friday night and the lights are low

one friday night, jan and i had an awesome dinner at - dig this - "mexican restaurant and cuban bar." how creative could they get in giving a name? we desperately searched for this "romantic" park near niederdorf. not that we have any reason to be in a "romantic" park together, we just wanted to see it. haha.

pics: overlooking the lake and niederdorf. nice lights. nice calm water. you could even see the tram tracks.

sitting on a bench

globus mall near hauptbahnhof. this has been our tambayan for some afternoons. after work, head to the malls, buy dinner at the thai stall in front of globus, sit on an old bench, eat dinner, watch people pass by, talk, laugh, and yes, look at the big globus sign - globus and the clouds.

tamarraw falls

taken last july when we went home to pinas. we visited my dear lola in mindoro. this is tamarraw falls. i have very fond childhood memories as mindoro visits are not complete without going to the falls. cool, clean water, lush surroundings, simple life. looking forward to these when i grow old(er) someday.

pillars and clouds

one fine afternoon, a few months ago - walking from kembangan mrt station to our house. i miss sg mrt. i miss sg. i miss kuya.

yapak

taken in city link, singapore - i saw this poor baby walking without his shoes on! anaps sila. pic is a little blurry so it's not that obvious. daddy has shoes on. poor kid.

battered

tired at work.
traffic.
inching my way to a a place i temporarily call home.
i'm facing the opposite direction of the moving bus and i'm typing on my phone so i feel dizzy...
but i key in the words anyway.

i THINK i'm FEELING sad.
i FEEL i'm only THINKING i'm sad.
i'm hoping it's the latter.

i feel i'm forgotten.
i feel i'm ignored.
i feel i'm taken for granted.
or am i the one forgetting, ignoring, and taking people for granted?
or maybe i'm just being in a selfish mood?
i bet everyone has something crazy to think about.
maybe not crazy at all, but still, something.
my point is, the mind could never be in a vacuum state... maybe.
and my mind is full of crap right now.
i want to rest.

swiso sila

i've been here for more than 2 months now. kung meron man akong napansin, yun ay ang pagmamahal nila sa sariling wika nila. pagmamahal nang sobra. bakit kamo?

• karatula - lahat in swiss german. i don't have a sense of direction. what more if the directions are in swiss german? ayos. mula sa airport paglapag ko hanggang sa mga karatula sa restroom. sila lang ang nakakaintindi.
• kahera - mabibilang ko ang mga ate kaherang marunong mag english. susme, ikaw pa ang masama kung 'di ka makaintindi ng salita nila. si ate sa canteen, simula pa lang ng pag-abot mo ng bibilhin mo, hanggang sa pagkuha nya ng bayad mo at pagbalik ng sukli, walang katigil-tigil ng pagsasalita - in swiss german. hay ate, i wish i could understand you. mas maganda sana ang daldalan natin.
• babasahin - i love books. i was in HB after work, waiting for jan. i saw a bookstore, may-i-enter ako. wow. magazines, books - all in swiss german. i don't love books that much after today. hehe.
• opisina - setting: conference call. ako lang ang pinoy. defects meeting daw. may-i-dial ako. english ang discussion. great! after a few minutes, ayan na umaariba na sila ng salitang lokal nila... 'di ata maipahayag nang maigi ang damdamin sa english. wow may damdamin pala sa defects meeting. "i think we should stay in english" sabi ng peborit kong dev. wow mukang may malasakit sya sakin. thanks, devboy.
• ligaw - this morning, as usual, kandarapa ako paghabol sa 8:09 train ko. si kuya, naliligaw ata, nagtanong sa akin: "nahdfashfa;skdhfvashf;akshdfkashflashvfas?" yan ang intindi kong tanong nya. "i'm sorry, in english, pls?" sabi ko. "oh, do you know the way to school?" ayan nagkaintindihan na kami, matutulungan ko na sya siguro. "sorry, i don't know that" bwahahaha! pinatranslate ko pa e mas ligaw pa ata ako sa kanya. sorry, kuya! beterlaxnektime!
• palengke - lahat ng labels nila, lokal na salita. labels sa mga produkto, pati instructions! susme di ko alam kung ang nabili ko e asin o asukal! mygas! bili kami ng pansit - cooking instructions, no english. susme gamit na gamit ang babelfish! at wag kalimutan, si ate kahera, 'di kami magkakaintindihan pagbabayad dahil di sya nag i-english. hehe

'di ko sila masisisi. magagaling sila in their own ways. 'di naman siguro sukatan ng galing ang pagiging marunong ng english. pero, mahirap lang talagang makipag-usap sa porenjers. in a way, parang 'di ko mafeel na welcome ako coming from another world dahil ang hirap talagang mag communicate. hehehe. yun lang. naikwento ko lang, 'di naman ako naghihinanakit. wow.

healthy eating habits

gumising. to eat or not to eat? 'wag na lang, male-late na ako sa 8:09AM train ko. magbaon ng muffin. kainin sa office.

pagdating sa office. wow, busy. 'di ko na nakain ang muffin ko. nakatiwangwang lang sya sa table ko.

uy, lunch na. wala pang laman ang tyan ko kundi tubig. hmm.

chinese food na lang ang lunch. greasy ito.

stressed ako. kalahati na lang ang kakainin ko. 'di ko na maubos e.

busy. walang meryenda.

uy 7:30 na. kumakalam na sikmura ko. uwian na. ano kayang pagkain sa bahay?

ay ako pala nagluto nung sunday. menudo. hmmm. sarap. totoong pagkain.

dami kong nakain! bundat! hala sige. magpakalaki ka, bilbil. bangungot pwede rin. 9pm na e. malapit na ko matulog.

bukas ulit. ganito. healthy no? :)

pagod

tiring day at work. started "hammering the deals" - as they so fondly say - at 8:30 am, ended at 7:30 pm. there's one task we are so giddily avoiding. i hope i won't do it, but if i had to, what can i do? i'm just an employee.

i feel i'm becoming one of the boys. why not, if i have to be with boys only for the rest of my stay here. i eat like them, i joke like them, i walk like them. sheesh, i miss my guuurls.

why could somebody be asking that question? could it mean, hmmm? paranoid.

if only i could take away somebody's pain and anxieties and worries, i will do it even if i have a bag-full of that right now. i wouldn't mind carrying some more - if only i could ease your burden.

i hope it is not just about "that". at the moment, that's how i see it.

this post is going nowhere. i just want to have a good, long sleep. will be tired tomorrow again.

'sang litrong beer at iba pa

somehow, we managed to gate-crash to the october fest. tagalugin natin, at walang sambitan ng pangalan...

pagpasok pa lang namin sa tent, wow ang saya-saya ng lahat ng tao. malakas ang tugtog, lahat ay may hawak na 1 litrong beer, nagsasayawan. nakita namin ang mga kasama namin sa isang mesa at nakisingit kami. hahaha wala namang naagawan ng upuan, somehow, nagkasya kami.
beer kung beer. maya-maya, sabi nila, kailangan daw tumayo sa bench na inuupuan mo at sumayaw. ayaw ko sana. pinandilatan ako, "you have to stand up!" ok fine. madali akong kausap. tayo kami. indak kami. nariyang muntik mahulog, may mga bastos na mama pero ok naman. ang alam ko lang enjoy ang lahat ng tao dun.

bandang 11pm, may mga bouncer na nagtataboy ng mga tao. hehe. nagkukwentuhan pa kami. ayaw pa naming umuwi so chika chika pa kami sa labas. may mga sumunod pang pangyayaring di na siguro kailangang ikwento dito pero sobrang freaky at unique sya. siguro minsan lang sa buhay ko mangyayari yun hahaha!

ang gusto ko lang naman ay makakita ng october fest, uminom, at magsaya! hmmm, may mga extra pa akong nakuha na hindi ko sana gustong maranasan ko. pero oh well... life's like that. :)

doggies and learnings

as a kid, i was taught that dogs produce the sound "baw-aw-aw!"
at a later stage, i learned that this sound is called barking.
now, i'm 28 years old (some say i'm at my prime).
today, i learned - and actually heard - that people could bark too!
aah, life! you'll never stop learning.
what will i learn tomorrow? that people bite too? hmmm... that would be a sight.
will let you know.

:S

fidgets

:-S

when you're anxious and you know it, clap your hands. clap, clap, clap.

:-S

how would you know what's inside a box if you wouldn't open it?

:-S

when i'm nervous, or occupied with something, or tensed, i find all the darned white head i could find on my scalp.

:-S

i don't like that feeling. neither that one. sheeesh. just stop.

:-S

when i feel i'm alone, sometimes i'm happy. sometimes it devours me - in a nasty way.

:-S

all that talk about it makes me excited, and scared, and all prepped up.

:-S

going to a battle? i find it thrilling - if only i have the armor!

:-S

that's number one on my wish list... and my prayer list... and my hope wish.

:-S

I CAN DO IT! WE CAN DO IT! HE CAN DO IT! SHE CAN DO IT! THEY CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT! GO GO GO!

:-S

a moment like this

a stroll under the trees with falling yellow leaves - autumn!
a walk on sturdy bridges with crystal clear water running underneath
a learning journey on museums
a long ride on the train - with snuggles and all
a solemn moment in a magnificent church
a struggled walk on cobblestones
a soulful rest on an old bench
a breathless moment watching the ice-tipped horizon
a squinting gaze on what's beneath the fog
a bare-foot walk on the grass
a ride on a bicycle
a dip on a lake
a sip of fresh, clear water
a cup of hot choco or coffee or tea
a hearty meal
a dreamy look on jet paths in the clear sky
a nice sun bath
a cautious cross on an old street
a priceless smile on a photograph
a shriek under the drizzles of a fountain
a friendly smile offered to a stranger
a funny feeling of being lost - and eventually getting there
calloused feet and sore muscles, but a gleeful heart

wish you were here

not this time

i am a believer of the goodness in every person's heart.
i am always hopeful.
i am always open to forget any mistake if you show me even just a little nicety.
my favorite line is, "hindi naman siguro".

from now on, though, these crappy sentences don't apply to you.

* title inspired by music playing from jan's room.

entertainment live

buhay na naman ang mga series! i've seen the new episodes of heroes, grey's anatomy, gossip girl. parating na rin daw next week ang desperate housewives. hmmm, hindi ba't teleserye rin ang mga ito kung tutuusin? :)

heroes... disappointed ako kay mohinder. mukang sya ang magkakalat ng lagim sa daigdig. may-i-crawl pa sya sa pader! susme naagnas tuloy. ever cute pa rin si hiro... "i told you not to open the vault!" hehe. kakatuwa.

grey's anatomy... hmm, wala masyadong drama, wala masyadong aksyon. medyo dragging kung tutuusin yung 2-episode premier nila. ewan baka may iba lang akong iniisip nung mga oras na yon. pero ok lang, papanoorin ko pa rin next week.

gossip girl... nahuli ako sa balita. hindi ko alam na 4 episodes na pala. nag marathon tuloy ako nung friday. hehe. kakaaliw pa rin kahit mababaw. hehe.

may 2 bonus pa ako!

sa kawalan ng magagawa ngayon weekend na lumipas, nanood ako ng my super ex gf at enemy at the gates. worth watching naman. tawa ako nang tawa sa super ex, at iyak ako nang iyak sa enemy at the gates. pogi ni jude law. mukang bading daw sabi ni shine. fine. :) hehehe.

la-ba-da-mi-la-ba-ngo

some days ago, i have expressed my disgust in the laundry system in this building. you don't have the liberty to wash your clothes as often as you want because the washing machine is common for all the tenants in the apartment. if you're not lucky, someone is using the machine. if you have the worst of luck, someone leaves his clothes on the machine - FOR HOURS!

yesterday, i felt my dirty clothes were ready to eat me up if i didn't wash them then. i went home early, all energized to do my laundry. i was home at around 6:30, but somebody left his clothes in the machine. the clothes were sitting there for so long! other tenants put his clothes somewhere, like a hamper, just so they could wash their clothes. after they used the machine, they put back his clothes in the machine.

i didn't want to remove his clothes. there were briefs and all! didn't want to touch those... how irresponsible of him. argh.

so to put it short, i wasn't able to wash my dirty laundry. i was waiting by the stairs for the owner of the darned clothes but he didn't come. frustrated and all, i left him a note: "next time pls don't leave your clothes. i've been waiting for hours." and i slept with hopes of waking up early the next day and finding his clothes gone.

it's against the house rules, btw, to remove someone else's clothes. and it's also against the house rules to leave your clothes rotting in the machine for hours. he disobeyed the second, i disobeyed the first when i woke up this morning. using a sandwich bag as hand protector (aka gloves), i removed his clothes, briefs, socks, and all, and put them in a big plastic bag. and with heart full of glee, i washed my clothes - at 7am! so much for having a good relaxing weekend.

here's the laundry area at the basement. the machine at the left is the washing machine, and the one at the right is the drier. the plastic bag on top of the drier is where i put the mystery man's darned clothes. n.b.: sira ang drier so pahirapan din magpatuyo ng damit. how bad could it get? it sucks. this is our terrace. we (with jan, shine) star-gazed here last weekend, stayed up late and watched the stars and talked about religion, science,our dreams, our personalities, movies, and all sorts of topic under the stars (literally :D)


this is the terrace now: with my clothes hanging on a makeshift clothesline. ask me how i made the sampayan. i cut a strong plastic bag into strip, tied them into knots to make them form a long line, and tied them on the rails of the terrace. voila! sampayan! the sun's good and i bet my clothes will dry in a few more hours. unlike in the past weeks - clothes dry in days! because it's too cold and there are no sampayans!!! it's really a pain - no more!


some notes for background:

• the apartment owners provided us with around 10 pcs of hanger.
• we bought additional hangers at 3CHF for 4 pcs!
• there are no sampayans in the houses. there are available sampayans in the basement but don't want to leave my clothes there.
• is it bawal to sampay in the terrace? i have no idea, but i did it just the same. getting desperate here. hahaha! if there's a will there's a way!
  

learning to like...

bahnhofstrasse

is like orchard in singapore. it's an array of shops, shops, and more shops. all shops close at around 6pm though. even on weekends!

one of the narrow shopping streets... and more uphill/downhill eskinitas paved with cobblestones - all adorned with shops. :)

churches
great church interior... this was where we had my first Sunday mass here as well as the Assumption mass.

Church of Our Lady of Lourdes - under renovation. the parish priest is one of the kindest priests i've known... very approachable and friendly.the filipino choir! felt very at home when i saw these filipino speaking people. we heard that the reason they had an english 6:30pm sunday mass was there is a big number of filipino mass goers in this area.

entrace - yiha solo pic
diskuhan
this place is called zic-zac, did not enjoy it that much because music's quite old, cigarette smoke is trapped in the enclosed area, and may mga weird na tao... that probably includes us. was a good dance anyway :)

alak

mabait ang amo ko. wala akong masasabi sa kanya. isa sya sa nagpaparamdam sa aming tatlo dito na kabilang kami sa grupo (susme parang dear charo lang ito). lagi syang nakangiti sa amin at laging handang tumulong sa lahat ng pagkakataon.

kahapon, inimbitahan nya kami sa isang party. waw, parang sosyal, party! hehehe, at wala raw kaming dahilang hindi sumama. dala na rin siguro ng hiya dahil maganda naman ang turing nya sa amin, sumama kami ni janise. si shine, naglaba. hehe. hindi napilit.

bakit may party? tanong ko sa kanya. wala lang, sosyalan lang. susme. sige. sama na kami. pahabol nya, sumama na rin kayo sa korean restawran para sa hapunan bago mag-inuman. sige. para na rin hindi kami maligaw sa sosyalan. nag-aabang pa lang kami ng tren, susme, mamatay-matay na kami sa ka-OPhan ni janise dahil 4 silang lalaki na iba-ibang lahi. makukulit sila. di naman siguro kami ma-OP kung naiintindihan namin yung mga pinagtatawanan nila. ganito ang pangyayari hanggang dinner. may mundo sila, may mundo rin kami ni janise. mahaba ang gabing ito, naisip ko.

pagkatapos ng hapunan, pumunta na kami sa wine bar. waw! d-vino ang pangalan nung bar. at naturalmente, wine daw ang nararapat na inumin dun. ayos. naaalala ko ang pag swirl swirl sa wine glass bago mo ito inumin. napapanood ko ito sa discovery pero 'di ko ginawa. nakakahiya. hahaha! dumarami na ang tao. patuloy sila sa pag-uusap. ayos lang, patuloy rin kaming nag-usap ni jan.

nakakarami na kami ng inom. naka 6 na baso ata kami (6 na bote ng alak, at lahat may parte sa bawat bote). sumuka ako sa banyo. dalawang beses. walangya, matapang din pala ang alak... mistulang juice nga lang naman sya, sabi ni janise. tuwing balik ko ng upuan ko galing suka, hala, ngiting ngiti ako sa kanilang lahat. ganun ako malasing. mayumi, nakangiti lang, mahinhin. hahaha!

maya-maya pa, napansin kong kinakausap na nila kami, at ang daldal na rin namin ni jan. hala, tuwang-tuwa naman kami sa mga usapan. super belong naman kami diba?! feeling close, brushing elbows. haha! mababait naman pala sila. hanggang sa dulo, talagang hindi na kami na-OP. salamat sa alak.

ang beso-beso dito ay beso-beso-beso. hahaha! 3 halik sa pisngi imbis na 2 lang. o diba, hanggang sa beso-beso-beso e kasali kami! bongga! mistulang sosyal! hahaha. nag-enjoy ako. hindi ako nagsisising sumama kami dahil maganda syang pagkakataon na makakilala ng ibang tao, makakilala ng kultura ng ibang lahi, at mapatunayan sa sarili ko na hindi naman pala sila aloof sa mga asyanong tulad ko. yun nga lang, umuwi akong bangag.

kaninang umaga, tinanong ako ng amo ko kung nag enjoy ako. sinabi ko ang totoo. sabi ko nung una, hirap kaming makisali. pero nung huli, masaya na kami. sabi nya, natuwa syang nakihalubilo kami at nakiride sa mga joke nila.

ang alak. bow.

p.s. dito nga pala, parang hindi uso ang pagpapakilala sa mga dayo sa grupo. hindi rin uso ang pag-entertain kagaya sa pinas pag may porenjers, parang todo asikaso tayo diba? sa team pag may bisita, special treatment. dito hindi ganun. parang responsibilidad mong magpakilala sa grupo at responsibilidad mong makibilang sa kanila. yun lang.

ang alak. bow.

happy betdey!

it's my birthday! maraming maraming salamat sa lahat ng bumati at nakaalala sa isang insignificant na nilalang na tulad ko. i needed those lalo't malayo ako sa sibilisasyon ngayon. waw maarte lang.

kagabi, nagkwentuhan kami ni jan hanggang mangawit ang mga panga namin. ewan ko. di lang talga nauubos ang mga kwento namin. hehehe. pagdating mga 12:00 am, birthday ko na! ayan, di ko maintindihan kung paanong naging horror ang moment na to at nagtakbuhan kami pabalik sa kwarto. susme. tama bang maging gabi ng lagim ang birthday ko?!? hahaha great laughs!

who says you can't be happy on your birthday even though you are in a foreign world? as i always say, when you are away from your home and family, everybody in your circle becomes an instant beloved family member :)

here's my surprise birthday party, i feel so honored and blessed because i was joined by my two lovely guests, jan and shine (in pyjamas and all! bongga!)



it was a feast! there was pasta (cooked by shine!), pizza, cake, left-over adobo, apple juice, balloons (pumped [waw] by jan!). what more could i ask for?! and birthday messages from my family and friends. at humahagulgol ako at 2:30AM. :)) horror, drama, comedy ito. susme!

the foody!

the coop picha!

the choclate cake!

the balloons!

it was a grand day! very, very special. oops, weather check: drizzling... wenongayon?! i'm happy!

8 post meridien

view from my window at 8pm. yes, 8pm :) won't probably last long since summer is ending.
they say it'll all be just rain, rain, and more mighty rain. where's the fun there?
i have never been a fan of rain and anything that's wet.
all i want is the nice, warm sunshine... and clear, blue skies! yay

eat bulaga

wow, buhay na naman ang blog ko. kasi naman may mga bago akong kwento. :) masaya diba?

laundry setup: there is one washing machine and one drier per building. syempre kung may naglalaba na, di ka pwede sumingit, so medyo based on luck ang kapalaran ng mga maruruming damit mo - kung lilinis ba sila or hindi sa araw na ito.

swerte ang mga damit ko kagabi. pagkagaling ko sa basement para magdry ng mga damit, aakyat na ako sa 3rd floor nang may makita akong parating na mga anaps. ayaw kong may makasabay paakyat sa 3rd so kumaripas ako ng takbo para lang makaiwas sa tao.

pagdating ko ng 2nd floor, hala akala ko 3rd floor na!!! mega open naman ako ng door ng may door, pasok ako, hala nakita ko sila waaaah! mga anaps na walang tshirt. susme. naglalaptop ang iba, yung iba nakaupo lang, ganyan. nakatingin lang din sila sakin. siguro sa isip-isip nila sang lupalop nanggaling tong babaeng to. hahaha...

oh well, dahan-dahan akong umatras, sinara ko ang pinto nila at kumaripas ulit ng takbo paakyat sa unit namin. ano ba yan. ganun na lang? bulagaan na lang sa bahay ng may bahay? hehehe! the best! sorry mga kuya!

swiss miss

location: zurich, switzerland

ang unang sumagi sa isip ko ay, ang swerte ko naman... kung 'di dahil sa project ko e 'di siguro ako makakarating dito. pero ngayong nandito na ako, parang nakakadalawang-isip. hehehe.

parang nasa tagaytay ako. ganun ang lamig nya - summer ito. maraming nagyoyosi, siguro para uminit ang mga katawan nila. waw. at lalamig pa sa mga araw na darating.

parang laging tanaw ang mga bulubundukin na dating nakikita ko lang sa drawing ng lata ng alpine. susmiyo.

saturday, fresh from my night flight, pumasyal kami sa annual street parade nila. ito yata ang dinadayong event nila. wild sya. maraming tourists na nagkalat sa kalsada, halos hubad na ang iba, karamihan lasing, wala sa sarili, bangag. ganun. party mode ang lahat. na-shock ako.

sunday, pumasyal kami sa ballenburg kasama ang teammate naming si loli at ang jowawa nyang si joachim. they're super kind and accommodating. masaya ang trip. yung ballenburg, bale yung mga lumang structures (bahay, barn, at kung ano pa mang building) dito na i-dedemolish para sa road expansion, nipre-preserve nila at tinatayo ulit sa ballenburg. so naging na syang museum. parang intramuros ganun.

masaya naman ako dahil ok yung bahay namin, ok ang mga kasama kong sina jan at sunshine. ok naman din sa office dahil yung mga dating nakaka-chat ko lang e may mukha na sila ngayon. nasasalubong mo, nakakainteract, nakakajoke-an mo ganun. ok naman so far.

siguro kung merong di ok, ito ay ang pakiramdam na pinagtitinginan ka. ayaw na ayaw ko ang tinitingnan ako. kasalanan ko bang umitim ako, at lumiit? hehehe.

ayaw ko rin na maagang nagsasara ang mga mall. as in mga 6pm, yung iba 8pm. grabe. samantalang sa sg, hala sige mag mall ka hanggang kulaniin na ang singit mo, ok lang.

yun lang. wala lang. hehe.

gula-gulanit

kawawa naman, walang pambili ng pajamas.
nabili ko pa sa baclaran ang pantulog kong itong.
murang-mura, 3 for 100PHP. mantakin mo, 1SGD lang. hay.
presko ito - dahil manipis.
kapag tumapat ako sa araw, kita na ang silhouette ko.
waw. silhouette talaga.
parang mali ang salita.
para kasing pang sexy lang ang silhouette!
so sasabihin kong, "aninag na ang binti ko"
wenongayon yung sira?
masarap pa rin isuot!

what it only means

i don't mind falling badly
it could only mean one thing:
i will stand up gracefully
and be there eventually with Him

losing interest

when someone loses interest in something, it gets bad. it will get bad.
you wake up each morning and you realize you don't look forward to certain things. it will get bad.
when you withdraw from something you really, really like, it will eventually turn out for the best. but initially, it will get bad.
when you see a pattern forming, it sometimes seems to be leading to something dim. it will get bad.
you try to swallow it in any way possible, but you just can't... makes you puke... it will get bad.
you start to sigh - the way you sighed before when things were like hell. it will get bad.
when you find yourself standing still amidst everybody else's pompous jumps, you realize life gets dull. it will get bad.
it makes you beam like elmo before but now, the very sight of it makes you glare. if looks could kill, it will get bad.
when you start concocting these crappy negative thoughts in your brain, you will end up being a crazy witch. oh, it will get bad!

i will not forget

it was mother's day yesterday. the very best i could do was send my mom an sms and call her in the afternoon. it was just a regular chika, like any ordinary weekend where i'd call her and gossip like a teenager.

when i was a little girl, i used to make hand-made niceties for her on mother's day. mostly hand-made cheesy cards. it always made her cry. no matter how cheesy or corny the contents were, the cards never failed to make her cry.

todo effort, i would prepare to make the card in advance and on mother's day, i would shyly give it to her, or probably leave it on a spot where she would easily find it. decors galore! colors, glitters, cut-out papers, hala, sige mistulang art class ito.

i also used to jog with my lolo during mornings. he would urge me to pick flowers so i could give them to mom as a present when i get home. there was also a time when i crafted one of her photos so it would appear 3d. it still stands on our piano, collecting dust, but the lady in the photo is just as pretty. i wish i had her pwetty looks ;) especially the overly tangos nose. yup ako lang ang pango sa amin! haha! fine.

and then i thought today. sms and phone call? is that the best i can do?

i sent her an email. i told her that now that i'm all grown up, i will not forget that she is my mother, I will not forget that i love her, i will not forget all the sacrifices she did for us, i will not forget to thank her each day of my life, I will not forget that I should be a better person each day because that's what she wants me to be - and it's the right way to be!

yup, i'm still cheesy. yup, i know she will still cry when she reads the email. we are licensed to be cheesy when it comes to our moms. if it's for mami, it's not cheesy at all. ;p

paru-paros

i seldom buy hair clips - even if i tie my hair in a half pony tail everyday. i have 2 yellow clamps now and they're starting to break :( time to say goodbye to the yellow clamps :(

saw these cute shokshoks at the grocery earlier today. hehe, mailagay sa punda kong bulaklakin. para lang akong nasa hardin. it's cute!

sa kaitaasan

view from carslberg tower, sentosa. last week was my first time to get
to the tower. cc and maria and i had a great 360-degree view of the
sentosa vicinity from the top of the tower.

I love the wonderful clouds. i love the way the sky seemingly meets
the water. i love the way the white sand peeks from the sea. i love
the richness of the color of the trees.. lush lush! great view :)

anong itsura kapag bangag?

pagkatapos manood ng mini concert, uminom ng kaunti, mahilo sa taxi,
at magsuka dahil nakainom, anong itsura ng isang tao?

i love...

it's your time to shine

if there's one thing i learned today, it's the fact that i have the right to shine on my own sweet time. i can be mad if i wanted to, shout if i opted to, glare if i wished to do so. because the spotlight is on me at this very moment and i am the star! this is my show and that's how i want the script to run. i could probably act like a self-centered, spoiled little girl who's waiting to be babied and pampered and loved and all. nothing new? i'll tell you what's new. it's the reality that you have these rights too and you deserve to be angry too sometimes. and you could be the star too. i will just be the extra when your shining moment comes. oh, i was the extra a few minutes ago. you were a wonderful star! a very cute star! i loved doing the pampering hihi! another thing i learned? there's no return key on this thing. hehe so they are all contained on a single paragraph. eek ugly!

frogging

they sell these poor creatures in shengshiong. yep, they're big, big frogs - leaping and croaking and all. if in pinas, you have to cave into the muddy rice fields to get hold of them, here, you could conveniently sort of "frog" for it from this plastic container and bring it home and cook it.

(ehem, do you frog for frogs the same way you fish for fishes?
would a conversation sound this way:
char1: wacha doin'?
char2: i'm froggin'. you? wacha doin'?
char1: i'm fishin'.
char2: fine.
char1: fine.
waw ganyan talaga mag-usap? ang aarte.)

i don't think i could eat it. one arte expression for it would be: eew.

even if it tastes like chicken, i don't think i can try it.

ok, maybe i will. one of these days. if there's a challenge... and the prize is good. if the prize is this something i have in mind, i'll do it.

excuse the arte-ness. eew.

eew.

pampa

katulad ng ina ko, mahilig akong magpapahid ng kung anu-ano sa katawan ko. hahaha! maka-arte lang ba.

heto't, masdan ang mga bago kong kakikayan.

pampatanggal daw ng peklat ng pimples
libre lang ito sa nabili kong clinique 1-2-3. nagsale kasi, so nagpabili ulit ako kay ahngel. ang cute ng freebies. sinliit ng langgam. hihi. meron akong 2 annoying na peklat ng pimple sa muka, tingnan natin kung eepek itong free na ito hehe.

pampatanggal daw ng wrinkles malapit sa mata

gas, parang ang tanda ko na ah. hehe, talaga namang intensive! susme, sabi parang natatanggal nya ang wrinkles. pero sabi ng titser ko, wala naman daw talagang way na matanggal ang wrinkles. hahaha. ay, libre lang din ito. 'di ko pa nasusubukan. saka na pag matanda na ako. bwahaha, bukas na yun siguro.

pampabango daw ng katawan
ayan, gaya-gaya lang ako, minsan kasi, naamoy ko si jan mabango ang pabango nya. pakopya lang ng amoy hehe. mabango sya pramis! tamang-tama nag-aya si kuya bumili ng pabango sa mustaps kahapon. i like!

pampabawas daw ng dryness ng hairs (waw plural talaga!)
2 linggo na siguro ako twice nagsha-shampoo ng buhok. isa sa umaga, isa sa gabi. di ko alam kung bakit. sa saliksik ko, masama pala ito dahil ang shampoo ay parang detergent na panglaba or panghugas ng plato. maaaring tinatanggal nya ang dumi ng buhok, ngunit it also strips off the natural oil of the hair. waw. since di ko maiwasang maligo sa gabi, sabi ng internet, pwede raw ihalo ang 1 tbsp ng baking soda sa 1 cup warm water as replacement sa shampoo. mild ito compared sa shampoo. sa gabi, baking soda, sa umaga shampoo. subukan natin. :) ito ang favorite kong item sa mga nipost ko today :)

awww i miss my mami, my kikay buddy.

on disappointment

why do people get disappointed?

maybe they expect too much and when they don't get what they are hoping for, it gets sour.

maybe they do not expect too much, but they hope that, at the very least, something they deserve will happen. and others may be just too insensitive to give what people rightfully deserve.

maybe they just choose to shut up when they get hurt because they don't want others to act in a certain way - just because they were told to do so. maybe they believe that people who are people do things the right way based on their judgment, and not because they are scolded.

maybe because they are promised of something good and the promise just rots and resurrects, then rots and resurrects again, and rots some more and resurrects again and again... and sometimes it just gets too tiring. promises aren't supposed to behave this way. it's a shame.

maybe because there is just a thing called difference among people, and some differences could never be settled. never. and the thing called acceptance will never be applicable. difference will not cease to exist. it just won't. i feel sorry that it's true.

some things are meant to be simple. i like simple things. but some things remain too complicated for the rest of your life. hehehe. i am disappointed.

reconstructs damaged hair in 1 minute

look what i found lying on the fertile land of watson's...

i hope this will remedy my dry hair. it says "reconstructs damaged hair in 1 minute". wow ambisyosa. hehe.

it's a good buy. it's on sale at $6. usual price is $10++. i will try it tomorrow morning and if it's worthy of my shrieks of joy, i'll hoard. if i can't hoard, i'll panic buy. duh.

i am a stage sis

congratulations to my baby brother, Engineer Erwin Dexter Aldaba Camacho!

we are so proud of you and we love you!

the sleepless nights of studying are over... 30 minutes, is that considered sleepless? ;)

the long walks in recto searching for a book-binding shop are just specks of good memories now... and i'll gladly walk the long mile with you again if i had to.

the callouses you got from writing your unreasonably long reports are mere evidences of your hard work... and they're just callouses!

i called him at 9:00 am today, i asked for the results, "kumusta?" he said, "hulaan mo". that was the sweetest phrase i heard today. :)

sa tuwa ni ate, nagpakain ako ng simple breakfast sa office. susmiyo stage sister lang ito.

life is good! blessings are in abundance! indeed, i could not ask for more. :)

here, marvel at the name of my baby brother... the baby is now an engineer bwahahaha!

please be careful of my heart (halu-halo)

dahil medyo bad trip ako kanina, dinaan ko na lang sa chibog ang init ng ulo ko. at dahil 'di ako pwedeng kumain ng masasarap na pagkain, healthy pa rin pero nag pig-out ako. oink oink. bwahaha! no pictures... bad trip ako e.

what's for dinner?

1/2 cup of oatmeal in milk, milo, and honey
1/2 cup lang dahil parang nauumay ako sa 1 cup

1 slice of bread
i realized sa isang buong araw, i consume 4++ slices: 2 for breakfast, 2 for merienda, 1++ for dinner

1/2 can of ayam salmon with mayo
hmm, nung nakita ko sya sa grocery, attractive sya. it's a different story when i tasted it. lasa syang tinapa. ewan, di ko type.

a bunch of grapes
yep, leftover from last week's kilo pa ito. don't worry, firm pa sila, masarap pa rin. maganda ang grapes na ito. and umm, this is the last batch yay! i'll miss ya grapey!

orange juice with milk
eeew ba? masarap sya promise :) 50% orange juice, 50% milk. try mo. hehe!

good luck tummy! :)

pissed

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! IT WAS TIRING! WHOEVER SAID WOMEN DON'T HAVE SENSE OF DIRECTION?!? SO WRONG!

I'M SO EXPLODING RIGHT NOW!

pasensya na if it seemed that i threw it all on you. it was not my intention.

it's just that i'm so PISSED. BIG TIME.

i'm ok now.

thanks for listening.

i'm ok now.

kakain na lang ako ng oatmeal. at ubas. at tuna. sheesh.

my lolo taught me how to read

i love to read. although i'm not a mad book collector, i own a few worth-keeping books (according to my standards, that is), and when i read them, i let my soul, not just my eyes, wander through the pages.

i don't like neat books. i don't actually care for my books. or let me put it this way, i am not an oc when it comes to my books. the best i could do is cover them with plastic wrap - at least the ones left back at home - and then proceed to reading them like crazy. i fold the corners of the pages instead of using bookmarks. i don't mind having fold marks at the sides of the book. i believe the more i physically abuse my book, the more it serves its purpose. hehehe. a book is not a book if it is neat and shining and new. wear-and-tear is an evidence that it was read page by page.

reading a borrowed book is another story. of course, i won't abuse borrowed books hahaha!

reading. it brings me back to how and when i learned to read. i was 4 (or almost 4 maybe) years old. i have very vivid memories of my lolo sitting with me, with a paper and a pencil, drawing symbols which later on evolved to letters.

letters, as my lolo said, when put alongside with other letters, form words. you'll just have to put the sounds together too. i think i remember the first word was "cat". and the rest was history.

as a 3rd grader, i loved reading nancy drew and hardy boys books. fiction books were not necessities at our home that time, so the library was a haven for me.

during 4th grade to early high school, i felt i grew up with the sweet valley twins, high, and university girls. francine pascal always started describing how identical the twins looked, and then will follow with the line "but that's where the similarities end". hehe.

and there were the sweet dreams books. hahaha! light kissing scenes were the ultimate kilig moments!

and then from college up to present, i appreciate various authors. i especially like coelho and grisham today, but i don't have my own preference. if a review says this book is good, i read it. if someone recommends it, i read it.

what's a perfect setting? hmmm, probably by the beach! on a hammock! reading a good book. :)

again, it all comes back to thanking my lolo - for teaching me how to read. :) yey!

please be careful with my heart (oats, tuna, fruits)

what's for dinner?

oatmeal, a can of tuna, and apple and grapes with honey and milk

getting more difficult to swallow for the past nights... but i'm striving hehehe :)

please be careful with my heart (oats and grapes)

what's for dinner?

a cup of oatmeal, as usual...

and a bunch of grapes...
what's left of the grapes? tangkay...

want to hear a grape story? hahaha. lunch time: janise, marco, and i are strolling along the country roads of suntec. waw naman. we saw these grapes at sale for only $3.50 a kilo. kung ano lang ang maisipan, hala sige bili ng tig-iisang kilo.

aanhin ko naman ang isang kilong ubas? ewan ko. dinner ng isang linggo? bwahahaha!

online

susmaryosep. everything is done online. online banking, online tax filing, online dating, online pets, online orders, online reservation, online booking, online voting. name it, the "online" technology can make it happen.

have you ever heard of online inuman? astig! hahaha! or pathetic? haha!

friday night, all alone, with ice-cold beer in the freezer, a can of pringles...


susmiyo, sige complete with online videoke! ang kainuman ko ay si janise over ym! mygas! nice no? :) may cheers pa kami!

* kuya said sol tastes good. i say it tastes just as bad as any other beer. good thing there's pringles to ward off the unpleasant taste.

please be careful with my heart (atay on a friday)

what's for dinner?

i am alone on a friday night. no dinner/night-out with friends or kuya.

i walked out of the office after a rather loaded week. janise and i bought liver (and some other stuff) from carrefour. yes, i am a copy cat, it's a friday, and i would love to have what janise is having tonight - liver steak.


is it a heart-friendly meal? i have no idea but what the heck... it's a friday! and i miss my momma's liver steak!

please be careful with my heart (crap)

what's for dinner? crap. consider it a break from the healthy pact hehehe. ang bilis. not that i craved for junk food, it's just that we still have pata in the freezer and we hate to see it rot to death.

so cook it kung cook it. fine. period.

crispy pata crap...

paksiw na pata crap...

crap? yes, but it sure is one yummy piece of crap.

next week, no more junk food. i promise.

please be careful with my heart (wheat bread, tuna, banana)

what's for dinner? a slice of wheat bread, a can of tuna, and one banana. not so yummy, but my heart says yumyum. hahaha! i obey to my heart's desires. bwahaha!

please be careful with my heart (berries and oats)

what's for dinner? oatmeal and strawberries :) sounds like comfort food to me - and it tastes even better. :)

this is a cup of oatmeal with a tablespoon of milo and honey. i heard oatmeal can do wonders to the cholesterol level of the body... and so i try!

and what's left of the bunch of strawberries? looks heavenly still. luscious!

i love strawberries!

please be careful with my heart (prelude)

here's an attempt to make a series of posts on how i try to take care of my heart. hanep.

lately, i feel that my heart seems to skip another beat. ayos.

there is also a slight difficulty to breathe, like there's something heavy on my chest. wushu.

at rare occasions, i stay up awake, ever conscious of how my heart seems to palpitate. weeh.

my nape! omygas! it hurts sometimes! wow.

and i'm not joking. and there's a vision that my heart is engulfed by this massive block of gooey fat. and of course from all the fatty food i take. and i love fat! and i may have taken the thought for granted, but i do abuse my buddy body. and shucks. and now i feel the age drenching my body. oh, and did i mention i have no, if not little, form of exercise for the past few months?

i'm dead soon if i continue doing this vicious crap.

together with kuya, i now try to eat a healthy diet, especially for dinner. we started the venture last night... nawa'y hindi ito ningas kugon ;) hari-nawa! i call it the please be careful with my heart series. waw. ta-ta!

time heals all wounds

nagsimula ang lahat kagabi, masaya akong pauwi dahil natapos na naman ang lunes. :) iniisip ko pa kung anong lulutuin ko, kung anong gagawin ko sa gabing yon.

nasa mrt na ako. bahagyang siksikan at standing ovation ang drama ko. nakatingin ako sa sandals ni ate local dahil, gash, pareho kami ng sandals. halos ngitian ko sya at sabihing, "hi, we have the same pair of sandals". wow friendly. pero hindi ako friendly, kaya nilunok ko na lang ang katuwaan ko.

may kakwentuhan si ate. masaya silang nag-uusap. maya-maya, lumipat sila sa gilid ko. si ate, kanina pang pagewang-gewang kasi hindi sya nakahawak. nakatalikod sya sa gawing kaliwa ko.

napatingin ako sa bintana, "uy, umuulan" naisip ko. biglang nag-accelerate si mrt. nawalan ng balance si ate. napa-atras, ARAY! ilang segundo ang lumipas bago ko na-realize kung anong nangyari: na halos natadyakan nya ang paa ko! "ouch!" sabi kong malakas. waw sosyal. ouch daw.

'di ako makaisip. gusto ko nang umiyak sa sakit. may dugo na nag-ooze. clueless sya, pero siguro nafeel nyang may laman syang natapakan. humarap sakin, sabay sabi with a long and lasting smile, "did i step on your foot?"

ang cute nya. mahinhin. pero gusto ko syang sabunutan sa mga pagkakataong yun. nevertheless, i smiled back, "yes, it's bleeding."

she was extremely sorry naman. parang gusto na nga nyang kainin sya ng lupa sa kahihiyan. napatawad ko na sya. pero masakit ang ginawa nya sa akin. hanggang ngayon, dama ko pa ang kirot. waw.

so, ano kayang itsura kapag natakong kang so violently?
waah, i just did my toe nails! gusto ko pa naman ang kulay, tan!
pasensya puro gore! hahaha morbid.

ganyan lang ang buhay, kung hindi ka dinadamba ng aso, natatakong ka lang. hahaha! ang saya diba!

ang lumipas na Holy Week

being away from home makes some things seem different. i didn't feel the holy week coming because the holy week here is just one of those ordinary weeks. more than anything else, everybody here was excited with the good friday holiday. we get a day off. good? yes.

abstain? i didn't abstain from meat, at the very least. made me feel guilty. whatever happened to the good old high school days when meals would consist of fish and mongo during fridays? whatever happened? i guess i just didn't put in as much effort. why, because nobody was watching? :( guilty, no abstinence in any form for me during the lenten season.

last march 16, jan and i attended a recollection c/o lingkod. i wasn't hesitant. i grabbed the opportunity because i know i badly need some good time with Him. we got lost on our way to the venue. it was a very funny moment. very funny, very weird, very everything-i-can-think-of.

getting there was the best part. i was embraced by kind people, good music, yummy food, wonderful talks, and the quiet time i was yearning for. everything was so magnificent i felt i didn't deserve any of it, and yet He made me a part of it.

the same circle of people invited us to be part of the visita iglesia and stations of the cross last maundy thursday (i miss my mom and our own way of visita iglesia). pics of some of the churches:

Church of St. Bernadette

St.Theresa Church

Our Lady of Lourdes Church

good friday came and as a very faint effort to abstain, we had sardines for lunch and another round of fish for dinner. it was kind of ironic pa rin kasi, kinagabihan, kuya and i did our solid meat groceries for saturday and sunday. haha. susme, tipak tipak na baboy ito. haha.

saturday was spent in silence at home.

we heard filipino mass for easter sunday. it was overwhelming to see a good number of filipinos. it was also nostalgic to hear the songs in filipino. wow, touching talga. i missed the filipino songs. :) and of course, the mass was said in filipino, including sermon! a hundred rounds of applause for the vietnamese parish priest for effort. ;) very great!

that concludes the holy week that passed by in such a haste. medyo kulang... kulang ako sa effort! haha. i therefore conclude, kulang talaga ako sa effort. argh.

lobo

i have been attacked by a dog. susme aatakihin ako sa puso. i was walking from our place to a nearby grocery. may 2 aso. yung isa, nasa loob ng gate while the other was outside. they seem to be talking, chika-chika ganyan.

paglampas ko sa kanila, the one outside the gate ran towards me. ay sus! ina-attack nya ako! i was so afraid! akala ko kakainin nya na ako! waaah!

i recalled that if a dog attacked you, stand still. himalang nakapag-isip pa ko ng mga panahong iyon. ok, i stood still. he stopped too... only, dinamba nya ako! waah! niyakap nya ako at kasing tangkad ko sya when he stood up. susme ang higpit ng yakap ni doggie! waaah! takot na takot ako! di ako makapiglas!

konting lakad ko, susunod sya at yayakapin nya ulit ako. i was waiting for a big juicy bite any minute, but it didn't come. mukang he just wanted to play and hug me... pero naman! that is not the way to play! ang dog na yon ay stranger, at sinlaki ng lobo! waaah! di man lang ako niwarm up ni doggie! damba agad waah!

so i wailed like a crazy girl, "noooo! waaah!" but no rescue came. this game played on for about 15 minutes. susme. i saw a cab passed by but maybe the driver thought i was just playing with the dog. waaah!

di ko alam kung anong nakita ni doggie at nagtatakbo sya palayo. waaaah! nanakit ang ulo ko. akala ko aatakihin ako sa puso. i swear. waaaah!

i took a different route pauwi, nanginginig, bitbit ang groceries ko, amoy aso, mamasa-masa ang pants dahil basa ang paws ni doggie. wawa ako. ako at ang lobo.

heto ang muka nya, beware... nangdadamba sya. (hindi sya yan, kamuka lang. nahanap ko lang sa internet yan)