changing traditions

Ever since I can remember, our family has celebrated Christmas in our Lola's house. The only time that we didn't was way back in 1983, the year my Dad, Lolo and Lola died within 6 months of each other. Every year since then, Christmas Eve was the time when all the gifts are sent and kept under one tree and opened at the stroke of midnight. It was always the newborn who's celebrating his/her first Christmas that gets the first present. The eldest Tito would play Santa, handing out the gifts to everyone while everyone else busy eating or preparing the food. It was always memorable.
This was during the baptism and birthday of our cousin. This was our first Family photo to be sent out as a calendar-greeting card since our Dad died.
This one's our last "complete Family portrait taken 5 years ago. It was Gellie's first Christmas. Since then, we haven't had our picture taken since Gellie's Mom started working abroad.

Last night, our family celebrated Noche Buena in a restaurant in downtown Manila. Since most are busy with other things, they decided to just meet in Aristocrat and start a new tradition. Like most families, the kids have grown up and gotten married and is celebrating the season with their new family. I guess all of us will go through this.
Food was in abundance but only able to take photos of a few. Yum, yum.
Gifts galore as exchanging presents will probably never go out of style. Not here in Pinas' anyway.
Surprisingly, a lot of families have Noche Buena dinner outside instead of at home. I guess the idea of who'll be left to clean up is motivation enough to just eat out. My cousin Ina with her very intriguing T-shirt. I wonder who it is and where she got that?

Tried to get some coffee afterwards but everywhere we went, Starbucks was closed. I guess they have to celebrate too.

Merry Christmas everyone! Have a happy one as well!

latest

I haven't posted in almost a month and you're (the 3 people that reads this s$&*) probably wondering what has happened. Well, been quite busy of late, doing what most people these days been scampering for...
I already completed 2 and I'm still collecting more of the coveted stickers. Gave away the 2 planners to my sister and a friend. I'm giving the next one to my Mom and hopefully still have enough resolve to get a fourth, (and fifth).
Had lunch with an old HS friend and my Mom at Gerry's grill in Greenhills 2 weeks ago. She came home to attend to his ailing Dad. We were planning her "surprise" appearance at our upcoming reunion.
The first of 2 "reunions' with my HS classmates and close friends. Cynch succesfully surprised everyone when " this vision of loveliness materialised in our midst and stunned everyone with her ethereal beauty" (I was coerced into using this phrase!) It was a pleasant surprise to have her "finally" after 19+ years. Hopefully, we'll have a full roster come July.

In case i don'tsee you in the next few days, MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!

: (

...never thought she'd like me..
.....never thought this could happen.

...didn't realize my mistake,
...till it was too late.

...never imagined I'd act this way
...much like everyone else.

...and I couldn't believe...
...that I'd done this again.

new favorite song

Just want to share this....

Feels Like Heaven

All through my wandering years
I always said I was biding my time
But alone in the dark I'd face my fears
That no other heart would come to mine

At first when you found me
It took me a while 'til I realized
Why I felt weak when you were around me
Why I couldn't speak when I looked in your eyes

All this time I've been searching
Until you, I was lost in my dreams
And I never knew that love could feel like heaven
Watching over me

Oh wherever you go
Invisible hands reach over the miles
For every wish you make to the stars
There's one silent kiss I send to the sky

All this time I've been searching
Until you I was lost in my dreams
And I never knew that love could feel like heaven
Watching over me

Everything has changed
Since you came my way
'cause you put the color
In a world of grey
And you make the love
That carries me away

All this time I've been searching
Until you I was lost in my dreams
And I never knew that love could feel like heaven
Watching over me
Feels like heaven
Watching over me

caught

Theres been quite a few networking sites around and for no apparent reason, I've joined quite a few...

Tubely

MySpace


Multiply
Facebook
at syempre, Friendster.
I know I still have some that I can't remember or have forgotten completely. What can I say, Can't keep myself from joining when a new one comes along.
See ya!

music

Listening to music from an iPod can be very fascinating coupled with just the right amount of imagination. You'll always have a companion on long, lonely walks at night or eating lunch by yourself in a crowded restaurant or completing your required sets at the gym. Long commutes can be very entertaining as you can just stare out of the car window while trying to fit the music in your ear as to what you see. Much like watching a movie, every picture must have it's appropriate tune. I've done this a couple of times while on my way to the office and while I'm not surprised anymore, until this earlier today when these 3 songs played as if on cue whilst the iPod on shuffle mode, capturing what I truly felt......

" Cause the last time I felt like this, I was falling in love
falling and feeling, I'd never fall love again.
The last time I felt like this was long before I knew,
what I'm feeling now with you."

" My morning starts to shine with teardrops in my eyes,
and here I am alone, starting to realize,
that my days would be brighter If i can learn to hide,
when feelings that I have for you, keeps hurting me inside."

" How could something so wrong, feel so right all along,
catch me, I'm falling for you."

* fade out*

that's a shame.

*BURP*

it's all good

It's gettin' harder and harder for me to blog these past few days. I can't seem to organize my thoughts enough to form a coherent sentence. It's a good thing that I can just post some pics for the meantime.
Celebrated my birthday a couple of days ago without any fanfare whatsoever. I liked it that way. In a way, this years' better 'coz I'm already home instead of away from it. I certainly got more presents this year (Thank you! Thank you! You know who you are!) This is one of them....

Gellie, my niece just learned to write (or copy lines from something) and she wrote me this for a birthday gift. She folded and "gift wrapped" it and gave it to me when she woke up. She can't read yet but it's all good!

my birthday cake with the improvised candles. Gellie wanted me to blow some candles but when I asked here to sing "Happy Birthday" she just shyly smile back.

Piye and his Mom looking earnestly after I blew out the candles. (if you can't figure out how old I am, "sorry na lang!" Won't help you there.

I took the morning off last Friday to do some errands. I'm a bit ahead of schedule so I decided to visit my old high school before I proceed to Makati. A lot has changed in the scene since I was last in school. It was very apparent that this school isn't the same one I first attended in 1984. So much has changed. Being in the middle of the semestral break, there aren't that many students (or teachers) around, except for a few enrolling for the next semesters subjects. I proudly walked the same path as I did in June 1984 with longer strides than before, I went straight to the security guard and asked to be let in.
" San po sila Sir?" asked the guard.
"Dyan lang sa high school."
Didn't expect them to be as strict as before when we weren't even allowed to go out for lunch, so most of the students had always brought a pack-lunch.
Most of us who went there are truly grateful that they're giving a quality education to us poor but deserving students, so coming back here, after all I've accomplished...
"Ano po kailangan nila?" The guard asked again.
"May i-inquire lang ako sa office. Alumni ako."

The correct term is alumna or alumnus! I only realized this long after I left.
Bwiset! Looks like someone needs to go back to high school!

***


Took the boys out last night in the first in a series of blowouts at db (doc boys bar and grill). Twas the first in a long while since I've been with this group.Most of them are my HS classmates. The bash also became a venue to start our preparations for our 20th year jubilee. I am not the type who habitually takes 2 shots of every pose "para sigurado lang". Guess being in the digital age, when you can preview every shot, you'll instantly know which pictures are out of focus.

Looks like someone needs to go back to high school! Hehehe.

Being like boys again. from left: Me, Audie, Alvin, Edward, Herman and Jojo (standing). All successful , I think. Our other classmate, Renato who just flew back from Bohol, already left when this picture was taken. (He's in the first picture.)

Hope I could go back and take a better shot at this but I'll have another chance when we agreed to meet again in Subic in November and in December for our post-Christmas celebration to finalize things for the reunion.

It's all good just the same.

EB

Has it been 7 years already?

Here's some messages and photos of the K-lite Mailing List,Off-Mic or Litemail, depends on where you're coming from. Nicked this from the yahoogroups message archives. Too bad I couldn't get earlier posts before the list moved to yahoo!

hi tina,

aug 18 is fine. seattles best it is. if anyone wants to go, instant eb na nga.
there's another cafe, ucc. at galleria and timog. [timog nga ba..]

oo nga if u happen to hear anything about the docu being shown on tv sige nga ill watch. did u notice? teena brandon looks a bit like edward furlong.

gotta run,
irene3

oh sorry tina
if 18 is a friday i cannot make it coz i work till nite.
pero 19 is fine. 20 is also fine. 19 pwede ako sa seattles best i work saturdays so i cant make it as far as mandaluyong
20 pwede ako sa station...

but if may eb sa 8/6 tomorrow sunday
pwede ako sa station...

so may eb ba tomorrow sunday? blade and lil d and jessica are there for sure.. or... oh just email back! id bring carbonara if tuloy.

ill check my email again tomorrow sunday morning before 10am.

im so confused na rin.

irene3

Hi Irene! Okay, sa 19 na lang . Hanggang anong oras yung work mo nun?
Tomorrow I can't go eh. Basta s aSaturday na lang(aug.19) sa
Seattle's
Best and then next time around , mag-meet naman tayo on a Sunday sa
K-Lite. Okay ba yon?

till next time,
Tina

hi Tina,
ok sa 19th. i can go there sa seattles anytime, as long as hindi 5-7pm kasi i give out salary.

Hi Ada! Wow, I am sleepy na eh pero sulat muna ako e-mail.
I heard dami ngang na-stranded last night coz of the rain eh. Ikaw
Irene, di ka ba na-stranded? Hmmm...I miss Planet Mars.Hope someday
I'll get to taste that new drink Raw Spirit.

Ada, are you really in love. naku, you mentioned it here kaya ka
nahahalata ni Monica eh. As for our EB, kelan nga ba? Di ako basta basta makapag-decide without talking to Ederic first and sa inyong lahat eh.Suggest na lang kayo ng date. Yung pagpunta naman sa sation basta Ada sama ka sa amin ha. Kung sino gustong sumama ,sama kayo ha!Friday's really good kasi nandun si Monica and si Blade pero di puwde si Irene naman nun.

Irene, di ka puwede ng 5 to 7 p.m so let's say mga 11:00, okay ba yon?
Next time mag-pot luck tayo . Perhaps EB natin puwedeng pot luck. I
would like to eb able to taste ang specialty niyong lahat eh basta
sana walang food poisoning.No clam or anything like that , no double
dead meat, no...a basta ! (naku, sensya na sa kin .Just want to be
safe).

Oh well, I am sleepy now. Till next time!

Tina

hi Tina
u mean 26th? thats ok w/ me! no prob

hi every1!!

i wish i could write more but im really in the middle of everything.

later!!

irene3

Hi Irene! How are you na? Hey tuloy ap rin tayo sa saturday. Kaya ko
naman umalis eh. So Seattles' Best, 10 am? Btw, where is it
,specifically? Diba E. Rodriguez. I'll be coming from Cubao so ano
mauuna , Seattle's Best ba o St.Luke's ? Haven't been there eh. And
to everyone, sama naman kayo. You are all invited to join us ni Irene
...sort of EB na rin. Okay?

Take care and till next time,
Tina

hey guys,
when are you going to meet? or am i too late?

dino

hi Dino,
August 26th yun.
how do we know it's u?

Hi Dino! Irene and I will meet tomorrow at Seattle's Best. If you
want you can join us. The more, the merrier!

Till next time,
Tina

sounds like fun ^_^

dino, irene, tina and the rest that's showing up:

Kenny Rogers? parang gusto ko atang pumunta! hmmm... control, control. but
how will you be identified? will it be yung you'll be wearing this and he'll
be wearing that sort of thing? ay the books! do i hear Green Mile?! okay tina,
if we're not there, always remember that we're with you in spirit. naks!
wherever you go or whatever you eat, remember us. you could always say 'eto
para kay sheila, hehehe! or 'eto naman para kay vikki, kay ada, ederic, eioh,
liza, liezl, lild, monica, theblade, joey, melvin, alexis, joseph, greg, chat,
chiz, sneider, trisha, gilbert, st mark, noel, myra, gen' ... and the list goes
on! okay ba people?! ^_^

hello guys,
how was ur weekend?
mine was pretty cool. Sun UP! i finally got to meet **Tina and **Dino. i didnt realize past 4 na pala yun, hahaha Tina alam mo ba kinabag ako when i got home. [ugh my gas was so bad] i normally dont go out when i work, so my bro had a grand time teasing me for 2 days.

Sheila
i wish u were w/us last saturday. i like talking about food. if im correct u dont live near del monte or welcome rotonda, but if u get the chance to, check out the food at AKU[Speaker Perez cor. Retiro], it's got crepe, belgian waffle, korean food, pastries and baked goodies, pasta, creme puff, and some more i forgot. today i went there for the 2nd time w/ my family and this time i had apple&cinnamon crepe, fettuccini, and calamansi juice. plus patikim tikim ng order nila, hahaha. masarap yung chapchee huh, parang sotanghon yun w/ egg strips and korean sahog, whatever those were, basta masarap! *burp*

Dino
Shyguy Dino. tahimik mo pala. ala DJ Unplugged, hehehe. thanx for the tip regarding SportsLite!
likes to dance huh... hmn i bet u dance on the ledge sa disco, or sa cage... ay thats different. gumigiling ka ba? yay!
and thanx too for the gatorade tip. [pag lbm drink gatorade]

Tina
hey hindeous kinky girl, hehe. oo nga no, sana naman i didnt sound like a bathroom readers book, regarding dun sa mga inside stories na i shared w/ u guys, haha. oh how stupid of me i didnt get to let u hear my Bart Simpson voice, ayayayay. sana nga mag eb pa tayo ulit, and hopefully mas marami pa. ok sa SBest ano? crowd ko, HAHAHA. malay natin duon din ako makatagpo. ng biktima, hahaha. i was thinking i mustve looked awful, my eyes were puffy [power puff kuno] from watching Oprah the previous night. oh i got some great news too! this afternoon i got lucky, saw 2 books by LaVyrle Spencer, Sweet Memories and Small Town Girl. SMT is the last novel she wrote before she retired. im not so sure abt SM if id read it or not yet, but just the same, i think i already lost it if i did have it before. when's the next eb? same place and same time is convenient, i think. breakfast eb sounds ok din, or junk food eb..... streetfood eb sounds hilarious, ill drag the mamang taho by his hair and then ill fart megadecibels later, nyaaahhh. or have lots of kwek kwek [a.k.a. tokneneng or garfield] then have a heart thanx a lot for the Tongue Twisters. twisted !!
are we gonna make an eb recap? nyikes, almost 6 hrs yun ha....!!

ok gotta run!
irene3

to Irene,
Just one question. Where did you get the idea that I love to dance? Even
though I do not have 2 left feet( my feet are okay) but i guess it's been
switched.NIce meeting you!

to Tina,
Nice meeting you also,(and Irene too). Wish we could do this more often

Irene,
Hi! Thanks for the tickets to Mas Y Mas nga pala.Nope , you didn't
sound like a Bathroom Readers' book at all. I had so much fun nga
listening to your stories eh.Ang dami kong nalaman through you and I
had so much fun coz good-conversationalist ka eh and masarap to be
with someone na iba-iba pinag-uusapan diba? Pati si Zsa Zsa and
Jackie Chan and Lorna Tolentino we talked about din diba? Zsa Zsa Padilla
pala is medyo mababaw lang din. Imagine, happy na rin siya chatting
with people. I realy had fun. I can't forget ti whne you said lasang
Ventolin yung blue Raw Spirit. I really had a laugh.Imagine, umabot
tayo ng 4 dun and we didn't even notice? Regarding your Bart Simpson
voice, oo nga sayang di namin narinig ni Dino. Well,there is always a
next time OKay nga Seattle's Best, a good place talaga to talk and
talk.Dami ngang Chinese dun a!Eb natin sana in a cafe din but a bit
bigger. Do you know a big coffe shop, guys? Anyway, Irene, Diba I
told you birthday ng brother ko yesterday. Last night we went to Cactus
(sa Libis. know that place?). Okay naman yung place. I ordered a bottle
of Sub-Zero out of curiousity and okay naman siya. Parang mule din.
After that , we went to a videoke. We had our own room (200 per hour,
consumable)and we just sang (my sister in law , my Mom, and I )while
my brothers played billiards.


AT FIRST THERE WERE 3, THEN.....

irene3,

sana malapit na next eb...
san ba? i hope i could be there and thanks for the advance invitation!
gen

Caller#5 – St. Mark – (a member of the mailing list…Yipee!) He talked about
the EB..he suggested Greenhills. They counted the members….Lil D PROMISED!!
To sponsor the venue…PROMISED!!…PROMISED!! …take note…And they want to meet up with Tina and Vikkicar to organize the EB! Yahoo!!!!!!!(Can’t contain my
emotions guys!!!!!)
They also talked about the AMA jokes where Tina got a bit pissed. Jokes are
becoming too offensive lately.

Lil D – Jokes like this shouldn’t be put in a public forum.…It may cause
problems.
Monica – Mommy curly tops is strict eh. Personally I think these jokes, if
they go too far, or too offensive, there are some people who can’t take
it..be a little more cautious. If you get offended, be a little more
patient. Compromise…be a little more cautious and be a little not too
sensitive too.

hi guys,

the EB venue is partially solved by li'l D's suggestion(invitation?)
to have it in their building...actually i will vote for megamall; (1)
it's accessible to everyone, (2) it's near k-lite's office and that's
where the tripod are hanging out, so they have no excuse just in case
they fail to drop by, di ba?

have a good day!!!

myra
hi guys,
i agree with u st. mark by the way i heard u over the radio lastnight. im gald
to hear that the deejays of nitelite are well informed of wats goin on at the
mailing list. thank monica, little d. and blade for offering the building for
the EB venue at least yon medyo will me half na din.

gen:)

Hi Little David.

Really, you'll take care of the EB venue? That would be great.Hey,
thanks. I'll just go there at K-Lite as soon as I can , together with
Vikkicar and probably with Ederic,too(siyempre shy ako mag-isa
eh...hehehe!) Kidding aside, Vikki and Ederic sama din kayo ha so
that there'll be more people included sa pagpla-plan/pago-organize
and everything.Guys, I really need you!!!! (okay,OA na )
Regarding that AMA thingie, naku,na-broadcast pa ang ang aking pagka-
offend....hehehe! But really, there are just things I stand for. Yun
lang.

Till next time,
Tina


HI guys! Excited na kayo sa EB no? Ako din!

Tentative date : Sept.30, 2000, Satruday 3 p.m onwards
Venue:Paragon Plaza 15th floor (not at the K-Lite office itself)
Corner Reliance
Note:Pot-luck. I know it would be difficult, especially for thsoe who
will commute like me, to bring so much food for everyone so at least,
bring food na makakaya nyong i-carry.Vikki said she'll probably bring
burgers.

Vikki , Ederic and i will talk to Little David first on the 23rd to
finalize everything and then pag okay na , we'll tell you everything.
And Irene, sana sumama ka rin sa amin when we talk to Little David sa
Sept. 23 nga.

Btw, honestly, that thing they talked about at Nitelite scared me.
Dun din kasi ako dadaan sa overpass eh. What am I to do? Ano yung sabi
nila, just go to Manuela, cross to Shangri-la and then a cab/tricyle
there? Oh no! Marami bang cab/tricycle dun and do they know kaya
where Paragon Plaza is? Kasi naman baka I would have to teach them the
directions pa eh di ko rin kabisado lao na kung sa side streets sila
dadaaan.And what if pag na-obvious dun sa driver na I don't exactly
know where Paragon is, naku baka dayain ako sa fare and pabayarin ako
ng sobra. Lam nyo naman, jerks ang drivers dito sa metropolis eh.
GRRR! basta all I know is yung sa highway. Basta I justknow na pag lumagpas
na sa megamall, medyo malapit na yon so I always look to the left
para makita ko yung building. It is huge naman so I easily notice it eh.
Tapos,I get down dun sa other side of the street (across Paragon)and
then I cross the overpass nga.Kaso dangerous pala dun eh. Please help
me kasi super takot ako eh.Seriously, I don't know what to do.Please
help me lalo na yung from North(or East) din manggagaling like let's
say Marikina, Cainta...whatever! Hindi kasi ako gala and siyempre,
yung easy route ang tina-take ko kaya lang dangerous eh. Please help
me naman decide what to do.Pero wga naman yung super nakakalito ha!
Thanks. And oh, isip na kayo ng foods na dalhin ha kasi kasama din
antin sila Monica, Lild, Blade, and the k-lite guys and gals!

till next time,
Mommy Curly Tops (tina)

ok guys
its never too early to start planning the food for the EB
and lets make it clear that what we're bring shall be for about 30 or more people [is that right Tina...]

Tina,
yup im bringing the carbonara.

what else do we need?
these are my suggestions, lets feel free to add

DRINKS
[tetra pak/canned juice, canned softdrinks, bottled water]

FOOD [ is this heavy snack or light snack...?]
pica pica- any ideas?
white meat - poultry, chicken, fish
red meat - beef, pork
seafood
pasta/rice - carbonara [me]
grilled food- bbq.. adidas i dont think so
bread - burgers [ i think i read abt somebody bringing in the burgers..]
dessert - is cake ok, or salad.. ice cream i dont think so...

STUFF
plates
spoon&fork- chopsticks for joey chow and gen? hehe
table napkins

more questions!!
Tina are we gonna have games?.... this brings the crowd together....
who among litemailers are sure to be there? and how many from k-lite.....
are we gonna meet up first before going there sa paragon or straight na sa 15th floor....

oops really gotta run!
irene3

ok c u guys 9/30th
irene3

some of the early birds, I think!

Group pic!
Same group!

man flu

I don't understand why I couldn't get myself to blog at my multiply site when it's perfectly normal to do so. Hey, why fix something that ain't broke?
Something's amiss when you've been sick the past 8 days like I have. It all started when I was partly drenched by the rains last Thursday. I was on my way to the gym when it poured, just as I am only a few meters away from the door. Never knew what hit me after that. Woke up the next day with the sniffles, a slight fever and a very sore throat. Being a weekend, I still went to work coz I was scheduled to meet up with friends that evening. Suffice to say that I didn't come as may "man flu"was full blown by the end of the day. Feeling week, I slept early to get some extra rest. I woke up with the worst fever I've had in recent memory and I had to cancel all my appointments that day and hoping everything will clear up on Sunday.
It didn't.
Hoping for the best, I went ahead and still met with clients the whole afternoon while on a lot of medication, hoping to clear up some time before the start of a new week. I went home drained and and still hoping that the worst was over.
It wasn't.
I still had a slight fever and my body's still achin'. With a full workload ahead, I took my medicine and trooped to the office, where for the next 5 days, I'll be infecting my officemates with my virus. The fever and the muscle pain disappeared one by one, while my incessant coughing has left my throat very sore and my voice very hoarse. I already have a small drug den, with the pills, syrups and vitamins that I bought, hoping for a cure, only to realize when a nurse friend of mine told me that there's no remedy for the common cold.
Shit.
My friend told me that I have what they normally called a "man flu." It's all the same she said, the difference is only when a man gets it, he whines about it and not do a thing while if a woman gets it, she still has to do her chores and errands.
Well, who's whining?

low

I often surprise myself on how I can be a jerk sometimes.

I was supposed to write about a fire that burned another house in my street last Saturday. I was wasting my time daydreaming/ sleeping in the afternoon till a commotion roused me and I checked. A 3-door apartment was already engulfed in thick, black smoke as I peered out the door, almost at the same time as the first firetrucks' arrived. My immediate panic was quelled when I saw that it was on the other side of the street, but still, flashback of the near fire that destroyed the house behind ours played inside my head.

But I digress....

I always remind myself to not become the guy on TV who breaks the heart of a girl but I just did. I didn't just break a girls' heart but I did it to someone who doesn't deserve her heart broken. My sensibilities can do a Houdini on me at the most inopportune moment. I may have just thrown away the best thing that could ever happen to me. Common sense can also kick you in the groin and catch you off-guard.

Isn't that spit-in-your face, kick-you-in-the-crotch fantastic!

What a jerk!

high

The week flew by very quickly, that always happens when the 'ber" months rolls in. Twas also my first full week at work sans holidays and sick days. I was expecting the dread to wear me down but it's already Friday and I'm still in high spirits. It's not surprising though, at least on my part. Been catchin' up with a friend from long ago and been spendin' my nights chattin' on YM. It's really a thrill even after all these years.

Spent the weekend at my HS buddy Alvin's house to celebrate his 30+ birthday. He was the 2nd youngest (I think) in our batch while I was the youngest (I presume). It's almost 20 years and he has never run out of stories to tell (or re-tell for that matter).

Last month, my brother and I finally bought and Ipod after many months of waiting, (and saving). I already got an ipod shuffle, the one i redeemed from my credit card purchases but this was the one we planned on buying. I also bought my first song/s on ITunes and quickly transfered it to my shuffle, and later found out that you can only sync it on one device! (Darn!) I was all happy and content till I read the news yesterday and found out this...
Kainis! I am saving up for this one.....

Drat.

friends

What is it about HS and reunion that can both make anyone excited and anxious at the same time. We all have our awkward phases and most of them occurred during secondary schooling I know I did. Next year our batch will be 20 years removed and we're all looking forward to it.
God bless the internet as it had made the challenge of reconnecting with old friends easier, thanks to networking sites such as Friendster, Multiply, MySpace. Last month alone, I reconnected with old classmates in HS and Elementary. My grade school classmate sent me a message just because she remembered my name. With our upcoming reunion, those who are overseas can instantly be informed about the latest developments. But you already know that... I'm really thankful that on another level, reconnecting with old friends can be a wonderful experience. The years may have passed, but seeing a smile that you thought you've forgotten can certainly brighten up my day. I can't wait till we can finally meet, face to face, for another time.

In a totally different topic, the long weekend was not as productive as I hoped to be. I took some work home to finish but I wasn't even able to start it. I attended the baptism of my friends 1st child. This I can say, whatever morals we all adhere to in life, it always take a backseat when it's our friends that are involved. We can always look the other way for our friends. I also spent early Tuesday morning at the emergency room of UST hospital because I had an episode with acute gastritis. I couldn't recall if it was too much pasta or some bad calamare that I ate but my stomach started to hurt around 11PM Monday. I tried to sleep it off but the pain was unbearable. I took some pills to no avail. It was an hour later when i couldn't stop vomitting that I woke up my Mom and asked her to accompany me.
The emergency room was almost empty except for 2 other patients that came in ahead of me. The nurses were in a lively banter on what to order for their snack. Even after they gave me an IV of drugs that the pain subsided. I was released around 4:30AM and light-headed ME still reported work, aching tummy and all. When I got back home that evening, I should have gone strainght to bed but I had a chat with an old friend, and after awhile, everything's ok again, and i hope it gets better.

stranded at home

It's been raining all week and this scene always greet me every morning. It's the same thing today and I guess I have to stay home again and work.
I've been watching the 2nd season of "How I met your mother" and thoroughly enjoying every episode.


Cobie Smulder's (Robin) sure is very pretty!

sick day

I did not report for work for the 2nd day now. I could have been at work today if not for the "flash flood" that happened earlier. I was already out the door with my rain gear amid the downpour when my Mom shouted that the floodwater was creeping in from the back of our house, and when I looked toward the street, half was already submerged. I texted my boss that I'll be a bit late for I shall wait for the water to subside. It did recede after an hour and I left the house only to be met by the thousands of students in the streets as classes were suspended. I waited and I waited. After 3 hours, alongside students and office workers, I decided to return home and just tell the office i wouldn't be able to come in today.
I also didn't report for work the previous day 'coz I had the flu. It's already full blown with my muscles, throat and head's aching. It was last Saturday after gym that my throat started to itch. If I hadn't misplaced the locker key and have been able to take a shower instead of roamin around the air-conditioned gym searching for the key for over an hour, maybe I could have avoided this. Inspite of this, i still went jogging early Sunday and by sundown, in the middle of coffee with my friends, I've already got a nasty headache. I still reported for work Monday coz I had to present some drafts to my boss and stayed in the office till around 8:30 PM. my flu got worse during the day and my boss gave me the day off yesterday to rest and report back today, which I couldn't because of the rains. My fever's gone and my muscles and joints aren't aching anymore. My throat's still sore from the coughing and my voice will tell you that it looked like I was singing the night away.
I' not a workaholic but I sure hope the rains won't pour till I get to the office.

Bangkok 2

It's already nine days since I came back and I still haven't finished posting my photos of the trip. This is the first test of the digital camera my Mom gave me. didn't realize that I DO NOT have a steady hand as I should, my camera confirms it. The pictures, most have the red waving-hand blur warning symbol.
We woke up early on Saturday, the day of the wedding. Most of the preparations was finished, except for the decorations for the bridal car, which was for us to do 'coz the coordinator will just meet up with us at the Church.
The ceremony went well, except for some pre-ceremony no-nos that would have been avoided if we're back home but being here in, it has gone unnoticed till moments later. The catered lunch was great! I was surprised to see a sweet pasta dish in the buffet, as if it was out of place, but that too was laso delicious. Desert was the native halo-halo made up of multi-colored rice noodles with ice and sweet coconut milk. Luckily for me, only the bouquet was tossed for the ladies as I am slowly gettin' annoyed of this traditional wedding ritual. Better get hitched soon or stop attending weddings for the meantime.
It rained, midway through lunch as the monsoon seasons' also starting to creep in. The tents that covered the grounds surrounding the church gave ample protection from the rain except at the joints where the cake was positioned earlier. While preparing to go back to the house, I noticed the father of the bride handing the leaving guests "goodie bags of the days buffet" for them to take home, something i thought was inherently Filipino. We finished packing up and went home around 4pm. We were all tired and we just spent the afternoon and early evening showing Mem pictures of his husband back when they still have no idea of one another.
One more for prosperity.

We started early the following day, as we have a 3 hour drive ahead of us to go tho Samut Sokhran. We visited an area with several (9) temples which is part of the Unseen thailand tour and if you get to visit all , it will bring you good luck. Luckily, we got to visit 6. Hehehe.


We dropped by Damnoen Saduok Floating market for lunch. Only a handful of the boats remained. We were informed that if we arrived at around 7am, the waterway would have been full of them, with nary a space between. I just browsed for some pasalubong and found some jingling purses and silk wallets. After lunch, we visited 3 temples of our 6 total and went straight home.

at Damnoen Saduok Floating market with Sandy and uncle.

tryning to haggle 'in tagalog"

Bangkok 1

Our very late flight from Manila was delayed by 2 hours, so we arrived at Suvarnhabumi International Airport at 2:30 AM, local time. I've scheduled everything so tight that I went directly from the office to the airport. My college buddy Jaime had an excuse to travel to Bangkok because of Mhel and Mam's wedding. We had planned to take the trip on late October but Mhel had other things in mind. We were met at the terminal by Mam and Sandy, all weary and hungry. No food was served on the plane as the cost of the ticket didn't cover meals. It's a good thing i brought some crackers i purchased at the waiting lounge.

We slept at the extra room of the couple's townhouse. It's the eve of the ceremony and we have a lot of things to look after. After eating a lunch of Pilipino dishes which was prepared by Mhel's Mom, who flew in a few days earlier, we went to St. John's church in downtown Bangkok to witness the last final preparations and to have the couples new car blessed by the priest. We arrived with the wedding coordinator and her staff making the finishing touches . The reception will be held on the church grounds so a tent was erected in anticipation of some rains on Saturday. The coordinator was Thai who converted to Catholicism to get married, similar to my Mhel's fiancee did. She established her wedding planning business shortly after to assist would be Catholic brides and avoid what she herself experienced.

After church, the couple took us to a popular restaurant (so popular in fact that I forgot the name), and all of us had our first taste of authentic Thai food. Our meal was pre-empted by having a shot of ice cold tamarind juice before the main course. Expecting the worst, as I do not really eat spicy food, I was relieved to realize that Thai food is not spicy but hot. You'll be able to tolerate the spiciness and will just feel it's hotness after a few minutes, when you start to perspire. We were served with Thom yum soup, sea bass cooked in tamarind juice with coconut meat and vegetables, it's almost similar to our sinigang, and it's also the only dish I remember in it's native name.

The restaurant was beautiful, similar in ambiance to our Dencio's or Gerry's grill. Most of the eating areas are al fresco with the servers in native attire. After dinner we all went back home as we all should rest for the next day.

Preview

i've been able to hie off to Thailand for a few days to...












see the sites!



more details soon!

full week ahead

I've always been busy since I squeezed out of college so many years ago. My only real break was the 2 weeks after school and the 2 months reviewing for the board exams, since then it's always work, work, work. I am now at that point wherein I do not distinguish the workday from the weekend anymore since I always meet my clients on Saturday and Sundays. I guess my line of work does that to our kind. I'm not complaining though, If only this sacrifice can make me famous (or important) someday. Next week, I'll be trying to fit 10 workdays into 7 coz I'll be away for 5 days to attend a friends' wedding far, far away. Hope a few days of R&R can jump-start myself to finish the year and then weigh my options then. Should I stay or should I go? That'll have to wait till December.

We visited my last surviving grandmother yesterday. She's my Dad's mom and since he passed away 24 years ago, our visits isn't as regular as we want to. We last saw her last Christmas but this time, we are complete in 6 years. It was a late birthday celebration since my Lola turned 83 a few weeks back. Being in far away San Jose del Monte with no phone and hardly a cellphone signal, makes constant communication a bit difficult. While we only stayed half a day, I hope our visit can sustain her a few more years, for I know she deserves better. There's a part of me that wants to take her in with us coz I feel she's being neglected by my cousins but my Mom doesn't like the idea. She has her reasons and I will respect that.

Also yesterday, after working out, I dragged myself to Fully-Booked and got myself "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows". I sometimes wonder why some people go to great lengths in ruining everyones fun in coming out with spoilers. I even saw one guy who got his copy in advance "accidentally." He took the time taking photos of every page of the book and posted it on the net. It's authentic though it's quite difficult to read. While I was in between sets, I noticed almost everyone in the gym had the book in hand reading while sipping the complimentary coffee. This has become as some sort of status symbol (or is it just me). That image just made me more eager to buy it since I was planning to get a copy after I've comeback. I've also promised myself that I'll finish "On borrowed words" before reading HP7, but that's one more promise unkept. I've started HPatDH yesterday and some reviews here.

Ah well, I'll try to finish it in 3 days, while trying to work and doing all the other things I normally do. Till then....

tidbits.

Lately, since January this year, I have read more books in a shorter time than in any year since I started enjoying reading paperbacks. I've been reading since my elementary days but it's limited to comic strips and the weekly Funny comics with "Niknok" and "superKat". Those were the days when I was more interested in the drawings than the stories.
In high school, I look forward to Tuesdays 'coz it was the only time that fiction books can be lent out to students. I've spent my free time, (and sometimes even during lessons) sharing with the adventures of "The Hardy Boys" and "Nancy Drew mysteries". Since then, I've enjoyed the whole gamut of fiction from Sidney Sheldon, John Grisham, etc. I enjoy reading those stories that eventually became movies or have the potential to become one. So far these year I've already finished the 2 Jurassic Park books and Airframe by Michael Crichton and Don't stand too close to a naked man and I'm not really here by Tim Allen. I'm currently reading "On borrowed words" and I have a backlog of 4 more books , which I will read after... I finish the last Harry Potter book. I watched HP5 and it was disappointing coz the longest book in the series was the shortest running time. Too bad a lot of the details and back stories was left out.
Anyway, it was in the book I'm currently reading , I found this;

TAOISM: Shit happens.
HINUISM: This shit happened before.
CONFUCIANISM: Confucius says, "Shit happens."
BUDDHISM: If shit happens, it isn't really shit.
ZEN: What is the sound of shit happening?
ISLAM: if shit happens, it is the will of Allah.
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: Knock, knock, "Shit happens."
ATHEISM: There is no shit.
AGNOSTICISM: I don't know whether shit happens.
PROTESTANISM: Shit won't happen if I work harder.
CATHOLICISM: If shit happens, I deserve it.
JUDAISM: Why does shit always happen to us?

Siyet.

Loser

I really hate it when water gets stuck between your toes while the rest of your body's dry. It's really difficult starting these post with anything relevant to what I want to say so... I'll just start with some random thought. Anyhow.. It's been 6 weeks since I began my workout regimen and the past 4 weeks enrolled in a gym. This has been in my mind for a few years now but twas only when I got back did I had the opportunity to do so. Six weeks ago, I started jogging during the weekend with some former workmates so that I could still lose some more weight. In January I was almost 225 lbs when I got back to Ilo-ilo, It was then I made the decision to watch what I eat. exercising was not a problem coz my work already took care of that aspect. My being away from home in a way made it easier. Fast-forward to April and I was down by 10 lbs. and some inches from the waist. I knew that returning to Manila, my weight could always shoot back up so I made up my mind to enroll in a gym to compensate the lack of athletic activity for the past 18 months. That was 4 weeks ago. Today, I am at 208 lbs and hopefully I'll be able to go down to 190-200 lbs by Christmas, before all those Holiday food brings my weight back up!

Finally... Transformers the Movie is already showing and I was able to seen it last night. It's a boyhood dream come true! I almost cried while I was watching it. I WAS SO HAPPY! It's so beautiful to look at. Never mind the story! Never mind if Soundwave isn't in the film. I just want to watch it again. Maybe I will, this afternoon.

"kadto na 'te"

My Lakbayan grade is C-!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out atLakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

joke, joke, joke!

Lifted this from my mailing list... read on...

Pulis1: Pare alam mo na ba ang usap usapan
Pulis2: bakit pare anong balita?
Pulis1: May bading daw sa campo
Pulis2: Sino daw pare?
Pulis1: Kiss Muna!!"

Pedro: Pare, Tikman mo itong cake. Masarap! Gawa ng nanay ko.
Juan: Ikaw na lang titikman ko, pare. Tutal gawa ka din naman ng nanay mo.
I Love You, Pare!

"TEACHER: Class draw a fish..!
CLASS: Yes ma'am!
TEACHER: Pedro, why is ur drawing very dirty..?
PEDRO: Ma'am, bagoong po yan."

"Pulis at Intsik:
Pulis: boss konting abuloy lang, may namatay na pulis.
Intsik: ako malaki migay amuloy masta alaw-alaw melon pulis paktay oke.."

"PASYENTE: Dok. . . Ninenerbyos po ako! First operation ko po ito. . .
DOK: Alam ko ang nararamdaman mo. . .Kasi ikaw rin ang una kong pasyente"

"If you care for your lady friends, advise them not to marry men from Las Pinas. B'coz they have "bamboo organs.""

Tanga: kamusta yung exam mo.
Bobo: wala ako nasagutan, blanko yung papel ko. Ikaw?
Tanga: naku, blangko din yung papel ko, baka sabihin ni titser,
nagkopyahan tayo

"WIFE: maghiwalay na tayo!
MAN: ok,akin ang bahay!
WIFE: akin ang farm!
MAN: akin ang kotse!
WIFE: ah pero akin driver
MAN: pwes, magkakamatayan tyo, MATAGAL NA SIYANG AKIN!"

"Mrs: hoy! Tama na yang beer mo masyado ka magastos
Mr: Ikaw make-up mo ang magastos
Mrs: Nagpapaganda ako para syo
Mr: Ako umiinom naman para gumanda ka!"

"May bagong kasal:
MRS: Honey malapit na tayong maging 3 dito sa bahay
MR: Talaga honey? Pinasaya mo ako sa balita mo
MRS: Oo dito na titira ang nanay ko!"

REPORTER: Sir, kung wala po kayong evidence, witness or suspect ano na
po ang next step ninyo??
ATTY: DNA na...
REPORTER: sir, ano po yung DNA ???
ATTY: Di Namin Alam....hehehe

"Man1: Away kami ni misis, nag-Historical siya
Man2: Pare baka ang ibig mo sabihin ay nag-Hysterical
Man1: Hinde, historical kasi inungkat lahat ng kasalanan ko!"

A black baby is given a pair of wings by a fairy..
BABY: Does this mean I am an angel???
FAIRY: (laughs) of course not! tong negrang to! ambisyosa! PANIKI ka!!

In a party, a handsome guy approached a girl and asked; are you going to dance??
The girl felt so happy that someone finally asked her and she said; "yes" and the guy said "that's good, can I have your chair??"

"Naglalakad ang mag-ama, nakakita ng eroplano
ANAK: Tay! Krus! Ang laking krus!
TATAY(Binatukan ang anak): Nakita mo ng krus eh! Lumuhod tayo!"

Employee: boss pwede ba ako nalang ang papalit dun pwesto sa manager natin na kamamatay lang?
Boss: ok lang sa akin na ikaw ang pumalit sa kanya, ewan ko lang kung papayag ang punerarya :)


In a disco a woman approaches a man...
Woman: hey, marunong ka bang mag-swing?
Man: (flattered) ba't mo nga pala naitanong? (smiling) mukha ba akong dance instructor? (giving her a wink)
Woman: hindi no! mukha ka kasing unggoy! :)


bobo1: Pare, alam mo ba tawag sa paniki na mababa ang lipad?
bobo2: hindi eh! ano ba pare?
bobo1: Lowbat pare! Lowbat!

oh di ba!

Lucky me.

This is not about the instant mami that we all love enough to risk a urinary tract infection. Twas a quiet few weeks for me. Nothing much has happened and changed, I'm still me.
My daily routine's as simple as can be. get up early and report to work. after 9+ hours, go home. Watch some TV, maybe do some extra work at home and sleep around 11 or midnight. Work's almost smooth most of the time and I haven't had much stress as I had before with my previous boss. Here's some of the things I "still" like about my present job:
1. I now work in a real office in a real building. all of my previous jobs all have houses converted into offices. The only other time I worked in a building was waaay back 1993. Working in a building also means seeing a lot more people everyday and some you even share an elevator, which on one instance stalled with me inside.
2. My office have internet connection, so I can keep tabs of my messages while at work and not wait till I get home. I do not browse or chat online while at work though I do so when it's almost 6pm and most of my work's completed.
3. Something I missed while in Iloilo was listening to the radio everyday while at work. We have a radio in the site office but I turned it off after hearing Yasmien Kurdi's song "I know" for a total of 16 times in one working day. Here in the Metro, I have my choice of stations. Magic and RX still around but what I missed the most is K-lite which may have changed owners 'coz it's called Heart 103.5 nowadays, which brings me to....

I got to watch the advanced screening of Ocean's 13 last Monday because I won in one of the contests from that radio station. It was just my luck coz the screening will be held that same day but the DJ has an extra pair of tickets coz 1 winner will not be able to watch it that night. Unlike before, you only have to text your answer rather than being the right numbered caller. When I heard I won, I immediately went to Paragon Plaza in Pioneer to redeem my prize only to be told that their offices' located in Jollibee Plaza in Ortigas Center. Stupid, but I was able to get my tickets and watched the preem.

The following day, I received a call from Gatorade, telling me that I won in their weekly raffle but she needs to know if I have the cap with the winning code. I'm still waiting for her text so that I could look for that lucky bottle cap and I'm still wondering what I won hoping that I could trade it for the trip to watch an NBA game.

Last Friday, an old schoolmate of mine offered me a job at their firm which I politely turned down. He insisted that I should accept his offer and their even willing to have me as a consultant and only report to the office once a week. It sounds to good to be true but I'm going to have a talk with them later this week.

They say luck comes in 3's and by my story, my luck should have run out, which I'm hoping has not, after all I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

Tomorrow another work week starts

May Day

The day has finally arrived when most of our politicians can finally stop empty promises and false happiness and wait and see how far their money can bring them near a House seat.
I went to the precincts around 9am to avoid the rush, and there certainly not as much of a crowd when I got there.
There weren't as many people handing out sample ballots or not as many watchers in the classrooms . It may be a sign that maybe, this will be an orderly exercise.

One thing I like about voting is I get to visit my old school. I studied at Dr. Albert Elementary School in Sampaloc. My grandmother used to be principal of this school till I was in 2nd grade. The school got it's name from a pre-world war Secretary of Education, who also happens to be the grandfather of Joey Albert. (Which I only found out after I graduated, coz she wasn't famous then.) The school looked smaller that I remembered, like everything else for that matter. I can almost see myself playing in that quadrangle. I didn't run into some of my old classmates 'coz most of them have transferred after graduation.
One thing I did most the long weekend was catch-up on watching HEROES. I was not expecting a lot from this TV show coz I've been a comic book collector in my 20's and I'm expecting a rip-off of some of them.

I was wrong.

Despite the fact that the idea isn't original, the stories are still fresh and engaging and production must be a nightmare, having all those characters. It's like the X-men meets the X-files. I'm only halfway through the first season and I cant wait to finish watching the remaining episodes.

can you dig it?

Whoa! I'm Gandalf and I still can't believe it. No wonder I find Michelle Rodriguez sexy, does that mean I'm vain? That I see myself sexy? (Haaagck) Ah well., just amusing myself one lonely Tuesday.

my choice

I returned to work again last week after a brief vacation. Not my original intention but it's good for now. One good thing about this is I'll be away from the noise of all the candidates bring when they pass by. It's one thing that didn't bother me when I was in Iloilo, coz the candidates there campaigned on foot and visited every house in their district.
Election is a very touchy issue here so I just want to endorse some of my preferences so that we can affect change in our society.

I'd like to think that the senatorial candidates of Ang Kapatiran will stay true to there word if they are elected. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them.


It's true, Bayan Muna may be a left-leaning party list group but I'm related to one of the nominees and they have been doing a credible job, I think.

There are a lot of things wrong in this country and like I mentioned to some friends, one way of fixing things is ... I'd rather not say, but we have to take a step in the right direction, right now.