Stuck again

Getting stuck in that elevator reminded me of how else i got stuck recently.

My family and i went to Bora last summer. We went at the end of summer, thus the weather was not good. You couldnt sit outside bec the sand would hit your face. You coulnd't walk bec the sand would hit your legs. I didn't mind because i had fun staying in the room and sleeping. On our way home the trike had to go on the long route going to the docks. Our feet had to get wet bec the boats couldn't go anywhere near the shore.

We're on the Bigger boat. Around 25 people and its raining, there's very little air going in the boat bec the plastic windows are down. It's okay the shore is in plain site after 15mins. But I can also see that all the other boats are far from the shoreline and that there are row boats moving the people from the big boat to the shore.

It takes the rowboat 20mins to get to get to our boat. Takes another 10 to unload the passengers into the 2 rowboats. It was so full i really thought it was going to capsize. Everyone's knees were hitting each other, from the left, right and even front. It takes the 2 men 30mins to row the boat from the water to the shore. In those 30 mins 3 people started crying. In those 30 mins i didn't say a word. I was contemplating if i can swim to the shore. But I remembered that i was pregnant so i stayed and closed my eyes. I got off the rowboat and puked on the shore.

I hate getting stuck.
Ive gotten stuck in an airport for 10 hours. Stuck in an elevator. Stuck in a boat (twice). Stuck in the middle of the sea.
But i wouldn't mind getting stuck in an island. Stuck in a mall and stuck inside a candy factory.

Podcasts

So.. I've always been a fan of podcasts. There is just soooo much you can get from them and there's so many different types now-- comedy shows, news shows, video tours, suggested walking tours, how-to videos, etc. Over the years, I've subscribed to different shows ranging from educational ones (ie Quick & Dirty Grammar Girl) to travel shows (ie Bowery Boys guide to NY) to the ones that discuss the shows I watch (ie Official Grey's Anatomy Podcast).

To help you guys discover podcasts on your own, here's a step by step process on how to get them:


1. Podcasts are mainly available through iTunes so the first step is to open it up. Once it's open, look on the left bar and click on the iTunes Store.



2. After it has loaded, you'll see everything that the iTunes Store has to offer (similar layout to the one below). Look at the left bar under iTunes Store and locate Podcasts and click on it.



3. Now you're in the world of podcasts and all you have to do is decide which one you want to listen to or download. More often than not, podcasts are free and you can either pick individual episodes to download or subscribe to a particular show that interests you.


There are a lot of different categories to choose from so I sometimes use the "search" function on the upper right to help me locate something of interest. An example was when I was going to the Museum of Modern Art in SF and wanted to see if there were podcasts related to the museum so I just typed in SF MOMA and chose from the results under podcasts. Since the "Search" function works for the entire iTunes store, the results will be categorized accordingly and I just look for the results under Podcasts.

Specifically for the one on Grey's Anatomy, I did a screen capture to show how to find it:


Once you're in their page, the episodes will be listed underneath the title page and you'll have to scroll to the far right to download the ones you want to get.

I encourage you guys to explore the other categories under podcasts... I even subscribed to one that teaches Italian for when we went to Europe. haha. That didn't work out that well. Then I tried the one for Spanish. haha! And I use it for when I travel since people would share walking itineraries on podcasts (some by Nat. Geographic, I think) or even when I go to the museum since alot of museums use podcasts as a way to showcase an exhibit or specific works of art.

Since I think podcasts are so useful, I actually thought about starting a podcast for travellers to the Philippines since I don't think there is one yet... Anyway, try it yourself!

Stuck

If it's one thing i hate, it's getting stuck. Literally. I went to St. Luke's the other day to visit my dentist and there i was waiting for the elevator. I let 3 elevators go by because they were too full. I hate crowded enclosed spaces. The 4th time the elevator stopped on the 9th flr, i couldn't wait any longer, lucky for me the elevator was so full that 2 people actually got off. So, i figured, at least i'm taking up the space of 2.

The door closes. The people inside are whining and complaining about how small the elevator is and that the air conditioning inside isn't working. I keep quiet.

The door opens on the 3rd flr. I feel annoyed. The idiots outside the door take 6 seconds to decide they can't fit in the already very full elevator. There were 5 of them.

The door closes again.
The lights go out. The woman at the back starts to whine like a child "haaaaaaaaalaaaaaaaaaa blah blah blah"
My heart is in my throat. CRAP. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "Shut UP! Do u really think that's helping in any way?"
I get my cell and use it as my light, looking for the alarm button in the elevator panel. It's not working. The man to my right is looking for the emergency phone. There's none. The woman to my left is quiet, everyone behind me is panicking. Another lady screams "di nako makahinga!!!!!!!!!!!" I reply to her "kung di ka na makahinga, patay ka na. tumahimik ka nga dyan!"

I feel air coming thru the doors, its slightly open. I say this aloud and the man to my right and the woman to my left quickly pull it apart. I step out. The idiots behind me start pushing each other. I move away from their tiny stampede. The 2 women who were panicking both trip on their feet. I roll my eyes and slowly go down.

I don't know what i hated more, getting stuck in that elevator or getting stuck with those noisy people. I did realize that i snap when im under pressure, as in, i snap at people to be calm. Because I may be panicking inside but i act calm outside.

Summer Internship

...begins tomorrow, June 1!

I will be working with a company called Communispace and interning with their Idea Group. In a nutshell, they develop online communities for brands and help generate consumer insights from those online communities... While I never really intended to work in market research, I am very much intrigued with what they do and it's also something that I've never done before. The company also has a very good reputation in the marketing/ communications industry because of the kind of work that they do. Here's hoping that I won't be late tomorrow...

Happiness Scale

This rainy weather reminds me of the feeling I get when classes are unexpectedly cancelled. In a 1 to 100 happiness scale (HS), I give it a rate of 85. Its like christmas (HS 50) + birthday (HS 5) + chowking halohalo for merienda (HS 10) + fitting into my old jeans (HS 20) all rolled into one!

This week

...I will

1. Pay it Forward

2. Be Agreeable (do not take advantage of this ha!)

3. Recognize my Blessings 

4. Exercise

5. Overdress

Wish me Luck!

what boston does...

... is that it makes you fat!!

I am officially a size bigger... at least according to H&M's sizing.
so... hello running shoes! goodbye desserts! hassle talaga.

AND SCOOPER BOWL IS IN A WEEK. oh no.

Trip to Turkey

Sharing an email to my dad about a possible trip to Turkey:

hey dad!

i don't know if mom told you about our final project for the Turkish Cultural Foundation? to make a long story short, it went really well and they even had us re-present it for the chairman of the board. anyway, they sent us an email today extending an invitation to tour Turkey for 2 weeks. we will have to cover the flight going to Istanbul & coming back to the US but they will cover the land expenses once we're there as well as lodging. the foundation actually gives educational tours to public school teachers from the US and so we will be joining them this summer.

there are three different tour dates through out june & july so i will discuss with my group which is most feasible for us. i will also have to ask my internship supervisor if i can leave for 2 weeks although i don't think it will be an issue. i will also check with the international student services office if there's any paperwork needed for me to re-enter the US. we will also have to apply for visa's to enter Turkey. i hope i get to go...!!

that's my news for now... will let you know the details once i have them. one of my groupmates is already looking up flight schedules. i have attached the document sent by the Foundation on the educational tours as fyi.

And it ends there. So I might go to Turkey! Hurray!

Hmmm

Over dinner last week, I was seated with this lady bursting with so much Faith that I found myself to be the reluctant recipient of her stories. After her third miraculous story, I silently questioned whether they were really miracles or just coincidences. Did she read too much into the situation, or was I being too much of a skeptic? I left thinking that people choose to see things as they deem appropriate.

The next morning I pray the Our Father and stumble across this line - give us this day our daily bread, as we forgive those who sin against us...

I suddenly feel a stab of guilt, as how could I say these lines over and over, and still find it hard to let go of situations which caused me pain. I felt ashamed for justifying my sense of indignation, when I have never taken my vow seriously. This realization never occurred to me before. And I choose to see the miracle in it.

My Guy List

My friend made a list of things she wants in a guy and she was actually able to stick by that list. (to my surprise, who thought love could be so logical) So I've decided to make my own list, because really, it's never too late to know what you want.

I want to be with someone...
1. Older than me. So that he's more mature than me and will take care of me. Also, chances are he will run the show since he's used to running the show.
2. That i can learn things from.
3. I admire.
4. Who has just the right amount of confidence. Not so much that he's arrogant but enough that you dont have to soothe his ego.
5. Who expresses themselves well.
6. Logical.
7. Who can take care of themselves.
8. Clean.
9. Whose family loves me.
10. Who understands the concept of personal space.
11. Who is considerate of my needs and wants. (ex. keeping quiet when im watching tv)
12. Who will find me pretty even when i get fatter. Someone who encourages me to eat.
13. Who finds interest in my interests, even if he just fakes it.
14. I love talking to. Someone i can have a conversation with effortlessly. Someone who listens well and thinks before they speak.
15. Whose a guy's guy.
16. Who puts his family before his friends and work.
17. Who can apologize for his mistakes.
18. Who can make me laugh.
19. Who moves forward and improves in time. Someone who ages gracefully and doesn't get stuck in the past.

Feeling Facebook Three

1. I like history. I like walking in the past browsing thru other people’s lives. I used to want to be a Jew after reading and watching a marathon of books and films abt what the Germans did to them

2. Saying ‘I love to travel’ is an understatement. I was raised to, live to and work so I can travel. There’s nothing more exciting to me than the planning of a trip, packing my bags, getting on the plane and magically disappearing into the unknown.

3. I love to eat. My days and nights consist of making lists of what I want to eat. Where I want to eat and when im going to eat them. I go to places I don’t want to bec I want to eat something there (ex. Family gatherings)

4. I love to eat while im traveling. I like trying out new dishes in new places and going back to old places and ordering my favorite things there.

5. I excel only when challenged. I see buffets as challenges to eat more than the amount your going to pay.

6. I have issues with food. I don’t like to share them. I like to eat other people’s food despite not wanting to share mine. I need to have food with me all the time especially when traveling. My dad says baka ginutom ako in my past life that’s why im so afraid.

7. I once stayed at the hong kong airport for more than 10 hrs. I was so afraid to go hungry that I ate dinner 3 times in 3 hrs. I couldn’t relax when the stores were all closed that I started to feel claustrophobic and was starting to go crazy.

8. I love ice cream. I would love to eat it everyday. I have no favorite. I love them all equally.

9. My refrigerator has to have the following things ALL the time.

a. ice cream b. cheese c. eggs d. juice e. chocolates f. bacon g. bread

10. Books. Movies. And Tv shows make up my life. I used to read 1 book a day. Watch 10 movies a week. And watch 27 TV shows. Now, Maxine is my life.

11. I like to keep stocks of things. I have stocks of towels, underwear, soaps, lotions, toothpaste, band aids, cereals, cookies, chocolates… bec you never know when war is going to come and you ought to have extras of the essentials :D

12. I now understand my parents because I turned into one.

13. I may not seem like the prayerful type but I like to pray a lot. I pray when I see sadness on the streets, I pray when I hear an awful story, I pray when im in the shower, I pray whenever I remember to pray.

14. Maxine cheers me up. I think she’s the cutest baby in the whole world and often wonder how come I got so lucky.

15. I love buying make up and high heeled shoes, both of which just go to waste in their boxes. I have yet to finish 1 lipstick in this lifetime.

16. I have 1 bad habit I will not break.

17. I hate stairs. The next house im going to live in will be flat on the ground.

18. I hate bananas. I cannot eat mushy food, the texture makes me want to puke. But I love the smell and taste of them.

19. I love to walk. I love walking in cool weather aimlessly. If I could i would move to another country and live there.

20. I cannot work for someone other than myself.

21. People think im friendly but they don’t know how much of an effort it takes for me to get out of the house. I can last 1 whole day without saying a word. I like my alone time and I love it when everything’s super quiet.

22. I talk to myself a lot. I have conversations with my best friend in my head.

23. I once stayed up for 48hrs straight. I more than once slept for 3 days straight, only waking up to eat, pee and poop.

24. When I trip or fall, no one sees me. I once sat where there was no chair and was able to get up in a split second and yet it takes me around 15 mins to get out of bed each day.

25. I have seen the movie Dead Poets Society more than 50x. 30 of those times I watched in just one summer. Carpe Diem!

Feeling Facebook Too!

I did say that I would share my 25 things so here it goes, in no particular order:

1) I am a creature of the night, I think it's in our blood.
2) My favorite album when I was about 6 or 7 was john denver's greatest hits.
3) My favorite color is blue though now it's shifting to green.
4) I used to dislike my name so much that I asked my mom to change it when I was in kindergarten.
5) Speaking of kindergarten, Heidi was my first friend in ICA. I was so shy that when I said my name she thought I said nursery.
6) I never got into facebook until I got to the US.
7) I enjoy long drives and car trips. I think it’s because they bring back happy memories of summer vacations when we were younger.
8) I love traveling and exploring new places.
9) I like receiving snail mail and postcards. I like sending them out too.
10) I regret not taking chinese seriously as a student.
11) Not knowing who he was, I once asked the president of P&G Philippines where he worked.
12) The first time I rode a jeep was in college and bad luck struck as my necklace got yanked from my neck.
13) Being really forgetful, I tend to misplace things and then think I had lost it forever only to find it by accident days later. Most recently, I thought had I lost my silver tag heuer watch only to find it 3 or 4 months later in one of my bags.
14) I don’t wear glasses or contacts although I think I need to already.
15) Growing up, I used to play with Barbie dolls a lot. I had about 15 of them. I remember having the one with moving arms and the one with curly hair. I also had a lot of my little ponies.
16) A couple of years ago, I decided to start reading books under the young adult or children’s genre because I wanted something easier & quicker to read. I think I was inspired by books like The Giver and The View from Saturday.
17) I am my father’s daughter in more ways than one. We’ve actually bought the same books and both like Cheetos and Snickers.
18) I think I can get by with eating just green mangoes. Or Indian mangoes. With bagoong or salt. Or with toyo & sugar.
19) As much as I like ice cream, I never cared much for plain, regular chocolate ice cream.
20) I feel the same way about chocolate bars. Plain chocolate doesn’t appeal to me. Unless it’s really good chocolate.
21) Jong and I plan to see the B’s of the Philippines--- Batanes, Banaue, Bohol and Boracay. Whee!
22) I’ve never been adventurous with my hair. It’s never been permed, colored or undergone any treatments.
23) I like discovering/ learning/ having alternative hobbies like doing zips and capoeira. Even if I only do them sporadically.
24) Two of my godchildren share the same name, Maxine. One is a fearless soon-to-be five year old and the other, a cute five month old. I am curious to see what else they share in common in the years to come.
25) I started by saying that I was a creature of the night and so I will end by saying that I hope to be a morning person one day. Para di sayang yung araw.

I heart Roshan

I love you. I LOVE you. I LOVE YOU!
This is my love letter to Roshan. I was 1st introduced to her goodies Xmas of 2007. A good friend gave my parents a box of chocolate chip cookies. They were splendid. I always browsed her website, looking at the cakes and brownies, wanting to try everything but never being able to decide on what. They were too expensive for my wallet.

My next encounter with her only happened last Dec. It was when i gave birth, at the hospital that same friend gave me a box of brownies. I hid the brownies. I wasn't allowed to eat solid foods yet but i kept asking the doctor if she'd let me eat brownies. I promised her i would be able to digest it. She let me have 1 the next day. That same day, i was able to walk to and from the nursery. I think the brownies gave me strength.

The 3rd time, i stumbled upon it was when my grandma passed away. No need to say how sad we all were, at the wake, my cousin hands me a pc of food for the gods. I took a bite and immediately stood up. I was going to get more. I locate where the box is (they hid it so that not alot of people would get) and devoured 3 almost immediately. For my 5th pc i took my time and looked at the box, it was from Roshan. An aunt's friend gave them to her. The whole day i just kept going back to the room. They were my silver lining.

I guess no matter how dour the situation if you have a box of Roshan's goodies, things will seem better. As i write this, i can still remember the taste of the food for the gods. And i remember that that bad day turned into a not so awful one. I learned my lesson well, that you cannot put a price on happiness. So, last mother's day i told my husband to order a box of cupcakes for me and i ate almost the whole box myself that week. I cannot say it enough I HEART ROSHAN!

http://homemadebyroshan.com/index.html

Touche

This I know for sure, that I haven't met a dad funnier than mine. Not everyone gets it though, in fact, I only started appreciating it a few years ago. 

Me: Ey, i'm making shanghai fried rice

Bf: Really? I'll ask my driver to go over there so you can send me some

Me: Noooooo!

15 minutes later, driver arrives

Me scooping rice in a container (grumble, grumble)

Me: This will prove his love for me. If he says its good, then that's how much he really loves me

Dad: Or it can prove how good a liar he is.

Me: Touche

Slow

Some say that when things are going towards the direction of your goal, then it's meant to be. That the world is helping you get to where you're supposed to be. Others say that to reach your goals there'll be obstacles you have to overcome to show how much you really want it.

How do you decide which is which? I have been trying to start this sideline for months now. I have my orders which is the most important element. The only problem is my friends disappears now and then from the face of the earth. She reappears after a few weeks. The next step would have been to send the money over to her so she can purchase the goods. Sounds easy? Not really. Not when you don't want to pay exorbitant fees. After weeks of researching which courier to use i stumbled upon a relative who said to me "use telegraphic transfer". So i did. Then i find out from my friend abroad that her account can only accept a maximum of 1,000 euros. We sent the whole 3,000 anyways. At least that worked out, we only had to pay additional fees. Now I find out that she can only withdraw 200euros a day. I try not to get annoyed, but this information thats coming drop by drop is testing my patience. What can I do, the money is there and now all i have to do is wait for her to buy the goods and send them over. If i get them, then good for me. If i don't... i don't want to think about that.

I'm just wondering if all these delays that are happening are signs that i shouldn't push through with it. Or are they just that, theyre delays. How do we read the signs before the end result comes?

Online Shopping

Ever since i gave birth i haven't been going out much. If i know i'm going to the mall, i make a list of the things i need to buy and store i want to check out because for sure i'll forgot something bec of over excitement. I work around 20mins a week, yup, i still call it work because i still get paid. I want to say i'm busy taking care of the little bumblebee but who am i kidding? I am tired though because im breastfeeding, you don't magically lose the weight, you feel tired and sleepy all the time. Well, at least i do. I pump every 3 hours for 15-20mins, so what do i do while im pumping? I surf the net. What do i surf? I check out the online shops. What do i buy? I buy baby things.

My best friend is in Boston studying and ever since she went there i have been perusing the web for things we don't have here in the country. I must say, we DO NOT have baby clothes here. Well, we don't have clothes that fit my lil giant right. They're all shaped for teapot babies (short and stout). We also dont have sets, like a set of 5 onesies or a set of 6pairs of socks. Everything also seems so much more expensive compared to things on Amazon. The only drawback to this online shopping and recent short term memory of mine? Is that I don't remember what i get and i don't know when i'm getting them so i order a size or two bigger. So now, Bumblebee's cabinet is filled with clothes for 12 and 18months when she's only 5 months old. My only regret is that i didn't buy that monkey costume and more onesies.

A Lesson from Tracy

Tracy Anderson is the exercise guru of Gwenyth Paltrow and Madonna. The former swears by her, while the latter credits Tracy (yes, close kami) for her supposedly new body frame. As if that isn't impressive enough, madame Tracy looks like a  Barbie doll, all blond and bouncy/spring-y. Immediately after seeing her on TV, i had to have her videos. A week later they arrived, but I couldn't make myself do it. I was too intimidated! I've decided that I couldn't possibly finish the video.

Tracy and I had a staring contest. I'd spend a minute a day contemplating if I should put her on. It took me three months to psych myself and give it a try. Sayang naman the DVD diba. After an hour of torture, the workout finally came to an end. I thought - that wasn't sooooo bad.

Sure, i had to hold on to the banisters while going down the stairs and use both hands to hold my glass of water. Sure, i still can't sneeze and cough properly and I probably did half of the exercises wrong, but I'm only thirty days away to teeny tiny (her favorite phrase) arms!

Sooo, what did i learn from Tracy? Tracy taught me that things really aren't as bad as they seem. That thoughts in your head are far worse than real life. And just doing something about it puts you one step closer to your goal. 

Bad English

I hate it when people correct my grammar or pronunciation so i fought hard not to correct this person. I decided to post it here instead to show how bad our english is when it's written down.

TO ALL GEO SELLERS & DISTRIBUTORS!

GEO JUST SEND ME NEW MEMORANDUM
ABOUT THE PRICING OF GEO RETAIL PRICE IN THE PHILIPPINES
IF YOU WONT ABIDE BY THE RULE
THEY WONT SEND/SUPPLY GEO CONTACT LENSES...

SO, WE'LL NOW RAISED OUR GEO PRICE
TO COMPLY WITH THEIR REQUIREMENTS..
FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS AGREEMENT
WILL MAKE YOU TERMINATED
AS GEO DISTRIBUTOR IN THE PHILIPPINES..

OTHER STORE WHO WILL STILL SELL
LOW PRICE BEYOND THE SET RETAIL PRICE
MAY NOT NECESSARILY SELLING AUTHENTIC GEO

Frostings Cupcakes

Lurking in the malls is a 'new' counter of cupcakes. I say new bec I only saw it last weekend. I was galavanting around galleria when i saw the bright booth but escaped going anywhere near it quite easily. The next day however i was in Rustans looking for a sailor hat for Maxine and as i was getting lost i walked by the counter and small tables and chairs. I took 2 steps forward and stood by the display ref for 2 mins, in complete silence. In the end i bought 6.

“Frostings is more modern, more attuned to the Filipino taste. The other existing cupcakes offered locally are more American in taste and appearance. Ba’t ganoon? The Filipino taste is one of the best in the world… Swak talaga, it’s not too sweet, yung icing tama lang, plus yung cake, soft cake.” --took this from the blog Desserts Come First

They do look pretty, so pretty i thought they were candles. As dumb as that sounds, there's a store in The Block that sells cupcake shaped candles which they also display inside a ref. But that's another topic. Going back to Frostings... The cupcakes were okay. They weren't great. If compared to acting, their performance felt unnatural. The moment i handed my money to the cashier, i regretted buying them already. I gave the peach cupcake to my husband and he asked "What flavor is this? Butter?". So, there goes the special fruit cupcake that they have.

Counter Clockwise:
-Belgian Chocolate was so so.
-Banana peanut butter which should have been named chocolate cupcake with extra sweet peanut butter inside.
-Lava was... too sweet. I dont like the icing.
-Smores was okay. I left it ouside for 3 hrs before the cake felt 'soft'. It was so soft that as i was peeling the wrapper off the cupcake broke into half.
-White chocolate.. I just finished eating. What a waste of calories. It was like eating sugar, quite literally bec i could still feel the sugar granules while i chewed.

My Boys

You have to have to must must should should catch this series! It's sooo funny! Two years ago, i bought the dvd by accident (or was it suggested by the vendor?). Anyhoo, I totally fell in love with it and tried looking for new episodes. I never found any on the net and thought it was cancelled. Boo! Buuut just like long lost loves, we were reunited this weekend! I want to live in Chicago and be dorky just like them!

And i am Andy, just in case you want to know. But you have to watch all three seasons to get it. Ha!

Feeling Facebook

I've made this list a few month ago, for a friend who thought it would be interesting to know bits of each other. Such small bits that actually define who we are. Surprisingly, I too, learned a lot about myself while in the process of completing the list.

1. I have been on a diet since I was 10 years old. I know so much about diet and exercise that it can actually become a day job for me. 2. I enjoy reading cookbooks and watching cooking shows. However, I do not know how to fry an egg nor cook rice. 3. I am a morning person. I wake up early no matter how late Ive slept the night before. I like starting my day when everyone is still asleep. 4. My breakfast used to consist of a cup of coffee and a slice of cake, cookies or pastries. This year, i asked our cook to prepare a bowl of oatmeal everyday so I have no choice but to eat it. 5. It pains me to see food wasted. I will go out of my way to save them and give it to people in need. I keep cupcakes in my bag for street children. (I used to have cans of sardines but it eventually became too heavy haha) 6. I do not like eating steak. This is because when I was younger, our cook made us eat steak everyday as I think it was the easiest thing to make. 7. I have the worst hand eye coordination. I cannot play video games, drive well nor play sports. 8. When I run, I list down things that I am grateful for. From the sky and the moon, to the bed and blanket that I have, down to my healthy heart and muscles. 9. I have never watched a horror movie. I tried watching What Lies Beneath, but I left the theatre halfway through the movie. Even trailers freak me out. 10. I had the worst skin allergies growing up. My head, arms and legs were covered with either a scab or wound. I even still have the habit of scratching even if I dont feel itchy. 11. I have never dreamed of my wedding day, but I have the lives of my unborn children totally planned out. 12. I used to change clothes up to five times before leaving the house. I would even obsess about what shoe or bag to wear. Since graduation however, Ive imposed a uniform on myself - white top, black/beige pants and ballet flats. 13. I am scared of computers, or anything gadgety. I also have an irrational fear of social networks. 14. I am a goldfish when it comes to playing poker. Someone has to explain to me the mechanics before every game, no matter how many times Ive played it. 15. When traveling, I make it a point to visit the grocery stores. I also try to eat as much icecream as I can. 16. If I had the chance to plan a perfect vacation, it would be in a place where I can visit gardens, parks, libraries and zoos the whole day. 17. Two years ago, my friends and I felt like being sossy so we went to harrods for afternoon tea. In the middle of high tea, my nose started bleeding for no apparent reason. I think literally dumugo ang ilong ko sa kaka-english. 18. I am in love with the smell of bookstores and coffeeshops. 19. I have developed the habit of marking passages on books that Ive read. 20. Our computer technitian saw me doing pilates in my underwear. It could not be determined who was more embarassed (or scared). 21. Altogether, I have around eighty first cousins, most of which Im pretty close to. 22. I dream in color. 23. My parents always treated me as an equal. My mom especially did not see the point in giving me less than what she had. On the other hand, I was always expected to act like an adult. Bawal ang umiyak and maglaro. 24. To imporve on my handwriting, I used to copy articles on a notebook. 25. I email bloggers (i am too shy to leave a comment) and columnists whenever I feel inspired by what they wrote. 

Complete

The day that my life changed completely. We think we know what we want. We've imagined this moment everyday for 9 months... for me it was longer. I reached 42wks, dreaming, willing this day to arrive sooner. It didn't. I went to the hospital for a check up and there the doctor and i decided it was time to induce the little girl out into the world. So it began at 12pm and lasted til 8. Within those 8 hours i was forced to poop, a tube was stuck into my ass and frontal region, a stick was prodded into me to break my water bag, a needle was stuck in both my arms and in my spine. I watched the Price Is Right 2x and was not distracted from the pain. Pain. "Is it tolerable?" they would ask. And i would stupidly answer "yes" when really i should have screamed "NO!" 7hrs of pain and on the last hour i decide to be honest and just get the damn pain killers. They stick it in my IV which stings but its okay bec it has been stinging since we decided to be induced. on the end of the 8th hour and still only at 4centemeters the doctor decides to end my pain and have a c-section. I fall in and out of consciousness, they want you awake but numb. I hear my baby cry for the 1st time and i reply to her "YAAAAAAAAAY!!!" relief and joy. At last she's out. She's out and she's beautiful. She's out and now we can finally meet.

Maxine Selena Lao Chua
Dec 26, 2008
Time: 8:39pm
Weight: 8.9lbs
Length: 50cm
Mommy's Belated Christmas Gift From God

Transitions

I guess this will be the first entry? :P I thought it would be good to write about transitions, considering that it is springtime and that I am now a "graduate" (although medyo fake kasi no diploma until we finish the summer internships. BOO.) Coming from a country with seasons that are basically either wet or dry (or even: rain or no rain; hot or hotter), going through seasons here in Boston has been an interesting experience. The more recent change from winter to spring has been the most noticeable, of course. I shared some pictures to illustrate the point-- one was taken during December and the other taken just this April. The first pair was taken outside my front door and the second pair, from the Boston Public Garden.





























Going through winter, I now know why Americans love the sun so much... because they don't have it for three or four months in the year! Exag. During December, the sun would set at 3 or 4pm. How depressing is that? I also found out that this winter was one of the worst for Boston; more snowfall than usual... When people find out that I've never seen snow, they usually say-- Well, you're seeing alot of it this season! haha. While I loved seeing everything coated in white snow, walking through brown slush can be really annoying.
The transition from winter to spring happened both fast and slow at the same time.. at least for me. I remember when I started seeing buds forming on the branches of trees and wondering when they will grow into leaves. I remember starting to see small patches of grass growing on the front areas of the brownstones here on my street... Then after a couple of weeks, I noticed that the tree outside my window is green again. With matching squirrel on the branch. Haha. I took some pictures on my way to school once and I was caught up at how green everything was and how pretty all the flowers were and how blue the sky was. So cool.






The difference of going through a cold and lifeless winter to spring where life starts anew was interesting to observe and experience. You have to go through not having sunlight & color in the winter in order to better appreciate it when it comes around during spring-- life's paradox of going through the bad to appreciate the good.
Speaking of starting life anew and on the topic of transitions--- I just "graduated" last Monday, which in itself is a form of transition too. While I am technically not yet done with school, alot of my classmates and I found ourselves wondering what to do. I also found myself feeling strangely pleased because I realized that the things I learned at school, I could (and probably would) use in the working world. That realization dawned on me after our capstone project since we basically had to use everything we had learned to an actual marketing problem given by an actual client. And so, here I am.. waiting for my internship to start on June 1. It will last up until August and we'll see what happens next.

(it says "Alumni"!)