What A Tale A Fox Could Tell ...

Never Ending Story

2006-02-23T07:22:00.000+08:00

A lot has happened in the past few days that I'd never had the chance to write it but will always and forever will be part of me. At least I have the pictures to remind me that of. :)

But when I heard the news, I can't stop but wonder if how I should fight this new battle. Although I know that I can still overcome this but it's better that I just give in so as not to create any unnecessary conflict. Hehehe ... I exaggerated a little way over here but you know what the reason is. :)

And so my decision is final. This is the last page of my story. The tale that the fox has been telling for more than a year now. But I am not saying that this is going to be the last time that I'll write a blog but I guess the time is right to end this tale. I may start a new one but for now that is just something that I could only hope for.

I'm getting a bit sentimental here because this story is a practically the story of my life ... the life that I've been living ... my fate ... the destiny that I created.

But as this tale closes, this does not mean that I will stop living or that I no longer have anything to say ... I still do ... lots of it for that matter. Instead of writing it here also, I will only now be writing it in my mind and in my heart.

So as I turn this last page, closing this chapter and book, I am forever grateful to this site, my avid readers (hahaha ... assuming), and to all the wonderful moments that I wrote and will write that expresses all my feelings. And know that I am forever changed because of this.

The story ends now ... but know that this is and forever will be ... my Never Ending Story.

Day 38: Chasing Amy

2006-02-15T14:05:00.000+08:00

Last night was indeed quite a unique Heart's day celebration I had here in the Land of the Rising Sun. I was actually thinking that they would celebrate or at least just make it feel like today is such a day but I was so wrong.

Anway, aside from the stores that sells heart-shaped chocolates, there's really not much into this occassion. But since for me it is something, I decided to do something to make this day a little bit out of the ordinary. So what I did was I planned to go to Roppongi and see it as something that it is famous for ... disco and night-outs.

But since Janice can't leave the office yet for some project-related deadlines and stuffs like that, it was just me and Noel who went there. And take note it was the day that Noel arrived in Japan. Imagine, his first night and he's already going out. Hahaha.

The place was much, much better than during the day time. The lights were pretty cool. The people there all looked good and dressed to kill. Then the view of Tokyo tower at night is also nice. I guess everything that is well-lighted in the night with flashy colored lights are nice.

So we walked around there, went into some stores, looked for some cute guys, being asked if we would like to go to their club/bar, went into a pet shop with so many adorable and cuddly puppies worth around 150, 000 yen as the cheapest, and some picture takings. Hehehe. But we didn't explore that much because both of us have to do the next day (me work him training).

After getting home, I was able to get a copy of Kiss the Rain song by Billie Myers from Rachel while copying pictures to her mobile hard disk. But the track was not just the song. It also had a monologue ... from the movie Chasing Amy. And the lines were pretty romantic ... or I was just into the Heart's day fever so here at the office while being idle, I searched for this movie and kinda find it interesting. So, another movie to queue. Hehehe. :)

Below is the monologue I was refering to early on and some nice lines too.

Alyssa: Why are we stopping?
Holden: Because I can't take this.
Alyssa: Can't take what?
Holden: I love you.
Alyssa: You love me?
Holden: I love you. And not, not in a friendly way, although I think we're great friends. And not in a misplaced affection, puppy-dog way, although I'm sure that's what you'll call it. I love you. Very, very simple, very truly. You are the epitome of everything I have ever looked for in another human being. And I know that you think of me as just a friend, and crossing that line is the furthest thing from an option you would ever consider. But I had to say it. I just, I can't take this anymore. I can't stand next to you without wanting to hold you. I can't, I can't look into your eyes without feeling that, that longing you only read about in trashy romance novels. I can't talk to you without wanting to express my love for everything you are. And I know this will probably queer our friendship - no pun intended - but I had to say it, because I've never felt this way before, and I don't care. I like who I am because of it. And if bringing this to light means we can't hang out anymore, then that hurts me. But God, I just, I couldn't allow another day to go by without just getting it out there, regardless of the outcome, which by the look on your face is to be the inevitable shoot-down. And, you know, I'll accept that. But I know... I know that some part of you is hesitating for a moment, and if there is a moment of hesitation, then that means you feel something too. All I ask, please, is that you just, you just not dismiss that - and try to dwell in it for just ten seconds. Alyssa, there isn't another soul on this fucking planet who has ever made me half the person I am when I'm with you, and I would risk this friendship for the chance to take it to the next plateau. Because it is there between you and me. You can't deny that. Even if, you know, even if we never talk again after tonight, please know that I'm forever changed because of who you are and what you've meant to me, which - while I do appreciate it - I'd never need a painting of birds bought at a diner to remind me of.

---
Alyssa: You know, I didn't just heed what I was taught, men and women should be together, it's the natural way, that kind of thing. I'm not with you because of what family, society, life tried to instill in me from day one. The way the world is, how seldom it is that you meet that one person who just *gets* you - it's so rare. My parents didn't really have it. There were no examples set for me in the world of male-female relationships. And to cut oneself off from finding that person, to immediately halve your options by eliminating the possibility of finding that one person within your own gender, that just seemed stupid to me. So I didn't. But then you came along. You, the one least likely. I mean, you were a guy.
Holden: Still am.
Alyssa: And while I was falling for you I put a ceiling on that, because you *were* a guy. Until I remembered why I opened the door to women in the first place: to not limit the likelihood of finding that one person who'd complement me so completely. So here we are. I was thorough when I looked for you. And I feel justified lying in your arms, 'cause I got here on my own terms, and I have no question there was some place I didn't look. And for me that makes all the difference.

---
Holden: It's not who you love, it's how.

Day 37: St. Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T19:50:00.000+08:00

It's Valentine's day ... the Love day. And I'm here in Japan right now experiencing it. But so far, seems like any other ordinary day. But I'm thinking that it's only because it's still too early in the morning. Hey, that gives me an idea ... maybe I should err ... take a quick walk around Roponggi tonight? Maybe I can find something ... or more appropriately someone there. Hehehe ... but not for a 1 night stand. Unless he can make my bra and panty fall from its' places then why not.

Last month, when we were still in Osaka and up until here in Tokyo, stores everywhere are displaying all kinds of chocolates goodies for this special event. And it's not that cheap but the packaging is really good. Loved to try one but it wouldn't mean anything would it if I'd brought it for myself. Indeed watching JDrama has its' perks because I somehow now have a little idea of how the Japanese people celebrate Valentine's Day and White Day. :) Hahaha ... learned from Gokusen 2. :D

Oh, before that, the picture above was taken last Sunday during the road trip from Nagano to Tokyo, Shinjuku to be exact. The girl there is Jing and the guy is Ron (the one where I first met at the Ofuro), who are both Filipino who also went to the Ski and Snowboard Tour. The story behind this picture is that as Jessica and I were getting a bit tired, almost running out of things to tell, she starting tinkering my camera. And knowing the person she is, she's more into the black and white or the old fashioned photography effect. Yah it's cool but not for my usual everyday taste. So she tried to take a picture of me using the Retro scene. And that's how it came out.

That's the story behind the photography. But when you looked at it, it kinda reflects what I'm feeling right now ... single. It's not that I'm not happy with being single but it's kinda nice to also have someone you can always talk to and who can sends kilig moments in my life. :D

P.S. I'm not actually sure if Jing and Ron are a couple so I'll let you decide on that. :)

Day 36: Tinkerbell

2006-02-13T13:07:00.000+08:00

It's been a while now that I've been dying to write something about Tinkerbell. And there's so many reasons ... so many details ... so many instances that prevents me from writing, urges me to write ... leaving me all in a state of confusion. But doesn't include my sexual orientation. Hehehe ... already happy with my decision. :)

So anyway, I guess one thing that always gets me so worked out, exhausted, and sometimes frustrated is when I get to encounter Tinkerbell or someone who is like her.

Back in college, we'd always hated or don't like to be associated with fellow students that belongs to a certain division. Although this is really a very ugly stereotype that we had but we just can't help it. Because ever time that we would interact with those ... kikay girls who are so maarte, we would only get annoyed and irritated.

Now, Tinkerbell is not an exception to this stereotype. And I do hate it when she makes a big fuss out of nothing. Or that she'll treat me like someone that I'm not.

But hey, it's not that I'm totally complaining about it ... but is it too much to ask to be treated just like a girl? With a little bit of compassion?

Day 35: Onsen Finally

2006-02-12T07:43:00.000+08:00

After the nice and relaxing sleep, we had breakfast at around 7:30AM. There I discovered that Jessica and Jen went and had onsen last night. Just to two of them. It was so funny because as they told us about it, there were like so conscious of each other. It was like they would take turns turning back so as not to see each other naked. Hehehe. Well we didn't had that kind of shyness in ofuro last night. Hehehe.

So after preparing our things for check-out and got into our power rangers attire, off to do some skiing again. Muscle pains all over and all. Huhuhu. As we went outside, it actually had snowed and was still snowing. Cool, skiing while snowing. But as we went to the ski site, the place (not the lift area) was covered with snow ... the kind that they called powdered snow. It was actually like powder ... lots and lots of it. Still we tried but it was kinda hard because the snow would just accumulate on the skis making it even harder to control.

A good thing though that Jen, Rodney, and Jessica borrowed the sleds from the Donburi restaurant and thats what we did the entire morning ... instead of skiing. It was actually pretty cool. We even had 2-3 trips up the ski lift ... which by the way I still find it so hard to get off it when arriving at the end point. It doesn't stop ... it just goes on and on and it's hard walking in these boots. The ride down the mountain so totally cool. As in totally. Hehehe. Well, the part where our face gets covered with snow isn't included in that but nonetheless. It was also fun rolling around the snow ... especially the powered ones. Nice feeling.

But since it still kept on snowing ... so Jessica and I decided to head back early to the hotel because it was getting too cold for us. And so we did after taking our lunch. Kelvin joined us. Since we headed off early, we had to walk from the snow park to the hotel ... around 10 minutes.
Back at the hotel, we decided to try and have onsen ... since most of the people are still at the snow park. We thought that what we planned a long time ago would now come true. Well it kinda did and didn't. Basically the experience was just the same as that of the ofuro but the onsen was outdoors so it had another add-on to it. So I was slowly taking my clothes off when Kelvin went too. My gosh, second time around ... Hmmm, started to noticed something. Hehehe ... kidding. He's not my type. He just reminds me of my classmate back then.

So I went in first before he did. While taking the onsen, the warm spring water all over my body was relaxing it ... soothing it. And my head on top of the water ... has snow falling all over it. I felt like a warm brownie cup that time. My head was cold and my body was hot. Imagine that. So I would lean back and look up at the sky as the snow kept falling on my face. Cool feeling. At the end of the onsen area, the was a small opening towards the girls area. Jessica and I were supposed to do onsen together ... but not together if you know what I mean. But we hadn't had a chance to do it. Anyway, at least we both had onsen.

What's weird is because for her, her onsen experience is not the same as mine. Mainly because she was always alone or let me put it this way ... hadn't seen anyone naked during that time. Hahaha. But honestly, doing ofuro or onsen is so refreshing and relaxing. :)

After that, people started to arrive at the hotel ... just in time as we're about to finish doing some kikay things. And on the ride back ... to Shinjuku this time ... which totally had us off guard because we though we would be going back to Yoyogi Park, Brian and Jessica switched places. So Jessica and I had around 5-6 hours of catching up. Lots of catching up and lots of plans to do together. :)

As we arrived in Shinjuku, we passed this place where they have this err ... structure of LOVE that I saw featured in Densha Otoko, a Japanese series I recently saw. Hmm, want to have my picture taken there some time. :D

Day 34: Skiing in Nagano

2006-02-11T07:42:00.000+08:00

Last night, was the night that Brian and I left from TKC to go this Ski/Snowboard Tour 2006 in Nagano. After taking our dinner, we head of to go Yoyogi Park just around Harajuku station of JR Line and Meijijingumae of Chiyoda Line at ... take note ... 10PM.

So from there, we met up with Jessica and her officemates. We meet new people like Jen, Rodney, Neil, Kelvin, Jesselee, Boyet, and more. So sorry, not very good with names. :D

From there, it was a 5 hour travel by bus. But since we had 3 20 minutes stops/break, it took us around 6 hours to get to Nagano. Pretty far but the place was totally for skiing. As we travel to get there, the place became colder and colder as snow began to pile up all around the place. And just before leaving from Yoyogi Park, Charlie, one of the Japanese organizers, gave us a sort of precaution when getting out of the bus during the break. He's not that bad looking but he can do better. But what kinda made him appealing to me was when after he gave the instructions in English, the people were saying him to say it in Japanese. And that's when I really paid attention to him. Hehehe.

We stayed tha Kijimadaira Kogen Hotel. The room that was assigned to us was the traditional Japanese room. Kinda weird but the experience was nice. It was just plain tatami on the room proper. We got to have the chance to make our own bed just like the way Japanese people do. In our room, there were 7 of us namely me, Brian, Jesselee, Boyet, Kelvin, Jay (Rachel's batchmate in AOTS), and Rodney.

Arrived at around 6:30AM, assigned to our rooms, got our ski shoes ... boots more like it and ski wear (which by the way we looked like the power ranges only having the same color), had a quick introduction or briefing ... then off to Makinoiri Snow Park. And thus the skiing began. :D

My gosh, the ski gear was heavy ... considering walking in these ski boots wasn't hard enough. But weird is that even though how cold it was, with just a shirt and our ski wear, we didn't felt the cold that time. We were actually even sweating as we were learning how to ski. Hehehe. It may look easy on tv but believe me, it's not. And where the hell was our instructor? :( We were supposed to have one, which would last for 2 hours, but unfortunately we hadn't. Only the ones doing the snowboarding had. So a fall here, a fall there was basically took most of our time. Hehehe.

Basically we got to do some skiing just around the bottom of the lift ... practicing what we've learned. And so after lunch at Donbori, we tried to go to the beginner's course. So we rode the ski lift going up ... which by the way was pretty far and high but not that steep so it was okay. And gosh, it took me and Jessica like most of the afternoon just to go down ... once. Man, it was so hard. The others was like in there third or fourth time ... us, we were still around half way. Huhuhu. But at least we tried. We just lacked the skills to do it directly. Hehehe.

For dinner, we again had another unique experience. We were the ones to heat our food. The food was placed in like a clay stove then we'd light the candle below it to heat the clay to heat the food. Hehehe. :D

Afterwards, we were kinda beat and since the fireworks was cancelled, I decided to take a bath before going to sleep. But the bath they had was only either ofuro or onsen. But since the onsen was situated outside and it was really cold and kinda tired, I just opt for the ofuro. My plan was just to take a hot shower and that's it. Nothing else. :D

So inside the ofuro, while undressing, Kelvin came in. So a smile here and there then I immediately went inside. No way was I staying long outside. I didn't even talked to him much. Kinda weird that time coz we kinda liked knew each other but not that well but still. Then inside, while taking the shower, Charlie came in but he didn't showered. He just cleansed himself then dip in the ofuro bath. Then I switched to another area because my shower was only emitting cold water. And that's way too cold for me. After finishing my shower, there was a guy that invited me to take a dip. He also invited his friend. So I joined them. And we talked about, introduced ourselves and chatted for a while. And that's how I got to know Bruce and Ron. :)

Lying down on some foams and sheets just above the tatami floor to sleep, wasn't that bad. Or I was just so tired that day to complain. Hehehe. I guess the effect was good because I could already here Brian snoring that time. Hehehe. :D

Day 33: Star Struck

2006-02-10T11:33:00.000+08:00

Not really awed by such an amazement of seeing some celebrities but Brian and I finally saw what we've been making the software for all this time. As in this is like the fulfillment of our career ... char.

Before taking our break for lunch, we we to do some testing on some bugs and we got the chance to be with some of the sofware quality assurance test engineers who's here for a business trip to help us do some confirmation tasks.

Amazingly, we saw MA2010, VNode, VNodeS, CNode, UNode (not sure though what type it was but hey ... at least we knew it was that. Hehehe), and RoadM. Although they're really not that big of a deal especially what they looked like but at least we know have seen what we've been doing for the past ... err ... 2 years or so.

The equipment were just like this metallic box with slots and shelves and lots of network cables with yellow green lights blinking endlessly. Hehehe ... what a feeling it was that we have ... sort of like a fulfillment ... Nah ... just amazed that's all. :D

Day 32: Dirty Laundry

2006-02-09T07:23:00.000+08:00

Ever since I've arrived here in Japan, and even way before, I would always joke around and say that I'm gonna find someone here for me. Hahaha. So Roponggi was always what's in my mind seeing that that's what they would always say if one would like to find one.

In every place that we go, whether its in a crowded area, at the office, or even during riding the train or subway, I would not only see the sights around but also the sights amongts us. Hehehe. It's not like as if there are many to choose from especially on the area where our office resides so pardon me if my taste kinda deteriorated a bit. Hehehe.

So far I've had some dirty laundries that I've been keeping. So here they are:
- First was the night we went back from Tokyo Disneyland. Around 5 minutes away from Kitasenju station, we came across this guy ... weird looking guy. His face is at least not bad but not good also. Hehehe. And his hair, it was like he just came back from being electrocuted. So having that look, I didn't paid much attention to him. But as we were about to cross path, I realized that he was looking at me ... or so I think. So I also looked at him. Then, after passing each other, I looked back and there he was ... looking back also at me. Now what do you supposed that means? Hehehe.

- Next is there is this cute guy I saw at ... take note ... the CR of the office that I kinda liked. He's okay I guess considering he's kinda short and has this aura or accent in his face that one can say that's a bit spoiled and/or arrogant. So anyway, I just took that moment as something like taking a quick vitamin ... for the eyes that is. But then, his work area is actually near the said place ... and is the direction that I have to pass in order to get there. As in goshes. So every time I would go to the cr or go back from there, I would always take a quick glance at him. Hehe. :D

- Just yesterday, as Brian and I finished our lunch and heads back to our work place, there were these two guys, not so cute but okay enough to pass as ... well ... a fling, that I noticed was looking also at me the whole time. Although unlike with the the first encounter, this one didn't looked back. Only I did. So meaning, he just took me as a vitamin? Hahaha ... assuming. :)

Imagine, in just 1 month that's all the guy thing that happened to me. I must be losing my touch. Damn. Hehehe. Anyway, 2 and a half more months to go ... lets see where that would take me in this area. Hehehe. :)

Day 31: Nike Air

2006-02-08T11:25:00.000+08:00

Let's do some Mathematical equations here. So that this entry may have some uniqueness in it. So any resembles to actual events like person, event, place is purely unintentional. Hahaha ... :)

A. Assumptions:
1. Let x be person A.
2. Let y be person B.
3. Let m be the topic of me and A.
4. Let n be the source or desired destination of any conversation.

B. Objectives:
1. To determine why such a statement has been said.
2. To determine why such an incident happened.

C. Situation:
1. Last month, x and I were talking, sharing some thoughts, some insights when it suddenly said that it wished that m be transfered totally all to n. I know it wasn't such a big deal for it but it kinda hurt me because WTF ... did it really think that it or it's crowd are way better than anyone of us? Did it really think that it may have offended me with it's remark? Did it really think that the way it was doing was completely perfect? I was really pissed off that time. I could just throw back at it the many faults it have but I just kept quiet. I guess I don't want to sink to it's level or that maybe I was just good and decent enough to watch what I say.

2. There was a time that B and I were really in good terms. Oh don't get me wrong, I still do respect B but it's just that if given a choice, I wouldn't be caught dead with it. The more interactions I have with it the more I distance my self because I do not like what it is doing. And I don't want to unintentionally inherit that. Influences are passed on without our knowing and it's not easy for us to see it immediately. More often, it is the people around us who can see us clearly when we are changing into something. Anyway, back to B. I've learned that B now is ... how shall I say this ... maxed out. And yet how come I don't have any guilt feeling? Nor do I feel sorry for it. And why do I have this karma as the reason thing floating in my mind? Am I really that bad now?

D. Conclusion:
1. I guess when you get close even just a little bit to someone you tend to break down all the walls that you put up to protect you. And this I think is such the main reason why I do get hurt easily. And sometimes, I do get hurt pretty much easily especially when I have my period. Hehehe ... Kidding.

2. I think I just always try to see only the good side of a person. I don't intend to dwell much on what they are known for, or what they can do but what I think they all are capable under the name of love and/or friendship. I guess I'm kinda just your average person who believes that life is full of happy things and happy thoughts that we can just live on it and not care about what the other side is. Or maybe I just didn't had the chance to deepened what I've knew about how I should treat or react to a person's individuality.

Hahaha ... what a weird entry this is. Anyway, go figure. :)

Day 30: Queer As Folk

2006-02-07T07:43:00.000+08:00

Noel mentioned this series to me almost the end of last year but I never paid much attention to it at first because I couldn't see or get a copy of it and it wasn't that popular. But now, with the priveledge of having internet in our room, I was able to get a copy of the entire series. Okay, still 94% for the last season but hey, I just finished season 1 last night so I think I can still wait for it to finish. Hehehe.

Gosh, this series is really a very ... err ... eye opening experience. Well, there's the naughty scenes I have to admit but the story also is really something that is realistic enough that could happen to me. Unlike with other tv shows, this is more sensible even how wild some scenes are. So this one is not for those who can watch queers (gays and lesbians) making out or seeing them nude. But this is not porn take note. :D

What's nice for me about this series are, aside from the hunky and gorgeous men ... or gay, the dialogues that they used, the situations, the sarcasms, the punch lines, and more. Well there are also some boring scenes but I guess capturing every aspect of their lives is one of it's strength that made me fell in love with this show. :)

This series was derived from the British version, of the same title as well. But as I searched the web for more details, I kinda assumed that it didn't go well as the US version did. Or maybe the US version had more ... "skin" exposures. Hehehe. :D

Hahaha ... I just thought of something as I was writing this. What if there were four of us happy people in our batch ... would we be like them? Hmmm, I wonder. :)

Day 29: Earth Shaking

2006-02-06T07:40:00.000+08:00

When we had the trip and some lectures regarding what to do during disasters, I never did expected that I would encounter such here. Although I did know that it is that frequent here in Japan to have earthquakes but the thing is, it never did crossed my mind.

The past week had really been ... a disaster experience. No, it's not something that is bad or stuffs like that. That same week, we experienced earthquake here in Japan. The first time was when we were already at TKC after dinner time. It was kinda strong and long. And what's more scary is that we were located at the top most floor. Hehehe ... Peter even mentioned during breakfast, the morning after, that he did followed what was taught to us by opening the door. Hehehe ... I know it's not something funny but the way he said was. :D

Then last Friday, this time I really got scared. The earthquake happened here at the office ... four times in just one afternoon. Although the first one was the strongest compared to the later ones but what made me scared even more was the fact that no one was worried ... it was normal for them. Hehehe ... some were even laughing. I was mostly worried because we were told during our lecture that if something should happen, we would go under our table for protection ... but I don't think I can fit under my table. Wahhh. :D

Day 28: A City In A City

2006-02-05T21:39:00.000+08:00

After hours and countless times of planning and deciding what to do on a Sunday, and after the much disappointment of some, we went to church at Franciscan's Chapel because we mistakenly confused the schedule of the mass at Matsudo. Instead of the second and fourth sunday of the month, we thought it was the first and third sunday of the month that they would have a mass that we can understand. :D

So after a quick conference chat, we decided to have mass at Roponggi. Then lunch afterwards and a stroll in Roponggi hills. So that's the plan we had but that's just between me, Brian, Janice, and Edric. But with us were Alvin, Stella, and Bing.

But before going to Kitasenju station for the subway, Alvin, Brian, and I went to eat brunch at Matsuya. We were kinda hungry because we hadn't had any breakfast and the mass would start at 12 noon. So that would make us really hungry at that time. Hehehe ... we were even thinking of just eating light after the mass. Boy were we ever wrong. :D

After the mass, we had lunch at Tony Roma's Famous For Ribs. The servings were really that big. It was so big that I just ate chocolates for dinner because I was still a bit full. The place sort of looked like a bit of Hardrock Cafe. Oh speaking of which, before we went there for lunch, we went to Starbucks and Hardrock Cafe Merchandise store because Stella was looking for some stuffs to buy. After the lunch, the staff there, kinda cute but kinda skinny, kinda surprised us when he said "Thank you po!". Hahaha ... that just proved how many Filipino are in Roponggi.

We went next to Roponggi Hills, which they said to be a city within a city. Hmm, sort of like Rome. My gosh, it was like Milan or Paris ... fashion district. Branded clothes everywhere. Huge open air malls, which wasn't so nice that time 'coz it was freezing cold. Then there was the Asahi TV station and more.

The place was really nice but I think it is nicer during the night time. Not just because the place is very much famous for night life but the place was full of lights that would certainly looked awesome during the night. And of course the mere fact that it was just even during daytime that there were lots of cute guys, both local and foreigners, there made it even more tempting to go at night. :)

P.S. My first stolen shot from Janice. :D

Day 27: One Man's Dream

2006-02-04T21:45:00.000+08:00

At last, we finally made it to Tokyo Disneyland. After postponing it twice, and almost for the third time, it had happened. So together with, Brian, Rachel, Luchee, Stella, and Juvy, our adventure began at 8:00AM until 10:00PM.

The day was actually kinda funny because it was only during the first ride, Space Mountain, that we were all together. Then after that, we kinda got split up because we got confused with where to meet. So it boiled down to me, Rachel, Brian, and Luchee in one group while Juvy and Stella on the other group.

Oh, Luchee by the way is Kenneth's special friend. This was our first encounter with her. For Rachel it isn't. Hehehe. She kinda looked a lot like Dayen, my college friend. Hehehe ... a bonding activity at Disneyland. :)

There were only two rides that we didn't go for because it was closed for maintenance reasons. It was the Thunder Mountain and Buzz Lightyear rides. Splash Mountain was also actually scheduled for maintenance but right after the Winter Magic in the Sky (fireworks) it opened so we rushed towards it and rode ... twice. :D

We almost went to all the rides that were recommended by those whose already been there and some. I think it was around 5 ... more or less ... that we didn't went for. So we really did made the best of our stay. Plus, there we even got to see some shows like Disney's Princess Procession "A Bouquet of Love", Disney's Rose Princess Greeting, Cinderellabration: Lights of Romance, Cinderella's Royal Coronation, Disney's Dream On Parade, One Man's Dream II - The Magic Lives On, and the Winter Magic in the Sky.

My gosh, it was so beautiful and spectacular. As in ... I was speechless. Okay, I admit I'm kinda into Disney even today but this was really out of this world. But it would have been perfect if we had or they had some picture taking time with the princesses and princes. But I was kinda surprised because they are Americans. Or maybe it was just the makeup. :D

And oh, in our second round at the Splash Mountain, when we decided to ride again and this time have a cute pose for the camera, I didn't blinked. I kinda was looking all the way down. Hahaha ... First time I got brave enough to do that ... hmmm ... what wonders having your picture taken can do to me. :)

Day 26: Fortune In, Devils Out!

2006-02-03T21:42:00.000+08:00

When we heard that there was a karaoke party downstairs at TKC, we decided to go down there and knowing that there are free drinks made it more the reason to go. Hahaha ... I won't say who said that. :D

So anyway, during dinner, there were some staffs of TKC that who devil hats and were carrying huge bats. We did wondered what it was because they looked like clowns to us at first. So we thought that it was part of the karaoke party ... err ... ad. But it wasn't. It was just a simple gathering with mostly the staffs were singing. So we didn't stay long down there. :D

We went upstairs to get our meal baskets for breakfast and dinner for tomorrow at the canteen because we can't make it for both meals because we are going to Tokyo Disneyland. It was in there that we saw another batch of "devils". So we asked what it was and she said that they were the evil ones and throwing the soybeans meant out with the bad spirits. Although we really didn't tried that because it would not looked so ... friendly. Hehehe. :D

An exerpt from an email by Ms. Minchin:

we have beans near xxx cube from xxx-san.

"how to use" :
1. eat beans, # of beans you eat will depend on your age :P
so if 45 yrs old ko, i have to eat 45 kabuok, busog :P
2. we could also throw the beans to drive away the evil spirits  :) 

kuha lang mo didto unya hehe

thanks

The Japanese festival Setsubun marks the end of winter and beginning of spring on the lunar calendar. out with the bad, in with the good' is the accompanying catch phrase of this early spring festival.

P.S. I replaced the names with xxx for confidentiality purposes. Hahaha. Kidding. :)

Day 25: Quick Stop At Kashiwa

2006-02-02T20:32:00.000+08:00

So finally it didn't rained when we got out of the office and we we're still a bit hyper so Brian and I decided to finish our strolling in Kashiwa. But only within the station's vicinity. Amazing how the station is being surrounded by shops and malls.

We actually covered the left and right side exit ways of the station but we didn't went to all the floors in the malls. We just went around ... seeing what would catch our eyes and looking at the prices of some cute stuffs.

The place was nice especially the effects of the lights at night. It was like a mini version of the night aura of Hong Kong. And my gosh, there were flocks of people everywhere.

Then there is this Sogo mall that has a mini disc-like form at the top most of the building, the one that I've mentioned in my previous post, that looked cool. So Brian and I decided to go up there ... to the 14th floor. But much to our disappointment, we could not get in because the place was a restaurant. Too bad. But fortunately, we did had a quick preview of what it would have looked like because the elevator was at the middle front-part of the building all in glass ... which gave us a good view of what it would have looked like. Nice. :)

Day 24: Heaven and Earth

2006-02-01T07:18:00.000+08:00

It seems that I spoke too soon when I said that it was good that it didn't rain hard ... but then again Mother Nature always do gets what she wants. Hehehe.

Yesterday, we planned to go back again to Kashiwa to take a stroll on the other side. We've been there actually last Monday but we only went to this mall, I'm not exactly sure what's the name of the mall because there were lots of names as we did the malling experience. There was the Big Camera, Sogo, and some that we haven't or can't read. Hehehe. Anyway, we planned to go back there to go to this tall building with a sort of disc area at the top. Kinda like a mini version of the Osaka and/or Tokyo Tower.

Well anyway, it rained the whole day yesterday. Imagine. It was like experience a typhoon or something. Hehehe. But it wasn't that hard that could cause flood. Or maybe it can just that they have good drainage systems. Hehehe. But there were lots of puddles but no mud actually. Kinda cool but still messy.

Then while watching Underworld Evolution last night, thanks to Brian for the copy, we experienced our first earthquake here in Japan. Yah they did said that earthquake is common here that they used to it but we were at the 6th floor of TKC that time and it really was shaking. It lasted around a minute or two and it was actually scary. I know it won't be the last time that we'll encounter such here but I do hope that's the strongest that it'll ever be. Hehehe. :)

Day 23: First Times

2006-01-31T21:32:00.000+08:00

While thinking of what else I could get a copy of to watch later, I just remembered my ... err ... first male celebrity crush. It was back around high school I think that I saw him on TV. His name is Austin St. John. Recognize his face? :D

Back then, I would make it a point to be complete with all my chores at home every Friday night as early as possible because I would not want to miss any episode of the show that he was in. Okay, I just exaggerated a bit because my chores aren't that much ... well compared to my status as Princess Sarah right now but nonetheless, they were still chores. :)

And after a while, I got sad because he no longer continued on with the show. I actually don't know the reason behind it but it was such a downer because I really now have to look at the story behind the show and no longer at him. Hahaha. :)

So when I remembered him last Sunday, while starting blankly at the wall in my room thinking what else is there to copy, I immediately downloaded some episodes. True enough I've watched it last night and ... like the song goes ... it's all coming back to me now ...

And just like my first crush male celebrity crush that I went gaga, I also experienced my first rain here in Japan just tonight on our way back to TKC. The rain was kinda weird because when you look at it from a light (e.g. from the car's head light) and see its raining hard but only with miniture droplets. But if not, you can't sometimes feel it coming down.

Oh well, at least it didn't rained like what we usually have back at home. And also my experience with snow two weeks ago. That was also my first time. And speaking of snow, Brian checked the weather report for tomorrow at CNN and it indicated that there will be snow. I do hope so. Coz we will surely make snowman and probably have a little snow fight this time.

First times really mean something. Though we may forget it in the future but when we see something that would remind us of what that was, the feeling just completely comes back. What a great feeling it is to have and to experience it.

Day 22: Generation Gap

2006-01-30T08:49:00.000+08:00

It's a wonder that the interactions and experiences we get from and how we react to such varies with just a mere change in a variable.

It's been almost a month now since I've also joined this online dating site suggested by a friend. It's not that I'm complaining with the many people who sent me messages but there's a pattern that I've started to notice already. Flattered as I would feel but I kinda get a weird feeling everytime some sents me a message because the moment I would check their profile, it's either they're too gay for me, meaning that they're more gay (or gayer ... if such a word do exists) than me, or there at least twice and a half my age. Imagine.

It's okay if there would only be one or two of that age who would message me but why does it multiplies? There's this 55 years old Irish guy who keeps on messaging me and bugging me on why I haven't yet replied to his email; then there's also this another 50 year old guy, I forgot from where, who thinks I'm Japanese. Imagine, do I really look Japanese right now? :D

Is my beauty just for the "aged" ones? How come they outnumbered the ones that belongs to my age group? :|

Then there's also the case for my batchmate ... I'll just keep it's identity a secret. Yesterday, it was going to buy some ticket and then there's this old guy that pushed him aside so he could go on with his way without even excusing himself. And in a very harsh tone I may add. Well haven't exactly heard it but thats what it said. Then just tonight, after dinner, it was told by the cafeteria lady, also an old one, to put the papers here in this basket and the glasses at this area and not to leave them at the tray after using. And she kept saying this like we didn't know anything. Weird thing is that it wasn't it's paper and glass that was not properly set aside.

I know I can't compare the two situations that we had but one thing's for sure, no matter what age generation you belong to, it is really not that easy to meet half way. Hahaha. What a weird conclusion I just made. :D

Day 21: First Filipino Day

2006-01-29T07:41:00.000+08:00

It's our second Sunday here in Tokyo so we decided to go to church. We went to St. Ignatius at Yotsuya. It's almost an hour travel from TKC but it was okay. It wasn't that far for me. Or maybe I have already adjusted to the travel style here in Japan.

My gosh, the place was like Filipinotown. Chinatown still sounds better but let's just name it that way. Just after getting out of the station and crossing the street, you can already feel that your in Manila. The people there were talking in Filipino and you can really see that they are. They were also distributing magazines and newspapers for free. So being the curious ones that we are, we took some.

Hehehe ... one guy even said that he thought we weren't Filipinos. Do we really look Japanese now? Or it's just that we are here that people immediately assumes that we are.

It was nice to hear mass again. That was my first for this year ... I think. Ay wait, my second for this year. But first in Japan. It was an English mass with just 1 Filipino song that we sang. And the host was different. It was and tasted more like a biscuit that the one that we're used to have back home.

For lunch we went to Yoshinoya. The much talked place to eat back home. Yah the food's good and quite cheap. I guess it would have been a different experience for me if I haven't tried it first in Makati during my first ever business trip. But don't get me wrong I did enjoy the food. Probably I was expecting the exact taste. :D

And as we finished eating, I just saw like the most handsome guy in Japan. As in ma'am, I was like drolling inside. We even had some eye contact there. Shucks, maybe I should have smiled that time. Man ... another missed opportunity. When will I ever learn. :(

After that, we went to Ueno again but this time, we went to it by passing the Ameyoko Shopping Street. Man, it was like the night market in Thailand only it was at day time. There were lots of goods and wet goods there for sale. It was a little bit overcrowded but was manageable. Just have to be careful with your things though. One can't say what might happen.

Ah ... we now reached to our final destination for the day ... the Yamashiroya store. It was like Otaku heaven. Hehehe. It was an 8-storey building where each floor offered different kind of anime / cartoon figures, games, collectibles ranging from the local to those from the international characters. Wahh ... so liked the Stitch collectibles. Wanna buy one for myself but then again, I stopped and thought, what would I do with it if I'll buy that. :D

Day 20: Panda, Digital Camera, Adult Shop

2006-01-28T19:04:00.000+08:00

Since our Disneyland escapdes was cancelled for today, we were kinda having a hard time what to do on this day. Oh, we cancelled the said trip because starting February 1, the ticket charge would only be 4500 yen from the normal 5500 yen. If we haven't heard of it, we still would be having a discount but only for 400 yen.

So we decided to go to Ueno. This time, we strolled around Ueno park. The park was huge. It had a bazaar at one area, which by the way are mainly of different porcelains; some street shows like how to many an animal from a long elongated balloon, some shrines, some statues, a Festival Hall, some museums, and a zoo. Oh, there was also an amusement park but that's strictly for kids. Too bad Bri, there weren't any rollercoasters in that one.

We decided to go to this Ueno Zoo. The zoo that Ms. Yutani mentioned last night that is the only zoo that has a panda in it. Take note, "a" panda. There was a panda alright but it was sleeping and while doing so, his hand was covering his face. Imagine, he's camera shy. :)

Basically the animals I saw there I already saw in Safari World. But this one is more diverse and only have feeding time unlike in Safari World were they also have some different attractions / shows.

It was also kinda ironic because Peter saw, for the first time, a Philippine Tarsier there. Imagine how ironic that was. Bohol isn't really that far from Cebu but it's in Japan that he saw it. :)

After strolling this bug zoo, we went next to Akihabara. Funny because this was the place that Rachel, Percy, Cathy, Tonet, Isoy, Go, Janice, Jay, us managed to end up. Too bad we didn't all met at the same time at the same place or else it would really be 1 big reunion. There were some others that also went but I forgot to ask who else was there. Sorry kaayo. :D

We first went into an adult shop. We were kinda intrigued on what's actually inside in that kind of shop. Don't get me wrong, we weren't thinking of anything naughty. Whoa, I think my eyes opened much more when we entered in one. It was like porn here, naked women there, toys everywhere. Imagine, what a perverted mind a person certainly would have if he's like a frequent customer in that. Believe me, I did get my share of the deal. It surprised me more than I expected. Although I did kinda pictured out what inside would look like but never like that. And guys, it's not allowed to jack off inside there. Hehehe ... they even had a banned sign about that. :)

Then I purchased something there that I was planning to purchase two months from now. It would more like a gift for myself. I purchased my very own first digital camera. I kinda liked it mainly because of its minimal features and portability. I'm not much into the hardcore photography but I do like taking pictures. This one, for me, is a good buy. It's slim, small, handy, light, and has the basic features of what a camera has. :) An early birthday gift. Hehehe. :) You should have been there when I was deciding if I'm gonna buy this or not. Man, what an ordeal it was. It really was. I think it took me an hour or even more just to decide if I should buy this or not. Hehehe. :)

Day 19: Japanese New Year's Party

2006-01-27T19:03:00.000+08:00

When Alvin told us over breakfast that there'll be a Japanese New Year's party downstairs later tonight, Brian and I decided that we would go out of the office early so that we can join this so called event.

Okay, by early it meant by a minute and a half early. Hehehe. Of course we would start to settle with the day after the dismissal song ends. And so as we walked thru our way to the station, we pondered what kind of party it would be, and would we be able to meet new people there.

Upon arriving, there were lots of receptionist waiting in the front door. Then after getting our keys, the front desk receptionist told us if we would like to attend the party downstairs. So off we go. After the elevator door opened in the B1 floor, we were shocked to see what was there. No, no naked men or women there but people in business attire. As in the men wore Americana while the women wore ... blouse and skirt or slacks.

We saw there Ms. Yutani. She was invited and was all alone, and so were we, and formed our own little group. So we ate together, chatted together, walked a bit ... anything actually. Hehe. Then she showed us some exhibits with pictures. There we saw a picture of Alvin taking Japanese class in TKC, the 2 batches that went to Mt. Fuji, and even a picture of Brian during the Fire Drill activity. Yup, he was there ... all posed up for the picture. I never did expected that that picture would be used for something like that. Well, for document reasons. Hehe. :)

After eating the finger foods, we went to a bazaar where they sell real cheap items from all parts of the world. Okay, I think they were stuffs / presents from different trainees from different parts of the world. There were even some from our native country. :) Ah, what wonders when people from all over the world get together in one place.

I was actually kinda disappointed because I was thinking we could meet some fellow trainees from different parts of the world. Well, we did had some encounter with those from India. Okay, they let me take a picture of them. Hehehe. :)

Day 18: Skiing and Snowboarding

2006-01-26T19:48:00.000+08:00

It's no longer snowing here but there's one thing that Jessica and I wanted to do and decided to do it. And that is skiing. Although I've heard that TKC also do organized events like this but so far there are no news about it. And just in time because Jessica sent me an email about the specific topic. Oh gosh, I wanted to join. But too bad it's already full. But still, keeping my fingers crossed for there may be a chance that someone would back out and I can get it. Hehehe. Below are the details of the tour.

P.S. Although I wanted to ask the receptionist about this if they have one especially now that I've finally saw a cute one. Hahaha. :)

---
Nagano Ski Tour 2006 Guidelines
(Revision of 2004, 2005 versions)

i. Introduction
Thank you joining the Nagano Ski/Snowboard Tour 2006. We hope to enjoy this tour with all Filipino, Foreign and Japanese participants. This year's tour is brought to you by the kindness of Mr Charley Fujita who arranged the specifics of the tour. In this regard, we consider this activity as voluntary and your participation is your personal responsibility. Therefore each individuals safety and security is carried-out with own care.

Although we are hoping for a very smooth, trouble-free and zero accident activity, in any circumstances or any unwarranted events occur, the only accountability of the organizers are assistance and processing of insurance. Therefore each participant is responsible of one's own act and disposition. Lets have an enjoyable and memorable ski tour!

ii. Stay
We will be staying in one or two of Kijimadaira's lodge/ryokan in Kijimadaira Ski Site. One room can accommodate from 5 to 7 people. Room assignments will be made known at the ski site after the arrival on Saturday morning. Since toiletries are not provided, please bring them with you. We encourage everyone to bring warm clothings, waterproof cap and gloves, muffler and extra pairs of socks. Do not forget to bring your National Health Insurance card, Alien registration card (or passport if ACR is not available). OFURO (bath) is only until midnight.
* Other details are not available at the moment. It will be provided along with the lodge/ryokan name when the travel agency gives us the final accommodation information.

iii. Rental
The shoe size under 23cm or over 27.5cm will have an additional charge.
Sizes:
22cm or smaller & 28cm or bigger - 300yen per day
30cm or bigger - 500yen per day

For those who have the above listed sizes but can take sizes 23cm or 27.5cm, please send me an email on or before Wednesday (2/01) so we can revise the rental list that we have initially submitted. Upon instruction, you can try on the ski shoes and ask for replacement in case sizes do not fit. Once it final, you have to take responsibility of the equipment. Any loss or damage will be charged separately.

For those who want additional security, you may purchase an equipment insurance to avoid expensive charges in case of loss and/or damage. Insurance registration will be available upon arrival. (This is not compulsory but is highly recommended.) Loss of ski equipment is very common. Therefore always be extra careful in storing these items while on break (for lunch or toilet). Report immediately any lost items. Sometimes there are not actually lost but are mistakenly taken because of similarity of color and design.

iv. Insurance
All Ski tour participants are enrolled in Japan Domestic Travel insurance. Although this adds security for any untoward incidents, extra care is needed to avoid any injuries and damage to equipments. This insurance does not include the equipments we are renting at the ski site. We advise enrolment to equipment insurance to avoid payment of the equipments in any event of loss or damage.

v. Precautionary measures
1. Always be cautious of your actions in the ski site.
2. Rest at proper places and avoid sudden stops in the middle of the site.
3. Mind your speed.
4. Be cautious of other skiers' path.
5. In case of a fall, check immediately for incoming skiers in your area. As much as possible stand-up and move to the side.
6. Take only appropriate courses. Beginners stay at Level One. (Never attempt to go to Level 2 or higher levels, it is too risky)
7. If you notice any injured individual immediately call the attention of other skiers particularly those on patrol or trainers/instructors/lift staff.
8. During evening ski time, be extra cautious. Path may not be well lighted.
9. For amateurs, avoid skiing or snowboarding alone.

vi. Assembly
Going to Nagano:
February 10, 2006 (Friday) at 22:00!!
* DO NOT BE LATE *
Yoyogi Park Entrance, Near Omotesando Exit of Harajuku station (JR Lines) and Meiji-jingumae station (Chiyoda line)
Back to Tokyo:
February 12, 2006 (Sunday) at 17:00
ETA in Harajuku is 22:30.

vii.
We will be having beginner's SKI class for new participants. The instructor fee will be charged separately. The 2-hour class will be for those who want to learn the proper and correct way of skiing. Basic techniques will be taught. For those who are interested, please inform your ski coordinators (and sub-coordinators) during our bus ride to Nagano.

viii. Other reminders
1. Since there will be sub-coordinator for each group, please make sure to know them.
2. Wait for instructions before trying on the equipment and other rental items.
3. All rented items must be returned at least 30minutes before departure.
4. Dinner is served from 18:00 and Breakfast from 8:00
5. Games and other activities will be conducted aside from skiing and snowboarding.
6. Dinner, prior to departure (Back to Tokyo) is not included. Meal can be purchased at the lodge.
7. Bring extra food and snacks...
8. From today 1/21, any cancellation will be fully charged.
9. Substitution is permitted until February 1 (Wed).
10. We suggest that you buy your ski gloves (waterproof), googles and winter caps here in Tokyo. We DO NOT suggest renting them in the ski site.
11. Ski wear rental fees will be collected separately. For those who have indicate rentals, please coordinate with your coordinators or sub-coordinators upon arrival in Nagano.
12. For ski site details, check links below:
http://macky-snow.com/gerendinfo.html
http://kijimadairakanko.jp/

For questions, please contact any of the following people:
- Jeff Cabanday 09096892044
- Tin Abelarde 09061222107
- Charley Fujita 07055720593

= = = =
Three of the most essential items to be secured before going to the Ski site are as follows:
- Goggles (Dark)
- Waterproof gloves
- Winter cap
You can check them out at "LONDON", Ski and Snowboard wear shop. Located in Kanda area. Place Ogawacho B7 exit (Connected by underground walkway at "Shin-Ochanomizu"(Chiyoda Line), "Ogawacho"(Toei Shinjuku line) and "Awajicho"(Marunouchi Line). 5 minutes walk from "Ochanomizu"(JR Chuo line or Sobu line).
* If you are interested in getting your own wear, you can also check for very affordable items there. For the MAP of the place, please check the URL below.
http://home.att.ne.jp/banana/jeffcabanday/LondonShop.JPG

Day 17: Walk, Jog, Jump, Run

2006-01-25T18:40:00.000+08:00

Before coming here, I knew that there would be a lot of walking during the practical training period. From TKC to Kita-Senju station and to the office and vice versa. So in a single day, it would roughly around 1 hour total walking time ... based on what they say and the time estimates they given us.

I used to like to walk and and go on for a certain distance and time. But I guess I kinda really have gotten fat because I feel heavy and can't walk as fast as I used to be. Or maybe that was a long time ago.

Since Tuesday, we now knew the exact time for the train to depart Kita-Senju in the morning that would have us arrive in Tennodai station lots of time to walk to the office. And that is 7:16AM. Meaning, we have to have our breakfast at 6:30AM and leave from TKC at 7:00AM. That means we only have roughly around 15 minutes to get to the station. But since learning the shortcut, the travel distance and time had really been shortened. Thank God.

But for our walk to the office, there is no shortcut. There have many routes but I guess that would just be having the same distance and time only having a different view. We're off at 5:15PM so since usually, if not most of the time, Brian is really hungry by that time, he would always make it a point that we'll leave immediately after the dismissal song is played. Because he wants to get on the 5:45PM to arrive at around 6:30PM in TKC just enough to take our dinner.

So during the walk to the station regardless where our destination would be, that's now my way of losing weight. Hehehe ... Man, the walking really would make me sweat ... and it's winter. Just imagine that. Hopefully I would really lose back these pounds that I've gained in my stay here. Hehe ... :)

Day 16: Sleepy

2006-01-24T20:30:00.000+08:00

It's my second day on the practical training and I really have this feeling/condition for the past two days. No, it's something that's a disease or something. I actually have been suffering from extreme sleepiness in the office for two consecutive days now. As in if it would only be legal or normal to sleep in the office. It's really a challenge to keep staying alive.

I guess it's because of this that may affect my mood. I don't know if it's related or not but maybe the lack of sleep and intense walking (which I'm not very much used to) affects my mood and the way how I judge my experiences.

But I think I did learned two things today: first is that each one of us is unique in their own way that we may or may not get along with; and second is that no matter how much you share something to someone who in the first place has a closed-mind or isn't agreeing with would consume your energy even if it's just with sharing some thoughts. Hay, the diversity of human life. :)

Day 15: First Day Funk

2006-01-23T22:00:00.000+08:00

So officially I began my practical training. The first day task was quite just similar to what I was doing back but there's more added pressure and task that needs to be accomplished.

I used to want to be selected for HR Transfer program to work in Japan but after my first day there, I don't think I can manage that. I mean, being here in Japan is okay but the thing is that the workplace is so serious and I could say that I would be very much lonely. Or maybe I'm still adjusting.

Anyway, when I came back at TKC, I was surprised because the receptionist said to wait because I have a message. And to my surprise, it was from Jessica. A postcard of Mt. Fuji. She mentioned that she already went there. Wahhh ... I want to go there to. Hmm. Hehehe. :)

Day 14: Window Shopping

2006-01-22T22:35:00.000+08:00

Since the snow had finally stopped, we decided to go out and explore the streets near Kita-Senju station and Akihabara. And yah, we pretty much ended up buying nothing except for food. Okay, Brian did bought a towel. He has been looking for it since the start. Hehehe ... he forgotten to bring it with him.

Along the Kita-Senju station, there was a street that kinda looked like a small downtown or a chinatown but without the chinese decorations. I am not exactly sure but it was just a small part that was covered with shops ... or that's just what we've explored yet. Then we also went to the 1010 mall. A very big and elite mall similar to Robinson's. Gosh, the clothes were really unique, fashionable, and daring. Loved to have one of those but I can't. I still can't bear to buy a long sleeves open v-neck shirt for around 10,500 Yen. That's just way too much out of budget. Hmmm, maybe if when I'll wear that I could get an instant boyfriend why not. But heck, I'm a born fashionista so I can do away with that and find a more budgetable one. Haha ... assuming.

On our way to Akihabara, guess what happened. Our first official blooper train ride. We were supposed to ride on the Joban train going to Ueno and there we'll change train going to our destination but instead we rode the Joban train going to Abico. Hahaha ... we got the train right but the destination wrong. And it was a rapid train. At least, 1 point for experience. :)

Whoa, I never expected Akihabara to be such a big place. And we only ventured on the electric gadget side of it. On the other side was the clothings. That's what the sign said so I would assumed that it's full of malls or ukay-ukay, if there exists in the first place here in Japan.

Among the gadgets we've seen, there were 2 things that really caught my attention. First is a digital camera and second is a digital camcorder. Wahhh ... don't know what to buy or which to buy. Not really very good at this aspect. :( But if just for the mere physical attributes of weightness and design, that I can do on my own. Hehehe ... :)

It really is such a small world. Because there we saw Janice and Juvy ... unplanned and all. But we just chatted a bit and separated ways because we were kinda hungry and tired while they, I think, were just started or something like that. :)

Day 13: Snow In Tokyo

2006-01-21T18:15:00.000+08:00

Oh my ... for the first time ... the very first time ... it's snowing. Now ... here in Tokyo. I can't believe it. And it's our first time to see and experience it first hand. So upon seeing it first thing in the morning when I waked up, I knocked to Brian and Peter's room and we all were so amazed. We even went to the emergency door exit, which is right after Brian's room, to have our pictures taken with the snow.

I guess it isn't just us because as we went down, there were also many people who did the same. Hehehe ... And some also made a real snowman. Hahaha. :)

So after having our breakfast, we went to Peter's office. In Mita. Or as he would like to say it ... in MK. It was kinda far to walk from the station especially that it's snowing, Man it was really cold. At first it was okay but as we ventured thru it, it was kinda annoying especially the wetness it brings when touching the floor or in my glasses.

We then went to Tokyo Tower, which was nearby. We didn't went, again, to the top observation tower but we just toured to every floor that it had. Compared to Osaka Tower, this was bigger and had a different view. I guess we didn't went up because we're afraid we won't see anything but white snow. Hehehe ...

Day 12: Passing Mt. Fuji

2006-01-20T18:13:00.000+08:00

After check out, we're finally on our way to Tokyo. Osaka was cool, friendly, and less crowded but there aren't many cute guys that I could flirt with. As if I could also do the same thing in Tokyo but at least in Tokyo I could say there are a lot of vitamins for my eyes to feast on. Hehehe ...

There were many ways to get to Tokyo from Osaka like bus, plane, or the bullet train. And guess what we rode? Yup, the shinkansen or famously known as the bullet train. Inside, it was sort of looked like what's inside an airplane. As in really, the chairs, the tray table, the way it was modeled. Well there weren't any stewards/stewardess but there was the sort of train masters checking our tickets.

And at exactly 11:21AM, the shinkansen passed thru Mt. Fuji. The view was on the left side of the train and we were sitted at the right side but nonetheless we really had a good view of the famous mountain. It was cool. It had this awesome aura when you see you'll actually feel excited or something like that. Nice. :)

But prior to our departure, Aya came at the train platform to really see us off. I mean, goshes. I was really touched. I really made an effort so as not to cry. Despite the short time that we've been together, we really did had something there. And she even gave us something to eat ... I don't know what they call it here but back at home, it's called siopao. Hehehe. :)

Would also like to say farewell and till we meet again to Jeddy. She's assigned in another place and she'll be all alone there. In terms of our batchmates but for sure she won't be because there are many former officemates there. Good luck to her and hope she'll keeps in touch. :)

After arriving at Tokyo, we headed off to city hall for our alien registration card application together with Ms. Utani. Also from Osaka, she was so cute (not in a malicious way). I mean she's really small. She can't reach up to get a hold of the handle in the train and in the bus. But she's one friendly girl. :)

And after that, we went to our company, had a tour around it (man such a huge area), and was now assigned to our seats. My seat was in between two Japanese whil Brian sat on the other side alone I think. So I guess this is it. This is the start of our practical training. The second half of our AOTS program. :)

Day 11: A Bitter Sweet Ending

2006-01-19T19:33:00.000+08:00

Time really does fly fast when you're having fun. And like the saying goes, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." It's always like that even though that you know that this will eventually end but despite making the best out of the few days we had, I'd still have this mixed feeling of sadness and happiness.

In the 9 days that we had, we may not really have gotten close with our entire batchmates but we did managed to make some friends. Okay, some were acquantances. Hehehe ... but nonetheless, the 9 days that we all shared together still had some impact in me.

And in that 9 days of our stay together, we had lectures together, field trips together, field work together, tea ceremony, etc. We didn't had any meal together but that's okay. We wouldn't be able to communicate well especially since we all don't have any common language that we are fluent aside from our native language.

The picture above is actually our only class picture. And we're not complete in that. There were 2 Thai people that have to leave just after our closing session in that same afternoon. The company fetched them actually at 4:00 PM so they have to get out immediately. One of them was A-san (his nickname is A). He's kinda cute, a chinese-thai person who just got married two weeks ago upon starting our AOTS. What I would remember most about what he said was that he was uncertain if he should go thru this AOTS since he was just married two weeks ago. Then when he came here, he constantly misses his wife. But as he realized that there are many places to see, to go, to learn, etc. here in Japan, he slowly doesn't miss his wife anymore. Hehehe ... I know that it was kinda weird joke but when he said that, I, or we, were really caught off guard. Hehehe ... :)

On our last night, Aya came by for sort of like a despidida party. But before we met with her, we went around Abico Plaza to find some gift for her. We found and bought her 2 pairs of house socks. They are actually socks that are in animal shaped. Hehe ... cute. :) She bought along with her a very delicious batch of takoyaki. It was way better than the one we ate along Namba. She also had some sweet rice cakes called dango (not sure again if that's the exact word). We chatted and chatted until such time that it was about time for her to leave because of the schedule of the train/subway.

And so end our last night in KKC. Tomorrow morning, it's now off to Tokyo Kenshu Center (TKC). :)

Public Bath And Onsen

2006-01-18T22:41:00.000+08:00

So after our Kyoto city tour, we were kinda exhausted so after dinner and doing some last minute laundry, Jeddy and I went to Healthy Bath. And oh, before I talk more about my experience there, I'll just share what the receptionist mentioned to us. Public bath and Onsen isn't exactly the same. The main difference is that in Onsen, spring water is used instead of tap or ordinary water. And it's much bigger and more expensive. But nonetheless, the same effect is achieved.

Now beforehand, I know that when doing such an activity would entail me being totally nude but what I saw there upon entering never prepared me at all. It was like so "oh my God" because upon entering the room, there were naked men all around ... and not even covering their private part with anything. They were just there even talking with their friends with totally no malice at all.

At first there was just 1 guy who I think is around his late 20s or early 30s. Then the rest where men in there 50s ... these are just based on their physical attributes. There was no way I would involve myself in any form of communication with them unless they first would start it. Then there was also this one guy who had tatoo all over his body ... as in it was like he was a yakuza member or something. Hehehe ... Then while in the middle of the process, there came 3 young guys ... I think they were in their early 20s who went. There was 1 cute but kinda skinny but I'm looking at the face so no matter. Okay, I confess I did looked at the bottom but only for a peek. Hehehe.

Basically the process was to take off all your clothes, take a shower, then dip into the pool. Afterwards, I think you have to rinse, not sure about this but I certainly did, then off you go. So it's like taking a shower or a bath exactly with the steam for relaxation.

It eventually made me relaxed and calm afterwards because you can really feel the atmosphere that no one cared about what you looked like because they were just there for the bath and nothing else. Bonding can also be but I guess it was more of like a second reason.

And after the bath, I slept really soundly that night. I want to do this again but this time in an Onsen and in Tokyo. Aya also mentioned that this is one way of meeting or seeing cute guys. Hehehe ... :)

Day 10: A Quick Tour of Kyoto

2006-01-18T22:40:00.000+08:00

For our last tour for this 9 days general orientation, we went to the old capital of Japan, Kyoto. It was actually kinda far but the trip was surely worth it. The bus ride was almost an hour and a half and that's only having little traffic.

So first we went to Kyoto Tool Company Limited. A hand tool manufacturer where they made all this awesome and handy tools. And what a shocker because this company has been accident-free for quite some time now and basically they say it was because of their strict compliance with 5S. Hmmm, maybe we should also follow that back at home. The tour was, for me, not that interesting because I could not relate much because it was into the manufacturing side. Although they gave us a tour on their museum and production line, it wasn't quite catching. But surprisingly, they gave us a mini magnetized screwdriver pair each as souvenirs. Too bad the hat wasn't part of it. Hehehe. :)

Next we had lunch at Kyoto Station where they had this mall full of food and souvenir shops. Too bad we weren't able to spend much time exploring this mall mainly because we were after the 1:00PM show at our next destination.

Arriving around 5 minutes earlier for the Kimono fashion show, we arrived at Nishijin Textile Center. So after seeing the girls where the different winter kimono, we went upstairs to see what products they have for and on sale. There were many kimono items, toys, and lots of items that have the kimono as it's main attraction. Then thanks to Ms. Yoshida, I was able to try on a real authentic kimono (for men) but too bad I wasn't able to take a picture of it. And that kimono actually was worth 3000 Yen. Kinda expensive especially since I won't be actually wearing it back home. Hehehe. :)

For our last stop of the day, we went to Kiyomizu Temple. This was such a popular place and I think this temple is included in any group tours. There were also lots of school guys and girls there. Then there was a pair of stones that they said if one can reach to the other stone without looking, they can find love. I didn't tried that but I certainly did saw a cute guy when I was going down from that area ... he was going up. Man, I should have done the stone thing.

Then on the lower part of the temple area, there was this so called 3 waterfalls. Actually they were just spring waters that have 3 tubes that made them flowing. Then it was also said that on the right it would bring prosperity, the middle is love, and the left most is success. Wait, I think I got the left and/or right wrong or interchanged. And guess where I drank the underground water? Of course the middle one. Hahaha ... too bad we can only choose one because we mustn't be greedy according to them. Hehehe. :)

Day 9: Sharp History and Technology Hall

2006-01-17T22:46:00.000+08:00

Today we visited Sharp History and Technology Hall and I was quite surprised to see all the technological gadgets or gizmo that Sharp was able to invent, market, and released first worldwide. And all this time I thought that Sharp was all into the market for television and calculators.

Basically we toured and learned the background of the founder, the product lines that Sharp manufactured and the different era, prices, and technological break-throughs that they had over the past decades.

The thing that really caught my attention was their lastest flat wide screen tv. It was so slim, wide, and the screen resolution was really amazing. Man, I would want to have one of those. Hehehe. And the other one is the 3D laptop computers. Yes, amazing isn't it. To have the screen of the laptop display all in 3D ... and that's without having to put on a spectacle for such graphics. Hay, when can I own such things.

Day 8: The Tea Ceremony

2006-01-16T18:51:00.000+08:00

Basically today was supposed to be our public bath or Onsen escapades with Jeddy, after classes of course, but she kinda had her visitor so we weren't able to push thru with the plans. Shucks, and I did flirted with the cute receptionist last night asking where the nearest onsen is. But as the night came, I kinda decided that even though she couldn't do it, I would do it for the sake of experience here in Osaka. But not Onsen because it's kinda far and a bit expensive than the public bath. So my plan would be that tomorrow, after dinner I would go and do public bath all by my self. Hey, it's just a 2 minutes walk from here so I guess that won't be much trouble and danger. Hehe. :)

Basically for today we just learned the basic guide to having a successful practical training, the one after the basic general orientation, for our AOTS program. It was actually kind of good because I always feared that when it would be my chance for the AOTS, I would only be limited to doing the following things. And with what our instructor had mentioned early this morning, we can ask and clarify with our sponsoring company and I was happy because I may now be able to see what my training will be all about.

Then in the afternoon, we had the lecture and actual ... err ... ritual or a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony. I was actually kinda disappointed because unlike with previous batch, they were dressed in kimono when doing the said ceremony. Although we did the entire ceremony, we did it with our casual clothes. It was fun and meaningful though. I guess I just wanted to try what it would feel like wearing such an attire and much for picture's sake. Hehe. :)

And I finally placed my foot down and set that I have officially have 2 Chinese and 2 Japanese crushes here in the KKC. Hahaha. :)

Day 7: Universal Studio Japan

2006-01-15T20:58:00.000+08:00

It's our first, and only, rest day from our AOTS basic orientation so we decided to spend it at Universal Studio Japan. Well actually it was Brian who did most of the thinking and planning. This was actually his day. Hehehe. So we, together with Aya, Jeddy, Alex, and Ronnie (the later two are our batchmates but belonging to a different company in Ortigas), went there. Funny thing was that we also meet our Thai and Indonesia'n classmates along with our 1 Chinese classmate in the Japanese lesson.

We actually was there the entire day that the park was opened. It operated at 10:00AM to 6:00PM and yet we were there at around 9:15AM to 7:00PM. Hehehe ... it's really wasn't obvious that Brian had done research and lots of reading prior to going here. Hehehe.

We rode lots of ride especially the new ones and the popular ones. We had to bare with the long line though. The longest waiting time was 80 minutes. But I can assure you that the wait is really worth it. The rides were totally awesome. We rode the Spiderman, Shrek, Terminator 2, Back To The Future, and Jurassic Park. We hadn't had enough time to watch the E.T. show but we were able to catch Waterworld, the mini water stunt show similar to that in Safari World in Thailand.

There were also mascots like Crash Bandicoot, Betty Boop, Woody Wood Pecker, the female Woody Wood Pecker, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and a female character of the Snoopy cartoon. But too bad we hadn't had any ... as in even one photo of a mascot because the first set we hurriedly ran towards Spirderman show in order to beat the line but sadly it opened almost lunch time already because of some technical problems. Then for the Snoopy characters, the mascots would let himself take a picture of us only with the kids. I'm no longer supporting Snoopy cartoons from now on. :(

The train having the last and first stop to and from Universal Studio Japan was also kinda cool because the outer part was neatly designed with different paintings of Universal characters.

During the whole day we spent there, we kinda became (or it's just me assuming) close with Aya. We talked a lot and we also shared some personal taste in ... yup you've guessed it ... in men. Hahaha ... :)

Day 6: Field Work Around Osaka

2006-01-14T20:59:00.000+08:00

Our first, and I think last assignment, for this basic general orientation was mainly to mingle and be aware of the Japanese society. We had two task, one was predefined by our course coordinator and the other one is based on what we would like to have for our field work.

So first was we were to buy a 1 day ticket pass for the subway. It came in pretty handy considering all the places we went to, mainly outside of the tasks. Hehehe. Then we had to have our picture taken at Kuidaore Taro, the official mascot of Osaka. The said mascot was actually situated in Namba.

In this day, I was able to ate a takoyaki. It wasn't actually what I expected it to be but nonetheless it was quite good.

Then there was also the Osaka Temmangu Shrine where we actually saw the Japanese people making wishes and putting it on boards or on the twigs. We also had the opportunity to do some purifications and had our picture taken with a monk. Not sure though if that's what they are supposed to be called.

We also went to Festival Gate, a mall with an amusement park on it's upper floor. Imagine a mall havinga rollercoaster and some other rides at the top of the building. Pretty cool and pretty unique especially in our country. Nearby there was the Osaka Tower. We only went up to the second floor because we felt that for 600 yen we won't see anything spectacular since it was still in the afternoon.

Day 5: Mother Nature's Wrath

2006-01-13T20:19:00.000+08:00

I know the title may not sound so ... friendly but that's exactly what we learned today. :D

So in the morning we learned quite a bit about Japan, it's history, and it's economic status with some statistical data. Yup it was actually quite boring especially if you're not much into that. It was informative though especially when understanding why they behave such way or why that's what you can see around you.

In the afternoon, this is where the fun part. Another field trip. Yippee. This time, we went to Izumisano city, which is almost an hour away from KKC. Specifically in Izumisano city our destination was the Disaster Prevention Center. It was a place where we can learn how to cope up with nature disasters in order to save our own lives and also what to do when such circumstances do happen when we're still here or even back home.

There we felt the strength of a typhoon's wind at 30mph, felt the intensity of a 6 Richter Scale earthquake, the danger of being trapped in a building where the room is full of smoke, and how to put off a fire using a fire extinguisher. Too bad we weren't taught how to use the firefighter's hose like in Jaspher's batch.

In the evening, Jeddy and I took for a walk around town (near KKC only) looking at the shops and observing some of the people around. What surprised me is that I could walk without gloves and during the night too. It was supposed to be cold but I wondered why it didn't affected me that much. Have I already adapted to the weather? Hehe.

It's already what ... 4 days since we've arrived and stayed here in KKC but it was only today that we were able to have our picture taken outside the center. Hehe ... talk about taking things for granted. Well we grabbed the chance this time because if we'll wait for some other time, we may never get the chance ... same with the cute Hong Kong guy we met early this week. :D

Day 4: Around Osaka City

2006-01-12T19:28:00.000+08:00

I don't know but with what we've done today, it kinda felt like that I'm slowly beginning to be part of the Osaka population. Hehehe. Here's what we did for the entire day that made me think that as I am writing this entry.

First was the morning session about an Introduction to the Japanese language. My God, it was like ages since I've studied or talked Japanese like that. But it was a good refresher course. It was more like the entire Basic I was reviewed. Although the teacher (sensei) was talking in Japanese all the time, well except for things that we really don't understand, I was ... err ... doing context clues. Hehehe ... shhh ... don't tell Kato-sensei. But it did kinda awaken my interest back in learning the Japanese language. Maybe if our project won't be busy, I may take Basic I again.

Then we had the Osaka city tour in the afternoon. And take note, we didn't tour like what is usually done in a vacation. We were actually commuting and walking around, going to the subway or train station, changing lanes, buying tickets, looking at map, and everything else. Hehehe. It was actually too bad that we didn't have enough time to go to Osaka-jo (castle) but we did saw it from a bird's view. We did went to Osaka city museum and saw lots of Osaka artifacts and learned some history behind this city. And surprisingly, the museum area is right besides NHK tv station. I think I did saw a male celebrity walking outside the NHK main door but that's just an assumption. I'm not sure he's a celebrity but there was a little aura coming from him that made me say that.

Then we went to Denden Town, Osaka's own version of Akihabara. From there we were left on our own and part of the training was for us to go back on our own including buying our own ticket for the transporatation. Amazing ... the place is really for those people who's first love is gadgets. Hehehe ...

In Denden Town also, we tried Kabyotaki (not sure if that's correct but I think it was cabbage takoyaki). It was kinda hard to eat using chopstick and all but it was delicious and the experience was totally authentic.

And oh, Jeddy bought a digital camera. Yehey ... :)

All the while that we were walking, inside the train, or anything, my eyes were kinda pretty busy looking at some of the locals ... especially the male ones. Although some had weird, outrageous, or cool hairstyles, it really didn't mattered because no one was actually paying much attention to it unlike in our (my) country. And I got to see real authentic (excuse the much used word today) Japanese faces. Oh, I also saw one woman wearing a kimono in the train. :) So back to the locals, there were actually some guys that I found cute, and I think I saw 1 gay guy at the street. Hehehe. Talking about vitamins for the eyes. :)

We also made a new friend today. His name is Guruh. He's from Indonesia. We'll mingle with him more tomorrow and invite him over always because he doesn't have any companion during the 9 days. :( Anyway, we got to talked a bit during the Japanese class early this morning and I found him quite friendly ... to bad he's not good looking. Maybe I was wishing for too much already. Hahaha. :)

Then there's also Ge, our classmate in Japanese class only. He's from China and I kinda find him cute. Hmm, the best way to describe him is he's like Alfon but has a bigger mass or built. Medium size built. Oh no, does that mean if Alfon won't be that skinny anymore I may have a crush on him ... ?

Day 3: Meeting Aya

2006-01-11T20:33:00.000+08:00

It's the first day of our general orientation training for the Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS). We're 2005-K-33 batch ... I think. Hehe. :D

So anyway, there are 19 of us and among us, there are only 2 girls and only 1 of them is the biological one. Hehehe. Come to think of it, I think Brian and I are the youngest among the group ... just basing my assumption on their physical aspect. Hehehe. From the 19 of our batch, 6 came from the Philippines, 3 from Egypt, 4 from Malaysia, 1 from Indonesia, and 5 from Thailand. So far, haven't had any friend among those from other nationality. Brian already had one ... well because they were seatmates. My seatmate is Jeddy and we already kinda knew each other prior to this.

After the whole day of lectures about the basic things and introductory of this course, we meet Aya. She used to be a volunteer here in KKC and knew lots of NSP people especially those earlier batches. It's quite amazing that she knew a lot about the people who used to and are currently working still in NSP. She even knew some of the couples there. I was actually surprised to she her reaction about the news or updates about the people back there. It was like she was so close to all of them. But true enough, she is a very friendly person. She even admitted that she was kinda hesitant to meet us because of the age / generation gap between the people she knew and us and if we can relate to each other.

But all was well and we did get to have a new friend. So we'll be seeing her again this coming Sunday as she'll go with us to Universal Studio Japan. :)

P.S. Thanks to Eggy for informing Aya that Brian is coming here in KKC and because of that we got to meet her. :)

Day 2: Departing from Hong Kong

2006-01-10T19:03:00.000+08:00

So after spending one night at Panda Hotel, which by the way isn't really near or besides Hong Kong Disneyland but hey at least we can see the signs at the street pointing to it's direction on the way there from Hong Kong Internation Airport.

So after landing, we went to a travel agency to have us sent to the hotel and for pick up the next day for our connecting flight. And oh my ... what a cute ... or shall I say handsome guy the incharge was. As in. As in really. I wanted so much to have a picture of him so I was able to convinced my Brian to take a picture of us later after dropping us off. That was my first big mistake. I should have not waited for later because what happened was he was such in a hurry after dropping us all at the hotel. Waahh ... If it's meant to be then it's meant to be. Hehehe ... Sour grapping. :D

So the next day, today, was our connecting flight to Osaka. So after that's all been said and done, here I am in the Kansai Kenshu Center (KKC). The way from the Osaka International Airport to KKC wasn't something as easy as following a map. It was kinda far, riding the train where it took us quite a while to learn where to purchase the ticket and the 15 minutes walk wasn't actually just 15 minutes for us. Hehehe ... our luggages certainly had some workout. Hehe.

Based on my first impressions, the Japanese people are very helpful and polite. Pogi points for them for that. But where are all the good-looking guys? How come the one's I kinda liked are all left there in Hong Kong or are the Filipinos here in KKC (seen some during our dinner).

Tomorrow, the first day of our 9 days culture orientation or whatever they call it here before our technical training. Kinda excited here and very much happy that this had finally came true. And what a bonus that the internet here in the room is unlimited, fast and has no restrictions. Hahaha ... :)

Day 1: Departing from Cebu

2006-01-09T08:18:00.000+08:00

This is it ... this is it. I'm finally going on AOTS. But sad to say, I have to render 4 hours of work because my flight was changed from 3:00AM to 7:55PM. Well, one good thing about it is that I get to spend the night in Hongkong, to Panda Hotel, which by the way is very near to Hongkong Disneyland. But sad to say, for the entire time that we would be stepping on Hongkong soil, Disneyland is closed. :(

So here's my flight schedule. 7:55PM departing from Cebu via Cathay Pacific then estimated time of arrival in Hongkong would be around 10:30PM.

I'm actually quite excited right now being that it's my first time to go to Japan and not because of work ... actually entirely because of work. Hehe. I'm also scared because I'm going to a place where I could hardly their language and it's also Brian and Peter's first time (my batchmates including Jeddy but she arrives a day earlier than us).

So anyway, Ma'am Nene, I'll be keeping my promise to you to have an entry on my blog daily ... as in everyday. Most probably I'll be late in my post for the next day or even the day after that but I'll still post even though. Hehehe. :)

Gonna miss you guys. Gonna be back at work on April 24, 2006. :)

Theory of Evolution

2005-12-30T10:30:00.000+08:00

Back in high school or even in primary school, we learned, scientifically, that man came from the evolution of a certain animal. Let's just say that it also from where King Kong came from. :)

Then last night, while caught in traffic, a thought came into my mind. It's like a scientific and thelogical theory that got mixed up that brought about a different chain in man's evolution ... gay.

It is known that in Hindu, when a person dies, his or her soul would be reincarnated based on how he/she has lived his/her life. If the life he/she lived was as expected and in line of good, he/she would be reincarnated back to the same level (human being) or higher. On the other hand, if not, then he/she would be reincarnated to something that is lower than a human being may it be an animal, plant, or even a non-living organism.

Now this is what my weird mind came up with waiting for the jeep to move. Maybe a person who is very horny, have a very active sex life, is a heartbreaker, and/or someone who is much into using the other (gender) for personal sexual satisfaction was destined to be reincarnated into the opposite gender so as to live and probably suffer on what it would feel like when someone would use you for just mere sexual reason.

But during the process of reincarnation, evolution would now step in. So maybe the evolution of the person has been successful physically speaking but the entire process of also evolving the emotional and psychological aspect of that person hasn't been completed and yet it was now time for that person to live his/her next life.

And thus my own theory of how the gay gender of the human race came about. Hehehe ... :)

Rainbow

2005-12-22T13:11:00.000+08:00

Take a little time baby
See the butterflies color's
Listen to the birds that were sent
To sing for me and you
Can you feel me
This is such a wonderful place to be
Even if there is pain now
Everything would be all right
For as long as the world still turns
There will be night and day
Can you hear me
There's a rainbow always after the rain

After our much awaited Christmas Party at the office, still thinking that the night is young, still dressed to kill, we decided to do something together ... karaoke. And for the first time, Lester joined us. So off to K1 we went. But after dropping off the decorations at the office.

So as they were singing their hearts out, Mark chose and sang this song, Rainbow. The song was popularized by South Border and I think was the theme song for the movie Crying Ladies. Haven't seen that though and I think I have no plans to.

And as usual, I just singing the song that only my ass can hear. And upon singing the chorus of this song, the lyrics I placed right below the image of Iris (the goddess of Rainbow), I thought, hey, this is the song that would best sum up what I've been thru this whole year long. Okay, even though I have a lot to be thankful for, I won't deny that there are things that I would rather not have let happened but I'm kinda glad that they did. Why, because it made me realize and evaluate my ideals in life, in work, and in my environment.

And so I am here at the office right now rendering overtime, I know that this will all come to an end for the rainbow itself is the perfect example on why. For there's a rainbow always after the rain.

A few more days and it's Christmas once again. Then a couple of days after that it'll be New Year and in no time ... 2005 will be a thing of the past and comes 2006.

As my last (probably for this year), I wanna wish you all bloggers a Merry, merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. :)

I Will Learn To Love Again

2005-12-15T17:06:00.000+08:00

It's just 9, okay technically 10, days more to go and its Christmas once again. So that would mean that it's only 6 days more before I can go back home. It would certainly be good to be back home. A lot has changed and I missed all of those. So it's gonna be a fun time to see what has changed and what's new with the people there. How I missed those carefree good old days.

So as this year almost comes to an end, I've came across many things that I never expected. And so with all those experiences I've overcome, I came to a point in writing down the things that I'm grateful for and the things that I would want to change.

The things that I'm thankful for:

That I became close to Kristin and Jessica.
That I learned how it is to live together with someone who works in a call center (Kristin).
That Jessica would always be there to "guide and protect" me everytime we would cross the street. Frankly I'm kinda puzzled why when I'm with her I can't seem to be paying much attention when crossing the street.
That I wrote my first ever story, and it's a long one too.
That I've been to Dumaguete.
That I've been to Siquijor.
That I've been to Cagayan.
That I've went home to Davao during the Holy Week.
That I've been to Bangkok, Thailand.
That I've been to Manila.
That I was able to attend my cousin's wedding in Manila.
That I was able to cuddle with a tiger (cub only).
That I was able to feel what it is like during winter (in Dream World, Thailand).
That I can still cry when watching movies or TV.
That every Sunday I would spend time with my cousin Jaja.
That I've gotten a new passport for free ... thanks to my company.
That I've passed the medical exam for AOTS.
That I was chosen to go for AOTS this January 2006.
That I was finally a Godparent. Yes Weng, Trixie is my first.
That I was able to see Mau, Ria, Claire, Majo, Mabel again this year.
That I've gotten to know Jasmine.
That Philipp gave me a Big Brother tshirt (he was my manito at the Aprilfools christmas party).
That I've received a cute cat 'piggy' bank from Ermie (he was my manito at the INC christmas party).
That I had my first winter clothes ... a gift from Gloriecar.
That my blog has turned 1 year old last month.
That every month I can write something in my blog.
That I've lost weight.
That I can now fit into a L-size shirt.
That I can now fit into a size 34 pants.
That I have my own TV (bought on a 1 year payment ... 2 more payments to go).
That I have my own DVD player.
That I am now using a laptop in the office.
That I was introduced to a product Celeteque (for my facial wash and moisturizer).
That I don't have much break out as I used to have.
That I can see and droll over Rafael Rossel at the Bench billboard in Banilad (right beside PDI Condominium ... God he's so hot).
That I survived Valentine's day without a date.
That I turned 23 last March.
That I was able to do caving in Siquijor.
That I saw for the first time a firefly still in Siquijor.
That I was able to do snorkling.
That I was able to do island hopping in Mactan.
That I was able to do zipline in Cagayan.
That I was again able to do wall climbing.
That I can still swim.
That I was able to successfully pull off the Sportsfest Opening Day program.
That I was able to successfully pull off the Sportsfest Closing Day program.
That I became Software Design Engineer II.
That I was able to attend Aldion and Jamaica's wedding.
That Cherry had a baby girl.
That Grace had a baby boy.
That Mark had a baby girl.
That Mau is so much happy with his decisions and the way his life is going.
That Jessica is now in Japan (promising me that we will both go together in a public bath ... but not together inside).
That Brian and Peter are my companions for AOTS next year.
That Ryan had a BT in Manila.
That Janice had a BT in Japan.
That Edric had a BT in Japan.
That Jaspher was the first in our batch to go AOTS.
That Janice finally had a digital camera.
That I saw Eufford in Keppel building still looking ... err ... very healthy.
That I got a book from Janice for Christmas.
That I also got a book from Donna for Christmas.
That I receieved a hardbound book from Nempha for Christmas and AOTS pasttime.
That I have new teammates (Olga, Pocholo, Ramil, Ernie, Leo, Kenneth, Louie, Justin, Ramil).
That Mark is again in Path (I'm not sure he also shares the same sentiments).
That Claire is coming home in Cebu for the holidays.
That Weng is now off to a greener pasture. Gonna miss you girl.
That Lito is gonna be a father soon.
That Breinn now calls me mama Jan (have no idea why).
For all the donuts that Donna would share (although its all Choco Honey Dip).
That Breinn had a BT on Japan.
That Breinn can make it to the office Christmas Party.
That I now know the link to Janice's blog.
That I can now smile and talk to Dianne.
That I can also now smile and talk to Cleo.
That I can see Mona strong as what I've expected.
That I saw fireworks.
That I've experience Sinulog.
That I got a blue NEC mug.
That I got a red NEC pen (blue ink).
That I had afforded a haircut (styled) in Bench Fix.
That Dimple (our dog) had puppies.
That I became Santa's elf for ... a total of 10 minutes.
That I can be serious in my picture (newly taken for my Christmas card).
That I've meet some new people (48 and XServ batch).
That Noel will be on AOTS next year.
Knowing that Noel, Janice, and Edric together with Brian and me can spend time together in Japan.
That our batch (Aprilfools) is still as strong as ever.
That in company events, our batch is always part of the organizing team.
That I can go home and spend Christmas and New Year in Davao.
That there was some vacant seats left in Cebu Pacific airline when I rebooked my flight for the holidays.
That I've experienced being onboard Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and Thai Airways this year.
That Brian and Ryan can make wholesome items into something that is naughty.
That Neil now has a girlfriend.
That at times I can feel the Christmas breeze.
That I can sometimes see the sun rise.
That at time I can see the sun set.
That Julius and Tiny are engaged.
That I have gotten another opportunity to have my picture taken holding Brian's butt (not bare I tell you).
That Donna has a blog. :D
That Gloriecar gave me a South Park character ID.
That no matter how much I update this there are always new and more things to thank for.

There's really a lot that I have to be thankful for. This year may not have been the easiest and best year I had but it certainly is one where I got to experience and learned a lot.

So with all the things that have happened, all the the events that occurred, I have indeed learned to love again.

Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Maximo Oliveros

2005-12-05T12:04:00.000+08:00

Upon knowing that this movie is now currently being aired in Ayala, I knew that I have to see it. Okay, I wanted to see it during a weeknight so as not to have as many moviegoers or have a lesser chance for someone I knew seeing me watch this. But because of work I ended up watching it yesterday with my college classmates.

Although this movie is a low-budget and digital movie, I still liked it pretty much. What's nice about this is the reality that it portrayed. The slum areas, the events, the gay community, the possibilities, everything. This is what I would say is what a reality show can be. Okay, it is still scripted but it feels like it's not. I really can't explain but the feel of it is different if you'll watch it for yourself.

If your more into the development of the movie in terms of cinematography, lights, production design, special effects, then I suggest you don't watch this. But if you're more into the story, the reality of it all, the character development, then you should.

What's nice about the movie is that it's not at all that predictable. You may think that this is what's gonna happen but it doesn't.

Then if you have a gay friend, I suggest that you'd watch this. This movie can help explain how someone like myself acts or behaves accordingly with society and the family. This is a movie for all those people who have friends who are gay and who have deep relationships. But if you're the type who suffers from homophobia, or isn't at all that open-minded with the reality of the existence of the gay community, then don't.

But I can assure you that this is one of those Filipino movies that is definitely worth watching.

And I'd like to thank Ria for especially making me more want to see this movie. You can read her entry about the movie as well. Just click here.

P.S. Don't watch it with a pirated copy because since it was filmed using a digital camera, it may not be that good to watch at all. Because in some scenes, you can see clearly that it wasn't edited.

Have You Ever Noticed ...

2005-11-24T11:53:00.000+08:00

Have you ever noticed
that the worst way to miss someone
is when they are right beside you
and yet you can never have them.....
when the moment you can't feel them
under your fingertips you miss them?
Have you ever wondered which hurts the most;
saying something and wishing you had not,
or saying nothing and wishing you had?
I guess the most important things
are the hardest things to say.
They are the things you get ashamed of because
words diminish them, words shrink things
that seemed timeless when they were in your head...
to no more then living size when they are brought out....
Don't be afraid to tell someone you love them.
If you do, they might break your heart...
but if you don't, you might break theirs.
Have you ever decided not to become a couple
because you were so afraid of losing
what you already had with that person?
Your heart decides who it likes and who it doesn't.
You can't tell your heart what to do.
It does it on its own....
when you least suspect it
or even when you don't want it to.
Have you ever wanted to love someone
with everything you had,
but that other person was too afraid to let you?
Too many of us stay walled because
we are too afraid to care too much...
for fear that the other person
does not care as much, or at all.
Have you ever loved someone
and they had absolutely no idea whatsoever?
Or fell for your best-friend in the entire world,
and then sat around and watched
him/her fall for someone else?
Have you ever denied your feelings for someone
because your fear of rejection was too hard to handle?
We tell lies when we are afraid....
afraid of what we don't know,
afraid of what others will think,
afraid of what will be found out about us.
But every time we tell a lie....
the thing we fear grows stronger.
Life is all about risks
and it requires you to jump.
Don't be a person who has to look back
and wonder what they would have,
or could have had.
No one waits forever...

A very nice poem I found at Timitae. It basically says whatever there is to say to somone we hold so special to and yet we just hide it all to ourselves. Ah ... love ... what wonders it brings. :)

The Perfect Man

2005-11-23T12:33:00.000+08:00

Okay, I'm now really beinging to see that I'm into Hilary's movie. Hehe ...

Yah I know all of us girls, and gays, are trying to look for the perfect man and most of the time we end up with what we didn't expected from the start but what we now classify as perfect.

What so touched me in the movie is not the searching for the perfect man. Mainly because the plot of the movie is so unrealistic. Don't get me wrong, I'm also still searching for my perfect man ... okay ... I don't have the liberty of getting the perfect man ... but my ideal guy.

But upon hearing this lines (below), it made me realize something ... something that is true and what I've been doing for the past years.

Adam: I drew you something
Holly: Princess Holly
Adam: Well, side of her anyway. I realized she doesn't need an army to protect her. You don't let anybody close enough to hurt you in the first place.

For me, it's not all that true. I still get hurt even if I don't let anybody close enough. And the more if I let somebody that close. I think it's because I'm tired of getting hurt by people whom I consider special. Someone even commented that I'm kinda emotional, which is I guess true after all. But nevertheless, I don't think I could survive this kind of fate if I do this often. Come to think of it, I think I usually endure this kind of pain at least once a year. Yah I know it's too much and to emotionally draining but what can I do ... stone my heart?

While surfing the net, I found a blog entry also about the perfect man. Although I've read this in the email before but the timing just was so perfect. If you wanna read it, just click on this link at Timitae.

It's Your Birthday!

2005-11-16T17:50:00.000+08:00

Oh my ... how time really flies by when your having fun. And guess what, not only is day cool because of the world premier of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire but also ... this day marks the day ... the anniversary ... the birth day ... of foxtale. Yah ... it's been a year now since I've started this blogging thing and to my surprise I am still doing it. Just goes to show how much it means to me doing this during my past time.

Mainly I would like to thank Gloriecar. Why ... simply put ... she was the one who shared her blog to me that kinda inspired me to make one myself. And so ... here ... still going strong ... still more insights about life, love, etc ... still foxy as ever. :)

City Of Angels

2005-11-08T12:56:00.000+08:00

Sawatdee! Last October 31 up to November 04 of 2005, me, my brother, and my two other cousins (who are siblings) went to a city where the capital is also known as the City of Angels. But aside from that, it is also known as Venice of Asia mainly because of all the canals and rivers they have that are near the city. It was even told that if they would find a house, they would first find somewhere near a river.

And oh by the way, the picture above is what they call a tuk tuk. It's their own local taxi ... quite similar to our tricycle here in the Philippines. If you can recall the Visa credit card commercial of Pierce Brosnan ... that's the one.

So for our first tour (November 1), we went to Safari World. The place is cool ... considering it's like a mini Jurasic Park. With that I didn't meant any dinosaurs roaming around the place but when seeing the animals ... we were inside the bus as we ride pass thru the whole wild area. Basically it was like venturing into the wild. Then they have shows that we watched like the Sea Lions, Dolfins and Whales, Spy War, and Stunts. Too bad they had to cancel out the Orange Utan Boxing show. That surely would have been fun to watch. Hehe ...

For our second tour (November 2 Morning), we went to see the Vimanmek and Abhisek Dusit Musuem. Too bad we weren't allowed to take any pictures inside. The architecture of the Vimanmek is really something ... for me that is. Imagine, it was built entirely from teakwood. And they preserved most of the artifacts. As in plus points for them. Then I also learned why in major establishments they put up a small buddha altar in front of at the side. It is because they represent the guardians of the land ... meaning to protect their properties.

On our third tour (the afternoon of November 2), we went to the Royal Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha. The place was superb. As in everything was either in gold, glass, or jade. The area was so huge that it took us the whole afternoon to walk around the area. We only got to go inside one building ... the one where the emerald buddha is left for all to see. What's unique about the Thai is that they would preserve the architectures by renovating and improving it. Unlike here when we say preserve ... we just leave it as is. And take note, this place is currently being marked as a tourist spot but for special occassions and celebrations including entertaining important guest, the royal family would and is still using these buildings.

For our last tour (November 3), it was at Dreamworld. It's there own version of a themepark. I think quite similar to Enchanted Kingdom ... that it is old and not much maintained. But the rides are unique. Well, even if the rides were a bit scary I still went for it. For the experience and thrill of it. Then the much enjoyed part ... Snow Town. Yup, they have this big dome that they put up lots of ice making it an artificial snow town. Sledding was the best part. Sorry, I only have a video of it. :)

Then aside from the tours, we did a lot of shopping. As in. We went to Pratunam night market, Pratunam Mall, Phatpung night market, MBK, and Gem's Factory. A shoppaholic's paradise. :)

If you wanna know more about what's in, what's hot, what to do, where to go, try visiting the Thailand Attractions - Thailand Tour Guide website. :)

Princess Sarah

2005-10-29T13:28:00.000+08:00

Long before I knew that this was actually an anime nor did I knew that this was based on a novel, I have taken for granted this kind of expression ... or better put ... this cartoon.

During my freshman and sophomore years in college, we were required to take up ROTC. Now, being me and all ... I was lucky enough to have been at the right time at the right place. So I ended up being a S1 personnel ... instead of a field cadet. Ah ... those were the good old days. I may be the only one to and will ever say this but I kinda enjoyed my ROTC days. Well, considering I was powerful and pampered by the officers. Hehehe ... But I guess it was during those time that I also learned to handle big responsibilities and the whole concept of trust.

But there were some of my sisters who were not so fortunate. Although they too haven't experienced being a field cadet, they belonged to the Hq personnel. Now, this is a different story. If I was the so called Queen Amidala during an actual ROTC formation, they were the Princess Sarah in our ROTC office. Meaning, instead of reporting at the field like the rest of us, they were tasked to clean certain number of curtains or clean the office itself. And when they do those things, they would always sing or chant princess sarah ... princess sarah ... Hehehe ...

I myself did some princess sarah task this morning. I cleaned the entire room, the cr, the windows, as in everything. Now I may not be the neat freak and all but I had no choice. Well ... I did but it was my choice to clean up. There's someone who's coming here in Cebu tomorrow ... someone special? Yup ... my brother. Sounded familar? It's from the Secret deodorant commercial.

Reason why he's coming here tomorrow ... wait for my next blog and find out. :)

Eating Out

2005-10-21T12:54:00.000+08:00

If it weren't for Chryssy I would have never seen this movie. Okay, first is I did kinda wondered why she rented this video. Maybe she's turned on by gay movies? Hehe ... kidding. Second, I'm not quite the loyal client of Video Centrum.

I was shocked ... as in my small chinese eyes opened widely when seeing this movie. Well just for the naughty scenes. The movie is actually funny or should I say ... gay.

Blame It On The Weatherman

2005-10-20T17:03:00.000+08:00

Jessica and I went out for dinner last night. Actually the plan was just for her to let me borrow the Japanese TV series Gokusen. She said it's quite similar to Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO) but the difference is that the teacher is a female and the leader of a local gang ... notorious I would presume. But the catch is that I have to finish it by Thursday next week because she's going home to Davao for the long break. As for me, I have other plans. I'll talk about it after it happens. And problem is my DVD player is broke. Waahhh ... what a perfect timing. And because of that, I was able to venture out to the city of Mandaue early this morning just to have it repaired at the official service center as to make it free of charge ... not couting on my taxi fare.

Basically we just ate dinner and chit-chatted the whole night. The bulk of our conversation was about office politics, being homesick, how we might be able to solve it, and basically more on about life after college ... I was initially thinking of using a picture of a child dreaming but I changed my mind seeing that it doesn't quite draw the real picture. :)

It was actually the first time that I openly expressed my being homesick. It's actually quite surprising that I admitted that I was homesick. I normally wouldn't care 'coz I got this feeling that I am independent and can stand on my own without having this feeling of attachment dragging me down. And I do keep myself busy (not at all times with work) so as not to remind me of that. It usually hits when I'm about to sleep at night but since sleeping is more of my thing ... the though would just pass me by.

Ironically though, even if I felt that way, it was me who kept on saying stuffs to her making her think twice on whether she would pursue her plan of just finishing her contract with the company she's affiliated with and go back home and start a new career there. I would remind her that if she ever comes back to Davao, what would she do, would her salary there be enough to compensate her lifestyle of her needs, or is she willing to change and adopt back to the norms we grew up with? Of course the easy answer would be just to pack and go home but is that the practical and logical reason considering the economic status of our country right now.

Well it ended up getting her more confused. Hehehe ... I don't know if she'll go thru with it but I do hope that if she will, she'll wait for me. Hehehe ...

Here's my plan. Since I would be tied up to my company for another year, basically that would end at year 2007, I would just wait for the middle of that year then take a time off or pursue what I really want or even study again. Up to now, I still haven't explicitly written what would happen during the early quarter of next year that would make me tied down for a year (I know you probably have guessed it but still, I won't jinx it).

And if it wasn't for that, I probably would have decided on giving up. I mean I'm no quitter but when I get full ... emotionally and spiritually drained, that's the time that I would start thinking of changing or moving. The main reason is I always try to make it a point that I would not end up hating something or someone for that matter.

Okay, for the first time, I'll explicitly say what's been bothering me the past couple of weeks. During my college years, I never actually had any idea on what the real world would be. All I know is that I have to be competitive to land on a good job. I'm no business-minded person so being employeed was all I was thinking back then. It only occurred to me that what I had visioned the real world would be is indeed totally different. And I do mean different. I have always thought that I would be situated in a work where there would be constant growth, constant learnings, constant challenges and stuffs like that. But I never knew that aside from that, there are also what I (actually and Jessica) don't like the most.

Why does he/she have to be like that? Isn't learning new enough? Why is it a never ending battle or show of proving how good he/she is? And is it good to put other people down just to make you go up? Do you have to spread rumors or reveal personal things to other people? And don't you believe in yourself, in what you can do, that you have to kiss ass just to let other people see or make you feel important?

In short, I am not happy. I don't find any fulfillment in my work. I don't know if it would all be worth it in the end. Nor do I know if this would break me. Or even make me change my way of thinking.

Life is really a box of chocolates. You'll never know what you're gonna get.

Intosan Resort, Danao City

2005-10-17T15:13:00.000+08:00

It was the pre and post birthday celebration of our batchmates, plus a treat from someone who came from his AOTS program. The event was held at Intosan Resort in Danao city. It's really that far but surprisingly it isn't that remote or the opposite of urbanized.

The resort was, most of the time, all ours. It was actually big ... as in really big and somehow depicted a similar structure of Plantation Bay and Villa Victoria. Even though the depth of the water was all 4 feet, I was still able to like swim from here to there. What's so cool about the place is that the water travels around circling the cottage. It was more like a moat surrounding a castle but instead of the castle at the middle and land at the outer part, a play area with mini as in super mini slides with cement structures situates in the middle and the cottages are the land.

Then there's also the big slide. I first thought that it would be scary ... seeing how high it is but it actually isn't. I think the main reason why I wasn't scared to do the slide is because the speed of the slide isn't as fast as I thought ... plus having the notion that I could stop anytime I wanted to. I think I went for 3 trips. Hehehe ...

It was also the first time that I took a shot of Bailey's. Actually it was only because it was free. Hehe ... It actually tasted kinda pretty good considering it's like drinking chocolate milk ... with a kick of alcohol at the end part.

Well, the day was full of ... how should I put it ... surprises. Someone announced something that's gonna happen next year ... believe me it's something good. Then if you'll pay attention to the details, there's romance building up in the air for some ... you might even say it can be a triangle. Hehe ... but kidding aside ... I think it's more of just like a fling. There's also the diversity of the crowd ... no matter how hard you try to eliminate that ... it just won't die. And of course, there's also the opportunity of getting to know more the people outside of our batch.

Pretty much the day has been quite something. And oh, have you ever tasted banana leaf flavored grilled hotdog? Wanna give it a try? Hehe ... I guess it's better if I'll let Noel tell the whole story about that ... seeing that he is the creator of that new dish. Hehehe ...

P.S. If he won't blog it, basically he just used banana leaves in flipping the hotdogs or in picking up the meat ... we didn't have any thongs that time ... and we assumed that there were some bit of banana leaf fluids merging with the food. Hehehe ... kidding ... it was just oil. :)

The Bourne Identity

2005-10-14T09:17:00.000+08:00

The week is almost over and I guess it's about time that I end it with my defense. I know I'm not obliged to speak out but nevertheless I should get this out of my system.

It happened on a Monday. I just came back from taking brunch during our morning break when someone said something that really shocked me. He said that there was an email sent to a mailing list here in the office belonging to a group at the other side of the office stating my top 3 crushes. I was surprised on how that had happened. I mean, why would there be such an email in the first place.

So let's start from where it began. It was exactly a week before that a batchmate of mind sent a link to our mailing list. It was at doctorathome, which I am very much familiar with way back during my college years. And it was also on that day that I was very much busy because there was a scheduled release plus I have tons of work left to do. So I never paid much attention to the emails that I got.

Apparently someone accessed that site and used my name, as in my full complete name and filled up the required fields. And when he/she clicked a certain button to finish the input, instead of displaying a result, it sends an email to the person who provided the link listing the names of the people you liked.

Now, here are some reasons, in my defense proving that that email was fake. First, if you're gonna check the history of my browser, there isn't a trace that I have accessed that site. Next is the names on that list are actually not true. I have my crushes but never did I had a crush on either one of them. Next is every time I use my name for anything that doesn't involve my project or legitimate papers, I never ever used my second name. And lastly, I already knew about that site and seeing that the email subject has already been forwarded to 2 other mailing list ... why would I gamble right?

So here's what I have to say. To whoever you are who used my name for that prank, I do hope you had fun doing that. And if ever I do found out whoever you are, all I can say is that you've lost one gold in your treasure chest. If you'll interact to me, rest assured that I will act in a civil manner and I won't take revenge or necessary actions. But don't ever expect me to be there when you'll ask for my help.

And to the 3 people listed in that email who one way or the other have read it, I leave it up to you to believe that or not. If you'll change the way on how you'll interact with me then fine 'coz it's not my lost anyway. I'll leave you with this challenge of putting what we have, our friendship, on the ultimate test. So if you want to give it up or preserve it ... I leave that completely in your hands.

Picture Of You

2005-10-07T16:53:00.000+08:00

Picture Of You is the soundtrack for the Mr. Bean movie, sung by Boyzone. Ironic to what my entry would be, it is a song about someone acknowledging what a treasure or a gold mine he/she found manifested thru his/her friend. The video was funny, only at first, but the message is nevertheless okay.

A little definition before I proceed. A female dog is also being termed as a b*tch. And we have the street definition of that word. Then it is also commonly used expression even though it is not directly referring to someone or something.

So if my friend has his pitaputa, I have my b*itch.

Pieces Of Me

2005-10-06T12:32:00.000+08:00

I came to realize within this year that I am now starting to become a woman ... char. Joke. Of course not literally but in a sense. And know what the area is? Oh how I wish I could say vanity, fashion, poise, taste, or even sex appeal ... but no. In fact, it's rather the hormones or the monthly period. Now hold your horses ... with that I didn't mean that every month there would be blood coming out of me containing dead egg cell/s coming from an ovary ... but more of the hormonal aspect.

Let me explain. Whenever a woman's period draws near or is currently having it, it is often the notion that she is very unstable ... emotionally or could get irritated very easily. Okay, my friend in college is an exemption to this rule because she apparently gets bruises during this time out of nowhere. :D

So that what I've been feeling a lot lately ... and it's not even like I know the pattern. It just happens. And when it happens ... I tend to get ticked off easily (which commonly referred to as moody but I won't use that word for I believe I am not. Hehe ... ) by the very small details that surround or interact with me. There are times that it is not visibly seen but you can surely noticed it if you'll look deeper.

I am tired of having this feeling. Or I have some trouble adjusting or controlling this that there would be times that I don't feel like being a social person anymore. The reason, because I get hurt much too easily and the pain would more often stay there for a couple of days. I think I'm asking for a heart attack here. Hehe ...

P.S. It seems that lately I've been writing more about the not so good things that have been happening to me. Oh well, every book has to have some conflict or it would be interesting would it? :)

The Swan

2005-10-04T12:08:00.000+08:00

I've seen the second episode of the second season of this reality television show and come to think of it, I'm having mixed feelings about what I preceived of this show. At some point it was more of helping a girl turned from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. But there was also some point where the purpose of the transformation no longer became necessary but mainly because of vanity.

Here's a little summary of what the show's about (courtesy of tv.com).

The Swan offers ugly ducklings to transforms themselves into a beautiful swan. It offers women the incredible opportunity to undergo physical, mental and emotional transformations and follows them through the process. This groundbreaking idea culminates in a pageant in which one woman will be crowned "The Ultimate Swan."

Each of the contestants will be assigned a team of specialists -- a coach, therapist, trainer, cosmetic surgeon, dentist and stylist -- that will work together to design the perfect individually-tailored program. The final reveal will be especially dramatic because the contestants will not be permitted to see themselves in a mirror during the three-month transformation process.

I have this belief that physical beauty is not all that is important in life. I know I can be a little vain some times but life is more about beautifying one's physical attributes. But now, seeing the harsh reality that is surrounding us, with all the focus on what's visible by the naked eye, I am starting to see if I should add something to that belief.

But now, frankly speaking, I am feeling more and more of the ugly duckling rather than a swan. Of course I'm not saying that I have always been a swan, in the literal and context of the show I've mentioned earlies, but more on the growth and beauty of my inner self. I came here knowing and having this thing in mind that all my experiences here would be about me becoming a better person. But now, all I see and feel is me being destroyed by the people whom I never thought would.

I guess the center of this shattered dream is it all started with the word me. Or better put, it was a selfish dream to start off. I never paid much attentioned to a particular quote from the hit tv series FRIENDS but now, seeing and realizing everything, it is becoming true. The quote is "No good deed is selfless." Harsh but true. We sometimes do good things because it makes us feel good, or people would see us someone who is good thus helping uplift our image.

I know being someone who can be a swan inside and out is hard. Here's another quote (I seem to be doing this pretty often) from an episode from the second season of Tru Calling I saw last night.

Tru: Nobody said it would be easy.
Harrison: I'm not asking it to be easy but why does it have to be so hard.

I guess everything has to be hard in this world. And no matter how cliche it sounds, that's just the way life goes. And just like the last line of an email sent to our batch's mailing list, "In order to see the rainbow, you must first endure some rain."

Shout for Joy

2005-09-26T12:42:00.000+08:00

At long last ... after yesterday I can finally rest and go back to focusing on my project. It's a long story so I won't go on with that. So I'll just attached my email knowing that when the time comes that I'll re-read this again ... it would all come back.

--
first kay since it seems like everybody is in the mood to write email and considering wala na ta'y mabuhat inig lunch time but mag tanga ... nag apil na lang sad ko.

basically i would just like to express my thanks and gratitude to all of u for being a part and helping the programs comittee and it's designated task a big success. and so far we don't have any complaints or watsoever and hopefully it will stay that way.

sorry kng wala ta'y food like i said sa 1st meeting nato kay ang nabilin nato na money is 59.80 pesos na lang. unless kng mag candy2x ra ta. hehehe ... bitaw, if mag abot mi ni ma'am gina sa pantry or anywhere dis day kay ako nya cya jamingan kng pwd cya maka finance nato but i wont get my hopes high. i guess seeing d opening n closing a big success n w/out controversy is a reward itself on all our hardship.

again, a big thank you.

p.s. i think murag after ani kay dugay pa mo maka dawat sa akong emails. so pwd na ninyo tangalon ang filter. hehehe ... ;)
--

Lessons learned, new people met, new friends, new experiences, new revelations ... everything. I guess being involved with people is always a good experience for whatever good or bad encounters we have with them ... it is where we'll learn what to keep and stand up from it.

Searching Towards The Designer

2005-09-24T09:26:00.000+08:00

After all that have been said and done ... and knowing that pink is your favorite color ... and yet I can't seem to find one picture of that in the internet ... and mainly because I know that it is your job to search for any information that I need ... make that used to be ... and now in this day ... that I am rambling about stuffs that I needless to say ... is this ... Happy Birthday. Miss yah girl.

And now, I turn you over to our designer ... the one and only ... Nene ... :)

P.S. Frankly speaking, I know that the number of candles doesn't correspond to the number of years you're actually living but nevetheless ... it's your time to shine ... this is the search for the star in a million. Happy birthday again. :)

I Learned From The Best

2005-09-19T13:00:00.000+08:00

Okay, one down and one more to go. It was definetely a week that I wouldn't want to be happening soon ... or maybe I do. I actually can't decide if it was worth every moment of it or not. I'll tell you all about it and help me decide if it is indeed worth it.

Last Saturday was the first day or the opening of our annual sportsfest. But unlike the previous years where I would either be part of the comittee and the cheerdance, I was also carrying the load and responsibilities of being the head of the programs committee. So you could just imagine the pressure and the work I have to do in order for things to go according to plan. And since everybody else is also busy with their own cheerdance, it's kinda hard for us to really move as one. Details I won't elaborate anymore. Plus there was also the fact of the maintenance of the place that is so like unheard off ... so you might say that early enough during that day I was kinda pissed off.

But prior to that actual day, things have been quite messy here for me. For one there is this fact that I'm very much busy with my project, next is the sudden changes and demands of the project, oh and let's not forget to mention the attitude of the people during that week. My God, if only the headache it caused could be fix by modern medicine. Hehehe ... :)

So enough about those coz I myself don't feel like I'm putting much sense into that. Let's now move on to the good stuff. Hehe ... and it's not because of free food. That could be one but not the whole picture. Even though we would finish early the next day with our cheerdance practices, it is always for me a plus factor because I could spend some times with some of my officemates that I normally wouldn't or rarely do. And meet new people also for that matter. Including boys, men, laki, keke or whatever they would prefer to be called as. Hehehe.

I guess you might have wondered why the mismatched in my title and picture. Something I rarely do. Well the title is actually from a song of Whitney Houston in her album My Love Is Your Love. But this entry has nothing to do with the song ... just the title. It's more actually a realization that I've had enough and really won't do this again someday soon. Okay, I kinda learned this from last year but I never really paid much attention to it thinking I could change the things were but unfortunately fate didn't smiled at me in that way. I learned not to mix cheerdance with being a programs committee. Hehe ...

For the picture thing, yah I know he's hot but this picture kinda represented what I was feeling last week. I stumbled because I couldn't take it anymore. I've reached my boiling point. But I didn't stumble that dramatic. Hmmm ... maybe I will but not right now. Hehehe ...

So, watcha think? :)

From Ralph Waldo Emerson

2005-09-15T12:58:00.000+08:00

No longer can I be able to play games, nor watch anime, nor watch movies, nor watch tv series, or even listen to mp3. It's hard but it's reality. And the price of intellect is kinda high. But for everything else there's Mastercard. Hehe ... got that one from a commercial. What, was that also another violation of such? I don't know. So sue me. Hehe ... kidding.

Anyway, I happened to stumble upon this quote from Clickthecity and found it nice as well as puzzling. Actually that site is not just about quotes but also about history and movie updates. A pretty cool site ... and very helpful too. I won't tell you my 2 cents worth of this. Just read and you'll understand why.

The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile,nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friendship. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Exhausted

2005-09-02T18:19:00.000+08:00

I guess I just needed to vent out to someone, somewhere or somehow. It more like the glass in now full and yet more water is still being poured into it. I'm confused, exhausted and tired. I mean, it's not like I'm the only member in the group. Why can't the others help? Am I asking too much?

There's this person who always keeps on asking. I mean, my God ... can't you even read the email or something? Can't you do anything if you won't ask? There's the email for one. Then why won't you just take some initiatives on what to do? I mean, you have judgement right? So kindly please use them. Please don't be too dependent. And oh by the way, can you please shut up? I never knew someone who could be so tackless. If you feel like saying it out, kindly don't make me hear it? It's so damned annoying.

Then there's this one who thinks he knows everything. And could you please speak in a manner that won't cause any wind and rain calamity? We already have enough wind and rain here so please don't add anymore than what Mother Nature's already giving. And it's not like it's our fault that we demand so much of you coz like hello ... you didn't do your work on time like the rest of us did. You had other "priorities". Can we helped it if we we're dependent on your output? So bear with us and not the other way around.

Oh. there's also the exact opposite of the animal I mentioned just now. Saying everything that what's needed to be heared but doesn't even know the basic. Hello ... you've been in this project way more longer than I've been employeed and yet you don't even know how to do the prerequisites. And even if you say that you're new at this but hey ... what's the point in giving the almost one month orientation, lectures, trainings and all those stuffs? Asking once is okay but asking like almost anything ... my God ... what have you been doing all this time?

Then there's this person that my friend have a crush on. Okay, you may not be my ideal partner but I don't ever take that in anyone. Hello ... it's you that needs something from me right ... and why do you find it the need to hurry me up? Why, are you my supervisor? Is it a matter of life and death? And to top it all, why the hell did you ever throw something at me? If I wasn't directly hit ... take note ... at the face I wouldn't have overreacted but hello ... saying sorry and just smiling sheepishly doesn't take away the fact that I would just drop what I felt and everythings gonna be okay.

Let's also not forget about this one who keeps on making such promises. Yeah, you really are living up to my expectation of your gender. I mean, I know that you have this notion that your work is not that much compared to mine so I would expect that when we do test our modules that it would be okay in your part ... since that you have this so much free time to study and be proud that your codes have only this number of lines. And don't go asking me what the hell's wrong because I wasn't able to handle that module you're holding now. And do you know that I'm always being asked by the progress/updates and what can I give if you won't finish that. It's not that I'm saying that what you did was wrong and that you should follow me but please, do be responsible and help me. You even saw how heavy my burden is right now and you just came and started asking me ... now when it's the last day for this phase.

And with that, I just took a big, deep breath. I guess even if I don't render overtime during the weekdays I still feel overstressed, overworking and probably taken for granted. I mean, it's not that I'm complaining but could you please try and see also how I am during such time? Could you be more sensitive? I try to be strong at all times and smile, joke even, at times even if I know that this would mean something more.

Right now, there's nothing more I wanna do than shout ... as in really shout out loud. And a vacation ... from all of this ... looks damn pretty good right about now.

Finding Perfection

2005-08-24T18:23:00.000+08:00

As I was reading some blog entries today ... yah ... have to admit that I was kinda getting lazy with work. Hey ... what else can I do but wait when one is forced to click Rebuild All in Microsoft Visual C++ so just to be able to make a release. Hehe ... :D

So I came upon Ria's blog, amongst others, and read that Maricris also had a blog of her own. Now it's not that I'm that close to this girl but we did worked together for about 3 months ... more or less. Most likely more. Hehe. So since the recompiling was not yet done, I decided to take a peak on her entries. Invading privacy was my drama a while ago. :D

Anyway, I came upon her first blog entry, which she quoted a line from a movie she saw at Disney channel. She quoted this line, "The more you look for perfection in people, the more meals you'll eat alone." I don't know but upon reading the line ... it kinda hit me. I won't say that I never actually looked for the perfect person because that would make me a hypocrite. But I, honestly, never thought or made to a point that I would only associate myself with such "perfect" people.

I guess I'm blind by nature, aside from without the artificial help that is. I can only see the what I wanted to see ... the goodness in everyone around me ... and I guess that what blinds me most only until such time that something wrong happens that directly or indirectly affects me as a person. I guess I've been watching too many cartoons, anime, or Disney movies that I still have this sense of Utopia that all people are like this and that. But I guess not.

Anyway, thanks Cris for sharing (without your permission ... Hehe ...) that line. Another lesson learned and logged. Haha! :)

If Only

2005-08-24T10:47:00.000+08:00

My cousin and I actually made an effort to watch this movie. Basically of fearing that the next day it would no longer be shown at the Ayala Cinemas. So out of nowhere and in an instant, we planned to meet on a Tuesday night to watch this movie ... If Only.

I've only seen the trailer once. Heard from two of my officemates, actually one was an ex-officemate, that it was good and they cried, that made me even more intrigued to watch it. Now I have this sort of theory that once someone would say that a certain movie is good I would end up watching it and get disappointed in the end. I think the main reason is that because my hopes and expectation seems to soar high when hearing those kinds of remarks.

It was true indeed that this movie is very nice. I actually cried ... once. But prevented around 2 or 3 times prior to that. Actually the story is quite similar to the TV show that I'm watching (trying desperately not to miss an episode) being aired at a local TV station here ... Tru Calling. The concept is that Ian relived the day that just ended having all those memories and facts of what might and will happen. Similar to that of Tru Davis.

True enough that this is a European movie, and usually such movies have this "stereotype" of being boring ... well it is if you won't pay much attention to the dialogs that the actors/actresses are delivering. It is in this kind of movie that's what unique and more "romantic" about them. What I'm trying to say here is that I found this movie kinda boring in the early part. I guess this is where the expectations came about.

But as the movie went on, more specifically on the part where Ian was now making every moment of Samantha's life memorable and proving his love to her that I was now on the edge of my seat. My God, the words that are coming out of Ian's mouth are truly out of this world. I mean, if a guy ever says those words to me ... and in the most sincerest way possible ... I certainly won't know what to say or how to react.

Hehe ... spoiler part. What shocked me and caught me off guard was the ending part. It was like Ian right there and then decided he would die instead of Samantha. I guess that was the bravest, most romantic and heroic thing he ever did for the love of his life. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life. I think that was one from the bible. :D

I couldn't remember all the lines, nor could I find some quotes (usually my source is from IMDB) so I'll just depend on my memory. Hehe. :)

Samantha: I don't want to be adored. I want to be loved.

Samantha: I don't know what to say.
Ian: You don't have to say anything.

Samantha: Are you coming?
Ian: Of course.

Friends

2005-08-22T10:36:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend I've watched this Japanese-Korean Mini TV Series Friends and boy was it worth it. I mean, not only was I head over heels over this guy (the one who's picture I've posted above) but it was sort of like ... the perfect story of how one such as myself would picture a love story with me as the female lead and with Won Bin as the male lead.

I actually used to go ga-ga over this guy two years ago. As in really. Imagine, it was because of him that I starting making a collage of his pictures for my wallpaper on my pc here in the office. I even ended up to until version 15. But that already included other male celebrities. And most of those pictures are thanks to the Most Beautiful Man website.

Okay, more about the series Friends. Kinda confusing with the hit NBC tv series FRIENDS. Honestly, up to now I still can't see why they titled it as such. The story is basically about a Japanese girl being robbed and accused this Korean guy mainly because he was wearing the same clothes as that of the robber. And this was done in Hongkong. And that's where they started as friends and until such time that they fell in love and endured all the trials that they have to undergo so as to make the relationship work.

Yes I guess it is true indeed that having a partner of a different nationality is truly difficult especially when it's of totally different from what you've been used to. The adjustments and the unknown practices can sometimes cause some conflicts. The language barrier for one. But what was truly nice about the whole thing was that for both of them, it wasn't really a problem. It was more of the people around them, especially the conservative ones, who were making a big fuss over it.

I don't know ... I guess I'm just a real sucker for love story with happy endings no matter what obstacles they have gone thru. And it's more kilig if the guy is so gorgeous. But what's more nakaka-kilig is if it was me playing that female role. Hehe. :)

And like the title of the short film made by Ji Hoon in this series, which is entitled Wish Coming True!, I guess we all can learn from it that we can indeed become what we've always wished for if we just believe and strive for it. :)

In Good Company

2005-08-19T17:37:00.000+08:00

Thanks to my cousin and I was able to watch it at home instead of at the movie house. I think it was pirated but after seeing that it's now available online, I guess not.

When I first saw this movie, we decided to watch it. The trailer was actually good. And after seeing the movie, let's just say that I wasn't totally disappointed nor satisfied. Let me explain why. The story was actually there and what I've expected. What turned me off is that it was a bit boring and the ending was kinda hanging. But all conflicts were resolved nevertheless.

Then after seeing that, I wondered if I would experience such or am I now in that stage? A stage where I have a stable career that could sustain me but suffers from loneliness. I guess what was portrayed in the movie was kinda extreme but hey, it could happen.

Miracle

2005-08-11T17:07:00.000+08:00

Last night, I've watched an Oprah rerun. The show was about Celine Dion, a new book entitled Miracle and some women who had twins or had some miraculous experiences with their babies. When I first saw this episode, it was quite appealing but for me it was just plainly a show.

But last night, as I was texting my mom about the whole travel plan, I came to a point where i decided not to go. As much as I wanted to go I just can't afford it. Although she initially offered me to shoulder part of it (meaning the remaining balance that I can't pay) and that I'll pay her later, all I have to blame is numbers. And the science or art of it ... Accounting.

And so I was busy texting her while this show was being aired. We even got to a point wherein she offered ... take this ... to pay half. To cut the story short coz it just will go around having just different views or offers, I was totally touched at with her gestures. I mean, isn't it the norm that kids always ask for their parents when they want something? And boy how do I wanted to join this tour. But what happened was the exact opposite happened. She was even the one who kept on saying things, offering stuffs and the likes so I could just go. I did tell her that I'm more interested in Europe compared to America but boy what a big difference especially in the price.

I'm not quite sure if it was the background Oprah show or what my mom was saying but for a brief moment there ... I cried. Okay I kinda exaggerated that part. A few tears came running down from my eyes. I was so touched that time. Felt truly loved. And all that crap. Hehe ... kidding. But surely, it's one of the nicest feeling I had. :)

Lucky Man

2005-08-10T19:10:00.000+08:00

It was almost two years ago that I finished reading this book. A book about the life and struggles of Michael J. Fox with his battle with Parkinson's disease. I think it was at one of Oprah's show that I saw her featured this book that made me want to buy it the minute I saw it. Well, considering I bought it for less than 5o or a 100 pesos and in good condition. So that could only mean one thing ... that it was second hand. :)

Anyway, I've come to this because it was last night, after being overwhelmed with mixed emotions of anger, excitement, indecisiveness, and rage. Okay, I'll start with the bad side. For a minute there, I totally felt and completely understoon what Christina of Point Pleasant felt when Mr. Boyd would provoked her. I mean, there was a time that she almost lost it. And I kinda felt that happening within me. It was like I was so engrossed with rage inside my mind that it kept on imagining different bad (but not deadly) things about what I can do to that son-of-a-b*tch.

But it all settled down when I got a message from my mom asking me if I would like to come with her. Basically it would be from October 21 to November 4. And you might wonder what that would be? Well, it's a travel plan that completely blew my mind out. I know it's kinda expensive but considering what is being offered. Imagine, it includes all fare, hotel accomodations, breakfast and dinner. Now prepare for this ... the places we will visit during that time. From Manila to Copenhagen to Oslo to Stockholm to Helsinki to St. Petersburg to Moscow to Bangkok to Manila. Imagine ... all that ... how lucky can one be to be a part of that.

Here's the itenary plotted out by the agency (copy paste from the document sent ... which is kinda corrupt unfortunately).

_O_C_T_ _2_1_ _M_A_N_I_L_A_ _-_C_O_P_E_N_HAGEN

Depart Manila on board a prestigious Airline to Copenhagen. Enjoy in flight meals and entertainment.

OCT 22 COPENHAGEN

Arrive Copenhagen, after Customs and Immigration formalities you will be met by an English Speaking Guide, then transfer to hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free at leisure. Dinner will be served at a local restaurant.

OCT 23 COPENHAGEN-OSLO

This morning we go down to the harbour to greet Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid, sitting wistfully on her rock. Then we visit the Queen's Christianborg Palace and see the Rosenborg and Amalienborg Palace and the Rennaissance Stock Exchange. Then later tonight, we then embark on our Ferry cruise to Oslo.

OCT 24 OSLO

Arrive Oslo in the morning on board Scandinavian Seaways. Start your city tour of Oslo which includes the Vigeland Sculpture park. Entrance to the Viking Ships Museum and the Cathedral. Dinner will be served at the Chinese Restaurant.

OCT 25 OSLO-STOCKHOLM

After breakfast, board your private motorcoach and bid farewell to Norway as we make our way to Stockholm, a spacious city with tree lined boulevards, green parks and museum. Upon arrival, you will start your city tour of Stockholm tour includes important landmarks such as the City Hall (venue of the annual "Nobel Peace Prize), the Gustav Adolfs Torg and the Royal Palace. End your tour with the visit to the Vasa Ship Museum.

OCT 26 STOCKHOLM

After breakfast, start two hour cruise which offers an unrivalled view of Stockholm. This is the best way to see the whole of Stockholm from the water, you should choose this two-hour conducted trip which passes under 15 bridges and through two locks. We'll be travelling on both the sea and on the lake "Malaren" and you'll have the chance to see many of the city's major sights.

OCT 27 STOCKHOLM-HELSINKI

After breakfast, Day is free for some last minute shopping, later transfer to the ferry terminal where you'll board for an overnight Ferry ride to Finland's Capital Helsinki. Upon arrival check in to your hotel and rest of the day is free at leisure.

_O_C_T_ _2_8_ _H_E_L_S_I_N_K_I_

_T_h_i_s_ _c_i_t_y_ _s_i_g_h_t_s_e_e_i_n_g_ _t_o_u_r_ _t_a_k_e_s_ _i_n_ _t_h_e_ _m_o_s_t_ _i_m_p_o_r_t_a_n_t_ _a_n_d_ _i_n_t_e_r_e_s_t_i_n_g_ _p_a_r_t_s_ _o_f_ _H_e_l_s_i_n_k_i_,_ _s_u_c_h_ _a_s_ _t_h_e_ _h_i_s_t_orical centre and the diplomatic quarters including "Senate Square", the "Presidential Palace", "City Hall", the "Parliament building", "Sibelius Park・a stop at the "Sibelius Monument and Temppeliaukio Church. Then rest of the day is free at leisure.

Dinner in a Local / Chinese Restaurant.

OCT 29 HELSINKI-ST. PETERSBURG

After breakfast, travel by land to Helsinki and leave the capital of Finland as we enter the boarder of Russia to St. Petersburg. Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. Then transfer to local restaurant for dinner.

OCT 30 ST. PETERSBURG

An exciting day awaits us as we start our tour of St. Petersburg. Drive along Nevsky Prospect and see St. Isaac's Cathedral, Peter and Paul Fortress and the Neva River as an introduction. Then visit to Hermitage Museum will follow. Dinner and back to hotel.

OCT 31 ST. PETERSBURG-MOSCOW

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Moscow. After arrival, proceed to the city for a short orientation tour. Moscow is the capital of Russian Federation. Moscow was founded by Yury Dolgoruky in 1147.Nowadays Moscow is the most important political and business center of Russia and has a true "Russian" feel. Some people even call it a "big village". Proceed for dinner.

NOV 01 MOSCOW

This lovely morning, sightseeing tour will take you to Red Square to see St. Basils Cathedral and Lenins Tomb. Then later to the walls of the Kremlin Fortress. Then explore the Metro Stations which Stalin called "Palace for the People". Rest of the day will be spent for some last minute shopping or take an optional Ballet show.

NOV 02 MOSCOW -BANGKOK

After breakfast, Transfer to the airport for your flight back to Manila via Bangkok.

NOV 03 ARRIVE BANGKOK

Arrive Bangkok. Transfer to your hotel for check in. Rest of the day is free for shopping. Dinner in a local restaurant.

NOV 04 BANGKOK-MANILA

After breakfast, time is free till transfer to the airport for your flight back to Manila.

There are some times that I would think that why wasn't I born like this or like that. Probably because I either get envy of others who have it all or I'm just tired of being compared. And I do admit that at times I would take for granted the things that God gave me. I know it's such a cliche to say that but its true. At times I would also see that I'm a lucky person. Why? My only reason is because I have all what I have now. Though it might not be exactly what I wanted but at least it is something that makes me happy and my life more meaningful.

In the book, Michael J. Fox told that once he was asked if he could have another life, what would it be. And his answer is something that truly inspired me. He answered that he wouldn't want it any other way. Meaning he would still want to undergo and experience all he had and will experience because of the disease. And just now, it made me realize that if I'll be able to go to that trip or not, it won't change how I would view life and take it against me. Probably having the fact that knowing I can really do it, I mean go to that place with my own means, means that I have accomplished something as early as now. It may not be something big and worldly known but its a start.

Punk'd

2005-08-01T16:25:00.000+08:00

Ever watched this show? Or how about Boiling Point? Both are MTV shows that are kinda about testing one's patience. They do say that Patience is a virtue but hey, we have limits right? We're just human after all. But this blog post is not about that.

Now before proceeding to read what I'll write ... promise me one thing. You won't judge me because of what I did nor would you label me as some daughter of the beast thingy.

And one more thing ... the "thing" that I'm gonna tell you is not something that tested someone's patience. It was more of like something I did out of the blue. And believe me when I say that no one was harmed and it was not bad ... what I did.

So got pretty curious as to what it was ... now start and read on.

Last year, not sure exactly when but it was I think somewhat middle of last year. My housemates and I went to SM to buy something ... I think. It was already night time that we've finished doing what we were supposed to do so we headed home. And as we rode a jeep, cause we were a bit financially conservative that time, there was this cute guy opposite me. Okay, it was more like he was opposite me but 1 person to the left.

So I kinda find him interesting coz ... well ... what can I say but he's damn cute. So here how it happened. During one of those boring times during the ride, mainly we were caught in a bit of a traffic, i was doing nothing but staring blankly at nothing. It just so happened that this "nothing" that I was refering to was the cute guy. I guess he kinda noticed that I was staring at him so when he looked at me, I suddenly looked away. But not giving out a little sheepish smile. I guess you can call it a sorry smile.

This happened for like twice or thrice I think. But during those times, we were already smiling like we knew each other. The awkward "getting-to-know" stage (as if we ever had did) was kinda over so the smile was kinda like a friendly smile now.

Now the main part, as the jeep was now nearing to where we would get out, I realized that this is it. This might be my last chance ... which by the way is ... so I decided to do something crazy. Hey, it's definitely what you're thinking right now. And as the jeepney stopped, I was the last one to get out, primarily because I was the farthest among us from the exit door, I looked at him one last time, kinda surprised to see that he was already looking at me ... and get this, I said or more like whispered a cute goodbye to him (of course including the controversial smile) and he also paid the same respect. And I could see a hint on his face that he was a bit puzzled and kept thinking where have we meet or how did I actually knew him or something like that. My God that was surely one of the highlight of my flirting career.

Now you might be wondering why on Earth's name did I do such a thing like that. I guess all I can say is I was kinda caught up in the moment. And why did I chose Punk'd as the picture for this entry? You might say that it was sort of like a dare (or prank) but with no strings attached. I'm bad aren't I? :)

Monster-In-Law

2005-08-01T16:08:00.000+08:00

Okay, I have to admit that the plot of the movie isn't as original as it may seem. Well, it's quite similar to that of Meet the Parents or Meet the Fockers but this time, instead of the father giving the hard time it's the mother.

But funny think is that I kinda prefered this one. Mainly because it is more realistic and funny ... for me that is. Take for instance that the mother here (Jane Fonda) is a rich TV celebrity while in Meet the Parents Pam's dad (Robert de Niro) is a FBI something having all those high tech gadgets and everything else that the Hardy Boys might need to solve the mystery way faster. Hehe. :)

Plus the humor here is more appealing and more sarcastic ... quite similar to the one's were actually exposed to ... especially if you hang out with a couple of gay guys. :)

Plus Wanda Sykes rules. Hehe. She's the assistant of Jane Fonda and believe me, her side comments and her being sarcastic truly something that one won't easily forget.

I don't know ... I guess I speak highly of this movie is because when I watched it I never expected anything or had any feedbacks to influence me. So to all of you who plans to watch this movie ... after reading my entry ... I suggest don't. Why ... simply so that you won't have such a high expectation and end in great disappointment. Ironic isn't is. :)

Love Me If You Dare

2005-07-11T17:55:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend, I actually asked my friend Jessica to watch with me this film because I know she's not into all the mushy love movies but seeing that this is a French movie, she said yes. But I guess it was against the stars because I ended up watching it with Noel. What a twist of fate it was.

Anyway, after seeing this movie, I kinda find it hard to internalize the whole concept of the story. I mean I know that I'm always has been and most likely will be a romantic at heart but burying yourself together with the person you loved most, after finally seeing that you really were meant for each other, under a deep pillar currently being filled with cement. I mean, what's the point in doing that?

Okay, I have to admit that that wasn't the ending. It ended with the couple now living in a care center in their old age ... still acting up like kids.

Is it just me or the concept of love is still not within my reach? And if it really isn't yet, then by all means is it better to say that one can fully understand it as they experienced it?

Is being in love a place or a state wherein the mind and the heart no longer see eye to eye and most often than not the heart dictates the actions of a person even though the mind is not up for it?

Below are only two quotes that I've seen posted over the Internet.

Sophie Kowalski: Tell me that you love me first because I'm afraid that if I tell you first you'll think that I'm playing the game.

Julien Jeanvier: You know... there were lots of things I was game for that you never said.
Sophie Kowalski: Like?
Julien Jeanvier: Eating ants... insulting the unemployed... loving you like crazy.
[they kiss]

Going Up

2005-07-04T15:45:00.000+08:00

Not much but I just couldn't help but keep on smiling this morning. Wanna know why is that? Well, it's very simple actually. After two years of working here, I was upgraded to Software Design Engineer II. Though it's not that much but still, at least I'm slowly making my way to the corporate ladder. Haha ... what an analogy. :)

My Husband

2005-06-27T16:31:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend, I finished this new series that I've been watching. The series is My Husband, which is also known as Mukodono.

Basically the story is, for me, a cross-over between Summer Snow and Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake. I have made such a comparison because this series is all about family and the issues that goes along with it while having the main character as a very popular singer songwriter ... complete with the looks. But aside from the heavy drama that one would expect, unexpectedly, this series had a big dose of humor.

So far, among the Japanese series that I've watched, I think this one and Summer Snow tops it all. Though the genre are quite different but in terms of story, characters, and how it had it's impact to me ... both still are very much fantastic to watch.

ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

2005-06-21T08:21:00.000+08:00

I think it was about a week or 2 ago that I saw this specific episode that really touched me. I forgot if I cried at the near end but it was really a very moving episode.

The series is ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This reality tv shows simply gives your house a makeover. Sometimes the makeover are so extreme that they'll literally tear your house down. And they only have less than a week to do it. And I think the budget is infinite. Well, considering even setting up a pool at the backyard, furnishing the house, new furnitures and/or appliances ... everything. You name it they do it. Or maybe their budget is really that big.

Anyway, this specific episode, the one where they have to give the Imbriani family a home makeover, which ironically is also the first season finale, was I think their biggest project ever ... and a very nice episode to watch for.

This episode was made true by the Ramirez family. A short summary is available at the show's site. Just click on the Imbriani family link above to go there.

I guess when we owe someone something very big, in terms of non-monetary value, we tend to get a little bit crazy and overboard in trying to show our gratitudes to them. And indeed, what Nancy did was truly remarkable. I mean, she didn't have to do that but she did. Take note, the two families involved only met, for the first time, during the show ... and that was after unravelling the new Imbriani house.

The Bat-man

2005-06-20T11:44:00.000+08:00

It all started with Batman. Then Batman Returns. Followed by Batman Forever. Then completing the movie sequels is Batman and Robin. But then again, they added a prequel and thus Batman Begins came about.

I actually have no idea why Batman is such a famous superhero wherein he actually is just human. He has got no superhuman powers that would make him powerful but he is quite famous ... if not more famous than Superman. Okay, the later superhero is like everyone's favorite. But for me, I kinda find Batman and Bruce Wayne more intriguing than Superman and Clark Kent.

After watching Batman Begins, all I can say is this. The movie really gave us what we were unconsciously been asking. How did Batman came to be. Though there were some background information that I already knew (believe me ... I've watched way too many Batman movies, series and cartoons) specifically about the unfortunate events of his parents. But aside from that, every details in the movie gave somehow quiet a picture on how they, Bruce and Batman, came to be the man we all loved.

Here are some quotes taken from the movie.

Bruce Wayne: They told me there was nothing out there, nothing to fear. But the night my parents were murdered I caught a glimpse of something. I've looked for it ever since. I went around the world, searched in all the shadows. And there is something out there in the darkness, something terrifying, something that will not stop until it gets revenge.
[pause]
Bruce Wayne: Me.

Henri Ducard: You traveled the world... Now you must journey inwards... to what you really fear... it's inside you... there is no turning back. Your parents' death was not your fault. Your training is nothing. The will is everything. If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, you become something else entirely. Are you ready to begin?

Bruce Wayne: I seek the means... to fight injustice. To turn fear... against those who prey on the fearful.

Lucius Fox: [over the Batmobile] So what you do you think?
Bruce Wayne: Does it come in black?

Bruce Wayne: A guy dresses up like a bat clearly has issues.

Rachel Dawes: What chance does Gotham have, when the good people do nothing?

Rachel Dawes: I spent a lot of time being scared for you. And I heard you were back. But the man I loved, the man who vanished never came back.

Alfred Pennyworth: When you told me your grand plan for saving Gotham, you said it wasn't about thrill-seeking.
Bruce Wayne: It isn't.
Alfred Pennyworth: What do you call that?
[points to a TV news report of a high-speed chase involving the Batmobile]
Bruce Wayne: Damn good television.

Dr. Jonathan Crane: He's here.
Henchman: Who?
Dr. Jonathan Crane: The Bat-man.

Alfred Pennyworth: Why do we fall, sir? So that we might better learn to pick ourselves up.

Alfred Pennyworth: [Alfred tries to lift a wooden beam off Bruce Wayne who struggles] Sir, whatever is the point of all those push-ups if you can't even lift a log?

Carmine Falcone: You're taller than you look in the tabloids, Mr. Wayne.
[after a guard has frisked him]
Carmine Falcone: No gun? I'm insulted! You could have just sent a thank-you note.
Bruce Wayne: I didn't come here to thank you. I came here to show you that not everyone in Gotham is afraid of you.
Carmine Falcone: Only those who know me, kid. Look around you. You'll see two councilmen, a union official, a couple of off-duty cops, and a judge. Now you think, just because your mommy and your daddy got shot, you know about the ugly side of life, but you don't. You've never tasted desperate. You're Bruce Wayne, the Prince of Gotham, you'd have to go a thousand miles to meet someone who didn't know your name, so don't come down here with your anger, trying to prove something to yourself. This is a world you'll never understand. And you always fear what you don't understand.

Dr. Jonathan Crane: We have nothing to fear... but fear itself!

Shattered Glasses

2005-06-20T09:29:00.000+08:00

People living in glass houses should throw rocks. Heard that before from somewhere? Actually it's a pretty famous line nowadays. But then again, I think I came to realize what exactly that meant by what had happened yesterday. Okay, so it was more like someone else threw the rock on my glass house.

It all started after watching Batman Begins. Hmm ... now come to think of it, I think I'll write an entry for that one. But maybe later. This is way more memorable ... in it's very own unique way.

So let's go back to after watching the movie. My cousin, who is only younger than me by a year, and I decided to grab something to bite. So we opted for pizza thus ending up at Pizza Hut. Rememered the commercial with the boy being asked by his teacher what he did for the summer and he answered, "I've been to the edge."? That's what we ordered. One medium size edge pizza with the works.

So after around an hour or so, we got the bill and to our surprise, they gave us a blue sports bottle. We asked if we can ask for one more but she (the employee) said it's only one for each transaction. So since I won't be needing that and my cousin liked it, I gave it to her ... technically speaking. It was like that because I used the Ayala Discount Plus Card to benefit from the 10% discount.

As we walked towards the exit, normally the staffs greets the customers with a thank you and/or come again and I usually smiles at them in return. But then, this one guy, instead of saying that, he greeted us with a "Happy Father's Day." I was shocked ... stopped ... and it felt like all the glasses (imaginary) behind me shattered. Did I looked that old? Did we looked like a father and daughter combo?

I guess I just overreacted because it was indeed Father's Day. But as we passed by going to another store, there it was ... to add more insult to injury ... a banner stating for ever pizza ordered, a dad gets a free sports bottle.

Coach Carter

2005-06-15T09:08:00.000+08:00

It was actually the afternoon after our Siquijor trip that I decided to watch the movies I wanted to see that I couldn't see over the weekend. The 2 films were Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Coach Carter. I first watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith mainly because I know that if I'll take the later show time, I have to get pass a mob before finding a good seat. And I know that Coach Carter isn't gonna be one of those movies where people would actually flock and line up.

So why you may ask I watched this movie aside from having nothing else better to do? Well, it's because I kinda like this genre. Though I know that the ending is predictable, which to my surprise it wasn't what I expected it was, the story, the moral and everything along the way always brings a different impact to me.

Call me a sucker for happy endings and love stories but I guess seeing this kind of movies, which in this case the story is based on the life of Ken Carter, I can easily relate to the emotions that are shown and can easily be applied to my own personal life. Though it also would be nice to have a make believe story actually come true.

This movie is mainly for those people who are after the story and is not much into the basketball action per se. Though there are some but it focused more on the value of education, respect, trust, streotyping, society, and family issues. For me, this is one of those movies definitely worth watching. If you're the type who listens anyway. :D

Below is a very nice, intriguing, provoking, and mind puzzling quote from the movie.

Coach Ken Carter: What is your deepest fear?
Timo Cruz: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our dark that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people don't feel insecure around you.We are all meant to shine as children do. Its not just in some of us; its in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsiously give other people to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Island of Fire

2005-06-14T13:25:00.000+08:00

Instead of just staying at home over the weekend and celebrate Independence Day, my batchmates and I together with some people went to the mystic island paradise of Siquijor. Actually Siquijor is more commonly known as the island of fire mainly because of the fireflies. It wasn't until on that Saturday that I saw a real firefly ... okay 2 of them. Though at first I never really thought they were such but as more of us saw them, that's the time that I realized what they were. Pretty and cute little insects flying high during the night emitting small lights.

Basically the plan was to go there on a Saturday via Dumaguete. We did exactly that. And upon arriving at Dumaguete, we ate our breakfast at, take this ... Siliman University Cafeteria. It was open to all and kinda cheap so why not. So after the meal, and while still waiting for our boat trip to Siquijor, we explored more the said university. We saw their theater, library, campus, buildings ... everything there is. But we didn't go inside of those places because I think they're close. But we settled for just seeing those from outside (with us inside the campus).

After an hour of boat ride we finally arrived at Siquior. The van that we rode, according to Joselito Magalona, the driver, was also the same van that Korina Sanchez rode during her show's feature of the said city. And this van is kinda unique because you can actually be or let just say act like a celebrity in a motorcade. The top can be open with a flick of a switch.

We stayed at Casa de le Playa Beach and Restaurant, which was owned by a German lesbian (shhh ... as to how I knew I forgot who mentioned it). The place was nice and our cottages are along the sea line. We took three cottages. At Casa Margarita, me, Noel and John stayed ... the Charmed Ones.

So after settling down, we headed off to our first destination, Salagdo-ong Beach Resort. Now aside from the white sands and being a public resort, there is another attraction that makes it famous. Wanna know what that is? I guess the best way to describe it is beach cliff jumping. Just imagine standing the third (I think) floor of a building surrounded by a body of water (sea in this case) and you jumping in. Hehe. Yup, it's really scary because of how high you have to jump and especially if you're scared of heights. Hey, that's me. So among all of us, only John didn't jump. Too bad but he said he had no regrets. Anyway, the experience was exhilarating. It's true that the first step is the hardest one. It took me quite sometime to actually made the jump. I can't put to words all what I've felt that time but it was remarkable.

Next we headed off to Cambugahay Falls. The falls wasn't what I expected. But I wasn't sad or disappointed about it. Because it was totally different. I was used to seeing just 1 big falls but this time, it was 3 small falls. I think falls is not the appropriate word here but division.

We next went to St. Isidore Labradore Church and Convent at Lazi (a town in Siquijor). It was actually the oldest convent there. I think with regards to Siquijor only and not of the entire Philippines. The place was actually what you'd expect to see during the Spanish era.

Coco Groove was next. The sunset there was breath-taking. The sea was not that good because there were a lot of sea urchins. But it was more of a tourist resort actually. And it was in this place, when we were waiting for the van heading back to the resort, that I saw, for the first time in my life, the said fireflies. :D

So that's the end of our first day. And now for our second and last day, we first headed off to Cantabon Cave. Normally we'd imagine that the cave would be just like a walk in the park. Boy were we ever wrong on that one. Our planned expedition was approximately 600 meters deep. The rock formations there were truly awesome. And the water was so refreshing and cold. They even said that it was drinkable. It was really a true spelunking activity. We ducked, climbed, turned, everything you name it. And with my height, it was a bit more difficult. And I really did appreciated the value of light that time. Hehe. It was in total darkness if not for the candles and petromax we bought along.
After the very tiring but unforgettable caving activity, we headed next to San Juan de Capilay Spring Park. Though we just stood there, watching some fishes, people swimming around, the place wasn't as attracting as the ones we've been to. Probably because it was formed and made into a pool and a park, the only difference is the source of the water of the pool, which was from a spring. Underground I think.

Lastly, before heading off to the boat to take us back to Siquijor, we made a quick stop at Guiwagon Nature Park or more commonly known as boulevard. It was a mangroove sanctuary that was along the sea shore. And take note, there were tree houses on most if not all, on the mangrooves. It was like living a life of the Ewoks. We crossed wooden bridges to get to the next treehouse. It was pretty cool.

Now I know I said that that was our last stop but as we arrived at the pier on the dot. Meaning we had tickets for the 3 pm ride and we arrived there also at 3 pm. But unfortunately or fortunately, they would cancel our reservations 30 minutes before the time of departure if we still weren't there. So in short, we no choice but to take the next trip, at 5:30 pm. So what we did was we went to St. Francis de Assisi Bell Tower & Convent. It was actually the first thing we saw upon arriving but we just didn't stopped and took pictures there. And now we had the opportunity.

After having a quick snacks, we next went to Renie's house. His business is selling some local delicacies, mainly of peanut products. I think he and his family are the ones who personally makes the products they sell. I could say so because there were no machineries in his house. Or maybe those where just stocks he had in his house.

So after stating all the things we did and the places we went to, it's time to do the opposite. We weren't able to go to Mt. Bandilaan Nature Park, St. Vincent de Ferrer Bell Tower and see the dancing paper dolls. The two places we didn't go was because mainly due to the distance and time constraints we had. In Mt. Bandilaan Nature Park, located at the highest peak of the island, had shrines, five natural springs, caves and butterfly sanctuary. For the dancing paper dolls, we actually went there twice but missed the one who performs the acts. And there was no one else who could do that. They say the reason is because the knowledge is only passed down when or during such time that the person will die soon. We surely missed out a lot leaving those two out.

Back to Dumaguete city, we only had dinner there, walked down boulevard area (their own version ... refer to my Dumaguete experience for more details about the place) and had some desserts at Chiccos.

Well, for two days and two nights, what an experience. Don't you think so? :D

P.S. Pictures to follow. :D

8 Mile

2005-06-06T16:42:00.000+08:00

It was a hot and sunny Saturday afternoon and with me having nothing else to do, I texted my Jessica asking what had happened to our original plan to go swimming early in the morning. Well, one thing was that it usually happens very early like 7 or 8 in the morning. Apparently, her reason was that the sun was already enough that time and was afraid of getting tan. She had more of her share for the past two weeks.

So after taking a tour of the area, we made it thru the pool of Family Park. There were a lot of people but nevertheless our thirst for a quick dip was satisfied. After all that were said and done, we had dinner and decided to go to Gloria Jeans at Banilad Town Center, the newest place to hang out to dine, chat or just about anything. So we went to my house for me to change but since we were kinda financially conservative during that time, we decided to take a 1 ride jeep at the back of Gaisano Country Mall. But to our dismay, not a single jeep was available. Not that they were all full but they wouldn't take any more passengers. Left with no other form of transportation, we walked all the way to my place, in La Guardia. So imagine how far we walked. My shirt was almost completely drenched in sweat while she was only sweating on her upper lip. How unfair is that?

After resting and me taking a bath, we headed off to our original destination. But what a surprise it was to see it was so full. Almost overflowing. And that goes the same thing for Yellow Cab Pizza. So we decided to head off to Bo's Coffee Club, mainly because it was just nearby.

And so that is how I spent my Saturday feeling like being forced to take a death march. Hehe.

You Just Did

2005-06-03T08:53:00.000+08:00

Remember my post about Nate Berkus? About how I was so inspired by his life and works? Well if not, then feel free to rekindle that moment with me.

It was in that entry of mine that I've mentioned a remarkable event that happened in his life that I only read upon over the Internet. But, last night, as I was really about to sleep ... having dozed off apparently ... I've managed to stay up until the Oprah show aired. Deciding that I'll just see or hear what the preview of the show, I already positioned myself in my usual sleeping way.

And that surprised me ... the show was about Nate ... and his experience with the tsunami late last year.

Not only did I managed to stay awake for the whole entire show but at some point, I did get to realize that what I was reading at Oprah's site about this episode was nothing compared to the show broadcast. And towards the end, I could see that not only was the audience crying with Nate or Oprah but also me.

I'm usually not so affected with tragic news about other people's lives especially when I don't know them literally but at that point, it became very real to me. That was just it ... the disaster was so real and it took me ... what ... half a year to realize how real it really was. Maybe because I usually get bored and unfocused when certain news get to be a little way overkill.

Remember about what I've quoted that Nate said on the show that really struck me? What struck me most is that after saying that, there was a woman who according to her was saved by Nate. And she said, if only I could return that. If only I could return that smile. And she was crying as she was saying that, me while watching that, and now while I'm writing this. And Oprah said in reply to that, you just did. You just did.

Star Wars

2005-05-30T10:00:00.000+08:00

After watching Episode 3 yesterday, I finally completed the story or saga of Star Wars. This two part trilogy brings about basically the lives of the Skywalker family.

I'm not actually a fan of Star Wars but all I can say after watching it is that George Lucas certainly was creative and brilliant enough to have come up with a movie as successful and as astonishing as this is.

I guess after watching first episodes 4, 5 and 6 did the trick in getting the best out of my curiosity to watch episodes 1, 2 and 3. And not only that, the trick came back and bit me twice. After finishing watching the first part of the trilogy, I'm again curious so as to what actually happened during the second half. Though I knew the basic plot, I kinda wondered what exactly happened.

Madagascar

2005-05-30T09:46:00.000+08:00

Of all the movies I've seen so far, I guess this is the first time that I saw a movie twice in 1 week ... and with only 1 day as an interval. I saw it first last Friday night, last full show, and again yesterday, Sunday first full show.

The movie is actually funny in it's own unique way but for me, the movie is kinda short. I wanted it to be at least around 10 to 20 minutes more longer.

I particularly loved Gloria and the Pengiuns most. They are the funny and cute characters in the story. Though they weren't the stars or the main cast but the humors that they gave actually gave more life to the story than Alex and Marty did.

I got a pretty good or bad feeling that this movie and Pooh's Heffalump Movie, which is an upcoming movie that I'm dying to see, would have the same or similar concepts in terms of moral.

Here are some quotes taken from the movie.

Marty the Zebra: The penguins are doin' it, why can't I?
Alex the Lion: The penguins are psychotic!

Julian: You didn't see anything!

Melman the Giraffe: [shouts] Ahhhhh! Nature! Get it off!

Skipper: Remember, cute and cuddly, boys. Cute and cuddly.

Gloria the Hippo: Don't make me come up there, I'll get the whuppin on both o' y'all.

Maurice: Where are you giants from?
Alex the Lion: We're from New York.
Julian: All hail the New York Giants!

Marty the Zebra: You're biting my butt!
Alex the Lion: [with Marty's butt in his mouth] No I'm not.

No Doubt - Exposed

2005-05-27T10:40:00.000+08:00

Coco Lee's newest single No Doubt, taken from latest album Exposed ... was released early this year.

And also during those early times, I was kinda bored here in the office because my project was put on hold and was currently in Maintenance mode. So that left me with much time surfing the internet.

On one sunny day, I came to MTV Asia and registered to join their contests. I know that I won't win anything but just for the kick of it. So among all the contests that I've joined, of course those that are I'm qualified for, there was one contest, which is for Coco Lee's single, that I joined.

Now, early this morning, I received an email from MTV Asia saying that I won that said contest. I was actually skeptical at first because I never ever won anything yet and come to think of it, it's MTV. So there could be millions if not billions of us who joined. But as the morning almost came to an end, I got a call from our lobby receptionist, the guard, telling me I have a package. And boy what a surprise it was. MTV Asia sent my prize, an autographed single of No Doubt by Coco Lee via UPS.

What a wonderful way to start the day huh? =)

So thank you MTV Asia, Coco Lee and of course, to God for making this possible. Hey, did I just sounded like I won an award? Hehehe. =)

Online Film Critics Society's Top 100 Animated Features of all Time

2005-05-19T09:58:00.000+08:00

#	TITLE	DIRECTOR
1	Toy Story	John Lasseter
2	Fantasia	Ford Beebe & Others
3	Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs	David Hand
4	Toy Story 2	John Lasseter
5	The Iron Giant	Brad Bird
6	Beauty And The Beast	Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise
7	The Nightmare Before Christmas	Henry Selick
8	Who Framed Roger Rabbit	Robert Zemeckis
9	South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut	Trey Parker
10	Spirited Away	Hayao Miyazaki
11	Pinocchio	Hamilton Luske & Ben Sharpsteen
12	The Lion King	Rob Minkoff & Roger Allers
13	Chicken Run	Peter Lord & Nick Park
14	Bambi	David Hand
15	Shrek	Andrew Adamson & others
16	Princess Mononoke	Hayao Miyazaki
17	Monsters Inc.	David Silverman & Peter Docter & Lee Unkrich
18	Yellow Submarine	George Dunning (II)
19	Aladdin	Ron Clements & John Musker
20	Akira	Katsuhiro Otomo
21	A Bug's Life	Andrew Stanton & John Lasseter
22	The Little Mermaid	John Musker & Ron Clements
23	Grave Of The Fireflies	Isao Takahata
24	Dumbo	Ben Sharpsteen
25	Waking Life	Richard Linklater
26	Sleeping Beauty	Milt Banta, Winston Hibler, & others
27	The Jungle Book	Wolfgang Reitherman
28	101 Dalmatians	Hamilton Luske & Clyde Geronimi
29	Ice Age	Chris Wedge & Carlos Saldanha
30	My Neighbor Totoro	Hayao Miyazaki
31	Watership Down	Martin Rosen
32	Charlotte's Web	Iwao Takamoto & Charles A. Nichols
33	Lady And The Tramp	Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, & Wilfred Jackson
34	The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie	Chuck Jones & Phil Monroe
35	The Secret of NIMH	Don Bluth
36	Peter Pan	Wilfred Jackson & Clyde Geronimi & Hamilton Luske
37	Cinderella	Hamilton Luske & Wilfred Jackson
38	Ghost in the Shell	Mamoru Oshii
39	Alice in Wonderland	Hamilton Luske & Clyde Geronimi & Wilfred Jackson
40	The Prince of Egypt	Brenda Chapman & Simon Wells & Steve Hickner
41	Antz	Eric Darnell & Tim Johnson
42	Animal Farm	Joy Batchelor & John Halas
43	Lilo & Stitch	Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders (III)
44	Alice	Jan Svankmajer
45	The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney)	Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise
46	Kiki's Delivery Service	Hayao Miyazaki
47	Beavis & Butthead Do America	Mike Judge & Yvette Kaplan
48	Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within	Hironobu Sakaguchi & Moto Sakakibara
49	Mulan	Barry Cook & Tony Bancroft
50	Fantastic Planet	Rene Laloux
51	Fritz the Cat	Ralph Bakshi
52	Gulliver's Travels	Willard Bowsky & Orestes Calpini
53	Heavy Metal	Gerald Potterton
54	Metropolis	Rin Taro
55	Robin Hood	Wolfgang Reitherman
56	Tarzan	Chris Buck (II) & Kevin Lima
57	The Emperor's New Groove	Mark Dindal
58	The Adventures of Prince Achmed	Lotte Reiniger
59	Asterix et Cleopatre	Rene Goscinny, Lee Payant, & others
60	Fantasia 2000	Pixote Hunt & Paul Brizzi & others
61	Transformers: The Movie	Nelson Shin
62	Batman: Mask of the Phantasm	Eric Radomski & Bruce W. Timm
63	James and the Giant Peach	Henry Selick
64	Snoopy Come Home	Bill Melendez
65	An American Tail	Don Bluth
66	The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh	John Lounsbery & Wolfgang Reitherman
67	Song of the South	Harve Foster & Wilfred Jackson
68	A Boy Named Charlie Brown	Bill Melendez
69	When the Wind Blows	Jimmy T. Murakami
70	The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad	Jack Kinney & James Algar & Clyde Geronimi
71	The Brave Little Toaster	Jerry Rees
72	Mad Monster Party	Jules Bass
73	The Fox and the Hound	Richard Rich & Ted Berman & Art Stevens
74	Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron	Lorna Cook & Kelly Asbury
75	Anastasia	Gary Goldman & Don Bluth
76	The Rescuers	Art Stevens & John Lounsbery & Wolfgang Reitherman
77	The Plague Dogs	Martin Rosen
78	The Phantom Tollbooth	Dave Monahan (III) & Abe Levitow
79	The Land Before Time	Don Bluth
80	The Emperor's Nightingale	Milos Makovec & Jiri Trnka
81	Arabian Knight (aka The Thief and the Cobbler)	Richard Williams
82	Titan A.E.	Don Bluth & Gary Goldman & Art Vitello
83	Perfect Blue	Satoshi Kon
84	Ninja Scroll	Yoshiaki Kawajiri & Quint Lancaster
85	The Great Mouse Detective	Ron Clements & Burny Mattinson & David Michener & John Musker
86	The Powerpuff Girls Movie	Craig McCracken
87	The Aristocats	Wolfgang Reitherman
88	Gay Purr-ee	Abe Levitow
89	Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius	John A. Davis
90	The Lord of the Rings	Ralph Bakshi
91	The Three Caballeros	Norman Ferguson
92	Allegro Non Troppo	Bruno Bozetto
93	Hercules	Ron Clements & John Musker
94	Bebe's Kids	Bruce W. Smith
95	Treasure Planet	Ron Clements & John Musker
96	The Last Unicorn	Arthur Rankin Jr. & Jules Bass
97	Streetfight (aka Coonskin)	Ralph Bakshi
98	The Adventures of Mark Twain	Will Vinton
99	Fire and Ice	Ralph Bakshi
100	The Black Cauldron	Ted Berman & Richard Rich

Hmmm ... I stumbled upon this list last night while waiting for my module to compile. Yup, it really takes that long. But compared to using my old pc, at least now it's less than an hour instead of almost 2 hours. Hehe. =)

Among the list, I only saw and have a copy of 37 items on the list. And I have 10 items that I'm not quite sure I've seen it but most certainly don't have a copy of such title. So roughly I've only seen around half of the Top 100 Animated Features of All Times ... of All Times.

Just goes to show how I liked cartoons ... okay, I may be considered as an adult now by my age and physical attributes but hey ... I still have my inner childhood in me. Hehehe. =)

South Park

2005-05-18T17:39:00.000+08:00

I'm quite sure most of us heard of South Park. But have I actually seen an episode? Well, not exactly. There are some episodes available over the network but I just didn't bothered to copy them. Mainly because no episode 1 of season 1 was available.

Well, the picture above is, of course a South Park character, but there's a site in the Internet that let's you customize your own South Park character. So, while resting my brains from making a very important document, I created such.

Wala lang ... =)

Tru Calling

2005-05-18T09:00:00.000+08:00

The show is almost half way towards it's first season, aired on Studio 23. And so far, it's kinda good. I could sometimes see myself switching the channel so as to make sure I can start this series. Well, it's kinda weird, the concept and the story but the thing is, it's kinda near to reality the plot lines and the way how each of us can be killed. Of course, minus the part where the dead actually asks Tru Davies' help and she relives the entire day again.

Honestly, my friend Jessica said that it was kinda weird too but her reason ... is that it's way too far off from reality. True enough for I did also had that impression during the time we first saw it's pilot episode.

What's strange is the picture I posted above, already has Jason Priestly as her co-star but up to now, he hasn't come out yet. Hmm ... got the feeling that he may be Tru's new boyfriend ... after Luc.

And guess what, Fox cancelled this show. Yup, it was originally aired last 2003 with around 20 or 25 episodes for season 1. Then the show was cancelled and was revived this year for season 2 but instead of 12 (I think) episodes, they cut it down to only 6. I don't know, maybe the show won't be as good as the early episodes ... or maybe it's competition is just way good.

So far, my fave episode is The Longest Day (episode number 11). It's where Tru relives the same day more than once. First time was a father died. Second time was the store clerk died. Third time was the shoplifter died. Fourth was the father's daughter died. Fifth and last, is the father died ... again. But on his last death, Tru was able to save his heart and was transplanted to his daughter, who had a fatal heart disease, was saved. Gosh, that episode almost made me cry.

"I have to save his heart to save her."

Guess Who

2005-05-17T11:18:00.000+08:00

My cousin and I never actually planned to watch any movie over the weekend. And we also didn't plan on meeting that day. And guess what we ended up doing.

Anyway, I went to the mall to look for some clothes for my fitness activity. So after almost an hour of fitting and searching, I ended up buying 1 jogging pants and 3 tshirts for about 350 only. Not bad.

And before the shopping thing, I bumped into 2 of my former sign language teachers. We talked ... actually signed ... for almost an hour I think. It was kinda hard because it's been a while since I last used sign. And take note, people where kinda looking at us. I guess they got used to it so they didn't mind. I also noticed a girl that has an expression of awe in her face.

So after the shopping, my cousin treated me for dinner ... an early dinner ... coz it was around 6 in the evening, at Bigby's Cafe. It's her birthday this coming week but since she'll be going to Bohol over the weekend, this she said is her early birthday treat. Early treat for an early dinner ... makes sense to me ... (coffeemate).

Since both of us didn't want to go home yet, we decided to give this movie a try. And I'm glad we did because this movie, though the ending is predictable, is funny, smart and have a good message in it.

Here are some quotes from the movie that I liked. Too bad not much are available online.

Theresa: I was just showing Simon around the house.
Simon Green: You have a very nice house, Mrs. Jones.
Marilyn: Thank you. You can call me Marilyn.
Simon Green: You too, Mr. Jones.
Percy: You can call me Mr. Jones.

Simon Green: [on the phone, leaving a message] Babe, you're acting like I have cheated on you, and I have never cheated on you. Except for that one time, with myself, and you caught me.

Shake Your Bon Bon

2005-05-13T17:25:00.000+08:00

I used to keep on asking what Bon Bon meant by Ricky Martin in this song of his. But even though it took me quiet some time before actually figuring it out ... I liked the song because it was catchy.

Well, with my dance aerobics, let's just say that I now know how to really shake my bon bon. =)

Dance Aerobics

2005-05-10T17:37:00.000+08:00

Okay, this may sound a little crazy but I just enrolled myself to another physical activity. I guess you might say it's the next thing after yoga. And believe me, I never knew what I enrolled into.

Around a week earlier, I got interested seeing that a gym has transferred to a mall near where I lived. Well, the gym used to be a way bit more closer to before they transferred there but I never gave it much thought seeing that it looked more like a house transformed into a gym. So I kinda got excited when they transferred.

As I was browsing thru they package or promos, I got interested in aerobics. Okay, I know it's a bit girly but I don't want to have my body looking like a muscle man. But having a bit of muscle in a guy is kinda a turn on for me. But me having one ... I don't think so. Probably but not right now.

And so yesterday, it was the first class. I was surprised because instead of teaching us the usual aerobics ... she, our instructor, taught us a dance aerobics. So it really was quite a surprise but a good one. At least it won't be that boring later on. Eventually ... the session ended up with us dancing a whole jazz song ... dancing in jazz.

All the time that we were having our session ... the people who were doing gym, mostly guys, we all watching us. But they got used to it so it wasn't that shameful in the end. But it really was kinda a cool thing to do especially if with some friends. =)

The Wedding Date

2005-05-10T08:51:00.000+08:00

Watching this movie over the weekend, I came to realize that Debra Messing actually is being stereotyped for this kind of roles ... and she's actually kinda good at portraying it ... like she is in the series Will & Grace.

But do I also share the same fate as she does when it comes to love and men? Does it mean that I also have to hire and pay a guy $6000 to accompany me to an event, in her case her sister's wedding, and we'll both fall in love in the whole process? I wish it was that simple but then again ... they were a straight couple to begin with.

Here are some of the few lines from the movie that are quite catching.

Nick Mercer: Close your eyes. Close your eyes. Close... your... eyes. You're safe. You can relax. I'm not going to kiss you. He's gonna be so sorry he lost you, so stop worrying. Forget the past. Forget the pain. And remember what an incredible woman you are. You do that and he'll realize what he lost.
Kat Ellis: You're worth every penny.

TJ: [after seeing Nick grin] I think I just came.

Nick Mercer: I'd rather fight with you than make love to anybody else.

Nick Mercer: The hardest part of love isn't loving someone, but having the courage to let them love you back.

Kat Ellis: I've been spilling my guts all weekend and I don't know anything about you.
Nick Mercer: I'm allergic to fabric softener, and I majored in comparative literature at Brown. I hate anchovies and I think I'd miss you even if we'd never met.

Honeysuckle By Blue Magic

2005-05-04T11:24:00.000+08:00

While the whole Philippines is post celebrating Labor Day, which the president moved from Sunday to Monday, Jessica, Ryan and I had our mini despidida party for Kristin.

It was a night of food, fun and talk. And not only that, what are the odds of giving the same gift ... that only differs in color and design? Most unlikely? Well, that exactly what happened.

We started the so-called party by having a dinner at KFC. Then as we headed to Starbucks, again, we passed by Timezone. Since Ryan mentioned he missed playing air hockey, so we played one game. It was a close game actually but eventually ... I lost. Imagine, I was even the one who introduced it. Hehehe. =)

So after that, we decided to do some car racing. There is a game there that we used to play during college years. But before, it was just good for 2 players there. This time, it's good for 4 players ... and the seat moves. Well, it should be considering the difference in the price. Well, Jessica ended up first, I followed next, Kristin behind me and Ryan at the last place.

After the exhausting (kinda exaggerated there a bit) game, we headed off to Starbucks. There we again and as usual, talked and talked until we can't talk anymore. Somewhere in between, Kristin gave us something ... sort of like a farewell and thank you gift. It was a sort of wooden posters that used pastel colors. They were Honeysuckles from Blue Magic. For Ryan, she gave him a mini dog stuffed toy. Now get this, I also too have a gift for Kristin. Wanna know what that is? Well, let's just say that the Honeysuckles had many different drawings because if not, then what would have gotten what I gave her.

Finding Neverland

2005-05-03T09:20:00.000+08:00

I never really did liked the classic cartoon of Peter Pan. Nor of the one they made a movie of. But I kinda liked this one, Finding Neverland.

Funny thing is, when my cousin and I went to see the movie, we entered the cinema around 20 minutes before the end of the show. And it was the longest 20 minutes ever. Gosh, it was so boring and I really could feel very uncomfortable at my seat.

But as the movie started again, get this, we didn't felt like it was that long. Yup, it was that good. Well not exactly that good but it was worth seeing. Or maybe it was after such a very unfortunate 20 minutes. Hehe! :D

Here are some few lines that I really liked in the movie.

Michael Llewelyn Davies: Mummy, can we have Uncle Jim for dinner?
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: Have him over for dinner, we're not cannibals.

Charles Frohman: Oh great, 25 orphan children, now my nightmare is complete.

J.M. Barrie: You find a glimmer of happiness in this world, there's always someone who wants to destroy it.

J.M. Barrie: [from trailer] You can visit Neverland anytime you like.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: How?
J.M. Barrie: By believing Peter, Just believe.

Peter Llewelyn Davies: That golden scepter is just an old hunk of wood.
J.M. Barrie: Ah, yes, well... we're dreaming on a budget.

J.M. Barrie: [playing along with a game in which Michael is a prisoner] And what precisely is Michael's crime?
George Llewelyn Davies: He's my younger brother.
J.M. Barrie: Ah. Fair enough. Sorry, lad, cannot free you.

J.M. Barrie: [watching George react to the knowledge that his mother is seriously ill] Magnificent. The boy is gone. In the last 30 seconds... you became a grown-up.

Chitchat At Starbucks

2005-04-28T10:43:00.000+08:00

It's been like almost a month now that the three of us, me, Kristin and Jessica went out together and made some catching up. Boy, was it ever a catching up that we did.

It's actually nice to be able to talk about the good old days. Reminiscing our college life ... what we were, what we've done, what we've experienced ... all the laughters and bloppers we did.

Back to those carefree days when all we have to worry about is passing the next upcoming exam ... and now ... we've entered into a new arena.

We started talking about the immediate issue. Then we even plotted against somebody. Hey, if only it was that easy to execute another world war. Hahaha ... =)

Anywayz, actually this post doesn't have anything significant but just a reminder for myself for the future. A reminder that there was a day in my life that had gone by that I shared it with the people who are dear to me ... the people who I can really be myself and who I can share my laughters with. The people who I really do call ... my friends. =)

Twelfth Angel

2005-04-28T09:42:00.000+08:00

Last night, as Kristin and I were waiting for ever dearest Jessica, we stopped by at National Bookstore just to pass the time. She went to look for greeting cards while I wondered thru the book section.

I saw some books that were on sale and some on discounted items. They still were in nice conditions and yet they were on sale. I wonder if I'm the only person who buys such books. Anyway, I ended up buying 2 books which amounted to, get this, only about 350 pesos (rounding it off to the nearest 50). So it was quite cheap. The first book I bought was Chocolate for a Teen's Dream (or something like that). The other one is Stories about Forgiveness (not really quiet sure if that's the title but that's the book all about). I'm actually a sucker for this kind of books.

Then, while killing the time, the counter that I can use to pay using my credit card (this time, no malicious activity happened), I walked around looking for other books that I might like. Take note, they were having a 20% discount on all international books. So another factor that drove me to look for others. Then I stumbled into this book ... again. I've actually read it when I was still in high school. I borrowed it from a friend and really loved it. And I wanted to read it again but I haven't had any idea if any of my friends and so called friends have it. I ended up thinking I',m gonna buy it. But then, I computed and still, it was still way off for my budget on how much I'm willing to spend just for a book.

Nearby, still of the same author, I found another book that kinda intrigued me. I then had this sudden urge to buy it too. My God, with those 2 books, even with the discount, I may still end up having to pay for it around 800 or 900. Oh no.

Anyway, we'll just see what will happen. But for now, I'm still happy with the books that I bought. It's enough to satisfy my hunger ... for now. =)

Alienated

2005-04-26T16:42:00.000+08:00

According to dictionary.com, here are the meanings of this word.

1. To cause to become unfriendly or hostile; estrange: alienate a friend; alienate potential supporters by taking extreme positions.
2. To cause to become withdrawn or unresponsive; isolate or dissociate emotionally: The numbing labor tended to alienate workers.
3. To cause to be transferred; turn away: “He succeeded... in alienating the affections of my only ward” (Oscar Wilde).
4. Law. To transfer (property or a right) to the ownership of another, especially by an act of the owner rather than by inheritance.

Now let me explain or talk about what I've mentioned in my previous post on regarding why my weekend was such a disaster.

I guess there really not much to talk about. Basically, it's all been discussed on the definitions mentioned above and on the expression of the guy's face above.

It hit me, as in totally hit me, during the time that I was already taking a bath after swimming at Duka Beach Resort. I was both reflecting and bathing. So that's why it was ... as far as I can tell ... the longest time it took me to bath.

What irritates me the most is that it seems that this is something that is happening or occuring in me. No one else seems to notice nor care. And knowing me, random thoughts began surging in my mind on what I will do. I can to a point in disbanding myself to the group. And that includes all forms of communications known to mankind.

But wait, in my intention of doing that, I am not breaking off my friendship with them. Its just that I don't want to get hurt anymore. So it's like alienating myself to them. So it's like a sacrifice that I have to take. Err ... no ... it's not. It is a selfish act that I planned to do. Why? Because I don't want to hurt anymore. I'm tired of getting hurt. I'm tired of it. I am.

But guess what I ended up doing ... nothing. I still ended up doing nothing. Nothing changed. The damage has already been done. And I'm not the type of person who'll confront upfront something when there's something wrong. I am the person who tries to adjust and hide it ... for as long as I can.

The question now is ... how much can I hold? How much more can I take in?

Kuya

2005-04-26T09:51:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend, I realized something that I kinda always wanted when I was still in high school or even maybe even in college. But not quite certain with the later part.

My friend and I always talked about what we wanted, an ate or a kuya and I always ended up choosing the same old thing ... a kuya. And me, being a kuya (biologically speaking for that matter) don't think I ... err ... can say that I've lived up to my own expectations of what a kuya is all about.

I don't know but there are times that I would think that life is kinda weird. We wish to have something what we don't have and those who have it doesn't think of it as something special as to those who doesn't have it. I guess we just take for granted all the things in our lives because we already have them. And maybe, just maybe that's 1 of the reasons why we have this immense feeling of wanting something we don't have.

But like they say, careful what you wish for ... 'cause you might just get it.

The Cagayan Side Trip

2005-04-25T09:24:00.000+08:00

So aside from the wedding of Aldion and Jamaica, here's what we've been up to.

Limketkai. The mall, according to Noel, is their own version of Ayala. Actually it is. When you actually go inside the mall, even though it's not yet finished, you can really see Ayala. Okay, Glorietta to be more exact. As in the structure is similar, the atmosphere ... as in everything. The only difference is that its only 2 floors. But I wonder if they also had cinemas there. We haven't actually toured the entire mall but what else is there in a mall right?

Familiar with Watson's contest? The one where you can get a chance to see/meet/date (sorry but don't know the exact details) Brent Javier wherein they have this like wooden figure of him with a girl but the face of the girl is replaced by a hole wherein you can insert your face there to make it look like you posing with him ... well ... Neil actually went for it.

Immediately after the mall, we headed straight for Xavier Sports and Country Club. Actually it was just like a typical country club but more developed. It had a swimming pool for kids and adults, each with their own unique water slides, a gym, resto and some cottages overlooking the city. It was, for me, more of a romantic place wherein dating isn't possible. Yah it sounded weird but that's the best I can describe it. The aura was romantic, walking along the brick roads with dim light posts lighting the path, but with kids screaming and splashing nearby. And for sure, it won't be until late at night when you'll surely have some peace and quiet.

After having the dinner at the newly weds (refer to my previous post), we went to Divisoria. It actually looks more or less the same as that they have in Manila where you can buy pirated and imitated items at very reasonable prices. But then again, if you're not up to attack the crowd then I suggest you go shopping elsewhere.

After making our way out of the sea of people. we met with Anne to have some night life. We ended up going to Ralf's Sports Bar, which is just across the Dynasty Hotel. The place was packed. But we did managed to find one but decided to call in for the night. So in short, we just went there to take a look at the place and nothing else. So much for a night life huh?

Next day, waking up very early proved to be difficult for most of us. I think we were up even before the sun actually rose. But I'm not quite sure with that. I'll just check with PAGASA. Hehe. The reason we were up so early is because we're planned to go to Duka Beach Resort. It's at least 2 hours land travel from where we were staying. The resort was so cool. It first reminded me of Paradise Island, a very famous resort in my hometown. The water was clear, the tide was high, the sands covered a big part of the shore so we were able to swim harmlessly and went to do some kayaking and canoing. And speaking of canoing, during the whole time that Neil and I went to do that, it wasn't only upon arriving at the shore that I went overboard. Hehe ... talk about being careful.

A couple of hours after, we headed straight for Mapawa Nature Park. I thought at first we were going at the Eco-village but it shocked me when we headed straight up. The said park is actually a park wherein you can do any outdoor activities that you can never think off. Of course there was the usual horseback riding but we weren't up for that. What we're after is the zipline. We went for the 100 meters. And guess what, me ... the ever frightened of heights ... went first. The reason ... they wanted (my batchmates) to test the capacity of line. Imagine. Anyway, it took me quiet a long time to actually do it because I'm kinda scared. But believe me, the experience was so as in totally COOL. I mean, it's true that the first time is always the hardest but I wanna do that again. We had to trips. The second one was kinda easy and was less scary. If we had enough time, I think I would go for all the 6 stages they have to offer. What we did was only stage 4 and 5. The stages included rappelling and monkey bridge climbing. But it was more on ziplining. They also have this huge chess set in their reception area. It was cool. It's like ... 5 times bigger than the regular big size chess board.

Lastly, before heading for the ferry to go back here, we headed for Vjandep. It's a store in Cagayan where it's the like pasalubong center. They sell pastel (buns with fillings) that are absolutely taste heavenly. And to my surprise, they now have pastel with different fillings that I never knew they had. At least now I know where to buy those if ever I'll came back here.

In 2 days that I spent in Cagayan de Oro (CDO), it was indeed worth going for again. Especially in Mapawa Nature Park. Really as in really wanna go back there and experience all their outdoor activities. Iggy (the son of the owner) talked to us about what they have to offer. I forgot what it all was but it was for sure outdoor activities for the gang.

P.S. Oh, did I mentioned that on the way there at Mapawa, the car got overheated? As in totally overheated. Then one even said that he won't chance it mainly for security reasons. I'm glad we went thru with it. I mean, come on, after all of this ... hehehe! :D

A Jamaican Event In Cagayan Part 2: Movie Camp

2005-04-25T09:21:00.000+08:00

The reception followed at the Alcoseba Hall inside Camp Evangelista in Patag. To get there, we have to pass by thru a mini walkway with I think only 1 kind/breed of plant surrounding it. Then supposedly there was a fishpond just at the right side of the last part going inside the hall but it was drained that time. So what was left was a long cemented area with a big boulder at the middle and a bridge to cross over.

Well, still the same, there was no electricity that time. So the emcees were pretty much shouting already. Then I guess they hadn't prepared for the number of people to come causing the place to be quite small and packed for that event alone.

Well enough about that part. For starters, because the event held was there, I was able to see 2 helicopters land just a few meters away from where I was sitting. It was so cool ... I'm not refering to the helicopter itself but what I saw. Too bad we weren't allowed to take any pictures of it.

Next was the picture taking of the newly weds at the tables together with the guest. When they arrived at our table, we chanted them to kiss before they took the picture. But we didn't want just any kiss ... we wanted french kiss. So we chanted french kiss ... french kiss ... french kiss and guess what, they did do a french kiss in front of us. Oh my ... we definitely wasn't prepared for that.

The reception party ended quit early ... or for me that is. Later that night, we were invited to their house for dinner. Just as we arrived there, they (the family and relatives of the couples) just started viewing a video. A video that could or can be pass for the MTRCB. Kidding. Well, it mainly contained brief messages of congratulations and wishes from their family. It also contained a bit about their love story. Let me quote a few quite intriguing and funny lines. Take note, all the lines you're gonna read below are from Jamaica.

- Aldion is good in anything.
- (Asked what she liked about Aldion physically) Aldion is ... buotan (mabait).

P.S. And what's with the tambis/makopa? Could you please explain that? =)

A Jamaican Event In Cagayan Part 1: Ironically Perfect

2005-04-25T09:19:00.000+08:00

April 23 of 2005, few of us from the office went to Cagayan to see live ... in action ... another batchmate of ours getting married. Yup, it was on that day that day that Baltar became Pueblos.

So leaving the city at Friday night to catch the wedding ceremony the next day, we did just exactly that. But that's just about the start of what I would say ... the best and the worst weekend of my entire life.

The wedding was held at Immaculate Concepcion Parish, Bulua. The decorations were cute even though I kinda find that hard to accept the notion of orange/peach being embroidered at the barong tagalogs while some used the motive as the color of their undershirt. But I have to admit that it was unique. The style, the color ... everything. And me going all the way there mainly for that.

Everything was almost perfect. And yet you have to admit that it would have been easier to combat Mother Nature but this time, the enemy was man. They said that there was a post being put up near the Limketkai so affected areas whose power lines connected there was down until 5 in the afternoon. So I guess by now you know where I'm getting at. During the wedding ceremony, the church used battery operated microphones for us to hear.

It was just like the song Ironic from Alanis Morrisette, It's like raining on your wedding day but in this case, it was brown out and not rain. But nonetheless, it was still perfect.

Fashionable To Fabulous

2005-04-22T11:29:00.000+08:00

Watch how I turn from fashionable ... to fabulous. I really liked ... okay like is an understatement ... loved that line. Now, I can no longer say that line. Not yet anyway ... probably after at least 3 months from now. How it happened ... check this out.

Last night, my Kristin and I went out for dinner at McDonalds. We chose McDonalds because we were curious with the Extra Challenge commercial. Thinking we can do just any challenge they could think off ... boy were we proved so wrong. What happened is that when you purchase a value meal with a large fries and coke (not needed for upsize), you'll get to have a scratch card. And it is in that scratch card that one can win free food or discounted prices of certain goodies or if qualified to do a challenge. We were so disappointed.

Afterwards, I decided to get a haircut. Or better put, have my hair styled. So I went to Bridges but found out their price increased. As in really increased. And aside from that, no walk-in customers are entertained because it has to be on an appointment basis. Next we tried Kathlyn's but it was already closed. I saw two more parlor shops we passed by so we went for it. But the two stores didn't have any customers and that freaked us out. So what we did is we went to Ayala.

At Ayala, we decided to go to Anne's World. It was okay but what I didn't liked about it is the one who cut my hair. He was so like talkative and was kinda aggressive. And he didn't followed exactly the hair style I chose at the catalogue. Okay, the output was near but not that close. The result was kinda okay considering it looked neat but boy do this guy need a fashion update. The way he styled my hair after the cut was such a fashion kill. Man.

Anyway, what I did this morning was I put on some hair cream or wax or whatever it was called and styled it to something more of my generation. It doesn't look that fashionable but it is totally better than what he did last night.

And I do hope Aldion and Jamaica will appreciate this. I gave up almost all of my hair just to be very presentable during their special day. Of course I don't want to hog all the attention but hey, maybe my I'll see my prince charming there. Nah, I already had a planned itenary with my batchmates on where and what we'll be doing in Cagayan.

Second Year

2005-04-21T11:45:00.000+08:00

Today marks my second year working. Another year had past and another year of learnings and experiences. Of course, new friends and officemates somewhere in between.

But despite the laughters, outings and moments we all shared, it still is sad to know that we weren't able to celebrate it together. Mainly because some already left the company and some were on leave. But despite the original plan of dinning out tonight, we still made a mini celebration.

We ordered some food, with water as our drinks (kinda out of budget), and talked. Of course there were some picture takings and some laughs, but still the feeling of celebrating it with your batch still gives me a feeling of happiness.

Despite all the busy schedules and overtimes, we still managed to break away and have a good time. And I couldn't ask for more. =)