Recapitulation

Or plain recap for short.

2004 served as the buffer for the wild ride that was 2003 and the hopefully better year of 2005.

This year I:

...tried to tabula rasa the memories of my love life until I came to realize how futile that was. Not to sound esoteric or anything but perhaps the whole fiasco/farce happened for a reason. Of course, I'm still searching for said reason, but that's beside the point.

...learned that trying to have it both ways leaves Jill with no one. Choose woman!

...gathered my bearings academics wise. No more flunking 5 unit subjects for me, no siree (I hope!).

...finally became gracious in accepting compliments. (What? You think I'm good looking? Thanks. I think so too :)

...accepted the sad fact that I am and will always be a NERD. That's right a N-E-R-D.

...again accepted the sad fact that my actions are not mine alone and that they will definitely affect those I hold most dear. So for you who kept on asking "Why are you even thinking about it?!" It's because I have a brain stupid! That's exactly what it's there for.

...became comfortable with my lola-manang-idiotic-grinning-supladita-bratinella-guilt stricken and utterly fabulous self.

...said "Kung ayaw mo, wag mo!" and really meant it. Boy did that feel good.

...found myself on the other side of the fence and tried to be kind. I am still trying.

...set up a public blog and thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout the entire process.

...grew my hair long and became a better person for it.

Obviously, I have ran out of things to say thus the last sentence.

I have high hopes for 2005. I'll be in fourth year come June (yey!) but I won't be graduating yet by 2006, I, ummm, love UP Law that much. Seriously though, I'm just thrilled that I made it this far considering all the drama that happened. What can I say? I'm the bomb.

I also have high hopes for my family for the upcoming year (that would be tomorrow). I sincerely hope that by this time next year the living room would still be polluted with toys and that the neighborhood kids would still be streaming in and out of our house, led by our little monster. As my mom said this morning "Please God, just a little earthquake. Just a little tsunami. Just enough to make them stay".

But my most fervent prayer goes out to our country and to the disaster-stricken Asian countries. Here's hoping that 2005 will bring a kinder Mother Nature and that every day that passes will see us recuperating from what the last two months brought with them.

So here's to you 2004 and welcome 2005! Cheers!

Mind-Boggling

The death toll keeps on rising and the survivors are in danger of contracting malaria, cholera etc. So how's that for ending the year with a bang?

60,000.

And to think that just this morning I was fretting over the sorry state of my hair after I fried it because of too much playing around with a curling iron.

For shame.

It's at times like these when I sincerely wish that I took up medicine rather than law. For after all has been said and done, a doctor is infinitely more necessary in society than a lawyer.

Violent objections are more than welcome :)

**********

While watching CNN a few hours after the earthquake, I remembered that Aaron was currently in Thailand and was in search of some waves to surf.

So I texted Aman to inquire about Aaron.

Jill: Aman, kamusta na si Aaron? Nasan siya ngayon? Do you think inabutan siya ng tsunami? (Aman, how's Aaron? Where is he now? Do you think he was affected by the tsunami?)

Aman: Tsunami?

J: YES! The tsunami that swallowed Thailand, Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries!

A: A ganon ba? Hindi bale, marunong naman lumangoy yon :) (Is that so? Don't worry about it, he knows how to swim)

As always, Aman was a treasure trove of information and comfort. However, I received this email from Aaron two days ago and so at least some good news has come out of the disaster-stricken area.

Yooyoo!
Hey everyone! First and foremost, thank goodness, that i was in a remote location when that earthquake hit. I really feel that both myself and Corey are lucky with a Capital L. So don't worry about me, I didn't even feel the earthquake. I was in Laos when the earthquake hit. I am currently in the city of Chiang Mai in Thailand. It's the second largest city in Thailand and it's much nicer than Bangkok. So far we are trying to recover from the insane bus rides we endured from all the way in Hue, Vietnam over to Northwest Thailand, Chiang Mai. I think we are talking 28 hours on buses for the past two days. I am pretty exhausted, so i may skip the nightlife tonight to get some rest. Nonetheless, I'll begin my stories with Vietnam.

xxxxxx

Sadly, one of my favorite bloggers is currently in Thailand as well and she hasn't given any word yet of how she's doing. Kamusta ka na Tiepee? Hope all is well dear.

SATC Post-mortem

And so the last two episodes were unveiled tonight, with Carrie leaving us fans with these parting words: The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.

Well said. Succinct and true.

Tuesday nights will never be the same again.

Encore!

P.S.
FYI Big's first name is John. Well what do you know? :)

Whatthe?!

This was on the cover of today's Philippine Star.

The caption read: POWDER KEG: Workers in a clandestine firecrackers factory in Bocaue, Bulacan rush production of pyrotechnics in time for the New Year's Eve revelry. - Photo By ERNIE PENAREDONDO.

It's literally an explosion waiting to happen. So whatever happened to the law banning firecrackers and such? Did it go up in smoke?

And then there's the tsunami which slammed on south asia and even up to some parts in Africa. The death toll is nearing 10,000 as I write this.

It kinda ripped off the warm and fuzzy holiday blanket enveloping us huh?

Another shocker (albeit of a more disgusting kind) was seeing Kris Aquino, Alma Moreno and Melanie Marquez on the Buzz yesterday. Man! The Tupperware was overflowing and I was again reminded of why I detested Kris Aquino so much (Boy, let's talk about me!). So I switched channels and on Kapuso, the teaser promised "Lolit Solis, ipapakita ang sex tape ni Rosanna!"

Nyark!

Thank goodness there's still the Lifestyle Channel to run to. It's my last bastion whenever the television world betrays me with the harsh realities of tsunamis, deaths and Kris Aquino. With the Lifestyle Channel, I can make believe that all houses are impeccably designed and that there's a professional chef just dying to conjure up a sumptuous meal for me.

But seriously though. Please say a little prayer for the tsunami victims. Forget Kris Aquino. She's beyond saving.

P.S.
I was in a jovial mood when I wrote this. But now, it just seems mean and cruel. It's sad when reality overtakes fiction in terms of excitement and scare factor.

Here's a Christmas angel to look over my blogger friends. It's been a memorable year and I have all of my blogger loves and darlings to thank for it.

Have a blessed, meaningful, merry and other what-have-you Christmas everyone!

Loving it.

Mwah!

Baby News

This is what I get for trying to go for that warm and buttery effect! Annika Reese and her Ninang Angela have turned an unflattering shade of red-orange!Note to self: use the flash next time and leave the artsy-fartsy stuff to the artsy-fartsy peeps.

On the other hand, even when she's all orangey, you have to admit that that is one cute baby :). It's just amazing how quickly kids grow these days! Last time I saw Annika, she could barely stand up, but tonight she was all over her Ninang Ella's house threatening to topple over vases and figurines with her lightning quick hands. Before you know it, she'll be going on her first date! (cue Mommy Ayeese and Daddy Ryan's gasp of horror)

Another baby who's also growing up as quickly as you please, is Nicole Justine. Nicolette, Coley, Nikolai etc is our official choir mascot. She tries to attend every Sunday mass but sometimes fails to do so because Mommy Peachy and Daddy Mark wake up so late that they just don't have enough time to get her ready for church. Of course, her parents say in their defense, that they don't bring her because she's become too "magulo". But we know better. Don't worry Coley, if in the near future, they give you a hard time, just come to your Tita Jill and I'll tell you enough stories to guarantee a later curfew and a Get Out of Jail Free Card. Just leave it to me :)

Kidding aside, I'm amazed at how my friends have turned out. It seemed like only yesterday when we were all in school and our biggest concerns were crushes, homework, school stress, budgeting our allowance etc. And now, we have doctors, teachers, business men and women, marketing managers, web millionaires and so on and so forth in our roster. I guess it is true then, whether or not you will it to happen, life will find a way to happen. You can't fight the inevitable.

But at least one thing's certain, the next generation is sure going to be a good looking one :)

Mail Time

I received this email from Aaron a few days ago:

Kumusta Kayo,

Just wanted to give a shout out to my Filipino friends in the Pilipinas! I wanted you to know that I had a great stay in the Philippines and I was really happy to meet all of you. I hope we keep in touch, so when you guys come out to the States, I'll definitely take care of you.

Right now, im in Cambodia and it's fuckin nuts. I mean, the Philippines was crazy, but out here, its even crazier. People drive on the opposite side of the rode to merge onto the street. Plus, everybody rides scooters and drives like they're Lasing. Sheez! Just two days ago, I was able to see the epic architectural monument of Cambodia, Ankor Wat. It was the bomb, but had to pay your dues with a 12 hour bus ride to get there. I was like "Putangina pare!!" By the way, im still using the Tagalog bad words out here. I love it and will bring the tagalog back with me to the states.

So I'm in Phnom Penh right now, the Capital of Cambodia. Next stop is Saigon or what is now Hochimihn City, Vietnam. We are gonna try to find some surf there. Hopefully we find something.

Anyways, I hope everything is great. Have a drink for me and i'll have a few for the Philippines. And if you're wondering if I'm ever coming back to the Philippines. Well, thats a definite YES. I'll be back for an encore in due time. Ingat at Sige!!!

Your Japanese Friend,
Aaron

Very Vacay

I woke up and automatically did a mental check of the things that have to be accomplished for the day. Then I realized that I had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do today! From the flurry of activities in the last five days (with Friday as a temporary respite from all that Holiday cheer), Monday arrived like a refreshing breeze of wind.

Today, there are no parties to attend; no classes to wrestle with; no choir duty nor practices; no household emergencies that need to be decided on (tatay is arriving today so I can stop playing adult by this evening); no nothing. I'm finally on break *Jill takes a deep breath*

Although admittedly frenzied, the last couple of days have been an eye-opener in more ways than one. There's the acceptance of the sad fact that people will always love to talk and speculate on other people's lives. And the even sadder fact that it's no picnic when you've become the object of speculation. Take one for the team, be a sport about it.

Then there's the realization that you're no longer the same person you used to be but you like this person you've unwittingly become. So does this mean that you've never really liked the person you were before? Hmmmm....

JR and Larisa's wedding made me see how potentially beautiful and wonderful it can be when two people choose to be together. Not to be cheesy (too late?) or anything, but I also want that when I grow up.

Gathering at Randy's house for his birthday again made me thankful of the fact that I have a great set of friends. That even without any conscious effort, I have somehow managed to find lifelong friends. Sure, we bicker, get annoyed with each other and other crappy stuff like that. But the fact that I always make an effort to attend the 9am Sunday mass in spite of hang-overs, school fatigue and the comforting call of my bed, tells me that these people are it. They're the family I choose.

Happy birthday Randy! Ang papa mo talaga kahit kelan! :)


Take two for the birthday boy. Hopeless :)


Guess who I saw on the way to the wedding :)

One Down, A Thousand More To Go

Last night, at the annual Malcolm Madness, I did something which would usually scare the crap out of me. I danced in front of an actual, live audience (as opposed to dancing in front of my bathroom mirror).

My immediate reaction when I was told that we were dancing was "Sure! How hard could it possibly be?". The dance itself was easy, definitely within my powers. But the gravity of what was about to happen hit me right in the gut when we we did the runthrough under the searing stage lights with the spotlight bearing mercilessly down upon us! Yikes! Stage fright central, here I come.

Anyway, nothing disastrous happened (although none of my blockmates saw our dance *sniff* :) and save for the instantaneous-drying-of-the-mouth-caused-by-too-much-tension-thus-smiling-became-extra-difficult, I think it went pretty well.

The Portians were asked to play the can-can girls of the Moulin Rouge (which was aptly renamed to Malcolm Rouge for the night) so we were all decked in our flirtiest gear with curly hair, black stockings and heels. Yup, the Starfleet girls would have been proud.

So there, I can now check "Dance in front of an audience" off my List of Things to Do Before I Die.

Next?

P.S.
I wanted to post some pictures but there's something wrong with the PC! It doesn't "acknowledge" the camera. Before, once the camera was plugged in, Zoom Browser would automatically open, but now, all I get is the error message "No camera was found!". Help! (I managed to fix it after all! The PC just needed a little nudging and lambing in order for it to cooperate)

P.P.S.
As the can-can girls, we also played the back-up dancers for the reigning Ms.Fresman and the first runner-up. So I finally met Siege, who happens to hold the all important position of 1st runner up in the most prestigious (the only?) beauty and talent contest in the UP College of Law. As the emcee said that night: The first runner up will automatically take the place of Ms.Freshman if ever the winner becomes pregnant or stars in a porn movie, whichever comes first.

I regularly visit his website and he just really cracks me up! He's coming up with a new website with an interesting angle to it. Check it out :)

P.P.P.S.
One last thing, I'm on my Christmas break na! Yahoo!

Tsismis et al

Last Saturday, I decided to play hooky and cut Locgov. At around 9:30am, I received this sms from Maha, my seatmate to the right.

Maha: Jill! Ba't wala ka? Hinahanap ka pa naman ng seatmate mo to the left...yiheee!

Jill: Awww...talaga? Miss na ako ni Mr.P**? Tell him I miss him too and that when I next see him I will hug and kiss him! Mwah! hehehehe

I thought that was the end of it, until this morning in the library.

Ian: Totoo bang nag-date kayo ng seatmate mong si Mr.P**?

Jill: What?! Where did you hear that? Anong pauso na naman yan?

Ian: Narinig ko kasi na nag-date or magdi-date daw kayo ni Mr.P**

Aman: Yeah!

Jill: Ngeh! Buti pa kayo alam niyo yan.

Gem: Hahahaha! Oo nga, buti pa kami alam namin na nagdate kayo ni Mr.P**!

Ian: So ano? Nag-date nga ba kayo?

Jill: HINDI! We're just friends.

Later that day, I sent an sms to Maha.

J: Hey Maha! :) Ian just asked me if I went out with Mr.P**. Pinagkalat mo yung text ko sa yo no?

M: Inannounce ko kasi sa class na kayo na! Mwahahaha! Pinakita ko kay Mr.P** ang text mo!

J: OMG! Hindi nga?! Nyark!

M: Mwahahaha! Sabi ni Mr.P** he never knew you felt that way!.....Joke lang noh! Baka atakihin ka dyan!

J: I swear! Sasakalin kita when I see you! :)

M: Kinabahan ka noh! C u sa party!

J: Nakita ko pa naman si Mr.P** kanina tapos nag-hello ako. Siguro naghihintay siya ng kiss hehehe

M: Ipagtapat mo na kasi sa kanya yung love mo! Sige na, para magkaroon naman ng excitement yung Locgov.

J: Don't pressure me! Give me time! Natotorpe ako pagkat siya ay langit at ako ay hamak na lupa lamang.

M: Love conquers all naman eh! Bigyan mo ng rose sa valentines :)

J: Chocolate na lang, para share kami. Tapos magsusubuan pa... :)

M: Baka mag-PDA kayo sa tabi ko ha!

J: Don't worry, we'll try to be discreet. Kung naiinggit ka, hipuan mo na lang yung seatmate mo to the right, si Wanie! wehehehehe Tama na nga, I'm in Labor class :)

M: You're so khudeeree jill! Sumbong kita kay Ma'am Daway!

J: Khudeeree ka rin!

So there. That's what boredom can do.

Getting Cultured

The much delayed National Museum trip finally pushed through last Wednesday. This jaunt was planned as early as two weeks ago, but certain events kept on intervening so that I seriously thought of just chucking the whole thing out the window, because it was more than apparent that the universe was trying to tell us something. Isn't a transport strike, a storm and the fact that the museum is closed on the only day of the week you're available more than enough proof that someone up there doesn't want you darkening the doors of the National Museum?

Any sane person would have thought so, but sanity has never been one of my better traits, and it also helped that Aaron (the tourist) was still gung-ho over the whole thing. So off we went.

Some important facts to know about the Museum are that:

a) It's open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 430pm
b) The building used to house the Senate
c) It's right in front of the Department of Tourism
d) The entrance fee is 100p but it's only 30p for students with valid IDs

While we were signing in, a teacher approached the reception area and announced that she brought 33 buses worth of kids with her! Yikes! We decided then and there to start at the 5th floor and just work our way down, in an effort to avoid them. However, this turned out to be an exercise in futility because we still ran smack into the hordes of children when we reached the 3rd floor.

Anyway, the National Museum is "The Museum of the Filipino People" so the exhibits centered on what made a filipino, Filipino. There was even an entire gallery dedicated to rice and everything related to it. I found it amusing how seemingly ordinary things (like a mortar and pestle, araro, rice pots etc) when pegged on a wall or set on a stand and then a descriptive card is placed beside it is already deemed to be a museum piece. I had this brilliant idea of putting small cards around my room with inscriptions such as: This cabinet was built in 1995 when the Sabitsanas had their house renovated for the 3rd time or This curtain was bought in SM and hides the sisters' paganistic rituals from the prying eyes of the neighbors. I'll be living in my very own museum. Fun :)

The other exhibits were on: clothes, the islands, the people, salvaged goods from a wreck, the Manobos etc. My favorite was the exhibit on the burial practices and there was even a diorama of two scientists discovering a cave filled with burial urns. The whole exhibit was set up to look like a cave and so it was dark and damp and had bat sounds. How's that for a holistic experience?

However, I personally thought that the National Museum was lacking a few integral pieces. After all, was it not supposed to be the "Museum of the Filipino People"? If that was really the case, where was the exhibit on our favorite pasttimes like texting or making tsismis? I also didn't see anything pertaining to our favorite mascot, Kris Aquino. I saw that there were still some empty galleries on the 5th floor and so my unsolicited advice to the curator would be for him to incorporate the above into the Museum. What about a gallery on Kris Aquino's movies (complete with stills from Pido Dida and Tasya Pantasya), a list of her foot-in-mouth statements as well as all the men who have had the privilege(?) of being associated with her? Let's have a showbiz gallery! I think that would just be proper considering how insanely showbiz these islands are.

As we walked to the Rizal shrine (for the requisite picture with the National Hero), we passed by an Artist's Garden, Orchidarium, some Chinese thing and you could see Intramuros from afar (I was tempted to ride a caritela but Aaron said he already rode one when they went to Intramuros, so that's one good idea down the drain). I didn't see the Planetarium though, and I was disappointed because our field trip there back in grade school was one of the most memorable I ever had.

Yup, it was definitely a good day to play tourist and I'm glad I took the day off from playing law student.

Psssst!

Two loyal readers (that would be JUNO and TONI) have been complaining that I've barely written anything this whole week, so for fear of losing my most loyal readers, this one is for them. Ang lakas niyo sa akin a! :)

This week has been ultra busy, it's as if, do I dare say it?, I actually have a life! In a nutshell, the past few days went something like this:

Saturday- anniversary bash in Tagaytay
Sunday- some secret thing at some secret place
Monday- drag ass to school and focus on the most tedious subject in the world, Labor2!
Tuesday- mama left for San Francisco for a week
Wednesday- Bobbie's most memorable civ pro class ever :). Played tourist with an actual tourist and went to touristy spots to do touristy things
Thursday- crammed for spec pro and labor because instead of studying, I played tourist with and actual tourist and went to touristy spots to do touristy things

And the next few days promise to be just as busy too.

Bobbie and I'll be visiting Hot Momma Ella and Baby Ryan this Saturday because she promised us cake. Oh and we miss her too :)

Then in the evening is Aaron's Greenbelt despedida where he promised to spend all his remaining pesos (all 700p of it?) on his friends.

The Malcolm Madness (yey!) is coming up. The theme this year is Malcolm Rouge. Interesting. I'm already intrigued :)

In line with Malcolm Madness, I'll be dancing either with the Portians or with the 3rd year peeps. Let me just say here and now that my sister is the dancer in the family and I'm the clapper. Enough said. Good luck to all of you who have to watch "the Jill moves".

Still, if truth be told, I'm actually kind of excited about it :) It can't be that bad right? I mean, what could possibly go wrong, or if something does go wrong, I'm sure I won't be scarred (emotional or physical, take your pick) for life, and if I do embarass myself, I'm sure it's nothing that therapy can't handle.

I'm proud to say that I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet. No way am I ever setting foot inside one of those bazaars again! The last bazaar I went to (discounting Ruins of course) was the Cuenca Bazaar last Christmas. It was so crowded and brimming with people that my agoraphobia went into hyperdrive and I ended up just waiting for my sister (who thrives in bazaars and tiangges) in the eating area, nursing an ice cream cone.

So for presents, I have decided to give my parents GCs at this Thai massage place in BF and just buy Brooklyn pizza for the rest of the gang. Problem solved.

Here's hoping that the Christmas stress hasn't gotten the better of all of you out there! Hang in there! We survived Winnie and Yoyong, we'll survive Christmas too.

It's A Jungle Out There!

This is an "animalistic" take on that metropolitan wonder known as the MRT and the numerous beasts that inhabit its trains.

Enjoy!

The Picture Company

Hello all!

Lolo Mesyong now has a new room in the house. It's like a hotel suite and is airconditioned too. It is located near the TV area in the first floor of the house.

Lolo has this plan of decorating the room with our pictures. It's a family project, really. And guess what. I'm his messenger!

He asks for your pictures (laminated) and wants them sent or delivered before his birthday (December 19).

For his children's generation (Sur & Helen, Letty & Mory, Edgar & Darling, Sandy & Leloth):
*The picture must have a height of 8 inches.
*The couple should be together in the picture.
OPTIONAL:
*They should be good-looking in the picture.hehe
*The picture should be taken in a studio.

For his grandchildren's generation (Oliver & Andrea, Leila & Shannon, Patrick, Siegfred, Menchu, Wendell, Joanne, Kristine, Jill, Santi & Charmaine, Drago, Krissy, Melo, Michael, Michelle, Lee)
*The picture must be of size 2R.
*For those who are already married:
-The couple should be together in the picture.
*For those who are still single:
-No girlfriend or boyfriend allowed in the picture. Dapat solo pic mo. (Lolo’s orders)
OPTIONAL:
*They should be good-looking in the picture.hehe
*The picture should be taken in a studio.

For his great-grandchildren's generation (Mikael, Clarissa)
*The picture must be 4x4 inches.
*The picture should be separate from their parents.
OPTIONAL:
*They should be good-looking in the picture.hehe
*The picture should be taken in a studio.

That's all! Thank you in advance. If the pictures are not yet laminated, Lolo asks for some ($) to do the job. I don't know if he meant this as a joke. :) I just quoted him saying that. Remember: The pictures must already be in Lolo's hands before his birthday on December 19.

Kindly email this to the others. I don't have all the email addresses of the "Sabitsana-Catigbe" people. Thanks again. Take care and God bless always!

Yours truly,

Michelle

As per Lolo's orders, here is our share for the photo wall.

Twice the Charm

As if Typhoon Winnie wasn't enough, here comes Typhoon Yoyong immediately after the former left our area of responsibility!

It was a surreal experience early this morning when classes were cancelled because of a super-typhoon, but a quick glance out the window revealed an admittedly overcast sky but still nonetheless picnic weather.

Still, typhoons are very sneaky creatures and it never hurts to be doubly prepared. And super typhoon Yoyong promises to be a Signal No.4! Wow! I don't even remember the last time we experienced a Signal No.4. It's truly scary.

I hope everyone stays warm and dry today and in the next few days Yoyong decides to stay over.

P.S.
Why the sudden shift in names? For a while, the typhoons had these sosy sounding names like Violeta and Winnie, and now, Yoyong. Wala lang. Just something to ponder over while the wind rages outside.

P.P.S
Happy birthday Juno-girl!!! Yoyong sends his gusty greetings too :)