Vita Mia

ALAB: The 13th Ateneo High School Fair

2009-01-27T13:34:16Z

After months of preparation, it's finally happening!

Rouse the fire as the Ateneo de Manila High School launches its 13th Annual Fair- ALAB. For two days, let all hell break loose when sparks fly along the High School grounds. Join the many contests and enjoy the wide variety of booths the fair has to offer. And let the rays of the sun break the silence in SINAG, a rock concert that burns the boundaries with bands like Sandwich and Taken by Cars. Catch the stars of TALAB, as 13 pairs of models take lighting the sky to a whole new high. Stay a while longer to catch special guests like Chris Tiu, Robi Domingo, DJ's Mo Twister and Grace Lee, and many more. ALAB---NOT JUST ANY FAIR. ALAB is dedicated to helping out the Tulong Dunong Scholarship Program, which sends poor but deserving high school students to schools such as the Ateneo, Miriam and St. Scho.

We're doing this for a cause, for SCHOLARSHIP. Be there.

Plug: Ateneo High School's THE FOUR SOPRANOS

2009-01-27T13:27:26Z

Mr. Onofre Pagsanghan's brainchild. :) Do come join us for a musical evening!

6:30 PM, Feb 6, 2009 Friday @ Dulaang Sibol

Four Sopranos: Ms. Jen Concepcion (Math), Ms. Meng de Guia (CLE), Ms. Tikya Roldan (Arts), and moi from English.

Guest Artist: Father R.B. Hizon, S.J.

Accompanists are Mr. Jude Roldan and Mr. Jampao Reyes!

Hosted by Mr. Nald Galinato and Mr. Enzo Flojo of English!

Tickets at Php 200. Pls. contact Mr. Ronald Galinato of English for details.

(All proceeds of this concert will go to scholarship :))

PLUG: Soph Night @ the Ateneo High School

2008-11-08T12:50:59Z

7 days til Soph Night!

SUBWAY

Support Soph Night! Please help spread the word. All proceeds will go to the AHS' Tulong Dunong Scholarship Emergency Fund.

SUBWAY. 11.15.08

Thus begins sembreak...and Baguio Break!!

2008-10-24T09:33:05Z

One of the perks of being a teacher is that you still have the same breaks that you once had as a student. Sembreak. Christmas break. And a "summer break" (which is a misnomer, because, as any busy student would know, it's actually the time of the year when you are actually BUSIER with different, not necessarily academic matters...anyway...back to my point)

It's hard to believe that it's sembreak, at long last.

Not that there's nothing to do. Actually, even though I'm going up to Baguio tomorrow with the family for a week, I'm bringing along...*drumroll please* PAPERS TO CHECK. Haha. What's new? :) I have tremendous backlog to plow through. But since I won't be teaching during the break, the checking load seems so much more...manageable.

I've actually developed a way of making checking FUN: bring papers to a cafe, set checking pens beside a fragrant cup of coffee, arrange papers and paper clips neatly behind a plateful of chocolate cake, and THEN start to check. Now, imagine if that cafe were the Starbucks branch in Camp John Hay...aaahhh....

I'm planning on getting A LOT of checking done over this break. :)

But what I'm really looking forward to is getting time to SLEEP. Just this morning, I woke up at seven. SEVEN. Can you imagine? What luxury, what joy! I can bask in many other such mornings as this. :)

I'm also looking forward to getting some READING done. So that's checking + sleeping + reading, all to be done in the beautiful city of Pines. BAGUIO, HERE I COME! :)

Enjoy the sembreak, everyone!

Teachers' Day at the Ateneo High School

2008-10-24T09:17:27Z

Yesterday was Duffy-Delaney Day, or Teachers' Day at the AHS.

A most unforgettable day, indeed. I am not ashamed to admit that I openly cried in front of my students. :) They were good tears. Thank you to the students who made their teachers' day very special.

And thank you to the DDD Committee (special mention: Enzo and Ernie) who made the rest of D3 EXTREMELY, CRAZILY FUN for all us teachers! Karaoke singing for four hours = WHOA

I'll let the pics do the talking. What a day.

Best way to combat stress. Ever.

Although arcade games come a close second. That's Death Star Commander Joel Falgui on the console. :)

With Sir Joel, Enzo and Vinz

HAPPY TEACHERS' DAY TO ALL TEACHERS!

thoughts on a Friday...

2008-09-21T08:25:40Z

The past Friday sent at least three minor epiphanies my way, most of them revolving around the general theme of "the second year of teaching." Yet Friday was a relatively light day for me, all things considered.

For one thing, my Friday started out quite leisurely. Instead of running around in agitation before the stroke of 7:45 a.m. (which, for some reason or another, I have found myself doing more constantly these past few weeks)---for once, this Friday, I just had to meet with a few students, deliver some instructions, and then retreat back to my cubicle to prepare for my classes with ten minutes to spare. Ah, the luxury of it. Those few precious minutes at the start of the day with which I could sit down and think...I missed having them. Those few minutes of clarity, of focus---they come rarer these days.

And then, one of my sections had their field trip, so I only had to substitute for another teacher for another section---no teaching involved there---and meet two of my own three. And since we were finishing up a story, and a lesson, I ended up doing light activities (on the part of the teacher, at least :)) like giving a quiz, and the worksheet for them to accomplish as a seatwork and homework. I didn't use my voice much, and I realized that it was so good just to be able to have a solid voice at the end of the day. And after I met my last class, I couldn't help but sing to myself a bit as I walked back to the workroom, just RELISHING the feeling and the knowledge that my voice was still there. :)

The rest of Friday was spent on a very productive meeting, after which my boss talked to me (and yes, I realize now that that was the catalyst for the ephiphanies :)). And after that, for the first time in FIVE WEEKS, I was able to put aside the papers I had to check and all the other work that needed to be attended to, and just put on my running shoes and go out into the sun and grass, and JOG with a friend. Never mind that as soon as we hit the field, it started to rain. Hahaha. We went to Moro and jogged there instead, and I got to see a certain Mr. T (clue: his name starts with a T and ends with a U, haha).

Friday was a good day, indeed! (And not just because of the Mr. T Sighting)

But now for the ephiphanies!

1) One good day makes up for a whole string of "bad" ones. That single enjoyable Friday rendered the other string of gray, overloaded days obsolete and...inconsequential. :)

2) Always make time for exercise. We must always take care of our health! I realized that I had become quite unfit due to lack of exercise, so much so that I have been experiencing BACK PAINS (still am, actually) since Thursday that force me to walk, sit and recline in very awkward positions. :( This is baaad. Will make time to jog again this week.

(So if you see me walking like I am in pain, then it means I am...)

3) Weariness makes itself obvious (and is actually infectious). I was told that apparently, quite a number of people have noticed a considerable "drop" in my energy level as compared to last year. I've also noticed that, more and more frequently, I am being asked if everything is OK. I was a bit surprised because I had not thought my tiredness (due to my "bad days") was obvious. And okay, okay, I admit it. My pride is hurt because I don't like it when my face spells H-A-G-G-A-R-D. Grrrarrr. :)

Thus far, that's a bit of what the second year is like: a mix of good days and bad days. And the good days---when you get to think, and plan, and execute better; when the boys are a bit more well-behaved than usual and when you are not forced to get mad; when you get some time to leave work behind and just run with the wind; when you see a certain crush-able celebrity in person (still can't get over it! hehe)---far outweigh the bad.

Here's to more good days! (And more Mr. T sightings... :))

Get ready! 2I KFD 2008

2008-09-18T13:50:47Z

(My moderating class' KFD gimmick; all proceeds will go to the Katipunan Fund Drive and fund the Ateneo High School's outreach programs)

Taken from http://ikfd08.multiply.com

DO YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! THESE ARE THE PERFECT GIFTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

2I's CUSTOMIZED NOTEBOOKS: WRITE THE RIGHT WAY. WRITE THE I WAY. :)

Notebooks never looked this good.

Hitting the Ateneo High School on Monday, Sept 22, 2008.

Hurry! Buy now while stocks last!

Sizes:

4x4''

6x6''

7 and 1/2 x 9 3/4 ''

Let's go 2I! Awoo!

random post: resurfacing from my long blogging dormancy

2008-07-27T15:36:59Z

Alive!! Yes! :)

Two months of my second year of teaching over. One would think that things would have gotten 'easier' now that it's not my first year of teaching anymore, but that's not the case! :) In addition to my usual teaching load, I'm a class moderator now as well as an 'org' moderator (FairCom), and I'm still taking M.A. classes. And look how those few words can't seem to encompass all the drama, excitement and exhiliration of these past two months. It's been an action-packed and very educational two months, to say the least. ;)

There's just too much going on in real life that I can't put it all down. Which is a pity, really, because I'm afraid if I don't set all the happenings down somewhere, I'd forget them. :(

I just recently bumped into an old college professor during a book launch, and she gently reprimanded me for doing too much LIVING and not enough writing. You see, in our earliest Creative Writing classes she (and other professors) told that us that we needed to go out and LIVE first before considering doing any writing. So. Ah. Hm. I'm definitely doing the LIVING part right now. :) Lots and lots of it!

But yes. Henceforth, I vow to keep on blogging so as not to lose the writing completely. :) (Hear that, Ma'am C? hehe)

I recently looked at my past journal entries from a year ago and marvelled at the fact that, despite the obvious chaos that was college existence, I insisted on MAKING TIME to write. So! No more excuses. :)

Hello, blogging! Remember me? :)

Gig at the Baclaran Fiesta, and An Epiphany - May 22, 2008

2008-05-24T01:53:53Z

On Thursday, Gabi and I had a gig (also called "harang") in Baclaran Church. It was the first time I acted out my role of being my twinnie's "Manager" on such a scale. All of Baclaran was celebrating the fiest of Sta. Rita de Cascia, and apparently, it was a very big deal for them. Anyway, Gabi, along with the "UP Centennial Ensemble" (a name which was formed virtually on the spot; comprising of Celia Narzo on cello, Jose Carlo Tuazon on violin, Franz Miko Ramirez on oboe, and Kim "Bogz" Feliz on piano) set up and performed a full-length concert there (read: 20 songs). Aside from my 'manager' duties (mostly done backstage and weeks before the performance itself), I was the emcee / page turner / duet partner. ;) Oooh and I also got to perform one solo, Don't Cry For Me, Argentina!

(Aside: If there's one thing I regret not doing that night, it was my not being able to do the "Evita Move" (when Madonna looks over the crowd from the balcony and raises both her arms after singing "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina"). Haha. Oh well. Perhaps next time. :) End Aside)

That night, I had an epiphany. The life of a harangista---a life of performing, a life of gig after gig after gig, a life of making a living out of doing what you love--- is something I would not mind very much. In fact, I loved every second I was onstage. I loved every second I was offstage too---listening to the violinist, oboist, cellist and pianist and the indescribably beautiful music they made together. I loved singing with my twin, and singing alone. Oh, to sing your heart out and know that you make your audience's hearts sing as well! To make your voice soar with the music of the piano, cello, violin and oboe! There's no other feeling like it.

Gabi and I had a serious discussion that night. We're planning to make this a constant thing. She's the Talent, and I'm her Manager, but if the Client would want the novel experience of twins singing duets, well, we're all for that too. :) Awoo! Wish us luck!

So! If you want Music, who ya gonna call? :)

Gabi and I with "Bogz"

In our makeshift dressing room

The Twin Effect

Gabi, La Diva

The Uber-Talented "UP Centennial Ensemble" (L to R: Franz, Carlo, Ma'am Celia)

Posing with Bogz The Great

Prince Caspian Fever

2008-05-17T12:32:39Z

Dang it!! It's already showing in the States. Why isn't it showing here??!! HELLO!! I had MAY 16, 2008 encircled in my calendar since LAST YEAR! What do I care about Speed Racer, or Vegas?? It's Prince Caspian I want to watch! NOW!

*ahem*

Pardon me for the rant. Look below and you'll forgive (if not share *wink*) my vehemence.

The world will now know BEN BARNES a.k.a. Prince Caspian.

Homaygoodness greyshus.

Someone please pass me the smelling salts. I. Faint. Now.

I was a goner ever since I first saw the trailer last year and he went, "I am Prince Caspian" in that thrilling "Mediterranean" accent. The best thing about Ben Barnes is that he's already 27 years old. (I found William Moseley, the actor for Peter Pevensie, quite attractive too; but he's only 21 :))

Looks waaay too young. But still! Girls take note! He is Reason Number Two for watching Prince Caspian when it gets here.. :)

Anyway. Where was I? Oh yes. Prince Caspian.

You know Prince Caspian fever has hit our shores when you go to National Bookstore, and see females of all ages (bright-eyed toddlers, giggling teens, and this is the scary part...even elderly matrons) trotting past the WALT DISNEY Prince Caspian book 'stand' and ogling the life-sized 3D model of Prince Caspian. Do you know what I'm talking about? The special section in the bookstore reserved for all Prince Caspian merchandise, from coloring books to the actual C.S. Lewis books...yeah, you know what I mean. ;) So there I was, hunting for some good fantasy books, and I notice this...crowd...around the Prince Caspian book stand. So I go over there and have a look-see. And I find myself rooted to the spot, seriously contemplating buying (hideously overpriced) Narnia coloring books, just so I could get the free Prince Caspian stickers and, of course, the cover pages with the dashing prince on the cover. Me, a full-grown adult, buying a coloring book. No, make that FOUR coloring books.

This! Is! Madness!

Oh, well. Thank goodness my better sense prevailed and I didn't go through with it. I guess I will just restrict myself to ogling the large, 3D models of Prince Caspian and the Pevensie kids in the cinema. haha

And to end this blog post, I kindly direct you here. Trust me, you won't regret it. Oh! Don't forget to wipe off your drool afterwards. :) Enjoy!

Call for Scholars: the Ex Libris Philippines Scholarship Project

2008-04-30T04:39:59Z

(Please feel free to forward this to your family and friends)

Good day!

Our NGO, Ex Libris Philippines, has raised some money from our "Opera For A Cause: Don Pasquale" fundraising activity last April 4, 2008 and we're looking for beneficiaries for our scholarship project. We're looking for undergraduate students who need financial assistance to continue their studies at the University of the Philippines, Diliman for the first semester of A.Y. 08-09. We can help by paying for one semester's tuition (old rate: P7,000.00).

Do you know of any deserving U.P. students of good moral and intellectual standing (preferably no INC's or 5's, with a GWA of 2.00 or higher), who need this scholarship? If you do, please send their contact information and any other pertinent info (e.g. references, mini bios) to Gabriela Francisco gabitwin@gmail.com (09209470835) or Tata Francisco tatatwin@gmail.com (09209470861) (or any other Ex Libris Philippines member you know).

Thank you so much! Please reply if you know someone---anyone---an orgmate, collegemate, friend, or classmate. A UP student who you think is deserving, and who really needs it. Just a name (or several names!) and contact number/s will do---and of course, a few sentences (personal recommendation) will be a great help. Please forward this to your teachers/students, family and friends; perhaps they may know of people who need this scholarship. Thank you so much!

For more information about Ex Libris Philippines, please go to http://exlibrisphilippines.multiply.com .

For interested applicants, please submit the ff:

   4 pcs. id picture
   copy of parents' most recent ITR
   copy of TCG (or a CRS printout of grades)
   3-4 names (with contact info) for references

A Heroic Life: Gabi's Speech at the UP Centennial Batch's Graduation

2008-04-27T15:57:59Z

Speech to the 2008 UP Graduates by Gabriela M. Francisco, College of Music BM Voice, Summa cum laude

UP Diliman Commencement Exercises, April 27, 2008

(video to follow)

A HEROIC LIFE

My fellow Filipinos:

We tread on hallowed ground. We walk in the company of heroes. Within these same corridors and classrooms that have seen better days, we cram for tests, eat fishballs and tapsilog from Rodic’s, grab a few minutes of much needed sleep. However, we are not alone. Hush a while. Listen. Can’t you feel the lingering presence of martyrs and student activists, the intangible yet undeniable left-over vestiges of genius, youthful idealism and passionate patriotism? Past presidents of the country and National Artists who have since passed away – heroes all, in their own right – are with us still.

One national hero who strikes me as being very U.P. is Apolinario Mabini. I’m pretty sure that had U.P. been in existence back then, he would have been one of the first students or professors lecturing here, living up to his title of being “The Brains of the Revolution.”

The Ateneo had Jose Rizal, and had he lived today, we can picture him sitting in a Starbucks café, surrounded by piles of books and typing away furiously at a laptop. Antonio Luna would have fit right in with the future generals at the PMA. It takes little effort to imagine him dressed in fatigues, huffing and puffing as he jogged up an uphill path in the City of Pines. But Apolinario Mabini is purely U.P. Born to a poor family who could barely make both ends meet, this man has been described by Arthur MacArthur as “a highly educated young man who, unfortunately, is paralyzed. He has a classical education, a very flexible, imaginative mind… He is a dreamy man, but has a very firm character and of very high accomplishments. He would undoubtedly be of great use in the future of those islands.”

Apolinario Mabini wrote in his Decalogue:

“Thou shalt love thy country after God and thy honor and more than thyself: for she is the only Paradise which God has given thee in this life, the only patrimony of thy race, the only inheritance of thy ancestors and the only hope of thy posterity.”

He goes on to say:

“Thou shalt strive for the happiness of thy country before thy own, making of her the kingdom of reason, of justice and of labor: for if she be happy, thou, together with thy family, shalt likewise be happy.”

I choose to share Mabini’s words because I feel that this is what UP graduates need to hear. Written over a century ago, his words still ring true today.

From the very first, beginning with the orientation given us as freshmen and expounded upon in our G.E. classes, our egos have been nourished with sayings such as “We are the best of the best, the crème de la crème.” But always, always, accompanied by the reminder to whom we owe our education: to our country and to our people. I imagine that this held true even a century ago, that professors have unceasingly preached this heady blend of flattery and reminder from the first time UP opened its gates to the best and the brightest of Filipino students.

In generations past, it was relatively easier to pick a side. Nationwide issues weren’t as muddied up as they are now, with hundreds of shades of grey to choose from and no longer simply in black and white. It is no wonder that many students are confused when they come here fresh from the province or that conservative high school, only to find themselves in a melting pot of diverse beliefs and dogmas, with each group having its defenders and detractors, forcing them to CHOOSE! And they must choose a side quickly or remain a fence-sitter, a bystander at the fringes of unfolding history.

A lot of us have experienced the pressure to join rallies and boycott classes, or risk being called “indifferent” and “apathetic.” But such censure is neither fair nor complete if in sticking to one’s studies, by faithfully going to class and attending lectures, by fulfilling the mission given to oneself in the meantime, one always keeps in mind that time spent away from one’s studies is the money of one’s less fortunate countrymen gone to waste.

Showing one’s patriotism isn’t limited to the rallying, the battle cries and the marching on the streets. There is a patriotism of a quieter sort, the patriotism I see in my less fortunate classmates who skip meals just so they can have enough fare money to come to class. There is the patriotism of the athlete from the College of Human Kinetics, who comes to training barefooted, not having enough money to purchase a new pair of shoes, so he can do a good job representing the country in a competition abroad. There is patriotism and courage in hundreds of such UP students who fully appreciate the gift they’ve been given and value their education such that they will not let horrendous traffic, nor floods brought about by typhoons, nor incredible distances, nor any lack of resources to prevent them from coming to school. Such dedication and commitment in the face of adversity cannot be called anything else but “heroic.” This is the heroic patriotism demonstrated by the UP isko in courageously going to school, despite any and all the hardships, garnering excellent marks and graduating at the top of one’s class. But patriotism doesn’t end there. Rather, the true test is how we live our lives AFTER we leave the UP.

One need not look hard nor far for examples of everyday heroism. I see it in our professors, who have forsaken better-paying jobs in order to remain at the UP, mentoring the brightest minds and the brightest beacons of hope for the country. I see it in the brilliant UP grad who goes abroad for higher studies, is given the chance to exchange her visa for a green card, but gives it up to return home so she can spend her most productive years giving back to the country and the people to whom she owes her education. I see it in our parents, who sacrifice greatly so they can pay for the cost of our plates and extra lab fees, sometimes to the point of giving up their dreams so we can have a chance at achieving ours.

In a few minutes, we will be known as UP graduates. We do not have the luxury to choose whether or not to stay in the country, and get paid in paltry pesos when we can be paid the full value of our worth abroad. That choice has already been made for us, and paid for by the blood of our forefathers and the sweat and toil of past generations. From the beginning, our time, and even our very lives, do not belong solely to us. The Filipino people have paid, and paid dearly so we could be educated at the premiere state university. Isn’t it only just that we UP graduates be prepared to do our people the same honor they have shown us?

Like Mabini, others might consider UP graduates paralyzed by circumstance, forced to submit to the tyranny of materialism and the call to migrate abroad in order to have a “better life.”

But, like Mabini, I pray that we learn to rise above the constrictions of fortune, that we do not let the hindrances of our present circumstances dictate the outcome of our future. I pray that, as we leave college and strike out on our own, reaching for our dreams, we do not forget to place our dreams in the setting of home and hearth.

I urge you, fellow graduates and fellow Filipinos, to make this solemn pledge with me to uphold the core values of excellence, leadership and service that UP has instilled in us. Make the commitment, the one I’m swearing to right now, to offer your country and your people, your all… for your country and your people deserve nothing less.

May we all lead heroic lives worthy of the title “Iskolar ng Bayan” conferred on us, and worthy of the name “Filipino.”

(sung) Mabuhay ka, Iskolar ng Bayan… Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan!

A pleasant evening to all.

UP Diliman's 15 summas - more Gabi BIRGING

2008-04-23T14:32:15Z

Check it out, my twinnie Gabi's on the UP Diliman website!

From http://www.upd.edu.ph/~updinfo/index01.html

UP Diliman has 15 top honors

(UP Diliman Information Office)—

Fifteen students will receive the highest academic honors of summa cum laude at the 97th General Commencement Exercises of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) to be held on April 27 at the University Amphitheater.

The summa cum laude is awarded to graduates with a general weighted average (GWA) of l.20. Of the top honors, three will be conferred the degree of Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BS MBB); another a degree in Bachelor of Science in Economics (BS Econ) while two will receive a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (BS Ch E).

Leading more than 4,000 graduates is Daryl Patrick G. Evangelista, BS Econ with a GWA of 1.072, followed by Jerome de Castro Sanchez, Bachelor of Arts in European Languages (1.083) and Bernadette Lopez, Bachelor of Science in Business Economics (1.109). The other summa cum laude graduates are: Carla Kathryn D. Co, BS Ch E (1.122); Ma. Ana Micaela G. Chua, Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature (1.148); Christina Lora M. Leyson, BS MBB (1.164); Glaiza Lyn A. Tan, BS MBB (1.168); Andrea Francesca M. Salvador, BS MBB (1.172) and Dan Christian de Ocampo Llaneta, BS Computer Science (1.174).

Two candidates have a GWA of 1.176, namely Gabriela M. Francisco, Bachelor of Music in Voice and Marione Allen R. Ozaeta, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. The other top honors were: Brylle Lewylle S. Baluyot, BS Econ (1.177); Marian Angelica K. Panganiban, BS Econ (1.183); Dennis Christoffer B. Tagaza, BS Ch E (1.187) and Dorothy Anne B. Caligado, Bachelor of Science in Statistics (1.199).

Francisco will deliver the response on behalf of the graduating class.

In February, Francisco and Co received UPD’s Gawad Chanselor Natatanging Mag-Aaral award. Leyson and Llaneta, on the other hand, were among the recipients of the 2008 BPI –DOST Science Awards.

The commencement rites carries the theme “100 Years of Excellence in Leadership and Service” in celebration of the University’s centenary and features UP Regent Abraham F. Sarmiento.

Traffic within the Academic Oval will be rerouted on April 27 for the commencement rites starting at 1 p.m.

BIRG: My twinnie is graduating summa and was chosen to deliver the UP Centennial Graduation Speech!

2008-04-16T07:06:56Z

According to DICTIONARY.COM (haha ;)), to BIRG means to

Bask in Reflected Glory

–verb (used without object)

1.	to lie in or be exposed to the pleasant reflected glory of someone close to you: to BIRG of my twinnie

2.	to enjoy a pleasant situation as if it is somewhat related to you: Tata BIRG-ed of her twinnie's summa cum laude standing

All kidding aside, allow me now to Bask In The Reflected Glory of my twinnie, Gabriela M. Francisco! :) (*insert incoherent, fangirl shriek here*)

Not only is she graduating SUMMA CUM LAUDE (belonging to that super rare breed of UP iskos who manage such an academic feat in such a demanding and challenging environment---where all one's classmates are the best of the best), but she was also chosen, out of all the summas, to be the one to deliver the Graduation Speech on the UP University Commencement Exercises (which will be televised, since it's the UP Centennial Batch who'll be graduating!!) this April 27, 2008!!!? In front of the ENTIRE university....in front of the whole WORLD...on the UP Centennial, no less...

AAAAAaaaaaAAAAA!

OMAYGULAY TWIN KO YAN hahahaha! :)

There. BIRG-ing over. :) hihi. *happy sigh*

***

Apologies for the incoherence. Am just delirious with joy and pride. :)

Buhay U.P. checklist (one year late but whatdaheck...)

2008-04-05T06:57:51Z

Yes I know I graduated last year, but since my twinnie's graduating this year, along with a lot of the wonderful Arki people I met waaay back in my first year of Architecture (awww!!! :)), let me have a go!

Grabbed this from Rich, Christian and Cyst. :)

If there's an X then I LIVED THROUGH IT -_-

___________________________________________________

[x] Worried about getting bullied by fratmen or getting killed in a riot. (Yup, have experienced nasty glances thrown my way...especially since Engineering has a lot of frats in it...not to mention Palma Hall, and A.S. Parking lot...zomg) (Oh, and does this count as bullying? A frat guy took advantage of my freshie stupidity and told me that 'TBA' was a classroom in the Engineering fourth floor)
[ ] Got bullied by fratmen or was killed in a riot. [Hm. If you were killed in a riot, would you be able to answer this meme at all?]
[ ] Witnessed a riot.
[x] Watched the Oblation Run. ALL FOUR TIMES!! *grin*
[x] Made friends with a teacher.
[ ] Was tricked as a freshman into attending a rally / prayer meeting.
[x] Wore red or black on one of those wear red or wear black days. (Oh yes. And got dragged into an impromptu rally right there and then because I happened to be wearing red. Oh. My.)
[ ] Wore red on Valentine’s Day. (refused to)
[x] Wore black on Valentine's Day. *Happy Singles Awareness Day!*

[ ] Celebrated a birthday at Mang Jimmy's.
[x] Learned UP Naming Mahal. (Only got the hang of it come April 2007, awww)
[ ] Was an RA (registration assistant) or SA.
[ ] Lied or begged to an RA for a slot in class. (Never lied or begged. If charming them didn't work, then I'd resort to smiling at them while imagining their faces on a punching bag which I could beat the hell out of, and sweetly say, "Thanks for your time.")
[ ] Participated in a there's-only-one-more-slot-are you-feeling-lucky?
[x] Jogged around the campus. (Ah, the good ol' days... :))
[x] Visited the Vargas Museum. (And made critiques of twenty paintings there, thanks to Art Studies class)
[x] Knew at least one xerox lady, manong, or technician by name. (Ate J of CAL xerox, I labyu!! You've saved my life countless of times. :))
[x] Attended university level graduation. (Syempre naman noh. Four years of hard work, and that's our only recognition day. hehe)
[x] Got an activist for a teacher. (Oh great. Lemme see. Just to name a few: Sir Behn Cervantes (National Treasure and genius and terror teacher and no one shrieks "IbagSAAAAK!" like him). Sir Tinio, whose idea of getting the class to know each other was to utter these instructions on the First Day of Class, "Tingnan nyo ang katabi nyo at isipin kung siya ay isang Proletaryat, Kapitalista o Wealthy Landlord"). Sir Bagulaya (an activist AND an atheist! Last words to our Eng 12 class: "Hope to see you in the streets...on the same side." Was that a threat?!)
[ ] Watched a La Salle vs. Ateneo UAAP game. (No. I'm only doing that recently since I happen to be a lonely Archer in the Blue School ;) )
[ ] Watched a UP vs. any school basketball game. (Never??! Someone paste a 'LOSER' sign on my forehead now)
[x] Studied in CASAA. (watch out for those deadly hamburgers that have INSECTS lurking 'neath the lettuce)
[ ] Studied in McDonald's or Jollibee Philcoa for one full night and bought just one regular-sized drink.
[x] Studied along Katipunan. (coffee = does wonders for tired, overworkd brain...hanggang ngayon!!)
[ ] Studied along Katipunan and affected the mannerisms of a stereotypical Atenean.
[ ] Watch a play that's not required for Comm III
[x] Went stargazing.
[x] Ate in Chocolate Kiss, Tea Room (in CHE) or Chateau Verde. (all three!! Choco Kiss' service sucks, though)
[ ] Struck up a conversation with a taong grasa.
[ ] Wrote to/for the Collegian.
[x] Seriously pondered about the identity/ies of the people described in Eksenang Peyups.
[x] Went to the chapel.
[x] Got a pebble stuck in your shoe/slippers while walking in Sunken Garden. (And sludged through sewage too)
[ ] Cut class with your block to watch a movie.
[x] Had a Voltes V for a teacher. (OMG. Yes. 30 of us in class, and only 6 passed. Yes and that was my only ever tres. PROUD!!)
[ ] Took a class under Joseph Palis. (Who he?)
[ ] Lied to the transcript lady to get a transcript earlier than the standard 3 months.
[ ] Went to a Freshman-only concert.
[ ] Subsisted on just streetfood (fishballs, half footlongs, kwekwek, squidballs/rolls, mais, dirty ice cream) for a day.
[ ] Learned how to smoke.
[ ] Went on an out-of-town trip with blockmates or orgmates.
[ ] Fell in love. (In crush lang. Painfully in crush. :))
[x] Actually read the book you keep borrowing from the lib. (Um. Why else would you borrow a book, diba? :))
[ ] Played cards during your free time.
[x] Dressed in business attire. (Yes, because I had a job interview at the Ateneo fifteen minutes after my Pan Pil class! THE RUSH...)
[ ] Sumabit sa jeep.
[ ] Got sung to or sung to someone in class during Valentine's day.
[x] Watched the Lantern Parade. (3 times, but the last one got 'cancelled' due to rallies and scenes of violence...noooo)
[x] Helped out a total stranger. (Got asked zillions of times for directions)
[ ] Helped out a total stranger because he/she was hot.
[x] Learned to stay awake for more than 24 or 48 hours straight. (THESIS omaygad)
[ ] Got bullied by fratmen and feeling cool wannabe people who were actually losers.
[x]Took Wednesday and/or Sat classes WILLINGLY. (CWTS)
[ ] Volunteered for the pahinungod.
[ ] Ate "tasteless white sauce" pasta from cock-a-noodle-doo.
[ ] Got a boyfriend/girlfriend.
[x] Took time to read the vandalism in the CR. (Grabe, ang deep kaya ng mga nakasulat dun minsan. MINSAN. :))
[ ] Watched a sexy art film for any GE class.
[ ] Got held up or pickpocketed. (Thankfully no)
[ ] Felt depressed because you were not as good academically as you were in high school.
[x] Did a last minute paper. (Ano ba yan. The prof announces it THE DAY BEFORE. Had no choice! Grrr.)
[x] Had spent a lot for 1x1 ID pictures.
[x] Got exempted from final exams.
[ ] Got exempted from a final exam but still took it.
[ ] Attended a varsity pep rally.
[ ] Watched LIVE AIDS, Androgyny, Maskipaps or any well-known variety show.
[ ] Promised to quit smoking
[ ] Got into at least one (org- or council-sponsored) adventure race.
[x] Knew where the best restrooms are on campus. (You have to. To survive. Oh, and don't forget the toilet paper.:))
[x] Joined an org. (Auditioned for Arkaira. Went to the preliminary interview of that writing org...was it Writer's Club? I forget. Founded EX LIBRIS U.P. and co-founded the NGO EX LIBRIS PHILIPPINES!! :))
[x] Allowed yourself to make mistakes.
[ ] Went to the gym in spite of having no PE class just to ogle varsity players/cute boys.
[x] Took summer classes. (All 3 summers...)
[x] Admired the Oblation. (From all angles. :) Hey! Had to draw it for a plate.)
[ ] Made a video for a project.
[x] Had a crush on a teacher. (Ahihihi. Brilliant, razor-sharp minds get to me.)
[ ] Had a teacher who had a crush on/tried to court you. (Thankfully NO)
[ ] Attended your ROTC Bivouac.
[ ] Faked sickness to get an absence excused.
[ ] Got your car scratched by one of those "Kuya bantayan ko kotse niyo" kids.
[ ] Took a PE class where you had to pay for tuition (i.e. sportsclimbing, ten pin bowling, scuba diving, etc).
[x] Went to school in your crappiest yet most comfy clothes. (First year = the year of jogging pants... :))
[x] Learned how to use the Bayantel pay phones.(Those...WWII models?? :))
[x] Participated in school activities.
[x] Caught the UP Pep Tryouts. (Looked painful man...)
[ ] Dated someone from UP.
[x] Rode an IKOT and TOKI. (Seryoso. May taga-UP ba na hindi nakasakay ng IKOT o TOKI? :))
[x] Found a tambayan.
[ ] Went drinking at Sarah's.
[ ] Learned how to beg for a higher grade.
[ ] Used your 6 allowable absences wisely. (I can proudly say that I went through my entire stay in UP without EVER HAVING CUT A SINGLE CLASS. :))
[ ] Lived in a dorm.
[x] Volunteered to be beadle or go-to guy for your group / class. (Oh yes. Wouldn't recommend it. :( )
[x] Had the worst schedule. (Hay. Thank the good Lord for vehicle, and TAKBO!! powers)
[ ] Realized that there really is just one coconut tree on the sunken garden. (Ows??!)
[x] Not used up all 6 allowable absences. (Tata = Good Girl :) And speaking of having crushes on profs...kaya nga ayaw ko mag-absent hehe)
[ ] Ate in ISSI, Treehouse, Mama Thai's and other more obscure cafeterias.
[ ] Ate food Aristocart-style.
[x] Is active in your org.
[x] Attended an ACLE. (I went for the LOTR and martial arts movies)
[ ] Got as many app forms as you can during the job fair.
[x] Learned how to cram. (A survival skill. Wouldn't recommend it for the long run, though.)
[x] Sold tickets for (or watch) an org-sponsored movie premiere.
[ ] Saved money to Xerox all of your seatmate's notes.
[x] Had accidentally seen a make-out session. (What was I to do? They were on the A.S. Steps, just 'covered' by a big-ass umbrella, which left their legs uncovered. The entire WORLD saw them.)
[x] Slept in class.(Dozed off before, unintentionally)
[x] Finished a homework/assignment/paper in the Shopping center or Philcoa.
[ ] Had mountains of "unused" sample exams and/or old testaments.
[x] Resolved to be "better this semester". (Hehe every sem!)
[ ] Slept during a test.
[x] Had groupmates from hell. (I seem to attract a lot of those...)
[x] Learned how to work with groupmates from hell. (Yeah. Went straight to the prof at nagsumbong. Goodbye, groupmates from hell!)
[ ] Perfected the art of parking on campus.
[ ] Had a bad encounter with one of the guards on campus.
[ ] Developed a love for sisig.
[x] Practiced those UP cheers in the first meeting for PE class.
[ ] Looked at microfilms in the library or poked through archives.
[x] Reserved a classroom, AVR, etc. for a class or org function.
[ ] Attended the UP Fair. (NEVERRRR!!? Me loser. Hey. People get KNIFED there.)
[x] Went to a library other than your own college's to research.
[x] Lost a perfectly functioning umbrella. (Stolen, more like.)
[x] Used consultation hours properly.
[ ] Went to the Guidance Office for real, heart-to-heart guidance.
[ ] Went to the infirmary. (You mean the Infirmatay? Stayed faaar away from it.)
[ ] Attended class with a hangover.
[ ] Drink beer or alcohol while inside UP grounds.
[x] Walked all the way to Philcoa or Katipunan from UP.
[ ] Buy frogs from NSRI or a Bio department.
[ ] Maxed out on the 6 allowed unexcused absences but DID NOT drop.
[x] Got invited or pursued by a sorority or fraternity.
[ ] Wore slippers to school.
[x] Had a professor who smoked in class. (Oh yes. Smoked IN class. Blew smoke rings at us. I was a freshie, for crying out loud.)
[ ] Got diagnosed by the Infirmary as pregnant or infected with STD

IT'S COMING (and colorful!)! OPERA FOR A CAUSE! Don Pasquale on April 4

2008-03-29T15:43:46Z

MALAPIT NA!!!!! (kaya colored na)

(Please help spread the word to your family and friends! YM, email, text, you name it! It's all for scholarship. Hope to see you April 4!

OPERA FOR A CAUSE!

WATCH OPERA, CHANGE LIVES!

HELP POOR BUT DESERVING STUDENTS GET AN EDUCATION!

See Donizetti’s opera “Don Pasquale” performed by talented students and alumni from the prestigious UP College of Music---and help send UP students to school!

Our NGO, Ex Libris Philippines, a nonstock, nonprofit, SEC-certified organization for book enthusiasts, is raising funds in order to help send UP students to school. Last March 7, 2007, our NGO held a special screening of the movie “300” in Rockwell Powerplant, and the funds from this movie screening sent two UP students (Gerico Punzalan of CAL and Hanna Garcia of Industrial Engineering) to school.

As this year’s fundraising activity for our NGO’s Scholarship Project, we are holding an opera production of “Don Pasquale”, with a cast of UP College of Music voice majors and UP alumni. All the funds to be raised from ticket sales will go to the Ex Libris Philippines Scholarship Fund and help send UP students to school.

For the price of 2 venti drinks at Starbucks, watch a great opera performed LIVE by fantastic performers AND help change lives! Please buy tickets and help us in our cause. With your help, we can send UP students to school. =)

EX LIBRIS PHILIPPINES

presents

an opera production of

Donizetti’s

"DON PASQUALE"

Featuring a cast and crew of UP College of Music students nd UP Alumni

Gabriela Francisco. Jonaf del Fierro. Eric Ferrer. Paul Aquino.

Accompanying Artist: Kim Feliz on piano

Directed by: Diane Catibog

For the benefit of the Ex Libris Philippines Scholarship Project.

6 p.m. 04 April 2008. Engineering Theater, Melchor Hall, University of the Philippines

Tickets at Php 350.00 each.

For ticket reservations please contact

Gabi 09209470835

Tata 09209470861

Or any Ex Libris Philippines member you know!

For more information about Ex Libris Philippines and our Scholarship Project, please visit our NGO’s site: http://exlibrisphilippines.multiply.com

(Tata: Watch out for my cameo appearance! Although most of my work's done offstage; I'm the Production Manager :))

OPERA FOR A CAUSE! Watch us perform and help send U.P. students to school!

2008-03-11T13:11:59Z

EXPERIENCE OPERA FOR A CAUSE!

See Donizetti’s opera “Don Pasquale” performed by talented voice majors from the UP College of Music---and help send UP students to school!

EX LIBRIS PHILIPPINES

presents

an opera production of

Donizetti’s

"DON PASQUALE"

Featuring a cast and crew of UP College of Music Voice Majors and UP Alumni

For the benefit of the Ex Libris Philippines Scholarship Project.

6 p.m. 04 April 2008. Engineering Theater, Melchor Hall, University of the Philippines

Tickets at Php 350.00 each.

For ticket reservations please contact

Gabi 09209470835

Tata 09209470861

Or any Ex Libris Philippines member you know!

For more information about Ex Libris Philippines and our Scholarship Project, please visit our NGO’s site: http://exlibrisphilippines.multiply.com

(Tata: And yes, I have a small part here :))

(Feeling) Model for a Night

2008-02-04T13:22:21Z

Me with my fellow teacher models (and yes, that IS the Principal in gray :))

[thanks to Renard Torrecampo of 2E for the pic]

On the girls: tops from Cinderella, On Father R.B.: Pierre Cardin

Last Saturday, during the Ateneo High School Fair, I got the chance to feel what it's like to be a model (okay, okay, so I've always been curious as to what a model's life is like ;-)). It's surprisingly similar to a Taek competition. Let me prove it. :)

A) Both involve long periods of waiting. The waiting is longer than the actual event itself. And it's not the actual event that drains you, it's the loooong wait. But you get to bond with your fellow models in the process. :)

B) Both involve risk of physical injury. Seriously! That platform was high, and boy, was I wobbly! My partner and I stayed clear off the edges of the fashion runway because we were afraid we'd topple off. At least Renan felt marginally safer----he didn't have to wear FOUR-INCH heels. Oh yes. I wore four-inch platform heels for the first time in my entire life. It took me three hours to find my center of gravity. I tripped all the way during practice and while walking to the venue of the fashion show. Thank goodness I didn't trip during the actual event! (The "pres"s a.k.a. watching students would have had a field day with that one) :)

C) Both involve a 'stance.' Or a 'pose.' Renan and I practiced our pose a few hours before the event, but during the thing itself, all thoughts of posing flew out of our minds, and we just concentrated on walking WITHOUT falling off the runway.

D) The blinding lights. Anyone who got hit in the head will attest to the fact that when you get hit, you'll see flashes of light explode. :) That night, while modelling, all I saw were THE LIGHTS. Those blinding white lights. No wonder some models trip on the runway! Those lights are blinding, man! :)

E) It's over so quickly!

But it was fun, fun, fun. :) As one of my co-models said, "For once it's nice to be appreciated for nothing other than your looks." Haha. :)

Hmmm. But those heels---! I have newfound respect for women who wear heels those high. They make walking in them look so easy! And some even dance in them!? Goodness. :) But I do like the feeling of added height.

Okay. Time to say good night. Have to look gorgeous for tomorrow's shoot with Armani and Versace and Anne Klein (yes, all three at the same time! :)) hahaha ;)

O Brave New World: Thoughts on turning 21

2007-12-25T14:04:52Z

There are two times in a year when people have the right---nay, the privilege!---to wax sentimental. One is on their birthday, and the other is during the New Year (and Christmas, since it's near the New Year, goes with the latter :)). Now when your birthday happens to fall on the 26th, that can only mean one thing: a double dose of SENTI. haha :) So bear with me. I only get to do this once a year. *clears throat*

The challenge about writing about life-changing experiences is that you have to fit those many "life-changing experiences" into the space of a few words. Take that phrase "life-changing experiences." The fact that it's put into words, and in such words (cliche, I know :)), already reduces its intensity and truth; it boxes it in into safe little compartments that are easily readable and recognized. Oh, to be a poet and to be able to capture all the wonder and beauty of this past year into words that will do them justice!

Old Will was able to do it, that sly Master of Words. :)

"O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is!
O brave new world
That has such people in't!"

Let me speak from the heart. :) Let me marvel at the fact that one more year has gone by, just like *that*. And what a year it has been! I just feel so blessed to have experienced all that this year had to offer. It has been that proverbial rollercoaster ride of emotions and experiences; everything happening all at the same time, too much, too fast. Graduating, leaving college, entering the Real World, working, TEACHING. Despite all this year's hardships and trials, its joys and rewards have been a balm to my bruised spirit. The people who have entered my life in this past year---new friends, colleagues, co-teachers, co-workers, teachers, and of course, my wonderful, wonderful students (who continuously amaze me with their brilliance, compassion, wit, passion and zest for life)---have made me look at Life with brighter, more hopeful eyes. O brave new world, that hath such people in't!

Thanks to all who have touched my life this year. You have made the world a much brighter place for me. :)

So go on and smile, because Life is beautiful, and God is good. :D

UP IN BAGUIO = AWAY FROM INTERNET

2007-10-28T03:56:50Z

Just a quick post to say that I'm up in Baguio with the family. Hello, freezing mountain air! Goodbye, internet access. I brought work with me, but I'm not getting any checking done; the papers/projects are just sitting there in my bag. Right now I'm in no mood to attend to them yet. I'll let them sulk there in a corner for a while. =)

Pics to follow! Hope everyone's enjoying their sembreak (however brief...it's back to work for us on Monday!!).

Ateneo High School versus La Salle Zobel

2007-09-23T01:19:22Z

the blue versus the green

ONE. BIG. FIGHT!!

We lost! :(

But win or lose, it's the school we choose!

Yesterday afternoon I underwent a rather strange experience: watching (and cheering!) for the Ateneo High School. Their foe? La Salle Zobel, my old high school.

*pause*

*takes deep breath*

I'll be honest. It was all quite...surreal. There I was, standing in the Ateneo area, cheering cheers I've just recently memorized (thanks to my co-teachers who had patiently taught me), pumping my arms madly everytime our blue boys would score, screaming myself hoarse----and all the time, across the stadium, the familiar green, gold and white of my old alma mater waved frantically back at me. And despite the fact that both my heart and my head were FOR ATENEO, several times I glanced down to find my feet tapping to the beat of the La Salle drums, as if of their own volition.

There's just something about school drums and cheers. Every athlete would tell you that. Imagine: every time you pass by the gym, that's what you hear. Every competition, that's what you hear CHEERING YOU ON. When you're exhausted and shivering from the cold of the water, up in the bleachers, and you're bone tired but you know you can't go home yet because you still have three more events to swim (and one of them's the 1500 meter free...30 laps), what gets you going again? The drums. When you're in the water, and the water blocks all other sounds out, and you can't hear your coach yelling or your teammates shouting encouragements, what's the only thing you hear in the water that makes you want to swim faster? The drums. Beating that oh-so-familiar beat. D....L-S...U.... When its nighttime and you've already trained two hours in the gym, and you and all your teammates are all nursing cuts and bruises, ready to drop from exhaustion, what do you hear that suddenly invigorates you into jumping up again, ready for another round of sparring? The drums. And the cheers.

Those same drums and cheers that used to breathe new life into me and give me my second wind, I actually flinched from today. Because suddenly they weren't encouraging or inspiring to me anymore. Suddenly they were the cheers and drums of The Other Team.

When Ateneo lost and La Salle took center stage and when half of the stadium stood to sing the Hail hail Alma Mater song, I stood there with my arms limp, watching the boys in blue face their defeat with quiet dignity. And when the Lasallians were done, I raised my arm and my voice as we sang Down from the hill....

And I've got to get used to my new cheers and drums. =) HALIKINU! Let's go Ateneo. ONE BIG FIGHT!

THE GREEN FOLK

THE (gorgeous and frightfully intelligent ;p ) BLUE FOLK

Let's go Ateneo!

The drums and the cheers and the Blue Babble Battalion

a quick post

2007-05-17T12:00:41Z

Let's leave work out of this. Don't want to post about the slowly-accumulating pressure at the AHS. =) And June 6 is two weeks away!!!?

This post is primarily about my brother. Am just so proud of him! He learned Mike Oldfield's "Top of the Morning" in one week. And he hasn't touched the piano in years.

Click!

Brother ko yan! haha =)

(Gotta love Mike Oldfield. Too bad his CD's are kinda hard to find.)

***

Hay....

Has anyone noticed the new neon green dip they've got at McDo? It comes with the Shrek chicken nugget Happy Meals. It's hideous. I lost my apetite as soon as I removed the lid of the container and stared down into that...green...goo. Parang tinunanaw na Shrek. Yikes! Bad move, McDo. Bad move.

I thought that it wouldn't be so bad if I just closed my eyes so as not to look at what I was dipping my nuggets in. But I learned something today. It's impossible not to look at the nuggets and the dip. Paano ko naman ishoo-shoot yung nuggets sa dip diba?

Hay. =)

standing on the threshold

2007-04-22T13:49:54Z

In the book Alexander: The Virtues of War by Steven Pressfield, his character Hephaestion captures perfectly what I feel today---after the University Graduation, and after the College Graduation.

On the eve of battle, Hephaestion utters these words to Alexander.

"Can you feel it, Alexander?"

He means the sense of something epochal.

"It struck me just now that this hour, which is so immaculate, will never come again. All will have altered with tomorrow, ourselves most of all. We will be older, and crueller. We will have entered at last into events. That is a far different state from standing, as we do now, upon the threshold. That field of possibility, which has opened out limitlessly before us all our lives, will by tomorrow have narrowed and contracted. Options will have closed, replaced by fact and necessity. We will not be boys tomorrow, Alexander, but men."

Today I woke up a UP student. Tomorrow I will wake up, and I have to report to work by 8:00 a.m.

How the tables have turned! Today a student, tomorrow, a high school teacher of English (although I'll only get to meet my students come June...which is in...*counts*... 5 weeks?!!! aaaaa!!).

Homaygallygash wish me luck! *draws deep breath*

Also, from now on I will lock most, if not all, my posts. Mga friendships kong non-LJ users, take note!! (haha ang feeling ko naman diba?!!) A new chapter of my life is beginning, and it calls for an LJ/Friendster/Multiply/etcetera revamp. =)

Grad Pics below!

CAL Graduation

With National Artists Ben Cab and Rio Alma

University Graduation

With Gabi at the University Graduation

Hey hey hey a big shout-out to all the 2007 Graduates!!! Congratulations to us, we made it!!! AWOOO! AWOOO! AWOOO!!

Special congratulations are in order to Nadine and Elsie, for graduating magna cum laude! NERD POWER! Ayus!

WALANG KALIMUTAN HA!!

still alive!

2007-04-13T13:43:57Z

COMPUTER IS FIXED!!! COMPUTER IS AT HOME!! COMPUTER IS WORKING!!! At long last!!

All is well in the world. =0

Okay so things have been pretty hectic. Will post about the serious stuff later when I have time to think more coherently.

Bring on the pictures!!! (am so loving my grad gift: a digicam...thank you Mama and Papa!!!)

Tata and Denden ("Working Girls" daw sabi ni Gabi =))

Denden: When you're working, Tata, you get toned arms like me...
Tata: *pinch pinch* Toned nga!

And of course, more...

Goodbye, U.P.! (the phlogging continues...)

of sharks and the beach

2007-04-06T03:38:19Z

There weren't any sharks, thank goodness! =) Or if there had been, I didn't see any, which amounts to the same thing.

On our first day at the beach, Ogot and I swam out to the deepest part of Munting Buhangin Beach's enclosed sea-area. The beach staff had previously told us that they didn't advise swimming beyond The Net. Imagine my horror when, as we touched what was supposed to be "the net," we discovered that it was just a line. Like the floating lines that separate swimming pool lanes. There was no net. So all the happy people who were frolicking in the water (all comforted by the thought of The Net keeping the sharks and jellyfish and all the nasty sea creatures out of the shallows) were all being fooled. AAAAAAA!!! I made for shore as fast as I could. Goodbye Ogot! He ate my waves.

A little explanation is in order. *ahem*

I am scared of sharks. I have been ever since I was six and I first watched Jaws. When I was in the high school swimming team, whenever we had training I would often get yelled at by the Coach because I lost precious seconds while tumble-turning at the deep end of the pool (because I would crane my neck and peer closely at the corners of the pool, where I was sure a shark was lurking). See, I was absolutely convinced that there was a shark in the pool. It didn't matter even if it was logically impossible. It was a deep-seated conviction I had that no one, not even myself, could take away. Like believing in Santa Claus. Or in the Tooth Fairy. I believed that there was a shark in the swimming pool.

If you think that's pathetic, wait til you hear this: as a little girl I believed that there was a shark in the bathtub. Y'all go laugh now. But for me it was never a laughing matter. My terror was real. Is still real. Because at the beach, I kept looking for the blasted shark. Gak.

When we went along with twelve other people to go on a banca ride to a coral island out in the middle of the sea, I couldn't relax 100 percent. I was on the lookout for The Fin. [Oooh another extra tidbit: the banca didn't have enough lifejackets, which was supposed to be illegal, since it was only supposed to take on only as many passengers as their lifejacket supply could accomodate. So the three schmucks who went life jacket-less were Gabi, Ogot and I.]

When we reached the little island surrounded by open water, and everyone went to pick shells and take pictures, Gabi, Ogot and I went snorkeling. Still without lifejackets. While snorkeling, I was---you guessed it---still on the lookout for sharks.

When the banca ran into a spot of trouble (the sea was so choppy, and the waves were so big that the banca couldn't get near the island), Gabi, Ogot and I swam out to the sea to help push the banca nearer the shore (ooh yes, the Power of the Flutter Kick). And all the time I was deathly afraid that I'd feel a mighty CHOMP! on my leg. AAAaaaa. But hey, who else was going to do it? The two bangkeros had their hands full. One was manning the banca, and the other had swum to the island with a piece of rope to haul it (the banca, not the island) inland. So we Francisco kiddies went push push push! The waves were so strong, and the huge underwater rocks and corals had edges that were so sharp. It was one mighty struggle, to say the least. I have the cuts all over my feet and legs to prove it.

But hey. Wattanadventure! =)

And thank goodness for small mercies. There were no sharks. They were smart enough not to go anywhere near that coral island with the huge waves. Sharkie would have gone KA-SPLAT! on the corals if it had approached. Blasted waves! Blasted corals! HAHAHAHAHA

Enough about that. The pics of the rest of the (peaceful) beach trip are below.

Definitely no sharks on land.

Still alive!

Gabi and Ogot chillin' in the beach hut

Mama!

me with the hats

Mama by the rocks. Nope---no sharks or mermaids sighted.

Boooo. Glasses in the beach. Hassle! And the heat made me melt... =)

Relieved that there weren't any sharks

With the hat that Mama insisted that I put on to protect my face

the TWIN EFFECT

Ogot and Gabi in the (airconditioned) room. Ahhh....heaven....

More heaven: ice cream by the beach...aaaaahhh....

Gabi and I indulge in some vanity pics on the way home. =)