the ipod shuffle, that is. i saw this on a website and thought i'd do it to, just for fun. shuffle your songs and list down the first five songs that play.
i've never had that feeling of dread about getting older. not when i turned 30 two years ago, not last year, and definitely not this year, when i've finally fallen off the calendar. this is the age most people start counting backwards.
i have to admit, though, that this birthday came and went with a sense of melancholy because, although i've celebrated my birthday out of the country 5 times in the past 6 years (or is it 4 times in the past 5 years? oh well, you guys get the idea), this is the first time i celebrated it with people who are practically strangers.
yes, i've spent every day of the past 7 months with them and i've developed a strong bond with a number of them. but they're still not family. they're not friends that i've known for years. they're not people who know all about me and my past.
so all the greetings from old friends and family was extra special that day. it made being away and (essentially) alone more bearable.
besides, a lot of good things happened that day that balanced out the bad:
the bad:
i'd gotten locked out of my cabin early in the morning because my key had gotten demagnetized. i ended up arriving 10 minutes late for work.
the good:
the pinnacle grill waiter assigned to the neptune lounge that morning opened the lounge for me. he turned on the lights and the tv, opened the blinds and greeted the guests who came in for breakfast and coffee.
the bad:
the food my colleagues requested for the party they were throwing for me was not approved by the hotel manager.
the good:
benjie and mike, the sous chef and apprentice cook, surprised us with a whole tray of goodies - quesadillas, hot beef wraps and steak - for which they had to work overtime to prepare. i never realized na malakas pala ako sa kitchen staff. even now, benjie tells me to just holler if i get hungry and there's no more food in the crew mess.
the bad:
i had two guests almost get into a scuffle in front of me at the neptune lounge. i literally jumped up from my seat and told them that their behavior was unacceptable in the neptune lounge and i would have to ask them to leave if they insisted on fighting.
the good:
one of my other guests put in a good word for me to my manager without me knowing it. apparently she saw me get up and scold the two grown men who were acting like boys.
the other good:
peter, the cabin inspector assigned to the navigation deck, brought me flowers. technically, that's not allowed because the flowers onboard are part of the inventory. the florist could actually get into trouble for making the arrangement. so, although i'm not really a flower kind of girl, i truly appreciated the gesture.
a week has passed since my very eventful birthday and there are a number of things i'm looking forward to in the next couple of weeks:
tomorrow, the veendam is going to pass through the panama canal. i am definitely going up to the lido deck and try to get pictures.
on april 23, we will be in huatulco, mexico. peter is going to take me jet-skiing. i hope my schedule will allow me to go ashore that day.
we'll be doing the alaskan itinerary in a couple of weeks. home ports will be vancouver one way and seward for the other.
after this panama canal cruise, which ends on may 2, i have 10 7-day cruises left before going home. i can't wait for the countdown to begin!
100+ questions. here goes... 4. EVER DROPPED A CELL PHONE? definitely
1. EVER BEEN GIVEN AN ENGAGEMENT RING? yes. but i returned it
2. LONGEST RELATIONSHIP? 5 years. still friends with the guy
3. LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED? flowers and abercrombie & fitch perfume
5. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED? today
6. THING(S) YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON: personal items & food
7. LAST FOOD YOU ATE: brie cheese & cracjers
8. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX: how they carry themselves
9. ONE FAVORITE SONG: land of the loving
10. WHERE DO YOU LIVE? pasig
11. HIGH SCHOOL YOU ATTENDED: st. paul pasig
12. CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER: globe
13. FAVORITE MALL STORE: shoe stores (nine west, charles & keith in particular)
14. LONGEST JOB YOU HAD: web editor/manager
15. DO YOU OWN A PAIR OF DICE? no
16. DO YOU PRANK CALL PEOPLE? only once
17. LAST WEDDING YOU ATTENDED: a wedding bukas palad sang for a few months ago
18. FIRST FRIEND YOU'D CALL IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY: joy or marlon
19. LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR BEST FRIEND(S): oh... months ago
20. FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT: ahhh... that would be jollibee or kfc
21. BIGGEST LIE YOU HAVE EVER HEARD: "no, there were no other women..."
23. WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT WITH FRIENDS? anywhere
24. CAN YOU COOK? i sure can
25. WHAT CAR DO YOU DRIVE? honda civic and toyota altis
26. BEST KISSER: wouldn't you like to know?
27. LAST TIME YOU CRIED: i can't remember
28. MOST DISLIKED FOODS: frog legs, chicken feet
29. THING YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF: i'm mature, loyal, and strong
30. THING YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF: i'm a procrastinator
31. FAVORITE COLOR(s): reds, rust/copper, black
32. LONGEST SHIFT YOU HAVE WORKED AT A JOB: 12 hours
33. FAVORITE MOVIES: oh a lot. but the top two would have to be "sense and sensibility" and "the usual suspects"
34. CAN YOU SING? yes
35. LAST CONCERT ATTENDED: bukas palad's 20th anniversary concert/album launch
36. LAST KISS: a long time ago
37. LAST MOVIE RENTED: i haven't rented a movie in years
38. ONE THING YOU NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT: pwedeng 3? id, purse, keys
39. FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: any place i can relax
40. LAST VACATION DESTINATION: baguio
41. WHERE ARE YOU GOING NEXT VACATION? i'm thinking of baguio and sagada
42. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO? europe
43. LAPTOP OR DESKTOP COMPUTER? laptop
44. FAVORITE COMEDIAN: ellen degeneres, will ferrell
45. DO YOU SMOKE WEED? no
46. SLEEP WITH OR WITHOUT CLOTHES? i prefer without
47. WHO SLEEPS WITH YOU EVERY NIGHT? my pillows
48. DO LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS WORK? they can work when both parties are committed to making it work. but i wouldn't really recommend it
49. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE? hmmm... 3 or 4 times
51. DO YOU LIKE COFFEE? i like it well enough
52 HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS? sunny side up
53. DO YOU BELIEVE IN ASTROLOGY? not really
54. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE: bernard
55. LAST PERSON ON YOUR MISSED CALL LIST: i just had a number
56. WHAT WAS THE LAST TEXT MESSAGE YOU RECEIVED? a message from tito james
58. NUMBER OF PILLOWS: 4
59. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW? a t-shirt
60. PICK A LYRIC, ANY LYRIC: "all my life / i've been the one who's big and normal for everyone / and now i know you let me down / will it always be / that i'm the only towerblock for me"
61. WHAT KIND OF JELLY DO YOU LIKE ON YOUR PB & J? strawberry
62. CAN YOU PLAY POOL? no
63. CAN YOU SWIM? yes
64. FAVORITE ICE CREAM? haagen dazs strawberry ice cream
65. DO YOU LIKE MAPS? not particularly
66. TELL ME A RANDOM FACT ABOUT YOURSELF: i csn roll my tongue
68. EVER ATTEND A THEME PARTY? yes
69. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? fall
70. LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED AT SOMETHING STUPID? about an hour ago. i spilled my drink on my roommate
71. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING? 6:20am
72. BEST THING ABOUT WINTER? freshly fallen snow
73. LAST TIME A COP GAVE YOU A TICKET? when marlon and i got pulled over
74. WHAT WAS IT FOR? illegal left turn
75. NAME OF YOUR FIRST PET? candy
76. DO YOU THINK PIRATES ARE COOL OR OVERRATED? i don't think about pirates
77. WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND? what's a weekend?
78. BIRTHDATE? april 10, 1976
79. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE? married
85. ARE YOU ON A LAPTOP? yes
87. ARE YOU SMILING? no
89. DO YOU MISS SOMEONE RIGHT NOW? yes
90. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE WOULD YOU GO? europe
92. ARE YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL? no
93. DO YOU HAVE A MIDDLE NAME? yes
94. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NAME?
95. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHING SUIT? it's striped
97. DID YOU GO ON VACATION LAST MONTH? no
98. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A CRUISE? i've been on a lot of cruises since i work on a cruise ship
99. DO YOU HAVE A SISTER? yes
100. ARE YOU UPSTAIRS? nope
101. ARE YOU IN LOVE? nope
102. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL? yes
103. DO YOU WISH YOU COULD SEE ANYONE PARTICULAR RIGHT NOW? yes
104. WHAT JEWELRY ARE YOU WEARING? nothing
105. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO AFTER THIS SURVEY? sleep
30 unknown facts/secrets about myself (note: it's funny how some of my answers have changed since the last time i answered this survey.):
