bawal magkasakit

maraming rason kung bakit. isa, mahirap maghabol sa trabaho. actually, hindi lang sa trabaho naghahabol -- sa lahat ng workout, training, at pati na din sa social obligations. pangalawa, mahal ang gamot (thanks, clusivol). pangatlo, nagiging unproductive lang talaga ang tao.

pero para sa akin, isa pang malaking dahilan kung bakit ayokong-ayokong magkasakit ay dahil ang PANGIT ng lasa ng gamot. aaminin ko, para akong bata. kelangan ng isang basong tubig para sa isang capsule. kelangan ng mental preparation. kelangan ng appetizer at chaser.

hay, bawal magkasakit.

unsolved mysteries

1. feb 26. my father comes home with a looooong dent along the passenger side of his car. black scratches running from the front door handle to the trunk. mom asks what happened. dad says he was "only running at 50" when a car backing out of a parking slot hits him. he didn't mention being at fault, or running too fast for his (and other drivers') own good. no mention of the probabiliy of being too blind-eyed to his surroudings. but being an eyewitness to his lapses in spotting oncoming vehicles (in at least five occasions, i should note), it makes me wonder just how complete the story is.
   
2. march 4. libis. 10:30 pm. miel and i are on our way home from our tuesday run at the fort when traffic slows down. we find a toppled over van -- lying on its right side, precisely parallel to the island, as if it was deliberately pushed over to be displayed on its side. No injured persons arounds, nor any other car that may have caused the accident; only police checking the vehicle out. how did he get into that position?? if it was running full speed and the driver jerked the wheel, wouldn't it have at least spun out and hit another car? how did it get into its perfectly aligned pose, scratch-free?
3. march 5. katipunan-C5 underpass. 11:15 pm. motorcycles zoom past as miel and i approach the flyover (northbound, turning from libis to katipunan). we drive leisurely as we listen to incubus' crow left of the murder. on the flyover, we take the left-most lane to go into the tunnel, and find a motorcyclist lying face down on the road: helmet off, his motorcycle about three meters ahead of him. only one motorcyclist backtracks to see what happened to the guy. miel stops at the side of the road. while i frantically call my mom to ask for an emergency number (117), miel steps out of the car to check the guy out, along with the other motorcyclist. miel returns to the car. the guy is still alive. while i continue attempting to reach the emergency hotline, passers-by slowing down at the scene stare hard at us, as if we caused the motorcyclist's accident. with my mom's permission, we leave the scene to escape the accusing glares. along katipunan, i am finally able to report the accident to mmda.
4. same night. while reporting the whole incident to mom over the celphone, she tells me that my brother is stuck on commonwealth avenue. tells me that he stopped to have dinner, but now the car won't start. miel and i stop over to accompany him until help arrives. my brother demonstrates the problem. turns the key, switches on the headlights, honks the horn -- shows the battery isn't discharged. but, turning the key further, wouldn't start the engine. so we wait until my dad and jake arrives and attach the jumper cables. the engine finally revs up. man on the street says it may be the alternator. hmmm.
5. still the same night. lying down on my bed, i give miel a call to say good night. i think about the day, the night, the past week, the past month, and realize how frequently miel and i see road accidents. i can't help but feel so thakful that we are spared of those incidents. that we are so blessed. i also couldn't help but ask...why?

february fling

a trip called as such because it was short-lived.

the plan was to stay overnight (feb 24-25) in manalmon for some bouldering. i imagined it earlier on: the sunny weather, skin getting burnt, taking afternoon naps under a shade, cooking our tuna pasta, conversations 'round the campfire (or the used pots and plates) with friends. unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate on the morning of our departure, raining continuously from our trip to manila to bulacan. and it just drained most of our excitement away.

before heading back home, to make the most out of the wet sunday morning, we decided to  "stroll" to the climbing area despite the major overcast, the river's strong current, and the sticky, muddy trail.







i loved seeing all those greens, even if the lighting wasn't as i pictured it. i loved the pressure of rushing water; the fear of slipping on the rocks as the river pushed my whole lower body. even the rain that drenched my jacket and cap -- how refreshing. the mud that clung to my rubber slippers, so much mud that i had to take it off and tread the rest of the trail barefoot because it was too heavy and slippery to walk in. man, i've missed mother nature.

nakakabitin talaga. hay.

quick escapes

snap-on, snap-off thoughts for preserving one's sanity. (more fittingly, MY sanity). one blink is all it takes, and hullo instant-sanctuary.

1. dolly parton's islands in the stream.
2. hitchin' a ride with *TOOOOOOT*. kiligggggg.
3. loula and shelby.
4. tama2 (the amazing race asia 2 -- the acronym alone weirds me out). marc&roveelson. ALLAN WU, his tight sandos, and extended pauses for more dramatic effect.
5. freshly-baked cookies from mrs. fields. mmMMMmmm.
6. neck-slicing ala manok-slaughtering c/o the demon barber of fleet street. i was giggling through the buthchering scenes...couldn't believe how morbid it was!!
7. link. troy. zac. he's the ladies' choice. haha.
8. kevin and senator mccallister's bro. kiligggggg.
9. charlie bit my finger + remix.
10. wine and beer.
11. tomorrow. the best is yet to come.

Kicking off the year with...

...lotsa sun!!!

Click on the pic to view the whole album!

Oscar injured his knee, which led to the cancellation of our Baguio climbing trip. I wouldn't really say it was a blessing in disguise, but it opened up an opportunity for a different kind of vacation. So goodbye freezing cold weather and mountains -- hello warm sun and beach!

Puerto Galera was our destination. A fine way to start the year, I must say. A new place (yes, I've never been there!), a bright atmosphere, a mix of friends (Pinoys, Brazilians, Italians), and a very relaxed pace. A perfect mix of adventure (nakikipagkarera si Miel gamit ang van namin na first time niya minaneho, patungong Batangas Port na hindi pa namin napuntahan by ourselves) and chilling out (decent lodging and a van packed with music players, a speaker, frisbee, chips, Cokes, beer and wine).

2007 was a good year! Cheers to 2008!

water-bearer or sea goat?

A break from the long posts. Came across this funny quiz on blogthings. I've always believed I was a true-blue Aquarian, but the results claim otherwise!

The quiz tests: WHAT SIGN SHOULD YOU BE?

My result: YOU SHOULD BE A CAPRICORN

What's good about you: hard working and ambitious, you're practically a guaranteed success (really now!)

What's bad about you: you can be unforgiving toward people who fail you (i want to deny this, but it may be in my subconscious, right?)

In love: you're very picky (i'd like to think i just have a well-defined preference), but extremely devoted to the one you choose

In friendship, you're: likely to be a good friend but expect a lot in return (hmmm...this is making me wonder...)

Your ideal job: rock climber (whoa!), sculptor, or practitioner of black magic

Your sense of fashion: preppy (hardly!!) and put together

You like to pig out on: meat and potatoes

*Words in parenthesis supplied by me. Was amused by those!

i'm on a high

I AM BLOWN AWAY. This is gonna sound crazy, but I am actually out of breath from thrill and anxiety and excitement and just sheer amazement with the stuff I am reading online. There’s just SO many beautiful things one can make, and what’s even crazier is that I feel like I can get actually get into this. God knows if this is just overconfidence speaking, but I want want WANT to run to the nearest book/craft store to buy myself all the material I can find to conjure any (if not ALL) of these delightfully mouth-watering pieces!


















































































Beautiful stuff that are easy to make. Practical. Simple. But gorgeous. I LOVE!!!!!!!

This is just a few of it so can you imagine my inspiration overload???? Argh!!!!! Hihimatayin na yata ako!

PS if you find any of the above stuff in or on your gift bag this Christmas (or on your birthday), my apologies for pre-empting...Well, at least you know it’s a labor of love ;-)