Monday, January 29, 2007

Zaturnnah!

We watched our second Muzikal last night. (Our first viewing pics here.) Since we were not that early, we were seated on the balcony. It wasn't a great view but I'm still happy we still got Agot Isidro as Queen Femina and Arnold Reyes as Dodong. It was more fun than the last time because of more ad libs. Too bad they didn't go out after the show. Maybe because we watched the 3PM one. We only got to see Carlo Vergara and we didn't even remember to bring our Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah comic book. Darn. Oh well, maybe next time. :)



More pictures here.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Papa's Birthday

We weren't complete but we made sure Papa enjoyed his birthday. We didn't have enough money but it was fun. He still wished he had cake though. Haha! But no sugar for him... and no, he's not camera shy. Haha! More pictures here.




Happy 65th Birthday, Papa! We love you!



P.S.

Thanks very much cousins Peter and Gina for making one of my father's birthday wishes come true! He's going to Bacolod on Tuesday to follow my mother. Hooray! :)

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Turning A New Leaf

I've immersed myself back into my regular routine. My Ma has made her decision and she's leaving on Friday. No, I did not love her less because of that. I actually look up to her for making a tough decision and sticking up to it. Oh well, sacrifices are always a part of life.


I'm nearly broke and it's still 10 days before next payday. I just wish we could afford to give my father a nice 65th birthday celebration on Saturday. If not, I guess what's important is being with him that day. I know I'm gonna be bombarded with household chores so in the next few days, there would be lesser sleep time and internet/leisure time for me. I guess just wanna make it up during the weekends. I am looking forward to us watching Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal on Sunday. The weekend after that, my sis and I will go to the Read-or-Die Convention.


Speaking of reading, books will always be a part of me. Since I started earning my own money, getting a worthy book has always been on my to-do and/or wish lists. I remember when I started working, my Ma used to get mad because most of money would just go to books. She wanted me to buy clothes instead. I told her books are like investments. Clothes are neccesities but they can be discarded when they don't fit anymore. But that's just me. I also see to it that they're either on sale or a part of the budget (or I just borrow from my friends. Haha!) Books are getting more expensive through the years and I'm just glad I started my own "collection" since I was in high school. I try my best to take care of my books and I hope we can have a nicer and more roomy book case. I love my books. I try to take care of them and also take note where they go whenever they are being borrowed. Haha! I've always dreamed of having a home with a library in it, but I guess my beloved bookshelf will do for now. =)

Monday, January 22, 2007

My Mother's Choice

She chose to be with my grandmother. You see, my grandma is the only grandparent I have left. She's 85 years old and is in Negros Occidental right now. My mother spent sleepless nights and teary days for the past couple of days since my grandma went to the hospital and became too weak. We were all scared she's not gonna make it. Good thing my grandma is holding on. But no one can stop my Ma from crying and going home to the province. I guess she's just overcome with grief and guilt.


My mother is lucky to have such generous and loving relatives to lend her financial help. I know we cannot afford the plane tickets ourselves so her cousin from the States bought them for her. She's leaving on Friday to look after my grandma. Yes, I have my aunts and uncles there with my Lola but my Ma wants to be there herself and I understand that. Don't get me wrong, I love my grandma very much. I even write her cards and send her pictures of us every once in a while. I wish we could all be there with her but it's just not possible right now.


Everything could have been going well, but you see it's my father's birthday on Saturday. He's turning 65. He's getting old too and he has his own insecurities and issues we have to put up with. Of course, if he was given a choice, he'd rather go with my mother and I'm sure we, kids, wouldn't mind. Here's what makes it more complicated. My mother was planning to buy a cheap cell phone for my father for his birthday. That means, there is still a small amount of money that can be used up just in case my father wants to go. I know my father really wants to go because he's been mentioning it non-stop for the past couple of days too. I know he'd rather be with her on his birthday.


So here's what I did. I asked my mother why won't she ask my father what he wants for his birthday. If he prefers not to have a new cellphone and would rather spend it for the fare going to the province, then he can choose how to use the money. Besides, it's his birthday gift. My mother said no. She said she wants to focus on my grandma and doesn't want to be distracted by my father's needs.


My mother's flight is gonna be this Friday. My sister gasped, "But it's Papa's birthday!" My mother said she's gonna choose her mother over anyone else. My father replied, "Who am I anyway?" I wanted to cry. I didn't understand. Maybe because I'm not in her place. Maybe because I'm not overrun with guilt. Maybe because I thought when you marry someone you choose to make your own family and make them your priority. Maybe because I pitied my father. Maybe because I knew she didn't have to choose. My father can go with her and all of them can be there. I'm sure my Lola would wanna see my father too. How can she be so selfish?


Pardon my ramblings as a confused daughter. I just don't know how to handle this. I don't know how we can handle the days when my mother's gonna leave and my father's gonna complain about being left here. He can be a handful sometimes. I'm just glad my sis came back last night. At least we can look forward to the weekends and spend time together. I'll just try to make my father's birthday a happy one for him despite my mother's absence.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Restful Sunday

Sunday is a day of rest and the crazy weekend last week made me realize I need to take a breather. I really wanted to get a decent vacation but that is not possible as of the moment. Today may be a short one, but I'll be staying home, watching CSI, CSI:NY and Lost reruns I've missed for the past few weeks and taking it easy. My sis is gonna be home tomorrow and I'm looking forward to spending quality and quantity time with her. We're planning to watch Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah (the play) again on the 28th in CCP and probably drop by the RODCON (Read-Or-Die convention) in Hotel Intercon if schedules allow.


Here's to a peaceful rest of the day! :)


You Are 51% Peaceful

In general, you think the world's a pretty great place - and you're happy to be a part of it.
Sometimes you struggle with life, but who doesn't?
You are quite level headed, though you have more inner angst than you'd like.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Friends Indeed!

They say, "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going!". There are moments when I'd rather say, "When the going gets tough, it's every man for himself".


Yes, there are times when I prefer to be alone. Those are instances when I'd rather have myself (and my thoughts) to keep me company, especially when the people I'm with do NOT seem to care. One good outcome from being in a tough situation is I get to know who my real friends are compared to those who are just pretending to be my friends. I appreciate those who are always there during happy moments AND down times and not just when everything's fine and dandy. It's nice knowing that however few they may be, real friends treat me the same way whether I change or not or we both change or have not seen each other for a long time or are far apart.





Cheers to true friends! They're always there when we need them the most. =)

Monday, January 15, 2007

What A Weekend!

WAW! (in short). Haha!


[WARNING: long post]


It's Monday already and the weekend breezed through I haven't had the time to catch my breath yet and I'll be going to work again tonight.


I'm not complaining. I love my weekend! The only thing missing is my sister's presence and it'd be perfect. But she'll be here next week and I'm looking forward to that too.


Saturday morning after shift I went with some of my officemates for brunch then went to the mall to watch Eragon. My mom went with me so she met some of my friends too. I haven 't read the book so I don't wanna make a decent review. I like the movie. Although I think the lead character is a bit overacting, it's fine coz he's really cute. Wait, are the battlecries taken from the book? Coz my friend and I cringed whenever we hear the rhymes. It's just too... cheesy. Haha! Some actors were so-so but hats off to Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich! The effects were cool too!





After Eragon, my Ma and I went home to freshen up then got my Pa to come with us to Mall of Asia. It was his first time to go there and it was fun. We saw celebrities and even politicians. We watched the last day of The World Pyro Olympics. The crowd was, I think, a million or so. I am not kidding. There was traffic in the nearby highways until the wee hours of the morning! Those who experienced the traffic can testify to this. The fireworks were awesome especially the Philippine exhibition. Ours was the best from all the displays I've seen.


[WARNING: rants ahead]


I just had 2 complaints about the pyro show. First, we waited for a looong, looong time for it to start. Then after the first display, we waited an even looooonger time for the second one. People got restless and some even slept. I can't help but nod off myself. My parents wanted to leave even before we saw the Philippine exhibition because of the almost 2-hour wait in between. What a hassle! I mean, I won't mind if it were free but people paid to watch it, they should have at least informed us what was going on and why it was delayed. My second complaint was the portalet! WTF?! I was lucky enough to pass by the toilets in the mall but since my father is old and is diabetic, he had to go every now and then. My gawd! There was only one portalet near us. Imagine that! ONE! There were at least a hundred people on line-- children, men, women, senior citizens combined! I mean, what were they thinking?! Whoever reads that has connections to the organizers, please take note. It'll be much better if they improved on this. Thank you.



flash



flowers



I had to rant. Sorry. Back to my story, I got nice pics and a long video. But since my phone memory was very limited, I ended up deleting the video of the Philippine fireworks display. Bummer! My parents liked it but the waiting sucked. After that we ate in Congo Grill coz we were so hungry. I was cranky too that I snapped at the girl who allowed someone to cut me in while we were on line for reservations. Yes, people crowded the mall after the show and all restos were full. We had to wait some more. We left the mall at about 2AM and ending up walking kilometers away because there were no public transportation. Crowds were also walking away from the mall. Good thing my Pa brought his foldable chair, at least he can rest in between. We walked until Libertad in Pasay. Yes, we did and at that time, my head was already spinning. I've been awake for 30 hours straight already.



puffballs



spikes


More pictures in my Multiply album.



I got a decent amount of sleep and the next day, I woke up and watched CSI reruns and 2 episodes from Lost. Then I met 2 of my college buds. We went out to dinner and hung out in Starbucks Malate for more up-to-date stories about ourselves. It was really fun. I missed them a lot and we're planning on a monthly meeting as long as schedules allow. I hope we'll get to do that. I got home about 1 AM and caught some sleep again. Today, I'm here blogging away. Now, I'm excited to experience next weekend! =)




Joan and Joy



Joan and Me



Me and Joy


More pictures in my Multiply album (Network only)

Friday, January 12, 2007

All Work and No Play

I thought if I focused myself on my work, days will pass by quickly. They did because it's Friday once again. But then I realized how dull my week was. So, I'm gonna make up for it this weekend.


I'm planning to watch Eragon with my Ma and some of my officemates tomorrow after shift. Then in the evening, I'm bringing my Ma, Pa and bro to watch the last day of The World Pyro Olympics. I hope it's gonna be wonderful. Then Sunday, I'm meeting a couple of my friends from college whom I haven't seen for a while.


I've got my weekend fully booked. I'm glad because I don't want to be a mere toy. Life's no fun if it's all work.


P.S.
10 days more and my sis will be back home. :)

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Cancer's Love Profile

Cancer - Your Love Profile

Your positive traits:


You're intuitive enough to know what's going wrong in a relationship early on
A total sweetheart - you're often the most caring person anyone knows
You are a generous and devoted parter to whoever you fall in love with


Your negative traits:

Insecurity - you tend to need a huge amount of comforting from your partner
You tend to be overly sensitive and easily hurt, which make loving you difficult
It's difficult to predict your moods. One minute you're up - the next you're down.


Your ideal partner:

Someone equally sensitive, who wants to take time to get to know you deeply
Dreams of an everlasting love - complete with marriage and a family
Loves to take care of you. Being a good cook and masseuse doesn't hurt!


Your dating style:

Slow. You enjoy dates that last all day, with plenty of time to talk and get to know one another.


Your seduction style:

Quite tender and loving, once you are comfortable in your relationship.
Coy. You tend to play it cool to drive your lover wild.
Orally talented - you're known as the best kisser in the zodiac.


Tips for the future:

Be a little less sensitive. Not every little mistake should hurt you.
Spend time away from your partner every so often - independence is a good thing.
Find ways to take care of yourself. You'll be happier if you put yourself first.


Best color to attract mate: Aqua


Best day for a date: Wednesday



But Wednesday is not my day off! Hmpft!

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Quiz: Yin or Yang?






You Are More Yin



Feminine
Devoted
Forgiving
Fall
Winter
Afternoon
Moon
Time
Passive
Metal
Honey

Monday, January 08, 2007

Fireworks!

It was the first time I saw them this huge and this near. It felt as if Gandalf was there. Haha! I have a short video clip and tons of pics but since I don't have cheap way of transferring my pictures from the cell phone to the PC, I just decided to upload four of them. I am looking forward to share "the sparkly moment" with my family on Saturday.















Last night was the third night of The World Pyro Olympics, Germany versus the UK. I had no idea which one showed the fireworks first but I'm rooting for the second display. It was breathtaking. I often found myself wondering how they could create fireworks and know what they would look like when they explode. I didn't have a good view of the water so I wasn't able to see those exploding on the water surface. I'm excited to see US's display and the Philippines's exhibition this Saturday. It was worth the sort-of stiff neck I got for looking up the sky for about 30 minutes or so. Haha!

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Here Come the Sparks!

The streets near Baclaran and Mall of Asia have been crowded as the dusk settles since Friday. That was the start of The World Pyro Olympics that is currently being held in the Esplanade of the SM Mall of Asia. I haven't watched the previous ones in the past years so tonight is going to be the first time I'm watching it. I'm looking forward to Sponge Cola's performance as well (and Imago too). I wish my sis is with me to watch it. I heard she's getting homesick in Cavite now. I am also planning to watch the last day on the 13th with my family (minus my sis) in tow. Too bad I won't have a digital camera but I'll be using my trusty camera phone and hope it won't let me down. But I'm gonna brave the traffic later coz I'm just excited to be there! :)

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Don't Leave This Place

My sis left again for Ternate, Cavite this morning. She'll be there for 3 weeks. Good thing, she'll be here the day before my father's birthday, so it's something I'm looking forward to. I swear we'll go get foot spas and pedicures and watch Sponge Cola gigs (if there is one near our place) to make it up. I think we both deserve those. Haha!


I'm feeling better compared to yesterday. I hope this keeps up.


I heard my sis listening to this Sponge Cola song last night before I went to work. Here are a few lines I like:





Common sense of the morning
As mere remnants of the past
Little nothings left behind
Back then we would talk, and we’d talk
And we’d talk about, how real it could be
I wish i could stay


Repaint my orange sky
Squeeze it out and i’ll
Keep it all together
Hold it in forever
Where our lives were once entwined
I wish i could stay
Keep it all together
Hold it in forever
Where our lives were once entwined
Wish i could stay
Were only just passing thru
Were just passing thru
Where our lives were once entwined
Wish i could stay
Dream of something better
Dream of something bigger



~* "Don't Leave This Place" by Sponge Cola *~

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Welcome 2007!

scribbled 2 January 2007, 1:30 PM


New Year's Eve was a blast! Literally. Although compared to the previous year, fewer neighbors lit firecrackers and fireworks. We just watched them and ate our media noche, which reminds me that I really would wanna watch the Pyrolympics next weekend but I doubt if I can afford it. To top it off, there has been no (or very, very slow) access to all Yahoo!-related sites, so I have not been able to check my mails or groups messages for more than 3 days now. They say it was a result of the recent earthquake that hit Taiwan. That really sucks! I meant, the earthquake and how it affected us (in great or small ways). When I think it will never get worse, our (cheap) digital camera broke. It went haywire after my sis brought it home from Cavite. Then I realized the 1 year warranty has just expired. Drat! Now, I just have to rely on my camera phone. Oh well.


I went to work as usual last night because I wanted 2007 to start well in terms of career and work ethics. Then this officemate of mine, whom I thought was friendly and very witty, turned out to be someone who thinks everyone is his subordinate. Has the new year changed this person? He ended up stepping across the line from just-joking-because-we're-friends to being just-plain-insensitive. I raised my eyebrows and decided to ignore him starting last night. I never had what I can call an "enemy" in the office because I don't want to be in bad terms with someone but I can't help it. I told my sis about it earlier today and nearly cried my eyes out. I don't want to spoil the day because tomorrow she's going back to Cavite and will be staying there again for 3 weeks.



geeks in red-for-luck shirts



I know I lack sleep but I'm just gonna spend most of the day with my sis now. I won't let these bring me down. It's new year and it's my chance to change the way I look at things. I'll just drown myself with comfort food. Haha!



food trip!



Greetings from Neil Gaiman:


May your year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art-- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope somewhere this year, you surprise yourself.



Happy New Year everyone! :)