the day i turned 27

I just celebrated my 27th birthday last May 21. It's not that I am denying my age but I really don't feel like any older than being 20.

I had a normal working day except that I left early just to avoid the rush hour. Irvin's plan is to take me out for dinner but I don't feel like being prim and proper that evening so I asked him if we could go to Island Cove instead for a bowling match and a videoke session (this would be my 3rd videoke session in a week!).

We found out that Island Cove's Sport Center was not operational anymore :( So we just went to Island Songs and sang our hearts and lungs and all other internal organs we have out. 3 hours of non-stop eating and singing, winner!

Thanks to those who remembered my birthday and sent their wishes -

Via Friendster: Rozen, Sarahngets, Ate Carla, Cheche, Ate Sarah

Via Facebook: Kohleen, April, Abby, Anne, Ruffy, Liza, Russ, Dulce, Kathy, Joyce, Ate Jo, Sol, Mae, Shey

Via text: Ivy, Mavel, Jen Joyce, Leng, JJ, Dinay, Marie, Hips, Agnes, Ate, Sarahngets, Debbie, Ate Beth, Jelly

Via email: Josette

Via communicator: Matt, Karlo, Ivan

Via phone call: Ate, Nanay

Personal: Joy, Mike, Lemuel, Bell, JJ, Mel, Ms. Che, Grace, Khai, Aila, Ruffy

(Sorry if I forgot anyone, memory gap, you know.)

And to my Chevron friends - JJ, Marie and Grace (and myself, hehehe), thank you for the gifts! Mwaaah!

And to Irvin, for the Twilight Saga collection. :)

lex kulet 12

Tita: Lex, sino mas love mo - si Cayon o si Clarence?

Lex (with hesitation): Hmmm…si Clarence!

Tita: Bakit si Clarence? Hindi mo ba love si Cayon?

Lex: E, kasi gulong-gulo nya!

Ako din gulong-gulo e!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Lex: Forty-one…forty-two…forty-three…forty-four…

Cousin Frances: Ang galing magbilang ni Lex, mas magaling pa kay Claiby 'tsaka kay Goen.

Lex (feeling proud): Forty-five…forty-six…forty-seven…forty-eight…forty-nine…FORTY-TEN!

Mana talaga sa akin si Lex hanggang forty-nine, 'yung forty-ten kay Ate na 'yun.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Pagkasundo ni Daddy Norly kay Lex from school last May 8, the Friday before Mother's Day…

Lex (rushes out of the van): Mommy! Mommy! Happy Mother's Day, Mommy! (With matching kiss, card and flower ito.)

Cayon (naglalakad kasunod ni Mommy):

Lex (walks to Cayon): Happy Mother's Day, Cayon!

Ayan, hindi pa kasi naiimbento ang Baby Brother's Day e!

the weekend that was may 23-24: overdue

Saturday. Super hot ang weekend na ito, as in! Watched TV and read Cosmo and Yes! mags lang.
Sunday. Watched Fireproof (I stumbled upon this movie in my SIL's status in Facebook, she recommends it to every couple). Irvin was playing PSP but he joined me in watching the movie later. We both enjoyed it and the lessons that the movie imparts to its audience. Among my favorite lines are:

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Caleb Holt: Marriage isn't fireproof.
Michael Simmons: Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

John Holt: Has she thanked you for anything you've done the last 20 days?
Caleb Holt: No! And you'd think after I washed the car, I've changed the oil, do the dishes, cleaned the house, that she would try to show me a little bit of gratitude. But she doesn't! In fact, when I come home, she makes me like I'm...like I'm an enemy! I'm not even welcome in my own home, Dad. That is what really ticks me off! Dad, for the last three weeks, I have bent over backwards for her. I have tried to demonstrate that I still care about this relationship. I bought her flowers, which she threw away. I have taken her insults and her sarcasm, but last night was it. I made dinner for her. I did everything I could to demonstrate that I care about her, to show value for her, and she spat in my face! She does not deserve this, Dad. I'm not doing it anymore! How am I supposed to show love to somebody over and over and over who constantly rejects me?
John Holt (leaning against the cross): That's a good question.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The movie is heartwarming and inspirational. Highly recommended for couples.

We went home to Tanza, had a chat with his cousins and grandmother. Watched Transformers (which I was not able to finish due to sleepiness) and the wedding special of Juday and Ryan.

the weekend that was may 16-17: overdue

After an oh-so-busy closing week, what is in store for us? Team bonding! Yey!

Nag-meet kami ng mga teammates ko around 6 AM (a penalty of 100 pesos for every 30 minutes), buti na lang hinatid ako ni Irvin. We left just as soon as nakumpleto kami, around 6:30. Biyahe na!

We made a stop at McDonald's along SLEX para makapag-breakfast. Medyo mahaba ang biyahe but I think all of us would agree that we enjoyed the trip. One of us brought Query, a set of random questions basically asking about one's life, particularly about aspirations and lessons. We discovered a lot of facts about each other, listening and laughing all the while. (We also found out that talent duplicator sounds very much like Italian lubricator, hahahaha!)

Dumating kami sa Caliraya around 11 AM na. Since our rooms are still occupied, we waited, roamed the place and had a super filling lunch (masarap naman, promise!). Sayang, we haven't had the chance to bond with the other team due to time constraints. But anyway, while waiting for our rooms to be fixed, kodak-an muna! When we checked in, rest muna kami ng mga 2 hours and then, go na with the exploration ng mga activities na pwedeng gawin.

Slide Pinoy (lahat kami)

Relay (lahat kami divided into two teams, talo kami, teammate kasi namin si Marie)

Earth ball (lahat kami divided into two teams again, panalo kami, hindi kasi namin teammate si Marie)
Since mahaba pa ang pila sa zipline, we settled muna by the lake and watched Marie and Lemuel struggle with the…ano nga ba'ng tawag dun? Basta 'yung ball na nakalutang sa water!

And then the mudslide! Lemuel, Marie, JJ and I enjoyed the ride, but definitely not the dirt. Eeeeewwww!

That night, we satisfied ourselves with the buffet dinner, went swimming, an Ice Breaker session and videoke! Natulog kami around 2 AM.

Sunday. Woke up at around 6 AM, fixed ourselves then conquered the breakfast table. We got ready for Fly Pinoy (Caliraya's zipline). While waiting in the line, the rain poured and no one was allowed to ride Fly Pinoy because the cable is slippery and is not safe. We went down and plunged in the swimming pool. In just a few minutes, the rain stopped. Aaaarggghhh! We headed back and waited, again!

The line is low (much, much lower than Tagaytay zipline) but is long (maybe 3 times longer than Tagaytay zipline). I enjoyed the ride :)

We did the mudslide again (Lemuel, Marie, Mike, Mel and I). Lotta' laughters once again.

We left Caliraya at around 12 NN. But the fun doesn't just stop there. There's still lunch!

Marie's treat before leaving us for Angola - lunch at Samaral resto (somewhere in Los Banos).

We had a short, silent trip back to Makati. Zzzzz!

Irvin picked me up, dropped by at our house before proceeding to my in-law's.

P.S. You might wonder what is at stake sa games na ginawa namin. Well, sa relay, it's Lucky Me pancit canton for the whole team, and sa earth ball, tinapay that would go with the pancit canton. Solb na ang merienda the next Monday!

the weekend that was may 9-10: overdue

Saturday. Sariray went home from Guam a week ago to attend to her mother who was hospitalized. Sinamantala na din ang time para mag-ayos ng ilang errands na dapat nyang gawin. So this Saturday, Agnes and I went with her sa meeting nya with designer Cecilio Abad and Queen. Tapos, we ate at Aveneto in Glorietta and shopped at Landmark. Btw, I bought Krispy Kreme doughnuts for Nanay and for my MIL for the next day, Mother's Day.

Sunday. Dropped by our house to greet Nanay a Happy Mother's Day. Then Irvin and I went to SM Bacoor to watch Wolverine (yes, again).

backlogs!

Backlogs and flashbacks!

1. Marie's birthday celebration last February 19. Seaside Macapagal + Café Breton!

2. Ate Lois' wedding last March 3. (I'm so happy to be reunited with my photographers again, ang kukulit!) Ate Lois is now pregnant! :)

3. My highschool friends Mavel and Orlyn visited me at home last April 8. We had lots of catching up to do so we had an afternoon full of nonstop talking and laughter. It's good to see them again.

4. Ordered pop-up invitations and personalized tumbler from Business Shoppe. Goodies were okay but we had glitches regarding the delivery that Irvin and I had to go to Makati Shang to pick up the invitation, on Maundy Thursday morning!

5. One thing which kept me busy is to shop for my Ate and pack things and make sure our package doesn't reach 21 kilos. Whew! I liked the shoes I bought for them!

6. I tried cooking while I was on vacay. One time, I tried preparing chicken curry. Delicious (naman daw)!

7. I am so happy that Manny Pacquiao won against Ricky Hatton. One of the few moments that I could say I'm proud to be Pinoy!

8. Against Irvin's will, I attended a short training, a short team meeting and a hearty team dinner with my teammates last May 4, one week before I officially go to work. I had a great time with them! (Tony Roma's + Haagen Dazs!)

9. Sari-saring trip!

Corporate Look Day - January 19

Red Day - February 13

Green Day (wala ako) - April 17

Pink Day - May 15

10. Workstation upgrade activities - packing and unpacking! Goodbye old WS!