My Procrastination

Slowly as the pen glided on a blank page, another word stained my imagination.

Like a paintbrush soaked with colors, running on a blank canvass, my mind was lost in those swirls and stokes.

Word after word, they took me to another place. In a place where I can be what I want to be.

But then every story has its own end. Mine has again ended as I placed a dot next to the last word written, signifying another beginning, another pretension, another ending.

As I close my notebook, I let out a sigh and looked outside my window.

Maybe I'll start living my own story, taking everything inside and share them as I go along my own path.

It maybe not an easy trail but then it's my own path, it's my own choice.

Maybe I'll start my life and stop living with many 'what if's' in my mind.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll start.

As for now, let me be. Let me soak the last rays of the sun as another story pops into my head.

Let me open my notebook again and let my pen glide on the blank pages of my sanctuary.

Let me have another beginning, another pretension, another ending.

And maybe tomorrow, I'll start living my life with no 'what if's' tattooed in my soul.

Wala na...

Isa, dalawa,tatlo...

Pumapatak na naman ang ulan sa bubong. Ilang ulit ko ng pinagmasdan ang agos nang tubig na dulot ng mga ulap sa itaas. Nasasalo ng kalsada, patungong kanal. Unti-unti ring gumagawa ng pansamantalang bakas sa salamin ng bintana.

Ilang beses na rin ako umasang ako naman. Ako naman ang mapansin, ako naman sana ang nasa tabi mo. Ako naman sana...

Kailan kaya ako naman ang mamahalin mo?

Masakit ang umasa pero sa huli, wala rin lang. Hindi ka pa rin mapapasa akin...

Isa lang akong patak ng ulan na umagos sa buhay mo. Isa lang akong mukhang pansamantalang nakita at di napansin.

Tama na ang drama. Kain na lang tayo.

Ano?! Wala na?

'Tang Ina! Gutom na ako. Wala na ung noodles. Ubos na.

Sayang. Chicken flavor pa man din yun...

Saan Ka Pupunta?

Saan ka pupunta sa mundong ito kung ang lahat ng lugar na patutunguhan mo ay puno ng maligno na nagpapanggap na tao? Saan ka tatakbo kung sa lahat ng sulok may naghihintay para sunggaban ka at himukin na sumama sa liko-liko nilang pag-iisip? Saan ka pupunta kung sa gilid ng kalsada, nakaabang ang tukso na lulukob sa iyong mundo? Saan ka pupunta kung kahit anong gawin mo, nakabuntot pa rin sila sa iyo?

Tumakbo ka, sumigaw ka, tumalon ka, magtago ka, nandiyan pa rin ang iyong nakaraang ayaw kang lubayan. Pati sa kamatayan ayaw kang iwan. Hahabulin ka pa rin kahit na nailabas mo na ang huli mong hininga. Nandyan sila sa loob ng iyong utak, mga halimaw na iyong nilikha, kahit pumikit ka, nakikita mo sa likod ng iyong isipan ang kanilang mga matang nakatingin sa iyong mukha. Di mo mabura sa alaala ang mga ngiting may ibang kahulugan maliban sa kaligayahan. Magsisi ka man, huli na. ang kapatawaran na iyong hinihiling ay di na mapapasa iyo.

Iwasan mo man, nakadikit pa rin sila sa iyo na parang balat. Alisin mo man ay mag-iiwan ng pilat na siyang magpapaalala sa iyo ng mga demonyong gumagambala sa iyong pagtulog. Tulog ka man o gising, para ka pa ring nanaginip. Parang kang nakalutang sa hangin at nakatingin sa iyong mortal na katawan na tumatakbo palayo ng palayo mula sa iyong mundo. Pero sa iyong paglingon sa iyong likuran, nakita mong di ka man lang lumayo kahit isang hakbang man lang mula sa iyong kinatatayuan. Luminga ka sa iyong paligid at walang kang nakita kundi mga matang nanalilisik sa galit at gutom. Nakita mo ang apoy mula sa kanilang mga mata na di kayang diligan kahit ng iyong dugo na tumatagos mula sa sugat ng iyong kaluluwa. At ang gutom nila ay malalasahan mo sa hanging nakapalagid sa iyo. Pati ang mga diyos at diyosa ay wala nang magawa kundi ibigay ka ng kusa sa mga kamay na naghihintay para paghatian ang iyong laman. Pipirapirasuhin ito hanggang maging singlaki na lang ng abo sa hangin, ngunit ang galit at gutom ay nandun pa rin.

Ito na ba ang mundong nalikha mula sa iyong imahinasyon? Saan ka pupunta upang matakasan ang iyong kahapon? Saan ka pupunta pag ang pintuan sa iyong katinuan ay nakapinid sa kabila ng tulay na di mo makita pati sa liwanag? Ano ang iyong gagawin kung ang akala mong pakpak na binigay sa iyo upang makalipad tungo sa kaligtasan, ay siya ring dahilan upang bumulusok pababa sa kawalan? Ano ang iyong gagawin upang magising sa isang bangungot na siyang pumipigil sa iyo upang mabuhay sa labas ng karimlan na bumabalot sa iyong diwa? Ano ang gagawin mo pag nalaman mong katotohanan na pala ang bangungot na bumabagabag sa iyo? Ano ang iyong gagawin upang makawala sa larawan na naging iyong bilangguan mula pa noong ika’y isang musmos pa lamang?

Ano ang iyong gagawin pag nalaman mong isa ka lang palang larawan na nakasabit sa dingding?

Salamin

Sa kwento ng iyong buhay, ikaw ang prinsesa, ikaw rin ang alipin pero sino ka nga ba? Kilala mo nga ba ang sarili mo? Tumingin ka sa salamin. Ito ba ang tunay na ikaw o isa ka lamang kathang isip na nilikha ng isang makata? Alam mo ba kung bakit ka nandito? Maiiba ba ang iyong pananaw sa buhay pag alam mo? Sa iyo nga ba talaga ang iyong buhay? O kontrolado ka ng mga idelohiyang pinaglalaban mo? Ano nga ba ang tama? Ano nga ba ang mali?

Mga tanong…

Mga tanong…

May katapusan ba ang mga ito? Ano ang iyong gagawin sa iyong buhay para masabi mong talagang iyo ito? Magpapatuloy ka bang mabuhay sa mortal na daigdig o magiging duwag ka at tatapusin mo na ito? Ano ba ang sukat ng ‘katapangan’? katapangan ba ang mabuhay ng patuloy at hamunin ang mundo para ipakitang mali ka nga ? o mas matapang ka na tapusin na ito at harapin ang isang katapusan na dapat di ikaw ang gagawa? Kaduwagan ba ang talikuran ang buhay at yakapin si kamatayan? Ano ang iyong gagawin kung pati si kamatayan ay itakwil ka at hahayaang mabuhay ng patuloy hanggang makita mo ang tunay na ikaw?

Ano ang iyong gagawin upang mawala ang bahid ng dugo mula sa iyong kamay at mukha? Ano ang iyong gagawin upang di mo na marinig ang mga sigaw na nagmumula sa ilalim ng lupa? Ano ang gagawin mo pag nakita mo ang sarili mo salamin ngunit ang nakita mo ay multo na lamang ng iyong dating katauhan? Ano ang iyong gagawin kung nahanap mo ang tunay mong sarili sa iyong anino?

Umiyak ka man di mo na kayang hugasan ang iyong mga pagkakamali. Lumipad ka man upang hagkan ang langit, ngunit nung inakala mong nandoon ka na, natagpuan mo ang iyong sarili sa yakap ng kadiliman. Haharapin mo ba ang multo ng iyong nakaraan o magatatgo ka na lang habang buhay sa likod ng mga kasinungalingan? Paano ka lalaya mula sa iyong sariling kulungan na ikaw rin lang ang lumikha?

Ano ba talaga? Ano ba talaga ang buhay? Ano ba talaga ang kamatayan? Ano ba talaga ang kasiyahan? Ano ba talaga kalungkutan? Ano ba talaga ang pag-ibig? Ano ba talaga kabiguan?

Ang lahat ng ito ay masasagot ng tao pero iba-iba ang kasagutan sa base sa bawat pananaw. Puwedeng ang buhay ay ang buhay na matatagpuan pagkatpos ng mortal na kamatayan. Pwede ring ang kamatayan ay ang araw-araw na pagkukunwari na babalik ang isang taong di talaga para sa iyo. Puwede ring ang kasiyahan ang pagpaparaya upang sumaya ang isang iniibig, kahit na ang katumbas ay habang buhay na pagpatak ng luha. Puwede ring ang kabiguan ay mapapasa-iyo nga ang pisikal na katawan ng taong mahal ngunit ang puso’t isipan nya ay nasa iba.

Ako, nahanapan ko na ang aking sarili. Natanggap ko na ring ang aking buhay ay di akin. Natanggap ko na ring na ang mga katanungan sa buhay ay di nasasagot sa isang iglap lang. nahahanap o nasasagot ang mga ito sa mga sitwasyong ating tinatahak araw-araw. Ang sariling pananaw ay di dapat ipagpilitan sapagkat bawat tao ay may sariling perosnalidad, may sariling paniniwala, may sariling pag-iisip. Ang tao ay sadyang matalino pero nagpapakatanga lamang kung minsan. At inaamin kong ako rin ay may mga katangahan na nagagawa at ikinakahiya sa una pero tinatawanan ko na lang sa kalaonan. Wala akong pakialam kung may paniniwala ka sa Diyos o wala. Respetohin mo ako at ibabalik ko ang respetong ibinigay mo sa akin. Wala akong pakialam kung ano ka sa iyong nakaraan. Tatanggapin kita kung ano ka at kung sino ka. Wag mo lang akong husgahan sapagkat hindi ikaw ang nagbigay buhay sa akin. Kung ayaw mo sa akin, di ko ipagpipilitan ang sarili ko sa iyo o kaya’y baguhin ang mga paniniwala at katauhan upang magustuhan ako ng lipunan.

Ikaw, nahanap mo na ba ang iyong sarili? Gusto mo ba ang iyong nakikita? Kung hindi, ano ang iyong gagawin? Kung oo, ipagpapatuloy mo ba ang iyong kasalukuyan?

Mga tanong…

Mga tanong…

May katapusan ba ang mga ito?

Sa salamin ng buhay, nakita mo ang iyong tunay na sarili. Gusto mo ba ang iyong nakikita?

Ang Karayom: Bow!

As of now, I officially hate cross-stitching. I was doing this cross-stitch thingie because I was challenge by Kuya John, who by the way is my partner in this computer shop where I'm working. He challenged me by saying, "Kapatid, babae ka. Do some cross-stitching for a change." I did and I finished one which was about 4in x 5in in size. HE JUST LAUGHED AT ME! THE NERVE! He said that it is better to make something larger than that. I said, Fine! then went and looked for a pattern in the Internet and found one. Actually, I found several but he chose this.

So I bought the necessary threads, and needle (yap i don't even have a needle for cross-stitching). But my big mistake: I chose a cloth which has small square thingies. It wasn't an Aida cloth, it was a basket weave, according to one of the tenants of the building where the shop is located. Actually, I saw this cloth in our linen closet, and because I don't want to spend another penny for the cloth (because the threads cost P10.50 each. I use DMC by the way), I decided to use it. BIG MISTAKE! I'm having a hard time counting and sometimes, I skip a stitch. GRRRR!!! But I will finish this! Yes, I will! And I will do another pattern but next time I'll choose an Aida cloth. I found a pattern of an angel and I'm planning to use to use a black cloth so that the colors will really pop out.

Question: what's the difference of an Aida cloth and a basket weave?

I remembered doing cross stitch for the first time ( I still have that project), and it was like 16 years ago. I was in grade 4 back then. Yes, do the math and you'll know my age. Oh Hell! I'll just make your life easier. I'm 26 y/o now. Lang hiya, di ko alam ang ginagawa ko (biglang switch sa Filipino) kaya tatay ko ang gumawa. Kakahiya, pero totoo. Tatay ko ang gumawa, pero ung simula lang. Ako na ang nagtuloy nung natutunan ko kung paano. Ang kahinatnan ng aking proyekto: presentable naman pero for the first time, nagkaroon ako ng gradong 75 ng First Grading sa HELE na pang grade 4. Yes people, tumatagingting na 75. Di ko matanggap na 75 ang grado ko sa HELE, hanggang ngayon. Nabasa mo un, Ma'am T--------a? (kung kilala nyo ung class adviser ng Gr.IV Sec 1, nung SY 1990-1991, sya un) Pero natakot din ako baka mapagalitan ako ng nanay ko. Di ko nga matandaan kung anong nangyari nun. It was a blur, 'ika nga sa ingles. Pero natatandaan ko na ung isa kong kaklaseng brusko ang dating, pero ang galing manahi!(Kilala nyo ung panganay at mas maputi dun sa twins na lalaki sa batch namin sa elementary, sya un. Pare, peace!). Huli ko syang nakita ay nung highschool ata un. Pumunta siya sa Andres Bonifacio Elem Para sa laro nila sa basketball. San na kaya sila nung kambal nya na naging kaklase ko nung Grade 6?

Sana lahat ng lalaki marunong para di na lang babae ang natutusok ang daliri ng karayom (Sleeping Beauty, anyone?)

• Random fact:

Alam nyo bang natahi ko ang kaliwang hintuturo ko sa makina nung highschool? Ang tawag dun ay KATANGAHAN. Gumawa ako ng project sa THE IV noon nung naaliw ako sa bilis ng takbo ng makina at di ko namalayang nakahambalang pala ung daliri ko sa "dadaanan" ng karayom. Nung naramdaman ko ng pumasok ung karayom sa daliri ko, "hinila" ko ung kamay ko. Sa isang iglap, tumigil ung makina. Sa una, ang tinignan ko ay ung karayom. Kinabahan ako kasi nakita ko bali. Kaya kahit dumudugo ung daliri ko, hinanap ko ung nawawalang parte. Suwerte, nahanapan ko. Di sya nabaon o naiwan sa daliri. Next: Ung sugat ko. Nakita kong isa lang ung tahi. Minsan lang natusok. Sa gilid ng kuko pumasok at tagos-tagos. Suwerte ulit.

Ang malas: masakit at walang tigil ang dugo.

Ang resulta: Hinimatay ako. un ang comedy dun. Nakita ako ng kapatid ko, pero dahil sa pagkabigla, natulala siya. Kailangan pang sigawan ng nanay namin para lang buhatin ako. And take note: Dalawa pa sila bumuhat sa akin papuntang sofa pero tumama pa rin ang puwet ko sa center table. Tama nga ang sinabi nilang mabigat ang mga nahihimatay. Pero puwede ring talagang mabigat ako. Balik sa kuwento. Nung nahimasmasan ako, pinainom ako ng tubig. Tapos tanong kung bakit? Anong nangyari? Ma, hinimatay ako. Di ko alam kung anong sumunod dun pero, masakit ang kaliwang bahagi ng puwet ko. Bakit ganun? basta napapaupo ako, nadudulas o kung anu man, sa kaliwang bahagi ang tumatama? Natusok ko rin ng needle ng rotring tech pen kong 0.5 ang nasabing kaliwang hintuturo habang inaalis ko sya para maalis ang clog. Pero dahil sa puwersa, naitusok ko rin ang nasabing salarin sa daliri ko. Sa ngayon, may blue na dot ang kaliwang hintuturo ko. Pathetic tattoo! Dot lang?! Siguro, kung nasa kaliwang bahagi ang appendix ng tao, masasabi kong talagang kaliwa lang ang accident prone sa katawan ko. (wala na pala akong appendix. Inooperahan ako para maalis yun nung 7 y/o ako. Pag-usapan natin un sa mga sumusunod kong blog. sobrang haba na kasi ito eh.)

Balik sa kuwento. Nung alam kong makakatayo na ako, bumalik ako sa crime scene.

Nakita ko pa ung baling karayom. Pero wala nang bakas ng dugo.

Tama, pinunasan ko pala yun bago ako hinimatay.

Hmmmm... nasan n iyong extrang machine needle #14? Wala na. Yun ung nabali.

Sayang, di ko matatapos ung shorts na ginagawa ko.

Project mo ba un?

Hindi. Tapos ko na. Gusto ko lang gumawa ng extra na shorts na gagamitin sa ilalim ng palda ng uniform ko...

Sa ngayon, gusto ko pa rin ang manahi. Mapa sa makina o cross stitch man . Kaso, ung cross-stitch na ginawa ko: nalaktawan ko ang 2 linya kaya ako naaasar, at pinamigay ng nanay ko last year ung makina.

Hay.... Sayang. Madami pa man din kaming pinagdaanan. Pati ung daliri ko dinaanan niya. Well, pabili na lang uli ako ng makina kay mama ng bago para masaya. Pero TANDAAN: HUWAG TATANGA-TANGA. Ang tinatahi ng makinang pantahi ay tela at di daliri.(Maliban kung brutal ka at tatahiin mo ung kamay ng kaaway mo sa makina. GROSS!)

I miss you, Zenith. Ang pangalan pala nung makina ay Zenith. Yun ang brand, pero puwede rin natin siyang tawagin Zenith. Ang karayom niya ay Singer Machine Needle #14. At may 3 extrang bobbin sa isa sa mga drawer nya. May tailor's chalk din dun na kulay orange.

Pahabol: (anong ibig sabihin ng PS pala?)

Napansin nyo bang puro nakaraan ko sa buhay ang laman ng blog na ito? Eh mas maganda na un kaysa tsismis tungkol sa mga artista (Buntis na ba talaga si Kris Aquino?) o kaya tsismis ng buhay ng may buhay (ung pusa ng kapitbahay namin, nawala nung isang buwan, ngayon buntis) ...

Offline uli ung Lotto sa building namin. Nasunog/Nasira ung 2 dalawang machine nila. Ilan ba ang machine nila? 2. Sa Tuesday pa darating ung technician nila...

me and kuwaderno

Lotto is now online. They were offline since September 28, 2006 due to the typhoon. So what's the relevance of this fact to my blog? none at all...

Tin just returned my copy of kuwaderno vol. 3, and she just informed me that Eisha has found a new habit: she now has the hang of eating paper. yes, you heard me right. She likes to eat paper. My book has teeth marks on one of it's edges as a proof. Glad that Tin rescued it from those voracious but cute jaws. Again, Tin scolded her saying, "Anak, kaya naman kitang pakainin ng kanin, bakit papel ang gusto mo?" Tin, dalawang taong gulang yan, curious lang siguro kung ano ang lasa ng papel. Di bale, galing yan sa plants, organic. okay yan! (dodging a shoe being thrown at me...oh! chuck taylors! ung isa pa!! Aray! masakit na yun ha! Di bale akin na ito! Takbo, melai! Takbo! Hayyy! I just made my own mini monologue.)

Sadly, she left my 3rd bob ong book, stainless longganisa, and 2 of her Jessica Zafra books that she's lending me at home. Better luck next time...

Random facts

I've been browsing my mails (i have 3 yahoo accounts, 1 hotmail account, and 1 gmail account. Yes, i know i don't have a life), and i came across on this in one of my email accounts

• NICE TO KNOW THIS

1. Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from stop producing tears. Try it next time you chop onions!
2. Until babies are six months old, they can breathe and swallow at the same time. Indeed convenient! (do this now and you'll choke!)
3. Offered a new pen to write with, 97% of all people will write their own name. (I do.)
4. Male mosquitoes are vegetarians. Only females bite. (you go girl!)
5. The average person's field of vision encompasses a 200-degree wide angle. (di totoo yan! ba't di pa rin lumalapit ung eye candy ko sa akin? Hindi, kapatid! duling lang un! kaya limited ang field of vision nya)
6. To find out if a watermelon is ripe, knock it, and if it sounds hollow then it is ripe.
7. Canadians can send letters with personalized postage stamps showing their own photos on each stamp. (siguradong tatakbo ang mga tao pag mukha ko ung nasa stamp. Di dahil sa takot. Dahil hahanapin ako para sa autograph ko. hehehe!! Ang kapal!)
8. Babies' eyes do not produce tears until the baby is approximately six to eight weeks old.
9. It snowed in the Sahara Desert in February of 1979. (kailan na ung dito sa baguio? 1700's?)
10. Plants watered with warm water grow larger and more quickly than plants watered with cold water. (totoo yan)
11. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times. (opps!)
12. Grapes explode when you put them in the microwave. (Oh! did you see the clip on what's going happen if you microwave water? It will "blow" up resulting to serious injuries. water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as: a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc. It is however a much safer choice to boil the water in a tea kettle. )
13. Those stars and colours you see when you rub your eyes are called phosphenes.
14. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. (e di ang laki pala ng mata ko nung bata ako? creepy!)
15. Every one's tongue print is different, like fingerprints. (lika nga, dilaan kita)
16. Contrary to popular belief, a swallowed chewing gum doesn't stay in the gut. It will pass through the system and be excreted.
17. At 40 Centigrade a person loses about 14. 4 calories per hour by breathing. (never mind..)
18. There is a hotel in Sweden built entirely out of ice; it is rebuilt every year. (interesting...)
19. Cats, camels and giraffes are the only animals in the world that walk right foot, right foot, left foot, left foot, rather than right foot,left foot...
20. Onions help reduce cholesterol if eaten after a fatty meal. (pero baho ng hininga pagkatapos. paano na yan? kakailanganin mo ang isang pack ng chewing gum before and after dealing with onions...)
21. The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting. (ahhh... Okay...)
22. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand of the watch And make it look=20 like it's smiling. (ano raw?)
23. The color blue can have a calming affect on people.
24. Depending upon the shade, the brain may send up to 11 tranquilizing chemicals to calm the body.
25. Leonardo DA Vinci could write with the one hand and draw with the other simultaneously. Now we know why his pictures were exquisite!!
26. Names of the three wise monkeys are: Mizaru (See no evil),Mikazaru(Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).
27. The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning it's head are the rabbit and parrot.
28. The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.
29. Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2-6 years of age (kaya pala lampa ang bata)
30. The names of the continents all end with the same letter with which they start.
31. Electricity doesn't move through a wire but through a field around the wire.
32. All U.S. Presidents have worn glasses; some of them just didn't like to be seen wearing them in public. (bisto!)
33. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver,and purple.
34. Raw cashews are poisonous and must be roasted before. (cashew = langka, este, kasoy pala. right?)

Ouch... Nah! That's okay...

That's gonna hurt...

okay, here's a very funny situation I found myself into yesterday. We just got home and my cousin was looking for her house keys when I walked behind her and guess what? I SLIPPED. Yap, I did the whole "whooaa! blag!" thingie. One second, I'm walking towards my cousin, the next second I all I can see is her butt. I contemplating if I'm going to grab her to stop my butt from smacking the ground, but in return have her falling down on top of me. Or just let my behind kiss the floor and avoid risking having more body pains from being pinned down by my cousin. I chose the latter one. I did that while waiting for my butt to make a thudding sound.

And it did. I'm glad I landed on my left butt cheek and not on my hip. And I'm glad that I have a big butt(but not that big), to mitigate my fall. As for now, my butt doesn't hurt but my left wrist hurts a little because I used it to break my fall. BAD IDEA!!!What happened after that? We were laughing our asses of while waiting for someone to open the door. The long lost key in my cousin's bag was forgotten and we kept on laughing on the fate of my good ol' butt.

My mom should had put a CAUTION: SLIPPERY WHEN WET sign at the gate or the sign below will have to do.

before that graceful landing...

Yesterday, around 12 noon, I heard a familiar greeting: "Hey, Bitch!"

Yap. Tin is officially in the house, I mean, in the shop. Christine Marie B. Rivera, aka Tin, is my friend since the 6th grade. She's really a loud mouthed person (yes tin, you are. Admit it) but has a very bubbly personality. And she's an EXCELLENT writer and painter. My works would look like only a child's work when placed side by side with hers...

• the history behind the friendship...

How did I became friends with her? Well, that's really a question we still asked since the beginning. At first, when we became classmates in the sixth grade in SLSC in SY 92-93, I really don't like her. She was very loud, articulate, assertive and a wittle bit intimidating. A complete opposite of my personality. But when we had an "intelligent" conversation later that year, I found out that we have alot of commons. I actually saw a potential friend behind a very "eccentric" person. When highschool came, we were inseparable since then.

Though she has a loud voice, she's mindful of her manners. She knows when to speak and when to listen.

We also have another member of our little clique. Her name is Cherre May G. Magno. She's a nurse and now working in Tabuk, not in Kalinga, but in Saudi Arabia. She's the "emotional" one and the "conscience" of our group. Like Christine, I didn't like her at first. She was very kind, which is kinda irritating for me. Her so-called friends back then were talking behind her back but she just turn a blind eye to it. She always put other people before her that she tend to neglect herself. She's kinda the younger version of Mother Teresa(God bless her soul) and she wanted to be a social worker but due to unseen circumstances, she became a nurse. But she really give really sensible advice when you need one.

• where do the different personalities meet...

tin and me: we love to write. We love taking pictures of sceneries. We like bob ong's books especially ABNKKBSNPLAKO. We love music, we have the same taste of music genre. Each one of us have a younger sibling. We use the 'f' word alot. We wear our wrist watch on our left wrists. We disagree that country music makes you dumb because we like country music (yeah, we do), and we're not dumb, academically speaking. We love to have tattoos (but still don't have any) . We also love to have multiple body piercing. (So far all we have are lousy ear piercing, 4 for me, tin has 3). We love watching CSI. We still live here in Baguio.

che and me: we tend to fall easily. We are crybabies. Our birthday falls on the month of January. We love music, but she's on the RnB side, me on the alternative rock. We know each other since the fourth grade. We're both right handed. We have curly hair. We are both the proud godmothers of tin's daughter Keisha Jhai, who, by the way, loves Kris Aquino.(Why, Keisha anak? Whyyyyy???)

tin and che: their siblings are females. (Tin has one, Kat, and Che has 2, Azenith and Jen) They are fashionistas. They both smoke and drink. Their birthdays fall on the 5th day of their respective birthmonth. They live on the same neighborhood. They don't know how to bake. They sound weird when speaking Ilocano. They love taking pictures of themselves cause they are both photogenics. They know how to put on cosmetics. They don't get pimples. They are the only ones who can get away after calling me "Bitch". And they know alot about the male anatomy, or generally the male gender, che being a nurse and tin as a mom. When they talk about men, I'm like a sponge, soaking everything up, even though I find it kinda embarrassing to talk about it in public. Because of those conversations, my untainted mind is now forest green, or does it have a darker shade of green? I think it's darker.

Our differences: I know how to bake. I have a brother, who is taller than me. Che hates Judy Anne Santos. I love Judy Anne's boyfriend, Ryan Agoncillo, and Tin doesn't give a damn about Judy Anne Santos. Che's lost in the conversation when tin and I talk about Bob Ong. I'm lost when they talk about men. I love to have a bi boyfriend, a former gay is much appreciated, even a gay one (And i'm really serious about this but i think having a gay boyfriend is farfetched). Straight men are just what's the word... I'll get back to you when i have the appropriate word. All i have now is "chauvinist". Tin loves the color orange, I hate it... I don't smoke nor drink liquor. Someone has to stay sober if things got out of hand. But I have to say, I had my first taste of beer was when I was only 4 years old. Hey! They told me it was soft drinks for grown ups!!(Ayna! kinnana dagidiay nga artek nga kainuman ni lolang ko. Ayan da ngatan? Naluto siguro dagi diay ut-utek dan gapu iti arak!) Anyways, moving along. I hate the beach. I easily get burnt. Even if i use a sunscreen. I make my own accessories. Well, not actually make them. I alter them to fit my taste. I'm a homebody. Che and Tin: mga lagalag! I have a vey sensitive skin, that's why i dont use make-up. Che's a nurse. Tin's a business management student. I'm an ECE graduate. Che's working abroad, Tin's a news correspondent (part time), and i'm a shop manager/aspiring writer. I only went to 18BC 3x, Ayuyang once and that's it. Pinanganak ako sa bulubundukin ng Cordillera, sila sa patag. I hate taking pictures of my face (but i think my camphone will beg to differ). And I never had a boyfriend. I'm only the member of the NBSB club among us. NOTE: NBSB = No Boyprend Since Birth

but where do our personalities meet: Each one of us is the eldest child in our respective families. So we can relate to each other's dilemma of being the eldest child. Our siblings are taller than us. We love to eat. We love music, though we like different genres. We love traveling. We talk anything under the sun. We put our families first before ourselves. We love to curse. We love to use the 'p' word. We have eccentric sense of humor. We know each other's mood just taking a look on one's face. And we don't know how to drive a car. We graduated from SLSC in 1993 and from SLSC Girls' High in 1997. We love chicken. (yes, the dead ones. The cooked ones are really in danger of being ravished within minutes after they were served infront of us, particularly by me. But i ravish them demurely). We are easily amused. We love coffee and we love pizza. That's why we love going to Volante. And we are chocolate addicts.

As we can see, we have alot more of differences than what are common. But then those differences makes our friendship interesting. We give each other information regarding what are the latest regarding to our personal interests. Now, I disagree with the sayings "birds of the same feather flock together" and "tell me who your friends are and I'll tell who you are". That's a total crap...

Anyways, if they will learn about my ever graceful landing they will either laugh or frown at me and say: "Yan kasi, tatanga-tanga! Sa susunod, sa kabila naman. Ulitin mo ulit ha!" And sarcastic smile will follow.

That's the way they say, "Sa susunod, mag-iingat ka." Yap, they speak in codes that you have to be with them for a couple of years to know what they really mean...

But I will never have it any other way. I just love them!!!