Last Friday

Today is the last friday of September... (early payday!)
I am going home (to my parents house) after my shift.
My father is scheduled for CT Scan today...
He's been battling for an unknown skin disease for more than a year now... (tell you more on this on the following entries)
The week has brought old memories and fears back to life...
Paved away by the challenge in the badminton tournament...
Which is of course, temporary only...
Everything shivers at nighttime...
And the thought of having Kuya around calms me...
But the phonecall to a very dear friend kept my sanity...
The weather breathes a gloomy friday...
But I choose to rather be thrilled for the Octoberfest...

Friendster Friends

Have you noticed how many are there in your Friendster Friends List?

Today, I approved 2 friends to be included in my growing Friendster Friends List.
I didn't noticed the number of friends in my account... Gosh! 220 to date.

Wow! so many friendssssss....... Am I that friendly? (ang alam ko suplada ako!)

Hmmmm, then I thought of categorizing them one by one. From my younger-yearning days to growing-maturing years.

Here's the list:

Gradeschool/Highschool - classmates, schoolmates - 41%
(wow! existing pa pala sila, nakakakilala at naaalala pa ang good 'ol times)

College - classmates, peers, friends, teacher - 46%
(hanep! keep in touch pa rin!)

Katekista - 18%
(church friends!)

Work - 69%
(it's like a family!)

Relatives - 10%
(mas madami ang matatanda na sa pamilya)

Stangers/ Acquaintances/ Affiliations - 36%
(expanding my circle of friends)


I know some people even have 500+, (how many is the maximum number of friends in a friendster account?) that I need to check...

Anyway, it's fun to know from which area in your life is your most numbered friends.
Try it yourself! Wink!

Friendly neighbors

Dalawa lang kami ni Weng sa bahay dito sa Bataan, pero lagi kaming may bisita...

Gusto ko ng maniwala na super hospitable kami...

Kagabi pagka-uwi ko ng ala-onse, sinalubong ako ng bisita naming tahimik na nagmamasid sa isang sulok ng bahay... deadma ko lang sya... tumuloy ako sa kwarto at nagbihis. Aba kung hindi ba naman tahimik pero may kakulitan sya ay sinundan ako sa kwarto...

meet insy-winsy spidey....

Kumuha ako ng walis tambo at sinubukang walisin palabas ng bahay...

Ay susme!!! muntik ko ng maitapon yung walis tambo. Aba naman! imbis na lumayo eh kumapit dun sa walis at saka lumapit dun sa may hawakan ng walis...

waaahhhh! si insy-winsy spidey naman hindi na mabiro... welcome to your new home...

(next time na lang ulit tayo mag-sparing...)

Matagal na ring hindi kami binibisita ni Rat-atouille buhat nung lagyan namin ni Weng ng screen yung open canal sa likod... Pasensya na hindi ka namin nami-miss...

mga 2 days before dumating si insy-winsy spidey, naunang dumalaw sa kanya si froggie prince jr.

Kung anong nilaki nitong si insy-winsy spidey eh sya namang niliit nitong si froggie prince jr.

at ang paboritong tambayan nya sa bahay ay sa loob ng comfort room... (dun nya natagpuan ang comfort eh...)

Nakikisabay maligo sa 'min...

'Nak ng tokwa...swerte mo naman... huwag ka lang tatalon papalapit sa kin dahil sigurado mapipisa ka...

After 2days bigla na lang syang nawala... hindi man lang nagpaalam...

And of, course, kung may jr. may sr.

meet froggie prince sr.

Sya ang bisita naming hindi ko nakuhang i-entertain...

'Lumayo ka sa kin... kahit maging prinsipe ka pa... o kaya si derek ramsay...(teka, pwede exception to the rule si derek?) hinding-hindi kita hahalikan.....

At syempre ang aming loyalty award neighbor... ang alaga ni Manong dun sa unang apartment... na laging nag-iiwan ng bakas saaming veranda mapa-umaga, tanghali o gabi....

doggie 1 and doggie 2

Other regular visitors:

Freddie Cockroach and Family

Ms. Mosquito-pakipot

Mr. and Mrs. Black-Red Antz

Mr. Fly High





Sino kaya next visitior namin? can't wait! hehehe!

Smash, Drop, Loop

This year's badminton tournament at work began last September 4. Four color-coded teams vie for points and cash prize, (the event is included in the whole year company employee activities where at the end of the year the accumulated points from all the activities held will identify the grand team champion).

Three categories are lined-up: Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles, where no repetitions of player in categories are allowed, to give chance to other members of the team. For the last two years, I was playing in the Women's Doubles category. Lucky to emerge as champion always, (having a good partner is important! it's always the good teamwork that counts).

As I remember when the badminton mania hit the country like the storm Milenyo. Badminton centers sprouted like mushrooms on dead-wet woods. Here in Bataan, we used to have reservations first before able to play on the badminton court atop of a spa clinic. And we take turns to play on only one court there. After few months, the booming demand for badminton courts is spreading like a wildfire, a bigger badminton center was constructed in a vacant lot beside a bank in the city's capital. There are 6 courts available, but still not enough for hungry badminton players wannabe... from 8am till 10pm it was full... buying the rent for 200/hr for the concrete-semi-finished flooring... The owner had the two courts covered with rubber-flooring (nice!) but with 250/hr rent. Huh! People are still flocking the court...(including me).
After a year, another badminton court was constructed within a subdivision beside the highway. Better court, I must say, with wood parquet flooring and better ventillation. Only that it's not so accessible to ordinary commuters...

It became an addicting hobby... and a good bonding activity for friends and families... yeah! hours spend sweating, laughing, coaching, laughing, scoring, laughing, betting, laughing, posing, laughing... So much to benefit from the sport. But, what I like most when we play badminton is the after badminton... the dining out...haha! all the calories lost in hours gained in only minutes of a good meal with friends sharing endless stories together.

hmmmmm.... I don't play much now... it's quite hard to look for a badminton playmate now unlike before...

Something new... Something old

'Akala ko ngayon na may notebook na ako ay magagawa ko nang mag-email everyday... di rin pala... siguro it doesn't mean na if you have something nor someone you'll get to change your priority in life... still you get to be the person who you were before...'
-This was an email from a former workmate who now works abroad.

We used to exchange emails almost everyday until he bought his own apple macbook and said it'll be easier and often for him to send emails since he will not borrow a laptop from an officemate anymore... but yeah! that's the irony of it...

Something new is what we always wanted: new shoes. new clothes, new mobile phones, new boyfriend/girlfriend (?), new partner in life (??), new work, etc

Accumulating material things, having upgrades in our lifestyle, does not guarantee anything... It may make our life more convenient and all... but what matters at the end of the day?



(OT: Sorry, still I won't erase the macbook in my wishlist! ("o,")

Right Words

I'm currently writing my 6th article in the quarterly issue of our company official newsletter, (I'm assigned in the Featured Department Section).

Finding the right words to describe a person is a tedious task... Haha! don't get me wrong here, I don't write something that is isn't true... that's why the right words in the thesaurus is more often than not missing... Haha! (again)

I haven't finished the heading... and just started describing the first personnel included in the department, that my seemed to be sleepy brain screamed... I needed a little diversion... where my words don't need to be perfectly written, where my words don't need to be grammatically correct, where my words are casual and taglish... (in short, mag-blog muna ako!).

When I'm starting to get exhausted in forming sentences into paragraphs with elaborate adjectives, I stand up and take a walk... back and forth, back and forth in the aisle of QC building... hoping to find the right words in between the walls, doors, windows, and equipment... (I write when I'm alone in the building so no one will suspect that I'm getting insane...).

The readers will either believe in what I write or criticize my descriptions. Either way it will affect the person I described in the article.

"Aura, san mo nakuha yung sculpted body? Sya ba talaga yun?"
"Graduate pala siya ng ...... , eh bakit parang hinde?"
"Ahh! kaya pala ganun sya."
"What! good singing voice? well, haven't heard him sing"
"Ayos 'to ah, women of substance... Magaling talaga 'tong si...."
"Hanep super dad pala 'tong si...."
"Wow! ganda ng descriptions ah!"
"Ah! grabe talented na bata!"

I write from how I knew the person, somehow there should be a level of communication between me and that person not simply knowing the person just by his/her name. And every detail that I write is a labor of love...

Please, excuse me, I shall take a walk again...

Good Riddance

every journey has its new phase...
everyone has a choice to take the step forward
or be idle, or be lazy, or even move backward...

every adventure has its own unique memory...
the place, the food, the activities,
the scenery, the talks, but most of all, the people
you've met, you've entountered, you're with.

Me, James and Weng in Boracay last July 2007


good riddance to my friend, James dela Cruzhappy voyage and good luck to your new journey...
God be with you!


till our next adventure... in our Palawan Getaway...
we'll be waiting for you!!!
Our little despedida party for our good friend, James
last September 07, 2007

Christmas Wishlist

While in the company service going to work, a Christmas song suddenly played on the radio. The silent, sleeping employees aboard woke up with grins in their faces;
‘Merry Christmas na!’ everybody said.
‘Yeah! Right! Sad naman ng song na yan!’ I replied.

…. Christmas won't be the same without you
Christmas won't be the same if you go…

I’m a list person, so every start of the year I make sure that I have my lists: the goals I want to accomplish, the things I want to have, the places I want to visit, my priorities… individually scrutinized and categorized under career, spirituality, finance, family, self and development and yeah, there’s a lovelife listed at the bottom. (couldn’t make it a priority as much as I want to, Gosh!)

Now that it’s –ber month, my Christmas wishlist is tolling. Haha! Whether it’s a wish upon a Santa or a wish upon a wish… I know I’ve been good, really, really good this year… but might as well be humble to expect a little…

Here’s my top ten Christmas wishlist: (in no particular order)
(Disclaimer: The list is solely for my own self-gratification, self-indulgence, self-satisfaction, pleasure-seeking wants. Wishlist ko nga eh! Libre ang mangarap!!!)

++ Digital Camera – my Pentax Digital Camera is still under repair… I don’t think it’ll be repaired… (sob!) (Di naman ako mapili Canon, Olympus or Pentax...)

++ Apple Macbook – ok! I’m quite positive of getting this if I won’t be eating and traveling for a year… Hahaha! Super lait to myself… Hell no! please! don’t lure me on using that plastic card! (A friend promised me he'll buy me this, Naku! Friend, Galingan mo sa interview mo ha... Ipag-nonovena kita ng maka-fly ka na abroad... isa kang tunay na kaibigan...)Wink!


++ LeSportsac Bag – been drooling for this since March… (sana malaki Christmas bonus ngayon…)

++ Legolas - hay!!! My prince ever.... (trivia: I have a big poster of him in my room... pang-alis ng pagod bago matulog...)

++ Zara wardrobe shopping - I’m a girl, need I say more?

++ Christmas greetings from that 'someone'– (Asa pa ko!) (he won’t even bother, I know!).. na-lost mo na nga sya eh.

++ Hall of Famer Award from SMC Club – Haha! Hoping next year it’ll be a Hot Christmas!!!! (wag mong sabihing hindi mo alam ang SMC ha... jologs mo!)

++ Christmas Getaway – hmmmm ok I can spare this one since I’ve been to Singapore and Boracay this year… so, long Christmas vacation at home will do… (still I don’t know my shifting work schedule then).

++Derek Ramsay – Fantasy no. 2: Super papalicious, yum yum!!!! (naman! tulo-laway talaga!!! sayang putol yung picture. hahaha!)(Kahit ikaw lang ang matupad sa wishlist na ito...)

++ And lastly, a wish that I WON'T be singing…

All I need to see standing by my Christmas tree

Christmas won't be the same without you…

Christmas Countdown

As we are now in the –berrr months, Christmas countdown is a broadcast in every nook and canny places. Christmas wishlists, Christmas gift lists, Christmas parties, gift giving, Christmas fruitcakes, bibingka and puto-bumbong… ahhhh…sarap! Oh! I love the Christmas colorful twinkling bright lights hanging in the streets and in every homes, parols, Christmas trees, Christmas carols are now being prepared, and of course, not to miss Santa Claus (how many Christmas words I’ve written here?)

It is the most celebrated time of the year… causing tremendous heavy traffic, shopping malls highest sales, ant-like shoppers, and busiest airport schedule ever as most OFW’s are coming home to celebrate the occassion with their families…

Last years’ Christmas was a lot of firsts: my first time to celebrate it at work. On graveyard duty on Christmas Eve, we had a little feast at work, of course, 6 ulirang manggagawa of us. Sharing our baons and exchanging Christmas stories. Luckily, we had a normal production operation then. It was one quiet Christmas celebration.

It was my first time to religiously attend and complete the nine nights of novena mass of simbang-gabi. (Weeeee!) Literally, I completed the anticipated nine dawn masses. They say if you were able to complete the simbang-gabi your wishes will be granted… hmmmm… was my wish granted? (I only had a wish!) …it’s too early to tell but I think it’s in the process of granting it to me… (Crossing my fingers).

It was my first time too, not able to shop for Christmas presents for my friends… they only got Christmas greetings from me… (haha! Tipid) Crap! I was way tooooo busy that time… being in the production training…it was insane! (okay! So bawi ako this coming Christmas…).

As early as January I already categorically listed in my planner all my inaanaks, (2 dozens of them and still growing…). From relatives, friends, officemates, neighbors. And already printed out their names and prepared the red envelope I usually give them… And last month I listed the names of the people I’m giving presents… (hope your name is in it). And also listed the MUST PAY FIRSTS atop of all my lists… (haha! Obligations here it comes… panghanda ni Mama, Insurance ni Papa, Pamasko nina Mama at Papa... okay, kamot ng ulo muna!)... Alas! The grand total of... Whooooa!!!! (No gimik muna starting this month till the end of the year…Shocks!)…hmmmm mai-Kaizen nga itong lists ko…hindi naman ako si Santa Claus.

Now I’m thrilled making my own Christmas Countdown together with my Christmas wishlist…
1.
2.
3.
4........

Independence Day

I'm celebrating my Independence day this whole month. Been living on my own for the last five years...

Knowing that I'm an unica hija, independence was never included in my vocabulary, (though I'm used to doing things on my own and my self-reliance is at the highest). Yes, I'm the princess at home, I don't do the laundry nor iron the clothes, don't cook, don't wash the dishes, not even fix my bed after waking up... and no one can touch my things (not even my parents)... in its simplest form, I'm a spoiled brat... the one who bullies, the one who reasons out, the one who crosses over the curfews, the one who never runs out of excuses... (haha! maldita me...)

...And when an opportunity came... (a job offer and a relocation is needed) my parents send me off 130+ kilometers away from home...they must be thinking of teaching me a lesson here... (no doubt, they are right!). With all the bilins and pabaons: My bags contained not just clothes and toiletries... but hangers, photo albums, trinkets, steam flat iron, wall fan, television (the latter I brought when I settled in an apartment). (kulang na lang ipabaon nila ang buong kwarto ko at pagdalin ako ng kaldero, sandok at tabo...)

I did not ask for it... I did not beg for it... it was given to me freely... I was anxious yet excited... this could be an adventure, I thought.

The very first night I slept in the company dormitory, I cried a river... (turned to ocean!). Gosh! Where's my excitement? It dawned on me... I was alone!!! I was away from home... (Mama! uwi na ko dyan...)
I stumble over my adjustment period... failing grade on not crying every night, pasang-awa on my laundry, a little over pasang-awa on ironing my clothes and an incomplete on my cooking...(naman! order na lang ng food sa canteen).

After a month of battling against ghost stories in the dormitory, swimming alone in the pool, doing my laundry at 12midnight, a good samaritan accepted me in his home... (ayoz! kasi marunong sya magluto... kahit alien sa kin yung mga niluluto nya... hehehe! peace Tolitz!)

I succumb to my new found 'freedom' so much that I carelessly watch over my being too accomodating... so much of my kindness and wanting to belong... it resulted to misinterpretation of my actions... too liberating for my new environment... creating a wrong impression and a contentious lovelife... (it felt like Gretchen Barreto in the hotseat!).

Five years had passed and looking back always gives me a sense of fulfillment... I did not just surpassed going solo tribulations but I outwitted, outlasted and I survived nasty rumors and gossips. More than the responsibility of taking full charge in my life, it is the daily dealings, building and strengthening true friendships that are more important. It is this opportunity that gives self-knowing and God-dependency training... (and I passed with flying colors).

Five years had passed, and my greatest lessons in life are learned through this experience. I'm still single, independent and loving it!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ME!!!