wonderful

while waiting for the bus, i found a feeding frenzy among this flock
of birds. isn't this a wonder? :)

rainy days and headaches always make me cry

sunday rainy day! i don't hate rainy days anymore. i am no longer
affected by the gloomy atmosphere it brings but accompany it with a
terrible headache and it's a different story. i hate it!

welcome to the family

dear april, welcome to our family!

yesterday, august 29, marked the beginning of my kuya's family life. on days like this, ihinahihiya ko ang pagiging iyakin ko.

it was a very intimate event. we felt blessed with the presence of around 55 guests who were also happy to witness the union of 2 lives and souls. during the ceremony, i was the lector and one of the witnesses. 'di ko malaman kung anong espiritu ang sumapi sakin at naiyak ako sa second reading! grabe nakakahiya ang ginawa ko. the guests and the priest were all bewildered (and shocked, probably) why my voice croaked like crazy while reading. ewan. i was moved deeply by the reading. i felt it is the very manual of how a married couple (and every human being too) should live and love - then the world will become a paradise.

come signing of the contract, father pointed his finger to where i should sign. i clearly saw the spot on the paper. ewan ulit kung anong espiritu na naman ang sumapi at ibang spot ang pinirmahan ko. nairita ata si father. "ayayay! i said here!" hahaha sorry! wag init ulo, father.

i loved the reception. everybody loved the food and they had a very simple program courtesy of donna, pam, nerie. at the start of the program, the guests showered the couple with confetti made out of ehem, ikea napkins. hahaha! it was a last minute effort to prepare the confetti. mama, erwin, erika, and i manually cut these paper towels into tiny bits para may maisaboy sa couple at the grand entrance. i love it!

sa wedding toast, syempre gumawa na naman ako ng eksena... susme kinahihiya ko na talagang iyakin ako. i haven't even started yet, umiiyak na ako! ano ba yan. pero i felt i said what i had to say, i affirmed them both for being wonderful persons individually and i wish, the same way as every guest does, that the union will last forever. i am very happy that april came to grace kuya's life. i know he lived in a dark spot once in his life, and now he is vibrant and alive again. i am also an expecting auntie! yahoo!

some more pics:

i love the makeup artist, noel! he's so chika and fun to be with! he is not just a makeup artist but an instant wedding coordinator na rin. i feel it's not all about the money for him because he feels the same way that this must be a grand event and he's so concerned about everything. after the reception he even stayed at the hotel for a few hours to entertain us! susme. i just love him!

this is my sister-in-law, april, with my other soon-to-be-sister-in-law, erika. now, i have 2 sisters!

trivia: april's gown was rented from a boutique here in singapore. people here are shocked to learn that in the philippines, we buy wedding gowns and suits. apparently, the trend here is just to get a package that consists of photo and video coverage, rentals of gowns and suits, bridal car, and others. isn't it practical? i like the concept.

oh, april's bolero was hand-sewn by her mom. i like it!

while waiting for the bride and groom.

here are the girls! the 2 purple gowns were bought from a boutique here. perfect fit except for the length. mama and tita's gowns sort of matched too. they bought it from manila. in the end, everything looked kind of coordinated.

i think and feel it was a perfect wedding :)

ispeysyal

breakfast baons are extra special for the past week. why? mama
prepared them!!!

sticker says: made with love

awww...

magnetable

wow! the title!!!

i have an old (clean) sock that i use as a purse for all my php coins.
one day, wawin was cleaning my stuff (yes, he's more organized than i
am!) when he found this purse and counted the coins. he immediately
recognized this 1 peso coin and declared it as fake. he said it was
all over the place a few months back. iwas a bit shocked because it
didn't seem fake at all. he demostrated that the fake ones would stick
to a magnet! in all fairness to the makers, it's not really obvious!

imagine how a million 1 peso coins could make one dirty soul a
millionaire! tsk tsk!

jennifer alejandro (read: alehandrow)

gogogo! i so admire her. jennifer was a paulinian from paranaque. i
never knew her personally but she was one of the popular girls back
then. she is now a newscaster of the... financial section chuva of the
daily morning news at channel news asia! bonga to the highest level
diba?! she is conversing with financial analysts everyday on her
segment... live ito! my gosh she's so galing :)

there's also another pinoy newscaster at channel news asia. forgot his
name, but very admirable just the same.

gogogo filipinos!

sunlight (warning: hate post at the end)

6pm: i boldly told my new favorite dev, "noel, i'm going to take advantage of the "calm" moment. i am leaving now to enjoy what's left of the sun. wish you a good evening!" to this, he wished me the same. i said thanks, grabbed my bag, and left! this is the life i've missed so much! i was planning to leave at 5:45 but i had to finish some more stuff.

i was practically skipping happily on my way home! when i stepped out of suntec, i was almost blinded by the sunlight! look at this first pic! these are real shadows! it's been a while since i last saw shadows while walking home. and it's the sun making these and not some bright artificial night light!!! so nice!

and look at the mighty sun! i did my best to be discreet, else i would have looked like some lunatic taking pictures of the... sun? hehe! i lab it! i savored every minute of it. i took the long walk to the mrt instead of riding the bus so the sun could kiss me just a little bit more before it sets.

and look at the lovely tabing-ilog! at night, this is just a dark walkway. i really think it looks lovely with the daylight on ;) there's a good breeze blowing and a very faint drizzle while i was walking. the estero didn't smell that good but i didn't care. this is my happy moment today.

... only to be spoiled by someone. i ended up doing someone else's chores at home. so much for going home early. i thought i'll have a relaxed night... i didn't.

i like responsible people. i therefore conclude, i hate irresponsible people. sorry for hating. but, that's it. i hate him. i hope these feelings will go away. Lord, help po...

pang live stream lang

courtesy of gma network, people around the world are able to witness the wake of cory in manila cathedral. i saw the link from facebook and i was happy to be a mere spectator at this event. people pay respect by queueing, saying a silent, brief prayer, making a sad glance at cory, and leaving. i wish i were there. i've always been "just" a spectator.

i was 6 years old when the people power revolution happened. i was just 6 years old. i recall my parents joined the rallies. i wish they took me with them at that time. of course, it wasn't safe, but still i wish that i have been a part of that history. instead, i was at home, the only memory i have is when the ground shook and our tv almost fell off when a bomb exploded in naia (then mia).

i was in college when edsa II materialized. students were flocking to edsa then. i asked mama's permission if i could go. she didn't allow me - she said it wasn't safe with all those tanks and guns and soldiers. i was more afraid of mama's sermon than all those violence and bombs combined. i didn't go. again, i was a mere spectator.

cory supported her husband in his dreams of making the philippines a better place to live in. she could have been selfish and kept him confined in a small radius of comfort zone. when ninoy died, cory left her household and children and served the country instead. she wasn't just satisfied by being a spectator.

funny how i am satisfied at being just that... watching live stream via the internet, reading news every morning, watching tv patrol and just making "grabe! ano ba yan?" side comments, frowning with every blow of shocking news. but where is the action, really? and what does it take to somehow make a contribution. i want to be a part of something worthwhile!

new life

this is it! natapos na rin sa wakas ang phase ng project namin na andun ang bulk ng trabaho. fine, na-extend kami ng 1 day. pero grabe, ang saya-saya ko. feeling ko kanina, kung ipagpapabukas pa ang sign-off nito, mamamatay na ako. walang halong biro.

pero ok na. so buhay pa ako! salamat! may mga araw na inaalat ka... pero naisip ko, grabeng kaalatan naman ito! maalat pa sa dead sea! pero ang mahalaga, natapos na rin. ibang yugto naman bukas. pero feeling ko, mas masaya na ang mga susunod na araw. wag lang sanang aalat pa sa pinakamaalat na araw nitong mga nakaraang linggo.

hay. siguro, makakakain na ako. siguro, hindi na ako magigising nang 6:00am na natatakot kung anong mangyayari sa trabaho. siguro, hindi na masyadong bibilis ang tibok ng puso ko. siguro, may panahon na akong chumika (nang konti). siguro makakauwi na ako nang maaga pa sa 8pm. siguro, this is a new life for me!

thank you, Lord at natapos din ito. ang galing galing mo talaga! love kita super! :) thank you kasi love mo rin ako. :)

baon

every friday night, we buy groceries that will sustain us for a week. we haven't mastered the art of estimating the just-right amount of food yet and as a result we throw away so much extra food. last friday, while loading the ref with the new supply, we threw around .25 kilos of chicken breast, some old tomato sauce (which, i figured could have been enough to make a simple pasta), a bowl of ginataang kalabasa and sitaw, and some more leftover food.

i was not happy about it. i know what all grandmoms and moms say: marami ang nagugutom. and this is so true. this is not the first time we threw away leftover food. at times, the amount is enough to feed a whole family. and to think the poorest of the poor eat only rice and salt (if they get lucky). and here we are throwing away what could have been a feast for another family's table.

throwing away food at the office is another story. my appetite easily gets affected by stress. as an effect, i find it difficult to swallow and finish my lunch. what could have fed 2 hungry children goes down the drain.

i know i'm already rotting in hell... to think i'm not even there yet!

as a resolution, kuya bought glass food containers so we could take packed lunch at the office. baon for tomorrow: tirang chicken pastel from yesterday and tirang sopas from today. i know i still have some frozen nilagang pork that could easily transform into tapa in the following nights, go into our baunans, and become a hearty lunch somehow.

we could not save the world with these simple gestures... but it's worth a try for now.

good night, world!

so inviting

so inviting!

if only i don't feel lazy

almost feels like summer

with the "summer breeze" coming from an old fan

i remember there's some ice cream somewhere in the ref

and there are frozen strawberries too

might be a good idea to make a yummy fruit shake!

go go go!

barenaked

my last dark purple nail polish is all chipped off. around 1cm of new nail has grown. what a repulsive sight. i tried to apply a platinum/peach nail polish on my own and it became even more repulsive. hehehe. because 1) i am not an expert and, literally, the colors came flying all around! 2) platinum/peach flatters only fair-skinned toes 3) maitim ang paa ko 4) at ako.

now this one's better. bare. naked. basic. toned down. missed this. i like.

wow

'm gonna be here for you baby

And I'll be a man of my own word

Speak the language in a voice that you have never heard

I wanna sleep with you forever

And I wanna die in your arms

In a cabin by a meadow where the wild bees swarm

(Chorus:)

And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you

And I'll earn your trust making memories of us

I wanna honor your mother

And I wanna learn from your paw

I wanna steal your attention like a bad outlaw

And I wanna stand out in a crowd for you

A man among men

I wanna make your world better than it's ever been

Chorus

We'll follow the rainbow

Wherever the four winds blow

And there'll be a new day

Comin' your way

I'm gonna be here for you from now on

This you know somehow

You've been stretched to the limits but it's alright now

And I'm gonna make you a promise

If there's life after this

I'm gonna be there to meet you with a warm, wet kiss

Mmm hummm

And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you

And I'll earn your trust makin' memories of us

Ohhh

And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you

And I'll win your trust makin memories of us

Mmmmm

Ohhhhhhhh Oh Baby Mmmmmmm

making memories of us

- keith urban -

... but is there such a man? hehehe

frenzy

i think i am an addict. whenever something catches my interest, i put forth all energy to know stuff about this something. call it a frenzy... and my frenzy changes every week or so.

when mj died, i spent so many hours watching old documentaries, reading mj stuff, following news about him, watching the memorial, and searching for old, old videos of him. i was amazed and moved by his personality. two things that got stuck on my mind was 1) jane fonda's remark: "who are we to judge?" and 2) some man's remark on the memorial: "there isn't anything strange about your daddy. it was strange what he had to deal with, but he dealt with it anyway."

a few weeks ago, i finished reading "memoirs of a geisha". while reading it, all the while i thought it was a true story. i was so engrossed and i tell you, this japanese mmk story mentally took me to japan! i was so devastated to learn that it wasn't a true story after all! then i started with my geisha frenzy by searching for geisha youtube videos. i then learned that the book is actually based on a true story. this geisha mentioned at the credits of the book claimed that 90% of the story was her life story and that she was surprised that her name was mentioned when, in fact, they had an agreement that her name won't be revealed. she sued the author and after a good agreement (probably monetary), the news died down. the other geishas were not thrilled that their pact of secrecy was broken. apparently, geishas never talk about their clients. my geisha frenzy went on for about a week.

next addiction was marie digby. we watched her concert in clark quay and i got mesmerized by her super puting kili-kili :) i like her so much! she seems very sweet and kind and her voice is really good. i like her first album better, though. it was more of acoustic and patweetums love songs. the 2nd one is more of a mix of everything. i honestly think her voice is good enough as it is and she doesn't need that much pa-effects. i still like her super, though! so what did i do? i signed up and followed her on twitter. i feel like an ultimate stalker! my gulay!

my marie digby frenzy isn't over yet but it seems that another one is on the queue. tita cory :( we were at the library this morning when i saw a news flash around 9am - saying that tita cory passed away. i was shocked and determined to search all that i can about her. videos, write-ups, news, and all. what is it with tita cory and her charm to win the hearts of people? she definitely made a difference in this world and i admire her for this.