new pyjamas for my tofu..

my big tofu is going to sleep in his new pyjamas.. =D



isn't he cute? haha.. although his legs are kinda short, and the arms too.. haha.. but his legs are still swollen.. haha.. but i'll make him do some leg exercises.. wahaha..

random..

finally i decided to throw away my notes from my JC days.. haha.. don't laugh, i always thought that those notes will come in handy anytime (and they did, during my first year in university).. haha.. but now, when i'm settled with the thought of graduating this semester, these notes seem to be just occupying space and collecting dust in my room.. so i've decided to dump them, though not everything.. haha.. so as to make way for more notes for this semester.. haha..

and while clearing up my shelves, i saw the book containing messages from teachers and students, which was given to us during our prom at the end of our JC years.. i almost forgot that this book exists.. hmm.. 2 years in JC is too short to make it memorable enough.. and friends come and go, and most of my classmates i have not been in contact with for quite a long time, and sometimes i wonder where have these people gone to.. sigh..

anyway, another little story from philippines..

as i've mentioned, i travelled out of the island of Negros to Cebu and Bohol.. my main objective to Bohol was to visit NUSCO sponsored child, Jen Melfe, and hopefully to visit the famous Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers in Bohol..

Jen Melfe is a shy little 9 year old girl.. her family is poor, and they have to support 4 young children.. when i visited her, she was having fever, so i guessed she wasn't that active as i would expect her to be..

although we didn't get to talk a lot due to language barriers and her being sick, i felt something whenever i held her hand.. it felt different from the feelings when i hold the hands of other children.. i couldn't describe, but perhaps her skinny hand made me feel that there should be more things to be done, to help these children.. even with monthly contributions, it would still require much more effort to change the lives of these children..

bringing her to Jolly-Bee was something new to her.. that was her first time going into a fast food restaurant.. at 9 year old, that was her first time eating in a fast food restaurant.. how old were you, when u had your first meal in MacDonalds or any other fast food restaurant? 1 year old? 2 year old?

and she didn't eat a lot.. only a few bites of the spagetti.. she asked me if she could have an ice-cream.. i would very much loved to buy her one, but she was running a fever.. and i told her, "next time ok? when you are not sick.. when you recover.." and i hope there would be a next time..

initially i planned to bring her around the city, or maybe perhaps shopping for a christmas gift for her.. but she was not feeling well, so after lunch i let her return home, and i continued to tour around the little island of Bohol..

with only a few hours stay on the island, it was impossible for me to visit the Chocolate Hills, but at least i managed to see those cute little tarsiers, close-up!



they are smaller than the size of my palm, and with their big eyes staring at you, you would really love to get one to bring it home.. haha.. aren't they adorable? haha..



too bad they are endangered (or so i thought).. but i was only there for about half an hour or so, and i had to return to the port to take a ferry back to Cebu.. so much for travelling 2 hours to-and-fro just to see the tarsiers..

oh well, the next time, i want my Chocolate Hills!! =D

rain..

rainy nights tend to make me think a lot.. more than usual.. haa.. a quiet journey from school back home can be something challenging for my mind, because my mind can fly to a faraway place..



listening to "Hawak Kamay" brought me back to Bago City.. it means "to hold hands together".. and i really wish i could do that right now.. and this song made me remember the last morning i sat outside the house with papa, and ton-ton came singing this song and made me cry.. aww..

and coming home, to know that my previous lecturer had passed away due to a sudden heart attack.. he was one of my favourite lecturers, whom i truly admire.. i liked the way he made the lessons interesting and funny with his jokes and his weird laughter.. it's really a pity, and if given an opportunity, i would very much love to take one of his modules again..

sigh.. rainy night..

busy..

there goes my reputation as a responsible tutor.. arghh.. blame the agent, i did not agree to the new assignment, but she told the parents that i would be there.. and it so happened that they are the neighours of my kids.. and my kids' mum called to ask me what happened.. -_-""

but still, it's the agent's fault! how could she tell the parents that i accepted the assignment when i didn't agree to anything?? worse still, i was not given any contact number or address, so where am i suppose to go to teach?? arghh..

oh well, i may not have time for the new student anyway.. haha..

and i've got a part-time job, working in CFA, doing those nitty gritty things like tearing labels and removing plastic covers from books.. it's ok to be paid for doing brainless jobs.. because i need my brain cells for other things.. haha..

anyway, a little story from Bago City.. =)



this was taken during the christmas party (19 Dec 2006) at Astro Farm Day Care and Elementary School.. we were playing games with the kids, and in this game, they had to form the longest line with whatever they have on them..

because they only had simple clothing on them, all they could use were their shoes and their clothes.. even if the prizes were only candies and simple toys, they wanted them so much, because they were really that attractive to them.. they wanted to win so much, that the boys took off all their clothes, including their undies.. even the girls were half-naked.. but of course the boys' team won.. =)

and all of us really had a good time, laughing and playing along with them.. =) another interesting fact about this photo, it became 2nd most viewed photo (54 views!!) after only 3 days of uploading it to flickr.. haha.. and you are going to wonder what is the most viewed photo.. haha..

and hello to everyone in Bago!! =) i miss all of you, i really do.. hope everybody's doing fine there.. and like what tricia said, i should be back, to make everybody happy, especially papa.. haha.. don't worry, i've been thinking about my next trip already.. hopefully it will happen.. *cross my fingers* so pray for me too!! love you guys!! =)

first day back to school..

damn.. first day of school, 8am lesson.. i almost overslept.. because i didn't hear the chickens.. haha.. tricia and papa will know what i mean.. when i was there, i woke up at around 6am everyday.. almost no fail.. haha.. and i always told them that "the chickens are working very hard".. haha..

but next week onwards, every monday is going to be a 8-to-6 day.. 8am to 6pm.. arghh.. monday blues!! but thanks goodness tuesday is my free day, and the rest of the days are short days.. but i don't think it will not be a free day anymore, after i put in all my slots for the kids' tuition.. in another words, i may be working almost 7 days a week.. sheesh.. and i have already started tuitioning the kids yesterday.. no time to rest.. haha..

anyway, i've already uploaded the photos from my Bago trip to flickr.. so just click on the icon to view them.. =) perhaps i will select some, and post it here, because every photo has its own story to tell.. =)

once again, thanks to all my friends who have made the big tofu for me.. =) i had a good time hugging it to sleep.. hehe..

thank you all for the big plush toy!

thank you all, so much.. for the big plush toy!! it was really a nice surprise.. =) now i'll have something nice to hug at night.. =) maybe that's why my mum threw away my smelly pillow while i was away in philippines.. although i really miss it right now, and i couldn't sleep well last night.. i should have brought it with me to philippines.. damn..

bigger than my bolster.. =D.. the small one is the original version, but the big one is handmade.. wooh~~

and it's big enough to take the driver's seat.. haha..

anyway, thank you all so much.. i know there are many people involved in this, different people sewing different parts of the plush toy.. thank you so so much.. =)

i've yet to give a name for it.. tentatively it's "big tofu", since i called the small one "tofu prince".. haha..

now it's back to my usual life, back to orchestra practice.. thankful to have friends that care for me even when i'm away.. somehow the transition period after coming back from Bago seems to be better than the previous times.. =)

anyway, bago pictures to be posted in a couple of days, after i'm done with all other nitty gritty stuff, like packing all the pasalubongs and settling the school's timetable.. =)

back from my second home..

i'm back, from my second home.. =)

coming back, was again, something hard to do.. saying goodbyes, and all the cryings.. haha.. but i think i cried less.. at least i didn't cry when i entered the boarding gate.. =)

this time round, although the transit was more convenient, without having to claim my luggage at the domestic airport and moving out of the airport.. but i still made a booboo.. my passport was not chopped, so i had to get out of the boarding gate and requeue for all procedures again.. and the people there all thought i was a filipina when i spoke tagalog.. haha.. and i surprised them by showing my passport.. haha..

and the customs at changi airport is so self-service now.. scanning my own passport and thumbprint.. and that's it.. haha..

but anyway, a sincere and heartfelt thanks to everybody in Bago City.. TRY, the Matti family and relatives, the Mondia, Singson and Torres family and their big family, the HRMO staff, joenil and family, and everyone else in the neighbourhood, in the schools, and people i've met.. thank you all so much, for giving me such a wonderful time and memories.. =) thank you, for being so nice to me, helping me, giving me treats, allowing all my requests.. hehe..

but please, the next time i fall sick, no need to make a fuss out of it.. i can take care of myself.. hahaha.. =D

i'll remember all the good time i have spent there, the ice-box cake, my specially-prepared mashed potatoes, the jokes and the new words i've learnt.. =) and also our theme song, hawak kamay.. =) i'll make ton-ton sing that to me again.. haha..

and sorry, for any inconvenience caused due to my requests, for any unintentional silly jokes i've made, and whatever trouble i have given.. =)

i'll remember tricia's two words, "Be Back".. and papa's words too.. and everybody's.. and i'll be back *hopefully so*.. =)

so for now, i'll miss all of you.. we are just a text away, and there's always emails, calls, and my blog! =) love all of you, miss all of you, and i'll be back.. *hopefully*.. =)

big update..

sorry for the no-post.. haha.. due to me travelling around islands, and the poor internet connection..

anyway, christmas was fun, so was the new year.. firecrackers bombing around the town, non-stop.. haha..

the mission to Bohol was completed, after meeting up with NUSCO's sponsored child, Jen Melfe.. =) and bringing her and her family to a meal in JollyBee.. and it was her first time eating fast food in her 9 years.. although she was quiet most of the time (she was running a fever then), but still i could sensed that she was happy, or at least i hope.. haha..

and i also got to see the cute little Tarsiers in Bohol.. hehe.. but too bad, no chocolate hills this time, due to the rushed schedule.. haha..

so, at least for now, i have been out of Negros Occidental, to Bohol and Cebu.. wahaha.. but the trip back was horrible.. 5 hours of waiting at the bus terminal, and more than 8 hours of bus ride.. and that caused me to have a bad cough.. arghh.. sadly to say, i'm still coughing..

christmas spent with the Mondia family was good.. =) and new year with the Matti family was good too.. food, food, food.. eat, eat, eat.. haha..

so, tentatively, i have more or less done with my mission, except for some stuff to be distributed by them when the school reopens.. i'll leave it to TRY to settle it.. =)

and i still have 2 days left here in Bago.. of course i'm sad to leave, but i'll still have to go.. i'll miss this place..

christmas parties..

yesterday's christmas party at A.M. Espinos Elementary School was overwhelming.. and indeed, i had fun.. =)

the children were so excited about the party, that they were already sitted under the hot sun when we arrived.. and seeing upon all of us wearing red santa hats, they were estatic..

we watched the children's performances, played games, sang songs, danced to the currently-popular "Boom Tarat" song.. and we also prepared spagetti, bread and juice for the 250 students in the school..

the later part of the programme was about giving and receiving.. it feels good to see smiles on their faces when they received the stationery, toys and clothes from us.. at some time, i had to give out little toys to children randomly, and when all of them came crowding around me, i couldn't move at all..

the most touching part was when the whole school sang a "Thank you" song.. i have never heard people singing a song with lyrics filled with thanks, and they sang it with their heart.. manz.. indescribable..

today will be another christmas party for another elementary school, which the condition is worse than the previous one.. i don't know what to expect, but i know, i will see smiles.. =)

update..

ok.. another short update..

went to 2 schools, Ramon-Torres Malingin National High School and Ramon-Torres Taloc National High School to distribute things to the top 10 students of each level and Ms Teen TRY candidates..

ok lar, they are grateful, they appreciate, and i am happy too.. =)

next week i will be having 2 christmas parties for 2 elementary schools, and then i will distribute the rest, including the toys and stationery.. more kids.. =)

schedule for the day..

ahh.. back from lunch break.. =)

this morning was going to place after place..

1st stop: Astro Farm Elementary School
we were there for TRY's feeding program.. around 50 kids are part of this program, where they will be provided with food, bread and juice.. this little girl, whom we named her Judy Ann (after a very popular actress here in Philippines) lost one of her parents, and she is part of the program.. and she's soo cute!! haha.. the road to Astro Farm is super bumpy.. we past by a "forest of sugarcane", and sometimes i saw no roads ahead of us... =X.. at one point, the driver and Nonoy had to get out of the van to check the depth of the mudpool, just in case the van gets stuck in it.. haha..

2nd stop: Ma-ao Sugar Central High School
we distributed the sponsored notepads and pens to the top 10 students from each level, and files for the top student of each level.. the candidate for Ms Teen TRY also received a package of 1 file, 4 notepads and pens.. hopefully these items will serve as a form of inspiration and motivation to study hard.. =)

3rd stop: Ma-ao Lousiana High School
went there to give a package to a candidate for Ms Teen TRY too..

4th stop: Sagasa High School
the same goes to this high school, distributing the same thing as the Ma-ao Sugar Central High School..

later in the afternoon, more places to go to.. Malignin, Dulao and Taloc.. busy day... =)

oh, i will be going to Bohol to visit NUSCO's sponsored child! yeahhey!! =)

in Bago!!

hello everyone!! =) i'm here again in tricia's office.. using my 'boyfriend' computer.. wahahah..

anyway, the flights here were ok, except for a little turbulence.. and the settling of air tickets in the new terminal of the Ninoy Aquino Airport was kinda messy.. and the plane, as usual, was delayed.. but i survived.. haha..

but it was kinda disappointing, when clara couldn't come with me.. well, parents are parents afterall.. with the news of terrorist attacks and the typhoons, i understand.. oh well, i can survive anyway, knowing that i have so many friends here.. hehe..

the weather here wasn't good either.. there was a typhoon, but it was Signal 1, so it was only non-stop heavy rain.. so don't worry.. =) and now the sun is out!! i can play under the sun!! woohoo!

some updates from here.. everyone here is well and good.. joseph looks thinner now, so is Bong.. haha.. temogen is away in Manila, but will be back for christmas.. hehe.. ryan's wife is 5 months pregnant!! =D and princess has a new baby boy!! =D papa's health is getting better too.. and joenil was shocked to see me!! haha.. 'cos tricia purposely didn't tell him about my trip.. haha.. in general, everybody is doing well lar.. hahaha..

this 2 weeks i will be kept busy with all the TRY's activities, but i will still try to find time to come to the office to use the computer.. =)

ok, that's all for now! will try to come online often.. happy early merry christmas, and tata~ =)

flying soon..

ok, bags are all packed (finally.. after hours of dilly-dally-ing).. haha.. every year it seems like i am going with more and more bags.. cannot blame lar, so many people, so many presents.. =D

a whole new journey is about to begin, with a friend to share my joy, experience, and of course, workload.. haha.. i hope that this trip is the best, and perhaps the next trip an even better one.. haha..

but i am a bit disappointed, because my plans for visiting my sponsored child may not come true.. problems cropped up at the last minute.. sigh.. will see how when i'm there..

meanwhile, if you guys need to contact me, i can still be reached at the same number, or email (though replies will be a few days delayed)..

ok, a happy merry early christmas to all, while i wait for a few more hours to my flight.. =) take care all!

~ i'm leaving on a jetplane, don't know when i'll be back again, oh babe, i hate to go~

one more day..

ahh.. one more day.. =)

sorry for the lack of updates recently, despite the end of those horrible papers.. hehe.. i was busy preparing things for my trip lar.. and my spending powers came into play.. haha..

although this time round, things are a bit rushed, but at least they are much more smoothly carried out, compared to last year.. i am more prepared this year, more plannings done, though i am more ambitious too.. but at least i have achieved it.. =)

this may be the last time i am doing this.. i don't know if i will get a chance to do it again.. i don't know what i will do after i graduate, and i really don't know if i will have the time to be away for a long time.. so now, i tell myself, make this trip the best, and the most rewarding one.. =)

to all friends who have been showing support, helping me with my donation drive, a very BIG thank you.. and i will see all of you next year.. =)

new toy!

yeahhey! i have a new toy, a new baby!! hahah.. a brand new camera!! whoosh~

if not for the spoilt old one, i could have saved up a little bit of money.. the old one was only 2 years old.. so young, and it died.. sigh.. and the specs were not that good anyway, and i don't know why i bought that in the first place.. haha.. besides the repair was supposed to cost me at least $200.. i might as well buy a new one.. haha..

so i'm going to play around with this new toy, but of course, taking good care of it, at least try to reduce the number of scratches, the chances of dropping it onto the floor, and lengthen its life span.. haha..

--------------------

one last paper to go!! in fact, one last horrible paper to go.. i'm praying that prof ip is not going to kill us all (but i think he is).. good luck to all, especially those who are still in the midst of their exams!!

5 more days to Bago City! =D

bad night..

i didn't sleep well last night.. not because of the exams.. exams are not of a high importance in my life anyway..

i was yawning so heavily, but somehow i was tossing and turning.. my mind was in a whirl.. but i couldn't pinpoint to any particular thing going through my mind then..

then i had a weird dream.. it was like, a flashback of the past year.. i saw my friends in philippines, i saw my tuition kids, and i saw what i did for this past year..

and now i realise, time really flies.. now the year is coming to an end, and i'm flying off next fri.. isn't that fast? i still thought of my trip last year, and now i'm going back again.. haha.. and listening to x'mas songs on radio or on the streets will make me feel that i'm in philippines for a moment.. coming to think of it, this will be the 3rd year consecutively spending x'mas in philippines.. =)

now i hear christmas songs again.. x'mas is in the air!

Goong..

i want the human plush toy in Goong~~~ the white human toy with the pictures at the head.. aww~~

but there's a website that sells it at a freaking $500.. siao.. can someone make it for me? haha..

and remarkably, i finished the entire set of vcd within a week.. haha.. hmm.. "obsessed" is not a good word.. i would say it's for de-stress.. hahaha.. full of excuses.. =P

a world of princes and princesses, filled with dramatic love stories.. something that is unreachable, for most of us.. that's why the show is so successful, especially in making people like me cry.. oops.. but it's also funny.. =) i find the granny cute!! haha..

alas, i feel that the ending is not beautiful enough.. why are there still lonely people in the end?? why the other prince had to leave the palace.. boohoo..

but anyway, don't you find the bears cute?? with costumes somemore.. aww.. but still, the human plush toy is cuter.. hahah..

happy birthday..

thank you all, so so much, for making this day a beautiful one.. =)

thanks for all the birthday messages, SMSes.. and of course, the beautiful surprise - a new email account filled with birthday greetings.. =) it indeed has made the first few moments of my birthday an unexpectingly wonderful one.. haha.. thanks to those who have sent emails to this special email account, and left me shocked, jaws wide open, and murmuring "oh my goodness" for near half hour..

maraming selamat sa mga kaibigan sa Bago.. =) thank you my dear friends, for remembering.. and hey! i will see all of you real real soon!! =) less than a month!! yeahhey!! =D

and happy birthday to nay bambie! despite being miles away, we share the same birthday! =D thank you for being my foster mum in Bago.. =) miss ya!!

birthdays are just another day of our lives.. you don't need a special occasion just to remember your friends, you don't need a special occasion to give them gifts.. and 21st birthday doesn't make it any special from the other birthdays either.. we are all still learning, from the many setbacks and the mistakes that we may make, and those that may come by throughout our lives..

so, let us be better people, be good to ourselves and to people around us.. and also be blessed with happiness and success in everything we do..

fill your life with dreams and smiles =) --- yuhui

good news..

2 good news!! =D

all my 4 boxes are sealed up, ready to be shipped out!! hehe.. a very very BIG thank you to all, who have helped me, donated your stuff, beared with all my rantings and complaints.. without you guys, it wouldn't be possible for me to fill up my boxes.. =)

and my first batch of the boxes have arrived in Bago City!! all intact, sealed, unopened.. hehe.. now i just hope that the computer inside the box is fine as well.. =)

so far so good, isn't it? haha.. let's hope that this batch of boxes will go well too.. so that i won't need to worry too much.. haha..

a long day..

today was all about packing and sorting and carrying and counting and packing..

early in the morning, i was at Salvation Army at Serangoon (somewhere far away) with clara and biyun to collect some old items for my philippines trip..



the place hasn't change a single bit.. the last time i was there it was in 2004.. it was like a huge rubbish dump, the place looked so old and things were all around, full of dust.. today, after 2 years, it still looks the same to me.. haha.. and all the staff are busy with their work for the christmas season..

we were led into this area with boxes everywhere (and dust everywhere too) and we were a bit lost, didn't know where to start from..



box by box, we opened them and and picked out those boxes that we want..



and many times we were undecided of how many things to take.. we wanted to take all the things that are useful, but i only had that little space in my boxes.. in the end we took about 4 boxes of clothes and blankets.. and the blankets are from SIA (Singapore Airlines)!! woah!!



while waiting for clara's dad to return, we stoned, and entertained ourselves with silly stuff.. which i can't remember.. =X



back at my house, we took hours to count the stuff, sort them and repack them into the boxes.. and i fell asleep on the sofa when i wanted to finish the packing and sealing of the boxes..

waking up 2 hours later, and after some loitering around the house, i got back to what i was supposed to do, and finished all the sealing up of the boxes at 8pm..

what a long day manz.. i have 1 last box, which optimistically i will fill it up by tomorrow.. =) then i can ship them out!!! yeah!! thanks to Salvation Army (i need to do a report for them =X) and to biyun and clara's dad..

time to get back to real work.. damn the lab report..