Tidbit 015

When I was young and full of hope.....

I considered cup cones to be a snack, downing them like potato chips in all its plain appearance without topping it with ice cream. I could finish a whole box containing about 24 cup cones on my own. xD

And until now I still do that when I'm presented with a box of cones. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

Samurai High School

One reason or another, I had a feeling that this j-drama series would leave me with a good feeling of taking the time to watch it. Samurai High School, comprised of 9 episodes follows the story of one Mochizuki Kotaro (played by Haruma Miura), who is possessed by his great-great-great-great grandfather with the same name, a general from the Sengoku period some 400 years ago who died at battle.

By virtue, Mochizuki is a senior high school student on the verge of graduating and preparing for entrance exams into university, who gave no effort into studying and joked around very often. When he came to be possessed by the samurai after his visit to an old historical library, he gains a friend in the form of Nakamura Tsuyoshi (played by Shirota Yuu) after saving him from shoplifting threatened by some group of girls from their school.

After just watching the final episode, you learn to realize just how defining the plot is. It seems you learn a lot from a samurai possessing you. Hahaha. I think what I learned can be best summarized by what Kotaro said to his classmates and teachers in the final episode:

"I... made a friend. He is conceited, stubborn, and to make matters worse, he died at age 17. But he told me... "Although you are alive, you are not living!" This made me furious! But truthfully... I realized something. Because until I met him... I had always buried my true feelings by joking around. I... I had completely given up on myself. Now... inside of me, there are so many things that I've learned from him.

As long as one doesn't fight, one cannot win.

One cannot give up until the end.

One should admit one's mistakes... if... one believes there was one.

It's wrong to blame others for your own failures.

Do everything you can to live fully since you're on this earth anyway.

That is why... I will fight. Please let me fight!"

Admirable, wouldn't you agree? ^________________^b

I brand this J-drama series a MUST WATCH!!!!!!

Fencing

Yesterday, I attended my futsal class as usual and totally dominated the opposing team with a final score of 6-0. After the game, Coach Joel called out for about 5 of us since Coach Wawit from the Fencing team wanted to talk with us. It seemed that he was scouting a few people from the different PE classes.

I decided to try it out earlier this afternoon at the Blue Eagle Gym and I found myself in a little on the fence (no pun intended) as to decide whether I'd take it seriously and commit to it because of its pros (like the scholarship and all that since exemption from PE and NSTP is pointless for me now -_-).

The cons to it, though, are the training schedules and venues. I don't want to train in Pasig until 10 in the evening! DDD8 What's more is that it means less time to spend with my girlfriend. DDDDD8

So I tried it out and had a stab (literally) with handling two weapons; the épée and the sabre. I must admit, it was fun to learn. ^_________^b Next week the coaches are inviting us to attend the training and think things over the weekend. ^___^ Though I think I'm pretty much decided.

Tidbit 014

When I was young and full of hope.....
I had a traumatic first experience handling a stapler when my mom came home from buying school supplies for us. With no knowledge of how to reload the staple wires properly onto the stapler, I accidentally stapled my thumb (oooooooooooooooow T~T) and blood naturally spewed.

Now I know where not to put my finger when reloading staplers. xD

Futsal

Indoor soccer's become quite a pinnacle of ups and downs this semester. The fact that I have it twice a week is a real stress reliever for me in more ways in one, which is usually the reason I attend each and every session.

The downside of it, though is that I'm really drained and my legs feel like jelly for the rest of the day. ~__~ The upside of it all, however, is that I can live my little dream of playing a sport I can write about with my own two feet. 8D

I lost count of the total number of goals I've scored since our first scrimmage game, but I can safely say I've contributed a whole lot to the class by being able to do what I can while I play. That's why I'm happy I've achieved 2 hat tricks for my last two games lately. ^___^b

NOTE: hat trick = 3 goals in a game. 8DD

Valentine's Day 2010

February 14, 2010. A day of hearts, and a day of special celebrations with your significant other. Love is all around, so that usual thing goes.

On this day, I was very much pleased beyond words to have been able to spend it with my beloved Kai, even if just for a few hours. I picked her up after lunch at her place - after I had gotten some gas for the car and some supplies from the grocery for dinner later - before we went to TriNoma where we watched Valentine's Day. We made use of the Citibank promo so we managed to get seats for the 4:30 showing.

The movie, despite its 2-hour length, focused on quite a number of relationships (quite reminiscent of 'The Holiday' back in 2004 or whatever year that was released), and love bloomed and flourished in its own unique way for each couple that was featured. 'Love all of the person, and not just a part that's easy to love'. That, above everything else, is the ultimate message I wanted to take from the movie, and both Kai and I were satisfied.

With the movie ending at 6:30, we headed home to have dinner prepared by mom, where even my siblings had their significant others over. It was a fruitful celebration because it was the first time I had Kai with me in that type of gathering on a special day. ^_____________^

Kai and I got each other stuffed animals for the occasion, even though last year Kai gave me a stuffed animal while I gave her a necklace. xD This year, I gave her a bear holding a heart while she gave me a dog with a heart on his ear. x3 Valentine's indeed.

After dinner, we had a little photoshoot where us siblings and our significant others had some pictures together, later on joined by our parents. That's the memorable part for me. Picture care of my sister!

To end the day, I took Kai home, joined by my sister and her boyfriend Kiks, subsequently taking Kiks home and passing by a relative's place to drop something off/pick up something before finally heading back.

Spending Valentine's Day after we've come so long... It's just wonderful. (>u<)b

Hopefully next year will be even grander of a celebration~

Cosplay

The world of cosplay or costume play is, no doubt, becoming more of a trend with the emergence of more conventions here in the Philippines, if not the whole world over. It's quite thrilling to see Japanese anime have this effect on people, actually.

On a personal level, I've got the chance to get involved and attend some conventions in costume, so it was always a fun experience.

Here's a breakdown of my cosplay adventures. The first costume I donned to a convention was back during the ToyCon held last June 14, 2008, when I costripped (cosplaying for fun without intention of entering the competition) as Hinasaki Mafuyu from Fatal Frame. Above is the picture I got with the pinoy version of Hard Gay. 8D

A few months after, I teamed up with my good friend Mica and decided to attend the Lights Out Yaoi Con held last September 6, 2008. I cosplayed Ootori Kyouya from Ouran High School Host Club while Mica did Tamaki.

A month later, I attended the UP AME Harujaku scheduled November 8, 2008 as Tezuka Kunimitsu from the Prince of Tennis alongside my girlfriend Kai who did Fuji. Perfect Pair for the win!

The next convention where I costripped with Kai was during the succeeding AME, UP AME no Jidai held last November 28, 2009 where I reprised my role as Ootori Kyouya while Kai was Haruhi.

To finish off the year, Kai and I attended the Cyberzone Cosplay Tour in SM Marikina last December 19, 2009. I did Ootori Choutarou from the Prince of Tennis while Kai did Shishido. Yei Silver Pair~

For this year's AME, or any convention in the latter half of the year (depending when the costumes are done), Kai and I have a new series in mind to cosplay. So you'll be sure to enjoy that. ^________________^ Until then, no spoilers yet.

Tidbit 013

When I was young and full of hope.....

I had a knack for riding on a bicycle. Like most kids, I learned how by utilizing training wheels on them before I grasped the concept of balance required to operate a bike. Of course, that didn't mean I knew the concept of speed and control until I got myself into an accident in my own subdivision.

The streets along my subdivisions vary. Some are straight, some inclined. The particular road (that long, long road) where my house is (a corner house), has quite a few inclined paths. So when I was young I went out with the supervision of one of our helpers and biked down that street. During the slope downwards, speed picked up and I ended up falling off my bike and caused a nasty gash on my right knee scraping against the asphalt.

Traces of that injury are almost invisible now but it goes without saying that you can still feel and somehow see the marks left by that accident.

Moral of the story? Learn how to use the brakes. That never stopped me from riding a bicycle though. ^___________^b

Tidbit 012

When I was young and full of hope.....I was a big fan of the Power Rangers. I think my favorite one at the time was the Yellow Ranger regardless who it was for the simple reasons that I was a girl and my sister was already the Pink Ranger.

Back when my family had the Super Nintendo to play with (it remained in my room until my cousin asked for it again), we had one game Mighty Morphin Power Rangers which became quite nostalgic because it entailed beating up bad guys, collecting these energy icons or something to 'transform'. Hahaha. Those were the days.

In the present time and moment, I find myself getting hooked to the Japanese version, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, starring TeniMyu's Aiba Hiroki as Shinken Blue, Ikenami Ryunosuke~

Tidbit 011

When I was young and full of hope.....

I had a nice amount of play money bills that I used for various games I played with my siblings or cousins. Whether it was in the Philippine Peso or US Dollar form, we thought up of plenty of games to use them for like setting up restaurants, shops or what not that required payment. Oh the days of my youth when I had a toy cash register.

That was actually one of my dream jobs before; to be a cashier! xDDDDD

The silly dreams when we were little. *chuckles*

The Photographer Itch

Today I decided to take my digicam out and take some decent pictures after quite some time. Most of them, of course, turned out to be ones of sceneries or nature as I made my way to MC to wait for Kai's class to end. That's probably why I chose my new layout as such. ^^b

The first is a of a growing tree in Bellarmine Field in school. I feel kind of sad that the grass around it wasn't a lush green as the rest of the field was. But then again, the field in its entirety is pretty banged up.

The second is a picture of the Church of the Gesu in our campus. The 'vines' hanging from the trees are actually Christmas lights that are put up usually for the Christmas season. Though from experience that's just there all year round (unless I don't notice it enough when they put it down xD).

Finally, the third is a picture of the sky with the Philippine flag raised on its pole from the MC Lower Lanai.

New Dessert~

While I'm not a fan of yogurt, there's at least one place so far that's made me forget that their product was even yogurt to begin with. That place, of course, is Frutti Froyo. The newest establishment over at Petron, Katipunan, it offers a unique experience in yogurt distribution. Everything is up to you. You get to squeeze out just how much flavored yogurt you want, and decorate it with as much toppings as you want.

Note, however, that they charge you Php18/g. Good luck with that~

Last Tuesday, Kai and I decided to have lunch at Chowking, and I took that opportunity to take her to Frutti Froyo for some dessert. I got the vanilla & chocolate yogurt and decorated it with Ghiradelli Chocolate syrup, milk and white chocolate chips, and marshmallows. After giving Kai a taste, she got up and got her own self-serve. xD

You can't have enough of a good thing. ^__^b

Tidbit 010

When I was young and full of hope.....

One of my favorite accessories was this pair of glow in the dark eyeglasses that I enjoyed wearing. I'd wear them on normal days and be in awe that it really did glow in the dark. This was a particular accessory I used for my Arthur Read costume one Halloween about a decade ago. And again some years later for my Harry Potter costume.

And now I really do wear glasses. Go figure. xD

Thoughtful Kids

Last January 23, I went to go to my NSTP insertion at Lagros and got to see my four kids Gaile, Joyce, Honeymae and Novelyn. What was endearing was that when me and my classmates got to the area and they arrived, they all ran up to me and gave me these cute flowers. 8DDD

The tips light up~

Just goes to show how thoughtful your tutees can be. ^__^b

Tidbit 009

When I was young and full of hope.....

I spent time with my siblings and engaged in a number of different games with them. You could say my imaginative and adventurous spirit started with running around the house with my brother and sister playing a possible contender to Global Guts or American Gladiator; as if running from one room to another switching on and off electric fans was such a great relay race. xD

Oh the days when we were young, wild and silly.

Tidbit 008

When I was young and full of hope.....

I never had any particular inclination to learn to play any instruments. But somewhere along the line, I found a little nifty woodwind instrument; the recorder. I think I owned two - a wooden one given to me by a relative from Venezuela, and the other was a cheap store-bought one care of my dad.

I learned the basic fingering technique to play it and found several occasions where I could play a song - mostly nursery songs and the like. xDD

Recently I've pulled my recorder back out from its hiding place and learning to play Bratja (English translation: Brothers) from Fullmetal Alchemist~ ^___^b

College Results

I remember my fourth year of high school with all the hustle and bustle of preparing for the entrance exam into college quite well. I distinctly remember browsing through the courses through my sister's application form two years prior to that already in search of the course I would be interested in. And as early as then I already had a mentality to try out BS Computer Science as a possible selection.

So that's what I stuck with. To be honest, there was a small reason why I chose to take up this course, and that was because of my interest in computers back in my grade school days (and not to mention the teachers I had). xDD So to carry on with that, I wanted to take up something that would keep me in line with what I like and to learn more along the way.

The whole process of filling up the application form, running around and bugging teachers for recommendation letters (at least for my ADMU application) and the whole nerves of taking the exam and then awaiting the results was definitely something to remember. ^___^

Tidbit 007

When I was young and full of hope.....
I used to eat ice cream in the messiest manner possible. My mouth would be smeared with ice cream since I don't think I was briefed on the proper and conservative manner of consuming the frozen treat until much later. xDD

Another thing to note is that my favorite flavor was (and forever will be) Chocolate, so you'd often see my mouth smeared with brown-colored stuff and actually grin about it when a camera was pointed my way.

Don't you just love ice cream? Mmmmmm. Now I'm hungry. DD8

All service lines are busy now....

Cellphones or mobile phones are convenient among people who have one. The basic functions a standard phone has to send messages or call makes contacting other people so much easier and accessible. Of course, there's always going to be a downside to it.

Think of the phone as a lifeline. What you hold in your hand is quite powerful.... and perhaps daunting at the same time. I say this because it serves as your connection to other people, especially to people close to you for instance. So in that manner, you only develop a sense of truth that the person sending you text messages is really your boyfriend/girlfriend if their messages look and sound a particular way. There's also the fact to consider with concerns to habits.

When are the times your significant other doesn't reply to your message? Either they're taking too long to think of a reply, they didn't receive it, they chose to ignore it and not type up a reply, they don't have any more load to send it, their battery is dead, there's no signal, their phone got lost, broken or stolen, and perhaps other insane reasons. How about the times your significant other doesn't answer your calls? Fairly the same reasons above, right?

Some may not think too much of this, but the phone in your hand is a device that can cause you as much stress as too much work in school or at work. And based on personal experience, it's no laughing matter.

I'm the kind of person who easily worries when I don't get confirmation about something concerning Kai. I often overlook having to overspend on my postpaid just to give her a call that costs around Php6.50/min, to hear her voice and make sure that things are really okay. Whenever I don't receive a reply to my messages or she doesn't answer her phone is enough to get me worried. At some points I would try and call several times and hope that she picks up, and that nothing bad's happened to her.

It's a pretty scary experience that only becomes comforting when you finally get that reply or when they pick up your call..... The time you wait for that one pick-up or reply is, I kid you not, nerve-wrecking to the core.....

I guess I worry too much or over-analyze things sometimes to not consider a few possible reasons as to why she's not replying or answering her phone, but I guess that's a testimony to how much I love and care for her to make sure that she's okay when I'm not around.

^___^

Family Dreams

While I'm not one to put much stock in the dreams I have when I go to sleep every night, and remember them once I wake up the following morning, what sticks to me is the fact that lately I've been having dreams involving the members of my family - immediate and extended alike.

It's a crazy phenomenon, but I don't quite understand why that is, either. Usually when I want to dream about a certain set-up it happens for a while but then shifts to an entirely new setting.

The one that I can remember concerns me driving along somewhere with my grandpa in the front passenger seat. And if memory serves me correctly I had that dream before I actually got my driver's license soooooooo. Yeah. Weird.

Now that makes me curious. What am I going to dream about tonight, I wonder?

Tidbit 006

When I was young and full of hope.....

I enjoyed the idea of camping in a tent. Whether it was out in the backyard or even just in the room (yes, there was enough space in my room to put the tent in), I liked the sense of pretending to be out in the woods (of course that wasn't the case) and being able to bond with my siblings (and sometimes parents) and cousins who I slept with during those days. The silly things we thought of when we were kids, huh?

I wonder where our tent is now? Or if we even still have one.... *strokes chin*

Tidbit 005

When I was young and full of hope.....

I was a big fan of Tintin and Asterix, acquiring a basic understanding of the stories from the pictures instead of reading the exchange of dialogues among the characters. My dad often came home with those big, thin copies of the comic versions of both, which was one of the reading materials we really enjoyed having around the household.

Our collection mysteriously depleted, though... >___>

Tidbit 004

When I was young and full of hope.....
I, along with my siblings, was (and are) a big fan of 3 Ninjas, a story about three brothers Samuel (Rocky - "solid and cool as granite rock"), Jeffrey (Colt - "fast and free, a spirit of a young wild horse") and Michael (Tum Tum - "ambition begins and ends with his tummy") Douglas who visit their Japanese grandfather Mori Shintaro every summer to learn the ways of being a ninja.

We quickly associated ourselves with the brothers and from then on referred ourselves as such; my brother as Rocky, my sister as Colt and yours truly as Tum Tum. There was even one Halloween (my sister's birthday) that we all dressed up as the three ninjas to emphasize the point.

Hai-ya! (or as my younger self would say: Boink!)

Tidbit 003

When I was young and full of hope.....

I was a fan of two particular cartoons in my younger years. One of which was Duck Tales, which followed the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his great-nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie when their uncle Donald joins the navy. My parents often brought up that my siblings and I loved it so much that just hearing the opening song got us rushing to the television and started dancing. Oy vey. xD

The other when I was a little bit older was Arthur, that aardvark you read and watch that we know today as the one wearing the yellow sweater, blue jeans, red and white sneakers and big round glasses. Here's an excerpt from the Wikipedia page of its TV series.

Arthur Read, the series' titular character, is an eight-year-old brown aardvark who lives in the fictional town of Elwood City. He is a third-grade student at Lakewood Elementary School. Arthur's family includes two home-working parents, his father David (a chef) and his mother Jane (an accountant), his two younger sisters, Dora Winifred (D.W.), who is in preschool, and Kate, who is still an infant, and his dog Pal. Arthur also has several friends who come from various ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, and he also occasionally meets with members of his extended family as well. Source: (Wiki)

100 ways to show children you care

We were talking about children's rights during our NSTP session, and our facilitator brought up this video I thought I'd share with you guys. thanks to buddythefrog for uploading it on YouTube. I tabulated the 100 ways below the video and share my insights on some of them. I'll put in bold the ones I agree with and in italics for those I want to provide insights.

1. Pay attention

2. Smile - I really think this is important as a sign of reassurance for them

3. Recognize

4. Ask about them

5. Listen

6. Set limits that protect them

7. Say a lot of "yes"

8. Let them show their feelings

9. Play with them

10. Be honest

11. Give them undivided attention

12. Laugh at their jokes

13. Hug

14. Notice when they act differently

15. Show options when they seek advice - if they come to you for advice, don't shun them!

16. Notice when they are absent-minded

17. Read with them

18. Stay with them when they are scared

19. Share their discoveries

20. Share their joys

21. Send letters or postcards

22. Surprise - it's always a good way to keep them interested

23. Call just to say "hello"

24. Give them space when needed

25. Contribute to their collections

26. Talk about their dreams

27. Hold hands - reassurance by gesture ^__^b

28. Talk to them at their height

29. Tell them how great they are

30. Develop traditions

31. Listen to their favorite song together

32. Let them teach you something

33. Cherish family meals

34. Be available - I cannot stress how this will make them happy; they have your time.

35. Compliment

36. Thank

37. Hang their art work

38. Apologize

39. Keep your promises - they will remember the promise you made until you fulfill it

40. Wave and smile when saying goodbye

41. Have fun!

42. Ask for their opinions

43. Show interesting books

44. Talk about yourself

45. Encourage

46. Play sports together

47. Praise moe, criticize less

48. Be curious together

49. Introduce them to family and friends

50. Play outside

51. Help them become an expert in something

52. Admit when wrong

53. Give them a special nickname - it will make them realize how important they are to you

54. Ask for their help

55. Applaude accomplishments

56. Say you are proud

57. Always support

58. Deal with problems and conflicts

59. Trust them

60. Find a common interest

61. Be flexible

62. Value their uniquenesses

63. Let them make mistakes - they ARE humans, after all

64. Let them join in conversations

65. Nourish

66. Understand when they have a hard day

67. Respect their choices

68. Accept them as they are

69. Share adventures

70. Tolerate their interruptions

71. Inspire creativity

72. Speak openly

73. Be silly together

74. Accept their suggestions

75. Make decisions together

76. Celebrate small accomplishments, like the first day of school

77. Build something together

78. Record a message

79. Help them learn from mistakes

80. Encourage them to help others

81. Share secrets

82. Introduce them to important people

83. Tell them your expectations

84. Expect the best, not perfection

85. Respect

86. Kiss

87. Be spontaneous

88. Share a meal

89. Hide surprises

90. Tell bedtime stories

91. Visit when they are sick

92. Be consistent

93. Encourage them to be themselves

94. Dream together

95. Go to events, games and recitals

96. Visit their school

97. Help learn something new

98. Meet their friends

99. Look inside their eyes

100. Love. No matter what. Love.

Tidbit 002

When I was young and full of hope.....

there was no internet to speak of, so I indulged myself in my mother's hobby of doing cross-stitch of pictures to pass the time (however girly you classify the hobby), as I found it quite exhilarating when I could form things like that out of a special sewing method. The first picture I completed was a Pokemon-themed work of Ash and Pikachu that I finished in August 2002 which my mother framed for me and now hangs on the wall of my room. The second one I did was of Harry Potter completed in December 2004 but until now, remains unframed and cluttered somewhere in my drawers.

^_______^v

Pictures of them to follow. xD

Tidbit 001

Inspired by my Physics professor last semester (Sir Clint), I decided to start these short entries to cater to my past dreams and wishes back when I was a child. These series will be in a fill-in-the-blanks format, using the words said professor often used when he jokingly told us stories about his younger days. xD So let's begin~

When I was young and full of hope.....

I wanted to become a baker. I enjoyed eating different kinds of bread and had a dream of being able to bake bread and eat my own creations as well~

^____^b

Week 1 Report

The past week has been tiring, even though it's just the first week back from Christmas break. ~__~ And this entry will tell you why.

The primary reason is because of PE, Phys Ed or however you want to phrase it. If you've been following my entries, you'd know I'm taking futsal as my final PE for my college life. But yeah, the whole reason I'm drained of energy (but somehow pumped in that hour-long class) is really because of running around aimlessly for the ball. Of course you can't blame us for running on instinct - get the ball, get the ball get the ball - since most of us don't really know squat about the rules.

At the same time, though, I enjoy that hour to its fullest because I get caught in the fuel of the game~ If I think about it, soccer in itself is intriguing for me, so I enjoy watching and playing it in its various forms. (No wonder I enjoyed Hungry Heart and Captain Tsubasa and play FIFA on the PS2 with my cousin)

Buuuuuuuuuuut that's beside the point! Back to my report.

Also a highlight for this week, Kai and I went out for lunch for Tuesday and Thursday at two different - not so different - restaurants during our one and a half hour break. Actually, I get out at 12nn while she gets out at 1:30, so while having nothing else to do, I walk off to the MC Lanai to wait out the one and a half hour. That actually heightens my starvation. xDDDD So for Tuesday, we went to Greenwich, and Thursday, our ever favorite Teriyaki Boy. ^___________^b Ah, to spend time with your girlfriend is just so priceless.

And finally, there was the Block N Movie-watching earlier this afternoon at Gateway. We had the great fun of watching Sherlock Holmes and I must say that Robert Downey Jr. did a fantastic rendition of the detective, as did Jude Law of Dr. Watson. ^________^b

So the week isn't over yet, as I have a scheduled NSTP classroom session tomorrow morning (I despise Saturday classes like this). And then, the afternoon and evening will be just as eventful~

Family Gatherings

For me, it's always the case that I don't expect much out of family gatherings, but end up surprised and pleased with the entire thing once it's done and over with.

Take the recently concluded annual bingo tournament we have every start of the year. I see cousins from my mom's side of the family I rarely see to add to the usual bunch of first cousins we always celebrate parties with. What's different about this particular gathering was that I was able to attend it - even though it was just at our place - with my girlfriend Kai. ^___________^v

And to be quite honest, I enjoyed myself just a bit more because she was there with me. She and I won a handful of games each (mostly whiteout games), so we each got some nifty prizes for the trouble. Ain't bingo great? 8DDD

On a not-so-related note, I've had this tendency lately to disseminate my money between Kai and myself to use for our dates, for her commuting troubles and even for material things that she would like that I wouldn't mind spending for. Just recently, I went to Fully Booked at The Block and purchased another manga (Junjou Romantica vol. 10) for myself that cost Php585, as well as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do-It-Yourself book that cost Php460. On most occasions, I wouldn't even consider spending more than Php200 for anybody unless I absolutely needed to, but Kai is apparently a different case for many, many reasons. ^_______________^v So she can be spoiled when she can be.

I also ordered another CompSAt Geek Shirt for the two of us; both Plants vs. Zombies (which I ironically do not play) designs. Now, despite the fact that I had purchased her one of the two designs while a blockmate of mine purchased the other design for me as a Christmas gift, I wanted to get us both the other design we didn't have because a friend of ours pointed out that I was supposed to have the peashooter shirt design while Kai had the sunflower shirt design. xDD And he had a valid point, so I decided to save us the trouble of debating and just got reprints that I hope to get by this week. ^___________^b

Kuroshitsuji Layout

To end/start the year right, I decided to try out a new layout for my blog that I'll have for a few months. Until I grow sick of it, at the very least. But considering that it's a completely new anime/manga series to me, I'll enjoy it for quite some time.

It all started with that musical, I tell you. @.@ I'm starting to read the manga and watch the anime as we speak~ Hooray for Kuroshitsuji! ^o^/

Happy New Year to all!

Musical Kuroshitsuji

So some weeks ago, I stumbled upon a musical of an anime/manga series Kuroshitsuji (translated to Black Butler).

The primary reason I wanted to watch this musical was because of Sakamoto Shougo, 4th cast Echizen Ryouma of the Tenimyu franchise portraying Ciel Phantomhive. Doing my research, I discovered that aside from him, there were about two other Tenimyu actors featured in the musical, namely Aoyagi Ruito (1st Hyoutei cast Mukahi Gakuto) and Uehara Takuya (Shitenhouji A cast Oshitari Kenya) portraying Yuuki (original musical character) and Grell Sutcliffe respectively.

I admit, I haven't followed the manga or watched the anime, so this was a completely unfamiliar realm I was entering, but I pursued and watched through the musical anyway. What I found interesting if not amazed at was the actor portraying the lead role - Sebastian Michaelis -, Matsushita Yuuya. The first song he sang was Yes My Lord. And I am not exaggerating when I say that his voice is somewhat heavenly and polished. But then again, what you would expect from an artist with a powerhouse voice like Kimeru (1st cast Fuji Syuusuke)?

So going through this musical, I found a few more interesting songs that now nestle within the playlists of my iPod. One of which is a duet performed brilliantly by Shougo and Ruito's characters that heavily remind you of Final Fantasy in terms of its essence and music. ^____^

All in all, this was a good watch and has gotten me to read through the manga. Yei~

New Things

I guess this is a good time to make a photo journal entry for a change, since I have more pictures to serve as my stories today. ^___________^

So today I accompanied my mom and grandpa to the mall for some last minute shopping. Thankfully I got to get a nice pair of light brown contact lenses that I can use when I go back to playing futsal. ^__^ Less hassle with the eyewear, at least.

Also, last Saturday, Kai and I got to meet up to attend the Cyberzone Cosplay Tour in SM Marikina, and we decided to go as the Silver Pair from Prince of Tennis: Shishido Ryou and Ootori Choutaro. ^_____^ Since we didn't really enjoy much of the con, I just decided to take this picture of us still in costume at my place. xD

While we were there at SM Marikina, we got to purchase a few things for one another for Christmas. 8DD Aside from the cross pendant for my Choutaro cosplay, Kai got me a German Sheppard puppy stuffed animal from Blue Magic we named Doori, shown below.

I, on the other hand, got her two of the cutest stuffed animals I've seen. Mibu and Kouu, from Blue Magic and Watson's respectively. Mibu is on the left in the picture below, while Kouu is the one on the right. We debated what kind of animal Mibu was, but he was just so darn cute not to purchase~ And note that Kouu is a bear in a tiger costume, and you can pull down the hood. 8DD

Merry Christmas everybody!!

What If

I stumbled upon this song quite a while back but never really got the chance to share it properly. The first time I heard Lene Marlin's What If was when it was used for a Prince of Tennis Perfect Pair (Tezuka and Fuji~) MV on YouTube (below). Credit to milkyxduckie for the MV!

The lyrics just go around and around (especially the chorus), but it's a great melody and you wouldn't really need that much to say with this song, as the chorus captures most of what it's trying to say. ^____^v This is a great love song.

What if I don't wanna move on
If I like it as it is
Wanna keep it like this, for a while...forever
Just let me lie close to you
Don't wanna let you go, don't wanna let you go

If I said I want you, if I said I need you
If I said I love you, what would you do
If I said I want you, if I said I need you
If I said I love you, what would you do

What if I don't wanna forget
Don't want anyone but you
Believe me, it's true, for a while...forever
Just let me stay here with you
I don't wanna leave, I don't wanna leave

If I said I want you, if I said I need you
If I said I love you, what would you do
If I said I want you, if I said I need you
If I said I love you, what would you do

And I thought I could, let this go
I thought I would, but now I know
Now I know...

If I said I want you, if I said I need you
If I said I love you, what would you do
If I said I want you, if I said I need you
If I said I love you, what would you do

Sports

This semester, I decided to finish the school year by staying with the tennis club, while still taking my final PE course of futsal. Like the past two semesters, I didn't want to be exempted from taking my regular PE classes because they were fun to do and a great place for stress relief.

Thinking back, I think I'm lucky to have been able to take up the four PE classes I wanted to take when I first browsed the offered classes in my freshman year: tennis, basketball, badminton and soccer (futsal).

Of course, engaging myself in sports is something of a choice because I want it to be my form of exercise, so I try my hardest to improve my skills for each sport, building up my stamina, endurance and determination while I'm at it.

Consequently though, I end up physically and mentally tired which would explain the naps long and short I often take the night I get home or the day after when I'm home early. ^___^;; Like today. I had futsal yesterday and took a 3-4 hour nap when I got home today. My legs still hurt, though, so walking (and not to mention running) was a burden. o(><)o

Hopefully my muscles will heal while I sleep tonight.

Electronics

Yesterday during our lab time, we were tasked to simulate a taillight problem with the use of an integrated circuit, some wires, and breadboards embedded into this fancy device that had switches and LEDs. xD

Electronics, as I find it, is quite the interesting field to delve into once in a while. I guess that was partially why I excelled in my Learning Advancement Program (LAP) for Physics in my 4th year with Sir Resty and implementing logic gates and stuff. ^__^b

So it became an easy task of doing the exercise that only took us about an hour to finish with plenty of time to spare. You might think of this as my forte as long as I knew what needed to be done. ^___^v

I'll update this blog with some pictures of the finished wiring a group picture of my groupmates and I with it. xD

EDIT: Below are the pictures~

19 years

December 1, 2009. Today, I'm another year older~

I'm finally 19 years old, and currently in a happy relationship with my girlfriend Kai~ ^o^/

I spent the past two days (yesterday and today) celebrating. Yesterday was a holiday here in the Philippines (November 30, Bonifacio Day), so my parents decided to hold my party then so people could come for an early dinner. ^________^v

Wanting Kai to be present on my birthday, I picked her up at her place in Marikina, which is really a little far away from my house by car. Nevertheless, I went there. Since I was doing so, my parents decided to dump on me some errands to run with things to buy for the party that evening. So before I went to pick her up, I stopped by Shoppersville along Katipunan to buy a few things before making my way to her place.

After picking her up, we headed back home after stopping by Berkeley Square to purchase a few more things (the cake included!) before finally returning home.

The cake I chose from Red Ribbon was a Chocolate Mousse cake, which, I admit, is a type of cake I never bothered eating nor wanting as a birthday cake before. So it was a new experience, I should say. (Oh how chocolate lures me. xD)

Anyway, people came at around 5 or 6 already before we had dinner, the food of course prepared by my mother and my Uncle Jesse (who's a fantastic cook I might add). A nice spread of choices from chicken to ham to fish and pasta to choose from!

What was interesting to note about my birthday was the quality time I got to spend with Kai, as well as with my nephew Tristan. In fact, there was a funny instance between those two that really made me laugh.

The scene was that we were playing Wii Bowling (Kai, Tristan, my cousin Dabz and myself). In the midst of it all, I introduced Tristan to Kai.

Me: Tristan, this is your Auntie Kai.

Tristan: Auntie Kai...?

Me: Yeah~

Tristan: *goes to play his turn*

After a while...

Tristan: *goes up to Kai* What's your name?

Me: *laughs*

Kai: Kai.

Tristan: Ate Kai? (note: Ate means 'older or big sister')

Me: No Tristan, say 'Auntie Kai'.

Kai: No, it's okay.

Me: *in Tristan speak* Has to be Auntie Kai.

Tristan: *plays his turn and runs to Kai* Ate Kai, Ate Kai! I got a strike!!

Kai: Wow~

Me: Tristan, you have to call her auntie, not ate.

Kai: I said it was fine!

Me: No, it has to be auntie!

After some time...

Tristan: *goes up to Kai* What's your name again?

Dabz: How many times has he asked that?

Me: Tristan! *laughs* Four?

Kai: Kai.

Tristan: Auntie Kai look, I got a strike!

When his mom called him to leave...

Me: Tristan, what's her name? *points to Kai*

Tristan: ........

Me: *whispers* Auntie Kai

Tristan: Auntie Kai~

Cute cute kid, that nephew of mine~ (>u<)b

After the party, I took Kai home to her place, so that adds more night driving experience to my belt~

Now, onto the gifts! For this year, I got to cross out a few things from my wish list. Aside from the monetary form of gifts, I got a digital camera from my parents, navy blue chucks from my grampa, a Death note wristwatch from my aunt & her family, and some stuffed animals (not in my list, of course xD) from my sister's boyfriend. Included in this bunch is a wombat hat (for the lack of a proper name) from Kai that she got for me at the convention we attended last Saturday.

Here's a picture my dad took of me and Kai during my party yesterday using my new camera. (>u<)

I hope to get a few more things from my wish list this year. ^o^/

Today, I had school to attend to, but ate lunch out with my family and grandpa at Teriyaki Boy along Katipunan. After that, I met up with Kai and dropped by Starbucks to get some drinks (and to help her get more stickers for her planner). Funny thing was, she arrived and pulled out some chocolates from her bag, saying that they were from Daddeh Owl and Daddeh Burr (refer to this entry to know who I mean). We then went next door to Jollibee so she could have some lunch.

After all the greetings, I'm quite happy about this year's birthday celebration. ^__________________^b

Thanks to all who greeted me in person, by text, by IM, by Facebook, Plurk and any other method possible. It's great to know that you all took some time for me today. THANK YOU!!