tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122693042024-02-20T15:04:40.847+08:00weytaminit!musings of a perpetual dreamerabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-57001279664537267322009-12-23T07:28:00.005+08:002009-12-23T07:48:38.599+08:00The Times, They are A-Changin'When I began this blog, I just started out teaching toddlers. I've been through so much! (as you can read in my past posts) My life has been, and still is, an amazing journey. Just this year, I realized how much I've accomplished. It's overwhelming!<div><br /></div><div>As I begin the new year, I want a change. I'm moving! I'm not closing this blog, for sure. I'm too sentimental. :) Anyways, I just opened a new <a href="http://abyarabit.tumblr.com/">photo blog</a>! I'm so excited to share it with everyone. And I'm lovin' the lay-out. :D</div><div><br /></div><div>Since this'll most probably be my last post here, I just want to close it with a few photos of the memorable events the past two months. I'm looking forward to an even more fantastic 2010! :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SzFZ6RQvzLI/AAAAAAAAAWI/oLbptNFJpzI/s1600-h/More+please.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SzFZ6RQvzLI/AAAAAAAAAWI/oLbptNFJpzI/s400/More+please.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418210684304346290" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SzFZUfKP6sI/AAAAAAAAAWA/gDLo8KLksRE/s1600-h/Good+things+come+to+those+who+wait.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SzFZUfKP6sI/AAAAAAAAAWA/gDLo8KLksRE/s400/Good+things+come+to+those+who+wait.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418210035200158402" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SzFaHc1Ar9I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/rPWJYykTJ8I/s1600-h/Anawim.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SzFaHc1Ar9I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/rPWJYykTJ8I/s400/Anawim.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418210910747537362" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SzFamjMuzUI/AAAAAAAAAWY/sqYmK3H6tpQ/s1600-h/Superblessed.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SzFamjMuzUI/AAAAAAAAAWY/sqYmK3H6tpQ/s400/Superblessed.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418211445033585986" /></a>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-58459520257478195732009-10-01T21:56:00.034+08:002009-10-04T23:19:41.116+08:00Test of Faith<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last Saturday, I asked for the gift of faith. Little did I know that my gift would be tested right away.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">During the height of Ondoy's wrath, I was at a facilitators/care group head workshop conducted by the Light of Jesus (LOJ) community. It was a whole day affair and, though we received text messages about the heavy downpour, we were still quite oblivious to the destruction that was going on outdoors. By lunchtime, my sister informed me that the waters entered the ground floor of our house. It happened before (while I was left at home) so I wasn't that worried.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One of the workshop activities was conducting a baptism of the Holy Spirit. It was during this workshop that I prayed for the gift of faith. The sister who prayed over me whispered in my ear, "Aby, receive the gift of faith. In the name of Jesus," then prayed in tongues. Her hands trembled as she said her prayer. I felt at peace.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On our way home, we (my papa and I) were stuck in heavy traffic. The floods in Taytay were pretty bad. Thankfully, the water in our street subsided. Although we didn't have water and the phone lines weren't working, we still had electricity. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As we watched the Channel 2 news, it was only then that the whole situation hit me. Thousands of people trapped in their homes, houses that were completely washed away by the torrents, people dying from landslides, flash floods, or other forms of catastrophe; it was heart-breaking. While watching, I prayed to God to save them. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In the news, they mentioned how bad the floods in Cainta and Pasig were. I was immediately worried. My lola and her helper were trapped in her home in De Castro subdivision (Pasig). Also, my uncle and his family live in VIllage East, Cainta, another place submerged in water. We tried to call my uncle and lola but the lines were busy. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The following day, we checked the news, hoping that the waters subsided. It was actually the opposite. The water levels in De Castro and some areas in Cainta were more than ten feet. Though I worried over my uncle, I knew he'd find a way to provide for his family. My lola, who's turning 80 in November, is diabetic. I know she's still strong but I was worried that two days of no food, water, and her medicines would weaken her. I wanted to go to her right away but, from watching the news, we knew that we couldn't do anything yet. Seeing rescued lolos or lolas who were sick or dying on TV didn't help lessen my worry.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After we went to mass and had dinner, I told Papa that we had to go to Lola's village. It was almost ten in the evening when we packed candles, food, and bottles of mineral water. At that point, I was already sending text messages, asking for prayers from SOLV and LOJ bros and sisters, as well as my other friends. We still couldn't contact our relatives who were trapped at home.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When we reached one of the side streets of the village, we saw marines, firefighters, medics, and other volunteers, as well as those who were rescued. The scene was straight out of a disaster movie. There were army trucks, amphibian vehicles, rubber boats, ambulances, fire trucks, and rescue vans. I realized that they were all parked there because it was the only spot that wasn't flooded. When we walked down the road, the water deepened. I spoke to the group of rescuers about the situation. They told me they were doing the best that they could. I believed them but I was desperate to get to my lola's house. I even insisted in riding the boat with them and helping them give out food. The person-in-charge politely refused. What worried me more was how the rescue team discussed in hushed and somber tones. The situation didn't look good. The waters were still more than ten feet deep and they needed more boats. I tried to remain calm and be brave but it was really hard, especially after I spoke to the rescued people in the emergency tents. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After a few hours of watching the boats leave, Papa told me that we were going home and that there was nothing we could do to help. Besides, we needed to rest so we could return early the next day. I resisted several times and talked to a few other rescuers. I really didn't want to leave. There were a few families waiting there as well. It was a depressing sight. Then, I heard God tell me to have faith. I remembered my prayer the day before. It was past midnight when we went home. God continued to assure me that He is taking good care of my lola, uncle, auntie, and cousins. The text messages of the brothers and sisters also gave me hope.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We left early the next day. The worry was still there but I continued to pray and asked for intercession from the SOLV and LOJ communities. Thank God, the floods receded.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SsiwaZmul3I/AAAAAAAAAUI/9h2hXbJJOIc/s1600-h/ondoy+6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SsiwaZmul3I/AAAAAAAAAUI/9h2hXbJJOIc/s400/ondoy+6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388750921745209202" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SsS5rrVPyvI/AAAAAAAAATw/rKAWQ4csPMY/s1600-h/ondoy+1.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SsS5rrVPyvI/AAAAAAAAATw/rKAWQ4csPMY/s400/ondoy+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387635214259309298" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On our way to Lola's house</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SsYnFDEVHBI/AAAAAAAAAUA/zEKNtHOAPuQ/s1600-h/ondoy+4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SsYnFDEVHBI/AAAAAAAAAUA/zEKNtHOAPuQ/s400/ondoy+4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388036971871673362" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SsYmJq30s0I/AAAAAAAAAT4/VVUIecibdWY/s1600-h/ondoy+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SsYmJq30s0I/AAAAAAAAAT4/VVUIecibdWY/s400/ondoy+3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388035951764484930" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi4PpERlnI/AAAAAAAAAVY/2kIbZd1vC10/s1600-h/ondoy+24.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi4PpERlnI/AAAAAAAAAVY/2kIbZd1vC10/s400/ondoy+24.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388759533010130546" /></a><p></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A lot of vehicles were wrecked by Ondoy</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssix3bPYXAI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/3j5b4_JIfLU/s1600-h/ondoy+9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssix3bPYXAI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/3j5b4_JIfLU/s400/ondoy+9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388752519911988226" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Check out the amphibian vehicle parked outside Loloa's house!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tonet, my sister who resides in Laguna, reached Lola's house first.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssiy-gpOwQI/AAAAAAAAAUY/LoveJzXsbbo/s1600-h/ondoy+13.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssiy-gpOwQI/AAAAAAAAAUY/LoveJzXsbbo/s400/ondoy+13.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388753741133299970" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lola's safe! I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. When Gelli (my youngest sister) and I reached Lola's place, we found her and Tonet chatting outside. Lola and Ching (her helper) haven't eaten and drank anything for two days. We found out that Ching's husband (who lives a few streets away) swam to their house the day before to keep them company. It was the first time (and I pray, the last) that floods reached the second floor of Lola’s house. Even if she was hungry and wasn't able to take her medicines (they were lost in the flood), she was still strong. In fact, we had to tell her to stop cleaning and fixing her things! </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi5dX1VLFI/AAAAAAAAAVo/6qkP8aXJhlQ/s1600-h/ondoy+38.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi5dX1VLFI/AAAAAAAAAVo/6qkP8aXJhlQ/s400/ondoy+38.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388760868413844562" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Talking to her, it was as if nothing happened. She even gave away some of her jewelry and chocolates (a habit of hers whenever we visit her). It felt good to laugh again.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi8D5rqoYI/AAAAAAAAAVw/WYLFtHfJQpI/s1600-h/ondoy+40.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi8D5rqoYI/AAAAAAAAAVw/WYLFtHfJQpI/s400/ondoy+40.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388763729358397826" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi2CN7oBEI/AAAAAAAAAUw/E1bgbp3IXVs/s1600-h/ondoy+15.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi2CN7oBEI/AAAAAAAAAUw/E1bgbp3IXVs/s400/ondoy+15.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388757103364539458" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lola's neighbors, both doctors, tried to salvage their documents</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi2od_vJII/AAAAAAAAAU4/HKuhm349hj4/s1600-h/ondoy+18.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi2od_vJII/AAAAAAAAAU4/HKuhm349hj4/s400/ondoy+18.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388757760511779970" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Reisidents don't need their rubber boats anymore</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi3MA_dwsI/AAAAAAAAAVA/iG9Tn8pCglI/s1600-h/ondoy+20.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi3MA_dwsI/AAAAAAAAAVA/iG9Tn8pCglI/s400/ondoy+20.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388758371201303234" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">People clamored for food, instead of the donated clothes</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi3kKFroFI/AAAAAAAAAVI/sKDQJMauerw/s1600-h/ondoy+21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi3kKFroFI/AAAAAAAAAVI/sKDQJMauerw/s400/ondoy+21.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388758785960157266" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Some of the trash were still usable</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi36e-376I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/ia6-gU0e4U0/s1600-h/ondoy+22.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi36e-376I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/ia6-gU0e4U0/s400/ondoy+22.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388759169525870498" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ahh, to be stylish amidst the calamity</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi8ke1QgkI/AAAAAAAAAV4/AFjvhuRfVac/s1600-h/ondoy+59.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi8ke1QgkI/AAAAAAAAAV4/AFjvhuRfVac/s400/ondoy+59.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388764289086554690" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What's in the plastic? Hmm...not bad.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After lunch, Papa and I drove to Village East, Cainta to check on my uncle. They were okay as well! Thankfully, the water didn't reach their second floor, so my uncle was able to grab some food for them to eat. While I watched my uncle wash the mud off their floor and my aunt rant about how they lost everything in their ground floor, I said a silent prayer of thanks to God. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi4zpxQuYI/AAAAAAAAAVg/Zd62DCV99_4/s1600-h/ondoy+25.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ssi4zpxQuYI/AAAAAAAAAVg/Zd62DCV99_4/s400/ondoy+25.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388760151674108290" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Though the floods were gone, the streets were packed with mud</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I cannot express how grateful I am to God for saving us and keeping my relatives safe. For a few minutes, I felt ashamed for ever doubting Him. God has never failed me and He never will.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I would also like to extend my gratitude to all the people who kept in touch and prayed for me and my family. Your support kept me strong as well!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I know that my faith in God will still be tested. I am striving to keep that faith. Though it is challenging, at least I am comforted by the fact that He will </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">always</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> remain faithful.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">– Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)</span></p>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-15786539659998808242009-08-28T18:28:00.037+08:002009-08-28T19:26:04.247+08:00Halftime<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">This year has been a pretty amazing experience, to say the least.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">We're just into the second half of 2009 and yet I feel that I've accomplished so much more than I could've imagined.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Expanding my Horizons</b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Last January, I finally signed up for a caregroup in the Light of Jesus (LOJ) community. The Sunday Feast has been a consistent routine for more than a year and I felt that I'm ready to reach out to more people. I've met some of the most inspiring and amazing people through this group. They're pretty crazy too (haha). </p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe0ixIAoLI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/Xxgfs-J_PV0/s1600-h/bday+13.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe0ixIAoLI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/Xxgfs-J_PV0/s400/bday+13.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374963189685461170" /></a><br />But we continue to inspire each other every Sunday. Oh, and I was able to reel in my dad as well. :)</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe1CaKyyuI/AAAAAAAAAQY/nSqJU-QDt1c/s1600-h/with+bo+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe1CaKyyuI/AAAAAAAAAQY/nSqJU-QDt1c/s400/with+bo+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374963733278935778" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">A group shot with Bo Sanchez</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">There are more good things coming soon in my service to LOJ. Can't wait!</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Basic Photography</b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">I've always wanted to enroll in a photography class. Since I delved into this crazy world, actually. So I was pretty stoked to have the opportunity to sign-up in the Basic Photography Workshop conducted by <a href="http://photoworldmanila.com/">FPPF</a>.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe1U4RQjpI/AAAAAAAAAQg/XvIPd8jhkqs/s1600-h/5x7-Group-Photo-Batch-5-2009.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe1U4RQjpI/AAAAAAAAAQg/XvIPd8jhkqs/s400/5x7-Group-Photo-Batch-5-2009.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374964050596761234" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Batch 5 of Basic Photography 2009</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe1nZIxUCI/AAAAAAAAAQo/6ju3kvb5_c8/s1600-h/the+masters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe1nZIxUCI/AAAAAAAAAQo/6ju3kvb5_c8/s400/the+masters.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374964368657174562" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Learning with the Masters - Lito Beltran, Ador Pamintuan, John Chua</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Though it was a long drive (all the way to Intramuros), the whole experience was so worth it! I learned a lot of tips and techniques that I'm able to practice now. </p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">The icing on this towering cake? A new group of fantastic friends and two trophies! </p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe2e0ArBoI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/Xd-BDVS1UaA/s1600-h/Final+Environmental+Portrait.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe2e0ArBoI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/Xd-BDVS1UaA/s400/Final+Environmental+Portrait.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374965320763770498" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">1st Place: Environmental Portrait</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe2r6R9O4I/AAAAAAAAARA/sYMi8kddtt8/s1600-h/Final+Still+Life.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe2r6R9O4I/AAAAAAAAARA/sYMi8kddtt8/s400/Final+Still+Life.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374965545785179010" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">3rd Place: Still Life</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe27fGJMXI/AAAAAAAAARI/TwNRJF5JHQM/s1600-h/would+you+like+fries+with+that.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe27fGJMXI/AAAAAAAAARI/TwNRJF5JHQM/s400/would+you+like+fries+with+that.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374965813365780850" /></a> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Let's Meet, 'K?</b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Speaking of new friends, my photography classmates and I formed a group called Kamera Cinco (K5, being the 5th batch in the Basic Photography Workshop). So far, we've had five outdoor photoshoots (La Mesa Ecopark, Avilon Zoo, Wawa Dam, Eastwood, and Binondo) and one basic lighting studio shoot (with <a href="http://olivertam.com/">Oliver Tam</a> as our guest instructor). </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">I am having a BLAST!</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><i>At La Mesa Ecopark</i></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe2Mt_xQDI/AAAAAAAAAQw/8-71Qg356OA/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe2Mt_xQDI/AAAAAAAAAQw/8-71Qg356OA/s400/3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374965009911726130" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe3mdihcAI/AAAAAAAAARQ/TUFH5f31ALE/s1600-h/32.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe3mdihcAI/AAAAAAAAARQ/TUFH5f31ALE/s400/32.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374966551682314242" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe33KYwyGI/AAAAAAAAARY/IvyOsKUtwkw/s1600-h/DSC-2237.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe33KYwyGI/AAAAAAAAARY/IvyOsKUtwkw/s400/DSC-2237.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374966838598879330" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">With K5 friends</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><i>Avilon Zoo, Montalban</i></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><i><br /></i></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe4PcduzqI/AAAAAAAAARg/lJ0xUmagnVM/s1600-h/heeey....how+ewe+doin%27.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe4PcduzqI/AAAAAAAAARg/lJ0xUmagnVM/s400/heeey....how+ewe+doin%27.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374967255768420002" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe9PpgXckI/AAAAAAAAATo/KgOQe0m5nP0/s1600-h/lemme+out+of+here!.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe9PpgXckI/AAAAAAAAATo/KgOQe0m5nP0/s400/lemme+out+of+here!.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374972756827271746" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><i>Wawa Dam, Montalban</i></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe4m7KfxcI/AAAAAAAAARo/hZ_zyjRfDyQ/s1600-h/changing+the+tide.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe4m7KfxcI/AAAAAAAAARo/hZ_zyjRfDyQ/s400/changing+the+tide.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374967659146233282" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe5iE-DeaI/AAAAAAAAASA/ErFSIpb5RFs/s1600-h/hanging+out.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe5iE-DeaI/AAAAAAAAASA/ErFSIpb5RFs/s400/hanging+out.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374968675390683554" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><i>Eastwood City</i></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe5sqxH80I/AAAAAAAAASI/0kJbaJzSqn0/s1600-h/Walk+on+by.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe5sqxH80I/AAAAAAAAASI/0kJbaJzSqn0/s400/Walk+on+by.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374968857335690050" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe55N9KLrI/AAAAAAAAASQ/pNdi3zM-SLw/s1600-h/Water+break.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe55N9KLrI/AAAAAAAAASQ/pNdi3zM-SLw/s400/Water+break.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374969072939839154" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe6D69B_UI/AAAAAAAAASY/T8OgLlKX_Zw/s1600-h/K5+Wacky_0818+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe6D69B_UI/AAAAAAAAASY/T8OgLlKX_Zw/s400/K5+Wacky_0818+copy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374969256817589570" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">The wacky K5-ers!</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><i>Binondo, Manila</i></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe6Y662SaI/AAAAAAAAASg/5Kj13Nl9UJU/s1600-h/morning+catch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe6Y662SaI/AAAAAAAAASg/5Kj13Nl9UJU/s400/morning+catch.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374969617585686946" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe666cHKXI/AAAAAAAAASo/kvSMU4zeh1o/s1600-h/spare+change.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe666cHKXI/AAAAAAAAASo/kvSMU4zeh1o/s400/spare+change.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374970201572321650" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe7DsAJvRI/AAAAAAAAASw/SJ_0FovUrCM/s1600-h/IMG_2215.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe7DsAJvRI/AAAAAAAAASw/SJ_0FovUrCM/s400/IMG_2215.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374970352315776274" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Group shot taken by Willie Cheng</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><i>Basic Lighting Workshop with </i><a href="http://olivertam.com/"><i>Oliver Tam</i></a></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe7Ro22IrI/AAAAAAAAAS4/s6_dPvA961A/s1600-h/Lights,+Camera,+Action!.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe7Ro22IrI/AAAAAAAAAS4/s6_dPvA961A/s400/Lights,+Camera,+Action!.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374970591989605042" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe7dFz3R6I/AAAAAAAAATA/ON5konBabIg/s1600-h/Good+Times.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe7dFz3R6I/AAAAAAAAATA/ON5konBabIg/s400/Good+Times.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374970788740286370" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">My favorite shot with Nica</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>The Final March</b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">After five years of blood, sweat, and tears (and lots of prayers too!), I finally graduated in my Master of Education course. </p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe70F2W4QI/AAAAAAAAATI/jVJsuZk64iU/s1600-h/grad+19.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe70F2W4QI/AAAAAAAAATI/jVJsuZk64iU/s400/grad+19.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374971183887737090" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Chillin' out after the graduation rites at the PICC</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe8PwIsjaI/AAAAAAAAATQ/bDjqTrMLc7M/s1600-h/grad+26.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 236px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe8PwIsjaI/AAAAAAAAATQ/bDjqTrMLc7M/s400/grad+26.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374971659095412130" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">With my sisters and Mama</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe8aQoVf2I/AAAAAAAAATY/H4h56hBdWv4/s1600-h/grad+30.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 287px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe8aQoVf2I/AAAAAAAAATY/H4h56hBdWv4/s400/grad+30.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374971839616745314" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">I love my dress!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">And With Distinction! My first silver medal!</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe8iqQPykI/AAAAAAAAATg/M5xHBmUY4sM/s1600-h/grad+39.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Spe8iqQPykI/AAAAAAAAATg/M5xHBmUY4sM/s400/grad+39.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374971983933983298" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>More To Come...</b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">What lies ahead? So much more, I believe! I can't wait!</p>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-38566523452144038722008-12-20T11:43:00.063+08:002008-12-20T13:27:29.652+08:00The December Vineyard photo shootEvery December, the CCM-Publications releases a special issue of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevineyard">The Vineyard</a>.<br /><br />Normally, for the Staff Page, we just have our photos taken in a typical setting. Last year, <em>sa</em> Don Bosco <em>kami</em>, right before the prayer meeting...<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxySqPabGI/AAAAAAAAAKo/bzp-2WI1TvE/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281722127900896354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 324px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxySqPabGI/AAAAAAAAAKo/bzp-2WI1TvE/s400/2.jpg" border="0" /></a> while the year before that, we had a pseudo-photoshoot at Baywalk.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxyNMRCkbI/AAAAAAAAAKg/6ahfWsnDRjQ/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281722033955312050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 235px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 323px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxyNMRCkbI/AAAAAAAAAKg/6ahfWsnDRjQ/s400/1.jpg" border="0" /></a>This year, we wanted to make it more special, as it is the kick-off to SOLV's 25th year in 2009. How special was it, you may ask?<br /><br />It was an official photoshoot by a professional photographer in a real photo studio with a professional make-up artist and design artist. And we wore costumes! The theme? Something that describes yourself. :D<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxvGdvhzrI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/dY_wiUv1q7Q/s1600-h/3088581607_1482c50261.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281718619852623538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 309px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxvGdvhzrI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/dY_wiUv1q7Q/s400/3088581607_1482c50261.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxvb1Nq0yI/AAAAAAAAAKY/8wOSxspxn1o/s1600-h/3089419180_5a24f7f119.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281718986930311970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 309px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxvb1Nq0yI/AAAAAAAAAKY/8wOSxspxn1o/s400/3089419180_5a24f7f119.jpg" border="0" /></a>Thanks to our Vineyard staffer, sister, and friend, Cecille Mendoza, for making it happen!<br /><br /><strong>photographer (left)</strong>: Alan Fontanilla, head of SPANK (a subsidiary of LOWE)<br /><strong>design artist (right)</strong>: Cholo dela Vega, LOWE<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxyzmsJKiI/AAAAAAAAAKw/1qwRx96l6kw/s1600-h/15-the-boys.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281722693883341346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxyzmsJKiI/AAAAAAAAAKw/1qwRx96l6kw/s400/15-the-boys.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>make-up artist</strong>: Mona Borromeo (freelance make-up artist)<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxy-K5ChoI/AAAAAAAAAK4/rWEwA19O2HE/s1600-h/13-mona.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281722875399800450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUxy-K5ChoI/AAAAAAAAAK4/rWEwA19O2HE/s400/13-mona.jpg" border="0" /></a>We (the ladies) had our make-up session at Cecille's office (LOWE).<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx0gtFCBQI/AAAAAAAAALA/FNEzaJfkSeo/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281724568204084482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx0gtFCBQI/AAAAAAAAALA/FNEzaJfkSeo/s400/7.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx0ysW7iEI/AAAAAAAAALI/mWkhYi9JE-w/s1600-h/8.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281724877248366658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx0ysW7iEI/AAAAAAAAALI/mWkhYi9JE-w/s400/8.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx1FCySloI/AAAAAAAAALQ/tnGbLHAbNEM/s1600-h/18.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281725192506349186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx1FCySloI/AAAAAAAAALQ/tnGbLHAbNEM/s400/18.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx1YAM7mVI/AAAAAAAAALY/eyxmSV1oPXk/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281725518230296914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx1YAM7mVI/AAAAAAAAALY/eyxmSV1oPXk/s400/3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Nako</em>, if only I had a videocam! <em>Ang kulit ni</em> Beauty! :)) I spent several minutes photographing Beauty while she was waiting for her turn to have her make-up done. <em>Hindi siya masyadong nag</em>-enjoy, really. ;)<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx1iMWjSAI/AAAAAAAAALg/AMwWDJjS2Ng/s1600-h/13.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281725693290563586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx1iMWjSAI/AAAAAAAAALg/AMwWDJjS2Ng/s400/13.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx1wMfaD6I/AAAAAAAAALo/Q49Olzm20WE/s1600-h/12.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281725933845876642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx1wMfaD6I/AAAAAAAAALo/Q49Olzm20WE/s400/12.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Siyempre</em>,<em> di nagpahuli si</em> Cecille!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx2CgoK5FI/AAAAAAAAALw/f7ZMLRCSaz0/s1600-h/17.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281726248488985682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx2CgoK5FI/AAAAAAAAALw/f7ZMLRCSaz0/s400/17.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx2fFo2zpI/AAAAAAAAAL4/u3DZHYo0p4g/s1600-h/24.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281726739460312722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx2fFo2zpI/AAAAAAAAAL4/u3DZHYo0p4g/s400/24.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>Kinunan din ako ni</em> Cecille...<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx2w0sd5bI/AAAAAAAAAMA/hyx6i3oG5Jc/s1600-h/22.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281727044149700018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx2w0sd5bI/AAAAAAAAAMA/hyx6i3oG5Jc/s400/22.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />When we were all made-up, we drove to the photo studio for the pictorials. It was such a treat to see everyone in costume! The biggest surprise was seeing Caloy in his priest outfit. <em>Ano kaya ang masasabi ni</em> Ate Malou <em>dito</em>? Hehehe...<br /><br />Here are some of my favorite behind-the-scenes shots. Documenting the whole event was pretty fun already!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4IfdC_eI/AAAAAAAAAMI/Igp2c3AU7yw/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281728550276365794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4IfdC_eI/AAAAAAAAAMI/Igp2c3AU7yw/s400/1.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4Tn1DN0I/AAAAAAAAAMQ/dt37N38Lj0A/s1600-h/6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281728741503088450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4Tn1DN0I/AAAAAAAAAMQ/dt37N38Lj0A/s400/6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4bz-72bI/AAAAAAAAAMY/8WlZlzR5S68/s1600-h/11.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281728882204727730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4bz-72bI/AAAAAAAAAMY/8WlZlzR5S68/s400/11.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4oLAVUvI/AAAAAAAAAMo/PVZKo2ovoNs/s1600-h/14.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281729094543037170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4oLAVUvI/AAAAAAAAAMo/PVZKo2ovoNs/s400/14.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4iHjZtKI/AAAAAAAAAMg/v8AjfDd1f50/s1600-h/12.1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281728990537168034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4iHjZtKI/AAAAAAAAAMg/v8AjfDd1f50/s400/12.1.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4yLkV-MI/AAAAAAAAAMw/RCTkdm3Qmds/s1600-h/28.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281729266492766402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx4yLkV-MI/AAAAAAAAAMw/RCTkdm3Qmds/s400/28.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx42j8mdXI/AAAAAAAAAM4/BsBNqz3eKjs/s1600-h/32.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281729341756437874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx42j8mdXI/AAAAAAAAAM4/BsBNqz3eKjs/s400/32.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx5BszuJiI/AAAAAAAAANI/UE6mWczOrgA/s1600-h/38.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281729533113673250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx5BszuJiI/AAAAAAAAANI/UE6mWczOrgA/s400/38.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx48l0UUxI/AAAAAAAAANA/gJKwhQu-Hdg/s1600-h/36.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281729445337781010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx48l0UUxI/AAAAAAAAANA/gJKwhQu-Hdg/s400/36.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx5OPP772I/AAAAAAAAANQ/bSBnvFrH-Mc/s1600-h/40.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281729748517252962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 296px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx5OPP772I/AAAAAAAAANQ/bSBnvFrH-Mc/s400/40.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx5ZESEh_I/AAAAAAAAANY/0S2xN_qqRmM/s1600-h/41.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281729934551975922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx5ZESEh_I/AAAAAAAAANY/0S2xN_qqRmM/s400/41.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx5-6sl0sI/AAAAAAAAANg/Oro8GaLgzJg/s1600-h/43.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281730584813884098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx5-6sl0sI/AAAAAAAAANg/Oro8GaLgzJg/s400/43.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx6NAwb3CI/AAAAAAAAANo/qAzs0ggu5Vc/s1600-h/46.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281730826958789666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx6NAwb3CI/AAAAAAAAANo/qAzs0ggu5Vc/s400/46.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx6e2ghdTI/AAAAAAAAANw/VaBKZTDFD5A/s1600-h/49.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281731133445338418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx6e2ghdTI/AAAAAAAAANw/VaBKZTDFD5A/s400/49.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx6nfmJSkI/AAAAAAAAAN4/iYVioUZSOxs/s1600-h/54.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281731281913727554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx6nfmJSkI/AAAAAAAAAN4/iYVioUZSOxs/s400/54.jpg" border="0" /></a>Here are the official shots.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx6tkyZ1sI/AAAAAAAAAOA/pjCtUXCndIY/s1600-h/1-cecille.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281731386386536130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx6tkyZ1sI/AAAAAAAAAOA/pjCtUXCndIY/s400/1-cecille.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx63BZ6yVI/AAAAAAAAAOI/LC63RJi0aZU/s1600-h/4-beauty.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281731548687288658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx63BZ6yVI/AAAAAAAAAOI/LC63RJi0aZU/s400/4-beauty.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx68SORovI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/-Xs4jb1-LIE/s1600-h/5-caloy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281731639101203186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx68SORovI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/-Xs4jb1-LIE/s400/5-caloy.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7I_YMVwI/AAAAAAAAAOg/D9mXJNv7c1s/s1600-h/9-flor.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281731857380824834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7I_YMVwI/AAAAAAAAAOg/D9mXJNv7c1s/s400/9-flor.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7DX9AbxI/AAAAAAAAAOY/YIygoysk2tQ/s1600-h/7-moi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281731760898469650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7DX9AbxI/AAAAAAAAAOY/YIygoysk2tQ/s400/7-moi.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7PCRrdjI/AAAAAAAAAOo/x5ijFDZ059M/s1600-h/11-joel.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281731961238025778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7PCRrdjI/AAAAAAAAAOo/x5ijFDZ059M/s400/11-joel.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7TI25J2I/AAAAAAAAAOw/sVbjPfLQAyU/s1600-h/17-grp-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281732031724201826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7TI25J2I/AAAAAAAAAOw/sVbjPfLQAyU/s400/17-grp-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7YQikrHI/AAAAAAAAAO4/NeL0vwfT8AI/s1600-h/18-grp-2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281732119685803122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7YQikrHI/AAAAAAAAAO4/NeL0vwfT8AI/s400/18-grp-2.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7c_mCpWI/AAAAAAAAAPA/bTCetSaxz4M/s1600-h/19-grp-3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281732201036293474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SUx7c_mCpWI/AAAAAAAAAPA/bTCetSaxz4M/s400/19-grp-3.jpg" border="0" /></a>Thanks again to Alan, Cholo, Mona, Cecille, and to our Vineyard staff, who have been such great sports! Till next photo shoot!<br /><br /><p><em>Hmmm...how will we top this next year???</em> </p>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-65745124413909371222008-11-01T12:15:00.028+08:002009-02-11T00:29:36.187+08:00boo!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxj3igrx0I/AAAAAAAAAIY/6HlYuN52mx0/s1600-h/happy+halloween!.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxj3igrx0I/AAAAAAAAAIY/6HlYuN52mx0/s400/happy+halloween!.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263691870297114434" /></a>i love Halloween.<div><br /></div><div>though this goulish holiday isn't celebrated here as much as it is in other countries, i still enjoy the whole experience. especially since i get a kick out of scaring people (a.k.a. my students). yeah, yeah, i'm mean. but my kids still love me so i'm not complaining. not that i bribe them with candy (trick-or-treating is an exception).</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxkGbdAnGI/AAAAAAAAAIg/B2HjtfsUVg0/s1600-h/tutus+and+fairy+wings.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxkGbdAnGI/AAAAAAAAAIg/B2HjtfsUVg0/s320/tutus+and+fairy+wings.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263692126100692066" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">the ballerina and pink fairy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxkS_Rcd9I/AAAAAAAAAIo/vJLlzbnhyBg/s1600-h/oohh+the+lights....jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxkS_Rcd9I/AAAAAAAAAIo/vJLlzbnhyBg/s320/oohh+the+lights....jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263692341874292690" /></a>oohh...the lights</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>most of my Halloween partying happen in school. from the weekly theme to our special activity: trick-or-treating. i <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">so</span> enjoy seeing my students in costumes. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxnekKlTMI/AAAAAAAAAJY/IvT75txps_I/s1600-h/the+halloween+bus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxnekKlTMI/AAAAAAAAAJY/IvT75txps_I/s320/the+halloween+bus.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263695839291067586" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">all aboard the Halloween bus!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxmcC_jGqI/AAAAAAAAAI4/e2ViZC3IkGc/s1600-h/how+can+you+resist+giving+candies+to+this+grp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxmcC_jGqI/AAAAAAAAAI4/e2ViZC3IkGc/s320/how+can+you+resist+giving+candies+to+this+grp.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263694696515050146" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">going trick-or-treating around school</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>it's hilarious that, even if they're sweaty and their outfits are pretty uncomfortable, most of them refuse to take their costumes off, even during outdoor play.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxnzruAJII/AAAAAAAAAJg/Txdwkm0hALQ/s1600-h/liana%27s+favorite+ride.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxnzruAJII/AAAAAAAAAJg/Txdwkm0hALQ/s320/liana%27s+favorite+ride.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263696202095928450" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">her favorite ride</div></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxnFe5VAZI/AAAAAAAAAJI/rW2orRglhUA/s1600-h/grp+photo+2.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxnFe5VAZI/AAAAAAAAAJI/rW2orRglhUA/s400/grp+photo+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263695408379789714" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxoH8XZfpI/AAAAAAAAAJo/W7r1GA0Ln4w/s1600-h/with+the+gorgeous+teachers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxoH8XZfpI/AAAAAAAAAJo/W7r1GA0Ln4w/s400/with+the+gorgeous+teachers.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263696550161907346" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">oh, i was a (fat) spider by the way. check out my ginormous spider eyes!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>the culmination of our Halloween celebration is the school-wide party. this year's was held at the Greenmeadows clubhouse. the parents, kids, and teachers all came in costumes. it was pretty fun, especially since a lot of families were so game. the theme was saving the environment - Happy Hallowgreen!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxojqXOjWI/AAAAAAAAAJw/DpszeI4pK9M/s1600-h/38+-+have+no+fear...the+justice+league+is+here!.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxojqXOjWI/AAAAAAAAAJw/DpszeI4pK9M/s320/38+-+have+no+fear...the+justice+league+is+here!.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263697026365689186" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">have no fear, the Justice League is here!</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxo2u0freI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/-St3xdfYH1s/s1600-h/57+-+the+knight+won!.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxo2u0freI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/-St3xdfYH1s/s320/57+-+the+knight+won!.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263697353979702754" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">they were great sports</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxpEmEL3TI/AAAAAAAAAKA/kPfXdfSzl6I/s1600-h/60+-+bea+watching+q+wear+his+helmet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxpEmEL3TI/AAAAAAAAAKA/kPfXdfSzl6I/s320/60+-+bea+watching+q+wear+his+helmet.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263697592147762482" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"> she's such a cutie pie :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>the highlights of the event were definitely the children's parade and the magic show. my students were mesmerized by this year's guest magician (who did a terrific job of hosting the whole show).</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxpbCAp7PI/AAAAAAAAAKI/VB4799SQp4o/s1600-h/71+-+her+masterpiece!.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SQxpbCAp7PI/AAAAAAAAAKI/VB4799SQp4o/s320/71+-+her+masterpiece!.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263697977606270194" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">after d dumped ribbons on her big cousin's hair</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>all in all, the party was a success. congrats to the LEAP teachers! boooooo!!</div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-6767952131363346942008-10-30T11:22:00.006+08:002008-10-30T13:00:03.447+08:00mum's the wordi talk too much.<div><br /></div><div>this was my conclusion after i had my throat checked out yesterday. apparently, my class schedule (toddler class in the morning, first steps class after lunch, tutorial in the afternoon) and extra-curricular activities (SOLV, meeting with friends, showbiz...) have worn my vocal chords out. of course, it doesn't help that our weather's more unpredictable than Britney Spears (God help her). </div><div><br /></div><div>so the doctor ordered me to go on voice rest. hm, so this is how singers feel like after a string of concerts. minus the stadiums, screaming fans, and expensive tickets. excuse me, my fans (a.k.a. students) do <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> scream. unless subject to bodily harm (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">oy</span>, don't look at me!).</div><div><br /></div><div>i never felt old (because i'm <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not.</span> really) but lately, my workaholic nature has been doing my body more harm. i feel sluggish, bloated. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">sige na nga, di na ko magshoo-shooting sa madaling araw! cut, direk!</span></div><div><br /></div><div>fortunately, it's semestral break for us teachers. which means i have ample time for R&R. in my world, that means Riting & Reading. or possibly, Raiding the fridge & Ransacking my sisters' closets. or Ranting about gasoline prices & Racing jeepney drivers. i've done all of the above, actually. too bad the jeepney drove straight in the intersection, instead of left where i was headed. (i'm so glad my dad doesn't know how to use the internet. or the computer. don't tell him i divulged that bit of info, though.)</div><div><br /></div><div>"What on earth are you going to do on your free time?" you might ask. </div><div><br /></div><div>my answer: "What? I have <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">free time</span>?"</div><div><br /></div><div>while still absorbing the great news, i'm mulling over the fact that i have so much time at my disposal. and work isn't even included! well, well, well, yellowbell! </div><div><br /></div><div>so what do i do? why, make a to-do list of course! </div><div><br /></div><div>1. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">start working on the December Vineyard issue</span>. how exciting! i can't wait for November 15th! sorry, folks, that's a surprise. :)</div><div><br /></div><div>2. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">clean my closet</span>. ugh. not looking forward to this. i thought i saw something furry in there before. no, it wasn't my feather boa. unless something of the rodent kind used it as an accessory.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">organize my files</span>. contrary to what most people think, my room looks like it's been hit by a massive weapon of destruction. i guess with all the things i'm doing at once, i've neglected my sanctuary. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">paano na pag dumalaw si</span> Piolo?</div><div><br /></div><div>4. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">upload photos and videos</span>. most of my photos are up in my <a href="http://wasaby.multiply.com/photos">multiply site</a> already. just some videos that i'm still lazy to upload. </div><div><br /></div><div>5. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">read</span>. and i'm not even talking about blogs. i still have books that i've purchased months (or a year) ago that are gathering dust and other unmentionables.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">blog about my recent escapades</span>. the school Halloween party, LEAP mid-year evaluation, and more.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div>7. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">scrap my to-do list. </span>easier said than done, my friends, easier said than done.</div><div><br /></div><div>alrighty. my throat is still itchy (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">isang bote ng</span> Caladryl <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">lang to. tagay na</span>!) and the refrigerator is calling me (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">o tukso, layuan mo ako</span>!). gotta go!</div><div><br /></div><div>*cough*cough*</div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-24389670051639132892008-10-03T18:25:00.002+08:002008-10-03T18:33:25.447+08:00MOO-chas gracias!<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasaby/2908752275/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/2908752275_048142d802.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style=" margin-top: 0px;font-size:0.8em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasaby/2908752275/">MOO-chas gracias!</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/wasaby/">wasaby</a>.</span></div><p>look what i found in our mail...<br /><br />my free <a href="http://www.moo.com">MOO</a> MiniCards!</p><p>and they've got tons of pretty cool stuff. </p><p>thanks again, MOO and flickr!</p><p>p.s.</p><p>got the 10 free MiniCards after i subscribed for a flickr PRO account.</p>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-827719338374273022008-09-18T21:39:00.011+08:002008-09-18T22:59:18.936+08:00what's up, ketchup?it's been eons since i last posted here. (more than a year in fact!) <div><br /></div><div>a lot has happened since. but i promised myself that i'll only focus on the good parts (no more drama, please...). so, in a nutshell, i present to you some of the highlights of the year that passed:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">DLSU is the UAAP 2007 Champion!</span><br />and we watched the final game live! :D<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">photos from the Animo Victory Party<br /></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SNJeZWy11NI/AAAAAAAAAHg/7OwF7CD_ZtI/s1600-h/HPIM2191.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SNJeZWy11NI/AAAAAAAAAHg/7OwF7CD_ZtI/s320/HPIM2191.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247360305548612818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SNJelxRFSjI/AAAAAAAAAHo/wdcm90FrN9w/s1600-h/HPIM2187.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SNJelxRFSjI/AAAAAAAAAHo/wdcm90FrN9w/s320/HPIM2187.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247360518813207090" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">with "the man," Coach Franz Pumaren<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SNJe24x99II/AAAAAAAAAHw/mmNeSRc_8ME/s1600-h/HPIM2183.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/SNJe24x99II/AAAAAAAAAHw/mmNeSRc_8ME/s320/HPIM2183.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247360812887962754" border="0" /></a>with Cara and JV Casio<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">Christmas in Singapore!</span><br /><br />there were so many great moments to share that i'll just post the pictures. hopefully, the photos will speak for themselves.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/7/photos/16/500x500/2/1-aboard-Jet-Star-bago-nagwala-si-gelli-hehe.JPG?et=5BhSWyq%2CUB7H3IFE5WQzIg&nmid=75370180"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/7/photos/16/500x500/2/1-aboard-Jet-Star-bago-nagwala-si-gelli-hehe.JPG?et=5BhSWyq%2CUB7H3IFE5WQzIg&nmid=75370180" alt="" border="0" /></a>tonet and gelli<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/11/photos/10/500x500/6/5-orchard-light-up-tour.JPG?et=MSjf6FSesi7wosgsieUnJQ&nmid=75367322"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/11/photos/10/500x500/6/5-orchard-light-up-tour.JPG?et=MSjf6FSesi7wosgsieUnJQ&nmid=75367322" alt="" border="0" /></a>Orchard light-up tour<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/9/photos/14/500x500/14/6-at-IKEA.JPG?et=YBTXNe1IaLxspgCwl742QQ&nmid=75368360"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/9/photos/14/500x500/14/6-at-IKEA.JPG?et=YBTXNe1IaLxspgCwl742QQ&nmid=75368360" alt="" border="0" /></a>at IKEA (mama's sanctuary)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/7/photos/12/500x500/12/2-bitin-ang-palabas.JPG?et=p5QqeXwfBXIDLpSUA6NSVQ&nmid=75367890"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/7/photos/12/500x500/12/2-bitin-ang-palabas.JPG?et=p5QqeXwfBXIDLpSUA6NSVQ&nmid=75367890" alt="" border="0" /></a>at the Cine Blaster (Sentosa)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/9/photos/12/500x500/2/10-say-aaaahhh.JPG?et=TnLXwrB4bB7BgWeaTrFjZA&nmid=75367890"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/9/photos/12/500x500/2/10-say-aaaahhh.JPG?et=TnLXwrB4bB7BgWeaTrFjZA&nmid=75367890" alt="" border="0" /></a>the Sentosa aquarium<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/12/500x500/8/16-sa-tunnel-na.JPG?et=EBsvWp5PHe3fF%2COVpbN8Jg&nmid=75367890"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/12/500x500/8/16-sa-tunnel-na.JPG?et=EBsvWp5PHe3fF%2COVpbN8Jg&nmid=75367890" alt="" border="0" /></a>underwater tunnel (pretty cool!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/33/500x500/10/the-princess-is-back.JPG?et=e1dLf1kq6c7k78sZT%2C4IdA&nmid=76647667"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/33/500x500/10/the-princess-is-back.JPG?et=e1dLf1kq6c7k78sZT%2C4IdA&nmid=76647667" alt="" border="0" /></a>Songs of the Sea (still at Sentosa)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/13/500x500/10/kutuhan-galore.JPG?et=35%2BA%2C2TnCzhxz3bqW2993w&nmid=75368344"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/13/500x500/10/kutuhan-galore.JPG?et=35%2BA%2C2TnCzhxz3bqW2993w&nmid=75368344" alt="" border="0" /></a>Singapore Zoo and Night Safari (the highlight of my trip!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/7/photos/9/500x500/5/13-pampagulo-sa-wall-decor-haha.JPG?et=edVC0t46u1vtbSP7zZTDRQ&nmid=75365440"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/7/photos/9/500x500/5/13-pampagulo-sa-wall-decor-haha.JPG?et=edVC0t46u1vtbSP7zZTDRQ&nmid=75365440" alt="" border="0" /></a>Genting, Malaysia<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/8/photos/11/500x500/10/1-moi-and-weng-at-the-winter-store-bawal-pala-to-haha.JPG?et=zMCOi1YaLznoiEZvlpb5kw&nmid=75367452"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/8/photos/11/500x500/10/1-moi-and-weng-at-the-winter-store-bawal-pala-to-haha.JPG?et=zMCOi1YaLznoiEZvlpb5kw&nmid=75367452" alt="" border="0" /></a>meeting up with friends (with weng at the winter store)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/11/500x500/12/3-melinds-and-clive.JPG?et=hruz6PriutkEq6GN2e9%2CtA&nmid=75367452"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/11/500x500/12/3-melinds-and-clive.JPG?et=hruz6PriutkEq6GN2e9%2CtA&nmid=75367452" alt="" border="0" /></a>melinds and my inaanak, clive<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/7/photos/17/500x500/1/1-Christmas-eve-with-the-housemates-and-Ivy.JPG?et=5gF%2B8P2yanzrh7K8pXn3fQ&nmid=75370548"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/7/photos/17/500x500/1/1-Christmas-eve-with-the-housemates-and-Ivy.JPG?et=5gF%2B8P2yanzrh7K8pXn3fQ&nmid=75370548" alt="" border="0" /></a>Christmas eve with the housemates<br /><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">SOLV Acoustic Night</span><br /><br />and what a successful night it was! :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/50/500x500/4/55.jpg?et=xZT%2ChD1iJChQxG7M1inZFg&nmid=115616203"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/50/500x500/4/55.jpg?et=xZT%2ChD1iJChQxG7M1inZFg&nmid=115616203" alt="" border="0" /></a>luke entertaining his mom, mayette, and ate isa<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/8/photos/52/500x500/21/169.jpg?et=PnP%2C8vLQ%2CAh4dJN47PPrQA&nmid=115620491"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/8/photos/52/500x500/21/169.jpg?et=PnP%2C8vLQ%2CAh4dJN47PPrQA&nmid=115620491" alt="" border="0" /></a>richie, our videographer, shooting beauty, our lovely host<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/53/500x500/13/191-bw.jpg?et=%2BWi4ehTWEMyaOBFYR%2CZK8Q&nmid=115621979"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/53/500x500/13/191-bw.jpg?et=%2BWi4ehTWEMyaOBFYR%2CZK8Q&nmid=115621979" alt="" border="0" /></a>mother (ate malou) and daughter (france)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/55/500x500/7/67.jpg?et=%2Cj4fVr4wAjMdhzSbf8aNVg&nmid=115625300"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/55/500x500/7/67.jpg?et=%2Cj4fVr4wAjMdhzSbf8aNVg&nmid=115625300" alt="" border="0" /></a>the performers (from the St. Scho School of Music)<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />oh, before i forget (as if i will)....last month, mama bought gelli and me a new camera! woohoo!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/56/500x500/15/144.jpg?et=587Bl%2CbOmbLyL5%2CMpPMxqQ&nmid=115628359"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/56/500x500/15/144.jpg?et=587Bl%2CbOmbLyL5%2CMpPMxqQ&nmid=115628359" alt="" border="0" /></a>me and our beloved Canon 400D :)<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">Outreach with the streetchildren of ChildHope Asia</span><br /><br />had a blast! this was organized by <a href="http://jackiechuachua.multiply.com/">jackie chua</a> (sister from SOLV).<br /><br />the CHA children<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/8/photos/45/500x500/6/22.jpg?et=a%2BJNJBDEcmpzuoqPU9hK4g&nmid=115606871"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/8/photos/45/500x500/6/22.jpg?et=a%2BJNJBDEcmpzuoqPU9hK4g&nmid=115606871" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/8/photos/45/500x500/31/116.jpg?et=VK1q2HWYMetVQvNSaAiSqA&nmid=115606871"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/8/photos/45/500x500/31/116.jpg?et=VK1q2HWYMetVQvNSaAiSqA&nmid=115606871" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/7/photos/45/500x500/33/bandanna-boys.jpg?et=G3RSrjCvXJzOskNZrUg2IA&nmid=115606871"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/7/photos/45/500x500/33/bandanna-boys.jpg?et=G3RSrjCvXJzOskNZrUg2IA&nmid=115606871" alt="" border="0" /></a>cheers to jackie for doing a fantastic job of hosting and organizing the affair!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/46/500x500/74/120.jpg?et=r6UHpy6VHavs%2C0skqP%2Bc9w&nmid=115607099"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/46/500x500/74/120.jpg?et=r6UHpy6VHavs%2C0skqP%2Bc9w&nmid=115607099" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/46/500x500/5/25.jpg?et=KzI9VPnNvGCUyo9mlfrfhw&nmid=115607099"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/46/500x500/5/25.jpg?et=KzI9VPnNvGCUyo9mlfrfhw&nmid=115607099" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/46/500x500/35/69.jpg?et=83Lz7QFDsoAs9%2CFNKLxwiQ&nmid=115607099"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/46/500x500/35/69.jpg?et=83Lz7QFDsoAs9%2CFNKLxwiQ&nmid=115607099" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/49/500x500/14/71.jpg?et=P1Qx%2BJbib75MgkAuXrwwHg&nmid=115615963"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/49/500x500/14/71.jpg?et=P1Qx%2BJbib75MgkAuXrwwHg&nmid=115615963" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/49/500x500/19/tug-of-war.jpg?et=vxytH4BmtLqW4m72odvlZg&nmid=115615963"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/6/photos/49/500x500/19/tug-of-war.jpg?et=vxytH4BmtLqW4m72odvlZg&nmid=115615963" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/49/500x500/15/90.jpg?et=ikHvYWTlCeyemwnYPSBr0g&nmid=115615963"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.wasaby.multiply.com/image/5/photos/49/500x500/15/90.jpg?et=ikHvYWTlCeyemwnYPSBr0g&nmid=115615963" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />by the way....i've finally caved in and got myself a <a href="http://wasaby.multiply.com/">Multiply account</a>. you can check out all the photos in my <a href="http://wasaby.multiply.com/photos">Photos page.</a><br /><br />that's it, pancit!<br /><br />see you later, 'gator!<br /><br />after a while, cro...aaah, you get the picture.<br /></div></div></div></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-73682651266401076382007-07-07T22:28:00.000+08:002008-12-12T10:02:42.577+08:00i'm still hereand yet i feel like i've been gone for years.<br /><br />it was my way of coping, i realized. i just wanted to go away for a while and breathe.<br />because i was drowning.<br />or falling.<br />or both.<br /><br />i needed to be by myself, pick up some pieces, and move on.<br /><br />i had residual feelings of abandonment. <span style="font-style: italic;">is there even a medical/psychological term for that?</span><br /><br />now that the air has cleared, i recognize what i went through. there were so many things going on then that i couldn't think straight, you know?<br /><br />last march, all my co-teachers (save for the school owners, of course) resigned. <span style="font-style: italic;">all </span>of them. they put up their own school, apparently. when we had our year-end evaluation, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. i couldn't believe i had to say goodbye to them, after four years of growing together in our profession.<br /><br />last april, my very close friend and partner-in-crime, tet, finally migrated to florida. she waited for this to happen for years so i knew it was inevitable. but when she got the go signal, everything happened so fast, even our last time together. we didn't even have a proper goodbye because i had to go to my masters class.<br /><br />last may, my mom flew to Singapore to work there. until when? we don't even know. i'm pretty sure it'll be for more than a year. then, my youngest sister, gelli, packed her bags and moved in a dorm. she's a college freshman in DLSU. my other sister, tonet? she was transferred by her company to Laguna. since then, the only time i see both of them is during weekends.<br /><br />before my class and work started in june, my <span style="font-style: italic;">lolo </span>(grandfather) died from a stroke. i was at his bedside during his last day. papa didn't want to bring him to the hospital anymore because he didn't want <span style="font-style: italic;">lolo </span>to suffer from too much medical procedures. after the stroke, it was apparent that he was ready to leave us. he died peacefully.<br /><br />while i was driving home today, it hit me. so many people dear to me left for one reason or another, in a span of three months.<br /><br />life goes on, i know. and i have to stop grieving and take that crucial step to living again.<br /><br />now?<br /><br />i'm still working on my action research paper. hopefully, the director will approve my topic for implementation and oral defense. if all goes well, i'll be graduating. master in early childhood education. sounds good.<br /><br />every weekend, i make it a point to go out with friends. there's just something about my recent experience that makes me want to reconnect with the people around me, you know? fortunately, the summer movies have been fantastic! i've watched Shooter and Spiderman 3 with rica, Fantastic 4 part 2 and Transformers with noah. and i'm meeting rica again and another college friend, melinda, this coming weekend to catch another flick (harry potter 5!).<br /><br />i just attended a wedding recently. my high school friend, tintin, tied the knot with her old friend, buddy. congratulations!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ro-khbsJFsI/AAAAAAAAAFI/JUSiEzZ5-cQ/s1600-h/confetti.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ro-khbsJFsI/AAAAAAAAAFI/JUSiEzZ5-cQ/s400/confetti.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084463398600120002" border="0" /></a><br />of course, i have my "me time." i still enjoy my company, thank God.<br /><br />i'm still working on jumpstarting my photography again. i still need to feel inspired but the wedding gave me that needed nudge. hopefully my creative juices will start flowing in no time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ro-lE7sJFtI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/p1XPqvKDUHo/s1600-h/hug.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ro-lE7sJFtI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/p1XPqvKDUHo/s400/hug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084464008485476050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ro-l-rsJFuI/AAAAAAAAAFY/AXK6k4H47FM/s1600-h/tawa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/Ro-l-rsJFuI/AAAAAAAAAFY/AXK6k4H47FM/s400/tawa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084465000622921442" border="0" /></a><br />those several months have been a tumultuous roller coaster ride but now i'm coasting smoothly.<br /><br />i wasn't gone after all.abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-88483130524187672992007-05-19T22:30:00.000+08:002007-05-19T22:35:35.015+08:00hiatusThat’s what this is. A welcome break from my characteristically chaotic life, which (unfortunately) will come back to haunt me in about two weeks or so. My prior activities have unconsciously forced me into hibernation. Well, that and the fact that I don’t have work (and moolah) this summer.<br /><br />Normally, I’d spend the summer break at the beach nursing a tan and snorkling. Now the only thing I’m nursing is a hang-over from oversleeping. Amusing, I know. But I’ve come to terms with my decision to basically torture myself from boredom until I’m raring to go back to work and start implementing my action research paper. So far it’s been fun. A friend of mine was worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle all the downtime but I assured her that it’ll be over in a few days and I’ll be back to my perfectionist, workaholic self. I’m really not looking forward to all the things I have to do come June, which is why I’m making the most of my break.<br /><br />So now I’m lulling my summer days and nights away with guilty pleasures like organizing DVD marathons, eating Milo (yes, <em>eating</em> it), and sleeping until I sport a white beard long enough for the Guinness. Yeah, yeah, I’ve become an enthusiastic couch potato. (<em>And it’s a bad thing because…??)</em> At least I get to watch movies with Rica and have dinner with friends once in a while.<br /><br />The weird thing about going on a hiatus is that I’ve involuntarily took a break from photography and blogging as well. It’s been a while since I last posted, commented, and browsed in Flickr. My right brain has shut me out for quite some time and have yet to recuperate. Maybe once I get into the rhythm of things my fingers will begin clicking away. It’s weird that I feel most creative when I am busy and stressed out of my mind. I don’t even want to know why. That’s just how I am. <br /><br />As of today, I have 12 more days of complete and utter tranquility and then it’s back to the real world. Fantastic.abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-27049912951580167162007-02-05T18:27:00.001+08:002008-12-12T10:02:42.739+08:00baller<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RccHMsdsLII/AAAAAAAAAEw/mEX9AfGkUzQ/s1600-h/baller.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RccHMsdsLII/AAAAAAAAAEw/mEX9AfGkUzQ/s400/baller.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5027995423657962626" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">P (gushing): Teacher, I want to go to B's house <i>all the time!</i><br /><br />the weekly <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasaby/369724177/">home visits</a> are going extremely well, much to our delight. i am tempted to share all our photos but i can't (unless i want my arse bludgeoned into the next millenium).<br /><br />two years ago, i started a journal of my favorite quotes of my students. i realize that i forgot about it this year because i've been busy with a lot of things outside of school. well, since most of my current kids are more articulate and expressive now, i think it's about time i start the 2007 journal.<br /><br />some of my favorite entries were the ones of my student two years ago...<br /><br />1.<br />I was reading a Sesame Street story.<br />Me (showing them a picture of the characters riding a school bus): Friends, where do you think they're going?<br />Chino (grinning): To Megamall. (a popular shopping mall near our school)<br /><br />2.<br />Chino (showing me the different miniature furniture in the Dramatics Area): This one is for Mama. This one is for Papa. And this one is for the little boy who lives down the lane.<br /><br />3.<br />Chino (while drawing): My monster is dead!<br />Me (smiling): Why is he dead?<br />Chino: Because he went to the supermarket.<br />[somehow i'm afraid to ask his mom what happened the last time they went to the supermarket...]<br /><br />ok, so it might have been hilarious then but what makes it priceless for me is the fact that he was about 2.8 years old when we had those conversations. :)<br /><br />more of these funny quotes <a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2005/04/kulit-bulilit-vol-1.html">here</a> and <a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/02/kulit-bulilit-vol-2.html">here</a>.</div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-65307968455763706652007-01-25T17:04:00.000+08:002008-12-12T10:02:42.962+08:00sneak peek<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RbnS2V3DVkI/AAAAAAAAAEk/Jo-QLvMAaDk/s1600-h/sneak+peek.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RbnS2V3DVkI/AAAAAAAAAEk/Jo-QLvMAaDk/s400/sneak+peek.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024278690331317826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">during our first home visit<br /><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><i>ay caramba!</i> has it been two weeks since my last post?!?<br /><br />well, i've been a busy bee, what with the year-end requirements in my Toddler class, my last term in my graduate class, and all my extra-curricular activities. i'm right smack in the middle of Time Management 101 (with a little Stress Management on the side.)<br /><br />this month, our Toddler class began our weekly home visits. every Thursday/Friday, the whole class visits their classmate at home. the kids are already establishing friendships and this weekly routine is a fantastic way to strengthen the bond. :)<br /><br /><i>other news...</i><br />last year, a friend of mine kept badgering me about copyrighting my photos. personally, i don't like seeing text on my pictures but with all the unauthorized copying and posting of photos online , i realized that it's time to be more careful. then yesterday, i read this <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrphilippines/discuss/72157594497228606/">discussion</a> in the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrphilippines/">FPC</a> group and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sesameellis/">sesame ellis'</a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sesameellis/321738836/">post</a>. that's it. i'm copyrighting from now on!<br /></div> <div align="justify"> </div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-75163847773694809082007-01-12T17:34:00.000+08:002008-12-12T10:02:43.142+08:00The Goal Keeper<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RadXA13DVjI/AAAAAAAAAEY/1UZ2iNLt9-U/s1600-h/The+Goal+Keeper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RadXA13DVjI/AAAAAAAAAEY/1UZ2iNLt9-U/s400/The+Goal+Keeper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019075981697308210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">re-reading the book that started it all<br /><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">i suck at new year's resolutions, i really do.<br /><br />which is why i scrapped them several years ago and decided to make my <i>life</i> goals instead. they don't have to be accomplished within the year, perfect for a procrastinator like me. hehe.<br /><br />now that we just ushered in 2007, i revisited my life goals to check my progress. so far, i've done a few:<br />1. pursue teaching children<br />2. learn how to drive<br />3. buy my own digital camera<br />4. take up photography<br />5. join a photo group<br />6. volunteer in a non-profit organization<br />7. learn a musical instrument (i'm kinda cheating with this one because i stopped for a long time...at least i tried ^_^)<br />8. go back to the gym (*cough*cough*)<br /><br />last week, my cellgroup leader, flor, gave us homework for monday. make a list of our goals for <i>this</i> year. hmmm...most of the ones in my life list are long-term and not that feasible this year (except for the first two items below). so i had to think of more feasible goals...<br /><br />1. <span style="color: rgb(221, 101, 153);">graduate from my Masters program this april </span><br />finally, after (bleep!) years, i am at my last term in my graduate studies. whoopee! well, that's one thing then there's also that part about actually passing my last two courses...but i'm doing my best and i know i will graduate! or die trying! (let's all cross our fingers and toes and hope for the best, shall we?)<br /><br />2. <span style="color: rgb(221, 101, 153);">learn a new language</span><br />i'm learning sign language! after my activities with Talking Hands, i was motivated to learn sign. peebs, the master at sign language in TH, is holding another class. we're still waiting for 7 more interested people. hopefully we can start this month.<br /><br />3. <span style="color: rgb(221, 101, 153);">teach preschool in a nearby big school</span><br />ok, i'm saying it to the universe. i'm eyeing the big school just 10 minutes away from where i live. i can't mention the name of the school (yet). i know my bosses don't visit my blog but i'm just too paranoid. haha.<br /><br />4. <span style="color: rgb(221, 101, 153);">drink at least 2L of water daily</span><br />since i'm already working out (*cough*cough*), i just need to be more vigilant in my daily agua intake. as of now i feel i'm drinking about 1.5L each day. just one more 500mL mineral water bottle to go!<br /><br />5. <span style="color: rgb(221, 101, 153);">be more open to new possibilities (esp. in my personal life. ehem.)</span><br />haay...i'm swallowing my pride (it's an ongoing process) and vowing to be more flexible. let's see how far i can go. hehe. (i can almost see my cellgroupmates cheering)<br /><br />i'm nearing another crossroad in my life and i just want to broadcast my plans just so you guys will remind me if i'm stalling. or distracted.<br /><br />cheers!<br /></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-53719088388444801562007-01-02T14:14:00.000+08:002008-12-12T10:02:46.237+08:00tis the season to be jolly...with TH!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-size:100%;">in case you're thinking that you're in the wrong blog, you're not. i've just made major </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/12/change-is-good.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">changes</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">, that's all.<br /><br />anyways, on to my final Christmas post.<br /><br />last August, i finally fulfilled my life goal of volunteering in a foundation. i signed up for </span><a href="http://www.handsonmanila.org/"><span style="font-size:100%;">Hands on Manila</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> three years ago but i never really pursued any of the many organizations under them. last year, i got off my lazy bum and chose a foundation where i can really serve.<br /><br />as i pored over the long list of organizations connected to HOM, i spotted </span><a href="http://www.online.handsonmanila.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=43"><span style="font-size:100%;">Talking Hands</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">. basically, TH is a group of volunteers that meet with Hearing Impaired (HI), deaf, and mute people once a month and provide them activities, mostly arts and crafts, that they can use as a form of livelihood. i liked the idea and the fact that the venue (Pasig) is the closest to where i live (Taytay). perfect!<br /><br />about 4 months ago, i attended my first TH activity. i expected a few children in the group but when i saw the people trickling in, i realized that TH was bigger than i expected. there were about 40+ people consisting of teenagers and adults, with no children in sight. there were less than 20 volunteers, majority of whom have already taken sign language classes. i told tina, the head of TH, that i didn't know any sign save for i love you (thanks to Sheryll Cruz, haha!) and beautiful. she said it was alright and we can still communicate through actions. she was right! i had fun helping my group make bracelets using crystals, beads, and nylon string. when they had a question, they used their hands and mouthed the words to me so i could get it. one amazing thing about this group is that all of them understand English more than Tagalog. and there i was writing down my instructions to them on a piece of paper - in the local dialect. i realized that there really aren't any Tagalog signs (except for a few, uh, graphic words that i can't even post.)<br /><br />so, to make a long story short, i decided to be a regular TH volunteer.<br /><br />i attended my very first Talking Hands Christmas Party on the evening of December 23 at the Immaculate Concepcion church in Pasig (where we usually meet every month.) it was a potluck event. most of the volunteers already prepared food so i offered to bring drinks and some prizes for the games, which were organized by sisters, gilda and lira.<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn8cxImyNI/AAAAAAAAABM/bS8w-40y4y8/s1600-h/raffle.JPG"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015317231209728210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn8cxImyNI/AAAAAAAAABM/bS8w-40y4y8/s400/raffle.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">preparing the prizes for the raffle</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">a lot of the guests came (i think they were around 50!) and they definitely put us to shame with their prepared dance numbers and skits.<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn4_RImyFI/AAAAAAAAAAM/30IaYGD9K5g/s1600-h/3+-+and+daming+dumating.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015313425868703826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn4_RImyFI/AAAAAAAAAAM/30IaYGD9K5g/s400/3+-+and+daming+dumating.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">our special guests</span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn7KRImyKI/AAAAAAAAAA0/Bve3YFaQNDM/s1600-h/dance+numbers.JPG"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015315813870520482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn7KRImyKI/AAAAAAAAAA0/Bve3YFaQNDM/s400/dance+numbers.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">the exciting dance numbers</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">we had two games. we gathered four couples for the first game. the guys wore a necklace made of marshmallows while the girls ate these treats without using their hands. the game was a blast and, in no time, the whole room was filled with applause and stomping as the audience cheered for the pairs. the winning couple did a fantastic job!<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn5cBImyGI/AAAAAAAAAAU/rN-tKS4TSPU/s1600-h/marshmallow+contest.JPG"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015313919789942882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn5cBImyGI/AAAAAAAAAAU/rN-tKS4TSPU/s400/marshmallow+contest.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">look at them go!<br /></span></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn6CxImyHI/AAAAAAAAAAc/E_PUsQgs1AM/s1600-h/8+-+the+winning+pair.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015314585509873778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn6CxImyHI/AAAAAAAAAAc/E_PUsQgs1AM/s400/8+-+the+winning+pair.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">the winning pair!<br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">our last game was a relay. each member of the group (there were 2) ran to a chair while holding their balloon, popped the balloon, then got the piece of paper inside. each paper had a word from a song title and the group who forms the title of the song first wins the game. unfortunately, some of the balloons got switched and the groups ended up with duplicate words. to the delight of the two groups, we just made both of the winners. :D<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn6cRImyII/AAAAAAAAAAk/04lS4lVcK4s/s1600-h/getting+ready+for+the+balloon+relay.JPG"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015315023596537986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn6cRImyII/AAAAAAAAAAk/04lS4lVcK4s/s400/getting+ready+for+the+balloon+relay.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">the two groups for the balloon relay<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn6uRImyJI/AAAAAAAAAAs/-2iD1R3t9_Q/s1600-h/balloon+relay+preparations.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015315332834183314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn6uRImyJI/AAAAAAAAAAs/-2iD1R3t9_Q/s400/balloon+relay+preparations.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">kim and lira preparing the balloons while the groups are being prepped</span><br /><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size:100%;">in between the games and performances, we held a raffle. two of the volunteers were generous to provide the prizes - packs of toiletries and goodies from Wyeth. we made sure that everybody took home a goody bag from the raffle.<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn8yBImyOI/AAAAAAAAABU/S1g9sCxAmeE/s1600-h/raffle+1.JPG"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015317596281948386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn8yBImyOI/AAAAAAAAABU/S1g9sCxAmeE/s400/raffle+1.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">raffle, batch 1<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn9UxImyPI/AAAAAAAAABc/jBGnuuT5jss/s1600-h/raffle+2.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015318193282402546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn9UxImyPI/AAAAAAAAABc/jBGnuuT5jss/s400/raffle+2.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">raffle, batch 2<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn9jRImyQI/AAAAAAAAABk/n22c2QEWaVw/s1600-h/raffle+3.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015318442390505730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn9jRImyQI/AAAAAAAAABk/n22c2QEWaVw/s400/raffle+3.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">raffle, batch 3<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn93BImyRI/AAAAAAAAABs/-YxoJSg6szY/s1600-h/raffle+4.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015318781692922130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn93BImyRI/AAAAAAAAABs/-YxoJSg6szY/s400/raffle+4.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">last batch</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">the highlight of the event was the dinner! i couldn't believe the amount of food that was served. the volunteers from the church brought tons and tons of pancit, kananin, barbeque, bread, and lumpia. some of the TH guys brought sandwiches, donuts, and desserts. everybody definitely came home happy and stuffed. :)<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn7pRImyLI/AAAAAAAAAA8/xYMx-uo1LkY/s1600-h/12+-+the+food+committee.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015316346446465202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn7pRImyLI/AAAAAAAAAA8/xYMx-uo1LkY/s400/12+-+the+food+committee.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">look at all the food!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn8JxImyMI/AAAAAAAAABE/NHZ1Icjj3Mg/s1600-h/38+-+the+food+committee+did+an+excellent+job!.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015316904792213698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn8JxImyMI/AAAAAAAAABE/NHZ1Icjj3Mg/s400/38+-+the+food+committee+did+an+excellent+job%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">kudos to the food committee!</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">to the Talking Hands guys, congratulations on a very successful party! and here's to more parties and activities to come! :D</span></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn_QhImyTI/AAAAAAAAAB8/nDUfbvOwkeY/s1600-h/say+cheese!.JPG"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015320319291214130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn_QhImyTI/AAAAAAAAAB8/nDUfbvOwkeY/s400/say+cheese%21.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">our guests were all smiles<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn_xxImyUI/AAAAAAAAACE/K770F-lwE1Q/s1600-h/TH+volunteers.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015320890521864514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn_xxImyUI/AAAAAAAAACE/K770F-lwE1Q/s400/TH+volunteers.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn-xxImySI/AAAAAAAAAB0/i38IV78Z46I/s1600-h/64+-+the+TH+volunteers.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015319791010236706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZn-xxImySI/AAAAAAAAAB0/i38IV78Z46I/s400/64+-+the+TH+volunteers.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">the beautiful volunteers of Talking Hands :D<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZoAzxImyVI/AAAAAAAAACM/AJ5t6_ZnyWk/s1600-h/65+-+everybody+now.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015322024393230674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOiqB7lAouc/RZoAzxImyVI/AAAAAAAAACM/AJ5t6_ZnyWk/s400/65+-+everybody+now.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">happy new year, everybody!<br /></span></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-11402418073295165982006-12-29T23:38:00.000+08:002007-01-11T15:56:09.806+08:00change is good<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">yes, it is.</span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">i just <em>love</em> the new Blogger! i completely changed my template. i've been through a lot these past years and this represents all those life-changing moments i've had. the template's name is Snapshot. very appropriate if you ask me, since my blog posts have been snapshots (literally and figuratively) of my life. it actually feels like i'm changing homes, even if the living quarters that i'm referring to is a bunch of html codes and pictures. maybe i should have a blog warming party. :D</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">anyway, just to show how major this change is for me, i'm actually keeping the <span style="color:#ff99ff;">pink</span> colors in my site. i never considered myself a <span style="color:#ff99ff;">pink</span> girl (that color is usually reserved for tonet) but lately i found myself in strange oh-look-i'm-wearing-<span style="color:#ff99ff;">pink</span> predicaments. like that time i wore a pink shirt to our school's </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/09/out-of-closet.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">Family Day</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> and a pink dress (gasp!) to </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/12/birthday-party-shooting-part-i-long.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">gelli's</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/12/birthday-party-shooting-part-ii-day-of.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">debut</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">. i just hope this is the start of something good. not that i'm giving up blue any time soon.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">what i absolutely love about the new features is the post categories. i <em>love</em> it, i <em>love</em> it, i <em>love</em> it! now, i can just click on <em>parties</em> when i'm looking for all my posts about the gimmicks that i've been to or <em>ramblings</em> when i've lost my sense of humor. </span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">but there's a catch. (whaaat??) because i've switched to the new template, the blog reverted to the old comments format. which means, i lost my Haloscan comments! :(( my apologies to all those who visited and left comments on my previous posts. i really don't know how to get those back and i don't want to touch the templates anymore. sigh.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">so it's back to a clean slate for me (except for the comments prior to my Haloscan days.)<br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:100%;">ah yes, change is good.<br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#cc6600;">* * *</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#993300;"></div></span></span><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:100%;">i'm still working on my last <i>tis the season to be jolly...</i> post. will probably post that before New Year.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">anyways, i just want to wish everybody a fantastic 2007!</span></span></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-1167239308419467602006-12-28T00:46:00.000+08:002007-01-11T16:10:37.190+08:00tis the season to be jolly...with SOLV!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">in case you're wondering why i'm actually using capital letters in the start of all my sentences in this post (which is so unlike my usual entries), well this is actually an article i wrote for the January issue of The Vineyard. i added a few sentences here and there but majority came from the newsletter. can you tell i'm feeling lazy? hey, i'm still on a holiday! :D<br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="color:#ff99ff;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#cc6600;">* * *</span><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify;font-family:verdana;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/889896/December%20Vineyard%20Front%20Cover.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/973620/December%20Vineyard%20Front%20Cover.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">It was truly a night of music and fun as the brothers and sisters of Servants of the Lord’s Vineyard (SOLV) celebrated the community’s 22nd Anniversary on December 16, Saturday, at the Verve Bar, Makati City.<br /><br />After dropping off the December issues of The Vineyard (it's our best yet!), I met up with my special guest, Tet, in Greenbelt 1. We had a quick snack (Auntie Anne's pretzels, yum!) then headed towards Verve, which was a few blocks away. By the time we got there, a lot of people already trickled in. I was immediately given a copy of the newsletter (got my own already, thanks :D) then ushered to a table by Beauty.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#993300;"><span style="color:#cc6600;"><strong>Shine Like Stars</strong> </span><br /></span>Based on the passage from <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Philippians 2:15</span>, <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky</span>, the event was not only a celebration and thanksgiving for the year that passed but also served as a reminder for everyone to be bearers of light so others may experience God’s message of life and love.<br /><br />The anniversary aptly began with an inspiring talk by Bobby Quitain, a brother from <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon</span> and long-time friend of SOLV. Bobby talked about the issues that shape the world today and what everyone, as Christians, can and <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">must </span>do to spread God’s Light to the people. Filled with Scripture passages and touching and amusing anecdotes, the talk was a welcome wake-up call to the brothers and sisters. Following his power-packed talk was the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#cc6600;">Let's Dig In!</span></strong></span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">The dinner, agreeably one of the most anticipated components in any occasion, was worth the wait. The brothers and sisters lined up along the buffet table and filled up their plates with the delicious food and desserts. The venue was packed and some people opted to dine al fresco. Soon, the ground floor of Verve was filled with sounds of utensils scraping against the plates as the hungry guests eagerly enjoy their dinner; warm greetings from the brothers and sisters who just arrived; laughter as people exchanged stories and caught up on each others lives; the pages of the Anniversary Issue of The Vineyard issue being turned as some brothers and sisters pored over the articles and pictures; and shutters clicking while the “camera shy” different groups posed and took photos of each other.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="FONT-FAMILY: verdana; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/626115/algie%20and%20james%20with%20starstruck%20batch%202006%20(haha!).jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/865310/algie%20and%20james%20with%20starstruck%20batch%202006%20%28haha%21%29.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Algie and James with the Starstruck Batch 2006 (haha)<br /></span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/778209/group%20shot.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/439479/group%20shot.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">group pictuuuuure!!<br /></span><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">Tet and I are obviously part of that "camera shy" group, as you can tell from our outdoor photo shoot. Hehe.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="FONT-FAMILY: verdana; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/469699/tet%20and%20moi.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/530115/tet%20and%20moi.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/977158/teka,%20nagstart%20na%20ba%20ang%20banda.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/385684/teka%2C%20nagstart%20na%20ba%20ang%20banda.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">huh, the band's playing already?</span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="FONT-FAMILY: verdana; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#cc6600;">It’s Party Time! </span><br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/96704/palakpak%20naman%20kayo!.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/25952/palakpak%20naman%20kayo%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">While everybody was finishing dinner, the house band, H and the Gang, took their spot on the stage and performed their first set. They began with slow songs that the crowd soon sang along to. Towards the end of the set, the band encouraged people to join them. After much cajoling and cheering, some brothers and sisters eventually obliged. Isco Karamihan joined Gloria Palomar in a rendition of <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">“Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang.”</span> After the first few lines of the song, Ramil Catcalin took Isco’s place and finished the beautiful duet. Apparently, Ramil and Gloria were being teased (<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">why</span> am I always the last to know??) and I could hardly hear their voices amidst the cheers of the eager crowd. Ross Hernandez closed the first set with her version of a popular song (sorry, can't remember!)<br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center;font-family:verdana;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/216110/duets.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/644491/duets.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Isco and Gloria; Ramil and Gloria</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/806215/iba%20talaga%20ang%20sikat!.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/63120/iba%20talaga%20ang%20sikat%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">uuyyyy! :p</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/500308/birit%20ross,%20birit!.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/447649/birit%20ross%2C%20birit%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">go Ross!</span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" face="verdana"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/169574/ok,%20the%20first%20part%20of%20the%20AVP%20is%20Catch%20The%20Tears...jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/558188/ok%2C%20the%20first%20part%20of%20the%20AVP%20is%20Catch%20The%20Tears...jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">Beauty Aycardo introduced the next part of the program, an Audio Visual Presentation (AVP) that she created as a tribute to God and the community. The three-part AVP began with a touching production entitled <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">“Catch The Tears,”</span> based on the song by Russell Watson. The heart-warming music was indeed the perfect background to the beautiful images and scenes. The second part, <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">“Faces of SOLV,”</span> featured some of the brothers and sisters who have played significant roles as active members of the community. I was really touched to see my name on the list (as well as photos of me that I didn't know Beauty had.) The slideshow, which earned countless cheers and applause from the audience, displayed a collection of amusing and memorable photos and videos that showcased the lighter side of SOLV. The AVP concluded with an acknowledgement of the people who contributed to the anniversary party and The Vineyard as well. Another surprise, an old dance video, was included in the credits portion.<br /><br />Right after the video, I saw Mitch Co stand up to greet the people before she left. "So early?", I asked. Well, she said she had no choice because she was riding with somebody who had to leave. Before she left, I requested for a photo with her.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" face="verdana"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/824050/star%20and%20waltz,%20kilala%20ko%20talaga%20si%20mitch!.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/754001/star%20and%20waltz%2C%20kilala%20ko%20talaga%20si%20mitch%21.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Star and Waltz, this photo is for you. Hehe.</span><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" face="verdana"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">Of course, the night was still young and the party was just getting started. The brothers and sisters kicked off with their dancing shoes and grooved to the beat of the house band as the group sang popular tracks that kept the crowd on their feet. Since I had less than 4 hours of sleep - thanks to the December Vineyard (not that I'm complaining :D) - I had to take a break after what felt like hours of dancing. My energy level wasn't that high so I really didn't feel like breaking a sweat. But when it was time to take photos, who was I to refuse? :D<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/495806/with%20my%20cell%20grp%20sistahs.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/546364/with%20my%20cell%20grp%20sistahs.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"> </span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">with my cellgroup sistahs!</span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/368350/moi,%20tet,%20and%20hazel.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/248337/moi%2C%20tet%2C%20and%20hazel.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">with Tet and Hazel</span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/882023/the%20real%20F%20girls.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/667674/the%20real%20F%20girls.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">the real F girls: Beauty, Gloria, and Arlene</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/349294/mga%20pagod%20sa%20kakasayaw.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/479503/mga%20pagod%20sa%20kakasayaw.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">water break!<br /></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">Anyways, after a very exciting set, the band took a break and the community’s own singers took over. Jay-r Rivera, with James Mendoza playing the keyboard, entertained the crowd with a few songs. Later, Jay-r performed with the band and was soon followed by Gloria, Ross, and Ramil. Even if I see those guys every Tuesday, I am still amazed at their talent. Makes me proud to be a part of SOLV, that's for sure. :)<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/234145/the%20last%20set.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/447032/the%20last%20set.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">the last set<br /></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">Our final round of picture-taking with the last men (and women) standing:<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/263570/da%20byutiful%20seeesters.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/161640/da%20byutiful%20seeesters.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">the beautiful women...<br /></span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/619989/ang%20seryoso%20ha!.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/39979/ang%20seryoso%20ha%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/541390/hiyaaah!.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/73519/hiyaaah%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">...and the crazy men of SOLV :p</span><br /><br /></span></div><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">An empowering talk, a touching and memorable AVP, and a community filled with talented men and women of the Lord. The 22nd Anniversary Party was definitely a time for everybody to shine!<br /><br />(more photos of the anniversary party </span><a href="http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/aby_solv/album?.dir=55b7scd&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">) </span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:100%;color:#cc6600;">* * *</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">my night wasn't over after the party. tet and i headed to her house for an after-party celebration. wait, before you call us party animals, this is just my way of saying that we stayed up til the wee hours of the morning eating holiday sweets and watching Desparate Housewives on DVD. party animals, right? in the last holiday party i went to, we had a lot of fun, especially since we used our hands more than our mouths... coming soon! :)</span></p>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-1166952547808842802006-12-24T16:57:00.000+08:002007-01-11T16:13:18.931+08:00tis the season to be jolly...with FPC!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/721501/lantern.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/393845/lantern.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">and what a jolly season it has been!</span><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify;font-family:verdana;" ><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">apart from the regular dinner get-togethers and sleep-overs, i've been to four major parties this month. the first was, of course, </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/11/waiting-to-exhale.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">gelli's debut</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> which garnered </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/12/birthday-party-shooting-part-i-long.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">two</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/12/birthday-party-shooting-part-ii-day-of.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">posts</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> (because one just wasn't enough.) the other three? well, since all of them have been a blast, i'm giving them individual posts as well.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">FPC @ Tiananmen Bar</span><br /><br />december 7 was the Christmas party of </span><a href="http://www.flickersphotoclub.com"><span style="font-size:100%;">Flickrs Photo Club</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> or FPC at Tiananmen Bar in Makati Avenue. it was my second time to attend an FPC event and i was pretty psyched to finally meet all the other amazing people of the group, most of whom have been my online friends through Flickr.<br /><br />that night was also our school's final staff meeting for the year. i was worried that i'd be late for the dinner party. well, even if i <i>was</i> late, the photoshoot hasn't started yet so it was still ok. the minute i entered, i looked for our FPC "boss," pat (</span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/htap28/"><span style="font-size:100%;">Hocchuan</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">.) he was seated in one of the "cubicles" (what <i>do</i> they call those Japanese style restaurant booths?) with other guys from FPC. after i registered, pat interrupted </span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/johnedward/"><span style="font-size:100%;">john edward</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">'s spiel to announce my presence (did you really have to do that, sir?? haha) to the group. after a round of introductions to the other FPC members, i took my seat between </span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/spiegelbild/"><span style="font-size:100%;">Spiegelbild</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> and </span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/angelynne/"><span style="font-size:100%;">karen</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> and indulged in my yummy dinner.<br /><br />the minute john edward called out the first of several models the group hired for the photo shoot, the guys (and a few girls) scrambled to get a good spot in front of the stage. i was finishing my dinner while i watched the photographers and photo enthusiasts click away. since it was going to be a challenge to insert my petite self between the bodies, i took photos of the people and the bar instead.<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/4956/the%20shooters.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/265230/the%20shooters.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">the FPC shooters<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/343781/JC%20and%20Lady%20G%20(with%20Spiegelbild%20and%20Leonard%20behind).jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/683559/JC%20and%20Lady%20G%20%28with%20Spiegelbild%20and%20Leonard%20behind%29.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">JC and Lady G (with Spiegelbild and Leonard behind)</span><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">i loved the warm lighting and the hanging glasses in the bar.<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/630772/the%20bar.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/38550/the%20bar.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">the bar<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/363709/the%20booze.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/638799/the%20booze.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">the booze<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">later, i was able to take a few shots of the models. my camera's zoom had its limitations and i can only do much to get a close shot.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/740155/close%20up.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/164400/close%20up.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">it's a bit grainy but i still like this close-up of the first model i photographed.<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/657379/my%20favorite%20model.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/180115/my%20favorite%20model.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Leslie</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">my favorite one was leslie, a favorite of </span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/shutterglass/"><span style="font-size:100%;">shutterglass</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> as well (as told to me by </span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/ronrag/"><span style="font-size:100%;">ronrag</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">. hehe.)<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/955523/model%20in%20pink.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/371140/model%20in%20pink.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/6708/she"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/836208/she%27s%20working%20it%2C%20alright.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Kaye</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">i was able to take photos of the next model before they wrapped up the shoot.<br /><br />my fellow Flickrians had amazing shots of the event! check out this </span><a href="http://flickr.com/groups/flickrphilippines/discuss/72157594411764672/"><span style="font-size:100%;">thread</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> for more photos.<br /><br />the highlight of the evening was the raffle. there were so many prizes! and none of which i took home (waaah!) well, at least i was able to get 3 free prints of the photos i took that night and an FPC pin. :D<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/70171/with%20Spiegelbild.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/539099/with%20Spiegelbild.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">with Spiegelbild (</span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/andrewcv/316916330/in/set-72157594410533136/"><span style="font-size:85%;">photo</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> by </span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/andrewcv/"><span style="font-size:85%;">Boso</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/896228/lady%20g,%20rabbit"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/55828/lady%20g%2C%20rabbit%27s%20foot%2C%20lord%20jit%2C%20and%20moi.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Lady G, Rabbit's Foot, Lord Jit, and moi (</span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/easyphotolibrary/317585288/in/set-72157594411799239/"><span style="font-size:85%;">photo</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> by </span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/easyphotolibrary/"><span style="font-size:85%;">Ed's</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">)<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">to FPC, congratulations again on the successful party and here's to more Flickring!<br /><br />* * *<br /><br />the second event was definitely a night of music and fun. tis the season to be jolly with...well, you'll just have to wait and see. :D<br /><br />to be continued!</span></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-1165748654722418852006-12-13T23:09:00.000+08:002007-01-11T16:14:41.548+08:00Birthday Party Shooting Part II: The Day of Reckoning<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">after our host apologized to the guests for the delay, the laptop still wouldn't run. so, we had to reboot and pray that it'll work this time. unfortunately, her laptop runs like a turtle and the whole restarting fiasco took about 20 minutes (the poor guests!)<br /><br />thankfully, this was the only <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">noticeable </span>glitch in the program. because the program was well-planned, everything went smoothly. gelli's friends gave a hilarious skit cum musical that summarized her "evolution" from a baby into the young lady that we know now. this was followed by an MTV and documentary by her extremely creative friend (who will make a great director and graphic artist someday.) of course, we still had the traditional 18 dances, which ended with my papa getting teary-eyed while waltzing with my sister. the next part of the program was the messages from friends and family, this time with a twist. the first part was for the messages from gelli's friends,<br /><br /></span></div></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/202327/messages.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/141340/messages.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">messages from a few of gelli's friends<br /></span><br /></span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">while the second part was video messages from relatives and family friends which we showcased during dinner.<br /><br />we could see that everybody was having a lot of fun, the opening boo-boo totally forgotten. my only frustration was that i wasn't able to take shots of the souvenirs and food as well as close-up stolen shots of the guests. my camera's zoom can only take so much stretching and i couldn't move closer to the tables because i would block the host. so most of my candid shots were whole-body photos (which i can still crop.)<br /><br /></span></div></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/967083/papa%20crying.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/142629/papa%20crying.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">papa getting all choked up during the last dance</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><br /></div></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/20563/cupcake%20icing%20fight.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/960865/cupcake%20icing%20fight.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">cupcake icing fight!</span><br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">my only consolation was that the tripod helped me take clear shots in the dark hall. even with all the lights turned on, the party hall was still a bit dark, particularly the terrace area. but the photos turned out pretty ok despite the dark lighting.<br /><br /></span></div></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/586346/cake%20table.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/313734/cake%20table.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">gelli's throne and cake table</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><br /></div></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/625391/gelli%20and%20christian.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/410188/gelli%20and%20christian.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">gelli and her "real" escort, christian bautista</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><br /></div></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/329653/gelli%20with%20cousins.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/12712/gelli%20with%20cousins.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">in the terrace with our cousins</span><br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">anyway, after the whole shebang, i realized that, aside from those i mentioned in my </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/12/birthday-party-shooting-part-i-long.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">previous post</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">, there are more things to consider in planning and photographing for a party.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Location, Location, Location</span><br />familiarize yourself with the venue. make an occular inspection weeks before the party, especially if you're not just the photographer but the party planner as well. during our dry runs, we took note of:<br /><br />1. <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">the electric sockets </span><br />after checking out where all the sockets were located, we realized that we needed about 3 extension cords for the sounds, electric fans, and laptop with projector. if we didn't do an occular inspection, i can just imagine the panic and destruction that would happen. WW3, here we go!<br />2. <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">the lighting</span><br />because i had to turn off certain lights during different parts of the program, i listed down which lights had to be left on when the host is speaking and those that had to be turned off during a video/slide show. it was also helpful to run through the whole program while operating the lights.<br />3. <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">the time</span><br />we made sure to visit the clubhouse at the exact time of the party just to check the lighting and other things we should take note of. it was a great idea that time too because we found out during our 1st inspection that the clubhouse holds masses (just recently) every sunday from 6-7 pm. we had to coordinate with the priest and adjust to their time. when we were there, we noticed that the mass ends at around 6:30.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Foooood!</span><br />coordinate with the caterer. you should have an agreement about the lay-out of the tables, buffet area, cake area, gift table, and the celebrant's position (my sister was provided a special chair.) because we were in charge of the decor, we gave the caterers instructions on how the centerpiece should look like. also, we gave them the candles that we bought so they can prepare the centerpieces ahead of time (they were in charge of the flowers.)<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Be My Guest</span><br />because we had to move the start of the program from 6 to 6:30 in leiu of the mass, my sisters informed their guests that they can come at around 6 pm instead of 5. of course, because i was so busy doing other tasks, i neglected to inform my guests. an obvious mistake in my part when one of my guests arrived at exactly 5 pm, while we were still setting up.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Use a Tripod!</span><br />i cannot stress this enough, especially for owners of P&S cameras like myself. the tripod spared me from potential photo disasters, bigtime. never mind that i had to throw all attempts at poise as i lugged the three-legged contraption with me around the hall in my fuschia dress and stilettos. at least the photo subjects are visible and clear.<br /><br /></span></div></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/126891/gelli%20blows%20the%20cake.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/834399/gelli%20blows%20the%20cake.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">oy, wag masyadong malakas, gelli! taob na si #1!</span><br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Shoes Ko Po!</span><br />speaking of stilettos, it's definitely <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">not </span>the brightest idea to move around wearing three-inch heels while photographing the whole event. comfortable flats or rubber shoes are still the best footwear. but this was a party so i really didn't care. haha!<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Relax!</span><br />this is, first and foremost, a party. no matter how stressful the event may be, it is still important to take a deep breath (or more, when needed) and just enjoy the show. after all, there's something bound to go wrong in any event so you better accept it and move on (something i've learned the hard way.)<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">(Not So) Picture Perfect</span><br />even if the photos didn't turn out as expected, what's more important is the memories that everybody will take home with them. days after the event, my sister told me that her party was still the talk of the school. well, looks like all our hard work payed off after all. :)<br /><br /></span></div></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/613677/family%20shot%201.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/910261/family%20shot%201.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">moi, papa, gelli, tonet, and mama</span><br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">now that gelli's debut is over, the real work has just begun for me. i still have to compile, edit, and lay-out the photos for gelli's photo book. unlike the party, this has no deadline so i'm taking my sweet time. pass me the remote control, please! :)</span></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-1165684651940424172006-12-10T01:02:00.000+08:002007-01-11T16:16:15.155+08:00Birthday Party Shooting Part I: The Long Wait<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">after almost 3 months of preparation, stress, and a failed attempt at WW3, gelli's party is finally over and done. except for me, that is.<br /><br />because of financial constraints, my family refrained from hiring an official photographer. guess who volunteered to do the photos instead??<br /><br />the task is daunting, to say the least. the only time i covered an event was for my </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/04/trippin-volume-ii.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">godson's party</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> a few months ago. it was held during the day so it was easier to get clear and colorful shots.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/103973/buffet%20table.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/9874/buffet%20table.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/20326/baby%20wipes.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/200/949762/baby%20wipes.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />my sister's party was going to be an evening affair, which posed as a challenge for my P&S camera. knowing the limitations of my A520, i prepared for my stint ahead of time. we had 2 dry runs during the exact time of the party (5-9). i took photos just to see how my camera will perform. it was pretty ok but i still felt anxious. the debut is our family's 1st and only party so far so i wanted everything to be perfect.<br /><br />prior to dec. 3, i made mental notes of what to photograph:<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Preparations</span><br />for any event, it is essential to capture what transpired behind the scenes before the actual "show." this includes set-up, decorations, invitations, souvenirs, and other important stuff like the celebrant getting her hair and make-up done.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/332955/pots.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/63955/pots.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/794034/centerpiece.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/802130/centerpiece.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/540965/pencils.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/181712/pencils.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Program Proper</span><br />it is extremely important to familiarize myself with the flow of the party. this way, i'll know where to position myself at certain times of the program.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/108030/games.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/320/794869/games.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />for instance, i have to stay in front of the staircase for gelli's grand entrance at the beginning of the party while for the 18 dances, i would get a clearer shot if i'm at the side of the dance floor. then for the candle blowing, i have to get as close to gelli as possible to get a nice, tight shot.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Smile, You're on Candid Camera!</span><br />i love candid shots! so for the party, i told myself to take as many stolen shots (mainly of the guests) as possible.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/638584/with%20lola.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/75227/with%20lola.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/3227/zach.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/191371/zach.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Post-Party</span><br />of course, a photo album wouldn't be complete without shots of what happened after the "show."<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Have a Seat!</span><br />for an organized party, assign the seating arrangements of all the guests. i printed out the guest list with their table assignments. each table had the number and place card so the guests will know where their table is.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Gearing Up</span><br />i'm not a professional photographer nor do i own any professional gears. so when it came to gathering my "ammunition," it didn't take that long. hehe.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Canon A520</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">4 rechargeable batteries</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">2 pcs 128 Mb memory cards</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">1 pc 32 Mb memory cards</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">a sturdy tripod</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">a small wristlet (for the spare batts and memory cards)</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">a camera strap (in my case, it was a long fuschia string to match my outfit. ;) )</span><br /><br />with my gear set, all i could do was pray for clear shots. as for the lighting, i can always use Photoshop.<br /><br />with all of these in mind, i anxiously braced myself for DDay.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)"><span style="font-family:verdana;">***</span></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">nothing, NOTHING, can ever prepare you for the actual event.<br /><br />initially, this was the schedule that i set for myself:<br />3:30 - set-up decors and table paraphernalia<br />4:00 - start taking photos of pre-party essentials<br />4:30 - freshen up for the party<br />5:00 - party time!<br /><br />just imagine my surprise when, upon arriving at the clubhouse, we saw that the lay-out of the tables was all wrong. the space for the dance floor had the long buffet table while the celebrant's throne and gazebo was set up right in the terrace, where the older guests should stay. it turned out that their (caterer) boss didn't inform them of the supposed lay-out! because i had to coordinate with the person in charge, there was a delay with the decorations. i tried to keep my cool despite the fact that i was getting more upset by the minute. luckily, by the time i was putting the table decors and place cards, i was able to take a few photos.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/899472/decor%20mosaic.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/607213/decor%20mosaic.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/1600/100739/cake%20mosaic.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5036/1031/400/781378/cake%20mosaic.jpg" border="0" /></span></a></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">i didn't have time to do a complete shoot of all the pre-party preparations since i had to assist the others in hanging our polka dot curtains.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">to my horror, my guest (a HS friend) arrived. i checked the time. it was 5 o'clock already! i couldn't believe it! after apologizing to carol a gazillion times, i went back to fixing the decor. the sweet girl even volunteered to assist.<br /><br />when i saw that everything was going smoothly, i excused myself and freshened up for the party. when i got back, carol was already snacking on the pink and green puto and Nips we laid out on her table.<br /><br />a whole Justin Timberlake's concert DVD later, a few guests trickled in. it was a few minutes past 6:30 and most of gelli's friends haven't arrived yet. i had to remind myself that this was a common occurence in parties. finally, by 7 pm, we were ready to start.<br /><br />or so we thought.<br /><br />for some insane reason, tonet's laptop stopped working. our host already invited everybody to stand up for the prayer, a Powerpoint slide that was going to be projected unto the white wall. since we couldn't start immediately, we had to tell the guests to sit down. how embarrassing! tonet's laptop is efficient, yes, but it is just the slowest one i've ever seen! talk about bad timing!<br /></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">to be continued...</span></span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-1163847078277516782006-11-18T18:10:00.000+08:002007-01-11T16:15:39.225+08:00waiting to exhale<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/3%20weeks%20to%20go.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/3%20weeks%20to%20go.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">stage decor for the party</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">is it just me or am i suddenly drowning?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">hm, let's see...gelli's party is just two weeks away. as the self-proclaimed party planner, i've been keeping a mental checklist of the stuff to do. that is, until my brain practically imploded. so i actually printed out a list of <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">all</span> the tasks that <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">each</span> member of our family had to do for the party. it's been tedious and i could feel the tension start to build up. just this week, a few members of our family had a fight three days in a row (and papa was in all of them.) truthfully, i'm just waiting for the whole event to just pass us by and <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">then </span>i can breathe.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">but of course, there's still the December Vineyard issue, which will be our biggest release this year. only less than a month til our deadline and i'm already losing my mind over it! thank God our staff and the SOLV Anniversary team are supportive.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">and then, there's my first FPC blog assignment. i'm doing an interview on the first featured photographer for December. i'm too tired to talk about it so i'll just post the update when it's all done<br /><br />so, till all the hullabaloo</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> has been ticked off in my mental and hardcopy checklist, i'll be useless in the blogging world.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">whew. oh, i just exhaled. </span></span></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-1162984815758355582006-11-08T19:07:00.000+08:002007-01-11T16:18:39.619+08:00a life less ordinary<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">i live a charmed life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">no, i'm not a millionaire nor do i wish to be one. i don't have vacation homes in the Bahamas, a Phantom Rolls Royce, a private jet, or a gazillion-dollar yacht in the Riviera. heck, i don't even have a personal assistant. but i love my life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">lately, i've been bombarded with <a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/10/aby-birthday.html">surprise</a> after <a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/10/my-very-healthy-weekend-get-away.html">surprise</a>. of course, they're the good kind so i'm not complaining. :D</span><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)font-family:verdana;" >Ka-Blog!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">i've been blogged! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">after shocking me with news about my fireworks photo shoot win, robert does it again. right after claiming my Ceragem GC, i got the surprise of my life when he told me that FPC decided to feature me in their blog. who, me?? :O i'm not even a professional photographer! he looked serious so i took his word for it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">true enough, i got an e-mail from pat about the interview. a few days after answering the questions and sending it back thru e-mail, i found myself in a crowded McDonalds branch, being interviewed. and i haven't even recovered from the past events yet! it all seemed surreal and if i hadn't seen the blog post, i would've thought i was imagining things.</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/The%20Perpetual%20Dreamer.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/The%20Perpetual%20Dreamer.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">FPC has so many extremely talented people and to be recognized is such an honor!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">the interview was very candid. well, i'm not a complicated and technical person so my answers were pretty straightforward and honest (check out the question about the BOYFRIEND. haha). robert was quick to take down notes and he did a great job writing what transpired that afternoon. i enjoyed the introduction, particularly the part where he described my outfit. yes, i did go to the gym that afternoon. :D</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">check out the interview <a href="http://flickersphotoclub.blogspot.com/2006/11/perpetual-dreamer.html">here</a>. :)</span><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)font-family:verdana;" >Our Hyatt Experience, Part 2</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">we were able to use the remaining GC for our overnight stay @ The Hyatt Regency Hotel. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">the <a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/09/our-weekend-hyatt-us_12.html">first time</a> we were there, i was practically a couch potato and spent my stay either sleeping o eating while watching cable TV (save for our morning swim.) last week was a different story.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">since the whole family (except for tonet, who was still in pampanga that time) checked in the hotel in the afternoon, i had more time to traipse around with gelli. after our early (and extremely cheap) dinner at a nearby hospital, we went back to the hotel room to rest. mama brought her work (we're a family of workaholics, i tell you!) and it kept her awake till the middle of the night. papa, on the other hand, decided to relish the opportunity for some R&R and didn't let go of the remote for hours (how typically male of him.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">what did i do?</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">i dragged gelli to be my photo shoot model, of course! hahaha!<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/jumping%20for%20joy.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/jumping%20for%20joy.0.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">jumping for joy</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">i joined in the fun, too.</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/texting%20and%20nose%20picking%20galore.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/texting%20and%20nose%20picking%20galore.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">gelli, stop picking your nose! :p</span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/pa-cute%20pa%20rin.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/pa-cute%20pa%20rin.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">pa-cute<br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/glamour.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/glamour.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">glamour shot (kuno)</span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/dorky.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/dorky.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">dorky duo</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">we spent more than an hour in the mezzanine of the hotel, which was blissfully free of people, clicking and posing away like a couple of idiots. a few hotel staff members actually checked on us just to make sure we weren't doing anything illegal (hello!)</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">finally, tonet arrived. after another round of photos,<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/piggy%20back%20ride.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/piggy%20back%20ride.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">ang bigat ni tonet!</span><br /></span><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/tres%20marias%20(b&w).jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/tres%20marias%20%28b%26w%29.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />we called it a night and marched back into our rooms.</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/pepper%20and%20salt%20@%20cafe%20al%20fresco.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/200/pepper%20and%20salt%20%40%20cafe%20al%20fresco.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">we woke up early the next day for our breakfast buffet @ Cafe Al Fresco. i missed the lunch buffet we were treated to last time since it had more courses and choices. breakfast was excellent, nonetheless. i had so much food! :O</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">it was a good thing that we swam after to burn those unwanted calories (yeah right!) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">tonet brought her new underwater camera case and we took a few shots. it was great...</span><br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/swim%201.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/swim%201.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">testing the camera (oops, it should be underwater. hahaha!)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/underwater%201.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/underwater%201.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">there you go</span><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">...for the first few minutes. </span><br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/underwater%202.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/underwater%202.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">getting blurry<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/underwater%20me.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/underwater%20me.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">self-portrait :D</span><br /><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">i don't know what happened but somehow the casing got a little foggy and moist. we were afraid the water would seep into the camera so we stopped the shooting and focused on the actual swimming (which should have been our primary purpose for being there in the first place)<br /><br />of course, i came prepared. i brought my camera, too! :D<br /></span><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/swimming%20mosaic.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/swimming%20mosaic.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">my crazy sisters</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">anyways, after swimming and a refreshing bath, we checked out at the hotel and headed for Mall of Asia (what a shocker! :D)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">mama and i accompanied gelli as she looked her birthday party dress and a gift for her best friend. i had fun window shopping, as usual. haay, i miss actually buying stuff at Bayo, Maldita, Kamiseta, and Celine. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">we wrapped up our Hyatt weekend with the fireworks show @ MoA. i think papa was expecting great photos after my <a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/10/fpc-moa-ok.html">FPC fireworks shoot</a>. unfortunately, my camera's batteries died out. ah well, there's always next time! :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">to TJ, thanks for those Hyatt GCs! sa uulitin! ;)</span> </span></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-1162230312517050572006-10-31T22:44:00.000+08:002007-01-11T16:21:14.639+08:00my very healthy weekend get-away<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">hm. before this weekend, when was the last time i spent 2 hours in the gym, pigged out, drank a Grande Cafe Moccha, slept for about 3 hours, woke up early to head for Baywalk to exercise, then hit the gym for an hour of cardio and thirty minutes of stretching?<br /><br />uh...never??<br /><br />and just when i thought my bday celebration was over, tet and mike "surprised" me by treating me out last weekend. well, technically, it was mike's treat and tet accompanied me. but since they're a couple, let's just make the whole deal conjugal. hehe.<br /><br />our very action-packed weekend began at a very quiet and busy internet cafe in Megamall (how exciting!), where i finished all the things i needed to do (like reply to e-mails, download photos, and check out my Flickr site) while tet chatted with mike and rica, her brother's girlfriend. when i was finished with my deliverables, i joined the conference. we had a fun time, mostly ganging up on mike and teasing the couple til they blushed (ah, the power of the webcam.) soon, our hour was up.<br /><br />then the real action began.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Shake, Belly Belly Dancer</span><br /><br />tet and i stuck to our plan of having a healthy weekend and jumpstarted it with a trip to Slimmers Megamall. after 30 minutes of sweating it out on the transport, we attended the 6:30 belly dancing class. i've never been to one (although i watched the class for a few minutes before.) as the regular attendees, in their sparkly gold belts and midriff tops, lined up in front, tet and i waited in anticipation for the class to begin.<br /><br />the warm-up was pretty simple. we followed our svelte instructor as she demonstrated the hip and arm movements. hm, looks like we won't be breaking a sweat.<br /><br />after the first water break, i was getting more comfortable with the dance, which involved mostly waist, hips, and leg action. but before i was about to scream, "Eat your heart out, Shakira!" our instructor quickened the pace and added more moves. ah, so much for my bubble of confidence. Shakira makes it look so easy, i swear.<br /><br />by the time we were done, i was so thirsty i practically brisk-walked to the drinking fountain.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Me-Kenny!</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/Christian.4.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/200/Christian.0.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">as we were walking towards Mega Strip, we spotted Christian Bautista signing autographs on stage. i laughed and took a mental note to make gelli envious that i saw him in person before she did (she's a big Christian fan.) of course, i took a couple of photos just to make her feel worse. haha!<br /><br />that night, San Miguel had an event (Oktoberfest). there were so many people and all the food spots along Mega Strip were packed. my request was Piadina and i was already dreaming about their Pasta Ariabiatta when i realized that the restaurant wasn't there anymore. bummer.<br /><br />after checking out other places, tet and i ended up at Kenny Rogers. well, i haven't eaten there in a while so i didn't really mind.<br /><br />our orders? Solo A meals each plus a Veggie Salad.<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/thanks%20for%20the%20treat,%20mike!.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/thanks%20for%20the%20treat%2C%20mike%21.0.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">yum!<br /></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">the greens in the salad were crunchy and fresh and i also loved their Italian dressing. too bad the dressing wasn't enough for the salad, though.<br /><br />the chicken was yummy as always, although we noticed that the corn muffins are smaller than usual. never thought KR would join the cost-cutting bandwagon but looks like they did. we also tried the new side dish - cheesy garlic potatoes. it was delicious! made me forget about those muffins for a while. :D<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/i"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/i%27m%20ready%20to%20dig%20in%21.0.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">i'm ready to dig in!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/look%20at%20all%20that%20food!.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/look%20at%20all%20that%20food%21.0.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">ang takaw!</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">while we were eating, mike called tet just to check on us. i think he was worried that i wasn't cool about eating in KR. what, me? i can eat anywhere! hehe.<br /><br />look like our resto of choice is still way under the budget. so tet made up for it with coffee after dinner. :)<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Caffeine Overload</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/hiding%20behind%20the%20cups.4.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/200/hiding%20behind%20the%20cups.2.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Starbucks was packed but we were lucky that a group left a few minutes after we arrived. tet ordered Grande Cafe Mocchas. i actually requested for the smallest size but, seeing as the price difference isn't that significant, tet decided on an upgrade.<br /><br />i used to drink a lot of coffee back in my IT days but now i rarely do because i don't really need that extra jolt. with my toddler students, i think i need something to relax me! maybe i should drink tea more often...<br /><br />so should it really come as a surprise that i'd be wide awake after downing this much coffee??<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/i%20think%20somebody%20had%20too%20much%20caffeine.1.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/i%20think%20somebody%20had%20too%20much%20caffeine.1.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">looks like somebody had too much caffeine :D<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">anyways, it took a while for us to finish our drink so we obviously had a lot of time in our hands. we talked about life, friends, showbiz, family...everything under the sun, really. oh ,and i got to test the burst mode of my camera, too. it's a good thing i brought my mini tripod with me!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/testing%20the%20burst%20mode.1.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/testing%20the%20burst%20mode.1.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />we're lucky silly people aren't banned from Starbucks!<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Let's Get Physical</span><br /><br />just as i expected. i could hardly sleep a wink that night! my body was so tired yet my mind was working in overdrive. not my idea of a good night's rest, especially since we were scheduled to wake up at 6 for our Baywalk escapade.<br /><br />it was pretty frustrating that i woke up a few minutes before my cellphone alarm came off. what do baristas put in their coffee anyways??<br /><br />anyways, by the time tet and i got to Baywalk, i was wide awake and raring to go. we began our day with a doze of good ol' healthy <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">taho</span>. yum! when we were finished eating, we started brisk walking the whole stretch of Baywalk. i realized then that it was my first time to be in Roxas Boulevard early morning. i was used to seeing the sunset, the lights, and sounds from the live bands along the bay. mornings at Baywalk was relaxing and invigorating at the same time. i felt the cool breeze during our walk and decided to ignore the mild stench that came from the breakwater (well, at least i can say it's a treat to the senses - touch and smell.) the site wasn't as colorful during the day as it was at night but there were a lot of colorful characters who enjoyed an early morning stroll along the bay. couples (who were probably there since the night before), parents with their kids, friends, old friends, and even pets filled up Baywalk.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/yes,%20we"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/200/yes%2C%20we%27re%20still%20along%20baywalk.10.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">once tet and i reached the other end of the bay, we chanced upon several aero classes going on. the first one ended the minute we got there but we were able to join the other group a few paces away. although we were there the last 20 minutes of the class, we still got a workout as the instructor added kickboxing moves to his very interesting aero repertoire. i say interesting because majority of the moves consisted of gyrating your waist and hips like a burlesk dancer. well, at least we were being consistent, considering we attended a belly dancing class the night before. guess our tummies and hips really needed more exercise. :D<br /><br />after the work-out, we headed towards the port. yachts and ships (mostly for Corregidor tours) lined the part of this strip. i got a pleasant surprise when i saw the rows of restaurants (Pancake House, Dencio's among others) and, lo and behold, Starbucks! they're everywhere, i tell you!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/oy,%20wag%20mo%20ko%20ihulog!.19.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/oy%2C%20wag%20mo%20ko%20ihulog%21.14.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/trip%20to%20Corregidor,%20anyone.2.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/trip%20to%20Corregidor%2C%20anyone.2.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">trip to Corregidor, anyone?<br /></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">after taking a few shots in front of the Corregidor tour ships, i had a fantastic idea. i turned to tet and told her to jump. not into the water, friends, but along the port for an action picture. :D<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/hurray%20for%20Starbucks!.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/hurray%20for%20Starbucks%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">hurrah for Starbucks!<br /></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">when it was my turn, i decided to use the burst mode of my digicam and had a little fun. the people in Starbucks were probably regretting their decision to quietly enjoy a cup of coffee that morning.<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/you%20know%20you%20had%20too%20much%20caffeine%20when....jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/you%20know%20you%20had%20too%20much%20caffeine%20when....jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/wee!.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/200/wee%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">hyper!<br /></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">well, our adventure didn't end there. our next stop - Pan Pacific Hotel!<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">The Final Leg</span><br /><br />speaking of leg, my legs were aching already by the time we got to the hotel. well, we <i>did</i> walk all the way there. and let's not forget our early morning work-out along Baywalk.<br /><br />that said, tet and i marched to the Slimmers lobby and signed up for the cardio class.<br /><br />a cardio class after brisk walking, attending an aero class, and walking all the way to the hotel? my, my, i never knew i still had that much energy! tet, looks like we're not that old after all! haha!<br /><br />of course, all thoughts of being young and energetic flew out the window about 20 minutes into the cardio routine. what were we thinking??? needless to say, i stuck to my guns and tried my very best to complete the class. by the time we were doing the final set, i was too dizzy from doing all those turns that i just stopped and let the experts do their thing. i think i took a water break about 10 times within that hour!<br /><br />at last, the class was done and i was raring to plop down on the mat. while i stretched and lazed around, tet did several sit-ups (<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">naks</span>, mike would be so proud :p)<br /><br />when i checked the time, my eyes practically bugged out. it was past 11 am! we've been out since before 7 am. no wonder my legs were aching (excuses, excuses...)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/2%20-%20tet"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/2%20-%20tet%27s%20friendster%20shot.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">before we left the hotel, we lounged around the pool area for a photo op. :D<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/3%20-%20cooling%20off%20at%20the%20poolside.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/3%20-%20cooling%20off%20at%20the%20poolside.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/certified%20divas.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/certified%20divas.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">certified divas<br /></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">when i got to tet's house, i was so famished. somehow, my food vanished into thin air in less than 20 minutes (or was that 10?)<br /><br />i wasn't ready to leave after lunch. actually, i wasn't even ready to move yet, so tet and i watched My Super Ex-Girlfriend to kill time. it was a great movie, very light and funny.<br /><br />before i left, we had our last "photo shoot" with chay. :D<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/3%20-%203%20isn"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/3%20-%203%20isn%27t%20bad%20luck%2C%20chai%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">chay, it's not bad luck if we're 3 in the photo, you know! :D</span><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">weeelll, what a weekend it was! with that killer work-out schedule, i'm pretty sure this get-toghether is at the top of my Most Healthy Gimmick list. not that i'm planning to lengthen that list any soon now. :D<br /><br />mike, thanks again for the treat! and tet, thanks for a very fun (and energetic!) weekend! till next gimmick! :)<br /></span></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-1162133883131274612006-10-29T22:49:00.000+08:002007-01-11T16:21:02.381+08:00Who Moved My Bread?<div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">we have a monster in our house.</span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">not the growling, gnashing, roaring, foot-stomping kind. our creepy-crawler is furry, squeaks, and scampers about when no one is around.</span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">right, a rat.</span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">house rats are old news to most people but the one living under our roof is no ordinary rodent. this dude has special powers. </span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">what kind of powers, you may ask?</span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">for starters, he can squeeze himself into tight openings and extremely narrow corners. yes, their species has this ability. but i'm talking about a rodent the size of a cat. you know, like those you find in a farm or field.</span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">because of its sheer size, it can turn on the switch of our living room table lamp just by running around it. when i spotted our lamp on, i almost freaked out. not because it's almost Halloween and a ghost could have played a trick on us. but i was extremely worried somebody broke into our house (again). when i asked gelli about it, she said, oh so matter-of-factly, that seeing the lamp turned on has been a regular occurance and that it was that rat.</span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">whaaat?? </span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">then, just this afternoon, i went downstairs to get a glass of water. as i got to the middle of the stairs, i saw that the plastic container where we keep the bread was wide open. i usually place my red lunch box on top of it but, for some reason, the lunch box was lying on its side, on the oven right beside the bread. </span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">uh-oh.</span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">i ran down the steps and looked inside the container.</span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">yes, the monster strikes again.</span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/Who%20moved%20my%20bread.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/Who%20moved%20my%20bread.0.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">it ate through the plastic and took several bites of our bread. the bread that papa just bought.<br /></span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">arrrgggghhhh!<br /></span></div><div align="justify" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">after i calmed down, it dawned on me. the rat opened the container by itself.<br /><br /></span></div><div align="justify" face="verdana"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/container.1.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/container.1.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />great. i realize that we have a <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">smart</span> monster. is this Jurassic Park, Family Edition?? maybe rats have special weapons that can open plastic food containers and turn on lamps. but then again, it could have used its weight like cavemen do.<br /></span></div><div align="justify" face="verdana"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">well, i don't care what technique it used. i'm not taking any chances.<br /></span></div><div align="justify" face="verdana"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/sealed.1.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/sealed.1.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">now if that monster can still lift this green plastic dome (that, mind you, is tightly squeezed between the oven and the rice container), i don't know if i should call the mice exterminator or the police.</span></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-1161774784987406882006-10-25T19:09:00.000+08:002007-01-11T16:23:50.481+08:00an Aby birthday<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">the blessings just came pouring in.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">i swear, i have never been so overwhelmed the week of my birthday. </span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>It's An Explosion!</strong> </span><span style="font-size:85%;">(yuck, baduy! hehe)</span></span></span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">it all began with a text message from robert (</span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rarerimages/"><span style="font-size:100%;">rareimages</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">) last monday, just two days shy of my bday. he told me to check the </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrphilippines/"><span style="font-size:100%;">FPC</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> site and </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrphilippines/discuss/72157594327295557/"><span style="font-size:100%;">discussion thread</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> because - take this - I JUST WON FIRST PRIZE IN OUR FIREWORKS FUN PHOTO CONTEST! as i mentioned in my previous </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/10/fpc-moa-ok.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">post</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">, i never expected to win. so my initial reaction was total disbelief. </span></span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">"Ows?? Talaga?" were the first two words in my text reply.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">i had a feeling robert isn't the type to joke about these things but i still couldn't believe the good news. i think his reply to my questions went sort of like this - "Oo. No Kidding. :)"</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">wow...WOW!</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">i never won first prize at anything!</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">i did win a different online photo contest but there were a lot of winners that time so this most recent one is different.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">a few hours later, i was able to check the discussion thread. and sure enough, i won 1st place! :)<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/my%20winning%20photo.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/my%20winning%20photo.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><div align="justify"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">the winning photo</span><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">and thanks to the generosity of </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/celina_d"><span style="font-size:100%;">celina_d</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> and </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/insidelookingout/"><span style="font-size:100%;">joel</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">, i got a GC from Ceragem Philippines and a 1-year Flickr Pro Account respectively! thanks again, guys! i've always wanted a Pro account but my current finances can't support it (plus the fact that i don't have a credit card ^_^.)</span></span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">the next few days, i was finally able to update </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/wasaby/"><span style="font-size:100%;">my</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasaby/"><span style="font-size:100%;">photo</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasaby/sets/"><span style="font-size:100%;">sets</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">. :)</span></span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">the Flickr meet was included in the FPC blog, along with the results of the contest. pat (</span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/htap28/"><span style="font-size:100%;">Hocchuan</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">) even linked to my blog </span><a href="http://weytaminit.blogspot.com/2006/10/fpc-moa-ok.html"><span style="font-size:100%;">post</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">. aand speaking of blogs, the guys (robert and pat) invited me to be a contributor to the FPC </span><a href="http://flickersphotoclub.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size:100%;">blog</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">. what an honor! :)</span></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">i still pinch myself until now.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><strong><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,102,0);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >RRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!</span></strong></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">the morning of my bday (Oct 18), my family surprised me with a brand new Nokia 6020! i couldn't believe it! (again!)</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">my old phone, a beat-up Nokia 6510, has been begging to be replaced for a looooong time. again, because of my current financial state (i sound like a broken record), a new cellphone is just out of the budget. </span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/blog.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/blog.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">i think my family felt my (and my phone's) pain and chipped in for the new phone. </span></span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">wow, first prize, a Flickr Pro account, Ceragem GC, a new cellphone....i must be dreaming!</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">thankfully, i wasn't :D</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">i felt like a kid in a candy store. better yet, i felt like a kid opening her Christmas gifts and getting everything she ever wished for. sniff.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><strong><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,102,0);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Magnifico!</span></strong></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">since tonet was still in Pampanga last wednesday, i decided to move my family celebration to sunday and spent the rest of my day with the SOLV sisters.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">flor, my cellgroup leader, gathered the other members and a few sisters for our dinner get-together in A Veneto, Glorietta. perfect because i love Italian food. (next to chocolate, of course. hehe.)</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">i thought it would just be our cellgroup, so imagine my surprise when ate marla, an "institution" in the community (as i joked her), irene, and ems joined us for dinner. i was honored that they were there to celebrate my bday.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/ate%20marla,%20flor,%20and%20irene.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/ate%20marla%2C%20flor%2C%20and%20irene.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">ate marla, flor, and irene</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">we still had a hang-over from our recent sisterhood (my next post!), an obvious observation from the general discussion that night. we talked about the games, the sharings, our love languages, and other anecdotes that made us burst out laughing.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/ems,%20ross,%20and%20leah.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/ems%2C%20ross%2C%20and%20leah.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">ems, ross, and leah</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">we had a great time and the food was terrific!</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">we had seafood pasta in tomato sauce, assorted pizzas, and another tomato pasta dish with chicken cutlets. mm-mm-mmmm!<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/ang%20takaw%20ko%20no.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/ang%20takaw%20ko%20no.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">ang takaw ko no? :)</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/ang%20paglamon%20ni%20ross.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/ang%20paglamon%20ni%20ross.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">ang paglamon ni ross (hehe)</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">when we were almost done eating, the sisters gave an honoring. it has been a while since i was the receiptient to our community tradition and it really felt encouraging and humbling to know how much i touched the lives of my sisters, particularly during those moments that i've taken for granted.<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/group%20peeektyuuur!.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/group%20peeektyuuur%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">group peeectuuuure!</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">we closed the night with the restaurant's Decadent Cake garnished with the words, "Happy Birthday" in sweet caramel icing.</span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/happy%20bday%20to%20meeh!.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/happy%20bday%20to%20meeh%21.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">happy birthday to meeh!</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Tayo na sa Tiendesitas...</span><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">i capped off my week-long bday celebration with my family at Tiendesitas last sunday.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/cat%20show.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/200/cat%20show.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">mama and i went ahead (since we attended an anticipated mass the day before, separately) to Tiendesitas. while waiting for papa and my sisters (they went to mass at Christ the King), we went around the tiangges (me, searching for new cellphone accessories) and spent the rest of the time watching the awarding ceremonies in the cat show (didn't catch the title of the event, though).<br /><br />right after the show, mama and i met up with the rest of the family and headed for the food court for dinner. the menu? grilled liempo, sinigang, and tuna belly!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/Familia.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/Familia.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />while eating our sumptuous dinner, we watched the live band sing songs from yesteryears. oldies but goodies, indeed.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/a%20doggy%20halloween.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/200/a%20doggy%20halloween.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">we spent the rest of the night checking out the other stores, particularly the p</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">et s</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">hops. if you're a pet lover, you better check out these rows of</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> shops. they have everything, from pet accessories, clothes, grooming, toys, gadgets, food, and even photography! the only thing they don't have is an inhouse vet.<br /></span><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/Boots.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/Boots.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">adorable doggie booties ^_^</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/Cool.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/Cool.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">it's doggie retail heaven!</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Tiendesitas is also a pet-friendly area. my sisters and i actually look forward to seeing the dogs visitors bring with them, rather than checking out the celebrities (you'll always spot one when you're there.)<br /><br /></span></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/pet%20avenue.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/pet%20avenue.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">pet avenue</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/Cute!.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/Cute%21.0.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">cuuuuutttteeee! :)</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">a favorite pet shop of ours has a big display window with different animals featured everyday. that time, there were two adorable poodles.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/mosaic%201.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/mosaic%201.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">i had a grand time watching them play with each other. they looked so cute in their outfits that a lot of people were taking their photos (me included).<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/mosaic%202.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/mosaic%202.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />we went to another pet store that had Chow-Chows and Bulldogs (tonet's favorite breed.) they even had my favorite - the Siberian Husky. the staff allowed us to carry two of the dogs. i was seriously thinking of dognapping the Chow-Chow. i mean, who can resist that face??? :D<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/come%20to%20mama!.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/come%20to%20mama%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,102,0)">Whew!</span><br /><br />what a week! it was definitely an Aby birthday for me! ^_~<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></span></span></div>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12269304.post-1160794277635780932006-10-14T10:45:00.000+08:002007-01-11T16:39:00.634+08:00Mabuhay ang bagong...<div align="justify"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,102,0);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><strong>...uwi! MABUHAAAAAY!!! :p</strong></span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">last wednesday, we (the sigma and tna peeps) celebrated mildred's return from singapore. she arrived last saturday and only stayed in the country for a week (boooo!). actually, ang totoo nyan, tumakas lang talaga sya sa boss nya. hahaha!</span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">i was the official organizer of our dinner get-together. but before i talk about the major boo-boo that i did, i just want to say that this week was pretty hectic. really! not that i'm being defensive... :D</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">anyways, eto kasi nangyari. when mildred and i last talked about the dinner, i said that i'll inform the people through e-mail. she mentioned that joy, flor, doins, and dennis confirmed already. since ayie texted me back that he was good to go, i decided to send a general e-mail to the sigma group only. when i was finished typing my (short) invite, i started to enter the sigmaLang yahoogroup. eh sa address book ko kasi, may List ako na Sigma. i haven't used that list in a while and when it came out while typing, i thought that it was my shortcut for the yahoogroups email. so i clicked on it and sent my message.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">so 2 days passed and we were all set. i wasn't able to check my e-mails during those days so i wasn't aware of the invite. pagdating ng wednesday, i thought - no, assumed - that others informed flor and dennis about the venue. </span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">anyways, when i got to Gerry's Grill @ Park Square, joy, doins, flor, and dennis were there and already ordered appetizers (calamari and tofu). aba, nalaman ko nalang na hindi pala yahoogroups ang naka-save sa list ko kundi yung individual e-mail addresses nila!! waah! kaya tuloy, late na nung nalaman ni mikelec and rex na kasama pala sila! </span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">kaya guys, i'm so sorry!!! valid naman explanation ko diba?? (di naman ako guilty e. medyo lang. :P)<br /><br />ok, tama na explanation at baka may mangbato ng sapatos dito. hehe.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">joy and i brought our cameras and were the official paparazzi of the night. while waiting for our guest of honor, we killed time by taking photos....<br /></span><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/1%20-%20anong%20tinitignan%20mo%20joy.6.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/1%20-%20anong%20tinitignan%20mo%20joy.1.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">joy, anong tinitignan mo??<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div></div></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/2%20-%20ang%20sosi,%20ang%20bosing,%20at%20ang%20asungot.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/2%20-%20ang%20sosi%2C%20ang%20bosing%2C%20at%20ang%20asungot.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><div align="justify"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">doins and boss dennis (may asungot o! :p)</span><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">...and, of course, catched up on the latest gossip, er, stories. lagi naman ako huli sa balita, e! :D<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/3%20-%20star%20of%20the%20night.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/3%20-%20star%20of%20the%20night.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">at dumating din ang guest of horror, este honor. :D </span></div></div></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">aba, feeling artista talaga! mildsky, pwede ka na sa The Buzz magazine (yung may mga paparazzi photos). and the hair! let's not forget her newly relaxed tresses. iba talaga pag ikakasal na noh? ^_~</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/4%20-%20tipen,%20mommy%20berns,%20and%20ayie.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/4%20-%20tipen%2C%20mommy%20berns%2C%20and%20ayie.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">later, mommy bernie arrived. grabe berns, parang di ka nanganak! (naks) after ordering, talking about bernie's new baby, and grilling doins about her new "gerlash," tipen showed up. i just wish i had a recorder that time. panalo talaga ang q&a portion namin nun. i can't remember the exact dialogue but some of stephen's questions went:</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><em><span style="font-size:100%;">kasal na si bernie? kay mon ba? (dude, may baby na nga sila e! mas huli ka pa pala sa balita sa kin e! :p)<br />(to doins) may asawa ka na ba? (yeeessssss!)</span></em></div><em></em><div align="justify"><em><br /></em><span style="font-size:100%;">pero teka. ba't ako, never mo tinanong kung may asawa na ha?? hehe.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">a few minutes after our orders were served, ayie came. tamang-tama ang timing mo! </span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">our orders? pinakbet, pancit bihon, grilled squid, baked scallops (my special request ^_~), kare-kare (joy's special request), and sinigang na hipon. yes, i'm not allergic to shrimps anymore! sorry ka nalang, ayie at napasa ko sa yo!<br /></span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">si rex nagtampo kasi di ko raw sya nasama sa e-mail ko. (sorry na nga e!) anyways, i talked to him over the phone and explained everything. oo, nagpaliwanag na ko sa lawyer mo! hahaha. dibale, nalibre naman sya ni mildsky the next day e so ok na rin yun. :D</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">what's a get-together without more photos right? kaya si ayie, nagpresintang photographer (paparazzi lang kami ni joy e. hehe.) and took more shots of the group.<br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/5%20-%20ang%20mga%20bungisngis.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/5%20-%20ang%20mga%20bungisngis.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">mga bungisngis<br /></span></div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/6%20-%20walang%20magawa.jpg"></a></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><div align="justify"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/6%20-%20walang%20magawa.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/6%20-%20walang%20magawa.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">walang magawa<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/10%20-%20nice%20hair,%20doins!.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/10%20-%20nice%20hair%2C%20doins%21.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">nice hair, doins! :p<br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">we spent the rest of dinner talking about former officemates, mildred and donna's straight hair, joy's previously curly hair (sayang di ka namin nakita ni mildred nung sexy days mo!), and more tsismis - as usual.<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/7%20-%20o,%20totoo%20na%20to.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/400/7%20-%20o%2C%20totoo%20na%20to.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/8%20-%20sabi%20ko%20sa%20inyo%20mas%20masarap%20sa%20coffee%20bean%20kesa%20starbucks%20e!.jpg"></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><div align="justify"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/1600/8%20-%20sabi%20ko%20sa%20inyo%20mas%20masarap%20sa%20coffee%20bean%20kesa%20starbucks%20e!.0.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5036/1031/320/8%20-%20sabi%20ko%20sa%20inyo%20mas%20masarap%20sa%20coffee%20bean%20kesa%20starbucks%20e%21.0.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">after that yummy dinner (thanks, mildsky!) we capped off the night @ The Coffee Bean, Greenbelt. unfortunately, tipen had to leave early for a "meeting." (yan na ba tawag sa date ngayon???)</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">from local tsismis, the topics turned to Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, and my break-ups with Wentworth (Miller), Brandon (Routh), and Brad (Pitt). see tipen, ang dami mong na-miss! ewan ko ba kung ba't ayaw maniwala nung iba. honest naman ako magkwento diba???</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:100%;">at around 11, we called it a night. </span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">salamat ulit, mildsky! sana bumalik ka kagad. but i have a feeling the next time we meet, sa simbahan na! (yi-heey!) sa kasal ko, no. anong akala mo?? o bawal kumontra, blog ko to! :p</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">p.s.star, bigyan mo raw ng tips si mildsky on long-distance relationships and marriage! ayaw na ni flor e. hehe.</span></div></span>abyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13078988084225680789noreply@blogger.com0