long overdue

Life's like that. Or so it says in one of the Reader's Digest regular columns. 

I've had so much of life the past week - what with work overload at the office, natural calamities here and there, utmost happiness with my family, fun & laughter with friends, unconditional love from God, inspiration from my community brothers & sisters, pure contentment with PB. Life oh life. Can't get enough of it.

***

I arrived early morning Thursday from Manila. Spent a good, good three days there with family. Flew in Monday (a day before my parents did) and was met at the airport by my sister Iana (who's starting life anew as a fashion design student) and Sam, one of my closest cousins who's presently a Manila resident, what with reviewing and taking exams for her medical career in the US. Life's great! Spent the afternoon and evening with them, shopping on the side, food bingeing on the other (I must say, Manila offers the best in this arena). Those, and catching up on each other's lives. It's funny how life turns out - Sam used to be my roomie when we were in college, now she's housemates with my younger sister. The fun-ner part even was when the following morning, we chatted and video chatted at that with our other cousin, now married and North Carolina-based, Karen, who's about to give birth any time now - it was like the old days - me, Karen, Sam. Sad part is that all three of us are living our own lives, separated by distance, joined by blood and sisterhood. I miss those girls, we practically shared lives together in college, and even through most of our childhood, what with our moms being sisters and then some. Oh well. Life's simply like that - takes us to where we're meant to, having to let go of happy pasts and looking more to the brighter future out there, even if it means growing up and living lives separately - thousands of miles separately.

***

My entire family was granted US visas on Wednesday - of course, less Tingtong who couldn't make it to the scheduled interview because he had an exam. Oh yes, dear Brod is in Med school now and I can't be any prouder! 

The whole process was nerve-wracking, what with dear Me up at 3:30 am (for our scheduled 8:00 am interview) because I had to check and re-check our papers - that I didn't miss something out. My greatest worry wasn't even a denied visa - it was more of that I missed out on something and that we wouldn't be interviewed AT ALL. My family - especially my mom who flew in for that (read this: she LOATHES flying) - would kill me! So there, THANK GOD, everything just went smoothly. Visas granted and all, it was such an experience! I'm presuming I don't need to line up that long line and waiting to be questioned and questioned at that during the interview for another ten years??? Crossing my fingers, the visas haven't arrived yet.

***

A couple of things noted:

> I just checked and realized I haven't been blogging for more than two weeks now. It's just been long, I don't even wanna recall as much.

> I've been caught up and recently just finished watching the entire first and apparently ONLY season of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - it's a good watch! I can't imagine why it only lasted a season. Hmmm, now it got me to thinking it must be the Amanda Peet factor. She starred in this series and then another a long time ago - Jack and Jill, which also just lasted a season or two. Hmmm. But I loved both! 

> I just had a sumptuous lunch and dessert at Tito Lito's what with it being a Fiesta tradition - it's also my cousin Marvin's birthday, so it's always a sumptuous one every single year. I had my favorite choco-chip pound cake after lunch, and man, needless to say, I am filled to the brim.

My cousins/aunts Joy and Virna (when I was younger, they refused to be called aunts/titas because they're practically just a few years older, or so they claimed), together with their better halves, and I chatted - well, it was mostly them interrogating me again about the present status of my love life. They kept telling me how I should get married soon because I'm not getting younger - what in the world are they talking about, I'm only 26! There it goes again. I should actually get used to this by now - after all, before Choobs and I got together officially, talks about us being in a relationship flew like anything around town; then when we were finally together-together, talks about us getting married soon spread. Darn this whole reality of Ormoc mentality - people presuming ahead, coming up with the juiciest advance news more than anything. PB and I actually just laugh it off, after all, it's good news (it's TOO good a good news) - people around just more excited than we are. Don't get me wrong, both PB and I are super excited, we're looking forward to OUR happy togetherness for always, but we want it according to our own pace. If that wasn't enough interrogating, my younger cousin Alyssa, who's in high school, comes up to me and tells me another juicy advance news - her classmate Carlos, a cousin of PB, asked her when PB and I were getting married because he heard from his Lola that we are getting married already. Whoa. Advance party, get ready! These are all exciting news really. I can't help but be excited, blush and all. Then again, it's just too good a news for now. PB and I wait in eager anticipation, like we always say. God still is the one who knows best. And we leave it all to Him. 

> Mamita's back! Finally, after more than a month (almost two???) of her being "stuck" (she used this term herself) in Cebu because of herpes zoster and many other body aches & pains, she's finally home. As soon as she arrived yesterday, I quickly sent a quick text to the entire family about her arriving, then arranged dinner plans - what a BIG dinner it was indeed, considering it was just with short notice. The sumptuous dinner (it's about sumptuous this whole weekend) included CRABS (a family favorite!!!), lechon manok (a safety blanket, for the kids really), spicy beef (YUMMY), and pancit. The crabs did it for us. The highlight of the evening. 

Mamita seemed better and more active than the last time I visited her about a month ago. She was up on her feet but still feeling the ache, she walks slower now, and needs assistance as she does so. My only fear is that since she's back home, she'll go back to her hectic every day schedule - attending to her bakeries and farms. She keeps forgetting she's no longer 40, that she's 75 already! I admire her diligence and workaholic attitude, but I think at that age, she ought to be thinking about which country to visit next, instead of worrying about her businesses which are in good hands really. Dang, at that age, I'd have travelled all over the world already, or so I hope I'd be able to. God willing!

Mamita oh Mamita.

She is an admirable woman. She was a widow at a very young age, what with ten kids to raise on her own, the youngest of the brood, Tito Pao, was actually only about 8 when Lolo died. My father, the eldest among the sons, was then a second year Medical student. But of course needless to say, Mamita made it through. Excellently at that. Now, all her kids and grandkids too, take turns in caring for her. I just hope one day she realizes this truly and allows us to. She still fights her way through everything. Hopefully, she lets us return to her the countless favors. She is something. And I truly know that I don't think I'll ever grow old to be even half the amazing, great person that she is.

Life. It is what it is.

Happy fiesta, Ormocanons.

he put HAPPY in OUR "happy friday"

So I get to the office on a "happy friday" (as my PB would always greet me with)...

Our ever-reliable guard office, Rinald, tells me I have a package, I look at the delivery receipt, and there it was. Another SURPRISE from my Pantaleon! It seemed like a heavy package, the way Rinald carried it and propped it on my desk.

Tan-tanan... Drum rolls again, I hear...

I opened a box filled with all sorts of goodies from First Republic Bank - that's where my PB works. You name it, there it all was... 

... from mouse pad to umbrella, visor, cap, diary, notepads, POST-ITS (I soooo love post-its!), stuffed toy (of their bank's "mascot" or something), bags, coloring book, crayons, pen container, pens, mini-flashlights, wine cork opener, luggage tag, mini notepad, stickies, wall calendar, the list goes on!!! 

Above is the only non-First Republic Bank goodie! It's a contact lens case, SOOOOO cuuuuttteee!!!

Directly above is the HIGHLIGHT! That's the pen container which could be opened in half, and revealed THIS gorgeous picture of my Pantaleon. Read the note. Darn. That guy. Hahaha.

The surprise was sucha stress-reliever; came just in time (talk about perfect timing again!) after having such a loooongggg week! That guy. Again.

The year-diary thingie was something else. I realized only later on when I skimmed through its pages that he had written something on some dates... THE BEST WEEKS EVER he wrote (quite messily really!) on those 2 weeks last March when he was here. Then he added "Finally once more" on August 29th (yup, he's set to arrive then! God willing!). That got to me, I couldn't help but cry.

Amongst all those sweet-everythings was a card, lilies on the cover page with two dragonflies (he "cheesily" told me it was him and me - tooooo sucky cheesy, PB! Haha!), then an entire letter inside. He wrote about missing me soooo much and how he looked forward to seeing me real soon. Hayyyyy if he only knew how much more I looked forward to it, more than anything! Most importantly, he wrote about the significance of the goodies he sent - that even at work (where he spends most hours of the day at), he thinks of me all the time. He related to me how he told his boss, Sherry, about his little surprise package and how she thought it was the sweetest, how she suggested a few stuff and all. Darn that Leon.

***

"We not only read the same book, on the same page, we read the same paragraph together" - or something to that effect. He says that about us to his friend Reilly. 

For the nth time, I love THIS GUY to death.

For the nth time... enough said. 

on the long Tuesday and fate

Choobs and I walked down memory lane today during our afternoon dose of chitchat. It was a good walk, a good talk... reminiscing the oh-so-recent past. We realized it's almost been one year since we first met, how time flies really. But on the other hand, he keeps saying how he feels as if he's known me longer, how it almost seems he's known me forever. I can't argue with that. Cliche-ish as this may sound, I feel exactly the same. Darn again, I love this guy to death. I realize this once again today...

***

I had such a crazy morning, what with work piling on top of the other. As my cousin Monic and I would put it, it seemed like there was a Carlota Hill pile on our desks (read: Carlota Hill is our old home, where Monic and I used to be neighbors), we would then beat each other out by saying, oh it's become a Mt. Apo (the highest peak in the Philippines) already. So the story goes...

Going back to a supposedly and normally cool, calm Tuesday it turned bad for me, oh to put it on better, subtler terms, it was plain crazy. Is that subtle enough? Darn. I had a long crazy morning. What made it worse even was when my broadband connection went dead, I then tried to contact tech support from the local office, but was refused any support, they instead forwarded me to their hotline which took forever and one idiot-of-a-tech-support and a more pleasant one to finally resolve the problem. If that wasn't bad enough, I had to deal with all the animosity at 12 noon!!! I could've eaten them darn tech support alive.

Imagine my intense mood, getting over it only a bit while enjoying a yummy, spicy chicken adobo (thanks to my dear Yani who's now a bum, cooking for me while I took on her workload - I still love you forever Yanininini). Twenty minutes later, I was back in my newly-acquired desk (NO thanks again to Yani). 

All those rough, "sapot" times in the morning, I looked forward to taking even a bit of a break and talk to Choobs. Alas, he wasn't Skype-online. Of course I knew he was going straight to the gym from work (to burn off all those "pospas" and adobo he filled himself to the brim the Sunday before at Tita Maite's) but it didn't stop me from wishing he were home instead to cheer me up and de-stress me from work-stress and "sapot". Darn. Then again, reality bites, as in always - hard. I realize all the more once again how very far apart we are, that I can't have him in one snap. That this is our reality. For now, we both keep telling each other. 

Then Choobs calls me, I tell him about my very bad morning, I sob, letting out all my frustration - he falls silent, tells me how bad he feels for not having been there for me. Then again I remind him, we both chose this situation, that he wouldn't have known I was going through such a tough morning after all. He says he just wished he were there for me. Darn, I love this guy.

After several attempts of making me laugh, cheering me up with his hilarious antics, I give in. This guy is it. We laugh, fall silent, laugh again.

He tells me how earlier, as he was having spam and eggs for dinner, hanging out at his patio with Dollar and Lady (his adorable dogs), he suddenly thought again about me, us, and how strongly he felt about fate being responsible for us - how he feels everything between us was, is, and continues to be timed almost perfectly every step of the way. He once again said how he feels God was, is, and continues to be behind everything that's going on for us. I was just awe-stricken. After all, I never doubted for one second how I know God has always been behind everything for both him and me, for both of us. But for him to put God in the equation like that (don't get me wrong, Choobs does believe in God and all but he just isn't so vocal about it or is as big a "fanatic" as I am with being vocal about God and community) just got to me... Don't get me wrong again, Choobs and I talk about our faith all the time - we've always shared the same beliefs and values. We may have our differences somewhere, but we don't argue or fight each other out, trying to win over the other; instead we respect each other's differences - with opinions and what-not, letting our values win over; letting our respect for each other win over.

Walking down memory lane, we recall how we both had our "moments" (aka THE moments when we both realized how we felt for each other). HIS was when he was flying home from his visit last year, yes that trip when he met me. He says it was then he realized he liked me, that there was something about me and how we met, that made him pursue things. Pursue he did... MY moment was in September when he didn't call me for four days. It was unusual of course because he called me at least every other day. So when he didn't for four days, that got to me. I got worried, I hated myself for feeling that, for being at all affected. That's when I knew. 

***

I hear Mass after work. I thank God for the long day. I thank HIM once again for the beautiful gift that is Choobs and our relationship. Truly, I cannot thank HIM enough. Each and every single day, HE affirms Choobs' presence in my life, even when I falter along the way, even when I don't deserve such a beautiful, beautiful blessing. This and many many more.

once upon a looooong week

It's been one long week, I'd have to say. So much has transpired. To even recall the past week's day-to-day going-ons is exhausting in itself. Darn.

I guess it's mostly because for the whole week I have been in denial. I have been trying to put aside (or to put it more aptly and bluntly even - I have been ignoring) the very fact that my dear sister Iana is leaving in five (5!!!) days. Last week was endorsement week for us - since she has been handling our HR department for the past two years or so - she had to endorse her entire department workload onto poor me. Workload-wise, it's fine really. I have four efficient secretaries under my turf after all. The denial part was more of the fact that I was not just losing my HR manager, I was losing my sister, friend, confidante, roommate for the past two-three years. My being in denial meant I did not entertain her nor her gazillion files (hard and soft copies alike) until she was so pissed, she sent all the soft copies via Skype send file, it made my dear Mac hang on to dear life, almost "hanging" at that; worse, she practically dumped her other non-soft copy (therefore, those real-deal folder-organized) files onto my desk. Then, with the same effect as those seen in movies, she brought home all her stuff, packing them away in a not-so-movie-fashionable "carton" (a box of one of our stocks). She packed away her stuff. For good. For real. My HR manager has left me.

But the even more painful part is the sight and sign of her leaving home. Her cluttered stuff in our room (it's MORE cluttered than usual; clutter is the normal sight of our room, ask our mother), big big big boxes, her old (antique) sewing machine cleaned and polished, all ready to go to the "malaking lupa" (aka Manila) - yes, she's leaving me to seek "greener pastures", or not quite really - she's going to fashion school end of June. Dangnabbit.

I always knew this was coming, anyway. I've always been ready for this, really. Even from two-three years back, I knew she wouldn't stay long here in Ormoc, I always knew she was meant to be big elsewhere - definitely not here in Ormoc. She was never the laidback-like-Maica type. Like my other sister Ivi (aka Iffy), I always knew she was meant to do greater things out there (out there as in Sydney, Australia - both sisters' dream destination, after they visited that land down under a few years back). Even being ready for all these, it's been difficult to adjust to - it still is, and I know it will be difficult all the more after she leaves. Bracing myself for her departure, or rather bracing myself more for her departure.

***

Today was Monday. It was even longer than the long week I had last week. More than it being a Monday, it was the first official day that Iana was out of the office - what with HR-related calls, my own-related calls, etc etc etc. 

At noon, I had to rush to Church to hear Mass. Afterwards, starving and all, my siblings and I went to our favorite Leni's and enjoyed a sumptuous lunch of Angus beef steak!!! Yes, it was perfect timing - truly a BIG monday treat! Yey! My favorite couple Nini and Martin were around to pay their usual courtesy call to their favorite (I presume rightfully) clients - US! Hahaha. Anyhow, my siblings and I decided to "bond over lunch" since our dear only brother (our favorite brother at that, haha) is off to Cebu tonight to start Medical school - yup, he's taken over my throne. Hats off to my lil bro who is little no more, and off to the real world now. We had a serious heart to heart - it became intense at one point but was cooled down by some light bickering. We are blood siblings after all, blood truly won over. We chatted about practically everything under the sun - just the usual catching up really. And more encouragement and "ra-ra" for our dear brod.  It was time well-spent with my favorite people. Ivi is off to Cebu, too, after a good looong weekend at home, what with today, a Monday, a holiday at that...

Darn. Come to think of it. I just had one hell of a day, a Monday, a holiday. Darn again. Why in the world did I slave myself on a holiday? Oh well. That's that. The holiday is over. As Choobs would always put it (enduring a long crazy day at work), "Twas just another day in paradise." Phil Collins can't agree any better.

***

At the end of the loooong day, I continue to miss PB. 81 days, we count. 2 months and 3 weeks. Darn. Darn. Darn.

***

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

I'd have to give it to Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet for their performances! Queer Kate, unsociable Jim. Not quite the perfect match but perfect enough to share a love that knows no bounds - not even a manipulated memory!

I watched this film the first time years ago but never got to finish it, it felt dragging the first half of it. Eventually, after my sister's constant raves about this movie, I watched it again a month ago and finally watch it till the end. No regrets there, really. It was a complex movie, with all its twists and turns, but it was beautiful, to say the least.

To put it simply, it was one of those movies that would affirm the same conclusion about love: that if it's meant to be, it will be - no matter what, when, where, how. There.

breakfast and all that jazz

I've never been a breakfast person! But I lllloooovvvvveeeeee breakfast food, I can eat them any time of the day! My usual breakfast comprise only of a cup of freshly brewed coffee. That's it! And it lasts me till... ummm, 10am? By then, I'd have to at least have a biscuit! Or on crazier days at the office, my tummy waits till lunch. Poor innocent bituks having to starve because master is busy, trying to earn a living. *sigh* But really, I love freshly brewed coffee, with just a bit of sugar. Love it black and strong, to keep me up and about for the next 12 hours or so! And I'd have to have my second serving after lunch, while chatting with Chooboy. Now that's a different story altogether.

Anyhow, going back to lovinggg breakfast food, I'd have to say the best ones are those shared with people who loves breakfast food as well - hmmm, does that make sense??? (Pardon me, this is one of those no-nonsense, not-too-witty, not-deep-at-all, crazy blog entry - had too much coffee this morning!)

But going back to my point, below are my best breakfast food experiences ever:

1) My sisters and I have this ritual of trying out breakfast buffets at different hotels in Cebu. Yeah, paying that much for breakfast, but at the end of the sumptuous meal, our wallets can't complain. Neither can our tummies (it's too stuffed to say anything, really)! Hats off to the Marco Polo Hotel breakfast buffet - SUMPTUOUS to the nth level! From all the different waffles, pancakes, eggs prepared in different ways, bacon, bacon, and lots of bacon (I LOVE BACON PERIOD), etc etc. Shucks, can't even enumerate all the breakfast gooodies I feasted on that time! Hmmm, I ought to try it again and give a better review... This is just me chatting away. Nonsense again.

2) My family and I took a trip to Kuala Lumpur last year and truly enjoyed the breakfast buffet at Corus Hotel (just a stone's throw away from the Petronas Towers). It was such a feast, as usual, but it was unique in a way that it had a Malaysian touch in all the dishes served. Yumyum, I need not expound. Even if there were weird (weird but yummy, nonetheless) dishes, the staples were served as well - my much needed freshly brewed coffee, lots and lots of rice, eggs, BACON.

3) Even back at home, we're not a breakfast family. My mom wakes up late. It's usually only me and Poppy who get up early, more often than not, we have coffee together. Poppy's staples: a few slices of wheat bread with his fat-free butter (does that really hold true?). There are those days, as well, when my sister would prepare pancakes for our baby sister Bieni. Those are fun, bonding moments I cherish as well.

4) I just shared a beautiful "household" experience with several sisters from my community - our breakfasts were just the best! We served all sorts of breakfast goodies - from the buwad (dried fish), tsokolate (hot cocoa), fruits (and lots of fruits), tosino (sweetened meat, is it?), longganisa (what is this called in english?), chorizo (this again what???), etc etc. On our last day, we had our so-called GRAND breakfast and grand it was! I cooked my favorite french toast (a no-brainer really but they were all in awe at what I prepared! Hahaha), then another sister prepared her famous egg omelette, oh simply D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!! But what actually made the whole household breakfast experience unforgettable was the joy we all shared in serving each other - cooking for each other, serving drinks, etc for the other sisters, and the like. It was simply memorable. Talk about the best breakfast experience complete with service de luxe!

5) Both Choobs and I share the love for breakfast food - well, all sorts of food really. During his last visit, the day before he was set to leave back for the States, he served me with the yummiest breakfast ever - not even a Marco Polo or a Shangrila buffet could ever beat. It wasn't grand, he cooked the usual sunny-side eggs (our fave!), chicken tosino - but all had a Pantaleon touch that made everything more delicious, more memorable! And what made it more unforgettable was that he served me all the way, he wouldn't let me help out in the kitchen at all! He told me to wait by the couch, go to sleep or watch TV. Talk about spoiling me big time! Darn, I felt I deserved it too, after all, he was leaving me the following day. :( All in all, it was the grandest, most delicious, most unforgettable - as in those breakfasts shared with family and friends. In the end, it's who you share breakfast (and other meals for that matter) with, not just the best breakfast food served. So there, breakfast after breakfast, even for a non-breakfast lover, I look forward to sharing them with loved ones, they make the best, grandest breakfasts after all.