in the past 20+ years, i've lived in 3 places and visited a couple of Philippine provinces and a handful of countries.  they say Filipinos are everywhere, all countries around the world, from A to Z.  more and more friends and relatives are moving overseas. 

i was reading pau's blog and read about my former officemate's dad being shot and is now dead.  he wasn't just an officemate.  for my last Product assignment, he was my groupmate, a Senior Engineer, fresh from training abroad.  he's really down-to-earth and kind.  it's really sad to hear the news about his father.  i even remember we attended a wedding, and he told me before he joined Intel, he worked in Saudi.  he's been helping his family financially, so had to postpone starting his own family (but now he's married).  he must be devastated. 

i can only pray for Ronald and his family. 

i've been receiving invitations to join Multiply, another networking site.  but aside from just having contacts (friends),  you can also share photos, journal, reviews, recipes, calendar, and market listings.  so it's Friendster/Orkut on one side and blogging on the other side.  but since i'm blogging here and i'm fine with Friendster, i decided to just post pictures. 

so check it out:   http://rsandoval.multiply.com/photos if you got nothing to do.  you can even sign up if you're interested.

one of my first entries here is about how small the world is on the web.  in fact, it was my second post.  it was about finding pictures of a person i know at Community Webshots Wedding Photos.  with over 2 million photos (2000+ albums), i found Pazette.  she is my former roommate's sister.  but the bigger surprise came when she posted a comment to my entry!  yup, she found this blog one day through searching her name at Google.  find out about it over her blog.  katuwa.

i was supposed to have an 11-week vacation in between Spring and Fall semesters.  but i decided to teach for the Summer.  not working for 11 weeks, and not being home will make me crazy.  and of course, i needed the money. 

so my vacation went from 11 weeks to 3 weeks.  then an offer to teach a short course for 2 weeks came.  down to 1 week.

then just when i was dreaming of my vacation, a workshop popped up (thanks to this really hated Staff of the college).  and i had to prepare for it.  i had to cut out two more days from the week long vacation i was looking forward to. 

thank God it's over!

now, i'm really closing the curtain.  i'll won't work tomorrow (wednesday) til friday. 

hayyy... how i wish i can leave this island and hibernate somewhere.  i'm dreaming of staying in a hotel, eating at buffets, watching a concert, picnic at the park, pampering myself in a spa, and sleeping til i can't sleep anymore.  i need to reward myself, somehow.

but then, i can't.  there's no way i can leave this place this week.

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosopy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. - C.S. Lewis

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends.  But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion.  The other is mere business.  - Mahatma Gandhi

The greatest happiness of life is the convictiction that we are loved, loved for ourselves, or rather inspite of ourselves.  - Victor Hugo

A friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.  - Walter Winchell

Friends and good manners will carry you where money won't go.  - Margaret Walker

Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people - your family, friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way.  - Barbara Bush

A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom he can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us inspite of all our faults.  - Charles Kingsley

Remember to be yourself and surround yourself with people and things that define and reflect who you are.  - Thomas Kinkade

Tell me what company thou keepest and I'll tell thee what thou art.  - Miguel de Cervantes

A friends is a person with whom I may be sincere.  Before him I may think aloud.  - Ralph Walde Emerson

Reprove a friend in secret but praise him before others.  - Leonardo da Vinci

The best mirror is an old friend.  - George Herbert

Real friendship is shown in times of trouble;  prosperity is full of friends.  - Euripides

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosopy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. - C.S. Lewis

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends.  But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion.  The other is mere business.  - Mahatma Gandhi

The greatest happiness of life is the convictiction that we are loved, loved for ourselves, or rather inspite of ourselves.  - Victor Hugo

A friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.  - Walter Winchell

Friends and good manners will carry you where money won't go.  - Margaret Walker

Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people - your family, friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way.  - Barbara Bush

A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom he can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us inspite of all our faults.  - Charles Kingsley

Remember to be yourself and surround yourself with people and things that define and reflect who you are.  - Thomas Kinkade

Tell me what company thou keepest and I'll tell thee what thou art.  - Miguel de Cervantes

A friends is a person with whom I may be sincere.  Before him I may think aloud.  - Ralph Walde Emerson

A man of many compasions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  - King Solomon

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  - King Solomon

Reprove a friend in secret but praise him before others.  - Leonardo da Vinci

The best mirror is an old friend.  - George Herbert

Real friendship is shown in times of trouble;  prosperity is full of friends.  - Euripides

The antidote for 50 enemies is one friend.  - Aristotle