Foxy Suzy

Jan. 18
I woke up this morning even before the alarm clock rings. It’s my first day in school and I guess that explains
my excitement specially after being a domestic diva for a couple of years

It was snowing outside and there were some icy spots on the road but that did not stop me from going to school.

Well, everything turned out well. I enrolled full load for this spring semester and my only complain is that my class schedule has only 10 minutes interval and I have to go to different building for each class……..(that sucks!) Im glad coz my very thoughtful mom-in-law gave me bag with wheels (one of her christmas presents for me). Having been a nursing student herself, she knew how heavy my books will be.

Eventhough I had a long and tiring day, I enjoyed it and can’t explain my feelings…. it’s like being a grade one student again hehehe.

If there are things I am going to miss, those are my favorite tv shows and talking to my friends for long hours on the phone. Basta keep in touch mga sisters ok? Yun nga lang, we cannot talk like before coz I already have plenty of things to do.

Today is Suzette’s birthday. Leave her a happy birthday greeting.

How old is she? Well, all I can say is she’s old enough to be married.

I would like to wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year.

First day of 2006 is definitely a time where people are trying to make a list of
their new year’s resolutions. I congratulate those people who fulfilled their resolutions
through out the year and wish goodluck to others who did not (including myself )

I’ve got not much to say for my first entry for this year (as if I said much in my previous
entries he he he). Anyway, nine days from now I will be celebrating my ehem….29th birthday.
Gosh! I now find it difficult to say my age, more so, feel excited about birthday!

My wishes for 2006 and for my birthday:

1. As always, the no. 1 in my list, good health to all my love ones, my family in the
Philippines and here in the states.

2. I wish I’ll get the result of my MELAB exam before the class starts for Spring semester ( Jan 17 ).
I won’t be able to register and go to advising without that result even if I already submitted all other
requirements.

3. Speedy recovery of my father. He had a car accident last november.

4. Continued blessings like the previous year. I decided not to specify the rest because this is going to be
a very long list.

5. And of course peace on earth especially for my beloved Philippines, may our leaders serve the country
with honesty and integrity.

(Last but not the least, that may our muslim brothers get on the plane and let it land)
I heard that one from comedy central

Nothing beats Filipino Christmas food!!!

Another reason why I miss Philippines
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

For our anniversary, with love

(by Susan Polis Schutz)

On our anniversary
I think back to
when we first met
when we first dated
when we first loved each other
when we first had a disagreement
when we first made up
when we first lived together
And I realize that
every day is an anniversary for us
of something we felt together
of something we touched together
of something we shared together
of something we did together

But today is the most important
milestone of all
It is the anniversary
of the day that we joined each other
in marriage
a day we promised that for the
rest of our lives
we would love each other
Especially today
I want to let you know that
I love being married to you
because I love you so much

After almost 8 years of being out of school, I now find myself cramming again in preparation for my MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery) and what makes me nervous is that I only have few days to get ready…..to sharpen my dull my mind

It certainly is not easy to be a student in a foreign country unless you speak their language eloquently…..which unfortunately I don’t. I understand that it takes many years of study and practice before a person can become proficient in foreign language. I never really tried perfecting my English, as long as my grammar is comprehensible, I’m fine with it but the first and foremost thing I must practice is to avoid thinking first in Tagalog then translate it to English. There are American English terms which have a totally different meaning in Filipino English. People around me who are concerned patiently correct me everytime I commit mistakes, and I do take criticisms constructively.

I am nervous and at the same time excited that I will embark soon on another chapter of my life in a foreign country. There are now many “what ifs” playing in my mind, negative thoughts I should leave behind because it will only worsen the situation.

My Mantra from this very moment…….I WILL PASS MY EXAM WITH FLYING COLORS!!!

Similar extortion attempt happened to my husband who was then my fiance 3 yrs. ago. On his second trip to Philippines he stayed at Holiday Inn Manila, same hotel he stayed during his first visit. There was a guy who keeps calling at our hotel room and insisting on talking to Marc but gave up after sensing that I will never let
him talk to Marc. I knew right there and then that that’s another modus operandi of a group of people who wants to extort money from foreigners because I’ve heared a lot about their different ways of victimizing people. It doesn’t matter whether you are Filipino or foreigner.
What puzzles me is how can these guys gained access to a travelers personal information.
Could it be that there are some hotel employees in connivance with this gang?

Gang tried to mulct another balikbayan
GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc
The Philippine Star 11/11/2005

A reader notes striking similarities in the plight of balikbayan Maria and that of his female friend Micky.

In late Oct. Maria checked into a hotel in Cubao, Quezon City, for a five-day visit to her sick mom (Gotcha, 7 Nov. 2005). It was to be a traumatic stay. Apparently with the aid of a hotel receptionist and room boy, thugs claiming to be with the terrorist Abu Sayyaf extorted from her P5,000 and 16 cell phone cards. Maria hurriedly left for the US that night, fearful they’d come back for more.

Micky arrived in Manila morning of Oct. 26 for a two-week holiday. She had booked with a travel agent in Los Angeles her stay in a hotel on Dela Rosa Street, Makati, connected with a local airline’s promo. Upon settling in, Micky walked to nearby Greenbelt for lunch with childhood friends – but not before requesting for room makeup. At 2:30 p.m. she returned and found the room still undone. She phoned a friend (the STAR reader) to complain to the management about it, which the latter did.

At about 3 p.m. the front desk called Micky to say that a certain Joan wanted to talk to her. She said she didn’t know any such person and hung up. That call apparently was made to ascertain her identity. For, minutes later the receptionist called again to say that Micky’s cousin named Albert Ahmed and three men in polo barong were at the lobby with gifts, so would she please come down to meet them. When Micky replied that she wasn’t expecting any cousin, the woman said Ahmed wanted to talk to her.

Before Micky could say anything more, a man’s voice came on and said he was with a pangkat (gang) that included the receptionist, bellhop and doorman, all the way to management. In Tagalog, “Ahmed” asked if Micky could help them, and when she said she did not understand what he meant, he told her straight they wanted money.

At that point there was a knock on the door. Although frightened, Micky opened it and a man introduced himself as the hotel manager. Micky told him what was going on. The manager grabbed the phone and barked into it, “Who is this?” He ended up shouting, “I am the hotel manager and I know there is no Josie on duty at the front desk.” It turned out he never got to talk to “Ahmed” because the phone was passed back to the female caller.

Story from The Philippine Star.

The Philippine president(?) who is willing to move heaven and earth just to stay
in power is once again in embarrassing situation by bragging to the whole world
the capture of Abu Sayyaf chief of staff Radulan Sahiron without further investigation.

TAKEN FROM INQ 7
The man has been linked to 21 kidnap-for-ransom cases, including the 2000 abduction of
21 Western tourists and Asian workers in Sipadan, Malaysia. He has a $5-million reward
on his head offered by the United States.

Philippine intelligence cannot distinguished left from right?!! Sahiron’s missing arm
is the right, while the missing arm of Gara is the left. Glue-ria Arroyo probably needs to
instruct her Ingelligence(?) to attend kindergarten and let them sing together with the
kids the old kids song ” I have two hands, the left and the right”

I really feel sorry to the unfortate wrong guy these Phil. police nabbed and according to
the report while he was in the car, he was hit on the head many times and treated like a
pig! Of course, this poor guy could not afford to support legal procedings if he decided
to press charges to Arroyo’s intelligence and if he did these policemen will make the
life of the victim and his family miserable.

Oh well, after all the scandals that this president(?) and her family are facing, I only
have one thing to say…..THERE WILL BE NO GLORY FOR FILIPINO PEOPLE UNDER
GLUE-RIA GLORIA’S ADMINISTRATION.

iPod has got to be one of the greatest inventions of all time and I belong to
the millions of people who go gaga over their iPod. Isn’t that awesome? carrying
all your favorite songs wherever you go? Too bad, music doesn’t love me. When God
showered talent in singing, I was probably drooling

Anyway, this fascinating gadget makes quality music affordable and im afraid that
with the soaring popularity of iPod where you can download music for $0.99/song,
the music recording companies will surely get greedy (or they are now) and will
soon increase the download price.

I won’t be surprised if in the future there will be a digicam, celfone and iPod rolled
into one. Hmmm, that’s not impossible….but I wonder how will it look like.

From Associated Press

A man jumped onto the top of an Amtrak train from a Ventura Freeway overpass Thursday
and was arrested miles down the track by sheriff’s deputies who swooped in by helicopter.

Juan Lopez, 33, of Camarillo made the 20-foot leap about 9 a.m., authorities said.

“At this point the train starts pulling out and the witnesses see Mr. Lopez standing on
top of the train waving to everyone in the parking lot,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy
Julie Novak told KCAL-TV Channel 9.

This guy must have been watching a lot of movies…….maybe he thinks he is
SENIOR ALEJANDRO DELA VEGA a.k.a ZORRO
Trying to save the state of California?