Nerdy-Nerd

an officemate was playing Text Twist in the offfice. (hala! playing games in the office. hehe) i was working at a computer beside him. everytime i would glance at his side and see the monitor, i would guess the longest word. he got irritated and would cover the letters, but i would still get a chance to see some letters and would still guess and would get the right answer. it's really fun irritating someone. hehe.

i was asked how can i guess the words easily. it made me think. it occurred to me that when i see a plate number i would love to re-arrange the letters to form a word. and now my hobby at home is notto read a book but to answer crosswords. we have this book of crosswords at home, and i would answer 5 sets of puzzles for an afternoon. and i love to watch quiz shows. i would prefer it than adventure games or reality shows such as fear factor or takeshi's castle.

but i don't consider myself as a nerd because though i love to read books, i hate reading textbooks. i don't open my textbooks when i was in school. seriously! i don't even study much, that's why it's funny that i love answering intellectual questions. hmmm.. maybe that means i'm just really born smart. hahaha ;p

Because of You...

...i had been a princess
...i experienced flying business class (at nawili ako. hehe)
...i've been to camiguin (kahit na nagkasugat)
...i celebrated my birthday with orphans
...i earned extra income
...i travelled around the philippines
...i saw how much my loves me and how open-minded she is
...i gained self-confidence, for you totally believed in me even i don't believe much on myself
...i began to cry lots of times
...i became a spoiled brat (hehehe)
...i have my phone
...i fulfilled my dream of giving a "Cartier" bracelet to the one i love
...i lost and gained weight
...i have a constant companion in trying out new restaurants and spas!
...i somehow gained slight interest in economics (haaay... i still can't believe am a graduate of econ. hehe)
...i learned how to snorkel
...i learned to really appreciate underwater creatures
...someone believed that i can achieve my dreams, and now i also do believe that i can
...i learned that i can hurt someone i would hurt the least
...i had been thankful for my life
...i learned to care for something
...i felt how it is to be loved

Dermatologically-Tested

last monday, i visited my derma because of allergies. it came to my mind, that dermas now are in-demand. especially with facials being popular nowadays. and my friend paying P3,000.00 for her derma consultation plus some products. am just so lucky that my derma still charges only P250.00 consultation fee and her products are really effective. though she charges cheap, she really is a good derma. she had been our family derma for more than 10 years now. and she really knows her job.

now, i'm praying that i am gonna be healed from my allergies. coz affected are my hands. three parts of my body that i am really proud of: hands, feet and legs. that's why when i burned my legs in camiguin, i really cried my heart out not having any care with my surroundings. and now my hands, aargh!!!! even if i'll be absent from work, i am more concerned with my hands. you know where am allergic? detergents and dishwashing soaps. arte!!! hahaha :)

FRIENDS

note to myself: do not watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S. anymore in the ETC channel in the mornings or you'll be late.

my favorite tv show is FRIENDS. and i remember last saturday when i went with marvin and jopay to the covenant house, we had a little debate on who would be better for rachel. is it joey or ross? mine is definitely joey. but they prefer ross. then the arguments turned to who would give rachel a better future. hahaha.

it's just sad that FRIENDS have ended already. and it's pathetic for my part that i still haven't seen the ending :(

Frustrations

as i talked to my officemate yesterday, i only want three things. these three things can easily be achieved by others or just readily given to them. but for me, it is not that easy. but well, nothing is impossible, right? these three things are really mababaw. but i don't care. because these three things are three things i have expected since i was in college but then reality sank in and it is not reality for me. haay...

well, am saying all of these. because from now on. i'll not lose hope. i'll not lose faith. i know that i'm gonna get this sooner or later. diba Lord? hehe :)

Thesis Kwitis

last monday, i consulted a dermatologist regarding my hands. his prescription was an anti-allergy medicine. since the derma is in the former rustan's cubao, my mom and i had lunch in gateway. we tried to buy the medicine in watsons there but it was out of stock. but i was told by the pharmacist that the medicine costs P8.76. okay.

since my mom was going to ortigas, i just rode the mrt. passed by farmers and bought the medicine in watsons in farmers. i ordered 10 packs alreay and easily told the pharmacist, "P8.76 each, diba?" when she checked it was only P8.26. ha! same store, different buildings (just 5 minutes away from each other) but different prices.

well, the pricing didn't really come a surprise to me. it just brought back thesis memories. my thesis topic was the price dispersion between the virtual and conventional markets. but actually, i also came across the price discrepancies among the conventional stores.


my product was paco rabanne for men. i chose this because this is the first perfume that i remember my dad used. though i really don't like the smell, i still use this as my product. for papa! that was how i loved my dad.

i've discovered during my store checks that the prices in the different rustan's stores are not the same. and when i was asked about this during my defense, i used my instinct to answer the question. though same stores, they have different prices depending on where the store is located. they have different target markets. like watson's even if it is a drugstore, watsons farmers caters lower class citizens compared to watsons gateway.

i am just hyper with this topic. because it's my thesis, and most especially because that answer is an answer i haven't found in any of my research but just came from my common knowledge. sorry.. proud lang talaga ako ;p

Beware of Motorcycles with Two Passengers

i love to walk. that's why sometimes when i go home from the office, i just walk. that's how near our office is. last night, an officemate and i, walked home together at around 8:30 in the evening. of course we were deep in conversation. later on, there was a motorcycle behind us and slowed down. my friend's bag was on the danger side and the passenger of the motorcycle grabbed her bag. thankfully, my friend was alert. she snatched her bag back. the motorcycle kinda lost its balance, that's why i guess they just went ahead and didn't try to grab it back again.

my officemate told me that some police really check motorcycles with two passengers because of this modus.

but even if there is only one passeneger, still be careful. coz another friend was nearly carjacked. a motorcycle tried to stop him, but he just went ahead and really pursued him wherever he went. finally, he saw two policemen and called their attention. the man pursuing him didn't notice the policemen. the pursuer was asked by the policemen and he admitted that he was planning to carjack my friend.

so friends, please be careful...

ECONSOC

my second family is the UPLB Economics Society or Econsoc. it is my organization in college. it had been my second family to the truest sense. i live with them (meaning i just go home to my dorm to take a bath, hehe) in the org house, never made me feel left-out and helped me discover my talent.

yes, until now, i feel at home with them and they always make me in a good mood. that is why when i feel down, i would go to los baños and just bond with the resident members. yes, they know how to put a smile on my face.

during my last year in college, i was elected as External Affairs Head. from the term itself, externals. our committee is in-charge of the activities that deals with those outside our organization, such as the college sportsfest, outreach programs, parties, and even our organization's alumni homecoming. i believe econsoc made me like to do outreach programs to orphanages. and it unleashed my talent in organizing parties. no kidding! yup, i try to organize surprise parties. or if not surprise parties, gimiks/parties for the alumni of our dear organization. just like last saturday. an alumni homecoming that was not sponsored by the resident members. even if it was not for free, many attended. but i'll admit, i was not alone in organizing it. there were three of us. and we were really busy that night having fun :)

Paradise in Davao

Just came from a trip in Davao, particularly in Samal Island. We stayed in Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort. Even before arriving in the Resort, the trip was already a paradise.

It was my first time to ride in the Business Class of PAL. Even if it was almost a 2-hour trip, I barely noticed. I really enjoyed my ride, from the comfort of the plane to the very friendly and accomodating flight attendants, it was heavenly.

Arriving in Davao, I can't believe that there are still cabs that are not airconditioned. I thought it only exists now in Baguio. And their flag down is only P26.00 with 1 peso for every 500 meters or so and some of the airconditioned cabs charge only P2.00.

The next day, we went to Samal Island. Wow! It was just a 5-minute ride from Davao City, costing you only P10 per boat ride. They served us dalandan juice. I am not really into dalandan soda or dalandan-flavored juice. But the juice they served... it was fresh fruit juice! For snacks, I ordered fresh mango juice as opposed to the canned mango juice that they have. And when the juice arrived.. it's true! It's fresh mango juice. It's not mango shake but mango juice. The food were spectacular. Fresh seafood talaga.

When I was searching for a resort in the web, there were reviews on the Paradise Resort and their zoo. Honestly, I was expecting a zoo with lots of animals but when I got there it is just Bird Sanctuary with a python and deer. Though it was not what I expected I enjoyed the sights of the birds. Especially the ostrich and seeing a heron laid eggs.

Even if the resort is private, with its accesibility, there were still lots of people going there. Was lucky to be staying there and got the chance to have the beach for a night swimming or an early morning swim. And I think my color now will attest to how much fun I had swimming.

I haven't been to Pearl Farm, but if you'd like to go to Samal Island on a tight budget, try Paradise Island Resort.

My Smiling Name

i've realized something last weekend. that when you say my name, you will smile. may it be Kristine or Tin-tin.

try it. say it with me... Kristine... Tin-tin.

maybe that's why i love to smile, because my name can put a smile on your face. :)

Depression Mode

i was really down last night and i don't know why. i felt that i am just nobody. not even an anybody, but really a nobody. even to my friends and family. well, except for ace. i went to the Blessed Sacrament yesterday before going home, and i did really cry. i just cried and cried and i have no idea why.

then i remembered when me and my sister were still kids. i was the goody type and she really is the naughty type. but i would feel that she is more-liked than i am. honestly, i wanted to have a change of attitude and be a bitch. but i can't do it. i would always remember the golden rule: "Don't do unto others what yuo don't want others to do unto you."

praying in the Blessed Sacrament made me realize why I appreciate ace so much. ace is the only person who appreciates me and who believes in me, more than i believe in myself. ace and i would forever remain just friends. with the insecurity problems and rejection moods i feel, would i ever find a guy who would appreciate me much.. who would make me feel special?

Carpool of Thanks

Another reason why even if it’s already late and I still write this blog is because I was really touched with two friends in real and blog life. Hehe. Ate Jopay and Kuya Marvin.

I live in QC and I attend the prayer meetings of BLD in Makati. I have been doing this for ten years already. Going to and from the prayer meetings have not been a problem. Especially now with MRT. But the good thing about BLD, especially the Youth, they are concerned with you. They would make sure that if you have a ride home and if your house is on the way, they’ll bring you home. Home as in really at your house and not just drop you off somewhere near. Through this, I have gained a number of friends already, like the Aguila family (saying, Merville na sila).

Back to the story. I was just touched with this couple. Coz I didn’t expect that they’ll really look for someone who could bring me home. Even asking the waiter of Teriyaki Boy. Hehe. I have insisted of joining them for dinner already, and still they treat me for dinner. Oh no! Jops, pano na budgeting nyo?
Maybe I was totally touched because I did not expect it from them. You really proved that if it’s from BLD, then it must be real friends. Thanks.

Light Within

This morning during the flag ceremony, I was tasked to give out the inspirational message. Promise! I had a hard time thinking of a topic. As my YM status message said the other day, “Inspirational message?! Di nga ako mainspire eh.” After browsing all the teachings of BLD, I came across a story which I used. The story of the matchstick. How he admired the light, and after being rubbed in a rough surface, he realized that the light is just within him.

As I practiced to read aloud my speech, I realized that the speech is for me. I did not ask kanina how my speech went. Because as I pray everytime I share, that there’ll be one heart that will be blessed by my sharing. With my speech this morning, I know a heart was blessed. My heart.

Ang galling lang! Coz last Saturday night, I was in the brink of crying because I can’t see where I am now. Then my speech. Then the prayer meeting, Gwadz prayed over me. Without telling her what to pray for coz I really don’t know what, she said the right words. What I want to happen in my life.. to be perfect for God. I guess right now, that’s what really matters for me. How to be perfect for God. And with all that’s happening with my life, I am like the matchstick, being rubbed in a rough surface to emit light. Sabagay, kung walang rough surface sa life ko, wala akong sharing.
P.S. Special thanks to Bro. Arun for sharing the story of the matchstick. Dru, for the notes you tirelessly e-mail us. And to Ace for editing my speech.

2005 in a Wrap

the year 2005 had been a roller coaster ride for me, literally and figuratively. hehe. well, here's a summary of what happened to me in 2005. per month pa ito ha, actually based on my cellphone calendar...

January
Wedding of Itan and Mitchel.. no need to say more. hehe

February
first time to serve in SE, for SE35. first time to stay also in a mot-mot dhel wala nang space sa retreat house. hehe. SE34 pastoral in astoria, then deepening encounter the next day.

March
badminton tournament of se34. saw my cousins and relatives again in bohol. my brother eric celebrated his bday there with matching lechon on black saturday. ey! my tita really asked a priest if we can lechon already and he said it was okay. hehe. started to talk to my dad again as a sign of my penitensya for the holy week. hehe.

April (the blessed month. hehe)
last pastoral metting of se34. a truly humbling experience. washing of the feet ba naman. sorry ha. ayoko kse talaga ng paa. SE34 sponsorhip! really tiring but truly blessed. with that, napatunayan ko na i can be without sleep pala for 48 hours. for the first time. siguro basta pag kay Lord, kaya. a sharer for the YLSS #24. a frightening experience for me. syempre. it would be a first time for me to bare all my experiences, feelings, secrets, hurts and everything to the BLD people and to my family. also, first time to really cry to my dad saying all my hurts to him, and after two years, hugged each other again.

May
my lola was rushed to the hospital and was just brought back to life after 5 mins. causing her to be comatosed. di tuloy ako nakasama sa galera with SE34. this somehow caused a drift between my mother and brother because of the expenses and if the plugs be pulled out or not. i really questioned God dureing these times on how this can happen to our family after serving Him faithfully and giving my all last April. then after a few weeks of having monetary problems, He showed us light. hehe. He made my sister win in a raffle here in the office. kahit na yung cash prize is smaller than the bill, it still helped my mom with the expenses.

June
Hillsong Concert. Let's Dance for the Lord. first time to share in SE for SE OLAP. sobrang had time to bond with Ate Jopay and Kuya Marvin. nakarating pa sa house ni Kuya Marvin in Marikina and helped prepare kare-kare. proud! hehe.

July
had my LSS again thru the LSS41 and i have known that something big will happen with my lola. the next day, i had a business trip to Bohol. that was a monday. wednesday early morning, around 2am, my mom called me to tell me that my lola passed away already.

AUGUST
got to bond with ate dodie coz it was only the two of us who explored our way to the Bamboo Organ Church in Las Piñas for their SE. went to Boracay on a personal travel and stayed in the same resort where i stayed when i was with rlyn. visited our Regional Office in Iloilo and met the people there at long last after a year of only talking to them on the phone. express wedding of zettes and rico.

September
St. Scho LSS5. got to share again, and everybody who went up on stage to greet me, just walked by and left me. parang dinaanan lang ako :) became the ninang of hans rugas.

October
visited lb once again. and for the first time in years, naikot ko ang campus. di lang ako sa white house, kitanglad and grove. hehe. bonded with Jopay, Anna, Tatee, Beng and Giselle. learned a lot about them and i realized that i am blessed. started to be blog-addict. hehe. led the Worship of Youth's Prayer Meeting. attended the despedida of SE34's Ian, which had been a reunion for us.

November
my bday!!! potluck party in lb. and a disney princess party in mcdo. truly! a memorable bday for me. BLD Youth's Concert. St. Schoo LSS6 where Tito Wing, Tita Babylyn and Tita Margie went up on stage. making them look like the characters in my sharing. hehe. my mom had an operation and was rushed to the hospital.

December
attended a bday celebration in a mausoleum. first time to travel in Bacolod for official purposes. overnight lang but really pure work. tried their chicken inasal, and it is really yummy!!! it's totally different from what i taste in chicken inasal restaurants here. Christmas parties here, there and everywhere. despedida for Ate Anna. and got a chance to see again my friend from college who is now based in US.

just got to mention this. movie of the year for me: Nasaan Ka Man. it was my movie of the year because it's a movie that is underpromoted but really is a great film. nakakaiyak. my sister had a chance to watch it only the other day and also cried. hehe. basta maganda sya. and the actors Diether, Claudine and Jericho really did great jobs in portraying theit roles. Especially Diether. If you have a chance to get a copy of this movie, watch it.

well, that's pretty much my year 2005.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Christmas is for Kids

i watched joey de leon's life story yesterday in magpakailanman. he mentioned when he was interviewed that "Ang Pasko ay para sa mga bata." well, he also said that for adults, it's for love and rekindling of friendship.

i believe that Christmas is for kids. hwen i was still a kid myself, Christmas is my favorite season. because this means we're going to bohol and see my cousins then swim at the beach, receive gifts, etc etc. then we went back to manila, more gifts from santa. yes! i really believed in santa when i was still young. then i grew up. no more santa, no more going to bohol coz it's expensive and my lolo is gone already. Christmas is now just dinner together with my mom leading a personal prayer before meals, and pretty much that's just it. an ordinary day.

for this Christmas, even if it will be just another day for our family, i hope that our love for each other will overflow. the love of my dad for us will rekindle and the happiness we felt when we were still together, would be felt again and more. and anyway, Christmas is not about me, it's about Jesus. it's His birthday!

to my friends and to those who just came across this blog, MERRY CHRISTMAS! and i pray that you would not forget to invite Him in His birthday celebration :)

Finally! the Pictures!

my highschool friends

SE34 girls (parang antok na si ate baby ha)

BLD Youth (now Singles) friends

of course, happy birthday to me :)

my sister (humahabol sa katawan ko. hehe), my childhood bestfriend tina and her boyfriend danny

My Kids

some of my officemates brought their kids in our office tomorrow for the children's xmas party, which includes my unit head. anyway, during the party my officemate went out and left her kids in the xmas party. then suddenly her 5-year old son left the party and was looking for his mom. he was really in the brink of crying. i had to make up a story that she was just in the restroom. smart kid coz he went to the restroom and when he discovered his mom was not there, started crying. i'm glad i followed him. he just cried and cried. i made up all the stories that i can just to make him stop crying. then my harsh officemates pretended to be angry at him for crying, one even saying that he will circumcise the kid if he'll not stop crying. well, this made him stop crying.

but this incident made me think. how would i be as a parent. i swore to myself that i'll not spank my children. i never experienced it when i was a kid and i don't want my children to experience it also. but with how i handled the kid awhilke ago, i'm scared that i may spoil my kids. i hope not. i'm amazed at how my parents raised us up. i mean we are not spoiled brats. if you want to contest me not being a brat, it's not because of my parents. it's because of someone else, am sure. hehe.

i just hope that when i have kids, i'll be able to raise them up in an environment that is Christ-centered and my children will not be spoiled brat but can still feel loved. can you give me an idea on how i can achieve this? duh! as if i'll have kids soon :)

wishful thinking

when i was a kid, i had great dreams, high hopes, good wishes for the future. i can see my self in ten to twenty years time. where i'll be, my house, how i look like, my work, everything. i have planned my future. but life happened. now i don't know where i am. it's like i can't see myself, i can't describe myself. this is not the way i saw myself when i was 5 years old. i'll be honest, i don't want to dream anymore. it's like i'm losing hope. i know it's bad, but that's really how i feel right now. i don't like to dream coz i know it won't happen. or if ever i daydream, it's just for the joy that somehow, i can experience these in my life even just in dreams. i'm not talking about lovelife here but life in general.

my officemate once commented when he read my blog, "parang ang lungkot ng buhay mo..." honestly, i didn't feel that way. but now, parang i feel that way. depression mode ba ako now? ewan ko ba. haaay...

Prayer for the Heart

recently, i had been heartbroken (all together: YUN NA!)Ü hehehe. just kidding. just to catch your attention. hehe. i just want to share to singles out there a beautiful prayer that my sister gave me. thanks Yan, i now know that you want me to be happy and safe...

Dear Heavenly Father,

I confess that I have not always been as careful as I should have been with my heart. From time to time, my desire for love has caused me to leave my heart in the wrong hands. I now commit my heart into Your hands for safekeeping.

Please help me to stop being so impulsive with what You deem so precious. As I learn to celebrate Your love for me, let me learn from Your example what a bridegroom should really be like. Help me to never settle for less than what You desire for me.

As I embrace You as the lover of my soul, keep my affections in the haven of Your own heart. As I rest in Your love, make me more discriminating of those who approach me. I ask that You take over this area of my life. Keep me from those You know would hurt my heart. I invite You to set a hedge around me and keep me from all who would draw me into unfruitful relationships until the day You present me to the mate that You have selected for me.

Grant me the discernment to recognize him as he recognizes me. Cleanse me from the temptation to typecast the men I meet according to what I see. Help me to trust in Your knowledge and lean not on my own understanding. I know that You know what is best for me; therefore I yield to Your choice. In Jesus Name. AMEN!

Prayer of a Frustrated Doctor

my mom was rushed to the hospital last wednesday night. while waiting for the decision of the doctors if she will be admitted, i spent some time first in the chapel praying to God. i asked God to heal my mom, and i told Him that i know He can heal her. then i shifted gear. i then told Him to give me and my siblings faith and acceptance to whatever will happen, to His will.

after some time, i realized that i'm afraid to ask God for something. i totally have faith in God, with His powers and capabilities. i know nothing is impossible with Him. i prayed this way because i'm afraid what if God has other plans for my mom, for our family. i'm afraid to be disappointed. i might lose faith in Him. thus my shift in gear with my prayers. to have an accepting heart with whatever His will is. but i hope it is for my mom to get healed.

since it was unplanned that my mom would stay in the hospital yesterday, i took a leave of absence from the office to be her bantay. when i was still a child, i really wanted to be a doctor. that is my dream. i can be other things also, but still a doctor. but when i grew up, i became afraid. i didn't choose medicine for the fear that my patients would die at my hands. i don't know how to face it. anyway, yesterday, when i was with my mom. i tried to be nurse to her. helping her change her clothes without the aid of the nurse. assisted her when she threw up and stuff. i'm sorry to admit this, but it really grossed me out when cleaning my mom's vomit and seeing her wound bleed. i guess i don't have what it takes to be a doctor. and it really made me admire the doctors and nurses more with their humility.