The Goddess Loves CDO

Well, that goes without saying. I love Cebu like hell but CDO is where family and friends are. CDO is home and there is no place like it.

The two lady-loves of my life.

After free-lunch drinks.

Because we had to kill time and none of us thought of bringing a camera.

Good friends are so hard to find.

High-school, 10 years and 10 lbs later.

Girls just wanna have fun.

Random Memory: McDonald's and Me

photo credit

My love affair with McDonald's started when I was in college. I didn't really know McDonald's that well in my high school and grade school days. But in college, the true love of my life was McDonald's. It was the witness to all my exultation and tribulation. When I was happy, I went to McDonald's. When I was sad, I went to McDonald's . When I wanted to relax, I went to McDonald's. When I wanted to cram, I went to McDonald's. There was even a time when a bunch of classmates and I stayed at McDonald's for six hours straight just to study for an Accounting exam.

Usually, we went to McDonald's after our evening classes to have dinner. During those times, Josh, a dear friend and project leader, could be heard saying, "Our professor is stupid. He gave us an A minus for our group paper that I spent 2 hours copy-pasting from the internet." Plagiarism was no big deal to us back then, we just wanted to pass. We also went to McDonald's for the brainstorming session of our group projects and on those occasions Josh could be heard saying, "Let's stop fooling ourselves with this brainstorming crap. We all know that I will still end up writing this paper all by myself. You should all be thankful that I am good at copy-pasting stuff from the internet." Whereupon we dropped all pretense of brainstorming and proceeded with our pointless gab-fest over french fries and Coke float. Yes, Josh, we owe you for making our academic burdens lighter. You are the best group leader ever. Where was I? Oh yes. In college, McDonald's was a way of life.

When I landed my first job, it required me to move into a different zip code for the very first time in my life. I remembered being anxious while I was riding the ferry that would take me to the place I would call home for the next two years. I was excited and scared at the same time, the magnitude of my choice to be away from my comfort zone just dawning upon me. I looked out of the ferry, staring at Ozamiz City as it drew near when, lo and behold! A McDonald's! That's when I knew everything was gonna be okay. And so the vicious cycle continued. When I get stressed out, I went to McDonald's. When I get the job done, I went to McDonald's.

Now, since moving to Cebu, I have come to know other places that I love to go to when I wanted to eat. But none of them gives me as much comfort and a sense of home as McDonald's. Oh Ronald, if only you were a real man, then I will have nothing more to look for.

The Goddess Loves Bohol

Over the weekend I went to Bohol with a bunch of guys. There was Janica and her fiance JP, who were the masterminds behind the trip, her three younger siblings, her two cousins and her three officemates. We stayed there for two days and a night. The first day was spent on the beach of the resort we were staying in. The whole day of the second day was spent on our country side tour. We all had a blast. By the time we went back to the port to catch a ferry back to Cebu, we were all so exhausted, we were barely moving. But at the same time, I feel like those two days were not enough. I have not spent enough time at the beach. I have not seen enough of the place. Therefore, with a rock-solid resolve, I vowed to return to Bohol. Someday... Bohol, when that time comes, make sure you're ready for me.

This is the place where we were staying. It was cheaper than the rest of them but it was still great.

Since I came to Cebu, I have had a very public affair with the beach. Beach, I love you.

This is from Sagbayan Peak. It is an amusement park. We went to the topmost part of the place and the view was freakin' awesome. It's worth climbing all those steps for. Can you tell that we were having a great time?

The infamous Chocolate Hills. Another breath-taking view worth climbing a couple hundred steps for. 

Man-made forest. Cool and creepy at the same time. Janica's fiance said that it's his most favorite spot because we just had to stop at the side of the road and take wacky pictures all day long. No entrance fee required.

Random Memory #4: The Toy Story

When I was six years old, we moved out of our rented apartment to a house of our own. There were still five us of then: my parents, me, and my two younger brothers. The youngest, Oning, was still a year old. That was a major adjustment period for everyone in the family, especially us kids. We were used to eating good food, having our friends around, watching TV and doing all other kids stuff. When we moved in to our newly-constructed house, we had a roof and walls but no floor. We had to wear slippers all the time which we were not used to. We had no electricity yet so no TV and refrigerator. We had no running water so we had to obtain drinking water at my grandmother's house a few blocks away and do laundry at the river also a few meters away from the back of our house. Most of what we ate were also vegetables grown on our own yard because we were still recovering from all the construction expenses we had incurred. On top of all that, we were in a new environment and didn't know anyone.

My mother must be some kind of a psychic because she had the social dilemma of us kids all figured out. Granted, kids adjust very quickly to new environment but my then 3-year old brother, who is my mother's favorite child, was even more socially inept that I was. The first day we were all settled in, she displayed all our toys for all the neighborhood kids to play with. I swear, all of the toys filled one very gigantic box. Our front yard was literally like having a garage sale for toys.

Me: Where did all these toys come from?
Mother: They are all yours and your brothers'.
Me: No, they are not. I don't remember having this stuffed turtle, that neon pink kitchen set and the alien-looking doll. I don't remember playing with any of these toys at all.
Mother: That's because you have a crappy memory. That stuffed turtle was from when you were 2 years old which I hid from you because you were so attached to it that you would not let it go even after it smelled like a dead animal and needed washing. The doll was when you were 3 but you didn't play with it because it scared the crap out of you. The kitchen set was also from 3 years ago and after playing with it for 3 days straight, you got fed up with it and left it under the tree outside. You have the attention span of a mentally-retarded person.
Me: My memory is not crappy.
Mother: When you were also 2 years old we got a white puppy and named him Whitey. You loved that dog. He was with us for more than two years then he got hit by a speeding vehicle and died. A year after that incident, you can't remember having the dog anymore. Yes, your memory is crappy.

Apparently, we eventually get tired of our toys and discard them but she just swooped in after our play time, repaired the broken toys and kept all of them in a box stowed somewhere. We thought we lost those toys but she had them all along. And she did this for years.

Of course, with a gazillion toys propped up on our yard, we were the most popular kids in the neighborhood. We did not even have to make an effort to gain new friends. We just sat with our toys outside and kids who lived blocks away would pile in and asked to play with us. Even if we had no electricity or running water, all the kids thought we were filthy rich and gave us special treatment. My mother is a freakin' genius. And a toy packrat.

I still can't remember the dog though. I mean, who the hell forgets a dog named Whitey? But my father says that there really was a dog. Even my brother remembered playing with the dog. Dude, you were two years old. How the hell could you possibly remember that? I swear there's a conspiracy going on here. There are no pictures of the alleged dog. My mother said that it was buried at the back of the apartment we rented but there were no markers or tombstone. She allegedly cried when the said dog died. If it were indeed beloved, then there has got to be some remnant of its existence. The whole family is ganging up on me and my poor memory.

As for our toys, they are now buried in their respective resting places. Some in the yard, some on the roof, some changed ownership without our knowing it and others reduced to dog poop courtesy of another dog of ours that I happen to remember who bit everything that looked juicy including my father's arm, whereupon our neighbors decided that the dog was rabid and proceeded to make a recipe out of it. Unlike the dog Whitey, whose true story the conspirators will probably take to their graves, I still remember the toys very well. And even if they eventually died, its okay because they have served their purpose. Even for a short time, I knew what it was like to be a rich kid.

The Camotes Island Adventure

There was no plan. At all. I was supposed to sleep after my shift. Instead, I got dragged to the mall to buy the outfit I wasn't planning to buy and, 2 hours later, I was in a ferry on my way to a place I wasn't planning to go. At all. But, life is too short so what can I say? Carpe diem.

The place was freakin' amazing!

Can you see the beach behind us? It's awesome! We ate...

...and we drank.

We went to these really amazing caves with really amazing spring water. It's so cool and clean.

We even had a Dawson's Creek moment by the lake.

My partners in crime. Thanks for the amazing weekend, girls. It was just what I needed. It's do it again soon :)

To My Beloved Friend and Minion, Alexis

(My friend Alexis wrote this on her Facebook page. This blog entry is my reply.)

You are right. Day offs are rare gifts. Why do I get this feeling that you spend yours worrying about tomorrow or about the stuff you need to do when you get back to work? You worry too much. You need to relax. If I had a dime every time I tell you this, I'd be a millionaire by now.

You are right. Life is not easy. All of us have some sort of bitterness, regrets, and mistakes. The important thing is we learn from them and move on. Do not let the negative stuff take center-stage.

It is human nature to be uncontented. It is okay to aspire for possessions and a higher status in life. But that should not be your end goal. When we die, we cannot take any of those with us to the after-life.

If you don't like where you are and what you do, you can only do so much. At some point you have to stop and ponder if it is all worth it. Things may not work out but that doesn't necessarily mean a dead end. If you have learned from it then it has served its purpose. Nothing we do is ever pointless, the good or the bad. Unless you just sit in one corner and wait for the day of your death or the apocalypse, whichever comes first. Now, THAT is pointless.

The most important thing in life I believe is to do something which you believe in, something that is worth your time. Not only will your life be productive but when you die and your Creator will ask you what you have been doing with the time He gave to you, you will not be embarrassed with your answer.

Do not wait for things like love, fame and success to happen to you. Make them happen. And if they don't happen, cheer up, it's not the end of the world. There are other things in life that can make you happy, like your family, friends and work. Like everything else in this world, happiness is a choice. It has to be a conscious effort on your part and no, you cannot find that in another person especially if you are not happy with yourself.

Indeed, you are lucky. Your family loves you. We, your friends, love you just as much. I know you will continue to worry. It's one of the things you do well. It's one of the things we love about you. It's one of the things that make you you. But don't overdo it. Wrinkles are never in fashion. Always remember, however deep the pit that you may be in at any given time, some people have it worse. Some people die miserable. As long as you are alive, you have a better chance of getting yourself out of that shithole and die happy.

More importantly, what makes you really lucky, is that you have me. Your semi-perfect deity of a friend who is willing to go out on a limb to give you decent advice. Understand that this is non-compulsory. You may read this and not follow it, if you wish. Though I strongly advice against that because I know I am right and I would totally hate to see this blog space go to waste.

I am kidding, of course. A little.

Now, if I could only learn to follow my own advices, I'd be in better shape than I am today in all respects. But I guess that's just not how it works.

The Unlikely Ineptitude Of The Goddess

If I were Superman, my Kryptonite would be social gatherings. I heard a statement from America's Next Top Model being said of one of the contestants and I am going to use that statement to describe my ineptitude: I have the social grace of an infant. Yes, I watched that show. Call me shallow then sue me.

Being surrounded by a bunch of strangers or casual acquaintances in an environment that requires me to mingle with them incapacitates me. I'm just not good with making friends or starting a conversation. I would rather sit in one corner and pretend to text all the people in my phone book as if my life depended on it. I don't know when this started. I was Most Sociable in Kindergarten. I swear, I'm not making that up. I don't know what happened between then and now that turned me into a hermit. I guess I was surrounded with close friends all the time that I didn't feel the need to make new ones. The thought of being involved in some mundane conversation with people I don't really know is not appealing to me. What's worse is I have to pretend that I give a rat's ass about these people's problems or their current preoccupation in life. Big deal. We all have them, get over it.

Maybe that's why I don't have a lot of friends. I am too... Sheldon Cooper, for lack of a better term. Maybe I should try harder. But on the other hand, I don't really have to.

Leonard: ...We need to widen our circle.
Sheldon: I have a very wide circle. I have 212 friends on MySpace.
Leonard: Yes, and you have never met one of them.
Sheldon: That's the beauty of it.

But here is another trusty quote from my old friend, Jean-Paul Sartre: "Hell is other people." 


How empathic.

The Dark Side of Human Nature

I had a text message conversation with one of my girlfriends that went something like this:

Me: Guess what? Ruby is pregnant and Hector is the father.
Her: I really don't care about them. They're both ugly.
Me: Yeah, me neither. Just thought that you'd like to know. Think about it, they're going to have a spawn who will have the misfortune of taking after their looks. Hahaha.
Her: Yikes! Who needs more commercial models for sour vinegar? Hahaha.

I would have added that they should be executed for bringing bad genes into the world, as if the present gene pool is not contaminated enough. But that would be a bit much.

I do not like dissing other people in public but I'm only human after all and I really hate people who hurt my friends. That is not to say that I am beautiful. But before you say that I am being falsely modest, I am not. I am just less of an eyesore. That being said, I do not wish them ill. If they do end up together and happy, then good for them. But realistically-speaking, the chances of that happening are very slim.

Have a good life, Ruby and Hector.

Summer Lovin' Happened So Fast...

Summer is over. I'm sad. Sniff. Though, I would welcome some relief from this unbearable heat, I still love summer. I was born at the peak of this season. Thankfully, I was able to go to two summer getaways this year. The first one is to our company summer outing at Maribago, courtesy of our employer, and the other was to Malapascua Island with some of my co-workers.

Snorkeling and island tour at Malapascua Island. Perfect!

              

    At Maribago with the entire RC team, because all work and no play...

      
Thank you for all the good memories, Summer. 'Til we meet again...

One Day in the Life of A Celebrity

I had a blast last weekend. So many things to do, so little time. This is what happens when in the eyes of the people you love, you have acquired celebrity-status.

Let me see. After my shift at work which is 12mn-9am, I went directly to the supermarket to purchase that bane of Filipino hospitality, the pasalubong (gifts). After that I went back to the dorm to prepare my stuff and went straight to the airport. As soon as I landed at 2pm, my father picked me up signaling the start of the gabfest with my family until 6pm whereupon I had to get ready for a get-together with my highschool classmates. I had dinner with them at 6:30pm and afterwards, we had a videoke session in one of the nearby bars until 3am. In the morning, my mother woke me up at 7am because the whole family was going on an outing. You can just imagine the how little sleep I had in 36 hours. So for most of the day, we frolicked in the pool and scenery of this really beautiful botanical resort up in the mountains. Although I was still sleepy and my head was throbbing of the hangover from the previous night, I immensely enjoyed myself. We headed back home at about 4pm and after a couple of hours we went to the city proper to do groceries which lasted for another 3 hours. By the time we got back home, I was practically on my knees from exhaustion and lack of sleep. Oh, well. That's the price to pay for eminence.

Here are some of our pictures:

That's me wearing a yellow shirt and holding the mike. I could not carry a tune to save my life but I loved these guys and I was having too much fun to resist belting out a few numbers. More importantly, these guys love me back enough to forgive me for committing the crime of ruining their eardrums and their favorite songs.

The place was great! The view, the flora, the water, the cottages. The best part was it was so secluded not a lot of people knew about this place. We had the pools to ourselves the whole morning!

My Thank-You Directory

Just to show that I am not a bitch most of the time, I am going to post my gratitude list here. I make this every week not only because it is one of the features of my planner but also because it is actually pretty awesome to look at it and know that I am one lucky person.

First, I would like to thank my PARENTS, the two most awesome people in my world. Thank you for all your sacrifices and hard work. Pa, you are my hero, my idol. Thank you for all your stories, for setting a great example and for making me your favorite child. Ma, thank you for your strength. We do not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things and we used to fight a lot but I want you to know that I am grateful and proud to have you as my mother. Thank you for not judging me and for all your advices. I want you both to know that I love you and I think that you really did a great job raising us.

Second, my younger SIBLINGS, all 4 of them: Gorick, Oning, Kakay and Dwight. You are a handful bunch. I want you to know that I miss you all everyday. Thank you for all the chaos you got me used to. I know that you  all look up to me as the eldest but I also want you to know that you can be better than I am. Give your best in whatever you do and always listen to Mama and Papa. They are not our best friends and we don't like them most of the time but they are always right. Trust me.

Next, I would like to thank my friends. DIANNE & TETET who are very much with me despite the physical distance. Our exploits together had been legendary. You are part of who I am. JANICE, my roommate, I thank you for putting up with me and my messy side of the room. Thank you for all the late night talks and DVD marathons. JANICA, we have so many things in common that we finish each other's sentences. You always know how to make me laugh. Thank you for being there for me. Let's get together soon. I owe you lunch. NILA, girl, thank your for being an example to me. We may not agree on a lot of things but I want you to know that I admire you. I would also like to mention some friends who I don't get to see as much as I'd like but are good friends nonetheless: ANN-ANN, APRIL, CHERRY, PRINCESS, EARLYN and others I have failed to mention, thank you for being the friends that you are to me.

I would also like to thank JOSEPH for being a constant fixture in my life. Thank you for your love and attention. I am here for you always.

I want to thank my JOB and CO-WORKERS for making me feel productive without being insanely stressed out and for showing me that it is possible to work and have a life at the same time.

Last and most important of all, I thank GOD for giving me all these things that I am grateful for and even for the things that I am not so grateful for. Thank you for giving me this life that I may enjoy all that you've given me. So many times in the past I had wished for a different life. Thank you for not granting me that wish. Thank you for all that is good in this world. I never appreciate them enough.