last thoughts for the year 2007

So. My last post for the year 2007. And what have I got to say?

First of all, a big THANKS to the One Above for such a fruitful year. I graduated despite my misgivings, passed the Board without a lot of effort [compared to my peers], vacationed in HK without adult supervision, got my own set of wheels. I'd be a big hypocrite not to acknowledge it otherwise.

And of course, the other more important things like having my family and friends with me. And finding Patrisha, apparently my long lost sister--we're so much alike, it's uncanny. Not to mention my long distance love affair with the the best guy in the world, Franco. Just how lucky can a girl get, all gloating aside?

But of course, it's not all roses and happy times. There were bad times too, though I've put most of them behind me now. Somehow, through it all, I managed to forget the mistakes and just remember the lesson learned from it.

And... Fuck. I want to laugh at myself right now. And I guess I should, for old times' sake. I'm so friggin' positive now I'm on the verge of an identity crisis. Part of me relishes the freedom from the angst yet another part never wants to let go of the negativity. I'm torn.

Hopefully, I'll start the new year intact, whole. Though I now have less than 24 hours to resolve my inner conflicts, I'm determined to choose one side and stick with it. And maybe, just maybe, face 2008 a better person than I am right now at 2007.

out of my comfort zone

Well, well, well. Who would have thought? The very same Nathalie Joy M. Atienza of the black-shirt-jeans-and-Chucks combo who before wouldn't be caught dead using anything that could be tagged as girly is currently in love with her black leather handbag and matching wristlet/clutch [each from a different brand though]. Wonderfully absurd.

And I'm totally loving it. Even as a kid I loved to play dress up, but only confined my adventurous outfits to the four corners of the bedroom. It's just like that now, although on a more subdued scale, and I wear them in public. Not that I'm aspiring to be the next Tessa Prieto. Thanks, but no thanks--über colorful stuff never really were my style. But I'd like to think that at this point I'm already breaking away from my own wardrobe rut and venturing out of my comfort zone in terms of clothing and accessories.

So what if I have imperfect muscular legs? That doesn't stop me from wearing skirts and shorts. And my ginger-like toes? I display them proudly in my new Havaianas--there's really nothing anyone could do about their genes, so to hell with it. And yeah, I'm not stuck to black shirts anymore. I'm proud to say I now don white and colored shirts--however, pink is still taboo. Some things would never change. Haha.

But back to the bags. I'm so loving that bag I bought in eBay. In fact, I use it practically everytime I go out--to class, to the mall, to special occasions like our oath-taking ceremony. It's feminine, yes. It's a handbag, what would you expect? But at the same time it's edgy. Black leather and metal, anyone?

And that wristlet/clutch I got earlier on sale at Girbaud. Wanna know a secret? I never would have bought it at regular price. Haha. Truth is I just saw it yesterday and fell in love with it [and it's price] so I took a deep breath, scrounged up the last of my money and returned earlier today to buy it. I am literally broke right now, thanks to that. But no matter. I'll survive. I always do.

Just roll with the punches, baby. Ha!

Franco and friends

Got not one but two pleasant suprises today in the form of Franco and his friend Patchi. I went online just to check my email and Friendster, surf a bit and maybe find a little something for myself on eBay. Since Franco would be working [on Christmas day no less, what an guy] I wasn't expecting to chat with him.

However, what I totally didn't expect was the nice conversation I had with Patchi. I was pleasantly suprised when he greeted me a merry Christmas on YM since we aren't exactly that close. From there we got to talk a bit about Christmas and family and stuff like that. I didn't really expect him to open up so quickly but just the same I'm glad I got along well with one of Franco's friends.

The other more pleasant suprise was Franco himself. He went online just as I was about to leave. Obviously he just got home from work. It's really sweet that he still took the time to chat even if he's really wiped out from work, has a headache and is on the verge of being sick. Awww. I really love that guy. Too bad he still has work today. I really hope he does feel better in the morning.

Still on the subject of Franco's friends, I saw Kiko [one of his high school barkadas] at Starbucks. Zar, a former classmate, was with him as well as a couple of guys I don't recognize. I didn't even know they were friends. But then again, I never really knew either of them that well in the first place. Oh well.

not having a broadband connection sure sucks

I never got to post my Christmas wish list. Tsk. Oh well. There's always next Christmas.

Christmas blues

So. A very merry Christmas to you too.

It's almost 2 o'clock of Christmas morn, my tummy sorta hurts from gorging on a humongous slice of chocolate Sansrival [which I couldn't finish anyway] and I'm the only one still awake in the house. Simply fantabulous. Except for that cake which I bought especially for the occasion, there really seems to be nothing else that would indicate that this is a special day.

Maybe they're right when they say that Christmas is for the children. I remember I used to be so thrilled whenever it's Christmastime, a feeling which gradually diminished with each passing of the year. This is probably the fourth or fifth Christmas I've questioned why that is so. And no, I still don't have any answer this year.

Maybe I've become too jaded, too much of a cynic, my mind cluttered up with useless ideals and unreachable expectations of what Christmas really should be. I don't know. All I know is somewhere in the passage of time, the magic of Christmas faded away. Sad. But it's something I couldn't deny.

update lang [as if me nag-aabang nga]

After being relatively quiet online for more than a week now, I must say it's high time I updated this journal. Not that anyone really reads my bitchings here, but I just want to update it just the same. But enough of the crap.

Right now I'm enrolled at ABCC for AutoCAD I. We started last Monday. So far I'm doing good and still a step or two ahead of most of my classmates, all bragging aside. Which reminds me, three people I know are also in my class: KJ, Diola and Jobet. Small world indeed.

Anywho, it was street foods galore for me after class earlier. I bought and ate isaw and calamares from the stalls near the plaza. There's something to be said about them being unhealthy and all, but what the heck, they taste so damn good! In fact, I see a possible afternoon habit forming. Haha.

Ooh, and yeah. My car now has a name: Mutya. Don't even bother asking me where I got the name since I'm not even sure myself. But it sounds just right and so it's stuck.

And speaking of the car, I've also gotten it a personalized sticker at the back. Big suprise, it reads blackshirt13 with a figure of Lust [my fave female animé character] in between the words. Special thanks to Yelic for the design--man, you're super!

So what else have I got to say? Yeah, seems the blowout season has ended with Raymond's bash last Sunday. But Nhoey said he might still have a blowout party next year, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Hmmm... Seems I've run out of things to say. Might as well call it a night. Morning rather, since it's already past 1:00 am. Whatever. And yeah, sweet dreams to you too.

back to the Philippines

Back to reality. Tsk.

Hong Kong was GREAT! I had so much fun. Four days are definitely not enough to enjoy everything it has to offer. Wish I could go back again. Haha.

Will be posting our trip pix later.

I LOVE Hong Kong!

name schname

Had all my nails painted black once again. Unfortunately, two are already chipped. Tsk. At least, it's only the tips, nothing I can't fix by myself.

Anywho, we had the car blessed earlier. Christened, you could say, although I have yet to settle on what to call it. Haha. Both my cousins gave their cars names so out of tradition I'm gonna name mine too--I just don't know what, at least not yet.

I definitely don't want to name it after its color--Ate Eds already did it, naming her car Pula. Besides which, that is just too unimaginative [sorry Ate Eds]. Haha. I'm thinking Blackshirt after my online persona, but it's quite a mouthful and reducing it to its initials BS could have people misinterpret it as BullShit instead of BlackShirt. Not exactly a very good thing. So I'm stuck. Help anyone?

ooh...

So. I now have a car I can truly call my own. Like, the deed of sale is in my name even though it wasn't entirely my money that was paid for it--my parents chipped in a considerable amount, big suprise. But it still is mine, no questions asked.

All in all, it doesn't look too bad. In fact, its looks belie its weaknesses. For one, it's not fully powered. Steering on tight spots is literally a painful affair since the steering wheel seems to be an arm exercising machine disguised as a steering wheel--I had an easier time steering the jeep before, no kidding. Oh, and the window has to be rolled down too. And the condensed moisture on the headlamps dims the light--kinda dangerous for nighttime driving.

But it's not all bad. One thing that really earned my kudos is the air conditioning system--it chilled the inside of the car even at the lowest setting. On full blast, it was like having an electric fan blowing Arctic air at you. Simply glorious. And the sound system--though not exactly top of the line--is still working. In fact, I was able to use my iPod with a casette adapter on the first try. That's good enough for me for the moment.

Ooh, and yeah, it's not a gasoline guzzler. Big big plus, especially since I don't have the moolah to juice it up every other day. I drove around a lot today, but the fuel gauge didn't show any significant decrease whatsoever.

Okay, so my new [old] car is a bag of mixed blessings. But it's still a blessing nevertheless. So I'm just gonna thank God for it and take it as my own and take good care of it.