Still haven't started with my last TMA. argh.
* * * * *
My boss told me that I would do great work as Program Officer for next year. So I should think about what my plans are. Damn! This makes things a whole lot more confusing now. Argh! Help, Lord.
* * * * *
I went to the Chino Roces Awarding this morning. It was pretty interesting. I got to see GMA, Sec. Alvarez and Joey Lina. Plus Ed Castillo was sitting in our table. He was the guy who did the People Power Monument. Quint's cousin was also there. And several other six degrees of JVP. Hehehe! The guy beside me during the mass was speaking in Spanish. Ah! To be with ilustrados... what should an indio like me do? Hehehe!

We lost. :(

I can't exactly say La Salle played well but I could say that Ateneo went back to their old selves. Where's the grace under pressure? There were just so many mistakes during the first half. In fairness, they were able to cut down the 18-point lead to 3. Which was a lot of hard work. Still, it was no excuse for the lousy performance for the first half.

One more game. Might as well watch. I've "wasted" so much energy already on the last two games.

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MOVIE MARATHON

I really love having a great big brother. He treated me out to three movies and lunch. :)
We just spent the whole day watching movies: Spy Kids 2, K:19 and Enough.
At the end of it all, I felt kinda sleepy though. Hehehe!
Now, I have to find time to watch Road to Perditon.

Friday's Five

1. What are your favorite ways to relax and unwind?
(a) Go to Mindoro and hang out in Suqui Beach whether alone or with someone. Swimming is not necessary for me to enjoy the beach. I could just sit down, stare at the isalnd across and feel the sea breeze the whole day. That would be enough to make me feel great again.
(b) Anytime I go to 70's Bistro.
(c) Hanging out in the Ateneo campus alone (though I haven't done this for quite a while).
(d) Watch a movie.
(e) Read a book, preferably a children's book or fantasy book.

2. What do you do the moment you get home from work/school/errands?
(a) Take off my shoes and kiss mom.
(b) Put down my bag on the chair.
(c) Look at what's for dinner and get some.
(d) Bring dinner in front of the TV (which are usually soap operas) and bash whatever I see.

3. What are your favorite aromatherapeutic smells?
I really wouldn't know because I'm not into aromatherapy. But mint and fruit scents (especially strawberry!) always gets me when it comes to shampoo. So I would say the same thing for other aromatherapy stuff.

4. Do you feel more relaxed with a group of friends or hanging out by yourself?
There are moments I would like to just be on my own but I do like to hang out with my friends too.
With LHC, it's always fun to reminisce about the good old days and talking about how the people we all know are doing. Especially with a bottle of wine.
WIth JVP, topics are more diverse. Also there are specific people to go with depending on your mood. Tatit has been my traveling, gimik and shopping buddy for the past year. My two malaswa sisters, I can talk about anything. Batch 19, on the other hand, is a good venue to be "weak" and just air out all your frustrations. There are always people I could find for a particular whim. Generally, I can be relaxed with whoever I am with.

5. What is something that you feel is relaxing but most people don't?
Traveling for three weeks, going to a different place every two days. It's not really relaxing, but it allows me to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Jogging (especially in the rain). Though I have not done this for quite a while. Even if I do feel tired after, it still feels great.
Walking at night. But this has to be done in a safe place. (Which is like nowhere in Manila!)

House-hunting can be fun. But it can also be very tiring.
We're down to the last two choices. Nevertheless, final word is we'll be buying it in the Las Piñas area. Which means, I'll be back to dorming. Yipee! :)
And I will be having my own room, too. Yezzzz!

ADMU vs. DLSU

YEY!

We drew first blood!
Finally, the Ateneo team has learned to play with composure, without having to panic even if we are behind by so many points (eight for this particular game). They finally know what rebounds can do to make their game a whole lot better. And finally, finally they have learned teamwork. That LA and Enrico are not the sole members of the team, that there are other good players in the team that just need the right opportunity. They have discovered they work better when they work together.

BOO!

How embarassing! The team is to be commended but that Babble guy that led the prayer needs some reprimanding for that display of arrogance. In a prayer, at that! Buti na lang hindi pinatulan ng La Salle. Actually, they were the better school for it. E told us that Jun Dalandan said that Ateneo will give a public apology during the second game. We better! Because it just goes to show how things are getting worse for these kids. Sheesh!

"We're too tired." Or something to that effect was the reason why the post-game Mass was cancelled. I went all the way back to Ateneo just to participate in the Mass after the game. Some guy made an announcement (he was talking to Jun Dalandan) that the mass was cancelled because they were too tired. That's a lot of bull! I hope God does not tell Ateneo this Sunday I'm too tired to bless you with a championship. Consuelo de bobo, they will be having the mass today at 5:45 PM. Word was gettinga around that the players were having their own post-game mass somewhere. They'd better!

A pre-game Mass will also be held tomorrow. We need all the prayers for this. I'm sure La Salle is praying to the same God.

THURSDAY THREESOME

Instrument of Your Peace

Onesome. Instrument. What is your favorite instrument to play or listen to? Have a penchant for the guitar? What about the piano? Tell us about your passion...
The question is kind of tough to answer given that I am in no way capable of playing any instrument. If ever I would love to learn it because everyone seems access to it compared to other instruments. But if it just to listen to, I like listening to the flute. The sweetness of its sound makes me feel serene. But my passion is dancing. Which is not an instrument so that would not answer the question, wouldn't it.

Twosome. of your. Time of your life? A moment? An age? An event? Tell us about it!
There have been lots of moment. Maybe that means that I have lived most of my life fully. Actually I have good memories for every age. The most recent one would be my vacation in Miarayon, Bukidnon with the Batch 22 volunteers. At least I just went there as a participant and not as staff. I got to spend time with them without having to put much effort of being responsible. We hiked for four hours to a falls where I only dipped my feet in the water for five minutes because it was too darn cold. Then there were 14 of us trying to fit in the whole receiving area of the second floor where we were staying in. Basta. Masaya talaga.

Threesome. Peace. Though we may wish for Peace on Earth, what gives you inner peace?
Everytime I am able to assure myself and actually believe that God is there for me. When I know and feel that... it seems everything is going right for me. I continue to desire rootedness in His love.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

More of the signs you get to see by going around the country:

Hair Force One
a barber shop in Naga City

Kini Rodger's
an eatery on the way to Digos

Lovingly yours, Baboy which is right beside Dear Manok
found in Cagayan de Oro City

Hurry Cutter
another barber shop in Davao City which I think is trying to go head to head with Harry Cutter...
but I don't think I would want to have a haircut there

LeShoufly
a turo-turo which is right beside LeSoufflè

Last night, I was in the state of AMARDS. It's a JVP term for drama, or to more precise for my case, nostalgia. I missed Batch 22 terribly last night. There was a longing in my heart to give each and everyone of them a big bear hug. So the closest thing I could do to tell them I missed and loved them, was through text.

I typed in a pretty long message about it and sent in to every one of them that was in my phonebook. That would be more than 20. Once I got to finish sending them all, I got several messages back. Guess what they were telling me. Why did I send a blank message. Damn! That would be 25 pesos down the Globe network drain. Sheesh!

Still, some of the people seem to have gotten what I mean. Some replied I miss you, too. As if they knew why I would just text out of the blue.

Oh well. This is one of those time where it's the thought that counts. :)

That nerve-wracking Ateneo-UE game!

And the winning shot!

Since we are on the subject of cartoon characters, here are some of my favorites (I get to read them through Inquirer):

Ben
Mutts (preferably in English of course.)
Baby Blues

I was pouring myself some Tang pomelo powder straight from the pack, the smell and the cloud of pomelo dust reminded me of a character from childhood - ZIGGY!

Do you guys remember those pencil tops? Gosh! I wonder where my mom put those stuff. I had a pretty small collection. I think it was the fireman ziggy that was my favorite.

Wow. Ziggy.

I'm the snake print Doc Marten...
I'm a wild child and I live on the edge baby!

Which Doc Marten are you?
(by *coffeebean*)

I like the picture. :)


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We won the game against UE. Man! It was such a tension-filled game. Till the last 0.7 seconds, we didn't know who would end up winner!

oooohhhh.... another fuzzy warm feeling. :)

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See which Greek Goddess you are.

HELP!!!

Help me get rid of this infatuation!
But I think the trick is to keep talking about it until I get tired of talking about him. And then.... it's over.
Great idea! Yey.

Last night was the second time I dreamt about him. But then guitar man was also in the picture (who I do not like anymore.)

Friday's Five

1. Would you say that you're good at keeping in touch with people?
It really depends on the people. But defintely with the people from my JVP areas (Calapan and Pangantucan), I make sure I get to hear from them once in a while. Also, for my own sanity, I need to see Calapan and the people there at least thrice a month.

2. Which communication method do you usually prefer/use: e-mail, telephone, snail mail, blog comments, or meeting in person? Why?
When it comes to personal needs, I'd rather meet in person.

3. Do you have an instant messenger program? How many? Why/why not? How often do you use it?
Just Yahoo Messenger. It's a great way to keep in contact with friends that you may not be able to see as often as you like. Right solace? :)

4. Do most of your close friends live nearby or far away?
I'm the geographically undesirable one. Teehee! But yes, they live far away. I have good friends in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, Mindoro, Tagaytay, Cebu... But mostly they are in the Philippines. Maita is in Japan, Chiqui and Tristan are in New York.

5. Are you an "out of sight, out of mind" person, or do you believe that "distance makes the heart grow fonder"?
I'm in between. I begin with anxiety of somebody being so far away. Eventually, I get used to the distance. Then it just goes out of mind. And it also depends on who the person who is out of sight. :)

My infatuation for this Jesuit Scholastic is getting way out of hand. Damn.
Here I go again.
Tsk!!

The thing to do is just live with it. Eventually it will pass. Right? Right.
(I do hope I'm right. I hate the feeling of thinking and thinking of a person I hardly know or even see.)
Grsh.

Do you know that feeling that you aren't really that busy, but you just can't seem to find time to blog or e-mail? I have been feeling that this week. I mean, I have lots to do and all but I seem to have enough free time but then I still feel busy. It's just weird. BEcause there are days when you have a thousand and one things to do but you still find time to e-mail or blog or even write somebody snail mail.

Weird.

When you say new change, is that redundant?
Is there such a thing as old change anyway?
Are all changes new?
Or is it possible for a change to be old?

What do you think?

I think my sugar rush just plummetted.
Damn.

Please sign up. It might just save a life.

Oh, sweet, sweet victory!

chatting with my mahalay sis. :)

Friday the 13th's five.

1. What was/is your favorite subject in school? Why?
When I was in grade school, it was science. I loved learning about plants and planets.
High school, I was converted to English Literature. Our school had a separate class for Grammar. The English teachers in St. Scho were great. You could see their passion for stories, which I think influnced my own interest in literature.
College... I loved my com subjects. It was more like playing than actually working. But I also took a lot of literature electives. My favorite electives were Ethnic Literature under Hornedo and Western Literature under Pesigan. I both got A's for those classes. :)

2. Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
Mr. Benjie dela Peña. He was my second year speech teacher who made our class so much fun and entertaining. Plus when he substituted for our grammar teacher in second year, he encouraged me to write in Blue Flame, our school paper. De la Pong was the first teacher to recognize that I had talent. Which meant a lot to me and changed much of what I wanted for myself.
Mr. Pesigan, I love, because of his kind heart.
But there are a lot of good teachers in college. And even in high school. You could say I was a bit lucky when it came to teachers. (Of course there are foul-ups, too!)

3. What is your favorite memory of school?
Hanging out with my friends in bel field or Rowie's house. (Aww, shucks. I missed Rowie all of a sudden.)

4. What was your favorite recess game?
That chinese garter game that where you do tricks. It's not just jumping as high as you can, eh. I forgot what it's called.
And jump rope. I love jump rope.

5. What did you hate most about school?
There is not much to hate about school. But I did not like the way I was treated as the probinsyana in first year high school and that transferee in second year high school.

ATENEO WON against La Salle!!!

Oh my God! You do exist! After how many years, I have once again witnessed a miracle. Oh my God!
And!!! WE BROKE THEIR SWEEP! WE DESTROYED THEIR DREAMS of being the only UAAP team to have a sweep. Bwahahaha!

Ooooohhhh.... fuzzy warm feeling.

~~~*grin*~~~

Friday the 13th!!!

My favorite day of the year.

Erratum: It's "The Sandman Book of Dreams" not "Sandman: The Book of Dreams."

*****
I am so tired.

*****
Last Saturday, I dropped my CS 250 elective. DevCom 202 I was also supposed to drop, but after seeing that my first assignment was a whopping 60/60... I changed my mind. After consultation with my faculty-in-charge and tutor, I could still make the cut-off.

I'm not really sure if I'm happy about not dropping but I'm definitely ecstatic about the 60/60. :)

Finally, I was able to buy Neil Gaiman's "Sandman: The Book of Dreams" after four months since I found out about it. I couldn't find a copy. And I also got a USA Harry Potter 4 paperback. :)

20% sale on National Bookstore!

Something I wrote to the LHC e-groups almost a year ago (December 6, 2001). I seemed so happy that time. Thankfully, that is how I feel at the moment. (Yeah, yeah... it's mainly because of my going home to Mindoro!)

Weird as it may seem, i find so much peace traveling alone. As if the whole world is my chapel. As if my adventure, my thoughts are my prayer. Everytime I go to another place, electricity flows through me. What a rush! I feel so alive. I feel so in-love. With the world. With my job. With myself (which I have never felt before). With my God.

Even the idea of being stuck here in the pier for the whole day doing nothing gives me a thrill. Thank God there is a decent comfort
room.

There are times that I wished that I was travelling with someone (and I do have people in mind) so we can share the beauty of that
Zambales sunset. Or that Buda moonrise. Or the serenity of the Puerto Galera view. Or the tranquility of the Leyte ricefields. But
beauty can always be appreciated with or without someone to share it with. Because these are the kinds of beauty that touch you deep in the core.

Even the chaos of this Batangas pier with children crying, men cursing the weather, women worried... there is so much peace and
beauty. Especially with the ocean for a backdrop.

Forgive me... I am so moved at this moment. I feel like shedding tears. But I won't. Why am I moved? Because moments ago I
realized how I loved my friends. Even just from this distance. I love you near. I love you far. These are the thoughts that run through my head now. How I wish I could hug you. But I do feel that I am hugging you now.

There's that kilig feeling again.

Angie

and another e-mail on the same day...

Hello! Hello! Mabuhay Pilipinas. Guess where in the world is Carmen San Diego?
(PUTANGINA! PINS AND NEEDLES/NATUTULOG ANG PAA KO!!! GUMIGISING NA SIYA. AAAARGH!)

Andito ako ngayon si pier ng Batangas. I was here since 9AM. There has been no trip to Calapan since last night. So there are hordes of people here who are waiting for the same boat that I am. May typhoon kasi. Hay.

Funny thing is I am neither irritated nor bored. Thank God there is the technology of internet and cell phone to make it less boring. Then I also bought newspaper and brought along The Fellowship of the Ring. And I also have materials from braceletes that I am making. So I will be kept occupied till tomorrow. Harhar!

Actually, I am tempted to wait until the trips resume even if it will take until tonight. Ewan ko. Feels adventurous kasi, eh. Although, my stomach is also feeling kinda adventurous too. Now I realized, regular yum with cheese and green mango don't got together. Even if eaten three hours apart.

The past days, I have not been so up as I did. Ewan ko kung bakit. Maybe the feeling of lost control. (Must be the thing I asked you about Row) Pero dahil sa biyaheng ito... masaya na naman ako. Pakiramdam ko hawak ko na naman ang mundo ko. Wala lang.

If you could just see my right now, typing away on the computer in a pier full of people. Some asleep. Some talking. Some worried. Some not knowing what to do. I am so obscure. Pero... andun iyong saya. Na sa dami ng tao na nakapaligid sa iyo, hawak mo pa rin ang mundo mo.

Wala lang. Kinikilig na naman ako. Sobra. Last week pa ako excited bumalik sa MIndoro. Kaya rin siguro hindi ako umaalis dito. And here I am. Just a one hour/three hour boat ride away. :) :) :) Yun nga lang, hindi natin alam kung ano oras talaga ako lalayas.

Iniisip ko kung maglilibot muna ako ng Batangas pagkatapos nito... pero mabigat ang bag ko. Tsaka mga ten kilometers pa ang civilization ng Batangas.

THIS IS SO FUN! Pero I'm sure you would it hate my situation right now.

KAREN: may dagdag ako sa dance as if nobody's watching (that has been my favortie quote for a long time now)

DREAM AS IF THERE'S NO TOMORROW.
RISK AS IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE.

Note lang: I already wrote this long entry last night on this but the internet conked out. Argh. I couldn't let this entry pass especially since Ganns would feel that there is hope for me yet. Hehehe!

Magsawa kayo sa Mindoro

Ang Diyos ko sa Calapan nakatira.

One of the major reasons why I always go back to Mindoro is to refresh myself spiritually. Without any conscious effort to look for God there, he always finds his way to greet me whenever I go home to Calapan. Maybe it's because I stay in the seminary. But then, I don't even join in their prayers. The boys would even kid me to join them because my soul might be already burning from lack of spirituality. There is truth to what they say.

Anyway, I think the reason why I always get to meet Him in Calapan was because that was where we first had an intimate relationship. My whole life before JVP, I was just a nominal Christian. God was just an acquaintance. But I knew that if we got closer, He would make a great friend. That is another reason why I joined JVP - to look for my God.

Calapan allowed me to get to know him better without even trying. Maybe it was because I worked for a very kind-hearted and sincere priest. Maybe because my housemates listend to Jesuit music every morning. Maybe because my partners were on their own search for God.

He just happened to show himself to me in many ways. God is there in the faces of the Mangyans we visit every week. He is there in the faces of the hospitality girls in Sabang. God is present when the birds chirp to wake me up. God is there in the spectacular view of Halcon. Whatever surrounded me then, He is there.

Calapan made me fall-in-love with God because it was there when I realized that I was dearly loved. By the people I left behind. By the people I got to know. It is easier to know God when you are given wonderful things that you did not expect.

So everytime I go back to Calapan, I go back to that feeling. And it is not just going back to a memory of a great year (though it is part of that), it is going back to that REALITY. The love I felt then, I still feel everytime I go there. The joyful delight on their faces when they see me knock on their office doors. Or the smile on the faces of the seminarians when they see me walking up to the seminary carrying my reliable blue Body Glove bag.

Also, I get to have some free time with him. Since I am on vacation, there is no stress on my part to hurry up. I just need to get ready for the meals and the rest is up to me. So when my boys are busy doing their thing, I stay in the chapel.

My recent encounter with Him was utterly helpful for me. Every after breakfast, I'd wait for the boys to go to their classroom. Afterwhich I would hang around in the chapel. The first time was still somewhat uncomfortable. It's like seeing a friend that you left without saying goodbye properly. For a gruesome 3 minutes, none of us spoke. Until finally, I couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"I miss You."

After that, I just poured out all my frustrations about work, about myself, about being lonely. These things I have learned to be numb about. But when I talked about how much I missed Him, about how much I want to be loyal, about how frail I am at being His lover (for others, He is a brother and a father... for me, I can understand Him most as a lover... which could mean so many things... that is another story to tell)., I started to cry. It was that sort of cry that tears just fell without you knowing. There were no sniffles or anything. Just tears.

For the rest of the hour, we just talked and talked and talked. Let me rephrase that, I just talked and talked and talked. I was the dumper in this relationship, but this time I was asking Him back. And I talked some more. After I while, I needed to go, I gave him my last request (which is always my request from Him), "Yakapin mo akong lagi." Then I kept silent.

He answered back, "Yayakapin kitang lagi... alam mo iyan." He also recited a poem to me about being embraced. (It may seem weird to others that I am actually conversing with Him, but don't we all have those days that we just know it was Him talking? This is one of those days for me. I have not gone crazy.)

After the poem, I closed my eyes gently. I felt an embrace. A warm, loving, engulfing embrace. And a tender kiss on the lips.

I guess I am back in His arms.

Hopefully, I stay there.

Hay naku, Mindoro pa rin. :)

CEDC
CEDC stands for Communication for Evangelization and Development Center. This is where I was assigned during my first year as a volunteer. It's actually the media office of the Church which aims to utilize media to spread the Word.

When I found out that I was going to be assigned to the Church, I almost cried. Because I knew that my spirituality was so low, I had nothing to give because I needed work when it comes to my own evangelization. But Rose Cabrera, our Program Officer then, gave me inspiring words that helped me accept the work I was given. "You are the broken healer. Like the people you will evangelize, you are pained. Therefore you know more what they need. Because like them, you are broken." That kept me going. Especially since my work was Media Education Officer and Video and Radio Production Staff, which was my "expertise."

True enough, I did well. My desk had the highest rating in terms of performance because I was able to produce a media kit and media awareness modules for high school children. When I went there last Monday, I checked out the files and found out they were still using it. That made me more proud of my work I did.

The video that we produced, "Asul ang Kulay ng Dagat," was for the International Year of the Ocean. Edlyn and I did most of the work on the video - from research to script to footages to editing to showing. They used to play in the Supercat for more people to see. At the same time, I lent it to volunteers sent in Zambales for their awareness building on taking care of their seas. Right now, they are still using it.

*BIG GRIN*

I guess, I did something worthwhile during my stay there.

More worthwhile are the friendships that I built with the people. When I came to visit CEDC, Sharon and Fe (my former officemates) were so happy to see me. When us girls get together, we just can't help but talk about boys. Fe finally has a boyfriend while Sharon, like me, is single by choice. Sharon and I talked about how fun it would be to be single together in Mindoro with two other members of our Federation, Adette and Emz (both former volunteers of Calapan).

Hopefully, by the time I am 35, there is still a CEDC to go back to. :)

Currently enjoying my chat with Ramon. :)

Stolen from CaRaMBa.




© What's your Inner Goddess Color?? © Jen

Oh really?

Mindoro na naman

The beach.
One thing I realize when I love a place, it is not really how beautiful it looks but rather how beautiful it feels.

My favorite beach found 15 minutes away (walking) from the seminary. Suqui is nowhere near Boracay, not even Puerto Galera. The sand is gray but it does offer a speactacular view of two islands across it. The immediate water is slightly grayish, too. But around 60 to 70 meters from it, the water becomes blue. Hills laden with coconut trees are part of the view. Boats often appear from the horizon, going to and from Batangas or Manila. Depending on the time of the year, the sunset often ends a day at Suqui with a wonderful tinge of reddish-pink lighting against the clouds and the sea. Sometimes, the wind rests and so does the water. When the wind decides to show off, you can hear the chanting of the waves as it laps against your feet.

I especially love Suqui when there is little wind and when its low tide. You could walk 15-30 meters from the shore and the water will still just be up to your waist. And the beach is so wide, you can play by the shore. That is the time where I would really enjoy the place, by just sitting on a log by the shore, enjoying the soft caress of the sea breeze while staring at the islands across where I am.

Peace. I find peace in Suqui. There is no need for me to speak or listen. I can just BE there and the world becomes glorious again.

(another installment to come)

Gary Granada texted me to read Conrado de Quiros's article on good-looking and sexy men. Hah! Yeah right. But I do agree with what Conrado said, especially about "Saranggola sa Ulan."

* * * * *
Franklin Drilon's fuss about shoes, on the other hand, I think is just putting too much importance on himself. I doubt if the experiece will actually humble him or other government officials at that since they all are just so FEELING! Kainis.

And some more Mindoro

The seminarians.
After I left Roxas, I was ready to start my vacation. I took two days leave so I could stay in Calapan and meet up with the old pals, most of which were my former students in the seminary. At 3:00 PM in Jollibee, I was to meet upwith Annii, who is now working for the City Legal Office. While lining up to order, I saw Frater Deoh, another former student. He has always been older than me and he is just 2-inches round the belly short of becoming a priest, plus three years.

Anyway, Annii finally arrived from. When I saw him... "Father-figure", that's all I could say. The whole time I kept pinching his cheeks and touching his belly. Figuring out whether it contained Tanduay, Ginebra or San Miguel. Hehehe! He went with me to the seminary where I was hoping I could stay. Fortunately, the priests were kind enough to accept me in their home once more.

Fr. RV even invited me to take a hike with him to La Mesang Bato which was the newly acquired Vicariate land. They are planning to convert it into an Ecosanctuary cum retreat house. It was funny watching Annii in his nice plaid polo and brown leather shoes walking through the woods. After 30 minutes and 5 gallons of sweat, we got to the top. La Mesang Bato had a spectacular view of the city, the mountains and the surrounding waters. The sun was still high up in the sky and reflecting very beautifully on the sea, as if God was gracing the fishermen His presence. I can't wait for the day when they finish landscaping and constructing the open-air Church and the retreat houses.

When we got back down, word spread fast among the seminarians I knew that I was there. Those who were still inside and those who were out were there. Althird, Emman, Otits, Plenus, Reagan, Dhar, Ekims, Guimo, Dodong and Annii. My heart jumped with joy. I never thought I would see them that plenty after their graduation. Guimo even rushed from Manila just to have the chance to see me. He was supposed to arrive the next day but instead left earlier. I was touched by the gesture especially since I kept "sermoning" him whenever we got to together.

Otits and Guimo spent the night at the seminary. I'm glad that they let me privy of their rebellious days in the seminay. They'd tell stories of their illegal activities: smoking, texting, drinking, watching TV after hours and getting "involved" with girls. Stuff like that. And there were things like falling in love, loving truly, questioning God. Talking with them always gives me endless delight. Too bad the night has to end.

The next day, I met up with Tonette and Annii (again) for lunch. Tonette was now a high school teacher in the parochial school. We were with Sharon, Fe and Jona (my former officemates, which would be another story). Tonette looked so old, especially with his mustache. But since he treated us out, he looks fine. Hehe! After lunch, we saw Piso. He was also a teacher for Holy Infant Academy. Piso was one of my more notorious students. I kept kidding him that he would be receiving his karma soon enough.

In the afternoon, I went back to the seminary. The fourth year seminarians spent their siesta time talking with me about their open house, our gimmick in Bistro and their freeing days in Manila. Freeing meaning, drink, drink, drink and girls. None of them seems to be interested in pursuing the major seminary at this point. But many things change when the school year ends. Who knows?

Later in the afternoon, I went back to the bayan to meet up with another ex-seminarian. There was miscommunication so we didn't meet each other where we were supposed to. Luckily, two of my kids went to CEDC (my old office) to check if I was still there. We decided to go to Jollibee. Lo and behold! There was Feucs, the one who I was supposed to meet. Glen was with him. He was also an ex-seminarian but I never got to meet him.

I had to go home before seven because the priests might not feel okay about me getting there late. I bid farewell to the boys and went to my other set of boys. The priests weren't around when I got there. Reagan offered me a seat at their table since I wouldn't have any company because I usually ate at the priests table. In the middle of my meal, Plenus got the mic and welcomed my presence. And decided to embarass me some more by asking me to give a speech. I didn't want to go up so I yelled, "escort muna." The guys kept pointing at each other. Finally, I stood up on my own gave a lousy speech and announced that I had two girlfriends.

The rest of the night, I chatted with the boys. Same old topics. Girls, beer and the absence of God (a little more on this on another entry). It was the same topic we had the next day (which was my last day at the seminary). But at least I got to meet another seminarian who was in third year. His name is Eff (short for Jeffrey).

I know. I know. Seminarians have the weirdest names.

My last day at the seminary was a bit boring. I went to the beach in the morning (yet another story) instead of hanging out. They had classes anyway.

Plenus and Althird gave me two pairs of dangling earrings, which touched my heart. And made me look better. Hehe!

Finally, that third day, they got rid of me because I had to go home to Manila.

(another installment soon)

More Mindoro

August 31, Saturday
Morning I met with the supervisor.

Afternoon was when the fun started. We went to Lisap Bridge in Bongabong (second to the last town of Oriental Mindoro). Lisap is the longest bridge on the island (which is really not THAT long, but just long enough). Lisap River itself was beautiful. I don't know how to describe it. Maybe I can scan a picture. But then I do not know how to post it, so it would be worthless. Hahaha! Anyway, it was a wide river in between mountains. The sunlight playfully danced on the water and gave the mountains more depth with the play of lighting.

After dipping our feet for a while, we proceeded to the beach. It was rocky and kinda boring, if you ask me. We just stood there watching nothing. But still, with the breeze blowing against our faces, the feeling was enough to still make it a worthy trip. On the way home, the sun was setting. I miss really red sunsets. Though I did not see it set all the way down, the sky was aflame.

That day in Roxas reminded me so much why I loved Mindoro. Being surrounded by friends and nature. And to cap it all, there was the spectacular night sky. I have not seen the stars for quite some time because of the Manila pollution. When I was touring the provinces, there were always clouds.

(Part 3 to follow)

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Hehehe! Slightly true.

Yeah, babeh!

I'll do bits of my Mindoro adventure bit by bit. Five days is not easy to summarize, so I'll just note it down little by little.

August 30, Friday
I met up with the volunteer that will be reassigned to Mindoro in the Tritran bus station in Kamias. When he got there, I didn't know how to react with those big bags! And I thought I had problems with traveling light. Anyway, fast forward to Roxas, Oriental Mindoro. After eight hours of bus-ferry-van ride, we got to San Mariano where our JVPs are. We met up with them in the school. Chona and Olive were still having classes. I took the liberty of taking their picture while teaching which was a bad idea since the kids got all rowdy. What's worse, the battery of my camera was dying down so it didn't take the picture.

Fast forward some more.

During the flag retreat, the teachers introduced Jerome to the students. Since he was expected to be a disciplinarian, he spoke straight-faced and very formal. Which was very funny since he was really a crazy guy. Olive and I had to run to one of the classrooms to laugh our hearts out. Imagine hearing this statement, "kayo ay mga anak ng Diyos, at inaasahan kong magiging mababait kayong anak ng Diyos." *Guffaw!*

The rest of the night was not that exciting. We bought San Miguel Grande and Tanduay. We barely drank the Tanduay. But we had a great time munching karas-karas, a mini-crab that was just P20 per kilo. Yum. But very hard to eat.

(Part 2 to follow)
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I can't imagine being likened to a rose. God.

I'm a sucker for tests. So I am honestly so glad to have come across creativejuices' blog. She seems to have a lot of them posted. :) :) :)

The cool thing about having friends who are linked to other people, you get to find out about them without making the extra effort. Hehehe!

The Rowster's Five which is actually from Friday's Five.

1. What's your favorite piece of clothing that you currently own?
A lot. That peasant blouse I bought from Noodle House.
The red, sheer batik shirt AG bought for my birthday (with me choosing it myself, of course).
My recently bought Jag Bootleg jeans.
The white shirt I'm wearing that is supposed to be my mom's.
My Gap khaki pants.

2. What piece of clothing do you most want to acquire?
More peasant blouses. Maybe a peasant dress. But another bootleg jeans would be great, too.

3. What piece of clothing can you not bring yourself to get rid of? Why?
My dad's huge, huge batik shirt. It would fall off me even if I wear it as a night shirt. This shirt full of holes which used to my mom's. Except she got rid of it for me while I was away. When I got home it was already a dirty rag! Argh!

4. What piece of clothing do you look your best in?
I dunno. I like the way I look in my peasant blouses. But I think my bootleg jeans paired with my body-hugging anime shirt makes me look sa darn sexy. Hihihi!

5. What has been your biggest fashion accident?
Hell, a lot. But most of them I intentionally do. For the lack of care what I look. Classic example, mismatching beads. Mismatching shoes and bag. I honestly don't care.

Back from Mindoro! More details when I get my own private time. :)