May 10 is a monumental day for us Filipinos. After almost a decade of GMA, people are just raring for change. Yellows are still chanting Laban, 20 years after democracy has been restored. Orange supporters are swimming in a sea of garbage. Reds are busy being snarky at all the other colors. The Greens are zealous and strong, busy defending their leader from the nasty allegations of being a "puppet" or a "lapdog". GMA after all, is going out as the least-liked president of all time. They have said that being associated with GMA was a kiss of death. That has contributed much to the unpopularity of G1BO Teodoro, the man I'm voting for in the 2010 Presidential elections.

Labels: elections, friends, G1BO, Gilbert Teodoro

To a very sweet and kind soul, now you are truly an angel. How I wish you could have spent more time with us, but I guess the Big Boss has other plans for you. I'm not yet sure I know how to say goodbye, but know that I'm happy that you're now at peace and without pain. You'll forever be in my heart... Till next time, dearie. I love you.

Labels: crush, friends, goodbye

It's only been slightly more than a year since my crush declaration for you. Haha, I'm sure you'll get a good laugh out of it if you ever found out. Don't worry, I'm much more blessed having you as a friend now, than you were as my distant crush. You are one of a kind. Cute (o sige na nga, guapo). Intelligent. Charming. Sweet. And that is why so many people love you. 

Labels: crush, friends, prayer

Just came from a dinner and conversation with old friends at Hooters. We had a lot of catching up to do as I haven't seen either Ali or Allan for such a long time. I guess when R was here we got caught up in working things out, spending quality time together, and planning for the future. Yes, there's a plan :) Right now, things are in its initial stages, but we're taking baby steps. Just the way I like it. I mean, I did this once in the past, everything happened so fast, whirlwind seems such an understatement. And it all just went down the drain. This time around, I really want to be sure. 

Labels: friends, life, R

Ali told me we should hang out and talk more often, and not just about work (yeah, we have a habit of going on and on about work... forgetting everything, and everyone else around, haha!), and maybe talk about our lovelives as well. And I replied, yeah, my non-existent one.

It's so hard having a boyfriend who's away all the time. No matter how much love you have for him, it will always be tested with all sorts of things and people and the worst of all, loneliness. We all get our bouts of loneliness, and when that hits me, it always pains me to think that he should be here instead of being far away. I'm not a needy woman, and I get by without a man just fine, but this love thing - it's so hard to just walk away from it. I mean, I have been through a lot when it comes to relationships, and by now I know what's real and what's not. This is definitely real. He is definitely real in his love and his intentions. And so am I. But like I always say, love is never enough.

Well, maybe this time around we'll figure it out. Gawd, we're this old and we still couldn't figure out relationships. Will it ever get easy? Or is it really all just... ern, wishful thinking.

In other news, I just really have to declare my love. For David Cook. I just super love him. He's always been my favorite. He brings out the rocker chick in me. Wahaha.

Labels: American Idol, David Cook, friends, love, work

Ey Sieggy, posting a pix of Beauty from a few years ago at my sister's wedding :) The other girl is another niece who was the one who met Beauty at the door before she finally went inside the PBB house. I heard from others who watch the show (which I don't because of my shift) that my niece is doing pretty well. Some comments from other blogs also peg her as one of their favorites. So that's really good news, given my reservations. So here's to Beauty staying long in the house :)


On another note, the news that we've been anticipating in the Old Blue finally arrived. I'm detached from it, looking in from the outside, but I can't help but feel a bit of sadness.. For all the history involved (I did spend a decade there, and a good numbers of years were solid and glorious; I've met a few lifelong friends there.... and of course, the opportunities and the growth, I will forever be grateful), for all the lives and families who will be affected (one of my former engineers texted me this morning asking help to seek for a new job), for its impact to the local and national economy and the impending domino effect... Before I left we were practically given a timeline.. 5 years. It came much sooner than expected, and I think that's what surprised most people. It's a good thing they went about this in a more humane manner, with a hefty package and just giving people time to look for other opportunities before the curtain is finally drawn. Still, I know it's a hard pill to swallow, and all I can do right now is to pray for all my friends and my former colleagues..

Labels: friends, old blue, pbb

I've said this before, coffee and friends is always a good combination. And of course, free dinners are the best (Thanks, Allan, happy birthday :))..

Valentine's is coming up, and this early I want to say thanks to my old Blue friends, who I know will become lifelong friends. We all have our levels of bitchiness and toxicity, and yet through it all, we manage to be there for each other.

So thanks, dearies.

Next stop - the beach. :)

Labels: coffee shops, dinner, friends

Labels: friends, old blue

Finally, the office barkada got away to relax for the weekend. To a place where locals apparently refer to as "almost heaven". And indeed it was.


Eagle Point Resort is one of the best resorts I've been to so far. It's far enough from the city. It's quaint and picturesque. Our room had a breath-taking view of the bay. How lovely it is to wake up every morning with that view. And then there's Sepoc Island. What a charming little island. And of course there's the sunset. With the best of company, everything was just right.

We ate, slept, took a dip in the water, went kayaking (while I slept, haha, in the guise of getting a tan), drank, took pictures, ate again, took pictures again, went dipping with baby sharks and fish, went to the pool...

Words are not enough to express all the loveliness and happiness. Pictures are worth a thousand words, after all, so here goes.

chill, sa aking duyan :)

postcard-worthy

Swimsuit models. Not! Hahaha!

Philippines Next Top Model, hahaha!

Pa cute :p

tabing-ilog cast, 20 years later!

Eds and George

Swimming, err, standing with the baby sharks :)

ST star, wahaha!

Labels: beach, friends, summer

Nuisance: Driver's license renewal at LTO-Tagaytay. I was there from 930AM to 3PM. And they had the gall the whole process 4-easy steps! If not for the lunch with the department mates, the day would have totally bummed! (The worst part was having the whole day immortalized in my license pix!! Now you know why you never see a pretty license pix. Deng!)

March 29 - Another day in hell, a.ka. government offices. First stop - police clearance. To "expedite" the process, they asked for a fee. Otherwise, I would have to go back the following day. In her exacts words "Kayo na po bahala, ma'm". Ow.kay. Second stop - NBI clearance. All the people I asked about this process all told me to go to Carriedo. I refused. For the simple reason that I've never ridden an LRT. And I'm scared to death taking a ride alone, with all the... Anyhoo, so I went to the kiosk at Park Square, only to find out that yeah, I needed to go to the main office. Stubbornly, I tried to take a cab, but nobody wanted to take me. The last taxi driver told me he'll take me to the Gil Puyat station, and I can just take the LRT to Carriedo. I told him I didn't know how to ride an LRT. And he answered "Ay naku, dapat kang matuto. Madali lang yan. Sundan mo lang ginagawa ng iba dun". So he lectured me about learning to ride trains, because in the countries abroad, they have trains. Ow.kay, again. The ride was not all that unpleasant, but stepping into Carriedo was a different story. Kids smelling rugby on the sidewalk, crazy men throwing sago on the streets, and a lot of not so friendly people. But the worst was yet to come - I got a hit! What are the odds, huh, that there is someone out there with the same name as me. I even tried to reason with the data checkers, and they just got mad "Nagkakamali ba ang computer??!" And gusto kong sabihin - Oo!! Oo!! Oo!!. Dern, so I get to do the whole thing again next week. So not looking forward to it.

But in the end, this week has been full of blessings. Of answered prayers, sweet friends, loving family and a loving boyfriend, who in spite of his booboo, is still a great guy ;-)

And oh, we're hitting the beach this Saturday. So that is yet another good thing!

Labels: birthday, blessings, family, friends, R, red tape

There has been lotsa love going around the last few days with the friendships at Gov. It's almost perfect, except that we always end up missing Ali all the more. (Di bale, you were there in spirit. Kasali ka pa din sa pix!! Hehehe!!) :)

Anyhoo, the Gov crew decided to throw a soup rice (surprise) party for housemate Joe-seph. His much-awaited open heart surgery is scheduled next week, and we wanted to wish him all the best. The plan was elaborate, and everything went pretty well except for the fact that a few people came late, and a darned truck parked across the street, leaving us no room to park. Ergo, housemate drove to the next street, only to find the rest of the cars of the folks waiting inside.

When Joseph came in, the 1st question he asked was where were our housemates and how come he saw several cars parked in Hagerstown. I could not even muster an answer, and MZ (the lurer, hehe) just mumbled some words. I had to go inside before we totally spoil the surprise, and when Joseph saw the balloons and Izzie's picture (hot intern, haha!), he knew what was going on. The rest of the crew shouted "surprise" and they were so cute with the party hats and all. Sayang lang, no pictures. The camera didn't work!! hahaha.

Dinner was super yum with the wonder salad from the kids at Worcester, pizza, chicken, pancit and chocolate cake. MZ took care of the flowers (they were so lovely we took turns having our pix taken with the bouquet. Hahaha.. maawa naman kayo!! give us flowers na :p).

The highlight of the night was the Forbidden Questions - Gov edition. Alcohol-free on 1st round, and all questions answered by Joe. Galing. We were running out of ammo, I had to take out what was left of the see-you-soon-Joseph white wine and the tequila that was intended for the other office friends (hehe, bili na lang ng bago). We immediately ran out of tequila, so they went out to buy more alcohol, which turned out to be this super kadiri vodka. (Naku, my "blackout" mix, buti na lang, nothing strange happened, hahaha!!).

The night turned out to be a revelation of sorts. Someone was being a smart aleck so we had so much fun with the game. And who knows who was telling the truth or not? ;-)

It was so fun and funny!! Here are some of the questions, and I'm sure no one took anyone seriously, because as DJ mo would say - this is just a game! :)

Q#1: What is the size of your *ahem*?

7inches
3inches
5inches

The rest of the answers pretty much stayed around that range. and at the end of the night, someone admitted he lied. Hahaha!

The same question was picked from the tumbler for one of the girls, so she answered her bosom size "38A".

Smart aleck retort: Di mo na kelangan sabihin kasi nakikita namin yan!

Hahaha. Onga naman.

Then someone started guessing the cup size of all the girls present. In fairness, ang galing! Hahaha.

Q#2: Lights on or lights off?

Most memorable answer: Pwede both?

Ang hirap nun ah! Imagine the horseplaying that followed after.

Q#3: When was the first time you did "it"?

"It" being subject to personal interpretation. Haha. The average age was ~21/22. There were outliers on both ends of the spectrum. The other end is of course, obvious. Yung isang end - 16yo :p

Q#4: When was the last time you did "it"?

Answers: 2 years ago, 4 months ago, 3 weeks ago, may '06, last week, 26yo and then - feb xx 3AM. Me oras pa talaga! :p

Q#5: What is your favorite position?

Now this, I can't describe. Graphic masyado! Hahaha!! :p

Q#6: How long does it take before you finish?

7 mins... 1 min, 3 mins... 30 seconds!

Q#7: Wildest place you've done "it"?

Again, "it" is subject to personal interpretation. Some chose to answer the romantic place. Guess which is which. Hahaha.

"In front of the Mediterranean Sea, garden in parents' house, hot air balloon, sofa while someone was upstairs, kitchen, parking lot in a university somewhere, stairs in a condo while the guard was knocking..."

And the biggest revelation of the night:: the mystery of the broken electric fan was finally solved! Hahaha.

Labels: friends, party, personal

It's amazing how we meet people and they stay in our lives unexpectedly. It was a very good friend's birthday the other day, and it was also the anniversary of the first time we met four years ago. Through all this time, and in spite of the distance, and despite the times when either of us falls silent by choice or circumstance, he has remained one of the dearest persons to me...

In other news, life has been kind of dull lately. Yet, the drama always unfolds around me... Elsewhere, friend A just committed adultery, and she is one of the most sensible persons I know. Love really is a strange thing. Another friend got pregnant so she went into this frenzy in pulling in her wedding, only to find she has a blighted ovum... Life can be so ironic sometimes. Lastly, Friend C met the perfect guy, who believes she is also the perfect girl, only the situation's not so perfect as the guy has a long term girlfriend.. Love can be such a pain in the arse. :)

Oh well. As for me, all I want right now is to get some sleep... Have a good weekend, everyone.. Off I go.. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

Labels: friends, life, love, relationships

There are so many things that one can enjoy in life. There is joy in something new.. Like eating someplace new. Don't you just love looking at a menu and seeing you neither can pronounce nor know what you are looking at? Don't you just love the feeling of excitement that comes with the anticipation of experiencing something that you've never experienced before? Like say, Indian ice cream, which you find out you didn't like, but then, hey, you're not supposed to like everything after all. As in life where it's the journey that matters, it's the experience that matters.

Prince of Jaipur, is a good experience. It's pricey and although I've not eaten in a lot of Indian restaurants, I do believe my novice tongue loved the food. Their butter and garlic naan is something I want to go back to. Hahaha.

And then there's the joy of the old and familiar. Like friends you've known for more than half your life. Nothing beats that. These are people whom you'll know will remain a part of your life, through good and bad, most likely till your last breathe. And that knowledge is priceless.

And then there are friends whom you have known not quite as long. But are also a big part of your life. Even if you're two hemispheres and oceans apart, they remain close to your heart. (Yeah, I'm talking about you M***.. :) Thanks for calling.. and thanks for always, always being a good friend!)

Labels: food, friends, restos

* Guess that's why I'm so forgiving of D. But this time, I am more determined to stick to my resolve.

* I was going through my medical files yesterday so I can show them to my best friend, Doc R. As I was reading through them, I started sobbing. I relived all the pain, fear and loneliness during the days before and after my surgery. These episodes are getting fewer, but I hope one day it will just stop.

* The more I think about it, the more I think I'm not taking the U.S. assignment. I watched Jersey Girl last night. It's like choosing a life in the city, and back in Jersey. In New York, Ollie will have a high-paying job, get more respect, live in a posh apartment. In Jersey, he can play in the dirt with his kid. It took him a while but he finally chose the latter. That is a metaphor for my life in Manila. Not that I wanna play in the dirt. But I wanna be here where my loved ones are. No amount of money or prestige can ever compensate for moments spent with those you love and who love you in return.

* Shrek 2 is hilarious. But I like the 1st one better. Still, I wanna own a DVD copy. Puss N Boots is adorable. Made me wanna get a cat. Not. Hehe. Pinnochio wearing a bright pink thong? Classic. :D

* Gonuts is so overrated. The long lines is absolutely not worth it. Krispy Kremes forever.

* Advil is the best invention ever. Next to that, the G-string panty liners..

* Gerry's Grill in Remedios Circle is so cramped. But never make a mistake of tranferring to Fusion, the bar next door. P*na. They only have about 10 choices for appetizers. Plus, ang mahal ng pagkain nila. P240 for sisig?! But admittedly, I liked their music. Plus SML is only P35. But still, I really would rather not spend P90 on potato chips.

* I love my friends. 18 years of friendship is just not something ordinary.

* Ang sarap when you have doctors as best friends. Free consultation. The other night, they were lecturing to me about The Pill. Nakakatawa. Felt like a teenager. Pero mas natawa sila when I asked "Do you need a prescription to buy them?" No, I wasn't kidding.

* Guess Coron will have to be planned for some other time. But I'll be going to Bora in a couple of weeks. Sana di bumagyo. Please, weather gods.

* The storms Dindo and Enteng are not good for my mood. Been really pensive and very senti last week. Tama na! Ibalik na ang araw. Summer pa, di ba?!

* Finally, after three years of planning it, will be taking up badminton na.. Ala lang, bonding time with ol' friends. Ayan, baby, dami ko na distraction. :D

Labels: friends, Gonuts, heartache, Krispy Kreme, movies, relationships, work

And so I say my prayers for you.. someone I've never met in real life, but who has been a part of my life through my blog. Death will always seem surreal. And goodbyes are always sad...

Whereever you are, hope that you are indeed finally home...

Some of his few words for me during those times when I had just began my heartbreak saga:

"sometimes we need to know how sham feels so as to distinguish what really love is. don't lose hope, learn from it. It's all part of our so called life. "

"you really gotta add watching metallica to your to-do-before-I-die list ehehehe!"

Now I wonder if I was I even able to really let him know how thankful I was for the nice, comforting words that he so unselfishly offered? If I make it a point to watch Metallica before I die, will he take it as a sign of my gratitude?

Thank you friend. You (as well as some others) whom I've met through my travels and writings have made my nomadic lifestyle much more bearable..

So long...

Labels: friends, goodbye