h1

My Tierra Compound and Mates

August 17, 2008

 

Almost three years ago, I found myself in an unfamiliar territory, away from home, with tricycles parked outside and baka-cows roaming in an empty lot right across. Ken showed me her apartment, which from that day forward also became mine. I was introduced to Erick later that day who lived in the apartment next to ours and the next day we peered from our back door as Carlo moved in. I was told that a former classmate of Kuya (Chinsea) also lived in the nearby apartment, which meant that in all 4 houses at least one bisaya lived. (point? Wla lang)

 

And so in the coming weeks or months I was slowly introduced to the once DASMA KIDS. The apartment had small gatherings with Erick and Alib as the usual cook  and having lived in a place with great cooks meant me and ken are the usual dishwasher at the end of our usual home-cooked-meal-gatherings. We had spur of the moment trips to Tagaytay and movie dates when some high budget or jologs movie would open. We really had fun!

 

Now that the compoundmates are slowly disbanding with only me, ken and carlo remaining. The rest have their own lives;

  • Erick and Joy in the US
  • Chinsea and Alib also staying in the US for 1 year
  • Ian moving in to his new Charina Home with Au. and;
  • Bien the transient

 

Though it has been said quite too many times that people come and go. These people to whom I’ve grown to love and live with and who also came to understand the kind of parasite neighbor I am… Have made such impact in my life, as almost three years ago, a once lonely, lost girl  found her new home when she was welcomed by these fun loving, warm and bisaya familiar group of people.

 

 

h1

How I See Myself

August 5, 2008

In 5 years I will be 30…

When I was in college and early 20s, I feared so much to be 25 as I thought by then I will be old and still lived a meaningless life. Check check double check!

When I was nearing 25 I had a panic attack since I realized I’ve never cultivated a relationship with the opposite sex and still a virgin. That’s why a few months before my birthday I flashed all my ideals to drain. Becoming the “go-getter’ in my barkada.

Now that I have become old and like expected, lived a meaningless life I again feared to be 30. I really hope when I turned 30 I did a little to my life that made it meaningful. i remember when ‘Tita Gwyneth Paltrow’ was asked (years ago) about becoming 30 she put her hands on her face and said with facial expression that she’s scared. gaahd! i can totally relate to her now.

when i look back i hope I’ve done the following:

  • have a family - not just my parents and sisters but a real family with husband and hopefully i already have one kid
  • love my work - not totally crazy workaholic towards my job but actually being contented and satisfied with my job i don’t want to go somewhere else
  • be in perfect shape - like Jessica Alba body and hopefully by then a ‘vegetarian’ (not realistic! not realistic!

with the kind of life I’m living now am pretty sure I’ll stay in this state for the rest of my life. i have to make drastic changes but am a little lost…

I’m praying to St. Jude constantly. i really wanna know my direction. haaay!! prolly this is due to the gloomy weather…

 

h1

Cebu Nostalgia

July 31, 2008

 

I got to process my passport finally.. It was quite quick, I imagined falling in line or maybe waiting too long. I decided to have my picture taken again since my previous passport was really really horrible. See evidence below

 

 

I got to visit the “manghihilot” after 2 months of coughing with hukal, sleepless nights and antibiotics. While Manang Gloria was busy massaging my back with Eficascent Oil. I got nostalgic and remembered the times I am forced to go there because of 1 week fever, chronic coughing and simply swollen knees or feet prolly due to too much “likot”. I have been longing to go there for months after my antibiotics failed to heal me. Now am just waiting for the effect.

 

 

My sister brought me Ngohiong from USC Main which is said to be the best Ngohiong Place in town. I remembered I used to eat it a lot in college, but now I realized that it is sooo oily. Yet nothing seemed to taste better than those memories that came back while eating.

 

I tasted all the food I missed here. Well that’s what I’ve been doing since I got back…

  • I ate Tagala’s chicken and Ngohiong
  • Siomai from across the school
  • Pinaypay from our neighbor
  • Suman/bod2 from nong daki’s
  • Puto maya

 

Waaah life here is good!

 

I seemed to have stayed home 2 days in a row and eating it all away. Am wasting my time here seriously…

 

Quick check on my Checklist:

  1. Passport Processing
  2. Root Canal and Cleaning - can do cleaning
  3. Hair treatment, Color and Trim
  4. Cheap foot massage and scrub
  5. Get SSS ID - impossible now
  6. Bikini wax - Friday is the day
  7. Visit manghuhula- pushed out to december
  8. Pahilot
h1

Jorge the Birthday Boy!

July 31, 2008

 wrote this last July 27th…

Jorge is officially 55 years old today….

 

One of the reasons why I decided to come home is to celebrate my dad’s birthday who is I think is now aging.

 

My high school best friend Niňa, once commented that my dad is handsome. My dad is tall 5′11, dark and I really seriously think not handsome. But from what I heard from his sisters and friends he was quite a ladies man in his bachelor days. However. every time I come home from Cavite, I’ve come to notice that my dad is getting old. He’s always had a bad posture yet it seemed to have gotten worse not to mention that he’d actually lost so much weight due to his diabetes.

 

Thus his birthdays is becoming more precious…

 

We started off his birthday by having dinner at Café Georg the blowing of the candle from a newly opened bakeshop my sister discovered.

 

 

 

 

Fun fun fun! Happy Birthday Jorge!

h1

Cebu Checklist Part 1

July 26, 2008

 

I needed to do a lot of stuff while at home in Cebu.

Accomplished 1 out of 7 -Hair treatment, Color and Trim

 

  1. Passport Processing
  2. Root Canal and Cleaning
  3. Hair treatment, Color and Trim
  4. Cheap foot massage and scrub
  5. Get SSS ID
  6. Bikini wax
  7. Visit manghuhula

 

I got home safe… my mom and 2 sisters picked me up from the airport….

 

Day 1 spat…

 

I was quite excited to see the sofa that I bought for the newly renovated kitchen now “sala”. But I got soo irritated when I saw my dad’s precious lockers in there. Grrr!! So naturally I fought with him about it.

 

I suspect that my dad possess some illness that I once saw in Oprah, “obsessive hoarding”. It would be impossible for him to part ways with his stuff. His studio (he’s an artist) is prolly the messiest area in our house. He’d be mad with my mom when he’d see her pack some used clothes and shoes to give to charity. So what my mom usually does, she’d just sneak out some then give without him knowing. One time in high school we had this project. We were required to bring some scenic pictures. My dad being an artist has piles of piles of piles of pictures in his studio and of course being his daughter I stole some but got caught, imagine the scolding after.

 

When the “Cebu Art Academy” run by his fellow artists, closed he proudly (much to our disgust) brought the lockers. Grrr!! I remember hating him soo that day. And imagine my irritation when I saw it with the newly tiled floors. Gaaahhhdd!! Am glad I did not get that from him. I was awarded “Most Generous” in kindergarten. But I fear that one of my sisters has. She is really catching up with my dad.

 

But we are ok now..

 

The Next Day Hair Treatment

 

I woke up quite excited as I was aiming to have my hair treated and teeth cleaning today.

 

I went to my suki “parlorista” Butch for a relax. And wanted to transfer to another salon for Hair color since it would only cost me 100 pesos in my suki “colorista”. So if I can convince 1 to give me a free trim I’d spend only 400 pesos. But I was becoming lazy and tired prolly from the sun during relax so I decided to have Butch do my color. Everything should cost me 700 pesos. I’d spend 300 in 1 meal anyway why not spend it in my hair.

 

The result is ok… it’s not that fabulous but am happy! While walking home and eating my 20 peso worth Burger and 4 Ngohiongs, I decided to stop by my “colorista” to get a foot scrub it would only cost me 99 pesos anyway. Wihihih!!

h1

My Way Home

July 24, 2008

 

Last year I went home (Cebu) 4 times and after having a negative market value (zero savings and ++ utang in credit card) at the end of the year, I promised to myself and to my mom that I won’t be home until December this year. My mom surely agreed and said to save my money, hoping maybe I’d share. But of course I didn’t… since I didn’t get to save much anyway.

 

But…

 

I initially planned on going home around April. I miss my family and friends, I celebrated my birthday without them and at that time I really missed them. I also knew that I needed the polluted air of Cebu to clear out my head. I had the opportunity to foresee my broken heart and I knew then that I needed to laugh and get my mind off him. But of course that didn’t turned out well and am a little ok after a month.

 

But, still I needed to come home… Be with my terrible family and chaotic friends. It’s no longer about clearing my head and getting over somebody. It is now sincerely and truly missing the people I cared who I haven’t been with the past seven months.

 

Really excited!!!

 

h1

Cannie, Jemima and Me

July 19, 2008

 

So my friend van sent me 2 ebooks that she said were fab and an interesting read… so being kinda bored on weekends I decided to print Good In Bed  and miraculously read (partially), Jemima. Van almost always reminds me to read since I can relate daw to the books. I started with Good In Bed which is about a large woman who couldn’t get over her past love Bruce, then now am starting to read Jemima which is not surprisingly about a Large woman again (But I have yet to find out, as van who hopefully did not exaggerate said it is way nicer than Good In Bed)

 

I was a little stunned when I found out that both books were about overweight girls. I was expecting it would be one of those no brainer, about a semi-dimwit, clumsy girl who was chosen over a model look-a-like by some divine guy we can only read in books. But like I mentioned it was all about fats.

 

However, I couldn’t agree more when van said I can relate. Should be since like the protagonists Cannie and Jemima, I…

 

  • Struggled with weight for years
  • At one time gulped all the slimming teas and even tried diet pills
  • May have overdosed on Laxatives
  • Drunk too much diet sodas and tried Equal and Splenda as sweeteners
  • Would sometimes dream having a fabulous body (like Jessica Alba)
  • Enrolled in online diet tracking, formulated a diet (success/fail) tracking sheet in Excel and bought myself a weighing scale

 

But unlike Cannie and Jemima, I never got around loving my body and accepted the (unfabulous!) curves. I went on a diet that I may be feeling the effect now by constantly being sickly and sometimes always feeling sleepy.

 

However though, there is nobody else who can relate to their struggles, failures and little successes that is normally followed by binges. I can relate to those sufferings like when u just swallowed a cake after successfully not eating dinner the night before or buying yourself a breakfast from McDo after a jogging.

 

But despite the almost similar plot but a different ending. Both books were a good reminder to never lose sight on what’s real beauty and to never lose that sunny personality as same with Jemima and Cannie, they won over their boys by making fun of themselves a little and not taking their struggles too seriously. Hihih! :)

 

 

 

h1

Mixed Thoughts!

July 15, 2008

 

A neighbor is selling fishballs, tempura, Kwek2 and of course “french fries” which am now really addicted to. I eat every after work. Am now worried on my cholesterol level. I’ve been monitoring my weight but not much change… maybe I’ll feel it next week when I get back home…

 

I have been craving cake and lumpia shanghai from jollibee.. Should be because my period is coming up but am also worried it could be the other thing.

 

I got to visit my inaanak and the very smart Iya - I got to see their progress a little, and experience first hand riley’s mischievousness. My god! That kid is a handful.. Seriously!! But really cute!

 

I need encouragement… seriously long distance love affair doesn’t work. We’ve only been apart 3 weeks and I really doubt if this man can keep up with the regular communication and constant long-distance-assurance that’s needed. He is failing and am expecting… I even dreamt about it! Gahd!! Keep your cool lao u still have until december.

 

I’ve been sleeping really early these days… I don’t enjoy local television and blogging is not that fun. I really need a life.

 

I prayed last night for him to come back. I doubt it… but I really hope I can spend a little more time with him. Then we can figure things out and really decide what to do… am sooo depressed and concerned about this.. Wahhh!! I’m having a relapse…

 

and major highlight is i saw this cute pic of me, van and JR…

 

h1

Dieting and Moving On

July 5, 2008

 

September 2007, I was working on a night shift then, when I decided to seriously go on a diet (I have gone back and forth on dieting since time immortal). Hence from that day forward, I went on starving myself, I embarked heart and soul on after 6 diet, totally eliminated rice in my meals and willfully but not happily stopped eating my fave food french fries. Imagine how miserable I was after that… And imagine how miserable I was when after 2 weeks I gained 2 pounds. My gahd!!

 

It wasn’t easy… it took 1 year for me to reach that weight goal. There were bad days, and there were even days when I’d dream that I was eating dinner and feel really bad (no kidding!). I was that determined but really foolish.

 

This time though, I have seriously, willfully and again not happily decided to move on. It may take me a year to completely shake him off my system and after 2 weeks I may feel unsuccessful but then I think this Is really what I need…

h1

Finally Got My Check Up

July 3, 2008

 

Last night, I only got maybe three hours of sleep due to my cough. So the next day, just when the Jollibee (Walter Mart Manggahan Branch) opened and after I bought myself a pink umbrella, I was quite ready to have my check up. Everything went well, the doctor was not annoyingly late and he knew the process of my Medserv Card. I went on telling him that I had this cough for a month already, how I haven’t gotten enough sleep due to coughing, the color of my phlegm (which is white), my self prescribed medicines and how I had a flue vaccine a week earlier before having an actual flue (He laughed about it of course).

 

He asked standard questions like if I have asthma, nostril allergies (if I feel funny in my nose) or Ulcers or Hyperacidity. Apparently these three are the most common reasons for prolonged dry cough. I did not have neither of those. He went on to examine my back (using stethoscope) and told me that my lungs do sound normal. At the end of the examination he asked me to get a chest X-Ray and see if I have Bronchitis, prescribed medicines for my cough (which after I drink I feel super sleepy), anti-allergy meds and antibiotics due to my cough’s duration. (talk about expensive medicines)

 

At the end of it all, though I haven’t noticed any improvement in my cough now, am just quite thankful I have my medserv card or else I would have been too poor today. This sat, I will be back for the X-ray results and praying that I don’t have any serious illness. Am just scared since most of the people (including me) have not been given good news lately. Oh well! I really hope I could go to that “manghihilot” in cebu where my mom brings me, every time I have cough or “panuhot”.

 

Please pray for my Health!