Outtakes 2007 Part 3

Kapanahunan na naman ng pagkakaibigan... dumating si Bingle from Canada, si Helen from Japan, and Badaday from San Francisco (del Monte) para makumpleto ang tropang trumpo!!!






From the Land of the Rising Sun, the Kimono Beauties!!! clap clap clap

Outtakes 2007 Part 2

Inantok at nakatulog ang Bingle while having her manicure/pedicure. Notice Badaday na nakapayong sa loob ng spa(????)

Outtakes 2007 Part 1

Never before seen photos :) Nakalimutan camera sa Starbike kaya celfone na lang ipinangkuha ng pektyurs during dinner at Josephine's

August 2007 Asian Tour :)

Milestones 2.0

March - Tuloy ang Kasal

Dahil sa dumating ang Mamu nung March, kailangan na isiksik sa konting panahon ang mga dapat mangyari tulad na lamang na kasal ni Sister. Ilan beses ng nag-expire ang kanyang marriage license dahil inaantay nga ang pagdating ni Mommy last year pa. It was a simple civil ceremony at kami-kami lang talaga ng nandun, kapuso at kapamilya lamang. Ang ninong nga nila eh si Switham eh :) Notice na kami nina Josie, Mommy, and Switham eh nakaputi... wala lang... para feeling wedding talaga :)

April - Garage Sale

Ipina-rent na ang bahay namin sa Monte Vista so we had to dispose of most the things na nandun. Di na kasi kasya sa mga bahay-bahay namin ni Josie. Nagmistulang bodega na nga ang itsura ng apartment namin ni Switham, may washing machine sa dining area, at may aircon unit sa sahig sa sala. Kay Josie din ganun. There are some things na di namin talaga ipagbibili like the piano, dining set, etc. Pero maraming mga anik-anik (small items) that we decided to sell sa murang halaga lamang. Plates and glasswares at 10 pesos each. Silverware for 5 pesos lamang. Nakakalungkot to let go of some of the things pero naisip ko, itatago ko rin lang naman sa bahay namin so might as well sell it cheap to someone who'll use it. It was also sad to see strangers living at the house. Di bale, 1 to 2 years lang sila dun tapos kami na titira ulit sa house.

May - My Pamangkin

Dumating ang aking pamangkin na si Niles. He is the son of my sister Jobelle and her husband Neil. Ibig sabihin daw ng name sa 'Niles' is 'son of Neil'. Tamang-tama, di ba? Umuwi si Neil and Niles from New Jersey to attend the wedding of Neil’s ate. My nephew is an only child kaya nung nakauwi dito ginagabi kakatambay at kakalaro sa kalye sa dami ng kalaro. Sobrang cute, grabe :)

Mahilig sya sa toy train kaya nung dalhin sya sa amin ni Neil, isinakay ko sa LRT (dulo to dulo), ayun, mabaliw-baliw sa tuwa!

Ang nakaraan...

Year of the dragon '86
April da terd (3rd)
by the swimming pul
of selebrity...


Witnesses to da contraxt:
(signatures follows)
Beverly David
Joclyn Umali
Sandra Ann So
Helen Valencia

Be it known to all present that
we da byutipul wimen of tudey hereby
agree to da paluwing terms:

1. must be a human (half-human accepted especially for Sandra Ann C. So)
2. no more than 6 feet tol (especially for Joy)
3. below one hundred (especially for Helen)
(but not < 50)
4. must be willing to kiss (por Beverly's sake)

status of da humanoid: singol (take note * Helen)
with a few strands of hair

Must be able to acquire not later than year 2,000 PAUNAHAN!

The same requirements por da prebyus constracts still holds VALID.

PAYMENT UPON ACQUISITION: P60.00 each to be paid not later than 2 days apter...

Signed and sealed:
Office of da PIMP
Marry Ann Marcelo

Isang Araw sa Hacienda

Dumating si Mamu nung Marso at isa sa aming destinasyon ay ang aming Mango Orchard sa Bagac, Bataan. Hactually, di amin ang Orchard, may limang puno lang kami dun, hehe. Pag lumaki na ang puno at namunga, we share the profit with the mga tagapag-alaga. Ang layo nga lang talaga, feeling ko more than six hours back and forth. Masayang alalahanin pero nakakalungkot din kasi bumalik na si Mamu sa Amerika kahapon. Naiyak nga kami ni Sister sa airport kasi more than 2 years na naming di nakita ang aming mader tapos sandali lang vacation nya. Sa states, Mamu works at Walgreens and Littmans Jewelry store. Uso kasi dun more than 1 job. Sa sales sya in both companies at proudly lagi syang number 1 sa sales. Dun daw, you do everthing, ikaw na nag-sales talk, ikaw pa din ang magpapasok ng benta at mag-operate ng kaha. Napapagod na raw sya but she like the benefits of working, bukod sa nakakalibang, ok ang health insurance at ok ang kita. Sa mga lakaran namin dito, ako pagod na pero sya high energy pa din.

Hay, nakakamiss. Kaya nga ba super-relate ako blog entry ni Bingerly about pining for her parents.

A TEENAGER’S LAMENT

This letter made the rounds last year via text messaging…

Dear Daddy,

Sorry sa sulat ko... Gusto ko na kasing umalis sa poder ninyo. Sasama na ako sa boyfriend ko. Natagpuan ko na ang tunay na pag-ibig. Napakabait niya at malambing, di tulad ng iba. Matutuwa kayo sa kanya specially sa mga hikaw at tatoo sa katawan nya. Di lang sa mahal ko sya kundi buntis din ako. Sabi nya ok daw para sumaya ng pagsasama namin. Maliit lang age gap namin, 65 lang sya at wala syang pera. Di ito hadlang sa amin. May trailer truck sya at dun kami titira. Kahit may ibang girlfriend sya, alam kong tapat sya in his own way. Tinuruan nya akong humithit ng damo at may tanim din sya nito. Minsan pinapalitan namin ng shabu. Ipagdasal mo din na matuklasan na ang gamot sa AIDS para gumaling na bf ko. Deserving sya gumaling! Don't worry, I'm 15 na Dad at alam ko na alagaan ang sarili ko. In time, you'll be proud of me. Minsan bibisita kami para makilala mo sya at ang apo mo.

Love,
Gabriela

P.S. Dad, si tutuo lahat ng sinabi ko sa sulat. Nandito lang po ako sa kapitbahay. Gusto ko lang malaman mo na madami pang mas nakakatakot sa buhay kesa sa REPORT CARD ko sa drawer ni Mommy. Papirma na lang po kasi may bagsak ako :)

Nay nay nay nay

Nanay, my lola, passed away just before Christmas. It was a sad time for us. I also realized a person cannot die with dignity. Once dead, you are wrapped in a blanket, stationed near the hospital exit awaiting pickup from the morgue, and referred to as a cadaver. You have a window of four hours from the time of death until you become cold and rigid. Meaning, di na nila mababago position mo (unless they break something).

My sister called me up 2AM in the morning crying. Yung pag-ring pa lang ng phone in that unholy hour, I knew already she was gone.

My lola was brought to the hospital after suffering a stroke. Di na sya nakakadilat nor nakapagsasalita but she would shed tears whenever any one from family would talk to her. She also cried when the nurse inserted a feeding tube through her nose. I couldn’t bear to watch. Di ko rin sya makausap kasi naiiyak ako so I had to leave the room and just told Jor-el to talk to her for me. A priest also came to visit her. She died six hours after.

During the funeral, all of my lola’s four children were asked to eulogize. Dahil nasa Amerika si Mommy, ako na lang daw. I stood up and just bawled. Di rin ako nakapagsalita.

A tula made by Nanay on the occasion of Mommy’s grand 55^th birthday celebration in 1994.

Ako'y hindi makata

at hindi marunong tumula

Sa araw na ito

araw na dakila

Ako'y nagsaisip

ako'y nagsadiwa

At pinalad namang makalikha

ng isang maikling tula

Buong puso ko itong iniaalay

sa iyong kaarawan, aking anak

Sa iyong kaarawan

ako'y nagpupugay

Pumpon ng bulaklak

sa iyo'y iaalay

At aking dalangin

sa Poong Maykapal

Pakalooban ka pa

ng maligaya, mahabang buhay

Ang bulaklak na ito

aking pinitas

Tinuhog upang sa leeg mo'y

aking ikwintas

Hindi maluluoy, hindi malalanta

di matutuyo

Pagkat yan ay galing

sa hardin ng aking puso

Ako'y walang ginto, pilak

sa iyo'y iaalay

Kundi ang walang katapusang

pagmamahal

Mundo man ay maglaho,

mundo man ay magunaw

Kailaman ay taglay ko

ay ganyang pagmamahal

Anak, hilingin mo man sa akin

ang bundok ng sinukuan

Sapilitan aking kukunin upang

sa yapak mo ay aking ialay

Ganyan kalaki ang aking

pagmamahal

Abalang-abala

 
Bridal Shower

Helped coordinate the bridal shower of my sister-in-law but I was not able to grace the event, sayang. Di bale, ako naman nag-food tasting, he he. Ako gumawa ng towel cake and both the cake toppers.

 
Halloween

With the kids at Astoria Plaza. There was a puppet show and porcelain painting.

 
Wedding

Photo with the family. Todo ngiti kahit masikip ang gown ;) 

Lungkot at Saya

 Last rites
 Lauriat at San Jacinto Panciteria
 Naghuhulagpos na bilbil
 Even nuns have fun... a day at Villa Escudero

My Uncles arrived from Montreal and New Jersey. Siempre masaya to see them again at katakot-takot na pasalubong, kainan, reunions, at outings. Malungkot kasi they came home to bury the ashes of their brother, my uncle who passed away last June. At one point of the funeral mass, I felt extreme sadness at tuloy-tuloy tulo ng luha ko. It's been a long while since I've cried kaya naipon siguro and it chose to flow at this opportune time. 

Pagod at Puyat

Taken during our convention last September 6-8. Although tatlong araw lang ito eh July pa kami nagpe-prepare. Kami kasi ang gumawa ng software that would process and register more than a thousand attendees of the convention. Medyo hi-tech kasi each computer ay may nakakabit na webcam and it takes the picture of each delegate and prints the pic on their IDs. Ginawa rin namin election software nila. Pang-touchscreen sana where they can just make pindot-pindot on the monitor kung sino boboto nila kaso di na kinaya ng budget nila to provide us with the special monitors. Sayang!

Dahil kaibigan ko yung isa sa mga officers ng association eh I volunteered to man the registration and election booths for the whole duration of the convention. Naalala ko tuloy nung nasa UP pa ko, registration volunteer din ako dun, RVC pa nga tawag sa amin eh.

Pero stressful sya sobra. I had to wake up early and sleep late just to make sure okay ang lahat. There were technical glitches kaming na-experience which up to now boggles my mind. Naisip ko these were caused by the hardware supplier not following the specs na binigay namin. Pero there’s no way to know for sure, kakainis! And now, I’m sick. So heto ako ngayon sa office nagkakalat ng germs, he he

Christmas na!

December 1978

I went to the spa last night because my right arm and shoulder were killing me. I overexerted myself when Sweetham and I and mga kapatid went bowling na may pustahan. He he, di sulit pagsakit ng balikat ko kasi ang baba ng score ko, di man lang umabot ng 100. Talo tuloy kami. I used to be good at this, back when I was still employed and the office would have teams competing against each other. Dito nga kami nagsimula ni Sweetham kasi mahilig din sya mag-bowling and inuumaga kami kakalaro. Heniways, nalalayo ako sa aking nais sabihin. Dun sa spa, may Christmas lights na. Then kaninang tanghali, I went to National Book Store today kasi sale!!! Book prices at much as 50% off. Heniweys again, may Christmas tree na. Sa Rustan's ganun din. Ako na lang ata ang wala pang Christmas decor. Mabuti pa ang ibang diwata, nagsimula na yuletide season nila. Di bale, bukas na bukas din, tatayo ko na din sa aming bahay ang aking mini-Christas tree!!! Promise!

Sa wakas, natapos ko na tag ni Atinapay :)

3 Things that scare me:
public speaking
creepy crawlers
ghosts

3 People who can make me laugh:
Sweetham
this character in the show 'Grey's Anatomy' who keeps on screaming
Me, I laugh at my own jokes, ha ha

3 Things I love:
time alone
massage
sea breeze

3 Things I hate:
confrontations
kalat
traffic

3 Things I don’t understand
how a plane can go up and stay in the air
why the Philippines is considered a 3rd world country
how bad people live with themselves

3 Things on my desk:
empty can of Ouch bubblegum
calculator
food magazine

3 Things I’m doing right now:
trying to come up with matalino and deep answers for this tag
naka-kalumbaba
savoring the silence,well almost--just the sound of the rain and my keyboard

3 Things I want to do before I die:
make peace with the universe
say goodbye to all the people I love
pray

3 Things I can do:
dance hawaiian
fold my eyelids
play the piano

3 Ways to describe my personality:
simple
conservative
reserved

3 Things people might not know about me:
I hate using a toilet na walang toilet paper
I'm afraid of pain and doctors, I'd rather die
I see dead people... (only when I was young at saka once lang.. boo!)

3 Things I can’t do:
Sing in public
Say no to a nice person
Say yes to an annoying person

3 Things (entities) I think you should listen to:
God
parents
ang iyong konsensya

3 Things I don’t think you should listen to ever:
politicians
heavy metal bands
fingernails scratching sa blackboard

3 Of my absolute favorite foods:
lechon kawali
Max's Fried chicken
baked tahong

3 Things I’d like to learn:
fly a plane
cure the sick
be a saint

3 Beverages I drink regularly:
water
Sarsi
Juice

3 Shows I watched when I was a child:
Uncle Bob Lucky 7 club
Cartoons
Pen pen de Sarapen

High School Life ay exciting, kay saya!

 Met with my high school barkada and classmates last Friday night. Sa Teriyaki Boy Eastwood (suggested it, hehe, favorite ko kasi) kami lahat nag-dinner. Before the reunion, after my meeting with a client, uwi muna ako to take a bath and choose outfit. Siempre, tagal ko na di nakita my classmates kaya extra effort sa pag-aayos. Met up first with my barkada Techie and Jessica sa Monte Vista bago sabay na kami in one van to go to Eastwood. Puro daldalan, ha ha. After dinner, hanap kami ng venue for our picture taking (as if di pa enough yung sankaterbang pictures while eating dinner) and found a stairway. Tamang-tama, paakyat si Jericho Rosales (sh?t ang gwapo! Anyways, he’s a local artista who did a remake of ‘Ang Panday” for TV) and nahila namin sya to join our picture-taking. Ang aking mga sosyal na classmates, naging baduy, ha ha After dinner, coffee sa Seattle’s Best (pero ako chocolate drink) then inuman at Dencio’s (pero ako soda lang… kj eh). Hay, nice to meet up with old friends and reminisce and update and swap kwentos!
 I was able to snag a copy of my high school annual picture. He he, mukhang tokneneng ang itsura. According to my annual, I was an “efficient prompter of seatmate”. Bukod sa nagdidikta ako sa mga kaklase ko during recitation, nagpapakopya pa ko. Eh one time, yung nangopya sa kin, essay yon, sakto ang pagkakakopya. Eto pa, hindi sinoli sa kin ang papel ko kundi sya na ang nagpass. Eh di magkasunod ang papel namin, ayun, nahuli ng teacher. Pinatawag kaming dalawa at tinanong kung sino sa amin ang nangopya. Di ko nga sinagot, nakakainsulto ang tanong eh. Ayun, bagsak ako sa World History, nyok! 

Dilaw na buhok

Nung Biernes, pumunta ako sa Saint Luke’s hospital to submit my urine sample (collected over a 24-hour period). Ni-collect ko urine at nilagay sa isang wine bottle. May dala pa akong cooler with ice ha to keep the specimen fresh. Yung mga kasabay ko, cup lang ang mga dala eh ako isang bote, he he. Aligaga ang mga tao sa ospital nuon at daming cameras and media people dahil naka-confine si GMA since yesterday. Hmmph sumabay pa sa akin, hirap tuloy makapasok. Hinarang pa nga wine bottle ko at bawal daw yung sa loob, sabi ko di wine yun kundi urine sample… hayyy. Hinihintay ko nga na may mag-interview sa akin eh para masabi ko naman ang aking reaction a biglang pagkahospital at aking message para kay GMA. Sasabihin ko na sana ay magpagaling sya agad at ipagdadasal ko na mabuhay pa sya ng matagal at ng matigil sa pag-salivate ang mga taong gustong alisin sya. Heniweys, nag-taxi lang kami ni sister to St. Luke's. Si Manong driver, bright yellow ang buhok. Character baga. Halatang mong fun syang tao pati sa pagkekwento. At pag may nakatabi sa kalye na taxi din, binabati nya yung driver nun. Ok tong si Manong pwedeng manalo ng Mr. Congeniality. Sayang di ko nakunan ng picture, kakainis…

Milestones:
FATHER'S DAY
With Switham, niece, and cousin
Walang sawang paggi-games pa din hanggang gabi :)

PAMAMANHIKAN
Catered ang food
Huling-huli habang nagte-take home ng spaghetti, he he