Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 ... the year that was ...

2011 was a good year for me .... I say this with sincerity. Yes, I got my heart broken twice though I never got into a relationship but overall, this year was a great year. Some highlights that stood out in my mind are the following:

Conversion to a full time foodie - I have always been one to try out new places to eat but this year, I learned to SEEK new places to eat and scour magazines for new finds. This year, due mainly to the Pex Gluttony group I joined, I have discovered a lot of food places. When I say a lot, I mean a lot. The increase in tightness with my pants did not go unnoticed. EEEEKKKK!

B skipped nursery and kinder, went straight to prep. - This I believe is one of our best achievements. Bonus? He's currently top 3 in his class. He also almost always comes home with marks.

I went back to writing poems and started doing 18 word stories. I was able to use these to unleash what I was feeling.

Most important, I was able to maintain my bond with my family and friends.

So to you 2011, thank you for the memories, the lessons learned, the strength gathered from problems that I overcame, and the love that was given to me by all. I leave the bad memories, the pain, the tears, and betrayals to you and welcome 2012 with lots of hope, fate, and positivity.

:)

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

31 Things Project: Date # 3

It's been over a month since I last went out with B. Of course K tagged along as well. Since I multitask, I also made this an opportunity to meet up with Jay.

Jay is going back to Saudi tomorrow and so we had one last hurrah since it will be 2 years till he comes back. He treated B, K, and I to Conti's.


I feel so blessed to have met this person. He truly is a blessing. The love he has for his wife is simply a sight to behold. He makes me believe that there are still faithful men in this world. I just haven't been fortunate enough to meet them. Thank you Jay for taking time out to meet with me one more time before you head off. See you in 2013.

Now, off to recap my date with B and K. We got to ATC a bit earlier than we should have. I immediately got myself some milk tea and B and K went off to Timezone to play. I also played a round but felt funny because I was going against such a small opponent. LOL.



After Jay left, we went to our favorite place in the entire world ... Powerbooks.


Simple things ... simple pleasures. This is what life is about. Our date may have been short but it was still quality time spent together.

God's perfect plan ...

It was supposed to rain. Weather forecasts said it will be a rainy day. The sun shined the whole day and the wind wrapped us in its cool arms the whole night.

I wasn't supposed to be there. I was supposed to be somewhere else. I found myself playing photographer, clown, and documenting the event as an unofficial part of the group.

He lived in the UAE. I lived in the Philippines. We were not supposed to have become friends. Instead, God had a perfect plan and it involved my meeting him and his then lovely fiancee. For whatever reason God has, I was there to be one of the witness to them tying the knot and sealing their life to become one forever.

my blog is my gasoline ...

1998 - 2004 .... I have always wrote about my emotions. This is one thing I learned when I was undergoing therapy after trying to slit my wrists. I need to write my emotions since I didn't have enough courage to talk about it before. I would write in little pieces of paper then throw it out, journals then I would destroy it,or notebooks then I'd ball up the paper and chuck it.

2005 - 2006 ....  I discovered the beauty of blogging. I gave birth back then and people would always ask about updates regarding the baby and had a lot of pointers. I got tired of repeating the same story (yes, I wasn't that Mom who could tell the same story over and over again) and I also realized, I could share these pointers with others.

2007 - 2010 ... Blogging added fuel to my fire ... it was the gasoline that kept my strength burning when my relationship with my son's father fell to smithereens. It was the gasoline that kept me alive. Blogging is where I could tell the world about the pain and the hurt that I was going through without breaking down. You see, I could not break down because a little boy was relying on me to keep it together.

2011 ... my blog has become my gasoline. It is the one thing that keeps things together for me. My blog keeps my dreams alive, forces fear and uncertainties to stay at bay, and documents life's precious moments. This is where I keep everything. It may be for the entire world to read, see, and comment but at the end of the day, it is mine to keep.

My blog is my gasoline. It is one of the things that keep me going.

This is my entry to The Gasoline Dude’s Blogversary Writing Contest. I want to win the 1TB Portable Hard Drive!

something, nothing ...

our eyes met
you smiled
i smiled
it was nothing
chemistry didn't happen
stars didn't fall.

night came
we spent the day
sometimes we'd talk
sometimes we'd simply exist
simply not minding each other
but both aware of the other.

we sat together
we talked
we laughed
and then it happened

a moment
frozen in time
a thought
we took action on
a memory
forever sealed in my head

it was magical
it was something
in the end
it was nothing.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

dear motorbike ....

I used to fancy you. One time, I was able to ride you and the feeling was just exhilarating. That was then ... now, I know for a fact that I will never ride you again unless it was a matter of life and death.

You were a key instrument in the loss of my cousin. You took away someone so precious to us that 9 years after he left us, I still feel that hollow ache in my heart. Today, its Christmas and he should be 26 years old but he will be forever 17.

I hate you motorbike. I will never forgive you. I can't. I will always hate you and in my heart, anyone who owns one is risking their life everytime they ride one.

You took someone I love and until that time comes that the hollowness is gone, I will never be able to look at you without wanting to burn you to the ground.

I miss you Em. You were gone too soon.

PS. He was hit by one while standing on a side street waiting for a jeepney. He wasn't riding it.

Xmas blessings ...

I like to remember what I received from people who matter to me so I decided to take photos and compile it here. I like everything that was given to me because it showed that they really know me well enough to give me things that I like and would use.


the dress and the shoes are my chef brothers gifts






I am blessed. :)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

I kissed dating goodbye ...

I found myself feeling sad because someone I just met and liked just suddenly stopped talking to me without giving me any reason.I reached out 3x but found myself facing a wall. I realized that whatever reason he had, he is just another douchebag who does not have enough balls in him to face me and tell me why.

Due to this, I realized that it seems I have lost my knack for spotting decent guys. He seemed decent but obviously, I was wrong. With this, I am truly, finally, officially closing my doors to dating and entertaining men. Until such time that I learn to discern the difference between a man and a boy, this shop is officially closed.


PS: this takes care of one of the items on my bucket list. Guess that one won't be achieved in 2012.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Tuscany in Tagaytay: Marcia Adam's Restaurant

I saw this place in En Route's blog. I saw the pictures and read her review about it and promptly fell in love. The only problem that I saw was that this was in Tagaytay and I don't have a car. Today, that was fixed by a good friend of mine.

Here is my story of my affair with Marcia Adams Restaurant and how they sent me to Tuscany without ever leaving the Philippines. 



Monday Affirmations # 13

I used to be that girl ... the one who gets flowers delivered to ... the one who is stopped in hallways because an entire chorale would sing to her ... or the one who has a guy asking  my Mom permission to have dinner with.

I used to be that girl.

Since I met B's father, it seems that the guys I meet are mostly jackasses who doesn't know what being a gentleman is if it hit them in the face. They either rush things too fast or they don't think waiting is an option. One date and they're like "are we together now?" or worse, "wanna go to bed with me now?"

Seriously?!?!


To the men who think that no girl is worth waiting for, that life is too short and we should all be merry, I SAY ... I am worth it. I am worth waiting for. I am worth investing your time in. I am worth spending time with and exerting effort.

Every woman is.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

HELP: Victims of Typhoon Sendong (Typhoon Washi)


Typhoon Sendong (international codename: Washi) whacked Northern Mindanao, Philippines, letting loose colossal floods across vast areas that left, according to official tally, 278 people dead (and still counting) and nearly 200 others missing in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, and in some towns of Misamis Oriental.
Thousands are in the evacuation centers, many are women and childen--hungry, chilling, crying.

Let's do our part and help.

B's 1st School Xmas Party

It was fate. I wasn't supposed to be able to attend B's Christmas Party but things happened and I had some angels that were sent my way. Someone gave approval. Someone agreed to shift schedules and the heavens smiled.

I was able to attend his first Xmas party. He sang, danced, and performed in a band. He did really well too. I saw that he took pains to perfect his dance moves and play his part as Joseph.




Here he is singing, dancing, and performing in a "marching band."

singing Silent Night
finale of Silent Night
dancing to Last Christmas
playing the tambourine
I felt teary eyed when I saw him perform. I realized that he is slowly becoming his own person. I saw him interact with his classmates and I'm very happy that he is very sociable and knows to apologize when he does wrong. I feel that I have accomplished something when I saw that he is not an outsider in his class and has friends.




with his best friend
I'm really glad that B adjusted well to being in school. I'm also happy that I made some new Mommy friends in B's school.


B received a lot of gifts and this made him very happy. He also enjoyed the food that was brought in by the other Moms.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Mommy's 48th Birthday

intoxicating
smart
gorgeous
fierce
fighter

wife
daughter
friend
mom

loving
longing to be loved
treasured

she is
one of a kind.

Happy birthday  Mommy!




I love you!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

things that make me happy ...


I love this image. I chanced upon it on a friends wall and grabbed it, knowing that I would be definitely using this on my blog. So, here is a list of things that make me happy ...
  • a sincere compliment 
  • B screaming "Mommy" when I get home 
  • licks from our pet dogs 
  • dinner out with family or friends 
  • a pat on the back for a job well done 
  • followers on my blog 
  • likes on my blogs facebook page 
  • comments on my posts  
  • learning I have inspired someone 
  • losing a pound 
  • gaining it back because of good food and chocolates haha
  • belly laughs 
  • simple TV bonding moments with my Mom 
  • coloring books
  • colored pens 
  • BIG notebooks 
  • well captured, unedited photos 
  • cotton candy 
  • shrimp! chicken! hakao!
  • milk tea! 
  • citymugs ... 
  • ref magnets 
  • when my hair falls the way it should 
  • clear skin 
  • cheap, sturdy high heels 
  • comfy flats 
  • CARE BEARS!!!! 
I could actually go on and on but I think my list has become a tad bit too long. LOL.

What are the simple things that make you happy?

Monday, December 12, 2011

why you take my picture?

This is what B said to me earlier when he asked me to clean him up after devouring Jollibee spaghetti. There was a birthday in his school and they got to take home some spaghetti and chicken.



Now, do you see why I took his picture? Hahahaha.

Adorable.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Geek Fight: XX one X shy .... !


It is my 7th geek fight and I can say that I finally made an impression on the member of Geek Fight Committee. One of them actually noticed that I did not attend the last one and remembered that I was the Glee fan. Toink.

As with  any geek fight, this one was fun. We merged with another group since we were a bit small in attendance and got the chance to meet 4 new great people.


We led on the first half but failed the second so we ended in the middle part. I think. I was too busy obsessing over a brain.






The guy I'm hugging owns the brain. I harassed him the entire night to get him to lend it to me. LOL.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Greko: Mediterranean Restaurant

It literally would have been something that I would ignore. I would have passed by it and not given it a second look. It looked a tad dingy and dark. I thought it was nothing special. However, I have become more adventurous in eating out and so I gave this place a second look and decided that I would try it with  my friends.

Boy, am I glad that I did. The food is AWESOME! Best part is its CHEAP too.


Allan and I got there pretty early or Chola was just late. We ordered and decided on getting 3 of the best that they had to offer.

Greko Nachos Php180

Greko burger with Pita Php200

Kebab Sampler Php285
Everything was so good. The place wasn't much but the food more than made up for it. It was just really a whole lot of flavor bursting in your mouth and giving you a food orgasm. Yes, that was how good it was. Mind you, I am not a fan of Greek food but this was just surprisingly GOOD.

Did I say it was good? Darn. It was just really wonderful food.




Our server Ian, was also very pleasant. The place may not have been much but I definitely see myself visiting this place again soon. Oh, it is located behind Makati Medical Center.