Insightful, Hopeful

I've again been on a blog hiatus. There's nothing much to blog. Been contemplating on life lately. But one thing I do need to remember is to enjoy each day as it comes. Let me just share this quote from the musical Rent:

"There's only us,

there's only this,

forget regret

or life is yours to miss.

No other road, 

no other way,

no day but today."

I would like to take time to greet some people who are celebrating their birthdays this August. I would also give a little trivia about them, and include my greetings as well.

15th - MIKE
Mike is the friend of my classmate in college, and we were introduced via ICQ (a popular instant messenger way back late 1990s to 2002). Turns out he is the brother of one of my classmates in Grade 3. As he said, it was classic friendster example even before friendster came to be. :)
Most of the time, he is my chat buddy in YM especially during the wee hours of the morning. Or more exactly from midnight till about 1 or 2 am. He's one of the best listeners out there. Perhaps it's also that we just have these things in common - we just like to talk about life, we love watching tv (I'll wait for those Grey's Anatomy episodes ;)), love tech stuff, and we have various interests.
So Mike thanks for listening and sharing too. My chat life has become more colorful indeed hehe. Goodluck on the stuff you want to do, and your business/entrepreneurial endeavors. On your lovelife, may it be uncomplicated. Enjoy life.

19th - SARAH
Sarah is my friend from Pre-com (1st and 2nd year of college). Though some people did not like her during those days because she seemed "maarte", she proved them wrong by just being herself and winning the friendship of most. We had fun moments during those years, as our classes were only half-day so we had time to go to the mall hehe. We both love Pierce Brosnan especially in those James Bond movies. :D
She has been an achiever, in the past and in the present. She had been into debating in college, and a student council officer. Now she is a CPA, and I admire her coz she has achieved her goals career-wise. Goodluck on your lovelife girl, may you find him or perhaps you have. ;)

24th - J
J is my best friend's sweetie :)
I met him many times before because he always kinda appeared out of nowhere during those early days (just kidding :P)
He is a true music lover, and was kind enough to share some of his collections via his server. He is also an award-winning web designer and graphic artist.
Too bad I wasn't able to attend his party. I heard their band (Spelling Contest) played some of their original songs. Goodluck on your music and your work. Hopefully, you'll be able to play in the mainstream and be included in one of those tribute albums. You're one of the few people I know who followed their passion for art and succeeded. As for you and your sweetie (my cutie friend :)), may you have happiness and love that will last a lifetime.

28th - Janella aka Babes
My one and only niece. She is now 8 years old, and I'm happy that she's growing up to be a smart kid. Before, I thought I wouldn't get so close to her coz she did not live with us unlike my nephew Jonel. But at times I see myself in herself, especially her moodiness (I was like that as a child).
She also loves music, she likes those songs in Lea's "I am but a Small Voice" album. And she's getting to like books, which is really good.
Her other talents include dancing (her Chopetta dance is the best), and her ability to compute (a budding Math wizard).
To my dear niece, may you develop your talents and use it for greater good. May you be successful in what you choose to do. Enjoy your childhood, I know you do :)

Last Saturday, Cat and I went to Kathrina's house in Cainta for her 24th birthday. I was hoping there would be more of us from our barkada who would be able to come, but because of unforseen circumstances only three of us were able to attend. Well, it was more like four because Cat's brother, Ogie, was kind enough to accompany us to be our "bodyguard" hehe.

Our other friend who was able to attend was Jeanette, who lives very near the place. It was nice to see old friends again. We talked about our recent lives, our plans, and some legal issues we had in mind. This was because Kathrina (aka Cookie) is a law student, and we took advantage of her legal know-how while it's still free :P

Though we were not able to stay very long, I really enjoyed the time we had together.

More details from Cat's blog. Cat, I'll just be sending the photos through email. 

Things that happened last Sunday, July 30, 2006. 

SPARKS 

I went to church at Sacred Heart Parish in Sta. Mesa. I attended the 3:30 pm mass which is actually for children, but I like this timeslot because the church is not as full as other timeslots in the afternoon and evening. Anyway, at some point in the mass, some people were shouting and some mild explosions were heard. These were happening at the left side of the church, and I was on the right side. Some panicked and rushed out. I was also affected and stood up, but I didn't run because I was far from the incident. There was black smoke and sparks. Turns out, it was caused by faulty wiring.  It was raining and the wire produced sparks and then flame. I saw Ryan, his sister and his girlfriend Aryan, we all chatted for a while, and waiting to see if the mass would resume. The lights were turned off so as not to worsen the situation. The priest decided to continue the mass. The people sat closer to the altar. Only candles were lit. It was one of the most solemn masses I ever attended. It was quiet except for the sound of the vehicles passing by. Finally, a megaphone was brought out so everyone could hear the message. What a blessed way to hear God's word :)

SPLURGE

After hearing mass, I headed off to SM Centerpoint. I anticipated the large crowd because of the 3-day sale. I even saw my sister's friend's sister Elvie, and also Ryan and Aryan. I bought medicine for my aunt. Then bought what I came for, an all-weather sandals. I went for the Sandugo brand which my friend Ken recommended. Also saw a cute backpack that was fit for the rainy days which I also bought. Saw some books and a fitness magazine and bought those too. I was looking for a pedal pusher, and saw a nice looking one that looked big, but since my hands were aching from all the baggage, I opted not to fit the pants. Turns out, it was way too big but it fit my mom, which was good. 

IDOLS

 I went home, and I remembered that Philippine Idol was showing that night. I watched it with my mom and dad. I was laughing hard in some parts because of some contestants. But in general, the voices of some contestants cracked but they were still in tune, showing still that the Filipinos have talent. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Cebu auditions. I know the Cebuanos are known for their melodious voices, and talented singers like Pilita Corrales (one of the judges), Vina Morales and Sheryn Regis.

SPLURGE 2

When I thought my shopping spree was over,  my sister called and said I should go to SM again. She wanted me to use my card to purchase a treadmill. We've been thinking of buying one ever since we saw a good one which could be bought at 6 months 0% interest payment scheme. This one could be bought with the same terms too. The salesman had his sales pitch, and seeing it was good, we gave in (gosh, more debts, but health is priceless). When we came home, I showed my sister the Fitness magazine I bought. There we were, dreaming of a fitter life. :)  But the treadmill does not arrive til Saturday.

So there it is, stories on a Sunday. 

Finally, after not being able to be online for a month or so, I'm back and with a vengeance hehe (just kidding).

It turns out, the modem was not working and so I bought an internal one which I installed inside the CPU myself.  I was able to succeed in adding memory in my computer (read the memory story here), so I was more confident this time.

I missed blogging, just being able to rant or rave about anything in your life. Also, my favorite co-bloggers, J and Cat are also back on track so at least I'll be keeping up with their lives as well.

 Btw, I just want to congratulate Cat for passing the NCLEX. Good job, girl! I knew you'd made it. Also, congrats to my friend Mel for passing the CIA (it's for auditors). I'm so lucky to have smart friends. :)

So what have I been up to? There's nothing much, but I had some nice memories recently. I've been able to go out some of my college friends last time, Marilen and JV and talked mostly about career. I also met Kate with Ken last time in Shangrila almost a month ago, and talked about raising Kate's daughter and some other serious issues. (Hello to Kate, who's just discovered my blog). It's really wonderful to go out to see old friends once in a while.

Oh, my mom celebrated her 70th bday last July 8. Belated Happy Birthday mom! We had a bigger celebration this time with at most 80 people, which is befitting for a superb woman like her. Love you mom!

Our AFLSer (Lea Salonga group) friend, Mimi, also came from the US. She got to meet us finally. We ate at Ebun restaurant in Glorietta. It was nice meeting you in person Mimi, and I hope you enjoyed your stay here.

Also because of the bad weather, I've had an excuse to continue my TV series marathon. I'm almost through watching the 1st season of LOST. Too bad Boone died. He is my crush in the series. I also like Kate's character though she didn't have such a great past.

I'm excited to watch the new reality shows "Philippine Idol" and "Pinoy Dream Academy". I wonder which talent show will produce the more popular star. The 1st season of a talent search almost always makes the winner an instant hit, and declines with the succeeding seasons. I hope these two shows will create a new trend since the contestants' age limit has been raised to 28 years old.

Despite the various things I am into these days, I still did not miss the chance of trying out as contributor of Pinoy Tech Blog(PTB). This is my second time to try out. Last time, I wrote tech-related articles and the regular contributors would check out the aspirants' blog. This time, the format was changed and an "Open Mike" was introduced. I had no idea what an open mike was. Turns out, it is a live show where audience members may perform at the microphone, and the term was just used.

Anyway, I was lucky that two of my articles were chosen to be published on the site. These are about my new mp3 player and a cool stock photo site I found on the internet.

There were of course others who tried out (and I guess, again, I am the only woman), and I checked out their blogs. Some are definitely more tech-savvy than I am. I have not really written tech-related articles here or perhaps I should create a tech blog. The new contributors have not been announced, but nonetheless, I am happy for opportunity of having my articles published on PTB.

I have abandoned this blog for the whole of March except for my blue things collection post where I boldly showed off my blue toes :P

I have been busy with activities which I would perhaps post some other time. But then again, as I've said before, new months also mean new beginnings. Hooray to summer! April is here.

Lent Season is also coming up, time to reflect and renew our wearied bodies and souls.

I just realized, I am so fond of blue stuff. The shade of blue, that is the same, or almost the same as my blog theme color. Here are some of my blue stuff.

 

I'm turning 24 next week. Yes, I'm getting older again. I have been thinking of this mostly these days, letting go of Valentines since of it has no significance (a case of sour graping? :P). Actually, I have been saving so I can treat the people close to me. I can't treat everyone (sorry guys), but hopefully most people dear to me.

I have mixed feelings about this - questions on what I have achieved for the past years especially since graduating from college. Yet there's so much to look forward about the future. I have always thought that New Years Resolutions should be made on one's birthday rather on January 1, since our birthdays is celebrating a "new year".

I am thankful for the continuous blessing I am receiving. There has been no real big changes so far, but I am contented with what I have so far. I just hope to reach my goals. These goals are just guidelines on what I hope to achieve, because we really cannot tell what would happen in our life.

Well, it's still a few days away, till then I'll enjoy being 23 :D

A warm welcome to a new year - 2006, year of the dog for the Chinese.
Hopefully this would be a good year for me, since I was born in the year of the dog too, 24 years ago.
I would like to write some lessons I learned last year. The year 2005 was a mixture of sadness and happiness for me. In the early part of the year, one of my friend died who was really special to me. It was very sad, having experienced for the first time, losing someone very close to me. But with the help of family and friends, I was able to recover from the sad loss and I learned many important lessons - that life is indeed short and that every waking moment of our lives is precious and something we should all thank for. I was also happy because I made new friends and rekindled old ties with my friends at SFC. Though I may not be able to attend all the activities at SFC, I am happy to serve Him in ways I can. I also had bonding moments with my officemates with our trip in Bohol, and I turned 1 year at work. But the greatest lesson I guess is to have faith, that things will be alright whatever trials come our way. Thanks be to God!
This 2006, I hope to continue to have good relationships with family and friends, to improve myself in all aspects of my life - spiritually, emotionally, physically, socially. I wish that for all of you too :D