How to welcome the new year on a positive note?

Be thankful for 2007.

For all the challenges, for all the laughs, the good times, the not-so-good ones, for everything.

1. Good Health.

- I am thankful for good health, especially for my dad and my mom. My dad, who's now fully recovered from a scary stroke three years ago, is now doing well, and save for the regular medical check up, the medicines plus a rather slower lifestyle (he's a retired policeman), everything's back to normal. He had completely forgotten and gave up smoking (he was a chain smoker) and drinking (but we let him from time to time so as not to completely denied him) and he take up walking around the neighborhood as his regular exercise, good no? About the same time last year, my mom experienced unbearable stomach pains, and a medical check up showed that she has gallstones that needed to be removed, asap! i know the feeling of how uncomfortable it is as i also have gallstones and had my own share of sleepless nights and throwing up. She was operated on January 2 and since recovered really well. Aside from the usual fever and colds, my family, including lyn, did not have any major health problems this year and i am very thankful for that.

2. Lyn

- One of, if not, the best things that happened to me. We celebrated our sixth year and that six years made realized more how lucky i am to have her. I think the love letter post says everything i need to write. And for 2008? abangan...

3. Work

- I am grateful that I am employed and that I can contribute and give some to my family and for some of their needs.

4. Travel

- Aahh. It has been an amazing travelling year for me. I've been to a lot, explored new places and set foot on places i only dreamt of before, to name a few, i've been to Sagada, to Potipot Island, to Anawangin, ahh, if only i have enough money to travel, i'll surely wander around the Philippines! There's still Batanes, Zamboanga, Camiguin, Siquijor, Caramoan, Cagbalete island, Palawan, Cagayan, Mindanao.... andami pa, Hundred Islands na nga lang 100 na! and may I also add Enchanted Kingdom? hehe

5. Mountain Climbing

- This is something i always wanted to do, and 2007 came as the realization. I underwent the Basic Mountaineering Course with Yapak Mountaineers, and boy! it was an awesome experience. Mt. Pulag summed it all up to me, and i am looking forward for more mountains to climb for next year.

6. Photography

- As i look back to the year that's about to end, i can say that it was the year when photography really knocks me off my feet (naks!). And i am serious. Before, i only took pictures because I need to (for souvenirs) but now, i took pictures because I still need to (hehehe) and also because I have this "itch" that's needed to be "scratched". Photography is one world that I willingly embraced, and it really makes me appreciate things around me and the little details around them. Now, i only need a Nikon d40x and a photography class to understand more the technical aspects of this art.

7. New Friends

- Blogging, Mountain climbing and Photography not only gave me new highs, they also lead me to a path where I found new friends who share the same interests. And i am tremendously enjoying every minute of it. Sabi nga, strangers are friends you haven't meet yet. And I am thankful I met you.

8. Transformers, the movie

- can you blame me? for someone who grow up thinking that there are no Volkswagens, only Bumblebees and that the ultimate coolness is to have, again, Bumblebee as your buddy, i think that's understandable. I wasn't teary eyed when i saw this but the live action movie really brought me to the time when life was still simple and no bills to pay, no deadlines to meet... and for that moment that i was living the child in me, i am thankful.

9. Heroes

- Sci-fi at its best! Who doesn't want to be Peter Petrelli? The dvd marathon of season 1 reminds me of my fascination with The X-file or the 80's Misfits of Science or the original X-men animated series. I am so loving my tv and my dvd player because of this. Yatta!!!!

10. I am alive

- This alone is so much to be thankful of. Despite what's happening to the world, waking up each morning is such a blessing and a gift from above. It always reminds us that we can always look forward to a new morning, a new beginning.

There are still a thousand and one reasons why we should be thankful for 2007, we don't need to elaborate and/or write everything, it's enough that we accepted what was given us and thankful for every lesson learned.

As we leap to the new year, let's bring with us all the positive things we learned from 2007 and transform to a better us.

(Thank you Lazarus for the tag)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE, KANPAI!!!!!!

Questions (and they're 38).

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? Lyn, we were talking thru video call/phone (sosyal no? hehe) when something fell behind her, nagulat sya, napasigaw, akala nya ipis. wala lang natawa lang ako sa reaksyon nya. :)

2. What were you doing at 0800? checking my inbox

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? checking my inbox

4. What happened to you in 2006? my first time in pagudpud and boracay

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? "NO WAY" when a co-mountaineer asked me to just throw my camera so she can take my picture.

6. How many beverages did you have today? so far, a mug of coffee, three glasses of water...

7. What color is your hairbrush? no hairbrush just a comb and it's black.

8. What was the last thing you paid for? P7.00 jeepney fare going to the office

9. Where were you last night? in my bed

10. What color is your front door? dark brown :)

11. Where do you keep your change? in my pocket, and then all the P5 & P10 will go to my alkansya (my target is to have P6,000.00 from all the 5's & the 10's by the end of the year, and so far so good)

12. What’s the weather like today? cloudy, no, it is now sunny

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? cheese, ube-macapuno

14. What excites you? weekends

15. Do you want to cut your hair? right now, yes.

16. Are you over the age of 25? (eyes rolling) yes.

17. Do you talk a lot? no, tahimik talaga akong tao that's why im mistaken as suplado pero hindi naman, tahimik lang talaga ako, i am a man of few words, i am not the type who can talk non-stop, me bilang ang pagsasalita ko at pag lumampas na ako sa quota ko for the day, tatahimik na ako, ibig sabihin, morning pa lang, tahimik na ako, kaya di talaga ako masalitang tao, tahimik lang talaga ako, nagkukuwento rin naman ako pero di masyadong mahaba kasi nga tahimik ako at di masyadong masalita, sabi nga silent water runs deep, ayun, silent talaga ako pero yung "deep" part parang wala yatang ganun hahaha. ano ba ito, no lang naman ang sagot di ba? :)

18. Do you watch the O.C.? O.C, what O.C? obsessive compulsive? ah orange county. NO.

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? wait, does steven spielberg counts?

20. Do you make up your own words? i sometimes talk gibberish but i do not know how to make my own words

21. Are you a jealous person? sometimes

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. (looks at phone book) Acor.

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. (looks at phone book) Kit.

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? (looks at phone book) number lang kasi mali yung natawagan nya (sayang P7.00 nya hehehe)

25. What does the last text message you received say? "Gud am, natatakot. she wil undrgo all lab procedures 2day as op prep. Bro kailangan namin at least 10pipol 2 donate Type AB blood" from a friend who's mother will be undergoing an ovarian operation soon. please pray for her.

26. Do you chew on your straw? no, but it can be a good substitute for toothpick in the absence of one. hehehe

27. Do you have curly hair? no, well... (wag na lang hehehe)

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? Shangri-la mall (Cine Europa na!!!)

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? smokers in a PUV who doesn't give a damn to other passengers.

30. What was the last thing you ate? hotsilog for breakfast

31. Will you get married in the future? of course, *wink wink*

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? i just saw Memoirs of a Geisha in dvd.

33. Is there anyone you like right now? ah marami :)

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? this morning

35. Are you currently depressed? no.

36. Did you cry today? no.

37. Why did you answer and post this? i was tagged by Jho and this week my blog is now ONE YEAR OLD!!!!

38. I'm tagging Verns (uy, first time kitang i-tag ha), Single (ikaw din first time), Hazel (so you will be forced to post something hehehe), Belle (just returning a favor hehe) and Manny (para me intermission sa mga movie review).

(wag na magtanong kung para saan ang picture, gusto ko lang me picture, ano ba?! hehehe)

Happy weekend everyone and Happy birthday to my blog. KANPAI!!!!

mahilig

i am supposed to post eight random things about me, as i was tagged by toe, but i want to put a refreshing twist into a meme that has been done by everyone except me. hehehe.

since i am already randomly posting things about me from time to time, why not write something about things that i like? hence, the title.

mahilig ako sa videoke. who's not, anyway? but it doesn't mean that i am good at it. but, i can carry a tune, a little tune that is, and most of the time you have to look for what remains of that little tune as listening to me can only be good and/or tolerable for the first four-five stanzas of the song, after that you can go back to what you are doing, you can even sleep or just leave me. hehehe. i can "belt" a raymond lauchengco, some classic apo hiking songs (even a VST), i can do a little matchbox 20, some fra lippo lippi and then, middle of the session you'll hand me a knife and beg me to just kill you. :)

mahilig ako sa ampalaya. but i am not bitter (corny!). i eat all kinds of veggies, actually and ampalaya, patola't kalabasa at saka me okra are on the top of my list. i don't understand why some people don't like their greens, di ba sabi nga ni spiderman, you should eat your greens... (kaya siguro nanalo ang la salle kasi green... corny pa rin hehehe).

mahilig ako sa brown. my pants, save for my maong and office uniforms, are mostly khakis, shades of brown, pinoy na pinoy. i also used to have polos, shirts, shorts even socks in brown. my bag is also brown, the color of my watch is gold (well, malapit sya sa brown) and even the floor/tiles of my house is brown, the rattan sofa is brown, the table is dark brown and then the curtains are yellow. weee.

mahilig ako sa tubig. i am not sure how many liters of water i can consume everyday but i can say na marami. for someone who sweat a lot, that's good. and i also prefer water over softdrinks, ibang usapan na nga lang kapag kape. :)

mahilig ako sa jelly ace. well, napahilig is the more appropriate term. before, i am not aware that in the absence of water, it can temporarily rehydrate our body pala because it's mostly liquid. dati, ang alam ko lang sa jelly ace ay isa itong gulaman na naka-pack sa lalagyan na mahirap buksan, me iba pa palang benefits ito pero yun lang, mahirap pa rin syang buksan.

mahilig ako sa sports. basketball, tennis, badminton, soccer, volleyball, track and field, etc. i tried all of them and i excel only in track and field. i was the long jump champion, second placer in high-jump and a member of the champion team in 4x100 meter relay. i wanted to excel in basketball but there are a lot of better and taller players than i am. oh, i also tried bowling but the canal is where i belong so stop na lang lipat na lang sa badminton. hehe.

mahilig ako magpicture. (eyes rolling) obvious ba? :)

at, mahilig ako sa maraming pang bagay, mahilig akong mag-swimming, umakyat ng bundok, manuod ng sine, dedmahin ang saleslady na kanina pa sunod ng sunod, mahilig din akong kumain ng kikiam, mahilig din ako sa music, magbasa ng tabloid, manuod ng tv, mahilig din akong ilagay sa snooze ang alarm clock tapos matulog ulit, mahilig din akong ngumiti bago sumagot sa telepono...

i think it should not only be eight but eight thousand hehehe.

if you're one of the very few bloggers who's yet to do this meme, consider yourself tagged.

all about my mother

I was tagged by Belle (a few weeks back) to post some 10 facts about my mother. i better be good on this or else, i can be considered a failure hehehe.

My mom was a beauty queen. during her prime, she's a sight to behold, a "resident" reyna elena during santacruzan, a muse for every organization she's in, and a real beauty inside and out.

She's an Ilocana but doesn't know how to speak ilocano. blame my lolo for that as she and her siblings grew up in manila.

She can sew anything. curtains? tablecloths? shirts? dresses? stuff toys? what else? she can do all those. her old singer sewing machine that was given to her by my lolo is her treasure, and she told us that some time in 1969 when there was a big fire in our town, it was the first thing that she saved and up to now still wondering how she accomplished that, given its weight against her petite figure.

Oh, she has a collection of curtains with matching tablecloths and chair/sofa covers for every window, every door, every corner, every table and every chair in the house. and she made all of them! if she wants yellow, then the house will be covered in yellow, green? then green be it! orange? name it, we have it, and there will always be flower in the design. she doesn't believe in motiffs/theme, you know hehehe. and the hard part? i am the one who's always assigned to remove and/or change them! it was hard work as our old house was big and with huge windows na pwedeng magkasya ang trak! my mom will always scold me for being lazy when it comes to doing this errand hehehe.

She's our doctor. Whoever said that a mother's touch can cure everything knows what he's talking about. In our case, my mom does not only cure, she can also lift our spirit and boost our morale.

Mommy is a proud lola. Before, it was us, her four children, as the center of her being proud but times have changed and my two nephews are now the toast of the town. Minsan, binibiro namin sya na di na nya kami pinapansin and then she will tell us (with eyebrows raised and arms on her hips) "magsitigil nga kayo, anlalaki nyo na ano!" and then she'll start her litany about her apos (ang galing sa math ng dalawang yan, etc) hehehe.

She's the best teacher. Although she didn't finished college and not a teacher, she taught us how to pray the rosary and the basics in reading. I will always cherish my early memory of learning abakada and counting 1-2-3, and how she and my dad instill in our mind the value of education and finishing our studies is the ultimate gift they'll ever want. I am always teary eyed each time i remember how she cried and hugged me after i received my diploma, she didn't say anything but her tears are more than enough to tell me how happy and proud she was. and when she saw me i am also crying, she told me "o, bakit ka umiiyak, para kang tanga." napatawa tuloy ako, si mommy talaga hehehe.

She loves Daisy Siyete. you know the afternoon drama series after Eat Bulaga and which stars the Sex bomb dancers? oh, nothing and no one can prevent her from watching that, even if she's on a meeting, she'll look for a tv and spare at least 30 minutes for the show. and in case she did not see the day's episode, she'll ask around what happened.

She keeps everything. i think i got my being a basurero from my mom, keeping papers, souvenirs (complete with dates ito ha) and recycling things (if she'll saw a styro cup, she'll keep it, pwede raw lagyan ng halaman, or some plastic bowls na usually itinatapon, again she'll keep them, pwede raw lagyan ng gulaman, etc). eventhough we have a lot of stuffs in the house she's so good in organizing things that you won't see them laying around, unlike me hehehe.

My mom is love personified. i can never think of my mom without thinking of unconditional love. no one can top what she had given, what she had sacrificed for the family. i think the universe is not big enough to show how huge her heart is, that even if the last drop of water is for her, she'll give it to us if we need it.

Me, my brother and my sisters are so lucky to have my mom and my dad as our parents that even if we are not financially-gifted, they raised us and fed us with good values and respect for others. they always tell us to be humble and just do our best and everything else will follow.

I wanted to be like them.

Now, i am tagging Watson, Intsik, and Tina (ayan, well-represented ang Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao hehehe).