true-blue, proud Batangueña

"Balisong, otherwise known as a butterfly knife or a Batangas knife, is a folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. In the hands of a trained user, the knife blade can be brought to bear quickly using one hand. Manipulations, called flipping, are performed for art or amusement."
--Wikipedia

It sounds really stupid--my being a true-blue, proud Batangueña and all--that I only got myself one of these today. Yes, today, after more than twenty-one years of walking God's green earth. Tsk.

WARNING: mushy!

Looking for a certain magazine earlier, I instead ran across one of my old journals, the one I had back in senior high school through freshman college. Reading it now after all this time, I'm amused at how bitchy or mushy I sounded even back then. Seems my attitude hasn't changed as much as I thought it has after all, thank God.

The early entries were mostly about my ex since the journal was started right after we broke up. I won't name him here, but if you know know me, you'll be able to figure out who he is. Though it was plainly written there in my own penmanship, it kinda amazed me to think that I used to be that in love with him. No offense to him, but the truth is the intensity of what I felt for him--and I really thought at that time that I couldn't possibly love any more than that--considerably pales in comparison to what I felt and still feel for Franco. Just goes to show, statements like I can never love someone this much ever again are but bullshit because the fact of the matter is I loved again, and even deeper at that.

Not suprisingly, most of the later entries were all about Franco, why he's the greatest guy to ever walk God's green earth, and how I love him so. I couldn't stop smiling as I went through article after mushy article detailing the things we used to do, the long conversations, petty fights and everything else in between. The happiness, exhilaration, contentment, paranoia and the thousand other emotions I went through because of that single guy. Memories I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I just fell in love with him all over again after reading those words, I swear.

Up to now I still get amazed when I think of how far we've come despite the trials that came our way. Who would have thought we'd still get together after completely severing our friendship and losing touch for nearly two years? Yet we did, and I still thank God for it everytime I think of us.

Whether or not this would end up somewhere, I'll always be thankful that I've been given a chance to know and experience a love such as this. While I never thought myself capable of emotions this intense, through him I was proven wrong. It seems I am human after all.

adik!

Okay, so I already have a bit of a headache from sitting in front of computers for practically the whole day. Yeah, so I'm an addict. So what? Fuck. And I'm even posting something as nonsensical as this. A-fucking-ddict.

taking baby steps

I just made a Flickr account for some of my works. There are only five pictures in my public gallery right now. But I'm working on it.

sexy lady on my phone

Had a Gmask wrap done for my XDA II mini at Gateway Mall a couple of weeks ago. And I'm rather satisfied. Coolness. Take a look:

Mama

I find it quite ironic that Mama and I become closer when I move away, to the boarding house last year and to Manila earlier this year. I don't how it happened but somehow it became easier to talk to her about anything, from my relationship with Franco to the things I want in life. Even she opened up to me, talking about her problems and telling little anecdotes about work and such.

Mama is quite a revelation. Though I've known her all my life, I never appreciated her this much before. Here is a woman who went through a hard life with nary a complaint, patiently taking in every blow life deals and rising gracefully from each one. Though from a poor family, she managed to rise above that and make something of herself, even as she worked to help out her family.

Even as a child, she had to work for her school allowance, embroidering well into the night by the meager light of a kerosene lamp. But this did not deter her in any way, or distract her from her studies, as she always graduated with honors. A truly mean feat for someone so young.

She also passed the CPA licensure exam. I remember Papa Jun [my father's brother-in-law] telling me how much he admires her intellect, being a CPA himself, as well as her determination. He also mentioned that for the oath-taking ceremony, he and Mama Mencing [his wife] had to lend her money for a dress to wear. Inay Po [my maternal grandmother] also had no money to go to Manila and so Mama had to go to the ceremony by herself. I remember feeling really sorry for her then for spending such an important occasion all alone. All this I learned from Papa Jun since Mama never mentioned it.

Growing up as she did, she learned the value of hard work early on, which she carries up to now and applies to everything she does. She is one of the most industrious persons I have ever known. Also one of the most helpful. A lot of people could attest to this, especially her former students back when she was teaching college, although I'm probably the one who benefited the most. I swear I wouldn't be living this easy life if she did not do half the stuff she did and continues doing for me.

For my part, understanding her better, I'm now more yielding to her strict ways. Though far from being the perfect daughter I ought to be, I am nevertheless striving to make her life easier through my own little ways. It's the least I can do, for a more-than-deserving mother that she is. I love her.

not guilty

I admit it. Shameful as it sounds, I haven't been studying all that much when I should have been. In fact I've barely cracked any reference or review book at all these past few weeks. Bad thing. Especially now that we're but a hairbreadth away from the board exam. But I'm sticking to what Sir Woodrow told us the other day, that is not to feel guilty if you know what you're doing since it would just add to the pressure and backfire on you. So I'm not making too big a deal out of my slacking off.

How I manage to answer even half the stuff in the RES's correctly is still a wonder to me. But it gives me hope just the same, since it means I could answer a lot more if I studied. I mean, really studied. I keep holding on to that thought. All I need now is to actually study. God help me.

becoming a girl again

Once again I'm struck by how much I'm changing. I think I'm finally reaching out to embrace my long-lost feminine side or something like that, anti-kikay that I am. It begins with my preference for clothes.

When Franco was still here, he used to urge me to wear skirts when we get together. I think it started with that. Though I still stuck mostly to jeans, I became open to the idea of wearing skirts.

But wearing skirts when you're practically living in your jeans takes some getting used to, and then some. For starters, they don't really go all that well with my beloved Chucks so I had to look for footwear to match them girly skirts. Enter the trusty flipflops.

Now, I have rather sensitive feet which easily get callouses when the material of the footwear I'm donning rubs too much. That is precisely the reason why I'm partial to Chucks in the first place, since I can wear socks with them and thus protect my feet. I've made some misjudgments before about some footwear I bought and learned rather hard lessons in the form of callouses, and in some cases, even wounds.

So far the most comfortable open footwear I have are my trusty Skechers which I bought with Franco. Next in line are the Planet and Sandugo flipflops. The Dickies flipflops, however much I like them, I cannot wear for long periods since they hurt my feet. Hopefully the Grendhas I bought earlier wouldn't have the same effect.

That's about it for now about clothes. Suffice it to say I'm still in the process of fully embracing femininity in all its glossed and stilletoed glory. Whether I actually get there or not remains to be seen though.

Next stop, reading materials. Even I surprised myself with the number of fashion magazines I bought these last two months. And the funny thing is I'm actually getting some ideas from them. My current addiction to eBay, for example, wouldn't be if I hadn't read about it in Chalk. The trends and makeup are a whole another story though, as I have yet to conquer my fear of wearing a painted face and uber-feminine threads, although I actually love stilleto heels [I fondly call them hooker heels] and--quite shockingly--can walk just fine in them without toppling over.

Years from now, I might actually find myself wearing a dress and killer stilletos, my hair perfectly coiffed and my face completely made up, with an uber-chic clutch bag completing the whole Cosmo-girl getup. I might, and maybe I might not. Who knows? Right now the thought just scares me. I'm sticking to jeans and flipflops, thank you very much. Well, for now at least.

mall therapy

I hate to say this but shopping really is therapy for me. Even if it burns a painful hole on my pocket. The thrill of a new acquisition does a pretty effective job of dispelling the blues away.

Anywho, I was at Trinoma earlier. I went after chatting with Franco. That in itself did wonders to alleviate my depression but I also needed to buy some stuff so I went anyway. Aside from the groceries, I also got myself a cute coin purse [which I actually use as a cellphone case] from Comic Alley and a pair of Grendha sandals from Shoe Salon.

The sandals were uber-cool. I've been wanting them since I saw several at Gateway last week, so I grabbed the opportunity and bought myself a pair earlier. It was a tough decision though, since I also saw a copy of Endless Nights [volume 11 of the Sandman series which I'm collecting] at Planet X Comics. But then I reasoned [to myself] that the sandals would be more useful, besides which, I doubt Endless Nights would be gone by the time I come across some extra moolah again. I also consulted some friends and it was a unanimous decision that I should get the sandals first.

On a completely unrelated note, I saw John and Michelle of the Be Bench Model Search. They're both good-looking as expected. I had a blast tormenting my guy roommates about seeing her in the flesh since they all have have massive crushes on her. Haha.

In Memoriam. Farewell, Daddy Jimmy.

I find myself prone to bouts of depression these past few days. Out of the blue, the gloom would just settle over me and I'd be apathetic for the rest of the day. I still laugh at jokes my roommates would crack, or if something funny happens, but after that I'm back to being sullen.

Maybe it has something to do with going back to Batangas last Sunday for Ktle's father's wake. Daddy passed away last Friday, sometime before lunch. He's a good man, and Ketty and I treat him as our own father too, and so we came back to pay our last respects last Sunday. It was really hard for us--I can't imagine what it's lie for Ktle since it's her father, and they were really close. The only good thing [using good relatively, for lack of better term] is that Daddy's suffering has come to an end. He's been sick for more than a year and now he's already resting. God bless his good soul.

good old radio

I just rediscovered the simple joy of listening to the radio. After years of being plugged into my Wlkman and then my Discman and then my iPod, I have grown accustomed to having the music I want to listen to literally at my fingertips. All I have to do is select the song I want to hear and voila! I hear it playing. Though I always have the shuffle function turned on. the only songs I ever hear playing are those stored in the memory, no matter how random the order may be.

The radio on the other hand is about unpredictable sound trips. You never know what you're gonna get. Okay, so maybe the DJ's do have some sort of playlist where they get their particular mix of songs to play. But you're still pretty much at their mercy. Unless it's an all-request program, you most likely have to still wait for your favorite song to play--that is, if the DJ would decide to play it in the first place. Otherwise you're stuck with an eclectic mix of songs, some of which you'll like and others which could potentially just annoy you no end. Either way, you have no control, save for the freedom to switch to another station should the DJ's incessant chatter get to your nerves.

Which I must say isn't entirely a bad thing. At the very least, you might actually find a new song you'll like. Cliched as it is, the possibilities are endless. Randomness ain't so bad after all.

Looks like my iPod would be getting it much needed rest after all this time...

gift

"All fiction is a process of imagining: whatever you write, in whatever genre or medium, your task is to make things up convincingly and interestingly and new."
--Neil Gaiman

Like what I said before, Neil Gaiman is a bloody genius. Just finished another one of his novels, Anansi Boys. Vintage Gaiman, with lots of twists and the intricate interweaving of fiction and reality, myth and folklore. How he comes up with the ideas for his books and spins them all into cohesive stories is truly a gift handed over personally by God himself. Hands down.

charades!

Things have just wound down here in our room after several hours of our playing charades. It really was quite fun, and a good learning experience to since we used technical terms as our subject. A good bonding between us all, I must say. Ü

frugal clotheshorse

So I bought another pair of pants from eBay. This time, a pair of Diesel capris for six hundred and sixty bucks, including shipping. Yeah, so it's secondhand. But it's still a good deal considering it's in excellent condition. Just how much does a brand-new pair cost anyway? Thousands, for sure. So there you go.

But then again why am I justifying my purchase to you who's reading this? It's not as if I have to answer to anybody since it's my money I'm spending after all, and besides I'll be the one wearing those clothes anyway. Whatever.

I guess it's because I used to feel squeamish too at the thought of buying a stranger's clothes. And not just clothes, but as oftentimes is the case with eBay products, used clothes. Who wouldn't cringe at that? Especially when you're used to buying brand-spanking-new clothes.

But with the spreading fad of finding and buying fashionable clothes at the humble ukay-ukay, I just couldn't resist the urge to see for myself. I was curious as the proverbial cat. I mean, even [some] models and celebrities swear by them and they have really fab clothes so maybe there's something to it after all. And eBay is more or less an online version of that, although you can also find a lot of new items--some even with tags still--at a much lower price than if you buy them at malls. A shopping haven indeed for the budget-conscious who want to look stylish nonetheless.

Okay, so you got me there. I do have a certain sense of style [black shirt and jeans, anyone?] no matter how much I want to deny it, so sue me. But even I get tired of my own look sometimes that's why I'm reaching out and trying to find new pieces to add some diversity to my otherwise monotonous wardrobe. And seeing as I'm not exactly made of money, I have to look for affordable alternatives--most of which could only be found in someone else's closet. Like what they always say: One man's trash is another man's treasure. And that, I think, is the working principle behind ukay-ukays and eBay.

buhay review pix

moments sa bahay


mawawala ga naman ang inuman?


the PERCian bugoys


view mula sa rooftop

sweet! Ü

This is something of a rarity with me but I'm actually happy with the way this day turned out. First of all, I had a nice long sleep and only woke up at noon. Then I had a rather plain, nevertheless quite satisfying lunch of plain rice and canned sausages. Took a bath shortly after that and hung around a bit before heading to iPlay to chat with Franco.

To my delight, he turned up online and we were able to have a nice conversation. I told him I'm planning to audition for PBB season 3 just for kicks. Knowing me, he was more concerned if I could last out the long lines than anything else. You just gotta hand it to the guy. Haha.

There was really nothing that remarkable about the rest of the day, except that I was finally able to crack a book and actually study. I'm happy about that since for once I was able to overcome my laziness and do something worthwhile.

Ooh, and I have a new addiction [damn you Glen!]--Reese's Pieces. I just love love love sweets. Ü

LITANIYA ng ECE 521 Batch 2007 [by robert leynes]

Upang makatanggap tayo ng "DIVINE" intervention,
ating usalin ang litaniyang ito.

Sa mga oras na ika'y nalulungkot,
alalahanin ang mga sandaling
ika'y nauutot.

Sa jeep.
Sa classroom.
Sa library.
Sa CK.
Sa Lobby ng CEAFA Building.
Sa Canteen.
Sa Smartlab.
Habang naglalakad palabas ng GCH.
Sa tricycle.
At sa gitna ng mataong lugar.

Nawa'y ang utot mo ay mamalaging misteryo at maamoy.

Sa mga oras na gusto mong mag-senti,
alalahanin ang mga taong nakapalibot saiyo,
nung ikaw as estudyante ng ECE.

Mga Instructors,
naawa ba kayo sa amin?
Mga Instructors na naawa,
Salamat sa inyo.
Mga Instructors na walang awa,
Sumalangit nawa.
Mga lolang nagtitinda ng kakanin,
Ang mahal ng saging.
Mga janitor,
ang baho ng cr ng lalaki
Mga magxexerox,
Pengeng leakage
Mga Leakage,
Paxerox ang mga susunod na batch
Juyjuy,
Wag madamot sa leakage
A.I.,
Ikaw na nga ang friend nina Ferdie at Tony
Ericson Dimaunahan,
Nuno ng katalinuhan
Ericson Dimaunahan,
Pangulong ewan (hahahaha)
Ericson Dimaunahan,
Kay Jasper,
nabigong maging number one.
Ericson Dimaunahan,
Sa Buendia nagbe-burger.
Ericson Dimaunahan,
Ang sarap mong saktan.
Ericson Dimaunahan,
Wag ka nang lumaban.
Neil at James,twinti lang
Bobonessa Carlton,
Lubayan mo kami.
Chorvaness Wu,
Ang gwapo mo.

Para sa kababaihan ng ECE 521

Rowena delos Santos,
Maawa ka kay Eman
Kenuie de Torres,
Nang-nenok ka na naman.
Analiza Belen,
Kay Rex, ihingi mo kami ng kaputian.
May Alcones,
Chesterrific!
Karen Sangalang,
Forever ka nang MS. BSU.
Keneith Gualberto,
Smile naman jan.
Jenie Matira,
Walang maliit na hindi nakakapuwing.
Ivy Ramos,
Pa-sleep ulit sa house n'yo
Meliza Caguimbal,
Mamaya pa ang uwian
Anela Lualhati,
Hmm Hmm Hmm
Nathalie Atienza,
Mag-pink ka naman..
Lhen Leslie Casas,
Kayo pa ba ni Papa P?
Analyn Dimaano,
Analyn! Analyn! Analyn! Sino un?
Allen Dimaano,
Prettier.
Jho Ann Mercado,
Una unahan lang yan.
Michele Ramos,
Uhm...

Para sa mga lalaki

Rex Bathan,
Have you MET?
Richard Tacla,
Uhm....
Gerald Manalo,
Ang mga may jowa na, lubayan
Badong Odeste,
Lurker na walang kaparis
Jan Jan Pamilara,
Katabaan, balang araw makakamtan.
Noel Fortunado,
Katabaan.
Chester Cusi,
Supremong walang katapat.
Ariel Magyawe,
Pakilala mo samin si Joan.
Michael Gutierrez,
Tara mag-inuman.
Michael Bascuguin,
Yari ka!
Raymond Dimaano,
Paayos ng project namin.
Edison Perez,
Salamat sa venue ng inuman.
Franco De Torres,
Katangkaran.
Otep Panganiban,
Kabaliktaran.
Emmanuel Manalo,
Lubayan ka ng malas!
Robert Leynes,
Kumokorni ka na.
Milbert Deomampo,
Kabastusan, ika'y lubayan.
Mannie Fajardo,
Shaggy, ikaw ba yan?
Emil Caasi,
Ang drawing ay pagigihan.
Larry John Ruiz,
Nagjojoke din paminsan-minsan.
Glen Candava,
Tama na muna ang pagjojowa.
John Mendoza,
Bakla.
Joriel,
Baklang Bakla.
Von Carlo Morete,
Type ng mga bakla.
Francis Dela Pena,
May friend na bakla.
Tartar Binx,
Reyna ng mga bakla.
Ericson Dimaunahan,
Wala lang. Aba, over ka na.

Para sa ating lahat
Ma'am Marcelo,
Maawa Ka sa amin.
Bagong examiners,
Maawa Kayo sa amin.
PERC,ERA at EXCEL,
Tulungan mo kaming pumasa.
Upang kami'y makabawi sa lahat ng kamalasang aming dinanas.

Sabay- sabay tayo:

Ang chenelyn ay patuloy na makekemer kemerloung mga sheberli, bagamit nachochorva ni atashiang mga kipay at nutring ng evilness.Wit tayo magpapa-lucy torres kahit na nakaka-Lucrecia Kasilagang mga hafenings..

Etchos.

***pangkalokohang akda ni ROBERT LEYNES***

-------------

What a laugh. I really have to commend Robert for this one. You really outdid yourself tol. Kudos!

of books and hair

It's almost two in the morning, my hair's reasonably dry, and outside it's raining. It would have been a perfect setting for sleeping my ass off like my roommates. Yet I'm still awake.

Earlier I bought a Haruki Murakami book when I dropped by National Bookstore after going grocery shopping. We decided to have spaghetti for dinner [for the first time in several weeks] so I had to go out and buy the ingredients. Not quite keen on going home yet after that, I went to NBS first to look for this month's issue of T3. Unfortunately, the blasted magazine still isn't out [Ed Geronia, anong petsa na?] so I went looking for interesting books instead.

Now, I've seen some of Murakami's books at another store before and I found my curiosity piqued. Besides, I saw in marie claire that Sam Oh loved his work as well as Neil Gaiman's and I figured if he could rank up there with Gaiman then his work is definitely worth a look at the very least. So I chose one, called The Elephant Vanishes, and even got a 20% discount to my pleasant suprise.

It's a collection of stories rather than a whole novel and I've read but a couple or so. And so far its magic hasn't worked on me yet. Maybe it's my high expectations for it or something, but the stories somehow left me hanging dry. But then again there are still about a dozen I haven't read yet, and maybe I'll find what I'm looking for there. I reckon maybe I should have opted for a novel instead of the rather disjointed stories.

Anywho, the spaghetti was not the only reason I went to the supermarket. Lately my hair's been falling off at a rather alarming rate and I knew I had to do something before I wake up one day with all my beloved hair gone so I went ahead and bought Sunsilk's complete Hair Fall Solution system. Yeah, all three of them. Cost me plenty too. Now, I never was one to make a fuss out of my hair as much as I love it--like hell, I haven't run a comb through it in months--but seeing all those long strands everywhere just sent me to a panic.

I love my hair, I really do. I've never had it this long before, reaching down almost to my waist, and it's actually a childhood dream come true for me since I've wanted long hair as far as I could remember but never had the guts to before [Mama wanted me to keep my hair shoulder-length or shorter]. And it's been left relatively untreated except for a hot oil treatment ages ago and a DIY dye job in which I colored it blue-black but instead it ended up getting lighter rather than darker so now it's brown with a slight reddish tinge. To my relief it didn't get damaged by that bang-up job and I have no plans to do it again anytime soon.

But the point is my hair's pretty important to my well-being that's why I'm going the extra mile to keep it nice and healthy. I could totally understand Say [of PBB season 1] when she cried while getting her long hair cut inside the house even though half the nation thought she was making a big fuss out of nothing. Long hair must never be counted as insignificant since after all, attaining and maintaining it is no easy task.

It took me a pretty long time [read: years and years] to grow it out to this length, and keeping it from getting all tangled up and everything is another story altogether. Though some really go all out with treatments and such, I've so far managed with just shampoo and my fingers and the rare occasion when I feel industrious enough to use a conditioner. My hair's not perfect, mind you, but in the very least it doesn't look like strands of wire and lets me pass off as a normal human being instead of a witch. Just for that it deserves a nice treatment or two, unfortunately I have neither the time nor the money to go to a salon so I settled for the HFS which cost me a pretty penny nevertheless. Oh well. It had better be worth it.

incurable addiction

I admit it. I'm addicted to a lot of stuff--fortunately enough though, none of them drugs. Good food, good music, good stories. In short, the good things in life. I'm a self-confessed hedonist, proud and true.

I love books, always have, ever since I was a kid. From illustrated fairy tales to the ubiquitous Sweet Valley series to Sidney Sheldon and John Grisham and Philipin Margolin to the fantastical works of J. K. Rowling and Anne Rice and Neil Giaman. I am not merely a wide reader. What I am, rather, is a wild reader.

This is not to say though, that i devour every book I lay my hands on. If that had been the case, maybe I would have graduated with honors at every educational level I went through. Sadly enough, textbooks never held my attention for long, save for those literature books which contained the stories which I love so much.

I realize now that it is the fantasy, the intellectual journey I make each time I read, which really got me hooked into reading. Which is why I read mostly fiction, whether they be about made-up people or otherworldly creatures. In a sense, I like the way the authors make me feel stupid with each twist of the plot, and the amazement when at times I manage to predict the outcome of the story. There's nothing quite like the rush a good read gives me. It's the deep satisfaction of knowing I partook in something so great that for a moment or two, I lose all sense of reality and all its complications. Simply wonderful.

And it doesn't hurt either that I sometimes learn from them too. Not mathematical formulas or laws of science, but more importantly, lessons which helped mold me into who I am today. Would I have learned to appreciate my nocturnal nature if not for Lestat and his coven of Beloveds? I was only truly able to grasp the concept of Carpe Diem after reading Paolo Coelho's Veronika Decides To Die. That same book opened my mind to a lot of new things and made me the tolerant confidante to all my friends' predilactions, no matter how unorthodox they may be. And would I be so accepting of people's diverse personalities and various quirks if not the twisted characters the aforementioned authors, most notably Gaiman, introduced to me through their books?

But the most important thing I learned from reading is to believe. Really believe. That anything can happen, as I myself have proven, for reason or reasons which aren't always apparent at the beginning and which only reveal themselves with time. And that it is ultimately our choices that chart the course of our lives, especially if we believe enough to have faith in our own decisions.

wala lang

Mariel Rodriguez is just the cutest thing. I honestly don't know anyone else who could look so darn cute when she's about to cry. Haha. No, I'm no lesbo. I just find her really crazy and cute. She'd make a great Kawaii Girl in Mad Mad Fun.

Anywho, got the results of the pre-board yesterday. Not surprisingly, none of us five passed. But then again, out of the thousand or so who took the exams, only a handful passed. Like, a dozen at most. So I don't feel too bad about it.

BTW, T3 still isn't out in the newsstands. Why is that so? I'm darn impatient to get my grimy paws on the latest issue, not that I have any idea what the gadgets in it are. Whatever. I'm still a gadget freak at heart, there's no denying that. Yeah, even if I can't afford the stuff I'm lusting after. Haha.

tamaritis

So. My weeklong stay at home turned out to be more of a vacation than I originally intended it to be. I honestly did not get any studying done at all. Hell, I never even got the chance to open my noes. What a waste.

gross

It's almost 4 in the morning and here I am still wide awake and doing something completely unmentionable here. Nah, don't get any bright ideas. If you really must know--and I reckon you don't, I just want to really gross you out, haha!--I'm sitting on the great white throne getting rid of my bodily wastes. Sleep always evades me, most especially at night, but add to that an upset stomach and you got yourself a veritable reason for unwilingly pulling an all-nighter. Darn.

To think I'd be travelling back to Manila in a few short hours. I'd probably be dead tired again and sleep on the goddamn bus five minutes into boarding it. Not a good thing at all since the last time it happened I very nearly slept my way through my intended destination. I woke up exactly as the bus was pulling to a stop at the FX terminal. If I'd woken up even just ten seconds later, I would have been on the way to the bus terminal and forced to commute via jeepney with a heavy bag to boot [not that I consider it beneath me to ride a jeep, but I really would prefer to ride an airconditioned FX when I'm hot and sweaty from carrying a heavy bag--I'm sure you would too]. Talk about a close call.

So, back to the present. By this time I'm pretty much, ahem, relieved and currently lying sideways on the bed next to Inay Po and typing away here. I really should be going to sleep now. Hopefully Mister Sandman would be merciful and visit me any moment now. Hope you got as far as here despite being grossed out by the first paragraph. Harhar. Till next time. And a good morning to you too.

kabaklaan.. ahahay!

Sinetch itechiwa?

I heard that last week at the new game show, 1 vs. 100. The phrase just stuck to my mind. In case you've been living in some distant cave or something and don't know what the phrase means, it's Who's this? in gay lingo.

Speaking of gay lingo--geez how redundant is that?--practically everyone I know is using it. You must have read at least one of the spreading text messages of children's songs painstakingly translated to--you guessed it--gay lingo. Honestly. The things people think up of today. Tsk.

Anywho, my week-long vacation is almost over. The refresher would start on Monday so I'm going back to Manila on Sunday. I'm still undecided if I should bring my laptop with me though. On one hand, I'll need it if I don't want to go to computer shops to chat with Franco. On the other, it won't really be of much use other than that. Tsk. Whatever. I guess I'll just decide later.