myBLOGS

September 27 2006 | Wednesday | 10:55pm

"ODDITY"

Who would have thought that inserting papers in a clear book is tedious? Tsktsk. My back aches right now. Even so, thank heavens I'm done with the album in Feature Writing. It's still due next week but it's weird that I have become diligent today. Haha! So besides the orange-colored cover of my album, how I love to see the neatly arranged feature articles. Ang babaw ng kaligayahan ko ngayon.

It has been raining all-day. I heard that there's an incoming typhoon. I'm just not sure about it but my sister right away declared that she'll be absent tomorrow in class. Tsktsk. "Napakaagang pagliban niyan (laughs)," I told her as I left the kitchen. Well, in fairness to my sister, she began schooling last Tuesday. Apparently she's improving. Braise yourself because she sleeps early already and she dimishes gimmicks as much as possible. Good for her. I've been feeling quite weird about her petty positive changes but why should I stop her from doing that? Hehe. I just hope that she'll go on, for Christ's sake. Hehe.

Funny that I decided to eat at Ice Monster on a chilly day. Actually, I experienced such oddities before -- that my mood goes the other way around. When it's sunny, I want coffee. When it's cold, I want ice creams. Sala sa init, sala sa lamig. But I believe it's just normal. Our mood varies from time to time. After Ma'am Villadolid's class, we went to the UST Car Park and entered Ice Monster. I ordered Mango Ice by the way. It was sooo yummy! =) Djhay, Madie, Dez, Arene and I stayed killed time there. Bukod sa matagal pa ang susunod na klase, maulan din. Nakakatamad gumalaw at tila ba dumikit yung puwet ko sa malambot na sofa ng Ice Monster. Lethargic afternoon indeed.

I didn't attend my second class anymore. Around 5:30pm, I went home already. Naisip ko kasi, habang patuloy ang pag-ulan, baka abutan lang ako ng baha. While in the jeep, I saw four teenagers who were happily talking with each other. I just found them slightly odd in my eyes because three awere lesbians and the sole girl was within the arms of one lesbian. The couple were too sweet, not realizing that they were in a public vehicle. At sa totoo lang, nadidiri talaga ko sa mga ganung ma-PDA. Nakita ko pang kinakagat nung babae yung malikot na kamay nung tomboy. Yung dalawa namang tibo, ang lakas makatawa na parang wala ng bukas. There was a time that I got pissed off by their noise. Okay na sanang kakaiba yung sekswalidad nila eh, kaso sinamahan pa ng malalaking bunganga. Ah ewan. Good thing it wasn't that traffic and I got out of the jeep right away.

* Magtataka pa ba ko kung bakit na-LSS ako sa bagong version ng "Nakapagtataka" by Spongecola? Haha. Just another break-up song. =p Swak na swak, kamusta naman.

I hate how coffee turns into addiction and how it keeps you up all night, how it burns and make your heart beat fast -- especially how it makes you crave for its rich and sweet promises of grains, milk and sugar. Moments later, it puts you into melancholic mood of coldness. Before you realize, it has consumed you before you should have consumed it. Empty. Hollow. Bitter. Then again, you crave for another cup, just like love.

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September 26 2006 | Tuesday | 10:56pm

"CRAMMING TIME"

Our Psychology professor scolded us a while ago. Well, during her class it seemed that we were all chaotic. Some were busy fixing their own group reports while there was already a student reporter speaking in front. Ma'am Bolaños simply got irritated to us. She paused for a break to compose herself. We used the time to edit our Powerpoint prsentations and speak to the reporters. Haha, nakakaloka yung sitwasyon namin kanina. Nag-uunahan ang lahat sa paggamit ng nag-iisang lap top para ma-edit yung Powerpoint. It was indeed, cramming time in Room 101.

Ma'am Bolaños finally decided to extend the reporting until next Tuesday. We discussed a lesson instead for the remaining time. Anne presented the results from last week's survey which talked about hierarchy of needs. It was a good topic actually. It says that man has different needs which are leveled according to potency. Like for instance, physiological needs (food, money, gadgets, etc) are the basic ones while belief in God is the highest need (falls under transcended needs). And I guess, the reason why our professor thought of canceling the reporting was because we need more time to improve our reports. Tsktsk.

It was pen-pushing time during Sir Aldaba's class. Our topic was on story themes. Then again, I needed to think creatively for my write-up. Pero dahil napakaingay ng paligid ko (lalo na si Haoson grr) at gusto ko ng pumunta sa SOSYAL FOUNTAIN ng UST (haha), minadali ko tuloy yung gawa ko. Sometimes, I can't help but cram my work because I wanted to do other stuffs. It's not that I hate writing but rather, I wasn't in the mood to write at that time.

I'm trying to budget my time today. I already finished editing my feature articles so that paper works won't cloud next week. Ipi-print ko na lang kapag araw na ng pasahan. Ayoko kasi ng nagmamadali. Mas gusto kong pina-plano at hinihinay-hinay ang bawat bagay para kontrolado ko. =)

An early bird catches the worm.

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September 24 2006 | Sunday | *12:21am

"TIME"

I had the best time ever a while ago. I went out to support and watch UST's Final Game 1 at Araneta Coliseum.

I met with Madie, Dez and Arene around 2:30pm. I was a bit late because for God's sake, the jeeps at Recto were like turtles! Or I guess it was just me who was in a hurry?! Hehe. To tell honestly, I was really excited to reach Cubao right away. Alongside the event at the Big Dome, I fondly appreciate seeing co-supporters who are wearing yellow shirts like us. So anyways, bukod sa trapik, na-delay pa nang konti yung pagdating ng LRT 2. Haha. Kumpleto na sina Madie sa Gateway habang nasa LRT pa din ako. By the way, while I was seated in LRT, I overheard two men (in blue shirts) who were talking in native language. I think it's Bisaya because I slightly understood words and yeah, their topic was about UST-ADMU. Hehe. Funny that they thought I can't understand their talk. Perhaps they are former students of Ateneo de Davao. Hehe.

As I reached Gateway, I found my companions in front of Watson's who were with two unknown girls. Well, I found out that the girls were selling Upper A tickets and we almost bought it. Gusto ko din sana kaso naisip ko naman, sayang yung Upper B namin. So anyways, we walked our way to Araneta Coliseum. Grabe, sa labas pa lang, ang dami ng tao! In fact, I saw familiar faces. I met Dang. a former schoolmate. She's now studying in Ateneo. I got introduced to her boyfriend, Jason, who's a Thomasian actually. LOL! "Kaya nga nag-white shirt na lang ako eh, para neutral." Haha. Kakatawa si Dang.

Past 3pm when we entered the Big Dome. The Juniors game (FEU-ADMU) was still on-going. As we went in, whoah, we really had a hard time searching for good seats. Much that I wanted to be near the UST drums, we had no choice but to sit at mid section. So yun, habang naghihintay eh nag-relax2 muna. Picturan. Kuwentuhan. Bonding time with the Ponkanbabes. =) It was so cool that we were all wearing UST colors. Talk about full-support from us. Hehe. As I noticed, it seemed that Arene and Dez loved the experience. Well, they are not as updated as Madie and I when in comes to UAAP basketball so I felt glad to see that they really had fun.

Soon enough, the much-waited Finals came into the scene. Oh my, I really had goose bumps to see a jam-packed place with only two dominant colors: Blue & Yellow. It was so great. The audience attendance was around 16,000. Perhaps if there's an event that people come alive and unite as one, probably sports is one of those. How I admire both camps' effort to cheer hard. For UST side, the "Go USTe" cheer was the best! Ang ganda tignan na sabay-sabay umiikot yung yellow balloons! For ADMU side, their popular "Go Ateneo" was so convincing. Sabay-sabay yung pagpalakpak at pagtaas ng kamay nila. Hehe. I also got inspired by UST's huge banner which spelled like: "Re-live '96 at 69" and "Bring Back the Glory Days". UST's school spirit was so patent. In the first place, who would have thought that we'll reach the finals? The Growling Tigers served as an instrument for Thomasians (both past & present) to be united again, supporting and attending an event which grants school pride.

Before the game officially began, there was a ceremonial event where the two teams exchanged cheers! Cool talaga! What a show of sportsmanship and friendship between the supporters of both Universities. So anyways, soon enough the whistle was blew. The game was on. I can say that all the way through, the match was tight. No blowout game happened. Halos palitan lang ng pag-sshoot yung UST at Ateneo. The ball kept on moving and every time UST shoots, the Thomasian crowd was impeccable. I loved it! In fact, we only sat during time outs. Nakakangalay tumayo pero dahil napakagaling ng UST, tanggal ang ngalay ko! Hehe.

(The climactic part) As the game was about to boil and end, every shot became too crucial. The remaining seconds of fourth quarter was indeed, nail-biting. It made me a bit silent because I really got nervous. Honestly, I was praying and wishing that my team would win. Just when Ateneo had the advantage in scoring (70-69) and the time remaining was only 3.04 seconds, a hard-angled shot of Allan Evangelista rimmed in! Grabe talaga! Mangiyak-ngiyak na ko sa tuwa. Ateneo called a time-out, 1.0 second left! I thought UST would win already but unfortunately, Macky Escalona in-bounded a long ball to Dough Kramer who had an all-day-to-shoot beneath the ring!!! Allan could have been his (Kramer's) guard but where on Earth was him! Huge turn of events indeed. The UST crowd got stunned and man, we paused for a long time. Personally, I could not believe it! Di ko alam kung maiinis ba ko, maaawa sa UST team, o magtatanong kung nananaginip ba ko. Hay. "Panalo na, naging talunan pa".

From this, lessons are learned. It was then I realized that every second counts. As you can see, the clock can either kill or help you. This time, that 1.0-second slim chance for Ateneo helped them to win. In my head, I was bothered with so many what-ifs. What if Allan shot the ball for a longer time? Time could have winded away and no more chance for ADMU to in-bound. What if one of those missed free throws by UST rimmed in? Score could have been tied and forced an overtime. Or what if the Tigers simply guarded the opponents properly? Victory could have been ours right now. Too bad. What a bitter ending.

Sana hindi na lang ako pinakaba nang ganun at pinaasa hanggang 1.0 second kung matatalo din pala. I went out of Araneta with slouched shoulders. My usual jolly attitude was washed out by the game upset. I tried to get rid of seeing Ateneans celebrating. Tsk. I separated ways with the girls at LRT station. I took a Quaipo jeep alone. Actually, I preferred not to ride the LRT 2 with them so as to think further. Man, it's funny that I'm so affected with what happened. Sayang kasi talaga. HAY.

Pagbaba sa Welcome Rotonda, kumain muna ko sandali sa Burger King. Habang inaalis ang sakit ng tiyan, nilalamanan naman ako ng kantyaw mula sa mga text messages ng ate ko. Hay naku, kakaasar. Parang ayoko pa tuloy umuwi nun kasi alam kong asar-talo lang ako sa bahay. At pag-uwi ko, tadah! Yun na nga ang nangyari. Nanood pala lahat ng tao dito sa bahay. Yung kuya ko (na former Thomasian), naudlot pa ang panlilibre sa sarili dahil natalo ang USTe! Haha! Kinuwento ng mom ko na maski sa kapitbahay, nagsisigawan yung mga tao para sa UST! Paulit-ulit kong narinig yung "Sayang 1 segundo na lang, natalo pa!" Waaaah talaga.

At ang tigas pa ng mukha kong panoorin yung replay sa Channel 26. But in a way, it helped me ease the bitterness. Medyo questionable pala yung backing violation na tinawag kay Jc Intal. Steal na dapat ng Ateneo yun eh (nung 71-70 ang score). Kaya kahit papano, tanggap ko na ring natalo UST sa Game 1. Perhaps it was just all God's will. The game was not for us and I know, He has good plans for the next events to come. I hope we'll win in Game 2. It will be the best proof of learning from mistakes. I hope that they'll learn to value each second. Because as proven, it counts.

* Umuulan pala ngayon. Lumuluha ang langit sa pagkakatalo namin. Tsktsk.

Experience pain to achieve your dreams. Remember, if you want a rainbow, you must first go through the rain.

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September 23 2006 | Saturday | 11:43pm

"WORK, WORK, WORK"

Napasabak ako sa isang madugong labanan. Ang sandata: utak sa Math. Hay. Simula pa lang, talunan na agad. I worked on our Psychology experiment with Queennie. We planned to finish writing the abstract, results and discussion of our study. It turned out that we failed to finish any of these. What a disappointing day talaga. Ang hirap-hirap kasi gawin!!! =( Here's what happened.

Nagkita kami ni Queennie sa AB Pav ng 1pm. Bago magtrabaho, kumain muna kami sa Burger King. So yun, okay pa ng mga panahong yun. Naka-kain pa nga ko ng sundae eh. Nagsimula na lang ang nakakalokang kalbaryo nang mag-library na kami. We stayed at the Humanities section for lingering hours. Stress was unimaginable.

We thought that the computation part was already okay courtesy of Jairuz. Well, as we checked it, we realized that it was all wrong. So we have to re-compute the results. Rarr, nakakahilo. Sa totoo lang, hindi kasi madali yung pagco-compute ng data sa experimental Psychology. Once you commit a single error, everything gets affected. What a grueling task indeed to get the T-Test and ANOVA. Halos masaulo ko na yung formula sa kaka-ulit-ulit solution para hanapin ang mali.

By the way, Vet dropped by to extend her help. There were petty laugh trips among us when I went back from buying snacks. Well, I told them about the library guard who almost didn't allow me to enter again the library. Nakita kasi ni manong guard yung Mini-stop plastic kong puno ng pagkain. Ginutom kasi kami ni Queennie (mga patabaing-baboy hahaha! =p) Sabi ba naman ng gwardiya, "Miss, bawal mag-picnic sa loob ng library." Natawa talaga ko sa hirit ni Manong. Nagpalusot na lang akong hindi ko kakainin yung nasa loob ng plastic. Pero pagpunta ko kina Queennie, haha recess time! =p Dahan-dahang ngumunguya at patagong ilulusot ang daliri para kumuha ng chichirya. Hahaha!

Later, we realized that fun time was over. Nakakaiyak malamang palpak ang experiment namin. Null hypothesis ang result!!! =( So now we're trying to compromise. On Monday, we'll meet again. Weighing our sacrifices a while ago, I guess there'll be more agonies to come. Pinatawag na ni Queennie yung iba pa naming ka-grupo dahil nahihirapan na talaga kaming dalawa. Hay talaga. Wala pa kaming powerpoint sa Tuesday. Hindi pa tapos yung abstract. Wala pa kaming written results and discussion. Nakakainis yung pakiramdam na ang dami mo ng binuhos pero kulang pa din. Ginagawa mo naman ang lahat pero walang magandang kinakalabasan. I'm so tired of being a student. Sana sembreak na...

Around 6pm, we broke ways. Vet and Queennie went ahead. I stayed for a while in the library to wait for our car. Nagyaya kasi akong kumain sa labas dahil sobrang gutom na ko. I was with my mom, brother and sister at Kamayan. So yun, solved naman dahil nag-buffet kami. By the way, while eating, I was texting with Ate Rox. It was a funny conversation actually. Paano kasi, gusto ka sanang bilhin yung Magic Sing ng kuya niya kaso ang mahal kaya tinatawaran ko. Hehe. Also, I found out that his brother is also selling memory cards. Tamang-tama, gusto ko pa naman bumili ng bago. Nung una, 512MB yung tinanong kong presyo. Medyo namahalan ako kaya tinanong ko naman yung presyo ng 128MB. Aba, ang negosyanteng Ate Rox sinabi ba naman, "Masyadong maliit ang 128MB, sayang lang. Dun ka na sa 512MB." Haha talaga. Now I know what keeps her busy from work. =p

God rested on the seventh day. He works frequently but He knows how to rest. Learn to soothe yourself once in a while. Breathe. Reassemble. Begin another day with high hopes and a good spirit.

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September 22 2006 | Friday | 11:43pm

"KABA AT KABAG"

At this point, I'm about to end another tedious weekday at school. Honestly, I was torn between happiness and bitterness for the past days.

I'm quite hateful to myself because I seemed to overlook on some things. Kinain ang panahon ko sa pagta-trabaho. Like for instance, a while ago, I watched Pinoy Dream Academy. To tell you the truth, it was my first time to watch a full show again! Nakakatuwa yung love team ni Yeng at RJ. The girl is in denial to fall in love (perhaps she's scared to be broken in the end) whereas the guy is so sweet and kind. Rarr. <3 Meanwhile, long lost volleyball friends dropped by my house during my 11am-3pm break. Diah, along with Karol, borrowed my video camera. As of now, I'm really trying my best to keep in touch with them. Kanina, sinubukan ko talagang magpa-kwento. Ayokong mapag-iwanan. Pero sa totoo lang, naiinis ako sa sitwasyong naiilang ako na baka tampo o may gap na sila sa akin. Basta, sana talaga bumalik na sa dati ang lahat. Somehow, I also miss my ka-tropas.

My stretchy Friday has just been okay. I guess this was one of my funniest days. Tumawa ako nang tumawa maghapon dahil sa iba't ibang rason. In the morning (after Filipino class), my friends and I went to the library to use the internet. Madie was sitting next to my computer. I was busy reading posts from PEx when suddenly, a comic thread caught my attention. So I shared the discovery with Madie since she can relate to it. Well, it's all about look-alikes of UAAP basketball players. Talaga naman, balahuraan yung nilalaman ng thread. Nabasag ang katahimikan sa Serials Section dahil sa amin ni Madie! Djhay and the rest were really wondering how come we were laughing hard. Haha. In the afternoon, comedy moments came in again when John & Scent began their usual joking trips. Nakakatawa yung pang-gagaya nila sa show ng Wowowee! From Lit class to Spanish class, there were still doing funny stuffs! When I got home, I realized that my stomach was slightly aching. Suddenly I thought, "Baka kinabag ako". Kamusta naman yon.

I'm happy that I could still laugh occasionally despite a nerve-breaking era in school. Finals is nearly coming and as expected, things are getting stiff in our school activities. Kinakabahan ako para sa Marketing Strategy namin. Ilang linggo na lang, pero wala pa kaming nasisimulan! Waah. Isama mo pa yung experiment sa Psychology, reportage sa Lit Journ, online publication, album of edited feature articles, term paper sa Lit ("daw"), at yung term paper sa Filipino! Did I still miss something? Oo, baka nga madagdagan pa yan eh. Hay. Tapos ang mas masaklap, nanganganib pa yung mga grado ko. Some of my prelim grades are not that good. The pressure is really on and too bad I have to deal with it.

Luckily, we got tickets for Sunday! Braise yourself because UST is in the UAAP Basketball Finals! Unexpected Tigers roared yesterday when they won against UE. Grabe, mangiyak-ngiyak ako sa tuwa dahil proud ako bilang Thomasian. So now, I'm really expressing full support for the UST team. Madie, Dez, and I are going to watch live at Araneta. Sana okay pa din yung view sa Upperbox B. Ubusan kasi talaga ng ticket. =/ Sa totoo lang, medyo kinakabahan ako para sa pakikiharap nila sa Ateneo. Pero sana talaga manalo kami. I believe that it's our time to shine in basketball. GO UST.

*x`cez: Guess where! No it's not Baywalk nor any theme park. It is UST's newest recreational area built in front of our building! It's so picturesque. I can't help but stare at it all the time. After Spanish class, we immediately came close to the fountain. Pero huhu, pagdating namin dun, pinatay na yung fountain! Kakaasar. Haha. Good thing Djhay took a photo before it was shut off. Nag-picturan na lang kami kahit wala yung napakagandang fountain! Hehe.

Do you know why God blessed you another morning to wake up? It's to forget the pains of yesterday and to see the chance the new day has brought; to dance and laugh again, to make up for wrong things you've done, to see your friends, to love again, to make others feel happy and loved. You see, it's more than just another long day ahead. It's God 's way of reminding you that He cares.

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September 17 2006 | Sunday | *01:20am

"HOOP ACTION"

Hats off to UST Growling Tigers! Indeed, I was stunned a while ago when they managed to win against UE Red Warriors. Their opponents by the way has twice-to-beat advantage. Talk about God's providence (haha) that the finals slot is still open for UST on Thursday. Obviously, I have been a hoop action fanatic today. Being a coach potato spelled my day.

Early morning, I just finished my Filipino paper and went for a nap again. When I woke up, my eyes were set to the television for UAAP Basketball. First, I watched the game of ADMU and AdU. How I admire Ken Bono's athleticism despite his heavy weight (and I mean it). Too bad they just fell short in the remaining seconds and ADMU bagged its sure slot in the finals. Napaka-pisikal ng laro. Maya't maya ang tawag ng technical, handcheck foul at offensive foul. By the way, I realized that I find Patrick Cabahug appealing (hehe). I don't know if it has something to do with the braces which gives a good smile from him. =p At na-adek na naman ako sa basketball players! Let me add Cabahug to my list. Hehe. And let me count them all again. LOL!

After the ADMU-AdU game, I was wishing that Game 2 would be that exciting. And man, my wish came true! What a nail biter it was between UST and UE! Well, UST was leading hugely during the first half but UE had begun its sequence as 3rd quarter came. Pero kamusta naman ang career high ni Mark Canlas (yihee Madie) para sa UST Tigers kanina! Sixteen points. He's only a sophomore, mind you. Now I wonder, if UST is a powerhouse line-up already as of this season, what more next season wherein Allan Evangelista is the player to graduate alone? I tremendously believe that this is a promising UST team. My hopes for them. It has been 10 years since UST grabbed the UAAP crown. Kung hindi man ngayong season, sana sa susunod mag-champion na. Hehe. Para bago man ako grumaduate ng USTe, aba, eh naranasan ko ding champion sa Basketball ang paaralan ko. =)

I haven't started anything for my travelogue article! Hay, kakatamad gumawa. Ire-recycle ko na lang kasi yung gagawin ko. Hindi na natuloy yung trip ko sa Vigan / Pampanga. At yung pagpunta sa Batangas, kinansila ko na din dahil mas ginusto kong manood na lang ng TV kaysa mamasyal sa lugar na napuntahan ko na nang ilang beses. Hehe.

* I hardly able to meet with some pals. Honestly, somehow I miss them. Days ago, there had been a small conflict between us. I told them that honestly, I can't relate with them already. One time I was on a 3-way phone call with them and as my two pals talked, I felt misplaced because I can't relate to the topic anymore. Di ko rin naman sila masisi dahil ako yung hindi na nakakapunta sa mga lakad. Sa sobrang dami na ng nami-miss out ko, hindi ko na alam ang mga nangyayari at tila ba napag-iiwanan na ko sa mundo nila. Sana naiintindihan nila ko. Hindi naman ako nagdadahilan eh. Marami lang talaga kong ginagawa kaya minsan ko na lang sila makausap at hindi ako nakakapunta sa lakaran. I hope to get in touch with them soon. I'm missing the action.

Fall seven times. Stand up eight.

(Converse)

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September 16 2006 | Saturday | 09:03pm

"HYPERMNESIA"

I feel exhausted right now. It's crunch time on paper works. They're badly needed to be finished at once.

I went to UST today and worked with Queennie for our Psychology experiment. I met her at Humanities section around 1pm. For four hours, we wrote, scanned unto the researched materials, and thought critically. Kakapagod pala talagang mag-isip. Naka-anim yata akong judge bubble gum para hindi antukin. We just took a break when we dropped by the Computer laboratory. Actually, nagpakita lang talaga kami kay Sir Manalili kasi baka magpa-attendance. Hehe. At dahil wala din namang ginagawa, umalis na din kami. Anyway our sneak out was for a purpose.

We continued working on our Introduction at Burger King. By the way, our experiment is about Hypermnesia. It's a term for incremental recall after successive trials of recalling. Actually, I feel that I can relate to our alternative hypothesis -- that as time goes, my recall of things increases. Like for example, when I read a newspaper article, at first I couldn't hardly remember its contents. But as time flies, I seem to remember more facts already. Pero grabe talaga, kakapanghina yung tagal na inilagi namin sa BK. Hanggang 8pm kaming nakaupo at gumagawa ng experiment. Inabutan na kami ni Jairuz na umattend ng buong Computer class. Buti naman at tapos na yung gawain namin. Maski medyo nakakahiya dun sa crew ng BK (na naglilinis na sa 2nd floor nun), nakita naman niya sigurong seryoso yung ginagawa namin. Hehe. By the way, I have to credit Queennie who's been a good partner of mine. She's also my coverage mate at TomWeb and I can say that once she's into work, she'll never let you down. I had a great time with her almost all-day. Alam niya ang oras ng biruan at panahong dapat mag-focus.

Nagpahinga talaga ko pag-uwi ko. Nagta-thump yung sintido ko, dala ng pagod siguro. I decided not to go cyber addictive today because I'm so tired. It has been ancient since I went to bed on an early hour. Perhaps this day shall mark its re-happening. Tsk.

The importance of something is seen when it's over and done.

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September 15 2006 | Friday | 11:11pm

"VIDEOKE QUEEN"

Suddenly I realized that I have passion for singing. I sing in my bathroom but I never attempted to show my voice in public. Perhaps I'm shameful that people might play a joke on me for being out of tune. Well, today's a different perspective. As to my surprise, it has been meant to sore my throat in singing. Who would have thought? Haha.

It's my brother's birthday today. That's why there's a videoke rented. After working at TomWeb until 12pm, I decided to go home first and take a nap. Nasa kanto pa lang ako ng Bulusan (our street), narinig ko na yung alingawngaw ng videoke sa bahay. Naisip ko bigla, hindi rin ako makakatulog. Instead of requesting to shut up the singing sensation at home, I just decided to blend with it. Next to Schenly's "shouting song" (haha!), I chose my song. Some people went out to the garage to check who was singing. They found out that it was me then. Haha, at kamusta naman yung dalawang oras ako halos kumanta! I didn't eat my lunch right away because I got amused in singing. =p In fact, I almost decided to skip my afternoon class when it was already 2:15pm. Too bad I had to rush for my 3pm Literature boredom.

In school, nothing much happened. Well, perhaps I was just into singing at the time and my presence wasn't there. Ma'am Pereña gave another quiz where most of us got low scores. Feeling ko tuloy nananadya na siya simula nung ma-late kami sa klase niya. Nagulat lang kami ni Djhay na may ilang kaklaseng sobra kung makapag-angat ng scores nila gayong blangko din naman ang mga papel nila (you know what I mean, tsk). Kakaloka. After the quiz, we just watched "Troy" where I almost fell asleep. Spanish time came and again, we just answered exercises.

I went home immediately. I know that many people might have been there already but I just want to try whether I could still grab the microphone or be contended listening. Kumain muna ko ng hapunan pagdating. Nakipag-chikahan nang konti kina Ronald at Ate Che (my cousins) habang nakiki-kampay sa pagkanta ni Pute (my cousin too). Past 10pm, people began to go home. Most of them have office works the next day and so, they have to rest already. As seats got emptied, I grabbed the microphone and wahaha, the throne was mine again! =p Para akong batang nakipag-unahan pa kina Schenly at Xianne sa mic. Paano kasi, yung mga bulilit dito sa bahay eh nakiki-epal din dahil ngayon lang nag-renta ng videoke sa bahay. Kumakanta din sila pero ano pang aasahan mo, parang "tulaan session" ang ginagawa nila. Hehe. So anyways, for an hour, I sang solo. I just stopped singing when I realized that cockroaches were beginning to fly around the garage. Kainis nga eh. Kung di lang ako takot sa lumilipad na ipis (haha), baka inumaga na ko kakakanta.

I hope that for the next event at home, my mom will rent a videoke once more. Nanay Paking told me that my voice is okay -- it may have some lapses but it can be polished if I keep on practicing. May hilig din pala ko sa pagkanta, di ko lang masyadong pinapansin dahil puro isports at pagsusulat ang inaatupag ko. Hehe.

Song of the day ko: "The Greatest Love of All". Hahaha!

I believe the children our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty that they possess inside.

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September 14 2006 | Thursday | 08:08pm

"PHOTO JOURNALIST WANNABE"

Up to now, my eyes can still see the camera flashes. It has been a day meant for cameras, photos and clicking that "shot" button.

I went to UST today. I attended to some tasks as a TomasinoWeb deputy. Supposedly, Queennie was with me but too bad, she wasn't able to come due to some problems at home. So anyways, I met Sir Jun at the TomWeb office along with Imee (a classmate). Bad timing that we arrived at lunchtime and so, Sir Jun told me that he would be back after an hour. We waited for him as we just surfed the net and scanned several photos taken. Surprisingly, Jenny and Djhay dropped by the office. Later on I learned that they were there to borrow a discussion room and associate with Sir Jun. Dahil pare-pareho kaming naghihintay kay Sir, nagpalipas-oras na lang kami sa pagku-kuwentuhan. Hehe.

When Sir Jun arrived, he instructed me to set aside volleyball optimization and work on the Salinggawi pictures instead. Well, TomWeb is trying to race against The Varsitarian in releasing the cheerdance article and pictures. Sayang nga eh, mas gusto ko kasing hawakan yung balibol. Hehe. So before working, Sir Jun gave his instructions on how to organize the photos. Napakarami kasi ng pictures nung Cheerdance! Haha! At dahil madami talaga, hindi ko din natapos. I passed the job to Gran (a TomWeb senior) who was shocked as well because there were many photos to optimize. Beforehand, I told Sir Jun that I would only be available to work until 2PM. Manonood pa kasi kami ng UAAP nina Imee. Hehe. =p

At dahil napakabait talaga ni Sir (hahaha!), dinagdagan pa niya yung trabaho ko. Total rin lang daw eh manonood ako ng basketbol, inutusan niya kong kumuha ng photos dun. So before leaving, he handed to me that Olympus small camera which I would be using. Imee and I left the office past 2PM to catch the game at Philsports Arena.

We took an FX up to Gateway (in Cubao). Well, we met with Madie there first. While waiting for her, we stayed at the FoodCourt. So yun, tamang kuwentuhan at lokohan na naman kasama si Imee. Hehe. Soon, Madie arrived and altogether we went our way to Philsports. Dahil hindi namin alam ang ruta papunta dun, nag-taxi na lang kami. Anyway it was just near Cubao.

Just in time, the 1st game had ended and we sat at the courtside. How I love to be back in court and catch a game live. The various noise of drums, chants and shouts simply made me happy. My excitement had become better when the UST Growling Tigers went out of the dug out already. Even though UST side was lesser than AdU crowd, I still heard the deafening Thomasian roar. =) The UST cheers were so alive that even Sev Sarmienta (one of the UAAP commentators) was dancing. Haha! Nagulat din ako nang makita ko yung bading na fan ng Adamson sa V-league. Aba, nandun din?! Kakatawa talaga. Ganun pa rin siya, sinisigaw ang "Adamson payt payt payt!!!" (with a talsik laway) Tsk.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to focus very much on the game because I was taking shots. Even so, how I love what I did! Well, I was like a real-time photographer who transferred from one place to the other, looking for good angle shots. I feel so satisfied whenever I capture great shots from the on-going game. In fact, there was a time when I sat with some professional photographers. Wala lang, kakaiba lang yung pakiramdam. Feeling ko eh professional na din ako (haha) kasi dun ako nakaupo sa lugar ng mga taga-letrato din. =p Maski nakakangalay ang paghawak ng kamera at hindi ko nasubaybayan yung laro, natutunan ko namang ma-appreciate ang photography. =) Cool.

Added to that, man, UST won!!! So now, my team is ranked as 3rd place already. Astig talaga. UST Tigers will be competing UE on Sunday. Sa manaka-naka kong pagtingin sa laro, maraming na-steal na bola yung UST. Also, there were again good at offensive rebounds. Halimaw si Jervy Cruz at siyempre pa (ehem2), ang galing ni Jojo. Hehe. By the way, I just want to confess that most of my shots were actions by Japs Cuan. I simply loved his moves. Masarap siyang kuhaan. Mahal siya ng lente ng kamera.

Nagpicturan kami sandali nina Imee at Madie bago umuwi. Haha, at natuwa naman ako sa picture ko sa sahig ng Philsports. Ginaya ko yung shot ni Ate Rox sa UST gym. LOL. So anyways, Madie went ahead of us. Nag-taxi na lang kami ni Imee at hinatid niya ko sa bahay. When I got home, whew, I was so tired. I caught my mom and brother busy preparing food for tomorrow. It's Jr's bday (my bro) and I'm quite excited for it because there'll be a videoke! Haha, kakanta na naman ako ng mga jologs at lumang kanta. Wuhoo!

* Sadly, my Vigan and Pampanga trip was cancelled. *Sobs* As a remedy, my mom told me to visit some of Batangas' good places. She'll accompany me on Sunday. Oh well, medyo oks na rin. Maski masuka-suka na ko sa pabalik-balik kong pagpunta ng Batangas! Hehe. Demanding daughter. =p

Positive pictures come our from negatives developed in the dark room. So if you find yourself lonely in the dark, understand that life is working on a beautiful picture of you.

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September 12 2006 | Monday | 11:54pm

"LOOKING AHEAD"

My sleeping disorder has been disturbing me again. This morning, I wasn't able to attend our Psychology meet up and it was scheduled 11am. For the past days, my sleeping time is at 4am! As a result, I wake up as late as 1pm. Just imagine my agony: I'm awake late at night and asleep when the world is running already. Man, I feel so sorry to my group mates a while ago. Good thing they were considerate enough.

I arrived UST by a welcoming encounter with Ging. Tsk. Actually, I was about to greet Madie and Arene who were fast approaching but suddenly, I also saw Ging who was looking at me ahead. So I greeted her. She asked whether I still have class or not. And yeah, talk about sudden closeness that we even made beso-beso. It's weird for me right now because we have just been befriending again. Perhaps the saying is right, "You'll never know, in a day or two, your former antagonists shall become your best friends" Hehe.

No Psychology class for today. We evaluated our professors instead. Señora (our assistant dean), was with us during the evaluation at AVR. Honestly, at first, I thought she's a very strict person. Anne and I would often resemble her to Miranda (from "Devil Wears Prada") who's so elite-looking, untouchable and a perfectionist. I swallowed my false impressions on Señora. A while ago, I found her kind, calm and she was even funny! Naalala ko yung joke niya tungkol kay Sir Manalili na walang Faculty Control Number. We were asking how come he doesn't have one. Then Señora replied like, "Hindi kasi namin siya makontrol, kaya walang control number". Haha! It may be a very simple joke, but I guess, it meant something deeper. =p When she was about to go, we even had petty Spanish conversation and it was so fun. To note, Señora is also a Spanish professor in AB and eavesdropping says she's a good one. She left a word saying that she wants to handle our class for Spanish 2. I don't know if it's true. But why not? Perhaps it will be an exciting Spanish class then. =)

During the break, I ate at Burger King with some classmates. I just want to highlight what we talked about. The topic began with Djhay, telling us that along with Dez, Kristine and Judy, they'll go to Zambales for their travelogue in Feature Writing. Vet and I found their idea very exciting. Gustung-gusto nga naming sumama eh haha, kasi parang masaya. Biruin mo, mula Biyernes ng gabi hanggang Lunes nasa bakasyon sila sa Zambales! Waah. Hindi naman ako makasama kasi: 1) Wala akong pera 2) Ang dami-daming gagawin! So anyways, conversation went on. I just got excited when Djhay told this, "Mag-Pangasinan na lang tayo sa sembreak". What a bright idea! Talking about Pangasinan's Hundred Islands where we can go on hopping simply added to the enthrallment. Then Arene told us that she has a relative there and so, we can probably stay there to lessen expenses. Oh my, me as an impulsive traveler definitely wants this plan to be possible! Haha. So now, there's an exciting sembreak to look ahead. Sana mag-finals na at matapos na lahat ng gawain sa school para bakasyon na! LOL.

Sir Aldaba wasn't around. Besides relief for not having pen-pushing, we got the luxury of going home early. Well, actually before going home, I dropped by Ayna's house to conduct an experiment on her for Psychology. I promised Queennie that I would take one subject so as to cover up my absence this morning. While Ayna was answering, I had another chit chat moment with Tita Vangie (Ayna's mom). Haha, kakatuwa nanaman yung usapan. Minsan, feeling ko mas close na kami ng nanay ni Ayna kesa sa kanya. =p Sabay pa kaming nag-dinner. In fairness, masarap yung Chicken Curry. Hehe!

I'm trying to finish my Filipino reaction paper ahead of time. Well, I might not be around on Thursday due to Imee's invitation to watch UAAP playoffs at Ultra. By the way, I got surprised when Japs (Cuan) was in our room. *Pendong Kay!* Haha.

Remember to know where you came from. Never look ahead without thanking the past which molded you as a better person.

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September 10 2006 | Sunday | 10:40pm

"JIVE FOR FIVE!"

School spirit is on! I've been hooked up to cheerdance whole day.

Unfortunately, I ran out of tickets to catch the live UAAP Cheerdance 2006 held at the Big Dome a while ago. Anyhow, at least there was a clearer view on TV. I began being a couch potato at 2pm. I decided to watch TV in my mom's room because my sister and mom were there too. Mas masayang manood nang may kasama. Todo kantyawan kami ng nanay ko. Haha. Kinkokontra ba naman yung routine ng UST! =p

Here's my verdict for each team's performance:

UE -- Their costume is too simple. The girls didn't make any distinction from the boys. Their routine was also simple. I think some of their steps were recycled from last year's. Unique motorcycle stunt but not that clean. They made use of the space properly and I think the best part was when they centered to make a circle. I preferred their performance last year than what they showed a while ago.

NU -- I saw the efforts. The first part was quite okay since they were synchronized. Medyo boring nga lang lalo na nung nag-sspell na sila ng "B-U-L-L-D-O-G-S". Too lengthy to capture audiences. They have to strengthen their squad's balancing skills. Ang daming laglag. Their costume made them too skinny. At kamusta naman yung isang bading, kamukha ni Jahnke. Hehe. =p

UP -- They've proven again their trademark as the squad having the most difficult stunts. Pero dahil diyan, hindi tuloy malinis yung stunts nila. May isang laglag akong nakita. But even so, I have to credit their unique steps. Hinaluan pa ng capoeira, cool. Nagpaka-old school din sila kasi may pompoms. =) Beyond performance, nayabangan lang ako sa mga banners ng UP. I saw banners like, "UP dito, others doon" and "UP sets the trend". DUH!!! I just want to say that their brains alone will not save mankind. Minsan kasi, ang hirap sa mga taga-UP, masyadong pinagmamalaking matatalino sila. Tsktsk. Naalala ko na naman yung sabi ni Raul Gonzales tungkol sa UP. Haha.

UST -- It's not that I'm being biased here but whoah, I was really stunned by UST's routine. It was close to prefect because I hardly saw errors and they were moving at the same time. Perhaps this has been SDT's secret ingredient: synchronization. High basket tosses and backflips were awesome. Favorite part ko yung sa "Superman" stunt. Ang kulet. Haha! The costume was okay. Pero para silang scuba divers lolz. The huge UST crowd who were doing the "Go Uste!" cheer really gave me goosebumps. Kitang-kita yung school spirit. May mascot pang kasama! =p By the way, I hate Boom Gonzales today for being an unfair host. First was the roll call (where he last called UP instead of UST since it was alphabetical), second was when he shut up a UST supporter (who was just cheering like the others), and lastly, he seem to make fun of Donna (telling that the Tiger mascot was Donna). Bad bad. Oh well, I guess there's no room for complaints because anyway, we've done it again as champions! Kahit minsan, minamaliit lang ang UST, hah! Anong masasabi nila ngayong 5-peat na nga kami, nasa final four pa! =) Go USTe!

ADMU -- A better BBB performance compared last year. If there would be a best in costume, perhaps I'll reward Ateneo for it. Sayang nga lang at may mga laglag din sila. They had some difficult stunts and it seems that ADMU's beginning to go out of the comfort zone. Okay yung part na may ballerina na umiikot sa gitna. Mukhang mamahalin yung props nila (hehe, as expected =p) at talagang mukhang sosyal yung dancers nila. Hehe.

FEU -- Superb performance by FEU squad. Their costume was so nice that it gave a good effect on their floor stunts. Favorite ko yung nakahiga na sila tapos nag-form silang parang sinag ng araw. Kakatuwa. =) Too bad somebody fell and their banner was upside down. Anyhow, FEU's becoming a competitive squad. Perhaps UST must watch out for them in the next years to come.

AdU -- I don't like their choice of music. Pangit yung pagre-remix. Hindi ko maintindihan kung slow, hiphop o school drums na yung tumutugtog. Their costume was quite typical. Props to their colored hairs na lang, hehe. Mahirap magkulay ng blue with glitters pa kamo noh. =p Natuwa ako sa mascot nila. Sana pwedeng dalhin yung Falcon mascot sa V-league! LOLZ.

My personal ranking:

UST - 1st

FEU - 2nd

ADMU/UP - 3rd

The results:

UST - 1st (94.96%)

FEU - 2nd (93.2%)

UP - 3rd (91.7%)

Adamson (4th), Ateneo (5th), UE (6th), and NU (7th)

"Perform like a champion". It was a nice word from Felicitas Francisco who was interviewed after the competition. I'm so proud to be a Thomasian right now! Five straight wins is no joke for a cheerdance competition. I believe that SDT really deserves it and I hope they'll maintain the status next year. =)

CONGRATS UST SALINGGAWI DANCE TROUPE!

We're Thomasians and we've got style! And no flippy peeps can make us cry! So all those others who think they're cool? We'll kick their asses `coz Thomasians rule!

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September 09 2006 | Saturday | 10:35pm

"HIBERNATE"

I'm at a stage of hibernation. Perhaps I have to blame the chilly weather for making me an oh-so lazy kid. Many unique events had just passed my life but I was slight lazy to talk about it.

Thursday >> I spent my day at STC. Since Queennie was sick, I decided to cancel my initial plan to optimize pictures with her at the TomWeb office and I went with Kc instead to visit our former school.

I had a great time at STC. Many things has changed there such that of the high school canteen having a Jolibee food stall. But I have to mention that the "manang's" are still the same old accommodative personnel and how I loved their welcoming smiles at us, alumnae. As we went up, we saw that the extend second floor is functional already and Franz (4th year HS friend) told me that some its spaces are used as SEG (Student Enrichment Group) rooms. Nagulat na lang kami ni Kc kasi iba na talaga yung hitsura ng 2nd floor. Kakatuwa.

Of course, our visit won't be complete without speaking with our former teachers. We first met Ms. Magaway who even noticed my outfit as quite daring. Haha, perhaps she is just not used to me, showing some skin. =p By the way, she was my Computer teacher. After few talks with her, there came the forever jolly, Ms. Gino Cruz who was, as usual, with many students lurking around her. Natawa na naman ako sa bungad niyang, "Ikakamusta kita kay Esguerra". Grabe talaga. It has been years but people in STC have not forgotten about my high school crush! Ms. Gino was my Filipino teacher. Later on, Ms. Tsaby came. Actually, siya talaga yung pinakagusto kong makausap. She is my former class adviser and way back, she was the person to whom I share my problems with. I know that whatever I tell her, she believes in me. During that talk, I shared what has come along my life and I can see that she's glad for me. Pinakilala pala kami ni Ms. Tsaby sa ilang estudyante niya. "Batch 2003-2004 kami," sabi ko. Tatlong taon na pala ang nakakalipas. Ang daming ng nangyari. Napakabilis. Naalala ko noon yung sarili kong nakasuot pa ng uniporme. May ipinakilala din noon si Ms. Tsaby. Baliktad na ngayon, ako na yung pinapakilala. Hehe.

We were about to go when Ms. De Lara went out of the faculty room. She was one of our barkada's closest teacher in 1st year. Nag-kuwentuhan sandali tapos umalis na rin kami. Nagsimula na kasing umulan. We were walking then when someone held my arms. It was Manang Vicky, one of the kindest school personnel. I was really touched that she still recognizes me. Sa dinami-dami ng batang napag-silbihan na niya, naalala pa rin niya ko. =) I won't forget what she told me, "Sana palagi pa rin kayong babalik dito. Natutuwa ako kapag nakakakita ng mga graduates na katulad mo". >.<

Franz, Kc and I took a snack at Mcdo Retiro. We laughed on so many things about HS life. How I love moments of reminiscing. It gives strength to my present and makes me realize that it's so nice to be back once in a while. =)

Friday >> What a long day it was. My early morning began with a stunning AB Faculty Volleyball Team whom we watched during Sir Ampil's time. They won against IPEA Faculty Team. To note, IPEA is comprised of PE professors and they were last year's champions. The game was so exciting. There were several rallies and amazing shots from both camps. Oh my, seeing my professors spike and dig that Mikasa ball made me realize how I miss playing volleyball. =( Kung pwede lang sana akong pumalo sa mga sets ni Sir Tokie or ni Sir Lopez. Hehe.

After the game, I was supposed to go home since I wanted to get some sleep and I left my Literature stuffs but Djhay insisted because it was his birthday celebration. So I stayed. While waiting for SM San Lazaro to open, we went first to CFAD and distributed survey forms for our Filipino case study. I was with Djhay, Dez, Arene, Madie and John. Later on, Madie went back to AB building and I dropped by the library to return overdue books. The rest just waited at the Pav. When I got back to the group, I saw Anne already who was coming with us too. Well, I just got surprised to her from her that there was an emerging conflict among our classmates. It was a vague story actually because Anne promised not to involve herself, even in spilling what she saw.

On our way to SM, some of us were still bothered about the class issue. We just got settled when we finally found a place to eat and talk about other things. Courtesy of Djhay, we ate at Max Restaurant. Our group had a surprise with him. Dez and I falsely excused ourselves to buy camera batteries. But what Djhay didn't know is that, we went out to buy him a Sansrival cake (not sure of the spelling hehe) at Goldilocks. As we went back, we sneaked the cake through the help of a Max crew. We told the lady to serve the cake right after we ate our meal.

What a yummy lunch it was. Djhay demanded that there must be no leftover. Haha. Along with the scrumptious meal, was the whacky picture-taking! I really had a fun time with my friends. Props to John's timeless jokes which gave me good laughs talaga. Later, the cake was finally served and Djhay got surprised to it. Ang mas nakakatuwa pa diyan, kinantahan siya ng mga waiter sa Max! Cool. =p So after blowing the candle, Djhay shared the cake among us. Ang sarap din. Hehe. Kahati ko sa platito si Anne pero parang isang plato ang nakain namin pareho. Nyahaha. =p

Nag-ikut-ikot muna kami sa SM para na rin bumaba yung kainain namin. We went back to UST around 1pm. As promised to Sir Ampil, we would watch AB vs. Pharmacy. It was the championship match. When we got to the Engineering Complex, we figured out that the game was until 2:30pm. Hay, sina sir talaga hehe. Di na rin kami umalis at pinanood na lang namin yung Educ vs. IPEA where the latter team won in a deciding set. So anyways, after that game, the complex had begun to fill up. Actually, it was quite intimidating because AB students were outnumbered. Besides that, the Pharma students brought purple and white balloons (kinarir talaga haha) whereas we only had our loud voices to show support. But I guess the saying is right that, "It's not about quantity but rather, the quality counts". Our team didn't let us down. They overpowered the fragile defense of team Pharmacy. I even heard one Pharma student saying, "Ang lakas naman ng AB". Haha! Nalaos ang mga lobo nila at napanganga na lang silang lahat dahil maski professors sila, pang-isports pa! =)

Sayang nga lang at hindi namin natapos yung laro. Ma'am Pereña didn't allow us to be excused in her class. In fact, when got in the classroom, she was giving an exam. It was so detestable that she gave an exam, knowing that many were not around. Actually, there had been conflicts with regard to the class excuse. Huli na naming nalamang hindi pala pumayag si Ma'am na ma-excuse kami kaya tuluy-tuloy ang panonood namin ng balibol. I volunteered myself to explain to Ma'am Pereña. In a way, her anger (perhaps) got lessened when I said sorry in behalf of those who got late. I just don't know if she would still record that quiz and if she really marked us as absentees. Rarr. All of a sudden, the blowout 3-set victory by the AB Faculty Volleyball Team was equated by a 0-point surprise quiz and a disappointed Literature professor.

We watched Troy during the remaining hours of Lit class. Ma'am Pereña left early. As observed, not everybody was focused to the film. The war in the room is still there. Later on, we decided to stop the film-showing already and the whole class scrambled their ways. I was with Chuchie and took a snack. Well, it became a moment of confiding with regard to the issue. We went back for Spanish class. Sir Obusan was kind enough to send us home early because of hard rain. Bago pala umuwi eh nag-usap muna para sa Psychology experiment. Naiinis na kami kay Ma'am dahil pinapahirapan niya talaga kami. Hindi niya pinirmahan yung letter namin. @~@

I hardly felt that it was already raining intensely outside. When Vet and I were about to go out the building, we saw the flooded surrounding! We were in campus pa ah! What more outside UST! Stupid me, I forgot my umbrella and I only shared with Vet. At dahil baha na sa Laon-Laan, nagpasundo na lang ako at ihahatid ko si Vet hanggang Blumentritt. So we waited for my driver, Aps. We stayed at the roofed entrance gate of Dapitan. Hindi rin kasi makatawid sa Burger King dahil sobrang baha.

Isang oras yata kaming napanis ni Vet dun. By the way, Ting (Ging's younger brother) was stuck there as well. Nagkatinginan pa nga kami eh. Nakita ko siyang nangiti habang nagtatawanan kami ni Vet tungkol kay Manong guard na napakasungit. Hehe! So anyways, we just spent time playing "dugtungan game". Haha. Magbibigay ng kanta, tapos kung ano yung huling salita nung kanta, dudugtungan naman nung isa. =p Natawa na lang ako sa pinag-gagawa namin.

Ilang kanta na ang nakanta namin pero walang busina pa rin ng kotse namin. I was starting to get worried. I kept on texting people from our house especially my mom. Later on, Vet and I decided to transfer to Burger King. Lumakad kami hanggang Asturias kung saan, medyo mababa yung baha. So yun, kumain muna si Vet habang pilit akong umiidlip. Grabe talaga yung pakiramdam ko nun: antok, pagod, sakit sa katawan dahil nalamigan at parang maiiyak na ko sa inis dahil wala pa rin si Aps!

Past 9pm, Vet decided to go home on her own. Malayo pa kasi ang uuwian niya, pinauna ko na siya at sabi kong okay lang ako. So yun, 30 minutes pa kong nagpabalik-balik sa paghahanap kay Aps. Nag-text yung nanay ko, susunduin na nila ako. Akala ko yung Honda yung ipang-susundo sa akin. Yung Fuego kasi yung dala ni Aps. Aba, nagulat na lang ako at nakasakay sila sa Fuego! Pagbukas ko ng kotse, tinatawanan ako ng mom ko. What happened was, Aps thought that he was going to fetch my brother instead of me at Burger King Dapitan! My bro would usually request to be fetched at Burger King ROTONDA and Aps dumbly went there. Grrr. I waited for 2 hours out of a miscommunication! Inakala ko pang baka na-aksidente o tumirik yung Fuego. Gusto kong sabunutan yung driver namin!!! Kakainis talaga. Haha.

After dressing up, I went straight to bed. I was so tired. Surprisingly, I missed cyber life that night.

Today >> I didn't attend Computer class. Besides the fact that I need to get some sleep, I'm thinking about the weather. It has been days of flooding due to massive rains. Baka hindi na naman ako makauwi nang tuyo kung papasok pa ko sa USTe.

It's Schenly's birthday today. This kid is so close to my heart and I decided to give her a treat. We went to Ice Monster (at Banawe) in the afternoon. I saw how she was happy because I believe it was her first time to go there. When I was with this kid, I seem to imagine myself having children. Perhaps my future kids will be lucky because I'm one heck of a mom who'll feed them with luxurious food. =p I love taking care of children. In fact, I often tell Ate Aileen (Schenly's mom) that if ever I'll be rich, I'm going to adopt Schenly and pay for her education. Hehe.

Buti na lang, hindi kami inabutan ng ulan. Tuluy-tuloy ang pag-ulan hanggang gabi. Natulog na naman ako ng dalawang oras. Kung hindi pa ko ginising ng nanay ko, baka gulay na ko sa panlalambot. Hehe.

We ate dinner outside. I was with my sister and mom at China Town. My brother could have been with us but he had the tantrums again. Nagtampo siya sa nanay ko dahil nung maaga-aga pa, nagyayaya siyang kumain sa labas pero ayaw ng nanay ko. Nang magyaya na ate ko, pumayag na yung nanay ko. Isyu ng selosan. =p I got used to it and I just didn't mind. I think that the problem is with my bro already. Aba, siya din ang hindi makaka-kain nang masarap noh! Haha.

I think I ate a lot again. Rarr. Pag-uwi, medyo nahirapan pa kami dahil ang lakas nanaman ng ulan! Baha talaga! I had no choice but to expose my feet in flood. When I got home, I continued reading what Queennie handed to me for Psych. I hardly read and honestly, I'm quite preoccupied for the UAAP Cheerdance tomorrow! I've been reading PEx and USTEx. Hehe. Good luck UST! =)

Sa malamig na panahon, masarap matulog. Pero paano ka matutulog, kung ang paligid mo ay nalulunod?

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September 06 2006 | Wednesday | *12:38am

"CLICKING REALITY"

I've just watched "Click" on DVD. Djhay was right that the film can leave tears in your eyes. It's a knock on the wood that we must learn to value people and moments of our lives because there are no rewinds nor pauses to control time.

It struck me when Mike (Adam Sandler) went back to the last moment he saw his father. I can't help myself crying. Well, perhaps it was because I can really relate with the scene. There are times when I seem to take for grant people around because I'm too busy. Life gives us choices and sometimes, we badly choose things which are not essential. My relationship with my mom, for instance, was parallel to the film. I often treat her thoughtfulness coldly because I'm so preoccupied with other things. I know, my mom may be hateful for some time but she's one of the greatest because she cares. Now I'm regretful, I tend to ignore her because I know that she's always there. But what if she isn't by my side anymore? My friends as well, there are times when I intend to neglect them. I remembered Ate Flo a while ago who texted me, saying that she wants to plan a hangout. I must say that I've been missing a lot already in our tropa due to school works. I replied to her that I might not be able to come. Right now, I feel like guilty.

I recalled Ma'am Villadolid's inspiring story during her class. She told about a good friend from the media who have just passed away. They helped each other back on the days. As she narrated, I caught the old woman teary-eyed. How striking it was. Sa pagkamatay ng kaibigan niya, doon niya lubusang naalala lahat ng kabutihang nagawa nung kaibigan niya. Siguro nga, kapag wala na yung taong nagpapahalaga sa iyo, doon mo pa lang madadama yung buong kahalagahan niya.

So I pondered deeply and asked myself, when are we going to start caring for our loved ones? When it's over? When they're gone already? Why let pass of the chance when they're still there for you? Missed opportunities, missed chances, missing that precious and priceless moment with our beloved. We cannot refrain from these but we can minimize it perhaps. Good thing for Mike that he had a universal remote control to revert his relationship with his loved ones. In real life, I guess our "clicking remote control" are past experiences. We learn from it.

Tomorrow I have no classes. I think I'm going to push through visiting STC. I promised myself to never forget where I came from. Long lost Kc is also missing me. I want to meet my high school friends again and make them feel that I'm still alive. =)

Hug them, kiss them and tell them that you love them. Don't miss the chances that life is giving you to spend with the people you love. There are no rewinds. (from the movie, "Click")

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September 04 2006 | Monday | *01:58am

"RECALLING"

I attended TomasinoWeb's annual general assembly a while ago. I believe it was such a good idea from Sir Jun to held one, so that the deputies (which includes myself) can have a better relationship with the seniors and other newbies. The GA venue was at the Data Center (behind the TARC building). I went my way on a blistering afternoon. Nasalubong ko TomWeb members sa exit door ng Main Building. Buti na lang. Hehe. Dahil hindi ko talaga alam kung saan yung Data Center. =p

The GA was okay. I earned news friends mostly from Engineering. I remembered one game done during our GA. It was called, "Speed Dating". Well, basically it's a getting-to-know-you activity. What made it funny is that, instead of getting to know a person better, it slightly became a recall-my-name game. =p Girls were seated and men rotated. As the rotation goes, I tried to recall previously met names. Haha, kamusta naman ang memory gap ko. Ang naaalala ko lang na mga pangalan ay sina Aja, Jeff, Genesis, Reginald, Sigfred, Noel, Sir Rey, Sir Jun and Elly. Hehe. Our GA ended at around 4pm. Natapos ang lahat ng games, activities, kainan galore (ang favorite part ni Jenny haha!) picturan at ang ilang seryosong usapan tungkol sa TomWeb. What a meaningful day, I must say.

I didn't go home yet. I went to library to get books about sports. Well, this has been my long-time plan. I told myself that when vacancy comes, I'll give time for my passion on sports. Jenny even caught me browsing at the OPAC and told me, "What to expect, volleyball na naman hinahanap mo". Hehe. After searching for good books, I went up to borrow them. I visited several sections: Humanities, Serials, but at last, I found the perfect books to borrow at Social Science. Actually, it was a toss of topic between tennis and volleyball. Haha. For so many times, as though I'm vomiting the word, I still chose to read about volleyball. =p

Hard rain had begun to fall when I was about to go home. Nag-stay na lang muna ako sa library. Nagbasa na lang ako ng diyaryo. At siyempre, sports section ang pinaka-binasa ko. Then again, I was amazed at the sports jargon used by the sportswriters. How I wish to craft my own as a well-known sports journalist in the future. Hay, dreams.

I went to the CR for a while. When I got back, I saw Gian and Angge seated, who perhaps were also waiting for the rain to stop. I joined them as we talked for some time. Unluckily, it was getting late but the rain had not yet stopped. So, we were forced to fight with nature. Our gear was only our umbrellas. Sumugod talaga kami sa malakas na ulan! Waah.

It was official that I became a true-blooded Thomasian on that rainy evening. Lumusong kami sa baha! Haha. Grabe talaga. I hardly recalled the last time I went through that kind of flood. Gian and I were trying our best to pass by a place with lower level of water. Buti na lang, may Blumentritt-Dimasalang jeep kaagad pero kamusta naman ang trapik! Sa mabagal na pag-usad ng sasakyan, napalingon na lang ako sa paligid. Lubog sa tubig ang bawat natanaw ko. Bukod pa diyan, ang baho ng paligid! Eww talaga. "Nangangamoy yung kanal," sabi ni mamang tsuper. Pagdating sa Seven Eleven kung saan bababa na ko, hanggang tuhod yung baha!!! I had no choice but to expose my shoes and slacks in flood. It was really an itchy, unpleasant feeling. Pagsakay ko ng Retiro jeep, naramdaman ko yung lamig. Humihinga yung sapatos ko mula sa pagkakalunod sa maduming tubig. Walang natirang tuyo sa akin. As soon as I reached home, I hurriedly removed my clothing and scrubbed a lot in the bathroom. EWW TALAGA >.< I hate it when I recall that experience.

I've just read the related literature for our Psych thesis. Kakahilo basahin, at ilang beses kong nabasa yung "recall and recognition". Haha, wala lang.

Do you know why it's painful to forget you? Because I'm still not over recalling what has been through.

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September 03 2006 | Sunday | *01:12am

"I BEG TO DISAGREE"

Tinamad akong mag-blog ng ilang araw. Life has been the same. Perhaps the only newcomer event is that my sister, Yel, arrived from Dubai.

At first, I thought her comeback won't make a difference in the house. She arrived last Friday night, along with her boyfriend Bobet who happens to have an addictive PDA (palm phone) which I played all-night long! Haha. Too bad Yel's pinapayabang-na-Ipod-Nano-na-ibibigay-dapat-sa-akin got ruined days after they bought it. Sa chocolate na lang siya bumawi. Naulanan din ako ng sandals at pabango. But much of what she gave to us were not brand new. Either she got it from her office or it came from Ate Lani (Filipina friend in Dubai). My sister's dream of coming back with sacks of Dirhams (UAE's currency) didn't happen. In fact, she came back not because of a vacation. She's here again because she lost her job in Dubai. So as not to waste money again from exiting to Iran (she has no working visa kasi), my mom decided to send her home na lang muna.

At ito ang nakakaloka. Sa pag-aakalang maghahanap lang siya ng matinong agency dito, may bago na naman siyang proposal sa nanay ko. Being skilled in AutoCAD sets a good job in Dubai DAW. That's why my sister, appealing to be an oh-so-expert-in-everything na naman, suggested my mom to enroll her at Infomatics and learn AutoCAD. I heard that it will take her three months to learn the basics of AutoCAD. When my mom told me about this, I just laughed at it. I might be devilish this time but knowing my sister, zzz good luck sa kanya sa pag-aaral ng AutoCAD. Ilang beses na siyang nangakong mag-aaral? Let me count the ways.

I know AutoCAD, that's why I'm reacting quite doubtful on my sister's powers to pursue good. Way back in high school, I studied AutoCAD and my memory is fresh that this was the lesson which gave me a headache. Hindi sa minamaliit ko si Yel, pero kilala ko na kasi yung ugali niyang madaling sumuko sa pag-aaral. She quitted Business Management, she quitted Nursing, she quitted Salon business and many more. Hay ewan. Susugal na naman ng pera yung nanay ko para pag-aralin yung walang-pinagbago kong kapatid.

Totoo, wala siyang pinagbago. Here are proofs. Coming from a flight, she and her boyfriend drank around 10 cans of SanMig. After that, without the permission of my mom, they brought out the car and went to Leira's house (friend ni Yel) past 3AM! The next day, they borrowed my brother's car, telling that they would only go to SM San Lazaro. Aba, ginabi na eh hindi pa rin nakakauwi. Umabot na yata ng Pampanga. At kamusta naman ang pag-usok ng telepono. Haha, Yel trademark talaga. Sa totoo lang, naaawa ako sa nanay kong walang-puknat ang pagsaway sa TEENAGER kong ate. Tsktsk. That's why since then, I've been begging to disagree with regard to my sister's pseudo-realistic plans because she can't show anything right yet.

At meron pang mas nakakaloka (haha!). Yesterday, I arrived from school and I dropped by my mom's room. Yel and my mom were talking. Soon I recognized that they were talking about jobs in Dubai which are in demand. My sister says that web-designing is a money magnet there and she's suggesting that I work there after graduation. I don't know what she fed to my mom at that time who happens to be agreeing with my sister as well! Huwag na daw ako mag-journalist. Mamamatay lang daw ako sa pagsusulat. Mag-web designing na lang daw ako sa Dubai at yayaman daw ako agad. Grabe talaga. I simply don't know what to do first, whether to shout at them or to reason out my side calmly. Ito na lang ang nasabi ko, "Nagpapatawa ba kayo?"

I felt that it was such a huge insult on me. Since childhood, journalism has been my passion. So now, they're trying to imply to kill my passion just for a stupid web-designing job. Ano pang silbi ng inaaral ko ngayon kung magiging OFW lang pala ako sa Dubai?! Lalo tuloy tumitigas yung loob kong mag-pursiging maging journalist. Balang araw mauunawaan din nila yung malaking pag-iling ko sa mga pagpapatawa nila. Magta-trabaho ako sa Philippine Daily Inquirer. Magiging sports writer ako sa ABS-CBN sports. Makakapaglakbay ko nang libre bilang Europe chief correspondent.

Ewan ko ba. Noon, hindi ganyan mag-isip yung nanay ko. Siguro kung anu-anong kabigha-bighaning salita ang sinasabi ni Yel para mapaniwala ang lahat na "Dubai is a paradise". Eh di sana kung totoo nga yan, hindi siya nasipat dun at hindi siya batugang nanlilimos dito. Tsk. KALOKOHAN.

* I watched a play a while ago with 3jrn3 at PETA-PHINMA Theater as a requirement for Filipino. Before that, I came with my mom and brother shopping at SM North. We bought a new HP printer. Cool. =) We also had a grocery. When I got home, I just watched UAAP Basketball. Way to go, UST Tigers won against Adamson. It's a footstep to Final 4 berth.