This Single's Life

It's raining and I'm Norah Jonesing. I hear the pitter patter of water as it trickles to the ground, some of the mist showering my bed. It is 8:30 PM and I declared it a no-TV night.

I am reading David Sedaris' Dress Your Family in Denim and Corduroy, and I start to look around at my next reading material as I'm about to finish this one. I gather O magazines, the new Condo Central magazine Marissa wants me to review, and other old magazines. At the back of my mind I am reminded of how the food we eat affect our moods, and I know too much sugar is what is keeping me hyperactive and moody. Like smokers who know cigarette is bad for them, they keep smoking anyway because it's cool, I know I should cut down on white rice and chocolates, as the 10 lbs lost can easily find its way to my anatomy in as little as 3 weeks.

"You have it so good, you just don't know it," my married friends with kids tell me when I attend birthday parties of my inaanak. They are of course referring to the no-running after kids, getting to do what you want, whenever you want lifestyle that I and Consuelo have. Smiling is often our appropriate reply, but one time we finally admitted it and said out loud,"Yes, and we do enjoy it."
This is one of those moments. After running errands, going to the cemetery and bringing Mama and Ninang to Tiendesitas for a little merienda and dropping them off to Sta. Mesa, I have my quality time.

Feet propped up in pillows, soft lights and music, a good book in one hand and a stack of magazines beside me, I relished this moment of peace and quiet. My soul breathes and tells me,"We are grateful."
When this moment hit, I got up and chose among my notebooks and cheap pens. I did not want to use the 2005 Griffin and Sabine-inspired datebook from Starbucks, it's so pretty to look at. I run my fingers through the pages of another notebook, this one given to me by C.P. His dedication on it is priceless:

(In mandarin)
"The young one listened to the rain
The flame of the red candle makes the curtain sway

A middle aged man listened to the rain in a boat
The river is so wide and the cloud is near
The lonely bird is talking to the wind
Now listen to the rain in a temple

There is a relationship no matter we are apart or together
When I sit down on the stairway
I remember all the memories til daybreak"

***

It's not always like this. A gamut of rumbled thoughts run in my mind, in flashes. I worry a lot, sometimes. About my brother, my family, my future mostly. I dreamt of Jos a week ago and no matter how many times he has stolen from me, lied to me or broken my trust, I still feel a responsibility to set straight his life. "But you've set him up on jobs, forgave and trust over and over again," my angel said while the other prodded on, "Give him another chance..."

I breathe heavily. It scares me that I have to fight the daily grind and still be responsible for him. Now that I left home, I am less agitated about issues at home, mostly about (implied, never stated) pressures of being the eldest. Not a lot of my peers deal with this, that's why I bloomed late, consciously dated only when I turned 23, but I know the realities of managing the household and the issues of drug addiction. It scares me to raise a family not knowing what kind of pressures I'd bring forth to my children. I want them to have as much confidence, free spirit, easygoing demeanor and respect for other people. Like I said I worry a lot, and sometimes it's hard to compartmentalize.

I am often jolted by Toot Toot saying,"What is it that you really want?" when I start barraging him with anything that crosses my mind. It's harder when you're mostly just texting in a long distance relationship. I end up sending him all my random thoughts, from waking up to a bad dream at 3 AM, to wild thoughts or worries before turning in. I know, it's too much information.

Today I text him

" I love this quiet time in my life hon. This moment is good."

"Good, " he says.

How can I not love this man? He is ever supportive in my endeavors, random thoughts and all.

"Honey I tried belly dancing today and loved it! I think I should buy one of those dangling things you attach to your waist, it creates great sound when I do my hip and waist moves."
"Hon, I want a doggie!"
"Hani, I want a doggie and a baby!"
"Hon, I want a hubby, a doggie and a baby!"

Oh well.

Rock Steady

In a sudden turn of events, much like how life unfolds, Toot Toot's vacation turned into a visit filled with many surprises. It turned out to be a rockband tour of some sorts. We started off with a Thursday meet with Marco who was pleased when I said he reminded me of Toshiro Mifune- Akira Kurosawa's favorite actor. Marco is a musician and a photographer, but keeps his day job as an IT guy. Xaymaca was our destination, although we were planning to go to Makati's Saguio. Still adjusting from his inebriated days in SG, Toot Toot was not able to enjoy our happy ending... with ox brain and liver, that is.


*****
Wednesday turned out well, with what was supposed to be a Vespinoy meet turning out to have Gary V, Rivermaya and True Faith as the backdrop for the EB. I was double booked that night, while I was watching Bimbo Cerrudo's Classico..Classic Ko!, Toot Toot was enjoying his quality time with Mike as they make their way to Metrowalk. Turns out 99.5RT is spending their 3oth anniversary there. It was a pretty cool crowd. Vespinoy came with their rides, Lambrettas and Vespas, some as vintage as 1955. Ron lets me ride his Vespa. Can't believe he's 40. A perfect ending to this beer and music fest is a beef pares fest at 3 AM.

***

I don’t usually attend Oktoberfest because the crowd gets rowdy each year, but this year I made an exception to accompany Toot Toot as he tries to shoot with his new Canon D30. A VIP pass allowed for an all-access entry. I watch as he makes his way onto the stage, clicking away as Rocksteddy, Milk and Money, Brownman Revival, Sugar Free and The Dawn perform. He’s getting better with each shot as he learns to adapt using different lighting, lens and actually using the menu. I find myself assisting him, wondering where all that superhyperactive energy came from. He goes up the stage, kneels, moves forward, goes down, changes lenses, moves back, then up again. Think Tazmanian devil. It was past 3 AM, and even The Dawn concedes with the crowd;Jett Pangan saw the crowd less responsive, wanting more but could not give the kind of energy for him, so after 4 great songs he dismisses the crowd. Toot Toot sees Buddy Zabala, formerly of Eheads, who recognize him from UP org. They exchange numbers and promise to keep in touch.


So we were driving and he was thinking, and he finally blurted it out. I didn’t recognize it, I was in denial. But those were the words. His words.
I said ok.
All weekend he was humming.
And that is the story of how Toot Toot and I became rock steady.

Friends Forever with Ime

Robert and I arrived at the Greenbelt 3 around the same time, parked at the same area but he parked his Club1 BMW faster than I did my Honda HRV. Hey, I was parallel parking- and I'm a girl. Anyway, you can tell when someone is your friend when they'd wait for you and tell you you did a good parallel parking job. Then they'd wait for you while you retouch your make-up before alighting the car. Ha-ha. Women are incorrigible. We have more white matter on our brain cells.
















Cielo: Dinner alert! Ime is here from Malaysia on a limited engagement. Don't miss it! Dinner at MASAS, Greenbelt 3, 7ish PM. Bring your happy self!

Other attendees: Robert (actively dating), Robert (happily married and proud dad), Cha ( still unabashedly madly inlove with her honey, after having 2 kids with him), Ime (the lady/balikbayan of the moment)





We were shocked, amazed at how Ime has lost weight, and looked gorgeous. She really did. This is the reason why we women want to be thin. The chin comes outprominently, making the face look softer, more feminine;the waist creates curves and gives a shapely silhouette- wearing the right dress makes the waist even tinier. Sunken cheeks emphasize the eyes, illuminating the rest of the face. I had the same reaction to a girl from the office who took Reductil 15mg daily for a month, and subsisted on butong pakwan and water when she got hungry. She just looked like a different person, a really lovely girl who took time to create a look- she wore earings and blouses compared to when she just wore jeans, rubber shoes, had no make up on and basically just let herself go. Ok I have to stop raving about Ime, but guys, I have an assignment to search for 2 dates for my girlfriends and 1 gorgeous "young" girl for Robert.

Back to Ime. Even amazing was her story of how she completed a 21 km run, in 2.5 hours in, Malaysia, in what is otherwise known as a HALF-MARATHON FINISH. I've never had a friend who ran the marathon, or half-marathon. We're so proud of her who told us though she kept going to the gym regularly, she didn't touch the treadmill, didn't go on practice jogs, or even a 2-km run. She had nobody to run with (not a marathon buddy, not her sister, not her close friend), just her trainer who literally left her on her own pace. Her officemates in Kuala Lumpur told her they encouraged her, but told her, it will not be surprising if she would not be able to finish her run.

"What kept you going?" we were all eager to hear the story.
"I was tired after running for an hour across the road which was treading up and down a hill, and I asked God why I'm doing this. Why am I running in a marathon, in Malaysia, on a very hot day?" "I could not understand it myself, and when I finished the run, I could not believe I did it. I was only able to do it because I asked God for strength. I prayed and prayed while I ran. Otherwise I would not have finished." Have you ever heard someone tell a story like that? We were in awe.

Later she also told me how her friend from the office supported her with her gym efforts. Her friend was pregnant and does not accompany her to the gym but she would ask how Ime did at the gym that day, supported her in her choice of food and would always encourage her. When Ime went on a vacation in HK and regained the pounds she lost in the gym, the friend did not reprimand her but told her she'd go right back and lose it, and then some more. I thought this was a marvelous friend. A friend supports us in our endeavors, and they are the first ones to realize how important certain things are for us, and they would be there however which way they can, with positive reinforcement, moral support and encouraging words. Ergo, the theme of the night to "bring your happy self. " Stay away from nasty people. If you feel bad being around somebody, that somebody's not good enough for you.


While we partook of the pritchon, sinigang na baka, sisig, bicol express, grilled tuna belly and the boneless crispy pata, the HOTSEAT was thrown from one party to the other. The topic: The Ex

After all these years, we were only able to openly ask and tease each other about the ex without the fear of doing it openly becoming too painful. Any breakup is painful, and our thoughts flowed from one type of breakup to the other.
Can exes become friends?
Why do some people find the need to reach out after a breakup, the nerve, and why being dedma may work.
Why do some people, however good they are, really act like jerks in relationships, in my relationship?
Can one accept an invitation to be ninang to the friend's ex?
Can one accept an invitation to be friendster to the friend's ex?


The whole night was light and enjoyable, we had wine at Uva's which turned out to be disappointing only because they close at 11, so we decided to go to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to sit down and cool down. We didn't order this time, and decided to spend the night at Armi's, no Cielo's, no Charmz's place to continue girl talk. We could have yakked all night, but my late nights with Tita Carmina and Tita Vicky (more on that later) were catching up on me, and I finally dozed off at 2 AM. Yobel's whispers and Ysa's "Nanay" woke us up at 6:30 AM, but their kiss and tight hugs made our day special.



MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6945/1374/320/Photo-0010.jpg" border="0" /We thank you Lord God for the gift of friendship, for giving us this wonderful blessing. For this chance to journey through life with people who supported us once when we were young and naive, and still have them with us, supporting and loving us after 16 years.

You have blessed us with good things and plenty, and surrounded our table with friends.

May we continue to inspire and share our goals and accomplishment with others, though this can be few and far in between, and though we are nation's apart. Help us to learn how to become more supportive of our friend's endeavors, and lead each other to a path to growth.

Dog Day Afternoon

Two weeks ago I received a letter from my friend Kaoru, which reminded me of one Saturday afternoon in 2000. Her entire neighborhood planned a barbeque party for their dogs. They usually do this every year, and the spring season is ideal, when its not too humid and not too cold for the dogs to play in the water. We drove for about an hour out of Tokyo to Iwaki river. It was a shallow river, situated below a bridge. The men set up the foldable barbeque table, and started the barbeque. They grilled fresh vegetables like onions and chilli peppers along with the chicken yakitori. This was accompanied by plenty of beverages, teas and softdrinks, along with the Japanese energy drink Pocari sweat.










I remember saying to myself, people back home would envy the lives these dogs live. Monchi, a black newfoundland had been driven in a van because of his size, while Boss the dalmatian was being served with food while her owner's knee-bent. Obaasan (a term for grandma) was playing with her beagle, who had all the play gear. Kaoru has Kelly, a golden retriever who had a good disposition, beautiful coat, and loving family to take care of her.












Kaoru wrote to tell me that Kelly had passed away. She writes in pain.

Kaoru Tanaka wrote:

Armi,

Do you remember our lovely dog Kelly? We went to BBQ together with him and his friends once. Kelly just passed away on Saturday. I don't know how to handle it now. He was my hope to live even. He had a cancer, and we just found that out couple of weeks ago. Then, suddenly he left us on Saturday night alone in the hospital. When he came back to our house, his face was just like he was sleeping. Hope he made his peace with god in the heaven.
Now I am dicouraged to have baby. It is too hard to accept loss or pain of someone who I really love especially when I cannot help them. Also I am scared that making decision for someone, when it effect ones life. I decided to give strong medicin to kill cancer to Kelly. He was suffering a lot last 3 days. I cannot help thinking that that medicin could be a cause of his death. I killed Kelly. Doctor says it should not be the medicin but they don't know either.Anyway, please pray for Kelly that he is peacefull life in the sky.

The Father, The Sister, and the Road to Tagaytay

“Haven’t you had enough introspection?” asked Sony who is now based in Australia when I told him over YM that Consuelo and I were going to this psychogenetics retreat in Tagaytay on a weekend.
“This is a different one,” I say as I try not to be defensive while I searched for that file on Father Ed Fugoso’s psycho-spiritual retreat.
“ Psychogenetics is a scientific approach to understanding the influence of our parents and ancestors in our adult behavior and marital relationships. It was developed in 1992 by Anne Teachworth, my professor at Gestalt Institute of New Orleans. The retreat is a psycho-spiritual experience that will help participants to discover how under stress we regress to the child that we were and how we can cut-off ourselves from negative trans-generational patterns that are not helping in our present adult-to-adult relationships.

Single participants will be helped in choosing correctly their marital life partners and not just automatically fall for the person who will not be good for them. Through the History of Family Origin Test (also called Selection Test) they will know BEFORE and NOT AFTER how their partners will behave after marriage. “ Father Ed’s letter of invitation said.
"See, there's a twist, " and Sony seems to nod in agreement. So like clockwork on a Saturday, I was on my way to Cielo's condo in Makati by 7 AM and we were having breakfast at South Superhighway by 8 AM. We got a call from Father Ed by 9AM, and guiltily, we told him we were going to be late by 15 minutes. Turns out Father Ed was the one who was going to be late.
The Tagaytay we know is the one that has Taal Vista, Bag of Beans, etc, and retreat houses are apparently on the other side of the road. We got lost, but just in time to meet up with the group and have a taste of coffee and kutsinta. Cielo and I, by habit began our ratings.
"Father Ed, how come you don't serve brewed barako coffee anymore? Your retreatants rave about it." What a little tart I am.
"Ah ganun ba? SIge , bukas papagawa tayo,"
"Father, you should change the directions on your invitation. We got lost because we went all the way to Tagaytay Rotonda..." Yada yada yada. We were smart asses.

During the first day, when my tempo had not slowed down yet, Father asked permission from Consuelo and I because we wanted to start the afternoon session at 2:30 PM after a 1 hour siesta, when all others wanted to regroup at 3 PM.
“Kasi ang retreat, rest din for the body,” he explained and we acquiesced. What do we know? Cielo and I are the most punctual people in Pinas.


All throughout Father Ed has that light, knowing, engaging, positive aura. He was just taking it all in, with a smile.
The Road to Emmaus began, and 14 strangers, young and old, married and single, widowed, separated, a guy who was dropped off by his mother at Tagaytay for being a "bum", we were together for a day and a half for a different kind of journey.
****
Later on when we would have coffee with Father, Tita Vickie and Carmina at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Father Ed was all the more makulit as he shared his insights on the retreat participants. We roared hilariously with laughter, especially when he would join in on our teasing Tita Vickie for being reluctant to cry and shed tears in front of others, for fear of not being in control. You see, the sosyals don’t cry out in public unabashedly. (I think you can not make singhot and bawl like you’re gasping for breath or something- Don’t worry Fr. Ed, Tita Vickie has read this already).

I was also surprised how the retreat became a showcase of Father Ed’s ability to do powerpoint, complemented by downloaded music files of religious songs, or songs like, “Dance with the Father”, and very nice renditions of contemporary songs (Bryan Adams' I Do It For You, for instance) which I saw in a different light. Father Ed had a Sony Vaio laptop, Sony digicam and his own set of amplifiers (or subwoofer). He is a one-man show- he saves more money for the church that way, he said. In spite of new technologies aiding him in the retreat, it did not hinder us from grasping the message he wanted to convey.
***
Luke 24:13-35

We began the retreat with the reading on the Walk to Emmaus. What a different way of interpreting the Bible story. Father Ed made us read one line each, then he began to draw on the board about the scene, the people, the feelings in the story. More and more, as the scene became more visual, the Bible showed how Jesus is a great leader in this story. When Jesus made the men he was walking with feel comfortable, and then they began opening up to him, the turnaround of how he was able to win their trust, then earned him the right to say, “How foolish you are!” It struck a chord. You can’t make people follow you just because of your authority. And how sometimes you can be like that fool, over and over again, in different situations, and yet having the same feeling. We fall, we sin, but if we continue to grow and invite God to be in our house, we can move on to become stronger in our faith, and in resisting being back in Jerusalem and begin our Walk to Emmaus, our walk with the Lord.

*****************
The biggest surprise was taking the Selection Test. We were put under pressure to reveal based on our consciousness, memories of our childhood- what we remember between the ages of 0 to 5, how our parents related as adults, as parents, how we remember our grandparents. This test would reveal what kind of people we would automatically be attracted to, and how the influence of our parents would pre-determine the kind of adult we would become. This forced us to recall very personally our own past. I was blown away at how this personal information made me understand how I role played in my relationships.

I remember my mother as an adult as being “young, vibrant and had a life of her own”. Think this is who I’m predisposed to be? Nah. I am my father’s daughter. I would, however, get attracted to this type of personality, according to psychogenetics. This is my inner mate. Subconsciously I would get attracted to this type of person who would be immersed in his own set of activities, somebody who is strong and confident about his place in the world.
(That is why younger and less assertive men do not appeal to me, I said to myself. That is why when Flor set me up with a blind date with a younger man who was wearing a tie, I kicked her heel under the table and forced her to stay with us throughout the dinner. A-ha.)
The real problem though, is now that I know my father’s image is implanted in me, what do I do? What can I do to change or improve the situation? So that when I deal with my relationships, there would be harmony, and the relationship would grow stronger instead of drifting apart? The keyword is IMPRINTING. This means we have to undergo a role-playing session when others act out for us our life before, and how we’d want to change it.

Fr. Ed’s message is simple; we should learn how best we can protect the Filipino family by trying to understand how we can become better parents. We are better parents by first having a strong relationship with our husband/wife, nurtured by love, and with this, trying to provide the best environment for a child to grow up in. As singles, we can do this by trying to learn more about our boyfriend/girlfriend’s families, and in this manner we can understand each other’s predisposition, and learn together how to interact better with each other. This takes work, practice, commitment and God’s grace.

To learn more about Fr. Ed Fugoso’s psychogenetics retreat, or to volunteer as Fr. Ed’s back-up driver, redo his retreat costing (hindi ba lugi negosyo Father?),be his co-facilitator, set-up his audio visuals, send out CD copies of his retreat song selections, moderate his yahoo group-or even set up a website for his mission, update his joke collection, pray for more people to attend his retreats and share in this mission, or to volunteer to be teased when he agrees to officiate in your wedding ceremony, please contact 0917-541 4330 or send him an email: edfugoso2002@yahoo.com.

Oooh La La Luz

About 120 kms from Manila, Laiya in San Juan Batangas hosts a treasure of resorts that are I think, the best in Batangas. Blue Coral, Virgin Beach Resort and La Luz are among the favorites. La Luz has its charm for its cavanas and tree lined beach. It sits at the far end of the Laiya beach and is a private beach resort where one can wear a 2-piece freely.

How Juvenile!

Bob and I were walking along Greenbelt 3 with Cielo and saw Tavern on the Square's list of performers. Side A was among them, and we remarked how it has been a long time since we have had our last serving of Side A. Bob has all their CDs and even gave me some. We've seen them perform many times in college and back in the late 90s, which prompted Cielo to say," How juvenile!" We laughed. How juvenile, indeed, but how we loved them.
*****
Red invited us over to their house blessing. Buboy had his Sony Ericsson which we loved for its BestPic feature, a 6-shot shutter frames taken in series. We just set the camphone on a table and posed like juveniles. Red's dad joined us in and was surprised that there were 6 shots. All of us were making faces while his mestizo face had the same pose and smile. How funny!














































******
The 3rd Sunday of August is our baranggay's town fiesta. People used to spend a lot of money to make sure they had 6 dishes and loads of beer to serve to their guests. In Sampaloc, a fiesta consisted of banderitas, palayok hung above the banderitas(or is it by the Meralco post?), a band and 4 majorettes, ati-atihan troupe, a singing contest at night, a mass and this year, an acoustic concert, with my cousin Dodong playing for our kapitbahay. This year, there was less spending, but same amount of merriment. I walked in on my Tita's house and a Bombay was eating at their table. I was surprised at this, but my Anti Weng and Uncle Rey are known to invite a lot of people in their really tiny apartment/sari sari store. This Bombay spoke in broken English and Tagalog with a heavy Indian accent. Anti Weng and Uncle Rey owed this Bombay money, or 5/6, and he would pass their house everyday to get his daily payment. My cousin Krystal who is 6 years old would also get her daily P5 from the Bombay. The Indian liked her, but told me it is secret, because "can not do that in other place." He was eating at their table, unlike his older brother who used to handle this route. His service is a Honda motorbike, and his package included an apartment and a Honda car. He told me they are financed by someone from India to operate here. " I will not go back to India, Manila is good, good business. In one year, I can not go to SM, because I save money. After that, pwede na.." His main fear is other people in other neighborhood who owe them money, but would not have second doubts sticking a knife onto their Indian body.
What a strange feeling, I said to myself as I ate my pansit and Pepsi. Indians have entrepreneurial spirit and a sharp mind. 5/6 is compounded interest at its best. I just spoke to a VP of Pepsico International and noticed the similarity in shrewdness. I wondered if a mind is a dull mind if it does not think of running a business and taking the risk. What will become of Filipinos if we all thought a little more entreprenuerially?
Then there would be no fiesta, and I would be manning the business on this wet Sunday afternoon.

Full Circle

One of my favorite people in the world is a French guy. Even though we met for only a brief moment in 2000, we managed to make this fleeting moment last. Over email, we have managed to keep in touch til I saw him again in June 2005. He picked me up from my hotel in Shinjuku and brought with him a priceless gift. A 5-year cherry blossom. A tangible evidence of that poignant memory in late March when we went out during lunchtime to Meguro park, and watched the sunlight streak through the cherry blossoms. He brought with him cheese shipped from France, and white wine while we talked in silence, enjoying a memory that will last til lifetime.

Dear Armi,
Your e-mail really touched my heart... brought back memories and even some tears..both of sadness and joy.Sad you are so far away and joy because I have a small place in your heart.Thank you.
**********
O Hisashiburidesu Ne!
One of my fondest memories are my " Japan days". I just love this country and its people. Some became my friends for life. There is Kenji, a colleague who also became my guide to Tokyo, the Kishida family from Nagano who knocked on our apatoo door by mistake, but ended up inviting us (Cielo and I) for tea. Soon we were treated like members of their family (made our dream of wearing a kimono come true, had origami sessions and we were invited to lots of family dinners). There is also Kaoru, a not so typical Japanese girl as she is outspoken and a go-getter. She showed me what a wonderful life it is to have dogs as part of the family, and even went on a shopping binge and a sake bar with me to ease my loneliness.
One who stoods out though, is not even a Japanese, but a French native who holds an Australian passport but has lived for more than 15 years in Japan. He has a perpetually curious mind that can be infectious. Alas, you'd wish it stays with you, but that trait has been developed his entire life. I asked him." What happened? Why are you here in Japan? And what is that bit about Australia, and your country, why leave it?" I must admit it was a question posed by a young person, a bit tactless but nonetheless appreciated for its sincerity.
"Why Japan?" ,
" It is convenient, has four seasons, country is beautiful, people are kind, and it is kind to old people."
Over sashimi, coffee, tea, Half and Half beers, I heard stories of old Europe, where engineers did not get paid in old Croatia for months so they had to work elsewhere, of crazy "road trips" ending up in Switzerland, of Yakuza men, Filipinas in Tokyo, and how hard it is for gaijins to own a restaurant in Tokyo.
I remember how he came to my rescue on one sad day. He has touched my heart, and rekindled my spirit. I stood, like many heroines in a movie (Before Sunrise? Lost in Translation?) at the train station with him holding my hand telling me it is going to be all right. Before we went our separate ways, he kissed my hand.
I left Tokyo shortly after that.

Social Drinking

It was a rainy week, but the wrath of Henry did not stop me from going all the way to King's point , QC to visit Toot Toot's friends, who are now my close friends as well. I had of course, my drink of choice, Cabernet Sauvignon wine, while Red brought out 4 bottles of Paul Masson red wines. They used to be San Mig Light, Strong Ice, GranMa and MP (emperador) drinkers, but they get so knackered and wasted they have delusions the morning after. So in the meantime, the drink of choice is red wine, which is perfect for this balmy weather.
I spend my time chatting up Mike who tells me more about his future plans about his Vespa while I wait for Reina and Bea. (Reina is Mike's best friend, Bea is Mike's girlfriend,and Sid is Reina's boyfriend). We have finished a bottle before Sid arrived looking like he's on his way to a Padi's Point gimmick, but we decide to transfer to Junday's place. As each bottle of wine is poured, new wave music wafts through the air, and tongues get loose. Men talk more loudly, while Reina and I eat menudo and kanin at 2 AM. By 2:30 I am dizzy and could not take more wine. Sid drinks it like sago, with ice and in clear plastic cup made of PS material.
I spent the night at Reina's and she realized how autistic I became when placed in front of a PC with internet connection. She made a hearty brunch, a good thing as later on she and I waded in water before we made our way to Red's house blessing. Drink of choice- more wine. Great with lengua, salisbury steak and seafood. Red's dad decides to join us on a sequence picture spree courtesy of Buboy's new phone, while Cha, Jeff, and Chichi finished 2 bottles of tequila.
*********
My favorite wine buddies called an impromptu dinner and decided to hold it in my house. No planning is great planning in this case, as the table is full and my cup isn't empty.

Appertif: cheese and fruit platter c/o Consuelo
Salad: Goolai's roastbeef salad
Main course: beef lasagna ordered from Superdough Catering with garlic parsley bread
Wine and entertainment:Ipod with Altec Lansing speakers and Principle of Joy music courtesy of Bob
Highlight of the night: We each had a Samsung phone for the night, for market trial. Decided to call on Ime in Malaysia and Toot Toot in Singapore, while blabbering nonsense stuff. 30s is the new 40s, but we still had nothing of wisdom to say.
Knocked off at 11 PM. Tomorrow is another day.

Been There, Done That, But Wait, There's More to Conquer

I tell my friend Myr to continue posting stories of her world tour. They are most interesting. I tried to recall the adventures and interesting activities I've participated in. Even if these are mostly local and Asian, I have caught the travel bug.

1. Spelunking and conquered Seleca passage- Located in Tuguegarao, we go inside the cave guided by Argel and he asks everyone to turn the flashlights off. Complete and utter darkness. Then he asked for a volunteer to go inside this tiny passage. I don't know what it was, but I raised my hand to volunteer to go first. It is a passage because you go out the same way you go in, and at some point you have to lie flat on your chest, twist your body and use your arms to move forward. My time is 3 minutes, I think. Helps to be nimble.
2. Chico river rafting- up in the northern province of Kalinga lies the great majestic Chico river. From a distance one can hear the water rumble. It has taken lives, this great river, but to most, it is a fun, exciting, albeit scary ride. Anton's adventure is to ask everyone to jump off the float, and experience being tumbled ala washing machine. We rode over 30 waves, and swam the last 2 ones. I chickened when I heard the roaring sound of the water and asked to be lifted onto the float. Ha-ha.
3. Dressed up as X-Men - my 15-minutes of fame. Each year, my job requires a Supplier's Night where we thank our suppliers for their support, recap our accomplishments and lay out our plans for the next year. In 2003 we did Charlie's Angels, and in 2004 X-Men as the theme to make the event interesting. X-Men's theme was on multiplicity, by leveraging on our resources we can all satisfy our customers. It was a "show", but it capped other supplier's nights from the FMCG because they knew us as serious negotiators. Now they know we know how to have a good time. Our president was game, and ended up with the role of Prof. X.
4. Climbing a coconut tree to cross to another- Done in my lovely Boracay, this was part of a top management team building effort. I was partnered with Kit. The challenge was to cross to the other side using the short rope and the body of a partner. Kit, weighing 240 lbs fell just when I was able to reach to him. Because of my height and Kit's built, Bora vendors were shouting," Si Gloria at si Mike". It's funny how all the pearl vendors stopped selling as we became the entertainment for the day. The judgement: I have a great sense of balance, and my self- acceptance score based on Harrison Assessment is high. This apparently is a good trait for a manager. But let me fill you in on a secret, that just don't make it.
5. Survive in a foreign country with a foreign language- Japan. I love it.
I can write a series of blog entries about Japan, and it always brings wonderful memories.
Myr, keep on writing!

32 sa Lotto, 42 sa Megalotto, 75 sa Bingo

They say 40 is the new 30. As I turn 32 this week, I realize I don't have anything much to say. The past week my constant companion has been my 29 inch Samsung TV, my dinner is comprised of a light pack of green leafy salad, and my mornings marked by my daily fresh brew of coffee and a short trip to the office. Last week I dreamt I had a really gwapo boyfriend, but then we broke up, and the other night I dreamt of a Japanese lover. (Toot Toot told me assured me he was both). The past 3 days I was unable to sleep soundly, and woke up at 3 AM. Twice I could not sleep again, so I had to call a home service massage the following day which ensured sleeping like a log. Yesterday I almost hit a motorcycle driver in Shaw crossing to Addition Hills in San Juan, but I could maneuver tight parking spaces. After a year and enough Adidas/Nike aero outfits, I still have difficulty going to the gym.
So what if whatever wisdom I got isn't enough to bottle and market across the nation? Last Friday, for instance, I find myself participating in what was a favorite high school pasttime..
212: : Pag nakikita ko mukha nya sya parang gusto kong hatawin ng tennis racket...(we were meeting with a very bitchy brand manager who's now VP-marketing of a known brand)
A: Tennis racket? Eh butas butas na yung mukha nya eh..
Xtin: Hahahahahahaahahahahaaahaha
*****
There are so many things to look forward to as one grows older. There is less confusion about where one wants to go, and it feels more comfortable to be in your own skin. And yet, habits of the old need to be worked on every day to shape one's character. Discipline is required, I must live in complete alignment with the values, virtues and qualities that are most important to me .
In the meantime, everyday is a struggle to be the person God intended me to be.

Vespa and Waspies

Let me tell you about my guy and my guy's guy. Mike and Toot Toot are neighbors. They are the kind of neighbors that need no permission to go to the room of the other. And eventhough Mike's family and Toot Toot's had a falling out because of Luzviminda Estrada, my guy and my guy's guy love each other to death. What ties, what binds them together?
They are waspies. In their rooms they collect miniature, die-cast cars and bikes, and in real life they have their own babies- Vespa and dogs. Mike has a Lambretta and a 98 Vespa, and Toot Toot also has one. They would often ride out together on weekends, or when they decide to meet fellow waspies to share their own love for this Italian heritage. It is interesting how they would tinker in the garage and sometimes forget that their girlfriends are there with them. Recently, Mike has had a chance to get out and meet fellow interesting waspies. Check out http://www.pinascoot.blogspot.com/. Mike told me how he missed my guy, and wished they could have ridden in the rain together.
We promised to share Toot Toot when we go out to see him in SG.

Ysa

What a joy to see my pamangkin's picture on the inbox. I used to take care of Ysa when she was a baby. I remember when I was a child I had a pet duck and I took care of the duck and tucked it to bed by my side. Imagine my horror when the next morning I woke up and the duck was dead. Fastforward many years later, I take Ysa from her mother's bed and let her sleep beside me when she was just around 3 months old. During these times, I would always remember the duck incident and so I could not sleep. Dead tired from work and zombie-like at night playing mommy by fixing her formula in the wee hours of the morning, it suddenly occurred to me to want men to share this night duty with their wives. What a difficult scenario this was if the women would feed their baby at night, go to work all day, then cook dinner and help the other children with their assignments!
So anyway, I only lasted a week taking care of Ysa and gave her back to Eden. How time flies, now Ysa is just like any regular rugrat. See the mischief in her eyes!

Superman Review (and Seamless Integration with our marketing function)

-----Original Message-----
From: ACA
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006
11:25 AM
To: 'dodi 'john'
Cc: Elaine
Subject: superman review

Thanks Dodi and John for the Superman tickets.
Although I can’t help but compare Brandon Routh from Christopher Reeve, I must admit,
Brandonmatched the Superman character. There is that striking resemblance, plus today’s digital technology and musical scoring has added to the excitement on watching yet another Superman serving. The plot is thin- after all, what story is there to tell, after 3 Supermans and Smallville?, but the audience was kept quiet by the thudding sounds, and those aerial, spatial shots from all kinds of angles made me feel I could fly that way and not feel my knees wobble when taken up in the air. Those to me were the highlights. At times when I almost feel like texting, the pace would quicken and the director’s vision brings you to another way of executing a superhero shot in motion. The plane rescue during the first scene is visually captivating and sets the tone of the entire movie. It’s like having multiple-angled visions all at once. Kudos to director of photography, and the director himself.
Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor is of course, charming and cunning at the same time, while Parker Posey’s Kitty seemed to just fit the depth and evil of Lex (she is shallow but has conscience). What can I say, I loved Kate Bosworth more in that surfing movie of hers, Blue Crush.
O, this is to express my thanks.
By the way, please help me understand why Pepsi did not choose to take advantage of the Mountain Dew exposure and chose to use Mirinda instead? There is a long scene of Lois and Clark hailing a taxicab, and she gets on one with a Mountain Dew signage on top. Also, hope you can fill me in on our new Slurpee, how come our leadtimes are changing? I thought 1 month product development is Ok. If we needed to get US approvals on the flavor development, we should sit down and discuss the correct procedure to set our expectations right.
Armi
-----Original Message-----
From: Christine E. Tolentino [mailto:
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006
12:39 PM
To: 'ACA'; 'MCC'Subject: RE: superman review

Abapwede na sa review pang takilya ha! May alternatibong kareer ka na ija!
Anyway… Yup I think its for novelty why people would watch it. I’ve watched the 3, why miss this one.
Sayang we didn’t get CARS! Naiyak ako pramis. :D
Just for your info, MS has been also acquiring movie licenses. Last march was Ice Age, and now its Garfield 2, and they’re using the same promo mechanics all over again, P60 +participating item. I think it’s a good strategy, to acclimatize people to raise their spending to P60, but the tumblers are so boring!
Superman will be the last of the comic-inspired movies for this year. Movies to watch in 2007 are:
Shrek 3: no date yet
Spiderman: May 2007
The Simpson Movie:
Pirates of the Carribean 3
Oceans 13
************
All in a day's work.
P.S. Ang gwapo ni Superman

My Superman review. Do I think it’s going to be better at the boxoffice than Spiderman? No. Than Batman, yes.
Anyway, if only life can be like the movies, I’d be in Lost in Translation, Before Sunset and in Shake Rattle and Roll.
Hahaha.