Happy Thanksgiving everyone (:

I hope everyone's having fun.
I know I could be celebrating with my family, but something's wrong this year. They aren't doing anything. My dad's sleeping and is going to a friend's house for dinner... And well, my grandparents are just sitting on the couch... My uncle's not home cause he's working... And my aunt, hmmm, who knows what she's doing.

I want to thank my daddy, for being both a mother and father to me since my mom left. Thank you for loving me for the disoriented and always-sad person I am, for always taking care of me and allowing me to be your little daddy's girl when I am incapable of looking out for myself, for working until 11 every night to give me a better future, and for having me as your daughter, as maddening I can be.

I want to thank my mother, for giving birth to me and at least visiting me a few times in my life. I'm sorry that you haven't come to visit me in almost 4 years and that I sometimes seem scrutinizing. No matter what you have done in the past, you're still my mommy and I will always love you.

I want to thank the Lord for giving me the world, for everything that I've ever experienced and for the things I have yet to. Thank you for making everything I know of, and I am sorry that I have not appreciated the things in my life as much as I could have.

I want to thank my Auntie Melody for being my second mother and for raising me. Thank you for the principles you have taught me that my world revolves around, for not being the "normal parent" that tells you what to do, but instead leaving the world as my playground and for me to explore. Thank you for showing me that I must be who I am and love it, that I should never regret doing things, and teaching me what's right and wrong.

I want to thank my Uncle Boboy for showing me that I can still be philosophical and passionate while being logical. For always pushing me to do my hardest in all fields and for recognizing talent in me. Thank you for loving me for the "little tweet" I am and allowing me time to expand my two cylinders into five. Thank you for being my academic role model - you are the reason I want to be the best leader I can be - and thank you for knowing that I can do amazing things in this world.

I want to thank Lola Rebecca for being the helpful, sweet, caring, and sometimes-annoying grandma that I know and love. You have helped my father and I through too many financial problems to count and I KNOW that I would be living in the streets if it weren't for you. I'm sorry that I can act very meanly when I'm in a bad mood or when I'm sick, but I honestly appreciate you for taking care of me when I don't even need to be taken care of. You have taught me the meaning of generosity.

I want to thank Lolo David for simply being my grandfather. Your success has brought me to realize that I can actually be something in the Paraiso family. I love you for being who you are, even though you are just about the most serious and stiff person I know. You have taught me the meaning of obedience and self-control.

I want to thank my Auntie Tessie for helping me realize that I may actually be loved and needed in this life. Thank you for always being sweet and never discriminating or biased.

I want to thank John Joseph Banaag for giving me reason to live, for loving me, and for making me fall in love with you. Thank you for being the most amazing person I have ever met and for making me feel like I am more than that boring and unacknowledged person I was before I met you on September 25, 2007. You've brought the meaning of true happiness to my life and transformed me from a living robot into a real human being. You are the reason I have compassion and hope for the world. You really are my life, and the reason why I do anything. Thank you for being my inspiration to live.

I want to thank GG Hilliard for rekindling my love for singing and piano. You have inspired me to be the best person I can be, whether it is knowledge-wise, talent-wise, or simply moral-wise. Among the many people I have met or known of in my life, you are the one that has exceeded all others in different aspects. Your unbelievable talent for the arts and your passion for life is just about the most inspiring thing I have ever witnessed in a person. The fact that you're close to 75 years old and that you may be moody affects me none at all. Your health defects have never stopped you from doing what you love, and from the bottom of my heart, I look up to you. I want to be as talented, passionate, and courageous as you. Thank you for showing me all the hidden beauty in the world.

And lastly, I want to thank the friends I have in my life that are always there to cheer me up. Thank you for filling up the empty spaces in my heart.