mum's the word

i talk too much.

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).   

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 not scream.  unless subject to bodily harm (oy, don't look at me!).

i never felt old (because i'm not. really) but lately, my workaholic nature has been doing my body more harm. i feel sluggish, bloated.  sige na nga, di na ko magshoo-shooting sa madaling araw!  cut, direk!

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.)

"What on earth are you going to do on your free time?" you might ask.  

my answer: "What? I have free time?"

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! 

so what do i do?  why, make a to-do list of course! 

1.  start working on the December Vineyard issue.  how exciting!  i can't wait for November 15th! sorry, folks, that's a surprise.  :)

2. clean my closet.  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.

3.  organize my files.  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.  paano na pag dumalaw si Piolo?

4.  upload photos and videos.  most of my photos are up in my multiply site already.  just some videos that i'm still lazy to upload.  

5.  read.  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.

6.  blog about my recent escapades.  the school Halloween party, LEAP mid-year evaluation, and more.

7.  scrap my to-do list.  easier said than done, my friends, easier said than done.

alrighty.  my throat is still itchy (isang bote ng Caladryl lang to.  tagay na!) and the refrigerator is calling me (o tukso, layuan mo ako!).  gotta go!

*cough*cough*

what's up, ketchup?

it's been eons since i last posted here. (more than a year in fact!)

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:

DLSU is the UAAP 2007 Champion!
and we watched the final game live! :D

photos from the Animo Victory Party

with "the man," Coach Franz Pumaren

with Cara and JV Casio

Christmas in Singapore!

there were so many great moments to share that i'll just post the pictures. hopefully, the photos will speak for themselves.

tonet and gelli

Orchard light-up tour

at IKEA (mama's sanctuary)

at the Cine Blaster (Sentosa)

the Sentosa aquarium

underwater tunnel (pretty cool!)

Songs of the Sea (still at Sentosa)

Singapore Zoo and Night Safari (the highlight of my trip!)

Genting, Malaysia

meeting up with friends (with weng at the winter store)

melinds and my inaanak, clive

Christmas eve with the housemates

SOLV Acoustic Night

and what a successful night it was! :)

luke entertaining his mom, mayette, and ate isa

richie, our videographer, shooting beauty, our lovely host

mother (ate malou) and daughter (france)

the performers (from the St. Scho School of Music)

oh, before i forget (as if i will)....last month, mama bought gelli and me a new camera! woohoo!

me and our beloved Canon 400D :)

Outreach with the streetchildren of ChildHope Asia

had a blast! this was organized by jackie chua (sister from SOLV).

the CHA children
cheers to jackie for doing a fantastic job of hosting and organizing the affair!


by the way....i've finally caved in and got myself a Multiply account. you can check out all the photos in my Photos page.

that's it, pancit!

see you later, 'gator!

after a while, cro...aaah, you get the picture.

i'm still here

and yet i feel like i've been gone for years.

it was my way of coping, i realized. i just wanted to go away for a while and breathe.
because i was drowning.
or falling.
or both.

i needed to be by myself, pick up some pieces, and move on.

i had residual feelings of abandonment. is there even a medical/psychological term for that?

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?

last march, all my co-teachers (save for the school owners, of course) resigned. all 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.

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.

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.

before my class and work started in june, my lolo (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 lolo to suffer from too much medical procedures. after the stroke, it was apparent that he was ready to leave us. he died peacefully.

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.

life goes on, i know. and i have to stop grieving and take that crucial step to living again.

now?

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.

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!).

i just attended a wedding recently. my high school friend, tintin, tied the knot with her old friend, buddy. congratulations!


of course, i have my "me time." i still enjoy my company, thank God.

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.



those several months have been a tumultuous roller coaster ride but now i'm coasting smoothly.

i wasn't gone after all.

hiatus

That’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.

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.

So now I’m lulling my summer days and nights away with guilty pleasures like organizing DVD marathons, eating Milo (yes, eating it), and sleeping until I sport a white beard long enough for the Guinness. Yeah, yeah, I’ve become an enthusiastic couch potato. (And it’s a bad thing because…??) At least I get to watch movies with Rica and have dinner with friends once in a while.

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.

As of today, I have 12 more days of complete and utter tranquility and then it’s back to the real world. Fantastic.

change is good

yes, it is.

i just love 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

anyway, just to show how major this change is for me, i'm actually keeping the pink colors in my site. i never considered myself a pink girl (that color is usually reserved for tonet) but lately i found myself in strange oh-look-i'm-wearing-pink predicaments. like that time i wore a pink shirt to our school's Family Day and a pink dress (gasp!) to gelli's debut. i just hope this is the start of something good. not that i'm giving up blue any time soon.

what i absolutely love about the new features is the post categories. i love it, i love it, i love it! now, i can just click on parties when i'm looking for all my posts about the gimmicks that i've been to or ramblings when i've lost my sense of humor.

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.

so it's back to a clean slate for me (except for the comments prior to my Haloscan days.)

ah yes, change is good.

* * *

i'm still working on my last tis the season to be jolly... post. will probably post that before New Year.

anyways, i just want to wish everybody a fantastic 2007!

waiting to exhale

stage decor for the party

is it just me or am i suddenly drowning?

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 all the tasks that each 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 then i can breathe.

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.

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

so, till all the hullabaloo has been ticked off in my mental and hardcopy checklist, i'll be useless in the blogging world.

whew. oh, i just exhaled.

Who Moved My Bread?

we have a monster in our house.

not the growling, gnashing, roaring, foot-stomping kind. our creepy-crawler is furry, squeaks, and scampers about when no one is around.

right, a rat.

house rats are old news to most people but the one living under our roof is no ordinary rodent. this dude has special powers.

what kind of powers, you may ask?

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.

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.

whaaat??

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.

uh-oh.

i ran down the steps and looked inside the container.

yes, the monster strikes again.

it ate through the plastic and took several bites of our bread. the bread that papa just bought.

arrrgggghhhh!

after i calmed down, it dawned on me. the rat opened the container by itself.

great. i realize that we have a smart 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.

well, i don't care what technique it used. i'm not taking any chances.

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.

out of the closet

The OC

"OC ka, ano?"

my friend asked me that one time when she saw me adjusting our table, which had a slight gap against the wall, while we were having dinner in Pizza Hut.

"hindi, no!"

me, Obsessive Compulsive? of course not! i thought to myself as i checked the table for crumbs.

she then proceeded to give me a quick personality test that she learned that day. turned out i'm the analyzer/organizer. ah, big surprise there.

ever since As Good As It Gets came out, the term, OC, has been used so liberally. in fact, i hear it as often as nerd, weird, and jerk (well ok, it was probably because they were usually used in reference to me - except the last one). but really, just because a person is organized, doesn't automatically make him/her Obsessive Compulsive.

anyways, what exactly is OCD? to be diagnosed as OC, one must have obsessions and/or compulsions (as the term suggests).

Obsessions are defined by:
Recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress.
The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.
The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action.
The person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind.

Compulsions are defined by:
Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive.

from Wikipedia

as i was poring through the checklist, i realized how serious this disorder is. have you seen As Good As..? Jack Nicholson's character was a genuine OC. he brings his plastic utensils to restaurants (probably because he's afraid the in-house utensils are dirty). he likes his order served in a particular way and arranged on the table to his specific liking. when i saw the scene where he was avoiding cracks (or patterns) on the pavement, i got a little scared. i was reminded of my childhood self avoiding the dark spots on our wooden steps as i ran down the stairs. i'm not kidding. it was only in high school when i caught myself in mid-step. i didn't know why i avoided those spots. i just didn't like stepping on them. but i knew it wasn't a normal thing to do so after that, i consciously climbed up and down our stairs without avoiding those "problem areas". and my trip up and down our staircase has been OC-free since then. i'm weird, i know.

after that whole OCD term came out, it became a convenient label for us. well, it's definitely easier to say than organized. anal, or neat freak, right?

wanting to have things in order is just a part of a person's personality. it doesn't necessarily scream OC but when you actually obsess over those habits of yours and do them over and over and over, well, you need to see a shrink! seriously. it's the same case as alcoholics. just because you drink, doesn't mean you're an alcoholic. but when you drink excessively, then that's a different story.

being organized is not just something you acquire when you're old and mature. one of my students in my first toddler class is a perfect example. just 2 years old then, this boy always made sure our toys were arranged by a specific characteristic (color, size, etc.). he didn't like getting his hands and feet dirty. it took a while for him to take off his socks while we were playing in the Mat Area. he made sure to eat all of his snacks, even if his other friends were already doing something else.

my partner and i were joking that he's OC. until we met his parents. that's when i believed that this personality trait can really be genetic. his mom is the single most organized and meticulous woman i know in my entire life. making weekly journals of her son was pretty challenging because she keeps a daily log of his progress, complete with the actual quotation (what he said at that precise moment), the time, and date. it put our narratives to shame, i tell you. but it kept us on our toes. and as for his dad? one of their relatives (the boy's aunt) told me that his dad is just as particular. so combine two very orgnanized, anal people and what do you get? an extremely organized toddler. :)

last year, i had another student who wasn't as organized as my former student but she was still particular about certain things.

this is a shot of the toys she arranged. notice that the horses are lined up by color? nobody told her to do that. thankfully, i had my camera with me and i was able to capture her work (which we placed in her portfolio at the end of the schoolyear).

are they OC? nah. they're organized, that's for sure.

as for me? i admit i probably had OCD tendencies when i was younger. but i overcame it. well, some of my habits, that is. by the time i was in college, i didn't care if my things were all over the place, my closet wasn't arranged, and that it took me a while to look for something in my bag. of course, living with 11 other girls in one room for four years probably did the trick (diba, rica? :D).

lately, i find myself getting more organized. is it because i'm a teacher? probably. i think my change of careers catapulted me back to my OC-esque years. alas, my clothes are already arranged by color in my cabinet (haha!). before you say i'm hopeless, just realize how practical it is to have your shirts arranged this way. it's so much easier to look for something to wear when you're in a hurry.

so that's my excuse now. i'm just being practical. :)

Vanity, the name is...

admit it. when you look at a group photo, the first person you check out is yourself. and then you look at your friends.

huuu, don't deny it!

you know what? i believe that we all have a shred of vanity in us. some may have more shreds (mountains, to be exact) than others but there is always that narcissistic urge to be beautiful (i'm talking about men, too).

why do you think millions of women buy a lot of make-up, clothes, shoes, and accessories? and why do think men love to collect perfumes, shoes, caps, and shirts?

even if it takes me about three minutes to get ready (no joke) after taking a bath, i admit i still have a hint of vanity in my blood.

case in point.

yesterday was our annual family day. with the 80's theme in full swing, the event was an instant hit! we had the theme down pat, from the backdrop, to the decor, to the games, and our outfits. now, i didn't want to spend a single centavo on my attire so i ended up borrowing from my sisters (thanks, tonet and gelli!). i suddenly regretted giving away all my old clothes. who knew i'd need them after 20 years???

of course, i brought my camera with me. but...and i mean, BUT, we (the teachers) were so busy decorating, arranging, and organizing the whole event that i forgot to take photos. not that i had the time to. when i realized that my camera was still lying in the car, it was too late. the place was cleaned, the decor was packed away, and the people were gone! it was a sunday so nobody really wanted to hang around after the event.

i had a camera with nothing and no one to take pictures of. hmm, not quite, actually...

rica, alam kong lagi mong nirereklamo yung mga candid shots mo na kinuha ko so...this one's for you! hahaha! pero rica, kahit gusto kong ma-picturan, ikaw pa rin favorite model ko. :p

it was my unofficial coming-out party. and i had myself to celebrate it with. how very narcissistic indeed.

fine, make fun of me. i don't care.

admit it. you're vain, too! :D

got a life!

i've been pretty busy the past few weeks (as you can tell by the frequency of my posting).

TGIF!

last friday, my partner and i finished our toddler checklists for the first Parent Teacher Conference the other day. although it wasn't stressful because we did it in her condo unit while watching Girl Interrupted and pigging out (sour cream and potato chips heaven!), i still ended up going home late.

the following day, Tet and i celebrated her birthday with a movie (The Break-up), dinner at Cafe Mediterranean, and a sleep-over in her place.

if you're looking for a cheesy, romantic flick, then The Break-up is not for you! it's a realistic take on relationships that have gone way past the honeymoon stage. i love the quirky dialogues, particularly the ones where the couple had their spats over mundane things. the "show lemons" scene cracked me up. it was so familiar, like watching a scene from my family (except ours would be in Tagalog with a few expletives flying here and there. haha, too much info!). i'm pretty sure a lot of people hate the ending but i celebrate it! (ok, spoilers alert! if you want to watch it, just jump to the next paragraph...) it was about being loving to yourself, basically. brooke couldn't stay with him because, according to her, she just didn't have anything left to give. so she broke away from a relationship that she knew didn't deserve. and gary? thankfully, he got a much needed push in the right direction and he fixed up his life. but what i loved about it was that he did it more for himself. even if they weren't together anymore, he stepped up. and who can forget their first meeting after they went their separate ways? that last look they gave each other was promising, to say the least. aaahhh, don't you just love the realistic unromantic movies? hahaha! for the couples (especially the married ones) who haven'twatched it yet, you better catch it while it's still in theaters! and ladies, bring your guy with you!

dinner was a Greek affair for us. Tet ordered the Chicken Gyros while i was craving for the Moussaka.




yum!

we ended the night with a DVD show of "Take The Lead." this movie just made me want to take ballroom dancing lessons! :)

just this friday, i celebrated another birthday. we (the teachers) organized a surprise birthday bash for our good friend and co-teacher, Nat. it was the first time for me to prepare a themed party and i had great fun! since Nat's into gardening these days, we stuck with the Garden Theme. we brought food that had either fruits or vegetables (my contribution was mango ref cake. yum!). the party was held in Janna's house, just a few minutes away from school. Rinna and i went there ahead of time to set-up the place. we covered the two tables with pastel-colored crepe paper. the centerpieces were plants we bought just outside the village - one was a potted floral plant (ok, so i forgot the name!) and the others were small fortune plants that we lined up in the long table. it definitely made the whole setting very elegant. unfortunately, i left my camera and wasn't able to take photos. drats.

the highlight of the whole party was the birthday cake! our boss (who's also a great cook) baked a chocolate cake - in a big pot! it was so cool. she covered the chocolatey "soil" with melted choco fudge and added "dirt" (ground milk chocolate). the finishing touch was plastic tulip flowers. again, i'm beating myself up for not bringing my digicam!

Unpretty

ok, my face is getting back at me for the few hours of sleep i've had during the last two weekends. i only had about 3 hours of sleep at tet's last saturday. since i got home early yesterday (early morning, that is. haha), and i had to go to DLSU in a few hours. well, you can imagine how much (or little) sleep i had.

now, i have zits on my right cheek, with an enormous one right in the center! argh. i know, i'm being such a girly-girl but i can't help it! i was such in a lousy mood that i unconsciously took it out on my outfit. when i got to the DLSU parking lot, i just realized how baduy i looked. am i a masochist or what! so i quickly grabbed my denim jacket to cover the offensive shirt. it was a good thing the sky was overcast or i would've died of heat stroke.

and things just went downhill from there.

the school's network was down so i couldn't get the reprinted EAF for this term - the sole reason i went to school in the first place!! well, at least i was able to get the info i needed for my courses next term. never mind that i can actually get that from the website. i'm trying to make myself feel better, ok??

i dropped by the restroom before heading for the parking lot, just to check if i still looked decent. i really hated my outfit! what does a girl do to cheer herself up? put on some lip gloss! hahaha!

lip gloss and concealer - my only claim to vanity. i don't own a make-up kit because i'm not really into it. but i do love dressing up during special occasions. of course, yesterday was an exception.

so, after psyching myself that i didn't look that bad, i walked to the parking lot. on my way there, somebody in white blocked my vision. argh! it was an old friend! his timing was impeccable.

i didn't even catch his friend's name because i was busy trying to act normal and praying that he doesn't notice the retro shirt i had on. or the gigantic zit on my cheek. after a few minutes of chatting and joking around, he squinted his eyes and looked at my face.

oh no! don't talk about my pimple, pleeaaassee!!

"May dumi ka sa tabi ng mata mo." ("You have dirt beside your eye.") he pointed at the space just above my pimple. i rubbed the dirt off with a grin. yes, there was something beside my eye. i was never so happy to have dirt on my face. ever.

anyways, we talked for a few more minutes. i asked him how his business was going (he's part owner of a famous night spot in Makati), he asked me where i'm working now. thankfully, the chat didn't end in bloodshed (that would be his blood if he ever mentioned the words, zit or pimple, to my face).

as i made my way to the parking lot, i just had to smile. what did i learn that day? when life gives you zits, pray for dirt on your face.

happy zitless weekend, everybody!

my heart's reasons

There are those days when the logical mind says, you must move on and do a better job of supporting yourself.

Those days when the logical mind say, why did you choose this career, it is not reasonable.

If the heart can still the mind, then the answers are apparent.

Perhaps logic did not play a great part in choosing our jobs as teachers.

If we are truly teaching life's most important lessons to the little ones.

The lesson of love, to love oneself unconditionally and to share that love with others.

Perhaps we were guided and chosen to be in this place.

For teaching love in a crowded, confused and often angry world,

is not something everyone can do.

Though our wallets may not be overflowing,

How many people are hugged and told they are loved by the people they work with each day?

How many people own original art works created expressly for them?

How many jobs allow you to wipe away tears and make the world a better place for others?

How many people are allowed to see a tired, weary world through fresh new eyes, where all things are possible,

To hear laughter and joy for no big reason, just for being.

When the logical mind say, what are you doing teaching young children,

Listen to your heart one more time.

- from What Are You Doing Teaching Preschool (Original Author Unknown)

i really have the best job in the world. :)

what dreams may come

a taste of what's (or who's!) to come, perhaps? :)

this was one of the last fortune cookies i had last Chinese New Year. when i read my fortune, i remembered one of my recent astral travels. well, i definitely like this cookie better than my "blind date!" hehe.

of course, i saved this shot just for today. this is dedicated to all you hopeless romantics out there...and the cynics? well, this is for you, too! after all, everybody deserves a little lovin' ^_~

aaah, i just love Valentine's day...flowers, chocolates, kisses, hugs...doesn't it make you feel that everything will be alright in this world? and, as the Beatles said, All We Need Is Love! now if only some of that lovin' got showered down my way. hehe. :D

to my single and available friends, this fortune is my Valentine wish for you. as for the committed ones, i hope you've found The One. :)

happy hearts day, everybody!

in my dreams

i've shared before that i am a visual person.

being such, i usually have vivid dreams. i remember almost every detail - what i was wearing, where i was, who was/were with me, what happened, what i said...well, you get the idea.

last night, i had one of the funniest nightmares ever.

yes, you read right. it was a nightmare, but a funny one.

how so?

well, here's what happened in my dream...

i woke up to the sound of my cellphone's alarm. as i sat up, i saw my mama frantically rummaging through my closet.

what was she doing?

in her crazy search, it seemed that she didn't even notice i was awake, staring blankly at her. soon, her head was swallowed by the sea of hanging shirts and jackets.

after several seconds of watching her, i suddenly remembered our conversation a few days ago. she casually informed me that i was going to get married. soon. she planned everything already, from the date, to the church and reception, down to the groom. i just laughed then.

i remembered today was the supposed day.

still unsure of what she was doing in my closet, i jokingly asked her, "What time is the wedding?"

"3 o'clock," was her muffled reply.

ah, i was right. i nodded in confusion. is she really trying to prove her point? wasn't it a joke?

"aah, ma, nobody knows about it yet." two can play this game, you know.

she sighed in impatience and turned to look at me.

"ma, sino yung lalake?" ("ma, who's the guy?")

"yung anak ng kaibigan ko. yung-" ("the son of my friend. the-")

"ha?!? ma, seryoso ka ba??" i exclaimed. i practically jumped out of my bed in panic. ("ha?!? ma, are you serious??")

mama had an incredulous look on her face. arms akimbo, she glared murderously at me.

before she even had a chance to retort, i added, "e sino yun?? ano itsura nya??" ("who's that?? what does he look like??") sheesh, i couldn't believe my "dream self" actually asked that question before anything else. am i that superficial??

"matangkad sya! mabait! at very generous pa!" she spat angrily ("he's tall! nice! and very generous, too!"). the fact that she answered my innocent question by describing his height and personality gave me an idea of what he looked like already.

as she went on and on about what an "amazing" guy he was, i felt myself getting paler by the second. i was getting married???? today??? to a guy that I HAVE NEVER EVEN MET???

this was insane!!

as she continued her earlier mission of searching my closet, i realized that she was actually looking for a wedding dress! IN MY CLOSET!!! do i look like somebody who has a wedding dress stashed in her room??? i mean, ok, so i've planned my wedding already. but i'm not that prepared!!

what was happening?? was i dreaming??

i distinctly remember having trouble breathing. and my room spinning. i held on to the sides of my bed.

my mama set me on a blind date...on my wedding day!!

what about all my plans?? my dreams?? my essentials???

all ruined because my mama got tired of waiting.

i didn't know what to do first - faint, scream, or run for my life.

no wait. i have a better idea. kill mama first!

i was about to scream about the injustice of it all when i suddenly opened my eyes.

huh??

i blinked. i could see the ceiling above my bed. i sat up and glanced at my closet. she's not there!!!

it was just a bad dream!

i couldn't believe it!

it was so clear, so real...i was even breathing hard and i had to sit still to wait for my heartbeat to return to normal.

knowing it was just a dream actually made the whole thing hilarious.

i knew my mama was in a state of panic over my single status but this was ridiculous!

a few days ago, i read an e-mail from rica entitled, "What's your deadline?" i remember replying that i was beyond caring about when i was going to get married and all.

never mind that i had every detail planned to a T already. never mind that i had the design of my gown carefully stored in my head. never mind that i knew which photographer to call. never mind that i know what my cake will look like (no, it's not the one in the photo). or my invitations. or my souvenirs. hahaha!

am i in denial??? nah!

i'm just organized. yeah, that's it. i like to plan ahead. i'm a planner.

of course, the only thing missing in that puzzle is the groom. well, where the heck is he anyway??

hhm. maybe i should wait for my next funny nightmare to find out. ^_^

the show must go on

A Series of Unfortunate Events

i usually give myself a week to grieve.

after that, i mentally and emotionally coax myself to dwell on more positive things like rainbows, butterflies, and winning a trip around the world.

so when i received one tragic news after another, i knew i needed a break.

before New Year even began, i learned that our family friend and computer guy died of an asthma attack. the week after that, my tita died. then exactly one week after her death, my HS friend's dad died of a heart attack. talk about a Grim Reaper Grand Slam.

every Sunday, for three weeks, we bade goodbye to a loved one. attending three funerals was definitely not how i envisioned the start of my new year would be.

can you blame me if i was dreading the start of this week? i really prayed that i wouldn't hear more bad news. after all, i always preferred comedies over tragedies (who wouldn't??).

so i told myself that i should spend more time amusing myself than dwelling over what happened.

Just For Laughs

when i went through my blog archive folder in my harddisk (yes, i save my entries...you know, just in case my site suddenly disappears or malfunctions. i'm really paranoid...), i saw a folder that i have yet to post.

last july, i came across this unique and hilarious website: The Face Analyzer. this program analyzes your photo then gives you the lowdown on your personality, race, and your archetype. for some reason, though, i decided against posting it because...hm. i can't really remember. well, i probably forgot about it or found it too cheesy.

but now that i was looking for something to cheer me up, well, this was just perfect. it finally reached its purpose...

i submitted two photos:

the results were astounding, actually...

1. YOUR ARCHETYPE:




81% Middle Eastern
19% Anglo Saxon





Intelligence 6.0 Average Intelligence
Risk 4.2 Low Risk
Ambition 5.8 Average Ambition
Gay Factor 1.5 Very Low Gay Factor
Honor 5.2 Average Honor
Politeness 5.3 Average Politeness
Income 6.0 $30,000 - $50,000
Sociability 5.4 Average Sociability
Promiscuity 3.3 Low Promiscuity

Personality Profile:

You particularly enjoy the traditional way of life. Having drinks with your friends, attending parties and relaxing while watching TV are some of the simple pleasures you indulge in. You may also enjoy physical exercise. Your driving force is to retire as early as possible, so that you can do the things you enjoy more often. Your main source of ambition comes from this desire.

You don't particularly like your job but you do it without complaining. You realize that the income that it provides is essential to your lifestyle. You are friendly yet competitive with your co-workers. This competitiveness may lead you to squander your earnings to match other peoples' possessions.

You operate most effectively when there is a set power structure, and the lines of authority are clear. You know your place in the ranks, you play by the rules, and will deliver what is expected of you. You do not care for responsibility; you would rather be care free.

White Collar:
-Slightly more intelligent and ambitious than the Blue collar type.
Occupation Examples: Secretary, Police Officer, Telemarketer, Computer Programmer, Office worker

2. YOUR ARCHETYPE:




51% East Indian
36% South East Asian
13% Chinese



Intelligence 6.3 Average Intelligence
Risk 4.6 Low Risk
Ambition 6.2 Average Ambition
Gay Factor 1.6 Very Low Gay Factor
Honor 5.0 Average Honor
Politeness 5.7 Average Politeness
Income 6.3 $30,000 - $50,000
Sociability 6.0 Average Sociability
Promiscuity 3.9 Low Promiscuity

Personality Profile:

You have social courage and as a consequence are open and extroverted. You are seen as a well known person who is liked and is involved in many social events. You feel confident about your position in social situations and will not hesitate to say what you believe. You do not like too much responsibility, but you do not mind being in the social center. You must know everything that is going on in your greater social circle and spend a lot of time talking to others to find out the latest gossip. You tend to be friendly, but can be criticizing when you see others as thinking of themselves too much.

You prefer to work in challenging people oriented jobs where you can compete against others and rise in the ranks. Others usually like you but can sometimes be intimidated by your outspoken comments and criticisms although they do not show it.

People tend to feel comfortable around you and respect your opinion. You can use this social weight to get things done for you but usually opt not to call in favours people owe you.

Charmer:
-More fun-loving than Alpha Charmer
Expected Occupations: Sales representative, Teacher, Aesthetician, Hair Stylist, Artist, Actor, Social Worker, Manager

coincidence?? probably. but they were so dead on with the expected occupations, right? the race analysis and personality description were funny, too. i always felt i had a bit of that Middle Eastern look so i wasn't surprised with the results of the race analysis. i resent that bit about average intelligence, though. haha!

i don't know what their basis for predicting a person's personality is but it probably has something to do with the shape of the eyes, the smile, mouth, shape of the face, and expression.

because i wasn't smiling in my first photo, i was the White Collar archetype. (well, it could also be the shades...)

in my second picture, i was smiling and facing the camera. ergo, the Charmer archetype.

wait. i think i might be analyzing this too much. so much for having fun. hehe.

happy weekend, everybody!

tis the season to be jolly

2 more days till Christmas!


i can't wait to open my gifts! for as long as i can remember, it has always been a family tradition to open all our gifts on Christmas eve. so even if i got most of my gifts really early (thanks to my students and an early Christmas break), i had to rely on my EQ to keep my gifts safely tucked under our tree.

anyways, i've been thinking of the things i want to get on my favorite holiday (second to my bday, that is. hahaha!). much as i want to be selfless this year, i realized that honesty is still the best way to go. so, here goes...

my Christmas wish list:

1. track pants
- at least a couple of them. the ones i use are torn and have definitely reached their prime

2. cell phone
- my phone is in dire need of a replacement. really. i think it's about 4 years old already! if there's a generous soul out there, please hear my plea...

3. Canon dSLR (yeah, i love Canon)
- preferably the 350D (paging star... :p)

4. a round-trip ticket around the world
- i love to dream big ^_^

5. a Bayo GC
- *sigh* i miss shopping. i miss shopping with my SVI gals more! (hi star and flor!) have you seen the clothes at Bayo??? waaaah! @_@

6. shoes
- especially trainers. the one (yes, i only have a pair now) i'm using are wailing for a replacement

7. an underwater digicam
- yep, summer's coming...Boracay, here i come! (i wish)

8. ticket to HK Disneyland
- i'm definitely a kid at heart. actually, any Disneyland is fine with me. HK is just the nearest branch. :D

9. scuba diving lessons (and gear!)
- another *sigh* now WHY didn't i grab this chance while i was in SVI and can actually PAY for lessons...oh yeah. I DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME!

10. a safari expedition
- then i can do like a National Geographic special where i'd be talking about the different animals i saw and...aby, stop daydreaming already!

11. a full spa treatment
- this includes a full-body massage, facial, hot oil, dip in a Jacuzzi, body mask, and bottomless fruit shake (whoo!)

12. ticket to Oprah's Favorite Things
- now who in her right mind WOULDN'T want to guest in a Favorite Things episode???? why, that's like hitting a dozen birds with one stone already! (i'm pretty sure i'll have at least three items from my wish list for free in this episode)

13. a lifetime supply of GC @ National Bookstore or Powerbooks
- do i really need to say more??

14. to work in a luxury liner daycare center
- i think i can do this on my own. but it's still nice to wish... :) i'm actually envious of percy, ricababes' brother. he works in a liner and gets to travel to different places (for free!) and meet people from various walks of life

15. my own business
- hm. this is hard. i don't even know what kind of business to put up. but i would love to be my own boss.

and lastly...

16. to meet my favorite people
- i met Bo Sanchez already. the only ones left are:
Oprah Winfrey
Nate Berkus
Chip Foose
Tyler Florence
Mario Batali
the cast of Friends
and, of course, the Fab Five!! :)

how bout you? what's on your wish list?

happy Christmas everybody!

out and about

Hibernation: \Hi`ber*na"tion\, noun. The act of retiring into inactivity. (from Webster's Online Dictionary)

or in my case, it's:
a. i've been really busy,
b. i didn't have internet access for the longest time,
c. i'm just too dang lazy to write, or
d. all of the above

yeah, well, your guess is as good as mine. ^_~

Rants and Raves

i really didn't want to start my blog entry by ranting but i just can't help it. would you believe i had a two-week vacation (school's semestral break) and the only time i went out was to visit our relatives' graves?!? (oh, and that one time i went to the gym)

my friend told me i was such a good girl to stay at home the whole time. what she didn't know was i was itching to go out but i just can't because...I DIDN'T HAVE MONEY!!! waaaah!! yeah, i still have my salary but what's left of it isn't even enough to pay for my insurance...which, by the way, i haven't paid in full yet. and i'm past the deadline already. it's a good thing i have an excellent record. at least my insurance company agreed to extend my deadline till the end of this month.

*sigh*

it's times like these that i really miss my old salary...and then i remember all the crazy hours, stressful work, and sleepless nights and i don't miss my IT days anymore. haha!

ok, ok. enough ranting already.

onto the raving now...

It Mask Be Halloween

our school had our annual Halloween party last Oct. 21. it was such a blast! the kids were adorable in their costumes. we had a chubby Annie, a very hungry Peter Pan, a shy pineapple, a flitting butterfly, and a tiny elf.

the teachers wore a simple costume - all black (with a bit of bling) and a shiny eye mask.

our class was in charge of providing entertainment. we chose to hire a juggler/unicyclist. he certainly lived up to his reputation and almost cost me a heart attack with some of his stunts on his unicycle (particularly the one where he propped one of our students on his shoulders and steered his unicycle around the room). there were a number of parents who asked for his contact info so i guess that's means we made the right decision. :)

we were also in charge of the Drinking Game for all the mommies. it was fun! they had to finish a cup filled with grape juice and gummi worms.

yesterday, i attended a birthday party of my student at Little Gym, El Pueblo. it was my first time in Little Gym and i was pretty impressed. if i had a child, i would want him/her to enroll there, too...of course, i'd need a rich husband for that...

A Few Sleeps To Go!

i just watched the HBO premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. argh! i can't wait! it's opening this wednesday, ahead of most countries, i think (hah!). i'm watching it with my youngest sister this coming friday. woopee!

Doggone It!



the previous Sunday, we dressed up Mico, the youngest member of our family. oh and in case you're wondering, he's a two-year old Mini Pin. hehe.

my sister, Tonet, bought this adorable jumpsuit for him. although he's a small dog and the jumpsuit is a size medium, we were still crossing our fingers that it'll fit. he's pretty chubby for his breed.

thankfully, we were able to secure the suit in place without any buttons popping out. hm, a snug fit. ^_^