I recently bought this Civil Service Examination reviewer (published by a review center that boasts of producing topnotchers), to prepare for an upcoming exam. While answering the English practice tests, I've already noticed grammatical errors here and there. I tried to ignore them, (Er, not really. I kept complaining to my brother that I wasted Php295 on this thing) but after 30 minutes of torture I finally decided to stop reading.
Here's one of the 'trick' questions. The instruction was to identify which one of the 4 sentences contains an error.
a. We have lived in Bukidnon since 1960.
b. I think we will be making it our home because father and mother think it is a good place to bring up children.
c. Before 1960, my parents live in Iloilo where they both taught at one of the schools there.
d. We find Malaybalay a peaceful place and a healthful one, free from the distractions of city life.
e. No mistakes.
Hmp. So now I've decided that I'll just depend on good 'ole stock knowledge.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Saturday, March 06, 2010
First Things First
Okay, I know I've been really really delinquent in working on my 30 First Things list. I've only managed to do 4 new things since the time I decided to come up with one (my previous entries only talked about 3 things, the 4th one shall remain nameless here :)). But I think I more than made up for it this week. I got to do 3 new things, namely:
First Thing #5 - Eat at Larsians.
Larsians is a famous 'kinowboy'-style barbecue place here in Cebu, so people here can't believe I haven't even been there. So last Tuesday, we brought a couple of Swedish friends to Larsians, to taste some authentic Cebu streetfood. The food was okay and the place reminded me of the chili crab place we went to in Singapore. I can't say though that it's for those with weak stomach. :P
First Thing #6 - Paintball!
I've always wanted to try this one, together with Airsoft, since combat-type of games really appeal to me. But I've always been scared of being hurt. I was really anxious while we were being suited up but the adrenaline kicked in when we were already playing. I wasn't as aggressive as the boys, but I managed to make a hit or two and I didn't even get shot. So overall, it was a good way to be roughened up :)
First Thing #7 - Go kart-racing.
This is another thing I've been dying to try out, so I'm really glad we did this right after we played paintball. I didn't go as fast as I intended because thanks to my really long legs, I couldn't quite reach the accelerator and the wheels keep turning right so they are a bit hard to steer. (*Ehem* Excuses, excuses) But I would definitely do this again to satisfy my need for speed!
Because of these, you might say I had a great week. But I really need to step up if I want to finish my list before the year ends. 23 to go!
First Thing #5 - Eat at Larsians.
Larsians is a famous 'kinowboy'-style barbecue place here in Cebu, so people here can't believe I haven't even been there. So last Tuesday, we brought a couple of Swedish friends to Larsians, to taste some authentic Cebu streetfood. The food was okay and the place reminded me of the chili crab place we went to in Singapore. I can't say though that it's for those with weak stomach. :P
First Thing #6 - Paintball!
I've always wanted to try this one, together with Airsoft, since combat-type of games really appeal to me. But I've always been scared of being hurt. I was really anxious while we were being suited up but the adrenaline kicked in when we were already playing. I wasn't as aggressive as the boys, but I managed to make a hit or two and I didn't even get shot. So overall, it was a good way to be roughened up :)
First Thing #7 - Go kart-racing.
This is another thing I've been dying to try out, so I'm really glad we did this right after we played paintball. I didn't go as fast as I intended because thanks to my really long legs, I couldn't quite reach the accelerator and the wheels keep turning right so they are a bit hard to steer. (*Ehem* Excuses, excuses) But I would definitely do this again to satisfy my need for speed!
Because of these, you might say I had a great week. But I really need to step up if I want to finish my list before the year ends. 23 to go!
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Being Jane
(I stumbled upon this article in today's paper. It struck a chord in me, as it somehow verbalized how I've been feeling lately. So now I'm sharing this to all my fellow Janes out there...)
Being Jane
- by Crisel Consunji for Youngblood
I went to this whole adventure trying to find my Tarzan. I ended up finding myself.
A few months before flying to Hong Kong to work, someone asked me, "What do you plan to do there?"
"Oh," I answered. "Perhaps I'll visit Disneyland and find my Tarzan."
My friend laughed off my silly reverie. "You're kidding, right?" he said.
"No," I said with the straightest face possible. "I'm sure he's out there somewhere. He has probably evolved out of his loincloth and is now looking for his Jane."
The joke was that perhaps I would finally meet my Tarzan, the hunk of a guy who would literally and figuratively sweep me off my feet. Maybe--just maybe--when environments change and new people are shuffled in front of your eyes, the man of your dreams sort of materializes before you.
So after I packed my bags and hopped on that plane, I looked into the first mirror I could find, and said to myself, "Crisel, you're going to find the love of your life." I was very sure I would find someone who would swing above the ravines of life with me.
That's where the joke ends, though not the humor.
One thing I realized during the last two years of being away from home is that whenever we go off searching for something, we never find what we started the search for. We find something better than we ever hoped.
Surprisingly, in spite of the fact that I was free to do whatever I wanted, had Lan Kwai Fong (Hong Kong's night-life district) a train ride away, and was surrounded by people so diverse that they would do the United Colors of Benetton campaign proud, I found that I preferred the peace and quiet of home to the late-night parties of the city.
And then it hit me: There is so much romance in being alone.
Have you ever tried going off to the bay and watching the sunset, without ever thinking that you need someone to share it with? Have you ever tried getting lost in a jungle of people, only to find that the noise outside does not drown the strong force of your silent thoughts? Have you ever tried to stop searching for love everywhere else, and begun to realize that you have all that you need with and around you?
In a weird and crazy way, I admit I have.
And in that time, I realized that there was still so much room to grow, a lot of experiences to learn from, and time to discover who I am, and who I would like to be. And that's the whole point: to love another person, you must know how to be one. And that only happens when you have had enough time to figure out your own life.
I am still in that process. And well, yes, once or twice I actually considered giving my heart away--and once or twice I may have shed tears of frustration. But at the end of the day, I realized that nothing and no one should come between me and my heart. We all choose to risk--and we all should. Because risk tests our courage, and pain strengthens our resiliency.
But at the end of the day, we all come to the discovery that our hearts are very precious. And at one point in time, we have to make it stop searching, hold it still and remember that love does not want to be found. It finds us.
And it will find you.
Don't be frustrated if no one seems to want the heart you are putting out there. Someone in the universe deserves it, and in the right time, he will be revealed to you.
Don't waste your time offering your heart to people who will not see it for what it's worth. Instead, hold it and nurture it. Nurture the love inside you, and save it for the person worth giving it to. And when that person comes, you will be so happy you gave it whole--without scratches--and lovingly nourished by all the patience you have spent on striving to be a better person. Let our prayers not be that we might find the right one soon, but rather that we might become the right person for that person destined to be with us for the rest of our lives.
Call me hopeless, but I believe it's true. You don't have to wait for Tarzan. After all, he might still be figuring out whether he wants to walk on two feet--or four limbs. (And what would you do while the monkey contemplates his life?) But as long as you find the Jane inside of you, you will never be afraid to swing through all this.
Jane, you're beautiful. And you're going to be just fine!
Being Jane
- by Crisel Consunji for Youngblood
I went to this whole adventure trying to find my Tarzan. I ended up finding myself.
A few months before flying to Hong Kong to work, someone asked me, "What do you plan to do there?"
"Oh," I answered. "Perhaps I'll visit Disneyland and find my Tarzan."
My friend laughed off my silly reverie. "You're kidding, right?" he said.
"No," I said with the straightest face possible. "I'm sure he's out there somewhere. He has probably evolved out of his loincloth and is now looking for his Jane."
The joke was that perhaps I would finally meet my Tarzan, the hunk of a guy who would literally and figuratively sweep me off my feet. Maybe--just maybe--when environments change and new people are shuffled in front of your eyes, the man of your dreams sort of materializes before you.
So after I packed my bags and hopped on that plane, I looked into the first mirror I could find, and said to myself, "Crisel, you're going to find the love of your life." I was very sure I would find someone who would swing above the ravines of life with me.
That's where the joke ends, though not the humor.
One thing I realized during the last two years of being away from home is that whenever we go off searching for something, we never find what we started the search for. We find something better than we ever hoped.
Surprisingly, in spite of the fact that I was free to do whatever I wanted, had Lan Kwai Fong (Hong Kong's night-life district) a train ride away, and was surrounded by people so diverse that they would do the United Colors of Benetton campaign proud, I found that I preferred the peace and quiet of home to the late-night parties of the city.
And then it hit me: There is so much romance in being alone.
Have you ever tried going off to the bay and watching the sunset, without ever thinking that you need someone to share it with? Have you ever tried getting lost in a jungle of people, only to find that the noise outside does not drown the strong force of your silent thoughts? Have you ever tried to stop searching for love everywhere else, and begun to realize that you have all that you need with and around you?
In a weird and crazy way, I admit I have.
And in that time, I realized that there was still so much room to grow, a lot of experiences to learn from, and time to discover who I am, and who I would like to be. And that's the whole point: to love another person, you must know how to be one. And that only happens when you have had enough time to figure out your own life.
I am still in that process. And well, yes, once or twice I actually considered giving my heart away--and once or twice I may have shed tears of frustration. But at the end of the day, I realized that nothing and no one should come between me and my heart. We all choose to risk--and we all should. Because risk tests our courage, and pain strengthens our resiliency.
But at the end of the day, we all come to the discovery that our hearts are very precious. And at one point in time, we have to make it stop searching, hold it still and remember that love does not want to be found. It finds us.
And it will find you.
Don't be frustrated if no one seems to want the heart you are putting out there. Someone in the universe deserves it, and in the right time, he will be revealed to you.
Don't waste your time offering your heart to people who will not see it for what it's worth. Instead, hold it and nurture it. Nurture the love inside you, and save it for the person worth giving it to. And when that person comes, you will be so happy you gave it whole--without scratches--and lovingly nourished by all the patience you have spent on striving to be a better person. Let our prayers not be that we might find the right one soon, but rather that we might become the right person for that person destined to be with us for the rest of our lives.
Call me hopeless, but I believe it's true. You don't have to wait for Tarzan. After all, he might still be figuring out whether he wants to walk on two feet--or four limbs. (And what would you do while the monkey contemplates his life?) But as long as you find the Jane inside of you, you will never be afraid to swing through all this.
Jane, you're beautiful. And you're going to be just fine!
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Thinking Out Loud
Has anybody wondered why 'Love' is Pagmamahal or Mahal in Filipino, and has the same translation with 'Expensive'?
So if Love = Mahal and Expensive = Mahal; then does this mean Love is expensive? :P
Just thinking out loud.
So if Love = Mahal and Expensive = Mahal; then does this mean Love is expensive? :P
Just thinking out loud.
What's a 'Hoe'?
Jeopardy is one of my most favorite TV shows of all time. I enjoy it because, aside from the occasional ego-boosters when I get the answers right, you can pick up a lot of new things, and at the same time get a few laughs from it. Here's one of those funny moments:
I actually answered the same thing, haha! :)
I actually answered the same thing, haha! :)
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