Sweet Dreams

Pop quiz: what does PS stand for in the Sweet Dreams book series?

I was passing by a news stand on my way to the clinic this morning when i saw among a pile of old magazines and paperbacks several Sweet Dreams books of my youth. I can't help but smile as I asked the owner of the stand if they were for sale. He said yep, for 10 bucks a piece. I quickly scanned through the titles and picked up several pieces which I've read over and over when I was in high school. I saw copies of The Popularity Plan, The Summer Jenny fell in love, Ten-Boy Summer, Cover Girl, Tender Loving Care, Little Sister...etc...but no PS I love you. I bought 4 titles and realized how back then I had to save for weeks just to be able to buy a new one for 13 pesos. I remember how my classmates and I would assign titles for each of us to buy and then later we'd swap. Then we'd talk about which books made us kilig, which girl in the book we want to be, which boy in the book we like, and which book made us cry--and that book would always be PS I love you.

Maybe I'm being over-dramatic when I say that looking at these books and thinking about those years gets me misty-eyed and makes me all choked-up inside. I can't help but recall how things were so simple back then, how life was so care-free when all we'd worry about were school, friends, boys (sometimes) and how we'd make such big deal of the little things. It feels like eons ago, especially now that my classmates and I are preparing for our silver jubillee homecoming next year. Gulp. If that doesn't give away my age already, I don't know what else will.

BTW, to the teen-aged girls like me in the 80's, PS I love you means Paul Strobe I love you. Go Figure.

9 is my favorite number

At first, I prayed that I may pass with a fairly decent rating....well at least higher than my optometrist board exam of 80.7%.

Then, after that fateful 1st day of exams when I felt so depressed and dejected after 3 tests...I was willing to settle for a passing grade. The tests were THAT hard for me to lose my self-confidence. I wanted to cry, fearing for the worst.

After almost 2 months of nerve-wracking wait, the results were out...and the biggest and most pleasant surprise of my life came about.....

I garnered the 9th place in the June 2008 Nurse Licensure Exam!!!!
With a rating of 84.4%!!!
Thank you Lord!
I never even dreamed to be among the top spot in an exam which over 65,000 people took, but it certainly was a most pleasant surprise.

Thank you to all the people, family and friends alike who prayed for me and with me during my exams. It made me feel more confident knowing that a lot of people were praying for me. Much appreciated you guys.

Congratulations to all the other board passers! Good work!!

That Says It All

Bought this at a store in TRINOMA. Cute eh?

Road Rage

I am still hyperventilating as I'm writing this.

I was on my way home tonight around 11:30 pm from a dinner out with friends. Less than a kilometer away from my house, I was at an intersection (tayuman and abad santos), waiting for the light to turn green. When it turned green, I went my way when from my left there was this black honda civic making an illegal left turn from abad santos. He was trying to beat me to the turn. I honked my horn loudly and he missed hitting my car by several inches. I rolled down my window and glared at the driver. I didnt scream at him/her. I couldnt even see inside of the car as it was heavily tinted. From then, the driver tailed me and kept flashing his lights, then he swerved and was beside me, inches away from me. When I stopped, he stopped. I kept going but I was already fuming. Then, he again swerved infront of me and drove very, very slowly for the next hundred meters or so, suddenly breaking several times. He was really goading me. By then I was boiling mad and I was ready to go down. When I opened my door, he again moved his car very slowly and then at the next intersection, stopped and flashed me a dirty finger. I did not move. I also gave him the finger and again he flashed me a dirty finger. He stopped his car, lit a cigarette and dangled his arm out of the window. He made it clear that he wasn't going anywhere. By that time, I couldn't think straight anymore and I went down and walked over to his car. I asked him "ano ba ang problema mo!" And there was this chinese /taiwanese immigrant guy with bad teeth, who couldn't even speak straight tagalog, who asked me "sino ka? mayaman ka ba?" I swear, all the blood rushed to my head! I berated him and called him gago and sira ulo. I dont even know if he understood half of what I was saying to him but I continued ranting . He was trying to answer back but I couldn't understand what he was trying to say. I also didn't know if he was drunk or what. After I have told him off, I went back to my car and drove off. I was watching if he was going to follow me. I was only about 50 meters away from my street, but I turned at the next street to be sure. I looked back and there he was, he stopped at the corner, but thank God he didnt follow me. I'm still shaken as of this minute.

Upon reaching home, I suddenly realized the foolishness of my actions. I was alone and although tayuman was not deserted at that time, i doubt if anybody would have helped me if the guy attacked me or whatever. I know I need to control my temper especially when I'm driving. I may be lucky this time because the guy did not make patol. Maybe he was surprised that I was not scared considering that I was alone. I practice defensive driving, trying to be as safe as I can be. Seldom speeds, stops at every red light and then some asshole tries to bully me on the road. From now on, I'll really, really try to be calm and level-headed when on the road. But considering the driving conditions in Metro Manila plus those idiotic, stupid drivers who think they own every single space their cars tires roll on, so help me God.

Close Encounter

So, I was at Yellow Cab Tomas Morato one afternoon waiting for my takeout pizza when I suddenly felt I had to go to the bathroom. This particular Yellow Cab branch has a what we call "coed" toilet. I opened the door and when I had one leg inside, there was a guy in there. What the..... this guy doesn't know how to lock his doors huh? I quickly withdrew my foot and then the guy turned, apologized and locked the door. But wait...this guy looked familiar...could it be hmmm....

I waited outside for a few minutes and when he came out, the guy smiled at me and said sorry again. And indeed it was.............

Sam Milby!



This guy is hella cute! Now I can honestly say I was in a bathroom with Sam Milby....well, at least one leg was...hehehe..too bad I didn't see anything incriminating....promise! ;-)

It's not Friday but..

From Monica's TGIF

Clothes That Make The (Wo)Man (mar 30, 2007)

1.What is the most useful article of clothing that you own?
I would have to say my jeans. I can wear them anywhere, anytime.

2.What is the most useless article of clothing that you own?
Some of my sexy backless tops. A few of them have yet to see the light of day.....err night.

3.What is your favorite clothing accesory?
My white Mango belt with cute multi-color prints.

4.What color dominates your wardrobe?
White and black. although i noticed I'm being very fond of red lately

5.How many pairs of jeans do you own?
I stopped counting at 30



Counting Sheep (Mar 30, 2007)

1.What do you wear to bed during cold nights?
Sweat pants, a tiny tee and socks

2.What do you wear to bed during warm nights?
tank top and short shorts

3.What is your bedtime routine?
Take a bath, brush my teeth, comb my hair, apply pimple meds and olay total effects

4.How many hours of zzz do you usually get in a night? Is that enough?
On a good night, 8 hours. That's more than enough.

5.Do you remember your dreams when you awake?
Oh yes. I even remember my feelings during the dream. And if I dream of some guy in my sleep, when I wake up, I have a crush on that guy na. hehehe!

Jo

After four years, we see each other again. She has been my closest friend, more like a sister to me. We shared so many laughs, tears, secrets and heartaches together, she practically knew me inside out. That was why when she left four years ago, I felt like I lost a part of me. And when she lost touch immediately after that, I felt so hurt and betrayed. Like a lover spurned.

Fast forward to four years later, I was so surprised when one day she called me up on my cellphone to tell me she'll be here for two weeks. Frankly, at first I wasn't too thrilled at the thought...more like yeah, whatever. She asked if we could meet but i was so busy then with my exams and my capping that I told her I can't meet her till the following week. But when we finally met up, it was like everything was okay. Like nothing happened. We didn't talk about why she lost touch but somehow she sort of explained why. And though for me it was still not enough reason to lose touch, I just let it go. She's married now, and with a one year old baby boy, her 2nd one. She lost her first born 8 hours after delivery due to congenital diaphragmatic hernia. She's a supervisor in a real estate company, has her own house now, basically doing good although tired being a mom and wife too.

We met up several times after that, mostly to go shopping and visit our old hang-outs. It was just like old times. She's thrilled at the thought that someday I'll be going over to the states too. She wants me to be there when she finally gets married in church.

I felt so light after that, like a load has been lifted off me. It's never easy letting go of a friendship and I'm just so glad this one didn't end.