I will try... for 2009

Looking back at what I wrote for New Year's last year, it has become so profound that I chose that particular piece out of our church program. Galing! It fit my year to the t. Being in such a different place, 2008 has been pretty good to me.

So what to do with 2009? Hmmm... Even now, I have a lot of great things planned already so just keeping my fingers crossed and hope and pray to my Lord nalang gid for His best.

1) I will try to be more in control of my temper. Hay... ara sa lahi. I will try to be more patient, calm and not so obsessive about things. Ang wrinkles! Mahal pa naman ang botox!

2) I will try to be healthier in the way I eat. Oh God help me gid on this one. Less fat, less salt. Hay... How sad naman ang new year hehe

3) I will try to dress my age (argh!). Kung si dad pa, mag babayi na ako. :P

4) I will try to be more responsible with my expenses. Blah blah blah...

5) I will try have my mole near my eye removed before mid-year. Dr. Cline... dali nalang gid.

This is what I have so far. Not much but it says a lot. Notice, I didn't say I promise, only that I will try. I will. I will. I will. Keeping my fingers crossed.

stuffed stocking

got a lot of great things this Christmas 2008. but not the material kind. i got a lot of neat stuff, don't get me wrong and i got ninoys and stuff, too (which is never a bad thing). but what beats everything is who and what i have in my life right now.

with 2008 almost over, a lot of things has just fallen on my lap and i cannot be more thankful. granted, i got the worst problems i have had in my life to date, but i got the best blessings as well. to count, i have had more blessings than woes so that just writes all the woes out of the picture.

2009 is fast approaching and its like i'm entering the new year running but its such a wonderful feeling to be doing something that you love with the people who you need at this particular moment in time right there with you, holding your hand.

Merry Christmas everybody! Jesus lives and He is just full of surprises! :D

Feelin' the jinggle

Fireworks are going off outside my room right now. This is crazy! I love it! Not to mention that the fireworks in Roxas these days have definitely improved. Kewl! :-D

The past few days have been so crazy. One party after the other, I can barely keep up with whats what and whens what. Madness! But I say it with a very big grin on my face.

In about 2 hours I have to wisk myself off my very comfortable chair, feet off the bed and get downstairs for yet another party. I love this time of the year because I can actually say that I get tired of lechon at some point. What a feelin! I love lechon and I love the chicharon bulaklak even more. Thank you, Michael for the very cholesterol filled contribution. Keep up the good work. Best chicharon bulaklak and I am not exaggerating. Heavunh!

I kinda wanna go out and meet up with friends but at the same time, my pjs feel oh so good right now. Hmmm... what to do. What to do.

One thing I wanna do this New Year's Eve, HAVE FUN! And leave all the stupidity and tears behind in 2008. On to a better 2009.

Got one of the best gifts I've had so far from my bhe2. So corny na naman! But he does have good taste and he is really proving to be such a sweetheart gid. I have good taste ;)

11 days 'til Christmas

NOW I CAN TALK ABOUT IT...

I'm just so happy right now. I have been so blessed. Had a slight healthy scare a few weeks ago. Had to go to Manila to have it checked out. Thank God it wasn't serious. But, to be honest, despite everyone's nervousness and anxiety, I wasn't concerned one bit. Up to the day before I was occupied with other things, excited about other stuff. Even I was surprised at my lack of attention towards the "situation". I thought, maybe it just hasn't sunk in yet. But until I got in and out of the doctors '(take note, plural) offices and after the very uncomfortable and unexpected tests... wala lang.

I don't want to appear arrogant or holier-than-thou... But I just have to say that somehow, God just didn't make me worry. As a lot of people know, I am probably the most nerbyosa girl. I can hang out with the best of them. I typically want things to be in control or 90% predictable. Not a big fan of surprises and all that. So, just goes to show what kind of person I am. But like in other circumstances, it was just like I just knew. What could I gain by worrying? The thing about healthy issues is the fact that most of the time, it is competely out of your hands. It is the ultimate place in time and life that you do realize that it is just between you and Him. Everyone and everything else is just a tool. Maybe its because I've had to deal with other problems in my life that when I reached this point, I could already handle it. Praise God for it! I alone could have fallen into a nervous breakdown and would have probably made it so much worse. So, thank you, Father! This is all you!

CCF STOP

I do appreciate the things I got to do this time in Manila. Since I spent more days there, I got to relax a bit. Going to CCF after my tests was like a wonderful breath of fresh air in the morning. Just what you need to take you further. Just wish I could have tried harder to convince my mom to go with me. She just hung out at Podium the whole time. Hay...

GO MANNY!!! WHAT THE ---?!?

The Pacquaio fight was something to talk about. Honestly, in my very humble and inexperienced opinion, Dela Hoya could have done so much better. I am not a boxing fan but I remember his fights from years past and this was... well, I don't know what that was. I am 100% for Manny but it was kind of insulting in a way. It could have been a good fight. I didn't get to watch the live telecast because was picking Tito Nonoy up at the airport. I got to watch the delayed telecast nalang. But even when I was listening to the radio, you could feel that things weren't at their fullest potential. Tsk tsk tsk.. Hope its a better rival next time. Hope its Maryweather :)

I LOVE EAT!

One of my favorite restaurants in Manila as of the moment are Tsukiji and Chelsea. I am so glad I got to go to them and just binge.

Tsukiji has always been the place I would go to with the Alcantaras. Tito Nick's thing and I love the place as well. Tsukiji is probably one of the places I got to really fall in love with simplicity and elegance of natural and uncorrupted ingredients. Thats why Japanese food is always on a class of its own. Forget the California Makis and other stuff invented by other races to be passed off as Japanese. This is what Japanese food is all about. Love love love it :)

Chelsea is always a mouthful. My favorites is the duck, the chilean sea bass and baked mac.

Serendra resto favorites also include Italianni's (love the parmesan fish and the steaks and porkchops! Ooohh.. and their dalandan shake!), Zhou, Mamou, Mary Grace, Silk.

Mom also celebrated her 5*th birthday at Gloria Mare's - Greenhills. I love the Peking Duck. Sigh! To die for! Everything else was sooo good. Even the taho was just right. Then again, I was really hungry at about 8pm that Tuesday night.

MARKY CIELO'S PASSING AWAY

Just like Rico Yan a few years ago, I wasn't really a fan per say. I could appreciate both actors but not a big teleserye person. As many people know, I am more Korean in this aspect. haha! But I do have my moments.

But this death is just so sad. Sad in the sense that both Rico and Marky had so much going for them but by some unexplained reason, they were taken away. I remember Marky for what he stood for. How he was so proud to be of Igorot descent. Not to mention he didn't have that many intrigues and was your typical boy next door. Charming and just smiling most of the time. So it was sad when I heard. Sayang...

Born May 12, 1988. Died, December 7, 2008. 20 years old.

WTC, i have arrived

had so much fun at the WTC bazaar over the weekend. but the problem that i usually have is that i think i bought a lot or enough but end up with just a handful of items and so much more left on my list. dang it!

for the first time in my life, my hands were practically bruised! i am not exaggerating. but i have to clarify that it wasn't because i got a lot. it was because the plastic bags were horrible and torture to the person carrying it! should have borrowed pam's thingie that she uses to carry bags. shucks!

i just love looking over new stuff with new and fun ideas. and you have so many moments where you think, "why didn't i think of that?". i still regret not being able to do my part with our outlandish biz. la pagid ko ya ka duty. hay.. would love to take part in the marketing aspect of it all.

saw some artistas and models there also. ate sooo much siomai! its the best thing when you want a quick snack. its that or fishball/kikiam for me. wash it down with cold mountain dew. heaven! works so well when you have siomai with some chilli on the side. mmmm...

wish i could have had more time to shop and look around more carefully.

still on a high

What a week since I last wrote. Will try to post as much as I can.

CAPTESA 2008

My last post was about our victory last CAPTESA. Got some pics of our kids during the event. I am so proud! This is another big step for us. That's 3 years in a row already! Humbling and surreal at the same time for all of us.

congrats to everybody involved! we are all champions! --- and i don't mean this in a yabang way. its in a way that shows what you can achieve if you work hard and practice, practice, practice.

A moment

Thank you, Father, for never leaving or forsaking me. For planting hope and faith in my heart. For being able to face the twists of life with my head held high, peace in my heart and victory in the horizon always. Thank you, Lord. Your name be glorified. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.

champs back to back to back

captesa competition finally over and done with, we can all relax now. whew! so stressful and completely over my head at times. but it was all worth it. 6 out of 8 golds (for the 2nd year in a row!) and 2 silvers in hrs! gold in table napkin folding, bed making, centerpiece making, skirting, cooking, mocktail and cake decorating! silver in bartending and table setting (daya gid ni ya but couldn't complain kay looks like we are getting greedy. sigh!).

Pics to be posted soon!

welcome home dahling...

its sleeky silver, shiny, purrs like a kitten, smells oh so good and as comfy as a nice warm blanky. slap me i'm deliriously happy. joey calls it "tita fe". leave it to him to be oh so supportive ;) but, he did play a big part in this so credit goes to him as well.

am so happy, happy, happy!

he's just not that into you

can't wait for this movie to come out! looks like fun!

the moon last night

too bad i didn't take a pic of the moon last night. as i was making my way back from ilo2 to roxas (back aching and head all dizzy), i saw the most awesome sights i have ever seen in my entire life. the moon was at its quarter phase and above it were two stars. so it looked like a smiling face. i thought it was adorable just the way it was but my driver, larry, told me that in the old days, the elderly would say that someone must have eloped. awww... isn't that just too romantic? then i texted dad about it and he answered it was jupiter and venus together. again, another romantic point of reference. isn't it just a dreamy thought? sayang didn't get a picture of it 'coz i was too tired to do anything when i got back. wanna kick myself now.

smelling Christmas in the air

its finally december and looking forward to this Christmas after a long sting of blah Christmas pasts. made a mad dash to complete my hijado/a list but still managed to forget 1 of them. darnnit! i tried not to accept ninang roles from people i am not very close with. after all, it is a lifetime commitment (you don't need a seminar to understand that part of the deal). How can you even be there for the kid someday when you have barely anything to say to the parents. yikes!

but Christmas shopping is proving to be so much fun so far. not until the point where my money runs out haha but as of right now, things are under budget. wuhu!

A friend of mine asked me what i wanted for Christmas this year. Then i realized, its been years since i even thought of a Christmas list! Thought this would be fun, so why not?

Some are a bit ambitious and selfish, but this is just sort of a game. Peace on earth and goodwill to men will always be the most popular choices.

Things i want for Christmas:

1) for my thingie to go away (this is a little prayer and not just a wish).
2) a new hyundai santa fe or chevy captiva (but my dad won't like it, though)
3) a new pug puppy (male, preferrably)
4) bath and body's black currant vanilla body wash and foam bath (got one on my birthday and i love it! so trying to use it only on special occassions).
5) P1,000,000! la lang heheh gusto ko lang :-P cash lang tani.

another great ending

making peace with my PALOY demon came as a funny surprise. totally useless conversation but it did help add more nails to the coffin of closure on that part of my life. dugang lansang para never nagid maka guwa o makita pa. bow! :D

all i can say is, what was i really thinking? must have tripped or hit my head really bad.

it was so funny when i texted the people whom i confided on over it.

Me: Hey, ges hu texted me?

Friends : si PALOY?

what can i say, he acted like it, hence, he's known for it.

on to bigger, better and more gwapo future. at least this time, may future na gid man to speak of :)

blue diamonds together again

anne's back after a while. last time we saw each other was in cathy and chip's wedding in manila about 2 years ago, i think.

older and a bit more experience for everyone. funny how time can do so much. feeling bad for anne going through the same things i went through about a year ago. but when i do say that things will get better, i know from experience that they do. older and wiser...? maybe so... :)

have the urge, no good ideas

needless to say, i am so bored right now. i try to keep myself occupied, hence my attempt to write something remotely significant. fat chance!

probably opened my friendster, multiply and facebook accounts for like the 4th time today. lately, i've become a blog whore. i read so many and i loathe the blogs when they go untouched for days, weeks and (dare i say it? ) months (the agony)! i won't mention nalang because it is embarassing but there are 3 blogsites at the moment that i find so much joy following that have been "overlooked" for some time.

while waiting for bryan to text me (he's still eating dinner with his family at the moment), i glance from time to time at the tv, entourage is on etc. i love etc! they have the best shows. i have a favorite for each day. like today was kardashian day. entourage is good, too but haven't been able to catch up lately.

have an idea of a blog for tomorrow. something different for me and a friend of mine gave me this idea. worth a try. hope something good does happen tomorrow :D

i wish it were like a few years forward already. wanna look back on my blogs. the oldest i have was on friendster but disabled it for the time being since it was embarassingly outdated. a lot of my contacts on friendster have become a bit too diverse and don't want to display my life to just about anybody on it. so multiply would probably the oldest i have. it embarasses me to see how i was a complete dumbo with the colors, text, photo placement and other things. gah! painful to read. i intend to get better at this.

i'm enjoying work now. about time! heheh i guess its just different when you finally know what your real place and purpose is and what you can do and become. smelling the air with a hint of cement, sounds of trucks passing, people negotiating, phones ringing, fax machine beeping next to me... charming :) :P

finally, my phone beeps. hay salamat. have to concentrate now. maybe will be better at this tomorrow.

Great bowls of.... errr..

for 5 to 6 days in a week, we find ourselves cooped up in an office with the same people, computer screens, reports to file, phone calls to make and a whole lotta coffee (that's my newest thing at the moment. glorious coffee of all different flavors that can conveniently make it into sachet form). my gutt seems to be having a mind of its own and my elbows and fingers with callouses from whatever position and signing positions i find myself comfortable in at hours at a time. but who am i to complain? at least, i got a good job that i love!

but still, monotony will always be a constant. so it was time to let loose and do something different for a change. hence, the girls decided to get together and make a competition out of the mayhem we call bowling. almost 10 years since i personally played bowling and it showed! hahaha

the hercor malditas (aka hlh mktg & accounting together)

the managers and pluses

sheryl, joy and ada

karen, alice and jessie

eses... :)
seryoso gid ba c lerry

Buhbye Babby

for all my friends who have always been kind enough to wave, honk their car horns or others things when they see my car, be warned... that's not me! as of yesterday, i waved goodbye to one of the most wonderful relationships i have ever had (how sad naman!). my mom has other plans (she, after all, bought it so who am i to argue?). i sold my baby to a very nice pastor and his family. may my baby outy be as much joy to them as it has been in mine.

here's to all the memories and more. 'tis is life. we have to move on. now where did i put that brochure....?

Remembering Daddy Buknoy

i still have to get used to the fact that buknoy is gone and burried. its been a couple of weeks, but like most people and things in life, memories with him are all over. even his wee2 stains on our entrance pillars, a past source of irritation, is now a sad reminder of the charm and unique joy he gave us.

we still have two more of his kids with us and his "grieving widow". but buknoy will always be a character on his own. he was at an entirely different level.

last weekend, while i was in ilo2, i had to get used to the fact that louie would be there, buknoy's son who looks like him the most out of all buknoy's "fruits". there he was on top of the table guarding pam, looking just like his daddy. sigh! how could a face like that bring so much emotion? even brad pitt couldn't do this much to me. obviuously, this can't compare to the standard brad pitt is in. as pam and i would say, their cuteness comes from their "ugliness". awwww... how can u resist that face? we often find ourselves baby talking to them too. oh oh.

a lot to say today

I'M A TITA (AGAIN)!

congrats to david and san2! san2 just gave birth to the first jamora. wuhu! it's the start of the baby boom after the wedding boom last year. congrats and God bless to the new family of 3!

STEAKS WITH MY WEEKEND
for a food update. its been awhile since i've had good steaks. believe me, they are so hard to find these days. the closest i ever get to a decent one is in burp! when i spend most of my time in roxas. so when we headed out of the cinema and was a bit late for al dente already, we got lucky with maki. freska, being right beside it was a bit noisy and crowded with the band and all. it was a friday night, after all. so we ordered the batangas steak which looked interesting. ordered the rib eye and it came with some sort of yellow rice (not curry though). it was so yummy! it was simply prepared with no gravy and was on top of a bed of salt from guimaras daw. baw kung sa balay lang ko nag kinamot gid ko. i recommend it very highly :)

the next day, bryan gets a text message from his friends to try crave steak. crave steak is in the smallville strip where the old flow used to be. not the crave burger place on the same line next to business hotel.

the herb steak was recommended by one of the owners, jr santos. different presentation, sliced thinly with just its own juices on the plate with some chunky cut veggies. i ordered the mashed potato which came at just the right quantity, much to my relief. :-D at P250, not a bad price. the second level is also dinning area but they had paintings from local artists up so its a good concept. nice ambience and homely in feel, which is a good thing 'coz you get to bring family and all. a funny contrast from what it used to be. so, its definitely worth dropping by and hope to try more of the rest of the menu.

(as usual, i look funny na naman! wasn't ready! pics from oscar nava's facebook)

GLOBAL PEACE FESTIVAL

with its slogan "one family under God", it sounds harmless and with good intentions. but then again, we know that the worst things come in the most unlikely forms. its like aswang all over again, but this time, its such a direct shot at everything we believe in.

with a lot of artists going along for the ride (namely: pops fernandez, billy crawford, john pratts, kris lawrence, jeffrey hidalgo and hale), it should have been good for capiz tourism in a way. but here comes the question, which is more important, man or God?

the trouble is that the man behind this festival is hyun jin moon. 4th son of the founder of the moonies movement. for more information, the internet is full of it.

as soon as word got out what this festival was really about, a lot of Christians and Catholics alike backed out (most especially schools). after all, the man claims to be the Messiah, the Father, putting himself on the same level as Jesus, buddha and mohammed. hello!

so i hope and pray that the governor and the rest of the people involved can ask themselves, which is more important? you're political careers or the faith that you claim you have. if you don't have that strong of a conviction, go right ahead. but do not hold the ones who do with contempt. its times like these that give me the shivers.

so i hope that people will see...

ITS PERMANENT
finally moved into our new store today. still the same location but glad to see something new after so long. and i finally get to unpack my stuff in my new and permanent office. key word on the permanent. hay salamat! hehehe

the bitter taste of your own medicine

words cannot express what i'm feeling right now. once more i feel so happy that i'm vindicated. personally, i am not one to call people mean names. i think its immature and a waste of my time, but in this case, its sooo worth it! paloy paloy paloy! hahaha finally gets a nice blow to the noggin' of his own medicine. its one thing to do things unconsciously, but to fool around with people's lives and relationships, there should be a law for that. so when the boomerang of life takes its very pleasant turn... bullseye! ain't it a pretty, pretty sight. maybe in the future paloy won't do the same thing to other people who deserve so much more of what he has previously given.

so here i am, laughing in the privacy of my own home. obviously, not going to sink to his own level of blabbing because i know im better than that and have too many things to do of worth than bother with his nonsense. as a columnist in panay news would say, cristy "dies-dies" laughing. and that marks the end of this trivial chapter.

Gonna miss u buknoy nonoy...

The love of our lives, our pug, Buknoy, passed away yesterday. For about 7 years he gave us so much love, laughter, tears and experiences we could never have with other dogs.

Love you nonoy! Will always have you in our hearts.

Another legend passes away so soon

Michael Crichton dies at age 66 from cancer.

Born	October 23, 1942(1942-10-23) Chicago, Illinois
Died	November 4, 2008 (aged 66) Los Angeles, California
Pen name	John Lange, Jeffery Hudson
Occupation	author, film producer, film director, television producer, medical doctor
Nationality	American
Education	Harvard College Harvard Medical School
Genres	Action, Science fiction, Techno-thriller
Notable award(s)	1969 Edgar Award

Year	Title	Notes
1972	Pursuit	A TV movie
1973	Westworld
1978	Coma
1979	The First Great Train Robbery	Directed/ wrote screenplay
1981	Looker
1984	Runaway
1989	Physical Evidence
1993	Jurassic Park	co-wrote screenplay
1994	ER	Creator/Writer/Executive Producer
1996	Twister	co-wrote screenplay

It's official

It's official. Barrack Obama is the new president elect of the USA.

I have to admit, I was for Obama during the preliminaries. Not exactly a Clinton fan (sorry Roman!). Clinton was too cold and detached and was just plain creepy at times with those piercing blue eyes. Kinda reminded me of a principal or someone who was out to get you if you were bad. :D Obama had more charisma and an awesome speaker. This guy could grab your attention just like that. He had presence and he made himself known. Who could resist?

Change was him in more ways than one. An African American, a first for the USA. Imagine, looking back at the people who came before him. Namely, Martin Luther King. A couple of decades later, his speech has definitely become a reality. It says a lot about the US. From its history of slavery working its way to bringing a man of color to the highest office in the land. Even if I am not an American citizen, it is a moment in history. Looking forward to seeing bronze monuments of Obama in the future for sure. Whether he proves to be the president of change as he promised is still to be seen, but he is in every sense of the word, different and no one can ever take his place.

But if it weren't just for the color of his skin, I found myself leaning more towards McCain. For one, John McCain's principles were clearly rooted on his faith. Obama is a Christian as well, but somehow McCain and the story of his life, this guy is a hero not just in a military point of view, but as a brother in the faith. His story of that Christmas in the prison in Vietnam brought tears to my eyes. What a testimony!

I guess what really did it for McCain was the fact that he is in the same party as Bush. REgardless of whoever got to that point, as long as he represents the Republican party, already put them at a disadvantage. The war has finally took its toll and another person even remotely reminding them of Bush just turned them off. Poor John. He carried on a good fight and it was really close.

What really touched me the most was how he spoke yesterday when he finally conceeded. He did so in a way that I have never seen in a politician ever. It had heart and no one could doubt its sincerity. Again, tears in my eyes. Obama's speech was expected and he was, after all, the victor. Once more, my bias towards the underdog prevails. McCain's speech was just as much a milestone as Obama's I think. Here was a man who fought all his life for a country that he loved. No one who ever ran for president could ever have the same record of self-sacrifice as he has had. Keri was just a joke, I think. But even though he has been a tremendous fighter, he accepted defeat with such dignity. Hanga gid ko even more.

So ends another chapter in America's history. The rest still remains to be written. Here's to hoping for the best, not only for the US, but for the Philippines as well. How I wish we could have the same political scenario.

Nov. 2, 2008

It was a whim, spur of the moment. Mixed guilt and boredom, being stuck at home for about 3 days and knowing that friends were in town for the holiday. It felt so bad to be home when there was so much going on. So when I felt so much better on Sunday, I just went for it and had a great time meeting up with friends.

Joy2 I only get to see about 1s a year. Sometimes longer than that. Gwen just got back from Dubai. Rachelle just relocated to Roxas and we still had not met up yet. The rest were indeed based in Roxas but I never get to see them on a regular basis.

So it was a St. Mary's reunion without any plans beforehand. But it was fun just the same.

the girls all together after so long

d lang pang editor lang, model pa! go rache!

ha? d ako naka ready! haha

naks naman ;)

on the last day of October

Last day of October. Time flies. Been having too much fun, I guess. Can't believe 2008 is ending. It has been a really good year.

Bad tummy
As I stay home and nurse an ailing tummy, serves me right for eating to much at lunch today. I had spaghetti, canton, dinuguan, duck, kare2, lechon, chicken with ubad and dirty ice cream. Sing with me! Perfect combination... :P So, I get what I deserve. But I don't regret every sinful bite. Bwahahaha!

In the wee hours of the morning with Larissa
Chatting with Larissa right now. Dreaming, making plan for their visit next year. I'm so looking forward to that since I barely get to see them, much less all of my cousins together. The last time was during Larissa's wedding in Dallas. Eva's 2 already. Wish we could do a quick run around Asia. My feet are itching to get my passport stamped again. It's my addiction.

This is the 2nd day in a row that we chatted at 3am their time. Gotta love YM!

My baby is coming home!
Thank you, Lord! My camera is finally fixed! I've been with this camera through thick and thin. I was so happy when I called the guys fixing it when they said they finished it na and only for P2,800. In Manila it was supposed to be P8,000. Araguy! But I got it cheaper in Iloilo instead! Wuhu!

A pledge
When I get my camera back, I pledge to take more pictures of anything and everything. I won't take my baby for granted anymore and to be more faithful in my blogging. So help me, God. :D

Christmas is too close for comfort
I've always been a bah humbug type of person but this year is completely different. I used to dread this time of year. Lists to be filled with gifts, panic buying with a very limited budget, prices of anything remotely interesting continually rising, people I didn't expect to give me anything give me something hence I end up having to buy them something in return with whatever is left in my atm account (which isn't much). November is the month wherein my Christmas traffic light turns yellow. So get ready to brace the Christmas rush.

But this year, I am better prepared and with a bit of a skip to my step. I get to appreciate the glorious Christmas breeze coming in and the Christmas senti songs don't bother me anymore. I'm cured! Finally!

Random facts...

This is when you have nothing to do but ponder over useless things about yourself. Sometimes its fun, sometimes its annoying. Whatever mood you're in at the moment. So for now, am in the mood ;)

1) I CAN'T... eat bananas. I hate bananas. Blame it on a traumatic childhood. I can eat banana cakes, ice creams or whatever, as long as I can't see the banana in its full glory. Banana qs are ok when there are no kamotes available.

2) I HAVE ... not yet finished unpacking my stuff from the boxes I stored them in from last year's rennovation. hahaha i am still so matamad and I don't know where to put some of them but I hate to throw them away. I'm pretty sentimental. BWHAHAHA!

3) I LOVE ... to sleep. Among other things :D I dream of dreaming. Maybe its because I automatically wake up at 6:30am regardless of what time I sleep at night (or after a gimik or something). I try to make up for it further in the day but it is so frustrating at times.

4) I'M DEATHLY AFRAID OF ... needles, heights and cockroaches. Enough said :)

5) EVERY LITTLE THING AMUSES ME/MAKES MY DAY ... when I'm with the people whom I love and treasure most. Chars! Corny gid ya paman!

6) I WANT ... a new point and shoot camera. My ixus i7 died on me. Rest in peace little one. Rest in peace. You served me well. You will always be remembered.

will wonders never cease?

is that almost a smile?

missing jose gabriel

never thought i'd actually be saying this, but after 7 days, i miss my wicky boy... :-( but i'm glad he's gaining more insights and experiences. hay... i know that after a few more days things will get back to normal. but as of today, i can really say for certain, i miss my brahder!

Snippets of news

1) Sharon Buizon (one of my favorite students) and 5 others graduates are leaving for Brunei today. Praying for all the best for them. She deserves it. After all the things she has been through. Go paka! :)

2) Cathy Garcia gave birth (normally) to a healthy baby girl. Welcome to the world Amaya Sophia B. Garcia! Born Oct. 12, 2008 (ok, I know I'm a tad bit late haha news travels slow in my part of the world).

3) I actually have finally reached my goal, financially. Had a little help. But still! I'm so happy! Wuhu! I'm actually worth a bit more! Haha

A new dose of Amy Tan

Dropped by National Bookstore to buy a gift for Jenny's birthday from Pam and I. Like any normal compulsive bookworm, instead of 2 books, I left with 6 books. Hay... Nothing like your heart leaping with a great new find.

I am an Amy Tan addict and this one I have been hearing about for months but never really got the chance to visit a bookstore. Finally!

masskara fever --- literally

The last time I actually experienced Masskara goes back so many years ago. I think it was 2002 pa. Since then, I have been in Bacolod for the past few years during the festival but was always cooped up in the badminton court. From 8am to unholy hours. The worst was probably 12 midnight. Was too tired to do anything anymore and probably had dinner at about 1am already. Never even got to see the plaza, let alone the fun. That was how much of a badminton addict I was. Stress on the WAS.

This year, everything just fell into place and was able to enjoy being there for 2 weekends! Got to do so much and I need the break. A lot of first this weekend, too. The best part about great experiences is that you get to share it with the people who matter most to you. It just elevates the experience to a higher level.

Best parts about this year:
1) Uyyy... unang dalaw. Channeling Sprite at the moment. haha
2) Got to hang out with Mike, Paul, TP, Tonito, the other TP, Malou, Biboy, Paul's boyz (hahaha!), Tina, Joanie, Tita Sonnie. Who else did I miss..?
3) Got to see friends unexpectedly: Andre, Anton, badminton people (who, like me, were glad that there wasn't a tournament this year so we could all let loose and think of other things that a shuttle cock. Pass the Gagita, TP!)
4) Seeing new faces and just people watch. With even more Gagita :-D
5) Can't get enough of Kaisei and Bob's. Inaka, too.
6) Golf cart joy riding around the subdvision.
7) a whole lotta firsts!!!
8) oh yah! and having a doggy crush on hanoi. a handsome german shepherd who i met last friday. almost as cute as his new daddy. ALMOST ;-)

Keeping my fingers crossed for another trip soon with the same cast of characters. Sipalay maybe? ;-)

'Til then, I deserve the sore throat, cough and clogged nose I have right now. Oh yeah, and the headache. But it was sooo worth it.

mixed emotions

There's no denying that the iphone is probably the best phone on the planet at the moment. In my opinion, anyway. It's so versatile! You can practically do almost anything and everything (whether during rational and irrational moment of the day). Some applications are like heaven sent. Things you could never do in other phones. Some, just blow your mind. I often ask myself, "How bored do you need to be to think up these things?". But it works! It really does. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody.

But here's my dilemma. For one, I am not that computer savvy. I'm not the worst of computer users, but I'm not that good at it either. Paddling leisurely in the middle of the river, so to speak. So here I am, infuriating my brother to no end, time and time again. I try to make up for it in other ways. Cook... cook... cook :D

2 things that I've been dying to get my iphone to do (others are already doing it but it takes sooo long for me to get anything done on it, period): 1) be able to forward messages (deeply apologizing to my sun textmates. This is the reason for my "snub". I just couldn't forward anything!). 2) send mms. Still working on the second one. But its just right there, waiting for me to actually exert more time and effort. Hay.... :)

But I love love love it still. Right now, I'm addicted to the hold 'em, koi pond, Bible reader, tetris, iDrink, snapture and bubblewrap applications.

a shot of soju and sake

i really have to thank day2 for this because she referred me to this site.

what can i say? i love my koreanovelas and movies! i don't deny it and i'm not ashamed of it. i've converted so many people already and i have no intention of stopping!

for those who are into it or just plain curious, this is a great site. so take a step into the dark side.

another party

considering that me and my friends have semi-abruptly faded out of the gimik scene in roxas, it was surprising to see how it has completely died down! that is, for our "age group". the kids will always be there but at the stage where i am right now... errr... d na carry :-D

had a fun friday night. gave our basketball team another victory party. this one was to make up for their lack of recognition. can you believe that until now we still haven't received our trophy? tisk tisk.. people can be so petty. it is a "sport" after all. some people just can't let go, apparently.

it was not a serious event to say the least and i was laughing so hard at most parts. the guys were game and even had a song number (courtesy of taquio n jeffrey) and the rest of the guys gave a dance number. uhhh... their gonna regret it on monday (most of the audience had video cams with their cellphones). sir tinapay (mr.wonderbread) gave a short speech and sang as well. it was fun and unlike any other victory party. a good way for them to show their appreciation to the people who have been behind them all this time.

of course, lechon was present and they stayed up late dancing the night away. they deserve it. proud for what my brother did with them. my brother is officially a single dad now hahaha

Sniff sniff

Counting the days, hours, minutes, seconds 'til Sunday 3pm (hopefully... as long as PAL doesn't mess up. Precious cargo on board). 'Til then, what do I do when I wake up at 1am? What do I do Thursday, Friday and Saturday night? Hmmm...

OA! How did I become such a cornball? :-P

David finally conquers Goliath

A few months ago (December 18, I think), I wrote about our basketball team. A few months ago, a championship was a far dream. So near, yet so far, time and time again. It eluded us so much that I have actually memorized the words of comfort I needed to say to get these kids going. A smile to go along with the words that I hope could give even just a bit of comfort after doing all they could.

It's one thing to talk to kids to try their best. To tell them that if they want something they should work for it. That if you try hard enough, practice, inevitably, you may get to orphwhere you want to go. But it is another thing when so many factors are unfairly thrown in their path.

That has been the case for so many years. The same struggle that others endured long before we even came into the picture. It just got this way because we were the closest to ever come to that level and finally, to surprisingly succeed.

Last Friday was like the DLSU-ADMU game for us. Coming against what was already an institution. CPC has been the champion for the past 17 years. That's more than half my lifetime. Roots have been planted, ties have been made, then all of a sudden, we come in. Barely 5 years old. What did we know?

No fancy recruitment, no A list players drafted. Just kids who practiced so hard and for the longest time. Kids who never made it outside of Roxas. Kids who were so happy to get snacks after practice. An orphan, others homeless, another forgotten by his parents. But even through all that, grades were still the issue. The ones who were just in on it just for the game, didn't succeed in time and naturally faded out of the picture.

Together with a new coach who never coached anything before. With a funny last name and a cartoonish disposition. Who would have thought?

But Friday gave us something that we were used to so it came down to game 3 on Saturday. As it was on our previous match ups, the Capiz Gym was packed to capacity. I've watched other shows and games there but it was mind blowing how this beat them all. Not only were there students from both sides but spectators, politicians, people who worked for us, people who had no affiliation with the schools at all.

Saturday, proved to be another very close game. Experience has taught me that as long as CPC doesn't lead over 20 points, we almost always can catch up. Thats exactly what happened.

With an unbelievably close shave we actually won. Tears of joy finally came in the place of the tears of frustration that was a common sight for so many years already.

Unfortunately, a brawl broke out and the crowd got unruly. This resulted to a stabbing of one of CPC's players.

People get so worked up and emotions run high with these things. Not to mention so many people have other motives (betting was the big thing). But they fail to realize that this is still, after all, only just a game and there are so many much more relevant and important things to life.

On our part, I know our players had nothing to do with it. I've gotten to know them, shared stories and seen how they are. Not to mention the people saw what happened. It just hurts that so many other stories have come out. What had been a basic collegiate game has turned out to be one of the worst and best times that have happened to these kids.

I hope and pray that Espaniola gets better but God knows how that came about in the first place. But even then, these things should have never happened and I hope they find the guy who did it.

As for the rest, it still isn't important, winning. It's how you got to that point and how you prepared. Even if we did win, we still haven't received the trophy and honestly... it doesn't matter. Our lives haven't changed and trophies can be bought easily. Its finally getting the justification for what we have been telling them over and over and over. If you work hard and you do your best, you can achieve whatever you set your mind to.

It was also a matter of breaking something that was all wrong and proving that hard work and perseverance does prevail no matter how many factors try to get in the way. So regardless if we win or lose next year, more reason for us to do more and experience more. It's a lesson either way.

GO JAGUARS! To God be the glory victorious or otherwise.

Lovin' the Hockey Mom

I am such a huge fan. I watched when she was introduced as McCain's VP and she just blew everyone's mind, Democrats and Republicans alike. What a stroke of genius on the Republican's side to do this. It was so out of left field. Even Obama was beginnning to stutter.

She represents so much of what people have been hoping to have after so long. With a very deep rooted political machine in play, its like a refreshing new breeze. Wish we could have someone like her in our own political arena. But then again, that is wishful thinking.

I love news features on her. CNN, Fox, even on BBC. Although I have always found CNN to be a bit biased in more ways than one. KInda like the NY Times in some ways. Oh well.

Can't wait to see how things go in Nov. 4. But until then, there's gonna be so much drama and twists.

After a quiet phase

Its not like I finally ran out of things to say. That would be parallel to the ocean splitting into two. I guess I just went through a phase wherein all the new and exciting things that were happening in my life I just wanted to keep to myself. Each day became better than the next and so on and so forth. But I do wanna go back into the blogging world. I feel so out of touch!

So anyways, I'll try to keep up.

Remembering the Best Leading Man Ever

Born	Paul Leonard Newman January 26, 1925(1925-01-26) Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Died	September 26, 2008 (aged 83) Westport, Connecticut, USA
Years active	1952 - 2008
Spouse(s)	Jackie Witte (1949–1958) Joanne Woodward (1958–2008)

I grew up in a family wherein we were surrounded by movies (from the classics to the present), musicals, plays and everything else in between. I'm blessed in that sense that I got to see how things were and how it has evolved into what it is today. Most of us in the family were not just passive observers but we have come to a deep appreciation for such arts.

Paul Newman was always my favorite leading man. He was always consistent and his roles were so diverse and memorable. My favorite was, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with Elizabeth Taylor.

Not only was he the best leading man on screen, but also off screen. I remember years back he was quoted when asked if he ever had the urge to cheat on his wife, Joanne. After all, just look at him. Hello! Even during his last years he was still as dashing and handsome as ever. He answered, "Why eat hamburgers when you can have steak at home?"

His charity works have become so widespread that when you walk into supermarkets in the Philippines, Paul Newman products can be found. All profits after taxes from these products go directly to charity. I'm a big fan of his salad dressings, snacks and mints :)

If you try to type his name on google and yahoo, this guy has a biography like no other. He was the first. Before the Brad Pitts, Tom Cruises, George Clooneys. Paul Newman was in a league on his own. I don't think anyone can reach the height that he has set.

when God whispers your name

i love that book by max lucado. it just means so many things at different moments in life.
circumstances have been so mixed up these past few months that its hard to tell which way is right and which is left. the gray overlaps the black and white most of the time. its hard keeping things straight.

a friend of mine told me something that hits a very sensitive chord in me these days. so i couldn't help but mope and shed a few tears. i have to admit, i am getting good at this. after all, i am very human.

anyway, what started out as a "fun" chat with another friend turned into a very sentimental and meaningful conversation with a dear friend and sister in the faith. it just so happened that we logged in at the same time. something we haven't done in a while.

sidney and i met at the ccf retreat at subic about 7 years ago. we were in the same cell group. it was only over the weekend but i am so happy to have been good friends with her for all these years. i'm so sad to see her go off to singapore to join her twin, siendy. another one off. sidney in essence is also the same way my friend audrey is. both sister in faith and we have the same sense of humor and interests.

i do believe that God sends angels at the right time. This time couldn't have been better. sid has always been a voice of reason and we're there for each other. i'm so blessed to have her as a friend. she does not patronize and says it like it is. once again, she repeats what i have known the whole time but need to hear it more, "Cristy... wait." Argh! i know. i know.

Amazing how God has the patience i will never have.

the group at the subic retreat by ccf... the good old days...

wow.. we sucked at the jumprope challenge. we NEVER accomplished the task!

unsettled

You know how you wished for something for so long? You prayed, you did everything you could on your part to make that hope come true. Years of heart ache, tears, frustration and disillusionment. Then in one moment, there it is but it isn't what you hoped it would be like. Almost to the point that you are filled with malice and skepticism. You somehow wish it didn't happen after all because it just brings in more doubt and false intentions. I guess what they said was right, "Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it."

last bits of 2007

keeping with tradition (dec. 26)

as is our tradition for several years now, we usually have a jamora cousins' dinner on either the 26th or 27th of december after christmas. it all started with manang rina (numero uno) would treat us out after christmas day. just so we can bond and catch up with each other's lives some more. but since she was getting the shorter end of the stick, we all decided to take turns by two or more families, depending on the kid ratio of each.

this is probably my favorite part of the holidays since i miss out on spending christmas and new years with them.

2007 was my year along with the palmares, ana and michelle jamora. we actually forgot the original schedule and lost the scratch we wrote it all down on. so we just decided on 3 families this year.

we ended up at esca's and a bit short of the original number. its sad when people have their own lives already. work and families. that sort of thing that tends to take top priority, understandably. so we were just a handful this year. good for us though because we ended up saving on the bill (bwahaha). but it wasn't as good as the previous years. but we did have a lot of new faces joining us at the always rectangular table. welcome to yolly and kathy! san2 and david couldn't make it since they had some place to go to. same with tonito and tp. oh well.

a tabing ilog moment (dec. 28)

this was so reminiscent of that old show. our dean for business admin. invited us over to mianay where her family is based for their fiesta. they live in this area owned by the belo's (apparently they are related to that specific famous belo). they have this huge lake in the middle of hills and trees. reminds me of ungka and banate all at once. memories of childhood come flooding in.

some members of the hrm department were there, too so it was fun. with these guys, anything can happen, really.

the food was sooo good! one of the best lechons i have ever had in my life. i am not kidding you. the dinuguan that could make you sing it was that good. pantat cooked two ways, chicken binakol with ubod, adobo... it was a lot. just to show you how good it was, i am responsible for breaking the bamboo on the raft. first time it happened and it was my fault. joey was quick to document it.

it was fun drifting away with joart and jesser trying to maneauver the raft (in the lyrics from the producers : keep it light, keep it happy, keep it gaaaaayyy). it was so hillarious. agnes, the amazon woman that she is saved us from drifting towards the other end of the lake.

special thanks to agnes and her family for being so wonderful and overwhelmingly hospitable. it didn't matter that it rained a bit during the day. everything was serenely peaceful. makes you wanna pull out a blanket and just forget about everything for just a little while.