welcome back

i arrived from Los Banos, Laguna yesterday at around 3:30pm.

what a relief! by 2nd to the last day of training, i got realy sick and started feeling unwell. it might have been because my Manila stomach could not tolerate the cleaner mineral water of Laguna or it might have been stress. I mean, ending a session that starts at 8am and ends at 11:30pm is very stressful so it could ahve been the cause of my demise.

although i was sick and running a 39.6 fever, i still had the courage, time and strength to go to WOW! Philippines since it was Surigao's turn to host and alba invited me to go with her to Intramuros... which reminds me, it was indeed SABETH and not Sabel.

So i went directly to her place bringing with me my luggage and we left for Intramuros. But then, her mom who was supposed to meet us wasn't there and so we decided to buy some of SABETH's infamous grilled chicken and some sayongsong and head to the Fort so I could buy my chicken sandwich (since my tastebuds weren't working).

We arrived home after stopping by the shoulder of C5 so we could finish our ice cream. Along the way, i told some ghost stories about the hotel room i stayed in in Los Banos and how 2 of my temmates saw this dark figure of a lady 3 times crossing from the door to the bathroom while we were meeting as a team inside the room and how my roommate heard some kind of moaning two times while she was taking a nap after lunch lady and they were shocked. heee.

anyway, we got home, ate some dinner and i slept at 9:45pm, which is way too early for me.

i woke up at 2am because it was too cold. i woke up again at 4am because the sheets were too hot and my body was burning and i had to go to the bathroom several times. then, i finally slept at 5am. but by 7am, i was up and was feeling sick again that ate alma was kind enough to buy me some medicine.

right now, it's working.

let me tell you, my body seems to have a guage all on its own because normally people would time when they needed to take Biogesic. As for me, my body would heat up and then i would know that it has been 4 hours since i last took the medicine and i need to take it again.

i hate control freaks!

i'm in a seminar right now and we're located in one of the better esorts in los banos, laguna and all i can think of is how much i wanna leave this place!

it's not because of the place itself. it's one of the better resorts that i have been to and it's more like a hotel than a resort.

what i do hate are the rules and trainers.

the rules says that we cannot leave the vicinity. what the $%^$?! i am not in kindergarten, thank you! i do not need to be told where i can or cannot go. nor do i need to be told that i have to be punctual for any of the activities since i do know what i'm doing here. grrrr!

then there're the trainers who begin the session at 8am and ends at 11:30pm! they are not only boring, but they are unapproachable and do not know how to adapt to the wavering attention of the tired and sleep-deprived participants! not to mention the very scenic view of the mountain and the 5 inviting pool that i can see from our seminar room while the trainor reprimands our group for parting the curtain.

geeeez!

i have never hated trainers nor any trianing in my entire life!

los banos training

yep folks, i'll be out from 24-28 November for a Training of Trainors in Los Banos so... see yah when i get back.

by the way, i just watched the CARAGA region perform in Intramuros and i had fun. Of course the roasted chicken from SABEL helped too ;) and i loved that rice cake they have!!!

see you guys on 29 november for the WOW Philippines' feature on Surigao and make sure to go and taste their food!

The sucker returns

hehe.

what can i say? i saw Mandy Moore up front during the MTV Music Summit for Aids. We were at The Fort by 3pm and we lined up. I was actually shocked to see very few people around considering that the concert was for free and there were lots of other bands performing.

After making us wait for a couple of hours, the gates opened at about 5:30pm as opposed to the 4:00pm scheduled opening. The concert itself started at 8:00pm and not at 4pm as promised also.

Let me just tell you that this is the first free concert I went to... well I usually go to concerts for free, but that's coz my friends in the advertising industry invite me and give me the free tickets as well as free dinners that comes with it. But this was different.

It was a mixture of A-D crowd. Although everyone was polite about the whole thing, there are certainly some people who would have received an axe kick from me if it weren't for my unusual patience. I guess this alternative-guyband-kickass(literally)-chick can, after all, tame herself in public.

Anyway, our early arrival paid of because we were standing right in front of the stage.

First thought: kill this Nickelodeon bitchy guy ranting on-stage like he was god. doesn't he know "I AM"? The nerve! After a few more minutes, the VJs came out.

Second thought: Dang is Donita pretty! I wish I could be this pretty! :)

Third thought: What the heck is Ruffa doing in the Philippines?! Please don't say anything stupid, please don't say anything stupid!

Fourth thought: OMG is Mandy Moore tall! She's so pretty! I'm changing my wish: I wish I were as pretty (though not a look-alike) as Mandy Moore!!! Please, please, pretty please!

heee.

After the whole Mandy Moore fiasco and with no other than PGMA appearing, we went home to sleep.

MOMENTS IN LIFE

this is something that a friend emailed to me and i think it's nice so i want to share it with everyone...

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one, which has been opened for us.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end,
you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Please send this message to those people who mean something to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendship you appreciate;
to those who are so meaningful in your life.

If you don't send it, don't worry, nothing bad will happen to you; you will just miss out on the opportunity to brighten someone's day with this message!!!

Don't count the years-count the memories..........

Don't count your misfortunes,

count your blessings.......

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but by the moments that take our breath away!

Just another email survey

1. WHAT FULL NAME? Soliloquy

2. WHAT COLOUR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING? white... it's my taekwondo uniform

3. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? linkin park's one step closer... my friend is playing it from her notebook :)

4. WHAT ARE THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER? 5691

5.WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? corn on cob (don't tell my ortho)7. WHERE DO YOU PLAN TO GO ON YOUR HONEYMOON? honeymoon? HONEYMOON? what the - ? i don't even have a boyfriend right now!

9. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? alba

10. WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE GENDER? i'm a sucker for eyes

11. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT YOU THIS? hmmm... lemme think about it... LOL. of course!

12. HOW ARE YOU TODAY? tired from my training

13. FAVORITE DRINK? ice tea and hot tea, apple juice, coke light, water

14. HOW DO YOU EAT AN OREO? i get it from its pack using my fingers, bring it closer to my lips, open my mouth and bite on it

15. WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR BOY/GIRLFRIEND/HUSBAND/WIFE? ok, what part of no-BF can't you understand? ...well since i do like this guy, i like the fact that we're both honest to each other and i'm his baby

16. FAVORITE SPORT: martial arts, soccer, tennis, swimming, chess

17. HAIR COLOR? black

18. EYE COLOR? brown

19. SIBLINGS AND THEIR AGES? Celle - 28 Dong – 26

20. HOW MANY CHILDREN DO YOU WANT? 3

21. FAV. FOOD? Italian, Japanese, American... anything except Miditerranean

22. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Matrix Revolution

23. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? 21 August

24. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT? i still believe in tradition when it comes to asking someone out

25. DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY?happy

26. SUMMER OR WINTER? autumn eh

27. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs

28. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS? again i adhere to tradition

29. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? vanilla

30. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO WRITE BACK? yes

31. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? don't know

32. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? doesn't matter

33. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte

34. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? some company logo with a calendar - supplier of my mom

35. FAVORITE BOARD GAME? chess! CHESS! i miss playing chess!

36. FAVORITE SMELL? Clinique Happy

37. LEAST FAVORITE SMELL? anything vanilla

38. FAVORITE SOUND? Anything and everything, but rap. Alternative, R&B, Pop-Rock

39. LEAST FAVORITE SOUND? rap

40. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? not knowing what will happen to my Switzerland thing

41. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? it's daytime

42. FAVORITE MOVIE? Matrix, LOTR, Moulin Rouge, Anna and the King, Sound of Music, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, The Bone Collector, 10 Things I Hate About You, Italian Job, Life is Beautiful, etc., etc.

43. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED? the floor

44. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER? 7

50. DO YOU EAT ICE CREAM CAKE WITH A FORK OR A SPOON? spoon

friends

saw monch today in Glorietta after I bought my new coat. It was so refreshing to see a familiar face in Glorietta. I just had to shout her name at the top of my lungs from where I was. Of course everybody within 5 meters heard despite the noise from the early Christmas party that was ongoin, but who cares? At least I saw monch and we tried to catch up on the last two years within 5 minutes or so.

hee.

i'm a sucker

i cannot believe how much a sucker i am for Mandy Moore. Me, a 24-year old level-headed woman!

Since I want to watch Mandy Moore during the MTV benefit show so badly, I have logged on to MTV, registered, joined the online contest, copied the mechanics, listed all other possible ways I can get a free ticket (since it's a benefit concert for some cause and the advertisers were rich enough to pay for the cost), and asked my friend to demand for a ticket everytime she loads up gas in her car. yep! i am a sucker!

call me cheesy, but i still would like those MTV benefit show tickets because I wanna see her perform live.

hee.

tinkering with alba's cam

testing 1, 2, 3, ...




...and if you really wanna know how alba drives...


...alba checking out the guy in the car behind us

... while stuck in manila traffic.

oh and the new coat that we both liked...

i'm wearing it!!!! ...

Birthdays: (Look below for your characteristics)

January 01 - 09 ~ Dog
January 10 - 24 ~ Mouse
January 25 - 31 ~ Lion

February 01 - 05 ~ Cat
February 06 - 14 ~ Dove
February 15 - 21 ~ Turtle
February 22 - 28 ~ Panther

March 01 - 12 ~ Monkey
March 13 - 15 ~ Lion
March 16 - 23 ~ Mouse
March 24 - 31 ~ Cat

April 01 - 03 ~ Dog
April 04 - 14 ~ Panther
April 15 - 26 ~ Mouse
April 27 - 30 ~ Turtle

May 01 - 13 ~ Monkey
May 14 - 21 ~ Dove
May 22 - 31 ~ Lion

June 01 - 03 ~ Mouse
June 04 - 14 ~ Turtle
June 15 - 20 ~ Dog
June 21 - 24 ~ Monkey
June 25 - 30 ~ Cat

July 01 - 09 ~ Mouse
July 10 - 15 ~ Dog
July 16 - 26 ~ Dove
July 27 - 31 ~ Cat

August 01 - 15 ~ Monkey
August 16 - 25 ~ Mouse
August 26 - 31 ~ Turtle

September 01 - 14 ~ Dove
September 15 - 27 ~ Cat
September 28 - 30 ~ Dog

October 01 ! - 15 ~ Monkey
October 16 - 27 ~ Turtle
October 28 - 31 ~ Panther

November 01 - 16 ~ Lion
November 17 - 30 ~ Cat

December 01 - 16 ~ Dog
December 17 - 25 ~ Monkey
December 26 - 31 ~ Dove


If you are a Turtle:
You are near to perfect and nice at heart. The examples of your kindness are always circulated in groups of people. You, too, love peace. You wouldn't like to retaliate even to a person who is in the wrong. You are loved due to this. You do not wish to talk behind one's back. People love the way you always treat them. You can give, give and give love, and the best part is that you do not expect it back in return. You are generous enough. Seeing things in a practical light is what remains the best trait of you guys.

If you are a Dog:
A very loyal and sweet person! Your loyalty can never be doubted. You are quite honest and sincere when it comes to your attitude towards working. You are a very simple person, indeed. Absolutely hassle free, humble and down-to-earth!! That explains the reason why your friends cling on to you! You have a good taste for clothes. If your wardrobe is not updated with what is trendy, you sure are depressed. Popular and easy-going. You have a little group of dignified friends, all of them being quality-personified.

If you are a Dove:
You symbolize a very happy-go-lucky approach in life. Whatever the surroundings may be, grim or cheerful, you remain unaffected. In fact, you spread cheer wherever you go. You are the leader of your group of friends and good at consoling people in their times of need. You dislike hypocrisy and tend to shirk away from hypocrites. They can never be in your good books, no matter what! You are very methodical and organized in your work. No amount of mess, hence, can ever encompass you. Beware, it is easy for you to fall in love....

If you are a Mouse:
Always up to some sort of a mischief! The mischievous gleam in your eyes is what makes you so cute and attractive to everyone. You are an extremely fun-to-be-with kind of person. No wonder, people seek for your company and look forward to include you for all get-togethers. However, you are sensitive, which is a drawback. People need to select their words while talking to you. If someone tries to fiddle around and play with words while dealing with you, it is enough to invite your wrath. God bless the person then!

If you are a Lion:
Quite contradictory to your name, you are a peace loving person. You best try to avoid a situation wherein you are required to fight. An outdoor person, you DISLIKE sitting at one place for a long duration. You are a born leader, and have it in you how to tactfully derive work from people. You love being loved, and when you receive your share of limelight from someone, you are all theirs!!!! Well, well... hence some people could even take an advantage, flatter you to the maximum and get their work done. So be careful.....

If you are a Cat:
An extremely lovable, adorable person, sometimes shy, with a passion for quick wit. At times, you prefer quietness. You love exploring various things and going into depth of each thing. Under normal circumstances you're cool, when given a reason to, you are like a volcano waiting to erupt. You're a fashion bird. People look forward to you as an icon associated with fashion. Basically, you mingle along freely but don't like talking much to strangers. People feel very easy in your company. You observe care in choosing your friends.

If you are a Panther:
You are mysterious. You are someone who can handle pressure with ease, and can handle any atmosphere without going berserk. You can be mean at times, and love to gossip with your selected group. Very prim and proper. You like all situations and things to be in the way you desire, which, sometimes is not possible. As a result, you may lose out in some relationships. But otherwise, you love to help people out from difficult and tight spots when they really need you.

If you are a Monkey:
Very impatient and hyper!!! You want things to be done as quick as possible. At heart, you are quite simple and love if you are the center of attraction. That way, you people are unique. You would like to keep yourself safe from all the angles. Shall your name be dragged or featured in any sort of a controversy, you then go all panicky! Therefore, you take your precautions from the very beginning. When you foresee anything wrong, your sixth sense is what saves you from falling in traps. Quite a money minded bunch you people are!!

I'm a lion grrrrawwrrrr!

...did that sound like a lion?

Kapeng Malamig

translated: Cold Coffee

we went to the critics' night for this play to be held at St. Scholastica Manila. It was a great script. Man, I cannot tell you how amazing this particular scene was. They were showing a bed scene where the actor was doing a monologue while a girl lay beside him. they were standing against the black background of the stage. It was perfectly executed - with the proper blending of writing, props, and acting! The spotlight was at an angle that gives you an aerial view of the scene! by god did the director do good!

It was a great play with a few lose ends to tie up. I gave my comments that hopefully would help improve the whole play. At the start of the commentary session, there was this theater professor who did not even bother to congratulate the performers and the whole production crew. He just blurted out on how the whole thing was illogical and whatnot. He was correct in some cases - logic plays an important part of theater, everything you do on stage has to have a purpose, the acting skills and lines of particular characters needed improvement, etc., etc. What irked me was the callous delivery of his criticism. He was nasty, cruel, shameful, and down right uncaring malicious.

so i prodded my friend to give hers to raise the spirits of the downcast production people and actors. i hope our delivery was more constructive that his.

i had so much fun reliving my theater experience again. it reminded me of the countless productions i've written and directed. by the way, they had too much stuff on the stage and they weren't able to maximize it.

hmmm... maybe it's just my predilection to minimalism. what do you think?

Tell me when your birthday is

Whether you write your online name or your real name, i'd like to be able to greet my friends and fellow bloghoppers on their birthdays so...

I would like to be reminded of your birthday each year using an excellent service offered by BirthdayAlarm.com.

Please click on the following link for me and enter your name and birthday, it only takes a few seconds:

birthdayalarm.com

Thank you

All who love astrology, raise your hand

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20)
You are an escapist - you have this knack of avoiding issues if they seem unpleasant. You delve into past memories to escape your present woes. There is also a tendency towards alcoholism and even drug abuse & you are on a search for some kind of 'high'. You also love to flirt and too much of it may send the wrong, dangerous signals out to other people. Once in a while, a dark mood will descend on you and you become rather unsociable and withdrawn.

Advice:
Trust your instincts, but also be in control of your perceptions. Whenever the escapist tendency hits you, join a seminar or get a pep talk from a friend to get your perspective right.


...who the heck gives these people the "vision" to claim that what they say is true?! I can't even relate to this!

What's your Matrix name?

Call me Venus.

i hate the theory of nothingness

i have always tried to believe that everything works according to choices you make and the knowledge that you can never control everything in any given situation.

i'm 24 years old and i have been bumming around for 2 months now. i don't have a job and i'm impatiently waiting for that job coming from everyone knows where. and since i hate not doing anything, i don't particularly like what occupies me these days, which is summarized in one word - NOTHING.

i was told that in a Philosophy class at the University of the Philippines, the professor asked the students to submit a 100-page paper on the theory of nothingness for their finals. True enough, the students submitted their papers. One brave soul submitted a 100-sheet blank paper. He got a 1.0.

compared to what I have been doing and that student, I guess he's better off than I am. At least he was doing something. While I am stuck doing - NOTHING.

I wonder now if everything is a joke and I am not going to be able to leave after all. As I mentioned countless times, I am not a patient person. and so I hate being stuck in NOTHING.

I think I ought to occupy myself making those jewelry boxes and frames I so dearly love doing... but then, somehow, i lost my desire to make more of them. and i honestly don't know how to get myself going when it comes to my craftwork.

hmmm... mom and i are going to divisoria this weekend, maybe i can buy beads and shells and strings so I can begin making my bead curtain.

chinapaint.com

i got this survey from the abovementioned website and it told me a little about my personality according to the colors i picked for certain objects:

the house:

You have little interest in your financial investments. You are not driven by material wealth and prefer to see where destiny takes you.

the dress:

Having a lively and outgoing personality, you don't like to blend into the crowd and pity people that do. You take fashion trends to the EXTREME!

the flower:

You have a lot to say and love talking to your friends, always staying in close contact wherever you go. You are outgoing, fun and have people are drawn to you.

the car:

You value highly what is important to you. Some people may find your possessions a little out of fashion, but you don't mind as they appeal to your taste.

the mobile phone:

You are very sociable! You are the center of attention and have great stories to tell. But this often prevents from establishing deep relationships.

the bear:

You are very strong-willed, even bordering on stubborn. You like to take care of yourself before helping others, although you will never let people down.

.... now if only all of these were true... heee.

Dear Fellow Pawns;

For the last decade, I have lived a lie that I can no longer go on with. I have started each of the last 3,762 days by convincing myself that McDonald's would bring back the Double ZestaBurger--if only for a limited time and at only select locations. It was the only way I could get myself out of bed and through the day. Alas, I can no longer lie to myself about my future. I now accept that it is bleak. I do not control my destiny, nor my happiness.

Like all of you, I am just a pawn in McDonald's global marketing plan. The same company that has returned the McRib 193 limited times in the last 10 years has never given my well-being a second thought.

Well, McDonalds--You win. You have killed the will, spirit, and soul of Soliloquy. Now my body will follow. Thankfully, I will be going to a better place. A place where my existence won't rely on decieving myself. A place where my happiness won't be controlled by a multi-national conglomeration of grill cooks in cheap suits. While my body will be buried in the same ground where Ray Kroc's is surely spinning; my soul will be with his in heaven. Not here in purgatory controlled by the whims of MBA's from Hamburger U. Together Ray and I will forever feast on that delicious ambrosia, the Double Zesta Burger.


Sincerely,


Soliloquy
P.S. Tell everyone I'm not psychotic.

got this link from persona non grata

vale la pena

i had a friend who told me at the height of my then most difficult moment at the university that everything will work out well... that everything will be good in due time.

i believed her. but then when you're having difficulties, it makes any sane and insane person wonder if anything good will ever come their way. it makes you wonder why life isn't fair, why you'er suffering and why oh why the deities of this world have to be crazy enough to help you make your life even crazier.

then i just remembered, i prayed so hard and worked so hard to finish my thesis... and it got done. i submitted it and got a good enough garde to pass it with flying colors.

and as i remember it now, it was then that i remembered that everything has a purpose - delays and difficulties are but obstacles that needed to be conquered. that without the complexity of real life, we would forever rely on ourselves and forget others. more importantly, we wouldn't be able to look back and move on saying,

vale la pena!

muchas gracias, mi amiga

from persona-non-grata

...or at least i prefer to call her that. you may call her orangesparklebliss.

she left a question in her blog: In the Matrix trilogy, why are all the humans have funky names like Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, The Architect, while a robot is simply called Smith?

...

because Neo is a derivation on One - Neo being the One.

Trinity comes from the Catholic reference to the Blessed Trinity as the three Beings in One God (the One God brings you back to Neo much like God the Son is the savior of mankind).

Morpheus comes from morph - changes that happens to mankind and to anything at all in this universe which brings man closer to the discovery of himself and his purpose - whether man is for the One or not.

The Architect refers again to the Creator - whatever you wish to call it, but that which gave us being... substance and accidents... exitence by the way, the Architect is a program. The Architect comes from the machines.

Mr. Smith is a derivation of your average Joe (Smith being a common name) who lives his life not understanding anything not because he does not understand, but because he does not WANT to understand.

mr. Smith is every person wanting to ne someone, wanting attention, wanting power, wanting money, wanting to be the center of the universe thereby creating much more chaos and destroying anyone in his path. Mr. Smith is the average Joe. We are the Mr. Smiths of this world.

Neo or the One opens our eyes that what we would like to see as mere existence without purpose does indeed have a purpose; what we would want to leave up to destiny won't happen because everything amounts to nothing... unless learn not settle for wanting everything for ourselves to the destruction of others. it is then that we choose our path and life has meaning.

halloween butterfly

here's our delayed halloween princess... minus the gown.



and she just told me she's starting her voice lessons since my mom was able to find a voice coach for her. see, my niece loves singing and dancing and she has the voice and the flexibility for it too!

fighting stance

As is the usual on Saturdays at 3:00 PM for a couple of months now, I was in Megamall to attend my training. it was quite a jam-packed day, which is to say that we at least god some rest in between kicking, changing foot, punching, etc.

So I was early for my class for the second time during my whole training session at this place. for some reason, i cannot seem to arrive in time to start the stretching exercises and my legs have to adjust themselves to kick higher, faster, and more powerful without the right amount of stretching these past couple of months. in any case, there were more girls today than guys.

Taekwondo really reminds me not only of my love for martial arts, but, believe it or not, equality among people. In our class for example, there are your usual boys who cannot be controlled since they boss each other around and kick and punch each other for fun (of course that is if the coach does not notice them first and reprimand them). There's my ever huge BIG classmate who knows nothing but eat in between breaks and try to get away with not doing his kicks properly (hehe. I’m gonna wait till his promotion and sparring to see how he'd like taking the strong kicks of those who have tried very hard to train). There are the young mommies, more mature mommies, and even grandmas. There are young professionals and college students who huff, puff and keel over and die during the whole training time.

My day would not be complete without my hilarious booboos - the klutz that i am. it was a good thing I’m the only one who notices them and nobody really makes fun of me in class so...

Granted, I was facing my coach while in line. The class started with it usual "meditation" - whatever that is. The only thing I do is close my eyes. In any case, as opposed to relaxing, which we should be doing, I found myself getting more uncomfortable since I was sitting at the back of my heel and it was stretching my feet too dang much.

After the unusual stretching (we usually do the leg stretch before starting with the kicks, but that was not the case today), we were asked to start our kicks. For some reason, my hips would not go with my leg and so my kicks were not "going through" the body of my imaginary opponent! I mean, how whack is that?! Here I was not getting worried that I’ll be hit since I am just imagining my opponent and my kicks wouldn't even swat a fly on the side of my opponent's body?! I swear, if it were an actual sparring, my opponent would be able to clip my arm and I’d be soaking myself with ice bags by now from the kicks he would have given me!

Then, we had to do the whole horse-riding stance thing and do our punches. And I thought, lucky for me, I punch really fast and I know my punches are powerful. After all, I did train in arnis and boxing! First it was a punch, then a block and a punch, then it was punching 2 times, then punching 3 times. Then I heard my coach, who was at arms length in front of me, ask us to punch 15 times - as fast and powerful as we can. it did strike me as weird that my coach would ask us to punch 15 times. Nevertheless, when he shouted, I eagerly obeyed. I was so glad that I stopped ahead of the others and then I looked around and at my coach.

coach: are you done?
me: yes
coach looking puzzled
me: 15 times right?
coach grinning
coach: 50. five-zero
me: oh. ooohh.
me thinking what the freak?! and started punching and counting to 35

And the third's the charm. So we had to kick the body gear while our partners were holding it. Poor classmate of mine (although she did kick hard and I could feel her kick hitting my tummy and my umm... upper body man! by god can that girl kick!), she had to endure my kicks! It wasn't that they were that powerful, but my legs are kinda long so I kinda hit the back of her waist together with my 45.

But I tell you, she packs one heck of a kick, she can literally move me from my stance with one kick! But then again, she's not gonna be a black-belter if she couldn't do that! Plus, she would usually give me points to help me with my kicks!

But now the trouble... I cannot remember my form! And it cannot be found online! i am dead meat next training session! I’m supposed to have memorized it!

swimming ...with benefits

i think teaching will always be a part of me. in addition to liking kids, the fulfillment in seeing a person go through a series of ordeal in order to learn one particular thing added to the pure joy you see on their faces can never replace anything!

it has been a few days since alba how to swim. it is quite a challenge. i mean teaching your friend is definitely different from teaching kids or any other person, right? and since we've only started a few days ago, you cannot really expect her to go cross the pool freestyle. but then again, teaching your friend could be rewarding:

1. It means swimming late at night... say 9:00pm.
2. Feeling your teeth chatter as you move your legs to spread some heat into your body since you cannot leave your student in one part of the pool.
3. Laughing your a** off since both your teeth are chattering.
4. Looking for any new building being built to see if any workers can see you in your bathing suits
5. ...and thanking God that there are no new high rise building that will enable anyone to see you at the Penthouse.
6. Talking about people, places, things and her men in uniform (yes, she still has a great affinity to them).
7. And last, but not the least, seeing your friend slowly learning the basics of swimming.

i just love teaching

off time

once in a while, i get this feeling that nothing works out the way it should... or the way i want it to be. not that everything else works out the way i thought it would work out, but at least they didn't exactly go against what i thought would happen.

a few weeks ago, i was excited about this Switzerland thing. why? mostly because i wanted it so badly. i wanted to leave this country so badly - not for any other purpose, but to help out my family and also to get away from them. i know it sounds weird, particularly since i lovre hanging out with my relatives and i want to help out my immediate family.

however, things have not been exactly going well for the immediate family and well, i think that i need a very long break from it all - i need to get away and stop acting like the eldest child when i am in fact the youngest child.

and well, i saw this Switzerland thing as an opportunity to get me as far away form here as possible. After all, i don't care about the money - since i am bound (more because of me wanting to do this) to really send some for my niece (see, my sister - niece's mom - doesn't take care of my niece). but i just wanna get away from it all. it honestly feels like i've been the eldest child since birth and i freakin don't like the fact that i spent 24 years of my life acting like the eldest responsible child.

i wanna live up to my age and live up to my role as the youngest child. i just wanna leave and get on with my life without worrying about what my sister or my brother is doing to irritate my mom and definitely NOT hope that by being the responsible one, i am taking away the burden from my mom.

i do not mean to sound like a self-righteous savior of the world. i just want my life - the life i wasn't able to live - back... i mean i want my life without trying to be responsible for anyone else but myself.

sigh.

until now, Switzerland has not responded. They should since the UN usually responds so i'm thinking they're still reviewing the applicants.

again, i'm asking for prayers - from everyone who wants to make the time for them.

ciao

coffee break

coffee (kofe) n. any of various tropical African shrubs or trees of the genus Coffea, especially C. arabical, widely cultivated in the tropics for their seeds that are dried, roasted, and ground to prepare stimulating aromatic drink.

why, then, does coffee "stimulate" me to sleep?

and you know what keeps me up when i need to stay awake? cold milk or cold orange juice.

i get juice breaks or milk breaks. but no coffee breaks for me. :P

the invisible hand

i went to the embassy of switzerland today to inquire on universities that could take me under their wings while i finish my MA in Manila. on any normal university that you can find in manila, 4 years is enough to complete your studies and graduate with a degree that6 you either worked hard for or you decided to kiss up on your teacher's a** for depending on your chosen degree.

that is not the case in my university. some deity decided to appoint the this rectum as the zeus of a particular institution that is only meant for human beings crazy enough to want to work towards world peace and prosperity on all mankind without the glamour of a beuty pagend behind their great behinds. however, that is not the reality for the few idealistic and pragmatic theoretical-reflective-pragmatic learners who have decided to study in my university.

for those of us who do not have the capacity to join the book club of recta (www.dictionary.com) of this world, finishing your MA elsewhere is the best possible way to graduate with your chosen degree because some rectum have developed god-like powers - powers that are given by those greek deities, the same powers that led to the Geece's destruction.

and so, i am left with inquiring at the University of Geneva regarding taking the few subjects that i need to get my MA degree, and mind you, I am not talking about my thesis. my thesis is done and over with a year ago and i passed it with flying colors.

and so while Adam Smith's invisible hand was supposed to right every wrong in this economy, this rectum continues to empty our pockets and our parents' pockets clean under the blessings of the deities. and so i ask, is adam smith right? who the heck appointed adam smith as the father of economics?!