Wish List

It is sad that Christmas has become a chance for people to value material things than the true meaning of the season it represents. Let us not forgot why we are even celebrating it. Anyhow, I am still making my wish list. ;)

1. Panini maker...sure would love one...really do... :)
2. laptop...I'd like to trade my desktop for a handy dandy laptop...(Santa are you getting this? I've been a good girl. you see...)
3. tv...(do i have to explain? im a self confessed couch potato)
4. ipod--- to replace the one that got stolen...huhuhu
5. nike water bottle...(i just wanted it)
6. bling (dear are you reading this?)
still got more...to be updated...:)

Most importantly, all I want for Christmas is having my family close to me, all healthy and happy. :)

Fishing 101 :)

Went fishing a few months back, just had the chance to blog again though. When I was young, I've gone fishing but kinda just watched as my older sibs and cousins do it. So technically, it was my first fishing trip and got the best lesson from my friend's dad.


The real story was a week before the scheduled fishing trip, we were just hanging out at our friend's house, the usual Saturday poker night, when our friend's dad suggested that we should all go with him fishing. Learn a new hobby and be one with nature. We all looked at each, waiting what to say, smiled and feeling we have no other choice...we agreed, so the following week, fishing it is!

I enjoyed the fishing a lot, though I plan to dress appropriately next time. Shorts and a shirt sure is cool but the sun's rays tend to be a little harsh on the skin...I figured clam digger pants and a fishing hat is a must next time. :)

Things I learned:

• It takes great patience to catch a fish. It's not an instant thing. Usually we just end up feeding them the lures but not actually catching them. :)
• as I have mentioned above, dress to fish...:)
• pick a good spot, have a comfy chair to sit and wait til they bite.:)
• Never give up after a few unsuccessful attempts... :) just like in life...

Interested in a detailed lesson, I found out this wonderful site all about fishing...so take me fishing :)

Friday Fill - ins #91

1. __________ are some of the things I'm most looking forward to in October.

More rains and early Christmas sales are some of the things I'm most looking forward to in October.

2. Sometimes I __________.

Sometimes I dream.

3. __________ and that's why there is a saying, "never say never"!

Quitters never win and that's why there is a saying, "never say never"!


4. When I'm down, I __________.

When I'm down, I simply keep silent and sleep.

5. __________ is where you'll find me most often.

In my room is where you'll find me most often.

6. A rainy day is good for __________.

rainy day is good for farmers.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to see my lovey, tomorrow my plans include going to work and dinner party and Sunday, I want to relax and celebrate my birthday!

Friday Fill-Ins #90

And...here we go!

1. There is no need __________.

There is no need for another fall.

2. Where in the heck did the __________.

Where in the heck did all the money go?

3. __________ is all I managed to do.

Having a little bit of faith is all I managed to do.

4. Prospects for __________.

Prospects for new ventures.

5. __________ is the message.

Silence is the message.

6. Simplicity and tranquility are __________.

Simplicity and tranquility are what I always try to achieve.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to seeing you, tomorrow my plans include spending it with lovey and poker night and Sunday, I want to rest but got to work!

New Rules

bad element

I want to share a friend's story. This would make us extra careful and be very vigilant with our surroundings. Bad elements are everywhere even in our own home.

i have a story that i would like to share. this can serve as a wake up call, a warning to heighten your awareness and a solicitation for your prayers. they say that writing can be therapeutic but as this story is not yet something that i was ready to share to the world, i'll be sharing it to people who matter to me.

last saturday, my whole family was to go to alabang for dinner. we wanted to leave at 3 in the afternoon to visit first my tito's condo. we had to wait for my younger cousins who will be hitching a ride with us to come to our house and they arrived at a bit before 4pm already. my mom, not one to tolerate lateness, decided to go ahead as my tita will wait still for my other cousin to arrive. my mom took her car out of the garage along with my sisters and one of my cousins. i was still on the phone then and my mom did not want to leave without me in her car so they parked in front of our gate, waiting for me. after a few minutes, my mom sent my youngest sister inside the house to tell me to hurry up as they were waiting outside in the car. i told my sister that i will be out in a minute, i just have to go to tha washroom before we leave. as i was inside the guest washroom near the front of our house, i heard the commotion coming from the street. the horn of our car won't stop beeping, my sisters were on the street screaming and from the upstairs, i can hear my tita looking out of our balcony and also screaming. as i saw myself in the mirror go pale, i did not know what to think.. all i know is that something was happening right outside of our gate. i ran from the bathroom to the street, also screaming at i do not know what.

my hands are cold and i am getting chills as i write this now. all fearful thoughts rushed passed my mind as i ran to open the gate. i wanted to hesitate at first for fear of what i would find at the other side of our gate. as my sister's screams got clearer when i reached our garage i thought my knees were going to buckle. i heared her scream, "may baril!!". when i opened the gate, my first instinct was to see if anyone got hurt. and then they pointed at him, an escaping motorcycle rider who had just terrorized my family with his gun to get their bags and possessions right in front of our own home.

it turns out that while my sister was on the way out of the garage back to the car from calling me from inside the house, the car door was unlocked so she can get in the car. this motorcycle parked behind my mother's car after passing them by and making a u-turn as if on afterthought. my mom, was looking at the rearview mirror because she found it suspicious for the driver to stop in front of our house and not take his helmet off. that was when in the mirror, she saw the gun. she started honking the horn, hoping to attract attention and deter the attack. she cannot just move the car as my sister was still outside just about to get in. inspite of the many people on the street and the commotion that was created, he still went ahead, opened the car door. he stuck his head and his gun inside the car through the passenger's side back seat as he got my sister's bag. then he saw the empty front seat where i was supposed to seat and my mom's bag on that floor. he went there and pointed the gun at my mom. my mom, kept her hand on the horn and tried to struggle with him for her bag. she cannot move as she had her seatbelt on. my mom did not realize that she was struggling and realized it a bit too late when she let go of her bag. thankfully, he never fired at her. my sisters have already ran out of the car screaming. as the rider retreated to his motorcycle, my sister, Rica, tried to go after him but he pointed the gun at her to make her back off. him driving off was the only thing i saw when i got out of our gate. after a few seconds, my tita and cousins were also outside the house.

my tita got in the driver's seat of my mom's car and my sister, rica, got in the passenger seat to go in pursuit of the motorcycle to get at least a license plate or a better description of the driver. they caught up with the motorcycle but they cannot go nearer as the driver was prepared to draw his gun again at them. with that, they backed off and decided that it would be safer to give up the chase.

police and barangay reports have been filed about the incident. hopefully, action will be done by our officials to tighten the security around sikatuna village. similar incidents have been rampant over the months but ours is only one of the few reported with a gun. most theft in our area seems to target sikatuna and teacher's village residents. aside from our village being open and our wide streets favorable for driving fast, our surrounding areas are usually depressed areas. though streets are seldom deserted, there is not enough traffic to discourage snatchers and holdappers.

friends, i ask you to include me and my family in your prayers. we are very lucky that no one was physically harmed in the incident. but we cannot deny the trauma that we are all under. my sisters are afraid to go out of the house and none of us are sleeping very well at night. i get up at least three times at night just to look out our windows and check the streets. in time, we will recover but for now, we cannot ignore the fear that haunts us. i look at my family with guilt, thinking that if it wasn't for me, they would not be on the street at that time, open to any danger it may pose. keep the security tight around you and your loved ones at all times. always pray for the safety and protection of you, your family and your friends. i am just thankful every minute that inspite of all that happened, i did not lose any of them.

this is all for now, thank you for reading. it relieved me a lot to be able to write this.

Unconscious Mutterings #294

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Cut the crap :: get to the point or shut up!
   
2. Scent :: flowers
   
3. Vanishing :: ZERO
   
4. Wetness :: soggy
   
5. Cheap :: save up
   
6. Badges :: just a bunch of ids
   
7. Puppy :: my fiona
   
8. Problem solver :: that's me
   
9. Gambling :: addictive
   
10. Sophia :: my niece...:)
    

Second place is better

I've been playing poker with several other professionals every Saturday night and it was just recently that I have luckily been winning or should I say get in the bubble. FYI: "bubble" in poker is when there are only 3 players left each with the 3 buttons: dealer, small blind and the big blind. The poker guys followed the official rules of the world poker tour and whenever the players are in the bubble each has a prize money already with a corresponding official WPT percentages.
For two consecutive weeks now I have been part of the bubble and actually had the chance to win the whole pot only my patience get the best of me. I am known for my patience in the game as I only play premium hands. I believe that it only takes one good hand to win the game. Last week, I tried playing the short stack game and unbelievably I stayed strong until the very last. Last night, well I was already losing hope. There were only four players left including me and I was really short staked with just 2ooo worth of chips in time for the 2000 worth of the big blind. Of course it was an all in game. My hand won with just a pair of deuces on the flop with the rest of the players having only ace or queen high. There my luck and game plan changed. With another deal, I again got really premium hands with pocket rockets (or pair of aces). Another double up hand for me my 6 thousand became 32000. Another deal, I went all in when I got a flush flowers hand with an ace high. another triple up game for me.
That was how I got into the final 3 or more commonly known in our clique as the bubble. I never thought I would make it to that stage. It was really a great surprise for me. My patience took me there but then during the heads up I got too eager when I should have been more patient and waited for a good hand to come. Oh well, next time more patience and no mercy...:)
Still it was fun playing the game with them. :) Second place is better than no place at all right? :)
I took home 500 bucks for that. not bad...

Friday Fill-ins #89

1. I enjoy __________.

I enjoy the rain.

2. __________ is something I wonder about often lately.

The future is something I wonder about often lately.

3. In your heart, you knew __________.

In your heart, you knew you love me.

4. Take __________, add a little __________ and you end up with __________.

Take love, add a little faith and you end up with happiness.

5. Life has gifted me with __________.

Life has gifted me with amazing surprises.

6. __________ is an instant vacation.

A day at the spa is an instant vacation

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to a dinner with you, tomorrow my plans include sleeping til late in the morning, exercise and poker nights and Sunday, I want to sleep and go to church!

Unconscious Mutterings #293

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. House :: comfort zone
   
2. Think :: seriously
   
3. Clot :: blood
   
4. Believe me :: I wanted to
   
5. Fumigation :: mosquitoes
   
6. Bore :: hohummm
   
7. Luck :: being happy
   
8. Patient :: wins/someone to care
   
9. Tremors :: scared
   
10. Pickles :: sour
    

yumyum

Love that banana split...such a treat for the sweet tooth!

Weird Things

Weird things happened to me over the past week.

1. I lost my self-control again...which was not so weird as this is so much of a habit already.
2. For the 2nd time this year, I caught the bouquet at my cousins' wedding. OMG! I think this is the weirdest of all!
   
3. I got lucky in our poker game last weekend. Though, I didn't get the 1st place, 2nd place was oh too good for me already. All I wanted was to be written in the list of the poker players who got in the bubble. :)
   

Friday Fill - ins #88

1. If I was to walk into your life, __would you be happy___?

2. Catch a bright star and place it ___in my heart__.

3. And you can send me __love__.

4. _Sorry_ but I'm dealing with a memory that never forgets.

5. I'm the innocent bystander / Somehow I got stuck __with you__.

6. What's keeping us apart isn't selfishness, _it's us__.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _see you_, tomorrow my plans include _spending the whole day with you_ and Sunday, I want to _hear you say you love me...only me_!

Wrong Move

I knew what I was supposed to do but whenever I get face to face with you all my defenses weaken. I forgot every courage I have built up inside me to ease away from your hypnotizing charisma. Wish I wasn't that weak. In time I knew I would master the art of blocking away your charms and get to reality.
I feel stupid that once again I have given away what my heart truly feels for you. I tried to absorb every word you told me but then again actions speaks louder than words. After a wonderful night together, no phone call...no sms...Did I do anything wrong? I was not over-bearing, or am I?
Wrong move to even entertain you. Wrong move to even feel this way towards you. I have to learn now or I'll forever live in a mistake that I should have corrected from the start.
I'll never allow myself to make the wrong decision again. Never again. never...

Monday's a Bitch

Those Summer Nights
1. What song will always remind you of this past summer?
Good day by Jewel...:)

2. If you had unlimited cash where would you like to get away to spend your summer and what sort of things would you do there?
I'd want to spend it in a far far off place...or maybe not so far...Pagudpud probably and just relax by the beach. just the beach, sand and me. :)
3. If you were stuck on a beach for the summer, how many days would it take you to get sick of swimming,what materials would you use to construct a crude shelter and what random celebrity would you want to randomly show up there and remain topless for your viewing pleasure?

I'd probably get sick when I'm all toasted and got really bad sunburns. :) I have no idea what to use...whatever I see useful for my shelter. bamboos...It wouldn't be so bad seeing Vin diesel or "Scofield"...:)
4.Did you suffer any heat stroke or sunburns this summer?

none
5.Are you looking forward to anything in the fall?

I live in the tropics so we just have summer and rainy seasons. I love rainy season without the floods and other calamities. :)

Unconscious Mutterings #292

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Groceries :: with a list
   
2. Deodorant :: hygiene
   
3. Psychic :: wise guess
   
4. Cherries :: special
   
5. Spooky :: only one left awake at night at the hospital
   
6. Yogurt :: for good digestion
   
7. Kitchen :: food
   
8. Nothing personal :: professional
   
9. Be nice :: what? and im not?
   
10. Delivery :: convenient
    

New Me

I decided that it's time for a makeover...my personal makeover...

1. Learn to play the guitar...on my own! - I figured if I learn to do this then I can do anything. :)
   
2. Find my smile again...somehow erase the constant frown on my face... - I know life is still beautiful. I have to believe that I can be happy again in my own little ways
   
3. Save what I earn - no more unnecessary purchases..
   
4. Focus on my job. Increase my knowledge and skills.
5. Believe in myself more. I can do what others can. I just gotta have some faith in me.
   
6. I have to be sensitive to other people's needs and feelings. As the prayer goes, "Keep me silent when I would speak without patience or pity. Hold back my head when I would do whatever is against thy will."
7. Besides learning how to play a new instrument...I want to learn how to cook and I mean cook a real food. :) starting with the famous Adobo..:)
8. Exercise. :) - need I say more?
   
9. Study study study...share my knowledge and learn from others...:)
   
10. Love myself more. Erase my mind of the miseries and worries that have lurked in it for such a long time. Ease the pain that is crushing my heart. I know that thinking too much won't do me any good.

word salad: Courage to move on

They had been together for many a year,
Now, all she could feel was fear.
She gave all that she could give,
It just wasn't the way she wanted to live.

He left without a backward glance,
Not even giving their love a chance.
She often wonders what she could have done,
To keep him from going on the run.

Now she is living all alone,
With nothing to call her own.
She can barely make herself eat,
Wondering if her life will ever again be complete.

This woman is now moving along,
Building her courage, and becoming strong.
Time will heel her broken pride,
Toward the sunset her heart will glide.

Unconscious mutterings #291

1. Cry :: buckets
2. Stretch :: muscles....patience
   
3. Efficient :: job
   
4. Brunch :: pancakes, sausage and bacon
   
5. Afro :: reggae
   
6. Preheat :: instant
   
7. Delicious :: pasta and pizza
   
8. Global warming :: scary reality
   
9. Actions :: speaks louder than words
   
10. Ride :: luxury
    

Fist size

Heavy pounding even piercing beat of the heart against its cage brought weakness to the whole body and mind.
Thought it was due to the baggages being lifted in the shoulders all this time
then after one meeting with the doctor, it was all about stress. The chest pains, palpitations and difficulty of breathing, those were all true and not just over-reaction. It is real...sickness runs through the whole body mostly through the whole heart. It all felt like it was being beaten several times. Heavy it really was. The hard part was acting like nothing was wrong physically. But the pain is too difficult to ignore. It made everything three times harder than before.
Wish pain relievers could do the trick to ease these ill feeling. Happy pill, think it would do the trick? Think it would ease the pain this fist-size organ is feeling...literally...emotionally...figuratively...definitely one great pain...

Angina

Chest pains...can't breath...hard to think...
frustrated...disappointed...
troubled and lost...
sad and lonely...
hopeful but hopeless...
forgiving but unchanged...
faithful but losing faith...
truth based on lies...
sleepless but sleepy...
tired but still fighting...
stupid and really stupid...
chest pains...chest heaviness...
angina...love is...

Movie Review: The Force is Here Again!

STARWARS: THE CLONE WARS (animated)

Starwars The Clone Wars is set during the war between the Repubde Federation. The Republic seeks a pact with Jabba the Hutt to gain access to the gangster’s trade routes on the Outer Rim. It just so happens that Jabba’s son has been lic and the Trakidnapped, and the Jedi see this as a chance to get in the Hutt’s good graces. They dispatch Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, along with Skywalker’s new Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, to rescue Jabba’s son. Along the way, they discover that something more insidious is at play, and they find themselves caught in a scheme orchestrated by the evil Count Dooku. With the Republic’s success in the war hinging on a pact with Jabba, the Jedi are in a race against time to save the Republic’s chances.

The movie was supposed to be used as a tv series but Lucas films somehow managed to show it to the big screen. Having seen it, critics have a point when they said it should stuck to its original plan of having it on television only. The story felt a little short and it somehow only tried to make an excerpt out of the real movie. The animation was a little boxy and compared to the latest animation films such as Shrek for example this one fell behind. Although, the animators somehow managed to put into picture details of the real characters in the movie. The final verdict of the movie...It deserves a 3 stars.