The most awaited boxing competition was held last night (April 28, 2007) at the parking lot of Greenhills Promenade. After months of intense training, fighters from my team (Manoy Boxing and Martial Arts Gym), bagged a total of 9 medals with 3 knock outs. It was a tough fight and boxers from other teams were all good. Except from bruises and some black-eye, thank God no one got seriously injured.

Kudos Manoy Team! And much appreciation to our beloved coach, Randy “Birador” Biron for sharing his knowledge in fighting with us. We owe our medals to you. More fights to win! Woooohooo!

I became a member of PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) online community three months ago and have been receiving newsletters from my e-mail ever since. I am by nature a lover of animals and looking at their antics very often amuses me more than watching NBA on the television.

My occasional surf to PETA’s website sends shivers up and down my spine and gives me a nightmarish feeling which takes me days to get over. Every week there’s a new video (or article) that shows how animals are brutally mistreated in the slaughterhouse for us to eat. Not to mention everyone’s favorite fast-food: finger lickin’ good KFC, which I must say has the best fried chicken I’ve ever tasted.

Birds have no federal legal protection because they are exempted from the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. But this does not mean that they have to be treated this way. Eradicating chicken in my diet is hard to do because it has been a part for 21 years. But little by little, I will try to. It can be a big help.

Best I can do now is to affix my signature to boycott KFC.

This goes not only to chickens, but to all animals that are treated against their welfare. On the other hand, one of my greatest joys in life is for me to come home at the end of a tiring day and be met by our two cute dogs –COBY and POLKA, wagging their tails vigorously and fairly jump out of their skin to give me a rousing welcome. How then can I look into the pensive eyes of such innocent creatures- so full of confidence, friendliness, trust, love, and affection- and cut their jugular veins, plunge the knife into their quivering hearts, and devour their cadaver sweet as a morsel?

Act now. Maybe you too can help.

I turned my guards on and have set my mind not to let anyone in because this focal point could not move on, can’t let go even. The wounds are still bleeding and the bruises are hardly sore but those blurred eyes of yours, even devoid of glasses, had seen me thoroughly, and your hands has aided the healing process of these agonizing maims.

You made a trench in which I accidentally fell over. And this world of mine swiveled once again, circling hastily without me noticing it. I began to overlook every single jiffy in my past and considered a brand new start. Might be something that can create a grin on my face, or must be something that can make each morning worth waking for.

It’s been awhile since the first acquaintance at 7^th floor happened. Hours, days, weeks, months had passed at a snail’s pace. As I was walking alone everyday, my hands are convincing me there’s warmth in between each finger. There should be, but my heart was not able to sense it. Without a single warning, it grew frigid… so cold that my hands suffered from numbness. I asked for help but you were so distant from where I am that I couldn’t catch a glimpse of you anymore. You weren’t there to help me this time. Was I wrong to believe that there’s always a ready hand to depend on? Or was it just my mocking imagination tricking me all this time?

I was far more than ready to embrace a culture that I never dreamed of embracing, but I am truly an avid fan of your vernacular and had wished I can speak fluently as a pure blooded one can. However, waiting can be so very tiring especially when you are not certain if the one you’re waiting for is “existent”. So, you might just move off and put out whatever feelings you have within, including non-viable thoughts that corrupts your mind.

I guess this would be the best thing to do. Tìng rèn... 

Xie xie ni, for everything.

Dui bu qi, yin wei wo bu deng ni.

Wo hui xiang ni de...

Rè lèi yíng kuàng,
Guāi Guāi

It rained halleluiah! I am so glad that finally, I felt a drop of rain on my cheeks again! The excitement of running with a hanky in my head while raining makes me feel ecstatic. Why summer has to end this quick? My original skin color is not back yet; there are still a few lines that are noticeable when I’m wearing an off-shoulder blouse! I’m trying to get rid of them and have been abusing my skin with whitening lotions and stuff for the past weeks. But it’s kind of exhausting applying it before I go out, after taking a bath and before I go to sleep. Tamad ko, boohoo.

My sister is dragging me to go with her to a post-summer shopping spree. She’s an incoming college freshie this June and been asking a lot of questions to her Ate. I just told her to choose the right friends because in college, few are real. It’s the best piece of advice I can give as of the moment for the phrase “study hard” is too cliché, hehe. But I am not in the mood to stroll around in a rainy day like this. I would rather grab a good book and situate myself in my goodie old sofa bed with the electric fan swinging. Pure bliss!

In a boring afternoon like this, and without a good book to read, I have no choice but to watch the noontime TV show which all of them are watching. Poor me, I don’t have my own television in my room so I have to watch at the living room with them. Eat Bulaga is currently showing and the itak-tak mo song is being danced by the EB Babes. Jose Manalo rules! Grabe, nakakatawa talaga siya. With just seeing his face, natatawa na ako. I want to watch him perform live at Zirkoh even if the ticket is pricey!

Ok, Chel stop ranting about it. Afterall, I deserve to be happy!

Have you canvassed your choices on who you should vote? Should he have a wide smile, with compelling words and an endless promise of this and that? Or should you write in your ballot the name of your long time celebrity crush that is running now for Senator?  Sometimes, when we see something that looks good, we’re so overjoyed that we don’t bother to ask others about it. The same goes for candidates. You can’t tell just from looking at them what they can do and what they’re capable of.

Definitely, I am not the first one to think that our country is in a deep, black pit. Aside from economic crisis, the air is thick not only of Metro Manila's pollution but of pretension and falsity. I saw a rerun of a certain documentary show featuring some candidates for the senatorial positions. Seeing such display of wealth, while knowing in the back of my mind that a very good number of the Filipino population does not even have pan de sal on their table, agitated the radical thinker in me. Politicians promise the same things over and over again but assess life right now and you would see that there is no better life for the Filipino, save for the politicians themselves, when you see their mansions and luxury cars displayed on TV.

The grand question pops up: "When does self gain stop and when does service start?” The fate of this country should not be placed in the politician's hands rather it should be shifted to the Filipino voters. Every name that we would write on those ballots acts like threads used in sewing our country’s future. Who to vote is a very important decision. Voting is isn’t a game. It should not be based on toss coins.

Let us put in mind that in exercising this right of suffrage, we must choose not on the basis of surveys, popularity or dogma. Rather, we must vote based on character, qualifications and platform. A conscience vote never is a wasted vote. So make sure to get your right forefinger blotted by an indelible ink today and exercise your invaluable right to vote.

-Excerpt from "A Call to Vote" (WCC-The Chronicle by: Rachiel Cuaresma) 

Reading Zodiacs on magazines or listen to Madam Auring’s prediction is uninteresting. Except the flippant one on Inquirer Libre: its nonsense makes me chuckle while reading it. An email I received months ago reversed my thought of these so called Zodiac Signs. As my friend quoted, it was “amazingly accurate” and a must-read!

Let me share to you bloggers of the world wide web how Chelism is in fact, beyond doubt a true-blue Virgo. Those texts in bold are the things true about me. Underneath each paragraph would be some clarifications and comments about the ones in bold. Read on!

"THE VIRGO WOMAN"

She will be similar to Leo woman in appearance. (1) A slim woman who walks with confident and proud. She has an egg shape facial structure, (2) high and round forehead. (3) She likes to look straight as if she is searching. She is not a pretentious type and will always say what she thinks.

(1) I am not slim though I wished I am! I thrive hard to lose 5 pounds a month, which would attest my being “anorexic”.

(2) Does a high and round forehead mean one is smart? Hehe, exactly like mine and a bangs can hide it temporarily.

(3) Looking straight ahead will lessen accidents.

(4) You will see Virgo woman walks fast. She will try her best to be perfect, to look perfect and to feel perfect even though there is no such perfection. She is very delicate of what and how she dress. (5)She is bright and easily despairs with obstacles. (6) She likes smart guy who will be compatible with her, so if you are a rich dumb guy, you can forget about her right now.

(4) I walk fast because I don’t want to be left behind.

(5) A problem should be solved as soon as possible, if not I’ll feel gloomy until I resolve it.

(6) Nothing can beat the pogi-points of a witty guy! I will not give you a license to date me unless you prove that you are a man full of sense!

She is not a very possessive or jealous person for she expects respect from her love one. (7) She does not like a part time lover, or a temporary mate. If she finds her dream man, she will not go away. If she does not like you, she will always keep a certain distant. (8) Act proper and appropriate is her discipline.

(7) The idea of flings is not on my vocabulary!

(8) I dislike carelessness. Spilling the coke all over the table, hotdog slipping from the bread at 7-11, breaking wine glasses in bars in which you have to pay double for it. You’re allowed only once, twice is inexcusable.

(Want more?)

If you want a copy and you're interested to read what your zodiac tells about you, hit me a comment and leave your zodiac sign / sex / e-mail address. I will send it whenever I'm online. Cheers everyone!

I badly want (and need) a new laptop. Ok, I have valid reasons, don’t get me wrong. It’s not for the sake of my own desire. Harhar. First is that my other laptop, which is an IBM, is decelerating, it is not Wi-Fi ready, the fan is not working anymore, its battery cannot stay longer than 2 hours, and it will stop serving me anytime soon! The need to have a new one even if we have a desktop computer at home is also because my sister will step in college this coming June (meaning, she’ll be bombarded with paper works, projects, and all that jazz). And simply, ayokong makipag-agawan sa kanya for I know how irritating it could get.

So I started canvassing last week for a good one, online and offline. Laptops from computer shops are expensive, roughly 40,000 pesos and above. I searched online (buy.com) and found the perfect one. It’s in here, here, and here. Haha, actually I have three prospects. The only problem is they’re not shipping outside US so I’ll ask help from my Tita in the States. I’m crossing my fingers, hoping before school starts, I’ll be able to have my new laptop.

Bleep bleep!!! Check out my new sunglasses and this cute tiger thing. Oh, it's not a mask, haha! It can be used to hang on the wall to put billing statements or can also be used as a mini sling bag. These are all presents from Ren Shibao, all the way from China. Xie xie! WARNING: ACUTE VANITY AHEAD!

EEEK! I think i need a new haircut too! And it should be with bangs!

I’m so glad that javascript is working now on my tabulas! I figured out just a week ago that javascripts are disabled due to spammers, and your tabulas account should be at least 50 days old so you can input javascripts code in the template or entries. I’m such a geek, researching all those! Mybloglog is now working, so readers if you have an account, I beg you to join my community by pointing your mouse this way.. that's it, move a little more to the right--> here! I do appreciate that a lot! thanks in advance!

Two weeks more and we should bid goodbye to May and say hello to umbrellas and jackets. And, in barely 3 months, I’ll be 22 years old! Geez, how I hate adding up a year on my age. It’s like another responsibility added in my everyday life. But one thing I love about “getting old” is that you get to do all you want. Well, not all, but at least lesser curfews and your folks will allow you to almost anywhere, except if you’ll go to Africa and stay there for a month!!! They will be surprised and might not give you the go-signal.

The search for the next prospect laptop is still ongoing! There’s no way I could purchase a laptop from an online store in America. As my Tita said, surcharges and taxes are not yet included, and additionally, the shipping from California to Manila will cost a lot of money, plus she have to pay for another shipping tax. Meaning, the supposedly $539 laptop will turn into $600 or more! Guess I have to stick to my goodie old IBM Thinkpad for quite some time, or I’ll let it be diagnosed by a laptop doctor and see if it needs some operations on its internal organs. That is life’s verdict: You cannot have all you want. Oh well…

As the election counts go on and on, I am happy that so far, Chiz Escudero is leading among the Senatorial positions and not Richard Gomez, Cesar Montano or Victor Wood. I was thinking of writing Victor Wood on my ballot in the #12 spot just for fun’s sake and also because I couldn’t think of who to write on the last spot! But it came across my mind, what if all Filipinos have the same thinking like mine? Maybe Victor Wood will have the chance to win. Poor him, doesn’t even know what the word parliament means. Read guitar tabs and chords, Mr. Wood and I’m sure many people will give you a round of applause. Save it for music, I know you’ll do better as a musician rather than a senator sitting beside Miriam Defensor Santiago! (imagining about this makes me chuckle )

Polka- our 7 month old Dalmatian who eats like there’s no tomorrow, and licks my face whenever I arrive home is sick. It happened last Wednesday afternoon when we noticed she did not eat anything from her bowl, which surprised us for everyday, once her food has been put down for her to eat, no trace of food will be left in just a few minutes! It’s not so Polka-ish to see her bowl untouched. A few hours later, she vomits a yellowish, frothy liquid.

We hurried and brought her to the vet clinic the same day and the doctor said she ingested some toxic material and has been experiencing stomach upsets. Polka doesn’t want to eat anything, and she’s grown lethargic and very weak. The vet said that it’s better to confine her at the clinic so they can put dextrose, as well as to keep Polka hydrated. We left her there for 2 days, which pinched my heart because I know she doesn’t want being in a cage with a stranger dog on the side barking at her.

Two days later and still there was no progress. I decided to get her from the vet and just take care of her at our house. The vet said that we need to force her to eat Cerelac using a syringe and drink water with Hydrite. I’m doing the best I could to make Polka feel better now. The heck I’m a nurse, I should know how to care of her. I should really know. It’s hard forcing her to open her mouth and eat but I have to do it so she can get well. Cleaning her vomit is one more thing but I don’t care at all.

I’m always talking to her as if she is a baby; telling her to try her best to get well soon, and asking her what she wants to eat. I love her so much, and I’m afraid she’s going to leave us soon. I’m writing this entry teary eyed and I can’t help the tears from falling down my face. Some of you can say that she’s JUST A DOG, but for me, SHE’S MY POLKA: a LOYAL and TRUE FRIEND. Moreover, she's a big part of our family and it's different not having her around. I pray she’ll feel better, and that God can give her a few more years to live with us, to play with us, or even lick my face a million times more.

I love you baby Polka! Get well soon because we miss you!

Earlier this morning, I was watching Miss Universe Pageant on TV. With two gays in our house, (yes, you heard it right!) watching it every year is a must. And there goes my frustration while watching it. Since I was 17 years old, I wished I can grow taller maybe at least 3 inches more… guess I could never gain inches with my age now! Haha. Those contestants in the pageant, I envy their height.

But watching it is not bad at all. We all felt gloomy when Miss Philippines did not make it in the top 10, but at least she won Miss Photogenic. Miss China, on the other hand won Miss Congeniality. Since I have both bloods running through my vein, I am really delighted and proud! Miss Korea won 3^rd runner up and Miss Universe 2007 title goes to Miss Japan! Asians rule the universe now, huh?! Way to go, woohoo!

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Polka, the hyperactive Dalmatian is back wagging her tail again and running around the house playing with Coby, our other dog. The charcoal she ingested came out from her through her poo-poo yesterday. She’s eating now, but just corned beef and meat loaf without rice. We are hoping for her fast and full recovery. I wish I can post her pictures here but it seems like I can’t find a good one because whenever I take her picture, she’s licking my digicam so the end results are faces of Polka with her sloppy tongue. I think I can do well as a veterinarian, hehe! Polka would like to say thank you for those who prayed for her and that she’ll lick your faces as a form of gratitude.