Last Day of 2004

It's the last day of the year again. So many things to be thankful for.

(1) My family. My eldest sister who has cerebral palsy is still alive at 30+. My parents are pretty much healthy are enjoying their golden years, with their focus on church work and community service. They still love each other very much. My younger sister went back to school. Relationships with relatives are also good. My cousins and I are pretty much okay. Lola Tinay is still active even at 90. And she doesn't even look her age. Well, neither do my parents hehe.

(2) A good home. We've been in the same house since 1981 and it's survived earthquakes and lootings and floods. Very cozy. My room is one I can live in forever. Pretty comfortable and homey, it has opened its doors to so many of my friends.

(3) Food and Water. We are able to eat and I am thankful for that. There are times when we have no water but this is not a common experience. That in itself is a blessing.

(4) My friends. My barkada. We grew up together, from selling ice candy to playing patintero in the streets, to family computer nights and Dungeons & Dragons, to debuts, parties and now weddings, baptisms and kiddie birthday parties. I wouldn't know what to do without you. My best friend. My orgmates, my college friends, my work barkada. All there for a reason. All blessings.

(5) A good job. A job wherein I am able to help. Where sometimes, the best reward is to see a colleague's smile. A thank you note. A thank you e-mail. Even food sometimes. I'm going to miss this if all goes well.

(6) Comics and Gamecube. Keeps me sane.

(7) My crush. You make me smile. You are soooooo interesting. You have so many thoughts and ideas that just burst out each time you blog. You have brightened my December... and the coolest thing is that you don't even know it. Only Cathy and Tonito know that I like you. =) This entry says it all =0

Christmas Commercials

There's this cute commercial that I never tire of remembering during the holiday season. I don't recall the earlier words but the latter part I still remember:

Let's share a dream of a better world
And make it all come true
For tomorrow will be brighter then
Good and bad times
Joys and tears
Every single year
Shared with you

Another Christmas commercial I fondly remember:

S-a
A-ming
N-ayon

M-asayang
I-pinagdiriwang
G-anitong
U-u? Ukasyon!
E-xcited
L-ahat

P-asko
A-y
L-aging
E-spesyal

P-asko, pasko
I-naabangan
L-ahat
S-umasaya
E-veryday
N-agbibigayan!

And for the longest time, my favorite carol by Fe Delos Reyes: ABAKADA NG PASKO:

A- Ang Pasko ay sumapit
BA- Bagong Taon ay magbagong buhay
KA- Kahit hindi Pasko ay magbigayan
DA- Dashing thru the snow
E- En a one-horse open sleigh
GA- Gatta find out you're naughty or nice
HA- Have yourself a Merry, Merry Christmas
I- It's Christmas time in the city
LA- Last Christmas I gave you my heart
MA- Mano po Ninong, mano po Ninang
NA- Nang si Kristo'y isilang
NG- Ng si Kristo'y isilang
O- O come, all ye faithful
PA- Papapampam
RA- Rapapampam
SA- Sapapampam
U- U, come all ye faithful
WA- Way don't you give love on Christmas day
YA- Ya better watch out, ya better not cry
ya better not pout I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town

Okey, everybody, ulitin ang
Abakada ng Pasko
(Repeat 1st stanza)

Coda

Z- Zilver bells!

My family's leaving, they're going to visit my grandma and the rest of my relatives. Going to be home alone for the next few hours.

Withdrawal

Fuckeroo, 'lam ko na!

It's withdrawal. That's why I felt so bummed today. It's withdrawal from my friends!

The past few days seemed like a timewarp, bringing me back to everyday gimmicks and limitless fun. I've been reconnecting with old friends like Popoy and Wil and Saren and it's been great being myself again without layers 'n layers of pretensions. It's little things like trading sweet insults (you oxymoron!) with each other and playfully punching each other's arms to big things like talking about life, where we're headed and what the future may (or may not) bring.

And now. After work, I find myself alone. Not lonely but alone. Funny. hehehehehe.

Perookeylangyanmasayaparinbuhaydahiltayoaybuhayathindepatay.

Anyways, since I have nothing better to write, let's listen (read?) one of my favorite songs instead:

'Wag na lang kaya
Hari ng Katorpehan
'Wag, 'wag na lang kaya
Di ka ba nasasawa sa liwanag ng buwan
Namamatay na ang mga rosas sa tabi
Di ka pa rin bumibili
Nauubos na ang oras sa kahihintay
Pero ni sulat, ni tawag, wala
Ba't mo pa kailangan ng tulay
Kahit ulap nagsasabi tayo'y bagay
Ba't mo pa kailangang magtanong
kung alam mo na, alam mo na
Namamatay na ang mga rosas sa tabi
Di ka pa rin bumibili
Nauubos na ang oras sa kahihintay
Pero ni sulat, ni tawag wala
Namamatay na ang mga rosas sa tabi
Di ka pa rin bumibili
Nauubos na ang oras sa kahihintay
Walang sulat ni tawag--
Bilisan mo na ngayon kasi tumatakbo ang tren
Bilisan mo na ngayon iiwanan ka -- iiwanan
Ayoko ng torpe (8x)
Pero gusto kita

So... you who are reading this blog... and you know I'm referring to you...

Ayaw mo ng torpe...

pero gusto mo 'ko =)

Long Day

Been up since last night, haven't slept yet hehe. Haven't eaten lunch either. Worked overtime 'coz had a lot of deadlines.

Work barkada's going to Batangas to attend Sharon's birthday party. At least, I had breakfast with Haydee and Kay before they left, Haydee's treat (yay).

Tried out this new derm clinic along Reposo and had a facial. Some seaweed treatment or somesuch. A lot of their spiels were canned. And they gave out these medicines and asked me to come back. Is that how you get hooked on a derm clinic? You keep coming back because you have to? Anyone reading this who goes to a derma regularly, do I really need to buy all those medicines? And how often should I visit? Help po.

Had a haircut too.

A little down today. I don't know why.

Finally got our PS fixed. Played Bust-a-Groove 2 last night. Nostalgia.

Ahhhhhhhh =)

Yesterday...

Went to HMR with Amy, bought KFC for my barber and his compatriots, then attended Andre's 2nd birthday at Jollibee. My friends and I felt weird attending the party. Soon, rather than celebrating our own birthdays, we would see each other at our kids' parties. Since I've pretty much decided not to have kids, I'm bringing my future dog to those parties. I'm calling my future dog "Krypto" =)

Last Night/Awhile Ago...

Just got home a little before 5 am =)

* Watched the finale of Survivor: Vanauatu which my sister taped for me since I missed it. Lots of shocks and surprises and as always, the final bit with the jury was entertaining. This is the part where our final two are held accountable for all the backstabbing, deceiving and lying that they did to get to where they are right now. I could feel Julie's pain at Chris' betrayal, and Eliza's demand for an apology was funny. I didn't like Twila and Chris so it didn't really matter who got the million dollars. I was originally rooting for Amy, and then Eliza afterwards. Yeah, she's a pain, but an adorable one (so I'm a sucker for clueless people, everybody knows that hehe). I finished a loaf of fruitcake while watching the show. That's one thing I can't get enough of every December - fruitcake!!!

* Met up with Wil, James, Matt, Aileen and Russ at Greenbelt. Wow, I'm starting to go out again. First, we went to Starbucks. I bumped into Erwin Conde, a former officemate. I missed that guy a lot, he was always so funny back at work. Afterwards, we watched a movie. As it's the Metro Manila Filmfest, we decided to watch a comedy - "So Happy Together." I wasn't happy watching it. Initially, it was funny, but after awhile it became too cheesy and sappy. It bored me. I couldn't wait for it to end.

* Ate at Cable Car with the same group, some of them played billiards, met up with Zeki and his buds. One of them, Dan, is into comics and gaming as well. Zeki is a good friend and former officemate who's into the same hobbies as me. That's very rare, as my hobbies have always been the subject of ridicule of some of my friends. They just don't understand the passion I possess for my games and my comics. These things make me happy. They don't hurt anyone, and I spend MY hard-earned money on these. I still set aside money for my family and for some bills, so whatever's left I think I deserve to use them on what I see fit. Hm. Here I am ranting and I'm sure no one would agree. Whenever someone slams my hobbies (childish, immature, magastos, luho, ang tanda mo na para diyan), it hurts. But I take the slam and just smile. But it hurts. One day, I'm leaving this planet behind and moving to Jupiter. Hah! Delusions brought about by my hobbies hehe. Anyways... Zeki and I used to talk a lot about the latest games & the coolest comics during our 15-minute breaks. I miss that, it reminded me of Tonichi and how after our shifts, we'd hit the malls for some comic shopping. So when Zeki and I saw each other, we just talked non-stop about Nintendo DS, and Hush, and a very funny anecdote at Filbars.

He went to Filbars Glorietta and asked for the latest issue of "Nightwing." Salesperson remarks "sir, wala na kame niyan. Gusto mo "Nightcrawler" na lang?

BWA-HA-HA! Yes, both their codenames begin with "Night" nga naman =)

* Videoke with the same group, Wil, Matt and I shared a crush from the opposite table. What got me? As usual... BRACES! And Wil noticed that our crush looked like my last ex. Speaking of Wil, I'm glad I get the chance to hang out with him again. We were very close half a decade ago, but everytime he'd get attached/committed, we'd lose contact. After every break-up, we'd comfort him and get to hang out together again. I missed going out at night and getting home at 4 or 5 in the morning. I missed being with my friends. I've been doing the loner shtick ever since Cathy, Popoy and Jonella left for the States. Ah, I took a psychological test some weeks back, and guess what came out: I'm an INTROVERT!!! I guess I really am an extroverted introvert. Like I always say, it's so easy to connect superficially, but when someone gets too close for comfort, I back away. No fucking way will I allow myself to be hurt again :)

Angst much, hehe.

* I've noticed that in a lot of blogs, there are some Christmas wish lists. Here's mine, from what I would want most being first on the list:

(1) Twilight Zone (80's) DVD Set
(2) Mummies Return DVD
(3) The Phoenix Saga DVD
(4) My crush who works at Citibank. At least let me know if I have a chance. That's all. Kung wala, oks lang.
(5) Animal Crossing Gamecube Cart
(6) Legend of Zelda Gamecube Cart
(7) Warioware Gamecube Cart
(8) Gamecube controllers
(9) Sentinel Mini-Bust
(10)Marvel Masterpiece Hardcovers

Today is the birthday of Yeng and Trixia's kid. It's a kiddie party at Jollibee. ALL MY FRIENDS ARE GETTING MARRIED AND HAVING KIDS NA, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

I just woke up. It's really cold these days, best time to just sleep the day away.

Last night, Popoy and I watched this Hong Kong DVD (we didn't know what the title was). It was a cute love story with a tragic end. Towards the end of the movie, James, Wil, Matt and Jaypee dropped by. Wil wanted me to open the Unicron already hehe. For Christmas, they got me some wind-up X-Men toys. =D Edil got me this really cool comic book!

Early last night, been playing the Cube non-stop. I feel like a kid again! I also watched Christmas with the Simpsons 2.

Yesterday afternoon, we had Christmas lunch with my relatives. David had crutches because of a soccer accident. Nothing too eventful, just hung out with my cousins. Every year, everyone just gets older and older (malamang hehe).

Christmas Eve, some relatives dropped by for a post-dinner snack. We watched Home Alone.

Afternoon of the 24th, Amy and I went to Galleria and I did my way late Christmas shopping. We were supposed to check out HMR but it was closed. Parker told me that they were selling cheap and used Gamecube carts there. I learned that one of my favorite Filbars salesladies - Anie - was resigning. The new shipment also arrived unexpectedly, so I got:

* X-Men Christmas Special - A neat "coming-together" story with lots of guest-stars! Still addressing the issue of mutant-phobia. Poor Xavier is still separated from his students

* Excalibur - Magneto gets Scarlet Witch's distress call and rescues her

* JLA Classified - Batman leads the all-new, all-robotic Justice League vs. Gorilla Grodd and his apes

* Astonishing X-Men - Wing commits suicide... or does he?

* X-Force - Stryfe is revealed to be Domino from the future! The MLF and X-Force team-up, and 2 of the Fantastic Four guest-star.

* Green Lantern: Rebirth - The truth behind Parallax revealed!!!

* New Thunderbolts - Radioactive Man joins the team

We also visited Gold's Gym since I wanna go back to exercising.

The night before that, Kay and I hung out at work... the last survivors. Previous to that, Mark J, MarkMark and I went on a "road-trip."

Been a busy week again =)

Bits

* Next week, it's the final episode of Sex and the City. I didn't even notice that it's been 6 years since it was 1st shown on the air. This evening's episode (a retrospective) pulls at your heartstrings (and nostalgia-strings hehe).

* Played the CUBE last night. ASTEEG!!!!!!! I had a blast playing the whole night. Ultimate stress reliever!

* Got Identity Crisis #7. It's the last chapter. I don't wanna read it yet. I don't wanna know.

* It's Christmas in a few. Doesn't feel like it. Good thing Popoy's here. Great buds mean great company!

* Cathy texted me last night, saying she misses me. I know you read this blog... I miss you so much too. This is the 2nd Christmas that we aren't spending together. Mark J says hi. We missed you at Gerry's party. And next week, Andre's celebrating his 2nd birthday. Tangna, we're so old na haha!

* Popoy and I watched "Birth" starring Nicole Kidman. Suckedeggs, it did.

* Bought Wilson-Philips' latest album. Who woulda thought they'd come back?

* Was able to help some people at work today. Had to let go of one as well. Haaaaay. For every good that I do...

* Got 2 new games for the CUBE - - Donkey Kong and Sylvester & Tweety.

Busy Saturday

Very busy indeed! I drove to CCHQ Katipunan (traffic) because they were closing on the 22nd... for good! I got a lot of good stuff at 50% off - X-Men Masterworks, Transformers, The Pulse, Alias, Wonder Woman, Exiles, Wolverine/Witchblade, X-Men/Spider-Man and Noble Causes.

Next, I went to Astoria because Saren had a surprise party for her boyfriend, Gerry.

Finally, Popoy and I checked out Metrowalk and had dessert.

The other day, I also got to watch "If These Walls Could Talk" starring Demi Moore, Sissy Spacek, Anne Hecht and Cher. All about abortion.

So What's Been Happening?

FPJ passed away the other day. It's sad, because he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Susan Roces' press conference was a sad one as well, but though the pain was evident on her face, so was the strength. J De Venecia's 15 year-old daughter died in a fire too. Sigh.

Last weekend, we had an HR Teambuilding and Planning Session. Although everyone who really knows me know that I HATE going out-of-town, I had a great time! We rode in Mark's car (with Kay, Weng and Tata). We had a lot of fun, and we were laughing so hard that we missed our exit and overshot to Sta. Rosa, Laguna! I was also able to eat fish... the non-boneless variety! Yay me! The Sunday after, I had a "mini-reunion" at Tomas Morato with Wil, James, Kuya Rally and Matt. We were trying to cheer up Wil because he just came from a break-up. 4 years =(

We went to Trina's house for lunch because it was her birthday. I enjoyed the binagoongan (did I get it right? 1st time I tried I said binangonan, which turns out to be a place hehe) pork. It wuz really good!!! I think this is the first time I've tasted this. We also roasted marshmallows.

Last night, Alexa, Patrick and I went to Ronnie's house to celebrate his birthday. I'm glad that Pat and Ron have recovered their friendship. Since I rarely drink anymore, I just stayed in Ronnie's room with some of the other Assers and we watched "Wishing Stairs" (some Korean - I think - horror movie). It wasn't a good choice. Dragging.

Oh, prior to that, Popoy pulled a joke on me. HE'S BACK FROM THE STATES!!!!!!!! Yay! Popoy's one of my closest buds, and it was great seeing him again (although he had Chicken Pox). But I guess friendship means not being afraid of your buds, even if you have reason to fear them. KIDDING! hehehe. I'm done with pox anyways. So, he called my office and pretended to be an applicant. Going to the States does wonders for your command of the English language... I didn't even suspect that it was Popoy! He was speaking in straight English! We went to Galleria and I treated him at Piadina. Then he gave me his pasalubong - a Transformers toy... but not just any Transformer... he gave me UNICRON!!!!!!! A large, massive, kickass figure that looms over my other Transformers!!! IT WAS SO FUCKING COOL!!! And I also got my Nintendo Gamecube and Nintendo Gameplayer!!! I asked him to buy these for me since it was way cheaper in the States. I was so hyper!!! The pack included a free game - Mario Kart: Double-Dash! He also had Jonella's gift for me - a thick, hardbound X-Men book!!!!! Man, i love my friends. And why are most of them in the States already? =(

I haven't played the Cube yet, as I have a busy weekend ahead of me. I went on leave today as I knew Ronnie's party would not end 'till early AM. I just woke up haha. Later, I'm watching the last episode of Survivor: Vanuatu. Then I'm going to visit the Assers at UP, check out the closing sale of CCHQ, and then back to Makati for our Christmas dinner (work barkada).

Finally, early this morning I got to YM with Cathy and Jonella. I miss them so much. Last December, almost everyday I was out with my friends. Now... now it's just YM. But Popoy's here, so maybe we can round up some of the old gang. =)

Oh, and there's Jollibee now in Export Bank Plaza!!! I usually get Peach/Mango and Ube Macapuno Pocket Pies or a jolly hotdog and a strawberry shake but yesterday Kenny introduced me to the Fruit Salad Ice Craze. Saaaaawwwwwwwaaaaaapppppppppp! And Mia, thanks in advance for buying my monita's gift for me. I wouldn't know where to begin looking for blouses, and bags and other girl stuff hehe.