Crispy Pata, Sisig at Pakbet: New Adventures of the Food Fanatic

One hot sunday afternoon, the food fanatics travelled to the other end of the Kelana Jaya lrt line in a quaint little restaurant called Cagayan to sample a taste of home-- our much missed Crispy Pata, Sisig (with egg!) and pakbet. 

It was a artery clogging taste of heaven. Yummy! Worth every cholesterol and trans fat (or whatever fats) that will probably shorten my entire lifespan for a couple of hours or so. 

Met up with Jay and Tina at the Masjid Jamek LRT around 12nn and despite the heat of the sun, we trekked all the way to Bandar Utama to eat at the Pinoy restaurant. I was excited to eat my favorite Crispy pata which I have missed a lot.  Tina ordered sisig (which is another yummy dish) and just to add some semblance of health on the cholesterol laden dishes we ordered, we had some pakbet. 

There was just something about eating something very pinoy when you're in a foreign country. I guess it adds more "specialness" to the act of eating something seemingly ordinary. We gobbled everything as if there was no tomorrow. Galit galit muna.. There was nothing to complain about the place. It was truly authentic. And for almost an hour there, I thought that I was actually in Manila and not in Malaysia. I just wish they had a honest to goodness authentic pinoy halohalo. I miss that. Kahit na yung chowking version lang.. But syempre the best pa din yung sa tabi ng kalye.. homemade.. with all the germs and bacteria. haha.

After our hearty lunch we walked around a bit and did some window shopping. We then transferred over to nearby 1 utama where I finally managed to find my long searched size of crocs! After almost 2 years of searching I finally managed to find a size for me. Tina and I bought matching pairs. Unfortunately Jay didn't have a size in the design he liked. We were still full but we craved for some Mcdonald's Sundae for dessert so we searched for Mcdo and I had my craving for chocolate sundae filled. 

It was one long day. Going home we got stuck in the LRT station for about 15 minutes. The train just stopped and refused to budge. It was raining heavily so there must have been some technical glitch somewhere. It didn't dampen our spirits though. We were just simply too happy to spoil our day. I was excited to try on my new crocs. Tina couldn't wait anymore, she wore it as soon as she bought it. 

I got home barely having enough time to dress up for badminton. I had to burn the fats off so I was quite excited to play. I played 3 sets before I retired for the night. 

 Another food adventure... Another food craving satisfied..Onto  the next one...

***

ella wish ko andito ka.. para me kadamay ako sa king new diet--eating diet! haha ;)

Words of Wisdom..(Repost from Jean Pierre)

If the time comes that you are not already sure where you stand in someone’s life, it’s best to leave things behind so that if they drop you off, it will be easier to forget them. Don’t waste time waiting for nothing; when efforts are not recognized, it’s best to ust give things up. You’ve done your part, let them do theirs…

… though it’s hard maybe it's the right thing to do...

From my former students' Eunice and Jean Pierre. 

No further explanations needed. I think the words say it all.. 

Giving up is not necessarily a bad thing. It simply means you're giving yourself the chance to start fresh...all over again...

The Measure of Happiness

... laughing out load while having your haircut.

... eating your favorite food without care for calories

... petting polie while he blissfully sleeps in my lap

... finding charsiew pork in the middle of pasar malam

... travelling close to 60kms just to eat lunch 

... seeing the world's beautiful beaches

... Reading a well written essay by one of my students

... setting up my new WIFI router and not destroying it

... playing a good game of badminton

... eating butter prawns 

... Finding clover at Mercato and Nagaraya at Sogo (pinoy food junkie!)

... tocino on a lazy sunday afternoon

... planning my next travel gimik

... having great songs on ipod

... learning to use my new camera

... taking a great picture

... watching a good movie

... having a nice chat

... getting to know someone

... talking to ella

... talking to my mom and sister

... finding a good book

... spending time with the ones who matter

And there we were, in a kind of harmony; and the evening was so beautiful, that it made a pain in my heart, as when you cannot tell whether you are happy or sad; and I thoughtthat if I could have a wish, it would be that nothing would ever change, and we could stay that way forever... -Margaret Atwood "Alias Grace" 

Does Heaven or Hell Exist?

A friend asked me this question while munching through Mcdonald's french fries and chicken nuggets one lunch time. I've always believed in heaven and hell and I think all of us do in a way. But did we ever wonder what do they look like? A lot of movies have asked the question like Robin Williams' "What dreams may come?" or Meryl Streep's "Judgment City." 

I gave my friend a weird answer. I think I said I don't really know. But I'd like to believe they do. And if they do exist I'd like to believe that all of us will end up in heaven because after all God loves us (in the words of comedian George Carlin, "he loves you!"). Seriously, I'd like to believe that everyone has a place in heaven. 

So what about hell? I don't know. But what I do know is that if I ever end up there, I'd make it the happiest place for me. 

After all happiness is a choice right?

Steamboat Night

Always in search of great food finds, my friends and I went on another food adventure last night despite my being ill and the rains that threatened to dampen our day. We went to Sunway Pyramid and ate at the Steamboat place (I never got to really jot down the name!) across the mall near mcdonald's. For a mere 18RM each, we ate the prawns and other streamboat favorites that we could stuff ourselves with. 

Jay, Tina, Jesse and I arrived about 5 minutes to 5pm (the official opening of the place). Jay was right when he said we had to be there early. By 6pm the place was packed with a long queue waiting outside for the next vacant table. We sat near the buffet table and was immediately started off to my first steamboat adventure by the waiter. We had half chicken soup and half tomyam soup for the steamboat. I basically just took as much prawns and shrimps I could eat. That was it. haha. I tried some of the fish and squid balls and even tried the mini lobsters but I was in prawn heaven most of the time. 

I tried their famous chicken wings which literally flew off the buffet table the minute it was laid there by the servers. Jay had to fight his way through the small crowd to get our much awaited chicken wings. It was worth it though-- it reminded me a bit of Don Henrico's buffalo wings (which I love in Manila). 

After gobbling all those seafood, veggies and meat, we ended the dinner feast with endless scoops of ice cream (I had mango, strawberry and chocolate) topped with coffee jelly. Yummy. I could barely walk out of the restaurant and was burping the whole night long. By the time we all landed at Endah villa, we were all sleepy. hehe. Jesse managed to play badminton (to work off the calories daw) but the three of us just basically sat down and relaxed. 

great food, good company, lots of laughter, and more great food.. what more could one ask for?

A little unwell

There is a saying that "when it rains, it pours." I think the saying goes the same way with respect to my health. I don't usually get sick but when I get sick it really pours. Since coming back from Redang I've been to the doctor three times already. And it looks like I'm going again tomorrow. My ear is terribly painful. Two days ago it was the flu. The week before that it was my ear again. 

It is during these moments that I miss home the most. In manila if I get sick, the doctor is just one room away. Here I have to plan how to get to the hospital. And most of the time I have to wait for at least a day. 

I just wish I could feel better tomorrow morning

143444 (The Pulau Redang Adventure)

This is not an entry about love-- it doesn't even closely resemble anything about love. I promise you I won’t write anything about people holding hands with matching “pa sway sway pa!” It's not an entry about romantic trysts and lovebirds dating.

But why the famous "numbers" (plus one that is)? 143444 was the vault combination in our room at the laguna redang resort in pulau redang where I spent 3 days and 2 nights last March 29 till the 31'st. The trip was originally set for the end of Feb but unfortunately the weather was not permitting hence the delay.

We left for Kuala Terrangannu Friday night. I felt as if I was on the amazing race since I was coming from work at 9pm and the bus was leaving at 10pm. True to form I had a classic "hazel" blooper moment when my thing just fell out of my bag while running from the monorail to the LRT station in Titiwangsa where Jay and Tina were waiting for me. Afterwards we met Wilai at the PWTC bus station where our journey was set to begin. The bus took 7 hours. We had a quick breakfast at KT (nasi lemak and teh o ice limau) while waiting for the Merang Jetty port to open then afterwards we took a 1 hour boat ride from the jetty to the resort.

12 hours after our journey started we finally made it to Pulau Redang. The heat was scorching hot but the beach was so inviting. After a quick freshening up in our fully airconditioned room, we trekked to the buffet hall where we pigged out on local and western dishes. I enjoyed the beef and lamb dishes and the roasted chicken was also great. After lunch we went back to the room to dress up for our first trip to see-- the open water snorkeling.

Snorekling in the open water was such a wonderful experience. The coral reef was amazing and the fishes were a sight to look at. I've never seen so many colorful fishes in my life. The fishes were so friendly that you need to only submerge your head in the water and they will actually come to you. We fed the fishes with some bread and enjoyed the cool and clean water. One hour later we headed back to the resort to swim in the pool.

While waiting for Tina and Wilai to shower Jay and I enjoyed a cool beer by the beach. We met the pinoy bartender and a couple of other pinoy resort personnel. Afterwards the four of us headed off to dinner-- buffet number 2. This time they had the roasted beef and man was it good! After dinner the four of us went back to the room and drank the mango rum I brought all the way from the Philippines. I guess it was the fatigue of travelling and swimming that after 4 shots I was sleeping already.

I woke up really early the next day-- 7:00am which is considered still very dark in malaysian time zones. Jay was about to leave for his sunrise photo session so I quickly got dressed and followed him. I walked along the shoreline while watching the sun rise. It reminded of a previous blog entry I made-- the things I'd do if i had 24 hours left to live. Now I'm glad I didnt have to wait till that day came to watch the sunrise. There were a number of early birds--couples and photo buffs in the beach area. Willai said I was easy to spot because I was all by myself playing by the water. I didn't feel alone though. It was just pure bliss. One doesn't get this chance to experience one of nature's miracles too often.

After breakfast we went for a swim in the waters. Jay and I taught Willai to swim (funny, i don't know how to myself hehe). Tina on the other hand decided to go for a walk in the beach. Willai and I had the time of our lives gazing at the hunks that seem to magically appear everywhere in the beach. haha. We thought of nica and how he would be so happy to be there (although he did say he was happy to be back in KL with Roby. hehe)

By 12 noon we were too hungry to swim. We went up to the buffet hall again (its my favorite place in the resort) to eat lunch. The sun was very hot already so we decided to hide for a few hours. I had a short siesta before waking up for our Marine park trip.

The marine park was the island's protected area for sea creatures. About 15 minutes away from the resort, we were taken there by the resort's boats. We fed the fishes and marvelled at their beauty and number. I've never seen so many fishes in one area in my life! There were fishes of all colors-- blue, green, combinations of gold and black, white and black, blue and green, etc. I loved watching the schools of fishes roam around searching for bread crumbs brought by the tourists.

After getting back to the resort, Willai and I went to the resort's shop to buy conditioner. I also bought some souvenirs for myself. After showering, Jay, tina and I went for a walk along the other end of the island on top of the rock formations. We took some majestic pics (see Jay’s flickr site for more of these—http://www.flickr.com/gidiyap_padingdong). Willai joined us a little later and afterwards the four of us headed to the BBQ buffet where I had the best beef bbq (ok, it’s the second best next to Bala’s cooking).

We spent our last evening in the resort drinking the rest of the mango rum and playing cards. We did several rounds of tong its, the classic 1-2-3 pass and bluff. Panalong panalo ang mga sinungaling(Go jay cool! Hehe).Favorite ko yung “Four threes!” ni tina while bringing down only three cards.

The next day itwe woke up early to watch the sunrise one more time. We took countless pictures and the island gifted us with the most magnificent sunrise ever.

After a quick breakfast, we quickly packed up and went back to reality—we took another 12 hour journey back to KL. We finally made it to PWTC at 8pm. We had dinner at the Chinese mamak near Jay and Tina’s place and afterwards Willai and I went back to our homes in Sri Petalling. The vacation was over.

So like I said, this is not an entry about love. But it’s about a lovely time. It’s not anything remotely romantic but it can be sentimental. After all you have a dreamer here telling the story. It was 3 days of beautiful memories—memories that I’ll treasure forever.

For more pictures.. visit my shutterfly site: http://redangadventure.shutterfly.com

Happy Birthday Tita Nel

We call her Tita for short-- the surrogate mom of the former tambays of Shuttles' Best Riverbanks and 1/4 of the much loved "Pamilya Badminton." And today is her birthday. I haven't seen tita in a long time since I am always moving around whenever I go back to Manila. The last time I saw her was in GBC when I popped in for a quick visit to see everyone. I still remember Tito (her better half) Noel teasing me about my weight and my partner Kei asking me what I did to balloon so much. hehe.

I rarely write about people and their birthdays in this blog but I thought I'd make an exception this time. Because today is a special day-- today is the birthday of my second mom. So I am writing this entry to tell the world how grateful I am to meet someone like her.

I first met tita in SB with tito noel. They asked me along with Vince to play with them in one of their regular games. I wasnt good yet back then. But they were geniunely nice to me. We had a great time. Then as the weeks went by I found myself spending more time with them. Eventually I became partners with Kei, their daughter and the rest was history.

Tita has this ability to make me feel loved even at my worst moment. She listens and geniunely cares for you. In one of our "talks" I remember her comforting me but at the same time she did not side with me. And that's how she is--fair. She loves all her kids (surrogate ones included) even if they bicker and fight. She will do her darnest to bridge peace but at the same time she knows when to let us fight out our own battles.

So happy birthday dear tita. I miss you lots. I miss saturdays with the rest of the pamilya. sana sa susunod kong balik, magkita kita tayong muli.

I Survived!

The hell week is over-- 37 hours of lecture in a span of 8 nonstop days of working. I survived. When my last lecture ended yesterday I felt like crying and laughing at the same time. I sat down for a few minutes and just stared at the view from my classroom at the KLTC. I actually made it. I guess it took a while for the entire reality of it all to finally sink in. It was finally over.

It wasn't my problem to bear in the first place. I could have said no. But unfortunately, I was called to service. And I guess it was just true to being the Hazel everyone know, I took on the challenge. Back in January, Angeli and I were laughing about this possibility of having the PG and UG modules clashing. But we were both confident that Reg will be here soon. Unfortunately, things didnt exactly go as planned. It was no one's fault. I guess it was fated to be that way talaga. But in the end I learned that I could do it. And hey it did make life extra exciting! haha.

After packing my bags and stuff, I went out of the building to celebrate "Freedom!" I was so happy that I couldn't care less if it was drizzling or jammed outside. I was in pure bliss. To celebrate the day of liberation, I went for an early dinner with friends at a Bakuteh stall in Jalan Imbi. We didnt get to order the pork entrails that we were craving for but what the heck. I was still happy. The food was great. We had the pork meat bakuteh, fried tofu with sweet chili sauce, veggies in garlic sauce, prawn with egg, and fried glass noodles. I didnt plan on eating much rice but it was too much to resist. So I gave in. And I deserved it. After all that strain for the last 8 days, I deserved to pig out. haha.

Going home we were all full and sleepy. We nixed the idea of dessert as we could barely walk out of the restaurant already. I think I learned a new definition of happiness in the process-- happiness is being able to laugh and relax at the end of long and tiring day.

When I got home I chatted with my sister and mom using skype. It was nice to hear their voices again. I also chatted with Wilai and Jay and other friends in passing. For the first time in 8 days I could actually chat without guilt.

It was the perfect ending to a long week.

Halfway

I am halfway through my so- called "hellweek." And I admit I'm starting to feel the fatigue. The past 4 days I've been feeling this uncontrollable twitching of my right eye. It is not painful but it is irritating and can a bit distressing. My sister tells me, it is the sign that my body is already stressed.

So far I've been surviving. I'm not performing in the usual 100% performance level that I know I could do, but I am happy that at least I am getting by.

Yesterday I had my checkup for my ovarian cysts. And as I expected there wasn't that much of goodnews. Although there was a slight decrease in the size of the cysts (all 3 of them), the rate of decrease did not go as hoped for. And after 6 months of medication, we had to decide what was the next course of treatment.

I mentioned that it was kind of expected on my part. I know my body and I know when its well and when it is not. I knew that all these craziness is taking its toll on my health. And I was just hoping (and praying) that at least it won't be something disastrous. So the little good news was still welcomed. It may not have disappeared as hoped but at least it did not increase anymore. Somehow I am also taking the side effects well and I am learning to just live with the nuisance of losing my hair a bit and going through my weight gain (but hey! I lost weight too!).

For about 2 minutes I allowed myself to feel some form of self pity. Then afterwards, as if on cue, I sighed, and went back to reality. I'm used to this kind of setbacks. I've lived through 27 years of relapses and remissions for my ITP. And with each setback I learned to pick myself up and try again.

My doctor and I discussed the pros and cons and it was agreed that I was to go on 3 more months of medication and make a last try for a cure. Who knows right, miracles might happen?

I know I need to destress my life a bit for this thing to go away. That will be my next project, once I survive this hell week.

18 hours of teaching to go.

29 Hours to go

My countdown continues. I finished the first 8 hours of teaching today and I survived. That leaves 29 hours to go before I can rest (just for a day). The first day of a new module always give me the most anxiety. Not because I don't know the topic but because its a new group of people to meet again. I used to dread the feeling of anxiety and nervousness. I would fidget and do everything I can to take the anxious feeling away. But now I realized that I need that anxiety to perk me up. Kinda like positive stress-- it motivates me to do the work that needs to be done.

My voice nearly ran out today but I was happy nonetheless. When the clock finally struck 5:00 pm which signalled the end of the day for me, I finally felt all the tiredness that I simply pushed back throughout the day.

I relaxed a bit by watching 10000 BC. Don't know why but there was something missing in the movie that I can't seem to pinpoint. I just didnt enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. Or maybe it was simply because my mind refused to do any more thinking than it ought to.

Now I'm watching badminton. I have a few hours of rest before the craziness start all over again.

Loyalties & Hell Week

Some may think of it as an asset while others would probably think I'm slightly crazy. But I have this principle in life-- That if You hurt my friend , I'll be your worst nightmare. I am extremely loyal to my friends. I will defend them to the last breathe of my life.

So be warned.

***
Today I missed home again. I missed it so much that I felt like wanting to just go to the airport and grabbing the next ticket available. Only I can't. Because tomorrow is the start of hell week. I will be teaching 37 hours in 8 days. Isn't it wonderful? I call it my extra challenge for march. So who could say life is boring right?

But going back.. I guess the homesickness is linked to the entry above. I miss home. I miss the people I love back home. I miss friends whom I know won't betray me or won't talk behind my back. I miss having honest to goodness REAL people around me-- people whom I could really trust. There are a few here, Im not saying there is none. But just for today, I'd like to surround myself with the warmth of my friends back home before I go into battle tomorrow.

IF you feel lost and on your own
And far from home
You're never alone you know
Just think of you friends
The ones who care
They all will be waiting there
With love to share
And your heart will lead you home.

V day thoughts

Back in 2000, I went off on my first non-romantic date for valentines. It was a triple date with two good friends in Katips bar and grill. I still remember our drinks of mango sago shake which was heavenly. It was the best v-day date ever. I think it was after that event that I stopped pinning for a romantic v-day date. I realized that valentine's is meant to celebrate happy times. And being happy doesn't necesarrily include someone "special" in your life.

Fast forward to 2008 and I find myself in malaysia celebrating my second v-day in a foreign country. My girlfriends in manila spent days in planning their respective romantic dates via our email while I simply contemplated on what my lecture would be for that day. Didn't have plans and didn't intend to have one.

So how was valentines'? It turned out to be a surprised filled day that included moving from one building to another in campus, setting up my pc and settling down in my old room, to watching korean movies while munching on chippy and pigging out the most amazing halal thai food I've ever tasted. I haven't had chippy in a long time so when it was presented to me, I was simply at bliss. hehe. Who says valentines day is only for the taken?

At the end of the day, I find myself humming to the theme song of Il Mare and wondering if such story could actually exist. I don't know how but I've been feeling disillusioned about all these "mushy" stuff for some time now. I think it somehow got lost amidst the cynicism of stress and disappointments of heartbreaks. But last night I found myself wondering once more. And the dreams that I thought have gone missing are slowly resurfacing back.

Slowly, in tiny little steps, I feel the old hazel coming back. And I'm starting to believe in happy endings once more...

Some Ramblings about Turning 31

I turned 31 last thursday. I am not afraid to admit my age. In fact I happily tell people how old I am. When I was about 10 I never saw myself living beyond 30 so it was particularly important for me to honour this gift of one more year of life. Not that I want to sound morbid here, but I guess I've always thought that life was going to be short for me given my history of illnesses. So in a way I've always lived life as if I was on borrowed time and thus I try to live it to the best that I can.

This year I told myself I would have a different birthday. After all one doesn't turn 31 every year. So this year I celebrated my birthday in Bangkok with Angeli, my friend from the university.After finishing our "official business" in the land of tom yum and chili crabs, we relaxed by enjoying the fruits of our hard labour. We went on a food trip, a shopping trip, and even a massage trip. We have been both under a lot of stress lately because of work so the trip was equally important for our work as well as our sanity.

After I returned I had my traditional birthday dinner/inuman with my pinoy friends which was fun. Everyone was drunk especially me. haha. I missed having ella and the rest of my manila barkada around though. I have to admit not seeing their faces in my party was abit nostalgic for me. I even miss having olie try and steal the food from the tables.

In turning 31 I learned some important life lessons. I learned that life is simply how we make it to be. We may blame fate for our circumstances but in the end our so called "circumstances" are actually our own doing. I learned that happiness lies only in 1 place--ourselves. Nothing and no one can make us truly happy but ourselves. Sadness and loneliness comes about when we choose to give the power to make us happy to someone else.

Over the past few weeks Ive been instilling some changes in my life by taking back the power of being happy and finding my bliss. I'm slowly finding myself again. And I'm learning to love myself more-including my imperfections and my neurotic mood swings from time to time.

I've learned that being on my own may have given me freedom. But that freedom is choice. And whatever I choose, I should be ready to pay the price. I finally come to accept the truth behind the saying--you can have anything in this world as long as you are willing to pay the price.

I've learned that I have a gift-- a gift of being able to bring together people who normally would not even be together. Seeing my friends get drunk last friday night reminded me of that gift. My mom used to marvel at how varied my group of friends are. When you look at them they don't have anything in common but whenever it was time for my birthday or any of my parties at home, everyone would show up-- and even for a couple of hours they would actually get along.

Most of all I've learned not to settle for anything less than what I deserve. I am not seeking for perfection. But I've also learned that settling for anything less that what I really want is depriving myself of what I ought to have. And if I am fortunate enough to have this extension in life, I know I should not only live it but I should live it WELL.

enough said.

Trapped in the 13th floor

I found myself trapped in my apartment's elevator this morning. I was on my way to work when the lift (that's how the British call elevators) decided to go crazy and take me for a terror morning ride. I was trapped in the 13th floor (what a number right?!) with the lift's door only partially open.

I was on my way down when the lift suddenly bolted up instead of down. The indicator lights for the 14th and 15th floors lit up so I thought someone must have pushed that button before I boarded to lift. Then suddenly I felt a large jerk. Then the doors opened about 2 inches then stopped. That was when I realized I was stuck!

Trying not to get myself in a panic mode I began to push the open button. I dared not to push any other button as it might cause more problems. I pushed the alarm button to signal to the outside world that I was trapped. I had my phone and started to think of people to call for a rescue. Unfortunately I didn't have any of my apartment's maintenance people saved in my phone book.

It started to feel extremely hot after several minutes. I realized that the ventillation system wasnt working and if it werent for that tiny open slot i would have been suffocated for lack of air. My arm was already starting to numb from pressing that darn alarm button (it would turn off whenever I pull my finger out). After a few more minutes I saw an Indian guy pass by. I yelled for him to notice me. He looked lost first and finally noticed my voice. He was kind enough to call for help downstairs to the main security post. 10 minutes later two guards came to rescue me out. The two gentlemen were the guards I have come to befriend in the condo. Every morning we would say hello. When they saw me trapped there, they immediately rescued me out.

They had to pry the doors open with a wrench. That tiny slot saved my ass again. For had there been no opening, I would have had to wait for a technician to show up since the guards wont be able to pry it open at all.

It was 20 minutes of hell. By the time I got out I was sweating like a pig. The guards escorted me down and for a few moments there I actually contemplated on taking the stairs instead. I was so grateful to my two superheroes.

I used to just hear stories about people being trapped in elevators. Now I know how it feels like. And its a feeling I don't want to ever repeat again. Sana man lang may gwapo dun sa loob ng elevator diba?

Another misadventure in the life of an expat. It makes you realize--life is indeed full of surprises.

Chocolate Memories

"Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."

Forrest Gump once said this words to a stranger sitting beside him. When you think about it, its really true-- life is indeed full of surprises like that of opening a chocolate box. And even though the chocolate you have in front of you is actually one flavor, each bite is a surprise.

Staring at a worn toblerone box last night, I remembered the happiest day of my vacation. At the same I remembered that that day was also the saddest because it was the day of goodbye.

Life is like that in a way- full of ironies and twists of faith. Hello's and goodbyes always go hand in hand and Happiness and sadness will always be partners. And like eating chocolate, it gives you a high that leaves you feeling low once the sugar crashes your system.

But you'll always most definitely will remember the happy moments.

I hang on to those happy memories these days.
I hang on to them for dear life
Until the day I can relive them again
Until that day,
I'll look at my toblerone bars and smile.
And remember...

Ariantart's visit

Yesterday I had my first visitor for 2008-- Arian. We were orgmates in college and while she was still an applicant she became my sort of "adopted buddy" by virtue of her being Peter's buddy. Through the years weve remained in contact. We've never forgotten each other during the important dates like birthdays (she shares the same birthday with peter) and holidays. We even got to play badminton once or twice. She was like a little sister to me in MMC.

So yesterday she came over for an overnight visit on her way back from Melbourne to Manila. We went around KL to explore some of the city's highlights. Of course there was the traditional trek up the skybridge of Petronas and the "must" stop to buy vincci shoes. We walked around Merdeka square and took pictures around the city's well known landmarks.

It was nice to reminisce with her about our old college adventures. Ang dami na palang kinasal, ikakasal, nagbreak, nagkabalikan, nagbreak muli, etc. After a long day of nonstop walking, we took her to Kinrara to introduce her to malaysian streetfood.

Till the next visitor...

24 hours

If you had only 24 hours left to live, how would you like to live it?

Some people do not know the value of one day. They take it for granted. I almost did. Fortunately Ella reminded me of how special 1 day was. On my last day in Manila, I spent a few hours bitching over the fact that I couldn't do the things I want because of duties. And although it was childish and fickle, I was really so annoyed that I was "losing" my last day to just waiting in traffic and lining up in empty hallways.

Then I realized that I still had the rest of my 24 hours to live. By being annoyed and bitchy I was depriving myself the chance of being happy on my last day. So I did the next best thing-- I enjoyed what was left of my 24 hours and created memories to last me through until my next trip home.

In the final 24 hours I...

... played badminton with my original badminton group-- CUBES at Chut's. Had a blast playing with the boys once more.
... partnered with an old friend in a mixed doubles game that reminded me of my old form-- despite the long hiatus of our old partnership, he still brings out the competitive side in me.
... became friends again, even for a few minutes with someone. Kahit isang saglit.
... met up with the p10 girls for a traditional shakey's dinner of our favorites-- pepperoni crunch, basket of mojos, chicken and chips, and captain's choice of appetizers.
... paid a visit to enzo and Kim. took gazillions of pics again of our beloved inaanak and made some last minute chikka about our lives.
... played pusoy dos with my cousins after almost 10 years of hiatus. We used to have pusoy dos challenges when we were younger with our own scoring system to match. Ves used to win those games hands down. Until now she remains the champ.
... met some long lost relatives whom I haven't seen in ages.
... ate crispy ulo from baliwag's lechon and bought sweet corn from ateneo.
...called ella one time to many to update her about my whereabouts and doabouts-- I will miss our telebabad nights again.
... bonfire grill with divina, tetet, and jai. I didnt feel like "emoting" at home so I decided to show up to the post shakey's hangout.
... had my final eat out with idol at Figaro in sgt. esguerra. He treated me to a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a small chocolate cake-- this was tradition-- something Idol and I haven't broken (technically). He's always the last person I go out with every time I am home.

As I Anthony and I were leaving Figaro, I felt a twinge of nostalgia and regret. Idol gave me a box of toblerone chocolates (like the ones he gave me back in September) and we finally said our final goodbye. Weren't it for the realization that my mascara wasn't waterproof, I was literally on the verge of crying. Because at that moment it finally hit me-- that that was goodbye. I was going back to Malaysia the next day.

The tough part about going home I guess is leaving again especially when you've come to realize how much home meant. It would be a while again before I could just make a quick call to ella and classmate adrian and just say out of the blue, "tara lunch out tayo!" or have one of my late night dinners with Luis and Byo at Eastwood or tease idol in person while sipping our favorite cups of coffee (winnie the pooh and honey pie!hehehe) plus seeing weevens cringe with "imbyerna" whenever we speak about the soulmates RQ and V(Q?)

But still I'm happy. I'm happy I had 21 beautiful days. And I had 24 final hours to relish each one of those days.

Coffee-Hyperiffic day

I used to be a noncoffee drinker. I used to hate the smell of coffee so much that I would even ask Banjo back in college not to drink it while I was around. Ganon ko siya kaayaw. But through the years I learned to occasionally drink it until I discovered coffee in the UK. Ever since my UK trip, I've turned into a new coffee lover.

Last monday I experienced my first real coffee high. hahaha. I was literally in hyper mode the whole day thanks to the multiple coffee stops idol (a.k.a. winnie the pooh) and I made the entire day while working on his "baby" aka "thesis." We had breakfast in mcdo followed by coffee in starbucks. Then we had lunch at Dencio's (where I had coke) followed by tea in Figaro. By the time we got to Figaro in commonwealth I was in extra hyper mode already.

Yesterday I was in day 2 of my hyperrific coffee day. I don't know what was in the coffee at idol's house but after I cup I was in hyper mode na. To shut me up, he gave me his discussion chapter to read. hehehe. Di pa kami nadala, nag figaro pa uli kami while waiting for welibird to come out of class. More hyperness. hehehe. By the time we were eating lunch I was in my extra makulit mode already.

Thus when I got home last night I felt the sugar crash in my system.. plakda! After my chikka with ella, I was asleep faster than one could count from 1-10. hehe.

The hyper mode worked though coz we did manage to get a lot of work done. Kaya dapat matapos na yang thesis na yan.. para yung libre ko matuloy na. hehehe.

Celebrating the New Year in Davao

I'm here in Davao City for the New Year. My uncle was very gracious to invite us to spend some quality time with the rest of the family which includes my 86 year old grandparents, 2 sets of aunts and uncles, 4 cousins, and a brand new niece. Although I visited Davao right before I moved to Malaysia, it has been years since I got to celebrate the holidays here. When I was a kid, we used to go to Davao every Christmas. And growing up was filled with fond memories of our "family reunions."

Although definitely "older," we were like our old selves still. We had the traditional dinner in the 27 year old dining table with Papa and Mama at the helm. Gone is children's table since we all fit in the big table now but all the jokes and food are the still very much the same. We went to Paradise Resort for our traditional trip to the beach and ate our ever favorite calamares (now with Beer on the side! haha). Tryke, Kaye, Ves, and I swam our hearts out in my favorite beach of all time. I discovered that I wasn't totally hopeless in swimming as I could actually float in the seawater. I made a pact with Kaye that next Christmas, I'm coming back for my diving lessons courtesy of my cousin the dive master.

New Year's eve we went to Merco to eat our favorite ice cream dessert. When we were young we used to dare each other in ordering the "choo choo train" their humongous dessert. Pippin was the one we successfully dared that time who actually vomitted after eating too much ice cream. Pippin was our baby cousin then. Now he's a college student (and now I feel old! hahaha). Ves and Mikko ordered their ever favorite chocolate parfait (our favorite) while Kaye had the banana boat (2 scoops of ice cream as compared to the three scoops that comes with the Banana split... kaya boat lang siya.). I on the other hand finally succumbed to my halohalo craving and ordered my most missed dessert. Merco was on a christmas sale and everything was either buy one take one or 50% off. So I partnered with tito mannie so that I dont have to eat two orders of halohalo (kundi goodluck my diet naman diba?).

This reunion introduced us to the newest baby of the Llaneza clan-- Kikay, Mikko's cute baby girl. I met kikay when she was just about a month old last year but now 1 year later, she's as bubbly as ever. She loves to dance and smile. She's afraid of statues and giant bears but once accustomed to them she warms up nicely. She enjoys being carried by me and we bonded over goats and our penchant for headbanging while giggling together.

Then there's Pips and Happy-- my uncle's two dogs. Pips is an overweight golden retriever whose so lazy because he's so big. Last night he was too lazy to come and greet us in the porch from his post in the garden that he would only wiggle his tail to acknowledge hearing his name when we called him. Happy on the hand is the datschund with ADHD. I think he was injected with anti depressants or uppers. He can jump all day and all night without ever tiring himself.

Tomorrow were going back to Samal.. And saturday we'll be back home...

Kamusta na kya sina olie and annie?

Home For the Holidays

I am home again. Classmate said, "Welcome home for the nth time classmate!" signifying how this year was one travelling year for me. Now I know where all my money went. haha. Ella calls it the first year adjustment period. I think I prefer to call it "sanity trips."

My first day back was spent shopping in SM clark and a late night toma session with ella, classmate adrian, and earl. I miss the taste of ice cold san mig light. ahhhhh.. Total bliss. I forgot my pledge to diet during the holidays all together (what's a few more pounds?! hahaha).

For xmas eve and noche buena, mom and I went to Malolos to spend christmas with my uncles and aunts. It was a different noche buena for us as we've been so used to having just us for noche buena. Last night there were more people and I had all the noise I've been craving for all these months. My cousins and I spent the night teasing each other to death. It was just like the old times-- I could bully my cousins like crazy and get away with it (perks of being the ate!haha) only this time we're a bit older to do all the crazy stuff we used to do. Pigged out again with the traditional hamon, queso de bola, bbq, etc. There was even goto with isaw and a GSM blue spiked punch. Bobsi and I even got to watch Zaido and laugh our hearts out while watching the outrageous costumes. I credit the show for its creativity but di ko pa din carry ang costume designs! hahahaha.

My uncle asked me how come I never seem to run out of energy. I told him that when in manila, bawal ang matulog!bawal ang mag pahinga!bawal ang magkasakit! I will just sleep when I get back to KL. hehe.

Merry Christmas everyone.

The Runaway Lecturer...

It was a scene out of possibly a telenovela or one of those soap operas where the heroine has to find a way to run away from a villain. A true battle of wits that in the end that one who emerged victorious was the one who managed to outsmart, outrun and outlast the other. Mala survivor ika nga or pwede ding Amazing Race (Broga version?)

I thought it would just be an ordinary day. I had nothing much to do but I chose to report to the office in order to hit the gym and do some admin work. I was perfectly relaxed and after 2 hours of excercise I was prepared to just bore the day away (perhaps even catch an episode of private practice in between). But no, life has a way of twisting your day up into a pandora's box of surprises. An hour into my "semi automatic boring day" my life's peace was disturbed.

Like the princess in the enchanted, I had to think fast (syempre feeling princess, sayang lang walang mcdreamy to come and rescue me!). Thank God I had a long history of skills in scriptwriting and managed to concoct an elaborate script to escape. And with the help of some equally talented confederates, we managed to pull off the great nottingham escape. haha. It could rival the intricate plans of michael and lincoln in prisonbreak, with a slight detour to a place we fondly call "yu'sless" for some nasi ayam and nasi goreng pataya plus a sidetrip to the putu bamboo place (of course importante ang may baon diba?!). After several tense minutes, I was able to board a taxi to freedom. I was armed with only the essentials-- my wallet, my keys, my two mobile phones and my baon na puto bamboo. I left the rest of my stuff in my room. I just couldn't risk going back. ..Medyo chaka nga lang kasi naman di ko nafactor in sa great escape ang getaway bag ko. For the lack of a better alternative I had to make do with a pink plastic bag like the one they use in the palengke. hahaha.. Oh God, nakaka wapoise.

In the end I managed to outrun the halimaw sa banga, at least for now. Last I heard, my informants told me he left the building. I guess napagod din siyang bantayan ang pinto ng kwarto ko. It was scary though. And for a few moments, I felt a sense of panic building up in me. But I realized I didn't have the time to be scared so I had to push it out of my head. I had to think fast. And I had to use my brains rather than wallow in my fears.

I'm celebrating my small victory by cooking and thanking the heavens for the gift of great friends.

Once upon a time, everytime I would get into some weird mess, my friend would always be there to rescue me from my bloopers. When he left I thought I'd never find that kind of friend again. I was wrong. I may not have found someone like him, but instead I found many others who could be there to help me when I fall. So maybe I'm better off now. Coz instead of one, I have plenty.

Sabi ni Rok, "Ang haba ng hair mo day!"

Magnet ng stalker. Yikes. Pwede bang iba na lang?

One more chance...

I thought about it maybe once or twice, generally in passing, but often I shoved it at the back of my head. Why? I don't know. Perhaps it was because I've seen so many stories like that and didn't want to be part of yet another casual statistic. Perhaps, it was because I knew it was something not possible. Or maybe perhaps at the back of my head I knew that if things were possible I knew it might work out, but somehow after all the times I've fallen flat on my face, I never want to risk rocking theboat again.

So now I'm left with a list of maybe's and what ifs. Although I don't have regrets, I find myself wondering still what if. I think this is due to Popoy and Bashia's melodramatic moments plus the enchanting romance of mcdreamy and giselle in enchanted. Haay namoody tuloy ako. hahaha. But generally I am okay. I'm kinda happy with all these things. I'm very happy for my friend. I think I'm just in that Julia Roberts' phase in My Best Friend's Wedding. It's just a phase. I want it to be just a phase.

Of all the what if's and maybe's, there's one that I find myself being lonely for at this moment-- the one I look forward to whenever i'm about to leave. I don't think it'll happen again. My friend Wilai is right, nakasanayan eh. Mahirap talaga pag nasanay. ..

Yun nga lang ang nakasanayan, pwedeng sanaying wala na din.

I had too many one more chances. Unfortunately this time, time ran out.

For now.

***
Kasalanan to ni classmate. :P

Some Random Thoughts, One December Night

Perhaps it's the uncanily cold weather that makes the wind smell like christmas or the brightly lit lights that traverse the streets or the mini christmas trees that fill the insides of the malls. Or maybe it's just the nostalgic feelings brought about by the wedding of a friend and the news of a newfound interest of another.

But whatever it is, I just feel profoundly sentimental tonight. I'm a hodgepodge of emotions from utter delight to happiness to twinges of loneliness and regret. I guess you could say, tonight is a "halo halo" of emotions. And as I ramble these lines in my blog I can't help but smile and wonder, is this what they call bliss?

Yes. Bliss. Despite the sadness accompanying the nostalgia, I am happy. Something about the air here makes it filled with bliss. There are some things I refuse to think of maybe because i just dont want to spoil this moment of rarity--when things, though not perfect, is simply all right.

I can't help but think though of someone who used to be part of the bliss. Is he happy too? Does he know about her? I just hope that wherever he is, he would also find his bliss.. just like i found mine tonight.

Tama si wilai.. minsan ayaw mo na tlagang umalis...pero ang bawat hello may goodbye.. ang bawat simula may dulo.....

525,800 minutes in Malaysia

five hundred twenty five
thousand six hundred minutes
five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear
five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
how do you
measure? measure a year

in daylights,
in sunsets,
in midnights,
in cups of coffee,
in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife

in five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
how do you
measure a year in a life?

Right now it's almost 5pm in my watch. 525,800 minutes ago my plane was taxiing out of the NAIA runway and I was looking at my final glimpse to the place I called home for 30 year.

That's right. It's been a year since I moved to Malaysia. Who would have thought that I would survive? hahaha. I still remember the night before I left. I played badminton one last time at GBC and Luis and I had our last traditional "drive home." It was semi emotional in a way for me. And part of me didn't want to leave at all. I even held off packing my luggage until 4am of my departure date. Talk about delaying tactics. I cried when November 28 finally came. I remembered crying to mom and asking her that should I want to would it be okay for me to go back. I didnt want to disappoint her but at the same time moving away and leaving everything that mattered most to me was just too damn hard.

Ves took me took me to the airport with fr ben. We drove through jollibee to have my last meal on my beloved Kia sportage. Hurriedly I rushed to the insides of NAIA terminal 1 so that I wouldnt have to cry infront of my sister.

Now here I am a year later. When I left I made a bargain with myself and told myself just see it for a year and then decide afterwards. If I survive one year I will be okay.

I did. And I think I more than survived. And now looking back, I know I would have made the biggest mistake if I didnt at least try this adventure. Sure, there were downsides and times when I just want to completely pack my bags and go home for good. But there were lots of good times too. I may have gotten sick a lot but I also learned a lot. I learned more about myself than perhaps any other time in my life. And when I grow old I would always look at this life changing event as perhaps one of the best adventures of my life.

I left Manila to find myself again after everything I went through. Now 525,800 minutes later, I've befriended myself again and not only that I've learned to remember him in better times. I've learned to cherish the good and wash away the bad. And I've learned to forgive.

So what will happen now? I really don't know. I still have two more years in my contract. We'll see how that one goes.

For now, life goes on...


five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
five hundred twenty five thousand journeys to plan
five hundred twenty five thousand suix hundred minutes
how do you measure a life of a woman or a man

in truths that she learned
or in times that she cried
in bridges he burned
or the way that she died

its time now to sing out though
the story never ends
let's celebrate remember a year in a life of friends

Singapore Finds

I have to admit I am addicted to shoes.

There is something about shopping for shoes that makes my heart flutter and my eyes twinkle. My mom tells me that I have so much shoes already but I feel that unless I end up having 3,000 pairs of shoes like Imelda does, I don't think I'll ever have enough. I always find myself browsing through shoe stores and trying on my next must haves or search for discounted pairs that would be too hard to resist. One of the joys of finally landing a good job is being able to shop without guilt for the shows I love.

While in Singapore last Saturday I gave in to my inner child by splurging on my favorite accessory. We checked out Charles and Keith at Vivo city mall on our way to Sentosa Island and saw that there was a sale. Charles and Keith was quite expensive back in Manila so seeing them priced so reasonably in Singapore was like manna from heaven! haha.

I instantly fell in love with a pair of bronze 3 .5 inch high heels with a velvet ribbon. It was quite high but man did it feel so nice (Forget varicose veins, I'm getting these darn shoes!) After about forty minutes of browsing (i'm a quick shopper) I came out 100SGD poorer but much much happier with my nice finds. I also bought a pair of black pumps (I call it the sensible classic pumps) for work and a pair of black leather flats that were to comfy to resist.There were other designs that I would love to buy but I stopped myself or else I might end up spending my entire salary on these lovely creations.

I was kinda worried going back as the malaysian customs might question my purchases. Fortunately I breezed through easily. Whew! When I got home I immediately tried them on and walked all around the house. haha. It reminded me of the things I did when I was a kid whenever mom would take ves and me shoe shopping. We'd always model our finds at home.

After modeling my new finds, I carefully wrapped them back in their original boxes and stored them in my cabinet. I wish I had one of those gigantic shoe cabinets o I can arrange them in a display fashion but I guess labelling the boxes will have to do for now.

If love makes the world go round, then shoes make the walking around the world lighter. :)

Camping

I loved sleepovers growing up.

I remember looking forward to the times when my cousin Beryl would come over and sleepover my house when we were kids. Several times a year we would exchange sleepovers once in a while. Despite seeing each other almost weekly, we still looked forward to having those sleepover nights when we'd giggle our way to sleep.

Some of my fondest childhood memories were made during those camping nights. My cousin and I would play "beauty pageants" whenever it was pageant season or we'd play house in my natually messy room. In one of my barkada sleepovers, we spent the entire day preparing for the hs dance and chatted all night about our magical night.

But sometimes sleepovers would also mean goodbyes. After our HS graduation my entire barkada camped out at Ina's roofdeck for a night of nonestop laughter and girl bonding. Little did we know that that was one of the last times we'd see one of our friends for good.

In an impromptu camping, I recently relived aomw of those happy childhood memories. Totally unplanned, we decided to drink and go camping in my room. It was quite hilarious seeing adults at our age giggling and teasing each other to death about the most ridiculous things (think piritong kawali, kalabaw na nagmoomoo haha). One was locked out in the dark by the schoolboys (bad boys!).It was a true bonding moment filled with lots of laughter, giggles, kwentong barbero, kwentong "oc" and "pulis" and of course absolut mandarin (ay mandrin pala!) to keep us sane (hehehe)

The camping flooded on to the next day with a major foodtrip. Yummy lechong kawali, creamy molo soup (aka molo featuring the sotanghon), and tortang talong (aka giniling featuring the talong) all for a measly contribution of RM9 each (parang nag hapi cook ka lang). Of course nothing could beat the laughter that went along the coooking session especially when one would suddenly make "weird" remarks that appeared to have come from outer space! haha.

Who would have thought that an ordinary drinking session would turn out to be one of the best camping/sleepovers ever? Sometimes the best do come in the most ordinary packages, wrapped with a little adventure streak to spice things up. I learned not only to laugh more and smile more, but I've learned to value who are my true friends more. It made me miss home but it made me feel more at home here too.

I finally feel I belong.

I can't wait for the next camping.... Think Hat Yai eto.. yahoo!!!

A new discovery (a.k.a. adventures of the food fanatic)

Last friday I discovered my newest favorite dish in Malaysia--the asam laksa. It was initially introduced to me by Elaine and Alex when they took me out for lunch a couple of weeks ago but I never got to try it till last week. I decided to have a "food trip" to change my usual pasar malam habit of buying char kuey teow and satay. So I decided to try two new malaysian dishes I saw in the night market-- the pan mee and the asam laksa. Both were good but admitedly I liked the latter one better. It was really good. It tasted something in between sinigang and paksiw na isda with a tinge of minty taste to it. I couldn't stop thinking about the dish so exactly 7 days later I decided to have the dish again.

Right now I'm eating my bowl of asam laksa while waiting for my newly installed broadband connection to download the latest greys anatomy, heroes and prisonbreak episodes. It's quite spicy but I like it a lot. I asked the auntie not to put pineapples though. The auntie looked at me curiously thinking why on earth was I asking her to exclude that ingredient. Unfortunately I am terribly allergic to that fruit. Yes, there exist a person in this world that is allergic to pineapples.

One of the perks of living in a foreign country is discovering the country's food culture. And although I still cook a lot of pinoy food here in Malaysia I also enjoy trying new cuisines. I look forward to discovering more of malaysia's yummy dishes in the next few years.

ok back to eating... ciao!

Pictures from Willeah and Mark's Wedding

pics from the wedding of willeah and mark...

Five birthdays and a Wedding...

I went home for a quickie vacation/celebration over the weekend to celebrate five birthdays and a wedding. Despite feeling ill days before I managed to muster enough strength to fly home and be with my family and friends for our september to remember event. I arrived home in time to celebrate five birthdays-- Ves and tita dada's (21/09),Fr. Bu's (22/09), and Luis and Anthony's (25/09) and one wedding-- Whily's and Mark's. The third week of September is always filled with birthdays to celebrate for me as most of my family and friends are somehow born on that day.

The best part about going home is being able to renew ties with old friends. My first stop was of course Jollibee where I had late lunch with classmate and ella. Ella treated me to chickenjoy and creamy macaroni soup. yummy. Ella took me home afterwards where Mom ordered pizza from greenwich for dinner. I didn't get to quiz classmate but promise next time babawi ako!hahaha. Ella and I met up again the next night for dinner at burgoo. Foodtrip galore again. Calories calories!

Saturday morning was Fr Bu's birthday and I had a lecture for the Bu Eagle Lecture series. I woke up early to finish my presentation (as usual!) and managed to deliver a decent speech without crying. I couldn't say the same thing for my mom though--she was crying just as I was finishing my second sentence. In the short reunion at Admu, I got to say hello to Weevens, Ces, Jopie, Oliver, Bel and Jib. Nikki was there too. It was good to see him especially since I saw him last over a year ago during his dad's wake. He looked happy and that made me smile. Weevens and I took no time to get back to our wicked ways and bashing our "favorite" sleeper in class (I swear Weevs, maniac yon!!!)

During willeah's wedding, I was able to have a reunion with the PPPeyups gang. Gilbert, Vivi, Merly, Tintin and Eunice were guests along with Peter (na nag birthday din nga pala) and Aldwin E.(isa pang sept celebrant) We marvelled at Willeah's new body courtesy of fruitas and thought about going on that diet as well. We raided the dessert buffet and loved the chocolate fountain and array of chocolate desserts. After the wedding, Gilbert, Merl, Tin and I went for coffee (sans the coffee) in Starbucks pearl drive and talked about PPP, showbiz, travel, and life in general. We've come a long way since college days when all we could afford was tapsilog at UP SC or the occassional Mcdo meal. I laughed my heart out at Gilbert's and Vivi's anti wedding comments (di cost effective yan!-gilbert; pwede ba pag nagpakasal kayo civil na lang para walang ek ek?-vivi) and cried with Merly's story of heartbreak (hay merl! he doesn't deserve you!).

After a short coffee talk, I left them to visit my beloved pamilya badminton-- tito noel, tita nel, and kei at gbc. lolo rb was not around as he was busy with his new career in Starbucks. It was good to see Kei again since I missed seeing her the last time. Sayang lang di kami nakalaro.

The P10 girls showed up on Sunday for our traditional get together. As usual it was just the three of us again--Jai, Ina, and me. Mariel was there for a short time but had to leave early. Of course we understood (All for one, one for all in the name of love mare!). Kim and Rency also came with baby Enzo whose past time of playing superman was so cute to watch. I never thought I had the skill to actually make a baby laugh but Enzo must have found me really funny. Or mukha kaya akong clown?

Of course there was still my bonding moments with Mommy. We went to MOA on Sunday to do some shopping and eating at Terryaki boy. We also went to Ever to buy groceries. I know my mom misses having me to drive her around. I miss having her around too.

I got to play Badminton only once since it was only a short vacation. But it was still worth it. I played four matches and did a series of drills with Luis. This is what I miss the most--playing with Luis and the rest of the GBC/pamilya badminton gang. So even if I was beet red after the games due to fatigue, I was in bliss. Luis treated me to a pre-birthday dinner that Monday night in Chowking where i finally got to satisfy my craving of halo halo and tokwa't baboy. Luis and I reminisced about our adventures in the past and even got to drop by Manang's for some post badminton chikka.

The last two days of vacation was spent mostly with idol Anthony and our breakfast dates. On Monday we went to chocolate kiss where we feasted on tocilog and cakes. The best. Sayang there was no dayap cake but the Kahlua butter cake was still divine. We swapped stories about life and love and teased each other to death about our bloopers. Of course nothing could beat Idol's date at the dome and the tea "gay ka ba?" question that came with it.

I took him to work after (sorry late ka idol!) with the promise of breakfast again the next day which was also his birthday (same day as Luis). I picked him up the next day and got the honor of driving his new car-- a honda civic. It was an honor because no one has driven the car yet (even he hasn't driven it!). We took his car to Sto Domingo Church where we had mass (weevens said buti di daw ako nasunog!hahaha). We went to the virgin mother and prayed in the blessed sacrament before heading off to breakfast at heaven and eggs in Tomas Morato.

Of course true to form, there were the jaime bloopers-- as i was kneeling in the blessed sacrament i knocked on the chair by accident causing a lot of noise in the very quiet chapel. hahaha.. and have i mentioned i didn't have a license? I kind of forgot it in Malaysia. :) I told Anthony that I couldn't leave manila without our traditional last gimik together. And even though I promised myself I would not get senti over this vacation he made it nearly impossible for me not to do so. (kakainis ka idol! but thanks for the toblerone!)

We finally said good bye in front of v. luna hospital with a the promise of seeing each other again in December (baguio here we come!) and I headed back to ADMU where I met up with Weevens for the last goodbye.

By 130pm I was off to the airport. It was time to go back. ganung kabilis ang limang araw. limang tulog. kakasimula pa lang..tapos na agad. I spent some time on the phone with ella while waiting for the check in counter to open. One of the things I miss most while here in Malaysia is our telebabad nights. I got another call from Idol and had a relaxing foot and back massage before I finally boarded my flight to KL.

On my way from KL to Manila I sat beside a pinay DH on her way back home for good. She was teary eyed when she shared how she was going home for good. I could sense her happiness and sadness at the same time. She was excited to be with her family at last after being away for 6 years but at the same time I sensed her apprehension about what lies ahead. She told me how she hopes to come back again in the future.

Part of me was glad that I had a job to get back to unlike her. But a bigger part of me was envious because she gets to go home for good while I only had five days. If only she knew how lucky she was and how much I'd give to exchange places with her at that moment.

But Ella is right. I need to be here in Malaysia for now. This is my path for now. To quote Gilbert, mahirap kumita ng PPP.

But one day I shall be back.. for good.

Unexpected Trip

I'll be taking an unexpected trip tomorrow. It wasn't planned but at the last minute I decided what the heck, its only 8K right? The past 4 days I've been sick and knowing that in less than 24 hours I will be back to my comfort zone again is enough to keep from wallowing in self pity.

I'm going home tomorrow. I'm seeing my family again. I'm seeing ella again. Makakagimik ako with Luis and the GBC gang again.. Olie and I will get to play again.

Even for a short while. Even for just 5 days. I have one heck of a schedule but I am very excited once again. Celebrating 7 birthdays and 1 wedding in 5 days would be one good reason to go home.

Uwian na!!!!

Ateneo humor

Was reading through one of my former student's blog at multiply and read this funny story. It reminded me of the familiar faces left at home and somehow it helps heal that pervasive feeling of homesickness. So I'm reposting it here..

according to the blog of JB it was written by migoy lizada.

if you haven't read hp7, this might contain some spoilers, beware.

it's funny but it's long so hang on!

----------------------------------
(Background Music)
We stand on a hill
Between the earth and sky
- "Song For Mary," Fr. James Rueter SJ

Chapter One: Before The Storm

Fr. Bienvenido Nebres SJ was just finishing the day's work when Harry Potter, a senior of the Ateneo de Manila, burst into his office.

"Fr Nebres!" Harry shouted

"Harry!" a surprised Nebres said. "I thought you were out of school destroying the horcruxes to kill Lord Voldemort."

"That's what I wanted to tell you. I discovered that there are two horcruxes here in Ateneo itself. Voldemort has enlisted the help of the De La Salle University and the University of Santo Tomas. They are coming."

"Don't worry, Harry." Nebres said "You know for a fact that Ateneo-- its teachers and students -- are more than capable of defending our Loyola campus. We will hold them off while you search for the horcruxes and destroy them. You will need this." He waved of his wand and out of the air appeared a sword. "The sword of St. Ignatius." Nebres said. "Powerful enough to destroy the two horcruxes."

"Thank you, Father" Harry said. And with that, he sped off to find the last two things which protect Lord Voldemort.

Nebres then waved his wand once more and this time, four people appeared in his office. "Marlu, Rudy, Toby and Joey. The school is in danger"

Nebres then explained the situation to the four Deans of the Ateneo de Manila University.

"I want you to assemble all remaining students in the college covered courts. We must evacuate the freshmen through Marikina. The sophomore, junior and senior students may stay and fight if they want to. Next, I need you to assemble all the teachers, both part time and full time."

Without a word, the four deans Disapparated and went on with their tasks. Nebres too Disapparated back to the Jesuit Residence and briefed the Society about the impending attack.

Fr. Adolfo Dacanay was the assigned to lead the Jesuits to battle "My team is ready to fight anytime anywhere. We will crush them!"

"Excellent." Nebres said

After a few minutes, Nebres, the four Deans and some members of the faculty and administration gathered in Xavier Hall to discuss the battle plan.

"The School of Humanities can summon mythical creatures to help defend us." Marlu Vilches said "The English Department professors are summoning creatures from Dante's Inferno and Greek Mythology as we speak. The Filipino Department is summoning all the manananggals and white ladies from the haunted trees on campus"

"The Philosophy Department" interjected Fr. Ferriols "is summoning creatures from Meron pond right now. Those rascals will soon feel the wrath of Meron! Magiging WALA silang lahat! Konsepto lamang sila!"

"Now is the time to test the newest chemicals and inventions from our SEC laboratories." Toby Dayrit said, "The Department of Environmental Science professors are enchanting the trees to life right now. We will purge them with the help of Mother Nature."

"I have just received a call from MVP" Rudy Ang said "Reinforcements from Makati are coming soon."

"My apples and sunshine are ready to fight as well" Tim Gabuna said. "Go CERSA!"

"I have just finished briefing my school. The Department of History is ready to fight. The Western history professors led by Dave Lozada and JoEd Tirol are summoning the three hundred Spartans and soldiers from the World War II to fight. Fr Bulatao and the Department of Psychology are locked inside the SocSci Conference room right now. They will use their psychic powers to toy with our enemy's mind."

"I have roused the athletes also." Norman Black beside Ricky Palou said. "They are ready to put up One Big Fight with their super strength."

A voice interrupted them. "I KNOW YOU ARE PREPARING TO FIGHT! You are no match for us! I have allied myself with the La Salle brothers and the Dominicans of UST. You cannot win against me, Jesuits. Push the limit! Animo Spirit! Give us Harry Potter and the sword of St. Ignatius and we will let you live! We will even let you win some of the games."


Chapter Two: More Help

The Ateneans ignored the warning and instead began to prepare for the impending battle. A few minutes later, the voice shouted for a second time:

"I can see you are not listening! It is such a pity. What happened to your Prayer for Generosity? Give me Harry Potter and the Sword of St Ignatius. Give without counting the cost, you always say! You have until midnight. I also call on all students of La Salle Greenhills and La Salle Zobel. It is not too late. Come and join us. Convert! Repent!"

Fr. Dacanay, interrupting his briefing with his exorcists turned and said "The idiot is taking the prayer out of context. Besides, St Ignatius also said to fight without fear of being wounded. And we will do just that."

Three figures -- two women and a man -- suddenly appeared. "We are from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology" said the man.

"Ricky Abad!" Fr. Nebres exclaimed.

"I brought with me our Department Chair Bopeep Saloma-Akpedonu. And this is Czarina Medina, one of our newest lecturers. We apologize for being late. We were preparing our I-bombs."

"I-bombs? What are I-bombs?" Nebres asked.

"Ideology bombs. Once they detonate, they will spread false consciousness in the area -- the La Salle brothers and the Tomasians will think they are winning. It is all false really. We will use their pride against them."

"Excellent. Excellent." Nebres said. "And here comes Andrew Ty and Mark Escaler for the Department of Communication."

"Yes!" Escaler said "we will infiltrate their communication processes by adding "noise" and ambiguity between the message relay of the sender and the receiver so orders can be reversed and thwarted!"

"The creatures from my horror films are coming!" Andrew Ty said. "We will use them to our advantage!"

"Father President! Some people are coming!" somebody shouted.

Some five hundred people then Apparated out of nowhere. Wearing either red or white shirts, they marched towards Nebres. A young man then stepped forward.

"We are from the University of the Philippines." said the young man. "For years, our academic communities have built a strong relationship with each other. We have shared professors. We went to rallies together. We have had our differences. Yes. But in the end, our similarities and accomplishments outweigh our differences... We are here to help! We are honored to fight with Ateneo once more!"

Cheers and applause errupted from all sides.

"Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baba from the hill" the Ateneans cheered

Five minutes to midnight.

The School of Humanities stood with their mythical creatures summoned from the Classics, and the haunted trees and the gigantic swamp creatues from the Meron pond.

The John Gokongwei School of Management with their reinforcements from Makati, along with Venus Ibarra, Ricky Pilar and other professors.

The School of Science and Engineering with their mysterious inventions and weapons. The gigantic trees in the campus now walking sluggishly by their side.

The School of Social Sciences with their unique yet powerful defensive weapons; the Psychology Department ready for the psy-war.

The Ateneo Professional Schools ready to defend their Loyola-based counterparts; the two fraternities in the Law School forging a temporary alliance.

The Alumni, the D.A. (Dalandan's Army), led by Benjie Laza and Mon Cualoping.

The statues of Tomas More, Horacio dela Costa, the Blue Eagle come to life.

The students from U.P.

Two horcruxes left.

Now all is still, where Loyola's colors fly.


Chapter Three: One Big Fight

Midnight.

There was a burst of light emanating from the sky, brighter than the moon and the stars. What seemed like a horde of fireflies turned out to be arrows. Thousands of arrows. Tips on fire.

The arrows struck the Blue Eagle Gym. The oldest building in the University. The symbol of their athletic pride. Now aflame.

Toby Dayrit tossed a beaker of water to the burning building. He pointed his wand at the beaker now mid-air and shouted his spell "Magis." The water transformed into a surf huge enough to douse the fire. The Blue Eagle Gym was safe.

The archers outside roared their disappointment. But they shot again, this time targeting the Erenchun soccer field where some of the Ateneans were camped. Nebres pointed his wand at the arrows raining from the sky and shouted his incantation "Cura personalis" and the thousand arrows turned into bubbles.

The Ateneans cheered. The first two attacks of the LaSallians and the Tomasians have been thwarted.

"You have had your fun, Ateneans." a voice boomed. "Now it is time to get serious."

Darkness suddenly enveloped the University. The enemy had sabotaged their electricity. Immediately all the Ateneans took out and flickered their wands, "Lux in Domino" they chanted. Light emanated from all the wands.

The illumination came just in time as suddenly a stampede crushed the fences between Gate 2 and Gate 2.5. The Ateneans have realized the magnitude of their danger: it was not just the LaSallians or even just the Tomasians they were confronting; the other schools were there as well. A thousand green archers were riding the backs of the giant tigers of UST. Charging with them were the giant tamaraws and a hundred warriors whose bodies were painted red war paint. Above, falcons were soaring in the sky.

"YOU FOUL THINGS, noh?" somebody from the Ateneo crowd shouted, charging at the stampede; it was Tessa Rosana "How dare you attack us, noh? You don't know who you are dealing with, noh? TAKE THIS, noh?" She hit her gong with all her might. A powerful sound wave spread throughout the area knocking a hundred archers and animals out.

"Haha anoh?" she triumphantly yelled.

And so the other Ateneans started counterattacking as well. David Lozada and his 300 Spartans. The ROTC cadets. The mythical creatures of the School of Humanities. Dalandan's Army.

Ricky Abad and the Department of Sociology soon deployed their Ideology Bombs prompting some of the LaSallians to cheer instead of fighting. They cheered, "strawberry shortcake nananananana." instead of "Recticano! Recticano". This allowed some of the Ateneans to easily knock the LaSallians out.

Somewhere near the Covered Courts, Norman Black was briefing his team, "Nonoy. I want you here. Chris, here. Jai, there. Alright? Any questions."

"Aaaaah! GOD DAMN IT!" a raspy voice screamed. It was Joe Lipa, former coach of the Blue Eagles, who arrived with the contingent from UP. "Just charge! Attack them! Now!" And so they did.

The LaSalle brothers and Francisco of UST were outside, watching the battle, waiting for their turn to strike.

A handful of LaSallians were found trotting back to their base.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" Francisco yelled.

"You told us to retreat!" the archer said.

"You idiot! That's just Escaler and Bulatao toying with your minds! Go back! That's it! I am joining the battle!"

She then stepped forward lifted her two arms and shouted "Tiger Power! Raar! Tiger Power! Raar!" The LaSalle brothers thought she had lost her mind. But then she suddenly transformed into a giant tigress, twice larger and fiercer than the ordinary tigers. Seeing their comrade ready and willing to fight, the LaSallians cheered.

"HOY!" Goldie the Tiger roared "NO CHEERING DURING BATTLE! NO CHEERING!" Then she advanced.

Her first target was Fr. Dacanay who was busy exorcising some of the archers and paralyzing them.

"FATHER! Behind you!"

Quickly, Dacanay whirled and performed his own counterattack "Expellus Inferius" blasting her into the middle of the Erenchun field, knocking her out.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" The La Salle brothers shouted upon seeing their comrade down. "It is time we even the score."

The earth began to quake. And out of the night came a gigantic robot. It was DLRT; the LaSallians had transformed and brought the LRT-1 which passed Taft Avenue into a robot.

DLRT was making quick work of the Ateneans and their creatures-- crushing the mythical creatures here and there, tossing the trees brought to life by the Department of Environmental Science.

"Let us not lose hope!" Nebres said. "We are after all committed to hope."

"Now is not the time to talk about GK, Father!" somebody said.

"I am not talking about GK. I am talking about SECtor."

He pointed his wand the Science Education Complex. The building shook and assembled itself into a robot. SEC A was the head and the torso. SEC B became the left arm and leg and SEC-C became the right.

"Mang Freddie!" Nebres called.

"I am ready, Father!" shouted Freddie the man in charge of Escaler Hall which has now become the control room SECtor.

"Attack, Freddie! One Big Fight."

DLRT was no match and quickly collapsed under the strength of SECtor.

"Fr Nebres!" Harry Potter appeared. "Two horcruxes have been destroyed!"

"Animo La Salle!" "Animo La Salle!" "Animo La Salle!"

There were screams of terror. The LaSalle brothers had entered the battle. They were using their most dangerous spell: The Animo LaSalle â€" the Killing Curse!


Finale: The Animo Wand

Ateneans were dropping dead left and right. The Animo La Salle curse was unblockable. Some of the more veteran teachers provided extra defense and protection to the students but most of their efforts were futile.

Dacanay and his Jesuit team however managed to stun a few archers.

Victory however seemed far-fetched. Francisco had been revived from the Stunning Spell by Dacanay. Back in human form, she was battling Jai Reyes, Kirk Long and Chris Tiu at the same time. While the players were certainly skillful, Francisco was able to block all spells launched by the Blue Eagles.

Francisco pointed her wand at Chris Tiu and shouted "Animo La Salle!" But the curse missed him by an inch.

"Not Chris Tiu you BIATCH!" somebody shouted; it was Achoot Cuyegkeng. "Out of my way! Out of my way! FRANCISO'S MINE!"

Francisco laughed. " You are no match for me! I am the greatest servant of the Dominicans! What's gonna happen to your Loyola Schools after I kill you?! What's gonna happen to your Blue Eagles after I kill Chrissy?"

"You will never touch any of our students again!!" Cuyegkeng said.

Francisco laughed. And with her unerring skill as jack-of-all-trades professor Cuygekeng sent a Stunning Curse at her opponent. The curse hit her squarely on the chest, knocking her out once more.

"Enough!" Harry shouted. "Voldemort! Where are you? You have been using the LaSallians and the other schools to come after me. Where are you?"

"I am here, Potter." a voice hissed. The voice came from Bro. Armin.

"Brother Armin?"

"No! I am Voldemort! Armin is my past, present and future. See?" he wrote the word Armind then with a flicker of his wand the word became Voldemort.

"I don't get it." Harry said

"Ako rin!" an Atenean said.

"Ha? Can you make ulit?" another one shouted.

"How did Armin became Voldemort?"

"Bai, nalibog na ko!" A Cebuano Atenean shouted.

"Bah! Never mind! Anyone knows the LaSallians can't spell. So anyway, I stunned Armin a few days ago and using his name and face I used the school and all the other schools to come and find you!"

"But you are too late. I destroyed all the horcruxes"

"No, Potter. I win. You see, while I was Bro. Armind. I was able to find the long lost and most powerful wand in the entire world-- the Animo Wand! And you will be its first victim!"

"Are you kidding me, Tom?" Harry said "Don't you get it? The wand chooses the school. The Animo wand does not belong to La Salle! It belongs to the Ateneo."

"No! You are the fool! The LaSallians have been cheering Animo La Salle for such a long time. The LaSallians truly own the wand and since I am a LaSallian for now, I own it. Die Potter die!"

"But you see, Riddle, you did not review University histories. If you did, you would know that the Ateneans used Animo Ateneo first. And they still use it now. There is even a website right now named AnimoAteneo.com . The Ateneans have reclaimed Animo Ateneo!"

Silence.

"So. It comes down to this isn't it?" Harry whispered "Does your wand know that its original owner still values it? If it does, I AM THE TRUE MASTER OF THE ANIMO WAND!"

Voldemort points his wand at Harry who in turn has prepared for the final duel.

"ANIMO LA SALLE!" Voldemort shouted.

"OH! GET. THAT. WAND!" Harry shouted.

The curse rebounded and hit Voldemort instead of Harry who caught the Animo Wand with his other hand. Cheers from the Ateneans and even some La Sallians, who realized that they were duped were all around.

That morning both Ateneo and La Salle forged a cease fire, a temporary one because the next day was the Ateneo-La Salle basketball championship. Francisco who was revived after hours of being stunned by Dacanay and Cuyegkeng decided to lift the "No Cheering!" rule during time out. However, she still flinches whenever Dacanay (or any Jesuit for that matter) would approach her.

There were however, a group of La Sallians who disagreed with having a cease fire. They believed that the death and defeat of Voldemort was unfair so they decided to file a protest. This was later junked due to lack of merit.


Epilogue. Nineteen years later.

It was the day of the ACET.

Harry Potter was accompanying his son Ben.

"Dad! What if I fail the ACET and end up in DLSU?"

Harry looked at his son and said "Bienvenido Adolfo! You were named after two of the most powerful Jesuits in the country. One of them is a good friend of ours. In fact he was the one who officiated our marriage."

"But... but... so what if I DO fail the ACET and end up in DLSU?"

Eh di bobo ka talaga! Harry thought. But he didn't say that. "But we will still love you as our son!" Harry said. "Alright. Your test starts in a few minutes. Make us proud. One Big Fight."

Hypomanic Mode on a Lazy Friday

I think I'm subconsciously Bipolar. Hahaha. I'm on hypermode again today- walking and running around almost everywhere. It started with my Forrest gump run to the KTM train this morning and still frustratingly missing the UNMC bus by a mere 30 secs. I think that started my hypomanic episode today.

Once I arrived on campus I was like a well oiled machine answering emails, phone calls and walking from one building to another trying to get all my list of things to do done as soon as possible. If there was a video crew running after me, I'm sure they'd feel tired with my never ending energy. But I enjoy doing this. It keeps me from being bored which is the worst thing that could happen for me. I'd rather be bone tired than absolutely bored.

My mom used to say that I'm such a hypomanic person at times that she's the one who feels tired for me. Maybe I am. But somehow I find myself working like that-- when I feel really energetic I really push myself so that when I finally feel tired I get to rest all I want.

I miss having more hyper people around like weevens and oliver..Especially Weevens. Partner kami sa kahyperan dati eh. Luis was hyper din in someways especially sa court. I think being around hyper people made me hyper by affinity.

Now I'm sleepy naman...Too much tom yam fried rice for lunch.

So does this really make me slightly bipolar?! hmmm...