Myriad of Events
This is a much needed update. *lol* Almost two weeks without posting an entry. Just shows how busy I am in both my academics and extra-curriculars. Actually, the succeeding weeks will be even more tiresome - filled with project deadlines, presentations, and long exams! *eep* Teachers are trying to squeeze in the time before we go on the Christmas break. Speaking of Christmas, I’m still not in the mood. Even though our house is brimming with twinkling lights, verdant wreaths, and all kinds of holiday decorations.
Anyway, we had no classes last Friday (November 19, 2004) due to the Alternative Class Program. So my groupmates and I took the opportunity to meet up with my sister-in-law who is also our prospective client. We needed to find a company to make a computer database on. Hm… There really are perks to having a lot of siblings with their own businesses. 
Their jewellery still uses a manual system of counting each of their items, very tedious and prone to error. So our group is proposing to create an inventory system to provide them with a more efficient way of record keeping. I really hope we do good on it. Afterwards, I had to wait for my brother’s chauffeur to drive me home. While waiting, I played lego with my niece. 
I created a little garden with miniature trees and flowers. She had all the lego people sitting on trains and cars. Oh, we also colored print-outs of fishes. And she kept telling me what colors to use. *lol* She’s quite a bossy little girl but in a cute kind of way. It was a lot of fun bonding with her. *hehe* Everyone says that she looks exactly like me when I was younger.
The next day, hunbun and I woke up really early for our “Firing at Crame” class. It was raining so hard, I left my cell phone in the car, I found out our mode of transportation was the jeepney, and we even had to pay an extra Php30.00 for the ride. So generally, it wasn’t a good morning. But I took a little nap in the jeep on the way to Camp Crame. That lifted up my mood a little bit. It’s weird but riding the jeepney always makes me feel really sleepy. 
There’s a kind of rocking motion riding sidewards. When we got there, a gun expert gave us a short talk on gun safety, handling, parts of the gun, and aiming. It was highly informative and a must for beginners like us. Hunbun was praised by the instructor because of his shooting skill. *lol* I, on the other hand, never held a gun before with real bullets. It was a 9mm Beretta. I was scared and excited at the same time of pulling the trigger. It was an adrenalin rush when I hit the target. But I hated the loud sound and the odor it produced. It’s certainly comforting to know that I have the knowledge to use a gun when the time comes. That night hunbun and I watched Supersize Me on DVD. It’s Morgan Spurlock’s documentary on his month of eating nothing but McDonald’s food. The film really gave us new insight on fast food. We used to eat at McDonald’s thrice a week (for lunch or snacks). Now, we’ll be avoiding any fast food chains for health purposes. And it’ll be less strain on our wallets too. 
My brother brought home a new puppy on Sunday. 
He’s a birthday gift from his girlfriend. He is a two-month old shih tzu from a champion breed. He is so adorable and cuddly, just like a little baby. *awww* We named him Choc Nut, a popular chocolate brand.
On Thursday, I accompanied mom and my aunts to SM North Edsa. I rarely go to ShoeMarts because there’s too many people. *lol* One of my aunts was searching for a gift to give my sister because it’s her birthday. She finally decided on a pink Nafnaf blouse with silver adornments. Then, I bought mushroom shomai from Yoshinoya (my favorite) while my aunt ordered halo-halo from Chowking. That night, we all went to Podium for a family gathering slash birthday celebrations at China Star. Of course, hunbun came along with us. We went for a short stroll around the mall afterwards.
After school on Friday, I went with Cla and JV to the National Museum and Metropolitan Museum to look at some exhibits. It’s a requirement for our Asian History class. The traditional Indian textiles were typical saris and really not much to see. The contemporary Indian textiles were much better. There were some nice designs that caught my eye. I’m really not the museum-going type. *lol* That night I went to National Bookstore to buy materials for projects. I also bought myself a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Classic White with matching pouch. It’s kind of an impulse buy but it’ll be useful for splicing wires in the electronics lab. *hehe*
Yesterday hunbun and I went to a bazaar at the NBC Tent with his mom. He bought some kind of a weapon stick, but it easily broke. *lol* I bought my favorite popped beans, the ones the serve at Sonya’s Garden in Tagaytay. They’re so addictive! Then his mom dropped us off at Grassi’s inside Rockwell for the battle of the bands event. We tried to help out a little bit since we’re the heads of the logistics committee. *hehe* I think it turned out well judging by the number of people who turned up. Hunbun and I went to Kids Station inside the mall because I needed little toys for my project. I ended up buying Island Hello Kitty because she looked so cute in her hawaiian outfit. She’ll look so pretty as an accessory to my project. We headed to Kaya for dinner. It’s an okay Korean restaurant but we still prefer Korean Garden to it. And here’s the project I just finished. It’s a part of the presentation my group is making on typhoons. We’re simulating rain on my little island.
My auntie from Hong Kong came home. Not for vacation purposes, but because her doctor advised her to. She just found a 2-centimeter lump on her breasts. Her breasts were removed and throught biopsy, the doctor found out that she has stage 2 cancer. 
She’ll be staying with us for a while because she needs chemotherapy. Each chemotherapy costs Php70,000 and she needs six of them. Yikes! What a shocking amount of expenses. I sincerely hope that she gets well soon. She’s my godmother at baptism and she’s one of my favorite aunties. My cousins are all really worried for her welfare. At these times, you really realize how valuable your health is. I’m glad that my mom is responsible enough to have mamograms every year.
Oh yeah, I just installed Matt Mullenweg’s Spam Stopgap to prevent anymore spammage. This combines a number of basic methods to stop unsolicited commercial comments on WordPress blogs. Kitten’s Spaminator caused errors in my comments page. I hope this time I won’t be spending precious time deleting hundreds and hundreds of unwanted “online poker”, “cheapest phentermine”, and “internet casino” comments. *sigh*
Jeanette commented on:
November 28, 2004 at 5:05 pm
Hey Gretch. Yeah, same thing happens to me. Those stupid spam things spamming me about casino stuff & cash advance or something. Aww, & loving the puppy. It’s super cute.
Mina commented on:
November 28, 2004 at 9:22 pm
Awww, Choc Nut looks adorable
Have a sweet Sunday! 
Sorrry to hear about your aunt, I really hope she will get well soon *sighs.. It sounds like you’re having a really busy time, so many exciting events, that’s great! I wish I had that much to do
erised commented on:
November 28, 2004 at 10:52 pm
lol. I’m starting to get busy with school too. Another great things is that, I’ve been placed in a group that well, I’d rather work on the tasks individually.
Ah… why do you need to pay extra 30.00Php for the jeepney ride?! O.o;; Lol. Supersize me. XD;; and wow… the doggie looks so kawaii~
I’m sorry to hear about you aunt.
I hope she gets well soon. 
and I’m really happy that the online casino spams are now… out of sight? hehe!!!
Kiel commented on:
November 29, 2004 at 2:31 pm
Oh yes, I’ve been waiting for you to update your blogs
They’re always something to look forward to ;) Hoo… seems like you’re so busy with school 
I’m sure you’ll get through all of it though ;) Good luck on that 
That’s a nice project you made there, too 
I’m sorry about your aunt
That must be really horrible. I’m sure God will guide her.
Take care, Gretch, and may God bless your aunt.
Pauleen commented on:
November 29, 2004 at 5:44 pm
weeee…the puppy’s so cute!!! waaa.. i wanna have one too! lol.
Oh, and cute island u’ve got there;)
mama sangre commented on:
November 30, 2004 at 1:18 am
OMG what a cute puppy! i love doggies… and chocnut — i remember that chocolate brand in the phils — kinda peanut butter - flavored chocolate, right? mmmmmm….. take care of chocnut, he’s a sweetheart… and i hope your aunt gets better…
vivian commented on:
December 1, 2004 at 6:45 am
OHHH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS! that’s the cutest lil pup!! (after my pup of course=p) haha Chuc nut is such a cute name too. love it
hmmm so weird that u’re getting spam… i haven’t gotten any *knock on wood
Aneesah commented on:
December 1, 2004 at 10:13 am
Hey Gretch, I do hope your auntie will get well. Many members of my family (well, the older ones) had cancer too, it’s a really sad thing…
You do seem like a very very busy person. Going out slmost every day! And me; I’m stuck in my house every single day. (Mostly because it’s the holidays and we don’t have school, but still…)
And I’ve watched part of Supersize Me too, it was pretty scary. They had all those research and interviews… I dunno what happened in the end, though. How much weight did he gain?
Taa-taa!
liz commented on:
December 1, 2004 at 7:23 pm
so cute!!! i love the pic of the puppy. i have a dog too, a japanese spitz. don’t u just love dogs? they are so adorable.
vivian commented on:
December 1, 2004 at 10:06 pm
DOOOOHHHH I spoke too soon. they are spamming me as well now
looks like i’m going to have to use that plugin of yours lol
Brenda commented on:
December 2, 2004 at 11:31 am
Noticed several wordpress weblogs getting hit by spam these days. Hopefully the script you installed works for you. And that is one cute puppy over there. I love shih tzus.
Nicholas commented on:
December 2, 2004 at 3:09 pm
My cousin’s son is pretty bossy like your neice, in a good way too. He’s also cute but sometimes he gets on my nerves, lol. Aww…Choc Nut looks really cute. My aunt has a dog of that breed and he’s pretty old, living for some years already. His name is E-Walk (I forgot how he got that name) and because his hair is long on top of his head, my aunt would use small kid pony-tail bands to keep it from getting to his eyes. He’s a sweet dog too ^_^;
I’m not a museum type of person as well but we had a few school field trips to different museums that I had my exposures to them but I don’t normally go out of free will, lol.
I used to play lego when I was younger. My brother and I already lost most of our pieces from the first lego set we had when we were children but I really liked that toy
Theresa commented on:
December 2, 2004 at 3:21 pm
Heeey! haven’t visited you for a long time now
Wasn’t able to read much.. I’m kind of unwell today 
Anyway, Belated Thanksgiving and Advance MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! ^^ I used to play lego a lot.. I made a castle.. @@ I even had the big lego mansion I made my parents buy for me on my 6th birthday. xD~ It’s gone though.. Gave it away I suppose.. And I love that puppy! ^^ I have a puppy here too! Mix breed nga lang.. I think it’s the most adorable one I’ve seen @@ I dunno what to name him!!! lol *sigh*
rose commented on:
December 2, 2004 at 3:44 pm
youi can still visit me
click on my name! 
take care!! merry xmas na din
Crystal commented on:
December 3, 2004 at 12:40 am
Aw that dog is so cute! My boyfriend’s cousin got a dog just like that for his fiancee too. Heehee ^^
yel commented on:
December 3, 2004 at 1:30 am
ang cute cute naman nung dog.. sana may magregalo din sakin nun!!!!!!!! =)…
kxia commented on:
December 3, 2004 at 9:12 am
Choc Nut. Haha. Cute… Hahaha… Nanggigigil ako!
Hehe, anyway, sige take care nalang! 
Shari commented on:
December 3, 2004 at 3:28 pm
You and hunbun are so sweet!! Di pba kau hinahantik? Hehe! Kiddin! Eniweiz, SM’s aren’t the best place to hang out but for students like us who likes arcades and stuffs, well, they’ll do. Awwww…The puppy’s too cute for your brother!! Lemme have him! Hehe! *sighs* I miss Popoy…
Jen commented on:
December 4, 2004 at 6:15 am
I’ve been meaning to watch Supersize Me for a long time, now. Never got around to it. Your brother’s dog is totally adorable! It looks dreadfully cute. I do sincerely hope that your auntie gets better soon.
Hazel commented on:
December 4, 2004 at 10:31 pm
Wow, at last an update. Lol.
Anyway . .
Yes, I agree, during the last weeks before Christmas vacation, teachers squeeze in a lot of quizzes, group projects, and a whole lot more, not to mention exams . .
Haaay.. tama nga sila.. bago magsaya kailangan muna dumaan sa hirap. Sigh!
That puppy is ssooooo cute,, i wish i can have one.. if only my parents will allow me.. arfgh.. and the name you chose was cute as well. I love chocnut! Hehehe..
Oh goodness . . I hope your aunt can pass through this challenge in her life right now. And we all know that everything has its purpose. . . and God is just here, guiding her. :)
dian commented on:
December 4, 2004 at 11:23 pm
heyyy your bro’s puppy is sooo cuteee!!!! REALLY!!! he’s cuter than my cookie
sad na ko! 
Alexine commented on:
December 5, 2004 at 2:59 am
Such an adorable puppy
It looks more like a Pekinese than a Shih Tsu though 
michan commented on:
December 5, 2004 at 9:19 am
Puppy!!
Now I miss Spot, the dog I used to babysit for a friend.
Meh, anyway. I hope you’re fine over there after the typhoon. :S It hit pretty bad up North. Also, good luck with your activities..
It’s nearing Christmas break so the teachers will stop at nothing to pile on more homework and projects. xD
beth commented on:
December 6, 2004 at 5:03 am
eek i hope your aunt gets better soon, it’s shocking the amount we have to pay for our own health these days. hugs and kisses.!