how failures give you the best presents

i failed a calculus subject during college. and a digital systems subject too. for someone who took computer studies for a course, i shouldn't be proud of these failures because these are major courses! hahaha! what could i have done? the only math i love is geometry. i just perceived calculus as a jumble of numbers and my mind just chose not to digest it.

these failures pushed me out of the block section during 3rd year, out of the comfort of the circle of my barkada. i thought it would be the beginning of a miserable life because i find it very "easy" to blend in a new group. i thought i failed big time.

but the universe had other marvelous plans for me! i met two new friends, len and wendy. we had nothing in common but we somehow got attracted to each other. we even had a term of endearment for each other: BI, which means bad influence hahaha!

they taught me a lot of things - like cutting classes to watch a movie. and the more important thing that i learned here is that you are only licensed to cut classes if you are super smart because you are capable of catching up even if you don't attend class. well, len and wendy are super smart. i am not. hahaha! so i learned that cutting classes is really, really bad for ME!

after college, we kept in touch but we seldom met each other. we had a memorable caliraya trip though. memorable because we rode a bus to get to laguna and rode a tricycle to get to the resort. looking back, i realized how crazy we were to go uphill riding a tricycle! we also enjoyed kayak! maybe i enjoyed more because i wasn't holding the paddles. hahaha! i went home happy, they went home with sore arms. i love these girls!

ca. 2008, we all met once here in singapore. len and i were already based here and wendy just came for a visit. wendy brought us along when she went shooting photos somewhere in the cbd.

and fast forward to feb 21 2014, i met len again for lunch. a lot has changed. the old kalokohan talks were replaced with serious, mature talks. like plans in life! oh my! :) things indeed change.

i thank God for my failures. you see they come with unexpected presents like wonderful friends :) 

day 17 - imported goods!

today i am thankful for these sosyal na sosyal na imported goodies from the philippines. you are looking at authentic gourmet purefoods tj hotdog and tuyo from the palengke of zapote! so yummy with fried rice, kahit plain pa :)

i cherish the first few weeks after a manila trip. this usually means you'll have a lot of baong goods that will last for about a month.

i bet you know that it's good to eat tuyo with vinegar, but did you know that hotdog with vinegar also tastes superb? satisfaction guaranteed! 

day 16 - sudoku

today i am thankful for the addicitve sudoku game. this keeps me company while the train is in a tunnel where there's no available mobile data. 

i first heard of sudoku from my good friend, michie. she said she bought sudoku pasalubong for her friends. i was clueless and curious! i learned the art of solving the puzzles and i got hooked :) this is a very good pastime because you get to exercise your brain. kailangang kailangan ko na ito! hahaha

day 15 - off

today i am thankful for fans turned off. it's been soooo cold for the past few weeks. love love love! feels so good when you don't sweat, when you don't need to turn on fans or aircons, when you feel the natural breeze flowing through the house. 

wish it would be like this for a long time. i it's about 26deg here, 17deg in manila, 8deg in baguio, and 5deg in benguet. can you imagine that?!? coolnesss!

* if it's this cold now, people are feeling the coming wrath of summer :-s

day 14 - estudyante blues

i am trying to study again! and for this i am thankful. well, not study study-in-a-school-with-teachers-and-classmates-and-graduate-soon-wearing-a-toga! but study as in self-study-and-take-an-exam-for-certification.

after 33+ years, i am trying to digest a reading material. and by digest i mean memorize, understand, analyze! naks! parang totoong totoo naman! may this be a wonderful learning journey :) and may i pass the exam. that's the most important thing! i am not submitting myself to pressure so i will schedule for the exam when i am done with my reading. sunday driving lang ang dating?! go go!

day 13 - eating alone

today i am thankful for having the opportunity to eat alone. i had a doctor's appointment at the clifford center and i had a couple of minutes to spare. so i went to have lunch at this vegetarian stall. 

i used to dread eating alone. now i realized how peaceful it is to eat by yourself once in a while. alone time gives you the chance to silently talk to yourself. in effect, eating alone is like having a date with yourself. craycray much lang ang dating?!?! 

note: i didn't enjoy the food that much. there's something weird with the pancit. 

day 12 - convenience

today i am thankful for an efficient transport system. no car? no problem! the buses, mrt, lrt will take you to your destination. no sweat. you'll be surprised how all places are magically linked. 

all stations have working escalators and lifts. a lot of walkways are covered. transport guide mobile applications are available so it's impossible to get lost... unless you're ligawin like me. 

i don't really mind crowded trains as long as it gets me to my destination :)