MY ADVOCACIES

The activities that I have participated and organized that are in line with my advocacies...

TRAININGS I'VE ATTENDED

The trainings, summits, conferences and other activities that I have attended...;

MY ADVENTURES

The places that I have been to, foods that I have tasted and things that I have discovered ...

MEETING PEOPLE

Very important people that I have met in conferences, summits, and other activities that I have joined in ...

Archive for 2010

I'll get rich in the future?!

Have you ever gone to a fortune teller? I bet you dont know how it feels to have you palm read by someone who "knows" your fortunes.

Last December 21, a customer of my sponsor went to their house (the house where we stayed in Japan). She is a fortune teller. We had a chitchat and, she offered to us a fortune telling for free.

She said that the lines in my palm are so clear which indicates that I have a bright future. (really? hahah)

Here are the things that she saw in my palm:
  • that I have a golden aura,which means that I will be a successful person in the future
  • that I will get rich! OMG.
  • that I will get marry at 25 or 26
  • that I will have one child, a boy.
I don't know if these things will come true, but I will hold on to the first and the second fortunes =))


A 93-year old fortune teller,
who is also a magic and a cooking teacher,
 gave me a fortune telling for free!

On Christmas day, another fortune teller, who is now 93 years old but is still very fit, offered fortune telling for free.

He said:
  • that there are little triangles, squares and rectangles on my palm. this is good. this means that i would meet just a few accidents, and that I wont be hurt badly. :)))
  • that i will be married, but HE will come at the right time.
  • that there is no bad line in my palm, and that is very very good. OMG
OOOMMMMGGG. will these things really happen? what do you think?

P.S. i miss my alex friends

Vernie, how's Japan?

Note: this blog post was written in Japan. The observations that the author posted here are limited to what she has seen in Gifu, Osaka, Kyoto and in some other parts of Japan.

When I got to Japan, people would always ask "Vernie, how's Japan?", "Is it snowing?", "Are Mangas (Japanese comics) cheap there?". 

Well, here are the things that I've observed, noticed and felt about japan :)
Fasten your seat belts, and be ready for a ride!


FOOD

Well, I like some of their foods, the sukiyaki (rice topped with beef), okonomiyaki (japanese pancake), subuta (sweet and sour pork), gyudon (more or less same as sukiyaki) but i dont like sashimi (raw fish). I really dont like the taste of raw fish. I also like the nori (seaweed) :)



Sukiyaki


Italian Spaghetti cooked by Okaasan

Shrimp, pork, chanhan (fried rice), soup and mango pudding
Available at Dragon Restaurant,
Universal Studios Japan, Osaka City

Okonomiyaki (japanese pancake)
Taiwan Ramen! hot noodles! daisuki!

Curry, Tonkatsu (pork with bread crumbs) and rice

FAMILY PLANNING


Japanese couples are advised to have one or two children only. Living in Japan is difficult because even though the employees here receive big salaries, all the necessities are expensive too.

In our country, there are no maximum number of children that a family can have. As long as you have the money to sustain your family's needs, you can have as many children as you want.

STREET LIGHTS

Our street lights are vertical while in Japan, their street lights are horizontal. I find their street lights convenient because our eyes are positioned horizontally so we could easily see horizontal things.

MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION

Each Japanese should have a bicycle or a car so that they could travel from one place to another during the winter season. If they don't have, they will be forced to walk and they have to endure the coldness.

In our country,  you can find Jeepneys everywhere so transportation is never a problem.

TAXI FARES

The minimum fare for a taxi in Japan is around 650 yen, that's equivalent to 325 pesos!

In the Philippines, it's much cheaper. The minimum fare is PHP30 for a regular taxi, and for an airport taxi, it's PHP70.

Minimum fee for taxi in Japan

THEY HAVE BUS LANES

They have bus lanes. It's separated from the lanes for the private transportation to prevent traffic jam.

We don't have bus lanes in Cebu yet. (Gullas is planning to put up a train station in Cebu Province but Congressman Tommy Osmena wants Bus Rapid Transit or BRT instead.)

ROADS

Even though their roads are smaller than ours, they still have bicycle lanes and sidewalks. Their sidewalks are not filled with vendors unlike ours. It is so sad that our streets are so crowded because of these vendors, yet we cant blame them because it is their primary, sometimes their ONLY,  source of income.

TOILET

They have two kinds of toilets, the western inspired one and the Japanese traditional toilet. The western inspired one has many buttons, which when pressed, will automatically function.

BATH

Filipinos, the middle class and the lower class, usually takes a bath using a pail and a dipper.

In japan, they have a small tub with hot water. Water in the tub should not be drained because another person will use the tub again so you should take a shower first before dipping yourself in the tub.

WEATHER

It's so hot in the Philippines while in Japan, it's so cold. We have to wear two inner clothes and one jacket to feel warm. We have to take a bath in a small bath tub filled with hot water every night so that we could survive the coldness of the temperature. It isn't snowing yet, but it's so cold. A Japanese friend told me that the weather is unusually warm. Well, it was not warm for me. =D

SALARY

Japanese people receive high salary but their everything is expensive. According to my support parent, the Japanese senior citizens receive high pension, which could range from 100,000 yen and up monthly. That's equivalent to PHP50,000!

Filipino people receive low salary but all the goods are expensive. If it's hard to live in Japan, it's much harder to live in the Philippines because of this situation. Filipino senior citizens like my dad receive only a little pension every month.

POLLUTION

I could barely see smoke emissions in Japan, probably because I am staying at a province. I have not gone to Tokyo yet, and we are not going there, unfortunately so I cant really say that Japan is polluted or not. I have only seen white smokes coming out of a certain factory. 

THERE ARE NO BAGGERS IN THEIR SHOPPING MALLS

Free small plastic bags in department stores,
 the big ones are for sale (profit napud)
You have to bring your own bag and put all the goods that you bought inside it because there are no employees who will do that thing, unlike in the Philippines.

 
THEY RETURN THEIR UTENSILS BACK TO THE COUNTER AFTER EATING

Usually, in restaurants, esp. at the Universal Studios Japan, the customers return all their used utensils back to the counter after eating. Perhaps, the students in the University of San Carlos (my school), who usually eat in fast food chains could benchmark this practice so that they could lessen the work of the employees who are working there.

Return! return! return!
I had to return the utensils that I used
THERE IS A STRICT IMPLEMENTATION OF GARBAGE SEGREGATION

Trash bins
While the Philippines has Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable as main classifications for garbage segregation, in Japan, they have trash bins for cans, for used papers, for combustibles, for water bottles, and others. I admire this trait. I hope we could benchmark this in Cebu.

THEY HAVE SMOKING AREAS/ROOMS

In the Philippines, smokers can smoke everywhere, which adds up to the increasing pollution. But in Japan, they have smoking rooms or areas where people could smoke. This could not only lessen the pollution. This could also lessen the cases of the secondhand smokers (people who directly inhale the smoke coming out of the cigarette of a smoker).


THE SHINKANSEN HAS FREE WIFI, and YOU CAN CHARGE YOUR LAPTOP FOR FREE!

In the school, we have to pay for the electricity whenever we want to charge the laptops that we are going to use. :)) But in Shinkansen, it's for free.There is also a free WIFI access.


THEY HAVE COIN LAUNDY SHOPS!

Inside these shops are automatic washing machines. There are no employees inside, just machines. You just have to put your clothes inside a washing machine, put 100 yen coins (according to the number of kilos), press a button, wait for ten minutes and, poooff! your laundry's done!

Coin Laundry
 

BRAIL FOR THE BLIND IN ROADS, ELEVATORS, and CRs

In toilets and in elevators, the switches have brail letters that could guide the blind. Stairs in train stations also have indicators, which will help the them know where to stop and where they should fall in line. This is very good because this can lessen their burden.

location: inside the elevator



the yellow lines, which has elevated and deep parts guide the blind

Other lessons learned:
  • Do not shout, speak with a soft voice when talking to a Japanese. They find it rude.
  • Follow rules or else, you'll go to jail 
  • Cleanliness is very important for them. I think we should follow this practice too.
  • The electricity and water that they are using are subsidized by the Japanese government. Isn't that lifestyle very convenient if that happens to the Philippines? How I wish it would, so that the Filipino people's lives would become easier. Yet, with the corruption and poverty happening here in the Philippines today, I don't know if that's possible.
  • The architecture of some of their establishments are so good, especially the one in Kyoto station. 
  • I have noticed that their society is somehow patriarchal. Our support mother does all the household chores while the men in the house are relaxing.
  • They don't celebrate Christmas the way we, Filipinos do. Perhaps, it's because they are not a Christian country. In fact, I only saw one Christian church during my stay in Japan.
  • Japan is really a very silent country. I could barely see people outside. I had an assumption that it's because of the coldness outside that people are not going out of their houses.
  • It is also a Japanese custom to stay silent inside the trains. (I cant stand staying so silent for hours, except when I'm sleeping)
  • They are really organized. The arrangements of the things  (like train stations, schools, resident houses) are well planned.
  • There is no security guard in Nagoya University yet, I felt so secured when I entered this school. Perhaps, it's the environment where people are obeying laws that made me feel secured. They also have facilities that are high in quality. Each room has a TV, aircon, LCD Projector, and a wifi access! Each student is given a card which they can use to avail photocopying for free! (Can our school's administration also do that? =D I'd really be happy if that happens.)
  • Like the Filipinos, they are very hospitable to their guests.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: 

I really thank our scholarship, Plumeria Cebu Educational Association, Inc., for giving me an opportunity to travel to Japan and learn about their culture. I also want to thank my support parents who never gets tired of helping me.

All in all, Japan is really great! =D

Arigatou gozaimasu! =D



Philippine Eagle Center, Davao City

Some of the Triennial Xchange Series 7 delegates
Some of the Triennial Xchange Series 7 delegates, namely, Arnold Echevarria, Vernon Go, and  yours truly, Vernie Naraja, had a learning visit in the Philippine Eagle Center, the conservation breeding facility of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) in Davao City.  We had an orientation about the foundation. There, we met Mr. Domingo “Mang Doming” Taneda, a former Triennial Laureate, who is also the former deputy director of PEF.  


An interview with Dr. Caridad Maadil of Perpeutal Health Community Cooperative, Inc.

Dr. Caridad Maadil and me
"listen to people because no matter how low the people you might judge, they all actually have stories to tell and their stories are also important so give importance to all the people that you meet no matter what the status of that person is.."
-Dr. Caridad Maadil (PHCCI)


During the Triennials Xchange Series 7, the delegates who are members of the Aboitiz Leaders of Excellence, met Dr. Caridad “Caring” Maadil of Perpeutal Health Community Cooperative, Inc. (PHCCI) of Dumaguete City.

PHCCI was one of the institutions who made a significant contribution to the social development of the communities who are in need. Thus, it became one of the finalists for the Triennial Awards.

An interview with Mr. Domingo Tadena of the Philippine Eagle Foundation


Pag-asa
Pag-asa, the Philippine eagle whose images are always present in the brochures and the website of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) , marks the success of the PEF. Pag-asa was the first Philippine eagle that was born through the cooperative artificial insemination, the most innovative way of breeding eagles that PEF introduced to the whole world (after 14 years of experimenting). Its mission is to “promote the survival of the Philippine eagle, the biodiversity it presents and the sustainable use of our forest resources for the future generations to enjoy.” 

The Triennials Xchange Series delegates, who were sent to Davao City last Dec. 20-24, by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI), were able to push a few questions to Mr. Domingo Tadena, the Former Deputy Director of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF).  Here is what he had to say about the foundation and his opinions and messages to the youth.

Juliet Libres Margate

One of the craziest friends that I am missing right now is Juliet. (Sobs... huhuhuh )

Though we were in the same block section, I only knew Juliet during our first meeting in English 1 class. Ms. Kray Chaves, our teacher asked about that Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili incident and about monetizing a blog. Every time Ms. Kray has a question, she would say my name. I would also say her name. (bawsanay!)
---
Ms. Kray: “Who watched the video of Hayden and Katrina?”
Juliet: “Vernie.”
Me: “Juliet”
---
Ms. Kray: “Who maintains a blog here?”
Juliet: “Vernie.”
Me: “Juliet tawn”
-----
From then on, we became close friends. Whenever there are JPIA (Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants) activities, the whole block B would gather in one place. If there are competitions, we would shout at the top of our lungs for our representative. Whoa! I miss those moments.

Pharah Marie Patrocenio

As much as possible, one should make friends with everyone because it’s very fulfilling to know that you have many friends---that was my motto when I entered college.
Befriending everyone in class on the first day of school is quite hard. I made friends with one of my classmates, FJ, who is very talkative like me. We greeted everyone who entered the room good morning. And, poof! We were greeted back too!
Yet, there are people who are so shy that it is hard for them to reach out first. You need to approach them and befriend them. Well, one of those “shy” persons WAS Pharah Marie Patrocenio, whom I usually call Bop2x (take note—I emphasized WAS).

"Our Island, Our Dreams"

We were asked by our Literature teacher to watch a taiwanese film in Buttenbruch Hall. The film was entitled, "Our Island, Our Dreams."

“Our island, our dreams”,  reflects the love, dreams and the lifestyle of the people in Kinmen, one of Taiwan’s outlying islands that sits not far off the coast of mainland China.
By just watching the film, I got a glimpse on how rich Kinmen’s culture is. It featured the historic sites and the beautiful places to visit. The style of the houses, the temples, and the beaches flabbergasted me. I also saw one of the main characters making an origami, which is known to be a Japanese art. It made me think that probably, Kinmen was influenced by Japan.


The main characters are Ajin, Xing-jun and Awu. (see photo)
These three are best of friends since childhood. Ajin and Awu fell in love with Xing-jun, but they chose not to reveal their feeling to her so as not to lose their friendship.

Xing-jun’s sister, Da-yue also kept on painting pictures on vases. It depicts that the people in Kinmen were into painting. As for Da-yue’s case, she expresses her feeling through painting. I was really amazed on how great she is in painting. I hope I could paint too.
A-jin, one of the leading men, wanted to go out and explore the world. A-wu, on the other hand, wanted to stay. A-wu, as what I’ve understood in the film, is a tour guide and he’s leading a group (consists of Xing-jun, A-jin and himself) which promotes Kinmen to foreigners.  For a person who loves to travel like me, I can relate with A-jin. You can also promote your culture to the people from other countries when you interact with them personally in their native land.
The film also showed how the soldiers made great efforts in winning the hearts of young Kinmen ladies.
I really laughed when a weird soldier made a poem for a female "ice cream" seller. Their "ice cream" before is made of crushed ice and caramel. The poem was excellent. He used metaphors and symbols. I love poems, so I really appreciated the thought that he wrote a poem to express his feelings to a girl. If it was converted into a song, the more I would like it. What he did was really sweet but his weird acts made the whole thing funny.
Some Kinmens girls who had a relationship with soldiers were left by their loved ones. One of them, Amei, even got crazy. Something happened to her child and her husband during the war.
It so happened that Xing-jun fell in love with a soldier (oops, goodbye Ajin and Awu). Xing-jun’s father really opposed the idea of her having a relationship with a soldier because of the fear that Xing-jun can become like Amei. If I were Xing-jun’s dad, I would want to do the same. I can’t afford seeing my daughter suffering because the man that he truly loves left her alone. I would not want to take the risk. But, of course, in the end, it’s my daughter’s decision that would prevail because it’s her own life.
Even though I haven’t watched the first part of the movie, somehow, I’ve watched the most important parts.  

the meaning of Vernie

Meaning:
The name Vernie has the following meaning:
From the alder-tree grove. A feminine variation of Vernon.

Pronunciation:
The name Vernie is pronounced as vur-nee.

Origins:
Vernie originates from the French language.

Popular Variants for the name Vernie:
The name Vernie is itself a variant of Vernon


Style:
We think the name Vernie should fall under the following style category: French.

Impression:
Based on our research, most people would imagine a person with the name Vernie to be: a dreamy and successful woman.

In one word, you might describe Vernie as a “successful” person.


source: http://www.quickbabynames.com/meaning-of-Vernie.html

Do i make you proud?

One of my friends itnroduced the song "Do I make you proud" by Taylor Hicks. The song is very nice. It reminds me of those people who helped me shine like a star.

Then, i've decided to make something out of the song..

This is a letter to all who have made positive changes in my life.

--oOo--

I've never been
The one to raise my hand
That was not me
And now that's who I am

--oOo--

When the teacher asks a question, I really wouldn’t bother to think of an answer and raise my hand. I’d just remain silent, as if no one’s there, as if I am alone in a four-walled room.

And if an answer would pop out of my head, it would remain unspoken because I would never raise my hand and let myself be heard. Before answering, I would have second thoughts. Is my answer right or wrong? What if it’s wrong and everybody would laugh at me? Ah, that would really be embarrassing, especially that my crush is there. I couldn’t afford to commit a mistake in front of him, even though he really doesn’t give a damn about me.

Passive, an adjective that would describe me... before.

In group works, I’d just do the task that was assigned to me. I’d never complain, even though my assigned task is harder than the tasks that were assigned to the other members, because I fear that they would exclude me from the group.

Shy as I am, I don’t talk to someone I don’t know. Even a simple smile couldn’t be often. I wouldn’t utter a word.

Introvert, that’s what I am… before.

--oOo--


Because of you
I am standing tall
My heart is full
Of endless gratitude
You were the one
The one to guide me through
Now I can see
And I believe
It's only just beginning


--oOo--


Then, you came.
You said that fear is just false evidence appearing real. You told me that I should not let my fear control me, that I should trust God because with him, I could reach the top.
You encouraged me to win a lot of friends.
You persuaded me to stand up on what I think is right, that I should not let myself belittled.
And you taught me how to stand up whenever I fall.


--oOo--


This is what we dream about
But the only question with me now
Is do I make you proud?
Stronger than I've ever been now
Never been afraid of standing out
Do I make you proud?

--oOo--

You know what? I’ve changed a lot.
I now raise my hands and answer the teacher with confidence. And, I’m proud to tell you that I was the 4th Dean’s Lister last semester!
I now have lots and lots of friends who love and care for me.
I join a lot of community service and participate in nation building. One of our activities was even featured in the newspaper!
Now, I’m not afraid to speak out. I always want my voice to be heard.

--oOo--

I guess I've learned
To question is to grow,
That you still have faith,
Is all I need to know,

--oOo--


Now, I start to observe the things around me. I get curious on how this came up or how one thing is made. Because of this, I get to learn new things every day.
I know that I can reach the top, because you never lose faith in me. You are always there to catch me when I fall.


--oOo--

I've learned to love,
My selfish part of me,
And I've learned to
Walk on the road I believe.

--oOo--

I can now make decisions on my own. I now weigh things before saying or doing something. I can now be trusted with big responsibilities. I have grown!


--oOo--


Everybody needs to rise up
Everybody needs to be loved
To be loved
Everybody need to rise on
Everybody needs to be loved, to be loved

--oOo--


These are just few of the positive changes that you have made in my life. Let’s spend some time together! You’ll know the other changes that you have made, that I can’t put to words.


I love you and I miss you! =)

Carolinian Scholars Association (CASA)

“Kamustahan sa Scholars”, organized by the OSAP of the University of San Carlos, gathered the Carolinian scholars who are supported by government and private organizations. The event was held in the USC-TC Chapel last August 28, 2010 at 9AM.


as long as..

As long as the
Rain still reaches the ground, the
Waves still touches the shore,
I'd wrap you in my arms.

As long as the
Cloud kisses the mountains, the
River meets the sea,
I'd hold on to you.

As long as the
Sun shines at daytime, and the
Moon gives brightness at night,
I'm not letting go of you.

As long as I’m breathing,
And for as long as
We both shall live,
I will never let you go.

For as long as destiny permits,
Or even it prohibits
“Me and you"
I’m never ever gonna let you go.

"hahamakin lahat, masunod ka lamang.."



rain and tears

It’s raining hard tonight.
There is no presence of stars.
Darkness is everywhere I look.
I’m alone in the corner with no one to hold.

The wind’s so cold, I’m shivering.
And the thought of you leaving
Makes me shiver even more…
Shiver… in a bad way..

Your love isn’t giving me warmth.
Because you had no love for me at all.
That love that I’ve been longing since the day I loved you,
Is destined to be given to someone else, to someone you love.

Ugh.

It seems like the weather is sympathizing with me.
My tears keep flowing, and the rain won’t stop falling.

bad memories...

I feel depressed when I remember bad memories.
They make me wanna go back in time.
They make me wish that I did the right thing,
That I made the right move at the right time

Sometimes I want to have
An erase button in my brain
So that when I commit a mistake, I’d just push it
And the bad memory would just fade in a blink of an eye.

Yet, I can’t do anything but to move on.
I can’t lock myself up with the chains of the past.
I have to let go of it and face the present.
After all, bad memories are just memories.

Bad memories…

Why choose to remember them
When you can remember the good ones?


due to Ms. Abigail Domasin's demand

July 16, 2010
Friday
Microeconomics Class

Abi is really curious about what Roman and I talked about this morning. Due to Abi’s demand, here it is:

R: taas imoha[ng essay]?

V: uhm, 3 lines after sa half sa page ragud.

R: nah, ako, awa. (laughs)

V: (looks at R’s paper). Baaang. Grabeha pud nimo. (His essay didn’t went beyond half the page!)

R: lageh gamay kaayo. Mao raman ako mahinumduman. (laughs)

V: (in my mind) ah, syaro pud..

------

We were asked to read our essays in class.

R: di nalang ko mubasa [sa akong work] oy

V: pag-sure oyy. Basa kunu.

R: gamay ani

V: ahw ikaw.

----

He really didn’t read his essay.

Papers are collected.

R: ipass akoa[ng paper] bi.

I placed his work on top of mine.

R: ipa-ilawm oy. :)

V: cge go. (I was like, ka-demanding oy!)

---

END.

That’s it Abi. Wala ra'to. Wala'y dapat ikasuya. =)

Oh tell me,...until when?

At twilight, I always wait for the first star to show up.
When the sun has finally found its rest
When darkness embraces the whole street,
I’d sit somewhere and to the sky, I look up.

The first star, which is also the brightest star, in my every night’s sky
Reminds me of someone whom I can’t get over with.
Someone so warm, so tender, and kind
The only man who caught my attention.

Until when can I stay like this?
Looking at the star, while thinking about him?
When can I stop acting like this?
Until when? Oh, tell me, ‘til when?

----

How I wish I could stop associating
The first star with him.
I want to see the first star as it is,
A star that outshines every other star =)

Philo teacher: What do you think about the UP students?

We were having our Philo class this morning. We were comparing USC from other universities across the nation, including UP, of course.


“What do you think about most of the UP students?” the teacher asked.

“Some of them are activists, Sir”, a classmate of mine replied.



“Have you noticed? Whenever the students from Ateneo do protests, there’d be traffic? Kay mag-Pajero man sila. And, the students from UP, on the other hand, would just…” the teacher stopped when my classmate, who answered a while ago, interrupted.

“Mag-Oblation Run sila sir”

“Bitaw. I have some friends who are from UP and I… I don’t like them. They’re like nerds.” the teacher continued.

Activists.
Oblation Run as a sign of protest.
Nerds.
--- These are what they think of us*. But they never knew that we are more than this.

I wanted to stand and correct their stereotyping, but I remained in my seat. It's a waste of time arguing about these kinds of things to people who don't even know what they are saying.


Philo teacher, classmate na S.I.P. squared take time to know us better before judging.

****I have a UPian blood. And that blood would dominate over other bloods. Hahahaha. UP has made a great impact in my development as a leader and as a person.

Abi likes roman numerals =)



I have this econ classmate named Roman, a.k.a. ROMAN NUMERALS. Abigail Domasin, my best friend when it comes to the topic “LOVE”, was somehow moved by this guy. He’s white, he has chinky eyes and he’s a good swimmer. [Trivia: because Abi and I have vacant periods at 3:00-4:30pm, we always go to the pool. It so happened that Roman’s P.E. class is swimming and his schedule is 3:00-4:30pm, so we can really watch him swim!]

Anyways, if I were to judge, he’s not that handsome. He’s just white, that’s it.


Abi usually teases me. She puts meaning in everything I do and speak and she connects it to Roman. Whenever Abi does that, I’d just laugh because I am not affected at all. And I don’t have a crush on that guy.

He’s seated at my right. He asks questions whenever he didn’t hear what the teacher said. We laugh together at Lord Rodriguez’ jokes. Lord’s really a joker even when we were in High School. [Trivia again: Lord Rodriguez was my partner during prom ‘07. On Valentine’s Day ’07, he said, “oy partner sa prom! Happy Valentine’s Day!” He was also my classmate in REED 20 for a few days, but he had his subject re-scheduled because he always comes to class late. Our RED 20 time last semester starts at 7:30AM. ]

We’re just friends. Okay?

So, Abi, I know that you’re the one who has a crush on him, nganung ipasa man jud?! LOLS. Ayeee, ROMAN NUMERALS!

count me "in" again!

Hello blogger!

I've been very busy these days because I am of great demand to the society! CHAR. Bitaw, I've had a lot of things to do and think about.

Dolores Aboitiz Day
(Or what we usually call as DACF Children's Fest)

There are three stations, wherein children will be taught different values that will help them grow as a person. Youth volunteers from different organizations will facilitate the event. It so happened that the Aboitiz Leaders of Excellence (ALEx), a youth arm of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI), was assigned in Station 3: Kabataan Para sa Bayan.

i love my dad more than any man IN THIS WORLD =)



Dad and I were watching a flight attendant on TV.
That tall height, fair skin, and slender body amused me.
Oh, and her face is like a Barbie’s
I wanted to be like that, but I can’t be.

Duh, I can’t go to Belo and have these
Imperfect features of mine undergo a surgery.
Aside from money constraints,
I am afraid of the side effects. [hahahaha]

How long have I been using Facebook?

I have already been on Facebook for..


Yeah, right. 301 days, 5 hours, 29 minutes and 56 seconds =)
I'm online on Mondays 'til Wednesdays, and on Fridays.---daytime only.  =)

oy, kaibiganin mo'ko ulit!


Masaya tayo nuon.
Nagkukwentuhan, nagdadamayan, nagtatawanan.
Naging mahalagang parte ka ng buhay ko
Nang limang taon.

Ni minsan, hindi ko naisip na hahantong tayo sa ganito.
Hindi na nagpapansinan.
Wala nang “oy verns!”
Wala nang imikan.

talking to a robot =)

Have you ever talked to a robot? Or, maybe the better question is, have you seen a real robot?

Now, you can have a chance to talk to a robot without seeing it. Try visiting cleverbot.com and experience how funny it is to talk to a robot.

So here's my experience:

Teru and Daisy

--this work is inpired by the Manga, Dengeki Daisy (sa makasabot lang)--

Before my brother left me in this world,
He gave me a cellphone* which would
Connect me to the only person whom
I could rely on, a person whom I could trust.

Before my friend left me in this world,
He entrusted me his sister,
As payment for betraying and putting his life in danger.
He asked me to communicate with her.

on rainy days..



--this poem is inspired by the manga, Dengeki Daisy--

On rainy days, you'd feel so weak and lonely,
You'd remember the traumatic incident that you had in the past
But, I want you to know that
I love rainy days because of you.

Do you still remember the first time we got to know each other?
It was on a day when the rain continued for days.
It was the first time that you asked for my help.
And it was the first time that my words caressed you.

"no" was all i could say



Once, you called me in the middle of the night
Asking me if you would really continue to court her
It made me want to say no
Because I had feelings for you too

Our talk just lasted for minutes but,
Your question really stuck on my mind
"Should I court her, vernie?"
"No" was all I could say.

could you still sing a song for me?



Whenever I'm alone,
You would call me.
You'd lessen the loneliness that I feel
By singing a song.

Whenever I'm sad,
You'd try to cheer me up
And make me feel better
By singing a song.

Whenever I'm angry,
Whenever I lose my temper,
You'd try to calm me,
By singing a song.

But, now that you're busy...
busy taking care of HER.
Now that you're not here,
How could you sing a song for me?

Now that you spend all your time with her,
Now that your world revolves around her,
Now that i'm left alone, sad, angry and.. jealous,
Could you still sing a song for me?

I bet you can't.
Because the song that
You usually sing for me,
Is for HER now.

---aammbott, last night, i had nothing to do, so,i made this..
this was the result of INSOMNIA.. :)))

maling akala

You thought he's just ordinary.
You thought he's innocent.
You thought he's just simple
But those thoughts were wrong.

When you look at him,
He looks so kind and gentle.
It's as if you've met someone
Who would console you, when you’re in pain.

When you speak to him,
He gives out that sweet smile,
A smile that would wipe all your worries away
A smile that could drive every girl crazy

When you read his poems,
You'll be hypnotized by his words.
And eventually, without you knowing it,
You'll fall under his trap.
You'd start to like him
You'll search everything about him
Only to find out that
He's not what you think of.

He's not ordinary.
He's not innocent.
He's not simple.
All your thoughts were wrong.



Maraming namamatay sa maling akala geng.


friends, that's all we can be.

Whenever we're together,
I feel something strange.
My heart would beat faster,
And blood would flow to my cheeks.

A lot of times, I've thought of confessing.
Yet, my fear would win over my courage.
I'm afraid that he'll walk away,
So it's better to hide this feeling.

One day, a friend told me that he's leaving.
I didn't know what to do.
Should I confess of should I not?
But, it's better to do it, before it's too late.

"ei…", I said, still finding my courage.
"I..uhm…I", I had a hard time saying it.
"yes, Vern?" he said with a sweet tone.
"uhm, i..aahh, I have..a crush on you."

He paused. "uhmm, Vern,", his tone was sad..
"We can be friends." [-------------]
It was as if my whole world went dark
And my heart was stabbed a million times.

Friends, that's all we can be
For his heart is taken by someone I don’t know.
Friends, that's all we can be
For he's leaving to go after that someone whom he loves.

Well, anyway, my goal was just to confess,
Nothing more, nothing less.



poems


Each letter symbolizes the notes of an octave.
Each word is like a measure of a song.
Each phrase tells a harmonious rhythm of an orchestra.
Each line represents the movements of a symphony.
Each stanza flows like arpeggio that catches a reader's heart.

Poems are like musical pieces written for a common purpose:
To express one’s feelings.



being afraid

Afraid to commit mistakes?
Don’t be.
For it is in making mistakes
That we grow as a person.

Afraid or failures?
Don’t be.
For it is in failing
That we learn to stand up.

Afraid of taking risks?
Don’t be.
For it is in taking risk
That we’re able to know how capable we are in doing great things.

Afraid to change for the better?
Don’t be.
For it is resistance that hinders a person
From developing his or her skills.

Afraid to start again?
Don’t be.
Nothing may start easy;
But remember: what is most difficult is also most rewarding.

Don’t be afraid.
You’ll never know how far you can go
And how best you can be
If you don’t even try.

Let go of fear
For it control prevents you from living fully;
It isolates, restricts and
Separates you from the real you.

Learn to take a leap out of your comfort zone,
And discover how beautiful the world is, outside.


what the hell happened to the students' freedom of expression?

"I'm going to find out kung naa ko student niapil ato [candle lighting ceremony] kay patay cla nako, ako mismo mag hatag sa ila ug Application for Transfer."
-Sir Matulin


I am a soon-to-be member of STAND (Student Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy). In this organization, we’re fighting for the students’ rights, especially for the right to education. And, these days, STAND was doing something to stop the administration’s plan of increasing the tuition.

Last month, I can’t remember what’s the exact date, someone texted me that there will be a candle lighting ceremony to be held outside the gates of USC-TC. Some members of the League of Filipino Students a.k.a. LFS (an organization connected to STAND) were also there.

It was a peaceful really. But because the primary reason of the tuition fee increase (TFI, as some students label it), according to the administration, is to increase the compensation of teachers, some of them gave a negative reaction to rally. That includes Sir Matulin (I don’t know his full name but he’s Russell Fernandez’ teacher in Spanish).

He said that he would surely give an Application for Transfer to those students who joined the rally. Eh? Is he that obsessed to get an increase in his salary? We do have the right, as students, to complain whenever there’s an increase in tuition fees, right? What the hell happened to the students’ freedom of expression?

I am not against or pro TFI. I am against what Sir Matulin have said. He shouldn’t do that. Can he? Will he even do that?

Remembering someone's birthday

"di jud ka true friend kay wa ka kibaw sa akong birthday"
-Frances Cuyos
Remembering someone's birthday is very important for someone like Frances Cuyos. She even uses this as a basis if you’re her true friend or not. Geez, joke na? Eh?

But remembering the birthdays of your newly-found friends is not so easy for me. Perhaps, because I don’t usually bother to ask when a person’s birthday is. If someone tells me, or if I can see on facebook, that it’s my friend’s birthday, I would greet him or her. I would even text everybody and say, “oyy, it’s Frances’ birthday greet her. Here’s her number 0923******.”

I’ve remembered Khai Arciete’s birthday because Juliet Margate told me. Khai was very happy about that. She even said she loves me [photo]. ngee! Does saying ‘Happy birthday’ to someone make that person say ‘I love you’? hhmm. Khai did, but, perhaps, other people won’t.

Anyways, it is a celebration of the day you came to be, so, it has to be remembered.

----------------------
Malapit na birthday ko! Mark your calendars… APRIL 25! GIFT ha! Thanks!

from friends to strangers? eh?


There’s this one person whom I used to treat as one of my friends. He was my classmate in high school. We’re now in college. We enrolled in the same university. For the first semester, we were in the same block section.

It was the first day of class when I saw him sitting somewhere. He was alone so I approached him and asked, “oyy, what’s your first subject?” [that moment, I didn’t know that block sections have the same class schedules..wahaha ]

“BA [business ad]”, he slowly replied. It was as if he didn’t want to respond. Like his approach was so cold and I don’t know what his reason was for acting like that. Did I do something bad? Or was it because of my lousy actions during the previous years we had in high school? Ewan. That was the first and the last conversation we had for the whole S.Y. 2009-2010.

For the rest of the school year, the two of us never really had small talks. Whenever we meet in hallways or in classrooms, we’d only stare at each other for a while,.. bang.. act like we didn’t see each other, act like we never knew each other. It’s so heartrending because he’s really been a good friend. But now, we consider ourselves as strangers.

It was February this year when our co-batchmate told me that this person promised to talk to me before the year 2010 starts [that's three months ago]. This person said that he wanted to change. And he was planning to start that change with me [he would befriend me :) ]. But that plan was never put to action. Maybe because he’s a little too shy to approach me or maybe because I’m too far that whenever he tries to reach out to me, I stay away.

My friends told me that I should do my part also. I should make friends with him. For so many times, I really tried to gather my courage and approach him but the fear of him rejecting me triumphed over me.

Ugh. So sad. I miss him.

I’ll end this blog post with a text message, “It’s sad when people you know become people you knew. When you can walk right past someone like they were never a big part of your life. How you used to be able to talk for hours and how now, you could barely even look at them.”

three things women can do with men

“There are three things women can do with men,
-love them,



suffer for them,


or TURN THEM INTO LITERATURE”
-Stephen Stills





Stephen's absolutely right. Some of us girls fall for boys so quickly. We allow their "sweet-talk" to get us. We easily believe in their disheartening lies. We allow them to take advantage of our feelings. But despite that fact, we still continue to love them. We even write poems and songs for them. Isn’t that being masochistic?



We give them what they want. We're always there whenever they need us. Listen to them when they’ve got problems with their GFs, and stuffs like that. But, we never asked for a love in return. Isn’t that enough to please them? to satisfy them?

UGH. Were they told by their mom not to hurt a girl’s heart? These playboys need a rehab.

**hoy IKAW! Break my friend’s heart again. And hide in a place where I could not see you ‘coz i’ll seek vengeance for my friend jud. >.<

Lovely Day by Park Shin Hye [lyrics]



Verse 1:
Salmyeosi nal ggaewojwoyo
My sunshine

Donghwa sok gongjucheoreom
nuneulgamgo
gidarilgeoyeyo


Verse 2:

Nun ddeumyeon
nae gyeote hamge hal love shot

Donghwa sok wangjacheoreom
nareulbomyeo
useojulgeojyo


Refrain 1:

Nado mollae du nuni
neoman geurigo

Ddo mollae dugeungeorin
gaseumi sorichineyo


Chorus:
I wanna love you
I wanna with you

Geudaedo neuginayo nae mameul
Naegewayo
jogeum deo dagawayo
nae mameul gajyeoyo

Everyday lovely day
maeil soksakyeo julgeyo
kaendiboda dalkoman
sarangeul julgeoyeyo


Verse 3:
Mabeome jumuneul geoleo
syallalla
Ddadeusan haetsalgateun
neoe miso
nareul deulchugin


Refrain 2:

Nado mollae gaseumi
ddo dugeungeoryeo

Du nune areutgeoryeo
ijeneun malhaebollaeyo

Chorus 2:
I wanna love you
I wanna with you

Geudaedo neuginayo nae mameul

Naegewayo
jogeum deo dagawayo
nae mameul gajyeoyo


Everyday lovely day
maeil soksakyeo julgeyo

kaendiboda dalkoman

sarangeul julgeoyeyo

Wanna love you wanna with you

Annajullaeyo
lovely day
nae mameul neuggyeobwayo

Yeongwoni hamgge hae


Rallaralla rallaralla
maeil haengbokman julgeoya
Kaendibosa dalkoman

sarangeul julgeoyeyo

Promise by A.N.Jell [lyrics]



Chorus 1:

I will promise you
du nune neoman damgo salagalgge
I will promise you
du pale neol ango salagalgge

Achime nun ddeo
jamdeun sunganggaji neo hanaman geurilgge
Saranghae i mal itjima

I Love you Forever


Verse 1:

Deoun yeoreum nale geuneuli doejulgge
bioneun nalen usani doejulgge

Geotdaga jichil ddaen jageun uijado
doejulgge
useul ddae ni gibbeum
Dubaega dwaege hamgge useulgge
nunmul heullil ddaen
sugeoni
doel neol daggajulgge


(repeat chorus)


Rap:


Uri saineun machi
Coffee and Doughnet
gatji
Nage gibbeumeul jeonhaejun neoneun nae seupyesyeol
HaruHaruga Energy
bujokadamyeon Emergency
Naege saengmyeongi buleojul dalkoman geudaee hyanggi

Maeil hana hana ggok sumgyeonoheun nae sarangeul
Hamgge haneun
naldongan modu
boyeojulggeoya


Chorus 2:


I will promise you e
odie itddeon neoman gieokhalgge
I will promise you
mwol haedo neomaneul gieokhalgge
Yeongwoni neoreul saegil i gaseumman pumgo sala galggeoya
Saranghae i mal gieokhae I love forever

Rap:


Yes A.N.GELL why here I will promise Just do it Girl
Saranghandaneunde museun mali pilyohae
GwangGwang georineun woenjjok gaseumeuro daedapalgge
One step Two step Three and Four ni gyeote cheoncheoni dagagalgge
Gidariran mal ssawi ibe samji mot ae I will take you


(repeat chorus)