second, make a list of all the things you do during your free time. reading books? watching movies? hanging out with friends? list them all down. keep the list in a cool, dry place. after your first year is over, you’d want to take this list out to remember what sort of fun things you used to enjoy before you ever got too busy with school. serious.

third, enlist the support of Very Bright Significant Other. Very Bright SO can help with making projects  and presentations.  remember to be extra nice to Very Bright SO for all the good work. show love

fourth, get ready to deal with:

• missing out on weekend getaways because of saturday classes
• missing out on weekday after-work activities because of early morning classes
• getting to work early and leaving late to attend classes
• sleeping late to prepare for tests or presentations
• eyebags, dry hair, puffy skin, and headaches that come with sleeping late.

fifth, google is your friend. coffee is your maid of honor.

ako: shame on you!

———-

officemate: [this other company] has even cooler [this thing that we're making] than us!

ako (with feelings): oh man!

———-

officemate: good afternoon

ako (with feelings): you too!

———-

ako to the lady selling stamps: can this stamp go any where?

———-

officemate: blah blah blah

ako: okay sige

officemate: <natinga>

a two-week international assignment  meant that i had to endure the 23-hour travel time from manila to lexington, KY by myself. having gone through the whole ordeal once before, my dread over traveling alone eclipsed my excitement of visiting the US again. but except for feeling sick and tired during the 11-hour flight from nagoya to detroit, the whole trip was not as bad as i had expected.  at least i did not arrive in lexington totally wiped out.  i welcomed any conversation that came my way – from chatty pinay teachers to burly old australian businessmen – just to avoid cotton-mouth. long flights will never be on the top of my list of fun things to do, but i came to know that travelling alone is kind of an adventure by itself.

the tunnel at detroit airport - the lights and music concert

that's 11 hours of being stuck in the middle seat for you.

tried out white water rafting

friends from work invited me to go white-water rafting at Cumberland Falls, Corbin. We were four people  from four different countries  in one car, so conversation was interesting (to say the least) i think i did pretty well going over the Class3 Rapids. at least i didn’t fall off and got swept away i wasn’t able to bring the camera with me on the raft, so i have zero pictures of the ride. all i have to remember everything by is the sound of southern drawl permanently stuck in my head and a semi-serious back injury from all those rowing (sports injury: another first for me hehehe )

sheltowee trace outfitters - the rafting place (www.ky-rafting.com). the sign says "if you're smoking in here..you had better be on fire!"

cumberland falls - the "little niagara" of KY. we rowed as close as we could to the falls. photo taken from the sheltowee website.

malaysia, philippines, usa, nigeria

sunshine on my shoulder

jumped 15-feet off  a huge rock straight into icy cold water

on the trip downstream we all stopped at a nice diving site called “jump rock”. the plunge looked like death to me but if i chickened out  i would surely never hear the end of it from my officemates.  i was so scared, my knees were quaking.  a nice lady saw how terrified i was and offered to jump off the rock with me. i took her up on her offer, closed my eyes, and screamed all the way down. i hit the icy water a second later. it was so fun, i got up and did it again

i was feeling disappointed about how badly i was doing in general and was telling Jesus how sorry I was for being so weak and failing over and over again..then this song came on the radio…

you’ll always be a part of me

i’m part of you and definitely

girl don’t you know you can’t escape me?

oh darling coz you’ll always be my baby

and we’ll linger on

time can’t erase a feeling this strong

no way you’re never gonna shake me

oh darling coz you’ll always be my baby…

His love endures forever!

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

autumn
when fading
is still birth
to colors

or winter
when null
is still art

you are out of season

like a name
that is forgotten
even as it is spoken

jaggers are by nature, very competitive with each other.  we try to beat each other over everything from grades to the biggest slice of cake. i think we broke through a whole new frontier last saturday: sports. who’d have thought those whiny bratinellas from high school could be so…..athletic?

i’m a bowler babeh. the birthday bechi :*

it’s time to turn it up game on! menguits and maumau in a pre-game pose.

dinner was super funny with all the high school pictures and time travelling.

better bigger bolder. everyone got older and yummier:)

here’s baboy finally catching up with me. happy birthday bechilab! i’ma luv ya long time!!!! :*

————————————————————–

“you’re here.”

it was the first time in a long time that he saw her again. he had said the words softly, carefully, afraid that he would scare her off with anything louder than a whisper. at the back of his mind, he was thinking how strange it was that he didn’t want to scare her when it was he who should have bolted out the door the minute he saw her.

“you’re here.” he said again. she smiled and was silent.

he tried to recall the last time he saw her like this, sitting primly on his stained sofa with a half-smile on her face. then he realized that rebecca never sat primly. she would sit with her legs crossed beneath her. or with her feet propped on the table. but she never sat like she was doing now, holding her hands on her lap and looking at him with…amusement? fondness?

he couldn’t recall the last time she was amused of him either.

or fond.

he puts up with your dark side +100,000 points

he dismisses all “not nice” moods as just pre-menstrual syndrome -25,000 points

he speaks to you in cantonese -5,000 points

he’s a better cook than you +40,000 points

he insists you see the doctor when you’re perfectly fine -10,000 points

he loves his mama and ate +100,000 points

he shaves when you tell him not to -3,000 points

he reads all the john gray and relationship books that you tell him to read..hehehe.. +4,000 points

he thinks john gray makes sense +10,000 points

he’s not into any form of dancing  -15,000 points

he does not eat his dinner -3,000 points

he makes sure you get home okay +10,000 points

he gives you cute baboy stuff just because +13,000 points

he uses his award-winning debate skills against you -15,000 points

he forgives you completely when you mess up   +100,000 points

he thinks some of the girly things you do with your friends are strange -800 points

he reads your blog..and only says the nicest things… +/- 10,000 points

when he says he’s sorry..you know he won’t do it again..when he says he loves you, you know he means it.. and all those cheesy songs that used to make you cringe now makes perfect sense because of what he means to you  +1 million jillion points :*

and i love what i’m feeling

you gave me new meaning to my life

yes i’ve gone beyond existing

and it all began

when i met you.