My One Term in Five Days

The last five days, we had our trimestral break.

I spent the last five days in a conference room from 9am to 5pm and the last five nights (more thant actually) staying up reading papers. I have lost sleep, and the chance to unwind during the break, and yet, I truly enjoyed. It seems that the break was longer than five days because I spent it learning new things.

In the process, I think I might have stumbled upon what I want to be my life's work. I might have found (with the help of our mentor) the topic I would like to work on for my dissertation. With only one more subject to go, I have to think about this already.

I was very inspired by the works that I have read about and the ideas shared in the conference room. Truly that class has to be the best class I have ever had in my entire PhD program. We will have to see if my last subject can outshine Emphatic Computing.

Perhaps it's because I have missed attending classes, I have stopped for two trimesters. Or maybe it's because this is really what I want to do. Though I did not get to rest at all during the break, I feel renewed. Eager to finish my tasks, eager to complete my requirements, eager to teach. I feel excited again about everyday.

I feel really, really good these days and I hope this will never end. :)

Returning to a Journey

As I packed my bag to return to my interrupted journey, I came across this quote:

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. -Marie Curie

I do not find it comforting to know that this came from a woman who died of cancer due to her experiments. I guess a reasonable amount of fear is enough for me.

I got this from the paper of R.W. Picard, who I would like to dub as (like I have every right to, but this is my blog so leave me be) the mother of affective computing.

As I go back to school (I have been an OSY for quite some time) and to make up for it, I am enrolling this term break to a weeklong PhD class that is equivalent to one trimester. We will be meeting eight hours a day for five days.

Fear can be good sometimes I think, it was fear that drove me to get all the papers that I have to synthesize (eight all in all, counting one masteral thesis from MIT) and all the papers that I have to review before our classes begin. *sigh*

Inspite all this, I cannot help but feel very excited. I am finally, going to be the student of one of the legendary teachers. He just finished his PhD in Japan and is now back for this week long course.

So fear or no fear, I must trudge on and finish what I have begun. Only two more subjects to go and off I go to the scary, land of no return, dissertation.

I have reached my cheesiness quota for the day. I must end this now.

Rants of a New Wife

I have been married for 17 days. Details of how I got married will soon be posted, among with the wedding preparation details at Getting There .

On the day of the wedding, I could not contain my excitement. I was my usual giddy self, yes, even in my gown. Underneath the layers and layers of Duchess Satin I was still the unruly me. Some of my relatives took notice but before they asked me to at least pretend to have a single bone of grace in my body, they remembered that it was after all my wedding day and I will be how I want to be no matter what. :D

To catch a glimpse of how I was on that day, here is our video.

It has been a bit difficult on my part, I'm sure it's hard on Vince too. We are now staying in Paranaque at Chateau Elysee and the conveniences of my life when I was still single are now gone. For one, I no longer have access to a multipoint heater when I bathe or wash my face. I also have to now worry about what breakfast we will have, at least before we got our refrigerator. Now, I am back to my Fitnesse breakfast. He now shares the same breakfast with me, as there is nothing else on the menu. We do not have a stove yet or a pot where we can boil water so I cannot have my regular dose of green tea.

These days, I have to adapt to his schedule. If before I can spend half a day sleeping, now I have to wake up as early as he does to take a bath and head for work. I feel like I am working for an office. *sigh* One of hte perks of teaching is getting to wake up really late!

We do not have cable nor Internet connection, we don't even have curtains!

I think the biggest move for me though is having to change my name. I mean, while some girls dream all their life of changing their last names, I never did that. I never thought of changing my name and now I have to. Well, legally speaking, I don't. In fact, there is no deadline for changing names after getting married but it is more convenient if I have at least one ID that says my last name is my husband's last name. Maybe my license is what I will use.

In spite all these adjustments that I have to make, I am grateful that I am doing all these so I can grow old with Vince. Everything worth doing takes time and effort, and I would like to think that this is indeed one of them.

Another Declamation Piece

I Demand Death
Anonymous
My hands are wet with blood. They are crimsoned with hte blood of a man I have just killed.

I have come here today to confess. I have committed murder, deliberate, premeditated murder. I have killed a man in cold blood. That man is my master.

I am here not to ask for pity but for justice simple, elemntary justice. I am a tenant... My father was a tenant before me and so was his father before him. This misery is my inheritance and perhaps this will be my legacy to my children.

I have labored on a patch of land not mine. But I have learned to love that land, for it is the only thing that lies between me and complete destitution.

It is the only world that I have learned to cherish. And somewhere on that land I have managed to build waht is now the dilapidated nipa shack that has been home to me.

I have but a few wordly possessions, mostly rags. My debts are heavy. They are sumtotal of my ignorance and the inspired arightmetic of my master, which I do not understand.

I labor lika slave and out of the fruits olf that labor, I get but a mere pittance for a share. And I have to stretch that mere pittance ot keep myself and my familty alive.

My poverty has reduced me to the bare necessities of life. And-the constant fear of rejection from the land has made me totally subservient to my master. You tell me that under the constitution, I am a free man-free to do what I believe is just, free to say what I think is right, and free to worship God according to the dicatates of my conscience. But I do not understand the meaningof all these for I have never known freedom. I have always obeyed the wishes of my master out of fear. I have always regarded myself as no better than a slave to the man who owns the land on which I live. You tell me of the right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But I have known no rights, only obligations; I have known no happiness; only despair in the encumbered existence that has always been my lot.

My dear friends, I am a peace-loving citizen. I have nothing but love for my felowmen. And yet, why di I kill this man? It is because he was the symbol of an economic system which has made him and me what we are: He, a master, and I, a slave.

Out of a deliberate design I killed him because I could no longer stand this life of constant fear and bein a servant. I could no longer suffer that htought of being perpetually a slave.

Here is another touching piece. This was also written by someone anonymous so I suppose it is alright to post this here for those who need a piece. I am still searching for the pieces that I have loved from childhood.

Happy Feet

Just wanted to share a picture we took from the mall. We were both pretty pleased with our new shoes, we could not help but take a picture! :)

Quick Blog

Hannibal Rising

I have finished the Thomas Harris' book and enjoyed it immensely. I could not put it down. It is way better than the movie as it allows you to creep inside the mind of Hannibal. He is such a genius and to peek into his thoughts was more than enthralling. I would want to read the whole trilogy but I am not sure if we have it in the library.

The Rainmaker

This book by John Grisham was a bit of a disappointment for me. I did not like the ending at all, I felt like it did not make much sense. I do not know if the effect Grisham was going for is to try and make a full circle out of the story or what. Also, I feel that the love story angle was totally unnecessary. I learned a lot about insurance litigation though so I guess it was not a complete waste of my time.

I am still waiting for the cheaper version of Kinsella's Remember Me. It's supposed to be a light romantic comedy (I think that was redundant but I will let it be), and I do not know if by the time the cheaper paperback is released, I would still be interested.

"Vacation" is around the corner but my planner is already bleeding black from all the other things I will have to do on the side on summer. Workshops, trainings, among so many. I hope though to still be able to rest a bit. I appreciate work as well during summers because I really get depressed when I am not doing anything. Mom is planning to leave the country again but there are no definite plans yet. Knowing her, she will be announcing our departure at the last minute.

I am trying to learn French right now through this web site. I am also planning to enroll at Alliance Francais once I find time for it. The schedule is a bit tight and I do not know if I can make it.

A Confession

My very long vacation was not very productive and I am not very proud to admit it. It is just that it makes me feel better to confess.

I was hooked by the book In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner. I have seen the film but I was very curious to find out if the film did the book justice. I am glad (though not immediately) that I read the book because as always, the movie obscured so many important details. Though, being fair to the screenplay, these were things a bit hard to convey on the big screen without the overly used voice-over thinking-aloud style. Nonetheless, the idea of reading a book of a movie adaptation is always a good idea, it's like seeing the behind the scenes of the movie itself.

I liked the book, the ending left me teary-eyed and wanting to cry. I am such a sucker for sibling stories. The books is about two sisters whose mom died when they were young. Seems like another one of those stories but Weiner was able to introduce other twists like the little sister having a learning disability and their mom's death not being an accident at all etc. It's a nice read, if you do not have much to do.

Which brings me to my confession. I have tons of things to do. I have got to stop reading! I borrowed In Her Shoes from the library. When my feet lead me to the library, I tend to shop for books. I thought it was a great idea since I have been buying books the past few weeks (I used GC's or I bought when the books were on sale but even so...). I got myself a John Grisham, Rainmaker and Hannibal Rising... Tsk... Movie adaptations again. I was going to get Romeo and Juliet but the library had a terrible copy all worn out and yellow and part of the book was cut-off so the last word in every line was truncated.

Tomorrow is back-to-work day and I have to face the list of things I must do again.

Declamation Pieces

For a while now, people have been asking for declamation pieces. I havea tried searching on the net for possible declamation pieces and found none. This afternoon, I found myself some time to spare so I headed to the library and got a book on declamation pieces. After reading some of the pieces, I feel compelled to post some of them because they have been used during my grade school days. No luck finding Vendetta and Birthday Gift though but I shall search again when I find the time.

In the meantime...

I think this is a nice piece that can slightly be modified as performed so that it is more dramatic.


Guilty or Not Guilty
Anonymous

Logistics Nightmare!

I have just had a nightmare of a week!

I had not one, not two but eight foreigners come to my university. I was the only one who arranged everything and they are from not one, not two but five countries! I had a professor from France, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan!

If there is anything that I have learned from this experience, it is that, logistics is not really my thing. I had eight foreign visitors from my research group this week but of course, preparation started a week before as well. They had to change booking arrangements so the hotel booking drove me crazy. They were coming from different countries and different flights so transfers from the airport to the hotel also drove me mad. Then, I also had to take care of the logistics of the talk I asked as a favor from them for our students. I was thinking having foreigners from different universities abroad at the same time in one place, our university, no less, was a great opportunity for students. I requested networking students to attend as the field of the professors were mainly wireless technologies.

For the past few days, and I have reason to believe this is due to stress, I have been involuntarily waking up at three in the morning.

The talk was alright, I really did not expect much participation from the students but hopefully they got something out of the talks. They were also presented opportunities to study in Korea, France and Taiwan which I think is pretty good. There are also attractive PhD scholarships in Singapore. Internships are available as well.

I have been asked to go on an internship program in Singapore but because I am getting married soon, I declined for now. I might go next year before we aim to have a baby. The professor said there's no hurry since the project is going to span two years.

If it is any consolation, the foreigners loved the food here. On their first night, I brought them to dampa and on the second night I brought them to Gerry's grill. I mean even the French guy loved the food! Now that is flattering! The Korean was crazy about our fruits here as there is none in Korea. The weather also cooperated.

The second night that they were here also happened to be my birthday which meant that I was very stressed on my 28th birthday and I was brought to tears by the logistical nightmare I had to face! I had a car that can take four people but I had seven (one went to Subic) people to transport. No one was willing to drive for them and so I had to ask my mom! Fortunately, my mom was more than happy to help me and so she drove them to MOA.

My sweet fiance, with a chocolate cake in tow followed us to Gerry's so he can have dinner with us but mainly to help me drive the foreigners back. I love my mom and Vince! They truly are the wind beneath my wings!

To make this long story short, everything worked out thanks to the two people I love.

It's nice to know that there are people who, no matter what the circumstance can be counted upon.

I love you.

Cynic Child

What has become of the world?

People steal and deny it without batting an eyelash. I hate not being able to trust anybody. Trust and you pay dearly for it. It's terrible.

I remember a time when I was in kindergarten. It was dismissal time and my mom already got my bag and lunchbox in our car. I was still in school for a reason I can no longer recall. Then I saw a man and a child. The man had with him a screwdriver for who knows what reason in one hand and a bright yellow lunchbox in the other. Upon seeing that, a scene started playing in my five year old mind where the man opens the lock of our car with his screw driver and takes out my bright yellow lunchbox. I began wailing and screaming saying that the man has stolen my lunchbox.

I must have embarrassed my mom greatly because I sure got a nice scolding after. As young as that age, I knew trusting someone comes with a price, betrayal.

While I was probably one of the most cynical five year olds there ever was... even that cynicism did not prepare me for what the world has become.

Amazing Race? Filipinos No Doubt.

Perhaps by now, everyone has seen the Amazing Race Asia's final leg and so blogging about it is no longer a spoiler.

I was very sad that Rovilson and Marc lost. I mean, I had a feeling that they will not emerge as champions though they kept on getting to the pit stop first in most legs otherwise, the race would have been very predictable. Call me a bit negative but it was really all too good to be true if they won.

While I am bordering on depression right now, I am still very proud that Marc kept his cool and did not knock every tooth out of Rovilson's mouth after they lost. I am proud because they never cheated (I think), they were always good-natured, well, save for the time when they yielded the moms but nobody liked the moms so that's alright (haha! I am so evil!).

Collin and Adrian may not be the team I rooted for but I am glad they won still because I think they really worked harder than Marc and Rovilson especially with the handicap. I mean it was probably hard navigating the foreign roads with one of them unable to speak and hear properly. While Marc and Rovilson had a great time with the quad bikes, Collin and Adrian had to carry their bike and at a point one of them got squished by the bike! So with all due respect to the hard work Marc and Rovilson put in, Collin and Adrian really earned the 1st place spot.

Marc and Rovilson had the time of their lives and I think that's a prize in itself. They're the only team who truly enjoyed the trips as though they were really in it for the tour. They got moustaches, hid in bushes, stripped in strip bars, I mean really, how many teams in Amazing Race Asia and the Amazing Race did something like that?! They are already winners and for this, I cannot help but love Marc more than ever! (Next to my fiance of course... *sheepish grin*)

The sisters won 2nd place and I think they deserved it too. I mean, one of them got a concussion and they kept on getting entangled into so much drama.

Bucket List

i have seen the Bucket List. As always, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman did a good job. The movie reminded me that I will not be around forever and while I am still young and clearly do not have any idea for how long I can stay here on our planet, I have decided to write a tentative Bucket List. Things I would like to do before I kick the bucket. I have done some things already actually.

1. Audition for a newscasting stint. Check! (twice! :))
2. Perform on a big stage. Check! (several times but only the Meralco Theater stage counts)
3. Marry my fiance
4. Earn my PhD
5. Travel the world with my fiance
6. Have kids of my own
7. Teach my kids
8. Own a two-storey house and live there with my loving husband and kids
9. Play a major role in a foundation for the youth at risk
10. Dance the salsa with my fiance
11. Celebrate our golden anniversary
12. Publish a paper in a journal
13. Send my kids to college
14. Write a book
hmm... I'm sure there's more. I'll add to this list more next time.

My new Shopaholic book is calling out to me... Read me! Read me!

Turning Bag-o-holic

Last year, my dad fulfilled one of my dreams hehe... He gave me my first LV! I do not have a second one yet but I won't mind having another one! While I am very happy with it, I am now obsessing over Burberry! My dad asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said I'd like a Burberry bag! He called yesterday and I asked if he was seriously giving me one, and he said yes!

Since, I have been happily thinking about my LV bag and how it's about to have a Burberry sister, I have decided to get to know it more. I found out that it is called LV monogram canvas Alma and its shape was invented (yes, this is the word from their site) by Gaston Vuitton. They have it in multicolor monogram canvas and Damier canvas too.

After almost a year of having it, there have been many occassions where I have been glad I had a nice bag to use. I don't really buy myself a lot of bags. Really! Contrary to the belief of my brother and sister and mom, most of my bags have been given to me. Most of them are not really meant for formal events so, I am very happy to have my LV bag for these things.

Now my LV bag is another thing to pass unto my child someday... vintage.

Thirty-three

I believe last night was one of the funnest(let it slide ok... I feel like Elle Woods today... it's funner! hehe...) things that we did in the longest time! After being so stressed for so long (we still are actually), we got to unwind for a bit!

We celebrated Mardi Gras at Gumbo Midtown. We reservd two weeks ago when I had my nails done before a wedding at California Nail and Day Spa. The price 600 Php for two people and it was already a three course meal so we thought it wasn't that bad. Plus, if we came in our costumes, we get a 500Php GC!

I went in my Tomb Raider costume and won my GC! Also, they sang for us because they knew it was our 2 years and 9 months together! They sang Can't Take My Eyes of You and asked us to dance. They also gave us two sundaes with a candle each! Yey! As if that's not enough, they even gave Vince a crown and me a New Orleans headband! Usually, guests do not take these home but they were given to us! More yey! I love Gumbo for their Four Seasons Salad and now, I have more reasons to love Gumbo!

Since it was Mardi Gras, they also gave us some beads! No, we did not have to flash anybody to get those! :) I thought it was pretty fun! Hope they'll do it again next year! Totally every centavo's worth dinner!


Before we ate, Vince already mentioned P.S. I Love You. I thought the movie was the movie version of a Sweet Dreams pocketbook. It was a really sad story of a Paul Strobe or something and the girl and him met at Palm Springs. The guy died in the end. Apparently it was not the SD book and a common friend said it was a nice movie and it stars Butler and Swank. I decided to give it a shot.

After dinner, we sprinted to the cinema and made it to the trailers! The movie lived up to the hype and it made me cry in record-breaking five minutes! I know, unbelievable. It was really, really nice. A bit cliche but the delivery and presentation is too nice, you'll let it slide.

*sigh*

I do not know what is up with me, but I have been mushy the past few days. No thanks to the Kinsella books I have read.

Thank you baby for the 2 years and 9 months we have spent together. Thank you for the lifetime you have promised we will spend together. Thank you for asking me to promise the same before the Lord and our family and friends. Thank you for bearing with me and for staying strong for us.

I love you.

Stressed?

No, I won't offer you Milk Tea. :)

There are several ways a person can handle stress. There are those who, like the egg when boiled, hardens while there are those, like the coffee, turns the hot water into coffee. While some people change themselves, others tend to change their environment to cope.

I got that from a site that I visited last year.

Stress can manifest physically as well. I have a colleague who, while doing his PhD in Japan, suffered nosebleeds (and this is not because he had to learn Japanese). The doctors could not find what was wrong with him. Lo and behold, after he graduated, his bleeding stopped.

This should be a reminder for those who find the adrenalin rush of tons of work exhilarating.

This is a warning for me because I keep on jumping at every opportunity that comes before me. Hey, as they say, strike while the iron is hot. I cannot agree more. I say I will keep doing this while I still have the energy and youth. I will slow down when I can no longer carry on like this. I am at the prime of my life.

Who says you only have to choose one?

Life is a shopping spree and i want all that I can have.

So sue me.

More Books!

She's Come Undone

I am not the kind of person who buys a lot of books. I love reading don't get me wrong, I am just a thrift when it comes to books. I always think of how big our library is and why in the world I am in wanting of a book not in the library.

This Christmas though, I got a copy of She's Come Undone from Vince's sister Veena . Thanks Veena! As I did not feel like working at all during the holidays, I decided to curl up and read the book. I finished it after two days! I could not put it down. I kept on waiting for things to get better for her. My pace should clue you in on how miserable her life was. it took that long for the character to redeem herself. *sigh*

This book should come with a warning. People easily depressed should not even touch this book. Seriously though, there are so many points in this book that one can ponder on. It was a sad read but it was still,definitely, very good. It's a story of evolution and adaptation. It portrayed how indeed, life is a jungle, the wild, where the strong preys on the weak and where the weak eventually evolves into something that can thrive in this place called society.



How to Find Your True Love

Firstly, I was disappointed to find out that Bo's book is already 350 Php. Not that it's not worth it. It's just that before, his books were just 150 Php each. I bought hte book anyway because I have been trying to find a copy for a long time. It was out of stock in most National Bookstores that I have been to! I know you might be wondering what I am doing reading this book. No, I am not trying to find another true love. I am simply checking if how I found my future husband was the right way of doing it. The answer? A resounding yes.

I think I did most of the things that he adviced in his book:

1. Take responsibility of your life.
Long before, I have resolved to save up for my life in the future as a single woman. I, like most girls, also wanted to get married but I am aware also that there is a possibility that I might not be meant to marry so instead of splurging on outfits and other things, I saved and invested.

2. Know what is stopping you inside.
This has never been my problem haha! Seriously though, I chose not to have a boyfriend during my college days so that I may be spared of the long sermons from my mom. I promised her and my dad that I will not get into a relationship until after college.

3. Talk to Lots of Guys.
Most of my friends are guys. Though I come from an all-girls school, I have had guy friends from childhood and it also helps that I have a brother. It was never hard for me to be friends with guys. Also, I joined the Singles Apostolate and I found myself having more friends there male and female. I also joined Center for Arts where I had more male and female friends.

4. Have as many friendly dates as humanly possible.
I did not have as many friendly dates as possible but I did go out on dates.

5. Be Attractive.
In Bo's definition, smile, look approachable, and put on a bit of make-up but make sure you look natural. Bo says an amazing personality never fails to capture a heart but you have to capture his attention first and it does not hurt to look attractive. Hey, Bo's words not mine. :) I think I looked okay. Though, as I recall clearly, I was in the worst state when my fiance first saw me. It was at ATC after the Discernment Seminar at St. James and we (Bhennie and I) were waiting for the prayer meeting. I was having a bad hair day. I let my hair down and I could not braid it because I had it layered and some parts were way too short. I have not seen my fiance then but we have talked a great deal with each other already. Oh, and if that is not enough, I discovered there was a hole in the right armpit sleeve of my shirt! I was not particular about how I dressed especially when I attended prayer meetings since I felt like I should just go there to pray and not for anything else. This was also a phase in my life when I was trying to practice simplicity. I refrained from buying new and branded things. (in case you are wondering, I am no longer in this stage hehe, though it may look it sometimes)

Suffice to say, I looked terrible the day I met him. I was wearing a UP shirt (so he thought I was from UP) yes, the one with the hole. A high-waist cargo pants that I have had before college. A pair of Nike running shoes, I had my hair down and it looked like a hurricane just hit it.

6. Know what you want in a spouse.

My fiance asked me to create an Excel file of all the things I want in a boyfriend and all the things I do not want. Needless to say, I did not agree to do this. Still, he found a way to ask me and so to make it fair, we alternately told each other what we wanted and did not want in a partner. The first thing i said was patience, patience and more patience. Now he knows why. :) I love you baby!

7. Enter into courtship.

My fiance was purposeful but he did not make this clear to me immediately much to my annoyance. I do not like it when guys just drop hints. For me it's say it out right or just leave me be. Anyway, after we got that behind us, he became purposeful. We knew how to create space by allowing each other to continue each other's activities. I let him do his sports he let me do mine. We do not control each other's lives and I think this is one of the real reasons why we are still together. Well, aside from his enduring patience and love. ;)

8. Trust God and enjoy life.

Being the paranoid, cynical, pessimist person that I am, I worry all the time. I know that I should not worry about tomorrow and that I should live in the now but it gets to me all the time.

I think, more or less I did it right hehe...

Oh and yeah, if there is one thing I learned in the book that I should always remember... guys love affirmations. They like being thanked and being recognized for their actions.

Now there's a tip. :)

The book really is overflowing with so many wonderful things to ponder on and put into practice. Bo though has a condition for you to read the book, that you are in your mid-twenties and above. :D

Of Weeks Gone By

Golden Compass

I do not have much liking for fantasy novels but Neil Gaiman has changed my mind. After seeing Golden Compass with my boyfriend, thanks to Microsoft, I would very much love to read his books. I remember a former colleague who adored Gaiman books. Back then, I had no idea who he was, and obviously did not care much, I think I was devouring Grisham books then.

Maybe I will try to read Gaiman this vacation, I might go to the library and try to procure a copy though, I think I remember my colleague complaining about not finding one Gaiman in the library it is still worth a try.

Elegance






I am reserving my money for a book by Genevieve Dariaux, A Guide to Elegance. :) I was in Taipei and went to this 24-hour bookstore (Yes! There is one! Though a lot of their books are of course Chinese)called Eslite. It's I think 6-storey of books, books and more books!!! I came across this fiction book by Kathleen Tassaro called Elegance (that I eventually bought) and it had excerpts of Genevieve Dariaux' book! I tried to look for this book (and even asked for assistance already) in Taipei and here in the Philippines but to no avail. I looked it up in Amazon, the price is reasonable but I do not know about the shipping though. I might get it hehe... I am soh fixated!

Angels and Demons





Yes, it was only a week ago when I got a hold of a copy. I was going around the library when I chanced upon a copy and I decided to finally read it. It was a very good read of course just like Da Vinci Code was. It made a mention of CERN which was pretty cool because I have met people from CERN! EGEE one of the conferences I have been to is a major project of CERN. I am in fact a registration authority of EGEE! :) What's more is that they made a mention of the Large Hadron Collider which utilizes EGEE hehe! Some parts about physicists being atheists might have been exaggerated but it was entertaining as what a fiction book should be.

The setting was also in Rome and in the Vatican and I was just in these places early this year so everything from Piazza San Pietro to Piazza Bernini are vivid in my memory still.

After reading Angels and Demons, I would sure like to go back to Roma and explore the different churches they have been to! :) Perhaps with my baby? :)

I would love to see the Ecstasy of St. Teresa which was interpreted in a curiously different way by Brown. I would never have looked at a Church sculpture the way he did but there is something in Brown's words that can make you give his ideas a second thought. Instead of just dismissing it, it makes me more curious.

Brown is the Crichton of Art and History. I enjoy his books tremendously because I learn a lot about Art and History when I read his books.I hope he writes something about Michelangelo soon. Michelangelo's life is well-documented so I think he can come up with a novel out of it. My greatest disappointment is that he is gay. Among the documented parts of his life is that part where he had a lover. *sigh* Regardless, I will always have a profound respect for his gift.

One More Chance

After almost everybody has seen this movie, I have finally asked my baby to see this movie with me. I did not want to see this film because I thought it starred Kim Chiu and Gerald what's-his-lastname. I do not want to see them act on the big screen because it already pains me just to see them acting on TV. Anyway, when I found out that it actually starred Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz, that was enough to change my mind. I find John Lloyd good. He seems so natural when he portrays his roles.

The movie's story line was good, I think. I am no expert but I enjoyed the film. I am unashamedly going to admit that I cried buckets and buckets of tears during and after the movie hehe... I am such a cry baby! I am not going to reveal here who else did a crying fest hehe... ;)

AFter the movie, I was reminded of how blessed I am to be in such a wonderful relationship. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with my baby!

Baby's Birthday
My baby turned 27 last December 1, 2007! He celebrated his birthday with his family and me at Heaven and Eggs at the Fort at around 11 pm. They heard mass that night and the mass ended late so we got to eat out late as well. Regardless, I was happy because I got to see his family and of course my baby! :) I am grateful for another birthday of his we celebrated together! :)

2 years and 7 months
I can't believe we have been together this long! :) He surprisingly came to our door on the night of December 5. Normally, he texts me and he waits downstairs. I was so surprised that he was by the door. Imagine my surprise when I saw he had with him pink gerberas and orange stargazers! It has been a while since he last gave me flowers. He gave a card which said, "I know it has been a while since I surprised you or have given you flowers but know that I try my best to make you feel loved." or something like that :).

I love you baby! :)

Gotchi Update

Bought a Gotchi a month ago and so far, I have had three already. The first one, my baby took care of so it was able to grow up to 23 years old. My second Gotchi died after 1 day because I lost my Gotchi (yikes! I might not be ready to be a mom yet) and currently my Gotchi is 4 years old, still alive and kicking! :) Yeah!

Stressing

My head hurts. I think it's because my week i sof nonstop activities. I am again, biting off more than I can chew! Argh! I do this to myself all the time.

If I am getting married soon, this has got to change about me otherwise I am afraid my family might suffer. Just this afternoon I got an email from EGEE and there will be a winter school for Grid Computing. It will be done online but it will be 20 hours per week for a month. i do not know if my body can take that and if I should jump at the opportunity especially since I am getting married soon and I have to prepare for our wedding. Also, I am wondiering if I should do it since I have to take my Cisco Certification Exam soon.

Not really sure if I want to take the exam, mighty scared of it. I slept for two hours after my last class so I can stop my head from throbbing. Hay. And I need to go to Taipei on Sunday. I have not packed yet and I need to make exercises for my classes that I will be leaving. I also need to prepare for the meeting.

This is very stressful. It's not even cool anymore.

I also need to finish the paper that I should have finished a long time ago. It is so depressing when I need to think about all the things I have to finish.

What is annoying though is that I cannot give up a single thing I am doing now so I can find time to do more things.

Got to end this right here. I have things to do.

Pieces from the Past

I do not know about your grade school but in mine we were asked to memorize several declamation pieces and recite them in class. I had my third grade in Saudi Arabia where declamation pieces were unheard of so what my mom did was to ask me to memorize a piece and recite it at home. Without an audience but my mom and my brother, I was made to recite a declamation piece over and over again. Fragments of this piece haunts me to this day....

"... and I danced and danced with my handsome Romeo"

Almost all pieces involved a dying parent or a dying self. I believe this is to force the kids to shed tears without contorting their faces to unimaginable proportions, crying and trying to remember the next line.

In the piece I memorized when I was in third grade, the mother died because she got a glass of water that the daughter refused to give her. The daughter went off to dance with her handsome Romeo. Upon getting home she then cries, "MOTHER!!!". Most declamation pieces will have this line.

Because of the gulf war, I had to go back to my previous school and declamation pieces were abound. Each student in my English class was forced to memorize a piece and recite in class. AFter a while, I had all pieces memorized by heart. While the other kids doing their chores at home sing, I recite declamation pieces, with feelings mind you. Perhaps because of so much practice, I got better and I was selected for the level eliminations. Perhaps due to so much practice, I got eliminated. I knew the pieces too well... I was speaking too fast. This is still my problem up to this very day. :)

The classic pieces way back are:

On Little Things

Amici
After visiting The Spa last Monday, my baby took me to Amici di Don Bosco, an Italian resto that sits beside Don Bosco Makati with the yummiest Italian food! Their gelato is also closest to the gelato I have tried in Italy and only for 45 Php per generous scoop! I loved the choco mint flavor! Another must try is their Italian sausage that is only 100 ++ Php and it comes with two sausages and a slice of baked potato! The sausage has to be eaten with pasta and I recommend the Pasta Bolognese! The Brazo de Mercedes was also a hit for my baby and me and for my sister who we bought a box for!

More than the good food, I also enjoyed the very nice servers and cashiers there!

Thanks baby for taking me to Amici finally!!! I have been hearing about this place from the people I work with! The visit is well-worth it! Yum!

Hungary
I never got to finish my entries about Hungary mainly because I was so busy touring the place at night, that when I get home I am already poofed. I have uploaded all the pictures of my eight days in Hungary. I do not think I will find time to write stories about Hungary anymore. :) I will be going to Taipei this November 18 to 23 so that will be more backlog in my blogging. I think one day, perhaps during my Sabbatical leave I will write about my previous travels but not now. :)

Stand-up Comedy
My brother is an aspiring stand-up comedian who is just aspiring most of the time hehe... Today, he was given a slot for an open mic at the Cafe Agogo bar in Ortigas by none other than Tim Tayag. I hope everything goes well! I will be rooting for him of course! I can't wait for his performance!

Wedding Plans
Wedding plans have ceased. I do not think my fiance or myself are thinking about the wedding at all hehe... We are both very busy on so many other things. Sometimes, I worry about the lack of enthusiasm on both ends. I wonder if it is lack of enthusiasm or lack of budget that's causing it and if I should be alarmed. I don't know if this is a bad sign or if I am, as always, being paranoid. Oh well... We'll see where things take us. Though for the past few months, we are actually happy as a couple, for most parts, we do not discuss wedding details.

I think we are just happy that we have booked most of the suppliers. Maybe I am just running out of things to worry about and so the next target is our emotional welfare and the wedding. Haha...

This is why I always need my hands full with things to work on. I have tons of things to do. Must shift my focus.

I still do not have a gown! Arg! Wonder when I can visit New Yorker. Maybe after the long holiday. I like Ysabelle's design but I still want to check New Yorker too. They say their gowns are nice.

Cisco Fiasco

Well... almost.

Finally, it is over! Two semesters in two weeks straight. I do not even want to count how many exams there were. I still have one left. The certification.

I am not so sure if I still want to take it after all the pain that the last few semesters have caused me.

I enjoy teaching Cisco. Without a doubt I do. I just hate it that the instructors training has to be one sem per week and the passing mark has to be higher. It was absolutely stressful. I had fun but for most parts, it was just stressful.

After the training, I am taking a bit time off by relaxing.

I was able to visit The Spa last Monday thanks to the GC my baby gave me for my birthday. I really saved it for the most stressful time. Whew!

Thanks, to the long weekend, I think I can begin working on my dissertation proposal and check some backlog papers. Wonder if my mom would want to head to Tagaytay some time during the long break. My brother seems to be busy with work so that might be out of the question.

I will be going to Taipei again from November 18 to 23 to attend a conference and a kick off meeting for a project. It's pretty exciting to be heading back. I hope to find the cherry earrings that I loved and lost in the Tower of London. *sigh* Now if I can remember where the stall was.

The last time I was there, most of the places were very expensive, hopefully I can have enough time to go to the cheaper place. It's supposed to be an hour from Taipei. We will be leaving afternoon of Sunday so I do not know if I will have time to go to the bargain place.

While I was slaving away and finishing my Cisco sems, my baby was off winning photo contests! Well a photo contest. He won the Grand Prize!!! Congratulations to my baby!!!

This is all I feel like writing for now. :)

Budapest Day 2 and 3

It is now my third day here in Budapest. I failed to write last night because I was just too tired to blog and I would much rather write my baby a long email. Tonight I can write because I went home right away. The conference ended at 7:30pm today so there was barely time to go back to the city and to wander around. So instead of winging it, I decided to give my nerves a break and not risk getting left behind by the bus.

Yesterday, the conference ended at 5:30pm, so together with my Malaysian and Indonesian friend we went off to find Vaci Utca the shopping street. Utca means street in Hungarian. We found it after getting a bit lost, the map is extremely hard to read at night because the letters are too small... I can't complain because these are just the free maps. I don't like buying maps. This makes me a bit guilty because I do not think foreigners get free maps at all. I can just imagine what nightmare they go through to understand our crazy public transportation.

Anyway, after a while, we were able to find our way. By the time we got to Vaci Utca most of the shops were closed. Fortunately though, there was still some arts and crafts store open and my friends got to buy souvenir stuff. I just found out today that there is a flea market here but it's only open until 4pm so I do not think visiting it is a possibility. I would rather take the chairlift ride! I wonder where the bus stop is though. I know I am to ride the bus 158 from Moskva Ter, Ter means terminal. It's like their Quiapo here. Or at least I think. It's my sanctuary hehe... I know I can find my way back to the hotel if I am able to find my way to Mozkva Ter. The only bus that passes by my hotel is No. 22 and its terminal is in Moskva Ter. Also, the Metro is there so it's easy to get around from there. :)

I had to learn all these last Sunday but then again, I had all the time last Sunday. Plenty of daylight.

Tomorrow, the conference should end at 5:30 pm but we will have a Danube Cruise dinner courtesy of the organizers so I won't be able to wander off and explore the city on my own. I am delighted though because last Sunday I was thinking how nice it would be to ride the cruise. Their cruise here is not like the catamarans on the Thames in London or on Seinne in Paris, it's really romantic. Now if only my baby were with me. There will be a folk music band on board and I am hoping the food will be great.

Their food here is pretty meaty. Though there are sliced sausages everywhere. I am yet to see the Hungarian Sausage that we have in the Philippines. It seems all their sausages are sliced and nothing tastes like the Hungarian Sausage that I know of. If any thing, Bratwurst of Amsterdam tastes more like the Philippine Hungarian Sausage hehe... I have not given up hope, I am still hoping of finding it.

On Friday, I should be able to go to the chairlift because we get off at 12:30 hopefully, earlier than that because the chairlifts close at 5:00pm. I am kind of hoping too that it would not take so long so I can still go and try to find the flea market. I wonder what time Castle Hill closes too... I was meaning to go back again and check out some things.

I don't think I will bother to see the Opera House here since I have seen the Royal Opera Garnier in Paris already. Besides, it's not that fun without my siblings to explore it with... Haha the last time we were there... we scared the hell out of my sister! It would just make me sad if I went there, it will make me miss them more.

By the way, the pictures are in my multiply site.

Budapest Day 1 - B

It is now Sept 30. I am writing this on my notepad because I do not have Internet access in my hotel. This morning I said that I will be transferred to another room. The room is smaller but it has a loft that i will not use because I am alone. There is also a bathroom and satellite TV with Hungarian shows. There's Hungarian Discovery, Hungarian HBO, Hungarian ANIMAX, Hungarian National Geographic. I appreciate it still because now, there is no more deafening silence.

I have spent the day going around. Since I am in a far away place called Budakeszi (outskirts of Budapest), I took a bus 22 to Mozka Ter. Of course I was clueless. I had no idea where I wanted to go or where I wanted to get off the bus. The final stop was Mozka Ter so I got off there.

I rode the bus without a ticket because there was no place where I could buy tickets from our hotel.

It was good that there was no inspector that time. You can get on and off the bus and not have to show your ticket to the driver, instead you validate the ticket. There is a concept of two-month, 1 week, 1-day ticket as in London and in other European countries. However, an inspector in civilian clothes can inspect randomly. The inspector shows identification after he/she catches you.

They really implement this because just this afternoon at the tram, a family was caught. I do not know what happens after but they were tourists so they should have been spared.

Their tickets here are confusing compared to other countries. For the train for example, you have a maximum of three stops of the same line, otherwise, you have to buy another ticket. There is another kind where you just have one stop. For someone like me who is still unfamiliar with all the stops, and does not know exactly where she wants to go, it's difficult so I got the 1-week ticket that can be used on all transportations. It's cheaper too than if I have to buy a book of ten tickets... I need to make ten trips to the conference venue, plus all my other escapades. Today alone, I rode the publis transpo at least ten times, Metro, tram and bus.

It was not very difficult to get around because I have a map. It's the hardest to read compared to the other countries I have been to but I was able to manage because the layout of public transpo here is I think alright. They only have three lines for the Metro here, which is too bad because I am a big fan of the subway hehe... Now I am forced to take the tram and the buses... Guess they're not so bad either.

I was thinking since last night how I will hear mass here. The first place I chanced upon was a church! I was able to hear mass! It was great! It was in Hungarian but I was still able to participate because I have all the parts memorized. Maybe that is why the mass is so formulaic... because Catholic means universal. At first I was a bit in doubt because I could not find a cross outside but seeing the interior of the church, I was sure already. The most beautiful church I have seen here so far is the St. Stephen Church.

I got ripped of by the funicular which goes up to the Royal Palace, Museum of Military stuff and Museum of Fine Arts! I was already in the area when I went to visit Mattias Templon ( a church)! I was so out of breath this morning because I hiked and climbed the hill to the Templon. Finding out later on, that there is actually a bus that goes up there from Mozka Ter, Bus number 10! I should have taken the funicular going up and I should have just saved the money I paid them to
go down... That was 600 forint too!

The people here, as in Paris, tend to kiss anywhere too. Except that I find Budapest more romantic. Really. It's not squeaky clean here, but it's not exactly super dirty here as well. In fact, in so many ways, this place is cleaner than Paris. It smells better too! I also love the people here, I swear they are always smiling! Even the babies like to play with and smile at me. I would normally initiate the peek-a-boo with kids. This morning, a baby in her stroller, started playing with me! :) She was soh cute!

Even the elders are nice! I still love the Philippines but Hungary is also a beautiful place. Maybe it has something to do with their difficult past as well. It made them humble. I think it also helps them find happiness in simple things. Like a concert in a park.

I wanted to stay late and watch the concert in the park but I could not wait 'til eleven before coming home because I might miss my stop. It is so dark in where I stop so it would be difficult if I get lost and there are no more buses available.

Today, I felt the hands of God shoo me in the right directions. He led me to the church so I can hear mass. He sent someone tonight to tell me where to get off. I was not even asking. Thank you Father because you are looking after me. I feel Your love.

To those praying for my safety, thank you very much!

To my baby, I miss you soh much! I wish you were here with me! You will go crazy taking pictures! Let's go to Budapest someday!

I love you!

Budapest Day 1 - A

I am off to explore Budapest. I only have maps with me so I do hope things go well and my feet take me to interesting places with the help of the Lord.

I got a good night's sleep save for the cramps that I got in my left and right legs.

The hotel room is not that bad, at least I get my own toilet and bath for the first night. There has been a mix-up and the room I got tonight is not the room that I booked. Question is, is this the better room? I am supposed to have a TV so I am hoping this is not the best I can have here.

I have to go now, lest I might miss a lot. :)

Escape Blogging

I promise after this post, I will go back to studying...

I have been procrastinating the past few days which explains my bountiful entries here in my blog. I am running away from something again or some things if I should state it correctly. I am running away from Cisco Sem 3 hehe... I have a stubborn chapter 2. I know Sem 3 only has 9 chapters but darn, the chapters are really long. Plus, I have to read them online because we do not have a book. I read poorly on the monitor.

I have also been running away from my dissertation proposal and my URCO research. I have to get start doing that as well. So after this blog, I am going back to Sem 3.

Last Sunday, Tita Vivian celebrated her birthday at the Legend Chinese Resto near World Trade Center. It was my first time in that restaurant and the food was pretty good. Vince texted me that morning to tell me that Tita Vivian was inviting me to go to the celebration. It was a bit short notice and so we did not have a gift. We picked out the gift at MOA after the lunch.

While picking out her gift, I chanced upon this skirt that I have been looking for since I was sixteen. Eleven years later, and several varicose veins and cellulite later, it appears before me. Darn it! I might never get to wear it or at least my family might never let me get away with wearing that in public so I think it will just be worn when no one is around. Still, I revel in the comfort of knowing, after all these years, I have found the skirt. I guess I was ahead of fashion hehe... Which makes me out of fashion. Darn it.

Gay Saturday!

Today, after swimming (Yay for me again! I have to stop using parentheses (it's annoying!)), my sister and I took a cab (promise, last one for this entry hehe... my car is in Cavite, my brother's car is sitting on our parking slot here) to MOA and skated for hours! I am glad that she has finally gotten the hang of it. For so long, she was not interested in skating. Thanks to peer pressure from her classmates, she suddenly felt this urge to learn! And now, she is all interested and wanting to learn how to figure skate! I cannot be more proud! She is indeed part of the family after all.. hehe... She was the only one who did not know how to skate in the family, well not counting my dad who is in Saudi where they use wax for ice. I know because I have tried skating in those. I did not know yet how to skate on ice then, but I knew how to rollerskate and it was terrible! I even got a burn to prove it. Not a blister but a burn. Yes. I forget the concept of pain when I am having fun! :) I know I said it was terrible but because it was skating, it was still fun. It was just a bit difficult to do because the blades kept on slippin on the thin was. Whoever thought of that should be sacked. Anyway, I still kept skating on wax until my dad forced me to get out of the rink and when I took off my skates, rectangular raw flesh was crying in pain in front of my very eyes. What did the staff of the rink do? He heartlessly sprayed on painful meds on my open wound! The rubber boot kept on rubbing against my leg and burned it. I know it's called rubber but I did not think it would literally rub my skin to raw flesh!

That was a really long side story! Anyway after skating, Vince met us at the rink so we can see Chuck and Larry. My sister has seen it with her friends but she watched it again tonight with Vince and me. We were supposed to see it last night but all seats were taken at GB3 so we opted for Joshua instead.

The movie was so funny! It's mostly about gay discrimination and really good friendship. I enjoyed every minute of it! No wonder we could not get seats last night, Adam Sandler has done it again! :) Along with all of his consistent supporting actors in Happy Madison productions.

If you have seen the Bee Movie trailer, you would know that Steven Spielberg said that E.T. is made of chicken wire and PlayDough. There is a part of the trailer where a CG Bee with the voice of Jerry Seinfeld says, try doing this with chicken wire and PlayDough and the guy two seats from where my sister was seated said, "Hello? Jurassic Park?". Talk about a guy who cannot take a joke. My sister thinks it was a first date with a girl. In most parts of the movie, according to my sister, the guy was making embarassing remarks. I did not notice because after last night, I had my fill of side shows.

You see, last night, while we were watching Joshua, there was a couple who were fighting. A Filipina and her foreign boyfriend were fighting about something and the girl just kept on hissing and for most of the time, talking out loud. The foreigner was crying already. It was amusing at first but after a while, it gets old.

Speaking of Joshua, the movie fell short of my expectations. The boy's acting was noteworthy though. Freak factor was definitely lower than that of 1408.

I know I am so disorganized, then again, I always have been. I am no closet case so I won't bother to restructure this whole thing. Drafts were never my thing.

After skating and before Chuck and Larry, we went to Time Zone because my sister had a loaded card. She played Guitar Freaks while Vince and I sat on a bench. I appreciated his warm armpits hehe... my hands were still freezing after skating for hours without a jacket.

Vince and I took a shot at the difficult stage of Dance Revo and did horribly. On the second round, we tried tag team. On the third round, we danced on one pad. He did the down and left button and I took care of the right button. It was fun! Thanks Janine!

After TZ we went to Jatujak and had our fill of Thai cuisine! Yum yum!

Then off to the movies we went!

I had so much fun with two of my favorite people in the world! :)

Thanks guys! :)

Hello Hungary!!!

Visa

To those who said prayers with me, I thank you because tonight,I have once again laid my eyes on my passports! I sent two because my older visa has the valid US visa. Apparently, Hungary uses it as basis too because if you have one, your application has a bigger chance of getting approved. It's even on their website.

Consulate
I was not able to send a self-addressed envelope (something my mom told me about two days ago, this is required for US visas) because it was not stated as part of the requirements in the website I viewed. Then again, that website was assuming I live in Jakarta and that I will be applying from Jakarta and not the Philippines. I do not know if they have to walk in or send their documents as well. In any case, it was the Hungarian Consulate Office of the Philippines' job to inform applicants of requirements. In fact, they should be the one sending the documents to Jakarta in behalf of the applicants. Sadly though, when you call them up all they tell you are fragments of what you need to know plus the lady who takes care of these things are as friendly as a plywood. Well there are days when she is even irritable. I had to ask myself if I was annoying and if I have asked my questions several times in my past life because I definitely asked them for the first time in this particular lifetime!

The first time I called, she said that I should just put in 35 Euros in the package. I was going to send it already but my fiance stopped me and asked me to check with the consulate again just in case I am forgetting anything. So I did.

The second time I called, she said that I should just put in 35 Euros in the package. I had to ask this time around about how my documents will get sent back. She paused for a while and told me to put in 20 more Euros for the shipping. Darn! It was a good thing my fiance stopped me from sending the package lest I would never see my documents again! Doesn't she have a list or something?

Obviously, this lady in the consulate (I do not want to generalize everybody working in this firm), does not understand how important these documents and this application are. She does not take her task seriously and she should be assigned to do some other task that she will hold in high esteem. Maybe this is just committee work in their firm, I wouldn't know, but if you agreed to do it, you should do it right.

Pagkamulat

In introspect, I think I should apply this for myself too. I have been Pagkamulat coordinator in the past three years and so far, I think I am doing okay. I mean the Computer Literacy program has won the Harvest of Winners award and this year it was nominated for Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations or at least the two orgs I have been working with, LSCS and CLAY. But these past few months have been terrible, I have been less responsive, partly because of all the work that I had to take care of. I realized now, that this has to change. I have agreed to be the coordinator so I should do my task with fervor and passion. I will start by soliciting books for the MACE Learning Center.

I guess deep down, I understand where the lady is coming from, but then again, the documents she is taking care of are really important so I do hope that she be careful with the instructions she gives out.

Mix of Rants and Raves

In the meantime, I should start reading on what to expect of Budapest because I am going there this Saturday! :) I better not binge while I am there! Most of my extra pounds are courtesy of all my other trips! :)

Oh and yeah...

I might be going to Taiwan this November for a kick-off meeting of the approved FP7 project. :) The French Embassy is sending me. They said they'll take care of my air fare. I am not going if they do not take care of my accommodations because that will be too much strain on my budget already, and the project has been approved already anyway. :D

After I get back, it will be hectic again... I will be teaching Sem 2 of Cisco every Saturday and then I will be taking my Cisco 3 and 4 starting October 15 to October 29! Yikes! And then, November 19, I will be off to Taiwan if all things fall into place. I have to finish my incomplete dissertation proposal and my URCO research is due this term as well... Oh my! Thank goodness the wedding is not until July of next year hehe!

I swam three times this week! Heard mass thrice too, next week I plan to make it five. I am falling back into my old routine, and I am just happy to be back! :) I have also started attending bible studies again, had two sessions already and it was refreshing!

Thank you Lord for sending my passport back to me. I was so stressed the entire week. Thanks for sending me my loving fiance who kept me sane the entire week! For never forsaking me Father, thank you!

Getting Hitch-ed

I saw Hitch again this morning because it was on cable. This was the first movie that I saw with Vince along with my high school friend Bhennie (who introduced us with the encouragement of her mom). Watching it made me reminisce that experience.

I was coming from an outreach by FORMDEV, went home first to freshen up and then I met up with my friend. We invited him to watch the movie with us since he did not have anything better to do that time (or so he said). I was so panicky. I cannot remember why, but I was so self conscious then. I was worried that he might see something he did not like. It's superficial I know, but I guess dating sort of starts out that way. It's funny because now I cannot even remember what I was wearing anymore that day.

During the movie, Vince cried. I thought it was kind of cute that he cries in movies. He seemed sensitive. :) He was a gentleman throughout the film except that his right knee kept on touching mine and I kept moving my left knee away. :) He is still denying that this happened!

When we saw the movie we were not in love with each other yet but it feels nice looking back because I did not think that the man I was going to marry was that man next to me as I was watching Hitch. We saw this movie as unhitched people and now we are about to get hitched for life!

I am glad things turned out the way they did.

Cisco Po!

I have started reading Cisco Sem 3. It has only nine modules but so far I am still in Module 2. As always there are a lot of things that I must remember. I have not so much time left until the five day crash course begins so I do hope I get to finish soon.

On the lighter side of things, we won the game against Ateneo! Also, I got to swim! Yehey for me! I do hope this becomes a regular habit. I was not able to hear mass today though because I moved very slowly this morning and I was also very sleepy. I think I am still tired from our retreat over the weekend. After swimming though, my muscles are feeling better already.

I cannot write much today even if I wanted to because it's already 1:30 in the morning and I would like to hear mass tomorrow before I begin a day of many meetings!

Whoever reads this today, please join me in praying for my passports' return. I sent my documents to Indonesia because the consulate office here basically does nothing. And, it has been two weeks and still I have not received my passport. I should be leaving on September 29 already for Hungary.

Thanks!

Reboot

Last Friday evening I found myself in a bus on the way up to Antipolo, listening to my iPod while holding in my pee. I was on my way to Our Lady of Antipolo Retreat House. I had no expectations. I felt far from the Lord for a while. I have not been hearing mass everyday anymore. This started when I had to do my Cisco training and right after that, I had to conduct a series of seminars at NCC. My routine was gravely disrupted and somehow, I have never gotten back to the program.

I attended a retreat with my LSCS students since I am their adviser. I have been for I don't know how many years already. I do not know when I started being their adviser. I'm glad I was able to go on a retreat with them because it was a very different experience.

Of all the retreats that I have attended, this was the most physical one. We literally cradled those who wanted to be prayed over. We literally washed the feet of the students so we can feel how, more or less, it felt like when Christ washed the feet of the apostles. Over all, it was a beautiful and meaningful retreat. It was led by Noel Judith.

In summary, I learned I am like a pencil. We all are.

• We have some good in us. (i.e., Graphite that makes the pencil write)


• We are sharpened every now and then.


• We have erasers for when we make mistakes.


• Somebody is holding us. (i.e., Jesus Christ)


• We have to leave a mark.

So now it is Monday, I am back in Manila, with all the distractions and work and so many things to keep myself busy with. I still have fresh in my head my retreat and my confession to the priest (something I have not done in a while) and I am glad, slowly, I am coming back to my routine. I got to hear mass again today. It was a good one.

When I confessed, father said... "Don't be too hard on yourself.". My penance? Fr. Balatbat asked me to pray for those who have hurt me in the past. The Lord is a merciful God and I am just glad to be back Lord.

Movies!

After the mass in Antipolo, I heard mass again with my fiance because he picked me up from HP. The bus could not go nearer Taft Avenue due to the board exams. I have missed him too so we decided to spend the rest of the day together. We saw The Brave One and it was such a great movie! Another Jodie Foster must watch film! Gave me the creeps though. I had so much fun last Sunday with my Baby! I love him soh much! Just really cannot wait to be his wife!

Okay it was not as creepy as Stephen King's 1408. Another must watch for those who just started dating! A guaranteed hug for the guys from the really scared date hehe...

Term Break

28th Month

Vince and I celebrated our 2 years and 4 months with Janine at Sentro. I was coming from Ysabelle's because I checked out their gown which turned out to be sold already. I saw it at the Wedding Expo. Anyway, they can make me another gown made for me but it will be for 20K. I have not paid yet so I can still change my mind. I brought Janine along for a second opinion.

Vince met us at Sentro. He had dinner (by that time, we were already done) a bit late because he had to finish some work at at the office. After dinner, we decided to watch Hairspray, another musical from Broadway. It was a fun musical and it starred Zac Efron from the High School Musical! It was fun, that Janine, Vince and I wanted to dance along after!

After the movie, we stopped by Bizu because Janine and I were craving for an Opera cake. We had it take out because Vince was going to go home late already. Janine also picked out some macaroons that are still in our ref to this day.

Sonya's Garden

The term break has come and gone but I do not think I wasted a day of it. Last Thursday, we went up to Tagaytay and had lunch at Sonya's Garden. I love their garden! It's so pretty! I have been there with my baby on several occasions and I wanted to share the experience with my family.

They loved the place but my mom did not like the food very much since most of it were greens. I love eating salad! I can eat salad all day if only it were cheap and if it were easy to find all the greens. Maybe when I am married and I can make our own meals. Vince, prepare yourself to live the life of a goat hehe... grass here and grass there... Meh! Vinaigrette's my fave dressing but all they have is ranch dressing that's yummy too... and fattening. :) They also had frozen jackfruit that delighted my sister and of course other fresh fruits like melon, pineapple, etc. We also visited their Bed and Breakfast, my mom was appalled that all comfort rooms had big windows so that you can see nature and vice versa while you do your thang! :) She loved the house but we chose not to stay there because they did not have television sets, phone and the place is too far. It's in Alfonso, Cavite by the way just after the Royal Estate and Splendido.

Taal Vista Hotel

We were not really planning on staying overnight but you see, after eating so much my mom and Janine wanted to sleep so we decided to check in at Taal Vista Hotel (yup they don't call it Lodge anymore). We slept until six and then headed out for Antonio's.

Antonio's

It is such a romantic place! Hay. And the food... Yum! Don't get me started! I love their soup, salad wit Raspberry Vinaigrette hay these alone are enough to make my mouth water. The Sea Bass was just soh delectable and the dessert too! I got to meet Chef Antonio. I was surprised that he was still very young! Antonio's is such a great place i do not mind the difficult drive going there. My mom plans to come back soon in spite our bill of 5K haha!

Casino Filipino Tagaytay

After Antonio's, we headed out to Casino Filipino. I parked my RAV at Taal Vista first and then walked to the Casino Filipino. I was wearing my Havaianas so I did not mind but then I remembered that flip flops are not allowed in the casino and so I had to walk back to the car and wear Janine's tacky Happy Feet. It was a difficult walk back to the casino. Janine was able to go inside because she already had her license.

Inside, we got to play slot machines. Almost had a conflict with old women who did not want to give up their machines. Janine was waiting patiently but after the old woman's coins ran out she still did not want to give up the machine so I asked her nicely to allow us to play since we only had a few coins. She did not talk to us, instead she took the chair and turned it slightly over so we cannot sit down. She even told the woman beside her to make sure we do not touch the machine. Instead of provoking her further, I asked Janine to settle with the more expensive machines since there were less people there. Hehe... That was my first encounter with casino addicts. The slot machine should have two handles, that way they get to tone both arms. :)

After the casino, we went back to our room to watch some TV and sleep. It did not take us long before we went back to our room because the slot machine a.k.a. one-arm bandit stole our money in a very short time. We were not born to gamble (except in the stock market) so we did not bet so much that night. :) We were just in it for the experience.

We were supposed to have breakfast at the Bag of Beans but Janine insisted she wanted to have it in front of the Taal volcano so we had it at the Taal Vista. The food was yummy there too but of course the Bag of Beans experience could have been more different. Maybe next time.

Picnic Grove

There is nothing to see at the Picnic Grove really but my sister was inisting that we go. When we left the market (my mom bought some jackfruit and some steak) the weather was really great. But as soon as we got to Picnic Grove, it started raining soh hard! You'd think there was a thunderstorm! As soon as we got out of the Picnic Grove (20m. from it) the sun was shining again! Really weird! Anyhow, we just decided Picnic Grove was not meant for us to visit that day.

Pink Sisters

That morning, I also asked Janine to write a letter so that the Pink Sisters can pray for her. We went to the Pink Sisters to pray and to drop off our letters. After that we headed for Angels Hills.

Angels Hills

This place is where I had my Singles Encounter retreat right before I joined the Singles Apostolate of the St. James Renewal Movement. I wonder when I can convince Vince to join SE! :) Anyway, during the retreat, I got to try their Buko Tart and it tasted nice. I decided to get a box for mom, our unit and for Vince's family.

After the Angels Hills we were on our way back to Cavite.

Cavite

I have not been in Cavite for the longest time. I think it has been more than a year. I missed the exercise machines. My mom has a collection of gym equipments. She has a treadmill, a stationary bike, climb master and other abs stuff that she has put away. I decided to make the most of my stay by running on the treadmill and sweating it out on the climb master. It was fun! My mom prepared steak with mashed potato gravy sauce for dinner and of course, fresh jackfruit!!! Yuhmeeh!

Condo

After dinner and some bumming around, we were back to the condo. We decided to come home because our beds were not made up and we did not want to bother my mom further.

Avenue Q

The following day, my sister, myself and my mom (Vince had his badminton tournament) got to see Avenue Q! It was such a fun musical. I thought Rachel Alejandro did very well as Kate Monster and Lucy The Slut. Hilarious! The playwrights and the composers are pure genius! Aiza did a great a job as Gary Coleman too! She definitely exceeded my expectations! Princeton's voice was nice but a bit soft. Christmas Eve was played by Frenchie Dy I think. She did good too... I think. I do not like Christmas Eve as a character per se... maybe that's why I did not give her performance much thought. :) I am still listening to the soundtrack and learning the music by heart because I am just soh in love with the musical!

The following day, we cleaned the condo because Jet was coming home from HK and we did not want him ranting about how dirty the place was. Later that night, we went to Italianni's to have dinner with my dad. Then we went to Hai to have beer with my dad. Yes, I do not drink but because he asked us to drink (including Janine) I had half a San Mig Light bottle! Janine had one bottle!

Jet will be on an all boys night out with my dad this Sat and on Sunday he'll be off on his way back to Saudi again.

So you see, my term break was definitely maxed out because I kept myself busy! Not that I am not busy right now hehe... :) This type of work gets me drained the term break activities got me all charged for this term. :) So to help me with stress, I am back to swimming! Yahoo!!!

Hungry for Hungary

I know corny title but indulge me please. :)

I will be going to Hungary courtesy of CERN. Yay! Since our passport is good without a visa in only very few countries, I have to apply for a visa. I found at that Hungary is not part of Schengen and will require a Hungarian visa. I searched for the Hungarian Embassy address here in the Philippines but to no avail. I eventually found out that there was no Hungarian Embassy here in the Philippines. It was good that the agency from Hungary that issued me a ticket sent me an email. I inquired about a consulate here in the Philippines because it will be harder for me to coordinate with their embassy in Jakarta. The travel agency replied promptly and gave me this address of the consulate for Hungary:

address: c/o Argosy Advisers, Inc. 8th floor, Pacific Star Building Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue corner Makati Avenue 1200 Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines,
phone: 632-811-5519, 632-811-5521
fax: 811-5545
honorary consul: Alfonso S. Yuchengco III.
e-mail: asyuchengco@argosyinvestments.com

I hope this helps all the others who are planning to go to Hungary and are in search of their embassy here in the Philippines. I should call them tomorrow. The Pacific Star Building also has the French Embassy. They used to house the Taiwan Embassy too before they transferred to RCBC.

On Malu Fernandez

I realize my last post on our France trip is incomplete but I do not feel like retelling the story yet. :)

I wanted to write about Malu Fernandez, the tongue-in-cheek writer who lambasted OFW's because she took an Emirates flight with an economy ticket.

She complained about her thighs getting bruised. If you want your thighs not bruised, lose weight or get bigger seats or buy the next seat.

She said her only consolation was her entertainment set in front of her was not working. Here is my theory, it was working. These things take some time to start up (because the files are actually shared by each row, there is only one machine that contains this, assuming it's the same for all planes) and seeing from how she wrote the article that she is an impatient woman, she probably assumed it's not working.

She ranted about the cheap perfume that she smelled on board. She should be thankful they smelled of cheap perfume instead of body odor! She did not enjoy her flight because all she ever did was to find things that was wrong with the flight.

She hated how the "migrant workers" were talking too loud. Maybe if she were half a sociable person she would have found this rather interesting. Maybe if she bothered to talk to one of them maybe she would have learned a thing or two about how to be a human being and the realities of life.

There were more things that she talked about but this is as much attention I want to give her. She berated these people as though she had every right to do so. Even if she were a big time socialite (which I take she is not because she could not afford a first class ticket) she did not have the right to say such mean things about these people who are actually contributing to our GNP.

Next time, if you want to go to Greece, you should travel in style and stop bitching about things you have inflicted upon yourself.

Trip to the Book Shop

I was in MOA alone on a Sunday morning and I found my feet moving towards Books for Less. I buy secondhand books because I think it's practical.

I love books! If only I had all the time in the world to read all the books I want! I saw Stephen King books. I am a big fan of his but I stopped reading his books back in college. I guess I got tired of all the creepiness and moved to John Grisham's lawyer tales. I am not into chick lit save for Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedman that I also bought from Books for Less I do not have any chick lit book. I have a copy of The Devil Wears Prada but only because I asked Janine, my sister to buy it for me hehe... I just feel that buying chick lit is a waste of money. I mean I do not get much out of it anyway. But that morning, I picked up Edge of Reason (yes, the one that was turned into a movie) and I found the format rather interesting and really funny. I thought of buying it but it was hardbound and I thought it was too much for a chick lit.

I was itching to buy a book but which one? I looked at the John Grishams and the Stephen Kings, we have all the Michael Crichtons already at home and most of it I have read already so it was just Grisham or King but then I realized we have these in our library in school.

Why can't I buy a book? I mean I did buy a 350 Php worth of Wedding Magazine but then again I did get a lot out of this wedding magazine. Probably a whole lot more that I will get compared to the chick lit. I cannot seem to just buy a book out of sheer entertainment and pleasure! I have Crichton to thank for. I love his books. I always learn something new from his books whether be it something in biotechnology or medieval times or even information technology. He's amazing! To think, he graduated with a med degree! After reading Crichton, I seem to look for more value from the book I am reading.

I am currently reading Beyond Recall by Stephen Kyle. I like the plot (so far) but I hate it that he makes a lot of nasty remarks about third world countries. I swear he makes my teeth grit with anger.

I was itching to buy a book that morning but I ended up buying nothing. Crichton, King, Grisham and other best selling authors (of non chick lit books) are available in our trusty library in the university. I have not given up on the thought of buyin chick lit. Maybe it's time I read for entertainment.

Tour de France

You may view pictures from My Multiply .

First Day
The tourist information center of France is very helpful. I was very glad because people in London were not as nice. I mean they had no maps in the airport, there was no tourist information there (I did not see one anyway). The maps were in the tourist information centers in the Underground and the people there can be sometimes snobbish. They are helpful but they're cold. It's hard to describe but you will know as soon as you get to talk to them.

The very day our plane landed in France we started going around already. Thanks to the maps that we were able to obtain. I decided to take unlimited passes for five days for the Metro so we can ride the Metro as many times as we want (just in case we get lost). We ate at a French restaurant first. They do not serve the food right away. They serve it one at a time, the appetizer first then the main course and then the dessert. Most of the orders have "plat du jour" or plate of the day which comprises of three courses. :) Evian is just a normal mineral water there so every other bottled water is priced the same. They are all expensive in peso, around 1 to 2 Euros. (1 Euro to 60 to 70 Php)

We first visited the L'arc De Triomphe (I hope I spelled this right, I am too lazy to check). We took a lot of pictures there. You can see the pictures at My Multiply . After that we took the Metro again and after a few transfers, we were able to see the Eiffel tower. We were planning to wait until it gets dark so we can see it lit up but then I had a girly emergency so we had to go home much to the annoyance of my siblings. I could have gone home alone but I was also their navigator so grudgingly, they went home along with mois.

Upon arrival at the hotel, everybody was just ready to sleep. My mom has been craving for rice since London. We found a Chinese resto in London before we left and my mom was happy that there was a Chinese resto again near our place. We had to learn the French words for fish, chicken and pork since they did not speak much English there. They are nice people, not at all snobbish but most of them do not speak English.

English	French
Chicken	Poulet
Fish	Poisson
Beef	Bavette
Pork	Porc
Exit	Sortie
I do not understand you.	Je's nes pas comprendre pas. (Or something like that!
I'm sorry.	Pardones mois.
Excuse me.	Excusez mois

These are all that I can remember. It also helped me familiarize myself in reading some of their dipthongs (or whatever they call it in French). :)

2nd Day
On the second day we went to see the Notre Dame. I have seen Hunchback of Notre Dame and I know how nice the work of the animators was and how grand the church is but nothing could have prepared me for the grandeur of it. The stained glass was spectacular. I have never seen such intricate things. A tour guide of a group (I overheard this. It's a bad habit hehe) said that beautiful artwork in churches were provided so as to keep people entertained during the mass. The Disney animated film did a good job creating a version of the Notre Dame because it was pretty close to the actual thing. Underneath the church is a lair which they turned into a museum.

After the visit to Notre Dame we went to another building but I have forgotten the name of it hehe... Apparently it did not make any impact on me. Sorry.

I wanted to walk around Paris to feel the romance of the city so we did. My family hated me for making them walk (I am in charge of navigation). They basically follow me around and curse me when they are tired or if they feel we are lost. Many times, we were not lost but they curse me anyway because they think we are lost. *sigh* Such is the fate of a tour guide and a clueless one at that. :)

During our walk along the River Sienne, we passed by several bridges (pont). Pont Neuf is the bridge made famous by Bourne Supremacy. I also got to see the Louis Vuitton building and finally we were able to see the Louvre. By this time they were too tired, while I was too amused by the paintings on the sidewalks and the old books they sell (which are all in French). We also dropped by gift shops. I did not buy anything because everything was way too expensive! I just bought several Eiffel Tower key chains while we were in Notre Dame.

We decided not to go to Louvre yet because we wanted to reserve one whole day to explore the spacious, jam packed French museum. We failed to go to D'Orseille and Versailles. We ran out of time and my siblings were no longer interested. After Louvre, we walked some more and this made them even more tired. After that, we proceeded to go to the Royal Garnier Opera house from which the novel Phantom of the Opera was based. When they made the movie musical, they used this as basis as well. We could not go in either because it was already closed. I have not mentioned in my blogs that the daylight there lasts until 9 to 10 pm. Yup it only gets dark at around 10pm! But everything closes at around 5pm so imagine how bored we get after 5pm!

While eating fresh cherries at our hotel, we realized, we could go to Lourdes. And so, off we went.We took first class seats, thinking there would be bunk beds! There were no bunk beds, just really comfortable seats! We got to Lourdes (after eight hours of travel) at 4 in the morning and it was freezing cold! At first we thought it was just because it was early in the morning but as the clock struck 9am, there was no sign of the environment getting warmer. In Paris, it was already pretty warm. We did not know Lourdes was a mountainous region and that it was cold there all year round! It was also raining that day so it was as cold as it could get and we only had shirts on! Thinking about it makes me shiver!

We rode a taxi to town and we bought very thick fat jackets that made us look like Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters or for those of the younger generation, we looked like Kenny from South Park! It felt nice to have a warm jacket but our feet were wet and cold too from the rain. Still we trekked on. We got on the bus going to Our Lady of Lourdes.

There were so many people in Lourdes when we got there. A lot of them were in wheelchairs. There was a big church built for Our Lady of Lourdes and there were other chapels named after different saints. We fell in line so we can touch the grotto where Our Lady made an apparition. The rocks were already very smooth from so many people who touched the rocks!

The water from the grotto flowing down from the hill where the church for Our Lady was built can now be conveniently accessed at the same time by people through a series of faucets. I got three bottles of water. I bought Our Lady of Lourdes containers where I put water when I got back to the Philippines.

St. Joan of Arc's shrine was also nearby but my mom's legs that are cold and wet can no longer bear the rain so we decided to pass up. We stayed at the station for most of the day until our train going back to Paris arrived. We got back to Paris at around 11 pm and we had our pictures taken by the Eiffel tower. We looked wasted but the Eiffel tower looked great!

It was a very tiring day, the following day was supposedly a rest day so we decided to just go to the Louvre! Haha!

Extra Extra!!!

I have written somehing about Paris but let me post that next time... I have more exciting news!

I just found out today that Josh Groban (one of my favorite singers... the roster includes Michael Jackson, yes, I am weird so sue me) will be coming to the Philippines, October 17! It will overlap with my Cisco training but I really want to go and see him perform live!!! I wonder how much the ticket costs... It's a concern because I am going to Budapest a few weeks before the concert and I know I will be spending a lot because though they are shouldering air fare and predeparture expenses my accommodation will not be shouldered by CERN. Yikes... I hope I can find a cheap place. I heard October is peak season too so good luck to me. I will be going there for Enabling Grid for E-SciencE 2007. I am very excited! I will be there for seven days! More travel, more backlog in my blog hehe... :)

Also, Avenue Q, a really cute, funny, naughty musical from Broadway (or West End if you are from London) is here in the Philippines. There's a show on September 5. My fellow faculty members and my sister plan to watch. I am not sure yet if Vince is up for this one but just in case I ordered (thanks to the sister of a friend) an extra ticket.