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here's my itinerary for my flight back home. im departing at 7am and will get to manila the following day, at around 11pm. im excited to go home to see my family and friends especially since it's christmas, but also sad to leave this place and the many opportunities within grasp for travel, meeting people and experiencing new things.

ang bilis ng mga araw...i can't believe it's been two months already. corny but it's true that time passes by so quickly when you're having fun. i know i've had my moments of homesickness and more than once wished i were waking up to my own bed and having breakfast with my mom or watching dvds with my father... sobrang daming times that i wished i were back home...especially when walking to and from the office and my fingers are starting to feel like popsicles :p pero pasko e. christmas is a time to be with family and loved ones. di ba. if it weren't for christmas, i still would want to stay longer -- as if it were all up to me! mga one or two months more, hehe. i still have in mind some places na gusto ko ma-visit and things i wish i could do... nothing important really, pero it would've been nice if ever :)

i wish i'd get to return here in the US one day, whether on another work assignment or as a tourist. or green-card holder. naks. hopefully during summer or spring naman, so i wouldn't have to worry about getting colds and i can go around and take pictures without hand gloves...and i can wear pants without the oh-so-itchy leg warmers. i really wouldn't miss those. hehe.

anyway, to my friends in manila...see you soon. it's been a really good two months. i feel very blessed. thank you for the prayers and the well wishes.

to the friends i'm not seeing for a while, take good care of yourselves. we will still see each other one day, di ba. i know that for sure.

autograph ito

Favorites...
Favorite Color: lumot green, black and white (lately)
Favorite Food: breakfast meals, desserts, Pinoy dishes esp. sinigang
Favorite Band: eraserheads, jars of clay, true faith, hale
Favorite Movie: madami. i love watching movies. the hours, sense and sensibility, ever after, fellowship of the ring, two towers, great expectations. sobrang dami.
Favorite Sport: wala, pero I've played badminton and volleyball.
Favorite Season: Christmas season. Hehe.
Favorite Day Of the Week: Friday to Sunday.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: coffee tapos may nuts. chocolate tapos may nuts.
Favorite Time of Day: 11AM siguro, i feel most alert around this time. and whenever light is good sa labas, so i can take nice pictures.

9 Currents...
Current Mood: hungry and a bit anxious.
Current Taste: same taste i've had for a while now. i don't think i've changed much, really.
Current Clothes: leggings, jacket, socks, t-shirt.
Current Desktop Picture: default HP laptop wallpaper. corny no.
Current nail Color: no nail polish.
Current Time: 12:29 pm
Current Surroundings: blue couch, magulong living room, chicago apartment
Current Annoyance(s): couldn't bring my room temperature to a comfortable level. ang lamig tuloy.
Current Thought: what do i do next after brunch? kasya kaya lahat ng gamit sa mga luggages ko?

8 Firsts...
First Best Friend: mayee t. mora (back in grade 1). i wonder if she's in friendster.
First Kiss: 14 years ago.
First Screen Name: pong
First Pet: dog
First Piercing: ears (and the only)
First Crush: keno and gary v
First Music: i'm a little teapot short and stout...

7 Lasts.....
Last Drink: wala pa today, oh no! tap water, last night.
Last Car Ride: on my way to the la guardia airport
Last Kiss: hmmm. kahit siguro wag na natin sagutin.
Last Movie Seen: sa cinema, Harry Potter 4. sa TV, Santa Who?
Last Phone call: friend
Last CD Played: Gary V

6 Have You Evers....
Have You Ever Dated One Of Your Best Friends: yes
Have You Ever Broken the Law: always. jaywalking.
Have You Ever Been Arrested: hindi pa naman.
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: hindi pa rin. ginawin ako e. hehe...
Have You Ever Been on TV: yes. sa lunch date when i was in grade school. we sang a christmas carol, i think.

5 Things....
Things You're Wearing: my clothes lang - socks, leggings, shirt, 2 jackets.
Things You Did Last Night? rode the train, bought jeans, ate chicken tenders, started packing, bummed around with my turtle
Things You Can Hear Right Now: just myself typing and the noise from the heater
Things You Can't Live Without: madami, pero i can live without cellphone pala. that's nice to know. lately, i can not live without a lip balm, jackets, hand gloves, body oil or lotion, leg warmers.
Things You Do When You're bored: friendster, take photos of my turtle or take videos, play around photoshop, wash my clothes (lately), blog, watch TV esp. when becker's on or the king of queens.

4 Countries You've Been To: Philippines, US, Colombia, and Japan (pero stop-over lang)

4 People You Can Tell Anything To... (without getting offended): Joy, Katrin, Sharon... madami, i have really good friends and don't easily get offended.

2 Choices...
1. Black or White: black
2. Hot or Cold: hot

1 Wish...
I'm home.

Pasko na Naman

Paskong pasko talaga ang feeling kapag malamig, may christmas tree, at may friends kang kasama. Ang saya, kuha ito sa lobby ng 180 North La Salle where I have been holding office for the past few weeks. We were on our way to another friend's suite to have our "Babalik ka rin sa Pilipinas" party.

Si Che 'yung kasama ko. Isa sa mga una kong naging kaibigan dito. Actually, sa Philippines pa lang, nakilala ko na sya. Sabay kaming nagpa-interview sa US Embassy at sabay rin halos dumating dito sa Chicago. Sabay bumili ng groceries at na-excite nang makuha ang aming SAP number. Sarap kasama 'yan at kalaro sa charades. Hehe.

Pasko na. Ang saya.

I heart NY

Folks, I have been to New York from last Friday until Tuesday and I compleeeetely loved it there! 'Di ko alam paano ko ikuwento sa inyo lahat. It's a really big city and i tried to do so many things in my short visit there. I honestly don't know where to start. Hehe. Sige, I guess I'll begin by posting some of my favorite pictures from the trip. Here they are:


Statue of Liberty


Times Square


Sunset in New Jersey


View of Manhattan from the Empire State Building


Drawings for loved ones who perished in the 9/11 tragedy.


At the Ground Zero

Ground Zero is that place where the two towers of the World Trade Center once stood. There's construction work going on there now and a subway station right next to it. Around the construction fence, you would see posters commemorating the 9/11 tragedy and pictures to remember heroes who selflessly helped in the rescue. The place is at the corner of a busy street, not one where you could be easily silent and solemn which is what i had thought it would be. It was a difficult place to visit, and I didn't want to take pictures so much because I thought it would be unethical to do so... I took lots of pictures anyway :(


At the Central Park, Manhattan


A pond in Central Park, Manhattan

Central Park is where Finn and Estella met and sort of kissed while drinking in a fountain years after being separated from each other in that movie, "Great Expectations". I loved that movie and just had to visit the park :)

--ooo--

I also went to other places like the Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral along 5th Avenue. Take a look at the album here to see photos from these places and other pictures from New York.

Grand Central is that train station where the animals in the "Madagascar" movie tried to go to in order to escape zoo life. It's really grand and it's central, like the zebra in the movie said :)

Rockefeller Center was featured in that "Home Alone" movie where Macaulay Culkin got lost in NY. It's the one where there's a big Christmas tree right in front of a tall building.

5th Avenue is that place where a lot of people go to and shop. It's probably the equivalent of Magnificent Mile here in downtown Chicago. The NBA store and the Trump Tower can be found there.

--ooo--

Feel na feel ko talaga 'tong NY. Ayoko pang umalis because the city is so interesting and the people so diverse. You won't feel like a fish out of water because everyone seems to be from somewhere else anyway. It's truly a global city.

Kahit 2AM na, marami pa ring pwedeng gawin especially around Times Square and 5th Avenue because the shops are usually open 24 hours or until late at night! Sarap mamasyal. Sarap kumain especially in Chinatown. Sarap mag-shop dahil mas mura duon compared to Chicago. You can buy shirts for $2.50 and art works for $5. This is really cheap because in Chicago, the cheapest shirts would cost around 9$. And you hardly find art works or anything sold in the streets. Akalain mo, madaming bangketa sa New York!

It's such a big city and there are so many sights to see and things to do. I really didn't want to go home yet... grabe, I heart NY.

--ooo--

Salamat to my friend Mac who took care of everything for me. Sobra, thanks Mac! Sana makabawi rin ako when you go home to Manila. Ikaw naman ilibre ko! Thanks, again!

ligo kami. sarap.

new routine

i have a new routine and i quite like it :) everyday starting this week until my last day here in chicago, i have decided to go out on the streets during lunch break and take photos of people and places here at the downtown. i'll pick one photo per day and share that with you all. here's one i took yesterday. it was taken along north michigan avenue on my way to the millenium park. even dogs have to "bundle up" somehow to keep themselves warm :)

p.s. it's not an easy routine to make because it's usually -13C to -15C outside even during daytime. pero i really enjoy taking photos that's why i do it. usually, pumapasok ako sa mga shops or buildings para lang magpainit. then lalabas uli. then pasok na naman sa susunod. hehe :)