Woo woo waa

I have a huge blog backlog nobody can benefit from but it's not everyday that my lips look amazing. Taken during yesterday's long lunch because even if I am a neophyte of the "Real World", I was raised by cunning people who work for the government. I know how to buy my time. ;) Hehehe.

My Horizontal Life

I was supposed to go around the city by myself today but since it was raining pretty hard and I've been let down by all the unnecessary purchases I had to make for today (an umbrella, maxi pads etc etc.), I decided to end the day early and spend time at Borders instead. Borders, if you don't know, is a book and music store. Unlike bookstores in the Philippines where every book is wrapped up in plastic and every shelf is labeled "Private Reading is not allowed", bookstores in the First World have full faith in its customers in that they leave all books plastic wrap-free and the whole four floors of their store yours for taking. I actually love this idea because it makes customers respect the place and the power of learning through books automatically. I also love it for more practical reasons like the fact that it enables me to save and speed read.

Today, I finished My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler within an hour. It's not a bad read, only a little less than two hundred pages, and if I may say so, Chelsea Handler is someone I would like to have as that friend we all live vicariously through. How can you not love a book that begins with, "I can remember my first one-night stand like it was yesterday. Well, maybe not the first. Or the second... or the fifth. I'll just begin with what I can remember and not concern myself with order." To put it bluntly, My Horizontal Life is a collection of stories about the men Chelsea has slept with. And while I try to refine my selection of literature to only the most worthy of my time (because life is short and books are never-ending), I devoured this read. I completely and totally laughed at some parts and was just mind blown by this girl's audacity and total no B.S. outlook in life. It was as if she was born into this world with a mind of a forty year old. She is truly amazing.

Here are some quotes I got from this wonderful book:
"I think we can all agree that sleeping around is a great way to meet people."

"I went out with a guy who once told me I didn’t need to drink to make myself more fun to be around. I told him, I’m drinking so that you’re more fun to be around."

"He was all emotion all the time, constantly talking about his feelings and his profound love for her. He was minutes from getting his first period. He wrote poems too. It's my personal belief that if men are writing poems, they're making up for something else like a big hair back, or one ball. Not that one ball is a bad thing. Especially since I don't know any females who are dying to their their hands on a set of balls. The way I see it, the less balls, the better."

"I had to feign interest in all this nonsense until I could ask when I could come over and sit on his face. I didn't say that out loud, of course. I never say the things I really want to. If I did, I'd have no friends."

"At some point during almost every romantic comedy, the female lead suddenly trips and falls, stumbling helplessly over something ridiculous like a leaf, and then some Matthew McConaughey type either whips around the corner just in the nick of time to save her or is clumsily pulled down along with her. That event predictably leads to the magical moment of their first kiss. Please. I fall ALL the time. You know who comes and gets me? The bouncer."

"There are two kinds of people I don't trust: people who don't drink and people who collect stickers."

What did I tell you? This woman is made of pure, unencumbered amazing.

Oh! And since we're talking about it, this has to be linked and re-watched.

It's a beautiful day for a parade

Filipino Cultural Heritage day! My theory on the increased nationalism in Filipino immigrants abroad is that it is in our nature to hold on to whatever it is that makes us feel closer to home. I think that's the reason why immigrants watch more Filipino TV than people who actually live in the Philippines or why Filipino graduates from foreign universities have a heightened sense of political activism in them. In a way, it is how people compensate. Through the inevitable separation of distance, Filipinos in the other side of the world find ways to build a bridge or something that will strengthen and tighten the chain.

I have to say that Filipinos here are a mixed bunch. A lot of us are kinder to one another by virtue of being in a foreign land, while some of us seem to have forgotten who we are and think that by being in America, we can act all high and hoitytoity. This is something I have learned from the Consulate where even Ambassadors-to-be deal with temperamental and arrogant naturalized Filipinos in the most humble, patient manner. I guess the true mark of greatness is adjusting yourself rather than letting other people adapt to you. If you keep your ego in check, it shouldn't be a problem. :)

Anyway, I also have some learnings about the education system in the US. Schools here are zoned per district, wherein every end of the year, children take the district test to make sure that the schools perform well. If it does, it gets more services. If it doesn't, the budget gets cut. What a practical incentive. Also, a perfect breeding ground for cheating. I also found out that the State allots $65,000 per year for each child who goes to a public school. Everything here is free, from notebooks to books to everyday lunch and snacks. This translates to an opportunity to save, to start a college fund for young families or a retirement one for older ones. For a sister like me, it means my sister will get a bigger chance at higher education. One that I never got (and so I have to fight tooth and nail to get accepted to bigger schools with better programs). I have to admit that I love the premium America puts in education and while I would want to stay in the Philippines when I grow older, I will gladly uproot just so my sister experiences quality, First World education. Never mind if her spelling, speech and grammar will suck. She has a big sister and her big sister's collection of books for that.

On to the pictures... (of the parade that I failed talking about)

The kids had a parade right beside the road. Hehehe.

Filipiniana in front! Partyyyy at the back!!!

My cousin Victor with his partner who can bury him alive any day. >:P I r meanz.

Fruit kebab. I love how Filipina mothers, wherever they are in the world, are generally pa-bongga whenever kids need food (or anything else) for school.

Bessie Carmichael is a multi-lingual school (Spanish, English and Filipino). This is Grade Five, 201's Filipiniana section.

Boys who will break young hearts someday

I've always wanted data pages as big as these.

And all my elementary life, I dreamt of having a book corner where I can actually read. The kids can take home the books if they want to! And no, not just to borrow. To have!

The Rachel Berry in me (Writing, not singing) also craves for recognition and for applause. I love the idea that the best stories get posted on the wall. I wish the nuns in my school thought of this. :(

This is a public school. *cue heart shattering for all the public schooled-kids in the Philippines*

Of course, there is always Tinikling whenever we celebrate Filipino Cultural Heritage.

And some good old Wowowee dancing from small children. *THIS GOT ME GOING @@@_@@@*

At dahil hindi ko ineexpect na makikita ko pa siya ulit after ng meeting namin sa Borders, ipopost ko ang picture niya para sa inyong lahat. Nalaman ko na teaching intern rin siya sa school, nagtuturo siya sa kindergarten. Hindi lang art major, teacher pa. (Obvious ba na ayokong ma-google. Or maintindihan, just in case hanapin niya ako online). Napaka lang ni Kuya. Pero minus points for quoting (and misquoting) Voltaire and Cicero in front of me. Akooooo, ako na bigla nalang nakakamemorya ng mga librong di ko kailangan kailanman. Feeling ko feeling niya di ko alam ang mga bagay na ganon. Porket mataba ako, ganon ba? Pweh, mas mura libro sa Pilipinas noh! (BWAHAHAHA!!!)

Also, ito ako. Just in case may mas gwapo kayong relative sa San Francisco na mahilig sa mga majujubis. Etchos. Mas gwapo kesa dun sa nasa picture ha, bilang wala naman akong ibang nakikilala dito. BWAHAHAHAHA. Napaka ko. Feel na feel ko ang mga puti, nauubusan naman ako ng Ingles later on. :)) Ayoko na. Mababasa ito ni Mama. Hi, Mama!!!

Hahaha. Why I always start strong and end ditzy in my blog posts is so beyond me. Hahaha.

So there. I already submitted my practicum stuff today so the extension days tomorrow until next week will just be for charity. The work is rewarding anyway (This is me, still thinking about people + Google. HAHAHA!). Tomorrow, we're going to Reno, Nevada. The Silver State! I'm not sure what to feel about being pulled out of FVR's arrival committee but hey, the hype of slot machines at the casino beats any important person. :)) Hehehe. Exciting. Beginner's Luck, here I come! :D

Good night!

Take me to the movies

The movies I watch range from crappy to purely sentimental. Here's what I've been watching these last two days. No titles. Just frames. You can guess what they are! Some are really amazing, some are just stuff I watch for the cast. Hahaha. It's so easy, especially the Hugh Grant movies. :)

Today at work was fine. I did a lot of guest list work for the Independence day festival (Took up most of my time the whole day but I'm only too happy to find out where important people live. HAHA I KID, I KID!) and some releasing at the Consular area. I'm pretty sure I lost a hundred egg cells through running the copier machine for an hour and gained a gazillion more pounds (and potential free radicals) because there's yet another food festival at work tonight. Somehow, I feel more Filipino whenever I'm at the office than when I'm at home or anywhere else. Maybe it's the extra effort to promote and preserve Filipino culture, or maybe it's the endless eating. I don't know why we eat so much but whatever, it makes me happy.

Aaah, I need sleep. Good night everybody!!!

They say love's nothing but a sore, I don't even know what love is

Promoting the wonderful culture of the Philippines is a huge part of working in Foreign Service. Each of our consulates and embassies all over the world has an entire team  working together with the Department of Tourism in order to keep this vision. In San Francisco, the month of May marked the sixth celebration of ASEAN Heritage. Basically, it was a whole street filled with parades, performers, booths (from serious causes like political prisoners to cultural message boards to Korean face paint to spine alignment to colon cancer detection to the usual merchants who sell their stuff), and my personal favorite--food stalls (I found--through taste, haha--that we have extremely delicious barbecue from each nation. Also, I totally loved Mango Lassi and Pad Thai from Thailand and fresh spring rolls from Vietnam. Always have, always will! :D) from all over the ASEAN region. Personal bias aside, I thought our food stood out because foreigners and Asians alike kept on lining up for adobo and rice ($10) and our fruit juices (guava, dalandan, mango-pineapple, all for free). There was, literally, a lunch line in front of one of the Filipino stalls. I feel very happy about that because I truly believe in the simplicity but tastiness of Filipino food. :)

All I did was eat, actually, but then again I have pictures so I'll just share some.

San Francisco City Hall. Mayor Newsom also showed up for the event. He seems nice.

Asian Museum of Art. The on-going exhibition is all about the majestic women of Shanghai. I'll make sure to pass by once my internship is over.

I love this really big sculpture of (who I think is) Brama on the middle of the field.

Really cute young girls roaming around before the festivities started. Good things come in threes!

I laughed. I totally did.

Awesome booth next to us sold these figures. Too bad I'm a girly girl and have no interest in stuff like these. I do appreciate the artistry though. :)

It's never ever complete without dragon dances.

The big boss and the bosses of the office. Con Gen Paynor, Vice Consul Lea, and Sir Doy (also a Consul but of a higher rank). They told me to get in the frame but damn, I got shy. Looking back, I should've had. Hahaha. Shoot me in the eye, will you?

Shivering old ladies representing our Filipino seniors. Lolas rock!!!

Vietnam. The same country whose steady economic growth continues to shame our pitiful country everyday.

Korea. I love the Han Bok and the performance that came with their parade.

Saigon. I can totally say something about the girl second to the left but I won't. Be brave, be kind. Hehehe. They look cute, non? I love the all-day pajama concept.

I could also totally say something about my face but since I am myself, I will be even kinder. My cousin and I had a little fun of our own after taking pictures of the parade people.

We tried doing jump shots but we, clearly, failed.

Laters!

Election day

I have several areas of interest that I swear never to blog about such as love, work and politics. Imagine the trouble it will bring if, many years from now, somebody digs up the entries of this blog and finds out the arrogant, all-knowing things I have written (and I will because I am a young idealist full of zeal and false hopes). I do want a great career someday (sometimes more than a happy bank account) so I really don't want to jeopardize that.

However, I'm going to try and share some things about my internship just so people know that I don't spend my time shopping at Macy's and Bloomingdale's all the time. I logged twenty hours last monday because of the elections so from 01:46am to 09:46pm, I just hung around and waited on people. I wasn't allowed to count because only the special committee (the officials) do that. They kept offering me food (and asking me if I want to go to sleep) though.

And since I'm done with my reports, I have pictures.

People take pictures with this seal as the background all the time, especially the oath takers.

The Consular floor will start using E-passports on May 17. The first step will be done through HP computers and the Canon SX110 IS.

The precincts were located at the social hall (first floor, offices are at sixth) where a divider was put up between poll watchers and the committee. Overseas Absentee Voting ballots were sent out months before the election but the chance to vote at the precinct did not close until 0400am (0700pm, Manila time). Here, a supporter casts her vote.

The Consuls and the Consul General were there to watch over the count.

There were student activists outside the building. I have no idea what there cause was (I heard a "Gloria, you can't hide") but it's a free country. It's very, very, very cold outside so protests don't last for more than fifteen minutes. Here they are being interviewed by ABS-CBN news bureau chief Ging Reyes (she was there the whole time--as in from 0200am up until canvassing ended--and I kind of got starstruck because I have a thing for power ladies).

A poll watcher.

Tomorrow, we have an ASEAN thing at the Civic Center that doesn't count as official OJT. It's okay, I only have about ten hours left before my stint is over and I can keep myself happy with food.:) I'm really happy I get to "work" here so whatever, it's just a saturday. :)

Till next..

We built this city

I'm a bit lazy but I have saturday in pictures! Saturday was all about shopping at Macy's and then, the Golden Gate Bridge because I have to see the nice places here in San Francisco. I'm actually alright with Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Forever 21 but my aunts have a different idea.

Afterwards, the GPS system got us a bit confused so we didn't get the chance to go to the Exploratorium of Fine Arts. Maybe next time? My aunt drove through Lombard St. (Real Estate equity heaven!!!) though and that's quite an achievement for her. :D



Golden Gate Bridge! Yay.

The highlight of my day: Godiva's chocolate dipped strawberries.

No color. Hahaha. :)

Presidio. I want to live somewhere near here someday, maybe in Richardson. So cute.

Cute boys come out on a saturday too. :D

Such a lovely Asian couple ♥

Again, cute boys come out on a saturday. Hahaha.

Using my cousin Victor as a prop. Jaz keedeng.

Hello! This guy was with his mommy and is the sweetest son ever. Awww.

Caught a Monk in the bike trail...

...who later transcended his being by picking a wedgie. Hahaha. I am gonna get in trouble. :O

Lazy sunday today. The aunts are doing their respective chores and I think we're just doing the groceries. Later, we have to get ready for work at 0100am. I hope the ballot count goes well all over the world :| Weekends here whizz by just like that. :(

Philippines, you are in my heart and mind. Choose well.

Mothers, I hope you had a happy day.