the sisterhood: recruits

Expanding for world domination. Presenting, the newbies:

*DOM- D and I met in college just like Ula. But I'm one batch higher. Our paths crossed during this little thing called ELECTION, we were part of the same political party. See, ironic. I really hate politics but politics seem to haunt me. We got dragged into the whole thing by our friends. I used to think that D is this fresh from the boarding school A student. I was actually intimidated not of her height but her seemingly flawless personality. Again, my intuition failed me. Like the others, D is a party animal. She party hard but never fails to put books before boys. Or maybe both. Fact is D is part of the honor roll too. D is also bilingual. She speaks the gay lingo like your average gay friend. Unlike me, D never gets drunk too. So pretty much all of my friends have high alcohol tolerance. Now, I feel like a looser. Anyway, D is my constant chat mate. We didn't have the same classes but we always see each other in the OFFICE or in cyberspace. Out of both coercion and initiative, we're both active in our school organization. We failed to create the leftist party but we pretty much rule (at least, I'd like to think so). We're in the same committee-- we're all about the paperworks. So after school, we go online and discuss org. matters in between our little gossip sessions. Most of my vivid memories of D was in either in the halls of our so called ARRUPE hell or in the org. office. I guess the whole politics thing worked after all. Otherwise, we wouldn't have met. Contrary to popular belief, D is such a love bunny. I dunno why we have this chemistry. Opposites attract I guess.

So how did D become part of the sisterhood? I guess, it was all part of the big plan. A, Ula and Me know D from college, and K, our long time friend met D way back our Acquaintance party days. And the rest is hysteria....erm.... history..

* AGI (short for AGATHA)- Agi is a bundle of joy and probably the most paranoid person next to me. Gospel music is her biggest pet peeve. Kidding! Agi is anything but religious (no offense, Kuya Jes). But here's a fact, I believe Agi is the neat freak of the bunch. She's very detail oriented too. Agi is also an aspiring entrepreneur. She's an excellent gourmet chef. Agi plans to have her own MARGARITA bar someday.

I met Agi after I moved in with the girls. I remember our first conversation. We were trying to remember the name of the grooming guy in Queer Eye. Agi is our temporary house mate but our constant drinking buddy. I remember our RED LIGHT DISTRICT nights. Agi is also a love bunny. Most of our drinking sessions are dedicated to her. Like most of the girls, Agi is a great dancer. She can prove that hips don't lie. You'd probably have a de ja vu after seeing her bump and grind. Agi and I share the same sentiments about almost anything, even about FITRUM. Agi is one of those people whom you can completely be yourself with. But there are five things you need to know about Agi:

1. She has never ridden a bus-- as in the public bus in the metro.

2. She has the taong-grasa phobia.

3. Her alter ego is Anuschka. Short for ANUS.

4. She's allergic to alcohol.

5. Her sniper margarita is deadly..

So what does it take to be part of the sisterhood? Nope, you don't need to be one of these people..Everyone is unique. I myself am a freak of nature. We respect each others individuality. What matters is not usually in the outside but what's inside.

Ok that was crappy. But seriously, what we value is the friendship that we've made amidst our contrasting attributes. I leave you with, Oscar Wilde's quote:

" A true friend stabs you at the front."

Next meeting, the burn book.

*Real names altered*

a brief history

Have I ever told you about the history of the sisterhood? The sisterhood was thee invented term of our friend's brother--Aya, from the movie The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants for friends slash barkadings slash chokarans.

The end. [If you're not interested.This is where the post ends].

Kidding. Actually, the sisterhood goes way back in college which is a little over 4 light years ago. Some members of the sisterhood goes way back in high school.

The original "friendsters"--now with it's new found faction, is not called as such. The original barkada with its other "elite" members, are now frolicking with their babyloves or are simply out there pursuing their BIG dreams. The original barkada are those who said that "friendships don't end."

The sisterhood on the otherhand, although dysfuctional at times--are always there to stick it out even when your rainy day becomes the perfect storm.

Meet the sisterhood [ORIGINAL NAMES NOT DISCLOSED].

1. ALEXIS

One of the pioneers also dubbed as Queen B. Alexis' motto is PASSION FOR FASHION. She is a certified shopping guru with a bachelor's degree in Psychology minoring in Flirtology. Although deemed as the Devil wearing VNC, A is a sheep in wolf's clothing. She knows how to have good and or nasty fun and claims that I NEVER GET DRUNKer than YOU.

In high school, Alexis was Ms. Popular slash Ms. Controversy slash Ms. Prom Queen. Although, her social status was highly esteemed, it was not as pristine as the other goody-two-shoes in the batch.

A is known for her astounding charisma. Yes, her power of suggestion is really amazing too. One example--Physics. Being the last period and the most boring subject [in my opinion], A blabs her way into convincing the teach to talk about her marital life. Instead of boring computations on thermodynamics, we calculate whether Ms. Physics teacher can divulge her life story within the entire period. A is also known for initiating mass hysteria because of her extraordinary fashion statements. Going to my high school really means selling your virginity to Jesus. We highly value charity, purity, and simplicity--all of which are in A's checklist except SIMPLICITY. For A, simplicity is next to anonymity. Mother superior was blown-away by her bold colors and her straight forward personality. Overall, A was not the shabby, catholic school girl. She was the show stopper. Good thing is she's not the rebel- I-don't-care-if-I get-expelled-type. Otherwise, we wouldn't be friends, right?

2. KIRSTEN- I used to think that K is one of those skinny bitches that I'd love to obliterate. Being the youngest in the family, K can sometimes act like a spoiled brat. I knew her in my elementary years, as she was always present in almost all activities. I thought she was little Ms. Suck-up with the nuns. K is a child prodigy. During her kindergarten years she was already teaching her moronic classmates how to find x.

K was active in both curricular and extra-curricular. She was in the A section which is why we were not friends in those formative years. I always see her with her other skinny friends walking the corridors and giggling like little hyenas. I never thought, we'd be this tight now.

High school made a difference. Your whole social order gets a overhaul because the A section was abolished. I believe that the nuns finally realize that the A section is a breeding ground for future corrupt politicians and social-climbing socialites. Now that we're one melting pot of red, black and whites--in comes the mingling with the skinny bitches, tomboys, bullies, nerds, juvenile delinquents and social butterflies.

I knew K in my sophomore year. A few things you need to know about her--- she's one brainy social butterfly. She has alot of friends because a. she's friendly [duh?] b. she's active in school activities c. she's one of the top students in class. One conclusion that we can arrive at is that, K is also popular. K is also a good--no... great dancer. Although multi-talented, K isn't very athletic. For K, P.E. is dancing and nothing more. Sports [excluding dance sport] is her kryptonite.Well, if you consider cheerleading as a sport then ok, she's athletic too. K is one of the top cheerleaders of the batch, along with A. One realization, never judge a book by it's cover.

3. URSULA a.k.a. ULA is the vicious vixen. She is the GINGER and SCARY Spice rolled into one. Ula and I met in College. We were blockmates. My first impression of Ula is that she's the kitten among a bunch of tigress. Boy, was I wrong. My intuition really stinks! Known, for her flirty eyes and her vavavoom figure, Ula has a certain way with men. Known for remarkable credits in the carnal arts, Ula is also a show stopper and a head turner. But from what I heard, Ula was a late bloomer. Very much, similar to me except that she wasn't in the same Catholic school I was in. Back in high school, sources said that Ula was the ugly duckling. In college, Ula was known also for her red lipstick, boisterous laughter and her wardrobe malfunction. Compared to others, Ula is very liberated. Details can't be divulge as to how liberated she can be. This blog is for general patronage. Aside from her other extraordinary talents, Ula has a passion for cooking [like K]. Our friendship with Ula is one roller coaster ride. Ula has her share of the spotlight when her printed old high school picture was posted all over the campus. This was her taste of "popularity" from the third person's point of view. Most people, specially those who knew that she's part of our group suspected that it was us who made the character sabotage because of the riff we had with her at that same time. Although, the group is known for making BOLD moves, we're not the SUPER MEAN GIRLS type and she's our friend, no matter what [aaaaw]. Ula, is Ula. I respect her individuality. I respect her grotesque addiction over intimate wear and her passion for wide loopy earrings. I respect her anal personality. I respect her as a friend. Lesson learned, first impressions never last.

4. MOI- Lastly, yours truly. In my elementary and high school years, I hang out with my seatmates (which is anyone and everyone). I'm not that choosy when it comes to friends--well, as long as we pretty much understand each other. Here are a few ironic truths:

1. I am not athletic. I have friends in the basketball varsity. But I'm not a jock.

2. I hate MATH. One of my friends is the President of the MATH club.

3. I hung out with the juvenile delinquents--mostly tomboys. I am boyish--not tomboy.

4. I hated POLITICS. I used to be the class PRESIDENT. Viva la revolucion!

5. I was sort-of anti-social. I was part of the SOCIAL SCIENCE CLUB.

I'm your regular comic relief. Need I say more?

This sisterhood has many fond memories. I'll save those for the next chapter. Amidst, the occasional cat fights, temper tantrums and mild indigestion issues, I've realized how much we've changed since we've met. I've seen how we've grown into these unique individuals. What's amazing is that even if we're really different from each other, we've found our friendship to be the glue that holds us together. And to quote Bamboo, We stand alone together [or something similar].

There you go, kitties. We may not be biological sisters but whatever we have now is something I really thank HIM for. It's one of the best things I have in my life. We may raise most of people's eyebrows but we can always put out our evil grin. I know you love us. You can even hate us but hating us will just put the green in your envious faces. Kill me for bragging. I just love these girls.

And just so you know, we live by the MAFIA RULE:

You hit me. We hit you.

That being said, I end this little history lesson.

Next meeting. The Sisterhood: New Recruits

Bobby dies. Dad mourns.

Bobby Fischer dies at 64. Who the F is Bobby? Chess grandmaster. Dad's Idol. I don't want to bore you with the details.

Fischer won the championship at the age of 14. He was legendary and a genius. No news yet on the cause of death.

I dedicate this blog space for HIM. (imaginary lighting of a vigil candle)

Bobby, may you rest in peace.

Dad, do you need a tissue?

pretty+ugly= pretty ugly

Have you ever wondered why your "couple" friends look like each other after being "in a relationship" for quite awhile? No, it's not because of their extreme PDA--- that makes it impossible to distinguish who's who. In the article called " Empathy Causes Facial Similary Between Couples to Increase Overtime" [from an online psych blog] researchers believe that the longer you stay in the relationship the higher the chances of acquiring the same facial features and even other traits of your significant other. [aaawwww, ain't that swell]. It was found out that couples who've been together for at least 25 years shows evident similarities in facial characteristics. Here are some of the reasons they've explained from the psychblog:

1. Diet. If you share your diet with another person it's possible this is the cause. For example if both partners eat a high fat diet, both their faces will tend to look chubby. The authors, however, ruled this out using an additional small study.

2. Environment. It could be that it's because couples live together in the same area. This means that environmental factors such as sunshine and so on affect the skin in similar ways. The authors rule this one out as well because all their married couples came from the same part of the US Midwest and were matched on a number of other socioeconomic variables.

3. Predisposition. This is the idea that people are more likely to choose partners who will grow to look like them. E.g. depressed people are attracted to each other, so end up looking depressed. The authors give this one a maybe, although it is not their favourite option.

4. Empathy. This is the theory the authors like - and so do I. People grow to look similar because they are empathising with each other and so copying each other's facial expressions. Over time because of all the empathising they are doing, their faces come to look more similar. For example, if one partner often smiles in a particular way, the other is likely to copy it - so creating similar patterns of wrinkles and furrows on the face.

So next time, you hear someone say "Para kayong pinagbiyak na bunga. " Try to imagine hearing it 25 years later and decide whether it's a compliment or the otherwise.

I believe this is not limited to the not-so platonic relationships, it happens to be true to you and your longtime friends. Right, Prinz?

This might also explain why I'm beginning to think that I'll forever look like my father. They used to say that in the near future I might look like my mom--which is a compliment. But since she's gone... Me and my dad will definitely look like 2 peas in a pod. *QUE HORROR*

Dad, I know that a huge chunk of my brain came from you but please don't let your genes take over my face too.

science can be sappy

detour

there's a better way towards self-discovery. Right here.



Okay. Back to our regular programming.

TOP 5: Pick of the Week

As I've mentioned, I've been hooked in watching t.v. series whether they be downloaded or bought from our trusty dbdbdb vendors. As we wait for the writer's strike to end, suck your eyeballs on my recommended feats other than LOST of course:

5. HEROES - Who doesn't love superheroes? It's X-MEN meets Justice League. There's so many to choose from. Who has heard of Cyrokinetic powers? Just watch because most probably you're the only one who hasn't.

4. HOUSE M.D. - Now on it's 4th Season, find out who will make the "Cut"? Will the fellows survive House's unorthodox tests? Who is Thirteen? Will House finally get it on with CUDDY.Keep your fingers crossed.

3. WEEDS- If you're in your pre-pubescent years, this one is for you. But if you're way pass this stage, then this is definitely for you!! Who wouldn't get hooked on SEX, DRUGS and ROCK n' ROLL. This is your ticket to the DOPE world of getting HIGH!!

2. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER-Find out how TED MOSBY met her wife. The story unfolds as Ted tells his two kids in retrospect how to find the right girl. Relationships and break-ups, it's a rollercoaster ride that you don't want to get off.

1. GOSSIP GIRL- Who is "thee" Gossip Girl? No one knows but it doesn't matter. What matters is what she knows and what's on her blog. Get hooked on the latest happenings of Upper Eastside socialites' battle for supremacy. Find out who's dizzing who. It's CRUEL INTENTIONS minus the G2G action ( so far). Get punch drunk love on NATE's hypnotic eyes, CHUCK's perverted exploits and DAN'S witty charm. Are you like B or S?

xoxo

ANG TAKDANG PANAHON

My heart was pounding. It was like having a heart attack. I think the walls are closing in on me. My name was called. I entered the well-lit room. I swallowed hard but my saliva was as hard as a golf ball. It was stuck in my throat. I felt like I was about to choke. I was asked to be seated. I coughed a little. It was cold. Or was it just me? I was as stiff as a board.

Then a voice called out " Kumusta ka, Joyce"

"Ok naman po...Kuya!"

"Alam mo ba kung bakit kita ipinatawag?"

"May slight hint po. I think this is the "takdang panahon" that you were saying.", I replied trying hard not to sound sarcastic.

"Ipinatawag kita dahil gusto kong malaman ang iyong saloobin tungkol sa isa mo housemate na si ______. Napagusapan natin noon na magpapataw tayo ng palugit at panibagong mga house rules. Ano sa tingin mo ang naging epekto matapos na ipataw ang mga pagbabagong ito?

"Well, honestly, Kuya.. Wala naman masyadong pinagbago. I think.. Tigers don't change their stripes overnight....Opinion ko lang po ito.

"Ano sa tingin mo ang nararapat nating gawin?"

I took a deep breath. It was intense. I can feel the tension...

"Joyce, ano sa tingin mo ang mas nakakabubuti sa lahat?"

"Uhhm..Mag-yoga na lang po tayong lahat para ma-relax tayo...Umm. joke lang po. Sa tingin ko po, Kuya....mas nakabubuti po kung kayo po magdecide kasi bahay nyo po ito....."

"Gusto ko malaman ang iyong opinion, Joyce."

"K-U-Y-A!!!!!!!! Pressure!!!! "

**To be continued**

january syndrome and the year that was 2007

New year’s always a shocker for me. Not only because of the loud firecrackers hurled in the streets but because disaster always strikes in January—at least in my experience.

I’m not sure if I’m ready to tell you the story about its history. Let’s save that for later. My new year starts with a bolt of lightning and buckets of rain. The heavy down pour started New Year’s eve which is a major party pooper. I was stuck at home doing my mega series marathon.

I know. I’m a loser. No firecrackers for me. I can’t even be trigger happy because I don’t own a gun—or a toy gun. But I jumped three times at the strike of midnight hoping that I’d be able to give my growth hormones a jolt. But I guess, at this point it’s already hopeless.

Moving on, new year’s eve prompted me to make another major decision. No, it’s not giving up my virginity or whatever. Let’s save that for later. But as I was saying, I was given a job offer which is quite competitive. Package-wise it’s better. Workload-wise—well, I wouldn’t be able to tell yet. Major problem is that it’s quite far from where I am living. It’ll surely be a new work environment.

Maybe this is what I’ve been praying for. Maybe not.

hey are expecting a feedback by January 2^nd. I’d be basing my decision on practicality. At this point, I am now the sole chore-whore of the family. So that’s my number one in my to do list. Get a new job!

I think new year’s resolutions are overrated. I stopped promising myself that I’ll go on hunger strike because I never do it anyway. So now, if I want to do it, I just do it.

I haven’t told you about the holidays yet. Well, here are some of the highlights and thoughts:

1. Spending Christmas in Antipolo is the best. It’s the closest thing to home.
2. Family portraits are nostalgic.
3. Step away from the ice tea [Code name for: VEER AWAY FROM TEMPTATION may it be lechon, alcohol or hot single men (if you’re taken) ]
4. Looks can be deceiving. My dad won an “iPod” at their Alumni homecoming. Yey, right? It turned out to be a MOCK-POD. Mp3 player in iPod clothing. Tsk tsk. Good news is he gave to me anyway.
5. I’m almost done with my boring series marathon. I recommend that you single people out there watch HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.
6. FALL OUT GIRL strikes back.
7. I’m miserable when I’m on vacation. I’ll even be more miserable after vacation has ended.
8. One housemate down. We’re now recruiting. SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (not the movie).
9. I haven’t thanked the givers of the gifts yet. So again, I’d like to thank everyone who gave me one.
10. I still haven’t quenched my techno lust.

I can’t remember much about 2007. It was all a blur to me. I remembered being 23 and miserable. I may have lost some friends but I kept the ones who are truly out to stick it even if we have no umbrella.

Best of luck to you dear blogwhores and readers! Until next!