The Inner Workings of my Schizophrenic Mind

Sunday, December 25, 2005

For the year that passed...

I am thankful for my family. That beyond our roles, we consider ourselves friends. And that beyond mutual respect, there is real love.

I am thankful for my friends, old ones and new ones.
For the Magic Seven and the SAWI, though we see less and less of each other, we know that physical distance can never toil the friendship that we have.
For my AMS friends-- my breakfast-mates, merienda-mates, lunch-mates, dinner-mates, and ranting buddies, who, despite all the jokes and kalokohans, help me become a better me.

I am grateful for the wonderful man in my life. For Titus, who loves me so much and whom I love in return.

I am grateful for the company I work with. For all the experiences, both good and bad, that test my patience and build my character.

I am grateful for the opportunity to try new things--from badminton to scuba diving to crazily dancing in front of crowds.

I am thankful that I am receiving more than I ask for, and probably more than what I deserve.

I fervently hope that I may be able to share all the wonderful blessings that I have.
And that I may be a blessing to other people's lives.

For the years to come (My Life Resolution)

Dear Lord,

Help be become a better person.

Teach me to be selfless.
To give and not to count the cost.
To give but not expect something in return.
To give not what I have extra, but to give what is special to me.

Teach me to be grateful.
Not to be envious of what others have,
But to be thankful of my own blessings.

Help me accept mistakes.
Not to be frustated with them, but learn from them.

Teach me to love myself.
Teach me to love unconditionally.

Lord, help me realize that my life is a prayer, an offering.
And that I should live it the best way I should...

Argghh

Friday, December 23, 2005

It's been a mall week this week. And I didn't like it.

Monday: Glorietta. 630-10 pm. Accompanied Titus to buy gifts for his family.

Tuesday: Megamall. 630-9 pm. Accompanied the AMS girls to buy gifts for te AMS boys. Walked back, and rode a trike back to the office.

Wednesday: Megamall, then Podium: 955am-11am. Nina and I were in Megamall even before mall hours. We were laughing at ourselves because we are such losers waiting for the mall gates to open. Office hours and we are in Megamall!!! Well, it's a semi-official business because we were tasked to buy the group gift (and Sir Sammy's gift) for Ate Anna's birthday. We transfered to Podium because the Adidas outlet in Megamall doesn't have the jacket size and color that we wanted.

Thursday: Glorietta, then SM Makati: 630pm-930 pm. Accompanies Titus to buy gifts for his inaanak.

Friday: Shangrila, Glorietta: 5-7 pm. Has to wait in the mall before I can get my car from my cousin in Makati.

--------

Christmas Season is eating season...

Too much brownies and chocolates and Starbucks GCs!!!

Disoriented

Thursday, December 22, 2005

The mirror-image signs of 30% Off and 50% Off should have been a giveaway. However, I regarded them as promotional stunts and disregarded them right away.

I walked continuously to what seemed to be a long display alley of shirts and tops. There were relatively a lot of shoppers rummaging through the display. I walked and I walked, until another person almost walked through me. I moved a little to the right to give way to her. She moved at an almost exact instance that I moved and at an almost the same direction where I moved. I smiled and said excuse me, and this other pretty and vaguely familiar girl smiled and said excuse me!

It took seconds for me to realize that it was my reflection!

Toinks! I was so stupid!

I want to laugh hard after realizing that I said "excuse me" to my own reflection. However, the other shoppers in the store might think I'm too weird that first, I talked to my reflection, and second, I'm laughing hard by myself.

Toinks! I am so weird!

I'm so excited for....

Saturday, December 17, 2005

I have a serious question...

Friday, December 16, 2005

How hard is it to flush a toilet?

Underwater Here I Come

Thursday, December 15, 2005

After a week or so, my hefty amount of bonus is gone.

My kuripot self got too excited receiving that amount of money that I overindulge myself in a shopping spree. I bought stuff for myself, then gifts for my family and friends. And as I buy gifts for my family and friends, I find myself buying gifts for myself. (And take-note, I have them wrapped!)

The things left on my list are:
1. a new pair of glasses
2. a new cellphone

however, I can't buy the cellphone because i enrolled myself in diving lessons!!!

I'm gonna be a certified/licensed PADI diver beybe!!!

And whoah, this new hobby of mine will cost a lot of money. And I mean a lot!

Hopefully it will all be worth it seeing Nemo, Dory, and probably Little Mermaid under the sea.

Ciao!

kookarikooka

It's not a real word. I don't even know why I posted it as a title.
----

Been blog-hopping lately--mostly blogs of friends, friends of friends, people from Ateneo, friends of people from Ateneo (which most likely also are people from Ateneo).

The common denominator: many of us are lost; have been, are still, or will be. It's the perennial QLC. After being babied in the comfort zone of our universities, we were suddenly thrown in the world with only idealism as our shield. Ironically, the shield we thought foolproof is slowly being corroded with reality. Making us helpless, vulnerable, lost.

We wander and we wonder. Are we strong enough? Are we smart enough? Maybe we are too strong, too smart, that what the world throws upon us seems too easy. Maybe we're selling ourselves too short. We ask ourselves, 'is this all the world can provide me?' Or as philosophically-enlightened students we supposed to be, we ask, 'is this all I can give?'

Several months ago I encountered the book "How I became stupid", about 25-year old Pierre who believed that his intelligence is the cause of his misery. "To think is to suffer", that is why throughout the story, he embarks on strategies and antics to make himself stupid, and possibly happier.

To think is to suffer?
Maybe.
Sometimes we overanalyze too much.
Sometimes we just need to let it be.

Text Twist, Practice, Sick Week

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Didn't do anything substantial last week. Office hours were spent playing text twist and eating out (for free!!!). After office hours were spent practicing "Liwanag sa Dilim", "Joy to the World", and "Joyful Joyful"...the Sister Act version.

Was slowly getting sick by Wednesday (can't sleep properly because of my stupid sipon). Thursday, picked up my brother in UP, attended mass in Gesu, ate in French Baker, practiced till 12. Within this time, I got wet by the rain, thus aggrevating my sipon.
By Friday, woke up with a terrible headache and fever. Didn't go to work but went to the birthday lunch party of my officemate in Gerry's Libis. hehehe

Saturday.
Christmas Party!!!
Eurose's Birthday!!!

here are some pics from the christmas party...

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Past and Present AMS plus Tim

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Catman Girls

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Myke, Me, Raf, Nina, Justin

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

In our Liwanag sa Dilim costumes

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

In our Joyful joyful costumes

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

solo pic! hahah vain

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

In the hotel. Bagong gising. (next day)

For more pictures visit: http://nelissm.multiply.com

My Christmas Wish List

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Almost everyone's doing a Christmas Wish-list in their blogs. And since I'm one big gaya-gaya, I'll do mine na rin.

1. Roxy board shorts. Yung mahaba. White with blue or pink accents.
2. Super nice na Sports Jacket.
3. Dive lessons.
4. My own surf board.
5. Blink by Malcom Gladwell
6. Neil Gaiman books (except Neverwhere and Good Omens, kse I've read these na)
7. Vacation package.
8. Lacoste sneakers

That's it so far...

I'm a witch

Monday, December 05, 2005

We had our Area Plan Presentation for GMA last Friday. In line with using HEAT method in all of our presentations, we adapted "Harry Potter" as a theme. The training room was decorated ala-Hogwarts' Great Hall, with "floating" candles, long tables, drop-down banners of the different houses. We were all dressed up in robes and witches' hats... It was so cool...

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Teachers' Table

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Dining Hall.
Our lunch consisted of Pumpkin Soup, Roast Beef, Roast Chicken, Steamed Veggies, Mashed Potato, Corn on Cob, Punch...the best way we can recreate the feast in the Great Hall! (We were planning to have our food magically appear on the table, but we can't do it, oh well.)
---------------
Our Christmas Party on December 10 at Dish, ABS-CBN Compound will have an "Oscar's Awards Night Theme". The invites said, "dress-to-kill" which probably means "be bonggacious as you can".

I have two outfit choices.
One, I can take the "dress-to-kill" literally and dress-up as "kamatayan". All I have to do is wrap myself in black cloth and get a hold of a cane or a trident of some sort. But I guess, it's overdoing it. And the security and bouncers might not let me in the venue.

Or, I can bonggaciously dress-up. I was thinking of wearing a Greek-Goddess type of dress. However, what I was able to buy was a white Sunday dress, semi-bohemian inspired. Those who really really know me, knows that Nel loves to dress-up in these kinds of occassions. I love my basura-look (mismatched shirts, jeans, and shoes and worn-out jacket) during ordinary days but when occassional parties arise, I want to dress up, to look good. Why? Partly because I have this subdued star-complex personality. Hahaha, subdued daw.

Where to?

Saturday, December 03, 2005

It's such a common scenario where a group of people (barkada, classmates, officemates etc) when gathered together cannot decide where to eat. Well, eventually they will settle and agree upon a place but that's after how many minutes of "San tayo?"...and "kahit saan?" It's either no one will suggest a place, or if someone suggests a place and the others do not like, the others will be silent for 5 seconds or so, then will again ask, "o san tayo?". Or, everyone throws their suggestions to everyone, until they settle to a common suggestion.

To avoid this usual scenario, the AMS group created a fool-proof system.
Here's a preamble on how we came up with our oh-so-great system.

Around 10 am. Everyone's on their respective seats facing their computer screens.
Someone asked: "San tayo kakain ng lunch?"

Ayee: Chillis!!!!
Nel: Wow Ayee, dami mong pera ha...
Tehnie: Wala akong pera!
Nina: Yellow Cab! Yellow Cab!
Ayee: kaka-yellow cab lang kaya natin kahapon
Justin: Anywhere sa may ATC
Blah Blah Blah

After the long heated-debate, we decided to have a draw-lots. Each of us will write a restaurant of our choice in a piece of paper, then we will let Ed, our boss, to pick from the stack.
It's agreed upon that no one will complain on whatever will be picked.
Also, the place should be within the radius of Rockwell to Libis.

I first wrote "Le Ching". Then changed it to "Jack's Loft".
Nina, of course, wrote "Yellow Cab" and in paranthesis wrote "meat-lover's pizza"
Ayee, "Fazoli's"
Justin, "Heaven and Eggs"
Tehnie, who has no money, "Mc Donald's"
and Myke, "Mang Jimmy's".

The rule is, "No one will complain. What ever is randomly picked will be the restaurant of choice".
That's fair enough.

So, Ed picked from the folded slips of paper...

And the winner is....
(tantananan...)

"Mc Donald's!!!".

So when Ed, read "Mc Donald's"...the five of us (Me, Nina, Ayee, Myke, Justin) all gave this "huh? wag dun" faces...with comments ranging from "Ayaw ko dun" to "Anong kakainin natin dun?" to "Bunot ulit tayo...yung second choice yun na talaga" to "Bili na lang tayo sa Jack's Loft/Fazolis/Yellow Cab/ Heaven and Eggs tapos kainin natin sa Mc Do"
Tehnie was saying "Bawal mag-complain!!! Yey! Mc Donalds"
The rest of us was obviously unhappy with the decision.

Within this "Ayoko sa Mc Do" sentiments, someone suggested, "World Topps" na lang.

And everyone (including Tehnie) agreed, "Sige, sige"...

So there, we all were excited and happy that we are not going to eat our Saturday lunch in Mc Donald's.

And we were all laughing because we made a great system, a law, a covenant, if you may call it, then only 2 minutes or so after its implementation, we were also the ones who broke it.

Such an irony!

Nel is...

Crazy
Crazy
Crazy
Beautiful

just recently...

Weekend Sh*t
As if nothing happened
Jeez...
Zambales Surf...
My New Dick!
What's Up Surf's Up
Advance Open Water Diver
Cebu!
Bicol-Donsol (with uploaded photos)
Some Backlog