my dad, the dual citizen

my dad finally turned 60, and he'd always joke that he'd become a dual citizen by this time: a filipino citizen + a senior citizen.

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kroo kroo. well, i guess you now know where i get it from. :P

anyway: our surprise party was a success!

funny story: mum masked this entire surprise thing as an event for someone who had our place reserved. so my dad made his mean roastbeef, they all helped out in setting-up, etc, and went home to change for this dinner i arranged for the family. we were supposed to go to Craving's in katipunan, and we wanted him to dress up a bit (he's usually in his white shirt-jeans uniform, i tell you). jai and i went ahead of mum and dad because 'they give your table to the next customer if you come in late'. he actually fell for it.

so mum took her time preparing (which she NEVER does) while we set-up everyone for the surprise at ilyong's. they 'had to' drop by our restaurant because mum 'forgot her planner'. she asks dad to come down with her. before entering the door, he's greeted by this friend from the 70's which he hasn't seen in more than 30years! small chitchat while everyone inside waits, and his guest finally tells him to go inside already.

dad refuses. there's an event daw so they can't go in. hilarious!

my sister had to literally pull him in and say it's okay to go in, and boy was he surprised to see everyone gathered to greet him! i could not believe he never expected it!

well, that's my dad for you. the simplest, most unassuming person i've ever met in my life.no one will ever be as special as him.

happy birthday, dad. you have been, and will always be our pillar, inspiration, role model. stay happy, stay healthy.

ps. it was my SIL's birthday, too! i've always wondered how kuya would handle the double celebration. i don't think it would be a joint party forever, no? well, at least there's something to look forward to every year:) happy birthday, gia! stay healthy and i mean it:) i hope you feel the love, too!

oh, oh! and i finally found a way to make these cool photo collages without using photoshop! (photoshop's a pain to even open sometimes, so i don't bother anymore). i did this with iPhoto, which is cool because all my pictures are already there anyway, so no need to open them one by one. it's a drag and dropkinda thing so it saves me time, and saves my blog from being *too* photo-heavy!

senior year

dad's turning 60 in a little over a week. mum and i are whipping up something for him.

my pop's the simplest person you'll ever know. no vices. won't even wear the new clothes you'd give him. he'd rather take clothes with character (meaning the ones we've worn a million times already) and wear it everyday. if there's one thing he's addicted to, it's coming to my room at the end of the day, plopping on my couch or floor, and listening to stories of how my day went. he does it every night since i could remember. no fail.

he loves listening to stories. and he loves telling stories. i got that from him, i believe.

the uncomplicated person that he is, of course he doesn't want a celebration. he just wants us to hear mass together and he'll maybe cook a simple dinner for us to eat together. but of course mum and i think otherwise. and mum's excited like anything so she has this surprise planned in her head weeks ago already. dad's clueless, but i'm sure he won't be surprised that we actually prepared something. and he sure wouldn't mind because he never does when mum surprises him.

my dad taught us humility and simplicity, and he taught it through his actions. to this day, he has remained our model for manners, selflessness, you name it. i'm nowhere as perfect as he is, as some of my friends might know i could be quite, er, excessive:) but seriously, i try. and if i could be half the person that he is, i'd be the luckiest guy in the world.

 

happy birthday, dad. i might not be able to give you the best party money could buy, but i hope i make you feel special on your day and everyday. i love you to bits!

cebu

i have been blessed this year with many travels and although i have not blogged about most of them (can you imagine having to sift through all those photos??), i feel like i should blog about this last trip that i had. like right now, before i forget.

 this trip was extra  unforgettable because: 

1. i don't get to go on out of town trips around the philippines that much, and 

2. i don't get to spend time with my high school boys as often as before

it's different traveling with the people who i literally grew up with. as in some of them i've known since prep. i've seen them through childish antics, bigotillos, soirees and recently, fatherhood. it was surreal and educational at the same time because well, you realize how much everyone has matured and because of that, you see the world differently somehow. 

having that sense of responsibility is another thing that i was exposed to on this trip. i admired them knowing my friends now live not just for themselves but for others. that they are now responsible for a person was so amazing for me. i used to get irritated with kids crying inflight, but i now empathize with the parents and how hard it could be to hush their babies when the little ones get restless.

all in all my trip has been a blast! i have a lot to say and my thoughts are so random that i'll probably just let it sink in a bit more. i'll maybe just add to this some other time. i'll let the photos talk for now.

our view of the ocean from our hotel

my very first underwater shot

the freshest seafood. before this trip, i thought these shells were only meant to be displayed. i now know that you display them after you've eaten them.

 

 prenups, anyone?

the hat and the 'yacht'  just called for this contrabida shot:

the cast with their mini-me's and mars'

cruisin' the pacific ocean (or is it the philippine sea? eh, whatevs!)

 

tender sunset moment: nerissa and franco

fresh caught scallops baked to perfection!

i want this clock!

city view from the top

 

fantastic special cebu lechon de leche on a bmw: a treat from bowie

 

taoist temple

while the girls shopped for accessories, the guys chased after the kids

magellan's cross

short but sweet easy going night.

magellan-lapu-lapu shrine

this video captures the essence of the trip so much more. credits to joel g for this! as of press time, my video has been roughly edited, left and forgotten. i promise to post it in this lifetime.

plants vs zombies, kenneth cobonpue, special lechon de leche in a bmw convertible, white islands 'cruise ship', no problem restaurant, milo cereal, sinderella bikini bar, regla day care, sm hypermart, flat tops, jack coke, hola españa, paella negro, wine, cheese and pizza, PCSO, nikki gil coke commercial, 'mars, the late garlic rice, leia, aidan, franco, bea, AA bbq, crispy pata & gel, spicy longganisa, danggit, jellyfish, thackz, bowie, 'envy', clothes minded.

 

cebu. 10.27.11 - 11.1.11

coffee with the 'sales diva'

another random post to preserve a moment.

it's always a great experience catching up with old friends. this particular friend i had coffee with last night was someone i wasn't particularly close to at the time we were working together 6 years ago (we were part of competing districts), but we've always been in touch. recent events have also brought us together and now we're finding ourselves talking like we've known each other forever.

of course we talked about work. past, present and future. and i learned a lot of things, directly and indirectly. i actually thought i'd write them down here before i forget.

- you will always want someone to treat you a certain way, but it doesn't mean that if they don't treat you the way you want them to, they don't like you. you have to understand where the other person is coming from and how he'll deliver a certain action to fully appreciate the gesture.

- never burn bridges, ever.

-remember the people you meet on your way up. you'll be meeting them too on your way down.

- control your feelings. mind over heart.

- one heart, one mind, one spirit. tired heart, tired mind, tired spirit.

- with money should come growth.

-it's fun exchanging stories with someone who's had international sales experience. the connection is unbelievable!

- compete with yourself. be better than you were. beat yourself.

- commit all your mistakes while you are young.

- always see the good in other people. when you are hurt by present negative circumstances concerning someone, go back to the good experiences you've had with them.

- look back for strength. surprise yourself with realizing how strong you were.

- fat bank accounts are an affirmation of how truly hardworking you were.

- it's okay to spend, but remember to save. if you haven't, start now.

- be careful what you wish for (e.g. a break) cos you just might get it.

- my, what 2 months could do to you physically!

- fitness always comes first!

- it's okay to say no to eat-all-you-can!
- it's a great feeling when someone you helped before still cites you as their mentor

etcetera, etctera, etctera ;)

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