meet my dad

my dad's in maui, hawaii right now, attending the Haggai Institute Training. he just learned how to upload pictures from his new digicam, so he sent these pics as proof of this new "skill' :D

he's the one on the left, with a South Korean delegate

yes, he's the one in pink. :D

we've been exchanging emails these past days and i told my mom she should learn how to use the internet already. i also told her how i find it weird that dad and i are corresponding in English. wonder of wonders! we're 100% capampangans! hehe :) I guess location does that to you. hihihi ;)

wala lang talaga

is it too late for wish lists? :)

Top 10 Things I WANT (as of writing)
in RANDOM order (is there such a thing?)

1. a macbook pro (who doesn't lust for one?!)
2. a new cellphone (stuck with the old one till august)
3. a new cd/mp3 player (still have to check on the specs i want)
4. a day at the spa (i think i NEED this)
5. a new hairdo (or hair cut, maybe)
6. a salary raise :D (I NEED this!)
7. dinner in a fine dining resto (without spending for it haha)
8. an out of town vacation (escape! bora? hmmm...)
9. a house and lot (preparing for single life?!)
10. healing for my cousin, ate Malou (hala, serious!)


ayun. wala lang akong magawa. bow.


the Lord's answer to number 10 came last Friday. Ate Malou is now with Him, peaceful and free from all the pain brought about by cancer, and the world. We praise and thank the Lord for her life, and for the many ways she has blessed us. We will miss her, but we are happy for her. Praise God for the joy of salvation. :)

da atak of da "KA"

AKO:

Kuya, 29 ka na! yak, u'r old! :p sabi nila, maturity comes wt age, pero sa case mo, hmmm... nauna c maturity. ;) thanks, 4 being MY kuya, kaibigan, kapatid,kapamilya, kabarkada, ka-opisina, kakulitan, kabangayan, kakwentuhan, kakampi, atbp. :) hulog ka ng langit. :) at nawa sa bday mo, maramdaman mo kung gaano ka kahalaga. I rili appreciate u kuya, as a person. Hehe :) nawa lalo ka pang i-bless ni Lord. Especially sa aspeto ng... Health. *wink,wink* :P

KYALEKS:

*sniff sniff* salamat, kakosa :)

AKO:
Haha :p walang anuman, kalabaw, kalapati, kambing, kalachuchi, kalamansi, kampupot, kalabasa, kamatis, atbp. Hihi :)

KYALEKS:

Ka...lahati! :)

AKO:

Hahaha! Grabe, naiyak ako sa katatawa! Fangeth, inubo pa ko! D tuloy agad ako nakareply! Hihi :) makakaganti din ako, pagtapos na ng bday mo! Hehe :)


KYALEKS:

Last na... Ka-piraso! :) peace! Nyt glads :)

AKO:

Meron pa! Kapiranggot! Hehehe :) tseh! :p nyt, kyaleks, njoy ur bday. :) palalampasin ko ang kalapastanganang itoh! Hehe :) sha, nyt. :) hapi bday ulit. :)

watch-and-you'll-know-why :)

this caused me a month-long (almost!) LSS. :D

and yes, you can sing along! the lyrics are also available. *wink,wink*

Went-worth it!

Maybe because it's February
Or maybe 'cause of peers
But I can't ignore that probably
It's just because it's me.

Anything that's Wentworth Miller
Anything that bears his name
Anything I hear about him
Is just so interesting

I laugh when I'm reminded
Of how teenagerish it seems
A crush or infatuation
But who cares! I'm fine with it.

With his stare that's so intense,
his smile that's oh so MAN,
his presence that's so commanding
he'll drive them all to trembling.

Oh, yes, I know it's childish
but see, I needed this.
a break from all that stressed me
to giggle free with glee.

Oh, Wentworth, Wentworth, Wentworth!
That con from Prison Break!
What've you done to this li'l lassie
And made her feel like crazy!

tanong lang

sige nga!

paano mo malalaman pag "this is it" na?!

and the long wait is over :D

after our choir practice last Sunday afternoon (Pampanga), I went straight to SM Megamall to meet my roomies, Nez and Ate Liezl. We roamed around, and I bought "something funny" for the monito-monita in the office...

We had dinner at 'OHANA (a Hawaiian resto) and ordered the luau that's good for four! Yes, we were a bit hungry. ;)

some Hawaiian words ;)

the wallpaper

the luau

The food was yummy, the ambience pang-family, and their jingle? Let's just say, it gave me the LSS (last song syndrome)


"Ohana means family, every one is family at 'Ohana, 'Ohana...



******
But that's not all, folks! I have a good news for all the friends who helped me with my STICKERS. :D Your labor is not in vain! At long last, I got my STARBUCKS planner! :D

I was tired from the trip, and the window-shopping, but I can't help but rejoice after receiving the long-awaited, longed for planner. Ehehehe :)

There was just one tiny problem: My name was once again misspelled! :(

FYI: My name doesn't have an apostrophe!

P.S. Thanks Te Liezl for the pics :)

uhmmm... ;)

"ayos ba?"

-- RJ Jimenez

ehe-ehehe-ehehehe :D

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bagong gupit!

ayun na nga po ang nangyari, dahil sa paanyaya ni ate beng na subukan ang salon sa tapat ng bagong building namin (na may sine-serve na free iced tea!), nagpagupit kami pareho! ehehe :)

at dahil alam naming di na katulad ang "look" kinabukasan, kinailangang ipakita na sa mga "workaholic officemates" na nasa opisina pa pagkatapos namin sa parlor, ang "bago" naming buhok! at na-gandahan naman sila... takot lang nilang magbigay ng di kaaya-ayang comment!

pero eto lang nadiscover ko: mas ok palang maging makulit sa parlor kesa tahimik lang at seryoso! hehe :) andami naming nadiskubre sa "top hairstylist" na gumupit sa amin! mostly, nakakatawa... kesyo dati daw syang lalaki, at nakalimot mula nang ma-aksidente sa motor... nagka-amnesia sya kaya nya nakalimutang lalaki sya! hahaha :D pero kahit ganon, award-winning ang lolo(a)h mo! syempre, naikwento nya ang mga competitions na sinalihan nya...

at sa palagay ko, tama sya. winner talaga sya. walang kaduda-duda, lalong lumutang ang kagandahan namin! as in! bwahahaha! ;D

at dahil naaaliw ko na ang sarili ko, at ayoko nang malaman pa ang sasabihin nyo sa curly hair ko, di ko na lang i-popost yung pic na pinakuha ko pagdating sa office. dyahe naman sa inyo pag inaway ko kayo sa blog ko. hehehe ;)

ayun, na-share ko lang... wala lang. ;p

so pano na? ingat kayo!

(shut up, ningning!)

(isa ka pa, dap!)

(ate beng, wag ka na hihirit! ;p)

(pigilan mo sarili mo, kyaleks!)

(uhm, gracie... wag na.)

bagay ba sa kin ang kulot? ehihihi ;p

disiplina

mahirap kalabanin ang sarili...

 

 

pero kaya.

caffeine fasting

ate beng: chocolate
kuya aleks: softdrinks
and for me: coffee!


ate beng: due to a daily chocolate feasting since January.
kyaleks: due to an evident addiction to Coke (coca cola po ha)
me: due to a two-mugs-a-day intake of brewed coffee in the office.

ate beng: a personal decision.
kyaleks: a dare.
me: a dare to the dare.

ate beng: will be done on april 7
kyaleks: will start on april 5
me: will TRY to start on april 5.

ate beng: about to be successful
kyaleks: thinks he'll be successful
me: uhmmm... HOPES to be successful

Oh, Caffeine! Oh Caffeine!
because of the love of caffeine!
We all have to endure such pain,
But hopefully there'll be something to gain.

randomly sensible [i hope!]

i want to write something about an interesting journey i've been to lately. i want to let the whole world know of what's going on but i can't seem to gather my thoughts just yet. still sifting through what's bloggable or not, can't let myself give in to telling ALL the details. there must be something left for me... and me alone. can't share them all... this has to wait.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

so what do i do? what do i write and share with you?

well... i 've been sad. sad because i saw myself going back to my “stat days”. days when i was apathetic to events around me. days when i didn’t care about anything the world thinks is “important”. days when I was Apathetic and selfish.

days after the news about the GloriaGate cds, I found myself alone and crying. I cried to the Lord for my country. why are all these things happening? Love for country must not be the “in thing” right now. selfish motives and political agendas have been prevalent to many of our leaders in the government. I saw hopelessness, the devaluation of the peso, the distrust of the mass, the difficulty of living in this world, our temporary dwelling place. and I saw no one, absolutely no one, can make the situation better. surely only the divine hands of my God can heal the cancer of the Philippines.

Lord, heal our land. Father, heal our land. Hear our cry and turn our nation back to You.
Lord, heal our land. Father, heal our land. Forgive our sins and heal our broken land.

Every time this song comes to my mind, it Kindles in me a Sense of patriotism, and hopefulness. Somehow, it comforts me. Because I know that my Father is in control and He knows exactly what He is doing.

We must all come together and pray.

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hay. sad ba ang mood? :) happy naman!

I’ll be another year older on the 19th. I’m sure happy kayo! Not just because you know me, but also because it’s another proof of God’s faithfulness and goodness. :)

Wishes, wishes, wishes… Hmm… the list will be long. [ehehe] Twill be another post. But for now, I sincerely wish and pray for PEACE.

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si karl

si karl.

housemate ko.

si karl,

musikerong talentado.

si karl.

makapal ang mukha.

si karl,

at si ricky reyes, iisa.

a-hahaha! :)

si karl nga. tama. :p

family picture

seated: ningning, eson, bijoi, me! standing: k.jojo, te amy, k.romel

twas an attempt to be an artista ;)

taken at PowerBooks, Greenbelt 4; launch of Dr. Harold Sala's books

a bit late to post, but who cares? :) i like this pic. :)

takot

a friend asked me "bakit ka takot?". i replied with "takot saan?". yun. maraming bagay...

sa palaka. kailangan pa bang imemorize yan? nakakatakot naman talaga sila eh! sabi kasi sakin meron daw palaka na dumidikit sayo... at mahirap matanggal. ayun. di kinaya ng imagination ko. hehe ;)

babaw nito. yoko na tuloy ituloy. ayokong isipin ang mga takot ko. madami eh chaka baka pag tinuloy ko pa, mapahamak ko sarili ko! ehehe ;)

nek tayms na lang. pag kaya ko na. hehe :D meantym, try ko nang matulog.

ilusyon?

“waaaah! kasalanan ‘to lahat ni gracie!” was the first line in my monologue early this Friday morning as I sat on my swivel chair. Bakit ba naman di ko yun sasabihin eh sya ang nagpahiram sakin ng isa na namang novel ni Lori Wick!

Waaaah!

it all started with Ukay Bookay [ang pinakamalaking SALE sa OMFLit bookstore tuwing June]. I was able to buy Lori Wick's Kensington Chronicles [4 books] sa napakababang presyo! di ko na sasabihin kung magkano para di kayo mainggit. pero pramis, best buy yun!

i spent long hours reading each novel. book 1 till the fourth, walang palya! ang galing galing kasi nyang magsulat! kuha ang bawat emosyon, at mapipicture mo talaga kung ano ang nangyayari sa istorya. you will find yourself moving with the characters, living in the eighteen hundreds… loving and admiring the “bidas”, and hoping someday, somehow you will meet someone like, in my case, THE GUY. bakit naman kasi sa mga nobela, ang gagaling ng mga bidang lalake! well, may mga flaws din naman sila pero kahit anong mangyari,lumulutang talaga yung mga positive traits nila, even yung mga ginagawa nilang efforts that make the ladies feel protected and secure. hay, buhay! pero ang maganda dito, may mga lessons na matututunan... mga principles about the matters of the heart na di tinuturo sa paaralan, teachings na galing sa Bible. mga basics, non-negotiables, na minsan di natin nabibigyan ng halaga or deliberately ini-ignore natin.

later in the evening while having dinner at Galleria, we, my besti and i, realized that in one way or another the love-story novels we've read in college made us picture the "ideal man". he must be so and so, he must be blah, blah, blah. ayun, characters sila sa nobela! fiction o drawing sa totoong buhay at tila di na ata nag-eexist at ilusyon na lang!

medyo di kami natuwa. hehe ;)

naalala ko tuloy, ningning [ang masiba sa kanin] and kuya ed warned me against the negative effects of reading lovestory novels. dahil nga we have the tendency to compare the real-life guys with the fictitious knights-in-shining-armor. [eh sa totoo namang wala na talagang ganung lalake sa mundo eh! hmmm... ay! meron pa nga pala! pero taken na sila! bwahaha!] at dahil inaaway ko sila pag di sila "perfect" tulad ni Cash sa City Girl or ni ___ sa ____. hehe ;) not to mention the fact na masarap silang asarin. hehe ;)

i have to admit na may point sila. unfair namang i-expect na maging sila yung mga charaters sa nobela. "bakit di kayo ganito, bakit di kayo ganon..." parang natatabunan tuloy ang magagandang characteristics nila... mambobola na ba ako? hehe ;) si kuya ed, mega-responsable yan. priority talaga ang pamilya. si ningning naman, well, inosente daw. ayun. yun lang. bwahaha! kidding aside, thoughtful at always ready to help sa abot ng makakaya.

yeah, may effect naman talaga sa minds natin yung mga binabasa natin eh. kaya dapat careful tayo. pulutin ang dapat pulutin... Read good Christian literature ;)

natanggap ko na naman yung katotohanan eh. nagising na sa ilusyon. kung sino man ang naka-laan, meron man o wala, naniniwala akong yung da best NYA pa rin ang mangyayari sa nobela ng buhay ko. HE has given me life, and I will enjoy it to the full.

when you start to realize that these guys around you are works in progress, and that God is working in their lives, molding them, you'll see that they are also THE GUYS in their own novels. yun nga lang, di sila ang bida kundi yung AUTHOR ng buhay nila.

pero bakit ko sinisisi si gracie? wala lang. hehe =) nagsimula na naman kasi akong mang-asar... *grin* buti na lang naka-leave si kyaleks kanina. naaway ko na naman siguro sya kung nagkataon. hehehe =) peace! ;)

tanong

if you were given the chance to ask me just one question, what would that be?

come on ask me. ;)

REHAB

Rehabilitation – The act of suppressing one’s self from an addiction.
Example: Uy, pare! Musta na rehabilitation mo? (Wow, helpful ang sentence! Hehehe)

I was “asked” (read forced) by a friend to blog about his rehabilitation program. His addiction? Well, nothing serious. He is just “mildly” addicted to a “friend”. He’s texting this “friend”, thinking about this “friend”, emailing this “friend”, chatting with this “friend” and doing all means possible (hmm, a bit exaggerated ata, but you get the point, right?) of contacting this, well, again, “friend”. (Oh, my! This sure is fun! Wehehe!)

Would it be rude to drop my friend’s name, knowing that he visits this blogsite often? Would it be “unfriendly” to tell you the name of the so-called “friend” he is “addicted” to?

(sigh)

Such power! Hahaha =) Pilitin nyo ko, sasabihin ko! Hehehe =)

Controlling yourself from doing something you really, really wanna do is really, really hard. It takes mega-efforts to undo what habits you already formed in your system. I can only imagine how hard it is for him now… rehabilitating… But why in the world is he undergoing this “rehab”? Ok, I’ll tell you… (This is the part where you will hear the noticeably loud “halakhak”)

It all began with an introduction by a common friend… Then some occasional unplanned meetings, polite invitations, and…Wait! I might not be able to control myself! Baka masabi ko na taga-ganitong church yung girl, na ka-age nya, nagwo-work sa --- hehehe =) panic na sya at this point in time, so in order to make sure that I’ll be able to attend our retreat in Banaue and Sagada this weekend, I’ll keep the details to myself muna. *blink blink*

Anyways, bakit nga ba nya kailangang mag-rehab? Well, it’s because he wants to, and because he HAS to. He has to focus on what at this point in time is most important and urgent. Ayusin muna ang sariling buhay bago guluhin ang buhay ng iba, dabah? Hehehe :) And he wants to do things one step at a time, parang staircase yan eh, dabah? :)

I think that is something admirable about him. (Abah! Nagbabasa na sya ngayon ng books namin! Dapat lang unti-unti syang matuto! Hehehe) He knows na how to discipline himself, and somehow be accountable for how he feels and what the “friend” thinks and feels at the same time. Responsible citizenship? Hehehe =)

Siguro lang, I’m just happy to see him enjoying his life, doing the things he is passionate about, and well, reading our books! :) kaya kung asan ka man ngayon, know this: kahit paano, proud ako sayo. ;)

My FUNny Valentine

Last night, I had a date with this very cute guy. The GUY surprised me with love songs. He sang every song, every lyric from his heart… “No more talk of darkness, forget these wide-eyed fears, I’m here. Nothing will harm you. Those fears are far behind you…” (Or something like that) Needless to say, I found myself comforted by each song. His voice is so sweet yet so strong. And the way he looks at me… gosh! Melted me like ice cream under the sun! Aaaaahhh… Am I still smiling? I guess I am... =)
I wish that evening never ended… If there really is a cloud nine, I was there. Floating and dancing with outstretched arms…

Waaaah! Sino ba namang di kikiligin don?! Hellllooo? Ano ako bato?! Shempre ninamnam ko bawat minuto! Hehehe =)

Sandali lang. Bakit parang di ka naniniwala? At anong ibig sabihin ng smile na yan? Hmmm? Nangyari yon, noh!

OK, OK… That was partially true (and half-imagination). =) Well, you can’t blame me! That’s exactly how I felt when I heard Christian Bautista sing at the Mandarin Oriental. Two angels named Beng and Aileen surprised me and Bijoi (well, she already had an idea what we’re gonna do so that leaves me and only me clueless) with tickets to Kuh Ledesma and Christian Bautista’s Valentines concert… (Right, the smile is still glued to my face.)

I have always thought that I’m observant and that I know how to come up with reasonable conclusions. I can’t explain why during that day, February 11, 2005, I was afraid to think. I was afraid to expect. An officemate told me he thinks we’re going to Regine Velazquez and Pops Fernandez’s concert. And I replied with “Sana Gary V na lang or Christian B… pero sa Glorietta kami eh! Girls’ Night Out daw. Di ko lam gagawin namin pero sabi ni Kyaleks, 2 years ko daw tatalakan sarili ko pag di ako nakasama. Hehehe” I didn’t want to think, I didn’t want to expect… para siguro di ma-disappoint. (Takot ang lola mo.) Anyways…

Di ko na kukwento mga detalye from the dinner sa Sbarro at ikot sa mall. Mabilis pangyayari eh… Basta, sa totoong buhay, magaling ang tactics ng dalawang engels namin.. Diversion! (Sabi nga ni Legolas) Di ko napansin ang tarp ng concert nung nasa tapat na kami ng hotel dahil sa itinurong building sa other side. Pati yung poster na malapit sa entrance dahil may tinurong restaurant na masarap daw ang pagkain, and we should try the place sometime. =) (Ashus! Hehehe =))

Di ko napigilan ang sarili kong kiligin at first. You know naman, nag-try akong magpaka-demure. (Pero di ko pala mashadong kaya. hehe). Isa lang naman reklamo ko. Ang mga audience dun ay parang tuod na di gumagalaw! Iba lang talaga siguro ang pag-appreciate nila ng songs ni Kuh and Christian (o diba, close?). They were just sitting there, holding their date’s hands.. chuva! (Great! mang-inggit daw ba?!) Habang ako, well… maganda. =)

Di ko na nabilang ang dami ng kanta. Di ko na matandaan kung ilang beses nagpalit ng gown si Kuh Ledesma. Basta ang alam ko lang, andun ako, habang kumakanta si Christian Bautista! (By the way, dalawang beses lang shang nagpalit ng polo. Grayish yung una, reddish yung pangalawa. At naka-black sha na coat and pants at shiny ang shoes!)

So ganun na nga po ang nangyari. (for more details, visit ate beng’s blogsite hehehe). Nahiya pa nga akong sumigaw ng “More!” eh. Effort talaga yun for me.

Nakasakay na kami sa taxi pauwi, kinikilig pa ko. Hirap itago ng smile. Hehe =) Hindi pa ko nakatulog agad pag-uwi. KAILANGANG malaman ito ng mga housemates ko! Hehehehe =) At gaya ng inaasahan, they’re happy for me. (and I guess, nakulitan din sila. Sowee. Hehehe)

Thank you Ate Beng and Ate Aileen. “What a pleasant surprise!” is the biggest understatement of the year! (My year, that is. Or years maybe)
Hanggang ngayon, naka-smile pa rin ako. =)

Wisdom Tooth

Walang nagsabi sa akin na masakit pala tubuan ng wisdom tooth! Nabagabag ako sa buong araw, iritable sa paligid, konti na lang ay maasar sa buong mundo! Ang hirap pala pag unti-unting nadadagdagan ang edad. Kaakibat ay mga pagbabagong minsan ay nagdudulot ng saya, minsan naman ay sakit. Ang sakit talaga!
Naisip ko tuloy, masakit din ba ang pagdating ng wisdom sa totoong buhay? Malamang oo... (wisdom tooth nga lang, masakit na eh! =)) marami munang pagdaraanan bago matamo ang wisdom na inaasam... maraming pagsubok, maraming aral. Pero ganun pa man, patuloy pa rin ang pagsusumikap... patuloy ang pagtakbo ng buhay... patuloy...hanggang matamo ng tuluyan.