Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Mon-date

Last night I got to see my boyfriend. We went to see Cheaper by the Dozen 2. It was nice seeing a movie with him again. I think the last movie that we saw together was Ako Legal Wife and that seems like agas ago!

The movie was fun! I guess I found it more fun because my boyfriend always jokes about having 12 kids! Goodness how do you manage 12 kids? We had dinner at Superbowl and got to see the entire DLSU basketball team there... BJ Manalo and company with their respective girlfriends!

There were a lot of sales again last night but we did not have enough time to go over the stores. Nonetheless, I had fun with my baby! He is soh cute! I like to just stare at him and just marvel at how blessed I am to have him. I especially like it when he gets my bag when it keeps on slipping down my shoulder. He knows exactly when to get it from me! I love it when he reaches for my hand so we can hold hands as we walk. I like having his arm around me. I find so much joy laughing with him. It seems only like yesterday when he first put his arm around me and my stomach tightened and my heart skipped a beat. My stomach still does the very same thing every time I think about that. Thankfully, I wasn't soh tired last night, that I was able to be an okay company, still not the best but I guess I was okay.

I love you baby!

Field Day at Manila

Last Sunday, though I was still exhausted from the day before of my activities not to mention the week before that was also crammed with things to do... I forced myself out of the bed and into the bathroom to take a bath. I promised my youngest sister a trip to Cariedo, Sta. Cruz, Quiapo, Binondo and Divisoria.

Just thinking about it made me weary already. It was a hot day. I was dreading going there but at the same time, I was also excited for my sister who was going there for the very first time. I said a silent prayer that the Lord may keep us safe in our adventure that afternoon.

We took a TAS Trans bus going to Sta. Cruz. First stop was... Cariedo!

Cariedo
My sister and I surveyed the shop for a pair of boots that she is going to use for a cosplay. A cosplay is short for a costume play that has been popularized by anime fanatics. Two men asked us to go to a shop where there are knee high combat boots. We almost got forced into buying overpriced boots, fortunately, we were able to run out and go to another store.

We had to evade the two men so after ordering for the pair of boots, we went to the other side of Cariedo. A side of Cariedo sells beads. My sister's eyes widened in excitement as she browsed through the shop of beads and accessories. Once again she bought neclaces for her cosplay.

We then headed for Quiapo.

Quiapo

We went through the underpass and went to a DVD haven as described by my sister. Immediately, she was able to find anime DVDs that she wanted to buy. She had the DVDsd tested but before she could pay for them, the door of the building was shut and there was panic everywhere. DVD cases were being thrown in big bags and being hurled upstairs for hiding. There was a raid!

We had no way out!

I have been there several times and although there has been no raid since that afternoon, I have always wondered what would happen if there was one. I was thinking of what could be done. There was nowhere we could escape to. We were trapped.

Thank goodness, there was no raid that took place, apparently, upon seeing that the building was closed, they did not force it open anymore.

Whew!

We then headed for the bridge. I can't recall the name of the bridge but underneath is a wealth of handicrafts for balikbayans.

My sister was looking for a Boken, a wooden sword used for martial arts but we did not find one. It was such an exhausting walk.

On our way to Quiapo, my sister asked if we could go back to the DVD bulding to buy season 2 of Desperate Housewives. I guess the raid did not scare her a bit! So another exodus, we pulled off.

We got to see a Karakol dance at the underpass too!

Binondo
After all the walk we did, we got hungry so we decided to eat at Wai Ying... Boy was it far! But well worth it. The food was great.

After eating we were pooped and so we headed home. We both did not want to go to Divisoria anymore because it was just too tiring.

It was quite a field trip for my sister as that day was also the Chinese New Year so we got to see a lot of people gays, kids, guys do the dragon dance!

Going back home, I was ready to fall asleep in the bus. I was really tired. Upon getting home, I discovered the A/C outside the house and so the people who cleaned it put it back in. I had to watch them put it back in. After which, my mom arrived and asked hte men to pull it out because she bought a new A/C. I had to watch the men again. A few minutes more and we had to hear mass already. After I got home, I was definitely tired!!!

I got to see my baby though before the day ended. Just for a bit because his tummy was not feeling okay. He apparently ate somethign at their outing that did not quite agree with him.

No wonder I am still tired!

Ane-tipolo Party

My boyfriend's cousin Ane who also happened to be my favorite just passed the board exam for dentistry so we were invited for a celebration at Antipolo. I was looking forward to the party but I got too tired at the party because early that morning, I had to be at the graduation (one of my teacherly duties). After the graduation I went to Makati for a haircut and to get a gift for the cousin. My boyfriend and I have not been able to find time to buy a gift. We have both been awfully busy. I crammed a PhD paper last week. It seems that lately I have to do so much in a day!

The haircut took so long because they had to iron my hair. I had to go to Marks and Spencer to buy the gift and the underwear that I had to wear that night for the Chinese New Year. I headed back to the condo to change and then headed to the ground floor but then I realized that I did not have the gift in hand, I went back up to get it. When I got to the ground floor they were already there! I was so embarrassed. I don't know for how long they had to wait.

Most of the time at the party, I was in a daze. It did not escape my boyfriend of course. My brain was not at its finest... Missing out some of the jokes of my beau. Luckily though, I think I was able to talk to his family members with ease. His mom was with us and it's always a joy to be with her because she's bubbly and cheerful. I remember the first party we went to at Antipolo, the van was so quiet and it was a bit awkward perhaps because his mom was not with us then. Of course, it could also have been because that was only the third time that I have been with them.

I got to see my beau's grandma again! She is the coolest grandma I know! Too bad we did not get to talk much. I like it when she hugs me when I lean to kiss her (that's how they bless in my boyfriend's family). She does it in the most sincere way and then she squeezes my hand after. I can't help but love her! It's like she's my real grandmother. I miss spending time with her.

I also got to see his aunt and uncle who are my favorite too! Too bad, I did not get to talk to them much. His uncle has cancer of the lungs and that Saturday night, I can see how it is taking its toll on his body. I feel bad, especially because he used to be so active and cheerful. I am still praying for him. I hope my boyfriend's aunt will continue to be strong. Their son is also very nice. I got to chat with him a bit that night as well.

The celebrant and her siblings are I think, my boyfriend's most sociable cousins. It's not surprising though, their father after all is a councilor in La Union! I got to see the eldest sibling dance and as my beau said, he is quite a dancer! Maybe he can teach me a move or two!

While eating and chatting with my boyfriend and occassionally with his sisters and cousins, I could not help but marvel at the striking resemblance of my boyfriend and his dad. I have never seen too much resemblance in father and son as I have seen in them. I could not help but remember the first time I saw his dad at his sister's party, I was literally in awe!

My boyfriend was as tired as I was that night and I have no idea if he enjoyed that night at all. I hope he did though. Though we were with one another that night, and sat across each other, it seemed as if we were apart. Going to Antipolo was different however, we were even texting one another and I was anticipating the moment when I could finally be beside him. While we were at the party though, it looked as though we were distant. I guess we were just both tired at that time since he was coming from a Tagaytay outing.

He confessed later, that he drove half asleep because he was too tired already.

Re-fuse

I attended a graduation last Saturday. I checked papers during graduation and I am still checking papers now... Need I say more? I am stressed beyond words will allow me to express. I think this trimester is taking its toll on me. It is soh difficult, this trimester is. With all the things that I need to do piling up. sigh.

I refuse to change my lifestyle.
I refust to succumb to stress.

There's a way to get through this. If there is something I learned from my Master's it's that everything will come to pass. If there's anything I have learned from my boyfriend, it's to never panic.

Breathe in and out.

A few more blogs and I'm going back to work.

No more excuses.

Seeing Through The Lens


Macro Shot Attempt Posted by Picasa

On our way back to Manila, I took out my boyfriend's D70S. I took some pictures back in the resort and my boyfriend complimented me on a picture i took of a string of pearls. That was all the encouragement I needed.


Amidst the Dark  Posted by Picasa




Cruisin' Posted by Picasa


King of the Road Posted by Picasa
I took more than ten pictures from inside the car. My boyfriend tells me they turned out great. I haven't seen them though. I'm mighty excited to see them!!! I'll post the pictures here once I get some copies. Of course, only of those pics without people in them.

I love looking into the view finder. Things look so much better from that small window of the world. I can be selective and just frame those things I want to see. I can focus on the beauty of things and not the totality. I can take the good and not take the bad that comes along with the good. I can paint the world in a much rosy color.

I cannot begin to describe the joy of taking pictures... I guess this is the reason why every time my boyfriend takes pictures, an eternal smile is unconsciously pasted on his lips. I understood him earlier that day in one of the cavanas as I was taking pictures of jewelries peddled by the local vendors.

I now see photography through the same lens my boyfriend does. I am still an apprentice but I am under the wings of a master.

Funfanga!!!

I gave my new young friend a high five before he ran towards his dad's car. I closed the door of my boyfriend's and sighed as I looked around. Zambales is a paradise undiscovered by many. Somehow, a part of me is glad that there aren't so many resorts around that place, otherwise it would have ruined the beauty of hte island. I hope that when I get the chance to visit again, it will still be as alluring as it was that very day we left. Of course, nothing is ever constant but then, I can wish can't I?

Once again we were on the road back to Manila but before we head back, we were to have lunch at Pampanga! My boyfriend's boss' treat! Pampanga is his hometown! On our way there, we were desperately seeking for a radio station so we can find out what the latest is about Pacquiao's match with Morales!

Fortunately, we were able to tune in to RMN despite the scarcity of signal. I witnessed Pacquiao's first match with Morales on the radio live, in fact I even spoiled the results for my boyfriend because I thought the broadcast on TV was also live. While we hoped to hear the fight live, we found out that ABS-CBN is not allowing people to air the fight because they had exclusive rights to the show.

People, dismayed and disappointed, called in. RMN, enjoying the sympathy from the public encouraged people to call and send text messages. People who were differently abled (the politically correct term for the disabled, I found out from one of the callers) flooded in. I felt bad for them... Then of course there are the soldiers who could have heard the fight over the radio because they had no access to televisions. Another group is the oppressed who cannot afford to buy televisions and of course those who do not have electricity and can only provide for themselves, radios that can be operated on batteries.

It was very sad.

Save for one caller...

In a really gay voice:

"Hello, this is joey. I would like to make a comment on what a blind man said earlier. He stated earlier that he is blind and because of that he won't be able to watch the fight of Manny Pacquiao on TV but after saying so he swore that he will never again watch Channel 2. I think what he said is contradicting. I would also like to say that I think ABS has every right to keep others from airing the fight because that is their intellectual property right... "

Okay by this time I was just laughing real hard! Along with the other people in the car... Intellectual huwaaat?

We found out through the lousy coverage of DZMM (the radio station of ABS-CBN) that Pacquiao won. Thank goodness it was Castillejo who got to report about the tenth round! I can't believe they had Christy Fermin report about the other rounds! The least that they could have done was to get a sportscaster to cover the event! I know, they were just hitting two birds with one stone given that Fermin is from The Buzz, thw showbiz show of ABS. But come on! That was an important fight and they already banned people a thousand times better than Fermin to cover the event. To give you an idea how she did...

"Okay we have just finished round 5, we are now into round 6. I think round 5, was our round. As you can see..."

No we can't you're on radio remember...

We got to Pampanga finally. By that time Pacquiao has already won but on ABS it was just round 2. What given that a commercial break spans two rounds and there's a commercial break every round there was no way the fight was going to finish soon. We stayed glued on TV nonetheless, cheering for our hero.

Thanks to the victory of Manny, the good food and good company, Pampanga did turn out to be Funfanga!!! :)

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

A Tale of Zambales

I woke up at 7am to pack my stuff. I was bursting at the seams with excitement! I was going to Pampanga with my baby and his former officemates! Yahoo!

Of course before I do, I had to endure my hell Friday but when you are doing one task after another, time flies without much ado.

Before I knew it, it was time to leave the condo to go to my boyfriend's house. He still had to pack. I begin to psyche myself for the long wait as we drove to their place. He takes forever to get ready for an outing but I don't mind 'coz most of the time I am soh excited and spend most of the time thinking of the trip ahead.

So You Think You Can Dance, a Friends episode and half an Elvis movie later, we were on our way to Amkor to meet up with his officemates.

His officemates were very warm toward me! I never feel out of place around them. Maybe it's coz my boyfriend has always been nice to them. A few minutes later we were on our way to a bank because my boyfriend was going to withdraw some money.

My beau pulled over in front of the machine and left us to talk inside the car. We had a couple ride with us and they were very sweet. They look cute together! Another former female officemate rode with us. I find her pretty and she's so nice too! A few minutes later, my boyfriend, a bit upset informed us that the machine hung and that it did not dispense the money it should. We had to call up the call center adn few minutes more, we were on our way to Pampanga.

We are yet to find out after two working days if they will refund the money that did not come out of the ATM machine.

A few hours and 60 minutes of sleep later, we found our way to Zambales! I did not know we were going to Zambales! I thought we were going to stay at Pmapanga! No matter, I just want to go to the beach! I could not wait to get into my swimsuit and swim in the sea! I love swimming!!!

I loved the place. The beach was clear and there were not so many boats that abound the shore. It was just perfect! Well... it was save for the resort caretaker who was such a pill charging us for almost everything!

We got to the place half past five in the morning and so we got to rest for a while. Two of his female officemates and myself got restless and so we swam in the pool. They found the water cold, I of course did not think it was cold because I'm used to swimming in the icy cold water of the pool at the sports complex. We moved to the beach a few strokes later.

The water in the beach was great! It got better when I saw that my baby was there! He looks so cute taking pictures of things around him!

After breakfast and after the Lunch crew prepared the food to be grilled at Capones Island, Zambales, we were good to go. We rode in four boats. My baby took pictures again, it was a good thing he brought along his D70S. The island was nice. It had sedimentary walls (I am autovocabulizing again, I don't know what to call them), the sand was white but not so pure but the place was not a great place to swim in. The water there was too shallow and were inhabited by corals that sadly, are now dead. I got really far from the shore but I never quite got to a place where there were nice corals.

We had lunch under the shade of the sedimentary rock. They grilled tilapias and liempos and we even had mangoes for dessert! His officemates are amazing! They can conjure up the best tasting meals even when in an outing! The team forgot to bring glasses though so we all had to come up with ways to drink! Some people got cellophanes and filled them with water, tied one end and bit open the other end and drank. Some sliced softdrink bottles in two, while some asked for glasses from other people who were also at the island.

After lunch and a whole lot of pictures taken by my baby, we were on our way to the Camera Island. By this time, I already looked like a Lyna mascot with all the sunblock I put on my face and my body (Thanks baby for putting on me sunblock lotion!) I wonder if this is how geishas come to be hehe :))

Camera Island is my favorite island because I can swim there. There were still corals there but it allowed more space to swim in. We also found a cave there and the sand bar where the waves meet was an amazing experience! It was like really being in a wave pool! Except you can hurt yourself because there were sharp rocks. The sand bar goes all the way to another island allowing you to cross. My boyfriend and I did not bother. We could not see why we should. :)

We saw a cave there too! Well, not exactly a cave but a place underneath two gigantic boulders. Really romantic! And there was also a jungle there but we never went there, it did not appeal to me much.

The island was very beautiful! We spent the rest of the afternoon lying on the sand, where my boyfriend caught a few winks. He never really slept until that time.

We had to go back to the island at around 3pm so the waves won't get too big.

Upon landing, I headed to the shower to rid myself of hte sand and jumped into the pool as I waited for all the others to finish taking baths. I took a bath and after which, my boyfriend and I decided to watch the sun set. I did not want sand to get in between my toes so I kiddingly asked him to give me a piggy back ride to the cottage and he did!!!

I felt like a girl from a romantic Korean film! He lied down on one of the cottage tables, his head on my lap and as we waited for the sun to set, he fell asleep. He asked me to wake him up when the sun was halfway down but well... yup you guessed that right, I lied down perpendicular to him, his head now on my tummy and we both fell asleep. It was already pitch black when I opened my eyes.

Dinner time!

We were in charge of dinner but the people who prepared dinner, were aslo the lunch crew who will also turn out to be the breakfast crew as well... I helped slice calamansi... does that count?

As they got dinner ready I got to have a long adn interesting conversation with the four year old son of one of my boyfriend's officemates. He is so cute and smart!

We had tuna, chicken adobo and some really hot salsa! Yumm!!! After dinner, my boyfriend and I found a nearby cottage and lied down on separate benches. He was given cans of Strong Ice. I was just so contented being in that cottage with him. We joined the bonfire a few minutes later. He took pictures of the bonfire and then we retreated to the cottages again to listen to music and keep each other warm. It felt nice to be with him in a cold night like that.

We fell asleep on the benches again and the coldness of the air woke me up. As we headed to the rooms, we saw that the bonfire people were having a discussion with a tanod. Apparently, a drunk man pieked a fight and they ignored him but he got more people... I only understood up to that point because I was too sleepy to understand the rest of the story.

The following morning, we were all set to go! We had breakfast, yummy bacon and tuna! My boyfriend took more pictures and I spent more time with the cute kid!

A few hours later, we were on our way to Pampanga... This time for real!

Hectic Friday

Friday is my hell day no doubt.

My Fridays begin at 920 in the morning with my INTROSE class. After which I proceed to my INTROSE project meeting til 1130. At 1130 to 1230 I go to my FORMDEV class. At 1250 to 230pm I conduct my HUCOINT class. After which, I get a one hour break for my errands and other things that I have to do on the side. An hour later, I walk to my last INTROSE class at 3:40pm. At 4:40pm I sprint to the sport complex to play badminton for an hour with friends. I get a thirty minute break and then PhD class begins at 6pm and ends at 8pm. I'm just lucky coz it should end at 9pm.

This was my toxic but fun Friday last week.

With the tight schedule that I had to follow, I could noy but myself 2 pairs of shorts. I fitted my shorts that Friday morning and the shorts were not as comfortable as I want them. I asked my baby if he can swing by the mall to get me some shorts. He willingly agreed to shop for me.

You might be wondering what I was thinking asking a guy to buy me shorts. I really trust my boyfriend to buy my clothes because he picks out nice stuff. I told him I'll pay him after. I thought he was just going to go to Lulu Castagnette and get two shorts from the shop. I was so surprised that he really went scouting, short hunting is more like it. He's been everywhere, Girbaud, Mango, but in the end we had to settle with Lulu coz I have not fit the shorts from Girbaud and Mango. The Lulu shorts on the other hand I have fitted already.

Thank baby for being ever so reliable and for bearing with the weird stares of the boyfriends at the waiting area of Mango as you browsed through the merchandise of the shop along with shopaholic women. Thanks for going out of your way to get me a pair of shorts. I love them! You have as always made an exhausting day a fun one!

I love you!

Friday, January 20, 2006

ABC Baby, You and Me

Whew!

I finally got the Computer Literacy Program material that will be used for this Saturday's tutorial out of my hair! I'm done with it! I think I did okay. The studsents still have a day to edit it if they want to add more things.

That's not the reason why I'm blogging.

I would just like to share the extreme contentment that I have right now with my relationship. If my brother were reading this, he would tell me that I am just saying this to convince myself but the thing is, I never really blogged with other people in mind. Sorry, but really, this is more like a way for me to exhale. Right now, I am contented.

What made me contemplate about this oh so suddenly...

I saw Rumors Has It. My mom bought a pirated copy. *sheepish grin* I know it's bad enough that I saw it on pirated DVD but the movie is bad enough for me to say that I do not regret watching it on pirated DVD. A line in the movie struck me though...
It doesn't matter what you do together, it's the person you are with that matters.

Every little thing he does is magic
Every little thing just turns me on

I love hearing that song because following that song is always the voice of my baby!

He called to let me know he is near our place already and if I am coming down to meet him. He was going to pick up his dad tonight and he decided to swing by my place first to see me. Isn't he the sweetest? I swam tonight and undeniably so because I still smelled of chlorine. My brother and my sister loathes the smell of it. Add to that the not-exactly-fragrant lotion from Lush , called Dream Cream. It's the only thing that works for my skin. I also use Nivea Firming Lotion with Q10 for my upper arms which smells awful too! I knew I smelled terrible already so I did not bother to cover it up with anything. Okay, I put on some Lip and Cheek from The Body Shop and some Ilog Maria lip balm for my lips. My lips get chapped from swimming too and that lip balm is the only thing that works for me too. I tied my hair into a pony tail and that was that. I was wearing my glasses that my boyfriend finds tacky but I did not feel like wearing my contacts anymore.

I finally got out of the unit and positioned myself beside the elevator preparing to jump in front of it when he comes out. The elevator stopped, I waited, my heartbeat racing, I saw a shadow... I almost leaped in front of him to surprise him... but to my embarassment it was not him. I was wearing my pajamas already! The guy must have thought I was a nutcase... Thank goodness I did not jump in front of him, funny faces and all!!! That would have been a floor-swallow-me-now-puhleez moment!!!

A few minutes later, the guy I was meaning to surprise finally arrived. I was going to surprise him but when he peeked out of the elevator door, I had to hold my breath. He just looked soh cute in his rowing shirt from the Green Mile Regatta, June 2001. He was also wearing a red and black Nike shorts and Nike slippers. He looked so cute! I especially liked the smile!

I greeted him with a hug. I could not let him in anymore 'coz mom was already asleep so we just talked on the stairs of our floor. And then I broke into a song... A you're adorable, B you're so kissable, C you're a cutie full of charm... and then we found ourselves singing the song and teasing one another...

Just like that. I have the time of my life sitting on the staircase singing an elementary song simply because I have with me the person who has made me realize that I can love more than I have ever known and that I can receive more love than I have ever believed I could.

I had a great time. Thank you for making simple joys happen.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Blowing Kisses and Covers

I was at Lulu Castagnette last Saturday with my boyfriend. I was just trying out some outfits because this boutique is my new addiction! I like their pants and with the low waist craze I am into right now, it has come in handy that I have found myself pants that fit like a glove. My boyfriend picked out a pair of low waist, faded pants and suggested that I try it on. I told him I was not going to buy anything because I have just bought three new pairs in a span of two months. I tried it on and I loved it! My boyfriend, while I was in the fitting room handed me a blue racer back shirt and asked me to try it with the pants. I liked it too. I loved it even more when he told me he was going to pay for them too. They're his gift to me! I was thrilled of course... I felt like Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman! He asked me to try a dozen more outfits but in the end the pants and the racer ack really cut it for me!

Thanks baby!

My mind was set to have dinner at Superbowl but when we found our way to Landmark, I had a vision of Bubba Gump's luscious Mahi Mahi fish in bourbon sauce with succulent shrimps, mashed potato and shoestring and I just had to suggest Bubba Gump. Undecided as we always are, we decided to settle matters in a very scientific way... Heads or Tails... Superbowl won and then we both frowned. So then we knew we both wanted to eat at Bubba Gump hehe!

During the hearty meal, my blog was brought up. I recently acquired a statcounter account that tells me how many visitors have visited my page. Apart from that, it also tells me how long a visitor stays, the IP address of the visitor, the entry point and so on and so forth. I coaxed my boyfriend, using the statcounter account to tell me if he has been reading my blog all this time or not. Ha! Lo and behold... He has! I don't know for how long! A part of me has been wondering for the longest time if he has been because there were moments when he would come up with lines that I have written in my blog! Well... well... well... looks like our covers have been blown!

Tagalog Movie Greats

Magnifico
This movie is definitely a tear jerker. I was crying already way before I should have because the story just tugs on the hearstring. It does not have fancy metaphors (unless I have missed those), it relies on the storyline and the cast. It's a story of a boy who changed the lives of people around him by being at service to others. The last time I cried so hard over a movie was when I saw Pay It Forward.

Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros
This movie is a light film that portrays the harsh realities of the slum areas in the Philippines. Yes, it does tackle some gay issues but mostly I got caught up by how it is so difficult to be black and white in varied aspects of our lives. There will always be a gray area. This indie film has been so artistically crafted and metaphors abound everywhere. My fave scene is that of an orchid floating on the murky waters of Ilog Pasig.

I wish they'd make more Tagalog movies that are really worth watching. We have always prided (yes, there is such a word) ourselves of being creative, imaginative and talented. I wonder if there will come a time when we will just take pride of what we are as a people and start supporting one another.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

It's a Sea-lebration!

Last night I was at the birthday celebration of my boyfriend's father. We ate at Lola Inang's of Seaside. The food was great. I am such a seafood binger! I was hesitant to go with my boyfriend because I had a PhD class til 9pm though I was sure that it would not go until 9pm. At the most, the class will be until 8:30. Before my PhD class, I already texted him that I won't be coming. After my PhD class, I called him to check if he got my message, and then he informed me that his youngest sister and himself are still in Makati and that I should come along because his mom invited me.

Timid at first, I rode with them and found myself seated across his mom, having soh much fun! His family is so nice! I especially like his mom because she always has a lot of stories to tell. She was wearing the blouse that we gave her for Christmas that I picked out. It looked nice on her. I also got to see his uncle (one of my fave in his family) and then of course his aunt who is another absolute fave! I did not get to talk to them much though because tney were at the other end of the table.

Another bonus of the night was when his mom informed us that her biopsy results were okay. She had some health problems in the latter part of 2005. She has iodine deficiency and then a lump formed in her throat. The iodine supplement should take care of it so she had to undergo further tests. I am very glad she is alright.

Speaking of matters of the health, I had sharp lower back pains yesterday. I was getting my USB drive from my CPU so I had to bend over, and it hurt so much just to bend over. It hurt even more to get back to my posture. I was thinking if this has anything to do with my eating big blocks of tofu the night before at Wai Ying with my boyfriend. My back hurt again when I was on my way for my PhD class and I had to bend over to get my house keys. It was excruciating. If it strikes again, I will go see a doctor.

I was supposed to go to Gawad Kalinga today but because of the back pains, I do not think I will be much help so I chose not to go anymore. Plus, I discovered that all my rubber shoes, save for one that is new and is very white, are all smiling. The soles are sticking out already and so even if my back was fine, my shoes weren't. I guess I was never meant to go.

I think my back hurting again but the pain is not as sharp.

I hope it was just because of the tofu. I am such a soya addict. I should have my uric acid level checked.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Phemomenon

It's amazing how you can sometimes feel that your mom does not love you but in the end, you know deep in your heart, that no one will ever love you more than she does. It's uncanny that no matter how many timses we fight with our mothers, we will never love another woman as much as we love her.

It's a phenomenon.

My mom and my sister fight a lot and I am reminded of the many arguments that we also had when I was a teenager. Growing up, me and my mother never quite understood each other. We rarely see eye to eye. But as the years progressed, I have learned to accept that we are two different people and as such, we have different strokes. Over the years, I have learned to love her for how she is. Now, there are still times when we argue but I try to always remember that no matter what happens, she is my mother, and no one has ever given as much as she has.

I love you mommy!

Sunday Leisure

I got to attend a kiddie birthday party last Sunday at McDonald's LP with my boyfriend since he is one of the ninongs! His godchild is soh pretty! We got to wear Princess and Prince party hats! It was so much fun! The highlight of my party was when he bought me a drink from the counter. It was so sweet of him. He had to buy me a glass of iced tea because I do not drink softdrinks and they only served softdrinks in the party. I like it that he is sweet like that. He always looks after me when we are at a roadside or crossing the street and he always helps me carry things. I have been blessed with such a sweet boyfriend!

After the party, we went to my boyfriend's house to pick up his siblings and then we all headed to Southmall. His dad called while we were on the way and asked if we could swing by Gabby Barredo's place. If you can remember from one of my entries, he's the artist whose exhibit we went to. His house is so beautifully crafted. Every detail is a sight to behold. I wonder though, how he comes up with those things. The theme of his house is rather Gothic.

We strolled the mall a bit and then his older sister treated us to Jollibee and then we heard mass at Mary, Mother of the Church. We were a bit late. His sisters did not hear mass anymore as they have heard mass already that morning. I was a bit embarrassed that they had to wait in the car while we heard mass.

We found ourselves back at my boyfriend's home eating dinner with his dad. His dad was rather jolly that night. He was to go home to La Union but then decided against it since it will be his birthday this Thursday.

Added Value

Last Saturday,I got to study with my baby and I realized one thing. I am grateful that he was never a study partner until last Saturday. I would not have passed a single subject with him as a study buddy. Whenever we discuss something, he would look at me intently and I would just melt with my thoughts stopping on their tracks. I could not focus. I had to use every ounce of my energy to stick to the topic and schedule.

After studying, we had a hearty dinner and then asked ourselves where else we would like to hang out. Most of the time we are vagabonds with nowhere to go. We'd spend minutes asking each other where we can pass the time. He told me that the Euro Star Carnival is opening that night so we decided to head to the carnival. I was so excited but after I saw the place and found out that it was charging 150Php for the entrance and 400Php for a ride all you can. I was bewildered! Who are they kidding?! There were just a few rides and most of them are commmon rides like the carousel, ferris wheel, octopus etc.. There was a band inside but they were probably just going to play a few sets. We did not enter the carnival because we both thought it was a big rip off. We strolled around Fort Strip instead and then looked around again. They started the fireworks display and the view from where we were, I bet, was better than the view of the people inside the park! It was pretty romantic having my baby to wrap my arms around with as we both tilted our heads upward to watch in amazement the spectacles of color. I felt like a kid shrieking in delight!

The fireworks display is nothing like that of what I saw at Disney World and Disneyland heck, the Enchanted Kingdom fireworks display is even better but then again, those were not free and most of all, my head was not resting on the chest of the love of my life as I saw those shows. I think that makes all the difference. I guess it is true what they say, the best things in life are free.

Trying Trimester

Every trimester, seems to push me farther to my limits. Don't get me wrong, I kind of like it that every trimester, my life becomes more challenging, otherwise, I'd probably get bored to death.

This trimester I am the following:

  • CCS-Pagkamulat coordinator (the social action committee of the college)

  • ST Practicum coordinator

  • HUCOINT teacher

  • WEBDEVE teacher

  • INTROSE teacher

  • FRMDEV facilitator

  • PhD student



So as you can see, this term is rather packed with action. Though my boyfriend says nothing is going to beat the trimester when I was doing my MS. I did not argue. Yeah, that term was hard.

Anyway, as early as last Friday, three days into the term, I was already feeling the harshness of reality. I, along with a student, am in the process of putting together a Computer Literacy Program for public school teachers and students. For that, I had to ask some teachers to develop manuals. I would be doing the MS Excel manual as well as the diagnostics and I have not begun yet. I also have a Mindoro Flood drive going for the victims of the typhoon at Calapan, Mindoro.

I was so tired last Friday with all the activities that I had to do and after my PhD class, I was just so glad that my boyfriend waited for me until my PhD class ended so we can have dinner together. He is so sweet.

In his arms is where I want to be after an exhausting day! He just melts all the anxiety away!

Thank you love!

Friday, January 06, 2006

8's a D8

I am quite el8d to realize that it has been 8 months since we became a couple!

We celebrated tonight by shopping for his slacks at Robinson's Place. Lately, we have been doing things like that. Processing his NBI clearance, shopping for long sleeves, shopping for his slacks are among the things we do together these days. I am not really complaining since it is but practical to do these things. I mean, I am taking so much of his free time and the only time he can find to do these things is when he is with me. I am glad to be with him doing these things anyway, at least I know I am supporting him all the way.

After shopping we went to Don Henrico's for dinner where we ordered Mozarella Sticks,
Chili Shrimp in Olive Oil Pasta and Buffalo Wings. The first two entrees were okay but the Buffalo Wings were not so good. They obviously rushed the cooking and one wing was raw. We complained about it and the waiter just cooked it again and returned the chicken to us! We were appalled! So we complained to the manager and the manager ordered another buffalo wing.

During the dinner I had to look at the Headstrong materials because most part of it was UML and object-oriented programming and out of enthusiasm I broke out into a lecture which I think my beau did not like. I was thinking maybe we can begin tonight since I cannot see that we have a lot of time in our hands anymore. I think that kind of dampened the mood. Darn.

With full stomachs we walked to Bay Walk to hang out and to listen to some of the bands there. We also hung out by the sea wall to watch the stars and to talk. We capped off our first date at that very place. That was where we got to know each other.

I still have work tomorrow so we decided to walk back to our parking.

Today there were no elaborate surprises. I can sense we are past the honeymoon stage as predicted by most faculty members. Of course I do not expect a full production every month. He is still sweet to me and he's still there for me when I need him and I think that is what matters. But then of course, being a girl, I would not mind a nice show to behold every now and then hehe... Maybe these past two months is his way of telling me that I should no longer expect much every month. He also had to spend a lot this month. Yesterday I attended a dinner he treated his workmates to and of course he had to shop for his pants and then there was the Christmas season, not to mention his regular Globe bill and gas expenses. With the prices of everything rocketing we should really start getting practical.

Yet a part of me wishes we never have to be so realistic hehe...