Blogging 3 Months Past

Where to start? I don't even know. All I know is that I had the busiest, happiest, most stressful 3 months of 2009.

Busiest. Happiest.

I went HOME! I got to see my family, my friends, and just about everyone I love. For almost a month, I felt like myself again. The past year of gimik-less weekends in Canada paid off. If I could spend every waking moment with my family and friends I would have. But sleep gets to all of us.

Just like old times, we travelled, went to movies, had scrumptious dinners. For a whole month, I did not miss Tutuban, chicharong bulaklak, Jollibee spaghetti + chickenjoy, tapa ni Aling Ning, Razons, Napoli, Mr. Kebab, the mango shakes and the BEACH*.

And the best of all, I got to celebrate my birthday there! :)

I don't think I could survive being away from the Philippines for a whole year. I just have to go back. It's not a want but a need. A need to see everyone. A need to be in every place that means so much to me. A need that no other place can ever fulfill.

I went home, this time without tears. Coz I know for sure I am going back very soon. For now I have the memories and about 5000 worth of photos to keep me happy 'til May 2010.

Most stressful.

How do you get over jet lag? And how do you find a place to rent in the city in under 2 weeks? That's what I had to go through when I got back. Endless days and nights of surfing the net, checking out places for rent and the difficult decisions to be made. Not to mention the amount of money to be shelled out. *sigh*

It was all worth it though coz I found the perfect place. Close to everything, new, clean, and safe. There's still more to buy to make this condo feel like our home. But the (somewhat) independent life ahead is very exciting.

There are more stuff that happened in between, and that will be blogged very very soon. :)

*We had a sidetrip to Thailand and I just have to say that nothing compares to our beautiful islands.

BUT it rocks as a shopping spot!

Much Love

TERESA GRACE (TESSA) NEPOMUCENO

If I was there, I would have taken a day off just to spend it with you and be your date. I know I'm supposed to skip blogging on V-day but it's also one of my best friend's birthday! SO TO HELL WITH SKIPPIN! Much love goes out to you Tessa! Happy happy birthday. I'm so bummed I missed out your party - specially the scrumptious fried chicken. But I'll make up for it, I promise. You get to have more of my time when I come home. Love you!

Addie (ct) 01

Albert. Berting. Dugong.

That's what my friends usually call my dad. But of course in person, they add call him Tito as a sign of respect. My family calls him Addie, an edearment that my cousin Danielle started a couple of years ago which, I guess grew on everybody. Those who know me very well, or even those that I don't would say that he is really my father. But he actually isn't. Joke. Of course he is. There is no denying it, I am the (though I hate to admit it) little berting of the family. There are a lot of things that I got from him - some I wish I hadn't, and some I wish I had. He is very good at what he does and someday, if I'm lucky enough, I hope to be as good as he is. (Yeah right!)

He is celebrating his 53rd birthday today. With the old age, we relate more to him now, than ever. He's had a share of moments here (even way back in the Philippines) which just cracks us up. He's a very funny man and here are his famous antics:

• He would describe/relate people to non-living things. One he described as "mukhang manibela", another "mukhang olive oil", and someone as "mukhang sakong". Now you know where my good traits and active imagination comes from.
• After talking to a prospective employer about his salary (which was below what he asked for) he said "may ganun?" and the guy replied, 'Im sorry what was that?", my dad said "Oh, I'm sorry, there's something wrong with the phone". Talk about palusot!
• After getting poor service from FORD, he calls them up, gives a big speech which included "Did I make an appointment? Yes. Did I pay my bills? Yes. Did I arrive on time? Yes. I don't understand why this happened. Is it because I'm Asian? Is it because I don't dress well?" (The litany took about 15 -20 minutes to finish. Good job for someone who doesn't use English as his first language. Then again, I found his notebook which contained 5 pages of the speech that he was READING on the phone!) Busted. Later he admitted that he didn't sleep very well becuase he was doing the speech in his head.

Oh Addie. I am so glad to have him as a father. I look up to him most of the time. He is the person that I try so hard not to disappoint and so far I think I'm on the right track.

'May ganun?"

A Toast

...to travelling together and backpacking.
...to conquering heights.
...to sweating it out.
...to the deepest seas.
...to climbing rocky mountains without a harness.
...to ransacking sari-sari stores in far away islands.
...to the 'paa' incidents on land and or water.
...to the wonderful times we've had and more to come.
...to Scooby and Mojax.

Happy Birthday Lallie! See you soon!

July 26, 2008 (Alberta)

My morning started out with Danielle waking me up. She said I had to get up coz its my birthday. With Danielle, there is no other way, but her way, so I decided to get up even if it was 10 o'clock in the morning (Its my day, I'm allowed to sleep in).

At the breakfast table, I was greeted by a gift card from my cousins and a nice doodle from Danielle, which made my morning. :)

ALDO gift card and Danielle's Doodle with a Tinkerbelle sticker.

After breakfast, we had to rush to prepare for the Filipino party happening at 6:00 PM at Legion Hall. Mom and Tita Jo was busy cooking and I was busy making labels for the food. Camille and I were assigned at the registration table so we really had to be there. This was the invite I made for the party which was handed out to Filipinos living in Stony Plain and Spruce Grove Area.

Pinoy and PROUD of it!

The party was a turn out, more than 100 people came, so Camille and I were pretty busy at the registration table. I had to leave her for a couple of minutes coz I got a call wherein I ended up ranting and missing everybody back at home all over again. Sigh. But it was soo nice hearing a familiar voice. Thanks Lallie, it was such a comfort to hear your voice and talk about our "moments".

Back to the party, there were lots of food and we had the Mayor of Stony Plain as the guest of honor. Addie wanted to present him with his Barong Tagalog (the one he wore at Ate's wedding, but he opted not to. nde rin kc kakasya). When he was done with his speech and was on his way out, Cam and I were caught unaware and immediately hid our bottles of alchohol under the table! Whew! That was a close one!

My Polar Ice Vodka (40% ALCHOHOL) mixed with Sprite and topped with strawberries. YUM!
Bottoms Up!

Cousins at the PARTY.

By 8:30, we had to go home and get ready for the real party. I was feeling a bit tipsy, well, probably not just a bit coz when I got home I pushed out of my system all that I ate at the party. But that didn't matter. I knew we were up for a night of dancing so I cleaned up and wore the dress Camille gave me for my birthday. We walked to Safeway and waited for our ride, which was big, long, and yellow orange vehicle with big black words on the side that says 'SCHOOL BUS'.

Yes, we hitched a ride with another birthday girl Crystal, who brought her mom (driver) and her whole posse on the bus. We felt a little overdressed coz all of them were wearing retro style outfits. Think MADDONA. I hardly remember the ride, let alone the direction we were headed. I just know that we were going to VINYL and that's it.

After 5 shots of tequila, 5 hours of dancing, and 5 minutes of hugging the trash can outside of VINYL, we were back at SAFEWAY, freezing our asses off. I knew that we should have brought our coats. Walking at 2:00 am in short dresses is not something I would recommend. At home, I only cared about lying in bed and sleeping.

mae. cam. alysha.

So that is that. Also, I remember shooing away 3 guys at the bar! Who knew I still had that taray in me? Hahaha. I had fun, I got drunk, I danced like I've never danced before - it has been such a long time since I've done that. (signs of old age na ba yun?)

July 26, 2008 (Manila)

I'm celebrating two birthdays this year. Ngayon at bukas. Wohoo. Double celebration!

They say its a bit rainy in Manila, but I'm still keeping my hopes up. My wish is still the same, that the sky won't drop a tear, wherever I am. Yup, my fingers are crossed.

I've been receiving texts, emails, offline messages, and Friendster comments from my friends who love me and make me feel super na extra special pa, today. Thanks for all the greetings. I try not to cry after I've read all those great messages but I just couldn't help it. Birthdays HAVE ALWAYS BEEN a BIG THING for me and my friends. And this is the first time I'm having it without them. :(

A super missed and loved friend gave away an extra wish for me today. She said I can have her third wish on the WISH candle that I gave her. Just to let you know, what I've been wishing for is your first wish. Keep the faith and pray that IT will HAPPEN. That much wishing and praying is bound to get us somewhere.

I've made my WISH!

I'm sure I will add more to this post as the hours pass by. Stay tuned.

Chocolate-y Day

At exactly 4:15 pm today, my Supervisor, Dianne, handed me an orange package. It was my birthday gift. I've known her for only 5 days and she's already spoiling me. Hehehe. It was sweet of her though. The chocolates were just simply delicious. It came with a letter, welcoming me to the MacEwan family and that I shouldn't bother coming to work on August 4 coz it was a civic holiday. Double treat!

Back to School

I got up today at 5:30 am, a first in more than 2 years. I dragged myself to get ready to leave by 6:30 to be able to catch the 6:45 ETS bus. Its soo cold here in the mornings that even if I wear a jacket I still get cold. My only motivation? I got a great job at Grant MacEwan College. Which is something not easily achieved by new and unexperienced immigrants here in Canada. I guess waking up early is a small sacrifice I can live with.

My day went well, the usual run through of office stuff, introduction to a sea of faces whose names I easily forget right after I shake their hand. It's been a hassle free day. And everybody's been really nice. (Oh, except I had a tea spilling incident during a meeting with Chinese delegates. I guess they didn't mind. But I did.)

By the end of the day I just got so tired. Lack of sleep plus I had to endure more than 8 hours of speaking-English-in-a-high-pitched-cheery-plus-accented-voice. My jaw hurt a lot. I miss my Tagalog office environment back at home.

After office, I headed off to the mall and treated myself to a Strawberry Delight crepe. I was contemplating if the person serving me was Filipino so I opted to order my crepe in English, to my delight, she said "ano pa?". That made my day. I didn't realize I was soo hungry. I chowed the crepe in under 5 minutes. Hehehe.

On our way home, Noy handed me a book, a gift that he said would make me happy. He gave me this.


Yup, the SATC (the movie) book. I haven't had the chance to browse through it but I know its as great as the movie. The other one, I bought for myself. Its called 101 Things To Do Before You get OLD and BORING. I could already cross off some on the list, but there are lots more to do.

Hooray for my gifts, oh yeah, I received one yesterday, given by Camille - 2 gorgeous dresses that I wouldn't have dared to buy. But it looks good on me. So what the heck.

Advance Happy Birthday To Me!

Happy Birthday to UGH!

Today, I contemplated on whether to wish you happiness on your day or not. At around 7:00 pm, I did.
The moment I hit the send button, I felt regret. I guess I was still being selfish, and arrogant, and bitter. But I have moved on and things are pretty much better. Don't think I didn't mean the things I said. I did. Really.

Still, there are moments when I just want to crawl up into a ball and slam myself unto a wall. Sometimes lang naman.

SIGH.

July Fourteen, este Twelve Pala!

Yeah, yeah, yeah. July is a month we dread but still end up celebrating.

Sometimes stepping over others' party and

proclaiming it as a continutation of our natal days. Hehehe.

But I envy you, because it didn't rain today. And it always rains diba? Inggit ako.

I stand by my balloon, kahit ayaw mo, sasabihin ko! Hahaha!

Surprised? That's the first step towards the hundred ways to your heart. :)

Happy Birthday Yeng!

ASSET

The whole world may be "busy" with the love of their lives on your day, but they don't know that they owe you for this. They think all their sweet-nothings, flowers and chocolates are for their lovers, but in truth, all of them are for you (coz I said so). They just don't know it.

V-Day will always be special, coz my great friend, the tough, smart, and inspiring gal graced the world with her presence.

TESSA, you are an ASSET, love you! :)

CLallie

My Editor.

My soundboard.

High tolerance on both alcohol and alcoholic friends.

Moody.

Feeds on critics, blog updates, and Friendster's worst photos.

Reminds me so much of the character Christina Yang. (Only because I know she'd drag/kick me out of bed when I say I'm emotionally sick and that I'm about to die).

Tea-lover.

Morning Person.

Gadget crazy.

Food tripper.

Believer.

Love you Lheng, Happy Birthday!

Michelle Who?

AKA Oysing.
Pseudonym is MIK.
Known to self as a wacko.

Virgoistic.
BURTist believer. (Calathang).
Ramossistic tendencies.

A dreamer.
A drinker.
A snoozer.

A Beach bum.
A Bed bum.
A Taxi bum.

Missed.
Cared.
LOVED.

Happy Birthday Michelle!

CJ Who?

HATE.
You hate that nickname above. Hahaha.
You hate it when it rains at maputik sa Blumentritt.
You hate it when I repeatingly call your name before saying something.
You hate it when things don't go your way. But almost always, faith and fate makes it happen.
LOVE.
You love green.
You love all things cold and lots of sugar in it.
You love your dogs. Both stuffed and real.
You love your family and friends to the core.
HAVE.
You have ____ crushes/boylets/boyfriend/s. (patay ako dito!)
You have an awesome wardrobe, cool sneakers and hundreds of cute slippers.
You have a great taste in music, people, food, and accessories. Hehehe.
You have a lot of strength and courage inside you.
ARE.
You are always present in my adventures. And vice versa.
You are a beach bum like me. But unlike me, you don't get a tan. You just turn all red.
You are a drunkard. Which is a part of THE RING's requirement.
You are a kind-hearted and spriritual individual.
I.
I know you're turning a year older, wiser and prettier.
I know that age nor distance was and never will be a hindrance to our friendship.
I know that you feel that I miss you.
I know you know that I love you.

Happy Birthday Justine! All the things stated above are true. But the truest of them are the last lines stated per paragraph. I can't stress enough how much I miss you. Hope to see you soon.

The day the LION in me roared

(edited)

I know that I have a lot of things to be thankful for today as it marks my 23 years of existence. But today is just one of the strangest days ever. Most of what happened consist of a few "firsts" for me. Basta, its really kinda weird, parang hinde totoo. Read on.

• This is the first time I felt that today is just an ordinary day. That it wasn't my birthday - but people kept reminding me. Still, I just don't feel it. I'm not even in a party mood. As in no mood at all. Alam mo yun, kalma lang.
• This is the first time I had two premature birthday celebrations. One with friends and one with my entire family. But both of which spent very drunk and very happy. (this is definitely in no paticular order)
• This is the first time I had to work. :c
• This is the first time I think I will have two or three more post birthday celebrations. (I had one last July 29 and it was really great. Mango Lassi... Mango Lassi...Come on sing with me!)
• This is the first time I heard mass at St. Peter's and crossed the commonwealth footbridge twice in one day.
• This is the first time I heard mass, alone.
• This is the first time my best friends greeted me through a phone call. Parang panaginip lang nga eh but it definitely made up my day.
• This is the nth time I thought it wasn't gonna rain. At exactly 4:52 pm, it did. Now you know what my birthday wish for next year is.
• This is the first time I didn't get to see those whom I love spending my birthdays with. I did get to see them. Nde nga lang lahat. :)
• This is the first time I didn't get to blow any birthday candles. This is the first time I had two three yummy cakes and three yummy ice creams. Plus, i had a singing birthday candle.
• This is the first time I felt that my age is catching up with me. N-O-T...NOT! :p
• This is the only time I realized that my raincoat is the same color as the MMDA's footbridges.
• This is the first time somebody remembered my birthday without having my friends remind them.
• This is the first time I didn't feel the need to cry.
• This is the first time somebody wanted to be with me. Sadly, I didn't want to be with them.
• This is the first time I had a happy birthday banner at home :)
• This is the last episode of CSI Vegas' 5th Season. Am praying that Capt. Brass won't die. Please, not on my birthday. He lived!
• This is the first time I had a HOOKA birthday surprise. It was smokin! :)
• One thing I know and realized AGAIN... I LOVE my life, my family and my friends.
• One more thing I felt: special and loved. :)

My mom and dad concluded my day with a card that contained 10 Great Things About Having 'ME' as a daughter. That pretty much made me smile for the rest of my day.

*.heartfelt thanks for all the greetings.really glad people remembered my day.mwah.*

Acoustic Jive Rocked. Jacqui Magno didn't.

Celebrate with Rain

A very dear friend of mine is celebrating her birthday today. Even if it is a "gloomy" day, may the downpour be a sign of millions of blessings to come. LOVE you YENG! : )

*sana pareho tayong TUMBA sa PARTY natin!