the perils of

       I like to think that I'm rather open to changes. As a kid I had always thought of myself as adventurous. Look back on things, however, I realize that I wasn't quite as daring or audacious as I would've liked myself to be. For instance I remember how strongly I protested when my mom gave me chocolate milk that was a brand other than my favorite (it was Sustagen. My old favorite, that is). Or how I was never eager to go on family trips to the bukids (that isn't to say that I didn't enjoy those outings; I most certainly did. It's just that I was slow to warm up to the idea of stepping beyond the four walls of my home).      And then I thought myself very adventurous when I agreed to living on my own in Manila. College, as they say, is the adventure of a lifetime (actually they say marriage is, but I'm sticking to college for now). And now that I've tried out the independent lifestyle for almost a year now, I can say with all certainty that it is ...

      Super long weekend! Woohoo! A lot of my dormer friends actually went home. While I would've jumped on the first plane back to CDO had I the opportunity (and the great amount of strength that jumping on planes requires), the weekend in Manila wasn't too bad.       Saturday        On an impulse, I paid a visit to Cafe Xocolat, the inconspicuous little shop right across Box O' Rice, a few steps from my dorm. At the entrance, I was surprised at how un-cafe-like the store was. It looked a bit like my lola's house before it got renovated. Part of the cafe's charm, I guess, is that it used to be someone's actual home. The inside is wonderful as well, but I will not go into detail; you must visit it yourself. (Oh, and the food was delicious. A bit pricey, but worth it.) I wish I had taken more pictures, but I didn't wanna look like a cafe' n00b. Ugh. How pretentious of me :|        I finished reading...

I'm pretty sure that all the other universities have gotten tired of us congratulating ourselves about the 3-peat, what with all the "Sorry, FEU" fanpages and online hype about the bonfire. But we can't help it. We're a proud bunch.  Make that a proud, and extremely happy bunch, because last night, we got a huge bonfire, and today, we have NO CLASSZ POHWZ!!!  At around 6 PM I ate dinner at Teriyaki Boy with my blockmates. It wasn't my first time, but I was still pretty ignorant about a lot of things - like WTH does sashimi mean. Alyssa was pretty unfamiliar with the menu too, so we ended up having what Tin was having: something guyusomething ramen. Twas good! :D Afterwards, I attached myself to Jason (remember, my high school classmate from Kong Hua?) and we went to Pizza Hut with his girl friends from the dorm, plus Larz (also my high school friend from Cagayan). I'd already eaten dinner, so I ordered their chocolate cake + ice cream. Omnomnom. Do I ...

While I was skimming through a really old issue of Meg magazine, I spotted this ad for PAWS - Philippine Animal Welfare Society. It featured pictures of different cats and dogs, and at the center was a drawing of two kittens and a puppy holding up a sign that read SOS - Save Our Strays. Now I had seen this ad in this magazine about a bazillion times already, and every time I saw it I'd always wish I were in Manila to help those poor little critters. But this time, something else caught my eye - the address of the PAWS Animal Rehabilitation Center (PARC) printed at the bottom of the ad. "PARC, Aurora Blvd, Katipunan, Loyola Heights , Quezon City." I jumped! Katinpunan! Loyola Heights! That's where ADMU is!!! So earlier, I went online to the PAWS website and found this: (click to embiggen) Weeee! PAWS doesn't look too far away from ADMU! This is so great! I really wanna volunteer for PAWS. I got so excited just reading their volunteer application form! ...