Toasted and Thirsty.

I must be mental for choosing to spend this month here in Manila. The heat is unbearable and each day that passes is more like a battle. I'm desperately trying to keep myself from packing my bags and flying off to Korea. I'm sure all Pinoys share the same sentiment about the weather, and all are dying to get whisked away to some frozen nowhere land.

On days when the temperature tips at 35 degrees, I focus my energy on cursing the weather and binging on sour mangoes and bagoong. And because wardrobe choices boil down to only two things: short and shorter - I feel obligated to flex my stubborn, lazy muscles in the gym. It's hard alright, but let me tell you, working out in a sauna-like condition definitely pays off. I've lost some weight and it's something I feel really happy about. I still have a long way to go so you wouldn't see me in a teeny-weeny swimsuit mode anytime soon.

As for my health, I'm still recuperating. It turns out I have something simple but it pretty much binds me to long-term medication. And although it's disheartening as it is, at the crux of it all, I've realized that life is too short to let one's dreams go to waste. I've decided to live that dream, so I'm putting up a small business with the help of some people close to me. I'm still in the planning stage, but hopefully this July or August, we'll be ready to roll.

Amidst all these things that get my thoughts flying in all direction, I'll be lying if I say that I don't miss my Korean life. As a matter of fact, I miss it everyday (especially in this heat!). I'll be coming to Korea after the holy week is over, and I can't wait to hit the beaches there, and bask in the cool spring weather while sipping a sweet bubbly cup of Hoegaarden. In Korea, I just buy it at big supermarkets. Unfortunately, I don't know where to get it here in Manila. I sooo miss drinking this beer with my favorite beer-buddy Chris!

Nature-tripping.

Whenever I wish to take a respite from all the absurdities of the real world, all I do is read my old posts again. It lets me travel back to the good 'ol times, bringing back all the thrills, the spine-tingling chills, and the churning jumble of emotion I felt in between! I love how it floods me with positive thoughts after, it helps me get through life's sucker punches.

To add to my gazillion of wonderful experiences immortalized here in my blog, I'm going to feature a place where one could find solitude and commune with nature. They call this place La Mesa Eco Park, and it's located right by the La Mesa Watershed in East Fairview. We came in at a time when people are still enjoying their vacation in the most far-flung provinces so the journey then was a breeze. No traffic whatsoever, it only took us an hour to get there.

It doesn't get greener anywhere else in the city than this place.

Pondahan (whatever that means) is the place where your get your tickets to ride a boat.

La Mesa Eco Park is a true haven for the outdoorsy and the nature-lovin people. There's a wide variety of activities you could do there like wall-climbing, zip lining, biking and stuff. You could even play a game of paintball if you come in groups. But among the activities you could do there, I find the boating experience the most enthralling.

Around lunchtime, we chose a grassy spot under the shade of a tree to lay our mat, and ate the yummy treats we brought from home. Most people choose to stay on the picnic grounds where huts provide a more comfortable place to rest



Just by looking at the the clear blue sky, you could feel a sense of peace and tranquility permeating the air.

The place in all it's tropical splendor, gives visitors a new appreciation for nature.

Be sure not to miss the hiking trail while you're there. Nothing beats the lulling sound of the trees swaying from the wind, with birds chirping and butterflies fluttering to cap off your simple-yet-amazing nature-tripping escapade.

Of One Childish Rendezvous.

I know I haven't been writing posts about Korea lately (might as well change my blog description for that matter^^). But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Korea at all, and for sure, I'm gonna be posting more about it later. For now, expect to read a couple of entries about the places I visited around here. Well, they are all pretty interesting and deserve to have a space here in my blog.

***

Imagine a whole year of looming deadlines, cram-jam time, sudden mishaps, and being around stress-inducing obnoxious people. All the negative vibe that comes with it could really take a toll on any baby-faced and wrinkle-free soul. That's why holidays were created, and it's there for a reason. It's not supposed to just come and go, I say we should all make the most out of it (I'm still very much in the holiday spirit, expect it to sizzle down right after the 'Three Kings' is over ^^;). It would be utterly nice if we could take a mini-break from reality and sort of immerse in the positivity it brings. I know a place to go where you could do just that.

I treated my whole family for a day at Manila Ocean Park. Ok I know it's cheesy and childish, and a trip to an Oceanarium isn't really an ideal thing to do. But my family enjoy doing this sort of thing you know, like visiting a place where we could all feel like a child again.

I've been to an Oceanarium thrice before. My first time was in Hong Kong Ocean Park a few years back and it was the most memorable. Manila Ocean Park was my fourth visit to a place with the same theme so I thought I've seen it all. But it also feels different this time because I was with my family. I felt their excitement as they ogle at different marine creatures they haven't seen before. What amused me the most were the mermaids who swam ever so gracefully, in sync with the 'Disney-ish' kind of music.

And she's my favorite.. She's the prettiest of them all. Look how she gamely poses for the camera, and how photogenic she is even underwater.

Here are some of the things you could see at the Park; amazing multi-colored corals that seem to glow.

Some giant clams..

And odd-looking fishes worthy to be featured on National Geographic.

Giant turtles lurking in every corner...

And huge stingrays that swam with the mermaids. Something tells me they shouldn't do so, it's stupid I know but it reminds me of Steve Irwin's death.. It's probably a different kind of stingray that killed him. Nobody wants to put those pretty mermaids in danger right?

Here's how the rest of the Ocean Park looks like at night.

We ended the night with an all-you-can-eat feast at our favorite buffet restaurant. It's amazing how the night stretches on. There were just too many things to talk about, too many jokes to laugh at, and too many fond memories to look back. We only realized it's time to go when the staff started turning off the lights!

Fresh From The Holiday Hiatus.

The two most important holidays of the year has just ended, and I'm absolutely elated to have celebrated it with 3 of my strongest passions: family, friends, and food!

This year, our family wanted to do something we haven't done for Christmas. We agreed to skip the standard Noche Buena Dinner at home, and instead, we all stayed in a family suite at Astoria Plaza. I was in charge of the hotel, and getting a room on Christmas Eve proved to be a very difficult task!

The room's motif of white and blue is a refreshing take on the classic wallpapered and heavy curtained rooms we're all familiar of. The floor-to-ceiling glass that gives a good view of the sprawling city was a plus I didn't expect, and it's awfully pretty especially at night.




So we're all gathered in this cute little spot away from home, and the only thing missing is the food right? Well, to complete the whole Christmas experience, Mom packed some Buko Salad, Leche Flan, and her signature Roast Beef in disposable plastic containers. Sis came with her Pesto Pasta and Grilled Prawns. Both tasted awful, but I commend her effort ^^. While waiting for midnight, we watched "Romeo and Juliet", then we exchanged gifts and greeted each other "Merry Christmas". I recieved a chocolate body scrub gift that smells good enough to eat! The next day, we all went to hit the Buffet for some nice, familiar comfort food. Look, they even got Kimchi!

For New Years Eve, I went to Eastwood City with two of my best buds for the 2010 countdown. We came 20 minutes early, and it was already jampacked with people. We were far from the stage so we didn't get to see the performers, but we had the best view of the whole place with the lights and everything. When the countdown began, people were in a state of frenzy, jumping and shouting and laughing altogether! The amazing fireworks generated even more shrieks and 'wows' from the crowd. It was unbelievable having to jumpstart the New Year like that. I didn't get a video of my own, but I found one from rachellelorene on Youtube. Do click it to get a glimpse of the kick ass New Year celebration.

Holidays like these are indeed the perfect time to bond with the people you love the most. I've learned that being around them is enough to restore the energy I need to face all the stress and hardships of the coming year. And sometimes it pays to think out of the box and do things outside tradition. It can be super fun as long as you're with the people that matter the most. I hope you all enjoyed the holidays as much as I did!

Monsters at Fiamma.

Saturday night.. It was drizzling a little, and the ground was perpetually wet from the rain (god I hate June). Like most days, Makati remained a swirl of nightlife with the traffic at crawl, and the streets filled with pedestrians and parked cars. At half past 10, the night was very much a pup for so many people there.

I met 3 of my closest girlfriends at Fiamma for a night of boozing and catching up. I'm scheduled to leave for Korea very soon so the meeting also served as some sort of a 'despedida' for me. I've never been to Fiamma before, I just heard a few things from my friends who frequent the place (heard that the place is brimming with super-hot guys, not that I care). I didn't know that it's a bit isolated, and we had to do a little bit of walking. I made an extra effort to dress up. By this I mean a flowy skirt, a satiny-lacy pink top (which is too girly for everyone's standard), and an ill-fitting but sexy stilletos.

We arrived early so we got one of the best tables in the house. A little after midnight, our tables were filled with endless stream of booze, cigarettes, finger foods, and scandalously-named cocktails. By this time, the club turned smoky and sweltering, packed wall-to-wall with hot and sweaty people, mostly in their twenties. The DJ played a lot of house music which I liked very much...

When the crowd got unbearably rowdy, and my feet was all bloody and screaming for band-aid, we decided to go. We drove aimlessly for sometime to chat inside the car till someone got thirsty, and we headed to Ministop. One went out to buy a few things. I had snapple and a donut, friend A and B had ice cream, and C ate one large siopao. When C accidentally scratched her eyes and lost one of her colored contacts (it aint disposable), she checked herself in the mirror and laughed how unbelievably strange she looks. We each went through our bags in search for mirrors, only to find we all looked ridiculously messed up. I looked raccoon-ish with my mascara clumped and smeared. Friend A still had lipstick on her teeth even after ice cream. Friend B who had her curly hair ironed out earlier turned afro-ish with hair frizzy as hell. Well C, she wore gray contacts and losing one meant she looked straight out of a horror movie!

Friend A pulled us out of the car to take pictures of our freaky faces. You could imagine how scary the picture turned out to be, and there's no way I'm gonna post that here for all the world to see. In the midst of deafening laughs, we all agreed that we now have something that'll bond us forever, and something that we could use to blackmail each other if anyone of us gets famous!

A Taste of Real Manila.

I met some friends last Sunday for a very late lunch in Malate area. Everyone was in for some good-old Filipino cuisine, and we didn't have to think twice in choosing Aristocrat. Their combo of Kare-kare and Crispy pata was superbly delicious, especially on an empty stomach like ours. As soon as our orders arrived, everyone grew quiet. That's probably the biggest proof of how good the food tasted.. you could barely talk.

Baywalk is right infront of the restaurant.. and since I haven't seen Manila Bay upclose for so many years, I pleaded them to go there with me. They probably couldn't understand why I got all excited and took pictures after pictures of something that seems so ordinary. Lucky for them, they didn't have to miss Manila like I do. More than the restaurants, posh nightclubs, or the colossal shopping malls, I missed seeing the real Manila, like how the ordinary people leisurely spend their Sunday afternoon enjoying the view and briny (but borderline stinky) air of Manila Bay.

Keeping up.

It's been a week since my last post, so I decided to write some updates about my stay here.. A lot has been happening lately, but somehow I didn't have the creative inspiration to write about them all.

I met my friends last weekend. We were supposed to meet at 8 pm in front of Rembrandt in Quezon City. I arrived around 8:10, but nobody was there yet (I forgot that there's this thing called 'Filipino time').. When everyone arrived, we all went to a Japanese resto called "Jozu". The place is a typical resto which you don't actually pay for the food, but for the dining experience. Let this post serve as a warning to those who are planning to pay the restaurant a visit. The hefty price tag doesn't justify their food, and I would've chosen Yoshinoya in a heartbeat.

Since "Gilligan's Island" is just a couple of meters away, it became our next destination. "Jozu" left us still hungry so we ordered more than the usual "pulutan". Beer was overflowing, and they drank as if beer would no longer be available the next day. I said 'they' cause I stopped with my 3rd bottle. For the longest time, I haven't tasted any form of alcohol, and with an empty stomach, I was a little 'buzzed' after the 3rd one. I ordered bottomless iced tea instead of drinking more beer, which turned out to be quite a hassle especially when two of your newly-single friends are venting about their cute-but-good-for-nothing bf's, and you have to make frequent trips to the restroom. The deafening music was great, but it left us with a bad case of sore throat from shouting just to hear each other. We left the place just before the clock hits 3. They didn't want to end the party just yet (heard some of them say "it's still too early"..), so we went to "Music 21" (a family KTV place) in Timog after that. Everyone was obliged to sing a song or two. When it was my turn to sing, they cajoled me into singing a Korean song. For a second, I thought about singing "So Hot" by Wondergirls which I know they'll like, but the part where I have to rap made me flip the pages quickly. I chose a song by Se7en called "Come back to me" instead. I thought it's a safe song and I know the lyrics by heart.

The song sparked interest in them, and they started throwing questions at me about everything Korean (though mostly, it's about Korean men ^^). The effect of 'Hallyu' is very much evident in them. Most of them showed interest in visiting Korea, learning the Korean language, and meeting Korean men. Collectively, I don't think Korea is that 'great' like what they portray in Koreanovelas. But I admit there are things that I really admire about them... sadly, those are the stuff that'll bore them so I just concentrated on answering their queries about Korean men in general.

It was past sunrise when we went our separate ways. My mom was already out jogging when I came back home. My friends were still surprisingly energetic after a long night, and there I was (I'm gonna use my old phrase again), 'limp like a cookie thrown into a cup of tea'. Just before I slept, they texted about having a night-out again next week, but thinking about crowded places, and suffocating air filled with cigarette smoke, greasy food, and beer, coupled with a hundred different perfume smell makes me wanna fake an illness come Saturday. Somehow, I lack the energy to do those stuff again. I feel so damn old as I can't keep up with my friends. I better listen to my mom and start taking multivitamins or I'd turn into a loner doing stuff that's anything but fun.

The Skies of Puerto Galera.

These photos were taken during a trip to Puerto Galera with my family.. It was raining, and there wasn't much we could do other than to stay dry. The rain stopped momentarily so I went out and took photos. It was just before sunset, and the sky looked dark and gray. I enjoy gazing at the sky on weather like this.. It's a time when I don't have to cringe my eyes to appreciate it's beauty.





Right after twilight, the sky exploded in a deep blue color tinged with a bit of orange. The clouds formed interesting shapes that would leave anyone breathless..




I love taking pictures of the sky more than any other subject. It's nice to be able to capture even half of it's beauty in frame. My favorite time of day is dawn and sunset where the sky is illuminated in a kaleidoscope of beautiful colors.



The sky is something so enchanting that it could lull a hundred different emotions just by looking at it. Seeing the skies of Puerto Galera made braving the stormy weather all worthwhile.

Of Melancholic Train Ride.

Yesterday, I met my sister for some girl bonding time. I'm frequently abroad so we rarely have the chance to hangout. She wanted to show me her new place at Torre Lorenzo, just beside DLSU in Taft. Since it's Saturday, there was major traffic in every road, so I opted to take the train instead. In Korea, taking the train is something I do on a daily basis. But here in the Philippines, I rarely get the opportunity to try it, so I brought my camera along. But when I took the camera out and started clicking, people began to stare at me in disbelief. Taking pictures of the train is something so unusual perhaps that they couldn't help but stare.









The train station is just a stone-throw away from our house, so getting there is never a problem. But since I'm not in any way familiar with the purple and yellow line (I only know the MRT blue line), I had a hard time 'transferring' from Recto station to Dorotheo Jose. I can't seem to find the pathway sis was talking about. But after a couple of phonecalls and missed turns, I was able to find the bridge that connects the two stations. The cold airconditioner inside the train brought relief to my sun burnt skin. As I sat comfortably in the cool chair, sipping the green buko-pandan smoothie I purposely got for her, and despite the obnoxious stares people are throwing at me, I fell into a whirlwind of daydreaming about my Korean life that was temporarily put on hold. I miss Chris, and I miss everything about his country. I miss the pushy ajummas on the subway, and their stiff handbags that always hurt my elbows. I miss how I instinctively breathe through my mouth everytime I sat close to an ajussi that reeks of stale soju and cigarettes. I miss the never-ending giggles of middle-school kids, standing by the door, gossiping about every famous, make-up wearing, lip-synching boyband there is.. I even miss the noisy and overly enthusiastic vendors selling all kinds of things from umbrella, to gloves, even kitchen shears. Somehow, that train ride going to my sister's house felt oddly quiet and empty. When I finally arrived at my stop, I was limp like a cookie thrown into a cup of tea. It's probably the heat, humidity, or the headache-causing text message tones I incessantly heard from the train, I was tired and not in good spirits. And if not for her contagious cheerfulness, the afternoon would've dragged...

Lightning struck twice.

*This is an update from my previous post about my hottie Turkish neighbor.


This is even weirder.. They say lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, but that's the thing that happened to me today. Nope, I didn't get literally struck by lightning, or I wouldn't be here writing this post. What I'm talking about is the unfortunate "pajama" incident that happened three days ago. For those who haven't read my previous post (though I'm not really sure if there are indeed others who read the stuff I write here..^^), I'm going to give a recap of what happened. I was still sleeping that morning when my Mom, in the middle of rage, woke me up only to tell that our annoying neighbor upstairs got all our clothes wet again with their leaky airconditioner. This thing has been going on for weeks, and it has gotten so much worse lately. My mom who is normally pleasant and calm, becomes difficult and quick-tempered under annoying circumstances.. so instead of letting her deal with the neighbor upstairs, I took charge. Our neighbor who also likes playing loud music all day long turns out to be really hot, looking every inch like Christiano Ronaldo. I tried to sound determined and authoritative more than I use to while talking with him, and I think I was able to prove my point effectively. All the time I was talking, I didn't have the slightest clue that I was still wearing my pajamas.. and I couldn't help but think that was probably the reason why he couldn't stop grinning the whole time.

That incident was a nightmare beyond anything imaginable, and it left me with this strange awkward feeling everytime I get inside the elevator.. As much as possible, I try to stay indoors, avoiding every chance to meet him in the building. Three days have passed, and I totally forgot all about it. The leak stopped, and he probably got himself a headphone.

My mom went to the doctor early today, and with nobody to wake me up for breakfast or lunch, I slept till noon. I was on the phone talking to Chris when a sudden loud knock on the door stopped me mid-sentence. Only scant minutes have passed since I got out from bed, and I was still on my pajamas. I thought about changing to something more decent, but the knock on the door seemed urgent. When I opened the door, it was the Turkish guy. I was so embarrassed when I recognized who it was and what I was wearing to become at least half-way genial. He said he lost his cellphone somewhere, and that he needed to use our phone to call (he doesn't have landline phone yet). When he called his cellphone, it wasn't ringing anymore, and it sucks that I had to be the one to break the news that it's already stolen and probably half way to being sold to someone else. He doesn't know anybody in the building, so despite our not-so-good encounter the other day, he took his chances and came at our door. He was talking about some other things but I couldn't understand most of it because of his strong accent. He apologized again for the leak and the noise, and for not being able to respond to the letter the management sent him.. He said he understood only half of it.. Just before he left, he asked what time do I usually hit the gym.. I was caught off-guard and I didn't know whether I should lie, so I just told him the truth.

Minutes have passed, and the smell of his cologne still lingers in our living room. My mom even noticed it when she came back home from the doctor. I don't know his purpose for asking me that question, and it got me all confused. I know he works out at a different time cause I've never seen him in the gym before. But whatever his purpose is, I don't mind working out with a guy who is not only nice but incredibly hot too!

The Neighbor.

This is weird... I'm not usually the type who quarrels with neighbors so today's a first for me. It all started this morning when the airconditioner of the unit upstairs was leaking badly. The leak was causing us some major inconvenience as it hits directly to the place where we hang our clothes dry. The rain pours non-stop and it's really difficult to dry our clothes in this kind of weather, so you could imagine how frustrating it is everytime the tenant upstairs switches their ancient airconditioner on and gets our clothes wet. My mom brought up this issue to the management weeks ago, however they failed to cooperate with the tenant (for some reason, he's always out whenever they pay them a visit), and the best course of action they did was sending a letter, and so the leak just kept getting worse.

After summoning all my courage, and gathering my thoughts as to how I'm going to prove my point effectively, I stormed my way up to the unit upstairs. I was merely a couple of meters away when I started hearing the loud noise coming from the unit I intended to pay a visit. I stepped back for a minute, trying to recognize the familar music I'm hearing. So it's the song "Me and You" by Cassie, a song that's being rampantly played over and over again.. A song that I like very much, but sickens me to the gut now as I get to hear it repeatedly every single day. When I'm sleeping they're playing it, when I'm having lunch, or taking a shower I hear it. I have nothing against people who like listening to their favorite song on repeat mode, in fact I'm also guilty of that. But I guess these people haven't heard of the word 'headphones' before, and insist on playing using their elaborate speakers. So I've got another reason to complain about.. And so I knocked, refusing to push that little doorbell as I mean business. It must be the loud music, nobody opened the door. I pressed the bell twice, still nobody opened. I already consoled myself that nobody's in there, or they've gone deaf listening to loud music all day long. I was already a few meters away when someone opened the door, and a guy called "Hello?" in a weird accent.

When I turned, I saw a tall, twenty-something (I'm guessing he's around that age judging by the kind of music he listens to), middle eastern-looking guy smiling and looking very similar to Christiano Ronaldo. I know that Ronaldo is a very popular celebrity known to many, but for the sake of those who are not into soccer, I'm going to post a picture below..



I've got a super annoying but super hot neighbor that looks every bit like the hottest man on earth! He kept on smiling at me, and I wondered silently if his jaw ever gets tired. Curiosity struck me, and I just had to ask where he's from. I found out he's from Turkey, and hopefully not related to Ylmaz Bektas (why on earth do I always associate Turkey with Ylmaz?!). I don't know much about Turkey (except for the Osman and Seljuk Turk history I studied back in highschool), so I skipped the standard niceties and got down to enumerating my complaints. It's hard to look at his face as I talk. I stuttered a bit and my sentences sounded incongruent. In the middle of all that, I wondered if he tweezes his perfectly shaped brows the way Ronaldo does..

He sounded sincere when he apologized for the leak and the noise, and promised to do something about it. His initial congeniality had quickly turned into an interesting conversation. I found out that he's a student, and both of us go to the same gym. He lives in Istanbul, and upon hearing that, I fought the urge to ask him whether he knows Ylmaz by any chance (I should stay away from watching too much TV). I politely refused when he offered me something to drink, and said goodbye. I was already inside the elevator when I noticed I was still wearing my pink, hello kitty pajamas! Talk about self-humiliation to the highest degree.. ""

No-shoe Policy.

There are many reasons why shoes are removed before entering a temple. Temples are a sacred place, and removing shoes is a sign of respect. It also shows that a person is humble. Leaving shoes outside is symbolic of leaving wordly stuff so that the person can concentrate on spiritual things. Because shoes can be dirty, taking them off is a sign of purification inside the temple. This is also true for Muslims when they visit a mosque. For some of these reasons, many Asian cultures consider it polite to take off shoes inside the home too.

In our house, we don't wear our shoes inside. As kids, we were taught by our parents that the outside and inside of the house are two different worlds separated by a door. But I know for a fact that not all household here in the Philippines practice this.. Whenever I visit a house for the first time, I politely ask whether I should remove my shoes or not. Most of the time, they would say it's ok not to remove it. But since I'm not used to wearing shoes inside, I get really uncomfortable so as much as possible, I only stay in one place. When it's my friend's turn to visit our house, they willingly oblige to the no-shoe policy. The line-up of shoes just outside our door (like in the picture above) reminds them to take off their shoes before entering. But sometimes, there are quite a few insensitive ones who are oblivious to the pile of shoes outside our door. What I do is offer them my puffy indoor slippers, and if that won't work, I just wait till they leave and scrub the floor with Lysol and Bleach.

I just can't imagine how others could bear wearing their shoes inside. I don't need to emphasize how dirty shoes can be. They could come from hospitals, public restrooms, or alleys covered in mud, spit, vomit, and all the germs, bacteria, and viruses imaginable. We clearly don't want that inside our house. Besides, being barefoot is the most comfortable way to walk around the house!

Plans.

This summer, I'm looking forward to accomplishing two things.

* First - I want to enrol in a photography class. I like taking pictures of places so whenever I go out of the house, I make it a point to always bring my camera with me... without it, I feel crippled. It's really old so I'm expecting that it's going to wheeze it's final breath very soon. But I'm not going to buy a new one just yet... not till the service center proclaims it broken beyond repair. ^^ If price is not an issue, a Nikon dslr would be the perfect replacement. But before I subject myself into the expensive and complicated world of dslrs and lenses, I want to learn how to take better pictures first.

* Second - I've been thinking about getting a license for the longest time! I'm 27 and I still don't have a license. I'm not getting my own car anytime soon, so what's the point? The truth is, I really don't know. I just think, getting a driver's license is an important rite of passage, and I don't want to be missing out on anything. An ex-bf first taught me how to drive, and that was 9 years ago. At age 18, I never expected a day will come that I get to be in front of the wheel. I did everything only for the sake of educating myself and feeding my curiosity. One day, my bf got so drunk that he passed out. With no license or formal education in driving, and no one to give me directions, I nervously drove for the first time from Ortigas area to Q.C. I tried my best to remember everything he taught me (he only taught me for two days so there wasn't a lot to remember).. I was so freaked out then that my hands were shaking non-stop and I didn't go more than 30 kph. Up to now, I still don't know how I was able to drive my ex-bf home in one piece.^^

Arrival.

It has been a week since I arrived in Manila. As soon as the plane landed, I thought about jumping on the next plane going back to Korea. The weather is unbelievably hot and humid that every minute feels like pure torture. I almost forgot that it's the 'summer season' here in the Philippines, and 29 degrees at 2 am is just as normal as a sudden drizzle in a very, very sunny day. My family was at the airport to pick me up.. The flight was delayed and everyone grew hungry from waiting, so we went looking for a restaurant at 3 am. We couldn't find a place near the airport so we drove towards Eastwood to "Something Fishy" for some 'wee-hour grub'. There's nothing extraordinary about the food there, but buffets like that has it's charm. In the middle of munching 'kakanin', tapsilog, and lumpia (it's a very weird combo, I know) I told them stuff about Korea like places I've been, things I saw, and people I've met. Then we talked about things that happened here in the Philippines while I'm away. We stayed at the restaurant chatting non-stop till the call-center employees started lining up for their early morning food fix and they started begging for extra chairs. When we arrived home, my mom served buko salad and ube cake from Goldilocks. I was already full but the ube cake made my mouth water.. It was almost sunrise when I went to my room. But no matter how tired I was, I couldn't sleep that day. Something's off with my old room.. I didn't feel comfortable at all. I'm missing Chris a lot, and I thought I needed some sort of distraction. So I kept myself busy doing these...



* From a very loud purple yam color, I had the walls of my room painted in a girly lilac tone. I originally wanted something different like lemon lime or tangerine, but my mom wanted a lighter tone. Both of us agreed with lilac..

* I bought new sheets, pillows, covers, and curtains that match the lilac walls.

* I got myself a sony PSP.

* I had my old monitor changed to an 18.5 LCD screen which I got at Gilmore's at a very cheap price. The old one is taking up too much space in my room.. ^^

* I went to a comedy bar with my friends, and Ethel Booba picked me (despite my very obvious resistance) as a stage contestant for some lousy game. It was extremely embarrassing.

* I enrolled in a gym, but I haven't tried working out yet.

* I'm taking care of a new dog named Akira.

Today is officially the start of Holy Week, so I'm putting some of my plans on hold. My mom is thinking about going on a trip somewhere this Holy Week, so it's one of the things I'm looking forward to.

Of Wallowing and Weddings.

I was chatting with my sister a while ago, and I noticed she seemed really perky these days. She must be excited about something, so I suspiciously asked if she's pregnant. That question made her answer "I'm so~ not", in her most defensive tone. We talked about visiting Palawan together when I come back home next month. It must be fun cause we never really 'bonded' for the longest time. Like I said in my previous post, she and I are really different but we're surprisingly close. We were inseparable before, even sharing the same condo when my parents decided it's about time for us to move out of the house. She's more like a bestfriend to me, a constant shopping buddy, and my very own fashion critic, so I kind of miss her a lot. While we were growing up, I hated her so much and even called her my 'evil sinister sister'. There was a lot of sibling rivalry going on between us. I was my father's favorite and she was my mother's. She's more of the 'intelligent type' being the class valedictorian from elementary to highschool, and graduating cum laude in UP. I was more of the 'academically challenged' like how my father likes to put it, no special awards or anything, just mediocre grades. What's the point of studying when you'll just be compared to someone like her? And besides, I thought school is about having fun, being with friends, and having a hell of good time. Our difference doesn't stop in academics, and it's very much evident by how our rooms look like (mine is loud purple now, and although I haven't seen her new flat, I'm guessing it's peach). I'm a neat freak and I like things ridiculously organized, she's anything but neat and organized. I like black and pink... and she adores lemon color, mint green, and peach tones which happen to be the top 3 colors I'm never gonna be caught wearing. Physically, our differences can fill up a whole journal. She's three inches taller than me, fairer by several shades, and has that distinct chinita look. I, on the other hand was always referred to as the smaller, darker, and relatively the non-chinita uglier one which totally defies our strong chinese surname. But as we got older, our similarities became more evident. We like going to the same salon, shopping at the same places, reading the same stuff. Both of us love traveling, going to the beach, and having family picnics.

I wasn't used to hearing her talk about boys, so I was startled when one day, approximately 2 years ago at age 24, she came home saying somebody's courting her. After a couple of months, she had her first boyfriend ever. I first met him when I came back home in 2007, he was there at the airport together with my whole famliy. He kept on calling me 'ate' which creeped the hell out of me considering he's a year and a half older. But he was nice, polite, and awfully quiet. But then, for some profound reason I felt exactly the way she felt when she saw Chris for the first time.. She thought Chris was geeky with a creepy sense of fashion, and that's exactly how I felt with her bf.. I have issues with guys wearing plaid polos, I think it's specifically worn to annoy people.. and plaid happens to be his favorite pattern and he wears that most of the time. ^^ I heard they met in the church where both of them are active members. I also found out that my sister was his first gf ever, and for some strange, unspoken reason, that thing bothered me. And just like how my mom hated Chris, she also hated my sister's bf, but since we're way over the legal age, she couldn't do anything about it. It didn't take long before he finally proposed, and fast-forward to 15 months, they got married. Now that little sis is a married woman, she became more practical. She has cut back on her weekly retail therapy and saved instead. I heard she even enrolled in a cooking class. I've never seen her cook anything besides fried egg and Lucky Me pancit canton, so the whole marriage thing is doing wonders in domesticating her.. One thing I'm kind of regretting is the fact that I wasn't there when she was doing the whole wedding preparation thing. She actually asked me to be her wedding planner right after she got engaged, but I wasn't able to fulfill that duty. But even without me, her wedding turned out nice. It was very simple yet memorable, like how she always dreamed. She's moving to Australia sometime next year, and this saddens me to the point that I'm wallowing cause I'm not used to not seeing her for a long time (we were never separated for more than six months). But now that our separation has some degree of permanence, I feel bad that I took her for granted. I should have been nice to her when I had the chance...

I'm posting some photos from her wedding last December...



Bridal Car.




The Aisle.




Happy.




The Rings.




Cake and Cupcakes.




The Centerpiece.




Floral Girls.




With Mom and Francis.




The Lake at night.




Newlyweds.