waiting for the bus

A poem for my wife

2010-04-06T13:30:00.001-07:00

I wrote this for my wife back when I still had all the time in the world!!

I love the way you talk to me
And the way you spend so much time drying your hair
I love how you say every word
I love it even when you're just there.

I love the way you laugh at my silly jokes
And the way you don't at times
I love it when you're so silent all of a sudden
I love you for hearing me when i whine.

I love it when you call
And the way you say my name
Even when you tease me,
I love you just the same.

I love the way you say you're PRETTY
I love it when you keep on saying you are
And even when you take it back, and people say you're not,
I could care less, I love you for who you are.

I love the way you refer to me as your 'Babe'
I love it more for making me feel that I am
I love the way you make me miss you
I love our pillow talks 'till 4 a.m.
Most of all, I love you for understanding the whole me
And yet knowing every part of my being
I love you for loving me in ways even I couldn't fathom
I love you for loving me for who I am.

Digging up old stuff...

2010-04-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

If you see me walking the road with someone else
It's not because I like his company
Its because you're not brave enough to walk beside me.
If you hear me talking about him all the time
Its not because he pleases me
Its because you're too deaf to hear my heartbeat
If you feel me falling with someone new
Its not because I love him
Its because you're not there to catch me if I fall
If you feel lost, I too am nowhere
I too don't know where the road is going
Are we gonna cross each other's path
Or just completely turn around?
Will we just let go of what we had
Or go to the place where love is bound
Don't let me walk with him
Its you I want to walk with
Don't let me talk of him
Its you I want to talk with
Don't let me fall for him
Its you I want to fall in love with.

the answer:

When you thought I wasn't brave enough to walk beside you
I was behind you every step of the way
Still filled with awe because of the beauty that stands before me
When you thought I was too deaf to hear your heartbeat
I didn't want to assume anything
And I was afraid to lose our friendship
When you thought I wasn't there to catch you
It was because you never gave me the chance
You never reached the bottom, you've already grabbed a branch
If you feel like you are nowhere, I too am lost
I too don't know where the road is going
Are we just going to turn around,
Or are we gonna cross each other's path?
Will we just let go of what we had Or go to the place where love is bound?
Don't let me walk alone I want to walk by your side
Don't let me talk of something else
Its you I want to talk with
Don't let me fall for someone else
Its you I want to fall in love with.

Got this from someone named "Grace". hmmm...

I miss Ally...

2010-04-06T13:18:00.001-07:00

Before I got hooked watching the CSIs, Grey's, Heroes, Entourage, etc., the only other TV show that I really fell in love with was "Ally McBeal". I don't know why. It was cheesy, sentimental, quirky. But it was a great show. I wish it will get released on Bluray. Anyway, here's my all time favorite quote from Ally:

"There are some people who meet that somebody that they can never stop loving, no matter how hard they try. I wouldn't expect you to understand that, or even believe it, but trust me, there are some love that don't go away. And maybe that makes them crazy, but we should all be lucky to end up with that somebody who has a little of that insanity. Somebody who never lets go. Somebody who cherishes you forever."

Frog or prince, you should always pick the one who's head over heels crazy for you!

Of course, that excludes any stalkers.

These days...

2010-04-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

Work, watching tv, facebook and twitter occupy most of my time. Then I accidentally clicked a link that sent me to someone's blog. I remembered that I have a blog. My last post was in November of 2008! What the heck happened?

I started reading my blog entries. Then I started reading Sara's blog. Sara wishes that she can be inspired to write more. I got inspired by Sara to write more. Even though I suck at writing. And I'm lazy! Ask my wife! This past week, I spent hours playing scrabble on my iPhone with probably 20 different people at a time.

I really don't know if I can keep up with this blog. I do have a lot of shit to do and my wife keeps on reminding me everyday that I do have a lot of shit to do. But everytime I stop, and read Sara's blog months (or years) after, it's like New Year's day again with me trying to make a NYs resolution to keep writing.

I'm continuously lost. Please bring me to the Lost & Found. I need to be found again!

And they call it Puppy Love...

2008-10-30T16:59:00.000-07:00

The face that launched a million of my ships.

The smile that captivated me all day long.

The CAT officer who I was willing to do pushups and squats forever.

The senior who captured the heart of this freshman.

The picture that painted these two words for me --

First Love.

Yup! She was the first. No doubt about it. I know because the next 3 years of my high school life I felt I was just in cruise control, trying to get by. It seems like I can't wait for college because maybe when I get to college she would think differently of me. She'd look at me in a different light. Not as a 'green' freshman anymore.

I was so determined to find her when I started college but I ended up on the wrong part of the city. She went to PLM. I went to UP Diliman. Manila and I can't seem to find one another. You can leave me right in the middle of Taft Ave and you'll definitely see me in the evening news asking for my parents to pick me up. UP's different. How can you get lost going to UP? It only takes a bus trip to Philcoa and right when I get off, the UP ikot jeep station is there. But going to PLM? I don't even know where that is. You can probably give me directions but I'd get lost at 'hello'. To simplify my sense of direction, the farther I get away from EDSA, the probability of you seeing me in "Eye to Eye" exponentially increases. Yes. That bad.

So, what happened to her? I don't know. I hear news from friends here and there from time to time and soon you forget how she even looks like. Partly my fault, because in my frustration, I burned her pictures and burned the last thing she gave me the last time I saw her, the only thing that gave me hope that maybe, just maybe something's there - a letter with the words "I Love You" on it. Don't ask me what the letter said. I can't remember. It was some sort of bitter farewell or something. I don't know. Just... just don't ask. Didn't I say I burned it?

Anyway, the point of this post is, we all have our 'First Loves', and we all know that often, our first loves are not who we end up with. Blessed are those who did. But for people like me, it's the first loves that shaped how we approached relationships. No more surprises. No more what ifs. You really have to take a chance and take a leap of faith for the person you love. You gotta believe, and hope, and dream for/with the person you love. Because if you don't, you might not end up in TV Patrol or 24 Oras or in the Lost & Found. But you will end up in UP Diliman.

Not in PLM.

Lost (and Found) in Translation - Part 1

2008-10-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Warning: This letter might require you to use a magnifying glass to read. I don't know why my friend used a very light colored pen when she wrote this. Hmmm... It must've meant something.

Dear Anna:

Got your letter and here I am writing you back. I guess you're not expecting I'd write back after all.

You're right, of course I miss all of you. How could I not? I've always thought that you were the same people who I wanted to be with when I finally receive that piece of rolled paper with a ribbon. And yes, I would've enjoyed sweating blood with you taking all those Stat classes. I can't say I miss taking Stat 122 with you, but I would've enjoyed the experience. In all honesty, I would've traded all those easy classes here for Stat classes just so I can still be with my friends. Although, I have to admit, now that I know how easy those accounting classes are, I would have shifted at the earliest chance I get =). We still get to see each other, at least, because we'd be in the same building! Sorry =).

Really? Everyone joined STATSOC, including Bert? Si Bert? We both know that Bert joined for the only reason starting with an S. I know him. All of you would have joined except me and Bert. We're kinda Anti-social. And once Onats finds out na hindi kami sumali, he would not join as well. You know me. I can't be like a bird on a cage. I've always had problems with authority and structure. Let's just say, for the sake of STATSOC, it was for the good that I did not become a member, nonetheless, the president. Pero syempre, permanent staple siguro ako sa tambayan nyo. I only have 100 pesos for allowance every day, at least makakalibre ako ng pagkain sa tambayan ng STATSOC. Not to mention, dami chix dun na nakatambay, including my crush, (Ate?) Christine Fabros. =).

Finding cute guys sa Stat is like looking for cute guys in a bar na kami ang kasama mo: Bakit naghahanap ka pa ng pogi, andito naman kami! Hello?!? And yes, at that time, hindi pa rin siguro ako nakatali, nor magpapatali. I'd be offering myself to the highest bidder. Practicality lang. Although Adele Pascual or Christine Fabros would have swept me in a heartbeat. I'm glad wala ka pang BF. I guess bangenge ka na sa pangangaral ko. But I've always thought that a broken heart needs rest to mend too. Especially if it has been broken repeatedly. Pahinga muna dear. You have your hands full with your academics anyway. Darating din si Prince Charming. I dreamt of you last night na nakita mo na daw yung Prince Charming mo and ang initials nya is GA! So keep an eye for a guy whose name starts with G. Baka George? Greg? Gordon? Gary? O baka Glen. Time will tell.

Yes, namimiss ko na rin ang mga audience ng jokes ko. I still cannot believe ako ang naging class clown. I never did thought I was that funny. Maybe fun and easy going, but not funny.

I am still eager to know how the Dondon-Irish love story unfolded. Seems to be very far-fetched. The only connection I can think of is that parati pinagiinitan ni Mrs. Madrinan si Dondon in Chemistry class. Maybe dahil din sa malaking mata ni Adonis! I still remember his Mickey Mouse briefs na sinabit ko outside our tent sa Makiling on our Leadership training back in 1991.

So my dear friend is turning a new leaf. It wasn't that long ago na parati kitang seatmate kasi C ka tapos D ako. I still can picture you with those thick eye glasses. And here you are, turning 18 in weeks time, blossoming into a lady. How I wish I can be at your debut. It'd be a real treat.

You may not know this but the gift I was planning to give you was to let you be. You're 18 now. You're old enough to be who you want to be. You're old enough to make your own mistakes and recognize them. I promise that you won't even hear a single comment from me anymore, especially towards your lovelife. You know why? Because I know you're gonna be okay. My job to keep you aligned with your dreams and aspirations is done. I feel like I'm your coach preparing you for a big fight. And now that you're ready, it's time to go. It feels like I've been to the future and saw how your life turned out. And it turned out the way I expected it would be:

Pretty well.

Your Friend,

Vincent

Memory lane in a shoe box...

2008-10-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I was in my old room at my parents' house which is now my little sister's bedroom. I wouldn't have gone there if not for my sister asking me to take all the junk that I left in her closet when I moved out. I was grabbing some of my accounting books when 'lo and behold, a shoe box fell on my head (ouch!) and spilled all its contents on the floor. What were they? Letters, pictures, postcards, notes, etc. Old stuff. Yesterdays. My pasts. These stuffs were what was and somehow something drew me into going thru them. Curiosity? Yes. But more on interested to know if what was is still is or not, what changed and what stayed the same.

A brief history on how these letters came about was when I migrated to the United States when I was 18 years old. And since I was moving to a new world, a new country full of strangers, the only way I can cope is to write friends that I left behind. I can't recall what I wrote on those letters but I do have their response. I'm toying with this idea of scanning them and posting them into this blog, and maybe answer a lot of them (retroactively) since I noticed that a lot of them went unanswered. I noticed an interesting thing too. December of 2000 was my first trip back home since I came here. It also marked the time I graduated from college and the start of my career. After that time, the letters stopped coming. I can think of 2 reasons why: One, I think when I started working, it spawned a new medium of communication - EMAIL. I do recall that several emails were exchanged between me and my friends back home. Unfortunately, a couple of PC crashes and network changes ruined all my .pst files and there goes all my emails. Two, people really do change, even friends, even old friends, even best friends. And sadly, part of those changes is meeting new friends, and having new best friends. It's part of life. It's human nature. We really do adapt. We have a tendency of clinging to the people who are often around us. It's more convenient. It's who we have and we make do with who we currently have. And in time, we forget how it feels like being with old friends. To quote someone who captioned one of her pictures with some friends, "New friends that feel like old". It's like that "lost wallet" story I got on my email years ago, where a guy was devastated he lost his wallet because he had everything in it. Until he got a new wallet and started putting new stuffs in it and soon it started feeling like his old one. Maybe different, maybe better. But it made him forget that he ever lost his old one. What happens if he finds the old one? Does he go with the new or the old? Or does he keep them both?

Anyways, some of those letters may contain some stuff that might not be suited for today's, so I'll try to blank those out and maybe names as well. The writers of those letters know who they are anyway.

The NYC Subway (not so) Love Story...

2008-10-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.nygirlofmydreams.com/

This is Patrick Moberg's site. A 21 year old lad from NY that for a while captured the hearts and attention of every hopeless romantic around the world because his was a story that these romantics have been waiting for so long to prove to the world that love and fate really happens in the real world - a dose of true love ushered by fate.

I admit, I was fascinated with his cinderellaesque story as well. I mean, who wouldn't be? Guy in a big city gets on the subway, thinks he saw his soulmate, trying to muster enough guts to approach her but a tad too late because she slipped away. Can't stop thinking what could've should've, would've happened if he was able to tell her how he feels. Got on his site and posted a sketch of the girl and asked the whole world to help him find her. Found her eventually. They got together, went out on dates, tv shows, and so on.

You'd love to see and they lived happily ever after at the end of this story. Unfortunately, and I sympathize with all the hopeless romantics and wishful thinkers out there (that includes me, I guess), it ended up, not on a sad note, but on a different, and on a real world note... they stop dating and a budding romance was thwarted, but they remained friends.

Finding true love in NYC out of all places is not only like finding needle in a haystack. It is like digging in your backyard trying to find oil: you know it's impossible and even if you do attempt to do it, you know eventually it's not going to happen.

So where can you find true love? I don't know. It's a question that has been asked too many times and answered vaguely and seldom. But I do know that in this time and age, love and fate rarely goes hand in hand anymore. And learning to love the person you are currently with is not the kind of love and fate that hopeless romantics wish for but it is a kind of love that you find more often around these days. It's not fate but it's practical.

Don't look for love. You may never find it.

Learn to love instead.

The Early Bird

2008-10-24T06:40:00.000-07:00

All these years, I have always admired people who get to work early every morning like clockwork. I've always thought, hmmm... maybe I can come to work early tomorrow. Of course, tomorrow never happened and I've never been able to get to work earlier than 9:30 am. I mean, my alarm is always set to 7:00 am but I end up pressing the snooze button like 15 times. I'm guessing there are 2 reasons behind this. One, if you want to be able to get up right away when that first alarm sounds, do not buy a mattress worth more than $700 ($400 for a Queen size). It is true that we spent 30% of our day sleeping and if you buy a really nice comfy bed, you'll find out that 30% will turn to 35 or maybe 40. I know this because when I'm on the road staying at a hotel (4 stars or less), they have the worst bed of all (well, at least worse compared to my bed). It is so bad that you really want to get up right away because your back hurts if you lie there any longer. Secondly, I really am a late sleeper. I guess the saying 'early to bed, early to rise' is true. I can never sleep any later than 1 am. Even if I go to bed at 9 pm, I'd be lying there for 3 or 4 hours wide awake. So, I find it so hard to get up before 9 am no matter what.

Except today.

I got here at 6 am! Wow!

Yeah, there was a reason. I have to drop off my Dad at the airport. But 6 am is 6 am! This must be a new record for me. Maybe I can do this every day.

Or maybe not....

zzzzz zzzz zzzzzzz

Home alone...

2008-10-16T15:08:00.001-07:00

So my little guy and his mom went back to the Philippines a good 3 weeks ago and they will stay there until January of next year, which means I have the whole house to myself. I thought it would be a relief to not have them around because now I can do more chores, work longer hours and skip meals without worrying about them. I guess it was only a matter of time that I start missing them. I can't even think of how I am missing all my son's milestones as he grows up. I miss him. I miss my wife.

How can you not miss this face???

My little munchkin...

2008-10-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

Isn't he cute?

So is his dad...

Strollin' down nostalgia lane...

2008-08-22T15:51:00.001-07:00

Abby. Tonie. Me.

Laughs... more laughs...

I've never felt this good in a while. There's just an unbelievable feeling when you're hanging out with old friends... good ol' friends. The only thing we wish we could have is more memory. We must have spend most of our time recalling every classmate we had since kindergarten. Some we don't remember. Some we do. We could use some time too. We could have gone for a good day or two and it won't be enough for all the catching up. I do hope there's always next time.

Good times.

The List

2008-08-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

Dear 'ever-procrastinating' me:

I just wanted to remind you about all the stuff you wrote down at the beginning of the year as your so called "goals" this year, none of them have been checked off. Should I bother go thru the list with you again? I mean, what the heck, right? You have the list on your Outlook, your phone (yes, on both of them even), that tickler file you keep on your desk (it's on the right drawer, yep, nope, reach further back... yea, that one!), and not to mention that ever present shadow behind you, always reminding you to check your goals daily. But I understand. You having a little kid. I'll give you that. Except that you have only 4 months left. Knowing you, before you can even get started, it'd be another year, and a new set of goals that will never be accomplished. So please, spare me the excuses and get your ass off your chair and start working on these:

- Study for your CPA. I know, I know. It's hard and pretty expensive for the review classes. But you gotta do what you gotta do. Ain't no easier time to take the CPA exam that today. You got everything you need (except maybe time, but you'll figure it out).

- Clean your backyard! Tidy it up. Rake all the dried leaves. Trim those trees. Sweep. And that deck has been asking for a weather coat for about a year now.

- You're still on Lesson 2 of your Photoshop crash course. You've been on lesson 2 since May. Any news on when you're going to get to Lesson 3?

- Do your filing, please! You have a year of filing in your office. Either do it or hire a temp to do it for you. I mean, you just need to pick up the phone and call a temp agency, right? Then do it!

- 3 months ago, you have 9 videos of your son posted on youtube. You still have 9 videos. Hello!!! Your son should give you a good ass whuppin' for not uploading his videos. Why do you have a video cam and PS Premier? Did you forget why you even have these?

- Okay, it's not all work. You have to get to the All Madden level in Madden 09. So far, so good. You need to work on that rushing offense and defense, however.

- You keep saying that you're going to start waking up early and run for about a mile or 2. Let's see. On average, you wake up around 9:30. And you haven't run even a few yards! Am I missing something here or do you really have that laziness stuck so far up your ass? I mean, you even bought Wii Fit because you thought you can do exercise inside the house instead of going outside. Well, that Wii is just collecting dust in your living room.

Shall I go on?

Okay. I'll spare you the further humiliation and embarassment. But you gotta admit, you are one lazy ass MO@$&F---ER.

Now, git!!!

-

Save the cheerleader. Save the world.

2007-05-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Claire regenerates. Isaac can paint the future. Nathan can fly. Hiro teleports and travels in time. Matt can read people's minds. Jessica/Nikki are two personalities in one person. Her husband, D.L. can walk through walls and their son Micah can manipulate electronic devices. Then you add an unnamed character referred to as the 'Haitian', and an obsessed Sylar who kills all the other people with supernatural abilities so he can assume their powers. Topped with Peter Petrelli who I think is the most powerful since he has the ability to mimic everybody's powers.

Heroes is my new fave show. No doubt.

So here's how my tv sked looks like now that the Lakers are eliminated from the playoffs and football season is still 4 months away:

Monday - Heroes

Tuesday - House

Wednesday - None

Thursday - Grace Anatomy or CSI Las Vegas

Friday - Sunday - Movie night.

But... after finally getting my new Digital Video Recorder from my cable company, my tv life just got more flexible. Now I can watch my shows anytime. I can even record two shows at the same time which means I don't get to miss any more CSI Las Vegas episodes! YEY! This DVR thing is unbelievable! WOW! I'm really enjoying it. I can record and watch live TV at the same time. My only wish is that in the future, these things will be able to skip commercials. No big deal. You can fast forward anyway.

Good times!

Philippine Politics -- my POV

2007-03-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao
Cesar Montano
Richard Gomez
Tito Sotto
Vilma Santos
Aiko Melendez
Herbert Bautista
Anjo Yllana
Joey Marquez
Noli De Castro
Fernando Poe Jr.
Loren Legarda

... and the list goes on.

These are, to name a few, Filipino celebrities that are becoming a part of the political arena in the Philippines. Why? Is it not enough that these people are already making big bucks out of their celebrity status? Because if I am right, the only REAL reason people get into politics in the Philippines is to make money. Yes, there are a few whose real intentions are for the good of the country, but most of the politicians are in it for the MONEY.

Celebrities are no different.

That they claim they can make a difference is bullshit. The only difference they can make is bring the country's bottom line in the red and bring their own personal bottom line with more profits. Do you think they are going to spend millions on their political campaigns without even expecting to recover a single centavo back when finally elected? Running for an office has two faces: One is liken to giving money to charity, where you don't expect getting it back. The other is similar to making a loan to someone - you lend the money expecting it back... plus INTEREST!

Politics, in an ideal world, is not about money. You don't get paid much being a politician. Yet we see them around in million dollar cars riding with a full entourage of bodyguards and living in million dollar homes. So if you are but a decent salaried public servant, what's up with the props? You see politicians getting richer and richer and the country getting buried further in the ground that you can almost smell Satan's stinking joint!

I especially take offense on celebrities taking advantage of their celebrity status to run for public office. I see them running for office as their retirement plan. You know, when projects are harder to find and the once boy / girl next door face and figure are but a distant past. Celebrities have to think about their future too! They can't make movies forever not even if they wanted too. Making movies is fine but imagine all the work involved in it when your filming, or even when promoting it. They get paid but they have to work for it. But joining politics is different. They can just sit their asses in their office all day and hire an assistant, a secretary, a press person, an "advisor" who does all the thinking for them. All of these at the public's expense. The only thing they'll do is to make a decision which they will even confer with their advisors several times, and then sign it.

Case in point: what makes you think Anjo Yllana is working hard as a public official when you see him almost everyday in Eat Bulaga?

The main difference between politics in the US and in the Philippines is that running for public office in the US is all about POWER. Running for an office in the Philippines is more about MONEY.

Of course, the main reason why celebrities keep running for public office is because there are people who will vote for them, mostly their fans. Uneducated voters is the main culprit why the political arena in the Philippines is in complete mayhem. Can you imagine Gringo Honasan, a once leader of a separatist movement against the government, and currently on trial for mutiny and some other chargers, is being projected to be one of the senators to be elected this May? Are you kidding me? I thought they throw you out of the country for these kinds of shit. Not elect you for senator!

I see no end to this. No resolution. Why? It'll just keep going on full circle:

1. Need educated voters
2. Need proper education and increased literacy rate to produce educated voters
3. Need funds for proper education and to increase literacy
4. Need honest and hard working public officials to generate funds
5. Back at # 1 to elect honest and hardworking public officials

Having said all these, I thought Fernando Poe was an honest candidate. He has no need for money. I don't know if he would have made a difference but I think he was a sincere candidate. Also, he died for it. Roco, I think, was also an honest dude. Died for the cause too.

Equilibrium

2007-03-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

I watched Equilibrium over the weekend and almost regretted wasting 2 hours on it. The back cover of the DVD claims that the action sequences are better than the Matrix. Not True. But I picked up a quote and googled it right away. The quote is from William Butler Yeats:

But I, being, poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

So slow...

2007-03-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

What a week!!! Really, nothing much happened this week. It's been a relly slow week for me. Kinda like L.A. traffic slow. Maybe because my boss hasn't been around the whole week.

When the cat's away, the mouse comes out to play.

I figured it's just a matter of time when my boss will eventually find out that he's paying me just to sit around and procrastinate.

I've been talking to my wife's belly last night. The kid's really active! He moves around too much! I actually could feel and hear him move. Last week when we visited our OB, the doctor was trying to hear the kid's heartbeat. Let's just say she couldn't get a good reading because the kid moved all over the place. It's like he was messing around with the doctor. So the doctor had to use an ultra-sound machine to get a proper reading. Even then, you could actually see him move like he just finished a Venti triple shot capuccino from Starbucks. Sort of like me back in my childhood. I remembered my first day in kindergarten, I was told by Ms. Tudor to stand in one corner because I was out of control. My mom saw me standing in the corner and asked my teacher why. Ms. Tudor irritatingly said, "masyadong makulit!".

Like father like son... 'atta boy!!!

I'm referring to my unbord child as "he" because everyone expects and wants a boy. Except my mom. I personally want a boy because it takes 4 times as much effort to raise a girl here in the states. Plus we have enough girls in our family. We need more guys. Ironically, all the names that we have come up with were mostly girl names. We only have 2 boy names on our list: Kobe and Charles... and we like them both so we'll probably combine them -- Kobe Charles!

I like Charles because it is my boss' name. Maybe the success and luck that my boss had will somehow rub into my son. God knows I've run all my luck out. This is a crazy world we live in and we all need all the luck we can get.

What's Next???

2007-03-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

This is for all the lonely people
Thinking that life has passed them by
Dont give up until you drink from the silver cup
And ride that highway in the sky

This is for all the single people
Thinking that love has left them dry
Dont give up until you drink from the silver cup
You never know until you try

You know at the age of 29, this is supposed to be the year when all my friends are getting married. Invitations should be filling up my mailbox by now. Instead I've only receive 2 in the last 2 years. Two! Now I know there might be the possibility that I'm not invited but I doubt it. Who wouldn't want to invite me? =)

I told my friend about this and her answer was "well, it's not like every one's as lucky as you are...". Yeah, I get it. I'm lucky? The only luck I got is that I married a smokin' hot girl. Luck has nothin' to do with it. It's all about commitment. People are afraid to commit, and understandably so. We are investing our whole lives on it. It's worst than investing your money on stocks in a volatile market. We all know what happened 2 weeks ago. Greenspan uttered the dredded word recession and the whole market went upside down. Imagine getting married and something drastic happens. Your whole world will be crushed. Your whole life left in ruins.

So I don't blame people who are afraid to commit to marriage. But I do wonder what they would do with the rest of their lives. Priesthood? Monastery? Seclusion?

I'd like to think that you should marry for the right reasons -- LOVE. You should commit to someone you really love. It means you don't care about anything else as long as you're spending the rest of your life with your partner. But we live in a practical world. And man in general are getting smarter by the minute. They claim that LOVE is not everything. True. So if you ask them about marriage they come up with a bunch of excuses -- not ready to settle, financially unstable, emotionally unstable, family obligations, etc.

And then something happens... They turned 30!!!

Now it's a race. All of a sudden, time is working against you. For women, time is even shorter. Gotta get married before their reproduction status halts. Guys are under pressure from their parents ("where are my grandkids? Who's going to carry our breed?"), and from their friends ("Are you gay?"), and from people around them ("Is he gay?"). I feel like this is the time when people marry the next person they date. Seriously.

So to all of the single people out there who still have some time to kill before 30, if you are with a wonderful person now that you really love, don't let them go. Love them. Commit to them. Don't be afraid because if your feelings are right, every thing will turn out right. Yes there will be challenges, but who said marrried (or even single) life is easy? At least you have someone right beside you now who you can turn to. You can face the world together.

And to those single people who are over 30, it's not too late. It will be if you wait any longer! But do not haste into getting married. Marry out of LOVE. And if that doesn't work out then there's always the D word (but you know us Filipinos don't believe in the D word. It doesn't even exist in our legal system).

Lastly, to my best friend who just recently was heartbroken, don't give up. If you love her that much, don't give her up yet. And when you get her back, don't be afraid to commit this time.

Pop the question...

"Do you really think I'm handsome?"

What did you think I was gonna say?

Meet The Reyes'

2007-03-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

Have you ever known someone that you haven't personally met but you hear tidbits about him from other people that you start thinking you just have to meet this person? Well, I'd like to meet Bob.

Let's see... how did I first hear about Bob? I believe it was a few years back when his girlfriend Sara (now his wife), visited the states for a few days and we get to catch up a little bit. Now if you know this feisty little lass Sara, you know you have to hit Eagles to catch her attention. Birdies and Pars are not enough. So I could imagine how and what Bob is like. I'm guessing he must be the most affectionate, thoughtful, intelligent, handsome fellow that Sara ever laid her eyes on. He must be the perfect guy for her. The one guy that complements of who she is. Now I know opposites attract as well. However, I could hardly imagine Sara falling for someone who is completely her opposite. He'd be pressing her buttons all the time! And you don't want to mess with Sara. Not unless you want daggers and krulls flying around all of a sudden...

Bob must have this soothing personality that enthralls Sara so much. Just look at their picture together. I went through every pictures of friends that I have and I have to admit, I might as well give them the Best Genuine Smile award. Can't fake that smile unless it's real! It only shows that they are perfect for each other. And it's just a matter of time until they decide to get married.

They just did!

Mr. and Mrs. Reyes tied the knot last January 27th, 2007.

I was supposed to be there to witness their marriage (and finally meet Bob) but because I am just a mere slave of my American boss, and the fact that fatherhood awaits me, my vacation was cut short.

Must have been the wedding of the year.

I know it was. I saw the pictures of the lovely bride and the stud groom.

So Bob and Sara... Congratulations! I know you've already heard all the well wishes that you want to hear but this is my blog so you just have to listen to mine...

I wish you all the best in your married life. Do not be afraid of what the future holds for you. Every newlywed couple sees that void in their future. But together, you can fill that void with wonderful memories and eventually make your own definition of marriage -- one that Mr. Webster can never define.

Photo Craze!!!

2007-02-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Some of my amateur photos... Toronto, Canada

2007-02-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

Wrist watch by Tag Heuer.... $850.00
Eyeglasses by Armani... $230.00
White Ts by CK... P425.00
Pants by SM... P800.00
Pack of Marlboro... P 40.00
Frap by Starbucks... P105.00

Spending time with old friends, smoking right beyond the 'No Smoking' point...

Priceless!!!

La familia...

These guys will forever be my family...

Note: Those are not my cigarettes. I quit smoking a long time ago.
Maybe not so long ago...

Say ahhhh!!!

2007-02-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

Guess I was really hungry I can't even pause for a pic!!!

This is the story of a girl --

2007-02-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

who cried a river and drowned the whole world!

She drowned me!

I don't know if I can ever look her in the eyes again... at least not in a way I look at her before... before I did the most horrific and the cruelest thing a guy can do to a girl...

... break her heart.

You know I'm happily married, right? I am. And this post is in no way heading to a "To all the girls I've loved before" theme. I am posting to speak up --

... of all things left unsaid
... and to mend the fences, even if I know it is way too late

I owe it to her at the very least.

She deserves the explanation. She deserves an apology. She deserves answers to her questions. She deserves honesty. And she deserves someone better -

... someone better than me!

There is no excuse for what I did. A spare tire is what PM (not her intials but if you know her initials, you'll get the correlation) thought of the way I treated her. Fair enough. It really did seem that bad. It was a very poor and stubborn judgement on my part.

I've been dating my wife back then for almost a year. But I was also wooing PM in a way. We've been friends, good friends, for sooo long. I courted her back in the days but knew that I don't stand up to her standards. But we've always had this understanding between us. Some unspoken feelings that we may not end up together, but we will be really close friends. At least that's how I felt.

We kept in touch over the years. Letters, e-mails, phone calls. We were countries and continents apart but I've always felt that there were some lingering feelings in every letter, every email, and every conversation we had. Honestly, I felt that we were one 'meeting' away from being a couple.

So I patiently waited for that day. Actually, I impatiently waited that it took several years for that day to come, I lost track of what/who I was really waiting for. Then I met the wife.

... And PM was lost in my memory and in my heart.

Ironically, and this is one of life's many ironies, we eventually found each other. We saw each other for the first time in so many years! I can sum up my feelings that day. It was like you have this lotto ticket in your hands and you read the numbers one by one, and all of them were matching the winning numbers, except when you got to the very last one. It's like seeing all your stars aligned but found the moon right smack in the middle of the last and the next to last star (ok, I'm stretching it). I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to expect.

And so the stubborn and stupid part of me 'tested the waters'. Because I wasn't so sure about how PM felt for me, we went out with a few of our friends. I held her hand, kissed her, held her, and she didn't object. That's when I realized I just dipped myself into the water too deeply than I really wanted too. I realized there is no way back out of this. Someone will get hurt, and the worst part of it is I was the one who gets to pick who will get hurt. I wished it would just be me.

I decided to come clean with it. But it's just too much for me to confront PM and tell the truth. I wish I had. It was something I regretted not doing. The least I can do was to be honest with her, face to face.

But no... I did it thru the grapevine... I went to see her best friend, completely aware that the news will get to her anyway, and introduced the wife to her.

I confronted her eventually... I did apologized but I didn't think it mattered at that point. The damage was done. She was devastated. I treated her like a 'spare tire'. And it's one thing I'll never ever forgive myself for doing.

You know the worst part of it? I lost a very good friend. I might have lost a best friend. You know that famous cliche? That you'd rather lose a lover than a friend? Well, it was my reasoning/thinking at that time. Unfortunately, I lost both!

I don't regret not picking her. I love my wife dearly and I still am head over heels for her. What I regret is that I wasn't honest with PM. And my dishonesty costed us our friendship.

So, to you, where ever you are... I am sorry for treating you like a 'spare tire'... I deeply regret what I did to you and I know it is something I will forever regret. You may not have completely forgiven me, and that's understandable. As much as I'd like to try to make things right, I know I can't. I know you are over it and have gone your own way. But if we ever see each other again, and fate allows, I'd like to make things right.

I'd like to make it up with you...

I would very much like to be your friend again...

WHA HAPPEN??? @#!*&@!

2007-02-08T16:01:00.000-08:00

Wha... What? My last post was back in July? How can that be???

Well, it's an extremely long story that led from one thing to another...

... football season started
... procrastinated
... I had a freaky ankle sprain that lasted a month
...procrastinated
... fiscal year ended
...more procrastination
...thanksgiving around the corner
... christmas season came around
...pre-annual Philippines vacation cramming
...annual Philippines vacation
...post-annual Philippines vacation cramming
...more post-vacation cramming
...and more post-vacation cramming
...Superbowl! (to those living outside the US, this is like the Christmas day of every Sports fan!)

and here we are a week away from Valentine's day!!!

So many days passed, so much stuff happened, and so many thoughts / experiences to share, I just don't know where / when to start!!!

I'm soooo lazy!!! I can't think of any other person lazier than me!

Garfield has nothing on me. Except maybe he makes infinitely more money than me. Not bad for a lazy-ass cartoon character!

XoXo

One last time...

2006-07-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Here's the theme song of the drama series... (although I like the other music video better).

Sang doo - My Love

Boys Don't Cry --

2006-07-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Okay. This usually does not happen to me, but after watching the finale of the Sang-doo Let's Go To School (I actually found out that they aired this in the Philippines on GMA-7 and was re-titled "All For Love") series last night, I find myself so attached to the drama series up until now. I don't know if this feeling will wear out in a few days but it really feels so weird because I've never felt this emotional in my life for quite a while, especially about a movie. There are quite a few films out there that touched me in a way. Casablanca, An Affair To Remember, Love Affair, My Best Friend's Wedding, Almost Famous, Ngayong Nandito Ka (yuck!), When Harry Met Sally, Forget Paris, for example. But these are 2-3 hour long movies, and even if all the scenes in the movie are so moving, they tend to wear off on you after a while. What I mean is, you watch them, you eat, you take a bath, you go out and voila! The world is back to what it should be again. But for dreamers and idealists like me, who sometimes dwell on the fictionalist world that these movies portray, the effects last a little longer. And can you imagine if you're watcing a drama series that last for about 20 hours? Wow.

The Sang doo series is quite remarkable and unforgettable. A lot of the heavy drama scenes will really get to you. Add to that the perfect soundtrack playing in the background at the right moment. It surely melts the heart. The effects of a movie on a person dramatically escalates if the conclusion is not what we expected it to be. Simply put, if it's a sad ending, we mourn with the movie. We agonize with the characters. Since we live in a world full of fairy tale beliefs, we've always wanted a 'they live happily ever after' ending. Not in this series, though. The writer provided a little twist on the finale, however. It was really never clear if the main 'lovers' suffered a tragic end to their relationship. I googled up some reviews about this series and a lot of people are still confused whether Sang-doo and Eun-Hwan lived happily ever after or died in the end. I think that they died because the script at the end of the movie almost seems like their obituary. I personally wanted a happy ending so that I can get this movie out of my mind and move on with my life these next few days. I've been busy for so long and have too much stuff to do to dwell too much about a Korean flick. I've been trying to be like my friend Sara... just completely trying to avoid any drama in my life right now...

So, let's get to the title of this post. This is how I relate my own life to the Sang-doo series. Guys really don't cry! But when they do, we usually don't show it. Like Sang-doo in the movie, he has that toughness in him. His life experiences are what created that toughness in him. So when the going got tougher and tougher, he stood his ground. He is the fort that held his family and Eun-Hwan together. Guys are like that! So ladies, please understand. Men are not as insensitive and unsentimental as you all thought. Men are not all about their egos. We seem egoistic and insensitive to you because we've always known where we should stand -- to hold you and catch you when you're weak. We have to be strong for you. And when you get back up to your feet, that's when we turn around and shed a few tears. While watching last night, there were parts of the film when I was about to drop a tear. But then I looked at my wife, and she's sitting there with tears in her eyes. I stopped and held those tears back. Made a funny remark and offered my shoulder to her. Then I'd excused myself to go to the bathroom to wipe my tears dry.

I think I should stop writing about this drama series...

2006-07-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Sang doo Music Video

Some very emotional scenes compiled in this featured track of the mini-series...

Ain't LOVE a beautiful thing???

2006-07-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

Popium - Beautiful Thing

Heart Answered...

2006-07-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Ganun'???

Kong Hyo-Jin

2006-07-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Move over Heart Evangelista! She's my new girl...

Hooked!!!

2006-07-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

Okay... This is the reason why I don't want to watch anything that will last for more than 5 hours. Meaning, as much as possible, I try not to watch a teleserye (mini-series). I think they intentionally used the word 'mini-series' to deceive people to watch it and the producers usually go all out towards the first few episodes to get people hooked! And once you're hooked, you have to watch it until the end. Then you find out that it is not a mini-series... it's a Macro-series!!! Believe me, you can actually tell when a mini-series is not a mini-series. It's that point in the movie where you think it's about to conclude, and then something happens and you realize that it could take several other things/circumstances to unfold before it gets back to a point where it can (might) finally end. Sleek. Nifty. Masterful.

I have heard from several of my friends that Koreans have really good macro-series movies. And my wife, who actually endured the Meteor Garden I and II (I think this one's Chinese)marathon, Full House, Lovers in Paris and who knows what else, recently borrowed from our friend Nette a bunch of Korean movies. One of them was the movie above: Sang-Doo, Let's Go To School. I watched the first 2 episodes and found myself stuck on my couch the very next day watching the next 7. I thought it was almost over until I curiously opened the DVD case and found that there were 3 more discs. Let's see... 6 discs, 3 episodes each, a little more that an hour per episode... That's about 20 hours!!! My average sleep is about 6 hours. That means I have to cut 2 hours of my sleep this week just to finish the whole series!

Anyways, let's get to the movie.

It is actually a very nice movie. It features Rain (Bi), who my wife and our friend Nette admires a lot. He does this funny thing of wetting his sideburns. And my new crush, Gong Hyo Jin, who actually resembles my wife in certain facial angles. Her beauty will not throw you off your feet, but in this movie, she has a strong aura and charisma about her, especially when she cries, that can actually melt a guy's heart. Of course, the popular Lee Dong Gun is also in the movie, who's making a good living by always being the nice 'other' guy. He's very handsome indeed but I've always felt that he does suit the role perfectly of being the other guy (See Lovers in Paris). In fact, I seriously think that perfect guys (handsome, rich, eloquent, cultured and charming), even in real life, do fit the 'other' guy role. They're just too perfect (not to mention rare and soon to be endangered species) that girls later realized they are undeserving of such guys and just too good to be true! So girls usually end up with guys like me... he he he...

Back to the movie...

Sang doo, Let's Go To School is about two childhood sweethearts who were separated but had their paths crossed again after 10 years, only this time they each have their own lives. The storyline is very moving because it always show flashbacks of how their lives (love) were when they were still young. I'm not going to spoil the movie for you because I already did spoil it for me. I can't wait to find out what's going to happen on the next episode so I folded my sleeves and artfully googled the whole story. This is my dilemma. It's been my habit that when I started something, I always hated it if I have to stop in the middle of it. Like reading books. When I read something, I want to read it from page 1 to the end. I can stop for bathroom breaks and to eat but if I have to put it off for a day or so, nuh-uh... I might have to start over again. Same thing with movies, in this case, a macro-series. But since it is impossible to watch the whole thing without sacrificing my precious slumber hours and work hours, I have no choice. So, because of my impatience, I read the whole story on the internet. And now it feels like knowing Bruce Willis is dead in the movie The Sixth Sense at the beginning of the movie, when they're just showing the cast of characters.

I figured the whole plot revolves around the dialogue between Cha Sang doo (Rain/Bi) and Chae Eun Hwan (Gong Hyo Jin) about 2 stars far away from each other... "I feel sorry for them. They love each other so much. They should just let them be together."

Anyways, watch it and you'll certainly love it. Otherwise, I would have spent those hours playing Xbox or writing more nonsense on this blog.

Prelude to a wedding Part II

2006-07-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

So my friend Crispin T. (as in T_N_A... he he) Marfil is getting married this coming December. It's about time, bro!!! I'm really proud of you for being a man and standing by your girl. Unlike someone we know. Kailangan pang bigyan ng ultimatum!!! (Bato-bato sa langit, tamaan 'wag magagalit!).

Cris is getting married to the lovely Trina Faye Versoza (everybody knows her as Chic-chic). The lovely couple is a perfect match at first sight, but you do have to know what's behind the scene. Like did you know that Crispin is 3 years older than her? That my younger sister, Tatiana, was Chic's classmate? That when we were in 6th grade, we use to see this cute little kid dragging her stroller on her way to class, and then we'd whisper to each other "yan yung pamangkin ni Ms. Versoza!" But you can't call Cris a cradle snatcher. After all, there's only 3 years gap between them. Unlike someone we know where the gap is about 8 years (Ingat ka sa bato-bato galing langit!!!)...

Cris asked me to be his best man. I don't consider myself as best. I'm probably one of the worst person you'll ever meet. But for my friend, I will try my very best to put on my 'best man' hat even for just a day.

So as his best man, here's what I have to say to him:

I know we don't spend much time hanging out the past few years. I wish we would have, but I don't regret it because I know you're spending more time with the love of your life. I do wish I could have spend more time knowing your love story. Nevertheless, I feel assured because I can see that both of you are very happy together. As your friend, I offer you my never ending support (morally, spiritually, emotionally, but not financially) free of charge. I will always remember all the things that we've been through. You are almost a brother to me. I've always thought that our friendship will come to this. That we will soon have our own families. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness... ay, naging poem na!!!

What I mean is, as we open a new chapter of our lives, I do hope and pray that our friendship will still stay the same. I feel blessed for having you and the guys as my friends. Marriage life is pretty much like our friendship - you'll have to be flexible enough to deal with Demet, Luis, Me, Ian, and Henry. You'll have to be like Demet, affable and sweet, especially to your in-laws. You'll have to be as hardworking and as 'asintado' as Luis. You'll have to be as supportive to your family as Ian. You have to be as strong-willed and maporma as Henry. And finally, you don't want to be as lazy as me.

Congratulations and Best wishes...

Peace out!!!

Prelude to a wedding...

2006-07-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

12 years ago, I just turned 12 (not my real age)... Who would have thought that I would be happily married today? I actually believed when I was in my puberty stage that I may not be married until my early 30s. In fact, I did say to myself that I will not get married until I am 35 years old, settled down, and semi-retired. Well, let's see... I'm far from being 35, I'm slightly settled down, and far from even thinking of retirement.

Last night, I had a hard time sleeping again. I can't even remember the last time I had trouble sleeping. Back in the days, I spent hours in the night half-asleep, dreaming about stuffs (you know? girls, cars, friends, celebrities, etc.). Now, it's like I don't dream anymore, and if I do have dreams, they're usually the weird ones where I end up rolling out of bed and smacking right into the floor. So, I decided to reminisce. I thought about how my bachelor days ended. I thought about how I got married...

It really is not that fairy-tale like. For strangers who just stumbled on my nonsense ramblings, me and my wife's story is that of a 'long-distance' love affair (her being in the Philippines and me being roughly 7,500 miles away in Cali). And it took a lot of flights, a lot of overseas phone calls, a lot of phone cards, and a lot of $$$. When I met my wife, I easily racked up $5,000.00 on my 'new' credit card in 3 months (yes, 3 months!!!) just so I could talk to her every day. I went home 2x a year, not to mention that little side trip back in 2001 when I went to the Phils for about a week (4 days, less travel time). I send here gifts, flowers, letters, greeting cards, you name it. So yeah, you can say that I really do love her. But the real question is, how did I realize that I want to marry her? (By the way, my friend Henry suggested that I write about this topic... in fact, here's his e-mail to me about this...

"maganda cguro vince yung topic ng kasal nyo kasi diba si cris next naman den di mo alam bka me sumunod pa...."

So I was thinking about the answer to that question last night and I remembered that there were 2 key circumstances that helped me in my decision. The first was when I did something really really "stupid" (starts with a "C"). I don't know why I did it, I never thought I could have done it and I regretted doing it. Most of all, I felt really bad not because I did it but because I hurted the person I loved the most. The second one was when we broke up. Talk about seeing me in a 'devastated' mode. Not to mention that she broke up with me when I was on vacation... in Vegas!!! I could have easily bet all my savings on the double zero on the roulette table (in fact I thought about it). Ironically, I've had my one and only winning night in a casino. I won $800!!! So, what would you do if your girlfriend found out you did something really bad, then she broke up with you while on vacation in Vegas, and you just won $800? My answer? I have to win her back. Just the thought of living the next days of my life without her seemed worst than hell for me. I could not let her go. Not without a fight. Not without one last gasp... one last chance... one last try... So, I called my ninang who's a travel agent and booked the very next flight to Manila.

On my way back from Vegas, that's when it dawned on me... maybe she is the "one". How could she not be? I already feel miserable she broke up with me. I can't think of anything positive about my life without her. I close my eyes and I don't see myself living without her. And I sincerely believe that is how you decide if you are going to marry the right person for you. If you cannot think of at least 1 positive thing about your life without that girl, then why risk an eternity of solitude? Some people are blessed with finding the right one with little effort and much fate/destiny. Well, I'm not blessed much. Finding the right one is not easy. Some have live most of their lives never finding their soulmate (i.e., Miss Alias =)). However, realizing that she's the 'one' is much more difficult.

Like I said, our love story is not even close to a fairy-tale. But it does seem more of like a movie. Come to think of it, a lot of love stories revolve in the theme "guy-meets-girl, girl-gets-mad, girl-breaks-up-with guy, guy-wins-back-girl".

My favorite angel...

2006-07-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry ladies for posting this, but every guy I know at this moment is already rushing to the nearest mag store to grab a copy of this...

We've all been waiting for this angel to grace us with her presence. Little did we know she'll show up in a bikini!

The Power of the WWW...

2006-07-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

Talk about ingenuity and resourcefulness, this guy literally traded a paper clip for a house in Canada!!!

So bloggers, don't lose hope. Who knows, the winning lottery ticket might just land right into your lap...

Here's the link to the story of one 'Kyle MacDonald' from Montreal...

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13804920/

Our house...

2006-06-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

This is where Kuya Bodjie met Ate Siena with Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing...

The backyard... kaso patay na yung damo ngayon... maybe I'll put more pebbles...

This is where the humping and thumping goes on... =)

This is where I slice and dice... Once I dreamt of becoming a chef...

That's our gardener... mowing our lawn... He looks cute, doesn't he?

Front view... Can't ever fathom that we'll be able to buy a house... dukha lang kami...

The Old Times...

2006-06-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

I was reading my friend, Leslie's (not her real name) blog, and she had a post about her old friends. She's right! You expect your HS friends to be your best friends, the friends you can rely on, and will always have a shoulder for you to cry on and ears to hear your grudges against the world...

I've always had this feeling that my HS buddies, my HS best friends, will never change and will remain my best friends for life. After all, we practically grew up together. From the moment our parents walked us in that class room when we were kindergarten to that stage when we received our HS diplomas, we were inseparable. We cried and vowed that we'll keep in touch after graduation. And then college... Some of us were lucky to go to the same school with our other friends. Some, like me, got lost in the process. But I never felt detached from them. The friendship / kinship is still there. Whenever we see each other, until now, after so many years, the bond is there. It may not be as strong as ever but whenever we get together, it regains its strength. Yes, my friend Leslie's right, distance can work against friendships. But not to those who have shared enough ups and downs in life. Those are the ones that keep them together. I remember that HBO mini-series 'The Band of Brothers'. They spent only 4 years of their lives together in World War II but it brought them together even until now.

And that's how friendships last. It's not about the time you spend together shopping or the time you spent telling each other's heartaches and pains. It can't be measured by how long you talk on the phone or how you spend your weekends together.

It's about how the foundation of your friendship was built. It's about what you have shared in the past that will keep that friendship alive. And hopefully, when Leslie and her friends get together again, they'll remember what brought them together as best friends in the first place.

To my best friends, Cris, Demet, Ian, Henry, and Luis... You all drove me to the airport back in 1996 when I first depart to this foreign land. How happy I was to see all of you to greet me when I came back after 5 years. We may have our own separate families / priorities now and may not spend more time together as we'd like, but I appreciate the friendship, and I do know that the bond is still there...

Thanks guys...

I miss Ally McBeal...

2006-06-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here's my favorite quote from the show:

"There are some people who meet that somebody that they can never stop loving, no matter how hard they try. ... there are some loves that don't go away. And maybe that makes them crazy, but we should all be lucky enough to end up with somebody who has a little of that insanity. Someone who never lets go. Someone who cherishes you forever"

-- Ally McBeal

To My Wife...

2006-06-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

my love...
mi amore...
my best friend...
my life...

who thinks that she's not beautiful anymore...
who constantly complains that she's getting fat...
and blames her figure for not fitting in her dress...
who gripes about her hair everytime she brushes it...
and stomps her feet because they look lost in her shoes...
who yearns for more surprises and shopping sprees...
and perpetual assurance that I do love her...

Yes. You still are the stunning, gorgeous, attractive young lass that I fell in love with.
No. You're not fat and the reason some of your clothes are a little tight is because they shrunk in the dryer.
Your hair still smells terrific and has not lost it's silky flow.
And your feet fits cinderella-esque on those Dior shoes. (It has to be!).
And I promise to work on my surprise technique, and take you shopping more often...
And I still do love you no matter how many more times you'll ask me...

"You are my love and my life
And you are my inspiration.
Just you 'n me
Simple and free
Baby you're everything I've ever dreamed of."

-- Chicago

Happy Father's Day! - What a weekend!!!

2006-06-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

To all the dads out there, Happy Father's Day!!!

To my dad: you may not be the perfect dad in the world, but I love you.

To my best friend Luis, who just became a dad, and who I have not seen for sooo long, Happy Father's Day! Miss the good ol' times, my friend...

Woooo! So much for my diet! After 4 days of non-stop eating, my gosh, I think I can fast for the next 2 days! It started last Thursday on my little sister's High School graduation. Went to Friday's and had enchiladas. I think they're miniature ones coz they're not as big as the ones they serve at Tio Leo's. But with a hefty appetizer, I'm bundat as ever. My sister got a laptop from my parents. We got her a jansport backpack for college with the gel straps. She needs it, trust me. Books here are unlike the books in the Philippines (paperback). These books are like encyclopedias, except most of the time, they're even thicker than encyclopedias. I can still imagine myself back then when I had 4 classes in a day and I have to carry 6 250-350 page hardbound textbooks! No wonder I never grew an inch more during college. I got smarter though and just left my books in my car. Who reads accounting books anyway? =) Anyways, my youngest sister is the only one who does not have a college diploma in our family. Talk about pressure. I've always told her to major in something where she can get a job easily (economics, accounting, engineering, nursing). Nothing against Psychology, Political science, Arts, Music, Liberal Arts graduates, but let's face it, unless you came from an Ivy League school, Stanford, Northwestern, Berkley, etc., my money's on a nursing graduate coming from Lake Saginaw college or some small community college to find a job quickly. But it's her choice eventually. My role as a big brother is to support her whatever her decision will be.

Friday was my godmother's birthday. We took her to the buffet at Viejas Casino. There was a long line because it's their buy one-take one free buffet deal. So basically Wed and a few of our friends were in line for nearly 2 hours. I, in the meantime, sat on the roulette table and lost $20. I kept betting on the double zero to come but it only came when I didn't put money on it. grrrr!!! I admit, gambling is not my thing. Never been lucky in gambling, which is why I try to stay away from it as much as possible.

Saturday, we decided to celebrate Father's day a day earlier since we were expecting a long seating time and full reservations on restaurants on Sunday. We were about to go to Outback steakhouse but my friend recommended Black Angus. Their Filet Mignon is delicious! And their prime rib and NY steak is not that bad either. Capped it with the choco-fudge cake for desert and boom... there goes another 3 lbs gained.

Sunday's worst... it was my best friend Susan's graduation and their house warming party. It didn't stop there. We decided to have a family gathering late afternoon for more food! I cooked my specialty: Filipino-style spaghetti!!! Lots of barbecue pork, and chicken, kabobs, etc.

Last time I checked, I'm down to 155 (from about 170). I was aiming for around low 140s but I won't be shocked if I tip the scale at 160 after this wekkend.

I'm a little lazy again here at work. I was contemplating this morning if I should go to work or just stay in bed. I wanted to stay in bed but Wed was already dressed up. My boss is in Cabo for the whole week so I'm thinking of just working at home tomorrow. As usual, I'm watching the World Cup. I feel bad for the US team. They have scored only 1 goal after 2 games and yet their only goal was not kicked by a US player. It was kicked accidentally by one of the Italians. And yet the news was all about how the US team feeling good about the US-Italy match. I'm scratching my head about that one...

The Office - my sanctuary!

2006-06-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to start a blog for so long kasi I envy those people like Sara and Anna being able to share their thoughts and experiences in the Whole Wide World... Kaya ako din... I'm not as articulate as those 2 kasi di naman ako kasing sipag nila... I am really the laziest person you will ever know... My wife doesn't even know what she's gotten herself into when she married me. Actually, masipag naman ako sa bahay, but when I get to the office, it's a whole different story... Take today for example: my boss has not been in for almost a week, I have the plasma TV on >>> (Can't believe I'm watching golf... I'm waiting for the World Cup on HD!)... and an Xbox at my disposal (courtesy of AMEX and MasterCard... Priceless!)... This is actually the view from my desk, and yes, I think that's Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open... I'm biting my fingernails as I'm typing this post... I'm tempted to play StarCraft on my desktop... or maybe play Need for Speed on my xbox... Oh shoot!!! I almost forgot, I'm having lunch with John Shireling, our IT guy, and a good friend of mine... I don't have cash this morning so I just asked 10 bucks from Wed. We're just having pizza. GTG...