the basic of senses

sensitivity is necessary in this cold and cynic world..to knock some sense to gigantic egos, and wake up slumbering humility.

unfortunately, there are some few exceptional beings who were born lacking the basic. whilst some are unbelievably gifted in the department.

the importance of sensitivity? it can prevent wars, the bruising of egos, and psychological malaise--and even the death of self-importance.

though to note, overt sensitivity can be the cause of burned bridges, fisticuffs and broken families.

as with everything, too much of anything is not good.


* * *


just putting sense where it should be.

lead the way

(photo: Danny and Karen on their wedding day)..


* * *

i was naive.

someone lead me all the way.

now i understand.

thats alas, this is the way to love.


* * *

i just realized, life (and love) doesnt have to be a frenzy of events, a smorgasboard of fireworks and filled with swashbuckling adventures.

life and love, can just be the unsaid words in between the breakfast table, the wink across the room, the gentle pseudo-massage on the shoulders when youre doing the dishes, and the lazy weekends every now and again.

love (and life) happens, when nothing's happening..and you're still enjoying every second of it.

torture

theres not alot of things that irritate me, and there's not alot that get me shouting at no one in particular, but tonight, i suggested that please, can torture be upheld as a legal punishment for people who do first degree murder and has done torture on their victims too.

a young man was found dead in a ditch (from the news)...it turns out, his rival (an ex-boyfriend of the victim's currrent GF), and his friends, kidnapped him, forced him to drink petrol, and set him to light. his charred remains was found by passersby.

the three perpetrators are in custody, and showed no remorse... can you see why i feel they should NOT ONLY be prisoned? they should feel what it feels like to be tortured, to know what they did was the pits! let's see if they dont go crying for for "mummy"...

to die a prolonged torturous death done by another man on you, will be the worst fate anyone could have.

i pray all of you are safe and out of harm's way.


* * *

*kagot*

someone caught the bug

i was clearing space from my folders, i saw some interesting photos in my archives..

* * *

it was the weekend we came back from Prague. Adrian did some work on his garden, while i was packing my stuff.

i looked for him to ask him to help me with something, but i found him doing something he normally doesnt do.

i quicly grabbed my camera to capture him on the act.

these are personal photos of mine which im sharing. i found this funny and heartwarming.




crouching by the flowerbed




taking photos of his flowers




atika, pina portrait pa ug style oh!




pina macro pa!!! hahaha=)




another macro shot,haha=)




caught in the act...



obliged, kay nasapnan man..haha


* * *

he explained, he wants to have a collection of photos of his flowers every year, to remind him which ones he should have next season...

i didnt care. i was happy. and laughing.

i still am...x


* * *

told to leave

i was sent home today. nicely.

but still it hurt.

blame it on neuroses about grades and an attitude of being a stickler to perfect attendance, i was tearful when i rang adrian in my car. (and of course, he said " i told you so, blah,blah,blah,dont go to work, blah di blah..).


it would have been fine if i was at work. (because i have an impeccable attendance sheet), it would have been okay for me to miss a day. but being a student and wanting a wonderful grade in this internship, i felt rotten to be asked to "recuperate and recover fully" from my present condition. gosh! they make it sound like im giving them leprosy or som'in.


my colleagues probably felt irritated wth my constant sniffling, coughing and sneezing, sometimes, (all together in one go too).

they were very sympathetic and very considerate about my ilness, they forget, i need to work an extra day to make up for this absence.

darn.

remind me, who ever said the idea of being a student is great?

next time i have another wild idea of enrolling myself into something "productive" and "empowering" once again, (like a Master's degree), please shoot me.


* * *


i went to the toilet to get rid of a really awful throat substance, i quickly glanced in the mirror.

geez!

no wonder, they were really in a rush to get me packing.


* * *

im ill.....i miss my mama....

sneegh-ing

have you ever tried sneezing and coughing at the same time?

with moist substances coming out of your facial orifices? (the nose--snot,eyes--tears and mouth--mucus/phlegm)?

i tell you, its a skill.

i be damned if i got this flu from one of the schools i did my training last week. one of the children is being investigated for the H1N1 virus.

ahak na!


* * *

apologies, if you just had your dinner.

'disgusting' is my middle name.

pampered

im ill today.

i have flu. *insert sad face*

its not that bad, but its just a pain to me enjoying my bank holiday monday.

have been feeling aches and pain and terrible migraines (too much tiredness), that im falling asleep everywhere.

i was trying to work with the symptoms, but last night,it caught up with me.

the moment i got home, i was asleep and even adrian said, it took him a long time to wake me up (he gave me flu capsules).

today he asked me, while im in my pyjamas watching tv, what i want to eat. i have been craving for barbeque.

guess what i have for dinner...







i definitely am pampered to bits.

and im milking it.

feeling knocked out

too tired.

physical exhaustion.

mental depletion.

cant.

be

bothered.

slowing down

time to chill.

relax.

smile.

and yeah, breathe.

there are beautiful days up ahead.

wishing you all a beautiful evening. x

sad

im sad for a cousin who lost her baby..

i hope she will be okay. and i pray that the baby's soul rests in peace.

i can only pray in silence and in hiding.

her family and mine are not in good terms after the "land problem". even if were not talking as a family, im still deeply sad for her. she and i were "ok" before the land problem erupted between our families.

i hope she recovers well from this sad event in her life.

please whisper a prayer for her.

id just like to share this

Dionne and Alex


* * *

when my family and i were in manila recently, we had the opportunity to meet up with aileen again, as well as her sister dionne.

in that meeting, we also met up with dionne's boyfriend, the actor Alex A.

this blog is something i promised to write because it was such a beautiful meeting with the two youngsters (a meeting with Aileen is always great, so i expected that already), my family and i were so glad we did.

dionne and alex are so down-to-earth, so humble and so "game", and my family and i were just in awe of the two. its not everyday that you see good looking people who dont think of themselves that way, considering they also appear in our tv screens.

they were so easy to be with and just amazing to talk to. none of that "im a celebrity" attitude which you'd somehow expect from some people.

we invited aileen,D and Alex for breakfast (what with the busy sched they hold), and they were so kind to oblige. aileen was her usual bubbly self and just so full of energy...dionne and alex, because of their friendliness and such nice demeanor,there was no dull moment with them. my family honestly confirmed their full loyalty to being fans to these two because in reality,they are just so warm. (our kind of people..none of that "im better than you attitude" that you see from some people).

above all, like her sister Aileen, Dionne is such a polite kid. and no wonder her boyfriend, like her, is so polite and respectful. you can tell, they just are so happy together. you can see its the real deal with Dionne, not a put-on, because shes just so consistent, (as we spent the entire time with her during my brother's wedding---she never asked to be treated like the celebrity that she is, and never asked for attention to be on her).

it makes me respect Mommy Dulce more who brought them up (as well as Alex's parents) for bringing up respectful and just so down-to-earth children.

thanks Dionne and Alex!

you guys deserve the best in this life. May God shower you with more projects and a successful future...you both deserve it. you both will always be in my prayers.

* * *

more photos from our Manila meet up here...

issues

i have three issues with this photo:

(not the least, with the crazy messy surroundings of my mama's bedroom..they needed to put the wrought iron bed frame away,so that ana's bed as well as ruby mae's bed can sit side by side with it on the floor, para tupad mi upat when we sleep when i was there).

here they are:

first,i want to have legs like that. slim, long and smooth..okey, okey, im even willing to still have my ugly dark knees, as long as i have the shape...im fine na with that!

second, with those legs, it will go well with those cute orange-red peeptoe flats, so i want that too.

third, i want a little girl with eyes as bright and round as that! (i could almost hear khandi say "no, dili!").


if the Lord could hear me now, He'd probably say, "daghan nimo'g wants oi!, pagmata kuno!"...hahaha...

jolly be good

tapping my inner jolly-kid ...

my "pasalubong" photo to adrian. he loves the jollibee mascot ...

and i realized, so do i...


* * *


i wish sometimes, there is a jollibee around the corner...i can swap 10 wagamama restaurants, and a Carluccio's to a Jollibee.

just so i can say the line; "jo-jollibee ako, jo-join ka?"...yeah, yeah, i am corny.

my aplogies... the brain has exhausted the little power it has over orthotic splints and sensory stimulation group work.


* * *

it doesnt take alot to make me happy.

pheww!!!

im knocked out.

today was the start of my paediatric assignment.

im so excited and so interested, but its a whole new world totally.

sensory integration, messy play and a whole new array of problems that i need to contend with (cerebral palsy, DCD (develpmental coordination delay), cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, etc.

for someone like me who doesnt have a child of my own, i find it exciting to be around children. but with the problems the children i see, its heartbreaking.

today, i helped teached a special needs teacher how to hoist a child off her wheelchair when theyre taking her to a school excursion. the kid was so cute, and so well behaved considering she had so much physical disabilities.



so friends, i apologize if im a bit slow and lethargic the next few days..all my energies are put into my placement.

just like that photo that adrian took of me in prague, i am exhausted,but still overly excited=)

a date with my brothers

still feeling jetlagged, my stomach still feels hungry at UK dinner time. so even with a big italian meal with friends, at 1 am, and after reading blogs, and talking to adrian, i was practically begging my brother Jojo (who was still awake, and who was a nightowl) to buy me barbeque from the nearest market.

good timing Roi woke up, and suggested we get a cab to go to Larsian. he said even the best barbeque sellers go to sleep too.

so off we went to Larsian.

ahhh, who said, bonding over barbeque sticks and hanging rice is not worth the trip from Talisay to Cebu city.

this is very memorable as this would be the only time i could whisk off my brothers without their beautiful other halves.

*and oh, this was the very first time i went back to Larsian since 2002, and what a big
change.




they were feeling sleepy...but they just had to accompany a crazy craving sister



pretending to be asleep...but he ate his share, lol


Larsian now is under a big dome...its quiet at 1 am plus..


a few customers were about...........



how cowboy can one get? an excursion to larsian for me will be unbeatable in a long time.

something i could not do when adrian is around,haha.....

surprising aileen

aileen met up with jane at mcdonalds in JY square. the only clue that she got from Jane is that, jane has some wonderful exciting news to share with Aileen.

after a gruelling wedding shoot the day before, she thought of not going because she wasnt feeling well. but aileen, being the nice person that she is, she still went, as she learnt that she was the only guest of Jane that night.

when she arrived at McDonalds, jane said, they still will wait for one of her friends.

aileen, went to the toilet, my cue to come in Mcdonalds and wait for her to come out.
she went straight to wash her hands by the washing area, and i showed up my face.

can you imagine how bruised i ended up that night? i was attacked with loving pinches and slaps in the behind.

i love surprises=)


more photos here... and more from jane's site on this link ..



(this photo is swiped from jane's)...then aileen got the shock of her life..


thats me and the surprisee , the great, and the uber-talented, idol ng bayan: Aileen Siroy



*aysus, ang duha=)*....jane and ana..



my beautiful angels...ana and karla=)


* * *

more surprises ensued after that..

a surprise PM to Maimai and met up with her at Waterfront hotel...(mai, i just realized, i didnt take any photos!! to think i took my cam with me..we just spoke about photography the entire time!!)..

a surprise PM to the girls for a meet up at mama's house...kaith, jane, maimai and aileen went..chin was unable to open her multiply, and mimi was on vacation at her hometown..

cajoling Jane to meet up with me another time @ UCC (i didnt care about her excuses of a family occasion and a busy mom, i basically kidnapped her from her date with josh to meet up with me)..

a despedida meet-up with everyone, the night before i left cebu...at Vanille (Chin and Mimi, where are the photos? i ran out of battery that night).

it was fun,fun,fun indeed...

* * *

i did warn you, i love surprises!

stories

(in Prague) photo by: Adrian..

how i look when im serious and bursting with stories to tell....

dont be fooled with the get-up...para arun ingnon kabaw mamicture! wehehe...



* * *

i have so many stories to tell and share. these bits are worthy of blogs on their own, but let me tell them to you in little chunks so i have a reminder of future blog topics.

im itching to talk about soooo many things.

i want to talk about:



-how i surprised my mom and family, by arriving in cebu, just so i could attend my brother's wedding. naughty, yes. but not naughty enough because, i was not able to bring adrian with me. (he had prior commitments, although he was more eager to attend the wedding than i was--i had unfinished essays on my mind).



-how my mom jumped off her chair when she saw me.



-how my brother Joseph forgot about his toothache when i came out of the bedroom just as he as coming in the house. (the grin on his face was worth that long trip).



-and how this surprise was just a few days after arriving from Prague, still tired and exhausted from travelling (catching up with laundry and doing overtime in school work).



-how i surprised my good friend aileen (by asking jane to meet up with her), and i showed my face to her just as she was coming out of the ladies room. i wish i videotaped her expression. it was truly memorable. thanks jane. it wouldnt have been possible without you=)



-how i suffered with jet lag, and felt hungry at 1 am and dragged my two brothers Joseph and Roi to Larsian and ate like a hungry horse with all my favourites...( i miss this too!!)



-how i attended the wedding that was truly special, but at the same time sad (because my papa was not around anymore) and adrian wanted to come but he couldnt...my brother and sister-in-law, were very pleased for the wedding they always wanted.



-how i didnt take enough photos when i was in the philippines. (darn!) i kick myself everytime. i always get caught up with the people im with (and the heat too!) that i lose the will to take photographs.



-how i spoke to my lola, and how i missed her, and how that phone conversation just made my trip truly special. how hearing her voice, still makes me cry, because she still reminds me of my papa.



-how my family celebrated Jojo, the night before his wedding. everyone stayed at the hotel suite and went out that night, just laughing and talking about a brother/son/friend that soon was becoming a husband and father. (no pictures again!!! *kicking myself*).



-how the wedding was even made more special because my favourite people provided for the wedding, my friend aileen of Aileen Siroy Photography did the photography (and her gorgeous younger sis, and Philippines actress, Dionne was the assistant snapper), Kusina Habana did a surprise gorgeous couture cake for the bride and groom, and my adopted sis Arvy and bro' Rey's The Cupcake Theory did the giveaway cupcakes. and it was coordinated by the gorgeous, tiny dynamo, called The Weddingbelle--my cousin Joan.--go see her website, she's one great party organizer=)



-how after the wedding, we celebrated Mayel's baby shower (earlier than intended, because her cake was ordered on the wrong day). a night before the very early flight to manila.



-how that baby shower night, was also a 3-in-one night. because i didnt have time to meet my family for the short period i was there, i asked them to come over to the house to have dinner. that was also the night, the supergirls celebrated Therese's birthday. (a blog on its own!).



-how Therese's birthday at my Mama's house was funny, because, apart from it was a baby shower for my sis-in-law too, it was a night where i met some of my friend's special someones..i met the mysterious and the intellectually brooding Ppip--Kaith's hubby. i also met the funny, witty,and admirable Josh--Jane's husband. i also met Mommy Dulce..my adopted sister's beautiful mommy...she was definitely movie actress material. no wonder where D got her genes and Ai's artistry...i also met, Andi (my inaanak, who was very friendly and gorgeous bundle).i met Khandikins, who loved saying "no,dili" with matching piercing eyes, to everything we ask of her, which made her lovable even more.



-how the next day (without sleep), went straight to the airport at 4 am to go to manila as my family was applying for their UK visa...stayed overnight at our favourite hotel (the new world renaissance), but went back home the evenig of the next day.



-how we had breakfast at the hotel with people we love: Aileen, Dionne, and her gorgeous bf Alex...*starstruck once again* (another blog entry on its own--ad with matching photos too!).



-how we went swimming at Plantation bay and stayed at our favourite Riverboat suite. i invited over some relatives to swim for the afternoon. (again, very little photos..and not even taken by me*kicking self again*).



-how my cousins and i watched "He's Just Not Into You". and how we laughed and cried our eyes out in the movie house. (if you havent watched it, you better should. its for everyone. ladies, men, single, attached...).



-how i had afternoon with Jane at UCC, and how she witnessed my sister ate all of my mango crepe (peace, Kai!),haha....



-how i stayed at my mama's house the entire time, and felt like her little girl once again. i slept in her bedroom (not that we did alot of sleeping, not when my mom and my sis, just talk the entire night). i miss that!



- how i spent an evening of chatting and food with my supergirls at Vanille. what fun talking about Mimi's brood of help, Mai-mai's impending exams, and Kaith's travelling plans, and the supergirls future plans of where to enrol their chikitings.(i was listening intently and it scared me how expensive it is to have children nowadays!). how bright and friendly Alex (Chin's little girl) is, and how cute and kissable Charlie is...



-how after the dinner, my sister Ankai, my bestfriend and cousin Karla, and cousins Tony and Ruby and i went to The Spa and had a wonderful full body massage. and how im missing that right now.



* * *

oh and these too:



-arrived back in the UK on Monday, the 4th of May, and slept at 4 pm and woke up tuesday.

-i rushed to finish my assignment on Tuesday, as deadline of handing in was the next day, Wednesday, 6th of April.

-back to university on Wednesday, and felt the freedom of handing in an essay which was playing on my mind, the whole time i was in Cebu. (i even had dreams about it, lol...stress dreams).

-back to work today, and how i miss my work. and how blessed i am that i work in a job i love, with people i admire,and that i am treasured and taken cared of.

-and how im sleeping at weird times, and waking up really early at dawn...



* * *

i sure am not at loss of things to talk about the next few days...xxx