Adams Planet!

Sumo Sam Trinoma

2012-05-17T17:16:00.002+08:00

It was Saturday night. It was our Date night. Dinner and a Movie.

Me and Gregory were walking around Trinoma looking for a place to eat. He asked me what I was in the mood for.

"I don't know" I answered.

We walked around until he asked me if I've ever eaten at Sumo Sam.

I said no.

He smiled and said that we should have dinner there.

The place was kinnda packed. Understandable since it was a Saturday night.

The waiter gave us the menu and here's what we ordered.

Rainbow sushi. I had the tamago, the crabstick and the shrip. He had the one's with raw fish. Im not a big fan of those.

California Maki Salad. This salad was REALLY good. I love the dressing they used. And this was good for two. If I had this to myself, I would be full already.

Salmon. I forgot the name of this thing on the menu. I dont really eat fish so I can't pass judgement. Gregory said the fish was really good daw.

I do not remember the name of this dish but its chicken with cheese and carrots in the middle. The meat melts in your mouth. Very delicious.

This place is a bit pricey, almost on the same level as Mr Jones but the food is exquisite.

After dinner, I went out to smoke and since there were tables there, Gregory asked for tea which he drank while I smoked.

After that, we walked around a bit until it was time for the movie.

We were gonna watch The Avengers.

Good movie, good food, and as they say, the rest is history. :)

2 Years Na Pala!

2012-05-17T16:34:00.001+08:00

April 2010

I had just arrived from our Hong Kong trip nang tanungin ako ni Mama kung gusto ko daw ba magwork sa Manila.

I asked her why.

"One of our neighbors is working for a call center and they need agents."

I agreed.

I remember the day of my interview in perfect detail. It was a Thursday. I was wearing a blue and white stipped polo and cream colored khakis. My interview was scheduled at 10AM. I arrived at the RCBC Building in Makati at 9:30.

When I entered the office, I waited for about 20 minutes. I was the only one there. Suddenly, I saw this really tall guy and asked me if I was Anton. He introduced himself as the Operations Manager.

The interview started. He asked me typical questions. Where I was from. My previous work experience. All that shit. The interview lasted for 12 minutes.

I was hired.

I'd be starting Monday.

As I left the building, I was overcome with joy. Then it hit me. I'd have to go to Baguio and pack 6 years worth of things overnight.

April 2011

I have been working for the call center for a year now. But I knew it was time to move up. I was not meant to be a call center agent forever. My dreams are as big as my waistline.

I applied for a position in the Media team after a friend of mine from the HR Department told me that they were in the process of hiring a Copy Editor.

I also remember how my interview went. How I was asked to rate my fluency in English from one to ten and without batting an eyelash, I looked at them and answered, ten.

"Cocky. I like it." said one of the interviewers flashing me a smile.

I found out that I got the job. I beat out every single applicant and all of them were external.

April 2012

Its been two years that I've been working for our company. I'm as happy as I can ever be. Slowly but surely, things are looking good for me.

I have a great job. I have a great boss. The money is kinda good considering what I do.

I'm happy right now. But my dreams are big and my boss knows that and he said he likes that about me.

He said that he'd help me in whatever way he could.

It's been two years since my life changed overnight. Two years of living in the city again. I have made a lot of wonderful friends and have met a lot of terrific people.

Two years and about 50 pounds later, the boy from Baguio is still living in the city and working in the same company.

And just as how he felt the day he got hired, he's still perfectly happy.

Sa Taxi

2012-05-17T15:44:00.002+08:00

Me being the maarte person that I am, kadalasan ay nagtataxi ako. I dont really like riding in jeeps. First of all, mainit and I cannot stand the heat dahil sobrang dali akong pagpawisan. Second, natrauma ako sa holdapang nangyari a few months ago.

But don't get me wrong. Nagjeejeep din ako lalo na pag sobrang lapit lang ng pupuntahan ko.

One morning, I was running late for work. Well, I think late na talaga ako non so sumakay ako ng taxi. Pagpasok ko sa taxi, sosyal si kuya. Touchscreen and radyo at may GPS ang taxi niya. Pero ang hindi ko kinaya ay ito.

I discreetly took a picture of it using my phone.

Tambling!

May life vest daw sa ilalim ng upuan ko. At yang maliit na sign na yan ang nagpasaya sa araw ko.

Baguio Part 3

2012-05-17T15:22:00.001+08:00

Monday morning nang umalis kami ng Baguio. Dahil may work ako kinabukasan, I had to go home. Sina Mariah at Alvin, pumunta pa ng La Union dahil gusto ni Alvin magswimming sa dagat.

I didn't tell any of my friends na umalis na ako. I'm not really good with goodbyes when it comes to them. I always end up crying inside the bus.

Honestly, I was nervous of going back to Baguio and I was unsure as to why. It was my friend Bongga who made me realize why.

" You're probably nervous kasi pagdating mo dun baka ayaw mo nang bumalik ng Manila."

She made perfect sense.

But I haven't seen my friends in over a year and I miss them a lot.

I was happy to see them. To visit Darnell in his office, Jet in his office and Lyve came to the hotel. I was suppose to meet up with a few more people but I was pressed for time. There's always a next time.

But one thing I've realized, Baguio isn't the same anymore. It has changed. More buildings, more establishments, less tree's. The only thing that makes me want to go back are my friends.

So to my friends over there, I miss all of you. To those I wasn't able to meet up with, I will be back very very soon. I've already squeezed it into my schedule :)

Promise.

Baguio Part 2

2012-05-17T15:13:00.003+08:00

Dahil sa pangungulit ni Alvin, pumunta kami sa Tam-Awan Village. He also wanted to eat Pinikpikan, kaya ayun pumunta kami ng Tam-Awan.

I haven't been to Tam-Awan in a VERY long time and it looks a bit different now compared before.

After kumain, inakyat namin yung bundok. In fairness, I was not prepared for that. Pero enjoy. Tawanan lang kami ng tawanan.

May video si Alvin na tumitili sa taas ng bundok dahil pinagtritripan ko siya pero baka patayin niya ako pag inupload ko yun dito hahaha.

(To be continued...)

Baguio Part 1

2012-05-17T15:04:00.000+08:00

A few weeks ago, Mariah, Me, and Alvin went to Baguio for a quick vacation. Pagdating namin dun, the first I did was call up my friends.

So we had breakfast at Zola with Darnell.

After breakfast, Darnell had to go home to rest kasi katatapos lang ng shift niya. Kami naman, naglibot libot sa Baguio. First time ni Mariah dun.

At around noon, we went back to the hotel to rest. I txted Lyve and told her to meet us there. Pagdating niya sa hotel, I swear to God I lost my senses and started the hysterics the moment I saw her. I haven't seen Lyve in more than a year so sobrang tuwang tuwa ako nung nagkita kami.

We had lunch at Good Taste. A trip to Baguio would not be complete unless you've eaten at Good Taste where one serving is good for three people.

Naloka si Mariah at Alvin nung dumating yung food.

After lunch, Lyve had to go home so naglibot-libot kami ulit. We ended up in John Hay.

We stopped by Tsokolate De Batirol.

I can't find any pictures of when we were there. Baka nakay Alvin or Mariah since sila ang nagdala ng camera.

After that we went back to the hotel to rest.

I woke up at around 10PM and got dressed dahil kailangan kong pumunta ng Kaffeklatsch para i-meet ang isang friend ko dun. Plus I miss that place, dun ako nakikijamming noon.

I went back to the hotel feeling happy because I got to see my friends that day.

(To be continued...)

Shirts

2012-05-17T14:37:00.002+08:00

Since I always wanna make a statement, I had some shirts made based on some designs I thought off. Its a good thing that I found this place that prints shirts for a good price. Since I had multiple shirts made, they kinnda gave me a discount on them. The price I was able to save was equivalent to one shirt. Pwede na diba?

My favorite is the first one. The blue doesn't really go well with me though. I become darker when I wear it pero kiber. I like it eh.

I love the fabric of the shirt. It's made of cotton but not too soft so less chances of the shirt getting ruined. With the quality of the print, so far so good. I've tried washing them by machine and by hand but the design doesn't chip or crack so yey.

Oh, a big thank you to my officemate Joey who helped me with the designs. He is a photoshop genius.

At dahil medyo pasaway ako, I wore the blue shirt to church. Well, their reaction is a story best saved for another day :)

Dinner Date

2012-04-19T16:58:00.001+08:00

It was a warm Saturday evening and we were walking around Greenbelt.

Gregory had no idea where I was taking him. He asked me to take him somewhere nice and I knew the perfect place.

My favorite resto in Greenbelt is Mr. Jones because I love their servings. Their dishes are good for two.

Since I had to smoke, we sat outside which I eventually realized wasn't a good idea because even though it was 9PM, it was still scorching hot outside. I swear, mother nature has been a bitch lately.

So while waiting for the food to arrive, we took some pictures.

For drinks, Gregory ordered a blueberry iced tea and I ordered a chocolate milkshake. One thing I love about their milkshakes is that they give you a glass with the excess. I love this stuff.

I also took photos of him but for obvious reasons, I can't post them here.

So the food finally arrived. First was the cream of mushroom soup that came in this big-ass bowl.

I love cream of mushroom soup and may I say, Mr. Jones has the best one I've ever tasted. So after about 15 minutes, the main dish finally arrived.

I had something called Wicked Truffled Mac n' Cheese which is basically mac n' cheese with 3 different types of macaroni, 4 types of cheese, canadian smoked bacon, portobello mushroom and greenpeas drizzled with truffle oil. Mmmhhhmmm... healthy hahaha.

"It doesn't look fresh." said Gregory when he saw my Mac n' Cheese.

"Taste it." I told him.

He took a bite.

"Okay... I take it back." he said with a laugh.

Gregory on the other hand ordered Char-Grilled "Greek Style" Norwegian Salmon Steak. It's basically salmon topped with greek salad with anchovy lemon dill yogurt vinaigrette served with wild rice pilaf and a lemon.

I swear I am terrible at taking pictures of food. These pictures dont do the food any justice. Suffice to say, we were both stuffed at the end of the meal. We could barely get up. That was a fuckin heavy meal.

Food was a bit pricey but it was well worth it. You cant put a price on really good food.

So after dinner, we walked around Greenbelt to kill time because we were going to watch Hunger Games at 11pm.

It was an awesome date if I do say so myself.

So how was your weekend my dear readers? =)

Four Eyes

2012-04-18T18:03:00.001+08:00

A few days ago nagpost ako tungkol sa nangyari sa mga mata ko. Finally, after calling the eye clinic everyday to follow up on when my glasses are arriving, dumating narin nung Saturday.

I went to Trinoma an hour after they called me up to pick up my new glasses. In fairness I like them. They're really light.

When I first put them on, naloka ang doctor nung tinanong ko kung bakit gumagalaw yung sahig. Sabi naman niya normal daw yun. Apparently, progressive lenses daw ang tawag sa gagamitin ko. Yun daw ang nagpamahal kasi magkaiba ang grado sa gitna at sa baba.

It's a multifocal lens but without the hideous line at the middle. They look like regular glasses which is why I love them.

The only thing is that since magkaiba ang grado sa taas at baba, it needs some getting used to so I have to look forward when looking at distant objects but I have to look down when reading something up close. Hindi rin ako pwedeng mag side glance kasi malabo yung gilid niya.

Hindi ko alam kung anong klaseng mahika ang ginamit sa mga salamin na to but in fairness it works for me. Hindi na ako nahihirapang magbasa. Yey!

Syempre, picture picture para alam ko itsura ko pag suot ko glasses ko.

Pwede na diba? Bagay naman daw sa akin. Di ko lang alam kung totoo yun.

Oh diba? Another way to proclaim to the world how much of a nerd I am. O_O

History is Made at Night

2012-04-13T02:14:00.003+08:00

"Instead of going out, why dont I cook carbonara for dinner and we can have dinner in my terrace under the stars?" I texted him.

"Hmm... sounds romantic. Alright. :)" he replied.

Since he would be coming from work, I did not cook the pasta yet. I just prepared the sauce.

He fetched me at church because we had rehearsals.

When we got to my house, I started cooking the pasta.

He had a plastic bag with him. In it was a bottle of wine and olives.

"Do you like olives?" he asked.

"Of course I do"

"I love it that you're so classy." he said.

I laughed.

He also brought dessert. It was this cheese flavored donut which I must say was so big and so good.

My laptop was in the kitchen so I started playing music.

One certain song started playing.

He hugged me.

I hugged him back.

Next thing I knew, we were slow dancing in my kitchen to that song.

We both started laughing.

Hindi ko kaya. Ibang level ang kilig ko nun.

After cooking, we went up to my terrace to prepare for dinner.

I lit the candle and he set the plates.

We were talking about everything under the sun over pasta and wine.

It felt amazing.

He said he was happy because apparently, no one has ever cooked for him.

And he said the carbonara tasted great.

It may not have been a date out in the city but it was perfect.

Candlelit dinner under the stars.

If that isn't romantic, I don't know what is.

He said ang dami ko daw pogi points sa kanya nung gabing yun.

Oh and in case you guys are wondering what song we slow danced to, its the song below.

I must say, it was the perfect song for a perfect evening :)

What I Found Out

2012-04-13T01:56:00.001+08:00

Alright dear reader, personal update time.

Here's what happened. Last Monday, I went to Trinoma to have my eyes checked because I have been suffering from headaches and my vision has become fuzzy.

The clinic I went to is called Del Mundo which is located just beside Seattle's Best. I must say, they are very good. Although I did spend several hours there because I had to undergo several tests and they re-did them just to be sure they got an accurate reading.

So I found out at the muscles in my eyes are not adjusting when something is up close. Well that answers why I had a hard time reading things in front of me.

The doctor said there was one more test I had to take but I had to go to St Lukes E.Rod the next day because the equipment needed is in that hospital.

So I picked out my frames and paid for them together with the consultation and testing fees.

Thank God my friend Ellaine was there to keep me company or I would have been bored to death.

The next day before going to work, I went to St Lukes to take something called the "Visual Field Test". It's basically an in depth look at my eyes to see if there's anything else that's wrong. Thats when they found out that the nerves in my eyes are not responding to objects around me.

The doctor told me that the lenses needed for my glasses are going to be custom made but since they are not available in the Philippines, it'll take several days before they arrive. Being special lenses, they cost an arm and leg which I am not thrilled about but I had no choice. The doctor did say that these lenses are going to be worth it so here's hoping that they are.

Well I can still see, it's just I can't see things properly up close.

Well, I will be posting an update once my glasses arrive.

Wish me luck my dear readers.

Under The Moon and Stars

2012-04-13T01:40:00.002+08:00

"Hello!" he said when he answered my call.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Secret. Take a guess."

I heard a familiar sound in the background.

"Wait... are you inside the church?"

"Yup" he answered laughing.

"Come out. Im outside the church."

A few seconds later I saw him emerge. He was there. He was actually there.

He was actually at church watching me perform in the Senakulo.

"Were you able to watch me?" I asked.

"Of course." he answered with a smile.

We walked to the store that was just outside the church. I bought something to drink.

We talked for a while until I had to go inside because of the curtain call.

"What time are you going home?" I asked.

"Depends. What time do you want me to go home?" he said.

Nanghina ako. Kamusta naman ang sinagot niya diba?

* * * *

"Come on I'll walk you to your car." I said.

The play was over. It was kinda late and I didn't want him to be driving that late at night.

After a few minutes, we were finally in his car.

"You're sweating. I'll switch the aircon on." he said.

We entered his car.

It was a really starry night for some reason and the moon was out and bright.

There we were in his car and we had a perfect view of the sky.

He played this romantic song.

He took my hand in his.

We started talking.

"Alright I'm gonna say something but I want you to know I'm vulnerable and letting my walls down." he suddenly said.

I nodded.

"I've never been in something like this before. I've never dated anyone for this long and yet I still feel happy with you. As time goes by, I'm liking you more. What I'm saying is, I want you to know that when I said I wanted us to date exclusively, I meant it. I haven't entertained anyone ever since we started dating. I want you to know that I will never cheat on you because it's not in my nature. I am very loyal."

I was listening intently to him. I didn't know what to say to this guy who was pouring his heart in front of me. All I knew was that I was happy. Very happy.

There he was, being as transparent as he can be.

"Look, I can't promise to be on my best behavior all the time and you know that I come with excess baggage. Although I will tell you this, I will make you happy. I will never give you a reason to doubt my feelings for you." I told him.

He smiled the sweetest smile I've ever seen. He looked like a kid. I know that look, that's the look on his face when he's really happy about something.

I kissed him.

We stayed in his car for a few minutes until it was time for me to go.

He brought me back to church because I had to help out with the cleaning.

Before getting out of his car, he asked me something.

"So I guess this means we're seriously dating?"

"Yeah." I replied with a smile.

Senakulo 2012

2012-04-13T00:54:00.001+08:00

As most of my friends and readers know, I have been serving in our local church. Before anything else, let me clear something up. My views on the Catholic Church have not changed. I am still the blasphemous-bible-thumping-heathen than I am.

I just like serving in that specific church because one, we have an awesome priest. Two, I like most of the people there. Three, it's a great way for me to divert myself from my typical home-work routine.

So back in January, my friend Cora told me that the Youth Ministry will be staging a play called Senakulo. Me being quasi-ignorant when it comes to religion had no idea what she was talking about. She gladly explained it to me. Basically, it's a play similar to the movie, The Passion of the Christ. Parang tagalog version nung movie kumbaga.

She said she wanted me to play Herodes (King Herod). She basically would not take no for an answer so hesitant as I may have been, I accepted the role she so graciously bestowed upon me. I had a proviso though, I told her not to give me a big role and not that many lines because I don't have time to memorize them.

We have been rehearsing since late February. We started with the script reading and had several workshops. Since Cora knows about my experience when it comes to the theater, she assigned me to conduct several workshops. Syempre I accepted the responsibility.

So the performance day finally came. It was on the 4th of April. It was on a Wednesday.

Before the show, may blessing keme na naganap.

Ayan. Start na ng play.

Eto ay nung matapos ang curtain call.

Aminin ninyo dear readers, considering that this isn't a professional production, ang taray ng costumes at make up ano? I was honestly impressed. Never expected it to be like this.

Gandaaaaa. Galing magdirect ng aking friend na si Cora. Hats off to her.

Actually, may video ang buong performance at nakaupload sa YouTube. Pinagiisipan ko pa kung ipopost ko dito.

During the performance, tinatanong ako nung iba kung kinakabahan ako. Nangingiti nalang ako pag may nagtatanong. Mamaya kasi eh baka isipin nilang mayabang ako pag sinabi kong, "Hindi. Sanay na ako eh."

Syempre, humble dapat ang peg. Diba?

Oh and the best part is, nanood sina Mama kasama ang lola ko, tita ko at pinsan ko. Front seat pa. Aside from that, nandoon din si Gregory. O diba? Me na. Me na talagaaaaaa.

I truly enjoyed being part of the play. It was a wonderful experience. Cora, kung nababasa mo to, join ako sa next na production ah. :)

Congratulations to the Youth of San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish. A job well done to all of us.

One Year Na Pala

2012-04-11T23:53:00.001+08:00

Hello dear readers. Kamusta kayo? How's life? Nandyan pa kayong mga loyal kong readers? I hope so.

First of all, I would like to apologize for the lack of updates. I have been busy with several things lately and it's hard to juggle my time. Kung pwede ko lang hatiin ang katawan ko. Haaay...

Alright, down to business. Today, I celebrate my first year as the Copy Editor for our company. For those of you who have been following me for the past year or so, you'd probably know that I used to be part of our Call Center. I got promoted, sabay kami ni SexyAnne. I was moved to our Media Team while she moved to HR.

Has it really been a year? Seems just like yesterday I had to undergo training for my position. Seems like yesterday, I came to the office and moved my stuff to my new workstation. Seems just like yesterday I had to adjust to the new environment around me.

I guess it's true what they say, time flies when you're having fun.

In that span of one year, so much has happened. Although there were some bad stuff, majority of them were good.

One year later I'm still having fun with my job. I have an awesome boss, I swear he is the coolest guy ever. My companions are great and the environment is the best.

According to my boss, I've done good. Of course I'm still rough around the edges when it comes to some things but it's nothing that can't be learned.

Though today I celebrate my first year as Copy Editor, a few days from now, I will be celebrating my second year anniversary with the company. Syempre, alam na agad, i-bloblog ko yan.

So congratulate me dear readers. I know kababawan lang siya pero kiber. Blog ko nga diba? ahihihi.

Easter Sunday With Family

2012-04-11T23:35:00.000+08:00

For Holy Week, since may trabaho ako, pumunta dito sa Manila sina Mama. Also, she came to watch me perform in the Senakulo of our Church. More on that soon.

Since I had work the entire Holy Week, I was only able to spend time with them on Easter Sunday since wala akong pasok pag Linggo.

To celebrate, we all went to Bulacan kasi birthday party din nung isang pinsan ni Mama.

Eto ang mga kalokohan namin.

My mother knew what I was writing when she saw me doodling on her iPad.

Sabi niya mamaya daw isipin ng mga kaibigan ko at readers ko na baliw talaga siya. Eh ano naman. May pagka baliw naman talaga nanay ko. Kanino pa ba ako magmamana diba?

It was a fun evening. I rarely get to spend time with family.

Without A Face But Has A Name

2012-04-03T17:57:00.001+08:00

I was talking to him on the phone.

He was on his way home from work.

I was at home, I just arrived from church.

"So what name will you give me on your blog?" he asked.

"I don't know. I've actually been thinking about it. At first, I wanted Alladin."

"Noooooo..." he said with a laugh.

I burst out laughing.

"How about Richie?" he suggested.

"I've actually considered Richie but no. Me don't like it."

"What then?" he asked.

"I don't know. What name do you want ba?"

"Hmmm... I'm not sure. I wan't something English since my name sounds English."

"Let's see..." I said.

"Oh I know. How about Gregory?"

I thought for a few seconds.

Gregory.

I liked it.

It had a nice ring to it.

Gregory.

"You know what, Gregory sounds perfect. You do remind me of a Gregory." I answered.

I was smiling.

He got home after about 10 minutes.

We decided to call it a night.

As I was preparing for bed, my phone beeped.

And the conversation went something like this.

I won't post the rest of the conversation.

Wholesome kasi dapat ang blogpost na to.

So everyone, meet Gregory.

Helping a Friend

2012-04-03T15:37:00.002+08:00

A good friend of mine told me that he's moving to a different condo. I offered my help in packing his things. To those of you who've read my 'Conversations' post, he's the guy named Derek.

To those who've been reading my blog for a long time, I used to call him DT. Those are his initials. He used to be my supervisor when I was still part of the call center. Now that I am no longer his subordinate, we've become really good friends.

We're the exact opposite when it comes to most things so it kinda baffles me why we get along so well.

After work, we passed by 7/11 to buy a few bottles of beer, coke, a marker for his boxes, cigs, and newspaper. Let's face it, packing stuff is much more fun when you're a little buzzed.

So his condo had this itsy-bitsy terrace where you'd get a good view of the city. God, he has an amazing view from his unit. He's said he's gonna miss this view.

He asked me what he could do in return for me helping him pack. I told him to buy me dinner so he ordered pizza since me loves pizza. I swear, Papa Johns is one of the best pizza places in town.

Ladies, gays, and the few, emphasis on few, straight men who read my blog, meet Derek. I distinctly remember telling him that I'll be posting something on my blog. I just don't remember if he said I can post his pictures. Oh well...

For some unknown stupid reason, the building admin wanted to know what Derek had in his boxes so we did the logical thing. We labelled his boxes.

We started packing at around 7pm and we finished at around 9:30 or 10. In total, there were 2 big luggage bags full of his clothes, 1 smaller luggage bag containing God knows what, a paper bag full of cables and shit, and 5 boxes containing the most horrible things you could ever think of.

Since we were done packing and I was waiting for someone *ehem* to fetch me, I hang out in his condo for about 2 more hours.

So there. I've done my good deed for the week. I've helped out a friend. Oh and by the way, he's straight. He's one of my very-few-honest-to-god straight guy friends.

P.S.

Sorry about the crappy quality of the photos. I took them using my iPhone.

In The Moment

2012-03-28T01:50:00.000+08:00

Saturday.

I was at home and I had just arrived from work.

My phone started ringing.

"Hey what's up?" I answered.

"Hey! Nothing much. Im on my way to the gym. Are you at home?"

"Yeah."

"Dont you have choir practice tonight?"

"We do but it's raining and I dont wanna get wet plus Im not really in the mood to go out"

"Have you had dinner?" he asked.

"Not yet. Im not hungry."

"Alright. Im gonna go work out muna. Talk to you later."

"Alright. Later."

After about 30 minutes, I was in the kitchen preparing dinner when I heard someone ringing my doorbell.

I went out to see who it was. It was a guy holding an umbrella.

"Hey it's me!" the man said.

That's when I realized who it was.

It was him. I was surprised. I thought he was at the gym.

I honestly thought he was at the gym.

I opened the gate and I saw that he had few plastic bags with him.

He bought ice cream, the good kind. Shawarma and a few bags of chips.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were at the gym." I asked.

The answer he gave me was one I will never forget.

"I'm just living in the moment." he answered giving me a smile.

* * * *

We were in bed, watching Tangled and eating the ice cream he brought.

"Hey I have a question. Are you dating anyone else?" he asked.

"No not really. Why?" I asked.

"Well I just want to let you know that Im no longer going to entertain others. I was wondering if you could do the same."

I fell silent.

"But if you wanna go out on dates, it fine with me. I understand. Just don't kiss or sleep with them.", he added.

"I'm not dating anyone else. Just you. So you want us to date exclusively?"

"Yeah. What about Matt? How come that didn't work out?" he asked.

"He has issues. Issues I dont wanna deal with." I answered.

"Good. Good for me."

He hugged me really tight.

"There's something about the way you hug me that makes me feel safe" he whispered.

I hugged him back.

"You smell really good." he suddenly said.

I laughed.

There we were in my bed watching Tangled.

"Now this is a Saturday night." he said.

I smiled, and hugged him.

Isang Gabi Sa Eastwood

2012-03-28T01:08:00.000+08:00

"Let me know when you're here" sabi ko.

I was waiting for him because he was going to pick me up at the office.

After about 20 minutes my phone beeped.

"Im here at Centris. Where are you?" he texted.

"On my way out, meet me outside the building." I replied.

I rode the elevator going down. Got out of the building. Looked around.

There he was.

He was wearing a blue long sleeve polo and slacks. He obviously just came from work.

He looked really cute.

We walked to his car.

"What are we gonna watch?" he asked.

"Uhhm...Mirror Mirror?"

"Sounds great. But lets have dinner first because I'm starving." he answered.

"Sure but let's buy tickets first so we could get good seats"

Sa Eastwood kami pupunta. On the way there, we were chatting in his car.

It was our first date. We were in the stage of getting to know each other.

Oh diba?

When we got to Eastwood, he parked his car. We bought the tickets then went to Cyma for dinner.

He wanted Greek food and so did I.

I must admit I was nervous. I haven't been on a date in a long time.

Everything felt so new to me.

We were talking about everything under the sun.

He was very charming.

I was mesmerized by his geeky-boy-next-door looks and his sharp wit.

I was interested. He seemed interested too. I wasn't sure though.

"Next time we go out..." he said.

"So there's gonna be a next time?" I asked cutting him off.

"Well... I'd like to go out with you again" he answered then smiled.

I smiled back.

Things were going really well.

* * * *

While watching the movie, I was trying to focus but I couldn't.

"Wolf looks cute" he said referring to one of the characters in the movie.

"I know. But I'm cuter..." I answered.

He laughed and he suddenly grabbed my hand.

I was surprised but in a very good way.

He held my hand until the movie ended.

We walked around Eastwood for a bit until we realized how late it was.

We returned to his car.

He started the car but since we parked in the 4th level basement, it felt like a furnace so he wanted the car to cool down first.

His hand was by the gear shift.

"You're suppose to hold my hand..." he said. Nahihiya pa siya nung sinabi niya yun.

I took his hand in mine and there in his car we sat.

Things fell silent.

He was stealing glances from me. Hindi siya mapakali for some reason.

"So we're gonna hold hands the entire evening?" I jokingly said.

"Well we could..." he said but stopped before he could finish what he was saying.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing" he answered. He had that nahihiya look again.

There was silence for about a minute.

I decided to make the first move.

"Oh for God's sake!" I said.

I grabbed his collar, pulled him in and kissed him on the lips.

He kissed me back.

When Left Unsupervised

2012-03-28T00:33:00.001+08:00

So this is what happens when we are left unsupervised at work.

When Bongga realized what were doing, eto ang sinabi niya.

"Nagpicture kayo? Leche! Hindi niyo manlang ako hinintay!"

O diba? Dedma siya na hinatak ko ang isang trainer niya para sabayan ang kabaliwan ko.

By the way dear readers, meet Rima. I'm sure you'll be seeing her in my future posts. In fairness, galing kumanta ng babaeng to.

Gospel Choir Outing in Pangasinan

2012-03-28T00:27:00.000+08:00

As most of my friends and readers know, I am part of the choir in our local church. As an annual thing, the choir has thing outing/team building thing. This year, it was in Dasol, Pangasinan.

I can't remember the name of the resort but it was nice. It's not really a fancy high class resort but it was good enough. In fairness, ganda nung beach. White sand and the water was crystal clear.

The point of the outing is for the team to get together for two days, make new friends, get to know the new members and discuss the issues of the choir.

We had several activities. Being the person I am, I actually enjoyed the activities even if most of them involved religion and catholic church stuff.

After the activities, there was this open forum thing. I think they call it "Formation". I have no idea. The old members discussed the issues within the choir. I swear to God, this choir has A LOT of issues.

I cannot, for the life of me, believe how some of them manage to call each other friends and be chummy with one another when they actually harbor feelings of resentment towards others.

I think medyo naayos naman ata nila mga issues nila. I don't know and don't care. Issues nila yan and those are issues before I even joined the choir so basta hindi ako idamay, I could care less.

After the Formation thing, we all went by the beach and lit up some paper lanterns. Apparently you're supposed to say a prayer before letting the lantern fly. So I prayed. Yes dear readers, nagdasal ako!

After the lantern thing, since it was around 2 in the morning, the others went in to shower and go to bed. I stayed by the beach with my friends and of course, since I was by the beach, I firedanced!

It took us about 8 hours to get there because we had to stop by Alaminos to buy food in the market. I must say, I enjoyed the outing.

I realized who to trust within the choir and who to consider as friends.

Funny story though, the owner of the resort is apparently a friend of my dad's family. All I did was ask how to switch on the light in the kitchen and next thing you know, the owner was asking me where I was from and how come I spoke Ilokano fluently. I told her where my mom and dad was from.

When I told her my last name thats when she realized who I was. Apparently, we already met when I was about 4 or 5 years old. She's really good friends with my grandma and grandpa.

Such a small small world.

I enjoyed the outing. Became closer to God and all that shit.

Can you believe it dear readers?

The Priest and I

2012-03-15T16:58:00.001+08:00

"So kamusta ang usapan ninyo ni Father?" tanong ni Cora.

"It was very enlightening." sagot ko.

"Really? Aba parang naiintriga ako sa enlightening na yan."

Sumindi ako ng yosi.

Nag umpisa ako magkwento.

* * * *

"Gaano ka na katagal dito sa choir?" tanong ni Father.

Nasa garahe kami ng bahay niya na nasa tabi ng simbahan. Katatapos lang Sunday Mass.

"Member po ako nung 2000 hanggang 2002 pero tumira po ako sa Baguio ng ilang taon. April 2010 I came back here to start working tapos nung January po sumali ako ulit sa choir."

"Ah ok. Kamusta naman ang choir?"

"Okay naman po Father. Mababait sila. Nakakatuwa silang kasama." sagot ko.

Napangiti si Father.

"Ano naman ang gumugulo sayo?" tanong niya.

"I have no faith in the church."

"Why?"

"Well...uhhm..." I was trying to choose my words. "First Father, I'm gay. I have no faith in the church kasi sinasabi ng catholic church na immoral ako. Na masama kami."

He was looking at me but for some reason I could not see any judgement or disappointment in his eyes.

"Sa totoo lang Father, when I was living in Baguio, I used to serve in one of the church's there. I was very active. When I realized that I might be gay, I went to our priest for guidance. Nagulat ako kasi sinabi niya..."

"That you will be damned? Na kailangan labanan mo?" he asked, cutting me off.

"Yes po. I was hurt because I looked up to our priest. I had such high respect for him."

"Eto ang masasabi ko ah. Ako, I am not here to judge. I cannot give you the stamp of approval from the catholic church kasi wala pa naman ako sa ganun kataas na posisyon. I'm not also here to tolerate you should you exhibit any acts that would be lewd or obscene but I am not here to judge you."

I was surprised by his words. I remained silent while he spoke.

"As you might have noticed, I am a bit unorthodox when it comes to my sermons and teachings. It is because I believe pare-pareho tayo sa mata ng diyos. I cannot judge you, only God can. What I can do is accept you for who you are because that was not your choice. You were born that way."

Still I remained silent. It felt surreal. Was I really hearing this from our priest?

"Mabuti nga ngayon mas maluwag na. I mean, a lot of people still discriminate towards the LGBT community but compared before, medyo mas okay na ngayon although there's still a long way to go. Who knows? Maybe after 50 years or more, people would be more open minded. Basta ang importante, you become a role model for society. Wala kang sinasaktan. Wala kang tinatapakan. Also, kailangan alagaan mo ang sarili mo because people will take advantage of you because they see that as your weakness so never let them take advantage of you."

"Yes po Father." I answered.

"Pati naman diyan sa choir, I know that there are a lot who are gay. Wala naman akong problema sa kanila kasi mababait naman sila although merong ilan na pasaway. Just remember to always be a decent member of society and remember that only God can judge you. Not I, not anyone else."

I was in utter disbelief. Here I was in front of a man serving the church I have loathed for the longest time and yet this man was telling me that he accepts me.

Before I left, our priest said something that really struck me. It was something I most likely will never forget.

"Eto ang tandaan mo, when we die, God will not ask you if you are gay or straight. He will ask you, what good deeds did you do for the world."

* * * *

"Ibang klase si Father no?" tanong ni Cora.

"Oo nga eh. Hindi ako makapaniwala." sagot ko.

Before she could say something, dumating ang isang kasama namin sa choir so we had to drop to topic.

You see, Cora and our Priest may know that I'm gay, but the rest of the choir does not.

Soon they will. Soon.

Me Was Intoxicated

2012-03-09T18:12:00.000+08:00

"You're crazy." Matt said over the phone.

"No I'm not." I answered slurring my words a bit.

"Wait... are you drunk?"

"Noooo... Well... I had a drink but I'm not drunk."

"So you're intoxicated?"

"Yep." I answered laughing.

Me being in the uninhibited state that I was, I wouldn't stop talking.

Kwento ako ng kwento sa kanya.

He was laughing at me.

"Alright it's time for you to rest." he said.

"No! I'm still talking to you... I like hearing your voice." I answered. Naglalambing ako sa kanya.

"Go close the lights in your terrace and close the door."

"I dont wanna."

He laughed.

"Go on. You need to rest plus it's getting late. Also, close the lights in your room narin."

"I dont wannaaaaaa. I'm scared of the dark plus I'm alone."

"No you're not. I'm right beside you." he answered.

"No you're not. There's no one beside me."

"Well close you eyes and imagine that I'm right beside you."

I fell silent. He's never said that to me.

"Go on close the lights na." he said.

"Alright. Fine."

I closed the lights in my terrace and locked the screen door.

"Now close your eyes."

"Alright. If I had magic powers, I'd teleport you here every night."

"I'd really like that." he answered.

There was a moment of silence. I was kinnda sleepy already.

He started singing all of a sudden.

It was my favorite song.

He reached the second chorus.

"I'd sooner buy...defying gravity... I think I'll try defying gravity..." he sang.

"It's kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity" I corrected him.

"Close your eyes and go to sleep you crazy man."

That's when I realized that he was singing me to sleep.

Took me long enough to realize it.

I was a bit surprised.

He sang another song I also liked.

I was falling asleep.

He finished the other song.

He fell silent for a few seconds.

"Goodnight... hug...hug..." he suddenly said.

I smiled.

He didn't drop the line.

He just stayed on until he eventually fell asleep.

I fell asleep as well.

With a smile on my face because someone tried singing me to sleep.

Something no one has ever done to me.

New Project

2012-03-09T16:00:00.003+08:00

Seeing as how bland my walls look, I decided to start a small project to put more life into my room. Two months ago.

It's only now that I actually found the time to do it. Alright, half true. I was also too lazy to start doing it.

But, I finally did.

Since buying 3 dozens picture frames is out of the question, what with not knowing where to put them in my room, I decided to buy a big cork board, mount it up against the wall where my desktop is and fill it with pictures and a few other things.

So it's basically, pictures of my friends, things I like/ have something to do with me, and places I've been to.

When I was done putting all the pictures in, I was reminiscing. The pictures brought back a lot of good memories I've had with my friends.

The one thing that really annoyed me though was, while looking at the pictures, I realized how thin I looked in all of them.

Kaasar lang.

Pancakes and Popcorn

2012-03-07T17:35:00.003+08:00

Ring... Ring... Ring...

"Halooo", ang malanding bati sa phone ng friend kong si Cora.

"San ka?"

"Dito sa bahay. Why?"

"Wala lang. Punta ka dito sa bahay. Im bored. Tambay ka dito. I'll make pancakes para merienda natin." sagot ko.

"Ok give me 20 minutes kasi maliligo pa ako."

To think, Cora lives just about a block away from my house, it took her almost an hour to get there. Nakapagprepare na ako. Nakabili na ako ng ingredients, nalinis ko na ang garage ko, naihalo ko narin yung pancake mix, saka palang siya dumating.

Lumagpas daw kasi siya. She never seems to remember where my house is.

"May microwave ka diba?"

"Oo ayun o." sagot ko sabay turo sa microwave. "Bakit ba?"

"May dala akong popcorn" sagot niya sabay tawa.

Pumunta ako sa kusina para magluto. Nang matapos ako, dinala namin ang food at drinks sa veranda ng kwarto ko. Mas maganda dun eh, at least open air. Al fresco ang peg.

Cora is actually my choirmate. The moment we met, magaan agad loob ko sa kanya. She was very sweet and funny at nasasakyan niya jokes ko. In the entire choir, there's only about 2 or 3 people who know that I'm gay.

I haven't gone back in the closet. I just want to see their reaction when they find out hahaha. Besides, I don't think it'll be an issue since there are a lot of gay guys in the choir.

Anyway, back to the veranda.

Nagkwekwentuhan lang kami when we started talking about how we deal with anger.

I told her that when I'm mad, I like breaking things. It's my form of release. She on the other hand wants to be taken seriously when she's mad.

"Lalo akong nagagalit pag yung tipong mainit na nga ulo ko eh magjojoke ka pa." sabi niya.

She said that she wants to change that about her.

I immediately interjected and told her not to.

"That's who you are. Why would you change it? That's who you are. Would it make you feel better kung babaguhin mo yan?"

"Siguro", sabi niya.

"Siguro is not good enough. Are you trying to change kasi it will help you? Or do you want to change kasi iniisip mo ang sasabihin ng iba?"

"Gusto kong baguhin yung ugali ko para sa sarili ko. Eh kung ganun ako pag mainit ang ulo, anong sasabihin ng iba? Pano ko makukuha yung respect--"

"See that's my point. You're not doing it for yourself. You're doing it for others." I said, cutting her off.

Bigla siyang natahimik at tumingin lang sa akin. Me, being the tactless person that I am, would not shut up.

"You say na gusto mo makuha respeto ng mga taga church? Always remember, respect is earned not imposed." sabi ko.

"Eh bakit si ano, tignan mo siya hindi siya nirerespeto."

"Magkaiba kayong dalawa. Unang-una, siya eh kilala na bilang ganun. Eh ikaw, lagi ka bang nagagalit?"

"Hindi." sagot niya agad.

"O yun naman pala eh. Wag mong i-compare ang sarili mo sa kanya. Siya, hindi siya nirerespeto kasi hindi niya binigyan ang iba ng dahilan para respetuhin siya. Ikaw, you have their respect kasi you earned it. May respeto sila sayo. They look up to you."

Natahimik siya ulit.

"Alam mo, you should change for yourself because it will help you. Never change who you are just because of what others might say or think. You cannot please everybody. Kung hindi ka nila maintindihan, then fine. They don't deserve you. Look for another group that will. Sa dami ng tao sa mundong 'to, there are and will always be people who would love you just the way you are." dagdag ko.

Tahimik parin siya.

"Am I making any sense to you?" tanong ko. I was a bit worried that I may have overstepped my boundaries.

"Oo. Alam mo, hindi ko naisip na ganyan ka pala ka-mature mag-isip."

"Ha?!"

"Kasi pag nasa church tayo sobrang tahimik mo lang."

Natawa ako sa sinabi niya. She said that I made a lot of sense. Pero natawa ako kasi sabi niya tahimik daw ako pag nasa church.

Imagine dear readers, there are moments in my life pala when I can actually keep quiet for a sustainable amount of time.