of french macaroons and romantic comedies

i am supposed to be writing the intro to the expe psy paper due tomorrow but decided to take a slight detour and write down what i did yesterday. why? just felt like jotting something down.

saturday - sept. 25, 2004

morning (around 7:45). can't bring myself to get up. got home late friday because of Gratia. then of course, i think i slept late too. so grumbling, i get up, telling myself that if i don't, i can say hello to a big fat F for the factorial expe psy paper. after splashing cold water on my zombie-like face, all goes well. i feel energetic even.

morning still (9-ish to around 12:30). research at the lib with karen. tried tons of keywords before i found anything relatively significant. i got lucky after some time (thank you Lord) and was able to find something related 100% to the topic - effects of labeling and behavior outcome on social cognition. baloney-phaloney. high-falluting titles.

afternoon (12:40). stopped by at jollibee because of a sudden craving for fries to go with my PBJ sandwich. a recent addiciton is fries with ketchup (tomato ketchup, that is). i used to hate ketchup. now, i find it oddly comforting - the tart sourness combined with the ripe sweetness of tomatoes...yum!

afternoon (1:00 - 1:45). got to French class in time. no traffic. yey! i fell asleep though and the driver didn't wake me up. somehow, i snapped out of that dreamy nap and found myself situated in front of alliance. nice. checked to see if there was (icky) dribble on my mouth - none..whew. then i gingerly disembarked fearing the scorching sunlight and shielding my sleep-deprived eyes from the sun's unforgiving rays. i went to the front desk to inquire about enrollmet. they weren't accepting enrollments for module 8 yet. bummer! have to come back again.

afternoon (2:00-5:00). French class. it was a lot of fun. did phonetics (manu, manou, mani etc.) then we tackled indefinite pronouns (i think that's what they're called..hehe). but basically, it wasn't tensing (is there such a word?! oh well). my dream is to become fluent in french by the time i reach module 10. sounds unbelievable. haha =) doable though, i think.

evening (5:20). went to breadtalk. bought some apple-filled bread and rocky milk bread. yum! my mom bought some floss bread. i love breadtalk! their bread melts in the mouth. so soft. reminds me of the bread in canada. perfect comfort food. *sigh*

evening (6:00-8:00). watched 13 going on 30 with my mom and sisters. i cried. sniff sniff. and i never cry. it wasn't that touching. i was just touched for some reason or the other. and it felt so good to laugh and enjoy myself after weeks of non-stop studying and working (for Gratia). i liked the movie. it wasn't spectacularly brilliant but hey, it wasn't bad. jennifer garner's so pretty! i wish i had a closet like that! and mark ruffalo was perfect as the leading man. wish i could fast forward in time too...

afterwards: stopped by bizu. bought a slice of strawberry shortcake to take home (a whopping 230 or 245 per slice) plus 200g of french macarons. they were sinful. the pistachio was so yummy!! ube and lemon weren't as delightful though. i'll be sure to get some more to get home the next time i go to glorietta. we had dinner with my dad at banana leaf curry house. i love the roti there! and i got to try samosas, which i didn't get to try in canada. triangular-shaped things with vegetable fillings - kinda like curried mashed potatoes with raisins and veggies - dipped in yoghurt. it was yummy ^o^ of course, after that filling meal...we had to eat again. eunice and eizel were craving ice monster so we headed there. ice monster's pretty yummy as well. refreshing but really filling. i want to try strawberry ice.

around 1030-ish. eizel stopped by timezone and shot some baskets and pounded some alligators. timezone is a noisy place..kinda like whimsyland..i remember my long lost childhood. *sigh* hehe. my dad stopped by musicone to buy a jim brickman CD. he like angel eyes- the piece i play on the piano but haven't memorized yet.

of course by this time, i was falling asleep. i was sooooo sleepy. as soon as i sank into the plush leather car seat, i was off to dreamland.

all in all, it was an enjoyable day. no stress. enjoyment. relaxation. fun. family bonding. can't wait for another day like this.

jumping in the air

that was what i did as soon as liz did so. Gratia was finally over! the weeks of preparations and sleepless nights finally culminated in the Gratia Awards Night. Though I felt that it wasn't a slamming success, I felt content, even fulfilled in a way. I worked for it and it worked out. Thank you Lord!! It just felt so great hugging and being hugged and tapping and being tapped by everyone on the back. a sense of overwhelming relief washed over me...despite the tons of schoolwork awaiting me. now, i have something to call mine. i worked on a project. i met lots of new people. i went through frustrations and roadblocks but there were more than made up or compensated for by happy light funny moments in meetings (with dice, vincent, and liz - the super trio - best project heads!! love you all!!), in the booth (with elaine, kalen, and angel!! they were constantly calling to people to come over and vote!!). it was, for me, quite a learning experience. i did something on my own (in a way). i initiated the action. coolness! (as dice would say. hehe) and somehow it was scary coz i didnt' really have anyone to fall back on. tension, adrenaline, fear - i think i felt it all. but surprisingly, i was able to do it. though i don't think i exactly worked past the tension, adrenaline rush, and fear, i think i was somehow able to sidestep it. it's hard to explain how i'm feeling right now - proud, sad, bittersweet, tired, relieved. i'll miss all the meetings and chuckles (vincent & dice squabbles, liz "hirits") but i'm glad that all this, Gratia, is over. it's an achievement and i believe i'll remember this achievement for a long time...nothing beats the feeling of jumping in the air after all the hard work is done...it is bliss, relief, and freedom...

the calm after the tumult

yep, my project for Celadon starts today. and naturally, i was panicking this morning. my heart constricted, pulse beating, beads of sweat on my brow, rush of adrenaline. i had no idea how i was gonna set up the booth, much less how to go about getting votes from people. sitting in the car, i prayed and asked for strength and guidance. i felt calmer and more in control. my heart relaxed and i didn't feel suffocated anymore. and the celadon room was locked! which i took as a good sign (like Jules) coz more people could help out with the booth. and they did!! thank you thank you!! mic helped me with the board and the tarps. elaine helped lay out the booth plan. enzo, jic, tang, and so many more helped get the voting started. thanks to julie!! who served as a guiding rock =) hehe. she seemed so calm and collected and patient. i was so nervous and after today, things finally fell into place. yep, i know what i'm supposed to do now and i feel comfortable and at ease. i thank God for giving me strength, peace of mind, and courage. all in all, it was a fun experience. members showed up and helped man the booth...meloy, monique, joy, malerie, pinky!! and of course spike who was the first to offer to help. i guess, in some weird way, the forces of nature colluded to make this day worthwhile and happy. that this morning, i felt like a complete mess, disoriented, scared, and nervous..at the end of the day, all was well. everything fell into place, everything fit. it's like writing a paper. you stare blankly at the screen for an hour or so..but the next day, you're printing something and you have something to pass. it's amazing how we manage to fill up that piece of paper. like it's amazing how after the tumult, things fall back into place. which is evident that all things are subject to something more powerful, more grand. and that we are mere beings in the grander scheme of things. yet as mere beings, we are able to achieve something in the bigger, grander world. and what we do, though it may not be life-shattering or groudnbreaking, gives each of us a sense of fulfilling, happiness, and inner peace that is unequalled, unparalleled, and incomparable in value. that's how i feel right now...valuable ^o^

fairy tale weddings

my cousin got married yesterday. sitting in the Church, one of my cousins and I talked about dream weddings, which got me thinking. I didn't really have a dream wedding. Sure, i have ideas and fantasies of how i want things to be like. But it's never been anything concrete, with specific details and all. all i know is that I don't want to get married in a big Church coz it won't get filled up anyway. Preferably, it be somewhere in the countryside, lots of greenery and colorful flowers reflecting iridescent hues in the sunlight. small chapel. kinda like a prairie scene. like the one from anne of green gables. anyway, my cousin's wedding wasn't as boring as i thought it would. the ceremony went fairly quick. and the weather was cooperative - cool breeze. but the one thing i enjoyed was the reception. it was really well thought out. i loved the long white draping curtains which glowed in dim lighting. i loved the chandeliers hanging majestically from the tall cream-colored ceilings, the candle holders on the walls seemed to give the place a royal, castle-y feel. the flower centerpieces were beautiful, with bright yellow and orange sunflowers unabashedly bearing their bold colors, the shy roses, and the calla from the church aisles were lovely as well. i loved the reception for its simple elegance. the host was good and even a trio "orchestra" serenaded the guests with songs from pachelbel and all sorts of sentimental love songs. it was just lovely, not really magical or enchanting...just lovely. speaking of weddings, i loved maimai's wedding. her dress was awesome and her shoes were specially made by manolo blahnik!! plus, she looked really lovely and elegant. weddings - i could consider a career in wedding planning =) seems like fun. creating weddings, making dreams come true. i sound so cheesy and girly. hehe. but anyways, it was just a really lovely experience. congrats to my cousin! *big grin*

shopping spree

today, my mom, two sisters, and i went shopping at shangri-la. it's been a while since we really shopped. most of the time, we just catch movie, have dinner, and buy pastries to take home, do some window shopping. today though, we bought lotsa stuff. i was able to get hold of lancome juicy tubes. the flavors are really cool and sweet =) yummy! then, we checked out some of the formal wear. the reason why we went shopping was because my cousin's wedding is next week and we had nothing spectacular to wear. so i bought a sequinned top. it's pretty nice actually. then we went shop-hopping. it was really tiring! my mom tried on lots of clothes at liz claiborne and finally found something she liked. the clothes there are really nice but expensive! then, we had lunch where we saw angel and her family. ^o^ we saw angel and her sister get huge ice cream cones and eizel wanted one too so she got a strawberry ice cream cone. afterwhich, the search for shoes was on! i like flats. mary janes...i think that's what you call them. but i haven't seen a pair i could fall in love with. i tried on some exaggeratingly high heeled shoes. wow! added height! hehe. but i didn't buy any shoes. i'll stick with my old ones for now. my absolutley fave store is Bayo. They have really nice clothes...a bit more expensive now but i like their jeans. a trip to the mall is incomplete without a trip to Bayo ^_^ seeing tons of clothes on mannequins and lots of really pretty clothes and shoes (with equally wonderful price tags) is a girl's dream come true (mine at least). clothes are just so fun! but then, not being able to buy everything is what makes saving and finally getting to buy what you want even more memorable and meaningful. after that "formal" clothes shopping, i strengthened the fact that i'm a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers kind of gal. i like skirts once in awhile and of course, it's fun to dress up but jeans are like a second skin. we had dinner at little asia. love their garlice spinach and jap chae =) yesterday, we went to ice monster (mango ice! want to try strawberry ice) and gloria jeans. so, this weekend was stress-free and i had a lot of fun. wonder when the next shopping spree will be...

night owl

just finished writing my two reflection papers for theo, typing the final theo survey, BUT i still haven't finished studying for my I/O midterms at 6pm today. gulp! this seems to be the trend nowadays. sleeping at around 2 am. getting used to it. circadian clock adjustment. well, i finally finished my ten jap journal entries. might continue writing in it though as it's interesting to clog my mind with ideas on how to say this and that in japanese. which reminds me that i have to check when the deadline for the submission of proficiency exam is...have to check my Post-iT later. i have officially become a Post-iT user although it isn't much help sometimes. makes me look like an authentic obsessive-compulsive though \(^o^)/ i've been thinking i have to memorize some more piano pieces. the only thing i can play confidently is pachelbel. have to get the right hemsiphere of the brain to work out. seems like my brain functions realtively better around 11pm to 2am. and it's september already which means my cousin's getting married. sigh...still haven't shopped for a dress and shoes. today, i attended a cell meeting. voica's been inviting me for three weeks now i think. i went and it was fun. escape from the stress for an hour and share your thoughts and problems and insights with people. it made me feel lighter and happier. happiness is a state of mind i guess and i believe stress is toO...i wonder what i'll do after college. hopefully, i'll have a sense of direction as to where i want to go already. as of this moment, i am officially transporting myself to another place...sitting in those big fluffy rich red armchairs in coffee bean & tea leaf. sinking into them...sinking...sinking...i'm gone...

playing in my head: kelly clarkson's breakaway