unpredictable

yes, life is simply unpredictable. yesterday, we spent the day at rockwell, one of my parents' favorite malls. it really is a nice mall and it wasn't too crowded. i was able to get two new shirts and my sister got two new pants. cool ^o^

but the best thing about this particular mall trip was the piano-playing man. we were passing by the body shop when this beautiful melody caught my attention. lots of people were standing by the railings. curious, i looked down and saw the source of the spirited christmas songs. there was an old man and a younger man playing the piano together - one was accompanying the other. the two were even dancing while playing. they really felt the music, the beats. it was a wonderful listening experience. traditional christmas songs were given more upbeat interpretations. music can truly warm the soul.

so there we were walking aimlessly around. when we saw karen and kym ong with their mum. it was from her that we heard the news of the earthquake and tsunamis in malaysia, thailand, and indonesia. when i watched cnn later that night, i found out that india and sri lanka had been badly affected too.

the thing is we (together with my relatives on the mother side) were going to go on the cruise to phuket and langkawi. my aunt called up my mom and said that phuket was badly hit by the tsunamis and thank God we didn't push through with our plans to go on the cruise. these past few days, i have been thinking about God's plan and stuff like that. how unpredictable life is. karma. we have no control over our lives. sure, we have control over our actions and how our lives will turn out. but when it comes to life and death, we are simply pawns in a chess game. indeed, God works in mysterious ways.

this holiday season, for me, has given rise to such a number of catastophic events - both personal and worldwide. these events have urged me to see past the materialistic objectives of life and to pay more attention to values and God. i offer my prayers to the people who have been affected by the quake and tsunamis. may they have the strength and faith to overcome such adversitites.

rose-colored glasses

do i see the world through rose-colored glasses? do i refuse to see the pain and suffering surrounding me? today is christmas day and i have a thousand thoughts running through my head.

an uncanny incident happened today. fear is the primary emotion i felt. how weird that people, humans can be so inhuman(e). blinded by materialistic goals, people can do anything.

this christmas, i realized just how important family is. the greatest gift i received is that my family is by my side. and for that, i am eternally grateful to the Lord. may i remember that material things are temporary and that life is too fleeting, too unpredictable to be taken for granted, to be wasted...

on the lighter side of things, we went to sm today. i got a laptop ^o^ pretty cool. i'll probably be tinkering with it for the next few days or so.

over the break, i've been watching a few korean movies. too beautiful to lie was thoroughly enjoyable. i also found reversal of fortune to be entertaining. the way home was quite touching, about a young city boy who gets stuck living with his mute grandmother in the rural area. it juxtaposes the two different generations and concentrates on family values without being preachy.

on the 23rd, we had dinner at brazilian restaurant in rockwell. i really love rockwell. the place is so soothing and mediterranean-y. the food was okay. couldn't partake of the specialties as they were all viands. went to fully booked and bought two books. one by a scandinavian author with a beautiful cover of what looked like an island resort. book's about the relationship between a grandmother and her 7 year old granddaughter. i just love being in a bookshop. rows and rows of books. speaking of which, harry potter book 6 out in july!!

saw chynna ortaleza and railey valeroso at body shop. my sister's a fan of chynna. she kept mentioning how pretty chynna was...and i do believe we became semi-stalkers. hehe.

my cousins were acting out "mulawin." pretty entertaining ^o^

so far, the christmas holidays have been a mix of everything - the good, the bad. it's been a learning, enlightening experience. it taught me to appreciate life more. i truly hope that the epiphany never wears away...

終わりました

今日の試験は少し難しいだ。わたしは遅かったと思います。すみだ先生はしけんが九時始めると言いました。でも私の友達早くラサールへ行きました。7時55分につきました。遅くなかった！＾ｏ＾ラサールに入ったとき、ジュウーヂトさんを見ました。ながい先生、すみだ先生、ズルエタ先生も見ました。試験を終わってから、疲れました。そしておなかがすいた。かぞくとノートパークで昼ごはんを食べました。おいしいですね！今かがくのレポートを書きます。

試験

私は明日日本語の試験があります。きのうは練習しました。日本語は上手になりましたか。まだだと思います。でも今私は日本語がすこしわかりました。いいですね！日本語が上手なる時、日本へ行きます。人と話します、日本の食べ物を食べます。。日本の生活はどうだとおもいます。

cousins unite!

i've posted pics of my cousins and my sister, eizel. during family gatherings, they're the liveliest, rowdiest bunch. eunice and i are far older than them, obviously but we enjoy being their "achis." we went to saisaki just last friday (nov. 19th) for my grandmother's post-bday celebration. but i don't have pics of the kiddie squad. so the pictures here are pictures from my uncle lyndon's bday party at gloria maris, from the countless out-of-town trips and family dinners. i love taking pictures of them although they're usually restless when it comes to posing. their exuberance, camaraderie, and playful antics always make family gatherings more enjoyable and memorable ^0^ and yeah, they've grown quite a bit...

girl power! 

journey to ocean adventure 

strike a funny pose!