Love me or hate me, READ ME.

TOP 10 THINGS I WOULD MISS IN GENSAN:
10. Full-blown aircon 24/7 (this house is a freaking oven)
9. Yaya's cooking (food here is toxic xp... Manang...! No... I-I didn't say that... don't kill me, NNNOOOOOOOO!)
8. TV all for myself (man's best friend)
7. the TREADMILL (my butt is high maintenance)
6. shopping with my mom and sis (although this would be in Hanna's hate list)
5. noise (this house is lonely *frowns*)
4. HOT SHOWER (I'm sorry I took you for granted, hot shower. *hugs*)
3. GenSan friends (Hope should have been made a university before we graduated)
2. GenSan family (<---crazy... but can you believe it? They're just number two to...)
1. SHIN NOODLES!!! (Nothing left that be said.)

TOP 10 RECKLESS STUFF I WISH TO ACCOMPLISH BEFORE I DIE:
10. Punch a hole through a wall
9. Fire a gun
8. Spend a night on the rooftop
7. Headbutt someone who deserves a piece of me (like that peeping tom)
6. Interrupting Ryan and Juday's wedding dramatically before Ryan says "I do" (Huhu... Juday's a fortunate woman)
5. Find the newspaper guy by posting "WANTED" signs everywhere even in the classified ads of a national newspaper
4. Draw a love letter to a C.I. in an attempt to get him to give me a 1.0 (GOOD LUCK WITH THAT)
3. Profess my undying devotion to myself on TV (Narcism is art!)
2. Audition in PBB, miraculously manage to get accepted, but turn down the opportunity to get in at the last minute saying, "I wasn't being serious!" in front of the camera and the whole Philippines
1. RIDE A FREAKING BIKE.

----------------------------------------

Since I have nothing better to do.

Lately, I've been finding that I'm becoming more and more dependent on my glasses. Oh noes, don't tell me... I'm... I'm...

I'M DISABLED! (AND AM GOING TO BE BLIND BY THE TIME I REACH 20!)

Velez, look what you have done to me. You have given my already damaged eyesight a beating by forcing me to hunch over my study table every night until the wee hours of the morning--which successfully granted me the cursed malformation of the vertebrae called SCOLIOSIS--and you have deprived me of my freedom from the bothersome glasses. Do you know how much a poor eyesight is taking from a supposedly entertaining movie without eyeglasses to make out the faces of the guys on the screen? Uggggh!

Hah, and they say I'm perfect.

I. AM. NOT.

And I am not a robot or an alien either. Sorry for the disappointment. (Yes, I am talking to you, guy-who-asked-Marlo-if-I-was-a-robot. I'm getting annoyed by you. It's flattering at first, yeah, but when I thought about it, there's something negative that goes with that.)

And I don't know how the news got to them, but suddenly the Hopean faculty found out that I was doing so well, as far as they knew. And by how far that is, I would guess up to midterms, 'cause I pretty much sucked after that. JUST AS I FEARED.

I really don't want to let anybody down because I couldn't reach their expectations...

But thanks anyway to the people who congratulated me when it was officially posted that I topped the honor's list and was the number one in the dean's list for the first semester. (This is our secret. This stays here, okay? Do not tell anybody. I am serious. BREAKING MY TRUST WOULD BE BREAKING ALL HELL LOOSE.)

Bright side, 100% scholarship for the first semester! I'm glad to have helped my parents in such way. 'Cuz other than that I feel kind of useless...

Anyway, news flash: On the day of the enrolment it we just found out that the sectionings were shuffled. Meaning, this new semester will be the first day of college all over again. I would have to put up all smiles again even though I would feel like sulking. Of course, being canned goods on display in the grocery, we need to be picked by someone, or else we'll be expired and REJECTED--like my classmate who dropped out of school because he reportedly had "multiple asthma attacks and a broken leg". (Chyeah. For almost the whole semester???) 

It would be hard, yes. I'm not much of a people person. I'm the loyal type who's contented with a few close friends who understand me. And there aren't a lot of people who're in the same vibes as I am. I mean, people are pleasant towards me and are friends with me, but somehow, I find it really hard to find people whom I can chat comfortably with, that I don't need to think of what to ask next to avoid any dead air. You know, a "best friend" per se.

Sigh...

And don't even get me started with the guy who has a crush on me. Sure, I appreciate your feelings bud, but there are a lot of other flowers in the flower field. Why me! I'm too busy having a special relationship with my studies (and the NEWSPAPER GUY hee hee). And although you worked yourself up in the gym to trim down--and admittedly, you did lose a lot of pounds there--the fact remains that when I was in need, you weren't exactly helpful. It did not please me at all.

I'm guessing I'm gonna end up as a trophy wife if I were to be married to you one day. (FAT CHANCE OF THAT HAPPENING BY THE WAY.)

As an admirer, you fail. Screw your poetry, I know you didn't personally make it. It's gonna take a looooot more than that to impress me, let alone to make me like you. Oh, and if you're reading this, well, I'm sorry. That's just the truth.

Too bad I can't say this to the poor guy face to face since I really don't like hurting people... And this would hurt him really bad.

Ehrm, anyway... I'm blabbering but what the heck...

Despite of the negative impression on my final grades that I made a few paragraphs up there, I'm glad I had no grade on a subject that's below 1.5. Heheh... I guess I kind of over-exaggerated back there.

But really, someone in my class has been doing so well (I think he might have overtaken me) and that is none other than my cousin Pach. I admit I'm kinda nerved about it, because, as my dad said, I was used to always being the first, but doesn't it annoy you at times that your genius classmate receives high scores even though he doesn't seem stressed at all? Meanwhile, I was draining the life out of myself by sleeping approximately four hours every night.

He's on god-mode I tell you!

Sigh... anyway...

Ooooh... I forgot how fun writing is. Heheh... I have been deprived of expressive language for too long.

Everything aside, I'm gonna read my manga now. Nothing beats spending the minute semestral break by being a slacker and reading a good manga online with your butt stuck in the seat all day...

OMG IT'S APRIL 7 ALREADY! STOP CHASING ME VELEZ!!!

Hello, I'm in GenSan right now. Yeah, finally I've come home. No stuff to worry about, no responsibilities. No bickering people reminding me about deadlines, although days ago when I had freshly arrived here I'd received a text message to do community service in some humid place in Cebu (PLANTING RICE, WHAT THE HECK?) as a punishment for not being present in a meeting or two.

I tell you guys, it wasn't me who's being irresponsible. It was the rest of the people of the student body organization who were late in their own meetings. They tell me the meeting's at 4 P.M. and by that very time no one else is around yet in the meeting venue. I gave them thirty minutes, still a few people around. The president was nowhere to be seen. Jeez, these people.

I couldn't hang around no more; I had to walk out. If being president gave me benefits on my academic records then I would have given them another thirty minutes. But hell, being president just gave me eyebags, pimples, a tight sched, and a nervous breakdown.

Besides, I didn't enroll in Velez to waste time waiting for some people who think they have the right to be late.
 
And being Filipinos using Filipino time is NOT AN EXCUSE.

Whew, glad that I got that out of my system.

Anyway, I was glad seeing my classmates again yesterday. Everybody seemed so different, yet so the same. I wasn't an exemption. They told me that I had gotten slimmer and more vain--ha, ha!--and I couldn't deny that. With a new environment and new community and another set of friends, a change in fashion sense and another take in life wouldn't hurt.

Though, I'm still busy as ever. And of course, a girl thinking that she's too high and mighty to have a human boyfriend but still admires tall mestizos with eyeglasses. (LONG LIVE THE INDEPENDENT WOMEN)

JONNIE'S PROPOSITIONS...

Reunions are fun until someone conducts a surprise business promotion.

Business promotions need to have freebies.

And water.

And they should be in airconditioned rooms.

If you're a Billena, you're secured for life.

You want to be a Billena.

Just prepare your most extreme workout DVD for you would be in for a daily feast.

The Billena home is an undercover hotel.

Just don't tell that to the residents themselves or they shall call their secret armed butlers to "take care" of you because they have to keep the sacred secret.

People won't listen to you until what you promote speaks for you.

Like Twilight.

Twilight speaks a lot.

And L.

He doesn't even need to speak.

When what you share gets so popular that it seems it's not yours anymore, you want to get it back.

So sharing comes with regret at times.

But don't think about it. Don't dwell on it.

Come to think of it, the things that you claim are yours was shared by some people too.

But that means when I say "Edward is mine and mine alone" I am contradicting myself.

And thus I am partially schizophrenic.

0.o (<---wth??)
 

1. Of hotels in Tokyo...

Band. Twins. German. Nineteen. Girly faced. Bill and Tom but mostly Bill, one with porcupine hair. Them, and two others. Google now.

Running through the monsoon
Beyond the world
Till the end of time
Where the rain won't hurt...

See what I'm talkin' bout? No? More.

Fighting the storm
Into the blue
And when I lose myself I think of you...

Still not interested? Well, your loss. Subheading (in bold) above is the clue for the band's name.

2. Living to loaf about cheating death...

One day, went to McDonald's near school with friends. Sudden lapse of intelligence, crossed street in wrong time. Cab coming fast. Honk, honk, honk! Me no notice. Friends noticed. Shouted at me, I looked up. Saw bumper of taxi inches from my leg. Saw guy at passengers seat raise his arms in front of his face as if waiting for my impacted body to roll up the windshield. My reaction? Simply walked back like it happened everyday, to the curb where my friends stood frozen.

Thought the taxi driver died after that. Heh.

At McDonald's, they asked me if I was scared. Told them I didn't get why they'd ask that, but inside I knew I should've been traumatized by incident. They were. But I wasn't. They all sermoned like, "we were so scared!" and all that. But I was like, "huh?". Couldn't really find the right feeling. Am I abnormal?

3. Still not getting why anyone would want to be president of anything in Velez....

One word. Wrinkles.

4. Lupang hinirang nay bukol sa agtang...

Sing now, sing tomorrow. Sing, sing, sing! Gawsh! Sang Lupang Hinirang this afternoon, everybody applauded. BSN1-E started with "Wee Cheer" again. Flattering, of course. But insult to surname. Still, me happy. Heck, that was impromptu singing. Just knew I'd be doing it, like five minutes before aerobics competition. We won 5th out of 13 sections, by the way. Which means no take P.E. written exams anymore. WEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Oh. Doing Wee Cheer. Dang.

5. 1000 times against an endless tide, we'll be free to live our life...

Sembreak after exams. October 11. Releasing of grades, 27. In which I have to go to Velez and get the grades of everybody, because I'm president (sigh). I have  the responsibility to collect everyone's admission slips and not losing them until that day. Already the days are getting old and I'm still sixteen.

Start of 2nd sem is November 3.

Subheading above is a line of the song of the band in #1. Heheh.

6. Random Quotes.

There is so such thing as "enough time" in college. ~ me

Cramming is okay because it actually forces you to use time much more productively than you ever did before, especially when your exam is TFN. ~ me

Midterms and Finals are Pimples Season.
Stress + Chocolates + Caffeine = Acne
Caffeine is God's gift to crammers.
~ me

Do you believe in love at first sight? Or should I just walk in again?
~ Marlo to Ianne

Ianne? Are you lonely there? Alone inside my heart?
~ Marlo to Ianne (seriously, the guy is the pickup line machine. I can't help but list some down. HAHAHA)

(In an impromptu performance in Filipino wherein Rose acts as an applicant who wants to reschedule the interview with the boss and manages to get into a fight with the 'sexytary', Diana)
Rose: "Hoy, ikaw, kuto ka!" (kuto=head lice)
Diana: "Ikaw garapata!" (garapata=animal lice, often found in poop)

(similar impromptu performance as the above)
Me to Diana: "Day, tom jones na tom jones na ako day, wala ba kayong malalafang ditech?"
(obviously I played as a gay. HAHAHA)

... And then I saw him.
I always thought that I'd get by adolescence with no problem, and constantly reminded myself of the need to stick to that opinion.
And then he smiled. 
Curse him; that was my death.
Puberty and hormones--I had hormones?--activated and surged wildy through my insides, from the tips of my tarsals, to my knees, to my stomach--flipping it in the process--and finally to my chest, which, at the moment, was finding it difficult to be still. I immediately knew that from there all hope was lost. Turns out, God didn't spare me from this petty, childish, extremely troublesome business that is "crushing".
~ from someone in my stagnantly unfinished attempt at a novel (Heheh. Yes, I haven't completely abandoned that. I actually goad plot bunnies for my story in the toilet.)

7. Lord, Lord, Lord...

Please help me. Dunno how I'd get through finals week. So many things to do, stuff to take care of... CWTS activity, scrapbook about last week's clean-up drive to be submitted to government (though I'd be exempted from Filipino exam for doing this. Yey!)... and if possible, helping Mrs. Dequillo with checking the exam... (For additional points. Heheh.)

And TFN exam, don't forget the cover-to-cover, a-little-bit-of-everything TFN exam.

Dies.

I guess that’s it for now. Thanks, guys.

The statement "last updated 14 weeks ago" next to my username in MyLJ page sent me a wave of guilt just a while ago. You know what, I'd never thought that my heart would feel this heavy after some hiatus out of livejournal...
 
Whoa, did I just hear myself correctly back there? For one moment I felt that I left a good friend for months.

College is tiring and dragging, but as always, I'm inclined to live. Now without TV in my room, I'm not as up-to-date with the goings-on in the televised media as before--my main and only source for current events is the newspaper--and my usual habit of hogging all the TV had eventually disappeared since.

Who needs that when you have a ton of workload from Velez College hauled at you?

Yessiree, I didn't get the freedom I anticipated. I got out from the prison that is Hope, only to be caught once again in a haunted/prison house that is VELEZ.

Not that I feel strongly antagonistic about both institutions. I'm just being a whiny student just like the next one.

I've got some nice new friends in here, though months ago I would have deemed that impossible. See, the first three days were kinds rough for me. I didn't find the right circle until I met this wonderful girl named Danica whom I really felt comfortable chatting with. Apparently, here in Cebu this thing I never knew that existed, "Dialect Discrimination", exists. If you're speaking Tagalog instead of the native tongue that is Cebuano, well you might as well damn yourself to the deep confines of Out of Place.

Fortunately for me though--thank God--I knew English, and this other girl Danica knew English, and we both figured that we could work the conversation out using English... yeah, you know the drift. It all went uphill from there.

Since then I've been speaking to everybody with part Cebuano, part English and part Tagalog (well, it's already rooted right there since I was a kid--couldn't really get that out of my system), speaking out more confidently but not really giving the Cebuano dialect much justice. You wouldn't think I'd be class president. Which I actually am right now. And everybody just started to actually TALK to me.

This one guy, name censored for his sake, used to shun me, maybe thinking I was so weird and out of his league. I wouldn't have imagined him to be of the type who was the gallant (not really his dominating asset, but mother of pearl--HIM? GALLANT??!) yet talkative (In English. Yeah, he was acting still so high and mighty like that) at the same time. Sorry for the interrupting parethetical sentences. But I just couldn't believe it. He was kind of slow, mentally, and in more times than once he'd begged me to rub off his knowledge on him by literally rubbing heads with him.

Of course I strongly declined, but he rubbed his head to mine anyway. (To my utter displeasure.)

Seeing that it worked one time in a test in Chemistry--he actually found the test easy for once--the others started to adopt his convenient discovery. Everybody was out for my head. You would think that, since we're in the era of objective rationalism, they would think the better of it and shrug it off as a coincidence, but obviously, some people couldn't resist the possibility of intelligence-transfusion-through-rubbing-heads.

They seemed callous about how it was veeeeery uncomfortable to me--couldn't get the idea of "MY VERY OWN UNTOUCHABLE BUBBLE" and "PERSONAL SPACE" and "YOU MIGHT GET YOUR HEAD LICE ON ME". (Ew for that.)

Hey, my head's starting to itch.

Being class president is hard now that I'm in college. I didn't know what I was in for until loads and loads of meetings and dues started to fill my schedule... Needless to say, I was in for another wild ride. I held a bigger responsibility, and the implications of such have already started budding, disappointing teachers and all that when I somehow didn't meet their expectations. But I'm gonna absorb all that crap and be proud of my battle scars. Someday, I'll have someone to whom I have these great stories to tell.

There were several points in between that I actually regretted having elected class president, but after realizing that if I didn't turn out to be such, no one would be capable enough, I started adapting a completely different and positive and determined mindset. The class reminded me too much of my class back in high school (I miss you guys), the ever deliquent but united happy class of which I was previously the president, that I had the resolve to always try my best for them, to treat them as my younger brothers and sisters. (Although I was sure I was one of the chronologically younger ones)

And anyway, the fate of the muse--which, if I wasn't elected President first, would be me--is much more ominous. How's that for a bright side? I'm glad I don't have to join pageants. (cringes)

Midterms is done already, and I'm glad I have good scores. The lowest I got was 1.79 in TFN. Yeah, obviously my least liked subject at the moment for MORE reasons than that. Highest was 1.1, ChemLec and ChemLab. I've yet to get a flat 1 in a subject, I can see that. The only way to get that is to perfect ALL the grading criteria, which would be possible, if you study all the time between eating and sleeping and have a super big mega brain.

So I'm wrapping it up for now. Sorry for the sudden end, but my back is aching.

And no, James, you aren't dreaming. I am back.

(James was the one person who always coaxed me through text to find a way to get back online and be active in LJ once again. As you can very well notice, I have been dead in the virtual world for almost two months. Hallelujah for this day.)

Love Me or Hate Me has been resurrected!!!

First of all--though I have a ton of things to tell you and I'm not even sure if I can organize the jumbled data in my head nor actually type all I wanna share in this sole entry--and first time since the creation of this blog, I don't know what to say.

I have been doing, making, not to mention, obsessing with a lot of things during the time I was off, and I don't know what to say. I don't know where to start.

Okay, I'll cut to the chase. I'm sure that now that I'm back, you want me to actually tell you something rather than ranting about how it was very hard for me to endure each day knowing that I've lost contact with the virtual community somehow--ergo, transform into a hermit.

I am in Netopia right now with my cousins who are also updating their own virtual blogs. I've finally found an internet cafe that is not a sardine can.

I typed up a journal entry last month in my laptop and I'm gonna have it up as soon as possible. 

Summer isn't that bad for me. It did not turn out as bad as I thought it would, although I got a little lonely in the beginning of my stay here in Cebu because I was used to live in a noisy adequately normal-sized house and now I'm living in a silent larger-than-normal house.

Sometimes, I found myself staring out the windows doing nothing. The things that keep me alive, going, and sane are books, TV, and my ever-so-helpful-and-time-killing laptop.

The start of the summer was filled with physical examination and enrolment fuss and you don't want me to delve into that subject. It would make you sleepy at first, then scrunch up your face in disgust, and make you sleepy again. There's just one thing that I can tell you relating to this, though: getting a stool sample is not my cup of tea. In fact, it's the worst thing that I have ever done in my life!

I checked out Velez college during the P.E. and enrolment and the school is a conundrum in itself. I'm still weighing within myself if it's layout is worse than Ayala. It's full of buildings, misplaced rooms and branching pathways.

I had a not-so-good time in Bohol. Get this: I cried in a stranger's house in frustration. Why? Let's see... A kid groped me in the butt two times, I unintetionally shouted in the middle of a mass, I thought my Tita judged me the wrong way after that, so now she's not that enthusiastic about me anymore, and I'm forced to act like everything's okay.

The word "pissed" isn't enough to contain the exact emotions that I felt at that time.

Thanks to my text buddies, Ella, Apple, Sharla, and James, for the somewhat alleviating text messages, though our exchange was random and stupid. Ha, ha, ha...

I finally got hold of my Twilight books, and yeah, I died in bliss after that. And yes, this is all I can say about it. (Hello, I died, that's worse than fangirling.)  However, though, I still couldn't resist running my fingers through the displays of Twilight books. People in National Book Store must have thought I was possessed.

I began to write a novel. Amateurish... But undoubtedly a novel. And once again, I'm writing a novel, in case you find that hard to believe. (Me too.)

Haji and Solomon are mine. Just in case, I'm already claiming my ownership.

I'm sick of this entry now and I want to check out other stuff, so bye for now. I know I should be overly enthusiastic right now, but sorry, I'm done with the stage of itching for internet.

It's been a while, I know. To tell you frankly, I've been thinking of writing a new post for the past days, but my brain and my fingers weren't up for thinking or typing. Didn't bother to unleash my newfound talent (which is, if you remember, thinking while typing). Instead, Pride and Prejudice took up most of my time.

I read the book a few times before since, when, second year? I forgot. But never did I have the perseverance to even get to the half. The fontings and the line spacings were not encouraging. As you know, one of my criteria of a good book was that they should be user-friendly--meaning, they should not kill the beauty of the story just because the reader's eyes are having a hard time not crossing themselves while reading the microscopic fonts. 

Pride and Prejudice, is a must-read; I can say that now that I have grown to be a more mature reader. I admit sometimes, after twenty pages or so, that my eyes would really feel stressed and sleepy--and more often than once, it would end with a book set aside and a dozing me--however, I could not stop the continual reading. I just had to find out what would bring Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet to each other.

You know, it's like reading Noli Me Tangere or El Filibusterismo. You have to understand and go through it, trying hard to shrug away the hypnosis that the words sway you with. Not because you are forced to, but because you are eager to find out what happens next.

I've had a start of rereading Twilight, but I am not finished with it yet. Thanks to P&P.

Do you know what else is up? I suddenly have taken interest in the subject of angels and demons. I really don't know why myself. In the midst of my "vampire" season, one day my sister just finds me in my room taking down notes about angel and demon hierarchies from Wikipedia. Then, snap! The next thing I knew, my sister began to read a book called The Big Book of Angels, one that I have previously purchased, because she had developed a similar (but not really equal) curiosity about said ethereal beings after being told about them by me. You can say that I managed to rub off my transient likings to her.

Transient, because now I am taking notes no more. As what was said, blame P&P. But I'm sure after I finish that engrossing book, I can finally get down to my unfinished business.

Oh, by the way, the yearbook and the dummy making are almost up! I'm betting that my duty as a member of the Shalom Editorial Staff will end by next week--and I'm not reasoning that it's because I'm flying to Cebu by Tuesday (finally!). Assuming that there would be no further complications that would defer the dates, I am confident that the remaining staff--consisting of only me and Jaja--would no longer be needed in school by early next week. We only have to secure the remaining missing pictures and the Chinese texts and, boom! It's vacation for us at last!

In another topic--because I have just noticed that I've never let you know about this latest development in my summer--my cousins just invaded our house. It's getting noisy again, in all negative and positive ways. I somehow persuaded Nikki to workout with us (and a big LOL to that) and I think she's not going to stop the regimen till I tell her so. I think it's my ability to radiate authority and her unconscious stimulus to yield. Ha ha. That'd be cool.

We've had fun going to KCC and doing random stuff at home, though I have taken part of their daily activities only a little because of all the Shalom stuff that I had to attend to. Yesterday everning, we were supposed to watch Meet the Spartans, but when the lady behind the counter told us that children below 13 aren't allowed inside--thus, directly suggesting John and Yeni to be left out--we altogether decided against watching the movie and just ate dinner in Madarin Tea Garden. It was then that I discovered that I shared a common interest with my cousin Yeni. It so happened that she liked noodles too, Asado flavor no less.

Well, we can't argue with the universal popularity of the Asado flavor.

Nikki kept on eating bars of Crunch--effectively filling out all the calories she lost from the previous workouts--and I and Mama also ate a lot. So we felt the stipulation of exercising the calories away that night after we arrived home.

Alas, I am called once again to go to school now for another Shalom meeting. So as much as I hate for us to part yet again, I bid you good bye. (BUT NOT FOR LOOOOONG! I'M GONNA BE FREE SOON! GUAHAHAHAHA!)  

WAAAAAH! I AM SOOOOO HAPPYYYYYYY!

Guess what, Sharla bought me a New Moon! See, before she left for Iloilo I asked her for a favor to buy the books of the Twilight Series, if she could find some. Then, this morning, my cellphone rang while I was sleeping--it was already 10:40 in the morning so I could not hold a grudge against the caller for interrupting my sleep. It was my fault that we went nocturnal and watched Hana Yori Dango 2 till the wee hours of the morning after all.

I was surprised when I saw the name of the person calling in my cell. SHARLA? What could be so urgent that she had to call me?

I answered the phone and hello-ed. Sharla's voice came up, and at her first word my cell went off. Why does my cell have to run low on battery at the wrong times? I didn't know that it would be about Twilight, though; my brain was still groggy from sleep to expect anything.

That was, until (after plugging in the charger) I saw her text message, sent to me before she called. It inquired me of Twilight's author and it told me to reply A.S.A.P. That would explain the emergency call: my ears were too unattentive to notice a sound as short as my text-message ring tone.

After taking in the message-that-shook-my-whole-earth, I instantly searched for Sharla's name in my contacts, wanting to call her back fast before the window of opportunity closes. I called her, and she picked up, and I was like: "SHARLA! YES, THE AUTHOR IS STEPHENIE MEYER AND YES IT'S OKAY IF IT'S JUST NEW MOON AND I'M SORRY IF THE LINE WAS CUT OFF 'CAUSE MY CELL WENT LOW BATT!"

I breathed.

Then Sharla neutralized all the rush in the conversation by saying that she could buy only New Moon for me since the bookstore was out of stocks for Twilight and Eclipse. (In fact, there were only three New Moon's left. Good thing Sharla wasn't too late.) Even so, I was so happy that I could die right then and there. But I knew better; I had to live for the other books. *lol* 

There's one problem though; how could she hand over the book to me? Originally, she was planning to bring it when she gets here, but thing is, I might be flying to Cebu this coming Sunday! Sharla, I hope you'd get here before Sunday... Or if it's okay with you, I can give you our address in Cebu. 

The sole problem aside, I am still in Cloud Nine. My mind just doesn't have any room for other feelings. Ha ha! Sharla, you are such an angel... I'm totally blessed by you, and thankful to God for you!

I KNEW IT. I JUST KNEW IT.

Itachi is a good guy after all! 

Uchiha Madara--the person who was said to be the co-convict of the Uchiha massacre--said so himself. A lot of people had been despising Itachi for being power-hungry and all that and making his brother waste his life to be a emo angsty grudge-bearing bastard of a child. Suddenly, here comes Tobi (Uchiha Madara) telling Sasuke--and everyone--that Itachi was the opposite of all that his brother--and everyone--knew of him.

 

SO TAKE THAT, ITACHI HATERS! I HOPE YOU FEEL BAD NOW! I am just so pissed about how lightly most Naruto fans treat his death when Chapters 393 and 394 came out. Like, it's another Hidan death moment again. I mean, don't they sense that Itachi is really made of LOVE?

You laughed and rejoiced at his demise, now it's time for you to wallow in regret.

If it weren't for the outright and (for most people) shocking revelation that I have just read minutes ago from Chapter 397, I would have not blamed them. Why? Because ever since, Uchiha Itachi was interpreted as pure evil. No feelings, no regrets, no positive traits whatsoever. Some rational part of my brain wants to believe them, that he is everything but kind, that he does not deserve any form of affection or sympathy. But you know what, my gut feelings say that they've got it all wrong. 

Maybe that's why I like him. Because deep down I had the suspicion that he went "cold-blooded" a sensible reason (other than the sheer absurdity of simply making his brother resent him). Which was revealed to be, to PROTECT the whole Shinobi world, Konoha and especially Sasuke. Turns out, Itachi poked Sasuke on the forehead not just for old times' sake, but for a much concrete reason--to channel his eye techniques to his brother. To protect him from Madara. He loved his brother the whole time.

(I hope Sasuke felt suicidal when he discovered the shocking truth. That would totally rub off the innate anger that I have had for him for only-God-knows-how-long.) 

I always knew that the day of that sort of revelation would come and I 'm happy I stood by him.

Itachi should have had more fans or supporters. He's the real hero, if only they knew. I bet when we'd here the real side, HIS SIDE, of the story in the next chapter, we'd know how he's the victim, and not the killer. I'd look up to him more. 

OMG. Now Itachi totally owns Neji at the moment.

Remember that last post when I said I hope I would have a greater experience in Punta Isla today? Well, I sure had a great experience this morning--sleeping, that is. Ha ha, to tell you the truth, after being woken up by the alarm clock at 7:30, bathing with the ice cold mountain water which I successfully ignored, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and reading about a few pages of Kill Me, I slept through the rest of the stay until we checked out!   

I really did not want to because I was looking forward to getting around the place. I did not want to visit Punta Isla just for the rooms, you know. But the fonting of the words in the book that I was reading made me a little dizzy--the dim light of the room didn't help in any way. So sleepiness crept back to me, inevitably. I laid my head on the pillow with a heavy heart, but my eyes really needed the forty winks.

Thankfully, the rest didn't go anywhere without me. And yet frankly, I wish they didn't waste the remaining time; they should have checked out the whole place before leaving. My sister told me she stayed in their room, watching TV idly. My mom was probably with her or something--I don't know. I am pretty sure though that my dad and my brother were still very much absorbed in outdoing each other in Virtual Tennis. My grandmother was out in the balcony, enjoying the cool air.

Speaking of my grandmother, she had outrightly told me to just turn off the ceiling fan last night because it was hurting her knees. Yes, something that we, the young people, couldn't understand, but I had to comply. As much as I wanted the comfort of the blessing that is the cool wind from the ceiling fan set in two, I did not want my grandmother to suffer the whole night through. (Yeah, I know, they rhyme.) Oh how martyr of me! But really, I simply did not want to be selfish. 

It became slightly warm in the little handkerchief-sized accomodation after a few minutes and I could already feel my temples throbbing. So I turned off the laptop before midnight and just laid there beside my grandma, watching the late-night news. Just then, my cell phone rang. Who could be texting me that late in the night? I checked it out and found out it was my sister. Time to waste load again.

Apparently, she could not sleep and was awake along with my brother. See, she has this case of recurring insomnia. One night, she snores the night away; the next night, she couldn't get even a blink. We suspected that it might be due to her loose batik pants, but we were proven wrong we found out that she still has the problem even when wearing shorts. Our hi-tech exchange encompassed just about how each other was in her room. A little Edward here, a little G-Dragon there. Just because we were such fangirls.

I told her of course how my head ached with the humidity and the lack of oxygen in the room, for which my sister pitied me. We finally said our good-nights when she felt that it was time to retire for the night. She didn't want to be groggy for the next day (today). I collapsed to slumber instantly after the last text message, shutting out all the noises that Lola made in the CR. My sister, the one with less luck, could get no sand in her eyes and had to stay awake until morning.

At this point you might think that I am regretting to have a grandmother like Lola Mila, but on the contrary, I'm happy she's my Lola. In spite of all the implications of the generation gap, I am in awe in how she handles herself. I could see that she's really a strong woman, the type that can shake away tears and transform them into energetic will. She's quite patient too, if I say so myself. If I were her, I would have gotten mad at myself already just for telling me that turning off the fan was a bad idea. It is unfortunate that I haven't inherited that trait from her.

Moving on, we left Punta Isla about thirty minutes after I woke up. On the way to the front desk and also to the car, I was with the one with the most stuff in tow. I looked pretty bulky; I slung a messenger bag over my shoulder, held Lola's traveling bag on the left and my laptop on the right. Why is this so? Because my father gave me the responsibility of carrying Lola's gear. Hanna wanted to carry the case with my laptop for me, but I just told her it was okay. 

It was a little upsetting though, that time when we went up the stairs. Lola ambled with her cane right in front of me, my mom and my sister followed behind. We were patient, not really rushing her. Suddenly, she tripped over a stair which left her on all fours. Le gasp! My dad, who was far ahead but not far enough to miss the commotion, snapped his head back to us and yelled something like, "Why didn't you help Mama (Lola)!"

Um, for your information, sir, our hands are rather full with all the luggage. You, on the other hand, only have a PSP and a cell phone in grasp.

It's just so unfair that I was tempted shoo away respect for a moment and say that to his face. But somehow I managed to keep that all in. My mom, instead, can't help verbalizing that in a low voice. I was contented: women understand each other, after all.

Lola made a child--who was probably a native there--sing in front of her. She was praising her beautiful siren-like (and I do not mean the annoying one on ambulances) voice. After getting her name--it was "Blanche" I think, and yeah, not really a native-sounding name--Lola told John her gathered information, suggesting something in her eyes. John's mood went down a notch or two or more. You fill in the blanks. *winks* 

We had a couple of pictures taken before getting into the car. I bit my tongue the instant that my dad scoffed at my clumsiness when I accidentally dropped my messenger bag on the ground while slipping out the car to throw something in the garbage. My dad can be pretty grating at times but I try to understand him and his temper.

So the formation in the car was this: Papa sat behind the wheel with Lola in the passenger's seat. Mama, John, Hanna and I fit squarely in the backseat. That was the best formation so far; no one had to sit with the luggage.

We had lunch in a seafood restaurant by Koronadal's sports complex. I forgot it's name--blame its weirdness. Papa was telling me off (one in a million times) about my bringing the laptop with me in the restaurant, to which I replied that the User's Manual advised not to leave it in the car. My dad tried to "find a hole" in my argument, but my knowledge of User's Manual was defending me. (So read the User's Manual before anything, kiddos!) 

The crabs they served were G-R-E-A-T! It was cooked/steamed with garlic, butter and pepper (?). I loved the resulting marinade that I had to fill my sauce dish with it. I didn't care if I ate too much at the moment. Mm-m!

However, at this very moment, I regret it. Especially that I wasn't able to do my daily exercise yesterday. Today, I have to, like, make up for yesterday and exert twice the effort! Ugggh... This is getting unhealthy.

Anyway, I almost left my laptop in the restaurant--to my dismay--but good thing my mom prompted me before my dad even noticed. Because, you know, he would switch to scolding mode and start with all the "I told you so" speeches that always make me look bad, not to mention irresponsible. Even so, my mom was threatening to raise her voice almost enough for Papa to hear, but again, thank God for Hanna. She shushed Mom up to save me from the danger that was lurking in the corner.

I have a reasonable explanation about my almost slip-up, though. I would not have forgotten it if it was placed conveniently beside me. Actually, I propped up the laptop and my Lola's small messenger bag on the chair at my left so that they're always in my peripheral vision. My dad told me to move them a chair further so that Lola can occupy the seat that my laptop was previously on. So, yeah. Despite of that, I still know that I shouldn't have forgotten that I actually brought a laptop, but my Lola was almost in with me too. She forgot the cane that was hanging on the backrest of seat which had my laptop.

Okay, now, forget that. So after the late lunch, we headed straight for home. Nothing much happened on the way so conclusively I don't have much to type about it. We just had a few stops in the journey, due to Lola's momentary requests to buy this and that from the fruit stalls on the shoulder of the road. 

And now we're safely back. Back to this house, back to our own businesses.

Bottomline: I'm happy we had this trip. (Awww...)

The following has been documented on April 8, 2008 at Room 01-B of Punta Isla. Posted on April 9 at home since ostensibly there was no Wi-Fi connection up there in the mountains. 

*     *     *

Okay, here I am now, in an overnight in Punta Isla. It’s rather cool up here, very much like Eden, and apparently there is no need for air-con. Just a ceiling fan set in two. My senses tell me that my grandmother wants it off, but so far she hadn’t expressed it verbally. No one’s complaining, so why should I change anything?

Okay, okay, so she kind of asked me one time that, “It’s cold enough without the electric fan, don’t you think so?” I just replied with a shrug. Call me callous but there’s no way I’d turn that off. Set it in one, I can do, but turn it off? Oh no, no, no. This room can be pretty humid considering its size and opening the windows is out of the question. (We’re in a single-bed room and there’s barely enough space to walk around.)

She’ll thank me in the morning.

Right now it’s 8:25 in the evening, for the record, a time valid enough for me to conclude that it’s been a long day.

Really. I feel like my last visit to school was yesterday while, in fact, exactly 11:01 of this morning I stepped out of the library telling Mrs. Pagalan not to miss me because I’d be coming back in the afternoon.

… Oops. Broken promise!

When I came home from our Shalom meeting just before lunch, a stuffed traveling stroller in the middle of my parent’s bedroom immediately caught my attention. Who’s going? That, I orally conveyed to my mom. She then told me that we, as in the whole family plus Lola, were going to Punta Isla/Lake Sebu in the afternoon. My dad was ruminating about having the trip recently, waiting for mom to finally make the green signal. I did not really expect it to be confirmed—because work always got them busy—much less be held today.

But anyway, it was confirmed, and it was held today, so…

After a two hours of waiting after they left for last-minute work, we towed and loaded our luggage in the back of the car. It appeared that I, Hanna, John, and Lola were mimicking squished sardines in the back seat, so Hanna, being a darn angel to make the sacrifice—and since she was the one whose butt altogether relied on only the edge of the seat—sat in the very back of the car with all the luggage. Alone.

Poor thing, I thought, and then sighed. But now I don’t have a chat buddy anymore. John was occupied with jamming his fingers on the buttons of his PSP, eager and determined to beat Papa in Virtual Tennis which is their newest fad. Lola was Lola, the woman I can never relate to. I try, and I admit I have some enjoyable exchanges with her, but somehow, I needed someone to put up with my Edward and Twilight babbles. Oh, and another bigger thing, I am not really the verbose type—yeah, the same predicament with Bella, but seriously—I’m one of the few who had to spare moments to mull over possible topics to talk about before relating them to any person (unless she’s my sister or a totally tolerant friend), who preferred silence lest in talks of subjects of interest (e.g. Twilight, Naruto, schoolwork rants), whose retorts are always misunderstood.

I hate spontaneous conversations because I am wont to say the wrong things often and I don’t have any chance to take it back. I like this (referring to writing) because I can express things carefully.

My grandmother, though, is the garrulous type; she loves to talk and talk and talk. She treats strangers like they’re old friends. Put her in a room with a kid and a second later, poof! They come out as new buddies to make the world a better place. We can never really connect for long. Sometimes, I feel sorry for her that she had an introverted brat like me for a cohabite rather than a similarly talkative granddaughter who can keep her entertained all night long.

I can be a boring person, you know. Just like what Komyou Sanzo said to Nii Jien Yi: “You’re bored with life, eh? You must be a boring person.” Ouch. Because I’m bored with life too.

Okay, now that little introspection is over, allow me to move along.

So we rode to Marbel silently, insignificant chats here and there. It looked like my sister was happy and contented seating with the luggage because she had her walkman phone for company. Yep, she’s still listening to Kpop. And knowing her undying allegiance (and obsession) to the Korean music industry, I doubt she’s going to shift from her satisfied state for the next six hours. John and Dad were still busy playing PSP until it was my dad’s turn to drive, leaving John to practice Tennis by himself (in Dad’s irritation— for he took pride in beating John in that game). Lola was surprisingly unmoving, but her nature gets the best of her at times as she opens topics now and then. Mom always took the obligation to respond to her no matter how random the topic may be. Dad, well, he’s minding his own business as usual, driving. Just like what I was doing.

No, not driving, silly. Thinking. About a variety of stuff. And yeah, I’m guilty of daydreaming from time to time too, but mostly really, I just let thoughts cross my mind. When I see the bluish purple mountains in the distance, I think of my days in Xiamen, China. When I see the sun’s rays permeating through the tinted windows to beat down my arm, I think of that really excruciatingly warm trip to Tangub (before the car’s windows were tinted). When I received Apple’s text message about a problem with her entrance in Velez, I think about college. I woolgathered about Sephiroth and Edward leaping over forests. I was caught up in my own world. Once again.

 A little ways before reaching our destination, I and my sister had a little texting session. We were pretty much wasting our cell phone load back then—correction: I was wasting my cell phone load back then. She went unlimited. My dad was probably wondering why my cell phone always rang, but did not dig any further. Little did everyone know that I and Hanna were communicating surreptitiously in the little confines of the car. No need to be so cagey about it though, we texted about petty and random stuff. Like how this road that we were travelling on looked like a scene in New Moon, where Jacob took Bella to the cliffs to secretly teach her how to ride a motorcycle, or how she was enjoying se7en’s music, or how the clock tower where Edward attempted suicide might possibly be in the middle of a remote area like the untainted greenery around us. The occasional conflicts with the signal were bothering so we just exchanged about ten messages more or less, but anyway I was happy I wasted my load.

So when we finally arrived in Punta Isla, we immediately ate after setting our stuff down and preparing our rooms. There was so—no, too much food! At first when there was only one dish on each of our tables, some of us apprehended me and my sister when we gave some scraps of food to the pitiful roaming, meowing cats. “You’ll encourage them to stay and beg for more,” they said. I didn’t mind their staying—I love cats, even more than dogs—but I obeyed anyhow. However, when the tables were slowly filled up with edible abundance, let’s just say my dad and my brother had no comment when I risked dropping a big chunk of fish to the floor where little Edward was waiting. (There were two cats: I named one Edward and another Bella. I don’t know which one is which, though. They look too much alike.)

My plate was not cleaned shiny—miraculously. I always finished my food to the bone. According to the grapevine, there is one major culprit: the stinkin’ lizards on the ceiling directly above me. I have lizard-phobia; thus, as expected, I could not concentrate on the simple act of eating. I had to look up periodically; make sure that the each of the legs of that squishy terror was still stuck to the wall. If any of them did that thing in the joke, like clap its hands and slip down to my anxiously stiff form, all hell would break loose.

My sister adopted my fear not long ago; she was also looking out for something wiggly falling out of the sky. And yet she was able to consume whatever there was on her plate. Boo-hoo, I was too scared to accomplish such feat.

After dinner, we proceeded to our rooms—here. I’m sleeping with Lola, the others in the adjacent room. I’m glad they trusted me enough not to suspect that I would be too unfeeling to tend to her needs. Truth be told, I feel that my parents trust my sister with this kind of stuff more than me. Don’t ask me why; I’m not even so sure about the real reason behind this. I try to prove myself by being as obedient and reliant as I can be, but it seems that they see me as a selfish trophy daughter. Am I that? Selfish, I mean. But whatever, maybe it’s just me.

Okay, after that, I turned on my laptop and typed this out. Bringing this was a good choice after all. (And they said I was crazy.)

Well that’s all for the Day 1 in Punta Isla. Hoping for a greater experience tomorrow. Ta-ta!  

Just bear with me as I think of stuff to write in the duration of my encoding. It appears that I have discovered my hidden talent to think while typing at the same time. So, yeah, live with the nonstop blabber because I tend to be like that when I'm trying not to be perfect. 

Blabber = random. This sure is going to be fun for the both of us.

My siblings are playing Tekken with their PSP's in the background. Uggggghhh... Can't believe I lost to my brother who uses the "pataka" technique--like, he just rapidly presses two buttons alternately and wha-la! I'm dead. And yet I'm not alone. Many have fallen victim to the insane continuous O-X-O-X-O-X-O-X-O-X-O-X style of Lily. 

Yes, you read right. My brother uses LILY. Not Jin, not Heihachi, not Paul, or whatever kick-butt character you might have imagined to take me down. It's his only key to victory. You know, I've never really liked that girl. Ever. I hate it when she's my enemy 'cause she always happens to be an obnoxious one--very tricky to take down since she's, like, the cartwheel queen--and when I use her she fights like monkey crap.  

Hanna, you better be quiet about this. Especially to John. But whatever, I guess he knows I'm upset with it. I know you are too (just a little less than me). You, like, lost to him for umpteen times already. *sneer*

Same goes for anyone who will happen to be in contact with said subject. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Nikki and Yeni. You're going here in a few days, if I'm not mistaken. As previously stated, this journal--originally meant to be a personal diary to vent my stress out--is too scandalous. At least, for me. You know how I care about my rep. (DISCOVERY: I'm actually not a saint.) It deserves to be burned and forgotten forever. So zip it and consider yourself honored.

Okay?

... I'm happy we understand each other.

At this point, I would have questioned the world about what I've done to warrant a bunch of childish braggarts in the house, but I predicted it will egg on negative energies within me, so I won't continue. It will make me quite childish too, since the core of all this was just my brother and what he had done to damage my pride. 

Ha ha, pride. Such a seed of self-destruction.

Ergo, I shall proceed to more preferable rambles.

...

...

...

OMG, HAS ANYONE NOTICED HOW FREAKIN' AWESOME AND COOL STEVEN STRAIT IS?

Okay, okay. Don't get me wrong now. I still prefer Taylor Lautner to play Jacob Black in the movie. Just because his age fits it, though, if I might add truthfully. (I believe Taylor's age is closer to Jacob's compared to Steven's. And Jacob is supposed to bear a growing boy's physique, not a handsomely buffed one--like what Steven has. *wink*) I was supposed to have other reasons before, but now, apparently, they were all blown away to Macau...

... When I saw Steven Strait this afternoon in Star Movies. We were watching the movie Sky High when suddenly in this cafeteria scene, I saw his character for the first time. I was all, "HOLY GUACAMOLE. ISN'T THAT STEVEN STRAIT! YOU KNOW, IN 10000? OH MY FREAKING GOSH, IT IS HIM!" to my sister. (I was more like monologue-ing to the TV, but whatever. I was facing her occasionally.) And then she's like, "Yeah, he looks quite like him..." 

--Insert--

What? Is that all she can say? We're talking about STEVEN STRAIT here, THE STEVEN STRAIT! THE IDEAL JACOB OF COUNTLESS TWILIGHTERS IN THE WORLD! WHO TURNS OUT TO LOOK SO... UMM... IS THERE ANY NON-VULGAR SUBSTITUTE FOR "KICKA$$"?! ANYWAY, HE MIGHT JUST BE REALITY'S COUNTERPART OF JACOB BLACK HIMSELF!

Okay I'll turn off the Caps Lock now before someone rips it out of the keyboard. And the capitals make my head spin anyway.

--End Insert--

He acted as Peace, whose power is to shoot fire! (Did you get that?! Fire! FIRE! ZOMGZOMGZOMG It's friggin' FATE!) Without the reggae and, more essentially, the facial hair of 10000 B.C, Steven looks so--dare I type the densely-webbed word in my vocabulary?--H-O-T!!!

*completely fangirling and eventually convulsing*

*sees guys dressed in white approach her and instantly rights herself* ... Ehem. Nope, I still am in my right mind, thank you. No funny farm for me (for today, at least).

Anyhoooow, interruptions aside, my mom went in the room to watch with us. She heard me plattering over and over everytime he gets screen time, that Warren Peace is Steven Strait and he'd be a really great Jacob Black. I guess she scrutinized really hard because it took her awhile to agree with me. And when she did, she was all, "Oh yeaaah, he is D'Leh (his name in 10000 B.C.)! He's really cute, no?" even until we rode the car to KCC.

*smiles* He's just so awesome like that.

I bet you are wondering now how I still favor Taylor to play Jacob in spite of the aforementioned reason paragraphs ago. Well, okay, there's this another thing besides the age factor. Actually, this reason has just been formulated moments ago, when I researched for Steven's name in 10000 B.C. Yep, I just had to look up for the proper spelling of the "D'Leh" word up there. Stupid ancient names... I'm just happy that I did not settle for "Dilei" and made the effort to search the correct spelling. 

Know what? I'll continue now. Seriously. Without interventions.

You: GET ON WITH IT! @$^^%$#!

Okay, okay... Shee-- *suddenly hit by tomato in the head*

*rotten tomato slugs down face* I'll just deadpan that and pretend that that didn't happen.

Okay, so I was curious about how he looks right now, so even though I already got "D'Leh" in imdb.com, I went to his profile page (by clicking his name, duh) and saw the thumbnails of his images. I wasn't pleased with what fed my eyes. In those little pictures that screamed APOCALYPSE, I instantly figured that there were no more traces of Jacob Black on his face. No more Warren Peace either (whom I really came to like). All I saw in his painfully untanned and pale face (for your information, Jacob is Native American, so complexion is a big thing here) was--can you believe it?--Jack Sparrow/Johnny Depp. 

Be not mistaken people, I love both Jack Sparrow and Johnny Depp. As old people (not really old per se, but you catch my drift). And Jacob Black is NEVER old. And he never had a mustache/beard. (Please, Steven, just shave that off for me!)

Henceforth, for fresh youthfulness inside and--much, much, much significantly--OUT, I stand by Taylor Lautner. (OMG, did I just have a Rock Lee moment there? Seriously, "youthfulness"? Ughhh... I'm losing words to use.)

Hey, Steven, you're still cool, don't worry. It's just... You're no Jacob anymore. So... err... good luck with your life! 

I'll never forget how a certain Warren Peace has affected my life, though. *sniff*

Oh well... Since it's midnight,
And my sister has prompted me of the long amount of time I had taken up just to type this post,
And I have become aware, once again, that a human being like me needs sleep,
And I am too tired to argue with Edward or Sephiroth for now (therefore no insert dialogues or the like),
And I have lost passion for typing myself to oblivion about Steven Strait,

I leave everything else to the next post.

*     *     *

PS: Here's Jonnie for you. Like the Ranting Queen of the World and Beyond?  
PPS: My cellphone thanks Sharla for the great time it had in its overnight stay in her humble abode...
PPPS: ... While it curses me for leaving it in the library.
PPPPS: I'm all okay with my brother now. Might be the hopia that I ate. I swear there's a reason why it's ube flavor...
PPPPPS: And NO, I'm not turning on a new leaf. I still love Edward more than Jacob. And correspondingly, Robert more than Taylor. Ohmygosh, forget I even typed it! NO! I didn't just type that I like Robert! You're dreaming!
PPPPPPS: This is the last one. Promise. Really. Thank you God for somehow pulling my eyelids open when I felt like dozing off in the middle of today's mass. 
PPPPPPPS: Told you it was the last one.

Yo. I am not dead yet, by the way. Just didn't feel like updating for the past few days.

Actually, I have started an entry last night, but some unnamed annoying bug in my laptop just had to intervene and switch the "Post an Entry" page to my homepage. I hated Emily ever since. (Emily is my homepage.)

But mostly though, no harm done. My life is as boring as ever. Same routine everyday: Wake up, get ready, go to school even after graduation, go home and sleep. Sigh... Real life these days... What happened to the frickin' awesome warring era? What happened to the ninja? To the sweet carnage of revolutions and rebellions? To the thrills of World War Two? To the dinosaurs, the mammoths, and whatever supernatural/legendary shenanigans of ten thousand years ago? (Just watched 10000 B.C. yesterday. It was cool. Steven Strait was cool. But Taylor Lautner still has my vote for playing Jacob Black.)

It appears that the most bizarre thing that has occurred to me lately is my still exercising everyday. Nothing more, really. I have this minute bruise on the other side of my left ankle, though--my old red rubber shoes must be the convict. While I was working out with my mom I suddenly felt a pang of pain somewhere on my foot and I just shoved all thoughts about it away. Didn't seem significant. Kept on ignoring it for about two days, I guess. Then the bluish-purple color finally surfaced to catch (most of) my attention...

... Wait. SEE? Now I suddenly found my one-centimeter-in-diameter bruise worthy to talk about. GOSH. Meanwhile, other people are eagerly writing about alien sightings, new discoveries, and life in the battlefield. And I'm missing all the action. Figuratively speaking, I have no life.

You know, Something must be really wrong with me. Why else would everyone else see ghosts around while I'm even wondering why everyone's acting all strange and scared? The "goosepbumps on the nape" feeling? I don't have that. Ghosts must have purposefully avoided me for some reason. Either I am a walking crucifix, I am blind, or I just smell bad enough to be a ghost-repellent.

Random Headless Zombie: You're really asking for it, huh?

Me: Bring it on, dude. I have been waiting for you my whole life.

RHZ: *scare* AwoOoOOooH! I am gonna eeeatchooo...

Me: But how? You have no head! (And how on earth do you speak? You have no mouth!)

I know I should consider myself lucky because I haven't had any of those regrettable supernatural experiences, but I'm just soooo bored rigid. I want to have something interesting to tell my friends aside from Edward, Edward, Edward. I'm fed up of all the monotony, the humdrum, the greyness of everything through my sight. Even the constant humming of the aircon above me gets to my nerves!

Aircon: What did I do?

Me: You hum!

Poor aircon. It was just doing its job.

The languor has taken its toll on me, guys. Proof:

#1: Got the gears of my imagination working about being with silly exploits with Edward and Sephiroth--to the point that I made people out of my fingers. I held out two fingers of my left hand and stood them on my left knee (I sat on my bed in a way that I drew my knees up near me), intending it to be Edward. I distorted my voice and was like, "LEOL (laughing evilly out loud) I am the great Edward! Fear meeeee!" while wiggling the finger-Edward. Then, on my right knee, I set a finger-Sephiroth using the two fingers of my right hand too. Then, I made them fight like ninja from the anime--you know, colliding here and there just to be forced apart everytime. That kind of stuff. The end of the story? I finally made a finger-me and kicked both of them out of my makeshift mountain (which was my knees).

I also made them (finger Eddie and finger Sephie) race to my eyes (yes, literally my eyes) while breakdancing--and when I say breakdancing, I mean the running-while-lying-on-the-floor breakdancing. Chyeah, pathetic.

#2: Downloaded some sloth songs that matched my slothy mood. Sharla and Ruby complained about it while I was playing the songs aloud in the library. Not because of the "Observe Silence" rule--heck, that rule was long buried under the ruins of Atlantis--but because the songs were just so darn weird as far as human standards go. 

And that, people, is why I should be a secret agent right now. Or a samurai, transported into the Nobunaga era. Whichever.

Yesterday, I was supposed to have ideas on whatever else to write in this freaking entry. I believe they were all about what happened in the library. As both my gal pals expected, and to my dread, my brain just had to be itself. The memories were all in the "Ha Ha, Good Luck Finding Me" folder transported into the back of my head that happened to always dodge whenever I get too close. Evil brain. 

Someone retrieve the files for me. *turns to Edward* Do it for me, pleeeeaaase?

Edward: As much as I want to remain a gentleman, Jone, no.

Me: WHAT! Why?

Edward: *narrows eyes* You kicked me off the mountain. *runs off to Bella*

Me: *sighs dejectedly then recovers* Weeell, at least I still have my Sefiwootie. *turns to Sephiroth* SEPH???

Sephiroth: NO.

Me: WHAT! YOU TOO? Don't tell me it's because I pushed you off the mountain too!

Sephiroth: No, not really.

Me: Then why?

Sephiroth: *narrows eyes* I became your bloody HUSBAND in your dream. (Like eww.) *runs off to Jenova*

Me: WHAT THE FREAK?? It was not even my fault that I dreamt of you as my husband--though I really liked that, but still!--Go tell that to my subconscious! HEEEEY!

Ha ha. I associated myself with "eww" in my own entry. Ha ha. Now that's something you don't see everyday.

By the way, I drew an Edward with a Bella yesterday, and I clothed him with a shirt and a wicked jacket (that I meant to shade black). I discovered just yesterday that I had almost the same jacket in the long forgotten part of my closet! Story goes like this: We were going to watch a movie that day, and remembering how cold it could get in the cinema, I thought to bring a jacket. The jacket I always used, though, was nowhere to be found. So I switched to the part of the closet to find my other jacket, which was pink. But instead of finding that one, I crossed, in the middle of browsing through the hung wardrobe, the black jacket (which looked like something out of The Matrix) that my grandfather bought me from Giordano. Then it clicked. I opened the notebook with the drawing and compared my jacket to Edward's. I was like, "Cooool. We have the identical jackets!"

So I wore the Giordano to KCC and I was feeling it. I was like, "Yo, behold the Edward jacket," to everyone. LOL. My sister and my mom told me that if I zipped it all the way up, it would seem like I was in America (specifically during fall/autumn season). Understood, expected that, since Gio is an international line of clothing. Uber cool, I know! All I needed was a matching head gear and a slick black motor and I would have looked like an action star! 

(But it was so out of place in Gensan so I just zipped it halfway.)

And alas, I have accomplished my mission for today. Fare thee well. Hail 10000 B.C. for reggae hair!

Just yesterday, I graduated high school. Woo...hoo?

It's been a long ride, guys. A long, wild, grueling, worthy ride. Enjoyed it, hated it, treasured it. Loved it. So much that some part of me just wants to go back in time and relive the moments we had together. But of course, there's no way I would want to experience the stressful parts the second time, so I take it back. *laughs* Jonnie will be Jonnie no matter how deep and soppy she may be. 

But joking aside, it's time to move on now, right?

Moving on... Graduation turned out not as I had expected. It did not suck, fail, embarrass, nor disappoint (as I apologetically expected). I guess, it worked out to become the graduation of my dreams. Or much better than that.

I typed about singing the "Lupang Hinirang" with Ina in the graduation, right? Okay, so, yeah, we sang. Surprisingly, probably due to the short practice prior to the processional (although crammed), I found a little yet significant pop of confidence surge out as I uttered the first syllale of the song, "Ba". Really. As in, the back of my head was talking to me in between lines like, "Okay, draw breath, yes! Okay, keep it strong... vibrate...," preventing me from forgetting the tips Mrs. Dullano and Mrs. Espina gave us. (Which rarely happens whenever I sing publicly, by the way.) 

The only shaking I heard in my voice was the vibration I purposefully applied to my voice. Oooh, a first!

Oh, I remember now! We (I, Ina and Mrs. Dullano) prayed before the program for that. Well, now I know what (better said--Who) did the trick.

Contrary to the preceding paragraphs, though, one of my expectations has been met.

You owe me a hundred bucks (if clueless, please consult past posts)--I cried while rendering my valedictory address. Is there a specific term for crying reaaaaally hard? If yes, please insert such to the following statement: I <insert here> that my make-up was washed away, that I had to utilize the reinforcement of the mighty hanky (that Mom luckily lent me before going to school), and that every sob and gooey sniff could be heard over the mic. 

I was so messy up there. Don't laugh at this--or else I'd have to eliminate you--but my tears and snot ran from the exits of my face and mixed with each other to make things worse. It seems that my mucus membrane was not very cooperative with me especially at that time. Thank God for the hanky. But even so, at the last part of my speech I had to hold it against my nose just to impede it from gushing out over my mouth and onto the mic. (Yikes, so embarrassing. But yeah, I'm quite the open person in the internet, so I just had to write that.)

On the other hand, in spite of all the ruckus going up there, I'm glad that the audience empathized . And maintained the supposed dramatic air within the gym ('cuz, you know, I'd been sobbing and sniffing like crazy that it's almost ridiculous). I've heard during lunch after the ceremony that many cried with me because of my emotional speech (esp. my family and teachers). I'm happy that I've touched their hearts. Mine was an unusual speech, or so I've heard from Sir P, for a valedictory address, and I meant it just like that to escape the "this is just the beginning and not the end" trite that makes people's ears bleed. I wanted to seize that opportunity to thank the people who have truly helped me in my life anyway. I wanted them to listen, because it's simply worth listening. Not because of fancy words or figures of speech and all that junk, but because of what I'm pouring out of my heart.

Away with the drama, and onto the next.

I'm glad that I honored my family and the school so much by receiving a lot of recognitions. I'm glad that I've made them glad. Each time I go up the stage with my family it makes me rather smug, in an unconceited way. Like, "Hey, Mom, look what I'd been working hard to get for you!" kind of way. The medals became a burden to my neck though, but thankfully it did not snap. They made my front a tad sweaty--I was like wearing the white ruffly material that stereotype pirates wear under their necks. Only that it was heavier.

I think that the most emotional part of the program particularly for the batch is that time when we sang our graduation songs. A video was playing while we were singing our song, "Ai In Wei Zai Xin Zhong" ("Because Love Is in the Heart"), and somewhere in the later part of the song, we hugged each other; both of which caused the audience to have mixed reactions. Some sympathized, some found it amusing, some put up indifference. (This I was told by Sharla, who was told by Apple.)

We had a group hug even after the song ended, and this was when the tears started coming for most of us. A sudden surge of emotion befell us that time. I'm sure everyone became aware about how we were so entangled with each other. I'm proud to tell the world of my second family--batch 2008... The Raging Ions. 

The graduation ceremony itself transpired a miracle. It was beautiful and memorable--almost perfect, presumably--that anyone who didn't know any better would think that we had rigorous practices. While in fact, we didn't. Someone's mom got fed up with the uncooperative ones and got angry. Mrs. Allen reached the point that she can't help telling us that she was gonna walk out before we shame her. Mr. Pontejo, the joker teacher, pulled off a Sir Centeno. Directress even told us that she was disappointed in us two days prior. (Remember when I told you that some of us didn't follow the 8 o'clock call time? Yeah. That's mainly the reason for all that.)

But we pulled it off anyway. They all forgot how we were really messed up during pre-graduation and were really proud and joyful for us that day. The end justifies the means, I guess.
  
Hey, people, particularly the Class of 2008, look out for my Friendster account. I promised to join, didn't I? Well, I'm sure it'll be up sometime soon. Once I muster up the will and time, it'll be. It has better odds of keeping in touch and being updated with you rather than texting, IM-ing and all that.

I was supposed to type something else, but I forgot. Oh well.

AS A CLOSING MESSAGE...:

I'll miss you guys so bad. I love you, love you, love you, love you, love you. Thanks for putting up with me. Be good once you're out there, 'kay? Reach for the sky--or even beyond that. We might see each other again two years from now (Alumni Homecoming), and yes, it's too long a time to wait, but till then, remember me. Think of me. Because I'll remember and think of you too. You will always be in my prayers. 

Just maybe, before we know it, it will be December of 2010, our reunion, and we will see the same class that once struggled and survived together. 

 
And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same
But when we leave this year we won't be coming back
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day
Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound
And I keep thinking of the night in June
I didn't know much of love, but it came too soon
And There was me and you, and then it got real blue
Stay at home talkin' on the telephone and
We would get so excited, we'd get so scared
Laughing at our selves thinking life's not fair
And this is how it feels

*As we go on, we remember
All the times we had together
And as our lives change, from whatever
We will still be, friends forever

So if we get the big jobs and we make the big money
When we look back now, will that joke still be funny?
Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be trying to break every single rule
Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?
Can Heather find a job that won't interfere with her tan?
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly
And this is how it feels

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there? Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us around?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly


Friends forever--
Against which, I will not wager.
Though parted, we clasp our hands together
For we are beyond mere bone and matter.
~my heart

PS: The song "Friends Forever" is by Vitamin C.
PPS: Waaah! The post has turned out to be a sad one!

I feel like crap today.

You know how I love my beauty sleeps. Sleeping till nine in the morning is my cup of tea, but ostensibly I often reach only up to eight hours of sleep. I have my forty winks late (like, in the wee hours of the morning sort of time), see. Unfortunately, thanks to the early graduation practices which usually requires us to be there at 8 sharp--most of my batch mates don't follow that though; I sometimes wish that I'm not that obedient also so that I can bend rules and not be stuck to the pitifully righteous niche that always waits for the others for practices to start--I cannot finish my slumber appropriately, not to mention, comfortably.

Sigh...

Well, at least I can be mistaken as one of the Cullens due to the rings under my eyes. Oh what a perk.

Yes, I am still into Twilight--Whenever will I not be? But I'm sure you don't want me to start delving into a subject you cannot relate to--Or do you want to? 

... Yep, thought so.  

C'mon guys, just make it easier for me. Read Twilight, now. That way I can update even every day. Sometimes I just don't know what to put in here, you know? Twilight ramblings may just be the cure for that. I'm the type that loves fangirling, if you haven't noticed yet. 

Fascinating... It seems that the journal's contents depend on you too. Sigh... What I'd do for comments... (The lady needs some love, y'all.)

But anyway, in another subject, I have been reading Passion and Purity--remember that book that Ella lent me?--and I'm telling you, I love it. It really tells people, men and women alike, about how love (as in romantic love) should be treated, and how God should always be the center of it. It's not something redundant, and it uses several poems and Bible verses, so it'lll never bore. You'll learn new things. If you think you're lovesick, if you think of having--or even if you're already starting--a relationship, the book is for you. Not that I want to have a boyfriend already; I just want to be equipped for what's in the future, you know? 

To the young Christians who think they have fallen in and out of love, you must especially read Passion and Purity, before it's too late.

Key points that I learned from the book (by Elizabeth Elliot) so far:

1. Enjoy life being single. God originally called us to be complete and content with ourselves. 
2. If you think you have found someone, do not ever tell or show him in any way that you love him. (This is for girls.) 
3. Talk to God only about it. 
4. And boys, you should do the same.
5. Girls, just wait. Shut up and do nothing until he confesses.
6. Allow boys to chase you but keep them at arm's length.
7. Boys, say "I love you" only if you're ready to ask them "Will you marry me?" next.
8. Because a mere "I love you" will just intensify the passion your girl has for you. (Thus, more "desire".)
9. Likewise, the aforementioned question should be asked only if you've already told her that you love her.
11. It's time to get married if you cannot get enough of each other.
12. No PMS. Purity is what Christians treasure most.
13. If God calls you to be single, live with it. Don't go looking for love; don't go bargaining for love.

Umm... So. I've learned a lot, apparently. But I haven't finished the book yet.

In another subject...

I've been music hunting since Sunday(?). I was fed up with my playlist full of Korean songs, Britney, and more contemporary music. I wanted some serious quality music with nonsuperficial sense. After the hunt, I'd come up with:

SONG - ARTIST:
Almost Lover - A Fine Frenzy
Time Is Running Out - Muse
There for You - Flyleaf
To Zanarkand - Final Fantasy X Collection
River Flows In You - Yiruma
6 Underground -  Sneaker Pimps
Creep - Radiohead
Love is Here - Luscious Jackson
Unemployed in Summertime - Emiliana Torrini
Untitled - Interpol
Love Burns - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Midnight Sun - Ella Fitzergald
My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker
Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box - Radiohead
Session - Linkin Park
Isobel - Dido
The Promise - Michael Nyman
Pretty Good Year - Tori Amos
Twilight - Elliot Smith

Some of them are jazz and instrumentals--yeah, so not like me. But I'm pretty sure you've had those times that you just want to listen to songs without actually singing along. Just purely listening while sitting or laying back as it soothes your nerves...

... Wait, I've gotta stop talking before you think I'm not Jonnie anymore.

Okay, so far, this post has been "blah blah blah", so let's begin actually talking about... dun-dun-dun! GRADUATION!

*sleeps*

PS: THANK GOD I'M ALREADY HOME! 

The past few days were uneventful. I'm amazed though, with the fact that I haven't even touched the laptop for two straight days. Hmmm... Maybe because I've finished reading the three installments of the Twilight Saga. (Currently waiting for August 8 for the fourth one... Wow, it's going to be a long four months...) Lately my laptop's role in my life just zeroed in just reading the said series and updating my journal. 

Oh, by the way, I spent some two hours of yesterday and today exercising using a Time Works thingamajig . (Hmm... This feat is such a miracle... Maybe Lenten season should be everyday--Who knows what unbelievable things I could do in a year!) While you're having this mountain-bike stance, it makes your legs go up and down while your arms move side to side.

REACTIONS:

Lolo (my grandfather) cheered me on: "Yeah, keep that up! Oh, just look at that sweat!"

Mama first asked me with a, "How long have you been doing that? Ten minutes?" to which I answered with a brief, "Thirty". Then she asked me again later: "Did you reach one hour?"  and I simply answered, "I'm nearing two." She was in pure awe. Apparently she didn't expect that my knees--which often make a snapping sound whenever I bend them--were very much able and robust.

"OMG, your arms look firmer!" My sister noticed while I was exercising for about an hour. "I'll use it after you finish." She was inspired to try it as well.

My father called me when they were having lunch: "Jonnie, get over here or we'll eat all the baked shells!" I did not believe him. Sorry, Dad, didn't fall for it. I knew Yaya always has a way of reserving food for me.

I understand Lola for telling me to exercise for only one hour a day 'cuz I know that that thing really makes it hard for most people. Some of us can barely reach ten minutes, in fact. And with Lola's lower extremeties problem, it doesn't easen her conviction based on her experience. (I saw her try it once and I'm the one feeling the arthritis for her.) But once again, I'm sorry La; these guys *slaps knees* can take more than that machine can give.

Yaya Rose lauded me--but she just had to insert some teasing. If eyes can speak, hers would probably burst like: "WHOM IN THE FACE OF THE EARTH ARE YOU DOING THAT FOR?" 

The answer for that is simple, though. For my Edward. *lol* But it's not as ridiculous as you may think. God and I had a conversation about two or three nights ago, and I told Him I would try harder to be in my best shape inside and out for my own Edward (since--I admit disconcertingly--I was always dreaming about meeting Edward). That, or I'm finally becoming a lady, though a late bloomer. *lol*

Yaya Jenny often looked at me with weird eyes. Prolly scoffing at my desperation.

John, my brother, just asked me, 'If you can do that, why can't you ride bikes?"

Well, that's just another one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the world, isn't it?

Hmmm... What else to write... What else to write...

Nothing!

PS: Don't laugh at me, 'kay? Or else my Hwoarang/Edward/Ryan/Itachi will persecute you for LIFE.
PPS: Have you noticed this journal's userpic makeover?

The moon crumbled, the sun waned;
In the face of his enemy, only one remained.
The final warrior--the samurai
Hear the mighty waters of his cry!

Shielding my love with his iron frame,
Susanoo, the great spirit, hath claimed
Seven crowns of the mammoth serpent
With a slash of an edged torrent.

But from the last head so menacing,
Came the snake king emerging.
But oh!--a deluge was my relief,
For the cold-blood's life was at once thieved.

The frightful warden stood reigning,
His master--my love--still breathing
While the snake summoner kneeled broken,
The king's power fleeing his system.

Betrayed and utterly miserable,
For a lost cause the foe struggles.
To tension the tamed winds relent
As my love paced to his brother's end.

His perpetual armor still around,
No one is able to stop him now!
Against the heirloom wall, his enemy froze
The avenger's will coming to a close.

Scarlet rivers his beautiful fingers flow,
But they kept on reaching for the goal:
His own blood's pair of eyes,
Their battle's accursed and hefty prize.

Ultimacy was an inch away,
When he suddenly turned the world in disarray;
He lay not his fingers on the treasure,
But on the younger's forehead--a familiar gesture...!

Those wistful days suddenly rained with fervor
On the blighted family that was once together.
The eloquence of that mere prod on his skin
Seemed to wash away the present with the wind.

A trail of blood my love left,
On his brother's face wholly bereft,
Dreaming of a better life he could have led
As he sank to the earth, dead.

---

This is a poem I wrote in response to Naruto Chapter 393. I am too tired and depressed to rant and to get back at Kishimoto right now. The fact that... Itachi is no more, is still in the process of sinking in. I know I should have expected this--and I did expect this, apparently--but I am in no way ready for mourning, or even for accepting. I tried to deceive myself that it won't be so bad, but my condition right now proves that wrong. It takes me a lot of emotion to write a poem like this, you know. You may think it's so shallow of me, but, then again, you don't know me enough to tell me off.  

I can't believe it. Itachi is really... dead.

This has been the first time that I have come to hate my set of userpics. They mock me right now with all the happy and funny images. They mock my love's death. Honestly, I did not know what to choose among them for this entry, so I did not even bother to change it.  



Good-Bye, Itachi. You will be missed.

.:edit:. I have finally found the right icon.

Here's another list of random moments for the past four days I've been silent in LJ. Sharla wants me to fill her in. *lol*

Random Moment #1: Dimsum Diner

Waitress: What would you like?
Lolo: Hmmmn... I'll settle for congee--dimsum special. (He prolly misses that dish 'cuz he tends to order what I order and I do not normally order congee.)  
Yaya: I don't want any more spicy food. Anything but spicy food. (Ha ha, the bravery she displayed a week ago when she decided to order Shin Noodles out of interest was all out the window--turns out she could not take it after all.)
Lolo: *to Yaya* Try congee. It won't disappoint.
Yaya: Okay, I guess I'll order congee.
Waitress: *turns to me* What about you, Ma'am?
Me: Hmmm... I think I'll order--
Owner: *cuts me off* Shin Noodles. Again.
Lolo and Yaya: *bursts into laughter*
Me: *points to owner* HEEY! He already knows me! ... But too bad I don't feel like eating noodles today. My father will be happy. (He is paranoid about the hazards of vetsin.)
Owner: *eyes bulge in wonder* (I can almost hear his brain scream, "Is that you?")
Me: I guess I'll settle for... Asado Rice and Siomai.

Yeah, I can't believe I said those too. "I dont feel like eating noodles today." "I DON'T FEEL LIKE EATING NOODLES TODAY." ...! 

Yep, I can see the pigs flying now.


Random Moment #2: Time

One night, I sat in front of my laptop, reading Eclipse. The whole duration of that morning, I was hopelessly sleepy because I spent the whole night and some part of the morning reading and surfing about the Twilight Saga. In reaction to which, I promised myself to sleep ON OR BEFORE 10 PM. So I read intently--not even pausing to rest/waste time--and just when I checked the clock because I reckoned it was finally time to sleep, I double took.

"... The heck? It's already two?! Crap."

And there goes my wakeful morning.  


Random Moment #3: Wall

Me: *hugs wall* Oh... So this is what Edward feels like.

Well, good luck on formulating a comment on that.


Random Moment #4: Feet

Me: *smothers moisturizer desperately on feet* ... Ryan would not want ugly-looking feet...

Ha ha, Ryan Agoncillo is my celebrity crush. He has everything: he's smart, so selfless, and so good-looking that it almost hurts. Almost like Edward. Wait--now that I think of it, those faint dark circles under his eyes look pretty vampire-y. *lol* But even though I never got to meet him in person, I'm happy he's with Juday. They're perfect for each other. (And how on Earth am I going to pair myself up with a much grown-up and mature person such as he? *shudders* I'll find my own Edward--one that's my age.) 

Anyway, I admired him much more since that time that I saw him on 1 vs 100. The battle was one-on-one then: Ryan versus a certain pediatrician. The question goes like: "Where would you go if you want to view the largest ocean in the world?"

The choices were as follows: Eastern Samar, Zamboaga del Sur, and Tawi-tawi. 

I was screeching, "Eastern Samar! EASTERN SAMAR!!!" like there was a chance that he could hear me. The question--for an additional 20000 bucks--was so darn easy that it was almost UNBELIEVABLE!

Eastern Samar was his first hunch too. But skeptical Ryan just had to question that. He was then considering Zamboanga del Sur. I was like, "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!"

My fraught cries where interrupted, though. I stifled a laugh when Lolo bellowed, "TAWI-TAWI!!!"

I didn't get why these people could not even figure out an obvious answer. It was crystal-freakin'-clear! If you knew where the places were in the Philippine map, and if you knew that Pacific ocean is the largest in the world, you would not have any problem with it. I knew Ryan met the requirements, and at that point, I just could not understand his doubt. He used a Help, and he was able to find out the pedia's answer: Eastern Samar!

But he was still hesitant. I almost smacked my forehead.

As I remember, 576000 pesos was at stake. Whoever gets the right answer gets the money. "Oh, Ryan, think this throuuuughhh!" I thought. He had a good cause for the money he was fighting for; he wanted to give it to a charity somewhere in Palawan. My pleading mind was interrupted by his unexpected request to the pedia: "If you'd win this, would you help the charity for me?"

The pedia answered a yes.

Then, he made up his mind. He chose Zamboanga del Sur. I was shocked.

He lost, and the pedia won. I thought, and my eyes widened to the sudden epiphany--who could have thought that this young man was that selfless? I got his line of thought: if he would choose Eastern Samar and it would turn out wrong, no one would win the money. No one, especially in the charity, would be happy. So to easen the odds of someone winning, to ascertain financial assistance to the charity one way or the other, he made the pedia promise to help the charity if she won. Then, he chose an option different from hers. His view of winning was never selfish. He was already fine with getting no money as long as the charity in Palawan will be financially aided. He thought of only the charity all along.

I didn't know if I'm over-analyzing things but, anyway, I marveled at him more. I heaved a sigh. Why does his species have to be endangered? Juday's one lucky--no, blessed girl. I sighed more. I need my own Edward/Ryan too. But he's somewhere there, still asleep... 


Random Moment #5: Blue

Me: *unibrow-ing in front of the laptop* I don't get it... Why does Edward like blue on Bella? I bet red looks way better on her...

Yeah. I ponder over the shallowest things that you can even liberally sue me with it.


Random Moment #6: Asado

Lolo: Is it good? (He's referring to the Asado Rice I ordered earlier, if you remember.)
Me: *eating* Uhh... Yeah, sure. 
Inner me: NOOOO, IT'S NOT THE SAME! Shin Noodles, come back to meeee...


Random Moment #7: Breaking the Ice

What would you think of me if I was dancing to Britney's "Break the Ice" in the middle of the night in a room where my grandparents were sleeping...?


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I'll leave you with words of wisdom from our favorite cop, Chief Charlie Swan:

"The right thing isn't always real obvious. Sometimes the right thing for one person is the wrong thing for someone else. So... good luck figuring that out."

Why, how very helpful, chief.

Wow, it's been three days already?

... W-O-W.

I seriously thought only a day had gone by; time sure flies fast when you're focused on doing one single thing. Actually, I'm reading the Twilight Saga (surprise, surprise) and I'm currently finishing New Moon. Yeah, I'm a slow reader. Started it three days ago; any avid reader would have finished the book earlier than now, I suppose. But to redeem myself for being a turtle in the history of bookworms, I'm telling the readers that I am now in page 355 in the MSWord file of 390 pages. And I haven't had any enough time for reading, having graduation practices (the farthest I could get would be 100-something pages in one sitting), and I scrutinize.

Yes people, I scrutinize. I can't stand an unfamiliar word left un-looked-up, so I have to visit encarta dictionary from time to time. I'm a sucker for specific and definite definitions (definite definitions, ha ha) and I ain't happy with mere context clues. My mind drifts away to the TV by and by, so not remembering the contents of a paragraph is inevitable... often. So I have to read stuff all over and over again. If you are telling me to "turn of the TV then!", well I am afraid to tell you that I and my soap opera addict granny of mine share the same room.

I really was never born with luck.

Anyway, reading occupied most, if not all, of my time. I'm just so addicted with Bella and Edward's love story that I can't seem to stop myself from veering away from the Twilight Saga... *click* Oh Ella, I promise I'll find time to finish Passion and Purity so that I can return it to you before graduation! (In spite of the urge to prioritize the other addicting book...)

I now dream of spearheading the "Bella x Edward Club" in the future! Hmm... What should I call the pairing? Edbella? Belledward? Bellward? Bedward...? (The last one's pretty incredulous though. And suggestive. *lol* I vote against it.)

 You know, I'm thinking I'm Twilight's counterpart of Onay from Maging Sino Ka Man. She's the number one fan of "Celine x JB", right? (But she gets to end up with JB--a blessing I am never going to enjoy in my life because there's no Edward in the flesh and I'm locked in reality) But I don't want Bella to suffer the same fate as Celine, of course. If Bella dies, who's going to take Onay's role and save Edward from committing suicide when I'm not there?

*wailing in despair*

Ehem... I'm sorry for getting carried away. I'm sorry for being such a hopeless romantic, a stupid dreamer, a fictional-character freak, a reality defier, an daydreaming idiot, a shameless--

And the list of self-naming continues.

I apologize once again for being such a klutz and a spaz.

Anywaaaay, I give Meyer two thumbs up for suspense. The part when Edward's about to expose himself under the sun in the midst of so many humans (in other words, he's asking himself to be killed... it's a long story) while Bella and Alice were hurrying to get to him to stop him from committing suicide really got me on the edge of my seat. That particular chapter--What was it? "Volterra"?--got my heart racing. Never thought a book can do that to me. 

I was soooo nervous that my stomach started to churn and eventually ache. I had to pause and make a trip to the CR. *laughs at herself*

I won't tell you what happens next so if you're interested, just read the book itself. Type "Twilight" in 4shared.com--it's there, like magic!

Uhm... what else to write about...?

OH YEAH! 

I am pleased to announce that I am the Valedictorian of Class of 2008. Woo-hoo! I've dreamed and worked hard for this day since first year! The exhilaration is just pure sweetness.  

Hmmm... I think I'm going to continue reading New Moon now. There're only a few pages left, so if you don't mind... #

PS: THANKS TO GOD FOR ALL OF THIS!