1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done
before?
Hmmm, this year I have been to the farthest place from home ever been to without the knowledge of my parents. i've been to Nueva Vizcaya for Leslie & Jeng's wedding! =) It was also my first time to sleep in class.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you
make more for next year?
Nope, i did not. and i'm still thinking about making a new one for 2005. heehee
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope.
5. What countries did you visit?
I haven't been to any other country. i'd like to visit the whole Philippines first before going out. In that way, i'd be able to say and prove to the world how beautiful my country is.
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in
2004?
a healthy heart and a strong and lean body. i would also like a new PC or a powerbook. =)
7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your
memory, and why?
The last two weeks of October. I learned a lot from the ordeal that hoseal and i had to go through during those weeks. It was something that made not only our love & relationship stronger but also ourselves.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
To have learned from my mistakes. I also bought cellphones for each of my parents. It's not much but i feel so proud of myself for being able to do that. :)
9. What was your biggest failure?
I failed to visit my gramps every weekend. they are on the final chapter of their lives and all they need right now are love and affection from their children and grandchildren. I wish i could have visited the more often.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious. I palpitated twice (i guess. i do not count eh). and everyday of my life i suffer from allergic rhinitis.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Canon Digital Camera
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
my hoseal
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
appalled by richelle's behavior re: the muse incident. but that was past. i got over it soon enough to interact with her daily in a very civil manner.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Food, gadgets, movies/DVDs.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
our Christmas party at maalalahanin! :) i look forward to it every year. it's so much fun to be with friends doing stuff that you don't usually do everyday.
16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
Can't Get You Out of my Head by Kylie Minogue
17. Compared to this time last year, are you
a) Happier or sadder?
Happier. =)
b) Thinner or fatter?
I gained 5 kilos. But i look prettier. Hahaha ;)
c) Richer or poorer?
The same. Coz, whenever i got extra money, i always spend it on something that i really, really like.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Painting... Drawing... Reading... Traveling.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting money. Heehee
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Spent it at home and with family. Watched The Lord of the Rings while waiting for my inaanaks to drop by and ask for their papasko.
21. Did you fall in love in 2004?
I always fall in love. :) but always with the same guy.
22. How many one-night stands?
None.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Fear Factor and Amazing Race. They make me feel alive and long for more adventures in my life.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last
year?
No. My life has been freed of the bitch that i really, really detest last year. I don't hate her anymore. but i still feel a little bit of disgust (and pity) everytime i speak her name.
25. What was the best book you read?
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
That i can sing Kylie Minogue's Can't Get You Out of My Head. La la la ... La la la la la ... La la la ... La la la la la ...
27. What did you want and get?
A digicam. A set of Neutrogena beauty products. Messages from a dear friend abroad. Surprised calls from my hoseal.
28. What did you want and not get?
A set of paints and Neutrogena Body Oil. A car of course but it's ok coz i still don't know how to drive yet. :)
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
A lot actually. They are Troy, Shrek2, Van helsing, and Resident Evil: Apocalypse. I was a bit disappointed with Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban. i have read its book 3 times right before watching the movie so i practically didn't enjoy the film at all because a lot of things were not included. but of course i understood the limitations of a movie compared to a book and vice versa. so HP:POA is still good because it showed more of the world Harry was living in and i like how it looked like.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Ate dnner with hoseal and friends. I am x years old with x equal to the number of the
question minus five.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably
more satisfying?
If i had only spent Christmas with my Hoseal.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in
2004?
DULL. i always wear dull slacks and dull blouses at work. :
33. What kept you sane?
Movies, my
parents, hoseal, friends, digger (our neighbor's puppy), comics, books, and more movies.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Sunday, December 19, 2004
sleeping beauty
last friday afternoon, dec. 17, we had our last class for 2004 in EDSP 201. It was a clear and windy day. we were the only class in the building so everything was quiet and peaceful. Our class was on the top floor of the Benitez Hall so we weren't distracted by the buzzes and screeches of jeepneys and cars roaming around the campus. in the background, we could hear the birds singing and the crickets chirping. it was a good day to be out and playing or strolling around the campus... or reading a book underneath a big acacia tree in the sunken garden until the crisp wind of december lulls you down to sleep.
but that wasn't the case. instead, i was inside this cubicle with thirty other classmates, watching and listening to a video of a gifted Filipina child playing her favorite classical piece on her piano. she was great! her performance was fantastic! but her music hightens the mood for siesta. all of us in the backrow and some people in the front and second rows were dizzied by the spell casted by the child. but all of us were strong enough to counter attack the sleeping charm.
afterwards, my professor delivered another sleeping enchantment by writing a long lecture on the board while chanting in a monotonous tone, "i'll discuss this later."
and that was the last thing i heard before i finally gave in to sleep.
heeheehee...it was embarassing to be in a classroom full of professional people and be caught sleeping like a baby in the middle of a lecture. (good thing i did not snore nor drool that time.) i find the experience funny and a source of a very good laugh when i am alone and feeling lonely. but i felt sad because i wasn't able to apologize to my professor for my behavior. i gathered enough courage to face her alone after our class but i was too late. she was gone before i knew it.
the story has no ending yet. i still have to wait for my classcard to see the finale of the drama i created last friday. but before it concludes i have to do great in all the requirements and exams my prof will give us. otherwise, i'd be stuck forever in my horror and guilt that i did not finish MA because i slept and performed terribly in class.
but that wasn't the case. instead, i was inside this cubicle with thirty other classmates, watching and listening to a video of a gifted Filipina child playing her favorite classical piece on her piano. she was great! her performance was fantastic! but her music hightens the mood for siesta. all of us in the backrow and some people in the front and second rows were dizzied by the spell casted by the child. but all of us were strong enough to counter attack the sleeping charm.
afterwards, my professor delivered another sleeping enchantment by writing a long lecture on the board while chanting in a monotonous tone, "i'll discuss this later."
and that was the last thing i heard before i finally gave in to sleep.
heeheehee...it was embarassing to be in a classroom full of professional people and be caught sleeping like a baby in the middle of a lecture. (good thing i did not snore nor drool that time.) i find the experience funny and a source of a very good laugh when i am alone and feeling lonely. but i felt sad because i wasn't able to apologize to my professor for my behavior. i gathered enough courage to face her alone after our class but i was too late. she was gone before i knew it.
the story has no ending yet. i still have to wait for my classcard to see the finale of the drama i created last friday. but before it concludes i have to do great in all the requirements and exams my prof will give us. otherwise, i'd be stuck forever in my horror and guilt that i did not finish MA because i slept and performed terribly in class.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
brain attacks
A few days ago before the demise of FPJ, my friend's mother died of stroke. And last thursday early morning, another dear friend of mine lost a beloved father in the same manner.
Stroke, likewise called as brain attack, occurs when blood flow to a region of the brain is obstructed and may result in death of brain tissue. It is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States. If you want to learn more about it, visit this site: http://www.neurologychannel.com/stroke/risks.shtml
Of all the risk factors listed in the Neurology Channel, I am most afraid of atrial fibrillation. It occurs when muscles in the atria contract too quickly, resulting in an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Arrhythmia alters blood flow and may cause blood clots to form in the heart. These clots can travel through blood vessels to the brain, causing stroke. Atrial fibrillation causes an almost five-fold increase in the risk for stroke.
I always experience irregular heartbeat. Sometimes it is too slow and sometimes it's too fast that you can honestly see my chest heave up and down in rapid succession. This lasts for a minute or two up to almost half an hour. It's too painful especially if it's too fast. I feel like my chest is going to burst open or my heart is going to explode. During these moments, i can hardly breathe. My doctors advised me to sit or better yet lie down because i could collapse. Now, I've realized that it could be much worse than that. I am 5x more likely to die of stroke than any drunkard or heavy smoker on earth!
Here are quotations about death that i find comforting...
:: I only remember two kisses - the first and the last. The first, with my love and the last, with death. The first brought happiness and the last relief!
--Srijit Prabhakaran
:: Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
--Isaac Asimov
:: A brief candle; both ends burning
An endless mile; a bus wheel turning
A friend to share the lonesome times
A handshake and a sip of wine
So say it loud and let it ring
We are all a part of everything
The future, present and the past
Fly on proud bird
You're free at last.
--Charlie Daniels
:: If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.
--Isaac Asimov
:: Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death.
--James F. Bymes
:: I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
--Winston Churchill
:: Tears are sometimes an inappropriate response to death. When a life has been lived completely honestly, completely successfully, or just completely, the correct response to death's perfect punctuation mark is a smile.
-- Julie Burchill
:: I look upon life as a gift from God. I did nothing to earn it. Now that the time is coming to give it back, I have no right to complain.
-- Joyce Cary
:: Death is the opening of a more subtle life. In the flower, it sets free the perfume; in the chrysalis, the butterfly; in man, the soul.
--Juliette Adam
:: He who has gone, so we but cherish his memory, abides with us, more potent, nay, more present than the living man.
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Stroke, likewise called as brain attack, occurs when blood flow to a region of the brain is obstructed and may result in death of brain tissue. It is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States. If you want to learn more about it, visit this site: http://www.neurologychannel.com/stroke/risks.shtml
Of all the risk factors listed in the Neurology Channel, I am most afraid of atrial fibrillation. It occurs when muscles in the atria contract too quickly, resulting in an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Arrhythmia alters blood flow and may cause blood clots to form in the heart. These clots can travel through blood vessels to the brain, causing stroke. Atrial fibrillation causes an almost five-fold increase in the risk for stroke.
I always experience irregular heartbeat. Sometimes it is too slow and sometimes it's too fast that you can honestly see my chest heave up and down in rapid succession. This lasts for a minute or two up to almost half an hour. It's too painful especially if it's too fast. I feel like my chest is going to burst open or my heart is going to explode. During these moments, i can hardly breathe. My doctors advised me to sit or better yet lie down because i could collapse. Now, I've realized that it could be much worse than that. I am 5x more likely to die of stroke than any drunkard or heavy smoker on earth!
Here are quotations about death that i find comforting...
:: I only remember two kisses - the first and the last. The first, with my love and the last, with death. The first brought happiness and the last relief!
--Srijit Prabhakaran
:: Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
--Isaac Asimov
:: A brief candle; both ends burning
An endless mile; a bus wheel turning
A friend to share the lonesome times
A handshake and a sip of wine
So say it loud and let it ring
We are all a part of everything
The future, present and the past
Fly on proud bird
You're free at last.
--Charlie Daniels
:: If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.
--Isaac Asimov
:: Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death.
--James F. Bymes
:: I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
--Winston Churchill
:: Tears are sometimes an inappropriate response to death. When a life has been lived completely honestly, completely successfully, or just completely, the correct response to death's perfect punctuation mark is a smile.
-- Julie Burchill
:: I look upon life as a gift from God. I did nothing to earn it. Now that the time is coming to give it back, I have no right to complain.
-- Joyce Cary
:: Death is the opening of a more subtle life. In the flower, it sets free the perfume; in the chrysalis, the butterfly; in man, the soul.
--Juliette Adam
:: He who has gone, so we but cherish his memory, abides with us, more potent, nay, more present than the living man.
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
hubby
do we really look like newly weds in these pictures?
a lot of my friends keep on asking the same questions after seeing those pictures in my friendster account. "When did you two tie the knot?" or "Why didn't you invite me on your wedding?" sorry to disappoint you people but we are still too young for that. heeheehee besides, i would not be wearing an old fashioned off-white blouse that i was wearing in that picture if i am to marry my hoseal! i didn't even put on make up nor had my hair done for crying out loud! heehee
in all of the daydreaming that i have done in my life, half of it would be my dream wedding. but each time, everything is different except for one specific thing. only one. because when i was in elementary and highschool, i dreamt of marrying my crushes (i met hoseal when we were in college so only then did i start dreaming about him. heeheehee). that specific thing would always be this --- my groom would always be smiling as if he feels like he is the happiest man in the whole world. and his love for me is reflected in his glowing eyes and his radiant smile.
that's basically what my dream wedding would be. so i wouldn't care if everything in my wedding wouldn't turn out right as it should be. as long as we both love each other and that we're both happy with what we are doing. that would be the best part for me and everything that comes in perfectly during that ceremony would be bonuses. =)
a lot of my friends keep on asking the same questions after seeing those pictures in my friendster account. "When did you two tie the knot?" or "Why didn't you invite me on your wedding?" sorry to disappoint you people but we are still too young for that. heeheehee besides, i would not be wearing an old fashioned off-white blouse that i was wearing in that picture if i am to marry my hoseal! i didn't even put on make up nor had my hair done for crying out loud! heehee
in all of the daydreaming that i have done in my life, half of it would be my dream wedding. but each time, everything is different except for one specific thing. only one. because when i was in elementary and highschool, i dreamt of marrying my crushes (i met hoseal when we were in college so only then did i start dreaming about him. heeheehee). that specific thing would always be this --- my groom would always be smiling as if he feels like he is the happiest man in the whole world. and his love for me is reflected in his glowing eyes and his radiant smile.
that's basically what my dream wedding would be. so i wouldn't care if everything in my wedding wouldn't turn out right as it should be. as long as we both love each other and that we're both happy with what we are doing. that would be the best part for me and everything that comes in perfectly during that ceremony would be bonuses. =)
wishlist
Just a while ago, i read a post by Ala Paredes about her holiday wishlist. She encouraged her friends/readers to do the same. I think it's cute. So, here goes mine:
:: a new personal computer
:: a digital camera
:: personally-made holiday greeting cards from my friends.
:: a phone call from a close friend abroad
:: a walk in the park with someone close talking about our dreams and our lives
:: a set of oil paints
:: my sister be off-duty on Christmas and the New Year's Eve
:: a trip to Enchanted Kingdom
:: a simple get-together/Christmas party with my elementary & high school friends
:: a quiet and peaceful day alone
:: a new personal computer
:: a digital camera
:: personally-made holiday greeting cards from my friends.
:: a phone call from a close friend abroad
:: a walk in the park with someone close talking about our dreams and our lives
:: a set of oil paints
:: my sister be off-duty on Christmas and the New Year's Eve
:: a trip to Enchanted Kingdom
:: a simple get-together/Christmas party with my elementary & high school friends
:: a quiet and peaceful day alone
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