changing paths

a lot of things i miss, i won't miss anymore soon.

after the long wait, there's only a few days left before i close another chapter of my book. and as i do so, i'm looking forward to what's in store for me as i venture another journey with a different kind of life.

as i go back to where i came from, i am not expecting that all things are the same exactly like when i left. there'll be innumerable changes, but they're all good. i know i'll be fine.

what i am questioning myself right now is why my mind has suddenly changed. before, i was absolutely sure that i've laid down all my plans. but now that it's time to put them all to work, i am becoming hesitant.

but it shouldn't matter now. i will stick to my word. this is the path i choose, and will make sure that there is no way i'm ever gonna regret it.

four months of my new life, thousands of miles traveled from different points of the globe, and around twenty-five hours left before everything comes down to this.

a new chapter is on. let's see how it goes.

this is jason, signing out, america.

back to...

9:20 am. thursday.

and like a snap of the fingers, i'm now back here in new jersey. i'm back to this winter wonderlandy weather, the wearing of layered sweaters, jumping back to the hot (and i said hot) shower, and lotion is again my best friend. the whole travel back was crazy, imagine i had to board the plane on my own, no one to talk to. and what's more is i had the burden of bringing along with me two bags weighing 47 pounds and a 35, plus the 20 something strapped on my back. and i had to go through walkways, escalators, elevators, train platforms... a hell of an experience.

though two days have passed already since that rollercoaster ride, i'm still suffering from bodyaches. but the good thing is i'm sorta proud of myself coz it was my first time to take flights on my own.

and truly, it's a good start and preparation for my next trip tomorrow...

back to where my real home is.

off-topic: carrie underwood is the new american idol. it was a great finale show, especially when the top 12 performed on the beginning and with their own idols. i was actually rooting for bo, but still, hands down to carrie.

cake and balloons

HAPPY 2nd YEAR,

BLOG!

two years of writing intelligent (are there?) and senseless (now i'm talking) thoughts. two years of logging in to blogger.com and putting my fingers on the keyboard to work. two years of my life shared to everyone.

and i hope this reaches three, four... who knows? big thanks to everyone reading this piece of crap. haha. jas kiddin'.

finale showdowns

9:16 am. thursday.

i'm trying to lock myself up in this room for the whole day, coz my uncle, aunt and cousin are all sick (in short, everyone in this house except me). they gave me a mask like those used in the hospitals, and was told to wear it everytime i walk around the house or when i play with my cousin. and so, to avoid looking funny wearing this mask like i'm some hopeless SARS patient or whatever, i'm just here sitting on my bed (and typing of course).

since summer's fast approaching here, all tv shows are up with their finales. survivor palau is already over, with tom westman, the NYC fireman, winning the 39-day game of outwit, outplay and outlast. he deserves the title more than katie (the runner-up) anyway. and i must say this has been one of the best seasons ever. it turned kinda boring in the middle, but it ended with a great bang. even the reunion show was a good one. but it could have been better if steph won this thing. =P

and then there were two for american idol. last night, my bet vonzell solomon finally got the boot, making carrie and bo the final two. i sort of expected her to be eliminated, considering almost everyone here has expected the remaining two to battle it out in the finale. and i wasn't even surprised more when i was able to vote for vonzell for 35 times in one full hour. her lines weren't that busy at all (and i'm here in florida, her homestate! she should have had the busiest lines here!). and so next week, all my votes now go for bo bice. i believe he deserves the title more than carrie. she's just plain boring.

the spoiler i read on some news article on yahoo! turned out to be true, with uchenna and joyce winning the amazing race, beating the survivor couple rob and amber, and putting ron and kelly on third. the last leg of the race was so intense, where the winning team started with no money at all. the finale really left me amazed.

and after 9 seasons, everybody loves raymond finally left the air. it was very emotional coz everyone in the cast had great bonds with each other, and it was a very good show. same with that 70's show, which had it's finale last night, even ashton kutcher bursted in tears on the news.

and there are more other shows with their finales. i still gotta watch the season 2 finale of the OC later at night. i bet it'll leave its audience waiting for the next season.

oh well. that's show business. everything has its end. at least a good one, that is.

florida, baby!

10:19pm. satuday.

finally, after the nerve-wracking experience of riding the train, looking for the right airport terminal, and getting myself to flight, all on my own, i'm now sitting on a swivel chair in front of my aunt's 17" ultimate tru-brite display laptop. haha... florida! weather's much better here compared to jersey (IMO, coz it's just like in the philippines), and i'm done at last with putting lotion all over me just to stop my skin itching (due to the chilly air).

today's my fourth day, and so far, so good. i like this place actually. not to mention driving their three bmw vehicles, playing with three dogs, watching dvd movies with my little cousin erica, and going to different places with her and my aunt. it may be too hot here, but i like it more than being too cold in jersey. and i mean way too cold.

and did i say eating too much and starting to gain more weight?

okay, i'm gonna sleep in a short while. but i'm watching dvd first. i do it every night before i go to bed. yeah, they have so many here, and i don't think i'll be able to finish them all before i go back to jersey.

before i forget, i finally started to use cold water again for shower! yay! haha... and second, i'm back to wearing shorts! last time i had those two, we were still in the philippines. really. i actually almost forgot how they felt. =P

getting lost

and now, we're back here in jersey. my dad drove from queens till here. we got lost for a while coz we missed the route we took from mapquest.com, but we still made it. of course there were a bunch of heated-up arguments, so it was sort of a not-so-good experience (for about 2 hours), not to mention the crazy driving/drivers in manhattan... everyone honking and speeding, plus the terrible traffic... pretty much same as in the philippines. hahaha. or maybe worse.

11:39 pm, sunday. and wednesday, i'm going to florida. by plane. alone. again. i just unloaded my bag with stuff i used in new york, and now i have to pack again fast. two days left.

last time, i got lost outside the train station. i hope this time, not in the airport. =P

in pink

1:07 am. too sleepy and lazy to make an entry... spent the afternoon in central park (my folks followed me here from nj), and guess what we did there:

gotta love the cherry blossoms. hahaha. =) will post more soon.

happy mother's day everyone!!!

i need/ed to think

11:16 pm. rainy friday night.

after thinking of how to spend the day, i ended up walking a grand total of around 80 blocks. it was so tiring, but good exercise anyway (which i really need). of course i had some stops, especially on thrift shops (equivalent of the infamous ukay-ukay) and bought some food on the way. i was curious about how kfc food tastes like here, so i gave it a try. it's so much the same as in the philippines. and who would ever forget the very yummy krispky kreme donuts? i took their "donut of the month" strawberry shortcake. and now i'm trying to keep half of it for tomorrow's breakfast (unless i walk during sleep and eat it).

my aunt took me to saigon grill, which serves vietnamese food. i didn't eat much coz i still have kfc stuffed in my stomach that time, but their dishes were actually good.

and then the indecisiveness starts. we went to a couple of electronics shops to browse for her ipod, digicam, webcam and some other stuff (yes, we're gonna get them all), and then i suddenly thought of buying myself something too. first thing that came to my mind was an ipod, but then i saw the video game consoles (sony playstation portable, xbox, nintendo ds, etc.), then softwares, then some cds...

ipod - music anytime, anywhere. but getting it stolen (yeah, bringing this along is like getting more attention from robbers), keeps me from buying one.

video game consoles - something to play with, and help relieve stress. besides, i miss video gaming already (last time i played was way too long ago, i had a sega megadrive and nintendo snes). but buying game packs for it (whatever i would get) would be much more expensive. and if i run out of games to play, it'd be so boring, and i'd probably lose interest on it (like what happened to my old consoles, which ended up in the trash).

and did i mention expensive?

sheesh. maybe i should already be content with my phone and digicam and spend my money on something else.

ack. but i still want to have them. jason, stop it!

my (mis)adventure

11:18am. just woke up. another morning here in nyc.

i knew it!!!

after i got off the train from new jersey, i didn't know where to go. i wasn't actually lost (the roads and avenues here are in a grid pattern so they're easy to memorize), but i couldn't find the station of the bus that i was supposed to ride on. after walking around non-stop for more than 30 minutes, i just decided to walk more like 5 blocks to madison avenue, where i took a different bus, and then finally landed here on my aunt's place.

haha. at least i made it.

and when i came in to her unit, we didn't waste time. it was a perfect sunny day outside, so we went straight to central park. oh my, i couldn't speak when i saw the lush greens and the beautiful cherry blossoms. there's this part of the park where we had to walk right under them. sooooo breath-taking.

the downside is after getting a couple of shots on my camera, the battery's empty already. and worse, i wasn't able to bring the charger. so pissed off.

we also went to the museum of modern art. i couldn't believe that it was the actual van gogh's starry night painting (and more) right in front of me! lucky they allow cameras, but i only got to use my phone. oh well. and the museum has six floors, we were just on the 3rd floor and we were tired already. it's hard to finish the whole big (and i mean big) museum in a day.

and now i'm spending this whole day on my own. my aunt's at work. where should i go? what should i do? hahaha... she wants me to see the metropolitan museum, but i guess i had enough of stuff like that for now.

screwed

i'm so ticked off lately. i've been trying my best, pushing the limits, to avoid arguing with every single person in this house.

but i couldn't stop myself. i really hate it when people make a big deal out of small things. then if i start talking, they'd give me a silent treatment. sheesh, they keep on saying crap in front of me, then i'll be ignored when it's my turn? damn. oh well, rather not expound, or else this post will be all messed up (as if it's not yet).

thanks mike.

anyway, a few hours left and i'm catching the train all the way to new york. and the thing is, i'm going on my own. it's just my second time, and i'm kinda nervous about it, coz i might end up getting lost once i start walking the streets and avenues of the big apple.

at least i speak english. i could ask people questions anytime. and i have a map. i'm just hoping that i'll get to my aunt's place in a single piece. you know what i'm saying. there are so many crooks and muggers there. hahaha.

gotta sleep first. and wish me luck.

major problem?

and there goes a big part of my hard-earned money.

i suddenly got disappointed with my "budgeting" this past few days. started spending too much and didn't realize soon enough that it was indeed... way too much.

here's a rundown (oh no, i don't have a lot of money):

$200.00 for mom ($148.50 used for car registration)
$28.57 for the blue survivor buff
$26.49 for a bag from gap
$20.35 for two more bags
$29.57 for chocolates
$20.00 for gas

that's pretty much it... still couldn't believe my debit card had a lot of swiping from the bank machines for those stuff.

oh well. at least i still have 2 paychecks. got one a while ago. and saw hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. twas so good.

tuning in the frequency

since i got here, i'm sort of living my life in a daily routine, that most of the time makes me so damn bored. i wake up in the morning, watch lots and lots of tv shows, eat, go to work, go home, watch tv again, then sleep in the early morning. these happens (or used to happen rather) almost every single day.

but now that work's over, i'm just stuck here in this house. we only go outside when we need to buy or do something. and what sucks more is that we've already been to almost all places here. there's nowhere else to go and see.

and to help relieve myself from total boredom, i've started listening to the radio a hell lot. i even made a list of songs that i'll download and burn on cd. thanks to my everyday listening to 94.5 wpst.

here's one of the songs. it's on ashton kutcher's latest movie, a lot like love (which i saw already, btw). 'tis not the whole song but the parts i removed are just repeats.

Look What You've Done
Jet

Take my photo off the wall
If it just won't sing for you
'Cause all that's left has gone away
And there's nothing there for you to prove

Oh, look what you've done
You've made a fool of everyone
Oh well, it seems likes such fun
Until you lose what you had won

Give me back my point of view
'Cause I just can't think for you
I can hardly hear you say
What should I do, well you choose

Oh, look what you've done
You've made a fool of everyone
Oh well, it seems likes such fun
Until you lose what you had won

Oh, look what you've done
You've made a fool of everyone
A fool of everyone
A fool of everyone

in her list

i just had one of the weirdest moments i've ever had here in cyberspace. but it's not weird like i hate it, i actually find it cool.

i logged on to my yahoo messenger when i got a message from someone who's not in my friends list. she told me i am in her list, but we had no idea how i got there. we still entertained ourselves and chatted for a while, and asked each other some details about ourselves that could have possibly lead us to that situation.

here's the thing. she's from makati, so i told her i'm here in america. she asked me if i'm in college, and i told here i used to go to UP. and then we got more confused. she's also in UP diliman and batch 2002, exactly as i am (or maybe was). and areson's one of her ex-blockmates.

weird. i'm already here in jersey, and the world is still getting much smaller. i guess we're still both psyched out right now.

and after all that, i ended up adding her to my friends list. that will do. :)

last day

11:09pm. may first.

and now i'm officially done with my job.

after working at the cinemas for almost two months, i've finally said my goodbyes to the managers and my co-employees whom i consider all as my first friends here in america. i took contacts of my close buddies there to keep in touch.

what sucks more though is that i thought all of them already know that i was leaving. apparently not. mike just learned about it yesterday, and i felt so bad about it. i should have told him earlier. way too earlier. it's really not right to tell a friend that you're going away just the day before you are, and i've done this a lot. sheesh.

it happened again. just like when i left the philippines (here i go again). it's really hard to leave your friends, especially when you're starting to get close with them already. and they're so upset like i am...

oh well. this is how my life goes. at least we still have the cyberspace to keep us connected. and i'm definitely sure we'll still gonna see each other. soon. heck, i have my life here now.

the best player

so long, ulong.

stephenie finally got her torch snuffed in survivor: palau. i'd really like her to win though i knew she had a very slim chance, considering she's the only ulong member left with and outnumbered by six koror people. she managed to dodge the bullets in ulong and twice at koror, with coby and janu leaving before her, but now there was definitely no escape for her from leaving the game.

it doesn't matter. i still love her. haha. i definitely agree with her, i'm so proud of how far she got into the game and how she's become one of the best players ever in the whole history of survivor. and we're like talkin' about ten seasons now.

at least i'm still gonna see her every week as a jury in tribal council. but she ain't be talking till the finale.

and btw, the package i've long been waiting for has arrived. i got my blue palau buff! kinda expensive, but i don't really care. i'll just think of it as a good collector's item, and that steph has the same one like i have. :P