This was addiction.

I've been listening to this song everyday for 2 months now, I guess. Heartfelt but sad. And really mushy though. :D I'm not Chinese that's why I like this version more than the original. I would love to learn Chinese after my graduation. lol J Rice and Jason Chen were hella good!

'Embarrassing dunk attempt by an NBA player'

Hedo Turkoglu misses the easy dunk. We all make mistakes and sometimes efforts made were quite short. This was not really embarrassing but since you're NBA player, I guess you should somehow feel embarrassed.

Down to 5 days before Christmas, but the sadness I feel doesn't even fade. I feel tired and unhappy. I just pray that this year's Christmas would turn out happy and fine. I hope and pray. :|

I wanna enroll myself into a survival school. Cos I really have this feeling I'm gonna need it sometime. lol

Survival,Evasion...Vacation?

Creating a christmas playlist on my itunes.. cos it's only 47 days before christmas :)

ABS-CBN Christmas Station ID 2010

Obviously, ABS-CBN made it again! Another impressive Christmas Station ID, just like last year's. Kapamilyas, this is something to be proud of! lol

This blog is not doing any better. Well, cos the blogger's not doing good either. Seriously, I don't know how to manage blogging and school at the same time.. I've been so busy for the past months and this month has been tough for me. Happy it's ending.

I'm on my sembreak now but I don't really feel it. Only had a night of a sem-ender with friends and that's really short! Thesis should be our group’s focus, so that means it should be my focus as well. It’s not bad really. In fact, I do enjoy working on it but it’s tiring. Everyday I wake up, go to school, do something, go somewhere and at the end of each day, I got home, exhausted. Like I got no time for adding up some weight on my body. I’m tired of being skinny. K FML.

Yesterday, I killed.

It was a part of the experiment for our Pharmacology Lab. I killed an innocent mouse*. No, I shouldn't call it innocent cos it gave me a hard time giving him an activated charcoal per orally. :))
I was quite hesitant to do the cervical dislocation of it, but they say it's the most humane way of sacrificing it for the purpose of learning or experimenting.
But then I did it. Like within 10 sec, the poor mouse was dead. And I tell you, the feeling was fuckin' strange after knowing that it was already dead. I actually had goosebumps all over my upper ex and head. LOL And I did it twice. The second poor mouse I've killed was my groupmate's. Cos she can't really do it and I was kind enough to help her. lmao
Then, proceeded with the experiment, dissecting and intestine-harvesting. :D I felt like I was a surgeon while dissecting the mouse. Hahaha

*It's not the typical black or brownish mouse or rodent rat you're thinking! It's an albino mouse. Just making it clear. :)

Greener grass, better life?

I've read this article on Yahoo and I appreciated it a lot. For a person like me whose 'desiderata' has never been emptied and who is always in the trance of keeping up with the joneses, this is something that can feed my soul.

It really pays to read that's why I'm sticking to it and make it as a habit. LOL

Home Grown by Toni Tiu
For Yahoo! Southeast Asia

The grass may not always be greener on the other side; who knows, they might all be weeds.

There are two ways to take that statement. It’s either your sour-graping or putting yourself in the perspective of appreciating what you have now. I prefer the latter.

Most of the time I’m pretty much content with what I have. I am thankful for my blessings. I appreciate my good health. There are times though that I get sucked into the misery of wishing I had more, of wishing there was something else that could make my life more fulfilling.

This vortex of misery and perhaps petty jealousy usually kicks in when I’m stressed out at work. I think about my batch mates who are now full-time mothers, who can afford to retire early and take care of their children. I think about my contemporaries and rave about how bravely they’ve gone freelance, or who are now the big bosses of their own agencies. I am amazed at their success and respect them very much for it. I wonder if I would have ended up at the same places they did if I made different decisions in life.

Is it so bad to compare lives? Is it so bad to wish you were living better? I think it’s normal to feel this way. What’s important is that you pull yourself out of the misery before it sucks you in even deeper. A bout of sadness can evolve into bitterness, and that is not exactly healthy.

What do you do when the melancholy hits? Do you just wallow in misery as it will disappear over time anyway? Here are some things I do to pull myself out of the “Keeping up with the Joneses” trance:

Reflecting on the Desiderata. Some lines from the Desiderata go, “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession the changing fortunes of time.” I go back to those lines when I find myself comparing my life with my peers and start getting insecure.

I try to remind myself that I am in the position where I am because of decisions I’ve made and because of the opportunities that have come my way. The main headline here is: Quit comparing! That usually jolts me out of my tentative gloom.

Saying a gratitude prayer. When I remember the beautiful blessings I have now, my perspective changes easily. Here’s my favorite example – the perils of a working mother. I hate it when I have an evening meeting. I hate it when meetings happen on weekends. I hate it when I am sifting through data when I know could be reading with my baby. The distress comes and goes, but I try to manage it by shifting perspectives. I am thankful I have a job that helps pay for my son’s needs. I am thankful that my services are valued by other people. I am thankful that I am able to use my skills and talents to help fuel my baby’s future. Shifting perspectives is easier said than done. When successfully done though, my day doesn’t seem as heavy as I had originally perceived it to be.

Talking to a friend. It helps to talk about your emotions with a trusted friend. They would often listen well, and then put you in your place. When I’m having the “Why am I here? Why am I not there yet?” blues, I give my best friend a call. She’s a great listener, but also very frank. After I rant, she often reminds me of the good things I’ve got going for me. Sometimes we’re so blinded by our emotions that we lose sight of the things that anchor us. I’m glad my best friend helps clear the fog.

Perhaps the other side is really greener. Or maybe the other side isn’t as green as you think it is. Whatever perspective you take, remember this: your side may not be that bad at all. Appreciate your own greens. Be content. Be thankful. Why play in someone else’s garden when you’ve got a great one of your own?

Toni Tiu is a working Mom who dreams of watching her baby take his first step on a patch of green grass. Visit her personal blog at WifelySteps.com.

Japanese precision @ Yahoo! Video

I find this vid funny yet amazing! :D

Awesome!

One of the things I would love to do, skateboarding, well of course given the skills and talent it requires. But maybe it would be a lot better if I just imagine and never try. LOL

CLICK HERE

last night, 06-23-10
It felt so good to just stood up under the heavy rain with you close to me.. and I don't care actually how wet I would be as long as you wouldn't. You and I under the same umbrella is something mushy that i wished it never ended. Despite the silence between us and the party ambiance of the people around us, we were comfortable and i love you... so much.

Callao Cave

I was in Isabela that time with my Kuya Ferdie and his family for a short vacation. We spent 3 days there in the house of my Kuya's wife. Since it was really boring to spend vacation in the province, they've decided to go to this cave called Callao Cave, which is located in Tuguegarao. Two-hour travel time from Cauayan Isabela.

Actually, you wouldn't really get irritated with the quite a long travel going there since there's no heavy traffic like what I'm used to in the city. So we got to the Callao Eco-Tourism Zone by 2pm.

Callao Cave is situated on top of a highland and is consisted of 7 chambers. You have to climb 184 steps to be able to go up to the entrance of the cave..

Took a souvenir photo with this signage of the place

Climbing the 184 steps going up.. My Ate Shirley with siobe in front. I and Migs and the tour guide in green

The entrance of the cave
L-R: Kuya Sherwin, Kuya Ferdie, Siobe, I, Ate Shirley and Migs

Solo photo in the cave's entrance, which is actually the first chamber of the cave

As we go on walking inside the cave, just beside the first chamber is the 2nd chamber with a small chapel in it..

The small man-made chapel created by the people there. Actually our tour guide told us that a British man and a local woman from the place got married here. Yeah, you heard it right, a wedding inside the cave and the reception also took place here. Haha!

A shot of the top of the chapel. Notice the figures near the plant( left). They call it the Mother and Child figure of a rock.

As we go along the cave, we've seen a lot of different rock and limestone formations.. To take note, they are not man-made but created by nature itself.. Amazing right?

The 'Snake Kissing the Crocodile' Formation

'The 3 Kings' You'll see it when you focus looking at the bottom right portion of the photo. One king is riding on a camel and the other two are standing..

They call this the 'Merlion'. Filipino version of the famous Merlion statue in Singapore. Haha

'Lion kissing the Turtle' Notice that the house of the turtle is colored green so I asked the tour guide if it was painted green or just natural and he said it's natural. yeah?

'The Angel' No doubt right? Haha

'The Launching Rocket'

Another 'Lion'

Lastly,

A Funny Worm as I call it. Haha! or a Snake with a funny face. :D

Unfortunately, we weren't able to go until the 6th and 7th chamber of the cave because the way going down the 6th chamber is quite steep and rough. The tour-guide also told us that the 7th chamber was destroyed by a high-magnitude earthquake not so long ago :(

And so, from the cave, we went down.. took a rest and went on a boat-ride around the river near the cave.. It was cool! Clean emerald green water of the river. The boat also passed-by the area where there's falling water from the top of the highland..

I really like this shot!

June 05, 2010

--First Date with Nadine--

1. Fetched her from UN Avenue, supposedly from her new dorm but there was quite a misunderstanding. Who's to blame? Network sms delay.. LOL
2. Went to Greenbelt 3 to get tickets for Prince of Persia movie but no more good seats available :(
3. Ate at CPK in GB5..
4. Ate dessert at ColdRock GB3. Then went home :((

--It was quite sad because we only spent more or less 3 hours together. We only had limited time since she has to go home to Lucena, Quezon by 10pm.. 5 hour-travel time so she has to be in the bus terminal at around 5pm :( But still we enjoyed each other's company and it's an enough reason to be HAPPY :) Good thing she liked the flowers I gave her because I actually heard her say 'cute' when she saw the bouquet. Anyways, she told me that there should be a continuation for this so-called my first date :)

Do I seem to sound like a child here? Haha --just a thought.

Quezon Escapade : Kamay ni Hesus

05/15/2010: Last Day in Quezon. Just like our first morning in Quezon, I and Nadine got up early. But Karen got up the earliest since she has to pack her things up cos she has to be in Manila at the afternoon. Nadine asked me to accompany her and Karen to the bus terminal so she could have someone on her way back. Of course, I didn't refuse. I was actually pleased in fact. LOL
In the terminal, we first took out breakfast from Jollibee and then walked to the bus going to Manila. It was quite sad that Karen has to go first and she won't experience our trip to Kamay ni Hesus.
Nadine told me that we'll be going to their house first and meet up with his dad so he can bring us to Kamay ni Hesus. I was surprised but happy. There, I met her mom for the second time and ate breakfast with Nadine. Unfortunately, I didn't meet Nadine's two younger sisters cos they're still sleeping. From their house, her dad brought us to Graceland. I tell you, it was really awkward inside the car with the girl you love and his dad, really! It made me nervous for some time. Then, when we got there, we picked up our friends and we headed directly to Kamay na Hesus.

There were a lot of people in Kamay na Hesus. It's sort of a big compound with a church and a lot of life-size stone statues of different saints. Also, it has the famous big statue of Jesus Christ situated on the topmost of a hill. I really don't know if that's a hill or what, you decide. You have to go up using the stairs and on your way up, you'll pass through statue-reenactments of the stations of the cross.

According to Nadine, there is a healing mass conducted in the Kamay ni Hesus Church and there were a lot of sick people who have been healed already. It's really miraculous. I believe.

I almost forgot, the guard in the entrance didn't allow us to go up the hill at first, cos all the girls are wearing shorts and one with sleeveless top. Rain and I were the only ones allowed. No matter how hard we try to please the guard, we can't get him so they decided to buy some sort of a cloth to cover their legs and shoulders. The place is considered sacred so everyone should be in proper clothing, but this rule is just newly implemented so Nadine didn't know about it.

TIP: Wear something proper like what you wear inside the church when you plan to visit the place. :)

It's me taking a picture of the girls with their scarfs.. JEJESCARFS as we call it, cos its somewhat jologs like the popular term now. jejemon Search the net if you want to know more about the jejemons. LOL
At the background is the hill I'm trying to describe earlier :D

And so the trip continued, we go up the hill, take pictures, rest, drink water, go up, take pictures, go up... until we reach the top. It was tiring but when you get to the top, every drop of your sweat is worth it. Nice view from the top and quite an achievement to got up there and pray.

REST.. though we just started. Haha!

Photo infront of the Blessed Virgin Mary

WE made it!

And we pray...

Then, we went down the hill. Still it's tiring to go down though you have the gravity to help you..

The Pieta. It's located near the church

We also, took the chance to pray using the 5-colored candles that they sell there. Every color has it's own purpose like health, money, etc.. We got hungry and had our lunch there. Then went back to Graceland to prepare for our trip going back to Manila :(

This Quezon Escapade I had with my friends is worth remembering. Actually, I'm quite nostalgic while doing this post. This has been the best summer ever with them. The ultimate bonding experience since college. Next thing we knew, a few weeks later, our block was dissolved and we were distributed to different blocks. It's so sad but this just means more bonding experience like this one! :)

Quezon Escapade : Pahiyas 2010

So after 4-5 hours of fun in the beach, we go straight to Nadine's house to drop his sleepy-headed little bro. Obviously he got tired for his non-stop swimming and he hasn't recovered yet from his circumcision :D From Nadine's house, we flew to Graceland and have ourselves ready for the Pahiyas. 30 minute-preparation for all of us ( we're 8 then) was just enough. Haha! No more bath, we just washed our face and changed our clothes. Good thing we didn't smell chlorine, that much? :D We were so eager to reach Lucban,Quezon by 8:30 or 9pm so we can have quite an ample time to go around the place.

First thing we did when we arrived was to visit the church... and pray of course :)

The Church at Lucban, Quezon's town proper. An amazingly old church with its historic look

Had a photo taken with this scarecrow or some sort.. let's just call it the Pahiyas mascot

Then, we started the HUNT! Hunt for those famous 'kiping' decorated houses of Lucban. At long last, I've seen a kiping up close and personal! Haha! I was really curious about this kiping since I first saw it on the television. And I was still a child back then.

The first house decorated with kiping that we saw was just a so-so.. but still nice

We were really got amazed with this house that we had several photos with this. Only to find out that there were a lot more beautiful kiping-decorated houses.. Haha!

By the way, ORANGE is my favorite color that night. Like orange equals love. LOL Haha! Since I and Nadine are both wearing orange that night. It's just a coincidence.

Another scarecrow. Haha! It even resembles Jose Rizal's face :D

Now, time for the best decoration we've seen.. Haha! Filipinos' creativity at its best!

This building was never second-best! Astounding! :D

It also has many miniatures of structures and buildings like this one..

We also didn't miss the opportunity to taste the famous Lucban, Quezon's PANSIT HABHAB. It's a must-try dish! The only pansit I know that tastes good with vinegar :D

Pose, before we eat.. :)

And...

Eat! You should try it yourself!

After we got our stomach full with pansit habhab. We spent some time watching Pinoy bands performing at the town's plaza.. And before we go back home to Graceland, we bought a few souvenirs like key chains and a few pasalubongs. :D

We didn't make fun with all these keychains.. sarcastically speaking. Hahaha!

Quezon Escapade : Graceland and Pueblo Por La Playa Resort

How can I forget to make an entry of this best summer ever with my college friends?!...

May 13-25, 2010. We left Manila at around 8pm.. and arrived at Graceland Estates and Country Club, Tayabas, Quezon by almost 12mn. The next morning, I and Nadine( the girl mentioned in my previoust post) got up early. She was cooking breakfast for us that time so I decided to help her a little though I know nothing much in cooking. After having breakfast, we decided to get ready and have some exercise. Biking! It's been years already since my last bike ride. Haha! Unfortunately, a friend doesn't know how to bike so she was left at a bench. She was kind enough to take pictures of us while we're biking.. The place was really huge and nice. It was very peaceful and perfect if you want to have leisure time and relax,of course, away from the busy atmosphere of the city.

We had so much fun biking around the man-made lake. I think we went around the lake for about 3-4 times :). It was fun but tiring as well..

REST after biking.. On my right side is Julie, the one who doesn't know how to bike :D


My first jump-shot! This was truly remarkable for me. I turned out to look like a launching rocket here.

Next thing we did was to prepare for the beach. We went first to Nadine's house to have lunch and meet his little bro. We still waited for 2-3 hours before we headed to the beach cos two of our friends are just coming from Manila. We picked them up first in the bus terminal.
Nadine decided to bring us to Pueblo Por La Playa Resort in Pagbilao, Quezon since it's the nearest from their place and the beach that we were supposed to be going in needs a 30 minute boat ride before we got there, and sadly, no boat was available :(

This photo taken infront of the shuttle or some sort, that fetched us when we got to the entrance of the resort

The resort was really nice. It's a Mexican inspired type with cute villas and houses, infinity pool and white sand beach :) Though the beach would not be as deceiving as it is in the picture. Haha!

L-R: Kate,Karen,I,Miel,Nadine

Banana boat ride costs Php 6,000.00 per hour. Damn! It was expensive so we just took a photo with the Banana boat itself :D

The DECEITFUL beach
L-R: Rain,Julie,Jett(Nadine's bro),Karen and I

Nadine's little bro was just like me when i was younger.. haha! 7 or 8 years ago :D I didn't miss this opportunity to spend some bonding time with him. Being close to him is like being close to his Ate's heart :D

Jett and I

And of course, bonding time with the girl I love should never be forgotten. Haha!

Nadine and I being sweet to each other under the sun :D (one of my friends told me)
This photo has been liked by 17 people and counting... :D

'Young Forever' by Jay-Z feat. Mr. Hudson

damn! this song, is just the best!

the moon tonight

quite unusual right? the moon having a bright star above it.. and it wasn't just a star, it's planet Venus!

a ticket.. to love?

'the ticket'

with this piece of paper that is merely half the size of the usual bond paper, i can travel. well this would be a different and extra-ordinary kind of trip. this is sort of a ticket, to my unforeseen future, whether sadness or not. also, this would give me two more years to study.. should i be happy? 2 years of studying without the people i learned to love for the past 3 years of college.
i remembered a conversation i made with a friend a week ago. she's going with me with this trip by the way, along with 9 other friends. i told her that i can't imagine how would it look like when classes open on june. different environment, familiar faces but with unknown personalities. she told me that it's just ok. yea.. i guess so, quite ok in a way. i can have new acquaintances and new friends for that matter. but certainly i'm gonna miss my block so much.
then she added this. "Ayaw mo nun? Pede mo na siya ligawan." -- siya referring to my classmate/close friend whom i'm having a crush on. let's just say, the girl i like... and love

don't we make a good couple?

'my heart is where you are, in every beat, in every beat.. we're closer'

maybe i should just let things happen the way they were meant to. let them fall into their proper places. i should not control over all the things. anyways, i will just travel.. i maybe not be beside you all the time but one thing's for sure, i won't bid goodbye to you and to the people i'm leaving for a while. to you, we might not see each other that much like what we're used to, but my world is still you world. perhaps i should start courting you now since it's quite obvious that i have this feeling for you and according to a friend, you still feel the same way. i guess i should act now before it's too late.

Harry and Charlie -- "Charlie bit my finger again!"

i'm not really fond of kids but these two boys are too cute to be ignored. they're like my nephew and niece when it comes to 'kakulitan'. and they got a blogger account, so why not follow them too? Harry&Charlie

MRT

Metro Rail Transit --- from south to north or vice-versa, you truly give convenience. this is even quite better than driving your own car, well of course minus the unfriendly and insensitive people. i wouldn't know where i'm now on my internship if you weren't here. thank you for the less travel time you provide..