lights...camera...action!

My tuesday was spent in a TV commercial shoot - my 1st this year. It was somewhere in Makati under the pre-summer heat. Call time at 6:30. grind time at 7am and packed up time at4pm. it was a stress-free shoot (also my 1st one) because it only lasted for about 9 hours from grind, talents are mostly good looking boys (boys...kasi 22 ang oldest!) and cooperative, the director is one of my favorites in the industry, i am with my favorite creative team (totoo 'to lei!), the big boss wasn't there which is a rare one, my production team are friendly and accommodating, food was great and clients were happy!

i'm now looking forward to the editing and of course the airing. shoot days are really one of the best days in advertising!

my power color...

My addiction to blogthings strikes again...

Your Power Color Is Magenta

At Your Highest: You energize yourself and push others to suceed. (hmmm... source of inspiration?!) At Your Lowest: You feel frustrated and totally overwhelmed. (yes yes yes...this is me!) In Love: You are suprised by who you attract. You're a love magnet. (ay oo kung hindi security guard taxi driver!...i wonder why friends tease me to Amistad and Boy talyer???? are they really my friends or what?!) How You're Attractive: Open and free spirited, people want to explore the world with you. (Awwww!) Your Eternal Question: "What is my next source of inspiration?" (geez...i do tend to check what would inspire me next!)

What's Your Power Color?

rare personality???

Your Personality is Very Rare (ESTP)

Your personality type is dominant, driven, poised, and self-aware. Only about 5% of all people have your personality, including 3% of all women and 6% of all men You are Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

hmmm....dominant, driven poised and self-aware...more or less yes but very rare??? i doubt it!

i thought it's boring..

I have this notion that life inside the monastery is routinary and somewhat boring. One has to wake up early in the morning and pray every hour. There is no social affairs other than the daily mass. There's a minimal chance of meeting interesting people and no chance of engaging in exciting activities. I also have this feeling that women who entered the monastery are either heart broken (at some point in their lives) or were influenced by parents to go in.

Last weekend Auntie Grace, Papa's sister who is a Carmelite nun from Davao, proved me wrong. She showed me a glimpse of her life and i had a chance to mingle with other nuns too. I have to admit that their life is quite interesting.

She was in town for a retreat and stayed for a few days to meet us. Last friday night, we went shopping for "pasalubongs" and has dinner at Baliblends Cafe with an acoustic band as our background music. She told me how important it is to pray regularly and explained the merits of having a close relationship with God. We also talked about boys...yes boys! She even checked out handsome men passing by.

The following day, i also met another nun from Carmelite Zamboanga. I forgot her name but i haven't forgotten her giggles and excitement when we boarded LRT 2! It was their first time! On our way to Tayuman to buy religious souvenirs, Auntie Grace told me the different places she has been to, her experience horseback riding, the many kind people she met and their new swimming pool in their monastery. They do wear swimsuits while swimming!

Back at the tertiary house, she showed me their photos. She was dressed as Zorro in one - she borrowed the sword from one of the saints! There's another one where she portrayed Goldilocks, again borrowing the hair from one of the saints!

My time with her taught me that life in the monastery can be exciting too. I saw it in her eyes how happy she is in her chosen life...a life filled with prayers, fun, more prayers and excitement!

Whew!...

I do not usually post my rants but I have to let this out before my chest explodes!

Issue: nearing 30 and still single
People involved: relatives, and friends

Scenario #1:
My chat with relatives last saturday (I hate family gatherings…they always ask me why am I still single!)

Aunt 1: hazel, bakit dalaga ka pa? Wala ka bang boyfriend? Asan na si ____
(hazel, why are u still single? Don’t you have a boyfriend? Where is ____)

Me: (grinning)…opo dalaga pa! wala po akong bf ngayon..ay si____break na kami nun 2 yrs na! (yup, im still single. I do no have a boyfriend right now...uhmm ___ we already broke up 2 years ago)

cousin: Siguro kaya walang nanliligaw sayo kasi masungit ka! Tinatakot mo sila!
(maybe nobody’s courting you because you are snobbish. You’re scaring them!)

Me: ako? Di ah! Ang bait bait ko nga eh! (grinning…but pissed off)
(Me? I don’t think so! I’m very kind!)

Aunt 2: Ay Ginoo! Tatandang dalaga ka nyan! (OMG! You might end up an old maid!)

Me: di mangyayari yan! Nag –usap kami ni God ng masinsinan kagabi…binulong nya na magaasawa ako...sabi nya be patient my child! (It won’t happen! God and I had a heart-to-heart talk last night. He whispered that I will get married. He told me…be patient my child!)

Scenario #2:
Bumped with a friend last Sunday…

Friend: Uy…musta? Gumaganda ka ah! (sinabi nya talaga yun!)
Hey..how are you? Getting prettier! (he actually said that!)

Me: (smiles)…I’m good! Thanks! Ikaw kumusta na? (How are you?)

Friend: Oh…I’m fine too! Malapit na manganak si Misis…excited na nga ako!
(My wife will give birth soon…I’m excited!)

Me: That’s great!

Friend: Nag asawa ka na ba? (have u gotten married?)

Me: I’m still single!

Friend: Ganun?! Hay…kapag di ka pa nag asawa this year…ipaparaffle na kita!
(Really?! If you’re not gonna get married this year I’ll have you raffled!)

I was shocked…and wasn’t able to say anything!

During those 2 situations, this is what I really wanted to tell them:

Who cares if I am almost 29, unattached and single???? Big deal?! I am at the happiest stage of my life! Can’t you see? Are you blind? I am prettier (ehem!), more confident, assertive and somewhat successful…I am blooming! And I am enjoying life! Yes, enjoying it so much that I couldn’t feel the need for a partner just yet! Yes, I want to get married but I am not in a hurry! If you have nothing to ask other that why am I still single then just leave me alone!

10 minutes...

We have different ways of facing ours fears, worries and anxieties. Others dwell in it for days while others masked them with a happy face that one can never tell that they’re close to committing suicide.

One of my favorite bloggers, Verns, wrote about having a "day off" of being optimistic and gay. Just a day in a month she would feel all her worries. Her post inspired me to write about my way of facing them.

In a day I have this 10-minute break to feel my worries and fears. Every night before I speak with my Master I succumb to these feelings. Mostly I cry about being not good enough (this is my greatest fear according to Tickle), I cry about the past and what could have beens. I cry about Mama’s struggle against diabetes and Papa’s smoker’s cough that is getting worse everyday. I also cry about my fear of growing old alone. I cry about others’ harsh perceptions of me. if i don't get to have my daily cry, my crying time the following day usually takes more than 10 minutes...(i know its weird but thats true...wala kaming lahing baliw kung saka sakali ako pa lang :P)

The 10-minute crying spell is not intentional though. It is more of a habit that I have adopted over time. It started a few years back when I was heart broken and it hurt so bad and I wanted to regulate my crying spell! At that time, when I feel like crying about it I give myself just 10 minutes to cry then I would get back to what I was doing.

I find my “10-minute moments” therapeutic. It enables me to step back and assess my life before I go on.

tattoo...anyone?

I am not a fan of tattoos until i watched Miami Ink. Everytime i am home i spend late sunday evenings watching it with my brother (he insisted that i watch this too!). the story behind each tattoo is interesting enough to sustain my interest and the artworks are really great!

So if ever i decide to have a tattoo i will go to Miami and let Kat Von D do it!

An hour at the museum...

Lat Feb 4, we spent time knowing Ninoy better. We visited the museum of the Aquino Center in Lusita Tarlac. I read his letters to friends and to Marcos, his journals and diary when he was imprisoned and learned more about his tough struggle to bring back democracy in the Philippines.

I was 5 when he was assasined. I learned more of Ninoy through lolo and my history teachers that's why I was really overwhelmed with what i learned that day.

(at the lobby, pictures courtesy of charo)

After our visit, i was wondering who among the politicians right now meet up even 50% of Ninoy's abilities to lead the country and his dedication to the Filipino people...and i believe there is none...not even Nonoy match his father's qualification. I guess it will be a long wait before we will have another Ninoy, someone who will genuinely feel that Filipinos are worth dying for.

the random faces of LOVE in my LIFE...

Love…

…was what Papa felt when Mama finally said “yes” after 7 years of courting!
…was at its peak when they utter the words “til death do us part”
…was the joy they felt when they cuddled me, their first born, for the first time.
…was their driving force to work hard to raise us.
…was the fear and anxiety they felt when I went to Baguio for college.
…was overwhelming, fun and exciting when I fell in love 1st time.
…was the loss i had when lolo breathed his last.
…was the root of my mixed emotions when Mish got married.
…hurt when things weren’t working out.
…was the reason why I let him go - I have to love me more.
…is the warmth of home.
…is the cozy feeling I have whenever I’m in my favorite pajamas!
…are the long conversations, laughters and tears with my friends.
…is my delight when playing with Kring and other kids.
...is the passion i have in working hard while having fun!
...are the moments when i felt i was sixteen again!
…is the hope of finding my perfect match.
…are my moments with the Master.
…is my inspiration in seizing the day and living life to the fullest.

Today, I celebrate LOVE…I celebrate LIFE!

excited!

i'm excited! just this morning, client approved a storyboard...im now cooking for another TVC shoot while preparing the ingredients for another TVC production! and oh... there's another one coming too! Im glad everyday is different in advertising...no routines, always something new and full of excitement! :D

careful...

Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it!

...these were the words of my boss when i asked to be transferred to client service. It hit me again today! last week i was just whining of nothing much to do...but today i am on the verge of complaining for the present and upcoming workloads...but i can't i ask for this...so i will just take a deep breath and do it! (ano pa nga ba?!)...busy days are really here and might stay until October! whew!...

no longer secrets...

kathy tagged me with this. Since i am an open book im having a hard time thinking what are my secrets...hmmm...

1. I burned my finger when I was 3 and my palm when I was 6.
As a curious kid, I always try what my mama would tell me not to try. I was 3 then, when she was cooking “maja blanca” and as she poured it in the pan she told me not to touch it because it is hot. When she turned her back on me I dipped my finger in. The next thing I could remember were the grueling trips to the hospital for treatments and the sleepless nights that followed.

The “maja blanca” incident should have served me a lesson but I guess I forgot all about it. When I was 6 I burned my right palm from the iron this time. Ate Nenen, my cousin, just finished ironing and was letting the iron to cool. She told me and Jonald, my brother, not to touch it because it is hot. I was wondering if it’s hot then why was she able to hold it. So I ask jonald to hold the handle and check if it was really hot (I don’t want to be the one to touch it…it might be too hot to handle!). He hold the handle, grinned and told me…”ate, mainit pero konti lang” (sis, it’s a little bit hot) so I tried it myself…I hold the handle with my left hand and touched the hot plate with my right palm! The next thing I could remember were the grueling trips to the hospital for treatments and the sleepless nights that followed. :P

2. I bite a red bell pepper convinced that it was an apple!
I was 5 when it happened. Apples were categorized by Mama as “for special occasions only” back then because it was expensive at P20 / pc and it wasn’t always available in the rural Bislig. One Saturday morning, Mama came from the wet market and it has been our (jonald and me) habit to meet her at the front door and carry the “net bags” to the kitchen. She left us with our cousin, Nonoy, to unpack the bags. Nonoy was holding a big red pepper and told me that it’s an apple! I secretly believed him (he is a decade older than me and we were taught to believe the elders…malay ko bang joke yun!)…so when he put it down I bite it and learned how foolish I am to believe that its an apple! Hehe…maanghang pala ang red pepper lalo na kung 5 ka lang!

3. I learned to cut class when I was in grade 5.
i was a transferee in school. I was different from the rest. I don’t speak nor understand Kapampangan (a local dialect) and I speak English and Tagalog differently. I pronounce “e” as “i” (poor Rizal I read Pepe as Pipi...bought Neps for Nips!). Classmates bashed me because of that and I was embarrassed. How would you expect a Bisaya to speak English and Tagalog in her first few months in Pampanga anyway? So because of that, I cut class and told Mama that my teacher in the afternoon class is absent. I have done that several times and Mama didn’t discover that I was lying until my teacher went to our home to see her! yikes!

4. I was jealous with my brother getting more attention from our parents
I was a victim of sibling rivalry during my high school days. Self-centered and rebellious, I despised it every time Mama would favor my brother…maybe because im stubborn and hardheaded that’s why they favor him. I do not understand why my parents always expected me to give way to my brother simply because I am older. Good thing the “jealous feeling” made me strive harder to earn their trust and confidence to let me study college away from home and live independently. I really wanted it that way so that I won’t witness how they favor him over me.

The experience of living far from home made me realized that they love me just as much as they love him.

5. I am a cry baby
Yes, I am a cry baby. I may have a strong personality and often perceived as mataray and masungit but I easily cry. I am moved to tears when I see winning moments, witness weddings, see a baby sleeping, read novels, watch movies, reminisce memories…basta iyakin ako di nga lang obvious!

im tagging...
crossroads - sige na che! para may ma iblog ka na
viks - so i can read something new in your site :)
bige - i know u have lots to share! :P

ronald - wala ka din new post eh..

hey guys its your turn to reveal some of your secrets! :P

bored...

i am bored...almost all projects at work are slow in progress...clients have yet to approve them and the flood in Jakarta adds up to the delay in approvals. internet connections are also slow which hinders my research and blog hopping...grrr. friends are busy with other things too. im not in the mood to read books nor touch my unfinished jigsaw puzzles and i dont want to watch TV either...i want to have a long walk (UP grounds perhaps) and think...but im still afraid to do that due to Feb 1 incident.

i hate going through this pace...but im sure i will miss this during the busy days...so maybe i will try writing poetry...naks!

the hundred islands' adventure...

after 2 weeks of planning - budgeting expenses, hotel booking, pursuading others to join us, debating if we will rent a car or just hop in a bus - 4 of us (office buddies) had a roadtrip to hundred islands last weekend!

The bus ride to alaminos was fun enough and full of giggles and whispers (apat na makukulit ba naman ang nagsama sama!). We left manila at 12midnight of friday and arrived at alaminos at 4am, an hour earlier of our ETA. We stayed for an hour at a "gotohan"and ate breakfast.

breakfast @ alaminos

It was still dark when we arrived at Lucap wharf @ 5:45 am. i can feel the excitement building up despite the cold weather. boat ride to the islands starts at 6am so we stayed in the vicinity for a while and bought food for lunch.

sunrise @ Lucap wharf...simply spectacular!

a view at cuenco island's cave

God's magnificent islands as seen at the view deck of Governor's island

it took us 20 minutes to reach Governor's island, our first stop! Guess what we did?! pose, smile & lots of picture taking! then we went up (127 steps daw!) to the island's view deck. It was my 1st time to be there and the view is really overwhelming. we went island hopping and snorkling (sort of...ang lamig sobra!)

we stayed at old scout island and enjoyed the sun and the white sand. It was so relaxing sleeping there having the chirping of the birds and sounds of the waves as my lullabies plus the cool sea breeze!

It seemed like i was in a different world, a world free from anxiety and stress and a place closer to God's embrace!

almost....

February 1, Thursday night @ 8:15 PM

I left the office alone and while I was walking my mind was having a tug-o-war between a tea at Coffee Bean and that mango crepe at Café Bretton. Since I can’t find a good spot to read at Coffee Bean I thought I’ll go for a crepe. Just as I crossed the street from Coffee Bean Emerald going to Podium and while i was too busy counting the calories of the mango crepe, a passenger of a parked white F150 cut my thoughts and asked the directions going to Tektite. i stopped and started giving the directions. I was oblivious of the driver who step out and walked round the F150. I was shocked when the driver suddenly grabbed my left arm and insisted that I go with them. The other guy was telling the driver to hurry up! I shouted (actually pinagmumura ko!) and I kept on hitting the guy with the manual I was holding and kicking his right leg with my left foot. Good thing the driver is not big enough to grab me in and the passenger didn't help out. Angels appeared in the form of 5 people who were about to cross the street towards us. The guys were startled, hurried back to the vehicle and rushed off. The group of friends asked me what happened and helped me get a cab home.

My encounter with the “decent-looking bad guys” lasted for about a minute. Things happened so fast. I didn’t get their plate number and I don’t think I would remember their faces either.

I was shaking on my way home and at the same time so thankful that I am alright despite the shock and trauma. I never thought that something like that would happen to me that early. I was even decently dressed that night (and not in my usual candy-colored outfits).

No, I won’t mention this to Mama. She will freak out and I’m sure she will impose a lot of restrictions too.

I swear I will not answer anyone who will ask me for directions even if he would look so helpless…I just won’t…especially if I’m alone.

i will never forget Feb 1...the night i was almost abducted and raped.

what season am i...

You Are Summer!

Outgoing Friendly Flirty Cute Fun

What Season Are You?