A light when all other lights go out!

I had almost forgotten that it was valentines that day. I tried to recall how I spent last year's valentines but for a moment, my mind was blank until it came to me that I had spent it at the Hot Air Balloon Festival held in Subic that year. I was with Clyde, Cherry, Maricel, Cress, et al. that day. I got off the tricycle at our gate to find my brother's car waiting for its passengers. We were going to head off to this swimming pool resort called Bethany - me, my sister, Ate Irene, Ate Ruth, Ruro, Renz and Manoy Rudyard. What was the occasion, I wondered. Oh, it was valentines. I had forgotten. I hurriedly got into the house, debated whether to take my laptop or the portable DVD player, then decided on the latter, not wanting to risk my precious laptop getting wet in the event that it might. And off we were and it was such a novel experience for me, maybe even a valentines to remember, because it was the first valentines that I ever celebrated with any of my family members. I...

Kurt came up with this youtube video dedicated to the victims of the January 8, 2011 Tucson, Arizona shooting. They featured the song "Imagine" originally by John Lennon, and while I share the lament, I actually don't agree with the message of the chosen song. But I get that it was meant to be a proposition for peace and I was moved by the gesture so I dedicate this simple space in my blog to those who perished in the shooting. I'm very sorry for the tragedy. My prayers have gone out to you. Yes, we will.

Hello. I'd like to go abroad to distract myself from my serious thoughts for a while. Wanna come? THIS is my (MOST) favorite place in the world. It's Assisi. Have you ever been to this place? I have, and it's a b-e-a-u-t-y! When I first clapped eyes on it, I swear I fell in love. 'Cause listen to this: Assisi. was. pink. It was pink. Can you believe it? It was pink! It was a very pretty shade of muted pink washed down even further with white and gray stones. I loved it. I think heaven should be pink. Don't you agree? Let's walk and wander on and on and around and around Assisi for a day and a night. Tara? It'll be like - what was that movie? Before Sunset. Except that Before Sunset was set in Vienna. I've always wanted to go to Italy with friends and family. It would have been the greatest fun. It's still my dream to do it. One day, we shall go, eh? :D It'll be like a dream come true. So that's it. Cheery thought for the day. :)

This is just going to be a simple post about simple moments. I know that they hardly know about it and I suppose that they hardly think about and I know we’ll NEVER talk about it, but this is my secret blog anyway so here goes… We – Manoy Rudyard, Ate Irene, Ate Ruth, Renz, Ruro, and I – went to the “small mall” this afternoon, because Tuesdays and Wednesdays are Ate Irene’s days off from work. Renz and Ruro were there to play, and us three girls wandered around from clothes rack to clothes rack, looking and just looking at clothes. Ate Irene showed me a dark blue dress that would have looked nice on me; I pointed to a pretty orange blouse with a ribbon that tied at the back that I thought would have looked nice on either Ate Irene or Ate Ruth. After a while, Ate Ruth and I went down to McDo; she for a burger, me for a drink. We started going up the escalator back to where the boys were (in the arcade area) when we saw them coming down. We met them at the ground floor again, and w...

This for me is a textbook example of inspired thinking. I couldn't stop laughing when I watched this. It was so funny. The dragon drank coke and couldn't but emit fireworks. What an idea. Good work, Coca-cola!

I'm not gonna get to watch Taylor's concert. It's okay. She's not gonna die soon anyway. There'll be other opportunities. Never forget the essence of your spark, Taylor.

So...at the end, and only at the very end, the prince finally got the other princess - cinderella's sister. And in another, not less significant vein, cinderella and her stepsister, who loved and detested each other intermittently all throughout the series, also finally lived happily together ever after. But it's not yet over, because the final 3 minutes is still buffering, and you have yet to hear more from me about it. XOXO, cinderella's sister's watcher.

Clyde and I were chatting. Clyde: Cor, what was that Taylor Swift song with Cory. What was the title? Cory: Stay Beautiful. Why? Clyde: It's for Cory Monteith - Finn on Glee. Cory: Uh, no. I've already heard that rumor. The song is part of her first album (self-titled Taylor Swift), before Fearless came out. Cory was an unknown in Canada then who didn't know he could sing. He auditioned for Glee and it was only afterwards that they were seen together. Clyde: Haha. I didn't know that you knew so much. But I shoulda known. Hehe. Taylor revealed that she wrote it for someone she had a crush on when she was still in school. Stay Beautiful Cory's eyes are like a jungle He smiles, it's like the radio He whispers songs into my window In words that nobody knows There's pretty girls on every corner They watch him as he's walking home Saying, "Does he know?" Will you ever know? You're beautiful. Every little piece, love. And don't you know? You...

You reminded me of a girl that I once knew. Saw her face when I looked at you. :p

Once upon a time, two collaborating TV producers were raking their brains to come up with the next great TV drama ever. One day, TV producer 1 said to the other, “I know! Let’s do the cinderella story again! Everybody loves that!” “Done already,” he dismissed. “Princess Hours was cinderella with two princes. My Girl was cinderella with a twist about lying. It’s hackneyed.” “Ah, but in this cinderella, the prince rejects her…he goes after her horrible stepsister, who rejects him in turn because of her secret dark past!” TV producer 1 thinks for a moment. “Eureka! That’s never been done! Let’s do it!” Pure nonsense, the above. I’m just appreciating cinderella’s sister. More to the point, I like this part of what Eun-jo says about Ki-hoon. It’s very plaintive and subtle, but I like it. It’s also understated, and it feels real, and maybe I can relate to it, which might constitute why I like it. Who cares what the reason is? I just like it! I ache when I see him and I ache when I can...

Back in 2006, I watched Prison Break. And there was a part there that I didn’t forget. It was where the lead character, Michael, said: I have a high tolerance for pain. I’m bringing this up now because cinderella’s sister has been schooling me on how to bear pain. There’s a scene that’s number 1 on my list on how she does it, but I’ll share number 2. Go to 3:07 – 6:47 and 8:44 – 9:04. Good one. What’s the big deal if it hurts?! Eun-jo neither sheds a tear nor does she wince at the application of medicine or with the stitching of the wound. Her face was so defiantly devoid of pain that Ki-hoon asked the doctor: Does she have some pain sensitivity problem? Lol. No, Ki-hoon. She just has a high tolerance for pain is all. What a girl.

Wow. Best. Drama. Ever. I didn't see that one coming. Ohehmgee. What a story. Who made this? Who thought this up? Wow! Wonderful! Inspiring! How you make things new again! Kudos!

I'm having a marathon of Cinderella's Sister episodes right now and though I'd like to tackle this topic properly, I'd like to just talk for now. I know why I watch Cinderella's Sister. They say that we humans, being rational beings, usually have a reason for everything we do, even if it's just a simple pacing back and forth. When I take the time to think about it, I usually find my answers for doing what it is I do. In this case, watching Cinderella's Sister, the reason is clear to me. It was the first episode that hooked me. Cinderella's sister, Eun-jo, was sullen, angry, disillusioned, yearnful of running away, and continually sporting a fight face or an uncaring one that I found was somehow, at times, like me. Watching her, and how she angrily interacts with the people around her, and rejects them at times, I understand her. I find myself not just watching an interesting character. I find myself knowing her. I know what goes on behind her exterior ...

They say stories help us to maintain contact with our hearts. I found a little of my spirit back again tonight. Thank you Cinderella's Sister. And I think I'll keep writing on this blog. Just to remember what's inside my heart, to remember its spaces and re-discover them. I'll blog about Cinderella's Sister too. Because I'd like to. Goodnight, blog.

Ate Ruth was red in some parts of her body due to an unexplainable itch. Seeing my long hair, she asked me to hit her with it in those parts that were itching. So I took my hair, tied up in a ponytail, and began hitting her with it. It was the strangest thing I ever did with my hair. Anyone got an itch? Apparently, I have magical hair with the power to take away itch. "Rapunchelle, rapunchelle, hit me with your hair!" Hahahaha. It sounds stupid. Hehe.