kamikazee'sjay contreras marries in paco park cemetery with a black motiff

randomness.

• am loving the photoshop brushes i've been downloading. tnx to marco for this.
  

• am back to reading non-stop. last saturday i read khaled hosseini's a thousand splendid suns.great book. =) next on my reading list are books by gabriel garcia marquez.
• my mind self-destructs whenever i think of work.sheesh.
  
• i bought colorful paper clips and thumbtacks.yey!
  

i paid Php554 for a roundtrip ceb pac ticket to cebu!

we've finally booked ourselves to a roundtrip ticket to cebu!

so if any of you guys want to spend your summer to cebu and bohol (yes, we're also heading to bohol!woot! ), book your tickets now.sale period is until feb. 24th, while the travel period is from may 1-dec31. just make sure you choose the lowest available fare, and make sure you tick the go lite fare too.

****

oh, so we have until the first week of may to plan our trip!and if any of you guys have previously visited cebu, please share some ideas for a good itinerary.we plan to divide our time between cebu and bohol, flying on an early saturday morning and heading back to manila on tuesday. =)

de quiros again :)

Why Mike Arroyo is not Jesus Christ

HIS enemies want to kill him by making him appear in the Senate hearing in his fragile state, says Mike Arroyo. (Which makes his enemies out to be patriots in the eyes of the public, but that’s another story.) He says further that having been named in one scam after another doesn’t make him monumentally corrupt, it makes him monumentally persecuted. When his wife took on that tack, a congressman ventured to say that his wife was just like Jesus Christ. Without waiting for another congressman to say the same thing about him, I hasten to write this piece.

Mike Arroyo is not Jesus Christ because:

JC is the Second Person in the Holy Trinity. FG is the First Gentleman in the Unholy Couple. JC’s riches are not of this earth. FG’s riches are out of this world. When JC was born, a bright star shone in the sky, and the Three Wise Men followed it offering gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn. When FG was born—or so the rumor goes—the skies dimmed and the Three Wise Men wrapped their gold, frankincense and myrrh in sackcloth and hid it in a deep well.

JC told his disciples, “Leave all your possessions and follow me.” FG tells his countrymen, “Leave all your possessions.” Before JC began his public life, he went to the desert to fast, and there he was offered by the Devil all sorts of temptations, all of which he refused, rebuking the Tempter, “Be gone from me, accursed one.” Before FG began his public life, he went to the Nevada desert to live fast and there was offered by the Devil all sorts of temptations. I for one refuse to believe the canard that he replied, “Ain’t enough.” If Joey de Venecia is to be believed though, FG has his own version of “Be gone from me, accursed one,” which is, “Back off!”

When JC saw the temple invaded by all sorts of merchants and hustlers, he became furious and flailed at them, shouting, “My temple is a house of prayer, but you have made it into a den of thieves!” When FG saw Jun Lozada testifying at the Senate, he became furious and railed at him, shouting, “My temple is—feel free to supply what you think it is—but you have made it into a house of prayer!”

JC said “Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God’s what is God’s.” FG says, “Give unto me what is mine and to Pidal what is Pidal’s.”

JC had by his side to comfort him Mary Magdalene, a woman who might or might not have been retired from the world’s oldest profession but who possessed a heart of gold. FG has by his side Miriam Santiago, a woman still actively engaged in the world’s oldest profession (lawmaking of course, what did you think?) and who possesses a heart that ticks violently like a Geiger counter when it senses gold.

When JC entered Jerusalem, the people lined his path waving palm fronds and shouting joyously, “Hosanna! Hosanna!” Before FG announced he wasn’t attending the hearing, people were lining up his path to the Senate, their shoes untied, preparing to throw them in his direction shouting, “Here’s your welcome kiss, you dog!” JC was betrayed by Judas Iscariot for 30 pieces of silver. FG is protected by Congress for more than 30 pieces of silver, taking into account inflation over the last two thousand and nine years.

When JC was arrested, his best apostle, Peter, denied him three times, saying “I do not know this man.” He was vastly sorry afterward and went on to become a martyr. When FG was accused, his best apostle, JPE, who denied Erap three times when he was arrested, recognized him three times, saying, “I know this man, he is the husband of the woman I once goaded the Erap crowd to sugod sugod” (repeat three times). JPE was never sorry afterward and went on to become richer.

When JC was brought before Pilate, Pilate washed his hands clean, telling the crowd, “You be the judge of this man.” Even before FG was brought before Miriam, Miriam washed her hands clean, telling the crowd, “This man is innocent.” When Pilate asked the Jews to choose whom to save, Barrabas, a known thief, and JC, an innocent man, the crowd chose Barrabas. If a judge ever asks the Filipinos to choose whom to save, Lozada, a penitent man, and FG, use your imagination, the Filipinos will choose, well, they’re not beyond being bought. For nailing down JC to the Cross, the Jews were condemned by heaven to wander the face of the earth. For refusing to nail down FG—and GMA, and before them FM and FVR and Erap—to the Cross, the Filipinos have condemned themselves to wander the face of the earth.

JC was crucified between two thieves. FG will be crucified between two honest men.

Breathing his last on the Cross, JC cried out loud, “Consummatum est, it is done.” Breathing his first outside the Senate, FG laughs out loud, “Ayos na, it is done.” JC died and was buried; on the third day, he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. FG was taken ill and brought to St. Luke’s; on the third week, he rose from his bed, in which direction he went I leave the reader to divine. JC left the care of his truth to the epistlers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, making them the bedrock of revelation. FG leaves the care of his truth to Miriam, Joker and Juan, making them the fountainhead of obfuscation.

Though innocent, JC took upon himself all the world’s sins and thereby saved humankind from divine retribution. Proclaiming himself innocent, FG has put all the blame on the world, thereby saving his hide from worldly prosecution—for the time being.

JC was lean and mean, so to speak. FG is not very lean and, well, I leave the De Venecias, father and son, to speak the rest.

at dahil bored ako...

**********FOOD-OLOGY***********

1. What is your salad dressing of choice? – thousand island
2. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? – shakey's.. daming childhood memories jan :)
3. What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of? – pasta!
4. What are your pizza toppings of choice? – mozzarella.yun lang masaya na ako :)
5. What do you like to put on your toast? – cinnamon :)

***********TECHNOLOGY***************

1. How many television sets are in your house? - 1
2. What color cell phone do you have? - black
3. Do you own a laptop? - yes
4. Do you own an ps3? - no
5. What kind of cellphone do you have? - nokia

***********BIOLOGY******************
1. Are you right-handed or left-handed? - right handed
3. Have you ever had any surgery? nope
4. How much do you weigh? nxt time i fly seair id check :)
5. How tall are you? - 5'4"

************BULLCRAPOLOGY**************
1. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? -- yep
2. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? -- KALA, its a hindi name meaning "attributes, virtues" (that is my anti-thesis.im not virtuous.haha)
3. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? -- i loooove everything spicy :)
4. How often do you fart in a day? -- powtek nman oh. *embarrased*
5. When was the last time you ate something raw? -- just last weekend
6. How many pairs of flip flops do you own? - 4
7. Last time you had a run-in with the cops? – never had the chance :)
8. Last person you talked to? -- rache
9. Last person you hugged? -- lolo charing 
10. Last person you said "f*** y** too? –- that guy over there ----->

**************FAVORITOLOGY****************
ang corny naman nito.amfufu. :)

1. Favorite season? rainy days make me go senti..and want to sleep.hehehe.
2. Favorite holiday? june 12th! hahaha.
3. Favorite day of the week? friday :)
4. Favorite month? june 
5. Favorite brand of chocolate? -- i never liked chocolates.

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************

1. Currently missing someone? -- hmm.
2. Current mood? -- sleepy
3. Currently listening to? -- paramore
4. Currently watching? -- house :)
5. Currently worrying about? -- data processing stuff

***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************

1. First place you went to this morning? --  bathroom
2. What's the last movie you saw? -- dont ask.its been decades ago.
3. Do you smile often? -- yeah.this is my kind of smile these days: 
4. Do you always answer your phone?  -- when it's not from the boss.hahaha.
5. It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? -- driver, looking for me.
6. If you could change your eye color what would it be? -- purple para bonggang bongga!
7. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? –- 
8. Do you own a digital camera? -- no 
9. Have you ever had a pet fish? -- we have a flower horn 
10. Favorite Christmas song? -- i never liked christmas songs 
11. What's on your wish list for your birthday? -- a graduate scholarship :)
12. Can you do push ups? -- hell yeah 
13. Can you do a chin up? -- op kors!
14. Does the future make you more nervous or excited? -- excited :)
15. Do you have any saved texts? -- isa lang
16. Ever been in a car wreck? -- no
17. Do you have an accent? -- pangasinense, according to zyrus 
18. What is the last song to make you cry? -- hello (ogie alcasid)
19. Plans tonight? -- eat.continue reading The Kite Runner
20. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?  -- yes
21. Name 3 things you bought in the last week -- pan de manila's spanish style white chocolate, post it notes, hexaplus fineliner 
22. Have you ever been given roses? -- yep
23. Current worry? -- data processing nga eh.
24. Current hate right now? -- my phone :(
25. Met someone who changed your life? -- uhmmm.
26. How did you bring in the New Year? -- with a warm cup of chocolate topped with marshmallows and herb and garlic pasta.
27. What song represents you? -- drive (incubus)
28. Name three people who might complete this? one from multiply and 2 from facebook i think. :)

29. What were you doing 12 AM last night? -- reading
30. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? -- anong oras naaaaaaaaahhhhh? 

at dahil jan, im tagging everyone who is on my frnds' list! :)

a great farmer is laid to rest...and his widow cracks a joke

lola charing, after getting over crying for 6 hours:

"o, nag-asawa ka na ba?"

hindi pa po eh...

"ano ba yan!baka maunahan pa kita niyan?"

nyahaha.landeeee. =) 

pera o kaligayahan

peyups.com

Contributed by nescafe_ice13 (Edited by arwen)
Monday, November 03, 2008 @ 04:47:30 PM

Nag-away kami ng nanay ko nung isang araw.

Ang topic? Pera. Nanghihingi kasi siya nang pambayad sa planstadora, at walang maibigay ang tatay ko, dahil 'di pa daw suweldo. At siyempre, dahil nagtatrabaho na 'ko, sa akin siya humingi. Nagkataon namang 'di pa rin ako sumu-suweldo, at malapit nang maubos ang ni-withdraw kong pera.

Kaya kalaunan, nagreklamo siya dahil kulang daw ang binibigay sa kanya para pang-budget sa bahay. Kesyo daw gipit siya sa pamalengke, pang-grocery at pambayad sa kuryente, tubig at iba pang bayarin. Kesyo daw na kami 'yung nagta-trabaho, kaya dapat nagbibigay kami sa bahay. Kesyo kami daw 'yung maraming magpalaba at magpa-plantsa. Kesyo daw dahil mahina ang exports (kung saan nagta-trabaho ang tatay ko), hirap na kami.

Medyo uminit na ang ulo ko. Sabi ko, nagbibigay naman ako nang hinihingi niya (ako kasi ang sumasagot ng tubig at panggrocery). Natigil lang kasi ngayon lang ulit ako nagtrabaho. At ako ang sumasagot sa pang-tuition naming magkapatid. Tutal, nakakaluwang naman kami.

Alam niyo ba ang hirit ng nanay ko? Kasi daw 'di ako kumuha ng trabahong mas malaki ang kita.

**********

Simula nang nagtrabaho ako, hindi naging issue sa akin ang kikitain ko. Actually, ipinangako ko 'yun sa sarili ko. Ayokong maging pera ang dahilan ng pagtanggap ko sa isang trabaho. Mas gugustuhin kong kumuha ng trabaho na magagamit ko ang pinag-aralan ko (at kung mapapabuti pa 'ko nito), at kung may magagawa akong kapaki-pakinabang. Career growth over compensation, kumbaga.

Tutal, 'di naman ako nahihirapang maghanap ng trabaho. Salamat sa degree kong mula sa UP at ilan sa mga extra-curricular activities, astig ang dating ng resume ko. Okay din naman ang mga employment exams at interviews ko, kaya madali sa aking makakuha ng trabaho.

Naniniwala din kasi akong kasabay ng career growth at prestige na sinasabi ko, darating din 'yung compensation. Sabi nga ng tatay ko, bata pa ako. Experience muna ang habulin ko bago ang suweldo. Handa din naman akong maghintay.

Pero mukhang 'yung mga nakapaligid sa'kin, hindi.

**********

Noong nag-a-apply ako ng trabaho, marami din namang nag-interview sa'kin. Hanggang ngayong may trabaho na 'ko, may mga tumatawag pa sa'kin. Isa dito ay isang istasyon ng telebisyon kung saan ni-rekomenda ako ng tiyahin ko bilang researcher. Tinatawagan nila ko para mag-exam. Siyempre, paano ko naman sisiputin 'yun, kaya sabi ko 'di ko alam kung kailan ako puwede.

Kinukuwento sa'kin ng tiyahin ko kung ano daw yung mga perks and benefits ng trabahong 'yun. Kesyo daw may free make-over, pa-kotse, bonuses, at mga complimentary passes pa sa mga restaurant, pelikula at concerts. At makikita mo pa at magiging ka-close ang mga artista.

Meron ding isang kumpanyang bahagi ng industry ng tatay ko na kumuha sa'kin. Dito daw, pag nag-travel ka, pinakamalapit na ang Hong Kong. Puwede ka pa daw makarating ng Amerika. Syempre, malaki din ang suweldo at ang opisina sa Makati. Yuppie talaga ang dating mo. Pero tinanggihan ko lahat 'yun.

**********

Ayaw lang siguro iparinig sa'kin ng nanay ko, pero siguro iniisip niyang baliw ako para tanggihan ang lahat nang 'yun at tanggapin ang trabaho ko ngayon—sa isang ahensya ng gobyerno, sa 'di naman kalakihang suweldo at gipit na oras, pero napakalaki naman ng pagkakataon for career growth at prestige, mabilis ang promotion, at instantly marketable pa sa ibang international organizations.

Iniisip niya sigurong baliw ako dahil mas pinili ko ang maglingkod sa bayan kaysa ang bulsa ko. Na mas pinili ko ang magkulong sa isang opisinang badbad sa burukrasya kaysa makipagbeso-beso sa mga artista, maging yuppie at kumita ng malaki.

**********

Pero anong magagawa ko? Dito ako masaya. Masaya akong paglingkuran ang bayang nagbayad ng tuition ko bilang Iskolar ng Bayan. Masaya ako sa dito sa trabaho kong nabibigyan ako nang kalayaan ng oras at panahon. Masaya ako at nakakatulong ako sa pagbuo ng mga paraan para umunlad ang mga mas hirap at maliliit pa sa akin.

Sana lang, dasal ko, maintindihan 'yun ng nanay ko.

june 29

Hi, hello, its nice to see you again,
I didn't quite expect this..
I don't know what to say,
Seems so strange to see u standing there
Thought u left forever now u reappear
Yes I know its been a long long time
and yes we left on a sad one note
that let two has said goodbye
but here we are my heart beats once again..
is this a new beginning what can I say
well hello…..

Seems so strange to see u standing there
thought u left forever now u reappear
Yes I know its been a long long time
and yes we left on a sad one note
that let two has said goodbye
but here we are my heart beats once again..
is this a new beginning what can I say
Well hello..

Yes I know its been a long long time
and yes we left on a sad one note
that let two has said goodbye
but here we are my heart beats once again..
Is this a new beginning what can I say
well hello…..

the kind of monday that i ditched long ago

am writing this in naia's terminal 2, waiting for my flight to cotabato. the day started out pretty nice, we took the sctex so we were already in manila in two hours. beat that?

and then its monday, manila-style. i got stuck in traffic for two hours.sheesh.felt like going back to ecija so soon.

back at my workplace, mondays are stress-free.

this is one of the reasons why i would never trade working at the countryside.

she is so ugly!

Have you ever talked face to face to your personal hell on earth? I just did.

I came to her in my usual bubbly mood, greeting her a nice morning, eager to talk. And then came the first blow.

“I can’t talk to you right now, I’m busy.”

So I said, ok I’ll come back later this day na lang.

And then the tongue-lashing started.

She accused me of a lot of things. Most of them stupid assumptions. She just lashed out without even asking me the details. Important facts that would’ve given her the light. But she chose to be a devil.


Have you ever seen someone whose soul was burning in hell even before her Master called her in?




The person I saw had a very ugly face. Scarred, with emotionless eyes. When she opened her mouth to speak it smelled rotten.

would you understand what I meant if I said I was only human?

"It's the safest time of day for us," he said, answering the unspoken question in my
eyes. "The easiest time. But also the saddest, in a way… the end of another day, the
return of the night. Darkness is so predictable, don't you think?" He smiled wistfully.



"Don't you see? That's what proves me right. I care the most, because if I can do it" — he shook his head, seeming to struggle with the thought — "if leaving is the right thing to do, then I'll hurt myself to keep from hurting you, to keep you safe."

I glared. "And you don't think I would do the same?"



"You'd never have to make the choice."




--- twilight

it's sad to belong

"yes its sad to belong to someone else
when the right one comes along..."

thought of this song as i struggled to keep myself from getting more depressed than i already was this morning. the painful reality hit me. i am no longer happy with this part of my life. and then suddenly, unexpectedly, something came along. something oh-so-perfect... that it tore the very thin line that is binding me to my present. this was something i wished for... i actually didn't think something like this existed, or something like this is within my reach.. i can almost touch it. it came to me at a time when i am so disappointed with the situation im in. it is a great escape to my frustration.

but alas, i cant embrace it.. at least for now. you see, i am already committed with my present. a commitment that i was forced to make. i remember saying that we should make the situation work for us, no matter how difficult. we should not let the situation dictate our lives. we should be the one in charge.

and so this morning i made a very painful decision to let it go... i made a commitment to my present and i will stick to it.


no matter how unhappy i would be.

i cant disappoint the people who trusted me. there are special people in my life who are counting a lot from that promise i made.

my heart is crying a painful sob.

this is not about my lovelife. its about work.

cooking for the holidays

hmmm..i could almost smell the holiday break and its going to be a long vacation! woot! and for that, i've already decided to spend my time experimenting on different menus.

about a year ago i decided to put an end to those kiddie spaghettis that was always present during cook fests at home. so i told mom that the kids have already grown up and they have no immediate plans to produce their own kids so we have to come up with more "grown-up" pasta dishes.

and that started my long-standing romance with pasta. the most basic thing i did was to ditch the spaghetti and alternately used spirals, linguine, fetuccine, angel hair, penne and bow ties. i love using linguine and fetuccine in carbonarra, alfredo and the pasta ala pobre which kuya art taught me. i used spirals for the dish i cooked up during the staff dorm open house which marco named as tomato pesto pasta.

at first i strictly followed what's on the recipe, then i started to incorporate some ingredients to give it a twist. the basic ingredients i use are butter, garlic, my basil and the ever-reliable mccormick series of pasta sauce spices and mixes. i've also ditched the standard del monte spaghetti sauce and opted for the gourmet line of hunts and clara ole. my favorites include clara ole's three cheese, hunts' parmesan cheese and mushroom. these are all available in your local grocery stores. in fact, i discovered these pasta sauces in rural science city of munoz.

oh, and may i add that i am also concerned with the budget so i try to come up with affordable dishes. my principle is that a good pasta need not be expensive, and so far i've shelled out not more than 300 bucks for my pasta dishes. the thing is, we have a basil plant at home. its so easy to grow and it has been the standard herb i use on my pasta dishes. rosemary is hard to grow in our area, same with thyme and the others. these dried herbs are so expensive when you buy them at the grocery. i also plan to grow lemons on pots this holiday break so i wont have to buy those at the supermarket. :) olive oil is also so so expensive so i use canola oil instead. :)

am planning to add these to our Christmas lunch menu:

apples with cinnamons

1. cut the apples into bite-size wedges
2. sprinkle with cinnamon powder

**it is best when you chill the apples first, then pour some lemon/calamansi juice to prevent it from getting a brownish color after you have sliced them. this is a good side dish to your barbequed dishes.

pasta a la pobre

500 g fettucine/penne/linguine pasta, depending on your choice
1 big can mackerel (pwede na yung Saba brand)
2 250grams Clara Ole three cheese sauce, or Hunt's Parmesan spaghetti sauce
1 head garlic, diced
1 onion, diced
2-3 long eggplant, cut into strips
half of Eden's chedar cheese, grated or shaved (mahal ang parmesan, and besides, if you use Hunt's its good enogh na din)
small-sized block of butter (pwede na yung dairy creme, actually its margarine.mahal yung anchor eh. )
salt and pepper to taste

1. cook the pasta al dente, which means 5-6mins in boiling water. set aside.
2. heat the butter in a non-stick pan, add a little oil so it wont get burned. put the garlic and pag mejo brown na, toss in the onions. pour the "mashed" mackerel, strips of eggplant and the sauce from the canned mackerel. bring to a boil.
4. pour in the sauce mix, halo-halo ng konti. please use a wooden panghalo.hehe.add the grated cheese.
5. pag mejo lamog na yung eggplant, toss in the pasta. add some herb if you have and the salt and pepper. depende sa panlasa niyo. the idea here is you cook the pasta with the sauce for about two minutes.
6. am thinking of adding lemon zest into this one, lets see what happens. :)
6. that's it. :)

an alternative pasta dish is this:

1 500 g spirals pasta, cooked al dente
2 250 g Clara Ole three cheese or Hunt's parmesa spaghetti sauce
2 sachets McCormick Herb and Garlic pasta sauce mix
half of Eden's cheddar cheese, grated or shaved (again, mahal ang parmesan cheese mga kapatid)
butter
1 head garlic, minced
1 big can button mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

1. heat butter in a sauce pan, toss in the garlic until golden brown
2. ilagay ang button mushrooms. add a quarter of your grated cheese, cooke until you think the mushrooms are okay na
3. pour in the spaghetti sauce and herb and garlic sauce mix, halo-halo
4. add the remaining cheese, again haluin para hindi masunog
5. toss in the spirals
6. add salt and pepper, halo-halo for 2mins.
7. put out the fire

this is best served with buttered toast and iced tea with a small dash of cinnamon and lemon.

dalandan salad (i got this from yummy magazine)

toss together dalandan wedges, diced onions and salt and pepper to taste.add fresh herbs if available :)

or this:

ripe mangoes, cut into cubes
ripe tomatoes, diced
onions, diced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
chilli powder
ground pepper
patis

**toss together and you will have a mango-tomato salsa :)



so help me god.

sometimes the braver thing to do is give up

... especially when the other person gives you no reason to hold on.




*naks.

a pic is going to get published!yehey! =)

this publishing house has been emailing flickr users asking permission to use their pics for its publications.they wont pay, just give you the credits. so some of the professional photographers in flickr didnt agree. i, on the other hand, was excited. getting your pic published plus the credits to your name is more than enough.

i am not a professional photographer, just your average employee who takes pictures from a borrowed camera during her trips to project sites. and so im really happy that a publishing house took notice of my pictures. =)