two-oh-eight gets two thumbs up

every year brings new surprises and amazing grace.

i thank the Lord for these wonderful events He allowed to happen in my life, which made 2008 so great.

hello, mortals. you've all been great. :D

*photocredits to joanne for sbcc pic :)

year of the ox, is it?

I just got settled with albus after spending new year's eve and the first hours of the year with my cousins. It's 4:42 in the morning and I'm thinking of staying up until sunrise. I haven't seen the sun rise in quite a while. I didn't drink today as much as I did last year because my cousin's preggers and we didn't want to drink much if she can't. I did have Champagne- yes the white wine from Champagne, France- though.

and oh my gother, that sounded like a high schooler writing an 'essay' on 'what you did during the break.' sheesh.

I spent the first and last day of 2008 with my favorite ate dee in the whole world in, where else, starbuko (on both counts) and exchanged books. Maybe we should make this a tradition until both our libraries have travelled from manila to davao and vice versa. I like that idea. Ate dee, whaduya think?

I love my cousins, I really do and I believe their influences on me will always be there. We were discussing the future of my pamangkin who will be born under the year of the ox, under the leo constellation. Whaduyuknow, that's like moi. The baby's bound to be fabulous.

For the record, I don't believe in zodiac signs or mythologies or that they somehow dictate a person's future or character. All I'm saying is, I turned out to be a bit okay under the circumstances whether or not the ox or the lion thinks so.

I'm babbling. Sorry.

It's my second year of the ox year. Haha. Which means I went through the whole chinese zodiac twice equals I'm 24 this year.

I will have better things to say when I wake up in the morning. I'm off now.

Toodles!

for pete's sake

I would normally verify accounts before posting any link (as training in journalism).

But this is too much!

And if I'm breaching any code of conduct for journalists, I do not apologize. Stories like this deserve a space on my blog.

oh yey

i don't ask for much.
i don't have a lot of friends.
so i don't think i deserve this.

so i'm never going to ask again.

happy 2009.

today years ago...

Mary must have freaked out when her water bag broke. This was her first baby after all. And to think that she has remained untouched when she conceived... I can only imagine her panic. Giving birth with all the blood and gore that come with it in an unsanitary place and yet she chose to be joyful.

Joseph has got to be torn between being a weary tour guide and an inexperienced nursemaid. How was he supposed to know all the inns were booked and how should he be an instant expert at childbirth... a child whom an angel only said he was supposed to father. Putting his family name at risk and yet he chose to stay by Mary and their baby.

Shepherds wondered why there's something different about the country's night breeze. Perhaps something will stir their below-caste, insignificant lives.

A star twinkled its brightest, inconspicuous to untrained eyes...

...but to the Wise Men of the East, this star told a secret. A great discovery that will make them wiser than they could ever imagine.

Years ago a host of angels were getting ready to appear- to follow the example of Gabriel who calmed the fears of Mary and took care that Joseph should go on with the marriage- and herald the greatest news the world will ever know.

In a whirl of events involving characters seemingly inconsequential, who had nothing in them but obedience, God's master plan started to unfold. Today, after those many years ago a baby was born in the lowliest place putting at risk his earthly father's reputation and his earthly mother's natal health. He grew up to offend the sensibilities of pompous leaders who acted 'holier than thou,' to lead a revolution of changed lives, and to bear upon himself all the sins of the world.

This baby, born that many years ago, has grown up, lived, and died... and the best part: lived again and is still alive until now.

friendstering for five

wow, five years in prengster.

remember how friendster started with only five uploadable pictures? ngayon may pa-album album na. i don't use the album features- that's reserved for multiply. somehow, i want to keep it old school. and i'm not a fan of the friendster apps; that's facebook's job. and for the blogosphere, i have LJ for that. (oh yes, i'm making myself stalkable by being everywhere)

consider this a trip down friendster memory lane, at least in my POV. or you know, consider this the evolution of the xaris. haha.

in all five years of profile changes (mine reads the same as it did in 2003 except for the about me part), these are the pichoors that the world knew of the xaris.

thank you prengster, because of you...
1) i learned that there's such a thing as 'pang-friendster' na picture. haha.
2) i have practiced my best angle and the best way to tilt a camera to capture that 'pang-friendster' look,
3) i stalked much of the stalkables on my list.
4) i can keep track of old friends, new frenemies and everything in between.
5) i made friendster friends.

yay! i'm a geek loser so i still have only one friendster account with less than 500 friends. in fairness to me, i pretty much know the people on my list. and yes i have gone places but all you can see is my perfected angular shots. haha.

hello, mortal. good to meet you. will you add me in friendster? haha.

weekend madness

more pictures from this year's top five best weekends. :D

hala. ang taba taba taba taba ko na talagaaaa.
hahaha. off to the gym! or not.

friday- gateway
saturday- IV homecoming, IV building
sunday- church, divisoria, kopi roti
monday- marikina, trinoma

thanks to carmela's phone's lenses. i love you all!

random brain halukay

so this is what it must be like sleeping with your laptop. albus is running on reserve-battery because moi is too comfortable already to get to the e-outlet.

my coughing spells come at the most inconvenient hours. why couldn't i have had this when i'm not about to sleep? oi. maybe my room needs to be quarantined like rome suggested. yikes.

i miss baguio. i miss up baguio. you think i'd be who i am today if i didn't have baguio in my life? i wonder what's it going to be like if i had things differently. what's the point? what i have is already perfect.

good night, mortals.

it's an epidemic!

No, I am not talking about the twilight fever although it could very well start with that.

Okay, so last Friday started the happy ball rolling. I am truly giddy like a schoolgirl going to prom except that this wasn't prom we were going to but IVCF's alumni homecoming. Friday was when the NL Manila girls met (well, Carmela, Rome and me... the others were off the loop, beats me why they weren't responding) to catch up and have some grown up girl bonding time.

First there was dinner at Pizza Hut Bistro feigning cosmo poshness by having wine, nay, Chardonnay Sauvignon (at least that's what I remember the menu saying), while reminiscing common memories and gossip (holy gossip, mind you) on the side. Then off to the cinemas to see the last run of Twilight, which deserves an entirely separate blog entry (two words: ugh and eep). Then we headed off to my house for an impromptu slumber party.

The day after that was spent prepping for the almuni homecoming in UP-ISSI with friends and family from Inter Varsity. We met with our favorite people from all over the Philippines who represented their regions for this anniversary. Reunions galore led to another impromptu slumber party, more likely a mini-camp, at the Velardos' new home at the IV building. This time, we were joined by the Velardos, the Raquels, Zyla, Vanette, Frida, Alfe, Manong Bok (who left earlier). It was almost two o'clock when we all decided to call it a night. And even when the lights are all out, smaller conversations popped out until the last person fell asleep.

That was just like college days in Baguio. One memory that will be forever etched in my subcranium. It felt so much like family.

Sunday we all went to church, Zy, Rome, Carmela and Vanette were with me then we had lunch at Mister Kabab before we headed off to Divisoria to burn Christmas money. Divi was a long, tiring trip and it's crazy how we managed to set up another late dinner date with Kuya Aboy (the headmaster, haha) at Kopi Roti in Tomas Morato. Then again we stayed up late until midnight but not before an all-too important news broke out eliciting tears (mostly from me) and laughs and stupid comments and things you don't normally see in 'night joints.' haha. It was a good rollercoaster of emotions just the same. I don't think we slept when we got home. We just abused Albus and made a photo studio out of my messy room. This here is our version of Twilight. We're walrus vampires *inside joke*

Monday was a holiday, thankfully and again we extended the party all the way to Marikina and then to Trinoma. The weekend was nonstop chikahan, lakaran and puyatan. It isn't surprising how the slumber party girls all caught a virus the next day. We all got sick and had to miss Friday's UPB homecoming. Sucks much. But not so much when I think about it. I loved every minute of last Friday up until Monday. If I must get sick just to have that again, then bring on the virus!

Needless to say, I still have a hang over and instead of resting for tomorrow's work (I am kind of missing the office), here I am blogging away. I just don't want to miss the chance to write this all out because I am forgetful. I bet everyone still hasn't gotten over last weekend's fun because we have a virus to remember it by. *achoo*

only because i wanted to have a december entry

How misey sitting in front of the telly, doing yet another marathon while my favorite school in the whole wide world (sorry, not arneow) is having a homecoming. That's my home. I deserve to be there.

It's not like I chose this alternative. I had every intention of gearing up for the homecoming (I even bought a dress for crying out loud) because I need to see what I had to see. *grunts* If it weren't for this timely disease I must have caught from the holiday rush, I would have been there spying, erm, mingling with the uh, other alumni.

I wanted to get there so bad I dreamed about it last night. It was actually funny, when I recall it. The setting was in the 70s or 80s and I saw my teachers and nothing changed about them except that we were all in 70s clothes. I wouldn't think we were on a different setting (since I usually dress retro anyway) except that the school looked like they did in old pictures.

Ugh, I hate the feeling as if I'm missing out on something. I hate it mostly because I want to be in Baguio and I'm not and it sucks. I wish I hadn't gotten sick. But if I didn't get sick that means I wouldn't have gone Christmas shopping with Baguio friends which means I wouldn't have seen them which means I wouldn't have had the best weekend in a long time.

This is what a trade-off must be like.

ang nawawalang pictures

starring
carmela, xarissa, and romina

pag gumawa tayo ng soap opera magiging

CARROMELA.
or
CARMISSINA
or
ROMELISSA.

walang bebenta kahit ano.

so vamp!

description someday.

right now, too lazy.

the time machine worked!

this is so six years ago!
this is our version of high school musical. we're classmates in high school and our christmas party is a musical (karaoke much).

you know you're amor 2002 if...
1. you argue until you're blue in the face about moneys.
2. you never tire of a christina-britney duel.
3. you wish someone's going to ditch so you won't have to worry about erm, childlike things on occasion. (anudaw)
4. you know george is an honorary amorsolo member.
5. you love the oscars.

thanks may for the pictures.
aileen, we're waiting for yours.

attendance:
aileen (and george), jurica, cj (and rein), venz, james, zharica, abigail, kaye, may, rachelle, ency, paula, moi, cindy, alain, dominique, jayson, peter, and renson. yay! twenny.

sa lahat ng losersmuch na wala, see you summer. mam darnie's coming home!

before the memory dies down

I had a mean crush on my philo teacher in college. I tried to be poised around him but I always ended up making a complete fool of myself.

One time, he caught me singing to a hairbrush. So I ran to the bathroom.

I had trouble staying focused when I knew he'd be a few feet away. His orange cap is a dead give-away. Having bionic radar and eyesight and super peripheral visions not to mention amazing stalking skills, I'd know when he was in a ten-mile radius (of course I exaggerate). At the slightest detection of his presence, I'd have rundown ten possible scenarios of how I would strike a conversation with him. My friends think I'm being stupid. And looking back, I know they were right.

None of the scenarios in my head worked. Funny, things always turned out better than I had imagined.

So there.

Mr. D. 'Twas nice knowing you. Congratulations on your engagement!

no, chef jas wasn't the only one in europe

my pathetic attempt at shaking the bitterness away.
i'm glad albus is so fabulous. *hugs albus*

of course, i'll blog about it

tan-tanan-naaaan!

and only ten days into the sticker frenzy. that's a record for me; i only joined the band wagon last year. this isn't for me, though. my officemate already called dibs on this one (since february, harhar). i do have the black and blue versions in my line-up but someone (actually some-two's) have already muscled their way into getting them. now, i'm not saying who they are for, so if you remember it was you, please give me a shove or something.

it seems odd though that the sparkhope project wasn't mentioned on this one. did i miss any announcement? what about the beneficiaries for this? somehow the sticker collection lost all it's luster now that the project was not involved. weird. anyhoos, my only consolation for what would be a probable nervous breakdown someday is that the recipients (i call them my collectees) of these planners will be happy, at least.

what's in it for me? more of these. duh.
and definitely these!!!

again, all lectures on 'the evils of overpriced coffee' will fall on deaf ears, so i beg you, spare yourself the effort.

i will not yield! bwahaha.

happy holidays, folks!

for remembrance's sake

On a boring day like today (which isn't entirely true since I have lots on my to-do list), my thoughts drift back to my dormer days in Breha. The office atmosphere should help me snap out of it but the air-conditioning (and the rain) only reinforces the reverie.

For the four most amazing years I have ever known, the Baguio Residence Hall became an almost-sanctuary, well, not on my freshman year; that's another story. Sometimes I still imagine I'd wake up in the lower bunk- I always get the lower bed- and stare at crush-of-the-week's picture I tacked on the canopy. That's hardly the case now because the ceiling in my room is waaay above.

Back to my dorm rooms. Two years I lived on the second floor cursing those on the top floor for their running sprees. Some people say though, that the footsteps we hear are actually ghosts lurking in every room. Whatever, yaya. On my last two years, I was given revenge opportunities for being stationed at the third floor. I didn't abuse the privilege, though as I was always on late permits and overnights.

What's common in all floors however, is the rude wake up call of distress. One Brehan will always, always wonder where her water reserve or toiletries went. I had episodes like that as well but surprisingly, I find myself forgiving.

My dorm mates had misconceptions on the origin of my species. I especially like that about my dorm experience. They can guess all they want but only three girls (five on my second year) every year really get to know the real me. Malas lang nila. Bwahahaha.

In Breha I learned mean survival skillz that I bet are the marks of a real Brehan.

1. We know the real deal (or all real deals) behind 'dorm mates forever.' Non-brehans who relay the story are not too convincing.
2. We know how to react upon hearing 'silence!'
3. We also know how to defend ourselves when we hear 'paa!'
4. We know how to dip the make-shift dipper in big drums when the toilet flushes in school don't work (as they usually do).
5. We have had to 'igib' pails and pails of water and move them up three flights of stairs. If we do it without any spill, we earn an unspoken respect from the dorm managers.
6. We have mastered the art of packing by practicing every sembreak when boxes and packing tape go out of stock in most stores. The real test of packing prowess comes when you fetch your things the following semester in good condition.
7. We have honed our talents and kapalmuks skills on our freshman year when we had to present almost-embarassing things to everyone's delight... or ire. Sometimes the upper classmen are unforgiving.
8. We have bullying-repellant expertise. Been there, done that. Had fun doing that.
9. We get to be serenaded by the three political parties in school. Try harder. Bwaha.
10. We know how to effectively reserve spaces for when a big GA comes up. This comes in handy in real life when one has to reserve a space at the bus or in any public place.
11. We know how to conceal 'borrowing' other people's personal stuff. Ay nako, aminin.
12. We know how to log onto logbooks with accurate calculations of the time and date we did what we had to do.
13. We virtually have pretty good excuses why we fail to do what we need to do.
14. We know how a locator chart works (and how to tweak it to our own advantage).
15. We know how to fight for our rights when our eggs are not done well. Ha.
16. We've mastered interview situations just to retain our spot in breha naming mahal.
17. We love that it doesn't take more than P500 for our monthly fees. At least until 2006. 
18. We stage a mean Open House as if fish crackers and cinnamon are the only food we know and we successfully 'corner' the sunshine of our lives. Yes, charms.
19. When it's Purple vs. Yellow, expect mayhem and madness.
20. Intrams are worth cheering for. Because it is typical we win. Harhar.

There'd be lots more.  

Not all UP Baguio alumni will be able to relate... sometimes I'd like to think Breha is an exclusive soro house and I'm so blessed to have stayed there for four years.

Yes, even when I hold the record for most log on the home, late permit and overnight logbooks all four years put together.

Keep wondering folks. ;)

detour... zeela version

more pictures from the best week of 2008.

zeela took forever to upload them but we-hell, i shall still post because i love NL like whoa!

Hohoho

I'm feeling the season earlier this year which means I'll be off to some serious Christmas shopping and arts and crafts projects. Let's get busy!

Consider this my official gift registry.

1. High School Musical DVD. First movie, please and thank you.
2. Hannah Montana 2 CD.
3. Breaking Dawn and Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer. Coz I'm too poor already.
4. The Murry Quartet, Madeleine L'engle. I lost my copies. I have my copy of Many Waters somewhere in my blackhole so I just need these three.
         - A Wrinkle in Time
         - A Wind in the Door
         - A Swiftly Tilting Planet
      

Howkei, to make this interesting, let's kris (aquino) kringle. You cast your dibs on any item on my list and I'll get you something from your wishlist. And yes, PieArrianeMaroseJean AteDeeDia CindyKathyGel SBCCfriendsandchildhoodplaymates onlinefriends, I am talking to you. Let's wish and dance and be merry.

Happy holidays!

Bleep

There's something about trips going north that soothes the proverbial savage beast in me (yes, there is one lurking beneath my kikay exterior). It could be that the (tres cool) SCTEX is such a delightful cruise or the fact that the clouds today practically told me a secret. A change in routine is therapeutic, I must say.

It really is rather refreshing to wake and get up before the sun is up. What do you know, sunlight really does wonders. And the sky was so clear and bright. Hay. Colors.

Something tells me the following days will be worth waking up to.

***
So I watch high school musical 3 at every free chance I get (which has become every other day) and every time gives me goosebumps of sorts.

I've had two senior years in my life and nothing compares to watching hsm3 senior year. Yesss... whataloser. Let me recall my own high school senior year...

...

Big whoop.

As for the college version, I suppose I had more fun here being busy with my last sem, the tres fabu shalala yearbook, and playing villain to most of my friends.

Ulk. I don't hab a layp. I relate better to musical teenybopper flicks than reality.

***
It's official. I've boarded the single forever ship and it's leaving the dock. Adios.

And I blame Edward Cullen for it. I should have heeded my friend's warning and stayed away from the Twilight saga (after all, I've put off the reading list for almost two years; now I buckle). She explicitly told me to get into a relationship first before I read about the hawtie hawt hawt vampire lest my standards shoot up to unbelievable, unattainable heights. Well, too late for that. So yes, mortals, goodbye!

I had to use my weird bengali accent when reading his parts so he won't have to be sooooo perfect. My plan failed. There's nothing more I can do with the Edward Cullen in my head.

***
How's pink hair for me? Likey?

Wig courtesy of ate riz.

ugh

I'd like to dedicate this song to you.
You pretentious little twit, you.

DEEP DOWN
Josh Verdes

Some girls they want a Mr. Sensitive
Some girls they want a Mr. Funnyman
But you, you just want a personal slave oh

Can't get a hug or a simple kiss
Unless, he gets you another gift
And all the while he's been blinded by beauty it seems

You're so care free but don't forget
That what you sow is what you reap
So when your heart is broken in two
You will know how I felt when I fell for you yeah

Deep down I know what's really inside of you
You think, the world revolves around you
Well guess what got new get a clue
Cuz it's not gonna work on me

Deep down I know you think you're invincible
You got beauty but only where it's visible
Well guess what got news get a clue
Cuz it's not gonna work on me

They see the look upon your pretty face
And that's all that always ever seems to take
But I can really see that beauty really is a beast oh

I know that you look into the mirror
Why can't you see?
Right through your fake exterior
It blinded me
Things aren't always as they appear
Appear to be but
I'm glad my vision's much clearer now

one bleak, emo-filled weekend...

... they decide to meet.

meet my college best friends.

stephanie ann, the gawjus photoshop-ing genius from fontana.
arriane, the budding brilliant reporter from sunstar pampanga.
maria rosario, the pretty and petite gma project coordinator.

we all pretend we're mortals.
x)


post-processed by stephanie.

the star named xaris

the pleiades

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
 the moon and the stars,
  which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
Psalm 8:3-4

THE STAR(S)
Every time I see stars, I feel God's closeness as if He is physically right beside me. And every time I look up and see them twinkle, He reveals something and I know He is smiling down on me.

Stars hold a special place in my heart. When I lived in Baguio (where the skies are way clearer), I'd sneak out into my dorm's veranda to find a comfortable spot where I can sit, stare at the sky, and spend quality time with my Maker. Sometimes when I'd get home way past the late permit, I'd walk to my empty school and lay down at the Oble grounds just to gaze at the stars. Something about stars make me better appreciate the presence of the Lord.

There hasn't been any star sighting for me lately. Perhaps because of the rainy season or because I haven't really looked up. I was at a stage where I did not feel God's presence. I prayed that He would reveal Himself to me once again in the way I understood it. I felt I needed to see stars.

On Sunday in church, we watched a video called Indescribable and I just got reminded of how awesome the universe is. The images from outer space reinforce how mind-boggling God's version of distance is (measuring 'proximities' through billions of light years! I'd usually stop counting at ten, harhar) and just how amazing his version of art and beauty is! I gaped and oohed and aahed at the pictures Louie Giglio flashed on the screen. I was so awed at how vast the universe is that this tiny blue marble I happen to live in is but an inconsequential spec in the humongous painting God has out there.

I wish I have better descriptive words to give you. I am at a loss of adjectives at the moment.

NAMED. How right the psalmist was when he said each star was put in place by the hand of God.

God did not only put the stars in their place, He knows them by name. The God who holds all constellations breathed them into being and is pleased by them. Truly the splendor and the mystery that is the known and the unknown universe are made by Him for Him. How kind the Lord is to give us glimpses of His majesty.

All creation boasts of God's splendor for only a Maker as magnificent as He can cause magnificence in all things.

And I am named as well. He knows my name. And not just my name, He knows everything that runs through my head even before I myself  know it. He says my name beautifully (and he definitely does not mispronounce it) because I am twice owned: by creation and by redemption by His grace.

XARIS means grace. A good gift that causes joy to everyone who receives it. It was very timely watching Indescribable. Again God showed me His ways and thoughts are definitely waaaay higher than mine. I call it grace.

Who am I that God is mindful of me? He painstakingly put the mitochondria in my cells and He meticulously threaded my parents' genetic make-up together to form me. He has a perfect count of all the hairs in my head (even those that Pantene cannot preserve). He made my DNA so unique that there will never be another the xaris ever ever ever.

How awesome God is!

The same God who spoke creation into being is the same one, true God who whispers to me and says, 'I love you, dear Xaris' repeatedly even when I least deserve it (and I never really did deserve it). And by this grace, I become a new creation just like the Bible says.

Isn't it grace how we can even get a glimpse of such wondrous splendor our minds cannot grasp or understand? It's grace that God shared our human frailties even when He could have spent time adoring plenty other beautiful things. I would often wonder out loud why the Lord even bothered to go so low as to become human just so He can take all our sins and extend royalty to us. He had special things going on for Him; why would He step down? Why should a Holy God be nailed to a cross, made to endure all suffering and know all along that the xaris He'd die for would grow up to be a moody, whacked mean girl who judged other people as a habit? Why did God bother? I look up and see one twinkling star and get the answer. God's glory.

*

He made all these things for His delight, for His glory. He made the stars and the universe for His delight. He made me for His delight. He extended grace to me for His delight. If this is so,  shouldn't I be doing what the stars are made to do? Declare God's glory by being the new creation that He caused me to be.

It will take a while but I am confident that God's light will reflect on me so that I may shine like the stars who declare His glory.

the xaris guide to impeccable taglish

1. use the present form of the verb (in english) with the prefix nag-.
example: Nag-tour kami sa Intramuros yesterday. (not nag-toured...)
Nag-confirm na ba yung client? (not nag-confirmed)

2. use the present form of the verb (when used as a noun in sense) with the prefix nakaka-.
ex.: Nakaka-bore talaga yung movie, eew.
Hindi ba nakaka-annoy yung manong sa jeep?

3. repeat the first syllable of a word when expressing a verb as a noun (gerund phrase?)*.
ex.: Mag-re-repeat na naman ba siya?
I-e-employ niya rin pala eh.

4. use make/made/making (depeding on the tense) before a tagalog pandiwa (kung di mo talaga ma-identify yung english term).
ex: Let's make padala na the sulat.
I think he will make abala the meeting.

5. don't make tusok-tusok the fishball. (kung di ka rin lang kolehiyala. haha.)

6. use 'like' liberally.

7. try to avoid using 'me' in place of 'ako' or 'you' in place of 'ka.' (it's so whatever yaya you're such a loser)
ex.: [eep!] dito na me, where na u?
[pwede na] here nako, where ka?

8. add -um- in between the first letter (if the first letter is consonant) and the first syllable of an english word and add the whole word after when expressing a continuous action. If the first letter is a vowel, add um- before the first letter and repeat the word.
ex.: R-um-e-revolve naman ang sun sa earth ah.
Ang galing, ume-elevate yung paper!
Circulate= cumi-circulate
Evaporate= ume-evaporate

9. huwag niyo 'ko isumbong sa mga english teachers ko.

10. kung mali sa pandinig, malamang mali nga.



*ayan, nagdudunung dunungan kasi. matulog ka na, iha. maaga ka pa bukas.

nasira na ang payong ko

meron akong pink na payong na gamit ko mula third year college hanggang ngayon. nabili ko iyon ng wala sa plano dahil naabutan ako ng ulan sa sm baguio. hindi na sana ako bibili ngunit may quiz pa ako at malapit na akong mahuli sa klase. hindi rin sana ako bibili kung hindi nanakaw ang fuchsia pink kong payong sa dorm. pambihirang dorm mates yan. asan na payong ko? (at pambihira ang mahal mahal ng fibrella, utang na loob, estudyante lamang ako)

simula noon, iyon na ang official dyosa umbrella ko since 2005.

dahil sa bagyong ofel, inaraw-araw ko ang payong ko hanggang sa tuluyan na itong bumigay kahapon. ayon. bow.

ano na nga ulit ang sinasabi nila tungkol sa mga payong at relasyon?

kasi sa palagay ko, nakiki-ayon ang panahon sa nararamdaman ko.

nicked from kath

I couldn't think of a better intro. My mind's not in its right path.
Thanks, Kath. :)

Age: twenny thwee
History of the heart: 10 million crushes, NBSB, happily stalking.

Ten years ago, which was 1998

1. I was in sixth grade sporting beads and hair accessories which my classmates copied.
2. I rooted for Alaska in the PBA because basketball was the coolest thing since Barbie dolls.
3. Kept a mean collection of paper dolls!
4. Marched to the tune of Superman came graduation time.
5. Passed the high school entrance exam and ranked third.

Five years ago, which was 2003,

   1. I turned eighteen and spent 'debut' with the crush of my life in don hen, sessiown.
   2. Got the best scavenger hunt in the dorm care of ate em. The sweetest gift I've ever received.
   3. I scared le crush off because of my mean stalking, radar skillz. Hahaha.
   4. Dealt with being left by my BFF Jeanxie when she transferred to another school.
   5. Got into a fight with the parents and left home to spite them.

Three years ago, which was 2005,

   1. I was ready to burn Diliman down because I was told, 'you was not there.' Ugly SA say what?
   2. Made a movie!
   3. Brightened PDI Northern Luzon's bureau with my stellar presence aka internship.
   4. Secretly fell in like with Ardee my love so sweet.
   5. Tried to bridge a budding love story which I regret to this day. 

A year ago, 2007

   1. Officially became a corporate brat.
   2. I started and gave up on dreams to be a star.
   3. Struggled with bouts of missing Baguio and everything about it.
   4. Lost a dearly beloved and wondered who's going to pronounce 'dearly beloved' if i get married.
   5. Loved Friends of Thomas which evolved into Thursday Group.

A month ago,
   1. I took a leave.
   2. I went to Sagada!
   3. Spent time with my loved ones in Baguio.
   4. Developed the habit of keeping a week-old crush. Crushing expires after seven days.
   5. Tried to steal your heart but you wouldn't allow me.

A week ago,
  1.  I tried to work on deadlines and beat them just in the nick of time.
  2.  Met yet another week-old crush. I crushed the bug. Hahahaha.
  3.  Attended the launching of Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines because I'm cool like that.
  4.  Met Anniepot at the Crowne Plaza Galleria because we're fab like that.
  5.  Planned a get together with Baguio friends but they bailed because they're so 'whatever yaya you're such a loser.'


Yesterday, I…

   1. got up later than I planned.
   2. attended a meeting that lasted almost all day.
   3. cried to God because he wouldn't make me a robot.
   4. had coffee at 5PM because I might fall asleep while on the phone.
   5. had every intention of ignoring you.

 Today, I…

   1. woke up at 7AM and got up at 9.
   2. will call every supplier and tell them what to expect on Friday.
   3. will be at the Showroom and watch the Ortigas skyline go from blue to gray to white because the weather can't make up its mind.
   4. will watch Enchanted for the nth time.
   5. will take the train to Recto to attend Tuesday's Institute in church.

Tomorrow,

   1. I will die.
   2. I wish to die.
   3. Get the picture already, sheesh.

hello teenager me!

I found this entry on my xanga site.

Come on cinnamon, my twenty-three-year old self will definitely love the nineteen-year-old me.

allergies

A lot of things irritate me: stress, bagoong, shrimp, crabs (but not kani, weird right?), lobster, dust, the first strokes of sunlight, and alcohol.

I get hives and allergic reaction even at the slightest contact with any of these allergens. Ooh but shrimp, I'd die for shrimp!

I have another list of things I'm allergic to and they have nothing to do with genetically-dictated allergic reactions; just that they are the kind of irritations that make me want to scratch until I bleed. Shoo, fly, don't bother me.

1. Don't call me 'Sis.' Only Lorahballs gets away with calling me that because we're sworn 'family friends for life.' Seriously, I shudder when someone calls me 'sis.' Even my own sister knows and values her life enough not to call me that.

2. Stupid people. Believe me, there are stupid people. And I don't mean the type who fumbles at certain situations (like when you can't tell which is a salad fork or if you flunk math... no big deal) but those who are perennially practicing foolishness. People whose comments scream 'warning! two-digit IQ' and who can't for the life of them accept that slanging when done wrong is just plain WRONG.

3. Pa-sosyal effect. Especially when it's obvious hors doeuvres are not your thing. 'Ayoko ng cocktail, pica pica na lang. Can we like, try, your like, horse.... uhm, yung nasa package.'

4. Pretentious little twits. It takes one to know one. Bwahahaha. Still irritating, just the same.

5. Escalator bandits. The type of people who walk in escalators (mag-hagdan ka na lang iho) and weaves his way through people and then stops at the base (as if walang nakasunod sa'yo, adik).

6. Drivers who don't respect pedestrians. Pedestrians who don't respect drivers. MMDA.


Bleed, Xai, bleed! If only to make the irritation go away.

it's arriane and me again

one month later.

this time, mah turf. teehee.

i have more pichoors on her fancy shmancy iphone so i shall wait until she uploads them. or not.

truly, the lighting in crowne plaza makes one beautiful. harhar. so we camwhore. free lights, henewon?

ala the ditcher, this is for you. :D

how else can you judge a book?

If I hear 'don't judge a book by its cover' one more time, I'm going to puke... at whoever will say it and the book he's holding.

Tell me, mortal, shouldn't covers say something about its content?

Do you mean to tell me that I have to buy the book first before I can judge wether it is a good read or not? You ask me to spend good money on a book just because. If it were perfectly nice, I made a good deal. But what of the chance that the material sucked? I let it accumulate dust on my already messy shelf or use it as fuel for fumigation purposes? Ganon.

Buti na lang may Fully Booked, at least pwede mo muna i-skim yung book bago mo bilihin. Kaya hindi talaga pwede ihambing ang book sa mga tao. Kasi ang tao ay hindi book. False analogy yan sabi s Logic. Dahil ang tao kayang mag-iba ng content, ang book na imprenta na.

At oo, judgmental talaga ako.

Yun lang naman ang point ko. Bwahahaha. x)

*PS: Sabi sa James, hindi daw dapat maging partial or judgemental kaya sige, ipag-pray ninyo na maging Christ-like ako sa mga ginagawa at sinasabi ko.

citation required

Teachers usually leave imprints on young, spongelike minds even when they don't intend to. In honor of the centennial (because I feel bad that everyone's in a celebratorial mode while I don't even know what's going on) and inspired by the UP TEACHERS QUOTABLE QUOTE circulating over the net, let me present my version of this... UP Baguio style.

(which means this mostly includes quotes from teachers from 2002-2006, spoken to me and/or to the classes i have attended) Haha, funny. I enrolled in UP College Baguio and graduated from UP Baguio. Cool, noh? :D

Credits to Eduardo who acted like my very own pensieve so I can extract the words out of my memory. Fine, most of the memories are his. I never really pay attention in class. Pfft.

1. "Class, I couldn't return your papers today, my cats peed on them!" -Ms. Vicky Rico-Costina

2. "Ang thesis three units lang. Para na rin kayong bumagsak sa NatSci1 pag di niyo pinasa yan." -Sir Jawo Abano (na tinag-team-an pa ni Sir Rolly) talking to Journ majors.

3. "Hind nyo kayang tapusin nang isang sem lang ang thesis." -Sir Rolly Fernandez. Na-encourage talaga ako doon.

4. "I-dissolve natin ang mukha!" -Ms. Shirley Palileo dash Evidente, editing technique na pwedeng gamitin sa kaaway.

5. "Say sometheeeng. Say something true. Say something relevant." -Ms. Ruby Jimenez.

6. "Nice is the worst adjective you can use." -Ms. Florangel Hernandez

7. "Double fault is a mortal sin!" -Ms. Epiphania Claur sa lawn tennis

8. "If you can't do, teach. Mabuti na yun kesa maco-opt kayo." -Sir Gani Calderon.

9. "Gusto nilang magENGLISH ako doon (sa isang school sa Baguio na prominent) e hindi nga naiintndhan nga mga estudyante." -Ms. Lisa Bagsao

10. "Class, take the exam. I can't come. I have asthma." -... at in fairness, walang nakaalala sa pangalan niya. Socio portion guy.

11. "Alam niyo ba kung bkit nag i-spin yung bola? Si jasher kc alam nya."  -Sir Fernan Florendo to po0r PE3 tble tenis stdnts.

12. "Ga-graduate din ako!" -Sir Toto Colongon. Actually, kanta yun.

13. "Sa halip na 'puno ang langit ng bituin' sabihin mong 'puno ng langit ang bituin!'" -Ms. Pia Arboleda

14. "Saris..." -everyone on the first day of classes, class card collection day, except Sir Jimmy Fong.

15. "Pang-maid ang 'Miss' sa ibang bansa, Ma'am ang itawag niyo sa 'kin." -Ms. Maan Caampued

16. "Huwag mong kalimutan ang mga tinuro ng mamang nakabilad sa araw." -Ms. Beia Castro

17. "Your friendship is more important than your production." -Ms. Celeste Lumasac. Leave it to Tetet to say the right things to fighting friends when their prod goes haywire.

18. "Wala pa akong pinapasa sa subject na ito... dahil first time ko magturo." -Sir David Bernabe

19. "Questions?" -Sir Rolly Fernandez, mga eleven times per class.

20. "Ibigay ang lahat o huwag na lang." Ms. Celeste Lumasac. I will quote this forever and ever.

21. "Don't take it for granite." -Sir NatSci Geo portion trying to be punny, er, funny.

22. "Finish one sentence in English then use the vernacular on the next, but never use both languages in the same sentence." -Ms. Florangel Hernandez

23. "Huwag kayo mag-patintero dyan!" -Mr. Marzan.

24. "Bakit di ka pa nag-drop?" -Ms. Leah Abayao, History 1, on my first sem, freshman year. That was really encouraging. Much.

25. "You can even finish your internship in just one day!" -Sir Rolly Fernandez. Aah yes. His concept of fifty-hour-work is severely marred.

... and there are tons more from memories not mine.

Seriously, UP Baguio is the coolest (literally and figuratively) UP unit there is.

*to be continued. tulog muna ko, baka sakaling mapanaginipan ko yung iba.*

hurray for me

Somewhere between getting out of the 'working world of grown-ups' and bumhood, I learned that I can be just as mature as any twenny-plus-year-old.

Tomorrow, I will miss the premiere of Camp Rock because I have to be at work, attending to people who want to get married soon.

Camp Rock can wait.

It's not like it has Zac Efron on it. Pshhh.

Open Letter 2

Dear Brat,

This current drama you are in just means you can't have everything you want. When God answered your prayer about IT being His, that's grace. But you're never going to have IT because IT is not for you. IT's reserved for someone else. Someone who had no wrong motives when she prayed about IT.

So there. Get a life. You are being silly again.

Oh wait. Looks like the drama you wanted is about to happen. Let's just hope they're too poor to actually consider your services.

Toodles,
the Xaris

What ever did i do this time?

I don't deserve this.
Really.

fairy godmothers do exist

ask antoninoy. my darling one-year old inaanak.
my pre-school best friend Marie's bundle of joy celebrated his first birthday today. i saw him on his actual birth day and he's so tiny then and now he's superman.
you'll always be my baby love.
no pumpkins for you. and no midnight curfews. hahaha.

*waiting for mommy to upload more pichoors i can steal because my battery died on me.*
love you babe.

Dahil Minsan Ang Mga Detour ay Kailangan

Wala akong balak umakyat ng Baguio simula nung maisip ko na ayaw ko ng attachment. But lo and behold. Dun din pala ako mapupunta.

Bibili lang dapat kami ng ube tapos uuwi na. Dala na rin ng mga pangyayari, may-I-extend naman ako ng very hard sa Baguio my love so sweet.

Hanggang sa naging one week ang stay ko dun. Hindi ko rin pala matitiis. Charing.

Photos in the new IV home in Ambiong (na lagi kong hindi malocate at nagkanda ligaw ligaw na 'ko every time) with the IVNL peeps.

Cast:
Papa Paul (the future ex-boyfriend)
Ara (soon-to-be IV homer and staff)
Ate Eden (the dog charmer and mommy of the house)
Frida (ang nag-iisang fan ni dj xaris)
Jeff (dude, whatever)
Zyla (ang dakilang KC mate na staff na ngayon)
Kuya Carlo (the comsci prof)
Ate Weng (mrs. comsci prof)
Allen (the silent border)
Cel (the sister of the silent border)
Toni (student leader extraordinaire)
Alfe (para sa Balitang Amianan kasama si camera mang ____)

Yung mga di kasama sa IV home experience:
Jerry
Dell
Albus MacAllister

Meet Lizette T. Refuerzo, M.D.

She's my favorite doctor after JD Dorian.

Ate Liz is my childhood friend from Baguio who gave me her Polly Pocket when I was nine, on my first visit to the city.
She's a doctor now.
And she's going to make me a star. Hahaha. Move over Belo. Harhar.

GREEN and bear it

Haha, i'm so punny.
Shut up, Xai.

Because I spent the ride from Manila to Bontoc almost awake, I saw the rice terraces in different parts of Mountain Province.

Dati dino-drawing ko lang yan para sa mga HeKaSi project, ngayon up close and personal ko na silang nakita. Ang galing ng mga ninuno natin, ano? Hurray for the Philippines. Bow.

the xaris and the cindy in baguio

To My Minion Cindy,

You may now have a legitimate Baguio album.
I erased most of our pictures because I looked like a turd in them. I can send you the SD card if you like so you can upload them for yourself.
Me loves you. Thanks for not ditching me.
Mwahugs.

Always,
The Xaris
Your Liege

sagada much (part 3)

sight-saw (haha) pretty blue skies and fluffy white clouds, greens and yellows and other nice hues.

stone church (rocks!)
echo valley.
underground river.
small falls.

salamat manong tuts sa trekking tips na hindi namin kinamatay. mabuhay ka!

cave girls (part two)

so many awkward shots.
unflattering poses.
wet and wildness.
dorks in the dark.
hello sumaging cave and other passages.
extreme spelunking (minus getting a helmet-head), rock climbing, swimming, diving and fear factor all rolled into one.

it was sooooo much fun.

manong allen, salamat at nabuhay kami. mabuhay ka!

Why Hello Mortal

I can't effing upload our sagada pictures and it's draining my patience.  Kaya eto muna.

Got this from Iyatoter and when she tagged YOU, I took that as ME. So here it is. I don't go out on dates, for the record. I 'just agree to sit on the same table while having dinner.'
 

List down 10 major Turn-Offs when dating the opposite sex.  Then tag 10 people you want to do the same.

 

1. I dislike smokers.
 

2. Boys who say bad things about everything. I think I pretty much have the ranting part covered. Pfft. 

3. Guys who check out other people's anatomy. Not just chick check. I mean really staring other people down. Including boys hunkier than they are. 

4. Guys who speak conyo english like this... 'Erm Kashe, like, you knowr, ish like whatevurrr.' Hello naman. 

5. I judge you when you use poor grammar. I tend to mentally edit other people's speech. Mine's not perfect, mind you but it's easier to spot the mistake when others do it. Bwahahaha.

6. If you're not Arnean or taga-UP. Wala lang. Kababawan ko lang sa buhay. 

7. Guys who limit their food-intake. Adik ka ba at kalahati, macho man? It just seems wrong for some reason.

8. Boys who don't talk. 

9. Piolo-haters. You don't have to like him you know, but isn't it strange when you know so much hate details about him? 

10. Wishy washy pea-brains. It's surprising how I even agree to address a pea-brain's presence. Tutt.

 

Tagging...

mortals.

the xaris survives sagada

On our second day, we woke up a bit late at 7am and prepared for sightseeing. A hearty breakfast at the Yoghurt House did the trick in gassing us up for a long day ahead.

Manong Allen was not available for that day so we had another guide, Manong Tuts. He seemed pretty quiet the whole time so I chatted him up and took pictures of him while he moved his face away.

First stop was Echo Valley. We passed through the church (very, very noice!), a graveyard and steep mountainsides to get to the place. The place was soo pretty and the echoes were so cool! I yelled ‘I love you Piolo (piolo-piolo-piolo)’ and took pictures. Manong Tuts then launched the story of how last year, a foreigner dropped from the main road, down the ravines and into the valley while the guy was walking and taking photos. He narrated how the poor tourist plunged seventy meters to his death. Gee, thanks, Manong, I feel very brave now.

Our next destination was the Underground River but I went alone on that one because Cindy bailed on me. The trek down was also tough since I haven’t been involved in much physical activities, oh I don’t know, since I was fifteen. My strained, almost-atrophied leg muscles screamed in protest as we went down, down the mountain. Manong Tuts pointed where we were headed and warned me about grasses and plants I must not hold onto. Elle Woods would have been proud of me as I mastered the bend and step. I bend my knees so it wouldn’t hurt going up and down and hear twigs snap on my weight. The bend and snap. Bow.

On the trail was another interesting burial spot. Going to the river, there was a cave that was closed to tourists in 1997. It used to be a sightseeing destination. He pointed where it was and told the story about how somebody fell into the cave and died.

I’m getting the sense he worked for the grim reaper.

The underground river was okay though nothing spectacular, at least from where I was standing. To appreciate the body of water better, Manong Tuts said it was best that we go further down and swim until we get to the Bok-od Falls, our final itinerary. I wasn’t ready to get wet so we went back to the main road and took another trail (gasp!) to get to the famed falls.

Speaking of famous falls, there was another one called the Big Falls but a sign at the Town Hall said the site was closed to tourists. Manong Tuts regretted that he couldn’t take me to see it because the spot was closed for a week. Apparently, somebody fell in the currents the morning we landed in Sagada. The person died of drowning.

Further probing led to another one of his narration on dying tourists. Yes, I got the picture clearly, thanksverymuch. ‘Manong, bat naman puro kamatayan ang tema ng kwento mo?’

The trail to the small falls wasn’t any easier than the one leading to the underground river. I wish I could’ve swum instead.

The water was cold and the water fell off beautifully. There were kids already there, some wading, some swimming through the river. Some braver ones even jumped off the fall and it was so much fun! It was such an exhilarating jump!

Yes, that's me. I'm a shape shifter.

How do you think I managed to get through narrow passages in the cave, huh? The jump is something like ten meters and the welcoming waters go as deep as twenty feet. Oh, the water felt so good though I couldn’t really be sure about the pool’s depth… errm, hmm.

We stayed awhile and watched more people come to spend their holidays swimming and jumping off mini-falls. Manong Tuts was kind enough not to get into any more creepy tales.

While we were making our way back to the main road, he asked me if I had seen the Piolo-Juday movie, Don’t Give Up On Us (but of course!). He pointed to the cabbage patch where they shot the ‘saving the repolyo from the rain’ scene and I almost squealed in delight. It took all my restraint not to run to it and collect soil from where Piolo stood. Wahahaha. Crazy fangirl.

It was time to go back to town to get our things so we can start our way back home. I didn’t want to leave just yet but I saw no point in staying if Cindy wouldn’t be there anyway. I just felt a bit bad that I did not have time to see the lake (it’s famous all on its own but I wanted to see it because Piolo Pascual had a ‘fixing the truck’s wheel’ scene there).

From city girl to cave girl (yeah baby!) to almost-bat girl (destined talaga kami ni Bruce Wayne) to fan girl (follow Piolo’s footsteps!) to survivor (I did not die, haha), Sagada brought me a deeper appreciation of what it meant to really live. Stand in awe of a mighty Creator, see beauty, smell fresh air, move limbs, be brave, be strong, endure hardships (what? It was hard most of the time), hurt, relate to people, laugh, love and all that jazz.

Isn’t life amazing?

PS. I shall post all the pichoors as soon as i get home and get my hands on IE and multiply toolbar because i'm a turd like that. bow.

the xaris and the cindy in sagadurr part 1

twelve hours.
hello naman.

it's taking ridiculously long to upload everything so i shall cut the photos in three albums. pramis, kagabi pa 'ko naguupload. rawr.

the xaris visits sagada

My body aches all over and when I try to make any small movement, I wince. Oh, but I’m smiling and my heart is really, really happy. And why not, I had a dream come true. On the long weekend, I was able to finally check one item off my wish list. Dream destination prior to Greece is, tantananan! Sagada!

My high school best bud Cindz accompanied me on this trip and we took the twelve-hour bus ride from Manila to Bontoc. Twelve. Hours. On the bus. Long and winding road. Little leg room.I couldn't sleep not because I was uncomfortable but because I was extremely excited about the whole thing.

I stayed up through rice fields, mountain ranges, lakes, and rivers all the way from Bulacan to Banaue. The view and sights were awesome and I couldn't help praising God for the beauty of creation. I watched the stars twinkle and fade. I saw how the sky turned from black to purple to red to yellow to blue.

[Insert Sunday School song...]

God created twinkling stars,
God created river flows,
God created mountains high,
God created meeee...

God creates beautiful things. Ehem.



We got to Bontoc at 10am-ish and rode a jeepney to Sagada. I imagined the place a lot differently in my head (I blame Don't Give Up and Piolo) but it wasn't so bad. It's a lot like Baguio, actually, which makes the place lovable and a lot like home.

We planned on sightseeing that afternoon and attempt cave, ehem, get this- connection, the following day. The tour guide person at the front desk advised that we try caving first if we want to maximize the Sagada experience (we had to leave the following afternoon).

freezing kewld, pare.

Manong Allen was our 'cave man.' He's such a delight to be with. Haha, I swear he needed all the patience he can get because we were probably the most nonathletic, highly uncoordinated beings on the planet. Plus we whine a lot.

The caves were just majestic and I was in awe again at the beauty of creation as Manong Allen narrated how all these wonders are not man-made and have been around for a long, long time. Then there were also refresher courses on stalactites, stalagmites, bats and darkness.

The trek wasn’t easy especially for newbie’s such as us but we really made the most out of the experience. Every now and then we’d stop for photos, catch our breaths and figure out what shapes the rocks took. Manong Allen will tell us the level of difficulty as we went further and deeper into the caves just to measure if we’re up for the challenge. Then would be a good time to stumble upon Bruce Wayne’s lair; that would've been a good reason to go on.

Normally, I’d quit at the soonest possible time but the whole thing was too good to pass up. I definitely did not want to miss a thing. Armageddon kung Armageddon, go lang ng go! One song was playing on my head as I carefully watched my steps. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not strong enough; Don’t give up… Aah. Thank you, Hannah Montana.
 
When I couldn’t go on anymore, I’d sit on a rock, dramatically sigh and say, ‘Dito na lang po ako titira, padalan niyo na lang po ako ng dinner.’ Manong Allen would just snicker, turn away and bring the light with him. Of course I’d follow feeling much, much better.

To keep a cheery disposition, we took a lot of pictures and stayed in one nice area for a longer time. When other tour groups would catch up on us, I’d scream, ‘I see people, we’re saved!’ We all laugh it off and go on our merry way.

It was tough to imagine how we survived the cave connection. There were rappelling, jumping into pools, rock climbing, making contortions you wouldn’t imagine yourself getting into, random cave quizzes and strolling barefoot onto cracks and crevices created in the beginning of the world. The waters were freezing; there were sharp and slippery rocks all over and who knows what lurks inside the dark, narrow passages. But we made it! After that we knew there was nothing we couldn’t do now. No broken nails, bones or egos. Hahaha.

Just that afterwards, every joint and muscle ached with every. Single. Motion. As soon as our backs lain on the bed, we were off to a dreamless slumber.

*Day Two in a while*

arriane and me. wee!

i have very pretty friends.

meet arriane.

the xaris lives the suite life

Guess what I'm doing at the onset of bumhood?
Checking in at a hotel with my birthday almost-twin, Freshnaida! (Of course, she shouldered the stay because she's rich like that while I wait for my check to be cleared) This whole thing was a spur of the moment tara-hotel-tayo trip. Yahahaha.



I'm down at the coffee shop while she does some business (hello naman ang rest and relaxation) with the management (oh yeah, her family runs the f&b of the hotel). Haha, whatever.


There's a penthouse pool I've been meaning to visit but the front desk said they'd be closing the pool area by ten. Eeeeh. Bad trip. So now I'm stuck at the lobby looking like a geek with only Albus MacAllister keeping me company.

And yes, I'm also singing to myself and taking webcam pictures. AND receiving stares from other guests like I'm some loony happily lost in her own little world.

Tomorrow I look forward to the complimentary breakfast even if I have to wake and get up early for that. Hahaha. I will collect all the complementary soaps and toothbrushes and what have yous and take them home, bwahahaha, to add to my collection of useless stuff I want to display. Next stop: the Shang. Awe yeah.

I hope my friends from college come and visit tomorrow like they promised. Then I can kick off the sweet life, with or without a suite. x)

whaduyuknow

Hello.

What do you know...
I'm not 'TEENAGE'(d) anymore.

Still mutant.
Still dramatic.
Still reigning.

For the last two years, I lived here.
The other two were spent elsewhere.

thoughts on (com)mute

All the mothers (that includes you Tita Ninang Vi) in our church are strong women. They have strong personalities, brilliant minds and a whola lotta touch of TLC. That's the kind of fortitude I wish to emulate (IF I grow up).

They're the kind of women who really 'don't need a man' to be complete but so graciously submit to their husbands. Very godly wives, I should say.

Sure, they have issues with their daughters (and sons) but they still remain worthy of praise. At the end of the day, through their weaknesses and sometimes unbearable 'motherness,' they're all good.

I guess Tito Bob trained them well and they in turn turned out to be good disciplers. And I really pray that our SATC generation will look up to these women because I do think they're who we need to be. Smart, beautiful, and godly.

***
I caught A Very Special Love on Sunday, last full show at the galleria. That was after I watched The Dark Knight *tulo laway ang GALENG ni Joker* the same day, which was so amazing and quotable. I love watching in cinemas alone but since Baguio, I never really got to watch Pinoy murvies by myself because Eduardo was my default tagalog movie date. For everything else, there were Arriane, Pie and Marose.

Back to le John Lloyd flick. Every time I feel really sad, most likely because I ran out of 'kilig factor,' Lloydi is a sure antidote to xaidrama-tis. I swear. I must have seen all his movies (and that's a surprise because?) and every time his face appears on screen, I melt like ice cream in the Sahara. He's A- you're adorable! One time, I met him at CCF (this is my favorite john lloyd story) and he borrowed the empty seat next to mine. I didn't know it was him, so I just said, 'sure go ahead' without even looking. When he said thanks, I looked up and saw the prettiest brown eyes my nineteen years have ever seen.

If we were a movie (hey, that's a Miley song), we'd be together now.

(this is better said in Tagalog) Habang tumatagal akong single, lalong tumataas standards ko kakapanood ng mga pelikula ni John Lloyd.

Alas, it's too late. Harhar.

***
In two days, I'm a free girl! I took a one-month leave from work because I need to recover from too much xaidrama-tis. My health is failing (yey 25!), so's my spirtual cadence along with what's left of my emotional well-being. Aah, the wedding industry does that to a person. Hahaha. Kidding.

I'm grateful for the break. I want to plan it but I want to be spontaneous as well. Hello bummery, here I come. :)

23 lessons and then some part two

14. You can get away with any behavior at any age. All you have to do is know when it's ideal to screw up and at what intensity mistakes are bearable. It helps, too when you work in a circle of understanding people who don't give a cow over just about anything. Then again, you'll never know when the time is right until your attention gets caught. Tough luck.

15. This world is not a perfect place. Nothing we can do can make it perfect because everything we do is not. That's what happened when Adam and Eve took the bite.

16. Love with all your heart and mind and soul and strength. If you miss one, then it's not really love.

17. Concocted by Carmela, my disciple (haha, pero technically hindi naman talaga) who discipled me...

to those who..
1. see us
2. comprehend us
3. appreciate us
4. just try to see/comprehend/appreciate us

... behold! you have just been graced with a great revelation from the omniscient, omnipotent God! not even a (really) high i.q would do, it has to be no less than supernatural.

And I live by this. Harhar. I totally understand and I fully accept that I may have to be perpetually boarding the NBSB boat. It's the way the cookie crumbles. Not too many people are keen on the 'supernatural' yahahaha.

18. The Lord is truly good. All hell may break loose, we can lose the things we hold dear, be betrayed by those whom we trust, but knowing that we have peace with a God who knows exactly what He is doing- always in His terms- means we can chill and trust that even if we suffer, we suffer in His hands. Our idea of good does not exactly have to mean comfortable or safe or convenient. It's His character. Trust His heart.

19.  At least make your subjects and verb agree.

20. Inner beauty is, sadly, not all that. It's great that you're kind and that you'll probably snag a humanitarian award but please do something about how you look. People are inclined to take you seriously depending on how pleasant your appearance is. It's not nice, I know, but deal with it. It's a fact. And when you do get their attention, scoff at them for being superficial. And laugh out loud.

21. Complaining may be fun but it only takes you so far. I've wasted half my life already on that and while I rant and rant until I'm blue in the office, nothing will get better unless I do something productive. On one hand, it's therapeutic to blame others for a change but on the other hand, other people are doing the same thing anyway. So go ahead and be one step above the rest.

22. Nobody really gives a hoot about your school when you don't let your colors show. So you're Blue, or Maroon, or Green. Who cares? It's not as if you can stamp your forehead with I'm from UP and people will respect you. Please, that's not the way it works. Whadaheck, I'm all talk. But that's about to change (and no, I won't be on the streets to lament the country's pathetic state).

23. It's all about attitude. Your mindset about your current situation dictates your responses to stimulus. I think I heard that somewhere. Hmm, though I can't be sure. Hahaha. Happiness is a choice.

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to my awesome 23rd year.

I spent the first few minutes of this day thanking God for His awesomeness. It's such a relief to know that my life is not about me. It's a crazy notion but when you surrender your all to God's Lordship, everything turns out to be okay, though sometimes not in the way you understand it. Hello, mortal. If I run my life, disaster much. I have an uncanny ability to make my life miserable. But with God, wow. I can chill.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

i'm still twenny two and irritable

I have exactly 29 minutes to start and finish this entry before I finally say goodbye to, erm, another year. Hah.

I do know I have to grow up soon, like, in 27 minutes because I can't get away with childlike-ness anymore. There are things one has got to stop doing at my age. I mean, people get my opinion for weddings. I don't think they'd appreciate a Hannah Montana rock star theme.

Last weekend was spent at a bridal fair and it took all my grown-up-acting powers to convince couples that I can help make their wedding byutipool. Whaduyuknow, I'm not in sales but I did close deals. This got me thinking and I realized, hey, I'm in the wedding industry. I can revolutionize it! Bwahahaha!

But that's not my story.

When you're young and you have a bright future ahead of you, the least of your concerns is reasoning out with older people, who presumably have better sense than you do. But when an old geezer gives you the evil eye for not understanding your answer to his question, your blood boils and you try to be calm but can't help but give him the you-have-got-to-be-the-world's-oldest-moron. Naturally, he'd think you were being disrespectful. Well I think respect is earned. Buffoons who don't understand simple instructions should be outlawed from wedding fairs. This is supposed to be a happy place, bitter old man.

That's out. Whew. Been bottling that up for five days now.

Ohkaaaay. Me in the wedding industry. Coolness. If I had my way, I'd tell everyone who wants to get married to think twice before walking down the aisle. You won't believe the types of people you meet at bridal fairs.

a) the This Is My Parents' Wedding couple. Either momma or daddy foots the bill that they get to decide on motif and floral arrangements or we've got uberly obedient kids. Sometimes, I want to bang the couple's heads and say, this is not your mom's weddddding!!!

b) the May I Browse Your Packages So I Can Secretly Haggle With The Other Caterer. It's the oldest trick in the book. As if caterers will bid over just one wedding. Please.

c) the Oh My Goodness Free Food type. Gather all your family members for a reunion to someone's food tasting event. That helps.

Waaah! Eight minutes. I don't mean to sound rude or mean (well, fine, maybe I do a little) so I'm cutting this short even when I have plenty other things to say. Hay. In seven minutes, I will cease to be this way. I will be kinder and peaceful. And more understanding. Six minutes. Perhaps get a new set of wardrobe and re-market myself, haha. I'm taking the whole month off work and re-align my goals and aspirations. Five minutes. Stay a couple of days or so in Sagada (finally!) to breathe in clean air and get away from all these aging situations. Four minutes. I'm a lousy typist. Soooo bagal. For the record, I will still look forward to Camp Rock and other Disney Channel Original movies. Three minutes. I think 23 is a good number. I'm still hoping I'd retire by 25 so I can see the Lord already. Two minutes. Maybe I'll take writing courses and singing lessons. Who knows? Maybe I can still sing for Disney. Harhar. One minute. Homaygahd! This is it pansit. No turning back. Everyday with you Lord is sweeter than the day before. Thank you for another year. Thank you for everything. Forever I will sing, forever I will be with You.

Yey me! happy THE XARIS day.

23 lessons and then some

A lot of kids my age have probably gone through so much experiences than I ever did in all my twenny three years. And they would probably not want to be called kids.

I may have little encounter with profound life-changing situations and little understanding on how this 'life' thing works but I've been around for two decades; I'm sure I squeezed something out of it. I'd like to believe I'm not a waste of oxygen in this green and blue marble.

And sure, I have not the slightest on life's essentials (things a person will have to go through at least once in their lives) like falling in love or breaking a heart or wearing a cast after falling off a tree and breaking bones. Things like that. No, falling and breaking is not the theme of this blog.

I'm not exactly the best person to talk about growing up pains and life crises so I'll just make a rundown of the lessons I like to remember when life threatens to take the best of me. Which isn't really a lot, haha.

1. Never cut up images from National Geographic magazines. I learned this too late. I was in high school and we had a project. I used my uncle's collection of Nat Geo for reference but when I saw the pretty pictures, I knew I had to cut them up and include them in the collage. Bad move. How was I supposed to know those magazines are like, whoa? At least I got an A.

2. Never shoot a pencil up your nose. Especially if the pencil has an eraser at one end. It was probably the worst afternoon of my life at seven years when the eraser got stuck in my nose and I couldn't sneeze it out. My yaya kept telling me to 'singa' but I didn't know how coz I was panicking. It eventually got out but I was damaged emotionally already.

3. Building administrators do not honor Barbie club membership IDs when you present it in business attire. No amount of make up and corporate threads can fool security guards when they demand for identification. Is it my fault it's the only ID I had at the time?

4. You will eventually make your dreams come true. It doesn't have to be at the exact moment you dream it, but it will happen. If it doesn't happen, you really didn't want it enough.

5. God's holiness needs to be taken seriously. One thing you must remember about the Lord is that He is first and foremost holy. He takes sins seriously. And no matter how sound your justifications for your actions are, He cannot be mocked.

6. Oxygen cannot be seen. When I was in pre-school I was awarded with high honors for being witty. I don't know how that happened, but I remember telling my teacher I did not believe her when she said that plants produce oxygen because I can't see oxygen. That was the first debate I had in my life. Still doesn't make sense why I was the 'witty kid.'

7. It's okay if you haven't seen Titanic. You and about a few other people haven't, including me and some aboriginal tribes. That does not mean you're any less than three quarters of the world just because Jack and Rose aren't your favorite movie couple.

8. You don't have to have quarter-life crisis. Two ways: end life early or do what I do. Focus on eternal things so you won't have to stress about the mundane. Sometimes, it's okay to be in touch with life but it really helps when God is in the driver's seat.

9. Count your blessings. Nothing new about this one. When I say count blessings, I don't mean you compare numbers with others.

10. Never stick foreign objects in your eye. It hurts like whoa. Trust me.

11. You don't have to try everything just so you'd know what it's like. I've never tried smoking, not even once, but I didn't have to to know it's going to kill me someday. It's bad enough that I will probably die of second-hand smoke (what with the metro's unbelievably clean air), but please, why should I speed up the process? I want a fabulous death.

12. Take ONE STEP at a time. Your destination will be where it is. Have fun down the road; it's rocky so sprinting is just going to be more painful. Walk. And always look where you're going, step by step. You'd know when to make a turn, when to stop and when to keep pressing on if your pace is just right.

13. High School is NOT a musical. But it's definitely worthwhile given a good soundtrack, great friends and crushable crushes.

...to be concluded.

may i please scream?

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!


Thanks.

i ♥ KC 2004!

Kamusta naman ang four years later. Harhar.

Pichoors stolen from Zeela who took a long time to upload these, too.

Kawayan Camp is a month-long leadership training for Christian student leaders all over the Philippines. IVCF hosts this camp which provides holistic and wholistic training. Hurray for KC!

Masyado maraming pwedeng ikwento about KC kaya hindi ko na susubukang ungkatin ang mga nakaraan. Chos. Ayun. For memories' sake. Bow.

a dream is a wish

I dreamed about my ex-crush last night. Don't bother figuring out who it is; you have six million names to choose from. He came to visit my house and surprised me and my super friends with tickets to fly to Singapore. Haha. Everyone's headed there, I guess. Anyhoo, miracle of all miracles, I had my passport (dream sequence) ready and my picture wasn't too bad. Like any dreams should go, we were in Singapore in one blink and on the next we were on a bus to Hong Kong. Even dreams can prove how geographically-challenged I am.

When we got off the bus, we were welcomed by Mickey and Minnie and the whole HK Disneyland theme park attendants. Next thing I knew, I was holding cotton candy in my hand and wearing my Diliman Prep shirt. Suddenly, the evil girl friend of my ex crush came to the picture and laughed at my choice of clothing. I mocked her and found that nobody was laughing with me. Everyone of my super friends were embarrassed by my shirt.

Lessons:
1. Evil girlfriends of ex-crushes are evil even in dreams.
2. My subconscious is telling me to get a bus to go to "the happiest place on earth."
3. Dear girl, someday you will get your passport with a pretty picture.
4. Get a globe or a map of Asia. Learn it.
5. Sever all Diliman Prep ties; they bring awful things. Except amorsolo of course, they're the only ones who made it worthwhile.

wedding nightmares

Who said soon-to-weds are the only victims. Pfft you self-absorbed lovebirds. If I had my way only nice couples should be able to tie the knot! At least I can lay my head every night thinking that even when their kind should spawn, it would contribute to the world being a nicer place.

High School Musical On Ice

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Must I really get on with this?

Xaris+Disney+High School Musical+Figure skating.

Do the math. x)

Tagged Much Lately?

Hellobebe, ate joyjoyjoy assigned me the letter D. For some reason, I couldn't upload more then three songs on mi music so here are the five songs I'm instructed to list down.

For le instructions...

1. Reply to this post. I'll assign you a letter.
2. List (and upload if you wish) 5 songs that start with your assigned letter.
3. Post your list with these instructions.

* Diary, Bread. My college room mate and best friend Jeanxie and I have a habit of singing unplugged versions of any song we knew from her songbook. I didn't know Diary until she sang it to me and she introduced it as a funny song. Dedicated sa mga 'assuming.' She thought it was a good song to relate to. Harhar.

*Dance, Dance, Fall Out Boy. I'm FOB's secret fan. I don't think a lot of people knew except my brothers who had access to my music folder at the family PC. I don't think I like them much now. Could have been a phase, too. I think that Cinderwench had a lot to do why I liked them, I just can't remember how.

*Demons, Guster. I adored this song in high school! Too bad nobody I knew (at that time) could relate except kuya who had Guster tracks playing all the time. I especially liked its opening guitar riffs and percusions. It's the only song I can sing where I honestly sound like a rockstar. What? Didn't everyone want to be a rock star at one point? Tchh.

*Daysleeper, REM. When I considered MTV to be the coolest thing on the telly, I was tuned in every moment I could. Somehow, this song stuck to my head and I could go, 'Daysleeper.... Daysleepeeerrr!' when somebody would quiz me on (a) REM song. And that's the only part of the song I know. Harhar. I can't even remember the video just that it had a lot of blue. Harharhar.

*Damned, Shimoli. Just recently, I dedicated this song to someone dear because the lyrics say everything I want to say. It's not hard to guess who it's for. No duh.

Ohkay. If you want some tagging love, you must leave a thought over at the comment box and be tagged much. Toodles. x)

doodled much lately?

when boredom strikes part three.

The Royal House of Builders First General Assemblage

Start:	Jul 13, '08 2:00p
Location:	SBC(C) nating mahal, Lerma, Manilerr

assemblage?

it's a RHOB thing. peasants not allowed.
SBC(C) vuilders fellowsheep will have its first (non-bagyo ridden) assembly because assemblies are so cool.

srsly, we shall seriously make a commitment to be BUILDERS of God's Kingdom.

and yes, we are so cool like that.



Reminders aka ROYAL DECREES:
* 2pm is the start.
* Snacks will be served. Please prepare 50 bucks (we may be royalty but we are not worldy rich) each.
* Bring your pledges (for le laptop fundage).
* Make up a royal title (aka Queen the xaris *of course, queen is no longer available*) and submit to the royal registry
* Tell other Builderst. Please and thank you.

TOODLES!

i ♥ KC!

Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) has been Kawayan Camp-ing for the last 50 years!

These are SOME of the alumni of the month-long leadership training camp IVCF holds every summer from 1958 to present. Yesternight, about 130 grads came to reminisce of KCs past. We had an informal gathering and it was fun interacting with different batches represented there. When the group sang Tunay Kang Matapat as the closing song, I got goosebumps because it sounded really good. Parang praktisado lang with matching voicing and stuff. Ang galeng!

Raise your hand if you...
1) had tuko encounters
2) had to miss showers and rely on tabo and balde
3) wait in line at the cubicles for a bath
4) had an 'aying-aying,' 'prospect' or if you had ever been asked, 'sino na-aappreciate mo?'
5) had any form of nose-bleeding because of inductive Bible studies
6) had to make a book review of John Stott's Basic Christianity
7) washed dishes for 100 or so people
8) had successfully kept your quiet time for a whole month

Hurray for God's faithfulness over all these years. :) It's really amazing!

EDIT: pichoors stolen from zeela's digicam. waiting for paul's shots to steal. bow.

Meet My New BFF

CS Lewis, 21 (1919).

Okay. So he might be old... and dead... but that doesn't mean we can't/ couldn't have operated on the same wavelength. Pfft. Of course you can have best friends from a lifetime ago.

Think of the benefits. I won't be obliged to remember his birthday (even when I do) and send him a greeting. He doesn't have email. And nobody has to make an effort to see each other. One, he lived in England and two, he lived at the beginning of the century.

I say we can be best friends because according to his autobiography we have a lot in common. Starting off with a fascination with mythology and Greek literature. How unlikely is it to find someone who enjoyed reading other culture's beliefs and being perpetually amazed with the colorful characters and entertaining plots? It's all so magical. There's our love for writing, too. Just that his is refined, mine is bloggish but whadaheck, mebe I can learn from him.

He's a scholar, so am I (what? Aren't UP peeps 'iskolars?').  And he aced English, Philosophy, Literature and History, erm, I like these subjects.

I may not have gone from being atheist to Christian but I could probably overlook that history. Because now (or then for him) we even share the same belief! And a great friend we have in Jesus!

When I was younger, I wanted to major in Apologetics. Guess what he's good at? Righty-oh.

When he was younger, he was member of a club called the Inklings with JRR Tolkien. Guess what they do? They sit together to discuss story ideas and they have a special habit, something I'm famous for. They "amused themselves by having competitions to see who could read the famously bad prose of Amanda McKittrick Ros for the longest without laughing." Nazi much. Weeee.

Funny how I use the past tense in talking about my NEW best friend. Bow.

PS.
Doesn't he look something like Shia LeBoeuf, my recent ex?

PPS.
Philo much. Right. *shares inside joke with self*

PPPS.
Like him, I would be married out of friendship and not love like that exactly.
Psycho-babbling-girl say whut?! :))

'This Kind'

Two days of going through the same Biblical passage is like the Lord emphasizing what He wants me to grasp.

Martha, Martha.
Peter, Peter.

His repetition is enough of a gavel to strike a stubborn head. When the Lord says something twice in succession, it shows a deep concern and a dear-love-don't-you-just-get-it? compassion.

Thanks, Lord. I do get it now.

There are many situations when you could do all you could; when it's never a question of whether you are doing the right thing or not. You know for a fact that your 'steps' and action plan are from the Lord and yet it gets frustrating when the answer you hope for is delayed.

There must be something lacking.

Remember the basics. Or be reminded of the basics. Just as Jesus' disciples did when they failed at casting out an unclean spirit possessing a boy, if only they had remembered or understood sooner. There are just some situations, a kind where it takes more than planning and knee-jerk responses for solutions.

Sometimes, if not all the time, the solution does not require major dynamics but a resolve to get on your knees and focus on the object of your faith. God can cause all things to happen. In His time. At His call.

name calling

Saw this tag thing on friendster bulletins, so I thought, why do I have to wait to be tagged, ima do it anyhooz.

RULES: List all the names you were called by and the people who call you that. Tag at least 5 members of your contacts and give a comment on their site for them to know they've been tagged.

*Names that start with an x are read with a k. Owkei? Good.

1. Xaris- just about anyone who first met me between 1985-1998 and 2006-present; family and old friends.

2. Xaris Hope- my parents when they are mad; Kuya ND Erikson for fun; Eduardo when he feels like calling me that (as in “Umayos ka nga, Xaris Hope!”).

3. Xai- everyone who knows I like being called that. My best friends Gel, Cindy and Kathy, Arriane, Pie and Marose. Friends and acquaintances in Baguio and Diliman Prep [karunungan, kahusayan ang aming nakamtan]; family, close friends.

4. The Xaris- Thursday group, my best friends pa rin and most people who are my friendster friends.

5. Xaili- multiply friends; Rogerson Fernandez when we were after the same love interest.

6. Xalai- a privileged few.

7. Sanggre Xarissa- my sister Deedee; some Baguio crushes.

8. Dao Ming Xai- Breha dorm mates; some Baguio crushes.

9. Lord/Master/Diyosa Xai- younger Brehans.

10. Queen theXaris- the builders if the hype catches on, which I seriously doubt.

11. Baby- David Cook (as in Always be my Baby)

12. Kakai- freshmen high school friends from the other section because Pasteur hates me.

13. Paris- just about every Starbucks barista I’ve encountered; Ma’am Let and Jamaica.

14. McXaister/ XAILITAPTAP- Pie

15. Xaizer/ Xaisee- Kathy

16. Ms. Xai- officemates

17. Mare- Super Baguio friends

18. Gracie- Eduardo

19. Roomie- Roma

20. Haris/Sharis/Saris- people who don’t do their research before addressing moi.

21. Tamayo! –Sir Jawo.

22. Xaristopher- Kuya Nikos, the year we moved to another church.

23. Ate Xaiers- Iyatoter and Domeng (my room mates in junior year)

24. Xaixaixaixaixaixai- mga nangungulit like my Kuya when he’s being annoying.

25. Kakish- Deedee, my sister, when she was barely four and couldn’t pronounce my name; Tito Eg.

26. Psst/Hoy- bystanders and passersby. Mere mortals, soon-to-be minions.

27. Applepie- manong bok and Amorsolo friends.

28. Xai B for Boyd pa nga pala. anubaaa.

29. Dude- Pie, Jiar, kuya SR, Chef Jas, Chef Fresh and erm, Ashton Kutcher.

With over two-dozen names I go by, one has to wonder why I don’t have identity issues. Of course I do. You just don’t notice. Hahahaha.

Tagging…
1.    You who never address me with any of these names.
2.    You who call me at least one of these names.
3.    You who are rooting for Manny Pacquiao (go kill yourself).
4.    You who like spaghetti and mayonnaise.
5.    You who enjoy tagalog movies.