The one and only

Openness holds a special place in my heart. They were the only second year class I taught, a teaching assignment I was reluctant to accept at first because I wanted to concentrate on my fourth year classes. It was a good thing I had no choice because they turned out to be the sweetest, most loveable bunch. It was almost a crime when they were reshuffled, but like the real troupers they are, they adapted to their new sections and brought the best of Openness with them. I will never forget the surprise(s) they organized for my birthday this year; it was the best thing anyone's ever done for me, and I was so moved by it all that I got sick the following day from staying up all night crying over the scrapbook of letters they gave me.

I had dinner with them tonight and almost half the class made it (thanks to Rachel with her amazing organizing powers, although we did wait for ages to get a table :p). It was terrific just being with them, drawing from their collective energy, that I felt content to just sit back and bask in the pride of having been their teacher, and the pleasure of being their friend. They will forever be the first, the finest, and the final Openness, and I love them all.

[I did not have a camera with me tonight, so whoever has a group pic (paging the photo editor!) please send it to me so I can post it here. Thanks!]

Sick and tired

''When coffee dreams, it dreams of chocolate.'' I found this divine slogan printed on the boxes of divine Starbucks chocolate-covered espresso beans my cousin Abeth gave us a month or so ago. We haven't finished the beans because I'm the only one in the house who loves them, and since I've been diagnosed with MVP, the beans are now delectable little caffeine-packed death bombs to me. When the twin temptations of the coffee and chocolate become too much to resist, I sneak in a bean or two when no one's looking. As long as I don't feel the palpitations act up again, I figure it's safe to indulge in this guilty pleasure.

I spent most of the weekend asleep because I was downed by an awful cold (I get really nasal and phlegmy when I have a cold... not pretty). The upside was it got me out of what I suspect was an ambush set-up masterminded by my dear old dad. He kept on insisting (without supplying a sound reason) that I attend a party with him and Ma, a party a family friend of ours was attending as well... a family friend who has been wanting to introduce me to his cousin for some time now. His 33 year-old cousin. Why do people keep on setting me up with guys in their 30's?! Are there no more single twentysomething (straight) men out there?!

Oh, and did I mention aside from my nasty cold I have a raging case of PMS?

Giving credit where credit is due

The 4th season of American Idol is over, and country has prevailed over rock. After watching the final performances given by Carrie and Bo Wednesday, I had a sinking feeling all members of the Bice Squad would be sorely disappointed come Thursday, for their rocker had failed to blow the competition away. I have never liked Carrie, but I have to admit, that last performance night she was the least wooden/robotic I had seen her, and sadly, she really did outshine Bo. She also did a good job on her duets with Bo and Rascal Flatts yesterday, so I wasn't extremely upset that she ended up winning.

Kudos also to the following people, who made the last show of the season fun to watch despite the outcome:

• Bo, for giving "Sweet Home Alabama" new attitude and appeal. And for being such a gracious runner-up.
• Anwar and Anthony, for their soaring (pun not intended) rendition of the tired "I Believe I Can Fly" with one of my own idols, Kenny G.
• Mikalah and Lindsey, for putting on a beyond-expectations good number with Babyface.
• Vonzell, for her solid vocals both in the group performance and her duet with Billy Preston.
• Constantine, Jessica and Nadia, for rocking the house.
• Constantine, for his ridiculous but hilarious cameo in the Simon Cowell "expose" video.
• Constantine, for looking so damn fine.
• the judges and producers, for being good sports and showing their sense of humor through the spoof video.
• the producers, for putting Matt Rogers on the show (Matt and Constantine in one episode, talk about making me a very happy girl).
• and of course, Matt Rogers, for doing such a great job reporting from Oklahoma that Simon actually suggested he replace Ryan Seacrest. And for being such an adorable big lug.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for a thoroughly entertaining, exasperating, engaging season of American Idol. Until A.I. 5, Ailee... out!

MVP

Nope, this isn't going to be an entry about Steve Nash or anything sports-related. MVP stands for mitral valve prolapse, which is the name of the condition that has been giving me heart palpitations for the past month. The Yahoo Health Encyclopedia defines MVP as "a disorder in which the heart's mitral valve -- which separates the left upper chamber (atrium) from the left lower chamber (ventricle) -- billows out and does not close properly." Yahoo also lists one of its alternative names as "floppy mitral valve." Having MVP doesn't bother me so much as having something... floppy. It makes me visualize bunny ears.

MVP isn't dangerous except in severe cases, so I don't have to undergo surgery or anything drastic. I'm only taking some prescription medicine to ease the palpitations, and so far they seem to be helping. The doctor says I can maintain an active lifestyle (since when have I ever led an active lifestyle?), but to avoid aggravating my MVP I should cut back on caffeine (no-ooo!!!) and stressful situations that might trigger my palpitations. I suspect my parents are feeling a wee bit guilty for possibly being the cause of some of those stressful situations (i.e. my new job). Funny, it's the first time they are feeling bad about doing something to me but I actually don't blame them for it.

In fact it occured to me today, as I was striding (according to my mom, I don't walk, I either stride briskly or stomp violently) through SM Cubao on a store visit, that I might be causing my own stress. When I really get into my work, I tend to charge into it with frenetic energy (hence the striding and stomping), but not because I'm a workaholic, though most seem to have that impression of me. Quite the opposite, really. I work like mad because I am so anxious to get the job done, so I can have enough time left over for more important things, like catching up with friends and going out with my family (wasting time on my roses =D), leisure reading, and TV-watching (to offset the brain activity from reading). In short, I am so stressed because I want to relax. Go figure.

Postscript: At the end of our round of store visits, I whiled away a lovely hour at Fully Booked Gateway (thanks to Raqs for helping me find it ;p). My fellow bookworms out there can relate to this next statement: there is not enough time in the world to spend browsing in a good bookstore (National Bookstore, with its pathetic selection, does not qualify).

Sunrise, sunset

I watched Before Sunset on DVD yesterday. How did I find the sequel to my favorite romantic movie of all time? Well, it did not unseat Before Sunrise as my favorite romantic movie of all time, but I still loved it. Ethan Hawke was skinnier and not as hot as he was years ago, but the chemistry between him and Julie Delpy was still terrific. Though it was a film that had more talk than action, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. The conversation between Celine and Jesse was so riveting that my ears and brain didn't seem to be enough to absorb it all. My favorite part was when they were in the car and Celine had just lost it, causing Jesse to unleash a torrent of his own bottled-up-for-9-years emotions, and as he looks away she reaches over as if to touch his hair... then pulls back at the last second. It was such a small, innocent gesture, but it was so natural, so real, that it was poignant and passionate even without making physical contact.

Bottom line: I wish they would make less goofy, insipid romantic comedies and more of these "true" love stories that appeal to both the intellectual snob and the sentimental fool in me.

One reason I'm glad I'm no longer a teacher...

...I get to go out with my students! (although I still can't seem to deactivate my automatic English switch when talking to them, haha) Thanks for a great afternoon guys! JT, you will be missed. Best of luck to you and take care. :)

Episode III: soul of the saga

Ah, Episode III. Where do I begin? Should I start with the delightfully dizzying air battle sequence that opened the movie? The breath-taking, suspiciously-China-looking scenes in Kashyyk with the Wookiees? The uncanny resemblance between Ewan McGregor's older Obi-wan Kenobi and the phenomenal Alec Guinness? The kick-ass light-saber battles between Obi-wan and Anakin, and Palpatine and Yoda? The menacing sight of Darth Vader donning the infamous black helmet for the first time?

I could also start with Hayden Christensen's flat acting, the inaccurate circumstances of Padme's death, Mace Windu's lame exit (so unworthy of the BAMF Jedi he was supposed to be), or the almost-comic, Frankenstein's-monster manner in which Darth Vader took his first steps in his life-support suit, scary helmet and all.

But I will not start, nor even elaborate on any of those awesome and not-so-awesome details. I will start, and end, with the chilling, systematic slaughter of the Jedi, because that, for me, was the very heart of the movie. Some of my fellow Star War enthusiasts (read: dorks) would disagree and say that the real focus is the transition of Anakin Skywalker from young Jedi to Sith lord. I do not contest that; in fact I now appreciate Darth Vader as an almost Shakespearean tragic character. However, I believe that his eerily Macbethan fall (or is it rise?) reached its full extent with the massacre of the Jedi. I confess that as I watched the Jedi being taken down one by one, and as I saw Yoda's little green face contorting in anguish as he sensed the great disturbance in the Force, tears came to my eyes (go ahead, laugh! mock my pain!). Aside from that, I truly empathized with Obi-wan's agony upon realizing how his own student had become such a monster. In my entire life, I have never felt anything as heart-breaking as the hurt and disappointment that come with discovering a student's betrayal. Call it overreacting to an overrated sci-fi flick, but of the entire Star Wars saga, Episodes I through VI, Revenge of the Sith was the one that really hit me in the gut.

And so I end with that.

Twisted no more

Before I landed my dream job as a teacher, I wanted to be Jessica Zafra. Well, not be Jessica Zafra (not counting the dark-rimmed glasses I sported in college), but I wanted to have her job, which combines two of my favorite activities: writing and bitching (and if you've been faithfully reading my blog (and if you have, I thank and pity you), you can probably tell I love indulging in both).

When I saw Tw7sted on bookstore shelves a few weeks ago, I eagerly snatched up a copy and made a beeline for the cashier. Zafra hasn't come out with a book in a while, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. I have all her books, which I started collecting in high school (the bitch in me began emerging around this time, thanks to someone's influence, hehe) and I always read them with a mix of enjoyment and envy (thinking, "damn she's good" and "damn I could be this good" at the same time). So I was disappointed when, after reading the first few pieces in Tw7sted, I found myself sensing a mix of detachment and disenchantment instead.

At first I couldn't figure out if it was because her writing style had changed (but not much, as far as I could tell), or because I as a reader have changed (well, I guess that's the obvious explanation). Ray Bradbury once wrote that cruelty is much more fascinating to the young, and kindness is a preoccupation of age. Perhaps Zafra's nasty appeal gradually lost its charm as I grew *gulp* older and came to terms with my life rage. Why does angst seem to dissipate as a person matures? I suppose as the years creep up on someone, she prefers to spend her (remaining) time on things more worthwhile than anger and antagonism. Like appreciation... like fulfillment... like love.

Passion has always been both the best and worst quality I possess. I feel fiercely, and that goes for positive and negative emotions, which gives me the capacity to get hurt as easily as I can hurt. I don't want to think of myself as mellowing down at such an early age, but maybe at 24 I have already used up most of the scathing cynicism that marked my tweens (for non-Tolkien readers: ''tweens'' refers to the ages from the latter ''teen'' numbers to the early twenties). But then again, my friends say that I was born 30, so that means I'm really 54, which is just about right for cruelty to conk out and kindness to start kicking in.

Despite everything, I would still love to have Zafra's job, getting paid to write and gripe about anything and anyone (but because I've been defanged I think my bark would have much less bite). And I will still buy and read Zafra's books; I just don't think I will enjoy or envy her as much anymore, because damn, I am good... and that's not so bad.

"If I'm being honest with you..."

I feel like I'm betraying my beloved Greek hottie, but after seeing Bo's performance of performances last night, I couldn't help thinking that it's a good thing Constantine didn't reach this stage of the competition. At least he went out on top, without having been in any real danger of elimination until the actual shocker itself. As Randy would say, "keeping it real," I believe Bo is a far stronger singer, and last night he was simply a-ma-zing. That a capella performance was a stroke of genius, an excellent gimmick indeed (hmm, does that count as selling out? ;p), and that last number, zowie! Hail to the first rock n' roll American Idol! (Cris, I hope my psychic powers are accurate this time around!)

But I still say Constantine's delicious. :p

Of despedidas and decaf and devices

AP-Annex threw a double surprise party last night at my house: a bridal shower for Pau, who's getting married on June 4, and a birthday party/despedida for Tangsoc, who's leaving for Canada on May 21, just three days after her birthday. Amazingly, we managed to really surprise them (you know how the celebrant always somehow suspects something is up so they're not really caught off guard when the surprise is sprung), thanks to our tactic of telling one it was for the other (Pau thought it was only for Tangsoc, and Tangsoc thought it was only for Pau =D). We also invited their fiances over to complete the surprise. It was a fun, fun evening, and it was great that AP-Annex was complete to celebrate three happy yet bittersweet occasions for two of our beloved friends.

In other news today...

I am now officially a wuss.

This morning I swung by Starbucks on my way to work, but as I stood in front of the counter ordering I remembered my tachycardia (thanks to Rachelle for the correct spelling ;p) and so told the barista in a caffeine-deprived grumble to make my caramel macchiato decaf. I used to mock people who ordered decaf, saying decaf is not real coffee. I mean, come on, caffeine is the very essence of coffee (it's like ordering a burger without the beef patty); if you can't handle the kick, drink chocolate milk, you big baby! (I feel the same way about fat-free desserts-- if you're that weight-conscious, why are you even eating dessert at all?)

Now my decaf discrimination has come around to bite me in my acerbic ass. Shit.

Today was my sister's ''real'' birthday. I got her a book on the history of jazz; my parents got her an iPod photo to let her listen to all the jazz she wants (this gizmo is awesome, makes our brother's iPod mini look like a child's toy; what will they think of next?). Now all 3 of us siblings are armed with our own personal gadgets.

Speaking of gadgets, my Tungsten 5 gave me a little scare earlier when it froze up and wouldn't respond even when I pressed the power button. All I can say is, thank goodness for reset. =D My few minutes of Tungsten terror made me wonder momentarily, what if our lives came with reset buttons? How often would we jab them with safety pins/whittled-down toothpicks? (I used the latter option tonight out of resourcefulness/sheer desperation since we were at UCC, only to discover later that my stylus comes with a built-in poker thingy designed precisely for the reset button... so much for the profound, waxing-philosopic wuss that I am.)

P.S. Composed more than half of this entry on my handheld (after I reset it). My blogging just got mobile. :)

4 years after Ateneo

It's been 4 years since I graduated from college, and though I confess I have forgotten most of what I have learned from my classes, I still have with me several things from Ateneo that I refuse to let go of. Last night I was clearing files from my beat-up, overused laptop, and I couldn't bring myself to delete the Word documents and PowerPoint presentations of my favorite papers/projects (of course not all the files escaped the Recycle Bin; most of my boring Philosophy and Theology papers got dumped, hehe).

Another thing that I will never lose is my loyalty to my course, Legal Management. Though I took it with the original intention of going on to law school afterwards (and though, as I said, I have already forgotten many of the concepts I learned) I do not regret being an LM major, for it showed me the best of both the business and legal worlds, and gave me some of the most enjoyable and interesing classes I ever took.

Most importantly, what I cherish above all from college is my wonderful circle of friends, my dearest LM girls. They made college a blast, and helped me keep sane through some of the most insane moments of my life. Though we are now at that stage in our lives some call "quarterlife," and some (like Pia :p) are bemoaning the fact that we are quickly aging (and still single), we are still together, and still having fun whenever we do get together, and that makes it easy to feel as young and crazy as we were back in college (in Angge's case, high school =D). Tonight we went to Alabang to attend Ria's law school graduation dinner, and it was wonderful to have everyone (well, almost everyone) there. I find it impossible to have an LM girls gathering without having a terrific time, and I know that as long as I have friends like them around, I will forever carry the best of my Ateneo years in my heart (and now I hear Yang saying, "Yuck, Ailee, is that you being all mushy?").



P.S. Sorry Je, I know you're not in the pic but that's because the shot I have with you in it was the one Angelo took and all of us are not looking at the camera. I will never hand him my camera again.

Unorganized updates

Yesterday my father received a text greeting from one of his friends saying, "Happy 18th birthday!" to which my dear old dad replied, "Pare, I'm not that young anymore, I'm already 34." Wehehe.

I got my Tungsten T5 yesterday, only to realize that while I remembered to order the wireless keyboard, I forgot to order a case and a memory extension card. That's the problem with expensive purchases, they usually lead to more expensive purchases to enhance the original purchase. My brother went through the same thing with his iPod mini: first he just had to get an iDock, then he just had to get an iTrip, then he just had to get a car charger. I think I have now lost the right to criticize his accessory-shopping spree.

Last night I dreamt that I was substituting for IV-SOBRIETY, hehehe. I was delivering one of the long, serious sermons I used to torture Wisdom with when I felt they needed sobering up (ahahaha, see, the name does fit you guys!). I woke up wondering whether I had dreamt about it because I missed giving those sermons, I want to continue giving those sermons, or I felt guilty about giving so many of those sermons. :p

I bought Rob Thomas' new CD, and I found out that on one track John Mayer plays guitar! Two of my favorite singers collaborating, what a thrill... almost worth the P450 I shelled out for a non-pirated CD (my friend Chris would be proud).

I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment yesterday to check on my heart, but it was rescheduled for next Thursday because the doctor had too many patients waiting. I have been having weird, erratic palpitations over the past 2 weeks. My parents are guessing it's just stress, or something genetic since my mom has SVT (supraventricular tachiacardia, or at least I think it's spelled that way), which causes her to have palpitations whenever she's overly stressed. I'm hoping it's nothing serious, but for the first time in my life I can picture myself keeling over from cardiac arrest... at 24 (maybe this is the quick and violent death that I always envisioned, as opposed to a slow and painful one). Also for the first time in my life, my parents are constantly reminding me to relax, take things easy, slow down, and other phrases of similar meaning. That's why my mantra these days is "DON'T PANIC," from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's kind of frustrating and humiliating that I am already cracking under pressure after little over a month of working at our company, when my parents have been doing it for 27 years and are holding up fine. What a wuss I am.

Happy Chinese Birthday to my dad and sis!

In our family, we get to celebrate two birthdays a year. One is our regular birthday, and another is our "Chinese" birthday, or our birthday according to the lunar calendar. Since it follows the lunar calendar, the second kind of birthday can fall on any day around (either before or after) the regular one, and you won't know which exact date unless you consult a lunar calendar. My mom keeps one hanging inside her closet so she always knows when our Chinese birthdays are, and sometimes for kicks she doesn't tell us so we can be surprised when the day arrives and we wake up to gifts waiting outside our bedroom door. It's nice getting two sets of birthday presents, but it's also challenging thinking of two sets to give... especially in the case of my dad and my sister, because they share the same Chinese birthday (so we have to shop for 4 sets of gifts all in all in May). This year their Chinese birthday fell on today's date, a day right before my dad's regular birthday, so he's having two consecutive birthday dinners, tonight with his golf buddies and tomorrow night with us.

It's an expensive family tradition, but we like observing it nonetheless. After all, a birthday only comes once (or twice) a year.

Speaking of expensive (Kat will hate me for this), my mom insisted on paying for my Palm Tungsten. When I tried to object, my mom reasoned that if she pays for it, it will be considered company property, so I can’t quit and run off with it. Since I don’t intend on absconding with the PDA, I accepted the terms (there’s no arguing with my mom anyway); thus I am getting my Tungsten T5 this weekend, absolutely free. This was one argument with my mother I didn’t mind losing at all.

Tickle test results

I haven't taken a Tickle quiz in a long while (so long, in fact, that Tickle was threatening to cancel my account, hence leading me to the site and this quiz). This was fun, and pretty accurate too, if I do say so myself. I wish I did know how to use the Jedi mind trick though.

The Classic Star Wars Test

Aileesa, you're Obi-Wan Kenobi

"If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." Truly the words of a confident teacher, you and "old Ben" share the calm wisdom of someone who's seen it all. You are probably the type of person who enjoys giving back to the community, whether by organizing the annual block party or volunteering time to help others.You know you're not perfect and that's why being a mentor is so fulfilling. You can teach others about the mistakes that you made. Like Obi-Wan, you are an excellent judge of character — often recognizing aspects of yourself in others. You know how to teach life lessons without being preachy, and while you may not quite have the Jedi mind trick figured out, your honest conviction can be very persuasive.

SOBRIETY?!?

I had breakfast with Kat, Margaux and Tangsoc this morning, then Tangsoc and I tagged along to ICA to pop in and say hi to the faculty folk. I met the new English teacher (the one aside from Maddy), who I heard used to teach in ICA a few years back. I only exchanged niceties with her so I can't really say I formed any kind of positive/negative impression of her, but I hope for at least one 4th year section's sake that she's a good teacher.

Speaking of 4th year sections, this afternoon my student JT and I were talking about the name of the new 4th year section and we shared a good laugh (as much as two people chatting over YM can share a good laugh) over the irony that Wisdom, of all classes, is going to become SOBRIETY(JT joked that they should just shorten it to IV-SOB, and I forgot to ask which of the two possible contexts she meant, hehe). I have misgivings about the choice of name, but I have to say that the thought of my beloved, boisterous, bouncing-off-the-walls Wisdom (hyphenate and add multiple o's on a bad day ;p) becoming Sobriety provides enough amusement to make up for it.

And no, Karen, that does not give you license to sleep during class. It's Sobriety, not Narcolepsy.

Giddy gadget girl

Hurrah! I’m getting a Palm Tungsten T5 this week, and at a cheaper price than retail to boot. And I owe it to my blog! My raving actually paid off (does that mean I should rave more and rant less from now on? nah, I think not :p). My cousin Kevin read my entry about wanting to get a Tungsten T5, and turns out he has a friend who works at Palm, and she gets an employee discount on all Palm products. Happy happy joy joy. This will be the most expensive luxury item I have bought with my own hard-earned money (even this C.O.O. draws the line at asking for such a huge sum from her parents). There’s a certain gratification in treating myself to something I worked hard for, but admittedly it’s mixed with a bit of guilt in the recklessness of spending so much on one item. However, I believe in enjoying the fruits of my labor, so I intend to fully enjoy using my new nifty PDA once I get it. Thanks Kev! I owe you one!

A short Mother's Day tribute

Anyone who has known me since my high school or college days knows that my mom and I have had our differences. We're so alike in many ways that our differences seem to stand out more, and rub each other the wrong way. When I became a teacher though, I came to understand and appreciate my mother on a whole different level, because I finally felt what it must have been like raising a teenage daughter. Being a surrogate mother to hundreds of high school girls made me realize what boundess patience, fortitude, and love my mother had, and still has, putting up with my stubbornness, irresponsibility, and defiance all these years. I have such respect and admiration for this woman who has done so much for her family, especially her children. She is a strong leader, a successful businesswoman, an efficient household manager, a thoughtful friend, a dutiful daughter, and a remarkable woman all in all. Though we still have our disagreements, and I believe we always will, I count her as one of my greatest role models. Thanks for everything, Ma.

Still raving...

Have you ever wished you had an extra pair of eyes so you could take in absolutely every detail of what you're seeing? Tonight my peepers greedily gorged on three of the most amazing, visually stimulating things I have seen in a long, long while (not counting Constantine ;p): the trailer for Episode 3 (Yoda! Chewie! Vader! woohoo!), the trailer for Sin City (I could watch this movie with the sound off and not care), and, of course, Orlando The-Sexiest-Blacksmith-in-the-Whole-Kingdom-of-Heaven-and-Beyond Bloom. Damn, he's gorgeous. I suspect the movie itself was kind of dull, but I really didn't notice because I was too busy gazing rapturously at his alternately soot-smeared and blood-stained face the entire time. I was reduced into a brainless puddle of goo for the duration of the film.

Oh, and Rachel honey, I'm sorry to inform you that Orly and I have been carrying on a torrid affair even before you two entered your sham of a marriage.

On cloud 8

Finally, Scott's gone. Although you'd expect me to be jumping for joy, my satisfaction is dampened by the thought that it's too late anyway. The damage has been done, so what should be vindication comes as mere consolation... but I'll take it. Weirdly enough, I actually thought Scott performed better than Anthony last night, so Miracle Boy is really living up to his monicker. Props to him, by the way, for being smart and realistic enough to realize that being sent to the couch didn't necessarily mean they were safe. I'm glad he's still in it, despite the wince-worthy rendition of that new Backstreet Boys song (and I thought we had lost them to boy band oblivion, darn!).

Tomorrow, will go see my darling Orly in Kingdom of Heaven. I had better bring Kleenex... not because I expect to cry, but because I expect to drool. A lot. Two hours of ogling Orlando Bloom, now that's my idea of heaven indeed.

Also currently over the moon about:

• Starbucks Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, a pasalubong from my cousin Abeth
• the palmOne Tungsten T5 Handheld, recently added to my wish list of luxury items
• The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, book 2 in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (in 4 parts)-- I love Marvin the Paranoid Android!
• Arrested Development, a sitcom with smarter, sharper, funnier writing than anything on TV now
• getting a DVD copy of Before Sunset, the sequel to my favorite romantic movie of all time, courtesy of my mom's best friend Auntie Nene, our official supplier of pirated movies
• hearing about Dudut Jaworski filing a bill against pay parking in commercial establishments (I never thought I would see the day I would be cheering a Jaworski on)
• meeting up with my college barkada this Saturday night (I miss you LM girls!)

Hmm, I am raving more than ranting today. Maybe I'm coming down with something.

Busted!

My siblings and I (or more accurately, my sister and I, since our brother is what we lovingly-yet-scathingly call “moral support”) are compiling a scrapbook for our mom for Mother’s Day. We are, as usual, cramming like crazy, and late last night around 1:30AM, while we were in a flurry of cutting and pasting, our mom walked in on us. My sister and I shot accusatory I-thought-you-locked-the-door looks at one another, but our dear mother, feigning ignorance, stayed near the doorway and simply gave us her usual it’s-late-go-to-bed admonition, then left. That was how we knew she knew: if she hadn’t suspected that what we were doing was for her, she would have marched right up to us and demanded to know what we were doing at such a late hour. There goes our surprise. At least she doesn’t know what we’re making. That, and she’ll leave us alone for the rest of the week.

This morning I had breakfast with Kat and Margaux (Ms. Tria and Ms. Cua to some of you). They yanked me out of bed at 6:00 (mind you, I went to sleep at 2:00!) so that we could eat a leisurely breakfast and they could still beat the clock for their time-in at 7:20. After breakfast I went back home, napped for an hour, then left for work. That is one thing I definitely do not miss about teaching: being forced to wake up and function fully at such a godawfully early hour. It’s a good thing I only had 2 first-period classes in my 2 years at ICA (heck, there were days I was still half-asleep during second period!). I’m sure the students didn’t have a clue that their teacher was actually more sleep-addled than they were (or if they did, they were polite enough to let me snap out of it gradually).

I hear Ms. Sia wants me to substitute for Ms. Gadja when she goes on maternity leave in November. I don’t think I can commit to that long a stint (2 to 3 months), especially since December is our peak season at the office. I would love to teach mythology and media ed again though… but not grammar. Ugh. I think I'll have to pass on that sub offer. Sorry Ms. Sia.

I need to get back to cutting and pasting. Deadline's fast approaching. Snip snip.