hail and snow!

the last two days have been pretty exciting for me even if i just stayed indoors most of the time.

i heard a mild tap-tapping at my door as i was cleaning my room. when i opened the curtains... ta-daaaah! ice falling from the sky.

so being the ignorant asian that i am thought it to be snow. i opened my window and staring out of their windows were regina, tom (canada) and patchar (thailand). to tom, it was nothing new but for the asians, it was magic!

it was a bit quick, but then sometime in the afternoon, it was a longer one. i finally buzzed for regina because such a moment called for a photo op. and photos we took! despite looking like we just got out of bed (oh... we did just get out of bed)., we didn't care! it was fun!


i thought that hail was just a fluke because most of my friends who've lived in europe told me that it never really snows in the netherlands. most of the time winter is just wet and rainy.

but the fates would have it that i tick off another box in my things to experience before i die... it snowed! for real this time. with snowflakes that just melt the moment they hit your hand. and it fell quieter and prettier than hail. the flakes don't fall straight down, but kind of hover here and there in the air before they hit the ground.

i wanted another photo op and buzzed regina's floor but no one was answering. despite being ungloved, i decided to take a look at the outside world.

there ya go... i wasn't the only excited one. the indonesians were going around town taking pictures of the snow too. it's great to know that somebody feels as excited as you are at that same moment. like an invisible bond holds you together at that moment.

so with all courage, i decided to go out and take photos outside. eyob peeped out from his room and i forced him to come out of his den and join me. then ruth (american) and nick (german) peeped out of their rooms, and i asked them to come out.
and when you have big kids like us all together in a snowy day, what do you get? snowball fight!!! the fight ensued. just a few snowballs and my ungloved fingers were already numb. nick was kind enough to lend me his gloves to thaw them out, but it had a high price. he hit me in the face, the back, the head. and of course, he just had to stuff ice on my shirt. tsk-tsk!

mel saw nick from her room and jumped out of the window and joined in our fun. wheee!

it was a really, really wonderful experience. wet but very enjoyable and exciting and something that will make me smile a lot when i remember it.

i just hope it doesn't snow everyday so i don't get used to it. it would be great to be excited by it everytime it happens. LOL.

for now, this is how i feel...

howard was right

when studying, don't have pictures on your table.

there weren't any pictures on my table, but there are photos on facebook. i reviewed some photos from the philippines... and boy, was that a bad idea. apart from taking time from studying (which has been terribly neglected since the beginning of term 1b), it made me miss people at home, especially jan.

i really don't want to go to the path of longing for home. i am still constantly excited by the thought of being in europe, of fulfilling this lifelong dream. this morning, i took an hour going home from church because i decided to take a detour by the lake and boy, was autumn beautiful! the shower of leaves was absolutely magical and charming. i would never had experienced such a moment in the peens... but it would have been more magical to have my husband with me at that moment...

i've been experiencing so much and doing so much here in europe. and so much of it can not be captured by words or pictures, no matter how i try. i feel like a grown-up and a child at the same time. so it makes it difficult to share with jan and i don't want him missing out on my pruning and growing... neither do i want to miss out on his.

the weekly revelries at the ISS are always enjoyable, but like all parties... it leaves me feeling empty when i go back to my room on my own. i should have had jan with me... and seeing and hearing about the exciting things happening makes me miss him more, wishing for him more and more.

sigh.

i do not feel lonely. not at all. i am glad that the pinoy mafia enjoy each other's company, enough for us to keep (in)sane from all the emotional stimulus we are all experiencing.

it could be the weather really... because the thoughts of home come more frequent now. while i enjoy winter dressing, i have always been a tropics lady who enjoys the sun kissing her skin. and every day has been getting colder and colder that my skin sometimes gets numb. and maybe that's why the emotions are stirred more. it calls for warmth that the body does not get. and i mean that warm fuzzy feeling... lol.

sigh.

sleepless in den haag

the sandman may have forgetten to pass by the ISS for the last few days. many of the students have been suffereing from the lack of sleep lately for various reasons. the cause of my sleeplessness has been a reuniting with dorm room internet. i'm starting to think this may not be a good idea after all. i've been indulging in my guilty pleasure of brainless reality tv for the past week.

however, tonight is a different reason for me. my mind is so alive right now. it often happens when the moon is full, because i am the moon's fool. she's toying with my thoughts, whispering sweet nothings.

tonight luna tells me, "i let you taste some of your dreams. relish it. be free."

and i do feel as free as the bird from that photo i took on a nine o'clock setting sun during my first weeks in the netherlands. and i do feel that i am having a taste of my silly little girl dreams now that i am here.

silly little girl dreams like wearing coats and boots and sweaters which would have been crazy to do back at home (but i do miss wearing flip-flops to anywhere). silly little girl dreams like seeing europe and discovering if it is as pretty as i see in the pictures and read in the books (it is but it has made me appreciate home more). silly little girl dreams like seeing what autumn is all about, and walkin on a pile of fallen yellow and orange leaves and seeing trees die a little each day knowing they are just asleep and are waking up in a few months (but i miss the regularity of sun up and sun down).

dreams can come true not necessarily in ways you imagine it to be.

there are the realities that pinch once in a while. cleaning the room, doing laundry, cooking meals. things that aren't going to happen by themselves. there are days i hate it terribly, and there are the days when i just grin to myself and realize... "dang... independence, you taste a bit funny sometimes!"

there are the realities that actually bite you hard. readings, papers, exams. and i would go, "oh yeah... that's what i came here for. better do those things too."

then there are life's little surprises. if you are just open enough, it can be quite beautiful.

maybe it is premature to say it only two and a half months into the program, but i have been constantly amazed by the people in the school. the multicultural set-up makes ISS doubly exciting. there is so much to learn and discover just by talking to people! that's not even talking about classes yet. i am always genuinely excited to engage with people everyday.

i love the mix of the pinoys i am with. we are as surprised as everybody else at how well our sisterhood (sorry boys, we outnumber you!) is.

i love the other friends i already have made and wish to get to know them better. this is the kind of globalization the rest of the world needs! to remain steadfastly faithful and in-love with who we are, yet embracing the Otherness of the others.

i can not ask for a better way to discover the world.

i feel so blessed right now. :)

(but then it would be absolutely perfect to have my husband here too. my quiet, stoic jan to offset all the restless energy i have right now. LOL.)

i used to only read you in books...

mr. organ grinder.

you just made my trip to prague all the more memorable. tee-hee! too bad you did not have a real monkey with you. but nonetheless, it was great to see you out of the story books i used to read as a child and into reality.

tired. happy. excited.

tired. i have not had good sleep in the last two weeks. make that my entire stay in the netherlands, but the last two weeks were the worse. i have never studied this much for an exam, ever.

happy. working for something that never guarantees success has taught me that sometimes you just have to be happy with the process. and i think i have worked hard enough to learn and understand what was taughti n our classrooms. whatever grade i will get will never ever measure whatever knowledge i have been blessed with the last two months.

excited! off to prague tomorrow. i have always dreamed of traveling the world. crazy wanderlust. if only i can see every nook and cranny... well i can but i just can't afford it. and tomorrow, i get to go off to another adventure. yipeeee!!! dreams come true... little by little. but they do, they do.

aaaahh. i have a song in my heart. yipee. :D

tired. happy. excited.

tired. i have not had good sleep in the last two weeks. make that my entire stay in the netherlands, but the last two weeks were the worse. i have never studied this much for an exam, ever.

happy. working for something that never guarantees success has taught me that sometimes you just have to be happy with the process. and i think i have worked hard enough to learn and understand what was taughti n our classrooms. whatever grade i will get will never ever measure whatever knowledge i have been blessed with the last two months.

excited! off to prague tomorrow. i have always dreamed of traveling the world. crazy wanderlust. if only i can see every nook and cranny... well i can but i just can't afford it. and tomorrow, i get to go off to another adventure. yipeeee!!! dreams come true... little by little. but they do, they do.

aaaahh. i have a song in my heart. yipee. :D

maligayang kaarawan mahal ko

hindi magandang ideya ang pakinggang ang jazz mix na gawa mo habang nag-aaral. nang marinig ko ang tinig ni julia fordham, may lalim ang lungkot at tumindi ang pangungulila. alaala nuong simula natin... patambay-tambay sa 1710 habang nakikinig kay julia. maraming kuwentong dala ang kanyang tinig. di lang sa atin kungdi maging iyong kasaysayan...

maari namang itigil at palitan ng iba pa na mas masaya. mas makakatulong sa pag-aaral. pero pinili kong yakapin ang nararamdaman. isang pag-papaalala na ikaw at ikaw pa rin.

alam mo naman na malikot ang mata ko. at di ko pinalalampas ang mga kuwento. totoo, may kilig, may tuwa. ngunit hinding-hindi nila maibibigay ang kapayapaan na naibibigay mo kapag ang ating mga palad ay nagkakadaupan. kapag nariyan ka lang sa tabi at tutok sa computer. kapag katabi sa pagtulog. payapa. yun ka. masayang kiligin paminsan-minsan, pero alam mo naman kapayapaan ang gusto kong hangtungan.

dahil hindi ko maipapadama ito sa pamamagitan ng hawak at yakap... ito na lang.

salamat at sinilang ka. dahil sa iyo, payapa buhay ko. :)

super amigos

It's actually study recess at the ISS right now. This means we are given a week to study for the upcoming exams. I'm quite glad the Pinoy Mafia decided to take a trip to Prague after the exams and not before because my reading backlog is horrendous. All these partying and making friends are really getting in the way of studying. Oh wait. Studying is getting in the way of studying and making friends.

Anyways, today was dedicated to finishing my Global Politics paper. Thankfully, I have submitted it already. I just want to be rid of it so I can move on to other things. I also received good news that my Economics group was able to get a 95% on our exam. Yey! We could have gotten 20 if we really thought out the last question more. But I can not be more than happy with the results given we only had two meetings on it.

After I was done with my paper, I decided to watch a documentary showing at the ISS. It would have take a precious two hours of study time, but it seemed to have an interesting premise.

Super Amigos is a documentary on five masked men. From the left to right of the picture is Ecologista, Super Animal, Super Barrio and Super Gay. Fray Tormente is missing from the picture. Each one have their own advocies. Two of them were actual wrestlers.

Ecologista advocates for the environment. It showed him walking 500 miles for eight days, using a basket for his purchases leaving the plastic behind at the super market, giving yellow cards to those buying natural christmas tree and making a christmas tree out of junk.

Super Animal and his sidekick Super Animalito fighting against bullfighting. They have had protests during the bullfighting season, attempts to meet with city councilors to remove bullfighting. I think he is still in quest to reach 50,000 signatures from Mexican voters. So if you know anyone from Mexico, tell him or her to sign!

Super Barrio helps people who are being evicted from their homes. He has helped people get together to stand up for their rights to shelter. What he said during his interview was quite moving and beautiful. I can't repeat it now, but I can't help but be moved and feel good about fighting for justice.

Super Gay is obviously one who fights for gay rights. In the movie, the culmination of his cause was the participation of more than 100,000 people in Gay Rights Parage. Love his pink spandex. His interview with a mother was also quite moving, though disturbing. Such violent forms of homophobia should be stopped.

Fray Tormente is actually a priest in mask. He is a real wrestler, who from his earnings from fights, was able to put up a shelter for boys. There he also teaches them wrestling. I find it a refreshing way to approach the priestly ministry. If only more priests can be that interesting and progressive. I do wonder how his Bishop is approaching his way of preaching.

I don't know if this movie can be downloaded or viewed online. Though if you have the budget, I saw buy it and support documentary makers and independent film producers. But I do recommend this movie to everybody.

The treatment was quite creative as it was presented in a comic book manner. There was a lot of animation and the music jived well with their characters and the presentation. I agree with Risa when she said she like the way how their characters were developed. Bits of their lives and histories were shown in the movie too. When they had their epiphanies to be fighters for the rights of others.

This is one movie I would like to show to the Filipino youth. It would be something that may get them interested in social justice.

So yun. Here ends my break for study. If you can find it, watch it!

parang college

dahil nangingibabaw na naman ang extra curricular activities ko kesa sa pag-aaral. kaloka. kahit pa may paper ako na due na in a few days, wala pa rin akong nagagawa. 1500 words lang naman, pero lola ang research na kelangan gawin. di na puwede ang bola bola dito! hahay.

masaya kagabi kasi nagpintura lang kami ng bed sheet para sa banner sa stand up take action event namin bukas sa school. eepal ako sa harap ng maraming nasyonalidad ng iba't-ibang bansa para hikayatin na magsalita laban sa kahirapan. kaloka. kahit nung college, di ako umepal na hosting churvalu. behind the scenes lagi. pero sige na lang. kumapal na mukha ko sa mga nagdaang taon. at marami na rin akong natutunan kay toni gonzaga sa kakapanuod ng big brother. charing.

wala lang. masaya ako. sana okay ang execution bukas. marami kaming naghirap para dito. nakakatuwa ang teamwork kahit pa multicultural kami. sana ganun kadali ang united nations. harhar.

yun lang. bow. nagsasayang ng oras na dapat nakalaan sa research. tigang sa internet. hehe!

sunny day

the last two days the weather was just wonderful. the sun was out and it wasn't that cold.

yesterday, after i finished with my temporary residence permit activities, i rushed to the schevinengen supposedly so i can read for class. supposedly.

i ended up just watching the surfers make do with the tinny waves and people walking their dogs or playing with their kids. as i walked the length of the beach, the sound of the waves soothed my spirit. though schevinengen looked nothing like suqui beach, it sounded so much like it. suqui beach was where i would usually go for some alone time when i was a volunteer in mindoro. i couldn't help but be energized. like i was a battery fully charged. the sea has always been my friend and it was a good one yesterday.

as i walked i couldn't help but notice that the birds were pairing up. mating season! there were a couple of swans floating by. then a pair of pigeons pecking out. and gulls flying in pairs.

then i loved the sight of the sun dancing on the waves. that made me feel good the most for some reason.

today... even if i just spent a few minutes outside, it also made me feel good especially since i did not feel the need to wear a jacket. a rare moment these days, and one i wanted to abuse but then classes had to start. bummer. tee-hee!

i just hope for more sunny days ahead before winter finally comes!

dang it.

am so behind my readings. and no matter how hard i try, i can not understand our political science readings.

gah.

pero ang gwapo nung international relations committee head kanina. sayang alis na sa december. (oops, may multiply nga pala mister ko.)

kababawan. pagbigyan ang ngarag.

BONFIRE!

ONE BIG FIGHT! GO ATENEO!

siguro, pakiramdam ni chris tiu ngayon yung pakiramdam ni oliver wood nung nanalo sila ng quidditch cup.

maierhofer... ewan ko na lang sa iyo.

casio... you will forever be my favorite lasalle player.

pero, ATENEO!!! win or lose, it's the school we choose. At masayang manaloooooo!!!

to my dear eco professor, pasensiya na. mahal kita, pero you're not my number one priority. haha!

i love you jai. i love you eric. i love you nonoy. i love you jobe. i love you chris. so happy for you! so happy for me.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

ano ba mahalaga sa buhay?

classes o championship?

may clash sa eco class ko at ang pagpanalo ng championship ng ateneo sa thursday. yes, i am that confident. so ang tanong... will i skip class and watch the game or will i go to class, makinig sa tanders pero poging kong sri lankan prof pero di nauunawaan ang nagaganap dahil iniisip ko na ang bumabagsak na blue and white balloons habang binubuhat si tiu at iba pang graduating players?

malinaw naman ang sagot di ba.

pero bad trip pa din. misteryong nanatili ang laptop ko kung bakit ayaw tumanggap ng internet. peste.

admu-dlsu

yeeeessssssssss!!!

i lab you nonoy. i lab you jai. i lab you eric. uh... sige na nga, i lab you ryan at rabeh. hehe! i lab you ateneooooooo!!!

WAMBIGPAYT! ONE BIG FIGHT!

admu-dlsu

yeeeessssssssss!!!

i lab you nonoy. i lab you jai. i lab you eric. uh... sige na nga, i lab you ryan at rabeh. hehe! i lab you ateneooooooo!!!

WAMBIGPAYT! ONE BIG FIGHT!