In relation to my previous post, my family and I would like to thank everyone who sympathized and gave their love and support when my grandmother passed away last week. I was so deeply touched to receive text messages from people extending their condolences to our family despite the fact that they haven't met my grandmother. Also to those who came to the wake especially to those who came after office hours (I know you're all tired and that LP is a bit far from where most of you live), our heartfelt thank you.
Thank You
In relation to my previous post, my family and I would like to thank everyone who sympathized and gave their love and support when my grandmother passed away last week. I was so deeply touched to receive text messages from people extending their condolences to our family despite the fact that they haven't met my grandmother. Also to those who came to the wake especially to those who came after office hours (I know you're all tired and that LP is a bit far from where most of you live), our heartfelt thank you.
Ina
It was always told in Religion class that death is a stage in our life that should not be feared as it is at this time that we come to live with our creator in paradise. This belief is what I have been holding on to since I have learned the concept of death. It is what kept me from being "at peace" and not questioning the reasons why people have to die. However, it is different when a loved one has moved on to paradise.My grandmother passed away last Sunday.
It wasn't something that happened suddenly. We all knew that her health was slowly deteriorating. We were hoping for the best but was preparing for the worst. As her health slowly deteriorated, I felt helpless. I wished that I could take away the pain that she felt. But there was nothing that I could do but to kiss her on the forehead and asked her to try to eat more. In short, I wanted her to fight to stay with us. The look on her face and the frailty of her body sent a piercing pain on my heart. Unfortunately, our worst fear happened. Ina, my grandmother was gone.
No matter how hard I try to convince myself that she is now in a better place, a big part of me still wishes that she's still here. I know it is selfish but right now this is how I feel. A lot of 'what ifs' have crossed my mind, and I wish that I could resolve them. One of these is to be able to repay the time and effort she has given to care for us when my brother and I were still young and our parents were out working. She has become our second mother. And because of the kind of lifestyle that we have right now, the busy schedules, the deadlines that have to be met and the responsibilities that need to be done, only a minute fraction of her care and love for us were reciprocated.
I'm sorry Ina for not doing more.
I love you.
I cannot stress how this message has made an impact on me. I hope you would all take the time to watch this.
Song of the Week 5/2009
This week's Song of the Week was performed by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church entitled The Prayer. A lot of artists have done renditions of this song but this is what I like best.I chose this song because it is what got me through last weekend.
Song of the Week #4/2009
This week's Song of the Week (though delayed) is my favorite song at the moment. At first, I was annoyed when I heard it but it kinda grew on me. Now I'm singing and dancing at the same time whenever I hear it on the radio. Plus, I just love her face's bone structure. Heehee! I'm talking about Lady Gaga and her song, Poker Face. Enjoy the song. Happy Thursday everyone! Isang tulog na lang weekend na! :)
No more teachers...No more books...
The crossing of the fingers and the constant prayers have paid off. A and I have (surprisingly) passed the Final exams AKA Preboards that we had last Sunday and Monday. The results were released today and our classmate, M texted us our scores. It wasn't a high score but it was a passing mark. Honestly, I wasn't really expecting this but I was hoping I'd pass. We were really worried because we were told that if we fail in the exams, we would have to retake it. Waaaa! That would be really stressful. So I am sooo happy that A and I and also my other friends have passed the exams! Wee! Graduation here we come!!!
Sunday Stealing - "The High School Meme"
I've missed a lot of Sunday Stealing because of school and I know it's Monday already here but in the U.S., I'm only two hours late from posting this. Heehee! So here goes...
This week's Sunday Stealing was from a blogger named Diana Pharaoh Francis from the blog Mad Libs. It's all about High School.
1. Did you date someone from your school? Nope. I was in an exclusive school for girls.
2. Did you marry someone from your high school? That would be a "no" again.
3. Did you car pool to school? Nope. My dad would always drive me to school after dropping off my mom at her office.
4. What kind of car did you have? Let's see, that time, we had a Toyota Corolla and a Honda Civic (that we still have till now).
5. What kind of car do you have now? A Honda Civic too. Heehee!
6. Its Friday night...where are you now? Hmm... It's actually a Monday afternoon here...Lol. But hypothetically, I'd probably be out with my husband while he plays with his band or resting for the next day's review class. Ugh!
7. It is Friday night...where were you then? Probably at home, watching TV or a movie.
8. What kind of job did you have in high school? I didn't have one but I've always wanted to try to work in this clothing store.
9. What kind of job do you do now? I'm not working at the moment as I am finishing my second degree. Weee!!!
10. Were you a party animal? Not really. I was a bit of a late bloomer.
11. Were you considered a flirt? Hahaha! That would be the last thing my schoolmates would think of me.
12. Were you in a band, orchestra, or choir? As much as I wanted to, I'm pretty sure they'd be fine without me.
13. Were you a nerd? Nope!
14. Did you get suspended from school? Almost. One of the teachers thought that two of my classmates and I were cutting class when in fact, we were looking for her. Good thing, we got cleared of that.
15. Can you sing the fight song? Hmmm.... I don't know which one is the fight song. Lol.
16. Who was/were your favorite teacher? That would be our Grammar and English Lit. teacher in our freshmen year. I learned a lot from them about school stuff and most importantly about life. :)
17. Where did you sit during lunch? It varies every year. But in our senior year, we ate lunch outside Troika Hall.
18. What was your school's full name? St. Scholastica's College, Manila
19. Where did you party the most? I already said I wasn't a party animal back then. But we usually hang out and go crazy whenever we're at my friends' house.
20. What was your school mascot? Hmmm... I don't think we have one.
21. Would you do it again? High School? Definitely. Especially our Sophomore year. Plus, I was really skinny then. Lol.
22. Did you have fun at Prom? Uh-huh. My date was my crush and a real gentleman. Plus, a bonus, he was funny and charming too.
23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? That would be a 'no'. We lost contact after high school.
24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? If there was one, sure! But we've celebrated our 10th anniversary already and we didn't have a reunion so I'm guessing after the 20th then? Lol.
25. Do you still talk to people from school? You mean the teachers? Well, yes then but not that often.
26. What are/were your school's colors? Navy blue and white.
Better late than never... you can still post your entry and join in the fun. Yahoo Sunday Stealing!
This week's Sunday Stealing was from a blogger named Diana Pharaoh Francis from the blog Mad Libs. It's all about High School.
1. Did you date someone from your school? Nope. I was in an exclusive school for girls.
2. Did you marry someone from your high school? That would be a "no" again.
3. Did you car pool to school? Nope. My dad would always drive me to school after dropping off my mom at her office.
4. What kind of car did you have? Let's see, that time, we had a Toyota Corolla and a Honda Civic (that we still have till now).
5. What kind of car do you have now? A Honda Civic too. Heehee!
6. Its Friday night...where are you now? Hmm... It's actually a Monday afternoon here...Lol. But hypothetically, I'd probably be out with my husband while he plays with his band or resting for the next day's review class. Ugh!
7. It is Friday night...where were you then? Probably at home, watching TV or a movie.
8. What kind of job did you have in high school? I didn't have one but I've always wanted to try to work in this clothing store.
9. What kind of job do you do now? I'm not working at the moment as I am finishing my second degree. Weee!!!
10. Were you a party animal? Not really. I was a bit of a late bloomer.
11. Were you considered a flirt? Hahaha! That would be the last thing my schoolmates would think of me.
12. Were you in a band, orchestra, or choir? As much as I wanted to, I'm pretty sure they'd be fine without me.
13. Were you a nerd? Nope!
14. Did you get suspended from school? Almost. One of the teachers thought that two of my classmates and I were cutting class when in fact, we were looking for her. Good thing, we got cleared of that.
15. Can you sing the fight song? Hmmm.... I don't know which one is the fight song. Lol.
16. Who was/were your favorite teacher? That would be our Grammar and English Lit. teacher in our freshmen year. I learned a lot from them about school stuff and most importantly about life. :)
17. Where did you sit during lunch? It varies every year. But in our senior year, we ate lunch outside Troika Hall.
18. What was your school's full name? St. Scholastica's College, Manila
19. Where did you party the most? I already said I wasn't a party animal back then. But we usually hang out and go crazy whenever we're at my friends' house.
20. What was your school mascot? Hmmm... I don't think we have one.
21. Would you do it again? High School? Definitely. Especially our Sophomore year. Plus, I was really skinny then. Lol.
22. Did you have fun at Prom? Uh-huh. My date was my crush and a real gentleman. Plus, a bonus, he was funny and charming too.
23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? That would be a 'no'. We lost contact after high school.
24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? If there was one, sure! But we've celebrated our 10th anniversary already and we didn't have a reunion so I'm guessing after the 20th then? Lol.
25. Do you still talk to people from school? You mean the teachers? Well, yes then but not that often.
26. What are/were your school's colors? Navy blue and white.
Better late than never... you can still post your entry and join in the fun. Yahoo Sunday Stealing!
Passport Renewal
This afternoon, A and I went to DFA to have our passports renewed. Well, actually I went ahead since A still has to work till 1:30 pm.
So I got there around 12:30 pm. I was early for our 1:00 pm appointment because I wanted to be first on the queue. Well, that's what I thought.
I was lucky that at the last minute, A told me to just take a cab going there because I might have a hard time finding a parking space. But honestly, the parking space would be the least of my problems after what happened this afternoon.
Okay, back to DFA. So I got off the cab and went straight to the guard standing at the entrance. Before I could reach him, there were three or four men wearing big IDs hanging on their necks and asking me the purpose of my visit. So I obliged by saying that I had an appointment at 1:00 pm for our passport renewal. They were asking if I had the application forms and pictures. I'm thinking (and if I'm just a nasty person would say this aloud), 'of course I have them with me. Who on earth would go there without any kind of document with them', right? But then they checked my pictures. They said those wouldn't be accepted because I had "bangs". Sheesh! What do they want, I'd cut them just so I can renew my passport? And to think I wasn't really pleased with the pictures that I have because they said I shouldn't smile. Well, I'm not used to that. Now, I have to get another set of pictures, this time with a worn out black blazer which thankfully I didn't have to wear. The 'photographer' just draped the stinky thing on my shoulders and proceeded to take my picture. My gosh! I looked horrible!! My face looked swollen and I looked paler than a ghost. Talk about overexposure! Then I had to pay Php 120.00 for that ghastly photo of me. 120 pesos for 6 passport-sized photographs! That's not all, since they removed the old picture that was glued on my application form, they charged me 12 pesos for the glue, the ink I used to put my thumb marks and a copy of the application form which they insisted that would be collected once I apply. Pero syempre hindi kinuha diba?
At that point, I was really irritated. Had I known that I need to affix already my thumb marks without the DFA personnel witnessing it, then I would've done it at home. And I should've brought glue so I won't get charged for it. You might say that's it's only 12 pesos and for sure I wouldn't miss it in my wallet. That may be true, but the amount of money that I need to shell out is not the issue. The issue is that these people would ask for money for everything! I mean, the 120 pesos is enough already to cover the pictures, the piece of paper used to photocopy my application form and the 3 dabs of glue used to stick my photo on the form!
But that's just half the story. The moment I got out of that kiosk and ready to go in. Another group of big ID'd men came rushing again and this time pointing me to the farther side of the street for the next procedure. Luckily, I was walking with this guy who is also there for his passport renewal and that he mentioned that he needs to get an appointment. I stopped and told him that I already have one so he told me that I should have already entered and proceeded to Gate 2 for my application. Grrrrrrr!! I was really pissed. I was already a few blocks away already and walking under the scorching heat of the sun without an umbrella. I was so annoyed when I got back at the entrance where the same men who instructed me to go to the oppossite direction of the building asked me if I had completed the forms. I wanted to scream and slap them silly but instead I totally ignored them (even the guards) and went in.
You're thinking, finally I got in and everything would be ok now, right? Wrong! As I found Gate 2, I immediately approached one of the four guards standing near the gate. (Do they really need four guards for that?) I asked him if I could go in since I have an appointment at 1:00 pm and it's already 1:15 pm. He said that I should wait and that they'll make an announcement if we could go in. So I was waiting at the gate still under heat of the sun for almost 10 minutes when one of the other four guards was speaking into a bullhorn and said that if there's anyone else left outside that has an appointment should go in now. So I approached him and asked if he was referring to those who were in the 1:00 pm slot. He then said that the 1:00 pm batch were already in and that I should go. Grrrr again! At that time, I couldn't help it and told on one of the guards.
I know two heads are better than one but having five or more is a disaster! The information being provided is already inaccurate. Ang dami-dami nila di naman sila nakakatulong! I hope anyone from DFA would be able to read this. Get a grip on those "fixers" wearing IDs who prey on the clueless and confused. And please, please try to inform your guards to have consistency on the information that they give to your applicants.
The only thing I like about this whole experience was that the whole procedure took only about 15 minutes. Mas matagal pa yung nilakad ko sa kawalan at pagkuha ng picture. Haay.... My gas abelgas!
So if you're planning to have your passports renewed, I suggest you get everything ok and do it soon because from what I've heard, by next year, everyone should have the machine-readable passport already if they want to travel. So good luck people! I hope you wouldn't go through what I've been through this afternoon. Nakakaloka! Kumulot ata hair ko sa kanila! Lol.
Dreaming of the Beach
The sun is really blazing in the afternoon and the temperature has really made itself clear that it's summer already. A lot of people have probably scheduled their summer activities already. *sigh
I so wish that I could go to the beach at least once for this summer. But I know that would be impossible. I'm so busy and my mind is so preoccupied that I can't even day dream of being in one of those Carribean cruises.
I so envy my friends who are on their way to Pangasinan and another group of friends headed to Batangas. Waaa! I want to go but I can't. My social life is on hold right now because of my studies so I guess the beach would have to wait. I'll see you next year pure white sands and sky blue sea.
I so wish that I could go to the beach at least once for this summer. But I know that would be impossible. I'm so busy and my mind is so preoccupied that I can't even day dream of being in one of those Carribean cruises.
I so envy my friends who are on their way to Pangasinan and another group of friends headed to Batangas. Waaa! I want to go but I can't. My social life is on hold right now because of my studies so I guess the beach would have to wait. I'll see you next year pure white sands and sky blue sea.
Finals Week
My head is still recuperating from all the cramming I've done for our Final exams last week. And FYI, that was last Sunday and Monday. Yes, you read that right, the first day of our Final exams was on a Sunday. Given that my mind is on autopilot in the morning (and especially on weekends), it was harder because I was on two opposing planes that day. One was my usual "lethargic" self while the other one was the "high on caffeine overload" self. Let us not forget that my tummy's butterflies had butterflies in them as well. So anyway, that day was a long one. The format of the exams were like the board exam. Three exams with 100 items each for Sunday and the remaining two exams also with 100 items each was for Monday. Imagine the pain I had on my neck from looking down on the test paper for 5 1/2 hours for all three tests. But it didn't stop there, I had to take the final exam that I missed during our Intensive lecture for Psych Nursing. So that's four exams all in all. On the latter exam, my mind wasn't functioning properly anymore (as if it were on the first three tests). The questions in the exam weren't helping either because most of them were very long statements since it's a Psych exam. At the end of Day 1, both my mind and body were drained.When we got home at around 3:30 pm, I went straight to bed and woke up at 6:00 pm. Now this is the funny part, I got up in one of those irritating ways when I just bolted up from the bed and went to get my towel. You see, I thought it was the next day already and I was going to take a bath. Good thing I saw A sleeping on the couch and mom-in-law preparing dinner. If not, I would've gone straight to the bathroom and would come out feeling really stupid and annoyed. Lol.
Day 2 was a bit different. I was more calm now because after the discussions we've had with my other classmates, we've realized that the previous day's exams were really difficult. Well, let us not blame everything on the exams but partly to blame was myself who didn't really study hard. Who was I kidding thinking of jamming everything in my sluggish brain all that was taught in just a week and a half. Haha! Good luck with that! Going back, as I have let go of my feelings of denial and accepted the fact that it was partly me to blame, I felt a bit of regret from not watching the second Eraserheads concert. I could have watched it and would still feel this awful after the exams. Hahaha! Oh well, at least I got to watch the first one.
So there, that was how my week was. It's a Friday and yet I can't get to say "TGIF" because I have review classes on weekends. Waaa! Kuracha, ang babaeng walang pahinga!
Francis Magalona has Passed Away
"Mga Kababayan Ko", it is unfortunate that the country's Master Rapper, Francis Magalona passed away today at 12:00 PM. My condolences to his family. We have truly lost one of the best talents of our country.
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Thank You
In relation to my previous post, my family and I would like to thank everyone who sympathized and gave their love and support when my grandmother passed away last week. I was so deeply touched to receive text messages from people extending their condolences to our family despite the fact that they haven't met my grandmother. Also to those who came to the wake especially to those who came after office hours (I know you're all tired and that LP is a bit far from where most of you live), our heartfelt thank you.
Ina
It was always told in Religion class that death is a stage in our life that should not be feared as it is at this time that we come to live with our creator in paradise. This belief is what I have been holding on to since I have learned the concept of death. It is what kept me from being "at peace" and not questioning the reasons why people have to die. However, it is different when a loved one has moved on to paradise.My grandmother passed away last Sunday.
It wasn't something that happened suddenly. We all knew that her health was slowly deteriorating. We were hoping for the best but was preparing for the worst. As her health slowly deteriorated, I felt helpless. I wished that I could take away the pain that she felt. But there was nothing that I could do but to kiss her on the forehead and asked her to try to eat more. In short, I wanted her to fight to stay with us. The look on her face and the frailty of her body sent a piercing pain on my heart. Unfortunately, our worst fear happened. Ina, my grandmother was gone.
No matter how hard I try to convince myself that she is now in a better place, a big part of me still wishes that she's still here. I know it is selfish but right now this is how I feel. A lot of 'what ifs' have crossed my mind, and I wish that I could resolve them. One of these is to be able to repay the time and effort she has given to care for us when my brother and I were still young and our parents were out working. She has become our second mother. And because of the kind of lifestyle that we have right now, the busy schedules, the deadlines that have to be met and the responsibilities that need to be done, only a minute fraction of her care and love for us were reciprocated.
I'm sorry Ina for not doing more.
I love you.
I cannot stress how this message has made an impact on me. I hope you would all take the time to watch this.
Song of the Week 5/2009
This week's Song of the Week was performed by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church entitled The Prayer. A lot of artists have done renditions of this song but this is what I like best.I chose this song because it is what got me through last weekend.
Song of the Week #4/2009
This week's Song of the Week (though delayed) is my favorite song at the moment. At first, I was annoyed when I heard it but it kinda grew on me. Now I'm singing and dancing at the same time whenever I hear it on the radio. Plus, I just love her face's bone structure. Heehee! I'm talking about Lady Gaga and her song, Poker Face. Enjoy the song. Happy Thursday everyone! Isang tulog na lang weekend na! :)
No more teachers...No more books...
The crossing of the fingers and the constant prayers have paid off. A and I have (surprisingly) passed the Final exams AKA Preboards that we had last Sunday and Monday. The results were released today and our classmate, M texted us our scores. It wasn't a high score but it was a passing mark. Honestly, I wasn't really expecting this but I was hoping I'd pass. We were really worried because we were told that if we fail in the exams, we would have to retake it. Waaaa! That would be really stressful. So I am sooo happy that A and I and also my other friends have passed the exams! Wee! Graduation here we come!!!
Sunday Stealing - "The High School Meme"
I've missed a lot of Sunday Stealing because of school and I know it's Monday already here but in the U.S., I'm only two hours late from posting this. Heehee! So here goes...
This week's Sunday Stealing was from a blogger named Diana Pharaoh Francis from the blog Mad Libs. It's all about High School.
1. Did you date someone from your school? Nope. I was in an exclusive school for girls.
2. Did you marry someone from your high school? That would be a "no" again.
3. Did you car pool to school? Nope. My dad would always drive me to school after dropping off my mom at her office.
4. What kind of car did you have? Let's see, that time, we had a Toyota Corolla and a Honda Civic (that we still have till now).
5. What kind of car do you have now? A Honda Civic too. Heehee!
6. Its Friday night...where are you now? Hmm... It's actually a Monday afternoon here...Lol. But hypothetically, I'd probably be out with my husband while he plays with his band or resting for the next day's review class. Ugh!
7. It is Friday night...where were you then? Probably at home, watching TV or a movie.
8. What kind of job did you have in high school? I didn't have one but I've always wanted to try to work in this clothing store.
9. What kind of job do you do now? I'm not working at the moment as I am finishing my second degree. Weee!!!
10. Were you a party animal? Not really. I was a bit of a late bloomer.
11. Were you considered a flirt? Hahaha! That would be the last thing my schoolmates would think of me.
12. Were you in a band, orchestra, or choir? As much as I wanted to, I'm pretty sure they'd be fine without me.
13. Were you a nerd? Nope!
14. Did you get suspended from school? Almost. One of the teachers thought that two of my classmates and I were cutting class when in fact, we were looking for her. Good thing, we got cleared of that.
15. Can you sing the fight song? Hmmm.... I don't know which one is the fight song. Lol.
16. Who was/were your favorite teacher? That would be our Grammar and English Lit. teacher in our freshmen year. I learned a lot from them about school stuff and most importantly about life. :)
17. Where did you sit during lunch? It varies every year. But in our senior year, we ate lunch outside Troika Hall.
18. What was your school's full name? St. Scholastica's College, Manila
19. Where did you party the most? I already said I wasn't a party animal back then. But we usually hang out and go crazy whenever we're at my friends' house.
20. What was your school mascot? Hmmm... I don't think we have one.
21. Would you do it again? High School? Definitely. Especially our Sophomore year. Plus, I was really skinny then. Lol.
22. Did you have fun at Prom? Uh-huh. My date was my crush and a real gentleman. Plus, a bonus, he was funny and charming too.
23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? That would be a 'no'. We lost contact after high school.
24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? If there was one, sure! But we've celebrated our 10th anniversary already and we didn't have a reunion so I'm guessing after the 20th then? Lol.
25. Do you still talk to people from school? You mean the teachers? Well, yes then but not that often.
26. What are/were your school's colors? Navy blue and white.
Better late than never... you can still post your entry and join in the fun. Yahoo Sunday Stealing!
This week's Sunday Stealing was from a blogger named Diana Pharaoh Francis from the blog Mad Libs. It's all about High School.
1. Did you date someone from your school? Nope. I was in an exclusive school for girls.
2. Did you marry someone from your high school? That would be a "no" again.
3. Did you car pool to school? Nope. My dad would always drive me to school after dropping off my mom at her office.
4. What kind of car did you have? Let's see, that time, we had a Toyota Corolla and a Honda Civic (that we still have till now).
5. What kind of car do you have now? A Honda Civic too. Heehee!
6. Its Friday night...where are you now? Hmm... It's actually a Monday afternoon here...Lol. But hypothetically, I'd probably be out with my husband while he plays with his band or resting for the next day's review class. Ugh!
7. It is Friday night...where were you then? Probably at home, watching TV or a movie.
8. What kind of job did you have in high school? I didn't have one but I've always wanted to try to work in this clothing store.
9. What kind of job do you do now? I'm not working at the moment as I am finishing my second degree. Weee!!!
10. Were you a party animal? Not really. I was a bit of a late bloomer.
11. Were you considered a flirt? Hahaha! That would be the last thing my schoolmates would think of me.
12. Were you in a band, orchestra, or choir? As much as I wanted to, I'm pretty sure they'd be fine without me.
13. Were you a nerd? Nope!
14. Did you get suspended from school? Almost. One of the teachers thought that two of my classmates and I were cutting class when in fact, we were looking for her. Good thing, we got cleared of that.
15. Can you sing the fight song? Hmmm.... I don't know which one is the fight song. Lol.
16. Who was/were your favorite teacher? That would be our Grammar and English Lit. teacher in our freshmen year. I learned a lot from them about school stuff and most importantly about life. :)
17. Where did you sit during lunch? It varies every year. But in our senior year, we ate lunch outside Troika Hall.
18. What was your school's full name? St. Scholastica's College, Manila
19. Where did you party the most? I already said I wasn't a party animal back then. But we usually hang out and go crazy whenever we're at my friends' house.
20. What was your school mascot? Hmmm... I don't think we have one.
21. Would you do it again? High School? Definitely. Especially our Sophomore year. Plus, I was really skinny then. Lol.
22. Did you have fun at Prom? Uh-huh. My date was my crush and a real gentleman. Plus, a bonus, he was funny and charming too.
23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? That would be a 'no'. We lost contact after high school.
24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? If there was one, sure! But we've celebrated our 10th anniversary already and we didn't have a reunion so I'm guessing after the 20th then? Lol.
25. Do you still talk to people from school? You mean the teachers? Well, yes then but not that often.
26. What are/were your school's colors? Navy blue and white.
Better late than never... you can still post your entry and join in the fun. Yahoo Sunday Stealing!
Passport Renewal
This afternoon, A and I went to DFA to have our passports renewed. Well, actually I went ahead since A still has to work till 1:30 pm.
So I got there around 12:30 pm. I was early for our 1:00 pm appointment because I wanted to be first on the queue. Well, that's what I thought.
I was lucky that at the last minute, A told me to just take a cab going there because I might have a hard time finding a parking space. But honestly, the parking space would be the least of my problems after what happened this afternoon.
Okay, back to DFA. So I got off the cab and went straight to the guard standing at the entrance. Before I could reach him, there were three or four men wearing big IDs hanging on their necks and asking me the purpose of my visit. So I obliged by saying that I had an appointment at 1:00 pm for our passport renewal. They were asking if I had the application forms and pictures. I'm thinking (and if I'm just a nasty person would say this aloud), 'of course I have them with me. Who on earth would go there without any kind of document with them', right? But then they checked my pictures. They said those wouldn't be accepted because I had "bangs". Sheesh! What do they want, I'd cut them just so I can renew my passport? And to think I wasn't really pleased with the pictures that I have because they said I shouldn't smile. Well, I'm not used to that. Now, I have to get another set of pictures, this time with a worn out black blazer which thankfully I didn't have to wear. The 'photographer' just draped the stinky thing on my shoulders and proceeded to take my picture. My gosh! I looked horrible!! My face looked swollen and I looked paler than a ghost. Talk about overexposure! Then I had to pay Php 120.00 for that ghastly photo of me. 120 pesos for 6 passport-sized photographs! That's not all, since they removed the old picture that was glued on my application form, they charged me 12 pesos for the glue, the ink I used to put my thumb marks and a copy of the application form which they insisted that would be collected once I apply. Pero syempre hindi kinuha diba?
At that point, I was really irritated. Had I known that I need to affix already my thumb marks without the DFA personnel witnessing it, then I would've done it at home. And I should've brought glue so I won't get charged for it. You might say that's it's only 12 pesos and for sure I wouldn't miss it in my wallet. That may be true, but the amount of money that I need to shell out is not the issue. The issue is that these people would ask for money for everything! I mean, the 120 pesos is enough already to cover the pictures, the piece of paper used to photocopy my application form and the 3 dabs of glue used to stick my photo on the form!
But that's just half the story. The moment I got out of that kiosk and ready to go in. Another group of big ID'd men came rushing again and this time pointing me to the farther side of the street for the next procedure. Luckily, I was walking with this guy who is also there for his passport renewal and that he mentioned that he needs to get an appointment. I stopped and told him that I already have one so he told me that I should have already entered and proceeded to Gate 2 for my application. Grrrrrrr!! I was really pissed. I was already a few blocks away already and walking under the scorching heat of the sun without an umbrella. I was so annoyed when I got back at the entrance where the same men who instructed me to go to the oppossite direction of the building asked me if I had completed the forms. I wanted to scream and slap them silly but instead I totally ignored them (even the guards) and went in.
You're thinking, finally I got in and everything would be ok now, right? Wrong! As I found Gate 2, I immediately approached one of the four guards standing near the gate. (Do they really need four guards for that?) I asked him if I could go in since I have an appointment at 1:00 pm and it's already 1:15 pm. He said that I should wait and that they'll make an announcement if we could go in. So I was waiting at the gate still under heat of the sun for almost 10 minutes when one of the other four guards was speaking into a bullhorn and said that if there's anyone else left outside that has an appointment should go in now. So I approached him and asked if he was referring to those who were in the 1:00 pm slot. He then said that the 1:00 pm batch were already in and that I should go. Grrrr again! At that time, I couldn't help it and told on one of the guards.
I know two heads are better than one but having five or more is a disaster! The information being provided is already inaccurate. Ang dami-dami nila di naman sila nakakatulong! I hope anyone from DFA would be able to read this. Get a grip on those "fixers" wearing IDs who prey on the clueless and confused. And please, please try to inform your guards to have consistency on the information that they give to your applicants.
The only thing I like about this whole experience was that the whole procedure took only about 15 minutes. Mas matagal pa yung nilakad ko sa kawalan at pagkuha ng picture. Haay.... My gas abelgas!
So if you're planning to have your passports renewed, I suggest you get everything ok and do it soon because from what I've heard, by next year, everyone should have the machine-readable passport already if they want to travel. So good luck people! I hope you wouldn't go through what I've been through this afternoon. Nakakaloka! Kumulot ata hair ko sa kanila! Lol.
Dreaming of the Beach
The sun is really blazing in the afternoon and the temperature has really made itself clear that it's summer already. A lot of people have probably scheduled their summer activities already. *sigh
I so wish that I could go to the beach at least once for this summer. But I know that would be impossible. I'm so busy and my mind is so preoccupied that I can't even day dream of being in one of those Carribean cruises.
I so envy my friends who are on their way to Pangasinan and another group of friends headed to Batangas. Waaa! I want to go but I can't. My social life is on hold right now because of my studies so I guess the beach would have to wait. I'll see you next year pure white sands and sky blue sea.
I so wish that I could go to the beach at least once for this summer. But I know that would be impossible. I'm so busy and my mind is so preoccupied that I can't even day dream of being in one of those Carribean cruises.
I so envy my friends who are on their way to Pangasinan and another group of friends headed to Batangas. Waaa! I want to go but I can't. My social life is on hold right now because of my studies so I guess the beach would have to wait. I'll see you next year pure white sands and sky blue sea.
Finals Week
My head is still recuperating from all the cramming I've done for our Final exams last week. And FYI, that was last Sunday and Monday. Yes, you read that right, the first day of our Final exams was on a Sunday. Given that my mind is on autopilot in the morning (and especially on weekends), it was harder because I was on two opposing planes that day. One was my usual "lethargic" self while the other one was the "high on caffeine overload" self. Let us not forget that my tummy's butterflies had butterflies in them as well. So anyway, that day was a long one. The format of the exams were like the board exam. Three exams with 100 items each for Sunday and the remaining two exams also with 100 items each was for Monday. Imagine the pain I had on my neck from looking down on the test paper for 5 1/2 hours for all three tests. But it didn't stop there, I had to take the final exam that I missed during our Intensive lecture for Psych Nursing. So that's four exams all in all. On the latter exam, my mind wasn't functioning properly anymore (as if it were on the first three tests). The questions in the exam weren't helping either because most of them were very long statements since it's a Psych exam. At the end of Day 1, both my mind and body were drained.When we got home at around 3:30 pm, I went straight to bed and woke up at 6:00 pm. Now this is the funny part, I got up in one of those irritating ways when I just bolted up from the bed and went to get my towel. You see, I thought it was the next day already and I was going to take a bath. Good thing I saw A sleeping on the couch and mom-in-law preparing dinner. If not, I would've gone straight to the bathroom and would come out feeling really stupid and annoyed. Lol.
Day 2 was a bit different. I was more calm now because after the discussions we've had with my other classmates, we've realized that the previous day's exams were really difficult. Well, let us not blame everything on the exams but partly to blame was myself who didn't really study hard. Who was I kidding thinking of jamming everything in my sluggish brain all that was taught in just a week and a half. Haha! Good luck with that! Going back, as I have let go of my feelings of denial and accepted the fact that it was partly me to blame, I felt a bit of regret from not watching the second Eraserheads concert. I could have watched it and would still feel this awful after the exams. Hahaha! Oh well, at least I got to watch the first one.
So there, that was how my week was. It's a Friday and yet I can't get to say "TGIF" because I have review classes on weekends. Waaa! Kuracha, ang babaeng walang pahinga!
Francis Magalona has Passed Away
"Mga Kababayan Ko", it is unfortunate that the country's Master Rapper, Francis Magalona passed away today at 12:00 PM. My condolences to his family. We have truly lost one of the best talents of our country.
