rewind.

rewind on the two memorable things that happened for the past couple of days... or weeks... :)

1. BARISTA day for me (one Saturday in October)

- my aunt opened her very own coffee shop, Cafe Belly Rocks, somewhere near robinson's galleria. the cafe is located inside the corinthian regency building at sapphire road. it was our (me, my mom, and 2 sisters) first time to go to their shop, so we brought a business good luck charm for them to display in their store. :) the cafe was closed that day, but since my aunt heard we were going, she opened the doors for us. and it was then that i became a barista for an hour or two. :)

my aunt taught me how to make cafe americano, cafe moccha, vanilla smoothie, and nai cha :) my favorite was the nai cha. and i highly recommend the nai cha to the people who will visit my aunt's coffee shop :) it's super delicious. anyways, it was fun. i got the chance to know how being a barista felt like. though i wouldn't know how serving customers esp. during rush hour feels like, it was thrilling to be standing behind the counter and making coffee. one of the fun parts was putting whipped cream on a finished coffee drink. i liked squirting the silver can and hear the "poot-poot-poot* since 'cuz the can was almost empty :)

cafe belly rocks sells a wide variety of drinks - from coffee to smoothies to tea :) the shop also sells dishes like pasta, rice, sandwiches, and the like :) it's an affordable place to go to :) and i guarantee you that the nai cha (milk tea) is a MUST, MUST, MUST try! :)

cafe belly rocks - ground floor of corinthian regency building (the first shop on the left when you enter the building). sapphire road. just across robinson galleria's gold's gym. :)

as the name itself proclaims, cafe belly ROCKS! :D

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2. UHSAAI funfest (november 9, 2008)

-the UHS alumni association decided to have an alumni funfest, which was a totally great idea! kudos to the people who organized the whole event. they deserve so much more than a grand round of applause. :)

the challenge for this funfest was to actually get people to join our team (the 'o4 team/gray team). since the '04 batch was split into two teams, our team ('04 team) and the other team ('04-'05 team), we had to look for more people who were free that day and who wanted to join our team. :) in the end, our team had around 20-22 members. 20 (i think) from our batch, and one '03er and one '05er. :)

before arriving at UHS, i met up with michie, fen, lou, and jo at wai ying, benavidez. my sister decided to tag along so i had the sister-responsibility of taking care of her. after lunch, we headed to UHS (as usual, late). we registered, got our shirts, reunited with a few many friends, and waited for the games to begin! :) it was really fun being back at my high school again. it was fun reminiscing the times well spent in that gymnasium - deco com, events, P.E., CAT, intrams, tiong lian.. all those memories in just one place - magical. :)

i got to play 2 games - tshirt relay game and the paper suck-up game. it was pure fun and enjoyment. :) there were 8 games or so, and it was fun cheering our team on. it felt nice to feel so united once again. so much energy and laughter coming from our team. i'd have to say we might've been the noisiest team in the whole gym. :) but we didn't care even if we looked like fools cheering our team on like crazy, 'cause we were united. and we were having FUN :)

and it looked like our team did great! we won the UHSAAI funfest competition! :) we garnered first place :) it was really unexpected and really joyous! hahaha :) and we got cash! and we didn't even spend a dime! how cool is that?! :)

i love my batch :)

just-want-to-write-even-though-it's-nonsense entry

people love a good drama. teleseryes get high ratings because of these dramas. drama becomes a part of our life. or shouldn't i say that our life is one big drama?

drama. when asked the definition, some people would say that drama is a genre that cannot go without a box of Kleenex. others would define drama as life. yes, indeed. life is full of drama. to quote Shakespeare, "the whole world is a stage, and all the men are its actors." so with the help of a little A=B, B=C; thus A=C logic, the life we live in = drama.

however, there are times that we forget which came first - life or drama. or are the two things just really interconnected and take the form of a circle (with no beginning and no end). the chicken-and-the-egg question never really got a decent answer, so i'm guessing this foolish question won't get its fair share of debates as well. the world/life has just never been fair, has it?

some people take drama too seriously - be it in TV, books or movies. i am guilty of that crime. i tend to engulf myself in their make-believe or oh-it-seems-so-real world and that makes it twice as hard to get my head and feet back to OUR reality. then, when i feel that my life is starting to get boring (though now that i think about it, it isn't often), i do my own drama. i have my own versions of being a drama queen - oh-so-happy-i-feel-like-i'm-drugged me, laugh-like-it's-your-last-day-even-if-everyone's-giving-me-that-you're-crazy-look me, razor-sharp-dagger-look me, and a whole lot of other me's - and doing a version of myself (any version actually) gives me the drama in life.

but i forget that i shouldn't be the one making drama in my life. drama is an inevitable factor in life. we don't make drama in life; life makes drama for us. life is meant to be enjoyed and looked forward to. i guess what i'm trying to say is that there are times that we should just let life take its course. i repeat, there are just TIMES when we need to let life take its own course, NOT all the time. becuase sometimes, when we let life do its thing, we get wonderful, unexpected results.

and quoting my friend, it's better to "expect the worst, and hope for the best." :)

freeze the moment

so... this is it. this it where it all must end.

a smile so bittersweet, a heart ache that crushes my whole soul.

i said good-bye with the hope that we will one day reconcile. stupid, i know. why let go in the first place, right? why not just fight all the way? it's probably because i couldn't take it anymore. the comments, the hatred, reality - it was eating me alive. but i still had hope. i had faith.

but i guess this is time for reality to sink in. i knew that you would be able to find someone new - someone better, someone who would take care of you and love you. i always knew that. but it hurt when i saw the reality of it all - pictures. you hugging her and vice versa. it stung. i have to admit. the both of you being so close together. there was a quote that once said, "you know that you love a person when the thought of him being with someone else is enough to break your heart." the quote was well said. those pictures were enough to be my downfall.

but i guess it was a must - for me to see those pictures. so that i can get on with my life. as you have gotten on with yours. honestly, i was ready for it. the knowledge that one day, you were going to find someone else. i was ready. i just don't know why i broke down last night, after seeing those pictures. i knew it would happen, then why the hurt and the pain?

silly, i know. i was the one who let go. i guess now i can say that the saying i've always kept in mind - what i decide will be my fate, and whatever happens, my decision will be mine to regret. - has come to life. but frankly, i don't regret my decision. because i know that it was the right thing to do - to stop people from breathing down our, or should i say my, neck(s).

it's a frustrating situation. it's a frustrating thing to fall in love. and through this relationship i had, i can say one thing : love is truly a fragile thing.

always and forever, i guess. be it together or apart. memories are forever. freeze the moment when good memories come to mind. and smile.

it's time to move on.

and i'm saying this with true sincerity : i'm happy for you. i'm glad that you've found someone else. and i will keep praying for you.

HK. august 23-25, 2008

as the typhoon lifted in manila on august 21, it traveled to Hong Kong on august 22; thus, canceling our flight and postponing it till further notice. our 4 day-3 night stay turned into a 3 night-2 day stay at the marco polo hongkong hotel.

as if having our trip lessened by one day wasn't disastrous enough, i just had to slip on the bathroom floor and hit the wall face-first. so, the whole time i was in HK (till now actually), i bear an evidence of what happened the night before i left for HK - a black eye.

when we reached naia 2, the lady in the check-in counter was nice enough to ask a guy to escort me to their clinic to issue a quarantine clearance letter for my eye.

august 23, 2008 - arrived at HK approx. 10am. walked around harbour city while waiting for our room. ate lunch at the food court. took the ferry to central ifc mall to meet up with gilbert and emma.
walked around central a bit and ended up staying at fairwood for the rest of the afternoon. it was pretty cool listening to gilbert, emma, and achi's conversation - the language shifted from english to mandarin to cantonese to japanese. it was pretty awe-inspiring to listen to them juggle from one language to another.

we walked emma to her bus stop. gilbert rode the bus with us back to tsim sha tsui. then we headed off to temple st., ladies' market, mongkok. it was actually my first time to go to HK's night market, so it was a thrilling experience. i enjoyed looking at tables that were scattered in the streets, just like the ones we see in TV series.

august 24, 2008 - achi, gilbert, and emma went to lantau to meet some of emma's colleagues. i asked to be left behind. instead, i joined the half-day city tour. we went to aberdeen court (jumbo floating restaurant), victoria's peak, and a jewelry shop called JC. after the tour, bryan (our tour guide) and i got off granville st., as the bus and my other tour mates were going to HK disneyland. bryan left me at a corner since he still had to go to his office and gave me directions on how to go back to the hotel. but being someone who is bad with directions, i THINK i turned right when he mentioned left, or something like that. but i ended up in a street full of stores, and that made me one happy camper. :)
brands such as bossini, giordano, g2000, and levis are a must-by when you go to HK. they're cheaper compared to the PI. :)
after my shopping spree, i took my time and went to central via ferry. i wanted to have a glimpse of what HK sundays looked like. there were two bridges that connected the landmark to the central ferry station, bus stations, etc. but what really caught my eye was that the bridge i was walking across was diverse - americans, chinese, indians, etc. - while the other bridge was, lo and behold, filled with filipinos. i crossed over to the other bridge, just out of curiosity, and saw that there were PNB stalls, lottery tickets on sale, and even piolo pascual's poster was there. the place was surrounded by filipinos. it was packed. so that's how the OFW's spend there sunday afternoons in HK. :)
achi and gilbert came back to the hotel at 7:30pm. achi bought food from the food court while gil and i watched the closing ceremonies of the beijing olympics 2008. i'm so proud of china :) hee hee :)

august 25, 2008 - ate breakfast at sweet dynasty. checked out of the hotel and went to causeway bay to meet up with gil. walked around for a while and had lunch at east lake (yam cha). went to sogo and bought some stuff. we had to leave at 4pm, and so we parted ways with gil at the causeway bay MTR station. *sniff sniff* waited for the airport shuttle at the hotel and left HK at 9pm.

twilight

the last time i had this feeling was when i read harry potter. the feeling of wanting something more from life. the feeling of confusion. the feeling of fear. fear from growing old, i guess. this is how much novels, or should i say storybooks, like harry potter and most recently, the twilight series affect me after reading them.

i never expected that a novel about a vampire and a human falling in love would give me this feeling. i would guess that i feel awed by the passion and love they edward and bella have for each other. maybe also by the way edward is described in the novel - a vampire so close to perfection that his flaws can easily be overlooked. and bella - an independent teenage girl who has the willpower and motivation that can fill up a whole auditorium. i may be feeling this way 'cause of the whole scenario. edward coming to the rescue every time bella needs him. or edward being able to sneak in bella's room without ever being caught. yet the love story was still between a vampire and a human. it was flawed in every way possible, but it was perfect the way it is.

then comes the comparison between the characters' edward and bella, romeo and juliet. star-crossed lovers. an impossible love. the difference there, though, was that romeo and juliet were against the laws of tradition and family. yet edward and bella were going against the laws of nature.

another emotion i had to deal with was that of immortality and mortality. you see, i've never really gotten over "tuck everlasting." immortality is honestly such a beautiful thing to offer. imagine, not having to rush yourself into things. having all the time in the world. what more if you the people you love were also immortal. is there any other reason to shy away from immortality?

the issue on immortality would then lead to fear of growing old. yes, i am scared of growing old. i see myself not having enough time to do all the things i want to do. one of my fellow plurkers mentioned that, "maybe you shouldn't desire so much, then you wouldn't have the need and want to do so much." then maybe the fear of growing old would subside.

the feeling i'm having right now is a feeling no words can describe. it's a mixture of confusion, excitement, fear, and so much more. it's a feeling i don't like having yet i welcome the experience of having it.

.... or maybe it's just my time of the month. i will never know.

there was an e-mail that was sent to me - full of love quotes from movies. here was one of the lines that caught my eye.

I would rather have had
One breath of her hair,
One kiss from her mouth,
One touch of her hand,
Than an eternity without it. ---CITY OF ANGELS

maybe i just have to wait for the fourth and fifth book of the twilight series. maybe then would my qualms would be at ease. :)

i am seriously so hungover the book. hahahaha :)plus, the movie will be coming out on dec. 12 this year! yay! :)

the thing with good books such as twilight is that the author pulls you into their world - so perfect, so magical, so hypnotic - it makes it more difficult to come back to reality.

*photos taken from flicker.com/littlebrownbooks and imdb.com

2008 bejing olympics

breath-taking. awe-inspiring. fantastic. the 2008 beijing olympics surely rocked the world! to quote yahoo! sports columnist Charles Robinson, " Friday’s Opening Ceremony was one of the few moments in the fantastical world of sports when superlatives had no shot." it was one of china's most defining moments. it was certainly a major historical event - one that would stay in the hearts of viewers for a very, very long time.

after watching the Beijing Olympics opening, i couldn't help but feel PROUD to be Chinese. the opening showed the world how much love the Chinese have for their country, esp. during the singing of the national anthem. nothing can surpass the emotion and goosebumps i got when i witnessed the whole stadium (the Chinese, at least) singing the national anthem. the program when they had hundreds or thousands of men beating the drums was so good that no word can describe the amazement i felt. they were all so synchronized, so disciplined, so forceful. i wonder how long they trained for that program. heck, i wonder HOW they trained SO MANY people for that program. and the movements were SO synchronized. it was just purely amazing.

all the programs were certainly breath-taking. to me, it seemed as if they turned scenes from movies (curse of the golden flower, hero to name a few) into live sets. and the number of people. WOW! would be an understatement.

the lighting of the torch was a program by itself. it was unexpected, really. i bet everyone was gripping their seats for the lighting of the torch moment. everyone expected to see something grand. but no one would've expected the moment to be THAT grand. it was WOW to the tenth power. esp. when they asked an Olympics gold-medal holder to be the one to light the torch, it added to the sentimental aspect of the program. more so that they asked the middle-aged man to run in air while being "flown" to the Olympic torch.

as i've said, this event is a monumental one. and i certainly hope that it will stay in the hearts of the people forever. i have never been more proud to be Chinese. seriously. so much love for their country. so much discipline. so fantastic.
certainly, no words can explain the awe i am feeling right now after seeing the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening.

*photos were taken from yahoo! web sites (AP photos)

heart or mind?

to quote what my friend, jon, posted on his multiply blog.

"Love is patient
love is kind
love is not jealous
love is not rude
love keeps no record of being wronged
love never gives up
love never loses faith
love is always hopeful
love endures

many would say this...but to me

Love is the thing that will let you do all of this even if you have all the reason not to..."

'nuff said.

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are you a heart person or a mind person? i asked this question to my friends in plurk and mostly got "i'm a mind person" answers. what surprised me, however, was the way they explained themselves, and weighed the pros and cons of being heart/mind people.

what i love about the conversation we had was the irony of it all. one of my friends said he believes that we all are heart people, and that some people get hurt enough to force themselves to become mind people.

heart people are more instictive. more spontaneous. more prone to get hurt. they make decisions based on what they think will make them happy, not bothering to stop and see the consequences. they live each moment as if it were their last, and try to inhale and share all the happiness in the world. heart people are more carefree. they love surprises. these people are often labeled as hopeless romantics. they share their optimism with the whole world and always look for their "happily-ever-afters."

however, heart people are more prone to getting hurt. and when they do, it becomes their downfall. their push into the pit of doom and self-pity. when this happens, most heart people think that the world is against them; therefore, they seek desperately for someone who will take their side (no matter what the reason/situation). they tend to be more clingy and pour out their souls to their friends.

mind people are more logical. more careful. more serious. they tend to calculate each move they make. they think before they act. it's usually the mind people who know how to deal with bullshit world. they're less likely to be tricked. and usually turn out to become the successful people in this world. they make decisions based on reason and know the consequences that lie ahead. they know what they're putting themselves into and are prepared for whatever outcome a certain situation gives.

but it doesn't mean that mind people enjoy life less than heart people. it's just that mind people are more practical. more realistic. more careful, as i must say.

i said: you need to be a mind person to be able to survive in this world.
he said: you need to be a heart person to be able to live happily in this world.

mind people think. they analyze. they always come prepared.
heart people feel. they act. they are filled with emotion.

it's kind of cool how we classify people in different ways. but in the end, we're all just one big, happy family. :)

substitutes.

thing is... i thought it was over. most of it anyway.

you ever get the feeling that something will just go away when you don't need to deal with it every day anymore?

like college friends. you become close with them during your college days. they become the people you trust the most. you come to think that you guys understand one another... to the core of each other's personalities. but when you graduate, does that hard core relationship still remain? that's when you realize the importance of high school friends.

to quote kirsten dunst in elizabeth town, "we're the substitute people."

a group of friends. a lover. a tradition. i thought it was over. but when i saw the pictures of you and your group of college friends... it was different. given our situation, i knew that even if i wanted to... even if we were still together, i wouldn't be part of the pictures anyway... because i wouldn't be allowed to go.

i though that maybe... just maybe... if i let on with my life... if i found comfort within my high school friends... i would forget.

maybe that's it. i should just go on with my life. like you have done yours (i hope...) though even the thought of you with another girl is honestly enough to be my downfall.

we're the substitute people. everyone/everything is. college friends become the substitute for high school friends. laughter becomes the substitute for pain. acceptance becomes the substitute for demise.

i thought not knowing what went on with the lives of my friends in college would be the answer to it all. they were the ones who knew you after all. who knew us. and our relationship. maybe... if i didn't see pictures, i wouldn't be able admit to myself that you were leading a life without me.

i have to let go. i know. it's just how it should be. after what i've done, i don't see any reason why you should gamble your love with me again.

we're the substitute people. all of us are substitutes. all of us are substituted. but how about you? can your place even be substituted?

quirks of working in a family business

1. you have to smile and be nice to the people you work with, even when you're about to explode. not just because they're your bosses, but because you guys are blood related.
2. you become the official runner of the office - because you're new and you're the youngest, the latter being the reason that carries more weight.
3. you don't have anyone your age you can talk to. you do exchange a few stories with the secretaries, but hierarchy is still being practiced.
4. you are left looking stupid when you don't know the answers to certain questions. (e.g. which copy is ours? the pink one or the yellow one?)
5. you are left looking even more stupid when you're talking to someone who uses business abbreviations. (e.g. CM - Credit Memo... aaaah, so that's what CM stands for -_-)
6. you're stuck in the office.
7. the topic "business and office" is the topic you discuss both in the office and at home.
8. you master the art of filing and photocopying. and yes, cleaning your desk.
9. you become an expert at self-pity.
10. look at #1.

there are a ton of advantages when you're working at your family business. believe me, there are lots of advantages. and i'm just really blind to those advantages right now. but maybe that'll be the topic for another entry, when i'm actually feeling glorious about working a desk job.

right now, i just want to rant.

as a fan of lea salonga.

as my self-proclaimed break at the office in the afternoon was coming to an end, something caught my attention: the Inquirer scattered on the table with Lea Salonga's picture on the upper left side of the page.

being an avid fan of one of the most successful theater actresses (in the history of theater), i just had to take a couple more minutes to read the article about the Lea Salonga. It so happens that instead of Lea Salonga being written about, she was THE ONE WRITING the article.

After reading her article, I felt happy. Seriously. I was inspired. I can't believe that I'm actually going to say this, but yes, reading the newspaper inspired me. It was just a simple article actually. But as a fan of hers, it was special. :)

More so that she stated that she might be contributing a few of her personal stories, that meant a simple glimpse into her theater life. And honestly, I miss the stage. I miss theater. I guess the thought of going to be able to experience the theater world, even if it is through Lea's words (and experiences), would somehow bring a bit of comfort to my soul. :)

As the saying goes, "Once a theater person, always a theater person." :)

I actually think Inquirer made a splendid choice in asking Lea Salonga to write. And I do look forward to the weekly columns yet to come. :)

*photo from http://www.broadwayworld.com/columnpic/as.salonga.jpg

fear of growing up.

today is the 5th day. still no word from you. i don't know what's happened to you. you don't reply or answer my calls. it's like you just vanished from the face of the earth. even your friends don't know where you are. or maybe they do, and they just won't tell me. they say that maybe you left town, maybe even the country. maybe you did. but why didn't you tell anyone? what happened to you? where are you?

i was thinking a while ago. we've gone through so much. so many ups and downs. so many obstacles. and yet we're back to square one. it made me wonder. where you ever really there? maybe i just imagined you? maybe i just brought you to life with my imagination? you and your friends... maybe you don't really exist. or maybe i don't exist.

maybe i was blinded by the idea of love and falling in love. could it be... that i actually dreamed you up? it can't be. you're real. i know it. i spent years talking to you and laughing with you. but why can't i feel you now? i don't know where you are. i don't have the faintest clue as to where you are. i don't know who you're with. you're not answering my texts or my calls. where are you?

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i haven't been a good friend to my friends these months either. it's as if i distanced myself from them. i don't even know if it's what i want or not. maybe this is what happens when people grow up. they grow detached from one another. maybe this is part of growing up. am i growing up? but i still feel that i have the mind of a 15-year old. but am i actually growing up?

i've complained and hated my job for the past few months. but now, it feels okay. maybe because i've somehow adjusted to my workplace and co-workers. or maybe 'cause i know that this is my destiny. this is what has been planned for me. and i know that i have no way out. but am i actually growing up? am i actually learning to understand responsibility? am i actually, god forbid, enjoying my work? am i turning into those people i used to describe as boring?
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i still have my plans in life. finish a script and direct a movie. yes, they still are part of my life's goals. but maybe i should set "the youngest director to win an oscar" aside for now :) i still have plans. and i do plan to achieve them. live in another country, maybe. but the thought of it scares me too. but maybe that's just what i need. to embrace my fear. but i'm scared that if i do, i might actually find people telling me that i AM growing up.
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i'm scared of growing up. and i'm scared of disappointing the people who are around me.

sacrifices are made all the time. i guess it's a matter of time that i know what should be sacrificed.
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and i'm still waiting for news on your return. wherever you may be, there are people here who are waiting for you. i'm one of them.

el nido

i should really learn to finish a whole experience in one blog entry.. 'cause usually, the mood falls out and other interesting things happen.

day 2 (el nido, palawan) - call time was, i think, around 8am or so. we had our first intro to scuba diving lessons! :) it was a one-on-one experience, thankfully. so one of the instructors briefed us a bit on scuba diving - how to breathe in your mouthpiece and signals we would use to communicate with whichever scuba guy would guide us.

i was the second in line. and as excited as i was, i couldn't really get much hyped seeing waves slapping against the dock where we were going "under." but i told myself that, "hey, it's a now or never chance." so i sat down on the dock. my scuba guide told me to go into the water and wear my life jacket with the oxygen tank, and so i did. everything went smoothly except for my nerves which kept on jumping the time i touched the water.

so, in short. i tried two times since i was just practically screaming and holding onto the dock the first time. but the second time, i must say that what i saw was a sight to behold. but i must also say that the people on the dock thought that i was also a sight to see; for i had just invented the action of snorkeling with the whole scuba gear :D scuba-snorkeling, i call it.

i was pretty much drained after the scuba experience. but the adventure continued. we entered a burial cave. it had a really small entrance, so we had to do "the moves" to get into the cave. our tour guide said that rumors say that there were actually people who were fortunate enough to dig up gold in the cave. also in the cave were small holes, or should i say, landings. these, the tour guide later explained to us, were the holes or landings which sparrows spit and build their nests. and those are also the holes that thousands of people put their lives on the line for, just to get that spit. and that spit costs A LOT. the said spit is the infamous "bird's nest" or in chinese, "iyen."

we also went to an island called entalula. we did some water sports there. some of my cousins went wind surfing (one of them a point really far from the shore when her wind surf fell down; she had to kayak all the way back to shore. but she enjoyed it.) my sister and i were the first to witness the angst of the hobie cat ride. well, it was fun... if there were not as much waves as there were when we rode. it was like hanging on for dear life. let go of the line by an inch, and you were sure to be in the ocean. but i guess that's what people go for in rides - the thrill.


day 3 (el nido, palawan) - the secret beach. it's a beach inside a small hole. people would have to snorkle or go under water (depends on the tide) to get to the beach. rumors have been confirmed that the secret beach was were people in the film industry got the idea of "the beach" (by leonardo di caprio). the shoot was supposed to be done in the secret beach in el nido, but the managers didn't allow it since it would be of harm to marine life. and so, the shoot was, people say, shot in amanpulo instead.

and yes, we were supposed to go into the small hole. lo and behold, i was scared out of my wits but i didn't want the chance to pass. but we couldn't go through 'cause we were visited by a swarm of small jellyfish. and the guy who jumped into the water to tie the boat onto a rock came up the both scratching and asking for vinegar (to lessen the itchiness, i think).

so we went back to the small lagoon instead. and i snorkeled! :D

we had lunch at lagen resort (the other resort in el nido, other than miniloc), went to tour snake island, and ended the day by rock climbing. :)

day 4 (last day at el nido) - our flight was 1:30pm, so we spent the whole morning at the big lagoon and at an island (forgot the name, but it sounds japanese). snorkeled, played around with water, and went back to miniloc. got our stuff, got on the boat, said our goodbyes to the kuyas, and left a part of us behind el nido, palawan.

el nido, palawan

i believe most people when they say that once you've stepped onto the beach, you'll find it hard to leave. shocking statement coming from someone (like me) who isn't a big fan of the open waters. however, after my el nido experience, i just want to keep going back for more.

palawan is such a beautiful place. it's my first time to go there, and i must say, i was amazed by its beauty. where we have land in manila is where there is water in palawan. :) they have no roads for cars, only the ocean for boats. we hopped from one island to the next and enjoyed each island for its own beauty and uniqueness.

day 1 (march 20)

our flight was 11:30am so my family and i left the house around 8:45am and went straight to a. soriano hangar. waited for my relatives (who were going with us) there. first thing we had to do was have our bags checked. and being an easily starved girl, i brought around 4-5 bags (for a 4 day 3 night stay) of junk food :) the guy checking my bag smiled at me and simply said that they had to make a hole in the junk food bags as to prevent it from popping when pressure arises on the plane (i think). so i allowed them, frettting over the fact that my junk food will lose its crispiness. hmph. so an advice to those of you who bring junk food on plane rides, BRING MASKING TAPE. so when they release the air in your oh-so-yummy junk food, you can tape the hole again as to preserve its crispiness. :) or bring ziploc bags so you can pour all your junk food there. :)

the plane ride took approx. 75 mins. a 19-seater private plane, we could see how the pilots maneuvered the airplane. it SEEMS like an easy task actually. they just push some buttons and we're off. hahahaha :) wonder what'll happen if i were to fly a plane. hahaha :) it's so cool how they have a computerized compass/navigator attached to their system. anyway, when we touched palawan grounds, a group of singing lolas and a kalabaw gave us a warm welcome by singing to us. we entered a bahay kubo (which was, i think, palawan's version of an airport) and waited for a LARGE jeep. i could stand up inside the jeep and still have space above my head. and no, i am not THAT small. :) took a less than 5 minute jeep ride to the dock where we met our to-and-from the airport guide. :) he took us to miniloc island.

upon reaching miniloc island, it was already past 1:00pm and everyone was starving. we couldn't really enjoy the staffers who were singing a "welcome to palawan, take care of the environment" song 'cause everyone's eyes were on the buffet table next to them. :)

we checked in to our respective rooms and then set out for our first destination - the small lagoon. it was a 20 minute or so boat ride from miniloc island. when we got there, our boat was stationed somewhere in the middle of the ocean, so we had to get on kayaks and kayak our way into a small hole in the rocks. :) it was fun and scary, since it was my first time to kayak. thankfully, my best cousin rode with me and he was the one shouting directions and how to maneuver the kayak. not to mention that there were around a hundred times we ran into rocks and i had to push our kayak away from the rock. :) but we managed. and i'm glad we did. 'cuz who would have thought that inside that hole was a sight to behold. the water was deep but we could see sea urchins, fish, and my sister got lucky enough to spot a baby shark (hammerhead, if i'm not mistaken). kuya chito, who was our guide from that time onwards, stated that the baby shark would stay in the small lagoon till it grew a bit bigger then it would swim to the ocean. it's when it swims out (or when it reaches its adolescence stage) when it will be able to eat people.

the first day was spent kayaking and exploring the resort, which was really nice :)

day 2 to follow. :)

the revenge of the rat

our house is under renovation. things are scattered everywhere. boxes are piled up. and without you knowing it, things start vanishing. that's RAT HAVEN.

and THAT is what happened to us.

a bagel went missing. everyone remembered it to be on the table. the last bagel, to be eaten by either my sister or my dad, was gone.

one of my sister's socks was not on the floor. it's become my sister's habit to take off her socks and leave it at the side of the door whenever she comes home. the helpers usually get the pile of clothes there either before they go to sleep or early in the morning. my mom noticed that one of my sister's socks was left on the floor. she assumed that maybe the helper dropped the sock when she took the laundry out.

same situation goes for my sister's "sapin" (towel).

noises were heard during the night. boxes seemed to make noises on their own. and there was clattering behind the kitchen stove.

our helpers pulled the stove out a while ago. and what do you know? the bread, bagel, sock, towel, and a lot more things were behind that stove. not to mention that these things had the honor of being blessed with rat's pooh.

unfortunately, i was at work. and so, i couldn't witness the revealing-of-stolen-stuff first hand.

really, now. how can a rat as cute as the one in ratatouille be as irritating as the rat in the house? you get this quirky feeling of wanting to throw up and get the hell out of the place whenever you see a rat.

based from wikipedia:

"Rats are various medium sized rodents. Rats are sociable, intelligent animals and can be trained to use a litter box, come when called, and perform a variety of tricks. Rats, like all mammals, are edible by humans and are sometimes captured and eaten in emergency situations. A rat has an average life span of 2-3 years."

rodents - i agree.
medium sized - i would say the size varies (i'd say the rat here would be XL).
sociable - to fellow rats?
intelligent - i'd have to agree.
come when called - why doesn't the rat here do that?!
perform a variety of tricks - specialty: the vanishing act
edible by humans - come again?! it's really new to me that some people actually eat rats. *shudder* but then again, maybe rats are eaten only during emergency situations. ugh.
A RAT HAS A LIFE SPAN OF 2-3 YEARS. - can't they cut it down to 2 weeks? 2 days? :D

if you believe in karma, you think it'd be possible that you were a rat in your previous life?

today and the past few days

the past few days are a blur. i can say that time has robbed me off the feeling of "cherish" and "hope."

a pessimistic thought. a feeling of detachment. a longing for freedom.

i am free. but i guess even freedom has its limitations.

free but restricted to the wants and likes of others. i seek the truth and it shows itself after years and years of yearning. my mission in life - to make their dreams come true. what's worse is that you can't contradict them. it's hard to contradict people whom you know to be your parents.

you want the world to understand you. as someone once told me, "you think the world doesn't understand you. but maybe they do. maybe it's just you not wanting the world to understand."

is money that important a thing in life? who am i kidding, of course it is. is money that much important that you have to do what you're being told to do? who am i kidding, beggars (or should i say children) can't choose. is money more important than doing what you love doing? who am i kidding, i don't know the answer to that.

"you should be thankful that you have a job. wala kang utang na loob. you don't know how to cherish what you have. it's not as if you're gonna earn a lot when you enter media."

you've been put down your whole life. you have no pride left to show others. your teachers, relatives, FAMILY have all agreed to the fact that you have no brains and that your sister is way smarter than you (in fact, it's an insult to compare you to her). then your other sister comes along, being all pretty and active (plus the fact that she's the apple-of-the-family's-eye) and of course, you're nobody again.

you want to enter the "real world." media is the name of your game. you're ready to face it. you know you'll have failures, but you know that there will always be times of success. then it comes, it so happens that they have plans for you (or maybe you weren't just fast enough to get a job). you get stuck in the family business, with no new friends and no one to talk to. you see your sister meeting new people (with her same interests, etc.) and you wonder when you'll have your taste of happiness or if you ever will.

"i want to try to apply at a media company."
"you won't earn that much." (with the unspoken thought being: you won't be able to earn as much as you sister. you might disgrace us. you have no brains and talent, so why work someplace else?)
"ok.but i'll try to apply."
"you don't know how to be thankful for what you have. you have a job. others don't. you think a job in media will give you the stability you have now? you don't know the real world. plus, if you look for another job, who says that we'll take you back in the fam business if you don't get the job?"

seriously. it sucks. big time.

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the beatles are a classic. but i've never really heard their songs. until the movie "across the universe" was shown in theaters. the movie was a dedication to the group and featured songs like let it be, black bird, dear prudence, hey jude, lucy in the sky with diamonds, i am a walrus, etc.

the thing i love the most about the movie is that it exudes a psychedelic ambiance, and before you know it, you're swaying to the music (as if you were a junkie, in a good way). composed of three acts/parts, you will be able to tell the difference in terms of the sounds. it starts with fun and light-hearted songs. when the climax nears, the genre of the songs become a big help in supporting the emotions the scenes need.

it's amazing how they used the songs to tell the story. there's this scene when the song "i want you" was playing. it was, for me, dark humor since the brother was being sent to fight the war, but it's funny when you see the brother being terrorized by the posters of a clown-faced guy who sings the lyrics "i want you so bad." i give high praise to the choreography of the movie. it was very well choreographed.

when it comes to artistic qualities, they used a lot of paint and underwater scenes. it made the movie look more magical, more unreal, and more hypnotizing.

it's a unique mixture of graphic arts, video, and music. i believe that those who are interested in those fields will have a blast when watching "across the universe." and esp. those who are fans of the beatles, it's a classic.

i guess what made me really like the movie is the feeling it gives you. it makes you feel "high," like you're on drugs or medication. it makes you feel happy, so light, so satisfyingly dizzy. it takes all the pain and frustrations away.

it's certainly a must-see. :)

debut. vantage point.

she held her debut at the ballroom A of dusit hotel. the organizers transformed the ballroom into a beautiful mix of pink, gray, and white with buffet tables surrounding the ballroom and bouquets of roses as the tables. the debutante herself was a picture of happiness and had a glow about her throughout the night. the food was italian, a great selection if i must say. everything was perfect and according to plan.
and i, being the niece of the debutante, was honored to be invited to this grand debut. moreover, be one of her 18 candles. there was one thing that was off though...

i didn't know her name.

yes, i went to the 18th birthday of my AUNT (who's younger than me yet still has the right to be called "auntie") without knowing her name. until i reached the ballroom and saw the poster in front of the door with her name written on it. aaaah, so that's her name. okay. :)

i think no one can beat the closeness i have with this aunt of mine. :) but at least i got to know her name and greet her a happy birthday :) and maybe, just maybe, get to start bridging the gap. :)
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rewind to a day before. around 7:30pm. got to trinoma with plans of watching spiderwick. but the next showing was a bit late, so me and my sis settled for "vantage point." and i must say, good choice of movie :)

it's a movie that keeps you on your toes. the US president was shot. commotion would be an understatement to what happened when the bomb was put off. scary as hell when you think that that situation could happen to us. here, right now. in this country that's full of chaos and rallies. what if someone had shot the president? what would happen to the country then? would it do us any better? i doubt it. but that's my opinion.
one thing's for sure though. the end "vantage point" provided the viewers with was none other than the truth -- no matter what kind of tragedy the country has experienced... no matter how many lives have been affected... no matter how many precautions we take... we still live life the way we're accustomed to. and that the show must go on. 'cause after a while, the incidents will always be there in our history. but they'll only serve as memories.

movies movies movies.

rounding up a couple of movies i've watched recently, these are the comments i can give:

1. FRIENDS WITH MONEY - a movie about four friends who obviously wouldn't be friends if they had met each other at a later time. one was really rich contradicting her friend who worked as a maid. one was having problems with her neighbors while the other realized that since we all end up dying, she should just stop washing her hair. it's what i consider an art film - the plot may be considered weird but it makes you think, and then it makes you go, "aaaah..." it goes deeper than what the actors give in each scene. it's a story about friendship, yes. but it's also about trust, timing, care, RELATIONSHIPS. it's how these four people interact with each other, esp. since they have families. how each couple talks about their friends' lives after each get-together makes the whole thing really realistic. :)

2. SAKAL, SAKALI, SAKLOLO - the movie after last year's KASAL, KASALI, KASALO starring Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo. it's really hilarious. :) a must-see for everyone, esp. stressed out people :) shows the adjustment period for both parents, balancing family (with the baby), work, and the in-laws. you can see the couple's frustrations, fights, and worries. a lot of people (newlyweds?) can surely relate to this film. love the way gina pareno acted out her role :) here are some of her lines.
*there's a saying that if there's a will, there's a way. but since there's no will, you say, "NO WAY!"
*guy: i don't give a shit!
girl: that's okay. i'm not giving you my shit!
hahahahaha :)

3. EIGHT BELOW - a film about the bond and survival of the owner/trainer and his eight siberian huskies. a really touching story and plot. love the cinematography and just how they patched the whole film. because of this film, i now officially want a siberian husky. HAHAHA :) but seriously, i love this film. heart melting. touching. beautiful.

4. DESPERADAS - guess this film didn't really reach my expectations. personally, it wasn't that good, but there were really funny parts in the movie. maybe those parts and good marketing (?) were the things that actually saved the movie from flopping. i didn't really get where the plot of the movie was headed and i guess the plot itself wasn't really that strong.

:D hee hee :)

happy new year! :) more movies to watch! :D