welcoming 2010

I've been neglecting my blog this Christmas. Aside from having no proper net connection, I've been real busy. Busy enough for me to take time away from my lappy and the world wide web.

This is like the best year ever (of course, I may change my mind in the upcoming years, but for now, I'll settle for 2009)! A few of the reasons why I pegged this year as the best - I graduated college last April, I had a almost-two-month-long vacation, I had such awesome time with friends, I got my lappy, Davao!

Of course, 2009 wasn't all perfect and happy. There are times I would rather forget - such as the grueling two days of the Nursing Board Exam. God. That felt like hell. There were questions there where I was like, "Oh my effin G, did I ever learn this in school? How come I don't know this?" Then I'd proceed to shade an answer which I fervently pray was which but deep down I know it's wrong. If I fail the board, I don't think I'd have enough conviction to take it again. I just don't want to go through another two days of pure agony. Why couldn't I have chosen a course with no board exam?

These past days have been great. I'm always out with my Christmas buddies (because we always get together almost every night during Christmas break - it's like a tradition). We'd go out, have dinner, go to Robi, go to Bo's, or someone's house and just chill. Talk. I love how our personal talks never seem to be so.. Personal. LOL

The only thing that bothers me is that my one and only ex is there. It's so effin' hard to get over someone when you see him on a daily basis, even if it's only for a few weeks each year (sembreak and Christmas break). But the thing is, I do enjoy spending time with him them (because them alreay includes him). God, I'm such a freaking masochist.

Oh well. We do have our own weak spots, I guess.

My cousin, aunt and nephews are coming home today. No more hangouts with friends (for the moment, at least). I miss my nephews. I still can't believe they're all grown-up and talking about girls already. I guess when you see someone grow up, you'd still see them as the kid they once were.

I can't wait for January 1. As soon as the clock strikes one (or two), my friends and I will celebrate our traditional New Year at Kim's.

Enough of my blurbs. They make no sense anyway.

Happy 2010 everyone! ^^

wishlist 2010

Here I go again with my wishes. But then, as they say, libre lang mangarap. And it's Christmas. What's Christmas without a little wishing, right? And hey, I may be 19 21, but deep down, I am still a child within.

• A windows 7 OS -- coming soon, thanks dad :D
• DiCAPac for my Canon Ixus 100
• St. Luke's for me and Cha
• 82% or up on the NLE
• 100% RTR passing rate on the NLE
  
• Love Bites, The Renegade Hunter, Single White Vampire, Tall Dark and Hungry, The Immortal Hunter, A Quick Bite (Lynsay Sands) -- thanks mom :)
  
• This Lullaby (Sarah Dessen)
• Don't Die My Love (Lurlene McDaniel)
• True Colors (Kristin Hannah)
• A Total Waste of Make-up (Kim Gruenenfelder)
• Innocent As Sin, Always Time to Die, Blue Smoke and Murder, Pearl Cove, Whirlpool (Elizabeth Lowell) -- thanks mom :)
  
• Marshmallows for Breakfast, The Chocolate Run (Dorothy Koomson)
• High Stakes, Sucker Bet, The Pregnancy Test, You Don't Know Jack (Erin McCarthy)
• The Last Concubine (Lesley Downer)
• Every Move You Make, Perfect Poison (M. William Phelps)
• Doctors (Erich Segal) thanks mom :)
• Oxygen (Carol Cassela)
• Silent Treatment (Michael Palmer)
• Hideaway, Fair Warning, Grave Risk, Death Benefits (Hannah Alexander)
• The Apprentice, Harvest, The Sinner, The Mephisto Club, Keeping the Dead (Tess Gerritsen) -- thanks jojo :)
  
• Heartsick, Sweetheart, Evil at Heart (Chelsea Cain)
• Blame It on Chocolate (Jennifer Greene)
• 360 RC Car -- thanks janz :D
• Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust -- thanks kim :P
• Havaianas Fit Silver 35-36
• Black and Decker 3-Tier Steamer
• A day at the beach -- soon :D
• More Eeyore stuff

Now, I know most of them are books. But those who know me, know that I'm a bookworm through and through.

On a different note, I completed the Misa de Gallo today. 3rd year running :) I'm so proud of myself.

Now, I have to bake my Peanut Butter-Choco Chip Cookie for my friends. I wasn't in the mood to do some shopping (coz I'm almost broke) so I decided to give them homemade cookies this year. Gives it a more personal touch, don't you think? :)

Happy Holidays everyone! ♥

Avatar

Synopsis: When his brother is killed in battle, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri, the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora.

Rating: 5/5

Comments: From the effects down to the story, it was all worth it. Damn. It was even worth holding my bladder even though I felt like my bladder was about to burst.

No further comments here. Shoot, it was by far the best movie I've seen this year (that, and 2012 of course).

1,700+ worth of books

If one could be bored to death, I'd be dead in a weak. I'm the type of person who can't stand being idle; either I'm always on the go, or I find something to entertain me. I don't like sitting around for a long time doing nothing, which is why I hated those long lectures when I was still at school. 15 minutes into the discussion, I'd be doodling stuff at the back of my notebook or on a lone piece of paper and wasting my pen's ink.

I've been doing nothing since I came back from a 5-day vacation in Davao with friends and I'm bored as hell. So yesterday I hauled my lazy ass up to Robinson's and spent my remaining money plus what little money I asked from my Mom and stacked up on books from my happy places, National Bookstore and Book Sale.

I got Lynsay Sands' The Renegade Hunter, A Quick Bite, Vampires are Forever (FYI: I got to reading the Argeneau Series way before the Twilight thing blown-up, and it's not as if the Twilight Saga started the whole vampire thing - need I remind you of Anne Rice?), Erich Segal's Doctors (I've been looking for this book since forever - thanks to Book Sale for housing second-hand, hard to find books), Sarah Dessen's This Summer (I was looking for another book of hers actually, but I figured I might as well read this one, too), and Elizabeth Lowell's Whirlpool, Innocent as Sin.

They may be a lot, but for a fast-reader like me, they'll be finished long before Christmas arrives. I'm weird like that - I devour books for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have tons of books here - maybe one of these days (when I'm bored again and have nothing to do - again) I'll take a picture of my bookshelves (yes, I have more than one shelf) and show you guys what an avid reader and collector I really am.

My Dad used to get mad at me for buying books - there was a time when I can spend up to 5,000 pesos on a 1-hour visit to NBS (that's how much of a reader I am) but I'd like to think I have more self-control now than I had before.

1,700 may sound much, but I hate putting a price on something that makes me happy. And these books do more than that - they keep me sane. ^^

splurge.

I did a little shopping at Davao and Cebu (yes, eventhough I only stayed for a few hours there). I bought a few stuffs for me, and presents for my nephews and niece and friends.

As usual, I'm giving my nephews shirts (for some reason, I like giving people clothes). They all liked the statement tees I gave them last year (especially the eldest, I gave him a shirt that says "now accepting hot girlfriends" and he loved it!) that I decided to give them another round of tees this year.

For my niece, I went all out again. Last year I gave her this gorgeous red dress I got from Divisoria. Having no sister of my own, and growing up with my 3 nephews, I longed for a little girl to dress up. And then came little Stephie. I'm not as close to her as I am to my nephews, but do love giving her pretty dresses and stuff. I'm not fond of dresses myself but I do enjoy watching little kids wear them. (I used to love dresses when I was younger, but now I'm more of a tee, shorts/jeans/baggy pants, flip-flops/sneakers kind of girl.)

Here are the clothes I bought for my niece :)

And of course, for myself, I got 3 Davao shirts (I always get souvenir shirts for myself, except last summer when we went to Dumaguete coz I wasn't able to buy one). I also bought 3 pairs of shorts (the blue one wasn't in the picture as I used it and it's already in the washer) from Surplus, 4 shirts (3 from Surplus and 1 from the SM Dept. Store), and 2 new pairs of Havs.

My new shorts and shirts (I don't know what happened to the picture) :D

Havs Slim Purple and Havs Fit Black (I was supposed to get silver but they didn't have my size)

5-day sojourn ^^

My 4-day stay in Davao was more than amazing! It's a must-go place. There are lots of sights to see, new things to experience. What's really nice is that the cliche "clean and green" is more than just that - it's a fact. I've never seen a cleaner place in the Philippines. It's smoke-free, has minimal traffic, and the place is not crowded. And the people are all nice and friendly, too.

Right after we arrived, we checked in into Grand Regal Hotel, a three-star hotel about 3 kms from the airport. Then we ate lunch at Ah Fat. It was there where we experienced eating ostrich meat (very yummy, but expensive!), sea cucumber (it's like a yucky version of jelly ace),and eel (tolerable, but has a weird aftertaste for me). Then we took a taxi that would take us to the Crocodile Park. Good thing the taxi driver was nice, he gave us a tour around Davao. First we visited the Butterfly House. They don't have much butterflies, but we got to see a lot, i mean, a lot, of cocoons and catterpillars of different sizes and colors. We can touch them, but Cha and I never dared. We have issues with creepy crawlies. Very nice to look at, but no touching.

Then we went to the Crocodile Park, and with an entrance fee of just 150 pesos, it was already cheap and worth it. They've got the biggest croc, named Pangil, and other sorts of animals - tigers (they look huggable, i wanted to get one!), owls, parrots, cuckatoos, mynas, a monkey named Lucy (she's chained to the janitor's trash cart and she keeps picking up the trash and biting them, so cute!), ostriches (we got to feed them), and snakes.

After the park, we went directly to Zip City. There Cha, Jojo and I tried the zipline for the first time. It's a 320 meter zipline and approximately 120 ft high from the ground. It was very exhilarating, and it provides you a panoramic view of Davao.

After a very exciting day, we went back to the hotel. Later that night, Uncle Robert, one of my Dad's oldest friends, and his family took me out to dinner. We ate at Bigby's, then they gave me a city tour before dropping me back at the hotel.

The following day, we woke up at around 6 and decided to roam around the hotel. WE took pictures and wandered around the halls. We even tried their fitness center - not that we actually exercised. We weren't dressed appropriately so we just used their equipments as props for our pictures. We then ate breakfast - eat all you can buffet. I love buffets. Afterward, we decided to kill time at the Casino. The slots were so addicting!

We checked out at 12 and transferred to Garnet Country Inn. After lunch, we went to SM for some shopping fun. I bought gifts for my nephews and niece/inaanak (I'm going to blog separately about this because I'm just dying to show you the cute dresses I picked out for her). Of course, I also bought stuffs for me! Ate dinner at Pizza Hut. I love their Stuffed Crust, I could never get enough of it.

On the third day, Cha and I took the NMAT at San Pedro College. After the exam, we went to G-Mall (it's just walking distance from SPC) then to SM to meet up with Jojo and do some more shopping. When we got back at the inn, we each took a refreshing shower then we walked to the nearest Caltex station to buy some chips. We ended up buying Vodka Cruiser (raspberry for Cha and blueberry for me), Gilbey's Premium Strength for Jojo, and some Boy Bawang. We had to hide the bottles and dispose of them discreetly the next day because we weren't allowed to bring liquor and we smuggled it into our room.

During the fourth day of our stay, we called to taxi driver we met on the first day. He gave us a tour. First stop was the Philippine Eagle Center, about 33 kms or a 45 minute to 1 hour drive from the city, where we got to see different eagles. They also had owls, deers, monkeys and warty pigs.

Then we went to Eden Nature Park & Resort next. It's nature at it's finest. 95% of it is man-made, and also well-maintained. It's 80 hectares of land, about 66 of which are fully developed. Thousands of different trees are planted, and different flowers can be seen. They have vegetables and spices planted there, too. And the poinsettias! God, they were amazing.

They also had a zipline at Eden called the Skyrider. It's shorter than the one at Zip City, though. But the feeling is the same. Very exciting, very exhilarating.

After Eden, we went to Samal Island (also called Island Garden City of Samal). From the port, we took a small barge across. It has beautiful beaches and resorts, but we didn't go swimming. we just went around the city and did some sightseeing.

We then went back to Davao City, and ate dinner at Marina Tuna. They serve the best seafood there. After eating, we all went back to the Inn to get some rest after a whole day of touring the city and get started with packing.

On the fifth day, we all got up early to prepare ourselves our our stuffs. We then went to the airport and said our goodbyes to Davao. We arrived at Cebu around 11, and we went to SM for another round of shopping and to meet up with friends.

Met up with Jin and Kenj. Ate lunch at Dimsum Break. Took some pictures. Did some more shopping.

We packed a lot of activities on a short 5-day trip. It was tiring, very tiring, but it was definitely worth it. I can't wait for my next trip. My cousin's planing a family trip to CamSur for next summer. Cha, Jojo and I are planning a trip to Dakak for her birthday next year.

all packed and ready to go!

I'm leaving for Davao tomorrow. I've been waiting for this trip ever since September (yes, I had the tickets way back - it's nice to book flights early. You get promos!). At first, it was supposed to be just me and Cha - we're going to take the NMAT there. Then Jojo decided to join us, and Cha's parents too!

I'm so freakin' excited i don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. ^^

My Sister's Keeper

Synopsis (CONTAINS SPOILERS): Conceived by means of in vitro fertilization, Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin) was brought into the world to be a genetic match for her older sister, Kate (Sofia Vassilieva), who suffers from acute promyelocytic leukemia. Because of her sister's dependency on her, Anna is unable to live the life she wants; in and out of the hospital constantly, she cannot take part in extracurricular activities such as cheerleading or soccer. When Kate turns 13 she goes into renal failure. Knowing that she will have to donate one of her kidneys to her sister, Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation and the rights to her own body. Attorney Campbell Alexander (Alec Baldwin) agrees to work for Anna pro bono. The film is interlaced with flashbacks that detail the strong relationship between Kate and Anna, as well as how Kate's illness has affected her siblings' lives. Before the result of the case is known, it is revealed that Kate had asked Anna to file for medical emancipation. Believing that she would not survive the surgery, Kate wants to die. Anna wins the case, and due to her sister's wishes does not donate her kidney. Kate later dies at the hospital. The family moves on with their lives, being changed by Kate's death, but every year on Kate's birthday they go to Montana, which was her favorite place in the world.

Rating: 3.5/5

Comments: No doubt, the movie was good. But I was still disappointed the way they changed a lot from the book. Major ones, too.

For instance, Anna was supposed to be assigned to a guardian ad litem. But where was Julia Romano (the appointed guardian, and Campbell's old girlfriend) in the movie? And Jesse was supposed to be setting fires.

And yes, Anna and Campbell won the case and Campbell was given medical power of attorney over Anna. But there's a twist in the book. In the movie, Kate died. But that wasn't how it was supposed to go. Anna died in a car wreck right after she was medically emancipated. Her organs were donated to Kate, and Kate was the one who lived. She believes that the reason she survived was because someone had to go, and Anna took her place.

I hate it when they turn books into movies and they don't follow the original plot.

I say, read the book, screw the movie.

bored and broke. =)

Having no net connection of my own sucks. I had our Globelines phone disconnected last October, our internet connection along with it. I hated it that they always had technical problems of some sort. But thanks to advancing world of technologies, you can find WiFi everywhere! So as of now, I'm demoted to using our neighbor's WiFi. I don't know which neighbor, but I thanks him/her sincerely with all my heart.

Being a bum isn't what I imagined it would be. I am so bored. And I'm broke. I wanna hang out with my friends, but we're all without allowance, so.. *sigh*

I wanted to take a short course in Culinary Arts (ever since I was a kid, I've always loved to cook) at CCA, it's only for 13 days, but it's a whopping 49,800 pesos. I know my parents can afford that, but come this June I'll be enrolling in Medicine, and I don't think my parents will be able to afford both of them. I'm aiming for St. Luke's, and based on what I've read online, the tuition fee is like 95K, exclusive of books and miscellaneous fees.

So far, all I've been doing since I finished taking the Nursing board exam is watch DVD, eat, sleep and surf the net. I borrowed tons of DVDs from Cha, and I still have unwatched DVDs (I bought a lot last October, but my Mom forbade me tom watch DVDs the month prior to the boards so they stacked up) and movies in my laptop (I downloaded old chick flicks I haven't watched yet) and I plan on finishing them all.

I'm currently watching Friends (I'm on the 7th season now). I remember watching this sitcom when I was in high school. It's one of those you can watch over and over and over again and never get tired of it. I used to like Rachel, but now I'm more partial to Monica. And Phoebe! What's not to love about her? And her songs! After Friends, I'm hitting the series NCIS next.

I've been downloading movies ever since yesterday. I'm so sad that Mininova will be limiting its contents. It was my favorite torrent website. I know piracy is bad and all that, but I mean, come on! Original DVDs cost 500 pesos and more, pirated ones you can buy for 3 for 100 pesos at Quiapo, 50 pesos and above here at provinces. See the difference? I guess I could buy pirated ones, and I do, but as I mentioned, I'm broke. So where does that leave me? Plus I like having movies in my laptop, so I can watch them whenever and wherever I want to. I have DVDs, but I don't know how to rip them.

I was supposed to be finished with this blog by now. I started writing at around 2 PM. It's now past 3, and I'm still not yet done. I had to stop in between writing to check on my cookies (I'm baking).

Last December 1, I was thinking of doing something like Krissy's 30-day blog, challenge, but instead of rambling about my day, I'm gonna write something about me. Little facts and maybe memories. But I didn't, as I'm leaving for Davao on the 11th until the 15th, and I don't think i'm bringing my laptop with me. Maybe next month.

Ooh, I smell my cookies. They're done! Ta-ta for now. Happy vacation to me! Hoping I have fun at Davao. =)

another year older =)

I can't believe I'm 21!!