I miss my grandmother. I can’t believe it’s been four years since my grandmother passed away. Her death was very sudden so it took me a long time to accept it and finally move on. My memories of my grandmother are ambivalent actually. At one end is an ugly scar I have on my cheek due to her persistence to make me take my medicines when I was a little kid; and on the other end, are the fond memories of her and our fun Bingo-filled days. Sadly, these are all just that – memories that are forever etched in my mind.

My grandmother introduced me to the game of bingo. Actually, I already had an idea how it was being played before I had my first chance to play the game. One fine day, she brought home this old school set of the game one fine afternoon. It was surely a big hit in the family as we found ourselves playing the game every weekend. The pot money was dismal – each card was worth only 50 cents (that’s in PHP and it’s currently PHP 45.00 to a dollar) but we didn’t really mind ‘coz bingo sessions were considered as bonding sessions of the family. I even remember how on an out-of-town trip to Tagaytay, our family brought the Bingo game along and had a lot of fun playing in a rented cottage despite the very strong winds at Picnic Groove. (Imagine how difficult it was to keep the cards from flying away!) I don’t exactly know how and why the weekly Bingo sessions ended but we sure did have a lot of fun during those days when everyone in the family was addicted to it.

I find the present time very much different now though. The board games we used to love and spend a lot of time  within the family and circle of friends have now crossed over to the online world. Recently, a new website offering online bingo has emerged to coax the lovers of the game out of hibernation. It was quite inevitable to find the games we love online as we already live in a fast-paced and high-tech world.

Bingoheads will surely find the bingo offers at this new website gaming arena simply irresistible. God only knows how far a free £10 sign up bonus could go a long, long way with the right amount of luck. The 200% bonus is a blessing (not in disguise though) to new players making their first deposit to fund their accounts. But the fun doesn’t just stop there because every player is assured of a 50% bonus for every succeeding deposits a player makes. And of course, I don’t think I have to mention how beating all odds to keep your cards from flying off to netherland is now just a thing of the past. Aren’t those enough reasons to try your luck playing bingo at bet365?

My grandmother didn”t exactly know how to use the internet, much more how to play the game online, but if she were still alive, for sure she’d be amazed at how her favorite bingo game has adapted to the modern times. =)

I ain’t exactly eating healthy. I don’t like my greens. Although I love cows (the black and white spotted kind, not the boring, native ones), it doesn’t equate to being one of them and gobbling down grass for heaven’s sake! I am not a fruit lover either. Just last week, my friends looked at me in horror when I told them I didn’t know what sinegwelas and duhat were and that I don’t eat pomelo, lanzones and rambutan, to name a few. I put the blame on my dearest grandmother who despite her “strictness”, actually played the doting lola by not insisting my brothers and I eat the things that we didn’t like. Of course, veggies and fruits topped that list. Although I am not really living a healthy lifestyle, I’m proud to say that I haven’t been in a hospital – at least as an admitted patient. Save for the time when I was born, I’ve never had nurses and doctors squabble over me in my lifetime. I am not eating healthy, I may not be really physically active, but I think I’m healthy enough not to get seriously sick – except for the occasional sniffles which, unfortunately, I’m nursing at the moment.

I can’t remember the last time I caught the colds virus. Despite the lack of sleep and the tremendous amount of work I have to deal with for school, I’ve never had fever in the last seven months. I think my body has adjusted well enough to keep me in a good shape – never mind if it’s really on the borderline. The occasional colds, however, is bad enough to keep me lying down the whole day. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish the work I was supposed to do last night because the meds I took for my colds took the best of me halfway through my paper. Now, it’s 9:09 am and I have four hardly finished papers trying to get my attention over here. It’s the 10th already and a Sunday by the way, tomorrow’s my parents’ 24th anniversary (and I’m thinking of getting them a cool digital photo frame) and the start of yet another long week. If I didn’t have group discussions to attend to and papers to pass tomorrow, I would want to call it off and take the day at home hoping the sniffles would go away. But you know, when you’re just a student and your grades are in perilous situation, you realize how you’ve got really no choice after all. *sniff*

I missed out watching the film finalists for the recently concluded Cinemalaya 2008. When Bee and I watched a few weekends ago, we ended up watching a non-competing film, Imoral, which, literally devirginized our eyes. I don’t really open my mail everyday, much to my dismay. If only I read this mail sent to me a few days ago, i would have planned another indie film movie day. I heard these films were great.

Anyway, ten full-length films from Cinemalaya 2008 along with films from previous Cinemalaya competitions are being screened this week and the next at the UP Film Center.If you missed out seeing them, here’s your chance!

July 28 Mon
Manuel Conde Retrospective: Genghis Khan 2:30 PM
Baby Angelo 5 PM
Concerto 7:30 PM

July 29 Tue
Cinemalaya’s Past Best Pictures Showcase: Pepot Artista 2:30 PM
Jay 5 PM
Huling Pasada 7:30 PM

July 30 Wed
Cinemalaya’s Past Best Pictures Showcase: Tulad ng Dati 2:30 PM
Brutus 5 PM
Namets 7:30 PM

July 31 Thu
Cinemalaya’s Past Best Pictures Showcase: Tribu 2:30 PM
100 5 PM
My Fake American Accent 7:30 PM

Aug. 1 Fri
Ishmael Bernal Gallery Night with Film Premiere of Adolf Alix’s Imoral 7:30 PM

Aug. 2 Sat
Endo 2/5/7 PM

Aug. 4 Mon
Anita Linda Tribute: Tambolista 2:30 PM
Boses 5 PM
Ranchero 7:30 PM

Aug. 5 Tue
Manuel Conde Retro: Krus na Kawayan 2:30 PM
Cinemalaya 2008 Competing Shorts A (Andong, Ang Ibang Mga Palmilya, Angan-Angan, Diamante sa Langit, and God Only Knows) 5 PM
Cinemalaya 2008 Competing Shorts B (Huling Biktima, My Pet, Panggaris, Trails of Water, and Tutos) 7:30 PM

Aug. 6 Wed
Anita Linda Tribute: Sisa 2:30 PM
Cinemalaya 2008 Special Jury Prize Winner – Brutus 5 PM
Cinemalaya 2008 Best Picture – Jay 7:30 PM

Aug. 7 Thu
Donsol 2:30 PM
Kadin 5 PM
Anita Linda Tribute: Sisa 7:30 PM

Aug. 9 Sat
Premiere: Torotot (Destierro) 7:30 PM

So, everything’s back to normal again for me like nothing happened. Last Sunday’s wedding almost turned into a disaster with Typhoon Igme almost ruining my cousin’s moment. The rain poured hard shortly past noon. Good thing I arrived at the hotel before it rained or else I would be one literally wet cord bearer. My cousin was close to tears as she watched the rain from her hotel window. I told her we already offered eggs to Sta. Clara for better weather but I think an egg wasn’t enough. I jokingly told her we should have offered a hen instead. And as if the rain wasn’t enough to ruin things, the electricity suddenly went out as we were taking videos and pictures. Thank God for generators!

The wedding went out well. It stopped raining just in time for my cousin to walk down the aisle. At least she didn’t get wet as she walked from the bridal car to the chapel’s entrance at Paco Park. Everything went smoothly except that the pictorials at the chapel had to be hurried because there was a mass scheduled right after the wedding ceremonies. The food at Ibarra’s, (the one near Robinson’s Place Manila), was superb. (I always pass by that restaurant on my way home back when I was still in UP but I never had actually gone to see the place).

Everything would have been well if not for my Mentos moment. You see my mother bought me these beautiful silver heels at a dirt-cheap price to wear for the wedding and since I don’t exactly attend formal events that often, I figured it’s alright not to spend so much on heels. I was so wrong!!!! The heels of my left shoe snapped off without warning! Good thing it didn’t happen while I was walking down the aisle or while I was buzzing around having the guests sign in the guestbook or I would have died right then and there. Unlike the Mentos commercial though, I didn’t have to break off the other heel. I just asked my cousin to bring me the pair of slippers I wore earlier. Lesson learned? Never trust cheap footwear!

My pretty cousin texting in the day of her wedding. LOL.

I looked at myself in the mirror and didn’t like what my reflection showed me back. My eyebags are so dark and my eyes looked really puffy and tired. I haven’t had a decent sleep in a week because of the many patient papers we were supposed to passed that week. I passed 6 papers all-in-all and there were only 5 school days. Tough luck.

Tomorrow’s my cousin’s grand day. I’ll walk down the aisle and bring the cord to bind them together. Haha. That line sounded really cheesy. This is the first time I’ll be actually doing something in a wedding. I’m usually a bridesmaid but never a secondary sponsor. Haha. Wish me luck and hope that I don’t end up asphyxiating my cousin and her groom. Sunday’s officially a formal day. Definitely no room for fancy Guess watches!

I wonder if anyone has died from these. LOL.

Congrats to the new breed of nurses especially to my friend, Melissa Ann Javier!

I’ve managed to get a copy of the exam results. For those looking for it here, click this link: >>>> click me <<<<

Congratulations everyone!!!!

In a few years’ time, it’d be my turn – of course, not in the nursing boards, silly! My professors would chop off my head for that. LOL. And while we’re at it, anyone fancy getting a medical id? I swear, having one is life saving especially for those with allergies. My friend back in college wore one because he’s allergic to penicillin.