SuRvEy MaNiA #4

***inspired by Tink

1. In one sentence, explain what ended your last relationship: --- I'm still trying to figure out what happened and why it ended.
2. What made you smile today? --- Some show on TFC.
3. What were you doing this morning at 8 AM? --- Getting ready for work .
4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago? --- Posting entries on my blog.
5. Something that happened to you in 1985? --- I was in 2nd grade.
6. Your prom night? --- Unforgettable.
7. Last thing you said aloud? --- "Maybe tomorrow." (my answer to my sister when she said #8)
8. Last thing someone else said aloud? --- (Timi talking to me) Can we buy mango shake from Chow-king?
9. Worst thing currently on television? --- Calamities everywhere.
10. What was in the mail today? --- No mail today 'coz it's a Sunday.
11. How many different beverages have you drank today? --- Three (Arizona Iced Tea, Diet Coke, and water).
12. What is your favorite part of the day? --- Late afternoon/early evening when it's starting to cool down.
13. Your current To-do list? --- Balance my checkbook, finish my HISC exam booklet, and work out.
18. Least favorite place to shop? --- The "expensive-I can't afford anything they have" stores.
19. Last thing you bought? --- Today's lunch.
20. Last gift you received? --- I can't remember.
21. Funniest thing you heard all day? --- I can't think of any.
22. Favorite mug? --- My UCSB navy blue soup mug.
23. What color is you door? --- Off-white.
24. Beautiful is: --- ME.
25. Describe your keyring: --- Needs new keychains.
26. Where do you keep your change? --- My little chinese coin purse.
27. Say something to your bestfriend: --- Thank you.
29. What was the weather like on your graduation day? --- Very hot.
30. Last ice cream flavor that you ate? --- Vanilla with chocolate syrup.
31. Last rainbow you saw? --- A month ago.
32. Something you are excited about: --- Going back to the Philippines.

SuRvEy MaNiA #3

*** inspired by Caye

[Name 3 schools you went to]
** Holy Rosary Academy
** University of the Philippines
** University of California Santa Barbara

[Name 3 of your dream vacation spots]
** Carribean Islands
** Europe
** Different islands in the Philippines like Bora & Palawan

[Name 3 things in your wallet]
** Checkbook/Checks
** Debit card
** Some IDs

[Name 3 things you always wear]
** Earrings
** Rings
** Contact Lenses

[Name 3+3+3 of your closest friends]
** Irene, Glenda, and Ann (bestfriends)
** Annie, Migs, and Caye
** Mama, Timi, and myself

[Name 3+2+7 favorite songs] lately…
** Stickwitu (Pussycat Dolls), So Sick (Ne-Yo), If You Were Mine (Mario Hernandez)
** Lost Without Your Love, Like We Never Loved At All (Faith Hill)
** Home (Michael Buble), At Last (Etta James), Breath (Faith Hill), Will Of The Wind (J. Photoglo), Everything You Do and The Way You Look At Me (Christian Bautista), and Patience (Guns N Roses)

[Name 3 favorite places to shop]
** Express
** Forever 21
** Bath and Body Works

[Name 3 THINGS you love to do]
** Cook
** Read books
** Sleep

[Name 3 of your favorite color]
** Black
** Red
** Brown

[Name 3 foods you love]
** Pork Ribs Sinigang
** Kare-Kare
** Pad Thai

[Name 3 recent expenses]
** Tons of books
** Some jewelries
** Purses

[Name 3 of your favorite cartoon/fictional character]
** Lara Croft
** Neo
** Harry Potter

[Name 3 goals in 2006]
** Lose weight.
** Save some money for school.
** Visit the Philippines.

[Name 3 plans for next week]
** Look for a better job.
** Go to Pista Sa Nayon in V-town.
** Work out.

[Name 3 things you're going to do in an hour]
** Eat.
** Watch TFC.
** Read & answer my HISC exam for work.

[Name 3 words/phrases you like to use a lot]
** Yeah, right!
** Oh, really?
** Sh*t!

[Name 3 things you didn't like last year]
** I gained weight.
** I hurt someone dear.
** My dad got very sick.

[Name 3 things friends do to u very often]
** Love me.
** Listen to me.
** Communicate as much as they can.

[Name 3 things u do when you're sad]
** Cry buckets of tears to release the pain.
** Sleep to forget it.
** Eat a lot to recover the energy lost. (daw!)

[Name 3 things you do when you're happy]
** Smile 'coz I'm happy.
** Eat out or cook.
** Go to the mall.

SuRvEy MaNiA #2

* survey inspired by Sai from friendster

THE WHO'S:
Who is in the room with you? --- mY TiMi.
Who was the last person to IM you? --- gLeNdA.
Who did you last talk to on the phone? --- MoM.
Who's house did you last go to? --- MrS. JeWeL's.
Who was the last person you told you love them? --- TiMi.
Who gets on your nerves the most from your school? --- d "RnBs"

THE WHERE'S:
Where do you go to school? --- DoNe WiTh ScHooL FoR NoW.
Where is your phone? --- iN mY PuRsE.
Where is your mom? --- aT wOrK.
Where do you sleep? --- TiMi'S RooM.
Where do you shop the most? --- FoReVeR 21, ExPrEss & RoSS.
Where did you get the shirt you're wearing? --- K-MaRt.
Where did you last take a car ride to? --- MrS. JeWeL's HoMe.
Where in your room are you? --- bY tHe StuDy DeSk.

THE WHAT'S:
What was the last thing you ate? --- SiNiGaNg Na BaNgUs.
What color pants are you wearing? --- DiStReSSeD JeAnS.
What is the closest item near you that is blue? --- TiMi's LiTtLe PrAyiNg DoLL.
What do you like about school? --- LeArNiNg.
What are you wearing on your feet? --- I'm BaReFooT RiGhT nOw.
What instant messaging service do you use? --- YaHoo.
What is your favorite color? --- ReD, bLaCk, & BrOwN.
What is your favorite website? --- My bLog (LoVe YoUr OwN).
What is your favorite shoe brand? --- SkEtChEr'S.
What do you wear more: jeans or skirts? --- BoTh.
What is the last movie watched? --- Da ViNCi CoDe.
What do you currently hear? --- RaTeD K on TFC.

THE WHY'S:
Why do you have a friendster? --- To Re-CoNNeCT WiTh oLd FriEnDs.
Why do we have to go to school? --- To LeArN aNd GrOw.
Why are your best friends your best friends? --- JuSt BeCaUsE.
Why are people labeled (like emo, goth,prep etc.)? --- BeCaUsE iT's iN oUr NaTuRe To StErEoTyPe oThErS.
Why do the people on the news repeat the same stuff over? --- BeCaUsE ThEy WaNt To EmPhASiZe a PoiNt.
Why is everyone obsessed over the Olympics? --- I'm NoT!

THE WHEN'S:
When did you start school? --- 1982. PrEp ScHooL.
When did you meet your best friend? --- SiNcE wE WeRe KiDs bUt We DiDn'T BeCoMe FriEnDs TiLL HiGh ScHooL.
When is your birthday? --- 23rd oF AuGusT.
When did you last go to the mall? --- LaSt WeeK.
When did you last buy a new pair of pants? --- MoNtHs AgO.
When were you last at school? --- 2001.
When did you last see your dad? --- A FeW MiNuTeS aGo.

SuRvEy MaNiA #1

If you're bored and you know it, clap your hands! (inspired by Patty from Friendster)

1. What kind of first impression do you think people get when they first see you? *** Kind.
2. What's one thing you like to do alone? *** Taking a shower/bath.
3. What is your favorite line to say when you're drunk? *** I don't have one. I am allergic to alcohol and I won't even attempt to get drunk.
4. How many drinks do u need before you get tipsy? *** A sip.
6. What kind of books do you like to read? *** Romantic, inspirational, controversial, and Grisham-like kind reading materials.
7. Do you think you're cute? *** Nope, I am beautiful (o, laban ka!).
8. Do you have a problem changing clothes in front of your friends? *** I don't think so.
9. What do you eat when you raid the fridge at night? *** I don't usually do this but if I do, it will be something light.
10. Describe your bed. *** Comfortable.
11. Spontaneous or planned? *** Both.
12. Do you know how to play poker? *** Not really.
13. What do you carry with you at all time? *** My cellphone, checkbook, ATM, car keys, lipstick, body spray, and a pen.
14. What do you miss most about being a kid? *** Being free (from all earthly stress/desires), innocence, truth, and simpleness.
15. Are you happy with your given name? *** I'm ok with it.
16. What color is your bedroom? *** Off-white.
17. Have you ever been a player? *** Never!
18. Do you like yourself and believe in yourself? *** More often than not.
19. Do you consider yourself to be a nice person? *** Sometimes, too nice for my own good.
20. Do you spend more time with your girlfriend/boyfriend or your friends? *** I am away from both. And I think I am boyfriend-less by now.
21. What's one thing you wish you could do but can't? *** I wish to be in the Philippines right at this very minute but can't.
22. What is your ideal wedding location? *** An old Philippine church with a very long aisle to walk on.
23. What's one instrument you wish you could play? *** Drums.
24. What's one language you want to learn? *** Chinese.
25. Have you ever pierced your body parts? *** Just both ears for single earrings.
26. Do you have any tattoos? *** Never. What if I regret getting one? So, it's a definite no.
27. What's one trait you hate in a person? *** Arrogance.
28. Do you consider yourself materialistic? *** No.
29. What do you cook best? *** Kare-kare, and pot roast.

LosT WiThOuT YoUr LoVe

originally released by Bread

lost and all alone
i always thought that
i could make it on my own
since you left
i hardly make it through the day
my tears get in the way
and i need you back to stay

i wander through the night
and search the world to find
the words to make it right
all i want is just the way it used to be
with you here close to me
i've got to make you see

that i'm lost without your love
life without you isn't worth the trouble of
i'm as helpless as a ship without a wheel
a touch without a feel
i can't believe it's real...

and someday soon i'll wake
and find my heart won't have to break
yes, i'm lost without your love
life without you isn't worth the trouble of
all i want is just the way it used to be
i need you here with me
oh darlin' can't you see...

if we had love before
we can have it back once more.

JoUrNeY To EvErEsT

As Herecleo "Leo" Oracion proudly announced it, via satellite radio on May 17, 2006 at 3:30pm Nepal time, "The Philippine eagle has landed at the summit of Everest." At this great hour, Leo Oracion became the first Filipino to reach the highest peak on Earth. And in a matter of 14 hours, our Philippine pride was duplicated, as Erwin "Pastour" Emata, became the second Filipino to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.

Truly, Leo and Pastour are "World-class Filipinos." We, Filipinos, spread around the globe, are very proud of you. We pray in unity for your safe journey back home. God bless you and the rest of the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition team. May this inspire more great achievements by Filipinos for our beloved, the Philippines.

**********************

"Everest should be approached with respect.

On Sagarmatha (Nepalese name for Everest),

you do not race against anyone.

It is between you and the mountain.

If she allows you to the summit, you are lucky.

You should never say you will conquer her,

because in the end she will always win."

- Pastour Emata,

lifted from Ninascoops,

published on the www.philstar.com, 05/18/06

************************

In a few days, another Filipino, Romeo Garduce, will hopefully achieve the same feat as Leo and Pastour, as he becomes the third Filipino to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. God bless you, too, Romeo!

Be PoSiTiVe!

"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results."

-Anon, lifted from Jolie Magazine 2006

MoThErS (e-mail forward)

This is a truly BEAUTIFUL piece. Please read this at a slow pace, digesting every word and in leisure... do not hurry... this is a treasure.

For those of us lucky to still be blessed with our Mom, this is beautiful. For those who aren't, this is even more beautiful. For those who are moms, you'll love this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children, "A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."

And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today, I 've given them strength."

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light. " And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."

And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates." And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: "We cannot see her but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence."

Your Mother is always with you.... She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street; she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks; she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop. She's the place you came from, your first home; and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space... not even death!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there especially to my Ma! Thank you for the unconditional love. You are my hero! I love you with all my heart and soul.

iNsPiRaTiOn: Maya Angelou

• "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
• "We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."
• "You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don't make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off you."
• "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."
• "My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return."
• "Most people just get older, and they find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, choose personal preferences in drink, have the nerve to get married and have children, and they call that growing up. That's not. That's getting older."
• "Nothing will work unless you do."
• "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
• "All great achievements require time."
• "There is nothing so pitiful as a young cynic because he has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing."
• "If you don't like something change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."
• "I don't know if I continue, even today, always liking myself. But what I learned to do many years ago was to forgive myself. It is very important for every human being to forgive herself or himself because if you live, you will make mistakes- it is inevitable. But once you do and you see the mistake, then you forgive yourself and say, 'well, if I'd known better I'd have done better,' that's all. So you say to people who you think you may have injured, 'I'm sorry,' and then you say to yourself, 'I'm sorry.' If we all hold on to the mistake, we can't see our own glory in the mirror because we have the mistake between our faces and the mirror; we can't see what we're capable of being. You can ask forgiveness of others, but in the end the real forgiveness is in one's own self. I think that young men and women are so caught by the way they see themselves. Now mind you. When a larger society sees them as unattractive, as threats, as too black or too white or too poor or too fat or too thin or too sexual or too asexual, that's rough. But you can overcome that. The real difficulty is to overcome how you think about yourself. If we don't have that we never grow, we never learn, and sure as hell we should never teach."
• "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, however, if faced with courage, need not be lived again."
• "Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage."
• "While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation."

~~~ quotes by Maya Angelou ~~~

WiSdOm: Deepak Chopra

• "The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers."
• "Human beings are made of body, mind and spirit. Of these, spirit is primary, for it connects us to the source of everything, the eternal field of consciousness."
• "With spirit we are all children of the cosmos; Without it we are orphaned and adrift."
• "In our imaginations we believe that love is apart from us.Actually there is nothing but love, once we are ready to accept it.When you truly find love, you find yourself."
• "To have passion, to have a dream, to have a purpose in life. And there are three components to that purpose, one is to find out who you really are, to discover God, the second is to serve other human beings, because we are here to do that and the third is to express your unique talents and when you are expressing your unique talents you lose track of time."
• "You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices."
• "The secret of attraction is to love yourself. Attractive people judge neither themselves nor others. They are open to gestures of love. They think about love, and express their love in every action. They know that love is not a mere sentiment, but the ultimate truth at the heart of the universe."
• "When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities."
• "Tune into the presence of miracles, and in an instant, life can be transformed into a dazzling experience, more wondrous and exciting than we could even imagine. "
• "Even when you think you have your life all mapped out, things happen that shape your destiny in ways you might never have imagined."
• "In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you."
• "You alone are the judge of your worth, and your goal is to discover infinite worth in yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks."
• "There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in."

  ~~quotes by Deepak Chopra~~

WoRdS To LiVe By

• "Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence." ~~Aristotle
• "To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness." ~~John Dewey
• "Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure, there your heart; where your heart, there your happiness." ~~Saint Augustine
• "Paint the walls of your mind with many beautiful pictures." ~~William Lyon Phelps
• "The world in which you live is not primarily determinedby outward conditions and circumstances but by the thoughts that habitually occupy your mind." ~~Norman Vincent Peale
• "Every generation finds it hard to hear what its children need --- because its chidhood is still ringing in its ears." ~~Ellen Goodman
• "Considering life's brevity, we should travel abundantly, with great enthusiasm." ~~Peter Megargee Brown
• "What a man thinks of himself, that is what determines, or rather, indicates, his fate." ~~Henry David Thoreau
• "What lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do." ~~Aristotle
• "To live content with small means; to seek elegance rathen than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony." ~~William Henry Channing
• "Blessed is he who expects no gratitude, for he shall not be disappointed." ~~William Bennett
• "There is no coming to consciousness without pain." ~~Carl Jung
• "People cultivate five thousand roses in a garden... and still they do not find what they seek... and yet what they are seeking may be found in a single rose or a drop of water." ~~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• "A random act of kindness spreads like wildfire because all of us respond to love. Love your life." ~~Blake Foster
• "Life is a series of moments. Each moment should be welcomed in joy and relinquished in joy." ~~Deepak Chopra
• "You may delay, but time will not." ~~Benjamin Franklin
• "Feel the dignity of a child. Do not feel superior to him, for you are not." ~~Robert Henri
• "People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." ~~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
• "Nothing is more revealing than movement. Actions do speak." ~~Ogden Nash
• "The most important thing about getting somewhere is starting right where we are." ~~Bruce Barton
• "We all find time to do what we really want to do." ~~William Feather
• "If you do not express your own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself." ~~Rollo May
• "No human being can really understand another, and no one can arrange another's happiness." ~~Graham Greene
• "The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it." ~~George C. Scott
• "I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself." ~~Mikhail Baryshnikov
• "There is an essence of the divine in all living things. And each person is literally a microcosm of the universe." ~~Gloria Steinem
• "There is just one life for each of us: our own." ~~Euripides
• "You can never step in the same river twice." ~~Heraclitus
• "Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be." ~~Grandma Moses
• "We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes." ~~John F. Kennedy
• "You've got one life to live. It's short, at best. It's a wonderful privilege and a terrific opportunity --- and you've been equipped for it. Use your equipment. Give it all you've got." ~~Norman Vincent Peale

~~~ lifted from "Things I Want My Daughters To Know" by an inspiring author, Alexandra Stoddard ~~~

LiKe We NeVer LoVeD aT aLL*

performed by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw

You never looked so good
as you did last night,
underneath the city lights,
there walking with your friend,
laughing at the moon.
I swear you looked right through me.
But I’m still living with your goodbye,
and you’re just going on with your life.

How can you just walk on by
without one tear in your eye?
Don’t you have the slightest feelings left for me?
Maybe that’s just your way
of dealing with the pain,
forgetting everything
between our rise and fall
like we never loved at all.

You, I hear you’re doing fine.
Seems like you’re doing well
as far as I can tell.
Time is leaving us behind,
(time – leaving us behind)
another week has passed
and still I haven’t laughed yet.
So tell me, what your secret is
(I wanna know, I wanna know, I wanna know)
to letting go,
letting go like you did,
like you did.

How can you just walk on by
without one tear in your eye?
Don’t you have the slightest feelings left for me?
Maybe that’s just your way
of dealing with the pain,
forgetting everything
between our rise and fall
like we never loved at all.

Did you forget the magic?
Did you forget the passion?
Oh, and did you ever miss me,
and long to kiss me?
Oh baby, baby.

Maybe that’s just your way
of dealing with the pain,
forgetting everything
between our rise and fall
like we never loved at all...

*Could any other song best describe how I feel right this moment? I think this one sums it all up. A text message I encountered also says what I feel, "Di madali maghintay, di rin biro and magmahal. Minsan akala ko s'ya na, akala ko okay na... pero namalayan ko na lang, dumaan lang pala s'ya sa buhay ko para saktan ako... ng minsan pa."