We bought my ticket yesterday already. I'm going to Cebu for sure na. I'm going to be studying at the International Academy of Film & Television and finally finishing what I have started. It's very exciting, since I've never been to Cebu before. Will buy a travel guide later. I'll be leaving at the end of July. I've already fixed my resignation from APAC. Now it's just a few more weeks to go.

I'll miss you guys :,)

show my
show paulo
me pan
sit toke
what
baah
boy

WORK. CALLBOY NAKO.
First week of work last week, and despite its possibly boring parts, overall it's been fun, made even more because of all the new people I've met. Almost all of them have had some call center experience or another, which makes me (yet again) the baby of the class. After training, we will be handling an Ohio newspaper account. Hey, it's only a few hundred miles from Chicago!
I'd upload pix from our class when I have more time.

DON'T STOP MEH FROM PARTYING (OR, ANOTHER KAMOTE WEEKEND)
To my Dad's (who is ironically, just as often out of the house) irritation, ever since I started work, I've been partying almost every night. To tell the truth, I'm just enjoying the nights while I still can. Training is only 9am-6pm, so nights are so keri for partying. This will end by next week, when we end our basic skills training.
Last Friday, I went to Mogwai at Cubao to start another Kamote weekend with Kel, Chantel and Ieth. Ieth brought along her office friends. It was really fun. Afterwards, we hooked up with Kay and Tips and went to Antipolo for an all-nighter videoke session. The roosters were crowing and the sun was rising by the time we went home :p

CHANTEL'S GRAD AND OTHER CHEVERNESS
The next day (Sunday), Ieth and I went with Chantel for her graduation. ... and because her Tito and Tita didn't arrive on time to march with her up the stage, Ieth and I had to! I was soooo not prepared, bilang nakashorts lang ako! But it was sooo keri, pakapalan na lang ng mukha :p
Afterwards, we went home for lunch with Tito Manny and Tita Lani. We watched "Enchanted" (My new favorite movie!) and "Sweeney Todd" (sad...) before going to the dampa sa may Macapagal Highway to celebrate Chantel's graduation with her kin. Too much food! We had tahong, shrimps, squid, fish of all kinds! Top that with some rose wine, and it was a perfect night!

STILL A HOUSEWIFE AFTER ALL THIS TIME
Of course, all this work and partying hasn't stopped me from being a housewife. With my three new boarders (Pat, Janina and Chantel) and with my brothers arriving this week and next (I can't wait Dikong!), I had to make space in our tiny house and clean up our act! After Chantel moved in (with her jeepful of stuff), we tidied the place a bit and fixed everything up. It's so satisfying living in a clean home :)

Smile smile smile!
Pix will be uploaded later. Til then, cheers!

I'm starting work tomorrow. It feels like diving into the deep end of the pool.

It feels great being busy again, rushing from one end of the city to the other, reducing yourself to a messy pile of numbers on incoherent pieces of paper. And having to make your own lunch again for every single working day. I do hope I still get to have a few days off for wanton debauchery :p

What should I worry about, anyway? Everything's slowly falling into place. Dikong is coming back home by May, Mom already has her green card...

It's okay, AD. Everything's gonna be fine. You already made a call center musical. How can the real thing be any different?

[x] Worried about getting bullied by fratmen or getting killed in a riot.

[ ] Got bullied by fratmen or was killed in a riot.

[X] Witnessed a riot.

[x] Watched the Oblation Run.

[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.

[ ] Wore red on Valentine’s Day.

[x] Wore black on Valentine's Day.

[ ] Celebrated a birthday at Mang Jimmy's.

[ ] Learned UP Naming Mahal.

[ ] Was an RA (registration assistant) or SA.

[ ] Lied or begged to an RA for a slot in class.

[x] Participated in a there's-only-one-more-slot-are you-feeling-lucky?

[x] Jogged around the campus. {The things you do for love.}

[x] Visited the Vargas Museum.

[x] Knew at least one xerox lady, manong, or technician by name.

[X] Attended university level graduation.

[x] Got an activist for a teacher.

[ ] Watched a La Salle vs. Ateneo UAAP game.

[X] Watched a UP vs. any school basketball game.

[X] Studied in CASAA.

[ ] Studied in McDonald's or Jollibee Philcoa for one full night and bought just one regular-sized drink. {Or ice cream. hehe}

[x] Studied along Katipunan.

[x] Studied along Katipunan and affected the mannerisms of a stereotypical Atenean.

[x] Watched a play that's not required for Comm III

[x] Went stargazing.

[x] Ate in Chocolate Kiss, Tea Room (in CHE) or Chateau Verde. {still have not tried that ostrich meat...}

[ ] 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.

[X] Cut class with your block to watch a movie.

[X] Had a Voltes V for a teacher. {thankfully, no}

[ ] Took a class under Joseph Palis.

[ ] Lied to the transcript lady to get a transcript earlier than the standard 3 months.

[X] Went to a Freshman-only concert.

[x] Subsisted on just streetfood (fishballs, half footlongs, kwekwek, squidballs/rolls, mais, dirty ice cream, MONAY!) for a day.

[X] Learned how to smoke.

[x] Went on an out-of-town trip with blockmates or orgmates.

[x] Fell in love.

[x] Actually read the book you keep borrowing from the lib.

[x] Played cards during your free time.

[x] Dressed in business attire.

[X] Sumabit sa jeep.

[ ] Got sung to or sung to someone in class during Valentine's day.

[x] Watched the Lantern Parade.

[x] Helped out a total stranger.

[ ] Helped out a total stranger because he/she was hot. {oh I wish}

[X] Learned to stay awake for more than 24 or 48 hours straight.

[ ] Got bullied by fratmen and feeling cool wannabe people who were actually losers.

[x] Took Wednesday and/or Sat classes WILLINGLY. {i feel the force of the caps lock}

[ ] Volunteered for the pahinungod. {what's this?}

[X] Ate "tasteless white sauce" pasta from cock-a-noodle-doo.

[X] Got a boyfriend/girlfriend.

[x] Took time to read the vandalism in the CR.

[x] Watched a sexy art film for any GE class. {Jan Dara. oh my virgin sensibilities.}

[X] Got held up or pickpocketed.

[ ] Felt depressed because you were not as good academically as you were in high school. {ah, well. it happens. then we move on and eat ice cream}

[x] Did a last minute paper.

[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.

[X] Attended a varsity pep rally.

[X] 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.

[x] Joined an org.

[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.

[x] Admired the Oblation.

[x] Made a video for a project.

[X] Had a crush on a teacher.

[ ] Had a teacher who had a crush on/tried to court you.

[ ] Attended your ROTC Bivouac.

[X] Faked sickness to get an absence excused.

[ ] Got your car scratched by one of those "Kuya bantayan ko kotse niyo" kids.

[x] Took a PE class where you had to pay for tuition

[x] Went to school in your crappiest yet most comfy clothes.

[X] Learned how to use the Bayantel pay phones.

[x] Participated in school activities.

[ ] Caught the UP Pep Tryouts.

[X] Dated someone from UP.

[x] Rode an IKOT and TOKI.

[x] Found a tambayan.

[x] Went drinking at Sarah's.

[ ] Learned how to beg for a higher grade.

[x] Used your 6 allowable absences wisely.

[ ] Lived in a dorm.

[X] Volunteered to be beadle or go-to guy for your group / class.

[X] Had the worst schedule.

[x] Realized that there really is just one coconut tree on the sunken garden.

[X] Not used up all 6 allowable absences.

[x] Ate in ISSI, Treehouse, Mama Thai's and other more obscure cafeterias.

[x] Ate food Aristocart-style.

[ ] Is active in your org.

[x] Attended an ACLE.

[ ] Got as many app forms as you can during the job fair.

[ ] Learned how to cram.

[x] Sold tickets for (or watch) an org-sponsored movie premiere.

[X] Saved money to Xerox all of your seatmate's notes.

[x] Had accidentally seen a make-out session.

[X] Was a participant in a make-out session.

[x] Slept in class.

[x] Finished a homework/assignment/paper in the Shopping center or Philcoa.

[X] Had mountains of "unused" sample exams and/or old testaments.

[x] Resolved to be "better this semester". {don't we all.}

[X] Slept during a test.

[X] Had groupmates from hell.

[X] Learned how to work with groupmates from hell.

[X] Perfected the art of parking on campus.

[X] Had a bad encounter with one of the guards on campus. (OMAYGULAY!!!!! SORTA RELATED TO 9 QUESTIONS AGO -_____-')

[x] Developed a love for sisig.

[x] Practiced those UP cheers in the first meeting for PE class.

[x] Looked at microfilms in the library or poked through archives.

[x] Reserved a classroom, AVR, etc. for a class or org function.

[x] Attended the UP Fair.

[x] Went to a library other than your own college's to research.

[x] Lost a perfectly functioning umbrella. {andami nang nawalang payong......}

[ ] Used consultation hours properly.

[x] Went to the Guidance Office for real, heart-to-heart guidance. {shifting blues way back}

[x] Went to the infirmary.

[X] Attended class with a hangover.

[x] Drink beer or alcohol while inside UP grounds.

[X] Walked all the way to Philcoa or Katipunan from UP.

[X] Buy frogs from NSRI or a Bio department.

[x] Maxed out on the 6 allowed unexcused absences but DID NOT drop.

[X] Got invited or pursued by a sorority or fraternity.

[x] Wore slippers to school.

[ ] Had a professor who smoked in class.

[ ] Got diagnosed by the Infirmary as pregnant or infected with STD.

I had it shaved off this morning. It was fun while it lasted. At least, I could say I have had a mohawk for once in my life, if only for a week.

Simula na ng UPCAT review!

Finished all last-minute editing tasks before meeting up with Chantel, Ieth and Kel for Bicol. We drove to Petron South Super Expressway, where we met Chantel's relatives.




With my brother's car, newly-christened "Babes", we drove a very laborious 13-hour-long convoy all the way from Laguna, through Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Norte and Sur, Albay, and finally, Sorsogon, where Chantel and her relatives lived.



What can I say? The drive was long, and I basically survived with heavy doses of Extra Joss, chips and Menthols, but it was all worth it. Bicol is love. Daragang Magayon won't show her pointy peak to us when we passed her by, but she was still exhilirating.

more pix at my Multiply Site.

Hungry?
Ravenous.

Went shopping for our house stuff last sunday. I bought a plate dispenser, a new plate, water bottle, goldfish bowl, tablecloth, incense sticks, and food for the next two weeks. I just love keeping the house clean and neat. Throughout the summer, I'm going to keep improving on it :p yey! go domesticated me!
After shopping, I had lunch with Pisay batchmates Kiel, Pio, Toni and Joseph at Banana Leaf to go brainstorming for an event for this year's homecoming. I particularly enjoyed the sweet, spicy curry sauce.

Afterwards, it's back to the editing room. I'm helping out quite a number of friends in editing their theses, so it's pretty busy for me. But it's okay! Just this afternoon, Sheila, one of my students in the tutorial center, gave me a copy of KAFKA ON THE SHORE!!!!!
I've actually read it already back in Chicago. I would go to the library every morning before going to work then, so I could borrow a book I could read during lunchbreak. I've already read Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore, Sputnik Sweetheat and After the Quake, but Kafka on the Shore is by far the best I've read. But like Murakami himself said, the book's beauty lies in reading and read it over and over again, so that's what I plan to do now that I have my own copy ^________^

Yey! Everything pays off!
*goes back to editing*

Now that Aldrich has left for Chicago to stay with our Mom for a while, I can concentrate in fixing up our house.

More than a month ago, Ate Mona left for Negros because her Dad has just died. Now, I don't know when she's coming back, but the past month has been hellish here, what with no one cooking and cleaning. But now that I have more time in my hands, I could finally clean up this house. Time to be a bit more responsible.

Things to do:
-clean the lanai, turn into a garden
-fix the living room
-totally clean the kitchen
-buy appliances and supplies


So I'm feeling domestic :p

Kay, Marella and James dropped by last night for a small impromptu inuman, a welcome and refreshing change from our hectic schedules.

Now I have a plan.

Had a dream of living on my own
With no fear of being all alone
Pushed my sadness down inside of me
And pretended I was strong as I could be

Country Road, this old road
If you go right to the end
Got a feeling it'll take me
To that town, country road

It doesn't matter to me how sad I might be
I will never let a tear show in my eye
If my feet are moving faster
That's because I only want to
Push away memories

Country Road, this old road
Could go right to my home town
I won't go there, I can't go there
Can't go down that country road

Country road, when tomorrow comes
I'll be like I always am
I won't go there, I can't go there
Fare thee well, country road

to all those I've shot down during these past days.

Woke up late (from last night's boring fair). I cut all my classes today. Met with Jo for her thesis, then spent the rest of the day shopping for my room, including buying a small can of fields-of-gold, and treating myself to eggplant parmigiana.

No, no date. Turned them all down. Instead, had a few drinks at n20 Timog Ave with my co-tutors, Jen and Jenny.

I've finished painting my wall split-pea-green (don't you just love names of colors?), but that's only the first step. Now comes the hard part of cleaning everything up and making everything look spiffy new. Part of cleaning everything up is taking down all the posters on one wall. Painful, yes, but they no longer feel right.

Everyday, my room keeps looking better. It makes me happy happy.

We are strong!
No one can tell us we're wrong!
Love is a Battlefield!

i have a puppy
its coat is furry
i feed it pedigree
it sometimes bites me

i have a cheese sandwich
on a jeep i will hitch
to school with my friend mitch
one day i will be rich

Since Ate Mona left a few weeks ago, no one has been cooking food at home. And as I don't have time either, I find myself living a boarding house kind of life, eating cheese sandwiches and oatmeal or eating out.

I didn't feel like sleeping, so i decided to paint my room last night. Just the first coat of primer, but just looking at this whole stretch of blank wall filled with promises of split pea makes me feel, perhaps, happy.

Qatar, a country a little smaller than the island of Panay, has long been known for its oil. In fact, it is thought that "Qatar" is derived from the Arabic word for "tar" or "resin", which relates to the country's rich petroleum resources. It is a small peninsula that juts out to the Persian gulf. The small island of Bahrain lies to its west.

The country has a constitutional monarchy that is relatively liberal compared to most of its neighboring countries. Women can dress mostly as they please in public, and men can wear shorts. Qatari nationals can also drink alcohol to a certain extent, but this is limited to a number of expensive establishments. Foreigner nationals can purchase alcohol for personal use from the sole importer of alcohol in Qatar, the Qatar Distribution Company.

Expatriates form the majority of Qatar's residents. This is due to the boom in the petrochemical industry. Most come from South Asia, although there are also Europeans, Americans, fellow Arabs, and Filipinos.

The sex ratio in Qatar is so skewed that there are almost 2 men for every woman.

Actually, this is a list of things that I have to do but haven't been able to do yet -___-'

1) Finish that damned PI final paper Malapit na mag-one year anniversary since the supposed deadline. Haha. Forgive me Sir Ambeth. And Rizal (P.S. Happy Rizal day, Rizal!)

2) Paint my room once the final construction repairs are done, now I REALLY have to paint the ugly, obscenely plain stretch of new wall in my room. Green, most probably. Yeeee. Also, hopefully find new furnitures.

3) THESIS YEAR Confucius says, the year 2008 is the best year to MAKE MY THESIS. I'm not letting anything stop me. I have to do it. Now na. I've done the script breakdown already. Don't be surprised when someone starts knocking on your door in the middle of night. It might be me, asking for help for my thesis. Bwahahahaha.

Enjoy Myself I think I've always been too hard on myself. Pasensya na, I guess namamana ang pagiging Workaholic. Imagine, ngayon pa lang pinaplano ko na ang thesis ko. But then, I'm just soooo excited. Hahaha.

Happy New Year everyone!