12T09:18:00.000+08:00

Un long dimanche de fiancailles est parfait!!! Je l'ai vu avec ma soeur hier soir et apres, nous sommes ete tres pensives. L'histoire est superbe, la realisation etait tres belle, et... c'etait parfait. Je l'aime bien!!! C'est tout...

osmosis

2005-02-10T14:15:00.000+08:00

my sister's addiction to online quizzes are rubbing off on me...

You Are 11 Years Old

11

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

i look like the girl from silent hill

2005-02-08T13:04:00.000+08:00

this is the third time I've looked like something straight out of a horror movie... Or like a burn victim. Darn allergies... Yesterday it wasn't even so bad. Okay, yes it was so bad, but at least it was just in the face. Today it spread. Ugh... Arrived from Baguio early this morning, everything was going wrong starting from when I woke up after my nap. I set my alarm early, and my alarm was set right but my clock wasn't. It was set 12 hours late. Grrr... Darn mobile phone clocks. And so I missed my philo class.

And then I was trying to put on my new contact lenses so I could wear sunglasses to save my classmates from the distressful sight of my face, puffy eyes, splotchy cheeks and all. My left contact went in fine, but my right contact was stubborn. First it fell on the floor. Washed it and attempted to put it on my eye again. Fell on the mirror. Washed it and attempted to put it in again. Then it fell again and I couldn't find it anymore no matter how hard I looked for it.

Was so pissed!!! Was complaining to God, was so close to losing my temper. I felt bad, was tired from the trip, plus PMS means my emotions are very volatile. Anyway, after I vented, He just told me to quiet down and reminded me that it's when I'm weak that I can rely on His strength more. That calmed me down.

He fixed my contact lens problem not by finding my fallen lens but by rehydrating one of my old ones (it's weird coz I soaked both solid lenses but only one properly rehydrated... some kind of a convenient) and basically I'm just not aggravated anymore, my frazzleness has been replaced by peace yet again.

But still... I miss my face. *Sniff!*

Encounters...

2005-02-03T15:16:00.003+08:00

Tuesday, 1 Feb 2005: Breakthrough!

My first real conversation with God! He is so amazingly not what I expected, and I think that's the whole point. The worst thing about growing up in a Christian family is that you grow up with ideas of who God is and what He can do. It's not the worst thing in the world, being raised up by godly parents protected me from a lot of grief. But the passion that new converts have from God, the extreme changes they go through (from street gangster to Sunday school teacher!) was something I was so envious of. My relationship with God was like that between couples who had celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, you know familiar.

All my ideas of God, even the grandest of my imaginings, are too small to capture his reality. Growing up, I had all these expectations of who God was and what he could do, because I had already seen him work in my family. But now, he's ruining all my expectations. And I'm glad he is, because I now realize that all our expectations limit what he can do in our lives. We need to stop "expecting" and just "trust."

You think you know, but you have no idea...

We had a really long, meaningful conversation and the whole time I was like, "God, is this real or am I just making it up?" Doubtful me, still comparing my idea of how God worked with what I was experiencing at that moment.

He replied, "You'll know if something is from me by its fruit. If you don't allow this conversation to bear fruit, to change your life, you may as well have been just talking to yourself. The real proof of an authentic, genuine encounter with God is change. And this change doesn't even have to come from you, you don't have to try because I am the one changing you. Just obey and allow me to make you better, make you into the woman I had in mind when I was designing you. Close your eyes, let go, and fall into me."

I really love the song "Be the center." The chorus goes:

Be the fire in my heart, Be the wind in my sails,

Be the reason that I live, Jesus, Jesus...

I really do want Jesus to be the source of my passion. Those who know me know that I'm a very extreme, passionate, hyper person. And God designed me that way. I just want him to channel all this passion to where he wants it to be.

I'm so excited, but unlike my usual excitement which just bubbles over, this time it's a quiet and peaceful kind of excitement. God is the only one who can make me so hyper and so calm at the same time.

Speaking of eggplant...

2005-02-01T15:32:00.000+08:00

Speaking of eggplant, look what i found while I was doing my regular tour of the comics available on MyYahoo... La lang.

the eggplant story. sigh...

2005-01-31T10:50:00.000+08:00

She was so pleased that had found a trolley that didn't swerve this way and that. She was usually left with the possessed shopping cart and ended up toppling over several promotional displays, a testament not so much to her eternal klutziness but more to the fact that good shopping carts were fast becoming an endangered species.

She checked the grocery list then picked up a container of skim milk, a carton of malted soy milk, a six-pack of yoghurt and a package of mozzarella cheese. Only the greens were left unchecked, and then she'd be dropping off her overdue videos at the rental place before going home. She turned up the volume on her portable music player, adjusted her headphones, and strolled to the fruit and veg. She could almost smell the eggplant parmigiana she was making for her posse's weekly get-together.

Although she'd been more wary of eggplant ever since a friend's sister had told her that worms liked them, her love for them hadn't diminished. She eyed the aisle where the hydrophanous vegetables were displayed and cheered silently at the sight of six flawless eggplants just sitting there waiting for her. Perfect.

She wheeled her well-behaved trolly over and was about to get the eggplants when she realized that she wasn't the only one reaching out for them. She looked up and stop herself from glaring at the tall guy who seemed to think that he could take her eggplant. Remember, love your enemies...

"Ehem!" she mock-coughed. "You seem to have my eggplant in your hand."

"Excuse me?" The puzzled look on his face would have been comical, had the scenario not been so serious she would be laughing.

"Eggplant? Aubergine? Talong? Berenjena? Melanzana?" She shot him a strained smile and gestured for him to put the contentious vegetables in her cart. "That's it. I'm out of languages..."

Who the heck does this strange girl think she is? He flashed a mocking grin and said, "Sorry, but I don't think I see your name on them."

"It's there alright. You see the words GreenMeadow Vegetable Patch on the sticker? Well, I'm GreenMeadow. My parents were hippies. As in during the swinging sixties when hippies ruled the world. So hand them over. Please?"

My God, I don't need this aggravation. He rolled his eyes. It's been a long day, and although I relish the thought of getting into a fight in the middle of the supermarket, aubergines aren't worth it.

"You see, I'm making eggplant parmigiana tonight, so I need those eggplants. It would be a little bit difficult to make eggplant parmigiana without eggplant, don't you think?"

Pumpkin maybe. Yeah, I could definitely see myself getting into a fight over a perfect pumpkin, but aubergines? I don't think so!

"It wouldn't be eggplant parmigiana then would it? Youd have to call it just... ahdunno... plain parmigiana I suppose."

Does this girl ever stop jabbering, or at least take a breath?! He was tempted keep the eggplant out of spite and instead tossed it into her cart. "Whatever," he muttered. He turned away, put a head of hydrophanous lettuce in his basket and walked toward the fruit section. He was picking out some tart apples when he spotted the bizarre girl and her cart coming up to his left.

"Don't tell me you're going to squabble over these apples as well," he groaned.

"I don't think I need to. Looks like there's more than enough to split this time," she beamed at him. I'm sorry, by the way. I get a bit carried away when I'm hungry.

Weeks later...
She was socializing after church, like she did every Sunday, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see one of her guy friends grinning at her. "Hey, you!" She gave him a quick hug. "How are you?"

"Doing great! God's really been moving mightily this month."

"Glad to hear that! And how's the wife?"

"Still gorgeous." They chuckled.

"And that is the correct answer!"

"Oh, before I forget why I came over." He gestured to the other guy standing behind him. "Have you two met? He usually goes to the afternoon service."

"Actually, I think we have met. Sort of." She smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, eggplant girl, right? Or should I call you GreenMeadow?" He offered his hand and she laughed while she shook it.

"Actually, I only use that name during weekdays." As she let go of the no-longer-such-a-stranger's hand, she noticed his slender, elegant fingers. Nice hands, she thought to herself.

Their confused friend just stared at them. "You really are a pair of weirdos. I just knew you two would hit it off."

To be continued...
( Meaning I have absolutely no idea what happens next. And I don't want to think about it! All I know is most of this story will be on a friendship that blossoms through time, and it will definitely end with wedding bells and a first kiss at the altar. Kilig!!! )

i hate my mother...board

2005-01-30T13:48:00.000+08:00

I love my computer, I really do! but my motherboard sucks. Last night i was trying to work on the graphics for our PS2 game, and it kept on hanging. Again this morning. And one photoshop file I'd been working on for days got corrupted. Grrrr... That's why I'm really believing for a new motherboard and a new monitor, a really good one! My monitor isn't actually mine--I borrowed it off my uncle whose pc is totally whacked (but he has a really nice laptop so it's okay). Anyway, the display is so bad that I thought I was developping astigmatism because the contrast is so... weird. So I got new glasses over the holidays, but my astigmatism is only around 25-50! (My eyes are myopic by -500. What can I say? I'm such a nerd!)

Sniff... My poor computer...

Aftermath of crab...

2005-01-27T13:54:00.000+08:00

Had a really really good dinner last night. Three crab half-shells in yummy yummy sauce. Really fat crabs with lots of "aligue" (at least that's what I think the orange crab fat is called). I don't particularly like that part, I prefer the crab meat itself. But since I knew most people really like that part I ate it all up... Buwahahaha...
All in all, a very good dinner. However, the whole time I was eating, I was praying, "Please don't let me get food poisoning, please don't let me get food poisoning." Why? Because the crabs were leftovers from last week, and I'd left them in the fridge forgotten them until yesterday. But they still smelled good so I thought to myself, "Why waste them?" And sure enough my stomach is all right. I was tempting the spirit of indigestion, but my stomach-guardian angel did good. Buwahahahahargh!

Humblification

2005-01-26T18:13:00.000+08:00

It's my sister's 17th birthday today. HEPY BERTDEY CHEEB!!!!

Ayun. aside from that, God's been very... comment le dire... (how do i say this... ) un-subtle since Thursday last week. First slept over at Jen's Thursday and showed her something pretty weird and asked her to interpret. All she got was "posture," and something i took to mean "Stop leaning on your own strength and start trusting God to carry your whole weight." Yes, friends, even this whale of a weight.

Then Friday night Youth on Fire, Preaching PRico did a message on Jesus' Spit. (Read Mark 8 22-26.) His first point was "Posture." And when I went to the 5pm Sunday service at Galleria, Pastor Julius gave the same message but with more points and subpoints, and still the first point was "Posture." And then today at the Outreach Cell in Ateneo the topic was HUMILITY.

Maybe it has something to do with this thick skull of mine, but I think I'm starting the get the picture. Thankyou, B.D. for getting tired of repeating that same message for the past two decades. I'm finally starting to really get it.

Sigh...

"There is no limit to the good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit."

God is kewl...

2005-01-25T10:50:00.001+08:00

Was just reflecting on the events of the past week.

God is so cute!

I was so hyper during Youth on Fire last Friday night. Couldn't stop jumping even if I wanted to. And yet inside I was amazingly calm, not as frantic inside as i usually am. Grabe. It's just such a weird yet kewl (it's not just cool, it's kewl!) feeling to be so hyperactive on the outside and yet so serene inside. Anyway...

In French class we're reading La Chute or The Fall, Book Two of Les Miserables. In French, in case you didn't realize. Urgh. I loved the Broadway show (saw it on my first trip to New York) and the book in English, but reading it in French is agony. I have to read it out loud coz I tend to get lost. Anyway, was reading about when the Bishop didn't blow the whistle on Jean Valjean's thievery and instead sent him away with even more silver, and I was reminded of the difference in mercy and grace. Mercy is not telling the three policement that Jean Valjean was an ungrateful streetrat (Street rat, street rat, I don't buy that...) and grace is giving him the silver candlesticks. Man, I love French.

Speaking of French, I was planning to go to New York this summer but those plans might not come through. Instead we're thinking that the money to go to that New York trip can go to my France fund. Grabe, the way you hear Jen talk, I'm definitely going! (And who says I'm not? I am!!! Wehehehe ^_^) Anyway, so there. I really have a heart for France.

France, the graveyard. Where missionaries don't last too long. It's gonna take a lot of prayer! But I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me! Devah?!

I'm praying that:

I get accepted to the exchange program,
I can raise all the money I need, (actually, I'm believing God to provide more than enough!)
That they put me in a university close to where EveryNation is planting a church, and
God already starts cultivating the soil where he wants me to plant.

As Jen says, "More sheep who are ripe for the harvest!" (--> Biblical metaphors gone wild. ;-) )

I love my spikes...

i've updated! whahooo!!!

2005-01-22T14:54:00.000+08:00

After weeks of trying to update my blog layout, I've finally succeeded! I was inspired because I revamped Jen's site, and I've been wanting to do my blog, but then it's been so tricky because i'm so not an html girl! I do Java and C and SQL but not html! But finally I've succeeded!

Anyway, God's so cute talaga. This week has been so... exciting. Had two long exams: Monday's Operating Systems, and Wednesday's Database Systems. Was expecting Operating Systems to be harder than it turned out to be and Database Systems was harder than I thought it would be. As in most of my coursemates came out of the examination rooms swearing, but I just thank God for that peace that passes understanding. I mean I'm not saying I did excellent, but I did my best and I am confident that God will honor that.

What else... Oh yeah. My sister, Chev, had a really high fever Tuesday night. She reached 40degrees, and my family's in Baguio, up in the mountainous area of the country (just in case you person reading is an alien--hehe). Anyway, right now there's this meningo scare, kinda like SARS. People have died.And the funny thing is that when I received the news about Chev I wasn't at all worried. Again, that peace that surpasses understanding. I just asked the Ateneo cell members to pray for her, confident that God would make her well because I'm so sure God has a bigger plan for her that doesn't end with her dying just before her 17th birthday. Anyway, I think the biggest factor to that peace I was talking about is that even if she did die, I'm certain of where she's going, so I'm not at all worried.

I love my sis.

We're so morbid. Over Christmas,we were talking about what the other would do should one of us die. We both said we'd mourn for like a year. I'd probably get out of school and take a Leave of Absence... I'm so thankful for my relationship with my sis. I know not all sisters are as close as we are. Our intimacy is based on more than just blood. It's from years of pulling each other's hair out and catching colds from each other and being weird together.

Speaking of morbid, I just remembered my mum. She's so cute. When we were on the plane, about to take off, she goes,"Saved naman tayo, diba? So pag mamatay tayo, kita-kita nalang tayo doon,ha?" ("We're all saved, right? So if the plane crashes, Let's just meet up in heaven, okay?") My mum's so weird. We're all so weird!

And I think weirdness is a must-have for every happy family. ^_^

God's so cute

2005-01-11T18:48:00.000+08:00

Was just ym-ing with a friend from YoF and I told him about this funny incident between God and me just a while ago. Anyway, here it is...

mark calida: hallo how are you?
me: hungry.
me: joke!
me: actually i just had soup so okay na.
mark calida: you better be hungry for God's word!
mark calida: :-)
me: actually something weird happened a while ago
mark calida: what happened?
me: i was walking home, and i picked some leaves off a tree (mukhang malunggay) and then just for trips, i looked at the leaves on my palm and asked myself, "What letter does this look like?"
me: And then i said to myself, "T? R? Y?"
me: only much later did i realize it spelled try.
me: God's funny.
mark calida: haha cool
me: i had been complaining about not getting enough time to be quiet with him kasi beforehand. Been so frazzled. Basta, He's just so cute.

The pastor during Sunday service had said that God really wants our presence more than anything we could ever do for Him, and so after I dropped off my theo reflection paper (late!) this afternoon, i sat down on the benches outside my home building (Faura) and just tried to get on my Big Dad's lap.

I was like, "Here I am, God, please take away all the distractions right now! I want to have some quality time just You and me!" But then my thoughts kept wandering to all the stuff I need to do tonight. French presentation tomorrow and I have to do the powerpoints, plus Game Dev Deliverable: Detailed Design and i need to do all the concept art, and I want to do it right, with lots of bright colors and all!

I stopped my tangent thoughts and said to my self, "No, Ror. Stoppit. Be quiet for a sec and just try to realize that God's here."

As soon as I quieted my spirit, I felt a light breeze blowing and it felt so calming. Then this image came to me of God slowly making me in the most secret of places. He was done with most of me, just the more important things to go. As he was making my hands, he saw all the pain my hands would cause to others. And yet he carried on doing it anyway. As he made my eyes, he saw the things I would expose myself to and he grieved, and yet he continued. As he made my mouth, he saw the hurtful things that I would utter, and he felt the pain I would cause others himself, and yet he carried on. As he made my brain, he saw all the garbage i would fill it with, and all the ugly thoughts i would think, and all the painfully embarrassing memories i would keep on playing over and over again, torturing myself. And as he made my heart, he saw how i would harden steel myself, keep him out. He saw the rebellion, the insecurity and desperation I would feel as an adolescent. He saw all the painful memories i would make. And tears fell on my heart-in-the making. But he continued, because he loved me.

Grabe, I have to write a poem about this. Random thoughts right now, doesn't look like much, but man! did i feel like crying this afternoon outside faura.

God, you're so grabe talaga.

frazzled again... as usual

2005-01-05T16:31:00.000+08:00

Yet another long night cramming. I miss Davao already. Sigh...
*** Flashback ***
New Years' Eve at Eden Nature Park was a blast. The Moraleses took up three tables, there were the two grandparents, their six children and their respective spouses (spice? hehehe) and the five grandchildren. To keep the audience awake, they had games like Bring Me. And we
kept on bringing. Eventually, my diplomat aunt said, “Ceasefire! Let the other families have a go at the prizes!” That night, we left with five organic gift bags and six Rejoice Shampoo (Pert in US) six-packs. Whee!!! Then around 11pm we joined the oldies on the dance floor. They did their ballroom stuff and we kids (am i still a kid?!) just messed about. We had fun!
My uncle Gigi danced the boogie with me and I really enjoyed being twirled around. I love being a girl. (And to think I used to be such a feminist!) We just relax and let the guy take the lead. Just make sure the guy who's leading is worth following in the first place!!!
January 2 we had a “short” devotional because we missed church (busy packing for our flight that night). The Fort Bonifacio Moraleses had left early that morning so we just had the five original Moraleses, their spouses and six grandchildren. We read Ecclesiastes 2 (There is a time and season for everything) and after we shared what we were thankful for in 2004. I was the only one of the grandkids who shared. I talked about how thankful I was to have such a great family, that even though I live far away from home, I still have family in Manila, aunts and uncles who take care of me and feed me. ^_^ Then after everyone shared, my grandaddy gave a short version of his life story. At the end of it all, my mum, my godmother and my aunts were all weepy. Then my dad read the last chapter of Ecclesiastes (Remember your Creator in the days of your youth...) and talked about how although blood family is important, it's more important to belong to God's family. That's so typical Papa. :)

Anyway, here's my Top Ten Things I'm Thankful for in 2004
1.My biological family. I love them so much, am so thankful we're all healthy and doing well and still together. I share a special relationship with my mother and my sister, so much so that if i don't go up to Baguio and see them once a month I get normal. Shudder! 'Nuff said.
2.For the trip to Davao and the family reunion. My grandparents aren't getting any younger and I don't know how much longer I'll have them for. And they live so far away. I'm just so grateful for the chance to see them and hug them. I love you, Lolo Joey and Lola Pilar and Lolo Zack and Lola Lily! (I was named after BOTH grandmothers! GLORIA Aurora PILAR. Aurora's my name.
3.My spiritual family, especially my discipler, Jen. She's been my spiritual mum for almost exactly one year now. And I'm really growing under her care! To those you who don't have a cell leader or mentor yet, GET ONE! It's one of the most important relationships you'll ever make!!
4.Being a SomeBuddy (apparently it's Somebody now). To those of you wondering what the heck that means, I became Jen's bassist this school year and I'm having so much fun. After 3 years of not making music, I'm playing again! I love my Boadicea (my bass), but I'm also praying for a new bass because she's so heavy!
5.My new camera! My Tita Liza and her husband Tito Peter gave us their old camera and I'm using it now. I've wanted a camera ever since I was 11 and finally I have one. It's not digital, but it's a lot better than the battered one I've been using (meaning it's less embarrassing to be seen with this one and it has Zoom!!! OOOHHH!!!). Truly God gives us the desires of our heart
6.My best friend Nikki. We haven't talked for a looooooooong time, but I still love her. We've never fought although i must admit I'm getting very close to being annoyed with her because she's been very busy, too busy to take a call. Sniff...
7.Academic Excellence. Made the Dean's List again last semester. PURE GRACE. Especially my B in Accounting! One step closer to cum laude, at least. God, you know the desires of my heart and sana maka Deans' List ulit this sem!
8.Friends. I've made so many new friends in 2004 and I really thank God for that. You know who you are! I love you guys!!!
9.Spiritual Growth. God has been so faithful talaga and this year has been one of breakthrough. I'm really getting closer to God and a big part of that is because of spiritual family.
Again, GET DISCIPLED!
10.God's New Promises. Last year He showed me so many doors that are open, even if they are a little far away. My trip to New York this summer (Spring over there) and a possible exchange opportunity to France in 2006-2007. He's answered so many of my family's impossible dreams, like my dad's fellowship getting approved in spite of the odds (he's going to visit military universities in 4 Asian countries so he can help improve PMA), so God has definitely proven His ability to make miracles happen.

When I go to heaven, I want to be able to look into that storehouse of blessings that God set aside for me for my life on earth and see an empty barn, because I was able to claim every single one of them.

As for me, right now, I have to work some more for the bundle load of work. God is bigger than my problems and my projects! EXTRA DIYOS NA 'TO!!!

people disappoint

2004-12-29T19:57:00.000+08:00

Recently I was trying to reach a close friend for days to no avail. It really hurt because this friend probably doesn't have an easy time during the holidays because of messy family affairs, but I felt that friends are supposed to be there for each other, to carry the burden etc...
I was really miffed. But then I was thinking about it and I realized God must have been feeling that way about me during the holidays. My end of the connection has all too often been "either unattended or out of coverage area."
And I'm still stressed because the first week after the holidays is going to be absolutely hell. So... at least now my end of the line is open again.

in Davao

2004-12-27T16:03:00.000+08:00

Teachers in Ateneo de Manila do not know the meaning of "holiday." It's supposed to be a vacation meaning no homework please!!! Anyway, my luggage going to Davao was made even heavier by the many books I had to bring. And to think that was my required "light reading."
Anyway, so my family's in Davao right now. It's very hot and very humid. Went to the bukid (rural area) for four days to celebrate Christmas with my mum's family. We got attacked by pesky vampires (mosquitoes), me, my sister, my bro, everyone except my mum.
For our exchange gift, I picked my grandfathers on both sides of the family and I gave them two of my paintings. Hope I can have them scanned at least so I can see them again.
I have one hour on the internet so just wanted to make it a bit more up to date... That's it for now. :)
I love Vertical Horizon!!!

Want to Sleep

2004-12-16T13:00:00.000+08:00

One more day of school, one more History exam to cram for and a stack of readings to go through and school is over for the holidays! In the meantime, nose to the grindstone and all that crap.
Tomorrow have practice with Jen for our gig on Saturday at PowerUp in Pasig... sigh. 45 minute set so pretty long. Got to pick up my paintings on Saturday morning from the Shell Art House... Didn't win but still proud of my paintings. Hadn't painted in 3 years and the rest may have made my style mature...
Sunday is flight to Davao and rest. Yeah right! Gotta study for Theo, French, and CS tests as soon as we get back. Plus projects to prepare for! Whatever happened to Christmas Holidays?
For now, back to class and then a night of no sleep and Extra Joss (and Extra Diyos) for my History Exam. Argh!!!

in baguio and my tummy hurts

2004-12-12T20:26:00.000+08:00

MY tummy really hurts... i think it's wind... drats... ouch.
anyway, i got to have lunch with nikki a while ago. We were supposed to eat in O My Gulay, this vegetarian place in Baguio but they were closed for renovations so we ended up in our usual Hang-Out, Swiss Made. If you're ever in Baguio go there! Good food!!!
Here's a pic of me and nikki from our last trip to O My Gulay, last month... my hair looks weird...

Anyway, yun. I love my Nikki! I hardly ever get to hug her. Anyway, yesterday got to Baguio at 11am. Had a party Friday night, lasted till 3am, got on the 5am bus. Had lunch at home (my dad cooked Kinilaw, my favorite!!!) and slept straight from 2-7pm, only getting up to wee. Hehehe...

Right now i'm in my dad's office in PMA and it's cold and my tummy hurts so I'll just post some pics from my Birthday weekend... :-)

just a small get-together with close friends (my parents aren't in the picture btw)

me and nikki... ent we cute?

me and my lillies (my fave flower)... me and ChiChi being weird...

notice how my smile is all the same? i don't like to show my teeth anymore. My big grin looks very scary... :-/

what a let down

2004-12-04T19:16:00.000+08:00

FINALLY, I am able to post. I was on a Unix-computer yesterday and no matter how hard I fiddled with it I couldn't type anything in my blog.
Anyway, the typhoon was a total let-down. It was supposed to be as big as the Philippines, so expecting a Signal Number 5 was pretty reasonable (for those who don't speak the lingo, at Signal No.3 weather is so bad that even University students are liberated from the oppressions of class). Anyway, imagine my disappointment when the friggin' cyclone only lasted two days, and it wasn't even that strong.
Okay, let's be less selfish for a sec and thank God that at least not as many people were hurt. But still!!! At least I didn't have to take my Theo exam scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Oh, another bad point: our SEC Field "gig" on Friday didn't push through. Duh!!!
Spent four days at my uncle's place. Cable!!! (I am such a nerd, watched mainly Cartoon Network, Nickolodeon, Disney, National Geographic and Discovery Channel) Still, was able to save on food...
Here are some pics I've been meaning to post for a while.

some pics of me and jen. (1) Store with no name (2&3) In PMA playground.

HypeRory demonstrates Three Ways to Hold a Bass Guitar

feeling model

cute lang...

and yet one more post after the longest time

2004-11-30T14:39:00.001+08:00

i'm still nineteen.

anyway, to other news. Our gig last Friday went well. Practiced till late Wednesday and Thursday night (meaning till 11-ish) and slept over Thurs night. Friday morning was able to catch "Out of the Box," local a capella group from Ateneo, and i know half of the members. So to my History seatmate, Jason (my classmate from Freshman year), and fellow MIS people Isagani and Chino, KUDOS to you guys!!! :D
Friday night, we were supposed to play five songs: Worth Waiting For, Overtake, Piece of Heaven, Steady for Love then Jen's Tagalog song (Kaya Natin 'To). When we actually did it, she forgot Steady for Love. But we ended up doing five anyway coz Bombi's (our percussionist) friend requested Iris. Lighting was okay but not conducive for taking pics so... next time.
We played okay. So for all you people who went, thanks for the support!!!

We're playing again on Friday, 4:30 in the afternoon in SEC FIELD (praying it won't rain) for Silakbo. We're opening.
To you Ateneans out there, YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE!!! WATCH US!!!

Yun lang po... got a lot of work to go. And we're still doing pre-prod for the video of Worth Waiting for, and Jen decided that we'll only do the MTV Lokal appearance once the video's done, hopefully by Febuary. Still a long way to go, but still... WE'RE GONNA BE ON MTV, AND WITH A VIDEO!!! SO WATCH OUT FOR THAT!!! :D SO EXCITED!!! (can you tell?)

i'm still nineteen

2004-11-17T08:57:00.000+08:00

regardless of whatever anyone else may say, I am still nineteen years old.
Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's move on to more pressing things. I.e. updates on my fascinating life.
It was my birthday on Friday and I had a very pleasant wake-up call. Not! Was woken up by my phone: I received a message from a friend telling me that Gorgonite (a "girl" from my past) was hassling her about getting my number. It wasn't even a "happy Birthday!!" Anyway, what a way to wake up.
And of course, the rest of the day followed the initial mood of the morning, as it usually does. Nothing special happened. After chee's class (2:30pm)we went to Cubao to get our bus tickets, but the latest (note the LATEST) time we could have left was 8pm (I usually leave really late --around midnight-- or right after my last class for the day, usually around lunchtime). Anwyay, Chee insisted we had to go to Youth Jam so we got the tickets for the 8pm bus, third row from the back.
Went to YOF, and after the praise portion and Pastor Rico greeted me, I motioned to Chee that we had to go. Then Jen, who was sitting beside me, went to the next row and got out this cake (chocolate of course) and an envelope full of notes from friends from YOF and Ateneo. How sweet!! At least my day was redeemed.
So Mark, thanks for choosing the cake. It was really yummy!!! (although I didn't eat much of it, my family is full of matakaws)
Chee and I spent the weekend at PMA. Toured her around, this time walking Pola, the Yorkshire terrier and not Elvis, the dalmatian. Pola's so cute!!! Had a small barbeque party after Church on Sunday. My family put together this album/scrapbook and it was so cute!!! My dad crammed it daw, and everyone helped. My favourite page is the one of all my crushes, care of my dearest sister. Hehehe...
Went shopping with Chee at ukay-Ukay. We got some good stuff (Chee got so much goods!) so it was nice. Will post pictures of some of our finds when I get copies of them myself. Wnet back down to Manila Monday/tuesday midnight. (i'm never sure where midnight falls)
Anyway, I'm back in school now. Back to the same old, same old.
Oh, during my Games Development class (our first official class) Sir Eric was giving us the rundown on Computer Games History and was giving out bonuses (as in Choco-Mallows) for correct answers to his questions--mostly trivia. Anyway, I got my Mallow early on through this super chamba answer. Thus satisfied, I just sat out the rest of the class, waiting for my classmates (90% male) to battle it out amongst themselves for the rest of the yummy treats. Obscure trivia questions followed, and suprisingly most of these guys knew the answer!
My reaction, sitting in my chair, looking at the passionate faces of all these young men who probably wasted most of their childhood on a FamilyComputer or a PlayStation:
"T'm surrounded by GEEKS!!! AAARGH!"

at least I'm not a geek. Just a nerd...

back in school

2004-11-09T11:02:00.000+08:00

Gawrsh haven't updated in the longest time...
Jen and I were in Baguio for five days, from the 28th to the 2nd. Had a really good time. We didn't stop talking the whole trip up and we stayed up late talking about Philosophy before we went to sleep and woke up talking about Apologetics. We are such geeks!!! Hehehe... Met up with Ceres, who slept over on Monday night because we had a barbeque and her house is kinda far. Stargazed with Jen, Ceres and my sister in the backyard while the bonfire stuttered (firewood was a bit wet).
Anyway I'm back in school and it's all good. Managed to load rev so my classes are... better than what i got the first time around. Basically on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I have class from 9:30-12:30 straight (History, then Operating Systems and then French 4) and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have classes straight from 7:30am till 1:30. (Philosophy then Theology then Database Systems then Games Development). Whooohoo!!!
Just ate... waffles and a hotdog and a sunny side up egg with a little portion of potato salad, and all for P35!!! (that's around 50p, to my Brit pals!!!) We have a free cut for Database class so had time to do that and post something new... gonna have my favorite class with Sir Eric (Games Development) with a lot of fellow nerds. How come none of the nerds I know are like Ryan Phillippe? He was a nerd in Antitrust!!! Hollywood, yet again you have failed me by giving me false hope!
There are no life forms!!! (hehehe... not that I care anyway... not much...)
Oh yeah! Watched The Incredibles with Chee and Vida last night. Went to the cinema in MetroEast. Horrible cinema, smelled oddly like... feet. And Chichi said the seats were weird. but the movie was so good we forgot all about the yucky cinema.
THE INCREDIBLES ROCKS!! WATCH IT! WATCH IT! WATCH IT!