It All Started With Da Missing Tsinelas

I never got into the "tsinelas craze." I even remember buying new flipflops since my feet gets "naninibago" with the feel of the rubber, especially on the part where the material contacts the middle of my big toe and 2nd toe. Brand was never a priority, whether it's a brandless one or a good ole' trusty Rambo.

My first fas-yonable tsinelas purchase was in Greenhills. I was 6 month pregnant then and my feet were screaming "Mercy!" from all the walking I did in my not-so-comfy sandals. Normally, I would have worn a more comfortable pair, but at that time, my feet went a size bigger (from pregnancy-related manas--NOT fat, mind you!) and I was such a cheapo to buy new sets of footwear. I was still halfway through my Christnas shopping list yet my feet appears like it's going to burst out of my sandals. The Congressman noticed it too and asked me to stay near the wall (at the back of Wan Ton), so my big tummy won't be dragged by passing shoppers. He want back with this cute heart-y flipflops with the work "HAVANA" printed on the thong part. 

My left Havana tsinelas. He's currently single now.

I wasn't aware at all that it's a Havaianas knock-off. All I care about is my feet being happy and ready for another round of shopping. But what a surprise! At the end of my shopping stint, the heart designs on the slipper came off and guess where they all went---sticking on my sole and heel. A few days later, one of the Havana duo suddenly became missing! Hindi lang design ang nawala, buong tsinelas na! Several tsinelas later, the lone Havana tsinelas is still in the shoe rack in my parent's house--as if waiting for it partner to return.

Another fas-yonable tsinelas purchase was a Banana Peel pair which was a sudden purchase from a department store during our last minute shopping trip before leaving for Boracay. The Congressman and I were on our way to the parking lot when I remembered that my battered reflesole-ogy (the ones with pointed thingies on its surface, pang-reflexology daw according to the vendor in the palengke where I bought it) tsinelas are not Boracay worthy. That pair was something like the one pictured below, albeit a lot cheaper looking.

The Congressman gave me THE LOOK and I know I have to grab the first size 7 tsinelas I can find and pay for it in 3 minutes tops-- or else, I would have to commute going home. It was a green flowerey pair---obvious na hindi na pinili since I'm not a green person. It's pretty expensive compared to my past tsinelas purchases--almost 200 pesos for a pair. And to think it's not that durable---the bottom part worn out in no time (Ganun na ba ako kabigat???!!!).

My last tsinelas purchase was not really a purchase at all and was unintentional. There was a skechers warehouse sale in Tektite, and since it's just in the ground floor of our building and my mom has been making "parinig" that she needs new gym shoes, I decided to check it out. I bought a pair which eventually did not fit my mom so the next day, we went back to have it exchange for another pair. The new one she got was cheaper that the one I bought her so we need to purchase another item worth P300 just to even it out. The cheapest I could find was a pair of black Skechers flip flops with a dicounted price of P399 from the original price of P899!

That accidental purchase made me realize the big difference between branded and the generic flip flops that I used to have. The Skechers pair lasted almost a year without visibly wearing off. It was sooo comfy that the Congressman would often steal it whenever he wants to go somewhere wearing flip flops--and take note, he wears it despite the flowery design! He mentioned one time when he was being a tsinelas thief again that he could understand why people are now going ga-ga over the more expensive flip flops because there is a big difference in the comfort and durability over the cheaper ones.

Unfortunately, my beloved Skechers pair was stolen while I was in the steam room of the gym 3 days ago. Never was I so devastated over a loss of a tsinelas. The Congressman was equally sad too-- he has no more tsinelas to steal. I'm using my Crocs Cleo right now but it doesn't have the comfy & homey feeling of my old flip flops. I may have been lamenting on this too much that the Congressman promised he'd sponsor my next flip flops purchase (only I'd expect him to steal it again).

Now, I'm torn on the different flip flops around: havaianas, ipanema, dupe and sandugo. Ok, ignore the last one! Of course, since the Congressman said he'll pay for it, pipili na nga naman ako ng bonggang bongga!

So for the flip flop addicts out there, help me decide. I don't care about the kikay designs, I'm after the durability and comfort. Sa mga estudyante ko na kumi-kick back sa pambili ng dental materials para pambili ng havaianas---justify your crimes! 

New Year Scare

Perhaps one of the hardest things a parent would endure is to see his or her child in danger. All the while, the Congressman & I seemed to have below average parenting skills (the Congressman once gave Robyn beer so she'd never think of drinking beer when she reaches her teen years-- so far she gives this repulsive look at every beer bottle she sees). But that incident on the very first day of 2009 will forever be etched in our parenting CV.

Robyn developed low grade fever in the afternoon of December 31. I felt bad for her since we cannot bring her out to see the lights from the fireworks. Anyway, Robyn's what we can call a "low-maintenance kid," something that we later realize, we took advantage of. Tired from the night before's new year celebration, we were all sound asleep when I woke up to the sound of Robyn vomiting. Usually, I get irritated whenever she vomits since it would mean changing our bed sheet again. When I turned on the lights, I was shocked to see my daughter gurgling in her own vomit, her body racking with convulsions. At an instant, everything became a blur to me. I later realized that I was probably in shock for a good 10 seconds or something. Then I zapped back to reality seeing my husband crying while carrying our daughter's unconscious body downstairs.

It was the first time I experienced real emergency--the last thing I remembered considering emergency was when the alginate I was mixing was turning from violet to white, faster than I expected. My mind was spinning on what to do first: grab a bag, turn off aircon, put on a bra (for Pete's sake!), lock the door! All seemed to happen in an automatic, sort of robotic way.

The drive to the hospital seemed hours for me. I was trying to wake Robyn, trying to get any response from her, that she's still OK. At that time, I wanted to cry but the Congressman beat me into crying first so I guess someone's got to have 2 good eyes to look at the road for the nearest hospital. I was scared for my daughter and scare for the Congressman too. It was the first time I saw him that vulnerable: sobbing, driving and cursing, all at the same time. In 5 minutes, we were in the nearest ER, not our choice of hospital, but we thought if we bring her all the way to Medical City, it might be too late. Robyn looked that scary. 

At the ER, Robyn was stripped off her clothes and was given oxygen and cold sponge bath in seconds. The doctor in duty told me that we had to bring down her fever and stop the convulsions first. It dawned to me that Robyn was conscious, contrary to what I thought earlier, but she was having convulsions due to high fever and was in no way to respond to me. As I helped the nurses bring down her fever, I was still trying to make her look at me, to get any form of response will do. I found my self singing one of Robyn's favorite songs, the "I Love You" song--that of Barney, even if I secretly hate Barney and his punga voice. Soon, to my wonder and delight, Robyn sang with me in a loud booming voice. Hay, I suddenly love Barney.

Fast forward. We eventually transferred to Medical City when Robyn was stable enough to be transported. She was diagnosed to have had benign febrile convulsions and had to stay in the hospital until she's fever-free for 24 hours. Normally, the Congressman would be really bummed being in the hospital for 4 straight days and missing the left-over ham that we usually have for breakfast the morning of January 1. But he later told me that he could not bear not be with Robyn after that incident.

What happened to Robyn may be just a simple case of high fever. But that incident taught us a lot of things. It took us 5 days before we were able to talk about what happened. Also, that was the only time I got to cry-- I wanted to cry the moment I say Robyn in such a sorry state but for some reason I couldn't. As the Congressman and I recall that morning, we realized the feeling that you'd lose your child in a split second. I was grateful that I woke up to see Robyn vomiting, should I have slept soundly and woke hours later, it would have been a different story. The Congressman claimed he never sobbed that hard in his life. I ribbed him for crying like a baby, he laughed at me for almost running outside with just a bra for my top. To summarize, we cried, laughed, cried again at the same time. Crazy.

But one important lesson the incident taught us, it made us appreciate our daughter a thousand times more. Never will we underestimate a fever ever again. And whatever ruckus Robyn would cause in a day, no matter how many times she wets our bed in a week--she'd always be an angel to me. Hay, it dawned to me that, seriously, I AM A PARENT---it sucks, but seeing my daughter makes it all worth it.

Robyn obviously irritated with her Robocop hand

Lost in Translation: the world according to my two-year-old

                        Robyn Gabrielle Avenida = Bobeen Chechel Aaaachicha

                 Speed Babad (yes the Piolo bareta commercial) = Speee Baybay      

                                                          Dyosa = Joja

                                                     Toothbrush = dubash

                                                  triangle = chinchangul

                                                    banana = bayaya

                                                 orange = ochi

                                      Dora = Dooora (Compliments of Yaya Mai)

                                                      Mommy = Bayeeee

At ang translation na Robyn na pinadugo ang ilong naming lahat.....

                                                        Lloydie = Daddy

Swear! Bumaha ng dugo mula sa'ming mga ilong...

Naglilihi for Okonomiyaki

Naglilihi ako....

Don't get me wrong, I AM NOT PREGERTZ (despite the on-going pregnancy chain in school, sana lagpasan ako huhu). "Naglilihi" is just a term that my roomies coined whenever I suddenly have the urge to get something--especially food. In essense, it's the pregnancy cravings without the actual pregnancy. Funny, I didn't have the outrageous cravings when I was pregnant with Robyn. Baka nagsawa na yung craving hormones ko nung college days hahaha!

Anyway, I heart okonomiyaki right now and I've been looking for a good okonomiyaki place in Q.C. and even in Malate area (Hah, something to look forward next sem!).

So please, if anyone can recommend some place which serves this Japanese pizza, please please, let me know. Oh and don't bother mentioning Kagura (Little Tokyo) in Makati since even though I know it's the ultimate okonomiyaki place, I just can't beg the Congressman drive all the way there for my cravings. (He would if he was still my boyfriend..Regrets, regrets!)

A restaurant with traditional Japanese tables like the one pictured below (where you can have your legs lowered under the table) would be a plus!

Kagura's dining area taken from dessertscomefirst.com

Hay, my current love....

Hay, I can't believe I'm thinking about okonomiyaki when I was just lectured by the gym's nutritionist on how many calories I have to burn per session. Sigh!

Godzilla's Bratinella goes Canadian Princess

Robyn's preschool held a "Fairytale Around the World" program which took place of the UN day & Holloween Party. Ma (the Directress) opted the change since the last time they had a Holloween party, almost all the kids ended up crying, scared to the bones.

We received a letter from the Directress about the program details and the assigned flag for Robyn. I told her:

"Ma, utang na loob, nagsayang ka pa ng papel, pwede naman sabihin sa kin mamayang hapunan."

Ma: "Ay, nakalimutan ko na di ka pala nagbabayad ng tuition no?" She tends to outwit me at rare moments....

Robyn was assigned to bring the Canadian flag. I wanted to make a flag from scratch, like how I used to do mine during my past UN day celebration. Oslo paper, art paper, scissors, paste and me--it was a reunion doomed from the start. I was never good in arts. Whoever said that dentistry is art in itself should be barred from meeting me. Scissors were my biggest enemy as I never got to cut a straight line--ask me to cut a gift wrapper exactly in half and it would end up as if it was hacked. Massacre as the Congressman described what I did on my gift wrapping attempt on our first Christmas together.

Back to UN day, I remember during my elementary days, I was once assigned the flag of Israel. Since I wasn't aware that there are ready-made flags that can be bought especially during the UN day season, I made my own flag. Thank goodness, no Israeli was able to see me that day or else I'd be accused of degrading their flag. The idea was this: Uniformly cut strips of blue art paper should be glued on the oslo paper to form the "Star of David." I ended up with something close to an asterisk!

With Robyn, I assumed that I can cut a red maple leaf and 2 big strips to make a Canadian flag. The Israeli flag naman kasi is what I can call "suntok sa buwan." But alas, my lack of artistic skills failed me. Good thing the bookstore downstairs to our clinic has a ready-made Canadian flag. Haaaay.....

Now for the fairytale costume: Single friends out there should let out a sigh of relief that they don't have kids yet. You have no idea how expensive costumes are these days. I scouted in SM for a princess costume for Robyn and almost all cost P600 up! Good thing Arwen (someone I used to babysit before during my brief US stint) still has some of her gowns and the Sleeping Beauty costume seems to fit my toddler.

Another problem--how to get Robyn to wear the costume. You see, my little girl has this "dalaginding" side already. Like she has preference on what to wear and which clips should go to her hair. (Well, aside from the fact that she gives a toothy smile everytime she sees the yogabbagabba man, John Lloyd Cruz and good grief---Dingdong Dantes, of all people!) She also prefers comfy clothes like tank tops, shorts and her favorite white skort (skirt + short). Looking at the gown full of lace & ruffles, I knew she'll give us a hard time making her wear that.

The party was schedule on a Tuesday, so Monday night we decided to have a dry-run. Gown on the left had and cupcake for suhol on the other hand, I sneaked towards her back and aimed the bottom of the gown above her head.

After the crying, shrieking ang ube cupcake

The crown princess ran outside to greet her subjects

Let's try it with a crown this time

The actual day with her classmates and teachers (Mamu's in the middle)

Robyn tugging on someone else's wings

Mommy put her on "time out" kasi makulit!

Godzilla and Bratinella (plus Mamu's shaky hands)

All that running and dancing made her hungry

Robyn checks her Trick or Treat loot

Last day in Dent (1st sem SY2008-2009)

That ho-hum afternoon in OM section:

T: Yakitiyak-yak (relays the entire story about this late night koreanovela shown on a local TV station)

Z: Kelan yan? Ba't di ko napapanuod?

T: E kasi sossy ka hehe. Kung ako yung asawa nun binugbog ko yun. (at may potensyal naman talaga akong mambugbog....) Yakitiyakyak....

I: (isang kaluluwang ligaw galing kabilang section) Sino pinag-uusapan niyo?!

Z: Wala koreanovela....

I: Baduy!

T: Grrrr.....

Kitchen Goddess Wife says, "Asarin mo na ang lahat, wag lang ang nagfefeeling na bida sa 'My Husband's Woman'"

Kitchen Goddess Wife says 

Booze!

I finally gave up looking for Smirnoff Mule, but found a nice alternative to it--Smirnoff Ice!

SARAP!!!!!

The delightful find was acquired from my favorite grocery, Cherry Foodarama!

And now, an early Holloween greeting...

ADVANCE HAPPY HOLLOWEEN!!!

UPCAT Blues

Saw this video from YouTube although trailer lang siya, I have yet to see the entire film.

I have a hazy memory of my UPCAT days, starting from filling up the application form up to seeing the results.

As it turned out to be a coincidence, last Saturday, as the Congressman & I jogged (well, 1/4 jogged and 3/4 walk hehe) around the UP oval, we reminisced on how we eventually got into our course.

I remember that I selected 3 courses for UP: BS Biology, Dentistry & Statistics. I know we were asked to select 4 course but I can't remember the last one. Anyway, you can play the game "alin ang naiba" and you can see that BS Statistics is the odd one out. Why in the world BS Statistics? Because my dad said it's supposed to be a kinder version of other Math-related courses. My dad's a math geek and would want any of his children to venture into the world of numbers. I'm good in memorizing cellphone numbers, but other than that--wag mo akong asahan, lalo na sa suklian! That's why I have my secretary & my calculator to do the math for me hehehe.

There are a few other things that remind me of UPCAT:
1. UP Diliman campus map


UPCAT is usually scheduled every first week of August. Around the exam date, avoid the Philcoa, Tandang Sora, Katipunan area due to heavy traffic associated in the UP campus vicinity and it's neighboring areas. I remember the "usad pagong" traffic and the copies of the UP Campus map carried by UPCAT takers, walking like zombies while following the map to a T. I took the exam in the College of Home Economics.

When my brother took the UPCAT, there were lots of UP campus maps lying around with a big "MSA Review Center" printed in front. Naks, how helpful!

2. Mongol # 2 pencil



Requirements of a good Mongol # 2 pencil for your entrance exams are as follows:

• Dapat genuine Mongol. Don't get the fake one unless you want to devote almoste half of your exam time re-sharpening your pencil because the lead gets broken all the time
• The tip should be not too sharp, it would take longer to fill the block (circle/bar/space...errr whatever!) with a very sharp pencil, it's like using a mechanical pencil! If you make the mistake of making your pencil needle sharp, give it a "war up" by scraping it against a scratch paper.
• Have it blessed by your priest or at the Sta Clara Monastery. If you don't know the answer, silently recite "eeeny meeny miny moe" and pray to God that the blessed pencil shades the correct answer.
  

In addition to the above requirements, there's the ceremonial "breaking of the pencil" after the exam, well, para hindi na daw maulit. I think this ceremony is more apt for taking the board exams. (Wag mag-deny, ginawa ko to hahaha!)

3. UP Sunken Garden


This was our designated meeting place for our sundo. I didn't realize back then that the Sunken Garden was THIS big! Really, I though parang garden lang sa bahay! Ayun, it took almost an hour for me to look for our driver, plus another hour to find my cousin who took the exam with me.

4. Chippy Red

During the UPCAT, we were allowed to bring in simple snacks which we can eat while taking the exam. To my horror, my seatmate munched bag after bag of red Chippy variant! She munched so loudly, oblivious to my need to concentrate for UPCAT questions such as this:

Totoy has 1 kaing containing 50 kamotes he intended to share with his friend Popoy.
If Totoy was able to eat 6 kamotes per minute, what was Popoy's kamote-eating rate
if both were able to finish the entire kaing in 5 hours?

Now back to the movie, there's a character there who claimed he only took the UPCAT exam and nothing else. I have a former neighbor who's like that. He bragged that he never intended to take the entrance exams from other schools, while I was trying to juggle 5 applications for college: UPCAT, ACET, UST entrance exam and UA&P's (Well, 5th was Miriam College's but that's just back up, sorry to the Miriamites. I need to have assurance that I'd be admitted to at least college at that time). Fast forward a year after and I learned that Mr. UPCAT-or-nothing enrolled in some unknown computer school in Marikina. Fast forward to 6.5 years after, I'm a proud holder of a UP degree!

The protagonist in the story says the only thing he dreams of is to pass the UPCAT. And for us who are fortunate to pass, the pain in the pw*t just starts there. I remember being asked by a professor if I really passed the UPCAT after giving a stupid answer to his question. He said I might have been a computer glitch--the encoder must have accidentally typed in my name among the UPCAT passers in his Wordstar document.

Well, glitch or not, I am happy to be UP Student # 98-11632! :)

Para Kay Kenneth Lim

Mr. Lim, eto yung sinasabi ko sa yo na UP Bluebook shirt last Friday. Yabang no? I just got mine this morning so I haven't taken a picture of it yet. But here's the design:

Life As Told By Cellphones

A rainy day often makes me reminisce. While others would reminisce about significant events in their lives, their past love, their childhood-- I found myself reminiscing about my past mobile phones. Nyahaha.

It's funny to remember all the phones I had in the past (plus how ridiculous they looked like compared to the phones in the market nowadays). The Congressman once said that before, the only ones with a mobile phone are doctors and politicians. Now, even a grade schooler has one! (And to think that back in early HS days, my mom won't let me own a Tamagochi!)

As I try to remember my first mobile phone (after my Easycall days-- and mga may alam ng Easycall, please raise your hands!), I realized that each phone has a story.

1. Philips Fizz

I got this after days of begging my dad to buy me a mobile phone. FYI, my dad is one of the most kuripot people I know and every purchase has to be justified like defending your thesis. I remember my only reason that time is that I need to call them whenever I'm in the retreat or to let them know that I'm on my way home from field trip so they can fetch me. And dig this: We bought this for P500 on Globe's Plan 100 (Yes, once upon a time there was such a plan). 

I was pretty satisfied with this phone since texting was not yet discovered back then. My only textmate back then was Globe, often a reminder that my P100 monthly bill is already due. During my freshman year, my BFF Randy teased my on how big my mobile phone was ("Parang palo-palo!" as he would describe it). I didn't mind at first but then the teasing became a daily habit for him that I finally had to get a new phone. (Something that doesn't need the entire sim card--not just the part with the chip like what we use now--to be inserted. I swear, it was one GIGANTOR phone.)

2. Ericsson GA628

Back then (late 90's), Ericsson hasn't merge with Sony yet and Nokia was still unheard of. This was a fashionista's phone since the facing (the front panel) can be changed and panels come in different colors. I remember trying to match the colored panels to the color of my shirt which wasn't much of a problem since my Mom bought me several Giordano classics shirt in primary and secondary colors.

3. Nokia 5110

Everything changed when Nokia came into the picture. Kung hindi lang ako nalulong sa paglalaro ng Snakes hindi ko ito bibilhin. This is what we call the phone/game and watch combo. (Those who grew up playing Game and Watch, please raise their hand!)

Re-enter my Dad aka Boy Kunat: He can't absorb why I would need another phone when I just bought one (see previous entry) a year ago. Well, going back I realized no one can absorb my reason with all those high-pitched whines. Nevertheless, I was able to become college scholar that time so my dad finally gave in as a reward. 

I should also say that this was my much-pimped phone by far. The facing & keypads are replaceable so I spent a half day trying to find a rainbow themed facing and black keypad in Greenhills on the same day we purchased the phone. This particular unit was one of the most expensive mobile phones back the, priced at P6,000--same amount as my tuition for the entire semester.

3. Nokia 3310

This phone is one unplanned purchase (I mean, one of my many unplanned purchases hehe). As much as I'm embarrased to admit, I lost my Nokia 5110 to karma: it was stolen after I did a very evil deed known to every dental student. Clue: it involves desperation + wax + and a dental technician in Recto. Thank goodness Drs. Sunico & Salvacion don't have Multiply accounts. 

4. Nokia 8210

Alas, my evil dent-days deeds didn't end. As our purchases for dental school increased, so did my kickbacks. I saw this phone first in Charlie's Angels, it's in the post-sex scene of Drew and Tom Green ( and this was THE breakup phone as mention by my gal pal Tanya in my previous blog). Kickbacks can get doom your lovelife. As they say, it's either "may pera ka or may 'papa' ka." I decided I'd go with the pera first for a while :)

5. Nokia 8310

This is the sturdiest phone I've ever had. And if my memory served me right, this particular unit has given me the best "texting ease" (in other words, dito ako pinakamabilis mag-text, yun lang!) I wouldn't have replaced this I didn't give in the the stupid Smart Amazing phone ad. After me, it was handed down to my brother who eventually handed it over to my nephew (My cousin's son, I don't have a true-blue nephew or niece yet, thank goodness!)--and yes, the phone very much still in A-1 condition!

5. Smart Amazing Phone

I'd rather call this the Smart No-So Amazing Phone. Let me just say that I was blinded by the fact that it has a camera (VGA and detachable pa!) and it boasts to be a smart phone (semi-PDA). I figured I can make good use of the camera (NOT!) and it's PDA-like capabilities for scheduling patients for clinics (Again, NOT! There's not so many patients to schedule, Clinical 40 is also known as out bangenge days.) But even I despised the phone so much, I didn't have the heart to ask for a new one (or do any more kickbacks) since I am collecting karma points to finish Dent school requirements and to pass the board exams. That's why it is such a blessing that there was a hold-up in the fx I was riding on my way to work--never was I soooo glad to hand out my cellphone at gun point! Hah, good riddance!

6. Nokia 3230

My mom gave this as a replacement for my stolen (well, not really stolen since deep inside I was glad to give it away) Smart Not-So Amazing Phone. It serve me well and I was able to use its features up to its full potential. It was the phone known to be a silent witness to several milestones in my life: my wedding (SMS from the Congressman: D2 na me church. Walang indyanan!), giving birth to Robyn (SMS to the Congressman: Wla na diapers, bili ka Prokids NewBorn sa Mercury pag-uwi mo nang maranasan mo ang maging ama!) and a lot more. Sadly, after several hangs and sudden turn-off moments, I have to turn over this phone to some guy in Greenhills.

7. Sony Ericsson P1i

This is the phone I am currently using, although mine's the conventional one with the silver border--I didn't know there's an all black one, maganda pala! Anyway, this was a Christmas & birthday gift from the Congressman since those occassions occur on succeeding months. I was seriously considering a Treo but for some reason, I bought this one instead.  This is Robyn's favorite toy, she knows how to use the stylus so she can doodle on the phone's notepad feature (It's way better than let her doodle on the walls) and she gives out a ready, pilit smile (Read: OA smile, as in!) when the camera part is aimed at her. It's first sent message? 

SMS to the Congressman: Tnx tlga sa pne. Ngayon ko lng napatunayan na mahal mo ko.

SMS from the Congressman: Crazy! :) 

I don't know how long the P1i would stay with me, I have gone past the phase where I was on the prowl for new phone models, though the Congressman's been asking if I want a new one for Christmas. (No thanks dear, the ceramic studded Toywatch na white would suffice! Haha!) That's how my phone stories end for now. What's your phone stories?

Cleaning up trash from dent days

Was sorting out things to throw out when I came across a bunch of transcriptions from Dent Proper 21 days. I think this came from the upper batch since yung iba hindi applicable to our batch. Masagot nga...

1. First choice mo ba ang dent? Hindi, BS Bio was my first choice
2. Confident ka ba na papasa ka sa dexterity exam noon? Honestly, no...pesteng wax carving yan!
3. Naka-ilang mix ka ng alginate sa Dent Mat bago na-appove ni Dr. Atienza ang impression mo? Errr...madami. Too teary-eyed to see how many used plaster bowls I have that time. Kawawa partner ko.
4. Member ka ba ng Charlie's angels? Hindi, member ako ng winston's angels hahahaha
5. Ano pinaka-pathetic na ginawa mo sa dent so far? Sinadya ko maging kuba while doing FPD prep para i-correct ni Dr. Adarve ang posture ko ahahahaha
6. Napa-iyak ka na ba sa FPD? Sino ba ang hindi? But I love Dr. Tumang, as always!
7. Pinag-kuyumusan ka na ba ng mukha ni Dr. Medina? Errr....dyahe...
8. Nabulyawan ka na ba ng mga Perio teacher? Sino ba ang hindi? (No more pahabol to this statement unlike in #6)
9. Nag-iipon ka ba ng reject na typodont nung Resto and FPD days? No, but I know someone who did.
10. Humingi ka ba sa parents mo ng pambili ng gold rouge at sternocleidomastoid? Hindi pero puro kickback din ako noon, enough to buy an 8210 & 8810 at P8000 and P11000 respectively.
11. Sino favorite dent teacher mo? Si dr. k kasi siya lang ang may multiply!!! LOL!

Madami pang questions but I'm too tamad to post. Hehe. :)

While You Were Sleeping: A story about closure

Alang-alang sa mga kaibigan kong kaka-break lang sa mga minamahal nila sa buhay.

Hindi ako makatulog noon at pinag-tiyagaan ko na hintayin kung sino ang mananalo bilang “Pinoy Grand Star Dreamer.”  Ang manok ko si Miguel kasi marunong siyang mag-piano katulad ko. Habang commercial  lumingon ako sa kinahihigaan mo at nakita kitang tulog na tulog. Buti ka pa.

Masyadong matagal ang commercial dahil sinasamantala ng Channel 2 ang mga sponsors nila. Last day na nga naman ng Pinoy Dream Academy ngayon, dapat lubusin ang mga sponsors.  Sa sobrang haba ng commercial break, nilipat ko muna sa paborito kong Cinema One. Uy sakto, John Lloyd movie, yung “One More Chance.”

Napanuod ko na ‘to dati at naubos ang tissue paper natin kaiiyak ko. Siguro naman, by this time, hindi na ako maiiyak. Bayaan na kung sino manalo sa Pinoy Dream Academy, malalaman ko rin bukas sa diyaryo yan at sa linggo, for sure iinterbyuhin din yun sa The Buzz.

Noong una kong napanood itong sine na ito, sapol yung mga panahong iniwan ako ng boyfriend kong mukhang hoodlum (sabi ni Dr. Cham mukha daw siyang hoodlum nung makita niya). Nararamdaman ko yung nararamdaman ni John Lloyd sa pelikula. Ang masaklap, wala kaming closure. Basta hindi na lang ako nakarinig ng kahit ano sa kanya. Yun lang.

Hindi ako umiyak. Pinili ko na manahimik at itutok ang isip sa pagtapos ng mga requirements ko sa eskwela. Pilit kong isinaksak sa utak ko na si He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (Oo, masahol pa siya kay Voldemort!) ay isang tartar na kaya kong tanggalin in just one sitting.  Sa Oral Medicine kasi ako naka-assign noon kaya ko naisip na tartar siya.

Hindi ako “in pain” nung mga panahon na yon, pero hindi rin ako okey. Basta ginagawa ko ang mga normal kong routine sa araw-araw: apartment-eskwela-apartment-uwi sa bahay pag weekend para dalhin ang pasalubong na labahin kay Mama. Tuwing uuwi ako sa apartment, nakaabang ang mga housemate ko na parang nag-aabang na magkwento ako o umiyak man lang. Pero wala silang narinig sa kin, gaya ng sabi ko, hindi ako umiyak.

Ngayon lang...

Kasalanan ni John Lloyd ang lahat. Kung bakit kasi kailangang magtangkang magpakamatay yung kaibigan niyang si Janus Del Prado (nag-overdose sa shampoo) pagkatapos siyang iwan ng fiancée niya at kinailangan ni John Lloyd na sabihin tong malupet na linya na ‘to:

"di ba ikaw na nga nagsabi, kaya tayo iniiwan ng mahal natin dahil may mas magmamahal pa satin. kaya tayo sinasaktan at iniiwan ng mahal natin dahil may mas mabuting tao na di tayo sasaktan. kaya tayo umiiyak sa piling ng mahal natin dahil may isang taong magpapasaya satin.."

-POPOY(john lloyd cruz)

Lupet! Tagos! Bulls-Eye!

Pagkatapos ng eksena na yun ay nakita ko ang mga kalong-kalong kong lukot at basang mga piraso ng tissue paper. This time, hindi lang iyak kundi hagulgol to the max.

Five years! Ngayon lang ako umiyak na parang kahapon lang nangyari ang lahat.

Bago ka magalit, hindi ko na siya mahal nung magkakilala tayo. Nag-shortcut kasi ako, hindi ko na dinaanan yung “closure period” pagkatapos ng breakup.

Para mas madaling dalhin. Para hindi ako masaktan. Recovery na agad.

Ngayon ko lang naisip na paano ako makaka-recover kung hindi ako nasaktan in the first place?

In fairness, naging mabait sa kin si Lord. Ibinigay ka niya sa kin sa tamang pagkakataon. Napunan mo ang aking needs noong semester na yun. Naghahanap ako ng mga pasyente ko para sa OP at wala rin akong boyfriend at the same time. (Kaya nga sabi ko sa isang estudyante, maging mabait sa mga pasyente kasi “Who knows, baka dun nyo ma-meet si DA WHO!”)

At para sa ex ko na mukha daw hoodlum (malakas ang loob kong i-post dahil alam kong wala kang Multiply):

Nung nakita kita uli matapos ang 4 na taon, I had the urge to ask kung ano ang nangyari sa ‘tin nun. Pero naisip ko, “What for?!” Hindi ko na gusto na maging tayo uli. Masaya na ako. As in. Huwag mo din isipin na bitter ako kasi hindi. Excuse me, hindi ka ganun ka-gwapo. Matalino ka lang.

Oo nga pala, yung pinangbayad ko sa US Boards noon, hindi ko na na-refund dahil hindi ako tumuloy dahil ayaw mo akong umalis. Leche ka, $46.50 din yun! Pero tumuloy ako nung break na tayo. Buti nga sa ‘yo, wala ka tuloy pasalubong.

E ano kung tiga-Pisay ka? UP naman ako, abogado pa napangasawa ko. Mas malaki sweldo nun sa ‘yo. Pasensiya na sa Tatay ko nung nagkita kayo sa meeting ha? Egoy lang talaga yun, di naman niya sinasadya na sagutin ka nun tinanong mo siya ng ganito:

Totoot: Engineer din po ba ang napangasawa ni Tin?

Itay: HINDI HA! ABOGADO YUN! ABOGADO! (Hindi naman halatang defensive ang tatay ko no?)

Mabuti na tong ganito. At least, peace na tayo. Magka-friendster na nga tayo, diba? Tama na ang drama mo, mag-asawa ka na, tumatanda ka na. Gusto mo, ihanap pa kita. Para happy ka na rin tulad ko ngayon.

Sa mga housemates ko nung college: Nangyari na ang inaaabangan niyo. Di ko man naikwento lahat pero umiyak na rin ako sa wakas. Tao rin pala ako, kahit paano.

Sa anak ko: Pag laki mo at iniwan ka ng boyfriend mo, ikukwento ko ‘to sa’yo. Para malaman mo na OK lang masaktan kasi may mas magandang kapalit. Tapos ibigay natin pangalan niya sa tatay mo para kasuhan niya ng jaywalking. Paksh@t!

P.S Kay hoodlum ulit (again hindi sa kin nanggaling yung mukhang hoodlum ka):

Eto, nahanap ko sa baul. Wala na yung iba, tinapon na daw ni Mama. Meron pa palang natira.

It pretty much signifies what you are to me.

A blur.

Pasintabi sa mga kumakain at maaarte: pahabol sa linggo ng wika

Filipino 101

Kung ikaw ay under 18 years of age, kumakain or nais kumain, feeling maarte na malamang ay pumalahat ng malupit na "YUCKKYYYY!!!!" after reading this post, THEN STOP READING AND CLICK THE "BACK BUTTON OF YOUR BROWSER.

This was one of the most gasgas forwarded emails ever. The entire post is lovingly dedicated to the Congressman. 

Congressman.

Ang abogadong may bukabularyo ng isang magbubute. 

And that's a compliment! Ibig sabihin very broad ang vocabulary mo!

Ayan kasi, sabi mo lurker ka dito sa site ko....

1. BAKTOL -- ang ikatlong lebel ng mabahong amoy sa kili-kili. Ang
baktol ay kapareho ng amoy ng nabubulok na bayabas. Ito'y dumidikit sa 
damit, at humahalo sa pawis. madalas na naaamoy tuwing registration, lalo na sa mga GE subject gaya ng natsci, comm, socsci, etc, dahil sa sobrang siksikan ng mga estudyante.
Ex. "Put@#$%, sinong nangangamoy BAKTOL sa inyo????!!!

2. KUKURIKAPU -- libag sa ilalim ng boobs. Madalas na namumuo dahil sa labis na baby powder na inilalagay sa katawan. Maaari ding mamuo kung hindi talaga naliligo o naghihilod ang isang babae. Ang KUKURIKAPU ay mas madalas mamuo sa mga babaeng malalaki ang joga.
Ex. "Honey, maligo ka na kaya para maalis yang KUKURIKAPU mo..."
 
3. MULMUL -- buhok sa gitna ng isang nunal. Mahirap ipaliwanag kung bakit nagkakaroon ng MULMUL ang isang nunal. Subalit hindi talaga ito naaalis, kahit na bunutin pa ito, maliban na lamang kung ipapa-laser ito.
Ex. "How nice naman your MULMUL!"
 
4. BURNIK -- taeng sumabit sa buhok sa pwet. Madalas nararanasan ng mga taong nagti-tissue lamang pagkatapos tumae. Ang BURNIK ay mahirap alisin, lalo na kapag natuyo na ito. ipinapayo sa mga may BURNIK na maligo na lamang upang ito'y maalis.
Ex. "Labs, alam ko kung anong kinain mo kanina!!!"
 
5. ALPOMBRA -- kasuotan sa paa na kadalasang makikitang suot ng mga tindero ng yosi sa quiapo. Ito'y may makipot na suotan ng paa, at manipis na swelas. mistulang sandalyas ito ng babae pero kadalasang suot ng mga lalaki. 
Available in blue, red, green, etc.

6. BAKOKANG -- higanteng peklat. Ito'y madalas na dulot ng mga sugat na malaki. Imbes na normal na balat ang nakatakip sa bakokang, ito'y mayroong makintab na takip.
Ex. "How nice naman your bakokang."
  
7.a. AGIHAP -- libag na dumikit sa panty o brief dahil sa labis na pagmamahal sa suot panloob. Nabubuo ang AGIHAP kung ang panty o brief ay nasuot na ng hindi bababa sa tatlong araw.
Ex. "May golly, may agihap na naman ang panty ni junior! (said the labandero to self)"

7.b. BAKAS NG LUMIPAS ---phrase coined by my yaya ukol sa mga brip ng mga kapatid ko. madalas marineg ang phrase nato tuwing laundry day.



8. DUKIT -- ito'y ang amoy na nakukuha kung isinabit mo ang daliri mo sa iyong puwit....try it to prove it that's DUKIT.
 
9. SPONGKLONG -- ito'y isang bagong wika na nangangahulugan sa isang estupidong tao.
Ex. "Buti naman at bumaba na sa puwesto ang spongklong nating Presidente."
 
10.LAPONGGA -- ito's kahintulad sa laplapan o kaya ay lamasan.
Ex. "Hoy Utoy, bakit ba ang hilig mo sa mga sineng puro lapongga lang ang palabas?"
 
11.WENEKLEK -- ito ang buhok sa utong na kadalasang nakikita sa mga tambay sa kanto na laging nakahubad. Meron din ang babae nito.
Ex. "Inay! Si Itay, sinaksak yung kapitbahay natin kasi hinila yung weneklek niya!"
 
12.BAKTUNG -- pinaikling salita ng BAKAT-UTONG.
Ex. "Uy Jefferson, tingnan mo si Ma'am, baktung na naman!"
 
13.BAKTI -- bakat panty.
 
14.ASOGUE -- buhok sa kilikili.
 
15.BARNAKOL -- maitim na libag sa batok na naipon sa matagal na panahon.
 
16.BULTOKACHI - tubig na tumatalsik sa pwet kapag nalalaglag ang isang malaking ebak.
 
17.BUTUYTUY -- etits ng bata.
 
18.JABARR -- pawis ng katawan (specifically the kili-kili).
 
19.KALAMANTUTAY -- mabahong pangalan.
 
20.MCARTHUR -- taeng bumabalik after mong i-flush.

For Friday Lunchmates

This was the topic last Friday's lunch. Can't remember who initiated it and why the heck are we talking about her. All I remember is that somebody mentioned her name and I said something about Melanie Marquez' "Do not judge my brother, he is not a book!"

Well, my family's role for me is so important bicos

there was the 

deer...they was the one

who's... very... Hahahaha... Oh I'm so sorry,

Ahhmm my pamily... my family

Oh my god.. I'm...ok... I'm so sorry...

I... I told you that I'm so confident...

Eto, Ahhmm, Wait... Hahahahahahaaa, Ahmmm,

Sorry guys because this was really my pirst pageant evwer

b'coz I'm only 17 years old 

And ahahaha I, I did not expect that I came from,

I came from one of the Tuff, taft, taff, tap, tuff ten...hmmm...

so... but I said dot, dot,

my family es the most important

persons in my life. Thank you.

---janina san miguel, bb.pilipinas-world

** Taken from http://darnalipad.multiply.com/journal?&=&page_start=160 (and yes, she's the woman behind the song Toyang, and yes again, she's ely buendia's wife--since hindi naman siya kasal kay redhead)

Wanted: Missing

There's always a first time, as they would say.

My first alcoholic beer is Smirnoff Mule. I don't remember who made me try it or the other details. Basta I remember the beer, not the boy (nyaha!).

A week before I'm craving for freshly brewed beer, the same thing I tasted from Fiesta San Miguel in Dusit Hotel Nikko. Mahihiya ang mga balahura ng Sidebar hahaha! Perfect beer I ever tasted. Bigla tuloy akong nainggit kay Dr. K, sana kasya ako sa balikbayan box at nagpaiwan ako sa Germany for Oktoberfest. As of this date, the only establishmentsI know which serves freshly brewed beer is Fiesta San Miguel and that Irish pub in Makati.

I was also craving for Sam's Hard Lemonade. I made my Miss Goody roommate Pauline drink this stuff as her first alcoholic drink. I told her this was far milder than Cali hehehe. 

Both Mule and Sam's Hard Lemonade are missing in action. I tried 4 upscale supermarkets and liquor stores already. If anyone knows where I can get hold of these two, please let me know. I'll get 2 six-packs each.

Missing Mule

Sam's aka Mike's Hard Lemonade

Mumu From Our Past

This was taken by Day Cabuhat, Pupil's manager hours before the Eraserheads Reunion concert.

It brought chills to my spine just seeing them together in one place. Our HS band played most of their songs and even Sister Mary Tarcila reprimanded me for singing and strumming Alapaap on the guitar while lurking at the back of the auditorium (I didn't attend first Friday mass that time, e nakahuli pa of all people si Principal!), who cares? I was getting the chords right that time! It was the year of Ateneo & Claret fair, Jose Sixto Dantes III's pre-Allerin days and Atom Araullo, well he looked just the same back then, only a few centimeters shorter and several decibels higher. A year where Giordano classic t-shirts ruled (a minimum of 5 different colors should be owned), Trapper Keepers with Devon Sawa pinups instead of lecture notes and all-boys school yearbooks replaced our textbooks.

Enough said. I quote from Bab (The resident hippie of Pugad Baboy): Humahaba na ang long hair ko....

When the Cat is Away, The Mice Play

Remember the old adage, "If the cat is away, the mouse will play?" The Father-Daughter tandem of the Congressman and Robyn seems to do the same when they're left alone in the house. 

Since moving to our own house, me, Congressman and Robyn would spend weekend indoors except for this past weekend when I had to attend the 2-part ESP seminar where the 2 were left among themselves...and that's when trouble began. When I went home Sunday evening, I was greeted by the Congressman with this sheepish grin on his face, motioning me to look at pictures and videos taken with his camera that weekend.

After seeing all the pictures and videos and giving the Congressman a sound whack in the head for doing all those kalokohan, I have some lessons learned:

1. Never trust the Dad alone with the kid/s. (See the next entries to be convinced)

2.Always leave instructions what to give the kid/s for snack. Never leave Dad in charge or say "Bahala ka na sa ipapakain diyan."

Robyn finishing almost half of the Gardenia Bag

3. Never let Dad introduce to your child the concept of dieting.

Robyn downing a bottle of Fit N' Right

The Congressman's justification: Walang ginawa yan kundi kumain, e diba yung L-Carnitine helps you burn fats? (He'll be dead by now if looks could kill)

3. Never leave Dad and your kid/s with a bunch of stickers. Please see the link of the evidence here: Sticker Happy

All the exhaustion from listening to endo lectures the entire day and having Dr. Jimena as my group's facilitator in the endo workshop (It's like Endo 31 lab all over again! The amazing race to the x-ray room continues...) were NOTHING compared to the exhaustion plus exasperation I got from the Congressman & Robyn's weekend adventures. Not to mention seeing the house in complete disorder hehehe.

And guess who has the nerve to sleep soundly right after and leave pool ol' me with the dishes...

Geez...