20 Things You Don’t Know About Me – Yet!

1. When I was in grade school, I had a big crush on McGyver. Not the actor Richard Dean Anderson himself but the character he was playing in the series. I thought having a mind with almost infinite scientific resourcefulness was way too cool. I even had a life-size poster of him in my bedroom back then.

2. My mother gave birth to me in my great grandmother’s old house, delivered by a quack midwife, and my placenta was buried in the backyard. My four younger siblings were all delivered in our town hospital by the same town doctor.

3. If there’s one house work that I do best, it’s doing the laundry either with my hands or with a washing machine. On the other hand, I do worst in ironing clothes.

4. I am a frustrated painter and novelist.

5. I am afraid of total darkness, ghosts, and slimy animals.

6. I have this thing about restrooms. I can’t pee in smelly dirty restrooms. I judge a house, mall, restaurant, park, or any public or private place by its restroom.

7. I am claustrophobic. Though not severe but I seriously avoid being confined to tunnels, prison cells, caves, very crowded places, and small locked rooms.

8. I’m closer to my father than to my mother. Thus, I’m proudly tatay’s girl.

9. Two most prominent physical assets that I love in my husband are his broad shoulders and his chinky eyes.

10. Next to red and white, I like the blend of green and cream colors.

11. I am a certified Kapamilya. I love watching ABS-CBN’s programs and artists more than its major competitor second rate trying hard boring copycat GMA Network and any other network, for that matter, on free TV.

12. There’s only one person I can confide with anything – my sister Jill. We’re like salt and pepper. One is incomplete without the other. Though she’s five years younger than me, I feel that we’re twins.

13. I literally drink ten glasses or more of water every day. I started this habit when I had kidney infection in 2007 and the doc said I had to fill my body with lots of fluids as I can. Then it has easily become part of my lifestyle.

14. I want to grow old gracefully that’s why I don’t sulk on frustrations, hatreds, and failures.

15. I can be maldita when I am crossed BUT I don’t hold grudges against anyone and I can easily forgive and forget.

16. My mother, two younger sisters, and I have the same shoe size – 5.

17. I have four active email accounts, three blogs, and three YM's.

18. I love my two nephews – NJ and Daniel – more than their dads, my younger brothers. In the same way, I think, lolos and lolas love their apos more than their own children.

19. I dislike monotony. That explains why I change the theme of my blog every now and then and why I tell my husband to learn the art of taking the wind out of my sails from time to time. Otherwise, I’ll get bored to death.

20. I secretly (now it's not a secret anymore) wish for a hot balloon ride.

If I Were a Tea

I would be a Black Tea because..

I have a bold personality. I am not afraid of simply being myself. I have the courage to speak the truth. I am fearless in my actions. I come off as a bit intimidating and unapproachable. Only confident people are attracted to me. I don't try to scare off anyone. I'm just an intense person!

What Kind of Tea Are You?

Easy Like Sunday Morning

When I was fresh out of college, I was burning with desire to be part in the world of work straight away. I was overly idealistic and optimistic. I wanted career growth, challenging experiences, and financial freedom all at once. The burning desire eventually became like a vampire that sucked out almost all of my blood. At one point, I felt something was missing and I thought I already reached the cul-de-sac.

Then my knight in shining armor came into my life, and he swept me off my feet!

When I married him, I made a U-Turn and promised not to go back to the bumpy road again. Not that I don’t want to desire growth, challenges, and freedom, but I want to be more realistic and grounded this time around.

However, being a Sagittarian, sometimes I can’t help fast tracking my way toward my goal. My best antidote is my husband. He is so cool and composed. He’s a Scorpio, by the way. Yet more than the zodiac signs, we really complement each other.

This morning I wanted to do lot of activities but he didn’t allow me due to my delicate condition. (My period is six days late and I could be pregnant.) And so right now, I’m on relaxation mode. I’m feeling easy and breezy with the quiet aircon keeping me cool in the summer heat, my bar of Cloud 9 keeping me full, and a movie that I’ve downloaded exciting me.

I like my day this way – easy like Sunday morning, but not always though.

Happiness Comes in Pieces

On Mark’s 25th birthday in 2002, I gave him a book entitled “The Next 500 Stories” by Frank Mihalic, SVD, and I wrote a note on its first page that said, “Age is not a date in time but a state of mind. Our duty here on earth is not to add years to our lives but to add life to our years. I love you honey. Happy birthday.”

For many years, this motivational book has guided him and me on how to make the right decisions and choose the right roads. Sometimes we read our favorite stories all over again and talk about what we have learned from them.

Now, I want to share the #384 story/poem that helps us understand the partiality of happiness and why we don't ask God to give us more of who we are and what we have (though I don’t mind having more) as long as no one in our family gets sick or get into trouble with the law or something. Moreover, it gives us the rationale on why we should have peace of mind first before anything else.

Happiness Comes in Pieces
Happiness is like a crystal,
Fair and exquisite and clear,
Broken in a million pieces,
Shattered, scattered, far and near.

Now and then along life’s pathway,
Lo! Some shining fragments fall;
But there are so many pieces,
No one ever finds them all.

You may find a bit of beauty,
Or an honest share of wealth,
While another just beside you,
Gathers honor, love or health.

Vain to choose or grasp unduly,
Broken is the perfect ball;
And there are so many pieces,
No one ever finds them all.

Yet the wise, as on they journey,
Treasure every fragment clear,
Fit them as they come together,
Imagining the shattered sphere.

Learning to be thankful,
Though their share of it is small,
For it has so many pieces,
No one ever finds them all.

-Priscilla Leonard

I Think Therefore I Am

and I am who I am..

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Having my family around on a Sunday afternoon, cracking jokes, and laughing out loud without any reservations or whatever.

What is your greatest fear?
I fear death, not of my own but of my loved ones.

Which living person do you most admire?
Definitely my tatay. I look up to him since I was a little kid. He is passionate, dedicated, and disciplined. As I grow older, I appreciate more and more the little and big things he does for us.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Backbiting. There are nasty people in this world who take pleasure in ruining other’s reputation, and I despise them all.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Extravagance is defined as “the quality of exceeding the appropriate limits of decorum or probability or truth.” My first answer was “books,” but the bookworm in me says one can never have too many books. So I say it would be food. I will not hesitate spending on good food.

What is your favorite journey?
My journey through life. If I die and live again, I still choose this path I’m taking right now.

On what occasion do you lie?
I am such a bad liar. My eyes expose me every time I attempt to save my ass. Though I would be hypocrite if I say I don't tell white lies, I do, and I think they’re acceptable on certain occasions.

Which living person do you most despise?
Those who are trying hard to climb the social status and hurting others along their mischievous ways. They’re disgusting.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“OK!” I say this when I’m in agreement with someone, when I spot a good buy, or when I’m enjoying a moment. I may use it too much, but that’s a good thing, right?

What is your greatest regret?
I regret not taking my piano, guitar, and voice lessons seriously when I was a kid. My father, a great musician, used to teach me and my siblings at home but I was hard headed (mom said) and I just preferred playing outside than being stuck in a room with musical notes. It would be nice if I could entertain a crowd with music, no?

Where and when were you the happiest?
Every time I am with my husband, family, and closest friends. They are my angels in disguise.

What is your current state of mind?
Stable and contented.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Too much sensitivity because more often than not, it consumes me.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being married to my knight in shining armor and having a great marriage. I am blessed.

If you were to die and comeback as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Still the old simple me, or maybe a better me. I love my life, everything in it.

What is your most treasured possession?
My wedding ring.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Living alone.

Where would you like to live?
Our dream house in Bohol, that includes a medium-sized garden for Sunday BBQs, a study room/library, entertainment room, an average-sized kitchen with a kickass oven, Zen inspired dining area, a veranda overlooking our private beach, comfy rooms, a nursery, a laundry room. Set in a safe and friendly neighborhood. Dream on!

What is your favorite occupation?
This doesn’t count as a formal occupation though it does occupy a lot of my time: blogging.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Resiliency.

What is the quality you like most in a man?
The take-charge attitude. It stems back to the caveman days I suppose, when he’d go out with his buddies to bonk a dinosaur on the head and bring it home to his wife for dinner. And, someone who faces the odds no matter what obstacles he must have to hurdle.

What is the quality you like most in a woman?
The nurturing quality. The maternal instinct shines through in everyone, even those who are not mothers. A woman cares like no other.

Who are your favorite writers?
A lot. Lately, I read all four books of Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, and I read for the third time The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Right now, Edward Cullen of Twilight.

Who are your heroes in real life?
Tatay, nanay, my husband, lolos, and lolas. Having heroes so close to home inspires me the most to become a better person.

What is that you most dislike?
I highly dislike cigarette smoke, but find myself living with a smoker. Then I realize it’s a matter of how you deal with that kind of negativity. So I highly dislike knowing that I live in this negativity but not successful in doing anything about it. *sends note to self*

How would you like to die?
Peacefully in my sleep.

What is your motto?
Live, love, laugh.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

My young and moving experiences definitely happened in high school. It was there that I prepared myself in the process of growing to maturity. Also, I went through the trying days of a teen’s life when I was constantly tested on how well I made the right decisions and did the right thing.

Recently, I visited my alma mater – Central Visayas State College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Technology (formerly Bohol School of Fisheries), and I took a couple of pictures that reminded me of my high school days.

Field

Stage

SAC (before it was a pagoda for hang-outs)

Gym (used to be an open tennis court)

High School Building

More high school buildings

Info Tech Center

Flagpole and Admin Building


Gate

Covered Walk

College Buildings

Library

Bulletin (i used to be a staff in our school paper called The Harpooner)

Friends since first year high..

Thanks for viewing!

Boob Tube Indulgences

As a plain housewife by circumstance, I consider TV as my best friend. It feeds me current events, provides me fashion updates, gives me cooking tips, and a whole lot more. It’s all in one, so to speak.

I am not a couch potato though. I only watch shows that have to do with my interests.

TV Patrol World on ABS-CBN (6.30pm Monday to Friday). It’s the only local show that I watch for as long as I can remember. I like Ted Failon, Karen Davila, and Julius Babao. They are my best source of local news ever.

Naked Science on National Geographic (10pm Thursday). I am amazed with the scientific investigation about the big mysteries of our time such as human life beginnings and death of our universe. It features experts who conduct experiments and lay out realistic scenarios that confirm or debunk common assumptions and misconceptions.

Discovery Channel. If I’m not watching my other favorite programs, I’m undoubtedly stuck with Discovery Channel. I really like most of its first-rate shows.

Tennis Tournaments on Star Sports. The tennis season officially began in Abu Dhabi then in Doha, Qatar earlier this month. My beloved Rafael Nadal reveals more power now that he is the world’s number one. I’m looking forward to cheer for him at the first Grand Slam this year, Australian Open, starting in January 19. Vamos Rafa!

Amazing Race Asia on AXN (9pm Thursday). The Hongkong team brought home the most coveted first prize in Season 3. Team Philippines came second. I think Season 4 will be aired in the 3rd quarter yet. I’ve always wanted to join Amazing Race Asia. Question is, am I capable of doing roadblocks and detours? If you ask me now, I don't think so.

HBO, Star Movies and Cinemax. Needless to say, I’m a movie enthusiast. I browse for movie schedules on these three channels but more often than not, I watch HBO frequently as it runs more up to date movies than the latter two.

American Idol on Star World (6pm Wednesday and Thursday). AI is back! I was addicted to AI last year and I’m glad Season 8 is nothing short of spectacular. There is one I’m rooting for as early as now – Michael Castro. He’s the younger brother of Season 7 fourth placer, Jason Castro. He’s ballsy and I like how he sang Gavin Degraw’s ‘I’m In Love with a Girl’. I’m excited to see how he fares the next round.

ANC. When there’s significant local news I want to follow, I tune in to ABS-CBN News Channel It runs 24/7 and it feeds live streaming from Malacanang Palace or Congress or Senate. Also when I’m in the mood for debates, I watch Korina Today on ANC.

CNN. I always start my day with watching the news from around the world on CNN. My favorite CNN anchors are Christiane Amanpour, Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, and Larry King.

Channel News Asia. If I’m not paying attention to ANC for local news or CNN for international news, I switch to Channel News Asia for Asia-Pacific Region updates.

Oprah on Hallmark Channel (8pm Monday to Friday). Please refer to my post about Oprah below. It's very informative and entertaining.

Lifestyle Network. It’s one good channel for housewives and working moms. However, I don’t really get to watch it religiously because its programs are replayed over and over and I get bored sometimes. But when there are fresh episodes, I watch Everyday Italian, Barefoot Contessa, and Pairings with Andrea. And oh, Martha also. I love Martha Stewart!

Project Runway on ETC (10pm Wednesday). I’m such a fan of Heidi Klum and that goes without saying, I go crazy over her Project Runway as well. It’s one heck of a show. Love it!

The Insider on 2nd Avenue (11pm Monday to Friday). Showbiz gossips, anyone? If there’s an avant-garde authority in delivering entertainment juices, it’s got to be The Insider.

Velvet. I don’t like Velvet much but it has special programs that I don’t want to miss like Mariah’s Concert in California and Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, among others.

An Ode to My Father

On January 12, 1954, a bouncing baby was born into this world. He came as the sixth child from a brood of ten. He was the most favored son by his doting parents. He grew up humbly in the rural agricultural town of Trinidad, Bohol. Twenty-three years later, he would become my father.

When I was eight or nine, my loving father gathered me and my four younger siblings in our living room to record songs on cassette tape. He played his guitar while I belted out ‘We are the World’ by Michael Jackson and “Mutya Ka Baleleng” by Max Surban. Then my sister and brothers hummed to Freddie Aguilar’s songs. Until now, that cassette tape remains an unrivaled highlight in our family gatherings as well as an ultimate source of never-ending family jokes.

My father is a musician at heart. He reads musical notes, conducts a chorale, and plays musical instruments such as piano, guitar, and harmonica. He leads an all-male group named MIGS that sings on weddings. I grew up listening to their wonderful voices. (MIGS was the choir at my wedding. They serenaded me with Petula Clark’s ‘You and I’ while I walked down the aisle which really made my childhood dream came true.)

Since the day I learned to be aware of things, he already imposed strictness unto me – in a good way, of course. He disciplined me to be responsible and prudent. He trained me to be self-reliant and upright. He encouraged me to read and be informed. He taught me how to be humble and generous. He supported my interests. He listened to my whines. He gave me comforts. Most of all, he showered me an unconditional love.

Today is his 55th birthday. We talked on the phone a while ago and I told him how much I love him. I heard his voice cracked as he told me he loves me too. At this point, I feel that I am the luckiest because I have the best father one could ever ask for.

Happy birthday, Tatay Chito!

Reaching Out

My mother used to tell me and my siblings to always start our year right by showing kindness to other people. Thus, it has become our family tradition to give out clothes and shoes that we’ve grown out of, old bags and other things in our closets.

This year, my sister and I chose a woman who has an admirable strength and unwavering faith in God.

Here's her story..

She is a midwife by profession but she preferred to just stay at home taking care of her four children (the eldest is still in high school while the youngest is about seven years old) when her husband was working abroad. They were doing well until two years ago, he got sick and came home with paralysis.

She worried of her family's future but she gathered all her strength as she knew she had to be strong for her family. She then decided to volunteer as a nurse aide in a government hospital earning only an honorarium fee. As sideline, she would accept laundry after work and on weekends. (They also live in the slums with no decent access to clean water and proper sanitation.)

In spite of everything, this woman remains collected, patient, and prayerful. She is also fun to be around. She laughs and laughs as if she's not carrying the world on her shoulders.

I definitely admire her and so we gave her our bundle of joy.

As the old adage goes: Kindness spreads happiness. I totally agree.

Welcoming 2009 with a Bang!

It’s my first post this year and I’ve decided to try a new leisure pursuit that is uploading my own videos to YouTube!

I hope you will enjoy watching them as much as I enjoyed making them.

First up is the New Year’s Eve Street Dancing along Palma Street in Cavite City. It’s basically done for scaring bad lucks away. It’s like the Sinulog in Cebu.

Then as the clock struck midnight came the pandemonium of bangs and squeals in the neighborhood. (where Judas’ Belt is considered ‘trendy’)

Here’s my official New Year’s greeting vid:

(I used my old digi cam in taking the videos that’s why they are not clear-cut. Hopefully, I can show you hi-definition videos sooner.)

And now I’m going to present to you the other side of my sister Datski:

Finally, here’s the other side of me:

Happy New Year everyone!

Husband Reacts

When Mark (my then boyfriend of five years) asked me to marry him, I told him yes right away but with two conditions. First, I should have me-alone-time every week because there are certain things that I want to do on my own such as reading. Second, I easily get bored with routines so he should support me in looking for something that perks me up like books. He might think those were just easy terms that’s why he agreed without any second thought.

I bought a copy of Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum just few months into our marriage. I didn’t eat nor sleep until I finished the book. He was shocked. Then he also read it in order to understand me more yet it took him three months to finish. I was shocked.

As expected, I got obsessed with Jason Bourne. I was agitated when I couldn’t find the sequel right away. He helped me look for it everywhere but to no avail. I then asked a friend of mine in the US to buy me the other two books in the series - Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum. I was happy to get hold of them. Perhaps that was the turning point of my husband’s empathy to my passion in reading. (By the way, I didn’t like the Bourne movie trilogy at all. It did not give Ludlum’s plot a much deserved justice.)

When we had our cable TV installed, my mind was fully diverted to tennis. I saw Mark’s relief when I spent most of my “me time” with him by watching the tournaments.

The tennis season ended in the last week of November just in time Twilight also hit the theaters. Well, you know what happened after that. I got infatuated with Edward, to say the least.

At first Mark just shrugged it off. I mean, why would he care when he knew in his heart that this was just pure craziness? He didn’t mind at all if I talked about another man, a fictional man, if I may add. He was so cool about it.

Until last Tuesday evening when he found me in my chair exactly the same way he left me that morning – reading more Edwards, as he said. He looked perturbed.

I was surprised when he woke me up with a breakfast in bed the following morning. He told me that he wanted to be my Edward forever. I smiled and then I laughed. How could he become so affected? Didn’t I just say that he was just cool about it? I looked at him, seriously this time, and told him that he will always be my one and only greatest love. I added that Edward is a mere fantasy. He beamed and then he kissed me.

It came as an epiphany to me that Mark has been very patient with my unconventionalities. He has supported me in everything that I do. He continually embraces my strengths as well as my weaknesses. I’ve found an unconditional love in Mark and I wouldn’t exchange that for anything in the world. Yes, even if Edward Cullen is for real.

Related post: Bookworm Princess

Tale of a Half Blind

The beep came right after we watched Lake Placid on HBO as if cuing us to fall out before going to bed. I was infuriated by the content of the message. He justified that it was entirely work-related. Obviously, I did not believe him right away as my mind was clouded with suspicion.

He went upstairs while I lingered in the living room longer. After that, I had my routine to clean my contact lenses when I accidentally rinsed them down the sink. I was so angry at my clumsy self. I had no choice but to talk to him about it otherwise I would be partly unsighted the next day. Then in his cool soothing way (one thing that I really love about him), he hugged and told me not worry any more because he would buy me another pair. My heart melted instantly and as essential as breathing air, we cuddled to sleep.

I am literally half blind, you know. I totally depend on a pair of negative 5.00 contact lenses (I used to have glasses but I eventually found them cumbersome to wear). Without these thin round plastic lenses, everything around me would be dim.

Nonetheless, my handicap makes me think that I already have sacrificed enough that's why God pampers me abundantly in other aspects of my life. It also teaches me to truly cherish the beauty and wonders that come my way. And most importantly, I learn to see things with my heart.

After Mark had his Tae-Bo, he drove me to SM on his Lifan Cruiser. Actually, our ride was a déjà vu of what happened in 2002. We were new lovers then; we went riding on his brother’s bike under the blanket of shining stars when suddenly a strong wind swept my right lens away. He was worried but I said it was okay as long as he was beside me. This time, he guided me through the darkness and told me that all is going to be well as long as I am with him.

As a final point, the unwelcomed text message and lost contact lenses were incidents that I consider as little bumps along our way. I believe that we can make it through the long, dark, and winding road as long as we deeply trust each other.

at Kenny Rogers Roasters (mark's fave resto)

I Celebrate My Birthday with a Cut

It is my ritual to have my hair cut on my birthday. And so after attending the Holy Mass at Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga early this morning, I went to Index Salon to have it done with a fringe.

To my astonishment, Rica (my favorite stylist) didn’t approve because according to him, my hair is wavy and it can’t carry a fringe well. He suggested that I should have it rebonded first before I can have it styled my way.

Is the slogan ‘customers are always right’ a passé these days?

Well, I excused Rica because I know he just wanted the best look for me. Maybe I can have the fringe on New Year’s Day. Of course, only after a rebond or a change of heart that I would go to another salon.

For the meantime, here is the traditional before and after photo of my new layered do:

The Nymph

My cousin May has an alter ego that is talking to her at SilentMoan and she named her “nymph”. I’ve never been spellbound on ethereal creatures until I get to know a nymph on her blogs.

According to Encarta Dictionaries, a nymph is a goddess of natural beauty such as woods, mountains, and rivers and traditionally regarded as a beautiful woman. Or it can be the larva of some insects such as dragonflies, mayflies, and grasshoppers.

If I would meet a nymph face to face on the eve of my birthday and she has the enchanted power to grant my wishes, I would gladly ask for the following:

First, a weeklong vacation in Palawan. It has been my yearning to indulge myself in the mantel of rainforests, majestic mountains, primeval caves, best diving sites, and pristine beaches of the Palawenos. It is where I could be one with nature completely.

Second, an all-expense-paid trip to any of the ATP Masters Series and Grand Slams events. To say that I am a big tennis fan is an understatement. I so love Nadal and Safina. I follow their careers religiously. It would be exciting to watch them live and experience the thrills of their matches in real time.

Third, a Blackberry. It’s a caprice, I know. However, if I could have one, it must be the Red Blackberry Pearl 8100.

Fourth, a Claude Monet’s painting. I like to paint but painting doesn’t like me. And so I only admire the works of the genius artists like Claude Monet. I was in awe of his paintings that were embellished on my stationeries in high school days. I would love to own one of his masterpieces and hang it on our dining wall.

Last but certainly not the least, a chocolate mousse tiara cake. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a cake on my birthday. Maybe three years ago? This time, I want to pamper my sweet tooth. I dream to get lost in the heavenly flavors of chocolate, cream, and nuts baked on tiara pans. It should be a tiara design as I want a nymph theme.

Well, these are just my whims. I could live through without these things but it surely is a bonus to experience them before I die. On the other hand, I fervently pray that God will continually bestow the true desires of my heart – good health for my loved ones, peace of mind, world peace, blessings and more blessings.

(Happy birthday, pretty May! See, we were born just 5 years and a day from each other that’s why we look and think alike. Haha. Rock on, cuz!)

Related Post: 10 Things I'd Like to Do Before I Die

Does First Impression Really Last?

If you are living in a ten-door apartment and some of the lessees vexingly decide to turn their stereos up simultaneously, chances are you get a headache and you want to go somewhere quiet at once. In my case, I want to disconnect the main electric plug to completely turn off the noise around me. I need peace!

The unit in front of ours, a family of seven, is playing Barry Manilow; the door next to them is getting high with grunge music; and the tenants in the last flat, are shouting (for me they are shouting not singing) with karaoke songs. All are turning their volumes up and no one is giving way. I wonder if they listen to their music for pleasure or they just intend to compete with each other. What has happened to respect?

Definitely not my first impression (because they do that from time to time), I think these people are so KSP’s as in kulang sa pansin. They need to show off in order to be recognized. They get happiness at the expense of others. They are satisfied when others are disgruntled. They are a bunch of immature losers.

Speaking of first impressions, I am marveled by the recent comment on “Half-Awake in Subic” yesterday. A stranger remarked that I am naïve yet deep. How could he or she know? Maybe the way I write or the way I look or my taste of music? I wish I know.

The thing is I could say the same to myself – naïve yet deep.

People close to me say that I perceive life at a child’s perspective. One who is not afraid to commit mistakes and learn from them. A woman who is prepared to learn, discover, enjoy and endure the journey of living and loving.

Yet I also have strong and unswerving views in a global outlook. I care for the children who suffer inequalities, hunger, ignorance, violence, and indifference. I hate wars and dirty politics. I have an advocacy to save our mother earth from global warming for my children and their next generation to come.

Naïve yet deep, indeed I am.

Thank you, Anonymous.

Worse Than Wolverine

I’m good when I’m good but when I’m crossed, I can be worse than wolverine. I would lapse into a berserk rage and lash out with the intensity and aggression of an enraged animal.

You have been warned, so beware!

Bookworm Princess

I was six or seven when my father asked me if i understood the content of the news mag i was pretending to read intently. I told him no but i surely admired its glossy pages. It was a Newsweek or a Times magazine (i couldn’t exactly remember which), my dad subscribed during his stint at the Ministry of Human Settlement in the Marcos regime, that brought me into the world of reading. He might have foresighted that i would become a voracious reader so he bought me a complete set of Grolier encyclopedia and countless of reading materials as i was growing up.

The kid thrillers of Nancy Drew were my grade school faves. During that time, i preferred reading books than playing chinese garters or marbles with my childhood friends. No kidding. Then, i graduated to Francine Pascal’s “Sweet Valley High” and “Sweet Valley University” series. How could one forget the celebrated twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield? I basically grew up with them. When my imagination increased to more complicated twists, i would secretly read my mom’s Mills & Boons in my mid-high days. Wow, i was indeed baptized with some erotic fantasies! One night, my mother caught me curling up with Daniel Steel’s “Kaleidoscope” (which i sneaked from her room) and she scolded me endlessly. Maybe she was just afraid that i would learn about sex at an early age. Haha. Then collecting novels became my hobby. I used to love Sidney Sheldon, John Grisham, Mary Higgins-Clark, Tom Clancy, Stephen King, and Daniel Steel.

In our family, i was known as a “cold fish princess” because i used to ignore everyone at home whenever i was holding a paperback. I simply loved to stay in my bedroom and get lost in the pages of the book i was reading. Now, i am not the "cold fish princess" anymore. They now call me "the bookworm princess"!

I am Jane

Exquisite and sensual,
As slender as a girl,
As warm as a woman,
As sexy as a fantasy,
As haunting as a dream,
As sweet as a honey,
As strong as a rock,
As beautiful as a rose,
As flowing as a stream..
That’s who i am and then more..

Love Me or Hate Me

I…
- am basically a simple, laid-back person
- love peace, freedom and serenity
- value true friendship
- am a nature, music and book lover
- prefer staying in the comfort of my bedroom than going out to overcrowded parties
- believe in everlasting love
- like romantic, funny, witty people
- am a fan of rafael nadal
- hate dirty restrooms

- love to laugh
- love someone who makes me laugh
- like red because it’s a romantic color
- like hanging-out at Karaoke bars with my friends
- hate dirty politics and corrupt politicians
- am secretive and conservative when it comes to big decision-making
- hate waking up very early in the morning
- am positively a night person
- love my husband, family, and friends
- like Heineken Draught than any other brand of beer
- like watching reruns on HBO
- easily get bored with certain songs
- like surfing the net and updating my blog
- am a fan of amazing race asia and project runway philippines

- love my cp

- feel happy when i make someone smile
- easily forgive and forget
- wish we have a better world to live in
- dream to be like Princess Diana
- want David Beckham for a bodyguard (dream on!)
- like chocolate ice-cream
- crave to own a Jaguar
- plan to finish my Master’s Degree
- love Nakhonsithammarat, Thailand

- easily cry when i get very emotional
- hate gossip-mongers, backbiters, green-eyed monsters and unreasonably bossy people
- will die for my MBB

10 Things I'd Like To Do Before I Die

1. Learn the art of cooking.
2. Get married and have kids.
3. Own a business.
4. Build my dream house.
5. Work out the body figure to die for.
6. Finish a Doctoral Degree.
7. Travel the world with my family and friends.
8. Drive a platinum Jaguar.
9. Produce a collective album and/or concert of my favorite artists.
10. Leave a legacy as a benevolent philanthropist.