just thinking aloud

It's more than just FRIENDSHIP

2012-01-29T16:32:00.000+08:00

A few weeks ago, I chanced upon one of our local celebrity's blogs and I was inspired to come with my own list of people who shaped me over the years.

Hands down, I have to give it to my GIRLS, who, through thick and thin, may pera or wala, in a romantic relationship or not, have stuck with each other inspite and despite of. They are the friends I really cherish, sisters from another mother, and I can say ipaglalaban ko sila ng patayan. *sniff*

We have seen each other laugh, cry, go over a series of madness and we even sometimes reprimand each other if the situation calls for it. We are so alike in thought that we don't even have to say a word, yet we know what each other meant. We have bonded so much for almost 20 years and I can truly say there is nothing we can hide from each other.

One fine day in 2nd year high school, our group was formed and we even named it Munings. I don't even remember why! We saw our group grow, yet we also saw members leave. So I guess this has remained the core group. Let me introduce you to....

mikhai

Strong-willed. Frank. Carefree. My gym buddy. Probably the oldest friend I have. We have been friends since 4th grade. Up to now, I still have pictures of our field trip in Nayong Pilipino. She's one confident, strong, smart and loving woman. She loves her family so much that her weekends are almost always devoted to them. She loves to travel and sample different kinds of food. She's everyone's friend and there's never a dull moment with her because she has lots of funny stories to tell. Even if she's headstrong, she has a soft spot for kind people, yet hates undecisive ones. Don't try messing with our Micaela here as she knows how to kick your ass in the most classy way ;-)

janice

The group's clown. Statuesque. Gorgeous. Mowdel. Risk-taker. Family-oriented. Baliw. Inggitera. Haha! That's Janice. If there's one person in our group who can say "been there, done that" with so much pride and credibility, it's this woman. She left the Philippines to try her luck in Dubai to help support the family when her Dad was still sick. Ever since then, her world has turned a 180-degree turn. She has experienced a lot of things that have turned her into a woman of steel. She gives her all when it comes to...ahem... LOVE. Never afraid to risk it all. That's how she has gained her beauty. We sometimes wish we could be like her ;-) We pray that a good man comes her way who can take care of her, commit to her and treat her like royalty she oh-so-truly deserves. I have to warn you though because when she sees something in your bag that she truly wants or needs, she will surely grab it from you. We don't mind naman girls, do we? :)

cha - cha

The group's baby. Soft-spoken. Famous for her one-liners. Pag humirit, sapul! A loving daughter, sister and tita to Jaedon... and now a devoted girlfriend to her Bimby! Ayiiiiii! :-p Cha is the neutral one. Cool-headed. When Mikhai, Janice and I are so mad at one thing, she can go "wag kayo highblood." Cha is fasyon, but a brainiac as well. When I tell people she's an engineer, they wouldn't believe me. She can move and carry around computer hardwares (pati ba servers???) in her skirt and heels, would dust herself off as if nothing happened. She is very compassionate and considerate to people around her to a fault. Her family is her weakness. She's willing to go to hell and back for them. She's my little clique in our group. We tell each other stories on a regular basis -- be it emo or otherwise. You can count on her for sticking by you any damn day.

oss

Consistent Honor student. The sheltered one. The one with the strictest Mom. Employee on weekdays, sideline ang pagiging Mayordoma kapag weekend... but that was her life before becoming Mrs. Soliman. I remember her being this cute, chubby little girl in pigtails back in the 1st grade. For some strange reasons, at that early an age, we have been enemies. Yes, folks, magkaaway kami dati. Hindi ko alam kung bakit (Oss, paki verify nga kung bakit). But things changed when we became seatmates in 6th grade and started talking about teenybopper stuff -- from celebrity crushes to favorites bands. It turned out that we were both gaga over Side A! She liked Joey Benin, while I liked Joey Generoso. Kakalurks! Those talks made a big difference in our new-found friendship until we have finally formed our group in 2nd year high school with the rest of the girls. When she went our separate ways in college, we almost never saw her. Then we decided to "disown" her as our friend. Some Divine Intervention made its way and made us bump into each other in PNB. Little did we know that she was engaged to be married that time and the group got reunited again to witness her walk down the aisle with her Papa Bear. :D I am happy about her new-found freedom coz be get to see a lot of her every once in a while.

aissa

The owl -- when everyone's asleep, she's awake. Ang babaeng tawa ng tawa. The happy-go-lucky girl. Loves to travel. Loves photography. A bookworm. Music lover. Loves her dogs as much as she loves her whole clan. Beach bummer. The least vain in the group. We didn't have the chance to spend more time with her because of the nature of her work. Nonetheless, we know we can always count on her when we call her for a get-together.

I imagine us 30 yrs down the line, aged gracefully, still have zest for life, probably have traveled half the world, and God permitting, happy moms and lolas to a wonderful family. We have to fulfill one wish though -- to travel to Paris and live up to joie de vivre!

Cheers to our FABULOUS friendship!

My 2011 in review: Places and faces

2012-01-08T20:08:00.001+08:00

Looking back @ early 2011, I prayed for major changes -- in career, in relationships, or about life in general. I also asked Him to take me to places where I can discover things about myself more.

Thanks to my friends who have reminded that blessings come in different forms, and one of which is TRAVEL.

This year, I went to at least 4 local and 1 international destination. I have been blessed with the great company of family and friends to celebrate the beauty of friendship, life, love and the beauty of God's creations.

1. Marlie's Boracay wedding - I could not even remember when my college barkada and I last got together. Sweet thing was that we were reunited to celebrate the love Marlie and Mark has for each other.

2. My cousin Aimee's El Nido wedding - it is always refreshing to be reunited with Dad's brother and his family. This time to celebrate the wedding of Aimee and her long time beau Elliot. My cousins also brought their respective partners and it's so nice to see them all grown up and doing great in the medical field.

3. Bohol with Mom & Daryl - one of the first travels Mom & I did in a long time

4. CamSur - I was here to attend the Singles for Christ International Conference. Again, we stood as witnesses to God's awesome power by gathering more than 6,000 single men and women to hear his messages and singe praises to Him. I was here for a good 3 days, no side trip included as I had to work (bummer).

5. Bangkok, Thailand - my first international trip in a loooooong time. It's pretty much like Manila (but their traffic is worse). Thanks to our gracious host for taking us in, for allowing us to finish the food in his fridge (yummy papaya!) and of course our adorable driver who made our stay even more memorable albeit the language barrier :p

This year, I don't know where my feet would take me. I hope to be given the resources the see the world in a whole new perspective. That said, paano na lang ako makakapag-ipon ng maayos? :p

Positivity

2012-01-08T18:52:00.005+08:00

To start my great blogging year off, how about injecting some positivity in all of us.

Now whenever I am on my way to work, I'll always remember this ad. I will not be a WHINER, instead be thankful for what we have and strive to be always always always better at what I do :)

Thanks, Ahyen, for sharing the link.

Hmmm... I've always thought McDonald's serves the best breakfast :)

2012

2012-01-08T18:40:00.000+08:00

Happy new year everyone!

Contrary to what the freaks believe in, for me, it's not the end of the world.

I believe this is gonna be a great year. Great meaning this is gonna be a great year to travel, discover new things, do more daring things, and a whole lot more!

In a separate blog, I will be sharing with you what happened to me in 2011.

And, yeah, this is a great year to BLOG! :)

i miss you

2011-04-03T17:53:00.001+08:00

i miss blogging. hope i can muster enough courage, thought and coherence to put up a story to post. but i will definitely see you soon.

happy holidays

2009-12-19T12:01:00.003+08:00

sorry i've been in hiatus these past few months. so many things happened and whenever i think about blogging, i feel so tamad to type away.

i've been busy with the iPray CLP (trying hard to be a responsible facilitator, it's no work in the park), finalizing requirements for my new job (yey! answered prayer!), intimacy weekend mission, playing shrink to mommy who terrible misses daddy, christmas parties almost every night, and the list goes on.

also, i've been doing a lot of retrospection lately on how i spent 2009 & how it's treated me.

it's been a combination of highs and low blows for me.

when daddy earl asked us to rate our 2008 during our last household last december '08, i gave it a perfect 10. there were both good positive and negative sides to it. i came out of it stronger and hopefully wiser. what i remembered about it though was that i promised myself to "open my heart" in the coming year. i knew God was cooking up something grand for me for 2009.

first up, i had a brand new relationship. it's one of those romantic relationships i didn't search far and wide for. but God thought i was ready for it and maybe this is the one He'd want me to have. for long term? i don't know yet.

i was also able to attend the sfc international conference in cebu. it was one life-changing experience. imagine a pack of over 7,000 delegates from all over the country (even worldwide) who gathered to celebrate the True Icon. i'm looking forward to more powerful sharings though. and this 2010, we're conquering davao! woohoo!

in september, i was able to serve in the iPray CLP. inspite of my personal struggles coz of dad's condition, i was adamant to serve. i've always looked forward to spending my friday nights at the makati stock exchange penthouse to listen to powerful talks and moving sharings and exchange sharings with my group. i was able to meet new wonderful people and the bond with old friends became stronger. what made it even more special was the fact that jen & ahyen also stepped up. service was doubly exciting because i was doing it with them. it entails hard work and a heart of a servant to do the job right, but i know that we will be good household leaders because we learned from the best. go MaVErick!

last november, i signed up with the philippine national bank as their new product manager come january 2010. it's a job i've been wanting to have for the longest time. admittedly though, i'm anxious about the new job. it's something new for me, but i am open to anything, bitchy boss and all. and, yes, it's an answered prayer.

on the other side of the spectrum, what highlighted my year was the demise of the number 1 man in my life, my daddy. dad succumbed to heart failure that he's been battling for the past 3 years. i remember how his health dropped tremendously from the onset of his illness until the last few moments of his life. it was hard for me to see him get weaker by the day. i will always remember the bright smile he would paint his lips with everytime i kiss him goodbye in the morning. i missed him on my birthday (he went 5 days before my birthday), and now i'm aching for him this christmas. i will probably ache for him more as the years pass, but for now, i take comfort in the fact that he's at peace now in heaven. pain-free.

3 weeks after dad's passing, it was my favorite tito who passed away. yes, another death in the family. what broke my heart was when i saw mom break down the way she did that day. he was there for mom the moment dad passed on. little did we know that he'd go a few weeks after as well. it was doubly hard for us.

inspite of my losses, there have been people in my life that made me realize that i was never alone. i received a million and one hugs, comforting words and prayers from family and friends. they're mainly the reason why i was able to keep my head up the water.

i am looking forward to the year ahead. i know it will be a better year for me. my fervent prayer, however, is that God grant mommy impeccable health as i want her to live long enough to cry with me tears of joy as she gives my hand in marriage and stay strong enough to play with her grandkids.

happy christmas, everyone! let us not forget the real reason & meaning behind the holiday season, and totoong "star ng pasko."

just where did september go?

2009-10-12T22:19:00.002+08:00

okay okay, it's not been that long since my last entry. it was only in august, yet soooo many things transpired in a month. when i turned my office calendar to "september," i even remember writing "and the countdown begins" on september 1. i was excited for my favorite month & my birthday. but things were more, er, on a sad note, but i've managed to dust it all off. here i am, still standing, stronger than ever!

after my dad's death, the typhoon ondoy & tito vic's untimely demise, i still believe that i am blessed.

faith is all i have.

mission: accomplished

2009-08-26T22:15:00.005+08:00

This was the email I sent to my household after I came from Marinduque.

Hi CSI!

It's Monday, I came in late in the office (about 1 hr late), I only had 5 hours of sleep (compared to my usual 8), but I retired & woke up with a big smile on my lips/heart. Wanna share you lang my story on the trip before I totally forget about it. Matagal pa naman yung next hh natin. =)

We left Manila Friday night. Supposedly, we're about to take the 8PM trip to Lucena. Rain poured like crazy around 6PM but we're praying hard to make it to the bus station on time. Unfortunately, the bus couldn't accommodate the 16-man team so we had to take the next trip at 8:30PM.

We were all so anxious to get to Lucena port and hop in the RORO row your boat to get to Marinduque, not knowing how long it'll take us to our destination. Most of us tried to catch some sleep, but Ahyen & I failed to do so. For some strange reason, excited kami. We docked to the port at 4AM, super hyper at full of energy pa rin! We waited for the shuttle to take us to this wonderful resort (til now di ko alam ang pangalan) na pagmamay-ari daw ng congresswoman na super hush hush lang.

The girls, Martha, MK, Corinne, Princess, Jao, Tetet, Rachelle, Tin Kareem, Ahyen & I shared one room. While the boys, Chief Erick, Irvin, BenJohn, Paolo, JR shared the other. Super "extra challenge" samin ang pagligo that morning because we're 10 to take turns in using the bathroom na sobrang liit and kakaiba ang setup nung bathroom so mejo weird sya sa paningin ko.

Call time ng 10:30 AM (so no decent sleep for us), some generous soul (I think this was Erick's college friend who's running for public office) prepared sumptuous brunch for the group. Take note, the Marinduquenos prepare a different kind of kare-kare made out of grilled pork and pork blood. Kakatuwa si Corinne coz she was all grossed out by the idea that it's made of pork blood, but too late for her coz she already ate some. And the way she pronounced Imelda Papin (the former wife ba of one of the local govt officials) was "Poppins," just like "Mary Poppins." This gave Ahyen & I a hearty laugh while riding the trike (tama ba spelling?).

Anyway, the topics were all so heavy and very appropriate for the crowd. It's about intimacy, and when we broke into groups, I was stunned by how these young girls experience things they do. Akala ko sa mga liberated na Manilenas lang nangyayari, pero sa province din pala prevalent ang mga ganung cases.

I honor, however, the sharers, the brave ones (walang sinabi si Jodie Foster sa movie nya), for owning up to their bittersweet stories. I have new-found respect for these people. What's good about this experience though is that it liberated us from the scars that have deterred us from moving on or even relate to others effectively for a long time. Sobrang bow ako sa service team natin (and syempre in awe din ang Marinduque SFCs for that). What's good about that though is that everyone was ballsy enough to say "enough is enough" and that we're all hopeful that God will lead us the way in fulfilling our personal mission -- that is to live up the way He designed us to be. Everyone surely learned from one another. Love and tears were overflowing in that 2-day session. Syempre nagsama ang "cryola" ladies (kulang lang si Ms. Conde, whom we missed terribly) who just hugged and cried all Saturday.

Any SFC Makati endeavor will never be complete sans the presence of Tatay Rico. Praise God for that! Praise and worship made me cry all over again (shucks, lagi ako pinapaiyak ni Rico. haha!).

God spoke to me through nature the entire time. The venue was facing the beautiful sea, I was thrown and yet again mesmerized at how wonderful God's creations are. When we're doing our opening worship, I was just facing the sea and I swear I even saw dolphins! Just how great was that?

Kahit lahat groggy from lack of sleep (and lack of food), we really didn't care. Basta alam namin we're all enjoying the experience and that we were called there to do a mission and that's all we cared about. Was telling Ahyen that I have never smiled that sincerely for quite a long time. Sobrang nakakataba pa ng puso yung ginawa nilang "putong" ceremony. They gave us flowers, put "putong" on our heads, showered us with coins & candies, & even danced with us. We were all Kings & Queens for that day. Everyone was just so happy and full of love. Ang sarap ng feeling na they appreciated our presence & contribution in their community.

Dare I say, MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED!

Sana makasama kayo next time. Ibang klase!

Will post pics in FB next time. Dami namin photographers, er, papa-paparazzi pala nung mission trip. =)

Big hug to everyone!

Until we meet again, Marinduque!

i'm officially missing...

2009-07-20T19:14:00.002+08:00

it's been almost 2 weeks since we parted.

huhuhu

a series of unfortunate events

2009-07-12T14:24:00.003+08:00

yesterday was a really looooong day for me.

i started the day off by meeting jen in quiapo to shop for beads for our "budding" accessories business.

i decided to dress "dugyot" that morning because quiapo is known to be one of manila's snatcher's lairs. i donned a basic green shirt, an unwashed pair of jeans and my ever reliable crocs ballerinas. i skipped my pearl earrings and just put on my green watch. i decided not to bring my bulky samsung blackjack and even told jen to just text me in my sun number (a lowly sony ericsson phone). i didn't even bring my wallet and i just put all my money in my jeans pocket. i even had a nice time riding the jeepney that morning!

on my way to quiapo, probably around the padre faura area, i was able to witness a snatcher pulling a pair of earrings from a lady inside another jeep. although i didn't see the expression in the woman's face, i know she was shocked because she held on to her ears after that and she was looking around, probably wondering who stole her earrings. that was in itself traumatic for me. i was thankful the scumbag didn't see me texting earlier, otherwise i might've lost it too!

when i reached the church, i was able to see jen right away. i looked like her yaya after seeing her wearing her lacoste shirt and a new pair of running shoes. haha! we were both so excited to ransack the stores. being the first-time buyers that we are, we failed to shop around for better and cheaper deals. we practically blew our budget in one store and we felt robbed after paying for our purchases at the counter. the items we took appeared cheap at first, but since we were putting everything we saw appealing in our basket, we ended up paying for more than what we expected. i realized a few minutes after handing my moolah to the cashier that i still haven't bought all the things i needed for my projects. ayayay! lesson learned!

after that frustrating feat, we parted ways for i had to rush to valle verde to teach the dance min the steps to our dance for the clp reunion. jen had a salon appointment in the afternoon too.

i met with ahyen and another jen in glorietta so we can all ride to vv together. we were all laughing our hearts out because of ahyen's funny stories. when we reached the covered court of vv, the mavs game was already starting. i didn't mind the game coz we had to practice the dance. ayan tuloy, natalo ang maverick! *sigh*

when the game ended, we decided to drive to rockwell and have dinner before the dance practices start. before leaving the mall, we decided to make a quick stop to the wash room. when we're about to meet the rest of the gang, i hurriedly reached my bag pockets for my phones but they're both gone. i didn't panic. i was my usual graceful, composed self. i asked ahyen to call both my mobile thinking i just placed them somewhere else. had they been in the bag, i might've already felt them vibrate, but i didn't. we recalled all the places we've been to, the resto, the drugstore, the wash room. what i remember though was than an old lady was beside me when i was washing my hands and combing my hair. my bag was at the sink and i saw it "move" as if someone bumped into it. little did i know that it was my phone she was after. she might've seen me place my phone (this was after the last call to the boyfie) in the pockets and followed me to the wash room to get 'em. ahyen was so nice for lending me her phone to have my number blocked temporarily.

no amount of dancing made me forget my phones.

i've been meaning to replace the blackjack but i didn't see this coming. thus, i knew i wasn't ready to part with it.

lord, help me let go.

japan!

2009-06-06T17:09:00.002+08:00

is it just my insatiable urge to travel that led me to dream about flying off to japan? or was i just oversleeping for the past couple of days?

i remember the details, the characters and sequence of events in my most vivid dream lately.

characters: me, my mom on the phone, my officemates gathered round the table enjoying lunch

dream sequence: mom rang my mobile

me: ma? bakit?

mom: mie! umuwi ka ng maaga, mag-pack ka! pupunta tayo sa japan tomorrow night!

me (to mom): huwwwaaaaatttt??? what time??? naku anong ipa-pack ko? (covered the mouthpiece)

me (to officemates): guys, would you know kung anong weather ngayon sa japan? alam nyo ba kung saan nakakabili ng winter boots?

me (to mom again): ma, i'm so excited!! magre-research ako sa internet kung anong weather sa japan para bibili ako ng winter clothes! at last makikita ko na ang cherry blossoms!

I hang up.

when i woke up, i suddenly got confused.

hindi naman sa winter nagbo-bloom ang cherry blossom ah (assuming we get there on a winter due to my anxiety to get hold of winter stuff).

tsk tsk.

it was a fun dream.

have to renew my passport, as in N-O-W!

who knows, my guardian angel may just suddenly get me a plane ticket to japan! ;-)

God of miracles

2009-05-22T22:51:00.001+08:00

Early morning today, I was asked by boyfie if we could have dinner at Binondo. Come lunch time, he cancelled.

I was supposed to meet a client at around 1pm, but had a change of heart. I asked if we can move it at a later time so i can go straight home after the meeting. Client declined.

Come 5:30PM, I struggled not to go straight home yet. My mind was arguing whether to attend a reunion or have my watch strap replaced. I didn't do both. Heck, I'm the only gimik-less girl on a payday Friday.

So fine, I went home.

Traffic was terrible, I told myself, half-asleep.

When I finally reached home, I smelled something like that of incense. I can't stand it when they burn incense during the holy mass. Great, my folks burned some at home!

They told me they had someone visit dad to pray him over and and to "ward off" some negativity in our house. We already got a go signal that we can have him treated again. Long story.

Point is, things won't go perfectly well had i pushed through with any of my plans. So thankful they were aborted altogether! God has a master plan.

Had I pigged out in Binondo, or gone home earlier than usual or met up with old friends, I wouldn't have spoken to Dad.

I've never spoken to my Dad with such depth until today. This time, with emotions, with openness, all heart.

Both were unguarded. Emotions were raw.

All of these happened for us to be closer, for us to be strong for one another and to be more prayerful and to strengthen our faith even more.

The uphills we had to climb -- tough but very well worth it.

Thank you so so much, dear friends, for all your prayers.

God is my ultimate healer.

Today's reflection

2009-05-01T13:00:00.003+08:00

Last night's talk at the unit assembly was another affirmation that God indeed is in all of us. It is very imperative, however, to nurture Him in our hearts. How so? Through prayer. It is a two-way relationship between a person and God. When we pray, we shouldn't do the talking all the time. We ought to stop and listen to what He wants to tell us at that exact moment. I guess it takes a lot of courage, patience and focus for me to hear Him out. Admittedly, I have to listen to Him more.

Father Jay stressed the importance of the scriptures in our prayer time. Although I've been using In His Steps on a daily basis, I never really knew how to fully utilize it. I never reflected on it on a deeper level. I would usually browse through it and just go on with the day's work. I would wonder what the reflections are for, when I hardly reflect on the verses myself.

So I would like to start from scratch and do my scripture reading and reflection the right way.

Just like today, the line from Matthew 13:54 that says "...Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?.." struck me the most.

It was a conscious effort for me to seek, find and make God rule in my life again. I've done numerous mistakes and decisions in my life in the past, but God has always taught me to dust it off and rise above it. It is because of God that I am in this world, staring it in the eye. No matter what and how much life throws at me, I know I come out of wiser, more beautiful and more loving.

pretty dress

2009-04-27T17:50:00.002+08:00

pretty in peach by timetraveler featuring Elizabeth and James cardigans

photo courtesy of www.polyvore.com

just lazing around one monday afternoon. . .

i'm totally addicted to polyvore. thanks to *tickled pink* for introducing this to me.

if you can't wear them, create them.

Of “rearing parents” and being an unica hija

2009-04-19T22:51:00.000+08:00

One fine Tuesday morning, being my emotera self, I complained to *tickled pink* how my Dad’s being stubborn about certain things. In almost every situation that I was, *tickled pink* would also undergo the same predicament. Maybe that was the reason why I never hesitated to bitch on certain things to her because I know she’ll catch my drift. True enough, she had an argument with her dad as well. In our countless emails, texts and chats, she struck a chord in me, advising me to be more patient with my old ones when they become irrational at times. She told me that when we were kids, our parents loved us so much that they didn’t mind putting up with us no matter how unreasonable and ridiculous our ways were when we didn’t know any better. They would take everything with a grain of salt when they took on the challenge of rearing us. She added that it’s high time to give back and do the same now that they aged and need us to be their strength when they can’t seem to look the world in the eye and give a fair fight.

Point well taken.

That’s the downside of being an only child, you have to endure everything alone. On the other hand, minding my own biz has brought out the fighter in me because I have to count on myself many times if I have to face my battles. Of course, there are my other family and friends, but it’s always sweeter to rise above things especially if you know you depended on no one but yourself.

I know I need to be patient... And be more loving than ever.

My Holy Week in La Union

2009-04-19T22:15:00.004+08:00

Okay, okay, I admit. I didn’t have a very introspective & reflective holy week because I was I had bakasyon grande in La Union. Nonetheless, it highlighted a very important aspect in one’s life that we all can’t live without. Let me share my entire story and guess what I’m talking about.

Holy Wednesday, last day of the work week. Boyfie & the family picked me up at home at around 7PM. It was my first time to meet his entire family, except for his 2 sisters, and I felt so welcome when everyone screamed “Hello, Ate Mimie” as I hopped in the car. It radiated a sense of “welcome” and it instantly lifted my mood as I hollered back at everyone. We all headed to their Antipolo home to spend the night. We left at around 5am for the long La Union drive. It will be a big challenge for me for you know my ass tend to hurt on long drives. I’m doing it, however, for the sake of adventure, and, er, luuuuvvvv! We had breakfast at around 10 in Jollibee in Tarlac and everyone was starving we could eat an entire cow! In about an hour or so, we finally reached their La Union home in Bauang.

We were greeted by his grandparents and a tita. I noticed they prepared a lot of dishes, but I was still stuffed when it was served. I just had morsels as I was still stuffed. What I pigged out on was mangga’t bagoong. Serve me green mangoes anytime and I will wipe it out! Good thing boyfie’s sisters love mangoes too, hindi halata na matakaw ako sa mangga.

To keep ourselves amused amidst the scorching heat, some took showers, others caught up with their Zzzzs, and others sung their lungs out in videoke.

A little later, a number of their relatives came by and I was glad to meet them as well. I just adored one of boyfie’s baby cousins who’d always come with me every time I stretch my arms out to get her. Hmmm...must she sensed that I do smell harmless and that I have motherly instincts and my ability to take care of kids is potent. I just love babies!

That night, we played this crazy card game called Killer, the same game we played in Bohol which I sucked at, where the players guessed who the killer is. The killer would wink at the players until the police would catch him. The “loser” basically had his face swiped with powder. Everyone had a good laugh for 2 consecutive nights even if it was Good Thursday & Good Friday respectively.

Come Saturday, we were preparing ourselves to go surfing that afternoon in a beach in San Juan. We headed to the beach around 4PM and at the mere sight of the sea, I felt all psyched up to ride the waves. Seeing the sun set while waiting to ride a big wave was breath taking.

Hey, keeping your balance and standing on the board for practically 2 seconds was not bad at all for a first-timer huh?! However, having ridden the wave for a couple of seconds meant hitting my jaw with the board’s tip, almost snapping my top off, drinking gallons of salt water and having a sore body. I’m not complaining. In fact, I’m stoked and I wanna do it again soon!

On Sunday, the elders were busy cooking and preparing for lunch. They had a small gathering, called on some more relatives, to celebrate the graduation of boyfie’s 2 sisters. Again, I met a bunch of members of his extended family. They did not expect the group to be that small, compared to the reunion they had when he passed the bar exams, but it was all good.

It was so refreshing to be in a family reunion. I wish we have these in our clan.

It’s Monday and time to head back to Manila and face the real world again. Plus the thought that I won’t be seeing boyfie’s face tomorrow when I wake up wasn’t a comforting though either. So I bid everyone goodbye and thanked them for being so good to me. Really, I do hope I can come back in the near future. The trip was still 5 hours long sans any traffic. We hardly spoke in the car for some strange reason. I was thankful we got home safe just the same.

When I reached home, it took me a while to get used to the silence at home because of my small family. It dawned on me that the importance of family, no matter how loud or crazy they may be, keeps one person sane and grounded. I just wish that we be given the chance to spend time to reconnect once again and make us feel that we are make up one another.

Thank God for answered prayers.

I just heard from Mom that one of my titas will be coming over next week to see us after some time. I had this aha! moment and told her that we should have a small reunion. It doesn’t have to be über bongga, but it should be something that will connect old ties. So looking forward to the coming week!

How did your holy week go and what were you able to reflect on?

random thoughts

2009-04-05T16:15:00.002+08:00

* i've been wanting to see the movie "Paris, Je T'aime" for a long time. too bad it's not available in pirata DVD.

* i've been called a "pseudo friend" by someone i thought is/was my bestFriend. it hurts.

* i am looking forward to spending the holy week in la union.

* i had a sucky vacay with the office people.

* i miss blogging. i even miss receiving comments for what i write more.

* i'm dreaming of winning the lottery and buying all the shoes by Christian Louboutin. *sigh*

* i miss my girls soooo much. i'm ecstatic janice is coming home in december. hmmm, where's the best place to take her to?

* i think facebook is getting boring.

* i want a new job, a better-paying one at that. i hope to get a good news after the holy week.

* i watched Gossip Girl earlier today. i wanna to be as gorgeous as Blair Waldorf!

* i miss dancing!

Earth Hour

2009-03-28T11:24:00.001+08:00

Earth Hour Logo
Originally uploaded by Earth Hour Global

Let's go, people! You know what to do!

Turn the lights off for 1 hour at exactly 8:30 pm local time.

Let's save mother earth.

After all, it's the only home we have.

Best hand-written letter ever

2009-03-17T20:51:00.002+08:00

Ever since I joined SFC, it has come to my consciousness how it is important to tithe. It was mentioned in the Bible that part of our salaries (10% to be exact) should go to charity. It’s been an insatiable desire for me to give back to the community and it is only until recently that I came across this website. This time, it really struck a note in me because my contribution will send one kid to school, will give him a sustainable environment, and give him a right to disaster relief. Being a Scholastican, one of the tenets of my Benedictine education is “education for justice.” Meaning, we will be able to attain a just society by education and that basic education is everyone’s right.

One fine day, while surfing the net nonchalantly, I chanced upon World Vision. Although it’s a Christian foundation, I still obliged myself to sign up and sponsor 2children.

After a week, I received a welcome kit, wherein the mechanics, my donor ID and pictures of my sponsored children are attached. How cool is that? I now know my scholars’ demographics and how they look like.

And just last Friday, I was able to receive the best hand-written note given to me by anyone… ever.

I am so amazed at how they keep the sponsor-donor relationship close by being interactive. We can send letters to one another anytime we want. After receiving this, I realize how allotting a portion of my hard – earned moolah can be such bliss! I used to complain how little I receive compare to others, but it’s things like these that zap me back to reality and telling me that I am indeed fortunate a million-folds.

Maybe you’re asking why not donate my tithe somewhere closer to home, which is Gawad Kalinga. Well, GK has gained popularity all over the world already and I know there are people who donate and will still donate more than I can, but I promise myself to devote my time in community-building that is Gawad Kalinga.

Let me part with a beautiful verse from 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

God bless you, my friend.

the (ex)terminator

2009-03-15T14:16:00.000+08:00

for the past month now, our house has been infested with ants and roaches. and i mean lots of them!

in the morning, when i prepare my coffee, i can see trails of ants leading to anything edible on the table. it only meant that when we were all sound asleep, these ants were having a feast!

or in the evening when i need to go to the bathroom, i'd be scared to death to see a team of roaches enjoying the aroma of the bathroom. i'm not the type who'd step on these pests, puh-lease, but they've taken its toll! i told myself i don't wanna see roaches and ants in this house anymore. impossible?? yes it is, but at least i'll find a way to minimize them. what if i have visitors at home? i don't wanna see them crawling, or worse, flying around the house. that is so disgusting!

as of press time, i managed to clean our kitchen sink and the 2 bathrooms in the house. i sprayed on insect killer to almost every corner of the house.

i'm happy with what i accomplished today. i can't say our house will be insect-free, but at least i've kept it at a minimum.

now i'm ready to invite csi over on thursday for household!

happy sunday!

i am so loving..

2009-03-14T13:08:00.003+08:00

the new look of my blog.

it took me probably a week to figure out how to get this banner thing up my site.

anyway, to my dear readers, expect a lot of updates on this site soon. i'm planning to give up my other blog. let's just see.

ciao for now!

modelo!

2009-02-10T18:41:00.001+08:00

I can’t believe I just had my first ever photo shoot.

Ever.

And I mean bright lights, professional photographer, a DSLR with several wide-angled lenses, art direction, multiple costume changes, the full monty!
One lazy Wednesday afternoon, I was approached by one of the people in marketing and asked if I wanted to be a “talent.” Talent for what? She told me that our small business loan will be re-launched in the market; ergo its marketing collaterals need to be overhauled as well. I was surprised at first, I thought “wala na ba talagang maganda sa Plantersbank?” On second thought, I was up for it. She said she will email me a number of layouts where the entire shoot will adhere to. The ad agency prescribed specific clothes style & color for each peg. I was asked to do my own make-up, which I gladly did.

Sunday came and I stormed the mall and basically ransacked all the shelves I could find. I was telling myself to really be stringent and stick to cheap stuff. I promised myself that I will only wear them once because I’M NOT THE TYPE WHO WEARS BABY PINK, for crying out loud! Oh, well, I think I’m left with no other choice but to wear it often because that baby pink sweater was the most expensive of all the stuff I picked. Nonetheless, I welcomed the untimely outfit hoarding with open arms. At least I get to update my ensemble after so many moons. See, I’m more a shoe person than clothes.

Monday, 2P.M., I got a call from the coordinator. The agency has set up the cameras and we’re ready to shoot! Before that, the art director carefully examined the wardrobe I brought. She instantly loved the pink sweater. I was even tempted to give it to her, but we don’t have the same size. Sayang. Charles, my “husband” in the ad, brought several pieces of clothing, with matching pants and shoes pa! Too bad, the shots will only be limited to our upper bodies.
We were called to position. Since Charles lost weight, his polo was kind loose. The photog suggested that his assistant “tapes” the back of his polo. As in literally, he took the tape dispenser and joined a few inches of his loose polo at the back to give it a better-fitting illusion. On the other hand, they kept fixing my bangs that incessantly fell to my face. They gave us quite a lot of instructions on where to put our hands and how to position our bodies in such a way that it will appear as if we are in an intimate relationship. We appeared stiff at first, but after a few test shots, we both loosened up and were able to adhere to what they wanted in no time.

The shoot started with me leaning against Charles. At first I was so stiff and conscious about the pose because my boobs are pressing against his back. I just told myself that he’s a friend and that he wouldn’t mind (?). But our “directors” were horsing around and they made us laugh all the time. So the shoot didn’t involve a lot of acting. It was more of a string of candid shots. It took us perhaps a hundred tries and a couple of costume changes before we finally got the perfect husband-and-wife shot.

So I know now how it feels like to pose for the cameras. It’s no easy feat but it was sure a lot of fun!

Will post stills as soon as I get my copy!

My 25 random things

2009-02-05T19:42:00.000+08:00

Since everyone is coming up with 25 random things about themselves, indulge me as I come up with mine.

1. I secretly liken myself to Carrie Bradshaw – the writer, her love for shoes, her fabulous friends, her “long live love” mantra. I have to find myself my own Mr. Big soon.

2. I am a frustrated doctor. I didn’t have a fear of needles growing up, nor of blood. In fact, I love watching medical operations on Discovery Channel. I also have high tolerance for pain.

3. I’m at my most creative when I’m in the shower. My creative juices really flow while I shampoo my hair and scrub my back. I plan my day’s activity and I also get to pray during this time.

4. My favorite ice cream flavors are vanilla, strawberry and caramel. For cakes, i go for chocolate. I don’t like cakes with lots of icing. The simpler, the better.

5. If i were to learn another language, I’d like to learn French. I love how the language sounds so nasal. I like watching French channel on cable.

6. I love notebooks or paper in general because I love doodling. I hate writing on ruled notebooks though. I once spent Php 600 for a very nice notebook that served as my journal a few years back. I tore all the pages after some time and I’m ready to replace it with greater memories.

7. My comfort food is cream-based soup and pasta. I can have them any damn day.

8. If I were to travel to a foreign country, aside from France, I’d love to see Greece. I love how they paint their houses white atop the hills. The culture intrigues me as well.

9. If I had a choice to pick my name, I would name myself Georgina. It gives a very manly appeal to a woman’s moniker.

10. My favorite fairy tale of all time is Cinderella. I still believe in happily ever afters at this age.

11. Had I not pursued Psychology, I would have studied communications. My dream job was to be in a fashion/lifestyle magazine. I love the idea of deadlines, of photo shoots and all the glitz and glam that comes with it.

12. My pet peeves are arrogance, dishonesty, infidelity and ruthlessness .

13. I am a woman who doesn’t believe that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Shoes are! So not a jewelry person.

14. During my lull time, I’d read books, watch DVD, answer Sudoku puzzles, see a movie, cross-stitch, go malling and blog.

15. When I was a kid, I honestly truly believed that the best comedy/gag shows were Champoy, Buddy en Sol and John eh Marsha.

16. When I was about 3 years old, my parents would take me to Fiesta Carnival and make me ride the ghost train. My mom was the one scared so she covered my eyes and kept screaming to my dad that we let be out of the train. I ended up seeing nothing, ergo not scaring myself.

17. I am fascinated by anything mabango. I love perfumes, fragrant soaps, lotions, scented candles and the like. I hate smelly people, the stench of garbage and pollution.

18. I don’t have pets. I used to have a pair of gold fishes, they ended up floating in the aquarium after a couple of weeks. Although I’d wish to have a labrador someday.

19. I like Wendy’s french fries better than McDonald’s. Enough said.

20. I believe that the greatest invention is the Internet. Need I say more?

21. Self-doubt is the most challenging thing to defeat. One will not be able to go on with anything if one doesn’t believe in himself.

22. If I become a mother, I would stress the importance of integrity in my children.

23. I’ve been hurt twice, but I am still standing and waiting for the one that will sweep me off my feet...for good.

24. I am cool-headed, I forgive easily, I don’t fall easily. But if I fall, I fall hard.

25. I love my Mom above everything else in this world.

i do

2008-10-07T22:59:00.000+08:00

Portia, one of my good friends back in my EPCI days, is getting married on December! When I heard about the news, I wasn’t surprised at all. She asked me to be her bridesmaid. Being the good friend that I am, I obliged. I have attended quite a number of weddings in my lifetime – some of whom are my friends, some of my relatives, some of people I don’t personally know but we had to do anyway as part of our job as a wedding planner.

A lot of times, I cringe to the thought that I have to grace another whimsical event. No, hindi ako bitter nor naiinggit. I just hate the calling-all-single-ladies-the bride-is-now-throwing-the-bouquet bullshit. Ack! I think I’ve caught the bouquet too many times already and yet walang nangyayari (I repeat, hindi ako bitter!!!). ;-)

But why do I still drag my lazy ass to be present in these weddings?

Simple.

I want to celebrate love!

It’s really “magic” how two people end up together inspite of all the heartaches and challenges that the relationship has brought the couple. Yes, they may be in love, but it’s too strong a concept to put it into action, bear with, let alone fight for. I know one couple who’s been in a relationship for quite a while. Boy leaves girl to work some place else, they can’t bear the distance. Yet, their commitment to stay together and fight for the relationship until they were brought together again and make people bear witness to their great love. They are now happily married for 4 years and are blessed with a beautiful baby girl.

I also know one couple who didn’t like each other first. The girl thought the guy wasn’t attractive enough based on her standards. When the guy proved that he was worthy of her love, she had nothing else to do but to fall for him. In front of hundreds of people on their wedding day, she professed her undying love to her husband and that she was proud to be his wife. I tell you, not a dry eye in the room!

Portia & Pap’s story is a bit strange. They met during one of their CPA board reviews (I think) and the rest, as they say, is history. They were together for quite some time, until they had to part ways. Then one fine day, Portia and I met. I remember the days when we would lock ourselves in one of the private washrooms in the office and she would cry her eyes out to me. She felt that no amount of “getting over” and “moving on” will ever make her forget Paps. Well, had things not gone well between them, she was longing for “closure” to say the least. I remember vividly how much coaxing and how much I dared her to go to the guy’s place to speak to him. Off she went that same weekend!

Then she met Coy.

I thought she was finally, finally, finally over Paps (by the way, he’s bad news to me, hehehe)! Wrong!!! She ended what she had with Coy and came running back to the old one. She could never be happier!

Well, my point is, sa hinaba-haba man ng prusisyon, sa kasal pa rin mauuwi ang lahat.

At least she got what she wanted.

Keeping a grudge against someone who made my good friend countless times leaves a bad taste in the mouth. At least I can say now she’s totally happy and there’s no erasing of smile in her face anymore. I’m just so happy that she’s happy, fulfilled and satisfied. I just hope he doesn’t let her down anymore. Sure, they will experience innumerable arguments, disagreements and there will come a time when the next best thing to do is give up, but I know that once in their short life they have found one great love… and they’re sealing the deal on December 27, 2008.

box of chocolates

2008-10-07T22:56:00.000+08:00

Aside from my nasty habit of snooping around other people’s blogs (thanks, Lean, for the idea) and my obsession with a listahan, I decided to come up with my own “box of chocolates.” I know, I know you’re wondering what bull I’m up to this time.

Di ba when we get a full box of Swiss or Belgian chocolates, we all get this giddy feeling, parang ang sarap sumigaw, ang sarap kiligin, ang sarap sumayaw, ang sarap tumalon kasi ang daming chocolate???

So to make up with my anxieties I’ve been having lately, I’ve come up with a listahan that makes me smile and that gives me this child-like excitement and silly grin:

- my collection of outrageous, kikay shoes – my Steve Madden polka dot round-toe pumps, my brown lace peep toe pumps with ribbon on the side, my yellow flats, my snake-skin open toe stiletto, my cerulean-colored stiletto. How I wish makabili ako ng Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik someday. *sigh*

- old pictures from travels – those were the days when we used to travel the lupang hinirang almost every week. Did I mention the travels were for free?

- my make-up – sorry na, maarte ako. I’m just so thankful for mineral make-up. Sige na, hindi na ako magku-kwento about make-up.

- my books – lately, mejo sila ang nagiging bestfriend ko. They take me to places unimaginable. When I’m lonely, they keep me company. When I’m bored, they amuse me. When I’m broke, sila ang dahilan. =p

- social networking sites and blogging. These are my avenues where I can express my thoughts, my creativity and it’s become therapeutic. I also get updates from old friends from these sites. I also develop my stalking skills thru these. In Friendster alone, I have 271 friends and counting. Not bad huh? And to my readers, sana dumami pa kayo! (as if! hahaha)

- my taste in music – it’s something intangible, but I’m glad I get to appreciate a wide range of music genre. I’m tagged as the resident DJ in my office. Hehe. I remember when my friends would make me guess the song title the minute the first note plays. Right now, my favorite songs are Kalapana’s The Real Thing and Moony’s Flying Away.

- my gift of words – I believe I can write well. It’s catharsis for me.

- my PDA phone – I am a proud owner of a Samsung Blackjack and although it’s a little bit pricey, it has done wonders. It keeps me always on time for meetings, it always reminds me of friend’s birthdays, it has a “countdown” to everything, I get to keep a number of mp3s, I can check my email anytime anywhere, I can take nice pictures with its built-in camera, etc. etc. There’s one thing that it CANNOT do though: the alarm to drag my sluggish butt off the bed every morning. Tsk tsk

- my black croc skin bag with zebra print accent – a gift from tickled pink. I luveeeet! I’m still hoping I could save enough money to buy a Speedy 30. The earlier, the better ;-)

- long hot baths with matching scented candles – I’m at my most creative when I’m in the shower. I get to pray, plan my day and self-talk when I’m washing my hair. Try it, ang saya!

- my black and silver slim havaianas – gives me the illusion of beautiful feet even if they’re the ugliest. Very dependable! Everyone should have a pair. It’s also our friendship slippers *wink*

- sleeping while it’s raining hard outside – it’s nice to fall asleep when you hear the pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof.

- my nail polish collection – it never fails to uplift my girly spirits.

- cooking and eating my comfort food – I love cream pasta and soup. I wanna learn how to prepare risotto and steak though.

Simple joys.

Life is short.

Have fun while you can.