My Original Sistah

My original SISTAH is Ate Luz… She is the lifelong Ate I have… Even we were 8 years apart, I treated her as my first “best friend” in my toddler and teen years… She was my Ate, filling my summer childhood memories of her being there for us (me and willy). We were the regular tambay in their big “nipa” house… enjoying many summers playing and bonding with her, reading comics, playing text (mini-cards), taguan (hide and seek) or just being there watching her doing her household chores. She never grew tired of our kakulitan, she being already a teen-ager and us being just 7-9 yr old “alaga.”

Haha… if i will ever ask Willy to write with me here about Ate Luz, we might probably fill this blog with lots of memories….

Anyways, I promised my Ate Luz that we’ll have a spa-night together… since it will be a wedding of her son this weekend, I also feel this is a long-overdue bonding moment.

SO last night, she did facial spa and i did foot spa… she made the spa assitants laughed with her wacky remarks (it was her first time to have facial treatment)… we had a great time… Soon i will treat her to foot spa also.

Reunion!!

Today I commit myself to volunteer in organizing our High School Batch reunion! Why Not! I know it will need a quite too much attention and time, but I know this will “reap” a lot of fun, memories, challenges and most of all rekindling of friendship! In this one lifetime, probably one of the most memorable milestones in our lives (aside from giving birth, wedding…) is the reunion! So, I want to be a part of this!

Celebrate Friendship!

I have a long-outstanding promise to a friend to post our pictures in internet, I keep reminding myself and keep on forgetting, until today. And I did more than just posting it in my FB account… I made a Smilebox digital scrapbook with designs, music and all… that is, with effort!

This is a compilation of our “celebration” of friendship that filled our 2009 with joy and inspiration… just being together.

Sis Natz, eto na….

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Moving Forward on my 101….

#79: keeps on the habit of investing in mutual fund, (I have received 10k gift of Lola Baby to Aliya and it all goes to mutual fund, 5k goes to car registration)
#84: have finally decided to pull-out Jolo’s plan so not to diminish its value further (I will just put it in mutual fund)
#87: be more aware of financial matters: Meralco shares is going up (and now going low)… decide… decide… I have so&so shares at stake…
#94: Bought a microwave oven
#91: starting remodelling my purple room
#5: had a good “talk” with Jolo about attitude and habits. Also, bought the Jabbawokeez Mask for Jolo, Chess for Lean and new slippers for Aliya (been in my “to do” list for long), have to spend more time “dancing” with Jolo and playing with Lean and ALiya…
#17: Seen 2 groups of friends (SVS and SJS) and had fun
#30: went out our street to see the fireworks coming from SM, even I was the only one there gasping and amazing!
#34: adding more on my ‘travelling feet’ collection
#48: been conscious about learning new things and keeping tabs on them… (i’m currently reading about physics and religion)
#49: slowly creating habit for my health (ex. drinking 2 glasses of warm water every morning, less rice, take the opportunity to walk)
#58: finally launched by “pledge-gathering” for my Christmas Toy Gift-Giving… (I set-up a ChipIn (see my account how you can make contributions) and formally announced to network friends that I am “desperately” need of pledges)
#67: did “Pay-it-Forward” deed, I bought two tickets for “Truly Rich Seminar” of Bo Sanchez and gave it to two of my favorite cousins! (hey don’t forget me when you get rich!)
#69: inspite of toxic work, I keep on my weekly blog tips for staff
#70: released 1 major policy for implementation and 2 new policies for review

101 Minus 7th – One Great Spontaneous Adventure (UAAP Basketball Finals) #33

October 8, 2009

We got spontaneous tickets to watch the UAAP Basketball Finals Season 72, University of the East vs. Ateneo…. And we had one great and spontaneous fun and excitement!

It was so great that despite clamor for tickets for this finals, my friend was able to get tickets within 2 days before the game. It was so amazing (as it was quite impossible to get tickets on short-notice). But through the “power” of our ever-enthusiastic, and ever-resourceful friend Flor, we got 22 tickets! So, SVS staff also came! (the Partners and the staff are almost all UE alumni!)

It would have been Super Great if UE won the title (after almost 10 years?)… but unfortunately Ateneo won. (see the score board below)

But regardless, we really had fun and the verge of adrenalin! Even for the not-so-basketball-fans (like me), the game will make you jump and shout and be carried away. The event was really memorable (especially when they sung the UE theme – which amazingly we can still sing)

Great! Great! Hope next year we’ll be able to repeat this! Go UE Warriors Go!

Batch ’87

Last night was a celebration of Orly’s Birthday along with our St Joseph’s buddies and friends (from high school and elementary) at Pier One at QC. We have actually representatives from all sections: St Elizabeth, St John, St. Dominic, St. Ignatius! (if you still remember your beloved section!)

We had a really great time, telling stories, updating life-stories, cracking jokes, goofying around, appreciating the “journey” of each of us had from then to now, and amazing how years have not “actually” changed us… we are still young (at heart and spirit!)… and we can be the same good old buddies… and as if no years had set us apart!

I really believe that we became what we are now because of the friends we made and the dreams we shared with them… as we inspired, aspired and gone separate ways…. then, to meet again with stories to tell!

see also related posts:
Just as I Remember
101 Minus 4 – Seen Old Friends

Giving Up… Letting Go… Saying Bye… Moving On…

I am not a quitter!
But there are things, situation, habits… and people that we have to let go… for me (for them) to grow, to prosper, to live on!

This week and last week are just that:
saying bye (but not giving up) — to a favorite, good friend who will be going back to States, and we don’t know if it is (again) for good or she will be coming back here (also for good?)
saying bye to another favorite friend who will be leaving for San Francisco, too. The prospect of seeing him again is quite too far (again), say 2-3 years.
letting go – two good audit staff are resigning (as their mentor, I really want them to explore/grow more, but at the same time, I feel bad because of feeling of “inadequacy” by not providing them enough reasons to stay…)
giving up (but to where it goes, I’m glad)…. our clothes and things for the flood victims! (included there is my “benchmark pants”… the one I want to squeeze into someday…)
saying good bye to the things we’ve lost during the flood… we are not complaining! we are not badly hit and, thank God, we have no serious casualty from our family, friends, or people we personally know.
giving up the habits of unconscious credit card spending….
saying good bye to my 7lbs… (really!!!)
giving up the plan to arrange my “adopted” sister’s medication… because she is giving up HERSELF…. (this one I still have to reconsider… I should not really give up on her)
letting go of the concept and image of Jolo as just a kid… I have to accept that he is a “grown” boy now! (whaaahh).
giving up the thought of keeping these people, things, situation, habit… with full understanding that “giving up, letting go, saying bye….” is just a phase for us to move on, grow and have better perspective….

Life goes on and on and on….

Our “sister” is coming to town!

Carol is coming home next week from America, after 5 years?
This is one great moment, as this was “pakana” (plan) of the “sisterhood.”
The plane ticket is courtesy of our generous friend Flor, and there is also an offer of condominium unit where she can stay, a job at SVS (if she is up to it) and a “papa” waiting in her Condo (joke!)
Everything that happened seem so sudden and plans are made in spur of the moment!
It is just another proof of having done and said the right things at the exact right moment!

Here’s how it goes:
Aug 22- at Macau, we talked about a friendship thing that we could buy for the 4 of us, then we suddenly realized that we are actually “5″… the 5th one is Carol in US whom we have not seen in 5 years.
Aug 25 – at Manila, while deleting the old texts in my celfone, I came across the birthday message of Carol sent Dec 19 (we have a same birthdate!), I texted here and said we missed her a lot! No reply (I thought, she probably have different number now )
Aug 26 – can’t get her off my mind, I sent an email in old yahoo mail (that seemed so dormant for quite some time)
Aug 27 – she answered! and we excitedly chat! I told her of everything nice and great happening to our partnership and sisterhood!
Aug 31 – she called and we talked about how life is treating her. She is quite down. I happened to “come alive” when she needed someone to talk to. I told her that I will relate her story to sisterhood at same night’s party (Flor’s Bday). At the party, we talked about her and made another date to watch a movie or have a coffee.
Sept 2 – the sisterhood saw each other and, timely, Carol called Flor… and then the offer (or outpour) of help came…. Flor offered for a ticket, a condo unit and a job if she really want to stay here, as her situation at US is becoming “desperate”… we offered a boyfriend and moral support
Sept 3-8 – exchanges of calls and emails…. Carol has to make crucial decision considering her parents as well (who are already in US), and some commitments there….
Sept 9 – we saw another friend from Rome (Romel) and called Carol again for the confirmation of her schedule! So that Romel will also be here for one great “reunion”
Sept 11 – Her plane ticket was booked…She will be here Sept 24 up to Oct 5!
Wheeewww….

Celebrating My “Friendship Month”

It’s seems I can’t get enough of seeing old friends and reliving the past!
As if I have declared this month as Friendship Month!
Last Friday, I saw my old buddies from high school. Had a great time and good laughs about our adolescent life. We are now constantly in contact.
Last night, we (the SVS sisterhood) met one of our best friends (Romel) from college. We haven’t seen him for 6+ years when he went to Rome. We also had good hearty laughs when we remembered our good old days, especially our antics with our professors.
Also, since last week, we’ve been communicating with our other best friend, Carol, who is now based at LA. We convinced her go home (for good or for awhile), just to relieve her of her worries due to recession there. Well, courtesy of sister Flor, she’ll get her plane ticket (a job and a condo unit here, or a papi, perhaps…)
As I celebrate friendship, it also means keeping in touch with my old friends from the old days in anyway I can (thru text, email, fb, fs).
And more than anything, I make efforts to keep connected with the people that are constantly with me everyday (my family, my papi, kids, staff, friends and colleagues). I am enjoying more the time being spent with them. No hang-ups, no pre-occupation, no pressure.
Just a sheer delight of my “NOW” being with them.

Picture Gallery: Awesome Macau with Awesome Friends

Part 2 of Best of Macau Pictures!
Smilebox digital scrapbook is fun and easy to use… I just hope it’s fast to load.
Enjoy!



Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Macau 2009 @ SmileBox




Make a Smilebox photobook

101 Minus 4th – Seen Old Friends!

We had a great time! We talked about good old days and we laughed at our silliness, antics and adventures! i really enjoyed the night and I hope we could do this more often! Here’s my tribute to my old friends:
Bong - we fondly call him “Botchok,” he’s one of Manok’s (my Papi) buddies, he was for the good times and bad times (Manok stayed in their house when he “stowed-away”) He has a good hearthy laughs. And can get too serious at times.
Arnel – the ever reliable friend. He was my kindergarten classmate! we shared the same table of 4 with GIlbert N. and Eden S. If there was an award for Mr. COngeniality, we will surely get it.
Orly – the mathematician and the clown, then and now. I “grew” with him from from high school to college and now we are partner in our business (SVS). Very reliable, witty and funny!
Pamela – my elementary buddy whom I haven’t seen for 13 years (she just attended our wedding) she was the “crush ng bayan” then, she was cute then… and now, just so stunning. She is still her old self… funny, “a-bit-elite-but-down-to-earth-pala. (We just have few awkward moments since she and Noel was an “item” before.)
Noel – which I fondly call as “Igan” (short for “kaibigan” or friend). He is my best buddy, and Manok’s best buddy, too (actually we were three-some during those days). He is the ever-thoughtful, kind, dependable and just great friend. I really missed talking real stuff with him (we’ll catch up sometime).
Manok - or Paul, none-other-than my Papi, my hubby…. For the record, we were not an item during HS. I never (believe me, never!) thought I will “end” up with him! But (for the record too), he already knew, or rather I was “reserved” — well that’s a long story. Anyways, as a friend before, I remember him as my protector and joker. He was the “playboy” who got too many girlfriends then (don’t count me in).

It’s great to remember them as they were and realized that we’ve not lost those qualities of ours even now….. we are just “better.” I always believe that what we are now is because of the friends we made and the life we experienced during our “puberty” time.

It is also nice to feel that as if we have not been apart for so many years!

see also:
Batch 87
Just as I Remember

Just As I Remember…

I am looking forward seeing my old friends from my high school tomorrow… I am excited but quite apprehensive… Some of them I regularly see, except those few that I didn’t see for quite some time, like 20plus years! We have contacts, one way or another, that’s what technology is about… but seeing them is different thing… I realized that I missed them… (Funny that feeling of “missing” them at the only moment you think of them…. Well maybe because of the sheer delight of these memories of childhood and friendship!)

Well, It made me remember now those days in high school when:
1. we usually walk home to save the fare
2. I was the favorite courier of love letters of male friends
3. we spent time in back street carinderia
4. we love to join the dance show, singing contest, declamation or any school presentation
5. I was tasked to measure the school ground using a toothpick (as initiation for COCC)
6. I lost spelling bee because of the word “inflammable” (I still believe that it should be single “s”)
7. I competed a Science Quiz Bee with a student from another school that eventually became my business partner (the “verde” in SVS)- by the way he won the bee
8. we lost the student body election
9. I once had sported spike hairstyle (eewww)
10. we were punished for insubordination during CAT time
11. we had drinking spree in between breaks
12. I helped a classmate in distress when she had a mishap while having LBM (ohh just imagine)
13. we formed CSG and GMS (full names are so lame, so I better leave as that)
14. we had countless bumming around in nearby classmates’ house (how can i forget the “haunted house” of Lee Ng’s)
15. I had few pesos for my recess snack that I have to help other classmates with their homework for a free snack (my constant customer is my papi now — just his style to get closer to me -haha)
16. we loved to sing “Desert Moon” and “Friend of Mine”….

and a lot more!

High school is just the moment to have fun, make great friends and doing silly stuff.

Well, I will see them tomorrow and let’s see if age have not impaired our memories!

Almost China….

We almost made it to China!
It’s just that…. we were denied entry at the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border!
We didn’t fret over it, we just laughed at the experience and still had a great time at Hong Kong! Regardless of the tiresome 7-hour travel: Macao to HK, HK to Shenzhen border, and back to HK, nothing and no one can just dampen our feelings because we were having fun! Spontaneity also adds to the excitement!
Here are some of the things learned in the process:
no one is allowed to take the Turbojet from Macao to Schenzhen without a Visa.
no visa processing on SUnday
no more visa being issued at the HK border (unlike before)
don’t have high hopes when it seemed the Chinese are very helpful in the process
travel light
don’t book on a hotel in a county you don’t have visa yet
we can rely on our staff to book us anytime, anywhere
HK’s train system is so efficient
there is no such thing as “gentleman” in HK train
we can still have fun no matter what the situation!

The Suite Life!

We had a GREAT time at MACAO!
We stayed at The Venetian! As in, the most glamorous, magnificent hotel! We lived (like rich) at The Rialto Suite (the most expensive). It’s just “WOW”!
We thank all this to our generous friend Flor!
Can’t really describe the awesome feelings that still linger until now (like a hung-over)!
Just too much of the most splendid and great things around!
But it’s more than the place! What makes this travel sweet and memorable is the fun having my close friends (and my papi) with me!

friends

Just being in The Venetian will probably fill-up my list of “Do/experience “first time”"… samples are:
1. Played in a casino (and we won)
2. Rode a gondola boat and being serenaded by a cute Italian guy
3. Seen an indoor “sky”
4. Experience checked-in in a suite
5. This is the best hotel so far I have visited
6. Amazed at its enormity and beauty
7. Got the idea of “travelling feet”
8. Seen the Mayor of Caloocan (Echiverri)
9. Walked 300 meters just to see the Hotel’s pool
10. Travel with great friends.

101 Minus 2nd – Travel with Close Friends (#29)

I’m so excited!
We have finally succeeded in making this trip possible! We’ve been planning for it for the past 4 years, but it never came close to even agreeing on a place to visit. But now, we’ve finally made the decision, then the scheduling and booking in just 2 days!
Tomorrow, we’ll fly to Macau, and on Sunday we’ll pass by Hong Kong, then go to Schenzen, China for a night!
I’ll be with BFF Flor and Kerol, with Ron, my Papi, Orly and Mike!
Wow… this will be fun!
Meantime, I have to pack….

Picture Moment #12: FB’ing lately!

Been curious about FB as my friends and colleagues talked about it, that I tried to look around myself. I am happy to find old friends and childhood buddies. It’s really nice having to look at their pictures and profiles and reflect what they became after all these years. Parallel lives happened, and it made me realize (again), that I could be here and there or that I might have became this and that. Funny (and mysteriously…), the possibilities are endless (aka, butterfly effect…), but we are here and we became what we are now by choices we took and decisions we made. Reflectively, there is no regrets but rather lots of appreciation to blessings. These friends of mine (I found in FB and everywhere else) have the same share of fun, laughs, blessings, struggles, issues, opportunities in life, but I’m sure in different level and appreciation. And I am happy for all of them!
Live, Laugh, Love to the Fullest!, That’s what matter!

st joseph 1987

kinder time

the CSG group

st joseph 1987

kinder time

the CSG group

st joseph 1987

kinder time

the CSG group