From the monthly archives: May 2007
In case you’re not from Manila, yes, it rained yesterday. Hard. If my brother didn’t tell me to go home right after work, I would’ve been stranded at Robinson’s Galleria. Thank God for good timing.
In the shuttle on my way home yesterday, I listened to the water fall down heavily on the roof of the van. I closed my eyes everytime a flash of lightning comes and automatically start counting after until I hear thunder. I was worried that we might have no electricity at home because of the heavy downpour — I still have to charge Captain Tal and my service unit for work. I wondered if I might have to spend the night in the darkness with no cellphone and only Triskal ((You’ll get to know him really soon; I just need to have time to write about him ;) )) to keep me company.
I got home safe and sound and soaking wet, and as I was eating my dinner, I suddenly remembered why I (used to) love the rain: when it rains hard enough, no classes for the next day.
Haaaay. For the nth time, I missed being a student again. Last night I found myself wishing that it rains really, really, really, really hard (but still no power outage, of course), and the government would announce no work for private and government offices. I would wake up to the cold weather, learn about this, sigh and go back to sleep. Ahhh.
Asa pa. I wish. As if that would happen. :-<
Remember that Nescafe commercial a few years back, where there was these guys who live in a dorm and are preparing for their day when one of them turns on the radio, listens for a bit and then runs to the hallway and yells, “WALANG PASOK!!!” ((Read: No classes!!!)) That was one of the best and most relaxing commercials I can remember. The rain last night also reminded me of the cold days at the dorm when we’re stuck because it was flooded outside our unit. I remember those days we’d cook up warm soup/noodles to eat during rainy days, or play Monopoly, or watch a DVD…sometimes my roommates and I would just talk.
Hay, nostalgia. But I can’t go back, as much as I want to. Such is life.
But don’t get me wrong, I loved the rain last night. I used to love the rain back in high school then disliked it when I started commuting in college. Now I think I’m starting to like it again. :) But the rain made me think of things that as much as I want to think about, I avoid because it makes me sad and want to go back and then I feel bad even more because I know I can’t. Did that make sense?
Anyway. Tonight, it threatened to rain but it didn’t pour. Yet. It’s payday today too, and because of that and Triskal, my brother and I went to Metrowalk and loaded on TV goodies, i.e. Prison Break Season 1 (please tell me the DVD ripper has it wrong and it’s reading only 14 eps but it’s really 22!!! Please?), Supernatural Season 1 and 2 (It’s my first time watching this. I bet I’ll be scaring the willies out of me but my curiosity’s got me :P), and Heroes Season 1 (Peter Petrelli! ♥ ). I still have some CSI:NY to wade through before I get to the others. Marathon na to!
Speaking of, I still want to borrow a DVD of CSI Seasons 1-6. Anyone? Or does anyone have AVI files and is willing to burn me a copy? *bats eyelashes* I’m such a cheapskate; my pocket hurts at the thought of buying an entire set of only one show…unless I head over to Quiapo. But if there’s no CSI, Veronica Mars would do. ;)
Before I go, I want to give a big thanks to Noemi, who owns Protagonist Webhosting, for upping my bandwidth this month, thus the comeback of Refine Me after exceeding my bandwidth the other day. :) Thank you, thank you! >:D<
Off I go. Mac Taylor and the rest of CSI:NY awaits.
Thank God it’s Friday! ♥ Aren’t you happy it’s Friday already? I am, very much! Wohoo! But I’m sorta out of cash, so it’s not that happy happy, but it’s okay since it’s FRIDAY! Nothing really special planned, except to go out for coffee later and watch TV this weekend. Wohoo.
Bring on the Feast! Let’s get eating (I have Cheez Curls here — want some?)!
Appetizer
Name a sound you like to hear.
- I like the sound of Christian music. Oh, wait, you mean individual sounds? Okay, I love the sound of rain. Not the hard, storm-like rain but the gentle pitter-patter of raindrops on the rooftop or on the windowsill. Couple that up with a cold afternoon, good TV or good book and good music, ahhh. :)
I also love the sound of the waves crashing over the beach. Also the sound of kids laughing as they play. Weirdly enough, I also like hearing babies crying. Not because I get a sick satisfaction knowing that they are suffering or their parents are being disturbed but because whenever I hear them cry, it feels like there’s so much life. I’m weird that way.
Soup
What is your favorite kind of cheese?
- I’m not really that particular with my cheese but I have to admit that I’ve been putting more cheese on the food I eat lately — as in cheese in tuna sandwiches, cheese in egg sanwiches, cheese omelette, etc. Can I give three? I like cheddar (with the three things I mentioned above), cream cheese (on toasted wheat bread or on plain crackers or in cheesecakes) and parmesan cheese (on pasta…yum!).
Salad
Do you sleep late on Saturday mornings? Why or why not?
- Somewhere in between? I usually wake up at 9:00am, which is late with regards to my waking up at 6:00am on weekdays. But I don’t like waking up past 10:00am not only because my neck and back hurts from the sleeping, but also because I feel like I’ve wasted half my day doing nothing. I guess I’m more of a morning person than a night owl.
Main Course
When was the last time you forgot something? What was it, and how long did it take to remember it?
- As for an object…sometimes this week, I forgot to bring a handkerchief to work. I remembered it when I was already out of the house. Oops. Other than that…nothing. But I’m usually a forgetful person especially on short term things (I have better long term memory), but nothing major yet. :P
Dessert
Fill in the blank: I notice ____________ when _____________.
- I notice guys when they’re really cute they get along with their siblings well. I can’t think of anythin else. But what I wrote is true! Promise!
I am such in a silly mood. 8-} I must finish this report my boss is asking me to finish before the day ends. Happy Friday everyone!
The last time I did this was last November. I stopped because I got too busy, and sometimes, I just simply forgot. Now that I found myself with nothing to do here, so I’ll be posting my thirteeth Thursday Thirteen. Hmm, do you think the number has something to do with my hiatus?
So this week’s TT is going to be in honor of my new favorite TV shows, Heroes. Here are the top 13 super powers that I think are teh coolest. This is based not only on the powers of the characters in Heroes, but based on the list of comic book superpowers (who knew there could be so many?).
Thirteen Coolest Superpowers from the List of Comic Book Superpowers:
- Technopathy (Micah Sanders). Best power for geeks. Imagine being able to make a complete software without bugs. Or make my computer go faster without ever upgrading anything. Yeah. Every geek’s dream.
- Healing Factor (Claire Bennet, Wolverine). I would never be afraid to do stunts or extreme sports ever again since I can heal…as long as no one takes my brains. :P
- Animal Mimicry (Animorphs). I like how you will be able to experience what it is like to be an animal, like how it feels to be a cat or a dog. It can also be a form of escape or stress reliever, as what Cassie of Animorphs sometimes does. Of course, if there are brain-enslaving slugs that are out to take over the world, then it might not be as fun.
- Invisibility (Claude, Invisible Girl/Woman). Sometimes we all just want to disappear, and this power gives that. Of course, some terms of this power isn’t fun, such as Rodney Skinner (LXG) when you become permanently invisible. But if it’s like Claude — well it can be fun. Just don’t get into mischief. :P
- Innate Capability. In one word: genius. Wikipedia defines this as: Ability to naturally have skills and/or knowledge typically earned through learning. That doesn’t sound much like a super power but a really good skill (and maybe lots of Promil during early age).
- Empathy (Peter Petrelli). I believe this also can be classified as a normal human trait. I wish I could be more empathic to others because sometimes sympathy isn’t enough. But this could be difficult to have too, especially when there are so many emotions that are running high around you.
- Precognition (Isaac Mendez, Seth Borders). Though Isaac’s powers seem to be much more glamorous/special-looking, I like Seth’s power better since he gets to see different versions of the future instead of just one. Of course, it would be mighty confusing since the future changes with every move we make right now. But still a cool power.
- Telepathy (Matt Parkman). I used to have this series which was entitled “Mind Readers” where my group of characters got mind reading powers because of some chemicals they mixed and exploded in their Chem Lab (sooo Alex Mack). Obviously they can read minds by focusing onto people they want to read, and they can communicate telepathically too. Anyway, this is both cool and uncool because it’s nice to be able to know what your friend wants for his birthday or Christmas, but you will also know what they are thinking about when they’re not exactly fond of you. Double-edged sword.
- Phasing (DL Hawkins, Kitty Pryde). This sure saves time when you get home and you realize you forgot your keys inside. Come to think of it, you never have to carry any keys!
- Flight (Nathan Petrelli). Enough said. Seriously. Flying = cool. :)
- Illusions (Candice Wilmer). I used this same power over one of my characters in a series that I am still pondering if I should resurrect. This is very, very useful in combat, and in manipulating other people (not that I’d want to do that, of course). No wonder Candice in Heroes is always so cocky.
- Teleportation (Hiro Nakamura, Nightcrawler). Two of my favorite characters possess this power. I have read in some blogs that they want to have this power because of the opportunity to travel and no need to have any visa’s or save for airfare. Just close your eyes and poof! You’ll be where you want to be. Of course, if the Immigration people caught you, you’d be in big trouble, but you can just teleport away.
- Power mimicry or absorption (Peter Petrelli, Rogue). I think this is THE ultimate super power. You can get any power you want, just by touching the person (Rogue) or just by being near the person or thinking about them (Peter). Of course, Rogue’s power has its downsides seeing that she can’t make any physical contact or else she’ll kill other people, and Peter’s power can make him crazy but with right control, this power totally rocks. Then again, if you have this power, then you won’t need to have the previous twelve I mentioned — you just need to look for people with those powers, stay with them a while and there’s your new power. Hmm…superpower shopping. Why not?
.
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
That was fun. Now I’m off to watch episode 20 of Heroes. Yeahba. :)
Around summer before senior year in high school, I started a list in my journal which I called The Positives. This list is a list of good things I received in the day, and this list started when I was compiling the happy things that happened during my 5-day trip in Cebu ((Okay, the list mostly contained “moments” with my current crush, but that’s part of good things :P)). I started listing them everyday, but I got tired writing them, especially on bad days where nothing seems to be good.
My point? Mae tagged me days ago to count my blessings, and this meme reminded me of that list I used to write. To be honest, I’m not on the blessing-counting mood (but I should be, like, always), but I will list them here before Mae’s tag gets too old (is there such a thing?). :) This list goes from general blessings to specific, and I hope I don’t start listing up to 100 blessings (but I’m sure I’ve been blessed more than 100 ways today).
- Obviously, my family. We’re not exactly the most close-knit family but we’re all good. The occasional moodiness and spats get to us, but we always get back together since we’re family. I would never trade them for anyone else in the world. Todo para la familia ((Everything for the family)). :)
- My wonderful community, both in YFC and in SFC. I will never ever forget being a YFC, and I’m starting to feel really at home in SFC. I know I shouldn’t put too much importance on my community since what really matters is my relationship with God, but I am really grateful to be part of the family ministries of CFC because if I wasn’t, I bet I wouldn’t even know God as much as I do now. Last Saturday at the SFC MMLA reminded me that my being part of the community is a blessing itself, and not a way to receive more blessings.
- My other friends – college, high school and other people who I crossed paths with. :) Cheesy as this sounds, you made my life more colorful. Yeees.
- My work and my officemates. It may not be my dream job, but at least, I have a job. And I have people to talk to in the office. And I earn, and learn and I know this will bring me closer to God. So…there.
- The Moleskine notebook that I won which arrived yesterday. =) Enough said. Thanks again Pinoy Centric!
- This is really shallow and soooo teenybopper, but finally getting a copy of BSB’s latest album is a blessing too. :P I’m sorry, the BSB/Boyband phase is not yet over. :P I can’t believe I’m actually seeing how some of their songs can be sung to God: I’d go anywhere for You, anywhere You ask me to, I’d do anything for You, anything You want me to…Your love as far as I can see is all I’m ever gonna need…there’s one thing for sure I know for sure…[baby] I’d go anywhere for You. Okay, omit the “baby” please. :P
- Being single. Yes, that’s something to be thankful for, believe me. :)
- My new earphones to replace my just-broken-down iPod earphones. Goodbye white earphones, hello, black.
- For the difficulties I’m experiencing right now, especially all the confusion and whatnot I wrote about yesterday. Yes, that is also a blessing. :)
- I’ll stop here. Aha, this is kind of a late remembrance, but I’m blessed that our DSL is back since last week. Thank God. That’s 13 days of DSL outage.
.
Here’s something I learned last Saturday at the SFC Metro Manila Leader’s Assembly (MMLA). The theme of our community for this year is “My portion is in the Lord, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him.” (Lamentations 3:24) and everyone’s been talking about this ever since some big things happened in our community. Kuya Cocoi was the worship leader last Saturday, and in the middle of the worship, he talked about the book of Lamentations. Lamentations is a book in the Bible full of just that: lamentations. It’s a long list of complaints that the Israelites (God’s chosen people) to God. Inside this book, Kuya Cocoi gave a list of seven people of Lamentations, and they are:
The Seven People of Lamentations ((To read through the entire explanation, read this entry))
(From SFC MMLA, 5/19/2007)
- The Guiltless One
- those who feel no need to repent- The Stiff-Necked One
- those who persist in their infidelity/sinfulness
- they think that their sin is not that serious and fail to think that any sin, no matter how small, blocks God- The Impatient One
- they repent, but they do not pause to learn the lessons God wants to teach- The Shallow One
- takes repentance forgranted, keeps on repeating the same sin, undermining repentance- The Comfortable One
- no problem with obeying God, but cannot appreciate the need to be purified by fire through trials and even persecution
- to lament is to have a posture where we reflect on the purpose of God.- The Clueless One
- those who do not understand the concept of command responsibility for collective guilt
- we are one body in Christ, we are a part of one community and we should not be apathetic.- The One of the Other Side
- the attackers
What’s even more interesting about this is that even if it classifies the Israelites of the early time, this could very well fit these times. Each of us could be one or two of them. Sometimes we even shift from one kind of person to another.
Who are you among the seven people of Lamentations?
Last night, right after our SFC Metro Manila Leader’s Assembly, my SFC friends and I headed over to Eastwood to eat something because none of us had dinner before the awesome praisefest we just got from (more to that asometime this week :D). We went off to Somethin’ Fishy to take advantage of the eat-all-you-can breakfast.
Sometime in the middle of the meal, we heard familiar music playing: All I Have to Give by none other than the Backstreet Boys. That got me smiling, reminding me of all those teenybopper years where I was on fangirl mode over them. BSB was the first band I actually loved (and yes, I had a the biggest crush on Nick Carter), the first time I started to listen to the radio and tuned in to MTV. I kept vigil over my favorite radio station (Kool 106 — I’m such a jologs :p) to see if their songs were in their daily countdown. I rejoiced whenever any BSB song was number 1 in MTV’s Asia Hitlist. I kept a notebook of their lyrics, kept a folder of their magazine and newspaper articles. I even wrote some stories about them, where my main character is Brian’s cousin and they were always in my stories – haha! Because of them, I wanted to visit Orlando, Florida. I even have a VCD of their Germany concert, got it as a Christmas gift years ago! One word: FANGIRL! The only thing I kind of regret that I wasn’t able to do was watch their comeback concert here last year. :( Anyway, a few days ago, I rode a jeep home and that jeep was playing a CD of Backstreet’s Back and I had to laugh because I still know the lyrics of the songs after all these years. That’s how much I listened to their casette tapes back then. :P
But I digress. Back at Somethin’ Fishy, we noticed the song and I was surprised to find out that some of my male SFC friends were closet BSB/Boyband fans too! We started singing with the songs, and then talking about the different boybands we know of: N Sync, Boyzone, Westlife, A1, O-Town, Plus One, 5ive, 98 Degrees, even Aaron Carter and The Moffatts! I started spouting out random Backstreet Boys facts that I have collected throughout my fandom years, surprised to know that I still know them. :P
Because of all the boyband discussion last night, I recovered my BSB mp3s and loaded them into my iPod. Believe it or not, I missed listening to it! I used to listen to their tapes every single day and I was always on the lookout on MTV to catch all their videos. I swear, so much memories! Look:
I Want It That Way. Don’t tell me you never watched this, or even heard the song. :P
The last song we got to hear last night was Quit Playin’ Games and while we were singing that I realized how good it felt to sing these kinds of songs. I don’t know, maybe it’s because it was a big part of my growing up years that somehow their songs, no matter how shallow or old-fashioned they are now in my generation, brought me comfort. Or maybe it’s because I never lost the “fan love” I had for them as I grew up; it only toned down. But yes, I will admit it here that I am a BSB Fan. :P No hiding that!
Oh, and did you know that Brian Littrell a.k.a. B-Rok released a solo Christian album? He did, and it’s a great one, although if you are a Backstreet Boys fan like me, you would sometimes mistake some of his songs as a BSB song since it sounds a lot like one. But it’s a great album. I’ve always loved Brian’s singing voice, even if I crushed on Nick. :P
I leave you with one of my favorite songs by the Backstreet Boys from their Backstreet’s Back album. This song is one of their hidden “gems”, a lovely song entitled That’s What She Said. :)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Sorry, not for download, just stream. Lyrics are here. :)
How about you? Come on, I know you passed through a boyband stage, or maybe even a girlband stage. Admit it!
I just blew off P99 on a box of Smidgets from Mister Donuts. The box contains 33 pieces of Smidgets (or Munchkins, since it’s what we’re all familiar with), and I thought the box was originally P29, not P99. It sounds the same naman. Or maybe I should stop stuffing my ear with my iPod so I can hear better.
Anyway. It’s there, and I have about 30 Smidgets left. I feel bad for spending so much too fast when I’m going to watch Shrek 3 tomorrow and I could have spent that P99 on a popcorn for the movie or something. Oh well. Anyone want a Smidget?
Time for my second Friday’s Feast!
Appetizer
List 3 emotions you experienced this week.
- Sad, frustrated, excited.
Soup
Name a car you’d love to have.
- No doubt about it: a Honda Jazz! I’d love to have it in pink (so girly!), but any color would do, as long as it’s a Jazz. I will name my future car Betty, but before getting myself a car, I need to be able to drive on my own. :P
Salad
Describe your typical morning routine.
- I wake up, go to the kitchen to drink a glass of water, then head over to my room to get my towels and my contact lenses. I will wake my brother up to tell him to get ready and then take a shower. After the shower, if my brother isn’t up yet, I’d wake him up again, then get dressed. After getting dressed, I would pray, and then go out and eat breakfast and then leave for work.
I need to re-do my morning routine. I end up being so slow that I would miss out on my prayer time. :( I need to give more time for that, and I want to have time to do some exercises in the morning, even for at least 15-30 minutes.
This only means one thing: Wake up earlier. Gaaaah.
Main Course
Have you ever emailed someone famous? If so, who, and what did you say to them? Did they reply?
- Famous. I used to write snail mail letters to the Backstreet Boys and The Moffatts (GO AHEAD, LAUGH AT ME! :p). I remember emailing the Stephen Speaks (lemme see if I remember them all: TJ, Rockwell, Dain, Blake F., Blake H., and Amber) members back when they were still popular in the Philippines. Only one of them replied, though. Blake H., who is their bassist, I think. I still have his email in my inbox:
Tina,
If you could, send me the pics over e-mail. Thanks so much for remembering!!
All the pictures I’ve seen have been great, so I’m excited to see yours.Thanks again for coming out to see us. Our time in Manila was unforgettable.
Blessings,
Blake H.
Oh yeah, Jamie, the group’s roadie and Rockwell’s girlfriend also replied to my email too:
hi tina!! ya email me the pics*! that would be awesome awesome*!* and take your time :) i know what its like to be busy hehe. have a great week!!
*Jamie
I never got to email back the pictures because I used a point and shoot and we still don’t have a scanner then. :(
Dessert
Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones?
- Yes, but not as much as other people who actually collect podcasts. I listen to some of New Release Tuesday, Grassroots Music and some of my blogger friends such as Riz‘s and the Band of Bloggers’ Podcast. It’s a random thing, really. Maybe when I (together with some friends) start podcasting, I’ll start listening more too.
Happy Friday everyone! :P
I’m a notebook addict, and my close friends know that. Everytime school starts, the thing I was most excited about are the notebooks. I love the sight, smell and feel of new ones, and being able to have spare notebooks just because thrills me. Ha. :P I think I mentioned it before that I prefer unlined notebooks for my journals? If I didn’t, I said it now: unlined notebooks rule. They’re my top choice for journal writing because each blank sheet represents a blank slate that we all face everyday. Lines are okay, but I feel restricted with them, like I have to always follow them in writing words. Plus it’s no fun to doodle in lined notebooks!
So imagine my thrill when I saw these notebooks in Lai‘s blog. Presenting Start Here notebooks – the totally blank and unlined notebooks! Start Here sells notebooks that are blank not only inside but also outside. This totally represents what a blank slate is. You are given total freedom what goes not only inside, but on the outside cover of your notebook. You can put pictures, draw, color or sprinkle it with glitters – it’s your call.
Not only that, they’re inter-linkable too. Say you’re using this as your journal and you get to the last page but your entry is no where near finished yet! Just get another Start Here notebook and link it through the cover and you can go on scribbling happily about how your crush noticed you your day. :) Instead of having several volumes for your journal, you can have one big volume with different notebooks interlinked! Aha, you can even write novels here with one chapter per notebook! Of course, those would be really long chapters…but anyway.
Such a really cool concept. :D They also have lined notebooks in different colors (pink, blue, yellow, green, white), as well as a grid-lined notebook and even a planner. They also sell self-adhesive color tabs and pockets so you can mark pages and slip stuff into your notebook.
Unfortunately (sigh), Start Here notebooks are not available locally, so you can only order it online. I’m not sure if they ship their notebooks all the way here. So…to whoever is using or has used Start Here notebooks: how is it?
To quote from their website:
We wanted a fresh start, something to nurture, and make our own. We considered what we love about design: problem solving, functionality, and beautiful aesthetics with purpose. We tried to respect the gap between design and the person who interacts and adds to it.
The emphasis became individuality. We took our philosophy and poured it into Start Here. Clean, basic, white cover notebooks are our expressions of simplicity. More than having that something already made for you, Start Here’s emphasis on simplicity is a small nudge to start a work of your own. We encourage your unique taste, style, personality, and flavor by giving you the space to be yourself.
So what do you really want to do? Here’s a start.
Start Here.
Unlined and lined notebooks cost $14 each, the planner costs $18, three-level notebooks (part unlined, part grid, part lined) costs $16, self-adhesive set (comes in 3) is $5 and self-adhesive tab sets cost $2. Notebook sets are also available in set of 5 color lined notebooks ($55) and set of 2 white lined notebooks ($20).
By the way, this is NOT a sponsored post. I just think this is a really cool thing that’s why I blogged about it. :D And it’s really symbolic too, but I won’t get to that; I’ll probably make this entry so much longer if I talked about that. :P
Start Here notebooks. And again, this is NOT a sponsored post. :)
And it will be sent to me by tomorrow morning. :) How cool is that? Much thanks to PinoyCentric! How did I win? Just like Liz, who also won a few weeks back, I also won through PinoyCentric‘s Ika Nga comic caption contest. I just happened to stumble upon their contest again after posting my graduation entry. I’m not really good with these things, but it’s a creative writing exercise so I thought, why not? I thought of a caption, posted a comment and a week later, I got an email. Really, really cool. =) I never expected to win. :P
This is the cartoon:
And my caption was: “Mai-d-drive ko ba ang Internet pagkatapos ng rehistro?” ((Rough Translation: Can I drive the Internet after registration?)).
I’m still giddy about the entire winning thing. I’ve admired Moleskine notebooks, and being a notebook collector I want one but I’ve been waiting for a “special occasion” (like my birthday or Christmas or something) before I buy one since it’s kind of hard on my regular day budget. Now I will be able to get one for free! Really, really cool. :P
Many many thanks to PinoyCentric! If you want to win a pocket Moleskine notebook too and read lots of great content on all things brown and beatiful, visit PinoyCentric now! Go go go!
