HOW TO GET MARRIED IN THE PHILS. --- a guide.

Yesterday morning, Pao and I headed on over to QC City Hall (his first time, my 3rd) to file for a marriage license.

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Fucking wild.

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                                        Look at that, so sure of himself. =P



Apparently, you don't really need all that much to get married. Hell, all we did was fill out an application form THEN take a walk on over to the... I dunno what that place is called... Marriage place/booth of sorts (it's a ways walk from the City Hall where we had to slip and slide our way through the NBI clearance line), talk with I dunno who or what she was, told her when we wanted our Civil wedding, where (my house), and asked how much. (Oh and on our application form, we both couldn't be "Roman Catholic" ---- Pao had to become a "Christian" [not that he isn't]... something to do with "Why not just go straight to the Church" ... like our Roman Catholicism would've been a conflict of interest of sorts.

What. The. Hell.

*shrugs*

It would've cost only 4,500 but since we wanted to do the Civil Wedding elsewhere (Hell no do I wanna be married in that dreary ass place), a "location" wedding would be 2,000 more (pastor included).

Then I asked when the family planning seminar was. (As I thought it was one of the requirements as stated by Google along with an orig. birth certificate --- which I actually purchased some time last week.)

And good golly gee whiz THERE WAS NONE. (Not that I needed to go to a family planning seminar or anything *ahem*)

I was just saying.

So yes...

Without further ado, seminar, or even that paper that declares your singlehood (the lady just asked if we were ever both married before...*WTF* Homegirl just took our word for it. *smacks forehead*)...

We will be married MARCH 9, 2011 ------ on our 500th day anniversary. (Yes, I counted it. =)

Of course, the lady did NOT fail to mention (in this strangely deadpan, un-enthusiastic, monotone, eerily foreboding type voice) that "Eto narin po yung dadalhin sa Civil Registry at lifetime na po ito."

I swear I felt the wind knocked out of me EVERY TIME SHE SAID THAT.

"Lifetime na po ito."
"Lifetime na po ito."

(Ok ok I get it, jeez.)


AND THAT'S HOW YOU APPLY FOR A MARRIAGE LICENSE IN THE PHILIPPINES, Y'ALL. =)

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Oh and I dunno if I should say this but I DON'T CARE, IT WAS JUST OUT THERE FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE, ALL UP IN YOUR FACE THIS IS WHERE YOU TAXES ARE GOING, BITCHES BLATANT DISPLAY OF... oh I dunno... I don't wanna say it.

As we were filling out our application forms, I noticed that the rundown office used these LG Flatron monitors and behind them was a sticker that said what the item was, when it was bought, how much it cost, and that it belonged to the city hall. It must've been only about 19-inches... bought December 9, 2008...

AND THIRTY-EIGHT THOUSAND NINE-HUNDRED PESOS.

Hot. Damn.

These government folk are spoiled aren't they? *winks*

Ok ok MAYBE! it was a typo.

MAYBE! they meant to type 3,890... and someone just completely forgot where to place their commas and how many zeros it takes to get to the "thousands" place, not the "ten thousands" place.

*shrugs*

It happens.

(Hell, I still count my zeros before every comma. =)

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***Psst, Waffle?

I love you. Thanks for rubbing me with Vicks VaporRub lastnight when I was sick...

And for choosing to marry me.

FAR EAST MOVEMENT

"Don't F*cking Tell Me What To Drink" <--------------- Hell. To. The. Yeah.

....

Have a phone interview with Kev Nish and DJ Virman of Far East Movement in a couple of hours... AND I DUNNO HOW I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO RECORD OUR CONVO CUZ I DON'T HAVE A SPEAKERPHONE!

I need to borrow one of those phonecall recording devices from the FBI.

AND EVERYONE HERE AT THE OFFICE JUST TOLD ME THAT YOU CAN RECORD YOUR PHONE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR PHONE!!! Seriously????

(10-minutes after disclosing the aforementioned dilemma)

I FIGURED OUT HOW TO RECORD PHONECALLS WITH MY PHONE!!!! HAHAHAHAHA! *sound the motherf*ckin' trumpets*

Hot damn google is awesome. =P

Ok now I'm ready. I just hope they call my cellie and not the landline... otherwise, I'm screwed. I'll have to rely on my quick-writing and "sonographic memory" if I wanna be able to quote them.

Anyhow...

A lot of excitement over that latest discovery. (See! We learn something new everyday over here at Gadgets. =)

And on that note, wish me luck y'all.

LOVELY AFFAIR

Time to grab somebody and just straight chill ---think Janet J.'s That's the Way Love Goes video but with just a little more bounce.

Can't go wrong with a Q-tip production, ya'll.

I've got my partner. Hope y'all have yours. *wink*

TIGER PARENTING

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior by Amy Chua.

Here are just a few excerpts:

What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle.

The fact is that Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable—even legally actionable—to Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, "Hey fatty—lose some weight." By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of "health" and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in therapy for eating disorders and negative self-image.

Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.

Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html

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I may have been raised in the West but I was definitely raised by the East. We may have had more freedom to exercise many of our childhood liberties living in America, but within the very core of our seemingly liberal family was rooted the one value (if not the most Eastern of values) that gave what we did meaning and purpose: Honor.

My sisters and I lived by a code: "Never dishonor the family." That pretty much defined our entire upbringing. Though yes, we were allowed to fail. We were allowed to f*ck up. We were allowed to experience the world and to gain insights of our own. We were allowed to get into fights, go to slumber parties, clubs, bars, whatever. But we were never to bring dishonor. We could fight for our family, defend each member, get into a hair-pulling, bitch-slapping, court-deliberating mess... but we were never to dishonor our family. And that may be hard to explain... just what "honor" really means... but I suppose it was so deeply rooted, it didn't need a definition. It became simply a way of life.

And how you had to be indebted to your parents? Totally. Maybe not in a psychotic you owe your parents your lives type of way but definitely, "utang na loob" was another concept we upheld. Personally, as I was more liberal than conservative, I hated the concept so much, I ended up shunning help and charity. It made me feel useless.

Now we knew when we brought dishonor.

It was like a dark cloud that loomed above you. Not aggressive or condescending or loud or demeaning. It was almost like an awkward silence... a held breath... flushing molecules... the color of shame painted with the delicate brushstroke of a look, a batted eye.

They were invisible knives that harakiri'd your disgraceful ass for you.

It's awful.

.....

I suppose one could say that Tiger Parents are Tough Lovers.

Even my own parents now are too afraid to argue with me when I'm reprimanding my daughter. They understand and respect my role as disciplinarian... and perfectionist. I want a perfect child. Funny, yes. Cute, fo sho. Loving, mos def. But perfect.

So yes, I am a tiger parent... mostly. That's what I grew up to be... in a way. Nay, not a tiger. A lion.

That's my animal counterpart according to my daughter (though sometimes she gets confused and just calls me "sexy" furrealz). Paolo is a monkey. She is a rabbit. (While my little sister Roni INSISTS she is a unicorn, hahahaha!)

Can I be any scarier? =P

MIKA vs. RONI

I still think this is one of the funniest videos I ever got of my two younger sisters talking about our older sister and who she should date. =)

I swear, I have the best sisters ever.

(Taken with my Sony Ericsson K750i)
http://michellecallanta.multiply.com/video/item/9/Mika_vs._Roni

How to dance like an ant, spider, and snake

Psyche shows us how, y'all.

Arrhaes and alot of other useless stuff at weddings.

Paolo and I purchased our wedding bands at the Weddings & Beyond Expo yesterday.

Pretty plain jane platinum bands ---------------------------------> (to tone down the unforgivably blatant conspicuousness of my engagement ring --- I could see the other girls nudging their better halves to sneak a peek at my finger as I tried rings on for size.)

[Ain't it pretty? =]

But furrealz yo,

It is a white sapphire y'all. Nothing to get all hot and bothered about. It just so happens that Pao understands my preference for the vulgar. (And how I like em BIG and practical. =) But see, it's not even about the rock. It's about keeping and staying true to the promise signified by your identical wedding bands. (Which we still don't quite know what we're gonna have engraved in em though it seems we're leaning towards putting "Waffle" hahahahaha!)

But hey, we did both realize that wedding expos are the best places to go couple-watching (kinda like bird-watching but 20x's more fascinating... and hilarious).

And yes, if there are "bridezillas" then there are also "groomzillas..." though personally, I just call em assholes. 'Cause they are. I mean, you don't tell your bride-to-be, "Di lahat ng gusto mo masusunod" and start making it pretty clear that you would rather hang yourself than have to go through another round of wedding dresses and venues and makeup and photo booths and choose between a 3-tiered lemon butter cake or a carrot one.

I guess I should be glad that my fiance is nothing like that... except he does think that checking his Fantasy League scores whilst I collect all the brochures is acceptable behavior. *ahem*

Oh and I just wanna say that Christian weddings are so expensive. I mean, what the f*ck is an "arrhae" anyway???? And do we even frikkin' need it? Can't like the church lend us one? It's messing with my budgeting, seriously.

What if God was a HER?

I was rollin' around, in my mind it occurred
What if God was a her?
Would I treat her the same? Would I still be runnin' game on her?
In what type of ways would I want her?
Would I want her for her mind or her heavenly body?
Couldn't be out gettin' bogus with someone so godly
If I was wit' her would I still be wantin' my ex?
The lies, the greed, the weed, the sex
Wouldn't be ashamed to give her part of my check
Wearin' her cross, I mean the heart on my neck
Her I would reflect on the streets of the Chi'
Ride wit' her, 'cause I know for me she'd die
Through good and bad call on her like I'm chirpin' her
Couldn't be jealous 'cause other brothers worship her
Walk this earth for her, glory, I'm grateful
To be in her presence I try to stay faithful

....

These words held my heart as I rode the MRT home. I seriously wanted to throw my hands up when John Legend and Bilal began to go off: "I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be so faithful..."

Amen y'all. Amen.

THE RESURRECTION OF RADIO

http://www.sarisarisounds.com/

Now you can listen to Original Pinoy Music ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, AND TWICE ON SUNDAYS... while cyber-stalking, blogging, tumblr-ing, facebooking, twitter-ing, and any other internet-related ING that floats your steamy boat.

And with the luscious TedMark (the Out of Body Special and Spongecola's little drummer boy) as the face of the site?

It just totally ups the f*cking ante. =)

(And the fact that I'm the voice behind the stingers. *woohoo! Thanks Los!* Kindly pardon the fumbling Filipino accent, though. I really tried to roll my R's. =)

An Ode to a Soul in Hiding

I learned I was pregnant November 6, 2006.

I remember this because it was the Monday after my mother’s birthday (pretty much my last day of happy intemperance) and I was “late” and I didn’t wanna go to work not knowing.

So 1 line is negative, 2 lines positive, right? When I saw the first line begin to take on that purple shade, I already knew. I think I must’ve chuckled to myself and thought something like, “Oh girl you done did it this time.” I knew this was it. No panic. No doubts. Just a deep sigh and a knowing acceptance.

Besides, I had no more excuses. I was a graduate. I had just landed an editorial assistant job at Gadgets. And I guess all the pain I had experienced earlier that year (particularly the one that had to do with my escaping a physically abusive relationship) made me realize that this was one responsibility I HAD to take –not completely disregarding the moral obligation I had though it wasn’t the motivating factor… I figured if this was one of those divine intervention type lessons I had to learn, I was in it to win it.

Now I wasn’t exactly as unfortunate as a lot of the other “single” mothers I know. I mean, I wasn’t exactly single; the baby did have a father, a supportive and loving one at that. And despite only having known him only a month after I had gotten pregnant, he was admittedly there for me during the entire 9-month endeavor and all throughout our daughter’s first year. Hell, I’ll give him that. I think I’d have about lost my mind if I had to rough it out alone (that’s why I admire those who were able to do just that because I understand the strength as well as the courage it must’ve taken).

But despite my hormonal imbalance, my changing body, and my natural tendency to just worry about everything, I was pretty much a very happy overweight pregnant woman. I laughed all the time. I worked hard. I went out to events happily sipping my iced tea and rocked those really tight maternity dresses proudly. I ate heartily and merrily and drank that God-forsaken Anmum milk religiously… with Chewy Chips Ahoy for taste.

I suppose that overall delight and evident joy rubbed off on my daughter somehow. Lucky for me it did because when it came time to separate with her father (she was a few months shy of two and we had finally admitted to ourselves that we simply could no longer “roll” together as Shel Silverstein so cleverly put it), it was as if she already knew and that she had to be there… for me. To take care of me. To pat me when I was crying. To wipe my tears. To tell me it was “ok, I love you.” To make me laugh (I mean, yeah babies don’t generally have these well-defined personalities but she was such a goofball who made faces and found silly things hilarious and sang her heart out and smiled and chuckled and didn’t mind watching Pineapple Express with me in the middle of the night and liked mashed potatoes on her head instead of her mouth.)

At that point I realized that I wasn’t raising a daughter.

She was raising a mother.

It was as if she knew she had to learn fast so she could take care of me better. As if being a baby was hindering her from doing so. I mean, she took her first steps after only 11months (it was on mother’s day when it happened) and was potty-trained just before she turned two. Now, she’s this smart-alecky precocious little BIG person who likes makeup and loves fairytales and the act of “love” kissing and sexy red panties (her favorite) and videogames and randomly asks people, “what’s your problem?” and can memorize song lyrics faster than a lot of people I know who are my age.

(And just this morning, she reminded me to buy her some milk.)

I suppose for all that I’m writing, I may not seem all that great of a mom and I still have a lot to learn when it comes to raising a kid. But somehow, I honestly believe that she knows how hard I’m trying. And she understands. And she doesn’t demand. She lets me be young. She lets me be a woman. But best of all, she let me go out and find love. And when she saw I had found it (the only other man I had allowed to “share” my sleep with), she looked him over for the first time as he slept (fully-clothed and propped uncomfortably upright), smiled, and began jumping on the bed until he woke up and noticed her.

Loved her.

She’s charming that way.

Quite like her mother.

Love's Socratic Dialogues

Because my partner allows me to bombard him with emails of my super random epiphanies... and listens patiently, lovingly, thoughtfully at my rhetorical rhapsodies.

Like this one.

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A Danish proverb "Better to ask twice than lose your way once."

It's funny how very little we really know about a marriage save for what people describe it as.

I like to think about these things because they fascinate me (and not because I'm questioning my wanting to get married to you.) I just thought about it, you know? Like instead of asking someone, "Will you marry me?"... they should ask a less ambiguous question (I mean, what does it mean to "marry" right? Seriously. Who is our gauge? Our parents? A dictionary? What do people do when they "marry"?) Because like what this Edward Hodnett said, "If you do not ask the right questions, you do not get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer. Asking questions is the A-B-C of diagnosis. Only the inquiring mind solves problems.”

I made up my own question based on how I am towards you and I came up with this:

"Do you think you could get past yourself, your own worst enemy and unforgiving critic, and consider spending a lifetime having just me accompanying you through all of this... whatever 'this' may be or may cause? If so, would you like to?"

Surely there are more intelligent people who could come up with a better example to what I'm trying to say here. But I just thought -- now bear with me -- if someone had asked me this question, not only would I need to take a look within myself as I am described so uninhibitedly, I would also not need to feel bad if the answer were no... because then it wouldn't be immediately seen as a "no to marrying this person" or a "no i don't love you enough to marry you"... it could be a "no because I can't get past myself or I haven't been able to do so yet."

And I think asking someone if they would "like" to do something is a bit more delightful sounding than asking them if they "will" do something... you know what i mean? It's like... you still somehow ask for their opinion, rather than just... an answer. Because then it would matter to you because you had wanted to know if this was something they "liked" or something that made them happy.


Am I making sense?

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May you find a true friend in your better half.

If you wanna get with me there's something you gotta know...

Sing it, baby.

Is my kid awesome or WHAT??????!!!!

1, 2, 3, F*ck it.

The cutest hipster I have ever seen. Seriously. I have a crush on this girl. And she can pull it off 'cause she's talented and young... not pushing 30 who looks 38 trying to go on 18.

(Ugh, it annoys me so. I mean, Dev makes the whole post-modern hippie fashion statement look so adorable... while other girls just make it look tacky [like can we look like we're trying any harder people?!} --- kinda like how some menopausal women decide to wear leopard-print leggings or purple wide-legs with a matching lavender v-neck frilly top. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT??? The ones who make you say, "Did she HONESTLY THINK that by dressing young, she would LOOK young?" Good Lord.)

Honey please... give that Britney Spears cap of yours a break.

I am channeling this song's b*tchiness right now.







I ain't your average bitch
I'm in the club every weekend
On some sav ass shit
And I ain't too pretty
To slap a hoe
So all you girls acting shitty
Better hit the back door


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I need a drink.

Introducing... THE MIGHTY MISCELLANEOUS

Catch them later at SaGuijo for Hip-Hop Night. =)

I-You

                  Here's to Bamboo, Ira, Nathan, and Vic... y'all had an awesome run.



                                 (And yes, Vic, you are still my favorite, hahaha!)



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I think this says it all...

Pain
leads to freedom
it's everyone's opinion not my own
Fame
crystal kingdom
it's everybody's mission not my own

not too young
not that old
neither bitter
neither cold
just an optimist
who's become a little cynical
under gloom
don't be afraid
love is stronger than it all
stronger than this soul divided

All these years I never really knew what love is
Till I found you... found you

This new faith where the altar is my bed
where the church feels like a motel room
when gold turns to lead
Hello
do you believe
love is stronger than us all
stronger than two souls colliding

I-you burn like fire from below 
sears the flesh feeds the soul's desire
I-you stronger than before 
rising through the dust like a phoenix

JANET DAMITA JO JACKSON

This just in...

Pao and I are watching Janet Jackson on February 4.

And though this may go against all the preachy "we need to save" homilies I've been making what with the wedding and Justin Bieber coming to Manila and beautifying our condo and my wanting to get my wisdom tooth removed...

F*ck it. I don't care.

Pao and Psyche will just have to watch Justin Bieber without me... [or if I decide to get a little stingy, I might just decide on taking Psyche to watch Justin's Never Say Never movie on 3D].

Girl wouldn't know the difference. =P

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Top 3 Songs I want Janet to perform:

I get lonely
Twenty-foreplay
If

And yeah, let's throw LOVE WILL NEVER DO WITHOUT YOU in there, too. And ESCAPADE. And AGAIN. And GOT TIL IT'S GONE.


Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh. There's so many!!! *sigh*

Bureau Class of 2009

Graduated suma cum laude of straight up swizzlin', hahahaha! I swear, back in the day (like 2 years ago and single), Ms. Beverly (which isn't even her real name but guys like to think so) had more mack than Craig, furrealz.

But her biggest achievement truly, is being a good friend... my "close to a meltdown pick-me-upper" friend. Bringing me a feast from North Park when I was down, shopping with me and the sisters for the perfect evening ensemble (ahh the therapy in retail), picking my ass up 99% of the time to go to the club (even when I didn't want to =), bringing over the Redhorse and joining me in a "Chasing Pavements" Adele emo-session, blazed out of our wits and eating Mcdonalds at 6am.

And of course, being the ultimate wingchick at the club, hahaha!

But all very good girls at heart... and even better girlfriends. =)

No thanks to Facebook. It was phone calls and text messages and even late night booty call nearing 2am type text messages, like "what are you doing." nothing. "get dressed, i'm picking you up." When did friendships become so... diluted, reduced to a slow deathly boil of [I'm guessing 250 characters?] mixed into a shallow pot of tweets and status msgs and likes [really? a "thumbs up" is good enough of a recognition symbol?]. (Oh and I heard it again I swear! The "HEY, FRIENDS TAYO SA FACEBOOK NOH ANUKABA?!!!" For the love of f*cking God.) I am an elitist. But I digress...

But hey, in fairness-ness to all of my friends and fam on Facebook who want me to have a Facebook, I'm sure I would do nothing but flood all of your walls with 1000 word comments and conversation. It would be a text-heavy mess and I don't know if y'all are quite ready for that. =)

That's why if you have my number, give me a call. Or you can do what my other friends do who have accepted my multiply-loving ways and just converse with me on here. That's why I love y'all... because of the effort. *beams proudly* And to those brave enough to get on my viewing history, hey, I see you. And whether you like my ish or not (can't really say cuz you don't tell me), I appreciate it. Really. And I hope you are well.



I wish every girl a friendship like this one. =)



.....


Oh and shoutouts to the L'Oreal Academy for my glossy flossy hair. (INOA is the shiiiiiz, y'all. More about it in our Feb. issue of Gadgets. =)

FOR THOSE BRAVE ENOUGH TO BE HONEST...

Why did YOU get married?

(Let's avoid throwing the word "Love" in here unless you can fully explain or at least attempt to grasp the concept... and not just say "love" like THAT'S IT, take it or leave it that's my final answer... the all encompassing answer to life's bigger mysteries accepting it like we have to accept that there's such a thing as dark matter in space. You might as well just make up a word or say something like Buruguduystunstugudunstuy, if you knew that you need not answer anything else after that.)

This is NOT cold feet, y'all so we can stop with the "Oh god she's having second thoughts, there's something terribly wrong with her relationship" nonsense.

Oh and pardon the incoherence but as I am not unlike alot of other girls who like to stalk their own fiances, my beloved Waffle tweeted some 12hours ago: Is it really like this? Is this...normal? If it is, then respect to those bonds who survive without hurt and hate. (Obviously, I understand the context of this deep thought.)

Ugh. Yeah. Respect to aliens and those over-evolutionized beings who have successfully put all emotion beneath them. (Why do you think aliens have such big heads and can read minds and sh*t. Shoot. If that's the only thing stopping me from achieving telepathy and telekinesis, I am so down to having my amygdala removed.)

Going back...

I am just sincerely curious. (I'm channeling the National Geographic campaign.) And uhh hello everybody, we are in the 21st century, you'd think that with all the freedom we get to exercise, the information we can get from the net and all of the "social relationships" we acquire from social networking sites, we'd have a better sense of self and have a clearer gauge of what we want to happen in our lives.

*scratches head*

Ain't that the frikkin' irony.

Maybe the answer's on tumblr. Can someone send me one of those one-liner bits of wisdom pasted on a picture? I probably guess people have too many things to do (I'd really like to know what that is) than come up with an original thought or to explain an emotion that requires more than 200 words. Your own words.

God I am a ball of angst today, I totally love it.

...

I think the problem with most marriages today... or any other day is that... I don't think people truly comprehend what they're getting into. Or what it means. Entails. Demands. Takes.

And as I anticipate that a possible answer would be that it's some sort of risk you just have to take, I say, "I'm a virgo. My risks are calculated. Even if they seem reckless."

Ok now that that's out of the way...

Janet Jackson is coming in Feb.

HOLY. FUCKING. COW.

Time for a throwback of one of my all time favorite videos... OF ALL TIME???!!!!



I can totally do that Chinese break-it-down dance. Tina Landon is f*cking brilliant.

(Must get into a Ms. Janet audio-marathon this weekend. I can still hear Dev singing "I like my beat fast and my bass down low." It's been ringing in my ears.)

Things I'm happy about (in no particular order).

1. I'm getting my hair dyed by Loreal on Friday. (I'm shallow like that)

2. I get to talk wedding talk with my sister, Mika and compare notes and be all giddy and girly and stuff. (She suggests the Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine as a guide whereas I suggested Google.)

3. Psyche has acquired the sweet disposition to offer to share her "Wedding Barbie" with me and is pretty much one of the coolest cats I have ever had the pleasure to meet.



4. Our condo is almost finished and is coming along nicely and since it's connected to the MRT, I get to go to work without a car and squeeze in some exercise by walking to and from the station and maybe take Psyche along with me to Ayala Station so we can visit her Papa at work or just hang out at the mall without me thinking about traffic and parking.

5. By the looks of things, Pao and I will be wed in March... and my entire family (including Mika's fiance, Ben) will all be here then to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday.

6. I have a fiance who is hardworking and can HUSTLE.

7. I get to go on this crazy beautiful journey with a man who... well... is perfect. Like yeah I know he's not perfect perfect but I mean, hot damn Lord you totally outdid yourself with this one. Like... God seriously loves me. I dunno. *shrugs* Paolo is such a good friend. And we have AWESOME crazy monkey sex. HAHAHAHA!

8. I find I'm very lucky to have the ability to make people comfortable around me. For them to want to engage in conversation, to find themselves able to easily discuss or indulge me with their stories. Before, I used to find it perplexing that after the end of the night, I'd know so much about a person without my even needing to pry or people would just randomly profess things outtanowhere. Dr. Drew calls it "therapeutic wonderment"... when you ask questions you already know the answer to and wait for people to find the answers within themselves (apparently it gives those a sense of wonder after realizing that the answer was inside them all along). I think I have that [skill/quality]. And I think it's cool. I get to learn from people (not just learn about them) without being preachy or invasive.  -----> this was prompted by DJ Rye when he told me about how he proposed, the circumstances behind it and how that "beautiful journey" doesn't end after the wedding ceremony. Personally, I have a thing for guys who divulge their love stories. I find it absolutely fascinating and awe-inspiring.

9. I'm happy I'm thinner and healthier. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

10. My colleague asked me if I missed my brods and sisses from college. The question made me recall that part of my history and I couldn't help but feel this tug in my heart... to know that I was surrounded by a bunch of wonderful people who were REALLY there. Not just through all the drunk crazy "hey let's cut class and drink beside the humanities building and make fun of the people passing by especially those stuck up bio majors who think they're so cool" type instances... but during the times I fell from my self-made high chair and was an inch away from having my face and life ruined. I may not see them as often... but God, I am so happy to have met them and to have had that kind of friendship. They were my higher learning.

11. I may be frugal as Hell... but I'm happy to be rich in amazing memories (yeah, including the death-defying, life-defining, painful ordeals). And thus far, I think I've led a very exciting and enriching life... and I'm grateful that God entrusted me with the wisdom that came from those experiences.

I can grow up now. =)

MY OLD SOUL

Captured by Ms. Dianna Jeraldine Capco

http://www.diannacapco.com/calypso/

......

And yes, "Jojo" with the (obviously bogus) email address Bradkale04@gmail.com and IP address 58.71.7.188...

I was wearing faux lashes in those photos. But thank you for finding the time to admire my friend's lovely work. =)

TOP 11 OF 2011

These aren’t really resolutions as they’re more like “goals” I’ve set for myself (which I hope to follow through up until the end of the year… and if it’s worth carrying over onto the next one then all the better). That 7 Habits book is no joke, y’all. Stephen Covey has got me all hot and bothered, hahaha!

1.  I need to break the habit of wearing coochie cutter shorts to work. It’s funny because that was one of my reminders LAST YEAR after I got another mild memo regarding the “formality in dress” (goes to show how hardheaded I can be. *smacks forehead* I mean gosh y’all, the last time I checked, this WAS a tropical country and I’m not about to rock my 5-inch stilettos to the office like those cool kids over at stylebible do and wear makeup to a lunch meeting or while I’m simply sitting in front of my desk writing my next gadgetslab.) But alas, I was told I needed to “channel” my inner Anna Wintour and at least, “dress” the part as lifestyle editor inside as well as outside the office.

Ergo… I’ve decided to prepare 5 dresses which will serve as my daily workday “uniforms” straight on from Monday to Friday… my personal work staples, if you will… unless I have some new ensemble I want to rock. Honestly, dressing up can be such a chore esp. when you only have 30mins. to get to work after snoozing the alarm for two hours. But I gotta avoid the shorts. (Maybe I’ll make Fridays my “free-day” where I can go back to wearing my signature short-ass shorts, wife-beaters and slippers.)

2. I have to learn to wooozaaah myself from getting too annoyed with Psyche because she’s at that age where she wants to just play and hang out and put make up on and touch my things. Now don’t get me wrong, she is still incredibly sweet and considerate (like whenever I want to watch tv, she’ll say, “Mommy, you can watch Law & Order.”) But I guess I let my getting tired get in the way of the quality time I owe her so I have to really start coming up with a sort of schedule of what she and I can do together for an hour or so… before she has to go to bed. I’m just lucky that she understands that our going to work is so that we can make money (to buy her icecream, she firmly believes). It makes it easier to leave the house despite her adorably imploring face to stay home.

3. I have to get this wedding in order. Seriously.

4. Must channel the ILOCANA-VIRGO powers within and continue saving like a mother.

5. Learn the art of Micro-managing. *cue mantra: I am a boss. Now act like one.*

6. I realized how much I miss my friends… the ones who knew me “growing up.” Despite, all of the wonderful people I’ve met and all the other friends I’ve gained, old friendships remain like warm, fuzzy security blankets --- they were there at my very worst, during the time I was cast into the fire to burn in order to learn some of life’s biggest lessons. I have to plan more dates with them esp. now that I’m getting married.

7. Must write Paolo more love letters.

8. Find another poison other than vodka-redbull. (or at least limit them to 2 a night). Let me throw in the jagerbomb in there, too. I gotta remember not to drink to get drunk (but Hell, where’s the fun in that???) I gotta go back to my roots… REDHORSE and EXTRA JOSS.

9.  I gotta be nicer to my mom… and remember to not touch her things lest I want all Hell to break loose.

10. Get on that godforsaken stationary bike more.

11. Kiss more, hug more. Say:

Thank you

Good job

I love you

You’re awesome

I forgive you

You are appreciated

MORE.

......

Here goes nothin' 2011.

USED TO BE ONE OF THE ROTTEN ONES...

and I liked you for that.

                                                  My 2010 achievement.

....

Because LOVE (no matter what age) should be felt the way a 17-year old does.

Ever hopeful. Who believes in dreams. And never forgets to hold her heart and look up at the stars.

(At least, that's what I hope to teach my daughter.)






Park that car
Drop that phone
Sleep on the floor
Dream about me