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! :)