| Thursday, May 22, 2003 |
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Admittedly, I am a Survivor fan. The only season I didn’t watch completely was the first one. Only because I already knew the outcome before I was able to watch it. As some of you have read, I have never liked the winners since Survivor: The Australian Outback. I was rooting for Kathy in Survivor: Marquesas but Vecepia won. I was rooting for Helen in Survivor: Thailand but Brian won. I was voting for Rob to win in Survivor: Amazon but Jenna won. Sometimes, I don’t know why I even pick a favorite since they don’t win. Oh well, I’m still looking forward to watching Survivor: Pearl Islands set to premiere this fall. Also, check this article out, it’s Phil Kural’s MVP Moments for everyone in Survivor: Amazon. And this one, too, for the Year-End Awards.
My all-time favorite show is Friends and I love taking trivia questions about it, particularly this one.
It has finally come. The moment I’ve been dreading has finally arrived. I am actually – bored. Yes. You heard me right. For the first time since I graduated 14 months ago, I am bored. Maybe because I’m leaving in a little more than 2 months and RAD is closed for now. I’m not doing anything with a deadline. That’s why I need to go back to school. I need to have something certain (i.e., work) in my life.
Anyway, looking forward to watching these upcoming movies:
• Finding Nemo
• Italian Job
• The Hulk
• Alex and Emma
• Charlie’s Angels 2: Full Throttle
• Bab Boys II
• Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• Uptown Girls
• Matrix Revolutions
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
• Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• Star Wars Episode III
• Lizzie Mcguire
• Hollywood Homicide
Eek! Gotta save up for all of these movies!
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posted by Jax @ 8:41:00 PM   |
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Sometimes, my sister gets me so infuriated. I called her up on the mobile because she texted me about her photo reprints that she needed for her TIN. Well I told her that I've been busy and wasn't able to do it but that I'll try to do it tomorrow. And then she said that I have to give it to her accountant by tomorrow. But I told her I can't do that because my dad and mom were going to be out the whole day and I need a driver to go to her accountant's place, since I wasn't very familiar with it. She got all, What?! Then she goes on to complain that they need her photo because it's already Friday tomorrow. I told her I can have it sent on Saturday but the office was closed on Saturdays. And I told her that I can't give it tomorrow. And she was like well why didn't you bring it there earlier this week? And I'm like well I had to take care of other things. And she had the nerve to get angry at me! Stupid girl.
Anyway, on to something BETTER.
You're... Fez!
When your friend said he "hates being in the
backseat" without his friends, you
replied, "welcome to my world." Most
of the time you're invisible, except for when
you bust out onto the dance floor. You're in
love with one woman, to whom you once sang,
"besame, besame mucho..." SUCH a
romantic, you are.
Which character from That '70s Show are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
I was able to catch snippets of Game 2 of the Spurs-Mavericks game this morning. Spurs won, 119-106, I think, making them 1-1 in the NBA Western Conference Finals. Hope the Spurs win it!
Found out a couple of days ago that Patty Laurel and Johann Ekedum won the MTV VJ Hunt 2003. Not my first choice, though. But I do hope they do a good job. Hope better than the, um, VJs they got from the VJ Hunt last year. Now that was unforgettable. Really should be forgotten.
The new MTV VJs
Anyway, I had the weirdest dream last night. I was with my two cousins and we were talking about getting some eggs or something like that. Well my cousin told me that she knew a place where we can get it really cheap. I was amazed at the price apparently so we went there to check it out. When we got there, it turned out to be a farm near a beach. We were met by someone from inside (I can't remember if it was a man or a woman just that they were old) and they let us in. Inside, we ran into my brother, who turned out to be working there under pretense. We called him and he seemed "not surprised" to see us there. We talked to him about something I can't remember but he cut it short because he had to go. Right then, my cousin tapped me and said that the path from which we came was starting to melt. And when I did look, she was right, it was melting. At this point, I was curious but did not pursue the subject. I started to look around the farm and noticed the other guests (which came out from nowhere) were getting a little panicky because, apparently, the same land we were stepping on was starting to melt and creating a 'lake" of some sort. Well, I was getting panicky here because we were running out of "walking space". We didn't know what to do and there was no one there who could help us. Suddenly we were "transported" to a red bed surrounded by that flowing melted path and it was flowing pretty fast. And the bed was flailing madly as if it wanted to throw us into that lake of melted land. Then this old woman appeared at the side of the bed, stretching her old, wrinkled hands to us as if wanting to strangle us or throw us into that lake. But we stood up tall (well tried to anyway) and rejected her. Instead, we held hands, closed our eyes and started praying the rosary in a loud, thunderous voice that seemed to drown out all the sounds the bed, the old woman and the lake were making. And then suddenly, everything was deathly still. The bed was calm, the old woman was gone and the lake was replaced by solid land once again. Creepy. But when we were on that bed, I realized that all of that may have been the work of the devil so I quickly turned to the only solution to defeat the devil: God. I also realize how powerful the prayer is. It can defeat the ruler of evil. Just shows how powerful God really is. But you know what I realized? That I¡¦m really turning out to be the Catholic person that God wants me to be. I'm so happy! I hope I can make Him more proud of me.
Last Tuesday, I was able to have my feet scrubbed and nails (hands and feet) cleaned. Oh, I¡¦ve waited for that opportunity for months. I've never had the time and now my feet are thanking me. I feel so smooth and it makes just want to go out and celebrate.
Last Wednesday was my cousin¡¦s wedding. At last, it's finished. They¡¦ve been obsessing over it for so long and have been tearing their hair out that I'm glad it's over. At least, pressure's off. For now. Now they gotta worry about raising their kid, who's already 8 or 9 months old.
Went to Greenhills today with my mom and got two new necklaces and a bracelet! Heehee. Wanna go out so I can wear them already.
This week's Thursday Three:
1. Describe yourself in three words. Ironic because I never operate in the middle. A leader because I always know what to do. Frustrated because I can never be a singer. *sniff sniff*
2. Which person do you know that is most like you and why? Hahaha! I think my two nephews (aged 4 and 1). Whenever I tell my mom that my nephews are getting too "negative", she just says "well they got it from you".
3. What kind of person are you? I'm a person who loves God and who loves people and tries to see the good in them. But I'm also a person who knows what she wants and how to get it and she won't let anyone stop her from doing so, in a not-so-unfriendly way.
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| posted by Jax @ 4:52:00 AM |
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| Wednesday, May 21, 2003 |
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This week's This or That Tuesday:
1. Large or small family? Large family
2. Potato chips or pretzels? Potato chips
3. House or apartment? House
4. Zebras or giraffes? Zebras. I've never seen one.
5. Candles or potpourri? Candles. I have dozens and dozens in my room.
Flowers or trees? Flowers
Right or left-handed? I'm a leftie.
8. Model trains or dolls/stuffed animals? Model trains
9. Comedy or drama? Comedy
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: The city of Boston has recently banned smoking in all restaurants and bars. Would you want to see such a law passed in your city/town/country, or not? Yes. I won't be able to enjoy my meal with someone blowing smoke around me in restaurants. And it's hard to breathe in congested places, like bars, when it's filled up with smoke.
Labels: surveys |
| posted by Jax @ 6:48:00 AM |
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| Sunday, May 18, 2003 |
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LAKERS lost!
Actually, I found out last Friday but I forgot to post it yesterday.
But there. I'm happy.
I'm now rooting for Nets-Spurs Finals.
Btw, my visa from AAC just arrived. Excited na talaga ako! |
| posted by Jax @ 8:55:00 PM |
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Last Friday, I didn't go to the gym because I had to pay several bills. Left the house around 11am because I had a hard time forcing myself to go. It was just so damn hot and I just wanted to lie down and just be inside an air-conditioned room. Grabe no. I had to go to Celebrity to pay some monthly dues and to request the reactivation of my mom's card. Then had to go to my mom's bank to deposit a check. Then went to my sister's accountant way over at Antipolo, Rizal, to get some forms for her TIN. Then had to go to Citibank in Libis to pay my mom's and my sister's credit card bills. Ate lunch at Libis na rin, at around 1p, at which point, I was very hungry and tired and bit, um, not good. But I couldn't go home yet. Still had to drop by Kodak in V. Luna to have some film developed. Good thing there was no traffic on the way home. Got home at around 3p, 4 hours later, and I was so damn tired. You'd think by that time I would be getting ready to rest. But no! I still had to go to SM to look for something and buy a gift for my dad's friend. Ack. Finally went home at around 7pm. Still didn't get to rest though because my two nephews were there and had to entertain them. Finally went up to my bedroom at around 930p to retire. Slept peacefully at 1030p. Thank goodness.
The sad thing about this was that what I did wasn't tiring. It was the day's weather that drowned out all of my energy. It was so damn hot! It was so hot, I think I could have cooked a lot of food on the streets. I actually thought I was melting from the heat. I mean, at one point, through all of this, I had to sit down because I was already getting dizzy from fatigue and I was afraid I was gonna faint right then and there, when I was alone. Geez.
Just when I thought I was gonna have some sort of "rest", I was wrong. Saturday morning. Had to wake up at 630 am so I could leave at 8am to go to the condo so I could let in some people into the unit to put up the remaining curtains. While they were busy doing that, I was sitting on the couch, sleeping. Hehe. Well, I was so tired and sleepy! Didn't want to bother them so I tried to catch some zzz's instead. Well, they all finished at 10:30a so went to Galleria to meet up with a friend before we went to out Movie Club discussion. Had lunch at Piadina where we ordered Pasta Scampi and Pizza Margherita, which I both recommend. By the time we paid for our food, it was just 12:30 and we had an hour to kill before our discussion so my friend and I shopped around muna. We looked around for sandals coz I needed some new sandals for the summer. Well, we were at Le Donne, checking all the LOW-price sandals and, as I was walking around the store, I heard this voice that I haven¡¦t heard for more than a year. Omigoodness! It was Mikki! Omigoodness. It was so good to see her again. She was trying on some sandals while I was talking to her and, when I looked down, I saw the most amazing sandals ever. Omigoodness. I just had to buy it. And I did!
And the good news is I bought them for more than half off! It was originally priced at P1195 but I only paid P349 for it! Can you say amazing?
Watched X-Men 2 yesterday (finally!) and I had the absolute greatest time! Way better than Matrix: Reloaded, it was a delight for me, being a fan of the X-Men comics. I actually took out my X-Men Age of Apocalypse collection. Gosh. I can't believe have had it for almost 8 years. Would you believe that just the X-Men Alpha and Omega comic books cost around P9000 already? Can¡¦t imagine how much the whole collection is gonna be worth now.
Went to this site called Death Clock and they can supposedly tell your personal day of death. According to the site, I will die on Saturday, March 17, 2074 and I have approximately 2,235,153,960 seconds to live. Well, I don't believe in it. And I don't know if I'll die on that day or even tomorrow but you know what I realized when I saw that? Every second is precious. Don't waste a second of your life on something so useless. We don't even know when that second will be taken away from us. That's why it's very important that we always live our lives to the fullest. We should never waste one second on something so pointless that it contributes nothing to our being. Do everything you love and love every second doing it.
I can't believe that May will end in two weeks. Summer vacation's about to end. Well, personally, I¡¦m looking forward to going back to school and the good thing about it is I am! But this is scary. Leaving to live on my own is scary, what more if it's living on my own in a different country? Scary! But I'm excited about it. It may give me a chance to discover myself without inhibitions and limitations. And it¡¦ll give me a chance to discover a new culture.
My cousin's wedding is going to be on Wednesday already. I'll be a part of the entourage (secondary sponsor - cord) and I'm not really excited about it. I don't know why. I'm just not.
This week's friday five:
1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.? purified, distilled water, like Absolute and Agua Vida
2. What are your favorite flavor of chips? BBQ, Taco and Salsa Verde
3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most? Menudo
4. How do you have your eggs? Scrambled
5. Who was the last person who cooked you a meal? How did it turn out? Our cook. She cooked pork chops with soy sauce and put in potatoes and green peas. It was ok. A bit dry but will do.
This week's Weekly Wrap-up:
1. Do you like rain? Why or why not? It's ok when I¡¦m staying inside. But when I'm not in the house, I hate it.
2. As a child, what did you do when it rained? I played under the rain and just got myself wet.
3. What is currently your favorite rainy day activity? Why? Sleeping. Rainy weather makes me sleepy.
4. Describe the best rainy day experience you've ever had. When it rained when I was still a kid, I went out to play under it, with no protective gear on. It was like a swimming pool without the pool but with all the water.
5. Suggest a good video/DVD rental for a rainy day. Why did you pick this movie? I never really thought about it. But a good movie to watch would be a good action film, like Star Wars or Braveheart or Gladiator so I have a reason to keep the volume up high: I can't hear the sound because of the rain!
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| posted by Jax @ 1:38:00 AM |
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| Thursday, May 15, 2003 |
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Went to the dentist again for the first time in years. Yes. That’s right. Years. Hahaha! My dentist was teasing me about being a couple of years late for my appointment.
Went to Galleria kanina with my cousin to watch Matrix: Reloaded. Omigoodness. What a movie! Galing! The action sequences were so great. Wow. I wanna watch it again just to see all those.
But while watching the movie, I was a bit pissed because of “some people”. I don’t get why people find it hard to understand one simple rule: Turn off or put cellphones into silent mode. How hard is it to do that? I mean, almost all around me cellphones were beeping and ringing. You try to “ask” them to turn it off but they just won’t listen. You don’t want to create a scene because I might get into a shouting match inside the theater. Sometimes I just want to bonk their heads on the floor until they learn their lesson, you know. Hay naku.
Sean Hayes is on David Letterman. He looks different with longer hair. And he seems tamer.
Ack! I’m a little PO’d right now. My sister just called and wants me to go to this place to run her errands. Argh! And when I asked her why she didn’t do it before she left, she just replied with I don’t have time. Then make the time! It’s not that hard, you know.
This week's Thursday Threesome:
Onesome: Quick as- Quickly now, June is almost here: are you attending any graduation ceremonies in the next few weeks? Hmmm... Maybe that should be "Have you been invited to any?" Nope. Graduation here is usually held in March or April.
Twosome: Can- Still moving right along: Can it really be the Merry Month of May? How many birthdays do you have to remember this month? Family? Friends? Associates? 3 0r 4, I think.
Threesome: Be(e)- Be ready, the bug population is starting to be a bother (at least from blog reports). Is there any particular crawly or flying beastie that just makes you jump out of your skin? cockroaches |
| posted by Jax @ 6:37:00 AM |
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| Tuesday, May 13, 2003 |
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Went to Glorietta today to have Mom’s cellphone line reconnected and I waited for more than an hour before I was “attended” to. And you know how long it took me to finish my “business”? 15 minutes! Damn. Nalampasan pa ang number ko because I almost fell asleep due to boredom. There were 2 computers and no one was sitting behind it. But there were a lot of Globe employees there ah. Kainis lang because the business center was slowly filling up with people and they were nowhere to be seen. Wala lang. It’s just so frustrating to see people act this way, you know. But in fairness, when I was being attended, all attention was on me and they made sure that my request was granted.
Anyway, since my mom was going to be awhile, I decided to walk around and look for things to buy. I ended up at Tower Records to buy a CD for my dad’s birthday and Father’s Day. I know, I know. It’s still next month but it’s never too early to be prepared. Besides, it gave me a chance to browse for potential CDs. And I found four.
• Ivy – Guestroom
• Obi – Magic Land of Radio
• The Lilac Time – Lilac06
• Madonna – American Life
I haven’t bought them yet coz I don’t have any money for it. I’m adding it now to my list of must-buy CDs which include:
• Justin Timberlake – Justified
• India.Arie – Acoustic Soul & A Voyage to India
• John Mayer – Any Given Thursday
• Linkin Park – Meteora
• Daredevil OST
• Serendipity OST
• Diana Krall – The Look of Love & Live in Paris
• U2 – The Best of 1980 – 1990 & The Best of 1990 – 2000
• Incubus – Morning View
• Elliot Smith – Elliot Smith
• Alice Peacock – Alice Peacock
• Ryan Adams – Gold
• Nick Drake – Pink Moon
Quite a lot, I know. But there really are lots of good CDs lately, especially the indie albums. Which reminds me. My cousin gave me this CD, a demo copy of his friend and he asked me to review it and I haven’t really listened to it. Good thing I didn’t promise him a date. Will probably give him the review in two weeks.
Walked around Glorietta with Mom after lunch. She wanted to buy some sandals so we looked for good shoe stores. Well, I wasn’t planning to buy anything and then, at Ohrelle, this sales guy talked us into buying these sneaker shoes that cost around P1700. Well my mom agreed naman so we bought it. Besides, she payed for it. Thanks, Mom! I also bought these casual sandals that I plan to wear when I’m dressed down to go out. And they only cost P200!
I just finished watching The Simpsons and everytime I watch that, I feel sorry for today’s society. They’re too selfish, too wrapped up in themselves. Like for example today’s episode was about an approaching comet that was about to destroy Springfield. Everybody was panicking but not Ned Flanders, who built a shelter in case this happens. Well everyone else wasn’t that prepared so they forced themselves into Flander’s shelter. But it was too crowded and they had to “kick someone out”. Well they decided to kick out Ned, the person who built the shelter. But being the fair and nice guy that he is, he agreed and stepped out of the shelter to die outside. Isn’t that so typical of the people today? They never give credit to the people who work hard. They give priority to who and what you are. What do you think? Anyway, at the end, the town regretted their decision and went out of the shelter to be with Ned. Well the ending shows God’s power. He broke up the comet until it was just a little rock, thereby saving the town of Springfield from utter destruction.
I was also able to catch last night’s episode of Boston Public on Star World. In this episode, three students of Winslow High were killed by a drunk driver. And the whole episode was about how to cope with death and how to move on. One thing that stuck to me though was the scene where Brooke (whose friend was one of those killed) was questioning God and why He would allow something like that to happen. That happened to me a couple of months ago, when two people I know died almost at the same time. I lost direction and purpose in life. But you know what helped? I never lost faith in God. I prayed to Him to help me get through everything. I prayed for His guidance and strength. You know what? Through patience and prayer, I got through it and now I’ve been living my life better than before. I’ve been trying to “live it to the fullest”.
Speaking of religion, I found a really curious article about ”The Matrix”. It’s an article called The Gospel According to Neo written by Josh Burek for the Christian Science Monitor. I don’t agree with this. Apparently some people have been saying that Neo is depicted a lot like Jesus Christ. I don’t think so. But I do believe that there are ideas in the movie that can be used to live positively.
I was talking to Mom earlier about our upcoming trip to San Francisco. She told me not to bring too much clothes, that I just buy them all there. Woohoo! New clothes for me! And I also “tried to insert the issue of my PC”. I was “worried” about brining my PC to the US and she told me not to worry, we’ll just buy a unit there. Woohoo! New laptop for me!
Just received an e-mail about the “infected hamburger patties” of Jollibee. This e-mail goes on to say that these burger patties aren’t 100% beef but made partly of earthworm meat. All I gotta say about that is that’s an old issue. Jollibee’s burger patties aren’t the only ones like this. Even McDonald’s burger patties are partly made of earthworms. People shouldn’t worry though because it won’t do you harm. We’ve been eating it for years and we’re still fine.
Today’s Daily Double:
1. If You had the chance to join a sorority/fraternity, would you?
No I wouldn’t.
2. Would you rather be poor and humble or would you rather be extremely rich and selfish?
Poor and humble. It may sound like a cliché but I do believe that rich or poor, as long as I humble myself, then God will take care of me.
This week’s This or That Tuesday:
1. Packrat or minimalist? Minimalist. So I can buy more clothes!
2. Computer: desktop or laptop? laptop with the power life of a desktop.
3. Seashore or mountains? seashore. I love the beach!
4. Carpeting or bare floors? Bare floors
5. Drinking water: bottled or tap? Bottled. I’m so used to bottled water already. Besides if you drink tap water here, you never know what you’re gonna get.
6. Shopping websites: eBay or Amazon? Amazon!
7. Cute little kitties or big scary tigers? kitties do more harm than tigers so tigers it is!
8. Front door or back door? Front door. I like making an entrance!
9. Lots of jewelry, or little/none? little. I only wear 3 steel bracelets on my right wrist, one ring on each ring finger and sometimes a necklace.
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: At the last minute, you obtain tickets to an event you're dying to attend. However, you have to work that day! Do you ask the boss for the time off, or just call in sick? I’ll just ask the boss. I never skip work for something social.
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| posted by Jax @ 5:02:00 AM |
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| Monday, May 12, 2003 |
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Yesterday was the house blessing of my brother’s new house. It went well considering that it was raining for most of yesterday morning. Good thing it stopped raining around 2p and we could still get on with the blessing. It was a good event, though. A lot of the people they didn’t expect to come and came and there were still enough food and space for everybody. But when everybody finally left at around 8:30pm, we got to see the remains of the house. There was mud everywhere, droppings of candlewax on the floor, candles on the table and the master’s bedroom was chaotic. Gosh.
Went to the gym for the first time in two weeks this morning. I didn’t realize how I missed going to the gym when I went today. And to think I almost hesistated when I woke up this morning. Too bad the steam room was closed. Wasn’t able to indulge in my favorite activity.
Just finished watching Survivor: The Amazon Reunion a couple of hours ago and I was so disappointed. Out of the 16 castaways, Jenna Morasca, the swimsuit model won. Argh! I so wanted Rob to win. In my opinion, he was one of the smartest and best players in Survivor. But tough luck because Jenna won the last two immunity challenges. Oh well.
And the jury. The jury was almost at the same level with the jury at Survivor: Thailand (the worst season). I mean, it was already obvious when they were asking their questions that they’ve already decided who they were voting for and that they were sore losers. How? Let’s see. Deena’s question (or was it whining?) was about Matt’s statement a couple of Tribal Councils ago. He said “May the best man win” when Jeff asked about his alliance with Rob and Butch. Apparently, Deena thought it was offensive and chauvinistic. Oh Deena, if you only listened when Matt said that…
Christy’s question was about Jenna’s statement that her beauty is her handicap. Now I like Christy and I don’t like Jenna but c’mon. There must be a better question that.
Heidi’s part was the funniest. She asked them if was someone else from the jury who deserved to be in their position. Both of them answered Rob. And Heidi was like, yeah but is there ANYONE ELSE? And Jeff was like, Uh I think they answered your question already. Geez. Can you be any more obvious?
And Dave’s question was the most – strange. Which modern leader? Yeah. It was like saying that modern leaders lie, cheat, backstab and deceive people to work their way to the top. Oh wait, that’s right. Most of them do.
I hated their answers to Alex’s question though. He asked them if they have regrets. And they both said they did. Now wait a minute. Why would you? At least Colby from Survivor: The Australian Outback was decent (and honest enough?) to say that he had any regrets. I mean, if you played the game well and you know you played the game well, why would you have regrets? Unless, you didn’t. Hmmm….
Anyway, I still think Rob should have won. This guy agrees with me. He was one of the few best players in the Survivor game.
You know what? This has been the fourth time that my bets have not won. In Australia, I rooted for Colby and Tina won. In Africa, I didn’t have any bets. In Marquesas, I rooted for Kathy but Vecepia won. In Thailand, I rooted for Helen, but Brian won. Oh well.
The reunion wasn’t so much fun either, but at least it was better than S5. Rob kept grinning like a weirdo. His smile was so big, it was creepy. I liked Deena’s answers though. Very honest and upfront. Not like the others, who were kind of plastic. It makes you think that no matter how advanced our society and world is, people still find it easy to cheat everyone and treat them badly, like they deserve it (which no one deserves). Peggy Keller said it well.
By the way, are Jenna and Matt an item? Hmmm...
Anyway, Survivor 7 will be at the Pearl Islands of Panama. Nice place. They showed it during the Reunion special and it looks good. This time, the two tribes will be placed in two different islands and the challenges will be in another island. Looks like fun. Hope the new batch of Survivors will have personalities so we can watch a good show. It's scheduled for this fall, probably around September. Can't wait to watch that!
Speaking of reality shows, The Amazing Race 4 will premiere this May 29. I've seen the contestants but I really can't make a judgment until I've seen them in action, you know. I mean that's what happened with Survivor: The Amazon. My first bets were Heidi and Daniel. This was before watching the show. And it turns out Daniel was a dud and Heidi was *not good*. That's in two weeks. Can't wait!
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| posted by Jax @ 3:55:00 AM |
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| Sunday, May 11, 2003 |
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Went to mass a couple of hours ago and, surprisingly, a lot of people attended mass. Why was I surprised? Because mass never filled up in the past the way it did this morning. I'm happy though because even if people forget about going to mass on ordinary Sundays, they try to make an effort on special Sundays, like today.
Somehow, I can't thank the Lord enough for giving me the opportunity to study in a different country. I promise I won't let You down. I'll do everything I can to make my dreams come true and I won't waste the opportunity You gave me. Thank You agai, Lord.
I gave na my mom's gift this morning before going to mass. All of us (my siblings) chipped in to buy her a leather rocker and she loved it! We placed it in her room and she hasn't been sitting on anywhere else since. Guess that was money well spent.
What makes you happy? I'm a simple girl. It takes so little to make me happy.
*Being in the presence of my family makes me happy.
*Seeing my two nephews happy makes me happy.
*Knowing that someone loves me makes me happy.
*Knowing that God loves me makes me happy.
What about you? What makes you happy? |
| posted by Jax @ 12:06:00 AM |
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| Saturday, May 10, 2003 |
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| HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! |
| posted by Jax @ 7:37:00 PM |
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Went out for lunch with Macis, Ara (and her mom), and Tin at Shakey's. Wow. It felt so great seeing the three of them again. I haven't seen the three of them in months! We met up to plan for Ida's baby shower, which we planned successfully. We just have to update each other again in a few days. But we're going to have the shower on June 14 or 15, 2p at Ara's house. Decorations and the games will be handled by her. Food will be handled by Macis and I, plus Tin and probably Chelle will contribute some other stuff. We also divided the gifts for Ida's baby already. I already bought feeding bottles, bottle cleaner and a milk container. Plus I'll be buying a diaper bag and an infant tub. Macis will be buying the stroller. Ara, I think, will be giving clothes and diapers. Gosh, I can't wait!
By the way, these three girls were making hirit kanina about Tagaytay. And I told them we'll go after I come back from Dumaguete. Tapos, funny pa. We were eating dinner na, my mom, my bro and I. Then all of a sudden, my mom went, "O, kelan na ba kayo pupunta ng Tagaytay?". And I was like flashback! Di ba kanina lang? Oh well. I told my mom after Dumaguete na lang. So there.
Mother's day na bukas. I have my mom's present right here beside me. It's going to be hard bringing it down tomorrow because it's a little heavy. But I'll manage.
My friend earlier texted that the Congress was about to pass a House Bill legalizing abortion. At first, I was about to reply hell no! But when I thought about it, maybe it won't be so bad. It's actually kind of similar to another house bill or act that wanted to legalize prostitution. At least, if you legalize prostitution, it'd be a legal job and you'll be able to get taxes from them. And you'll be able to keep them off the streets. Plus, you'll be able to control the age of women who want and need to work as prostitutes. It still may not be a decent job but at least it'll be legal. It goes the same for the legalization of abortion. You'll be able to provide those who want to partake of it with clean and sterile equipment. You can ensure them that it will be a safe procedure because it won't be in some dark, seedy clinic but in a legal, clean, sterile environment (hopefully in a hospital). There will also be less chance of the mother dying because of wrong procedures. What do you think?
I was at the mall the other day and I saw the May 2, 2003 issue of Entertainment Weekly with the Dixie Chicks on the cover. Apparently, they voiced out anti-war statements during a concert and now, fans and other Americans have rebuffed them. And there was this episode where Bull Durham was being commemorated or something about baseball was being celebrated. Well at first they invited Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins to the event. But when they (Sarandon and Robbins) made anti-war sentiments, the organizers decided to "un-invite" them without tellin them. What's up with that? I thought America was a free country. And I thought they valued freedom of speech there. Well just because they made sentiments that, in this case, did not share theirs (the organizers), they decide to "not give them the time of day", as if they had leprosy or SARS or something contagious. Just because they don't share the same sentiments? What kind of "free society" is that? That's not freedom of speech, that's hypocrisy! Now I'm not saying that all Americans are like that, just these people that "boo-ed" the Dixie Chicks and "un-invited" Sarandon and Robbins and probably other people who share the same "thinking". And I remember during the Oscars when the guy who won for Best Documentary (I forgot his name, sorry) started speaking up against the war, people from the audience started jeering at and booing him. For what? Expressing what he felt? I thought that was what you people fought for: to be able to express what you felt? Clearly I was wrong.
And speaking of Americans, what's up with Kamiseta getting yet another foreigner to endorse their clothes? They said to prove that their clothes can be considered world class or something like that. Well, can't they do that with local people? It's not like they're opening a store in the US already. I just think if you want to endorse your product and be proud of it as Filipino - all the way. Oh well, but that's me.
Macis and I were at Starbucks kanina and we were having one of the philosphical conversations once again. Haven't done that in a long time. Maybe because I usually have those conversations with friends and I haven't talked to friends fave-to-face in months. Geez. How could I have survived this long without seeing them? Well anyway, at least I'll get to see them again next month and hopefully a lot more than that before I leave this August.
This week's Weekly Wrap-Up:
1. How much hair did you have when you were born? Not much but it was all standing up.
2. Share a hair memory from childhood. When I was a kid, my mom cut my hair.
3. How do you style your hair now? How much time to do you spend on caring for your hair? My hair's really, really short and it's all wash-and-wear so I don't have trouble fixing it.
4. Describe your worst hair day? What happened? I think it was when I still had long, layered hair. I didn't fix my hair that morning cause I was already running late. And the whole day my hair was all tangled up and sticky.
5. What's the best and worst thing about your hair? Why? It's wash-and-wear. But there's not much I can do with it.
This week's friday five:
1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not? I'm an organized, messy person. My room's messy but I know where all the mess is.
2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly? I have a Palm Pilot, which keeps me informed about everything I have to do.
3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now? Kind of. There are piles of different stuff organized into corners.
4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter? I alphabetize my videos/DVDs/VCDs. My books are just arranged by height.
5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize? My videos because I always have to keep track if they're still in alphabetical order.
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| posted by Jax @ 7:59:00 AM |
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| Thursday, May 08, 2003 |
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Everytime I go to Boracay, it's always a different adventure. This one was different din from my previous Boracay trips. First off, it was my first time to stay in a Station 1 resort. We stayed in Cocomangas, which was really far from the Boat Station. My cousins and I walked from the station to the resort, carrying our luggage and our handcarried bags and every step was torture for us. We were dragging our feets through hot, white sand and made the windless journey to our hotel. Needless to say, when we reached the front desk, we were overjoyed to see the chairs and benches and pillows that we just dropped our bags where we can and slid over to the seats. Wow. I have never been so glad to see a bench before. Then one of the staff came out to give us welcome drinks: plenty of cool and yummy banana shake. Omigoodness. I couldn't take the straw off my mouth.
By day, we always explored the beach, the stores, and the restaurants. There's so much to do in Boracay. You can go island-hopping (which we did), go on the banana boat (my cousins did), henna tattooing, parasailing, diving and many more. Of course, you gotta need some money for this. And lots of it, I might add, because there don't come cheap. That's why I almost run out of money.
By night, though, we were scouring the beach for places to hang out. We eventually ended up in this place called Bom Bom, where the musicians played reggae music. Wow. Unbelievable. We would have gone back the next day to listen if there were performances. Oh and we saw three gorgeous guys that we didn't really "talk to" because they were walking and obviously a bit drunk. But they were really gwapo! The only gwapo guys I saw during my whole stay there. Oh well.
But you know what? I think I got a bit drunk too because the drinks were so cheap. The money that can normally get you just one drink here in Manila can get you around 3 drinks there! And I'm not talking about beer. Geez. Now that's what you call a happy hour!
Halata bang lasinggera?
Anyway, I went to the mall this afternoon to buy gold sandals for my cousin's wedding, for which I am part of the entourage. Actually, I went to four malls and you know what I got? A magazine and a gift for my sister. Yes, you read it right. I went to four malls and I didn't get to buy gold sandals. Damn! Maybe I'm just too picky but hey! Those are my feet. I still want to be comfortable, you know.
I saw this really touching TV commercial by Smart last night. A grandmother was looking at her family album and she was alone. And there were captions that went "More soothing than a hug. Your voice. Your message. Call or text her today." And it showed the grandmother on her rocking chair hugging the family album. I swear, it moved me to tears! That has got to be the best commercial Smart has thought of.
Tomorrow, I'm off to the mall again to buy the gift for my mom and to look for gold sandals once again. Damn! The wedding's less than two weeks away. I gotta find one soon! |
| posted by Jax @ 3:34:00 AM |
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| Tuesday, May 06, 2003 |
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this week's writing prompts.
This week's This or That:
1. TV or radio? radio
2. On the radio: talk or music station? music station
3. Actual books or books-on-tape (or e-books)? actual books
4. Actual newspaper, or web version? actual newspaper
5. Wall Street Journal or National Enquirer? neither?
6. TV news...news channel such as CNN, or your local broadcast news? local news
7. A movie you've been looking forward to seeing gets bad reviews all around. See it anyway, or pass? see it anyway
8. See movies when they first come out, or wait a few weeks for the lines at the theater to get shorter? when they first come out
9. TV: cable, satellite dish, or just plain old antenna? cable
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: If you had to choose only one form of media to come into your home, which would you choose...print (newspapers, magazines) or electronic (TV, internet)? Why? Electronic. Because it's more interactive and readily available.
This week's Weekly Wrap-up:
1. When is your birthday? November 5
2. How accurate is your zodiac sign? Not very.
3. What do you typically do to celebrate your birthday? I go out. Doesn't matter what I do as long as I get to treat myself.
4. Do you like to receive presents? Why or why not? Yeah I do! Who doesn't?
5. Describe the best birthday and/or present you ever had. My best birthday was my 18th birthday, my debut celebration. It was a grand celebration and that was the time I felt all of my family and friends' love for me. Plus I got the best gifts! haha!
this week's friday five:
1. Name one song you hate to admit you like. Hey Mr DJ by Zhane
2. Name two songs that always make you cry. I don't know. Is there?
3. Name three songs that turn you on. Turn Me On - Norah Jones, Hot in Herre - Nelly, That's the Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson
4. Name four songs that always make you feel good. any Norah Jones song
5. Name five songs you couldn't ever do without. Video - India Arie, Like I Love You - Justin Timberlake, Bring Me To Life - Evanescence, Waiting in Vain - Annie Lennox, Talkin Bout A Revolution - Tracy Chapman
Labels: surveys |
| posted by Jax @ 9:03:00 PM |
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I'm back! Arrived yesterday from Boracay. Omigoodness. Can you say "Fun"? Cause that's what happened during our entire stay at Boracay. From the moment we stepped on the sands of Boracay, we knew we were going to have an adventure. From Day 1 to Day 4, we never ran out of things to do. Our only regret was that we only stayed for 4 days. 4 days wasn't enough to visit all the spots that Boracay had to offer. I'm now going to try and saev up to P5000 so I can go diving and parasailing the next time I go back there.
Just received an e-mail from the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. Turns out I was accepted to their MFA Program of Motion Pictures and Television. Can't decide now whether to go to Boston or to San Francisco. Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. What do you guys think?
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| posted by Jax @ 8:32:00 PM |
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| Friday, May 02, 2003 |
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I just want to clarify some stuff. I'm not complaining against the MTV VJ finalists. I'm complaining about the process of elimination the MTV people did. I'm sure they're all qualified. They wouldn't have reached the finals if they weren't. But sana they got some unknown people as finalists also. There are a lot of "unknowns" who are very articulate and can do a good, even a great, job.
Went to Megamall this morning to buy stuff for Boracay and omigoodness! It was the start of the 3-day sale today so there were so many people but it was fun coz everything was discounted so in effect, we saved some money. Went to Astrovision and they already had the DVD of My Big Fat Greek Wedding for only P595! And they have the DVD of Roman Holiday already for only P750! Will buy it when I get back from Bora.
Speaking of, I'm leaving for Boracay tomorrow! Yey for me! I'm going with my cousins this time. I'm the only one in my family who is going so I have to budget my money. Still have to buy pasalubong for them, especially my sister who's celebrating her birthday in 10 days! Still have to buy her gift. Buti na lang she just wants sandals from Bora.
I'm not quoting a book today for my daily reflections but instead I'll be quoting from a story I heard and read. My cousin was here yesterday and we were talking about theft inside public transportation. Then somehow our conversation shifted to stalking thieves. My cousin told us this story. There was a girl (in her 20s I think) who was wallking home when she noticed a burly guy following her. This was already at night so it was dark and there were few people in the street. She got scared and started praying to God to take care of her. Shortly after that, she saw the burly guy walking fast and past her. A bit confused and relieved, she went home. A couple of days after that, she found that that same guy robbed a lot of other people and was eventually caught by the police. Curious, she went down to the police station and she asked the robber why he didn't rob her that night she was walking alone. He replied that he abandoned his original plan when he saw that there were two big guys walking with her. She was confused and told him that there was no one with her. He insisted that there were 2 big guys who were with her that night and didn't want to take any chances with them.
I also received an email from my cousin about a priest's homily. He was helping out in a small village in Africa. Well, he had to go the town proper to get materials for the village, i.e., medicine, supplies, food, etc. It was two-day trip so he was forced to spend the night somewhere. When he got to the town, he noticed two men fighting and one man was injured. He treated the injured man and went on his way back to the village. The next time he went back to town, he ran into the same injured man again. And you know what the injured man told him? That night, sometime ago, that he spent the night in the desert back to the village, him and a couple of guys followed him, and were supposed to rob him and beat him up. But what they saw that night stopped them. They saw that the priest wasn't alone. They saw him with 26 other big guys. Scared, they went back to the town. Suddenly, a middle-aged man stood up and interrupted him. He asked the priest what day that happened. The priest answered and asked the man why it was important. The middle-aged man told the priest that that same day, as he was playing golf, he felt the urge to pray for him (the priest). So he invited some of the people from their church to pray with him. This happened during the same day that the priest was almost in danger of getting mugged by some locals.
This just goes to show how stong the power of prayer is. This just goes to show how, if you ask for His help, God will protect you in your time of need. I remember those times that really scared me. I prayed to Him to protect me until the time I am safe at home once again. And He did. I remember going home in a taxi at night. I've heard lots of really scary stories about passengers of taxi cabs getting raped, robbed or killed so I prayed to God to keep me safe until I get home or I get to where I'm going. Thankfully, I've ridden lots of taxi rides and I've never been in any kind of danger, unless you count the way my heart kept beating so fast during those times. That's why I love Him so much. Because He's there for me especially when I need Him. He's better than a bodyguard because He's there all the time, even if you think you don't need Him. Sometimes, I'm just surprised when people still get shocked by His power. Like when my cousin, my sister and I were talking about the incident with the lady (mentioned above), I got surprised when they were actually surprised and bewildered about the fact that two bodyguards appeared. It was almost like they could not believe that actually happened. I was surprised because even back then when I was a non-believer, a nom-practicing Catholic and had doubts about the religion, I always knew that if you asked Him for help, He would give you the protection you needed. And they reacted like what happened was unbelievable. I'm sorry if I come off as judgmental but sometimes I thought that people (I'm talking of believing, non-believing and lost Catholics) knew about His greatness and the amazing aspects of His power, that this shouldn't come as a surprise. I mean, whenever I hear a story like that, it just reminds me of God's greatness and love for His people. I guess I'm just reacting this way because it was my sister's reaction. She's also a Catholic but still a lost one and I want her to be able to experience the kind of happiness I felt when I rediscovered God. |
| posted by Jax @ 4:22:00 AM |
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