thank you:

for fresh laundry (yay!)

for more gym clothes

for work

for a fresh start

for delightfully unexpected calls 

for an extra day

for reliving what has happened through photos i posted very late

for planned trips

for opportunities

for sweet tapa. seriously.

for new friends with the same humor

for old movies. as in really old.

for family holiday time.

for old friends that i hardly see but have seen over the holidays

for all my gifts!

for being able to give

for realizing that i have so much. more than i know i have, even.

for food on the table.

for new beddings that make sleeping a totally different experience

for dinner with friends 

for priceless conversations

for life lessons

for realizations that peg advancements in maturity

for waking up today

:)

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 ;)

  photo

my great morning

today started good. it's barely lunch time yet and ive gotten lots of good vibes already.

my whole team was on-time for our scheduled activity. even the hard-headed ones. great!

so i skip breakfast to make it to work on time. then at work, one of my agents gives me one of her 2-piece chickens because she ordered too much. nice:)

yes, we will be having an outing. next week!! wow, i haven't been to the beach in more than a year! this would be a grrreat way to start the 2nd quarter of the year! aaand, im prepared! my boardshorts are waiting to be taken out for a spin! up, up, here we go!

consulted my director for something when the VP butts in and asks when my US visa will expire. he just gave me a heads-up that there might be a roadshow happening last week of july till august. my director just smiles at me and tells him that i'll be in europe about that time. i just said that i wouldn't have a problem flying into the US from europe if need be. haha, i miss being a jetsetter!:) anyway, details are still vague so there isn't anything solid yet as far as that's concerned. i'll deal with it when it's there :)

im excited to attend the spinning class today, at lunch time! had an awful experience yesterday. i ate so much and was scheduled to attend the 845pm class of bodycombat. i had special blessings from my boss because we had to work late. she WANTED me to go because she's seen a great improvement in my mood since i started gymming. so okay, i went. and what do i find: FREE FOOD and CANCELLED CLASSES. apparently, it was fitness first's anniversary. ugh! i ended up running on the treadmill, which i hate doing. 10 minutes on it and i was tired as hell! i opted to sweat it out at the sauna before washing up and going home. but TODAY, i get to attend spinning classes. so yay!:)

okay, im late. better split!

life's little details

i've been busy the past days and i wouldn't exactly say that they've been pleasant because they weren't (hello, im in sales, and it's the end of the month. these are the times when the words 'targets' and 'quota' are thrown around like they were the only important words there are). but despite everything that had been transpiring, there've been fits of blessings here and there and it's surprising when you start counting. it really makes a whole lot of difference.

anyway, some random stuff i wanna remember from a couple of days ago until this afternoon. just wanna post because i don't wanna forget:

- been finding time to go to the gym regularly. im obsessed with BodyCombat! makes me sweat profusely! as in i go cranky when i don't get to workout!

- people at the office have been noticing and insisting that i lost weight, even if i've been disagreeing. today especially. i've been stressing that i have been eating so much especially since i started working out. and they still insist. well, okay okay. i guess that's better than everyone telling you how much you've gained:)

- my boss told me to have my car washed cos it's been so dirty since yesterday. fine. while waiting for the wash to finish, i waited at Kuya's, one of our most favorite restaurants ever (first time i tried it was in San Bruno just out of San Francisco when i was still working in the US. Was pleasantly surprised that they have it here!). their twice cooked adobo was divine, as always. but we tried something new: crispy binagoongan as recommended by twinkle. oh my, sarap! good thing ezah had her camera with her. the moment was captured:

 - then i randomly get this box from manila pen and inside was this small notebook with kids in peninsula hats. haha, so cool! i bet it's one of 'em notebooks that i won't be touching again. i just like that it's there, ya know?:)

cant wait to fix my room to get organized again. i wanna group my little notebooks together so i always know where to find them. i have a big bayong (literally a bayong-- i got it in salcedo market!) of trinkets and whatnots that i've been dying to segregate. one day soon (hopefully).

-  finally found the time to pick up these special business cards i had made. so happy to finally have them!

- saw this watch i was fascinated with. it's a watch AND a camera! so inspector gadget/sherlock holmes! im gonna go back to take a look at it again one of these days. these things excite me. i really feel like im gonna be able to use it one way or another. i always wanted to be a spy, i dont exactly know why:)

- i get this random call from onyl for this favor that he's asking from me. small chitchats, etc, and eventually i get an invitation to watch KAOS! so excited! been wanting to talk to gary about this but i've been procrastinating. well, well, well..look do we have here!

- yesterday, i bought a pair of board shorts because i think we're having an outing by next week. better prepared than sorry:) i have so many planned trips this year and it's just march! and i mean small trips, the ones i never got to do before! and some of them are trips to parts of the PHILIPPINES! omg, so excited!!

anyhoo, cas is waiting in SnR, im gonna go see him there and get a cup of blue bunny, which i haven't done in a while :) easy day for such a stressful period in my professional life. i miss singing and just hanging out with ateneo peeps.

photo: rwmanila.com

job fair

so im in sm megamall at 5AM for a job fair at the megatrade hall. why 5am? beats me.

i was told that there would be media coverage in the morning so i should be there, in case there's a chance for an interview. extra mileage for the company, i guess. more bang for the buck, since we paid for this anyhow. i just went, even if i thought none of the applicants would be there. it's frikin FIVE IN THE MORNING!

but this greeted me at 5am:

amazingly, there was a line to get in. yes, AT FIVE A.M.

i guess there are a lot of people who really need jobs. and who need them badly enough that they had to be there that early. made me realize how lucky i still am despite all the difficulties at work. i guess this was God shoving up to my face the fact that i still am blessed.

wala lang.

thank you..

for family time, finally

 

for three movies in a row

for the chance of walking the red carpet unexpectedly

for seeing old friends

 

for a productive day at work

for finally earning the trust of people who are the hardest to read

for my having someone i could actually trust to share my ideas with at work

for a new haircut i love

for a new big bag that i can throw my whole life into again

for new developments in my relationship with people i like

for making it to rehearsals this time

 

for familiar music filling my ears again after so long

for stories and laughter shared with friends over cheap dinner

for not being too tired to take a shower before slipping into my sheets

for actually finding the time to type all these out.

thank you..

brown paper packages..

..tied up with string..

..these are a few of my favorite things!

boss, how did you ever know that i've always, always wanted one of these?:)

now it's extra special because it was given as a gift!

a gift for keeping the faith. for believing the impossible.

i love surprises.

harang season

i have 2 harangs today and 2 tomorrow. 

harang season has officially started!:) ding,ding,ding,ding, ding!!!!

*excited*

God is good :)