crazy about jordi.

Listening to: Blind by Lifehouse

I was prowling through the Internet when I found these! New additions to my must-have list! Actually, I've never had a must-have list, but I've just got to get my hands on one of these! The wallets are just so cute! And don't even get me started on the messenger bags! Aaaaah! Why wasn't I born in Spain so I can have unlimited access to wonderful Jordi Labanda merchandise? And at cheaper prices too! *sigh*

*drools* Cute, cute, cute!

Whoa! The door just slammed shut! I find that very odd considering it's an extremely hot summer day absent of any refreshing gusts of wind! I actually went to school in shorts today, no longer caring if people think it inappropriate. To hell with it, it's just way too hot to be wearing jeans when the denim ends up sticking to your legs. *makes face* Thank goodness I don't have any SOM classes this summer lest I be subjected to the wrath of our beloved dean whose nostrils flare up at the slightest sight of skin. *hehehe*

pasalubongs galore.

Wheeee! My parents came home from a convention in Shanghai (with a little side-trip to Hongkong for shopping) last night and I got some pretty neat pasalubongs! Here's what I got:

1. Jordi Labanda notebook with holographic cover - The reason why I'm so happy with this one is because Sketchbooks (at Greenbelt 3) is for some weird reason, no longer selling the Jordi Labanda stuff I love so much. I've been there two times in the last 6 months and still no sign of any new Jordi Labanda merchandise. Hehe, I still have 3 Jordi Labanda notebooks stored away. They're just too pretty to be written on! *laughs* Still haven't found something worth writing in those notebooks.
2. Jordi Labanda pencil case- Yey! I finally have something to replace my old Jordi Labanda metal pencil case that has rusted all over from the abuse it's received in the last year or so.
3. Skechers slip-on sneakers- Finally! I can finally retire my old Diesel slip-on sneakers that have become yellow instead of white and are constantly the butt of insults from my mom! She finally realized that I would not retire it unless I can replace it with something that looks similar and serves the same purpose! *hehe*
4. Diesel sneakers- Cuuuute! They're futuristic! Can't find another way to describe them cause they're made out of suede and this shiny material that reminds me of spaceships!
5. Pink bikini- Yey! Looks like my mom took care of the swimsuit shopping for me! I can't wait for our Boracay trip on May! Sun, surf, sand! Anything away from the impending stress of classes, I'll take it!
6. Only Jeans- Oooohh... considering they're not the typical cut of jeans that fit me, they fit pretty well! I'll have to have them cut first though!

Considering they only had 2 days worth of shopping, they sure did a great job at it! It's always after these business trips of theirs that I realize time and again how well they know me! I loved everything they got me. Ang galing! *hehe*

feeling hot hot hot.

On a normal school day, being given 60 pages of readings is not too bad, especially when you've got 6 subjects that could have contributed to that mountain of a pile. But if it's the first day back in school (summer classes) and you have 60 pages to read for only two subjects, well, that's a different story altogether.

After reading exactly 39 pages of Mankiw's Macroeconomics for tomorrow, I have no desire whatsoever to open my Math book. Heck, the title itself is enough to discourage me! "An Introduction to Mathematical Statistics and its Applications" Waaahhh... I can't believe I was actually excited to have summer classes when I went to sleep last night. Goodness. What was I thinking? *laughs* I am going to diiiieeeeee! Not just from the prospect of failing Math, (seeing all those weird notations that Cel and I described as Arabic on the board today made my knees go weak), but also from the unforgiving heat that screams "Welcome back to the Philippines!" to all those lucky enough to escape for a few glorious weeks of perfect California weather. And how about those who had snowflakes settling on their eyelashes while some of us sat here melting like butter? The only thing I have over those who went abroad is my getting used to this weather. Well... I still complain every hour or so, I guess staying in that air-conditioned office for two weeks gave my body the illusion of being somewhere farther from the equator. *hehe* I am sooo stocking up on shorts and skirts! Why is it so hot this summer anyway?

Hayayay! I'm bankrupt na! I had to borrow money just to buy the two books required by the two subjects who both assigned two chapters to read for tomorrow's class! Odd thing is, both books turned out to have orange covers! Just a random thing to say... I am soooo bored. Anyway, I better put some money into my wallet so I can pay off all my debts. Plus, speaking of books! I just realized I have to change my messenger bag for a backpack! The books won't fit into my sky blue Billabong bag now, so I'll have to put it in another blue Billabong bag (this time ocean blue and white in color with accents of orange), resurrected from the dead! *laughs* I remember the last trip I used that bag on, we went to Phuket back in 2002... (I miss Phuket... I doubt we're going back though, my mom's too scared of the spirits she says are roaming its beaches...)

Hmm... I'm starting to become extremely disorganized with my thoughts. I think I better sign out now before I end up saying something stupid, if I haven't already! *laughs*

DL semester as notes payable

Again I stare, not knowing what to write.

Grades-wise, I should be happy! And I am! *laughs* I just managed to get myself on the DL. Whew. Thanks to a wonderfully ended semester with Sir Darwin and his kind kind revised grading system and the fairly easy fourth long test. Thanks to Sir Bayot for awarding me an A and for all the bonus points without which I would not have made the 95 needed for the first letter of the alphabet we want so much to see on our grade sheets. Admittedly, I skipped around SEC when I saw that A in Eco. *sheepish smile*

On the flipside, no thanks to my Filipino teacher who did not give Kevs his well-deserved grade, and did not let me slip by with a B when I was sooooo close. Of all the times to get a C+ in Filipino, it had to be the very last one. I always managed to squeeze by with a B. First with Capino in Fil 11, and then with our pare, Mikael in Fil 12. Now, well, our teacher just broke my Filipino B streak. I can only breathe a sigh of relief that all my other subjects seemed to fit in just right for the DL combination.

Why so desperate for that DL? Well... it's a stupid story, really. Back in the day when Math was an easy thing, back in the day when my study habits had not yet started their steady decline, back when I was so scared of college life that I'd wake up in the morning earlier before classes just to go through my notes again, well basically, back in the first semester of my first year in Ateneo. (What an introduction, I just had to make you all dizzy.) Where was I? (See, even I got lost. But then again, I always can't seem to remember what I want to say!) Ah yes, I got onto the DL without much hoopla. Somehow, it didn't seem like too much stress, or too much work. Compared to what I put in today, that semester was well, forgive me for sounding full of air, but it felt effortless.

Because it felt so effortless, I didn't think that getting on the DL was such a biggie. I guess that's the mistake of having been blessed so early on, you tend to take it for granted. So when there was a DL ceremony, I completely shrugged it off. I didn't even tell my parents about it. Needless to say, I didn't go and I just got the merit card from Bellarmine Hall one day when I had the time. The "trouble" started when my mom got to talk to an officemate of hers who happened to have a son in Ateneo. That officemate of hers started talking about her son and how she went to this ceremony for Dean's Listers. My mom stood there with a quizzical look, knowing that I got on the DL, and yet not knowing anything about this event that to me, seemed merely a place for parents to show off their roosters (i.e. us). She stood there with a muscle smile, gears churning in her head, a big question starting to form at the back of her mind.

At the dinner table, as I innocently put a spoonful of rice into my mouth, she started with her story. She looked at me at the end of it accusingly and said "I looked stupid there not knowing what this ceremony was all about with a horrifying realization that my daughter did not tell me anything. I would have wanted to go!" (Of course, she said all this in Chinese, which made it sound even more oh-no-inducing.) And of course, I didn't tell her why I never mentioned the ceremony to her and decided for myself that I didn't want to go. She would never have understood that, heck, even I think myself a little stupid now too. I mean really, when else could I have gotten on the DL? So she tells me, "You shouldn't have decided not going for yourself! We're part of that decision..." she paused and continued, "You owe me another DL semester so I can go to this ceremony. I'm holding this over you." *big gulp*

The next two semesters after that glorious first semester were clouded with disappointment. Finally, the so-called bengga semester came along. As Nati would say (in that way only she can,) "This is it!" I quickly realized it wasn't going to be such a smooth-sailing ride after all. Piles and piles of papers and handouts started providing carpet cover to our little blue study room. Accounting got me sad for a night or two. Filipino got me biting my fingernails each time we had a long quiz/test. Eco, at least for the first part of the semester, had me straining my already weak hearing to catch Sir's lectures and occasional emotion-filled muras. But thankfully, everything DID fall into place, (save for Filipino) everything that needed falling into place anyway. Praise the lords, alleluia, I have just paid off my life's biggest "notes payable!"

One more time, let's hear that sigh of relief. *whew* My mom better not expect anything after this! *laughs* Nah, of course, for personal satisfaction, I want another DL semester. Let's see when I can manage to scrape another one by.

in the heat of it all.

Holy Week's over and I'm back in the sweltering heat of Manila after savoring the cool breeze of Tagaytay for 5 straight days. I want to go back there and stand outside at night under the stars- stars that can't be seen from the window here because of all the metropolitan smog. It was a surprise to see hordes of people at Tagaytay Highlands when most of its patrons were absent the past couple of years, probably living their jet-setter lifestyles and traveling abroad. And it was a bit lonely, with the last of the girls (Aileen) sending a goodbye message as she flew to Boracay. Nati, Cel, Terri and Jill are elsewhere. And it's me, all by my lonesome here in Manila.

Argh. I still have to work on the stuff I promised my sister I'd do for her Marketing project. (And yes, she still has classes because of JTA.) Waaah. I'm so tired. I have too little time left to relax. Today, I was "working" from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. I'm sort of interning at this company that makes all sorts of stuff. It's called Toys By Robin, but they do packaging designs too. Like today, Essh was working on new designs for the Ice Monster bowls. I'm going to be there for the next two weeks. It's been fun though, getting to "render" stuff. Maybe I'll post some of the things I did onto my blog sometime. But for now, I'm just really tired. I have piano lessons tomorrow morning, so I'm going to go to their office after lunch. I've been learning Pachelbel Canon in D, which always seems to be the recital piece for the leading ladies in Korean movies! (examples: The Classic and My Sassy Girl) It's supposed to be a fairly easy song, but it's proving very difficult for my fingers to follow my head! The melody keeps playing inside my head but sadly, my fingers don't seem to be pressing the right keys and the playful tune stays right there in my head while the sounds coming from the piano sound downright ugly. Still, I've only had one hour of lessons, I'll get better... at least I hope so! *laughs*

Listening to: Butch Walker's Mixtape

I don't know why I like this song so much. It's a sad song but, maybe that's how I'm feeling right now? Naahh. Me, sad? *laughs* That hasn't happened in a long and I mean, loooooong time! Which is a good thing, not only good, it's great! *grins* Anyway, still doesn't erase the fact that I'm sleepy. Hmm... somebody's bugging me to stop writing in my blog for now. Sheesh, the only time I get to go on the Internet and he starts shooing me away again. Shoti talaga o, buong araw na nga nasa harap ng computer. Anyway... I have to go! Good night!

first day of summer.

The first day of summer vacation and it's raining... that's odd. Anyway, I'm going to be spending most of the day at home being a complete bum. I'm not too keen on that idea, but half of the day's over and all I've done is get out of bed, take a bath and plop myself down on this computer chair. Yey, shoti and I have been downloading songs like crazy over the past few days so I have around 15 nice songs to listen to over and over again... some are pretty old but since we lost some of the files before we're just downloading them again. For lack of anything better to write, I'm going to put the playlist down here! These are mostly alternative/rock types of songs... with a few exceptions towards the end!

1. Better Than Ezra- A Lifetime (probably the oldest in this list)
2. Dashboard Confessional- As Lovers Go (last summer: Shrek 2)
"You've got wits, you've got looks, you've got passion but I swear you've got me all wrong... but you've got me."
3. Jimmy Eat World- Work
4. Matt Nathanson- Suspended
"It's not enough to stay awake, torn, braced, cornered and not feel alive."
5. The Calling- Anything
6. The All-American Rejects- Time Stands Still (must be old too)
7. Lifehouse- You And Me
8. Yellowcard- View from Heaven
"If we all believe in heaven, maybe we'll make it through one more year down here."
9. Howie Day- Collide
"I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind."
10. Butchwalker- Mixtape
"No I can't find the words 'cause I lost them the minute they fell out of my mouth."
11. Parokya Ni Edgar- Alumni Homecoming (typical Parokya ni Edgar)
12. Sister Hazel- World Inside My Head
"The path was greener on the one less traveled. That's where I remained."
13. Love.45- Way Down (a bit loud)
14. Low Millions- Mockingbirds
15. 3 Doors Down- Let Me Go (playing on the radio nowadays)
16. Sister Hazel- Your Mistake (at least a year old but still nice)
"I want to be rain that tastes like wine."
17. Missy Higgins- Scar (girly pop)
"I'm a little bit tired of fearing that I'll be the bad fruit nobody buys."
18. Lucie Silvas- What You're Made Of (semi-senti!)
"Just like I predicted, I will sink before I swim."

Ooh, can i share? (Duh, what am I doing writing here if not to share?) *hehe* Anyway, Sir Darwin is an angel! The last accounting test was a bit of a giveaway, I just MIGHT make it to a B! I just hope that as Marts would put it, everything falls into place. And please Sir, don't give me another 1/5 for recitation... although okay, if I do get a mere 1, I guess I deserve it. *hehe* Still, can't blame me for my wishful thinking. I knew I couldn't count on our ethnography to raise my SA grade to an A, but getting a 92 for it ain't bad! So I'm happy. Now it's all about my Economics, Accounting and Filipino grades balancing out and hopefully giving me enough to get on the DL. Look at me, it's summer and I've still got grades on my mind. Iba na talaga ang GC. But I haven't always been like this. I guess the first semester traumatized me. That was such a sorry performance. Anyway, as Terri kept saying yesterday, "Out of sight, out of mind." Put it all behind now. *grins*

looking forward: ang hinaharap

I'm 20 hours away from the test that would decide my fate... I want to make it to the DL so badly, but if I screw up tomorrow, then everything will be for naught. Eeeeep! I don't even know if Sir Bayot would be kind enough to give me an A in Economics. Everything's teetering on the edge right now. I don't really know where I stand anymore. And it's making me soooo nervous, the nail-biting type of nervous that only happens when I'm in Escaler Hall, fidgeting in my seat, staring at my Accounting test, all while twirling my hair. Talk about displaced energy. If only all that fidgeting would make my neurons start firing away. I am so sick of talking about school and worrying about my grades, but sadly, I just can't escape my GC-ness. It's only for another day. Afterwards, I am going to make CHILL my middle name! I can taste the salty seas of summer already.

*to guys who do not want to read about something distinctly female, please skip this part.*

Speaking of summer, I want a new bikini! *hehehe* But then, it's hard to look for bikinis when my frontage resembles a... surfboard. *bleh* Whenever I hear Cel complain about her lack of endowment I can only look down and think "If she only knew..." because if Webster decided to make a fully-illustrated dictionary, my picture would be right there under the word "flat-chested". My genes have failed me. Whereas my sister got lucky in the gene lottery, I got the raw deal. *tsk tsk* Still, as I always say, it's so much better to wear a padded bra than to go and have breast reduction surgery. I should consider myself lucky! *laughs* Still doesn't change the fact that it's hard to buy bikinis though. Anyway...

*resume reading here.*

Instead of again going to China for the May break, we're going to Boracay instead! Yipee! I've been wanting to go back there for a long time. The last time I wiggled my toes in the powdery white sand was in 1995, way before some of the famed establishments today were even set up. So... I'm really looking forward to that trip. I just hope it doesn't get cancelled or anything. For the April break though, my mom's got all sorts of activities lined up for me... I just hope she doesn't give me tennis overload, I've already got varsity training waiting for me. I'm looking forward to taking piano lessons though... learn a few nice pieces over the summer. *flexes fingers* Maybe this time I won't mind dealing with Beethoven anymore. (I used to hate his compositions. They're always sad, creepy and worst of all, hard to play! *laughs*)

like my fave pair of jeans.

You're looking for a Best Friend

There are many different ways to look at relationships, but for you, finding a best friend, the one person you share everything with, is the most important. Some people focus more on the romantic image of a soul mate to last the span of time, but you probably prefer the reality of making the most of every moment of every day. And who better to live those moments with than someone who's true blue through and through?

The ideal match for you is probably someone who can anticipate the next word out of your mouth and who laughs at the punch line before you even tell it. Chances are it's important to you that they'd expand your circle of friends, introduce you to new places, faces, and experiences, too. Whether this relationship is here for the short- or the long- term, you're a take-it-as-it-comes kind of person, with few expectations or fairytales to live up to. You'd take your constant companion and trusted secret-keeper over a fairy princess or Prince Charming, any day. Whether you realize it or not, there's someone out there who feels the same way about you.

This is pretty cool. I always told myself that I wanted someone a bit like a best friend to me when Cupid comes knocking. (Yes, even with my supposed boy-hater streak.) Didn't realize how true these tests could be! It's a bit weird in a way. Why a best friend? For all the reasons already stated in the results above. I don't know why, but I think I'd pick comfort over chemistry any day, (Aileen, remember us talking about this at the bench?) the same way I'd rather wear my favorite pair of jeans than struggle into gorgeous, form-fitting, but highly uncomfortable designer ones. At least that way, you're true to yourself, not having to doll yourself up just to face the world.

jumping on the bandwagon.

I saw this on Cel's blog, she in turn got this from her friend Meme's. She was right, these tests are ego-boosters alright! *laughs* I still don't understand how they make up these answers though. I wonder how many "types" there are. So far, there's Cel's "choosy" and my "desirable." (wahahaha!)

Men See You As Desirable Men often find you immediately attractive and sensual. Your honesty is refreshingly beautiful ... it draws guys in. You are also able to be open with your feelings with no emotional baggage. Packing light means you enjoy new relationships easily. How Do Men See You? Take This Quiz :-)

Ooh, here's another one. I'm white chocolate! I expected to get milk chocolate like Cel did, but it seems we're just two very different people. There are only three types of chocolate though. Milk, dark and white. Right? Or not... Hmm, which should have given me a 33% chance of getting the same thing as Cel... I always thought of myself as a dreamer too, but then again, this is fine too... *grins*

You are White Chocolate You have a strong feminine side with a good bit of innocence thrown in.Whether your girlish ways are an act or not, men like to take care of you.You are an understated beauty, and your power is often underestimated! What Kind of Chocolate Are You? Take This Quiz :-)

on school, seahorse-chocolates and shopping.

What do you do when you've got too much time on hand?

Well, if you were me, you'd be wasting it all by bumming around as well. I have roughly 60 pages of History handouts to read for our lecture and quiz tomorrow but I have yet to bring out the pages from my folder. I really shouldn't be talking about school again. Sadly, I just have nothing else to write about. And if I do, it would be about things I'd rather keep to myself. Sorry guys. I'm boring the life out of you.

Things at school are looking up though. If rumors are to be believed, Sir Darwin's devising another way of scoring our third long tests. (Yes! It seems I won't get stuck with a 25/100 after all! And yes, my test was that bad.) With the new scoring, all I'll have to do is ace our fourth and final test next Thursday. I doubt I'll be making a repeat performance of our third long test by that time. I'd like to think I've grasped the concept of differential accounting by now! And then there's History class with Ms. Coo. We get to take bonus points based on the number we roll on the 8-sided dice she's bringing to class tomorrow. Whoopee! So long as I don't screw up tomorrow I'm pretty much safe for the exemption. *fingers crossed* Hope whoever rolls that dice tomorrow gets a lucky 8!

Oh yeah, I got swept away with the "Caselet" provided by the real-world case group today. Imagine formulating your own mini-test out of their case! Goodness... It could very well have passed for a sample long test, complete with the spoofed title of "A Very Long Confinement," typical of the trends by which Sir Darwin makes our tests. Who could forget the tests referring to "Troy", "Spiderman" and "Legally Blonde?" Yep, our teacher certainly has a sense of humor. On rare occasions, you might even catch him cracking corny jokes in the middle of his lecture. Remember the proud face he wore when he finished that drawing of the pig he used to introduce the concept of joint costs? It was so funny! He looked like a kid who had just gobbled a handful of M&M's.

Speaking of M&M's. I still have that box of Guylian Perles d'Ocean chocolates in the fridge. Tempting. I think I better grab one of those seahorse-shaped ones now. Isn't it weird though? I haven't exercised much for the last 2-3 weeks, what with tennis training having stopped after the UAAP and the PE classes done and over with, but I've lost 3 pounds over the last 2 weeks, even with all the sinful chocolate I've been stuffing myself with (thanks to a baaaaad but terribly generous benefactor :p ). Of course, that's cool, losing the pounds I gained a few months back, but then again... what's weight if the inches are still there? I am never going to fit into my favorite high school jeans again. *boohoo* That gives me an excuse to buy more new jeans though! *big grin* So... once classes are over I am going to head over to a mall and shop myself silly, until I've exhausted most of the money I've got set aside for clothes. I can't wait!

After the GAP 3 at Dencio's Capitol Hills, after trying on those Bebe Jeans that fit perfectly down to the length, I've realized that perhaps, the perfect set of jeans aren't so hard to find after all. Shopping requires patience after all. Shopping is an art, a science and a sport. It not only practices your mathematical skills (How much are these jeans tagged at P1295 if there's a 20% discount?), it not only sharpens your eyes (Yes, there's still a size S for this shirt!), but shopping helps cut down on calories as well (150-300 calories burned per hour)! Yup, shopping sure has its advantages, the only non-perk of it being the deflated wallets and empty pockets. Of course, it only takes a few weeks or months of saving up to finance the next shopping expedition. And then, malls, watch out! (Goodness, if Cel and Tersh take on a mall at the same time, that mall better be ready alright!) *laughs*