Stopping the blog

The new semester has started and I need to do an OJT (on job training). This is the final semester of my college studies. You might have noticed that I did not post any new entry for quite some time. The reason is that this semester is really important and I need to concentrate on my studies. I want to graduate in spring 2018. I was very busy. Therefore, I will stop blogging here for a while. This will be my last entry for now.

Wow, I have written more than 650 blog posts in the past 2 1/2 years. When I started with this, I did not think I could achieve so much. My first entries were simple and silly and full of English errors. Writing this blog has contributed a lot to improve my English. It also helped me to finance my studies. I am thankful for this opportunity and I am thankful to all my readers.

So, for now, I stop blogging, at least until I am graduated. Wish me luck! Thanks everyone!

Unhappy

I know I have a bad side. I won’t say that I don’t have a good side. I have done good things too. My only mistake was sometimes that I treated unworthy people good. My bad side is that I am unable to value people who are good to me and who treat me well. I always do the opposite, that’s why karma never leaves me. Those who always treated me well don't stay with me, while those who I treat well often disappoint me with their behavior.

I can’t stand myself sometimes. It’s hard to be me! I am full of weirdness in me. Bad experiences affect me more than the good experiences. I always keep memories of the bad for a long time. That’s why I’m unhappy. I have twisted emotions. I can be in a good mood, but suddenly the memories come back and I am weird, mad and sad. Then I don’t know what’s the right thing to do anymore.

Too Much Using Facebook

Too much social media is not a good thing to do, especially when you are still studying. I think that’s why my last semester was hard for me, because I spent too much of my time on Facebook, rather than studying or reviewing my notes for the next school day.

Facebooking is not bad if you know when to stop and use Facebook. In my case, I was addicted to Facebook but this must stop. I must focus on my studies so that I won’t have a problem finishing my studies. I will be graduating next year, and I need to be even more serious.

It is okay to use Facebook once in a while, but never forget to limit yourself. Some things are just more important than Facebook.

Sick During Vacation

I remember the first day of my vacation: I was feeling a bit sick, and it got worse every day. I caught a cold with coughing and fever. It was so uncomfortable to travel while being sick, especially when you’re on an airplane. They blow too much cold air into the airplane, hence, the fever made me freeze. Being on the airplane for three hours was a torture to me. I cannot imagine how it would be travelling even longer, like when you go to Europe or USA. Anyway, I survived the three hours, and after a week I got better.

Now I know how hard it is to travel while being really sick. Make sure you always have medicine with you! But if you have a weak immune system, it takes more time to recover. Some people are lucky to have strong immune system. When they get sick, they take the right medicine just once and are already good on the next day. Instead. I needed one week to recover.

Enrolled for next semester

I thought I wouldn’t be able to continue my studies, but guess what? Guys, I just enrolled for another semester. This is my last semester to finish. I am really happy that I can still go to school. I will do everything to pass all of my subjects, so that I graduate next year.

If I would fail, I would disappoint myself and all the people who believe in me. I will not let that happen. My previous attempts to study always failed for financial reasons. This is my last chance to prove myself and to other people that I can finish it. Without a college diploma, you nowadays cannot find a good job. I don’t see myself working in a sari-sari store here in the Philippines. I want a good job. I think already about working abroad. That appears to be the best for me.

Thoughts about countries

From Hong Kong to Macao to Thailand and now back in the Philippines. I travelled for two weeks, and that was a long vacation for me. I feel honoured and forever be grateful for reaching five countries in two years. I do not ask for more. For me, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. It may stop for a while, but I won’t say that I will not travel again. Once I get a better job, I will save money to travel again. I think my experience is good enough to be independent abroad. Maybe working abroad is one good thing for me to do.

Finals

I took the final examination in accounting yesterday. As expected, all questions were really difficult but I've manged to answer most of the questions on the test paper. Nothing is easy when it comes to finals.

I won't know my scores until after vacations. I will find out about it when I get back from my my trip. Right now, I feel relieved that I only have to think of the management finals that I will be taking this Saturday. After that I'm done with final examinations. Good thing that I am able to take a break and enjoy my vacation. But before that I have to deal with my management subject first, which is making me nervous already just by thinking about it.

Bad Time for Laundry

My laundry will not get dry because of this heavy rain. I wasn't expecting that the weather would turned out this way. If I knew it would stay raining, then I wouldn't have washed my dirty clothes. I should have waited another day. Well, it's not that I don't have clothes to wear anymore, I'm just not happy that my clothes won't get dry in one day. I think I will go back to the city with an empty bag because I have no clothes to bring back with me tomorrow.

Maybe there will be no classes in management tomorrow since we just had our pre-finals. I will have to confirm first, so that I don't need to come back if not needed. It's just too cold right now, I feel the need to cover up myself with my blanket. I wish there is bonfire here, then I can just sit beside and warm up myself.

Relationship drama in the province

Donnabelle lived in the same Brgy. as I do. Yesterday she got killed by her own boyfriend because of jealousy. She was killed in Tacloban around 10am yesterday. She was stabbed 12 times all over her body. The boyfriend tried to kill himself as well. He tried to stab himself after realizing what he had done to his Girlfriend. He was found lying beside his girlfriend's lifeless body. But he was still alive when they found him and brought to the nearby hospital.

I can't believe what has happened to her. She and her brother are the only family members left since their parents died in Typhoon Yolanda. Now her brother is all alone. This is sad. I hope the guy who killed her will pay for the crime he did for the rest of his life. It was a cruel relationship drama.

Donnabelle, I hope you can rest in peace!

My first oil painting

I finally finished my first oil painting. As you can see on the picture the size of the painting is tiny, but it took me one day to paint it. I could have done it in half a day, but I needed a break in the middle as my back was hurting.

Okay, since it is my first oil painting, it is painted by numbers. I did not invent this motive myself. You might see that the butterfly on the left side is not properly painted. It was really hard to apply the paint on every line of that butterfly. But it's the only part that went bad. I think the remaining of the painting is ok. The painting would be perfect if I had painted the butterfly correctly.

My experience with oil painting: it is fairly difficult even all I did was to apply paint on every number. That's why painting oil is called the highest art of painting. It is even more difficult to invent the motive while painting with oil. But after I finished painting, I started to appreciate my work. I don't mind painting more in the future. It was fun, and I will always love the outcome of my work no matter what.

Pre-finals are done

Thanks God! The pre-finals are over for me. I'm done with all exams. I feel so relieved now. It was a lot of stress, but it's over! Although I haven't figured out whether I failed or not this time. Our teachers didn't discuss our scores yet. I think by next week they will tell us the results.

One exam done, the next is coming soon. Next, I am worried about the finals. I have to do my best just so I can pass both subjects. Finals are the most important exams in a semester. If you failed in your previous examination, you can still make it up with better results in the finals, so you will be able to balance your failed exams. I don't want to lose hope. I know I won't have the best grades because this semester's subjects are difficult, but I hope I will pass, so that I don't have to repeat the semester again. I'm already 24. I think it is best if I finished by the age of 25.  Although it doesn't matter how old you are in school, I just feel the need to finish college next year. I don't want to get old studying forever.

Travel and Birthday

Exciting times are coming. Soon is semeter break and I am going to travel again. I can't wait for that day to come. I'm just so excited. I will visit 3 countries this time. This is certainly an expensive travel, but luckily all the expenses are paid for me already. The travel is organized by a kindhearted person I've known for years already. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be able to experience all the good things I'm experiencing now. I'm forever grateful for everything he has done for me.

But before I travel, I will have my birthday first, this end of the month. I'm not sure what to do on my birthday, although I've promised my family and friends from Samar that I will have a little party. That means eating on the beach, some drinks (including a bit of alcohol) and enjoying the view of Panay Beach. Party is no fun without aclohol! I think I can no longer break the promise I've made. So, this is now the plan for my birthday.

Good Day

Good morning! I just woke up from a very long sleep. I didn't have much sleep the other night, but now I am fully recharged. I feel so much better than the previous morning. I hope everyone is having a good time enjoying this beautiful day.

Christmas is coming. The Christmas time in the Philippines starts in September. People around here are playing Christmas songs already. I think they can't wait for Christmas day to come. Honestly, it sounds good to hear Christmas songs these days. I wonder what my Christmas would be like?  I hope I'm in Samar on Christmas day, because I want to celebrate Christmas and New Year's eve with my family.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a good day! Have a blessed day you all!

Scary experience of my brother

My brother called me the other day. He told me what had happened to him down in the deep ocean while fishing. He passed out while he was under the deep water. He felt like his surroundings went all dark. Two guys that work with him saved him. They told him that he wasn't opening his eyes, he looked dead already. They brought him out of the water and that was how he got back to his sense.

I was so scared when he was telling me the whole story. We might now get along sometimes, but I love my brother. I never want him to be in that situation ever again. My brother's job as a fishermen is difficult. He dives deep in the ocean all of the time. He has been doing this job for years now. My brother is used to this job, but accidents can happen anytime. I just hope this will never happen to him again. I told him to always be careful whenever he goes fishing.

Busy Monday

As usual, Monday is always a busy schedule for me. I have to be in school for the whole day, except for lunch breach. I only have two subjects every Monday, but every subject last for 4 hours. I will stay in school for 8 hours. But that's okay because tomorrow is my free day. 

I feel hungry though. I'm used to have no breakfast most of the time, but today I regret that I haven't gotten anything for breakfast. Now my stomach is asking for some pancakes, It's been a while since the last time I had pancakes. I don't usually drink coffee, but pancakes with a cup of coffee from McDonald's would be good right now. It's too late now, I don't have enough time to do it. I'm already inside the school, I can't go out anymore. 

Way to Success

Success required sacrifices! Without that, nobody can achieve success in life. I belive that success comes with great responsibilities. If we dream to be successful one day, then we must be willing to sacrifice a lot to reach what we dreamed for. For their dream, some people sacrifice love, others have to be apart from their family just to work harder in another country.

For me, being apart from my family is a hell of a sacrifice. Right now I am happy to be just a student who lives near my family. Working in another country is very hard. My cousin is just experiencing it right now. Those who know how to love or cares for their family will know what I mean.

Happy Fiesta, Hernani

Today is the actual date of the Fiesta here in Hernani. All the fun nights before were just leading toward this event. At the end of this day, the Fiesta here will be over. Classes will be back to normal, some students will be happy that they are finally going back to school. But I'm sure some are not so happy that school is back this coming Monday.

Anyway those who have friends here in Hernani can visit their house and eat there. Today is eating day for all Hernani people, as well for all the visitors that came all the way here for the Fiesta. I myself am just going to attend the mass. I did not come here for the eating. In fact, my house is located 3 brgys from here, in Brgy. Batang. The people of our village come to central Hernani for the Fiesta, but in fact Batang also has its own Fiesta to celebrate each year.

 

 

Pre-Finals

Pre-finals will be next next week, I have to be prepared before the examination comes. But for now I am in Samar for the Fiesta in Hernani. After that I will go back to the city and be ready for the examination. I must review my notes so that I can answer my test paper. We are not allowed to copy answer from other classmates, because it's already pre-finals. The previous examinations was so difficult already.

When the examination date comes, we will need to sit apart. We are not allowed to sit beside our classmates. The school rules are much stricter than in high school. The head teachers commanded all the teachers to do this set-up. We as a student must follow the instructions, not just for us students but for our instructors sake too. As teachers they must do what are told to them in order not to get expelled from their job.

The Battle of Bands!

Just got home from Tacloban! I am now at the gymnasium to watch "The Battle Of Bands". I found out that there will be 6 groups from different provinces to compete tonight. They are already here. I think some of them are really nervous, while the others are just relaxed while waiting for the show to start.

Tonight the winner will take home 20,000 Pesos as cash prize, the second winner will get 15,000 Pesos, and the one will be 10,000 pesos. There is also a consolation prize worth 5,000 pesos each for the losing participants. Each of the vocalists will get an extra 1000 pesos as well.

The show just started minutes after I arrived here in Hernani. I'm thankful that I'm able to watch all the contestants on the stage. I love to watch live bands!  Tonight is the right time for me to watch 6 groups of bands to perform. I have watched live bands in Tacloban during Fiesta and I know how much fun it is to listen to a band performance.

Okay, the first group is in my own opinion not that good. Their performance is plain, the vocalis's voice is not clear, and the 3 songs they played are rather simple. Maybe there was a problem with the microphone. The second group is called "The Trio Band". This one is really good and people are applauding them a lot while on the stage. Trio means they are 3 in the group and they sing really high and on the right tune. I am also one of those who like this group very much. How I wish they win later, but I must not forget about the other contestants. Maybe there will be another good one!

I want to go home

I want to go home to Samar after my school this afternoon. Tomorrow I don't have school until Saturday morning. The reason is that I want to see the Fiesta in Hernani. Tonight will be fun in Hernani because there will be a contest again. The tonight show is called "The Battle of Bands". It must be really nice to watch all the groups perform on the stage.

 I'll be out from school by 5pm. Surely I can still make it to the Duptours Terminal. Duptours Transport travels every hour, and the last trip is between 6 and 7pm. Normally I use Van-van, but their last trip leaves already by 5pm. That's too early for me. If I take the 6pm Duptours ride, I'll be home by 9pm. For sure the contest will start around that time. I really have to go home, or else I will keep thinking about Hernani for the rest of the night.

My birthday is coming soon

Last month, I was so excited about my coming birthday. Now that it's already my birth month, and the more my birth date is getting closer, I don't feel the same way as before. I'm no longer excited and I feel unhappy. I don't know why? I should feel grateful that God gaves me another year to live. Well, I am thankful for reaching the 24th year of age. 

But I feel like there's a missing piece of me, I just can't tell what it is. Maybe I feel unhappy, because I will be a year older this month. Where did the years go? I think it's normal for a person to feel that way. Let's say, I'm worried because I'm much older now than I was a few years ago. Well, age is just a number, the most important thing is that the face does not to look older than the age. It's really my birthday soon!

Student life

When some people laugh at you for not being able to answer the question your teacher had ask, don't show them that you're affected. Rather smile, and tell yourself that there will always be next time to show your skills by answering questions. At least you've tried it!

It's natural for a student to be wrong sometimes or to not know the correct answer. That's what learning is about. If you knew everything already, you would not need to learn anymore. We should never laugh at others in school, because none of us is a perfect student. That's why we are in school to learn, and that includes a hundred times of mistakes for a students to make. We should never criticize one another.

How to avoid depression

Life is sometimes difficult, and many challenges may come at the same time. You face confusion when you need to think of too many things. In that case you'll might end up being depressed.

To avoid this, first focus on the most important challenges. Those are not necessarily the most difficult problems: family is for me the most important priority. Second, allow yourself to have some worryless time to have some fun. Nobody can think of only problems all the time.  Once you try to have fun, you forget about your problems. You can get new energy from having fun. You may feel refreshed afterwards. And maybe some of your problems disappeared magically in the meantime. Always thinking only about problems is a bad habbit, and we all need times with worryless fun.

We are all humans who want happiness. We should never feel alone, therefore we must have friends and family around us to keep us happy in every way of life. Avoid confusion, avoid thinking too much! Just be happy if you have your family near you! That's really important.

The Hitman's Bodyguard

Samuel L Jackson and Ryan Reynolds have a good chemistry together. If you know what I'm talking about, then you have probably seen the The Hitman's Bodyguard. They are pretty hilarious in that movie. Salma Hayek did a good job as well, she's really the right one in the movie. At age 50, she's still as sexy as her younger self back in the days. Although I haven't seen much of her older movies, I'm still a fan of her though.

Ryan Reynolds is really the right guy to play an action comedy movie. He makes me laugh so hard in every scene. The movie is really funny, I'm sure you guys will laugh too often while watching the movie. I can say that Hitman's Bodyguard is one of the funniest movie I have ever seen this year.

To those who haven't watched the movie, I suggest you watch it before it's too late. Soon it will be gone from the movie theaters.

Sayawit & Hernani Fiesta

Sayawit is a combination of the words Sayaw and Awit which means "Sing and Dance". Sayawit happens every year. This contest is just one of many shows that the municipality of Hernani has to offer during the upcoming Fiesta.

The Fiesta here in Hernani will be on September 14 to 15. I am excited for it to come. There will be a contest or show every night until then. On the 13th of September will be "Battle of Bands" contest at the big gymnasium of Hernani.

Since the 12th is Tuesday, I will be free on that day, but I don't think I can come home. I'll see by then. I still have 3 days to decide. A Fiesta is really fun, last but not least thanks to the guests and Balikbayans (people working abroad). They help their hometown by sponsoring all the contests and shows until the actual Fiesta comes. We must thank them for their generosity!

Sayawit

I enjoyed watching Sayawit 2017 here in Hernani, Eastern Samar, along with my brothers and cousins. They are with me whenever I come to watch a contest. It is always more fun to watch together with my squad. My brother has a motorbike, which is a big help for us. We don't depend on public transportation, still we are able to get home on time. When my brother is not around, we don't have a choice but to wait for a tricycle to drive us to the place we are going to.

Tonight, my cousin, ate Dolly, was around to give us a free ride. My brother Nikko was also here to take us to the place where the show was being held, although he didn't wait for us until the show ends. It was my cousin's motorbike that we used, the driver was my younger brother. We were five in the group. So, two people came home first, then my younger brother came back to get us.

Sayawit is a dancing contest. It was very entertaining, I love watching all those contestants performed. They are all amazing!

Work in Hernani

I'm always busy when I'm home. This morning I went to the field with my cousins and brother to cut logs for my uncle. We have enough logs to build a backyard fence. My uncle will fix the fence later.

We could have asked other people to collect logs from the mountain, but we didn't want to spend money just to pay for these people. So, I think what we did was right. We have saved some money that we can spend on food instead. Besides going to the mountain is good for us, it's a better exercise, and we got to eat buko. Climbing buko is not a problem when you are in the middle of a mountain. Coconut is everywhere, if you know how to climb then you'll not get thirsty.

Trying to go to Samar

It seems that the Van-van tours and Duptours are fully booked. Those two are the names of transportation companies that offer routes around Eastern Samar. I think it is because today is the Fiesta in Borongan City. Boronganon people are celebrating their Fiesta today and tomorrow. Those who have relatives here in Tacloban are probably travelling back home to Borongan to participate in the Fiesta and be with their family during the special occasion.

I can see lots of people waiting here at the terminal, most of them are going to Borongan. Even though I am not going to Borongan, I am one of them who tries to get on a van. I will stop in my hometown Hernani. I will go back on Saturday morning so that I can attend my afternoon class. Right now I'm here along with passengers bound for Borongan. Anyway happy Fiesta Borongan!

Congratulations to my cousin

I'm congratulating my cousin Mycel for making it to the top five in school this time. She made us all proud for making it this far, I know she's able to maintain her grades until the end of this semester. I'm so happy with what she have achieved during this year. She is one smart kid, just like her brother and sister which are already working.

I know she will be successful in the near future. Once she is done with grade 12, she will proceed to study nursing either in Manila or in Tacloban. That's what her brother promised to her when he left for abroad. My cousin Mycel is such a hard working student, and she's also lucky that there is someone to support her in college. I'm happy for her. She's our future nurse!

I am a lazy workaholic

When I'm home in Samar, I do lots of useful things: I wash clothes, I clean the entire house, even clean the front and the back yard as well. In Samar, I never get tired doing household chores, but I am very lazy when I am at my boarding house. I barely move, I don't do much even when I have no classes. All I do is lay in bed, which isn't good.

I don't know why I'm too lazy when I'm living alone. I'm more human when I'm with other people, maybe because I don't want them to think of me as a lazy person. Whenever I'm home, I make sure I do my part of the house. But I don't cook, because that's always my cousin's job. I'm not that good at cooking, still I know a few recipes the cook.

Coconut climber

I and my cousins did some chitchat and we talked about random things. One topic lead to another until someone looked up to the coconut tree nearby us and sayed: I want to eat Buko.

Nobody knew that I can still climb up any tree, but I was also not too eager to do it. I was quiet for a while, hoping there is someone else who gets us Buko. But no one came or walked by us. So, I decided to give it a try and climbed the coconut tree. I got to the top and took the Buko. On the first climb, I took 3 pieces, on the second climb I took 4. I made everyone happy since they got to eat Buko. They were amazed that I can do that. LOL! But I have learned it as child and I don't have problem climbing trees. I can still do it.

Sunday

Have a great Sunday morning to all! I'm sure everybody has free today. Malls will be very crowded on Sunday because it is the only the day when everyone isn't busy. Have fun shopping with family guys!

I myself am heading to Samar. I have various things to do when I get home. I want to check if my dad have started to wreck the old kubo house. He told me he'll fix it when he has time, because the kubo was already broken. Even a mild typhoon could ruin the kubo easily, and then, they would not have a place to stay. Better be prepared for what's coming.

I bought some of the material he needs to build the kubo. I can't wait to see the newest kubo house soon. It won't take long for him to build the place because my youngest brother is there to help my dad.

Life of a Farmer

Life as a farmer is hard. I know this since I have done it several times, like catching shrimp in a narrow river and cutting logs, walking through the high mountain for an hour, climbing on coconut trees. I can understand that it is really difficult to be a farmer like my father.

Since I was a kid, my father worked on a farm just to provide for us. He did everything for us. I can remember how he would go fishing just so I could have something to eat during my high school days. My mom and dad were still together when I was in the middle of my 8th grade. I stopped when they parted ways. My dad continued farming even when my mom left us. He never told me to stop my studies. It was my own decision, because my family went through a hard time those years, and I knew he wasn't making enough money that time. My dad is the bravest person I know. He never gave up to life even though life got tougher.

School again

It's just too hot today! I'm going to school early to cool myself down. Whenever I come early to school, I always go to a vacant room and stay there until my next subject is about to start.

I like to stay in an air conditioned room when the weather is too hot. However, when it's a rainy day, I might feel cold inside an air conditioned room. Sometimes when I am freezing, it doesn't help to listen to the teacher, because my brain is blocked by the coldness in my body. Once I know that the weather is bad, I bring a sweater or jacket to school to warm me up during classes. That's the best way to keep my concentration at school.

September 1st

September 1st it is today. In three months, 2017 will be over and it will be the beginning of another year. How come year goes by too fast, that you won't noticed you haven't done anything best for your life for this whole year.

Anyway we should be happy that Christmas is coming very soon. In the Philippines, the Christmas time starts already in September, and it starts an exciting time. To those who are having birthdays this month, I bet you guys are excited for your big day to come. Because I am! I'll be soon having my birthday. I'm going to be 24 very soon. I'm beyond grateful that my mother gave birth to me in September.

I am very excited for what's coming this month and also next month.

The year goes by too fast

You realize that September is coming already and you haven't done any of the New Year's resolution that you promised last year to do in 2017. It will be just four months before this year ends. Surely for some of us, nothing will change. We will again make up the same plan we keep doing every year.

We will never accomplish anything in life if we are only good at planning things up, but not making it happen. Nothing good will really happen if we do it like that. Once we come up with some ideas we sure we'd do it one at a time.

There are people who are good at planning, and later became successful because they do the right thing. They just don't make plans, rather they think wisely on how they'd start each of their plan little by little. 2017 is about to be over, and here I am doing the same thing. It's like I've been doing things wrongly.

We Harvested Cotton Fruit

Today, I went to the farm with my cousin and brothers. We harvested Santol or Cotton Fruit right from the tree. When I was younger, I was a good tree climber, but today I failed to climb the Santol tree, because it was kind of slippery and there were no holes where I could put my foot in. I ended up sitting at the ground, while waiting for the fruits to fall down.

It was my brother who climbed up the tree. He is now a better climber than myself, so it wasn't difficult for him going to the top. He is used to climb trees very often. I was the one who picked all the fruits that my brother's taking from its branch. My cousin didn't do anything but eat the fruit. We harvested all in one tree. We came home with a huge bag full of Santol in it.  Santol or Cotton Fruit is a very common fruit here in the Philippines. I think everyone eats it. It is kind of sour, but it is very good to pour into salt. That's what I did today.

A well spent day

I spent my entire day roaming around the city of Tacloban. I was with my girlfriends, one of them has a boyfriend with a car. So, we didn't really have a problem going to places. My friend's boyfriend is a kind and nice guy, he even took us to eat buko somewhere nearby the MacArthur Leyte Landing Site. There was plenty of buko in that place. Each of the buko cost 20 Pesos, not bad for a price.

We also went to eat snacks at a place they called Magsaysay. Everybody goes there, the place is too windy. It was so good to stay in the car and listen to music. I'm grateful for what we all had yesterday. Thanks to my friend's boyfriend for giving us a lift yesterday. I didn't feel bored, because I got to do something rather than just staying at my place.

Flirting boys

It's funny how a 17 years old boy tried to flirt with me. He chatted to me on messenger, and I was only trying to be polite to him because I know he was my cousin's classmates in grade 12. The boy is of the same age as my youngest brother. One day he contacted me on messenger and he told me that he had seen me with my cousin Marnel a few times, and that I am pretty. LOL!

I said,  I was probably that dark and ugly lady you've seen before, but he kept insisting that I am pretty. Oh boy! Later on he asked me how old I am. I said I'm already 24. Maybe he though I am younger, but it was funny because he tried to lie about his real age to me. But I know the truth that he is just 17 years turning 18 in few months. He even told me that age doesn't matter. Oh well! I know he was already trying to flirt with me. I told him that I am not into younger boys. I said in fact I already have husband and two kids. LOL, I know I was lying too!  He didn't believe me at first, but I convinced him at the end. Such a flirt!

Busy Holiday

What a busy Monday for us here in Samar. Today is holiday, as usual no classes at school. I won't be back in the city until Wednesday morning. I am cleaning the front yard of our house with my cousin. We are almost done. I took a break just to write my thoughts about what I am doing this day.

From a really dirty and grassy front yard to a clean and organized yard. My auntie is at work, she doesn't know about what we are doing right now. She will be surprised when she comes back from work about the new improvement of her front yard. There is a lot to change, we also organized the flowers that my auntie planted few months ago. Later today the place will be nice to look at. It's really good to clean up everything today, because the weather isn't hot. It looks cloudy, and not sunny. Everyone is that scared to stay under the weather like this.

Just got home

We just got home from General McArthur. The pageant wasn't done when we left. It was just at the last part of the pageant: the picking of top contestants.

What can I say? All the contestants have answered the questions asked by the judges very well. They are indeed very smart and talented individuals. But it's only one winner to be called as Miss Gay 2017. Who would it be?

It is certainly tough for the judges to pick a winner, because all of them had excellent answers. They were all gorgeous, and sexy. No wonder why they are in the competition. My favorite was candidate number 1. But only the official judges choose the final winner. Congrats already to whoever won tonight!

Miss Gay 2017 at General MacArthur

The "Miss Gay 2017" Pageant competition is about to start. I am watching the pageant live with my cousins here at General McArthur. I came back home from Tacloban just so I can watch the pageant.

I'm excited to see all the contestants, for sure some of them are prettier than real females here around me. Some gays I knew look better than females. They are more prettier and intelligent. I can't wait to witness all the fun and joy the contestants would give us all watchers right now.

Miss Gay pageant is not just about looking sexy and be beautiful on the stage, but also it need guts and knowledge for a contestant to take home the crown against all other opponents.

Atomic Blonde

The first female movie I got to watch this year was the Ghost in the Shell and next is Atomic Blonde. I love watching females in action movies. I am a woman who admires badass women.

Charlize Theron is just great!  She can do both, pretty and badass, at the same time. The movie has its own style, a bit similar to the John Wick movie, due to the fact that both movies had the same director.

The movie's end is very entertaining, and the soundtrack is amazing. One more interesting part is the relationship between Charlize Theron's character and Sofia Boutella's character, who play lovers. That really did surprised me. LOL! I'm not used to see women making out. That was not bad at all, they are my idols. Sofia is a great dancer, and I've seen her in actions movies as well. She knows how to kick asses. This movie is all worth watching, but you should judge it yourself!

Dinner

Hello to you all! It's dinner time for me here. By the way, did you hear that melon becomes vegetable meal?  I thought melon is a fruit and you can extract its juice. But in the province, we also eat melon with rice like a vegetable. That's my dinner tonight. My auntie cooked it for us. Glad we have melon at our backyard. We can cook one whenever we want.

I can tell you all how to cook a melon: First you need to peel the raw melon. Once you're done peeling it, you have to slice it in small pieces. You will need coconut milk for the melon, and if you want to mix it with dried fish, it is also fine, because it makes the vegetable more tasty. I love most kinds of vegetables except salad. I can't eat salad. We didn't spend money on our meal tonight. I'm happy for that. Sometimes simple meal is much better than buying meat and chicken at a store.

Hong Kong and Thailand

Guess what? I'm so excited to travel this year. I can't wait for October to come. That's the month when I will travel to Hong Kong. It's going to be my first time to visit Hong Kong, then I will be able to visit Macau as well. I heard that Macau is not large, but plenty of casinos. I wonder how expensive it is to stay there for a night? Maybe it is as expensive as Singapore. I will definitely find out later when I am already in the country.

I'm just so happy and excited. I already prepared myself for the travel. I don't want to spoil a single day without doing anything fun. I make sure to take plenty of photos. I hope it's not cold in Hong Kong when I go there. I'm not so used to cold weather. I'd be glad if the weather is the same as Singapore. See you very soon Hong Kong, Macau and Thailand! I can't wait for that day to come.

Bird Flu

I'd like to eat chicken for dinner tonight but right now, chicken is not safe to eat. We have cases of bird flu in the village. My auntie's boss has a poultry, and according to her, at least 10 chickens died already because of bird flu. I think it's better if they stop selling the chicken meat. It might affect those who still buy chicken from their poultry.

Bird flu spreads quickly to the whole poultry. I know it's a big loss for the poultry business, but in business assume that there will always be ups and downs. You can't always rely on how good you manage your business. Bird flu can occur to chicken easily and you won't know about it, until some chicken are dying already. Beware with the disease, avoid eating chicken for now!

Have a good day!

Good morning everyone! Finally we have class today. It means I need to come to school this afternoon to attend the class. I will be stuck in the classroom for few hours before the class is done. Tomorrow is my free day again, it's until Saturday morning. In the afternoon I will have a class.

I already have a plan for today. Once I'm out from school, I'll go and see the movie "The Hitman's Bodyguard". I was waiting for it to come out in the cinema. This movie will be the only English movie in the cinema here at Robinsons Mall in Tacloban. All other movies are Tagalog movies which I'm not interested in watching. We'll see if I still have enough time to watch a movie later. Have a blessed day to all!

Choose your friends wisely

True friendship is not easy to build these days. So many two faced people are just pretending to be good friends when you're around, but then they talk bad behind your back. These people either are not happy with their life or they are bored and have nothing better to do than to invent some crappy stories instead of paying attention to their own lives.

When someone has not many friends, that person is considered to have an attitude, but I don't think that's right. Some people with many "friends" got treated badly by fake friends and now choose their friends more wisely. It is better to have few true friends than many. If you have too many friends, they cannot be your real friends because you cannot share your time with too many people. You should spend your time only with your best friends to be really happy.

Visiting Thailand soon

Pic of Thailand thanks to Diego Delso (CC license)

I have some travel plans for the semester break. I will travel to Thailand in end of October. I can't wait to see the beauty of Thailand. I love Thai food. I have tasted few Thai dishes already and I can't wait to try more of those spicy food.

Since I am visiting Thailand, I will have to learn Thai language, at least few important words such as Sawadee ka (which means the same like Kumusta ka). I heard that Thai people don't speak English as good as in the Philippines. Maybe people will think that I am Thai and try to talk in Thai to me. The same happened while I was in Indonesia, as I was mistaken as an Indonesian. But during my stay in Indonesia, I didn't really find it difficult because the people I bumped into knew how to speak English. Not sure about Thailand!

Good Morning

Good morning everyone! I'm right now traveling back to the city. I don't have school because it is holiday in the Philippines today. No classes in all schools, and all offices closed, even though some shops are open. I have plenty of time, because even tomorrow I don't have class. Wednesday afternoon I should go to school to check whether we will have classes or not. Let's see if my teacher comes on that day.

Once I arrived in the City, I will directly go to Robinsons mall. I want to check which movie is out in the cinema. After that I will head back to my boarding house and rest. I'm kind of tired, maybe because I didn't have enough sleep lastnight. Good luck to all, and have a blessed day!

Lastnight

Around 7pm I and my cousins decided to watch the Tonight Show at General McArthur City. We stayed there for almost two hours. It was already 9pm when we came back. We used my cousin's motorbike and ate Dolly did drive us. While we were on our way home, we saw a huge snake on the road. Neither of us did know what kind of snake it was, so we were too scared to drive back to check the snake. I'm not sure if the snake was sleeping or dead or alive. For sure, if the creature stays long on the street, it will soon be dead, because there are plenty of huge trucks passing by. They will roll over the snake.

Venomous snakes on the road at night can be dangerous for bikers. Always drive with headlights switched on, to see what's ahead of you. Some people are too careless and drive without light in the dark. I find it very risky and it's also against the law!

Saturday Outing

Today I got invited to an outing by my auntie's relatives from her mother's side. I am not a blood relative of them as I am related to her husband: he is my dad's first cousin. Anyway, the family came all the way to Hernani from Tacloban City just to visit Canhugas. They sent my auntie yesterday the budget for the outing so we could prepare for food before they arrived this morning.

I woke up early so that I could go with my auntie to the market. I helped her to carry the food. After buying all what's needed, we cooked it, then it didn't take long and the family arrived. They had their own service car, so ride wasn't the problem for all of us. We went all together to Canhugas. It was their first time there. They were surprised by the nature park, but some of the adults complained that the place did not look like on TV. Well, it often depends on the weather how it looks like. I didn't care what they said, for me it was only important that myself and my brothers and cousins had fun.

My birthday is coming

My birthday is next month. I'll be 24. Another year will be added to my age, but how sad that I never get even just an inch added to my height. LOL! I get older and older, but my height stays like for a 12 year old girl. I wish there was a medicine to make me a bit taller.

I think I'll have to accept that my height will no longer change. I think my face gets older though. I am not looking that young anymore even though I am short. Anyway I can't wait to celebrate my birthday. I'm grateful that God allowed me to reach my 24 birthday. I wish for many more years of birthdays.

I am too old for parties

My friends in Manila are always partying. Sometimes it makes me jealous that they get to go out and party. But I am happy being a student, and as student, I cannot party so much. The truth is that I no longer have interest in night life. I think I'm too old for that, besides it's only a waste of money. Alcohol at any disco bar in Manila is expensive. If you earn your own money, like myself, it is not good to waste money this way.

Now, if I like to drink, I'd rather buy a bottle of Red Horse which only costs me 45 pesos. Since I moved to the province, I became uninterested in the party lifestyle. When I was younger, I thought I couldn't live without going to the disco, but I was wrong, because I am no longer interested to it. I've survived for more than a year without visiting a disco. I don't think I'd be a party animal again, I'm too old for that!

My rice cooker is broken

I am usually a nice person. I am never bad or selfish with anyone around me. When someone needs my help, I try to help (except when it comes to money, since I am poor). So, when my friends wanted to borrow my rice cooker, I gave it to them, because I know how it feels not having one. They have not enough money to buy their own, because they have family to support, hence their salary goes to the family right after they get it. So I let them use mine while I'm not using it.

But now my rice cooker is broken and nobody takes responsibility for it. Neither of the three of them admitted their mistake to me. I was disappointed when I tried to cook rice but the rice cooker was no longer working. Nobody mentioned anything, they just returned it to me like nothing happened. This is sad. If I ever get a new rice cooker, I will keep it for myself.

Wednesday be like

What a rainy Wednesday for us here in Tacloban City! It's been raining since last night. But I think the rain will stop soon as the sky is brighter. I really hope so, because I don't want to go to school while raining. If I was living at a higher place, then I wouldn't have problem with rain. But I am living in a lower area and when the rain starts, the road in front of the house floods. I'm getting used to it as I been living here for more than a year now, but it is still not nice.

Sometimes when it's rainy day, I am too lazy to get up and get ready for school. I prefer to stat in bed longer when the weather is so bad. But later on that day, I still end up going to school. After writing my thoughts about the today's weather, I will get up and take a shower then get ready for school. I have four hours class today, unless our teacher always dismisses us early.

No school, not good

My family thought already that I stopped studying, because I have so much free time. That's not the case. Honestly I was supposed to have class today, but our accounting instructor is too lazy to come to school to teach us the lesson we needed for midterm. This happened very often in the past. Most time she does not come to school but rather informs us through email about assignments. It's really unfair for us students, because we are paying our tuition and end up not learning anything from that teacher.

How are we going to learn if our instructor would treat us like this until finals? Our teacher always has a major excuse, and the head of the school is well aware of it, but it is still not good. This school is all about money, not about fair education. Private schools and colleges are always like this.

Birthday Outing

Yesterday we had a family get together, although my mom and dad were not around. It was my youngest brother's birthday that we celebrated at Panay beach. I rented a cottage large enough to fit a big family. It costed me 250 PHP for the cottage. For me it wasn't so bad, as we had a comfortable place to stay during our outing.

I and my cousin prepared some food to bring to the beach. I cooked the rice while my cousin cooked the Pancit Bihon. The birthday celebrant helped out too. He grilled the four fishes I got from the market. I made chicken adobo.  My cousin gave us plenty of bread, as she's a baker.

At the beginning, the birthday wasn't fun because everybody was busy holding their phones. But when the other invited relatives arrived, we started to eat and talk. We stayed until 5pm on the beach!

Tattoo

No, I am not getting a tattoo! But unlike others, I am also not totally against tattoos. Some people think that tattoos are only for bad people. Just because a person has tattoos all over the body, it doesn't mean that a person is a criminal or a bad person. There are probably more people without tattoo that do aweful things.

You never know the reason for a tattoo. Maybe a person with tattoos all over the body has just so much love for art. Maybe the person became obsessed with tattoos, until it covers up most of that person's body. Maybe the tattoo is just an expression of a strong feeling, such as a deep love or a painful loss. A tattoo doesn't define you as a bad person.

The problem with us is that we are quick to judge other people from outside. We judge without knowing the truth first. We must never judge people we don't really know well.

Happy 18th Birthday to my brother

Good morning everyone! Today is my brother's birthday. He just turned 18. Time flies so fast. I remember when he was just a baby. Now he is grown up into an amazing person. I love him dearly. He is my partner in crime. Yes, I still call him baby brother sometimes, because he is. He is my youngest brother and he will always be.

I wish him nothing but the best in life. He is young and brave. I know he has the ability to create the life he wants. He is an ambitious young man, because he has so many plans in life. Great plans actually! If he keeps up with his dreams in life, he will be fine in the future.

Happy birthday, little brother, always know that big sister loves you so much. Please don't change, stay humble as you are.

Playing Candy Legend

I have this game on my phone called Candy Legend. I rarely play games on my phone, but today, I was bored in bed, so I started playing it. I like Candy Legend more than Candy Crush Saga. This game is really not boring, I can play so many levels.

I think this game is endless. Because my brother is playing it, too. He is now at level 458. That's great. The game doesn't need an internet connection at all. You can play it anywhere you like. It's your phone that would die, but the game won't end. I'm just at the beginning, although I'm already at level 46 now. I will play this game once I'm done writing blogs.

Cebu Pacific's Bad Service

I remember my first flight of my life was with Cebu Pacific. Since then, whenever I fly, I always book Cebu Pacific, since their ticket is always cheaper than the other airfares. The only problem with Cebu Pacific is that it is an unreliable airline. There are always delays or changes in flights, for instance suddenly your afternoon flight leaves already in the morning. That's not good for people on tight schedule. Cebu Pacific already got fined several million Peso by the governmenet for the flight delays.

Why I'm talking about this issue now? Because it just happened again: I had my ticket booked a week ago and yesterday I received a text from Cebu Pacific saying that my flight is changed. Instead of a relaxed daytime flight, I need now to be at the airport in the middle of the night. Next time I might not take a flight with this airline anymore, allthough the ticket is very affordable with Cebu Pacific.

At The Beach

If someone tries to look for me, tell them I'm here sitting at the beach. I just want to be alone at this hour so I came here to relax my mind. While looking at there tiny waves, how I wish I'd be swimming right now. It's already afternoon here though, not good for swimming as the water is cooler for sure. I prefer noontime swim with my godson. He loves the ocean very much. It's just me who doesn't!

Around 4pm is the best time to come to the beach. The sun is not so bright anymore. You can relax and calm your mind while sitting on this white sand. I never get disappointed coming here. This beach I am at right now is for everybody. The owner is not a relative even though he has the same surname as myself. In fact I don't know them at all. You won't see even one standing cottage here. So, if you plan to come here and swim, you better bring a towel or something so you could lay on it. The beach though is not as clean as it was before, so many seaweed everywhere. What people do for leisure here is to throw stones into the water or draw something on the sand.

RIP

A 23 years old military Intel died last night. He was shot in the head by an unidentified killer. As of now, the case is under investigation. It will will take a while before the investigation is done. Being a military Intel is a dangerous job. You are like a spy. I'm sure the guy knew the circumstances of his job before he even took the job.

Once you work as a military spy, your life is at risk. It is a very dangerous job. All you can do to be safe is to be very careful not to get caught while doing your task. He died at the age of 23. That's just too young. I hope justice will be served for him soon. He had a young wive, but he didn't have a child. It would be bad for a child to lose his father.

I hope the person he worked for take care of his burial since the family of this guy don't have money to take care of everything. Rest in peace, brother, I know God has a better plan for you up there.

The problems of others

I feel awkward whenever people tell me all their problems and act like they are carrying all problems in the world. They don't know that I myself have problems as well. I just don't feel like sharing it with anyone, because it's just too personal. But I never ignore when a friend of mine is telling me her problem. I know that it helps if somebody listens. I like it when I make someone feel good about themselves after confessing to me.

You can surpass any obstacles in life if you are a strong person. My advice for those dealing with problems is to avoid thinking too much about it. Some things are not as big as you think. Just be happy with whatever you got. Don't hinder yourself to become happy. Everybody in this world has some problems, the only difference is that some people drown from little problems while others can carry huge problems with a smile.

Another failed Hollywood marriage

Who would have thought that Chris Pratt's and Anna Faris' marriage would come to an end? I never expected this could happen. They looked good together on every occasion, they looked so happy and in love. It seems like there was nothing wrong with their relationship. I was shocked when I found out about their separation.

Chris Pratt is one of my Hollywood hottie crushes, but I know the fact that he was already taken and I'm happy about it somehow. I became an Anna Faris fan as well. I find his wife beautiful and funny. They're both comedians and I think that makes them compatible with each other. It's just sad for me to hear that they are no longer together. This issue is similar to Brad Pitt and Angelica Jolie. These couples are my favorite Hollywood celebrities and I wish them that they can get back with each other as good couple.

Watching Cartoons

No one is too old for cartoon TV shows. Right now, I am watching Sponge Bob with small childrens here at our house. My godson want to watch TV. He loves to watch any kind of cartoon shows. I wanted to watch the "It's Show Time" but I can't win against him. Once he is awake  neither of us can choose what to watch.

Other kids don't like to watch English cartoons but my godson is different, as he likes English cartoons. I believe it can help any children to learn better English at a young age. Nowadays, the English language is very important to learn. It is understood in most parts of the world even when it is not the native language there. My godson is 2 years old, he is running to 3 this November. He has a great future ahead of him, it's better if he can learn English at a very young age.

Illegal Logging

The major reason why landslide often happens in the provinces during rainy season is illegal logging. Luckily the place where my family lives isn't a high land. Landslides do not happen at my place. But my home town must deal with typhoons from time to time. We must always evacuate to a higher places for our safety due to the ocean's behavior. It is the one we fear the most because we are living nearby the ocean. To make sure we are safe we really have to leave our houses when the weather is bad.

Back to illegal logging: This has existed for so many years, and this is how others makes money. Therefore it is difficult to stop the illegal logging. But I suppose lives is the more important than money. I'm hoping for the President's action for this matter.

Chilling with Relatives

Good evening to those having their evening at this time, like me! I am watching an old movie right now with my brother and my auntie. It's too early for me to sleep and I don't think I'd be able to sleep soon, because I slept for few hours this afternoon. Everytime I do that it is always hard for me to fall asleep at night. I didn't want to sleep though, but I felt so tired and sleepy I fall asleep pretty easily today. I was actually out last night with my cousins we went to watch vesper night in barangay Ularon. We were there until 1pm.

Now I know I will be up late. I'll probably watch movies until I fall asleep. Even I can't hear the movie due to none stopping thunderstorm I will not mind it at all, as long as I have something to do while I cannot sleep. My brother and my auntie are not going to stay awake until midnight. They don't have sleeping problem. Soon they would be knocked out. LOL!

I hope everyone is enjoying the night. :)

Busy Day

Today is Monday! No wonder why everyone's busy! I can see all of these high school students and their teachers passing by. I guess no holiday for them on this day while I do have a free day until Wednesday morning. My cousin is already in school. Next year, she is graduating from high school. I'm happy for her. She will move to Manila once she's done with high school.

Our acquaintance party will start at 1pm today and I won't be around. There is a side of me who wants to attend the party, but laziness is attacking me right now and I have decided not to go. It is the acquaintance photos that matter to me the most rather than anything else in the party. Since I am not going, I will just forget about it. From last year, I know already how the acquaintance party works for all ACLC Students. My costudents in my course are also not going.

Maybe tomorrow I will go back to the city.

Have a good day

Good Morning to all! What are your plans for today? I have mine already! Since I don't have classes today, I will just go to the mall and look around and see whether I find something I would love to buy. Well, it is really nice to shop this time because everything is on sale at least for the rest of this month. If you are tight on money, like myself, having goods on sale is always good. As I am still studying, there's no way I would spend money on things easily. Even if I liked something, I don't just get it right away. But sometimes I love to spend money to random things.

Anyway that's my plan today. Maybe I will watch a movie, I'm not sure what is out in the cinema though. I hope there's at least a new movie today. Hopefully it is not boring. It's really a nice day, I better not spoil it.

Spider-Man Homecoming

I saw the Spider-Man Homecoming on its first day in the cinema. It's already a while ago and I just forgot to write about the movie, but here it comes now:

I am a Spider-Man fan and I love Marvel heroes. But I must say I did not like the Spider-Man Homecoming. It was a disappointment. Sure, the movie has some laughters and funny scenes. But the movie seemed to me very childish. It shouldn't be like that. The main actor, Tom Holland, is indeed really young. The best character in the movie is his aunt May played by Maria Tomei, as she is hot and stole the show.

There must be another Spider-Man movie coming up within the next two years. Tom Holland for sure will aged a year by then. I hope he will look a bit mature by then. I'm not saying I would not watch the part 2 of the movie. It's just that I am hoping for more actions, and maturity in the movie. We will see by then.

Home

It feels good to be back home. I wasn't able to come home for almost two weeks. Finally I'm back and I'll be staying here for four days in Eastern Samar. I'm not in a hurry to go back to the City as I don't have school until Wednesday morning. I'm glad that I can relax a bit from the school stress.

There is the school acquaintance party on Monday, but I made up my mind already and I will not be going to the party. It won't affect my grades if I don't attend since this party is optional. The reason why I'm not going to the party is because my close friends in the class aren't going anyway. I'd rather stay home than be around other people that I'm not so close with. That's why I have some time with my family here in Samar. I do not need to go back to the City tomorrow or on Monday.

Biker lady

That feeling I can't explain when I am driving a motorbike. I am proud to say that I am one of those women who knows how to drive a two wheels ride. Until last year, I didn't even know how to balance a bicycle. I was scared of it, I never wanted to try it. Then I got a simple bicycle, not a motorbike, just a regular one where you have to use your legs to move it. That motivated me to learn balancing on a bicycle. At first I was really tensed, I am someone who's always scared of wounds. While learning, my mind thoughts was all about wounds if ever I fall from the bicycle.

After a while of learning I did overcome my fears. I got used to balancing the bicycle. Months went by, and I noticed that I am so ready to drive a motorbike. Perfect timing because my brother had his motorbike and he let me practice on his bike. Then, after few months of practicing, I was able to drive by myself. Now I am one of those people who's able to drive a motorbike without help of somebody. I am proud of myself for that. I overcome my fears, and so I learned!

Thoughts

How can you know whether you're capable to do one thing if you're scared to try it? There's no room for negativity in this world! So, if you want to do something or to prove something to people then just do it. Don't be scared to fail! We always have to face failure in order to do better the next time we try. Only if you never improve after failure, then that is sad. Learn from mistakes! Wise desicion lead to better things.

I believe that every mistake we do, we learn from it and become wiser. Living these days is tougher for some than for others. We do have many good ideas on how to overcome poverty. We should follow our mind for happiness. Do what your heart desired, and never let negative opinions from other people get to you.

Be Strong!

If you feel like everything goes wrong, just cry! Once you're done crying, things will go back to normal. But this does not mean you should cry for every minor reason. Don't be a crybaby! Remember, you are a strong person, there's nothing that can break you down.

Whenever someone we know, a friend or a family member, cries, we don't tell them to stop crying. Sometimes to cry once in a while is better than not. When we cry, we let go of the bad out of our soul. We should never hold grudges toward things, that's why it is okay to cry when things gets rough. That's a way for us to let go of the bad thoughts we had in mind.

Keep figthing! Give up only when you feel like there's no way to solve the mess you're in. But once you know it can be solved, then work hard so you can get through it. Good luck!

My Brother in Manila

I hope that my brother is treated well in his new job in Manila. He just got there 2 days ago. It is his second time in Manila. His first visit was when he was just 7 years old. At that time, we lived in Manila for one year. I have been back to Manila for many times, so I know the big city very well, but my brother has stayed in the province since then.

It will be a new experience to my brother to be in the big city as an adult, but he has a friend from the same province as coworker. So, I'm not that worried about my brother as I know the guy will definitely take good care of him. Also, my brother is 20 years old, he can take care of himself. I hope he doesn't get lost among the 13 million of people that are living there. His job is at a fishpond. Maybe it is a tough job, but he is hardworking. I know he can keep up with his work.

Where did the years go?

Time flies really fast! My brothers are all grown up, and as the eldest sibling, I consider myself mature. But others don't see it in me, they think I am not matured enough as I should be!

10 years ago I was just 14, I remember how I took care of my younger brothers when we were left alone by our parents who had to go to work to provide for our everyday needs. I miss those days when we were all together in one house. Mom and dad were still a good couple. But those happy moments can never happen again. Who would have thought in just one blink, those good times can be gone.

I will be turning 24 this coming September, while my youngest brother will turn 18 next month. Where did the years go? My parents have been apart for 9 years now. They have different families now. My dad just found a new love and they are living together for a month now, while my mom has her own family as well.

My tomboy cousin

I have a cousin named Dolly. She is 26 years old. Everybody knows her as a boyish type. You will never see her wearing dresses or short shorts. She uses t-shirt most of the time, and when she goes to the city she always wears jeans. It's a no girly outfit for her.

We are close to each other, we often talk about things when we are both home. One time I joked to her if she would want to be in a relationship with a girl. Her answer isn't what I expected to hear. She told me that she doesn't want to have an affair with any girl. She wants to have a boyfriend someday and get married, and have kids.

The way she moves, walks, and the way she dresses up, no guy would dare to come near her. She acts like a tomboy, but she is a cool cousin to be with. She's hilarious! In the future I hope she can find a guy that will accept her as she is. It's not impossible if she's willing to search for the right guy.

Bad day

What a day! I woke up with sore eyes. Do I really have to encounter sore eyes every year? I remember that last year I dealt with this also. I hate this. I can't even go out. My eyes are hurting. Looks like I cried all night even I did not! Glad it's Thursday though, I have two days to heal my eyes. By Saturday I hope this is gone.

Wish I had a sunglasses with me, then I wouldn't feel embarrassed to go out and buy food. Another thing I'm worried is my apartment rent. I really need to go out so I can withdraw some money for that from the ATM. I tried to withdraw from the ATM yesterday, but both ATMs inside the mall had no money in it. I was getting only receipts. I could've withdrawn money somewhere near my school, but I rely on the ATM at Robinsons Mall. If I cannot go out, I will just talk to the landlady. I'm sure she will understand my reason.

Acquaintance Party

Acquaintance party is coming! On August 7 will be the college acquaintance party! As every year, the party has a clothes theme: Our attire will be street style. Compared to last year, we will not have difficulties to look for an outfit because everybody has street style clothes in the closet.

I think street style is rubber shoes, ripped jeans, and t-shirt. To make it look more like a street outfit, all you need to do is add a jacket and tie it on the waist. That's it! Dresses can also be a street outfit, but more likely jeans are way better to wear.

I haven't look for my outfit for acquaintance party. I can find those in just a day, and I don't think I'll be buying an outfit to wear to the party as I have already plenty of street clothes.

Octopus for lunch and dinner

Today my brother went to the sea. He caught 7 octopuses. Six are of the same sizes but one was huge. My bother was so lucky that he got to catch those in just a few hours of fishing in the sea. It was low tide when he went out, that's why it was easier for him to find them.

He planned to sell all the octopuses, but I told him not to. We had no side dish for the rice, and it was actually lunch time when he got back. Perfect timing we didn't have to buy food for lunch, except for the ingredients. I never cooked octopus before. My father prepared it for us. It was good. We had it for dinner, and we even shared it with neighbors.

I hope my brother will go to the sea again tomorrow. I'd love to see him come home with fishes, or octopuses on his hand tomorrow. LOL!

Together with Family

I'm at my hometown right now, and being here is always great. I will never get tired of coming home whenever I can. I must grab this opportunity to be with my family, because later on I might not be able to stay as close as I am now to all of them. Once I'm done with my studies, I will need to leave for Manila. I have to find job somewhere in Manila with some good salary. Tacloban doesn't seem a very good place for me to work, because salary is not good unlike Manila where I could probably find a nice job with reasonable salary.

For many years I had been away from home. It was just last year when I moved to Tacloban which is not far from my hometown. Since then I get to be in Samar most days when I don't have school. Sometimes I get bored being here, but I never hate it here. So far I'm enjoying my stay in both places.

No classes again

We didn't have classes yesterday, so instead of staying in Tacloban, I decided to just go home to Hernani. Classes are still suspended and I'm not sure when things will get back to normal. I will go to Tacloban on Saturday, because we might have classes on that day.

Same thing here in Samar, no electricity! All what you can see at night is darkness. I heard in the radio that the electricity should have been back yesterday, but it seems that was only a joke. There was no electricity yesterday. Next time better not tell everyone about anything that isn't real. We expect and later on get disappointed.

Anyway, 19th to 21st of this month is our preliminary examinations. Without electricity to study, or review, it is going to be difficult. Moving the examination dates to next month will only make everything hard for every single student.

Electricity shortage

It's getting dark. No wonder why mosquitos are everywhere in my room. I wish the electricity will come back soon. The current situation in Tacloban is not good. In my case ,this is a very tough time for me as I needed my computer for school research, but I cannot charge it without electricity.

This semester is more on reporting, and the computer is very important to us. Without it, we are not able to present our report as we can't use our personal computer at this time. I heard different opinions about when the electricity might come back. It's confusing, because they said different dates. Well, I hope it wont take long time.

I don't really care much about having an empty phone battery. My point is, how will I be able to search for my tasks without using gadgets? These past few days have been the toughest days for me. I'm hoping for changes soon.

My cousin abroad

Finally my cousin is already outside the country for his new job. First it was only a dream, then it happened. I'm happy for what he have accomplished this year. I wish nothing but the best for him. His job is not easy, but I know how brave my cousin is. He is a hardworking person with huge dreams. I am 100% sure he can keep up with his profession. It's going to be three years before I can see my cousin. Although he is just 2 hours away from us by airplane, but that ain't easy for us to meet him.

His new job is based in Taiwan for a three years contract. It's going to take a while before we can see him. He used to working further, like Manila, Cebu and Tacloban while his family lives in Eastern Samar. He barely came home when he was still working in the Philippines. What I mean to say is: He will be fine without seeing any of us. He might feel a little homesick, but I know that he can overcome that as he is used to living independent for many years now. Good luck to you my cousin!

Things I did today

I don't have classes today, and tomorrow. So, I feel like writing all the things that I did today. I woke up around 7am this morning. I stayed in bed for an hour while browsing my Facebook. After that, I got up and start fixing my bed. Then I cleaned up my room, gathered all my dirty clothes so I can wash them all at once.

It's been more than two weeks since the last time I did my laundry here in Tacloban. When the earthquake occurred, it affected the electricity and the water. That caused lots of other problems! The running water is very slow, and sometimes in the morning there is no even a tear drop of water on the faucet. That's why I wasn't able to shower until noon when the water came back, but today I noticed the water runs perfectly, and the blackout doesn't take long. The power actually come back after two hours of blackout, not bad!

A good day

No school today, that's right! Yesterday was a bit depressing, but I'm too far to feel that now. Tomorrow I have only one subject in the afternoon. Hence I can relax today, and just do my assignment tomorrow morning.

It's raining, but I can go to the mall with my friend, and I will be safe from the rain. I just got a new umbrella, but I bought it to use against the sun when I go to school. It is not designed to be used against rain, because I forgot that summer is already over, and now it is rainy season already.

Anyway, I'm going to get ready soon. The mall is open now since it is already 11:20am. I'm going to eat, then sit on one of the huge rocks inside the mall. I might stay there until the mall closing time. So, that's it. Have a blessed day to all!

Happy Surprise

When I was young, I've never received chocolates from anybody. But now I do! Well, for couple of years already, I get chocolates on occasions from someone. It makes me happy that I am able to experience what I hadn't experienced before. Receiving chocolates or any present from someone you care, or someone that cares for you, is really amazing. It's the best feeling ever, knowing you're somehow important or special to that person.

I have not counted how many gifts I have already received, but it is plenty. I'm forever grateful for that! I will never forget that someone made me feel that way. Anyway, I shared my chocolates with the people I know dearly. I'm not that greedy when it comes to that, I always shares it with other people when I can. The only chocolate I have left now for myself is the Ferrero Rocher. I want to keep that for a while. I just like to stare at it. Whenever I look at it, I think it's all gold. That's why I like to keep Ferrero Rocher for myself!

Again no classes

No classes again! How are we going to learn if there will always be no classes. This is really annoying. I came all the way from Samar to attend class this afternoon, only to find out that there are no classes. School is closed!

It should be a teacher's duty to inform all students that there will be no classes for today. What's the use of having all of our cellphone numbers if its not used to notify us. I could have stayed at home until tomorrow. Since this semester has started, we never had a week straight with classes.

The origin of the problem is of course the recent earthquate. Since then, the school has no electricity anymore. I am not sure when it will work properly, because right now we have only limited supplies of electricity. Each places has four hours electricity running at different times during the day. This is affecting everyone, especially students.

Friday At Canhugas

Today is Friday, and I am here in Canhugas Nature Park in Samar along with my two friends. They came all the way from Tacloban City, three hours travel to here. It's their first time to visit Canhugas. I think they do like what they're seeing, and they appreciate the beauty of the place. As their tour guide for today, I am happy that I'm able to show them around Canhugas.

Their visit was actually unexpected. I came home first, then the next day they texted me that they wanted to come. I was kind of speechless, I didn't know how to react. But in the end, I agreed, and here we are all together. As I am from here, the place isn't surprising to me anymore, since I often come here. But I'm glad they liked Canhugas. There are still constructions ongoing to make the place even more exciting. Just wait until everything is built, because right now, I can only see few unfinished cottages.

Thinking positive

Good morning everyone! This is going to be a tough day for me again. But I want to be positive on all things this time,  so I don't really want to ruin my day by thinking of problems. I have classes in the afternoon today, I will be in school for four hours. But I have a feeling that classes might be canceled due to not having electricity.

It's going to be very hot inside the classroom, without air condition. There will be a power machine generator, but we all know that it's expensive to use. So, probably they will just turn on the lights for all the classrooms. Just like what they did last time. We probably cannot charge our phone as the outlets will not be working. We need to be patient until the power comes back. Right now I'm good, my phone battery isn't empty.

Power is still cut down

Since the earthquake happened, the electricity is not back yet. I'm now here in Samar, but Tacloban is also without electricity. The electric bill was distributed yesterday, and it's written on the bill that the electricity will take 15 days to finally come back. I'm planning to go back to the city tomorrow, but I don't know how I can cook there something to eat without electricity. No fan, no phone, but I hope the water supply is still working. I will know it once I get back.

My phone battery died yesterday, and it's already 8pm tonight when I have it fully charged. Glad my cousin is working at a bakeshop with power generator. They allowed me to charge my phone there. Thanks to my cousin for helping me charge my phone! I'm worried for tomorrow, as I don't know how to charge my phone tomorrow. No phone means no blog, and no blog means no salary. Therefore my phone is important.

Someone cares for me

My cousin in Samar just called me! I was surprised to get a call from her suddenly. I thought she had a very important matter to say to me. But, it turned out that she was only asking how I am. She said she misses me, she asked me when I'll be going back to Samar. I understand how she feels, as we spend most time together in the semester break. It's been two weeks now since I left Samar. I haven't been back since then.

I'm happy to know that there is a relative who is checking on me, in particular after an earthquake. I wish my mom would call me also sometimes. Honestly, I really do miss my mother. But, what can I do after she left us. I accepted that we can no longer go back as close to one another as we were before. But there is a side of me that hopes for her come back. Anyway I'm thankful that my dad, my bothers and all the people dear to me are not really that far from where I am living now. I can come home whenever I want to. That's the good thing!

Keep Safe!

Anytime, anywhere, any disaster may happen. One disaster just happened near me. In Jaro, Leyte, was a 6.5 magnitude earthquake and ruined many houses and roads. One building collapsed, and some people got hurt, and at least one person died. Electricity broke down and we are without internet right now.

The earthquake was really strong, I could feel it while I was in my room. Everything was moving. I was really scared that time. I have never been in a similar situation before. I have experienced minor earthquakes, but never anything as strong as this one. My auntie told me that years ago, a stronger earthquake happened in Samar, but I wasn't home that time. I hope there will be no more strong earthquakes in near future.

School quizzes

Just got home from school. It wasn't that bad today. I spent 6 hours in school, 4 hours this morning, and 2 hours this afternoon. We had 3 quizzes, glad that my classmate shared her answer with the few of us in school. I ended up getting a good score. I myself wouldn't have known all that. Thanks to her for sharing her answers to us. She was our savior today! Our teacher didn't mind our cheating, as she knows that we didn't have enough time to review.

My smart classmate happens to be a nice and kind person. Why does she knew all the answer? Simply. Because, she studied the subject twice already. I'm not happy with what I did though, but I don't have much of a choice. I cannot afford to get a zero on the first day of classes. Same thing with my classmates. Having enough time to review the learned lessons is really important in school.

Think Wisely

Friendship is hard to build. Like a relationship, once the trust is gone, it will never go back to how it used to be. So, my advice to those who think having the best friendship ever: In a friendship, having different opinions is natural. You wont be real friends if you two don't fight sometimes. But, when you you have a misunderstanding, avoid making the issue worse and never post anything hurtful about each other on social media.

I had been there done that, and I regretted it. I have promised myself not to do any stupid moves again. My friendship with someone dear to me has gone, and that makes me sad whenever I think of it. Now, whenever I and my friend are having some issue. I will just keep silent, and think of a better way to fix the mess. Once I know we have cooled down, that's where I start talking to my friend again. Being silent is better than uttering nonsense words that could lead you to ruin your friendship with someone.

Monday School

Tomorrow, our classes will start at 8:00am. Monday is always a long day in school, while I only have afternoon classes on Wednesday. I will need to wake up early in the morning. To bad I am so used to sleep long. I don't want to miss my subject for tomorrow. I think I will set my alarm clock to help me wake on time.

It is good that I have a classmate who lives at the same place as I do. It means I will no longer go to school alone. I'm glad that I have a classmate and friend who helps me with all school stuff. We don't share the same room. She's actually renting the other room shared with another roommate, but as of now she's alone there and she has the room for herself. Anyway I told her to just knock my door if ever I don't wake up early tomorrow.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn

The Philippines boxing champ Manny Pacquiao may have lost his fight against Jeff Horn this time, but the loss is discussed controversal by the sports expert. Many think that Pacquiao did the better punches. In any case, he will remain a legend in the boxing sport, due to so many previous wins.

I think the discussion should stop about his loss. He is only a human with no super powers. I hope you guys know that he may not always win. I'm sure Manny has accepted the fact that he lost this fight. Maybe there will be a rematch. In any case, we Filipino should be proud of him that he gave honor to our country.

Win or lose, Manny, you will remain a champion to me! You've fought, not just for yourself, but also for the country. You have won so many fights, that you have proven enough times that you are a true champion. Now it is time to focus on your senatorial job, where you have many political challenges to solve. I wish you that you win those kind of fights as well. Good luck!