Woof Arf-arf...!!!

His name is Butchoi, has Japanese ancestry and he's one year old..XD

Today is our dog's birthday. Yay. One year already. Time flies so fast. Tito Vic gave him to us, he's the only male puppy of Sampy's batch 2 babies.. Thanks to Sampy and Jordan as well (they are the proud parents, haha!). My sister spreads chismis (gossip) that he's gay. (Since he pees like a girl and gets really hyperactive around boys!) Anyway, we had some food prepared today, no not really for the dog, but for my grandmother's weekly Bible Study. So, Butchoi had some guests over (no, the big dog next door wasn't invited, sorry Chuchu) - my grandmother's friends. Haha. Whatever.ü

MORAL: Don't eat dogs you freakin' bum! (Remember those green, leafy vegetables? Or try Bananas instead, B1 and B2 are not real so they won't squirm when you eat them.) Join and support PeTA and PAWS. Bathe your dog/s regularly, feed them as well. Oh, remember to make water available at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law. (OMG, speaking of Girl Scouts, I remembered my senior year in HS.. haha!)

Eat and Run!

My class today ended at 12:30pm (it was burning HOT this time!), so my mom met me at a mall for no apparent reason, well maybe because she was at the area. Then, we ate lunch at this Chinese restaurant (since she said fastfood are so common, a different dish is better) and we were trying out whatever pleased our eyes. (They had a cart with all their dimsum samples and other fried dishes that they push around their restaurant until they get your attention and you become fooled with how good it looks.)

We ordered what we liked, and ate some minutes away, talking over things (no, she doesn't ask, "so how's school?"), a lot of things. Then after stuffing ourselves with MSG-enriched (yay! It makes you smart! Eat a lot of MSG-enriched food and be obese in no time!) Chinese food, my mom checked her phone and stood up. "Come, I'll buy some bathroom tissue. People at home treat tissue like potato chips, two rolls a day! Imagine the trees being cut down for those things!" So I got my things from the table, carried my bag, then I was about to stand up when I realized something (very important).

We haven't paid our bill - we haven't even asked for it! I cried, "Mom! We haven't paid yet!" Funny thing was that the waiters there weren't even aware we were about to leave. My mom was shocked about forgetting it, so she quickly asked for it. She paid it and just gave some tip to somewhat "forget" the incident. We had a good laugh about it, but it would be pretty embarrassing if we went out without paying. Imagine forgetting that important thing!

Moral: Don't leave your things unattended. Always check everything before you leave, even the bill - check if you haven't paid or if you're giving the right amount! I don't want to have a record of not paying. Or when I pass by a waiter or receptionist would say (though I don't really care much about what they say), "that girl didn't pay!" That is not a good thing for your image, especially if you don't have one. I was insulting you..ü

Aswang in the Aquarium

All of our mutant fish (surviving longer than their lifespan and having weird body parts) died during the three-day long blackout in Metro Manila after typhoon Milenyo uprooted the tree from our neighbor's garden. It was a tragedy, only my brother rejoiced - he wanted a different breed of fish.

For the first time in 3 years, our aquarium was empty. It was so sad, having the oxygen pump quiet for some time. Then, after a few days, we got a dozen of I-don't-know kind of fish from my mother's aunt. It was a fish of a popular type, and we just got them for free. (Ahaha, free stuff really makes me smile.)

Then my dad bought around 6 fish, they were orange-colored and I have no idea again what was their breed. (And to think I wanted to be a zoologist!) First day, everyone was happy, then the next day, one fish died of unknown reasons. Then the next day again, another fish died and my mom even saw the hideous event - the dozen fish were pecking out the eyes of the orange ones! After some more days, only one orange fish remains. It's a sad thing, since all of them are still small. Aww..

MORAL: Fish of the same color flock together and outsmart the fewer ones. Remember to buy battery-operated oxygen pumps in case of blackouts or week-long power shortages.

New Age Proverbs

Proverbs according to Dennis Miller by Johnny Carson
1. A rolling stone. . .if not acted upon by any force will keep rolling in a straight line at the same speed.
2. Every cloud has. . .water vapor that has the potential of producing ice crystals or raindrops, depending on the Bergeron or coalescence process.
3. The grass is always greener. . .if it receives an adequate supply of C55H70MgN4O6.
4. A penny saved. . .if doubled every day for two months would be worth more than the combined GNP of the industrialized nations of the world.
5. A bird in the hand. . .is dead or alive, depending on one’s will.
6. What goes up. . .will stay up if it has an escape velocity of 11.3 kilometers per second.
7. When the cat’s away. . .the mice will play cautiously if it’s Schrodinger’s cat.
8. People who live in glass houses. . .are surrounded by a strange hybrid of solid liquids or liquid solids.
9. Nothing is certain but death and. . .Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.
10. There’s a time and place. . .but not before the Big Bang.

MORAL: Proverbs impose things that you should be but are not. Patience is a virtue.. but I don't know what virtue was until I opened the dictionary.

Holy Trinity!

If you can't beat them, well, uhmm, beat them harder!!

I joined my cousin and her friend in going to their school. It was fun having to walk inside Broadway then riding a trike to 7-11 (in my school, we go to Mini-Stop!). I was invited to go with them because my cousin told me she'll give me a "campus tour" of her school, in return of my tour for her in my school. Later, I found out it was their enrollment! Then the horror began.

There was a threat of the evil lady guard - tall, curly hair, and really creepy. She is really commendable, though, seriously implementing the ID system in their school. She doesn't let anyone pass without being asked for their ID and worse (for non-students/faculty!), outsiders are really her specialty. She can smell outsiders at a distance and when you manage to pry away from her claws, she'll radio the other sentinels (guards) and you'll be apprehended in no time.

I came there and when asked about my ID, my cousin quickly blurted out believable excuses. It was their enrollment and still, she's serious about the Outsider Case! I thought that was the end of me, since I don't really have the chance to go inside, she didn't even give me the opportunity to speak! The exchange of words (since I can't really call it a conversation),

"Where's your ID?"
"I have business in.."
"So, you're an outsider. What are you doing here?"
"It's my cousin's enroll-"
"We really don't allow outsiders here."
"I'll leave my school ID here-"
"We only allow students with ID beyond this point."
"But-"
"Please, outsiders are not really welcome here."

I was like, "Whatever," but of course, that would just make the situation worse. However, some more OUTSIDERS came and she became busy handling them, and we managed to escape. She was so occupied by those outsiders that she didn't notice us walking away. Then we entered the school gym, and there were like four or five guards there. I don't know what happened but I managed to slip past them (stealth mode! Yeah!) and sat with all those students waiting for their grades. Then one of my cousin's friends came and left her form with us, so I grabbed the chance and volunteered to get her class card. We decided on the story that I am her (my cousin's friend) relative or her cousin, then she's sick so I'm her proxy. Just like that. I prayed so hard that it works because in this school, I don't know anything about their policies.

Then we had it, it all happened in a flash : I survived. With all those looking around, being conscious of the number of guards present (they really have a lot of security guards for a small college), I don't know how I managed to slip past all of them. One thing nice about their school is that their cafeteria is like a fastfood chain. It was like you're in a modern fastfood chain with all those circle windows and strange roof. The food are really cheap and can satisfy hunger (well, it worked for me, so I presume it would work for you, too).

It was great - the thrill of getting caught and sent out, and the tour itself, being able to walk around the campus with no ID and still get to see the premises of the school.ü

MORAL: No ID No Entry sucks! Stay away from cruel security guards by knowing where they usually stay. Also, don't brag about your temporary escape from them 'cause you'll never know when and where they'll appear. Don't forget about the fact that they have radios and they would catch you no matter how hard you try to hide (they don't even allow their students to enter the school, even during enrollment, if they don't have the ID). Well, if you're as good as me, you can escape and live... Nah, I don't think you can survive that guard.

D'Oh...

Since when is going to a spa, be so stressful? As in Homer's wise (or is it?) words: D'oh..

I remember having foot spa for a review in my English class. I drafted and got the Services review and had to insert having an actual foot spa for it in my schedule. I don't want to write about something I haven't experienced, especially for a review. I had my first one, right after my Math Long Exam. A good way to relieve stress, mind you. However, I had an insect bite I was unaware of and when the lady scrubbed my foot with a giant "footfile", it got worse and became like a wound. Anyway, I just hated the way the assistants were staring at me.
Well, this is what I've done to it:


What’s Feet for You?

Walking around everywhere all day makes us (I know it’s not just me) feel so stressed out (yes, going from one class to another is also stressful). So aside from resting or taking a nap, others resort in going to spas and massage salons to relax and relieve stress. (Stress is now becoming a fad!) I decided to try out a couple of these establishments that offer different kinds of services. To make the experience short yet exceptional, I chose to have a foot spa. It’s not vanity (or what my friends think of it), it is a luxury most can afford, if you only have the time and ability to shell out a few bucks to avail this service guiltlessly.

I decided to go to a certain one stop salon which has “beauty, rejuvenate, and maintain” as its tagline. Let’s Face It answered my question of “where would I go to have a foot spa?” Let’s Face It offers a very, very wide range of services from facial treatments (facial cleaning, peeling, bleaching, and hair removal) to body treatments (scalp and hair treatment, body whitening and scrub, milk bath and wrap, waxing, skin peeling, hand care, foot care, and body massage).

I had a schedule and since there were only a few people at that time, I had my foot spa right away. First, they search your feet for callouses or other visible hard particles to know their targets. (They even wondered why I’m having a foot spa even though they can’t find callouses from my feet.) Then they placed my feet in an electric, massaging tub filled with warm water and suds. After a few minutes, or until the bubbles almost flowed out, the personnel soaked my feet in clean water and applied a minty scrub on my legs and feet. While applying/exfoliating, my attendant strikes up a conversation and tries to make me feel comfortable. After all those talking, she rinsed all the scrubs and turns on the lights and magnifier to search my feet for callouses (again). Then she brought out a huge file (or foot file, as I call it) and started filing my feet away. I thought both my feet would be sharp from all those filing actions. (I noticed that when the “filing part” came, the shop personnel became really serious and her smile faded behind the foot file.) She ended the foot session by whipping my feet and legs with scented oils then massaged my feet for a while.

The Foot has spoken! (on a scale of 1-5, one being the lowest and five the highest)
Interiors: 3 toes
Though they have a lot of space for clients, there was no privacy because the chairs lie next to each other. However, the water fountain inside plus the music creates a serene feeling and calmness.
Service/Foot Spa: 4 toes
The foot spa service was fine, but the foot massage was really short and limited to the feet area. Yet, Let’s Face It offers a very wide range of services for the whole body such as massages, facial services and all, making it really a one stop salon.
Price: 4 toes
The price of the foot spa ranges from ordinary (240php), peppermint (475php), to special (550php).
Facilities: 4 toes
Their materials were upgraded and modern in the sense that they look more technologically advanced, and the availability of a dermatologist is a big factor.
Accessibility: 5 toes
Let’s Face It has a lot of branches around the Metro even reaching Olongapo, Lucena, and Pampanga. It can be found at leading malls as well.
Comfort: 3 toes
The chair doesn’t recline and when the attendant starts massaging your feet, you’ll slide from the chair!
Bad Foot: Aside from the lack of privacy (they don’t expect us to feel like family with other clients, right?!), when the other employees don’t have clients to attend to, they really stare at you which is really disturbing and made me feel uncomfortable.

For my second trip, I chose to go to Massage King (a random choice). They have a list of Combos for their services (like those value meals or whatnot in fast food chains), but you can’t really pick the service you want since they have these combinations of foot spa with foot massage (plus other services like pedicure, etc), half and whole body massages. The treatment was pretty much the same with Let’s Face It. They start with the massage tub then the foot and leg wash, the filing of your callouses (even though you don’t have those), then the oils and massage. There were only few (minor) differences. One was that instead of a foot scrub, they used a pumice to exfoliate your feet and the other was that the massage part was a bit longer and includes the leg.

The Foot has spoken!
Interiors: 4 toes
Massage King has separate rooms for different services (privacy at last!). Also, they have a lot of plants around for that organic feeling and play really calm, nature-like music.
Service/Foot Spa: 4 toes
The massage service lasts longer and includes the legs. They also offer a wide range of massage services for the body with all their different combinations.
Price: 4 toes
The prices in Massage King range from as low as 175php (half body massage, dry bp reading and hot towel) to 500php (foot spa with foot massage, hand spa, manicure and pedicure).
Facilities: 3 toes
Their equipments are really nature-inspired, so we can’t blame them if their materials were not really “state-of-the-art”.There are magazines available for clients to read. However, there was no reflexologist around even though they claim to have one in their advertisements.
Accessibility: 3 toes
Massage King, sad to say, has very few branches and all can be found within the Metro. There are only around four locations to spot – which makes it available to really few people.
Comfort: 4 toes
Instead of just a chair, they offer a reclining chair which is really comfortable, and you can ask for more pillows if you still feel uneasy.
Bad Foot: The employees are not really friendly, though they don’t stare at you, they
don’t talk to you either! Also, since the place has less space, book earlier to avoid long waiting lines.

MORAL: Love thy feet as you love thy self. Also, I hope you'd never feel so stressed when you try to go to a spa/massage salon. Hmm, one more, pay first! Since sometimes traffic gets you so stressed out, then you go to the spa to relieve it, finally you pay, and then, you get all stressed down again. Pay first, so at least in the end, you'll just go home stress-free (well, unless traffic hits you again).

Virus Detected...Again

Crazy people, but I love these guys. ^__^

(picture taken at Mirasol's 18th birthday party last Oct. 14, 2006)




Sembreak, sembreak, sembreak. I can't get enough of it. I'm downloading an installer 1.05gb big. (I am actually waiting for it) I'm listening to Up Dharma Down right now and I'm really getting attached to their music I play their cd almost everyday which is why for now, I am subjected to just listen to them in my iPod (my mother claims to have headache because of all the bass). We FINALLY have internet after a week-long struggle. I find it annoying since we lost our connection during the final "hellweek" in school, wherein all the papers are due that week and I had to go back and forth to my cousin's house just to have access to the internet world. Then, we had it back yesterday (afternoon) and welcomed back by all those adwares, pop-ups, unknown errors, and even the stupid Virus Detected! from AVG Resident Shield. I still don't have my old HDD back from those Trojan viruses!! I'm really starting to get depressed from technology and to think I have BS-MIS (Management Information Systems) as my course! Curse those Trojans...

MORAL: An apple a day won't keep the doctor away. Back-up your files especially the photos whenever you can. Things can change in a day, especially if that thing is something not permanent.

The Art of Complaining

Tell me about it...

I think it's funny why we complain everyday about everyday things. (You don't think it's funny? or you haven't thought of it?) Anyway, you see, I'm speaking in a post-modern kind of way here. Most complain about traffic, even though everybody would trade anything just to get through traffic during rush hours. We KNOW there is traffic during rush hours, so we tend to leave earlier; however, everybody thinks the same way so the rush hour begins even earlier. We end up with traffic, no biggie, it's an everyday city scenario. Still, we complain about it and get pissed by the fact that there is traffic and we complain about it.

One can get depression, high blood pressure, and other kinds of illness just from complaining. Complaining really does no one any good, (well maybe it is a different story when you're maltreated or underpaid) yet we love to do it. Love referring not to deep emotion, but Love more as a habit. I like to complain about heavy school workload and not being paid by doing it, about procrastination and why I still do it even though I write every year in my New Year's Resolution that I won't procrastinate anymore, and all things left unsaid. Weird, eh?

I find it funny, but not to the point I would laugh because of it. Funny in the sense that I get stressed by planning how and when to go to a salon to have a foot spa for my paper knowing that spas are there to relieve you from stress. Ironic. I love irony, not basically because of habit, or deep emotion, but of hey, maybe it is because of those. More workload, and because I prioritized this entry first rather than think about my final paper, this is a form of procrastination and my denial of the reality. I'll have more stress later in noon if I wake up, funny, I wake up at noon because I slept late for studying or whatnot, but because I just love to sleep late. Love, in a form of a habit.

MORAL: Complaining may relieve one of stress, but the aftermath of it is far worse than stress itself. Dreams are your keys to success, sleep now to have those dreams. Life is unfair, pretend you don't know that. Smile if you're mad or frustrated, it would annoy people you (want to) hate. O_O

Kingdom, Queendom, Boredom

We have electricity, so, no, it's not a brownout-induced sadness. I don't know what it is, so maybe this feeling doesn't exist as to logocentrism. (hello, this is definitely not love! Rip me apart still it is not love, hatred maybe. But a Jedi knows no fear and no love.) For me, this feeling lives even though there is exactly no word for it. It is not depression or what, maybe similar but I don't really know, you tell me. Mix boredom and sadness together, make that unwanted boredom and unexplainable sadness, and you'll get it. It is not the sadness I have whenever I get my period or what, neither is it broedom from nothing to do because I have heaps of papers to edit and a lot of reaction papers to react to and write about. Mind you, all are due before the week ends and I haven't even laid my eyes (and thoughts) on them.

I refused to sleep and play a video game because I think that those two activities make you forget about time. And I don't want to waste my time sleeping and playing till the sun is out (which I often do before, and add being reprimanded for loving to do it). I really just wanted to go out (not party and stuff) and have a walk or run, just someting to let my mind fly (not time). However it is near evening and with our security (our helpers) here I won't easily be allowed to stroll somewhere without anyone with me and with practically no reason. (Because if I need something I would be accompanied and even dropped off where I want to be)

I resolved to do something to make-up for my unexplained feeling that is getting worse every minute. I took a bath, listened to music, ate ice cream in sugar cone (make that 3 servings), and chatted with my friends. Yes, I have talked (chat, that is) to the people I wanted to talk with and they lessened my strange agony. (Those senseless, nonsense messages really helped me a lot, promise.ü) Everything ends (not this feeling), and they went offline and left me with people who are very busy, or pretending to be (because it make you look like a very important person with a lot of things to do). I ate again, I can't think of anything to do so don't blame me, and again and again. I still wanted to walk around, make my mind wander and even run around but then I remembered that this is (sad truth) the Philippines; I can't just walk or run around without taking in so much carbon monoxide to make me feel better or whatever. Typing helps a little, so I'm doing it now.

Unexplained feeling, nope, I'm not pregnant (who the heck would think of this?! well, one did, you know who you are), I'm actually having it, what am I talking (typing for the matter) about. I'm tired of playing online games for today even though there is like a promo in the game and you're stupid if you miss this one out. But I let it pass, so maybe I won't be under those stupid people. I'm being reprimanded already, I'm really not feeling well. I finished watching Charlie's Angels on dvd, I picked it by random. Nope, it didn't help alleviate anything. My eyes are twitching already, I think sleep may help, I'm really not sure.
MORAL: When you don't feel well, and it is really not a disease, don't talk too much. It just leads to negative consequences. Thank God you don't experience what I am experiencing now. I know it'll go away, nontheless. ^_^ (fake happiness)