Riding with the wind

Last Saturday night, I hosted for FU Magazine's event in the beautiful Baywalk area of Manila. PJ Lanot, my good friend, asked me to host with him that night eventhough I never had much training with live hosting. But with him as my partner, my second live hosting (if we count that single hosting stint for Studio 23's Breakfast as first) became a breeze.

First, because PJ was a full-blown comedian and all-around host, the training I needed as a novice mostly came from him. His tip was the same with all the tips given to me in the past. And the reason why this certain tip works is that it's very simple. ENJOY. :)

Second, PJ and I already knew each other prior to the event so it was easy for us to feed on each other's jokes. When we interviewed the Asian Formula 3 racers, the beautiful Gaby dela Merced and the young Dado Peña (who I thought was Patrick Garcia from afar, haha, sorry), the two young racers also "rode on our jokes" before riding their AF3 cars (which were at the sides of the stage).

And third, the people inside and outside the enclosed area were all so enthusiastic that we couldn't help but be energetic all night long! While the bands were setting up, we asked some of the audience to go onstage for an interview or to join games. PJ had this knack of asking the pretty girls if they were single or not. And of course I asked the guys the same question (whether they were good-looking or not). When this pretty balikbayan from Australia joined one of the games and PJ asked her, "Are you single?"... She retorted, "Are you single?"
The crowd went "Whootwhoo!" But PJ wasn't.

Lastly, the rest of the audience who remained standing and cheering until the very end of the event made me ignore my sore feet (they gave me high heeled shoes to wear). And the beautiful gal from Australia told us in the end, "You guys were great! You were stunning! You were beautiful!"
And I was re-affirmed that kind words and happy faces are contagious and are rewards in themselves.

Tomorrow, I'll be doing another live hosting gig, which was given to me by PJ. But this time, I'll be hosting completely on my own. No partners or co-hosts. Hmm, I'll let you guys know what will happen to that. ;)

I am actually in this phase of trying out things that I've never tried before... to the point that one of my college friends whom I haven't seen or spoken with in a long time asked me when we bumped into each other in one event, "Why? Wala ka na bang magawa?", pertaining to the things I've been trying out. His question did not take me aback. His question actually made me smile. I think he thought that I was just bumming and trying out new things for fun while the rest of the world (he's one batch higher than me) was working. You see, I've always been this relatively sheltered schoolgirl (I taught in a preschool and I'm now currently taking further studies in Psych). Right now, I just want to enjoy the world as I learn.

One of the beautiful discoveries in life is that learning and enjoyment come in many different forms and often, they do come together.

A few days ago, I had a short but meaningful chat with one of my good friends, Hazel Imperial, who also turned out to be a Comm major (For some reason, many of my favorite people are Comm majors). And I just want to share with you a quote that I received from her. Hazel wrote it, herself:

Riding with the wind doesn't mean going wherever it takes you; it means trusting every whisper or blow as an opportunity to steer the boat and sail to greater oceans.

Haze is right.
My wind isn't blowing me solely to where I am now. With its help, I am still steering my own boat.

After I hosted for that event, I asked the magazine's editor, who turned out to be a great guy, if I could write for them. And today, he emailed me my first assignment.

Go on, guys, ride with the wind.
And lead yourself where you want to go. :)

Peace!

This picture has been manipulated.
The time and date of this entry have also been manipulated.
Special thanks to Glennster for sending the original image and allowing me to play with it.

*This post is for all those who do not actually read my looooong entries and wld rather browse through the pictures. Enjoy! :-)

Driving Cars without Boys

I spent my morning dressed for my Moro aerodance classes but instead of attending them, I had to cut classes and go somewhere else (or not go anywhere) with Tito A... We had to wait and observe my car's tire rotation and balancing.

Basically, the tires in front were already worn out so they had to be placed at the rear end and the rear to the front, thus the term rotation. Apparently, the mags had to be fixed too because they weren't perfect circles anymore (thanks to the sidewalks of Q. Ave, my old mishaps, and some potholes).. And the people from the shop had to put lead (better known as tingga) over some parts.

To kill time, I did what I usually do in public places. Silently observe the people around me. And so, I turned my attention to all the other customers coming in and out of the shop.

I saw this big guy with a Pajero who had his tires changed into MONSTER versions. Either he needed the height or he wanted cushion from our rocky roads (amazing how the name of an ice cream flavor be a cause of painful experiences). For some reason, I am not impressed with guys who have monster vehicles if their sole reason is porma... BUT having a girl behind the wheels of MONSTER trucks is a completely different story for me, maybe because of its rarity... (I wonder how it is to drive monster trucks with monster tires? I wanna try!)

Then, there was this couple whose car I wasn't able to see, thus I did not know what they needed to have repaired. But I did hear the wife's request for a bottled water (and one of the shop's boy went out to buy water). So all I learned was that the lady was thirsty. And that the shop wasn't only selling tires, mags, etc and doing repairs... but they also offer other services such as quenching clients' thirsts.

Then, I saw another guy who had new shiny mags which cost 7k each and new tires at around 5-6k (approximation by manong). By the time, we left though, he was still there and I didn't see if his brand new mags and tires looked great with his car (but they probably did!)

By this time too, I had 4 pesos left in my green purse. (We were able to get discounts for the mag repairs... but could several pieces of tingga really cost as high as P225? The VAT didn't help either!)

Then, I had to go to another casa and check on my sister. Her aircon needed repair. You see, we have this song going on at home...

Music pls! In the tune of "three blind mice"...

"Three old cars, three old cars... see how they run, see how they run... chug chuchug chuchug chuchug chuchug chuchu chuchuchu chugchugchug.... three old cars three old cars..."

Two of the old cars are still at home. The other one was sold last year (finally). And I think Nikki's "mommy wagon" is kind of replacing the other old one... so the song "Three Old Cars" remains as a hit track in our Family von Jara album.

Mine isn't part of the song. Yet.

I wish I could put pictures here but sadly, I don't have any at the moment. Glennsky, could I borrow a picture of your well-loved car that you sold *sob*? I think we had the same one.

So friends, here's a sneak preview of how I write essays about cars.
Semi-technical and completely sentimental.
Wait til you read my Ode to the Dodge Colt ;-)

First Ever

There is something about firsts.

We're fond of studying them in history.
First man to go around the world.
First man on the moon.
First woman in outer space.
First woman doctor.
First woman president. (Ok, I'm being biased about the women, :p)

As humans, we're also fond of noting firsts in our natural course of development.
A baby's first cry (the sign of life).
A baby's first syllable.
A baby's first step.
A baby's first tooth.
A girl's menarche (first menstruation).
A boy's first wet dream. (I'm sorry, this is the first example I thought of for boys in puberty).
A woman's first pap smear (coz accdg to our ob-gyne, every female has to have it done).
A man's first... (i dunno! Could anyone help me with this? Is there anything most guys haven't tried by the time they're already men?)

We're also fond of remembering other personal firsts (or if we're not fond of remembering them, we still remember them anyhow)
First kiss.
First dance.
First love, puppy or real. (And all the other God-knows-what firsts that goes along with it.)
First heartbreak.

Some also have their share of "firsts" that were originally planned as "lasts" but for some reason (valid or not) were followed by "seconds" or "thirds"...
First fiancee.
First marriage.
First annulment.
That first chocolate bar. (guilty!)

From here, I think I've already made my point. Firsts are remembered.

And whatever happens, no matter how many follows afterwards, the first will always be the first. At least, in terms of sequence. The importance of "firsts" for a person is a different matter altogether. Take love, for example. First loves do die sometimes thus making the second or third or nth love more important. Or a first kiss may be the sloppy and awkward kind (it's the first but not necessarily the most memorable).

Sometimes, history also gets re-written. Corrected, rather. For instance, Magellan was not the first person to discover the Philippines because by the time he arrived, Filipinos (who didn't even call themselves such) were already in the Philippines (which wasn't the name of our country then as well). The truth remains that those who first inhabited the land (although we could not be 100% certain but has been backed up by research) were the Itas. They were the first discoverers of our land. (thanks to Dr. Ambeth Ocampo, my History 165 prof, who pointed out that Magellan did not discover the Philippines).

Now, let me take a BIG jump to a topic totally irrelevant to most of you but is important to me... my hair.

For most of my life, my hair have had a salt-and-coffee shade. (Bry, I think "coffee" is more appropriate for my natural hair hue as compared to "pepper"). I already had a few strands of white hair at the age of 8. I inherited it from my mom and my lola, who were also strong advocates of not using dye and hair color.

But this morning, I had my hair cellophaned and it's now dark dark dark brown. I miss my famous silver-streaked and lighter-than-dark-brown hair. My hair is now a LOT darker than my dark skin. (well of course my hair has always been darker than my skin but now, the contrast is much more apparent). And I'm still not sure if I really like it. I kinda miss my old hair (pun wasn't originally intended).

So I had a cellophane, big deal. For me though, it is. Well, sort of. If shoes and scents (the latter idea was from cat's beauty blog) can tell others about our personality, I think our hair does too. So what does my original hair color say aside from I'm getting old? Hmm... that I don't care much even if people keep on asking me to have my hair dyed?

Anyhow, I haven't tried permanently dyeing my hair. And this is the second time I've ever tried using cellophane. (Anika, to answer your ques before... cellophane claims to have no damaging effects to our hair as opposed to hair dyes which could make our hair dry. Cellophanes also have that built-in treatment for the hair, conditioning our tresses in the long run, thus the glow/shine afterwards (In case I wrote something incorrect abt dyeing and cellophanes, please feel free to correct me here, thankee!) For me, having a cellophane then is a double treat!... A double treat that changes my "projected personality", nonetheless.

The first cellophane I had was last May 2005. And it was such a big deal that my friend was with me the entire time for moral support. (I'm just kidding abt the moral support but she was there chatting with me the entire time.)

As I said, we always remember the first ever of things. First bicycle accident. First blog entry. First blog comment. First grade of uno. First hair color change. The list goes on...

And I would never forget my own share of firsts... even my seemingly shallow hair color change.

How could I? I actually have pictures documenting my devirginized hair hue. Photos courtesy of Debbie Ty who witnessed the change in a few hours.

May 2005.

(Photo 1: The Exorcist) (Photo 2: Debs: "Lala" Lala:"Hmm?") (Photo 3:Burgundy baby!)


My hair back in May 2005 was screaming, "I'm young and free!"
My hair at present is sort of whispering, "I don't wanna look old... "
Or maybe I'm just biased coz I'm not used to it yet.
I'll let you guys know in a few days... :)

Patches...

Whenever I read the newspaper, I prefer the columns that have just one major article in them like Conrado de Quiros' over the ones that have several short articles separated by asterisks. But now, I realize why others write that way. It's easier. (That's the only reason I can find at this point).

I still prefer the one-major-article style but I just want to try the other approach for my next blog. Actually, I can't seem to write one long article at the moment so here are my patches...

Of Thoughts

I happily spent my birthday with my family and two of my high school friends who I haven't seen in a long time -- Leds & Jaz. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing: Leds was on leave from work and Jaz was also free so I asked them if they could join our family dinner. And they said yes. :) Party of 9!

I missed my girls and their surprise (my hunch was right, no surprise this year :p I'll see you soon, ladies... soon as in tom!)

And I would have been happier if Franco were in Manila. Still, he made sure I had a special day. He called several times throughout the day: early morning, before lunch, during dinner (even joined my family in singing the birthday song,haha). And lastly, just before my birthday ended until 12:04am of April 21. It was as if we did spend the day together (atleast over the phone :p). Happy birthday to me!

Messages poured in throughout the whole day yesterday until today (don't worry, louis, you weren't alone :p Barrity & JJ texted today). Thank you so much to all those who sent their greetings. Thank you, everyone! I had a simple and wonderful birthday :)

* * *

Meg has been preparing the bench get-away and only the girls seem to be replying. Male Happy Benchers, are you game? Say YES! :) It's just one weekend. You won't miss work! Or in case you do, it's ok! :p

* * *

I just learned that there's bangus festival in Dagupan. Quin texted a while ago coz he's there and coincidentally, the GP team too! I miss those guys and all the kwentuhan, isaw sessions, and that one tiangge hopping. Yup, all is well, Quin! Tc, see you soon :)

* * *

I did the grocery with my mom a while ago (yes, on a Friday night. I'm growing old. I'm not into late-night stuff recently.) When I was a kid, the typical grocery for a family of 7 would reach around 3-4k. That already included chocolates (ooh, Twix! yummm) and chips et al. But today, the grocery reached twice as much as the cost before. And to think that now, we only included the essentials.

I wonder... five years from now, how much will the typical weekly grocery cost? Gadd, I can just imagine... groceries, gas, tuition fees. We've witnessed all of them rise through the years! By the time we have our own families, will we be able to sustain the lifestyles that we've been used to? What about the majority of the Filipinos who are still under the poverty line? What will happen to them?

* * *

[long pause]

Ladies and gentlemen, I know this isn't my writing style.

Now, I shall sleep re-affirmed of what I do not prefer.

Goodnight, everyone! Have a nice weekend!

:)

My Birthday Bath

Today is my 23rd birthday :)

And that's really my title up there. Birthday Bath. Not bash.

First because I welcomed it by taking a cool bath at midnight. Relaxing. Cleansing. Soothing in this hot summer weather. And just plain lovely.

And second because this is the only year that I have nothing planned at all (thus, no bash). :) And somehow, I'm 99% certain that my friends who love to plan surprises aren't going to throw a mini-party this year. (Such surprises occur almost annually & Mayen asked the other year if I still get surprised,haha).

So I think I'll be spending a quiet birthday with lotsa greetings, which actually started on the 14th when Jillieta greeted me a week in advance :p Fr. Nebres also sent an early birthday card. I received it last week, I think. (Since Fr. Caluag is no longer with Ateneo to send out birthday cards for all the alumni, Fr. Nebres does it now.) Where did I place that card? I forget. But then again, I probably unconsciously misplaced the card because I was referred to as Ms. Jara there. Anyhow, thank you, Fr. Nebres (although I know he wouldn't come across my blog anytime soon. Or ever.)

It amazes me how birthday greetings nowadays come in different forms -- text messages, Friendster messages, Multiply messages, personal greetings, birthday cards, more cellphone calls and less landline calls, e-mails, etc etc etc. But the good ol' hugs and kisses are still my favorite along with personal birthday cards. :) (special mention to Sarah's sweetsharpsoft cards, Aenid's letters, Coco's beautiful messages, & Cami's Canadian greetings.) And I'm always happy (even if it's not my birthday but the feeling gets magnified this day) because of the three F's of my life -- family, friends, Franco.

Thanks, everyone, for the greetings in all their forms and sizes. This is the first time I've added blogging on my list. :) Advanced, late, and just-on-time greetings are most welcome!

For now, I'll sleep first and turn my cellphone in silent mode. :)

Hmm, when I wake up tom, I might have a free foot spa (funny, Jill Ngo mentioned in our belly-dancing class that if we rly think about it, it should be "feet spa" instead of "foot spa"). Geoff Simpson's Prive salon gave me a free "feet spa" the other year so they might give me another one tomorrow :p *cross fingers*

This is one of the many reasons why I love April.

house arrest

I just finished watching the first season of HOUSE M.D. and now, I am waiting for a copy of its second season. (Is there anybody out there who watches the series too?) It got me addicted. Note: I rarely get addicted to TV series. Well, except for SATC (that was a bad case of addiction!) and Desperate Housewives' first season. And, ok... Lovers in Paris ;) But HOUSE is different. That doctor is brilliant. His character is addicting that I can't get enough of his sarcasm and rudeness. Queer. (I have this soft spot for banterings.)

* * *

Yesterday, I climbed two walls... plus 3/4 of another wall, which by the way, I would have to conquer next time (Ka: thanks for planning it. Bryan: thanks for being a good coach and Luigi: twas nice meeting you finally, thanks for the company!). This morning, I attended the belly-dancing class of Jill Ngo with all the gym titas. (I'm looking forward to next Wednesday's class). And tomorrow is time for my most-awaited hiphop class. Perfect.

Without all these activities, what would we have left?
A woman turning 23 tomorrow under house arrest.

No school. No deadlines.
No work. No school directors. No producers either. (And I miss them!)
Not enough money to travel again. Yet.

You can now call me bored.
And when I'm bored, I write. A lot.

* * *

Psychologically Brunette... confessions of a courtside reporter (well, almost)

Is it just me or do we all have atleast one experience of that-didn't-sound-right-and-hello?-what-are-you-saying moment which could have possibly altered a major point in our lives? In other words, we know we sound ditzy (or ditsy, I researched on this, we could use either of them) but since we know we sound ditzy, we can't all be that ditzy. We just sound like we are. But since we sound ditzy, others think that we actually are because they do not know anything about us except what we tell them in that particular moment.

Anyway...

I have a lot of those. Remembering those silly moments actually makes me laugh (I'd rather laugh than cry). And I just wanna share one of them (the most recent) to the world coz laughter is the best medicine. (Oh goody, I can cure others even without a medical degree).

Perfect example:

I went to a VTR because a producer (who turned into a good friend) informed me about it and scheduled it for me one Saturday morning... (those in italics in the following text are my mental activities during the time)

Past 10 am:

• Interview Ques #4: "What's your favorite basketball team? and who are your favorite players?"
• Answer: "My favorite team is the Ateneo Blue Eagles of course because I support my school... (blah blah blah)... As for my favorite bastketball player..." (Wesley enters mind, I automatically shove the thought off, too many offenses. Richard Alvarez, now why would I like him? BJ Manalo, too bad he moved to La Salle... L.A. Tenorio flashes in front of me, didn't mention him... although I liked his lay-ups. Chia, unforgettable last game and winning shot during his last year, didn't mention him either. Paul Tanchi, hmm, cute, honor student, one of the team's good players...)
• In the end, I said, "I don't have one. I believe in teamwork."

And that VTR was for a courtside reporter. If I were the producer who interviewed the girl who answered such (and that was me), I wouldn't have chosen her for the job either. Problem was, I sounded exactly like a pa-safe interviewee who didn't know anything about the job but was diplomatic enough to squeeze her way out of the weird situation.

But the real problem is... I do know a few stuff about basketball but I sounded as if I didn't know anything at all.

I wonder what would have happened if I answered a bit differently (you know, say more of what you actually know even if what you know isn't that much)...

Past 10 am:

• Interview Ques #4: "What's your favorite basketball team? and who are your favorite players?"
• Answer: "Back in high school, I used to watch NBA and root for the Chicago Bulls and my favorite player back then was their tall small forward who came from Croatia (the cute one of course), Tony Kukoc. But college happened. And along with it, my school spirit got the best of me. Came freshman year, I watched the opening of UAAP, thanks to my good friend who had free tickets in Araneta, courtside (no need to mention that I sat with her family on the DLSU side)...It was an Ateneo vs. La Salle game... and I supported my own school, of course. Eventually or automatically rather, the Blue Eagles became my favorite team (which is obvious because if I didn't choose ADMU, Ateneans would have ostracized me and La Salle couldn't care less because I would still be an Atenean which would leave me teamless, is there such word?) not only because of the obvious but because the Blue Eagles have always played adrenaline-pumping games... you just can't tell if they're gonna win or not. haha. First quarter to the third, they're leading by 10 points... then they start lagging behind. Before you know it, they've lost the game. Or they're losing at the start then they begin to lead the game and actually win by two points. Very thrilling for the audience."
• "And as for my favorite player", I would just have blabbed out loud what I actually thought (refer to the italics above...) plus all my other thoughts on the other players and cap it off by saying that I don't have a favorite player from the team because that's the truth. And I do believe in teamwork.

But, I didn't say them. And I don't think I would get the job. Although I'd still never know if saying them would have made a difference anyway. (That's the thing with "what ifs", we'll just never know). I am actually getting used to this risking and not getting a job afterwards. (Strike two for lala!)

Since I always look at the bright side... I always see it. And the best thing about not getting a job is the lesson we get to have from all the thinking. :)

Lesson(s) learned. Stick to dancing. Let the basketball fanatics talk about the game coz they talk about it much better than I do. I'm just better off with writing.

REAL lesson(s) learned: The difference between the real basketball fanatics and myself is not that I'm not interested in the game but because they LOVE THE GAME! I'm interested in basketball, yes, but I still have yet to truly love it. Liking it is far from loving it. People who like something can speak of it. People in love, on the other hand, speak of it with passion.

But I did try and I did risk coz at the back of my head at the very start of everything, I thought that if I got this summer job, I would have given it my best shot and in turn, love the game. My logic was a bit twisted, I know, but still logical.

I based it on what Social Psychologists teach us -- proximity, not distance, makes the heart grow fonder. I guess mine is meant to be fond of something else this summer :)

Graded.

I just saw my (un)official grades online. Let's just say that I'm happy with them. My grade in Experimental Design, the subject of derivations and stuff that I was highly anticipating, gave me the biggest smile this morning. Dr. David did count my painstakingly looooooooong hours of taking his 2nd exam as effort. :)

Enough about that because I have GC (grade conscious) glued on my forehead now.

What I truly wanted to write about is how other people judge us based on our looks or based on first impressions.

Perfect example:
Do I really look mahinhin?

A lot of other people say that I am. And Franco told me that it is a good thing. But my problem with being called mahinhin is not that I find it negative but the fact that I really do not see myself as such. Who do we believe then? People (a lot of them) who say that we are one thing or ourselves (just one but that one is YOU, yourself) who say that we are another?

At this point, I want to choose the latter. Aside from declaring to the world that I'm simply stubborn, I just want to declare that I know myself better. I would like to believe that I do. Because if I don't, then I would lose myself by giving in to how others see me. And if I do that, I'd end up with multiple personalities.

I used to be a very shy kid. To the extreme. In preschool, I had extreme stage fright to the point of not going up the stage to perform after hours and days of practice. Extreme silence to the point of peeing on my kindergarten teacher's lap instead of speaking up and saying that I had to use the c.r. Extreme obedience to the point of receiving an award, "Most Obedient", during Prep graduation in St. Vincent.

And in one of my Social Psychology books, I found that shyness has the following characteristics: non-confrontational, trying to please others, and wanting to be agreeable most of the time. Sh*t. I really am shy.

So in turn, "shy people" often say YES, nod, and smile. (GADDD. I have all the symptoms of shyness.) But then again, that can be said about "friendly people". So, are shy people also friendly people? Now, I'm confused.

Who watches HOUSE? The series about highly rare diseases that all end up in the Princeton Plainsborough training hospital, satisfying Dr. Gregory House's hunger for solving interesting (take note, they have to be interesting) puzzles. And interesting puzzles = a 10-year-old girl with a stroke or other factors that don't normally fit together. Try to watch atleast one episode.

House would often base his diagnosis on patient's history reports, knowing at the back of his head that they lie. And then it would be at the latter part of the show when he would find a trivial information that could complete his interesting puzzle. Then he would find the perfect solution to the CORRECT diagnosis. But before having the correct diagnosis, he would have had a bunch of wrong guesses about the disease, complicating the patient's well-being with wrong medications. And making the whole storyline more intereting for the viewers.

I've always thought that I belonged under the category of "shy people". But then, after reading all the stuff from my undergraduate Social Psych book, I said that I am not letting this book tell me who I am and who I am not. And so, more than being "shy", I proved to be stubborn. And I was happy with that because first, it made my shyness symptoms more interesting. And second, it made my "shyness" questionable. How would you then see me now? (I swear, if you say mahinhin, I'd hit you on your tummy with a fan).

After watching several episodes of House (I'm not yet done with the DVDs), I think that I could be diagnosed elsewhere. Or I'll discover a new Psychological disorder altogether and name it LaJara's extreme shyness and stubborness disorder with the symptom of being too mahinhin. Or maybe I should just accept the fact that I do not have a disorder at all and I'm not even all of these adjectives that we use to label people.

If I got you confused somewhere in my line of thought, then GOOD!

What I'm actually trying to point here is that judgment based on profiles or first impressions are nothing but half-baked grades. Often, that's how other people base their judgment of us. And in the end, when talking about yourself, trust your own judgment. More often than not, they're the ones that matter.

As the song goes, the greatest love of all is truly found inside of you... :)

I believe that I am a healthy and happy person. Truly complex but very simple. Tough but deeply sentimental. I'm still GC but I know when to let go. I often cry but I love life. I often smile, not because of any other reason, but because I'm happy. (Sometimes we also have to take things for how they present themselves. Knowing when to analyze and when not to overdo it is an art we have to learn in this lifetime.)

Know yourself. Love yourself. And the rest will follow :)

The Aquino Easter Special

I spent my Easter Sunday in our lola's house with my cousins (first degree), Titos, and Titas. We were semi-complete yesterday which meant around 37 adults and kids who were either eating, talking, or playing inside and outside the house. That was our traditional way of celebrating Easter. It began at noon.

At around 4:30 pm, we found an old album with our family pictures circa 1980-1986.

Looking past the bizarre hairdos, the baduy clothes, the chubby baby faces for us young ones, the still payat-looking Titos and Titas, and the still-alive and smiling Lolos and Lolas (some of them are peacefully resting now; God bless them), we were still doing the same things -- eating, talking, playing... and of course, taking pictures.

And we found these pictures amusing.

1980. I was not yet born. Neither was my older sister. So the kids in the photos were just our older cousins (who looked like Korean telenovela children) and my kuya who at 28, still look the way he was at the age of 2. (He's going to kill me if he reads this but I'm sure he won't. He won't read it.)

1981. My older sister was still a baby girl... already maldita-looking. just kidding, love you! :) (she gets to read this.)

1983. My lola had the same fluffy-looking all white hair. My dad had a flat stomach and amazingly had the same hairstyle. My mom had this almost-Afro do but was still pretty (my mom sometimes reads my blogs). My older brother and older sister looked like themselves. And there was this ultra chubby and dark baby, ME!

1986. Cousins more Chinese than Korean-looking. Lola's hair still the same fluffy with its all-white natural shade. Papa's stomach still flat. Mom's hair less curly, more wavy. Kuya, the same. Ate Monica, the same. Me, still dark and will always be. My younger and youngest sis were both CUTE babies! :) (Ling often reads my blog.)

With all these old pictures and all the chit-chats with my cousins, I found myself hyper and laughing almost the entire afternoon. But before actually seeing these old photos, I had my earlier share of laughing moments from a more "futuristic" material.

Before lunch, Easter Sunday text messages bombarded my cellphone until all I saw on my LCD was... "No space for new messages". (Actually, I often see this sign even without special occasions.. first, because I don't get to clean my inbox with old messages lying there. And second because my phone is no longer capable of saving too many of them. Haha.)

INTERMISSION:
I received some messages late. And I probably missed one or two of them. If I wasn't able to text "thank you" and text "Happy Easter" back, I probably did not receive the message... Although late, HAPPY EASTER too! :)

BACK TO MY EASTER STORY:
Among all the messages I got to read the whole day though, it was one of my good friends' messages that I could remember -- "Happy Easter Bunnies". If it were any other person who texted me that, I probably would not have laughed. BUT it was PeeJay Lanot... Jags... The eagle of the Blue Babble, literally the man inside the eagle suit (in one of the Blue Eagles' games)... The Ultimate Single Guy of ABC 5. And just because it was from him and just because I could imagine his expression while saying it (expressionless for that particular moment perhaps), I laughed. For those who could not relate, I'm sorry! He's the guy in the Inquirer commercial seen before movies start in Makati. (I know people who hate that commercial, but believe me, when you meet PJ, you can never hate the guy! All his friends love him and that should be enough for an onlooker to know that he is nothing less than a good person --> based on Prince Edward's words in First Knight.) So now, I've actually introduced PJ as a funny and a good person (and it's either you take my word for it or not). But my point really is I laughed because of his greeting.

There wasn't really anything ultra-funny about "Happy Easter Bunnies". The line was even hovering over corny. BUT it is how we TAKE THINGS IN that matters. In this case, how I TOOK the line in based on what I know of the sender, my good and funny friend, PJ.

...just like in the pictures from the old album, there was nothing really funny when those photos were taken. They were simply documentation of what we were doing back then. But they were funny to us based on what we already know about ourselves at present. I'm sure it wouldn't be as funny to others as how these pictures were funny to me and my relatives (so I'm not posting any of those old pictures here, haha!)

As I've often emphasized, we all have a certain hint of subjectivity. Always. Our memories and personal experiences allow us to interpret the world around us. So although we all live in the same world, each of us has a different story to tell. And I'm just happy to share mine with you.

But I'll be a lot happier if I get to hear (or read) yours :)

Admittedly, I do like Boy Abunda's words...

Kwentuhan tayo. :-)

-silent mode-

When I was a toddler until around the age of three, Baguio was the cold hotspot (pun intended) for my family during Holy Week.

Between the age of 3 and the present, I equated the Holy Week with Kraft's instant macaroni & cheese (coz Manang R. enjoys her summer break in Bohol) while watching Jesus Superstar or re-runs of Seventh Heaven.

Now that I am 22... (Yes, I've always been proud of my real age but let's wait til I reach the age of 65) Holy week means staying at home and trying to be solemn or atleast be quiet for a few days. And so, I am now quietly blogging.

It's not that difficult to stay at home because there's nowhere else to go to. Without telling us, we know that our dad prefers that we stay home (prefers = mandatory). My friends are either in Boracay enjoying the sun or in Baguio enjoying the supposedly cool weather; or in their own homes trying to be quiet like me; or truly making their holy weeks meaningful by doing the things that they obediently observe during the occasion (visita Iglesia, fasting, etc).

Today is Maundy Thursday.
But it feels like any other Thursday to me.
I can hear the MTV Grind exercise video from the other room.
National Bookstore is still open until 7pm (just an info I got from their cashier yesterday).
And my dad, who is the perpetuator of all religious doings in our house, has gone out to play golf.

But then again, the holiness of the Holy Week has always dawned on me during Good Fridays. When at 3 pm, for some bizarre reason, the sky turns dark, the streets are silent, and the birds grow quiet (believe me, all the mayas in our drive seem to be muted).

We simply join them in their silence.

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Have your very own meaningful holy week, everyone :)

Summer's first stop... :)

I have this thing for not writing in advance (at least not specifically) where I would be off to, but since I'm now back in Manila, this is where I've actually been...

Sometimes pictures really do say more than words.



April 6. Budyong Resort of the famous Sta. Fe resorts, Bantayan Island, Cebu.

*This picture was taken by Sassy Rodriguez, one of my most adventurous college friends*

Right now, Sassy's in Eastern Samar :) (Hallooo Sassy-ru, the mermaid... & official photographer! wait for my other articles especially the one entitled "Pagsisid")

* * *

This Cebu trip was coincidental for me and Sassy. She got there on the 31st of March while Ling and I flew in last Wednesday (just in time for Franco's birthday). It was on April 3 when I learned that Sas was in Cebu and would stay there until the night of the 8th. As for me and Ling, we planned to stay until the 9th. So, the three of us ended up spending four days of nomadic adventure together (looong story to follow).

This entire trip would not have been the same without my two ultimate adventure buddies (Sas & Ling) and Franco, of course, who took care of us over the weekend... plus a lot of other persons... Jeckoy for being so game, Paulo Varela for suggesting an overnight stay in Bantayan & all his Monster Radio msgs haha, Miss Delia Belleza & friends for the stories&conversations as we waited for dinner to be served in White Sands, Kuya Dondon (our pedicab driver), and the super accommodating yet unnamed Kuya from Budyong who helped us look for yummy & affordable lunch... plus all the kitchen ladies in Budyong resort who gave me suka (as in vinegar, not suka as in vomit) for my jellyfish stings. --> THANKS, EVERYONE! :)

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Hi Doc Doray! :p Ate mon texted me, aww I'm happy you liked some of the stuff :) Feel free to leave your comments coz I'd love to read them too!

By the way, here's an example of "zipping" -->

Ling took this picture while we were practicing our newly learned moves (which we got from the Levi's Freedom Camp) :p FUN! Try it too if you have time! For more info, you can visit: PlanetZips

Sarah dear :) yup, let's have our formal lessons soon! :) Aenid & Kring want to try it too!

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Dear friends,
I'll sleep first and write the real stories in a few hours in my adventure blog!
I know that all my adventures are to be found in my travel and advneture blog but I just had to put an introduction here :) Pls do visit LalaLaaand for the CEBU stories and pictures in the upcoming days :)

DAY ONE

I spent the whole morning and afternoon CRAMMING my research paper and by 4:30pm... Eureka, I finished it! (Hans, super thanks, I finally finished it)

I've actually been writing for the past few days but I was dilly-dallying then. The adrenaline rush a while ago was different. It felt like "now or never"... so I had to focus on it and type away.

After submitting my last requirement for the semester, I felt light... But it was while I was parking the car back in the garage when it dawned on me... I AM FREE!

HELLO, SUMMER!!! ;)

As soon as I entered the house, I checked Bryan's blog (as promised) :)
http://www.bryanatienza.blogspot.com/
Guys, visit his blog coz he started it today. And he really writes well. Definitely worth reading :)

Then, I had to dash out of the house to watch Rent with Ling & Ate Monica. But our "dash" turned into a "crawl". EDSA traffic near Makati stalled us a little.

Now, I'm back home again... with songs playing in my head... "525,600 minutes..." And all the "I should tell you's..."

But before sleeping tonight and before "leaving on a jet plane tomorrow" (yahoo!)... I just want to write in my blog :)

I'm off to another adventure tomorrow until the weekend :) I'll be with my sis, Ling, Sassy-ru, Franco, and other wanderers who simply want to see the other parts of the Philippines. :p

Goodnight everyone :)

Enjoy the month of April!
It's one of my favorite months :)

dance & zip away

April 1 is April fools' day.

My very own April 1 was anything but that. It was a taste of pseudo-summer... (I still have a research paper left to finish so summer isn't really here yet)

I wanted to reward myself on a job well done during my hell week (a job well done = survival) so I pretended that it was summer break for me, even just for a day. I tried things that I've always wanted to try but haven't had the opportunity until yesterday.

(1) In the morning, I applied for a summer job after getting a call from a good friend. (*cross fingers*) It came out of the blue just like GamePlan before. (*double cross fingers*). Now, all I could do is hope for the best :)

(2) After lunch, I had my first actual lessons in zipping.
At first, I thought zipping would be a bit similar to arnis. It wasn't. Aside from the fact that getting hit by arnis sticks (even the padded ones) was twice as painful as getting hit by the zip's weights, the moves were also different. I tried it and after a couple of hours, I found myself hooked! (My sisters and I bought a pair so we could practice at home.) The master zippers were good teachers. And I love the fact that one could move freely with the music. I couldn't wait to create my own style :)

(3) At 6 pm, I joined an individual dance competition. I didn't win but I definitely had a great time trying it! (Mental note: join dance competitions without breakdancing. Hands down to the winners, they were great!) After trying it out, I actually felt like I've won too. My younger sisters and friends who saw everything said that my dance was great although I didn't breakdance. Plus complete strangers kept on greeting me afterwards, commending on my dance performance. I couldn't ask for more. :) Click here for some pictures.

(4) At 10 pm, I finally saw my benchmates after a looooong time! I literally jogged going to Mariel's house. (We were 7 houses away from each other) The last time I saw the Happy Benchers was in November in Anika's house where Louis kept on shooting our pictures (including the one in this blog). So last night was another one of those photo sessions aside from the endless stories and drinks. :) We slept at 3.


* * * * *

April 2.
I can't really dance and zip away today.
I have to sit and type type type.

* * * * *

My countdown is almost done...
I'm two and a half days away from summer!

til then :)