I got my Starbucks planner at last. Can you believe I called almost all branches of Starbucks to ask if they still had the planner? I finall found one in the Petron station along the north expressway.





Thanks to everyone who helped me fill out the card and drank coffee with me... =)

The Year in Review

January started with a new job assignment. I had to undergo sales training with the different divisions in the company. For the first week, the task was fairly easy because I just had to ride along with the sales officers who were servicing the big stores like SM and Robinsons. I treated it as a field trip, I was able to go to a lot of branches of Waltermart, CVC, and Cherry Supermarkets. If the first week was a breeze for me, the second week was really hard, I had to route ride with the trucks who deliver products to the smaller sari sari stores. It was a really hard job considering the heat and the pollution.

Ate Cel’s baby boy “Miguel Alfonso” marked the month of February for me. It was February 9 when Ate Cel underwent the caesarean operation to welcome Miggy into the world. Coincidentally, it was also the Chinese new year that day.

After my sales training, I had the chance to experience what it was like in the advertising agencies as I was given the opportunity to work with them. I had to develop a campaign for a deodorant ad and the presentation went fairly well.

April was crunch time. It was a very busy month as all of the trainees prepared our own marketing plan. It seemed like an impossible task to do as we were not given data to support our marketing decisions. We had to really on our resourcefulness to be able to come up with a decent enough marketing plan.

I had the chance to have a vacation as I went back to ‘tambay mode’ in May. Since deliberations were still ongoing as to what division we will be assigned, all of us trainees were given a chance to relax and have a vacation. Although, it was kinda hard to totally relax because you keep thinking about where they are going to put you or if you are going to be absorbed at all. But at least I was able to go to the beach.

I received my assignment on June 1 and started working again. I won’t bore anyone with details of my work anymore. Aside from getting my assignment, Portia celebrated her birthday on this month and I had the chance to see my high school friends again.

On July, I went to Iloilo for a project and since RM, Buen and Erland, some of my college friends, are now based there, I had the chance to catch up with them. We had dinner together and they toured me around the city and showed me the night life in Iloilo.

I turned a year older on August and it was really touching that my officemates decorated my area with balloons and gave me a cake for my birthday. In the evening, it was my college friends who went to greet me and we all had a wonderful dinner together.

On September, I had the chance to attend a lot of seminars that helped me in being more familiar with my work. Mac and I celebrated our one year anniversary this month. Hmmm….it wasn’t really a celebration because we were fighting that time and we just had a quick lunch together for our anniversary..

October was not very busy month for me as all the planning sessions and presentations were already done by September. I cannot think of anything else that happened on this month.

November, I went to a lot of fieldwork and I was able to go to Cebu, Bacolod, Surigao, Siargao and Butuan…

And now it is December, amazingly I won two major raffle prizes in our company’s Christmas parties. Couldn’t believe my luck. At first I thought it was going to be a really merry Christmas for us but just this morning I received some bad news so now I am hoping and praying that everything still turns out well for us…

Still, I am still thankful for all that has happened this year and pray that next year will be better…

Found this in Chinky's blog... I think she also found it in another person's blog who I do not know. So whoever you are, I'm asking permission to also use your idea. =)

Anyway, that person said that you should put the first sentences of the first posts per month and that will be my year end review.

So here it is:

Jan: Bakit ba kita minamahal?
Feb: The world is spinning...My world is spinning
March: Can you believe we are at the office?
April: Tomorrow my future will be decided
May: I am bored
June:Realizations...
July: I met up with Patty today.
August: no entry
Sept: (not) a fairy tale
Oct: no entry
Nov:Alive, I'm still alive.
Dec: Song that is currently playing over and over my player.

So there is my whole year in review....I'll post something else sometime later. A proper tribute to all that has happened to me in the year that passed...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all....

Song that is currently playing over and over my player

My song for the moment:

Lagi mo na lang akong Dinededma
by Rocksteddy


Matagal ko nang gustong malaman mo
Matagal ko nang itinatago-tago 'to
Nahihiyang magsalita at umuurong aking dila
Pwede bang bukas na, ipagpaliban muna natin 'to

REFRAINDahil kumukuha lang ng tyempo
Upang sabihin sa iyo

CHORUSMahal kita pero 'di mo lang alam
Mahal kita pero 'di mo lang ramdam
Mahal kita kahit 'di mo na ako tinitignan
Mahal kita kahit 'di mo lang alam, oh woh

Matagal ko nang gustong sabihin 'to
Matagal ko nang gustong aminin sa 'yo
Sandali, eto na at sasabihin ko na nga
Ngayon na, mamaya o baka pwedeng bukas na

REFRAINDahil kumukuha lang ng buwelo
Upang sabihin sa iyo

CHORUSMahal kita pero 'di mo lang alam
Mahal kita pero 'di mo lang ramdam
Mahal kita kahit 'di mo na ako tinitignan
Mahal kita pero 'di mo lang alam, oh woh

REFRAINNgunit kumukuha lang ng tyempo
Upang sabihin sa iyo, woh

Mahal kita pero hindi mo lang alam. Hindi mo alam kasi hindi mo naman ako tinitignan. Ayaw mo naman itanong sa 'kin kasi baka nga naman hindi naman ikaw. At hindi ko rin naman sa 'yo sasabihin kasi ayoko pa sa ngayon na manligaw. Mahal kita pero hindi nga lang halata. Hindi halata kasi wala nga naman akong ginagawa. Hindi ako kumikibo, hindi ako nagsasalita, wala. Pero hindi ako torpe. Hindi ko lang talaga masabi sa 'yo nang harapan. Mahal kita pero dehins mo pa rin ramdam. Hindi mo ko titignan, hindi rin kita titignan. Lagi mo lang akong pakikiramdaman, lagi rin kitang pakikiramdaman. At araw-araw tayong magdededmahan hanggang sa tayo ay magkabistuhan. Pero ngayong malapit nang matapos ang kanta ko, nais kong magkaalamanan na. Nais kong ako na rin ang magsabi sa 'yo nang harapan. Kasi alam kong do'n din naman ang tuloy niyan. At dalawa din lang naman ang posibleng sagot d'yan: oo o hindi. Kaya't eto na, sasabihin ko na para matapos na at hindi na magka-chismisan pa. Sasabihin ko na para wala nang problema at para hindi na rin kayong lahat nabibitin pa.

CHORUSMahal kita pero 'di mo lang alam
Mahal kita pero 'di mo lang ramdam
Mahal kita kahit 'di mo na ako tinitignan
Mahal kita kahit lagi mo na lang akong dinededma

ALIVE!!!

I'm still alive!

My long hiatus has ended....

Can't wait to watch HArry Potter!!!

(not) A FAIRY TALE

Let me tell you a story. This story is not special, there are no exciting characters, no extraordinary setting. Just a simple story about 2 people. A boy and a girl who are like every other boy and girl in the world. So why do I want to tell their story? I don’t know, I guess I just have a penchant for tragedies, for sad stories. I guess I’m preceding the story by saying it is a sad one. I guess, this is also a warning for people who loves happy endings, I suggest you do not read this entry. So here it is:

Candy was a typical girl, she was smart, pretty and gets along well with other people. She comes from a rich family and has been spoiled by her parents by giving her all that she wants but even so, she still remains very humble and nice ( makes me think of the nursery rhyme: what are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what girls are made of). She was 14 when she saw the man she knew she would spend her entire life with. Yeah, I know, you will say she is too young to know that, too young to love. But that is what’s different about Candy, she is old for her years. And even if she was only 14, she knew. She knew it was going to be Poppy.

Now let me tell you about Poppy, he had a hard life because his parents are separated. He had to support himself and at his age, he was already independent. Poppy was really smart, really intelligent. He was good at Math and Science, and that’s why he wanted to become an engineer someday. He never had the time to do anything else but work and study. He never has time to look at girls. Eventually, God smiled on Poppy and he got a scholarship grant in a private high school. That’s where Candy first saw him, at school.

Their first meeting was a disaster. Candy introduced herself and Poppy just shrugged and turned his back on her. But Candy never gave up, all throughout high school, Candy pursued Poppy. She was determined to make him love her. But Poppy was never interested in her. He was in love with his studies. It was the first time that he did not have to work so he found himself having so much time to study and learn more. But he was lonely. Even if he knew he should be happy, he still felt that something was missing in his life. That’s when he started noticing Candy. By this time, Candy was already starting to give up on Poppy. Everyone was telling her to give up because loving someone who will never love you is not worth it. She wanted to be sure that giving up on Poppy will be the right decision so she set up a meeting with him. They met and as they say, the rest is history. I also don’t know what happen on that meeting, but when they went out of the coffee shop, they were holding hands and looked so in love. I guess, that’s one mystery of loving – You can fall in love in an instant.

Now, if you want a happy ending you can stop reading here. But if you want to know what happened after, then go on reading.

So as you already know, Candy comes from a rich family, and this is why when Candy’s parents learned about her relationship with Poppy, they immediately put a stop to it. Candy was sent to the province and nobody from school knew. For Poppy, it was as if, Candy had just disappeared. Candy and Poppy never saw each other again after that. Although, they tried to find each other… They never succeeded in finding each other.

I realize, my entry is becoming too long so I have to end it. I t would have been better if I could say that they met again and got married eventually, but that is not what happened. As I have already said, they did not meet again. So what became of them? Candy got married to someone her parents wanted her to marry although the marriage did not work out because she just did not love her husband. They divorced and Candy died shortly after. Poppy, on the other hand, wanted to prove to Candy’s family that he could take care of her so he worked really hard as a mechanic and in one machine that he was fixing, his hand got caught in the metal blades, and the doctors had to cut it off to prevent infection. He got addicted to painkillers after that, and when he couldn’t get them anymore, he used cocaine until he resorted to robbing convenience stores to finance his addiction. Eventually, he was killed by the police.

That’s the end of their story. Kinda like a modern Romeo and Juliet. So what am I trying to say? I suppose what I am driving at is that Candy and Poppy could have had a very different ending. If other people did not interfere then maybe they could have worked it out together. I believe that’s the power of love. You can survive anything, as long as you are with someone you love.

So what’s the point of this very long entry? I just want to give out a message to those people bent on destroying the relationship of others, why don’t you just mind your own business? You may say that you are only doing stuff because you believe it’s best for the people you care about but you are not sure of that. Do not act hastily, you are never sure if your decision is really what’s best for them. Sometimes, you might be right, but you have no right to make that decision for other people. Let other people decide who they want to love, if you care for them you will trust them.

*Note: This entry is not about me…Not every entry in this blog is about my life. Sometimes, they are just my works. So to those people who are wondering if someone is threatening my relationship, I am clarifying it now. I am very happy with who I have and he is too. Both our families and friends are happy for us too…. So, just a clarification. =) And by the way, If you really knew me, you would be able to distinguish which entries are really about me, and which entries are just my fictional works. =)

I met up with Patty today. Patty was my roomate back in college. I haven't seen her for almost a year and I haven't talked to her for about two years already. It was so much fun meeting up with her and catching up. Made me miss school so much....made me miss college and living in a dorm - How Patty and I would stay up late just talking about anything from the serious life and death conversations to the tsimis about the other dormers, how we would terrorize our new rooomates. Basta, living in the dorm was so much fun. So much different from the corporate life we're living now. If only life were that simple again. hay....

Anyway, Ella, Alma, Elza and I had our annual brand planning seminar just last week. My first bonding experience with this group. I think it went well although I drank too much. haha...

Here's a pic:

Iniisip ko pa rin kung ano na ang nangyayari sa buhay ko...

Kung titingnan mo ang biodata ko, kakaiba...biruin mo, isang promdi na hindi man lang na-honor sa high school...nakapasok sa Ateneo at na DL pa ng makailang beses (hehe, yabang). Pagkagraduate na pagkagraduate, napasok kagad sa pinakamalaking kompanya ng inumin at pagkain sa pilipinas...
Nakakatuwa kasi kung iisipin napakasaya ng ginagawa ko...diba ang iba nagbabayad pa para lang makapunta sa concert, makapasok sa bar o kung ano mang event, pero ako, parte ng trabaho ko ang umattend ng mga concert at mga event...ako pa ang binabayaran...may libreng beer at pagkain pa palagi...

Grabe, ang bait ni Kuya Jess!

Realizations

Before we became a couple, I thought I was hooking up with someone who likes everything that I like, someone who believes in what I believe in, and someone who will agree to what I say and do. And I think he thought so too…

But after 10 months, we’ve realized we were wrong…very wrong…

I like side dishes, he wouldn’t eat them

I am a late sleeper while he wakes up really early in the mornings

I tune in to my fave radio station and he is right behind me turning it into his fave radio station

I can go on and on but I don’t wanna bore anyone who is reading this…

I guess my point is that we have realized that no disagreement is so small that it can’t evolve into a major problem. And that it is important that we learn to understand each other. I will not try to change him and I know he is not trying to change me. What is important is that we love each other and as a result we’ve come to a compromise about how we do things…

He has learned not to wake me up in the mornings…he just waits for me to wake up on my own

And now both our fave radio stations are in the car’s preset stations……

· The rain is falling outside. It breaks the silence in my room.

· A broken silence…a broken heart…

· Writing has always been my way of letting go. I wrote when I finally accepted that I will not end up with my first love, I wrote when my pet dog accidentally died, I wrote when I left college…. I guess there is finality in writing, that’s why writing is my way of saying goodbye.

· Now I am writing again. I am writing because I feel that something inside of me is dying.

· But what really is dying? I have never actually seen someone die. I have watched a lot of movies and read a lot of books about dying, yet I still do not fully understand death.

· Are you dying when you cannot breathe anymore? If it is then I am dying because I am finding it hard to breath because I have been crying for a while now.

· Are you dying when your vision has already blurred and you cannot see anything? If it is then I am dying because I cannot see anything through my tears.

· Are you dying when you cannot feel pain anymore? If it is then I am dying because although I am still crying, I am already numb to feel anything.

· When one dies, is there no tomorrow?

· I am dying…Will I have no tomorrow?

· I know someone who can save me from dying…I am reaching out but I cannot reach… If the person will only reach out then maybe…maybe I can still be saved.

I am bored….I am so bored….

I am going to start working again in a week or so. Turns out I made the right decision because I am soon going to be financially stable again (this time for good). I don’t know if I am more excited or anxious. Excited because I am really bored here at home, and anxious because I might mess up and my superiors might decide that they made the wrong decision in taking me in.

Anyway, I want to maximize my remaining vacation time so I have been going to the beach the past weeks. But now I am already broke and I can’t go vacationing to far places anymore. I’m staying home now because I am budgeting my money so it can last me till I get my next salary again. But staying home is making me so bored that I end up bothering Mac and we would end up having our frequent nasty fights. I don’t know what to do about it anymore. I don’t even make a big deal out of it anymore, when we fight I just wait for him to call me and when he does we would not resolve our fights but rather just talk as if we the fight didn’t happen. I don’t even want to think about our compatibility and our future anymore…I am just glad to get through each day unscathed….


sun and fun in Puerto Galera


At Puerto Azul with the ACILberks...What are we looking at?!

tomorrow, my future will be decided.

tomorrow, i will be facing a dozen people who will decide what my future will be. I do not want to say that I am not nervous because I am. I am nervous as hell. Everyone has been assuring me that I did well. For as long as I can remember, I have always gotten what I wanted. I passed the entrance exams in Ateneo when everyone said I couldn't do it because I am not even an honor student, heck, i am not even in the pilot section. I made the dean's list several times even if I thought I will be having a hard time just passing my required subjects. I got offers from good companies. I even passed Ateneo law school. But I chose to work. I gave up law school and chose to work. And tomorrow, I will face my panel and determine if I made the right decision of choosing to work already.

Everything is going well with all my friends. They all have jobs, they are almost regular employees already. Re has even passed law school. Everything is falling into place. And while all this is happening, I am about to face a test. A test to prove that I deserve to be where I am now. I know that this time will come and now it is here. I pray that I do well. I pray.....

pray for me....

Can you believe we are at the office? hehe

shhh... don't tell our bosses


Bert making funny faces


me being a slacker




Can't wait till Friday when this will all be over and I can party!!!

The world is spinning…

My world is spinning…

I am falling…

I see him everywhere…

I take a deep breath and I smell him in the air…

I can feel him there…

I know I’m safe…

I see him smiling, sitting in front of me, and drinking his coffee…

He animatedly tells me about his adventures….

We laugh….

He invites me to stand in the rain with him….

He asks me one question…

I say Yes….

I can stay in this dream forever

Bakit ba kita minamahal?

Bakit nga ba? Ang dami kong maaaring sabihin sayong dahilan. Pero kung iisipin may isang sagot lamang dito: Wala kasing dahilan para hindi ka mahalin.

Hindi ko sinasabi na perpekto ka. Aaminin kong may mga pagkakataon din na napapaiyak ako dahil sayo. Pero isinasantabi ko ang lahat ng iyon. Ang mas importante ay ang nararamdan kong pagibig sayo.

Ilang beses na kong umibig. Ilang beses na ring nakaranas na ibigin. Pero kahit kailan hindi pa ako naging ganito kasaya sa pag-ibig. Sa pagkakataong ito, ang gaan gaan ng pakiramdam. Ngayon lang ako umibig na sang-ayon ang pamilya ko sa taong iniibig ko. Pero hindi lang iyon, ngayon lang kasi ako umibig ng buong buo. Pag-gising ko ikaw, sa pagtulog ikaw, sa panaginip ikaw…palagi na lang ikaw. =) ( pero di ako nagrereklamo ha)

Ang daming kong ipagpapasalamat sayo:

 Dahil sa yo nanunuod na ulit ako ng mga cheesy at mushy na romantic movies at hindi na ako nagiging bitter pagkatapos.
 Dahil sayo hindi na mga sad songs at ‘getting over you’ songs ang pinakikingan ko.
 Dahil sayo mas masaya ang pasko ko
 Dahil sayo masaya ang mga gising ko sa umaga dahil alam kong mabibilang ko lang ang araw at magkikita na tayo ulit.
 Dahil sayo nagfo-forward na ulit ako ng mga love quotes (feel na feel ko na kasi cya ulit hehe )
 Dahil sayo may insiparsyon ako
 Dahil sayo MASAYA AKO

Ganun lang kasimple yun: Masaya ako. Ibang klaseng kaligayahan lalo na at alam ko na napapaligaya din kita. Nabasa ko dati sa peyups na falling in love and staying in love is stupid daw. Kung totoo nga yon, I am the stupidest person siguro.

Hinahanap hanap ko dati yung happy ending ko…Mali pala, hindi pala happy ending ang makukuha ko.

Happy beginning pala –

Beginning kasi wala ng katapusan tong pagmamahalan na to.

Mahal kita!