caterpillar talk

la la la la la la…

here comes my favorite month of the year! welcome, my december! oh yes, more than being Christmas month, it’s my month! oh yes, it’s my month!

the little drummer boy’s pa-rum-pum-pum-pums will probably bounce all over my head all throughout december — a fitting soundtrack to match my excitement for this year’s last month.

this december…

* i have every plan of celebrating my birthday at home… so i hope, the universe will not conspire against me. even the airline companies SHOULD NOT get in the way.

* i’ll MAKE personalized greeting cards for my happy friends and send each card their way wherever they may be in the galaxy. if you’re my friend and you’re not happy, sorry, i won’t make you a card.

* i want to treat my BEAUTIFUL gal friends from high school to a jose cuervo especial tequila night. i’m serious, so better get ready!

* we’ll try painting in starmall. i don’t know the details yet, but i’m excited because it’ll be fun time with friends.

* i’ll be attending the wedding of jerk and tiff, two of my very close friends, whose lovelife i’ve been watching over since the time they were ‘just friends’. it’ll be my first time to witness a marriage of friends who are about my age. i’m looking forward to the occasion because not only will i be seeing my friends get married (after their more than half a decade of courtship and friendship), i’ll also be one of those who’ll put the cord around them as part of the ceremony. they asked me to ‘bind them as one’ and despite my initial reluctance (because i know i’ll be required to wear a nice long dress, hahaha), i agreed. i then told our friends jokingly that i’ll surely use the cord to strangle both of them if they decide to break apart! mwahahaha. i’m excited to see them exchange marriage vows and i wish them all the happily-ever-afters and definitely NO breaking-aparts.

* i’ll be HOME for christmas! can anything be more happier than that? i’m a december baby and i don’t believe in having a merry little christmas. no sir, no ma’am, merry little christmases are not for people like me. i say, catch the true christmas spirit! you don’t have to spend a lot of money, you only have to spend quality time with your loved ones, feel the warmth, catch and spread the happiness dust…

december babies, it’s our time to take over the world! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…

p.s. sana lang talaga walang kj at walang panira ng good mood.

last july, my cousin, who’s now based in singapore, brought his young family to the philippines for a vacation. during their stay in metro manila, they occupied a room on the 9th floor of the peninsula manila in makati. at that time, my tita and cousins from the states were also staying in the hotel, just 2 doors away. owing to close family ties and all, my elder brother, my cousin from dumaguete and i stayed with them and spent leisure hours in the hotel. at one point, while we were waiting for the lift, my cousin’s then 4-year old son drew away the curtains in the waiting area and looked through the glass. because we were on the 9th floor, he got a good view of the ayala avenue-makati avenue intersection and the ayala cityscape.

him: why does your country look so old?
me: will you say that again?

when he asked the question, i wasn’t looking at what he was seeing so i didn’t know where his question came from. i was taken aback when i saw that he was looking at the buildings surrounding ayala avenue. goodness, they’re relatively new!

him: it looks so old. your country looks so old. why does it look so old?

the inquisitive innocent

he rendered me momentarily speechless. fortunately, my 15-year old cousin from the states who has seen much of the countryside butted in. the conversation went like this…

15-year old cousin: the philippines is actually the best place that i’ve ever been to. this is your country, too, you know. we may be growing up elsewhere but this is our country, too.
him: nooooo. its looks so old.
15-year old cousin: if we really think about it, countries are old.
me: (addressing my innocent-looking but bold nephew) so, you don’t want to call this country yours too solely because it looks so old?
him: yes!
me: but you like us… you like the people here, don’t you?
him: yes!
me: sweetie, you’re still indeed a little kid. you’re looking at just one cityscape and that’s not the entire country, but you like the people. that’s good.
him: hey, i’m four and eleven-twelfths! i’ll be five soon.
me: i know… but being five will still make you a little boy. grrrr???
him: grrrr…
15-year old cousin: grrrr… you two look cute when you do that.
together: grrrr…
me: grrrr… jud. mahurot akong english sa inyoha mga bataa mo.
them: huh?

grrrr… that question, that ‘old country’ question. i still carry it with me. whenever i find myself in a high-rise building and i look through the glass windows and see a cityscape, his question echoes.

iba talaga ‘pag bata ang nagtanong.

In my life, priceless batteries are included.

i like the way the wind’s been blowing on my face. i love the way it’s been touching my hair. i’m feeling good these days and i’m feeling grateful for a lot of things…

i have a supportive family. even if they don’t really understand what i’m doing and even if what i really want to do with my life is not clear to them, they’re with me and they continue to encourage my dreams.

there are those who root for me. even in times when i doubt myself and my abilities, there’d always be people who would willingly give me a push and who would remind me how far i can go.

there are individuals who pray and strive for my happiness.

i am surrounded with people who make me want to become a better person.

i never had to really go through something so tragic. i have no reason to be bitter.

i am loved… even by those whom i alienate.

i have friends who live with my quirks and who never give up on me even in times when i’m being impossible.

i’ll never be alone.

latâ kaayo noh? he…he…he… i’m really, really feeling good these days. i feel like i want to buy everyone ice cream… but hey, i can’t pay for everyone — so blag lang sâ!

the other weekend was a walk-around-the-city/wall-climbing weekend spent with my friends from college.

p6peeps in manila: clownin’ around
we used to be five, now we’re six.

wall-climbing: the caterpillar way
whoohoo, i conquered my acrophobia again!

last weekend was lasingan/celebration weekend spent with four of my gal friends from high school. we had full bottles of bailey’s irish cream, smirnoff red vodka, blueberry vodka cruiser, and san miguel super dry right in the living room of our friends’ condo unit somewhere in malate… but nobody got drunk. pagka-walay challenge. maybe next time, kung inom lang ang among tuyo, mag-tanduay, anejo rhum, red horse og ginebra san miguel na lang mi! hehehe. click here for the related story. (warning: the link may take ages to open, but it’s worth the wait. click refresh or reload if you don’t see the entry for november 21.)

portraits of a certified diligent student, hahaha!

i’ve finally seen her. she got most of her looks from my kuya — from the hair, to the china eyes, to the lips — and it’s not just me talking, even her mother and her maternal grandparents say so.

uber-cute!!!

mabait at maporma kung tulog

mataray at sobrang likot kapag gising

as of yesterday, she’s only four days old, but oh my…when i laid my eyes on her, it was made clear to me that my bratty days are already numbered. yes, i’m going to be dethroned! she got the looks, the charm, and the attitude kaya wala talaga akong laban, hahaha.

of the many babies born today, one of them is truly special to me.

she came to this world at 4:06 a.m. philippine time. she is my brother’s first born, my parents’ first grandchild, and my sisters’ first niece. she’s my niece, too!!! because of her, i’m now officially a tita. weeeeeeeeeee.