kathy and xaris in the meanie convention

yes, we have talked about YOU. do not wonder whether the words exchanged between us over you were nice. there is nothing nice by which to recall you.

nar, just pulling your leg. all the things we said pertaining to you were only the truth and nothing but. you had better believe it because kat and xai are very, very honest people.

so yes, they were mean. but they were facts.

wahahahahahaha!

(and we did have an evil laugh that came along with the conversation. cruella de ville would have been so proud)

cheers to kindred spirits! :)

day one: trinomey afternoon date. coffee. shopping.
day two: choc kiss date. dinner. stargazing.
day three: serendra evening. drinks. book hunting.

we're totally BFFs. :)
missing gel and cin.
xoxo

day three point five

started the day really late, i came from la trinidad this time.
i cooked for the IVCF night and met new kids on the block.
gah, i'm sooo old. harhar.

remember when we used to pray for acads, papers, exams, health and family? LOL. those were the days.

day two point five

the xaris fans day continues.
ambisyosa!

BSU in the morning to say hi to Zyla.
UP in the afternoon to... I dunno, walk the runway? LOL.

Meet the CAC building and the coolness that is UPB. :)

upb get tog at mogwai

aack. who are you people?! part two.

additional cast: kuya ryan the 'construction worker' and kuya nato the 'car tinter from banawe.'

photo credits: kuya noel

alex, where's your version? gimme. <3

sunday with my peeps

haha peeps. :)
spent sunday morning and early afternoon with two lovely girls.
charisse had to go home that day, sayang since we had a reunion dinner that night. oh well.

aheehee. in retrospect, lookie at our old selves! taken in 2005.


this is four years later. :)

aaack! who are you people?!

this is random as random is gonna get.

it was just the twins (kath and alex), alice and the xaris (aka xai) off to a night of hoping for the flowers and merriment on a monday night. LOL. mogwai played the venue and bottles of san mig light and red horse the beverage.

and then there was lonely boy spotted, drinking by himself, when alice had a blast from the past. lonely boy was familiar as he was the entourage of alice's once-upon-a-horror-tale of scorned love, mapapamura ka sa alaala.

and then the cast expanded. and then connect the dots. and then who do you know that i know facebook connection talk.

and then it was almost 2am.

who says you can't have a UP Baguio reunion in a snap? x)

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.

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.

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!

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. ;)

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.*

arriane and me. wee!

i have very pretty friends.

meet arriane.

dedlayn

We made a movie in one of my broadcast subject [yez, i took broadcasting] in 2005. My best friends [who happened to be my classmates] and I teamed up to make this short film. It was our first attempt to create something in honor of the one thing we loved together-movies. Needless to say, the events that transpired between concept-making to film-showing has made everyone appreciate the things movie makers do.

Right. Dedlayn ang title ng pelikula namin at sa umpisa, masarap magimbento ng kwento. When I've released something- creative juices, words or thoughts, I rarely go back to it. Tipong pag nasabi ko na, kakalimutan ko na.

I watched dedlayn minutes ago and I laughed my head off even when it was supposed to be drama. Every detail of that project was recalled in my oxygen-deprived brain and I can't help but feel a bit nostalgic. Sure, I knew the faults of the production and the outcome, but I must say I'm proud of the project.

Riiight.

Kung iisa isahin ko ang technical faults ng movie namin, eh hindi na matatapos tong entry nato. Pero hindi nga yan ang point ko. Laftrip na behind the scenes, horror na production costs [buti na lang mayaman ako, bwahahahaha] at love story na hindi matuloy tuloy on the sides. Charos. Ang saya gumawa ng pelikula pero habang may saya, may aral rin na mapupulot. Hindi ko balak punahin ang movie namin kaya hindi yun ang lessons na ishi-share ko.

From making the short film dedlayn, I learned that...
1. ayoko pala talagang magsimula sa pagpi-PA.
2. I work best in executive functions [pang-events at hindi pang-field ang beauty ko].
3. true friends are those who stick by you even when you've become incredible hulk and beech them around.
4. i have anger issues.
5. hindi madali magtranslate ng concepts into film. sobrang proseso at nakakakurta ng utak.
6. minsan, hindi lahat ng nasa utak mo ay ma-a-achieve into film.
7. video cameras, shooting techniques and the weather can only take you so far. Heart is more important.
8. bawal magka-crush sa mga katrabaho mo dahil nagiging ogre beech ka lang at mawawalan kayo ng future together.
9. may mga taong mukha lang ang puhunan.
10. all you really need to succeed in endeavors is a God bigger than all your troubles who gives you awesomely wonderful friends who add meaning to life.
11. having a camera recording your movements is well, unsettling. but fun.

Eh, yan na lang muna. Matagal ko nang pinakawalan ang pangarap na ma-redeem ang film-making inclinations ko, or what's left of it. Chos. :)

What was it like for you when you passed the UPCAT?

The message on my gigantic, jurassic Panasonic cell phone read, "ui congrats, sa up baguio ka daw." Uh no, I'm standing in a grocery, actually [Yes, I am a konkerhead, thankyouverymuch]. After about a lifetime later, it dawned on me. TEKAAA, nag-apply ako sa UP Baguio ah. This is it. This is really is it. If I had any foresight on what would have happened in the next four years, I'd have fainted from delight right then and there.

Aah. UP Baguio. Loveth thee like whoa. :D

[mebe i'll finish this. mebe i won't.]

sa wakas

you have to wonder how we survived a year and a half apart from each other. pie calls it grace. i couldn't agree more.

i so lurve my vacuum geeks. reminds me of the days when field work was actually fun and slumber parties meant dissecting history and all those theories. or me sleeping. whatever.

these are my best friends forever college version.

it's been a long time coming. hurray for long weekends! :D

*i'd have taken more pictures but my blasted camera wouldn't cooperate. some photos courtesy of ishtepienie.multiply.com
*my teachers taught me to give proper credits. hahaha.

kasi UPCAT season na?

1. ANO'NG STUDENT NUMBER MO?
:: 02-00231

2. ANO ANG FIRST CHOICE MO NA COURSE?
:: BA Broadcast Communications (down below)

3. SECOND CHOICE?
:: BA Communication (up north)

4. ANO COURSE MO NA NATAPOS?
:: BA Communication

5. NAG-SHIFT KA BA?
:: nurp

6. CHINITO/CHINITA KA BA?
:: after productions. hahaha

7. NAKAPAG-DORM KA BA?
:: ohoh yeah. baguio residence hall all the way beybeh

8. NAKA 4 KA BA?
:: praise God hindi. :)

9. NAG-KA 3 KA NA BA?
:: hindi rin.

10. LAGI KA BANG PUMAPASOK SA KLASE?
:: hindi. hahaha. lalo na pag joke time ang subject.

11. MAY SCHOLARSHIP KA B??   
:: eh subsidized tuition ng UP, so yeah, i guess. :D

12. ILANG UNITS NA ANG NAIPASA MO?
:: marami. hahaha.

13. NANGARAP KA BA NA MAG-CUM LAUDE?
:: yesh. so keel me.

14. FAVE PROF
:: tatang! :D

15. WORST TEACHER
:: ma-el.

16. FAVE SUBJECT/S
:: journalism 105. pol sci 14. :) hahahhaha

17. WORST SUBJECT
:: journalism 105

18. FAVE BUILDING
:: sm baguio? ehehehe.

19. PABORITONG KAINAN
:: starbucks. ehehehehe. the three levels of nutrition in UP Baguio: the lower, the upper and the walk-up. hahaha.

20. MAGKANO BA ANG BINABAYAD MO SA JEEP?
:: may 4.50 pa nun! :D

21. LAGI KA BA SA LIBRARY?
:: hindeh!

22. NAGPUPUNTA KA BA SA CLINIC?
:: hindi rin.

23. MAY CRUSH KA BA SA CAMPUS?
:: hindi pwedeng wala. ikamamatay ko. hehe

24. ANU-ANO ANG MGA NAGING P.E. MO?
:: pe1, taekwondo, aero kickboxing, basketball.

25. KAMUSTA NAMAN ANG BLOCK NYO?
:: jologs and proud. :)

26. MEMORIZE MO BA ANG HYMN NIYO?
:: op kors! :) i'd sing it in filipino, my lola will sing it in english coz that's the way they learned it. hahaha. pero ako lang yata ang naka-memorize nun sa pamilya ko. hahaha.

27. MEMBER KA BA NG VARSITY TEAM?
:: Hindi, pero member ako ng State VARSITY Christian Fellowship, ehem, "We're not athletes but we do run the race" yeaah. :) -- AKO REEEEN! :D

28. NAKA-PERFECT KA NA BA NG EXAM?
:: dapat bang ikahiya to say yes? eh. God's grace through and through.

29. DITO KA BA NATUTONG UMINOM NG BEER?
:: pfft no.

30. DITO KA BA UNANG NAINLOVE?
:: pwede. hahahaha.