Doodler and Shutterbug

A TARDIS for the TARDIS

2012-01-28T14:37:00.000+08:00

A TARDIS for the TARDIS. Is it even possible?

When you're a person like me who uses a bag as a shield during commuting days, a soft protective cover for the Kindle is not enough. I initially covered Idris with a cloth and placed it in a pouch I got from Starbucks. I got all paranoid that the screen might be damaged with all the physical activity that happens in the MRT (if you're a Filipino and ride the MRT during rush hours, then you'll know what I mean), so I had to find a case that is sturdier and can withstand ~stress.

Buying a case from Amazon was never an option because it is expensive. It costs more than half of the Kindle and I'm not going to spend thousands over a case. So it was off to the internet to look for an alternative.

Adi suggested that I make a case. Tatadah! To make up for skipping the DIY planner for 2012, I decided that I make my own Kindle case. I looked online for a book case tutorial.

I couldn't find a spare book at home that fit the dimensions of the Kindle. It was either too short in width or in height. So I went to a book sale and bought a hardbound book for PhP 70. It was a marketing book and I was willing to murder it. nyahaha.

How I made the case:

1. Brush the edges of the book with a glue solution. Keep the first five pages loose. Separate the loose pages from the rest with plastic wrap. I just used an ordinary plastic lying around the house.

2. Let it dry. Tick, tock, tick, tock.

3. Once the glue has dried, mark the size of the Kindle as a guide to where you're going to cut out the pages. Oh when you're going to buy a book, make sure that there is an allowance of half an inch. Using a cutter, cut out the pages. This is the most tedious part because you have to keep on slicing the book a few pages at a time.

Going deeper! (You can go higher! You can go deeper! There are boundaries, above and beneath yooou!)

Checking if the Kindle fits. Check!

*I inserted garter at the bottom of the sliced pages. However, when I placed the Kindle, it was too tight. hahaha Couldn't remove it anymore because it was glued to the book. lol, fail. Left it there.

4. Brush the insides of the book with glue solution again. Let it dry.

5. Attach scrap cloth to the book to create straps.

The bottom scrap had velcro so that I could still detach the Kindle from the book.

6. Glue the remaining five pages. Then slice the middle part away.

7. Glue garter to the back so that the cover will be secure. This part is optional.

8. D-O-N-E!

With the Kindle.

It's a TARIS for the TARDIS gadget!

I just feel weird when I'm reading in the MRT. People are looking at me funny because they notice that I never turn the pages. It seems that I'm stuck at the first page. el-oh-el.

I still have to find the time to buy blue cloth for the cover to complete the TARDIS look. For now, the book will do.

shared work

2012-01-24T16:43:00.001+08:00

"You see these hands, they're a million strong"

I've always loved that line from Josh Groban's song, "War at Home." Hands do magic and can do anything. Work becomes even more productive when it shared with other people. The output from a collaborative work has a bigger story to tell and share.

I allow other people to doodle on my Moleskine. For the past weeks, my goddaughter Cielo has been contributing to the pages with her art.

This is Cielo. I doodled her one Sunday while we were at church. She did the coloring and added the borders.

She doodled on my notebook too. Ignore the Nerds, I doodled that a long time ago. I'm amused with the random words she wrote. Trash can??

She contributed to the sea of words. That's my brain when I'm trying to write something for school or for work. The words are out there, but not on the word document. Sucks balls.

Look at how small Cielo's hand is! :)

This isn't collaborative anymore. I did this yesterday while I was working at home. Strudling again. Hands put color to a dull world.

Anyone is welcome to doodle on my Moleskine. I'm waiting to have that coffee time with Ian because she promised to draw on my notebook.

Ian: Sana we can sketchcrawl or something
me: why not!
we'll have another coffee time!
because idris still has to meet rashid (We were talking about our Kindles. haha)
Ian: Rashid will feel old haha!!
me: naaah. rashid is just a big brother to idris. :))
oh you still have to draw on me notebookSSS.
Ian: oo nga! when we have our Idris-Rashid Moot
hehehe
me: and we have to have more time :)))
Ian: yes!
perhaps a saturday in the qc area :)
me: yes that would be lovely. :D

Square Shots

2012-01-23T14:18:00.000+08:00

Oh hey Retro Camera, you are now my new best friend to quickie shutterbuggerness.

The obligatory shoe shot

That one night when I stress doodled. Chino called it "strudling"

We had a family dinner over the weekend to celebrate the grandparents' birthdays. They were serenaded by a group.

This is a rare scene.

My parents. :)

My tita's cat, Mingming. If I have a ragdoll cat (which will never happen), I'll name it Aslan.

This is not the droid that you are looking for

2012-01-14T15:26:00.000+08:00

Says Obi Wan Kenobi.

Oh but Master Jedi, it is the droid that I'm looking for.

I have joined the world of the droids as I switched cellphones last Monday. My old (but fairly new -- a year and a half old phone) has gone wonky. Whenever someone calls me (or when I make a call), I couldn't hear the person at the other end of the line. Then the phone dies when I slide the screen up to reveal the keypad. I don't want to text on the screen because texting on a touch screen is my enemy. My fingers land on the wrong spot, ending up with misspelled words. It might cost me more if I send the phone for repair -- besides I won't have a replacement phone while it's being fixed -- so I decided to buy a new one.

Was talking to my cousin Toff over on Twitter as I was thinking of a name for it. He suggested something from Doctor Who, but I told him that I already have that covered with ze Kindle. Since it's an android and the droid is there, it had to be something Star Wars related. R2D2 is cute, but my phone isn't white nor does it make beeping sounds (it's always on silent. haha) C3PO is too talkative. Yoda is too smart. We agreed on naming it Luke.

"Luke I am your owneerrrrr."

I haven't maximized its use yet. I've only used five features so far: the Retro Camera, Tweetdeck for Android, messaging, Tumblr, and Google Talk for Android. And with a 2GB external memory, I haven't even placed music in it. hahaha

But of course, I already personalized the screensaver and the wallpaper. It's a must for me.

I love the new phone because it's similar to the Corby Pro (the old phone). It has a qwerty function as well as a touch screen. Because it's an android phone, it's easier and more fun to browse websites, scroll through Tumblr and Tweet like crazy. Uh-oh, I must refrain myself from going online when there's no Wifi around. I don't want my phone bill to skyrocket again like what happened when I first got my Corby Pro. :P

That's enough spending for the first quarter. The month isn't even halfway through and I already have spent a lot on gadgets.

Oh shoot. I still need to buy a new camera bag. I need to rob a bank.

*waves hand to your face* You will hand me a million pesos.

Idris

2012-01-05T09:08:00.000+08:00

I formally introduce you to the newest addiction to my bookworm life: Ze Kindle (yes, faking a German accent for the 'the' is necessary.)

I have joined the digital world and purchased a Kindle Touch because lugging thick books every day is such a hassle and I sometimes -- well, most of the time -- hesitate in buying books. Mom's complaining that I'm an impulsive book buyer and we have no more space at home to shelf my books. Haha I guess ~~the~~ ze Kindle is the solution.

Adi helped me buy my Kindle without the other added costs like shipping or reselling fees. She has a cousin who lives in the States and recently came home to the Philippines for a vacation. It was the perfect timing. She asked her cousin to buy a Kindle straight from Amazon then I would just pay the cousin when she arrives.

So for only $99 -- that's roughly around PhP 4455 -- I now have over 3000 reasons to read whatever, whenever, wherever.

Say hello to ze Kindle (with a special appearance from my ballpen, my Moleskine and my pink booklight.)

And in a perfectly normal life where I name all my gadgets, Ze Kindle got a female name. Idris. I am hoping the Doctor Who fans would recognize the name. If it doesn't ring a bell, then Eleven will waggle a finger at you and say, "Shame on you. You don't know Sexy?" Yup, I think that should do it.

Ok, ok. Idris = human version of the TARDIS. TARDIS = Time And Relative Dimension In Space, the blue box that time travels, a blue police box that is bigger in the inside.

Ze Kindle is small but is bigger in the inside because it can hold over 3000 books. It's sexy because it's small and slim. I decided that it will be a girl, even if the female voice for the text-to-speech function is freakin' hi-lar-rious.

Don't get me wrong, I still love to have physical copies of the books. There are aspects of reading that the Kindle takes away, like skimming through pages, the smell of books (a huge requirement for me), knowing how far are you to the end just by estimating the thickness of the book, the feel of the pages, basically the physical relationship with a book. I bought a Kindle for the practicality of reading. I don't have to strain my wrist in holding up a heavy book because ze Kindle is very light. I don't need to carry two to three books when I take long car trips to the province because ze Kindle can hold thousands of books. I can read books before purchasing a physical copy, which cuts down the spending cost. I do not have to fuss over the glare because of the Kindle's lovely e-Ink technology, where the screen looks and feels like an actual book page. And have I mentioned, the battery can last a month? SOOOOLD.

I have only 11 books so far. I don't want to put too many because I might go crazy with the books and never finish them. But I welcome recommendations and download links. Books are books and I will try to read them all, even if it will take me forever (I'm staring at you, A Song of Fire and Ice.)

Pretty Things

2012-01-03T17:20:00.000+08:00

Over the Christmas break, I only did three things: do my homework (wow, a good student. bahahahaha), post photos and doodle. I posted the photos, and I'm not going to post my homework -- unless you want to see what my thoughts are on scholars and researchers.

Drawing people is the most difficult to do. I'm never good at drawing proportionate body parts and the hands will forever look like clover leaves.

If I buy my own baby grand piano, I want to vandalize it and color it with splashes of red.

Based the right doodle from a pattern I found online.

New Pages for the New Year

2011-12-31T12:22:00.000+08:00

It has been a full year for me. Events have been overflowing in my pail for 2011. There's work, the stressful schoolwork, the plane trips, the deadlines, and the expenses. I don't know how I was able to accomplish everything, but I did, one day at a time.

And on this last day of 2011 -- tomorrow is a brand new year -- I am thankful for this day of rest. I am savoring the last hours of silence because once the night sets, everybody will be on party mode and will light up the night sky with fireworks and firecrackers. We will end 2011 and start 2012 with a bang.

People will make resolutions, promise themselves that 2012 will be a clean slate. A year to start anew, to make better decisions, to work harder for an improved self. I will face 2012 with fresh clean pages on my notebooks.

Jace was again the crazy friend to give me a second (and third?) Christmas gift. He gave me enough notebooks to last me until the end of doodling life. I'm already more than halfway done on my second Moleskine and was planning to buy my third, when Jace came bearing two new notebooks. He also added a box of colored pencils.

For 2012, I will take more photos and doodle more. I will need all the de-stressing methods because this will be a crucial year for my career in my graduate studies. This summer I will be taking my practicum and come June, I hopefully will start on my thesis. But of course, with God's help, I will survive. War mode, on.

If some girls have their make-up kits, I have my doodling kit. I'm going to need a bigger bag to hold all my stuff. Not to mention my new Kindle which will come next week! Squeeee! Oh, I need a name for it. I have decided that it will be a "she."

I used the case of the Starbucks planner for my doodling kit.

Hello 2012. We will be partners in crime. We will both be awesome.

Trippy and Healthy

2011-12-29T11:52:00.000+08:00

Two months in a row, I visited the province twice for some food and family. Majayjay, Laguna is my Mom's hometown and we visit the ancestral home during special days (Holy Week, All Souls' Day, my great grand Aunt's birthday). We usually go there a day or two before the holiday to avoid the rush of people and the hours of traffic.

And every time we're there, we never fail to visit two places. One is Costales Farm, a farm for organic food. Everything else sold is organic, from the meat to the vegetables. The other is the Majayjay Falls or Taytay Falls because it's in the town of Taytay in Majayjay; oooor Imelda Falls, when the country was still under the Marcos reign.

November

The other shutterbug. Dad finished one roll of film in one go.

soiled veggies are buried in soil with these worms. They digest the veggies and the soil and the poop that they produce is used as fertilizer.

Cielo (my godchild) holds worms for the first time.

Off to Majayjay Falls!

A bug landed on my arm. I took a photo before swatting it away. haha

December

This time I had the cousins and aunts with us when we returned to Majayjay. It became a pre-Christmas trip for us as we did nothing but eat, travel, eat, eat, and eat.

Had some storytelling by Deanne during the long ride. I do not like green eggs and ham!

Let it be known to mankind that I want a pig for a pet.

The animals in Costales Farm are vegetarians. They don't eat commercial feeds. Whuduuup.

"Xanadu, your neon lights will shine. For you Xanaduuuuuuuu." Sorry, couldn't help it.

She's turning 99 in February! No wheelchairs, no crutches, no canes. She's stronger than ya think!

I hope y'all had a lovely Christmas! :)

18 and Vintage

2011-12-28T10:37:00.001+08:00

I think this is the first time that us cousins from the Pitargue side were in formal wear. My cousin Nikki celebrated her 18 years by having a party last December 17. On my 18th birthday, I only treated my college friends for dinner in Eastwood. When Jovel reached 18, I think the family had dinner in a mall. So yep, Nikki's debut was the first formal celebration -- roses, candles, program, buffet and all.

School rivalry also happens in the Pitargue family. Every time a cousin reaches her senior year in college, the older cousins would go all salesman and try to convince that younger cousin to study in either Ateneo or LaSalle. Last Christmas, Nikki was the center of attraction when both sides were giving their reasons why one school was better than the other.

Unfortunately for us Ateneans, Nikki joined the green side. She's now a freshman at the ~other school. We're now outnumbered in our generation. Two Ateneans, three LaSallians. Hah, but we still hold the record of having the oldest Atenean in the family. Our great grandfather was a graduate of the super duper ancient Ateneo. He graduated with a degree in Arts and Letters from the Ateneo, batch 1916. BEAT THAT! HAH!

Back to the debut. The theme for Nikki's debut was vintage. Almost everyone from the family had a role. The guy relatives (cousins, my dad and Nikki's dad) were part of the 18 roses. Jovel was one of the 18 candles. I led the prayer -- because Tita Cha said that I would be the oldest because all those part of the 18 candles were either in high school or college. (Can't I cheat my way in and say that I'm also a high school anyway? I can pass the role. haha) The other aunts and uncles were part of the 18 toasts.

Blabity-blab-blab, enough of the talk.

That afternoon, planes flew over our house. Trish said they look like the planes from "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children." Ohhh.

Jovel took this shot

Debut in a glass

My Mum and Dad

My Dad as the 2nd rose

Thirdy as the 3rd rose.

~~Bimboy~~ Valeric as the fourth rose. "Tangkad ni Nikki." HAHAHA

Nikki's sister, Bea

Jovel

Nikki's best friend, also named Nikki.

Another best friend of Nikki's, Fides.

Surprise dances from the best friends and the family

The only photo I have from my camera. With the aunt and the other cousins.

The grandmother

At least I have some photos from the photobooth. haha Photos courtesy of BaiCapture.com

Who's next in the debut line? Bea and Jam! Oh ano Jam, pasasara natin ang P. Rivera? Garden party! hahahaha

More photos in my Multiply.

My Writing Process

2011-12-13T14:13:00.000+08:00

At work and when I'm writing the worksheets (which is supposedly what is written on my job description, but I never do it because of the extra stuff I'm asked to do -- ok, that's a different issue and I digress), I am usually asked how many pages I could write in a day.

I give an indefinite answer. Some days, I can write ten pages and in some days, I can only write half a page. I roll my eyes when people think I'm lazy just because I couldn't get past one page.

Doofus, that's my writing process. You can't rush creative juices. It comes when it comes. I can work with a deadline, but the process that happens in between day one and day deadline is untouchable. Mind your own beezzzzwaxxxx.

I have my own writing process, like all writers do. They make their own as they go along in life, as they discover what works for them, what leads them to creating an output.

My day starts early. But the morning is not dedicated to work. I don't sit in front of the computer to open a Word document and write the day away. When I open the computer, I visit websites. I read. I play. I explore.

Just like all writers, I write from experience. However, what's there to write if there's no experience to start with? I think in my five years of working, I have exhausted almost all ideas I have for the thousands of pages of worksheets that I have written. The big reservoir of ideas have run out and I need to fill it up again. So now, I do it on a daily basis by surfing the internet, by reading books, and by going to school.

During the day, the sun shines on every idea. I take it all in. I start the day with an empty mind and absorb everything that I see. If I wasn't required to be in the office from 9-6 PM, I would go around the city, gathering experiences and ideas for my worksheets. I noticed that I am inspired to write when I visit different places. But I am required to keep my butt attached to the chair, so I use the internet to travel instead.

The work happens when the sun sets (unfortunately, it's the time that I have to head home and face the grueling commute). I like writing during the dead hours because it is when my surroundings are dark. It's as if the world has emptied itself into my head. My mind is alive and awake, and is brimming with things to write. It is also the time when the world is quiet and I am able to listen intently to my thoughts. Geez, sounds like I've gone mental. Hah.

If heaven permits me, my ideal writing day would be: awake by 7, get to see the world until 2 or 3 pm, then I take a break for an hour or two for a nap. It is my way of recovering from the burst of energy from the daylight. I resume around 6 to jot down outlines and ideas. The real deal starts around 8 pm until midnight or 1 AM. Oh the things that I could do and the stories I could write in those glorious hours.

This is how I write. I can work with a deadline but I require one thing: nothing disturbs me during that given time frame. One interruption sends me back to square one and it will just leave everyone frustrated (which happens every. single. year.).

So basically, I just ranted. This has been a personal post. If you find yourself reading until the last word, thank you for reading. You deserve another doodle from my Moleskine. Here's a random flowery design:

P.S. Maybe I will write another entry about my writing process. I have another issue in mind. Will save that for another entry. Ranting is not my thaanng.

Sayin' "What's up?" to my cup

2011-12-10T15:55:00.001+08:00

I did it again. During the pre-planning session we did in the office, I kept myself awake and sane by doodling on paper cups. Corporate planning is not really my thing. So while the rest were talking about market value, percentages and targets, I was busy filling my officemates' paper cups with doodles.

The only problem I have with doodling on paper cups is that you can't keep them. Who would even want to keep used paper cups with coffee stains in them? I took a video of the cups using my phone for documentation purposes, and chose the perfect song for it. Thank you, Glee.

You're the only thing, I wanna put them in
my cup, my cup
Sayin' "What's Up?"
to my cup (AHHHH!)
Sayin' "What's Up?"
to my cup

happiness in a fizzy drink

2011-12-06T09:58:00.001+08:00

Thanks to the new Coca-cola campaign of "Where will Happiness Strike Next?" it has been flooding homes and computer tables with Coca-cola tears. Thank you Coke for remembering the hardworking Filipinos abroad. I do wish that our country would provide the right jobs and pay them with the right salary so that they won't have to go looking for support from other countries.

Happiness indeed.

(Also seen on Tumblr.)

50 Reasons Not to Date a Photographer

2011-12-01T10:25:00.001+08:00

I saw this on Tumblr and I found it hilarious. I could relate to some of the points on it. Do they apply to you as well?

1. They rather hold their bulky camera, than hold hands with you. (Wouldn't it be more romantic if they'd hold the bulky camera in one hand and your hand in the other? Cheeseeee.)
2. On a romantic date, you’ll watch the sun go down and think “Wow this is gorgeous” and they’ll go “mirror lock, tripod, and stop down f/8 at 1/125.” (Oh god, every time I see a sunset or a splash of colors in the sky, I always analyze what settings I'll use.)
3. You’ll never be able to enjoy tv, movies, or magazines because they’ll point out all the visual flaws. (I don't do this. The Badong student in me takes over instead.)
4. They like to sit in obscure coffee shop and voyeuristically watch people for great lengths of time.
5. If you’re taking a walk outside and you come across some “interesting light” they will make you sit/stand/pose in public so that they can take a photo. (EL-OH-EL.)
6. You’ll never get to enjoy freshly cooked meals because they’ll spend 15 minutes taking 20 variations of the same dish with their iPhone. (You're safe with me, I don't own an iPhone. Too bad for you if I have my camera with me though.)
7. They get angry when your friends go up to them and say “I am interested in photography, can you recommend a good camera for me? Nothing professional I just want to take pretty pictures.” (Oh just get a point and shoot, gddarnit. You can still take pretty pictures with any camera. And oh, it's photos not pictures. /snob)
8. You’ll wait longer for them to finish analyzing art in a museum than you’ll wait at the dmv
9. Same goes with old used bookstores.
10. When you think they’re giving you their undivided attention, they’re really wondering how they could fix you with a little Clone Tool and Patch Tool. (hah. I don't edit people's faces. I want them as natural as possible.)
11. Or they are actually using you to not look so creepy as they people watch everything going on around you. (Stalkerrrr. Hey, that ain't me.)
12. They rather drop $1,000+ on new glass than a purse for you.
13. You can’t take a photo with them without taking at least five more. (Me. So much. But when I get that one shot, I'm all good already.)
14. If you ask them if you look fat, they’ll say “don’t worry I can photoshop you later.” (or ask you to shift poses to get the best angle. That's better, right?)
15. They’ll never photoshop something simple for you if the content is not up to their “standards.”
16. That photo they randomly took of you yesterday? Good luck getting them to send it to you. (ehe. I still have tons to send to friends.)
17. They spend all their time on the computer (and not for porn.) (sift, choose, sort, a folder for edited photos, edit and tag photos, a folder for resized photos before posting them online. hah.)
18. They can’t have a normal conversation with throwing acronyms and random numbers.
19. They still use film cameras. (Yes!)
20. They spend a lot of time with people cooler than you i.e. models, actors, musicians, successful rich people. (of course not, all of you are cool!)
21. They’ll be fussy over the position of a common household object, like a coffee cup. (gotta get a good position!)
22. They won’t return your calls or text messages, but you can bet they’re still posting pics on Instagram. (Again, no iPhone for me.)
23. They like watching old films that you’ve never heard or will ever understand. (Not the shutterbug in me talking, but the Badong student.)
24. They like looking at weird things in general.
25. Instead of having penis-envy, they have camera-gear-envy. (I want that lens. I want that camera. I want that tripod. I want that camera bag. I want that accessories. I want, I want, I want.)
26. If there’s a natural disaster in a far away land, they’re already on a plane going over there.
27. Everything is watermarked. (Fishy siggy!)
28. They think everyone else’s photos suck. (of course not.)
29. They want to color correct a lot of scenes from Twilight and Jersey Shore. (HAHAHAHA. Haven't tried this yet.)
30. They hate rainbows, especially ones spinning in a circle. (Heeey I like those!)
31. Whenever you’re in a group talking and the conversation goes deep, they’re taking notes in some form of Moleskine.
32. They use over priced Moleskine notebooks. (dooorootdoooo. But those are for my doodles.)
33. They like trespassing into old abandoned buildings filled with health hazards. (They make good photographs, I swear.)
34. They always want to show a new photo they took, but don’t really care if you like it or not. (That's what this blog is for!)
35. They hate your n00bie friend’s new artsy profile picture.
36. Bright, sunny days make them sad, but cloudy, overcast days are apparently great! (But, but, but I like natural light!)
37. They’ll take you into places that have “culture” as well a high chance of getting mugged. (Hello, Quiapo?)
38. Your birthday present will be a portrait that they’ve taken of you. (Gave a set to my parents for their anniversary. heh.)
39. You can’t go anywhere new without them stopping to take a photo of everything and anything.
40. They will always bug you to be a test subject.
41. Nothing can ever be naturally pretty, everything must be fixed in Photoshop. (The only thing I edit in Photoshop is the lighting.)
42. Bringing their camera means, bringing 50lbs of equipment. (Oh just my camera and a zoom lens. Wait for me to get rich, I'll get to that 50lbs. But then photography blogs encourages shutterbugs to bring only one lens when walking around.)
43. If you break any of their things on accident, you’ll owe them thousands of dollars. (My regular threat when my cousins borrow my camera.)
44. You can’t get them a birthday/Christmas present without spending at least $500 (Hey, I can be appreciative over cheap gifts. :P )
45. They are natural hoarders, collecting and keeping piles of old newspapers, packaging, magazines, and other things that “inspire” them. (Mom calls them trash. haha)
46. They are weird and geeky.
47. They have hard drives of photos, but probably have printed 10 images. (That's why I like film cameras, you gotta have them printed.)
48. They are always secretly judging your creativity. (*shifty eyes*)
49. If you’re ever in auto mode, they laugh at you. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAH AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. NAG-DLSR KA PA.)
50. They orgasm every time they learn a new lighting technique. (Me.)

(Source)

The long bus ride

2011-11-28T11:37:00.001+08:00

November 21. It was a Monday. It was supposedly a fresh start for the week, equipped with a feeling brimming with hope and determination. It was just the beginning. Hope should last until the week draws to a close.

But the good does not always come as expected. Good was nowhere near that Monday -- well, at least for the commuting part.

The lines to the trains were three floors down. The trains were supposed to be a convenience, the fastest way to reach a certain destination. It wasn't for that Monday. The trains became a nuisance for employees and those headed South. There was a delay which no one knew the reason why. There were two ways to deal with it -- wait in line until the trains arrive and accommodate all passengers; or take another transportation, a bus, an FX or a taxi cab.

The bus became the option but it wasn't the best choice. It would wait at every possible stop to wait for passengers. The regular 40-minute train ride was extended to two hours, all because of the desire to pick up passengers and earn money for the day. Never mind the time hassle or the standing inside the moving vehicle. A movie played inside the bus was the only way to distract passengers from the passing time. If one wasn't into a suspense movie about robbers having a heated discussion with a man who was pretending to be rich, then he would notice the slower-than-a-snail pace of the traffic.

Three hours of travel. It could be cut down into an hour and forty minutes if it weren't for the delayed train and the long lines. A thirty-minute late mark on the time card served as a memory of that day where one surrendered to the day's events. Nothing could be done to reverse that unfortunate Monday.

(Also seen on Tumblr.)

DIY Planner on Hold

2011-11-26T12:03:00.001+08:00

For three years, I have been making my own planner (2009, 2010, 2011). I was about to make one for next year when Jace stopped me and told me not to push through with it. I sensed something was fishy until he told me what the fuss was all about.

I got my first Christmas gift from him -- a Starbucks planner.

For the Filipinos, November is the start of the Starbucks sticker craze. One is given a card where you have to collect a certain number of stickers in exchange for a planner. For every drink bought, a sticker was placed onto the card. I used to collect stickers then gave up on it because it was bloody expensive to collect. Imagine buying seventeen drinks (9 Christmas drinks and 8 regular drinks) almost every day just to get a planner. That's around P2300. Ouch.

Anyway, I received my planner already and I'm just waiting for December to start so I can write on it (the planner starts December of 2011). ~~I'm also collecting stickers for another planner.~~

Even with a planner already, it didn't stop me from personalizing it. What is a planner if it isn't a Yumi planner?

This is how the planner looks like when you complete the sticker card.

Photo courtesy of @badskin on Tumblr, who also got her planner last week.

I took out my markers and drew a Starbucks cup on the cover. I'm a bit addicted to the Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha, even if the Cranberry is just syrup squeezed on top of the whipped cream. It just made the White Chocolate Mocha look fancy and Christmas-y.

Then, using the poster paint, I added colors to the doodled cup.

Wah-lah! No more brown and plain cover!

Also seen on Tumblr.

P.S. I promised Ariaxami that I'll post a photo of my study table. All except for one are prints from my Holga camera. It's my rainbow photo wall!

Spot that one photo that came all the way from Denver. It's a special photo!

Christmas cheer in a cup of coffee

2011-11-21T17:00:00.001+08:00

I went to work last Saturday. We held a workshop for parents and teachers on Singapore Math. I was in charge of taking videos. While the participants were busy taking notes or answering math word problems, I was busy doodling. Behold, the tree of squiggly lines. I found my new hobby: Doodling on paper cups.

(source)

But since I could not keep my paper cup (who would like a dirty paper cup to keep, anyway?), I redid the tree on my Moleskine.

That night, I had dinner alone at Starbucks while waiting for my parents to pick me up. It wasn't a lonely dinner because I had a book, some good music, my Moleskine and pens to keep me company.

What did you do last Saturday?

Afternoon delight is a dessert, right?

2011-11-17T09:09:00.001+08:00

I chanced upon two bugs getting it on when I took a trip to the province. I hope they didn't notice my huge-ass camera staring at them during their little buggy love making. This is the best NatGeo-ish photo I have ever taken.

Isn't nature fascinating?

Also seen on Tumblr.

No One Mourns the Wicked

2011-11-11T12:28:00.001+08:00

"And goodness knows the wicked's lives are lonely
Goodness knows, the wicked die alone
It just shows when you're wicked, you're left only on your own"
-No One Mourns the Wicked, Wicked the Musical

My Moleskine just went green.

Also seen on Tumblr.

Take a trip to Singapore

2011-11-07T11:12:00.001+08:00

"Take a trip to Singapore and imagine how I'll make the world a better place."

A check on the tick box marked "Singapore." I'm ending this Singapore recap with a video of our five-day stay there. It's a compilation of the videos I took from all the walking that we did. The song I used is by Corrinne May, entitled "Little Superhero Girl." She's one of my favorite singers and coincidentally, she's a Singaporean.

Lyrics here.

P.S. Adobe Premier is love. I need to tinker with it more and feel like I'm a big shot video editor. hahah

A Very Singaporean Week: Botanic Gardens and Asian Civilization Museum (part 3)

2011-11-05T22:21:00.000+08:00

On to the last part of my Singapore photos. But it's definitely not the last entry about it!

October 14

It was a whole day of workshop and training at the Canossa Convent Primary School. We observed another class, this time at the lower level. We saw how teachers use discussion and questioning to challenge the student's critical thinking skills. The rest of the day was spent challenging my brain in answering math problems using visualization through boxes -- the Singaporean way. Singapore Math isn't really invented by Singapore nor that it actually exists. The method has been around since the time of Euclid, but it was only the Singaporeans who incorporated the systematic way of teaching in their math curriculum.

We were given a booklet of word problems to solve. I knew how to solve it algebraically, but we had to solve it without using x or y. It killed my brain. haha

We finished 5pm and planned to go to the Asian Civilization Museum after an early dinner. However, on the way home to drop our things, the train from Aljunied to Kallang broke down and we were stuck in the middle of those two stations. The train stood still for around 15 minutes. I observed that Singaporeans were not used to delays because they kept on making impatient grunts. It was nothing to me, T. Beth and Adi, because we are already used to train delays in the Philippines. After waiting for so long, the train finally moved but in slow jerks, as if someone was pulling the train, one step at a time. We decided to get down at Kallang and take the bus home.

With the train delay, we had to kiss goodbye to the museum. But we didn't end the day disappointed because we had a yummy dinner. *sing song* Chicken riiiiiiice!

October 15

Ann advised us not to take a bath in the morning because she said we would sweat it out for the last trip for the day before heading home. We took the train for a morning walk at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It was the last stretch of our walking trip. We also had our breakfast there.

The Singapore Botanic Garden is the place for sporty people, music enthusiasts, and nature and animal lovers. My favorite part was the orchid garden where I took a lot of photos of pretty orchids.

I found my family! Haha Oh Taiji I miss you so much.

SQUIRREL!

This is the first time that I'm seeing a Venus Fly Trap up close.

We saw this sign after feeding the swans and the turtles. Oops.

Since we still had time, we went to the place that we missed out the night before. It was a blessing that we weren't able to go to the Asian Civilization Museum because on that morning that we finally went, we found out that it was an Open House. We were able to get in for free! I love going to museum and this trip is special because I got to see the terra cotta soldiers from China. One epic piece of history right before my eyes.

Famous celebrities stay here when they visit Singapore

Even terra cotta soldiers listen to music

Or update their Twitter status. :))

Photo on right: Adi said it's the Taiji Terra Cotta. haha

Everything was done quickly after our visit to the museum: a quick lunch in an Indian restaurant (onion prata for the win), a quick shower, quick packing, quick shot with Ann before saying our goodbyes (tear). But it wasn't a quick trip to the airport. On the way there, we got stuck in traffic because of an accident on the highway. Uncle (the taxi man who drove us to the airport) was so worried that we would miss our flight. We hurriedly dragged our bags to the counter as soon as we got to the airport, only to find out that our flight was delayed for two hours. Tatatadah. We maximized our waiting time by eating dinner in the airport, as well as do last minute shopping. Hello two new books!

We arrived in Manila around 9:30 PM. As soon I got home, I was dead tired. I had only enough energy to change into my sleep clothes before going to dreamland.

- More photos in my Multiply.
- Entry on Sentosa.
- Entry on Chinatown and Marina Bay
- Moleskine entry: Doodling Singapore

A Very Singaporean Week: Chinatown and Marina Bay (part 2)

2011-11-02T17:14:00.000+08:00

Second part of the Singapore trip! Thank God for the long weekend (yay for holidays!) and I was able to finish fixing all of my photos. I'll be able to post all entries before the week ends. Woohooo!

October 13

We woke up early to have our first official trip to Cannosa Convent Primary School. It was only a half-day event which consisted of a Primary 4 class observation and a short talk about the Singapore Math curriculum. I didn't bring my camera because I wasn't sure if cameras were allowed (apparently, they were). We brought a digicam, but Adi mostly took videos of the class session.

We met up with Ann for lunch and ate at this Swiss restaurant Marche. I like the set-up because the place is divided into the different meal courses. One section is for the appetizer, one section is for the salads, one section is for the beverages, one section is for the soups, one section is for the franks and another for the pasta. You are given a card upon entry and that card is swiped for every meal you get. It's tempting to keep on ordering but then you gotta refrain yourself from swiping the card too much because it'll reflect on your bill when you exit. We ordered the express lunch which is a combo of a main dish and a beverage for SG$10. The food is really expensive.

We returned to Chinatown, (we had our October 12 dinner there, as well as shop) to buy pasalubong. You can't take the Filipino culture out of us. For every place a Filipino visits, he always thinks of stuff to buy from that place to give to friends and family. It doesn't matter how small it is, as long as it's something. Another reason for coming back to Chinatown was the architecture. I love the designs of the buildings in the place -- uniform but unique. It was pretty seeing the lanterns at night, and the facade of the buildings in daytime.

When the sun was about to set, we finally called it a day in Chinatown and headed to the last stop of the day: Marina Bay. We were supposed to take the Clarke Quay cruise, but because we spent the whole afternoon shopping, we missed the last cruise time. hahaha I guess we had more time to explore Marina Bay.

Marina Bay is spectacular at night. Once the sun set (it was still a bit bright at 7 pm!!) the lights from the surrounding buildings shone like stars. It was breathtaking. For an hour, we just wandered by the bay area. We stopped to rest our feet and to watch the lights and sounds show.

Taken with my phone. My phone has a panoramic shot!

We had an expensive dinner because we were tired to think of our budget. We had saved a lot from the past days so we had money left to splurge. We had a SG$70-dinner consisting of a huge burger, a club sandwich, a plate of chili fries, two bowls of soup, a pot of tea and two glasses of soda. We also saw the theater were Lion King was being currently staged. Oh we wished we had more money to watch it. If only Wicked were showing already in Singapore, we would've spent for it too. (Oh hello random floating Louis Vuitton store in this next batch of photos. Took a picture of it while waiting for the lights and sounds.)

We lost our way to the viewing deck of the Marina Bay Sands because we couldn't find the darn entrance to the building. We maximized our stay at the top, until it closed at 10 PM. The night wasn't the end for us because T. Beth wanted to go to the Helix Bridge, which meant more walking. Ohehey. Good thing the Bus stop was at the other side of the bridge. We got home around 11:30 PM and conked out as soon as we got out of the shower. Damn that was a lot of walking.

- More photos in my Multiply.
- Entry on Sentosa.
- Moleskine entry: Doodling Singapore

A Very Singaporean Week: Sentosa (part 1)

2011-10-31T22:20:00.001+08:00

Thank God for the long weekend and I was finally able to sort my Singapore photos. I'm not done yet, I still have around a hundred more to tag. The whole day was spent on uploading the first batch. *wipes brow*

October 11

It was a whole day of traveling. I was already on the road in the morning, a long drive from the house to the airport. I live in the north of QC and the airport is in the south. I joined the morning rush hour along EDSA, hoping that I make it right on time. I wished too hard because I was the first one at the airport. Had lunch with the officemates before boarding the plane. It was approximately a three-hour trip to the land of Singapore and boy, were we egg-sight-ted.

Adi and T. Beth entertaining themselves with books and tv shows on the way to Singapore

We stayed at Ann's place, who was super kind to let us stay and bother her and her husband for a week. Such lovely people. After settling down, we had our first commute, took the train a station away to Newton, where we had dinner at Newton Circus.

Newton Circus is like a festival of food. There are a lot of cuisines to choose from. It's definitely a circus because there are people who would try to get your attention, hoping that you'd buy from their stall. They have designated people roaming around the place and once they spot a person looking for a table, they'll find you one while shoving a menu in your hands. "Come, one and all! Have a taste at the most flavorful crabs! Come in! Come in! Taste our food!" Something to that effect. It's crazy, but amusing.

Oh, we also checked out Orchard Road, which had malls one after the other. Saw the famous Lucky Plaza where Filipinos would usually gather during their days off, or buy Filipino food if you're getting homesick.

Of course we had to visit at least one bookstore. Booknerds unite!

October 12

We had no official appointments yet on the second day. Basically, we were left with a whole day to frolic and learn about the Singaporean culture, or better yet, a day to have fun. Since Sentosa was a huge (but mini) island -- get the irony -- we decided to spend our free day there.

Sentosa is one of the tourist spots that Singapore is proud of. We went there on our second day and spent the whole day roaming around the whole place. Each attraction had a fee, so we had to choose wisely on which to pick. We decided on three: the cable car, the Merlion tour and the Images of Singapore. We had good choices because the cable car gave us an areal view of part of Singapore, the Merlion tour was an overview of how the Merlion became Singapore's symbol and the Images of Singapore gave us a walkabout on the country's history. (oh, and it was also nearing Halloween so skeletons were scattered around the area.)

The financial district

The Universal Studios Singapore is another famous attraction but because we weren't that keen on rides and we were also thinking of our budget for the next days, we decided on just having our picture taken at the Universal Globe. haha

We also took a quick trip to the beaches in Sentosa, specifically the Palawan Beach. It's a man-made beach and is supposedly patterned to the beaches of Palawan, Philippines. Can I just say that Singapore's Palawan beach is FAR from our beautiful beaches? When we set foot, I was all, "YAN NA YON?" Hahaha, sorry Singapore. I love you, but our beaches are hell lotta better than yours. I did like the hanging bridge and the cockatoos though.

Ladies and gents, that is the Palawan beach of Singapore. Srsly. That's a beach. *rolls eyes*

More photos at my Multiply. I hope to post the next parts tomorrow. If not, there's still the weekend. :)

Hallow's Eve

2011-10-27T14:59:00.003+08:00

I'm too early to celebrate Hallow's eve, but I won't be able to have access to a scanner or I might not even be online to greet all of you. So from my Moleskine to you, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Have a lovely time spooking each other out. Share your candies, ok?

- Also seen on my Tumblr

three rolls of film

2011-10-24T17:54:00.000+08:00

Finally got my film rolls developed this morning. Glad that my Holga photos turned out well, especially my double exposure shots. Because of that, I have concluded that I will forever use my lomo cam for double exposure and light trails.

I tried out a new photo shop for the developing. I'm sticking with that branch because they gave me a scans of my photos on a CD, as well as three rolls of film. All for free. Yay!

University of the Philippines

My Mum and Dad!

Twin Davids? (David Archuleta in Manila, July 18)

The sea of fans at Araneta during David's concert

Cinemalaya 2011 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines

Universal Studios Singapore

Cable Car, Sentosa, Singapore

Eden Park, Davao

Also seen on my Flickr.

Doodling Singapore

2011-10-20T18:09:00.002+08:00

Minor mistake. 1 Singapore Dollar = 34 Pesos and not the other way around. heh.

Doodling from Singapore

2011-10-18T21:47:00.002+08:00

Hello! I just came from Singapore for a school visit and a workshop on Math. Yes, yah heard right -- Math. Some of you might be familiar with my work as an English writer. So what the hell am I doing in Singapore to observe how students learn math?

I don't have an answer. Even I am baffled. Anyway, I'm not complaining because I have a fondness for the subject and I always enjoy learning something new (even if my brain was challenged with all the math problems during the workshop.)

I do have a lot of photos to share. I also brought along my Moleskine so that I have something to doodle. For now, I'll post a teaser because I have to finish my school work first -- gah, a 15-page paper, 3 lesson plans, 3 teaching sessions and reflection papers -- before I could spend a whole day sifting through my photos and organize them for blogging.

Here's what I have for now. See y'all soon!

not too soon, not too late

2011-10-06T14:29:00.003+08:00

Oh look, I discovered Adobe Premier! Apparently, it has been waiting for me all this time, longing for that day that I discover it and use it for video editing. It finally happened yesterday, when I was wandering in the program files folders of my laptop. Why was I even suffering with Windows Movie Maker when I had Adobe Premier all along?

This is my first try with the program. I still have to explore its features and see what it can do. For now, I just put together clips of videos of my Moleskine Wimbledon project, taken with my phone. I squealed with delight when I found out that you can edit videos just like you would edit photos in Photoshop. Here's what I made with 30 minutes of tinkering with a "new" program.

Images of Powerless

2011-09-28T13:18:00.001+08:00

According to the weather station, around 20 storms hit the Philippines. Yesterday was storm #16 (if I'm not mistaken). The office advised us to stay home and meet our deadlines. My afternoon class was cancelled which means I had all the liberty to do my work and my homework.

Then power was cut off.

My dad was able to provide internet and power for a whole two good hours, but we had to give priority to the television and the news. I just went online to submit my deadlines (and harvest my crops over at Zombie Lane on Google+ -- be my neighbor!), then I handed over the extension cords to mom. I have an awesome Dad because he made an inverter that converts car battery power to electricity.

With no power, no internet and nothing else to do, I found another battery powered gadget and put it to use.

Cue in the song "Blackout" from the musical In The Heights and let's start the camera clickin'.

Reading in the dark with my booklight

Tried studying with my other booklight, but it didn't work. I fell asleep in an instant.

Our battery-powered radio had a TV channel. So we were all huddled by candlelight by the radio as we listened to the evening shows. We went back to the 80s-90s habit of listening to radio dramas. haha It was a fun set-up.

Little critters joined me in bed and snuggled under the covers. Yeah, I was that bored, I drew on my toenails.

Droplets from the corner of our roof

The candle on the floor cast a wonderful canvas for a shadow play on the ceiling.

The storm is about to leave the country and we're expecting another one on Friday. Stay prepared and safe people.

Dashing Davao

2011-09-21T00:21:00.003+08:00

This has to be the grandest and farthest field trip that I have experienced in all of my schooling experience. Forget the buses because me and 20 of my classmates boarded a plane and traveled to the south of the Philippines, to the land of durian and suha -- DAVAO!

For two nights and two days, we stayed in Davao for class requirement to observe public schools and various DepEd programs. My respect for dedicated public school teachers shot out of this planet. With a minimal salary and allowance, they are able to go from one town to another just to make sure that the students of Davao get the education that they need. If you think teaching is an easy course and job, then you can all feed yourselves to crocodiles. Maaaan, teachers are my heroes.

I'm sure that all the hard work and sacrifices pay off when the teacher sees the smiles of your students. Nothing beats the sight of your students getting the lesson and making a connection from what you are saying to their actual lives.

Besides the school hopping, we were also given free time to check out the city. Besides buying pasalubong for our relatives back in Manila, we visited two tourist spots: Davao Crocodile Farm and Eden Nature Park. Sights to see and experience!

Tribu K' Mindanawan at the Davao Crocodile Farm

Davao Crocodile Farm - yep there were other animals in the farm besides crocodiles

Eden Nature Park

OH HEY ATENEO!

I did not experience any kind of traffic in Davao City.

Flight back home to Manila

The trip to Davao was a wonderful experience. I also met up with relatives from the father's side who are residing there, and spent two dinners with them. It was nice seeing someone familiar in an unknown land. I am in love with the place, even if I lost to eating durian. It's like Manila, but a million times better in terms of trash management, traffic and road congestion. In my two-night and two-day stay there, I only saw 3 buses; where in Manila, I can spot 30 buses with just a blink of an eye. haha I think I can give up living in Manila with a life in Davao, except that I first need to learn the Bisaya language and learn to love that darn durian fruit.

More photos in my Multiply.

The Card Project

2011-09-14T10:38:00.000+08:00

Last week, I got tweets from my lovely ladies, telling me that they my cards have landed on their doorstep. It was a go-signal for me to finally write this entry about my card project.

I like sending mail -- the slow kind. In this fast-paced era, letters are easily sent through e-mail. With just one click, you can communicate with the person halfway around the world. With this technology, it seems that other people are just beside you and anything digital can be exchanged back and forth. Letters, images, videos -- name anything digital and you can have it in a jiffy. All you need is a trusty internet connection and a computer unit.

When email was invented, getting one was like opening a birthday present. I remember being greatly overjoyed if I received an email. My friend Regi and I even promised to regularly send email to each other, recalling the events that happened on that day. Email for us became our first online journaling. I'd read every chain mail sent and religiously forward them to people. I collected email addresses from every person I knew and sorted them by affiliation (school, family, friends, online friends, church friends).

Now, I ignore and delete forwarded email. Yahoogroups are now a thing of the past. Recounting daily events are now transferred to online journals. Building your network happens on social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

It is just fitting to go back to basics -- the joy of sending and receiving snail mail.

I took a weekday off from my usual schoolwork to making specialized cards for four of my friends. The theme for the card project is "Interests," something that tickles their happy mood.

Ian

Ian is one of the awesome photographers I know. She also loves her cameras. If I am not mistaken, she has an Canon DSLR and three film cameras (Flexaret, Lomo LC-A, and an SLR). Once in a while, she'd give me pointers on how to take photos. She knows all about the different kinds of film and the different kinds of processing them. She was also the reason why I bought my own Lomo camera. I'll get a Mini Diana and a Fisheye and a Supersampler and and and... soon. I have to overuse my Holga first.

One of Ian's film cameras.

Getting the idea from an image on Tumblr, I created a camera postcard for Ian using texturized paper. I did cut outs from magazines and wrapping paper and put them together to form a camera.

I used a black marker to outline the camera and make it recognizable. I don't know yet if Ian has received the card or if it arrived at her place. haha

Kel

I think Kel moved places already because my letter was returned to me by the post office. She used to stay in a dorm while studying to become a doctor. Now that she graduated and is now doing her doctorly duties, I have a feeling that she chose another place to stay. I must tweet her and ask for a new address.

If I were to relate Kelly to something, I would pick four ideas: Starkid, Harry Potter, the color purple and being a doctor. Those four things are the topics that we usually talk about in our letters. I chose the doctor theme for her card since that's her profession and she's really doing a darn good job at it. She has bragging rights to be one, now that she was able to pull a bullet out of a patient!

Alex

It's my first time to send something to Alex, who lives on the other side of the Earth. Alex loves them Asians, especially the people who are part of WongFu Productions (check them out, they make awesome online films) and 2PM (a K-pop group). She also loves Harry Potter (she recently got into Starkid... yay!), the Jonas Brothers and the one that brought us an internet friendship, Josh Groban.

I fail at doing people cutouts so creating a card about 2PM, WongFu, Jonas Bros and Josh is out. That leaves me with Harry Potter. We were in the middle of the Pottermore craze (we were all waiting for our welcome letters at that time) so it was fitting to send my own Pottermore welcome letter.

The front flap of the card was patterned to the Quill Challenge. Pottermore allotted seven days for the fans to register to the site. Each day had a Harry Potter trivia question that had to be solved and the answer would lead you to a website. On that website, a white quill on a pinkish background must be spotted which would allow you to finally register your email to give you beta access to Pottermore. I did a cutout of the quill, painted it to look like the quill on Pottermore and made it pop out on the card using paper "elevators."

Once opened, an envelope with a Hogwarts seal is seen. My letter to Alex is inside it. Everything is handmade, including the Hogwarts crest. I just drew shapes for the animals because the details on the crest would take me forever to finish. I sent my card via the slowest owl ever because Alex received the card weeks after she got her official Pottermore welcome email. She was sorted to Slytherin while I was thrown to Hufflepuff.

Again, what the hell is a Hufflepuff?

Ariaxami

I think I went overboard with M's card, as I attempted to make a pop-out card for her.

M has a lot of interests. If you look at her Tumblr page, she listed her likes and interests.

I ♥ pretty things, beautiful homes, breathtaking views, Harry Potter, Darren Criss, Glee, Josh Groban, jewelry, NCIS Los Angeles, Criminal Minds, Bones, Doctor Who, and more.

For her pop-out card, I chose "beautiful homes," "breathtaking views" and "more." "More" meaning her new Lumix camera and Starbucks. A doesn't pass for M without getting an iced full leaf tea from Starbucks. She does love her iced tea and her Starbucks very much.

I'm not sure if my backyard is can be categorized under "breathtaking view," but I used on of the prints from my SLR shots for the front of the card. I cut it up in pieces and formed them back again like a puzzle.

Pop! Goes the weasel. A cut out three things appear when the card is opened. She recently bought a camera, just in time for her Josh Groban concert experience. She's satisfied with it because she was able to take awesome close-up shots and HD videos -- which I have yet to see. The frame on the far left is supposed to be a photo of the house exteriors that she loves to post on Tumblr. Aaaand of course, the Venti Starbucks cup of her favorite drink.

I made her card a little bit interactive. I placed a cup of straws on the left side of the card, with one loose strip for M to take and place it in the slot where the straw is supposed to go. I also wrote short instructions.

It was fun making the cards. Mailing cards is really a heart-felt experience, knowing that so much work was put to it before the other person gets it and reads it. Besides the card-making and thinking of materials and themes, there's the act of traveling to a post office, pasting the stamps, and putting the envelope in the right slot. The card is entrusted to another set of people, who would properly sort them in the bins (foreign or local, to which continent) then another set of people who would load it in the airplane to be sent to their respective places. It will then be again sorted before deploying the mailmen to the areas to deliver the mail. It becomes a collective effort by so many people just to send one single card. It's fascinating.

Drown in books: The Manila International Book Fair

2011-09-13T14:17:00.002+08:00

If you're one of those people who'd go crazy at the sight of a room-full of books, then join me and lose our sanity at the 32nd Manila International Book Fair. It'll formally open tomorrow. So grab your wallets (make sure it has money in it. And I mean A LOT.) and visit Halls 1 to 4 of the SMX Convention Center. The book fair will be open to all book fanboys and girls from September 14 to 18, from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

If you haven't experienced the craze of a book fair, let me give you a little preview:

1. Easy commute: Take the MRT to Taft Station (You don't have to panic whether you missed your stop or what. It's the last station on the south bound lane). Once you get out of the turnstiles, go down the stairs to where all the jeeps are. Ride the jeep that has the MOA signboard on it. Again, no need to panic because there are a gazillion MOA jeeps at the Taft Station.
2. Entrance fee: Some of the exhibitors give away free entrance passes to some people, who in turn, pass those tickets to friends. If you don't have the connections and a free pass doesn't land on your greedy hands, don't fret. The entrance fee is only P20 and gives you access to ALL of the exhibitors.
3. Once you get in, don't go all flaily right away. Plan your strategy.There will be over a hundred exhibitors who would want to sell their books. You can check out every booth, starting from the leftmost part of the convention center, moving slowly to the right. There are food stalls in the middle so there's no need to crawl in hunger when you're tired from walking around.
4. You can also go straight to the companies that you are already familiar with or know the books that they sell. For example, I always go straight to OMF Literature and check if they have new books for children.
5. Oh, wear comfortable shoes. You're gonna do a lot of walking.
6. Check out events. Some publishers have small events in their stalls. OMF Literature has a daily story telling for the children and a book signing by the author of the featured book for the day. The other booths have talks on education, on writing, on publishing, etc. Last year, I got to meet Grace Chong and Tito Dok, two children's writers whose books are published by Hiyas (OMF Lit).
7. If you are a school administrator, the MIBF has also booths that sell educational materials such as electronic books (hellloooooo Kindle), overhead projectors, smart boards, etc.
8. Discounted prices. The lovely part of this book fair is that all the books and equipment sold are discounted. They're cheaper than the original prices that we see in bookstores around the Metro.

And because I am an OMF Lit kid (my godmother used to work for OMF Lit and my Christmas gifts from her were all books), I shall promote their booth. Visit their booth at Aisle D. If you are a mother or a lover of children's books like me, I'm sure they will have another puppet show and story telling for the kids. Last year, I wanted to take Teo home. hahahahaah

For more information on the Manila International Book Fair, visit this link: http://www.manilabookfair.com/. My friend Jace also wrote about it in his blog. He listed down the events that will happen during the book fair. Check it out.

I hope to see you all there! Here's to book lovers!

My Kind of Perfect

2011-08-30T14:57:00.002+08:00

I will bend the rules for a bit and make this an off-topic post. Roni posted a list of her "Favorite Kinds of Men" on her blog and it was oh-so-spot-on and oh-so-hilarious. I was inspired to make my own post.

To use David Archuleta's song title, here are "My Kinds of Perfect."

The Bullheaded

Roni would call it "Rebels without a cause." They're the kind of guys who'd get a scolding from their mothers, waggling their fingers and saying "Watch that attitude, young man." Their stubbornness is a challenge for me. Either you match it or find a way to crack it.

My kind of bullheads: Draco Malfoy, Patrick Verona (10 Things I Hate About You), John Bender (Breakfast Club), Cal Lightman (Lie To Me)

Warriors

They're like the bullheaded guys but with an added feature: their badass fighting skills. The action adds to the muscles on the right parts of their bodies. Say hello to man boobs. Can I touch iiiiiiit? I like guys who are skilled in self-defense. It means they can take care of themselves and can defend anyone in harm's way. Wouldn't you like a guy who'd take ten goons in just three or four moves without any effort?

My Kind of Warriors: Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Khal Drogo (Game of Thrones)

Fit for Royalty

If I had a British or a Scottish boyfriend, I'd keep him talking. All. The. Damn. Time. I have no other explanation for this.

My kind of Royalty: David Tennant (Doctor Who), Lee Mead (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Tom Ellis (Miranda), wait... just make it all of the British guys.

Clumsy Geeks

They could be the guys with the thick rimmed glasses (note: NOT HIPSTERS) whose nose is buried in a book 24/7, the guys who'd ogle at a painting in a museum, the guys who would be fascinated by anything and everything, the guys who'd squeak and hide if you kiss them. You know that there's something great hiding underneath all the geekiness and dorkiness.

My kind of clumsy: Neville Longbottom (Harry Potter), Chekov (Star Trek), Kyle (Kyle XY), Greg Sanders, (CSI), Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds), Eli Loker (Lie To Me - but Eli has a bit of an attitude too)

The Golden Voice

Who wouldn't like a guy who would serenade you? I have this dream that when I get married, I want my husband-to-be to sing his wedding vows. Singing makes speech a million times more romantic. Add to that the facial expressions that he'll do while singing. Oh, and the stares too. See me melt in a puddle of love goo.

My kind of Golden: Josh Groban, Darren Criss (Glee/A Very Potter Musical), Lee Mead (Wicked), Kyle Riabko (Spring Awakening/90210), Aaron Tveit (Catch Me If You Can/Next to Normal)

Tousle Worthy

There's an instant pogi point when I guy has curly hair. I'd love to tangle my fingers and run them through his curls. Guys with dreads can also be part of this category, but their hair isn't as soft and springy as curls. As long as their hair isn't straight and boring, I'd put a check on it.

My kind of Tousle: Josh Groban, Darren Criss, Lee Mead, Tom Ellis (Doctor Who), Jason Castro (American Idol)

Perfection

Roni said Josh Groban would fall under this category because he'll always be on the top of any list I make. He's a dork, he has curly hair, his acting characters have an attitude, he sings like an angel, he can talk in a British accent, and I can take him home and introduce him to my mother.

However, Josh would lose the man boobs battle if he's put side by side with Khal Drogo. hahahaha Hell, he even lost the battle in Crazy, Stupid, Love. How could you compete with Ryan Gosling's ~photoshopped body?

Yup, I just had to find a good reason to insert Crazy, Stupid, Love in this post.

More lists:
- Trish (it's a Benedict Cumberbatch appreciation post. haha)
- Roni

Singapore Math Learning Festival

2011-08-25T18:19:00.001+08:00

(Click to see larger image)

Singapore Math. Boxes and brackets. Concrete-pictorial-abstract. What are these all about?

Schools in the Philippines are now adopting an effective way of teaching Mathematics to students. It was developed by the Singaporeans and they have proved its effectiveness by topping the educational charts, besting other students from USA and Europe.

With this new learning style, children are able to understand Math lessons better, lessening their fear of Math. They use boxes and brackets to solve for seemingly difficult problems. They see why they have to learn Math and see its relevance to everyday activities.

Learn how schools in the Philippines are adopting Singapore Math in their classrooms. The Galileo Enrichment Learning Program will be having the country’s first Singapore Math Learning Festival on October 8 at the AIM Conference Center, Makati City. The festival features a major talk by Dr. Queena Lee-Chua, Math professor at the Ateneo de Manila University and a multi-awarded educator; and sessions from experts and Galileo teachers. They will tackle how Singapore math is implemented in Galileo centers and schools, its benefits to a child’s learning development, how parents can be involved in this learning process, and the fun Singapore math activities that can be done inside the classroom and at home.

For more inquiries and reservations, call the head office at 845-1234 or email at events@galileoenrichment.com.

Vintage Rocks!!

2011-08-24T09:49:00.000+08:00

The vintage look is back. I think people are attracted to the innocent and the elegant look of the 20s to the 60s. Well, we didn't entirely bring back the whole vintage look -- fashion experts take inspiration from those eras and modernize it. It's a modern vintage look. Helloooo irony. But hey, I hope you get the point.

Shameless plugging. If you're looking for vintage accessories as well as clothes, then go visit Vintage Rocks. It's an online store managed by my friend Jihan. A few Saturdays back, she and the rest of the weekend photography group (that's what we call ourselves, some formal term for us shutterbugs) did a shoot at home for Vintage Rocks.

Here are a few shots.

I call this the Spring Awakening look. heh.

Make up: Ceres Barrios (facepaintsandblushes.tumblr.com)
Models: Cams delos Reyes and Edders Santiago
Other shutterbug: Jason Lim (blurredlights.wordpress.com)

Check out the rest of the collection here:

Vintage Rocks
(clickety the link!)

Sooooo if this post is moved to the next page and you need a link to the site, just look at my link bar right over there to the right of your screen and you'll see the it.

Vintage Rocks does deliveries and meet-ups. You can order them online! :)

Teaser: Card Project

2011-08-23T10:27:00.002+08:00

Last Saturday, I tweeted that I was on a card project. I'm on this mission to send mail the old school way -- aka by sending mail via post office -- to friends. I started sending letters last year, but it was only Kel who kept the letter exchange regular.

I asked for addresses again and this time I made the letter-sending extra special. Instead of writing on stationery, I decided to create my own cards. With my trusty materials in my drawer, I customized cards for four of my friends.

I can't post photos yet because I haven't mailed them. I want my friends to receive my cards first before I share with you the personalized cards. But since M has been bugging me about it over the weekend, I will show a teaser.

The local mail will probably take two weeks at the most to mail. My international cards will take a little over a month. It definitely takes long for a single message to arrive, but the thrill of receiving something in the mail other than bills is so worth the wait.

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies... again.

2011-08-18T13:15:00.002+08:00

This spot has been resurrected a lot of times and have gone through different themes. It started as a regular blog -- thoughts and college experiences jotted down without any care on who'll read it. Somewhere along the way, I moved to a different site for journal writing and left this to die. I resurrected it once again and just reposted everything I wrote on the other online journal. Then I used this spot as a platform to practice my Filipino writing skills, writing an entry in English then translating it in Filipino. That too, died eventually (I got tired of thinking of Filipino words. It was good practice though, but it was time-consuming. Try translating time-consuming, Yumi.)

I created another blog on Tumblr for my 7107-photo project. Once in a while, I'll dump whatever I posted there here on Blogspot, adding a few descriptions here and there. And when I delved into doodling on the Moleskine, I added the scans to my photo dump.

Eventually, I decided to have a "fresh" start with a new theme: Doodles and Photographs, which became the title of this blog.

Besides posting my doodles and photographs, I promise to write a paragraph or two (or more!) describing the photo post. Because of the rise of socia media and the 140-character limit, Writing has now become a dying art. I want to bring back the talkative person in me, through the use of writing, may it be in the form of long hand or typing down thoughts.

As you can see, I got rid of the clutter (aka the numerous buttons and links). I kept one stat counter to keep track of you people (I see youuuuu all), the links for the archive, and the twitter feed. I'm still thinking if I should include the chatbox. Spam links are the only ones posting, so I don't know if it's worth the blog space. Gone is the overcrowded banner, replacing it with a simple one with one image. It's an image of my Holga, which I drew on my Moleskine, then scanned for a digital copy. I also found cute icons for the other sites I'm part of.

Tumblr - 7107photos.tumblr.com
Twitter - twitter.com/bloowind
Flickr - flickr.com/photos/yumipitz (for photos taken with a DSLR) aaand flickr.com/photos/bloowind (for Film photos and doodles)
DeviantArt - yawmeepeets.deviantart.com
Multiply - yawmeepeets.multiply.com

I realized that I still use my Multiply account (even if it's considered dead already to fellow bloggers) for the unlimited photo storage. A Multiply logo isn't included in the logo pack that I downloaded. ~~If I am not able to find another set, I might resort to doodling my own icons. When... I have the time.~~ ETA: Found the time. All icons are made by me. Tatatadah, thank you procrastination.

That's it for my "hello" speech. I shall update regularly, now that I removed the unnecessary stuff.

Yay!

Revamp

2011-08-17T18:12:00.002+08:00

My blog needs a new look. Stay tuned for a cleaner and simpler layout. Hopefully I'll finish it today or on Saturday.

Signal #3

2011-08-02T15:29:00.002+08:00

Classes and work of some employees are suspended today because of the bad weather. It has caused flooding and traffic jams.

The bad weather has reached my Moleskine. Currently it is sinking in flood water. Umbrellas up!

(Watercolor, ink and colored paper)

Live from Moleskine Centre Court, it's the Wimbly finals!

2011-07-30T19:30:00.002+08:00

(aka my-Moleskine-addiction-has-gone-too-far)

We have our top seeders, A. Ivan and J. Tson, playing for the Championship Trophy.

We are in our fourth set and Tson is down two sets to one.

Tson hits a forehand winner. 40-30.

It’s an ace for Ivan!

The umpire

Product placement?

Putting color to life

2011-07-28T15:11:00.002+08:00

I have less than 20 pages left on my Moleskine. I'm enjoying all the doodling. It's helping me think.

I ride a jeepney 4 times a week. How about you?

My Moleskine has turned into a Death Eater. Scary.

I love McDo fries.

For Ami, who loves to stay in the wee hours of the night to go online.

Yeah, I tried drawing Josh Groban.

Lyrics from Michael Buble's "Everything."

Doctor "Who"

My daily ride

moleskine

2011-06-02T10:54:00.003+08:00

I can't draw, but I can doodle. M gave me a Moleskine as a post-Christmas gift and I promised her that I'll put the notebook to good use.

Here are some doodles that I've made.

We're watching the David Archuleta concert in July!

Oh this was made by Chikai. :)

The view outside my office window.

first couple

2011-05-21T23:27:00.002+08:00

Block E 2006 has its first engaged couple. Congratulations to Jihan and RJ!

crossing international borders

2011-04-05T15:17:00.002+08:00

This is created by the wonderful fyeahjoshgroban team, for Warner Bros' promo.

Best part of all the effort put into the video was the fact that Josh Groban saw the video and retweeted it.

BRB pausing life to flail and go crazy.

holga helga

2011-01-23T01:49:00.002+08:00

Big girls like me are entitled to have new toys.

Say hello to my new Holga, Helga.

In the loony bin

2011-01-12T15:38:00.003+08:00

(note: fixed the links because I got a notice that my photobucket bandwidth has exceeded. Uhhh, that photobucket account is nearly empty so I don't know how it photobucket would give up. :P Sooo, please don't hotlink the photos. You can save the photos for yourselves, just host them on your own photosharing sites. Thanskiiies!)

Ok, gather round. It's story time.

(The actual photo is here.)

(Click for the messages from Sarah)

I am officially nuts. Thank you Josh Groban.

i-can't-afford-a-starbucks-planner year 3

2010-11-12T11:12:00.002+08:00

It's that time of the year again where Filipinos are scrambling to Starbucks to collect stickers. 18 stickers for a Starbucks planner. As much as I love their new Christmas drink, it's too expensive and I don't want to go bankrupt just to get a planner.

Anyway, I stopped killing my wallet three years ago. This is my third year of making my own yearly planner.

Say hello to my cluttered desk because it's time to go artsy.

Step 1: Collect paper and cut them into the desired size. I went lengthwise on my 2011 planner. Who needs scissors if you can rip em with my good ol' hands and fingers?

Step 2: Separate the pages into months by inserting colored paper. Cut one edge of the paper (of each month). Tatatadah, a colorful year.

Step 3: Mark each month and date by manually writing 'em down. Bring out those water color, pencils and crayons. Art attack!

Step 4: Use an old folder for the cover. Reuse and recycle. Oh mother nature will be proud of me.

Step 5: Cut strips of white cardboard. Fold the sides and stick them to the inside flap of the cover to make business card sleeves.

Step 6: Personalize. Get a visitor from nature to check your work. Mine was a weird-looking bug from somewhere.

Step 7: From the excess cardboard from the folder, create a pen holder. Rummage through your mother's sewing kit and look for garter. Stick it to the cover of the planner.

Step 8: Visit your favorite ring binding store and bind the pages together. I went to UP Shopping Center for my binding needs.

Step 9: Attach an elastic to serve as a latch or some sort of err... elastic that goes around the planner.

Step 10: It is always a requirement to take a photo of the finished product. Show off your so-called artistic skills.

let me out of this dream

2010-10-13T19:17:00.003+08:00

Interrupting everything with a 5-photo spam of the Glam tour.

Here's my review:

KAJSFHAPSEIRUYPQ ADFHPURH!! ADUFHA8ALDJFA? ADFA8EFA??!?!!? A987AV07CVPZCNLZNDPOIWERURYTPAERA... ADJFHAEIURPQIEURAPIFUA1!!!!! AUFHAPDIZCJN ZLCJBVLJD AOFHAPUDHFA DPIHPODHAPEURAPJA;KJA;DJFHAIERPAIRPAH!

Yeah. That explains a lot.

Chikai and I

BENCHES REUNITE AGAIN! Trish, Chikai, me and Tia

There was a glorious pause in the middle of the song. Soaked is now the shiznit.

Best part was when Adam asked us to jump at If I Had You. Kris, Chikai and I were standing on the monoblock chairs when that happened. It was difficult to keep our balance on the chairs. Chikai fell off the chair. hahahaha

Out of 70 photos, I only have 2 decent photos of the performances. I have this hate relationship with a digicam (I'm used to manipulating settings using a DSLR and DSLRs are not allowed in the concert grounds BOOO) so I was taking photos while flailing and singing my head off. I got 68 blurry photos. HHAHAHAHA PHOTO FAIL.

Until now, I can't believe that Sunday happened. It feels like a dream and I'm still high from all the jumping, screaming, dancing, singing and flailing. Tell me a million times that I went to an Adam Lambert concert last October 10, 2010 and I wouldn't believe you.

i saw a bee!

2010-09-18T16:16:00.002+08:00

Let's get that story challenge going, shall we? Note: the photo is real, but the story is totally fictional.

I heard three-year old Carrie squeal from the garden. I hurriedly ran towards the sound, scared that she might have tripped and scratched her smooth little knees.

"Carrie?" I called out to her from the door. She squealed again and I panicked.

I only stopped in my tracks, relieved, when I heard her giggles. "Carrie?" I called again.

"Mama! A bee!" She exclaimed excitedly. She was standing in front of my spinach plants.

I smiled and walked towards her. "Be careful, it might sting you. Is it yellow and black?" We had gone through her book on insects a dozen times and I figured out that she knew how to distinguish insects from one another.

"It's a special bee! It's blue and green and red!" She pointed to the insect resting on the top leaf.

I looked closely to see an insect with bulging red eyes and a shiny blue-green color. That was definitely not a bee.

"Carrie, that's not a bee," I told her.

"It's my special bee." She insisted. "It goes buzz, buzz, buzz, like the bee in my book."

"That's a fly," I said.

"But it doesn't fly fast, like the flies that you shoo away," she said, reminding her of the pesky flies that I swat annoyingly. She had a point because this fly was just sitting there.

When she saw my unconvinced look, she was ready with an explanation. "It's a bee with a blue dress and red shades. It's going to a costume party! It's buzzing to tell me that it's a bee."

Before I could argue with her further, the insect extended its transparent wings and took off. Carrie did the same. She extended her arms and ran around the garden, buzzing. "Party time!"

I smiled and watched my little Carrie buzz. She can figure out the difference some other time. To her, the fly was a bee. For me, she's my little bee with a mind buzzing with imagination.

overhaul soon

2010-09-18T15:17:00.002+08:00

Dear Blogspot,

I am returning to our love affair. I will just finish this last story for my CW class and I will give you an overhaul. I realized that the banner is outdated and that season 8 is so outdated (but I still love season 8, don't get me wrong). You will get a new banner soon, as well as a new song as a theme. Maybe with all the new Josh Groban photos, I will bring you back to a Josh Groban mood. Do you like that?

I promise to write regularly on you again, maybe make you into a photo story blog. When I went to the Manila International Book Fair yesterday to have a book signed, the Palanca-Awardee Grace Chong told me to write a story every day. I cannot promise to write a story every day, but I will promise to write at least one story a week. One photo and one story. Would that be good? Hopefully that will also practice my narrative skills. I need to start learning how to write for a younger audience.

So are we good now, Blogspot? I hope you forgive me. :)

Love,
Yumi

The Tale of Two Snails

2010-08-28T12:27:00.004+08:00

Snaily

"Oh it's a sunny day!"

"Hey Snailee, want to take a stroll?"

"Hello? Anybody home?"
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

"Oh well, I'll go by myself."

"Hmmm, maybe I'll go that way."

Stretch. Flex. Stretch.

(Pulls) "My house is stuck in the ground.

"I gotta get out of this hole."

(After 5 minutes) "Success!"

"Hey Snailee, do you still want to come?"
"Ngggmmph."

End.

anybody home?

2010-08-11T19:22:00.003+08:00

Oh hello. How are you all? It has been what *counts* four months since I last updated blogspot. Don't hate on me blogspot, I still have you on my bookmarks. It's so difficult to find time to sit down and write a blog entry lately. My other blogs are just dumpsites of youtube links, posters, download links, etc etc. Nothing really much about my life.

Speaking of life, I don't have any. My week is summed up in three activities: work, school, and taiji. Work and school bring deadlines and brain strain while Taiji keeps me sane.

I'm proud to say that we finally completed learning the long form of Taijiquan, which means we learned 68 steps in over 3 or so months. Wait, that doesn't mean that we're good at it. We just finished learning all steps. Next on the list is mastering the steps and making it look believable.

I'm on my second year in my MA career and it is killing me. I enrolled myself in a fiction writing class. It's bringing me so much pressure because I'm not trained to become a fiction writer. I took poetry, drama (that's scriptwriting) and non-fiction when I was in my undergraduate course. My non-fiction pieces were all reflective essays, rather than narratives. So writing narratives is my weakness. And look where I am now! Struggling to write a decent story. I have to write 5 stories by Sunday, mind you. So this is definitely a suicide mission.

I'm rambling. I don't know why I'm here, when I'm supposed to be focusing on my story. Maybe because I don't know what to write. Or I'm too scared to write. I have to face this soon enough... meaning now.

Work is the same old, same old. We have an upcoming event in October. I'll post details a few weeks from now. Stay tuned.

I'm surprised there are still people who visit this blog, even if I have abandoned it for a few months. I'm alive and well (judging from the twitter feed at the left of this screen) and Tumblr is saving my sarreh arse from the mundane life.

My banner needs updating. Season 8 is soooo over. Don't get me wrong. I'm still in love with seasons 7 and 8. Nine just sucked for me. No one really stood out. I think I'm just bitter because Americans didn't put Lily Scott through the top 12. When Paige Miles snagged that safe seat, my idol stanning for that season was over.

You prolly know by this time that Adam's coming in October. Tickets are mighty expensive, but I'm dragging my poor pocket to see Adam strut his stuff on stage. I'll cut off my arm and leg for Gold tickets. Sorry VIP, I'm not that crazy or rich enough.

So how are you my lovely people? Are you all still with me? *looks around* No one? Oh well. *walks away* I'll just go back to my ambitious story and hope I could finish one by tonight. No. I HAVE to finish one tonight.

Visit me at 7107photos.tumblr.com for photos and doodles! Oh yes, I found out that I had some sort of crappy drawing skills.

Unlocking the Secrets to Singapore Math

2010-05-24T11:44:00.003+08:00

Singapore has been consistent in their top ten ranking at TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). Their students have mastered a technique which allows them to visualize equations, thus helping them understand Math concepts better and more efficiently. Schools around the world are now implementing this technique, including some of the top schools in the Philippines.

The Galileo Enrichment Learning Program is bringing you a two-day workshop for parents and their grade school children (grades 2 to 5) on Singapore Math entitled, “Unlocking the Secrets to Singapore Math.” This workshop aims to educate the participants with solving strategies used by the Singaporeans.

The workshop will be held on May 28 and 29, from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Powerbooks Greenbelt 4, Makati City. It will be conducted by a mother-and-son tandem, Dr. Queena Lee-Chua and Scott Chua who are both advocates of the Singapore Math. Scott’s school has adopted the technique for years and Scott is a testimony that Singapore Math has helped him understand Math better.

For inquiries and registration, please call the Head Office at 898.1234 or email us at info@galileoenrichment.com. Look for Ms. Novee Bona.

Reminder: Please book your seats early as seating capacity is limited only to 25 students! The faciliators would like to have enough time to address all inquiries. For reservation, please accomplish the Registration Form (click link) and send via fax to 890.2509 or email to info@galileoenrichment.com.

EVENT INFORMATION

WHAT

WHERE

WHEN, WHO and HOW MUCH

“Unlocking the Secrets to Singapore Math”

A 2-day workshop for students and parents to learn Singapore Math

2/F Powerbooks Greenbelt 4

2nd Level, Greenbelt 4 Bldg.

Ayala Center, Makati City

May 28, 2010

Friday

9:00am - 11:30am

May 29, 2010

Saturday

9:00am – 11:30am

To be attended by

Grades 4 & 5 students only

To be attended by

Grades 2 & 3 students

with their parents/guardians*

*Only 1 parent/guardian to 1 student

Php 980 per student

Php 1,500 per pair

(parent and student)

YOUR FACILITATORS

Dr. Queena Lee-Chua and her son Scott are one of the most famous mother-son tandems in the world of education. They have been giving talks in various school events, primarily on the subject of Mathematics. Complex mathematical problems can be solved with simple math logic and their aim is to share this knowledge with their audience.

Dr. Queena Lee-Chua is one of the leading minds in education. A mathematician, writer, and lecturer of Mathematics, Psychology and English at the Ateneo de Manila University, her love for her craft has earned her awards and respect in the field of education. She is a mentor to all her students, garnering her the 2003 Metrobank Outstanding Teacher Award in the Tertiary Level. Her other awards include the Ten Outstanding Young Filipinos in 1997 and one of the Outstanding Young Scientists in 2002. She also won the first prize in the Essay category at the Don Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature.

Her son, Scott Lee Chua is an incoming sixth grader at Xavier School. Having been tutored by his parents at age 1, Scott has won numerous math contests because of his excellence in the subject. He is not only a mathematician like his mother, but also an artist and a writer. He has co-written articles with his mother and a poem for the Filipinos. He is currently working on three travel books for the series “Top 10 Travel Destinations: For Kids and Kids at Heart.” These books, about his visits to Malaysia, New Zealand and Japan, will be out later this year.

An Open Letter to Noynoy from F. Sionil Jose

2010-05-23T20:34:00.002+08:00

Dear Noynoy,

You are now swamped with suggestions and advice, but just the same, I hope you’ll have time to read what this octogenarian has to say.

You were not my choice in the last election but since our people have spoken, we must now support you and pray that you prevail. But first, I must remind you of the stern reality that your drumbeaters ignore: you have no noble legacy from your forbears. It is now your arduous job to create one yourself in the six years that you will be the single most powerful Filipino. Six years is too short a time — the experience in our part of the world is that it takes at least one generation — 25 years — for a sick nation to recover and prosper. But you can begin that happy process of healing.

Bear in mind that the past weighs heavily on all of us because of the many contradictions in it that we have not resolved, whose resolutions would strengthen us as a nation. This past is now your burden, too. Let us start with the fact that your grandfather collaborated with the Japanese. Your father was deeply aware of this, its stigma, its possibilities. He did not leave any legacy because he did not become president. He was a brilliant and courageous politician. He was an enterprising journalist; he had friends in journalism who can attest to his effulgent vision, who did not profit from his friendship, among them Nestor Mata, Gregorio Brillantes — you may consult them. I cannot say I did not profit — he bought many books from my shop and when he was in Marcos’s prison, your mother brought books from my shop to him.

Forgive me for giving you this unsolicited advice. First, beware of hubris; you are surrounded by panderers who will tell you what is nice to hear. You need to be humble always and heed your conscience. When Caesar was paraded in ancient Rome before the cheering multitudes, there was always a man chanting behind him: “Remember, you are mortal.”

I say to you, remember, the poor — some of them in your own hacienda — will be your ultimate judge.

From your comfortable and privileged cocoon, you know so little of our country and people. Seek the help of the best — and the best do not normally want to work in government and neither will they approach you. You have to seek them.

Be the revolutionary your father wanted to be and don’t be scared or wary of the word “revolution.” It need not be always bloody. EDSA I was not. Your father wanted to destroy the most formidable obstacle to our progress — the Oligarchy to which you and your family belong. To succeed, you have to betray your class. If you cannot smash the oligarchy, at least strive to have their wealth develop this country, that they bring back the billions they stashed abroad. You cannot do this in six years, but you can begin.

Prosecute the crooks. It is difficult, thankless and even dangerous to do this. Your mother did not do it — she did not jail Imelda who was the partner in that conjugal dictatorship that plundered this nation. Watch her children — they were much too young to have participated in that looting but they are heirs to the billions which their parents stashed abroad. Now the Marcoses are on the high road to power, gloating, snickering at our credulity and despicable amnesia.

You know the biggest crooks in and out of government, those powerful smugglers, thieves, tax cheats — all you really need is guts to clobber them. Your father had lots of it — I hope he passed on to you most of it.

And most of all, now that you have the muscle to do it, go after your father’s killers. Blood and duty compel you to do so. Cory was only his wife — you are the anointed and only son. Your regime will be measured by how you resolve this most blatant crime that robbed us of a true leader.

And, finally, your mother. We loved her — she united us in ousting an abominable dictator. But she, too, did not leave a shining legacy for her presidency was a disaster. She announced a revolutionary government but did nothing revolutionary. She promised land reform but did not do it. And most grievous of all — she transformed the EDSA I revolution into a restoration of the oligarchy.

She became president only because her husband was murdered and you became president elect only because your mother died. Still, you are your father’s son and may you now — for the good of this country and people — scale the heights he and your mother never reached.

I am 85 and how I despair over how three generations of our leaders failed! Before I go, please let me see this unhappy country begin to be a much better place than the garbage dump our leaders and people have made it. You can be this long awaited messiah but only if you are brave enough and wise enough to redeem your father’s aborted promise.

Hopefully yours,

F. Sionil Jose

Via Philippine Star (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=577469&publicationSubCategoryId=86)

F. Sionil Jose knows what to say and he's right all the darn time.

School is Cool with Hello Kitty

2010-05-19T14:14:00.003+08:00

To welcome the school year, Galileo teams up with Sanrio with a two-weekend event entitled “School is Cool with Hello Kitty.” Galileo will be touring different SM malls for exciting activities for parents and their children.

See you all at the following dates:
May 21 at the SM Megamall, Event Area
May 22 and 23 at the SM Mall of Asia, Main Mall Atrium
May 29 and 30 at SM The Block.

Program:
Mall Hours - Lobby Selling
1-5 pm - Face Painting and Sand Art
2-2:30 pm - Galileo Enrichment Learning Program Activity for parents and children on Preparing for Back to School* (*limited slots and pre-registration is required)
3-3:30pm - Meet and Greet/ Photo Op with Hello Kitty
4:30-5pm Breadtalk presents "Creative Ideas for School Snacks"
5:30-6pm - Meet and Greet/ Photo Op with Hello Kitty

sagada

2010-05-16T22:22:00.002+08:00

Hello, I just came from Sagada.

Our view from St. Joseph's Resthouse

Bomod-ok Falls

Sumaging Cave

Posting this panoramic shot without resizing it. Don't care if it ruins my layout. I want you all to see how beautiful the Philippines is.

My photos are at my Multiply. And yes, I survived and returned in one piece!

Reason #1 on why the Philippines is awesomesauce: SMILES

2010-04-10T17:33:00.002+08:00

It may sound trippy but Filipinos love to smile ALL THE TIME. They can smile through anything and they will always provide one to any random stranger. A smile for Filipinos is like a happy pill for them. It’s a symbol of hope that no matter how difficult life is, a smile can somehow ease the difficulty away. A Filipino ain’t a Filipino without that signature big ass welcoming smile.

(Original link)

I started this portion at my photoblog called the Awesomesauce List. I list down the things which I find admirable about the country and things that make us uniquely Filipino. If you have suggestions, leave them here.

moving!

2010-03-06T16:51:00.002+08:00

I'm moving my blog to Tumblr. This Blogspot will still be alive, but won't update it as regularly as Tumblr. I'll post important announcement and maybe even a few photos once in a while.

If you want posts from me on a regular basis, then...

7107photos.tumblr.com

See you on Tumblr!

NEW PERSPECTIVES AND APPROACHES TO THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION

2010-02-18T15:39:00.003+08:00

Click on photo for a bigger view

Galileo Enrichment Learning Program presents

NEW PERSPECTIVES AND APPROACHES TO THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION

A two-day workshop for school owners, administrators, teachers and parents. This event aims to update educators on the latest trends in the industry and is designed to equip them with the necessary know-how on marketing, financial and functional areas which are helpful to a more profitable social enterprise.

March 4-5, 2010
9-5 PM
Rockwell Tent, Rockwell Center, Makati City

Day 1:
Professor Cecilla B. Manikan (Learning How to Learn: The Whole-Brain Learning System)
Professor Danilo A. Antonio (Understanding the Business of Educational Institutions: Controllables, Uncontrollables, Influentiables)

Day 2:
Dr. Queena Lee-Chua (Creating and Delivering Syllabi that Ensure Optimum Learning Opportunities)
Dr. Jose Jesus F. Roces (The Search for Value: Real Marketing for Educational Institutions)

Early bird rates are valid until February 22, so reserve a slot now to avail of big discounts.

For ticket reservations and registration contact the marketing department at 895.8095, 890.2509 and 898.1234; 0917.8396753, 0917.8626759 or 0918.8843574

or you may email them at marketing@galileoenrichment.com

www.galileoenrichment.com

a quickie

2010-02-15T17:46:00.004+08:00

The Tagalog can wait. I need to bring this blogger back to life.

1. I have been practicing my tv show photography on Starstruck. Thanks to Jace who smuggles me inside the studio and gives me backstage passes to take awesome photos of the Starstruck contenders. Yesterday was my last Sunday to cover Starstruck because I begged off on the Final Judgment. Jace will take care of the Final Judgment.

Final 13
Final 11
Final 6
My 5: the Valentine Episode

2. School is keeping my busy. I'm enjoying my classes even if they're killing me. I just finished two of my major reports, and there will be more to come. The highlights of my classes are:
- meeting Efren Penaflorida
- using our UP degrees to score an exclusive tour of Aguinaldo's Shrine. Best part of the tour was when we were allowed access to the tower, the balcony and the kitchen. Regular tourists aren't allowed to those places. We rock.
- Observation classes in different schools and centers

3. Work work work is keeping me on my toes all the time. So many deadlines to meet that it's forcing me to take a Twitter hiatus. I KNOOOW It's so not me. But I have to take a break so I'll have one less online account to procrastinate with. I'll be back, I promise.

So there. I'll post photos soon. Just check out 7107photos.tumblr.com for my photos. That's updated, especially for the Starstruck fans.

Buhay pa ako

2010-01-24T00:34:00.001+08:00

Magsusulat din ako balang-araw. Peksman.

My desk

2009-12-30T15:30:00.002+08:00

To welcome the New Year, I decided to to clean my desk.

Para salubungin ang Bagong Taon, naisipan kong linisin ang aking mesa.

final thirteen

2009-12-16T14:17:00.002+08:00

My favorite shot: the boys before the show started
Top: Rye, Sef, Pierro, Rocco
Bottom: Ian, Steven and Enzo

Arci from season errr. 3?

Dennis Trillio

Sef aka Cornetto kid.

I want nobody, nobody BUT CHOO!

Sarah

They sang It's My Life/ Confessions. YES. SRSLY. Gleeks anyone?

Steven

Ian - he's a tennis player!

Rocco

Interviewing Rocco

Singing "Keep Holding On" This show loves Glee. =))

Bottom three: Ian Batherson, Nina Kodaka and Rye Burgos

Eliminated: Rye

During the chat session

More at my Flickr and my Multiply.

dream, believe, survive...

2009-12-14T22:55:00.004+08:00

Titigang mabuti ang litrato. Kung wala kayong napapansin, tingnan ang mga nakasulat sa italics. Doon sa medyo dulo ng talata.

Basahin ang kabuoan dito.

Oo, ako nga. Niyaya ako ni Jace kagabi na manood ng Starstruck (dahil alam niyang sinusubaybayan ko ang palabas na ito), kapalit ng paglilitrato sa mga mangyayari sa palabas.

Umabot ako sa 869 na litrato. Nanigurado kasi ako na may makukuha akong magandang litrato, kahit iisa lamang. Maraming malabo, dahil magalaw sila at mababa lamang yung lakas ng ilaw. Mayroon ding maganda sana yung kuha kaso may sagabal na susulpot na ulo ng tagapaghanga. Isipin mo nalang yung hirap na pinagdaanan ni Jace para piliin kung anong litrato ang isasama niya sa artikulo niya.

Pati ako nahirapang mamili ng ilalathala sa mga blog ko. Siguro bukas ko siya matatapos. Abangan niyo nalang.

Nandito narin naman kayo, kaya pagbigyan niyo na ako.

Iboto si Ian:

Starstruck[space]Ian

At ipadala sa 2344 para sa mga gumagamit ng Globem TM at Sun
o 367 para sa gumagamit ng Smart.

Ang gusto ko talaga ay si Sef, pero hindi ko na siya inaalala dahil marami naman siyang tagapaghanga. Ayoko pang matanggal si Ian kasi nararamdaman kong may potensyal siya. Saka naawa ako noong napunta siya sa Bottom Three ng dalawang beses na magkasunod. Kung masama uli siya doon sa Linggo, tanggal siya kaagad. Masakit naman iyon diba. Kaya para sakin, iboto siya. Kung ayaw ninyong gumastos, sa StarStruck.tv nalang kayo bumoto. Libre.

----------

Stare closely at the photo. If you don't notice anything, look at the text in italics. Somewhere at the end of the paragraph.

Read the full article here.

Yep, that's me. Jace invited me to watch Starstruck (because he knows that I watch the show), in exchange for photographing what happens during the show.

I took 869 photos. I made sure that I was able to get good shots. There were a lot of blurry shots, because they were moving too much or sometimes the lighting was so low. There were also instances where I saw a good shot, but then the head of a fan would pop up. Imagine the work Jace had to go through, sifting through my photos to pick those that would make it to his article.

Even I had a hard time picking the photos to post in my blog. I might finish them by tomorrow. Just wait for them.

Oh, vote for Ian:

Starstruck[space]Ian

and send to 2344 for Globe, TM and Sun users
or 367 for Smart users

Sef is really my favorite, but I'm worrying about him just yet because he has a lot of fans. I don't want Ian to go yet because I feel that he has potential. I felt bad for him because he was part of the Bottom three twice in a row. If he lands in the bottom three again next Sunday, he will be automatically elimiated. So vote for him, for me. If you don't want to spend, vote online at starstruck.tv. It's for free.

care for some kradison?

2009-12-08T12:47:00.001+08:00

Bonus Tracks on the Kradison albums

Kris Allen
Send Me All Your Angels - link
From the Ashes - link

Adam Lambert
Down the Rabbit Hole - link

Allison Iraheta
Don't Wanna Be Wrong - link
El Viernes Te Olvido Yo - link

Go get their albums! They're all superb! :D

is 2010 here already?

2009-12-07T23:15:00.002+08:00

Problems:
1. Lessened coffee intake, meaning no Starbucks coffee for me. Therefore, no stickers for the Christmas drinks.
2. Unsatisfied with the look of the Starbucks planner. Haloooo vertical spaces?

Solution:
"Make your own planner" Year 2, for only 100 pesos

Step 1:
Bond paper. Use the board to separate the months.

Step 2:
Colored pens. Crayons. Manually write down the days, months and the dates.

Step 3:
Months on Manila paper. Cut and pasted on board paper.

Step 4:
More cutting and pasting and writing for monthly calendars.

Step 5:
Create folder. Be narcissistic by adding name.

Step 6:
Travel to UP Shopping Center to have it ring bound.

Step 7:
Do cover. Stay up in the wee hours of the morning, only to realize that your planned cover ain't working. Too much colors. Looks like a cheap-ass placemat. Straight to the trash can.

Step 7: (take two)
Back to board paper covered in plastic. Simple cut out from scratch paper.

Step 8:
Attach cover to binded contents with thick elastics (from Trinoma). One elastic for binding, one elastic as pencil-holder-slash latch. Use the rest as hippie headbands.

Step 9:
Take a photo of finished product.

This is one way to be excited for 2010. :))

Tanong sa taong-bayan

2009-12-07T12:51:00.003+08:00

Hindi ko ito isasalin sa Ingles kasi ito ay para sa mga Pilipino.

Sigurado kayong ganito ang gusto niyong maging presidente?

Tanong para sa mga gustong tumakbo para sa posisiyon sa gobyerno, lalo na sa mga naghahangad na maging presidente:

1. Tinatawag nating mga bayani ang mga OFW. Masaya kayo na nakakapag-uwi sila ng pera para sa bansa natin. Pero naisip niyo ba na nakakasira ito ng relasyon ng pamilya? Ilan ang batang walang magulang dahil nasa abroad sila?

2. Paano ninyo paiiralin ang pagmamahal sa bayan? Mahal lang ng Pinoy ang bansa nila kapag nananalo si Manny Pacquiao sa boxing.

3. Ano ang programa niyo para dumami ang magagaling na atleta sa Pilipinas? Bakit mahigit sampu na manlalaro ang pinapadala natin sa Olympics?

4. Naisip niyo na nawawalan ng magagaling na trabahador ang Pilipinas kapag pinapadala niyo sila sa ibang bansa? Sino na ngayon ang magtatayo ng mga gusali? Sino na magtuturo sa mga estudyante natin?

5. Alam niyo ba ang kasaysayan niyo? Sino ang bayani ninyo at bakit?

6. Bakit marami kayong pinapatayong rebulto ni Ninoy pero si Rizal konti lang? Bakit mayroong rebulto si Ninoy sa Quezon Ave at hindi si Quezon?

7. Bakit hindi magaganda ang ating mga museyo? Huwang niyong sabihin na wala kayong pera. Kung kaya ninyo magpatayo ngrebulto at paglalagay ng mga poster ni Ninoy kung saan-saan, kaya ninyong ayusin ang mga museyo natin.

Wala naman akong problema kay Ninoy, naiinis lang ako na masyado ninyong iniidulo si Ninoy na parang siya na ang pambansang bayani. Tandaan, si Rizal ang bayani.

8. Ano ang programa ninyo para gumaling ang kabataan sa kanilang aralin?

9. Bakit niyo ba laging sinasabi na mahirap ang Pilipinas? Kung mahirap kayo, bakit kayo may Pajero? Bakit kayo may Expedition?

10. Naisip niyo ba na ang pagbibigay ng sari-sari store o hanapbuhay ang solusyon para umangat ang masa? Hindi niyo ba naisip na ang tamang edukasyon ang panghabang-buhay na solusyon?

11. Kung kinakailangan maging isang magtatapos sa mataas na paaralan ang isang sales lady, bakit ang presidente kahit hindi graduate puwede sa posisyon? Pano siya makikipagsabayan sa ibang bansa kung hindi man lang niya alam ang konstitusyon ng Pilipinas?

12. Kaya nga magbasa at magsulat ng karamihan ng Pinoy, subalit iilan sa atin ang nakakaintindi o nakakaunawa sa ating nababasa? Ano ang program ninyo para sa higher thinking ng Pinoy?

13. Ano ang program ninyo para suportahan ang teatro sa Pilipinas? Maraming talentado sa teatro, pero ang pinasisikat natin ang mga artistang hindi manlang marunong kumanta kahit taped na.

Must Love Dogs

2009-12-01T10:01:00.000+08:00

I love you, Kuya

2009-11-28T11:06:00.002+08:00

Ito ang huling proyekto na ginawa ko para sa scriptwriting noong nasa kolehiyo pa ako. Kinailangan kong magsulat ng isang dula na hindi lalagpas ng sampung minuto at humingi ako ng tulong mula sa mga kaibigan ko para umarte at ayusin ang dula.

Leila: Ina Feleo
Frances: Leana Go
Brian: Abet Villordon

Si Ina din ang nag-direct ng dula. Nakakatuwa si Nana, mukha siya talagang bata. Pati sa dula ni Cerz, si nana din ang umarte para sa karakter na bata.

-----

This is the final project that I did for scriptwriting class way back in college. I had to write a 10-minute play and I asked the help of my friends to direct and act in it.

Ina was also the one who directed the play. Nana is so amusing, she really looks like a kid. Even in Cerz's play, Nana played the role of the kid.

I Love You, Kuya from yumi pitargue on Vimeo.

book ad

2009-11-25T11:58:00.002+08:00

Eto na yata ang pinakamagandang patalastas para sa isang libro. Tulala ako habang pinapanood ito. Ang galing, sobra.

This has to be the best ad for a book. I was amazed while watching it. It was amazing.

batch 2006 in a crate

2009-11-20T13:05:00.003+08:00

Nagpapahinga muna ako sa paglinis namin ng kuwarto sa ibaba. Bumili kasi ako ng isang malaking lalagyan nung isang linggo para mailipat ko lahat ng mga gamit ko noong kolehiyo. Dati, nasa mga kahon ang mga gamit ko. Binalak kong ilagay lahat sa iisang lalagyan, para hindi magmukhang makalat doon sa kuwarto.

Habang nililipat at inaayos ko ang mga papel at mga libro, nagmuni-muni ako sa mga pinagdaanan ko noong kolehiyo. May mga aralin akong iniyakan dahil mahirap siyang intindihin o pilit kong inintindi, may mga aralin na ikinatuwa ko dahil magaling yung guro o marami akong natutunan. Minsan, hinahanap-hanap ko rin ang saya ng kolehiyo.

Napuno ko ang lalagyan. Muntikan na ngang hindi magkasya ang iba kong mga gamit.

Ito ang buod ng aking buhay kolehiyo: isang malaking plastik na lalagyan.

I'm taking a break from my spring cleaning of the room downstairs. I bought a big crate last week so that I could transfer all my college stuff. Before, I only placed my stuff in random boxes. I planned on buying and transfering all of my things in a big box so that the room won't be messy.

While I was transfering and fixing my papers and books, I began to reminisce my college experiences. I had subjects where I cried myself to sleep because it was difficult to understand or I forced myself to understand, I also had sujbects which I enjoyed because the teacher was good or I learned I lot from it. Sometimes, I miss the joy ob being a college student.

I filled up the crate. I thought I wouldn't be able to fit in all of my stuff.

This is the summary of my college life: one huge-ass plastic crate.

going bilingual

2009-11-16T14:49:00.005+08:00

Matagal ko na tong gustong gawin. Dapat sisimulan ko siya nung Hunyo, kasabay ng pag-alala sa kalayaan ng Pilipinas. Naudlot lang nang naudlot hanggang sa umabot na sa Nobyembre.

Sisikapin kong magsulat sa Tagalog magmula ngayon. Tama lang siguro na magsimulang magsulat sa Tagalog dahil unang-una Pilipino ako. Marami rin naman akong blog, bakit hindi ko ito gawing kakaiba? Pangalawa, dahil isa akong manunulat, bakit hindi ko rin gamitin ang sariling wika sa pagsusulat? Ito narin siguro ang pinakamalapit na paraan para muling matutunan ang pagsusulat sa Tagalog. Nasanay kasi akong gamitin ang salitang Ingles sa mga salita na hindi ko masabi sa Tagalog. Kaya kong magsulat ng diretso sa Ingles, pero hindi ko ito magawa sa Tagalog.

At dahil hindi lang Pilipino ang bumibisita sa blog na ito, isasalin ko rin ang bawat entrada sa Ingles para maintindihan din ng mga banyaga.

Pagbigyan niyo ako kapag may mali akong nasabi sa Tagalog. Tulungan niyo rin ako kapag mali-mali ang balarila sa wika. Puwede kayong mag-iwan ng kritisismo, di ako magagalit. Peksman.

Salamat sa Gabby's dictionary: http://www.gabbydictionary.com/home.asp

----

I've been wanting to do this for a long time. I was supposed to start this last June, along with the commemoration of the Philippine independence, but I always postpone it to a later date. Now, it's November.

I'll do my best to write in Tagalog starting today. It's just right to write in Tagalog because firstly, I am a Filipino. I do have a lot of blogs, so why not make this blog different? Secondly, I'm a writer, so why don't I use my own language in writing? This will be the closest way to practice and learn writing in Tagalog. I usually use English words for words that I could not express in Tagalog. I can write fluently in English, but not in Tagalog.

Because people other than Filipinos visit my blog, I will translate every entry in English so that other people can still understand what I write.

Forgive me if I incorrectly say something in Tagalog. Help me if I make mistakes especially in grammar. You can leave comments, I won't get mad. Promise.

the man in the mirror

2009-11-11T10:41:00.004+08:00

If Michael Jackson was a contestant at So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol, he'll win both without a fight.

I cannot consider myself as one of Michael Jackson's biggest fans. I was aware of his songs and even used his music for school productions, but I wasn't the raving die hard fan like I am a rabid fan of Josh Groban or those American Idols. Maybe it's because classical music was the only music allowed at home and downloading music didn't exist yet.

Whenever I hear the name Michael Jackson, I am always reminded of images of the unflattering side of him: dangling his child over the balcony for the paps to see (which earned the child the name "Blanket"), charges against him on pedophilia, rumors on the real reason for putting up Neverland (so he could be with little boys), the facial reconstruction and skin bleaching which made him look like a creepy monkey, etc. etc.

Unfortunately, I didn't really get to know THE Michael Jackson when he was still alive. It was only on his death that he became real to me.

I was shown the brilliance of his lyrics, which talks about current events. If you take away the melody to his songs and strip it down to the lyrics, he pleads for humanity and equality. He talks about saving the earth. He writes about building a future for the young generation. He talks about being a positive change.

Tell me what has become of my rights
Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I'm tired of bein' the victim of shame
They're throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can't believe this is the land from which I came
You know I do really hate to say it
The government don't wanna see
But if Roosevelt was livin'
He wouldn't let this be, no, no
- They Don't Care About Us

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change
-Man in the Mirror

Every day create your history
Every path you take you're leaving your legacy
Every soldier dies in his glory
Every legend tells of conquest and liberty
Every day create your history
Every page you turn you're writing your legacy
Every hero dreams of chivalry
Every child should sing together in harmony
-HIStory
No wonder he was hailed as the King of Pop. He really has the talent to convey message through his songs. I believe that his intentions are good. All he wants is peace and a perfect world.

The downside of this fame is not knowing the word "No." He was a star since he was a child, and I'm pretty much sure he got everything he wanted. Well, except for a normal childhood. I'm guessing that's his reason for creating Neverland. He wanted boys to experience fun in a dream land free from work, concerts, raving fans and commitments.

I believe that no one around him was responsible enough to give limitations to Michael. Just look at his physical features. He had the money. He had the power. He wanted to become white. No one stopped him to tell him about the consequences of skin bleaching and plastic surgery. He just went with it. Constant skin bleaching caused his skin to be sensitive. I'm pretty much sure that that was one of the reasons why his nerves were confused on his last hours on earth. He told his nurse that half of his body was cold and the other was hot. His skin was too thin already, everything was painful and confused.

I watched "This Is It" last night and was awed by the production. I agreed with his bassist when he said that "Michael knew his music." Michael could sense a tiny change in the beat. He directed the band on the proper cues. He screened hundreds of dancers who would accompany him on the stage. He was good at it. No, he was excellent in it.

(commercial: I have a crush on one of his dancers. The blonde-haired dude with a bandana on his head. HAHAHA)

Even if the songs have been around for decades, he still manages to put a new flavor to his songs. Now, that's what I call brilliance. I always hear the phrase "making it your own" at American Idol. Michael reclaims his music by making his own music his own once again. It was obvious at "Smooth Criminal" and "The Way You Make Me Feel." Smooth Criminal had a chase sequence, which included a fedora dancing part and a story on the big screen. Before the start of "The Way You Make Me Feel," he added a jazzy vibe before picking up to the normal tempo. It was mind blowing.

The stage design was also amazing. The fire sequence (they used real fire doode!), the lift, the ascending stage, the big screens, the pyro, the lights... JUST WOW. I could not comprehend how they were able to pull everything off, and do it excellently during rehearsals. Those were just rehearsals, what more if the actual concert happened. I'll be bowing down to it.

But then you see how he controls the scene. No one says no to his requests. What he wants should be followed. He insists on a certain beat to the musical director. Even the director has to run everything by Michael. Michael means well for his concert, of course, but it is a reflection of what happens off stage.

Michael was also deteriorating little by little. When they were rehearsing for one of the Jackson 5 songs, he didn't sing. He was just walking down from one side to another. The director stopped the music and asked him what was wrong. Michael complained about the sound, and said that the volume was pounding on his eardrums. It was weird because they did not make any changes with the volume. Is it because his health was flickering? The next minute, he was up and singing again. *shrug*

I am amazed with his energy. He still has that spunk. At 50, he could still dance like the dancers who are what, in their 20s? His moonwalk shoots farther than the moon.

While watching the film, I can't help myself but feel sad about Michael's life. He was full of it, yet something was missing. He was days away from rebuilding that brilliance. If only he was guided correctly, he would've lived to complete the 50 concert dates. Maybe I could've seen him perform on stage, live.

Or maybe not. Because without his death, I wouldn't be writing this.

Geopet

2009-11-09T00:10:00.000+08:00

clock that's ticking

2009-11-07T22:01:00.001+08:00

BRB FLAILING, SHAKING AND CRYING... DYING.

straight from the land of Taiji

2009-11-06T00:48:00.001+08:00

I will name my Taiji sword Mulan. Ain't it fierce?

the Malanday Experience

2009-11-04T17:08:00.004+08:00

I survived my first sem of my MA education!!! *evil laugh thunder lightning* It was a very fulfilling experience and I totes learned tons from my teachers, classes and classmates.

I think the Ondoy served as a blessing in disguise. Instead of having a final exam for EDR 201 (Psychology of Reading), we were given the task to apply what we've learned for the whole semester by adopting a classroom that was affected by the storm. We chose a Grade 1 and 2 classroom. We discussed amongst ourselves to provide books, activity sheets and flashcards and at the same time decorate the reading corner. Since it was a reading course, we had to apply the reading factors and skills in creating a conducive reading corner for public school children.

Preparation started three days before our actual trip to the public school in Malanday. We met at the Faculty lounge aka the Reading extension (harhar) and pooled our resources to create wall decorations. Rica did the honors of drawing the most-loved Filipino children's lit characters. Some of us looked for words for the flashcards. Some bought books (discounted prices thanks to Adarna House!). Some bought the materials. Everyone did their part. All of these were done while singing along to the Beatles. Here comes the sun, dooroot-doo-doo!

We went to Malanday Elementary School the afternoon of October 25. We lugged our stuff to the room and did our magic.

The wall was bare, except for a sign that said "Reading Corner." Where are the books if it's a reading corner?

Rica, Kaye, Rich and Dulce

T. Portia helping us do the final touches

Kuya Richard and Joem packing the envelopes

The teachers of the future leaders

The gang working to fill the whole wall!

All of us plus the finished reading corner!

Jackie had this insane idea to create a video of the pictures. We enjoyed the semester so much that the class felt like it was a homeroom class. We were even forcing most of our classmates to shift to the Reading department. Haha Anyway, here's the video that I worked on for two days. Thanks T. Portia for a very insightful semester. Here's to EDR 201!

Halloween in pictures

2009-11-02T13:53:00.003+08:00

I don't celebrate Halloween. I'd rather go to historical sites like Luneta than dress up and party. This is how I spent my Saturday afternoon -- with good friends and family.

OMG Lapu-lapu is still alive:

At the Chinese garden:

I couldn't resist. The place called for a Taiji pose. :P

But of course, the Luneta experience wouldn't be complete without a couple shot. Mom and Dad lived up to the reputation of the place and acted like a young couple. Twahahaahha YEEEEEHEEEEEEE.

It's time to go home. We'll be back.

2 ateneans and a feeler

2009-11-02T10:18:00.004+08:00

Luneta ain't Luneta without a date. Here's mine:

Clearly, SOMEONE is being a traitor to his school. MUWAHAHAHA. Jose Rizal, Atenean. Me, Atenean. ~~Bimboy~~ Valeric... You owe me rent for that jacket, sonnnnn.

More here.

Top ten reasons to know if Yumi is addicted to Twitter:

2009-10-29T17:23:00.002+08:00

http://twitter.com/bloowind
(or just check the Twitter feed at the left side of this blog.)

One. She tweets every day.

Two. The first program she opens when she is online: Twhirl -- a twitter application.

Three. She does not follow the one and only question of Twitter: What are you doing? Anything that can fit 140 characters will sure come out of her Twitter feed.

Four She only uses her cellphone for one reason: To tweet. She rarely replies to text messages or answer phone calls. But she has the time to tweet.
There are two ways of tweeting via cellphone:
(a) expensive yet quick tweet: twitmessage and send to 2370
(b) go inexpensive, but this tests her patience: go online via WAP, log in and wait to connect
One thing frustrates her though, she can't tweet images. Maybe she needs to change cellphones so she can tweet images.

Five. She abandons YM and chats with her friends via Twitter.

Six. Twitter is source of news.
"Oh there's a storm coming."
"You listened to the evening news?"
"No, I learned about it over Twitter."

Seven. She flails if a celebrity (mostly American Idols) replies to her via Twitter. Michael Castro, Brooke White, Chris Daughtry, Alex Wagner-Trugman, Brent Keith, Lea Salonga. She is still waiting for the following to reply to her: Jason Castro, David Cook, David Archuleta, Matt Giraud, Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth, Michael Johns

Eight. If a server is blocking Twitter, she knows various sites that will allow her to tweet without the use of proxies.

Nine. She worries about backreading if she is not able to open her Twitter feed for a day (even for a few hours)

Ten. When she sees/hears/feels anything, she has this urge of tweeting it. This is where phone tweeting comes in handy.

the BBC to-read list

2009-10-24T17:02:00.003+08:00

How many times have I done this?

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
(I remember making a book report out of this in high school, but I can't remember the story. AT ALL.)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (I haven't read the WHOLE thing. But I do read the Bible)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (Started on it. Never got past the 1st chapter. I still find it boring. Maybe in a few years -- or decades -- I'll give the book another chance)
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell (Next project: watch the movie)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (The Subtle Knife was the best among the three)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (I have read Hamlet and Taming of the Shrew)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (Love the riddles)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (Haven't watched the movie)
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (I'm reading this now)
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (T. Cris, you still have my Magician's Nephew!!)
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (Isn't this part of the Chronicles?)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (Cried buckets over this book)
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (Just watched the movie)
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell (I'm almost done with this book.)
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Didn't finish it. Even if I wiki'd the summary, I still didn't get it.)
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy.
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel (I liked this.)
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth.
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon (David recommended this to me. I still need to look for a copy)
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (I have the movie version. Haven't read it, haven't watched it.)
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (Next on my reading list. Good thing my tita has a copy in her house. I don't need to buy a copy.)
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt.
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (Watched the musical too. Can't wait for the movie this Christmas season!)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker (I have the bootleg of this musical)
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White (Cried over this too.)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (Next on my reading list)
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Reading this too)
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (One of the best books I have read)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (Watched the musical and the movie.)

26 over a hundred. Though I feel it should be more than 26, because the Narnia Chronicles has 7 books. Shakespeare has what... more than 10 books? The Dark Materials has 3 books in the series.

there is a time for miracles

2009-10-21T13:57:00.003+08:00

My morning just gone from normal to hell lotta interesting and epic when the video for "Time for Miracles" premiered today. Imagine the frenzy over at my twitter feed and the AI comm when we all got to set our eyes upon a dying world and a diva singing the last song.

Time for Miracles (from the movie 2012)
sung by Adam Lambert

It's late at night and I can't sleep
Missing you just runs too deep
Oh I can't breathe thinking of your smile

Every kiss I can't forget
This aching heart ain't broken yet
Oh God I wish I could make you see
Coz I know this flame isn't dying
So nothing can stop me from trying

Baby you know that
Maybe it's time for miracles
Coz I ain't giving up on love
You know that
Maybe it's time for miracles
Coz I ain't giving up on love
No I ain't giving up on us

I just want to be with you
Coz living is so hard to do
When all I know is trapped inside your eyes

The future I cannot forget
This aching heart ain't broken yet
Oh God I wish I could make you see
Coz I know this flame isn't dying
So nothing can stop me from trying

Baby you know that
Maybe it's time for miracles
Coz I ain't giving up on love
You know that maybe it's time for miracles
Coz I ain't giving up on love
No I ain't giving up on us

Baby can you feel it
You know I can hear it
So can you feel it feel it

You know it's time

Baby you know that
Maybe it's time for miracles
Coz I ain't giving up on love
You know that
Maybe it's time for miracles
Coz I ain't giving up on love

You know I ain't giving up on us
You know I ain't giving up on
Oh I ain't giving up on us

Wooopeedooo, Adam will be singing at the AMAs. Oh, check out his very eye-popping photoshoot with Details Magazine. I won't post the photos here; I'm keeping this blog PG. hahaha Just look for them, I'm pretty much sure that there a LOT of sites with those photos.

lazy ass

2009-10-18T21:48:00.002+08:00

1. Lazy to do my homework.
2. Lazy to write a review of Spring Awakening. Hope they do a rerun because the Manila Cast did a good job. They did not disappoint. :)

Tried the overlay feature. Forgive my face, I ain't no model.

I believe there is love in heaven.

Loves her Spring Awakening shirt so much.

English? Easy peasy!

2009-10-16T15:07:00.001+08:00

If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world. After trying the verses, a Frenchman said he'd prefer six months of hard labour to reading six lines aloud. Try them yourself.

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won’t it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

— B. Shaw

It’s a special time of year

2009-10-14T12:17:00.003+08:00

It's Christmas... in October!

David Archuleta's Christmas album "Christmas from the Heart" is out already! Since the Filipinos start celebrating Christmas early (the Christmas cheer starts at the -ber months), this cd is a perfect way to keep up the spirit.

Track List:
1. Joy To The World
2. Angels We Have Heard On High - Likes this so much because he inserts Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
3. O Come All Ye Faithful
4. Silent Night
5. The First Noel
6. O Holy Night
7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (feat. Charice Pempengco) - Charice didn't disappoint. Her big voice didn't overpower Archieboo. :D Good job!
8. I'll Be Home For Christmas
9. Pat-A-Pan - He sings in French. OH MY GLEE.
10. What Child Is This
11. Riu Riu Chiu - Spanish. Yowza!
12. Ave Maria
13. Melodies Of Christmas

Listen "Melodies of Christmas." He co-wrote it and it gives a very happy and dance-y melody.

There's this stanza in the song that caught my attention:

There’s something about the melodies
Of Santa Claus and Christmas Trees
Favorite songs by Nat and Bing
Elvis, Josh and Celine

Nat --> Nat King Cole
Bing --> Bing Crosby
Elvis --> Elvis Presley
Celine --> Celine Dion
Josh... JOSH GROBAN?

Nat King Cole released a Christmas album. Bing Crosby also released a Christmas album. Elvis and Celine did too. So I'm assuming (AND I'M PRETTY SURE I'M RIGHT) that the Josh in the song is Josh Groban because Josh released a Christmas album two years ago and it was on the top of the charts for WEEKS.

Fandoms collide. Oh how lovely. :)

Get your copy now! It's a sweet deal.

Melodies of Christmas
David Archuleta

There's something in the melodies
That the Christmas season brings
Joy and laughter in the air
Smiling faces everywhere

Old familiar melodies
Bring back special memories
They remind us
They remind us

Merrily the choirs sound
Spreading Christmas joy around
Filling hearts with cheer
May it last through all the year

Happy Christmas Melodies
Bring back faded memories
They remind us
They remind us

Join us and sing
The sound of heaven and nature sing,
With family, rockin’ round the Christmas tree,
Carols of old, of the greatest story ever told,

Sing the melodies of Christmas
Sing the melodies of Christmas

There’s something about the melodies
Of Santa Claus and Christmas Trees
Favorite songs by Nat and Bing
Elvis, Josh and Celine

It’s a special time of year
Bringing friends and family near
To remind us
of love and kindness

Join us and sing
The sound of heaven and nature sing,
With family, rockin’ round the Christmas tree,
Carols of old, of the greatest story ever told,

Sing the melodies of Christmas
Sing the melodies of Christmas

There’s a message you will find
Peace and happiness to all mankind
In the melodies, an offering
Of the love that flows from the Heavenly King

Raise your voice
Let us sing
It’s the message that these songs can bring
Round the fire, round the tree
Singing carols merrily

Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas

One more melody to sing at Christmas
One more memory of Christmas cheer

Old familiar melodies
Bring back special memories
Filling hearts with Christmas cheer
May it last through all the year

Something in the melodies
That the Christmas season brings
Joy and laughter in the air
Smiling faces everywhere

Happy Christmas Melodies
Bring back faded memories

For the educators

2009-10-13T15:07:00.003+08:00

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

crazy love

2009-10-10T17:05:00.002+08:00

Michael Buble's album "Crazy Love" is out now! It has been on loop since this morning and it's making me all sorts of happy. My body just starts dancing every time a new track plays.

Oh and I didn't know that the video I posted before was just a promotional video for his single. Here is the real and official music video for "I Just Haven't Met You Yet!" According to the comments, the girl in the video is Michael's current girlfriend. Ohhhhh.

field trip

2009-10-09T11:46:00.005+08:00

We were at Umagang Kay Ganda yesterday to give school supplies to the kids of Taguig.

Donita Rose is a radiant lady.

Me and Rea with a LOOOOT of paperbags.

Dying Queen

2009-10-08T13:03:00.003+08:00

Termites are a pain in the arse, but they are nice to photograph. Dad captured the queen! Dad captured the queen!

Dad showed me the dying termite queen before killing it. Kill the queen and her minions will suffer. MUWAHAHAHAHA. Stay away from our mango tree you evil queen.

WTAF

2009-10-06T14:49:00.003+08:00

GUYS, IF YOU RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM YUMIPITZ@YAHOO.COM SAYING THAT I'M IN THE UK AND THAT I NEED MONEY, DON'T BELIEVE IT. I DON'T NEED 1,000 POUNDS.

AND I'M NOT IN THE UK. I'M HERE AT HOME, THE PHILIPPINES. PLEASE TELL THE OTHERS THAT SOMEONE HACKED INTO MY ACCOUNT.

ooops. was my font too large? :))

breakfast club

2009-10-06T11:51:00.002+08:00

Breakfast Club is awesome sauce.

I'll rewatch this over the weekend.

AANNND TO THE GROBANITES ON TUMBLR!!

We’d love to share your photos! Please feel free to submit pictures you’d like to share with everyone of either Josh himself or even you with his CD! Or even your collection of his music!! Please include your name/nickname and a link to your tumblr/blog/twitter/etc. so that we can credit you!

Submit your photo at http://fuckyeahjoshgroban.tumblr.com/submit or email your photo to fuckyeahjoshgroban@tumblr.com We look forward to seeing your photos and making them a part of “FYeah, Josh Groban!”

leaf through pages

2009-10-03T21:27:00.003+08:00

Took pictures of two of my favorite books by Beverly Cleary. Hope she goes online really soon and see my tweet to her.

(Ramona the Brave) Jump out!

(Muggie Maggie) When I'm in the mood, I put on color to the pages.

Ateneans, wala kayong final exams.

2009-10-01T10:13:00.000+08:00

Sana sa UP din ganito. HAHAHA Asa naman ako diba.

-------

30 September 2009

MEMO TO: The Loyola Schools Community

FROM : Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng
Vice President for the Loyola Schools

SUBJECT: After Ondoy

For the past days, we have been hearing stories of loss and devastation experienced by many members of our community. We share in their grief and hope to share, too, in the rebuilding. This aftermath of Ondoy challenges the University?s traditional learning environment; however, it allows us to learn and grow in different ways. Thus, the Deans, Associate Deans, representatives of various sectors, and I have agreed on the following:

1. Unless otherwise announced by CHED, Malacañan, or the Quezon City government, classes will continue until 21 October 2009, but there will be no final exams.
a.The basis of the final grade will be the current class standing of the student.
b.If a student wishes to raise his/her grade, s/he will have the option of taking the final exam or fulfilling an equivalent requirement. The deadline for completing INC or NE may be extended.

2.Classes can be used to deal with the aftermath of Ondoy, e.g., apply knowledge, skill sets, and values to understanding and managing disaster, rebuilding and rehabilitation of communities, or organizing and implementing support systems.

3.We are encouraging everyone to assist affected members of our community by volunteering and assisting in any of the following activities:

a.Collection and distribution of relief goods (c/o Ms. Mary Ann P. Manapat, Director of the Office for Social Concern and Involvement, loc. 5090, 5091, direct line: 426-1017, mmanapat@ateneo.edu)

b.Debriefing and counseling assistance (c/o Dr. Edna C. Franco, Chair of the Department of Psychology, loc. 5260, 5262, efranco@ateneo.edu)

c.Accommodation or service assistance to affected members of the LS community (e.g., community/house clean-up, food preparation, laundry, repairs, transport, babysitting, sharing IT and learning resources, etc.) (c/o Ms. Marie Joy R. Salita, Director of the Office of Administrative Services, loc. 5100-5103, msalita@ateneo.edu)

d.Medical and health assistance (c/o Dr. Raymundo S. Baquiran, Director of the Office of Health Services, loc. 5110, 5106, lshealth@admu.edu.ph)

4.We would like to get updates on members of our community who have not been accounted for. You may contact Sanggu (0928 348 1686), Office of the ADSA (0920 914 2372), or Office of the VPLS (0928 503 1248).

I wish to thank all those who have given time, resources and service to our relief operations and look forward to your involvement in the difficult period of rehabilitation.

ateneo task force ondoy

2009-09-30T09:35:00.002+08:00

The Atenean spirit lives on. Let's be men for others.

As of 3:30PM, Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Ateneo is accepting donations, both in kind or in cash/check. The center of relief operations is the Ateneo College Covered Courts. Items most needed as of this writing are:

bottled water
rice
toiletries
canned goods
mats, blankets
clothes

Those who wish to donate or volunteer for Ateneo Task Force Ondoy are welcome to go to the College Covered Courts, where they will be directed, assisted, and briefed.

For cash donations, direct deposits can be made to:
SIMBAHANG LINGKOD NG BAYAN (Account Name/Payee)
Bank of the Philippine Islands (Loyola-Katipunan Branch)
BPI Peso Checking Account Number: 3081-1111-61
BPI Dollar Savings Account Number: 3084-0420-12

Checks may be addressed to Simbahang Lingkod Bayan as well. For GCASH users, you may send your donations by typing: DONATE__<4-digit pin>_SLB and send to 2992.

Instructions for monetary donations from overseas sources are being sent out separately.

Operations start at 6AM daily, and deployment to the areas start at 1PM. Volunteers (mostly students so far due to the cancellation of classes) are welcome to help by signing up for three-hour shifts each, starting at 6AM ending at 12AM. For easier monitoring, people are highly encouraged to come at the start of the three-hour intervals. For volunteers, please wear comfortable working clothes. Bring umbrellas, jackets, extra shirts, and water. Please wear blue.

We are also consolidating a list of missing people and evacuation centers around Metro Manila. Please visit and update http://ateneotaskfo rceondoy.misa.org.ph. If you know people who are missing or who are at evacuation centers, please add their names and contact information at the website. The site is currently still down, but please check back in an hour or so. We are still finishing uploading files into the site.

Relief operations have covered the following areas:

1. Ateneoville, Nangka Marikina
2. Pentecost Parish, Katipunan
3. UBB (Urban Bliss), Barangka Marikina
4. Montalban
5. GK sites (6)
6. Banal na Sacramento, QC

For inquiries, please contact:
Chris Castillo (OSA), 0920/913-6404
An Manapat ( OSCI), 0917/738-5108
Bro. Weyms Sanchez, SJ (SLB), 0908/891-8848
Gio Tingson (Sanggu), 0917/880-7427
Kacci Morales (Sanggu) at 0927/981-8811

Thank you to all who have generously contributed and continue to contribute their time, effort and resources to this relief operation. Thank you too for the continuing prayers. God bless.

The Ateneo Task Force Ondoy

volunteering

2009-09-29T22:20:00.003+08:00

I ask myself, "Why aren't you there?"
I shake my head at myself when I hear my excuses.

I miss volunteering.
If only I could skip work and volunteer for Task Force Ondoy.

bayanihan

2009-09-28T11:12:00.005+08:00

The perfect song to keep us hopeful in these trying times:

Still

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

It's so heartwarming to see Filipinos gathering together in helping the affected Filipinos. Students are spending their holiday (classes are suspended today) to volunteer in packing goods. Working people are Twittering and donating money in the confines of their office spaces (life goes on for us).

Photo by Reuters via daylife.com

I'd like to say thanks to the people from all around the world, who are showing their support and concern for the Philippines. Celebrities like Josh Groban, Alex Wagner-Trugman (AI season 8 top 36), Paolo Coelho, Pete Wentz, Ashton Kutcher, Channing Tatum, Ricky Martin, Alyssa Milano, Demi Lovato are sending tweets on how to donate to Red Cross.

The rainfall was a blessing in disguise. It washed out the politics, the news about the elections, and the talk about corruption. True heroes like our military and ordinary people emerged as the real heroes of the country. Forget about the politicians. What we need is to work together and love our fellow Filipinos. We can do Bayanihan. Let's go Filipinos!

----

Here is a live list of ways to help out the Typhoon Ondoy victims. We know everyone is eager to help, but may be having difficulty matching your time and means to the relief channels. We hope this can help you find a way to pitch in:

1. Relay critical information on rescue and relief to the appropriate parties. Many of the affected families have limited ways of communicating their needs, so our help to get their message across is needed;
2. Help pack and distribute relief goods. Getting help to affected families as swiftly and efficiently as possible is key. Man-power is sorely needed to get help out to them fast.
3. Donate relief goods or cash. Relief operations are accepting rice, canned goods, water, blankets, and clothes. Cash can also be routed to credible institutions who will allocate them to the required supplies.
4. Share shelter. If you know anyone who lost their home, a temporary place to rest and recover will be much appreciated.
5. Pray. Most of the affected families have been rescued, but still need help to recover and rebuild. There are some who are still waiting for rescue to come. Let’s keep on praying for their safety and well-being.

If everyone of us would extend a helping hand to our fellow-Filipinos in need, recovery will be hard but doable. Again, this is a time where individual contribution is critical to achieve our common goal.

Here is a list of active organizations working on relief operations:

Rescue
- National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) - (+632-9125668, +632-9111406, +632-9115061, +632-9122665)
Help hotlines: (+65 734-2118, 734-2120)

Relief Volunteers and Donations
- The Philippine Government has designated the following relief drop-off centers: DSWD center at Batasan Complex, Quezon City (951-7119, 0918-421-9780); DSWD NCR office in Quiapo, Manila (734-8634 to 35); and the DSWD National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City (852-8081, 734-8622)
- Petron gas stations throughout Metro Manila, Palawan, Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Masbate, and Marinduque are accepting donations.
- Ateneo de Manila University – accepts donations and needs volunteers. Covered Courts, Ateneo, Katipunan Ave.
- La Salle Green Hills – Donations accepted at Gate 2 of La Salle, Ortigas Ave.
- Caritas Manila – Donations accepted at Caritas Manila, Jesus St., Pandaca Manila. (5639298, 5639308)
- Radio Veritas – Donations accepted at Veritas Tower, West Ave. (9257931-40)
- ARANAZ stores in Powerplant and Greenbelt are accepting donations
- TeamManila stores in Trinoma, Mall of Asia, Jupiter Bel-Air, and Rockwell are accepting donations for distribution by Veritas
- Smart branches at SM Fairview, SM North Edsa, Gateway Mall, AliMall, SM Megamall, and SM Muntinlupa are accepting donations.
- Aquino/Roxas volunteers organizing relief goods collection and distribution contact Jiggy Cruz, Clare Amador (0928-5205508) or Jana Vicente (0928-5205499).
- ABS-CBN/Sagip Kapamilya is accepting donations at 13 Examiner St., West Triangle, Q.C. Look for Girlie Aragon (0916-7227806/0929-5348176)
- Red Cross needs volunteer to pack and distribute relief goods.

Pasay - 854-2748, 434-3751
Las Pinas - 873-4873, 468-9688
Pasig - 635-0922
Alabang - 809-7131,850-6813
Bulacan - 044-662-5388
National Head Quarters, Manila - 524-5787,527-0864

Cash Donations
- GMA Kapuso accepts cash and/or check donations. Click here for account information
- Red Cross – Check here for details. Or text “RED ” to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart)

Off-shore
- Red Cross cash donations can be routed through this site.
- Migrante Middle East is coordinating a relief program, and can be contacted through the numbers here.

Please feel free to post any other relief channels which are not in the list above through the comments section. Thanks!

ondoy

2009-09-26T16:42:00.002+08:00

Woah. The rain is crazy. It's flooded everywhere and people are stranded. I'm getting photos and videos on Facebook regarding the flood status.

Check out this video of Katipunan. OH GAWD THE VAN AT THE 1.22 MARK.

To the Ateneans who are stranded in Ateneo, temporary lodging places are available at Faculty Housing (loc. 4036 c/o Ms. Sofie Castro) and New Dorms (loc. 5930 c/o Mr. Mon Bunag).

National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Emergency Numbers: 912-5668, 911-1406, 912-2665, 911-5061.
Help hotlines: 734-2118, 734-2120.
Philippine Coast Guard: 527-6136
Red Cross: 143, 527-0000
Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA): 136
Taguig emergency hotline 1623
Bureau of Fire Protection Region III (Central Luzon): Hotline (045) 9634376

This is all we got and we gotta start thinkin’ it

2009-09-22T00:04:00.002+08:00

Kris Allen premiered his single over at the radio! Mark your calendars people, his album drops on November 17! :)

Listen to the single here.

Live Like We’re Dying
By Kris Allen (Radio Rip - Z100 World Premiere)

Sometime we fall down and can’t get back up
We’re hiding behind skin that’s too tough
How come we don’t say I love you enough
Till it’s too late, it’s not too late

Our hearts are hungry for a food that won’t come
We could make a feast from these crumbs
And we’re all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you, what would you wish you would’ve done

Yeah… gotta start
Looking at the hand of the time we’ve been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start thinkin’ it
Every second counts on a clock that’s tickin
Gotta live like we’re dying

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we’re dying

Well if you plane fell out of the skies
Who would you call with your last goodbyes
Should be so careful who we live out of our lives
So when we long for absolution, there’ll be no one on the line

Yeah… we gotta start lookin’ at the hand of the time we’ve been given here
This all we got and we gotta start thinkin it
Every second count on a clock that’s tickin
Gotta live like we’re dying

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
to turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we’re dying

Like we’re dying oh…
Like we’re dying
Like we’re dying oh…
Like we’re dying

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
to turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we’re dying

You never know a good thing until it’s gone
you never see a crash until its head on
All these people right when we’re dead wrong,
You never know a good thing till it’s gone

Yeah… we gotta start lookin’ at the hand of the time we’ve been given here
this all we got and we gotta start thinkin it
Every second count on a clock that’s tickin
Gotta live like we’re dying

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
to turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we’re dying

Like we’re dying oh…
Like we’re dying
Like we’re dying oh…
Like we’re dying

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
to turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we’re dying

saturday secrets

2009-09-19T22:08:00.003+08:00

Every Saturday, the ontd_ai peeps have this "saturday secrets" post, where -- it's self explanatory, secrets are spilled every Saturday.

I'm having one today, but of course I'll do it in codes or in the vaguest form possible.

Dream

I dreamed about you. You broke into a smile when you saw me. We were an item, but weren't official. You weren't even courting me. There was something going on between us but it wasn't a big deal for the both of us. We were just plain happy to see each other.

I forgot most of my dream (because I was supposed to write about it two nights ago, but then internet was down in the office and I keep on forgetting to post it). I only vividly remember one scene.

I was sitting on a bench at a park. Your head was on my lap; your face looking up to my face. My hand was on your chest, and you held it with your hand. Slowly, I moved my head closer to your head. It was a motion to kiss.

But we didn't.

There. So much for getting any news from me. :))

don't make me give you a restraining order

2009-09-19T10:52:00.004+08:00

If you guys aren't watching Glee, then DUUUUUUUU--- what is wrong with you. :))

Josh Groban was at the third episode of Glee. So imagine my squeefest when Josh announced his appearance and when he finally showed up at the show.

Who... is Josh Groban?

*scoffs*

WHO IS JOSH GROBAN? WHO. IS. JOSH. GROBAN?!?!?!

KILL YOURSELF!

Stop sending me nude photos!

I'm glad the third episode picked up. Mercedes has a powerful voice and I loved her performance of "Bust your windows." She can even dance. Helllooo, I can't dance to save my life.

Will and Emma FTW. Terry, shoo.

Go watch Glee. Tuesdays 10 pm on ETC. Download if you must, every Thursday evening.

AI + TENNIS = A VERY HAPPY YUMI.

2009-09-15T09:44:00.003+08:00

What is it with American Idol and Tennis?

Jordin Sparks at the Arthur Ashe Kids Day.

David Archuleta performing before the Women's Finals yesterday.

Credits to AP Photo

Kim with her little girl Jada. Comeback Mommah Kim Clijsters wins against Caroline "Wozwoz" Wozniacki in straight sets:7-5, 6-3.

Constantine Maroulis performing before the Men's Finals earlier this day.

Credits to Reuters
The score of a champions' game: 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 6-7, 2-6.

The Elf, Juan Martin Del Potro (his name is so sexy) upsets the number 1 player, Roger Federer. I am happy for the DP, but I still love the Fed. CONGRATS TO DEL POTRO!! You really deserve it. Great job kid.