2005 year-end survey

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done?
be responsible. haha.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
herm. i don't remember. i guess not... :P
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
yes! my sister-in-law gave birth to my first neice!!! choing choing!!!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
yeah... :(
5. What countries did you visit?
germany for the 2005 world youth day. DAS KIKT!

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
a little more dinero for production... waaah.
7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory?
feb 19. :)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Maging Akin Muli was a big acheivement for a few dedicated APFI souls. :)
9. What was your biggest failure?
not being there for my friends... :(
10. Did you suffer an illness or injury?
yeah. i think it was dengue.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
a huge-ass nacho supreme from nacho fast. GOODNESS.
12. Where did most of your money go?
food, everyday-gifts for my nephews, and production. yey.
13. What did you get really, really excited about?
being part of the TV-movie production with Direk Abaya. as in... super!
14. What song will always remind you of 2005?
the blower's daughter by damien rice. I CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU...
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? waaaaaaaay happier...
ii. thinner or fatter? thinner! yey!
iii. richer or poorer? POORER! yeeeey!
16. What do you wish you'd done more of?
socialize and be with my friends.
17. What do you wish you'd done less of?
not getting enough sleep... :P
18. How will you be spending Christmas?
it's been spent. :P and it was spent well. went to gab's christmas mass at Elim on the 24th. it was so cool. we all dressed up in filipiñana attire. then on christmas day, i had lunch with mike's family (SUPER FUN!!!), and dinner with my very own huge clan here at home.

19. Did you fall in love in 2005?
heehee. yes.
20. How many one-night stands?
ew. none.
21. What was your favorite TV program?
friends pa rin e...
22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
nope! i don't like hating people na. its a waste of energy. :P
23. What was the best book you read?
HARRY POTTER 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
hmmmm. kitchie nadal siguro.
25. What do you want to get?
a nice digital SLR and a frickin pen tab that won't die on me. yeeesh.
26. What was your favorite film of this year?
yikes... hmmm... siguro Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros. the technical direction really sucked, but i totally loved the story. so much heart!!!

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
i was in Pampanga, on the set of Maging Akin Muli, working. i turned 24. yey.
28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
herm. i'm not sure. am pretty satisfied with this year... :)
29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
confusing. hahaha.
30. What kept you sane?
matthew and film school.
31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
jonathan bennett. drooooooooool.
32. What political issue stirred you the most?
augh. hello garci....
33. Who do you miss?
fiddler's green.
34. Who was the best new person you met?
#58.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."

paskong filipiñana

MALIGAYANG PASKO SA LAHAT!

Christmas Funnies

Little Leroy came into the kitchen where his mother was making dinner. It was a few days before Christmas and he thought this was a good time to tell his mother what he wanted. "Mom, I want a bike for Christmas."

Little Leroy was a bit of a troublemaker. He had gotten into trouble at school and at home. Leroy's mother asked him if he thought he deserved to get a bike for Christmas. Little Leroy, of course, thought he did.

Leroy's mother, being a Christian woman, wanted him to reflect on his behavior over the last year and write a letter to God and tell him why he deserved a bike for Christmas.

Little Leroy stomped up the steps to his room and sat down to write God a letter.


LETTER 1:

Dear God,
I have been a very good boy this year and I would like a bike
for Christmas. I want a red one.
Your friend, Leroy

Leroy knew this wasn't true. He had not been a very good boy this year, so he tore up the letter and started over.

LETTER 2:

Dear God,
This is your friend Leroy. I have been a pretty good boy this
year, and I would like a red bike for Christmas.
Thank you, Leroy

Leroy knew this wasn't true either. He tore up the letter and started again.

LETTER 3:

Dear God,
I have been an OK boy this year and I would really like a red
bike for Christmas.
Leroy

Leroy knew he could not send this letter to God either, so he wrote another letter.

LETTER 4:

Dear God,
I know I haven't been a good boy this year. I am very sorry. I
will be a good boy if you just send me a red bike this Christmas.
Thank you,
Leroy

Leroy knew, even if it was true, this letter was not going to get him a bike.

By now, Leroy was very upset. He went downstairs and told his mother he wanted to go to church. Leroy's mother thought her plan had worked because Leroy looked very sad. "Just be home in time for dinner," his mother said.

Leroy walked down the street to the church and up to the altar. He looked around to see if anyone was there. He picked up a statue of the Virgin Mary. He slipped it under his shirt and ran out of the church, down the street, into his house, and up to his room. He shut the door to his room and sat down with a piece of paper and a pen. Leroy began to write his letter to God.

LETTER 5:

I GOT YOUR MAMA. IF YOU WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN, SEND THE BIKE.
Signed,
YOU KNOW WHO

No more dying elephant!!!
so we have this semi-ancient electric fan in our library that gets irritatingly wild and noisy when we turn it on... like a huge-ass elephant being massacred to death. there's a way to make the madness stop... which only i (proudly) have mastered... hehehe... and that is to patiently and LOVINGLY (yes. it is important to do this dreadful, annoying task lovingly) press all the buttons (0,1,2,3, whirl) simultaneously in a certain electric-fan-breathing pattern... almost like a complicated variation of CPR. after repeating the pattern a few times, only then will the dying elephant resuscitate back to its electric-fan life and glory. yey.

i didn't mind having to do such a complicated process a few times, but after the 48 millionth time, you kinda wish God would drop a new, white and green, hanabishi electric fan from the heavens to replace the dying elephant... which is EXACTLY what He did yesterday! WAHOOOOOOOO!!!! thanks to gyeb's community for sponsoring the best gift our household will ever receive this christmas. *biggest smile*


Maging Akin Muli
after weeks of stressful shooting in pampanga and sleepless editing nights at mo's, we finally launched our tv-movie project with JesCom earlier this week. gateway cinema one was packed with friends and family... a lot of whom were priests... for the premiere of Maging Akin Muli (featuring Marvin Agustin, Noel Trinidad, Sandy Andolong, Missy Maramara, Ronnie Lazaro, Jaime Fabregas, Efren Reyes Jr, Karla Pambid, and a whole lot more!).

i can't fully explain the ecstasy of hearing the audience laugh throughout the movie... or of receiving warm praises and "thanks" afterwards. i almost cried when i received this text from a friend who brought a long some seminarian-friends to the movie:

Mic... thanks so much for inviting us to see Maging Akin muli... they (seminarians) love the film... they were smiling the whole time kasi totoo daw lahat... even the way the formators talk with them... the mom... everything... na-reaffirm din yung vocation ning isang seminarian bound for Tagaytay for postulancy... they'll advise their classmates to watch it on sunday... and they'll be waiting for its release on video so they can watch it during their TV-time...Ü

after a few moments of overwhelming shock, i forwarded her message to Direk Marilou. Direk, in turn, replied with similar messages of affirmation from her priest-friends. grabe. i didn't think people would be so moved to say that their vocation and prayer-life have improved after watching such a film. sweeeeear. kakaibang high. as in. AS IN. thank you, God... is all i can say for now... THANK YOU. my vocation as a filmmaker has reached a whole new level.

to those who stay up late to watch TV, please do watch the movie. it'll be televised this Sunday, December 18, 2005 at 10:30 PM, Channel 2. tell your family and friends to watch!!!!!!


On a vain(er) note...
I'm cutting my hair short today. hehehe. it's been two years... i hope i don't look horrible.