Saw V

"If you can anticipate the human mind, it leaves nothing to chance.

Vengeance changes a person. It can make them realize what they're capable of.

Will you destroy the things that have taken life in order to save one? Make your choice."

TGIF

with Eman and Francine : )

Daniel and Debbie : )

tonight, Francine and i met up at Trinoma together with Daniel and Eman and had dinner at Pancake House. : ) we had the Classic Pan Chicken and Pork Vienna - two orders each. : ) the boys kept talking about computers while Francine and i talked about what happened this past few weeks in her work and in my school. : ) it felt great to see each other again! : )

im so happy that it's weekend again. : ) this week seems pretty slow for me. and the cold days are gone. tsk!

Food Bang

while walking along the busy streets of Ongpin last week, D and I saw a small food shop. and we decided to give it a try. : )

Food Bang


Century Egg With Tofu (Php50)


Shrimp in Tomato Sauce (Php120)


Chicken Meal (Php100)

the price is affordable. and their food was good too. : ) the owner happens to be there and she was very entertaining. she gave us free nuts with (i think it was a) cucumber. yum. : ) i loved the tofu, it was soft and firm. : ) we also ordered 10pcs steamed dumplings for only 60 pesos. we were so full already that i didn't ate dinner that night, haha.

ordinary Wednesday

we don't have classes today because of the (yet another) Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas. so my cousin and i woke up almost noon already. haha. i didn't do anything productive today. but it's okay. i had a long bath this afternoon, which feels great. : ) read a book, read some blogs (thank God Harper is improving day after day!), and went to Accuvision to get a copy of my ultrasound result from last September because i need it.

im having a bad stomach ache since Monday. : ( i don't know what caused it. : (

here are some pictures from Sunday night. i finally saw Shobe again! i missed her! love her too. : )

at Spiral

Shobe and Atsi : )

big pillows

back to school again tomorrow. everything is normal minus the pressure from our defense. we'll just have to do some minor revisions then we'll pass it already. : ) and we already have a date for our graduation. April 3. : ) can't wait. i want to work already haha.

celebrate

after our one hour class in the morning, my thesis mates and i (plus Thine) went to Trinoma to celebrate the success of our defense. : ) our plan orinally was to go to Redbox. but we just had our lunch and their price was inclusive of a lunch buffet and a use of one room at Php199 each. so we decided to go to Timezone instead. there, you can have one room, and it's only 12 pesos per song. not bad. : ) im personally shy to sing especially in front of other people, but to not kill joy, i also sang together with them. guess i got a score of 100! haha!

we also tried playing the basketball (which made my body ache when i got home), air hockey, the motorcycle ride, and the super trivia (i actually forgot the name). it was fun! : )

all together now..

then we went to Starbucks - Julienne's treat! thanks friend. : ) we just talked and talked about almost anything. we walked around and saw that Sebastian's ice cream opened there! how good is that? : )

and before i say goodbye, let me greet y'all a Happy Chinese New Year! : ) Kung Hei Fat Choi. haha. yes, im proud to be a Chinese. : )

Happy Happy Birthday to my friend, Francis! : )

defense.

congratulations girls! : )

after four groups last Tuesday, and three groups this afternoon, it was finally our turn to defend our thesis entitled Stability and Acceptability of Coconut Imitation Ice Cream. i won't go much into details about our study since i can't explain all of it without using scientific terms. i know that maybe you're wondering why it is called imitation ice cream.. we were also questioned by our panelist regarding that. it is because, instead of dairy milk, we used coconut milk and cream as a substitute. and because of that, we cannot legally use the term ice cream. hehe.

anyway.. my heart was beating so fast when our turn came. i was scared that i'll forget everything i've been memorizing since last night. but thank God, after our presentation, we were asked only a few questions, because we explained everything already on our paper. : ) and they said that we presented our conclusions and recommendations very clearly. : ) im so happy. all hard work and sleepless nights paid off. : ) and Jen also came to watch us to show support - even if she doesn't have class today. : )

thanks to Daniel for answering all our questions last night which helped us in discussing our results. you're amazing, i love you dear. : )

and to my groupmates - Julienne, Regina, Aubrey, and Kara - we made it! : ) thanks for all the good times! : )

quick update

Kara and i had our graduation pictures taken this morning and it went well. : ) will post pictures when i have time.

Julienne, Regina, and Aubrey will be staying here tonight to prepare for our defense tomorrow. hope everything goes well.

goodnight people. : )

Cafe Breton

Banana Split

Nutella

Daniel and i once again visited my favorite Cafe Breton after having lunch. : ) it always have a homey feeling once you enter inside with its French provincial decor. i always order La Pinay (mango crepe with vanilla ice cream), so for a change, i ordered Nutella. and i loved it. : ) i believe they have the best crepe in town. : ) Daniel ordered banana split, and it was good too. next time, i'll try their savory crepes. they also offer salads and sandwiches.

01. 18. 09

lately, i've been blog hopping and came across these two blogs - Kelly's Korner and Jenna's Journey. they are moms and had recently given birth to their babies. and sadly, their babies are in the NICU. one has trouble breathing, and the other one has fluid in his lungs. : ( visit their blog for updates. please lift them up in prayers.

i also read about multiply accounts being hacked! and i immediately remembered Sab who has an online shop at multiply and told her about it and to be careful. you can read about it here and here. it's so sad on what people can do for money. they hack your account and will delete it if you don't pay them. tsk tsk! how pathetic.

i want to go out and watch a movie but i can't. i have to review for our defense this coming Thursday. maybe next week. : )

till here! will have dinner first and go back to reading. why does Sundays always lead to Mondays? oh well. i have to learn to love Mondays, hehe.

01. 17. 09

* Ama is not feeling well today. : ( she was vomiting last night. she went to see the doctor this morning and said that it was just indigestion and gave her meds.

* claimed our third planner from Starbucks and got a gift certificate - any drink for free. : )

* we have a new maid already. yey. : )

* happy birthday to Ate Ning! : )

* i cooked Pan-Fried Chicken in Creamy Tomato Sauce tonight for dinner with my cousins and Daniel. : )

thesis

Me, Kara, and Regina

Reg. Julienne. Kara. Deb. Aubrey : )

hello! haven't written for a few days. after our exams yesterday, we finished editing and printing our papers and passed them to our panelists for our defense next week. then we went to Aubrey's place to start doing our presentation for the defense day. we found out that some part that we edited remained the same. no changes has been made. hay. and so.. we start doing it again. we finished around 4ish in the morning.. and slept for barely three hours. then my dad fetched me there (because i have so many things with me!) and came home. hoping to get some sleep, i cleaned the house, picked up the groceries, and did some chores because our maid left yesterday. only Ate Ning was left. she stayed with us for almost 30 years already. : )

my head is still spinning and i'll be sleeping in awhile.

last night, though tiring, was a fun experience. : ) we bought a lot of coffee to keep us awake through the night, but it didn't work - for me. we had barbecue for dinner, and they taught me how to use hands to eat hahaha! that's a first. then Papa came to see me and bought cheeseburgers and a chicken for us. dami food. : ) Aubrey was so funny because she stayed up later than us playing The Little Shop of Treasures on my laptop, not stopping until she beat the record time which i did last week.

six more days to go.. hope we can make it. : )

and by the way, Daniel's grandpa was out of the hospital already Tuesday night. thanks for the prayers. : ) goodnight! have a happy weekend. : )

Friday's

Chicken Fingers - hand-battered chicken tenders, golden fried and served with Friday's Fries and honey mustard dressing for dipping.


Filipino Pork Liempo - three pieces pork belly marinated in garlic and sweet soy sauce, grilled and served with java rice, native ensalada with vinegar and garlic sauce.


Tortilla Crusted Fish - mild white fish coated with a crisp tortilla crust atop savory rice with pico de gallo and a side of southwestern sour cream.

Francine . Debbie . Pinky

last Sunday, i met up with Francine and Pinky at Friday's for a lunch. : ) and i instantly fell in love with their Tortilla Crusted Fish. the fish is so tender and tasty. : ) Carol was late but still made it. we were having a great time talking about our high school days.. and all the boys who made us cry haha. and now, all of us are not teens anymore. but we're definitely wiser and tougher. : ) friends come and go.. but it's good to know that true friends stay by your side no matter what happens and no matter how busy life gets. : ) till next time!

Bedtime Stories

Your fun is only limited by your imagination.

Francine took a leave from her work and came to visit me in school today. : ) she also did some things at the Main Building regarding her transcript and diploma. she also met Jen again. : ) then we meet up with Eman, her boyfriend, and ate lunch at Almers along Dapitan. : ) i can still remember last year when we'd always meet after class and eat liempo or whatever we like and watch movies. and now they're working already. and soon, i'll be working too. : ) after lunch, we went to the mall to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. but because the screening time is late already, we end up watching Bedtime Stories. the movie is good, but i find the story simple. but it's alright, hanging out with them again just feels great and nostalgic. : )

100th

oh, this is my 100th post. hm.. so many things are running through my mind right now. i don't even know if my thoughts are coherent.

D stayed at the hospital last night to take care of his grandpa. then he texted me that his friend's mom passed away last night. : ( that friend is also his batch mate and works with him now. i feel sad.. realizing that one day, our loved ones, the people near to us, will be taken away from us, even if we don't like it. we can't avoid it, we can't do anything to stop it from happening. it made me realize once again that life could end at any moment. i always prayed for the end of the world.. not because im ready, but because i don't want to go through the pain that death brings.

i remember Nicholas Sparks' book Three Weeks With My Brother, a memoir he wrote with his brother Micah, which tells of their story as a family. they're 5 in the family, and at age 37 and 38 respectively, they are now the only surviving members of their family. i can't imagine how they went through the death of their parents and sister.

here's an excerpt:

"Did you ever wonder why things happened the was they did?" Micah asked, apropos of nothing.

"All the time," I responded, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

"Most of my friends haven't lost anyone close to them."

"Neither have mine. And Cat hasn't either."

"Why is that?"

"Who knows. I wish I could tell you, but I can't."

Micah pushed his hands into his pockets.

"Have you ever noticed that people think of us as experts on death now? I mean, whenever a friend has someone die, he or she always calls me to talk. Does that happen to you?"

"All the time," I answered.

"What do you say?"

"It depends."

"I never know what to tell them. I mean, there's nothing you can say to stop a person from hurting. Half the time, I just feel like telling them the truth. I'd say that for three months, you're going to feel worse than you've ever felt, and you cope as best as you can. And that after six months, the pain isn't so bad, but it still hurts more than you think it will. And even after years, you still find yourself thinking about the person you lost, and get sad about it. And you still miss them all the time."

"Why don't you say that?"

"Because that's not what people want to hear. They want to hear that it's going to be okay. That the pain goes away. But it doesn't. It never does. And you can't say that when the wound is fresh. It would be like pouring salt in their wound, and you can't do that to a person. So instead, I tell them what they want to hear." He paused. "What have all these losses taught you?

"That it hurts, but you've got to go on anyway."

"That's what I learned, too. But you know, I would rather have learned it a lot later in life"

"Me, too."

"You know what else I learned?" Micah asked.

"What's that?"

"That it's a cumulative thing. Mom's and dad's deaths were hard, but it's like when you lose both of them, it's not only twice the loss. It's exponential. And then, when we lost Dana... it wasn't like we lost three people we loved. It's like we lost almost everything."

Micah shook his head before going on.

"After something like that... well, even though you try to get through it - and might seem fine on the surface - underneath you're a wreck, and you don't even know it. And sometimes, it takes a while to figure out that you're still struggling with everything that happened."

i read this when i got home and tears just came. : ( i hope that i'll always cherish every moment i have with my loved ones. because time is precious and life is fragile.

Brunch at The Coffee Bean

after Daniel and i picked-up his motherboard that was replaced at Gilmore, we went to Gateway and had brunch at The Coffee Bean.

Brek O' Day - panini bread with sausages, scrambled eggs, butter, and jam.

Blueberry Cheesecake

Triple Decker Cheesecake - layer on layer of Oreo, Chicago, and Coffee cheesecake

i loved the breakfast set, especially the sausages and scrambled eggs. : ) the cakes looks really good, but i was quite disappointed with the blueberry cheesecake. it seems dry.. and i think their crust is made from almond cookie. i want the usual graham cookie crust better. the breakfast set comes with a cup of coffee, which was stronger than the usual. food was good, and coffee was great.. we were definitely filled up through the day. : )

a friday

*im happy it's a 9 : )

* no classes because of the Feast of the Black Nazarene. yey : )

*planned to go to the dentist but was lazy so just stayed home

*picked up the groceries

*fixed some things

*Grace came over for a talk

*D's grandpa was confined at Chinese General Hospital today : (

here i go

"Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth you owe me"

Look what happens with a love like that, it lights the whole sky.

untitled

the weather is still cold and i love it. : ) sometimes we don't have to open the aircon at night. its a good way to save electricity. hehe. i came home early today and slept for two hours during the afternoon. : ) sarap. i wish i could do that more often. next week is already our exam week, and the week after that is our defense already. please pray for us.

last Monday, i met with Cherry - my tutor when i was on my 4th grade. she's someone who understood me when i was young and searching, and gave me sound advice to help me make my way through it. we ate together and talked about a lot of things. she used to be on the same church with me, but moved to CCF for quite sometime now. she gave me a gift that's supposed to be for Christmas - a ceramic that has a dream big sign which you can hang anywhere. : ) she also lent me a book entitled Happiness Now by Andrew Matthews. : )

all merry-ing has to come to an end. the long vacation is over. it's my third day back at school now. so far so good. i hope this year will be a good one for all of us. : )

*i feel really sad for some strange reasons. hay. : (

Francine

Happy Happy 21st Birthday Francine! : )

i cannot imagine my life without your friendship and love.

today.

Aileen introduced me to this tempting and surprisingly delicious cinnamon roll from Starbucks.. and now i still want more of it. tsk tsk. i always order the cinnamon swirl, because this one looks hard. but no, i was wrong. this is better.. and more worth it haha. will go back for it. : )

***
D went home after lunch because someone called him and said that his Grandpa fell down at home and hit his head. : ( he went with them to Manila Doctors where the doctors stitched the back of his Grandpa's head. : ( hay. please include him in your prayers. im sure he'll have a hard time sleeping because of it, and he's old already to suffer so much pain. : (

***
tonight, we went to Aristocrat in Roxas Blvd. to celebrate my cousin David's 9th birthday. i especially love their calamares with the tartar sauce. : ) after a heavy meal, we ordered halo-halo for dessert. and i therefore conclude, still no halo-halo can beat the one from Razon's haha. : )

***
back to school tomorrow. others go back to work. and everything goes back to the way it was again. i really hate Mondays.

goodnight!

Fontana

Achi, Ahia, and Shoti : )

my family and i went to Fontana yesterday and stayed for a night. because i was hospitalized last August, i didn't have the chance to go there when Auntie Cherry celebrated her birthday.. until now. they renovated some part of the place and the management is different from the one that manages them before.

we arrived during lunchtime and ate at Fortune Seafood Restaurant. while everyone else went swimming, auntie Juanita and i shopped at Duty Free stores around the area. and Papa was so nice to drive for us. : ) night came and it's time to eat again. guess, we ate at the same resto! haha. too bad Ala Creme was closed. : ( after dinner, we went to Hotel Vida, a new hotel which opened this June, and had coffee (hot chocolate for me) and bread. : ) yum.

i was munching on these while reading a book. : )

before going to bed, i called D and talked for an hour. : ) it was so quiet there. and so cold that i can't sleep very well. i woke up early this morning and ate Spam, eggs, and bread with Papa and Hans. and guess who i saw..

Bro. Kervin with Keon and Larissa : )

i was surprised when i saw them. they look so cute together. : ) i was amazed when i heard Keon said the names of the cars that was parked around like Vios, Camry, Fortuner, Innova, and Avanza. : ) haha. galing. we had a heavy buffet lunch at Cafe Fontana. dropped by some shops again, and im here again.. home sweet home. : ) there's really no place like home. : )

happy happy new year everyone! : )