I wish...

I could write crazy stuff again...
I could talk to my bestfriend for hours not thinking about both our phone bills...
I could wake up smiling without the headaches...
I could lie down with a book sunbathing under the sun in a beautiful beach...
I could cuddle with my pamangkins and just feel like a kid again...
I could spend the summer vacationing for weeks up to 2 months just like when I was still a student...
I could go out of town without the baggage of the city (read: stress from the office, from people I'm not really fond of, from the whole urban depression)...
I wish I could sit by the window watching the rain drops while sipping hot coco (mindsetting itoh! ang init kase)...

I wish I could, just... but I can't.

Summer Haven

Original draft done last March after the trip hehehe another of my many delayed entries.
***************
No place will beat Pinas' summer capital as an easy get away from the chaos of the Metro. Last March 9-11, I went with my good friends Jenny, Moises, Jeng, Dolfo, Joan & Isse (and with our driver Kuya Jerry) in a journey of exploring the un-explored side of Baguio & La Trinidad (unexplored in my case, haven't been there and last week was the chance I got). Here are some of the pictures, enjoy:

1. at Tam-Awan Village 2. with my tukayo Joan at the door of the Stone Church 3. goofing with Ses at the Bell Church 4. us girls at the Stairway to Heaven (hehehe, Secret Garden at John Hay) 5. Over the Top (Pamilya Zaragoza at the Bell House) 6. Wishing Pond at the Bell Church

...more pictures from this vacation soon...

Lady Nicole

A month and a half ago my cousin Nicole whom I dearly love celebrated her 18th birthday party at The Promenade Filinvest. I was supposed to post these pics weekss ago but I wasn't able to, so here it is... delayed man it's still worth looking at.

Pictures kinda blurred, 1. with our uncle Tyong Stephen (stand-in for cousin Chris who couldn't make it so his Dad was his proxy) - 2. with darwin (cuz, I just realized you really can't dance hehehe) and 3. with Kuya Ardel (who looks a lot like my Tyong Roger).

Hundred Reasons

Awesome Island!

1 Bonding with the Jologs (my college girl friends)
2 It was Faye’s Birthday (belated happy birthday Goddess!)
3 Present are Faye, Mommy Redj, Mommy Vines, Ziella and myself
4 Gene’s excitement was contagious – kame lahat nadamay sa excitement
5 Vina went with – leaving the charms of Chase, Wyatt & daddy Iam at home
6 Ziella’s secrets were partly divulged to Mommy Vines
7 May mumu sa mansion nila Gene!
8 Crazy driving skills of driver Joel
9 Silver galore sa Baguio
10 Kargador kids ni Faye sa market
11 Winnie the pooh sako bags – we all got one
12 Strawberries, Veggies, Choco Flakes etc.
13 BANGUS!!!
14 Fish Bacon nila Gene
15 Floral water flask from Starbucks for Faye
16 Hundred Island boat ride
17 Cuenco Padi Cave
18 Governor’s Island
19 Hearty Outing Lunch (inihaw na stuffed bangus, Mommy’s adobo – yummy!)
20 Sinigang na Malaga for breakfast & crabs
21 Mocha Frappe (my fave)
22 Thank God for my shades
23 Sunblock
24 White sand
25 Big Brother’s Hundred Island House
26 Aerial View from the Governor’s Island
27 Sun bathing
28 Banig sa buhangin
29 Mangang Hilaw with bagoong
30 Faye & Mommy Redj’s sexy poses
31 Pix for FHM cover
32 Short mountain hike
33 Scenic views at the top
34 Soft pillows
35 Sun scent
36 Jelly fishes
37 Chili Flakes
38 Coke Light
39 Boneless Bangus
40 Relyenong Bangus
41 Tinapang Bangus
42 Bangus Belly
43 Clear sea water
44 Sand scrub
45 underwater merry go round
46 Photo Ops
47 My first & only daring pose (cropped by Faye)
48 Faye’s comfy Crosswind
49 Free gas & toll
50 Chips & lollipops
51 Chocolate Crinkles
52 Pulvoron
53 Voice recordings with Vines & Ziella
54 Sukob the movie
55 downtown walks at Baguio
56 Picture taking in the middle of the road
57 Mooing cows
58 Picture taking sa bangin
59 sari-saring text messages alert tones
60 music videos sa phone
61 Landingin’s turkey
62 Baby Angelo
63 Gene’s sister’s family
64 Gene’s Mommy
65 Story sharing with the girls
66 swimsuit changing sa bundok
67 Quezon Island
68 Parasailing (we wanted to try kaya lang the equipment was private property of some beach guests)
69 Kayaking (we didn’t try)
70 Snorkeling
71 Swimming
72 Fish & jellyfish catching
73 non-stop munching
74 non-stop talking
75 We went to baguio & Gabs missed it
76 White sand
77 did I say BANGUS already?
78 road trip
79 road trip songs
80 beach fashion
81 booby dreams
82 boy talk
83 wedding stories
84 basketball
85 artista talk
86 politics
87 reminiscing college days
88 college secrets
89 Bangus lumpiang shanghai
90Shrimps
91 Gene’s friend “sis” Rommel
92 the mall
93 videoke plan
94 confessions sa room ni kuya (hehehe lahat di success)
95 corn cob with butter & salt
96 taho
97 binatog
98 it was sad when it was time to go, mamimiss namin si Gene
99 There are actually 103 islands
and finally 100. I had a lot of fun, thanks girls!!!

Hundred Island Adventure April 14 & 15, 2007

Hugs...

and Congratulations to my cousin 'Atty.' Revolette "Babes" Labitag and to my good friend 'Atty.' Maria Lourdes Barrios for passing the most recent bar exams. God bless, I am so proud of you both :)

For the complete list of the bar passers click www.supremecourt.gov.ph/bar2006.htm

Mooning in the land of the Moon

I am writing this inside a room full of kids. Eversince I arrived, my nephews & nieces have been tailing me, opting to watch TV inside my room (my old room - used to be my room, now my stuff are all over the house particularly inside my folks room, imagine my old clothes being placed inside a storage box - this is a different story). The TV downstairs is bigger and it is flat while the TV inside my old room is just a tiny 14 inches with a fucked up remote control but with cable. Now I'm stuck with Ed, Edd & Eddy on screen. I grabbed my ipod to isolate myself with the blaring sound of Chris Daughtry. It's not that I don't want to want the company of my pamangkins because I do - I love every minute of it it is just that sometimes they get so rowdy and noisy. I have been playing with them and believe me my left thumb now aches from pressing the arrow keys of their Gameboy DS lite so hard just to let Chun Li kick so high (I'm addicted to Street Fighter, my bad) and beat Cammy out of her wits. My youngest niece won't take a bath if I don't attend to her. She wouldn't allow my Mom or anybody to bathe her but me. We got so crammed up in my bed when it is time to go to sleep - everyone wants to sleep beside their favorite Tita. And my, 3 of them would be very upset the next morning because I didn't wake them up when I went jogging early in the morning (yes I do jog now, thanks to my friend Ses for encouraging me). Kids, I love being around them, makes me forget the fast paced life I left in Manila. I only wish that they grow up responsible, honest and God fearing. Nothing in this world would make this proud Tita even more happy if they are happy and blessed.

Witnessing my 2 nephew marched down the church aisle last Thursday on their elementary graduation made me day dream of their future. They will both be studying high school in Manila and I can't wait to bully them on their studying habits. Both are technology geeks and a new addition was their possession of cellphones (I don't agree with my brother on this, for me 12 is still too young to own a cellphone) - I snooped the other day, hehehe I read their inboxes and sent messages to find out that majority of their text mates are girls asking them "musta?" and them replying "ok lang, san k?" makes me smile but a little sad that my baby boys are now incoming high schoolers. I have been hoping they both do great in school to be able to land the dream college courses that they want and eventually land the best job that they are hoping for. It was just like when I was in their shoes, my most memorable graduation was the one I had in high school.

I have been here for 4 days now and I was able to finish 2 out of 3 books I brought to ease me on my boring days. I wasn't bored however I was able to finish 2 already and the 3rd one I am worried cos it is consisted of but very few pages only. Buti na lang Mama suggested my old books, I'll just rummage through them and just read, again, those that I am really very fond of.

Nothing is really new here in our small town (except that we now have a Jollibee branch downtown). It is election period and I was able to see a lot of familiar faces glued on the walls of the streets all over town. Early this morning while I was doing my morning jog I can't help but stare and comment on majority of the pictures. It was still early but the simple life of the province is at its peak already. I managed to make silip at my Lolo's grave when I passed through the town cemetery. Fields with rice grains swayed gracefully with the wind, I have been jogging a few meters already but I find it hard to sweat when the country winds blows in my face. As it was Palm Sunday, church goers gossiped outside the church with their palaspas in hand waiting for the second mass to finish (my family is an avid third mass goer, it is the 8 am mass that used to be in English now it is being celebrated in Bicol but we still attend the same schedule as it is the time that we have always been attending since I was a kid where priests with brilliant sense of humor address the crowd - the 3rd mass schedule has always been the best slot a priest could wish for in our little big sleepy town). Nothing really changed, it is still the same old Bulan that I love.