l.y.n.K.s

On your 9th...

2010-12-18T14:32:00.004+08:00

You could have been in Enchanted Kingdom, riding the merry-go-round with your brothers.

You could have been in the beach or at a resort, enjoying the water in your pink swimsuit.

You could have been in the mall, trying on dresses that effortlessly look good on you.

You could have been in Jollibee, ordering a big piece of crispy chicken joy.

... or you could simply have been at home, blowing your princess cake and eating your favorite menudo.

But you're in heaven... celebrating your birthday in a much more wonderful way.

It would have been really nice to see you turn 9, but apparently, God wanted you on His side when it happens, so I'm just writing this note and sending it across the world wide web until it reaches you. It still hurts to know that we can no longer celebrate with you, but we can always let the world know how thankful we are for the day when God gave you to us.

We will celebrate your birthday the way we know how, but no matter what we do, I'm pretty sure nothing beats the feast that heaven is holding for you right now.

Happy 9th birthday, my favorite inaanak! This is ninang's gift to you. I hope you feel how much we love and miss you. Enjoy your special day, our princess, our angel, our Andrea Camille!

Our Bohol Experience

2010-06-23T14:07:00.016+08:00

I recently got back from a 5-day getaway in Bohol! :) My friends and I visited the island last week (June 13-17). We had a wonderful time and we had a blast! I'd attribute the success of our trip to months of planning which would not be possible without the tips and reviews available in the internet. So let me return the favor by sharing also the highlights and some insights from our Bohol trip. Hope this will come handy as you plan your Bohol itinerary :)

1. Grand Luis Lodge

I would say that staying in this lodge is the best part of our Bohol trip! :) They really live up to their tagline of being "a home in Bohol". They have all the qualities of an ideal vacation abode -

cheap rates, good and cheap food, REALLY cozy rooms, quiet and relaxing environment, warm and friendly staff, and facilities that can be used free of charge: swimming pool, jacuzzi, videoke, tennis court and gazebo. A package with them also comes with other free stuff like transfer to and from the airport, daily breakfast and use of internet. They could still improve by having an in-house generator, but then again for the price that we paid and the service that we experienced with them, having a generator will just be another bonus. We were supposed to spend only 3 nights here and spend our 4th night in Danao, but we opted to extend our stay in Grand Luis because of the superb accommodation! Highly recommended especially for group of friends!

Contact Details:

Website: www.grandluislodge.com

Email: info@grandluislodge.com

SMS: 0908-643-3065

Rate during the time of our visit: Php 1,800/room/night (room is good for 2 and can cater an add'l pax with add'l charge)

The facade of Grand Luis Lodge

2. Countryside tour with Tatsky

While drafting our group's itinerary, I came across a number of sites and forums recommending the service of Tatsky for our Bohol tours so I immediately contacted him and inquired about his rates. Of all the tourist guides that I've contacted (I've probably communicated with more than 5 guides!), Tatsky offers the lowest rate with most number of tourist attractions covered. Upon arriving in Bohol, we encountered some glitches (PAL left Crystal's luggage in Manila!) so I informed Tatsky that there will be changes in our itinerary, he was flexible enough to accommodate the changes in our plan and assigned a different driver/tour guide for us. As it turns out, he owns several vehicles and employs several drivers so he can cater to different groups. The driver assigned to us was Kuya Dennis, he seems to be as equally kind and knowledgeable as Tatsky. Although we were not able to personally meet Tatsky, I can highly recommend him for your Bohol tour needs.

Contact Details:

SMS: 0915-794-5556 / 0912-747-2737 / 0922-367-1051

Rate during the time of our visit: Php 2,500.00 for a tour with 5-12 pax

The sight is lovely and so are we!

3. Van Rental with Kuya Ritchie

One of the tour guides that I've talked to while planning our Bohol trip is Kuya Ritchie. Although we didn't get his services for the Bohol tour, we hired him for our trip to Danao. He offered the lowest transfer rate from Panglao to Danao and vice versa and his Starex van is relatively new. He delivered us to Danao and Panglao safely and on time, while slowing down once in a while when there's a clear view of Chocolate hills. He also accommodated our changes very professionally and modestly when we decided to go back to Panglao on the same day and earlier than the planned time considering that his schedule was really tight that day because he was booked by another group for their Bohol countryside tour. Two thumbs up for Kuya Ritchie! :D

Contact details:

SMS: 0919-765-4571 / 0923-931-5121

Helpful link: http://www.calvinshub.com/2009/02/bohol-tour-on-a-budget-with-ritchie/

Rate during the time of our visit: Php 2,500.00 per way (Panglao-Danao)

The main man - Kuya Ritchie Vasquez

4. E.A.T Danao

I don't know if I will call this highlight or what because until now I can still feel how my soul was seemingly detached from my body during the plunge! :P But one thing for sure, my Bohol experience wouldn't be complete without the Danao plunge, suislide, rapel and root climb. It was nerve-wrecking, but trying it out wis really worth it. Like what one of their signages read: "You are not only paying for the ride, you are paying for the experience." Indeed, the Danao adventure is a real must-try! My soul dropped and was left in Danao, but I brought back home a really worthwhile experience! ;-)

Contact Details:

Website: www.eatdanao.com

SMS: 0917-302-1700. Contact person: Ms.Weina Sagud

Rate during the time of our visit: Php 1,500.00/pax for a day tour package (add 600.00 to change Wall Climb to plunge)

No matter how distorted I look in this photo, I don't hesitate sharing it because that right there is not an ugly face, that is a BRAVE face! A very brave face! :p

5. Island Tour - Dolphin watching and Snorkelling

Our island tour was also arranged by Tatsky, he contacted the boatman, Kuya Vito, who met us in one of the resorts in Alona Beach. I don't know if it was sheer luck or Kuya Vito's skill that frequently led us to spots where we had a direct view of the dolphins. Our boat was near the dolphin hot spot for more than 70% of all the sightings! That's really awesome considering that there are around 10-15 boats patrolling the area with us in the hopes of seeing the dolphins jump and gasp for air. :D A tip when watching, or should I say, chasing dolphins as discovered by Nikki and Herlin: the dolphins come out every 4 minutes (or a little less than 4 minutes)! :D

After the dolphin watching, we headed to Balicasag Island for the snorkelling activity. BALICASAG REEF IS REALLY A SIGHT TO BEHOLD! I would consider this reef as the best snorkelling sight that I've seen so far (I'm expecting that only reefs in Palawan can top this). I say that it's best because in the five years that our group has been touring around the Philippines, it is only now that I anticipate each dive not only because of the fishes but also because of the "landscape" underneath! Life under Balicasag was really diverse as there were lots of schools of fishes and live corals (I was able to touch one of the corals and Nemo's home! ^_^), but more than the diversity, I was awed with the coral formation and underwater cliff! I don't know how to further describe it, but for me, it was really astounding! So if you can, go snorkel in Balicasag and be awed. :D

Contact Details:

SMS: See Tatsky's contact details

Rate during the time of our visit: Php 1,500.00/boat good for a minimum of 7pax (I'm not sure about the max headcount per boat)

The show-off dolphins! :D

Those are the remarkable experience that we had in Bohol. As for the not so good side, I would say it's the part where we visited Bohol beach club after the Balicasag tour. Don't get me wrong, Bohol beach club's facilities are good, the view is great and the resort is good for family or group with kids, the major downside for us is their food. Their food is costly but bland and the serving is small. So, if you're working on a really tight budget or craving for really delicious food, dining in Bohol beach club may not be a good idea. Crystal also mentioned that their beach is not that good for swimming. Although the water is clear, the sea floor is quite rough and there were jelly fishes around.

Bohol Beach Club - where food is tasteless but the sight is picturesque! :)

There. I really hope that this will be helpful. :) Feel free to leave a comment for additional questions or more details. Happy planning! :)

Credits: All photos above courtesy of Ronald Calulo and Crystal Gonzalez. :) Friends, I really love our pics, nakaka-inspire i-blog. :) Looking forward to seeing more wonderful photos in our future trips! ^_^

More pics in my Picasa account:

Bohol Getaway - Day 1: Hello Tagbilaran!

Bohol Getaway - Day 2: Countryside Tour

Bohol Getaway - Day 3: Island & Sea tour

Bohol Getaway - Day 4: Danao Adventure

Bohol Getaway - Day 5: Huling Hirit sa Bohol

A darling

2010-05-31T19:23:00.011+08:00

Since I got word from a relative about Sitti Navarro's benefit concert to be held for my cousin, I've started inviting people in my contacts list to participate in the concert and help raise funds for my cousin's treatment. But just for a while, I will stop raving about the details of the event and focus on the more important element of the benefit concert -- the beneficiary -- Andrea Camille Castilla.

This is Camille, my sweet cousin who's also my goddaughter. As you can see in the date-time stamp, this photo was taken on September 2009, a few months before she underwent radiotherapy to treat the big cancerous mass found somewhere near her spinal column and chest. The doctors' diagnosis was Stage 4 cancer.

Around 3 months after the treatment, her parents threw a party to celebrate her 8th birthday. Given her situation, it's a miracle that we were able to witness her 8th birthday, moreso, to see her walking by herself again. This was Camille during her 8th birthday party.

Notice how she can still smile is inspite of all the treatments, the hairloss and the physical pain that she experienced during the therapy! We've got one strong child here. :)

This is the most recent photo that I have of Camille.

Along with the growing of her new hair is the growing of our hope and confidence that we will see her to be a fine young lady someday. :)

Camille still complains of pains in her legs and chest until now but this child keeps on fighting and she needs all the help that she can get. I hope you are with me in giving this darling a chance to a healthier and normal life.

2010-01-22T11:18:00.001+08:00

Dear Lord,

I am having this imaginary conversation in my head. I am not crazy or anything, I just want something too much that I imagine it. In my heart, I am hoping that, in a day not far from now, this conversation will become real and I will eventually get what I want. But in my mind, I keep reminding myself that what I want may not be what you want for me, so I entrust this thought and desire to you. I will keep believing that whatever you have in store for me is far greater that what I can ever imagine for myself.

Thank you that there's always hope in you. Let your will be done.

Amen.

Back from Bora!

2009-11-15T10:43:00.001+08:00

I just got back from a 4-day getaway in Boracay! We had a great time! The weather was kind enough to let us experience the island in it’s best form – partly cloudy but still bright and sunny sky, calm sea, white sand without the agitating weeds, and not too crowded beach. I can only think of two low points in this trip:

We went there on a slightly peak season. The rates for water activities were relatively higher compared to the rates that we were expecting, so we were not able to try all the activities that we were rooting for.
On our last day, I can hardly look my sun-kissed self in the mirror! My skin got darker by perhaps 2-3 degrees, which is actually also a good thing, because it is an indication that we really enjoyed and made the most out of our trip! =)

Just as how online reviews and forums helped me in planning this trip (and other trips in the past), I really hope I can also come up with helpful reviews based on our experience in this vacation. In my next post, I’ll try my best to share my takes on the following:

PALakbayan package
La Carmela de Boracay Resort & Hotel
Places to eat in Boracay (those that we’ve tried)
Boracay Activities

So there, I hope the 4-day hiatus is enough to keep the writing juices flowing. =P

Monday morning ^_^

2009-10-26T10:46:00.003+08:00

My usual lazy and boring Monday morning became eventful because of this:

I got it as a "no-occasion" gift from Nikki! Super thank you, >:D< :-*

Will post the actual pics tomorrow. :-)

UP and Old Love

2009-08-26T17:43:00.003+08:00

After watching UP, I searched for this passage in my email archives. It was forwarded by Nikki a few months ago. This line pretty sums up why I cried from the start to the end of the movie.

“The question is asked, ‘Is there anything more beautiful in life than a boy and a girl clasping clean hands, and pure hearts in the path of marriage? Can there be anything more beautiful than young love?’ And the answer is given. ‘Yes there is a more beautiful thing. It is the spectacle of an old man and an old woman finishing their journey together on that path. Their hands are gnarled, but still clasped. Their faces are seamed, but still radiant. Their hearts are physically bowed and tired. But still strong with love and devotion for one another. Yes, there is a more beautiful thing than young love — old love.”

I have a thing for old love -- I fancy it. *daydreams*

Our little boy

2009-06-26T15:39:00.004+08:00

Sometime end of March, Nikki and I decided to adopt a little boy. It was a mutual decision. We both took notice of the boy’s potential and competence. He has superb characteristics that made him stand out among the other kids in his group. We decided to take him with us and share the responsibility/pleasure of having him around.

Today, I want to formally introduce him to you. You will be seeing him tagging along with us most of the time.

Friends/family, please welcome BALDO.

Blue Acer Laptop na Dalawa ang Owner

Baldo, when he is not asleep

This 'nametag' was with him when we got him.

If he happens to be around when we see each other, don’t hesitate to say “Hi” or give him a delicate pat. Our little boy is quite friendly. Besides, if we usually interact with you in the online world, chances are, he knows you already. :)

Rock the North!

2009-05-26T15:14:00.001+08:00

Nikki and I, together with 4 other pairs are off to conquer the North this weekend! Yahooo!

Sobrang excited na ako sa first beach vacaton ko for this year. Hahaha, sobrang late na kasi kaya to the highest level ang excitement ko. =P

Laoag-Vigan-Pagudpud, here we come! ^_^

I'll post details (itinerary / pics) after the trip para naman maging guide sa ibang nagpaplan ng same trip. =)

NEWs

2009-04-13T15:34:00.003+08:00

New Year! =) Nikki and I just turned 3. We decided to celebrate our anniv at home and invited relatives over to celebrate with us. It was my first time (and probably Nikki's too) to cook for my family! I've long dreaded to cook for them because they are really great cooks (palagi lang ako taga-tikim! =P)! Buti na lang nagustuhan nila! =D We had Tuna Pasta Melt (simot! =D), tacos, Peach Almond jelly (palpak ng konti pero sarap pa din =P), and some fish balls and kikiam. It was tiring but when we hear their comments on how good the food is, it's all worth the effort! =) Another unique and fun celebration! ^_^ I look forward to the coming years and anniversaries! ^_^

New lappy! =) Around 2 weeks ago, we bought our own laptop - Acer Aspire 4935G. =) This may not be THE dream laptop, but I don't regret choosing this. The dream laptop is too far-fetched from what really need/can afford right now. I'm glad we settled with the practical choice. So far we're satisfied with the performance of this gadget, plus it's really nice to have a personal device that we can use when we're not at home. (but I still wish the dream lappy will go on 50% Sale on December =P)

New house! =) Last week, our family transferred to OUR OWN HOME! Almost 28 years after their marriage, my parents finally have a house to call their own. =) Quite a long wait, but better late than never. The house is not yet fully constructed. Believe it or not, up until now, we still have no roof. =P We're staying at the two rooms in the first floor. The cement division between the 1st and 2nd floor (they call it "slab") serves as our roof. The rest of the house in the first floor is exposed. Haha! It's like we're camping out, only the tent has canopy but once you step out, everything else around has the sky as roof. Hehehe. Some relatives call us refugees, but I call us a family. =) It feels like we're just starting out as a new family. I can feel our closeness now more than ever maybe because we're all in this "sacrifice" of living in an unfinished structure. We have the choice of staying at my lolo's house, but my mom was too excited to move in, and we all supported her. Besides, it's not a house we're trying to build, but a home. =) Open house man tirahan namin, close family naman kami. =P

Opposites really do attract =P

2009-03-30T16:55:00.002+08:00

Nikki (3/30/2009 4:46:08 PM): akalain mong halos 5pm na
Nikki (3/30/2009 4:46:24 PM): e ngayon-ngayon lang ako nag-petiks
Nikki (3/30/2009 4:46:25 PM): :P
Nikki (3/30/2009 4:46:40 PM): mula dumating ako hanggang kung anong oras, puro trabaho
Nikki (3/30/2009 4:46:43 PM): >_<
Keilyn (3/30/2009 4:46:55 PM): akalain mong halos 5pm na
Keilyn (3/30/2009 4:47:00 PM): e ngayon-ngayon lang ako nagtrabaho
Keilyn (3/30/2009 4:47:02 PM): :P
Keilyn (3/30/2009 4:47:13 PM): mula dumating ako hanggang kung anong oras, puro petiks
Keilyn (3/30/2009 4:47:17 PM): >_<

FRANCISM

2009-03-09T12:16:00.005+08:00

I am not a big fan of Francis Magalona, but I am a fan. Naaastigan ako sa kanya! I have always admired artists who do not just perform but inspire and influence as well. Francis M. is just one of the few Pinoy artists who were able to inject meaning into their craft. Admiringly, he was able to combine patriotism in his works, whether it be his music, his shirt designs or his web journal. His music is actually likeable, not like most rap music today where one will hate the lyrics/content as much as the beat.

Contrary to what everyone is saying, Francis M. is not a big loss. Our country (not only our country's music industry) has benefitted a lot from this man. He has left a legacy. Time might come that his music will be outdated or his style outmoded, but the meaning that he was able to embed in his craft will remain.

God bless what Francis Magalona has left -- his family, his friends, his followers, his legacy.

Francis M. in his first performance at Eat Bulaga after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Uhh, yes, pinicturan ko ang TV namin dati lang para jan. Sabi sa inyo di ako big fan eh. :P

In that performance, he sang Super Proxy with Ely Buendia. They were both in recupration that time (Ely from his heart attack and Kiko from leukemia). Pinicturan ko din kasi gusto ko si Kiko, tapos gusto ni Nikki si Ely. :P Tsaka astig ang combination nila. :)

I survived Sagada!

2009-03-02T18:49:00.003+08:00

We conquered Sagada! ^_^ Nikki and I went there with his officemates (Bottom L-R: Joe-e, CJ, Noreen and Altair) last Saturday. They’re a bunch of cool and fun-to-be-with guys! =D Sayang lang talaga na halos 24 hours lang kami nakapag-stay dun dahil sa haba ng byahe! But there are plans to go back this June. Sana matupad! =D

I’m not in the mood to post other details (as always =P), just take a sneak peek of our Sagada adventure here. =)

Will update the album with pics from Joe-e and Noreen soon. =)

Mantigue Island -- now an I-Witness documentary

2008-11-24T11:09:00.004+08:00

Last June, Nikki and I were able to visit Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin along with some friends. One of the highlights of our trip was a half-day visit to Mantigue Island, a small but amazing island a quarter of an hour away on motorboat. Our camiguin tour guide Kuya Roger Saturos was born and grew up in the island, as did most of the other residents. They were the ones who took care of the island. At the time of our visit, they were facing a big problem, because the local government wanted to relocate them into the mountainside and restore Mantigue back to its natural state (uninhabited) for day tourists to enjoy.

Kuya Roger and his family alone cannot counter the mandates of the government. It even came to a point that the Mantigue Elementary School (which was established through the sole effort of Kuya Roger) did not receive support from the government. The only thing they could do is share their story to the visitors of their Island with the hope that their story will be publicized. By making the story public, they might attract help from some organizations or even law firms that can help them defend their case.

We did what we can only do – help publicize the story. Nikki was able to send an email to GMA-7 journalist Howie Severino. To our delight, Howie and his team spent time looking into the story and he told Nikki yesterday that they will be airing the Mantigue Story tonight on I-Witness. ^_^

Hope you guys can watch and share this with other friends. This is the least that we can do to help. Also, if any of you plans to go to Camiguin and visit Mantigue Island personally, I highly recommend that you get Kuya Roger’s service as personal tour guide. He charges a reasonable price, and I assure you that he will take care of everything that you need while in Camiguin, and make sure that your trip is as enjoyable and worthwhile as it can be. =)

Kuya Roger Saturos contact details:
Email: roger.mantigue@yahoo.com
Mobile: 0920 230 6407

Mantigue Island at a glance

If you’re interested, here’s the detailed correspondence of Nikki and Howie:

On Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 1:56 AM, Nikki Erwin C. Ramirez wrote:
Good day, Sir Howie!

My friends and I had a vacation this past June in CDO and Camiguin. Part of our Camiguin tour was to see Mantigue, a very small island a quarter of an hour away on motorboat. Our tour guide, Kuya Roger Rogelio) Saturos, was born and grew up in that island, as did most of the other residents. He told us their story.

Mantigue Island used to be uninhabited. According to Kuya Roger, his grandparents were among the first settlers of the island. The first settlers made a living out of fishing. Up to Kuya Roger's generation, life in the island was very primitive. There was no infrastructure for basic utilities at all. The children had to go to Camiguin for their schooling. To go to the main island meant a hand-paddled boat ride that took 2 hours, one-way. There was no source of fresh water in the island, so they also had to ferry water from Camiguin as well, everyday.

They eventually got a power generator but, until the time of our visit, they still went back and forth for fresh water, luckily, on motorboats.

Another big improvement was the addition of an elementary school. Kuya Roger was the lone teacher for Grades 1 to 6. When we went there, he said that they currently had 17 students for all grade levels.

The problem was: the Camiguin local government wanted to evacuate Mantigue Island.

Kuya Roger says that the local government's reason was that they wanted to restore Mantigue Island back to its condition when it was uninhabited, in order to make it a premier tourist destination, which could boost the island province's income. They were told that the arrival of people in the island scared away lots of wildlife. They also brought in with them their garbage, which needed proper disposal. The local government promised to handle their relocation to a vacant mountain-side area.

Kuya Roger says that he understood the ecological reasons. However, he said that relocating hundreds of people off the island was not a simple matter. One of his primary reasons was the issue of their livelihood. They were raised and have grown up as fisherfolk, and they would not know how to survive in the mountains.

He asked us for help in trying to spread information about their issues. He said that they had no one to go to and ask for help in lobbying on their behalf, since the primary local government officials belonged to one political family.

I regret having put this off for too long. I did a little research on the Internet about this matter, starting with a simple Google search: http://www.google.com.ph/search?q=mantigue+island+relocation&btnG=Search&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&sa=2

Here is the top search result, an article which gives a much more detailed and impartial view of the issue: http://www.bulatlat.com/2008/09/mantigue-island-residents-charged-illegal-occupancy

Here's a blog of Eco Tourism students from Camiguin that contain several interviews with residents: http://cpscecotours.blogspot.com/

These next two are identical articles in government websites: http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=reader&rp=7&fi=p080425.htm&no=69&date=04/25/2008 [UPDATE: now I regret putting this off more -- I just checked: some of these links are dead!]

http://cagayan-de-oro-city.com/latest/local-execs-push-mantigue-s-rehab-press-settlers-to-relocate.html

Here's one, after a lot more searching/surfing, that was written by another tourist. She's Filipina and her blog's protected, but I was able to get a cached copy of her entry:http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:hFj47N1_fckJ:acornerofmymind.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/helpless-in-paradise/+http://acornerofmymind.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/helpless-in-paradise/&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=ph&client=firefox-a

[UPDATE: this was a wonderful blog entry! I regret not making a backup! Here's the original URL: http://acornerofmymind.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/helpless-in-paradise/ -- maybe you can contact the author and still be able to access the post.. I feel really, really sorry about this..]

Kuya Roger agreed to have a video-recorded interview and I posted it in YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=roger%20saturos&search_type=search_videos&search_sort=relevance

Kuya Roger Saturos, Camiguin Tour Guide (with English subs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPeAWO8iSIA

You can find a lot of recommendations for Kuya Roger's services as tour guide: http://www.google.com.ph/search?q=roger+saturos&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Here are our groups' pictures in Mantigue:

CDO-Camiguin - Mantigue Island (don't mind our vanity shots =p) http://picasaweb.google.com/necramirez/CDOCamiguinMantigueIsland

I don't expect you to take the time to explore this issue right away (though I'd be glad if you did), and I would appreciate it if you would forward this to fellow journalists who might be able to bring this issue some light.

Thank you very much,
Nikki Erwin Ramirez
---
P.S. I sent this to you, since yours was the first name I thought of when thinking of journalists who would be able to help, and yours was the only email address I could find.

--Howie’s response—
On Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 10:18 AM, Howie Severino wrote:
Hi Nikki,
You may be pleased to know we are airing our episode on Mantigue Island this Monday. Thank you for the suggestion!

NO MAN'S LAND
An I-Witness documentary (GMA7)
Airing Monday midnight: November 24, 2008, after Saksi
(Delayed by a day or two on Pinoy TV overseas: click here for schedules: http://www.gmapinoytv.com/program_guide - we're prime time overseas!)

For three generations, a close-knit clan of fisherfolk have claimed the tiny, white-fringed islet of Mantigue in Camiguin province as their home -- a prized piece of real estate in the tourism economy.

Now the government wants it back and return the island to its natural state for day visitors to enjoy.

The effort of local officials to relocate the residents, including amass arrest of the entire island population, has bitterly divided the community. Eerily evoking the group dynamics of the popular TV program Survivor, but with much higher stakes, family members threaten and back-stab each other over the wrenching decision to leave or fight for a slice of paradise.

At the center of the conflict is the tormented Romulo, who has finally decided to accept the government's resettlement offer and urge his neighbors to do the same. The rest of the clan, including his cousins and siblings, accuse him of treachery and try to discredit him.

Howie Severino and his team camp out on the islet and explore its hidden natural treasures, even scuba diving at night to accompany spear fishermen hunting precious food fish. They also see how the intensifying planetary choices between people and nature play out in a very small space.

Director: Jazel Kristen Villamarin
Executive Producer: Noi Cuanang
Writer/host: Howie Severino
Videographer: Egay Navarro
Underwater Videographer: Ding Cabreira
Dive master: Fra Quimpo

GARY V LIVE @ 25

2008-11-15T19:09:00.000+08:00

Nikki and I watched this concert last night. A few weeks ago, I was already thinking if we'll just cancel this since we don't have enough money for the tickets. My salary has been on-hold since September and at the time that we were planning to buy tickets, my money (and Nikki's money which he has been lending to me for weeks :P) is just enough for our combined usual expenses and allowance. But we really want to watch the concert... and so I came up with the plan... our ten-peso coin savings was the answer! Haha!

I have just started my second set of 10-peso coin savings (we used the first set to buy Lea Salonga's Cinderella tickets). I was a little worried that the contents of the piggy bank will not be enough for what we need... but after counting the coins... VOILA! It is 300-peso more than the amount we need! Fantastic! Within the week, I had the coin collection exchanged for bills and we headed to Manila Genesis' office to pick-up the tickets that Nikki reserved. Manila Genesis have the best and cheapest seats for this concert so we opted to get tickets directly from them instead of TicketNet (but the trade-off is we need to pay in cash).

It was all worth it. I must say that the concert is worth emptying any piggy bank! It was a visual feast for everyone given all the guest artists and celebrity audiences in the concert. Guests artists were: Philippine All Star, Rivermaya, Sugarfree, Jericho Rosales, Karylle, Rachel Ann Go, Laarni Lozada (PDA winner), Maneuvers (of course!), Paolo Valenciano, Gab Valenciano, Kiana Valenciano and Martin Nievera. Celebrity audiences to name a few were: Sharon Cuneta, Kiko Pangilinan, KC Concepcion, Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, German Moreno, Tessa Prieto, Tim Yap, Iza Calzado, Phoemela Beranda and Randy Santiago.

It was really a blast! But more than the visual feast, I would say that it was like a spiritual feeding program for us. The concert was worth it, not because of all the famous faces who were there, but because of the message and inspiration that it has imparted to us. We were really blessed. Gary was out of voice during the concert, he was really paos, but he said that he knows that God will see him through and that we will all see a miracle. I can say, we did see a miracle. We did witness God working at large at the Big Dome, touching everyone's life and uplifting everyone's spirit, through the songs, through the melody, through the dances, even through the adlibs and the effects.

After almost 4 hours of what I can call a worship concert, we went home, spirits uplifted and hearts touched. It was such a night of blessing, and I know that it was the Lord who made a way for us to watch this concert. God wanted us to be blessed. =)

Theme-hunting

2008-10-14T11:34:00.000+08:00

Finally, nakahanap din ako ng theme for my multiply site. Hehehe, well, alam kong madaming nag-ooffer ng free multiply themes, but I just can't seem to find the right one for me and my site. Pang-matagalan na kasi ang theme na'to, obviously, once in a blue moon lang ako sipagin mag-update kaya kailangan yung theme na babagay pa rin sa content ng site at sa personality/mood ko kahit matagal na. :P

Medyo nakakaloka lang dahil may problem sa alignment itong napili kong theme. :( Kaya medyo sinubukan ko pang i-decipher ang CSS para malaman kung san nagkakaproblema sa misalignment. Margin lang pala! #-o Buti na lang, madali lang makita, dahil medyo inaamag na ang web learnings ko from college. :P

Thanks to Ann DC for her really nice creations. ^_^ Although I made some customizations in the banner image to make it more personalized, the credit still goes to the theme's designer. Thanks again Ms.Ann DC. =)

Resurrection!

2008-09-20T23:32:00.007+08:00

'Weblog' speaking, I've been offline for quite a while now but no post, does not mean no life. On the contrary, I've been having so much life, having so much fun. :) Just some random happenings to share...

F A M I L Y
My youngest sister graduated last March. Whew!Graduate na din ang nanay at tatay ko! Yey! ^_^

Now that all of us have already finished college, my mother finally decided to quit her job in Hongkong and stay with us for good. ^_^ Finally, our family is physically complete again. =) As ever, maganda at sexy pa din si mother. Nakaka-pressure dahil mas maganda at sexy pa siya sa aming tatlong magkakapatid...

And the most recent family news: Last Thursday, we just got the initial funding for the construction of OUR OWN HOUSE. Yipeee! ^_^

C A R E E R
I have officially tendered my resignation last September 10! This is something that I have considered for so long. Now that it is already final, I'm feeling both wary and excited. How long will it take for me to adjust? What will my new office mates be like? Will I like the project that will be assigned to me? How big will my new post be? How soon will I be able to travel, if ever I will be given the chance? Is business travel really what I want? These are just some of the questions bugging me lately. I am really praying that I've made the right decision. Explaining to people why I'm giving up a promising career in a locally recognized company is something that I have to get used to. To some this transfer is a bad move, but I personally think that I'm making a strategic career move. Oh well, let's wait and see... in barely a month, I'm going to know the answer. Though scared, I look forward to this new challenge. :)

F R I E N D S
Two weeks ago, Nikki and I stayed up late to have fun with his friends, who I now consider as my friends too. :) Last week, I went to LB to meet with my college friends where we did so much eating and had so much fun! A few hours ago, I just met with my high school friends. Tomorrow, as usual, I will get to see my community / church friends. With the decision that I've made with my career, my list of ex-officemates will have a lot of new entries, but ex-officemates do not become ex-friends. I will surely miss the precious friends I found in SMART, but I anticipate the new friends that I will discover in my soon to be new company. My social network is getting bigger and happier. ^_^

ELBI Comeback with college friends :)

L O V E L I F E (WARNING: Not for the anti-mush especially Joane :P)
Nothing but good news. Nikki and I are going stronger. ^_^ It's nice to observe how our relationship had evolved from boyfriend-girlfriend thingy to partnership. =) I'm proud to say that we are getting deeper and more serious about keeping this relationship for as long as we can. In the past few months, I have witnessed a lot of whirlwind affairs, and I have realized how only few couples can keep a real and committed relationship. Not all people can declare that they are sure about their partners so I'm happy to hear Nikki's confident 'YES' when asked if he's sure about me. :) To reciprocate this natural high, let me borrow one line from my recent favorite novel (Twilight Saga) -- "I Love You. The rest I can live through." :)

L E I S U R E
I had two great getaways this year! ^_^ My Cagayan de Oro - Camiguin trip with friends was an adventure to remember for life! My DAKAK escapade with officemates was a relaxing experience worth repeating! ;) I'll make another post for these wonderful getaways. :) Unfortunately, my family's supposed Singapore visit this December was canceled due to the need to prioritize house-construction funds. :( Hopefully, we will find the right moment to travel as a family soon. :)

CDO-Camiguin Getaway

DAKAK Escapade

At last...

2008-05-29T02:56:00.002+08:00

... a post! :P

Sorry po, I've been really busy with a lot of stuff lately, work mostly. Poor me. But well, after tonight, hopefully things will change. The past few months / weeks here in the office have been really hellish... and to my surprise, the "uppers" noticed how grumpy I am with the hellish environment. Sa totoo lang, natuwa ako na napansin nila, at natuwa ako that they cared to inform me na napapansin nila. Yes! :P

I've fret too many times on the chances of leaving or the prices of staying. Too many times, I ended up saying to myself na "sayang", "saka na lang, masyado pang maaga", "paano ang mga maiiwanan kong alaga (tao at project)?", pero pag anjan na ulit ang pressure, ang politika, ang nakakainis na sistema, napapaisip na naman. Walang katapuuuusaaan! But after tonight, at least I can say na it's worth trying out some more.

I really hope things will turn our okay after tonight. Kung sabagay, trabaho lang to, dapat hindi masyado dinidibdib, but still, I will try to be better, lalo with this adjustment / transition period. Say to myself, this is all part of "career growing up". Learning curves are always there, what matters is how fast and how smooth I was able to drift the curve.

God, thank you for the realization. :)

Malungkot.

2008-02-15T02:32:00.000+08:00

May mga gabing di mo maiwasan umiyak bago matulog. Magigising ka ng madaling araw at mararamdaman mo pa rin ang "kagat" sa dibdib. Pipilitin mong matulog ulit pero tuwing pipikit ka ay may papatak na luha. Iwiwish mo na lang na sana makatulog ka na ulit agad para makapahinga na ang basang mata at pagod na utak.. na sana makatulog ka na lang bigla habang inaaliw ang sarili sa pagsusulat.. haaaay..

Webshots!

2008-01-31T20:28:00.001+08:00

Meet my screen buddies! =) Those are just some of my screensavers/wallpapers. Webshots has been providing me daily good stuff that I can post on my screen. There are a lot of photos to choose from, uploaded by thousands of members from all over the world. Obviously, my favorites are wonderful nature photos. I am always amazed at the splendor of nature. Mountains, sunset, sunrise, close up shots of animals, lakes, rivers… they always look magnificent to me. I am always awestruck at how wonderfully-made nature is. ^_^

Nature photos are very relaxing and can be a good destresser. There are times that my screensavers make me smile, especially after a gruesome meeting or after dealing with a hated officemate. =P People who drop by my area also find the photos nice.

"Kei, ang cute nung rabbit!"
"Uy okay yan ah! Totoo ba yan? Ikaw nag-picture niyan?"
"Ay ang ganda niyan" (sunrise pic is a blockbuster =P)

You can also download 'Webshots Desktop' for free. It is used to organize photos downloaded from their site, set wallpaper to change from time to time and configure screensaver settings. You also have an option to display calendar on your desktop.

Try subscribing! =) If you love to take photos, you can also be a contributor by uploading pics. =) They have a free subscription, but for free account, there is a daily download limit of 5 photos per day. =P I'm fine with that anyway. =) Five wonderful nature photos per day are more than enough addition to my screensavers/wallpapers collection. =D

Gadget Talk

2008-01-30T15:53:00.000+08:00

I got a new iPod iTouch. It's almost one-month old now and I'm really lovin' it! ^_^

I have long wanted to have "something portable" to watch movies and TV series with. Fortunately, our company offered iTouch promo at discounted price last December. Payment is through bi-monthly salary deduction for 6 months, so I did not hesitate to avail of the promo. I think I was the first in the short list of employees who were able to avail of the supply. =P

Nikki is the official content provider of my iTouch. Hehe. First series was Heroes. Addictive Heroes!!! Next series, I don't know yet. Suggestions? =)

I have also been using the gadget to rehearse for our upcoming Easter Concert. I can't attend the Monday practices so I was just given a demo CD which I use along with the choral pieces in order to learn and memorize the songs. So useful! =)

Now, where to buy an affordable and quality case for this? I already have a silicon case (free for employees who ordered before December 31 ^_^), but I need another softcase or a protective pouch. Anyone here knows where I can buy something like that? =)

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

Two weeks ago, Ate and I bought a new cellphone for Mama (our Tita and second mother). We chose Nokia 6300 for it's slim style, user-friendly interface, basic features and not so expensive price. =) Red and silver combination matches her personality more as opposed to the pure black one. I also love the softcase that comes with the unit. =) Mama was so happy with it! ^_^ It's a bit pricey for a gift but nothing compared to how Mama takes care of us while my mother is away. =)

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

My phone is being so uncooperative these days. Some of the keys are already oversensitive while the others are so insensitive! [-( I had it repaired last year, but the "illness" is coming back. Huhuhu! I want another phone, just a mid-range phone, not so feature-packed, but not so basic. I'm choosing between Nokia 6120 (the pink one) or Samsung U600. I like the look of U600 but I still can't get away with the interface of Nokia. Haaay... good thing I still don't have the budget to buy any of them. =P Tiis-tiis na lang muna. =P

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

It's fun to have new gadgets, but it's also expensive! =(

38 questions

2007-11-09T21:13:00.000+08:00

Got this from Sarah. I wasn't tagged, but I just want to do it. =P
---
1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? My sisters. I went home in Cavite last night. Ü

2. What were you doing at 0800? booting up my office PC. I arrived early from Cavite.

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? blogging about our yearbook!

4. What happened to you in 2006? i can think of so many - most significant probably are: having a new work and having a boyfriend. :P

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? 'Wag mo ipagkalat' - my officemate Pazzy, is reading my yearbook page and was just about to share it with other officemates. Nakakahiya!

6. How many beverages did you have today? 1 liter of water, one fresh buko juice, and one glass of hot choco.

7. What color is your hairbrush? black

8. What was the last thing you paid for? Lunch at Chili & Peppers. P190.

9. Where were you last night? In Cavite - to get the checkbook for our yearbook.

10. What color is your front door? Black transparent glass

11. Where do you keep your change? In my coin purse or pocket if I don't have my coin purse with me.

12. What’s the weather like today? Stormy! Nakakatakot yung lakas ng kulog kanina!

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Mint-choco chip and toblerone of Amici! ^_^

14. What excites you? Bonuses! Haha!

15. Do you want to cut your hair? Yeah! I've been planning to get a trim since last month.

16. Are you over the age of 25? Nope. I'm looking forward to it though. Ü

17. Do you talk a lot? Yup yup yup!

18. Do you watch the O.C.? What's OC?

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yup. ex-manager here in the office, and pastor in one of the camps that I've attended.

20. Do you make up your own words? haha, yeah! sample are: badoodles, ging-ging, etc, etc. :P

21. Are you a jealous person? I guess so.

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Arian Lisbog (copied from Sarah, hehe)

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Kate - highshool friend that I just bumped into this morning at the van terminal in Imus.

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? Niknik. I asked him to wake me up at 5am.

25. What does the last text message you received say? From Louie Francisco: "Hi keilyn, tuloy ba yearbook release bukas? Wat tym and location. Tnx! " -- hindi siguro nakapagbasa ng email. :P

26. Do you chew on your straw? nope, i just bite it. =P

27. Do you have curly hair? nope.

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? off to condo (3 blocks away) after i finish this post.

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? an officemate - we call him "he-who-must-not-be-named" :P

30. What was the last thing you ate? Yellow cab pizza from Sarah. =)

31. Will you get married in the future? Definitely yes! :P My ultimate life-goal is to be a good mother and a good wife. =)

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? Stardust! (it's almost a month though since I've seen this movie)

33. Is there anyone you like right now? Yes - Hi boyps! :P

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? just last night

35. Are you currently depressed? Nope. I rarely get depressed. Thank God for the gift of optimism. =)

36. Did you cry today? Nope. But I almost cried when I saw the yearbook handed by Cover & Pages messenger.

37. Why did you answer and post this? parang nakakawala ng stress =)

38. 5 people you tag next? Niknik, Hannah, Joane, Agee and Arian.

ALGORISME 2005 - Finally! ^_^

2007-11-09T20:25:00.000+08:00

Finally, our yearbook -- ALGORISME 2005 is finished! ^_^ It's so cute and handy! =) Compared to other annuals, this one's so personalized. Yeah, two years in the making! But finally, it will be released tomorrow afternoon at LB square. Little reunion na din for our batch. =)

Thanks to all who supported and participated. And many many many thanks to the core ALGORISME team: Agee, Herlin, Tina, Sarah and Niknik! Eto na, tapos na! ^_^ I'm so proud of what we've accomplished! Galing-galing! ^_^

Take a quick peek:

front cover

back cover

front and back

logos

sample graduate page

Some of the miscellaneous pages

ALGORISME Editorial Board - "way beyond good for a first time!".
Thanks a lot to these guys! =)

Hail ALGORISME - the first yearbook that ICS will ever have! =)

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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Check out our partner printing house at http://www.coverandpages.com.
They are really good and accomodating. Two thumbs up!

SEQUEL: Secret (last minute) campaign

2007-10-30T14:19:00.000+08:00

We waited for the canvassing to be completed at around 3am, only to hear the news that my father lost by *sigh* 5 votes *another sigh*!

Of course, my father's supporters believed that he was cheated, because the result of final canvassing didn't tally with the watchers' partial vote count, and because the opponent has violated a lot of election rules like being in the precint during the actual election and speaking foul words during the canvassing. We even got videos and picture of him doing those violations. My father's supporters are up to an appeal, I think. But for us, it is ok that he lost. Besides, the opponent and his supporters don't look like they could accept defeat. We were so afraid at what they can do to our father if he wins, so we stayed beside him the whole time.

After we have confirmed the opponent's five-point lead, my father didn't bother to ask questions anymore, even if there are a lot of questions to be asked. He went straight to shake the opponent's hand. Even the policemen were surprised when they saw him do it because the rivalry was really really intense. But I wasn't surprised at what my father did. He has always been a good and fair fighter. It's such a sad thought that he didn't make it. I pity those who could have benefited from him as a good leader.

My father has already asked his supporters to drop the appeal, but I doubt that they will surrender that easy. They can go on with it if they want. We would help them by compiling the videos and pictures. But after that, we will just quietly monitor the progress. We have already accepted that my father didn't make it. For me, he has already proven his competence as a leader, it is the people's liability that they will not see him prove himself some more.

My father didn't become a Barangay Captain, but at least now, he can be just a father. I am sure that there's a better plan for him. I'm eager and looking forward to know what that better plan is. It was a good fight, anyway. In my father's words: "... kahit talo, ito pa din ang pinakamagandang nangyari sa akin. Kahit papano nalaman niyang meron pwedeng lumaban sa kanya, baka sakali pag-igihan niya ngayon."

I love my father so much and I am so proud of him!

Secret (last minute) campaign

2007-10-29T00:38:00.000+08:00

I hate politics, it's such a dirty business - compromises here and there, rampant graft and corruption, evident bribery, dishonesty and disloyalty. Philippine politics really sucks!

But much as I try to avoid it, I just can't.

My father ran twice in a row as municipal councilor during the 1998 and 2001 elections. He didn't make it the first time... nor the second. But I knew then that it wasn't the end of my father being a political figure. A few years after those failed attempts, the town mayor personally appointed my father to be the community leader of a new subdivision -- a really big subdivision. From what I heard, it has a voting population of 3000+. Let me reiterate that the figure was just the *voting* population -- a subset of the residents' population.

Since then, my father devoted most of his time, resources, and energy for that community. We often tease him that he's a border of his own house because he spends the rest of the day with the homeowners of that subdivision than with us. Since then, we got used to being disturbed in the middle of the night by people or incidents that would need urgent decision and attention of my father. Since then, we contented ourselves with the fact that our father is a public servant, and being a public servant meant less time for us, more time for them; less of his money for us, more of his money for his subordinates who are sick and needy; less for us, more for them.

If I were to be asked to describe him as a father and as a public figure, I would say that he is a public figure more than he is a father. He was a better provider to his subordinates than to us. He was more visible in the community programs than in our school events. He has given more advise to the children of that community than to us, his own daughters.

But I don't hate my father for that. I LOVE HIM FOR THAT AND I AM SO PROUD OF HIM. He was a better provider to his subordinates, because through his efforts, a public school was built in that community. He was more visible in the community programs, because he conceptualizes and heads almost all events in the community -- talents' night, cultural shows, Wish Ko Lang type of shows during Christmas, battle of the bands, sportsfest and even gay pageants! He has given more advise to the children of that community because he looks for the drug-dependents and thieves, disciplines them, teaches them a lesson and eventually gives them decent jobs and sources of income (garbage collector, driver, makers of charcoal, etc.).

My father has proven his worth as a public figure. But he didn't stop there. A few hours from now, people will decide if they want my father to be their Barangay Captain. My father said that he doesn't need the position anymore, yet he decided to run, again, for his subordinates and for other people who haven't yet benefited from his competence as a leader.

If I were to decide, I want my father to be just a father. I want his full attention to us, his family. But whenever I remember what kind of leader this community will lose if my father stops, I wake up to my senses and realize that this country needs a leader like him. I am so proud of him, and so is our whole family. I am glad that our whole family is behind my father's back in this endeavor - my grandfather, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles have spent so much time and resources creating his campaign paraphernalias (fliers, posters, stickers, sample ballots), cooking food for his supporters and running errands for his every need. My father is not running alone, we are with him in his every step.

I really pray that my father will win this election, even if it means more for them and less for us. I know that it is his utmost desire to serve other people. But if he loses, so what? He'll still be a FATHER anyway.

I heart Sonya

2007-09-27T09:36:00.001+08:00

[UPDATE, 09/28/2007 8:54 AM]: It's that time of the month (first day today). Bawal nga ba magpa-spa kapag red flag? Huhuhu! T_T
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"Tucked in the rolling hills of Tagaytay, Sonya's Garden is a peaceful, relaxing place, just exactly what burnt-out yuppies in Manila need." -- from PinoyTravelBlog

... so I'll probably come back this Saturday! Sonya day tour + spa! Weeheee! I'm excited! ^_^

(I am sooo tired. Me wants SPA!!!)

House Blues - Part II

2007-09-26T13:35:00.001+08:00

For those who enjoyed House Blues... I'm sure you'll enjoy these old posts too:

Haaay, I miss my cousins so much. Things have changed a lot since they migrated to California a year ago. Before, we enjoy their kabululan, but now we're amazed at how "Americanish" they've become in a span of few months. Snippets of our video calls during the past few months:

Kei: Eyon, di ka na ba nagpupu sa shorts?
Aaron: Hindi na po.
Kei: Wow, very good! =D
Aaron: Kasi po, dito po, kapag po pupupu ang sasabihin: "I wanna poo", kapag po wiwiwi ang sasabihin po: "I wanna pee"

(cute! ^_^)
---
Background: One of my cousins (in the Philippines) distorting her face in front of the Webcam, and getting other people's fingers to pick her nose
Andrea (now 9 years old): Ewww, groooossssss, disgustiiiiing!

Haaay, I miss their kabululan. Sana hindi na lang lumalaki ang mga kids =P.
At sana, di na lang din sila umalis =( Oh well, they're better off now in California. =)

Boracay Getaway

2007-09-22T16:06:00.000+08:00

Finally, I was able to upload our pictures in Boracay. Tagal na, i know, pero at least habol pa din. =P Our Boracay getaway was really really fun, not just because a big portion of the expense was subsidized by the company, but also because I and my companions really really "gelled" together.

This getaway means a lot of firsts for me -- first time to ride a plane, first time in Boracay, and first TCP (team celebration program, sa mga hindi taga-Smart -- team building).

First plane ride. I was lucky to have been given a window seat. =)

VIEW FROM THE TOP

Dagat ng Boracay vs. Dagat ng Manila

First-timers in Boracay - (L-R) Eliska, me and Mommy Evelyn!
First TCP din for Eliska and me.

I went there with some of my officemates. Our department was divided into 2 batches, I joined the first batch because I want to be with a smaller group and because I wanted to do a favor for an officemate who can't join the 2nd batch. I was never wrong with that decision. Since we were a small group (around 20 persons), the group was more manageable, one person can easily relate with everyone else, it is easier to come up with decisions since we there are only a few options, and chance of bonding with everyone in the group is higher. =) I had the chance to mingle with officemates that I rarely interface with at work and I realized that some officemates whom I thought were "maarte" are also "kikays". And one more thing that I like is that we had a lot of semi-professional photographers in the group (a total of 4 guys equipped with SLR cams)!

The ladies...

...and the gents (yung 1 cameraman, nauna sa hotel =P)

Everyone in the group was 'game', which made the vacation more enjoyable. First water activity was Paraw-sailing, it was really really fun! ^_^ Sobrang relaxing kasi you're riding a boat na hangin lang ang nagpapa-andar, tapos may net na naka-spread sa magkabilang 'wing' ng bangka. Nung pabalik na kami sa shore, lumusong kami sa dagat habang umaandar yung boat. When we got to the shore, narealize namin na kami yung group na pinaka-nagtagal sa paraw, at kami lang ang lumusong sa tubig. Haha! We really had a blast! =D

Boracay Paraws. =)

First-half of our second day in Boracay is for island-hopping! The whole island hopping experience was arranged by the hotel. We went to Crocodile island and Puka beach. The Sugar-like sand of Boracay is amazing! The crystal clear water was splendid! The snorkling gears allowed us to see and touch (although bawal yata) the colorful fishes in Croc island. Unfortunately, the corals in the island are already dead.

Crocodile island (named after the croc-head shaped rock in the middle of the island)

Puka Beach (or Pucca beach?) -- this is my favorite! ^_^

Second half of the second day was for Parasailing. Para sa akin, ito yung best activity namin. My experience was extra special dahil inabutan kami ng sunset while we were suspended in the air. Saya! ^_^ View from the top was really magnificent! =D

Third day was free-day. Each of us had our own activities -- some went shopping for pasalubong while the others ran to the beach for their last dip.

Mommy Evelyn and I, looking for accessories.

Eliska and Mommy Evelyn -- enjoying the beach!

I had so much fun! =) I can't wait to go to Boracay again with friends and Niknik naman. =) I'm sure, it will be double the fun! =)

One of the *many* group pics. =)

Complete pics here.

House Blues...

2007-09-22T15:48:00.000+08:00

Reymart (pinsan ko, 7 years old): Ate Kei, bakit walang pasok bukas? Gusto ko nga pumasok eh.

Kei: Kasi, Araw ng Kagitingan

Reymart: Ano yung Araw ng Kagitingan?

Kei: Hmmm, araw ng mga heroes

Reymart: Aaah, araw nina superman?

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Setting: birthday ni Bethel (bunso kong kapatid)

Kei: Ate, ano regalo mo kay Bethel?

Ate Jhem (panganay kong kapatid): earrings, e ikaw?

Kei: katerno nung ibibigay mo =)

Ate Jhem: ano, bracelet? necklace?

Kei: hindi... tenga! =P

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Bethel: Ate Kei, sinuot mo ba yung tube ko na black?

Kei: ay hindi, spaghetti na black yung suot ko nung isang araw.

Andrea (pinsan ko, 8 years old): Huh? Meron bang spaghetti na kulay black???

=P

Weirdness -- laos na meme

2007-09-03T20:47:00.000+08:00

This post is long overdue, but I think it's fun so I'm still doing it anyway. I was tagged by Mark and Sarah, months months ago. Now that I'm reviving this meme, I'm not tagging anyone anymore dahil masyado nang laos parang mang-damay pa ng iba. :P
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Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Before I go to sleep, I pull the bottom corner of my bedsheet, exposing the semi-rough, semi-smooth texture of the mattress. Can't sleep without doing this. =P
Those who know me too well know that I am still awake as long as I'm still rubbing my feet with my mattress. I was not aware of this, until my college housemate pointed it out to me. Months after, my mother noticed it too and she said that I probably got the habit from her. =P
Whenever we order chicken meal at any fast food chain, I always mix gravy and ketchup. Nikki says it's weird, but I say it's yum yum! :D (after all, I know other people who love the mixture just as I do! =P)
Peanut butter + strawberry jam = the best spread for my bread! :D Yeah, weird mixture again, but believe me, it's delicious (especially Skippy's regular peanut butter and magnolia strawberry jam! ^_^). Since my grandmother introduced this to us a few years ago, my ate and I can't eat peanut butter on bread alone or strawberry jam on bread alone. (hinahanap-hanap ang nag-aagaw na lasa ng tamis at alat! Haha! =P)
I can't eat oatmeal. I have tried so many times because of the health benefits but I just can't tolerate the taste and texture. Sorry Mr.Quaker, but you make me want to throw up!
Sobrang lakas ng kiliti ko sa batok. Sa sobrang lakas, madalas, nakikiliti ako sa sarili kong buhok! #-o (pero nag-iimprove na ako ngayon. :P)

so lovin'

2007-09-03T20:09:00.000+08:00

I love it that I'm now staying in Makati.

I can get more rest and more sleep.
I now have more time for after-work recreation like badminton, gym and movies
I can wake up a few minutes before my work shift and still not be late (but I have to rush of course :P)
I get more exercise by walking to apartment from office (and vice versa)
I am finally free from the hassle of everyday traffic/pollution/noise. Commuting from Cavite to Manila during rush hour is a very stressful activity, mind you.

... best of all, now that I'm away from home every weekdays, I appreciate my family more (and I think, they appreciate me more, too! Ü)

Now, they have more reason to tell me that they miss me. Now they have more reason to ask how I am doing. I have more reasons to tell them that too! Ü
Whenever I go home during weekends, I get this feeling that every meal with my family is special (whether it be daing, itlog na pula, or special kare-kare). Home-made foods are still the best! ^_^
Before I go home, I make sure that I have pasalubong for my cousins (and recently, for my grown-up sisters too!). MEIJI chocolates are their favorites! :D
When I am home, I am very eager to listen to their stories and news, however trivial the item may be. Unlike before that whenever I come home every night, my mind and body seems so tired to pay attention to their stories (before I stayed in Makati, all I can do when I go home is to lay my back in the sofa, take a nap, and wait til my father wakes me up come midnight).
Now, I am NOT the grumpy me that tends to yell at my sister or cousin when I'm being asked about something. Yeah, I used to be like that before, when I'm already so tired of commuting and so stressed out with work.

To adjust financially so I can shoulder the cost of living in Makati is very difficult, but those above are good enough reasons to say that my moving in to Makati has done more good than harm for me as an employee and most importantly as a member of my wonderful family! ^_^

Much needed rain

2007-08-08T10:00:00.000+08:00

The rain turned my 10-minute walk to a 15-minute jeepney ride (from office to apartment). The rain hindered a friend from visiting us and sleeping over in the apartment. The rain caused flood in some parts of Manila. The rain caused heavy traffic last night and this morning.

But I am still thankful for the rain.

This is the much needed rain by our country. Based on news clippings, for the period of January – July, only 2 typhoons hit the Philippines, this is only 25% as compared to the statistics from the same period last year. Although, PAG-ASA said that rains are expected to normalize in September, some people can’t help but fret about the big drop in statistics. On the average, 20 tropical cyclones hit the Philippines in a year. There are still around 4 ½ months left for this year, I wonder what can happen.

I pray for more moderate rain to hit the affected areas in the country – the prime agricultural provinces, the water sheds and other provinces that are indirectly affected by the dry spell.

Instead of uttering rants about the rains, let’s look at the positive side – thank God for the rain and pray for more. Ü

Where have all the excitement gone?

2007-07-30T20:57:00.001+08:00

Inee and I have finally moved in our new apartment. It's our first
night here, but unfortunately, Inee had to work overtime - so I'm
spending the first night alone. I feel the urge to go home. I miss
home. It's lonely to be alone in a very unfamiliar place. I miss home.
T_T

Imaginations (quite long)

2007-07-18T15:35:00.000+08:00

Personality tests almost always reveal (although not always direct to the point) that I am an imaginative person. And that is sooo true. I can always easily make scenarios in my head out of the blue. Most of the time, I smile or laugh alone when something fun pops out of my head. Sometimes, I cry when I daydream about confrontations and sad events, there are also times when I have to pinch myself for thinking about absurd stuff. =P

I, particularly, love to imagine about my future. Back in high school, I imagined myself being in a corporate environment, doing corporate stuff – a few years after, what I imagined has become real. I like what I am doing now because I have always dreamed about it. Lately, I’m beginning to imagine some more about my future. Still vague thoughts, but will have clarity soon. Right now, I imagine that after a couple of years or so, I can say to myself that I have exhausted everything that I have to learn from this corporate world. Eventually, I will move out of this zone, and perhaps get involved in teaching kids while being a small-time entrepreneur. I also imagine myself going to other countries in the near future. I still don’t know if I’d to go there for a business trip, or for a new career, or for a new life in a different world. Still vague, like I said, but what's certain for now is that I want to experience how it is to be a stranger in another country and to experince living in a place full of people with different culture, perhaps different language and norms. This way, I will be able to appreciate life and culture in the Philippines. If I will be given the chance to go to other countries (without spending much , of course =P), as of this writing, I am resolute to grab it. But that’s for now, things might change. =)

So there goes pieces of my self-imaginations. The good side is that I almost always know what I want and when I want it. If I will have the chance to outline my future, I can do so easily. The disadvantage, however, is that I tend to become idealistic. So idealistic that I become frustrated when the end result is not how I imagined it to be. So idealistic that I get disappointed when other people don’t do things according to how I daydreamed about it. Bad bad I know. That’s why most of the time I tell myself that all these are just my imaginations – all products of my thoughts. I can’t live by these imaginations.

The struggle of detaching imagination from reality has always been a struggle for me. On top of my imaginative side, I have to put my positive side. So that when things don’t seem to turn out right (my imaginations being the standard in that case), I can get away with the frustration and still cheer up. =)

BTW, I’m writing this because, right now I am frustrated about something. My way of shrugging it off and telling myself that “hey stupid, people don’t know your thoughts, and they can’t look through your imaginations, so don’t expect them to do things your way…”.

Blogging/writing can really be such a great relief. =)

Quizzes quizzes... surprisingly true!

2007-07-17T13:18:00.000+08:00

This quiz started it all. Got the link from Jam. Thanks! Ü

Your Love Song Is

Thankyou by Dido

"And I want to thank you for giving me
The best day of my life
Oh, just to be with you is having
The best day of my life."

It's all good, as long as you're in love.

What Love Song Are You?

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Yeah, Ernie! ^_^

You Are Ernie

Playful and childlike, you are everyone's favorite friend - even if your goofy antics get annoying at times.

You are usually feeling: Amused - you are very easily entertained

You are famous for: Always making people smile. From your silly songs to your wild pranks, you keep things fun.

How you life your life: With ease. Life is only difficult when your friends won't play with you!

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

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Personality tests always amuse me. How come the results are always exact?

You Are An ENFJ

The Giver

You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.
Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.
Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.
You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine.

In love, you are very protective and supporting.
However, you do need to "feel special" - and it's quite easy for you to get jealous.

At work, you are a natural leader. You can help people discover their greatest potential.
You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist.

How you see yourself: Trusting, idealistic, and expressive

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Bossy, inappropriate, and loud

What's Your Personality Type?

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Uhmm... hmmm? Hihi. =P

He's a Great Boyfriend

You guy definitely loves you and knows how to treat you right.
You have a five star boyfriend - so make sure you treat him right too!

Is He a Good Boyfriend?

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Eto, nakakalungkot. =( I was hoping na sana yung lalabas ay something like "You are destined to be sexy, don't worry about those baby fats, they will be gone soon". Haha!

You Are Destined to Struggle With Your Weight

Like most people, you find it a little difficult to stay at at weight you're comfortable with.
If you change a few habits and make food less important, you may find the struggle hardly exists anymore.

Are You Destined To Be Overweight?

Bawi..

2007-07-13T08:25:00.000+08:00

I think this is the longest time that I didn't blog. Almost two months. Haaay, sorry for being lazy. =P

Got lots of stuff to share. I plan to post about them:

The simple yet memorable celebration of my 23rd birthday -- obviously, this is way too late already. 2 1/2 months overdue! *slaps forehead* but i still want to share. :-)
The hustle and bustle of going from Cavite to Makati everyday! I finally gave up, and I'll be moving in to Makati beginning August (for weekdays only). Uhm.. I'm excited about the new experience/environment, but anxious about the budget.
Gym! Yeah, I finally enrolled myself in the gym. Hihi. Tagal ko nang pinag-iisipan, kaso, takot ako sa gastos. But luckily, we availed of a super good deal. More later. :)
Pics pics and pics!
Quizzes and tags.
etchetera, etchetera, etchetera...

I miss blogging. Hope I can conquer this laziness from now on...

for my sexy mamsies!

2007-07-13T08:20:00.001+08:00

I already got these garfield's words before from an SMS. But I still can't help but giggle when I saw this. May point naman! Hihi.

Inee and EK, this is for us! Love you sexy mamsies! Mwuah!

My Lakbayan Grade is C- [Updated]

2007-07-03T08:47:00.000+08:00

My Lakbayan grade is C-!

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

Created by Eugene Villar.
Got this cool quiz from Sarah. :-)

I thought I'd have a higher grade since we always have a family out-of-town once or twice a year. But obviously, that wasn't enough. :P Anyway, I'm looking forward to more travels in the years to come. Wooohoo! (This means that I need to tighten my belt a little more. yikes!)
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UPDATE:
I already included "Just Passing through" pero C- pa din. :(

2007-05-16T12:36:00.001+08:00

What would you do when you feel that you’re becoming less of what you really are, or less of what you are supposed to be? I feel that I am becoming less spiritual, less competent, less comprehending, less optimistic. I don’t like the feeling, makes me think that I am so weak as a person. I want to restore myself to the old me, but I don’t know where to begin. I drowning in a rubble that I’ve created myself… much as I want to get out of it, I can’t manage a first step. All I can blame for all these is myself.

Humiliated as I am, I come to You for help. O God, rescue me!

Whatta Vacation!

2007-05-08T08:33:00.000+08:00

Had a blast a Galera! Grabe, super saya! Wooohoo! I went there with some of my college classmates-turned-officemates, college classmates-turned-ex-officemates, college classmates-turned-"to be" officemate (@agee: :->), officemates-turned-friends and officemate-turned-boyfriend-turned-ex-officemate. :P Magulo, pero the best ang combination ng mga to. Palagi ko nga sinasabi: nag-click talaga yung grupo. Ngayon lang ulit kami nagkasama-sama pero walang moment na hindi nagtatawanan at nagbibiruan. Tsaka hindi naging problema na hindi magkakakilala, nag-gel talaga yung group. Saya! :)

Tama ang desisyon namin na i-schedule ang leave ng May 2-4-- kasi bakasyon din ang May 1 so may oras pa kami mag-prepare at mamili ng mga kulang na gamit. Sobrang tama ang desisyon namin na magpunta dun ng weekdays-- hindi pa masyadong crowded ang ports at ang public beach. Tama din ang desisyon namin na mag-stay sa isang private resort, instead na sa White Beach-- nasolo namin ang sand at beach, na-enjoy namin ang mga free facilities (although konti lang :P), at na-avail din namin ng mura ang facilities ng katabing resort! Tama ang desisyon namin na magsama-sama at mag-break sandali. Saya! :)

Eto yung flow ng araw namin habang nasa Galera- gising ng hindi sobrang maaga, picture, kain ng noodles, picture,swim sa dagat (na solo nga namin!), picture, text sa loyal driver ng trike para magpahatid sa White Beach, picture, punta sa palengke, picture, balik sa private resort, picture, ihaw ng dinner, picture, more activities-- videoke/swim sa pool/duyan, picture! Saksakan ng daming pictures na hanggang ngayon ay di pa namin nabuburn at napapagsama-sama. :P Sobrang saya at sobrang sarap - worry-free, light, peace and quiet! Saya! :)

Lahat ng choices tama, kaya sobrang saya. Kung may panghihinayangan man ako dito, yun ay dahil hindi nakasama sa trip sina Joane at Inee. Sayang dahil nag-conflict sa sked nila yung trip. Pero next time, sama na sila! :D Diba Jo? Diba Inee? :D Para masaya! :)

Namimiss ko na agad ang dagat at ang mga kasama kong nagbakasyon sa dagat! Kakamiss yung tunog ng alon. Nakakamiss yung serene na lugar. Nakakamiss yung relaxing environment. At nakakamiss na ang inaalala mo lang ay kung ano ang iihawin ulit sa gabi. :P Ngayon pa lang, nag-iisip na kami ng susunod na puntahan. Hopefully, magkatotoo yung punch line ko sa Galera na: "We'll go places together!". Wooohoooo! Saya! :)

P.S.
Alam ko, madami na akong utang na pics. I plan to organize my pics and broadcast via picasa web soon. :) Kaya, hintay na lang muna. Hopefully, magawa ko na this weekend. :)

All about Politics

2007-04-25T20:11:00.001+08:00

I got this email containing profiles and pertinent information about the senatoriables from an officemate. Whoever is the original source of this email, thanks to him/her. It's nice to know that there are persons who extend extra effort to ensure that voters will make the right move and pick the right choices on May 14. The email contains (among others) educational background of the senatoriables, their political experiences, and republic acts that they have voted or not voted for. I really think that voters should know at least the political background of to-be senators. For me, it is important that those who will be elected in the legislative slate are not newbies in the political world. How can they handle national concerns, if they don't even know how to address local government issues. This is especially true for showbiz personalities. It's not about them being famous actors -- it's about them being unexperienced politicians. In a legislative position, profession/work is not an issue, but experience is. For me, people like them can run for national position as long as they have experienced how to handle local government concerns, municipal orders, provincial directives, etc. Celebrities are fortunate that popularity is not a problem for them, but they are unfortunate that their work does not give them background and experience on political science, authoring of law, and other must-haves of an ideal senator-- they have to learn first, and they can't learn it in one big stride... just one step at a time. Well, there are exceptions, but in general, outstanding senators were once local government officials or leaders of a smaller unit of government.

This is just me thinking aloud, and sharing how I will base my votes come election day.

I plan to print out the email and share it with my family, churchmates and friends. That's the least that I can do to ensure a desirable outcome on May 14 election.

P.S.
I hate Chavit Singson! He is not a showbiz personality (although he's trying hard to be) and he has experience (dirty exprience, that is), but he's the epitome of a TRAditional POlitician! If there's a list of who should not be voted on election day, he'll definitely be on top of my list!

Lastly, I hope residents of GenSan will be wise enough to vote Custodio over Pacquiao. I really hope so.

Tabachoi!

2007-04-18T19:03:00.000+08:00

Bakit kaya ang hirap pumayat pero ang daling tumaba? Kainis noh!

No rice during weekdays + a few minutes of exercise works for me. Been practicing that for sometime, at kahit pano nababawasan naman ang excess na bilbil. But when my mother went back from Hongkong, and started cooking my favorite dishes, woah!, can’t resist. I told myself na minsan lang naman siya uuwi, and less than 3 weeks lang naman so might as well show her that I enjoy her cooking. But in that less than 3 weeks, mukhang lahat ng na-lose ko dahil sa di pagkain ng rice, biglang na-gain ko na naman ulit. Huhuhu… Kainis naman! Hmp!

Pano na ang pangarap kong mag-two piece! Hahaha! 8-} As if! :P

One year!

2007-04-13T08:16:00.000+08:00

PMS + 1st minor frustration + ... + nth minor frustration = previous post

But everything's ok now. Better. :)

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Nikki and I celebrated our first anniversary last Wednesday! ^_^ We both took a day off from work to celebrate together. :) We went to Sonya's garden in Tagaytay! (their site is currently under construction, but I'm posting it anyway for future reference ;)) The place was really amazing! For those who want to be in a serene place, and those who love nature tripping, I highly recommend this place! :D We arrived there a few minutes before 12 noon. Just enough time for us to have a quick tour of the garden before lunch is served. For lunch, we were led to a dining area that can accomodate approximately 100 people. It was so cozy. We were amazed with the meals that they served - all organic ingredients, specially cultured in the garden. Here's a description of the meals served in the garden (from someone who's also been a visitor at Sonya's):

As to the food, you start with the salad, my personal favorite. The leafy greens are grown in the garden itself. The rich and tasty dressing is perfect with the delicious toppings of varied textures and tastes. Toppings served are: finely chopped hardboiled egg, sliced chico (a small, brown fruit) with just about the right firmness and ripeness, sweet mangoes, crunchy nuts and cucumbers, cheese, and corn.
The salad is followed by bread served with several different dips: sundried tomatoes, white cheese, mushroom, and chili, followed by pasta with two sauces. The pasta sauces are: tomato-based and white cream sauce. These can be mixed with shrimps, anchovies, and olives which are also provided separately.
For dessert, there is sweet banana thinly coated with caramelized sugar, and sprinked with sesame seeds all over. There is also sweet carioca. To end the meal, hot water with mint tea leaves is served. (full article here)

They also serve a special chocolate cake, baked from the garden's Panaderia. :D The food was really great and worth the price! ;)

After lunch, we relaxed for a while in one of the mini-huts framed with flowing lace curtains and layered with a soft mat and matched with small pillows. It's an open area where visitors can sit or lie down, and "tambay". Once your back touches the mat, you'll want to just stay in the hut and spend the rest of the day sleeping in that relaxing area. But of course, we can't afford to spend the entire day sleeping there. :P After a few minutes, we headed to the spa area! :D Nikki and I availed of the "Sonya's Signature full body massage"! :D My first-ever full body massage! After the 1 hour massage, the masseurs gave us a relaxing drink -- calamansi juice mixed with mint tea? I really don't know how to call it but it was good. :)

The place is really relaxing, and Sonya Experience is amazing. It was a day well-spent at Sonya's Garden. I am really glad that we spent our first anniversary there. I look forward to going back! We will definitely visit there again, and I plan to book a reservation for my parents. ;)

Falling out...

2007-03-28T21:14:00.001+08:00

Can't explain why, but I feel like quitting. I've been
rehearsing how to say it. I may not be able to justify it, I
will run out of reasons, but I feel it. And gradually, I'm giving
in... giving up...

T_T

S n i P p e T s

2007-03-27T01:21:00.000+08:00

I had a really bad day. My Monday started with something that I regret doing. I "shouted" at my Mama (my aunt, but like a second mom to me). Huhuhu. :( I immediately said sorry, but I still feel guilty. Then I got an email from her. An excerpt from her email:

Cige na forgiven na. Sanay na naman ako sa yo, pag pressured ka mainit ulo mo. ... napapansin ko lately nagiging masungit ka na... ... Hindi k n yung keilyn na mahinahon, mahaba pacencya... ... Don't take this against us mahal ka namin, naninibago lang. Pero kung may gusto ka rin o napapansin sa akin na offending sa yo, sabihin mo lang sa akin and I will accept it. LOVE YOU VERY MUCH

Grabe! Sobrang bait ng mama ko, at sweet pa. Lalo tuloy ako na-gui-guilty. Pero ok na kami ngayon. Buti na lang. :)
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I'm still here at the office for another deployment. I am somewhat thankful for this activity, because this means that I don't need to report to work tomorrow. I really feel that I need a break. A one-day break is really really short, but it will help. I want a vacation. Too much stress from work is already creeping in me, and I don't want to reach the point where I already hate my work. Good thing, holy week is already fast approaching. Looking forward to a long weekend!
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Speaking of vacation and holy week... we'll be in Ilocos for a family vacation from Maundy Thursday - Black Saturday. Can't wait! ^_^
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Last Thursday, my nanay arrived from Hongkong -- still as beautiful and sexy as ever. :) I missed her, a lot. And I'm happy that she'll be staying with us for more or less 3 weeks. :) Finally, she met Nikki already. Initial reaction of my Nanay? --> "Wag muna kayo mag-aasawa agad ha???!!" Haha! With matching high-pitch voice! :P
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Sorry for the snippets... can't organize my thoughts right now, I just write anything (and deletes almost everything out of the anythings. Haha!)

I feel sleepy...

Quickie...

2007-02-22T20:53:00.000+08:00

I've been planning to post for a while, but I always end up clicking the "Save as Draft" button.
So, I promise myself that I will click "Publish" no matter what comes out of this. :P So what now... well, right now, I'm feeling sad and happy all at the same time.

Sad, coz I was really nostalgic at the beginning of the day. I just miss my friends a lot. I miss those times when work was lesser and responsibilities were lighter. I think, I miss Sarah most of all. Yes, I do. We see each other everyday at work. I talk to her via YM everyday. We're basically at the same floor, same department. We use the same bathroom everyday. Same pantry. We talk to same officemates. But hey, we still seem so far from each other. Sometimes, I feel a pang of pain when I see her with her other girlfriends here at the office. They're also my friends, but... sigh... can't explain. Hey Sarah, I miss you already. Parang sobrang hindi na katulad ng dati noh? Haaay... So there, I just blurted it out. I blurted it out! ":D" or ":-s"??

Late afternoon, my mood suddenly became lighter because of the many good news related to our yearbook. I am becoming more relieved because of the overwhelming support from batchmates. So many good things are coming our way, and I really hope na mag-tuloy-tuloy na. For the past weeks, we already endured a lot of shocking bad news, but whew, God is good! :-) This endeavor is really hard, but I don't want to complain. Despite everything, I am still happy that I volunteered to head this project. After many violent reactions and comments, I am sure that I, together with the faithful members of the Edboard, will face our batchmates with pride and beautiful smiles on our faces. ^_^

Today is a beautiful combination of sad and happy moments. But I will end this day with much peace, contentment and excitement, because tomorrow... is FRIDAY! =D

I might not be this eager to post something tomorrow, so Advance Happy weekend everyone! :)

Badly missing the old times...

2007-02-22T20:11:00.000+08:00

Hindi ko na alam kung ano pang isusulat. I miss all of you! I miss all these moments. Sobra...

UPLB Speaker

2007-01-25T20:34:00.000+08:00

I'm going to UPLB tomorrow to represent SMART in a Career-orientation seminar.
Proud? Yeah. But this pride is nothing compared to the nervousness and hesitation that I feel right now? Oh my, what am I going to tell them. A big goodluck to me. *cross-fingers*

Overju!

2007-01-22T16:58:00.000+08:00

Super long time no post!
I've been planning to post a lot of new stuff especially about new year and christmas, but I got really busy with work since the start of the year. Hay naku, sagabal talaga ang trabaho sa pag-b-blog. :P

But I will still post all those new stuff. Sisimulan ko na ngayon, pero utang muna ang mga pics, sa office ko kasi na-download. :P

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First Christmas gift!
I got Nikki's first Christmas gift last December 24 in a very surprising manner. ;))

Dec. 23 - Saturday. We went to Festival Mall, and hurriedly went home because I have a part in Simbang gabi and I can't be late. Pero medyo late pa din kami dumating, kaya hindi masyadong maayos ang pagpaaalam. Nagbabay lang ako tapos punta na sa church, siya naman deretso sakay na ng jeep. After about 2 hours , habang nasa rooftop kami for the choir's Christmas Party:

Churchmates: Huy Keilyn, si Nikki oh!
Kei: (nagtataka kung bakit bumalik si Nikki, at nagmadaling bumaba)
Nikki: (sobrang bilis maglakad! Sa loob ng bahay ko na naabutan)
Kei: Uy! Bakit ka bumalik? Akala ko nasa byahe ka na? San ka nakarating?
Nikki: Uhmmm... sa... sa Pala-pala. Ahh... kasi... kasi yung mga gift cards, nakalimutan ko. Tsaka yung... yung... calendar, at yung puzzle.
Kei: Huh?? Bumalik ka pa dahil sa mga yun?? Pero sige, kunin ko na agad, para makaabot ka sa van. (:-??)

At inihatid ko si Nikki sa sakayan ng jeep, at nakauwi na siya.
Kinabukasan - Dec.24, kakauwi pa lang namin galing sa church at nag-uusap-usap kami sa terrace nang biglang:
Tita Irene: "Dearest Kei, Merry Chrrriiissstmas! XXOO"
Kei: Huh? (at nun ko lang napansin ang malaking regalo na nakahalo sa pile ng mga regalo sa ilalim ng Christmas tree)
Tita Irene: Sino si XXOO?
Kei: Waaaah! Si Nikki yan... (at dali-dali ko nang binuksan ang malaking gift at pagkatapos ay tinawagan si Niknik.)

Gift na nakahalo sa iba pang mga gifts.

Laman ng gift. :-)

Nun ko lang na-realize na kaya pala siya bumalik nung gabi ay para ihalo ang regalo sa mga Christmas gifts na nasa Christmas tree. :-) At totoong nakarating na siya sa Pala-pala - sa SM Pala-pala para bilhin yung gift. Haaaay... sweet! ^_^ Original plan pala niya ay dapat di ko siya makikita, kaso ayun, kaya kung ano-ano na lang sinagot niya nung tinanong ko kung bakit siya bumalik. :P

Thank you very much Niknik! I really love it (at syempre, "you" din =D)! Cute-cute ni eeyore! :-)
---
New shoes!
I've been planning to buy myself a decent rubber shoes since November. I want it to be my christmas gift for myself. Particular brand was Nike, but whenever I check the tag prices, I always end up telling myself na "Evans na lang kaya?". Hehe. Then I saw Nike's new arrivals... biglang nagpa-cute sa akin ang isang 'to. Oh my wow! Ang cute niya talaga, kaso ang presyo... oh my wow din! Pabalik-balik lang ako sa shop para tingnan siya at halos palagi, sumasagi sa isip ko ang karibal na Evans. Nag-decide ako na maghintay ng konti hanggang sa maging sale siya, kahit 10% off lang, basta sale. Hanggang sa...

Kei: Wee! Sale sa Nike women, baka discounted na yung gusto ko na shoes. :D
Nikki: Tara, pasok tayo.
Rubber shoes: nakaupo sa shelf, nagpacute na naman, pero hindi Sale! #-o
Sales Lady: Hi ma'am! New arrival po yan, try mo po ma'am, konti na lang din ang natitirang sizes kasi mabili yan.
Kei: Shocks! Sige, sukat lang! Suuukkaat laaaang!
--- ang ganda ng fit. Ang sarap sa paa. Ang ganda ng style. Ang mahal. :(---
Kei: Ang ganda talaga! Kaya lang, wala ba kayo year-end sale? Di ba to mag-s-sale?
Sales Lady: Ma'am, si po talaga yan kasama sa mga items on sale. Baka matagal pa po bago yan mag-sale kasi new arrival lang yan.
Kei: Hmmm...
--- Kei at Nik, nag-uusap na na wag na muna bumili at hintay na lang hanggang sa mag-sale.---
Sales Lady: Sige ma'am, 10% discount kapag cash.
Kei at Nik: (nagkatinginan... Woah! :-o)
Kei: Ay sige po, paki-reserve, mag-w-withdraw lang kami.

Hehe. At yun ang istorya ng maganda ngunit mahal na shoes. Bilang kapalit, di ko bibilhan ng damit ang sarili ko hanggang March! :P At least, maganda Christmas gift ko sa sarili ko. :P

Yung shoes. :-) Ganda ba?

---
Christmas Party!
Akala namin, magiging boring at malungkot na naman ang family Christmas party namin this year dahil bawas na naman kami. Pero, there's really something in the family na kapag nagsama-sama -- Fun to the max! Nagasgas ang lalamunan namin sa pag-vi-videoke. Natuwa sa bundok-bundok na gifts. Sumakit ang tyan kakatawa sa mga games! Nag-enjoy to the max! :D

Videoke Time. Humataw ang pinsan kong si Madel!

Kids' games! Sabi ko next year, ipapalaro ko 'to sa mga matatanda naman! :P

Adults' game-- decent. :P Tribute din kay lola, puro tungkol sa kanya ang mga pinahulaan. :-)

Gifts and gift-giving! I soo love this part! ^_^

Haaay... I love my family. :-) Kahit puro panyo ang gift nila sa akin. Haha!
---
At isa pang haaaay with a smile. What a wonderful year 2006 was. Many new great things came into my life, many new blessings. The blessing of Nikki, new work (and though, this new work demands a lot from me, I still enjoy it), new set of friends, new experiences and my pefect-as-they-are family. There were also a bunch of things to cry about, but they're just too negligible compared to all the wonderful things that God has brought and is bringing into my life.

Sabi ko nga kay Nikki during our "christmas date": "Everything I want, and everything I need, I got this year... plus more!" :-)

I can't thank God enough for everything. Sas eyharistoyme Lordos! :-)

2006-12-09T00:43:00.000+08:00

Napansin ko sa sarili ko na kapag PMS days, masyado ako malungkutin at
depressive at kung ano-ano ang naiisip ko. Sa mga araw na to,
gustong-gusto ko ipaalam sa ibang tao ang mga bagay na hindi ko kayang
sabihin sa kanila sa normal na araw, dahil masakit. Buti na lang
pwedeng umiyak, tapos manumbat ng pabulong, tapos, tapos na. Bukas na.
Lilipas ang ilang araw, wala na. Kaya wag n lng, diba?

=(

2006-11-30T18:11:00.000+08:00

So not in the mood to work. So not in the mood to smile. I feel so not me. I feel so sad. For no reason at all, I feel really sad.

I am not tired. I am not frustrated with work or anything. I am not… myself. Just that. Not myself. As if all the natural cheerfulness and optimism in me had all been washed out. I hate days like this.

Waaaaaah! I don’t like this anymore! I wanna go home… :(

Lord, I need a hug.
I badly need your hug. T_T

first Christmas post for 2006

2006-11-28T13:06:00.000+08:00

It's Christmas once again! Nararamdaman ko na yung malamig na simoy ng hangin. Tapos lumalabas na rin ang mga magagandang christmas decors dito sa office, at lalo na sa bahay. Late October pa lang, naka-setup na ang Christmas tree sa bahay, at nakakabit na ang mga Christmas decors. Ang ganda, ang saya! ^_^

Tradisyon na rin sa pamilya namin na maglagay ng wrapped Christmas gifts sa ilalim ng Christmas tree. At dahil marami kami sa pamilya, ang dami namin napoproduce na regalo taon-taon. =D At this year, excited na ako mauna maglagay ng regalo sa Christmas tree namin. Halos nangangalahati na ako sa pag-kumpleto regalo para sa Pasko. Weeeee! Pero marami-rami pa din kulang... sana lang madami pa din sale sa mga malls, lalo na ng mga toys and clothes na pambata, kasi wala pa ako panregalo sa mga inaanak, mga pinsan, at mga churchmates na bata. (dami yun! #-o)

Haaay, ang sarap magregalo. Magastos, pero masaya. Everytime may nakikita kasi ako na item, naiimagine ko agad kung kanino siya bagay at naiisip ko agad yung magiging reaction niya kapag nakuha niya yung gift na yun. Sayang nga lang at limited ang budget ko taon-taon. At sa dami ng reregaluhan, maliit na portion lang ng budget ang pwedeng i-allot para sa isang tao. Gusto ko man siya bigyan ng mas mahal, hindi pasok sa budget. Pero ok lang, it's still the thought that counts. Haaay, excited na ako para sa Pasko. ^_^

27 days to go.... :D

Mag-b-blog ako...

2006-11-22T14:02:00.000+08:00

Una... dahil gusto ko lang. Na-miss ko eh. :P

Pangalawa... dahil isang buwan ang pagitan nung huli kong posts. Kung hindi pa magkaka-monthsary, di pa magpopost. #-o

Pangatlo... dahil busy pa din ako, pero hindi kasing-busy ng last week na halos alas-dose o ala-una na ako ng umaga nakakauwi ng bahay. Kaya samantalahin habang may konting oras para pumetiks!

Haay, grabe. Sobrang busy lately. I really deserve a treat! Kaya sa Friday, sasama ako sa dinner with High School Barkada. ^_^ I'm sure it'll be such a laugh-filled dinner! :D Tapos sa Sabado, manonood kami ng Happy Feet sa Lazy Boy Cinema ng Gateway! Oooh la la! Exciting! ^_^

That reminds me... magpapareserve pa ako ng tickets namin for Saturday. Weeee!

11/11!

2006-11-11T12:36:00.000+08:00

First purpose of this post: to greet Joane and Reggie a Happy Happy 5th Anniversary! I'm so happy for you two. I'm so proud of how you two have kept the relationship despite the distance. I'm so glad of how far you've gone inspite of not being physically together for quite a long time now. Haven't told you, but I admire the two of you... for sticking it out with each other, for still being together. Happy Anniversary Friends and I sincerely pray that you will be physically together soon! ^_^ Kasalan na to! :D

Next up... I want to greet Nikki and myself a happy happy 7th "monthsary"! ^_^ Original plan was to go to Tagaytay for the celebration... unfortunately, a lot of things came up at work, and I need to go to office to finish them today. We'll just end up celebrating at the mall. :P But I don't frustrate myself just because the romantic Tagaytay getaway will be canceled. Venue doesn't matter, as long as we're together. Ü

Afar or together... Anniversary/Monthsary is always a happy moment. Something worth celebrating and thanking God for. Ü (Uhmmm... parang pareho kami ng pose... pero mas malinaw kuha nina Joane kaysa sa amin. ;)))

***

11/11. Even before Nikki became my boyfriend, he was already fond of watching the digital clock strike 11:11. I remember the first time he texted me about this, the text message goes like: "11:11pm! :D", and I said, "Huh? Ano naman meron sa 11:11?", and he gave me this message in reply: "Anong meron sa 11:11? Hindi mo alam kung anong meron sa 11:11? One! One lang ang meron sa 11:11! One lang!" (something like that). Haha! Oo nga, naman, 1 lang ang meron sa 11:11. Ay, may colon din pala. :P Now, I'm having fun waiting for 11:11 at my PC or celphone clock too. 11:11 has now become a signal for us to remember each other. Whoever gets to see the 11:11 time first, will text the other. But usually, it's Nikki who sees it first. :P At 11:11, he or I will just send a "11:11! :D" text message. And he or I would usually reply with a smiley. Haha! Ang babaw noh. Funny, how this little portion of the day will become so romantic for two people. Parang weird nga, but 11 has become so special for the two of us. I can't explain why, but I guess however insignificant something is, it becomes so important when two people share a special memory about it. Ü

It's 11/11, so I decided to buy a "monhtsary" gift for Nikki. Surprisingly, when I gave him my gift, he also handed a gift for me. ^_^ Just a trivia, this is the only monthsary (so far) that we gave each other a gift. 11 must really be that special. Ü

A memorable 10/11 Ü

2006-10-20T15:06:00.000+08:00

This is a long overdue post, but I'm still sharing it anyway. :P

Nikki and I celebrated the 6th month of our relationship with close friends. He fetched me from our office at around 6 and we went straight to where Mark and Hannah are temporarily staying to visit Sam, Nikki's first and only inaanak. Sam is such a cute cute cute boy! Gusto ko siya kagatin! Kaso, kawawa! :P But he is really adorable, Mark and Hannah are so blessed to have him. Ü Of course, I am ever ready with my slightly defective but still cooperative digicam. I want to capture every Sam's gesture and cutie expression. I guess, I did good with my mission. Lookie!

Pambihirang bata ito, nakangiti o nakasimangot, mukha pa ring anghel!!! *Gigil*
I am proud to say that I have "inherited" this cute little angel as godson through Nikki. When Sam eventually learns to speak, he will call me "Ninang Kei". ^_^

(Hopefully, I can upload his videos soon Ü)

At about 8pm, we left Hannah and Mark's apartment and went back to Ayala Avenue to meet with Joane. We had dinner at Dampa. We had fun buying a variety of seafoods from the Dampa Market! Halimaw sa laki ang mga alimasag! ;)) Buti na lang, magaling tumawad si Joane! :D The seafoods were then quickly cooked at our chosen restaurant... Mind you... the foods were really really really good! =P~

All dishes were sumptuous! Crab in sweet and chili sauce, Nilagang Hipon, Calamari, Baked Oyster... mmmmmm! :D This is definitely worth trying again! Diba Niknik, Joane? :->

By the way, my dinner dates on that wonderful night of October 11... Ü

ÜÜÜ

2006-10-19T20:41:00.000+08:00

I'm in a light mood today! ^_^ I'm happy. Ü I just realized, I am a
very BLESSED person. Ü I live a simple, yet, satisfying life. I have
God in my heart, a wonderful family, a promising career, a loving
boyfriend, good health, among others. Ü I have all the reasons to
smile. I hope I can pass on this joy to others.
Smile everyone and thank God coz we are blessed in so many different ways. ^_^

Balik LB!

2006-10-09T12:51:00.000+08:00

Nagpunta kami sa UPLB kahapon! ^_^ Sa sobrang gusto ko makita kung ano ang itsura ng campus pagkatapos ng bagyo, sumugod kami ni Niknik doon kahit medyo late na.

Malinis na yung campus. Halatang naayos na, mahigit 1 week na din kasi ang nakalipas. Pero andun pa rin yung ibang malalaking puno na natumba, gaya ng puno ng Acacia na nasa gilid ng Admin building. Yung malaking puno na nadadaanan kapag papuntang LandBank o papuntang St.Therese... basta yun! Ang laki-laki ng puno. Ang lawak-lawak ng ugat. At nakakagulat na yung buong ugat niya ay nabunot ng dahil lang sa bagyo. Ang kwento pa ni Niknik, meron mga tao (kasama ang kuya niya) na nagrerequest kay Chancy na wag tanggalin yung puno na yun dun. I-preserve lang para "souvenir" ng kung pano sinira ng bagyong Milenyo ang napakaraming puno sa UPLB. Mukhang wala naman nga masama kung gawin yun. Basta wag lang magpopose ng danger yung pagkaiwan ng puno dun, e di why not?

Sa may tapat ng landbank, gilid ng Admin building.

Naglakad kami hanggang sa may freedom park. Nadaanan namin ang iba pang tumbang puno. Meron pa ngang isang puno sa gilid ng Hum bldg na tumumba dun sa isang waiting shed/tambayan. Pero hindi naman malala.

Hindi masyadong kita, pero na-"crumple" yung bubong ng waiting shed sa may gilig ng Hum bldg.

Isa pang tumbang puno sa may tambayan sa kabilang gilid ng Hum Bldg, malapit sa entrance ng NCAS.

Pagpunta sa Palma Bridge, nakakagulat ang lawak at babaw ng ilog na nasa ilalim ng tulay! Biglang na-expose yung mga bato. Tapos kung dati, hindi masyadong kita ang Palma Bridge mula sa may coop, ngayon, kitang-kita na! Nabali halos lahat ng puno na dating tumatakip sa Palma bridge.

Medyo madilim din, pero yung medyo white sa gitna, yun na yung Palma Bridge. Exposed na siya ngayon, wala na yung mga puno na nasa may ilog dati.

Pagdating sa Freedom Park, dinayo talaga namin ang Dao Tree! Galing, di nga siya natumba! Ni hindi nga nadagdagan yung pagka-tilt niya. Nakakatuwa! At nakakatuwa din na meron nang mga benches sa may Freedom Park. Parang Luneta yung Freedom Park ngayon. ;)) Pero ok, kasi ang sarap-sarap-sarap tumambay dun sa Park. ^_^Ang lamig ng hangin, ang ganda ng kulay ng damo. Nakakatuwa tingnan yung mga dorms na parang nagpapaalala ng maraming nakakatuwang memories sa LB. Ang cute tingnan ng mga estudyante na naglalalakad papunta at paalis ng dorm. Tapos kapag madilim na, biglang masisindihan ang ilaw sa mga dorms, sa may Thai Chapel (yun nga ba tawag dun?). Naalala ko yung mga times na nagpapa-pre-finals ang org. Yung mga times na inaabot ng gabi sa mga dorms para sa mga projects or meetings. At marami pang iba! Haaay... LB memories... LB environment... sobrang sarap balik-balikan! ^_^

Sobrang maaliwalas ang itsura ng campus ngayon. Pero hindi masyadong positive ang connotation ng "maaliwalas" na yun. Sayang pa rin yung mga punong natumba. Pero so far, wala naman ako mga memories sa mga punong yun. Ay, di ko pala nacheck yung "Blueberry Tree" sa may Econ/Raymundo. Dun ako maraming memories, kasi araw-araw, dun ako dumadaan papuntang klase at pabalik ng apartment. Tapos kapag may bunga yung puno, pipitas kami nina Mel at Ate Jhem, tapos kakainin. Hihi! Nakikiagaw pa kami dun sa mga batang nangunguha :P

Hindi ko nga din pala nakita yung nabaling hanging bridge! Madilim na kasi eh... [-(

Haaay... babalik ulit ako dun! PRAMIS! :)

(Sa wakas, napost ko na din ang pics! Sorry sa delay. :P)

Darlings

2006-10-02T16:06:00.000+08:00

On Thursday (10/5), my three little darlings, together with their daddy (my uncle) are finally migrating to the states. We should be happy. A part of me is happy. But a bigger part of me is sad. Just the thought that I'm not going to hear them shout "Ate Keiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" when I get home makes my eyes well out.

I will miss them. I will miss them a lot!!! T_T

I can only hope that everything turns out well for them there.

Dey, Mon, Eyon... please always know that Ate Kei loves you so so much! I'm going to miss all of you! T_T

2006-10-01T11:57:00.000+08:00

I wish I have a valid reason for a break...

Haaay...

2006-10-01T01:43:00.000+08:00

...

Pasensya na.. Hindi ko alam kung ano sasabihin ko o kung pano
sasabihin ang naiisip ko.
:-|

____ ARCHIVE!!!

2006-09-30T01:35:00.000+08:00

Can't sleep. Read some old posts. Didn't help. Made me feel even worse.
The little negative portion of my head is getting the better of me again.
I'm feeling.. feeling.. Never mind. Can't blurt it out here. Just
whisper to my pillow instead. As I used to.
Stupid insecurity! Why have u returned??
2ND CHOICE?? 3RD EVEN?? I shouldn't have just known.. T_T
I want to cry.. And cry I will!
T_T T_T T_T

September 20

2006-09-20T08:51:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Sana magkaboypren ka na this year! Hehehe!

God bless! Luvyah! Mwuah Mwuah! Hehe!

Bring back the old times.

2006-09-11T13:22:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, I went out with Sarah and Arian. We were supposed to have dinner, but we ended up eating desserts. Hehe. Nonetheless, I had fun. :)

Prior to that eat-out, we were in a YM conference through almost the entire day, strictly English YM Conference, that is. :P I did miss our tittle-tattle session indeed! Buti na lang nabuhay ang dating pinagkukwenuthan (sadyang ganyan spelling). Kaso bukod sa kanya, wala nang ibang kwenot. Haaay, tagal nagpahinga ng samahan. Sabagay, mukhang tinutuloy naman nung dalawa yung private talks and dates kahit wala ako. Ooooops!

Wehehehe! :)>-

Tingin na lang kayo sa pics :P

Smoothie, Calamari, Yummy Mango Tango Crepe (Yum yum yum!)

Sa taas yung desserts, eto ang main dish! Hehe! Ganda namin! Hahaha! :P

The tittle-tattles Core Group (reunited. Hihi!) :D

Gary V @ 23

2006-09-04T21:51:00.000+08:00

Nikki and I went to Music Museum last Friday feeling excited to see Gary V. perform live. We arrived there one hour before the announced starttime of the concert. I can't wait to see Gary sing and dance again. Weeee!

But Gary Valenciano did not meet my expectation... he surpassed it!

I was more than overwhelmed.
I was awed. Not because of Gary V., but because of the Man whom Gary has been talking about the whole night.
I was blessed. Not by Gary's voice or Gary's songs, but by Gary's testimonies.
I was in reverence. Not to Mr. Pure Energy, but to the God who stood faithful behind Mr. Pure Energy.

It felt so good to cry while medidating on the messages of his songs...

Dati-rati, laman ng puso mo ay ang pangalan Ko, lagi Ako sa isip mo
Dati-rati, inaawitan pa lagi ay may ngiti, mga matay nagniningning
...
Panginoon, ako'y nabulag ng mandarayang mundo. Ako ay patawarin Mo.
Mula ngayon ang buhay kong ito'y iaalay sa Iyo gamitin mo ako
Gaya ng dati

Just one of the messages that touched my heart during that night, and inspired me to long for more of my Savior's grace... my Messiah's embrace. It felt so good.

I was more than overwhelmed. I fell in love. I fell in love with God, the Man who stood faithful by me through the 22 wonderful years of my life. Also, I fell in love with the man who was sitting beside me during the concert. I fell in love with this "geeky" guy holding my hand, squeezing it tight while Gary was singing these lines...

If ever you wonder, if you touch my soul, yes you do.
Since I met you I'm not the same.
You bring life to everything I do.
...
Because of you, my life has changed. Thank you for the love and the joy you bring.
Because of you, I feel no shame. I'll tell the world, it's because of you.

The concert was worth it. Ü Try it. Ü

Pics during the concert... Ü

First concert date together. Ü (More to come! Hehe)

Gary V. in action. Woooohoooo!

This guy never fails to touch the crowd's hearts with his songs. He truly is annointed.

P E T I X (namiss ko to!)

2006-08-31T18:27:00.000+08:00

After a few weeks of being busy, I finally had my share of the “unbusy” times. :D Here I am looking for things to do. Weee! It really feels so good to have a queue of urgent tasks, and after a while run out of things to do because you’ve already accomplished everything that needs to be done. ^_^

Still, I can’t leave the office at 5:30 on the dot. Not because I have work to do, but because I have nowhere to go while waiting for the clock to strike 6:30 or 7:00. We have to be at San Juan at 8:30pm to pick up our tickets for the Gary V. concert! Yahoooo! Finally, I’m getting to see Gary perform live again. He’s really such a performance icon! But the good thing about his concerts and his performances are not only the songs, not only the choreographies, not only the stage, but the messages that he tries to impart to his audience. Those messages make me want to visit his performances time and again. Tomorrow, I expect to be overwhelmed and be blessed. Tomorrow’s concert is much more exciting coz I'll be with Nikki, Mama, Ate Jhem and Ate Jhem friend or Ate Jhem's boyfriend (still not sure whom she can tag along for the fifth ticket).

I really had a nice work day. Everything light and easy. No pressures. No deadlines (actually, there is, but the bulk and the burden is not on me :P). No irate users to follow up. Haaay… ^_^
----

Currently listening to “Kami nAPO muna album”. Finally, I had time to search and download. :P

25 Beautiful One-liners

2006-08-31T18:24:00.000+08:00

1. Give God what's right..... not what's left.

2. Man's way leads to hopeless end ......
God's way leads to an endless hope .

3. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

4. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

5. In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma, but never let him be the period.

6. Don't put a question mark where God puts a period.

7. Are you wrinkled with burden?
Come to the church for a face-lift.

8. When praying, don't give God instructions...... just report for duty.

9. Don't wait for six strong men to take you to church.

10. We don't change God's message......
His message changes us.

11. The church is prayer-conditioned.

12 When God ordains, He sustains.

13. WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.

14. Plan ahead......It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

15. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.

16. Suffering from truth decay?
Brush up on your Bible.

17. Exercise daily ...... walk with the Lord.

18. Never give the devil a ride......
he will always want to drive.

19. Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.

20. Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

21. He who angers you controls you.

22. Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.

23. Give Satan an inch & he'll be a ruler.

24. Be ye fishers of men.....
You catch them & He'll clean them.

25. God doesn't call the qualified,
He qualifies the called.

---

Message forwarded by Ate Teena (churchmate). I've been wanting to say this yesterday through a prayer post, but since i'm into a post about one-liners, I'll just say it in one line also.

I missed you, Lord! Nice to feel your embrace again. Ü

Feeling crappy...

2006-08-30T13:56:00.000+08:00

Just when I thought, I am all ok... insecurity will begin to creep in.

Just when I thought, I am complete... discontentment will start barging in.

I am so afraid of not having the things that are so important to me because of what I cannot do.

I am so scared to be unloved and be misjudged because of who I am not.

Woke up this morning, still having that same crappy feeling as last night. Inspite of the reassurances, I still can't get all the frustrations off my system. But yes, I know, everything will be better. They ought to be.

I thought I am all over this, and yet...

:(

boyFRIEND.

2006-08-25T08:08:00.000+08:00

I really felt frustrated because of all the misfortunes that I had yesterday. I felt like bursting up last night. My eyes have been welling up since that nasty experience with *THE* officemate. I felt so heavy. Tried to cry it all out before going to sleep, but yesterday was really harsh that I found it so hard to recover. Nikki asked if I want to talk about it. I told him that I didn't want to talk about it anymore, I just want to rest, and I bid him goodnight. He replied with this message:

Ok. Di ko na lang muna ibbring up yung topic. Good night na din. Sana makatulog ka ng mahimbing, at sana mabawasan na, kung di man mawala lahat, yung mga frustrations mo.. I sincerely pray that things clear up tomorrow. I Love You, and I really hope that you find peace soon.

Can't help but worry,
Nikki

XXOO

Cried even more when I read this. Because of the busy-ness of the day, I was not able to tell him all the misfortunes that I had. That time, I wanted badly to see him in person, tell him everything. I imagined him, drying up my tears. That made me feel so helpless. I can only well up even more. I told him how I long to narrate to him my frustrations in person. He said:

And I long to comfort you. But, right now, I can only tell you that I know that you can survive that heaviness. You are strong; you already were, even before we met. Ü But when the weight becomes unbearable, sometimes, it is best to put it aside, rest for the night, and pick it up the next day with renewed strength. Ü I know that it is hard to put every bit aside, but you can put aside enough, just to have some relief. Ü

No one could have said that better. As if magic struck me and I felt lighter. I thanked him and told him that I may already be strong, but having him now makes a lot of difference. It would not have been that easy to recover without him. Normally, I would just forcecully get myself to sleep with all the heaviness and wake up the next day still not feeling well. But his words made me feel better. A few seconds later, he called, we talked for a while. The spite of the day was swathed by that few moments of sweet conversation. Then we hang up. I stayed awake for a few while, and finally my system voluntarily slumbered in peace. I had a restful sleep. I woke up with a nice mood, and in Nikki's words, I am ready to pick up the heaviness with renewed strength.

My boyfriend is such a great blessing. Ü

What a day!

2006-08-24T19:31:00.000+08:00

Wheeeew! What a terrible day!

Had a bad morning, a working lunch, a very busy and dragging afternoon, and a really awful evening. Ok na sana. I was able to recover na from my bad morning and busy afternoon by deciding to have a tea break with my teammate. But just before my working day ends, I received a very* sarcastic*, *intimidating* and *degrading* expression from an officemate!

me: ok na po ba yung sa (system name)?
officemate: (blows) teka lang ha
me: nakatayo lang sa tabi niya, thinking that he would entertain my request (usually kasi, ganun. ine-entertain agad request)
officemate: deretso lang sa ginagawa niya, parang walang ibang tayo sa paligid niya
me: napansin na na wala nga siyang balak na i-entertain ang request ko
me: sir, pa-advise na lang po sa email kapag ok na.
officemate: oooo-kkkkkk (with matching 8-| expression)
me: (in the sweetest way I can) Salamat po sir!

While I'm writing this, naisip ko na ang babaw pala nung scenario para maapektuhan ako nang ganito. But if I can only make you picture what actually happened. :(

Haaay... Tapos nakita ko pa 'to. T_T Tama! Busy busy busy me nga. I won't deny that. Right now, the upshots of this busy-ness is beginning to creep in me. Kakatakot! Bigla ako nalungkot at naawa sa sarili ko.

Walang kwentang post. Walang kwentang araw. Ayoko na! Uwi na ako. This day has to end.

[FWD]: Installing Love

2006-08-17T15:47:00.000+08:00

A forwarded email message from my highschool instructor. Kakatuwa yung analogy. :D At a certain point of view, it's quite corny. But come to think of it, this is how it really works. Simple (and quite unlikely) analogy but deep meaning. Ü

Installing Love

Tech Support: Yes, How can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to
install Love. Can you guide me though the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready.
What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located
your Heart?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running
now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running ?

Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge
and Resentment running right now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from
your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory
but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually
override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High
Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and
Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed.
Can you turn those off ?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke
Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and
Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is
that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program.
You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the
upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says,
"Error - Program not run on external components." What should I do?

Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up
to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In
non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before
you can Love others.
Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following
files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your
Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system
will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty
programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all
directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely
gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files.
Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying
themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually
everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and
running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure
to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in
turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

Customer: Thank you, God.

How I wish, it's really this easy, especially for those people who hold a lot of bitterness within them. But if getting rid of the grudges really seems hard, it's nice to know that we can always get immediate assistance from the most capable Tech Support. Ü

Sudden

2006-08-15T12:39:00.000+08:00

Manfred sent me a text message last Saturday, requesting for prayer for our dear friend Rex. He was nabbed and was seriously injured because of multiple gunshots. It didn't sink in to me that easily that the person he was referring to was actually one of my closest classmates in college. And when I realized what he was talking about, I really got affected. He was such a dear friend. Now, he is at the hospital, trying to recover from that tragic incident.

I just can't imagine what those holduppers are feeling right now. If only there's a quick way that I can do just to show those bad guys the effect of their cruelty. If only they can see my friend right now. If only they can hear about his condition. Unfortunately, there is no way that I can do that. I can only accuse those bad guys of all the evil adjectives that I can think of. They will reap what they have sown in due time. I can only hope that their family be spared of the cruelty that they cause to other people. I can only pray for Rex and his family. I can only pray that that same incident will not happen to anybody else, especially to those who are close to me.

To everyone, please be safe.

Woohooo!

2006-08-03T09:11:00.000+08:00

Aga ko sa office ngayon! 7:45 am! \:D/

Oh yes, that’s way too early for my supposed to be log in time that is 8:30 am. Almost an hour ahead. Pero mas gusto ko na yun kaysa ma-late na naman. Three consecutive days na akong late nakakapasok, usually in between 8:45 to 9am. And I really think that’s bad bad bad. Lately, I’m beginning to feel embarrassed with my tardiness. So, I decided to change habits – sleep earlier than usual, try to wake up early, try to finish my morning rituals as quickly as possible, and be more speedy in the things that I do, especially in the morning! For today, I was successful with that, I think I might need some friends to congratulate and wish me luck on this. Haha!

In order to arrive at the office this early, I have to leave home 10 or 15 minutes ahead of my usual departure time. If worse comes to worst, when I leave at 6:30, I will arrive at the office in between 8:30 to 9am. But if I leave at 6:15 or 6:20, I’ll arrive at the office in between 7:40 to 8am. Weird huh! Well, that’s why I have decided to leave not later than 6:20. =P

I love being early! It steers me clear of the many hassles – I get to avoid the file of bustling Makati employees at the van terminal, I don’t have to force myself to ride a jam-packed bus and stand at the isle up to EDSA-Taft (wearing high-heeled sandals most of the time #-o), I can afford to ignore monitoring my phone clock just because every minute that passes is a count of tardiness, I avoid cutting trip, I can sleep the whole time , and best of all, I have extra time for Petix! Woohoo!

Sarap pumasok ng maaga, problema lang talaga ang paggising ng maaga at pagkilos ng mabilisan. But I’m working on that! B-)

POOPED.

2006-07-26T09:43:00.000+08:00

So many things to deal with yet there's so little time.

Minor concers, but will need much of my resources and time.

My chattels are little, I merely have a dime.

My energy is depleting, all I can do is whine.

Now my thoughts seem to have no reason nor rhyme.

CANT_GET_THINGS_OFF_MY_HEAD_!_I_AM_EXHAUSTED.

so-so

2006-07-26T09:36:00.000+08:00

I am so so tired.

I am so so not in the mood to work.

My mind is so so not working.

And here, it seems that everything that I will accomplish today (i ever I will accomplish anything) will be so-so.

Is it 5:30pm yet?

Ano daw??

2006-07-26T08:57:00.000+08:00

Nakita ko sa signboard ng isang establishment na nagbubuy and sell ng mga kotse:

"We buy sale good quality use car, and we accept, short term, financing"

Gets naman natin diba? ;))

Updated...

2006-07-25T14:20:00.000+08:00

list. Ü

[FWD]: One great love

2006-07-25T13:20:00.001+08:00

A forwarded email message from an officemate...

Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot...

...who calls you back when you hang up on him...

...who will stay awake just to watch you sleep...

...wait for the guy who kisses your forehead...

...who wants to show you off to the world when you are in your sweats...

...who holds your hand in front of his friends...

...wait for the one who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares about you and how lucky he is to have you...

...wait for the one who turns to his friends and says, "...that's her, or that's him"...

----------------------------------------------------------
Nice nice! I can truly relate! ^_^
I've waited long enough and now I found him. Ü

Blah blah blah

2006-07-25T13:11:00.000+08:00

(I tried posting this last night via email, ngayon ko lang na-realize na hindi pala napost ng maayos. So... repost)

News advisory: Storm signal no. 1 in NCR. All classes dismissed.

Company advisory: Employees affected by the inclement weather can go home early.

And here I am still...
Waiting at the van...
Hoping that 9 more passengers will come to occupy the vacant spaces...
Sighing..

I thought I can go home early today, but... *erase text*.

Grrr.. My reason for being late is not even work-related. I should have fnished it last night. I should not have procrastinated. I should not.. rant! :-|

It's over.

Rainy days and Mondays...

2006-07-24T09:03:00.000+08:00

...always get me down. - The Carpenters

And now, I have to deal with both... a rainy Monday. I feel so down. Not the bad type of down. Just the lazy type of down. =P I wanna stay in bed. Sip a bowl of hot soup or any warm beverage. I wanna lie down in our sofa and watch my favorite noontime show. I want to stay at home and play a series of Word Factory sessions with my favorite opponent. Haaaay... basically, what I'm saying is... I don't want to be at the office today! Not that I don't like my work... I just don't like to work!

Anyway, it has been a busy week last week. Obviously, I wasn't able to update my blog, though I've been meaning to. For the first half of the week last week, I've tried posting an entry via mobile phone, but I always get an error in connection. [-( Now that my mobile connection is back, hopefully I can update this space even without my office desktop. :-)

I really owe a lot of entries to my dear 3 or 4 readers: =P

my Imax experience with Niknik ^_^
our Tagaytay getaway for Arian's birthday celebration
Church Anniversary Sunday Part I (closure of old church building)
Church Anniversary Sunday Part II (opening of new church building)
I have to update this list

Looks like it will be another busy week for me. A lot of major projects waiting in line. Buti na lang, 4 days lang ako papasok this week! Yey! I will file a vacation leave for my churchmates' wedding on Friday. Unfortunately, without pay yet. :( I've been thinking of buying a nice dress for that ocassion, problem is... When? Not only will I be busy in the office, but also at the church. I have to be home early everyday (for this week only) for the choir and dance practices. Hopefully, I can sneak out of the office early today and spend a 30-minute stroll at the mall- just to rummage through the boutiques.

*Sigh* For I still don't feel like working...
*Another sigh* For the short-spanned weekend. Bitin na bitin ako! :((

Almost weekend...

2006-07-13T15:34:00.000+08:00

The week is almost over. Yey! I've been really waiting for the week to end. I really don't know why I'm so impatient with the passing of time this week, may be because my work load is not as heavy as the past few weeks and I have more vacant time, or may be because I have a lot of things to look forward to this week ^_^

TUESDAY: The third month of our relationship! ^_^ As usual, he excused himself from work and went here in Makati and waited for me the whole day! Hahaha! Should I be proud of that?! Hihihi! Pasaway na empleyado na talaga tong Niknik na to! :P Anyway, we had lunch at the PLDT Canteen together with Sarah and the other Smart peeps. For dinner, we tried the untried dishes at Tempura! Mmmm... the foods were really good at Tempura! We tried the grill thingie. We ordered grilled Buta(PORK) and "half-cooked" it ourselves using their built-in grill. I say half-cook because in the middle of our cooking session, the grill got busted, so the waiter just cooked the pork inside their kitchen. Sayang! Oh well, at least we've tried the grill pa ren. :D BTW, California Maki was really really good, but Nikki and I still prefer the big Cali Maki of Teriyaki Boy! ;) (Pics to follow).

THURSDAY: Last Tuesday, Nikki showed me our tickets for the movie-viewing at the private cinema of Mall of Asia! At long last, Imax, here we come! This afternoon, after I get off from work, Nikki and I will go straight to MoA to watch Superman Returns at Imax! Wooohooo! 8-storey screen, I'm about to see you! Just you wait! :D

SATURDAY: We're off to Tagaytay, for the celebration of Arian's birthday! Weee! I've been really longing to go back to Tagaytay and experience the cold breeze again! Mmmmm... I can't wait!

Still on Saturday, we'll be staying at Starbucks Tagaytay! Weee, I can't wait to have a sip of Java Chip Frapuccino again. This time, I plan to add peppermint in my order. Wehehehe... natatakam na ako! =P~

It's almost 3:30pm. It's almost weekend! Yahoo! =D

New look!

2006-07-11T16:11:00.000+08:00

Finally, I’ve changed the template of my blog. Pero parang di masyado nagbago ang itsura noh? Well, this is not really the kind of template update that I want. I really want this blog to be more personalized and more artistic. But I’m not really in the mood to do that now. Besides, I don’t have that much time yet. Hehe… Excuses, excuses! :P

Well, at least, nagbago na nga ang itsura at color scheme for now. Brown and pink – my favorite color combination! ;-) Since I’m lazy and not artistic, this new look will do. =P

Dalawang tulog na lang...

2006-07-11T15:52:00.000+08:00

Weee! Nikki’s giving me a treat at Imax Cinema on Thursday night! We’ll be watching Superman! :D

I am so excited for this movie date. Hihihi!

Sa wakas, makikita ko na ang 8-storey high screen ng imax. :P Good for us, there are still available seats at the back row. We don’t need to bear with the proximity of the front row seats, just like what we have initially expected.

Haaaay… I’m excited! Sana Thursday night na agad! ^_^

---
Oh! BTW, we're celebrating the 3rd month of our relationship today! Ü

Cool!

2006-06-30T09:00:00.000+08:00

This is really really cool! I got this "toy" from Arian, the first time I saw it, sobrang natuwa akong paglaruan! Wahahaha! Ang cuuuute! :))

Apparently this is the most popular screen saver in the US. If he gets stuck, just move him with your mouse cursor.

I hope they can add some features like:

Choose another ragdoll
This feature allows you to replace current rag doll by choosing from a set of names of famous personalities. (Local politicians and celebrtities included! >:))
Upload my personal rag doll
Wahaha! Eto cool talaga, you can create a new rag doll by uploading your desired rag doll's photo! (Kung asar na asar ka na sa boss mo, picturan mo lang, tapos... TADA!)
Add more barriers
You can add more stumbling blocks on the rag doll's way. Wala pa ako maisip na cool na barrier ngayon, pero parang ang saya kung di lang puro white bubbles yung huhulugan niya. Bwahahaha!

Hmmm... ano pa kaya ang pwede? I can't think of anything else right now. I'll update the list once something about this rag doll thingie pops in my head! Hehehehe! Comment kayo kung meron kayong naisip! :D

Ang cute talaga nito. Hihi!

Gusto ko:

2006-06-27T18:34:00.000+08:00

Kumanta kasabay ang tugtog ng gitara. Matagal-tagal ko na ding hindi nagagawa to. Una, dahil nawawala na ang gitara ko. Pangalawa, dahil hirap na rin ako maggitara at limot ko na ang mga chords ng mga alam kong kanta. Pangatlo, dahil hindi na kami nagkikita ng mga dating nag-gigitara para sa akin - sina Weng, Matt, Mark, Josie, Myles, Joshua… haaaay, kakamiss ang mga taong to.

Magbakasyon sa isang malamig na lugar. Kahit tag-ulan na, gusto ko pa rin magpunta sa isang lugar na presko at malamig ang hangin. Hindi yung puro aircon lang ang nagpapapalamig sa paligid ko. Gusto ko makakita ng madaming-madaming sariwang bulaklak na iba’t iba ang kulay. Gusto kong matulog sa isang malaking duyan. Gusto kong tumakbo sa buhanginan. Gusto ko sumakay ng bangka. Gusto ko mag-relax sa isang napakagandang lugar.

Makasakay ng eroplano. Oo, hindi pa ako nakakasakay ng eroplano. Ang mga lugar na nararating ko ay puro land transportation lang ang kailangan. Gusto ko maranasan lumipad sakay ng eroplano. Maging ka-level ang mga ulap. Makita na nanliliit ang mga matatayog na building sa Maynila. Masilip ang mga nagliliparang ibon sa bintanang katabi ng upuan ko. Naaalala ko tuloy nung elementary na nanalo ako sa isang competition, nagkaroon ako ng chance na sumakay sa eroplano. Sa Isabela kasi gaganapin yung next level ng contest. Pero hindi ako pinayagan ni tatay dahil wala akong makakasama na kakilala. Sayang talaga, ang habol ko lang talaga dun ay ang pagsakay sa eroplano, matalo man ako sa competition, nakasakay naman ako sa eroplano ng libre… kaso hindi nga natuloy. Bata pa lang ako ay pinapangarap ko na magtravel sakay ng eroplano. Pero hanggang ngayon ay wala pa din chance. Pero di ako nawawalan ng pag-asa. Hindi magtatagal magagawa ko din to. =)

~~Matulog nang mahaba habang nakakumot.~~ Nung mga nakaraang araw, bilang na bilang ang oras ng tulog ko. Mahaba na ang limang oras. Tapos halos ngayong linggo na lang lumalamig ang panahon, nung mga nakaraang gabi, ang init. Hindi komportable matulog, halos hindi ko na nagagamit ang kumot ko. Kaya gusto kong humiga sa kama ko, itaklob ang kumot sa sarili ko, at yakapin ang malambot kong unan. Matulog hangga’t gusto. Walang mang-iistorbo, walang kailangang alalahanin. Hindi kailangang pilitin ang sarili na gumising para magtrabaho. Haaaay… antok na ako!

Update: Nung nakaraang Sunday, ang sarap ng tulog ko dahil malamig ang panahon. Nakakumot... nakadantay sa malambot kong unan... Nakayapos kay Scooby.... Nagising ako ng alas-siyete, at nakita ko sa bintana na umuulan pa. Tulog ulit ako. 9:30 na ang sumunod na gising ko. :-o Simula na ng Sunday Service, late na ako, anniversary pa naman ng church! #-o

Matuto mag-drive at magkaroon ng kotse. Kaya lang ang traffic sa Pilipinas at ang mahal ng parking fee sa Makati. Pero sa ngayon naman ay ok pa ako sa commute, mas praktikal at in a sense ay mas convenient (dahil mas stressful mag-drive sa masikip na EDSA). Tsaka, wala pa naman talaga ako pambili ng kotse. Wehehe!

Dalawin ang nanay ko sa Hongkong o kaya ang lola ko sa US. Pag nagawa ko to, matutupad na din ang pangarap kong makasakay sa eroplano, pero higit pa dun, gusto ko lang talaga makasama ang nanay at lola ko. Gust ko sila madalaw. Gusto ko sila pasulubungan ng mga pagkain galing sa Pilipinas. Gusto ko sila picturan sa mga sikat na pasyalan dun, na alam kong kahit malapit lang sa kanila ay hindi nila napupuntahan dahil mas kailangan nila magtrabaho kaysa mag-gala. Gusto ko silang makatabi sa pagtulog. Gusto ko sila ipagluto. Gusto ko sila yakapin at halikan at sabihing “Nanay/Lola, miss na kita”.

~~Kumain ng tsokolate.~~ Mmmm… nagc-crave ako. Pero hindi ito tulad ng mga nilagay ko sa itaas. Panandaliang craving lang to na baka bukas ay lilipas na din. Naisip ko lang bigla, gusto ko ng Ferrero, ng Twix, ng chocolate with macadamia nuts. Mmmmm… iniisip ko pa lang parang nakukuntento na ako. Sana pag-uwi ko, nandun pa yung isang kahon ng tsokolate na nakita ko kaninang umaga. =D

Update: Pagkauwi ko nung gabing isinulat ko ito, nandun pa nga yung tsokolate sa ref. Chocolate with macadamia nuts. Kumain ako ng tatlo. Solb! :D

Magkaroon ng mga bagong damit, blouse at sapatos. Matagal-tagal na din mula nung huli akong nag-shopping. Ilang buwan na ang nakakalipas. Nagsasawa na ako sa mga sinusuot ko. Pero wala pang resources para sundin ang luho ko. Walang oras at limited ang pera. Hindi ito priority, dahil marami pang kailangan unahin na dapat pagkagastusan. Hindi ito need, want lang.

Manood ng concert ng Side A o kaya ni Gary V. Gusto ko makarinig ng malamig na boses. Gusto ko makita si Joey B. at marinig siyang kumakanta. Gusto kong ma-bless sa mga spiels ni Gary sa concert niya. Gusto ko ma-amaze sa mga performance nila. Gusto ko ma-inlove sa mga kanta nila. Gusto ko sila marinig at makita.

~~Manood ng sine sa private cinema ng SM Mall of Asia o kaya ay Gateway Mall.~~ Gusto ko lang maranasan. Gusto ko lang makarelate kapag meron ibang nagkukwentuhan tungkol dun. Gusto ko lang ipagyabang sa mga kakilala ko na nakanood na ako ng sine dun. =P Gusto kong malaman kung gano ka-unlimited ang Popcorn at kung gano kamahal ang drinks. Gusto kong makita ang itsura ng screen nila. Balita ko, 8-storey daw ang screen, gano ba kalaki yun sa actual? Gusto ko malaman!

Update: July 13 - Sinundo ako ni Nikki sa office at dumeretso kami sa SM Mall of Asia para manood ng Superman Returns sa Imax. :D Treat niya para sa 3rd month namin! ^_^ Nakita ko na ang 8-storey screen at naranasan ko nang isuot ang malalaking 3D glasses! :D Nagkasundo kami na next time, ang ittry naman namin ay ang Director's Club Cinema sa MoA at GPC sa Gateway. :->

Matuto magluto ng Pasta. Matagal ko na gustong gawin to, pero lagi akong nauubusan ng panahon o kaya ng motivation para gawin. Gusto kong ako naman ang magluto ng pagkain para sa mga tita kong expert cooks. Gusto ko ipagyabang sa mga tao yung masarap na carbonara at Tuna Pasta na gagawin ko. Gusto ko matutunan masanay sa lasa ng Pesto, na kailangan ko gawin para mailuto ito ng tama at masarap. Gusto ko maging expert sa pagluto ng pasta, dahil ito na lang yata ang hindi masyadong alam lutuin ng mga tao sa amin na magagaling na magluto.

~~I-update ang layout at itsura ng blog na to.~~ ~~Pero wala pa ako ganun kahabang panahon para mag-update. Hindi pa din gumagana ang creative skills ko. Hehehe. Hopefully soon, kapag napagana ko na ang paggamit ng cellphone as modem ng PC. ;-)~~

Update: Finally, naiba ko na ang itsura ng blog ko gamit ang color combination na gusto ko. Pero hindi pa ako kuntento sa ganyang itsura. Gusto ko mas personalized, mas creative... in short, mas maarte! =P Downloaded lang kasi ang template na'to. Gusto ko yung ako mismo ang gumawa. Hmmm... gagawin ko yan... soon

Ang dami ko pa gustong gawin, ang dami ko pa gusto maranasan. Kulang sa oras, kulang sa pera, kulang sa motivation at sa iba pang resources. Naisip ko lang bigla, ang dami ko pang hindi nagagawa. Pero hindi ibig sabihin nun na hindi ako masaya. Masaya ako sa buhay ko. =) Gusto ko lang magkaroon ng iba pang bagay na pwede ko i-look forward. Hindi naman ako naghahangad ng hindi ko kayang bilhin o gawin. Kayang-kaya ko gawin lahat ng mga nilista ko sa taas, ang hinihintay ko lang talaga – tamang panahon. Mga ilang buwan o ilang taon mula ngayon, babalikan ko ang post na ito at icacancel out ang mga bagay na nagawa ko na, at baka pag binalikan ko ito, i-update ko na rin ang listahan at dugtungan ng mga bagong bagay na gusto ko gawin. =)

I think, I deserve this! =P

2006-06-14T18:50:00.000+08:00

A simple, yet, very nice consolation after a busy day of work. Ü I hope to get more of this in the days to come. ^_^

NOTE: Rocky D. Bacani is my "subtle" manager. (kamukha ni Harry Potter! Hehehe! =P)

Finally... a post! =P

2006-06-13T09:44:00.000+08:00

Very hot here in the office. The aircon is out of order, since Friday!!! Whew! Ang hirap pala magtrabaho kapag sobrang init! Oh well, we have no choice but to bear with it. Come tomorrow, hopefully the unit will be up and running again!

Anyway, nice to be back in the office after a one-day longer weekend. Of course, I want more vacation, more time for rest and relaxation, more time for *dates* =P, but I shrug off the longing for more break by telling myself that if the weekend is one-day longer, then the work-week is one-day shorter! ^_^ Less than four days to go and it will be weekend again. =)

Besides, I think, I would not really mind the passing of days for this week since I will be busy with work. :-s Tomorrow, I will have my first ever User Acceptance Test (UAT)!!! I feel excited, but nervous, all at the same time. I am anxious if I have done the pre-processes correctly and completely, as far as I know, I have completed everything that needs to be done, but grrrr... I just cant disregard the tension!!! :-SS Oh Lord, please make the activity run smoothly, please make everything all right. [-o<

Hmmm... what else? Ah! We celebrated our 2^nd monthsary last Sunday! ^_^ Simple celebration again, well, I dont really mind how we remember it, as long as we are together at that day, the celebration is complete. =)
Details: We went to SM Mall of Asia! :D Huge and extensive, indeed!!! A big bulk of our time there was spent, uhhh... walking and wandering! ;)) We went to the seaside boulevard and marveled at the "almost sunset view" of Manila Bay. =) Shortly after, we did grocery shopping at the Hypermarket, had dinner at Sbarro, then, went home. That was it, the celebration for the 2^nd month of our relationship, it might seem so typical and simple, but to me it is another special and blessed day that is worth thanking God for. ^_^

More updates! Finally, I was able to join my churchmates for the badminton session last Saturday morning! It was really really fun! Not only do I get a chance to bond with my friends, but I am also able to work out and burn these accumulating fats!!! I will do more of this working out in the coming days! Have to trim out and shape up! B-) Tsaka for healthy living naren. =) I want to be healthy and fit, so I will be able to enjoy more all the blessings including those that are yet to come! =)

m-blog!

2006-06-04T13:48:00.001+08:00

Im posting this entry thru my N-70! Weee! \:D/

Buti na lang, P10.00 per half-hour n lng ang charging ng SMART GPRS! :-> Kaya ano pang hinihintay nyo, mag-SMART na! Wahaha! Promotion?! =P

Done! Yey! :D

Current Mood: Melancholic :(

2006-05-24T13:41:00.000+08:00

It's probably the weather and the environment. Ang dilim sa labas, parang uulan. Ang tahimik sa office, busy lahat. Setting like this makes me feel unhappy for no reason at all.

I want to talk to someone, but it seems that everybody's busy, or maybe they think, I am busy. Well, I am. But I can't think right now. One of the few moments where emotion gets the better of me.

I was left alone in our area again a while ago. I'm still not used to the feeling of being "unsurrounded" by people. Sobrang tahimik! Good for me that I now have a celfone with built-in FM Radio. It's been playing for almost 4 hours now. Radio's a good companion, after all.

A few minutes ago, Will I ever was played. Haaaay, I really miss hearing from Side A. Been planning to watch their concert on Saturday, but still uncertain about it. We have choir practice on Saturday night and I promised Mama that I won't miss another rehearsal. Now, I don't know how to tell her about the concert, err, I'm not even sure if I'm going to tell her about it. :-<

Grrr... I really hate it when I'm feeling like this. Slightly depressed, can't explain why. :(

----
Jo, libre mo ako, sad ako. Tsaka, TWIX ko? :(

Detour destination

2006-05-17T21:40:00.000+08:00

I finally linked this blog to my oh-so-neglected-and-forgotten Friendster web space. So to my 3 avid readers (Joane, Sarah, Nikki), expect a little addition to the fans' club. =P

I should have done it before, but I was always wary about the email relay. Finally, I've seen the better side of the broadcast thingie. Since a lot has been happening in my life, and so many blessings are being poured out, I decided to let my network of friends take part in my silent rejoicing. ^_^

Welcome friends and please feel free to leave a mark! This is my way of keeping in touch... =)

Whew!!!

2006-05-17T15:13:00.000+08:00

Akala ko, katapusan na ng blogging career ko! I almost freaked out!!! I thought, I'll never log in to my web log again. But with just some modifications in the proxy settings... I'm still connected to the wonderful world of blogger! >:)

Ito na nga lang ang petiks ko ngayon, ipagkakait pa ba nila! Oh well, good thing, I learned from the experts! :)) Petix 101 is the best training I've had with my previous company. Obviously, I did learn my lesson very well. =P

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Nakakainis si Joane! Natakam tuloy ako! Waaaah, Joane, I've been trying to control my cravings!!! Dinisrupt mo na naman ang disiplina ko sa sarili! Gusto ko nun! :((

TGIF

2006-05-12T17:02:00.000+08:00

'Been waiting for today the whooole week...

Glad another workweek's over. I am two weeks old in my new company. So far, so good. I'm getting used to the loneliness caused by missing everyone, thanks to Nikki for helping me overcome those sad days. ^_^ Really glad to have him around.

Speaking of Nikki, he's probably waiting 30 floors down our building as soon as I finish writing this. Sweet of him to fetch and travel with me on Fridays. By the way, we had a very simple but memorable celebration of our first monthsary yesterday. I got a surprise-visit from him at lunch time, we had lunch together with Joane, he gave me a box of chocolate, met after office hours and had dinner at Tempura, went to Megamall to meet Sarah to buy gifts for Rico and Annie's wedding and baby Kyle's christening, had some coffee and chocolate drink at McDo while waiting for the rain to stop, rode the MRT, rode the bus home, rode tricycle, finished the day with sweet goodbyes. =P Thank God for the good start of our relationship, we've just been through some tests, but we managed. I'm blessed to have this wonderful guy. =)

My wait for today is worth it. I'm sure it'll end up just the way I want to. Thank God for another week that has ended. :-)

Tomorrow, my day will start early for the "good"mington session with my churchmates (which I hope will be a regular routine). In the afternoon, I'll be busy for the Mother's day prep at church. Hmm.. actually excited for this activity. ^_^

Sunday, church day! Busy again for the tribute to mothers. Grocery in the afternoon.

The week didn't start well for me. Got really caught up with the adjustment difficulty. Cried a lot before going to sleep. But not all bad beginnings will have a bad ending. :-)

THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY!

---
Oh yes, there's a streak of mushiness in this post. Seems like I'm swallowing my own words after all. But I'm not ashamed, some things are really worth sharing, especially if they are a form of God's blessings! (ang galing ko na magpalusot noh? ;)) Basta, wag na lang yung mga malulungkot na mushy posts!) :D

One month...

2006-05-11T10:35:00.000+08:00

... and still counting. :-)

22!

2006-05-10T13:34:00.000+08:00

I was not able to post about my 22nd birthday! Kaya eto na, kahit delayed! hehe!

My 22nd birthday was really memorable! There's no better place to celebrate in than in Los Baños. It was like a homecoming! Not only did I had the chance to see and greet my graduating batchmates but I was also able to spend my birthday with the best of my friends! ;-) We tried a new resto as recommended by Fred, and, well, we were not disappointed with the resto's service, foods, and gimmicks! :D

O diba, ka-gandahan! Hehehe!
(Walang aangal sa laki ng pic! =P)

Everyone, meet Skabby! Thanks Sarah, Joane, Reggie, Arian, Fred, Jaymar at kay Herlin at Tina (na huli na nang mapasama sa listahan) for this cute little doggy. ^_^

More of me.. Hehe! Syempre, birthday ko kaya? =P

Ang aking mga espesyal na bisita. =)

Akalain mo nga naman... may boypren na ako?! =P

Mawawalan ba naman ng picture ang tatlong bebot na ito???

The foods. (Need I say more? Makuha kayo sa tingin! :D)

At syempre, I didn't miss the chance of writing at Big Dad's Shout Out wall! =D

At kagaya ng sinulat ko sa wall...
Thanks Big Dad's for "hosting" my 22nd birthday! ^_^

Those are the pictures of my birthday celebration in Los Baños. We left LB before 5pm, so I can rush home and celebrate with my family. Unfortunately, we were trapped in a heavy traffic, so we were delayed and I was not able to have dinner with my family. :( Buti na lang, when I got home... I WAS GREETED BY THIS...

O diba... ang sweet!!! He really knows how to make me feel special. ^_^
Thanks Niknik! =P
(Trivia: Ito ang first bouquet na binigay niya, at unang totoong bulaklak pala na natanggap ko galing sa kanya. Good ba yun or bad? Bahala kayo, I'm just glad that I received one from him. :P)

(O ayan, may "mushy" post na. Masaya na kayo?)

--------------------------------

Thank you, Lord for another year added to my wonderful life. It has been 22 years of overflowing blessings! Words are not enough to thank you for your faithfulness in my life. You've given me more than what a 22-year old would wish to have: a wondeful family, amazing friends, loving boyfriend, blooming career, good health, and immeasurable peace, joy and contentment. I feel so loved. I feel so blessed. And I'm content. Thank you, God. ^_^

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Bagong Buhay! =P

2006-05-10T13:14:00.000+08:00

This is my 7th day in my new company. So far, so good. Everything's doing well, except that I miss everyONE already. :(

Anyway, welcome to my new workplace! Ito ang makakasama ko sa darating na anim na buwan (at hopefully, sa mas marami pang buwan)

Improvements (compared to my previous workplace):

This one's more conducive for work!
Dividers!
I have been provided with my own office supplies (tape dispenser, stapler, pentel pens, pencil, notebook, file case, tape, stape wires, pins, paperclips, etc.)
I will be issued a local phone =)
Steel Safety drawer (which they call as Portal)

Mga hindi improvements (ano ba antonym ng improvement? Hehe):

Purely professional relationship with workmates (puro trabaho!)
CD drive (Before, I had a DVD drive with CD Writer, ngayon wala akong CD Drive) :(
Internet access na walang masyadong blocked na sites
Kulitan moments (na sagana sa opisina dati)
Inspiration? (Wala ako boylet dito e!) =P

Oh well, I have to face the truth. I'm with a different company now. A "big-time"organization which is very systematic and organized. I have accepted the trade-offs, but adjustments will always be difficult at the beginning. I just really really miss everybody. But I know, I will manage... soon! ;-)

First Day!

2006-05-03T17:10:00.000+08:00

This is the first day that I got to meet my immediate superior and teammates in my new company! Whoa! Just last Friday, I was with a different bunch of people and after a few days, I was introduced to 7 new ladies whom I will be working with for 6 months (and more, hopefully).

Well, my new workmates seem so accommodating. At the first sight of them, I was greeted by their warm smiles and they instantly led me to my new desk, and took care of the things that I need as a new employee – office supplies, workstation, internet connection (lucky me, I had access to the internet on my first day!), application for email and other stuff!

In the middle of the day, I was handed a new SIM pack which I suppose will be my official work contact number. =P Problem is, I don’t have an extra phone for this new contact number. But I was informed that I can avail of the cellphone loan benefit some time soon. Hmmm… I’m excited! ^_^ (The HR Recruitment staff said that I can avail of a high-end celfone! I can choose among the new kinds that are 3G-enabled! Wow!)

I was also informed of my employee number, which I can use to log in to their org-wide portal and access the company’s important documents and forms.

Well, I’m overwhelmed with how this firm organizes things. I know that it is not as ideal as I view it now, but a good first impression of the company where one belongs can make a big difference.

A few days from now, I’ll be given my tasks, and I expect those tasks to be really mind-boggling. =P But I don’t fret, as long as I like what I do and as long as I’m in an environment where I feel that I belong, there’s really no need to worry.

I hope, six months from now, I’ll still be writing good things about my career in this company. :-)

The other half of Strawberry Gin dudettes!

2006-03-31T17:14:00.000+08:00

Reunited and it feels so good...

Sarah, Mel and I at Pancake House last March 14, 2006. I met them for lunch after my technical interview. Grabe, ang tagal na nung huli kaming nagkita-kitang tatlo. Graduation day was the last time all three of us were together. After that, it's either I meet Sarah for gimmicks or I meet Mel for highschool get togethers. Haaay... I miss our days in LB... in Mamorno's boarding house and in Strawberry Gin apartment. Hehehe!

Spot the difference in our pics!

SET 1: Inseparable duo! (by heart)

We were classmates from Grade 4 - 4th year high school... hausmates during our 4 year stay in UPLB. Whew! Kakamiss! :D

SET 2: Pretty three!

Picture # 1:

Kuha nung manong waiter na allegedly ay may crush daw sa akin, sabi nina sarah at mel. isang malaking kabaliwan! nakabiktima na naman ng waiter... for the nth time. hahahaha! Ang papangit namin sa pic na to.

Picture # 2:

Nakapatong lang yung camera dun sa parang ledge. Naka-self timer. Dito ang gaganda na namin. Hihihi!

SET 3: *ngasab* *ngasab*

Nakakagutom mag-isip ng isasagot sa technical interview! (Hihi! Mag-explain ba daw?! :P)

SET 4: Takas na!

Kung meron mang nag-iba, yun ay ang nakakagamit na kami ng credit card para magbayad ng bills! O diba?! :P

Sana makumpleto kaming original housemates minsan: Me, Sarah, Mel, Tina, Ivy, Joy. Well, that would be our next project! ;-)

Ayus!

2006-03-31T16:49:00.000+08:00

Keilyn, your movie star double is Cate Blanchett

An intellectual like you needs to be played by someone who understands how to be deep without being boring, someone who can grasp complicated subjects and make them seem clear cut, someone like Cate Blanchett. Whether bringing to life Elizabethan stories or playing an undercover WWII courier in Charlotte Gray, Cate has shown the world that being smart can be sexy.

Were you sometimes the kid in class who realized when the teacher made a mistake — even if you didn't always point it out? Now that you're grown up, it wouldn't surprise us if you still liked the challenge of banter or enjoyed staying up late talking about the latest in political, social, or celebrity circles. Your glamour comes from your head first and radiates out through your looks. Cate's a natural to star as you because she, like you, has a good head on her shoulders. And she isn't afraid to use it.

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Oo, tinatamad na naman ako gawin ang dapat ko gawin kaya napatulan ko 'to. Pero ok ah! ;))

Test taken from Tickle. Forwarded by Fred.

Dilang Anghel

2006-03-22T19:43:00.000+08:00

Kahapon, nung papasok na ako sa building para sa interview, ininspect ng guard ang bag ko at tinanong kung ano ang pakay ko. Sabi ko, “interview po”. At ang sabi niya, “Tanggap na.”, with matching ngiti, kaya nginitian ko din siya. Pero alam ko naman na imposibleng malaman ko kung tanggap ako dahil 2^nd to the last interview pa lang to. May isa pa. Dun pa lang magkakaalaman.

Ngunit, subalit, dapatapwa’t…

Kaninang tanghali, nakatanggap ako ng text message galing sa Recruitment agent ng HR: “Hi Keilyn, as per sir rocky u need not be interviewed anymore. Would like to schedule you for medicals tom at 8am. Bring 1 1x1 pic. Pls confirm. Tnx!”

Akalain mo… nag-dilang anghel si manong guard! Ang galing! :D

-----------
Haaaay… sobrang bilis ng mga pangyayari. Shocked pa din ako hanggang ngayon. But I can only thank God for everything. If things are going smoothly in my life right now, I only have God to thank for. Thank you Lord and please guide me, especially now that I have to make bigger and more complicated decisions. Thanks for everything!!!

P.S.
Sana tawagan at tanggapin na din sila. Mas masaya kung magkakasama!!! [-o<

BAD...

2006-03-08T19:01:00.000+08:00

... is the best word to describe how I feel. I feel so sad, I feel so frustrated, I feel so disappointed for letting one great opportunity pass. How can the timing be so right? (sarcastic)

... I want to blame myself for letting it pass. Being responsible and good can sometimes be a liability. Today, it is. And I just feel sooooo bad for that. Naiinis ako! Naiiyak ako! Nalulungkot ako! Pero... ewan! I want to justify what I just did, but I can't. Sobrang responsable ko nga lang cguro. Mayabang ba ang dating? Cge, pero ganun eh, at nakakainis yun.

Haaay... sana lang merong mas magandang pagkakataon. Sana may mas tamang oras para dun. Sana hindi ako mali. Sana meron pang susunod. Naniniwala ako na meron... na merong mas tamang oras kaysa sa ngayon, pero hindi ko mapigilan ang sarili ko na malungkot sa pagpapalampas sa ngayon. Ang tagal ko/namin itong hinintay, tapos ipagpapaliban ko lang pala.

Lord, let this decision be counted NOT against us, rather for us. I know that there will be a better opportunity and a better timing. But, let me cry for this one that I chose to slip out of my hand. Just let me cry for this regretful moment, I feel really bad, but my spirits are still high. I have faith that there'll be another chance. Let US have this please. My hope and trust is in You.

Incoherent? Yes. Magulo ang utak ko ngayon. But I have to get this off my head and my chest. Frustrated but still hoping... *isang malalim na buntong-hininga*

Kay tagal...

2006-03-07T17:25:00.000+08:00

- matapos ng araw na'to. Nababagot na ako. Ang daming dapat gawin, pero tinatamad akong gawin.
- mag-Friday. Gusto ko nang matapos ang work-week na 'to at magliwaliw sa weekend. :D
- tumawag ng pinag-applyan namin. Kelan pa nga kaya?

Kay bagal ng oras. Naiinip na naman ako. Haaay...