a Blog with Substance Award

Taking a break from all the rules

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Sinthea (I'm really confused with the real spelling of her name, but I prefer to use Sinthea :)) of Quintessence for giving me the Blog with Substance Award.

If my guess is correct, I am not supposed to give the award back to her, but if I could, I definitely would.  Visit her blog and fall in love with her writing prowess.

With this award, comes great a responsibility.  I'm now supposed to define my blogging motivation, experience and philosophy in five words.  Okay, now... here goes.

1. Passion.  I've been trying to define how my love for writing started and what made it grow. But I've already hit the "backspace" button a number of times, and if it could speak it probably would be cursing on me right now,  what the heck, I just can't.  All I know is that I've been jotting down my thoughts ever since my subject-verb agreement and word usage were a mess (not that I'm a pro now, but I'm okay, right? Haha!).  I don't know, maybe I'm just fascinated with words and how, by playing with them, you could create an art work that could touch somebody's life. :)

2. Audience.  I am not an attention-whore but I feel a little tickle inside when I know people read my posts.  So when I receive a comment from you, it gears me up.  So maybe I am.  An attention-whore.  Just a wee bit.  Haha!  I just love it when people relate to my ramblings.  It makes me want to share more. :)

3. Enhancement.  I know practice won’t make my writing perfect, but at least it will do something to improve it.  I mentioned in Rule #4 of how envious I was am of those bloggers who write as if they were born to do it.  I was discouraged back then, thinking I could never be like them.  But I know better now, and instead of sitting in the self-inferiority chair, I am taking this envy to use it as a fuel to take me to the road of improvement fast.

4. Passage.  I am a drama queen and I know (and it sucks) that I don’t always have someone to tolerate my rants.   I know people around me don’t always have the time to listen to me, console me or concur with all the things I want to talk about.  Hence, this blog – where I rule and where everyone is free to agree, disagree and most importantly, listen to what I would have to say.

5. Legacy.  If you may have noticed, I didn’t use this blog to narrate every freakin’ day of my life.  Though I could have done that, I chose not to.  Instead, I let the experience be it. What I do is get its fruits, take whatever lesson I learned from it, convert it to a “rule” and apply it to my life.  Oh! And share it to the world, too (the world?!?!?!). Haha! Kidding aside, I really really hope this blog lives on until I am no more.

Next task: Spread the love.

I’m supposed to pass it on to 10 blogs.  But I don’t wanna push myself to find 10 and don’t mean it.  So here are the few chosen ones:

Maude's Avenue of Thoughts

Noisy Noisy Man

Yodisphere

The Twisted Wedding Planner

A Filipina Mom Blogger

<3

The Christmas is not only for kids but for thieves, too Rule

Now that Christmas Season's nearing again, let us all BE SAFE.

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Let me share to you a Facebook note I read in this oh so helpful blog.

From:mary ruth causing [mailto:causingmaryruth@ ...]
Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2008 10:59 PM
To: mary ruth causing
Subject: Warning of a Modus Operandi

Dear friends,

I’d like to share a story of what happened to me last Monday, October 6, which appears to be a modus operandi done by people with criminal intentions. My purpose for sharing this with you is to forewarn you of such incidents so that you may keep yourselves safe.

At about a quarter to 7 in the evening, last Monday, I left the office and walked out of Tektite building towards San Miguel Avenue , Ortigas, to ride a cab. It was just right after a brief drizzle, so the roads were almost empty of cars and people, although it was still a bit early. I’m accustomed to going home by myself if I feel like it, and riding cabs without any problems for the longest time.

I was walking along Exchange Road in front of our building, and have already crossed Pearl Drive , when I saw a cab slowly cruising along Exchange Road from San Miguel Avenue . It was an old, a bit dilapidated, white (seemingly) Toyota Corolla, with a yellow-lighted “taxi” on the roof, with black scrawl of the taxi’s “name” on the side (I didn’t notice the name written there). It didn’t have any passengers on board and I thought it a bit odd that a passenger-less cab would be coming from San Miguel Avenue towards Tektite at a time when taxis are supposedly full. I was more accustomed to seeing taxis with no passengers coming from Pearl Drive towards Tektite on its way out back towards EDSA or in the opposite direction of C-5. But it didn’t quite get to me. I was tired and needed to go home to rest. I just thought that the driver was trying to get passengers.

I flagged down the slow moving taxi and got in. I said I was going towards EDSA, so the cab went its usual familiar route of rounding the one-way Exchange Road , out to San Miguel Avenue , left to Megamall, and right towards EDSA. I normally would text Tony of the plate number of the taxi, but at that time, I didn’t. I normally would check the locks of the car doors, but this time, I only locked the ones on the front and back passenger seats (right side, because I saw that the left side door was locked). Everything was normal, except that
it was still going its slow pace. The driver was a slim-built, middle-aged man, with balding head (some hairs on the side), wore a baseball cap and a worn-out but decent white polo jacket.

Near the foot of the flyover towards Ortigas Avenue and EDSA, he requested me in a kindly manner to please move to the other end of the passenger seat because “ma-fla-flat na po yung gulong ko. Spare lang yan e.” where I was sitting. I was sitting at the right side of the passenger seat at the back, and promptly moved to the left side. I was even able to converse with him, saying “a ganun ba? Hindi ba delikado yun na tumatakbo tayo sa EDSA na pa-flat na gulong n’yo?” “Hindi po, malapit lang naman po kayo, di ba? Kaya pa po yun,” he smilingly said. And, all along, we were slowly moving across the flyover at EDSA. After the flyover, he slowly veered towards the inner side of the yellow lane, but I thought it was because “inaalalayan niya yung sasakyan.”

When the taxi crossed the gate of Corinthian Gardens , it further slowed down, and I saw from afar two men seemingly waiting for a bus. When the taxi neared the two men, they gestured towards the taxi, and it suddenly dawned on me that this could be a hold-up. I initially tried getting the lock of the door to my side open, and was stricken by horror that it didn’t budge. It seemed to be jammed (or perhaps child-locked, on hindsight). And the horror of horrors happened. The taxi stopped by the two men, and the driver announced, “‘wag ka gagawa ng iskandalo, hold-up ‘to,” and promptly opened the locked doors on the right side doors of the front and back passenger seats. Everything went fast.

The two men briskly went in, one at the front passenger seat, the other beside me on my right. I thought in horror “this can’t be happening to me!” All I can scream was “ay! ay! Diyos ko! Diyos ko!” The driver said to the two men, “wag n’yong sasaktan ‘yan, mabait si ma’am.” And, to me, “pera lang ang kailangan namin. Hindi ka masasaktan kung susundin mo kami.” One of the two men was also middle-aged, slim-built, with balding hair. The other was younger, about in his mid- to late-twenties, gaunt-looking, with high cheek bones, with a thick head of hair. He struck me as someone who was taking drugs.

The next two hours were a gruelling ordeal. They rummaged through my bag and got my money, ATM and credit cards, cellphones, and my jewelry, including my wedding ring. They gave back my bag and wallet, though, but without the money and the cards. We spent the hours going around EDSA from Kamuning to Quezon Avenue , stopping at banks where one of the men went to the ATM machines to try and get cash from my savings ATM and credit cards. They didn’t let me out of the taxi to do the transactions. While one man did the transactions at the ATMs, the taxi kept going round and round the Kamuning and Quezon Avenue u-turns. They took away my glasses so that I can’t see where we’re going. But I was familiar with the places we passed – Timog Avenue , Agham Road , near the Napocor area, and back again to EDSA to go to the ATMs for transactions. They pressed me for the PIN of the credit cards, but I didn’t memorize them, but gave them some numbers that I’m not even sure of.

Towards the end, they were pissed off because they couldn’t get through the credit cards, and I was afraid that they’d do me in. But, in the end, they let me go, the driver warning me sternly, “wag kang lilingon sa kaliwa o kanan. Dire-direcho lang, kung hindi, babarilin talaga kita.” They gave a 100 peso bill “pamasahe para makauwi.” They dropped me off at Agham Road , near the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (formerly Lungsod ng Kabataan) at about 9:30 p.m. There was no one in sight, another light drizzle has already passed.

One of the men accompanied me out of the taxi, pushed me forward, and ran back to the taxi. That’s when I ran and ran towards Quezon Avenue until I boarded a jeepney at a stop light. The kindly jeepney driver motioned me to a mobile police patrol when we passed by one, and I finally came to the police precinct at Kamuning EDSA to tell my tale. I didn’t even get to see the taxi’s plate number.

They informed me there that that has been a modus operandi of these criminal elements, plying the route of Quezon Avenue , Timog, Agham, even Kamuning areas. They also would give some money for “pamasahe.” They would say it’s for a sick wife, etc.

I have talked to some employees of a company in the Ortigas area who fell victim to the same modus operandi. Same taxi, same description of the driver, same alibi about a flat tire, requesting the passenger to move to the left side of the passenger seat, where the door’s lock is jammed. Same giving of the 100 peso bill at the end of the hold-up. Last December, an employee rode the dubious taxi at SM Megamall at about 9 p.m. and the hold-up was announced when some men boarded the taxi at Star Mall. The person was held-up until 11 p.m. The other, with the person’s 6-year old child, boarded the taxi at the Robinson’s Galleria and was also held-up by men who went inside the taxi. I myself, boarded the taxi near where I work, imagine that. And, the security guards were just a few meters away.

Please be forewarned of this modus operandi. We’re facing harder times, and December is nearing. Take extra care, friends. As for me, I believe it was the prayers that helped me. All throughout the ordeal, my Savior was there, guiding me in what to say or do so as not to aggravate the situation until freedom came. They didn’t touch or harm me. Praise God!

God bless us,
Ruth

I don't frequently ride cabs, but to those of you who does, please be extra-extra careful.  If you could, choose a decent looking one, much better if it's from a known taxi company (Basic Taxi, R&E Taxi, MGE Taxi, etc.).  Always take note of the plate number, text it to someone -- any of your loved ones.  Make sure you know the way to your destination, familiarize yourself of the shortcuts, too.  Ensure that you recognize the streets where the driver takes you. And do not trust anyone (uh, well except for the police).

It sucks to know that the number of days before Christmas is inversely proportional to the chances of each of us getting victimized of this kind of crime.  I hate how we are obliged to guard our lives while others are heartlessly waiting for us to fall into their trap.  But do we have a choice? No.  And that sucks, too.

Anyhoo...

Read this post and I hope the daughter of the author (who escaped from the crime) inspire you like she inspired me.

Be safe guys. :)

The 30 day blog challenge - Day 01

A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

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Here's to day 1! :)

a picture of me :)

15 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF 

(scratching out the interesting part, I don't wanna assume that this interests you, hahaha!)

1.  I am a daydreamer.  My thoughts sometimes fly in a middle of a conversation when I think of something worth daydreaming about. It may be something that is connected with the topic we are talking about or it may be something out of the blue.  I'm just so good at pretending to be listening that others don't notice it very often. Hahaha!  Although there are times when I'm honest and I let the person repeat what he or she is saying.

2.  I (sometimes) am a believer of Murphy's Laws. I find its relevance to day to day lives really really funny.  Although they might sound so cynical, I find it as one's way of preparing for the worst.  After all, you can't always expect things to work out as you want it to be.  Hence, Murphy's Laws.  It is basically a proverb that states that “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong”.  But a lot of variations have been formulated, making it even more applicable to you, to me and to everybody.  Here, let me site some of my favorites:

 >>If you can't find Mr Right, go for Mr Fits Best (or Mr. Right Away?)

 >>He who angers you controls you; therefore you have no control over your anger.

 >>The wind will always blow opposite to your hairdo (I wonder why...)

 >>It's no the drop that kills you.... it’s the sudden stop

 >>You get what you settle for...

 >>No sense in being pessimistic It wouldn't work anyway! (Makes sense, yes?)

 >>If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

 >>Every solution breeds new problems. (Specially in the I.T. industry... haha!)

 >>Smile... tomorrow will be worse

 More Murphy's Laws here.

 3. When I was a kid, I dreamt of being locked up inside the mall.  Scenario: Family day, we go to the mall, my parents lost me while inside, couldn’t find me until the mall closes, and I, looked over by the guards, get locked up.  Maybe inside Toy Kingdom where I could play all the toys I want until the mall opens in the morning.  Or maybe inside the supermarket where I could spoil my mouth with all the sweets I could get a hold of (gulps).  Any of the two.

4. I wanted a guy bestfriend before.  A guy bestfriend with no malice, that is.  That was before though, I already changed my mind. Haha!

5. I dislike strawberry-flavored goodies, they’re too sweet for me.  But I eat the fruit itself.

6. I used to always ask somebody else to punch the straw into my “zesto” or any other juice in a tetra pak.  I am “bopols” when it comes to that; I can’t do it without drilling a hole to the other side.  Which in turn makes the juice squirt out and my fingers sticky.  So yeah, I let somebody else do it.  

But wait!!! Did you notice the “I used to” in the beginning of my sentence?  Yes.  Because thank God for the “Quick Punch” feature, I am slowly learning to do it on my own! Haha!

7. I feel a little triumphant inside when I get a good sleep inside a public vehicle, most especially after a long day at the office. :)

8. I sometimes feel undeserving of a bouquet of flowers.  I’ve been on this earth for 24 years and I still haven’t received one!!!!!!!!!! >.<

9. I want to travel around the Philippines first, before I go travel around the world. ^_^

10. When I’m depressed and I can’t think of any other distracting thing to do, I watch Scrubs (the TV series).  I already lost count on how many times I replayed it. Haha!

11. I abhor dysmenorrhea.  I hate how it hurts me every effin’ time.

12. I am not a fan of ice cream cones.  I throw it or give it away after I’ve sucked all the ice cream out of it.  Yes, I’ve mastered the art of sucking the ice cream out of the cone (Cornetto, counted) because I don’t want the solidness of it ruin the feel of this frozen dessert as it melts in my mouth.

13. I read the whole Twilight series in PDF.  I had a copy in my previous phone, too, so I could read it whenever.  Gosh, I miss having a phone that could display PDFs :(

14. I love Korean romantic-comedy movies, but I dislike “K-pop”.  I don’t know, I just don’t get it.

15. Whatever the phobia in cockroaches is called, I have it.  Just the look of that crawling dirt creeps me out, much more if it flies!

There you go.. :)

Next up, Day 02.

The 30 Day Blog Challenge Rule

I will take on the 30 day blog challenge

I saw this in this blog site and I found it cute.  I googled it and I found that a lot of bloggers have done it or has been doing it in ways that are different from one another.  So I decided to join them. :)

While it is called the "30 day blog challenge", it really isn't about me (or you) writing 30 days straight.  Life happens and when it does, you live outside the blogosphere, yes?

So here it goes, I am officially accepting the challenge and am committing to reach day 30 before this year ends.

The Widower Rule

If I were a 60 year old widower, with no permanent (and-slash-or high paying) job and with six children, I will never get myself a girlfriend.  Especially if she looks like Cristy Fermin the male version of Cristy Fermin.  Much more if she has extra baggage.

With that age and with that status, I must know better right?

Okay let’s say I broke the rule and unfortunately fell in love with a male-version-of-Cristy-Fermin look-alike.  Will I take care of her extra baggage too?  Will I take her kid and let it live in the house where my late wife and I built our family?  N-O, NO!  I will not trouble my “original” children of the problems I created myself and I will not feel bad if they disagree of my acts, I will understand because it is indeed disagreeable.

I will not take anything against my children if they would hate me.  Of course they would.  I was not exactly the “father” they expected me to be, most especially now that their mother is not around anymore.  I am supposed to be the one taking control of the family; I wasn’t supposed to be a burden to them.  I am supposed to help, not to cause trouble.

I will never, ever, ever ask my children for money then later spend it on that whore.  I will not borrow 100 pesos from one of them, a hundred pesos from another and maybe one more hundred bucks from another to desperately collect enough money to later spend on that whore’s kid.  I’ve never been that thoughtful to my grand children, why the heck am I going to be that sweet to somebody else’s kid?  Another important thing, I will never, ever, ever go over my daughter’s bag in search for money. That is just so wrong.

If I were a 60 year old widower, with no permanent (and-slash-or high paying) job and with six children, I will stay at home, be useful and be the father that I am supposed to be.

The Commuters Rule

I will be a good commuter

*****

Scenario:  You’re off to work.  A jeepney halts in front of you.  You saw its sign board and found out that it is the route you were going to take.  The driver barks in an attempt to invite you in.  You give in.  You enter the jeepney.  You notice that there’s only one passenger and that she’s one seat away from the jeepney entrance.  What will you do?

1. Pass her by and sit near the driver.
2. Sit on the other side of the jeepney, near the driver still.
3. Sit on that one spot between the passenger and the jeepney entrance.
4. Exit the jeepney and take a cab.

If you answered letter a or letter b, we’re cool.  That’s what I’d probably do, too.  If you answered letter c, I already hate you, you should’ve just answered letter d instead. 

Oh I’m sorry, did I hurt you?  Here let me explain.

There were quite a few times when I was that one passenger sitting one seat away from the entrance (so I could still get a hold of the fresh polluted uhm, well the air that enters the window).  Then another passenger enters, sits beside me, make that behind me (if we consider the driver’s seat as the “front”) and we were the only passengers inside.  I hear her going through her purse, getting a seven peso coin.  She then exclaims “Manong bayad po!”, hand stretched out, making them appear in front of my face.

Considering that I am seven or six seats away from the driver, and that the other passenger’s gesture suggests I go all the way there to hand her fare while she’s sitting back on that cursed spot, what do you think I would feel?

Original photo here.

1. Pissed off.
2. Pissed off because I’d think her stupid to be seated there when she knows there’s nobody near the driver to pass her “pamasahe” to.
3. Pissed off because I’d think her arrogant to not consider the effort other people would have taken for her, when she could’ve positioned herself near the driver.
4. All of the above.

Oh… you know me so well.  Of course, it is all of the above!

If you are an elderly, or a disabled person or a disabled elderly person, I will of course make you excused.  But if you’re young and healthy, unless I am having the “this is a good day and I won’t let anyone ruin it, not even you” mood, I will ignore you, damn you, until your arms fall off.  That is how bitchy I am.  *evil laugh* >=)

Kidding aside, this rule isn’t really about me ignoring those assholes.  This is about me being not one of them. 

Let me say that again, I will not be like those lazy assholes; I will be a good commuter.

The Rule That was Supposed to Be

I will practice healthy selective eating

*****

You see, I was this.

And this...

and this...

and this...

and this...

and this.

Well, I am still that girl, but I am not.  Because the following happened:

Which led me to being...

*heavy sigh*

Moment of silence please.  Now proceed.

I have loved eating so much that I forgot what the excess of it would do to my body.  But now, I am making a U-turn.

healthy eating, here I come! lalalalalala

The attempt of healthy.... errrr... "selective" eating started 3 weeks ago.  I don't eat rice anymore (except on some weekends when I'm out on a date with my boyfie, because he is matakaw himself and I just can't ruin it).  I only eat meat and veggies for lunch and dinner.  

No, I don't deprive myself of eating what I want to eat. (I've read so many times that that is not the answer to my prayers) I still consume them, but with a minimal and "thought-of" amount.

I've thought of avoiding fast food too, but thank heavens for this article I saw online (oh, gosh I forgot to save the link).  It said that it is okay to eat at fast food chains as long as you avoid those that are "deep fried".  It saved me from the guilt of entering Jollibee, but it broke my french-fries-loving-heart. :(

Is it goodbye my love? T_T

I eat fruits, yogurt, oats and oat cookies, vegetable salads... do the math.  These things I eat as a substitute to ice creams, choco chip cookies, cakes, chocolotes and the like.  It's weird but it's good that it's been a while since I've had a craving for this sinful delights.  Oh, well.

I'm still coping up with this thing I call "diet", I don't even know if I'm doing it right.  This rule still has a lot of improvement, but I think I'm on the right track.  Wish me luck and my sexy self will see you soon. :)

The Suck it Up Rule

I will not tolerate any feelings of self-inferiority

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A few days ago, I was feeling low that it affected my self-esteem. I couldn’t get to writing and I ended up blog-hopping. Whilst doing so, I stumbled upon some well written blogs and it became worse.  I can’t help but compare my way of writing from them and get envious in the process.

With this, I ran to my safety net. I told my friends about this drama, I know they’d understand. Not only did they understood; they even gave me a gentle kick in the butt! Haha!

The gentle kick in the butt: 

(Our conversation thru e-mail, we were all at work that day *wink*)

JAQ: Speaking of blog, nalulungkot ako, wala akong maisip na iblog ngayon.. puro lang ako blog hopping.. at habang nagbblog hop, nalulungkot na naman ako kasi ang gagaling nila.. bakit ako hindi? Lalo tuloy ako nawawalan ng gana.. :(

MAUDE: Been there, jaq.. Hahaha

JAQ: Isa ka din em e.. :( mas worthy ka sa blogosphere.. hahaha.. ang arte ko.. pero ganun nga talaga nararamdaman ko.. emo?! hahahaha

MAUDE: Nako tol, you’ll get over it.. Part yata yan ng initiation tol eh.. Pero in a few months things will get better. :D

Re: HT, that is so not true, ika nga ni jejo, you have a style that’s uniquely yours.. So keep writing labs.. Ako iniisip ko nalang, mas matagal na kasi silang nag-bblog kaya ganun na sila.. At iniisip ko na after a year, ganun narin ako! Haha.. Kaya ganun din isipin mo! :D

JEJO: just imagine tol, sobrang tamad ako magbasa..usually skimming & scanning lng ako then i get the whole idea..pero ang writing mo..i am amused by your style as i have said before..to the point that i read every word of it...that must be something..if not everything...davah? mahirap kaya mapa-stick ang isang tao (like me na mabilis ang attention span) sa isang blog... kaya wag ka na mag-emo jan..arti arti nito..hahahha!

JAQ: Hahaha.. naluha ako sa iyong pangchochorva jo.. baka dahil friend kita?! hahahahaha

JEJO: yes and nope...

nope..kasi sasabihin ko naman kung tinatamad akong basahin eh..hahaha!

yes..kasi dahil friend mo nga ako kaya sinasabi ko lang totoo...hindi ako mageeffort na magreact ng ganito no kung binobola lang kita XD

maraming magaling na writers..that is an obvious fact...but the point is, you dont have to be belittled by them..we all have diff tastes, experiences, opinions etc. to cater diff viewers/readers (blog)...same goes with the writing style/skill..kahit sino pa yang mga nasa epitome in writing (or so-called within the blogosphere)..IBA KA PA DIN! the term "magaling" is relative anyway

for me, hindi kelangang sumabay sa topic trend/level ng ibang bloggers at bumatay sa dame ng followers/blog-roll para masabi mong magaling ang blogger/worth reading ang entries. ang blogging kasi para sa akin ay form of expression eh. there should be no status quo. you write your own life so hindi mo kelangang mapressure sa mga bigating blogs ng iba dyan. you mind your own business db? i believe importante lng tlg hindi offesive/foul blogs mo at you follow the netiquette.

isa pa, you cannot please everyone.

maraming crappy/senseless/shallow topics pero the writer can present it in a different light.

maraming bigating celebs/icons pero puro sosyalan at walang impact naman ang pinagsasabi. kumbaga chika lang!

maraming writers na super gagaling sa english/grammar pero nakakaantok naman basahin para sa iba.

maraming magagaling sa lahat ng aspeto ng pagsusulat pero lahat sila dumating sa sulikng point like your pagdradrama.

ang pinakahuli kong masasbi ay ang pilosopiyang binitiwan ni engr. maniego (maniego ba? yung prof natin sa thermodynamics?!)..."kung nauna lang ako ipinanganak sayo, malamang andyan ako ngayon sa posisyon mo"..kumbaga you will have your time na ikaw naman inspiration ng mga blog starters...

i..thank you..bow.. XD wag ka na ulit maluluha jaq..ginagalit mo ko eh hahahha

And so I decided to drop the drama and toughen up. It’s just sad that I had to delete my first blog along the way but this is my approach to facing a better blogging me. ^_^  And I am now saying no to self-inferiority.

The Blogs ng Pinoy Rule

For better SEO, I will do anything.

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Including wanting to be a part of BLOGS ng PINOY.

*wink*

The Tropang Isda Rule

I will keep a promise I made to a friend

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Please take note that the "promise" I am talking about, is this: I will repost my first ever blog here. :) (It's important you keep this in mind, because of other promises, I'm not sure I can keep. Haha!)

So, here it is (and some more). Enjoy.

Behind every successful man is a woman. Behind this strong woman are her friends.=)

I wanted to make this first official entry special and ever since I put up this blog site, I kept on looking at things, thinking “I could blog about that” or “Will that be worth my first entry?” and so on and so forth. I must admit it was stressful. I became obsessed with finding the right “debut” blog entry. Dang, was it tiring.

And then while I was taking a bath (I’m serious here), as I was scrubbing my hair with shampoo, I thought of a great idea. I’m gonna introduce my friends to my future readers! *in the background a bulb lights, ting!*

Why not? I’m sure I’ll be speaking of them frequently and I think they deserve a proper introduction.=)

So if you may excuse me while I’m presenting…. The girls of Tropang Isda:

Yeah, we have boys too… but girls’ bonds are deeper =p

Yeah, we have boys too… but girls’ bonds are deeper =p

I used to believe that one won’t find true friends in college. I thought I was okay at the time, having my childhood and high school friends. I thought I never needed more. Well that was before… until I found them. =)

From left to right: me, Maude, Nhix, Jejo, Noreen and Baby (but we call her April now 'cause y'know, she's been in the States for the past 3 years *arte?! haha*). Ep's not been with us since they moved out of the Philippines, but she's still always updated.  So she's still with us alright. Like what we always say, once an isda, always an isda.  I met them 6 years ago at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Tropang Isda is also the same “School of Fish” Maudey is referring to in her blog. *wink*.

Six years of friendship but it felt like we’ve been sisters since birth. We’ve been through so much that if I put every past experiences to writing, I don’t even know how to continue the sentence. We’ve been there for each other through the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. For five years we see each other every freakin’ day but the stories to tell and the laughter to share just won’t run out of supply. We’ve faced a lot of hardships but of course, we overpowered them, thus our motto: “God is good all the time.”

Now that we’re done with school days and now that we’re each building a role in the I.T. industry, the days we see each other dropped from 7 times a week to once or twice a month. But that didn’t mean less kwento or less tawanan. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, for us, it made the giggling louder and the talking much longer. Haha!

If I’m going to convert into words how happy I am that I’ve been a part of this strong friendship, well, I can’t. It’s just so overwhelming. I’m glad to have shared the best part of my life with you guys. I really haven’t realized how much of what I know now is because of you, until I’ve actually thought about it (well, you know, to add content to this, haha!)

Looking back we’ve been:

Blooming together.

Thanks Maudey for the pics! :)

Ugly together.

A friend of Nhix's said we were ugly on this pic. Haha!

A friend of Nhix's said we were ugly on this pic. Haha!

  Formal together.

Sporty together.

Sexy in our summer outfit together.

I can't post the ones without these clothes on, they might get angry. Haha!

I can't post the ones without these clothes on, they might get angry. Haha!

 Happy together.

Stressed together.

  
Pink together.

All dressed up together.

 Drunk together.

We're all drunk here, Jejo's just the obvious one as always

A girl band together.

Spice Girls, yeah!

To places together.

Ghosts together. :)

I can still remember the laughter after every shot. :)

As I said on the second sentence of this entry, please look up, I don’t wanna repeat it, =p I am glad that I am a strong woman because when everything else falls apart, I know that I have the Tropang Isda behind me. Oh and by the way, we call ourselves tropang isda cause one thing we have in common is our short span memory (like that of a fish… yeahhh...) Short span of memory we might have for little things, but for a sisterhood like this? Naaaahhh.. we’ll forever reminisce as we create new moments to ponder upon.

The Spokening Dollar Rule

Pay Respect to the English Grammar 

(it is the universal language anyway)

*****

I do solemnly swear to respect, observe, maintain and defend whatever it is that is defined in the “Subject-Verb Agreement” and that I shall fight for its rules to the best that I can.

I will not tolerate the mistakes of loved ones and correct them as soon as I can if I find them misguided of its laws.  I will not judge them, but will only be sad for them as they might not have been acquainted deeply with it as I have been.  I will make sure that the words written in the “Subject-Verb Agreement” will be wide spread and widely used.  This, I think, will make the world a better place.

I will not use a plural verb after a singular noun nor will I ever use a singular verb after a plural noun. 

I will not confuse the person with whom I am talking to by ruining the tenses of the verbs in my statements.  If I am talking about the past, I will use the past tense.  If I am talking about the present, I will use the present tense.  If I am talking about the future, well… you get the point right?

Parallelism will always be observed.  Though it may not be as important as all the other grammatical points, I just love the sound of parallelism to my ear.

I will observe correct spelling, proper punctuation, capitalization, and correct word usage.

If I find myself mistaken, I will not come clean.  I will admit to my fault and accept whatever correction I might need in order to fulfill my deficiency.

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