MERRY CHRISTMAS!

10 Things I Hate About My Puppy

I hate the way you run to me.

And the way you lick my feet.

I hate the way you roam around.

I hate it when you do nothing but sit.

I hate your big belly,

And the way your poop goes all smelly.

I hate you so much it makes me sick-- 

it even makes me rhyme.

I hate the fact that you're cute.

I hate it when you don't eat your food.

I hate it when you make me laugh --

even worse when you make me cry.

I hate it that you're not around.

And the fact that you'll forever be gone.

But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you - -

not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.

(Adapted from 10 Things I Hate About You)

For ChuChu. A lovely puppy.

Died 24 December 2010

 Learned how to stand,

never pooped inside the house,

bit my slippers.

You will always be remembered on Christmas eve.

:'-(

On Tumblr.

More themes than before. Better. More choices, more options. Although I edited my theme before, magaganda na rin naman yung mga inabutan ko. Pero dahil mas marami na ang Tumblr users, mas innovated na ang themes.

Oops. I'm looking at the premium themes pala. Ang mamahal. Dollars. Di ko keri. ;-) I used Asterism as my initial theme. Libre.

I changed the appearance nalang. White initial background color. I always go by the neutrals. I'm not really fancy in terms of background color. Mas basic, mas type ko.

Title font: Copperlate Light. Link color: Bloody Red. Link hover color: Brown.

Tumblr title: Just believe. No header slogan for this time.

Ay, may stand-alone pages rin! Parang wala ito noon... or di ko pa nadiscover. :p

O-kaye. Saan napunta yung page ko? I still need to get used to the navigation.

Ayun! That's what I'm looking for! The seamless crossposting on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Yung dito kasi sa Blogspot, twitterfeed... hindi pa realtime ang updates. I'm happy!

Yuuuun! I was able to import my posts here to Tumblr! Galing!

...and my Youtube, too!

Changed my timezone to +8:00, posts per page set to 7.

Save and close. I think I'm done editing for now!

Dashboard looks the same to me. Still blue. Okay, I officially re-welcome myself to the Tumblr world! :)

Re-invading Tumblr

And since I just found out that I could post through my phone, I am about to re-invade the Tumblr world!

I'm happy! :)

I miss reblogging!

I'm here!
http://kayecabal.tumblr.com

I wonder how much Tumblr changed since the last time I was there. I'll post about it soon!

Thank you @NessieNorte :)

I got a tag from Ate Nessa's Tumblr. Soooo guwapo. Uber thanks, ate! As much as I want to tag yours too, e baka na-search niyo na po ang buong Google for Neil Etheridge's body. Chos. :p

This is the picture from her site. La-la-la-love!

Visit her Tumblr. Great posts!

PS. Should I invade the Tumblr world once more? I had an account once pero dinelete ko rin agad. Hhhmm.. I feel like reblogging ulit. Kainggit ang Tumblr cross posts sa Twitter timeline ko. ;-)

For Jason de Jong ♥

PS. Turn on your audio device. ♥

You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.
You'd be like Heaven to touch.
I wanna hold you so much.
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.

Pardon the way that I stare.
There's nothing else to compare.
The sight of you leaves me weak.
There are no words left to speak,
But if you feel like I feel,
Please let me know that it's real.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.

I love you, baby,
And if it's quite alright,
I need you, baby,
To warm a lonely night.
I love you, baby.
Trust in me when I say:
Oh, pretty baby,
Don't bring me down, I pray.
Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay
And let me love you, baby.
Let me love you.

You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.
You'd be like Heaven to touch.
I wanna hold you so much.
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.

I love you, baby,
And if it's quite alright,
I need you, baby,
To warm a lonely night.
I love you, baby.
Trust in me when I say:
Oh, pretty baby,
Don't bring me down, I pray.
Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay..

<BGSOUND src="http://www.jadierose.com/canttake.mid"><br />

I can't help it. New desktop wallpaper!

My apologies, JdJ. I stole your picture. ♥_♥

If forever really exists, I'd like to spend it with you.

♥ ♥ ♥

From the eyes of a football newbie: An essay on the Philippine Azkals

I am never a football fan.

In fact, last Thursday was the first time I ever watched a whole football battle. How on earth will I be able to understand its rules when all they ever do is run back and forth? How will they set-up a good defense when they could not even touch the ball with their hands? And how on earth will a foul be called on that big court with no replays to aid the referees? How many players and referees are there again? I was lost.

As a basketball fan, I get the point of scoring and not let the opponent score. But after that, I am clueless. I am not even aware that it is played on a running time. In basketball, the clock is stopped when the game is stopped. Damn, time is important in sports like these. I never had the chance to Google the football rules since the game is already on its way when I decided to watch the game. I never even intended to watch it in the first place. I get it, the Younghusbands are indeed great candidates for young husbands but after them, I don't know anyone from the Philippine team called RP Azkals. But since my Twitter and Facebook accounts are quite sporty, posts from different people cheering for the Azkals made me decide to try to watch the game.

I knew nothing about the game, but I was never disappointed.

There goes the back and forth running that I am talking about. How could they dribble that ball? I was amazed as I look at how they managed to cross the ball to the other side. I felt all sorts of emotions. Confused, I did not know that backcourt is not a violation in football. I did not even know the positions played by the players. Is it like the positions in basketball? There's the center, forwards and guards? I don't know. Problematic, I wondered how the foul is being called... and yes, their goes the yellow and red card thing. But even with all these questions, I did not, at all, thought about switching channels. From the moment I decided to watch, I knew that there is something worth watching in that game.

I know Philippines is not a name for world-class football, and not even here. In a country dominated by basketball and boxing fans, the Philippine Azkals really needed extra hard work just to be deserving of our look. And mind you, the moment they were able to capture a semi-final slot in the AFF Suzuki Cup, everyone became curious; everyone became interested; everyone wondered, "Who are these Azkals?". Underdog, yes, but deadly. One offensive mistake and the goal could be theirs for the taking. This is a defensive team. They live and die with the pressure they put on their opponents and the miscues it brings.   

Game 2 of the semi-finals. Now, I am more aware of what's happening. I realized that the rules are not that hard to get and the situations are not that hard to understand. I am more into the game now than I am last Thursday. I was able to recognize the near goals, the fouls called, and even the fouls not called. There's the adrenalin rush as I watched the game. I felt the same intensity that I am feeling as I watch a basketball game.  I was nervous, I was mad, I was happy, I was pissed. I liked it. I liked the feeling of being into the game. I realized the scenario. I knew how many goals Philippines needed to at least get a penalty shootout. Imagine? I even know the term penalty shootout now. I am even aware that RP needs to have its own stadium. Damn, we need a world-class stadium. I will watch the game of the Azkals the moment that stadium will be completed (as long as the location is strategic). I want to experience being one of the crowd, being one with football. I loved it. I loved the feeling of being into the game.

I will not get to the game itself. I'm sure, moments from now, articles will be all over the internet. Philippines did not get the chance to advance to the finals, but the Azkals did not lose anything from being defeated. From that defeat, the Azkals should not be ashamed for they gained the respect not only from their opponents but from their own nation. I posted in my Twitter that I think that the RP Azkals should be given a heroes' welcome when they get home. I really do think they deserve it. It was a gallant stand to try to bring the Philippines to the pedestal of international football. They maybe defeated now but they did give the opponents a good scare. Note that they don't even have any naturalized players. That was all Pinoy! More exposure, better program, an own stadium and I tell you, our RP Azkals will go a long way internationally.

This defeat is one of the few chances that made me even more proud of being a Filipino. Mostly, we get that Pinoy pride in victories, but this time, an almost victory was enough to remind us that Filipinos  have the means to level up to the expectations of international sports. Our athletes just need our utmost support... support from the government and support from their countrymen.

I am never a football fan... not until the Philippine Azkals gave me a reason to believe.

Para sa Bayan: Ang pagkabayani ni Dr. Jose Rizal

            Hindi dayuhan sa aking puso’t isipan ang pangalang Jose Rizal. Sino ba namang Pilipino ang hindi nakakakilala sa “small but terrible” na ito? Musmos pa lamang ang mga batang Pilipino ay iminumulat na sa kanila ng bayan kung ano ba ang halaga sa bansa ng taong may-ari ng ulo na nakikita nila sa piso. Tinaguriang pambansang bayani ng Pilipinas – siya raw ang perpektong Pilipino, sinasamba ng ilan, tinitingala ng karamihan. At ang parangal at papuri na ito ay hindi lamang nakakahon sa loob ng bansa dahil higit ang pagkilala sa kanya ng mga banyaga. Ngunit hindi lahat ay mataas ang tingin sa bayaning hindi naman nakipaglaban – nakipaglaban ng buong tapang kasama ng ating mga kababayan na dugo at buhay ang inalay makamit lamang ang kalayaan. Dito papasok ang isa pang pangalan na habang-panahon na yatang magiging kakabit ng pagkabayani ni Rizal – si Andres Bonifacio, at ang kanyang pamumuno sa himagsikan.

Kung hindi si Rizal, paano?

            Napakalaki ng pagkakaiba ni Rizal at ni Bonifacio kung kaya’t hindi maiiwasan na sila ay ipagtunggali. Ang isa ay tinahak ang daang marahas at ang isa ay pinili ang tahimik na pakikibaka. Kung kaya’t naisip ko, kung si Bonifacio ba ang kinikilala nating pambansang bayani sa ngayon, anu-ano ang mga magbabago? Magbabago ba ang ating pananaw ng malayang Pilipinas? Magbabago ba ang ating pagtingin sa kalayaan? Mababago ba ng titulong “pambansang bayani” ang katotohanan na magpasahanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin nakakaalpas ang bayang binihag ng panahon? Ang bayang inalipin ng pagkakataon? Sa palagay ko ay mananatiling katanungan ang mga ito sa aking isipan, dahil si Rizal pa rin ang itinuturing na bayani ng makabagong lipunan.

Si Rizal at wala nang iba pa

            Buong detalyeng inilahad ni Esteban de Ocampo sa kanyang artikulong Who Made Rizal Our Foremost National Hero and Why? ang lahat-lahat ng magsusuporta sa kanyang pinaninindigan na si Rizal at wala nang iba pa ang dapat na maging pambansang bayani ng Pilipinas. Mula sa paglalahad ng kahulugan ng salitang “bayani”, pagbibigay ng mga kadahilanan kung bakit si Rizal ang natatanging bayani, hanggang sa pagpapaliwanag kung sino ba talaga ang pasimuno ng pagiging pambansang bayani ni Pepe. Hindi naman siya nabigo na iparating sa mambabasa kung sino ba si Rizal sa kanyang mga mata, ngunit hindi ko rin maiwasang magtanong habang binabasa ang artikulo, “Si Rizal ba talaga ay walang motibo, sa simula pa lamang, na ihubog ang kanyang pagkatao upang maging isang bayani na kikilalanin pagdating ng panahon?”

Ang bayani noon sa Pilipinas ngayon

            Ang iba ko pang mga katanungan ay sinagot ni Renato Constantino sa kanyang Veneration without Understanding. Higit na tumawag ng aking atensyon sa artikulong ito ay ang pagtalakay sa napakaraming pagkakaiba ng mga ilustrado na pinamumunuan ni Rizal at ng Katipunan na itinatag ni Bonifacio. Inilahad din ni Constantino ang mga kahinaan at limitasyon ni Rizal – na nagpapatunay lamang na kahit ang isang pambansang bayani ay hindi pa rin perpekto. Sumasang-ayon ako sa inilahad niyang punto na kung sakaling nabuhay sa panahong ito si Rizal, marahil ay hindi masusulusyunan ng papel at pluma ang mga problemang hinaharap ng ating bansa. Iba na ang takbo ng utak ng mga Pilipino ngayon. Hindi na tayo pasibo. Hindi na tayo nagsasawalang-kibo sa mga kamalian na nakikita natin sa lipunan na nilason na ng katiwalian. Higit na mas malaya na nating naipapahayag ang ating mga saloobin sa gobyerno kaysa noon. Hindi ganito ang Pilipinas na kinamulatan ni Rizal. At kung sakaling nabubuhay siya ngayon at balintiyak niyang ihahayag ang kanyang pagtutol sa mga nakikita niyang kamalian ay hindi siya uubra.

“A true hero is one with the masses: he does not exist above them. In fact, a whole people can be heroes given the proper motivation and articulation of their dreams…

…When the goals of the people are finally achieved, Rizal the first Filipino, will be negated by the true Filipino by whom he will be remembered as a great catalyzer in the metamorphosis of the de-colonized indio.”

                                    Renato Constantino, A Veneration without Understanding

           

Kanya-kanyang bayani 

Hindi dayuhan sa aking puso’t isipan ang pangalang Jose Rizal. Hindi man siya isang perpektong Pilipino na maituturing ay hinubog pa rin ng lipunan ang Rizal na isang bayani –bayani na naayon sa kung ano ang nararapat. Isang simpleng mamamayan lamang si Rizal na may talino, kakayahan at abilidad na ipinaglaban ang bayan sa paraan na kanyang nalalaman.

 Sino ba ang tunay na pambansang bayani para sa isang Pilipino? Kanya-kanyang bayani lang ‘yan. Kanya kanyang pagtingin sa katotohanan at kasaysayan na nakalatag sa ating harapan. Ngunit kaakibat ng pagtingin sa katotohanan ay nariyan ang mga kamalian na pilit na ikinukubli. Ang tunay na Pilipino na may malasakit sa bayan ay hindi kailan man magbubulag-bulagan.

Testing.

I am currently posting from the web browser of my phone. Not bad! But I am so slow in typing. I guess I'll just have to wait until I get home. But this is nice! Lovin' my new phone!

Family Sunday.

My brother is the first boy beside the angel on the right.

My youngest brother received his first holy communion this morning. So happy. He looks like a man with his white long sleeves, black pants and a necktie. We were all present in one of his special days as a Catholic. He gotta be a better brother to us now. No more petty fights. :p

After celebrating the holy mass, off we went to SM Mall of Asia. I was just there last night, but nothing beats spending time with the family. We ate lunch altogether. Fun time! After lunch, I got a chance to go to Power Books and to Office Warehouse. I would have gone to National Bookstore but SM Mall of Asia is so big that I couldn't get to National Bookstore soon enough. Power Books is so relaxing, maybe because fewer people come there than in National Bookstore. I spent a couple of minutes looking over the journal notebooks beside the customer service. I really, really love notebooks. I keep buying notebooks of all sizes and types only to find out that I don't know what to write in those notebooks, not to mention that I have a couple of pricey notebooks. I have a few notebooks that I really do not use and more notebooks that are slightly used (meaning, I wrote on the first few pages of it)...

With Papa. <3

...and yes, I ended up buying a journal notebook yet again. Black. Sleek. Ruled. Just the way that I want it to be. Yes, another notebook, I know. But I couldn't help it. So blame me for that.

I was really at Power Books to buy a book, my secret Christmas wish, but I did not have enough money with me that time. Why did it have to be hardbound? Well, I guess I still have to wait some more time before i could get a copy of that book. I am also looking for a December issue of Baller Magazine, a sports magazine locally published here in the Philippines, but it is still not available so I still have to wait for that as well.

My family!

Office Warehouse is just one shop away from Power Books so it's like hitting two birds with one stone for me. Power Books (Books) + Office Warehouse (Supplies) = National Bookstore, so I am not missing anything. I went to buy a ball pen for my new notebook. Yes, I do that, too. I bought two quantities of a typical ball point pen worth less than six pesos each, plus I bought a small notebook, the same with what I already have, but different color, for a friend. It's not for me this time, mind you. But it's still a notebook so I loved it.

Right after buying those stuffs, I went to play at Timezone. I have not been to Timezone in quite some time now, and I really love playing there. I love swiping my plastic card plus I pay the VIP price because of my card.

(Oops, mama and papa just arrived, and I got a slice of pizza!)

This is the finish product of our first sticker photo! :))

Okay, moving on, so I played worth Php150.00 and I ended up redeeming two basketball key chains. I am almost done wandering around when i bumped into my father and brothers. They were on their way to Timezone, so I went back again. We initially reloaded my card worth Php300.00 good for the four of us. My brothers and I spent the Php160.00 in a... guess what? A sticker picture booth! It was our first time in a booth like that altogether and most probably individually. I am even shocked that I was able to talk to them into doing it instead of playing more games. We were so ignorant. We don't know what to press, we don't know where to look since the booth has two cameras, one on top and one just in front of us. Since we are all not aware of what's happening with the machine, the first shot for the first pose was a disaster. We were all not looking when the machine took a picture. Thank goodness that each pose has two shots each. Same thing happened with the first shot for the second pose. We were really lucky that the second shots of the poses are way better than the first.

The next challenge was the editing and enhancing of the pictures. We were all clueless on what to do and how to do it -- from picking a theme town to putting the detailed designs. And not to mention that there was a countdown for every step, we were all pressured when the time reads 20 seconds. We thought that it was hopeless, but after waiting for the sticker pictures, we were so happy that we are laughing loudly in the middle of Timezone. We were laughing at how we designed the pictures but it was totally a collective effort.
Yay for us!

Cute family picture!

It was really fun going out with the whole family, especially because of my father's job, we don't have this kind of Sunday all year round. Cherish every moment that you spend with your family. Every day past without them is a day you can't undo anymore.

Blogging from my room.

Live like it's heaven on earth.

So many things happened this past week. And since I stay in our dorm during weekdays, I will do the blogging for the whole week's significant events right now.

Monday. I went back to school early. The academic organization that I am affiliated with had a team building and of course, I wouldn't miss it. I might not have so many chances like that anymore, and that's another story. Monday was also the start of the probationary period for those who wishes to be a part of our organization. There were ten applicants to start with, and we'll deal with the final count when I finish blogging the week. We played games during the team building. We played 'Killers', we made cheers for our team, the ever so popular Pinoy parlor game 'Pinoy Henyo', longest line (which I still can't believe turned out to be a tie, by the way), and 'Paint me a Picture'. The games were tiring, especially the longest line, since I brought my backpack with me, and I put out everything inside... from the umbrella, down to the receipts from my wallet... but it was fun. We had our GA after the team building, to mop out the plans for the whole probationary period for the applicants. Well, Monday was pretty much all about the organization.

Wednesday. My father came home! I was so excited, so excited to meet him that I rode a bus to Manila right after my class at 4 o'clock in the afternoon just to have dinner with them. But damn, the traffic was terrible. My family was expecting me to be there in Manila by seven in the evening but I got stuck in the traffic for an hour more. I arrived at eight in the evening, all tired and frustrated, but a family dinner was all worth it. Plus, I got my BlackBerry! Thanks, Papa!

Friday. First field day for our NSTP -- LTS2. I did some discussion about the kinds of sentences. Our students are Grade Three kinds of Malinta Elementary School and we are preparing them for their National Achievement Test. Friday evening was even more interesting. It was the final night of the probationary period for the applicants. Problems came from here and there, and the final count was seven. And after about seven hours, Saturday, at around 4 in the morning, seven new members were accepted by the society. Seven new souls, seven new family. This time is more special than the rest. I had an applicant-turned-sister to sponsor. Being a sponsor was tiring, but fulfilling. The swimming after that was more fun. We played like kids. We were sleepless, but we didn't care.

Saturday. I did not get much sleep. But my Saturday did not turned out to be a rest day. I went to Manila to meet some of my high school classmates. A friend celebrated her birthday and I am so glad that I could be there. I came to Manila with my parents so that they could bring me back home even late at night. I had a dinner date with my high school friends, something that I haven't done in a long, long while. Dinner by the seaside was perfect, but nothing beats the catching ups, the teases, and the laughter. The night was memorable, so memorable that I started to wonder when will it happen again. I am not certain of anything, but I hope that it will be soon.

Right now, it's Sunday morning and I have to get some sleep. My youngest brother will receive his first holy communion today and we have to be there. Plus, I need to do important stuffs... school-related stuffs, and I need it done by tonight.

I have pictures of the whole week saved in my phone. Will upload as soon as I transfer the pictures to my laptop. :)

PS. I am watching Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries as I do the blog entry. Classic multitasking.