beautiful bohol

photos taken last winter break when i went home to celebrate christmas with my family and loved ones. ahhh, beautiful beaches... chocolate hills... lone butterfly (too bad, the others were hiding)... all in one beautiful place where i grew up. how lucky can i get? :)

getting to know me

1. do you like seafoods? like is an understatement, i LOVE seafoods!
2. breakfast or dinner? dinner
3. what do you usually eat for breakfast? i'd rather sleep than eat breakfast
4. did you eat breakfast today? nope
5. do you recycle? yes - plastic bags, boxes, etc.
6. do you have a laptop? yes
7. what's your favorite fast food? wendy's and KFC
8. cats or dogs? dogs
9. salty or sweet? both
10. city or country? country
11. what's your favorite kind of jeans? am not so particular with jeans
12. do you kiss and tell? yes, but only to closest friends
13. are you athletic? sadly, no. i wish i were!
14. do you swear? occasionally
15. would you ditch your friends for a date? i have understanding friends =)
16. do you have your own cell phone? i used to, but i had it cut off now
17. what do you wear to bed? pajamas
18. ever have a crush on a teacher? once, in college (hehe)
19. coke or pepsi? water
20. sugar or spice? a little of both
21. can you use chopsticks? yes, but i haven't mastered it yet
22. do you like to read for pleasure? yes
23. do you care about getting good grades? here in iuj, no
24. have you ever fallen asleep in class? nope, so far...
25. get a job or ask your parents for money? get a job to support myself
26. is your dad strict? yes, but not with me
27. do your parents give you enough privacy? i guess
28. do your parents trust you? of course!
29. would you trade places with friends? no, i make my own choices in life
30. does your best friend get on your nerves? i don't have one
31. do you make friends quickly? no, am kinda shy ;)
32. do you get jealous of your friends? sometimes
33. do you tell your mom everything? no
34. what do you and your parents fight about the most? my mom's nagging
35. do you have a best friend? no, only closest friends
36. do your parents treat you and your siblings the same? i guess so
37. are your parents overprotective? not really, at least not with me
38. do you have more female or male friends? female friends
39. do you fight with your friends? just some little tampuhans
40. do you act like yourself around your friends? definitely, yes
41. are you close to your sis/bro? not really, due to age gap
42. are you close to your dad? he passed away already
43. are you close to your grandparents? they're all gone too
44. do you look like your siblings? people say so

bad influence

no, no, no... it's not what you think! :)

easter sunday

upon the invitation of fr. bruno, seven of us went to tokamachi yesterday to hear mass and celebrate the easter sunday with the catholic community. so far, it had been fun.... and simple! nothing beats the church-related activities and celebrations in the philippines. the mass was in nihonggo so i didn't really get to appreciate the ceremony. even then, i was happy because it was actually my first time to be inside a church for months! (here in iuj, our mass is held at the tatami room).

afterwards, we had a small salo-salo where i got to meet a lot of filipinos and their kids. everyone brought some food to share except our group, and it was all my fault! i told the others that we will be leaving right after the mass so there would be no need for us to bring anything. but the faithful catholics asked us to stay for awhile and wait for our easter eggs. so there!

simple. fun. busog. that's how i would describe the 2nd time i celebrated my easter sunday in a foreign land. last year, i had to celebrate it somewhere else. (could somebody please ask me where i was the last time? haha). i just wished the mass was said in english though so i could understand it. anyways... happy, belated, easter everyone!

new versions

i got a copy of this new versions of loving someone from the email today. the original quote says: "if you love someone, set her free... if she comes back, she's yours. if she doesn't, she never was..." and i had a good laugh (eventhough i've already read this before). it provided me with a welcome break from all this paper-writing. yehey, i've already passed up my last paper for this term! now all i need to worry is to write the last chapter of my thesis. spring break.. here i come, please wait for me!
anyway, i hope you'll enjoy this as much as i did. i especially like versions c, f and s...=)

the new versions: if you love someone

a) pessimist: if you love someone, set her free... if she ever comes back, she's yours; if she doesn't, as expected, she never was.

b) optimist: if you love someone, set her free... don't worry, she will come back.

c) suspicious: if you love someone, set her free... if she ever comes back, ask her why.

d impatient: if you love someone, set her free... if she doesn't come back within some time, forget her!

e) patient: if you love someone, set her free... if she doesn't come back, continue to wait until she comes back...

f) playful: if you love someone, set her free... if she comes back, and if you love her still, set her free again, and then repeat.

g) finance expert: if you love someone, set her free... if she comes back, its time to look for fresh loans, if she doesn't, write her off as an asset gone bad.

h) C+ programmer: if(you-love(m_she))m_she.free(), if(m_she == NULL), m_she = new C she.

i) animal-rights activist: if you love someone, set her free... in fact, all living creatures deserve to be free!!!

j) lawyers: if you love someone, set her free... clause 1a of paragraph 13a-1 in the 2nd amendment of the matrimonial freedom.

k) biologist: if you love someone, set her free... she'll evolve.

l) statisticians: if you love someone, set her free... if she loves you, the probability of her coming back is high, if she doesn't, your relationship was improbable anyway.

m) schwarzenegger's fans: if you love someone, set her free... SHE'LL BE BACK!

n) over-possessive person: if you love someone, don't set her free.

o) mba graduate: if you love someone, set her free instantaneously and look for others simultaneously.

p) psychologist: if you love someone, set her free... if she comes back her super ego is dominant; if she doesn't come back her id is supreme; if she doesn't go, she must be crazy.

q) somnabulist: if you love someone, set her free... if she comes back, it's a nightmare
if she doesn't, you must be dreaming.

r) ERP functional expert: if you love someone, set her free... if she comes back, map her into your system; if she doesn't, carry out a gap-fit analysis.

s) marketing specialist: if you love someone, set her free... if she comes back she has brand loyalty; if she doesn't, reposition the brand in new markets.

caught blogging

at the parking lot, on my way home from the library, my attention was drawn to the lighted room at the 5th floor of my dorm. hmmmn, what else could this person be doing at this time of the night? ;) whoever he is, i come in peace!

karaoke night

karaoke (mid)night out with friends... on a holy wednesday! sorewa dame. and i thought i just said i am a homebody, hehe. but i still am. i only go out if... coerced.

a homebody

month of may:

stubborn and hard-hearted. strong-willed and highly motivated. sharp thoughts. easily angered. attracts others and loves attention. deep feelings. beautiful physically and mentally. firm standpoint. needs no motivation. easily consoled. systematic (left brain). loves to dream. strong clairvoyance. understanding. sickness usually in the ear and neck. good imagination. good physical. weak breathing. loves literature and the arts. loves traveling. dislike being at home. restless. not having many children. hardworking. high spirited. spendthrift.

wow, how accurate - i definitely agree with this! :D okay, okay... some of the descriptions here are not true, at least in my case, especially the one i highlighted. i don't dislike being at home. i never disliked being at home. in fact, you can lock me up in my room for a week or two and i couldn't care less, as long as i have the necessary food provisions. oftentimes, friends would complain that i spend too much of my time "at home" that they don't get to see me often. yup, homebody. that's me!

at home, the bedroom is my favorite place. i guess it's my favorite place in the whole wide world. not only because a home in iuj just consists of a bedroom only, but also because i love to sleep (read: oversleep) and i can do the things i want to do without any distractions. i can sleep as much as i want, read a book, listen to my choice of music, organize and re-organize my stuffs, kill my time infront of the computer, stare at the walls and ceiling, and a whole lot more! i just love staying at home. period.

the journey

photo courtesy of boris a.k.a. the street boy. used without permission.

inspired by lea salonga's "the journey" song, i made this blog as an attempt to document my own journey in this so-called life. how i love the song - the message, the melody, the singer! so i decided to post the lyrics here for everyone's appreciation.

the journey

half the world is sleeping, half the world's awake
half can hear their hearts beat, half just hear them break
i am but a traveler, in most every way
ask me what you want...to know

what a journey it has been and the end is not in sight
but the stars are out tonight and they're bound to guide my way
when they're shining on my life i can see a better day
i won't let the darkness in, what a journey it has been

i have been to sorrow, i have been to bliss
where i'll be tomorrow, i can only guess
through the darkest desert, through the deepest snow
forward, always forward, i go...

what a journey it has been and the end is not in sight
but the stars are out tonight and they're bound to guide my way
when they're shining on my life i can see a better day
i won't let the darkness in, what a journey it has been...

forward, always forward... onward, always up...
catching every drop of hope in my empty cup

what a journey it has been and the end is not in sight
but the stars are out tonight and they're bound to guide my way
when they're shining on my life i can see a better day
i won't let the darkness in, what a journey it has been...

what a journey it has been...(",)

toshokan de

this explains my silence...=)

snow country

am currently at the library TRYING to do real work but i end up taking pictures and blogging! here's a view outside my window. just substitute the snow with flowers and trees, and it feels like spring already. i like winter but i can't wait for spring to come. i look forward to the days when "the birds begin to sing and the flowers start their blooming", and i can go out for a walk near the streams, strolling in the park with the sakuras in full bloom, picnic with friends, driving up in the mountains, aimlessly cycling around urasa area... okay, enough of daydreaming now. get back to work, get real and meet your deadlines!

blue and white

today has been such a lovely day - it's a pity to spend it indoors. the papers would have to wait, i had to go outside. and boy, am glad! i wonder if this is how heaven looks like? :)

the ring

2004 was full of wonderful memories and surprises for me. i guess you can call it my year. the following are just some of the highlights:

• my cousin treated me to a world of adventure and fun at disneysea in february
• was granted a multiple entry US visa (tourist and business) valid for 10 years in march
• attended a conference in washington with classmates and managed to visit some friends in 3 other states of america in april
• gave myself a very special and expensive birthday present in may
• got myself a 'ga in july and together we explored the kansai region (enjoyed the rides at the universal studios japan in osaka, went sightseeing in kyoto and nara)
• co-owned a car in august
• made a trip to malaysia and singapore with my niece in september
• and most of all - went home for christmas and got myself engaged!

(hey, if you can't stand all this blogging and bragging, back off! this is MY blog).

however, i only got to wear my ring when i came back to japan this january. i never realized wearing this kind of ring is such a big deal here. weeks ago, in one of my school visits to hirokami higashi elementary school, 5 girls asked me in unison during lunch:

kekkon shite imasu ka.

their question caught me off-guard that i just smiled (and besides, my japanese is so bad - i have forgotten everything i've learned especially now that i have stopped taking nihonggo classes). eyeing my 'ga and looking so kilig, one girl proceeded to ask:

dare desu ka (or was it dare to desu ka, am not sure now...).

i wanted to say, 'isn't it obvious, yeah?!', but i opted for a polite answer instead. at this point, another curious girl blurted out:

robu-robu desu ka.

confused, i muttered to myself, 'now what the heck does this mean?'. fortunately for me, my 'ga, who was just nearby, replied to them:

hai, robu-robu desu. romantiku robu (romantic love) desu yo.

thankfully, the girls then directed all their questions to him and left me in peace.

kekkon shite imasu ka.

well, to omoimasu...