surprise!

this day started out quite fine, but the mugs on the city got damaged, i figured this day had to get better, right? uchi, ia, ela, kix and elijah picked me up at the house (thank you dears!) and on we went to station 168 where tina was waiting for us. we got the food ready and waited for the birthday girl to arrive. after minutes of waiting, anggie finally arrived and was surprised to find out we had taken the time to give her a little party. we had some great food namely: barbeque (which uchi recommended), kimchi (came as a side dish for the bbq), chocolate cake (courtesy of uchi's aunt) and japchae (which tina made after we arrived even after i specifically told her she didnt need to do prepare, do or pay for anything). it was so mashitta... i think i was going to explode... good food can do that to you, jongmalyo... im not kidding! ia had to leave early and i also had a curfew so i sort of thwarted the plan to go norebang (im really sorry guys...), so we ended up going to starbucks instead. there, anggie 'defeated' ela when trying to pay for the drinks. anggie treated all of us, though kix was able to work around her by staying behind and getting something on her own... clever chick! we had great topics to discuss which revolved around elijah and his cute antics, lots of korean lessons, binnie getting beat up later, birthdays, gagagagagaga (binnie tried to explain his language, though he did succeed in making all of us laugh really hard) and "The Knife." all in all it was a great night, though cut short. i feel sorry for i think i sort of caused it... but ill try to make it up to them somehow... i shall really try, though ive got no idea how... oh well. ill sleep on it and maybe ill get an idea when i wake up...

Unusual shape = laughter

nikki, my little brother, announced that he was hungry. he went through the refrigerator and the cabinets in search of something to devour but could not find anything he fancies. he decided to have someone prepare him something, but alas, his favorite merienda (instant pansit canton) wasnt available (i havent had time to replenish our grocery...). nikki decided it would be a good idea to get me to bake him some cookies, since it was quick and easy. i didnt want to bake at first, since i knew that if did, my brother would eat it all and heaven knows he doesnt need anymore food in his body... but after much deliberation, i knew id lose in an argument (whether to bake or not) so i went out to get an additional item (went to a nearby store for my car was ban) before i could start. i measured, mixed, placed the stuff on the cookie sheet and baked it for 10 minutes. folks at the house were shocked at the baked items. most of them laughed, some of them were able to control their reactions. heaven help me, my finished product looked like double chocolate chip "POO" cookies...!

how the wort moon has nothing to do with this post...

As usual, I wasn't able to get up too early though not all of the details of the engagement today were final. Place and time weren't even decided, so how weird can I get? As i was finishing up some stuff at home, Sona texted me that she would be late. By the time i finally finished my work it was almost 1 pm, Saturday, august 20. 2005. I was going to be freaking late. I had to rush to get ready and race to glorietta. Sona remembers glorietta so we opted for something familiar to her. I also ran into some trouble becauseI had to switch cars with my sister and instead of taking the smaller (my city) car, I ended up taking the bigger (dad's altis) car.I also received a text from Tina for she was also at Glorietta and was now looking for the meeting place (because I wasnt able to pinpoint any location for her). Sona decided to wait at Outback so I drove my car in that direction. Tina saw me in my car as I waved to them. I wanted them to get into the car with me. I decided to change the mall we were going to due to the lack of nice parking spaces at glorietta (from the sound advice of my mother who happened to know a lot about makati and parking around the place) and I also saw how many cars were littering the streets of ayala (not to mention the long line to get into the parking lots). As we neared our destination,I was able to text Ia and Uchi (I know its against the law to text and drive, hehehe) and tell her we were on our way to Market Market! Tina, Sona and Isabelle weren't hungry so we stayed at Starbucks to wait for Uchi, Ia and Ela who lived nearby and were on their way. After a while, we were now complete in attendance. Uchi, Ia, Ela, Tina, Sona, Isabelle and I were soon on a convoy and on our way to Joo Sarang Norebang. I'm not a very good driver and therefore accidentally left Uchi a couple of times, which sort of made my Korean friends laugh. As we neared our destination, I was finally able to concentrate on what I was supposed to do and refrain from making any more rash moves while on the road. Tina guided the way to Jo Sarang Norebang. We encountered some parking problems (maybe due to my lack of driving and parking skills) but that was fixed in a jiffy. I think it was Uchi's quick thinking that fixed it. When we entered the establishment, that was when we found out that the place was full. There was this horde of Korean teenagers, singing their hearts out. We decided to wait them out, since most of them wouldn't stay that long anyway. We took some pictures while waiting. Uchi made some temporary tattoos for all of us. She made one that resembled a female with big dark wings (ring any bells?) for me. She gave Sona and Isabelle a sun and a moon tattoo respectively but for the life of me, I cannot recall what Tina had gotten. Me and my crappy memory, go figure... After a fashionably long wait, we were able to get a room and coincidentally, it was the same room that we used the first time we went there (Uchi, Ia, Sooyeon, Tina and I went to Jo Sarang Norebang a few weeks ago). We started out slow but picked up speed on the songs. The songlist was updated (only 2005 released songs had a separate page; old songs up to december 2004 songs were arranged alphabetically, so to speak). Sona and Isabelle were game enough and really sang right along with us. We (the Filipinos: Uchi, Ela, Ia and I) sort of cheated and brought along romanizations of the korean songs we liked. We tried to read hangeul but sometimes it was just too fast for us to keep up and sing properly at the same time. And of course, Tina was the best singer among us. We were all duly impressed. Isabelle was rather shy but she did begin to interact with us though there was the language barrier. And in fairness, we all got grades higher than 90 for singing songs which we couldnt even understand and sing properly. We sang everything from HOT's "Candy (1995?)" to the newer songs by BoA "Girls on Top(2005)" and Shinhwa's "Oh!(2005)" and "Hey Dude.(2005)" We did ballads, pop, dance, rap and even rock songs. Tina had to leave us because she had another appointment. We had so much fun that we didnt realize that we (Sona, Isabelle and I) were pushing past our curfews. We got our bill and decided to meet at Tina's workplace, Station 168, after we drop off the others. I had to take Sona and Isabelle to the MRT station so they could go home while Uchi and Ela had to take Ia to her practice (if I remember correctly). I was the last to arrive at Station 168 due to traffic. We had some dinner (which Binnie obba prepared) consisting of Tobokki and Kimbap. Tina added some Mandoo and more Kimchi for us as well. We discussed everything over dinner from how Tina thought Uchi looked Chinese (Uchi is part Chinese) to the Mangosteen coffee that Tina got from ABS-CBN (if I am not mistaken). Tina showed us some stuff on the computer, pictures of her sisters and Binnie while Uchi showed Tina her blog and my blog (it was a little embarrassing since my blog was rather plain). It was 9 pm and we needed to get back home. I totally forgot to inform my parents I would be home late (I told my mother I would be home by 5.. I was way off the mark by a good four hours...). I raced home only to find out that my folks were out with my other relatives but they left my siblings at home with our cousin. Then I was instructed (by my dad) to take my cousin to Starbucks (I went to Starbucks for the second time that day) and hangout, which we did. At starbucks, my cousin realized how weird and strange I can actually get. We left starbucks at around 1.30 am and went straight to my house. The parents came back at around 2 am and my relatives left right after they arrived. Our house settled down but I was still up. I enjoyed myself today so much that i was deliriously happy and my body refused to rest though I could feel that lack of sleep and the activities of the day were taking a toll on me. At around 4 am, I was finally able to slow down and calm myself, long enough to get some shut eye. Whew! Zzzzzzz.....

seven

Here is another list from uchi.. enjoy my ordinary response...

Seven things that scare you:

1. drowning

2. butchi (yes the food, it reminds me of something)

3. cockroach

4. pinhead guy

5. getting abandoned or orphaned

6. losing my stuff (cds and such)

7. becoming a whale (its possible...)

Seven things you like the most:

1. cars

2. music (kpop, jrock)

3. tv and movies

4. hanging out with beings i like

5. the net!

6. getting close to nature

7. singing (maybe even dancing)

Seven important things in your bedroom:

1. my cabinets (which contain and hide my crap)

2. Player

3. my posters and such

4. bed

5. my stuffed animals

6. books and writing materials

7. sewing kit

Seven random facts about you:

1. I dont like salt

2. I am fond of anything black (really?) and anything related to hyesung (like nobody knew that...)

3. I was on the President's List for two semesters (I got straight A's)

4. I won first place in a singing contest (i was actually threatened into joining or face getting a low grade in high school)

5. I am in danger of getting paralyzed from the neck down due to sever scoliosis

6. I've written over 20 novels (only 7 have endings and were published)

7. I suffer from short term memory loss due to medication

Seven tthings you plan to do before you die:

1. At this point, get a decent job and become a gazillionaire (so i can travel around the earth)

2. Go to Korea and Japan and meet my favorite artists, maybe even be friends with them

3. Have a huge going out party with everyone!

4. own my own horde of animals

5. go through a nice nature trip, save the earth

6. Finish all my novels and help mankind

7. Feel like i was alive

Seven things you can do:

1. sing

2. type fast

3. cook and bake

4. draw

5. drive a car

6. ride a horse

7. dream myself to oblivion

Seven things you can't do:

1. speak lots of different languages fluently

2. sing like a pro

3. program a computer

4. rest

5. live a normal life (act normal)

6. eat butchi (it really does gross me out)

7. control my fixation with shinhwa and black...

Seven things that attract you to the opposite sex:

1. eyes

2. hair

3. smile (funny and fun factor)

4. Ass-ets

5. built (i dont like too much muscle, it would be too firm.. hehe)

6. refined and well educated but smart and clever too

7. when he's like my knight in shining armor (hopeless romantic)

Seven things you say the most:

1. What the Hell?

2. Crap!

3. Sh*t!

4. Hell or Heck

5. Freak or Damn

6. Jeez or Aish

7. Ye or Hai! (Andwe, Anio or Iie, Yada)

Seven celeb crushes (whether local or foreign):

1. Shin Hye Sung

2. Hyde

3. Chad Michael Murray

4. Eric Moon/Lee Minwoo (tie!)

5. John Pratts (i think he's adorable!)

6. Edison Chen (sinfully hot)

7. Johnny Depp (even though he looks weird a lot of times)

Seven people you want to see to take this quiz:

1. Uchi (but shes done it already)

2. Ia and Ella (since they are twins

3. Lexy

4. Kuwami

5. Karla

6. Aya

7. Pamela

Done! thinking of seven things takes a hell lot of time...

three

i got this list from uchi... and she got it from her friend Tina... and so on, ne?

The three things list

3 Names You Go By:

1. marie

2. hyeji

3. bru

3 Screen Names You Have Had

1. darkangel

2. darkangel_hime

3. hyeji

3 Physical Things You Like About Yourself

1. my left hand (yes, just the left)

2. ucipital mapillary

3. eyes or hair (whichever has looks normal that day)

3 Physical Things You Don't Like About Yourself

1. skin

2. hips (it runs in the family sad to say)

3. height? (does that count as physical?)

3 Parts of Your Heritage

1. spanish (+other european crap)

2. filipino (+ faint chinese asian stuff)

3. wiccan (nobody argue... or ill hex you...)

3 Things That Scare You

1. living outside my comfort zone

2. if i get separated from my stuff (cds and such)

3. drowning (its really freaky)

3 Of Your Everyday Essentials

1. TV (preferably with cable)

2. phone (gotta love it...)

3. player (cd/vcd/dvd/mp3) and can alternate with internet... (with net coming in fast)

3 of Your Favorite Musical Artists

1. Shinhwa (not to obvious?)

2. L'Arc~En~Ciel

3. all those other artists fall under here... (questions?)

3 of Your Favorite Songs (as of Aug. 18, 2005)

1. Oh! (2005 summer) - Shinhwa

2. Over - High and Mighty Color

3. Superstar - Jewelry

3 Things You Want In A Relationship

1. loyalty (year of the dog)

2. fun and laughter (i generally try to be happy)

3. understanding and compromise (im very moody and my shinhwa obsession runs deep)

3 Lies

1. i am normal

2. i think its perfect ( i try not to think)

3. sure friend!

3 Truths

1. Karma can really bite you in the ass

2. Death isnt a bad thing

3. I'm in desperate (really obvious) need of medical attention

3 Physical Things About The Opposite Sex That Appeals To You

1. eyes

2. face, smile (overall bearing)

3. hair

3 Of Your Favorite Hobbies

1. cooking, baking

2. music and net (usually done at the same time)

3. embroidery

3 Things You Want To Do Really Badly Now

1. be close friends with my favorite gasoo

2. lose weight

3. horse back riding

3 Careers You're Considering/You've Considered

1. government employee

2. UN employee ( or interpreter)

3. teacher or language instructor ( though becoming a gasoo has crossed my mind more than once...)

3 Places You'd Want to Go For Vacation

1. Europe (paris, london, spain, scotland)

2. korea or japan

3. U.S.A.

3 Kid Names You Like

1. Alexandra

2. Samantha

3. Katleen

3 Things You Want To Do Before You Die

1. become a gazillionaire and travel the whole world (which acquiring tons of assests)

2. meet the gasoos, get autographs and pictures

3. save the earth and the human race

3 Ways That You Are Sterotypically a Boy

1. I like cars

2. I like blood and gore and the supernatural

3. i act like a boy at times

3 Ways That You Are Sterotypically a Girl

1. I've got super long hair and nails

2. I have shinhwa posters on my wall and obsess about them

3. i really cannot be mistaken for a boy coz my height is that of a small girl

3 Celebrity Crushes

1. Shin Hye Sung

2. Hyde

3. Chad Michael Murray

that was fun...

sunsaengnim! jongmal haengbok haeyo!

i got up earlier than usual (meaning i got up before 10 am) to get everything ready for the small gathering i planned for tonight. i dawddled and ended up wasting good time doing absolutely trivial stuff. i got started cooking at around 12.30 pm. thank god i made the cake the night before, or else, it wouldve been a problem... i got some help so i think that made the job faster and easier. we were able to finish at around 3 pm so i got ready. tina texted me stating that they would arrive early. i dashed outta the house to pick them up. tina came with jazmine, jazmine's mom, david (jazmine's brother) and isabelle (jazmine's friend). Binnie couldnt arrive due to work and tina also had to leave after a while because of her work as well. she left binnie to fend for himself and she had to go back and help him. as tina was leaving, we came across uchi and her sisters ia, ella with her son ilai and kix. uchi and tina were able to share a smoke and talk for a while before tina really had to get going. since only two more guests were not there and the food was ready, my father suggested we dine. we had a fine fare composed of crab and shrimp in sweet sauce, shrimp cooked in sparkling wine, baked mussels and japchae. anggie and choon il arrived several minutes later. my father cooked half of the dishes which i agreed to for several reasons: i like seafood; my guests also like seafood; my dad likes seafood; the seafood market is near us; its a filipino-ish fare; and its was orange. my shinhwa obsession goes deep that the food was orange. i even iced the cake with orange frosting and the japchae did have carrots.... hehe... lots of pictures were taken and the mood was light. i didnt serve any alcohol, only diet coke (and water for those who didnt want the soda) and part of that reason was shinhwa did a commercial for coke (though they only drank the classic regular coke, not diet). though i went for diet, since i thought itd be healtier or something... i wouldve served something else, but i had minors with me... and it was dinnertime too, driving under the influence isnt good... but it wasnt like i wanted to get everyone drunk... and well my dad will wonder if i do serve drinks other than soda or juice or something... he knows i dont drink... hehe... we didnt do much after eating, just a few more pictures and jazmine's family had to leave early since they will still have to commute all the way to quezon city where they temporarily live. i left uchi and her sisters with anggie and choonil with my family so that i could personally take jazmine and her family to the station. i left a chinese movie for them to watch. when i got back we did chat for a while and after a cigarette break (that choon il and uchi took), they announced they also had to leave. uchi needed to drop by another place before going home and it was getting late, plus, little ilai wanted to leave (from boredom maybe). anggie had classes the next day too. so it was time to wrap up our little gathering. everyone gave me a little something, though they shouldnt have since all i wanted was their presence and share a meal with me. after waving goodbye to everyone, we cleaned up a little and the house settled down. i opened the little trinkets and loved all of them. they shouldnt have brought me anything, but i am very grateful. most of those things had something to do with shinhwa... that made me even happier. and the best present i got from my dad, he was finally able to have internet connected to our newly fixed computer. i had fun today! saengil chookha bamnida, sunsaengnim!!!

a usual saturday

got up late in the afternoon due to insomnia (like thats something new...) only to find out that my folks left me at home. my aunt and cousin were to arrive later in the afternoon. by the time my folks return, they ask me to cook the early dinner to be served but they didnt buy the ingredients i would need for the dishes they requested so i ended up going to the supermarket to pick up some stuff. my sister accompanied me, since she also needed to pick up some things from the mall. we were able to purchase what we needed in a jiffy so we ended up wasting some of our precious time dallying through the car show in the middle of the mall. a few car manufacturers brought some of the newest models with them and we were tempted to go test them out. we went through that honda car, a jazz i think and the mazda 3... the cars were so nice, and since i cant afford it, do the next best thing, check the machine out. they were such sweet rides.. too bad i cant get my own. oh well... after wasting a lot of time at the mall, i had to race home and my phone started beeping and stuff since they were getting worried that i might not be able to finish cooking before our visitors arrive from thailand. when i got home, i got right to work. good thing i got a lot of reluctant helpers. it was a chaotic time in my kitchen but we were able to prepare everything in time. we had some shrimp, clams, squid, lasagna and bunch of other stuff.. and of course, cake, 3 flavors of cake... after all that was said and done and eaten... we all had a nice reunion. i was tired as hell, but it was nice to see my relatives again. my insomnia left me alone that night, but returned the next day. how sad...