Books for Feb

I just finished reading my requisite two books for the month:

• The Zahir by Paulo Coelho
  
• Book 5 of The Chronicles of Narnia (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) by C.S. Lewis

Zahir's a bit heavier than what I'm used to (which tells you what kind of books I normally read. Haha), or perhaps I just didn't feel like going deeper and reflecting on what was in the book, or maybe I was just a bit skeptical about what he was saying. Still, it presented a way of thinking that was very different from my own, so it was still worth the read.

Narnia, as always, is a light, pleasant read, although I still haven't read anything that compares to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. (That is perhaps the reason why book 2 has been turned into a musical and a movie.) In the end though, I did feel a little sad--how I normally feel when I've gotten a bit attached to the characters. I guess finishing a good book is a lot like saying goodbye. And I hate goodbyes.

And that reminded me that Harry's ending next year. *sigh*

WWE gym buddies

Went to the gym at around 7:30 am on Thursday, and who should be working out there but the WWE wrestlers! I'm not a fan, so I really don't know who they were, but there was this curly-haired dude (Carlito?), a clean-cut dude (possibly John Cena), and two other guys. Was actually working out side-by-side with them. My wrestling-fanatic friends would've killed to be there, although they probably wouldn't have been able to get an autograph or anything--the wrestlers had their security in tow (all of whom were actually smaller than their, uh, wards).

My life has taken quite a boring turn--writing about wrestlers I don't even know. Haha. Just thought some friends might be interested in this little story.:)

CADs concert this Friday! I'm dancing!

It's concert time once again. The Company of Ateneo Dancers presents "Kilos," a dance concert, on Friday, Feb 24, 2006, at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater in Ateneo. Concert starts at 7:00 pm but I'll be dancing around 9:00 pm. I only have one dance this time--opted not to dance jazz because it's quite technical, and my technique's not solid. So I chose to focus on street, which looks kind of like a production number because of the sheer number of alumni dancing!

On a CADs-related note, I was going through a CD of my old files and found a message I wrote for the 10th anniversary concert. I don't know if this actually saw print, but it did make me reminisce.

~*~*~*~

Majoring in Dance, minoring in Comm. That's how I often described myself back in college, and never was this more true than in my senior year. Aside from the time I spent at workouts and practice, there was the matter of running on org, which was made especially challenging by the fact that we were not accredited that particular year.

That we weren't accredited may have been the mother of all obstacles then. Practice and concert venues, as you could imagine, didn't fall easily into our laps. A loss at a major annual competition proved to be another challenge as well. But we managed to pull through--we were able to hold auditions, attract a new breed of talent, and hold the requisite two concerts. And towards the end of the year, we placed first for the very first (and to date, only) time at JIG, another big annual competition.

In retrospect--after the stress and tears and tempers have cleared--I wouldn't have given up anything that happened that year, even if I had the chance. I can see now that I became a better person because of it all. That year taught me how to better deal with the growing pains of a young org, of a family. It taught me to pick myself up (with a few helping hands of course) after I'd fallen. It taught me to have faith--in other people, in myself.

I'd like to think it taught everyone who was there with me a few things too. And whenever I come home to CADs and see just how far they've come, I think I'm proven right.

Tisha Alvarez
President
2001-2002

Gourmet's Tiendesitas now open!

Hamil just started his own business! He opened his very own Gourmet's stall at the Delicacies Village in Tiendesitas. He's selling Gourmet's products:

*Kitchen Exclusives (pasta sauce and other sauces, salad dressings, dips)
*Lettuce
*Coffee beans (both pre-packaged and fresh beans, which they can grind right there while you wait)
*Herbal tea

You get a free bag of lettuce (while supplies last) for every purchase. He's even got freshly brewed coffee for P15. You can't beat that!

You can sample the sauces, dressings, and dips for free. For salad dressings, the bestseller is the Honey Mustard. The Italian Dressing is perfect for those who want to keep it light--it's only 30 calories per serving! The products are perfect for busy people like us—no cooking required!:) I looove the Roman Garlic dip--so much so that I'm responsible for finishing half of the free crackers (for sampling) whenever I'm there (*sheepish*).

For coffee lovers, he's offering three varieties of coffee beans: Arabica, Robusta, and good ol' Baraco. The best would be Arabica, I'm told (smell for yourself!). I don't drink coffee, but the Arabica smells heavenly. When I'm there, I often hear passers-by commenting, "Ang bango ng kape!"

The stall is open from 11am to 10pm Monday-Thursday, and 11am to midnight Friday-Sunday.

I'm really proud of him, not just because he was able to open his own stall, but also because he's a great boss. He treats his employees--Vivian (a particularly gifted promo girl) and Jepoy--really well.

I do hope you’ll support him (and me!)!:)

Takin' a break...

PRESENT PERFUME
+ None. I used Body Shop's white musk lotion.

PRESENT SHAMPOO
+ I switch between Sunsilk and Warren Tricomi

PRESENT CRAVING
+ More of that panna cotta which I had last night!

PRESENT FAVORITE SONG
+ I like hearing Beyonce's "Check on it."

LAST FOOD U ATE
+ McDonald's Big Breakfast (ate half for breakfast and half about an hour or so ago)

LAST SONG U SANG?
+ Gee, maybe "Stickwitu" or whatever.

LAST GIFT U RECEIVED?
+ Yellow roses :)

LAST GAME U ENJOYED PLAYING
+ Ultimate

LAST TIME U HAD UR HAIRCUT
+ Months ago. That reminds me...

LAST ALCOHOL U DRANK
+ Red wine (just a tad)

PRESENT PET
+ There are dogs at home but they're not mine.

LAST BOOK YOU READ
+ Currently reading Coelho's The Zahir. Last one I finished was probably Prince Caspian.

LAST BIRTHDAY ATTENDED
+ Da Bench's joint birthday thing.

LAST GIMIK/ OUTING?
+ Last Saturday. If dates count, then last night at Zucchini's.

LAST THING U DO BEFORE U GO TO
SLEEP
+ Pray

LAST MALL U VISITED
+ Galle... I’m in it right now! Not counting Galle, Megamall.

LAST MOVIE U WATCHED
+ Family Stone

LAST TIME U CRIED
+ Last week when I was just so exhausted.

PRESENT PERSON U HATE
+ Wala namang hate. Intense dislike or indifference, meron. Haha.

LAST PERSON U TEXTED
+ I think Hamil

LAST PERSON U TALKED TO
+ The editor

PRESENT CRUSH
+ Hamil

PRESENT THOUGHTS
+ Happy 60th birthday to my dad!

Blog no. 3

Sooo...I really don't have it in me to be profound in my first entry (or in any entry, for that matter). Just decided to maintain a third blog because:

1) I can't for the life of me navigate my way around tabulas, so it still looks boring; and
2) I can't seem to access my friendster blog from here.

So here I am. I will be retaining my tabulas blog for my private entries; this'll be for day-to-day events, ranging from the mundane to the life-changing.

Not that there'll be a lot of life-changing-event entries here. But, hey, you never know.