top of the world

hay... i still have the natural high feeling 'til now. it was quite a long and very memorable weekend for me, having seen the horizon from the peak of gulugod baboy. =)

notes:

never sungkit mangoes using a metal panungkit. while on the jeepney, we saw this poor guy who died on a tree while making sungkit mangoes. turned out he used this metal rod which touched a meralco electric line. we saw the pained face of the dead man. smoke was coming out of his burned body. this is why we named him manong kuryente. God bless manong kuryente's soul.

it was a very good opportunity to explore the world, test your physical capabilities, meet new good friends, bond with acquaintances, be amazed at the beauty of anything - even grasshoppers, twigs, cow poop, goat poop, inclined road, amorseko, grass - anything and everything.

the sun shines and sets everyday but it's very seldom that you capture moments that take your breath away. and you forget everything you've left behind in manila... you forget the past hurts and pains. only joy remains =)

i now realize the value of the modern toilet. sheesh! it's so hard to wiwi IN a malong! the good part is, you get to wiwi anywhere along the damuhan, yeah just like guys! pick a spot! but there's always the danger of being seen by others and being tusok by damo! sus! i love toilets!

it IS windy up there! signal number 4? naaah! more like super bagyo! it's a good thing it didn't rain but there were an awful lot of dewdrops =). is that where they derived the name mountain dew? hehe!

there are a lot of good people even outside your circle of friends, outside your comfort zone. =) it's always nice to meet new people. though it has always been a challenge for me to blend with a new group, it was definitely an easy task for this hike. they made it easy for us bagitos! =) even the hikers you meet along the way wish you a good day.

you can't wash your "paa" when you hike. haha! you'll have to settle in changing whatever CAN be changed in the most convenient way possible.

i fell on my butt 4 times during the descent! haha! it was steep and dry soil's so dulas! no injuries though. maricor had wounds on her wrist. we were shouting for stretcher haha! just for that!

sombrero island was a boat ride away from the foot of the mountain. it was a nice hat-shaped beach with white sand, clean water, fresh air, nice sun to give you a good tan, and a million and one jelly fishes... yaigs panira! sheesh! we had to go back to the other beach (dunno the name). but we had a grand time swimming! yup even if i'll be an abay soon, sige swim! ang itim ko na tuloy! i love the sun and the beach!

mountain climbing is nothing compared to wall climbing. =) it gave me a sense of fulfillment in the ascent, much more in the descent. i'll definitely do it again some time soon! woohoo!

pics later! =)

win's not a kid anymore

since we don't have a maid anymore, we go back to the ritual of leaving the house uninhabited for more than 8 hours while ma, kuya, and i go to work. win goes to school.

worried that win might forget the essentials of unplugging whatever has to be unplugged and locking what has to be locked, i called home.

win: hello.
caths: hello. ano oras ka aalis?
win: mga 12.
caths: o tanggalin mo lahat ng saksak at i-lock mo mga pinto ha.
win: tumawag ka dito para lang sabihin yun?
caths: oo bakit?
win: ano akala mo sakin? tanga?
caths: oo! bwahahaha!

oh well. i shouldn't have called. yup! he's grown up indeed. at 18, i still look at him as a small kid. would you believe i used to dress him up as a girl? haha! yup! i let him wear my ballet dresses and head bands. sheesh... it's good he didn't become a girlaloo.

i also remember, i was the only one who could understand his baby talks when he was still bulol. he would utter a few undecipherable phrases and i would proudly translate it to the rest of the gang hehe. i miss the kid in him. =)

they like my blood

I hope this is not another sleepless night. What can i
do? They like my blood! Darn mosquitoes! If 1 or 2
manage to puslit in my room, ay good luck! Papak na
nmn ako. Take note: AKO lang even if im with a group
of earthlings! I dont know whats in my blood for them
to feast on me! My doc cuz said i probably have a
so-init katawan. Ano ito lagnat 4evr? Pests!



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gulugod baboy, here we come!

yey! it's my first time to do this... to actually mountain-hike! i'm so excited and i just can't hide it! good! my mom gave me her permission na haha! "basta ba mag-eenjoy ka." aw so mushy!

the best i've done was mag stroll sa mga palayan ng lola ko sa mindoro haha! at mamitas ng mga buko sa mga lupaing nakasangla sa kanya (elevated ito, mind you! so parang mountain-hike na rin!). may pa-hop hop pa pag medyo may mga small batis na dadaanan hehe! more like pasyal lang talga!

and there was boot camp, where i (semi) learned how to install a tent - and sleep in it!

quoting from suzy's fact sheet: "one of the mountains of batangas, gulugod baboy is located in the town of anilao, famous for its beach resorts and dive sites. in english, gb translates to "pig spine". the hike is pleasant commanding spectacular 360 deg view of anilao, batangas pier maricaban island, maculot, even mindoro (lola, see me wave!), labo and manabo."

neat, eh! i hope i'll be able to find the necessary gears and attires hehe! 'cause the last time i checked, i wasn't this athletic sporty girl... haha! i was just this payat girl who only knows how to laugh and make fun of just about anything. now my cam could be of good use here! haha! besides a million and one pose sessions...

just widening my gaze, exploring the oh-so-many options the world has to offer, spreading my wings. yahoo!!! let's go hike, guys! =)

manang II is gone

hay... ano ba ito? wala talga kaming swerte sa maid. =(

just yesterday, nag-alsa balutan na si manang II. mom and i were on leave and we were so surprised when we saw manang II gasping for breath and crying... she said may sakit sya, can't breathe and bawal sya mapagod. ay sus! hmmm... she had a one-month advanced salary plus fare from mindoro.

we're trying to figure out why she suddenly had to go. she's been here for only 2 weeks. mom was offering to take her to a hospital, ayaw nya. she kept on insisting she had to go. ang term pa ni manang II, "para akong nauupos na kandila". freaky. as in super madali sya! why? we found out, she's separated from her husband and her husband's trying to win her back. at ginawa nya kaming stepping stone to get here and be together with her philandering and nambubugbog na hubby. and we let her go...

hmmm... parang nagiging shelter kami ng mga broken-hearted maid... hay hay. and we've had enough. fine... back to hugas plato na naman kami. =(

the little things

last monday, we celebrated the supposedly last batch gimmick. it's like a send-away dinner for donna and thyra. we had dinner at outback and watched meet the fockers. oh my! it was so hilarious! movie on a monday night? angas! hehe!

hmm... how could i forget this "old mean man" who made fun of me during dinner when he found out i still have crushes and still cherish little kilig moments. he was parang irritated pa nga, gave me a scorned look, and asked me, "ilang taon ka na?". man, the little things keep people alive and sane! you remove the little fun things and you strip yourself of life and vibrance. remove the kababawan from your system and you'll find yourself trapped in a dark, boring, stiff, time-bound world.

no wonder you look so old... bwahahaha! and mean! bwahaha!

queues suck

Hay.. Queues suck.. Taking my time here queueing at
pagibig office. I have to fix the name discrepancy
theyre claiming they found on my docs.. They said my
surnames CAMAGAO. Geez! Where the heck did that come
from? Is my handwriting that illegible? I guess theyll
process about 20 people before my inquiry. At the rate
we are going, ill be entertained after around 3 hrs?
Hay... Grant me a million and 1 sacks of patience please...



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bangag still

i haven't slept decently for the past hmm... 4 days? duh... what's new? feeling like a zombie here! it has always been... lie down, close eyes, wake up. sigh... ay this is more like it: lie down, blink, wake up hehe! and now, top it all with this dummy annoying teeth ngilo feeling...

i swear! i'm going to sleep all day tomorrow... well, of course after i accomplish my PAG-IBIG stuff (nope, not PAG-IBIG love but PAG-IBIG as in govt PAG-IBIG PAG-IBIG). yey! i'm on a vacation leave! apparently, they have my name mixed up. wrong surname or whatever. i heard they kept on referring to me as "michelle". whatever. you guys wait for me... hehe gerera... i'm cranky today mymymy!

pasta time

i just had my dental examination. the dentist filled in 8 teeth. hmmm... actually, there were no "severe" tooth sira but he noticed that there were slight discoloration in some areas so he suggested that we have those filled just the same. heck... now i feel uncomfortable and slightly ngilo. eeew! i so want to punch my gums to ease the uncomfy feeling. or bite something woody? hehe weird... i didn't feel anything odd before my dental treatment and now i feel so uncomfy! =( nananahimik kse ang ngipin eh pinagalaw pa...

i asked if my wisdom teeth are doing good. he said the one on the right's not going where it's supposed to go... uh-oh... i see an extraction coming my way. when was the last time i had tooth extraction? ages! i was a kiddo back then. a super cry-baby! hehe kinahiya na nga ko ng nanay ko kakangawa ko sa dentist haha! hey i was a kid back then! i have an excuse! hehe!

uncomfy uncomfy uncomfy uncomfy uncomfy uncomfy uncomfy uncomfy uncomfy it makes me feel grumpy grumpy grumpy grumpy grumpy.... arrrggghhh!

pagod...

na naman ako. another one of those i-so-want-to-lie-down-and-fall-asleep-and-just-dream-of-pleasant-things day... videoke aka aerobics session last friday, gift buying and homecoming yesterday, and gown-hunt today. what? asa pa kong tapos na ang araw ko? hep hep! may lcg meeting pa later! huwaaaaaah! i swear... pag pumikit ako ng 5 minutes dito, tulog na ko. syempre oa lang yun... di naman ako nakakatulog nang di nakahiga... hehe!

tomorrow: another day of uncertainty and surprises. i'm getting used to things just popping and "unpopping" my way. my system has learned to adapt into the many wonders of the world. hehe... is that good or bad? i would like to believe it's a good thing. cope with the adventures and misadventures of life... yahooo!

the magic foam...

caths: ok lang po bang tube? di po ba mahuhulog?
tita mananahi: ay hindi. lalagyan natin ng patigas at ng foam.
caths: tita, kapalan nyo po ang foam ha... *pleading hehehe

sheeesssh! of course! fine! there are certainly some bodily handicaps (?) and these should be "endowed" with the magic of illusion... made possible by... ah... ehhh... foam? bwahaha! well, she made it clear that the gown won't fall. fine. tube it is! tube with a lot of foam! bwahahaha! good luck!

road (back) to damascus

last night, i travelled the road back to damascus and attended the st. paul alumni homecoming. my my there are a lot of paulinian mommas and lolas there! there were about 20 girls from my batch and it's nice to see these girls bloom into something wonderful and amazing. i mean, hey! 8 yrs ago, we were these childlike (and childish) HS girls... not a care in the world! and now we're headed into different paths - diverse yet we always look back to the good old days... with noise. yup! hehe reunions are always associated with noise! fun noise... hehe! can we help it if we're fun-loving? and noise-loving? haha!

we left the school 'cause val had this business affair in casino filipino. so we decided to just tambay there while waiting for her to get her stuff done. naks... parang sosyal... tambay sa casino! susme... we each bought 20 P5 tokens lang naman and played (or fooled around) the slot machines... haha! at syempre naubos ang P100 namin. well, josh won P100. the rest of us were losers. hehe... losers...

fun fun fun... =)

Sitting at the backseat of the car...

Funny how ive seen the transformation of the female
characters in the passenger seat. The first has been
this quiet and seemingly reserved lady. And now this
bubbly and cheerful young gal. He certainly has a
fondness on younger chicks huh. Time to get off..




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it is dark and cold in here (literally!)

my my.. another drama post? nah! Why is it dark in my
room? Well, napundi lang naman yung ilaw ko and im
using this violet star lamp kuya gave me last, last
year. Im not really sanay in a dark room. I associate
dark room with sleep. and why is it cold? Well, it has
been so cold for ages! It is not like i have enough
body fat to shield me from the cold no?! Halos makain
ko na petroleum jelly sa lips ko, sus! All windows are
closed, the fan is turned off, and i lie here awake in
the cold darkness, with dreamsounds in my ears (i
repeat, this is not a drama post! Nagtugma lng tlga
words hehe). I cant wait for summer!!!



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my pc is sick

Again? Hay.. Nakakainis! Buti pa ako ang lakas ng
resistance sa sakit.. I cant remember the last time i
got sick. Was that 2 yrs ago? With fever and cough. So
ive been fit as a horse for 2 yrs? Cool! =)



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what to do...

When theres chaos and uncertainty around you. And
youre clueless on whats going to happen in a few weeks
or days or even minutes. I wish the happy tales I SO
OFTEN HEAR will compensate for whats dark and scary..
I wish the smiles i so easily put on my face will pull
the burdensome weight of whats threatening and mind
bending and uncertain. Balance, girl! Yin yang!
Harmony! There.. Hope thats the trick.. =)



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toni and my strawberry blast

Met with tonette after work =) i had this superb
strawberry and cream drink (at a coffee shop? Hehe!
Why the sudden fondness over anything strawberry-ish
or blueberry-ish? Dunno but i really love it!).
Tonette and i really float in the same wavelength. We
could go on for hours just talking and laughing about
anything and everything. It was really nice to hear
her happy tales tonight. It's about time you become
REALLY overwhelmed with glee, girl! About time to fly
and shine and soar =)... Wishing you well =) mwah!
Remember the pointers i gave you ha!




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hmmm... ano kaya yun?

i wonder what's going on... funny why she had to refer to her as "yung babae". she has a name! and it's not like it's all her fault anyway... =) whatever that is, hope you patch things up. i believe in your capabilities... fix things and be happy. everybody has the capability to be in a happy state. it's just a matter of choice and proper mind set. wishing everybody well =)

risk no more

it was a sudden news. i was expecting something like this for quite some time now. but just the same, it was a sad news. ate my told me, "hindi ka ba iiyak? sige umiyak ka na... sabi nila mababaw raw ang luha mo." i was actually surprised that tears didn't fall. under "normal" circumstances, my tears should have fallen just hearing that news. i was teary-eyed, yes... just like she was. but tears didn't fall. maybe because i'll escape from my email collection? haha!

why am i sad? 'cause i've been with this wonderful group of people for almost 3 yrs. and by wonderful, i mean these are people with diverse attitudes and levels of goodness, yet we jive. these are people who helped me start with the "work battle". these are people who shared everything with me - food, tissue, medicine, knowledge, laughters, tears, paper, tips, name it! we've been through it all.

but my task is not to dwell on the dark side too long. life goes on for them all, and so mine should go on as well.

what's next? lexis daw... sheeesh! diba puro unix din dun? so much for escaping from my email collection... now i'll have to face more of those? haha! face the battle once again!

guys, if you're reading this, i thank God that our paths have crossed. it was quite a short moment and i'll never get enough of those... but yes, i realized those are enough... your images and goodness are now etched in my heart... this is all that matters anyway: that i have you here always. i love you, chums! =)

mukha kang happy...

is one of my favorite compliments. it means somehow, you radiate something good from within diba? =) hindi ka naman magmumukhang happy kung hindi ka happy!

i saw yei early this morning at the canteen. it was the first time i saw her after boot camp and i'm really happy to have seen her again. she's someone who's easy to connect with. no effort =).

i remember boot camp was 2 weeks after the "horrible incident" and i probably radiated sadness and pain back then. sadness and pain that i readily shared with a group of people i barely know. it felt great =).

5 months after, mukha na kong happy? that's good. thanks for the compliment =).