snip snip snippets

These are the stuff that’s been on my mind lately. They’re mainly bits and pieces of the recent happenings in my life, so they don’t really have a flow. Para naman hindi lang results ng quizzes yung nababasa nyo. And to think Creative Writing was one of my choices of course to shift into. Writing, maybe. Creative, no. Hmm… And instead of the incredibly looooong entry I posted earlier, I split the thing into several posts.

I want to go to a retreat. I really need to do some soul-searching before I go back to Manila. I wonder if silent retreats are offered here in Aklan.

I’m having second thoughts on working in Manila, though. On one hand, where else could I find good employment opportunities? Abroad perhaps, but I don’t want to end up taking care of some cranky old guy. On the other hand, competition in Metro Manila is pretty stiff. Also, its population has been skyrocketing with the massive influx of people from the provinces. I was hoping that I won’t to add to the congestion. I believe that our country should try to decentralize, i.e., economic activity and development should not be focused on a few cities. There are scores of other towns and cities that need to be developed. Graduates hailing from provinces like me ought to stay put and improve our respective hometowns. But then again… *sigh* The internal debate continues. Serves me right for not going to any one of the retreats offered by Ateneo last March.

I had my hair trimmed last week. I was tempted to tell the hairstylist to chop off a couple of inches or so, but I stopped myself because I knew I’d regret it later. You see, I’m trying to grow out my hair but I hate having to go through this awkward length. I wish I could go back to my short ‘do, but I also want to experience having long hair at least once in my life. Do you know that the length of my hair has never gone below my shoulders yet? Hmm… Is this sudden determination to have long hair a sign of my female hormones finally kicking in?

I bought three tiger barbs a couple of days ago. That’s a kind of tropical fish, if you still don’t know. They’re small and light brown, with four dark vertical stripes on their sides. Two of them died last week. They're in the freezer right now, awaiting burial. Don’t worry, it can’t be mistaken as ulam because I placed it inside a box of matches. Oh, and we’re planning to buy an aquarium (complete with aerator, filter and the customary miniature castle). But my younger sister, Nadya, and I have to use our own money. So we have to “work” in our family business. *sigh* My first taste of “independence” in the “real world.”

Nadya actually has more money, whether in the wallet or in the bank, than I have. And to think she’s ten years younger than I am.

By the way, she’s taking Math and Science classes that her school is offering this summer. It’s not because she failed or did poorly during the school year. She actually won a couple of Math contests already. District level nga lang, but she’s quite good. And this is not just the proud sister talking. Gahd, aren’t we a bunch of nerds.

But for all her potential, she has one shortcoming: she hates reading. She actually got sleepy after reading a page of Nancy Drew. (To her credit, it wasn’t really that interesting. Nevertheless…) So what’s wrong with that, you ask. A lot. How is she suppose to know important stuff when she won’t read anything other than her textbooks? How is she suppose to pass her entrance exams when her vocabulary is miserable and her reading skills are next to zero? Besides, reading is a way better than sitting in front of the idiot box all day. What is wrong with kids nowadays? Don’t they know that if they don’t read, they’re gonna grow up bobo? Sheesh.