boston

there's nothing much to say about my trip to boston except that it was short and was really devoted to work. our day started at 8 am and we did not leave the office until past 6 pm. we did go to a lot of nice restaurants to eat --- summer shack, legal seafoods, cantina italiana and ole mexican grill. by the time we were finished with dinner, it was already dark and we could not do any sightseeing anymore. on our last night, however, ximena kindly drove us to harvard.



unfortunately, we did not see much of the campus. i did have my picture taken rubbing the foot of john harvard's statue. ximena told us that everyone that goes to harvard does that and so we did. that leaves me with one other place i had to go to.

the next day, i woke up reaaaaally early (which was a big thing for me) and walked across the bridge to the other side of the river to... yep, MIT.



i remember requesting for an application form, just to check what i needed to get in. well, i needed around 2 million pesos so that ruled out any chances of me attending MIT. anyway, i was taking pictures outside of the engineering and sciences building when i saw someone go in. seeing that there was no security checking if you're a student or not, i decided to go in as well.

i was in awe the moment i went in. i don't know what it was that made me feel this way. probably the prestige that comes with the school, being one of the best schools in the world. it somehow dawned on me that this was just a dream for me, same as when i dreamt of being an olympian. i am not nor was i ever a very technical person. i don't think i could ever be a great engineer or an exceptional programmer. but i am entitled to dream, aren't i? :)

***

another good thing about boston is... cheesecake factory!!! they have the best cheesecakes, i swear! the godiva cheesecake is still the clear winner. i also tried the chocolate sundae cheesecake (i'm sure this is not the correct name but it's close) and it was also fantastic! yum yum yum!

self control

each person has an image of herself --- a mixture of good and bad traits, unless you're deluded and you see yourself as perfect. believe me, i've never seen myself as perfect. far from it. although one of the things i believe i am is kind. sure, i have my off days when i get all tempramental and become a big time B-I-T-C-H but most of the time, i think i am a nice person. but has it ever happened to you that you meet someone and for some reason that person sets your blood boiling? i did once when i was in high school. and for the longest time, i haven't felt the urge to put out my devil horns out. that is, until now. aaargh! there are times i have to stop myself from blurting out nasty comments when that person speaks. if i could only raise one eyebrow, i would have done it a million times by now. there are even instances when i'd like nothing more than to wring that person's neck. good thing i can control what i say or do. hopefully, i can do this until i no longer have to deal with that person any more.

oh, Lord, give me strength.

trying to get out of my shell

i've always known myself to be an introvert. although i really have to ask my parents and my other relatives if indeed i was, even when i was a child. i distinctly remember my aunt telling me that i would prefer to be in my room, reading than going out and joining a party. between my parents, i think i may have gotten this from my mom. my dad is clearly not an introvert. he always seems to know everyone at a gathering and if not, he would probably do by the time the party ends.

there are times, though, that i put on this extrovert facade for work. i've been the contact in asia for one of the applications that we implement for our client and this involves extensive networking on my part. i've had to talk to people way up in the corporate ladder, plant managers and loads of contacts from different places. and i think i've done well on those instances. so now, the only question is how i can put up my extroverted face when meeting new people outside of work.

i was talking to my cousin bea via ym last week and we've touched on this subject. i told her i was actually envious of the way they (she and her siblings) can easily interact with people. even at this age, i still have a hard time starting a conversation with people i meet or even those that i know but not close to. with friends, it's a different matter. although when you're in a foreign country, you would need to talk to someone new before you can befriend them, right?

this is one of the reasons why i decided to volunteer as an usher in the tennis tournament here in cincinnati. it's the western and southern financial group masters and women's open. of course, i wanted to watch the games for free but i could have simply bought tickets the way i originally meant to. i figured i might meet some new people while i enjoy watching the games. and i did. all of my new acquaintances are way older than i am and i found it to be fun talking to them. they were surprised to learn that i don't play tennis and have been convincing me to take up the sport (since almost everyone plays). i am thinking about it although it's probably going to be difficult to play once i go back home and have no one to play with. other than this, i've not done anything else to "expand my horizons" and meet new people. i've been keeping to myself the way i always have.

someone once told me that i was the serious one in the group (this group being me, irish, rose and martha). i think on groups i am part of, this is the case most of the time. and i guess i'll never be the life of the party or the one that keeps the conversations going but i am trying to find a spot in between. for the mean time, at least.

4th of july weekend

i've been really busy with work these past few days (well, more like weeks) and so i haven't posted much here. but i've been keeping myself busy beyond work, enjoying my remaining time here in the u.s. as much as i can.

i went to orlando, florida with officemates and spent two days going on rides at the universal studios theme park.



it was a 16-hour drive from cincinnati but we really did not mind. i, for one, didn't because the guys were the ones driving and we were only awake to make sure they don't fall asleep behind the wheel. in short, we were there for entertainment purposes. hehehe! we arrived at the hotel, a mere 5-minute dirve away from universal studios, at around mid-afternoon. after freshening up, we decided to just get our tickets, go around the vicinity, take pictures and have dinner. the rides will have to wait the next day. we were more excited than we thought we were, i guess, as we stayed until around 1 am taking pictures around the area. we went back to the hotel exhausted but excited for the next day's activities.

i was the first one up the next day (shocking, i know) since i was the first one asleep as well (my companions still had to work --- yuck, geeky!). after eating breakfast, we headed back to universal studios to take on the rides. our first, and my favorite, was "the revenge of the mummy". it was like an indoor roller coaster with all the effects. there was even fire on the ceiling! that was probably the most exciting ride in the park. all others were tame in comparison but it was fun, nonetheless. we went to "twister" and "earthquake" where they make you experience both natural phenomena, "e.t. adventures" where we like on bikes while travelling through stars and to e.t.'s world; "men in black" wherein we had to shoot aliens; "shrek", a hilarioius 4-d adventure and all the other rides that we could go to within the day. day one over.

we vowed to wake up earlier for day two but tiredness seemed to have caught up with us that we actually started our day later than we planned. this time, we went to islands of adventure, another park in the universal studios resort. we immediately went to the rides that will get us wet --- first stop: popeye and bluto's bile-rat barges. it was like white water rafting although we were seated in a circular raft and we weren't paddling. the water seemed to like me the best as i was the most wet among everyone within the raft. we then went to the ripsaw falls, similar to the jungle log jam that enchanted kingdom has although the log fit all five of us. as always, i was screaming my head off when the log "fell". then we were off to jurassic park. i thought that we wouldn't drop off any incline since we were in a very big "boat" but we did! it was not as steep as the ripsaw falls and wasn't as high but it was still exciting. the change of clothes also meant a change in pace as the other rides we went to were not as exciting as the previous ones. i even went on the cat in the hat carousel. one of the rides i did enjoy was spiderman. it was a 3-d ride but it was like you're also in a roller coaster. it was the best 3-d ride i've ever gone to so far (including the disney ones in tokyo). mind you, we weren't the only adults riding! i did not attempt to go on the really scary rides like the duelling dragons and the hulk. i knew i just would not enjoy myself with those kinds of rides. the guys went, though, as the last ride of the day. reluctantly, we headed home after that. day two over.

it was another long ride home but we were also looking forward to reaching cincinnati to have a good rest. before we went back to our own apartments, we had breakfast at ihop. i told my companions i wanted to go there since i've heard stories from my aunt and my friends that they go there for breakfast and i wanted to try it. soon, everyone else was excited to eat there as well. and we were not disappointed. i soooo loved my stuffed french toast (everyone knows i have a sweet tooth) with my refillable coffee (and of course, about my coffee addiction --- hehehe!). it was a great way to end a wonderful adventure.

more stories soon!

sa right corner pocket

impluwensya ng mga kaibigan ko ang paglalaro ko ng bilyar. dati kasi, ni hindi ko man lang naisip sumubok. at nung una kong subukang maglaro, pahirapan pang makapasok ng bola.

si berto ang una kong partner sa bilyar. kapag sinasabihan niya akong "makapal, kat" o "nipisan mo pa", para niya akong kinakausap ng greek o latin. di ko maintindihan. ang goal ko pa nga nung umpisa e matamaan lang ng tama ang bola. kahit na di na lang pumasok, matamaan ko lang. ok lang naman kasi marami naman sa amin ang hindi marunong. dahan-dahan din kaming natuto hanggang sa halos kada friday e yun na lang ang gimik namin. nagiging bowling kung minsan kapag may pera kami dahil bagong suweldo. pero kapag kapos sa pera, bilyar na lang. mas mura kasi. kahit sa amoy-sigarilyong usok ng marbles, go pa rin kami. di man ako naging magaling, nakaka-shoot na rin ako ng bola paminsan-minsan. hanggang ngayon, goal ko pa rin ang matalo si neil (ang pinakamagaling sa amin sa bilyar) kahit isang game lang.

natutuwa ako kapag naglalaro ako ng bilyar. di man ako maging kasing galing ng mga kaibigan ko, ok lang sa akin. minsan nga, iniisip ko na ok na rin kahit na di ako maging magaling para masaya lang ang paglalaro. di ko iniisip na kailangan kong manalo at kailangan kong ipakita na magaling ako. (o baka excuse ko lang yan). ok nga at tinuruan ako ng mga kaibigan kong mag-bilyar kasi nakakapag-bonding ako sa ibang mga tao dahil dun. ngayon lang, kakauwi ko lang galing sa barbecue sa bahay ng project manager namin. pagkakain at pagka-chika sa ibang mga kasama, bumaba kami para manood sa iba pa naming officemates na naglalaro. nakalaro ko na isang beses si aaron kaya alam niya na marunong ako. pagkatapos ng game nila, pinalitan ko siya at nakilaro ako sa kanila. astig kasi ako lang ang babaeng nakikilaro (e pero tatlo lang naman kaming babae nun). ang ok pa, naka-tatlong bola akong dire-diretsong pasok. syempre, hindi sadya. swerte lang parati. pero ok kasi nagmukha akong magaling. hehehe!

nakakatuwa kasi di naman ako magaling sa small talk. madalas kasi akong nauubusan ng sasabihin. kaya nga gusto kong may mga kasamang makuwento. e since naglalaro kami ng bilyar, nag-e-enjoy ako kahit na di ako magkuwento nang magkuwento. konting chika chika lang, ok na.

ilang beses ko nang naririnig ang kasabihang "music is the universal language". ngayon ko lang naisip, ang bilyar din pala.

sa araw ng kalayaan

ipinagmamalaki kong isa akong pilipino. kahit saan ako magpunta, kapag tinatanong ako ng mga tao kung saan ako galing, parating may ngiti ang pagsagot ko na galing ako sa pilipinas. kahit sa mga oras na may mga hindi magandang nangyayari sa pinas, di ko ito ikinahiya kahit kailan. oo, may mga oras na nadi-dismaya ako sa mga pulitiko natin na wala na lang ginawa kundi mangurakot. at may mga pagkakataon na nagdududa ako kung mababago pa nga ba ang kalagayan ng pilipinas. minsan din, nag-iisip ako kung mas mabuti pa nga bang manirahan na lang sa ibang bansa. pero naniniwala pa rin ako na ang pilipinas ay isa sa pinakamagandang bansa sa buong mundo. at ang mga pilipino ay isa sa mga pinakamabubuting tao sa balat ng lupa. nalulungkot ako kapag mayroon akong kaibigan o kakilala na nagsasabing ayaw na nilang umuwi ng pilipinas. o mas gusto pa nilang mabilang sa ibang lahi. nasasaktan ako bilang isang pilipino.

ipinagmamalaki kong pinalaki akong minamahal ko ang aking lahi. sa bawat paaralang pinasukan ko, itinatak ito sa aking isip at puso.

sa araw ng kalayaan ng pilipinas, nais ko sanang tunay na maging malaya ang mga pilipino. malaya sa mababang pagtingin ng ibang tao, at lalo na sa mababang tingin ng kapwa nating pilipino. nais kong maging malaya tayo sa kahirapan, na kaya nating mabuhay ng matiwasay ng dahil lang sa sipag at tiyaga, na hindi na natin kailangang mangibang-bansa para lang matustusan ang pangangailangan natin sa araw-araw. na maaaring maging matapat ng bawat tao dahil hindi nila kailangang mandaya o mangurakot para lang kumita ng pera. gusto ko sanang respeto ang salitang maging kakabit ng pagiging pilipino.

pilipino ako. at mahal ko ang aking lahi.

true love na ito!

ok. so i've been posting entries in english most of the time in the remote possibility that someone outside of my circle suddenly goes in and reads my blog. but i have to post this entry in taglish (tagalog-english, for those that do not know) just because it's easier that way. :)

***

sa tinagal-tagal na panahon, hindi ako kinikilig. wala naman kasing dahilan. well, kapag napapanood ko si apolo sa tv o kaya nung nakita ko siya sa cover ng magazine, kinilig ako. pero ibang kilig naman yun e. obvious namang star-struck lang ako sa kanya. pero kahapon, habang nakikipag-usap ako sa isang kaibigan sa ym, halos mapasigaw ako sa kilig.

bago mag-react ang mga kapatid at mga kaibigan ko na ang tangi lang yatang panalangin para sa akin e ang magkaroon na ng boypren e hindi po para sa akin ang kilig na yun. alam nyo yung kilig na nararamdaman mo kapag yung kilala mo e inlab sa kaibigan mo? ganun.

ang galing nga ng pag-uusap namin kasi di naman talaga yun ang balak naming pag-usapan. di nga kami madalas mag-usap eh. inaantok lang siya kaya siya nag-decide na makipag-usap sa akin. e ok lang naman sa akin kasi di naman din ako masyadong busy nun. nagsimula sa pagiging mag-isa ko sa apartment ko. sabi ko kasi, masaya ring mag-isa paminsan-minsan kasi halos buong buhay ko e kasama ko ang mga kapatid ko sa kuwarto. so ang hirap kung gusto mong mag-isa. pero minsan din, nakaka-miss ang ingay. kasi kung may gusto kang kausapin, wala kang ibang makakausap kundi yung tv mo. mukha ka nga lang tanga nun. :) sabi niya, ang galing daw kasi di ko daw kelangang mag-asawa para magkaroon ng privacy. sabi ko naman, kapag mag-aasawa ka nga, halos lahat ng bagay e ise-share nyo sa isa't isa.

tapos napunta sa kung meron na daw ba akong prospect. sabi ko wala. napag-usapan pa nga namin yung mga kasama ko dito. sabi ko, di ko papatusin kasi umaamoy (gets nyo na kung saan sila galing). so tinanong niya ako ng mga gusto ko... syempre sabi naman ako. di ko na nilahat kasi baka di kami matapos. :) sabi niya, sa susunod daw naming pagkikita e sasama daw siya sa screening committee. aba, sure! basta ba merong pagpipilian eh. hehehe! :) dun ko tinanong kung kelan naman siya magpapakilala ng special someone niya at kung ano ba mga "requirements" niya. nagsabi naman din siya. so ang tanong ko e kung wala pa bang juma-jackpot sa requirements niya. meron na daw kaya lang di daw pwede. at explain pa siya na may pagka-nerdo (sori, totoo eh) kung bakit.

sa pag-e-explain niya at sa kabuuan ng usapan namin, na-gets ko na kung sino ang tinutukoy niya although wala naman siyang sinasabing pangalan. pero sa lahat ng emoticons at sa lahat ng sitwasyon na nabanggit niya, manhid na nga lang siguro ako kung di ko makuha kung sino yun. syempre, ako naman itong gagang kaibigan, halos mamatay ako sa kilig. di nga ako magkaintindihan kung paano magpigil sa pagsigaw kasi conference room ako at ma-o-obvious ng mga kasama ko na di ako nagta-trabaho. :)

yun nga lang, mas excited ako kesa sa kaibigan ko. siguro kasi di naman siya talaga na-involve sa pag-uusap kaya di siguro niya naramdaman yung naramdaman ko. at sayang nga lang kasi sa tingin ko, tinanggap na nilang dalawa na hindi sila pwede. sa akin talaga, never say never. malay mo, diba? :)

frankfort

kentucky is a state adjacent to ohio. i've never been to kentucky except when going to or coming from the airport. with the help of virtual tourist and google, i checked its capital, which is frankfort. romer was staying in lexington, a few minutes away from frankfort. surprisingly, they've never been there before. well, i've never been to columbus as well, which is the state capital of ohio but that would be rectified soon, as i am just awaiting my brochure which i requested online. but that would be a different adventure all together.



romer and i decided to meet up at the state capitol. i was with my officemates, jay and cathy and he arrived with his officemates, joyce and phoebe. it's been a while since we last saw each other, i don't even remember when that was. so it was a bit ironic that it was in the US, miles away from home, that we would see each other again.

the frankfort capitol is the first that i have seen among the states that i have been to. the grounds were beautiful especially since the flowers were now in full bloom. we were able to go inside the building, have our pictures taken with lincoln's statue (he's a kentuckian) and in different parts of the building. we realized from going through the halls that they had senators and representatives from different states. we somehow wondered how they ever get to decide on national issues when all senators and representatives were present. when there were no more pictures to be taken within the capitol walls, we then proceeded to the floral clock at the back of the capitol to have more pictures taken.



after lunch, everyone (except for me) ruled out going to the museums. so we decided to go to buffalo trace distillery instead. thanks to the gps in cathy's car, we were able to arrive in one piece (well, two... since we were in two cars). and we were just in time for the 2 pm tour. after viewing a short video of the origins of buffalo trace, we went into the warehouse to see how they were storing the bourbon in oak barrels. we had to tour the smaller warehouse as the bigger one got damaged in a hurricane a couple of days back. we also went into the bottling facility where the bourbon is hand-bottled and hand-labelled. however, the last part of the tour was the most anticipated since it was the bourbon tasting. i've never had bourbon before so i was a bit excited. teresa, our guide, first poured out vodka for us to taste... then bourbon... then bourbon balls, which are bourbon-flavored chocolate. the bourbon was more subtle than the vodka, and the chocolate was delicious... just a hint of bourbon but not overpowering the chocolate.



our frankfort trip ended with the tour. we decided to part ways then, although i was going to see them again in a couple of weeks. it was a good trip... bonding with my officemates, catching up with an old friend and meeting new ones. kentucky might be boring for some people, but i guess that depends on you.

more pictures here.

yes, he will be missed

ok, so now i am affected.

after ryan seacrest announced that the phone lines were open for voting last tuesday, i spent two hours dialing one number. i voted for elliott yamin. alas, the two hours i spent did not do him any good as elliott said goodbye to the american idol stage yesterday.

when chris daughtry left the show, i was shocked. i seriously thought that between him and kat, kat was the one to go. but now, i am disappointed. sorely and utterly disappointed.

before it was announced who had gotten the lowest number of votes, i was thinking that if ever elliott did go to the finals but did not win (as taylor is obviously the favorite), he would still be releasing an album as all runner-ups have had during the last four seasons. since it's just may, by the time it was time for me to go home, elliott would have already released an album. i would be buying one for sure. i hope that still happens even now that he's gone from the competition.

*fingers crossed*

a brief trip home

it's been a while since i last posted and a lot has happened since then. i've spent two weeks in manila, spending time with my family and some of my friends. unfortunately, i also had to work the whole time i was there. it made my trip back home seem shorter than it already was.

let's see..

1. my family and relatives were all there to welcome me back home, something that i had hoped for but didn't really expect and so very well appreciate.
   
2. i went to the office to finish up with some admin work and see my officemates.
3. we had a surprise birthday party for tita eva.
   
4. went back to the office the second time and was able to talk to my manager and more friends. i was both happy and sad when i learned that a friend will be leaving the company soon. it was a brief goodbye with the hope that we'll be seeing each other again.
   
5. we had dinner at home together with our relatives and mom's friends to celebrate her birthday.
   
6. i met up with some friends for dinner in makati, a get-together that i thought would not happen during this trip back home. a heartfelt thank you to rose, pogs, eden, mami bhing, neil and art for a memorable, albeit brief reunion.
   
7. was able to reconnect with jing and joel, two close friends from college that i haven't talked to for the longest time. this is the reason why i love friendster!
   
8. had the official celebration of mom and tita eva's birthdays in los banos.
   

all too soon i was on my way back to cincinnati. six months to go before i head back home... for good.