new beginnings

from frog to cadaver-- BIG LEAP! :) *grateful, grateful* :)

i cannot begin to describe how thankful i am for what happened today. :) besides all the crazy nosebleed-inducing lectures, we actually got to work with a human body.

in truth, i had mixed feelings going into this, knowing i was scared to dissect such a large-scale idea eons before. but now, i have a slightly more elevated sense of understanding compared to my previous brain processes, and i have learned to set aside the fear and focus on clamoring for knowledge.

most of us learned that the crazy stories from higher year levels were so much worse than what actually happened. dissection was not so bad, after all. well... if you factor in hours-long retraction and fascia removal to isolate the needed muscles, arteries and veins, that's going to be a different story. my eyes stung with the fumes from the formalin and airborne lysol mosh pit [yes, it was THAT intense] a few minutes before 5pm, but it was nonetheless good. :) i appreciated anatomy more today. yay points for med school! :)

and everything else is so tiring, i wanna keep moving but not really. hahaha. the workings of a med student's mind :))

it was an honor to work with you this afternoon, Mr. Cadaver, Sir. till we meet again. :)

friday is roadtrip day

i had just finished celmol class and was bumming around school when i saw the ls bookstore tarps. they looked like fun stuff [plus, i had time to kill and didn't really want to go through the immediate commute back home IN THAT HEAT], so i decided to check things out.

as i was scouring the aisles, looking for something spontaneously perfect, i got a message from my high school friend jules. she wanted to go greenhills and chill, and, being the spontaneous glory that i am, i obliged. on the condition that she would pick me up, of course. ;)

and then there were calls and confirmation messages and small talk, and finally, i was waiting for her to arrive. when i received the message that she had indeed reached my destination, she went, "i'm here na. ateneo med."

O. M. G. :))

i had specifically told her that i was in loyola, but i guess she didn't catch that. so we laughed it off, clarified things and i waited again.

i had purchased a pretty little lanyard and had edited it with a rubber attachment from my old one. and then, since i didn't have a book with me to distract me from the terrible heat, i plugged in my in-ears and blasted summer covers from my nano video as i took in the landscape of the gesu. i sat on one of those plastic benches at the front area of xavier hall and had my back turned against the road my dear friend was going to come from.

and then i felt a sudden, almost-bruising pain in my right shoulder. OUCH.

being the crazy dorks that we are, we fell into a high-pitched excited hug that always happens when we see each other. jules and i sat and marveled at the lifestyle changes we had just gone through since we celebrated mine and jen's birthdays last february. happy thoughts were shared, until we decided to get going.

there was a sudden shift in like when jules declared it was actually her burger day that day. she had been checking out burger place reviews online [like i said, dorky. ;p] and wanted to experience something new. so a trek to the burger project in maginhawa street was in order.

i remembered that quaint place we chilled at a weekend ago [if i'm not mistaken], van gogh is bipolar, and remembered that it was somewhere near there. since we were already in the spirit of new experiences, why not, right? :)

sadly, though, it was still closed [we were there at effing 12noon, hello!] so we just decided to burger away and head to katipunan for dessert. :)

in the semi-pileup that is midday traffic, we gabbed on and did some catching up as we passed a series of twists and turns [it was elliptical road, i think?] to get to teacher's village. after crazy laughter, too-much-heat headaches and re-exploring music from high school courtesy of julieta's old cds, this is the interesting sign that greeted us when we finally reached the finish line:

interesting ;)

it was exciting and such a fun experience, because we were both new to it. so we did the tiny clipboard thing, and then suddenly decided we would get one of those specialty burgers instead. now, let me introduce you to the Western Bacon Melt:

*drool*

check out all that angus goodness, slathered with just the right smokey-sweet barbecue sauce, bacon, melted cheese, tomatoes and breaded onion rings [surprisingly yummy!] on a sesame seed bun. given that it was a little too large-and-in-charge for our wonder-filled beings, we decided to split it and get a sloppy side of spicy buffalo wings with a tiny tub of ranch to balance it all out :)

*mmmmmmm*

and as soon as our plates hit the table, the signal gun was fired and it was time to devour our newly-discovered goodness. :) when i tried a bit of the saucy wings, though, something strangely familiar greeted me. i was trying to pinpoint that sauce it tasted like, but was so excited with the heat that i momentarily dismissed the thought.

and then it hit me: SUNSHINE!!! :D the buffalo wings had that thick jamaican pattie hot sauce which i loved and piled on my pattie when noc and i celebrated faith's birthday late last year [backtrack to that entry here].

*happy dancing* now, lemme add another recipe to my culinary agenda. :)

after that fat-infested hour, we decided to drive to UP before heading to the dessert place. we wanted to find a new and interesting place to kill time at, but ended up parking near palma and walking our satisfied asses off.

some unidentified object hit the car roof and julieta froze. when we got out of the car, i noticed the ginormous tree with oddly-shaped fruits hanging from its branches right above our parking space. as soon as i pointed that out, though, julieta panicked and quickly transferred slots.

better to be safe than sorry. LOL *parking memories*

it was a long time since i last explored UP [or since i EVER tried exploring it], and a lot has changed--at least that's what i think. the trees formed a sort of shed for everything on the road to be protected from the angry sun, and, i must admit, it looked pretty amazing. :) this is the sad photo julieta took that didn't quite justify how interesting it looked to me:

near the tennis court, i have NO idea what place this is. heehee :))

and because it was TOO hot, we decided to forgo riding the ikot and just walk around, experiencing the scenery. along the way, we discussed the actual location of the sunken garden--among other things--and, frustratingly, never really got that resolved. we weren't from there, so we gave a good laugh at how crazy the conversation might have sounded to people who overheard [or for those picnic-king authentics, as jules called them, by the sunken field, for that matter. lol].

after my geometric principles on walking [the shortest way between two points is a line--kudos to ate myls for teaching me that], and because my right ankle hurt really bad, complements of the sprain i've had since forever, we left UP and made a beeline for dessert heaven. but we didn't find gayuma [another craving] and went around in circles. and since we didn't want to move around the nooks and crannies of katipunan to get to the ateneo or even conti's and chill there, we went to the banapple katipunan on the other side to get julieta's sweet tooth satisfied. and because this was her first visit, i suggested a basic crowd-pleaser:

Banoffee pie :)

and because i was an almost regular, i deviated and got something equally mouth-watering:

Oreo Fudge Brownie Cheesecake <3 

we were too full of stories and food and everything else funny and wonderful, and we talked endlessly about everything under the sun [painfully literally. and figuratively]. and when i realized i had work that night and julieta had to dodge traffic going back home, we called it a day and it was the end of our adventure. :) so the search is on!!! :)

73 pesos of happiness :)

it started with a spontaneous promise over brunch. well, a dare, actually. :p

so the dare included ate bing [our helper] accompanying me to the market right then and there to get stuff for what randomness i blurted out that i'd prepare for mum's post-birthday. everyone laughed, of course, because it seemed absurd [and because they didn't believe i'd actually go marketing]. but hey, i stand by my dares. ;)

and then it rained.

resigned to my fate, i found myself glued to Facebook, Tweetdeck, and editing-slash-uploading Midnight Mercato photos. half of me wanted the market trip to cease, but then i heard my name called, and ate bing said she's ready to leave.

so WTH. off to the market we go.

i was planning on wearing flipflops, but then the thought of gross--dirty, bacteria-infested wet market puddled floors with murky-water-that-splash-on-your-legs-when-you-wear-inappropriate-footwear came to mind. so, no. flips were out of the question. and so were jeans or anything else long.

and off we went, with a couple of things in mind. i actually missed going to the market, mainly because it's been too long since i last saw the inside of a wet market. the past times i'd shopped for ingredients for things i cooked were in big, air-conditioned supermarkets. so imagine the excitement. :D

it was quieter when we got there, [it was past noon, after all.] and most of the stalls left were those of fruits and vegetables. just like any old market, every stall had the same thing, and it was your duty as a buyer to scout for the best finds with the lowest price.

it was exciting to see everything just there, and so cheap at that. and i ended up buying waaaaaay more than i needed [which is fine, cz i can always cook the same snack thing anytime this week :)]. and after scouring the stands, i ended up with these ingredients:

cheese blocks, lumpia wrapper and green chilis :D

this is really just part of what i bought. remember, everything was just too much for one cooking session because we overestimated portions. oh well. i might do this again sooner than i think anyway. ;) maybe later? heehee. :p

and after minutes of OCness...

ta-daaaaaaaahhh!!! :D

well, hello there, cholesterol. :))

new blood

life's been seriously telling me that the change i finally thrust myself into is good. and it's something i completely see myself doing-- maybe not everyday, but it's something i choose to do --for a long period of time, at least.

the inadequacy of it all poses a bigger challenge to most people, especially to me. just because it's not going to be fun if you actually suck at it. ;p

we've had quite a number of notable moments in the fast-tracked world we're desperately trying to survive in. in most cases, we amuse ourselves and play the eternal games training will allow you to do-- taboo, charades and/or pictionary. and, of course, in the midst of all that "hard work," we make sure we spend time loosening up our brain waves. hence, exhibit A:

Francis tries out ACTUALLY using the microphone.

of course, Exhibit A fails. and so in the greater scheme of things, we just pretend he's using the microphone and bask in the megaphone-ness of his voice. HAHAHA.

and then, because we refuse to just watch, OF COURSE, we do Exhibit B:

The girls minus Shen

and the rest, as they say, is history. :)

new blood 2.0

to make things more interesting, there are those events in life you just can't live without, like birthdays. :) primarily because... had you not been born, you wouldn't need one of these. heehee :)

so, to make our ailing [girl pains, helloooo.] trainer's day bright and shiny--and teary. LOL--we loving folks schemed away and came up with these babies:

since we had only a few hours to get things done, naturally, we got resourceful and used office paraphernalia essentials to make things--erm--present-worthy. :)

colored newsprint c/o manong guard and ate from the pantry, brown card-ish thing from 7eleven [which was actually the back of one long brown envelope], magic tape and colored pens from rhea herself [HAHA]. 

• "card" cover design and message courtesy of yours truly
• caricatures [will post photo later] by francis
• flowers made by erwin
• box and movable bird origami-fied by ray
• box assembly and final touches by joth

kudos to the team for a job well done! :D

and then everybody got transformed into bite-size creations and looked like this:

it's kind of alarming, though, that my face is as wide as my hips here. boooo. HAHAHA. :)) but still. that's reason enough to go on and keep moving so it doesn't actually happen. LOL.

that's VW Batch 12 for you :)

hodgepodge

just because i had to celebrate, it was a very special coincidence on that fateful November 3rd that noc was on sem break and that i was basically in the same area. after everything harassing that's been bludgeoning me with those days, it was a definite praise-the-Lord moment and i knew i still had friends i could count on when i needed them. i don't have to do all the fixing, after all. *sniff*

after another harassing 60-effing-peso-ice cream moment, noc arrived and we were on our way. being the indecisive spontaneous roadtrippers that we truly are, it took us a whole lot of gas burnt and too funny stories before we settled on Qualing's in some place i've never been [noc's the real ortigas girl, after all].

because it suddenly rained, we had no choice but to seek refuge in that quaint little restaurant until the skies cleared. no worries, though, because we had all the time to bond/chill/drink and whatnot before we further went on our way.

because it was so random, our stories were punctuated with thoughts on what we would do to ACTUALLY kill time. and because eating [again! ugh.] is not an option, movietime was the obvious decision. but after then came the painful question: galleria, mega, shang or podium? :o

because galleria was scrapped [we'd rather not relive paulinian-ness right now, thank you.] and shang was frowned upon ['twas one of noc's daily haunts. lol.], we went to podium to park and checked out the theaters... to no avail. sadly, the movies weren't worth watching, and i'd already watched the only thing worth watching that was showing in that mall--the social network. so we walked to mega to get inspired, in the hopes of actually being able to watch. but NO.

ooey gooey spicy goodness :D

and because mega's cinemas had fail written all over it as well, we dropped the search and booksale-d our hearts out. :D bonding over books not such a bad idea :) and, of course, we just had to enter EGG and see how much it's changed since high school. :D HAHA change it sure did. ;) we left and we didn't get too far along the mallside before noc salivated for Jamaican Patties. of course, i also had to get one for myself. heehee ;)

and as if my pinatubo pattie wasn't hot enough [because, REALLY, it was not spicy. AT ALL.], i took one squeeze bottle of hot sauce and piled the sauce high on every bite of my pattie. :) *and i just found out yesterday evening that the sauce is named SUNSHINE, and is actually found in virtually any grocery anywhere. cost? 41 effing pesos. :) so i shall be hoarding soon ;)*

...and i finished the bottle's very little contents. heehee *blush*

Last-minute chill at Central Pioneer

post-snack, we walked back to podium to get the car and almost headed home when we decided to check out the secluded chill place i had told her about--Central. i knew we wouldn't be able to leave without having tried anything from there, so we brought our purses--just in case. and we stayed for the rest of the night before i headed back home.

and just because i had to celebrate, i was glad i found my happy time that day. no episodal bouts or whatever, just good, clean fun with a good friend from marian camp-in days and heart attack card games. i sooo miss my high school barx. :(

i wouldn't forget as well that we had faith in mind all day, because we were celebrating her birthday as well on behalf of the barx. it's been years, hun, i hope we see you again soon. i await the day when the barx will be complete again. :)

thanks for the celebration-slash-chill, noc! :)

301206, Barx Tagaytay Roadtrip

Barx Birthday Surprise for moi! :D [Feb 2007]

*travel wishlist*

ohkaaaaaay. 

this is extremely random, as i was initially researching for this piece i'm making for a writing job i'm applying for. but heyyy, the second my eyes fell on the word BOROBUDUR, man, i was a goner.

now, the point of my day was to gather as much travel destinations as i could in one sitting. i got myself routed to websites for UNESCO world heritage sites, varying tourist attractions, and some scandinavian-north american-north african-fijian-micronesian-french polynesian places i've been dying to visit since time immemorial *drool* and whatnot.

so, yes, in the blink of an eye, my mind went loca on all these places and culture and experiences and craziness. and i frikkin love it! :) too bad, though, my mom called me to her room for help with coloring her hair already. so, daydream paused... NOT.

so when i started laboring over my mom's hair, i gabbed on about finding this and that, blahblahblah. and mom was more than eager to join in. so our mutual love for mythology and egypt and pyramids and travel resurfaced, and we planned as we colored her hair. hahaha. 

"so pretty please, mister LOTTO person, will you make my mommy and daddy win the jackpot so our family can travel the world again? pleeeeeeease?" *batts eyelashes*

and because i plan to date myself today and rush to the poetry reading at the Instituto Cervantes, here are some places i had in mind for my travel wishlist:

Borobudur, Java, Indonesia

Prasat Angkor Wat, Angkor, Cambodia

Stonehenge, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

Mondriki, Fiji [Melanesia]

Bounty Island, Fiji [Melanesia]

Navala Village, Nausori Highlands, Fiji [Melanesia]

Chichen Itza Ruins, Mexico

1000 Warrior Columns, Chichen Itza, Mexico

Teotihuacan Pyramids of the Sun, Mexico

the Acropolis from Philopappos Hill, Athens, Greece

Parthenon, Athens, Greece

Erechtheum, Athens, Greece

St. Petersburg, Russia

Shaman Rock, Olkhon Island, Russia

Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia

Tuamotus Lagoon, French Polynesia

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Kheops Pyramid, Egypt

Giza Pyramids, Cairo, Egypt

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

apparently, it's easier to use these photos in their original size [or just a little less]. otherwise, it would take AGES for them to actually show up on screen. :)

and yes, i have a fascination for beaches and stone-built amazements. basta. :D one of these years, i shall go to these places. i swear, i will!!! :)

moving forward

something old, something new, something borrowed... something... colorful? :D

clearly, i have not been paying attention to the signs--of life, that is. everything has been aching to show me how much more forward i should be moving, but hey, i'm effing turtle-paced. so, to cut to the chase, i just say my entirety needs an overhaul.

for starters, i had an amazingly hectic day yesterday. after a string of sleepless nights, i finally drag myself to a job fair to get my behind started with something i really should be doing already.

that 5-hour slumber prior to bastardizing my sanity did me good okay, and i donned my inner Miranda Priestley while i slipped my heels on. of course, while in that mindset i expected a day with slightly open streets and a few people here and there. randomness epitomized.

i experienced exactly the opposite, to say the least. pandemonium was more like it. mosh pit much. everywhere was a frikkin sardine can! UGH.

so, because i am naturally charming (;p), i called kuya and got myself a ticket to exhibitor haven. life is gooood :)

so i became the filinvest recruitment person on the side, while i trudged my way to those booths filled with people. DOUBLE UGH. but because i had to do it, i did the dirty work. i passed by and smiled at everyone, got myself enlisted, disposed of my papers and the rest, as they say, is sheer craziness. then i was supposed to get the NBI thing over and done with, too, there, but this lovely sign greeted me:

GAAAAAAAAAA.

post-pandemonium was definitely a sweeter experience, because i got to try orchard road's hainanese chicken rice for an uberlate lunch fiesta de kuya :) of course, after trying one bite from my plate and finishing his teh tarik, he dropped dead and made music on the ample-sized booth we sat in.

i didn't care. i was enjoying the wifi. :D

and my quickly craving was set aside because we went towards the direction of dairy queen. aha! strawberry cheesecake blizzard. i'm not complaining. *biiig smile*

as soon as i tasted the mouthwatering goodness, i started taking photos. LOL. takes me back to the times of strawberry-hunting with joy, jemmy, and bryan. laughtrip much. this time, though, i got all the strawberries... and the cheesecake. :D

so i needed more documentation.

who can blame me? i was happy and sugar-shocked. :)

and right before we drove home, i had to be the in-car contortionist to get that itouch from the trunk. and kuya documented that, too. weeeeee. and then, of course, i dropped dead a few minutes after we got home. tired much. :))

Keeping the Faith

after a fairly pleasurable encounter with the ties that bind, madame karen and i trotted to dapitan to await our chariot en route to jem's abode. much to our disbelief, we spotted a partly-hidden house of haunted horrors (try spelling shop-a-holic, our worst nightmare ;p) somewhere down the road and impulsively and almost literally jumped off our chariot to seek for an adventure.

let's just say impossible is nothing. ;)

long story short, our thirst for adventure was quenched in some guilt-ridden way and we loaded on sinful sweets prior to heading back to the road where we were once going. too bad, though, the rain was starting to pour as we finally made our way through the annoying traffic of the busy streets of manila. just as we disembarked the carriage we last rode, we were faced with the awful truth that times have changed (additional charges now apply, haha!).

every moment of this spontaneous escapade was laced with the dread of actually succumbing to the truth that we have been waiting to hear for the past couple of weeks... despite that, however, we got down to business and began the journey to photoshop haven.

moments such as this make you realize how much you miss of the easy life you once had, one that required less energy and effort to grow to love. however, since time pushes us to grow and escalate, we make do with what we have and trod towards the unknown. and, sometimes, we end up loving the unknown too.

it makes me laugh to think that i got so accustomed to sleeping in the morning that i never even got tempted to hurry to dreamland the entire night we spent there. i sang out loud and impressively stayed alive amidst the droopy faces i saw, and ever-so-energetically joined in on the conversation about life and loves lost (yes, go emo mode! ;D). the moment of clarity was painfully induced by my playlist choice as i decided to randomly select a name of my fancy on the ipod that graced jem's uber-burgis ipod dock. much to our enjoyment, we relived the times as we listened to the soothing sounds of boyzIImen and whathaveyou.


barf bags, anyone? ;p

methinks remembering is healthy, though. it keeps you on your toes and doesn't allow you to take things as they are. the act and art of remembering gives your neurons a workout, and you turn over a new leaf every single time. soon enough, you will be saying hello to maturity and to the rest of the beauteous world. ;)


things will never be the same, i know. and as i conclude a part of my humble beginnings, i shall live to see the day i leave with a heavy heart and a smile on my face. i am not at all times so mean, after all. ;)

oh, and by the way, our prayers have been answered. ;) if this will be God's plan for us, let's al hope we make it good. like what we've been saying, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. ;)


"one cannot question the existence of feelings. they are there, raw and undeniable... but one can choose not to nurture what is felt. yet, no matter what they say, what has been felt will always be more honest than what was chosen."