unang post sa bagong taon.

First day of the year.

I was browsing through friends' blogs and stumbled upon this quote from Neil Gaiman, from my good friend Olivia's blog (who herself has been a warrior the past 2007):

"May your year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing (or dance) or live as only you can. And I hope somewhere this year, you surprise yourself!"

So for 2008, let's all suprise ourselves :)

HAPPY 2008, EVERYONE!

my white christmas

So the car kinda Scrooged on us up in Tahoe, and we spent 4 days up in the mountains instead of 3. So what? Ang happy!!!!

This holiday is honestly one of the best (if not the best) holidays I've ever had. The family's pretty much all here (well, except for Daddy, who decided to stay in Manila, and Luke, who's spending the holidays with his mom), it's freaking cold, super-white and very happy. We got pretty much everything we wished for--a good trip, snow fall, a great time snowboarding, everyone's happy, safe and healthy. That's all there is to it, right?

My body pretty much hurts all over (like I told Leni, even in places I didn't know I had, haha), and I feel like freaking Angelina Jolie because of windburn, but heck, I don't mind at all. I had soooooooo much fun, made a couple new friends (Riiiick! haha), basically had a blast with the family. And all those slips and slides down the mountains didn't deter my spirit a bit--in fact, I'm already saving up for another snowboarding trip--clothes, equipment, post-session chiropractor treatment and all--for next year. Can't wait!

It's a good decision I made, to stay here for the holidays. I missed my friends like crap but I got something in exchange, something I never probably would have gotten had I about-faced my way home to Manila. I think I'm starting to believe in Christmas again, like I did back when I was a young, naive, worry-free kid. I realized it's not about being all together, or complete or having every single gift on your wishlist--it's just about believing and allowing yourself to be happy despite all the potholes and hurdles. Sort of like counting your belssings. It's kind of hard to explain. Basta. You have to feel it to understand.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Happy New Year! :)

eksayted.

yipee, yipee, yipee!
i'm heading off to tahoe in a few hours and i can't wait! waaaaah.

*****

called some friends to greet them merry christmas. grabe, i almost forgot how they sounded like. 4 months pa lang naman, but it seems like eternity.

X--you made my day, promise. wahahaha.

*****

marie's coming over in a few days. i'm so psyched to spend new year with my favorite cousin.

so, cuz...shall we welcome the new year with fresh ink? hehehe.

*****

i know how we can all get too wrapped up in the festivities and the material things, but i just want to say, to everyone who gets to read this:

I hope this season brings you, brings all of us clarity. And peace.
Merry Christmas!

happy *hingal* halloweeeeen...*bagsak*...

The new camera I got for my birthday arrived literally 20 minutes before we were set to go to St. A's for Angel's Halloween Parade. Whew.

Ang saya! All the kids (and the faculty even) were dressed up in their costumes, with some very funny, very cute and very creative costumes (my personal favorites were the Blue Man group, the Ghostbusters, and Jacob as Elvis, haha). Angel was "Angelcat", her very own superhero. You should've seen these guys work it with their costumes--well, wouldn't you, with PSP's and iPod's at stake for prizes? And of course, the entire Halloween spirit. Who doesn't love Halloween? :)

Afterwards, we all headed off to the factory outlets for some "kiddie" trick-or-treating, and then downtown for the real thing, with the old Victorian houses decked up in their best Halloween decor. I have to admit, people here really put their efforts into one night of candy-giving. I loved that big Victorian house with the huge, sweeping cobwebbed staircase and where "The Devil" (complete with mechanical flapping wings) gave out handfuls of candy. I think me and Anna passed off for middle-schoolers (wahaha), and all these people were saying, "Oooh...look at those cute schoolgirls!" Hahaha.

Then there was the small incident of forgetting which street we parked the car, so at the end of the evening we were so exhausted from running all over downtown in search of it, but so amped up on sugar rush and Halloween-itis. Hehe. Definietely a great first authentic trick-or-treat experience for me (and Anna, as well), where we actually got to dress up and collect--no, amass--candy, as opposed to just waiting for our small nieces and nephews come knocking trick-or-treat at our door :)

Happy Halloween, everyone!

* http://wanjeloo.multiply.com for my pics :p

it never ends :)

I was kind of having an off-day (too much "happy" the past few days, I guess) today. It was cold outside, the sun was behind all these rain clouds, and I wasn't feeling too good.

Until my new phone came knocking on the door (well, the UPS guy actually :p). Yay!

And then my stepdad handed me this small brown envelope addressed to my sister (engk?). Turns out it was a card for me.

I got it around 6pm, just when I was about to call it a night--just in the nick of time. Cos, hey--it made my day. Super.

Salamat, guys. I wish I could give you the real thing, but in the meantime:

*hug*

it's all good :)

While it wasn't exactly how I pictured my 25th, I have to say that it was one of the best birthdays I've had in years.

Thanks to Mom, Jon and Ninang for my "camera fund", Angel for my impromptu birthday card (hehe), and Anna for my "mature" birthday cake and for making that AVP. And to everyone who took time to answer back to my sister's ad and send pictures and messages--pakyu kayong lahat, hahaha! No seriously--I love you guys *hug*.

Sa lahat ng bumati, nag-text, anything--you guys don't know how much it meant to me. Aylabyu!

ang aking "inapakang" birthday cake.

rock n' roll, people! *mwah*

bellissima!

heehee.

It was a good day today. Woke up early, talked to friends on YM (who I looove, kahit inaaway nila ako -_-). Listened to LSS-inducing music. Went to Copperfield's (very nice, very expensive bookstore)--which turned out to have a huge sale, yahoo! Headed to the vineyards for a picnic lunch (naalala ko tuloy ang naudlot na picnic sa Circle *wah*) at V. Sattui (one of my favorite places on Earth. as in). Drove around pretty St. Helena. Watched the leaves turn yellow (well, I didn't really wait and watched :p). Went to Castello di Amorosa--a real live pimpin' castle on top of a hill, moat and all!). Drove up to the pretty Carmelite Monastery with the awesome view of the valley. Went home in time for Mama's shift, slept till late afternoon. Ahhhhhh.

I think I made progress with respect to work too. Finally filled out that application form from Chaudhary. Fine-tuned my resume a little bit. Talked over some computer stuff with Elmo, who gave me a brief workshop on the programs. Made it halfway through The Golden Compass (yahu! hahaha).

It was a simple, simple day. But it was, as they say in Italy, bellissima! :D

across...the bay.

Went to San Francisco last Saturday to meet up with Anna's friend, Inna, and watch Across the Universe. Well, we did go. And we did meet up. The movie, hehe--let's just say we got a little sidetracked. We walked around hoping to pass the time before showtime and we happened to pass this teeny-tiny ickle store called Bloomingdale's. The rest is history. ahehehe So, needless to say, all we did yesterday in San Francisco was eat, shop our butts off, walk off our misery over overspending, do some more [retail] damage, eat, and walk our butts off. And camwhore. And reminisce. And daydream. The weather, which was supposed to be really horrid and wet, was the exact opposite. It was sunny and cool, not cold and windy with nary a cloud in sight. It was perfect. It wasn't such a waste, after all, yesterday :)

babay, friends. hanggang sa muli.

Had lunch with my lolo, then a little farewell dinner at Chocolate Kiss with friends. Sinagad ko naman talaga ang time ko with them. Masaya, cos I was kind of expecting it to be senti, sad and tearful (well, sa dulo lang yung tearful, at konti lang :p), but of course, my friends wouldn't have any of that. So instead of a gloomy last day here in the Philippines, I was treated to a very funny, very happy get-together--good food, music and lots of laughs to last me at least a year (at least until I come back).

Salamat--Leni, Kim, Dax, Rosab, Foomy, Joe, Rap, Arni, Agnes at Fae. Thanks for a wonderful [not so farewell] farewell. I will miss you all! *huuuuge hug*

Salamat din sa lahat ng nag-text. I super appreciate it (Lalo ka na Jonathan Albaniel, hindi mo pa alam na aalis na ko! Hmph.). Kitakits, guys!

It's a sad day, it still is. But somehow it doesn't hurt that bad, knowing how much people care about you.

Wala na kong masabi e. Pics na lang :)

Oble at dusk. Ang ganda.; Evil Boy and Soon-to-be-Evil Girl :p; Sexytime, wahaha.; Ako at ang zumu-Zoolander na si Level 9!;Leni, pre-bondat; Tumi-TIMY na naman si Daxdax!; Laki ng ngiti mo, Popoy ah!; Daxdax, pa-cute.; Kim and Rap aka "Pianne"; Evil Girl and the Goddess; Fae and Me.

what the hey, what a day :p

Kung ganito lang talaga kasimple at kasaya ang pagpapaalam, I might just consider doing it more often. Joke lang, hehe.

First off was lunch at Yellowcab with Koyah, Mike and Leni. Busog, camwhoring, atbp. Ang saya-saya. Salamat ng marami, Koyah!

Then there was the L&L. Syempre kunwari pa kaming hindi satisfied, pero sa totoo lang, natuwa ako kasi kinareer naman talaga ng apps, from backdrop to full band. Medyo bitin lang, pero ok lang (thanks in huge part to ****. Hayminlaaaaab... wehehe). Congrats sa apps ngayon, astig kayo. Pero dapat pagbalik ko, mas astig pa kayo bilang mems. Kundi, lagooooooot.

And of course, what better way than a Sarah's session to top it all off? Beer and pizza--the best combination ever. Happy ako dun kasi lahat represented--apps, mems, alumni. Tapos medyo basag din lahat. Yun e. Salamat kay Lloyd, na nagpasaya ng gabi namin nila Agnes '03, Dax "Caste System" '06, Ruelo "Prince-King Hair" '04, Pia aka Joji '87, Carlo aka Kevhoy 2, Sudie, Ab at GB aka Gheevet (ako kanina si Anj "Emo-grant" '04). Wahaha.

Tomorrow is my last day here (at magkakape kami ni Jay, dahil medyo ma-drama din siya ngayon. Wah). Medyo malungkot, pero I can honestly (honestly na naman...) say na ngayon naiisip ko mas kaya ko na, with the realization that it won't really be a goodbye-goodbye to these awesome people that I hold so dear. Magkikita pa naman kaming lahat, at pag nangyari yon, patay na naman tayo diyan! Hahaha.

Kwento ko lang---Na-touch naman ako kay Dino kanina.
Dino: "Anong oras flight mo?"
Anj: "10 am."
Dino: "Ay, sayang. Pupuntahan sana kita sa airport, kaya lang may exam ako eh."
Awww. Natunaw naman ako don :)

Salamat sa lahat ng nakasama ko kanina sa supposedly, aking farewell-drama-iyakan despedida. I didn't say goodbye (well, at least, not final ones). Hindi din ako nag-drama (ji-names piscos ko lang si daxdax ng konti, wehehe). At lalong hindi ako umiyak (well, muntik na, pero sa kakatawa). Salamat, at hanggang sa muli!

:)

ah sey one!

So sick today I wasn't able to go to the bookfair Leni invited me to. Pasensya na. Sayang. Na-sobrahan yata ako sa happiness. Double, triple, quadruple, 10 thousand times happiness.

Sabi na eh--I'm not going down without a fight! haha

Yesterday
bank. work. trinoma lunch with leni, cheska, agnes and x. work. tambay. sablay tanaga stories. lando's open mic poetry with bongos, wahaha. career kerengkeng with christian cruz. kilig kim. kilig foom. kilig all around. rain. stolen, dashboard confessional. worms. sarah's with the oldies. beer. tuna skyflakes. sausage. twin popsies. stories. *gasp* confessions, haha. skip and skank. jack daniels and coke. more beer. nyko maca. sino sikat. [bur]nick azarcon the guitar god rules even while drunk. bonding with rely, wahaha. kat. omigod. kat, hayyyyy. tseri. jamaican party 2. song and dance. talk. drink. talk. dance till you drop. sore throat. sore feet and legs. sore everything. happiness. happiness. happiness.

Pics it's a motherfreaking reunion; dax and popoy the love god; anjanj and daxdax; sino sikat, yahu!

Today
home. sick. recuperating for another round *wink*. hehe.

gawd.

I will never, ever watch a mushy movie again with a guy. Or three guys, for that matter. Una, it's hard to get in the zone and emote when they're laughing like hyenas at every mushy line they hear. Second, it's very, very awkward when it gets to the love scenes, nyerk. Huli, hindi ko mapigilang tumawa kapag naiiyak na sila. Wahahahahaha!

*****

"There will be many times to be all senti and sh*t, but not while we're together." From an old conversation I had with a friend. Tama naman. I only have a little less than a couple of weeks left here, sasayangin ko pa ba by being mopey and weepy and senti and all that hoopla? Hindi na, no. I've had the best month so far, and by God, if I'm going down, I'm going down partying hard! Hahaha.

*****

Bakit nga ba may mga taong nagmamadaling tumanda? Don't they know it sucks when all you've got left is to live your adult life as responsibly as your adult self can? Sus, mga hijo at hija, enjoy it while you can. Sabi nga nung isang t-shirt na nakita ko kanina, "Life is Short. Let's make fun of it." Wahahaha, labo!

*****

Isa pang t-shirt na nakita ko kanina: "Some people are just alive because it's illegal to kill them." So true. Hehe.

whattaday.whattanight.whattaweek.

I guess the title sums it all up.

Fieldtrip. Work. GA. Prod.Work. Fashion Show. Hiyas. Meriendahan. Bow.

Happy endings? Hopefully. My own "two-weeks notice"? Probably.

OK, tama na drama. Masaya na nga e.

UP ARKIFORUM--Best. Org. Ever. Yeyo!

EXECOM '07 (nes, rap, mary, arni, jon, bea, shayne, koyah, daxdax)--Congrats!

Amp. Mami-miss ko 'to. Kitakits na lang next August.

i love UP ARCHITECTURE FORUUUUUUUM!

Meriendahan na bukas. At kahit binagyo ang AF Week at may impending bagyo na nagte-threaten sa Meriendahan, wala akong paki. Wahaha.

Happy AF Week, everybody!

Yeyo!

inked.

Wahahahaha. I did it.

yahu.

First smile of the day, woohoo :)

Not so much in a crappy/crabby mood now. See, while a dour mood may be the perfect excuse to binge on food and max-out that credit card, it isn't always fulfilling. A conversation with a friend (or friends, in my case) is, simply put, guiltless and fat free. Who needs comfort food and retail therapy when you have great friends? (tenchu daxdax kulotski and leneh-betch for bearing with a weirdo like me :p)

And speaking of friends, I have one particularly in mind:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LENIBANANA!!!!

*mwah*

whattanight. tugsh.

What. A. Night.

I should never attempt to throw a surprise party for anyone, ever again. I just end up surprising myself, rather than the person involved. Hehe.

Crazy, crazy, crazy. It's all a blur now. Like a looong slideshow running in my mind. Wahaha.

To everyone that was there: Dax, Annabanana, X, Cheska, Rufi, JP, Joe, Mike, Jika, Jay, Sudar, JB, Foomy, and "Star-of-the-Night" Leni--THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!(or what's left of it :p) Wahahahaha.

In two weeks time ulit! Yahu! Xp

08.02.07.

August 2, 2007--would have been my Lola Angel's 91st birthday. Wherever you are Mommy, we hope you're happy :)

August 2, 2007--ang pinaka-astig na gabi sa talambuhay ko ng pagtambay sa Sarah's. AF Invasion, to the max. Lahat sila andun--mga taong madalas mong kasama, mga taong matagal mo nang nakakasama, mga taong matagal mo nang hindi nakakasama, mga taong ngayon mo lang nakasama. Basta. Mahirap ipaliwanag. Pero dalawang salita lang ang pumapasok sa isip ko ngayon: PRE-MERIENDAHAN. Anong sinabi ng mga Hollywood Pre-show Parties? Panis silang lahat!!!

August 2, 2007--ang araw (o gabi) na hindi ko makakalimutan sa buong buhay ko. Mauuna ko pa sigurong makalimutan ang pangalan ko bago ko makalimutan ang gabing ito. The stuff that legends are made of. Wahaha.

*****

Question: What happens when you put six AF people inside a '76 Volkswagen Beetle?
Answer: see "HALA UY! Isang Gabi sa Buhay ng Anim na AF :p" at http://wanjeloo.multiply.com

i was soooo right...

Happy day. Friday night alone at home. Thoughts over a bottle of ice-cold San Miguel and a steaming bowl of spicy tuna-Skyflakes. Ah, the life.

*****

"Consumed by the fragrant possibilities."
Kingdom of Pretty

Bonnie Bailey

omg.

Mamamatay na ako kakatawa. Can't. Stop. Laughing. Must. Breathe. Agh.

Watched The Simpsons Movie.

Adik ang gumawa nun, pramis.