100 Happy Days - Day 19

A day is not enough to complete everything. So when you are able to do even at least 1/4 of your tasks, consider yourself lucky! This, on top of my studies. I'd really turn into a zombie if I'd not be careful...

100 Happy Days - Day 18

Saw this cute figurine at the agricultural fair at our university.

I actually have a self-diagnosed ranidaphobia or fear of kermits. I don't know but the mere sight of frogs make me go nuts. But this little fellow just stared at me, there at the fair, as if telling me to take him home. Well, that I did and he's now the newest tenant of my room, together with my bears, dogs, and other beings.

100 Happy Days - Day 17

The appetite is back! Time to gain the 3 kilos I lost in the past stressful months of BERS...

100 Happy Days - Day 16

Ok! The Spanish guy in the last room - that mysterious looking Spanish guy - talked to me while heating my food in the microwave. Now, I have a resolution to always heat food at exactly 12pm - when he's on his way to his office from class...

100 Happy Days - Day 15

Got home a bit early after my short stint at the immigration for my 90 days report. The dog was unusually sweeter. Then...

Oh! She's been playing with my toys again!!!

100 Happy Days - Day 14

Empanada for breakfast before the start of the 11th Khon Kaen International Marathon, 11km challenge...

And I'll never walk alone...

How wonderful a journey would be if someone would just walk along with me... and would stay...

100 Happy Days - Day 13

Studying at Mcdonald's? Why not? Got bored being under house arrest for two days that them creative juices won't find their way to my brain... So...

100 Happy Days - Day 12

Still under house arrest and starting to get bored despite the so many tasks that have piled up for me to get done. I am so tamad. Good thing I saw these babies which reminded me of the so many things I'd like to do. Now I'm up and inspired once more.

100 Happy Days - Day 11

I am now under house arrest, thanks to the 10 degrees temperature. The flu may stay with me for a couple of days more, which means not being able to go to the university to perform my checking obligations. Good thing, I saw this coming and brought some exam papers with me yesterday. Yes, I finished all 80 writing exam papers and am ready to send the scores to my fellow lecturer. Now, ready to mark the reading papers!

With the completion of this task, I remember a story of a friend who's taking up her MS. She called her professor one day to say she's a bit indisposed and couldn't go to class. Her professor then replied that it's a good thing for her to just stay in her dorm and complete her thesis proposal. Once she completed it, she'd find joy in her heart and would feel well and recuperated. We found it silly and just laughed it off. Turns out, I am having my own doze of that medicine for I'm feeling better now that I'm done with the writing exams! Well, never undervalue the wisdom of a much senior colleague! :)

100 Happy Days - Day 10

A friend made these cupcakes for us. Although a bit of under the weather today - and the cold weather's not helping at all - this should be enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. Yabadabadoo...

 

Kung ikaw man ay mapadaan dito muli....

Katulad ng iba
Katulad rin nila!
Aalis ka rin
   patungo doon
Sa kung saan ka man pupunta
Kagaya nila,
   isa ka ring manlalakbay
Na napadaan lang
   sadya man o hindi
At darating ang araw na ika'y aalis
   magpaalam ka man o hindi

Ngunit...
Patutuluyin pa rin kita
   Sa kabila ng di kasiguruhan
   Sa kabila ng katotohanang
      di ko naman maunawaan
At pasensya na
   kung hindi kita ipaghahanda
Hayaan mo munang
   magpakasaya tayo...
   magkuwentuhan
   magbiruan
   magtawanan

Hindi muna kita ipaghahain ng ulam
Hindi muna kita ipaghahanda ng unan
Namnamin natin ang bawat
   pag-usad ng kamay ng orasan
Dahil batid kong...
   bago magtakipsilim,
   kasabay ng paglaho ng liwanag
      ang anino mo'y
      di ko na matatanaw
      kahit man lang sa kanluran
Alam kong
   ang kasayahan
       kuwentuhan
       biruan
       tawanan
Ay kasama mong lilisan
   Bago lumubog ang araw


Isinulat nuong ika-8 ng Marso, 2007, Araw ng mga kababaihan,  Lucban, Quezon

100 Happy Days - Day 9

My college friends had a mini get together last night, finally and sans moi. But I told them I'll be there via skype, only that I couldn't be there for long as I also had a live class in UPOU going on at the same time. Tzie, made me promise to ring her again because she had a "surprise". I initially thought it was a boylet she's going to introduce. Lo and behold, it's no other than Winnie the Eli straight from China visiting the Philippines. And boy was I so jealous that they were together in person! Of course, the night was once again filled with reminiscence of our college life - courses, professors, and other stuff. I'm also glad that I was present as we have this long time tradition of talking and making fun of someone who happens to be absent. So, poor is the one missing in the get together...

Why were they covering their faces, you ask? They just couldn't contain they laughter! 

100 Happy Days - Day 8

Because I'm such a gleek, I'm just so happy to have achieved the Rachelle Berry look. How I wish I could sing like her...

100 Happy Days - Day 7

Picking up the babies from the dogtel.

100 Happy Days - Day 6

wedding. beer. at isang platitong mani.

100 Happy Days - Day 5

Always happy to decorate the church! 1 more day!

100 Happy Days - Day 4

The babies are ready to be given as wedding souvenirs. 2 days to go!

100 Happy Days - Day 3

Red velvet cake! Awesome!

100 Happy Days - Day 2

I used to watch this when I was a kid and cried buckets!

100 Happy Days - Day 1

I finally got around to organizing my study area cum work space in my room. I am pretty satisfied with though it still looks like it needs more colors. Well, it's a work in progress. I will be sure to add more decorations to lure my muse back to me.

#100HappyDays

in search for my muse

A scene from the movie Wonderful Radio:

Ja-seok:    You don't write anymore?

Jina:           I can't. Something's missing here. (points to her left chest)

Korean movies make me depressed. Officially! You watch the leading man sweep the lady off her feet and you somehow wish you have such a man and then, puff! Reality would sink in and make you realize it's not going to happen, not even in your dreams. Then you sit in your dark room in the middle of the night after watching the film and ask all the divinities WHY? I guess men are better in fiction. Or these fiction gods are created by women who wish the same as I do. That, this dazzling hunk of a man would come up to me - and just love. In a way a woman wants to be loved. Just like how the writer of the story wants to be loved.

It has always been my passion. Writing. I have always wanted to write. There may be times I find my writing skills wanting. Yet I write still. 

Then I stopped.

It didn't happen gradually. I just woke up one day and suddenly didn't want to write. I didn't even realize it at first. I just didn't write. My love affair with my muse ended. She left without a warning.

I am now in search for that muse who left me half a decade ago. It's not over yet to go after my dream of immortalizing my name through the lines I write. It may be a long difficult process - the search - but I am determined to get her back - my muse.

A lesson

It's just falling in love.

No big deal.

For love, like life, is a journey.

So, travel on.

LOVE!

And LOVE is on its way...

Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia 2013

2013 came and went

... just like that!

I didn't even notice it tiptoed into and out of my consciousness. I can't remember a thing I accomplished or a goal reached. All I know is that I just did what I usually do, which is do nothing. Before I knew it, the year has bidden goodbye without a single noise  for me to wave adieu back. And so I am faced with a brand new year clueless of what I should do. Er, perhaps not really. I've always known it, only that laziness always takes the place of determination and wins. Now, God willing, I hope to accomplish a few things that have been long shelved somewhere. And I swear to this time set my heart to completing what I am about to start.

1. I will definitely work hard to finish my studies. It's being long overdue has taken a toll on my progress both personally and professionally.

2. Will continue my ASEAN collection tour! Been to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia. This year's a good time to set on a new journey in any of the rest of ASEAN countries I've not been to yet. I've got my eyes on Myanmar especially that it now has signed a bilateral agreement with the Philippines and Filipino tourists are granted a pass without priory applying for a visa. And I can only say yay to that. Singapore and Indonesia also sound very closely possible since I'm attending a conference in Singapore in April. Another fingers crossed on this!

Well, these are my short term plans and I'm writing them down to be a reminder of the things that I have had missed in the year I had been idle. I hope that 2014 won't pass that by too quickly, and that it would leave something for me to remember.

Moving on

And then, I saw.

And that's everything I need to know.

Love... I guess... Nevermind... 

I. Am. Moving. On.

Phu Rua

Starting the year being on TOP!

It's been more than a month since I promised myself to update this blog regularly and yet, yes, it's been more than a month!

Now I may be officially called a juggler. Not that I've finally learned the trick of throwing things in the air and catching them in such a fashion that will amaze any spectator. No, I've been juggling work and extra-curricular activities for weeks now. Thanks God for the activities that I can no longer determine which one I should do during my free time. Free time is plenty but things to do seem to be more. (At nasabi siyang free time?) Beside the 3 courses I coordinate (and I never coordinate courses in the 2nd semester in the previous four years of my tenure at the uni), I am slowly getting involved with uni activities that I never bothered to give a second look at before.

Yes.. this is incomplete because I am always lazy to think...

PLEASE BE GOOD TO ME, 2014!