Happy Birthday Desiree Joycie!

Qt_ Judz!

It was a triple celebration today--Joyce's Birthday, House Blessing for their newly renovated place, and Father's Day. In Judan Definition, triple celebrations meant triple buffet feast! And we did stuff ourselves that day with so much food I could hardly stand: from Tita's home cooking to exotic Kapampampangan dishes at Cabalen.

I love their new place... newly airconditioned, new wall treatments, new furnitures. The coziness made me weep with envy. There was so much to repair and replace at home, but that would entail more time and budget which unfortunately we don't have enough of. Made me wish I had my own place already... it would be such a relief to start redecorating from scratch, and everything in order to my liking.

Many thanks to my cousins, ever so kulit, for the guitar lessons, jamming session, chisms galore, and fun bonding, as always. I wish Joyce all the happiness and success the world has to offer, and may all her birthday wishes come true as well (except the one where she wishes she could still be taller... poor short me! haha!)

Return to Las Brisas: DEVCON 2006!

yup, i think we're already kinda drunk! haha!

After an unexpected invitation from now MCP Tabbee, I finally decided to go back to Las Brisas in Antipolo to be the chair for Devcon 2006, May 26-29th. I did not know what to expect--after all I vowed to myself never again to return to this godforsaken place for all sorts of reasons: surprise salamander hunts, creek memories, and certain fights that ensued with people that still haunt me to this day.

But as they say: once an AIESECer, always an AIESECer. And it was truly an honor for me to be invited to be the "kagalang-galang na upuan" (to quote Care). The delegation was younger and less bolder, as expected, but we did bond during the socials in Antipolo and "Ortigas Extension" so I was fortunate to get to know most of them. Funny thing, Javi and Drew came by to show support, and they were introduced as "Legends of AIESEC"... hmmm, they were in my generation also right? What does that make me--ancestor? Harhar :-P Legislation was short but organized, exactly as I wanted it to be, and the sessions were both fun and relevant. OC was very maalaga--cheers to Bossing Erman, beloved ADMU LCP; Kevin, our Bb. Devcon titleholder; Gio, our all-around guy; Carms, with her perpetual smile; and of course, Martin, with his quotable quotes and non-stop hirits.

Thanks to everyone who made this experience truly memorable for me: from the MC, OC and of course the delegates. Thanks to the alumni also who stopped by: Javi, Drew, Jayjay (whom I missed a lot! See you in HK dude!). It was my first conference to be drunk in all socials and yet perky during the plenary... my first not to be mandated as well! Much thanks and love for restoring my faith and passion not only to Las Brisas but to AIESEC as well. You made me believe and hope that no matter what storm may come our way, AIESEC's vision and values will live through, because of its people and of course the oldie alumni as well.

See you all at Devcon Reunion! :-)
Cheers! Naunsa man Tu!

 

Munoz Reunion

Went back to our ancestral house in Munoz today for a surprise visit to Inang and to visit our tenant relatives in Talugtog . It was both a tearful and welcome return--Lola Inang looked different, much older now, and the big house seemed too quiet without the kids running around.

Our tenants were very happy to see us also; it's been too long since we've last saw them. They themselves had their own land problems, mostly family politics which we helped to resolve somewhat. Parang fiesta bigla-- everyone from the bukid went to the house for a grand dinner: litson, papaitan, pakbet, kaldereta, and of course, our favorite tinumis!

The time was too short, but we left Munoz with our promise to return soon to finalize the programs we planned to implement. I think I'm being groomed to be the successor--who knows, when I get older maybe I can live in Munoz instead. I hope everything will certainly sort itself out, in it's own time, and with Lolo's blessing as well. 

Purpose-Driven Life

Been reading the Purpose-Driven Book lately... it's been sitting in my bookshelf for so long, gathering dust. I thought it would be a timely read--having a lot of time in my hands made me think hard about what I really wanted to do in my life...

So far so good, I'm being "religious" about keeping my commitment to the book. I'm onto my 12th day. I'm learning a lot about worship and trust, and I realize that I have been growing spiritually with each day. I pray a lot more, I take the Mass and my daily rosary more seriously too. And I realize that I do treasure more the blessings I receive each day, especially with my job hunt. I learn to nurture relationships that I used to take for granted. There's more good things that I see in people that I'm able to appreciate as well.

I'm an optimistic person, but recently it seems that I just came out of a retreat. Everyone's nice, everything's good. I begin to notice an aura about people I meet with that seems to radiate about them. That makes me smile. Because even if there's so much challenges and issues and problems in the world, I know that there's hope..if only we have Faith.

Many thanks and much love to Him, to Jess, who has directed me to this opportunity to discover that I can be a better version of myself. And for guiding me towards my purpose, one that I'm slowly beginning to understand and truly pursue. 

Da Vinci Code, the Film

Watched the much-anticipated Da Vinci Code tonight with Mom and Dad (who haven't been in a moviehouse for years!) The cinema was jampacked, even with teenagers trying to beat the R18restriction. The dialogue was engaging, the actors convincing and the storyline was faithful to the Dan Brown bestseller (except for the part where there was supposed to be two cryptex. I would have loved to see how they would attack the dualism mentioned in the novel). Historical and biblical anecdotes were artistically presented as well.

In the end, as Tom Hanks said, "What matters most is what you believe in." The film satisfied my curiosity, and it was indeed one of the best film adaptations from a book. But it did not for a bit shake my faith, as others would have feared. I still believe in God and Jesus and the Holy Trinity. I take pride in being a praticing Catholic, and I know that I have a personal relationship with Jess. For me, in the end, these are what still truly matters. 

Subtext!

Eda and me stuffing ourselves full at Napoli's before the Subtext...

Eds and I went to Subtext play at Koine along Kamuining along with Kuya Mags. The theater itself was small, expected from an average theater company. It was a very intimate show with only about 30 audience members, but they added personal touches like free coffee during intermissions and dance numbers from the kid scholars that they support.

Subtext itself was short, with each act only lasting about 20 minutes... my favorite was act 2 with the two teenagers because it was the scene I could identify most with (up till now!); act 1 was weird; act 3 was very idealistic and dreamy.

Coffee galore later at Starbucks Morato (what's new) to rant about our still nonexistent love life and to analyze each other out, as is our neverending pasttime. I guess in a way, I share in Eds' momentum that night--I wished I could meet someone perfect, but then again, I wish I can revel and treasure first the relationships I have now with friends and family. I may be lonely, but I'm not alone.. as there are a lot of theater buddies who share similar passions with me as well.

Till the next curtain fall! :-)

 

Jesus Take the Wheel

Jesus Take The Wheel

Take it from my hands

Coz I can't do this on my own
I'm Letting Go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
Jesus Take the Wheel

--Carrie Underwood

I Love this Weather!

Seems like centuries ago when the air has last been this cold. Always loved this weather--cool, a little drizzle of rain here and there, but enough to snuggle up with someone (or in my case, my trusty comforter)

Overslept today, but woke up toasty warm. Had breakfast of scrambled eggs and danggit fresh from cebu (yumyum!) Only downside of the day was the lack of cableTV (Sky's still fixing it apparently), but still went on to procession around village despite heavy rain. Ate nacho salad and buttered popcorn after dinner... must be getting my period soon, I'm always hungry these days! Haha!

It's supposedly good news that the storm Caloy is leaving the country, especially since my dad is flying home tomorrow from CDO. But I can't let go of this weather yet... I don't want to wait until December for a cooler change in climate. I need an excuse to wear my psychedelic finger socks again :P

I'm Back!

WOW.

Can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. A lot has happened definitely, some not worth writing anymore because I would rather just forget them. But here's a short recap:

PERSONAL: Steady Lang. Been learning how to cook. Know how to whip up sinigang, tinola, adobo and nilagang baka already. Next Project: kare-kare.

CAREER: Job-hunting is so tiring! But keeping my prospects open. Skipped interview yday because of flu; prepping up for interview tomorrow (gotta wear the skirt!)

LOVELIFE: Excited over new prospect! Going to blind date on Saturday with law student. Going ga-ga over what to wear... haven't gone out in ages!!!

Of course, there's still AIESEC.... very tiring and emotionally draining. Forcing myself to face responsibility. But definitely tired and getting more depressed about it everyday. Trying to distract myself with new hobbies. Hope this all ends soon.

Thinking of getting a new blogskin. Just as soon as I find the "perfect one". Till the next! :-)

Oh yeah. Happy Anniv to my Folks! :-)

Joining the JobHunt Bandwagon at JobFair06

Tabbee and Me pausing for this picture before we slave away as staff for CEF 2006 (Ingress is really one of a kind!). Gave out lots of resumes, got two interviews, and met Mark Yambot again. All in all, a good turnout :-) 

Labor Day @ Eight Waves

Besides Black Saturday, Labor Day has got to be unofficial Swimming Day. And because it falls on a long weekend, a lot of Filipinos naturally packed their overnight bags and went straight to their favorite resorts and beaches... us included. For this year, it was Eight Waves for us.

Located in San Miguel, Bulacan, the resort is around 2 hours from Manila. We arrived around midday only to find out that all tables and cottages were full! No wonder, everyone in Manila seemed to be in this pool (see picture above!). Julius and I braved the waves (and the crowd) and went straight to the 6ft line. It turned out to be one of the most challenging swims of my life--I was treading like crazy and gasping for breath! Their wave machine is really tough to beat, I ended up with terrible bruises in my legs, but definitely had a lot of fun! :-)

Lea Judan

Me and cousin Lea, who's 7 years old but does not talk much (good thing a Happy Meal helped!). I hope she can still remember me 10 years from now when she comes back to the Philippines... 

Holy Week Prayers and Picnics

Last Stop: San Sebastian Church, Manila

After 2 years, we finally went to a Visita Iglesia again on Holy Thursday to continue family tradition. Interestingly enough, friends Eda's and Raeden's families also went on their own Visitas at the almost the same chruches--we just missed each other by few minutes!

A lot of Filipinos really observe the traditions of Stations of the Cross; it's both humbling and heartwarming to see many people go to confession, reflect and remember to pray. Because most have already gone to the provinces, Manila seems like a ghost town.

But lo and behold, on Good Friday, it seemed that everyone flocked back to the parks (since malls were closed!) to find some sort of enjoyment. We visited riverbanks, QC circle and finally to Baywalk, all of which were so jampacked with families and dates you'd never realize it was still the Lenten Season.

As they say, Filipinos are the happiest breed of people anywhere, anytime in the world...even during Holy Week.

 

A Broken Vow

After several months of not having any news about him, I broke my promise to myself by starting a conversation, again. A random joke turned into a whole day's worth of talk--from my upcoming trip to Bohol, to his Binggo raffle project, to "kandungans" and plane rides, to our travels and our longing to see Pagudpod (for cheaper rates!), to Eheads, to our jamming sessions, to guitar and piano lessons, to his bands, to our work and lives in general...


I won't deny that even the silliest talks with him always bring a certain smile and tug to my heart. I've really missed him so, and for a few hours, he really has made me happy. But when talks came to how we'd see each other, i mean, really see each other, our conversations waned to awkward small talk. It's a depressing cycle, and one that I wanted to end long ago, if only I had the discipline to stay away and keep my promise...


For anything else, I've already found what I'm looking for in him. But there's no commitment--what do I do with mere MUs? I'm tired. I'm tired of flings. I'm tired of dating aimlessly. I want to start something serious with someone who will treat me seriously. And unless he really makes the grand gesture of finally going to Manila to see me, and not just saying he wishes to see me all the time, that's the only way I'll take him seriously as well... Until then, I'm just his "girl from Manila", and he's "my guy from.. somewhere out there..."


The only problem is, I'm already tired of waiting for him to take me, to take us, seriously. How long do I have to wait? All my life, I've always been waiting. Maybe it's time for me to move on. I can't be friends with him anymore, because being friends really hurt. Because I'll always be wanting something more... I always had, even before we started this thing, even before he started to give me a little bit of attention. Long Distance Sucks. It's either he's in all the way or he's not.


I wish it was just as simple as that. I wish the next time he calls or texts, i can just turn off my feelings, just like that. But I can't. I still can't.


God help me.

Last Words on Proclamation 1017

As GMA currently lifts the Proclamation that has turned this nation upside down, here are just a few thoughts, a unique voice apart from the shouts on the streets we're already familiar with, or from the angry banters we hear from politicians left and right... words that may be few but those I strongly believe and agree with:


"... Arroyo should win the support of the military, purge disloyal officers ala Stalin, and start clamping down on the political chaos that has really shackled our country from progress. Sometimes I feel like Filipinos enjoy too much freedom, and very little discipline. It is almostlike anarchy, and we need less freedoms for the sake of stability. There is always a tradeoff between personal freedom and state power. I think there is too much of the former and way to little of the latter. We have shown that as a people, we do not exercise our freedom responsibly."
-- from a concerned PEXer


Amen to that.

My Renaissance Guy

Caught up with a friend I was doing business with (before, when I was still with Naturale) for a final errand delivery. What was supposed to be just a drop-off of stickers turned out to be a really good talk about business and life in general, which was quite expected whenever he and I would ask politely about each other's day. It was even a bigger surprise to know that he was only a batch higher from me in UPBA, and that maybe we'd already seen each other in the halls and we just didn't know it. He says I look familiar, that he's certain of seeing me before during student council meetings. I can't quite place him, but we do know common friends, and common BA gossip! Haha! Amazingly, I just found out he's in a band (when he's not busy with work) and they're releasing an album soon... I've always been a sucker for guitar guys ever since Jason Mraz, and this just puts the icing on the cake! *sigh*


He's one of the few people I really respect and admire. He's sincerely nice, and he makes the wisest business suggestions without making you feel stupid nor brusahed aside. By his lifestyle and beliefs, he strengthens my passion for entrepreneurship and in always standing out no matter what I do. Love what you do and do what you love, so to speak. Ang galing nya, at natutuwa talaga ako sa magagaling na tao. I didn't know why I didn't say goodbye officially, as I planned to do. I guess a part of me still wished that our paths would again cross someday, maybe not necessarily in BA and Naturale.


Wish you all the best Kelvin! Thanks for the friendship, the words of wisdom and the inspiration. See you soon! :-)

I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me

I hear you're taking the town again
Having a good time, with all your good time friends
I don't think that you think of me
You're on your own now, and I'm alone and free


I know that I should get on with my life
But a life lived without you could never be right


As long as the star shines down from the heavens
Long as the rivers run to the sea
I'll never get over you
Getting over me


I try to smile so the hurt won't show
Tell everybody I was glad to see you go
But the tears just won't go away
Loneliness found me, looks like it's here to stay


I know that I ought to find someone new
But all I found myself always thinking of you


As long as the star shines down from the heavens
Long as the rivers run to the sea
I'll never get over you
Getting over me


Oh, no matter what I do
It's just a lifetime to live through
I can't go on like this
I need your touch
You're the only one I'll ever love


And as long as the star shines down from the heavens
Long as the rivers run to the sea
I'll never get over you
Getting over me
I'll never get over you
Getting over
Never get over you getting over
I'll never get over you...getting over me

Signing Off..

...farewell videoke party...

Last shout-outs from Dennis:

Dianne, I didn't know you could be so senti. I'll miss your tambutso-like personality...
Coni, next time magsama ka naman kapag mag-disappear ka para masaya. I'll miss your wonderfully crazy ideas...
Gladys, i'll always wash my hands off whatever awakenings this job has brought you. I'll miss the security and safety knowing Kim Bauer is around...
Cris, don't reply to this email baka hingin ko pa ulit ang transcript mo (JOKE... ay written pala to kaya pwede). I'll miss the love team in the office...

Goodluck people on your next endeavors. I'm sure you'll do very very well. Basta whatever it is make sure you challenge the status quo and kick ass! Magtatampo ako if you do not visit the office every now and then (make sure may dala kayong food at Yakult!).

I'll sign you off from the egroups and emails this weekend.

Thanks for the moments!

Dennis


Shet... *tears tears*... I'll miss the war room (as of today, it's being constructed into another meeting room... definitely something more dreary and officey) and the people that comes with it... the laughter and tears, the stress, the chikas, the crazy moments, the videoke moments...Thanks to everyone for making it a very memorable two years. I'll drop by the playroom next time. Will promise to bring more Cheez It and Yakult and Yakisoba!

Signing Out... Gladys Judan, former Intrapreneur....

Zsazsa Zaturnnah-(huh!)

Zsazsa Zaturnnah's one of the funnest and funniest plays I've seen for a long time! It was a good homecoming for me at CCP since Miss Saigon. I'm a big fan of Ricci Chan and Agot Isidro whom I've seen in previous plays already, and I was curious to see Eula perform as well in her first ever musical stint.


I was re-acquainted into the world of Camp (read=gay lingo) which was always interesting to learn. Never knew that Eula could sing that well, and she really sounded gay (which for her role is a good thing!), while Agot and Ricci gave stellar performances, as expected. Ada was a professor pala, which explains the hordes of fans who were his students from Miriam. Dodong was a surprise too; apparently, he's already a composer and a MetroPop veteran. Three hours was just enough (I couldn't believe we laughed that long!) for the whole plot to unfold and for the punch lines to be delivered at just the right time. Kudos to the creative sets and props, and to the spandex costumes (definitely time space warp-ish!) Too bad the ushers were poorly confused (which was very unfortunate for CCP's reputation) and our seats were quite cramped--at second half, my right flip-flop accidentally fell at the bottom of the bleachers, which I could only crawl to get after the show was over! Cripes!


Waited for our happy food (banana split galore!) at Iceberg's while debating whether we should go back and finish our autograph signing. Good thing Eda was with me, my very own "Amazonistah" who made first dibs with Ricci, Agot, Eula, Wilma and Arnold a.k.a. Dodong (Ang Superstar ng Buhay Ko ay Ikaw! Cheesiness!). I just followed suit and smiled stupidly along… I was still definitely starstruck! Too bad I wasn't able to talk more with Carl the Priest, whom I shared smiles with during intermission and after the play (yep, cheesy kilig moment part two!). Definitely the most fun backstage adventures I've ever had!



I definitely recommend everyone to watch this play, if only there were tickets left. Last I heard the play is already sold out until the end of the season (we ourselves got tickets from a fixer!). This play goes out to all Amazonistahs out there: Go get your "mahiwagang bato", be superheroes and fall in love with your own Dodong's along the way...;-) Carpe Diem!

WWE Raw Live Tour in Manila!

Big Show, Big Crowd at the Big Dome!

After lifetimes of longing and wishful thinking, Julius and I were finally able to catch the WWE Raw Live Tour in Manila! The Stars came over here for a two-night show and Araneta was really jampacked! It was a dream come true for Julius, who's always been a fan. I guess in a certain way, it's always been my dream too, even if my generation still idolized Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart (and even believed Ultimate Warrior's fatal exit from the show!) We got tickets only in the Upper Box Arena, but it wasn't too bad... thanks to zoom lens of my DSC-T5. I was "hired" as official photographer for the night! Harhar!

On the other side though, the event almost didn't push through, as there was a "state of national emergency" declared by GMA. Everyone feared it was almost marital law, as politicians and rallyists were arrested on the streets. It was pretty scary; at a press release, the wrestlers admitted that they were scared too! Good thing that even the biggest rallies couldn't stop fans from going! We did scream our lungs out that night: "Steel Chair! Steel Chair!" The girls beside me screamed louder... I never felt greater adrenaline rush with that many people before!

Thanks to Julius for bringing me, and for letting me see Triple H, Mick Foley, Big Show and Cena! Even if I don't get to watch the show as often now, the Tour made me realize I'm still a fan, and I'd always be a screaming fan for them. Our Php500 bucks apiece souvenir shirts will prove that! Steep Man! But everything was definitely worth it!!!