reality has finally began to sink in

So Ma'am Me-Ann (an RN and the Asst. OIC of Management Services at PHC), my cousin's friend and co-worker, called me yesterday. She was asking for my application for a job at Heart Center.

A few months back, when my cousin celebrated her 50th birthday back here in her hometown, she brought her friends with her. And Ma'am Meh brought with her application forms for me to fill up. Ever since I first met her (back in our Dumaguete trip last summer 09), she's been telling me to get a job at Heart. Mind you, I just graduated that time. I never really thought about work then. Hell, I never even took the board exams yet.

Back to last January. I thought Ate Mycah (another RN and barkada of my cousin, and also a good friend of my despite the age gap) was joking when she told me that Ma'am Meh is trying to get me in Heart. So imagine my surprise when she came bringing all those forms. Back in those days, all I cared about was passing my board exam and going to Med school, but.. Well, turns out, fate had different plans.

Anyway, I decided to give Nursing as my profession a try. I figured I'd give it one year, tops. Then I can go on to Med school as planned. It's a perfect plan, right?

Then why didn't it feel like it?

After I passed the board exam (yey!), I postponed filling up the forms and compiling my requirements. I was gonna put off til I go to Manila this summer so I could hand it in personally, but last night, as I've said, Ma'am Meh called. She asked me to send in everything, and I just couldn't say no, because I know her intentions are good. I know how hard it is to find a job, especially with the overload of unemployed nurses, and I'm grateful she's doing this for me. Really grateful.

I should be excited. I'm gonna be working in an awesome hospital with awesome people I know, and I'm gonna be paid an awesome price. What's stopping me?

I'm scared.

I'm not exactly confident with my skills. They're mediocre at best. The only place where I feel like I'm awesome is in the DR (there was a time when I wanted to be an Ob-gyne), and the thing is, they don't have a delivery room at Heart. Plus, Ate Mycah's leaving Heart to work abroad. And although I know several people who work there, Ate Mycah's the only person I'm really close to, and it's gonna be hard for me without her being there.

I don't do well with new situations. I can adapt quickly, with the help of friends. But I always have a hard time adjusting to new places and new people at the same time. And that makes me scared. Really scared. Scared that I won't adjust, that I won't fit in, that I'll screw up.

Oh man.

the sexless innkeeper :]

Barney's Version
T'was the night before new year's, and the weather grew mean.
It was 3:00 in the morning, and I was stranded in Queens.
The tavern grew empty, the gas lights grew dim.
The horse-drawn carriages were all but snowed in.
Last call was approaching, and my fortunes looked bleak.
Then I turned to my left and stifled a shriek.
She had a peach fuzz beard and weighed 16 stone.
She gobbled up hot wings and swallowed the bones.
I muffled a scream and threw up in my mouth.
I asked, "where do you live?" and she said, "one block south."
I swallowed my pride and six shots of whiskey.
And prayed to the gods that she wasn't too frisky.
Back in her cave, she prepared us a snack.
'neath her mighty hooves, the floorboards did crack.
But when she returned, she found a sound sleeper.
And thus she became the sexless innkeeper.

Ted's Version
T'was the night before, I had hours to kill.
I sat in the tavern, grading parchments with quill.
A busty, young lassie flashed me a grin.
Her garb said "classy," but her eyes whispered "sin."
She said, "you're a teacher?" I said, "yes, indeed."
"I must have you," she moaned. "I'm turned on by tweed."
With haste we did scamper to my chamber anon.
We fell to the couch, and, bro, it was on.
I unlaced her bodice. Our passions grew deeper.
And thus ends the tale of the sexless innkeeper.

I got these from season 5, episode 4 of How I Met Your Mother. I never paid much attention to this TV series before.. But damn, now I'm hooked. I just can't get enough of Ted, Robin, Lily, and Marshall. And Barney. But of course, Barney! The rest of the cast are just great, but Barney's awesome!

I just can't wait to see who the Mother is. It's gonna be legen-wait for it-dary! :)

i seriously need to get a life.

Or a job. Whichever.

I'm just tired of being a bum; it's as boring as hell. These past days I've done nothing but download the latest episodes of my favorite TV shows - Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, How I Met Your Mother, and In Plain Sight. I'm currently using Smart Bro's Unlisurf 200, and damn, the connection's fast. Faster than Globe Tattoo. Aside from that, I also started playing Hospital Town in Facebook.

Hospital City

Yesterday, Lex and I watched When in Rome. I know the movie got a few bad reviews, but I find it funny and refreshing. The scene with the small car was most hilarious, especially when it fit inside the elevator. Made me want a car like that. LOL And I loved the gown Kristen Bell wore on her sister's wedding, and of course, I adore the different pairs if shoes she wore in the movie.

After watching, we met with Hans outside the grocery and we talked for a while. Then Jojo arrived and we went around the mall. Then we decided to watch Dear John. The adaptation was good, but it's no The Notebook. And they changed some parts of the book, which is a big no-no for me. They do have amazing soundtracks, though.

We went walking around downtown afterwards, then we came to my place. They didn't stay long, though. After they left, I continued downloading the TV shows.

Around 12 or so, I started feeling cramps in my lower abdomen. I knew my period was coming up, so I was kinda prepared for it. What took me by surprise was when I also felt stomach pains aside from the cramps I'm having. As luck would have it, I had LBM. And let me say this: LBM and cramps don't go well together. I was shaking and feeling nauseous from the pain. I tried eating something just so I could drink meds, but all I could eat was one miserable Dunkin Donuts munchkin. I figured one was better than nothing at all, and I took some antiLBM and analgesic. Then I boiled some water to use for my hot compress, and I went to bed feeling like an old sick woman.

Damn, I hate this time of the month.

Edited on 3:10 PM

On second thought, I love this time of the month. It's when I can be a total bitch and whine about life in general and people would be like, "What the hell is wrong with you? Why you being so bitchy?"And I'll answer them with, "PMS." Then they'll be, "Oh. No wonder." LOL

something amazing

the best thing about fighting is..

..when you make up.

Lex and I had a fight the other over something silly which blew up to huge proportions. We argued over text the whole night, and got nowhere. We both went to bed mad. The next day, things got worse. We resumed our heated argument and solved nothing. I admit, much of it was my fault, and I already apologized incessantly, but he wouldn't budge. Then he accepted my apology half-heartedly, and I told him not to bother accepting it if he can't accept it wholeheartedly. And I stopped texting him.

A whole day passed and neither of us texted one another - both of us can be very stubborn. Around 6 Pm or so, I finally gave up and texted him if he was still mad at me. We made up, partially. Then he told me to go outside our house. And he was there, holding out the free pouch he got from Pringles. I told him I wanted that pouch when he bought the Pringles, but I forgot to get it from him, then we fought, and well, I don't think he'll be happy if I asked for it in the middle of our fight.

So there he was. Other couples would probably use flowers or chocolates or some other grand gesture, but that was more than enough for me. Suffice to say, we made up.

Oh, how his kisses make me melt. ♥

you know it's summer if..

1. It's freakin' hot outside. According to Google, it's 29°C here in Tacloban. It rained a while ago, but it didn't last long.The roads are all dried up already due to the blazing heat of the sun. I'm running out of tank tops and shorts to wear everyday because of the heat. Even at night, the aircon in my room doesn't help. Damn, it's so hot.

2. Street halo-halo is sold. It is a popular Filipino dessert that is a mixture of shaved ice, milk, and an assortment of fruits. Our house is near the market, and come summer, some would put up stands selling halo-halo. It's not the same as restaurant halo-halo, where some ingredients would be nata de coco, kaong, corn, langka, banana, etc. Street halo-halo costs only 10 pesos, and it's mostly ice and milk with a few different colored sago, monggo, and gulaman. It costs less, and so you get less, but it provides the same goal - a reprieve from the heat.

Typical restaurant halo-halo

My 10-peso halo-halo :)

3. Swimsuits are on display at department stores. Ahhh. Swimsuits. My favorite summer attire. I have tons of swimsuits in my closet, and I keep buying more. Not because I love them (well, I do, but not that much), but because I don't want to be wearing the same swimsuits in my pictures. LOL

My new blue Copacabana tankini :)

Couldn't resist another one
Gigi Amore bikini

4. You have plans for a weekend getaway at the beach. This year, it's Coron, Palawan for us. God, I'm so freaking excited. I love the beach, and Coron is just AWESOME!!!

Located on the map :)

Coron, Palawan :)

Isn't the blue awesome? :)

oathtaking of new nurses

We had our oathtaking at Astrodome last Monday. I wasn't planning on attending, but I was glad I did. It turned out to be a fun, memorable event - because of the people I was with. ♥

The invitation.

how i met Krissy and Ate Cess ♥

Around 5 years ago, I joined Seventeen Sigaw's online forum. I was a member of Candy Mag's Teentalk but it never really clicked with me coz I felt that it was way crowded with too many users. I signed up on Sigaw thinking it'd be the same, but lucky me, it wasn't. There were lots of users, but only a few were really active, and those few welcomed me and became my friends.

It was easier to talk to the people I've never met face to face, it was easier to open up to them and share things - mostly problems, because you'd never have to fear them judging you and acting differently towards you. And the girls I've met online were always a big help - always loaded with advices and comforting words.

For more than 2 years, I've been really active, always posting, visiting the site everyday, sometimes even twice a day. But as my school work mounted up, it became harder for me to check on Sigaw. But the girls never stopped being my friends. We'd connect through texts, Multiply and Friendster before, now we'd be chatting on Facebook and Twitter.

The very first Sigaw Sister I met was Janelle, and we ended up being good friends. We were both from Tacloban, and we both study at the same school. We never see each other before that, because we were on different campuses. But when the Real Campus was transferred to the main one, we bumped into each other by accident, but that was it. The friendship never really started until we ended up in the same section. And the rest, as they say, was history.

The second Sigaw Sis I met personally was Ate Kathy. She wasn't as active as the rest of us, but we chatted in Sigaw. She's from Leyte also, but she was studying at Cebu that time. Then when I was a Level 4 student, she enrolled in Medicine at our school. And that's where we saw each other.

I've been rambling on and on about Sigaw but my title was about how I met Krissy and Ate Cess. Well, here goes.

Krissy's one of my closest Sigaw Sister. We really connected, ans even if we never met each other, I felt as though we've been friends a long time. We made plans to meet, but somehow it always got postponed. Last year, she met with Ate Cess, and I said to myself, next time, I'm gonna meet her. Sooner or later. And fast-forward to the other day.

My Mom had a conference to attend, and I asked if I could go with her. I ended up leaving the conference early, and went to Manila to visit my friends Anj and Gaia (related post here). Days before, I asked Krissy if she was free on Monday, and she was, so we made plans to meet at Megamall.

We met at National Bookstore (she looks thinner in person, and she said the same thing to me), then we walked around while talking. It's funny how we never ran out of things to talk to. And it easy to talk to her - it didn't feel like we met for the first time, it's as if we've been friends for a very long time who haven't saw each other in a while. Then we went to Kenny Roger's to eat lunch. We ate, then waited for Ate Cess to arrive.

Then Ate Cess came! And she doesn't look like she's older than us. She's so cute! We then went to Starbucks where Ate Cess treated us to some drinks.

If only Ate Cess didn't have to go back to work, we all would have spent the whole day together. But she did, so Krissy and I walked her to the taxi stand and said our goodbyes with her.

Of course, Krissy and I stayed, and we went to the department store where we both bought new undies, plus a new bag for me. Then we went to Dairy Queen for something cold - we ordered 2 9 0z Blizzards (Choco Chip for me, and Brownie Temptation for her) because we thought we'd be bitin with the 6 oz. Turns out, we should've ordered the smaller one! We had a hard time finishing the ice cream. Lol

We walked around some more, we went to the Beauty Section because Krissy can't get enough of make-ups, and the Ladies' Section at the department store (where we saw awesome dresses we couldn't afford to buy that day).

Then I had to rush to Mall of Asia to meet my Mom, which ended the awesome day I had with Krissy. I truly enjoyed that day, and hopefully we could do it again. I also couldn't wait to meet the rest of the girls I met in Sigaw! ♥

NAIA's WiFi sucks

But I'm using it anyway.

Our plane leaves at 3:40 PM, we arrived at the airport before 12 noon. I had a lot of time to kill, and I'm getting restless and bored as hell.

I have this disturbing twisted desire to be late for a flight, even just once. I wish for my name to be announced, people would here "Last call for passenger Renebelle Yao, please board at gate S4 immediately." And people would be like, "Who's Renebelle?" Then they'd see me running toward the boarding area, all panicky and frantic, but still awesome, and they'd be like, "Oh, her."

Awesome, isn't it? :)

On a different note, all those HIMYM marathons for me hooked on the word Awesome. It's like I have to use it to describe everything, and I have to use it in every sentence I formulate.

I wish I could fast forward time (that'd be awesome, right?). So it'd be 3:40 already. I have this whopping headache that makes me wish I'm at home, sleeping. I don't want to go home yet, because I'm leaving awesome friends behind, but I'm comforted by the fact that we're gonna see each other soon.

We're boarding! Awesome!

Cloudy with a chance of love ♥

it's nice to have girl friends

I've always loved the feeling during a plane takeoff; where one moment you feel the plane taxiing down the runway, gathering speed, and the next moment you're thrown backwards in your seat as the plane suddenly lifts off the ground. I like plane rides. Among the three ways to travel, I like traveling by plane the best; long land trips make my stomach churn, and up until recently, I never liked traveling by boat, especially boat trips that lasts for more than 6 hours.

I woke up today feeling excited, not because I'm going to Manila, but because I'm gonna get to see my friends, whom I haven't seen in a while. We went to the airport around 6 AM, our flight left at exactly 7:40 and We arrived at NAIA one hour after takeoff.

We then took the bus to Fontana, where my Mom and her fellow FFCCWO (Federation of Filipino-Chinese Catholic Women's Organization) were having their convention.

I was supposed to stay with my Mom for two days, but I got bored so I decided to come stay with my friend Anj a day early. I spent only one night in Fontana.

I took a taxi from Fontana to Dau Terminal, then rode a bus to Manila. I can say I'm really proud at myself. It's the first time I commuted from somewhere outside Manila. I only know how to commute within QC and by LRT/MRT. This was certainly a first.

We went to SM Megamall to go see Gaia, because she works there. We walked around, visited the department store (Gaia and I love the department stores in SM, especially the one at SM Makati), then we had dinner at Pizza Hut. We all went home afterward.

Yesterday morning Gaia came over at Anj's place early. We went to MOA after eating lunch and painting our nails and having some girtalk. We bought tickets for Cop Out. Ate at Chiggy's, went to the department store (as per Gaia's request), bought blizzards at Dairy Queen, then went to watch the movie. The movie was hilarious. Tracy Morgan is our new favorite comedian.

After the movie we all went to the grocery to buy some The Bar and some Gatorade. Then we all piled into a taxi and came home.

We spent a very enjoyable night drinking vodka mixed with Royal, Gatorade and mango juice, eating, talking, sharing stories, and making up for the times we hadn't seen each other. It's nice to Jace girlfriends. I haven't laughed so much in a while. We all went to bed feeling happy around midnight.

Cheers to being friends :)

And now I'm all alone here coz they all had to go to work, but I don't mind coz in a few hours I'll be seeing Krissy, who is awesome so our day together demands a post of its own. :)

Alice in Wonderland

Synopsis: On a golden afternoon, young Alice follows a White Rabbit, who disappears down a nearby rabbit hole. Quickly following him, she tumbles into the burrow - and enters the merry, topsy-turvy world of Wonderland! Memorable songs and whimsical escapades highlight Alice’s journey, which culminates in a madcap encounter with the Queen of Hearts - and her army of playing cards!

Rating: 4.5/5

Comments: I'd love to see this movie again, on 3D!

The movie was great, but not really memorable. I guess I had high expectations; I mean, it is a Tim Burton movie, and with Johnny Depp as one of the main cast, who would expect less?

However, although they made radical changes from the original story, I loved the movie. And I abso-freakin-lutely love the cast - I'm a huge fan of Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp. Although I don't think Anne Hathaway fits the role of the White Queen - it just wasn't her.

I'm still hung up on the Red Queen's "Off with their heads!"

Oh, and the Cheshire Cat was just adorable. I'm no cat person, but I wouldn't mind having a pet cat that looks like that. :)

Couple's Retreat

Synopsis: Following failed attempts to conceive, Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) are close to getting a divorce. In an effort to save their marriage they book a vacation to a couples therapy retreat, called Eden. To save money they encourage their friends to join them, and claim that their friends can enjoy the party activities and not take part in the therapy. Reluctantly their friends, Dave (Vince Vaughn) and Ronnie (Malin Akerman), Joey (Jon Favreau) and Lucy (Kristen Davis), and recently divorced Shane (Faizon Love) and his girlfriend Trudy (Kali Hawk) agree. Upon their arrival to Eden they are sent to the west side of the island, by Sctanley (Peter Serafinowicz). Joey learns that the east side of the island hosts a singles resort, while the west is for couples, and couples are not permitted to travel to Eden East. During their first night Sctanley informs all four couples that they will all have to engage in the therapy or return home. After eating their meal the couples decided that they will attend the therapy so they can enjoy the other benefits the island offers. After their first therapy session all four couples learn they have problems with their relationships and even Ronnie and Dave, who thought they were fine, need the therapy. They endure the resort owner Marcel's (Jean Reno) odd methods, including swimming with sharks and yoga sessions with an amorous instructor Salvadore (Carlos Ponce). On the fourth night Trudy escapes to Eden East and the other seven, encouraged by Joey, leave to find her. Following an argument between Cynthia and Jason the group splits up. Cynthia, Lucy and Ronnie leave, and Joey, Dave, Jason and Shane continue to journey to Eden East. The women meet up with Salvadore and he takes them to Eden East, the men find Sctanley's hut and he threatens to report them to Marcel, until games salesmen Dave challenges him to a Guitar Hero duel. Dave beats Sctanley and he sends them off to Eden East. In Eden East Ronnie grows tired of drinking and meet Dave, who takes off to the waterfall. Joey sees Lucy with Salvadore and knocks him out, re-uniting with his wife. Cynthia and Jason share drinks and admit their problems. Shane runs in to his ex-wife, who admits she still loves him. All four couples return to Eden West. Marcel meets the couples, and seeing that they have worked out their problems frees them from the therapy and tells them to go jet skiing.

Rating: 3/5

Comments: I was bored halfway through the movie. Kudos to the setting, though. I love the beach - and I was practically drooling over the blue sea, the white sand, and the similar cottages all lined up. How I'd love to go to someplace like that.

a 5-day break from my monotonous life

I'm very much looking forward to my Mom's convention at Fontana this weekend. My life is nothing but boring these days; I spend most of my time at home watching DVDs and part-timing as a cashier at our pharmacy (with no pay, sucks). So far I've finished 10 seasons of Friends (how ya doin'?), 4 seasons of How I Met Your Mother (awesome!), 2 seasons of The Nanny (oooh Mr. Sheffield..), Season 2 of Private Practice (Dell is ♥). I'm currently going through 8 seasons of Charmed and 5 seasons of CSI: NY. Each day is just a mirror image of yesterday, except for a few times wehre I get to hang out with my friends.

I hate monotony, and I hate being idle, but really, I have no other choice. I can't keep going out, because I'm broke. My portable DVD player's my current bestfriend. That, and my iPod touch. Where would I be without them? I can't buy books, because as I've mentioned, I'm broke. So I also can't do the one thing I really love - read. I'm currently reading Sherlock Holmes through my iTouch - I found this free app at the iTunes store - but it's not the same as holding a book and flicking through the pages as you read.

So you can only imagine how excited I am about having a vacation. I just have to figure out how to commute from Fontana, Pampanga to Manila. I only know how to commute within Manila, outside of it, man, I'm doomed. But then, I'm sure there are lots of buses there, I'll just ride one that's going to the direction of Manila, right? I'll just think of it as an adventure.

I'm bunking in with my girl Anj while I'm there, coz I don't wanna stay with my aunt seeing as I'm still mad at her for what she did. I've always said to let bygones be bygones, and normally I don't hold grudges, but this is really a huge deal for me and I still can't find myself forgiving her.

Anyway, back to the topic. Gaia will also be staying over at Anj's, so it'll be a mini reunion for us 3. We haven't seen each other for months, and I miss those two! We'll spend the whole Sunday together. They both have work on Monday, so I'll just have to fend for myself then. Which is just fine.

Another thing to get excited about is that I'd finally get to meet Krissy this Monday (I hope)! We met in Sigaw some 3 or 4 years ago, and we've been good friends since, but we've never seen each other in person. We've made plans before, but somehow it didn't pan out. I'm hoping this time, it would.

I just can't wait :)