twilight and mist

Music: James Horner
Lyrics: Brock Walsh

As evening fell, a maiden stood
At the edge of a wood.
In her hands lay the reins
Of a stallion.
And ne'er I'd seen a girl as fair,
Heard a gentler voice anywhere.
Whispered, "Alas..."
She belonged, belonged to another.
Another forever.
Yes, she belonged to the twilight and mist.

http://www.angelfire.com/il2/sjsquared/twilightandmist.html

i so love this piece from legends of the fall. the lines of the song (yung iba tama, yung iba sounds like lang hehe) just popped into my head this morning.

i love legends of the fall! hindi dahil yummy si brad pitt (at ang puwitan nya). kundi dahil super effective ni papa anthony hopkins. he's so galing. :) lalo na nung na-stroke na sya. sobrang heart-breaking yung scenes na hindi na sya makasalita at may-i-write-sa-chalkboard na lang ang communication nila. hanep. galing.

while others don't like the morbid may-i-take-my-brother's-heart-and-keep-it scenes, i love it. i love how the everly-habang-hair, landicious girl captured the hearts of 3 the brothers.

tristan (brad) is the second son of anthony hopkins and he was everybody's favorite despite being the prodigal son. i love this line, or something like this from the eldest son: "i obeyed all laws; man's and God's. i obeyed them all, but they all loved you more, tristan" may hinagpis. i lab it! i so love it i have to see it again!

remembering the good old friends

27th, spent time with my college buddies, riche, ecel, and mauie. we had a simple teriyaki boy dinner, pictorials in salcedo park (?), and a round of drinks in riche's place. too bad baby z wasn't around when we spent the night there. great to see you, girls! you look gorgeous! absent si liza :(

28th, met maricor for dinner at sentro (with the overly asim yummy sinigang and gg in olive oil and garlic). wow, maricor was blooming! with the skirt and the high heels. ako'y unano :) hihihi. we had hot choco at cafe bretton and scouted the new gb5 (may pictures pa! o diba!). good laughter. missed ya!

30th, after shopping for media noche goodies, kuya and wawin dropped me off tonette's place. i brought coffee and we had great fun just laughing and being silly and talking light. as much as i want her to be my sis-in-law, hmm... will just have to wait and see :) thanks for sharing a late night laugh!

more pics here :)

remembering tarlac [dec 23-25]

fresh from bohol, salt water and all, we headed straight to tarlac to spend the christmas with tito danny. we did some last minute shopping at moa and arrived at tito danny's crib at around 12 midnight. what a house... it was huge... and scary... maybe because of the dim lights? maybe because it's an old house?

tito danny welcomed us with open arms. also, the christmas lights in the garden were all blazing with joy. thanks, tito danny for the warm greetings! and the warm food awaiting us. yummy paksiw na bangus, paksiw na baboy. yummy food at 2am!

the next day, we prepared for the noche buena and the 9pm mass - which was said in kapampangan. hihihi. i learned from sonny (house mate) that only the evening sunday mass is said in english. the rest is in kapampangan :) interesting. this is the first time we heard mass as a complete family. it feels odd having a "dad" figure around. odd but warm, odd but good, odd but great actually! :)

25th felt a lot like christmas because there were children every now and then asking for aguinaldo from tito danny. there were lots of food on the table. aha, but one thing i noted, there was no christmas tree inside the house. yahuh, no christmas tree but tons of christmas lights outside :) and kwitis!

we headed back home on the evening of 25th it was a weird way spending christmas night. baybayin ang nlex. hahaha! it was a good christmas season - spent with the new family member, tito danny. :)

more pics here :)

remembering bohol [dec 21-23]

we just got lucky we made it to the 9:15am flight. we arrived at the airport at around 8am, hehe so much for being prompt! we were allowed to board anyway, but the dad and son pair who got there a few minutes after us were not allowed to do so... so sad and sorry for them :(

we landed on tagbilaran airport and we were welcomed by the van driver who was the tour guide at the same time. :)

first stop was loboc river for the sort of lunch cruise. lunch was not that exceptional but we were hungry and it was good food just the same. notable sights in the loboc river lunch cruise: green but clean water, lush and rich trees surrounding both sides of the river, acrobatic children diving from trees, energetic children's choir, and just the relaxing atmosphere... everything's worth a spot in my memory :)

we also visited the usual tourist attractions: blood compact site, haven of tarsiers, a giant python's nest (where we actually went inside the cage and touched the python for good luck), souvenirs shop, the old church (name?), and of course - chocolate hills, which was not so chocolate-y at that time... more of green... errr grass hills then? :)

and then it was check-in time. paragayo resort wasn't located in the beach front, which was also good because it has an extremely peaceful atmosphere. not a 5-star ambience but it has a garden/gazebo as the main attraction and it is here where we met some interesting characters.

trevor - is the canadian guy who was travelling alone. i am inspired to someday travel all by myself. wouldn't it be great and adventurous?! trevor is pretty talkative for a guy. hehehe. he's a nice guy. we had some interesting conversation with him.

tita nenette and abbie and shobe - mom and daughters tandem who, like us, are relaxing in bohol. they come from cebu. tita nenette is a funny, interesting lady. she has the gift of healing and umm, she sells beauty products which are her own formulations from the jungles of basilan (no joke!). :) we tried her body scrub and toner and moisturizer... and the products seem good. might actuallly get a 2nd set! she calls her products ascend in honor of the ascension of the blessed virgin mary. how can you not try such a product? :) plus they seem to be good-hearted people.

kuya wasn't impressed with the short beach front. but for me, i get excited with any body of water hahaha! so beach it is at, yes, 1:30pm after lunch on the 2nd day. me = negrita. as always. the sand was white, not as fine as boracay or puerto though. good beach :) and there were sea creatures even in shallow water! how neat!

it was my first time to see a starfish. wawin and i brought it to shore but the lifeguard barked at us to bring it back to the water. ok, ok, i'm sorry starfish! i am a good creature and i didn't intend to kill you... awww so sorry.

and on the third day, we had to fly back home. flight was delayed for 2.5 hours because of bad weather. all in all, the overpriced (hmmm, bad agent!) trip was good (nothing is so special about the food though). it was a great time spent with ma, kuya, and wawin. :) i lab it!

more pics here :)

no cinderella

on my way home yesterday at dhoby ghaut mrt station

i was going up the concrete stairs

my right shoe got stuck on one of the steps

and my right foot was bare when it landed on its next step

my my... almost lost my balance there!

i stepped back to get the shoe but it didn't come off right away

well, it did after some time

hahaha! so embarrassing!

darned shoe, it's a wonder how it got stuck in the first place

hey, my name's not cinderella

my name is caths :)

ang paang sumabit... tsk tsk kahiya-hiya

home and tears

20th of december, we landed on manila. after weeks of grand anticipation for the home-coming, we were finally home. we were waiting for wawin at the arrival area. there was a fence where the relatives waited for their balikbayan loved ones. i swear, i held back tears seeing all the crowd awaiting for the ones who had to sadly go away from home.

they were standing under the sun at noon, some with banners, most on tiptoes, eyeing the return of something good. they were the ones left back at home and they are the ones who welcome back their beloved ofws. it was a heart-pinching sight.

i have been away for less than a year and i'm drowning with nostalgia. what more for those who have been away for years and years and years? gasping... for precious life-giving air that can only be found in manila... yes, however filthy and polluted it is, it is home and home is home sweet home (4 homes in a sentence) :)

1st of january, wawin sent us off. i kissed him and hugged him lightly. we were never affectionate (more of harutan than affection) so hugs never lasted for more than 5 seconds. there was also a two-minute limit to vehicles sending off the fliers so not much was said but good byes and take cares. but i had to cry. i just had to. i didn't want to look like a big cry baby when he had to go so i held back as much as i can and dabbed my eyes super discreetly - up to the time we had to check-in.

it's hard to leave wawin alone. mom now stays with tito danny in tarlac and visits wawin once a week. i completely understand that the mommy days are somewhat over since she has dedicated all the days of her life to us in the past: nursing us and doing everything possible to have us finish our education... now, we are no longer kids and her mission has been accomplished with grace, even exceeding the what-is-only-needed benchmark. now is her time to shine and be happy and feel good about herself. time to find what she never had with my papa. and i salute her for everything and congratulate her for the new glory that is now in her heart and hands. :)

but still wawin is alone until he finishes board exams. after that we're hoping he could be here with us. we were so closely knit when we were growing up so it must be somehow hard, or maybe just different, for him. not for long i hope. :) he's 20 anyway and we'll be together soon... * crossing fingers and toes.

and we're back

happy new year!

ang aking desk, bow

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wow, aksidenteng nakunan ang desk ko. heto, marvel at the neatness and beauty of my desk. hihihi.

1 - jurassic but durable samsung phone
2 - id
3 - my good old comb
4 - empty milo tetrapack (pwede ring ribena, pwede ring maraming milo, pwede ring maraming ribena)
5 - 5 cents (what a coincidence, i labeled a 5-cent coin with "5" too)
6 - half sandwich, the other half was consumed earlier for breakfast. this will be consumed for merienda
7 - ipod
8 - doodle pen and doodle notebook
9 - syempre pa, mouse, keyboard and monitor

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"the lion sleeps tonight"

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a-weema-weh a-weema-weh a-weema-weh a-weema-weh
a-weema-weh a-weema-weh a-weema-weh a-weema-weh
a-weema-weh a-weema-weh a-weema-weh a-weema-weh
a-weema-weh a-weema-weh a-weema-weh a-weema-weh

in the jungle, the mighty jungle
the lion sleeps tonight
in the jungle, the quiet jungle
the lion sleeps tonight

what's with this song? i was watching season 2 of friends last night... and this is the theme song of marcel the monkey.

this morning, the moment i stepped on food republic on my way to the office, they started playing the same song! haha gawing jungle ang food court...

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what to eat when i get home (edited to scatch out those i have actually consumed. ang onti tsk tsk)

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lucky me pancit canton (original)

burong mangga

sinaing na tulingan

mangga't bagoong

itlog na maalat at kamatis

nilagang itlog

jolly hotdog

chicken joy

chowking pancit bihon

chowking nai cha

tuyo

elena's tapsilog

fish balls

kwek kwek

pakbet

crispy liempo

nilagang gulay

turon

halo-halo

dinuguan

maja blanca

burger machine roast beef

samurai balls and shawarma

bbq

laing

chiz curls

piattos

cheese ring

rin bee

snacku

purefoods tender juicy hotdog</del>

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nine days and a dream of having a photo blog

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i bought me a digicam! :) goodie goodie.

i left my jurassic cam at home. it has served its purpose well. maybe it now rests in peace in some drawer.

i have been viewing a lot of photo blogs and i equate all of them to tons of fun :)

another ningas-kugon activity. wehehe. good luck to me.

nine days na lang. :)

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fourteen days and an array of goodies

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wow, exactly 2 weeks to go :) 'nuff said, but this is a quasi christmas light post.

i say today is a very fruitful and colorful day. there's this much highlight and shade and hue, i'll put in an array i'll call goodies, with a size of 7:

• goodies[0] = i bought this cute spaghetti top - shared with ahngel 'cause they sell it at 2 for $25. i like the top!

• goodies[1] = i learned that jan is my mommy in our exchange gift and we ended up, yes, buying my wish on my wish list - a nice polo shirt. so no more surprises to expect... no problem :) presents are presents just the same. goodie goodie :)

• goodies[2] = starbucks gave away free coffee in exchange for donation in any amount. hmmm a nice hot cup of mocha praline (and i'm reminded an awful lot of my hs classmate, fraulein) coffee despite a rumbling stomach. starbucks is giving the proceeds to the salvation army. how generous.

• goodies[3] = i had a vision today. in it, i was making bead/wire earrings. i have scouted for bead shops and bead projects the whole day (i.e., via the internet)... one day, i'll make this vision come true! and give away these products of labor of love to my amigas!

• goodies[4] = jan and i had a good shopping/bonding moment after office. we bought some christmas presents. guess what? we tried to take part in this non-profit organization that does something fruitful for children. turns out we have the same dream of, simply put, playing with children :) and the concept of the cutchon-camacho-libunao foundation is roughly formulated... don't ask what it is about.
  

• goodies[5] = we went to this newly opened bookstore in suntec in search of... uhm, art materials. she bought wax crayons and i bought pastel colors and sketch pad. ayan. make an attempt to have an inkling for the arts. we do have an enormous passion in arts! the question is, does it have an interest in us? :) we're cultivating budding artists over here! hehe...
  

• goodies[6] = the ultimate day ender? a good dose of our favorite pancit :) take-away kasi late na hehe.
  

p.s.: it was raining yesterday and earlier today. so what? nothing could clog a day as great as today!

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fifteen days and sighs

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yesterday was sixteen days. logically, today marks the 15-days-to-go day! yahoo!

it was also yesterday that i made a promise... i will never sigh again. when i became a support some 6 months ago, i acquired all the negative vibes i could get. and a very obvious indication was: i sigh. whenever i could. they are loud, disturbing sighs. and i always hear, "ang lalim nun ah!" from anyone who could hear me.

i sigh when i'm tired, i sigh when i'm sleepy, i sigh when i cook... i don't necessarily feel burdened when i sigh... especially now that my job is in a more relaxed pace. it has just become a habit, i guess. a bad habit.

last night, i was a bit tired and awfully hungry at 9pm. i was still cooking adobo. i was sighing every now and then. ashley noticed. "wag kang magbuntung-hininga. think positive!"

yan. that was my eye-opener. i wasn't aware that it was disturbing. i wasn't even aware that i was sighing! sheeesh... talk about bad habit. i'm probably adding negative energies to the universe! i'm sorry, universe! aura cleansed, and the environment will follow, and the entire universe will follow too!

from now on, no more sighs. unless, of course, the situation badly calls for it. :) (hmmm, which is like, when?) this is my pre-christmas resolution!

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sixteen days and the sound of laughter

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laughter is contagious. when i hear someone laugh, there is a compelling urge to laugh too, or just smile. even if it's just a faint smile! a tiny twitch of the mouth? it's a smile just the same :)

when you see friends laughing like crazy, you ask, "bakit?!? bakit?!?!" and you are desperate to join the frenzy - even if it's just over small, silly, super babaw stuff. :)

i feel laughter is like the sound of falling water - harmonious, enticing. last night i heard a good blend of laughter from obviously happy people. it made me feel warm. it made me feel that the days could only get better from good :)

* oh, and 16 days - uwian na!

* i like the christmasy effect of the border!

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