Blast from the past 1

Got this idea from Reggie Girl of Midlife, menopause, mistakes and random stuff.. when she posted her blast from the past photos. I have a lot of old photos mostly from my childhood and recently I did a little search for these gems! Here are some I found on my first search, I'm sure I can still dig out a lot of photos from the past LOL.

Haha this is my first birthday with a dumb smile on my face LOL. That's my Mom in a red duster and my cousin on the right side, probably the one more excited to open my gifts!

Still my first birthday. I shudder looking at this! Everything is so girly! Pink gift wrappers, Disneyland and little balloons!

I'm the one in the red shirt; the three kids around me are siblings. This was also my birthday, look at Snow White and the Seven Dwarves on the cake LOL.

This was taken in Loyola Memorial Park; we were just visiting my grandparents. And yes, it was a really hot day LOL. That's me with my little brother, he was so cute! Now he is so skinny! Haven't visited this cemetery for months! Have to pay visit to my Grandparents, wouldn't want them rolling in their coffins missing us! LOL

Yes folks, that is a sea of pretty flowers and maybe a Crusaders boat? LOL. I have no idea why the boat in the background and if there was a history regarding it written somewhere, I probably didn't read it during that time. I was a kid! If only I could go back, I'll supply you guys more pictures! This is a place somewhere in Clark, Pampanga, just minutes or an hour away from Manila. I don't know if the place still looks like that.

I look fugly here, hahaha! Looks like I just woke up and was served with.. Cereal. My Mom said it was a free breakfast from the hotel we were staying in that time! Who would want a free cereal for Breakfast? Cheap Hotel!

I just had to post this because my Mom looks like a hippie hahaha! If you click on the photo, you'll see an enlarged version obviously and my silly face!

My laziness is already evident when I was just a kid. I'm the one in the yellow shirt and lounging lazily on the left side of the couch while my three cousins and a friend are pretty.. happy.

This was taken on the old Greenbelt Park in Makati, Philippines. It's gone now. Oh by the way, look at what I was so wearing - so dope! I was a bit of a tomboy back then so forgive that horrendous outfit. OMG, what was wrong with me during that time LOL.

I can say I was pretty spoiled, judging from all my birthdays, that's probably the reason why I get everything I want! When I was born, everything was so possible but ever since my little brother was born, he didn't get to enjoy all those things I get to enjoy - the trips out of the city, Hotel-hopping, marvelous birthdays and other things. He did get to enjoy other things especially technological stuff but times have changed due to financial problems and other circumstances. If only I get to replay things, I probably wouldn't change anything except reliving those days with my now deceased loved ones. Just thinking about my Grandma makes me teary-eyed!

Got a photo to share? Were you spoiled when you were a kid? How was your childhood, more extravagant than mine? What are the things you miss?

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I hope you guys enjoyed, there are more photos to come, and this should suffice for now until the Town Shootout Blog on Friday. If you wanna join Town Shootout, just head on over to Patty at Crisfield, Maryland - the next shootout is wildlife around your neighborhood, courtesy of Butler and Bagman at The Butler and Bagman Chronicles.

Much Love,

About blogging.

Featured Blog Post:
Cottage Farm Villa: Kitchen Inspiration!
P.S. Check out how she patterned her kitchen after her dream kitchen!

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I blog to express and to have a record of my thoughts and things that happened in my life because I know I'm gonna look at my old posts and probably say how silly I was and so that I can refresh my memory too. I'll be discussing some parts of blogging in here, sort of like a FAQ and lots of blog-related things. I'm not an expert but I've been blogging for almost 5 years already (a good slice of that, I blogged in a gaming site). No, that doesn't make me an expert, still!

You probably notice a lot of people having more than 30 comments and wonder why you only have 5 views a day or less and no one is commenting - and you have really good entries, you know it!

In a hundred views, only a handful of people comment. It's not really about the views - it's all about wanting people to notice you and knowing what you have to say! For some it may not be important but for many who want comments, they need to let people know that they have arrived and ready to start kicking some serious ass. The key in here is networking! Go out there and start commenting on people's pages! Always make sure to leave meaningful feed backs. A "Nice blog!" comment would not help. If you don't have anything else to say, do not comment and move on to another blog.

Okaaaay.. you tell me that I should let people know I have arrived in the blogosphere but where are they? I don't know where to start!

Good question. Join networking sites and participate in discussions. Just plugging your blog straight away would not help you very much and people would probably ignore you. I recommend to start in Blog Catalog. Register, have your blog in their directory, participate in discussions and check people's blogs. I guarantee you, once the ball starts rolling (when you start commenting on various pages) it picks up speed and might not stop (they'll begin commenting on you)!

Meet other people through your new found friends; connect with them by joining in various activities - you'll meet loads of people in the process and an unlimited supply of awesome and new blogs!

Cool! How do I maintain my blog?

Don't write when you don't have anything else to say. Don't be pressured or intimidated by those people who seem to churn out blogs every single day! What's important is that you update often, blog about 3-4 times a week (whichever way you want it), set some boundaries and let people catch up with what you're up to. One blog per 2-3 days is fine, no need to push yourself!

Have a layout and make sure the content is readable, think of those people who have problems with their eyes! Their retinas are probably burned every time they come to your page if you have a black layout and a very bright text! Also make sure that people can navigate your page easily!

Keep a list of your blog favorites and visit them often (they are your favorites after all!). It's really nice to comment back to the people who commented on you and reply to those people who commented on your blogs. If you comment back, they will probably return the favor and maybe start a conversation and get to know each other more! NOW THAT IS NETWORKING! If you reply to their comments individually, they will feel appreciated. I know I feel appreciated when people reply to my comments! We all love that, right?

To monitor your page views, get some counters. Add applications here and there if you feel like it. Just keep in mind that if you put too much stuff in your page, it's gonna load slow!

Thanks. You talk too much. I know I talk so much but these are all so essential, just some basics!

All about you now!

I think I went overboard and talked too much to myself up there LOL. Anyway, the things I wrote up there are just basics and are my experiences, of course we all have our own style and principles when it comes to blogging!

Now I want you to answer some questions!
1. Do you leave comments on other people's pages? Any set number of blogs you're going to visit everyday?
2. Do you reply to comments in your blog? If not, why not?
3. What motivates you to comment on a certain blog?

Any other feed backs? I'm always here and happy to listen! :P

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By the way, yesterday was Earth Hour (in this side of the world anyway) and yes, we participated and I harassed a few people to switch off their lights to vote Earth. We should have Earth Hour every week! An hour a week would not hurt! If you ask me, it should be a total blackout if we really care for our planet. Seems like almost everyone in my neighborhood cared, some are probably oblivious about it LOL. Like what are their TV sets for?!

Did you participate in Earth Hour? What about your neighbors?

Much Love,

7 unique facts about me.

Featured Blog Post:
Getting By With A Little Help From Her Friends

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I'm not so good at talking about myself but I'll give it a shot since Reena tagged me! So here are the 7 sort of unique facts about me.

1. I hate it when someone talks to me when I'm brushing my teeth. I give them the dirty finger if I'm really in a bad mood LOL (kidding, I don't do dirty fingers hahaha!) but I usually just ignore and automatically shut my ears when someone begins talking to me while I'm doing the job.

2. I get so easily touched and overwhelmed over vintage stuff. For example, I've watched a couple of classic movies: Gone With The Wind, Breakfast At Tiffany's, To Kill A Mockingbird, A Streetcar Named Desire, etc. and in some portions of these films, I almost always cry! I get teary-eyed whenever I see the classic cars, the dresses and the hats, girls so poised always having that 'high-class' look, black and white, and a whole lot more!

Like this scene from Gone With The Wind! I love the dresses and the fancy hats and almost everything that Vivien Leigh wore in the film.And this scene from Whatcha Think About That by the Pussycat Dolls too! Oh I adore those fishnets, whatever you call those hats, the corsets, heels, etc.

3. I almost always read and hear everything around me. I read whatever my eyes come across like in chat rooms with friends, blogs, comments and I don't know, I can't stop reading whatever if I have the energy haha! As for hearing, it's as if I'm not listening or focused on something else but I still hear what people talk about and digest them. I don't mention to it about them, though! I pretend I don't hear/understand.

4. I memorize things easily. One of my mottoes is: I'd rather memorize a whole page full of words than solve one mathematical problem! Seriously, my mind goes blank whenever someone asks or talks about numbers. In my Math classes, I don't understand why my classmates understand everything so well or at least a bit but I don't even know one single detail! Or maybe I don't care lol. I'm always like, "Speak human, please!" or "I don't speak monkey."

5.Whenever I learn I have a problem, I mope about it for 2-3 hours or less and forget about it or smile, laugh, and talk afterward as if nothing happened! I guess I have a short attention span when it comes to problems! Besides, nothing will happen if I cry and scream about it LOL.

6. I seriously LOVE babies. I start to 'hate' them when they reach 3-4 years old. They stop to become so innocent and they start being brats LOL.

This is me holding my nephew. This little guy is only 6 months old. He loves to laugh, smile and make noises - everyone's ideal baby! I just hope he's still fun to play with when he reaches 3 years old.

7. I laugh even when there's nothing funny LOL. This is due to flashbacks of silly scenes or when some things are arranged in a pretty weird and funny manner. I sometimes laugh when I cross to the other room and a floorboard creaks. Yes, that's already funny to me, hahaha!

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Some things we've got in common? What is the most peculiar fact about you?

This game requires people to tag so I'm tagging Faisal! Sorry Faisal. :P

Much Love,

Me and you against technology.

Featured Blog Post:
Mount Samat: A Tribute To The Heroes

P.S., Show some love. I'll put links of friends in here from now on.

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It's currently Summer here in the Philippines and I really don't have anything to do. Some plans I wrote about in my Summer Blog might not push through, most especially on those Piano and Drum Lessons and owning a DSLR but that's alright, I have thousands of days to go lol! So I'm just gonna present to y'all my routine which is probably the most useless and boring routine ever hahaha!

Morning. 9AM.
I usually wake up at 9, open the computer before I actually get to open my eyes and sleep again for 10 minutes then wake up, do some stretching and some sit-ups if I feel like it. I use the computer for like 10 minutes and I go check my blog, reply to comments and comment back. I know that's not in 10 minutes but almost close to an hour lol. Then I go downstairs, step on the weighing scale (I now have it!) and always discover that I'm 84 pounds LOL. But yesterday was pretty good as I'm now on 85 pounds! Okay that's not a huge feat but I'm trying to reach like a hundred pounds in here. After Breakfast I estimate calories that I got from Breakfast and write them down and my goal is always 1500 calories a day. The websites I checked out said so! After that, I take a bath, face the computer again, continue commenting back and finding new blogs and chatting with friends. What a very productive life.

My computer.

After Lunch. 1PM.
After Lunch I record my calorie intake again, face the computer, get bored and take a nap and daydream for an hour lol. After that, I'm just gonna face the computer again and watch movies. That or I read some books (I'm currently reading Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, I love American Civil War books!) From there, the productivity continues until Dinner. After Dinner, I record the calories, take a shower and yes, you got that right, face the computer again and before 12AM, I get ready for bed, read a few pages and sleep.

And the routine goes like that for the whole Summer. Is that fun? Are you snoring now? I did say it's the most useless and the most boring routine ever, right? I hang out with friends whenever I can, they're always one of my top priorities, especially when I have the money to go out lol.

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I have my Cellphone, computer, PSP, NDS, TV, iPod, blah blah, the list goes on and on. I do remember the days when I go out and play with kids from my neighborhood and hang out with them but that gradually changed when I got into High School and started meeting new and more people, the ones that are gonna stay around for a long time. At least I get to experience running around the roads and being one of the.. old school kids.

Now I know a lot of you will say that I lead a very wasteful life and that I always surround myself with electronic gadgets and times are different compared back then. I don't blame it on the Technological Advancements we make but I blame it on me and maybe the rest of us. We let these things control us and we really don't do anything, probably because we're happy already because everything is more convenient.

30 years or so, I wonder what will happen to us, what kinds of diseases will appear, technological breakthroughs, attitudes and everything else that surrounds us, including us, of course. Maybe we would be like the folks from Wall-E.

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What are your routines? Do you think your life revolves, most of the time around electronic stuff? Do you think we have gotten so lazy? Have you watched Wall-E? Do show some love!

Much Love,

Town Shootout: Houses.

Patty from Crisfield, Maryland came up with this really great idea to have like, a Town Shootout wherein every week, there's a new topic and new photos to look at. Not just new photos but fun adventures and some new knowledge of course! Here are the other participants, check them out if you want more photos and better stuff to look at LOL. My photos aren't that good because I was either walking, in a car, or hurrying while taking the following photos. It would be very weird indeed to take photos in my neighborhood or someone else's neighborhood because it's all new to the eyes of the people. So I literally have to take these secretly. I don't know what will happen to me if they find out LOL. I sure hope they are not technologically advanced, hahaha.

Reggie Girl in Georgia.
Barry in Ontario.
Mark in South Carolina.
J9 in California.
Loida in China.
Missy in Japan.
GingerV in Brazil.

An old house with businesses on the first floor. We've got a lot of them here in the Philippines. The second floor is usually where they have the living rooms, etc.It is not Manila, Philippines when you don't see these shanties! They are a common sight, actually. And to think these shanties are so close to the Business area of the country! Just look at the bottom photo and the pretty neat house with graffiti in its gate LOL.Note the graffiti on the blue gate hahaha. Some kids just won't stop vandalizing. The house with the green gate seems like.. a cage. I guess they are taking extra precaution.Kudos to the cars who kept messing up the photos hahaha. Was taken while I was in a Taxi, these are already pretty modern houses with offices inside it.The colorful house is one of my favorites in the neighborhood. An old friend lives there, I don't see him anymore. Actually, I haven't seen him for years hahaha.Taken from my brother's school building. Here are the roofs of the people living down there. As you can see, the neighborhood are like, clumped to each other. People don't know anything about distance or backyards/gardens for that matter lol.Another one of my favorites. That red was even brighter before when the house was still new. I love this one because it's sooo.. modern and artistic especially if seen personally.Again, my favorites. It is annoying when you don't get too much space because the neighborhood is too cramped, posts are all around and trees just sprout out of nowhere. Result? These two photos LOL. Both are very beautiful and new houses. The blue one is sort of like a Townhouse. Okay, maybe it is a Townhouse.

I hope all you guys enjoyed! Now I just hope my neighbors don't find these and have me arrested.

Much Love,

Just who are you?

Now who am I? Some people have been around ever since I wrote my first post and I met all of them through the internet. Not a lot of people who I have met outside internet life know this little space of mine.

I'm a not so normal person leading an extraordinary life. I say extraordinary because of the people and the environment around me and the beauty I find in things that I'm interested in or I happen to encounter. I say a not so normal person because I'm half crazy like what my Username states LOL. Kidding aside, it's HalfCrazy because of whatever randomness comes out of my mouth and how I try to break stereotypes, being mature and immature, being interested in out of this world things, and being funny and serious at certain times.

I remember the person I was, someone who was stupid enough to not read books, someone who can't stand to watch a movie for 2 hours or more, someone who doesn't know life enough (it's not like I know it face to face, though!), one who lacks patience, doesn't know how to respect and care, and the list goes on and on. I look back and I hate myself for being someone I don't even know! Okay, I know for a bit, but I want to be someone who I want to lead an extraordinary life, not a normal life with the same shit, not one of those people who just follow the people around them without having a say as if they do not own their lives! I was one of the teens that people love to hate.

So I changed, even if I don't remember what phase exactly but I do know it was one point in my life where my family and I were caught up in a crisis and I was having a little bit of trouble with someone else. A time when before going to sleep, even if I hardly get any that time, I'm like, "What's gonna happen, tomorrow is another day but it will be another one of those days I have to face without nothing." I don't know if you guys ever get that feeling, being mad and bitter at the world for having some sort of catastrophe to befall on you. I don't want to live those days again but those days taught me many things about life. I'm not saying I'm an expert but being in that situation and surviving it, getting over it, it made me feel.. well, strong, like I can take on anything. Like what's worse than that time of my life, right? But I know that's not the worse life has to offer, I know there are still many hurdles to jump over but while things are doing good now, I have to enjoy the moment. Take in everything and engrave it on my mind and pray it's gonna stay there for many years to come.

This is just a random photo hahaha. I look stupid LOL

I'm not perfect but I'm trying to get to know myself better, trying to be a good person, trying to do whatever is more appropriate, be open to more ideas and all that "Me, only better!" stuff. I'm just thankful having these wonderful people around me especially my family and my friends that are always around and people that I have yet to meet. Now I can say my life is extraordinary because of them and I know it gets much better from there, probably until the day I die. Or maybe I'm just saying that.

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Just some ramblings I really wanted to get off my chest. I can't do any of these 'expressing' in real life hahaha. Now I want to hear whatever you have to say because I'm all about the love!

Do you think your life is extraordinary? Do you look at your life in a different point of view? Can you tell who you were back then and why did you change? Are you happy with your life right now?

My best photos. Or so I think.

Some more of my photos in this post if you missed it: Fort Santiago: A Philippine Relic

Photography has always intrigued me because an aspect of it seems real. I am an art lover, and while paintings and the like are beautiful photography is different because each picture literally freezes a moment in time for future reference. Photography captures what other art-forms express.
- Monkey Wrench

I really should be blogging about how my last day ended as a Computer Science student today but friends requested (especially Monkey Wrench; check him out if you have the time, by the way! He's got some really fierce posts in his blog most especially about Anarchism. So I recommend that you guys check him out) that I should post photos that I've taken. Okay so, here are some of them and a little history of each photo. Tell me if I have the potential to be a good Photographer, LOL.

This was where I spent 10 years studying Grade School and High School. In here I also met my greatest friends, the friends that I know will stay around for a lifetime. This school witnessed my nervousness and clumsiness as I trot through Grade School and a totally different person who cracked her shell when she stepped into High School and learned to bully kids hahaha. But hey, I changed when I stepped into 9th grade and realized bullying was totally stupid and mean!The photo with the black clouds was taken from a classroom window. The one with the amazing sky was taken in front of the Auditorium. The gold on the center is St. Vincent De Paul turning his back on me hahaha.An evening with friends after someone's birthday. Will never forget this night. The cocktails and the Grilled Sausages we ordered were so expensive! But my drink, an Irish Bailey's is one of the best cocktails ever. It's got some Bailey's in it, some gin, milk and of course, ice. The Grilled Sausages were amazing too.My cousin preparing for her debut. Self Timer. I don't remember if I was really sad but my pose suggests that I was not in a good mood so I set it on Black and White hahaha. My last days in High School. This was around March 2007, before our Graduation. Papers were strewn all over the floor, chairs in every direction and lockers were open. You can guess that everyone was excited for Summer Vacation!Shakey's Hawaiian Pizza. One of my favorites but then again, I have loads of favorites hahaha.A lone Chocolate Shake. Better if enlarged SO CLICK IT!Sky over Mall of Asia.Mall of Asia. At night.Taken earlier today. Someone was arranging a portfolio.Bottled Water. Was on a Bus leaving the province for Manila (capital of the Philippines). Situation when we arrived in Manila.

Phew, finally done! So what do you think, do I have the potential to be a Photographer? Hahaha! Photos were taken using a PSP cam (1.2MP) A Motorola V3i of the same quality and a Roco 12MP thing. Hahaha 12MP that's funny, it's not a DSLR. Any tips and tricks from Photographers out there?

Much Love,

Plans for Summer. Hopefully.

Okay, taking a little break from History and on to personal life! Well, it's not very personal, these are just thoughts the past few days. Summer is coming up, just a few more days and my classes will end so I have things lined up for the pretty long break, which is about a month. So here are the things I'm planning to do:At least get one of these DSLR things and maybe take Photography classes or have a mentor. I know almost everyone goes through the Photography phase and I guess my time is now! Well no, it's not because I want to be in the "in" crowd like some people say about people who jump in the Photography bandwagon. It's because that for some reason, I know I can take some pretty good photos and I see beauty in just about everything. Okay, does that make me qualified? Or I'm not being humble here? Hahaha!

Actually, I already told my Dad I want one but he told me a bought another Digicam because all the 3 digicams he bought in the past are now broken lol. But he didn't say anything about buying one or not.Keep track of my weight. No, I don't wanna be one of them really skinny girls but uhm, I guess I'm one, for some reason. I exercise sometimes in the morning because I'm either running late for school or I'm just too lazy to do some stretching and sit-ups because I'm probably glued to something else. Like, the internet! So for summer, I'm gonna pack myself with Calories, Carbohydrates and Protein being my primary targets. I'm gonna eat more rice, bread, potatoes, fish, drink more milk and water, etc. And maybe go to a fast food once every two weeks for extra cholesterol and saturated fat LOL. AND OF COURSE, take notes of my weight.

Hmm? What about height, you ask? Nevermind about that. I'm gonna be 4"11 for the rest of my life. Shit, that makes me a hobbit, right? But hey, I don't mind! At least it's easy to find a guy without looking down. But yes, I'll be spending a lot of time looking up LOL.Another plan is to have Piano and Drum lessons. A few years ago, I had a few Piano sessions but I was not even interested in Music that time so I cheated by counting the keys instead of actually reading the notes. LOL. Maybe my Piano teacher knows about it so she maybe played along and played dumb too lol. But hey, I learned quite a few stuff. Anyway, I'm now very interested in the Music Industry and I can now appreciate whatever song gets thrown on my lap. But I really don't understand Metal! Ah well, I guess it's not for me.Photo taken by me. Pack my head with more Literature. I'm not even halfway yet in Song Yet Sung but it's very compelling, I just don't have much time to read it but like all my other books, I'll always finish it! So anyway, I have one pending book to read and three National Geographic magazines LOL. I'm subscribed to Nat Geo, by the way. So for vacation, I'll probably buy like 2-3 more books before school starts. So many books to read, so little time!I recently watched Super Size Me; yeah I know, I'm late in watching this! Anyway, I'll watch more movies for the upcoming Summer than ever before. Maybe 3-4 movies a week is fine! Yay, I can't wait for vacation! Sometimes, I don't understand why I'm so interested in many things and I wanna gobble them up the moment I see 'em!

In other news, I now have Twitter. Follow me!

So these are my plans for the upcoming Summer, what are yours? Do you like Photography and if not, would you indulge in it someday? What do you think about people jumping on the Photography bandwagon? Are you underweight or overweight, what do you plan to do about it? Feedbacks about the things I rambled?

Hope y'all are safe. Much Love,