On Firsts and Lasts.

What a day.

My day started with my last driving lessons, and in fairness, my engine only went out once. From my last class, it was such a disaster! I felt useless on the driver's seat because my teacher was the one who basically did everything from the steering wheel to the brakes. My only control was the clutch, which I wasn't very good at. Surprisingly, I was more focused today, and I maintained an average speed of 25km/h.... I conquered EDSA and the small streets of Pasig. BUT, I lost my focus when we were uphill... in Robinson's Pioneer. hehe.=)

After driving, I decided to give myself a reward. Before heading off for some interviews (some racket I temporarily needed just to get money hehe), I passed by Chocolate Clothing Co. in Mega. Turns out Havaianas had tons of new stocks in the store, and I was overwhelmed by the colors and the designs. I've been wanting a pair for the longest time, but I wouldn't dare purchase one with my own money yet. I think I'd rather buy shoes than buying tsinelas. I also have a hard time choosing which one to buy, with so much choices available to feast on. I can't decide if I should buy brown, pink, yellow, or the printed Havaianas! But today was a different story. I ended up buying one in metallic fuschia pink. Technically, this is part of my brother's "graduation gift", most of which I spent on shoes and slippers=) Also, I figured that I really wanted my slippers in fuschia pink, perfect for almost any attire I have in my closet. Oh, I just love my Havaianas=)

... And then we had chorale. Today was also our last rehearsals. We tried to keep a happy atmosphere despite knowing that it's actually our last rehearsal as the UA&P Chorale. We'll also be having our last concert tomorrow, Sanctuary, in Philam Life Auditorium. Anyway, rehearsals ended in a very dramatic way. Master gave out a few words, while we had an AVP for him and a few messages. Being my vocal self, I decided this was my chances of thanking and saying sorry to Master for not giving my best. I ended up crying..... Heck, everyone was crying. Chorale has already been a ritual for me (for everyone too), and ending it this way was too painful. It was so sad to see Master leave just like that. And I felt a bit guilty realizing that I missed so much of rehearsals and concerts, not making the most out of all of these.

But then, maybe, this happened for a reason. Perhaps Master was destined for greater things, and we're destined to learn from this. For sure, I'll miss chorale A WHOLE LOT, and I'll miss the kind of love for music Master wanted us to have like him. I'll definitely miss vocalizing and singing like everything's all right. I'll miss the after-chorale bonding sessions, all the silly talks we'd have of divicis and SATB's. I never thought of the immense impact the chorale had in my life until now. I feel like losing a big part of me, at the same time, I feel gaining so much from this. Master has taught me to stand up to what I believe in, to stay committed and dedicated to things I love doing. In case Master reads this, I'd like to say THANKS, once again, for being a teacher, mentor, and an inspiration to all of us.

UA&P Chorale @ NAMCYA 2005

"For as long as I have music,

As long as there's a song for me to sing,

I can find my way, I can see a brighter day,

The music in my life will set my spirit free!"

-As Long As I Have Music

Off to Driving School! Part 1

Since I was 18, I've been bugging my dad to make me take driving classes. Although I don't have a car or anything, I knew that someday I'd have to face the "terror" of learning how to drive, and I wanted to get it done and over with. For two years, I have constantly brought up the topic over dinner but I was never successful with it. He would tell me how he wouldn't see me anywhere in the house because I'd already be off somewhere else. And as my dad would like to say most of the time, "_________ can lead to many things, therefore watch Star Wars!" (labo.)

So finally, after the very long duration of pleads and "sige na dad!'s", I was able to convince him that I should learn how to drive. What better reason than to say that it's a required skill for a good job in sales? Of course, he would want that for me too.... He had no other choice.

That's why last week, I enrolled for driving classes at A1. From the moment I got my student's permit, I already had my own share of boo-boos and embarrassing moments.

Boo-boo #1: Cause I'm Only Seventeen!

From the moment I got in the driving school, they asked me if I was only 16. I didn't know if I would be happy about it or not! My exact words were, "Hindi! 20 na ako! Kaya siguro hindi pa ako nakakakuha ng trabaho." They ended up debating why I looked younger. Someone said it was because of the headband, and the other lady said it was because of my bangs. Now she wanted to have bangs like mine. haha. And just when one of their officemates came in, they let him guess how old I was. Although it could be seen in another perspective (being a compliment), I just couldn't help but be embarrassed by it.

Boo-boo #2: Click!....Ay, Wala Pala!

After that some kinda funny incident at the driving school, we headed off to LTO in San Juan. II was not my usual self in the car. I was really quiet because I was with two other girls who kept on talking about accounting and all these liabilities and budgets I was allergic to. It was actually a struggle for me to listen to them for 15 minutes. When we got to LTO, we still had to wait for another 15-20 minutes to get our pictures taken. After a few trips to Yamin-land thanks to my ipod, I was finally called for my picture taking. I was really excited because I already wanted to go to the mall and go window shopping after. But I didn't expect that it would take me 15 minutes more. When I got to the photo booth, I was my usual happy self. I was already posing even if they didn't tell me to do so yet. Perhaps the webcam got scared of me because just as the camera were about to say "Smile!", the camera got busted. We tried and tried again, and still, no "flash" from the camera. They told me to take a seat again and wait for another 15 minutes. When I got back, it took another 3 tries before the camera took my picture.

Boo-boo #3: Para!!!!

I was really excited and tensed for my first driving classes because this was my first time to actually drive a car. Kuya Serge, my teacher, decided that we do some practice driving in Gold Loop because there were less cars and it was perfect for the lesson, since I would still be sticking to first gear for that day. So there I was, in first gear, going round and round Gold Loop until someone told us to stop. Apparently, we got caught by the police who was just looking for some money to eat. He told us that we were not allowed to practice in this area because we were "obstructing traffic". So much for the last 3 cars we saw in Gold Loop. I got really pissed with the policeman and just gave him my student's permit and my teacher's license. After taking a look at it, he decided not to give us a ticket because I lived just around the area. Weird, yet unsuccessful for him. Buti nga.

These experiences made me realize how I'd rather commute and walk than drive a car. It feels weird to get caught by the police. It's like you've done something really really bad. Driving is such a complicated matter. You need to really focus on what you're driving, especially if you're driving a manual car. Perhaps my dad did have a reason why he didn't want me to learn driving at an earlier age... haha. But I will not make these hindrances. I'll continue to do my best in driving. At the same time, I'll make it more memorable and fun too. haha. It just shows how much of a comedy my life is. I think I'm planning to change this into: "Ah, the comedy in life." Guess it's more appropriate that way. hee hee.

Til my next lesson.=)

Reunited (and it feels so good!)

For my four-year stay in UA&P, never have I experienced having so many circle of friends in my whole life. I have my sdl gang (that's me, the cool geeks, and the front row girls), the chorale (kai, aiza, and the rest), 5th year pals (bran, tin, miko, etc.), theater-mates(Viare & Roc friends), dorm buddies (302 girls), and my block o friends (me, reg, anna, maan, kerin, avs, & mei). Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances (blame it on our majors), I do not get the chance to hang out with most of my friends all the time.

That's us in our younger years...
(Maan, Reg, Kerin, Mei, & Anna Banana)

That's why I was so thrilled about my friend Mei's surprise party. For some reason, we always have reunions on birthdays (we had a block o reunion during my 20th birthday). It was a chance for us 6 to hang out once again after around 2-3 years of separation (OA!haha.). Kerin organized a very simple surprise party and only Mei's closest friends were invited. I almost didn't make it, but I guess it was meant to be. I was supposed to be singing with the chorale but being the pasaway that I am, I was booted off for that performance. Anyway, I decided to go to the surprise party and I did not regret every single moment of it. Reg and I were the first ones to arrive at Ahmed's place (Kerin's friend). I was really embarrassed because it was my first time to meet him and I get really tensed when I'm around people who speak English really well. I have this thing with English-speaking people. When they're around, I freeze. Not that I don't know how to converse in English, it's just that I'm scared of making mistakes that's why I really think about what I say before I say it out loud. And to think more than half of the people there were english-speaking. Training ba ito? hehe.

Eventually, people started to arrive. Maan and Brian arrived after around 20 minutes, and Anna followed. While waiting, we rehearsed the "surprise" for Mei twice, watched Gremlins 2, took pictures (Kerin's friends are big camera whores), and updated each other on our lives. When Mei arrived, there was more chaos. Everybody was just talking and talking at the same time, eating sushi and chips. We also played Mario Party wherein our tracing skills were tested to the extreme. haha! It was such a fun and great night for all.

What actually made it really fun and memorable was that I got the chance to hang out with my close friends again. I miss how we would talk as if we all had hearing problems. Laughing like nobody else was there was another usual thing we'd do (we were once kicked out of a restaurant due to excessive laughter). Just comes to show what kind of friendship we had and will continue to have. I guess this is the start of a rekindled friendship. And I hope there'll be more of this in the future;)

I love you guys!!=)

That's us from Mei's Surprise Bash!! Cute no?:)

Nothing much has changed, maybe except for the hairstyles.. haha.

My Favorite Movies

http://www.hotfreelayouts.com/movies.php


As you can see, I enjoy romantic comedies, comedies, and more romantic comedies! I prefer shallow, feel-good movies that can just make my day=) I guess the only "serious ones" here would be "Eternal Sunshine..." and "Lost..." =)

Gotta love 'em!=)

Cleanin' Up My Closet

Last night, I finally had the chance to go through my "trash" of memories and throw whatever was unnecessary already. It was such a fun experience to see lots of old stuff which actually meant a lot for one part of my life (some still having much importance until now). Of the many things I discovered from last night, here are the most special and funniest among the bunch which I opted to keep for now=):


♥ A LOVE Letter from my Soul Sister

Haha, it never really ocurred to me how long Nadine and I have known each other until last night. It seems that most of my memories with her come from my senior year, but from last night, I figured that we have actually been good friends back in second year! haha! Anyway, I couldn't help but laugh when I found a letter from her for Valentine's day 2004, complete with the "Mikee" signature of hers (the one with the horse haha). Apparently, Nadine and I have been sharing memories since second year because of Sierra Lakes. I was the very, very pasaway stage manager, and Nadine acted as well. I also found out that Nadine also watched my play at that time! That was very touching, since not much people were able to catch that.=) What was really funny about this letter was that most of what she wrote actually came true!!! She wrote about how she wished we both get into IMC and how she looks forward to our sleepovers and bonding moments. She also wrote about not spending valentine's alone, pigging out on ice cream and junk food (hmmm, that's familiar!!haha!). Seeing the letter truly proved how far our friendship already went, if you know what I mean. Haha. Kidding. I love Nadine for this (how i wish I could just type that horse-ish signature she made in the letter so I could show it here! haha)

♥ "Hola! Que tal?" Memories

No, I didn't find anything given to me by a Spanish-speaking friend, but I found tons of papers, photocopies, and quizzes for my Spanish class back in 2nd year. I got really good marks for my Spanish, especially during Spanish102. I also found a yellow pad wherein we wrote the draft for our short class skit with AA and Alessa. In the skit, AA was supposed to play the el divino (fortuneteller), and Alessa and I made a visit to Senor El Divino. haha. It was so funny to read it. I couldn't help but remember how Señor Teddy couldn't help but laugh on our funny antics, even AA was named Best Actor for this. haha.=)

♥ The IMC Life

My IMC life also slowly unfolded itself in front of me in the form of handouts and readings. One by one, I found various papers and readings for Marcomm, IMC Principles, Direct Marketing, and Communication Law. I apparently found some sheets of paper which have been missing when I once needed them. I found our script for Bling and the City (complete with Nadine's handwritten editing), research sheets for our Toyota Vios campaign (around 50 handwritten interviews.. in the flesh! haha!), and the newspapers we used for our Comm. & Soc. analysis. It seemed like once again, I was brought back to the terror that was IMC, the kind of terror that you'll miss a lot, now that you're not doing anything.=)

♥ Souveneir Programs... with Autographs!

Every moment I had with theater was significant. Seeing my old souveneir programs from plays which I have been a part of (both onstage and back) made me cherish these memories more. I figured out how much of my life once revolved in the idea of TDRs and acting workshops. It was very touching to read the messages of the people you once worked with in a play. Ah, the euphoria of theater, I miss. :(


♥ Doodles Galore!

Back in second year, our favorite pastime while listening to the teacher would be doodling and making nonsense. AA, my seatmate back then, would make hillarious drawings of me with my trademark "hoop" earrings, or with Elaine my "best friend", or just whatever. Because they were just so funny, I guess I decided to keep them way back, and I found them once again. My ultimate favorite among the many doodles would be the one wherein AA placed captions on the carpark pamphlets which had a picture of the Scooby Doo family, complete with the Mystery Caravan. Another favorite would be AA's own version of the movie, "Sabik sa Mangga" and "Elaine's Circus featuring Regina the Ballerina."HAHA! Only AA can think of those things. haha! I miss him already!

There were still so many funny and memorable things (2-year old Blueskies crackers, old mascara, a photocopy of my application form for IMC) that were found on this day. I ended up throwing only around 1/8 of the "junk" I had. I think I'll be doing this again for more exercise. haha.=)

An Angry Not-So-Little UA&P Graduate

Yesterday, I signed up for pinoyexchange.com's message boards so I could check out a few updates on the chorale scene. While surfing, I stumbled upon one thread with the topic, "BIG 5 Schools". As I was reading the messages, it was quite flattering to see that a couple of them agree that UA&P is part of this so-called "Big 5". But as I read along, what I saw wasn't much candy for my eye anymore.

It was a bit irritating to see how until now, many people still think most UA&P students have an "elitist" attitude. They say that UA&P is just trash, and that walang kwenta rin naman daw. I'm sorry to disagree on this, not only because I'm a graduate of this university. It was just disappointing to see how different their notion was of our university whereas in fact, we're really not what they think we are.

I couldn't help but reply, and here's how my reply went:

"As a UA&P graduate, it kinda hurts to see that kahit ngayon, nakatatak pa rin sa isip ng mga tao na elitist kami.

With my 4-year stay in the university, I can really say we're not. I admit, I had the same fear when I entered the university, pero alam nyo, dapat ma-experience nyo mismo na kahit papano, we still have a diverse community. Iba rin ang UA&P experience kasi dahil mas maliit siya as compared to most universities, and bago. Although we don't have that school spirit and history that most of you guys can boast of, that doesn't necessarily mean that UA&P can only produce elitist gradutes. As proof, alam nyo ba na karamihan ng mga ads na pinapanood nyo ay galing sa isip ng UA&P Grad? Taga-UA&P rin ang nag-conceptualize ng Hotshots. Tama nga ung sabi earlier, many graduates get accepted in Citibank as well.

I'm not saying that UA&P should be included in the BIG5 kasi one way or another, people will really try to include THEIR school in that list. I think what we should be more concerned of is making our schools proud by contributing to the good image that we want our schools to have:)

That's about it.=)"

Roar.

The Only Rose Among the Thorns

It feels really bad to be left out, to be the only rose among the thorns... Perhaps this phrase would only apply to a man being surrounded by women, but I guess in my case, I can be the only rose among the thorns. You'll see why.

Meet the Santos clan:
That's my cousin Juno, me, Jus, my brother, Kyra, Den, & Kimmy (the picture's pretty outdated, taken around 5-7 years ago). At first glance, you might wonder why from this little bundle of cousin-hood (we're a pretty small family!), I'm the only rose among the thorns... Actually, I'm the only rose among the thorns because I am the only one in the family who is still single (well, Kimmy's an exception. He's only 10.haha.).

It kinda depressed me to know that I, being the third eldest among the gang, had no one to cuddle with in family gatherings. It's been a thing in our get-togethers to bring boyfriends and girlfriends along. Instead of "boyfriend" bondings, I would end up having cousin bondings with Kimmy whom I play Monopoly with while everybody's enjoying their dates. At times, I end up being the third wheel (forever!), which is fun nevertheless. It also pisses me off how my lola and my aunt would ask me if I already have a boyfriend, and that I'm hiding "him" from them. Heck, I even don't have a love life to start off with! One time, I even heard my mom talking to my other cousin and telling her how she prays that I get a boyfriend already. Wow. As if that's easy.

Pressure?!?! Maybe not. Even if it bothers me that everyone's with someone already, I actually don't feel the need to have somebody right now. With all this commotion as regards job hunting, I don't think I would want someone meddling in my life yet... Who knows, when everyone of them is already single, I would be the only one who's attached??:) Again, that would be another case of being the only rose among the thorns. haha.=)

Butterflies in My Stomach... Once Again!!

It's been a while since I last felt butterflies in my stomach. The last time I remember having this exact feeling was 3 months ago... Believe me, that's a bit long for me already! hehe.

Actually, I miss the feeling of being "kilig". I know it's pretty shallow to write about it, but I just couldn't discount these feelings I have right now. I'm sorry, but I have to be a bit cheesy in the upcoming paragraphs. haha.

Remember Mr. 17-years-older-than-me guy I was talking about a few entries ago? After months of not hearing from him, he texted me today. He was asking about our upcoming gigs this month. Of course, when I read his message, I didn't expect to hear from him! The moment I saw his name on the screen, I really wanted to jump up and down at the mall... I couldn't do that, there were too many people around me, including my clueless lola. haha.

He told me that he was in Cebu right now and that he would be back here tomorrow morning. I couldn't say anything but tell him how much I miss my hometown. He talked about how he loved Cebu, and I wanted to tell him how much I wanted to be with him in Cebu... DUH. I could NEVER say that. hehe. And then we reached Philippine Idol. I told him I wanted to pursue my dream, and that he would want to go with me if there was no age limit. haha.

... And then I think I made a boo-boo. When he texted me about the age limit, I replied something like this:

"Age limit? I think so. But that's okay, you look really young for your actual age."

After that, I didn't hear from him again. Was age a sensitive topic for him? I was really praying hard that he would text me back.... Well, I texted him again, telling him that what I said was just a joke. I guess he has a different sense of humor, considering the big age gap that we have. haha.

Perhaps I can wait until tomorrow. Let's see.=)

(I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach!! hee hee!!!)