The Story of my Life

One busy Friday morning at work:

Email subject: Mr. X's chair

Dear All,
Please let me know if you borrowed Mr. X's small
chair. It disappeared
from his room.

Staff A

Replies were:

Staff B: Sinong nag-uwi? Umamin na!
Staff C: Sorry hindi ko kayang iakyat sa MRT.
Staff B: Sa bank car kasya!
Staff D: Baka hindi lang niya napansin at inuupuan pala nya.
Staff E: Mwahahaha...Kakatawa naman iyun! Sa 'small' ng chair at sa laki nya, baka nga!

Email subject: The Case of the Missiong Chair SOLVED!

Nahanap ko na po yung "small" chair. Nayupi pala sa ilalim ng table
nya. Di nya napansin. May extra chair pala sa cluster nina Ms.
Y. Probably nakalimutan ibalik ng mga cleaners after they cleaned his
room.

Staff C: Hay naku Staff A, ang silya naglakad papunta kila Y dahil hindi na niya kaya ang torture pag umuupo si Mr. X.

Horoscope is defined as an astrologer’s description of an individual’s personality and future based on the position of the planets in relation to the sign of the zodiac under which the person was born. Find your sign and read your horoscope:

Capricorn
On Love: Mahirap talagang makipag-break
On Money: May darating ililibre ka sa labas
On Career: Patayin ang aircon at buksan ang bintana

Aquarius
On Love: Hay naku, di ka talaga marunong huminde
On Money: Magkakalimutan na naman sa bayaran
On Career: Masasatisfy mo silang lahat

Pisces
On Love: Nakikiliti sya kapag binubulungan mo
On Money: Sa susunod, huwag na humawak ng pera
On Career: Basta tawagin mo lang sir, masaya na `yon

Aries
On Love: Totoo diba, breast milk is best for babies
On Money: Lahat ng pusta mo matatalo
On Career: Bagal mo kasi, huli ka sa linya tuloy

Taurus
On Love: Kumaway kung kinawayan ka
On Money: Maghanap naman ng sinehang mura
On Career: Bukas ka na lang maglaba

Gemini
On Love: Bilib ka masyado sa napapanood mo
On Money: Barkada mo saksakan pala ng yaman
On Career: Hindi nila ma-gets pagpapaliwanag mo

Cancer
On Love: Vegetarian sya, ikaw di kumakain ng gulay
On Money: Kapag humingi, bigyan mo ng konti
On Career: Kasundo mo ang lahat ng mga magkaaway

Leo
On Love: Tatandang dalaga kung parating masungit
On Money: Mas magastos mag-renta
On Career: Mas alam mo pangangailangan mo

Virgo
On Love: Break na kayo kaya masaya ka na
On Money: Tanggapin ang sukling keyndi
On Career: Kahit nag-ko-compete kayo dapat friendly

Libra
On Love: Di ka na naawa, parati mong niloloko
On Money: Pera lang naman ang nawala pero araaaayyy!
On Career: Karamihan ng problema di nagtatagal

Scorpio
On Love: Hindi na sya naniniwala kay Santa
On Money: Bumili ng bagong antique
On Career: Ibang mundo ang napasukan mo

Sagittarius
On Love: Anghel sya, sinuka nga lang ng langit
On Money: Puro P100 iluluwa nag ATM para sa yo
On Career: Kahit anong gawin huwag matulog

Bwahahahaha...Hope it made your day!

You Are a Good Student of Men

You're pretty good at knowing what men are thinking But you're not dead on 100% of the time Let your guy off the hook sometimes... because you may be reading him all wrong!

You Aren't In the Best Of Moods

While you aren't full on depressed, things aren't going your way. You may be hurt, angry, frustrated... or all three. Not to worry - you'll be feeling fine in no time.

You Have Your Sarcastic Moments

While you're not sarcastic at all times, you definitely have a cynical edge. In your opinion, not all people are annoying. Some are dead! And although you do have your genuine moments, you can't help getting your zingers in. Some people might be a little hurt by your sarcasm, but it's more likely they think you're hilarious.

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of pie?
I'm not a pie person. Does pizza pie count? hehehe

Soup
Name something that made you smile this week.
My officemate showed me her recent buy from Toy Kindom. She knows I'm into stuffed toys (I have a collection of beany bear from McDonalds, one of those is from her) and wanted to make me envious. She succeeded. But she, and one more officemate, ended up buying one for me too. I find that really sweet. :-) It made me happy for one whole day.

Salad
What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid?
I take a shower. Drink. Watch a movie. I hit the beach!

Main Course
You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up?
The Living room. Last year, I had our kitchen renovated. My target this year is the living room, that is if I have the moola to do it. For the purpose of this feast, I'd still want to redesign our living room. I want to get a black leather sofa with silver framing. I want to put more lights. Cover one wall with a huge mirror to make it look bigger. I want a new set of curtains to go with the couch. I want to fill one wall of family pictures.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: My ____________ says _____________, but _____________.

My mind says I should work, but the rain is really hard and we've been told that we can go home.

This month is usually the start of our busy days at work. Everyone wants to get their project approved, which, to us, translates to overnight work. 7:00 p.m. is the new 5:00 p.m. The office is filled with people on a weekend. It's bunching. People are cramming. Loan agreements, project agreements, missions, and the best part of all....a heap of papers to file!

But this year, we're halfway through August and all I do is slack around, blog, download badminton videos, browse through my fav sites, take pictures, chat, sit here and pretend to be busy. I am getting tired of it. hehehehe...Believe me, it's tiring. As they say, ang hirap magpanggap!

So, pardon me for this senseless piece. I'm pretending to be busy and I need you to help me.

Did I tell you that I love surprises? If not, hear me...I LOVE SURPRISES. Grand or otherwise, I just love surprises. It makes me happy.

Yesterday, I've been bugging my office pals to give me that big-eyed creature. And after much negotiation and paglalambing, they agreed to get me one as birthday and Christmas gift. I don't mind. Hehehe. Mababaw lang ako.

This morning, I found that cuddly creature on my desk............with crap! Hahahaha...Now that's a silly surprise. I love you guys. You made me happy today. *blushes*

I forgot to mention, this photo was taken by Dyosa. Thanks Dyosa!

I'm so in the mood to bitch around today, had an early stint with someone in the chat room. He disappeared when he knew I was warming up.

Once in a while I get this Gabriela instict in me that I want to smack men who think they're superior to women. Call me Gabriela Silang or whatever, but I just hate the fact that they think they can pull the wool over women, to me most of all. I've been fooled before which is precisely the reason why I'm so cheesed off when I meet men who think they can pull it on me again, and get away with it. *raises eyebrow and flips hair*

It's amazing how they can be loving and caring one day, then a complete jerk the next day. *sigh* I can be both too you know. But if I bitch on you at the start, I'll bitch on you the rest of the time. If I'm nice to you, I'm nice to you. Period. There's got to be some consistency! If you're an a*s, then you're an a*s. Period. (I like that period thing). I'm going in circles. Hahaha. There's just so many words coming out of my head about men.

Enough said. Enough ranting. Time to work.

After several attempts to update my blogskin, I finally found the one that suits my preference. This one has all the components I want in a template: comments page, a title for each entry, a unique page for each post and a menu bar that accommodates all that I want to put in.

Thanks to BlogSkins!!!!

Our English friend, Lucy, who's a bartender-slash-cousin of the owner, is back from a month(?)-long vacation. She wanted to meet up with friends so she invited everyone to Piedra for some drinking (on a rainy wednesday night). At Piedra, Lucy's cousin, a 15-yr-old, needed someone to show off to his sister. He needs money, and in exchange of that he needs to prove that he and his friends met girls in the bar. Lucy used to think I was 12 because I'm too small and skinny. Therefore, she saw me as the best candidate for the part. I didn't have to do anything. I just have to smile and shake her hand. So I agreed. As we walk to meet her sister, this teenager held my hand as if to show that "hey, we're together". It felt like I was molesting him so I let go. After the small talk with his sister, Iasked him again why he's doing this. He said: "My girlfriend is in Embassy waiting for me. She always pays the bill for us. Tonight I promised her that I'll pay. But I spent all my money on these shoes (points to his white sneakers). So I need my sister's money to pay off our bill." Kids stuff.

The deal is $50 for three girls.

I was going through my past posts and found this as draft. Never had the chance to publish it. I think it's worth posting. Sayang naman ang effort ko. hehehe. Wrote this sometime in 2005, a few months after my last "real" relationship. Medyo sad but uplifting for me. Read on...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When I read the review of Before Sunset, I was thrilled that I knew this movie will be comparable to the Notebook. Their thoughts about relationships were right. It's heartwarming to see two individuals, who felt strongly for each other, get back together after several years (was it 9 years?) of being apart. Somehow, you become hopeful of broken relationships. It would be nice to get back with the one you've always loved, the one you believe you're meant for. But, only and only if, there are no complications. Okay enough of this. Am not a here to critique the film.

I only want to share my thoughts on a particular part of the movie...

The conversation in the van is reminiscent of my past. When Celine (Julie Delpy) uttered her frustrations to Jesse (Ethan Hawke) why her ex-boyfriends get into serious relationships after breaking-up with her and how they turnout to be good partners when during her time, they were cruel, rude, lousy, ill-mannered, boring, selfish, immature (hehehe...okay. she didn't really mentioned those...inexaggerate ko lang, to fit me sentiments. =)

Yes, we have the same frustrations. After watching the film, it occurred to me that most of my exes, if not married, are in a serious relationship...and they found their true love right after me. So I asked a friend, is something wrong with me? Is this my curse? Why do I have to meet them at that bad part of their lives...why didn't I meet the grown-up man they all turned out to be?

Here goes the drama queen...

While at that thought, there was a tiny part in me that's envious of the women they ended up with. Not that I'd still want to be with these men. But because they didn't get hurt as much as I did while loving them. Because when she met him, he already knew the real meaning of LOVE.

After each relationship, they leave me shattered. Depressed. Lost. Hurt. I ask questions, I find meaning and reason in everything that happened. I rationalize things. I pick-up the pieces and move on. I forgive. Each person who walks out of my life teaches me something. I'm like a puzzle with a few missing pieces. Each person holds that missing piece and when he walks out, he leaves it but not in the spot where it should belong. They leave me to figure out its right spot. Then I begin to appreciate the figure that was completed by that missing piece.

It's a long and tiring process, particularly if you've been in and out of 7 relationships. But most of them, if not all, left me with something worth remembering. It made me the person that I am now. Less susceptible to superficial love. I realized, I was loving them too much for them to handle, too much that leaves me with nothing for myself. I make them my life. I compromise my values. I compromise my beliefs. I compromise too much. The more you give, the more receptive you are to pain.

At one point, I regret having met these people. I regret the decisions I made hastily. But seeing the puzzle complete made me appreciate the pain and sacrifices I had to suffer. The questions are few and the bouts with Misery-the-Bitch happens every so often (actually only as PMS). Life is better.

Realize that life is indeed full of contradictions. Sometimes it's crazy to be sane. You need to fall to fly. People suffer because you care. You have to learn to know the lesson. You have to give up because you are strong. You have to be wrong to make things right. Nonetheless, life's complexities are also life's source of beauty. We should cry to laugh again, fall apart to be whole again, and get hurt to love again.

I don't remember who brought it up, but all of a sudden Mon, Flow, Jom and I started talking about silly things we did in our previous relationships. Things that when you are younger, your friends think it is the sweetest thing you can do for your other half.

I used to write on chocolate wrappers and perfume boxes. I also wrote on foil wrappers and tissue papers. I felt more creative one time and wrote on a small piece of paper which I inserted in a cigarette wrapper ( I took out the tobacco with a pin, left the cig butt and slided the piece of paper where the tobacco used to be). As an alternative, I inserted that piece of paper into a vial and tied a ribbon around it to make it more presentable. One time, because I felt my overflowing love for this person, I filled one roll of cashier receipts with reasons why I love him.

I don't think I would ever think of doing the same things for my (future) boyfriend. Not because I would love him less or that I loved the first one better than him, but because now, I believe there are more ways of expressing our love for one person ---ways that are far greater than what a piece of paper can reveal.

Gaazzzz...I miss having a boypren. hehehe

"Pansinin ninyo ang ngiti nya,
ngiting nanganganyaya't
ngiting walang kahambing."

"Oh well, ganun talaga...
hitsurang lalaki...
pero lasang babae...
isang talulot na namumukadkad...
tuwing alas-12 ng tanghali.

Kapag ang lupang tigang
ay nadiligan
tiyak ngiti sa mga labi
ay mamamasdan."

"Hating kapatid ang turo ni inay
hatiin ang mamon pati ang monay
ensaymada, mocha roll dapat pantay-pantay
at wag lilimutin ang mga mahal sa buhay."

"Eto na si kaka, bubuka-bukaka."

"Naku kaka, ingat ka pagbukaka
baka makita ang ube halaya
malayo pa ang fiesta.

Sarang hamida!"

"Masakit,
makirot,
dahil makipot.

Lumusot,
nautot,
ako'y haliparot."

Chuva,
chenes,
eklavu
Vavayu...

is Mom's 5th year. Love you Mame! mwah mwah mwah *hugz*

The last time was funny. Second time is kinda alarming. If students continue to solve math problems this way, there'd be chaos in the planet.

My last trip was a blast! It was so much fun we hardly recognized the time. In fact, we felt we should have stayed longer to enjoy the site and the food. I've been to Cagayan de Oro several years back. But it was a business trip so I didn't have time to go around the city. I was not, in anyway, impressed with CDO so I never planned to go back. But when my friend told me her thrilling experience white water rafting, I had a change of heart. That's one of my motivation, second to Camiguin of course.

White water (actually, I don't know why they call it as such when the water is brown...yuck corny!) rafting takes about 2hours as you have to tackle 14 rapids. We were charged for Php700, inclusive of a sumptuous lunch and transportation to and from the river.

If you're not the adventurous type, fear not because the Guides are well trained. During our batch, there were a total of 6 rafts. In one of those, there was a 7-year-old or less, and she enjoyed every bit of it. No tinge of fear on her face. Several weeks before us, they had a 10-month-old on board. If a child made it, what more for an adult like me? You just have to listen to your guide, do as you are told and you'll finish it with flying colors. If ever you get so unlucky and you're thrown out of the raft, your life vest will keep you floating. Promise, it's a piece of cake.

One thing that made it memorable for all of us was when our raft went under a rock formation. We were asked to back paddle, to back paddle is to put on brake, as we were moving too fast and was about to hit under that rock. But since we were enjoying the ride and we were too thrilled, the next thing we know Ritchie was doing ala matrix-bending backwards almost breaking his back bone. Wilson got scratches on his left hand. From then on, Ritchie started counting so we would all paddle.

After the white water rafting, which ended around 2pm, we went straight to Balingoan pier to catch the ferry to Benoni, Camiguin. Land travel to the pier took about an hour, but that's because we rented a van, it might take longer if you take the bus. The ferry ride took another hour, and from Benoni it took us an hour and a half to get to the resort, that's inclusive of all the stops we did to get food and drinks. By the time we reached the Paras Resort, we were all starving and exhausted. After dinner, it was good night to all.

Day 2 - Camiguin Island Tour

The next day was rainy, and my cold was getting worse, yes I was ill again. The night before our trip, I had fever but since I waited for this for so long, I can't just back out because of this pesky illness.

The hotel has a ready map for tourists who want to tour the island so after breakfast the following day we were off on our road trip. There were 9 destinations in the itinerary, most of which were hot/cold spring. The part I liked the most was the waterfall. We didn't get to swim though because the water was murky, because of the rain, and the fall was gushing. So we contented ourselves by taking pictures with the waterfall.

Lunch was super. We ate at Kinamot, a local version of Kamayan Restaurant. I love their Calamares and Halaan soup, and their sweet pineapple. One thing I love about these two provinces is their sweet pineapple, I don't get a lot of that in Manila, especially in ADB. Our pineapples are pale yellow, genuinely sour. hehehe

If you're planning to go to Camiguin, you have to allot 3 full days to see everything, that's exclusive of travel time. We were there for two nights and two days and we didn't get to see the nicest destinations in the island. What a pity. It would have been more fun if we have set foot on White Island, Mantigue Island and Mt. Hibok-hibok. The weather didn't cooperate and there wasn't enough time so we had to delight ourselves with what we could get.

We were back at the resort in time for dinner. Our objectives were to get to White Island, buy Pastel and catch the last ferry to CDO. We were planning our itinerary for the following day when I asked one of the waitresses for travel time:

Me: Miss, alam mo gaano katagal ang biyahe from here (resort) to pier?
Waitress: Mag-vavan po kayo Ma'am?
Me: Oo.
Waitress took a deep breath then clasped both hands.
Waitress: Hindi po ma'am eh.

While I was controlling my laughter, I could see Ritchie from my peripheral doing the same. When the waitress left, we all burst out in laughter. At some point there, we all thought she knew the answer. So if I answered "no, we're taking public transport" would she have answered differently? hahaha

We downed one bottle of Absolute Mandarin that night. As usual, Ritchie was the casualty. It's not obvious with the pictures, is it?

Day 3 - Bumpy ride

It rained again the next day so we were not advised to go to White Island. How sad...As I said, abot tanaw na hindi pa rin napuntahan. Towards noon, the rain stopped but the rest of the day was gutsy. Our boat ride to Camiguin was very bumpy. The ship was swaying intensely. The ship behind us had to re-route because it couldn't stand the wind. I was getting uncomfortable, imagining the worst things that can happen to us. I couldn't sleep because I could fall off from my seat. Some passengers were beginning to become restless, standing, walking back and forth. Then we saw a rainbow. Living in the city deprives us of natural wonders such as this. It was beautiful and we were pleased with the site. Our fears vanished and the next thing we know, we were back. Haaayyy...thank God for rainbows.

Day 4 - Last hurrah

We started our last day in CDO early, early as in 5:00am as I got a text from Cebu Pacific informing us that our 1:30pm flight is cancelled. It was a for-your-information message, no explanation why they cancelled, nor an option. When we called, the option they were giving us was to take a flight the next day. Wow! What a great option. When we agreed, but on the condition that they'll pay for all the expenses we'll incur for having to stay an extra day, they booked us on the 5pm flight on the same day. Which we all thought was a good schedule because then we don't have to rush. Case closed.

When we've all finished breakfast, we went to Macahambus park for another adventure - canopy walking and zip lining. We were charged Php250 for both. With Canopy walking, you have to walk on a 154-meter-bridge that is 174 feet above the ground. This one is a no brainer. Zip lining, on the other hand, is quite scary. You have to go back to your starting point zipping. I zipped first, when the guide let me go I screamed my lungs out! It was liberating.
After all this excitement came a text from Cebu Pacific. "Good am. Please be informed that your flight today 5J386 bound for Manila will resume today, same time of departure." Don't you just love how easy they change schedules? We took the flight, nonetheless. Hehehehe

After hoarding Pastel and ham, we left CDO with a smile on our faces and an experience we won't forget. We will be back, but next time we'll do pinoy rafting.

I'm back! I know I ought to tell you people what happened to my last trip but I still haven't recovered from my absence from work. In the meantime, you may view pictures in Multiply.

Will post soon. Ciao!

I'm off to a new place tomorrow, at the same time, I'll be scrapping one item in my list of things-to-do-before-I-die.

We're going to Camiguin!!! I've been hearing wonderful things about this place, and thanks to Cebu Pacific, I'm finally going to experience all of it.

We fly via Cagayan de Oro. While in the City, we'll take up white river rafting and canopy walking. I'm never the adventurous type but I guess when as you get older you want to experience all the things that makes life exciting. I hope I muster enough courage to go on with the task because once I'm there, there's no turning back. I will also make sure I bring home their yummy pastel for my friends and family to taste.

After river rafting, we'll proceed to Camiguin for the beach and to visit the famous tourist spots there. We have one full day to stay in Camiguin, I hope that's enough to get acquainted with the Island.

Wat out for gazillion pictures from me in Multiply.