...

being KESO this v- day

2008-02-14T02:59:00.000-08:00

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY SPELL THE V-DAY! VALENTINES' OR VALENTINE'S?
sorry grammar freaks. it's the latter isn't it? since it's St. Valentine's day right? haha. whatever. Since I'm not going on a date, my dad gave me chocolates, I had lunch with UP friends, having a candlelit dinner with family in a bit AND i'm writing about my beloved barkada!!!!! LOVELY. :-))

my barkada. we're all very different. i don't even understand why we're all friends.haha, just kidding! We created an analogy long ago. We said the table in the canteen where we used to eat almost everyday in Grade school represented us as a barkada. Each one would be all over the place during the lunch time. Some were in council, some were grabbing food from other people, studying, doing varsity stuff, etc, but we all knew we could back to THE TABLE and find friends there. That's what my barkada's like. The canteen is now a bigger world (spanning the distance among several colleges and even across continents! haha), but the so-called table, I believe, exists. ;-p

JMA WEEK 2008

2008-02-14T02:48:00.000-08:00

Good job Week! Let the Gold Times Roll! :-)
pics of my beloved PC's, Pakain, Scav Hunt - (Go pub!) and the team at Culmi night :-)

Gallery pics coming sooooon :-)

in the beginning...

2007-10-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

in the beginning, there was boredom...

and from that sprung the universe.

what else will boredom create this sembreak? :-)

2007-10-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

hands busy in the air

mooncake festival

2007-10-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

Another fun, fun Grub Club dinner. Always unique and gastronomically satisfying, this one included the Mooncake game! the festival is an old Chinese tradition. The game was invented by a general who felt sorry for his soldiers who couldn't go home for the festival. Now, imagine a noisy bunch of slightly tipsy & majorly full people of different ages playing for prizes of about 100 hopias. hahaha, grub club!!!!

2007-03-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

Papa: "Our babies are getting bigger! Soon they'll be bigger than us"
Mama: "Oo nga. Tingnan mo (points at my sister on the bed)"
Mia: *stands up on top of the bed, spreads her arms and shouts

"RAR!!!"

nyahaha. weirdo.

me: (quietly) bigger than my dad? whoa. i sure hope not. hahaha, just kidding

2007-03-06T02:05:00.000-08:00

my family had an interesting discussion about a question.

how did people cut their nails before nailcutters were invented??

wet feet

2007-03-02T03:16:00.000-08:00

when my ears hear one sound of air
listening a small space apart
to stories of the past that mold
to melody
and words i sing
of my memory
of wet feet that didn't tremble at all
and the walk up that was worth the sit
and the reason i gave up the stick
and you held it,
i think.
now this.
this chance.
it challenged my growth,
confused listen and talk
and I read
I read the map the way I don't walk
and they dried!
why?
now i speak and i've looked through to the end
once again and
yet, now this..
is a part of the way?
not,
not the shot with the backdrop in front?
not the same song in my head or the stones?
not dirty?
then no!
I know!
I need to jump into the river and splash
and run.

2007-02-20T01:55:00.000-08:00

STRAGOL.

cos one thing makes it fun and difficult at the same time...

stragol.

indeed.

sweeeet.

2007-02-06T22:32:00.000-08:00

ariiiiight! it works!

haha, now the random pics really look random! i was just testing!

so anyway... those are UP friends and barkada! ;-)

random pics

2007-02-06T22:27:00.000-08:00

finally! i hope this works! if it does, ill test my multiply and see if i'm very very lucky today.

.

2007-02-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

when i gazed at the river, i realized that i'm so tiny in this huge wonderful universe i haven't even fully explored, but as i rode the bangka against the flow of the fast running water from the famous falls, i accepted the challenge of truly becoming one small piece that makes up the huge whole.

NOT written by me.

2007-02-05T02:26:00.000-08:00

i'm gona copy those blog entries full of messages to anonymous people :-)

1. i don't understand why you can't handle talking about things. it's tiring, yeah, and we might fight, but this is soo much more exhausting, and we might just lose what has been so great already.

2. honestly, i just want the best for you now, but i'm kinda seeing other sides of you at this point, too. i don't know if things will change. i sure hope not.

3. i'm so glad i met you! you're one of the best friends ever! loveya! hahaha.

4. hey, i'm worried about you. just want you to know that although i don't really know how to help or be supportive, i'm just here, okay? we'll get through it all. ofcourse, we're the best! hehe. huuug.

5. i really admire you. you make me smile in so many ways. sometimes i wish you knew.

6. i regret so many things. like i never took even just the 2nd step for you. i was afraid to be open despite everything you did. i don't know if i should say sorry. if it'll be better. hope this'll be fine for now, and someday i'll be ready.

HAHAHAHAHA. WHOA! this is soooo NOT ME. hahaha, EEEW.
dear self, you're gross! ;-) anyway, maybe it's 2 of these numbers that made me write this. guess which!
this sucks.
anyway....

sona

2006-07-24T02:11:00.001-07:00

SONA = SO, aNA... haha. today is SONA day, so I'm pausing my life and taking time to talk to myself. :-)

So, Ana...

Well,

SONA day today.
no class.
rain.

my kuya's windshield was smashed by a fallen tree branch.

have to finish a project with my groupmates - half of them don't have daily internet access. probably 2 will reply if i text them.
and i only know the names of 3. This is a very accurate small scale simulation of how my college life is going so far. :-) knowing them, though, they'll figure out something. and we'll have so many brilliant bbt contrasting ideas when we
meet that it will be difficult to agree on something because a very lively and straightforward discussion will occur.
"My gosh" indeed.

i got a flat tire last saturday. and i was alone with my sister who can't drive yet!

Dear you, i'm glad you're so alive, but have you got no commitment for Anything?

coffee icecream on a warm happy brownie on a cold day makes me happy.. VERY happy.

We're having a Japanese "sister" again on Friday! for 2 weeks only, though. Woohoo! Her name's Natsuko. And her hobbies
are ... "eating sweets and watching stages!" wahahaha. i LOVE it! I think we're going to enjoy her. *wink* just
kidding!! i really truly love Mai and Lee, our former exchange students and also Nari, my host brother. i promise!

what if i were israeli?

what if i studied elsewhere?

I need my real friends.

i miss tennis.

giving a talk at AC was very fulfilling. i feel re-charged with true SCBA passion.
"You are the Rock that makes a ripple. Let's all make the wave!"

my parents are lying in bed watching a crazy movie with naked dancing women and old rich people arguing.

2006-06-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Raina... so now I am FORCED to update this blog of mine.

The first player of this game starts with the "6 weird things/habits about yourself" and people who get tagged need to write a blog of their 6 weird habits/things, as well as state this rule clearly.. in the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names... (Source: )

First of all, my right cheek is swollen right now because I had my impacted molars removed. I look deformed! but I'm enjoying the ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner ;) but fine, that doesn't count because my deformity is NOT a permanent thing. :)

1. I love randomness and making friends with random people. My favorites are village guards and Starbucks personnel .

2. I start a lot of books, but I don't finish most of them. (like Joey and Raina) I also get sooo into certain hobbies, then I just
stop.

3. I hate it when people sing along to movies and plays, nut I find myself doing it also. Singing with really good singers (like
those in movies, plays or even in Mass choirs) makes me feel like I'm good, too.

4. The reason why I hardly wear contacts is I usually spend over an hour trying to remove them! So I prefer my dorky glasses
most of the time.

5. I love museums. and giraffes. and the smell of newly turned on aircon.

6. I have an obsession with taking pictures of McDonald's in other countries, and I bring home odd things like Mcdo ketchup
with foreign writing, rocks and strange musical instruments :D

I just finished that, and now I don't know who to tag! I have no blogging friends! waha...loser!
hmm...here goes:

I tag---> Pao, Kim, Fonz, Maggie, Phillip, Therese

haha! there! meron naman pala..
randomness makes life great!
go guys! do it!

life as a teacher

2006-05-16T03:53:00.000-07:00

On the board... "Ana eats a cat"
I had to pause and laugh (inwardly of course because I still had to maintain my 'teacher poise' ). Then, I didn't know what to say! kasi i couldn't correct it naman! it was grammatically correct!!

The kids are Prem and ...urm, i cannot believe i already forgot her name! anyway, these two should be the new models of Kodak digi cams. They have about 50 pictures in my camera. They were so amazed! we just kept taking pictures because we couldn't really use any words aside from "hello.what is your name? and where do you live?"

some of my thailand pics

2006-05-15T01:02:00.000-07:00

Thabom

2006-05-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

I was sent to teach English to Thai kids. Our class became about the interconnection of lives.

We lived in the house of three wonderful Assumption sisters: Sister Deanna- a strong and determined woman who has lived in Thailand for 25 years. She now heads the school there, and she does it amazingly. The students and teachers seem to look up to her, but they also know that she is approachable and genuinely concerned. Sister Myrna- a free-spirited nun who brings joy to the people around her. We immediately felt at home because of her openness and fun-loving attitude. Our daily prayers together were filled with her angelic songs of praise to God, and our meals were filled with her endless stories and laughter. Sister Catalina- a simple and sweet lady. She has embraced the mission of filling everyone with her delicious cooking. She is constantly peeling fruits, marinating food for the next day and preparing all kinds of yummy treats. She has also been there since the beginning of Assumption's Thailand mission, and her humble and true service to others is an inspiration to me.

The Assumption house is located in Thabom, a simple village 3 hours away from the Udon Thani airport. During a walk around the streets of Thabom, we met some interesting people who gave us a working idea about the life and culture in ???? Thailand. There was a hardworking man who showed us the basket he was making for cooking sticky rice, which is eaten with Thai dishes. We also met a nice mother with her 2 children who kept bowing to us and muttering "Sawasdee ka" shyly. We saw a bunch of boys playing football who kept glancing and trying to get our attention as we passed. Perhaps it's because foreigners in their area is always interesting.

Anyway, the teaching experience began as such a challenge. We didn't really have full understanding about their English proficiency level, so when hey stared at us blankly as we tried explaining the rules of the games we prepared, I felt a bit thrown off balance. We had to improvise on the spot when the language barrier would come in the way. We made tons of little skits to explain word meanings. We acted out the word “nice” by hugging each other, the word “race” by having an instant one right there, and the word “determined” by trying several different but equally embarrassing scenes until they finally grasped the meaning.

During our mini graduation, though, I felt so proud as the younger kids introduced themselves by saying their name, age and hobbies. They also sang a cute song that made us all as proud as parents. The older kids read out short essays that they wrote about themselves and also sang a beautiful song. We gave them their diplomas with pride as they said “thank you” in perfect English, and we handed them bracelets from the Philippines also with a similar feeling of pride.

After our Thabom experience, we had 4 days of shopping and temple visits in Bangkok, and now I’m home. I’m back with even greater appreciation for the people around me because I’ve shared the gift of friendship with people I can’t even communicate verbally with! I’ve also gained a deeper sense of gratitude for learning because I’ve witnessed the value of knowing how to communicate, how to deal with people and how to survive independently in unknown territory. I’ve experienced once more the joy of service, and I know that I will always treasure and seek for moments like this when I feel the ultimate power of love within my soul and to all around the universe.

BORACAY! more pics

2006-04-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

just realized that i don't have a lot of pictures! super limited lang! most are defocused and badly framed candid ones pa! grrrr... oh well, here are some of them.
i will write about it all soon because i have to go now. don't have much time!

:-)

2006-04-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

BORACAY!!!!

B.L.A.H. : a Bery Long entry About Hanything (forgive me. I'm proud of myself because I finally have a blog. Excited lang ako :-)

2006-04-15T00:53:00.002-07:00

summer. summer. summer.

art. clothes. books. sleep. tsinelas. tennis. clean up. Seattle. New York. LA. Chicago. Jersey. Vegas. etc. volunteer. cousins. Japanese.camp. YFC. SCBA Leadership training. music. liga. villagers. movie marathons.
new people. old people. barkada. family.
beach. drink. adventures. Jesus Christ Superstar. review. Flores de Mayo. shopping. girls' days out. tie dye. buko. ice candy. shakes. beads. toys. randomness.
bike. jog. gym. yayas. fort. swing. see saw. duyan. experiments. cooking. laughing time. Israel. Jordan. movies. Singapore. Malaysia. spontaneous things.
pool. Hong Kong.garden. Holy Week. Bisita Iglesia. Pabasa. Easter.
spontaneity. Punta Fuego. Puerto Asul. Boracay. Cebu. Sagada. Banaue. Camiguin. Bohol.etc.
swimming. Once On This Island. Laguna. guitar lessons. Rep workshops.
Baguio. ballet. Broadway. art class. cooking.
Shang. ATC. BF. Makati. driving. park.

The past few weeks of summer has been sooo wonderful. It's been so full of things to do though. Now, finally, I have the chance to stop and actually experience a bit of summer bumming for a few days. That's why I started this blog! haha. Nothingness inspires creation, I guess. Boredom can actually encourage creativity.

Anyway, after slowing down for a couple of days, I now have the urge to plan how to maximize the rest of this season. I just can't waste too much time. Gotta find a way to "live bestly" (nyahahaah corny)!

so....

the rest of 2006 summer plans:
april 17-23 Boracay
april 27-may 9 Thailand - to teach English to students in the province there! not to shop...haha
may 10 Freshmen orientation
may 1, 7, 14, 21, 28 Flores?
may 12-14 YFC camp
may 17 clean up day!
june 9-11 Days Weekend
june 13 First Day of College (yikes!)

just copied that from my planner. the most impt stuff.

there are lots of meetings and BIRTHDAYS in between pala.
Corinne. Yaya Bern. Kuya Jam. Kuya Timmy. Micole. Pilar. Anton. Bea. Nanerz. Sab. Claudia.
who else?? please tell me!!

And other things I want to do. If anyone wants to do any of these with me, please tell me! so we can make sure it happens.

__ SOCCER!!
__ Divisoria- I've never been there!
__ watch Sound- I always always miss them!
__ bring the madre kids to the zoo again or somewhere else
__ drums!
__ volunteer - we can help teach kids at Assumption, but I'm not sure about the sched.
__ tour UP and drive going there & back. and meet other UP freshmen!!
__ do something with my hair
__ garage sale
__ spend an entire day at a bookstore

SOME SUMMER PICTURES

2006-04-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

1. and 2.
taken during my beloved yaya tisay's despedida. she's getting married!
tears were caused by joy and sadness colliding.
and i thank her for 10 years (was it 10?) of her guidance and care. see you soon, ya tisay!
the other 2 are our other yayas. the two of them have been with us since before i was born!

3.
the sunset at Sab's Laguna house. parang PBB kami dun. haha. except we were about 6 girls and 12 boys. props daw kasi kami eh..(?) anyway, there are no people in the picture because i was deformed that day due to impacted molars. :-) ugh. But i enjoyed the 3 days of ice cream!

4.
barkada!
at Sab's 18th birthday

5.
Boleng's Laguna house, part 3 for me.

swimming. sliding!, kain (kuhol, isaw- ugh, chicken!, pasta, chips). inuman. Magic Siiiiing. cards. pingpong. billiards. life talk.
Monopoly. Guesstures. volleyball Boleng style.

we went to UP Los Banos too! with Cas. It's the biggest UP campus. a wonderful place!

Welcome!

2006-04-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

I now have a blog.

B e,
L ive and
O f course, share it all!
G reat...

Congratulations!