prince arthur is so cheesy :P

bradley james as prince arthur in BBC's Merlin

now on its second season

just finished watching episode four of Merlin's Season Two. Prince Arthur is so cheesy... let's hear what he had to say about his love life (parang drama ng isang sawi rin)...

"how can i admit that i think of her all the time, or that i care about her more than anyone? how can i admit that i don't know what i'll do if any harm comes to her. i can't because nothing can ever happen between us. to admit my feelings knowing that, hurts too much. it's all talk and that's all it can ever be. if i am king it can change but i can't expect her to wait for me."

waah! if they don't want him, let me have him! :p

smashing rackets

starting the only women's game of the tournament

sheridan, mandaluyong

"mag-exercise tayo tuwing umaga,

tuwing umaga..."

it's such fun to be able to play again and get sweaty. unfortunately, there were only two women's team and therefore, we only have one game vying for the championship. as predicted, we came in runner-up to the almost "one-women" team of ms. che whose level is way up there compare to ours. much to our surprise though, it was a close fight: 35-33. whew! it was fun but i want more next time!

peace and quiet

lonely seaside

sorsogon, philippines 2006

while waiting for my sister at the mall this afternoon, i was inundated by the number of people roaming around and the overwhelming noise that they created. all i could do was close my eyes and think that i want, just a little bit, peace and quiet -- and then i pictured myself on a beach...

ice cream overload

haagen dasz promo poster

for almost a week, my friends and i had been exchanging emails regarding this ultimate buffet. exchanges were made as to the day we're going (it was decided that we would do it on a friday which was yesterday), what time to meet up, what to eat, and how much each one of us can eat.

friday came and there were six of us who finally made it. the ice cream really were good and i was able to eat seven scoops (that's three servings!). the best ice cream for me was the strawberry followed by raspberry sorbet, macadamia nuts and hazelnuts something. after two servings, i was already feeling a little more giddy than usual that i had to stand up. luckily, my friends were so entertaining that the excess energy from the sugar was released by our laughters and picture-takings. at the end of the buffet though, we were all ice cream drunk. so who would have thought that one can get drunk from ice cream. believe us, you can!

first snow

cambridge, united kingdom 2005

"Winter is on my head,

but eternal spring is in my heart."

-- Hugo

Patty: Try to catch snowflakes on your tongue. It's fun.
Linus Van Pelt: Mmm. Needs sugar.
Lucy Van Pelt: It's too early. I never eat December snowflakes. I always wait until January.
Linus Van Pelt: They sure look ripe to me.

my first snow experience during the end of winter of 2005 at cambridge. i woke up with a message on my phone saying "Enjoy the snow!" I suddenly got up and looked out my window and there it was - a white blanket of snow at the neighbor's backyard. it was cold but it was fun. eden and i had a great time watching it and trying to catch a snowflake in our hands.

fireworks!

and it's here! can't wait for it to be november now. i guess we're so lucky because the venue is going to be a stone's throw away from the office :)

pyrolympics, here we come!

the wedding cake

tin and bennie's wedding cake

"I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."

William Butler Yeats

Congratulations, Tin and Bennie! Best wishes! The time for the "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" has passed. Today, the happy journey together begins! :)

finals

i'm done with my final exam for this semester. thank the Lord! :)

stars and fate

up at 100 fireworks display, diliman 2008

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

But in ourselves, that we are underlings."

Julius Caesar, Shakespeare

sometimes, when you look up in the sky, you find yourself too little to matter in the scheme of things. yet you realize that one tiny light is all that matters to make the world a little brighter...

happy fiesta!

fort pilar shrine, zamboanga city

i called my mom last night just to have a little chat but we had to cut it short. she said that she and my dad were going to the shrine to keep vigil just in time for the opening of the feast day. it was only then that i remembered that today is my hometown's fiesta, an affair celebrated with so much festivities by the locals in honor of the Nuestra Señora del Pilar.

***

Short History

during the Spanish era, Zamboanga was one of its main colony. in 1635, the Spanish built a fort that would guard against the attacks of Moro warriors or pirates. the city became the seat of government and cultural center of the south, thereby embedding it with deep Hispanic heritage and tradition.

in 1734, the Lady was brought to the fort and became the front piece for the main entrance but in 1860, the western side of the fort was converted into the shrine for the Lady and was renamed Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora Virgen del Pilar de Zaragoza because of the same name of the Basilica in Zaragoza, Spain.

the city celebrates to this day their devotion to the Lady whom we believe have watched over the city. she is surrounded by mystery through stories of her miracles and apparitions.

***

 
i cannot fathom why though, that i do not remember much about celebrating the fiesta when i was in high school. the most i could remember was doing the pilgrimage of walking from the cathedral to the shrine in the afternoon. what i can remember most was those times when i was a kid where my parents brought me and my siblings to the amazing regatta of colorful vintas early in the morning, eating street foods along the boulevard, the trip to the botanical gardens and the food expos. later, i remembered having to stop somewhere to watch the whole street parade where almost all public schools perform in their colorful costumes. those were happy times indeed and it's a happy thought that they still celebrate it with so much fun! this year, the city celebrates the fiesta with the theme: Celebra kita con un voz, un tono y un sueño.
 
Viva Zamboanga! Adelante Zamboanga!

pinatubo trek - travel guide

Mt. Pinatubo Crater (May 2009)

Letter to friend who had been inquiring about our trip to Pinatubo a few months ago --

======

Yes, Pinatubo is wonderful! :) This is our trip details:

The contact is Wendell, the president of the 4 Wheelers Club. Contact number is: 09196084313.

The Pinoy Tourism package cost us PhP3750. It includes the following:

4x4 rental- PhP2500
Guide Fee - PhP500
Conservation Fee - PhP250

Skyway Toll Fee - PhP500

The 4x4 can accommodate up to 5 people and therefore, these 5 people can share the package cost. In our case, we were 13 and we split the group into three, 4-4-5 in each vehicle.

The bus ride from Cubao to Capas Junction in Tarlac took around 2 1/2 hours only. You can either take the bus going to Dagupan or Baguio and it only costs around PhP150. It was suggested that we should arrive before 7 in the morning so we would have a nice camp ground at the lake. Since our group was big, we hired a jeepney (cost: PhP2500) to pick us up at the junction going to Sta. Juliana where the Tourism Center is located. If you are just one group, you could ask to be picked up by the 4x4 already. However, you have to pay an extra cost, probably around PhP1,000. The jeep will take you back to the junction once you finished the trek in the afternoon. Another tip, you can also ask Wendell if it's possible for you to have an open-back 4x4. The other vehicles they have are Land Cruisers that are closed. In my opinion, the open back vehicles are more fun! The ride from the Junction to Sta. Juliana took around 45 minutes to 1 hour. When we arrived there, we just signed up, paid the fee and off we went. The ride going to the crater is around 45 minutes through the Skyway.

You need to bring packed lunch and please don't forget to bring extra for your guides and driver. If you're planning to buy something at McDonald's at the junction, please note that it opens at 6 am. The carinderia near the junction also opens early. Your stuff can be carried by the guides, so you don't have to worry about carrying a lot of things.

The trek is very easy. They said that you can make the trek in 15 minutes but in our case, it took almost an hour because of all the stops we had to make for picture-taking. Inside the crater, there are open cottages that you can use to set up your "camp." You can also bring your tent and you can set it up in a secluded area just behind the open cottages. There is a small spot there, more like a little island, for a very small group with a very nice view. You can ask your guide about it.

Boating on the lake is also availabe, although I think it is kind of expensive at PhP350/person and must only be paid at the center because you will be given a boating card.

Going home, you can take a bus going to Manila from the junction.

Hmm... Is this detailed for you or not? :) I hope you can go there soon! It will be fun! :)

ceebee

despedida de soltera

our friend's despedida soltera. her wedding's just one week away! yey! :)

"For you see, each day I love you more,

Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow."

Rosemonde Gerard

The Eternal Song, 1890

calton

nelson monument

calton hill, edinburgh, scotland 2005

"Unless the Lord watches the city,

the watchman stays wake in vain"

giddy

he really made my day. just last night, i was writing about being probably hurt if he ignores my request or ecstatically happy if he accepts it. if accepted, i said it would be the bestest of days! well now, he did accept it. i'm so happy... :p

p.s. he made my day but this wasn't the bestest of days. our friend just lost her dad. our prayers go to him and the family he left behind.

taking the plunge

no, i'm not getting married!

biggest plunge of the day -- sending a friend request to one of my long time crushes on facebook. (actually, i think i'm known for having crushes that could last for years). though this may not totally bring me a thousand smiles - more like a thousand grimace maybe - but the silliness of it all makes me so giddy! sounds so very high school, don't you think? yes, well, what can i do but go forward.

now i wonder what the outcome of this daring might be. it may leave me "badly" bruised or it might just make my day soon (the bestest of days, perhaps), but the outcome doesn't really matter anymore (yeah, right!). i'm just glad i could now truly say, i've done it and no regrets! :)

hopefully, i won't have to sing "i did my best, but my best wasn't good enough" anytime soon! :)

to my friends who keep on encouraging me to do it to the point where it becomes embarrassing already (or irritating!), here's to you! cheers! :P

eye candy

first of all, happy birthday C! :) turning 28 is not so bad! :P

the person who made me smile since sunday morning -- the man carrying the sack of rice on his shoulder... too bad i didn't get his name and too bad i wasn't able to see him today for the volunteer get-together. it was nice while it lasted... :) he is such an eye candy!

spring flower

 spring flowers at salisbury, united kingdom (2004)

the cool weather, natural beauty and quiet of the countryside leave no doubt as to why beautiful verses had been written about it...

gk - operation walang iwanan

relief operations work headed by gawad kalinga at rfm sports gym

definitely no one is left behind today. in just three hours, we helped pack around 3,500 packs!

p.s. and while i was packing bread, i saw this good looking guy carry one sack of rice on his shoulder. very nice to look at... :P

volunteer saturday

we helped pack around 1,000 bags in just under three hours this afternoon. how is that for a very productive day? :)