Dropping Dead: it must be June.

Once again, the summer curse prevails--almost as if people chose this time to die.

My sister is self-teaching the dance step to "Beat it" through the all weekend long video run of Michael Jackson on VH1 classic. Less than four days ago, the king of pop was pronounced dead on CNN, and now there is nothing more worth watching on TV than his past. Closely watching in fascination of what this man was, I couldn't help but be reminded of the date of his death: June 25th, 2009.
June 25th. June 25th.
June. June. June.
All too familiar.

In the years that had gone by, I can name a few (even four more from this year to be precise) of the ones who made this month worth checking the calendars for. Grandpa nine years ago, grandma eight years ago, step grandpa seven years ago, my friend James in 2007, and the alignment of celebrities for this year including the king of pop: kill Bill, the Star Search guy, one of the beloved Charlie's angels, and most recently, the Oxiclean dude who "kaboom"ed his way to fame. All had dropped dead in the face of the earth in the month of June. What is it about this month that makes people have to celebrate summer differently? Is there such trend to what has happened? If so, it doesn't matter. I have yet to really make any sense of the cursed summers that had gone in the past.

Maybe I wasn't supposed to.
If it had been written in someone's fate, it's unavoidable.

Rest in peace.

Like How I Remember

Click, the mouse said. You appeared.
You look better than I imagined.

I've pictured your face more than once with that boyish smile you use to wear--shy, sensitive, a total coy--and those eyes you had with the sincerity a girl like me normally sees.
Blue, am I right?
Like two drops of crystal water out of the ocean?
Kind eyes, I thought, too kind to say you didn't bear any scars. The girls back then must have broken your heart too much. I'm not one to judge, of course, but nothing is sincerely mellow in a pleasing face for no reason.

Someday, I thought then, you'd shed all the modesty away. The adult version of you will stand as a man built to tackle the world and ready to love and leave.
Built to question.
Built to judged.
Built to have regrets.
Built to build regrets.
Built to break hearts.

How had things been between then and now?
I was never there to see it.
I must say though, by your current feature, time had chosen to physically treat you well.

Sorry, I was just trying to recall how you were back when I knew you.
I wish, with my fingers crossed so tight, you're still exactly like how I remember.

Paying It Forward.

Because people have been generous in spite of my ins and outs of blogging mood, I owe it to them to pass the gifts forward to other bloggers that I admire. Gem and Shyn have the same faith in me no matter how little I blog in a month span, so to you my dears, a huge love and thanks for the awards. Sorry...I know....it's long overdue.

~~~o~o~o~~~

Honest Scraps Award
from Shyn

"The Honest Scrap award comes with a caveat or two. Firstly, you have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Secondly, you have to tag 10 people with the award."

I'm about to bend the rules because after writing a hundred, nine sets of seven, and five sets of four about me, I just have to surrender. Besides, skipping ten things is forgivable when even the alphabets were once involved, so no need for any more repetitions. Sometimes, I must admit, it gets tiring.

**Congratulations: Kris, and the OMYWord queen.
For this one, I'm thinking of you.

~~~o~o~o~~~

The Awe-Sum Award
from Gemz.

Rules:
List 7 things that make you Awe-Summm and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers you love.Make sure to tag your recipients and let them know they have won!
Also link back to the Queen that tagged you.

I don't know if I can list seven things about being an Awe-Summ blogger considering I've had my fair-share of blogging hiatus and have constantly moved back and forth from blogger to wordpress. I just know that blogging allows me to connect with people and with myself, and if that makes me Awe-Summm then so be it!

**Congratulations: Claire, Shyn, Elle, Clarise, Dazzle, and Gemz (right back at you. Don't worry, you don't have to do it over..lol).
In my heart, you all deserve this crown!


Happy Blogging!

Diary Entry: lazy Saturday.

I woke up today and decided to be lazy. It probably has something to do with the outside breeze and how lovely it is to just sit and lounge in my front porch, but instead I'm cooped up in my room with the PC and realized I've missed 3 weeks of blogging. I'm sorry. Everybody gets lazy every once in a while.

*****

In the past weeks I've been burying myself in Lisa See's novel called "Snow Flower and The Secret fan". I wasn't sure what she meant about foot binding and concubines in China back in 1820s, but it turns out that when you google the terms, one is more painful to read about than the other. How can women endure such a painful practice just to have a good bed business with a man who is almost a stranger to her? To fill those shoes? Horrible.

Ow...and foot binding seems like it hurts as well.

*****

I went to two very diverse festivals last Sunday--American Asian Festival and (Gay) Pride 2009--and both were very very interesting. I understand why people would "aaaah" at my mentioning the Asian one and "what?!" on the the Pride, but who says I can't have fun as a straight girl in a gay festival when there's free tiaras, a tall glass of beer, and fifty friendly people (not counting the friends I went with) involved? Hopefully the mood has changed by the time you read this part because the 2009 Miss USA Pageant does irk me that I have to make a quick statement:

The power of marriage--regardless of the gender, age, or race of the couple--relies on how committed they are to each other and how they make it work for the rest of their lives. Gay people getting married isn't the problem in terms of devaluing the true meaning of marriage. It's the situation that puts couples into giving up on each other that does.
That...Ms. California....is called divorce.
If you're so concerned about the marriage values, then make sure you never have to hire a divorce lawyer in the future.

I rest my case.

*****

Who here 1-866-IDOLS-dials Adam Lambert and totally disagrees with the judges call on saving Matt Giraud?

We are sooo on the same page.
Yes. We. Are.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Filipino Word of the day: tamad [tah-mud]
English Translation: lazy

100 Truths About Me.

The lovely Elle has tagged me with this cute questionnaire and I obviously didn't have the tiniest urge to resist. So cheers to you girlie for giving me the idea for my first post of the month. I'm very happy to participate =)

001. Name → Marjie
002. Nickname(s)→ Marjie, MJ, Marj, Maj
004. Zodiac sign → Sagittarius
005. Male or female → 100% lady.
006. Elementary → St. Paul College (Paranaque, Philippines)
007. Middle School → I skipped it since I was already 14 when we moved here in the U.S. and they decided to put me in 9th grade right away.
008. High School → Independence High (CA.) and Chandler High School (AZ.)
009. College School → Chandler-Gilbert Community College, AZ.
009b. University → Arizona State University (ASU)...go sun devils!
010. Hair color → Dark brown like the exact color of my eyes. Somehow, they match quite well =) .
011. Long or short → Long during the winter, and short during summer (something only girls get the logic of)
012. Loud or Quiet → Loud. I view "quietness" as being timid, and I could never be that person.
013. Jumpers or Jeans → Jeans. Always.
014. Phone or Camera → Phone. I'm not the best photographer in the world, but I am good with conversations =).
015. Health freak → a bit.
016. Drink or Smoke? → smoke, no. drink, occasionally.
017. Do you have a crush on someone? → Yes. Funny guy Sergio Cilli for his wit and personality, and the rest of the the male hosts of Infomania on Current TV (that's right, I keep myself well informed).


018. Eat or Drink → Three times a day. Sometimes more if I'm bored, lonely, heartbroken, or low on self esteem.
019. Piercings → Three....one in my right ear, and two in my left ear.
020. Tattoos → None. I was never into them.

FIRSTS:
023. First piercing → When I was a baby. In Manila, a girl gets her ears pierced in the hospital to distinguish her gender when she's born (true story).
024. First best friend → A former neighbor named Elsie. I wonder what she's doing now.
025. First award → Most Positive Attitude, freshmen year, for dance. I still have the trophy to prove it.
026. First crush → At age 5, A guy named JR . Again, I wonder what he's doing now.
027. First pet → Blutoos, my puppy when I was a child.
028. First big vacation → Vegas and San Francisco holiday of 2004. Nothing beats the family reunion.
030. First big birthday → My very first birthday in 1984. I don't really remember how it went, but I saw the pictures and it looks like I missed out on a lot. I mean just look at all those presents I don't remember getting.



CURRENTLY:
049. Eating → Nothing
050. Drinking → Nothing
052. I'm about to → Answer the 53rd question
053. Listening to → XM radio currently playing the acoustic version of "Sunny Came Home" by the Shawn Colvin
054. Plans for today → I'd like to battle insomnia first. Then I'd tackle the rest of the day when I wake up.
055. Waiting for → Morning.

YOUR FUTURE:
058. Want kids? → Yes. In spite of my love for independence, I DO want to be a mother someday.
059. Want to get married? → Yes. I'd like to grow old with someone as well.
060. Careers in mind → A chef and a restaurant owner. Absolutely far from being a doctor like I used to want. I know. But things changed when I became the O.R. patient.

WHICH IS BETTER IN THE BOY/GIRL YOU LIKE?
**Since this is based on Sergio Cilli, my answers will be very limited. I've never met the guy in person
068. Lips or eyes → Eyes, since he comes with mustache and beard. But he did go clean-shaved two weeks ago, and the lips are not that bad either.
070. Shorter or taller - On TV he's tiny and two dimensional. But with the awareness of how short I am in real life, in person I assume he's taller than me (and hopefully three dimensional).
072. Romantic or spontaneous → I wouldn't know.
073. Nice stomach or nice arms → Adorable smile.
074. Sensitive or loud→ Funny.
075. Hook-up or relationship → Again, I wouldn't know.
076. Trouble maker or hesitant → He's probably neither. I have this impression of him as a calm guy that has a few charming tricks up his sleeves (man....I gotta fly to L.A. to see one of his shows).

HAVE YOU EVER:
080. Lost glasses/contacts → Surprisingly neither. Since I'm almost blind without them, I can't afford not to know where they are when I need them.
081. Ran away from home → Never.
082. Held a gun/knife for self defense → A knife, to scare my most annoying nanny when I was a kid. But it didn't work. I think I got scared of it more than she did.
083. Killed somebody → Maybe a few bugs in my house, and the biggest thing I killed was a flying roach. Does anyone know a good place to hide from the authorities?
084. Broke someone's heart → I think so, back in high school. Although I'm not so sure.
085. Been arrested → Never. But I have been stopped for Jay walking. I got out of it somehow.
087. Cried when someone died → Always.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
089. Yourself → Sometimes.
090. Miracles → It depends on what it is. Sometimes they're just coincidences.
091. Love at first sight → No. I believe love needs time to grow. Otherwise, it's lust we're talking about.
092. Heaven → Yes
093. Santa Clause → I used to, until my parents decided to blow their cover when I was 11. I think they got tired of buying those presents since I always end up wanting something else the next year.
094. Tooth Fairy → Never. Anyone who wants my loose teeth won't pay money for them. Trust me!
095. Kiss on the first date → Yes, because I believe in the power of kiss in general when it's done at the right moment. Whether or not it happens on the first date, it's always a waste of time to deny yourself something like it.



ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now → When you're single, there always is.
098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life → Not always, but I do believe the best is yet to come.
099. Do you believe in God → Yes
100. Post as 100 truths and tag 20 people → I won't reach 20, but to my 5 girls Gemz, Claire, Shyn, Clarise, and Dazzle, this one is for you.

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Happy Tagging!