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Last Sunday I was fortunate enough to reunite again with my 16-year old (soon to be 17!) cousin, Chantelle. The last time we saw each other was when we were 3 years old because her family moved to New York. Technically, we haven’t seen each other for more than a decade. We never really stayed in touch while she was abroad (when you’re 3 years old, the only things that revolve around your head are Barbie dolls and wooden blocks), but now that she’s back for her summer vacation, I cannot wait to catch up with her.

We really are related! We look alike don’t you think?

We ate in Via Mare (Greenbelt), a restaurant which serves authentic Filipino cuisine. My parents wanted to treat their family to Filipino food since New York doesn’t really provide options for the Pinoy tastebud.
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With the amazing (read: amazing) workload college has been giving us for the past few weeks, we are all currently pulling our hair out worrying about the next deadline or next long test.

Ladies and gentlemen, my uhm, cramming/studying face. =))

I swear, I’ve never crammed papers like this before. I think you all know what I’m talking about when sleeping becomes unnecessary and your computer is THE only best friend you’d have in school. MS Word seems to be part of your system and being online is a life or death situation. But I think everyone deserves a break from the hazards of school. So when presented with opportunities to sit back, relax, and take a breather, my college friends and I either eat or go bonkers taking crazy pictures around the campus.
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Posted in Etcetera, Relationships | 1 Comment »

I think I’d have to agree with Crissy that lately school has been que terrible! With the upcoming deadlines for projects as well as the loom of midterms in the weeks to come, I think all I want to do right now is to shut myself in my room and sleep. Of course, any responsible Candy girl would say otherwise! I’m pretty sure everyone’s pretty much getting killed with high school or college requirements. I bet you have some major black eye bags getting darker by the minute. I bet coffee is a constant companion too!

It doesn’t help that when a deadline for a paper rolls along you find yourself grasping for words and statements. You want to sound profound but end up getting lost in your thoughts! You think of something the next minute but for some reason, the idea escapes you! It’s insane! It doesn’t help that when you look at your alarm, it blinks at you stating it’s too early in the morning – like 2am in the morning!

All you can think of is that nice warm bed that’s waiting for you, untouched. The sheets look extra comfortable and though you’d want to burry yourself underneath, you realize that as of that moment, you are attached to your computer with Microsoft Word open and a blinking cursor waiting for the next word you should be typing…uhm anytime SOON.

Every once in a while, we experience the inevitable writer’s block.

How I wish academic life would be a lot simpler but when everything else fails, it pays to stock up on really good music to soothe the head. Believe me, I’ve learned that in order to move away from the mental clutches of writer’s block, more music and more writing is the best remedy.

Thus, I present you with my uhm Writer’s Block Playlist. On days (or nights) which I can’t think of anything to write, I put these tracks on. It doesn’t always work, but it helps.

1. “We Intertwined” – The Hush Sound
2. “Can’t Take It In” – Imogen Heap
3. “Beautiful Day” – U2
4. “World Spins Madly On” – The Weepies
5. “Be Still My Heart” – The Postal Service
6. “Smile Like You Mean It” – Tally Hall (originally done by The Killers)
7. “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” – Stars (used in The O.C.)
8. “The View” – Modest Mouse
9. “With a Little Help From My Friends” – The Beatles
10. “California” – Rogue Wave
11. “Are You Happy Now” – Michelle Branch
12. “Superstar” – Lupe Fiasco
13. “Dark Blue” – Jack’s Mannequin
14. “Hope” – Jack Johnson
15. “If I Had Eyes” – Jack Johnson

I could come up with a hundred more songs if I had enough blog space! =)) I suggest that you come up with your own writer’s block playlist. I’m telling you, it works like a charm! It’ll get you through another paper deadline. J

With iTunes playing,
Sandra

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Felicidades!

Judging from my title, yes, I am currently learning a new language in college. And yes, obviously I am learning Spanish! I had an extensive list of choices to pick from during enrollment time. Italian was an option, and so was Mandarin. French was something I wanted to try out too. German looked interesting but shrugged off the idea since my friend joked around that you’d have to be partially angry when you speak their language.
I exhausted my weekend studying for my first Spanish long tomorrow. I’m quite nervous since Espanyol es dificil (Spanish is difficult!), pero muy interesante (but very interesting!)

The verbs can get really complicated and the fact that most of their words entail a masculine or a feminine gender, learning Spanish can be quite frustrating at times! Especially when you don’t get it at first! LOL

Nonetheless, I am not complaining. Immersing myself in a whole different culture and language is very interesting and quite pleasurable! I’ve learned a number of statements – Mi papa es muy estricto! (My father is very strict! HAHAHAHAHA!) and have learned a few questions as well – Puedo ir al servicio? (May I go to the toilet?) LOL!

And because I am multi-tasking right now (blogging for you Candy girls while studying for Spanish), let me give a sample of what I have learned for the past couple of months. Excuse the elementary Spanish grammar, I have yet to learn the complicated parts. But I am trying!

Here goes:

Me llamo Alessandra. Vivo en Ciudad de Quezon. Soy Filipina. Estudio en Ateneo de Manila.

When I get better, I will write something a lot more complicated. So far, that’s all I have! ((:

Que te diviertas! Adios!

Recuerdos,
Sandra

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There are a few things that can make me feel infinite.

Music has to be one of them.

I’ve never really been a musically inclined individual. Having learned that I cannot play any instrument (a triangle is an instrument, yes, but let’s not count that) early on, I decided I was pretty much into either writing or sports. But I guess you can say that my love for music has transcended in more ways than one. I am happiest when my headphones hug my ears and I hear no outside distractions from the uhm, outside world. Haha!

It’s easy to get lost in music, don’t you think?

And I think that’s what music does best.
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Posted in Etcetera, Reflections | 6 Comments »