Day 7 - Laoag, Vigan, Dirty Ice Cream

December 24, 2010


After standing for a few hours in line to get our ticket, at last our bus started its journey at 11:30 pm (Dec. 23, 2010)At 5:30 am (Dec. 24, 2010), after 6 hours of sitting in that bus, me and my brother is now home. :D


I'm officially now in Laoag, my hometown. Yay! :D Anyhow, after hugging my mom and teasing my little sister (that is our way of affection haha) we ate breakfast. I was so exhausted but my dad said we're going to Vigan City so I took a bath, put on my dress. After two hours of talking to my mom on the way and sleeping (again), we are now in Vigan!!! 

"Dirty" Ice Cream

Hmm... all I did today was travel. Right? Anyway, without exaggeration and romanticization, it's HOT!!! The sun is like burning my skin raw! :( My mom told me that it might be because I am not accustomed to this weather with the cloudiness and coldness in Baguio. So when I saw Manong Sorbetero (what we call for guys who sells "dirty" ice cream) I nagged my mom to buy. :)) "Dirty" ice cream is not literally dirty. It's yummy by the way and I don't get to eat it much because no one is selling "dirty" ice cream in Baguio. 

Day 6 - Partas, Christmas Lights

December 23, 2010

My mom was nagging us this morning through the phone about going home to Laoag. I couldn't blame her because our trip has been postponed for a few days now.  So while reading some random shoujo manga, I started to pack. But then again, there's nothing to pack. It's all in the laundry bin. :'( So I just cleaned up the room.

Now it's time to go. :'(

My brother went to get taxi so I was left waiting for him outside our boarding house. Bored, I started typing something on my phone. Here it goes:

When I was still in elementary, about 5 years ago, I hated travelling especially during Yule tide season. Being an observer type, I always stuck  my head outside the windows of our car and just watch the places as it pass by... just like a movie. Doing that at night, it always got me dizzy with the christmas lights that was in almost every road lam, every building, and every house we passed by. Yet somehow, I was fascinated by the blinking variant colors and shapes they formed. On those times, they put on christmas lights a month before December 25 and they even let it stay until the next year. 

Now, however, as I wait for my brother outside our boarding house, I noticed that not one road lamp, nor building, nor a house was decorated in our street. I then searched for any christmas light and found one far away. It was formed in a star blinking and lighting its surroundings. I felt mixed feelings. Depressing because it was all alone... in that vast mountain of houses, it was all alone. Happy because someone still thought of putting on lights even just one. 

Then my brother came back with the taxi so we went to Partas, a bus line. On the way, I still observed buildings with christmas lights. Guess what? Only main establishments and government buildings have their christmas lights on. How depressing. This is the effect of the degrading economy of the Philippines. Gone are those days when Philippines was even given the title to have the longest celebration of Christmas with their christmas lights on for more than a month.

Day 5 - Facebook Troll, Princess Hours, Goong

I stayed up all night downloading episodes of Princess Hours. I slept at about 7 am this morning and woke up at 12 in the afternoon. This is vacation to me. :D

I was hungry the moment I woke up so I cooked my own food and opened my Facebook account. There is this girl who was hitting me with her statuses. Although she doesn't admit that it is for me, I certainly know it was me so I replied with my own status. >:P It went something like this:

Girl's status: "I hate looking at your pics."

My status: "Who told you to look at my pics in the first place? No one forced you to. Stalker much??"

Girl's status: "Who cares! I'm the one he loves." (She's referring to my ex that went to her the moment we broke up but they broke up a few weeks after)

My status: "Oh really? He loves you?? Check the facts again because the last time I checked, he broke up with you because of me." (I know!!! I was mean! *evil laugh*

After that, my friends reacted and asked me what happened, who it was, etc. So I told them. :))

I started watching the episodes I downloaded and forgot all about that bitch. :P Then I finished them all. Sigh~ So I started downloading again. Because I don't have anything else to do, I continued reading Goong, the manhwa of Princess Hours.

Overall, I stayed in bed for the whole day either watching, downloading, or reading Princess Hours. Oh! I checked my facebook account often too. Sigh~ what a boring life. TT_TT Doing nothing makes me hungry too and I think I'm gaining weight. Oh no!!!

Day 4 - More of "Goong", Fairy Tail

Guess what, I overslept (again) and woke up 1 in the afternoon. I was supposed to go home to Laoag today but because of my laziness (ehem...). Well this day was full of "I was supposed to..."

The moment I woke up, I opened my laptop and was happy to see that Goong episode 5 was done so I played it just to found out that the download stopped in the middle and the video episode was not complete so I have to download it all over again. Depressing~ Then my stomach growled and because I was depressed I ate a lot... oh no!!!

After eating, I thought the download was done... but it wasn't. TT.TT So I continued reading the manhwa (Korean comics; similar to Japanese manga) of Goong. I know, Goong again? Sorry, I really really really suck for romances like this one. :>

After reading some chapters of Goong, I went to Reality Lapse, a site where I download anime. Luckily, the 59th episode of Fairy Tail is out and I downloaded it. Yay! The anime is based on its manga (duh!) and it is about mages and all. You might think that it does not fit my personality, that I am a romance addict and all, but this one is one of my exceptions. It takes a good story and good characters to make me hooked into these kind of mangas. Oh, another manga I like is One Piece.

What YouTube video made you laugh recently?

Annoying orange videos. :)) It never fails to make me laugh.

You want to know me? Ask me something. :)

Day 3 - City of Angels, Goong

December 20, 2010

I watched City of Angels at dawn. It is romance drama and it is a 1998 film of Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan. I always thought that movies of Nicholas Cage were very mysterious... now, I included this movie to his "weird" ones. I don't like his acting but I love the story of the movie. I also fell in love with Meg Ryan (I'm not a lesbo! I just admire her acting). Of course, as always, and it will forever, I cried... a lot... and hard. Well it happens every time I watch drama movies especially if it is romance (I suck at romance LOL) and more especially if I am alone. I think it is because I could contemplate more on what I'm watching and how I could link it back to my own life. Oh anyway, Cage is an "angel" in the film while Ryan is a doctor. Cage fell in love with Ryan and he literally fell into mortality just to be with Meg Ryan. SPOILER:Meg Ryan died in the end. While watching the movie, I was often times asking myself what will it feel to be loved... or what if an angel exist and fell in love with me. I even wished that true love would dawn on me. Anyway, I'm always like that and what's even funnier is that I laughed when the movie ended and salty tears were all over my face. Hahaha

Princess Hours (TV series)

After watching the movie, I slept.... and slept.... and slept.... it's the vacation anyway. :)) I slept till 3 in the afternoon. Hahaha Then I opened my laptop and turned my iTunes into shuffle. Then all of a sudden, the theme song of Goong, a Korean TV series also known as Princess Hours, was played. I remembered how I watched the series on the TV back then, every night. So I started browsing the internet on sites where I could download the series and downloaded the first episode. It said: 3 hours remaining. Gosh~! So I again browsed the internet and found the manga and started reading... and reading until the wee hours of the night and I just realized I haven't completed cleaning my room and the plan that I will go home to Laoag today was ruined. Ugh~ Plans were ruined... so here I am, still reading and watching Princess Hours. Have I told you I suck for romances? :">

Goong (manga)

Day 2 - The Color Purple, Picture Tagging, Fairy Tail, Major Cleaning

The Color Purple

December 19, 2010

I watched the movie entitled "The Color Purple" early this morning. It is a 1985 movie about women oppression as well as black racism and it features Oprah Winfrey. I cried... as always when I'm watching alone drama movies. But it is truly a touching film and because I'm a bit feminist, it was an eye opener. 

After watching the movie, my friend uploaded our pictures in facebook and because I wasn't doing anything and I was not still sleepy that time, I grabbed the opportunity to tag all of our faces in all the 165 or so pictures in the album. Hahaha 

After watching a movie and tagging 165 pictures, I was not still sleepy so I started watching the Fairy Tail anime that I have downloaded a few days ago but wasn't able to watch it because of the consecutive exams I had last week. Oh well. I watched two episodes and thank God sleep drowned me. Sleep~

I woke up about 12:00 pm and I saw that the Fairy Tail Manga chapter 215 is out so I read it. It was so short!!! I wanted to read the next one that instant. Tsk~ I still have to wait another week or so. :(

After reading the manga and staring at my facebook account for a few hours, I started the major clean-up of our boarding house. Ugh~ First up was the bathroom which was starting to turn from white tiles to yellow tiles. I know. After turning it back to a white, clean and odorless bathroom, I started cleaning our kitchen/living room.  Last but not the least is my bedroom... my ever so messy bedroom. :( Believe it or not I'm not still done with with. T_T Oh well, I have to go now... I still have a room to clean. Boohoo~

Day 1 - Cha's Blow-out, Sleep, First Day of Christmas Break, LGCC Champion

December 18, 2010

After our exchange gifts, we surprised Charrie with a cake for her birthday on Dec. 20. After that, we walked to  Good Taste (a restaurant here in Baguio) where we ate. :)) The walk was about 30 minutes or less and I was soooo exhausted. And take note, I was still wearing my cheersquad uniform. Brrr~ so cold. Then when we arrived at the restaurant, it was so hot inside. So I had to took off my jacket but then again my belly was exposed. Gosh~ anyway I just covered it up. So we ate. Then Joel, took my CheerSquad jacket and wore it. Amazingly, it fit him. So he borrowed it. Now I'm so envious with my jacket because Joel will be going home to Palawan (I REALLY really want to go there) and he's going to take my jacket there. :(( If only I could trade places. Hahahaha After the eating (Thanks Cha! (= )and joking around, we went home. I went home alone on a taxi because they were all going the other way. It was about 1:00 in the morning when I arrived home and I went straight to bed. Ooooh~~ Sleep!!! :))

I slept until 12:00 in the afternoon. Then I realized, it was the FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS BREAK!!! Yay! So I went back to sleep until 3:00. I opened my Facebook account and most statuses were congratulating Laoag City Gymnastics Group for bagging 1st Place (Grand Champion) of ABS-CBN's Showtime Season 2. Of course I'm proud. Who wouldn't be? I mean, first of all, they are all Ilocano's, I am an Ilocana. Second, they all come from Laoag City, I am from Laoag City. Third, their choreographer, Mr. Espiritu was my teacher back in high school. Fourth, some of them come from Ilocos Norte College of Arts and Trades, I am an alumna of INCAT. So why not be proud, right? :D

Day 0 - University of the Philippines Baguio Pasiklaban 2010

December 17, 2010

Pasiklaban is an annual program held in each campus of the UP system. Being a sophomore of the university, this should be my second Pasiklaban but I didn't attend the Pasik '09. This year, I had to attend because my organization, University of the Philippines Baguio Cheers Squad (UPBCS) has to be in the parade. :)

Before the main program, UPBCS performed a presentation in the program of Alpha Phi Omega (APO) that morning. The program was Adopt-A-Child where you could adopt a child and the child is in your hands for the whole morning. The program included games where you could play with the child. Oh by the way, the child you adopted is an orphan or if not, the family he/she has is financially deprived so the proceeds of the program went to the families or the orphanage.

This is also the first time we wore our uniform of UPBCS which is a bit embarrassing because it is half-ribbed but of course it is how a cheerleader should wear.

The Pasiklaban '10's first attraction is the parade of all colleges, organizations, clubs, fraternities and sororities that consist the UPB campus. One of the most awaited part of the parade is the Fine Arts' version of Higantes. This year, they made a Sarimanok, a mermaid and so much more but unfortunately I wasn't able to take a good look at them all because we were helping the volunteers to arrange the parade. :( The parade started of course in the UPB Campus then went down through Session Road and then to Harrisson Road then back again to UPB Campus. The whole time we were shouting cheers and chants while dancing. You could just imagine how exhausted we are.

After the parade is of course the free food from Jolibee. :)) We just presented our ID's and voila, food is served. After eating, the Pasiklaban main program started. One of the highlights is the lantern letting sponsored by Sigma Beta Sorrority. After that was a Solidarity Toast of Tapuy (rice wine) which was sponsored by Astrum Scientis (Sorority) and Scintilla Juris (Fraternity). At that time, we were making a human cordon in order to control the audience in the most awaited Oblation Run of Alpha Phi Omega. After the "moodsetter" presentation of UPB Tabak, Oblation started. The crowd went crazy. All were taking pictures, videos and they were all screaming. And the crowd went crazier when one of them climbed Oble without his fig leaf on. Then they did the APO's ritual ring dance. After that, their gone. I got mixed reactions after that. They said that they were thrilled seeing the naked man and all. Some were disappointed because the guy who climbed didn't stay there for even a minute and he didn't took off his mask which made them so irritated. Some were saying "What a disappointment. It's not that enjoyable like last year.", but still they have the widest smile in their faces. Hahaha And of course, the fireworks display sponsored by Beta Sigma Fraternity. Most AWESOME! :D

After the Fireworks Display was the annual Pasiklaban presentation of College of Social Science (CSS), College of Science (CS), and College of Arts and Communication (CAC) faculties. CSS's presentation was as always  so awesome. CS's presentation was like a concert and hunks like Sir Quantum were the main attraction. <3 :)) After the presentations was the performance of Baguio Metamorphosis which garnered 3rd place in Pilipinas Got Talent. Three of them are students of UPB so they were performed. After these performance was the performances of different bands. For me, it was boring. So my friends and I exchanged gifts. I got a UP ID lace!!! Yay! :D

Picture Links:
Higantes that were paraded
The Evil Higantes
Artist's Circle's (Fraternity and Sorority) Sarimanok
Photo of UPB's Oblation Ground decorated with Christmas Lights

Zoology - Amphioxus

Branchiostoma lanceolatum
female cross section

Botany - Meristems

Alium cepa (onion) root tip
LPO

Dicot Shoot Apex
HPO

Monoct (Zea mays) shoot apex
HPO

Sambucus (Dicot) Cork Cambium
HPO

Aristolochia old Interfascicular Cambium
HPO

Helianthus old Interfascicular Cambium
LPO

Helianthus young Fascicular Cambium
LPO

Ranunculus root Vascular cambium
HPO

A Mother's Love

 

Jeepney Ride

This is a fictional literary piece. I was just inspired to make this one night when the jeepney I was riding was stuck in a traffic jam. 

I sat in front of a couple today in the jeepney as I was going home. I was watching them as they stared at each other. In their eyes, there was only adoration. They were smiling, the girl often giggling, as they searched each other’s eyes. I caught myself smiling with them. Then I felt lonely solitude. I looked around the jeeney and saw no one except a guy in the end of the seats, watching the two people left except us. I saw his facial expression… the same face I might have worn a few seconds ago… then his smile faded. His eyes were filled with the feeling of longing. “He is the same as me…,” I thought to myself. I was fascinated by how much I could understand the feelings of this guy that little did I noticed that he was staring back at me. Our eyes met and he smiled… the sweetest smile yet the most sorrowful smile. It’s as if he also knows what I’m feeling. A smile to sympathize the feelings we shared… the feeling of longing someone to love and the feeling of being loved back. I smiled back and looked outside the window. It was a cold night. Establishments were still open and business is still as usual. People were walking in the sidewalks… most were couples, holding each other’s hands, the men often hugging their girlfriends. “Awww… how sweet,”   I again thought to myself as I smiled. I felt a man’s eyes on me and I saw the same man in the end of the seats staring intently at me. I tilted my head in attempt to ask him why he was looking at me but instead of a frown, a smile came out. He smiled back. At the same time, the couple in the jeepney, having arrived to their destination, went out of the vehicle… leaving me alone with the mysterious guy plus the jeepney driver of course. All of a sudden, he came closer to me then he said, “Hello.” Then the radio started playing “One Hello” by Toni Gonzaga. “…Love begins with one hello… One hello is how it starts.”  “Right! What a good timing. Wait… is this a sign?? ,” I thought to myself, flustered. “Hi.”, I replied.

Lyrics | Toni Gonzaga lyrics - One Hello lyrics

What's your dream car?

A Volkswagen Beetle!!! :D

Ask me anything

What's the nicest thing someone's ever done for you?

Telling me that I still have him/her/them as my friend/s when my so-called-friends became my enemy. :)

Ask me anything

You stared, I melted

I was invited in a party last friday by a friend. I didn't expect that he was also invited and I did not thought he'd go. In the first place, I don't have the right to know. He isn't mine and I'm not his anyway. We're just in the same university, studying the same course and only classmates in one of our subjects. Yet I liked him. He's intelligent, charming, gentleman and funny. The problem is he doesn't know. And I don't even know if he likes me or anything. I don't know anything about him. So let's go back to the party I was saying. We played this game where we sat in circle and identify the "killer" just by looking at the eyes and body movements. He was right in front of me. In the first round, I immediately know he was staring at me and so I stared back. I suppressed a giggle and disguised it as a smile then I looked at the other players. My eyes should roam around the circle and I was back again to him. He stared again. Just like a little girl, I giggled then covered my face. I knew the alcohol was kicking in. Oh have I mentioned that in our class, I could see him from the side of my eyes and could see him looking my way. I just wasn't sure if who he was looking at really. Oh well. That night was also our first time talking at each other. 

I know that maybe this is just a misunderstanding of our eyes but I knew I melted. That I liked him that moment on. I just don't know what will become of this connection of ours and I know that it's bad to expect... I just want to let him know. I just don't know how to...

I, ME, and my LIFE...so far

How am I suppose to blog about my life if I don't first tell you who am I. Right? So as my first post, this is who I am. 

(L-R)
 1) A few months  2) About a year old
3) 11 years  4) 15 years old
5) 1st year  6) 2nd year college

I am Johneth Salvador Guzman born in June 24, 1993.  I grew up in Batac, Ilocos Norte. My first school was Batac Central School in which I studied for only a year (Nursery). My parents thought that I was excelling much compared to my classmates so they wanted me to skip Kindergarten and start Grade 1 immediately. My school didn't want that so they transferred me to Northwestern University Laboratory Elementary School (NWU-LES) which is located in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. After a year of studying there and commuting everyday from Batac to Laoag which is about 30 minutes travelling time, my family decided to move to Laoag. And so until this day, it is where we reside. I graduated elementary as Salutatorian of Batch 2005. The Graduation Exercises of our batch was one of the most memorable in our school's history not because it was a joint graduation exercise with the high school department but because both the salutatorians (Yes, Me and the salutatorian from high school department) did not attend. I'll leave the imagination part for you. ;)

I attended Ilocos Norte College of Arts and Trades (INCAT) for the whole four years of my High School life. Let us just say my life then was that of a teenager. You must know what I mean by that. I didn't make it to the honor roll but I swear I was close to making it in just by points. Anyhow, I did not grieve that much because I passed the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT). As a result I got in the BS Biology Program in University of the Philippines Baguio. I am now a sophomore and struggling. When I started this course, I wanted to pursue it to Medicine and be a doctor someday but due to reasons of life, I can't. Well maybe I can but the things right now just don't allow me to. In that case I set my aim to a new goal. That is to become a Marine Biologist. I just hope this time, I could pursue this goal. I will.

Okay. So let's stop talking about my life, for a while, because you'll have more in my daily excerpts anyway. So why did I start this blog? I just read it in the internet. START A BLOG. And so here I am making this blog, making my first blog post. I know. What a lame reason for me to start a blog, right? You see, I'm making changes in my life and I'm hoping this blog is one of the stepping stones.