All original Mansioneers have left...

PHASE1: CASA GHETTO
Rap, Mac, Prime, Jaja, Me, Rica
June 2000 - Dec 2000

- and Ghetto it was
- with all the manong tricycles whizzing along the market roads, waking us up early in the morning, and eventually lulling us to sleep
- with all the the ghetto drama: "pu!@#$%^** )(*mo! may babae ka na naman! papatayin kita!!!" among other things
- with all the leaks in the roof... and having to feel so poor. those are Matrix moments: "Welcome to the real world."
- having to go to Glorietta to bask in the free airconditioning, eating at McDo and enjoying a P10 ice cream cone
- having to deal with the worst bathroom ever
-having to squash ourselves into one room so that we can all watch TV

PHASE 2: MANALAC MANSION
Rap, Mac, Prime, Jaja, Me, Rica, Nina, YJ, Randy, Kuya Allen, Gen, Cousin Myra
Honorary: Mazjh, Rona, Mike, Bucky, JakeA (at lahat ng naging BF/GF ng Mansioneers)
Dec 2000 - Jan 2009

- jogging around Powerplant while it was still underconstruction
- finally learning how to commute, and learn to toughen up
- fearing that PP will have "clothing price alarms" that will go off if the worth of your clothes is less than PHPxx,xxx.00
- having to feel so poor because the electricity was disconnected (late payment, thanks to YJ. hehehe.)
- having to deal with the creepy Meralco guy after he reconnected the electricity
- having to drink GinPom or Tanduay Rhum-Coke at home due to lack of funds
- writing the Manalac Mansion Chronicles. WHERE IS IT NOW?????
- waking up sweaty because of the summer heat
- staying in PP for the free aircon
- watching Rustans change layout and management
- poker nights at Good Earth Roasts
- eating at Som's when it was still a "karinderya" and we dined with the manong tricycle drivers. chicken noodle was PHP45 and milk tea was PHP12 a glass
- walking along the dark roads of burgos at the middle of night to grab a happy meal and sundae cone
- seeing the apartment owner's black labrador die (what was his name???)
- double deck beds (imagine 7 mansioneers in 2 bedrooms!)
- watching The Ring, the news of 9-11, Sex & the City, and all those series
- having to wake up early para di maunahan sa banyo!
- birthday lunches and dinners
- walking at 3am at the backstreets of Backwell from Grilla, highly intoxicated
- watching ADMU-LASALLE UAAP basketball games, win or lose
- watching Magandang Umaga, Bayan while eating breakfast, blowdrying hair, ironing office clothes...
- having to deal with a constantly dusty and dirty house. and yet we only do general cleaning every quarter. hehehe.

now, all of us have left the Mansion, our comfort-zone for quite a while. life was hard then, but we had fun. maybe one day, we can all get together and catch up. reminisce the old days. and be glad of how life has turned out.

*thanks to Yrmah, my facebook friend*

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1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Sleep for 7 hours.

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

5. Play more games.

6. Read more books than you did the previous year.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink plenty of water.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

15. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

16. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

18. Smile and laugh more.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't compare your partner with others.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Forgive everyone for everything.

26. What other people think of you is none of your business.

27. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

28. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

29. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

30. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

31. The best is yet to come.

32. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

33. Do the right thing!

34. Call your family often.

35. Your inner most is always happy. So be happy.

36. Each day give something good to others.

37. Don't over do. Keep your limits.

38. Share this with someone you care about (Click the "Share" link below)

For more on wonderful happiness ideas, please join the group "The Happiest Day of Your Life"

http://groups.to/happiness

by: Jimmy Fallon

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i just heard this from my old collection of mp3s. it made me laugh. can relate? =P

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I know what you want, and I know what you need

But I'm goin' screw it up, yeah

Cause I'm an idiot, and I'm your boyfriend, yes I am

I'm goin' take you out, and leave my wallet home

Then I use your cell phone, baby

Long distance, and I'm your boyfriend

Baby I know I'm a man who's made mistakes

I still got some learning to do

I made out with your best friend the other day, and

Now we're best friends too

And I know what you want, and I know what you need

But I'm goin' screw it up, yeah

Cause I'm an idiot, and I'm your boyfriend, yes I am

And I'm goin' get you a gift, Hey! But its something I like too

Hope you like this Norelco Beard Trimmer with my name on it,

And I'm your boyfriend

Goin' Get real drunk,

And call my baby up at four o'clock in the morning

Wake you up, I'm an idiot!

Pick up the phone, come on, Now Look

Lets get in my dad's SUV,

And we'll go over to my house, my crib, my pad

I'll tell my mom to go to sleep

Then we'll have the living room all to ourselves, you see

We'll put on some great DVD's I picked up

How bout like, something like the Matrix

I can turn my boom box up, and make the bass

Smack the side of my moms couch

Hey baby you like fine cooking? Cause you know what?

I got a swanson's dinner in the freezer with your name on it

Check it out

I got a permanent wave, yeah!

I got an ogilvie home perm, baby

Uh! I Honk the horn can you honk the horn?

Can you honk the horn?

Let me hear you honk it! Come on!

Let me hear you say uh uh!

Let me hear you say uh uh uh!

Let me see you say uh uh!

Let me hear you say uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh yeah!

Let me hear you say uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh yeah!

people in our lives

in life you will realize that the people you meet have a purpose.

some were put there to test you, some would use you, some would teach you, and some would bring out the better if not the best in you..

some may even cause u pain & heartache..

but one must learn to move on..

so let go of the people who don't treat you right and hold on to those who love you back and see your worth.

last night, i was reviewing my photos... i realized that i can never escape from my past. no matter how i want to start from a clean slate...

i'm not frustrated that i cant.

i just realized that i can never start from scratch. there will always be baggage. we shed some along the way. but we always carry their traces...

the weird thing is, i don't feel scarred. i know i can still fall in love. i can be loved. and not be afraid.

lessons to learn, relearn, and learn yet again...

thanks, Mickee =)

LOVING EACH OTHER: Some Solicited Advice

1. Don't think in terms of forever. Think of now, and forever will take care of itself.
2. Grow up together, constantly.
3. Expect to invest a great deal of time and energy in your relationship.
4. Lasting relationships don't just happen, they are created.
5. Recognize that all relationships cannot be forever. Recognize their temporary quality, but continue to act as if they are permanent.
6. Respect the other person's relationships apart from you. If they are important to the one you care about, they should be important to you.
7. Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations.
8. Take your time.
9. Remove price tags from people. Everyone has worth; the excitement lies in the discovery of their value.
10. Don't be afraid of giving. You can never give too much, if you're giving willingly.
11. Don't feel as if you are required to spend every waking hour with those you love. Move aside from time to time and allow them a separate space too.
12. Never force anyone to do anything for you in the name of love. Love is not to be bargained for.
13. Don't be afraid.
14. Don't overanalyze your relationships.
15. Realize that you always have choices. It's up to you.
16. Remember that a relationship is a pooling of resources. It means that with each relationship you are not only giving, but you are becoming more.
17. Don't allow relationships to burden your heart; rather use it to become more aware and sensitive.
18. Don't smother each other. No one can grow in shade.
19. Don't lose in touch with the craziness in you. This, with a large dose of caring, will assure that your relationship will never be boring.
20. Don't brood. Get on with living and loving. You don't have forever.
21. Don't hold on to anger. they steal your energy and keep you from love.
22. There are times when you want to give up on a relationship but never give up on relating.
23. Learn to listen. You don't learn anything from hearing yourself talk.
24. Expect what is reasonable, not what is perfect.
25. Write down all the reasons why you love each person you relate with.
26. Then, when the going gets tough, take the list out and reread it. It resolves problems quickly.
27. After an argument is over, forget it.
28. Don't become involved in pettiness, ego and childish hurts. Those will only serve to degrade your relationship and prevent closeness.
29. Learn to bend. It's better than breaking.
30. Since love can be created, there is no reason to be loveless.
31. Even though you are only half of a relationship, you must remain a whole person, apart from the relationship.
32. Remember that moral and spiritual values don't restrict, they protect.
33. Don't fall in love with love, you'll die with its complexities.
34. Don't allow your relationships to die of neglect.

So, JLo is in it... this is in one of my favorite movies. here's one of the reasons why...

“All these promises that we make and we break...Why is it that you think people get married?

Because we need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet, I mean what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything...the good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mondane things...all of it, all the time, everyday. You're saying... Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed, because I will be your witness.”

~ Beverly Clark
Shall We Dance