Just came from choir practice at church, and we were singing very loudly (and a little off-key) “Sing a song of gladness, and cheer! For the time of Christmas is here….” Here is a picture of us singing that song in Lipa last Christmas 2007, one of three concerts we had that season. Can you spot me? Only my head is visible. =)

My favorite season is coming soon! And here are a lot of other things to look forward to, BER and beyond:

• Likha Diwa - the 2nd round for my Thursday bible study group next week. We love the food there, and Pheeb’s cousin’s exhibit is the perfect alibi to indulge.

• September 20-21 - overnight at Lipa, Batangas for someone’s birthday. Lomi, I miss lomi.

• West Side Story at the Meralco Theater

• Enlistment - so that I’ll know my schedule for the rest of the schoolyear. Please no Saturday morning or Tuesday evening class…

• Retreat and roadtrip with the D3 group…. ahem. Tagaytay!!! Binyagan na ang Honda!

• Moving day - I’m moving back to Makati. YIPPEE!!! I missed 924 and the 24-hour stores. My mom will be with me for half a year. My stomach is rejoicing because she is a great cook. But that’s the end of my gallivanting days; my de facto curfew is back.

• SR at the Prayer Mountain - sometime in October with the Thursday group again; anyone who wants to join us is welcome.

• Sembreak - my brain needs a rest. Badly. And my stomach needs real food. Desperately. And I need a decent pair of shoes and a “professional/teacher” wardrobe… Divisoria, anyone?

• Ifugao Camp - back to the rice terraces I go as a counselor for a leadership camp for students.

• Christmas Cantata - a redux of “Make His Praise Glorious” with the Lipa choir… I’ll be able to sing “Oh Happy Day” again! Hopefully, not wearing the same too-small-bursting-at-the-seams-because-it-was-fitted-15-pounds-ago black gown we’ve been wearing for concerts since 2003.

• Summer - back to Humayan? I really hope or, a musical theater workshop with Trumpets.

• back to the workforce? I hope so too. something related to and will not clash with my MA.

• ISRAEL

Things I missed/will miss (buhay pa naman ako):

• the PCT gang Baguio trip last weekend

• Bev and Jm’s baby shower this evening

• IFES Singapore Conference

• LCDC at Laguna

• the return of the Tuesday CG at Ortigas

• the Eraserheads reunion concert yesterday…. ang mahal naman kase!!! I had to content myself with videos online of Alapaap, Sembreak and Ligaya. I only came to appreciate them in 2001, years after they started topping the charts. I had goosebumps and there were tears in my eyes when I heard the opening bass chords of Alapaap online… especially when I heard the crowd at the concert singing along like it was one big videoke room! Some of the songs lyrics’ are controversial for some, but I have my own meaning for those songs anyway. This band is inextricably intertwined in my memories with with cosmo dorm room 11, Taft Avenue, theoretical courtship, UP Manila, the sound of my keyboard, papers, my thesis, my bed, etc. Their songs are the soundtrack for my student life.

Alapaap is now ringing in my head, LSS na ito…

May isang umaga, na tayo’y magsasama
Haya at halina sa alapaap
O, anong sarap, haa…

Hanggang sa dulo ng mundo
Hanggang maubos ang ubo
Hanggang gumulong ang luha
Hanggang mahulog ang tala

Chorus:

Masdan mo ang aking mata
‘Di mo ba nakikita
Ako ngayo’y lumilipad at nasa langit na
Gusto mo bang sumama ?

Hindi mo na kailangan ang magtago’t mahiya
Hindi mo na kailangan humanap ng iba
Kalimutan lang muna
Ang lahat ng problema
Huminga ka ng malalim at tayo’y lalarga na
Handa na bang gumala

Adlib:

Pap-pa-rap… pap-pa-rap-pa..
Pa pa pa pa (papapapa….)
La-la-la… oooh hoo hoo…

Ang daming bawal sa mundo
(Ang daming bawal sa mundo)
Sinasakal nila tayo
(Sinasakal nila tayo)
Buksan ang puso at isipan
(Buksan ang puso at isipan)
Paliparin ang kamalayan
(Paliparin)

Chorus 2:

Masdan mo ang aking mata
‘Di mo ba nakikita
Ako’y lumilipad at nasa alapaap na
Gusto mo bang sumama ?

Gusto mo bang (gusto mo bang)
Gusto mo bang (gusto mo bang)
Gusto mo bang (gusto mo bang)
Gusto mo bang (gusto mo bang)
Gusto mo bang (gusto mo bang)
Gusto mo bang (gusto mo bang)
Gusto mo bang (gusto mo bang)
Gusto mo bang (gusto mo bang)
Sumama ?

Sana.

Pictures from the Eheads Reunion Concert from Jorem Catilo’s multipy:

http://spoonmachine.multiply.com/photos/album/39/Eraserheads_Reunion_Concert?&=&album=39&view:replies=threaded&page_start=400#

Groundbreaking Thinker (GT)

Groundbreaking Thinkers are charming, enthusiastic persons. They really bubble over with energy and like to take centre stage. They love variety both professionally and privately. Groundbreaking Thinkers tackle changes consistently with their optimism and firm belief in their own abilities; they are always on the look-out for improvement possibilities. Their excellent communication skills are of great advantage to them here. They approach the world with curiosity and openness and master new situations with a great deal of talent for improvising and with resourcefulness. Their spare time is taken up with a large number of hobbies; most Groundbreaking Thinkers like to travel in order to gather as many different impressions as possible. This personality type is unbeatable at discovering new possibilities.

In their work, Groundbreaking Thinkers highly rate challenges and diversified tasks. They cannot stand routine and too detailed work. They love to astound others with bold ideas for an original, new project and then leave it up to the others to implement them. Hierarchies, rules and regulations arouse their opposition and they love outsmarting the system. It is vital to them that they enjoy their work; if this is the case, they quickly become pure workaholics. Their creativity best takes effect when they work independently; but they are very good at motivating others and infecting them with their optimistic nature. Conceptual or advisory activities appeal especially to Groundbreaking Thinkers. It can happen that some people feel somewhat duped by their flexible, spontaneous nature.

Their sociability and enterprise ensure that Groundbreaking Thinkers always have a large circle of friends and acquaintances in which activity plays an important role. As they are mostly in a good mood, they are popular and very welcome guests. Grumbling and peevishness are unknown to them. However, they do tend to be a little erratic and unstable when it comes to obligations and this makes them appear to be unreliable to some. Groundbreaking Thinkers are very critical and demanding when it comes to picking a partner because they look for the ideal relationship and have a very concrete picture of this ideal relationship. Mutual aims in life are very important to them. They do not like compromising and would rather remain alone. For the partner, it is often a challenge to have a long-term relationship with a Groundbreaking Thinker. Groundbreaking Thinkers need a lot of space and diversity or otherwise they become bored and feel cramped. Types who are rather more traditionalistic often have problems with the willingness of Groundbreaking Thinkers to take risks and their often crazy, spontaneous actions. However, if one can summon up sufficient flexibility and tolerance for them, one will never be bored in their presence and will always have a loyal and faithful partner.

Adjectives which describe your type

extroverted, theoretical, logical, spontaneous, rational, innovative, intellectual, open, independent, curious, enterprising, analytical, clever, enthusiastic, venturesome, inventive, energetic, sociable, optimistic, non-conformist, creative, freedom-loving, charming, able to get enthusiastic, self-confident, communicative, capricious, inconsistent, outgoing

These subjects could interest you

documentaries, books, talks, museums, computer, Internet, strategy games, politics, drawing/painting

http://www.ipersonic.com/type/GT.html

RULES OF THE GAME: List all the names you were called by and the people who call you that

Tag at least 10 members of your contacts and give a comment on their site for them to know they’ve been tagged.:)

1. rita - most everyone

2. maria rita ilya - most everyone who sees my name on paper

3. ilya - gena and marj are the top culprits

4. tarits - madlang humans

5. ate tarits - madlang humans younger than i am

6. t’rits - cosmo dormers

7. fossil / lola - esbi manila pips

8. rhia - blood relatives

9. (ms.) mariano - teachers/professors

10. iya - parents and cousins from bulacan

11. ate wia - roy, my younger brother with an r defect

12. ate - bryan and jane, my younger married siblings

13. aeuiow (unspecified vowel sounds) - my 3 month old niece

14. altos!!! - kuya pamfi, choir conductor… who always looks at me when shouting at the whole section

15. pare - gift, my pseudo roommate

16. sis! - chuza, darlene, carmi, cyrene, etc.

17. rits / te rits / gertrudes? - batingawers, my college theater group

18. nay rits - pheebs, che, and some unsuspecting esbi manila people.

19. ‘tol - ivy lynn

20. GISING!!! - people who try to wake me up… in vain

21. cantankerous / persnickety/ hbts / the hungry one - my papa

22. partner (in crime?) - vina and kuya mark, KC2k8 special events coordinators

 

AND I TAG:

1. chuza

2. carmi

3. darlene

4. ate maurice

5. ate charms

6. wendee

7. jack

8. karla

9. denners

10. reev

11. phoebe

12. ate sukha

13. pepay

14. cyrene

15. gift

16. elaine

17. stef!

18. rhiza

19. joni

21. lovelle

22. charms in UK

 

 

Some brave dreams:

• Be a tentmaker or an OFW (Outstanding Filipino Witness).
• Perform at the CCP.
• Be an Outstanding Young Woman of the Philippines.
• Teach fulltime.
• Family’s salvation.
• Commitment.
• Walk someday where Jesus walked… Israel.
• Be a person of influence.
• Give. Give some more. Give until it hurts.
• To love and be loved.

 

I want to explore:

• my country….WOW Philippines tour!
• my school… I still get lost in UP Diliman… I want to know where all the great eating places are!
• my city … I want to do that walking tour of Intramuros, Chinatown, Binondo, etc.
• my faith… I want to go to the next level, out into deeper waters.
• my potentials … see brave dreams above.

My old office is just a stone’s throw away from Coffee Bean and Tea Lef Emerald Avenue, and a tiny park with grass and not much else. Memories…Of inhaling the delicious sense of coffee and wishing I had the budget to stay in a coffee shop the whole day with a laptop or thick pocketbook. I also recall splurging during payday with a cappucino liberally doused with liquid sweetener…sila lang meron nun eh.

Had several breakfasts there with the Singles Club/PCT gang, complete with work-related angst, laughter, their amazement at my eating powers, free cheesecake and specialty coffee. I miss Wendy’s attempts to make me her camwhore model, Dennis sneaking another picture of me reading a book, Malvin’s guffaw and singig voice, Cara’s grin, Sofie’s driving prowess and our trainee days, Marco’s elevator announcements,  Anne’s notes, Elle’s beauty tips, Jack’s chocolate and motorcycle, shared bus rides with Karla, etc etc.

 

 

I have another fond Coffee Bean memory… a couple of years ago, had our last svcf manila reunion at greenbelt with Erwin, Ida, Che, Ej. Here is our picture of 4 of us at the tambayan, circa 2005. Were we ever this young?

 

 From left to right\; EJ (3rd), Ida (4th), Rita (2nd), and Erwin (1st)

TFA is one of my papa’s (the lolo) attempts at humor. He saves all my pix with my niece under the file name TFA, which stands for The Fat Auntie. Ha. Ha. Ha. In between my tons of readings, let me procastinate take a break with another baby niece story:

Last night…. or was it this morning? the niece cried for over an hour. The parents (and I) went into panic mode because the little brat baby just wouldn’t stop wailing, felt feverish and refused to eat. So off we went to the ER.

Guess what? The little monster girl’s wails stopped when we took a taxi. The doctor said she was dehydrated. Her mother and I exchanged disbelieving looks: she constantly breastfeeds, how can she be dehydrated? And she gained 0.4 kilos.

Our verdict: nagpapansin lang siya.

And here she is, grinning in agreement when I said “Baboy si Tita.”

Bitawan ko kaya?

It’s been almost 3 months since the advent of the 3rd generation Mariano (parang computer lang no?). Having daily access to a squirming bundle of cuteness gave me the idea for this list:

TRIALS OF BEING A TITA
1. The baby squirts from both ends, so must beware the danger of projectile spit-up (curdled milk) or the silent danger of leaky diapers.
2. If I pick her up, must be prepared to carry her for an hour at least because she screams the moment you put her back down. And she thinks I’m a walking bib, so she takes the chance to spit up excess milk when I carry her.
3. Making her burp is tricky. Carrying her like a sack on my shoulder seems to work best.
4. When she is crying because she is hungry, I’m pretty much useless since I do not lactate. Same goes for diaper-changing; that’s the parents’ job.
5. Babies are distracting! I now have an alibi for procrastinating…

AND THE TREATS:
1. Free entertainment. It is very amusing to watch her move her head about in pursuit of her baby mobile, the laundry on the washline, the lightbulbs in her room, and i think she likes seeing her reflection on my glasses.
2. A reason to smile. Her toothless grin makes me respond with my own chipped-tooth smile. And her big cheeks are so familiar…
3. The smell of baby breath and when she just finished taking a bath. She can also act as weight lifting device; imagine a 5-kilo dumbbell that moves!
4. I can practice my action song repertoire on her. She likes the duck song best. =)
5. Since I’m a language major, I can observe firsthand how a baby acquires her first language. She really makes all those MA classes come alive. It’s also fun figuring out what her coos and babbling mean; she’s beginning to communicate with us instead of just wailing her head off all the time.

Tomorrow is AJ’s christening day. I will take a backseat  to the hordes of adoring fans and let them pass her around like a ball. Anyway, I get to harass play with her almost every day. Let them have their fun.

Disclaimer: This entry is not a sign that I want my own kids.  What’s the rush? The genes have been successfully passed on to the next generation. And I can always borrow her. Haha!