Syet, may Internet! Before I go on a looonger Internet break (i.e., Christmas vacation), here are some pictures from last April that Ate Pay sent me. Merry X'mas!!! <== This greeting goes to all of you, hindi lang kay Chito, hehehe.

Ay. Isang lagok lang ung champagne.

The TFI/Crest X'mas Party was held in Alfonso, Cavite last Sunday. My headdress was a Taekwondo head gear (borrowed from kristyl) that I paired up with my baby blue Adidas jacket and which, unfortunately, didn't win a cash prize. It was erroljandaman who won the Php500 because of the gift bag on his head. Ate sherry and dave arrived late at the scene; they didn't catch the game our team facilitated -- Paint Me a Billboard -- where each group had to depict a famous movie/show/ad and pose for a few seconds. The games I participated in were "Arrange Yourselves" and "Sayawit." In the former I didn't pay that much energy and attention; in the latter I was bibo enough to knock my knees in an '80s (?) dance move to gear the group into a competitive mode. To end the party sir metz proposed a toast. Due to the absence of drinking water I all-too-readily gulped down the small amount of champagne poured into my plastic cup without waiting for the toast, so lora had to refill it (haha!). I am not enthusiastic while writing this blog because of several things: I am sleepy and tired from spending the SM gift passes (company bonus) yesterday, and we don't have an Internet connection. We are currently on a lunch break from the HR workshop in the Palacio bldg (I thought drinking coffee there's gonna awaken my sleepyhead; what it did, however, was make me vomitty). I am eating a huge muffin. Un lang. Last Saturday nga pala sheann and I went to Gateway. We saw Epi Quizon and my classmate in undergrad John mallracing. The host of the show was my high schoolmate Rico the DJ. Yesterday naman at the Mega groundfloor kristyl and I saw "Papa" Sam from PBB...

I miss you CHITO.

Shall I get another tattoo or not? Take this poll. Who knows, Chito's name might be on my wrist next...

I watched "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" the other day with ayi. Sobra, ang ganda niya! I am not only referring to Maxi, I am referring to the whole movie! Magnificently shot with a digital camera, it let the viewers experience innocence again... and the flowering of untainted love [my dear Chito!] ...and the warmth and fragility of family ties. I now feel sorry for high-budget Filipino films with low moral content and old comedians/action stars/senators trying so hard to entertain the people. They should be phased out -- actors and movies alike; there should be more high-quality films that would help alleviate the state of "kababawan" of the Filipinos in general. As with noontime and reality shows, I don't know what to say.

[whistle] This gal's in love with you Chito. I am in love with you Chito. Baliw na baliw sa 'yo...

I, Florida V. Ortiz, was in the centermost, frontmost, bestest, rockest, awesomest row last Thursday during the Parokyal ni Edgar concert at my school (HRPI Orani, Bataan)!!! It started at 8:30 and I hoped for it to last forever. I am going crazy just writing this blog. It's the funkiest birthday I ever had; I was with my lovely cousins Ciena, Christa, Raniel, and RJ, but when Parokya ni Edgar arrived at the stage, I almost forgot they were there! The first band member who came out was Papa Buhawi (hihihi), the most audience-friendly of them all -- he reached out his hand to the people at the side before he treaded the steps that I myself have set my feet on a gazillion times (from Nursery to 4th year high). Then the others prepared their instruments after going directly to the stage (they were a bit shy I guess). Chito Miranda was the last one to appear. He wore a gray Billabong shirt, maong pants, and green checkered boxers. Guess how I knew that... Ask his pet birdie, hahaha! That song was killing me! Ok, I'm going too fast. Let's go back to the beginning:

[Intermission by blink 182] ...because I fell in love with the girl at the rock show... I'll never forget tonight. I'll never forget tonight...

It's weird, I can't remember what Chito said when he got on stage. I was soooo engrossed with his presence I've never been starstruck like that my whole life. Except for one instance. And that was with him again. It was my first year in UP Diliman. My blockmate and I were going up the steps towards the west wing of our building (Palma Hall). That passageway connecting the Faculty Center to AS was wide enough... Until Chito passed by my side -- it felt like he was a heavenly body and I happened to be a speck floating nearby -- the spot was congested with his shining aura it blinded me for a second (or two). That's when I realized the man who passed by me at my right going down the stairs while I was going up was the vocalist of one of the best bands in the country. Chito Miranda. The year was 2000. Last Dec. 8, 2005, the same feeling was aroused in me. I could not contain myself. When Chito, despite the malakas na ambon, got off the stage after a few opening remarks (which I could not remember nga) to be with the audience and stepped into two monoblock chairs that were set directly in front of me (IN FRONT OF ME!), I touched him. There was a barricade but I slipped my feet at the Xs of the fence and in effect my torso was above the heads of the rest of the audience. He was already singing (he trembled when he hit the high notes). I laid my hand on his chest -- at his heart. I caressed his tattoos: the sun at his left upper arm and his surname at his right forearm. I encircled his waist with my arms. I EMBRACED CHITO MIRANDA. His stomach was in my face so I said why not? After the song Chito said, "Iwasan lang po natin ang paghawak, baka makuryente tayo." He was right. We -- him and I -- generated ECSTATIC electricity when we made contact. Skin to skin, both wet from the [now] pouring rain. Aahhh... I can't say the O word here... Hihihi... Besides, it was really innocent. Like my kiss on his left hand. REALLY INNOCENT.

The whole time I was thinking about how talented this guy is. How great a performer he is. And how it's possible to have feelings for... for... a superstar. Gosh, how convenient! Like, you know, is it even probable for me to be that close to Chito again? In the three years that I watched concerts at the UP Fair I wasn't able to catch their band. Parokya ni Edgar is always the highlight of the week-long February event. They usually play at 2am. 2am my dears. E ang jeep Philcoa hanggang 12:30am lang, pano ko uuwi? Papatayin ako ni Ma kung sa ganong oras ako maglalakad pauwi noh! Haayyy... I am more than starstruck, I am lovestruck. Oh Chito, my Chito, where art thou Chito?

I told you once that I believe in karma. And mine comes around pretty fast. The Parokyal ni Edgar (Holy Rosary Parochial Inst. is the name of my school, thus the pun) show was commenced by the resident band "Ancient Harmony" composed mostly of senior students -- after them another local band led by my grade school classmate Leo Noel performed -- while waiting for the main event. Of course, when Parokya was already there the members of the high school band had to go somewhere in the ground to enjoy the show as well. They chose to be near the centermost and frontmost row, i.e., behind me. All along I thought the arm on my left was the right arm of an anonymous guy. I was wrong. Way wrong. It was the left arm of one of the Ancient Harmony guitarists. Where was his right arm you ask. On my right arm, it was on my right arm!! Does that qualify as tsansing or what @#@%$@#^!?! My cousins made fun of me because they saw that and I didn't. They thought the akbay was ok with me. Well, it's not. RJ would kid and make sampay his arm on Raniel and kiss him, in mockery of the nasty thing that happened to me at the show. When I cried over it at our slumber party the next day (still with my four cousins), Christa said, "Alalahanin mo na lang na na-embrace mo si Chito." And so I did. I felt much better. Before I boarded my bus on Saturday though, Ciena scared me -- she said, "Baka makatabi mo si Parigo!" Parigo was the guy behind me at the show. Aahhhh!! Chito, come back and rescue me! (Maybe I'll meet Chito later when I go to SM Megamall with my girl friends Ayi and SheAnn... We'll see.)

What a long word. And it's been a long time since I thought about 'impenetrability' -- we discussed it during my elementary science class. Now why did I suddenly remember this? There's only one possible explanation: tumatanda na ko! It's my birthday tomorrow... And someone already bought me a gift last night! How nice! Tita elvie is one of the most thoughtful people I've encountered. Then there's ate sarah, ayi, kristyl, luis, and our family friend aka "ochaw." Thank you thank you to everyone who won't forget to greet me, thank you!!

I am wearing my lucky shirt today (i.e., my "luckily" unfortunate edibly striped shirt). My past experiences with it I am not going to tell you. But my present experience, I will. I just came in at my workstation, after having washed my hands. The reason for the Pontius Pilate move: a man came tumbling -- or so I wish -- down the stairs together with two of his guy friends, shook my hand, introduced himself, asked about my scar (to which I replied it was burnt -- at the stake! because really it was from skin graft, as majority of my readers know), asked where I worked, asked if I were a teacher (having seen the Tekkids slogan), and asked -- Que Barbaridad! -- if maybe we can "gimik" sometime. A$$hole. He didn't threaten me a bit, in fact I was on the verge of making fun of him, but his behavior was uncouth! Can I not eat my tuna croissant in peace?!?

I find the following excerpt from Kafka's The Trial quite fitting for the event that transpired yesterday.

... At the same time he asked himself, from his own perspective, what reason he could possibly have for doing that. Because the pair of them were sitting in the next room and had intercepted his breakfast? Killing himself would have been so senseless that, even if he had wanted to, its very senselessness would have prevented him. ...

Mizandaztood. I was about to leave last Friday when joyce came in and told us that the Sales Team would be having a pakain on Monday at six o'clock. I asked her why that early. She said people are probably gonna be late anyway so better say "6." All the while I thought the meeting time was 6am! So I texted alex and joy -- my remaining team members -- to come as early as that. Turns out we were the only ones at the office at that small hour of yesterday morn! It was pretty embarrassing. My only defense was that it was what I logically concluded, that it was breakfast at 6am and not 6pm. Anyway, I also readily admitted that I have a short attention span when it comes to announcements/instructions/etc. But I am not gonna sulk at one corner over that. Or would I?

...so much to blog about... I learned to handle a balisong on Dec. 1.

NEWSFLASH: Blue Team bowed to jury's decision. The team captain is out of the game! Who's going to be realigned next?

"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" almost lulled me to sleep twice. Ayi mangled my right shoulder in the scary parts, but it's cool. [hi ayi, hihihi] It was last Monday at SM Megamall where I bought Kafka and Kundera -- I've been meaning to buy their novels for so long. Again, I went to Mega and watched another movie just this Saturday with kristyl. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" went below my expectations. Despite the gorgeous Lord Ralph Fiennes. Oh well...

Juno's playing solitaire. There are only five of us here in the office. And we don't have Internet connection for crying out loud! What a pity. I finally finished organizing the high school files in ma'am lesley's computer. Now I'm going to do my share in the Style Guide (proof correction marks, APA citation, etc.). Tahtah!