dawning on me

time for change

2010-07-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

i'm moving to wordpress! :)

see you there!

It's been 7 years!

2009-06-09T03:35:00.000-07:00

MAY 2009 marks the 7th year of my love affair with Duncan. hahaha ;p

Seven years, and I still get giddy gaga over him. And just recently, I heard he's performing in ASAP's Sessionistas every Sunday. The news is so last year, I know. Wala kasi akong tv. So ngayon ko lang nalaman. hehe

So ayon... YES DUNX, I'D STILL SAY YES. hahaha

I am for Volleyball Part 2

2009-05-07T03:32:00.000-07:00

Shakey's recently held a summer volleyball camp in the ADMU Gym. These kids are fortunate enough to be able to enrol in such an activity and even more fortunate to be taught and trained by no less than the best volleyball players of country. (Think, MJ Balse, Suzanne Roces, Sang Laguilles, Sasa Devanadera, Lou Ann Latigay to name a few.)

I personally would like to give credit and kudos to the people involved in bringing volleyball into the maintstream sports in the Philippines. (: (You brought in so many converts! haha) You are doing a great job! Step by step, little by little, you are closing in to the birth of a Pro Volleyball League. I am looking forward to that.

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On the other note, the 6th Season of the Shakey's V-league is about to end its elimination round, having UST at the top with a 4-1 standing. Well, all avid followers thought that UST will breeze out without losing a game after outlasting San Sebastian, the last conference's champs, in the opener. I thought so too. But Ateneo surprised everyone when they won against UST in five sets. That made me bet, this is still anybody's game. FEU, coming in strong with a 3-1 standing after being defeated by UST is in second place, with San Sebastian and Adamson.

Current Standing:

UST: 4-1
FEU: 3-1
ADAMSON: 3-1
SSC-R: 3-1
ATENEO: 2-2
ST BENILDE: 2-3
LYCEUM: 1-5
UP: 0-4

R.A.N.D.O.M.

2009-05-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

Today's weird. It's a Monday night but the streets of Dumaguete are unusually filled with people walking in small groups and talking in Ilonggo. Hmmmm... Makes me wonder... Ano kayang meron? Ilonggo invasion?

***********

I went to the ticketing office of Cebu Pacific this afternoon to make reservations for a ticket to Davao (yipee! i'm going home!). I had to to laugh because they had this clearly written on the MAY page of the table calendar :

"Behind every great man, is an affordable travel plan. "

Watchutink? Makes sense? Or just selling their stuff? ;p

***********

May ginawa akong sobrang nakakahiya!

I tried out a new game in Facebook called Restaurant City. It's a game where you own a resto and you have to trade ingredients with the neighboring restos to complete a dish. It's a game wherein you have to visit your friends' restos and find out what ingredients you can trade with. So, in the middle of my neighborhood tour, I came across a resto named dave. I entered the resto and wrote a message to dave, automatically assuming he was Dave, or David from high school : "Dave! meron ka rin pala nito? haha Daan lang ako, di pa kasi ako marunong. :)" I exited the building and continued on to playing the game. Moments later, as I keep passing by, the resto named dave had a picture which did not looked like Dave, my high school classamte. Turns out, he's another Dave. Ung DAVE na crush ko nung 6th grade! OMG! Very embarassing 'coz I think he really doesn't know me. Or maybe he does? (wishful thinking! haha) The only interaction we had was during our 6th grade Christmas Party when my friend threw a prank on me and had him (Dave) to give her Christmas present to me in front of the class, knowing I have a big crush on him. If Dave remebers that, gulay! Mas nakakahiya! I wish he'll never open his Restaurant City account again!

The funny thing about this incident: I feel like I'm a teenager again! Oh, giddy rush of puppy love! haha

PS: Nag rewind ako and i realized all the guys i had a crush on had curly hair, thick eye brows, dark complexion and they sure can dance! Really, is this some kind of a pattern? haha

Goodbye, APRIL.

2009-05-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

Ups, downs, turns and slides, like a rollercoaster. It's not about to end. The ride has just begun!

Bohol

Manila

Mt. Talinis

Casaroro Falls

Bacolod

21st @ Dumaguete

Funds are sinking LOW now. haha Save up! Save up for another rollercoaster month! :)

Be Right Back!

2009-04-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

I am smelling Chicken Inasal already... Namit gid! nyahaha

Happy Birthday me, in BACOLOD! woooooot!

Protozoan Summer

2009-03-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

Right this very moment, I wish I was a protozoa, happily swimming in the murkish waters of the pond, if just to beat the painfully scorching heat of Dumaguete summer. I remember one time in Microbiology Lab, we examined pond water samples and observed tiny, little microorganisms squirming and beating around like kids playing in the beach. They were fun to see under the microscope; they looked so happy and carefree, bathed in cool water and mud-like, nutrient-rich substrate, like as if nothing else mattered.

See, this is what the summer heat is doing to me, making me wish I was a measly, hyperactive protozoa in a bath tub of cold water with a built-in sandwich vending machine.

Happy summer!

DLSU wins.

2009-03-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

It was like deja vu of Game 3 of UAAP Season 70 when Adamson served long on FEU's match point, only now that it was FEU who served long on DLSU's match point in the fourth set.

I have to say, the finals for UAAP Season 71 Women's Volleyball was a good match-up since this is the last season for Manilla Santos and Rachel Anne Daquis, captain of La Salle and FEU, respectively. And as I imply, Captain Manilla Santos of DLSU led her team to the top and finished the last game of her collegiate career with the UAAP crown in her hand.

And as a confessed FEU fan, 'di ko matanggap. haha

Dealing with Losses

2009-02-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

How does one deal when...

You’re a child and lost Amanda, the doll you did everything with?
Or when you tripped and lost grip of your chocolate ice cream?
Or when you’re a budding achiever and did not graduate at the top of your class?
Or when you’re a ballerina and you had your legs broken?
Or when you’re a lawyer and lost your first major case that could have made a name for you?
Or when you’re a man and lost your sight?
Or when you lost a family member to cancer?
Or when you had your heart broken for reasons that only you are to be blamed?
Or when you lost a scholarship that could have gotten you through college?
Or when you’ve been through hell and lost the genuineness of your laugh?
Or when you’re a mother and lost your first-born child?
Or when you wake up in the morning and you lost your drive to get up and pursue your plans?
Or when your favourite cup of coffee lost its distinct taste?
Or when you lost all your files a day prior to a big project defense?
Or when you’re driving along an expressway and lost your brakes?
Or when you lost your faith in things you used to strongly believe in?
Or worse, when you realize you are losing your zest for life?

Loss is inevitable, it’s a given fact. But tell me, how do you deal with it when it’s there, happening and slapping you in the face, and in unfortunate instances, all at the same time? You might answer me to just accept it, but how? Yes, loss is of varying degrees and can be dealt with in different ways. But again, how? Move on? But what if I don’t want to? What if I still can’t? I need to make a decision, either to drown in misery or forget it. Then, what? What will happen next? Will dwelling on it eventually tire me and let me move on? Or will it be the other way around? Or will hoping that time will rewind and have a chance to undo everything be a more comfortable resort?

Random 25

2009-02-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

from Facebook
Got tagged by Moi, Kat, Trish and Ate Cha. This sounds fun, so here it goes.

Rules:Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1) I am scoliotic. I wore body braces for almost three years.

2) I have appreciation for the arts, specially performing arts. i make sure i watch every show in our auditorium.

3) and speaking of the arts, I have passion for dancing. i took ballet, hip-hop, jazz, and tap classes. I'm planning to take up flamenco and belly dancing when i have the time. wooh!

4) I cook spaghetti but before i cook the pasta, i can't help but eat a few of the raw pasta 'sticks'. haha

5) Red ants make me cry. One time, they pestered my laptop, i cried the whole night

.6) Kitkat is my favorite.

7) History and Geography are my most most favorite- est subjects of all time! I won 1st place in a HEKASI quiz bee when i was in 6th grade. Highschool classmates used to call me "soc-sci girl".

8) And because i love geography, i have a fetish for maps and globes. I love anything with a map on it. (I bought a globe for myself. and when i ask my friends for pasalubong, a map of their place will do.)

9) I made a classmate laugh real hard when i told him i want a penguin for a pet and make the freezer as its home. :p

10) I was an exchange student to Japan in 2007. I want to go back and stay longer.

11) I used to know how to speak and write a little japanese, but somehow i already forgot. no practice. booo.

12) I am a biology major. But one tragic day, in the middle of my literature class (while i was in Japan), i totally forgot what DNA stood for. It took me a while to actually write down what DNA meant. Deoxyribonucleic acid. There you go.

13) When i was younger, my parents let me joined the santacruzan in our village. I was not reyna elena. My sash said, "reyna rosa mystica". O, db?? Mystic. haha

14) I almost drowned when we went snorkling in Apo Island.

15) I am afraid of dogs.

16) Southborder still makes me smile like an idiot when i hear their songs. I am a BIG fan.

17) Mom once told me my name wasn't supposed to be April Dawn. They initially planned to give me the name PRINCESS RAPUNZEL. (?????) Thank goodness they didn't.

18) How i wish I can get a license and drive.

19) My curls are natural. People in the salon always ask me when and where i got my curls. But i used to have super straight hair, though. It just curled as i grew older.

20) In 3rd grade, I was a member of spice girls. I was Posh Spice. :p

21) Volleyball! I am for volleyball! Too bad i am too short for the game. but i'll be glad to be a libero.

22) Maybe your wondering, i'm just 4 feet , 11 inches tall. small and proud. :p

23) It takes me 10 snoozes before i really get up from bed.

24) I am saving up for a trip to ilocos. It would be nice to go there on my own, with my own money.

25) People call me dawnaidi. I call myself dawnaidi. dawn + junaidi = dawnaidi. yeee...

2009-02-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

Browsing through the old files from Marianne's lappy, I found this...

(from a year ago at the Yokohama Train Station, Yokohama, Japan)

Blame me for wearing that. No, blame Marianne for letting me wear that! I swear I don't remember! Have a good laugh, Mar! hahaha Happy shopping!

Inday

2009-02-04T05:31:00.000-08:00

Something for the non-visayan speakers... hehe

(taken from http://su.edu.ph/features/abscbnfeature41.htm)

Inday is not always a maid
By Liling Magtolis Briones
From ABS-CBN Interactive
June 16, 2008

THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNANCE
Yes, there are Indays who are maids. But there are also Indays who are leaders in
their professions as academics, politicians, businesswomen, artists and theologians.
One fine day an Inday can even be president of this country.

Yes, there are Indays who are maids. But there are also Indays who are leaders in their professions as academics, politicians, businesswomen, artists and theologians. One fine day an Inday can even be president of this country.

Last week, an article came out, reporting that Inday is finally going to school. This was the news item about a program to allow housemaids to go to school. Obviously it was written by a non-Visayan who thinks the synonym for housemaid is Inday.

Once and for all, the word Inday does not mean housemaid insofar as Visayans are concerned. It has several gradations of meaning. First, it is an endearment for a Visayan girl, whether from Cebu, Negros, Iloilo or Mindanao. In Visayan families, girls are always called Inday. Oftentimes they are called Inday all their lives.

Inday is a tender word which means, precious, dear, loved one. My Ilocano-Pampango husband calls me Inday even as I am old and graying. Certainly, he does not treat me like a maid. My brothers have always called me Inday even if I am not their maid. Parents call their girl children Inday because they are loved, whether they live in a hovel or mansion.

When it is expressed with the proper intonation and inflection, Inday is the loveliest sound any girl can possibly listen to.

This explains why Visayan girls who work as maids automatically answer "Inday" when they are asked about their names. They are only saying that in their homes, they are tenderly loved. Because many poor Visayan girls work as maids, the term Inday is often understood as referring to maids. Even maids who are not Visayan end up being called Inday!.

Second, it is a term to describe friendship and affection. Thus, Visayan girls who are close friends tend to call each other "Day" in the same manner that Visayan boys call their close friends "Bay" or friend.

Third, Inday is a term used to indicate respect. When a Visayan addresses a woman he does not know, he calls her Inday. Its like saying Miss or Madam. When a man wants to introduce himself to a girl, he prefaces his spiel with " Inday…."

Finally, the word Inday implies veneration or honor. A woman of high standing in a Visayan community is addressed as Inday. Thus Mayors, hacienderas, barangay captains and heads of religious organizations are called Inday. The wife of the late Pres. Carlos P. Garcia was called Inday Garcia.

It is time for Indays, wherever they are, to clarify once and for all what the word means. They should not allow one of the most beautiful words in the Visayan language to deteriorate into a generic word meaning maid. I dread the time when Visayan women will be embarrassed and ashamed because they are called Inday by their parents, siblings, friends, and community members.

This is not to say that it is shameful to be a maid. It is a very respectable calling. Maids abroad can earn more than a university professor in the Philippines. It is just that the term Inday does not mean maid, that's all.

Yes, there are Indays who are maids. But there are also Indays who are leaders in their professions as academics, politicians, businesswomen, artists and theologians.

One fine day an Inday can even be president of this country.

To Lee Su-Min

2009-01-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

Shocking as it was to know you left so soon,

I am blessed to have known you.

'Til we meet again, Izumi-chan...

FRIDAY, I'M IN LOOOOOVE!

2008-12-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

come friday, i'll be the happiest person in world! *kilig kilig* woohoo! :)

rock hard rock

2008-12-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

hey, it's been more than a year...

Cheers to the VANITY SISTERS! Missin' the good ol' times!

on disappearing

2008-11-19T05:14:00.000-08:00

My Sociology professor once asked us, " To what thing do you compare yourself with?". And to it, I replied, a chameleon. I just want to get lost among the trees, rotate my eyes in all directions and take a good look at everything that's been going on. Pahinga muna, kumbaga. Reality check. See, things have been very fast. In a snap, i changed my address, i had my hair cut too short, i failed a subject (f*ckin' physics. No, screw the teacher!), i called everybody i can in manila and davao for NMAT forms, i've turned into a gudang girl, i called my teammate a volleyball bitch, and recently, due to a suffocating deadline (like a tight rope tied around your neck), i told my prof that i'll prove that Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus can absorb heavy metals in contaminated soil and water with no assurance that i can really do so. I just want to stick to that wall in the Science Complex, dissolve into its rustic colors and be invisible or better yet, be one of those bottled specimens soaked in stinky formalin, like that poor little chick i purposely killed for my Systematics class (I had no choice). I really haven't mastered the skill to cope with too much stress, to deal with high expectations, that I can't help but stop in mid-air, and wait for my system to either fly back up or just anticipate a nose-dive and crash hard back to the ground.

I need ice cream. I need coffee. Nah, i'm just tired. Help me, Lord.

RAINBOW

2008-10-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Silliman Amphitheater Grounds

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hey, it's been a while since I last saw a rainbow. God promised a rainbow after the rain and i believe He really will. Kaya ko 'to.

T_T

2008-09-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

TORQUE - as my Physics professor would define it, is a force that causes the rotation of a body.

As of the moment, PHYSICS is my TORQUE. I'm turning 360... around... roundabout...

Everything's falling.. falling... falling... failing... failing... failing...

By Sara Judith on Flickr

HELP!

goodbye frisbee days

2008-09-18T20:20:00.001-07:00

We admit it, we are hooked. Avenue for stress release. Regular exercise. Bonding time. Whatever we call it. It just really feels weird not playing frisbee in between classes, after classes and even on days without class. So, imagine us when dear frisbee broke...

US on frisbee days

(Not minding our sudden discoloration: from brown to darker brown!)

US when the frisbee days were gone

(watching the pros on the other side, wishing for a new disc)

We miss the adrenalin rush. We miss the natural high. We need a new frisbee.

End of story.

so how am i?

2008-08-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

this me now...

... like this cup of oatmeal in the middle of the night, placed in a microwave of pressure and heat, and in just a snap, it blows out a mess.

Well, it's been a whirlwind of things since i came back and started serious university life again. A few weeks into my majors, I already had my share of hidoi teachers asking me "what happened to you?" and telling me i've gone haywire and stupid all over. I failed one major prelim exam. I made a mess out of my reports. Whatever. There's this new set of friends (aka classmates), who I thought I'll have a hard time laughing with; turns out, they laugh as hard as i do. Thanks to them, I have a new venue for stress release. (FRISBEE!!!!) I'm back in the dorm where I have a new room with new smallies (who are still very unsure with what they want to major in, Oh God help them!) to look over for. Three months and i have given up a lot of things just to get back on track on the academic road. But until now, i still can't see why the heck i gave them up. I took Japanese classes to bring my Japanese tongue back. I just lost them over the summer. Oh, by the way. I now have a brother in campus, which is a good thing, actually. Someone's looking out for me. I have an ATM anytime.

All in all, i'm half dead, half alive. STILL A MESS.

hapi hapi

2008-06-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Fours.. :)

volleyball back-to-back

2008-06-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, i feel like the biggest loser for being at the right place but at the wrong time. You see, i'm a hardcore volleyball fan and being in Japan and staying for a year is something other fanatics would kill for. Yeah, i was there when the Italy, Brazil and USA dominated the World Cup 2007 and got the first three tickets to the Olympics, but it was not enough. It was just the start of the volleyball season. I had to come back home and to cut the story short, i missed the most important matches prior to the Olympics and will miss the ever popular FIVB World Grand Prix 2008, of which the finals will be staged in my dear old YOKOHAMA. bad. bad. bad. If only I had the option to stay a little bit longer.

look at what i've missed

(WOQT: Japan vs. Poland)

Japan hosted the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Olympic Qualifying Tournament last May17-25 in Tokyo. And yes, my predictions were right. Though I wanted team Japan to top the competition, finishing with Serbia and Poland on the same ground and getting that much-coveted ticket to Beijing is good enough for me. haha It went like this. Japan demolished Poland, Poland sweeped Serbia but Serbia blocked Japan to tie their standings at 1-1. So much rivalry, so much pride. After all, these teams are ranked 7th (Serbia), 8th (Japan) and 9th (Poland) in the world. Together with Kazakhstan as the tournament's best Asian team next to Japan, they complete the volleyball list for the Beijing Olympics.

Here's the complete list (from fivb.org):

Women's Olympic Games 2008
Qualified Teams

1. China (host country)
2. Italy (1st World Cup)
3. Brazil (2nd World Cup)
4. U.S.A. (3rd World Cup)
5. Algeria - Africa
6. Kazakhstan - Asia *
7. Russia - Europe
8. Cuba - Norceca
9. Venezuela - South America
10. Poland (1st World Olympic Qualification) *
11. Serbia (2nd World Olympic Qualification) *
12. Japan (3rd World Olympic Qualification) *

* The Asian Continental Qualification Tournaments were played combined with the World Olympic Qualification Tournaments in Japan
COQT = Continental Olympic Qualification TournamentWOQT = World Olympic Qualification Tournament

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Let's go local.

When the world had its eye on Japan, I had mine on local collegiate volleyball. The 1st conference of the 5th season of the Shakey's V-league had kept me glued on the boob tube every afternoon. So now, i know the new faces of Philippine volleyball. Wink!

Right after UAAP Season 70, I have to admit, I became an FEU convert. (Go Shaira! Go Chel! Go Abanto!) haha But a big surprise at the opening of the Shakey's V-league left everyone in doubt, FEU sported a technically new team with more than half of its champion team out for the conference. Out of the seven, including their libero, only three were left; Gonzalez, Morada and libero Taganas. I really didn't expect them to place and true enough, they didn't. But I have to commend their efforts and fighting spirit. Young as they were as a team, they managed to pull off several 5-setters with the more experienced teams (e.g. Lyceum and Ateneo) and actually won games for themselves. Hintayin nating huminog ang FEU, they'll be a deadly team to watch out for.

Obvious bang FEU fan ako? haha Anyway, fast forward. After I dropped my hopes for FEU, I was for San Sebastian all the way. I cheered for the Visayan teams (USJR and USLS), but, no, I'm a Lady Stag for this conference. Even more, when they announced that their former Thai import, Jaroensri Bualee will be back to play for them. Plus, I'm in awe of their quicker, Rysabelle Devanadera and their libero, MJ Pepito. They were my team to beat, I even gambled with my brother who was for Adamson, 'coz we both expected an Adamson-San Sebastian final clash way before the final four was decided. But lo-and-behold, something happened on the way to the finals. Underdog Lyceum of the Philippines stopped Adamson and Ateneo bested San Sebastian to force a double knock-out game. It was suddenly Adamson vs. San Sebastian / Lyceum vs. Ateneo. And true to their winning form, Adamson and Ateneo kissed the championship court leaving San Sebastian and Lyceum fight for 3rd. In the end, Adamson wanted it badly more than Ateneo, and won Game 1 and 2 of the best-of-3 finals match. As for my Lady Stags, they went home with the 3rd Place trophy after 2 duels with Lyceum.

Adamson Lady Falcons, Shakey's V-League 5th Season Champions

List of Awardees (from v-league.ph):
Best Scorer:13 BOTO, Beverly - Lyceum of the Philippines University
Best Attacker:7 JAROENSRI, Bualee (G) - San Sebastian College
Best Blocker:8 SORIANO, Ma. Rosario - Ateneo de Manila University
Best Server:7 BENTING, Angela - Adamson University
Best Digger:6 GATA, Lizlee Ann - Adamson University
Best Setter:5 SERAFICA, Janet - Adamson University
Best Receiver:5 PEPITO, Mary Jane - San Sebastian College
Most Improved Player:8 SORIANO, Ma. Rosario - Ateneo de Manila University
Most Valuable Player:11 BAUTISTA, Neriza (G) - Adamson University
Most Valuable Player For Finals:11 BAUTISTA, Neriza (G) - Adamson University
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One season down, more to come! Hello Olympics! :) See yah there!

exclamation point!

2008-05-25T02:30:00.000-07:00

"... Everybody all for one! The real summer has just begun! Let's rock and roll and just let go to the rhythm of the drums!.."

teens class

ballet class

kuya ran, jeremy, kim, marlou, harvey, kuya kevin, kuya japs

Well, my summer vacay just ended, right on the stage of the Grand CAP Auditorium. 'coz in a few hours, i'll be tugging my big luggage around, board a plane back to Dumsville (Dumaguete) to start school again.

teacher eds, teacher ritz

teacher ces

Thank you, LCB-PAC and all the participants for the fantabulous recital we just had! (and to the lightsmen, who made us feel like superstars with the spotlight!) Two months of training, from morning 'til night was sometimes unbearable but thank you to all our teachers, who patiently and unceasingly motivated us to "point your toes! pull up! smile! warm-up properly!" and squeezed out every little ounce of dance, and discipline we had in our systems. Thank you, too, to all the people i had classes with and had the chance to dance with. I was up for the challenge to dance beside a company member. haha And our break time was a lot less boring with you guys around. And of course, thank you most especially, to our parents for letting us dance, despite the price. haha joking!

mel, pen, mai, cindy and me

mae, kate, anne and me

New friends, learning a new dance (I now know how to tap dance!) and a reunion with my first love, ended my summer. Now it's time to face dear old Silliman again. See you soon.

flashbacks

2008-05-21T23:48:00.000-07:00

saw his ballerina sister at dance practice today...

flashback... he was a dance demigod...

flashback... he was a good friend...

flashback... [*gushes*] but really, he was just my kuya... haha

smile... smile... ok now, goofy SMILE! :p

3 days to my dance recital! woohoo!

fairy godmother

2008-05-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

As a child, i looked up to my godparents as rich and succesful individuals who can afford to shower me with gifts to open during Christmas eve and on my birthday. (I hated those who didn't remember me. haha) I never really met all of them, some i just came to know because their presents were regular fixtures under our Christmas tree and some, because I never found their gifts under the tree.

But now, it's the other way around.

Meet Christian James, my very first inaanak, who just got baptized this morning. And meet Dawn, the first-time ninang (godmother). I'm now officially a godmother and i suddenly feel like a grown-up. Being given the responsibility to be a guardian, a guide and an example to this little angel is a little overwhelming knowing that someday, he'll look up to me the way i looked up to my godparents. I hope I can be just that and that someday, i'll be his favorite ninang.

But of course, kids will be kids. They'll judge who the best ninang is according to how big and how often the godparents send them gifts. As I am not financially-capable of doing that just yet, i already had mom to take of it. atleast for now. haha

happy april

2008-04-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

2 graduations, 3 birthdays and reunion of all sorts here and there.

definitely the busiest summer month. happy happy!

yac yac's graduation

kuya's graduation

ice cream-themed grad party!

happy birthday pa!

twenteen!

paradise family outing/ lola's bday

pisay mini reunions

looking forward to many crazy fun fun days for the rest of the summer! mata ne!

bisdaks in the volleyball limelight

2008-04-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

My eyes were glued and watched the whole day through the live webcast of Nestea (nestea.com.ph) and it's official; BISDAKS (bisayang dako) dominated the finals of the Nestea Beach Volley National Circuit 2008, both in the men's and women's division, which concluded in Boracay yesterday. Woohoo!! Way to go mga bai!

Cebu's Janelle Tabio and Florian Gutierrez of Southwestern University ended the final match with 18-21, 21-19, 15-11, regaining their throne in sweet revenge from top rival and fellow Cebuano team, the defending champs University of the Visayas' Janez Armie Igot and Jusabelle Brillo. SWU made history, being the only team to win four championship titles in the Nestea Beach Volley Tournament.

Third place was awarded to University of Mindanao-Tagum's Mylin Que and Liezel Manatad after they crushed UAAP Season 70 champs Far Eastern University's Wendyanne Semana and Shaira Gonzalez in straight sets, 21-15, 21-9. Adamson University's Rizza Jane Laguilles and Angela Benting came in 5th.

In the men's division, Dumaguete's pride, Rolando Agus and Arnel Amadeo of Foundation University fought a hard 15-21, 21-14, 15-9 game to topple down Cebu's Jonrey Sansing and James Ryan Rivera of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation for the championship title.

For the third place, University of Saint La Salle-Bacolod's Emmanuel Marlon Luces and Mark Sabusap outlasted University of Mindanao- Tagum's Raquelito Tayabas and Lowell Fabian in a 21-19, 18-21, 15-11 thriller. FEU's Edjet Mabbayad and Jerry Mabutol came in 5th.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

University of San Jose Recoletos-Cebu

University of St. La Salle-Bacolod

The on-going Shakey's V-League Season 5 will welcome, for the first time, two regional powerhouses. University of St. La Salle-Bacolod and University of San Jose Recoletos- Cebu will join the quarterfinals with the remaining four teams who didn't qualify outright in the semifinals, namely: FEU, ADMU, LPU and CSB. (ADU and SSC-R got the first two spots in the semifinals). Can these bisdaks make up for the no-show of UST and DLSU, stun the other Luzon teams and wow crowds? We'll see. We'll see. Fingers crossed. :)

*pictures from spikeithard.com and www.v-league.ph

hate post

2008-03-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

i hate it when people insist that they are right when all the evidence is there, laid on the table. pilit nagmamalinis, when all the dirt is waving at their faces. worse, sila pa ang nagagalit when we saw their faults. tsktsk. whatever happened to the good manners and anger management amongst the rich, i don't know. it all went away with the money they spent. hahay.

its toll on me

2008-03-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

yes, i enjoyed 5 days worth of dinner coupled with 2 afternoons of coffee larcepuccino.

yep, all for a good, cold night. or so i thought.

i woke up sooner than the chickens, running for the nearest comfort.

thank God, it was just 3 leaps away.

then on, i was awake but with blankets and pillows drowning me.

break the fast, my Mom said before she left;

it's a basic rule in pharmacology, gobble up before you gulp in.

i did eat half of a piece and 2 sips of choco milk.

but in a wink, there it went, like i never ate.

it left me weak, so i got some rest and snored.

oh.. hirugohan is ready, grandma called out.

i am starving. i badly need to eat.

fish eyes stared, ripe mangoes tickled my nose.

but Tommy said, "No, i don't like that."

it sounded like a threat for another run, so i obliged.

i ended up with rice and soup. aka LUGAW

jut when i thought i am relieved from the hunger,

there i went running again.

and there it went too, like i never ate.

again.

for the 3rd time.

i certainly hope that this won't go on for another day.

it's awful and painful.

ps: dear Tommy,

please let me eat again. i'll try my best not to get you

exhausted with all the food i take in. please please please.

i am for volleyball

2008-03-04T03:28:00.000-08:00

Women's Volleyball UAAP Season 70

Volleyball Season 70 concluded with a bang when the Adamson Lady Falcons served it long on FEU's match point and ended the five-set thriller, do or die, Game 3 at The Arena in San Juan last Sunday. (though i just watched from the telecast by Studio 23. hehe) It's the Lady Tamaraws' 30th UAAP title as Adamson fought for their very first. The Ateneo Lady Eagles finished 4th and powerhouse and defending champs, the UST Tigresses, came in 3rd.

FEU LADY TAMARAWS

Here is the list of Awardees for Season 70:

Women’s Volleyball:

MVP: WENDYANNE SEMANA (FEU)
Best Scorer: MA. ROSARIO SORIANO (ADMU)
Best Attacker/Spiker: MARY JEAN BALSE (UST)
Best Blocker: CELINE ANNE HERNANDEZ (DLSU)
Best Server: RISSA JANE LAGUILLES (ADU)
Best Setter: JANET SERAFICA (ADU)
Best Digger/Libero: LIZLEE ANN GATA (ADU)
Best Receiver: MA. ROSARIO SORIANO (ADMU)
Rookie of the Year: MA. CARMINA DENISE ACEVEDO (ADMU)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've missed quite a lot of UAAP seasons and V-league conferences and i'm still getting to know the new faces of today's Philippine volleyball. I saw so many promising talents but this player definitely caught my attention: Anna Camille Abanto of FEU. With her sharp kills, all-around skills and boyish charms, she reminds me much of my dear TAKASHI MIYUKI. I'll make sure to watch out for her in the coming games. :)

----------------------------------------------

When the Shakey's V-League first aired Season 1, there were Michelle Carolino, Maureen Penetrante, Roxanne Pimentel, Desiree Hernandez, Mic Mic Laborte and Cherry Rose Macatangay, to name a few, who ruled the court and gave television a new sport to follow (i say, revived glory). Today, 4 or 5 years later, volleyball proved to be as enjoyable as basketball with thousands or maybe even millions of avid followers cheering in the Arena or in front of the TV. And it's not just an adrenalin show, you know. Adrenalin + skill + parade of beauties all in one package. With more exposure, more sponsors and more airtime, i see a Professional Volleyball League not very far from here. Fingers crossed. :) Shoutouts to potential sponsors! haha.

So, see you soon at the much awaited Season 5 of the Shakey's V-league and on December for UAAP Season 71. Let's see if UST can defend their title. Go Volleyball! :)

*pictures and list of awardees taken from spikeithard.com and feu.edu.ph

hiyawan sunday

2008-03-03T23:45:00.000-08:00

hiyawan sunday-slash-reunion. be still my beating-like-amplifiers-in-a-rock-concert heart.

--------------

Dahil sa Davao kami nakatira at kahit siguro katabi lang ng Araneta ang bahay namin, I can never afford to watch a Ne-yo concert. I could have killed for a ticket. haha So when ASAP 08 flashed their teasers for that Sunday's episode, I thought, it's not so bad after all. Ne-yo's going to sing a familiar tune or two on the boob tube for me to sing and dance to. So, I waited patiently, enduring some song numbers from the 'not-so-singers' who belted it out in fluctuating notes. (It was nice to see the Streetboys again, though. I bow to them.)

I was already gulping down my tinolang native chicken when Ate Mar called out from the sala, "DON! DON! NE-YO NA!" I left my food unfinished and rushed to the living room. The NE-YO number, or so I thought, wasn't a Ne-yo number at all! There they were, sing and dance ala Because of You, Gary V., Kris Lawrence and (drum roll please) DUNCAN RAMOS!!!!!! MY DUNCAN RAMOS!!!!! haha So, March 2, 2008, the Taylaran residence on Marigold Street succumbed to the reverberating shrieks of yours truly and crashed into bits and pieces. Kung sa bisaya pa, ga lanog lanog akong tingog, nabungkag among balay! After years and years, nagpakita ulit si dunx sa akin, doing what he's best at.. "...and it's all because of you..." woohoo!

*The moment the camera's lenses focused on Dunx, my mobile phone beeped twice in succession. 1st message was something like this: Dawn, nasa ASAP si Duncan. Dali! Siyempre, ikaw agad na isip ko kasi alam kong miss mo na siya. (from bea). It has been proven over and over again, me and bea are bestfriends. BEST. :)

The 2nd message was this: Nood ka gud ng ASAP. (from junaidi). I am very blessed to have a guy like him. uyab jud mi. haha Who said the make-believe boyfriend and the real boyfriend can't be friends? haha AHLAVET! :)

operation: let's play with snow

2008-02-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

waking up to a snowy morning is just one of most beautiful things you'll ever experience. thanks to gino's email, i would not have noticed the falling snow. it might have snowed for hours now, i suppose, because the snow's already 2 inches thick. so, i knocked on marianne's door...

operation: let's make snowmen!

my mr. snowman

mr. snowman's family

given the fact that we are newbies to seeing so much white around us.. anything goes.. :)

operation: let's make snow angels!

angel dawnita

angel marianna

and by anything, we mean anything..

dear God,

Lord, thank you for the snow. i'm seeing my childhood dreams right before my very eyes. thank you that i am given this special chance that other dreamers might never ever have. you really never fail to make your children happy. childish as it may seem, but to us who have dreamed of snow all our lives, one snowy day was more than enough. but you made it two. THANK YOU, LORD!

music therapy

2008-01-26T05:13:00.000-08:00

when eating your heart out just makes you feel bloated,

when you ran out of dvds to save your life,

and when everybody else is asleep...

there's always that song in your playlist that does its job.

(currently listening to southborder)

on partying and alcohol

2008-01-25T00:39:00.000-08:00

"will you drink alcohol? what do you want to drink, dawn?"
"anything but not beer... kahlua and milk, then."
"milk? how old are you?"

there's an unwritten rule when attending a party: drink. everybody's doing it, anyway. i'm trying hard to fit in, you know. but please don't take it against me that i don't have the gastrointestinal tracts for alcohol. i won't take it against those who do have them, too. cool na kung cool. but i just came to be with friends.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i just got home from a friend's party (all with alcohol and loud music) and i realized(for the nth time around), i'm no party person, at all. yep, i tried talking to people who come up to me and introduce themselves. but the conversation ended there. i can't make it any more longer than the 30 second "yoroshiku. my name's dawn," drill. i ended up sitting on the couch for as long as i can remember, watching MTV VMA's, eating chips and drinking my kahlua and milk drink made an hour ago, while watching other people pour second or perhaps their third helpings of beer and chatting with themselves. bored, while everybody else had something to do.

i remember one crazy time when we dressed up for a night of partying supposedly with MTV in shibuya. but since we were below 20, we weren't allowed to get in. so we headed for another club instead. when the door opened, there goes the small room, with dim yet flashing lights, crammed with sweaty and drunk people, dancing (dirty dancing?) to the loudest music i've ever heard. our ticket came with a cup of vodka, or so i thought. i got it anyway just to look like i belong. haha we had our little spot in the middle of the dancefloor, me and my friends forming a little circle. for a while i enjoyed the dancing but things changed so fast. here goes a guy or two, slowly dancing their way nearer to our circle. maygawd. why do they have to dance so close to you? worse, why behind you? total panic. it didn't do me good. i was wishing i had my boyfriend there, i'd feel safer that way. but he was not there and i'm freaking out. haha good thing, the club had a separate room for the girls only. a big, muscled guy was guarding the entrance to the room to ensure it remains for girls only. it was my last resort to escape the horrors of the dancefloor. so, i stayed there, sat down, gave my high-heeled feet a break and watched tv for the rest of the night. (or should i say, dawn?).

don't get me wrong, i have nothing against partyphiles. it's their way of having fun. and i've got dozens of friends who looove to party. it's just that i can't get the hang of the mixture of alcohol+deafening music+super close range dancing+strangers (read: drunk strangers) in one room. i enjoy a lot things and i enjoy them with friends; sports, shopping, traveling, eating, etc.

but definitely, partying is not for me.

4 days of happiness

2008-01-24T04:57:00.000-08:00

i've been off for the past weeks. acads here and there, people here and there. blah blah. i can go on ranting for as long as i want. i tried eating my way out of it, finishing 1 chocolate cake roll in 10 minutes, 2 in 30, 15 pieces of mandarins, pringles, bento and peach tea on the sides. All, while watching 24 from sundown until sundown. Oh, hibernation lifestyle in the confines of my humble cave. But it didn't work for me when i thought it would. crazy. crazy.

but the past 4 days have been happy days, thank God. the Lord's rainbow after the rain.

sunday: papa called from home and woke me up at around noon just to let me hear Jay Durias singing the OST of a new teleserye in ASAP. "langit sa 'yong tabi.. la la la la la..." Oh, i love my family. They know how to make me squeal and smile like a fool. good thing, i'll see them real soon and i'm looking forward to it.

monday: the last day of class. i still have a nihongo exam next week though, but it's officially over. yeba!

tuesday: i was an hour late but it didn't matter anyway. we went ice sakting in aka renga, a first time for me. woohoo. 'di ako natumba, infairness. after that, we had ice cream in a store called cold stone,where they sing while they make the ice cream. cute. then, we had purikura and pictorials in MM21. laughtrip and child-like fun. talking about flushing away all the negativity in and around me. it worked.

wednesday: still awake and already 6:30 am, sitting by the sliding doors of my room while watching my last 2 episodes of 24, my eyes caught sight of drops outside. OMG! i've been waiting for this for 19 years! SNOW!!!! i stood there, outside my veranda in my PJ's, a jacket and my camera in one hand, letting the snow fall on my hair which looked liked big flakes of dandruff. haha i stood there, shivering and teary eyed, watching the rooftops change its color from brown and blue to white, watching everything turn to white and wishing it would never stop.

Thank you, Lord.

PS: I placed a bowl outside while it snowed. I have snow water! haha

greetings from SAORI... :)

2008-01-18T04:24:00.000-08:00

My day started out wrong. Walang tulog kasi gumawa ng outline for my ever long report about Mr. Darcy. I had to go to school early to finish it. There goes Dawn, 8 in the morning, walking towards the bus stop. I met Yama there, naghihintay din ng bus. Hi dito, hello dun. Turns out, maaga din siya kasi she still has an unfinished report to do. We were not ourselves that moment, stress just overpowered our usually enthusiastic conversations. Fast forward, we arrived at the station, got into the train, still dull and silent and falling halfway asleep. We reached futamatagawa station and changed trains.

"Dawn! Dawn! Dawn! I have something to show you!"

"Nani ga? Bikkurishita, Yama-chan!" ("unsa man? nakuratan ba ya ko!")

Yama just got lost in the rush hour exodus of people. Next few moments...
She opens her folder and looks for something. She finds it and hands it over to me. I got excited. What could that small paper be?

"My friend got this for me. I'll give it to you. pu re zen to desu."

The moment I saw the word TORAY, I knew what Yama just gave me. An autograph from no less than

木村　沙織　(Saori Kimura)

(FYI: Saori plays as wing spiker of the Japan National Team. She also plays with Toray Arrows in the Japan V-League.)

With a Dawn smile (the smile nung una ko na meet face to face ang Southborder... haha You can imagine.. :) ), I managed to mutter:

"Really?? 本当　に　嬉しい!!!!!! ありがとう!!!

(happy ako masyado!!! SALAMAT!!!)

"Don't smile that big during your classes, ok? hehe"

"*Laughs* arigatou!!!! arigatou!!!! arigatou!!!!"

That made my day start all over again. *wink!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to Yama, i'm craving for volleyball again.. haha Here's a clip of Japan's game versus Poland during the World Cup 2007; 5 sets cramped in 11 minutes.. Japan's most exciting game in 2007, I should say. :) Enjoy!

what shall i call you?

2008-01-16T01:25:00.000-08:00

I'm doing my last and most difficult paper for my Pride and Prejudice class and by way of closing our books, here's a script of the alternate US ending of the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice. Goodbye Darcy. Certainly, vanity, not pride had been your folly.

darcy: and what shall i call you when i'm crossed? mrs. darcy?

elizabeth: no. you may only call me mrs. darcy when you are completely, perfectly and incandescently happy.

darcy: and how are you this evening, MRS. DARCY?

mrs. darcy... mrs. darcy... mrs. darcy...

* Pride and Prejudice. DVD. Universal Studios, 2005

静か　な

2008-01-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

what is with the silence, Nelly C.?
no, i'm not mad nor scared.
i'm not asking why, not judging how
but i am hoping you'd answer anyway.

random. oh so random.

2008-01-10T00:10:00.000-08:00

i just had to write something. bear with me.

i was reading the january 2008 US edition of the marie claire magazine, with a pregnant and a still sexy christina aguilera on the cover. it reminded me of my very first magazine 7 or 8 years ago, with a younger aguilera riding a motorcycle on the cover. how nostalgic. i miss my mags.

i'm a confessed late-bloomer fanatic of 24 and of tony and michelle's twists and turns. sleepless nights are so fun. but too bad my chase edmunds is nowhere to be found after the 3rd season. :(

hi chase! :)

so, they're working hard to make yokohama a creative city. artists and creators who decide to live here get a subsidy based on criteria. that's good. i'd like another walk of yokohama before i leave.

marianne, cris and nami went out for mister donuts after class. i regret i didn't go with them. i realized, i'm craving for a ポン　デ　ドボル　ショコラー. yum.

4 more reports to go and i'm done with my so-called japanese academic life. but still, i don't want to start making them. not yet. lazy dawn. i'd rather play.

and speaking of that, seiko and me are the unbeaten champs in our badminton class. haha. new career. but volleyball will always be my いちばん and numero uno.

i'm still thinking about our high school batch reunion. i really missed a lot of fun. and my bestfriends are planning to get together again soon in manila. i'm dying of envy. again. humanda kayo pag balik ko dyan!

the other day, i had the strong urge to look up for probable med schools in the UK. it somewhat changed my plans. Master course in Medical Microbiology first before of getting an MD. University of Birmingham and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, here I come! :)

i have to go. it's getting late and it's super cold outside. i forgot my jacket. haha good luck scoliotic back. may you not kill me with pain. i've had enough of the it's-a-girls-thing-kind-of-pain yesterday.

room matters

2008-01-07T07:40:00.001-08:00

i feel so good and beaming with pride that i can now show off my room to anyone who knocks at my door...

it had cost me two tablets of mefenamic acid and a day...

hooray. :)

New Year, New Goals

2008-01-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

Yokoso 2008!

Goals to keep me busy with. :)

1) have my lazy tooth extracted.
-it sounds painful but I have to. Dentist's advice.

2) learn how to drive.
-and get a driver's license. I'm way over 18 anyway. haha

3) dance again.
-i regret that i gave up my love for dance when i entered college but
i want to do it again and lose weight on the sides. haha

4) fight for my scholarship key.
-i need a 3.7 this first sem of 2008 to get a key. I don't how I will do it
with 4 majors and a physics class but I will. I should.

5) quality time with family.
-i've been away for a year and i miss them. I've got a lot of catching
up to do. Hear, hear about the Manila trip, ma! hehe

6) take NMAT on december.
-this is the first step to enter medical school. And to get into the best
medical schools, at least an NMAT score of 90 percentile is required.

7) formulate a sensible and feasible thesis proposal.
-the horror of all horrors of college life, secondary to finding a job
atleast. I hope I'll make a good one 'coz a BPI-DOST award is waiting.

8) visit QC.
-It will be my 20th birthday present for myself: to visit QC on my own. And
be with jun and my closest friends for a few days. Hello, Puerto!

*May we all have a blessed 2008! :)

wake up, you sleepy head!

2007-12-30T04:53:00.000-08:00

I've been lazy these past days, with dvd engagements all night until 朝日 shows up and dozing until the last rays are gone.

My day's the other way around. As it has always been. Only worse.
Blame it to oversleeping.

I feel weak and too tired to cook.
Blame it to over sleeping.

My room's a mess for weeks or maybe months now.
Blame it to over sleeping.

I haven't seen the sun for a while now.
Blame it to over sleeping.

I doubt if I can wake up tomorrow in time for our Tokyo trip.
Blame it to over sleeping.

And to 24.

habang atin ang gabi

2007-12-29T05:22:00.000-08:00

had a gluttonous make-your-own sushi dinner..

5 am and still awake..

taking advantage of the free internet.. (arigatou Uchida-sensei)

made a chikka account.. (but nobody replied)

trying to blog my supposed-to-be-sad-but-turned-out-to-be-happy Christmas..
(salamat Mar, Kat, Gino, Ate Cy, Kuya Jayson, Ate Nor and Xiao)

wanting to answer my mom's e-mail..

assessing my 2007.. (a blessed year)

but no luck..

maybe next time..

wondering who'll come to our high school batch reunion tonight..

and thinking of the fun they'll have..

all without me..

hahay..

no more drama of wanting to be home..

in less than 2 months, i'll be home anyway.. :)

but now...

i'll just continue my lazy dawn..

listening to a deadly dose of my musical refuge..

if there is such a term..

SOUTHBORDER..

w/ Jay Oliver Durias at Kanto Bar (Davao Show 2004)

Ginger Bread Christmas Cottage

2007-12-22T07:35:00.001-08:00

Dec. 22, 2007

Today, we made a ginger bread house. Six hours, a tray of home-made apple pie, glasses of peach tea and a Bridget Jones’ Diary movie after, the snow-covered cottage stood up while decorations were being glued on its roof.

A minute or two of that Yatta! and yehey! feeling, the sweet-smelling house collapsed. The meringue a.k.a snow a.k.a glue didn’t do its job well. And, damn gravity. haha

In the end, we had to eat the house, piece by piece.

It’s three more days to an apparently sabishii, no-noche-buena-and-family Christmas but I’ll not be a collapsed ginger bread cottage. I refuse to be one though I’m already on the edge.

Merry Christmas everyone!

panicking

2007-12-05T23:51:00.000-08:00

isang slap-on-the-face moment sa literature class ko nung monday:

-----> we were talking about Chapter 1 of the book The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith when DNA testing came into the subject...

DNA! DNA! DNA!

(..in Dawn's mind..)

Sh*t! What does DNA stand for again???

deoxyri... deoxyrin.. deoxy... what?????????????? .......... acid!

gulay dawn, DNA... DNA... remember.. remember...

................................................................................

a few moments of panicking and scribbling after:

(..written on dawn's notebook..)

deoxyribonucleic acid

there you go dawn.. after what seemed like 48 years for a biology major... shame!!!!!!

reality check: i've been totally blocked out from biology (no books, no lessons, no lectures, no everything!) for almost a year now and given my poorest of poor memory, i have to start getting back on track. Remebering what DNA stood for is my first step. Disaster. Major.

Oh God, help me.

1's, 5's and 12's

2007-11-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

Dahil katatapos lng ng World Cup Volleyball 2007, my mind's still full of volleyball.. hehe
May hang-over pa ako with the volleyball fever, so eto.. I'll give you my list of my best players, coincidentally wearing jersey # 1, # 5, #12.. hehe pero siyempre may ibang exceptions..

1) Taismary Aguero- # 12 of Italy.

Former Cuban star na lumipat sa Italy. The title 'Cuban Star' speaks for itself.

2) Yumilka Ruiz Luaces -# 1 of Cuba

She's one of the few left from the superb Cuban team dati. Veteran kumbaga.

3) Katarzyna Skowronska-Dolata- # 1 of Poland

She's Poland's middle blocker (pero pra skin, she's a better wing-spiker) and was awarded the Best Scorer in the 2007 World Cup.

4) Francesca Piccinini - #5 of Italy

My fave Italian player. Wing-spiker / celebrity. hehe

5) Jelena Nikolic - # 1 of Serbia

Another killer wing-spiker. I don't know much about Nikolic but she's definitely Serbia's main scorer. (FYI: Serbia is this year's European Vice-champion)

6) Miyuki Takahashi -#5 of Japan

Yeba! Yeba! By far, my most most most favorite player in the league! hehe Though hindi siya kataasan (170cm), she has a spiking technique (na hindi ko ma explain in words, sorry) na kahit gaano pa katangkad ang blockers niya, it's either the ball goes out, or makakalusot, in a straight course down the line! woohoo!

I LOVE YOU SHIN! :)

7) Thinkaow Pleumjit - #5 of Thailand

A middle blocker na efficient sa quick sets... in fluid motion.. hehe I'd like to say she's Thailand's it girl and many call her the SCORPION QUEEN kasi my tattoo siyang scorpion sa may shoulder. hehe

8) Saori Kimura -# 12 of Japan

Saori will be the next Japanese volleyball savior. She's still young (21) but she can play a universal position. She's a wing-spiker na efficient sa likod as a receiver and digger and she can block. She's also trained to set and is improving her back row spike. And by the way, siya lang ata ang nagse-serve ng ganong jumping floater sa league ngayon.

--------------------------- syempre may exceptions-----------------------

9) Yoshie Takeshita (# 3 of Japan) is THE setter.

From now on, I will get inspiration from this girl. She is the smallest setter, maybe even the smallest player in the international volleyball scene today, (159cm lng sya). But despite her height, she is by far the best setter of her time. At sa liit nyang yan, nkaka block pa sya ha! hehe

'Di man nakasali ang Russia sa World Cup 2007, thumbs up pa rin ako kina...

10) Lioubov Sashkova Sokolova -# 5 of Russia

She is one of the finest diamonds of the former Russian Head Coach, Nikolai Karpol. Karpol transformed her into a universal player na kahit anong ipagawa mo sa babaeng ito, she will deliver.

11) Ekaterina Gamova - #11 of Russia

Whew! Whoever remembers Ekaterina Gamova will always say, she's the Giant! Standing at 202 cm, she is VERY efficient in blocking. Nung mga starting days niya sa Russian team, she was just a mere higante on the court but she managed to improve and now, she is a universal player too. Penge naman ng height!!!

----------------------------------and of course------------------------------

The Brazilian squad will always be my number 1 team! Sila lang ata ang team na lahat magaling eh. hehe No bias, really. Distributed lahat ng points. Wala silang star player, unlike other teams.I call them "the team of barbie dolls". Simula kay Leila Barros to Erika Coimbra. Ngayon, Shiella Castro and Jaqueline Carvalho.

Leila Barros- # 12

Who will ever forget the Leila mania sa Pinas sa ilang taong pabalik-balik ang Brazil sa Manila?? She really was not all beauty and charisma. She was once Brazil's main man. Too bad, she retired that early.

Erika Coimbra- #11 (# 3 before)

Nang mawala si Leila, pumalit na man si Erika. She's not all beauty too, you know. Isa rin siya sa main spikers and ace servers of Brazil. Sayang lang, di siya naglaro this World Cup.

Shiella Castro- # 13

Hmm... She is, I think, the next Virna Dias.

Jaqueline Carvalho- # 12

Need I say more?? She's Brazil's up and coming volley belle.

The Brazilian Squad at the World Cup 2007 in Nagoya, Japan (silver medal)

(* all pictures are from the FIVB official site)

Goddess of Phone Bills

2007-10-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

Pockets are getting tired of paying more than it could, 43000, for the record. Since then, it has been a monthly mantra, “Never call Pinas w/o THE card.” But what’s a girl to do when the only thing left to lift her spirits up (not even a truffle ice cream nor the biggest platter of sushi w/o wasabi can suffice) is an hour-worth of call, badly wanting to hear news and simply desperate to talk?

For that moment before sleep, a stupid smile is lingering, imagination is dancing and the heart, singing. But then, the next sunny day hears GUILT shouting, finds hopes of a GREEN SONY VAIO crashing, and devises a plan, a serious mode of STARVATION. Then and there, the mantra is recited and meditated upon, again and again.

Yes, the mantra works for a couple of weeks, stopping the itching hand from getting hold of that

BLACK TEMPTRESS

and from pressing on “005345639064881661 + call”. And a couple of weeks it is. That is all it takes to clog up every possible space with the mounting stress, elevated insecurities and even the mere nature of slight depression of not having to talk and hearing news. And with a clog like that, the strongest decongestant sure will have to be taken in. Prolonged suffocation is dangerous; tested and proven. And so…

“Kring…. Kring…. Kring…. Kring… Kring… Kring….”

Oh well, whatever happens at the end of this round and about monotonous clash of alter-egos, whether the GREEN SONY VAIO will or will not set foot on Philippine soil on February or whether or not the telephone company will send a thank you letter for being the “BEST CUSTOMER EVER!”, only the

legendary GODDESS of phone bills know. ;)

beyond comprehension

2007-10-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Immersion with things beyond your comprehension makes you realize how much of the world you still need to know.

My English in Society and Culture subject taught me how language is such a complex matter, and how it functions in the society. Now, I have new terms added to my memory dictionary: decreolization, received pronunciation and inherent variety among the many others. Global Issues class exposed me to the serious problems of the world: from obesity down to malnutrition, city planning to overpopulation, free trade to fair trade, land mines to child labor, and efficient energy consumption to diminishing natural resources, just to name a few. Globalization classes taught me about creative cities and how they were formed and how the employment conditions in some countries change over the years. Literature classes taught me to read books and classics, which I did not normally do. And of course, Nihongo classes taught me a whole new set of writing, vocabulary and grammar to use.

I know it doesn’t have a lot of Science in to it, which I was very used to, but I am enjoying this broadening-my-horizon-of-learning thing. Well, yes, I miss my Biology classes back home. I miss the cats, the frogs and the fishes I open up almost everyday. I miss my professors’ explanations on things like how a jellyfish moves or why dolphins are shaped as they are or why the cacti appear to have no leaves when they actually have. And I miss wearing lab gown, too. But having to take these “deviation from my norm” classes made me feel I have been too focused and devoted to being a doctor and disregarded the other things that matter too. Way back, I never found myself reading history books again or even just the newspaper. I never read other books aside from those Biology ones, what more of those literary greats. So now, when I am asked about how the labor demand is in the Philippines, or why was India separated from Pakistan and Bangladesh after the war, or even a simple question of whether I have read a Samuel Richardson before, I don’t have answers. And yes, it’s hard and embarrassing. But I like the fact that I’m learning new and relevant things, and that I’m starting from scratch. It makes me want to know more.

I know I am left behind, stocked knowledge wise, but I like it that now, I not only know that Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice but Elizabeth fell in love with Mr. Darcy after all; that not only is London the capital of UK but is also a “global financial articulation”, together with New York and Tokyo as well, and that せいぶつがく (seibutsugaku) actually meant Biology in Nihongo.