pinay wins.
(may 16, 2004)

Patricia Evangelista, a 19-year-old, Mass Communications sophomore of University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman, did the country proud Friday night by besting 59 other student contestants from 37 countries in the 2004 International Public Speaking competition conducted by the English Speaking Union (ESU) in London.

She triumphed over a field of exactly 60 speakers from all over the English-speaking world, including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, reported Maranan.

The board of judges decision was unanimous, according to contest chairman Brian Hanharan of the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC).

PATRICIA'S SHORT SPEECH WORTH READING....

BLONDE AND BLUE EYES

When I was little, I wanted what many Filipino children all over the country wanted. I wanted to be blond, blue-eyed, and white.

I thought -- if I just wished hard enough and was good enough, I'd wake up on Christmas morning with snow outside my window and freckles across my nose!

More than four centuries under western domination does that to you. I have sixteen cousins. In a couple of years, there will just be five of us left in the Philippines, the rest will have gone abroad in search of "greener pastures." It's not just an anomaly; it's a trend; the Filipino diaspora. Today, about eight million Filipinos are scattered around the world.

There are those who disapprove of Filipinos who choose to leave. I used to. Maybe this is a natural reaction of someone who was left behind, smiling for family pictures that get emptier with each succeeding year. Desertion, I called it. My country is a land that has perpetually fought for the freedom to be itself. Our heroes offered their lives in the struggle against the Spanish, the Japanese, the Americans. To pack up and deny that identity is tantamount to spitting on that sacrifice.

Or is it? I don't think so, not anymore. True, there is no denying this phenomenon, aided by the fact that what was once the other side of the world is now a twelve-hour plane ride away. But this is a borderless world, where no individual can claim to be purely from where he is now. My mother is of Chinese descent, my father is a quarter Spanish, and I call myself a pure Filipino-a hybrid of sorts resulting from a combination of cultures.

Each square mile anywhere in the world is made up of people of different ethnicities, with national identities and individual personalities. Because of this, each square mile is already a microcosm of the world. In as much as this blessed spot that is England is the world, so is my neighborhood back home.

Seen this way, the Filipino Diaspora, or any sort of dispersal of populations, is not as ominous as so many claim. It must be understood. I come from a Third World country, one that is still trying mightily to get back on its feet after many years of dictatorship. But we shall make it, given more time.Especially now, when we have thousands of eager young minds who graduate from college every year. They have skills. They need jobs. We cannot absorb them all.

A borderless world presents a bigger opportunity, yet one that is not so much abandonment but an extension of identity. Even as we take, we give back We are the 40,000 skilled nurses who support the UK's National Health Service. We are the quarter-of-a-million seafarers manning most of the world
s commercial ships. We are your software engineers in Ireland, your
construction workers in the Middle East, your doctors and caregivers in North America, and, your musical artists in London's West End.

Nationalism isn't bound by time or place. People from other nations migrate to create new nations, yet still remain essentially who they are. British society is itself an example of a multi-cultural nation, a melting pot of races, religions, arts and cultures. We are, indeed, in a borderless world!

Leaving sometimes isn't a matter of choice. It's coming back that is. The Hobbits of the shire traveled all over Middle-Earth, but they chose to come home, richer in every sense of the word. We call people like these balik-bayans or the 'returnees' -- those who followed their dream, yet choose to return and share their mature talents and good fortune.

In a few years, I may take advantage of whatever opportunities come my way. But I will come home. A borderless world doesn't preclude the idea of a home I'm a Filipino, and I'll always be one. It isn't about just geography; it isn't about boundaries. It's about giving back to the country that shaped me

And that's going to be more important to me than seeing snow outside my windows on a bright Christmas morning.

Mabuhay. and Thank you.


credit: mishy

walay ayo.

..means worth nothing

..not worth anything

..of no value

..senseless existence

..walang kwenta



calling someone "wala ayo" everyday, will eventually make her believe that she is..

amateur.

looked through files and found these..

maganda ba? ha?ha? hehehe^^

loser.
..like me.
(sixpence none the richer)

bad morning.

sobra.

i woke up telling Him i feel soOo blessed by Him and i feel soOo thankful for the brand new day and im willing myself that today is better than yesterday.

but what greeted me back that morning when i opened my bedroom door was the CONTROL FREAK. yes, i call her that sometimes when she tranforms into this perfectionist monster. when she morphs into this creature, i swear, i do not know her. gone the sweet smiles, gone the caring greetings. wtf! funny what lack of sleep can do to a person. urgggh..pa.ulit.ulit na lang..and the name-calling! plus the prophesizing (tama?). please, hindi ka manghuhula. haaaaay..

na.iinis lng talaga. forgive me Lord.

You're The Sound and the Fury!

by William Faulkner

Strong-willed but deeply confused, you are trying to come to grips
with a major crisis in your life. You can see many different perspectives on the issue,
but you're mostly overwhelmed with despair at what you've lost. People often have a hard
time understanding you, but they have some vague sense that you must be brilliant
anyway. Ultimately, you signify nothing.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

..medyo tama naman ang "result". pero nakakadepress nman yung 'you signify nothing' na part..

the world is pretty amazing.

i'm n a roller coaster ride. up, down, up , down, loops, up, down, loops..it just goes on and on..but lately it was all downs. gravity won't let me up. I really want things to work. but wanting things to work isn't enough anymore. the forces are not with me. not fair. im a good kid. i mean i try. i try so hard. but it gets heavier and heavier. haaaay..but all this taught me one thing..it's going to get better because it has nowhere else to go. i just hope its going to be soon.c:

life is a gift.
a beutiful one.
and it is because of the joys as well as the tears that it is beautiful..

kung anu-ano.

Rumor has it na wala daw pasok today dahil Muslim holiday ek-ek pero no announcements have been made. eSkwater. wala bang text jan?!

edit/
no class nga! and sO i spend the day worrying over our 84 project..just worrying.. hahah.. ooh.. and me and dang watched marie antoinette.. ewan.. yun lng ang available muvi na we havent watched pa eh..may short appearance pa ang chuck taylors dun..panahon kaya yun ng french rev.. hahah..ang weird.
/edit

dads going back to KSA today. so i woke up really early to see him off. everyone is quiet, either sad or drowsy, tapos long drive to the bus station, tapos lonely drive back home. tapos sleep again and upon waing up you just realized hes gone. it just sunk in. this scenario has been repeated for more than five years now, but i still couldnt help but feel sad. xempre dad ko yun.. oh im soOo gonna miss him.

edit/
dads coming back! hahah..^^ parang narinig ang prayers ng mommy ko. may problem kasi sa ticket nya, it has to be re-confirmed daw before he can use it..eh super late na when he learned about it. but the upside talaga hes staying till tuesday!
/edit


quote.quote.quote.

"Most girls say they want a fairy tale but a boy taught me that it's not really what I want. I want someone who will make fun of me, laugh at my jokes even if they aren't funny & someone that wrestles with me and doesn't let me win just because I'm a girl; yeah riding off into the sunset on a white horse would be nice but playing thumb war with him seems much better."♥

aww..love is real and it happens in real life.


i want to say hello to myaw..hehehe..helloOo..wala lang.. ang saya lang..

kemi, i miss you! hahah..wala lang din na.miss kita bigla.
myaw miss you with much love! hahah!♥

rudy and ling.
congratulations!

ideal relationship. real commitment. real love.
love you mom and dad!

from your scrawny daughter.^^

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

complete.
..from A-Z

A is for AGE: 19
B is for BOYFRIEND's name: marami..eh..hahah! *joke* wag magalit..
C is for CAREER: photographer\
D is for DAD's name: rudy
E is for ESSENTIAL item to bring on an airplane: book and music player
F is for FAVORITE song at the moment: stars by alejandro fuentes
G is for GIRLFRIENDS: ay ang dami. Haha.
H is for HOMETOWN: waterfalls city
I is for INSTRUMENTS you play: pyanuh
J is for JAM or JELLY you like: jam
K is for KIDS: sean, mia
L is for LIVING arrangements: live in haha :)
M is for MOM's name: ling
N is for NAME of your best friend(s): sheryl
O is for OVERNIGHT hospital stay: hospitalized for dengue
P is for PHOBIA[s]: high places and looking down
Q is for QUOTE you like: "smaller than a comma, insignificant as a cough" -astrid magnussen, white oleader
R is for RELATIONSHIP that lasted the longest: aj
S is for SINGER(s) you like most: mraz, jewel, parokya
T is for TIME you wake up: 5:45am during school days
U is for UNIQUE trait: htd jyfkc gulohlhm gcj
V is for VEGETABLE you love: okra, kalabasah
W is for WORST habit: biting my lips
X is for X-RAYS you've had: chest
Y is for YUMMY food you make: bacon shrimp roll
Z is for ZODIAC sign: gemini

spig.

hahah..i know medyo late nato pero ang cute eh..^^

happy new year..oinkzzs..

oh yeeaah..anyone who knows java or even C++? i am in need of your help..really..we have to make a program which applies numerical methods [secant and bairstow]..i need it by wednesday and we're defending it on friday.
please email me [dylmsn@yahoo.com] ill give you cookies! ^^

photo credit: filipeanut

guilty.
..beyond reasonable doubt.

pak! bakit kasi pumasok pa sa klase na yun..nagui.guilty tuloy ako..pakshet talaga! bwiset!

we're going to talk today about all this. hopefully this guilty feeling will rub off me soon. trust me ang pangit ng feeling nato. its eating me alive w/o even skinning me! urggh..

eeyneweei..yesterday morning may dalawang tao nagaway beside me. wow, grabeh super shock ako ng may biglang nahulog sa tabi ko. yun pala sinipa xa ng kaklase niya. at yun nagkasagutan. at muntik nang nagkasuntukan. buti nlang the one who fell was calm enough not to kick the other back. pero masakit yun ha, sa chest ka sisipain. grabeh din yung isa nanglilisik talaga yung mata. sciri bai!

may ganyan din pala dito.

screw circuits. screw iit. screw layp! godamit! *labo* sobra..

inyuman lahat kaU!

Tapos na exams. Hirap, grabe. Kakabadtrip. ayokong malaman ang resulta. Bet tayo, bagsak ako sa lahat. pramees..

roadtrip.
not your typical sunday.

left for bukidnon at 4am and had a really grand time with family and friends. people i will love forever. we had to leave early so we could catch the 8am mass at the Monastery of Transfiguration. the weather was soOo beautiful with the perfect mixture of sun, cool breeze and huge pine trees.

the monastery is run by the Benedictine monks found on the hills of malaybalay, bukidnon. it was very peaceful and serene and after following a relatively narrow and winding road, we came upon a place that appears to calm you just by being. they have a little store outside the chapel where they sell religious figurines, rosaries and coffee.

and xempre after mass picture taking..^^

i've always wanted to stop dreaming and start doing.
and so i did.

next stop was cagayan de oro. everything in mapawa nature park was wonderful. you can go swimming at the swimming hole [its really spelled that way], or go horse riding at the ranch. you could also try something extreme like the ziplines [that has 6 stages of meter zipping and rappeling] and the river [for trekking and canyoneering]. like we did!

ang sarap, ang saya. ng buhay na may extra challenge!^^

na meet pa namin si paulo bediones!

hahaha!

going insane, going mad.

finals week in highschool was the only time id cut sleep to study. at kahit super drowsy na the next day, may nasusulat din nman. i prided myself with passing even if i crammed. but college is super different. even if you studied way ahead [2 weeks] it is never an assurance that you will pass. haaay..i've been running on 3 hours of sleep - tops - for the past months. even on christmas break. i'm sooo exhausted. i'm having unwanted brain drains. sobrang wrong timing! this is not the life i wanted to live! hahaha..whiner!

nwe,

isn't she the cutest? hahah..

napansin ko lang my entries are glib and superficial. excluding the grammar and vocabulary, its soOo gradeschool. online lang. hahah. na-iinsecure nanaman. eh kasi my sister writes better, with more meaning. soOo wisdom-filled at such a young age.

but i love gradeschool.

hollywood.
..50 years from now.

got these pictures from a multiply site [One Girl Revolution]. natuwa ako sa aking nakita. i just had to post it back..





paris smiles the same way. hip pa rin si lola gwen. medyo saggy na si lola jessica [lol]. si lolo jude lang ata ang matino..hahah!! oh wait..ganino ba talaga pag tumanda? oooh scary..


dolphin show.

do you love dolhin shows? do you clap with glee when the dolphins jump up and down? or are you the one who jumps up and down everytime they perform tricks for you?

click this for clearer text.

huhuh..i was planning sana to watch..kaya lang nakakakonsenxa..

aww.