Aminin mo natawa ka. 
HIGAD BOYS <3
Day 07: A Picture of Your Childhood Crush August 25, 2011
Ho ho, where do I begin? There’s a reason why my current crush count has reached a million. I started young! Hahaha. I think I was four when I learned the concept of a crush from my kuya’s yaya. So I do remember one name from pre-school that I declared was my crush. His name was Jigs. I don’t know anything else about him except that he was in Senior Kindergarten and that he was pang-umaga. I was on the afternoon class and I was a Junior (yes, TLT had cool names like that). I saw him in a Musical Happening (the school-wide event every Friday) and I do remember him singing onstage.
And the memory was easily forgotten. I never even bothered looking him up. But whenever people ask me who my first crush was, I’d robotically say ‘Jigs.’
To make this blog worthwhile, let me tell you about my long-standing childhood crushes. They are both fictitious characters but the idea that somewhere out there, there could be real people like them made me hope to grow up quickly so I could meet them. I was trying to narrow it down to only one but it doesn’t feel right that I favor one over the other (hahaha! Parang naman they could care any less!) because my ideals were built around these two main characters.
Angus MacGyver
First is MacGyver (ultimate problem solver!!!) whose name I later found out was Angus. He could solve anything! He was so brilliant and resourceful that he could get away from any tiff so easily, just leave him with his trusty Swiss knife and a roll of duct tape. He smiles and my pre-school heart melts. He waves while wearing his cool brown leather jacket and aviator sunglasses and I’d be writing to Santa Claus to send me Mac! He doesn’t carry weapons, which I adore about him, but he beats bad guys anyway.
Dan. (dandandandandandandandandandandandan Batman!)
And then there’s my constant go-to crush (ask me any day who my favorite super hero is, I’d say his name in a heartbeat!) that any era, no matter who I am or who I have become, I will always, always pledge undying love for Bruce Wayne/Batman. Bruce is my version of Price Charming. In fact, Prince Charming would look like a total douche beside Bruce/Batman. Prince Charming is like leftovers compared to Bruce/Batman the full-course meal. Bruce/Batman can kick the Prince’s royal hiney any old time. So there. He’s both intelligent and street smart, debonaire, charming (not in the ‘princely’ kind of way), resourceful, GWAPO, well-built, stylish, kind, brave, strong, aba’y kulang na lang Christian. If he only Bruce Wayne/Batman were real. Haaay.
Okay, so there you go. Crush ba, kamo. 
Day 06: A Picture of a Person You’d Love to Trade places with for a day August 24, 2011
Even when it doesn’t seem like it, I love my life just the way it is. Only because Jesus makes it all worth while, I hope you know what that means. For the sake of this post, however, I shall rack my brain for a name that will propel the dream sequence in my head into overdrive.
Top of mind people include the South Korean army just so I could see Hyun Bin on a daily basis. Heee. There’s also the thought of Korean actresses so I could work with Lee Min Ho and Lee Dong Wook.
This is hard. Hmmm. Either I’m in my ‘content zone’ as we speak (or as I write) or my creativity just went out the window. Why can’t I think of anyone?
*twenty minutes later*
Hah! I know someone! BLAIR. <3
I would love to trade places with Blair Waldorf. 
She’s not perfect, she’s kind of mean actually but she’s the ‘mean’ I want to be. Plus, the love of her life is Chuck Bass who could very well be the love of mine. LOL. Her clothes are splendid! And her shoe collection is amazing. She’s ambitious, she goes to Brown (an Ivy League), lives in New York, has a Dorota (we all must have a Dorota) in her life. She feeds the ducks, gets engaged to a real-life prince, has monarchy for ex-boyfriends. And Chuck Bass (did I already say that?)! She’s from the upper East Side, her father lives in Paris, her mom is a designer and her stepdad’s a lawyer. She has minions! She’s best friends with the socialite Serena Van Der Woodsen. I think that’s pretty awesome. And Chuck Bass. <3
And talk to people with this sarcastic facial expression:
‘Could you at least pretend you care? You ask the same stupid thing every time.’
This pretty much nails it. Sorry, I got carried away. LOL. But yes, there you have it. Blair Waldorf. <3 Plus points pa kung Blair Waldorf na Christian. 
Day 05: A Picture of A Favorite Memory August 23, 2011
How do you classify a favorite memory? Is it something you regard fondly every time you talk about it? Because if that’s the case, oh boy, a one-photo post is not enough. Depending on era, I’d say my best memories can be summed up into the following categories:
1. Learning Tree days.
’nuff said.
2. Lerma days.
I meant when we were younger but because this photo was taken in Lerma, sige na nga.
3. ISCF summers. (Pag summer lang ako noon madalas Christian) Nay, make that all IVCF camps in general. Including summer correspondence with my best friends from school.
I did say in general. I couldn’t find camp photos (I must have burned them, LOL). So yeah, these are basically the people whose faces you could find on IVCF camps.
4. Baguio days (oh if only I could live there forever!)
With some of the people who have made the journey worthwhile.
5. Aah, yes, him.
It’s not really Dennis Trillo per se. Haha, he represents lang (for the sake of this post) my ten billion crushes.
6. Meeting celebrities. Heehee.
My favorite, to date.
7. Thursdays! <3
I think Thursday is the best day of the week.
So many memories to trace! Which one takes the ‘favorite’ title? (Partida, ang hirap nito ah)
And the winner is…
My Encounter memory! Those puffed eyes aren’t there for nothing. It had been life-enhancing (yung change kasi nangyari na when Christ saved me) but this led me to a deeper appreciation of my faith and it definitely sparked a God-sized explosion in me. For all its intent and purpose, the encounter was very personal to me and it had brought me to a higher ground with the love of my life, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. All glory to Him!
Day Four! A Picture of Your Dream Job August 22, 2011
Mababaw lang talaga ang mga pangarap ko sa buhay. Gusto ko lang noon ang sumikat para magbigay aliw at tulong sa mga mahihirap (Totoo iyon!) pero naisip kong hindi ko kailangang maging sikat para makatulong at mapakinggan. Chos!
I enjoy entertaining people, I really do. So my dream jobs include hosting, being a broadcast journalist, becoming a DJ, and once upon a time being a lawyer (the kind that morning shows get for interviews about legal matters, haha). And now, fresh from my unemployed state, I want to become a DJ again.
In 2006, I was a DJ for Baguio’s number one hit music station, 96.7 K-Lite. Ever since, I got addicted to the microphone, talking to invisible people and exercising my twang. LOL.
Every now and then, I still dream of marching to Ortigas (where most radio stations are) and joining their crew. So that constitutes the ‘dream’ qualification of this post. I hope you, too get your dream.
Day Three! A Picture of the Cast from Your Favorite Show August 22, 2011
On to day three.
I used to watch TV a lot but since joining television, I rarely get to see what’s on. I watch my favorite series over the internet more than watching its episode run on local channels. My favorites include Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Hannah Montana, and some Korean dramas like Secret Garden (I must have seen the whole series twenty times already) and Scent of a Woman. Notice that there’s no local show on my list. So in honor of a show I really did watch, I’m posting this photo.
Behind the scenes of Mel and Joey
The show is defunct now but I’m glad to say that I was once part of the team behind the country’s highly rated Sunday prime time show. These people really were enjoyable to work with and I’m so glad to have known them. I’m also proud to say that institutions in the fields of broadcasting and entertainment such as Mel Tiangco and Joey De Leon and Direk Louie Ignacio know me by name. Bwahahahaha.
Day Two! August 22, 2011
It’s been sitting on the drafts for long, sheesh. I forgot to post. Habol habol na lang.
I classify closest in terms of still being able to catch up even after a long time and being able to start where you left off as if time and distance never existed.
I’m cheating this time. I’m posting two photos. Here goes…
A Picture of You and the Person You have been Closest with the Longest.
That’s Marie Antonette Virtucio, my pre-school best friend. We were six years old when we met and have been close friends since.
Here’s another one. They were my friends by default even though I was the youngest in the group. I never had an older sister but I am blessed because I have my ates to look up to and get notes from to know what I ought to avoid, LOL. But yeah, I love claiming to be the bunso of this group. <3
Day One: A Picture of Yourself and Ten Facts August 19, 2011
Challenge… accepted.
Xaris, sabi picture, hindi picturesss.
Isang file lang yan, still counted as singular. Hahaha.
TEN FACTS ABOUT the xaris:
1. the xaris is not friendly though the xaris is currently training how to make friends.
2. the xaris’ choice of beverage usually rotates among coffee, water, tea, or root beer.
3. Three things the xaris will surely enjoying receiving: anything purple, chocolate, and coffee.
4. the xaris has big feet.
5. the xaris likes to read and write. When she’s awake.
6. the xaris is a geek. Pretentious, really. (She fakes smartitude… smartitude is not even a word.)
7. Yes, you’ve seen the xaris on television.
8. Yes, you’ve heard the xaris on the radio (if you’ve lived in Baguio in 2006).
9. Yes, that’s the xaris selling panis knock knock jokes.
10. Jesus loves the xaris. <3
I Like My Nickname Very Much July 25, 2011
When I am not my villainous self, Xaris, I am often just Xai /Kai/ the perfectly calm and cheerful representative of the Star People. I wondered what /kai/ meant in different languages, delighted that this one syllable can be a word as old as time.
Break it down!
Kai is 怪 in Japanese meaning “strange, unusual” or 楷 meaning “model, pattern.” In Japanese kai means “big water”, “the ocean”, “the sea” or “paddle.”
In Hawaiian it means “ocean.”
In the Navajo language means “willow tree.”
In Burmese, Kai means “strong”, or “unbreakable.”
In a Nigerian language, Kai means “Love.”
As the Mandarin name “凱” it has the meaning “Victory” or “Triumphant.”
It is also a kind of singing.
It is of Welsh, Scandinavian and Greek origin, and the meaning of Kai is “keeper of the keys; earth”.
Kai has 3 variant forms: Kaj, Keh and Kye.
Kai may also mean “change” or “the action to correct”, “taker”, “receiver”, “mediation” or “concerning oneself with”.
In Finland, it means “rejoice.”
It is usually a boy’s name.
So far, I’m liking what my nickname means.
The Manang Code June 12, 2011
I’d like to call this the Manang Code as these beliefs, piled up from years of reading Joshua Harris, Elizabeth Elliot and the whole lot of them writers encouraging ‘waiting for God’s best,’ are probably the reason why my status has not changed since birth.
So now, ladies in my church are all about ‘emotional purity.’ A book of that title has been circulating and I have wanted to be able to read this specific literature to see what the fuss is about. From what I gather, emotional purity is a state wherein ladies keep a hold of their emotions in order to avoid impurity in all other aspects. We put a premium on physical chastity; but in order to keep yourself pure, ladies are told to start with their emotions.
Okay, women are prone to the swooning, lovey dovey representation of love and even though a woman is not directly the target of such maneuvers (ie movies where screen actors look at you and for some reason, their lines speak to you), she would feel flabbergasted all the same. And even for Christian ladies, a simple spark like this might (although not necessarily) lead to a real-life longing of having John-Lloyd-eyes ogling at her and mouthing the lines she so wants to hear. Meaning, if she does not grab a solid hold of her kilig neurons running wild, she might (although not necessarily) jump into the next pa-kilig scenario she just might find herself into; never mind that the guy making the moves is even worth two seconds of consideration.
So, Manang. It’s not too difficult to maintain a ‘friendly friends’ relationship with species of the male persuasion if and only if there are no swooney, lovey-dovey attachments into the friendship. The problem then begins when that boy in question suddenly acts differently around a girl, making her aware that well, she is desirable. The bigger problem is when these two people cross the threshold of friendship and denies at which plateau they are suddenly found. ‘We’re just friends,’ has already been sold by Sharon Cuneta and Richard Gomez in the 90s, please, spare me the drama.
Intro-blabbed sorry. Anyway, I have heard countless of times from sisters in the faith that they value emotional purity as much as physical purity, but really, how much of this fact is true when they carelessly ‘hug’ a brother in faith, when this brother has in fact shown special interest. I don’t geddit.
Thus, my manang manifesto. If you’re going to preach it, might as well practice it, eh?
1. Never carelessly throw around the words ‘I love you’ as if showing affection for a new cute puppy. Don’t say it unless you mean it.
Corollary: Occasions you mean it:
1.1 You’re bound for the altar.
1.2 You love someone the way you would love a member of your family.
1.3 You say it to a celebrity’s face; they don’t really take this seriously from a fan anyway.
Corollary:
1.1.1 Never confuse I love you with Thank you or some other expression of gratitude.
2. If you say you’re not entertaining suitors because ‘focusing on God’ is your main priority at this point, learn the art of saying no.
Example: You receive flowers. Gracefully say thank you and ask that this would be the last time your EP will be compromised.
If you’re asked for a group date, demand an expressly written consent from the Queen of Sheba.
3. If you’re not dating for any other reason, and you keep on saying you’re not dating, then don’t effing date.
Events that count as dates:
a. Dinner/Lunch/Coffee with just the two of you.
b. Movie viewing with just the two of you.
c. Strolling anywhere with just the two of you.
d. Get the picture already. Any activity that involves just the two of you must be, at all costs, avoided.
Questions for Understanding: But how do we get to know each other?
Answer: Uh, stalk? Duh, there are ways. Please be creative and not spoon-fed. Gradeschool? O kaya pasagutin mo ng slumbook.
4. Guys that test the water (take you out on considerable dates without specifying intentions) to know whether you’re the one should be blacklisted. Yes, even when he’s nakakakilig.
5. When you’re constantly plus one even when you’re uninvited to a gathering, wonder and ask out loud why he’s taking you. If you’re invited, go but not as his plus one. Have some dignity.
6. If the kilig gets the best of you, hang tightly onto God and do not let a brother sin against you and your emotional purity covenant by encouraging him or opening windows of opportunity. If a guy wants to be with you, he doesn’t need to beat around the bush.
7. Believe that you are worth pursuing and being told you’re pursued even when you don’t drop hints.
8. What’s the rush? (Well, unless October 2011 or December 2012 would really happen, then pfft, throw all your beliefs away)
And with these lines of thought, I believe every Manang will be successfully Manangs until the bone of their bone and the flesh of their flesh has woken up. Trust God for your love life. No, it’s not really appealing but I’d rather this than bend to instant gratification and miss out on something grander.
