The long weekend was good. My sister was here, so that meant all five of us sibs were complete.
Saturday, my sister and I spent some time together. We went to SM Manila to look for a gift for my best friend’s sister. I’m glad for the gift checks that I have because I didn’t have to spend much for anything. Afterwards, we went to meet my best friend. Notorious for being late, I knew that we were going to wait for a bit.
Thankfully there was a Starbucks nearby, so while waiting, my sister read the newest Kiko Machine compilation, while I played “Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box.” Yes, I managed to find a copy.
The Starbucks branch we were in was busy, and there were a lot of Korean students. I joked that I felt like I was the foreigner.
An hour later, Nez finally arrived and we went ahead to decorate their place for the party.
It was a good night. I had a blast hanging out with my best friend and her family, and it was great to finally introduce my sister to them. I’ve known Nez since we were 2nd grade but they rarely get to see my family. As her brother said, he had this idea that I was an only child. Haha.
Sunday, Dion, Otki and I went to Megamall because Dion wanted to buy some cards. He’s pretty much into card tricks these days, and he’s collecting different types of these cards. He’s pretty good at saving up his allowance so whatever he buys, he gets from his own money.
We just went around the shops, had lunch and merienda. It was a sale weekend, although surprisingly, there weren’t that much people compared to the last time I was there during a sale. Probably people already spent their money… or they were there the day before.
Monday, I took Otki to the bus station, then played most of the day. Half of the puzzles I solved thanks to the help of my siblings. The game itself became a joint effort between us haha. I finished the game last night.
The story here is a bit more dramatic than “Curious Village,” and instead of being on one location, here you actually get to solve puzzles in three (or at least, the major locations anyway) places: the train, Dropstone and Folsense. Four, if you count London. Oh, and the final puzzle is really clever. It’s so simple to solve but it took me a while to figure out what to do next… and it wasn’t with the stylus either.
Some of the puzzles really stumped me, but a good chunk of them were pretty easy to solve. With “Curious Village,” there were some instructions that had me scratching my head because it was so vague, but the clues here were a lot more clearer, and a few of the puzzles were related to the story, so it works well. I love the animation and the music, and I’m really hoping that the movie will be subbed soon!
I’ve got a few side puzzles and some unsolved puzzles within the game that I’m going to finish, but I want a new Layton game, mostly for the story. Ah, poor Final Fantasy III, I never got back to you.
Late yesterday afternoon, I met up with Drew at Makati to attend a lecture on teaching Katakana his friend Richard invited him to go to. Despite the fact that I can’t speak Japanese and the only sentence I can speak decently is the basic greeting, there were a few things I learned. I even managed to understand what one teacher was talking about. I’m not sure how but I think it was due to his hand gestures and facial expressions.
Food trip Finally got to eat at Sizzling Pepper Steak. It wasn’t as good as I expected, but it was good enough, and one order fills you up well.
Today, Gerone and I seemed to do nothing but eat. We had lunch at Jumbo Japs, nibbled on Reese’s Pieces while waiting for 1 pm, then bought 3 pieces of day old and two pieces of penoy. Did I mention there’s sans rival in the fridge?
Check-up We finally were able to bring Dion to the doctor. He has asthma, and the family was worried that since he was studying in the middle of the city, he might be prone to getting attacks and wanted to see a specialist.
We went to Medical City in Ortigas to Dr. Michelle de Vera. She said that what we’re doing now for Dion was good, considering that he doesn’t get attacks very often (but when he does, it’s really tough). She recommended that he carry an inhaler around all the time, use it as often as needed and call her if he uses it more often than normal.
Later on, Dion and I went around Recto to look for the books he needs for school. I was able to go inside FEU as well. It’s my first time to do so and I was pleasantly surprised. From the outside, you’d think that it would be crowded with a cluster of buildings. Definitely not like UP Diliman or Ateneo.
However, the campus has this huge space in the middle, and the surrounding areas are nicely landscaped with big trees providing cool shade. Not something you’d expect smack dab in the middle of the city.
Everyone who comes in gets their temperature checked and if found negative, stamped on with a “pass”. I wasn’t exempted haha.
I had often said that reunions should occur on happy moments, not on times when there is a loss. However, it is not often the case. My trip to Dumagete was just that. Though I was excited to visit my relatives and see the place, I wish that I had better reasons to be there.
I barely remember my great aunt, Lola Auring. I think I met her only once, when she was in Candelaria for my Lola Lilay’s funeral. I remember her children more, my aunt Marilyn and my uncle Melvin (who had also passed away not long after Lola Lilay) and I haven’t met any of my cousins from that side of the family.
So I was both excited and apprehensive.
The first cousins I met were my aunt Marilyn’s sons, Jun Jun and Biboy. When Tita texted me about who will pick us up from the airport, I was worried because I don’t know them from Adam. When we went out of the arrival area, Lolo immediately walked towards two young men I didn’t know, whereas I was trying to hold him back. Thank God he knew them.
At the funeral parlor, I greeted my aunts and another great aunt, Lolo’s youngest sister Juliet. I talked a bit with my aunts and uncles, who introduced me to more cousins.
What hit me the most was that these cousins of mine had strong similarities to my brothers. That’s when it dawned on to me that my lifelong belief that we got our looks either from the Banares side or the De La Llana side was shattered. A good chunk of it came from the Sales side, and it was rather amusing to note.
I must have stared at them for a long time. Jude looked uncannily like Dion, while several aunts said Carl and I share similarities around the eyes and cheekbones (though I think he looks like Nunik). Finally, I know where my cousin Jordan got his most distinct feature, because my cousin Neil has it too.
Amidst the sadness of the loss, I made discoveries. Perhaps this is the silver lining in the cloud.
Three day weekend, I decided to speed of to Zambales for a much needed R&R. My siblings were all there, and they said that my grandpa was asking when I’ll be home. I had planned to wait until Holy Week to go home, but I figured I could use the few days extra.
So after the TDT, I tried to catch a trip to Iba. I knew I wouldn’t make it to the Caloocan station, so I decided to take one from Cubao. Unfortunately, there were a lot of travelers so I had to compete with all those people. I couldn’t find the line for Iba, so I decided to get one to Olongapo and take a bus there to Sta. Cruz.
Luckily, I was able to talk to the conductor of the bus to Iba, and I got to grab the last free seat. Even though it was at the very back, I took it. To my left was a couple who sounded like they work in a call center; to my right, was a pair of middle-aged ladies who talked non-stop from Manila to Olongapo.
My parents picked me up from Iba, which was lucky since I missed the last trip to Sta. Cruz. Now I’m home… and tomorrow I’ll be heading back to Manila.
Waiting… hoping I’m worthy So I took the Talent Determination Test for the College of Fine Arts in UP Diliman. Since I’m a UP graduate, I didn’t have to pay the fees and take the mental test thing. I did the interview two weeks ago, and took the test yesterday morning.
The interview wasn’t what I expected. I thought I was going to be asked some questions like “Why did you choose to take a second degree here in UP Fine Arts?” or “What do you expect to learn?”. I was quite surprised that it was very informal, and that we didn’t really get to talk much about my art. I was told though that they encourage students not to do much cartoon style work unless they can develop their own style. I can understand that, and believe me, I want nothing more than to do just that.
The test itself was alright. It rained during the first half of the test so the air was cool and I felt relaxed. I didn’t have trouble with the first part of the test (can I reveal it? Nah, I’ll play it safe and won’t), but the second part had me stumped for a few minutes and I was literally grasping at straws for ideas. It’s what somehow makes me worried about the test, especially when I saw the works of the other people. Talk about intimidation. Though I’m no longer as confident as before, I’m still hopeful and praying that I get a good birthday gift when the results come out on the 17th.
Snippets Congratulations to my brother Gerone who graduate high school yesterday. He’ll be heading to Manila for enrollment after the Holy Week.
Congratulations as well to my best friend Carmenez for passing the bar! I now have several lawyers to defend me if the need arises.
We got a new puppy and named him Samer. Had a chat with my friends via Skype. Went to the beach today with my siblings too. Didn’t swim, just hung out.
