last friday night

Yeah, we didn't dance on table tops (there was very minimal dancing, though not on tables), we didn't take too many shots (just buckets of SanMig Lights & T.Ice), nobody kissed, nobody maxed their cards (coz we paid cash), and we didn't get kicked out of bars (but we kept the staff waiting for us to leave), no streaking, no skipping in the dark, certainly no menage-a-trois, and we most definitely didn't break the law.

But it was epic, nonetheless.

Last night was our high school Alma mater's Alumni Homecoming Night. It was hosted by Batch '62. Every year me and my classmates (whoever's here in Tacloban and is free) attend the homecoming. It's fun, we get a mini-reunion, we get to see our friends from other batches, and the clincher, free food. Who turns down free food? 

There were only 10 of us from our batch who attended, but though a bit few in number, we had tons of fun. We traded high school memories over dinner, while we were being serenaded by Keith Martin, Eva Poon, Pilita Corrales, and Kyla.

We couldn't care less about Keith, Eva, and Pilita (though the older generations seem to enjoy her), but when KYLA sang.. Oh, my God. She's even better live. My friend Shyn and I were totally acting like superfans (which we are, fans, that is.) I'm not that super fanatic, I mean, I don't own all her albums or know all her songs, but I can and do appreciate her music. She's one of my favorite local singers (and that's saying a lot coz I only like two Filipino singers - Kyla and Jed Madela).

It was funny, coz when she came down the stage during her performance, we both rushed to the front, with me grabbing my cousin Son's hand so he could be our photographer. We weren't able to get a picture with her performing, but that didn't stop us, though. After their last performance, and a pictorial session with the Batch '62, we rushed to the stage when we saw her coming down. And she was soooooo nice and accommodating, not to mention really, really pretty.

After, we went to Leyte Park but it was packed with people everywhere (mostly our schoolmates, who all intended to party the night away) so we ended up in SubZero instead. It was an awesome time full of laughter, stories, singing, drinking, & eating. Around 2AM, we felt that we've had enough drinking for the night so we all went to Calle Z for some late night early morning snack. We had bulalo to counteract all those drinking, and traded some more fun high school memories.

We all went home around 4AM, where I promptly fell asleep when I reached my bed. Now my story would have a happier ending if I got to sleep the day away, but my Dad woke me up around past 7 or so. He handed me his cellphone saying he couldn't send any texts, and asking me to figure out what was wrong. When I handed him back his phone 5 minutes later, I had every intention of going back to sleep, but he shattered my dream when he asked me to go to our store.

So here I am, playing cashier whilst typing furiously on my laptop. And I'm feeling kinda hungover, not from the alcohol since I never, and I mean NEVER, get hangovers (not once, even the time I got seriously wasted with my cousins). Yey me! But now I'm feeling it, because of being sleep-deprived. It sucks.

Not sucky enough to keep me from feeling elated about our night, though. It was all good fun. =)

Keith Martin doing his thing.

Kyla♥

 Forgive the grainy pic, I had to zoom in from the back of the gymnasium.

 Keith and Kyla did a duet of Because of You. ♥

 The night's performers.

I don't know what happened, it became grainy. This was a good close-up pic of Kyla.

She's so pretty. And nice, too. =)

The invitation and souvenirs.

congrats jin..

..Jojo will never disown you!

This is a shoutout to my dear friend Jin!

CONGRATULATIONS! You're now a Registered Nurse! =)

reminiscin' the years gone by

In my previous post, I mentioned that Multiply will say bye-bye to it's social networking part. So I went on a Multiply frenzy, I looked at past pictures, browsed at the things I've posted, and read my blog. It's gonna be hard to part with all those memories, but damn if I'm letting it all go. I'm trying to find a way to import my posts to Blogger, but just in case I can't, I saved up my favorite posts. Bittersweet and heartwarming memories, funny moments with friends.. These are forever etched in my heart, but I just want a written souvenir of my thoughts of those times.

Written in bold are the date and the title of the blog post, and those in italic are excerpts from the blog post itself. The ones in plain text after each post are just little "footnotes" I've added.

I'm gonna miss my Multiply site.

Jan. 21, 2007 | 2 years and counting..

January 22, 2007. That's our anniversary tomorrow..

We finally hit our two year mark.. But after three months or so, we broke up. =(

May 13, 2007 | Admitted.

Being admitted to the hospital wasn’t as scary as I first thought it would be. In fact, it was kinda fun.

I spent 3 days and 2 nights confined at Bethany Hospital. Why? Simple. Diarrhea. In all my 18 years of existence I’ve never been admitted to the hospital. And now, I did. Because of plain, old diarrhea.

It was much more than that, but still. Felt like just diarrhea to me. I actually had acute gastroenteritis with moderate dehydration and hypokalemia. Bouts of diarrhea and vomiting for four days or so, and I didn’t tell my Mom. By the time I finally realized I am too sick to pretend that I’m still awesome (high five, Barney!), I’m already dehydrated and my potassium level’s low. So my doctor admitted me.

May 15, 2007 | The significant other.

This blog is dedicated to Mr. Gonuts. He's a significant other (that's what I call the unknown). He's the spirit of the old man standing outside my hospital room.

Anyway, according to Jin, he died in 1929. I don't know if Bethany existed then, though. He died alone there. So yeah, he held grudges. But his anger seems to diminish over time. Every once in a while, he visits the place. Jin said she's not sure, but his name starts with R. Still, he'll always be Mr. Gonuts to me. I named him that because when Jin said that he was standing there, I was thinking of Gonuts Donuts.

He's nice, for a spirit. I'm usually scared of them, especially knowing they're right there. Jin knows this. I don't know why, but this was the first time that I haven't been scared. Matter of fact, I like him. He entered my room and used the CR there. I might be dreaming when I heard the door opened & closed, or when i heard the toilet flushing, but Jin said he must have entered my room.

Jin is my weird bestie. Weird, because she sees dead people. I kid you not. I love you, weirdo! =)

May 18, 2007 | Deep, confusing thoughts.

"You don't know what you've got till it's gone."

This is one of those clichés that I actually agree to. One can have everything one desires, yet still take them for granted. Not knowing, or better yet, not expecting that one day that thing will be gone. And that's the only time that one will realize the true worth of that thing. Sad.

But then, as I've said before, life is a constant process of holding on & letting go. Maybe it's time to let go of that thing and move on. Yet, what if the thing itself didn't even want to leave in the first place, but left with no choice? But what if, even if given the chance, that thing won't look back, won't go back to what it has left in the first place?

Now, relating to me, maybe I got tired of fixing something that was never meant to be fixed. Or maybe it was just waiting for the right place, the right time, and the right person to fix it? Whatever it is, I'm tired of holding on. So I let go. Under different circumstances, I would have cried buckets of tears. But I've learned to priorities things in the past few days. And I got to think a lot while I was in the hospital. Out of boredom, I must say, but it did me good. So yeah. I won’t trifle myself with trivial matters anymore.

The only thing permanent in this world is change. Change is inevitable. And that's what's happening to me now. A lot changed in these past few weeks. And I'm trying as hell to adapt.

“Maybe we started out from the wrong place.

Sometimes, it's not that things break down..

It's more that they were never quite right to begin with.”

So.. This was the first time I let public about my thoughts on our break up. Not that specific, but I always thought that it says it all. I was so bitter those days.

June 22, 2007 | No turning back..

Life is ironic..

Sometimes you keep on crying even if the guy neglects you.

But you get surprised one day just when you stopped crying and find someone new,

That's when he starts crying.. For losing you.

Just a quote, really. Still not moving on about the break up. I never did find someone new, though.

July 15, 2007 | Just a thought.

Why can't people just accept what has happened & face reality rather than hold on to what used to be?

One of life's bitter realities is that we have to accept the fact that not all things are meant to last forever. The only thing permanent in this world is change, so whether we like it or not, things are bound to change every once in a while.

Knowing that, why do we even let ourselves get attached w/ a person when we know that eventually the time will come that we'll have to separate w/ them?< I'm not being cynical; I know that there are some things that last – provided that it's the right place & the right time. It's just that, we put too much, we give too much, to the point that we're giving away a piece of ourselves before we even realize it. Then, in a flash, it's all gone. & we're left feeling incomplete, because a part of us was taken away by the person whom we gave our all.

Damn. Did I really write all those stuff?

July 25, 2007 | The essence of a woman.

I saw a mother give birth this afternoon..

The first time a saw a delivery. Damn. Must’ve hurt. I remember it changed my mind about getting pregnant early.

December 6, 2007 | Drama? Haha.

Kung nakaya ko, kaya mo rin.. Naalala mo nung ako ang nanjan?

Oh eh, di ba't kaw pa nagsabi sakin na baka kaya tayo iniwan ng taong mahal natin kasi..

Baka merong bagong darating na mas ok.. Na mas mamahalin tayo.. Ung taong di tayo sasaktan at paaasahin..

Ung nagiisang tao na magtatama ng mali sa buhay natin.. Ng lahat ng mali sa buhay mo..

-Popoy (One More Chance)

Watched One More Chance with friends a month before that post. I don’t even know why I posted that quote, but I’ve always love it.

January 10, 2008 | In loving memory of Rico.

Born: October 27, 1999

Died: January 10, 2008

Our dog died that day. Sad.

Rico, wearing my nephew's old shirt. I've painted this for him.

May 29, 2008 | Janelle’s gonna kill me for this..

..But it would be such a shame I if don't post this!

She said: "I don't want to marry an obstetrician, because what if they get tired looking at *censored*? I don't want him to get tired looking at it!"

I do love talking with Janz. She’s got the weirdest ideas, ever.

November 8, 2008 | Rainy days..

..Are all about:

Drinking a warm cup of coffee..

Wearing cool rainy weather outfits..

Having a good sleep..

Chilling at home while listening to love songs..

Missing someone.. c:

I do love rainy days. Especially if you have someone to cuddle with. =)

January 8, 2009 | Wasted.

Anyway, I painted part of my room this afternoon. My room's currently under renovation, as I'm adding bookshelves and cabinets.

Why do people do drugs anyway? They can just inhale paint and get on with it.

I'm experiencing paint-induced euphoria. I feel so wasted. It's like I've drank gallons of tequila. I feel great!

God I remember this. I was so high that day! I felt like I was floating.

September 22, 2009 | RIP Chelsea =(

Born: August 12, 2009

Died: September 22, 2009

This is the last post I made.

My Reina got pregnant for the first time.. And gave birth to 6 puppies. My friend Cha was gonna buy one of them, and named her Chelsea. Sadly our big dog Rixia bit her (she’s a bit territorial about food), and she died that same night from a head wound. That puppy died in my arms and I cried the whole night.

Month-old Chelsea. Doesn't she look adorable?

so..

..I've been feeling way too lazy to update my blog. It sucks not to have your own internet connection. I miss the DSL we had back when I was still living at home. In Cebu, I had to rely on a Globe Tattoo USB Plug-it, and using my mobile phone while mooching the WiFi at our school. I do bring my laptop to school sometimes, but me being lazy, I'd rather leave it at home than lug it around.

Anyway, we just finished our individual project - a three-tier wedding cake. And we have a whole week free, so I opted to come home to Tacloban. I've been here since last Saturday.

I watched The Dark Knight Rises with Lex and Hans last Monday. I just had to blog about this because call me loser but IT'S MY FIRST EVER BATMAN MOVIE! Yes, out of all the Batman movies, this is the first time I've watched one. Oh, and if I'm gonna be bragging sharing my loserness to everyone, I think it's time for me to confess that I haven't seen any Superman and Spiderman movies, either.

Going back to The Dark Knight Rises, I didn't expect to enjoy the movie, but I did. And I swore to myself that I'll watch the first two movies (yes, only two, coz I'm only watching the ones with Christian Bale) because there were some a lot of parts I didn't understand. It's amazing how a lot of the Inception cast are in the movie, though.

What else did I do?

Oh, I had dinner with Janz at Uncle Sam's last night. After eating, we drove around downtown for a while, before finally stopping in front of the Capitol. Janz wanted her picture taken, but funny, when we got there, I didn't take any pictures of her. We just stood there, looking around, pointing, and talking. At some point, we started singing Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand's Tell Him before realizing that A) we're singing way too loud, and B) it's OK to be crazy with a group of friends, but it looks stupid if it's only the two of us. So we went home, but not before fooling around with her BumbleBlue's (yes Janz, I'm calling your car BumbleBlue just because I think Oppie's already overused) GPS.

As for today, I spent most of my afternoon glued to my laptop. While working as our store's cashier, I decided to pass time by looking at Ellen's videos on Youtube. It was an entertaining afternoon.

I want to end this blog with prayers for my relatives, friends, and virtually everyone affected by the floods in NCR. Keep safe, and have faith. God does not forsake His own people.

Titanic 3D

84 years later, a 101-year-old woman named Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story to her granddaughter Lizzy Calvert, Brock Lovett, Lewis Bodine, Bobby Buell and Anatoly Mikailavich on the Keldysh about her life set in April 10th 1912, on a ship called Titanic when young Rose boards the departing ship with the upper-class passengers and her mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater, and her fiancé, Caledon Hockley. Meanwhile, a drifter and artist named Jack Dawson and his best friend Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets to the ship in a game. And she explains the whole story from departure until the death of Titanic on its first and last voyage April 15th, 1912 at 2:20 in the morning.

One of my all-time favorite movies, I've watched Titanic lots of times, and yet it never gets old. I was so excited to watch it in 3D. So much, that Jin and I set a date months ago. We wanted to see if the 3D version would make us feel as if we're sinking with the Titanic, too.

What was supposed to be a simple movie date turned out to be so much more. More craziness and laughter, that is. We wouldn't stop singing Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. And when Jojo bought the tickets, he asked the saleslady "5 tickets for Near, Far, Wherever You Are." The look on the saleslady's face was so funny, we couldn't stop laughing.

Normally, I don't watch movies in 3D. Not only is it more expensive, it makes my head hurt. But I liked how they turned the movie into 3D. Simple, and not overly done.

This may be the Titanic's most famous scene..

But this.. This will always be my favorite.

it's good to be home

I just got home a couple days ago for the Lenten season. It's the time to bond with the family and to catch up with friends. I've been going out with my high school loves these past two days, and it's all fun!

Last Saturday, I watched Wrath of the Titans with Lex, Hans, and Kim. It wasn't bad, but they have lots to learn about basic Greek mythology. Hephaestus was supposed to be scarred and ugly, right? And it wasn't him who built the Labyrinth, it was Daedalus. Blah blah. I could go on. But anyway, all in all it was a good movie. Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike) just gets prettier and prettier. And it took me a while to figure out why Hades (Ralph Fiennes) looks so familiar. From The Dark Lord to Lord of the Underworld. Lord Voldemort just looks so different with his nose intact.

After the movie we met up with Lea, Diane, Gretchen and my cousin June. We went to Leyte Park. Margaritas. T Ice. GPS. RH. Drinks all around. And, food, of course. It was a night of good fun and way too much laughter. It's nice to be with people who've known you for more than a decade, who've seen you through your best and, sometimes, worst, moments, and yet still loves you. It's a bond that hasn't been, and never will be, broken.

We all went home around 3am. More than tipsy but not drunk, our tummies full, worn out with laughter, and just plain happy.

Yesterday, we attended my niece/goddaughter's first birthday. Good food, good friends, good fun. We joined in the games, and it was so funny! We went to Rob after, where we stayed at Bo's for a while before playing Bingo. Harmless fun, but sadly, we just lost money. Rotten luck. We were supposed to watch The Hunger Games, but since we didn't really want to watch it, we decided to stay and play.

Went to Manang's BBQ afterwards, then to Wyomie's. Hans and Lex went home first, so it was just me, Lea, June, Son, Kim and Chen. Lea, June and Kim played billiards while Chen, Son and I had a heart-to-heart talk. =) I got home around 12 midnight. I'm just so tired after two days of endless parties.

I'll end this post with two pictures. The first one is our (Lex and mine) birthday gift to Kaylee. Rumbles. Yummy =) The second one is what made my luggage home a bit heavier than it should have been. Went crazy at Booksale and bought 13 books. A couple of them aren't in the picture, though.

Rumbles. Numnums. =)

I switched to an e-Reader because it's cheaper, but every once in a while, I'd still go back to my first love, real books. <3

late christmas party post

We had our Christmas party last December 16. It was the first time I attended a school party where the students did the table arrangement and skirting (our batch did this), cooked the food and made the desserts (done by the higher batches).

I got there early, around 5PM, and four of my batchmates were already there. Since we were early, we decided to go to the convenience store across the street to get a few drinks. The girls got T. Ice, while the boys went for Red Horse.

Ienne consumed three bottles, and Cheng and I finished two. But among the three of us, I was the only one who kept eating the chips, so the alcohol didn't have any effect on me. Wish I could say the same for both of them, though. It was funny, coz they got tipsy, and by the time we got to school, we were laughing so hard and they were starting to get noisy.

The party itself was fun. We got games, programs, food, booze, raffles, and gifts. Our batch bonded with the other batches, and we made new friends along the way.

Then there's the "tradition" that was saved for last. I don't know how that started, but it's always done to the new batches every acquaintance party. We were blindfolded and made to go around the school in a line, then we were led to one of the classrooms where we were told to squat or sit on the floor. Oh, the anticipation. After a short, or long (depends on how you perceive it, blindfolded and all), wait, we were drenched in a mixture of oil, water, flour, and eggs.

It's all good fun, but you can imagine the shock we got. The water was cold, and the oil made the floor (which was covered in garbage bags, by the way) slippery that some of us had a hard time getting up without help.

We were told to bring extra clothes for that, but nobody said anything about underwear. We expected getting wet, but we weren't expecting to be soaked. So yes. We went home with wet undies. Not to mention with chunks of flour on our hair, as a quick shower didn't do anything much.

Still, despite getting wet, having stinking hair and being unable to remove the flour chunks, we did have fun. Even though I still wasn't able to get rid of the flour-egg-oil-water-mixture smell from my shirt no matter how many times I washed it.

I cant wait to see my batchmates next year, when we return from our Christmas break.

I wish I had the complete list for the foods, but I don't know where our copy of the menu went.

on shopping, attending mass, and going home..

The other night, my high school barkada, Tif, and I went to SM. There was a humongous Converse sale going on at the Megatrade Hall, and we, along with throngs of people, were there with hopes of buying original Converse stuffs at the lowest prices.

It's like a big warehouse of Converse stuff.

The line at the counter.

There were a lot of people, and the lines were long. But we managed. And we both survived, with me buying two skirts, the kind with shorts underneath, and Tif sporting a pair of shorts. I got both for only 350 pesos. What up.

There were these pair of high-cut Chucks that I really wanted, but I couldn't find one in my size. Guess it wasn't for me. Fate is trying to tell me something. "Girl, you got two pairs of CTs already, why you need another one?"

What I bought.

And speaking of people gathering, I attended the first day of the 9-day novena to celebrate the coming of our Christ, more commonly called the Misa de Gallo. This is my fifth year of attending, and like the past four years, I hoped to complete this one, too.

It never fails to amaze me how many people would get up early in the morning, before the break of dawn, to attend Mass. The Mass was conducted in Bisaya, and I didn't really understood much of the First Reading, and the Gospel, but I'm glad Father said his Homily in English.

So many people attended, the church couldn't accommodate all the people.

It was a good one, too. Basically, what he was trying to tell us is that we should see the good in people, in thing, instead of always focusing on the bad. If we see the good, then change could happen, and peace may be within our reach.

It was short, succinct, and heartwarmingly satisfying. He got to the point. I don't like priests who go on and on and on without ever coming to what he really is trying to say. And I appreciate those who can deliver a good message without it becoming a 2-hour sermon.

On a much more lighter note, yesterday was our last day of school. And after class, we did arranged the buffet tables and did the skirting for our Acquaintance/Christmas Party tonight. We had a little bit of conflict with the other batch, and we don't really like some of them. They might think they can walk all over us because they're ahead, but we won't let them. We're tough. But what the hell. It's Christmas. Goodwill to men, and all that shit.

I'll be going home to Tacloban on Sunday, and I can't wait. =)

Shoutout to my good friend Jin, who's taking the board exam this week. Good luck, and may God be with you.

This is the face of the next board topnotcher. =)

i survived my first week

"The only way to master this is to answer more problems. So, I'm going to give you more problems."

-Chef Nick

Then he hands out papers. And everybody in class groans.

That's the thing about schools. No matter if you're elementary, high school, college, graduate school, or even in culinary school, homework and assignments are something to be groaned about. And, when Chef told us that he was gonna postpone our exam, everybody pumped their fists and said, "Yes!" School will be school, and students, no matter how old, will be students.

I love our school. We get free WiFi access, the bathrooms are clean (and they always have tissue paper), we can get water from the dispenser for free, and our classroom is air-conditioned (to the point where we all complain about the room being too cold). Of course, for the price we are paying, I'd say that we all deserve the best, don't you think?

I can't say the same for our current subject, though. Everything starts from the basics; and that's what we're doing right now. Math. Oh, I like Math, but now I'm rethinking it. Seeing all the numbers make me dizzy, and I'm starting to question myself if being a Pastry Chef is worth going through all these (yes, it is!).

So, Culinary Mathematics. We started with conversions, which is easy enough. And then we moved on to product costing, which made my hurt pound, but is fairly tolerable. But then there's the horror of recipe costing. and I don't know if I could take some more. At least our classes are over for the weekend. And thank God Chef Nick didn't give us any more assignments, like he did for the past 3 days.

Another thing about school that I just remembered, is how the students would go tho class early for the purpose of copying another classmate's homework. Not that we did any copying. But we did go in early, compared our answers, cheered when we got the same, then debated on who is right or wrong whenever the answers differ.

And I've made friends. Not the let's-hang-out-and-be-BFFs-together kind, though. Just the come-on-let's-sit-together kind. We still have more time to bond later on.

Oh, and speaking of friends, this shoutout goes to one of my BFFs, Janelle (I don't know why I keep putting her link, it's not as if she updates her blog, LOL). It's her 19th birthday today!

I miss you loads! =)

high school never ends

My high school Alma Mater recently celebrated it's 90th founding anniversary, and alumni from all over came home to attend the celebration. So it's a given that some of my high school classmates, the ones who aren't here, all came home for a vacation.

We are a close batch, and we know almost all our school mates. In a school where every level only has one section, with 30-40 students per level, it's hard to keep your distance. And most of my classmates, we've been together since our Nursery/Kinder days, up until we've graduated high school. I've heard of schools where the sections range from 2 sections up to around 20 or so, but I've never experienced it. That's why when I went to college, I think I was a bit culture shocked over the number of students in our year.

This past week, I've been doing nothing but hanging out with my best buds in high school, having a lot of catching up to do. It's like we're compensating for the time we weren't together. I mean, it's really hard to get together when we've all got separate lives, what with work, school, and raising children. So we make do with whatever time we have, and make the most of it.

It's been fun, really fun. We ate out, hang at each other's houses, went on gimiks, watch DVDs, sang videoke, went wall-climbing, got drunk.

Yes, for the first time in my entire life, I got really drunk. I'm not much of a drunker. Usually, when I'm with friends, I just drink one bottle or one to two shots of whatever it is they're drinking (except beer; I can't stand the smell of beer). Enough to get them off my back for not drinking. But this time, OMG, I still can't believe we all got drunk in the middle of the afternoon. We were at my couz June's house, and we were doing videoke. Not good, I might add. Somehow when God gave out talents, we were sleeping or something, coz we never got them. That was also the day Pedring was wreaking havoc over Luzon, so.. =D

Anyway, my couz bought two bottles of The Bar, and although we keep telling her how strong it is, she kept saying it's OK. We told her to mix it with something, and while she mixed it with juice, it was still potent enough to scramble our brains, which is what happened.

Gos, we were so funny. Not that I remember much, the details are all fuzzy. I do remember Lei sprawled on the floor, June & I hacking each other's FB and laughing so hard I thought I'd stop breathing and die, and Shyn saying some thing and laughing with us. I remember belting out Like A Virgin, and Shyn singing sad love songs in tribute to her love life. I remember Lei singing Beer, and all of us singing along to the first line: "Nais kong magpakalasing.." I remember June choosing a song called Radio Ga Ga, and singing it but not really knowing the song, she ended up reading and rapping it, with the three of us clutching our tummies and laughing so hard.

It was a really crazy afternoon. We started drinking around 3, and around past 5 we were already bordering the thin line between tipsy and drunk.I don't even remember how we managed to go up the stairs to June's room that night. One minute we were singing downstairs, the next minute we were all up and lying down on her bed, fighting nausea and trying to make it to the bathroom to puke. Not our finest moment, for sure.

We laid in bed, and tried to sleep it off for a while. Then June did her nail art stuff, and gave us pretty nails. We then tried to shake off the lingering effects of our alcohol intoxication by talking about stuffs - love live, sex life, high school life, the future. Then Lei, Shyn and I went home around 11.

I've got the Panda nails =)

I woke up with a killer hangover the next day, and I told myself that would be the only time I'm ever gonna get drunk, but hey, I don't make promises I can't keep. My friend Jin is hell-bent on getting me drunk before I'm married, not that I'm getting married soon.

But despite all the nausea, the puking, the numbness, the hangover, I'd never trade that night for any other. ♥

the queen city of the south

Cebu is just a 30-minute plane ride, a 4-hour van/fast craft ride, or a 6-hour van/slow boat ride from Tacloban, you'd think I'd be going there as frequent as I can, but no. I live so close to Cebu, but I've only been there a handful of times, and the first time I did, I was in second-year high school already.

I remember feeling a bit burned out in my last year of college that I begged my Mom for a short trip, just a change of environment to settle me down, and we went to Cebu for a bit of downtime, and a lot of shopping. And sometime during February last year, I accompanied my Dad for a conference, and I caught up with friends while he attended it. That was the time my Dad bought me an iPod Touch, as a gift for me for passing the Nursing Licensure Exam.

My longest stay in Cebu, though, was during my third year in college, when we affiliated at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center for our Psych duty. Now, that was fun! I love my patient. He was a schizophrenic, but he was fun to talk to in his lucid days.

Anyway, the reason I'm rambling about Cebu was because I just had a mini-vacation there. My main reason for going was because I wanted to see the culinary school I was setting my sights into, and I had some inquiries. Of course, seeing my friends and doing some shopping are added bonuses. I also got to meet my Mom's BFF and my former yaya, Ate Memie, along with his son Michael.

French fries break with Jen, Ate M, and Michael =)

Jenny and I arrived at Cebu on the 2nd of September, and Jojo joined us on the 5th. It was a fun-filled week, and we got to do a little bit of shopping. I got myself a pair of shoes, 3 shirts, a pair of shorts, an Angry Birds keychain, and a pair of Angry Birds flip-flops. Usually I'd take a picture and post them, but this time, I kinda forgot, and I don't want to postpone this blog post any longer, so never mind the pictures.

My new pair of comfy flats ♥

I got BF these, though. He's not much of an HP fan, but I am.
And they don't have female sizes of the shirt, so if I can't wear it, then I'd rather he did. =)

While waiting for Jojo to finish fitting his choice of shirts.

Jojo and Jin watched Zombadings: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington, and while they did, I walked around the mall, and bought the things my Mom asked me to. I didn't watch, because I seldom watch Filipino movies at the cinema (yes, I know, I don't support the Filipino movie industry, blah blah blah). After all that walking, I decided to have a bit of rest, so I went in search of my favorite FroYo store, The White Hat. And that was where they caught up to me after the movie.

Pizza Hut for dinner that night. Lasagna and mozzarella sticks. Yum ♥

And this is completely off-topic, but I just have to remember the time I bonded with my Sigaw Sisters Krissy, Kaiye, and Grace at The White Hat. Those were good times.

When are we doing this again? ♥

What we did in Cebu are all random,and I don't think I'll be writing down everything the happened. Those were the highlights. I know I had fun, my friends had fun, and that's all that matters.

I'll end it with this, though: Jin and I finally got over our Teriyaki Boy cravings!

Chicken Teriyaki ♥

Jen lost her space to Cookie Monster!

At the airport. Our last meal together before we went separate ways. Me to Tacloban, Jen to Manila.

funsucker.

Bitch.

Gawd, I love being with friends.

Bitch is like a term of endearment. Bitch is the new red.

hello, 2011 =)

2010 was a good year for me. It has its ups and downs, but all in all, it was an awesome year.

It was the year when I passed the Nursing board exam, the year when the Bf and I got back together, when my Dad bought me an iPod Touch, when I first met Sigaw sisters Krissy and Ate Cess way back in March, and then met Kaiye and Grace later on with Krissy, when I first went to Palawan, when I trained and got my IV license, when I enrolled at PHC's Critical Care Course and met new people who eventually became friends, and the year when HP 7.1 was shown.

Of course, 2010 wasn't all butterflies and rainbows. There were moments when it felt like it was the lowest point of my life, such as the time when I felt like everyone save for my Mom is sabotaging my plans to study Medicine. It was during those days when I'd be crying on either my Mom or my Bf, wailing about how people in my family can't mind their own business and how unfair life can be.

But I got over it, and although there were times when I'd really resent my Aunt for all her meddling, I was finally able to let things go. It was mostly due to Crit, for it was then that I realized that I really enjoy being a nurse. And as cliched as this might sound, it also gives me simple pleasures to be able to help other people. Yes, it's a job and we get paid, but being paid does not lessen the service we give to others as nurses. Hello, nurses are all overworked and underpaid here in the Philippines, but there are still a number of us serving here, mainly because we live to serve.

My Mom stood by me in everything; she listened to my incessant rants, and comforted me when I thought everyone was against me. Of course, my Bf and my friends were all very understanding and helpful, and without them, I don't think I'd be able to get through all those things.

2010 was a blast, hopefully 2011 will be better.

Happy New Year everyone! 1.1.11 ♥

the big day

It's been a tradition for me and my fellow Dementeds (plus a few other people we've included as part of the group by default) to watch Harry Potter movies on it's first day of showing together. It started during the fifth movie, so this'll be the third time we're doing this.

We're all die-hard HP fans (hence the name Demented Eaters, taken from the Death Eaters, because we are a bit demented, and we all like to eat), and watching HP movies is 10x more the fun with them. I remember the time we watched OotP, it was like we owned the moviehouse, we kept cheering on the characters (especially Neville) during the scene at the Ministry. It was helluva fun.

And now.. It's time for another one! The second to the last one. I'll be sad when the last installment of the HP series is shown next year, the same way I got sad when the last HP book was released. Looking forward to more HP has always been a part of me, and it'll still be, for the last time next year. Then I'll just re-read the books, and watch the movies all over again.

I can't believe it's been 13 years since the first book was released, and 10 years since the first movie was shown. It's also been 3 years since the last book (sob, sob) was out, and I hope J.K. Rowling have more Harry Potter stories up her sleeve. I, for one, am not ready to say goodbye to Harry and the gang forever.

Too bad Bellatrix died, though. She remains to be my favorite Death Eater. ^^

The long wait is over..

This is it! ^^

Can't wait to see the Death Eaters!
(Yes, I've crossed over to the Dark Side)

My Favorite Death Eater, Bellatrix ^^

Voldy leads the pack =P