Chicago!

I'm in Chicago right now. Well that's not exactly true. I'm actually in the suburbs, but we've been around Chicago like, ONCE. I have a few minutes to kill before hangin out with a few coworkers. FINALLY.

My life right now is a big tornado of activity. But things are going well. Thanks to everyone who checks in on my blog now and again.

Chicago is pretty. It's clean, quite incomparable with Manhattan (on the positive side). BUT. I still love New York City.

Waaah! I'm a little homesick. But I like all the activity, and the people that I've met (there are 20 trainees and even more instructors so they're too many to mention). I hope everyone's doing well. :)

Desperate Couch Potato

I miss my shows :(. But I guess there's nothing I can do but wait for some free time, which as of now I have absolutely none of whatsoever. This entire week has been a whirlwind of activity. Last Sunday my mom was in town, so we went shopping and had dinner blah blah, we also moved some of their stuff from the old house to my sister's apartment so that I don't have to buy any new furniture. I got home at around 11, and my sister got home at around 12 I guess coz she had to drive me home (sorry ate hehe). Monday was my first day at work, which went pretty fine but after that we went shopping again and had dinner again and I got home late again. Tuesday was the same thing. Yesterday I finally had the chance to get home early, but the weather didn't agree that I needed a break so I got home around 8 coz of the rain. I wanted to read on the bus but I felt too miserable looking at the rain outside so I ended up just staring out of the window and reminiscing about a simpler time in my life when all I did was watch movies, eat a lot and have coffee with my very good friends (whom I miss so much HUHUHUHU). Shelly, if you're reading this, wala lang miss na kita!! Sorry I didn't take your call but I promise I'll call you once I get my own money :). I forgot that I had to have a driving lesson today. Well I got home late anyways.. but my problem is that I have to take the road test on November 15th, and next week I'm going to Chicago for ten days. How the hell am I gonna practice my driving? Yeesh. Work is ok, but time management is a poke in the eye with a very large stick. And this stupid rainy/windy weather isn't a lot of fun either. Yesterday I curled my hair and when I got to the office it just looked like straight hair that hadn't been brushed for a week. Well I learned my lesson in hair drowning.

My room is a mess. After shopping Sunday to Tuesday I just dumped all my crap in my room. *sigh* Well I have this weekend. I hope I don't end up curling up with a pillow on the sofa and watching Smallville.

To the people who miss me (yeah I know you do mwah mwah pa-kiss naman isa lang mare hehehhee), I miss you too. :(

Swords and Wizards

I've always had an affinity for stories concerning swords and wizards.

Today I watched for the nth time (and for the first time again in a long time) what might've been the very first sword/wizard story I ever loved in my life. Disney's "The Sword in the Stone". I found it accidentally while looking for something else to Tivo. There are a lot of movies that I loved as a kid, and found to be painfully boring as a grown person. This movie however, reminded me today how truly classical it still is (to me at least). The movie is set in the medieval times, a while before the advent of Camelot and the knights of the round table, and we find King Arthur as a scrawny looking squire-wannabe, who is sadly nicknamed 'Wart'. He encounters Merlin, who appoints himself as Wart's teacher, knowing the boy is destined to be truly great. The movie starts off with Merlin complaining about the lack of electricity and plumbing in the dark ages, he stumbles all over himself and his beard while trying to get a pail of water from a well, a scene which still sent me into fits of laughter. Archimedes, the well-schooled owl, is still so lovable, however disagreeable he might tend to be. And of course little Arthur is just so cute. As Wart is turned into several different kinds of animals, I'm reminded of other Disney works, such as Bambi when he's turned into a squirrel and chased around a tree by a female version of himself, and of Little Mermaid when he turns into a fish and tricks a barracuda into running its snout through a chain (not to mention his old-school Nemo-ish appearance). Beauty and the Beast also comes into mind as Merlin orders his chair to come to him and his sugarbowl to conduct itself in a proper manner. All the teachings of course lead to Wart becoming the young King Arthur when he is finally able to pull the sword out of the stone. The movie is a LOT of fun. And I'm saying this as myself, right now, in this day and age :).

Over the years I've come across different stories of swords and wizards that I loved too. It so happens that my favorite books are from the series 'Sword of Truth' by Terry Goodkind, which combines wizard and swordfighter into one character who just swept me off my feet (well right until book 6, after which the series dwindles off into nothingness.. hehehe for whoever wants to read this I suggest you stop after book 6). Another one of my all-time favorites is the book 'The Eyes of the Dragon'. The wizard there is evil though, and the swordfighting isn't such a big deal. The book is a little dark, of course that would be expected since Stephen King is the author. But the storyline is fantastic!

Sometimes I wish I could've lived in such exciting times. Of course, that would be quite impossible since those were FICTIONAL periods in history. Anyway, I don't think I'd have the courage to face an evil all-powerful wizard anyway. I should just leave all the dragons and magic where they belong: in my imagination.

Traveling Soldier

I got this song from my sister's playlist. :(

"Travelin' Soldier"
sung by: Dixie Chicks

Two days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army green
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He's a little shy so she gives him a smile
And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
And talking to me,
I'm feeling a little low
She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go

So they went down and they sat on the pier
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
I got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you

Chorus: I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter said
A soldier's coming home

So the letters came from an army camp
In California then Vietnam
And he told her of his heart
It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of
He said when it's getting kinda rough over here
I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile

[Chorus]

One Friday night at a football game
The Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang
A man said folks would you bow your heads
For a list of local Vietnam dead
Crying all alone under the stands
Was a piccolo player in the marching band
And one name read and nobody really cared
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair

[Chorus]

Calcium... Calcium...

My back's been killing me since yesterday... I think it's coz of all the caffeine and THEN pilates. So now I'm having breakfast consisting of milk and yogurt. Ahahahah! It's my bipolar self rearing its ugly head. I usually just have coffee.. :P. The good thing about today is that I actually woke up at the sound of my alarm and didn't sleep again (or haven't YET, it's still around 5:30 :P).

There are times when I'm feeling weird and sentimental, wishing I was back in grade school or high school and during these times I usually listen to the songs I used to hear back then. Right now I'm going for something really old (for my age).. something by Sharon Cuneta! Hehehehe... 'Bituing Walang Ningning'... I can still remember trying to act out Cherie Gil's "You're nothing but a second rate, trying hard, copycat!" with my friends (without the water of course, although looking back it would've been more fun).

*-*-*-*-*

The Distance

sung by: Evan and Jaron

The sky has lost it’s color
The sun has turned to grey
At least that’s how it feels to me
Whenever you’re away
I crawl up in the corner
To watch the minutes pass
Each one brings me closer to
The time you’re comin back

I can’t take the distance
I can’t the miles
I can’t take the time until I next see you smile
I can’t take the distance
And I’m not ashamed
That with every breath I take I’m callin your name
But I can’t take the distance

I still believe my feelings
But sometimes I feel too much
I make believe you’re close to me
But it ain’t close enough
Not nearly close enough

I can’t take the distance
I can’t the miles
I can’t take the time until I next see you smile
I can’t take the distance
And I’m not ashamed
That with every breath I take I’m callin your name

I brave fire and I brave rain
To be by your side I’d do anything
I can’t take the distance

I will go the distance
I will go the miles
That’s how much you mean to me
’cause I can’t take the distance
I can’t take these miles
I can’t take the time until I next see you smile
I can’t take the distance
And I’m not ashamed
That with every breath I take I’m callin your name
I can’t take the distance

It’s hard to remember
As long as you’re away
When I find solace
There’s only one way

*-*-*

Ooohh I found out something today. Did you guys know that Switchfoot's 'Only Hope' is actually the ORIGINAL version of the song? I actually thought it was a cover of Mandy Moore's version before, heheh talk about a stupid assumption.

Doggy Day!

It's been a busy weekend for me. Last Friday my sister drove by and we went to the mall to buy our older sister some gifts for her birthday (which is actually today). Our gifts consisted of maternity clothes, which are really what she needs the most right now. We had dinner at the mall, and tried to keep our eyes averted from the SALE! posters we saw left and right. Saturday we went to the 'My Dog Loves Central Park' fair, WITHOUT our dog Shadow because we were actually volunteers for the booth. My sister and her friends got stuck standing for about half the day at the playpen and the adopt-a-dog booth while I was at the photo booth. I was luckier coz I got to sit, but boy was it HECTIC there! People were signing up like crazy! Naturally I got a good look at a lot of different dog breeds, I think maybe around 200 people signed up, some of them bringing more than 1 dog. It was pretty tiring but at least we got 'Central Park PAWS' caps. After an entire day of volunteering it was no wonder we felt like sleeping while waiting for the mass to start at St. Patrick's. 'Homeless ang dating!' like my sister said.

Today we slept in and then went out for brunch with Ate Ameeh and Joe for Ate Meeh's birthday. After that we just hung around at home, eating ice cream (from Cold Stone of course, which our refrigerators are never without) watching 'Boys Over Flowers' (which Ate Aleth had to endure to hang out with us heheh). Before she left there was a lot of excitement, serious discussion and bartering with the jewelry that our aunt sent to us.

I'm still having a lot of difficulty with my driving. *sigh* I drove to Cold Stone and actually drove right up to the pavement as I was trying to park. Good thing nothing was damaged. I was too horrified to get back on the wheel so I let my sister drive home. Well, on Tuesday it'll be another day, another chance for me to hone my driving skills. For now I'll be content with some of the tips my sister gave me.