sorry im not sorry

would you read it?

you know...i've given this serious thought...and might be a few chapters in already =]

i know i've started many a book before, but this one seems to be a keeper

to sit back and just listen

dear whoever picks the vampire diaries music...are you aware that your song choices speak to my soul?

remember that time...

oh siri, stop it...but seriously you're freaking me out

note the "sir douglas" move AKA dougie!

nbd. my father is on his way to mastering these

baby jesuses

"ANAK, hello!" all of a sudden came booming from my back pocket. My rear end had answered a phone call from my mother. In a packed J Crew. It took me a moment to register that I was the one responsible for the garbled foreign accent that everyone had raised an eye brow at...right as "who in the world is that?!" escaped my lips, a few things clicked in my head. First thing, that this voice sounds like Sofia Vergara. A splitsecond later, THAT VOICE BELONGS TO MY MOTHER!! i laughed to myself for a sec before remembering that I should probably answer the phone.

"Hold on," i say to my friend, "my people are calling me... oh hi Mom, you just talked to like 20 ppl...oh yea they loved you, 'encore!' they demand...."

What a delightful discovery. Nothing against mom, it's not a bad thing AT ALL. and i mean, it makes her even more endearing.

I was silly to think I was the only one in my family who had come to this realization. Now, my father has a very americanized accent. He even throws around "yall" just as much as i do. One year I tragically remember him saying, "What's up? Let's Rock!" to a couple of very unsuspecting friends of mine who had stumbled into one of our borderline insane filipino christmas parties (I think at the time he was really excited to sound so American...may have had a beer in him too. or 5). Well, we were at breakfast this morning and mom had stepped away to answer the phone. "Jeeessss, I've been waiting por jur call..." echoing from the living room.

Dad turns to me and goes, "she sounds like gloria to me sometimes, did you catch on to that?". And with that we begin one of our let's talk at the breakfast table for hours as we unknowingly bond moments. (like >this day<) ...i reference that day only bc its prolly the best entry in this blog and i think you should check it out again haha.

So there it is, I came home to eat, do laundry, and realize Sofia Vergara is my mother.

Oh, and to decorate for Xmas...speaking of which, i believe it is now time for me to partake in a family tradition...the tradition being blaring Nsync's xmas album while associating four letter words with tangled christmas lights.

WAKE UP!!!!

and then calm it on down with some T Dabbs

and just smile

i gotta pee out the smart water...does that mean i'll fail my exam?

i'm studying with a bunch of engineers right now...during the second of silence between songs it sounds like they are talking complete gibberish.

and then i look back down at my notes and i realize...well, my notes pretty much look like complete gibberish too.

im floundering in a sea of gibberish.

except they're all leaving. so now its just me, the, law, and 14 rolly chairs. ohhhh the possibilities....for injury.

maybe, perhaps, def

era la musica

the usual delirium

"i saw that you and sally wrote on leah's wall, so i thought it was her birthday and wrote on her wall"-Katie Law

that makes no sense.

Forget A=C, A=Z law!

who knows what will be coming out of our mouths by tmrw morning. round 2 of locking ourselves in freeman to get nerdy till sunrise. oof. i already feel like a defeated zombie...

dear dad and mom...

I just want to take a moment to take pen to paper and remind you how much i love you and how much you mean to me...as best as written word and my heart could possibly do.

no fancy card, no crazy parcel. just pen and lined paper. simple yet heartfelt. and written in the moment. my favorite snail mail.

im totally focused on cell bio and then all of a sudden

im in my onesie triiiccckkk

aaaand of course it's a onesie picture

frolic ova here and i frolic ova there

tgi-FRIGGIN-f

man after my own heart

me: "would you like whip cream on that?"
einsteins customer: "is there any other way?"

fave person of the day right there. i later saw him getting into his car at the pit. his bumper sticker read "honk if you like it wild."

i honked.

humpday pick me up

one throwback. just cuz today when it came up on shuffle i discovered i still know pretty much all the words =]

generally physical presence is needed to pass an exam...

"the $#!tty thing about tests is that you have to be present to take them"--the law

yea...almost overslept my 8 AM exam...oops? man i am takin a beating this week! 1 test and 2 doc appts left. LEHGO!

and to everyone affected by the einsteins fail tues morning...i apologize.

and martha queen...our minds are so alike and i LOVE it.

pre-lent challenge. cut me off coach!

i'm officially swearing off einsteins food.

nada mas!!!

i'm sorry what?

i'm pretty sure i just overheard "chocolate bra" in conversation...i'm intrigued.

not as good as when i overheard "yea we saran-wrapped sarah to the bed again" in passing on library bridge.

how to build a murphy bed: morgan freeman <--that would be one epic tutorial

"i can only imagine the trouble you'd get in if you had a murphy bed during our rooming years"-melanie pineros

would've made for great times i am sure...aka, you would have had to save me from it on a daily basis.

"fencing bruises are brutal"

sorry brand spankin new cartilage piercing, but it appears i will be partaking in fencing and tae kwon do. hate it for ya. brace yourself!

do it to it!

gym. class. doc. study. repeat. x 5 then HOME to the fambam in charleston this long awaited wknd. woof.

and yes, the only time i can make it to the gym is at the buttcrack of dawn. but it ain't an option cuz i HAVE GOT to undo everything i've eaten this past wknd!!

calories aside, im still gunna look hot in that hospital gown ; )

anyone else resist the urge to run freely down the corridor with that on? liberating.

set the number of days since last accident sign back to ZERO

didn't have the stereotypical frozen bag of peas.

well folks, i've managed to accidentally inflict pain upon myself yet again (when do i not?). this little catastrophe came in the form of a pull up bar...that collided with my right eye on its way from the top of the door frame to the floor.

see what had happened was...i went to slam my bathroom door shut, forgetting entirely about the huge pull up bar that should have been more noted in my peripherals, and so it came crashing down to high five my face. hooray!!!

so pull bar-1, irene- 0 with a black eye and a cut

klutz mcgee-OUT

get em tigers!!!!

says the person checking my eportfolio?

it's reassuring that you can't spell...

Bo time can be spontaneous or extremely premeditated

i knew we thought alike.

also, im so glad i has a new ipod. reunited and it feeeeeels so good!!

for some reason i've had a fascination with light this morning...(more than usually)...i wish i wasnt scared to take the d5000 everywhere

i think she thought i was taking a picture of her...well it's not a day in the life of irene nicole vera cruz mortera unless i have sufficiently creeped someone out.

i would like to make my intentions clear for friday's lecture, prof

by the way, benjy, this is NOT my name

this is more like it.

ultimately the goal is to include it in the olympics

o lord. >click<

so...can i pole dance for my homeland? make my people proud?

LOLed a lil

also, does that constitute skype rape? i think so.

Problem

this was not the movie i was paying to see...

but as most problems do, this one worked itself out...had a refreshing talk with pops today. bout life's problems. he reminded me that yea, life is tough, and unexpected, and hits faster than you'd ever like. but that's what so beautiful about it you know? how you rise to greet each new situation. how your mind, body, faith, and will adapt and evolve to take more than you think you ever could. life would be dull any other way. ...thanks Dad, my rock when i least expect it.

"there's too many things that I haven't done yet

Too many sunsets

I haven't seen

You can't waste the day wishing it'd slow down

You would've thought by now

I'd have learned something

I made up my mind when I was a young girl

I've been given this one world

I won't worry it away

But now and again I lose sight of the good life

I get stuck in a low light

But then Love comes in"--Sara Bareilles

tumbling tumbleweed

would you believe me if i said that i didn't fall while holding this?

now can you believe the size of that mug? comically miniscule. pinky out!

...zzzz

what is with everyone's infatuation with taking pictures of me passed out?

wake up your heart

this used to be the first thing i saw every morning. good to happen upon this picture again.

i hope everyone's enjoying their fall breaks!! i know i am. only thing id change is i wish i could be in charleston runnin the race for the cure right now...para aking pamilya ng fighters!!! para sa ako din...pero pamilya palaging MAUNA.

run it back with original flavor

my stomach roared ferociously, i had goosebumps, and i was about to pee my pants...

this is what happens in every class i attend.

on the upside, i got 1 lab to go today then its FALL BREAK FOR ME!!!!!

i can already hear the sound of my first beer being cracked.

...i forgot you can drink in lee...had i remembered this, today would have gone quite differently...drinking game to lecture? how bout a shot every time she says...."the"

throwback. "is something burning?"

cheesing for a picture, when all of a sudden molly goes "is something burning?"...yup. her hairs caught a light.

OPA!!!

this is what true friendship is made out of

what have i been doing with my life?

shoulda been doin stuff like this eh? haha start em younngggg

ten cuidadoooo con el fuegoooo ehoh ehoh

it's the kind of morning...

where for a good minute i thought i was trapped in the handicap stall in brack.

but no, i was pulling instead of pushing the door...it's gunna be a longggg day!!!

goin straight to nicks after lab. that's whats up.

...did i put underwear on today?

"so i shouldn't sit next to you..."

who thinks i can learn this?!

i may not be as talented as some of my other vera cruz killers but i think i can handle it ;] what you say?

school, you're really throwin off my groove.

“She read books quickly and compulsively, paperback after paperback, as if she might drift away without the anchor of the printed page.” ...

i wish i had more time to just read.

egg up!

alright einsteins, i won't quit on you. you can have me once a week. just know i decided to stay only because the radio got fixed. dance on coworkers, dance the frick on.

"it's jurassic frickin park outside!!"- Mel

i'm gunna take a moment to miss my roomies...they were the shiznit, and knew me so well...

me: "tell me i shouldn't go to wendys."

melanie: "you're there now aren't you."

me: "whoa, im stuffed! how did i not finish this?!"

melissa: "it's ok, just save it, we all know you're gunna be hungry in ten minutes."

me as im flyin out my room: "MISS KITTYS DEADDDD!!"

melissa: "WHY DO YOU HAVE NO PANTS ON!!!"

melanie: "it would be more economical if it were a keg"

well...i guess it takes knowing me for .3 seconds to know that I don't ever stop eating...

throwback to >kuya mike!< maybe i'll make this for din din.

boom. roasted.

dear school,

this is what i think of you....you and your papers and exams and your 8 AMs.

im goin back to live in >norway< (click). who's on board? slash who can get me on board a plane...

burning the midnight candle

...and in my sleepless stupor i am lucky to not have burnt down the apartment by now, but as the night is young, let us hope this luck lasts.

I have nothing of consequence to relay to you today, seeing as how my brain feels all jelloid and i fear that i am bug-eyed and playing the hokie pokie with the blurry lines of sanity and pure madness, redbull in hand. ...

dear future irene,

all nighters are not fun, why are you always in the midst of them!? kindly get your act together (you've had 4.5 years to do so) and study when you are supposed to.

aware that this will never happen,

panic-stricken irene

apologies world, but i release upon you a sleep deprived irene. the delirium is strong with this one.

and with that i shotgun the last of my bulls that are red.-huh?- cheers, governor

RT from cosmo bout Lady Di! #certifiedgleek

::inserts sprinkler dance move::

this morning i timed the sprinklers to go off around when i got back from my run.

best decision ever, i frolicked to my heart's content at 8 AM in our sprinklers. should've just brought shampoo out there. bet the neighbors would love that.

wine night.

last night was wine night.

rules:

• bring a bottle of wine
• bring a snack
• everyone introduces their wine (the name, the kind, why they bought it, and then read any excerpts on the bottle)
• choose something to toast to (or in leah's case just salute)
• everyone tries the wine

since we're classy and all, here is some of what we all managed to bring:

• tostitos and dip -me
• string cheese- sally (who formerly brought harvarti cheese to the last wine night, mispronouncing it as "haverty's", a furniture store)
• oreos -leah
• cheetos -eileen

we're not at all in need of etiquette classes.

doh!

i've developed a slight limp just now. the sole culprit is an unintentionally direct collision between my rear end and the edge of a table. I had leaned over to tie my shoe, so I was in a stance similar to the middle evolutionary piece between a monkey and man, when I suddenly stood up, forgetting the table was behind me, causing my butt bone to hit the table edge with the same sort of physical conviction a foot has as it makes contact with a soccer ball aimed for the end of a field.

at which point mom chooses to round the corner, not phased at all at the sight of me gingerly rubbing my bottom with a pained expression.

that's gunna bruise.

even smile in your liver

As tradition goes, today I got ice cream from the ice cream truck that still makes its rounds in our neighborhood of teenagers who are of course too cool to do anything remotely childlike. Instead they lean against their newly acquired cars and stare at the lone person waiting in line for ice cream, me. I clutch in my hand the change I excavated from old purses and backpacks as the truck comes to a stop in front of my house, its music, a rendition of "it's a small world" that unfortunately sounds like it came straight out of a horror movie trailer, echoing quietly in our cul-de-sac. Usually, I file in line behind 3 year olds. I guess they're all busy taking naps, or pooping, or being sweetly innocent and uncorrupted by this mad world of ours.

While I savor my cents' worth of ice cream, I peruse an Express magazine full of clothes I can't afford. Oh but wait. There's a coupon! "spend $100 or more and get $30 off". Well, that excitement was short lived. I rip up the coupon, all the while arguing vehemently with it (an inanimate piece of paper). Having sufficiently torn it to smithereens and dramatically thrown it away, missing the trashcan entirely of course, I head downstairs.

There I find dad sitting at the kitchen table, where we embark on one of our incomprehensible "are we bonding right now?" moments. aka, we talk about his life growing up in the Philippines and he reminds me how he accomplished so much on nothing, internally making me immediately shameful of the current going ons in my life. today, he recalls working out in the rice paddies. Naturally my mind cuts to what my friends' reactions would be, had they been flies on the wall for this conversation. They'd never resist the opportunity to envision me, in a comically huge stereotypical rice paddy hat, standing there, confused as hell as to how the actual mechanics of rice gathering goes. you mean you don't just stand around waiting for mulan to come by singing about hiding her gender from the boys, who are not yet men, surrounding her? who knew.

But as I direct my attention back to the conversation, dad is reminding me, that hey, it's just material things (money and such), which interestingly enough reinforces a quote i just read from Gabrielle Bernstein: "if your happiness is based on external experience, then, my darling, you are fucked." Slightly crass, yet completely true. (and yes I finished "this is where i leave you" in a day, owing to the absence of any impending paper or exam. and yes, i highly recommend it) So much as of late has been reiterating to me that yeah, in a few months i might be unemployed and s.o.l. in the finance department while a student loan bill lurks just around the corner, but somehow it will all work out and i will be okay, cuz hey, it's just material things.

most resourceful post grad award goes to...

the one and only. working on her box of "delicates."

mint chocolate chip. yerba mate. tropper. bon iver.

it's a rainy day in summer and i love it.

started a new book today! "this is where i leave you" by tropper (thanks to "a little lamb" 's recommendation) and i cant put it down! it has me giggling silently to myself while also pulling ever so slightly at my heart.

a good book. some tea. a lit candle. bon iver-esque playlist. and raindrops on my window. pure joy.

also, rumor has it this weekend i am finally learning how to make egg rolls!!!! it's pretty much the only thing standing in the way of me successfully completing i-am-filipino 101.

my last culinary attempt was surprisingly a success. (pansit) let's hope for the same outcome!!

kurt hugo schneider

at first i didn't like this song, but the video makes me smile. i like the things this schneider fellah films

"there's nothing like a storm in your heart to wake you up"

tree...tree....tree...

aside from the usual lull of monotonous I26 scenery, something more eventful was occurring behind the seemingly blank stare gazing, yet in a I'm-still-paying-attention-to-the-road sort of way, at the unchanging and endless highway. the weather, oddly compliant with the ramblings within, seemed to match the storm in my heart...it was raining...and simultaneously...SUNNY.

I lost and regained my sanity all over 26. i gave to the emotion each meaningful chorus and verse drew from the labyrinth of uncertainty brewing in my head. what of my heart? well, it was more vicious. it thrashed me about, left me hanging from rooftops. in the midst of being reduced to my most pathetic self, i found myself calling out to God for the slightest bit of relief and begged for even a glimpse of peace.

and somewhere between clemson and charleston, the journey traversed in my soul measuring far longer than the miles counted between state borders, i rediscovered myself just in time for the sun to set on a world that was not as scary as it had been mere hours before.

breaky and paper at sunrise

to my parent's astonishment, i was up and at 'em early this morning. AND reading the paper. i must say, it's a stark contrast to last summer's habit of rollin' out of bed at 1PM, totally oblivious to the outside world, and inquiring about breakfast, only to be told it's past lunch time. but it's nice. i like an early start. it's done wonders for my daily productivity level. those of you who know me (3.5 of which are maybe reading this) know that i've struggled with that in the past. so here's to having an awesome day and start to the week everyone! turn on some good tunes and get motivated for the day! =]

but just for giggles...

nom noms

downsize?

yup, i'll prolly cry when glee ends this season

the bass of the party below rocks my sleeping bag and i to sleep

welcome to the desolate apartment of 733. what you see in this picture is all i have left to my name right now. the rest of my life belongings are currently living the dream and taking up residence in my friend's parent's house. as you can see, i have only what i need to survive i while wrap things up in clemson.



but it's all good with me cuz i get to be reunited with charleston for a month!

Lord, we know not what we're doing.

monday pick me up song

why do i like coke commercials?

because they inspire acts of kindness.

and our world doesn't get enough of even the simplest of these acts.

help someone out today, or even drop a line or two to an old friend just to say hello and that you hope they are well. and do it with genuine sincerity.

it can be surprising how mutual the benefit is. cheerio

'arry has successfully taken up years of my life

and what better way to await the premier than to loiter around your local cracker barrel

and yes. my shirt says "wadup snitches?!"