1) pagudpud, ilocos norte
2) malapascua, cebu
3) honda bay & el nido, palawan
4) camiguin
5) apo island, negros occ.
6) cagayan valley (pe�ablanca, anyone?)
7) pearl farm, davao (generous donations are welcome! hehe)

i would think of travelling abroad next time, when i’m really earning big bucks hehe. for now, the philippines is grand enough for me :)

and of course, any multimedia person would want a smokin’ sidekick.yeah, pc is great, but the g5 mac is so… divine! *kisses its tiger paws, drools and dies happily* a bonus canon eos 5d would be nice, too. *siiiiigh*

blah, must stop daydreaming and start slaving away.

* * * * * * * * * *

each year, the family goes to the cemetery for our usual holiday visit. through the years, we do the same routine and i never enjoyed any of it because i think it’s stupid. i can visit my deceased love ones any time of the year, so why hassle myself with all soul’s traffic and parking hullabaloo? the day itself has turned the cemetery grounds into a huge picnic area dotted with tong-its tables and overnight campers. it’s senseless, really. but then again, i would sound like an all-soul’s scrooge if i try to tell them that, no?

there wasn’t much food left after only an hour has passed; the organizers sold tickets twice as much as the available seating capacity, our companions had to “guard” our table so that nobody else might try to hog it.

it was horrible having to wait for a chance to squeeze in just to get food, if there’s still anything left on the tray anyway. they won’t refill the food even if it’s all gone, the next refill batch will come in two hours. so we go, “WTF?! you call this a buffet?” i mean, if you’re intending a buffet for 6,000 people, you should’ve prepared for the worst. the way they organized the line also sucked; nobody was there to guide the people which and where to go, so what happened, most of the people were worming their way in and out of the line.

the weather felt terribly humid, partly because there were lots of people in the vicinity. and as we all know, people tend to smell like moist used rags when put in this kind of condition. YUCKINESS.

there were media people interviewing some of us. somebody interviewed j for a kiddie show, and even told him not to say anything negative about the event.

kid host: “so what do you think about this event?”
j: “i’m so excited to be part of this event!”

haha.

passed through greenbelt 1, ok. it’s not on sale.

passed through greenbelt, ok. nothing good.

passed landmark, ok. there’s a sale, but nothing new.

while in glorietta, almost near the exit, is a tiangge i used to frequent. there are a lot of bohemian trinkets; cheap and cute slippers, skirts, bags and tops; cute what-nots; and yummy sweet-spicy thai tamarind.

arrg! i’ve just exchanged a couple of benjamins into peso, so you can imagine how horrible it was for me to resist. my sister used to put a leash on me whenever we go shopping, so that i won’t run amok.

ah well, i did my best (but i guess my best wasn’t friggin’ good enuf). here are some of the useless loots..

i’m munching this yummy treat alone since my mom can’t stomach eating something that looks like dried cat poop.

a jelly wrist rest. it was so cheap that i was really tempted to buy one. it’s got glow in the dark stars inside it too.

this innocent looking whale may look pretty useless but…

it’s actually smoke vaporizer. i don’t smoke, but some of my friends do and i hate it when my house smells like yucky yosi. SO, i bought this little guy to keep the air clean. it’s battery operated, so each time you put your stick in its mouth, it’ll prevent smoke from polluting a confined place.

what i like about this clock is that it’s transparent. it’s red. and it’s egg-shaped. hehe. yun lang.

by the way, pix were taken from a cellphone cam. j took his fuji finepix with him already so i’m left with rotting photos. Y_Y

* * * * * * * * * *

it’s good i didn’t gave in to the temptation of buying the early releases of ipod. it’s even better that i didn’t demand for an ipod nano– because here comes the new ipod!! available in 30GB and 60GB, as slim as a nano and it plays 320×240 videos!

but the big question is, should i still wait some more? or settle for a first generation video-capable ipod?

* * * * * * * * * *

my mom is driving me nuts! whenever i’m working on a project, i usually play my sounds in fullblast, otherwise i won’t be able to work properly. but for some reason, nagging moms are a different kind of noise, it always breaks my working momentum.

that’s it. i’m going to look for that game controller containing all those old nintendo games, plug it into the tv and let her play bomberman and battle city all day. it always works hehe.

i was touched with what this guy said during the seminar, “i am not bad with math, i don’t think i’m a genius at it either. i don’t know if i’ll pass your screening examination, but i just want to let you know that i have the heart to give our children the chance to experience this kind of education.”

i firmly believe that without passion, our work would be pointless no matter how much you earn. you can earn a lot and still feel empty. you can grab the bull by its horns and still feel unsatified. your search for a greater purpose would be insatiable.

honestly, i am glad that there are still people who wanted to be teachers even though the wage is not as high as that of a bank manager, an accountant or a programmer. it is, for me, one of the noblest profession. teaching is a gift; not everybody who gets a degree in education can cause a ripple in one’s life. anybody can teach something, but not everybody can be an influence.

i surfed the net for other possible reasons why it’s been behaving like this, but i guess i have to call in the vet tomorrow. it could just be jealous, wanting more attention, or really sick.. i hope it’s not the latter. :(

unfortunately, my dogs are rather hostile towards any small moving animals. last week, a rooster got into the compound while i was opening the garage for the car. i never really saw if it went out after the gate closed. the following morning, i saw ruffled feathers scattered near the gate and the maid told me that the dogs ganged up on a rooster. it was attempting to fly over the gate, but it couldn’t get high enough because its wings were modified for cockfights.

the rooster was barely alive, breathing heavily and very wet with dog drool when the owner claimed it. it wasn’t our fault our dogs attacked their poor rooster, he should’ve tied it to the tree. days later, i learned that they cooked it for tinola since it can’t fight anymore.

poor chicken.

it irritates me that there are pinays who resort to looking for foreign boyfriends/husbands because she sees him as a walking pile of green dollar bills. dyan kayo magaling, utang o limos.

it irritates me again to see websites with photos of pinays advertising themselves as mail-order brides. it’s like, “order a filipina now and you get to have an exotic fuck buddy, a maid and care-giver all in one.” i wouldn’t be surprised if i see a “filipina” for auction on ebay. PULEEEZ—just how low can you go???

* * * * * * * * * *

years ago when i was in japan as an exchange student, there was a get-to-know activity so we could introduce ourselves randomly. an indonesian asked me where i came from, i replied, “philippines.” then he goes, “that’s cool! where’s that?”

it’s either he’s totally dumb-flunked geography (and global awareness), or the philippines hasn’t made that much impact in the international arena.

* * * * * * * * * *

the news a while ago was about president arroyo and the members of the opposition sitting together to discuss and make some more “bribable” laws. yes, note my sarcasm.

these idiots make more laws when:
1) we can’t even follow the ten commandments. (i bet you still find ten too much.)
2) you can still bribe your way out because the government is enjoying the extra income. (i pity those who bribe. how can you stoop so low?)
3) they don’t really know what goes on outside their elegant houses and cushy luxury cars. (aside from the fact that they’re busy computing how much they can get away with)

ME: you want some of these? (shows him the macaroni and wiggles it)

FAGDOG: *WOOF!* (stands up and wags his tail)

ME: (eats the macaroni bit) you’ve been a very bad dog, barking at me everytime i get home. is that how you greet your master?

FAGDOG: (whimpers and grunts a little, then put his paws on my leg, as if begging me to forgive him. again, pleading with those whimpy eyes)

ME: NO. (snubs)

FAGDOG: (whimpers loudly. walks away slowly. paused. looks back for a second chance.)

nope. he ain’t getting any.

it’s weird that i don’t feel insecure around pretty women (the ones who spends more time shopping, growing their hair long, grooming and blabbering), but felt greatly insecure over street-smart women who can do kickass multimedia. i think i’m turning into a feminist geek. *shudder*

THE PINAY STEREOTYPE

i saw an ad congress advertisement on tv the other night. there’s this girl frolicking inside a mall, making men swoon at the sight of her dark long tresses. suddenly she was screaming her head off while something pulled her by the hair, everybody was baffled and too stunned to react. at the end of the commercial, you can see the girl saying her last prayers infront of a priest before her long shiny hair will be cut. *heh*

what is it with long black hair? heck, there’s even shampoo available in the market that can enhance hair growth! i mean, wouldn’t it be a boring society if most of the women wear their hair long and straight? whatever happened to variety and artistic individuality?

do most men love feasting their eyes on long haired women? if so, do women grow their hair long and straight so they could please or entice the male specie? my goodness, if the hypothesis is true..

i strongly believe that pinays are exotically pretty in their own way, that there’s no need to conform to the stereotypes of this society. but then again, maybe it’s the dark long tresses that makes a pinay exotic??