Update

I saw Ocean's Twelve the other day and I really liked it. It was a great movie, really entertaining, and the humor was awesome. That's probably the best sequel I've ever seen, and sequels tend to suck.

I've still been busy working but it's still fun. It's actually not as easy or as simple as my sister and I would like it to be. At first, the initial idea that was in our heads was that we'd buy a whole load of materials, make a whole load of stuff, sell them and make money. Yea, that's what happens but then there's more to it. We have to list all the prices, do the costing which means we have to calculate how much each piece costs, and then calculate the whole thing that we made, and then list it down, write it up for the records, and then make stock, among other things. Not that simple, yet still fun, and it most definitely is work. I'm still excited about it, and I'm looking forward to earning my money.

Yesterday, we went around to this other part of the city to look for more materials stores (that'd be me, Thea and our dad). It's not exactly a pleasant place, and it had just rained so it was muddy. We did find one store, but then it only sold stuff in bulk, so it was much more than what we needed, so all in all, our search was pretty unsuccessful. But at least now we know that there's nothing there and we need not worry about whether there could be other places to get supplies. I'm sure that there's more than just the one where we go to, but apparently, it doesn't want to be found.

Part of the things that I'd like to change and/or do this year is to get organised. Particulary speaking about my things that tend to be just all over the place. So I wanna go and look for little shelves and drawers of the sort to keep my stuff as organised as possible. Hopefully I'll find some and it won't be too expensive.

Also, yesterday, or the other day (I'm not sure anymore) I cleaned my guitar which was gathering a whole lot of dust. I haven't touched it in months, sadly. So I fixed it up and tuned it, or at least attempted to tune it which I'm not and never have been any good at.

The guitar is a beautiful instrument which can make beautiful music if you know what to do with it, which is why I took lessons so that I could know what to do with it. I guess you could say that I was just exploring, and I think that I've come to the conclusion that the guitar is not for me. I definitely love listening to music and just music in general, but I don't think that making music is part of that for me. To those who can play an instrument and make music, I applaud you.

So blah blah blah, work work work, that's all I've been doing, and I'm pretty sure you all don't want to read about any more of that. So for now, I'll be off.

*pensive means in deep thought, or thoughtful, or thinking, or something in that area. ;)

Random Stuff

Well, the Underground doesn't seem to be working again, but I doubt it would matter much even if it were working, because I never seem to online at the same time as any of my friends.

I stayed home all day yesterday just making jewelry stuff, experimenting with designs and all that. It's just me and my dad this weekend. So after working the whole day, I was dead tired and was so ready to sleep last night, and that's even after I took a nap in the afternoon. But for some reason, I couldn't sleep, even though my eye lids were so heavy, and my body was ready to shut down, sleep refused to consume me. So I think I ended up finally getting to sleep at around three or four am.

The day before yesterday (Friday), I went out with a friend of mine who I hadn't seen in about six months. The last time I saw him was the day of the Linkin Park concert last year. So we caught up on stuff, he's been really busy with his college apps, and he just finished and he seemed really happy about that. He told me all about the whole process, it was pretty interesting.

So we went to Greenbelt and we watched "Blade Trinity". I've never really watched any of the Blade movies, except for one, I think, when it came out on TV. He said he liked it, I on the hand, didn't. It was one of those movies that I wanted to see, but at the same time, didn't want to see, if you know what I mean. I do though want to see Ocean's Twelve and Kung Fu Hustle, which I'll probably go see this week.

After the movie, we went to Music One because I wanted to check for the Jack Johnson album which I've been looking for for so long. I'd seen it there some time ago, but I couldn't get it because I didn't have money, and now they don't have it anymore. They actually don't seem to have it anywhere, but I will keep looking for it.

Greenbelt's a pretty boring mall actually, it's just good for movies (the popcorn's great) and pretty much the rest of it is made up of ridiculously expensive restaurants and equally ridiculously expensive shops. I guess all around, it's just a ridiculously expensive mall. So we were left with nothing to do, so I decided to go ahead to another place I had to be.

The replay of the Collision Course viewing party, hosted by the LP street team. We had already done it last month, except we couldn't get the camera to work, so it didn't get to record anything for them to submit, so we had to all get together again and have part two, this time with two video cameras taping, just in case.

I couldn't stay late because I had to catch the train home. Three of us actually rode together and split up at the end. And then that was it. My dad picked me up from the train station and we went to McDonald's to have some ice cream.

Today, I'm probably gonna make more stuff so that they can go to San Diego (I think) to be displayed and hopefully bought. So that's it for now. Til next time.

Off to a Good Start

The new year is already a few days in, and it's been a really good few days. Everything's been going great so far, no problems just yet. I don't mind having no problems at all. I can't see into the future, I can't tell what's coming ahead, so I've just told myself, and I keep telling myself to just take it in day by day, and just to live in the moment, and not get too far ahead of myself. It's been working out.

I've also resolved never to be bored again, especially if I can help it, so that's what I've been doing. I've been keeping myself busy doing things that need to be done, things that needed to be done ages ago, which is another thing, eliminate procrastination. There are just a lot of things that I can work on to better myself, and I'll do it gladly.

So I'm still into the whole jewelry thing, and my sister and I are actually going to put our art and effort into much good use. We went shopping the other day, I think it was just yesterday. But it wasn't the usual mall shopping for clothes and what not, it was actually for jewelry materials. We make this stuff from scrap, basically, so we bought a whole lotta materials to get us started and going. We're hoping to make a profit from all of it. I mean, if we're going to spend so much time making these pretty little things, it would be great to get something from it in return, which is, in this case, profit.

I'm really excited about it, personally, because I've always wanted to get a job, except I've never been able to because I've always been under-aged. It's not like in the States where kids can get summer jobs or stuff like that. Here, there's an age thing going on. So the prospect of actually making money for myself is really exciting. And I'll really earn it, because it's something that I've worked hard on. Even when I was younger, I'd always come up with ways to make money, I had all these crazy ideas, but they worked. I think that may be saying something.

So here I am, barely a week into the year, and I'm loving it. I can feel something, I really think that this is going to be a very good year, if not great.

Twenty o Four

Usually, at this time of the year, I'll usually have some super pensive moment, and just reflect on the year that's passed, and just write about it. I have to say though, that I haven't had any time to just sit by myself to think and write. I think I have a lot to say about this year. Should I just write about it now, off the top of my head?

Well, this year was a pretty hard one, not just for myself but for my family, I think it's safe to say. It was difficult, but at the same time, I think that it was a pretty good year for us as well. Speaking for myself, it was a huge learning year for me. There were a few moments of disappointment but also so many good times.

I've had a lot of time to think about everything, my past, my present and my very important future. I think that I've changed a lot this year. Call me vain, but I think that they were all positive changes and all for the better. At least, I hope so. I found out a lot about myself and who I was, again, ever changing.

At the end of tomorrow, this year will be over, and 2005 makes it's entrance. But this year, 2004 will be one of the most memorable years of my life. It could even possibly be the best year that I've ever experienced.

February 21 2004, I went to my very first concert ever, and it rocked. I had my first taste of what being a part of a live audience was, I felt the excitement of seeing someone that before then I had only heard through the speakers of my stereo, or seen through the TV screen. Thank you Jason Mraz for making my first concert experience one that will always be imbedded in my mind.

March 12 2004, three days before my birthday, I went and saw one of the best bands in the world, at least, to me. I was really far from the stage, and I didn't have my glasses yet, so they were a blur of a dot, but I could hear them perfectly and despite the distance, I loved every second of it. How I wish I could've met them that night. Incubus rocks my world.

May 4th, 2004. The birth of my nephew Dylan Matthew Miguel Arvisu. The joy of my family, the love of my sister's life, the happiest baby you will ever meet. He's growing up so fast, and he never ceases to amaze me and he always makes me smile no matter how down I might be. Loving him comes so easily, and I love him so much. I could go on and on about him.

June 12 2004 (I think), free concert! But it was someone I liked, and I was glad to see him perform, and to hear his songs. He really is talented. I got his autograph after the show. Ben Jelen. I doubt you've heard of him, but he's pretty good, go check him out.

June 15 2004. Now this is truly a night that I will forever remember, and think about and talk about for as long as I love them and even after that. Linkin Park, live in Manila. Need I say more? I met them that night, all six of them, shook their hands, said hello, got their autographs, was a complete and totally dorky fanatic, saw them perform live, was part of the wildest mosh pit ever, unbelievable. Even now, I can't believe that they were actually just inches in front of me a table between us, that I actually did meet them however brief it was. Truly an amazing night.

August 17 2004. I saw Hoobastank live in Manila. Concert number five. That was cool, I think I have an entry about it. I just feel really lucky to have been able to see them perform, cuz I am a fan. Maybe not a hardcore one, but I like their music and that's all there is to it.

October something 2004. I went to see her with my sister, and we had the worst seats in the house, but it was a lot of fun because I was with Thea. We heard her fine though, it was great. Alicia Keys.

After seeing all those people perform live, I just look back and just know how lucky I really am. I loved all of them so much more after experiencing the live show. I have so much respect for them for being able to do what they do. For a certain two, I thought I loved them as much as I could, and after their concerts, I realised that I could love them even more. It's insane.

So those were probably the key events of this year. And again, I cannot stress enough how lucky I know I am despite hardships and trouble. I have an amazing family that I absolutely love, and that's all I need to get through anything. So as long as we're together and the love for each other is there, then I think we're okay.

I really look forward to next year. I'm looking forward to it being even better than this year. I'm prepared for more change, positive changes to be exact. There's a lot of anticipation, I think, but I'll just take it day by day, and not get too ahead of myself. Take it as it comes, and hope for the best. Let's see what happens.

Read Me

I was experimenting with my blog just now, and I added a chat box over on the side bar. I got it to work, but then decided that I didn't want it there. It just looked off, maybe I did something wrong, but either way, I changed my mind and decided not to put it there.

This morning, I went to Makati to meet up with a friend. It was the earliest that I had ever been out in a really long time. I was out of the house at 9:30 in the morning so that I could meet up with her thirty minutes later, and I was really okay with it. I didn't mind waking up early to go out at all. I think, if anything, I needed it.

I took the train to get there and to get home, all by myself (yay =P). I met up with Sian who I met through the LPU. I first met her in person back in June while we were waiting to meet Linkin Park, and then we met up again at the Hoobastank concert in August. This morning, we did some Collision Course promoting in the mall. The first person we saw was actually a friend of mine who was in fact a Linkin Park fan, and he said that the album rocked. We gave him two stickers.

It was fun, going up to random people asking if they liked LP, telling them about the mash up, giving them stickers. Sian actually went up to one guy, but he said that he liked Usher. No sticker for him. So it was cool, I hadn't done that before and it was fun.

Most of my friends are into hip hop and generally, our musical taste clashes, so when I'm with my friends, I don't talk about LP too much because they aren't interested in that topic, so it's nice to have a different set of people and friends that I can actually have Linkin Park conversations with if I wanted.

So there. Now I'm just hanging out, pretty much. There's not a lot going on online right now though.

Several Topics

I'm back home in Manila, we got back this afternoon. I was listening to the radio from my cell phone on the bus. I have pre-sets, so I just keep clicking until I find something decent to listen to. So on our way home, I'm clicking through the stations, and I stop at one cuz they're playing Numb/Encore by Linkin Park and Jay-Z. And after that song the DJ says that he wants to say hi to Ella and someone else (I couldn't make it out), and I immediately thought of Ella from the LPU, and it turns out that it was her, and our friend Sian. They were promoting Collision Course. That was pretty cool.

I was just at the department store looking for a Christmas present for Dylan, the last person on my list. And the amount of people there was just crazy. Even just getting there, going through the mall was such a hassle because of the crowds. I walk pretty fast as my normal pace, so I usually get caught up behind people taking their sweet time, and I usually end up getting pissed because of how incredibly slow they're walking. But with the reagular crowd being doubled this time of the year, I knew that I couldn't get mad, because it wouldn't do me any good. So I walked considerably slower than usual and just told myself to be patient and to just chill out, and thankfully, it payed off.

So, I got through that. After, my mom was hungry and she wanted to go to McDonlad's for a burger. It was the first time I've eaten an actual "meal" there since I saw "Super Size Me". And I don't know why, whether I just wasn't really that hungry, or if the documentary was affecting my brain, or whatever, but the food just didn't taste as good as it used to. Weird.

Well, that's it for now. Be back with something else some other time.

Can't Think of a Title

I'm here in Laguna, visiting yet again. I'm at a mall right now, at an internet cafe. On our way here, (to Laguna, not to the mall) we take a bus. But unfortunately, the bus we usually take, we missed by seconds, literally, so we had to go over to the other bus terminal. In order to do that, we had to cross a really wide road, at least ten lanes of oncoming traffic without getting killed, and lucky for us, we did that pretty successfully. It wasn't jay walking, there was just a lack of pedestrian crossing lanes, or whatever it's called. Really, there were cops, and they didn't arrest us or anything. Ten lanes of maniacal drivers...

Other than that, I'm sorry to say, I have nothing else to talk about, I just thought I should update, or something. Unless you wouldn't mind me talking about Christmas, and how it doesn't feel like it at all. Well, you don't really have a choice, do you? As to seeing that it's my blog. So here I go, babble on!

Well, Christmas is about a week away, and the "spirit" is nowhere to be found. Honestly though, I'm okay with it. In the past, Christmas was always about the presents, and I can honestly say that I wouldn't mind if I didn't get anything this year. Really, all I want is for the family to be together, and I'm also looking forward to the food, because Holiday food never fails to impress.

Wow, I lost my train of thought. I'ma dork!

Addicted

Hello, my name is Aica, and I am an addict. Blame it all on my sister, she introduced it to me and got me hooked. Although she did warn me that it would be addictive, I went ahead with it anyway. I know what you're most probably thinking, and I can tell you right now, that it's not what you think. I have become addicted... to the art of jewellery making.

Thea's been making them for a while, it's been months now. She'd usually make them at Mars's house and so I'd never see her actually make them, all I saw were the finished products. She now stays with us during the week, so she decided to bring all the stuff with her and make them at home where she actually has the time to make them.

So, a few days ago, I go into the room and she's at it, making jewellery, and I'm there simply to observe. That is until she asks me if I'd like to make something. So I agree since it looks interesting, and besides, I had nothing to do anyway. I'm a really fast learner, so she only had to teach me once, and I was off.

In a few minutes, I had made my first pair of earrings. After an hour, I had made about a lot. My room is now littered with earrings, litterally hanging from any place possible. Yes, I was hooked, and I just kept making them and making them until I had run out of ideas or more likely, run out of energy.

I have so many now, it's crazy. I now have a pair to match every single outfit I have or ever will have from now until the rest of my life. Or, more believeably, until they go out of style. But honestly, even when that day comes, I'll probably still be wearing them.

There's a really good sense of accomplishment from being able to make something myself, even more so something I can actually use, everyday if I wanted, so I feel good. Now, it just seems dumb to go out and buy jewellery at what I now realise are pretty expensive prices. I like being able to do something productive with my time, and something fun at that, and inexpensive (one of the best parts). Something that keeps the boredom from seeping in is more than welcome.

Last night, there I was, making even more earrings, and then all of a sudden, I realised that we were out of hooks. What a crisis! Well, I took it as a sign that I had probably made enough earrings (at least, for now), and that I should now make more necklaces and bracelets to match the number of earrings. Which I am actually doing.

It's unbelievable the amount that I've made in just three days. Some of the ones I've made, I'm pretty attached to and am so proud of, and then there are also some that I'm not embarassed to admit, are just plain ugly. My problem now is that I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to keep them all...

HTML huh?

With the help of the internet and of my sister, I have been able to change something on this page. No, it's definitely nothing big, but it's something, and it's a start. If you would just look over to the right hand side bar, you might notice that I've succesfully added some links. WoOhOo!!! Yea, for some people, it's no big whoop, but for me, I'm ecstatic.

For one thing, I've never really been any good with computers, so every little thing counts. The computer has it's own language, and for someone like myself, it's not easy to understand. HTML is one thing, something that I'm trying to tackle. It's actually simple, but at the same time it can be very complicated. The formula or codes or whatever are kinda easy, but it's the application part that I'm confused with. I have what to put in, but I don't know where, and what else.

So there, I'm slowly learning, hopefully, it'll progress, and I'll understand it and get the hang of it some time. But for now, I need to learn more... Don't expect anything big, I'm going through this little by little.

BLaH BLaH

I said that I'd improve my blog appearance, but as you can most probably see, nothing has changed or improved. That's my bad... I'm just too lazy. Oh no! And really, without a book to help me out, I doubt I'll get far. I guess I'm just spoiled like that. To need a book in order for me to start.

Anyways, myspace sucks right now. It has so many bugs that it needs to work out, it's just completely annoying. I was gonna work on my profile page today, but nothing would load, there were always errors, and honestly, I just couldn't bother. So it's the same profile page until it fixes itself up. Do you want to see it?

http://profiles.myspace.com/users/8120863 there it is! It's so funny though, on my blog there, I complain about this site, and over here, I complain about that site. Complain complain complain... There wouldn't be anything to complain about if they'd just fix it. Ha!

Anyhows... The twenty fifth day is fast approaching, only two weeks away. This month is flying by. I'm excited to see my brother's reaction to what I got him. It's a pretty big present, so I had a bit of a time wrapping it up. I didn't have two of the same wrappers, so I had to use two different ones, and it looks so funny. But he's just gonna rip it off anyways, so it doesn't really matter. I'm thinking of being really mean and not putting it under the tree until the last possible moment.

I also want to see my dad's reaction to the present my sister and I got him. If you're reading this daddy, just know that you need it. haha. Well, there are two presents, but I'm talking about the one that smells nice. =)

I should go now, I'm just being weird.

I'm Freezing Cold!

I'm at an internet cafe right now, and it's freezing cold. I think it's because I'm sitting right beneath the vent. So, sucks for me. I knew I should've brought a jacket or a sweater or something like that.

We set up the Christmas tree yesterday afternoon. It's officially the earliest we have ever set it up. The reason being, that my mom doesn't have much time during the week with Dylan around, so yesterday was really the only time she could do it because the coming weekends are pretty booked too.

It looks pretty, except we haven't decorated it yet, because I'm waiting for my sister to get home (which is tonight), because I know she wants to decorate it. I think she enjoys it more than I do, which is pretty funny considering that she's older than me... haha =)

Also, we wanted to set it up early this year mainly for Dylan. It's his first Christmas, and I know that he'll get a major kick out of the lights. So we're all looking forward to his reaction.

So yea, just waiting for them to come home. It's incredible how much I miss them already, and it's only been about three days.

Holy Hell

This thing has gone haywire, and has just completely messed itself up. I didn't even do anything. My recent posts won't display, and my archive has disappeared, and being me, I have absolutely no idea how to fix it. Sucks... Damn it... now what?

Okay, all of a sudden it's fixed but my last entry is gone... Dude... stop confusing me! I'm so not in the mood right now...

I'm About to Be Legal

I'm turning eighteen in a few months. For the past few years, I've been pretty laid back and just kept the birthday celebrations on the down low. Mostly because I didn't really want to celebrate much. But next year, I want to really do something. At least... something more than what I've done during the past couple of birthdays.

I don't have any ideas as of now, I've actually never had any "birthday ideas". Would it be dumb of me to procrastinate the planning, or should I bust my brain thinking of what to do?

I don't want something big though, just simple. I guess if my friends are there, and we've got lots and lots of good food and good music, I'm good to go. The thing with me though, is that I would much rather stay at home than go out to a club and party. Yea, I'm a homebody, whereas my friends choose to live the party life.

But I guess I will think of something. I've got time.

My Roots

I just spent the weekend in Laguna visiting my relatives. The last time I went, I decided not to bring a book, and had immediately wished that I did the moment I got there. So this time, I brought a book, and guess what? I didn't read it at all.

I don't really do much when I'm there. The whole idea of going is to actually spend time with them, which I don't get to do. Because it's hard for me to communicate with them because they speak tagalog (filipino), and I absolutely suck at it. If I even try, it'll come out as absolute nonsense.

Growing up, I'm pretty sure I was fluent in it, or something to that extent. And then I think International School just slowly sucked it out of me. I was always speaking in English, that my Filipino just dissipated. Even when it comes to tv, when my dad's watching the news (in filipino), the words go into my head and gets translated into english. Seriously. So, I understand it when it's spoken, and yea, I can speak it, just not well.

And that's probably one, if not the only reason that I'm not close to my relatives. I wish I were, but it's just not like that. I've always wanted to be close to my grandparents (I only have grandmothers now), but it's never happened.

The last time I was alone with my lola (grandmother on my mom's side), she asked me about religion and why I didn't go to church. That side of the family is very religious, but when it comes to my family, we're not. At least for me, I believe in God and prayer, but I don't feel the need to practice a religion. My belief in God is enough for me.

So that's another thing.I see my cousins being close to her and to my other relatives (on that side), and I think they're close because they share the same beliefs and lifestyle among other things, which I don't share with them. My siblings and I were raised differently from my cousins, so yea, we're just different.

It's sad in some ways, but I wouldn't change how I was brought up, because I like how I am, and how we are as a family. I respect them as well as their lifestyle, but I cannot imagine myself living that way. I can't have everything, so that's how it's got to be.

I sort of lost my train of thought though, so I have to end it here.

POW!

This morning, the funniest, and most embarassing thing happened to me. I woke up bright and early (thanks to my sister), therefore I lacked sleep, and my brain was only half working. Sadly though, none of that contributed to what happened next. Half asleep, or fully awake, I would've done it, and I did.

Twice a week (for the past five years), someone comes over to the house and does our laundry. Her name is Paz. She's a small woman, short and stout (much like the teapot). I'm not trying to be mean! I'm simply trying to put a picture in your head. So anyways, I guess you don't need to know much more about her.

So! This morning, I was in my room with my sister and my brother, we were playing with baby Dylan, and the door's wide open. The bathroom's down the hall, and I see Paz pass by, and I hear the bathroom door close.

A couple of minutes later, I'm totally caught up in Dylan, and I hear footsteps coming down the hall. I pick up one of my brother's toy guns, aim it at the door, and yell "POW!!!" thinking that it was my dad. Imagine my surprise and complete embarassment when I see that it's a lady in a red house dress, staring at me, like I'm psycho.

Oh my God... she walked away, and I immediately burst out laughing, although I was completely embarassed. If you're not laughing at me or at the story, well I guess that it's just a whole lot funnier when you're there, as most things are. But Thea and I could not stop laughing our heads off (even now I'm cracking up just recounting the memory of this morning), because it was just too funny!

Count on me to embarass myself, because I do that a lot.

Randomness

Yesterday, I almost got hit by a car. Usually, when I cross the street, I look both ways, all the time, even on a one way street. But yesterday, for some weird reason, I guess I just spaced out, that I forgot, and the car stopped inches (literally) from me.

Also, the mall crowds are nauseating. It's bad enough during the weekends, but now, it's the regular weekend crowds mixed with the Christmas shoppers. They're hardly polite too. They'll bump into you and act as if it didn't happen. Sometimes, I swear I just want to push them back.

Good news, I've done more than half of my Christmas shopping. This is now officially the earliest that I've ever done my gift buying. Which is a very good thing. The fact that I have it over and done with this early, makes me feel very elated. And I won't have to mix with the pre Christmas rush and the procrastinators who leave it until the last possible minute (myself in the previous years) to get it done.

I've only got my older siblings to shop for, and I know what to get for my brother, but my sister on the other hand... She's gonna make me fry my brain. It's so weird because we're super close, and I have absolutely no idea what to give her. But I will think of something sooner or later. Hopefully, it's sooner.

Memories... Or Lack Thereof

The other day, I was cleaning up my room, and while I was cleaning up my closet (which was cluttered to the max), I found a box of memories. When I opened it, right on top, was my sixth grade class picture, which now has permanent dust stains, unfortunately. It was on top of a whole load of letters my friends and I would give each other for fun in the seventh grade (whole different class, whole different city). It was seriously my past, in a box.

So after I was done cleaning up, I sat down on my bed and went through the letters, and read them all one by one. What completely sucks is that in the letters, my friends would talk about a certain something, like, "sorry about what happened yesterday", "we're gonna have so much fun later", "I'll tell you something super important in a while", and the reason it sucks is because I don't remember any of it!

A majority of what happened that year has pretty much escaped my mind for some reason or the other. So, I've got so many letters, but I don't know what the heck we're talking about in any of them, they're so vague! But it's just as well, I guess. I don't really think I want to remember those times.

Who I was then, was a completely different person from the me, present day. I've changed A LOT, and I'm definitely gonna change some more. So yea, I just wanted to share. haha =)

Pensive Braindead

Christmas is fast approaching, and this year, I am as unprepared as I possibly could be. I must've been so wrapped up in other things (I can't even imagine what) that I haven't gotten a chance to give any thought to what to get my family members for presents. As much as I would love to shower them with amazing gifts, my (not surprisingly) tiny budget prevents me from doing so.

So my budget is divided into six. Except for my little brother, who is super vocal about what he wants, I'm clueless about what to get for everybody else. My sister mentioned that this year, she wants something that she can actually use, which is exactly what I want to do. I want to get them something that they can use everyday if they wanted to. But I just can't think of what those things possibly could be.

Last night, I thought about it pretty hard. I came up with something. It's not genious, but it's definitely a start. I really really need to get my brain together though, because the Christmas shoppers are going to be invading the malls pretty soon, and the crowds are going to drive me absolutely insane.

Woopth

I broke my glasses last night. Not the glass though (thankfully), which is actually plastic, or something. I was fixing up the dinner table, and my glasses were there, and the cover of the rice pot slipped and fell right onto it. And it just popped. I guess the screw was loose, so it just broke open.

So I give it to my dad so he can fix it, and in the process, he accidentally flung the screw (which is super tiny, by the way) with the screw driver, and it flies to a place where it cannot be found. We tried looking, but it just wasn't working.

So we go to the mall today to try and get a replacement (screw, not glasses), and I'm walking around practically blind. Seriously, everything was so blurry it was unbelievable. Thankfully, the shop was able to fix it, and the best part was, it was free!

I do want to get contact lenses though. Although the idea of sticking something into my eye is not exactly very appealing, it has its share of pros. Like, if I wanted to wear shades, it would be such a hassle to get every single pair I get graded. And when I'm trying on clothes at the mall, glasses are not very practical. Blah blah blah.

Not much else going on.

The Weekend Past

I went to visit my relatives in Laguna this past weekend. We left Friday morning, and got back Tuesday afternoon. They met Dylan for the first time. Before we actually brought him there, we were wondering what their reaction would be towards him and my sister. Being the conservative kind of people that they are, I don't think that Thea's pregnancy was something they celebrated, her being so young, and the fact that she wasn't getting married (probably the biggest shock to them).

We weren't exactly sure of what sort of reaction they were gonna express, but thankfully, when the time came for them to meet, the reactions were all good. Like I've said, Dylan has this power to make you smile and be happy no matter what sort of mood you might be in. He was a hit, they loved him.

He didn't stay there as long as the rest of us did, he and Thea left the next day. But I stayed, and it was a pretty long weekend. I wasn't exactly up for doing anything, so I ended up staying indoors the entire time. Pretty much in front of the TV, watching whatever I could, for some unknown reason. I was a TV addict the whole weekend.

We went out on November first (Monday) because it was all saints day. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is the day of the dead only "celebrated" in the Philippines? Basically, what happens is, you go to the cemetery to visit your relatives or anybody who's passed away. Bring flowers, light a candle, say some prayers.

I actually didn't want to go because the first time we ever went (the year my lolo died), it was scorching hot and the number of people was just nauseating. I don't know about you, but I hate crowds, so it wasn't exactly something I was looking forward to. Not that I don't or didn't love my lolo, and yea, I do miss him, but I just don't see the point of having to go to the cemetery and deal with things I'd rather not deal with (heat and crowds).

But I went anyway because I didn't want to be disrespectful, and my mom promised that it would be quick, and since it was reeeeaally early in the morning, it wouldn't be that hot, and the number of people would be minimal. And it was bearable, thankfully. But hanging out in the cemetery...

So the weekend was pretty laid back for me. Talk about being super lazy and having the worst case of the munchies though.