LOVE: This is Not Yet a Musical

Since I am one of the contributors for this SUPER GENIUS OF A PLAY, please do watch it! Please? I'll be attending the September 1 screening so kitakits! Eeekkk!

LOVE: This is Not Yet a Musical or LOVENot is the first original devised work by Sipat Lawin Ensemble. This  is our present-day   myth   about   love  and   its   manifestation   in   our   everyday   life   based   on   our   collective consciousness.

Open DTR / Blank-Ticketed Night: August 23 (Fri)

Show Dates: August 25 (Sun)
                     August 29-30 (Thurs-Fri)
                     Sept 1-2 (Sun-Mon)

Time: 8:00PM

Venue: Patio Jose Resort, #8 Matahimk St., cor. V.Luna, Quezon City

Ticket Price: P500 Regular; P350 Student; P400 (Pre-selling via BDO Deposit)

Check out our event page on FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1403709423176369/1409511659262812/?ref=notif&notif_t=plan_mall_activity

bonding at BullChef

It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. There were absolutely no plans of going out but someone mentioned going to BullChef and the next thing I knew, I found myself saying yes. What was most surprising was the company that JJ and I went with.

We went with two coworkers, one of whom used to hate my guts. Lately though, we have started a friendship after clearing things up and I love how the night turned out. 

 We had the Group Package which was good for 4-6 people and it was simply delicious. What I enjoyed the most was that they actually reallv loved the food. It has been a long time since I have been with people who just enjoy the food I recommended and they definitely enjoyed it.

I loved how the night simply went from good to amazing. It was enjoyable and there were lots of laughter. Great food and great company = a wonderful dinner. 

Thank you BullChef for serving really great food. My friends and I had a lot of fun and enjoyed every bite.

# 4 East Capitol Drive, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City, Metro Manila
Open Monday - Sunday
11am - 12am
Twitter: @wearebullchef

My advice after a divorce following 16 years of marriage by Gerald Rogers

For the men who have fallen in love ...
For the men who have fallen out of love ...
For the men who no longer wants to love ....
For the men who still is in love ...
For those who are in a relationship ...
For those who want to get out of the relationship ....
For those who are out of it and don't know if they should get back in ...
For those who are getting married ...
For those who are married ....
For those who are going through an annulment or divorce ...
For those who have been annulled or divorce ...
For those who still believe in love ...
For those who might no longer believe in love ...

PLEASE READ THIS. #8 and #20 are for me the most important.

My advice after a divorce following 16 years of marriage, by Gerald Rogers.

Obviously, I’m not a relationship expert. But there’s something about my divorce being finalized this week that gives me perspective of things I wish I would have done different… After losing a woman that I loved, and a marriage of almost 16 years, here’s the advice I wish I would have had

1. Never stop courting. Never stop dating. NEVER EVER take that woman for granted. When you asked her to marry you, you promised to be that man that would OWN HER HEART and to fiercely protect it. This is the most important and sacred treasure you will ever be entrusted with. SHE CHOSE YOU. Never forget that, and NEVER GET LAZY in your love.

2. Protect your own heart. Just as you committed to being the protector of her heart, you must guard your own with the same vigilance. Love yourself fully, love the world openly, but there is a special place in your heart where no one must enter except for your wife. Keep that space always ready to receive her and invite her in, and refuse to let anyone or anything else enter there.

3. Fall in love over and over again.  You will constantly change. You’re not the same people you were when you got married, and in five years you will not be the same person you are today. Change will come, and in that you have to re-choose each other everyday. SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO STAY WITH YOU, and if you don’t take care of her heart, she may give that heart to someone else or seal you out completely, and you may never be able to get it back. Always fight to win her love just as you did when you were courting her.

4. Always see the best in her. Focus only on what you love. What you focus on will expand. If you focus on what bugs you, all you will see is reasons to be bugged. If you focus on what you love, you can’t help but be consumed by love. Focus to the point where you can no longer see anything but love, and you know without a doubt that you are the luckiest man on earth to be have this woman as your wife.

5. It’s not your job to change or fix her… your job is to love her as she is with no expectation of her ever changing. And if she changes, love what she becomes, whether it’s what you wanted or not.

6. Take full accountability for your own emotions: It’s not your wife’s job to make you happy, and she CAN’T make you sad. You are responsible for finding your own happiness, and through that your joy will spill over into your relationship and your love.

7. Never blame your wife if you get frustrated or angry at her, it is only because it is triggering something inside of YOU. They are YOUR emotions, and your responsibility. When you feel those feelings take time to get present and to look within and understand what it is inside of YOU that is asking to be healed. You were attracted to this woman because she was the person best suited to trigger all of your childhood wounds in the most painful way so that you could heal them… when you heal yourself, you will no longer be triggered by her, and you will wonder why you ever were.

8. Allow your woman to just be. When she’s sad or upset, it’s not your job to fix it, it’s your job to HOLD HER and let her know it’s ok. Let her know that you hear her, and that she’s important and that you are that pillar on which she can always lean. The feminine spirit is about change and emotion and like a storm her emotions will roll in and out, and as you remain strong and unjudging she will trust you and open her soul to you… DON’T RUN-AWAY WHEN SHE’S UPSET. Stand present and strong and let her know you aren’t going anywhere. Listen to what she is really saying behind the words and emotion.

9. Be silly… don’t take yourself so damn seriously. Laugh. And make her laugh. Laughter makes everything else easier.

10. Fill her soul everyday… learn her love languages and the specific ways that she feels important and validated and CHERISHED. Ask her to create a list of 10 THINGS that make her feel loved and memorize those things and make it a priority everyday to make her feel like a queen.

11. Be present. Give her not only your time, but your focus, your attention and your soul. Do whatever it takes to clear your head so that when you are with her you are fully WITH HER. Treat her as you would your most valuable client. She is.

12. Be willing to take her sexually, to carry her away in the power of your masculine presence, to consume her and devour her with your strength, and to penetrate her to the deepest levels of her soul. Let her melt into her feminine softness as she knows she can trust you fully.

13. Don’t be an idiot…. And don’t be afraid of being one either. You will make mistakes and so will she. Try not to make too big of mistakes, and learn from the ones you do make. You’re not supposed to be perfect, just try to not be too stupid.

14. Give her space… The woman is so good at giving and giving, and sometimes she will need to be reminded to take time to nurture herself. Sometimes she will need to fly from your branches to go and find what feeds her soul, and if you give her that space she will come back with new songs to sing…. (okay, getting a little too poetic here, but you get the point. Tell her to take time for herself, ESPECIALLY after you have kids. She needs that space to renew and get re-centered, and to find herself after she gets lost in serving you, the kids and the world.)

15. Be vulnerable… you don’t have to have it all together. Be willing to share your fears and feelings, and quick to acknowledge your mistakes.

16. Be fully transparent. If you want to have trust you must be willing to share EVERYTHING… Especially those things you don’t want to share. It takes courage to fully love, to fully open your heart and let her in when you don’t know i she will like what she finds… Part of that courage is allowing her to love you completely, your darkness as well as your light. DROP THE MASK… If you feel like you need to wear a mask around her, and show up perfect all the time, you will never experience the full dimension of what love can be.

17. Never stop growing together… The stagnant pond breeds malaria, the flowing stream is always fresh and cool. Atrophy is the natural process when you stop working a muscle, just as it is if you stop working on your relationship. Find common goals, dreams and visions to work towards.

18. Don’t worry about money. Money is a game, find ways to work together as a team to win it. It never helps when teammates fight. Figure out ways to leverage both persons strength to win.

19. Forgive immediately and focus on the future rather than carrying weight from the past. Don’t let your history hold you hostage. Holding onto past mistakes that either you or she makes, is like a heavy anchor to your marriage and will hold you back. FORGIVENESS IS FREEDOM. Cut the anchor loose and always choose love.

20. Always choose love. ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. In the end, this is the only advice you need. If this is the guiding principle through which all your choices is governed, there is nothing that will threaten the happiness of your marriage. Love will always endure.

In the end marriage isn’t about happily ever after. It’s about work. And a commitment to grow together and a willingness to continually invest in creating something that can endure eternity. Through that work, the happiness will come. Marriage is life, and it will bring ups and downs. Embracing all of the cycles and learning to learn from and love each experience will bring the strength and perspective to keep building, one brick at a time.

These are lessons I learned the hard way. These are lessons I learned too late. But these are lessons I am learning and committed in carrying forward. Truth is, I loved being married, and in time, I will get married again, and when I do, I will build it with a foundation that will endure any storm and any amount of time.

If you are reading this and find wisdom in my pain, share it those those young husbands whose hearts are still full of hope, and with those couples you may know who may have forgotten how to love. One of those men may be like I was, and in these hard earned lessons perhaps something will awaken in him and he will learn to be the man his lady has been waiting for.

MEN- THIS IS YOUR CHARGE: Commit to being an EPIC LOVER. There is no greater challenge, and no greater prize. Your woman deserves that from. Be the type of husband your wife can’t help but brag about.

Wooden Spoon

JJ and I had been planning to go have dinner at Wooden Spoon since last week. However, due to some unforeseen events (her lovelife got resurrected and then I had to meet a friend,) it didn't push through until earlier tonight. Even with the possible rain, I decided that we should just go ahead and do it since it might not push through anymore if we kept delaying it.

Thankfully, my decision proved to be right. Wooden Spoon is hole in the wall resto owned by Chef Sandy Daza. It's located across Miriam College in Katipunan.

The interiors were quite simple but had a homey feel to it.

JJ and I ordered the Fiesta Rice Php155 which was good for 2-3 persons, the Adobo Flakes Php195, and the Wooden Spoon Crispy Chicken Php195.

The Fiesta Rice was a bit salty but not too salty. For someone who is not a fan of salty things, I actually liked their Fiesta Rice and how the tomato, salted egg, smoked fish, and Chinese chorizo all blended. It was definitely something worth trying.

The Adobo Flakes were pretty good as well. I've actually learned to not like this as it has always been disappointing but thankfully, this time I was wrong. It was crispy and flakey. It had taste even in the smallest strips.

The Wooden Spoon Crispy Chicken was another revelation. It was crispy on the outside but definitely soft on the inside. We actually finished the entire plate. It was cooked the Korean Way and can definitely give Smopers or even Bon Chon a run for their money.

The pandan crepe is hands down the winner of the night. Its a pandan crepe filled with local ice cream sprinkled with chocolate syrup and topped with pinipig plus spicy peanuts. Yes, you read that right. SPICY peanuts. The blend of the sweetness and creaminess of the ice cream plus the chocolate drizzle and pinipig along with hints of spice was just AWESOME! It was definitely something different but in a really good way.

I LOVED IT!

Thank you JJ for this wonderful treat. It was truly worth the travel and I'm simply thankful that though I was boring at first, you stayed and became my friend. :)

Emergency Numbers

Have it on your phone. Print and laminate. Spread and give it out to neighbors.

It CAN save lives.

Info about the Starbucks Card

Since a friend of mine asked me questions about the Starbucks Card, I realized that I really didn't give much information on the first post that I did so here goes.

What is a Starbucks Card?

The Starbucks Card is a stored value card as well as a loyalty card that offers you rewards when making purchases at any Starbucks store in the Philippines. It also makes a perfect gift for any occasion.

Why did Starbucks introduce the Starbucks Card?

It’s just our way of saying thanks for being a loyal Starbucks customer! If we can enhance your Starbucks experience with the rewards of using the Starbucks Card, then we’re doing our job right.

How do I purchase a Starbucks Card?

You can activate a Starbucks Card at any Starbucks store in the Philippines with an initial minimum load of just Php300. The amount will be loaded into your Starbucks Card which you can use to make purchase right away. There are no Card, set up, or usage fees.

Can I purchase a Starbucks Card in the Philippines and use it in another country?
The Starbucks Card in the Philippines is a locally issued Card and can only be used in the Philippines. We are also unable to perform any transactions, including reloading, on another country’s Starbucks Cards.

Is a Starbucks Card re-loadable?

Yes, reloads can be done at any participating Starbucks store in the Philippines. Only denominations of Php100 are accepted for reloads and a maximum amount of Php10,000 is permitted on the account at any one time.

Can I reuse my Starbucks Card?

Definitely! Your Starbucks Cards is re-loadable and re-useable. You can reload your Starbucks Card with additional cash value at any of our participating Starbucks stores in the Philippines.

Is there an expiry date for my Starbucks Card?

Your Starbucks Card will not expire so long as you keep using your Card and have available load. Only Cards with no activity and load will expire 3 years from the last purchase.

Can I return or refund a Starbucks Card that I have purchased or received as gift?
No. All Starbucks Cards purchased or received are non-refundable nor exchangeable for cash.

Is there a limit to the number of Starbucks Card I can purchase?
There is no limit to the number of Cards you can purchase provided each Card is loaded with a minimum of Php300 upon activation. We can however limit your purchase to 10 Starbucks Cards per transaction.

Here's how my Starbucks Card Online Account look like.

Hope this helps. :)

To register. go to http://www.starbucks.ph/

Neil's Birthday Treat at Packo's

They have been trying to get me to hangout at Timog for over a month now. I've always said no because I live in the South and that was just too far for me. Besides, it will be at night and I didn't want to stay out too late.

I know, I know. What a dud right? Well, its not my fault that I've always preferred dinner, movie, and coffee over drinking. I mean, I have days where I'd want to drink but this can always be superseded by invitation of a decent dinner or coffee. I guess I'm boring that way.

Anyway, last night, since it was my good friend Neil's birthday, I decided to go ahead and meet them at Packo's in Timog. Luckily, a coworker took me there so I didn't even have to commute. Yey!

Thankfully, Jackie was also present and the others in the group made me feel welcome when I got there. It was nice seeing old friends and making new ones.

Being with the Chinese community again last night felt good. It felt like I was back in familiar territory. It was something that I was familiar with. It felt good.

Happy birthday Neil. I know that things are a bit tough but as you said, it will get better. Everything always does.

Press Preview: Alice in Wonderland

I was fortunate enough to once again be invited to the press preview for another amazing play, this time by Repertory Philippines, Alice in Wonderland.

In celebration of its 21st year of producing well-loved musicals for children of all ages, Repertory Philippine's Theater for Young Audiences proudly presents its 2013 offering witht the staging of Alice in Wonderland.

The show is a definite feast for the eyes and ears. The costumes are magnificent and wonderfully detailed. The music, very lively and it sticks to you and replays itself in your head over and over again. The actors, brilliant.

I'm sure any kid or those who are kids at heart will enjoy watching this. It opened yesterday, August 17 and will run until December 15, 2013 at Onstage, 2F, Greenbelt 1, Paseo de roxas corner Legazpi Street, Makati City.

For reservations for schools, civic groups, and corporate sponsorships, please call 571-6926 and 571-4941. You can also email shows@repertoryphilippines.com or visit www.repertoryphilippines.com

Tickets are also available through Ticketworld 891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph

See you at the theater.

Starbucks PH Card

It's been years since I initially became one of the pioneer members of a Starbucks Group which meas that it has been years since I first knew of the existence of the Starbucks Card. Sadly, the Philippines wasn't part of the countries that had these until this August. Finally, we now have our very own Starbucks Card.

The Starbucks PH Card has two designs, one for the coffee lovers and the other, for the tea lovers. Of course I got the coffee lover. I don't think I can ever turn my back on coffee though I have started an affair with tea. :)

I now have 6 stars on my Starbucks Card. You don't really get much yet from the Starbucks Card but since I do love my gold stars or affirmation, I bask in my 6 stars. LOL.

Have you gotten your Starbucks Card?

Print Cafe

I chanced upon this little store at SM near our place. I thought it was initially another eauty shop but a second look proved that it was actually a paper store. Yes, a paper store which is my idea of heaven.

They also priint out business cards, stationaries, and personalized paper. I now know what to give friends who love to write or keep a journal. I can also give away stuff on the blog and its going to be personalized. =)

I love this place! If I had lots of money to spare, I'd redesign my breakfast nook to look exactly like this.

gratitude # 4

Last night, I felt like I fell apart and maybe I did but I'm grateful that it was only for a few moments. It meant that I was still human and that I feel.

I'm not fake. I won't pretend to be happy if I am not nor would go I go as far as posting fake happy tweets if I wasn't feeling happy at that time. When I say I was happy, it means I was. However, last night, I wasn't. I was heartbroken and looking back, I don't even really know if I should have been heartbroken or if the overthinking, paranoid, jealous part of me go the best of me. After all, I couldn't really ask the person I wanted to ask what the truth was right?

So today, I spent time with my family and reminded myself of what really matters in life. Yes, he still matters to me but he's no longer a part of my life. He chose not to be and I need to appreciate those who have chosen to stay.

Today, I am grateful for ...

- Allan who is a constant by my side
- Vida who keeps reminding me that I am worth it
- my family, especially my Mom and my sister who keep me sane and hug me whenever I cry
- Oda and Jeje, new found friends who support me, accept me and love me
- my son, who is always ready to give me a kiss and a hug
- FM for leaving me ... yes, for leaving me because it was when he left me that I came to realize what I needed to fix about myself and what I needed to sort out ... the immense pain he gave me made me more mature and forced me to look really hard on myself
- FM for loving me ... he may not have stuck around but I know that he really did love me 
- for every tear that has added steel to my spine
- for every moment that has made me smile
- for work that will allow me to build the life I deserve and the one that I want for my son
- for the determination that I feel in getting my life back on track

I am grateful.

sudden sundate ...

Allan and I have talked about meeting up on a Sunday for him to teach me some boxing moves as well as spar one on one. We've talked about it for months and for one reason or another, it has never pushed through. Yesterday, when I woke up, I saw a text message from him asking if I already got the gloves and the pad.

I said no and thought that this was another session that would not push through. Apparently, I thought wrong. At 11am he sent another SMS and told me to meet him at 12noon.

12noon? I was still in my pajamas at 11am, having rolled right out of bed and planning a day of being stuck to the couch watching my TV series while systematically dissecting my old magazines.

I had to do a mad rush and get bathed, dressed, fixed, and have a cuppa to make it on time. Thankfully, he was the one who was late this time around. We went around and looked up some gloves and pad then ate at Greenwich. I haven't had their lasagna for quite some time so we made a beeline for it.

I love the lasagna. I love how it tastes and the layers and the meat in between. I rarely get to it but when I do, it feels like a piece of heaven is inside my mouth. I also love the chicken and the tastiness of the chicken. Even the white meat was full of flavor.

Afterwards when we were walking home, we chanced upon my Mom and sister. Instead of getting home, we ended up at Bonappetea.

They had a rainy day treat where you can get a 1Liter Milk Tea for  only Php70 so of course that was what I had.

My little sister on the other hand wanted macarons which were quite pricey so this is the end result.

It was a fun afternoon even though we had a bad experience with Western Union. Luckily, the CSR I spoke to today was able to fix it. Sometimes, it really is the unplanned events that bring you life's simple pleasures.

21 days ....

One thing I have always been proud of is how transparent I have been on my blog. My take is that its my blog and if someone doesn't feel comfortable with whatever it is that I have written there, that is their opinion. What they think of my blog and I are none of my concern. As long as I have not intentionally hurt anyone with my words or my thoughts, I'm okay.

The past 21 days have been quite a challenge. It started pretty awful and then it went pretty smoothly and then it got pretty bad again. To say that it has been a series of ups and downs would be an understatement. There were days where my brain simply goes to him and just won't get out of that place. It was like I was stuck in a rut.

There are days when I would survive and simply think of him a couple of times. I relish these days. I feel like I am somewhat normal and sane. Gone are the incessant ramblings and thinking and wondering if he thinks of me, if he misses me, if he remembers me, or if he's out cavorting with someone new.

Ugh. Someone new. The thought of it still causes my stomach to hurt but yes it is a possibility. He can be pretty charming when he wants to be and since he's open to meeting new people, that door is simply wide open, ready to welcome newcomers or even possibly, girls who were just waiting in the wings for my exit.

Here and there tears fell but for most of the 21 days, I did not feel the need to clean my eyes. However, that need came earlier and I found myself lying on the bathroom floor, crying my heart out. It was quite pitiful actually. Pathetic even but it's my feelings, my emotions, and it was how I felt.

You're probably wondering what would have drove me to such a state. It was nothing really ... or perhaps it was something ... perhaps she is someone ... perhaps she is no one ... perhaps. I wouldn't really know. I can't. I don't have the right to know nor to ask; especially to ask.

We're no longer together. I need to get that through my thick skull and through my heart that just won't listen to my brain. We're no longer together and therefore, he can hang out with anyone he wants, he can date anyone, and he can do God knows what with anyone he wants and I don't have the right to feel anything about it or if I do feel something, I should just bang my head on the wall.

She's pretty, I think. Yes, I am jealous. Yes, I am hurting. Yes, I am feeling insecure coz she's pretty and young and she seems happy. Ugh. I hate this. I hate feeling jealous but I'm honest enough to admit it. Well, to myself, some friends, and my blog.

My blog is my sanctuary. If I cannot write what I feel or need to sort out, then where would I go?

It's all so confusing. I hate this confusing feeling. It's so ... painful and tiring and the suffering is just plain crazy. I hate this.

The other week I said to myself, "ignorance is blis." The other day I said that not knowing was pretty awful. Now, I wish I have amnesia or I can go through the same procedure the characters in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind goes through. Seriously.

It's been 21 days. He couldn't have forgotten me that easily right? Or perhaps he had. Damn. Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn. I thought I was okay. I honestly believed that I was doing okay. Today, when I saw her and when I patched things, it just fell apart. My illusions fell apart.

I fell apart. Again.

Now I need to go pick myself up again ... one by one, piece by piece. I wonder how many times would I need to pick the broken pieces of me before I can really stand still once more? This whole picking up the pieces crap is getting tiring.

The tears just won't stop falling. It's been 21 days already .... it's only been 21 days .

and we played word search ....

B loves Word Search. He plays with it and loves doing it as a past time. Yesterday, I decided to play a game with B using the new Word Search book I got him. The game was to answer two different word search boxes and whoever finishes his list first wins.

For the first 2 rounds, B won. He was very happy about it. He was gloating and all smiles. I played along and looked sad and pouted on the first 2 photos.

 The 3rd time around, I won. I wanted to of course take a photo of the moment. 

 

Unfortunately, B walked out. It seems he was a sore loser. Afterwards, I talked to him and explained that he needed to learn to accept defeat graciously. After all, it was just a game. If he couldn't accept defeat in a game, what would happen to him when he gets defeated in life.

I hope that I was able to teach him a simple but important lesson about this. I hope the next time we play, he'd be the one pouting in the photo and I'd be smiling because he lost and I won and he was able to accept it graciously.
 

God Never Blinks

I got this book a few days ago. I wasn't even planning on buying a book but for some reason, this one called out to me. Perhaps it was because I could relate to the author. She was a single parent, I am a single parent. She looked for love in all the wrong places, I too am guilty of that. She struggled with a difficult childhood, I did as well though not as bad.

She was 45 when she initially wrote the lessons. She was 50 when she added to it and that's when things took a turn. It seems that her lessons were something people could relate to. It seems that those lessons were meant for bigger things. It seems that those lessons were something I need to read and learn from as well.

Serendipity.

I knew that if I had read this book a year ago, I probably wouldn't be marveling at it the same way that I am now. Now,  I get it. Now, I could relate. Now, I am saying, "oh yes! She's definitely right!"

I finished the book in just 2 days. Normally, this would be something I could finish in hours but since I do have work and a son to check on, between obsessing over something, deciding what to eat, what to wear, and how to stop myself from scouring for Speculoos Peanut Butter, it took me two days.

Honestly, it is now my favorite book. It actually bumped "Hope for the Flowers" to number 2 and it is the first book that I plan to carry around wherever I go. It is just so full of little anecdotes that can be easily used to turn a bad day into a good one. It's a constant reminder that we are never having a bad day. We are having a bad moment.

For those struggling with life, wondering where God was when they were born, or have simply asked God, "Why me?" this is the book for you. It will allow you to see why it was you that God chose and why things happen when they happen.

Remember: God Never Blinks.