CHANGE.

BEFORE



AFTER

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Change. That's pretty much what my whole year has been about. I woke up one day almost a month ago and realized, "Man, it's been a full year!" Yes it has. A lot has happened since that day last year when I decided to move here and pretty much turn my life upside down, inside out.

To commemorate my first year here, I decided to chop most of my hair off. It was, to say the least, kind of liberating. Change and [at least some semblance of] freedom has been what my past year has been.

It has been a year. A year away from friends, family, familiarity. My heart still aches time to time from the longing, but it has been a little bearable lately with family and a few new friends and acquaintances (most of whom have no idea how much impact they've made on me in the short time that I've known them).

And old friends have been great through this whole thing. A part of me still feels a lot connected to my "old" life, thanks to them. I still miss the parties at home, the Sarah's sessions, the conversations over coffee and chocolate cake, Starbucks and Chocolate Kiss. No new hangout or experience can top those.

I look back at my year and I can't help but wonder how the people back home are. How do they look like now, what have they been up to. You just don't get past stuff like that, no matter how long you've spent away from home or no matter how time has numbed you [in a way].

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It's October. Halloween month, birthday month (What a perfect combination those two make in a sentence. Enough to send shivers down my spine. Harhar.)I still have no idea how to spend my birthday--it is, after all, a crappy Monday. Maybe we'll just go for a nice quiet dinner. Maybe I'll go to the city. I definitely don't want a beatdown via the Capoeira roda (maybe they won't know, maybe I'll skip class, harhar). There definitely won't be a big basagan party--at least not in my honor. Maybe I should just sleep it off. I don't know.
(Somewhere inside my head, someone starts singing, I just don't know what to do with myself.....)


22 days left to think about it.

one night with chris [botti]

kinikilig pa rin ako.

wehehe.

NO (s)P(r)AIN, NO GAIN.

Literally.

Berinjela's really been raising the intensity of our Capoeira classes as of late. Last night was intense. Instead of people standing around in a circle, he pulled in chairs (wooden conference room-style ones, mind you) and said, "Play." You can't touch the chairs. You touch it, you get hurt. So I was getting pretty good at controlling my moves and keeping my eyes on my partner. The minute I sit down, "WHAP!" Coxinha's heel comes pounding down on my fingers, which happened to be gripping the chair's backrest. Felt like someone took a hammer--no, a mallet--and pounded away on my hand. Coxinha's foot-1, my right ring and pinkie fingers-zero.

Then I go up against Pes da Pipoca (which literally translates to Popcorn Feet, btw) and I do this fantastic rasteira (if I say so myself) that makes Berinjela go, "Muito bom, Passara!!!". And he does the same back at me, only I dodge it halfway and ended up tripping on my tippie-toes. I'd say that was a two-way tie: my rasteira-1, Pes da Pipoca's rasteira-1, my right fourth toe (what do they call it anyway?)-zero.

So I end up dunking my hand in a cup of ice all throughout taco time, and gripping an ice pack while asleep to numb the pain. Now I'm at the office, hobbling around with my toes bandaged and trying to type with 3 fingers on my right hand. But it's all good. All the pain and discomfort is so worth it hearing those words from Berinjela, and him telling me my game's really picking up. A dor e boa. Pain is good. I'm so happy I'll probably work out the whole weekend, haha.

It's only "words"...

...but it sure means a whole lot.

I wish people would just say what they mean. Stop beating around the bush. In Nelly Furtado's words, "Say it right." Or John Mayer, if you will--"Say what you need to say". Mas madali ang buhay, promise -_-

I'm no psychic. No translator either. I'm just a plain, old, dumb little girl who wouldn't know the difference until someone spells it out for me.

I do not have an "attitude".

I'm just annoyed.

Annoyance is what you get from someone being treated like she's stupid when you have no freaking idea how "in control" she is.

And it's not "making faces". My facial expression has been like this for the past 25 years. But of course you wouldn't know that, would you?

Just quit giving me all this crap, ok? God knows I don't f***ing deserve it. You do too.

This is what I see outside my office window every single day....

And this....

And this....

I survived! Er, first week at my new job, that is. So far, so good. It's a nice job, with nice people, a nice office (with real, live peacocks outside, wah). I have to say, it's only been a week, but it feels like I've settled down pretty good (even my bosses say that). All is well career-wise, I guess.

I've been really inspired to practice capoeira as well. Seeing the skill level of some of the people I play with, and knowing I can get there as well through hard work--that's enough to encourage me to put my best effort in to it. It may be my first foray into martial arts, but I'm going to make it good. Who knows, maybe next year I'll get to go to CDO batizados around the world :)

In another sport, there's an upcoming USTA event in the College and I'm seriously considering joining the women's singles division. 2 months to practice, kaya ko kaya? :p

I finally got my new iPod touch last monday. Woohoo! I love it, love it, love it. :D

CHECKLIST

1. haircut - check!...update: isa pa kaya? hehe
2. iPod touch - short wait....update: check! :)
3. full-time job - TBA.....update: check! :D
4. driver's licence (lord, please naman...) - pending....update: yun lang....Xp
5. fierce capoeira skills like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XBQLAIWzRI

er...processing.........processing...........processing.......(naka-dial up pa yan ha.)

(Just a little "inspirational" video Berinjela shared with the class of the Thundercat almost killing this big dude. From the Champaign Batizado 2008.)

6. isa pang tattoo - soon! :p

score!

Finally! Finally I got through to them. Or to them. Or whatever, doesn't matter. I enjoyed today, and I think they did too, so it's all good. Yahuuuu!

koala-less day one. everyone's feeling it. it's just...blah.

"The core of man's spirit comes from new experiences."

Into the Wild. Great movie. Emile Hirsch is incredibly promising.