Happy Valentine's Day

February 14. Valentine's na pud. Like the years before, like the past year's Valentine's day, today is just the same. No date. No flowers. No chocolates. No love life. No special guy in my life.... hehe...

I went to work, not very early today. I had wanted to get to work as early as 830am but I got in around 8:40am. Not bad though. I had a meeting with the The Gustavian owner at 10am so I had to be early to work so I can have some time for the budget preparation. So at around quarter to 10am, I went out of the office and met with Rowena and went to The Gustavian. It's situated at the corner of the road going to Ma. Luisa. It's an uppity restuarant, obviously European as the name suggests. It's owners are Europeans also. It just opened around December 2006 so it's still a bit new. We met with a guy named James, a co-owner, and he was kind although he had some air. Is it typical of Europeans? It seems. Or maybe, it's just the cultural differences that made me think he was a bit haughty. Anyway, he was accomodating and he even explained to us about the restaurant's name The Gustavian. It was good talking to him and we were successful because they have decided to sponsor our winning couple's dinner date! (Thankfully, we don't have to take money from funds raised on the matchmaking activity tomorrow.)

After work, I went to SM to buy some stuffs for our Valentine's meeting in Toastmasters. And bought some Brownies Unlimited for my family. :) Ang daming tao sa SM... super! and there were flowers everywhere! People were buying stuffs for their loved ones.

Today also I got my passport!!! Yipee!!! I have achieved one goal in my New Year's resolution list! So I now have to plan my trips abroad! hahaha...

Yesterday, on the bisperas of Valentine's Day, Chai and I attended a gathering of the Lingkod ng Panginoon. A friend invited us to it. Wala naman kaming commitment ni Chai yesterday and we were up for something fun and meeting new people, kay go-go kami! Yes, we had fun. And we got something also - flower/chocolates, and marshmallows. It was fun. Some faces were familiar. There's a guy I met at a TM meeting and another guy who I thought was gay and whom I met at an audit seminar. Di lagi kaayo cya gay didto. hehehe... There's also this higschoolmate pero I think she didn't remember me. But all in all, it was fun and it was nice meeting people who love Christ more than anything else. :)

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! May God remain in your hearts forever!

Friday night ( Apocalypto, Foot Spa, and South Korea)

It's 1:55AM as registered on the PC's clock. Pretty late already. I was watching Apocalypto (a pirated DVD borrowed by my younger sister). Like what the news had said, it was brutal in the same fashion as Passion of Christ and Braveheart. Watching the movie got me back into my high school days when we studied world history especially on the topic of Mayan civilization. Now, I want to read again about that part of history. I like this film since it had a cast of unknown actors and that it was using a foreign language - Yukatek Maya language. Maybe because I am a frustrated actress, I like the idea of unknown actors getting into known and big-budgeted films. :) Somehow, it made me think that maybe I have a chance of getting on the big screen...even if I would just play the role of an ugly abused woman (dinaog-daog).
Actually, what made me stay up late wasn't just Apocalypto. It was also because of MMK's episode tonight which was shot in South Korea. It had Rica Peralejo and Zanjoe Marudo playing lead roles. It had an okay story but didn't really made it through my heart and soul. My anticipation came from the fact that it was shot outside the country, in South Korea where it was snowing. Wala naman tayo snow dito kaya exciting to be seeing Rica and Zanjoe having fun in the snow. I wished that someday I'll also be able to experience the so-called snow.

Another milestone in my life happened tonight as I had my first foot spa. hahaha...jologs!
Together with Mira, I went to Angel's Salon and had my feet pampered. So I had all the dead skin cells on the sole of my feet removed. It felt like I had a baby's feet right after the foot spa. Pero ngayon feeling ko, baga na kaayo ang kubal! LOL!

It's indeed one Friday evening I can't forget... :D All the running the Mayans did in Apocalypto gave me the thought, "I bet they needed a foot spa after the shoot."

hearts' day

Hay naku! hapit na pud valentine's day... and firing squad na pud... hehehe...
No dates... still no love life... but really i don't care much... (oh?) okay, okay, i do. and it bothers me at times, why i haven't still had a "real" boyfriend...pero okay lang. Sabi nga ni Bo Sanchez, while at this stage, I just have to concentrate on making the most out of my life, making myself better, improving myself. :-) kaya this year, if i don't get accepted at the Manila job I applied, I'll take up Masters in Management at UP. Sana, sana matuloy!
Oh yes, it's hearts day after all. Hearts = passion... And this year, starting the month of hearts, I am going to explore my inner passions...;)

Pit Senyor!

January is one of the best months for Cebuanos. Why? Of course, it's Sinulog. It's this annual festival in honor of the Sr. Sto. Niño...
This year, I was, for the second time in my life, able to witness the fluvial procession. But the second time is sweeter... coz I was with my family, and I have pictures to prove it! :)
I took part in the solemn procession too. The route was just short, unlike in the previous years.
On Sunday, on the mardi gras day, I was out on the streets. But I wasn't watching the Sinulog dancers. And since all streets were practically blocked from vehicle entry, I was walking from South Bus Terminal to Jolibee-USC where I had to meet a friend who I was suppose to go with to Ayala. Unfortunately, I got there so late that cguro nainip, he left and went to somewhere else. So that left me going to Ayala alone. And how was I going to get to Ayala?! All roads blocked! No jeepney ride! Well yeah, there's the taxi. And so I took a taxi, from Sanciangko to Ayala via V.Rama, Capitol, Escario. Long ride, eh? Yep, and I paid P145.00 for that. Consider the traffic. It was bumper-to-bumper. Good thing the cab driver was mabait and talkative. So di na ako nainip... hehe...
So I got to Ayala, thankfully. Ayala was teeming with people, lots and lots of people. There's a P1M-worth of firework display, and that explains the huge crowd.
Elma and I decided not to watch the fireworks, and we wanted also to get away from this throng of people (we vowed never ever to laag on Sinulog!), so we opted to watch Agent X44. Funny movie! Got ourselves laughing hard at Vhong and Pokwang's antics!
Anyway, here are pics, and those pics with the dancers - they're taken by my sis nga laagan. She had to take those pics for my bro's Photography assignment.

Haaay...

Haaay... Finaly , I am abe to log in to blogger. Still, I couldn't upoad my pics... :(

Nothing much has been happening noteworthy of blogging... hehehe...
Maybe just too tired...

Tonight, I saw my high school friends again... It was good seeing them. And as usual, everyone was talking, catching up on each other's lives.
It was just a bit sad that it had to happen at the wake of our friend Dee's lola.
But then again, we are all happy to see each other and learn that Dj is really getting married this year and that Rose will be going to the US soon to try her luck in teaching and to be with her boyfriend.
And then I learn too that Dee and I are still very much single... still as unattached and loveless; Kaira has joined the trade too. She just broke up with her "mature" boyfriend. I wish Grace was there. We'd all like to know how she's doing. :) I wish Stephanie was there too and it would feel just like old times.
We went home with a promise. A promise to get together again. If Rose hadn't brought up her desire to experience getting drunk, the next meeting would proabably be next year or the next next year. Well, we decided to give Rose her first experince on February 2007. Yes, next month!
Good thing that Dj's bf is on "cruise" so she can be as free as she wants to.

I can't wait seeing you guys again. February 24. It's a date!

My Lola's Bday

My grandma(lola) celebrated her 82nd birthday last January 10. It was a simple b-day celebration with simple food. My Uncle Rito was here and that made it even more meaningful. He brought the famous Pastel from CDO, pineapples from Del Monte, and peaniato (I'm not sure if I had spelled this correctly).
It was a fun night. Lots of food and laughter.

My New Year's Resolution

On New Year's Eve, I made my ritual. I made my New Year's resolution list. When I looked at my list last year, I was not very happy. Disappointed, yes. I wasn't able to achieve the things I need to achieve. So this 2007, I am going to make things happen. (I'm crossing my fingers!)

1. SAVE! Mag-impok sa bangko. I am targeting a Php30k savings at the end of the end year. Pretty good. Not much money but it's still something.

2. Lessen the use of credit cards. Use them only for emergencies or use them to pay for things that need to be paid by credit cards. At the end of the year, my credit card debt should go down to P1k (maximum).

3. A passport by February 2007. Must have!!! How can I travel, when I don't have a passport?!

4. Learn something new. :)

5. Attend mass more than once a week. Sunday mass is a must. (The 1st week of 2007 went by and I already broke this one.)

6. Give much. Expect little. (This is actually my life motto. This was part of my New Year's resolution for 2005 and I guess it works when I write this down.)

7. A President's Distinguished Club Award for my PICPA-Toastmasters Club!!! I have to work extra hard for this one.

8. Eat more fruits.

9. A trip outside Cebu or outside the Philippines. (I should have the passport first so I can go to Singapore, or Bangkok.)

10. Meet more people. Gain new friends. (Friends through my blogs are counted. Yes, KJP you are counted.)

11. Pray before and after sleep. This is something I used to do everyday when I was younger. It's something I lost when I got older (oh, i'm not that old...). A little thank you to God for the new day and the day that has gone by would surely please Him.

God bless my New Year's Resolution List.

Bagong Taon

This is my first post for the year 2007! KJP, the Internet connection has been very slow since the Taiwan earthquake, thus, I have been unable to do my blogging.

You know, I made the most posts in my blog last year. And this year, I am still targeting to increase my posts, meaning I'll be writing more about my activities and my life in general.

The year 2007 met me with sickness. I got colds and cough. :( Hopefully, this doesn't mean I'm prone to sickness this year. I have so many things to do this year and getting sick isn't one of them.

I made a New Year's resolution list. I did that on New Year's eve. :) I'll post it some other time (coz I don't have the list with me. I'm blogging at work. Ha!)

I am looking forward to an exciting 2007 life.

Kaon! Food!

"Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator." Whadda Christmas greeting! Whoever created this one, he's such a funny person! Downright witty too! During holidays, with all the parties and food, read unhealthy food (ham, spaghetti, lechon, etc.) who wouldn't gain pounds?!

Tonight, my family was just looking for something unfatty to eat. We stopped by at Chowking Redemptorist right after sending my friend Chada to the airport. I ordered Chicken Congee! Murag gihilantan noh?! hehehe... But who cares! I love it! I love "lugaw" so much! hehehe...

Gifts

Christmas can be a stressful event in our life. Imagine, you have to give everyone (your friends, relatives and associates) gifts. Imagine all the parties! Imagine all the spendings that go with them.
I have to make sure that my inaanaks (godchildren) will have gifts this Christmas and I have to do that with such limited budget. I have bought their gifts already. And I believe I wasn't really extravagant. I set a limit of Php200 per child. Well, I exceeded on some but I was also a bit skimpy on the others.
For my closest friends and neighbors, I made them something personal. I didn't realize it could be so tiresome making them. But then, this is the most beautiful gift I have given them. It's something I made, something personal, created with sweat and every ounce of morning energy!

don't expect from people (a fruitful afternoon at National Bookstore)

Yesterday, while waiting for my sister at the mall, I went to National Bookstore, one of my favorite places, and browsed over books (and yes, did a little reading). If I just had all the money in the world, I'd have bought all the books that took my fancy. Unfortunately, I can only afford to read bits and portion of them. Anyway, I saw this book about how to make friends. I forgot the title and the author of the book. I'm just sure it was a bestseller and was written by a famous and bestselling author. :)
It was surely a good read. I was hit in the head when it said, don't expect much from people but care much for them. Do good to them but don't expect anything in return so you won't be disappointed. Anyway, whatever you have done to others will surely come back to you, maybe not in ways you expected. To win friends, you should also be a friend to yourself. Like yourself. Appreciate yourself. Make yourself lovable and don't believe that someone else can make you do that. You don't need a boyfriend/girlfriend to make yourself gorgeous, or to feel good about yourself. You yourself have to do that.
Gosh! I feel like I'm just giving myself a pep talk. Honestly, I really need to appreciate myself and feel beautiful! :)
The book is undoubtedly interesting, fun, and very true. Once you start reading it, you won't be able to put it down.
Hmmm... I'm probably going to get a copy of that soon. Or maybe, this one is cheaper, visit National Bookstore once again and continue my reading... No one will probably notice I'm doing a "free reading". I'll stop every 5 minutes. Walk farther and then go back after some time. ;-) Tell me this is a good idea!

how disheartening

What do you feel when people ignore you?
I just felt so bad tonight. I was ignored by someone who I never thought could do something like that. I am just disappointed and I feel so bad about it that I can't help but write my disappointment. I am soooo disappointed in you!!!
I hate it.
I don't want to ever talk to you again!
I thought friends are suppose to act as friends. Give a little respect. Say goodbye and not just log out on you!
Hahaay! People can sometimes disappoint you. Sometimes they act in ways you don't comprehend. So it's better if you don't expect anything from them at all.
Okay... I have let it out... I think I'm okay now...
Thank you my dear blog. It's good to have you. It's good to have you listen to my shout outs and ramblings about people.

a morning with the sped people (12-09-06)

it was nice spending time with them...dancing with them, talking to them, playing with them, taking photos... and watching them dance, sing and recite poems.

it made me realize how blessed i am. and made me realized that whatever we have, we have to be grateful. it's not really with what you and i have in this life that matters but what we are able to do with it.

these guys have special gifts...although different they are, they still need as much love and care we give to "normal" people.

thanks to you guys, SPED class in Bulacao Community School. :)

Aeta teacher in ‘Manoro’ says acting was a breeze

Aeta teacher in ‘Manoro’ says acting was a breeze
Posted by: "CINEMANILA 2006" mailto:cinemanila2006@yahoo.com?Subject=cinemanila2006

Thu Nov 23, 2006 1:36 pm (PST)

Aeta teacher in ‘Manoro’ says acting was a breeze By Tonette OrejasInquirerLast updated 10:03pm (Mla time) 11/22/2006Published on Page E2 of the November 23, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer ANGELES CITY—They scrounged for money because they had little financial support, tackled an unconventional theme and worked with an all-Aeta cast in a mountain village.Call it pure luck—or faith. All the risks taken by director Brillante Mendoza and producer Ferdinand Lapuz have paid off. The film, “Manoro,” bagged the CinemAvvenire Prize at the 24th Torino International Film Festival in Turin, Italy, on Nov. 18. The award is handed out by a jury composed of 15 young people and journalists. Exactly a week before, it won Best Director and Best Picture in the Digital Lokal competition of the 8th Cinemanila International Film Festival.“Manoro” is also the country’s entry to the Festival of Three Continents in Nantes, France, set later this month, according to the co-producer, Holy Angel University Center for Kapampangan Studies.In the mountain community of Sitio Target, there is palpable thrill and pride over this harvest of awards and the film’s international exposure. The village, located in Barangay Sapang Bato here, was the setting of the film, shot just weeks before the 2004 elections.“We all feel fulfilled and happy,” 16-year-old Jonalyn Ablong, who played herself as the lead character, told the Inquirer on Monday.“Balamu mu minyambut kami rin (It’s as if we also won),” said Tess Pan, community coordinator during the film production.The Nov. 11 awards rites in Malacañang, which Pan and some cast members attended, was the subject of lively chatter in the village. Pan said they were laughing about their near-failure to enter the Palace “because most of us just wore slippers.”

Amused, seated among a group of girls and women during the interview, Ablong looked amused at the mention of the word artista, which she has been called since making the movie.She was 14, fresh out of Grade 6 at the time. She said her role, that of a “manoro”—a teacher who taught voters in her tribe how to read, write and count—did not depart from what she did in real life.“Before we started shooting, I was already doing literacy classes for relatives,” she said. “It was not new to me.”Education is highly valued in Target, southwest of the former Clark Air Base, now the Clark Special Economic Zone.

Pan said that when the elders returned to the village in 1998—after living in Nueva Ecija for seven years following Mt. Pinatubo’s 1991 eruptions—among the first structures they rebuilt was an elementary school.RewardAblong was a member of the cultural troupe that depicted, in dances and rituals, the displacement of the Aetas and their aspirations.Carol, Ablong’s mother, was a product of adult literacy classes conducted by Benedictine nuns. She said she had passed on to her daughters her love of learning.

The movie followed Jonalyn, as the manoro, at work in Target and its satellite villages Kalang, Third, Fourth and First Camps at the volcano’s foothills.She taught the elders how to write the initials of the candidates, like “GMA” and “FPJ.”No one in the cast was recognized for acting, Pan said, but it was enough reward that they were all involved in the film.

Lemon Grass

Just a pic of me feasting on good Thai/Viet food... sooo goood, sooo yummy...try Lemon Grass in Ayala. :)

To Love Again

I long to love again... can you tell me how to satisfy this longing? It's been a long while and I'm raring to love again...but the song by U-turn isn't about this...it's about how hard it is to love again after getting devastated, hurt, and all that pain and ugly feelings...Anyway, here is a song by U-turn... i just love the melody...;-)

Radio’s fine
It helps me forget for awhile
I look back and recall
Those days I had with you
Sometimes I need a friend
Just to make it through
Another day without you

You gave me all the reasons to live
Then you had to go
And I just got to let you know
Its hard to love again
Just to make it through
Another day spent without you

[chorus]
And I don’t want to go on pretending
That its going to be a happy ending
If I should love again
Once I’ve learned to love again
And, no, it will never be the same
Without you baby
This pain inside me is driving me crazy
‘Cause, its hard to love again

Friends are great
They cheer me up for sometime
When the day is done
My mind is back again with you
Oh God, I need a friend
Just to make it through
Another day spent without you

[repeat chorus ’til fade]

Our pet goat

Here are pics (using my new Canon IXUS) of our goat. I'm not sure if it's a pet. But it has been with us for months already. It was a gift from my papa's friend. It was a very thin goat when it was given and right now, it has ballooned. We do plan to sell the goat but then there are no buyers...
So goatie, kambing, mehh, behave yourself while with us. :)

Ang Pasko sa Usa ka Pala-utang

To have some savings from my bonus and 13th month, I will cut down on my Christmas expenses which means (1) gifts to my godchildren will be cheaper this year than last year, (2) I won't buy myself any expensive gift coz I already have my digicam, (3) set aside just ??,???.?? for savings (a must!!!) (2) gifts to my siblings and others shall also be in minimal amounts (Sorry, guys, I'm practicing austerity this Christmas).

I really really want to save. And I really want to get out of credit card debt. Yes I really need to...that digicam is my last credit card purchase! Promise! :)

My First Digital Camera

Hey! I now have my own digital camera. My first. My baby.
It took so long for me to get one. Well, I'm no rich gurl. I didn't even bought this one in cold cash. I bought this with the use of my Citibank credit card. I availed of the paylite 0% interest. Hey, I don't have Php19,950 cash, you know. Actually, I had wanted to buy a digicam last year. But my dearest brother asked for a videocam. He begged and rationalized. I just couldn't resist his pleas. When it comes to any of my siblings' requests, just as long as these are needed and when I know these would help them or contribute to their growth, to a fueling of their passion and interests, I'd always be willing to give in. As long as I have the means, I will grant their wishes. This makes me a genie!
My brother's videocam costs Php40,000 and I paid that in Php3k+ monthly installment. It's pretty heavy. It so affected my cashflow. But I'm almost done with it. January 2007, that's the last month that I shall be burdened by P3k+. Phew! But it's not over... I'll be paying P1.6k+ monthly starting December 2006 for the Canon IXUS digicam I bought today. But then again, this is a gift from me to myself!

The Southern Countryside

A pic I took, on November 1 afternoon, while on the car, on the way home from Dalaguete with my father driving, my mom on the front seat, my lola and I at the back. I'm not quite sure where I took this pic. Was it in Argao, Dalaguete or Sibonga? I took this using my phone's camera. It's not really nice (consider my phone's capability; it's only a N6020 phone) But the view was undoubtedly captivating. This is a ricefield where you see a lot of plastics hanging around it (the pieces of plastic are presumably used to ward off birds). The pic doesn't look like the real thing. It's more of like a painting. Ganda! :0