July 11, 2009

4th year

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Wow. Lex will be celebrating his 4th birthday on the 17th of july.

Four years. It’s been that long already? I still remember lying on the hospital bed, with only my Mama to do all the errands. Well, not much has changed in that aspect. I’m just glad that she has endured all these years with me and Lex, hehe.

Sometimes I think about what my life would be like if I did not have Lex. And you know what I see? Nothing. I just can’t imagine life without my little rascal. I know it’s so mother-ish, but it’s true!

It’s been 4 years, and this is going to sound whiny, but man, I have never dated eversince! Well, maybe it’s because aside from my status, I haven’t been meeting a lot of people, especially in the past couple of months. I spend most of my time indoors in front of the computer. An acquaintance of mine suggested a sort of dating-networking website. I shuddered at the thought of joining that kind of online community – no offense to those who do, but I just feel scared of the idea. although I do chat with someone I have never met yet, but it’s completely different when you go out there looking. Aanyway, my colleague has been telling me to have a life, a REAL life apart from home, work and homework (hahaha). She suggested I try speed dating. Speed what? It sounded exciting, but just thinking about what kind of guys would go, *shudder*. I just can’t.

Hehe, anyway, whenever I think of having a relationship again, all I see is nothing. No one. and I don’t exactly feel sad, but I feel… relieved. Sort of. I hear my friends whine about their boyfriends and husbands, and they always tell me “at least you don’t have a headache”. Yeah, and I also don’t haveanyone to share the bills with. Ahehehe…

So as a single woman, I haven’t been having the best 4 years if you look at it at a single person’s perspective.

As a mom, I don’t know if I really qualify to be called one. I did give birth, but I don’t really feel like a mom, especially when I enjoy annoying my son to tears (I think it’s because my brothers used to annoy the hell out of me when I was a kid). It’s just fun to see how he reacts, he’s starting to feel self-conscious, and he hates it when I dance to Mickey Mouse’s hotdog dance. He’s starting to be ashamed of his mother! He won’t even let me sing the songs on Polar Express (I can’t help memorizing it since he watches the movie at least twice a week).

Sometimes I become irresponsible and Mama needs to remind me to take better care of my son. Last weekend, I was too absorbed with reading a book, that Lex had goo all over his face (he has colds). “Will you look at your son? He’s a mess!” My Mama could have whacked me with a slipper when she said that. Sigh. I don’t know if I’m acting my age lately, but it seems that I’m not.

And my son will be 4 next week! Maybe the time will come when he will start acting like an adult while I remain acting like a child. That will be fun. Sometimes I feel like it’s already happening. Haha!

Sigh. Fourth year.

I’m just glad that all the drama is over. Which reminds me, Voldemort said he would try to take Lex out for his birthday. Hmm. Do senators grant their aides some day off?

 

July 2, 2009

Lamb

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I am a Harry Potter fan, and I got really addicted to the books and movies in an unhealthy way that I made a promise not to come near any other book series that will give me the same addiction. Well, when I said “unhealthy”, it meant that I got too distracted and immersed in the books that i literally had no other life than work, home and the book.

So when the Twilight frenzy came in, I swore not to read it. Well, I was able to restrain myself for more than a year, but when I watched the movie on a DVD last week, I broke my promise.

I found the complete set of Stephenie Meyer ebooks, that I was able to read all four in one sitting. Well, it was fast reading, so I bought the first book two days ago to read the details. And it’s gonna be silly for me not to buy the whole set, eventually.

I texted my good friend who calles herself “Twilight girl”, and told her about the latest development. She just replied with “Lamb!”. Oh yes, what a stupid lamb, indeed. I really find it hard to restrain myself from reading. I just hope I didn’t waste all my time and money on going to graduate school (which I quit), and instead indulged in books and movies! Haha. 27 units of masters subjects could have translated to more than twenty novels. Hmm…

Anyway, another reason I would have wanted to avoid reading the Twilight stuff is because it’s a romantic novel. Unlike Harry Potter, which was all about adventure and good vs. evil, Twilight is all about that fleeting feeling, kisses and forever. Romeo and Juliet love affair with a twist. Ulk. Ugh. I hate it. Because I am starting to daydream again. Geez.

What’s more interesting is that there is one thing in common about the movies Harry Potter and Twilight – the actor Robert Pattinson! He appeared in HP4 Goblet of Fire as the charming Cedric, and he is the leading man in Twilight, Edward Cullen. Sigh. Another “mestizo”. And he sings. And plays the piano and the guitar.

Ok, so now I’m hooked. Again. But I’m not a fan yet. I haven’t seen any Rob or Edward fansite, and I hope I can keep myself from doing that. It’s plain silly. I think my Radcliffe and Archuleta fangirl-ness is enough. Enough, lamb.

 

July 2, 2009

Office Anniv

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Ah it’s the rainy season. But our office anniversary had a sunny feel – the theme is Hawaiian, and we wore all flowery stuff. It felt great working in this outfit, actually. And in slippers! How relaxing. I hope we could have Hawaiian uniforms instead. Hehe.

The Market Operations Service - simple and yellow bright :-)

The Market Operations Service - simple and yellow bright :-)

I didn’t have too much fun though, but that’s because I was too distracted. With a book. Hehehe…

 

June 28, 2009

Goodbye, Michael

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Yes, this must me the millionth post about Michael Jackson in the internet. But whatever. I read some articles about how miserable his life has been the past couple of years, and how a lot of people think about his personal life. But at this point in history, all I could think of is how MJ literally transformed the music industry all over the world.

It is common knowledge for us who have been alive since the ’80s that our very own Gary Valenciano copied MJ’s style. I do respect Gary V., and he himself admits that MJ is his influence. the thing is that a lot of great artists in a lot of countries looked up to MJ and picked up some of his style. all the publicity about how crazy he was is obviously overshadowed by his contribution in the music industry.

I watched some of his videos on youtube, and I admit, that it’s the first time I watched those music videos. I dodn’t even know before that he co-wrote the song “We Are The World”, which was really popular when I was a kid.

Anyway, now that I’ve read about his sad life, I can understand why his songs are emotional, and he speaks (sings) of healing, friendship, brotherhood, companionship, loyalty, acceptance, compassion and unconditional love. Most of the time, writers come up with pieces that speaks of the very things they don’t have.

His most consistent message is about change. For the better.

On the other hand, I am wondering how his death will affect everyone in his payroll, especially with his (supposed) upcoming tour this July. Oh well.

So, just like everyone else, I am praying for MJ’s soul, that he will finally feel the love and healing he has been singing about all his life.

Here’s my MJ favorite. But honestly, it’s hard to pick only one favorite.. but so far this one is on top of my list. :-)

 

June 10, 2009

No way…

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Ok, I have another freaky confession to make:

I am now a David Archuleta fan.

Proof:
- his songs are in my player
- I follow him on Twitter
- I read articles about him online. For hours.
- I watched a lot of his youtube videos. Until 2am.
- I listen to songs he listens to (the ones he mentions in his interviews)
- I once said “Dang it!” unknowingly, instead of my usual “What the freak..!” expression

Ok, this is such a big thing for me, because I usually don’t follow celebrities’ careers. I only focus on their current projects, like with Daniel Radcliffe, I only watched his movies, and that’s all. And I thought I was slightly obsessed with him. But the truth is, I was obsessed with Harry Potter, not Daniel. I only enjoyed seeing him as Harry, and when I see his more mature photos with the stubles on his chin, I feel like I’m looking at another person.

Anyway, with David, since he is a singer and he doesn’t take on roles like Daniel, it’s easier to relate to him because that’s all he is – David – himself and no one else. Anyway, I won’t talk much about how wonderful he is, because there are a lot of fansites that have loads of articles about him. I am just amazed with how he has taken the world by storm. I thought only the Pinoy fans were crazy about cute American artists, but I later found out how big he is in other Asian countries as well. Hahaha! What’s ironic is that I started noticing his music AFTER their concert at the Mall of Asia. I didn’t watch because I felt guilty going and leaving my Mama at home with all the chores, since we don’t have a maid for a few weeks. Hah.

Anyway, there are still a lot that I’m not mentioning here about how much of a fan I am, because it’s simply embarrassing. I still think it’s kinda corny and stupid to be a fangirl. So i am corny and stupid. Haha!

It’s funny because I thought I am not acting my age, being a fan of a teenage singer, until I read a blog entry by one of David’s fans. She is a grandmother who has teenage grand daughters. She brought her granddaughters to a soccer game where David was performing, because her granddaughters did not have any interest in David’s music, and she was hoping to “convert” them and be a fan like her. When I read that, I was like, wow, so I don’t have to be embarrassed about being a fan after all! And yes, the grandmother went home with her granddaughter asking her to play David’s music in the car. :-)

Ok, I’ve been blabbering a lot now. I guess the bottom line is, if you enjoy someones’ music, art or whatever craft, enjoy it. We only get to live once, and music is such a great gift, it soothes the soul and it somehow buffs up our mood.

Ok, I was trying to sound intellectual there. Aminin na kasi, fangirl ka na zahflo! Wahaha!

But still, I don’t download his photos on my computer, I don’t have his poster, magazines or ringtone. And I still don’t know his mother’s maiden name. So I guess I’m not obsessed. Yet. Right? Right…

 

June 10, 2009

Music buff?

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I don’t know what kind of stage this is I’m goping through, but I suddenly found myself devouring music and movies these past few weeks. It has been years, I think, since I actively searched for new music to listen to. Although the songs I play on my computer are not entirely new, but it is new to me. I used to just listen to my OPM collection and some all time favorites like Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply”. Now I’ve discovered the music of David Archuleta, Taylor Swift, Jordin Sparks and Secondhand Serenade. I tried listening to David Cook’s songs, but I just don’t feel connected to his music. I’m more of the teeny bopper type of person I guess. When I was younger (wow am I oldER?), i used to listen to Backstreet Boys and The Corrs. I have their tapes (tapes! how ancient can I get?), hehe. I think I got really hooked up with The Corrs because I have three of their albums, all original, there were no mp3s yet at that time (that was just 10 years ago!).

Anyway, I also used to listen to a lot of New Wave because my brother is into it, and we only had one casette player, so he plays his type of music. He gets annoyed when I play my tapes, he thinks boy bands are cheap! Hahaha!

I would love to start playing the guitar again, and it’s nice to see my son picks up our interest in music. He likes playing with the guitar and the piano, and I sometimes hear him hum songs he learns from the Disney Channel and The Polar Express movie.

Well, for now, I guess I’ll just listen to more of the music that I have been missing. I don’t listen to the radio anymore, so I don’t know what’s “in” and what’s “hot”.

Sigh. I remember when I used to buy “songhits” just to get to know the lyrics and guitar chords of the newest songs. Haha, and sometimes I would just copy the lyrics and chords in a music notebook. Now it’s even more convenient, I can just look it up on the net and print out pages of lyrics and chords.

Oh well, I guess when you put things aside, it has a way of catching up on you and you just can’t ignore it for the rest of your life. I guess music is one of those things that will always catch my fancy.

 

June 7, 2009

my thoughts on voting in the national elections

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I have an embarrassing confession: I’m in my late 20’s and I have NEVER voted (local government and national elections) in my entire life.

I know a lot of people actually don’t vote. But in my case, I didn’t just not vote, I never registered with the Commission on Elections. I was just forced to register this year because the Marikina City government would not issue any certifications to anyone who is not a registered voter. So I couldn’t get a Solo Parent Certification, which I needed to submit to my office so I can get an additional 7 days vacation leave (it’s a benefit for single parents that I was able to get last year). I think it was a wise move by the Marikina gov’t, BTW, but it was sort of a hassle for me hehe.

So there, I had to register. So I guess I’ll be voting next year for the national elections. And the way things are going right now, I don’t know if I still want to vote. I know a lot of my acquaintances who are actively monitoring all the developments will be ashamed to be associated with an apathetic Pinoy like me. But it’s just… I don’t know how to describe it. I just feel like if I do make a vote, and convince others to do the same, at the end of the day, i’d still be cheated on and corruption will still rule. It is sad that I have lost hope in our leaders. I know that deep in their hearts, they want to serve and change our country. But with all the blackmail propaganda that goes around, threats to lives and families – leave them no choice but to play the game, while we all watch helplessly.

I am a mother, and I do care for my son’s future. This time when the Philippine government is going crazy over a lot of controversies, I just want to turn my back on all this show and watch music videos instead. But I have a bigger responsibility now, and I guess I can’t just sit here and not care. So there, I just announced that I’ll be voting after all. Hehe.

So whoever cheats next year, well, let all of you live cursed lives. That’s all I can say. Can’t say much since I do work for the government, too, and it won’t help to trash talk fellow government servants. Which is kinda hard. But yeah, I’ll shut up now. :-)

 

May 30, 2009

Third Taekwondo Promotion Test – Blue to Red

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This morning, we had a special promotion test at the VCF QC. We were not able to join the general promotions yesterday because we had work.

Singles Class: Jovy, Maan, Coach Vince, Lisa, Ruby, Maj

Singles Class: Jovy, Maan, Coach Vince, Lisa, Ruby, Maj

Anyway, it was a good thing that our Coach for the summer clinic was John, so it makes it perfectly “legal” for Coach Vince to be our examiner. Hehehe. I was too nervous this week that it might be Coach Nap (he is the head coach for Diliman Preparatory School), though he is nice, it’s just scary to have THE Coach Nap for an examiner. Anyway, so we had Coach Vince and it was a more relaxed environment since there were only five of us taking the test. However, my four classmates are all white belts, and I’m the only colored belt (blue). So that means I’ll have to spar with a black belt since white belts don’t spar yet.

So the examiner was Coach Vince, and his assistant was my good friend Hal. Haha! You got it, I got to spar with Hal, and he was “gentle” at the very least. I got tired at 45 seconds, and the sparring was 2 minutes long! Sigh. If it was my second promotion test, I would have gotten knocked out already.

I was glad that I got to memorize all my poomse and self defense forms, so Coach Vince told me then and there, that I’m promoted to HIGH red! To give you an idea, here are the belt levels for Taekwondo, Phils.:
1. White belt
2. Low Yellow
3. High Yellow
4. Low Blue
5. High Blue
6. Low Red
7. High Red
8. low Brown
9. High Brown
10. 1st Dan Black Belt
then it goes all the way to 9th Dan Black Belt (there are only a few 9th Dan in the world, most stop at 3rd Dan)

So now I’m at high red, I only need to be promoted twice before going to BLACK! As Coach Vince told me, we will be hitting our target to go Black before my 30th birthday next year. (OMG, it’s next year already!!!)

After the test - relax na!

After the test - relax na!

I’m so happy today, and I’m glad to have adult classmates now. Though I do miss the kids, but I’ll be training with them when the school year starts, and it’s gonna be fun because they will be quite shocked that I skipped again, and most of us are already at red belt! To think that it was only last year when I was a white belt, and they were at yellow. Now some kids will be at low brown already, hehe. Race to Black it is!

Christmas colors: Maan, Hal, Maj, Ruby, Lisa

Christmas colors: Maan, Hal, Maj, Ruby, Lisa

 

May 27, 2009

May 27 World MS Day

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Today, the world celebrates Multiple Sclerosis Day. This is to spread awareness about this condition that still has no cure. I myself have heard the name, but I had no idea what it was. And today is a good time to start knowing about it.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system. Today more than 2,000,000 people around the world have MS.

MS is the result of damage to myelin – a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system. When myelin is damaged, this interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body.

Symptoms vary widely and include blurred vision, weak limbs, unsteadiness, pain and fatigue. For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern. For everyone, it makes life unpredictable.

source

Visit http://www.worldmsday.org to find out more about MS, and what you can do to help.

Thanks to David for spreading the word, and for being an inspiration to many – I wouldn’t have known about this if it wasn’t for his Tweeter update!

 

May 24, 2009

Online life

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I never realized it until recently. I have a life online, but offline, in real life, I don’t.

See, in the office, i barely leave my workplace. either I just go to the restroom (I do that a lot of times hehe), or I’m in another department having some paper signed. But most of the hours I’m just in front of my PC doing some work (some?) hehe, and browsing whatever is not blocked by the computer admin hehe.

Then when I go home, I browse all the other sites that are blocked in the office, like youtube, facebook and other downloading sites, mostly for music and music videos. And to update this blog (yes, wordpress is blocked already, the reason I can’t update this blog more often than I used to).

anyway, I’ve been enjoying my PC time, but I realized I’ve spent too much time here, that I don’t really go out anymore. Or if I do, it’s just for Taek training, leadership meetings, church and grocery shopping.

Hmmm…

But then, I do enjoy watching music videos. Hmm….

Oh well, I’ll tweet, multiply and facebook all I want. Maybe it’s better than real life. Haha (how desperate!)

 

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