So it's almost the New Year! *confetti*. What makes me sad is the realization that the Holidays are over. I had a great time this year, better than the last!

During Christmas eve I spent it with my father, sister, grandparents, uncle, and alej who came after Noche Buena was over. I also had great gifts this year! HAHA!

during Noche Buena...

my father and i and my uncle and i.


my sister, kuya john, and myself.


my grandparents from the paternal side with my uncle and my father.

after Noche Buena, kuya John and Alej (he surprised me!) came:
'twas Christmas eve... and i had a bottle of Raspberry vodka cruiser :)
you see the ribbon around my head? haha! that's from the gold ribbon i took off from the gift bag my uncle gave me. yeh-bah! i'm a girl scout. HAHA!


i borrowed kuya John's Spongebob Squarepants beanie because i thought it was cool beans and posed as a poser-rocker-wannabe:



MERRY CHRISTMAS!

after exchanging gifts and hanging out, i insisted we took pictures beside the Christmas tree because it's my mother's labor of love:



the tipsy tree looks larger than it seems in the picture :)



on Christmas night...

my sister and i went to visit my cousins and grandparents on the maternal side and spent the night there. :)

I don't usually make New Year resolutions because I only end up being disappointed each time I fail to follow it. But maybe this year I'll make an exemption (only, i'll keep it to myself and my journal (not the blog) hehe).

this is Gail's 2005 Soundtrack:

Somewhere Only We Know, Keane
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

I love this song ever since I first heard it. I play it over and over and until now, I'm still not tired of this song. Something about the piano part made it likeable that way. HEEH :)

Rest in Pieces, Saliva
Look at me, my depth perception must be off again
You got much closer than I thought you did
I'm in your reach
You held me in your hands
But could you find it in your heart?
To make this go away
And let me rest in pieces

angst-ridden, leave-me-alone song. HAH! this song reminds me of Van in our Palawan trip because she used to sing it over and over again. so when we got back to Manila, i ripped her cd and voila! it was my turn to sing it over and over again.

Fallen, Sarah McLachlan
Heaven bent to take my hand
And lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer
To a long and painful fight

Truth be told I've tried my best
But somewhere along the way
I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear

Though I've tried, I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...
this song makes me cry because i can relate to it so much during my downtimes of self-pity. i think in every person's life, there comes a point when you feel like you've done all you could but still it wasn't enough. i feel like that sometimes. i've tried so hard not to lose at anything i do but i still fall behind. i hate it when people try to rationalize me and point out "i told you so" in the end when in fact, they don't even know anything.

A Sorta Fairytale, Tori Amos
things you said that day
up on the 101
the girl had come undone
i tried to downplay it
with a bet about us
you said that-
you'd take it
as long as i could
i could not erase it

and i'm so sad
like a good book
i can't put this day back
a sorta fairytale
with you
a sorta fairytale
with you

i love this song! i play this over and over again too alongside with Fallen.

The World I Know, Collective Soul
Has our conscience shown?
Has the sweet breeze blown?
Has all the kindness gone?
Hope still lingers on.
I drink myself of newfound pity
Sitting alone in new york city
And I don't know why.

Are we listening to hyms of offering?
Have we eyes to see that love is gathering?
All the words that I've been reading
Have now started the act of bleeding into one.

So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below.
And I laugh at myself
As the years roll down.
'cause it's the world I know.
It's the world I know.

it's a very very good song.

Champagne Supernova, Oasis
How many special people change
How many lives are living strange
Where were you when we were getting high?
Slowly walking down the hall
Faster than a cannon ball
Where were you while we were getting high?
Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova
A champagne supernova in the sky


i love Oasis! i am an Oasis girl! :)

The Scientist, Coldplay
Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions
Oh lets go back to the start
Running in circles, coming up tails
Heads on a silence apart

i also love Coldplay. this song is depressing but i love it just the way it is along with "Yellow".

I'm Feeling You, Santana Feat. Michelle Branch
Sometimes, I imagine the world without you
But most times, I'm just so happy that I ever found you
It's a complicated web, that you weave inside my head
So much pleasure with such pain
How we always, always stay the same

I'm feelin' the way you cross my mind
And you save me in the nick of time
I'm ridin' the highs, I'm diggin' the lows
'Cause at least I feel alive
I've never faced so many emotional days
But my life is good
I'm feelin' you
I'm feelin' you

I love this song because it's my song for the moment for Alej. :)

Away from the Sun, Three Doors Down
It's down to this
I've got to make this life make sense
Can anyone do what I've done
I missed life
I missed the colours of the world
Can anyone go where I am
'Cause now again I've found myself
So far down, away from the sun
That shines into the darkest place
I'm so far down, away from the sun again
Away from the sun again

another self-pity song. i love it. HAHA!

Stuck in a Moment, U2
I'm not afraid of anything in this world
There's nothing you can throw at me that I haven't already heard
I'm just trying to find a decent melody
A song that I can sing in my own company

I never thought you were a fool
But darling, look at you
You gotta stand up straight, carry your own weight
These tears are going nowhere, baby

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment and now you can't get out of it
Don't say that later will be better now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it

yeah. this song it LOOOOVE. U2 is lloooooove!

Must Get Out, Maroon 5
I'm lifting you up
I'm letting you down
I'm dancing til dawn
I'm fooling around
I'm not giving up
I'm making your love
This city's made us crazy and we must get out

i've been waiting for this band's tour to the Philippines. argggh! i swear! i have to get front seats if ever they come to town!!!

Not Myself, John Mayer
Suppose I said
I am on my best behavior
And there are times
I lose my worried mind?

Would you want me when I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?

Suppose I said
Colors change for no good reason
And words will go
From poetry to prose

Would you want me when
I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?

And I, in time, will come around
I always do for you

Suppose I said
You're my saving grace?

* * *

i didn't realize it's going to be a long list so i'm going to mention the other songs instead of posting snippets of their lyrics:

howie day - collide
somewhere out there - our lady of peace
as long as it matters - gin blossom
take me as i am - tonic
stand by me - oasis
stop crying your heart out - oasis
don't look back in anger - oasis

the year-ender survey:
What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
- let go of old ghosts
- grew up
- drank until i could not breathe (at home)
- tried a cigarette just to see what the fuss was about

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
- didn't bother to make any last year.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
none.

Did anyone close to you die?
none. hopefully, no one's going to this year.

What countries did you visit?
bleh. none.

What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
- more OPTIMISM in my life (oh dear, how more optimistic can i get?)
- more of GOD in my life
- more TIME to relax

What date(s) from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- September 1 (alej and i became a couple)
- August 6 (my birthday, it was FUN)
- December 25 (Christmas!!!)
- the Pyro Olympics the other day hehe

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
- i got a job
(oh shit, this list should be long!)

What was your biggest failure?
- probably [insert thought here] but i'm not going to see it as a failure :)

Did you suffer illness or injury?
- none (if you won't count my dental surgery)

What was the best thing you bought?
- my apple green iPOD mini
- the Toshiba Tecra laptop my parents bought me
- my trusty celphone

Whose behavior merited celebration?
- mine? HAHAHA!

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
- none! isn't that wonderful? HAHA!

Where did most of your money go?
- books, Starbucks, fast food, load for my Globe and Sun simcards

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
- thursday mass-novena at St. Jude
- spending the day with alej
- out-of-town trips
- road trips
- chilling out every weekends right after a stressful day in school

What song(s) will always remind you of 2005?
- Bamboo's Light, Peace, Love album
- Sugarfree's Kwarto and Tulog Na
- Mojofly's Another Day
- Michelle Branch and Santana's I'm Feeling You
- Pussycat Doll's Stick With you and Don't Cha
- Nina Sky's Move Ya Body
and of course.... *drum roll, please*
- MY HUMPS of The Black Eyed Peas and Ever After by Bonnie Bailey!!!!

Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? -- happier
ii. thinner or fatter? – fatter (shet)
iii. richer or poorer? – richer

What do you wish you'd done more?
- relaxed more and worried less.
- enjoyed LIFE :)
- learned how to cook and BAKE :)

What do you wish you'd done less of?
- spent more time on the computer and on the net! yikessss
- bitching (HAHA!)

How did you spend Christmas?
noche buena with the family at home, alej came over, and we hanged out with my sister and kuya john.
Christmas day my sister and i went to Makati with my father. then at night we had dinner and he dropped us off at our maternal grandparents' house. spent the night there with cousins :)

How many one-night stands?
none

What was/were your favorite TV program(s)?
- queer eye for the straight guy & girl
- CSI
- ALIAS
- Medical Investigation
- Veronica Mars
- House
- comedy shows on star world every monday

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
- yes :)

What was the best book you read?
- The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
- The Bonesetter's Daughter (Amy Tan)
- Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)
- Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (James Patterson)
- Star Girl (Jerry Spinelli)
- Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix Book 5

What was your greatest musical discovery?
- Mmmm... i can't think of any.

What did you want and get?
- good health for me, friends, and family
- ipod, laptop, and new phone

What was your favorite film of this year?
- War of the Worlds
- Hotel Rwanda
- Madagascar

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
i turned 20. celebrated with school friends. lots of laugh and a drinks. HEHE.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
nothing :)

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
comfort first before style. HAHA! erm, yeah. i'm a "plain jane". wearing other than my basic t-shirt, jeans/cropped pants, and slip-ons/flip-flop will not be "me".

What kept you sane?
alej, my sister and kuya john, parents, friends (apple, mitchie, van, paulo, and all the other blockmates....) and of course, GOD.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Atty. Katrina Legarda

What political issue stirred you the most?
hello garci scandal, rape case in Subic, FPJ's death HAHA!

Who did you miss?
Daivy, Ina, Mac, Leigh, Esther, Anna, Raiza

Who was the best new person you met?
ALEJ! op cors!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
When reality bites, bite harder! (according to Paul!).
You can't be happy all the time.
"Success" does not neccesarily mean winning all the time but it's rising each time you fall.
If you feel that GOD's far away, who moved?

Did you fall in love in 2005?
YESH!

If yes, with who?
Alejandro Oligar Templo Viar (haha! ang haba! but not longer than Gail Monique Lindain Limcumpao!)

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I'm ridin' the highs, I'm diggin' the lows
'Cause at least I feel alive
I've never faced so many emotional days
But my life is good
- I'm Feeling You, Santana Feat. Michelle Branch

so hurray for 2005 :) it was one helluva ride! 2006? bring it on! :)

first world pyro olympics

i love the holidays this year. it's much more fun than the one i had last year. plus, to add to the cheerful mood of the last remaining week of the year, there's the First Pyro Olympics at Bay City.

i was there yesterday with alej and angela (alej's little sister). tonight i'm going with my sister and my father. people, no matter what age, will always have their childhood enthusiasm in their hearts. just like last night. adult, kids, and elders "ooooh" and "aaaaahed" during the fireworks display. i was giddly like a little kid in a candy store as the fireworks lit up the dark night sky. it was stellar.

the long walk from the parking lot to the "front row" of the fireworks display was worth it. nevermind if it was far. it was REALLY worth it. last night's display was that of the United States and South Africa. tonight it's going to be the U.A.E. and Philippines. yey! both my homes! :)

we sat down on the ground beside a palm tree near the sea chewing on warm castanas (chestnuts) and watching the fireworks display. it was a really FUN night.

sucker for compliments

people are (naturally) suckers for compliments because it makes us feel good. sometimes when we're down in the dumps, all we need is a nudge or kind words from others to push us back on track and our self-esteem up.

so... i'm doing this!

c'mon, cheer me up! HAHA! i'm still working on my paper.

so... buh-bye!

_________________________________________

One little compliment can make you feel amazing.

So give me a compliment, anything in the entire world, even that my shoelaces are pretty. Put this in your journal. And once you get some comments, put that entry in a memory or tag and when you are feeling down, just go to that entry and this will remind how great you are.

Comments are going to be screened so none of you will know if I'm popular who gets over 100 comments on this or a total loser who doesn't get any.

note: i enabled "Anonymous" posting so you can not leave your name if you choose to hide it.

:)

writer's block

I hate hate hate it when I am struck by a bad case of writer's block.
I know i can write something substantial. But when I stare at the blank screen determined to begin writing,
my brain shuts down and reboots.

Worse, I'm not talking about blogging or writing about nonsensical things.
I'm talking about a paper I'm supposed to submit. A graded paper. An important paper.
A paper that I am determined to ace.
I can't sleep at night because of this.

But right now, I feel like I'm going to pull my hair off my scalp because of frustration.

"Use other sources to compare the essays you've chosen for review", my professor said. when i researched, almost ALL credible essays i got were from Valentine Mogahadam. this woman must be the expert of all experts when it comes to women studies in the Middle East. all i got were essays that she wrote. yes, ALL! now how am i supposed to criticize one of her essays when my sources were written by her too?

argh! *hits head on the table*

Think. Think. Think.

at this rate, i'm not going to get anywhere farther than what i've already started.

fine.

I'll try again tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

i made a little something for you from Paint and Photoshop :)

Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!!
Merry Christmas to everyone!!

a few hours before Christmas eve!
a few hours to go before Jesus's birthday!!

*sings* it's the most wonderful time of the year *sings

i collect Rubber Duckies. i love yellow duckies. i even have the ernie-duckie song! i regret not buying the yellow duck beaded purse from the World Trade Center christmas bazaar because it was 250 pesos and the shopkeeper refused when i bargained for a lower price. *gives myself a well-deserved imaginary kick on the butt*.

this is my ducky collection.check it out! (ala Fergie in "My Humps" HEEHEE!)

i put the duckies on the second row of my tall bookshelf.


this is the latest addition to the collection. bought it today and my sister and i agreed to drop 5 pesos and higher coins into it. after we fill it up, we'll use the money to bond like watch a movie, have coffee, etc.




my boyfriend's contribution to the duckie collection.


a memo-holder from Humor Post. the one and only piece! yey! I'm so lucky!!! haha! look at the background! those are my old Sweet Valley books! HEEHEE!


form the San Miguel christmas bazaar :) this is the children of the larger duckie which i'll show later. hehe. it's really made of rubber, btw. and it squeaks!


the mother duckie of the three little ones :) it's larger than it seems :)

i went last minute shopping with my father and sister. i'm so happy! i love Christmas! it's the best time of the year for me!!! i'm happier this year because i'm giving out lots of gifts to people close to me. yes, i'm not a Scrooge this year :) while eating dinner, i was whining to my sister about how expensive Christmas is this year because i felt unselfish and spent most of the Christmas money my father gave me for other people. for gifts. gifts. and gifts. and then she assured me that it's okay because at least we spent our money on other people rather than on ourselves alone. i was good this year and this Christmas too so maybe Santa will bless me this Christmas! :) my father is also in a very festive Christmasey mood because he was the one who funded our gift-giving for this year. cheers to papa because he gave us a hefty amount. i'll spend for myself next time. i just feel like gift-giving this year. i don't have gifts for my school friends yet. yikes. pwede pa naman humabol sa pasukan hehe!.

after dinner, we three went to have coffee and hang out. yes, my father is a pretty cool person to hang out with. we treated him to a venti toffee nut frapuccino, the final sticker i needed to get my planner. so hurray! :D heehee. i think the female barista at starbucks is gay because she kinda/sorta/obviously hit on my sister. HAHAHA! shhhh. Christmas is so much fun! :) i'm giddy!

i'm going to make it a journal slash planner slash scrapbook with lots of polaroid i-zones. :)


there. i just told the whole world how shallow i am :) so what! HAHA! that's why i'm a happy person!

edit @ 1:49am:

.... i'm bored.

A - Age you got your first kiss: 13 or 14, i think.
B - Band listening to right now: the ticking of the clock. hehe.
C - Crush: wala e
D - Dad's name: Socrates. yes, as in the philosopher. haha!
E - Easiest person to talk to: Ina, my sister, school friends, my boyfriend (in no particular order)
F - Favorite music artist at the moment: mishka adams
G - Gummy worms or gummy bears?: bears, please.
H - Hometown: quezon city
I - Instruments: piano :)
J - Junior High: pioneers international private school (UAE)
K - Kids: i love kids and kids love meee! and three for me in the future, thank you. :)
L - Longest car ride ever: last summer. road trip to batangas from cavite. took us 8 hours because we got lost!
M - Mom's name: Elizabeth. her friends call her "Liz". some call her "Liza".
N - Nicknames: Gail. Gailey. Chinggay (by my father since i was a little girl). bunso by my mother.
O - One wish: make poverty history :)
P- Phobia[s]: heights and cramped spaces (my worst nightmare is to be trapped in a machine undergoing a CT scan).
Q - Quote: "Being happy does not mean that everything's perfect. It's when everything has gone wrong but you're doing just fine." (or something to that effect)
R - Reason to smile: alej, life, family, GOD, Christmas, Amidala, friends, BASTA MY LIFE! :)
S - Song you last heard: somewhere in between, lifehouse
T - Time you woke up: 10:10am
U - Unknown fact about yourself: my body responds too well to caffeine. even if i'm addicted to caffeine, i suffer from nervousness, sleeplessness, anxiety, and shakey hands all the time when i've consumed too much of my "drug". but i'm still hooked anyway because i sort of get a natural high consuming it. does not matter whether it's biological or psychological. HAHA! it's a good feeling. i read from a health magazine that caffeine releases "happy hormones". tra-la-la. there you have it.
V - Vegetable(s) you hate: carrots! green peas! celery! eeeewww.
W - Worst habit(s): procrastinating (>.<)
X- X-rays you've had: all chest x-rays. all for my school medical examinations.
Y - Yummy food: Yoshinoya, El Polo Loco, anything Japanese, Mexican, and food from Chinatown restaurants!


MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone!!!

random because brain is not functioning

oh joy! i finished my paper one hour ago. a paper i worked on ever since i woke up. i printed the shitload of pages of four essays in PDF format before i slept. tried to read. wanted to bang my head on the headboard for being lazy the past week. tried to blame myself for not checking how many pages there were. they're called "essays" but they're sooooo long. but i'm happy! because i finally finished it at 10pm. phew. now i can rest.

i've wrapped the gifts that need to be wrapped. just another last minute trip to the mall with my father and sister and we're all set for Christmas eve. the thing i hate about shopping is that whenever i check out things for people, i always want to keep it for myself. yes, we all have selfish tendencies. and yes, i do have the right to defend myself.

i want hot tea or hot chocolate because it's chilly down here. actually, it has been since i set-up my workplace in the dining room this morning. heeh.

i'm watching Street Racing: Pedal to the Medal in Discovery Channel right now. this chic is going to race with a guy. they're both referred to teams of three who will fix their cars and revamp it to win the race. so anyway, this girl... i like her because she can get her fingers dirty and all. but MAN! she's so stupid! she had to brag about what her team did for her Honda car blah blah so her opponent knew what he was up against. so he tells his team and his team researches about the girl's car so that they'll plan a completely different strategy. then as if that wasn't enough, this girl had pictures of her car all over the internet including her engine and all. so the guy's team rejoices because they can (again) change their race strategy and fix the car again. they found out the weaknesses and strong points-- all that shit they weren't supposed to find out, all because of the girl's stupidity. purrrrfect.

erm, i can't believe i'm bashing a girl when i just wrote a long-ass paper on feminism. HAHA! i'm contradicting myself again. insert foot in mouth.

oh, and i think it's a funny coincidence that the Pinoy Big Brother people are showing themselves to me HAHA! like the other night i was at starbucks abs-cbn with my grade school friends jezrel, j.b., and albert. before going back to the condo, i saw Nene. and then yesterday while battling the mad shoppers at Folded N' Hung at glorietta, Rico came into the store picking out clothes. BWAHAHA! who's next? Uma? HAHA! seriously, i'll go crazy if i see another of them housemates.

anyway, pictures from our little get-together. these are my grade school (5 & 6) friends. we met up with josephine at gateway but she had OJT at the westin.


bert and jezrel at starbucks.


ladeedaaa! i like being cross-eyed. hehe.


us three at the rooftop by the pool. we just had a bottle of vodka cruiser each but we were red already. HAHA!


stolen shot because jb is camera shy. :)


some of the photos are from jez's camera (thanks, jez!). the others are from mine.

oh, 2 more stickers before i get my Christmas Traditions planner. yeah, i'm shallow. so what? HAHA! yey!

tra-la-la! :) it's Christmas! can you believe that? HAHA! i know i can't.

of nightmares and bedtime prayers

i hate nightmares. when i was a child, my mother told me that she never sleeps without saying her bedtime prayers. and when she does fall asleep without praying, she gets nightmares. so whenever i tell her that i had a bad dream about something, she'd always remind me to never forget my bedtime prayers. the thing is, i keep sleeping when i'm dead tired or super drowsey. so by the time i hit the pillows, i usually doze off in an instant. i know it's no excuse to give thanks and pray for a fulfilling (or unfulfilling) day but it happens. yes, i'm going to change.

the other day i was on the phone with my mother (she's in cali until february). she told me she was going to tell me something. so i braced myself because it sounded important. and then she told me not to worry about it too much because it was just a bad dream. my mother dreamt that she was at the dinner table with friends and relatives. the relatives were prodding her to eat but she said she couldn't because in the dream, I DIED. she was crying in her dream and when she woke up, she was still crying. so my mother said she was worried because i might be in some danger. coincidentally, that was the night when i walked the dark streets of Maria Orosa at 9pm. my father thinks i'm too fearless and naive because when i like taking public transportation and i'm never scared when going home alone. i think he's right. -sometimes i'm too fearless that i think the world is on my side-- that all the good forces of the light will conspire to preserve my soul; that it isn't my time yet. my school friends said that if in the dream i died, it means "a new beginning". and i wonder what that "beginning" is. maybe something new in my life is opening up and i'm not aware of it yet or it's probably this idea i have in my head. but thinking about it, there is a ray of silver lining somewhere. a new world has unfolded for me and it's just up to me if i should go into the light or stay in the dark and let nature take its course. but knowing myself, i'll probably jump into the light because it's just not me to be happy-go-lucky.

last night i also had a nightmare. it was horrible but not in the sense of someone dying. i don't want to talk about it because it might bother me for the rest of the day. i remembered what my mother said right away after waking up this morning.

so yes, this time i definitely WILL make a mental note to myself to never forget my bedtime prayers.

as i lay myself to sleep
i pray the Lord my soul to keep.
but if i die before i wake,
i pray the Lord my soul to take.

a grade school teacher taught me that prayer. i think it's freaky rather than assuring.

last photos of the block (for this year)

these are photos from the block party. it was fun :) i love my second family.


click for larger view.


i think we did a pretty good job with those crepe paper thing. HAHA!


games!!!!!!


blockmates making fun of the poor little fellow in orange.


ninong, ninang, mommy, and little gab at Starbucks.


chez, me, van, and krizia.


pao and bea doing the you-rock thing. something you won't see everyday. hehe!


Gab loves whipped cream!


Have a merry christmas, blockmates! :) i'll miss you all.

no more winter layout

the winter layout is gone. it's a freebie from this website i hopped into and everytime i check my blog, it kept showing screwed up codes. so i took it off. everything seems to be in a mess these days. first, my ipod mini automatically resets itself and supposedly "updates" itself by deleting ALL THE SONGS in it. so i install all my music files (or at least those i have back-up files of..). today it happened again! i made up my mind. if it happens again i'm going to the apple store this time and maybe have it checked up. maybe it caught a flu or something. hehe.

went to Tiendesitas with my father and sister. we had dinner there. i love the sisig at Sisigland! and barbecue. it was slightly raining while we were there and the sun just set so it was chilly. the last time i was there it was saturday also and there was a live band. i thought we'd get to see that. we went around the shops and then left for home. i got an Emily the Strange combe, a rainbow celphone thing, and a head band. small stuff but i think it is but right after spending last night at the last day of the World Trade Center Christmas bazaar. i went there with my school friends after hanging out at starbucks in robinson's ermita. yesterday starbucks was more of like one of them busy fastfood chains instead of a coffee shop where people can relax. it was a busy day for the mall too because of the sale. i really had fun with pao, bea, chezka, van, tal, her baby gab, and matt. we roamed the bazaar for hours until my legs finally gave up. we also had a picture taken with the Precious Moments couple at the Precious Moments house. haha!

when i woke up in the morning my body still hurt. ack. must have been all the walking we did yesterday. at least we burnt all the calories we consumed during the block christmas party. that was so much fun :) my blockmates and i decorated the room the last minute (thanks to cheap crepe paper, staples, and a pair of scissors). oh, thanks to pao too for being so tall. he was the one who stuck the crepe things to the ceiling. there were lots of food, games, laughter, and fun in general. it was cool how we were able to pull it all together like that. i got an Amy Tan novel from Darlene. it's called The Bonesetter's Daughter and a certificate that entitled me as "The Blog Queen". Darl also described me as "childlike, fun to be with, and SIMPLE". if there's one trait that everyone attaches me with, it's BEING SIMPLE. but i take it as a compliment because i was never the girl to be super kikay. i'm so low maintenance that sometimes i want to give myself an imaginary kick just to spice things up a bit. HAHA! but... i cannot change that. wearing something fancy shmancy other than a pair of jeans/cropped pants, a shirt, or a button down blouse will so not be the essence of being "Gail", the plain jane. but i do have moments where i want to dress-up for no reason at all. but fat chance. i love being in my jeans, flip-flops, and shirt.

so anyway...

i'm not in the mood right now. maybe i should go to the kitchen and make myself a steaming mug of hot chocolate. so i'm out. i hope the cloud hanging over my head clears up. hmp.

my attempt to spread the holiday cheer: new skin

HO! HO! HO! yes, a Christmas skin :) time to spread A LOT of holiday cheer :) sadly, though. i'm still not feeling that much holiday cheer this year although i'm in (unofficial) vacation mode. Oblation Run today but i didn't go to school because it does not interest me to see a couple of lunatics running around naked. i've seen it once (in freshman year, of all years) and that's about it. it's UP tradition to look forward to the annual Run by the Alpha Phi Omega brotherhood so at least i saw it once in my college life. tsk tsk. anyway, Dr. Mateo mentioned yesterday that official end of classes for the year is supposed to be Friday but as tradition has it, it's usually after the Oblation Run. so tomorrow there are no more classes (at least for us DSS people) but there's the block Christmas party which i am tasked to decorate the conference room our block rented. food. food. food. i still don't know what the plans of my friends are since we're sharing what we're going to bring. we're supposed to cook cheesesticks and other finger foods. must contact them immediately. otherwise we'll just order something tomorrow. aside from that, i'm still thinking of how to decorate the conference room. must go to the mall immediately in the morning (as soon as it opens! HAHA!). otherwise we'll have a bland conference room for a party.

anway, i just did something stupid that i shouldn't tell because it will make me look stupid but i need to vent so...

i accidentally deleted all the songs in my Mini.

GAHHH! all 800+ songs. technology. sometimes you love it, other times you absolutely hate it for making your life miserable. thank goodness it's just a Mini and not the 20gb ipod or else i'd literally pull the hair off my scalp! it's time for another trip to U.M. to hoard mp3 cds and make back-ups of my music files on iTunes just in case this happens again. too bad :( all my alternative music files (the playlist that i listen to 80% of my sound tripping time) are gone and i don't have back up copies because i borrowed the cd from Ina who is now a million miles away. grrr.

oh well! i'll leave you with a photo. :)


brightly lit parols for sale along a makati street. i had to take a picture of it because it was a beautiful sight. too bad this picture does not give the beauty any justice.

Kahirapan Wakasan

“Drastic action can be costly, but it can be less expensive than continuing inaction.”
~ Richard Neustadt

hello. it's White Band Day on the 15th, according to the One and Kahirapan Wakasan (End Poverty Philippines) website. so if you have a white band, support the campaign and don't just wear a white band on White Band Day! wear it everyday :)

read this article: http://www.endpoverty-philippines.com/whiteband.htm

thank you! :)

i write random things when i'm tired

i got home past 9:30 in the evening, tired and worn out from spending the whole day participating in org work. i can't believe we played bingo for almost 5 hours! i'm never lucky when it comes to these things. i think people who love me can breathe a little easier because at least they'll know that i'll never be a gambler. i suck at winning. too bad. i was hoping i'd win the Powerbooks gift certificate, the flash drive, or the bicycle. phooey. i got dizzy and my eyes hurt by the end of the day. plus, i was already hungry but i chose not to eat (even if there was food for the orgmates) because it was late and i had to go home. it took me extra effort to force myself to stay awake during the ride home although my mind was already asleep. spaced-out. that's how i was on the way home. i ate dinner right away and then lighted candles, dropped a few drops of incense oil that smells like cinnamon on the incense burner, and took a very cold shower. it always relaxes me-- candles and a cold shower. so now i'm waiting my hair to dry out so i can finally hop into bed and doze off.

meanwhile...

Christmastime. my favorite time of the year. there's something about the cool air, Christmas lights, carols, and gift-giving that makes me feel really giddy. i've been blog hopping a lot these days and in these blogs people are really getting as hyped as i am for Christmas. i hope to do something special this year because during the past Christmases i've been broke because it's either i already spent my savings in advance or i didn't have savings at all. therefore, no gifts to give nor letters or cards to write because i kept procrastinating until i run out of time.

and because Christmas is around the corner and i've been seeing wishlists on every blog i hop into, i'm going to make my very own:

- a green round small mousepad from Humor Post.
- the small Rubber Duckie coin bank from Humor Post
- a pair of army green (men's) Havianas/apple green Havaianas (ladies) size 35-36
- a Starbucks commuter mug in black or Thermos so that i'll always have my coffee hot.
- 256MB flash card
- Body Shop Lip and Cheek Tint (because i lost my old one and i gave my spare to my sister)
- scented candles
- bottle of Spirit of Moonflower fragrance oil from The Body Shop
- dark chocolate (Lindt, Hershey's, whatever! as long as it's dark chocolate)
- a nifty/practical planner from Powerbooks

so yeah. it's really simple, you know. save for the flash card, planner from Powerbooks, and Havaianas. but then again, i might get these things for myself because every now and then, it feels good to splurge when you've refrained from spending too much on material things.

gahhh. i loooove the smell of the fragrance oil that's currently burning beside me. it smells like cinnamon! i was too groggy to read the bottle where the fragrance oil came from. maybe it is cinnamon :) i'm on a natural high!

now, off to bed. i need to lie down. my legs are killing me and the smell of soap still on my skin is making me even more sleepy than i originally was.

rainy days and thursdays

i woke up to a cool morning (weatherwise). in the afternoon it was still raining cats and dogs. the weather was chilly and i was still in my pajamas so i plopped a dvd in the player and curled on the couch with Amidala cuddling against my leg. i watched Big Fish today. FINALLY! i caught it on cable the other day but since i didn't watch the start of the movie, i borrowed from Paolo because he had a dvd of it. contrary to what people told me, it was a great movie. i loved, loved, loved it! now i'm going to get my own dvd of BIG FISH. Tim Burton has a brilliant mind, doesn't he? i'm surprised he didn't pick Johnny Depp for the lead role instead of Ewan McGregor because he puts Depp in all his movies! some lines i remembered (with a little help from The Internet Movie Database) from the movie were:

"The more difficult that something became, the more rewarding it was in the end."

"It's rude to talk about religion. You'll never know who you are going to offend."

"There's a time when a man needs to fight and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny's lost, the ship has sailed and that only a fool will continue. The truth is I've always been a fool. "

"The man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories. They live on after him. And in that way, he becomes immortal. "

"They say, when you meet the love of your life, time stops, and that's true. What they don't tell you is that when it starts again, it moves extra fast to catch up. "

"There comes a point when any reasonable man will swallow his pride and admit he made a mistake. The truth is... I was never a reasonable man. "

"You were a big fish in a small pond, but this here is the ocean and your drownin'. Take my advice, go back to puddleville, you'll be happy there. "

"I was thinking about death and all. About seeing how you're gonna die. I mean, on one hand, if dying was all you thought about, it could kind of screw you up. But it could kind of help you, couldn't it? Because you'd know that everything else you can survive. "

another movie that i want to watch is Seabiscuit and Forrest Gump (for the nth time). i know they showed Seabiscuit on Star Movies (or was it on HBO?) but i wasn't able to catch that. i miss watching several movies simultaneously. here at home. in pajamas. and just by myself.

i need to get work done. create a work plan of some sort just to schedule dates for interview/research. i won't get anywhere without a workplan. must stick a post-it on my forehead just in case i forget. now i'm really sleepy. i've been trying to fight the drowsiness since this afternoon. damn, this weather! i hope it stops raining tomorrow because i hate going to school while it rains. it's usually annoying because of the horrible traffic jam, getting my jeans wet, and mud between my toes (unless i wear trainers to school).

off to sound trip some more. Van burnt me a cd of Ultraelectromagnetic Jam, songs of Eraserheads by various musical artists. i love the album but i still prefer Eraserheads themselves. the old band, that is. too bad they're gone but their legacy still lives on. at least in my world :) muchos gracias, vanessa fermil!

what's with the starbucks planner shmanner

i think i'm pathetic for collecting stickers and spending an effin' lot of money on starbucks coffee just for that planner. screw clever marketing. i think starbucks is a genius because even i, miss i-don't-get-why-people-spend-800-bucks-worth-of-coffee-for-a-stupid-planner, am frantically trying to fill in the amount of necessary stickers for the stupid planner. what's so special about it anyway when i can get a decent planner at Powerbooks for 600 bucks (YEAH, if i feel like spending that much on a stupid planner). i can buy a 15 peso planner, though. that is if i'm practical (which i am most often not...). or is it 30 pesos? i forgot. it's from Papemelroti. they've improved their planner paper. it's smoother now and easier to write on compared to the recycled brown paper. but it's small and convenient. and i've been using papemelroti planners for two years now. planners are perfect for people with short-term memory gap. yes, i am one of them and i need a planner just so i could keep track on dates to remember. otherwise, i'd forget. really. i'm so bad at it that i can't even remember birthdays of people who are close to me. so i apologize in advance if ever i forgot/forget to greet you. it means that my alarm on my cellphone calendar failed to go off.

i keep touching the red starbucks card with the shiny silver hologram stickers on it. i count the blank gaps, ones without stickers yet and think whether to continue collecting stickers for the stupid planner or throw away the whole idea of getting a stupid planner that's supposed to be special. as embarassing as it may be, i will stick to getting a planner. i'm more than half way and soon the black supposedly special planner will be mine. besides, i can turn it into a journal anyway. i love scribbling insignificant things that may seem trivial for the moment and then when i read what i've written again they begin to make sense. sometimes i'd just laugh at my own follies.

evertime i purchase an ice cold grande iced caramel machiatto with two packets brown sugar, the words of my former polsci professor Bing Ragsag keeps ringing in my ears:

"yung isang grande niyo na frapuccino sa starbucks, isang linggong bigas na para sa mahihirap."
(one grande frapuccino from starbucks is equivalent to a week's supply of rice for the poor)

and then i go, "oh shit!" and feel guilty. but i guess we're all entitled to guilty pleasures. hehe.

good luck to me :) 10 stickers to go!


oh... my desktop is in Christmas mode already :)

blog geeks

HAHAHA! i'm laughing my ass out because Ina invaded Livejournal! HAHA! and she kept telling me before that i was a blogging geek with a lot of blogs on cyberspace!

this is what i commented on her LJ:

omigod ina! you blogging dork! your the heiress to my throne! HAHA! no wait. we can rule the blog geek's world together :) add me! add me!

it's not that we don't have a life. i have too much life right now... involving school and other matters (HAHA!). so yeah, i have to get my ass off this computer chair. take a cold shower. brrrr. and then start reading up on a few chapters of East Asia and the cd of PDF files my thesis adviser gave me.

good bye!

just sharing

yesterday while in the car on the way out of Soldier's Village at Muntinlupa City, a green sign with big bold fonts said:

"Don't ask what your village can do for you.
Ask what you can do for your village."
(by the homeowners association)

then i thought, applying it to a bigger/wider perspective...

It's not a question of what the world can do for you, it's a question of what you can do for the world.

it does make a lot of sense, doesn't it?

_____________

omg! reggie just told me that JFK had a speech about this! so i researched it on google and he does have one! it says:

ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.

we have something in common! HAHA! and to think that this is a famous speech.

i'm tired and lazy. so i'll use bullets. er, dots.

. i finally have a MAKE POVERTY HISTORY white band!!! yey! c/o Manilyn. thanks, yen! :) her school gave out bands and she got me two. :) to think that i was planning on ordering it online! GOD works wonders :)
. went to the MTV AIDS Music Summit at The Fort with Van and Alej. got free tickets from Van's friend. this friend knows someone whose mother works for the U.N. so we had 12 tickets! HAHA!
. Van played Santa Clause outside the green gate giving away tickets. (buti di ka dinumog! HAHAHA! "okay, mga gwapo, pila dito!")
. heard the bands play but didn't really see them because we were far. i am also nearsighted and there were too many people.
. fell into a huge hole in the field HAHA! but at least i was still standing. there should be a "DANGER, STUPID!" sign in that hole. Alej and Van had a good time laughing.
. lined-up at the UNICEF booth to answer a survey and get a free yellow t-shirt with an AIDS awareness message in front (for a cause!) but after an hour, they ran out of t-shirt. phooey.
. i got a "MY CHOICE. MY RESPONSIBILITY." badge for signing up for an organization.
. went home a little past midnight. tired. wasted. exhausted. bangag. sabog.
. the next morning, woke up pretty late. Van and I were able to go to our first class because lucky us! it was "The Patriot" film showing. not a class lecture.
. met with my thesis adviser and had a crash course on policy making and institutionalism. appreciated the discussion with Sir Roli and his doctor (anesthesiologist) student writing his masteral thesis.
. got punked by Apple and her text message which was supposed to be funny but Van and i didn't get it as a joke. we didn't think it was until we read the whole text. grawr. HAHA!
. painted with Mitchie, Yosef, and Van yesterday. we didn't have thinner so we couldn't get the wall paint off our hands but thank goodness for oil-based paint. we washed it off but our nails still looked hideous.
. sort-of road trip with alej, his cousin, mother, and uncle to Laguna. my back hurt from the trip HAHA! and then we got stuck in traffic somewhere from the South Luzon Expressway to Muntinlupa City.
. my Starbucks planner mission is on the roll! HAHA! i got four more strickers from yesterday.
. i don't get the concept of knitted bikinis. aren't they.. erm... heavy when wet? (referring to the bikinis sold at Petron tiangge).
. Alej's car tire got punctured by some sharp object so we had to stop by a vulcanizing shop. total rip off! they charged him 100 bucks for manual vulcanizing.
. Tiendesitas at 10pm. i liked the band who played the whole night. :) wanted to go around and check the shops out but was too tired to walk.
. crashed into bed after doing my night regimen (HAHA!) and blacked out after that.

peekchurs from the week:



Make poverty history!!






at Planet Pita after watching a movie.




painting at the RH Lobby yesterday. Yosef, mitchie, and i (in orange).


hey, you:

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find, you and I collide
Collide,Howie Day