I was up by 5:10 a.m. today and my first thought was, "why did I say yes to this walkathon?" I mean, I'm not really the sporty type, am I? My exercise has always been limited to the short walk from the FX stop to the office that I have to take each morning and occasional strolls at the mall. But then I remembered that this was not just a walk. It has a purpose, which is to create awareness on the growing number of children that die from hunger everyday. Plus, KC Concepcion would be there!

And so feeling all perked up, I got up and headed straight to the shower. The call time was at 6 so I had to move fast. Fifteen minutes later I was already picking "the proper attire." I had absolutely no idea what you're supposed to wear in a walkathon. I texted Anj, my friend from Unilever who invited us to this event, but I guess she was already very busy with the preparations so she wasn't able to reply. And so I had no choice but to figure it out myself.

I was thinking of wearing jeans, but that wouldn't be sporty. It's a walkathon. I had to wear something that would make me look like I do exercise and eat a balanced diet. After five more minutes of debating with myself, I finally settled for a pair of jogging pants and the official shirt the sponsors have provided for the attendees. I just packed a racerback top so I could change later.

After dressing up, I started worrying about how to get to the venue. The original plan was to wait for Paul to get back from yet another company outing (when will your summer end, people?!), but it was already 15 minutes to six so I had to go ahead. I threw Holly and two 120 rolls, plus a pair of scissors and electrical tape along with other stuff in my bag before finally dashing to the street to hail a tricycle. I was lucky to spot one immediately. I hopped in and started praying that there would be cabs waiting at the loading bay along C5 Road.

I heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of taxis lined up at the bay.

I made it. I got to the venue before the walkathon started! (And when I saw all those participants wearing jeans, I wanted to kick myself for wearing a stupid pair of jogging pants.)

Ramil, Anj, me and Paul after the walk: Tired and icky, but happy!

Paul obviously didn't make it on time, but at least he arrived halfway through the walk.

Oh we had fun! It was a 3.k-kilometer walk but we hardly noticed since we were busy chatting and looking for KC Concepcion. At the start of the walk we were actually thisclose to her (and Maricel Laxa and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan), but then we had to stay close to the Unilever group, so we got a little left behind.

After the walk, there had been performances by Cynthia Alexander, Bayang Barrios and some bands I haven't heard of. The gang and I then dropped by the Lomowall exhibit in BHS and had breakfast at McDonald's Market! Market!

I actually thought I would never be able to see this exhibit. It was supposed to run only until yesterday. I wonder why they're still up today.

This Sunday has really been out of the ordinary and I enjoyed it so much! I wish I could have more weekends like this.

NOTE: I wasn't able to take a lot of decent (digital) photos since I was too busy with Holly. I just hope the shots turn out good.

Stop calling my name.

Forget that I exist.

Even just for today.

Please.

I got so engrossed in morphing my face into other people's that I stayed up 'til 1 a.m. just watching myself turn into Kristin Kreuk, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kristin Davis, and of course, Song Hye-Kyo and convincing myself that I do look like these women when you look at us from certain angles. Now as a result I have this throbbing headache, which I'm afraid might cause another bad day here at work, even if everyone suddenly decides to let me be the invisible lady.

But I still don't get it. I slept late--super late-- and yet I was already up by 5:45. Guess I can't really fool my body clock. Well, I'll just look at the brighter side of things then. Since I was up early, might as well go to work early, right? I remembered it's Wednesday and that there would be fewer FX units at the terminal, so waking up this early wasn't such a bad thing after all (okay, the lack of sleep was, but I promise not to "undersleep" again, ever!). When my sister and I got to the terminal, there were still quite a number of FX units and vans waiting for passengers, which is a rare sight nowadays, thanks to the crackdown on kolorum units.

I'm already in at 7:16 and the office was almost deserted. And because it was still too early to do anything work-related, I had my daily dose of Shopaholic first, about two chapters, and then tried to take a quick nap. I usually read my book while waiting in line at the terminal, but thank God there were no long lines today. Just a sunny sky telling me that things will be alright.

Gemini (May 21-June20) :

You will learn from what you experience today. Open up to the people around you and your thoughts will be considered and action taken. You can make some changes at home that will help you feel better about your personal life. 3 stars.

Okay now, let's make an analysis, shall we?

You will learn from what you experience today. This is definitely referring to my sleeping late last night and waking up early this morning. I shall get back on track with my sleeping habits. I was actually doing good getting at least seven hours of sleep a night for the past couple of weeks. I'm not so sure what went wrong last night.

Open up to the people around you and your thoughts will be considered and action taken. How about opening up to people whom I haven't seen or talked to in a while? Then they would have a piece of my mind and make them realize that I have been a nice and TRUE friend to them all this time and that it's unfair to lock me out all of a sudden.

You can make some changes at home that will help you feel better about your personal life. Hmmm...and what change can I possible make at home? Oh I have the whole day to figure that one out.

What does your horoscope say?

...for hitting the sack early. I'm already on my way to dreamland by 10:30 p.m. every night. No more Internet sessions in the evening, which explains why I have been blogging in the morning. Also, my sister and our PC have been inseparable since she got her iPod. What, are you going to put all the songs in the (cyber)world in there? And my brother has recently discovered the joys of YM, so it's really hard to pluck him out of the PC chair nowadays. In short, marami na akong kalaban sa computer. Buti nalang mahilig din akong magbasa kaya instead of pestering them while they surf the Net, I just keep myself busy by reading.

And speaking of reading, sa wakas ay natapos na ako sa Confessions of a Shopaholic. To all those who advised me to read this series, thank you! And of course, to Clarise for giving me a copy. I can't thank you enough! I will never forget this generous gesture. Now I'm excited to buy my next Shopaholic book. But before that, I'm going to read Remember Me? first since I already have the book, thanks to Geoff!

I'm feeling positive today. yey!

Plug: Watch Us Girls on June 15 (Sunday). They will be featuring Clarise's fab online store Holly.

Salamat Hesus At Biyernes Ulit!

Hay. Nakaka-high! At ang masaya pa nito, looong weekend!

But before I go planning my holiday (well actually wala namang dapat i-plano na outdoor dahil nagtitipid ako. Siguro planong panoorin na dibidi nalang, hehe), let me just give you a rundown of the things that I am truly thankful for this week:

1. Wala pa akong late. As in! Pati sarili ko napapabilib ko nga eh. Haha! And I'd like to attribute this to my new and improved sleeping habit. Sana lang umepekto parin ang ganito next week. Pasukan na!

2. Epektibo ang ginagawa naming pagtitipid ni Paul. Na-shock ako sa laki ng natipid namin ngayong linggo. We now take the jeep going home instead of the FX. Medyo challenging, pero ayos lang. Sa taas ng presyo ng commodities, dapat talaga gawin ang lahat para maka-save.

3. Natapos ko na ang Confessions of a Shopaholic at sisimulan ko na mamaya yung Remember Me? Parang ang hirap nga lang bitbitin yung libro na yun dahil kasing laki ng textbook.

4. Binigay sakin ng kapatid ko yung 2 gig na M2 ng cellphone niya. Dahil wala daw siyang birthday gift sakin, yun nalang daw. Ang thoughtful di ba? Hehe. Kasi aanhin pa nga naman niya yun kung meron na siyang 80 gig sa iPod niya. Di ko pa masyado nilalagyan ng kung ano-ano. Maybe this weekend.

5. Dalawa na ang bumati sakin na medyo pumayat na raw ako. Yahoo!

Maraming salamat po Lord sa maraming blessings!

Have a great and blessed weekend everyone!

Lacatan, latundan, señorita, saba, banana bread, banana split, bananacue, turon, saging con yelo, banana shake.

I LOVE THEM ALL!

I realized my love for this elongated fruit last night while having dinner with Paul, Anj and Ramil at Reyes BBQ in Greenbelt 1. I had banana smoothie for my drink, then I remembered I had fresh banana (lacatan) for dessert earlier at lunch. Potassium overload! hehe.

Moving on, I woke up feeling extremely happy today. A almost literally jumped out of bed when I saw sunlight entering the room through the window. I felt like I haven't seen this much sunshine for quite some time. I immediately thought of going out and taking pictures with Holly, but then I remembered I was saving the films for my next out-of-town trip, so...

Anyway, instead of going out I think I'm just going to do my nails, watch some teen movie on dibidi and continue reading Remember Me?

Hmmm...oh yeah, I remember now why I was smiling when I woke up. It's a long weekend!

Okay, I'm not sure if that's the correct spelling of Jack Black's expression or what it exactly means, but that's what I got after 30 minutes of Googling. Anyway...

Favorite Action Film: Kung Fu Panda!

This film is so awesome the theater was rocking. Kids, who made up about 75% of the audience, were screaming and laughing out loud along with the adults.

This film is so awesome some scenes were actually applauded. I'm pretty sure Jackie Chan had a hand in directing the fight scenes.

This film is so awesome you'd want to learn Kung Fu after watching it. Or, in my case, go to China to get a real panda for a pet.

This film is so awesome you won't need popcorn to keep awake.

This film is so awesome you'd totally forget all about your worries...unless they're about your weight.

Watch it! Watch it!

Why am I still too careful not to hurt you when clearly you all don't give a damn about how I feel? Why am I still willing to make sacrifices when you are obviously all so blind to see how much I'm hurting?

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Slow down and think before you take action. You may have some wonderful ideas but, if they aren't within your budget, rethink your strategy. A love problem will crop up if you haven't been honest about how you feel. 2 stars

Not that I actually let the stars be my guide as I journey through this life. But still!

Oh well.

And speaking of Geminis, happy, happy birthday to my other favorite Gemini besides myself, SANDEE! *hugs*

I miss you and Katts. Hope to see you two really soon! Take care!

I want to change my template! But I made this stupid promise of sticking to this one for at least a month. SEVEN MORE DAYS.

Screw that promise I made. I want change NOW!

Uh, there's something wrong with this template though. When you figure out what it is, could you please help me fix it? (Erin? Cheska dear?)

Clue: try to click on everything clickable (comment, friends, gallery, etc.) then hit the Blog tab again and see what happens...

Maligayang kaarawan, Pilipinas kong mahal!

(...mahal ang gasolina, mahal ang pamasahe, mahal ang bilihin! Joke!)

*Ang larawan ay kuha sa PMA, Baguio City ilang buwan na ang nakalilipas, gamit si Holly, ang aking Holga.

Astig kasi! Check this out: http://dinolarablog.com

Hay. June, June, June. The wedding month. Not for me. I'd like to be married in January or March. Basta gusto ko summer!

Shut up, Ivee. It's too early for YOU to be talking about marriage...focus on the here and now.

P.S. It's been a long time since I last attended a wedding. So sa mga friends ko na nagbabalak na jan, imbitahan nyo naman ako...(lalo na yung isa jan na nagsusukat na ng wedding gown!) hehe.

My UST gang (plus Bonj) is definitely the creative bunch. Thank you so much guys for this treat!

A printout of Jaja's art and the "Jar of Wisdom" from the whole gang

mine is Kenneth M. Johnson, Sr.

This is the parent that I don't get to be with often because he's working abroad. He's a Med-Tech at the King Fahd Hospital of the University (that's really how they call it) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He's been an OFW for as long as I can remember and we've all gotten used to the set up. He gets a 45-day (or more) vacation each year and that's when we do all the catching up.

I can say that I am more like him than my mom in many ways and despite being away from us most of the time, he has greatly influenced my life. He continues to be an inspiration to all of us. We may not completely agree with each other on everything, but we definitely understand one another.

Happy Father's Day dad! And Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there.

Made with Passion: Selecta Double Dutch Ice Cream. The BEST!!!

Yesterday Paul and I met up with Anj and Ramil at Anj's office (Unilever) to finalize things for our next trip. We discussed our budget and itinerary over heaping scoops of Selecta Double Dutch ice cream, which I have been craving for since I first saw its latest TV ad. Grabe, naka dalawang rounds ako! Hehe. Masyadong nasabik sa paborito kong ice cream. After the meeting we had dinner at Pho Hoa. Panalo din 'to! I am now officially a fan of Vietnamese cuisine!

We hurried home after dinner, confident that we will be able to catch Us Girls and watch the feature on Holly Accessories. As I entered our house, I instantly commanded my sister, "ilipat mo sa 23, dali!" to which my sister obliged. To my horror the screen was already flashing the opening credits of Samantha Who? I frantically searched the TV guide of the Philippines Star only to confirm that I did miss Us Girls. Sorry Clarise. I really felt bad. I wanted to see you on TV! I even searched You Tube for the episode, but nothing even close to the Us Girls TV show turned up.

Anyway, I'm sure Clarise did fine and there will be more TV exposures for Holly in the future.

It's a new week. Better get started. Think positive people! Good morning!

Project Proud Filipino is more than just editing photos and vanity. It is an advocacy.

Ikaw, proud ka bang maging Pilipino?

Maraming salamat kay Angelo Aquino na nagsimula ng lahat ng ito. Mabuhay ka!

"Pick the day. Enjoy it - to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come... The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present - and I don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future."

~Audrey Hepburn

(Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! - JAJA)

I really wish I had Audrey's optimism. Not only do I always expect the worst, sometimes I even find myself hoping for it just so I don't get disappointed. Weird huh? Oh well, that's how I am...most of the time. There are actually rare occasions when I choose to be positive because I need to be positive. I'm trying my very best though to get rid of every pessimistic bone in my body. I keep thinking life is too short to be wasted on worrying. But how can you not worry when you are realistic, which I am. How can you not worry when you are certain of what is to come?

I don't worry about the past that much. My motto has always been "no regrets," which I support with the everything-happens-for-a-reason cliche. But the thing is, I do have regrets and I sometimes wish I could change some things about my past. But since I can't really do anything about them now, I just learn to forget and move on.

Now I realize that I have the power to do things right today to prevent regrets in the future. But it is still hard not to worry about what is yet to happen even if you have control over it because chances are, it's not all up to you. Most of the time it also depends on other people, which is absolutely out of your hands.

The solution that I see now is to simply expect the worst and hope for the best. That way you won't be disappointed in case the outcome isn't in your favor.

I've always been a fan of Sims-like mobile games. I used to download such games on my phone and stay up late to finish the tasks, which weren't really that hard to do. And when I finally finish the game, I just start allover with a new character.

A couple of days ago I downloaded this new game and as expected, I was hooked instantly.

Fun, fun, fun!

I finished the game yesterday with my character, Eliza (of My Fair Lady, hehe), and today I think I might start again and this time I will name my character Holly!

On a very short blog leave. Be back on Wednesday.

Our holiday is over, huhu. And I'm not yet in the mood to write a decent entry about our trip or even do a photo blog.

Thousands of photos coming up...

I thought I was doing well. I was actually starting to feel proud of myself for being more patient and understanding. I thought I was finally "growing up". Then this happend. I'm such a failure.