loooooong update :D

Hello loves! I'm back. Hahaha. Kinda forgot to update this bloogiee of mine. Haven't been busy though...just that marami lang ang nasa isip ko. I hate being alone with my thoughts. Seriously. Have fun reading it. If you actually have the patience. :P

Had a pretty short semester. Mid-January to mid-April, due to my twisted semester. Not as hellish as the first sem. In fact people were telling me that we got lucky with the teachers. (We don't get to choose our scheds). Oooh and btw 7:30 ang start ng classes ko from Monday to Thursday. Tapos every Wednesday, I'm in school from 7:30am to 8pm. With long breaks in between. But since there are no more Marketing/Opman projects, puro long breaks talaga...unless you read Theo or Philo. Didn't do that well this sem though as I should have. Laziness much? Was trying to adjust. Hahaha. Procrastination to the max. On the bright side though, wala na akong accounting subjects. We had the Junior Engagement Program (JEEP) where for twelve hours we were required to do "labor" work or something like that. I was assigned to Robinsons MetroEast Supermarket, where I had to stack canned goods.

What else? There were of course a few birthday dinners during the weekend or after class. Things were a bit more different though during breaks. I kinda lost touch with more than a couple of people. There were mini-lunches, opportunities to hang out (which I missed very badly, believe me). But with certain people…ewan. Diff na eh. Know what I mean? Even if we talked a lot in ym while I was gone, pagbalik nag iba. It sucks, but oh well that’s life, right? And it’s not like I haven’t been there before. Falling out. Tsk. Four years ago. It’s been that long.

Anyway…

My cousin from the States, visited for a week last Feb. She slept in our house for a while. The experience was pretty interesting…and cool. Though I didn’t know that much about her, she had a whole lot of stories to tell. Some of them seemed surreal. Hahaha. But hey, she graduated from an arts school and lives in LA. She tried all these things while she was here, like get an eyelash perm and she used to have piercings. She went to this art “party/opening” thingy, went to Intramuros, all those artsy museums. We brought her to Ateneo and UP, and apparently, she liked Ateneo so much, she actually bought a shirt in the LS bookstore. Oh, and she had this little project, where she went to UST, my tito’s school, to get his diploma and yearbook. That was fun too, ‘cause I got a lot of free treats from my mummy. Spa!!! (Pedicure tayo! Hahaha.) Jap food! ;P So why am I exactly talking bout her? Oh yes, she’s the ***** ******** ** ****** ***** ***. Lol. Figure that one out people. That’s way more coded than Half’s blog. *wink* But in the end, she turned out to be pretty cool. Hehe. Though intimidating. *ahem*

Two months after I got back from casino land. People ask me how it was, and I always say that it was one of the best semesters ever. It was great, perfect, awesome…you name it. Hahaha. I used to look at all those pictures and watch the videos. I thought that all of my anger and regret is gone. Apparently not. I just pushed it aside. There were also things that I couldn’t talk about…in detail. Wenky and I had this little talk. Well not little. It was big, long. Hahaha. Ang kulit. One of them random afternoons in Seattles. Long break, remember? Siya rin may long break. Meron din sa Bel. Remember that????? Omg, buti na lang nasa Bel ako nung nagkuwentuhan tayo.

The one in Bel was just something that I couldn’t figure out, and for a long long time, I kept thinking about it. Sometimes I think that I lost myself there. Or not. I don’t know. One thing’s for sure, it will never happen again. Sometimes I think that the whole thing got so distorted na. Like I don’t fully remember the details. Or maybe I did. What my theo prof said one time got me thinking as well. Hahaha. But does it justify the whole thing? I kinda forgot about it until someone told me to spill. Hahaha. Anyhoo. *forgetting…sometime soon…hopefully* Never again.

The one in Seattle’s naman. That was looooooong. Come to think of it, I never told anyone the full details of why I was sad, why I was angry, why I regretted it sometimes. Until that afternoon. Then again, if I did tell her everything I would be bawling. Cut short because of her class and I had consultation. Gah. Wala na sigurong lalabas sa conversation na iyon. I was half philosophizing. Like how I wasn’t that free after all. Like how fake everything was and shallow. Or how I was being shallow. Or how fake certain people were. Point is, I thought I was over the anger. Apparently not. Bumalik lahat ng galit ko. Oh, and that was only the beginning.

A few weeks later, Arnaud (France), Izumi (Japan), and Rita (Portugal) visited us in Manila. This was during Holy Week. Got a bit (ok, not a bit…quite) stressed out with the planning stuff. Basta. I got kinda pissed at a certain person who backed out a week before they arrive. Sana naman sinabi mo nang mas maaga diba? Gawd. Lumaki pa yung galit ko sa kanya after that incident.

Anyhoo. Things worked out when they arrived. I tried to finish my Philo synthesis paper before they arrived…(but failed to do so)…I fetched Arnaud and Izumi from the airport Tuesday night. They stayed in our house. On Wednesday, my lola and I brought them around Manila, those cultural stuff, like Intramuros, and we went to Ayala Museum. That night, we met up with Tori and Yao and Monche at Gerry’s Grill in Promenade, had dinner there. Met up with Rita before midnight at the house kasi iba flight niya. Bought cake in Bizu because we were gonna celebrate Arnaud’s birthday. We then went to this place in Tomas Morato, but I didn’t have as much fun. *ahem* So the first two days in Manila were a bit stressful and semi-messed up, with the transpo problems, where to go from Thursday to Sunday. Galera was definitely another break from everything (as if my mind wasn’t somewhere else…) Island hopping was the best part, because I hate crowded beaches. Haha. Everyone got tipsy/drunk that Good Friday. Ironic. Watched a movie and window shopping after. Grabe Gateway was so deserted. Oh yeah, only we enjoyed “Meet the Spartans” kasi malamang American culture siya. Went to Greenhills, MOA, and had lunch at this Chinese restaurant on Sunday. Brought Izumi and Arnaud to the airport. Crammed Philo all day Monday until around 3-ish. UP and street food. Mango Bravo is love. Hahaha. Tuesday was the last day. Awwww. Katipunan and Ateneo with Rita before rushing to bring her home and to the airport.

Still, I would say I had a good time. Each day was better than the previous one. Bonding galore. I think I did a whole lot more bonding this time as compared to when I was in Macau.  Things are definitely different now, way more than I expected. And a lot of “mysteries” and questions were finally answered. And I told them that thing. Hahaha. It was still good though. No regrets.

A few weeks passed and I was done with school. Second semester, which was a complete blur, was finally over. I originally had lots of plans for the summer, but I kinda went crazy and threw them away at the last minute. So I ended up not having any plans. Nice one. First few weeks were alright, until everyone else started getting busy. I don’t know what’s with me. I can’t like not do anything for a very long time. Or at least say that I’m not doing anything. What did I do? Hmm…learn to edit a video. Now I understand why kawawa yung mga ganun. Though I never got around to finishing it. Very time-consuming. Fixed the files on my laptop. Did some reading. DVD marathons galore. Currently watching House. *sorta* learned to cook. Lol. That didn’t work. There were a few dinners and lunches here and there, but I got pretty bored when I knew that people were doing stuff in the morning.

And so. I finally decided to have internship. People and co-interns are nice. Well guess who I bump into? Nice one. Gawd. Not gonna elaborate too much, but now I see Marx’s teachings more clearly. Oh, and it’s really tiring kasi the office is in Fort and it takes me more than an hour to commute home. Haggard. It doesn’t help that it’s so effing crowded during rush hour. But in a way, I like the surrounding area. Medyo high class area kasi ng Manila, heck, it’s like I’m not in Manila anymore. :P Can’t believe I’m ending in only a few days. Haha.

And of course, just when I do have my internship, that’s when everyone’s free na. I have the most twisted schedule. Had a mini-reunion with the Spongebob party people (missing Dana and Nessie) at my house two Saturdays ago. Did the usual stuff: swimming, photobooth (why I love my laptop =D), and movie. Plus coffee bean right after. This is what summer’s supposed to be like. Haha.

Chengy arrived a few days after. Yey! Haha. =P Had dinner with her and the tangle and her friends and other Povedans last week. It’s great cause she stays in a hotel room, so people have been sleeping over almost everyday. Spent most of the time in Galle, and I’m getting sick of it. Monday and Wednesday were pretty ok. Gawd I love Japanese food. And Penny Brown. Cookies with ice cream in the middle. Nice. Wednesday, Chengy made my day. Mwahahaha. :P I’m shallow, but who cares?

Thursday was enlistment day. Ugh. It was my first time to enlist. People were telling me madali lang. But I knew something would go wrong. Guh. And to think maganda na random number ko. Hay. Then again, I’m not done enlisting. Hindi kasi kami (jta people) top priority sa Ec111. So I have to go to the manual enlistment tomorrow. Then go straight to work?...Erm maybe. Grabe ang gulo. And I don’t know if I’ll be able to pay tomorrow. Guh. On the bright side, I’m classmates with college friends in a few classes. The others? I have absolutely no idea. Since naghahabol ako ng subjects, I have three classes with juniors. First time to actually choose my classes. No morning classes at all. Kinda got sick of having to get to school before 7:30 everyday. Teachers? They weren’t exactly the best ones. But none of them are terror profs.

Friday night I went to Eastwood with the Povedans again for dinner and bowling. Missed the movie even though it started around 5:30. Dropped by Mega first to buy stuff from Waston’s, then waited. And waited. For the FX. Grabe Friday na nga tapos rush hour pa. Got to Pasto at around 8 already. Go figure. I need to learn to drive. After dinner the others separated, while we went bowling. Tangle was complete again after five years. Won second place. Wheeee! Stopped for a while at Ina’s house for her to pack her things. Pia can do the duck call. Ahahaha. We dropped by Starbucks para magising naman kami. Then back to the hotel. Spent the first part watching Disney Channel.

Then the kuwentos began. Funny how I just…went and told them. Funny how…I’ve been overly emotional lately. Funny how that was the first thing that came to my mind when we asked each other that question. Happiest period/moment of your life? Maybe it’s because I heard that song playing on the radio. Maybe it’s because I still remember that moment. It did make my entire month. No matter how shitty things were. Got me thinking a lot though. *Hey, at least I didn’t answer the other question correctly. That, my friends, will be told probably not in a gazillion years.* But if you ask me the same question, I might answer it differently. I would have answered first year college. That’s reserved for another long entry. I barely remember what I said.

That sleepover was good though. It’s cool how we were all complete for one night. Maybe I just needed people to vent to. Hehe. Shared too much. Heck, tinotodo ko na before the sem starts. Was almost dawn when we slept. Six people were able to fit in one big bed. Boo yeah. Half my body was on a chair. =D Woke up at around noon already. We went to Serendra in the afternoon. It’s definitely different pag hindi ako dumadaan dun from work. Sonja’s cupcakes = LOVE. Grabe. Dagdag pounds na naman. Boo. Went to Bonifacio High Street, then North Park for dinner. Missed this a lot though. Hanging out.

Monday I hung out again this time with Lian, Cybele, KB, and Chengy. I swear, that restaurant may actually be cursed. Now I know I won’t be eating there again… Lian and Cybele had tons and tons of kuwentos. Interesting conversation.

What an update, right? This is the last summer of my life. Probably not the very best though. But I’d much rather have this than another semester. It got me thinking a whole lot. And yeah, I really have to get over certain things. I just don’t know how. I’m regressing too, which is not good. Hello, I’m turning 20 soon. I should at least try to grow up. Yeah yeah, Peter Pan Syndrome. (Not to be confused with the other Peter Pan. *ahem*) I’m pretty scared of fourth year. Or actually what lies ahead. It’s like there’s nothing to look forward to. *I think I’m PMS-ing or something.* Things did change. Not too much, but some things did, which suck, actually. I don’t know if things will be better this time around. I hope they do.

Blah.

And so I am back in the Philippines for good. I don't feel that sad. Just... weird. Empty too. It's like, I feel as if I'm here just for vacation, and I'm going back to Macau in a few weeks. But guess what? I'm not going back. It’s finally (FINALLY) sinking in. And it sucks. Late reaction much? :))

I just can’t believe it’s all over just like that. Bam, I’m back. Back to this life. Back to reality. Back to school. Back to whatever I left off here.

I miss it already. Really bad. I just want to go back to East Asia Hall (or East Asia Ice Hotel or East Asia Jail cell number 2027 hahaha), sit in front of my laptop, with the pictures of family and friends back home stuck on the wall. I want to go back to cold weather. I want to go back to having the room to myself *coughs*… I want to go back to those spur of the moment nights, when you would go to the casino, eat out, or hang out at people’s rooms looking at pictures even though you had finals the next day..... I want to go back, where something always happens every week. Where you could afford to go travel even if it’s your hell week. Where school was only second priority. Where you could get away with a lot of things because you’re a foreigner. Where you could go home anytime you wanted. Where dinners out and grocery shopping became part of your daily routine. Where you could say anything you want (in Tagalog) because no one would understand you. Where you would bump into a lot of people (because of how tiny this place is).

Ok… stop. Hahaha. I have school tomorrow. Ewwww. It’s been a few days na, pero hindi pa rin ako sanay. Bum life for four months. What do you expect?

Since December, we’ve been having all those dinners and splurge nights, trying to get everyone together. For the last time. We had a dinner for Olivia (Brazil), because she was having vacation earlier than everyone else. She was going to Shanghai with her parents. We ate at the Thai restaurant. Omg I love Thai food. Almost everyone was there. We kept taking videos every few minutes, of people talking in their own language. After, we went to the Irish pub, where they played foosball (tama ba spelling?) but since marami kami, pinaalis kami. So the Filipinos, plus the French couple (Lauriane and Alex) and Arnaud (France) went to Lauriane’s apartment. We played Uno cards and Lauriane showed us pictures and videos of their ski trip in France. Yes I will go there someday. I had a long test the next day, but well I didn’t start studying until 2am. Wahaha.

Next day was the last day of regular classes. Took my exam, finished my case study, and I was done with GSM (Global Strategic Management). There was a mini-party at Howe (Germany)’s place that night. When we got there, no one was there. As in wala. Lahat kasi umalis na for vacation. Puro Chinese and a few exchange students. Highlight of the evening was the white spray incident. Ana (Portugal) was guilty about that. Wahahaha. Arnaud and Jeremy went to Zhu Hai right before the border closed. Yan ang road trip. Stupid single entry visas. The others went to the D2 while the rest of us went home. Hahaha. Oh well. Christmas break officially started.

The next few days, everyone started disappearing. Off to travel or go home. Or actually study for the final exams. I spent the rest of my days buying pasalubong and stuff for people. Plus DVD marathons. Before Arnaud left for Vietnam, we had French appreciation night at my room. Watched “Delicatessen.” Then Youtube videos. Zuiikin girls!!!! “I have a bad case of diarrhea!” Laughtrip dude!

Tapos last Dec. 18, opening ng MGM Grand. It’s another casino (wheeee!) in Macau. There was this party inside and we wanted to get in. People were in cocktail dresses and suits. I didn’t really want to go inside, but the Europeans (go figure) wanted to. Since we couldn’t get in the real entrance (since duh VIP siya at wala kami sa guest list and yes we were underdressed), we snuck in sa side entrance. And omg everyone was in suits and cocktail dresses. There were performances, and free champagne and free food. Truffles, sushi, shrimp cocktail. Omg. Wow. Yes I am still excited about that. Someone got uber drunk though. Who else? Anyway, the rest stayed inside the ballroom, while the three of us went exploring. The casino is a bit like Wynn (pretty posh) but bigger. Mas mahal magbet. And the roulette table has better graphics. Whee! :D We found ourselves in the VIP casino area after. We were embarrassed to get the free food. Hahaha.

The next evening was the night before I went home for Christmas. Olivia was back from Shanghai, and her family was with her. Had dinner at the Taiwanese restaurant. We then played roulette at the Wynn casino. Free drinks! Sila most generous sa drinks eh. Hahaha. Gabriel (Olivia’s brother) was lucky the first time. We then went to the D2. I had only three hours of sleep though. Boo.

So I went home for Christmas. It was pretty good, because I was excited about that. I couldn’t wait to see everyone. Technically nothing changed, but it felt strange and different. It’s like I’m not used to those things anymore that I was so used to before. Ewan. And a few days after I was in the Philippines, I wanted to go back already. New Year’s was the usual boring New Year’s. It would have been fun spending it there. Hehe. Or in Hong Kong. But I don’t regret going home that much. There were no exchange students in Macau, because everyone was traveling. Or going home. Plans got so screwed up. And I so needed to see my friends.

I arrived back in Macau on New Year’s Day. The temperature dropped by 10 degrees! My god. What the hell??? I was freezing like crazy. I spent my day napping, printing handouts for my final exams, climbing down a ladder, and ordering pizza for dinner. Yes, that’s what I did. And of course go online. The climbing down a ladder part? Way too funny. Too bad no one was there to take a picture. I was stuck on top of the ledge for five minutes. Kuwento ko na lang next time. What a way to start the new year.

The next evening, we had dinner at the Panda Restaurant (Awwww I miss that place), and saw everyone. People were back from holidays. Olivia gave us Havaianas (pasalubong!!! Eee! Haha!) We all went to the Irish Pub, since Jan (Germany) was leaving for good the next day. It was my first time to play foosball. Fun, but air hockey pa rin is better. Since it was a bit crowded, we left a bit early. Some stayed in the Irish bar, others who had exams the next day went back to the dorm, while Arnaud, Damien (Belgium), Jeremy, JL, and I went to MGM. It was one of the most fun casino nights. We explored for a while, showed them where we went nung opening. We played “Let’s guess the drink.” MGM gives out bottled juice. Other casinos don’t do that. Calamansi yung flavor ng isa. Tapos yung isa Mango Nectar. Wahahaha! Soooo Pinoy. *snort* We were not bored watching Damien play roulette. He started with 100 hkd, then won 463 hkd, then didn’t pay out, then lost everything. Typical. We then watched Arnaud play Hotshot (one of the slot machines!!! Ang funny ng sound niya). He entered 100 hkd, tapos everytime he would win 40 cents or something, we’d cheer really loudly. People were getting annoyed, but we didn’t really care. Then boom! Bigla siyang nanalo ng 1,000 hkd. Sigawan kami. Parang siyang nanalo ng 1 million or jackpot. Everyone in the casino was staring at us, and they all crowded around to see how much Arnaud won. By then, nagescape na kami. Embarrassing. But so much fun. Nanlibre si Arnaud ng drinks (but I don’t drink… *coughs*) sa Lion’s Bar. It’s this bar inside the casino. Ang galling ng band. Grabe. Even better than the old band at the D2. “September,” “Irreplaceable,” etc. Tapos Arnaud paid for our taxi. Oh yey. Hahaha.

Though we had finals, I still went out. Naisiip ko kasi itodo na, kasi naman last few days na namin sa Macau, right? Still went to the casino, tambay at Olivia’s office, midnight snacks, tambay at other people’s rooms. Parang walang exams. Hahaha. May party nung Jan. 5, our last “official” party. It wasn’t that fun anymore. Maybe because I kinda knew that people were leaving one by one. We had our farewell Filipino dinner on the same evening. It was actually expensive and it wasn’t that good, I mean compared to those restaurants here. But those we invited liked it anyway. Last Monday Lauriane had the French crepes party, and we ate a whole lot of erm… appetizers. Which kept me full for the rest of the evening. Tuesday was JL’s farewell dinner at the TukTuk Thai restaurant. Nasira ulit yung plans niya. Awwww. Wala, it’s over. Hahaha. After dinner, some of us went off to the Venetian (our good old friend) to gamble again. Wednesday, we had a lunch for Jeremy and JL at the Café Eskimo (a restaurant inside the school). It was a bit sad though, reminded me that konti na lang talaga araw ko sa Macau. Good thing everyone attended that lunch. Our “kada” (if you want to call it that) never had a complete picture though. Boo. Thursday, Monch and I went shopping in Hong Kong. Everything went well until we started looking for Monch’s camera. His friend gave the wrong directions (we did not get lost for once!!! Hahaha!) so we wasted about two hours. We could’ve bought more stuff, like my laptop bag and sleeve, and cover for my Ipod. And more clothes. Gah. Oh well.

Friday was our last day. I know, it’s like death day or something *knocks on wood*…  It was a very very busy day. I was supposed to wake up at 9am. But no, I woke up at 10:30 or something. I continued packing (which was not easy, believe me… hassle sa buhay trying to sort which ones yung dapat ko na itapon). Around 1:30, met up with Rita (Portugal), Izumi (Japan), Monch, and we ate lunch at the little caf at the 9^th floor of our dorm. Saw a lot of people… one of the girls was leaving already for good. Saw Olivia and Arnaud and Damien. Monch and I then went to the school to check out. Long process. Hassle, parang sa Ateneo din… Dropped by the office to say goodbye to Grace, Sammy, and Goretti (the three exchange program coordinators). Then went to San Malo (it’s in the center of Macau), for some last minute shopping for pasalubong. Bought peanut candies, almond cookies and such… plus my mother’s cheongsam and a shirt for yaya. Awww. She’s coming soon. Wheeee! Went back to the dorm to pack some more. By 9:30, we met up with the others (Izumi, Daniela [Portugal], Antonio [Brazil], Yuyu, Steven [Netherlands], and Ana) to have dinner. Café Lisboa sana (super good Portuguese food), but puno siya. So we ended up in the Dumbo restaurant. Sucked actually. Portuguese food pa rin though. At least I didn’t eat Chinese. Wahaha. We then went to the MGM. Some of us played our last round of roulette. We then joined the others at the Lion’s Bar. The other exchange students were there pala. I would agree, it was one of the best nights I ever had during my stay. The band played good music, a lot of people were there, the drinks were good. I was camwhoring the whole night. Grabe. Small talking with people I barely talked to. Ooooh and the new French guy was there. There were new exchange students that arrived early for the next batch. Teehee. Flirting with Izumi that night. Hayayay. Kamusta naman? One year yung babaeng yun sa bansa. Daya. Kung kalian kami aalis, dumating na yung mga guwapo. Lol. At some point, I felt like puking (reminded me of something that happened when I was at the faculty room sa SOM)… but in general I was happy. I wasn’t thinking much about anything. Just savoring every moment. Videos galore sobra. At 4:30, we walked to the D2, but we decided to go home instead. Our flight was at 7am my friend. And someone was drunk *again*… pero hindi naman siya super wasted. So that’s good. Checked out for the last time. Then said goodbye to East Asia Jail for the last time. Sinamahan kami ni Izumi sa lobby. Awwwww. I’ll miss that girl. Hahaha. Then took a taxi. I didn’t feel sad. Just weird. Like it was as if I was going back to the Philippines for vacation, and I’ll be back in Macau after a week or so. But no I wasn’t.

And so that was the end of my JTA adventure. I’m just glad that I didn’t leave the country too sad or depressed, and I kinda savored everything. I’m glad that I met these people. I mean, like I said, it wasn’t all fun and games everyday. But all the crazy experiences made up for those. And I met a few people who were really uber nice and offered good advice and were there to listen. I know I'll never ever be able to experience something like this ever again. And for you guys. Thanks for the letters and constant ym sessions. Kept me sane when I felt that no one was on my side.

I just can’t believe it’s over. This semester went by so quickly. It was one of the best. I swear. And no it’s not easy to adjust. When a few days after, may pasok ka na. Sucks, I know. But. There you go. It's just weird. Going back. Then school starts. Nothing's changed, but it feels diff. Ewan :)) Like yun nga empty. Hahaha.

One of the best semesters ever. *bow* I had loads of fun, not actually worrying or thinking about anything. One of the students there told me that I can always go back... it's only two hours away by plane, but of course no one would be there. Haha. Right?

Back to reality. Boo. x(

2008 na.

Drama