i hate goodbyes

I don't know why i stopped writing blog posts. I got too busy and lost time. But more than that I think I just lost the motivation to write. So I shall try to go back to my old habit and write again. I can't believe that the last post was over a year ago.

It's 2012. One month into it to be exact. January was such a blur that one could almost say, "time flies." It's quite ironic that the last post I had here I posted a video for a friend who left. Because just like that song almost 2 years ago, I feel exactly the same thing today. Last week my friend Bala passed away. It was all so sudden. One moment he was there and the next moment he was just gone. And since last week I've been grieving silently, honoring my friend with little snippets of posts in Facebook here and there. But I thought I'd write about him today. Bala was my second friend in Malaysia. He was introduced to me by Marissa who I met in one of those expat forums in KL. We met for the first time outside university LRT station. He picked up so I could join their badminton game in PJ. Marissa could pick me as she had work. I was a bit wary when I first met him. He looked like a wrestler more than a badminton player. But he was such a sweetie that i immediately knew he was like a teddy bear. Big and cuddly. Scary but actually sweet. Through the years Bala showed me true malaysian hospitality. He hosted parties for us, He always checked on me when I wasn't around for badminton. He made sure I was okay when things got a bit rough for me in KL. In short he was a great friend. He and his wife Natasha helped make KL home for me.

Until last night I thought I was okay with Bala's death. The truth is Im not. Saying goodbye too soon to a friend has left a big hole in my heart. And now my heart is broken. And it will be for a while.

I hope to be okay soon. I hope.

"For Good"

"It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend... "


Thanks for the memories dear friend. Thanks for the good times and the crazy times. It was one heck of a ride. I wish you well..

Thoughts on a Rainy Sunday Afternoon

"I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it. I never said there wouldn’t be tears, I just promised to be there if there was. I never said it would be true love, I only said you’d know if it was. I never promised it would be forever, I only said to love unconditionally and generously with no recognition of time. I never said to hold on at all costs, I only said one day you’d have to let go and be free. I never said you’d get the rainbow without getting through the rain, I only said the sun is always brighter than the storm. I never said you wouldn’t cry, or feel like your heart had died. I never said you wouldn’t change inside. And if I had, I’d have lied."

I've been having these mini conversations with moof lately about life, love and the great big questions of life. I guess we've both been wanting answers to questions and more than anything else we've both been trying to figure out what's in store for us in the future.

Moof asked me last week how come I hope so much. How come despite everything I still remain hopeful. I really don't know how to answer her question. She's been telling me to fuck hope (yup! the cynic and the dreamer are good friends) and I guess in some ways I've become more cynical these days. But I guess moof was also right when she said, that despite my moments of seeming cynicism, I will never fully cross over to the dark side. ;)

Moof told me today that believing in hope is dangerous because hope can make you fall. Out of the blue I said, that's thing-- you need to trust in life enough to know that when you fall somebody will be out there who will catch you.

Maybe it was caused by having way too much maggie goreng ayam or roti chennai and roti tissue.. or maybe uncle drugged the teh ice and teh o ice limau, but I guess no matter how I really tell to myself that reality is a good thing-- i will always remain hopeful. Because Hope is a good thing. Hope is everything.

Once upon a time I told my one of my friends that the day I give up hope is the day I die. Maybe that's why I hold on to it with everything that I can. Because someday I hope that everything will be worth it. That all these crap and fucked up moments will be worth it. I need to believe in that.

I'm watching the rains pour from my bedroom window and I silently reflect about my weekend. And I find myself smiling. I learned to accept the reality of living in the moment and taking forever as a construct of time. Forever doesn't necessarily mean its never ending-- forever lasts as long as we want me to be.

Somehow this post may not make sense but it speaks a lot of my thoughts for the day. Life continues for me and I am learning day by day to live in the "hope" filled life I choose amidst the struggles of reality that I am in.

And my mini debates with moof will continue for as long as we both have the courage to face our fears and be willing to share our joys.

kasi nga moof.. hope is good..and even if hope causes you to fall, it always floats :)

Words Can't Bring Me Down

Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly, i saw debris
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the pain, I'm so ashamed

I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today

It's quite sad to know that some people thrive in trying to make you feel less of a person because they want to feel good about themselves. I feel sad for them. They need to see other people sad so they could feel good.

Spent a big part of my life trying to find appreciation from people only to realise that in the end the only person who could really bring you up or down is yourself.

So here I am claiming that.

To some I may be the ugliest, most stupidest, pinaka mababaw, plainest looking person in the world. That's their opinion. And I respect that. You can't please everyone right?

But to me I am me. And I will be who I want to be. And I will be happy.

It's time to defy gravity

No words can bring me down.

Almost there

I'm turning 33 in two days. Wow. That was fast. It seems like it was only yesterday when I actually turned 32. And when I think about the past year, it was as if it just flew by but at the same time I know so many things have happened. Life the way I knew simply ended once again. And once again I had to start again and live anew.

So in two days I will be 33. One more year of borrowed time over. I hope that just like last year, I dont waste these next 365 days. And if I am lucky to still be here next year, I hope I could also look back to this year just like the way I look to the past year-- with gratitude and grace.

I had my share of laughter and tears, of joy and pain. I had my share losses and gains.

I have lived.

3 years and counting

"If i don't like it there it's okay for me to come back right? You wouldn't think I failed."

I told my mom these words three years ago. It was the morning of my departure for what would be the adventure of a lifetime and I was scared. I was leaving the one place I knew as home to go to a strange new world where I didn't know anyone. In between sobs of goodbyes I asked my mom to give me her blessings that it would be okay should I wish to go home even if I end up not finishing my contract.

Today I finished that contract.

1,576,800 minutes of my adventure is over. And I'm starting with the next one.

Time does fly by so fast. I've never cried as much, I've never been hurt as much but more than anything else, I've never been happy as much.. The past three years tried my spirit to the core and taught me some of the hardest lessons I'll ever learn in life. The Jaime/Hazel who left Manila three years ago is not the same girl you see now.Sometimes I wish I was the same but I know that life goes on.. We change. People change.

So today I say thank you-- to all those who made all these things possible. To the one who pushed me to say yes to this adventure (without even knowing it) and to the one who helped me stay true to my promise until today. And most of all to all those I've met along the way..

I am grateful.

Monday Hangover

I have a hangover. And its Monday.Ayos diba? di naman ako lasing.. kulang lang sa tulog. My head is still whoozy that I am in no mood to work on my lecture tomorrow (well tapos na siya a couple of minutes ago but Im too lazy to review it pa). I had to wake up early today as I had an early meeting on campus but alas! the meeting was cancelled (argghh)

The weekend was filled with activities and there was never really much time to rest and just sleep the day away. Friday night, I went out for crabs with Angeli and Jay after a long day shopping for wardrobe cabinets and beds at IKEA. It turned into an all night inuman (till 2am) at our house. It was pure glutonny. haha. We took Angeli to the resto with no menu (a.k.a. Hokkaido) and had crabs, fish and the bamboo lala with beers. Jay said Angeli and I are a bad combination especially when it comes to eating. Correction, the three of us are a bad combo when it comes to eating.hahaha. We didnt notice the time until it was almost 2am. By then our topics covered the most mudane to the weirdest. haha. Ano yun? secret na lang!

Saturday was another packed day. After waking up I went for some Beauty stuff and had my hair done in the parlor. Afterwards I had a late afternoon chat with neighbor Jom and then off to Don Manny's birthday celebration in Sri Petaling. Don Manny's lechong kawali and binagoongang baboy were worth the travel. I went back at midnight and fell asleep immediately. I was just too tired.

On Sunday we cleaned the house a bit and I went off to run in the gym. I needed some exercise to keep my mind off stuff as well lose some of those unwanted calories gained from two days of glutonny.

The glutonny did not end there however as the F1 race gave us another excuse to eat. Angeli made some kebabs and bought San Miguel beer. Steve, whose in town for his modules joined our trio for an afternoon of eating and drinking. The F1 may have gotten rained out but the party went on. We chatted till almost 2am. Who would have thought we could consume so much time?! haha. Steve left early but Jay and I stayed on. If not for our early day in campus, we would have probably ended up talking the whole night long.

Now I think another weekend to recuperate.. haha. Sana wednesday na.

Restaurant with no Menu

I just came back from another food adventure in this wonderful city called KL. I have been wanting to eat crabs since last month but we've been to lazy to go back to Restoran King Crab in Kelana Jaya. Who would have thought that I didn't need to go far. I just had to walk about 5minutes from my new place to a sidewalk resto called Restoran Hokkaido (we serve no pork)--ganyan talaga ang name niya sa sign board.

The foodtrippers (a.k.a. Jay, Stanley and Me) decided to have dinner out after Stanley's short visit. We walked down Jalan Lumut and stepped into the world of Hokkaido. Nope, there's nothing Japanese about their menu. In fact they don't have any menu at all.The auntie pointed us towards the cieling where they have a rough listing of the kinds of food (not the cooking style) they serve. After about 2 minutes of feeling lost, we decided to trust the suggestions of the auntie and ordered steamed fish sechzuan style (whatever that is) and their version of the chili crab (i was asking for the singapore style one but she said theirs is the specialty of the house).

And boy was Auntie right.. The fish was fresh and just had the right amount of spicyness in it- just enough to give it that extra kick. It was steamed with a combination of oyster sauce and several herbs and spices. It resembled the thai version of the steamed fish with a twist. Then of course the crabs. It was a slightly different variation of the belacan crabs (with dried chili). But boy was it good! yum yum! I was telling the guys that I didnt use to like eating crabs because I didn't like the mess of taking off the shell. But tonight, I had no qualms whatsoever (to think may sugat pa ako sa kamay so I had to be extra careful). I was the last person standing (a.k.a taga ubos ng tira) and was dubbed as "takaw" by Jay. hehe.. My diet was totally ruined (what diet?!) but Im telling you it was so worth it. The fish, the crab and the beer was worth gaining a few pounds for.

The best part was when I got the bill. I was expecting it to be quite expensive (we were in the city after all). I was surprised because it was really cheap for a seafood resto in KL. They even gave us a fruit platter for free to wash down all the "umay" of the crabs and fish.

Burp..

Penang Food Trip

I travel the world in search of great food. Last weekend in Penang was no exception. The trip was originally envisioned to be a food road trip. Maybe rent a car in KL and drive around to those far flung restaurants and eat something new. After a bit of thinking, we decided to go to Penang instead and join the weekenders of Nokia who were going there for their team outing. We took the 12mn bus from Puduraya and after nearly freezing for 4.5 hours, we finally made it to the the island of Penang.

Our first food stop was the mamak stall in Batu Ferringhi. Nothing was open yet so it was the only choice. I had breakfast of Roti Bakar with Planta Kaya and 2 soft boiled eggs (did i mention that this is an artery clogging cholesterol laden food trip?) plus teh tarik. Went around the city a bit afterwards to practice driving (see my other blog) and found ourselves in front of the Le Maison de Blue (a.k.a the blue house) which we failed to visit the last time Jay and I were in Penang. Finally I saw the infamous unesco world heritage site.

The second food stop was the Long Beach hawker stalls for dinner. We had grilled stingray, char siew pork, oyster cakes, beer and for take away- char siew pao. Glutonny. haha. We brought a bottle of Bacardi Rhum with us so we all got drunk in the hotel while pigging out on satay and siopao. The rhum tasted like cough syrup but what the heck..

Day 2 marked more food trips and road trips. I was slowly getting the hang out of driving on the wrong side of the road. I finally understood the concept of the roundabout. We left the hotel early to have brunch at Lorong Selamat in that famous Char Kuey Teow stall. Unfortunately we were too early so we let our stomachs guide us to the nearby Dimsum Food Restaurant (yep! that's the name). At first we thought it was a wedding. Dimsum pala. Ordered hakaw (genetically modified ata sa laki), siomai, siopao and several other varieties of dimsum. The waitress offered us "ride pork rips" (fried pork ribs) which Angeli thought to be "rice pork." It was really good.

An hour later we were feeling the MSG and was getting sleepy.So we headed towards Bukit Bendera for some site seeing. Unfortunately the funicular was fully booked till 330pm and it was only 1pm. The rain started to pour so we took shelter at the nearby stall and had ABC (the malaysian halo halo). I nearly had to make a side trip to the ER (naka plot ang hospital sa GPS ni gidiyap) as the ABC had pineapples (i am allergic) buti na lang I saw it before eating so I traded orders with jay. After spending some time in Kek Lok Si temple, we headed back to the hotel to rest.

For dinner we searched for pork. Lechong Kawali to be exact. We stopped at three food stalls (two along tanjung bungah) and 1 in Gurney drive. Lahat bigo. We braved the saturday night traffic in Gurney drive to find the elusive roasted pork. There was a restaurant that looked interesting and popular but their "serve no pork" sign drove us away (Pork nga ang hanap namin eh!) Finally we decided to just eat the the Song River food stall in Gurney driver where we settled for pork ribs (minus the buto), bakuteh, fried rice, char kuey teow, crab spring rolls, and some weird squid dish (settling talaga ang tawag eh no?). To appease our disappointment over not finding pork, we bought some grilled chicken wings for our pulutan.

The nokia girls joined us after dinner for a night of drinking (ayoko na iuwi yung bote ng bacardi) inside our hotel apartment. Everyone was tired but still game to just relax and chill.

On our last morning in Penang we decided to return to Lorong Selamat and eat at that char kuey teow stall. This time hindi na kami papayag na umalis ng bigo. After finding parking, we went to the stall (it was open!) only to be told that there was a 45 minute wait for the infamous noodles. What?!!! 45 minutes?!!! That was the only thing we understood from our interpreter. But since we really wanted to eat at this stall, we said yes. Jay decided to order some oyster cake from the nearby shop to kill time. 20++ or so minutes later our orders finally arrived. The verdict? IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT. Can't say anything else. The oyster cake was also delicious by the way.

After a brief stopover at Starbucks to cool down and use the toilet, the travelling trio headed back to the bus station to go home. Another food adventure finished.

Next destination please.

Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road

I hold a Malaysian drivers' license but I have never driven in Malaysia. Two reasons-- one I dont have a car and two-- they drive on the other side of the road here. I just applied for my license just in case one day I would need it but I never really had an idea when that one day would be.

That "one day" became a reality last weekend.

An impromptu gimik to Penang last Friday gave me a chance to test my driving powers in Malaysia. Jay, Angeli and I decided to rent a car in Penang instead of taking the taxi (which was very expensive) around town. Found a car through Mudah.com.my right before we left KL and viola, we had a car. We met the owners in the bus station and they introduced us to my first car in Malaysia-- a proton viva. After photocopying my passport and license the owners dropped us off at Tanjung Bungah and wished us godspeed.

So picture this- It wasn't only that it was a right hand drive vehicle, it was also 6:30in the morning(still dark in Malaysia standard), the roads were winding (tunay at wagas na zigzag ito), and I had no idea how to get to our destination (Sri Sayang Hotel in Batu Ferringhi). The owner just told me to go straight and I wont miss it (Okay.. sana nga). Talk about baptism of fire right? Jay reluctantly transferred to the front passenger seat to be my navigator slash driving tutor slash taga asar and off we went to find the hotel. And did I mention it was a manual transmission? hahaha.

Slowly I acquainted myself with the car. Figured out how to shift gears and look at the mirrors. It was hard at first as I was so used to shifting with my right hand and now I have to do it with my left. Several times, I found myself operating the windshield wiper instead of the turning signals(Oops! Patawa talaga!). Every second I was telling myself that I cannot and will not fail this task. Talk about raising one's self efficacy to the max (ay nerd).

20 or so minutes later, we found Sri Sayang Hotel (note mali ang direction ni car owner). Whew! made it. The room wasn't available yet so we ended up eating at the nearby mamak stall instead.

We had the car for three days and by the end of day 3 I mastered going up and down Batu Ferringhi's zig zag roads. That road became my EDSA. Everytime we'd get lost, I'll just find my way there. Buti na lang may GPS ang phones namin ni Jay so we were not totally blind. Yung nga lang minsan maling direction ang binibigay ni mapking. hahaha.

I survived my first attempt at driving without any major hitches. I realized shifting with my left hand wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It was in fact a truly exciting experience. My only waterloo was the roundabout (nakakalito naman kasi yung exiting system niya) and the parallel parking. I didn't even dare attempt parallel parking in Bukit Bendera (Penang Hill) for fear of sideswiping the cars parked around me. My one and only attempt was at the bus station which nearly gave my navigator a heart attack (sabi ko nga di talaga ako marunong eh).

So now I am a true blue driver in Malaysia. I am still carl-ess but at least now I know I can drive here. Finally nasulit ang misadventures sa JPJ office last year.

When In Bangkok...(2.21-2.24.09)

I went to Bangkok last year for my birthday so this time around I wanted to re-experience the land of Tom Yum differently. Whereas last year's priority was Shopping and Eating, this year there was no shopping whatsoever in the picture. When we booked that flight ages ago, we agreed that this time around Bangkok was for taking photos.

We took the earliest flight and arrived at Bangkok at about 8am Bangkok time. Too early. We found our way to the hotel and checked in. Rested a bit and went on to find lunch. First task? EAT. haha. We gravitated towards something familiar-- Sizzlers, a steakhouse we discovered in Hatyai back in 2007. What can I say? Beer and steaks for lunch is simply H-E-A-V-E-N-L-Y. After satisfying our craving for western food, it was now time to check out the mall-- Centralworld (actually CR ng mall! haha). Sabi ko nga no shopping this time around so we just enjoyed the aircon and walked around. A couple of hours later we found ourselves in the famous Chatuchak market. So many people! Bought a couple of souvenirs (sige na nga a little shopping lang) and searched the market high and low for a roasted pork stall we chanced about earlier. All for the love of pork! haha. Although tired and feeling sticky, we met up with Jay's old thai officemate for an early dinner at the Thong lo district. If I thought lunch was heavenly, Dinner was Heavenlier! (is there such a word?!). More beers and pork later, we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower and went out after with Pom and Manu.

In Bangkok I finally got to experience what clubbing was all about. We drank at the Indy Trees Bar first before heading to Route 66 for some authentic clubbing. Talk about enjoying life. By 3:00am we were all half drunk (may mas lasing sa kin though) and ready to hit the sack. Hey dude! What's up?! ang linya ng mga kasama ko. hahaha.. Yan pala ang epekto ng 1.5 bottles in JW.

The next day (day 2), we woke up with a hangover. I literally had to move our temple tour to a different time as waking up early was not exactly our cup of tea. By the time we left the hotel it was past 10am. Now it was time for some serious Bangkok photography.

Now that I have my own nice camera, I can experience bangkok from a photographer's perspective. Our tour took us to the Wat Pho temple and the Marble temple. Both temples were amazing. Although it was packed with tourists, it was still a good experience for the would be photographer like me. 4 hours later, armed with our roasted pork bbq (WE LOVE PORK), we decided to take an extra long siesta and order room service. No more energy left.

More food welcomed us that night with a lovely dinner/reunion with old friends at the Waterside Resort Restaurant. It was a good 30 minutes drive out of Bangkok to this beautiful resto on top of a lake (man made?). Our thai hosts took care of the ordering and I basically just ate whatever was served in front of me. My favorite was the fish tom yum that was totally delectable.

On Day 3, we took photographs of the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It was a day long affair as the Grand Palace was huge. I nearly fainted of heatstroke because of the heat. But sabi nga nila, walang init, walang araw, ulan or lindol ang pipigil sa tin from taking pictures! The place was enormous but beautiful. I loved the weapons display the most. May sekyu din na nagfeefeeling napahiya tuloy ("outside!") After losing all the weight we gained to the heat, we headed for our last dinner in the city with Pom and Intira. More tom yum (fish head tom yum) and seafoods. What makes this country amazing is that every meal is a discovery. For this side street resto (which we nicknamed Benmore for the signage), the crispy pork intestines in garlic was to die for! Sa sobrang sarap, we ordered take out!.

After 4 days, it was time to get back to reality. After checking out, lugging my luggage up 2 flights of stairs in the BTS, and having lunch at mcdonalds (my tradition!), we killed time by watching Underworld 3. Soonafter it was an amazing race to the airport. One thing that I won't miss in Bangkok is traffic. My! May mas ma traffic ng lugar kesa sa pinas! Muntik kong sabunutan yung counter when he said the flight was closed! Duh! It was more than an hour before our flight. Yun pala he was looking at the wrong flight code. Our flight got moved a couple of weeks ago so we had a different flight code now.30 minutes later we were finally waiting for our flight's boarding call. whew! made it just in time. Adventure finally over..

Nope. 2 hours later we landed in KL only to get lost in the LCCT terminal. Our plane landed on the departure area and the lone steward pointed us towards the wrong terminal (departure! aba! aalis muli kami?). It was a long walk to the right hall and when finally we made it, the immigration people were shocked to see us. They asked us where we came from and we all had a laugh when we explained our misadventure in the terminal.

At 1030pm the adventure was finally over.It was back to reality. totoo na to.

So when in bangkok what do we do? EAT, take PICTURES, EAT, and take more Pictures!

Sige na nga shopping na din on the side.

Quietly Turning 32

I celebrated my 32nd birthday last friday. But unlike the previous year where I made half of my KL friends drunk to oblivion (including myself), these year I celebrated my birthday quietly. I specifically chose not to have a big party this year because I wanted to make it more meaningful for me. Not that last year was bad. Turning 31 was very significant as I really thought I wouldnt make it past 30 when I was a kid (not to sound morbid or anything) so I wanted a big party to welcome that year. This year, I just wanted a quiet day to reminisce about the blessings I've had over the past 32 years (senti mode!)..

Ella and Classmate flew in on the 4th of Feb and on the eve of my birthday the four of us (Ella, Adrian, Jay and I) waited for Feb 6 on top of the Skybar at the Traders' Hotel in KLCC. We had beers and margarita and enjoyed the view after a lovely dinner at the foodcourt of KLCC. At 12 mn we headed back to the condo and waited for my actual birthday (I was born 12:55am). When the clock finally struck 12:55, I blew my make believe birthday cake (it was a chocolate flavored candle from Ikea) infront of my three friends.

The text messages and emails started coming in early in the morning. Karen was the first one to greet all the way from Manila. My sister called early Friday morning and most of my friends in Pinas sent in their greetings all throughout the day. It was such a great feeling to be remembered by them. Even my dad whom I havent seen or spoken to in over 8 years greeted me. I'm glad he remembered my birthday this year.

Friday night we had dinner at the Korean Bbq (suki na kami nito) where we pigged out and drank korean soju. There was a funny moment in the resto when I found a bug on the lettuce leaf and asked the waiter to take it away. He thought I was asking him to eat it and he said, "I don't eat bug!" I nearly died of laughter. All of us could barely keep it together. After dinner, it was a round of drinking at the house till 3am.

It was a small celebration this year but I kind of liked it that way. I got to celebrate my day with my closest friends and my bestfriend was here (Sana pwedeng ijeep na lang ang pinas para we can do this every weekend).

I got almost all the things I wished for on my birthday (may isa na lang na di natupad.. but sabi nga patience is a virtue)..

I am grateful.

And the Winner is...

A couple of months ago there was a challenge--the adobo challenge to be exact. I even wrote a blog about it. Finally last night natest na ang adobo prowess ni gidiyap. We even had a special pot allocated for it (sponsored by Ikea).

The verdict? It was really good. Well worth the wait of 4 months (yata) and 3 hours (1030 na kami kumain eh) See good sport ako! ... walang bitterness yan! hahaha..

Sabi ko nga, I know when to admit defeat (sabi kasi ni Sr. Rose sa bridget before tuwing sportsfest that we should always have "humility in victory, and graciousness in defeat" ). So I am giving the adobo crown to my worthy competitor (parang nadal-federer match to.. long awaited..).. May iba pang challenges sa sunod. hehe..

And sige na, maalat talaga ang adobo dati. :)

Ang pagbabalik...

I have been remiss in my blogging for the last 2 weeks for 2 reasons: going back to work after a month long holiday is chaotic. Had to catch up with a lot of stuff not to mention I had a graduate class to run. But more than that moving houses is another chaos. I decided to live closer tot he city and be nearer the KL campus thus I packed my stuff over the Chinese new year break and embarked on another adventure in KL..I never realized that I could accumulate so much stuff in a little over 2 years of stay in Malaysia. Literally I gave away 1 whole balikbayan box of clothes alone. Andyan pa ang mga stuff like stuffed toys, books, etc. Ay naku! ang daming kalat.. Buti na lang may mga loyal workers (ay super heroes pala.. itago natin sila sa mga pangalang C J & DM) na matiyagang nakibuhat sa aming mga gamit nung grand lipatan day. May utang pa kaming mamak meals sa inyo. hehehe..

And finally kagabi nagka internet na sa aming bagong home sweet home.

Yahoo! back in circulation again. ;)

The last 24 hours

I started packing this morning. I was halfway to achieving another master packer level of packing when a sudden wave of sadness hit me. It was a cross between homesickness and feeling lost. I guess that's what they call the "neither here nor there" feeling. I have 24 hours left in manila (26 hours to be exact before my flight). Tomorrow I will be back to reality. Part of me is excited to go back, but a part of me is also sad because I have to say goodbye again. And I hate saying goodbyes.

Last night I went by Luis' place to give him my long overdue gift. I haven't seen my badminton partner in a year. I didn't want to go down at first but Luis made me stay a bit so we could chat. The reason why I didnt want to go down was I knew I was just gonna feel homesick after. Oh Well. It was nice chatting with Luis though. We crammed everything that happened to us in a year in 1.5 hours of talking while waiting for Byo. Our lives really went on different adventures na. But some things haven't changed like the couch I used to hang out in his place while watching football (favorite ko to!) and the trophies/medals we won when we used to compete as partners.

Today will be a day of saying goodbye again.. I'll have my last dinner with Ella and Adrian and hopefully that traditional last night coffee with Anthony. It's all about traditions today. And figuring out how to fit everything in my luggage.

Sana pwedeng iextend ang 24 hours. :)

Meet Ups and Reunions

Since I only have a week left to my vacation, I need to start meeting up with the people I haven't seen since I last visited. I didn't realize that time flew by so fast that my 27 days of break is almost over. Sa dami ng roadtrips na nagawa, ang dami pa palang dapat imeet at kamustahin.

So yesterday I had a marathon reunion session with long missed friends. I met up with Weevens for coffee in the afternoon and had a grand time laughing about our favorite folks and reminiscing about the events in our lives. After coffee I went to have dinner with my partner, Denden, who treated me to a super delicious tapsilog in Banapple (For some reason I've been having these tapsilog craze...). I haven't seen den in a long time so it was really great to see him again. It was like recalling one's life events of the past year in a very short period of time. Pinilit talagang pagkasyahin sa 2 oras lahat ng kwento. I didnt realize how much I missed my dinners and chicka nights with Den. We used to do this a lot a couple of years ago after our gym evenings at Moro.

After dinner I went to GBC where I haven't been to since January of 2008. Wanted na daw ako sabi ni Harry since I missed the two recent events-- the christmas tourney and the christmas outing. I borrowed Harry's racket so that I could play. This year I didn't bring home a racket since I had limited luggage space. It was nice playing with the old guys again. As usual tawa pa din kami ng tawa nina tita cons. I met some new faces and had a nice reunion with the old ones. I played 10 sets in all (5 matches), the most I've played since last year. I don't know how I lasted. haha.

There was a tinge of sadness when I walked out of GBC at 1145pm. I guess its the realization that despite my visit, I kinda miss being there every monday and thursday night. Parang bitin yung once a year na bisita.

In a week's time I'll go back to reality. Tama si Chu33y3itch wag na lang isipin muna yun coz malulungkot lang kami.

The Ultimate Road Trip Part 2

Everytime I go back to Manila, I always make it a point to drop by my favorite steak house inside the Subic freeport. Ella and I discovered it a couple of years ago when we took our first north luzon food trip with Peter back in 2005. This year is no exception. I woke up early (6am!!) to meet up with Gidiyap at the Shangrila LRT station (marunong pa pala akong sumakay ng jeep. para mama!). After giving him a tour of UP Diliman and having breakfast at the stall fronting rodics (which unfortunately was closed), we waited for Classmate and Ella to arrive at my house. At around 10am we were finally off to Subic.

We took the new SCTEX (with a brief stopover at Petron or caltex ba yon?) and arrived in Subic at 1230pm just in time for lunch. Sleeping beauties kami sa likod ni Jay since mga puyat ang mga balikbayan. Si ella ang naging designated taga aliw ni driver classmate. There were a lot of people in queue for the restaurant but since we travelled close to 200kms just to eat steak, we were willing to wait. We all ordered the NY cut steak, medium well with mashed potatoes and veggies on the side. Classmate had an additional rice (carbo diet daw siya!). Yummy. Sulit pa din ang byahe. Andun din sina Billie Joe Crawford at Nikki Gil na pinagkakaguluhan ng lahat. Care naman namin kasi for us ang star ay ang steak ng meat plus!

After resting briefly and taking pictures at the new Subic Lighthouse, we were once again on the road. Di ba road trip nga to? The road trip was now heading towards QC for a session at the Ace Water Spa. Despite the traffic we were in good spirits when we reached Del Monte Ave at around 6pm. We had merienda first at Le Ching Tea House (i missed this place!!!) and laughed our way to eating dimsum and noodles. ("Waiter, mai tan!") Ella and I introduced Jay to Le Ching's famous Shark's fin dumpling. It's still the best dumpling for me. Classmate was so hungry, he literally inhaled the wanton noodle soup (walang mainit sa vocabulary ni classmate!).

Inside the spa, Ella and Adrian introduced us to the wonders of hydrotherapy. I tried different water jet massages (my favorite was the bubble chair and the bubble bed) that was truly relaxing. Sulit ang instant shopping ni guru. hahaha. We went for a short swim in the lap pool and classmate showed us his famous breast stroke (but dahil walang flippers, balyena stroke daw yun). Lastly we took a dip at the heated herbal pools. alam ko na ang pakiramdam ng manok na tinitinola. hehehe. We loved the 38 degree pool (just right). After dipping in the 40 degree pool, we all jumped into the 0 degree ice cold pool to close our pores down. Gising ka talaga bigla!

After nearly 3 hours in the spa, we were done. But the road trip was not over. We went for a midnight snack/dinner ni classmate at Dencio's in Capitol Golf. We chose the place for its location (near my house where the pit stop was ). Unfortunately they were about to close so most of the stuff we wanted to order was gone. No more crispy pata and sisig (WAAAA), no more calamares (WAAAA), at later on no more Red Horse (Ay nako magsara na kayo!!!!). Still we managed to eat lechon kawali, inihaw na liempo and sizzling mushrooms and 2 buckets of beer-- red horse and san mig strong ice. Before we knew it we were being asked to vacate the place already. It was 230 in the morning!. hahaha. The road trip went on overdrive again. Ella and Classmate dropped us off and Jay drove home after. I finally fell asleep at around 4am after making sure all three of them got home safely.

This morning my uncle asked me if I am not yet tired from all these road trip. And I told him "Tito, bawal mapagod sa Pinas! Sa KL na kami babawi ng tulog." hehehe.

1.5 more weeks in Manila, more roadtrips to do so little time left.

Ultimate Roadtrip by the Balikbayans

After spending the day at Corregidor, one would think we would be tired. But no, Bawal ang mapagod sa Pinas. It was just the start of what would be a 22 hour roadtrip by the balikbayans. Naconvince namin si Chu33y3itch na magdinner sa MOA (yup MOA lang po) kaya after magikot sa intramuros (at kumain ng taho sa manila cathedral), nag drive na kami papuntang MOA. Medyo mahirap ang parking but we managed to find one then we met up with Jom sa National na may sendoff brigade. Kaso ang MOA ay stopover lang pala. We decided to go to Pier 1 in PICC but last minute decided to go to Island Cove bago mag Tapsi sa Kawit. First time kong makita ang island cove so enjoy na enjoy kami bilang mga tourista (may libreng driver at tour guide pa!). Nag picture taking pa kami sa gate ng Island Cove. hehe.

We had a round of beers and the ultimate pinoy pulutan fare of Crispy crablets, calamares and sisig (walang tahong!huhuhu). Syempre isang masarap na inuman pag may San Mig Light. Ahh.. this is defining happiness. sarap! We decided to call Charles and Cecille para imbitahin ang aming mga sarili sa kanilang hacienda. Ang passport ay Red horse, inihaw na liempo at manor mula sa Andoks (sana may ganito sa KL!). Go naman sina C&C so off we go kami. Walang nagawa si Chu33y3itch dahil nakidnap na siya! hahaha.

We stopped over one bakery on the way to taste what Gidiyap described as the best pandesal. He also introduced us to the Bonete (tama ba? basta masarap siya!). Shucks! Winner talaga. My car smelled like bread. Heaven! After another stop over to Jay's own hacienda (detour) tumuloy na kami sa pittstop (a.k.a. Charles' place) where the Abedejos family was already waiting. We set up the inuman table in front of their gate and drank the night away.

Habang lumalalim ang gabi, may isang nagtratransform to a tikitext. We didn' know kasi na may date pala kaming sinira (peace lah!). But it was fun nonetheless. Laglagan lahat. Walang kampi kampi (merry christmas jom!). Si charles ang kulet! (sino daw si diego lisang?) Pati si cecille nakikulet din! Lahat sila lasing except me since I was the designated driver. I drank a glass only of red horse then was placed on strict orders not to drink anymore.

Time flew by and before we knew it, it was already 2am. Imagine I was already awake at 4am. Career na ito! hahaha. After a long goodbye (may humahabol kasi), Jay, Jom and I finally left Charles and Cecille to their "date". Jay drove and we dropped him off at his place. I dropped jom off after.1 hour later I was finally sleeping in my bed. It was already 330am. May mga manok ng tumitilaok!

Iba talaga ang impromptu gimik. Natutuloy. Mahirap ang planned eh. hahaha. Nadala lang ata si Chu33y3itch sa min, kasi MOA lang daw eh. hehehe.. Kasi naging Imus. hahaha. But it was worth it naman. Finally the KL gang got to be on true blue Pinas mode. Kulang na lang yung mamak na pupuntahan after the inuman.

And my tapsi craving was not yet sated. Funny, sa dinami dami ng inisip naming kainin at kinain, di pa din naming natupad ang wish ko for the ultimate tapsilog. So what does that mean? Roadtrip again!!!

Walk through history

Sabi ng department of tourism wag daw maging dayuhan sa sariling bansa. Kaya naayon sa thema ng pasko na "tara byahe tayo", naglakbay kami sa isla ng corregidor nung December 28. Ang aga ng gising ko, 4am ata nung narinig kong tumunog ang " you got message" sa cellphone. Blank text (may secret code?). tumayo ako ng mga 5am (tawad ng onti). Past 6am ata nung dumating ako sa Roxas blvd na ubod pa ng dilim. Matapos ang ilang blooper (Asan kasi ang Jollibee sa Vito cruz? ay asana muna ang vito cruz?hehe), nagkita din kami ni Jay sa may CCP.

Matapos ang breakfast (san pa eh di sa Jollibee!), pumunta na kami sa sun cruises terminal sa loob ng harbour square. 1 hr 15 minutes ang byahe (tulugan time!). Pagdating ng corregidor, pili na kami ng tour bus (gusto namin sa 5 kasi nakakaaliw yung tour guide). Tangan ang mga camera, sinimulan din ang corregidor adventure.

Inikot namin ang buong isla. Sabi ni Mang Carlos, "its an island that is the shape of a tadpole" (aba looks like nga!). Madami akong natutunan gaya ng corregidor pala ang pinaka malaki sa lahat ng isla sa mouth ng manila bay, 5months bago sumuko ang corregidor at bataan sa mga hapon, at marunong palang mag mura si Quezon. Nagstart ang tour sa middle portion ng, umakyat sa top at nag end sa tail. Ilang army batteries ang inikot (di daw yun dry cell kundi mga gigantic canons) namin, plus pa ang mga ruins ng mga barracks. Parang naimagine ko yung panahon ng gera. Ang ganda siguro ng mga buildings na yun bago ito nabomba. May pagka eerie ang dating ng lugar. Madami daw espiritu dun. Pero sa totoo lang, parang pumasok ka sa pahina ng history book natin nung college/hs. Mararamdaman mo ang pagka Filipino mo dun sa lugar na iyon (naks!).

After lunch sa best hotel in corregidor (its the only hotel in corregidor), nag malinta tunnel tour kami. scary at nakakatindig balahibo yung light and sound show. feeling mo talaga asa malinta tunnel ka nung gera at binobomba kayo sa labas. Teka, lam niyo ba bat Malinta tunnel ang name niya? Kasi Madaming Linta! Ayos talaga mag bansag ng pangalan ang mga pinoy.

Pauwi ng Maynila, di ko maalis sa isipan ko ang kasaysayan ng corregidor. Nakakatuwang nakakalungkot. Nakakatuwa kasi nakita mong napaganda niyang lugar. Pero nakakalungkot kasi ang daming buhay ang nabuwis dun.

Pero ang masasabi ko lang.. sulit ang bayad.Di lang maganda ang tanawin, maganda din ang matutunan ang kasaysayan ng bansa natin. Saka sabi nga ng DOT, dont be a stranger to your own country. Kaya tara! byahe na tayo!

Revisiting Lupon

The last time I went to our family's farm in Lupon, Davao Oriental was back in 1990. Today I visited the pride and joy of our clan after 18 long years. Lupon has always been considered our family heirloom. It is not only huge but also it is home to our family's dreams, blood, sweat, and tears. Papa Ernie started the farm from scratch after retiring from his office job. And now it is being managed by my uncle. 

When I was younger we used to go there more often. Back then, the roads were much more rough and we had to ride a Kia truck all the way from Davao City to Lupon. Talk about a bumpy ride! By the time we get to the farm, our hair would be plastered all over our faces. Unfortunately we all started growing up so the thrill of a 3-4 hour bumpy ride lost its zest. At the same time issues about security started to arise. There was a time when the farm was raided by armed men thus our visits became less and less. 

So last night when tito joey asked me if I wanted to come with him to the farm, I immediately said yes. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Imagine, to be able to go back to one of my childhood playground? That is a dream come true. 

The ride was still long but more comfortable. The roads were much better now and our car was definitely more high tech (Tito Jo's new Sportage was taken for a test drive). But the place remained as beautiful as ever. When we entered the rough road leading to the farm itself, I saw farmers planting rice amidst the background of mountains. It was just such a beautiful sight. 

After arriving at our farm, I tried to refamiliarize myself with the old surroundings. I saw the old copra trees covering most of the land along with other fruit trees such as mango, suha, and mangosteen. I didn't get to see the lanzones and the fish pond because we didn't have time to go around.I It was still the same old place I remembered from 18 years ago. The trees may look slightly bigger but it was still the same old Lupon that my cousins and I used to roam around in while riding a makeshift carriage dragged by a carabao. 

2 hours later we were on our way back to Davao City. I slept most of the way as I was dead tired by then. I silently said goodbye to the farm and left a promise-- that I won't wait another 18 years to come back. 

Holiday Bum

I've been home for a couple of days now. I flew to Davao the day after I arrived in Manila. So I've been feeling a bit of jet lagged for the past couple of days. On the day of my arrival I immediately went on gimik mode and met up with ella, adrian and anthony at our favorite coffee place in corinthian hills. Nakakamiss din ang coffee dates namin. We stayed till about 12mn before heading home just in time for me to repack my suitcase for Davao.

Here in Davao my gimik mode got curtailed a bit. The lack of people to go out with and the early bed time of the folks around me makes me feel more of a bum than a bakasyonista. Buti na lang I managed to go to the beach twice to see the sea. One thing nice about Davao is that the beach is so near. Just a short 10 minute drive and you're already there. Yesterday we took the ferry to Samal island and had lunch and dinner at two new resorts-- Blue waters and Blue jazz. Both were nice but I still favor paradise island. The best pa din ang orig.

I managed to do some "musts" like shopping (a bit pero kulang pa) and parlor (kulang pa din) in between driving for my uncles and my mom and grandparents. I'm so in love with the new Kia Sportage and its automatic transmission that makes driving so easy even on rough roads. My uncle let me drive his new SUV kaya naman game na game akong maging driver. I still have a long list to go through for my must do's (call bank, buy pasalubong, more parlor, etc..) not to mention a pile of checking to finish.

Talking to ella earlier over th phone, I told her how I miss our hanging out together. Hopefully we get to do that when i get back to Manila on friday.

3 more days and its Christmas!!!

Saturday Night Dinners

One of our long running traditions in the Llaneza clan is the Saturday night dinner at Mama and Papa's house in Mallard. Everytime we are in Davao, we always have that Saturday night reunion when everyone would be there for dinner. Tonight was no exception. We had lechon, lapu lapu, nilagang baka, and inihaw na blue marlin. Yummy. Simple dinner lang daw. Wala kasi yung cook. Nagbakasyon. 

Through the years, the dinner's composition changed. Old faces left, new faces came in. When we were younger, there was a kids table for the young ones ( I got elevated to the adult table when I entered HS). We had our special mini table near the toilet. When we got older, the girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands and wives started joining the dinners. This year I introduced everyone to something new too-- the malaysian sambal (hehehe.kala nyo sino noh? Something po not someone!)

Nevertheless it is still the same old dinner with the same faces. We share the same stories (sayang wala si ves to tell her famous mitra/cory jokes) and laugh at our past misadventures. It's fun to have these kinds of traditions. Makes you realize that at the end of the day, the memories and bonding we share with our loved ones are the ones that matter the most. 

209K

Almost 6 months after I landed in the ER for itp relapse,I was declared on remission last wednesday.My platelet stood at 209,000 after being taken off prednisone 1 month ago.Dr Rudy said,he hopes not to see me again till 6 months from now.Barring any hitches, I am hopeful too. I am now back to normal.Well, almost.I still have the pred weight to lose.But that's just a minor issue.
It was a wonderful early christmas present.Moreso a pleasant surprise because despite the stressors recently, project platelets still worked miracles.

believe.hope.dream.
wishes do come true.

Double Eww with icing on the side: Lisensya adventures in KL

Yesterday neighbor and I went to the Malaysian version of the LTO to get our driver's license. Wala lang gusto lang namin maging tunay at wagas na legal driver sa Malaysia. Saka na isipin kung san kukunin ang kotse. Who would have thought na hanggang dun pala eh aabot ang makamandag kong charm? hahaha.

The line was quick. 140 people in 15-20 minutes. Wow. Talk about quick service. When my turn came up I was feeling good. Mabilis lang to. Tamang tama na-ccr na ako. But of course kelangan maging complicated. Kaya nga adventure ang title ng blog na to diba? It started with the picture. The girl said my pic was too big and that I had to have another picture taken. She directed me to this photo me booth (meron pa pala nun?!). 7RM for 2 copies. Major harang but sige na lang. saka in fairness maganda ako sa picture. hahaha. When I came back with my newly developed picture, she told me to go to this other booth where two supervisors were. One was a girl (i saw her making chikka before) and the other was a guy (na thundercats na..). They started questionning my certification from the embassy, even insinuating na it was a doctored one. Syempre I argued back. I did not issue that certification. Sa loob loob ko, ang mahal nga ng cert na yan eh. kung pwede lang eh ako na lang magtratranslate. I finally introduced the "Dr" card so medyo nashut up siya. Parang spinach ni popeye yan eh. aatras si brutus once lumabas ang "I am a Dr." card. I was getting pissed since neighbor got hers in less than half the time and they never questioned her picture (na kasing laki ng aking orig) nor her certification (na identical to mine).

To make the long story short, kaya lang tumagal ang proseso ko dun eh kasi si manong thundercats ay gusto makipag friends. ANAK NG.. EWWW EWWW EWWW (reminiscent of Joana's voice). He used the two chuwariwariwaps under him to talk to me. Sabi ni girl super, "can my boss be your friend ah?" That is probably the worse pick up line ever! May kasama pang " does he look young? " at dinagdagan ni manong thundercats ng "can i call you sometime?" EWWWWWW. But syempre dahil goal oriented tayo, kelangan sumakay ng onti. Sabi ko, "you want to be my friend? sure. i have a lot of friends!" hahaha. baliw. Pero mas favorite ko yung sagot ko sa can i call you line-- "if im there i will answer the phone. but today im not in so i cant answer the phone" (makikulit daw ba?) Aba! torture ata syang tingnan so dapat lang makuha ko ang lisensya ko.

All the way to KLCC, reg and I were laughing like crazy. Talk about charm. Lumevel up ang charm ko kahapon. hahaha. Neighbor said that pang ms universe ata ko sa mundo nila. Angeli says its the hair (my highlights really makes me look more local now). For some reason I guess I am a hit to the weirdo community of KL. Haay. I know it should be flattering, but NO! isang EWWW talaga. Matatake ko pa yung mga janno gibs na pahello hello sa tabi tabi tulad ng aking mga guard fans (btw, nadagdagan na naman sila kagabi) Kala ko worse na yung si manong kindat nung sat sa pertama kompleks at si manong jani na pa hi hi sa LRT. di pa pala! hahaha. Eh si manong thundercats pa naman eh pwede ng maging bangkay sa shake rattle and roll part XX ang itsura.

Ewww Ewww Ewww Ewww.. Ang mga balahibo ko sa braso nagtayuang muli. Even when the orig girl was already printing my license, manong was still leering in the background.Sabi ni Jay and Angeli balik kami to get their license. Sana wala na si Manong dun. WISH KO LANG. Or better yet maghanap na lang kami ng iba pang branch ng JPJ. hahaha.

As I was leaving the dreadful booth with my newly laminated 2 year license (cheapitita. di man lang card type.), Manong thundercats said goodbye with a wave and smile. Eww. anong goodbye? good riddance kamo! hahaha.

If the Shoe Fits: Fashion Disasters

Last month I made a resolution that I will not buy any new shoes till 2009. It was my attempt to curve my semi addiction for foot fashion. sabi ni neighbor, pwede na akong maging stockholder ng vincci sa dami ng sapatos ko. So I told myself, no more new shoes. I will make do with my current stock.

Unfortunately, I was forced by fate to break my resolution. Last monday while out with the guys on an extended lunch break (hmm.. gym?haha), I broke the strap to my ever reliable grendha slippers and was forced to make that stopover at my favorite shoe store and buy myself a new pair. Funny, I actually felt so guilty about buying and breaking my resolution that I could only choose one pair (unlike before na I can buy 3 or 4 pairs at a time). Pero sabi nga ni Angeli, its a sign.. I really have to buy shoes. That fashion disaster was actually fashion disaster number 3 in just 2 days.

The first one came on Sunday as I was walking to Bukit Jalil LRT. I tripped and the strap gave out so I had to walk all the way back home and change. Nalate tuloy ako sa aking breakfast dahil ang tagal ng LRT. A few hours later the replacement shoe (my favorite charles and keith flats) started smiling after tripping (again). Anak ng.. define clumsy! ah.. its the sour thing that you put in the pancit canton? hehe. The replacement shoe made it home thank goodness. Thus last monday's fashion disaster 3 was the icing on the cake already.Or so I thought.

Last night on my way home, I realized fashion disaster 4 was about to happen. May isang sapatos na nakangiti na naman. Buti na lang pauwi na ako. At the rate I am going, I'll be shoe-less by next week!

Its time.

It's time to go shoe shopping.

Breaking Walking Records

Lizda once told me that if I could walk the entire KL, I'd probably would. They're all amazed in the office at the amount of walking I could do in a day. One time I walked from Hang Tuah to Chulan Tower which is unheard off for a lot of my local friends. Another time I walked all the way from Imbi plaza in Bukit Bintant to KLCC in a little over 10minutes time. I was meeting up with some friends for dinner and I didn't want to be late. It just never occured to me that it was that far. Heck I walked half of London in a little over a day's time in my quest to see London in its entirety over one weekend.

Yesterday I broke another walking record-- I walked from Pudu Plaza in Jalan Pudu all the way to Wendy's in Raja Chulan. If you take the LRT/Monorail that's a total of 5 stations in all. And it wasn't a straight forward walk. It included a stroll in 3 malls (Pudu plaza, times square, sungai wang) and several stop overs along the smaller side streets of jalan pudu. Before that I already walked from my apartment to the LRT station (10 minutes), and from Masjid Jamek to St. Johns to Kotaraya.

And what was in my mind when I did it? wala lang. naisipan lang namin mag explore the world. I realized yesterday that you discover a lot of hidden stuff when you're walking (i.e. ang lechon pala sa malaysia eh may ribbon sa buntot at tenga--ay ginawang girl si babi). You discover a lot of new places (may isa pang camera shop sa pudu plaza kaso closed pag sunday ng umaga at may short cut sa eskinita ng jalan pudu papuntang times square) and learn new things (dapat marunong tumiming pag tumatawid kundi matitigok ka ng maaga!) It was super tiring but it was so much fun. Wendy's frosty never tasted so good after a long day's walk.

When I finally got to PWTC for the education fair, my legs wanted to fall off. At least nabawi ko yung di ko paggym during the weekend. Major cardio workout. Angeli and Reg were laughing about my fashion disasters (that's another story) amidst my walkathon. I was so hungry at 530pm that Angeli and I finished a pizza and an order of wings in no time at all. I'm entitled to it she said. After all that walking I truly deserved to eat. hahaha.

Two Years and counting

Two years ago I left Manila to embark on a journey that changed my life. Two years ago I decided to jump on my biggest adventure-- moving to a totally strange country away from all the comforts of home. It's been two years already today when I moved to Kuala Lumpur. Imagine that. I survived 730 days already. 730 days since I last called Manila my home. Two years to the day I said goodbye to family and friends.

Ang bilis ng mga araw. Parang kelan lang lahat ng iyon. Ang daming nangyari, ang daming naganap. Ibang iba na ang buhay. It has been one hell of a ride I should say. I stumbled a lot along the way, but looking back, it was a good two years. There may have been tough times but there sure were good times too. And somehow looking back, all those struggles finally made sense. They all led me to where I am today.

This morning a friend asked me what was my career plan. I told him that I'm in a job that I love. And though its tough at times, it allows me to do something I am passionate about. So I guess that answers my question on what is my career plan for now.

For now I choose to be here. For now this is where I belong.

99

I was bumming around the other day when my friend Jom dragged me with her to a birthday party of their new colleague. After a short stay in the party, we decided to have our own mini party (thanks to the 2 bottles of club 99 we were supposed to give the birthday celebrant) at her house in endah regal. There was a bit of drama on the way home to make things exciting ("Nawawala ang wallet ko!"-C.A.) plus the return of world peace ("let there be peace on earth!"). We even got to stop by to see the latest gimik place in Endah Regal Block C (Hapi Cook Cabaret branch. hehehe).Finally we started the session at around 1am.

I haven't been drunk in a long time. But last Saturday we were all out of it. No one was throwing up or doing anything scandalous or gross. It was pure wholesome, fun drunkenness. There was dancing and laughing and major soundtrip (Anong kanta nga yon?). Mommy J (a.k.a. Classmate J) was the star. Newbie J (dalawa kasi silang J) was the photographer while Mr. Peace Charlington and I were the resident bartenders (bago ko sila tinulugan that is). Ces finally gave in to the party after a bit of canjolling from the BI's (Beautiful Influence! hehe). Ang nawawala lang ay si Ann na ininjan kami. (hahaha..sige na nga we understand..tinirahan ka naman namin).

Yun pala ang epekto ng club 99. Kahit na sabog sabog ang senses it was still so much fun-- tawanan, kantahan, sayawan (nadiskubre ang mga hidden talents!) at may mga "revelation" moment pa (i remember...haha) . At one point I remember I wanted to cook whatever food I could find in Jom's freezer because I was so hungry (Ang kulet!!). Ended up eating chicken nuggets with rice before I fell asleep. zzzzzzzzzz...

I woke up at around 7am with a splitting headache. Classic Hangover. I was barely comprehensive on the phone. Backed out of my photodate that morning and went home to sleep. Bangengers. Sabi ni Charles natapos ang session ng 5am kasi nagalarm ang cellphone ko. Di ko na naalala yun. I was in dreamland na by then.

Hanggang dito na lang daw ang kwento. What happened in C-12-1 stays in C-12-1.

Till the next session...

I call them Battle Scars

I was 16 years old when they first appeared. I gained over 30lbs in one month due to prednisone and lost almost all of it in a span of another 2 months. My body was like a baloon that got inflated and deflated. I have them all over my thighs, butt and shoulder. And because I was young and a bit low on the EQ then, I scratched whenever they itched and that made it worse.

They're stretchmarks. Battle scars from my relapses with ITP.I tried all possible creams you could think of. But they just don't work. They fade away through the years but they get bad again whenever I relapse. Recently they became very evident again. My recent relapse brought back those unsightly scars. My resident derma told me that if I wanted to I could get them lasered out. But of course that would be costly.

I used to be so conscious about it. I refused to wear shorts and swimsuits. There was a time that I even used concealer to cover them up. Then I realized, those stretchmarks, no matter how ugly they look, is the small price I had to pay so that I could live. If I didn't have them, I wouldn't be here today. So I told myself, what the heck, I'd wear whatever I want to and just live. Now whenever I look at my ugly marks, I am reminded of how I made it through life's toughest battle scarred but not broken.

And those stretchmarks, are my medals.

110 Reasons to Say Thank You (for the 110 days of Prednisone)

On July 27, 2008, I sent out 3 text messages for 4 people whom I wanted to say thank you to. I thought to myself that if something happened I wanted to be ready. I think I scared them as I was scolded by one for being too morbid while the two others cheered me on to not give up.

I was on prednisone for a total of 110 days, a drug, though lifesaving had a multitude of side effects that created chaos in my sense of being.

They say the measure of a good life is not by the amount of riches you gain but by the number of people who love and care for you. This is a long thank you note to the 110 people who made the past 110 days possible. It was a long process listing all these folks down and I know I may have missed a few. But to everyone whether your listed or not, THANK YOU..

So here goes...I am grateful..

1.For God – for the gift of life and well, for everything else.

2.For my Mom, Maria, for letting me go on my adventures even if I know she’s worried about me.

3.For my sister Vesper who taught me the value of ambition and soaring for my dreams

4.For my bestfriend Ella who has always been there for me, through thick and thin even if at times I am not there for her. Thank you for being part of my life

5.For Jay, who kept my spirits up during the times when the side effects of pred were taking its toll on my sanity; for rescuing my PAP convention paper and for treating me as if I was just the same old me.

6.For Oliver my beloved pusang kalye, my baby and my friend who never forgets who his “mommy” is despite our distance.

7. For Anthony, for making me laugh and keeping me company in Davao. Thanks for calling every so often to check up on me.

8. For my neighbors, Ria and Jesse who kept me company in the hospital and looked out for me during that hell week

10. For classmate Adrian’s endearing sense of humor and his courage to remove the bandaid.

11. My aunts and uncles—Tito Mannie & Tita Malou, Tito Joey & Tita Lucille, Tito Ted & Tita Thel for their never ending love and support. Thanks Tito Mannie for all the text messages you’ve been sending everyday.

17. My Ninang Rose and her family—papa june, che and pey—for their concern and care.

21. To Nongni, Tita Dada, Vince, Bobsi for picking me up in the airport whenever I go home.

25. Tita tats—my doctor away from home.

26. For my pamilya badminton—Tita Nel, Tito Noel, Kei, & RB. Thank you for always remembering me in your thoughts and prayers. I miss you guys!

30. My mentor and namesake—Fr. Jaime Bulatao. You’ve been there for me since even before I was born. I am honored to share your name.

31. For Fr. Ben, whose been there for me and my family for as long as I can remember.

32. To Michael, Jay’s friend whom I don’t know and haven’t met but took time out to help sort out my tarpaulin crisis in August. You saved my presentation. Maraming Salamat.

33. The Jollibee Plus Travel Group—Ma’am Lisa, Jovil, Marivic, Nicole, Ma'am Veron, Maam Anna & Hubby, and Earl—for welcoming me with open arms.

41. The Perfect 10 Girls—Divina, Tetet, Jai, Mariel, Kim, Flo, Beth & Aries —my personal cheering squad and bodyguards all rolled into one. These girls will go to war for me and I love them to death.

49. For Angeli, who is not only a great boss but also a great friend. She makes Nottingham feel like home.

50. To Angeli’s brothers and their families—Randy, Rose, Zoe, Rob, Selena & Zach—for the wonderful time we had in the cruise and for making me feel like I was a part of their family. Thanks!

56. For Charles, my safeguard Malaysia (a.ka. my konsensya).. He keeps me grounded to reality. Pano pag nag adik ka, he will smash you with the shuttlecock.

57. For Jom, my perennial sounding board. Rarely do you find someone worth keeping so she is a treasure to cherish.

58. For Bala & Natasha- for their understanding and care.

60. To Marissa, my first real friend in Kuala Lumpur.

61. To My doctor, Dr. Rudy Yeoh for his faith in my body’s capacity to heal itself. Rare do you find a doctor who listens not just with the mind but also with the heart.

62. To Dr. Rudy’s assistant—I don’t know your name but you make blood test as painfree as possible for me and for that I am so grateful.

63. To my manila doctor—Dr. Lisa Naranjo—for keeping tabs on me even if Im far away.

64. For Len & Witart George for their friendship. I look forward to my visits with you guys everytime I go home.

66. For Karen & Marlu who taught me about friendship and staying true to who you really are.

68. To Mimopie, my original “boyfriend” whose faith in me is amazing. Thank you for your love and trust even from afar.I promise if and when I get married, you will be the officiating priest (hahaha.. if it ever happens..)

69. For Friendship Maan’s support of my “crazy antics” and “adventures.”

70. To Oliver, the human (hahaha).. Teroy’s visit was one of the most fun times I had in KL. I’m glad you’re happier now.

71. To my Nottingham family—Liz, Azlan, Regina,Dian, and even Melissa (you’re still part of it) for taking me in and not making me feel alone in a strange land.

76. For my soulsister—Charrie whose impending motherhood is something I’m so excited about. I know you will be a great mom partner.

77. To Mardet & Jeff, my big brother and sister in the counseling program of ateneo. You always remember.

78. To my GBC family—Tita Cons, Tito Mau, Marlu, & Harry and everyone else who queue every Monday and Thursday nights.. Thanks for always welcoming me back to my beloved GBC.

82. For Denden & Kirby—for their cheerful hi’s and hello’s and for always keeping in touch. Thanks for breaking the curse kirbs!!

84. To Josh, my sis in SG, for being one of the few people here that I could talk to with all honesty. I’m so glad we became friends.

85. For Giselle & Shella and their generosity. Thanks for keeping our mom company in Manila.

87. To the PPPeyups gang—Vivi, Gilbert, Merly & Tin, good friends through all these years. Ano kaya ang announcement ni Tin? Thanks guys for believing in me.

91. For my cousin Tryke and his beloved Michelle who were my personal tour guides/drivers while I was in Davao back in August and whenever I am there.

93. For my comps’ gang—Chin, Bambi, & Obeng, for sharing my ups and downs even years after our famous exam.

96. For my ARP students—Sham, William & Hui Ying for being patient with me whenever I’m too sick to advise them.

97. For Ralyn & Ben whose lovestory gives me the hope that people do find their soul mates.

99. To Prednisone, the drug that saved my life.

100. To Niel,AJ, & Weevens, my ateneo friends and colleagues whom I bug every now and then for favors.

103. To Peter and the rest of experimental psychology & psych testing students in Ateneo for reminding me always of why I love my job.

104. To my UP Math Barkada-- Aldwin, Lyzet, Sheryll, Kim, Aldwin E., & Peter.. Good friends that I surely miss.

110. And to YOU, you know who you are-- for driving the symptoms away by simply being there.

I am forever grateful.

Goodbye

After 110 days I finally said goodbye to prednisone, the medication that boosted my platelets up and saved my life. My platelets are finally deemed normal enough to warrant a chance to do things on its own. For those unfamiliar with Thrombocytopenia, what happens with my platelets is that for some unknown reason, my body has developed antibodies against its own platelets. So when the blood is sent to the spleen for filtering, instead of just filtering out the bad stuff, the good platelets also gets the ax. Thus causing abnormally low platelet counts.

Yesterday I went to see Dr. Rudy again and we had our usual blood tests. For the 2nd time around, no blood came out of the syringe! ouch! The med tech had to fan the needle a bit (double ouch!) to catch the right vein. 2 hours of waiting later (dr. rudy had a bone marrow event), i came out smiling from ear to ear. Count was at 190,000.

So its goodbye prednisone. I hope this would be the final goodbye.. but if not, i hope we don't meet for a very very long time.

Back from Cambodia

It took almost 6 months of planning and now it's finally over. We're back from our 4 day adventure in Cambodia. If I could use one phrase to capture the trip it would be this-- "hope and blessings amidst magic" (nagpapaka deep lang po ako ng onti! hahaha). But seriously, the trip was indeed magical. Worth every sweat and stress we experienced along the way.

True to form ang mga bloopers ko. Andyan yung muntik akong di makasama kasi naiwan ko ang passport ko sa bahay. Ano nga daw ang tawag dun? Strike one. Strike two-- wrong gate ang pinilahan (but it turned out to be right naman!) kaya naranasan naming mapage sa LCCT ng di oras (calling passengers xxx,xxx,xxx,xxx...iiwan na kayo ng eroplano!). Strike three, four, five and so on---ilang beses akong muntik mabalian during the entire trip dahil naiisipan ko laging mag acrobatics (a.k.a mapatid, madulas, atbp). But of course these bloopers only made the trip more fun.

Upon arrival, adventure na ang paghahanap sa aming munting hotel. Nakatago kasi siya sa likod ng isang malaking karatulang-- People's Party of Cambodia. Di mo tuloy alam kung kami ay pupunta sa isang meeting de avance or mababakasyon sa bahay ng isang malayong kamag anak. Matapos mag settle kay "Auntie's House" sinimulan na agad ang grand tour. Nireview ni K (ang aming driver na sabi ni Jay ay kmukha ni chuckie dreyfus at romnick sarmenta kaso di namin talaga makita ang resemblance) ang itinerary kong ginawa at nirevise ito ayon sa format na naayon. Bumili kami ng temple pass (sorry po... di na pala kelangan ng passport pic--blooper number 9?), at pumasok na sa kakaibang mundo na ang tawag ay Angkor. It looked liked we were transported out into a totally different timezone! I was in total awe.

The photography outing started with the Angkor Thom temple (a,k.a. Angkor Thom's Cabin). Kasagsagan ng init ng araw pero game pa din kaming kumuha at magpose para macapture ang truly priceless moment na iyon. Ang daming mga turista, pati mga tour guide. May gwapo, maganda, pangit at mukhang paa. You name it. May kamukha pa si Oliver (kung siya ay may alopecia at ginawang isang GI). Ayos day 1 pa lang, ang dami na naming nalait.

Matapos ang isang oras na siesta (at shower! sa sobrang init, 3x a day kami maligo..), we found ourselves saying ooh and ahh at the Angkor Wat. Reg and Tina ventured inside the temples first while Jay and I took time to take the pictures outside. Sa sobrang tagal namin eh nasarahan tuloy kami ng temple. Di na kami umabot sa center part (the famous three towers of Angkor Wat) kasi sarado na for the day. We did witness a beautiful sunset though and finally I understood why the Angkor Wat was the most popular of all the temples. There was the "oomph" factor that you would feel when you enter its domain. We also had a side trip to the jewelry store. Sabi nga ni neighbor, "may papamana na ako sa aking mga anak.."

Day 1 ended with a good dinner at the Soup Dragon kung san may special menu of "Pork Escalopes (a.k.a. pork with HARM and cheese.. ano daw? sinaktan na baboy with queso?). Neighbor Ria found true love in the beef leklok (kaya everyday niya itong inorder) while Tina feasted on the veggies. Jay and I were introduced to Angkor Beer by K. Panalo siya! walang bitter aftertaste. The drinking session continued in our room along with Jay's magic show and the traditional tong its. Taob kami ni Jcool kay neighbor, kami ay mere mortals lamang..

Day 2 was spent visiting more temples starting with the Roulous Group. It was in the outskirts of the town but definitely worth the travel. May miniature version ng Angkor Wat pa. Then we visited Ta Prohm, the site of the movie Tomb raider. Among the ruins, this was the one that was most left untouched. So feeling mo talaga eh nasa jungle ka. I found myself doing an amazing race Ta Prohm version since tina and i couldnt find reg and jay. Buti na lang pumayag si tina sa idea kong bumalik sa pit stop kasi true enough andun na sila. Sa sobrang pagod ko, nakatulala na lang ako nung lunch. Pero syempre go pa din tayo. After a brief siesta (plus shower again!), we went to the market to go shopping and then off to Tonle Sap Lake. Medyo minalas kasi umulan kaya matapos ang ilang sandali we decided to head back to shore. Neighbor wasn't feeling well din plus nakakadepress din ang site ng mga boat people na nakatira along the river. It was so muddy on the walk back that I think I grew a couple of inches taller. Buti na lang andyan si Efren (It's a bird, it's a plane!, no its Efren!) para ireenact ang washing of the feet sa huling hapunan.Di nga lang niya hinalikan ang aming mga paa. hehe.

The rains didn't stop but fortunately we had beef noodle soup for dinner at this run down house. Tina and K had the pig's brain version while Jay, Reg and I had the normal version (di po ako ganung ka adventurous). Our Bill? 80,000! In khmer money lah! hahaha. Kala mo ang mahal eh no? Pero panalo talaga yung dinner na to- khmer version of the shabu shabu. One thing I love about Cambodia, there's no such thing as bad food. Lahat masarap! yummy! After dinner we headed to Auntie's house (a.k.a. our hotel) and then had another drinking/pusoy dos session. Nakakainis yung taga sira ng plan ko for world domination, talagang ayaw akong papanalunin. Buti na lang napagbalasa din namin siya sa dulo.

On Sunday morning we decided to revisit Angkor Wat. Jay and I wanted to see the other parts we missed while Reg wanted to re-experience the temple minus the mud. Finally I got to take my beautiful pictures of the famous Angkor Wat. Career nga lang ang pag akyat sa matarik na hagdan! We visited another temple afterwards (nakalimutan ko ang name basta siya ay dirediretsong pinto), before finally calling our temple tour a success. We even got to ride a tuktuk kasi may tinataguan na fans si Gidiyap (5 for 1 dollah! buy 10 for 1 dollah!) na paboritong dumugin ng mga vendors. haha.

For our last lunch in Cambodia, K took us to this carinderia by the river. At 1.50 USD per order, it was a total bargain. We ate over 10 dishes plus drinks and paid only 20USD. Ayos! My favorite was the pork ribs ( in khmer, they call it... pork rip.. a.k.a. pinilas na baboy!).Of course di nawala ang ever favorite beef leklok ni neighbor.

The rest of the day was spent shopping for souvenirs and bags. We all got matching North Face Backpacks for a real bargain. Idol sa baratan si Neighbor. Wala kong masabi. Talagang level up! Talented talaga si neigbor..pati pick up skills ay level up. Imagine, 1 boylet a day ang kanyang record. Hmm.. eh ako? nah.. change topic please.

After a two hour shopping spree (bought some dri fit shirts from nike and addidas), we went back to the hostel and rested a bit. K picked us up at 930pm to take us to the Pub street for dinner and drinks. We decided to eat at the Soup Dragon again and drink all the Angkor Beer we could drink. Kampay!!! Kulitan at its finest.

Pagbalik sa hostel, it was time to pack up. Master packers in motion. May nangulit at nangurot pa on the side. kasalanan po niya yung pasa ko sa braso. ;) Nadiscover kong may talent pa pala ako sa wrestling.

Gumising kami ng maaga kanina para mag breakfast in bed este picnic in bed pala under my romantic dimmer light (hep! wholesome picnic po ito). Ang aga kumatok ni Jay para daw may oras pa makipag chickahan with Doro the explorer..At 6:20 am, K picked us up for the last time to take us to the airport. Back to reality na.

The master packer status still holds- Jay was the ulitmate master packer at 14.2 kg, followed by neighbor at 13.6 and me at 13.1. Si tina,kulang pa sa practice. 9.6kg lang. newbie.

Ganung kabilis ang apat na araw. May separation anxiety nga daw kami sabi ni neighbor. Ang tagal kasi plinano ng trip na to. At one point sa sobrang tagal, nakalimutan na namin siya. Nawala na ang excitement. Pero nung dumating, parang kay bilis natapos. Bukas back to work na muli. buti pa sina jay eh naka 1 day leave pa. A part of me wished it didn't end yet. Siguro nga kasi sa loob ng apat na araw na yon, I saw a world totally different from mine and I got to experience it with some very special folks.

What else could you ask for right?

Usapang Pag Ibig ni Bob Ong

I'm reposting this from Neighbor Ria who reposted it also from her friend Maita who crossposted from her friend, Tricia's blog (pahaba ng pahaba ang references... oops not in APA format)

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1. "Kung hindi mo mahal ang isang tao, wag ka nang magpakita ng motibo para mahalin ka nya.."

- ay parang John lloyd line ito!

2. "Huwag mong bitawan ang bagay na hindi mo kayang makitang hawak ng iba."
- kailan ko magagamit itong linyang ito. MY TURN! MY TURN! (I agree Neighbor!)

3. "Huwag mong hawakan kung alam mong bibitawan mo lang."
- baka mapikot ka at di ka na makabitaw

4. "Huwag na huwag ka hahawak kapag alam mong may hawak ka na."
-may mga taong sadyang ganito. mahilig humawak ng kung ano ano

5. "Parang elevator lang yan eh, bakit mo pagsisiksikan ung sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sayo. Eh meron naman hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin."

- kasi may ibang tao ayaw maglakad sa hagdan...

6. "Kung maghihintay ka nang lalandi sayo, walang mangyayari sa buhay mo. Dapat lumandi ka din."

- Amen =) . All is fair in love and war ika nga...

7. "Pag may mahal ka at ayaw sayo, hayaan mo. Malay mo sa mga susunod na
araw ayaw mo na din sa kanya, naunahan ka lang."
- Whatever!

8. "Hiwalayan na kung di ka na masaya. Walang gamot sa tanga kundi pagkukusa."
- "Remove the bandaid agad.. wag maging masochista... " But yeah likas sa tao ang maging tanga

9. "Pag hindi ka mahal ng mahal mo wag ka magreklamo. Kasi may mga tao rin na di mo mahal pero mahal ka.

Kaya quits lang."
- Kaya nga tinatawag na "It's Complicated"

10. "Kung dalawa ang mahal mo, piliin mo yung pangalawa. Kasi hindi ka naman magmamahal ng iba kung mahal mo talaga yung una."
- hmmm... in feyrness may sense

11. "Hindi porke't madalas mong ka-chat, kausap sa telepono, kasama sa mga lakad o ka-text ng wantusawa eh may gusto sayo at magkakatuluyan kayo. Meron lang talagang mga taong sadyang friendly, sweet, flirt, malandi, pa-fall o paasa."
- Hep! Sounds Familiar..."Wala naman sa usapan natin na you will fall in love with me."

12. "Huwag magmadali sa lalaki o babae. Tatlo, lima, sampung taon, mag-iiba ang pamantayan mo at maiisip mong hindi pala tamang pumili ng kapareha dahil lang maganda o nakakalibog ito. Totoong mas mahalaga ang kalooban ng tao higit sa anuman. Sa paglipas ng panahon, maging ang mga crush ng bayan nagmumukha ding pandesal, maniwala ka.

- Papanget din siya.

13. "Minsan kahit ikaw ang nakaschedule, kailangan mo pa rin maghintay, kasi hindi ikaw ang priority."
- Youre nothing but a second rate trying hard... second choice. Ouch!

14. "Mahirap pumapel sa buhay ng tao. Lalo na kung hindi ikaw yung bida sa script na pinili nya."
- hep!hep! Kaya maging kapuso ka na lang.. Ikaw pa ang Bida.

15. "Alam mo ba kung gaano kalayo ang pagitan ng dalawang tao pag nagtalikuran na sila? Kailangan mong libutin ang buong mundo para lang makaharap ulit ang taong tinalikuran mo."

- Regrets come too late kung asa kabilang dulo na ng mundo ang tinalikuran mo. Mahal ang ticket ngayon sa eroplano.

16. “Mas mabuting mabigo sa paggawa ng isang bagay kesa magtagumpay sa paggawa ng wala.”
- does this qualify as "it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"? letseng mga hirit yan.. hehe..affected... ( I agree neighbor!)

17. “Hindi lahat ng kaya mong intindihin ay katotohan, at hindi lahat ng hindi mo kayang intindihin ay kasinungalingan”
- Denial and projection and tawag diyan.

18. "Kung nagmahal ka ng taong di dapat at nasaktan ka, wag mong sisihin ang puso mo. Tumitibok lang yan para mag-supply ng dugo sa katawan mo. Ngayon, kung magaling ka sa anatomy at ang sisisihin mo naman ay ang hypothalamus mo na kumokontrol ng emotions mo, mali ka pa rin! Bakit? Utang na loob! Wag mong isisi sa body organs mo ang mga sma ng loob mo sa buhay! Tandaan mo: magiging masaya ka lang kung matututo kang tanggapin na hindi ang puso, utak, atay o bituka mo ang may kasalanan sa lahat ng nangyari sayo, kundi IKAW mismo!"

- At the end of the day, tayo ang namimili na maging TANGA.

19. "Pakawalan mo yung mga bagay na nakakasakit sa iyo kahit na pinasasaya ka nito. Wag mong hintayin ang araw na sakit na lang ang nararamdaman mo at iniwan ka na ng kasiyahan mo."

- But then again.. we need to take risks. minsan wagi, minsan plakda.. weather weather lang yan..

20. "Gamitin ang puso para alagaan ang mga taong malalapit sa iyo. Gamitin ang utak para alagaan ang sarili mo."

21. "Ang pag-ibig parang imburnal...nakakatakot mahulog...at kapag nahulog ka, it's either by accident or talagang tanga ka."

-or dahil mahal mo lang talaga siya.. hep!

Wag Ka Iiyak: I hate Goodbyes

Momsy left for Manila tonight after a brief visit to KL. We spent our last full day together going around the Orchid and HIbiscus Parks in Taman Tasik Perdana and shopping for souvenirs and clothes in Central Market and KLCC.

My mom loved the Orchid Garden. She kept asking me to take pictures of every possible orchid she could set her eyes on. Sabi niya, babalikan na lang niya ang memory in the pictures that I took. She also enjoyed shopping at Central Market. Akala niya nung una, palengke talaga ang pupuntahan namin. Nagulat siya nung pagpasok namin eh airconditioned ang palengke. Daig pa daw ang GH. Hehehe. We had lunch after in Nandos in KLCC and then we hit Isetann Mall's sale. At 80% off my mom couldn't resist not buying new beddings for her bed at home. It's so cheap, it's a sin not to buy it. We went clothes shopping and I got to buy a new suit. Back in Manila, I used to be mommy's personal driver during sunday trips to SM City/MOA/Galeria/Megamall and whenver she'd go shopping, I always get the little treats. I know I'm too old to be shopped for by my mom but I know my mom also loves knowing that I'm still her little girl. Kanina sinuggestan pa niya ako ng isang frou frou blouse (with heart design). Only my mom would suggest that I wear that. hehehe. The color was great but the design was just too Ms. V for my taste.hahaha.

After buying out most of the sale and getting her supply of shisheido products (i swear dapat lang gaganda ka sa mahal ng produkto nila), we went to Galeri Petronas to view their latest collection. Mom was so happy. Buti pa daw sa malaysia libre ang museum. She soaked in the art as if they were meditative tools. By the time we got to Kinokuniya, my mom was in Seventh Heaven. Books, books, and books.

We ended our shopping trip with a good coffee break at the Dome courtesy of Skylark's ninong. Mom finally got her new toy back. Yehey ayos na siya! I got so hyper after drinking the coffee. It was a good thing coz I needed all the energy I had to pack Mom's suitcase and give her a crash course on how to operate her new toy while helping two friends with their respective bloopers. Multitasking at its finest.

At 1030, I brought momsy to the airport together with neighbor and my suking taxi driver Mr. Jason. By 1145, momsy and I finally said goodbye. Tapos na ang bakasyon. I didn't cry or I did my best not to cry. Bawal daw kasi mag emote sabi ng isang tao. "Wag ka iiyak" But I guess I just couldnt help but miss momsy a bit more tonight. After all I waited 2 years for this event. And parang kay bilis lang. Tapos na agad ang matagal na pinagplanuhan. Fortunately neighbor was there to make me feel less lonely and may clown na malakas mang asar. They both kept me less sad. And for that I am grateful. Sabi ko nga eh pagbigyan na ako just for tonight. Minsan lang ako magpakita na ako'y mere mortal lamang. hehehe.

I just hate goodbyes. Till our next gimik momsy..