it's my dad's birthday tomorrow

and i'm excited. i'm looking forward to talking to him. i'm so excited about it, i'm blogging about it already.

my dad, jose maria j. rubrico III, always had a way with words. he thought a lot, and would often wax philosophical on the dinner table, on long drives, on the times we spent together. he liked looking at things, analyzing them his point of view, and sharing his ideas to all of us. he also loved to read, a habit his three daughters caught. dad was also a sharp communicator--he knew how to get his point across, sometimes with matching exclamation points.

dad's love language is giving gifts. he always had pasalubong whenever he was gone for business trips. he particularly liked bringing fruit home from the remote areas he'd be going to. though he was wordy, he wasn't the appreciative-through-words kind of person. he just liked to give, and give, and give.

oh, i could go on and on and on about my dad, but ... i'm thankful that God gave me a dad like him, regardless of strengths and weaknesses, good points and bad. i'm thankful that God is giving him another year of life, another year of blessing. and i am thankful that he's the person God created him to be.

love you daddy!

things to be thankful for

1. exercise! this morning i speed-walked at the ball court behind our house for ONE HOUR. whew! best part is, i got a dose of morning sun and fresh air! panalo.  i am so thankful my left ankle is so much better!

2. lessons! in terms of the relationship department. and i quote from one of the people dearest to me, "a relationship is not a one-way street." simple as that.

3. daddy! got to meet up with my dad earlier this week. dad and i hardly see each other now that he lives in baguio, but he made baba (sorry i don't know how to english this ) for business. daddy lent me a book and some strawberry jam. funny how dad still calls me "little girl" at twenty-two years of age. hehehe

4. grace at the workplace! somehow my job isn't as BAD as i initially thought it was. i've been whining about it incessantly for the past few months, and somehow i've begun to appreciate it! i remember what Paul said: "i have learned to be content whatever the circumstances...i can do everything through Him who gives me strength." o di ba?  sometimes i find it difficult to detach myself from discomforts that plague me, but at the end of the day it's bestest to just smile and be thankful.

5. fellowship! many of you guys, my friends, are just wonderful! i love you!

6. multiply back on convergys IT! yaheeeeey! wala lang.

7. the talents inC arts & media summit! which was held last monday and i honestly had no idea that such an event was happening that day! napadaan lang ako, literally. and i so loved, enjoyed, and learned from it.

 

i am so looking forward to another great week!

what's in a name

yesterday i went to the ENLI building in fort bonifacio for the EN07 auditions. performers and production staff were needed for this july's world conference, and as usual, i was excited as all heck.

after a short wait i was interviewed by darlene, one of the directors. upon introducing myself she laughingly informed me that there was a volunteer who had the same name as mine, only spelled with a C.

of course, that got me really intrigued!  it's not every day that i meet someone with the same--or at least similar--name as mine. growing up i've always been associated with either the nail polish or the soap, which of course i royally hated to bits!

i even hated my name for so many reasons: aside from the previous, it was too uncommon, and too short. i remember asking my mom to have my name changed to "kim." mom laughed at me and told me that "kim" was a name for goats (i apologize to the kims who might read this. it was my mom's way of, you know, convincing me otherwise). unfortunately, my then four-year-old mind refused to accept that!

of course i learned to live with, and LOVE my name. daddy once told me that "karess" was a variation of the greek "karis," which meant graceful (click here). also, i learned to love its uniqueness and shortness. the one-of-a-kindness got to me, especially when signing up for log-in names. i didn't need to think too hard about what to use, hahaha!  

i lived with the jokes, too. ever wondered why my name is so long on your multiply contact list?

under the sea, under the sea

i have plotted a three-day leave for next week... and i need cheap, enjoyable, and worthwhile vacation-spending ideas!!!  and i emphasize on cheap!

if i had loads of cash right now, i prolly would've gone deep sea diving. *drool* i sorta got inspired by my visual dna result, haha. but i really would like to spend a holiday under the sea. now that i think about it, i've sorta rekindled my love for the ocean; i wanted to be a marine biologist when i was nine ("under the sea" is also playing on repeat in my music player right now). i'd also love to get up-close and personal with my second favorite animal, the manta ray (the first would be ).

and then i'd ask my dad, the original water baby, to go with me diving. my dad, at sixty, still jogs like heck and eats vegetables like i eat junk food.

whee! the thought is already getting me excited.

i better start getting in shape, saving up, and looking for prospective diving spots. para next summer, i can say hi to sebastian, flounder, nemo, marlin, and hopefully my second favorite animal in the world.