"Live, Love + Lomo baby!"

My back hurts. I've been online for several hours reading up on Holga (I just found out that you don't call all lomographic cameras "Lomo" because it's a brand of a part that can be found only in LC-A and Lubitel models and that you use the word "lomographic camera" or "toy camera" for the rest of the toy cameras). Anyway, I did my research because you just don't point and shoot a camera especially if it's a fixed-focus camera. That is, if AND only if you are a newbie (source: me me me!). The lomographic rule is supposed to be "Just shoot. Don't think." Oh dear. Looks like I'm going to be wasting a couple of rolls of film before I get my act right. Apparently, Holga isn't for beginners in lomography. The Colorsplash is. But I love the format of Holga photos so this shouldn't be a difficult task. My real first love is the Lomo LC-A but that will have to wait for a couple of months. Yes, I just might start a collection because I probably won't be reliant on my part-time pay and my parents anymore so yey!

I joined Lomomanila.ph-- a message board of a group of lomography enthusiasts. They're so interesting and photo-trippy like me! They also have an account at Flickr and YahooGroups. These people are so helpful for newbies like me. I can hug the monitor of my laptop now. HAHA!

The group is awesome that the moderator emails you himself when your account is activated and approved. He says I have so much to catch up on but if I can make it to the March lomography exhibit, I can probably still join. *gulp* Of course, I want to! But I'll have to play with the Holga first before I join any exhibits. *squeals in delight*

I read up on film, developing, and other basic information on the Holga. I even took down notes!

I don't know why I feel so bloated. This is a mini pizza that I sliced into four for lunch. I just had half and I'm full already. *blech*

Look, I did my homework:

a quickr pickr post

Some newly discovered links on lomography/toy cameras/Holga insipration:
http://www.toycamera.com/
http://holga.com.hk/gallery/

This is so fun!

I'm sharing this article below from this website.

The Lomo.box 11 Golden Rules of Lomography gives an alternative view point to educate the new and old lomographers in the scene. Statements of intent that go beyond the rather glib, intentionally amusing 'rules' that every Lomo enthusiast likes to quote. Live, Love + Lomo baby!

1. "Three hundred and sixty five degrees!"
Looking up is as scary as looking down. Left, oh look... right! All around you and from every angle there is a shot to be taken.

2. "Don't be afraid to try new things"
Put away that photography manual and unlearn what you have learnt. This is lomography. Shoot from the hip and be fast. Don't be afraid to try new things. Lomography is all about about experimenting.

3. "Stop making sense"
You may ask yourself... am I doing this right or wrong? Don't stress! Lomography often at times isn't meant to make sense so stop trying to. Relax and simply click away. When you stop making sense you will more than often find your best results.

4. "What you see is not always what you get"
That's the joy of Lomo. The unpredictable, the unexpected. Just when you think you know what you are shooting, the camera finds its own way of looking at it.

5. "Have reverence for nothing"
By all means respect your subject but don't be in awe or afraid of it. Approach everything and everyone with excitement and a little madness.

6. "If you see the shot you want, it's too late"
It happens all the time. You're not really looking for an image and then you see it. By the time you've got your camera out, it isn't quite the same. So always be ready. Always be a lomographer even when you're not.

7. "There is always enough light, even when there's not"
Let the camera worry about the exposure. Before you even see the picture, breath in, click the shutter... then do it again.

8. "Think inside the lens, but feel beyond it"
What you see in your viewfinder is only half the equation. Get the picture right but try to convey what you're feeling about it. Expose not just the film but yourself!

9. " Lose your mind, not your lomo"
Life is unpredictable. So is your lomo. But you can always depend on the lomo to make some kind of weird sense of your world. Never let go of it, even if you let go of your sanity.

10. "Time doesn't hold you"
Time shouldn't hold you when it comes to lomography. Your lomo should be with you twenty four hours a day. There's always a party going on somewhere. Is your lomo with you now?

11. "Live, Love + Lomo baby!"
Don't waste a moment of experience. Live your life, love and let lomo be a part of it everyday.


"Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary."
- Cecil Beaton

OHMYGOD! I LOVE THIS QUOTE! SHE SPOKE MY MIND!!!

* * *

I initially wanted to post a picture post from the weekend. I had such a great/happy-tummy weekend but I'm too lazy to do a picture post. Maybe later or tomorrow. :P

Life is overwhelming sometimes. There are too many things to do, so many sights to see, places to (re)discover, music to listen to, books to read, scents to take in, people to meet, and stories to write. It's all exciting. Everything around me-- they blend perfectly into my melting pot that is my life.

Sometimes when I get carried away I tell myself that I can die at that very moment when I felt infinite. Then again, I realize that I haven't done anything that is life changing or honorable. I haven't been to Africa to work with orphans, I haven't saved a life yet, I haven't donated blood, I haven't done anything for a cause. I don't think I want to go yet because if I die without doing anything for a cause or even something that is remotely life changing, it would be a very sad death.

I want to take it all in-- life and everything about it. But I'm afraid I might suffocate or choke if I try them all at once. So one day at a time. That is my philosophy in life-- one day at a time.

For The ♥ of Japanese Culture

I love the Japanese culture. Not just because I studied Japanese history in my Asian History class. Not just because the Japanese culture has gone pop culture. I think it's also not because every single year in my entire eight years of schooling in Myanmar, I was among the luckiest students to be picked for the Japan-Myanmar Harmony and Friendship Day. Meaning, all international/foreign schools in Yangon were invited to participate in the harmony and friendship day. There were art contests and performing arts contests. My sister and I were always among the singing/dancing group (yessss! I used to sing haha!). The most embarassing performance was the "Polka Dot Bikini" song. I'm not even sure that's the title. It goes "Two, three, four, tell the people what she wore!" HAHA! Nooo, we kids didn't wear skimpy bikinis. We wore bloomers instead. Bright yellow, white polka-dotted bloomers. YIKESSS. But it was fun. Every year the Japanese Harmony and Friendship Day was fun. There were boots scattered at the soccer field of the Yangon Japanese School. There were free origami , sho (Japanese calligraphy) and ikebana lessons. FUUUNNN!

My sister was born in Kobe, Japan. I was also conceived in Japan (HAHA! Overshare!). My father thinks that his best assignment yet was in Japan. I've never been to Japan but if you count the stop-over in Japan en route to the United States, then I've been there. Heeh.

Maybe these factors played a big role in my fascination for everything Japanese, maybe not.

I don't know, some fascination just cannot be explained.

Oh, I also have a fantasy to study in Japan. Sometimes I imagine myself walking the Tokyo streets snapping pictures here and there. Who knows? Maybe one day I will be blogging from Japan. :)

Clam Shell II
Intramuros, Manila
March 3, 2007 (Saturday)
10:00am-6:00pm

Featuring:
34th Nihongo Speech Contest
Book Launching of "Junctions Between Filipinos and Japanese: Transborder Insights and Reminiscences"
Arts & Performances from the Japanese language students nationwide
Japanese Toy Exhibit
Cool booths from different schools and organizations including OngakuSociety
Mochitsuki & Other Japanese sweets
and lots of Fun... Fun... Fun... A Whole Day Affair


Schedule of Events:
10:00 Speech Contest
12:40 Arts & Performance Part I
1:40 Speech Contest Awarding Ceremony
2:30 Arts & Performance Part II


For details, please contact The Japan Foundation Manila
Tel: 811-61-55 to 58
Fax: 811-61-53
http://www.jfmo.org.ph/

I AM SO THERE. Jane, game? (haha, that rhymed!).

P.S. I really had a bad day today but whatever. I'm not going to let anything get to me. I was in a sing-song mood earlier and I refuse to come back down from the natural high. It's the effect of music, I tell you. I want to hug my two year old iPOD Mini for being a good companion.

The Resurrection of Shutterbug Gail (COMING SOON!)

I'm going to get my Holga 120 CFN on Wednesday! WOWWW. That was fast. I thought I was going to get it by mid April, the earliest. And my digicam is arriving on Tuesday, February the 27th too! Next week is going to be a very shutter-happy week for me! Everything is falling into the right places (I'm not just talking about cameras). I hope it continues to stay that way.

This is the Holga 120 CFN. If you want to see sample shots of a Holga, click here for awesome Holga lomos. It uses medium format film that's why the photos are square. Special developing is also required but lucky for me there's a Fuji store in Megamall where I can get my lomos developed!

credit goes to David Fisher for the Holga photo.

The reason why I said that I have a good feeling about this summer is because I can finally be Shutterbug Gail again. I'd really want to go back to Old Manila (Intramuros) and be a tourist in my own country. It feels great to "oooh" and "aaahhh" when you visit such lovely places that exist in this very city we live in. Sometimes we think too far, we dream of faraway exotic/historical places when all the while, beauty is just within reach.

* * *

Yesterday, it felt really good hearing "You did very well" from a guest juror at our Econ116 face-off (merits and demerits of social economics issues). Mine was on the demerits of a legislated wage hike. And then when I got home I went to Ash Wednesday mass alone because my sister and my father were still at work. It was very hot yesterday that it was so annoying. The ventilation in the church was bad too because of the heat and the lack of oxygen made me even drowsier.


I was part of the group who was assigned to decorate the room with malongs. I made the banner! HEHE! Social Econoimics= SOCIONOMICS. HEEH.


the podium.


the speech.

I was so tired yesteday that I fell into a Tylenol PM induced sleep last night because of a headache. And my eyes hurt too that it bothered me enough to stay awake for the first thirty minutes of lying down. After taking sleep-inducing pills, I fell into a deep sleep and woke up STILL SLEEPY! It always happens when I take Tylenol PM. I end up being sleepy for the rest of the day. I'm fighting the drowsiness because I don't feel like sleeping.

I had another headache today but not the migraine kind. So I figured maybe it's because I haven't been wearing my glasses. So I put them on and an hour later I was feeling okay already!

Oh, a humongous pimple appeared on the middle of my forehead. It's annoying. Benzoyl Peroxide is my pimple's friend. Go awayyy, pimple. Shoooo!

And before I leave, I leave you with this cute picture:

PotPot is the stuffed duckie my sister and kuya John got for me when they ate at Saisaki. Don't give me that funny face because I'm not the one who named the poor thing PotPot. HAHA! On the right is the unnamed rat my mother gave me when we were still in the Emirates. I didn't think it was a rodent so I cut the tail off (it didn't look like a tail) until a friend told me it is a rat. HAHA! :P

Have a good day, kids!

I have a feeling that this summer is going to be a good one. It was so hot and humid today. It's so crazy.

I'm dog tired. My aching body parts says so too. My back hurts, my legs are in agony, and I badly need a shower.

You know it's summer when you start getting sticky.

I spent the entire day at the New World Renaissance Hotel with Alej's family. It was his sister's junior prom. They invited me to stay the night but I wasn't allowed so I spent the day there instead. I got a pedicure and manicure-- french tips! Only, the tips aren't white but platinum silver. Yes, I thought it was weird at first too. I also saw Phine at the lobby! She's a front desk officer there. It was really nice seeing her.

At dinnertime, we went across the street to Greenbelt and ate at Fish and Co. after Angela left for the prom. New York Fish N' Chips is yummy, the shrimp fetuccini too. I haven't been that full since Dampa dinner. Coffee and pass time at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf before the movie. I was literally bloated and dizzy from too much food. And then Music and Lyrics! I love love love the movie! The review can be found here. It's not really a review but my opinion of the movie. HAHA! Laaabo.



I love Drew Barrymore and her character in the movie-- artsy fartsy, weird, frustrated/insecure/talented writer. I love her style too because it's vintage. Those shades, ayayay! And the dress! I like! Hugh Grant is also HILARIOUS. I love him!

It's Sunday. Sunday is a slow day. It's a day to relax. :P Sunday is when everyone stays home and does things together like go to mass, grocery shop or eat out or all of the above.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I know I did. :)

I am egocentric

Random things:

1. I like peanut butter (not the imported kind but the local Lily's kind because I like it creamy and sweet)


2. I just ordered a Holga CFN 120. Lomography, here I come! :)


3. I love Drew Barrymore.


4. I love Jerry Bruckheimer.


5. I love Hollister tees because they're comfortable and they hug my hips.


6. I like cropped pants.


7. I love jeans.


8. I love flip-flops, flats, or wedges (definitely no heels for me).


9. I still don't know how to drive.


10. I'm graduating on April 24.


11. My last day of class is on March 23.


12. I only have one class this semester (once a week) and it's the best class ever. All my Ponsaran classes are among the best I've taken and for my enthusiasm for the subject, I got 1.0 and 1.25 last semester and it was really worth all the recitations/pop quizzes/one-by-one recitations/projects/readings I had to go through.


13. I seem to act like I'm G.C. (Grade Conscious) when I'm in his class because I like political economy.


14. I have my shut-up-gail-insert-foot-in-mouth moments when I get carried away talking about things that I am most passionate about (human rights, geek stuff, or my opinions in general..).


15. Sometimes I honestly feel that not everyone get me. That's why it's really awesome to find someone who likes the same things as I like and someone I can talk to about anything I want without feeling like such a dork.


16. My current celphone is my best phone yet because of the resolution of the camera.


17. I like tea and coffee.


18. Breakfast is my most favorite meal of the day. I can eat breakfast food at any time of the day!


19. Sustagen Premium is my new addiction. I like mixing it with cold water because that way the tiny clumps of undissolved chocolate powder float on top. I like munching on them.


20. I always, always open two packets of brown sugar for my coffee and two teaspoons of white sugar for my hot milk tea.


21. Aside from my rubber ducky collection, I'm starting a beanie baby collection.

my two latest duckies!

spa duckie and winter duckie (Bath and Body Works).

My shelf is running out of room for my collection. YIKES!

A sunflower from the boyfriend brightened up my day.

Don't need the sun to shine
To make me smile
Don't care if it's dark outside
'Cause I've got you
And though the rain may fall
No I won't care at all
'Cause baby
I know that I got you
-Don't Need The Sun To Shine (To Make Me Smile)

Valentine, Pueblo, Drew, and Judy

Bears are named according to the McDonald's branches where they were purchased. HAHA!

Drew -- the very first beanie bear! Purchased on the night my college friends and I went drinking at Drew's in Katipunan. Katabi ng McDonald's!

Pueblo -- for El Pueblo- Alej and I purchased this teddy bear there on Feb 3.

Judy-- Alej got her for me. Purchased at the McDonald's branch near St. Jude Catholic School. :)

Valentine-- for Valentine's day. Purchased on Feb 14 at Eastwood Citywalk, Libis.

kulang nalang ng isa! :)

Darn it. I am a teenybopper! HAHAHA!

Life Can Be Beautiful

I think this is the point of my life when I want to try out everything that I should try out. "No guts, no glory", they say. No, I'm not talking about drugs or whatever. I'm talking about bigger, better things that could determine my career. I don't want to look back when I'm old and gray and think of the what-could-have-beens. I'm sure it's pretty heartbreaking.

The 20s is the decade where I'll probably have the most fun-- life-planning/career-planningwise. The fun part probably ended in college. That doesn't mean that the fun part will never come back now that another life is beginning. The fun part is always waiting for me around the corner because I have awesome friends and new ones that I'm starting to get to know. The thing is, the 20s is where we all begin to think how we'd want our lives to turn out. I'm scared shit of going through new things and leaving old things behind. Closing chapters is a sad thing to do. Saying goodbye to an old life and hello to a new life is quite petrifying. But the world works how it works and I think I like how I'm beginning to grow up.

Not being able to graduate on time (no thanks to math but that's another story for another blog post...) was a blessing, in a way. It was as if life gave me an extra year to re-think what I'd want to do with my life, it gave me more time to mature (seriously, if I had graduated on time, I probably wouldn't have known what to do with myself), and it gave me more time to enjoy life as a student. Idealists and moralists (or are they the same?) may raise eyebrows and say that not graduating on time is a no-no. It's part of a huge failure-- a dent in a perfect world. But perfect for me is not hurrying life. I'm still young and there's still the whole world out there waiting for me. I know someone like me who should've graduated a long time but because he doesn't want to go out into the world yet, he keeps filing for Leave of Absence just to delay the graduation. I think I'm ready. What Simoun said to me was right, something about the world/God delaying you to get to the finish line because you aren't ready yet and we get to the finish line when we're ready. Sometimes we don't even notice what's happening but when the right time comes, we realize that what was a FAILURE before was a BLESSING afterall because from FAILURES come WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITIES. When the right time comes and we're already butterflies ready to fly into the world, we become excited and no longer scared of what is to come.

And that, for me, is the beauty of life. The excitement of not knowing what's waiting out there, the forks in the road and the choices that we have to make, count in the mistakes and more mishaps that we will encounter along the way, they are all a part of a GREAT BIG PLAN that moulds us into what we are about to become. The heartaches, triumphs, disappointments and all, I guess they're all part of the ride.

And the finish line has finally come (though not official yet) and I have my math professors who failed me in college to thank and friends that I met along the way that made all the heartaches and failures worth it for simply being there.

AND I FEEL LIKE SHOUTING TO EVERYONE: YESSSSS! MY TRANSCRIPT IS NOT PERFECT. I HAVE FAILING GRADES IN MATH. ONLY IN MATH. AND I'M DAMN PROUD OF BEING SLOOWWWW IN MATH. WHEEEE!

The past part is that it's all behind me now-- the heartaches, the bawling over not graduating on time, and the self-pity. When I was at that stage, I told myself that someday I'm going to look back and smile because it's all over. And I'm already in that stage!!! It's all behind me now. I'm glad I didn't give up and I couldn't be happier.

On the lighter note, I painted my nails red and my father hates it. HAHA! According to his words, "Bad trip". HAHAHA!



I am aware that I spelled it as "DIDN'" without the "T". It was a mistake, okay. Call the spelling police if you have a problem with that. HAHA! Defensive, much? :P

Pre-Valentine's Day

Thank you. :)

My own list of how to know if a man is worth keeping:

• When he goes the extra mile for you, he is worth keeping.


• When he tells you he loves you and he's willing to change his old ways, he is worth keeping.


• When he spends every Saturday with you, he is worth keeping.


• When he always brings you to hang out with his friends, he is worth keeping.


• When he hugs you and kisses the top of your head before walking you to your door, he is worth keeping.


• When he tries to survive awkward moments hanging out with your friends that you have just introduced him to, he is worth keeping.


• When he hangs out at home with you just watching movies, watching WWE wrestling, playing with your dog, or cooking with you, he is worth keeping.


• When he thinks your geeky ways and weird habits are tolerable, he is worth keeping.


• When he tries to live through your mood swings, he is worth keeping.


• When he tries to stay calm even if you're already picking a fight, he is worth keeping.


• When he introduces you to his family (the ENTIRE CLAN!), he is worth keeping.


• When you wake up to cheesey or just random messages from him, he is worth keeping.


• When he willingly stays up with you on nights when you have to sleep late, he is worth keeping.


• When he spends time with your family and eats meals with them, he is worth keeping.


• When he's nice to your friends and to your family (including the dog!), he is worth keeping.


• When you do things together (road trips, food trips, etc.) that you haven't done before with anyone else in your past, he is worht keeping.


• When he tells you he loves you a few minutes after a fight, he is worth keeping.


• When he exerts extra effort in trying to change things that need to be changed, he is worth keeping.


• When he talks about spending the future with you and is no longer scared of doing so, he is worth keeping.


• When he holds your hand and you feel that your hands fit perfectly together, he is worth keeping.


• When you lean on his shoulder and you feel that there's no safer place than beside him, he is worth keeping.


• When you go through things together but patch things up after a short while, he is worth keeping.


• When he goes to church with you, he is worth keeping.


• When he makes you a better person, he is worth keeping.


• When he loves you for all that you are and doesn't try to change a thing (unless it's negative...), he is worth keeping.


• When he does things that you like to do (bookmark making, watching chick flicks, tagging along at bookstores while you go through shelves and shelves of books, etc.), he is worth keeping.


• When he goes the extra mile to help out family and friends even if it's just a little thing, he is worth keeping.


• When he tries his best to stay awake (even if he's really tired and sleepy) just to text you, he is worth keeping.


• When he drives a long way from his home to yours, he is worth keeping.


• When he stares at you and looks at you as if you're the most beautiful girl in the world, he is worth keeping.


• When he drops compliments every now and then to indulge your self-esteem, he is worth keeping.


• When he is protective of you, he is worth keeping.


• When he puts you first before his needs, he is worth keeping.


• When he says "I love you" out of the blue, he is worth keeping.


• When he takes your hand to hold it while the red traffic light turns on, he is worth keeping.


• When he eats half of your one cup rice even if he's already full himself, he is worth keeping.


• When he turns you into a mush when you were once a pessimistic about "love", he is worth keeping.


• When you find yourself being corny all the time and uttering sentimental words and really mean it, he is worth keeping.

The list can go on until forever. I'll probably update this when I'm not so sleepy.

When he changes your perception of "forever" and makes you believe that it exists, you find yourself wanting to believe that it exists too. Maybe "happily ever after" isn't just for fairytales, you'd like to believe. So you cling on to that hope that maybe there's a lifetime for you to spend together with he-who-is-worth-keeping. And you try to be the best that you can be even if it backfires and you end up being the worst you can be-- needy, selfish, demanding, or jealous. Maybe it's about having faith and enjoying what you have now. Forever can wait. If TODAY can work between two people, then FOREVER will definitely happen.

Maybe loving a person isn't about seeing what he isn't but rather appreciating what he is. Maybe it isn't about finding faults but appreciating the little things that he tries to change little by little. Maybe it isn't about pointing fingers and insisting who is right or wrong, maybe it's about compromising and admitting faults instead of denying them. Maybe it's about growing together and not GETTING ahead of the race. Afterall, it does take two to tango and just like family, in love OR any kind of relationship, NO ONE GETS LEFT BEHIND (Lilo and Stitch).

Be the Love Generation

Tito Jon thinks I am a teenybopper even if I object. Oh yes, I object with all my might. But I still created this rainbow teenybopper layout. I dunno. Layout is inspired by my love for children, Valentine's Day, world peace and of course, Bob Sinclair's Love Generation (the song I was playing over and over while creating this theme).

Wishing and Hopin'

Tito Lynn has a photographer friend. Browsing through his website full of photos taken by a dSLR wants me to bawl in envy. He travels around the Philippines a lot and goes to these colorful Filipino festivals too. Those are the two things that I really want to do-- travel and take lots of pictures. As if that weren't enough, another tool he uses for his photography is a shiney MacbookPro. Some people just have all the luck (and money). Right now, I am a semi-employed little girl. "Semi" because I work part-time from home. And if everything goes according to plan, in two months time I'm a full-time employee. Unemployed no more. I wish I knew how to handle my finances properly. I want to save up for a dSLR so bad (I'm too shy to ask from my parents, it never was my thing).

Maybe I should buy lottery tickets and test my luck. Mu ha ha ha!

Then again, I am only twenty one years old. I'll wait a few years more and I just might get what I'm aspiring for.

Before I go:

Husssh. Amidala is sleeping! Yes, she's a bald shih tzu once again. :)

This time will pass

And if the night runs over
And if the day won't last
And if your way should falter
Along this stony pass

It's just a moment
This time will pass

Stuck in a Moment, U2
click on the link to listen to the music!

I am a big U2 fan. I hope they come to Manila soon so I can watch them live. Oasis too! But this post isn't about Brit bands that I like or concerts that I'd kill for. It's for a friend who's going through tough times lately.

This song basically says everything I want to say to you. This shall pass.

Boo-hoo for girly pains. Boo-hoo for craving a slice of black forest cake, no thanks to that advertisement on tv of Aga Muhlach (a Quaker Oats endorsement). Boo-hoo for the Heroes addiction and another extra boo-hoo to Jane because she got me hooked. This happened indirectly, of course. Ahh, the power of blogs.

So about Heroes, I don't download episode per episode because they're available from GoFish via streaming videos. You wouldn't believe how much I love the show. Of course, I still love Grey's Anatomy but you know, both are highly addictive so I don't know which one I like more. I need an external hard drive because the poor laptop's hard drive is going to crash soon because of my mp3s and videos.

You're probably cringing in disgust because of the way I live these days. I am a semi-bum (not in two months, though). But tra-la-la, life is this way and I love it. I'm trying to enjoy it, actually. It isn't that bad. The good thing is that the thesis that I've been revising and revising is already ready to bind. WHEEE! I've put off revising the thesis because I already had a grade for it and then I got sick (I couldn't be stressed out, etc.) and now it's already over. O-V-E-R. OVER!

I need my black forest fix or a chocolate cream chip fix from starbucks. Must. Kill. PMS. Death. to. PMS. *bow*

ValenTIMES na!

When I was a little girl, I thought the word "Valentine's" was pronounced as "Valentimes".

In Myanmar, I had a Thai friend named "Valentine". She was this mousey, smart girl who wouldn't talk to anyone unless spoken to. Whenever she'd go back to Bangkok, she brought to Yangon these cute little pencils with pencil-tops on them with different characters. I loved those pencils and she'd let me borrow them whenever I liked. She had very neat and narrow penmanship too. We had play afternoons together at her house every other week. Her father owns a Thai antique sword that hung on the wall of their living room. I remember being scared whenever I see that sword. I think I watched too many Samurai action movies when I was little.

In third grade, I received my very first Valentine's Day card from a real boy who really liked me. The boy was a grade lower than I was. So he gave me this card in front of my whole class and instead of giggling like a giddy girl, I CRIED! Seriously. When I got home I asked my sister to run to the garden and burn the card. Talk about immature. I still remember what the card looked like-- it was a peach colored heart-shaped card, it smelled like bad strong perfume, and the words "Dear Gail, I'm crazy for you" was written on it with scrawny handwriting. Another time he chased me around school with a camera and tried to take pictures of me. I hid inside a bathroom on the second floor and cried like a baby. Oh my. I'm laughing as I write and remember this because it's just SILLY! Today, this boy is already married with a child.

In Abu Dhabi, Valentine's Day that year was on a Sunday. Father Eugene, as usual, delivered his sermon with his loud, booming voice. He's Italian. A very strict Italian priest who disliked noisey children. Thus, the "babies room" was created. He doesn't smile. Frankly, I don't even like the guy. But that Valentine's Day he moved me when he questioned why this heart's day turned commercialized. He said that Valentine's Day turned out to be a day when businessmen take advantage of the season selling flowers, dinner packages, etc. with a ridiculous price. Where did the real meaning of "love" go? Does it always have to be the love shared between two people? Does it have to always be related with romance? How about love for your neighbors? for family? for children? for the homeless? So that was one memorable Valentine's because for once in my life, I actually listened to him preach.

These are just random memories of hearts' day because it's almost Valentine's Day. I'm not a big Valentine's Day fan so now that I am a big girl, I celebrate it a few days before to avoid the big Valentine's rush or whatever they call it.

So yeah, spread the love! Wordly love, sisterly love, brotherly love, friendly love... ANY KIND OF LOVE. And stop patronizing ridiculously prized items just because it's Valentine's. It's just crazy.

@ Drew's, Febuary 2 with my original college buddies

Everytime I hang out with my original college buddies, I understand what Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower said about feeling "infinite".









Me, Alej, and "Drew" the beanie bear (free from McDonald's for every purchase of a float). I named the bear after Drew's. HAHA!I had to edit this picture because all you can see is the bear. The rest is dark.

we love our straws. HAHA!
thank you, Scelda for emailing the pictures. :)

The weather has been crazy cold lately. It is very unlikely for this tropical country. I've been enjoying it, I won't deny it. It's a change from the crazy hot weather we had during the Holidays. But what did I see this morning? I woke up and saw the morning paper on the sofa. "UN Blames Humans for Global Warming", it said. It's all over Google News too. Read the article on global warming here. Scary, isn't it?

Last night was awesome, AWESOME! :) I think I pulled off a successful pasta dinner with spur-of-the-moment garlic bread for Alej and Apple. Then we went to Drew's. The place was packed when we got there so we went downstairs to wait for the rest of the guys. Late, as usual. So we went o McDonald's for a place to sit and aircon. Alej got me the green beanie bear! Green is my favorite color! When we were already complete we walked back to Drew's. Still no vacancy! So we walked to Meat Shop, had one bottle of beer each, and took a cab to Drew's again to see if there was a vacant table to accomodate all of us. Lucky for us, AJ and his FA orgmates were there and they were about to leave so yey! Seats and a table for us!

Man, I haven't laughed and drank that much in ages but it was way fun! Good company, good times. :) When I came home I was tipsy and euphoric but in a good way.

Scelda took tons of pictures. I'm still waiting for her email *hint hint* HAHA!

I will always love my first/original college barkada. Mehn I miss them already!

Today Cara and Darwin picked me up around noon to hang out nearby. I met Cara's niece. She's so cute! She's only two and she likes meeeeeeee! :D HAHAHA! She talks a lot which is sooo cute for toddlers her age. We had dinner at Mr. Kebab and then they dropped me off at Chocolate Kiss Cafe where I met up with Alej.

I got another McDonald's HearTY bear this evening! It's beige! The green one's name is "Drew" after last night when we went to Drew's near Katipunan. The beige beanie bear's name is "Pueblo" because Alej and I got it from McDonald's El Pueblo.

Off to bed now, kids. GOOOD NIGHT! :D I'm on a high because this week was all about catching up with great friends old and new. I've been hanging out with different crowds and I sincerely love them to pieces. I'm pretty blessed for having great groups of friends to hang out with. I think this natural high will last for a month or so. Thank you, Lord. :)