The Aftermath to the Modern-Day Princess Ball

*Please click the image to enlarge! ;D

First, as always, Many Happy Returns to uchihayukiko, who shares this day with me. ^_^

So I decided to unwind and at the same time celebrate my birthday this past weekend.

I was apprehensive to do it at first, since I was just going through so much at work. Then, of course, there was my godmother's all-too-recent and unexpected demise. Her death prompted me to seriously consider cancelling the party; it just wasn't right considering that the customary 40 days of grieving hadn't even passed yet.

But then I realised, it's EXACTLY the point ... my dad told me everyone in the family thought I wouldn't live past my 1st birthday. But fast-forward to today, exactly 24 years after that measles attack. Who knew, right?

Besides, I wanted to feel a bit special. While I do enjoy my work, I wanted to have some time to commemorate all other things that were awesome about me. It sounds shallow, true, but if you really REALLY know me (or follow this journal with regularity), I tend to dwell on all my negative points and all the negative events in my life. It's rare I decide to focus on the positive, which is exactly what I did last Saturday, March 14th. It's bad enough that even some relatives forget when my birthday is. I like to think I matter, even to me at least.

So after a lot of panicking, I decided to push through with the Modern-Day Princess Ball. I made a list of what I needed and what I could ask my close friends to help out with. After some false starts, I finally managed to shop for many of the items needed for my birthday. However, true to form, I had had no time for the bulk of preparations. I made sure to invite 30 people (all my Povedan friends, the YRT gang, some of my friends from college and cosplay who I felt would be available that time, and my current co-workers ... whoops, sorry I forgot my former co-workers X_x) in the hopes that there would be 25 of them present, in tune with my birthday (hahaha ang drama).

Saturday morning arrived. I began my day at the wet market buying fresh ingredients for the summer vegetarian spaghetti I planned to cook. pan_de_kuneho arrived to assist me with the decorations. mithlin_megil was supposed to help out as well, but she had gotten quite ill the night before, and was therefore in no condition to do so.

Dad stopped by to help out, but it was only after some arguing that we managed to agree on how to hang the decorations. xfridays_childx called him for some urgent matter, then he turned over the phone to me so she could send me some valuable big-sister advice. ♥

As the day wore on more and more people cancelled. I began to panic since almost half my invitees couldn't make it. pan_de_kuneho was such a sweetheart for putting up with me all that time. It was good that chocolatedazed arrived when she did - I began to panic less, and pan_de_kuneho had someone to hang out with while I finally took my long-deserved bath and began freshening up (!).

While pan_de_kuneho helped me out with the curling iron, crimson_azalea of the Kaka Fun Club (KFC) called and tried to prank me saying that she, ube and _freud_ wouldn't be coming over. However, they arrived right in the middle of the call with presents, chicken and alcohol in tow. XDDDDD Add to that the fact that lovediesel/A of SentiGRAM got lost along the way to the house, as did G of SentiGRAM. Good one KFC, I was just about ready to snap your heads off! X3

The two SentiGRAM girls arrived separately with help from both chocolatedazed and pan_de_kuneho (man was she overworked!). lovediesel was armed with balloons and her Victorian Maiden dress, which was a pain to fit into, but somehow we managed it. G looked smashing in her dress! ♥ Then Ana of Reach Out Otaku arrived as well, and quickly changed into a flaming red dress of win. Xtin (our Venus from our Pretty Guardian Sailormoon cosplay with pan_de_kuneho) arrived as well. My room became a flurry of chaos, with people lending each other dresses, accessories and shoes. Then my superior at work (who's also a senior of mine in UP ICTUS, as it eventually turned out) arrived with two of my officemates. She couldn't resist peeking into my room, and ended up doing make-up for some of my beauty-challenged friends (!!!). It was too bad she had to dash off to another dinner before we had our own, but at least my officemates Orthia and Angeline stayed on.

Last to arrive was Ivy of Reach Out Otaku, who brought boxes of brownies and food for the gods from Becky's Kitchen. She also had her Handycam handy, perfect later on that night when the karaoke session was under way. (BTW she just got engaged ... congratulations and best wishes to you and your fiance! \^0^/)

Finally some of the attendees forced me to have dinner. After some false starts everyone who was present sang me Happy Birthday, and then people began digging into the spaghetti and fried chicken. It wasn't long before everyone huddled around the chocolate fondue fountain armed with platefuls of fruit, which made me LOL. We nearly had a crisis on our hands when I had the chocolate fondue thinned with water, which caused the fondue fountain to clog up a bit. Good thing cooking oil helped loosen up that situation! Meanwhile some of the Povedans were going crazy with one of the programmes on my laptop. XDDDDDDDDDD;;;

When everyone had finished dinner and most of dessert, I had a little game of "How well do you know me?" To my surprise it wasn't lovediesel - who has known me longest - who knew the most, but it was ube! Then I awarded some prizes, in the form of cute tiaras: Early Bird went to pan_de_kuneho, lovediesel won Best Dressed thanks to her VM outfit (which she quickly changed out of once she won the award since it was getting stuffy XD;;;), ube received the prize for the game.

Soon it was karaoke time. The KFC gang was being uncharacteristically shy but pan_de_kuneho, Xtin and chocolatedazed in particular showed no such inhibitions. dXDDDDDDDDDDDDDb So in the end, ube, _freud_ and crimson_azalea mixed the lemon-lime gin with lovediesel assisting them with the taste. In between it all we all tried to get the YM up and running in my laptop, which was tough because my internet decided to conk out. We ended up stealing a neighbour's connection, hehe. XDDDDDDDD Thus were finally able to get jactinglim and ericvids on board, where they witnessed among other things pan_de_kuneho and Xtin dancing to chocolatedazed's rendition of "Sha-la-la" (yes, THAT "Sha-la-la"). XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD It was too bad janipanda couldn't seem to connect to our webcam chat no matter how hard we tried. ;~; I'm holding out for Ivy to put up all the videos on Youtube. X3

We finally called it a night around 11:30, after some screencapping insanity from our Singapore-based friends. The remaining guests helped clean up, though lovediesel did most of the work. It was then I realised that I forgot to give most of the guests who left early their giveaways. Whoops~! XP Sorry about that guys, let me know when you're free to meet up and claim them alright?

Now here's the part where I thank everyone who helped make the Modern-Day Princess Ball possible:

Firstly, many, many thanks to lovediesel and xfridays_childx for the ideas. Thanks for the balloons too, lovediesel!

Thank you very, very much pan_de_kuneho for being the earliest to arrive, helping out with the decorations and overall set-up, curling my hair, giving my other guests directions via the telephone, and putting up with my panic attack when people began cancelling en masse that morning. You are made of so much win! I owe you big-time. ♥

Thank you very much lovediesel and chocolatedazed for sleeping over and helping me fix the venue once the party ended. ♥ Thanks for bringing food and the eating implements as well, chocolatedazed !

Thank you very much ube, _freud_ and crimson_azalea for bringing food and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), for mixing the alcohol, and for getting me presents even when I hadn't really expected any from you. Thanks also to ube and _freud_ for being kaladkaring katulong the Saturday prior to my birthday and helping out with the preliminary shopping.

Thank you very much to my UP ICTUS sempai (senior) and current superior in VPRI, who dropped by for a spell to bring in my other officemates and who also very gamely did make-up for some of my girls. ♥ You are made of too much awesome. ;~;

Thank you very much pan_de_kuneho & pan_de_kunehofor being sports while waiting for us to fix the internet connection and YM, and for celebrating with us DURING the party all the way from Singapore complete with cake and alky. ♥

Thank you very much to everyone who attended - SentiGRAM (though we were missing R ;~;), Kaka Fun Club (though we were missing Cesca and transient_freak), the YRT gang, the PGSM gang, the ladies of Reach Out Otaku, and my current officemates. I hope I didn't miss anyone! ;~;

To everyone who couldn't be in the party physically for any reason, thank you very, very much for your greetings and well-wishes. ♥ I appreciate those a lot.

Thanks to everyone who remembered for making my 25th birthday memorable! ♥

I wonder what will happen in the next 25 years... v^~^v


PS Pictures are up! More links to be added as they come. ♥

1) chocolatedazed = http://aoyukihikari.multiply.com/photos/album/94/Joy_Hime-gyaru_Party
2) jactinglim = http://jactinglim2.multiply.com/photos/album/38/Mai_Hime-tachi
3) lovediesel = http://kismet0225.multiply.com/photos/album/211/Joys_Hime-gyaru_Party
4) Xtin = http://sailorsenshi8.multiply.com/photos/album/24/3-14-2009

These past 2 weeks have been crazy.

1) Hongkong began as a disaster but at least the weekend evened out. We arrived early at Chek Lap Kok Airport but we couldn't take a ride into the city in time for our meeting. Some of us went ahead to present while the rest, myself included, just caught up with them just in time for lunch (courtesy of our contacts at HK) after arranging for check-in at our hotel. Then the weather was too cool and too rainy for comfort (stupid CNN said it would be clear skies through the weekend! XP), but Disneyland was all sorts of fun (considering how small it is) and clubbing at Lan Kwai Fong was ... well, unforgettable. XD; (Sa mga nakakaalam walang manlalaglag. X3) Did not get to shop as much as I'd wanted though, and I kept getting the group lost and late and stuff, bleh. XP

2) My godmother (Dad's sister; also the proud new grandmother whose picture I posted here 2 years ago) died of cancer two days before I was supposed to fly out. I was numb for the next few days, even with the clubbing and Disneyland craziness. I wanted to cry but the tears wouldn't come out.

3) Made a couple of stupid decisions especially on Wednesday. Backlogged to the max pa. Did not even get to buy tickets to the final set concert of the Eraserheads. Need to rectify everything ASAP. Shet. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDX

4) Shopped for stuff for my birthday yesterday (Saturday). I honestly wasn't sure I should celebrate it the way I wanted to considering the death in my family lately, but I decided I was turning 25 only once and I wasn't going to celebrate any more birthdays after that so I may as well celebrate life. Besides, it's one of the few times I'm going to see my all my closest friends (hoping to make 25 for 25, lol) from all walks of life. I was in such a bad mood earlier since I was supposed to do some leftover work before I left and then again when I got home but Anthy died so I asked markpoa's younger brother to fix it. He's cool. (Thanks for fixing my PC!) Very glad I had Neko and Sherry, who even went the extra mile by patiently waiting for me while I de-stressed by watching the Charice Pempengco concert, with me or I would've gone nuts. thank you girls! ♥

Also: Francis Magalona died due to complications brought about by leukemia on Friday, 6th March. An acquaintance/semi-friend of mine (who's also a co-worker's sister) is a nurse at Medical City, where he breathed his last. While I am still somewhat embarrassed to remember dancing to his song at age 7 (which has gone on to show that I can't dance but I still do it anyway), I admit I enjoyed his songs as a guilty pleasure. Francis M was 44 and is survived by his wife and eight (8!) children.

Ang mga Belonio

Meeting Professor Alexis Belonio is such a blessing. He's humble and self-effacing, he willingly shares his inventions for free on the internet (www.bioenergylists.org), he acknowledges God (Supreme Being for those who are more spiritually-inclined) as his Source of ideas, he finds it important to foster the spirits of invention and enterprise on his seven children, he would much rather keep working on and refining his inventions than let the justifiable glow of the RAE get to his head and his heart, and he realizes the need of finding alternate energy sources from existing waste material.

Plus his wife, Salvacion, is awesome and so supportive, and just as brilliant as he is. They make a team which cannot be classified into empty words. It is a shame she keeps getting relegated to the sidelines, but it is a testament to her character that she is very patient, considerate and untiring in her support of her husband.

I suddenly feel so small and insignificant. But on the other hand, I am still proud because I now carry a small part of him in my mind and heart.

Abre las puertas dela memoria

One of my acquaintances posted all our old, grade school pictures on Facebook. I'm sure some of you here know exactly who and what that's about. ;P

I remember looking and feeling ugly and hideously fat, lacking total coordination during PE and most especially gymnastics class, being the one of the tallest girls in class at the time (this was before everyone else caught up with me during puberty, LOL), being angry at so many of my classmates, doing crazy things and stupid things (not like that's ever changed...), killing off sewing machines, having magic hands with craptastic computers, cramming loads of Individual Work, having one of the biggest barkadas the grade school department had ever seen, wearing stuff which seemed OMGAWESOME! at the time, occupying the entire driveway playing patintero, lunch on the covered court floors, retreats at Tagaytay, making friends with girls from bitterly opposing political dynasties (it still makes me happy that they seem to get along up until now), massive sticker picture love, booster participation during cheerleading contests, making friends, and of course, being in that yellow-and-white gingham uniform which made us so distinct to the world at large - and so laughable to other girls' schools. (Friends who come from said other girls' schools, aminin. XD)

Oh! The girl who unloaded our old photos was classmates with a girl who I consider my first love. And now, I am finally able to took at their class picture without feeling anything at all for that first love, except for a twinge of what might have been. (Naks, drama! But yeah. ;P)

But to be honest, even with all the shit that school threw at me, I will always regard my life in Poveda Learning Centre with fondness in my heart. ♥

Manigong Bagong Taon!

Just saying Happy New Year to one and all. :D

... Damn, where did 2008 go??? D:

Local trapos (traditionally corrupt politicians), we're watching you!

READ THIS (http://vicissitude-decidido.blogspot.com/2008/12/world-is-fucked-up.html) AND PASS.

Related reading:
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/141418/DAR-chiefs-son-5-bodyguards-face-charges-for-alleged-mauling-of-2-golfers
http://digg.com/people/Politician_mauls_56_year_old_and_14_year_old_on_golf_course
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20081227-180232/DAR-chiefs-son-tagged-in-golf-attack
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/12/27/08/dars-pangandaman-complained-mauling-antipolo-city-golfers
http://www.abante-tonite.com/issue/dec2708/news_story1.htm
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=427438&publicationSubCategoryId=68

Those politicians are going down.

I can has Poupee! :D

So thanks to Seme GF-chama, I finally joined PoupeeGirl!

For those on Poupee, please add me! ;D

Merry Christmas again! :P

Season's Greetings!

Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!

... Normally I'd have some form of artwork, but I'm feeling mighty lazy and I need to go out anyways. X3

EDIT: Haha sa wakas hindi na rin tinamad.

"Pasko" by Alvaro Jimenez, circa 2002, artwork borrowed from the Ayala Museum. "Maligayang" added by myself thanks to Photoshop CS3. XD

Home, Sweet House

Posting this because I'm off to a party where I KNOW this won't last longer than 5 minutes. Too bad, I really wanted to bring it home. ;~;





This lovely house is made out of graham crackers, chocolate cookies, marshmallows, caramel popcorn, chocolate wafers and much love. all put together with melted chocolate syrup (isn't that technically fondue?). Our accountant here at work, Ma'am G, has made this delectable piece of art. ♥ Look at the candy-choccy perfection and despair.

In the Waiting Line.

This song by Zero7 totally sums up what I've been feeling for months. I just don't feel like investing myself in anything besides work and the relationships that matter to me.

Wait in line 'til your time
Ticking clock, everyone stop

Everyone's saying different things to me
Different things to me
Everyone's saying different things to me
Different things to me

Do you believe in what you see?
There doesn't seem to be
Anybody else who agrees with me

Do you believe in what you see?
Motionless wheel, nothing is real
Wasting my time in the waiting line
Do you believe in what you see?

Nine to five, living lies
Everyday, stealing time
Everyone's taking everything they can
Everything they can
Everyone's taking everything they can
Everything they can

Do you believe in what you feel?
There doesn't seem to be
Anybody else who agrees with me

Do you believe in what you see?
Motionless wheel, nothing is real
Wasting my time in the waiting line
Do you believe in what you see?

Ah, and I’ll shout and I’ll scream
But I’d rather not have seen
And i'll hide away for another day

Do you believe in what you see?
Motionless wheel, nothing is real
Wasting my time in the waiting line
Do you believe in what you see?

Everyone's saying different things to me
Different things to me...
Everyone's taking everything they can
Everything they can

Nuninuninuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.

Today is a very, VERY sleepy day here at work. Which is ironic since I'm doing a lot of things. I thought this job would be easy, but apparently it's a lot more complicated and tiring than I thought. X_x


EDIT: Testing some settings on some video sharing sites (yes, for work :P). Would appreciate feedback on my comments section if you can see the videos. X3 Thanks!

Moments like these

I was going to post about my Christmas wishlist or the insanity of last weekend with Sentigram, but apparently the near-loss of my sister (context in previous post) was enough to shake me off this. Even now that I'm catching up on cosplay-related posts and other "light" news, I've become convinced that everything I have now is completely meaningless. I just want Ate back, and to see Mahal again. And now more than ever, I need to be financially stable if anything happens to myself or my family. So I'll just keep all my commitments, and afterwards I might not be around as often, if at all.

For a moment there...

I thought we lost you.

Please to not be letting us panic like that next time, okay?

Nalalapit pa naman ang kaarawan mo.

Love you. ♥

The Little Girl Who Will.

So, I've got a job.

I now work as a Media Relations Associate, soon to be accelerated to Media Relations Officer, in Virtusio Public Relations, Inc.

The catch is, I must be able to absorb 15 years of learning and experience from the person I am replacing, who is training me up till her resignation takes effect at the end of this month.

...I can do this! >0

Cosplay Mania!

I'm sorry I've been out of the loop, everyone. I assisted in Cosplay Mania, an event purely by cosplayers and for cosplayers. Unlike most other places, cosplayers here in my neck of the woods are hardcore enough to want to organise their own event. :P (Same goes for the yaoi fans, in the form of Lights Out, but I'm not one of 'em... :3) I'm sincerely hoping the gamers follow suit soon too -- I KNOW they can do it. d^_^b

I have found two blogs full of massive hate for Cosplay Mania, calling our event an epic failure. I don't really mind, except they seem to have written mindlessly, without the knowledge of the difficulties in putting up an event without tie-ups to large companies as is the norm here. Also, they don't know the full details behind the scenes, and while I suspect that making them privy to this knowledge may make them reconsider their posts, stories like these are never mine to tell. Besides, we already know that space has become a concern. Seriously, call us naive, but we still didn't think we'd fill the whole hall up -- hell, at least I was sure we wouldn't, I'd left all things cosplay behind for at least a year so I didn't think we had such a huge cosplay community by the time I returned -- if we all consider the timing of the event, among other things.

Again, my sincerest thanks to Filcosplay Forums, Ongaku-Society, New Worlds Alliance, Midknighter of Groundbreakers Studios/Mangaholix, and to all the volunteers and staffers for their outstanding support of this endeavour. Thanks to all the sponsors and exhibitors (I don't remember everyone, sorry ;~;) who helped make this event possible. And last but never least, thanks to all the cosplayers and cosplay fans who came, saw and enjoyed the event. v^_^v

God(dess) willing, see you all next year! ;3

Much love,

Haruka173
Cosplay.ph
Cosplay Mania 2008 Staffer

CosTube: The Cosplay Mania Cosplay Video Contest!

Get ready for Cosplay Mania, the event where cosplay reigns supreme -- take part in CosTube, the Cosplay Mania Video Contest!

Read the mechanics and contest rules right here.

Bookmark and watch the official Cosplay Mania website for more details on Cosplay Mania!

Plan... Build... Cosplay!

CosTube Cosplay Video Contest and Cosplay Mania are presented by Cosplay.ph, the Philippine Cosplay Compendium. Visit our website for news and information regarding past, present and future cosplay events, articles, photo and video galleries, forums, and more!

I r genius. XD

So, I have finally and totally figured out how to take back view photos by myself without literally or figuratively breaking a bone in my body, and without a tripod or surface either:



That's all. See you all at CosplayMania on Sunday! :D

Koakuma Sailormoon, and other things.

What happens when you cross himegyaru style with Sailormoon? v^V^v

Pretty Gyaru Sailormoon, that's what! XD

1	2	3
4	5	6
7	8	9

I want Neptune's hair the most, I hope it fits me! ♥♥♥ Alas, Uranus doesn't look very pretty here, but I guess that's because she's better off translated in terms of either sentaa (the male version of gyaru, aka those dandy boys with tans and ridiculous hairdos), or in bosozoku (biker gang) culture ala Anna Tsuchiya's character Ichigo in Shimotsuma Monogatari. X3

Scans taken from the September 2008 issue of Koakuma Ageha (Koakuma = little devil, ageha = swallowtail/night butterfly depending on the reading, and the magazine caters primarily to girls in, um, hostess bars so please exercise caution when reading!), made available here - please don't forget to say thank you! X3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow... tomorrow, it will be exactly two years since my sister left for the USA. While I have definitely gotten used to her physical absence, I still feel lonely and helpless without her sometimes.

Right now she's having fun gambling with a friend in Nevada. I hope that she actually wins something. d^V~b

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those who want to see some large photographs of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, visit this site! v^_^v

Would appreciate support for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk! :3

Supporting my sister in this one, half a world away. Here's her email:

Hi everyone,

Often times, we often look to make a difference in the world, no matter how big or small. My grandfather passed away from cancer and my aunt was once diagnosed with breast cancer and is now in remission. I've decided to become a part of the cause that will help contribute in developing a cure for this disease that affects us all.

It'll be a big feat for me, not just because it's for a great cause but because I've never joined a marathon before. I need to raise $ 1,800 for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer on September 13 and 14 and I hope you can all help me achieve that goal before September 13. I've been training every week going around my hilly neighbourhood, running and not just walking. And I will do my darndest to walk the 38 miles during the weekend. I'm hoping for your support and if you would like to donate, please clink on the link above. Thank you all for your generousity.

--> More info about the Avon Breast Cancer Walk here.

Which reminds me, I should go to the gym again ASAP.

THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO FOR TARA SANTELICES.

Found this being posted around. While I don't know this musician personally, I'm angry about the circumstances behind her current status, and hoping and praying she pulls through.


================================

THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO FOR TARA SANTELICES. PLEASE FORWARD TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW.

Word spreads around fast and almost everyone has already heard about what happened to our dear friend, Tara Santelices (Assumption Antipolo’s Batch 2003 and Ateneo de Manila University’s Class of 2007, AB Political Science).

On the eve of her 23rd birthday, Tara was shot in the head during a hold-up while riding a jeepney along Imelda Avenue, Cainta, Rizal. Joee Mejias, who was with her at that time, rushed her to Amang Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Marikina City. The parents of Tara and Joee arrived at the hospital shortly thereafter. When morning came, Tara’s parents finally decided to transfer her to the Medical City, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City. Since 8:00am of August 6, Tara has been in the ICU fighting for her dear life. Her parents have decided not to push through with the operation.

Although it might seem that there is nothing else that we can do but wait for Tara to wake up from this horrific nightmare, we, the friends of Tara, have decided to raise funds for Tara’s hospital bills. This is the least we can do to ease the unbearable pain her family is going through. We have been given the go-signal from Tara’s dad, Tito Larry, and here are the details:

The temporary bank account is under Anne Marie F. Santelices, Banco de Oro, SA 2140-062201. For direct cash donations, please proceed to the ICU Waiting Room of the Medical City (Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City). Please look for Joee Mejias or Lila Santelices.

Any amount will be gratefully accepted. Anonymous donations are also welcome. Please spread the word. Forward this to your family, friends and even to everyone else you know. Please post this on Friendster, Multiply, Facebook and wherever else you can think of. Please send group messages on Yahoo Messenger. This will mean so much to us, her friends.

Please continue praying for Tara, for Joee and for both of their families. If you want to come see Tara, visiting hours at the ICU are at 9:00 am to 11:00 am and 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Thank you so much for your time and kind consideration.

For inquiries, please contact Joee Mejias (09228154987) for calls and Jac Ledonio (09167243071) or Myka Francisco (09163695148) for text messages.