b is for...

biyahe tayo!
bakasyon time means biyahe time. last saturday, april 29, 2006, yoni and i went to victory liner's cubao terminal to catch our 7am ride to baguio city.


7-eleven. cubao terminal. inside the bus.
background: cubao terminal scene

we were supposed to be on an earlier bus ride, however, when we got to the terminal the night before, we were told that all seats were taken. the earliest victory bus bound for baguio that could accommodate us was the 6am ride... but yoni and i wouldn't be seatmates for the said trip. hence, we opted for the next best sked on the list, the 7am ride! we spent the rest of the night comfortably sleeping in yoni's boarding house and returned to the very busy terminal the morning after...

bus ride
the road from metro manila to baguio is quite long. in between catching more sleep, we whiled away the time by abusing the camera and taking pictures of ourselves...


"anti-boredom" pictures: our self-portraits
everytime the bus stopped, i also took pictures of whatever was right outside our bus window: (1) somewhere just before pampanga. (2) paniqui, tarlac. (3) paniqui, tarlac. (4) paniqui, tarlac. (5) paniqui, tarlac. (6) binalongan, pangasinan. (7) urdaneta city, pangasinan.


"anti-boredom" pictures, too: the sights outside our bus window
our bus got caught in tarlac traffic for some reason. instead of getting pissed by the traffic, i just took more pictures of whatever without much regard for my camera's batteries.

after so many hours of sitting on the bus, taking pictures, trying to sleep, and waiting for baguio's rows and rows of pine trees to loom before my eyes, lo! our bus finally arrived in baguio city...

when yoni and i got off the bus, we were greeted by the amazing combo of warm afternoon sun and cool baguio breeze. we allowed this "baguio feel" to "sink in" as we took our seats under a shade and waited 'til my tita yenyen came to fetch us.

little boys
tita yenyen brought us to their home in ambiong, la trinidad, benguet -- a place of higher elevation. there, i got reunited with my favorite twins in the world: my three-year old cousins, raymart and raymond!


we of similar blood look cute together.
you better agree with me.
the last time i spent time with my tita yenyen's family back in may 2004, i knew raymart from raymond. however, when i saw them again, i found it difficult to tell them apart! they're so... identical! martmart and monmon are cute identical little boys. it's hard not to be fascinated by their mere presence. they're very adorable.

burnham park
yoni and i had a little adventure when saturday's very late afternoon finally came. we took a jeepney ride from la trinidad, benguet and went back to baguio city. we asked around for directions and reached burnham park.


boating in burnham park
we spent an hour boating on burnham lake. yoni did most of the rowing, i got busy capturing the moments by taking pictures. actually, i wanted to row and row. however, i got frustrated with my own rowing abilities, so i gave up trying to be good at it. just as well. yoni was so into it and she was doing a good job steering our boat on the lake. methinks she's quite a natural at manning the oars -- maybe she should be part of the national rowing team. hehehe.

it was already getting dark when we finally docked our rented boat and bade farewell to the boat station caretakers. then, yoni and i explored one side of the park and took turns posing for the camera.


burnham park at night
when we finally got tired of "camera whoring", yoni and i made our way back to my tita's house in benguet.

at this point, we've only been in baguio/benguet country for less than 24 hours... and we felt we've already accomplished a lot! ha ha ha.

benguet
the next morning, we woke up slightly shivering due to extreme cold... and to think we were fully covered by our respective thick blankets! sobrang lamig, ang sarap-sarap matulog. nakakatamad bumangon.

due to being on vacation mode and also due to the very conducive sleeping conditions, yoni and i slept beyond what should have been our waking time. i can't believe that we had the gall to ignore the benguet sunrise. hahaha.

bumangon na ang mga twins at naglalaro na sa labas, kami ni yoni himbing na himbing pa rin. buti na lang mabait ang tita ko at hinintay lang kaming magising at bumangon.

bumangon naman talaga kami eventually...


at the strawberry farm
our first stop for the day was the strawberry farm in la trinidad, benguet. my tita yenyen and the twins went with us. our visit to the farm made me see for myself that it's not really "strawberry fields forever". the vast farm also has beds and beds of very pretty flowers, different varieties of lettuce, spring onions, etcetera. despite the presence of many people, i was still awed by the scenery.

baguio, baguio!
after our sight-seeing trip to the strawberry farm, we rode on a jeepney and headed for mines view park. when we got there, i had the feeling that all the people in baguio were there. it was difficult to get from one part of the park to another without bumping into people. there were just too many people, it was congested! we were quite lucky that we managed to have a bench all to ourselves. it was relieving that our bench was in a good corner, so all five of us were able to eat our lunch -- picnic style -- without people bumping into us.


mines view park picnic
after we finished our lunch, we made our way out of mines view park and went to the philippine president's official summer retreat, the mansion! the twins loved it there. monmon got so hyper and kept running around, we had a hard time convincing him to stay put and pose for the camera. when he didn't pose with the military guards when we asked him to (thereby making martmart not wanting to pose, too -- *twins!*), yoni and i grabbed our own opportunity. hence, our picture with one of the guards.


picture-taking outside the mansion
after we got out of the gates of the mansion, we walked towards nearby wright park. it began to rain a little and i silently prayed that the light rain would let up. the twins were with us and the day can't be over too soon because of rain...


baguio city's wright park
we spent sometime having our picture taken in front of the horses as the raindrops fell. after that, we hailed a taxi and headed for camp gen. gregorio del pilar, which is better known to you and me as PMA compound.

on our way to PMA, we passed through camp john hay. my jaw sort of dropped when i saw the place. it's so vast and it looked very beautiful even through the rain, with all the natural greens and the pine trees! i instantly got convinced that i would love it there!!! then, too, when we saw the liquor shop and the nearby establishments, the place looked very posh and ultra expensive! then, i got the sinking feeling that the place was not for me... after all.

the rest of the road to PMA compound was quite long and winding. there were rows and rows of pine trees and more blessings of natural greens. my eyes did not run out of beautiful things to see and i did not run out of things to think and feel about. when we got inside the compound, the sun beamingly shone for us and there was no sign of rain. that warm "afternoon feel" was just right for us... yoni and i went on a "picture-taking galore" trip once again.


inside the PMA compound
the place is well-maintained and breathtaking. it seemed to me as if everything there was meant to be put into pictures. even the flowers in their beds and planters are worth admiring.


inside the PMA compound, too
...and the philippine flag! i already forgot what it's like to see our national flag flying so unfurled and really ace high in the open air... but when i saw the flagpole inside the PMA compound, i instantly remembered what a very good feeling's like when one has a sense of respect for and pride in our national symbol. from where i stood on the ground, i could still clearly see that the flag at the high end of the pole was made of nice fabric... it was far from being shabby and cheap. both yoni and i were able to get good pictures of the flag -- with nice-looking clouds and beautiful rays for background!

after our trip to PMA, we went to victory liner's baguio terminal to buy our tickets for the way back to metro manila. there was a long queue leading to the ticket booth. yoni and i had to stretch our very limited patience until we got our turn to pay for our "12mn-may1-may2" tickets. my tita yenyen and the twins waited for us (and with us). we were supposed to go to SM baguio after our business at the terminal but it began to rain again. that time, it seemed as if the rain was about to pour heavily. instead of walking to SM baguio as initially planned, we hailed a cab and went straight to my tita's house in benguet.

basa sa ulan!!!
when we got back to benguet, the rain poured oh so heavily... i found it very tempting to play in the rain.

well, play in the rain up there in benguet, I DID!!!
weeeeeeeeeeee....

i hurriedly changed into the house clothes which my tita yenyen gamely allowed me to borrow and i ran outside to let the rain pour all over me!!!

i ran like crazy around my tita's front- and backyards. i loved the raindrops that fell on me that day. they were cold to the skin and they felt very clean, too. it was a great feeling being up there in benguet, getting soaked by the rain, running like a very delighted child under the benguet sky and being surrounded by the breathtaking sights of trees and nearby mountains.

yoni frolicked in the rain, too! when the rain suddenly stopped -- as in, it was weird that it just suddenly stopped -- we both said, "bitin!!! wala na'y ulan?!"

we both felt like carefree little children, jumping and walking around the "hillside", wet and shivering... wishing for more rain...

biking
the next day, tita yenyen's husband, my tito ramon, accompanied us (tita yenyen, the twins, yoni and i) to burnham park. we had lunch -- picnic style, again -- at the children's area. i bought two balloons for the twins (because i promised them that i would and i know from experience that it's bad to break promises made to children). i also made the balloon vendor blow bubbles for them. then, yoni and i got what we wanted from burnham park that day: the opportunity to ride a bike again!!!


let's ride!

we rented a bike and a trike for one hour. the bike that we got had good brakes and nice gears. the trike had a tropical umbrella and was quite dainty-looking -- we all agreed that it looked like a "float" especially with the twins' balloons!!!

yoni said she reacquired her "biking with speed and steering control" skills. as far as she could remember, the last time she rode a bike was way back in 1999, during one of our last few days in high school. for our part, i and my tita got to re-live those days in the early 1990's when we would go to places using the family-owned trike. *memories, memories!*

balloons and lourdes grotto


blue balloons, yoni and i at the lourdes grotto
from burnham park, we went to the lourdes grotto. on our way up, the twins asked for taho. we had to stop temporarily and take a breather while our cute little boys ate their taho. i used up the time by taking pictures with the twins' blue balloons as part of the background. feeling nag-ce-celebrate ng birthday, itsurang harassed naman. hahaha!

baguio city public market
after making our way down from the top of the lourdes grotto, we hied off to the "ever busy" baguio city public market to buy pasalubong and whatnots. then, we made our way back to benguet -- back to where you would find the sceneries shown in the following pics...


the sights to behold from my tita's backyard


the sights to behold from (and near) my tita's frontyard

back to manila
then the time came for yoni and i to find our way back to metro manila. on monday, may 1, 2006, at almost 9pm, we got a taxi and left our refuge in benguet for baguio city. we stopped by SM baguio. yoni wanted to feel for herself what it's like to be in the veranda of the only SM mall we know that does not use aircon to keep the place cool. yoni had to satisfy herself with her view of the mall's veranda through the taxi's clear windows. as much as i wanted to be in that place again (forget that i lost a cellphone there almost two years ago, hehehe) and grant yoni's "i want to be inside SM baguio" goal, i was too tired to get off our cab and carry my bags around. we spent the rest of the night at victory liner's baguio terminal, talking, reviewing the pictures that we took and complaining about the cold... until it was time for us to board our manila-bound bus.

except for a near mishap (some of our fellow female passengers actually reacted by shrieking, wehehehe), our bus ride back to manila was very cold, boring and uneventful. it was dark outside our window so taking pictures of the places that we passed by was not an "anti-boredom" option. during the 5 hours of travel, we endured the extreme cold inside the bus. we also tried to get some sleep while a whole album of air supply songs blared in the background. anti-climactic? not really.

additional info on our baguio/benguet trip:
(1) it was yoni's first time in baguio.

(2) because we stayed with my tita's family in benguet, we did not waste money on accommodation.

(3) for this trip, we took 89 pics using my cameraphone, 25 pics using yoni's cameraphone, and 88 pics using my digital camera. go figure: 2 travellers, 3 cameras, 202 pictures (excluded in the count're the pictures that we decided to delete). no, no, no... we're not camera whores, we just love taking pictures, hehehe...

p.s. most of the pics included in this post're from my cameraphone. i actually have good rapport with it. thank you, sony ericsson!

balintong chronicles

april 22, 2006

dear diary,

today, i went to eastwood in libis, quezon city with yoni for a get-together with high school batchmates who are currently living in the greater manila area. i now agree with my friend who said that eastwood's not that impressive. i find the place chaotic and i would rather have GB3 -- no offense meant to eastwood babies out there.

yoni and i got there in time, but we had to wait for our batchmates. they decided to meet somewhere in cubao before going to eastwood. to while away the time, we explored the place, i bought a pair of pink socks to add to my collection of cute socks, and we explored the place some more until we got tired of walking around. we found wooden benches in a semi-dark corner and we sat for a while. aside from "planning" for our next out of town trip which will be pretty soon, i also spent the time taking pictures of us using my cameraphone. i had to delete many shots due to inadequate lighting -- only two survived, one of which is that black and white photo that comes with this post.

just as i was getting too comfortable on the bench, our friends, ai-ai and mishay, finally arrived and we trooped to dencio's for dinner.


ladies and ladies
the four of us feasted on inihaw na tuna belly, sinigang na sugpo, pork sisig, ensaladang mangga, and rice. too bad, other members of manila-based ids99 couldn't and didn't make it to the venue for various reasons. almost two years ago, we awed ourselves when our attendance for the ids99 manila get-together in el pueblo, pasig city was 13. nevertheless, yoni, ai-ai, mishay and i were quite pleased with our night together. rose and ilian, an ids99 couple, called us while we were having dinner. the two couldn't join us because rose just got back from singapore that hour and had to deal with jet lag. in between eating, talking, dealing with our "busy" phones, we also took pictures!

we had long finished our meal and already paid for our bill when eldani, another batchmate, arrived. he came all the way from tagaytay and had been driving all day. being the body-builder that he is, he was mindful of his food intake so he didn't bother to request us to order food for him while we were waiting for his arrival nor did he order food when he finally arrived. instead, he suggested that we transfer to metrowalk. so, from eastwood in quezon city, we got into his car and drove to pasig city, where metrowalk is.

just as we got to metrowalk, manman, another manila-based ids99er, sent me an SMS asking how we were. i was a bit annoyed by him earlier because he didn't bother to reply to my text messages regarding the "spur-of-the-moment" get-together organized by mishay. after being ignored all day, there was his text message on my phone! (may pagka-consistent jud ni si manman ba.) i sort of updated him on our whereabouts and demanded that he should head for metrowalk ASAP to join us. he must have really thought of the things he was going to miss, he found his way to metrowalk an hour or so later.

april 23, 2006


in good company, out in the open, sitting on high chairs
we found a place in front of phi resto bar. from a little before midnight to 3am and in between trips to the restrooms, we had beer, talked about our lives, other people's lives and whatever, ate calamares, observed and "made comments" on passers by and other people in the vicinity, wondered about their behavior and fashion statements... and had our share of fun and laughter over our own stories. we whiled away the time the ids99 way, so to speak, until we finally decided to head back to our respective "homes".

eldani offered to drive for all of us and since he was eventually heading for antipolo, our first stop from metrowalk was sucat, parañaque. after several wrong turns, we finally got to lopez village and bade ai-ai goodnight. from sucat, we went to mishay's place in makati city. we were all so sleepy by this time, mishay offered coffee and refreshments. we declined and decided that all we needed was sleeeeeeeep. so, we spent an hour napping before we headed to shaw, yoni's drop-off point. actually, only eldani and manman got their nap. yoni and i tried to sleep but couldn't -- must be our insomnia acting up. by 6am, yoni stepped out of eldani's car. by 6:20am, it was manman and i's turn to step out of the car. eldani was driving all the way to antipolo to fetch his parents, who're to attend his sister's graduation in UP diliman. (yes, after driving all day from tagaytay to libis to pasig to sucat to makati to shaw to quezon city, it's antipolo then UP diliman for him!) to help him a bit in saving his energies, manman and i got off in front of quezon city hall. from there, we took a jeepney ride to get to our respective dorms. i was able to grab my needed sleep at 6:30am.

whew! what a night! what a day, too!

at about 2:30pm, i left diliman and went to the megamall in mandaluyong city. my friend weng and i decided to finally watch tristan + isolde. we planned to meet at 2pm, but i was late (as usual? hehehe)... i got to our meeting place at about 3pm. i found her in almon marina near powerbooks. she patiently waited there for me... sitting in front of her cup of coffee, which she placed beside her tumbler of "fake" fruitshake. it was still quite early for the screening time we intended to catch when i arrived, so i ordered yummy boston club sandwiches and refreshing real watermelon shake. too bad, i wasn't able to take a picture of the sandwiches with the tiny flags of switzerland and france planted on the top slices. weng and i were quite amused with the flags, we decided to keep them -- she got the swiss flag, i got the french. they're cute friendship souvenirs!

"Why be capable of feelings if we're not to have them? Why long for things if they're not meant to be ours?... Wherever you go, whatever you see,
I'll be there with you."
--lines of Isolde in Tristan + Isolde

after watching the movie, weng and i walked around the mall. we bought chicharon and ordered real fruitshakes -- she had buko pandan, i had banana split. i took a picture of our happy faces...


nerdy, pesky, and happy
p.s. while we were waiting for tristan + isolde to start, we saw for the first time the trailer of SUPERMAN RETURNS. according to the official movie website, it's to be released on june 30, 2006. so he's really coming back. i can't wait!!! (will christopher reeve be proud of brandon routh's performance? that remains to be seen.) now, if you'll excuse me, i'm going to listen to london symphony orchestra's theme from superman. babush. sorry if i got you bored with this post.

what else?

"Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean
they're not out to get you."
--Colin Sautar

i'm going to share things in a bit of random order now. sit back, relax, and just have a nice read. well, i hope. i can only hope.

1. i forgot what it is that i was supposed to write about. oh boy, i can't be having memory problems. i can't afford to have memory problems. i take pride in my good memory, you know. yes, as if i haven't mentioned that before. maybe i haven't, but i surely implied that before.

2. quite a number of people think that i am the youngest in the family -- that, or they think that i am either an unica hija or an only child. they find it surprising that i'm actually a middle child. that gives me a good enough picture of what they think about me: a brat, what else? but hey, i'm a brat who thinks and does. i demand and complain a lot but i also work hard and i give a lot of myself to accomplish the things that i must do. owkey, enough of my defensive stance.

3. i've started reading phd comics. at the moment, i'm at the 228th strip -- i still have a long way to go and there's more fun to look forward to, considering that currently there are already more than 700 strips. phd, by the way, stands for piled higher and deeper. it's a very funny read about life in grad school. i can relate to most (if not all) of the jokes. i think you have to check it out for yourself. see if the strip collection cracks you up or not. if you don't find it funny, i think you have a problem.

4. i'm quite mindful of grammar and spelling, most especially when it comes to my own work. i think it's a consequence of my being O.C. (obsessive-compulsive). sometimes, i refrain from writing when i feel i'm having a hard time making my subjects and predicates agree or when i can't make up my mind on how to spell certain words like harass and embarrass. from time to time, some of my online friends tell me to stop being too conscious about grammar and spelling. i guess it makes them sorta sick when i correct myself mid-conversation. they don't like it because maybe it drives them to lookout for their own lapses even when they don't want to. i feel sorta sick and don't like it either but, hey, i'm just being myself! sure, i'm not immune from committing grammatical lapses and misspellings... but, as much as possible, i prefer that i avoid those horrifying (my word) instances of "bad grammar and bad spelling".

5. there are blogs that i go to for reasons i cannot explain. these blogs are not in my blogroll but their URL's are already etched in my brain. i stumbled upon them by chance and i'm just not keen on adding their sites to my links. one of these blogs contains lots of grammatical errors -- those that you and i would readily forgive because (1) the writer seems to be cool and all (or is trying to be) and is really not that pathetic, and (2) most of the lapses are minor and are not deliberate. however, being the incurable self-appointed grammar cop that i am (syet! did i just admit that?!), i could easily imagine that if i were only foolish enough to be carried away, i'd have a red marker ready -- to highlight the writer's inadequacies on my computer screen. of course, that would mean that i'd be leaving red marks all over my screen even long after i've closed all the browser windows. that would be plain right stupid of me. i know, i won't be getting anywhere with that.

oh, shucks. i just made myself sound like i'm miss perfect. yuck! now, you'd be having second thoughts on interacting with me. please don't be. if you're a blogger and i've already left a comment in your blog, that means you're not the blog owner of the site that i referred to in the previous paragraph. i am well aware that grammar and spelling are not the end all and be all of effective communication.

no, no, no. i don't have real dreams of being miss perfect. i'm just "allergic" to "bad grammar", heaven help me. it's a pathetic "disease" (yeah, i'm calling it a disease) that i so want to get rid of.

6. my p6peeps friends and my guy-'n'-gal pals from high school sort of share the "grammar cop mentality". we watch out for each other's grammatical lapses. we are also more likely to notice and remember other people's. more often than not, with them, everything proceeds to amusing light-hearted jokes. there are a lot of times that we deliberately "corrupt" the language. we say, "are we THE going or are we THE not?" instead of "are we going now?". when talking to one another, it is common to hear us say any of the following: "are you THE?", "is this THE you?", "therefore, there is.", "i'm not THE well", "i am not understand, are you THE?". i remember one time, my friends and i considered watching the movie, if only, starring paul nicholls and jennifer love hewitt. we did not proceed with the plan and stayed away from the moviehouse when we saw the rather huge tagline on the movie poster: "what if love give you another chance?" ngek, turn-off! we didn't even have to ponder the question. we had a good time poking fun at it though.

7. i didn't know until yesterday that human finger lengths hold information on testosterone levels, sexuality, and aggression. apparently, if a male's ring finger is longer than his index finger (a.k.a. pointer), he has high testosterone levels, is most likely aggressive and is also most likely straight. i can imagine you guys checking out your finger lengths now, hahaha. so, tell me, is this piece of info quite right? if you're somewhat confused and you want to read more about this, click on the following words: testosterone levels and decisiveness, sexuality, and aggression.

8. it's possible to sustain my happiness through feedback. i love getting feedback. actually, that's your cue, lurker... come on, leave me some comments.

yes, i am

i took the nerd/geek/dork test at okcupid.com. for being honest, i got...

Modern, Cool Nerd
78% Nerd, 73% Geek, 34% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd.

Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protector or suspenders or something that announced to the world that you couldn't quite fit in. Not anymore. Now, the intelligent and geeky have eked out for themselves a modicum of respect at the very least, and "geek is chic." The Modern, Cool Nerd is intelligent, knowledgable and always the person to call in a crisis (needing computer advice/an arcane bit of trivia knowledge). They are the one you want as your lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (or the one up there, winning the million bucks)!

How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 91% on nerdiness
You scored higher than 96% on geekosity
You scored higher than 55% on dork points

oh well. results show that i'm undeniably nerdy and geeky. mwahahaha. i'm damn proud of that fact. i surely won't mind if someone'll call me "nerd" (or "geek") straight to my face. after all, not everybody gets to be like that.

now, it's your turn to find out what you are... go here. perhaps, you'll enjoy answering the other tests, too.

no, i don't have an account there.

a dream come true

"The reluctance to put away childish things
may be a requirement of genius."
--Rebecca Pepper Sinkler

a friend of mine whom i haven't seen for more than three years came to diliman last monday. after two hours or so of "hi", "hello", "you still look the same!", "oh my god, how come we haven't changed?!" and all the blah-blahs i only share with worthy old-time pals, we hit the mall. there, i made a long-time dream of mine come true...

look what i bought!!!


yes, folks! i bought a ferrari!
oh yes! i've long wanted to buy an impressive-looking remote control car. i had it in my mind for so long, i couldn't even remember when i started dreaming about it. dzan dza raaaaaaan... i found what i wanted, fell in love with it at first sight, and bought it!!!

now, it can be said. i bought a 1:10 ferrari F1 formula remote control racer! i purchased all 18 inches or so of it, its redness in all its glossy glory, its highly detailed features, its shock units, its blinking wheels and racing tires, its ~15mph speed, its 10V battery pack and charger, its plastic driver (haha!), and the warranty.

i know you want to see it but i'm sorry, you and i can't play with it anymore. the racer is with kenj now. kenj is my friend's son and my first ever godson. he's only three years old but he's quite a precocious kid, and i'm his quite doting ninang (who did not give him christmas & birthday gifts for the last three years, hahaha) -- he deserves to have one of my dream toys.

whoa! i finally got around to buying a racer! i can't believe it! oh, maybe i'll finally get around to buying myself a fighter jet remote control model. i'm not so sure. i'm still thinking about it -- money does not just pop out from nowhere after all. maybe, it'll take me sixty six thousand years to think about it and i'll still end up not buying (there are so many hungry people out there, you know)... but really, i want to have a flying gadget. it's not a secret among my p6peeps friends that i have this long-time dream of owning a flying toy plane, which i once thought of blowing up while it's in mid-air (terroristic tendencies!). one of them said i won't be able to make that dream come true -- he even wrote it down as part of the testimonial that he gave me in friendster, hehe. i guess, he was referring to the "blowin' up the plane" part of my dream. oh well, whatever. the fact remains that, right now, i feel pleased with myself: kenj was as excited and delighted as i when he saw what i got for him.

weeeeeeeeee... happy feelings! happy thoughts! happy!

p.s. i believe in proper attribution: i got the picture that comes along with this post here. i tweaked the photo just little bit to save space.

excerpts of a great conversation

"Happy talk, keep talking happy talk
Talk about things you like to do
You got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true?"
-- from the song, Happy Talk

i recently had a meaty conversation with a good friend via yahoo! messenger. my friend and i are kindred souls, our conversation spontaneously flowed and progressed from the mere "hey, how are you?" stuff to "more" stuff. we're both aware that it's one of the best we've had and we're sharing it with you.

the following are excerpts from our rather lengthy chat log, presented in chronological order. read on...

ON PATIENCEme: ... I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE SO I'LL JUST HAVE TO BE PATIENT...
me: i just want to get lost... even for just a while
friend: not because you suddenly want to throw everything out the window but primarily because you cant
friend: hell yes me too
me: and im NOT patient...
me: patience is something i'm still starting to learn...
me: heheheheheheh...
friend: (you very well know, im not at all patient myself)
friend: whoever said that patience is a virtue is a dumbo
friend: damn it. thats a lot of misinterpretation about lifes truths! i swear
friend: patience is not a virtue at all it sucks! hahaha
me: PATIENCE is a test, thank you
ON TAKING A WALK & HAVING A GOOD TIME
friend: val, i wish we're together right now
friend: i would have asked you to go out for a walk
me: then we'll dream of what food we want to just pop out from nowhere....
friend: i need a walk... with somebody who understands physics
me: and then, we'll pick out our own stars straight from the sky
friend: because i certainly cant understand life's force and motion right now!
me: i'll make wishes, i won't tell you about them...
friend: hahaha
me: you'll get back at me by making your own wishes and not telling me about themfriend: (yes, what would you want to eat?)
me: isaw and balut...
friend: oh i want to drink some beer right now
me: harharhar... me? i'll settle for tequila
friend: me too me too
me: that or calamansi juice... hahahaha
friend: settle? me want to get drunk right now, haha
me: i cant afford to get drunk. let's get drunk on holy thursday and friday, hahaha, just joking

ON WANTS & HAVING CHOICES
friend: i want to... i guess i want to be comfortable with not knowing
friend: what about you?
me: i feel like i stopped having the choice. i think i have to live with not knowing.
friend: thats it exactly. the feeling of not having the choice is heartbreaking
me: because we are such brats... WE GOT TO HAVE THE CHOICE
friend: what can be the whole point of being brave and cheerful if you always have to grin and bear it???
friend: yes. intelligent brats. haha
me: i like that... INTELLIGENT BRATS
friend: i'd take that anytime than stupid, patient, humble (its alright not making a choice) people
friend: please i'd like to go through my life with spunk and character and a lot of spitfire in me in tact
me: me too! i want to BURN...
ON PRIDE
me: sometimes i think it's just my pride still holding me together
me: haha, i wanted that to be funny... but it's heartbreakingly funny

REFLECTIONS
friend: putang ina, val-- what have i done? graduate, work sane-ly through placid work
friend: will now earn a sane and placid masters
friend: will teach in a sane and placid place
friend: will eat sane and placid food
friend: before i know it, ill probably die a sane and placid death
me: "placid" is not for people like us
me: we want "placid" only for awhile, for breathers
me: but not "placid" for good
me: im a thrillseeking coward
me: hehehe
friend: yes thats why it is such a tragedy that what we are actually doing are for our lives to be placid
friend: haha, i like that

MORE REFLECTIONS
friend: fooling yourself is the most tragic that you could ever do to it kahit pa, the world will think that its just the most grown up thing to do!
friend: i think that most of what people have called as 'moving on' is actually forgetting
me: ngek! forgetting, like love, cannot be forced. i should know. sa galing ba naman ng memory ko. hindi talaga magiging successful sa kin mag-erase erase ng alaala
friend: and you know, memory is what makes us who we are.. those you forgot, conveniently negates who we are
friend: nagdadrama ako rito e kasi naniniwala ako na there got to be a better way of going through life... yung sana po jesus, hindi ka mabuhay na manloloko ng sarili at ng iba waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
friend: akalain mo yun? ano pa ba naman ang kailangan ko? may work ako, magti-thesis na ako, engaged ako, marami akong kaibigan, mahal namin ni mama ang isat isa pero bakit ganun parang bwaka ng pating something is wrong/missing?
me: ang tawag dyan, quarter life crisis na pwede ng i-shortcut to CRISIS.

ON CONFORMITY & SUCCESS
friend: conformity? even jesus was a revolutionary!
me: He's the model!
friend: kaya nga ang itinuro niya ay compassion at hindi conformity
me: how can people twist things about Him and take them to levels that are way too extreme?
me: i was also gonna write compassion. you beat me to it
me: ewan ko ha, i occasionally get into conflicts with my own parents
me: kasi i have the tendency to think differently from the way they do
friend: hay naku, tell me about that. i talked to mama once about the kind of life that i want tapos parang sabi niya ganun talaga ang buhay: magandang trabaho, magandang pamilya
me: di ba, dati ko nang sinasabi sa yo... i hate what the society expects from me, from you, from us...
friend: yes
friend: kaya nga favorite natin ang isat isa e, haha
friend: kasi nga di ba, magdrama ka ng ganito, sasabihin sayo ng ibang tao-- bakit ba ang dami mong problema? tapos bibigyan ka ng purpose driven life.
me: i don't like the society's standards for success: high-paying job, big house, nice car, smooth-running career
friend: oh yes and i dont like that i'm actually being made to think that those things are necessary or basic for that matter
friend: na kung iisipin mo, yun actually ang tatali sa yo e? mga ilang prinsipyo naman ang kailangan mong kalimutan?
me: kasi pagwala ka ng mga nun, iisipin nila, napaka-loser mo naman... nagka-honors ka pa't lahat, hindi ka naman yumaman!
friend: exactly kainis nga e
me: well, isa lang talaga retort ko jan: BUWISIT! ang babaw ng batayan nyo ng success!
friend: alam mo, hahanapan ka talaga niyan. ako sasabihin ko: ang pangit mo, bye
me: alam ko hahanapan at hahanapan ako, pero pagmeron akong mapamukha sa kanilang ganyan, sana buo pa ang kaluluwa ko at may maipakita akong HIGIT pa sa lahat-lahat ng yun... kumbaga, magmumukhang bonus lang sila
me: di ba sabi ko dati, masasabi ko lang na successful ako if there's at least one life i've truly touched.
friend: ako its enough for me na makarating ako sa level na kaya kong isipin at panindigan na conventional measures of success suck
me: yung tipong mismo ako, wala akong doubts na napabuti nga yung tao, at pati yung taong yun wala rin siyang doubts na napabuti nga siya at yun din gagawin niya...
friend: and that i should know! kasi i have met the unconventional measures of success
friend: and these unconventional successes are well worth my 'poverty' as the world would call it and well worth the pain i had to endure just because i fell in love with the stars and everything else essential but not easily seen
friend: hay salamat ha? now m feeling better. whew

ON HAVING "SUCCESS" & BEING STUPID
me: hanggang ngayon lagi ko pa ring naiisip yung: no amount of worldly success could ever compensate for a failure in the family. o nga naman
me: hayaan mo silang maghabol sa pera, basta tayo... we're after our own measures of success
friend: what would failure in the family mean?
me: kunyari, may pera ka nga, pero ang mga taong gusto mong pag-alayan ng mga mabibili mo, oras mo ang pinakagusto... at dahil tanga ka, kung ano pa ang pinaka-kailangan nila, yun pa ang di mo maibigay
me: mayaman ka nga... yung anak mo naman galit sa yo kasi wala kang oras
friend: at wala kang maiturong matino sa kanila wala ka ring matinong masabime: kunyari, malaki nga bahay mo, wala namang nakatira kasi lahat di makahinga pag andyan ka
friend: josko yan na ang pinakamalungkot na pwedeng mangyari sa yome: kunyari, may sasakyan ka nga, kulang naman pasahero mo, or wala ka talagang pasahero kasi iniwanan ka na nilafriend: or di ka marunong mag-drive, hahame: hahaha...friend: hoy keep this conversation ha?me: yepfriend: it's one of the best we've hadme: yes, start pa lang alam ko maganda tong conversation na tofriend: yun na talaga yun... ang maging tanga, di mo alam na tanga ka pala
me: binenta mo pa kaluluwa mo, lugi ka naman sa kapalit
friend: spoken like a true blue unadulterated intelligent brat hahahame: tama, yun ang pinaka-indicator ng katangahan, yung di mo alam na tanga ka
friend: or the fact na inisip mo na kikita ka kapag binenta mo ang kaluluwa mo. josko, hindi pwedeng ibenta yun
friend: tanga ka ba, na isipin na pwede mo siyang ibenta?friend: yes kaya nga tanga e, hehehehehefriend: yun tanga na alam niyang tanga siya, nagmamaganda lang yun. matalino talaga siya sa totoong buhay
me: eh kung matalino siya, ba't sya tanga?friend: ganun talaga. ibig sabihin nun, he was fool enough to explore, to want answers
friend: thats what intelligence is! the desire to explore, to find answers! kasi what you know, what is to be known changes eme: hindi siya tanga, nagtatangatangahan lang... para may challenge ang buhay nya... parang tayo yun ah!
me: hahahafriend: kaya nga marami tayong problema efriend: challenges daw ofriend: my god, epiphany ito!

ON MAKING THINGS COMPLICATED
me: hay ilang beses na akong naakusahang mahilig magcomplicate ng mga bagay-bagay ha, ouch yun
friend: me too minsan nga naniniwala pa ako
me: ako din... ako mismo, sinasabi ko sa sarili ko, mahilig nga ako magcomplicate ng mga bagay-bagay... eh sa ganun talaga ako mag-isip
me: mababago ko ba yun, kung pinanganak talaga akong ganun? bata pa ako, ganun na ako eh
friend: so dapat talaga we are strong enough to weather the storms that we create. we should work on our strength ba kasi nga theres no way we'll ever stop complicating things
me: eh kasi naman, sa kakaisip ko ng mga mas complicated, mas nahahasa pag-iisip ko
friend: yes hence the word... intelligent
me: intelligent brats?
friend: yes also that
me: witty somebodies
friend: pesky
me: heheh

ON OTHER THINGS
friend: hoy got to go. thanks ha? we'll watch Tristan and Isolde ha? promise!
me: yes
friend: bonding natin yan. wag mong papanoorin ahead of me ha. i wouldnt want to be seating next to you tapos know it all ka na. aapakan ko paa mo
me: hindi nga. manhid na ako, baka kala mo. LOLz
friend: ha? aay oo nga pala natutulog ka nga palang nakapatong sa mga paa mo :D yogi
me: sipain mo pa ako, wala akong mararamdaman kasi manhid ako, LOLz
friend: kasi nga mataas ang endurance mo. ikaw nang nagyoyoga, habang natutulog
me: hehehe... san ka makakahanap ng tulad ko?
friend: i have no idea
me: ako rin, pag may makilala akong tulad ko, considered annihilated agad yun... ayoko ng kompetensya, hahaha
friend: me too
friend: kaya nga ako mag-isang anak lang e haha
me: hahahha... siguro, bago ka lumabas, nilason mo tiyan ng mama mo
friend: thats funny
friend: haha ako yung nakalabas e. the rest, hindi sila nagsurvive
me: biruin mo, di ka pa lumabas, alam mo na na ayaw mo na may kompetensya ka
friend: ganun talaga
me: ang galing mo naman... ako, sadyang palaban lang talaga lahi namin... kaya lahat kami nagsurvive hehe
friend: oh siya siya. good night, yogi
me: good night... grabe ang witty natin
friend: talagang imention ba?
me: ikaw lang tumatawag sa akin niyan ah ikaw lang yata naka-appreciate hahahahah
friend: syempre
friend: yogi, haha. ay gusto ko rin ng pangalan, haha, ang bratty
me: mag-iisip pa ako ng pangalan mo
friend: gandahan mo ha. yung singganda ng yogi. haha, bye bye
me: ingatz, goodnight
friend: kumusta naman ako ano? puro reklamo kanina gagawin din pala ang mga dapat gawin
me: well, what else is new?
friend: wala, haha, e sabi mo think what you want, do what you must e.

my fave pinoy music video

Ikaw ba'y nalulungkot
Naiinip, nababagot?
Ikaw ba'y napapagod
Araw gabi'y puro kayod?

Buhay mo ba'y walang saysay
Walang sigla, walang kulay?
Bawat araw ba'y pareho
Parang walang pagbabago?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Kasama ang pamilya
Barkada at buong grupo
Para mag-enjoy nang todo.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

i first saw the video of biyahe tayo! in 2004. the first time i saw it, i instantly fell in love with it! to this day, it's my favorite pinoy music video. more than the video, i like the song. it's catchy and it makes me really want to sing along, grab a bag and go off to wherever in the country to see things for myself!

no, no, no... i don't want regine velasquez's version playing in the malls. puhleeez. her mariah-nic version does not hold a candle to this powerhouse version!


a collage of biyahe tayo! video grabs

Nagpasyal ka na ba
Sa Intramuros at Luneta
Palawan, Vigan at Batanes
Subic, Baguio at Rice Terraces?

Namasdan mo na ba
Ang mga vinta ng Zamboanga
Bulkang Taal, Bulkang Mayon
Beach ng Boracay at La Union?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Mula Basco hanggang Jolo
Nang makilala ng husto
Ang ating kapwa-Pilipino.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

the opening sequence of the video has this to say: 21 top filipino artists. 5 exciting recording days. 1 song. about one great country. oh, maybe i don't quite agree with the use of the word 'great' there given the current state of the country, but, hey, it's a wonderful video about a beautiful country with beautiful people (grandstanders, crooks, traditional politicians and corrupt officials are definitely not counted).

From city to city,
Seven thousand and a hundred plus islas
Sa mahal kong Pilipinas
Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao ating puntahan.
Huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan!

Nasubukan mo na bang
Mag-rapids sa Pagsanjan
Mag-diving sa Anilao
Mag-surfing sa Siargao?

Natikman mo na ba
Ang sisig ng Pampanga
Duriang Davao, Bangus Dagupan
Bicol Express at Lechong Balayan?

Tara na, biyahe tayo,
Nang makatulong kahit pano
Sa pag-unlad ng kabuhayan
Ng ating mga kababayan.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

the video is a product of the “WOW Philippines Biyahe Tayo” program of the department of tourism and bonamine (meclizine hci) of pfizer consumer healthcare. the artists who appeared in it are members of the artists for philippine tourism. they shared their talents and extended their support without remuneration. wow!


another collage of biyahe tayo! video grabs

Nakisaya ka na ba
Sa Pahiyas at Maskara
Moriones at Ati-Atihan
Sinulog at Kadayawan?

Namiesta ka na ba
Sa Penafrancia sa Naga
Umakyat sa Antipolo
Nagsayaw sa Obando?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Upang ating matamo
Ligaya at pagkakaibigan
Kaunlaran, kapayapaan.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

the lyrics of biyahe tayo! was penned by rene nieva and those who lent their voices and musical talents are (according to their sequence of appearance in the video) freddie aguilar, sharon cuneta, janno gibbs, ogie alcasid, jolina magdangal, violinist john lesaca, flutist jong cuenco, rey valera, joey ayala, apo hiking society, rapper francis magalona, april boy 'idol' regino, jessa zaragoza, rico j. puno, nina, paolo santos, rico blanco and lea salonga. quite a lineup, don't you think?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Upang ating matamo
Ligaya at pagkakaibigan
Kaunlaran, kapayapaan.

Halika, biyahe tayo
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

Halika, biyahe tayo...
WOW Philippines...

watching the video, particularly its last few shots, always makes me feel good and proud. the artists are enjoying what they're doing and are having fun... and the places are beckoning to be visited! it's an upper that makes one forget, even just for a few minutes, the big mess on this part of the planet.

how i wish the major philippine tv networks will do more public service by airing biyahe tayo! for free (even just once a day) instead of making us endure those sickening doses of round-the-clock hair care and skin care commercials.

hey, summer days are here. tara let's, biyahe tayo! (...kahit sa panaginip lang, kung walang pera. hehehe.)


note: listen to the biyahe tayo! song by various OPM artists here. the music video can be downloaded here.