Finally, after almost a year of being a parasite for internet connection, our household is now an official subscriber of Streamyx Broadband Internet. One of the perks of having our own Internet access is that I don't have to be in a specific spot in our house for me to be able to connect to the Internet. I can now surf the Internet from room, unlike before where the strongest spot is in our living room.
One thing that I'm really enjoying for now is the radio streaming service. Eradioportal is currently on my favorites because it allows me to listen to my favorite radio stations in Manila. Since I'm a music lover, where else can I learn about good music? ;)
I can't help but recall all the stations and the radio jocks that I've been listening in the past. I can't remember if I've been a regular follower of a particular radio station when I was in elementary, so I don't have an identity back then. I only became aware about it when I was in High School. My school bus is usually tuned to Kool 106 in the evening for the countdown (Kaleidoscope World by Francis M was at its peak) and my classmates would usually listen to WLSFM (Triggerman was a very popular DJ and Filipino alternative bands were very popular).
During my senior year in High School, I started listening to RX 931 because of its morning show - the morning rush with Chico and Delamar (that was 10 years ago.. imagine how old they are right now!). But I became its regular listener when I got into college since I don't have anything to keep myself entertained aside from my walkman. I learned about their other DJs like Boom Boom baby, Trish, Francesca, Chinggay and Tom Alvarez (to whom we would listen at night for his Love Clinic).
But I am not a loyal RX listener. I also listen to Magic 899. My fave show is the daily countdown that used to be hosted by Mo Twister and Miles. I also listen to their weekend countdown and their all request countdown - wherein I would make a request. Sometimes onair but usually I do it via SMS. But my favorite is the sunday slow down every Sunday night where they would play all soul and RnB sentimental songs. In fact, this is a favorite among my dormmates and we would listen to it together using our own walkman (I miss it).
Believe it or not, I've been an avid listener of these 2 stations that I've actually joined their contest and won (usually I would join the contest at around 4 AM to take a breather from studying). Needless to say, I've visited their station and saw some of their jocks when I claimed my prizes.
Aside from these 2 stations which plays the latest from MTV, I also listen to Wave 89.1 for RnB, hiphop, soul and pop jazz music when I'm not into the latest songs. But if I'm into alternative, adult contemporary music, I'd stay tune to Jam 88.3 (formerly known as Citylite).
There are also other stations which I would listen occasionally depending on my mood. When I want to express my angst, I would listen to NU 107. Sometimes I would chat with my guy classmates which songs topped its daily countdown. When I want to relax and not to think about anything, I would listen to 92.3 Joey@Rhythms , 105.1 Crossover or 88.3 Citylite for jazz music. And believe it or not, I also listen to 98.7 dwFE for classical music. You see how eclectic I am when it comes to music. Hehe.
Anyway, I'm just so glad that we have Internet access at home. Now I can listen to Chico and Delamar's Morning Rush and look forward for their Top 10 list every morning :)
In today's edition of Youngblood from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, they featured an article entitled "Fruit of Life". This is a birthday post of a 27-year-old teacher from Pangasinan. He asked himself if he "was getting older and wiser, or simply getting older?". He also asked himself that "if [he were] a coconut tree, has [he] borne fruits? If so, how many? How delicious and how much?". I am not going to answer that question since my birthday was about a month ago and I believe that I have written so many articles about it (next year na lang, para may kakaiba na naman =P).
The article made me realize how old I am right now. It hasn't sink in to me yet that my age is the age where most people get married (well most of my childhood friends have a family of their own). But the author obviously has a family of his own and has his own family as his priority at the age of 27. Meanwhile, I am 26 years old and I can't imagine myself preparing for a family of my own - and mind you, not even my own wedding (kailangan muna kc maghanap ng fafa ahaha..).
Don't take my previous statement as whining, since I'm still far from the path of settling down. Well, I still don't feel that "special kind of something". Maybe it's because I am a late bloomer. I remembered what Labatt (the Labour Attache from the Phil Embassy) said to us last weekend, that if a young person still doesn't want to become married yet (or doesn't feel that urge), its because he/she is happy with his family. And I'm really glad to hear this. That statement validated that I'm still a normal person :)
I've been listening to Nelly Furtado's latest song, "All Good Things". This question lingers throughout the song is "Why do all good things come to an end?". I know that most people know the answer to this question. That good things must end so that we can move on and grow to become a better person. This question also made me look back at all the good things that happened to me in the past - which includes my happy childhood memories, my college life and my onshore experience.
Since most of my friends here are on support this weekend, we don't have a choice but to put ourselves under house arrest. Gen was craving for a leche flan and she mentioned to Mars that she wants to make one but she doesn't know how. So they planned to make one this weekend. Jeng wants to make a chicken macaroni salad while I need to cook spaghetti since all the ingredients that I brought from the Philippine will expire in the next month. So we all agreed to satisfy our cravings by having a potluck dinner.
So aside from our assigned recipe, Dru gave a cake (with a Happy Toothie Anai message), Charisse brought some chicken wings while Ace and Joey (her husband) cooked a steamed lapu lapu (yummy!=P). Noah, their 1-year old son, is sooo cute and adorable that he kept everyone entertained and busy. Who would refuse to play with a lovable boy like him :)
After dinner, we played dominoes and had a little chit chat. Jeng occasionally checked on some jobs that need to be monitored. We learned that Joey has a third eye and he told us a lot of interesting stories about the creatures he had seen in the past. We learned that having a sixth sense is inherited. His mother can feel ghosts as well. It is highly possible that Noah might have it too (but I've read somewhere that a child has its third eye open until he/she reaches the age of 7). They were all teasing me because Noah keeps on entering my room and is talking to somebody as if he's seeing someone (baka may Casper daw sa kuwarto ko).
A few hours later, Rommel, Ian and Richard came to our house to eat dinner (kailangan na talaga namin ng tulong para ubusin ang pagkain). They didn't stay that long, so we only had enough time for picture taking (ala Familia Zaragosa) using my new tripod =P.
I really enjoyed this unexpected gathering. It was an intimate dinner (with no occasion at all) and I'm glad that I had a chance to talk with all of our visitors, especially Ace and Joey. We're planning to do this every month but next time, our theme would be mexican (now it's Filipino). I'm so full that I have to drink a cup of tea.
The UAAP Cheerdance competition was held last Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum. Unfortunately, my alma mater, UST, ended up in the second place after 5 years of being on top. UP bagged the crown this year after 5 years of battling with UST and they finally got it.
Of course, since I still can't accept the fact that UST lost this year (nakipag-away pa ako kay Gen, who's an Isko by the way) and I have to see it myself if they deserve to win. So I immediately searched for its video in youtube. I checked out UST's routine for this year and I can't help but remember those times when I watched the cheering competition at the Big Dome to support the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe with my college barkada Eva and Lexie. This is something that we would do every year, and we would forget that we're friends with our Isko chummies for a while. The school spirit is overwhelming as we gather in the bleachers with our fellow Thomasians. We were provided with balloons that we can wave while the Salinggawi are performing. Once the Salinggawi starts to perform, everyone in the UST crowd are screaming at the top of the lungs, cheering for them and hoping to bring home the crown once again. I can barely hear a thing when they perform. All I do is shout and cheer with every stunt that they perform or sing the UST Cheers ("We are the Tigers, the mighty mighty Tigers..", "Go USTe!"). This is a totally different experience which cannot be captured by just watching the Salinggawi on TV. If I'm still working in Manila, I'll be probably one of the people screaming for the Salinggawi dancers last week.
Anyway, I've seen the routines of both schools (UP and UST) and I can't help but commend UP for their performance. I think they deserve it. I haven't seen the routine of FEU (which some people think deserves to be in the 2nd place but ended up in the 3rd place instead) but it's still loading in the Youtube while I'm writing this blog.
If there's one thing I liked about this year's competition, Samsung is the official sponsor and that the cheering squads do not need to perform a specific routine to endorse the major sponsor. In the previous years, Nestle Nonstop had been the sponsor and each squad needs to perform a routine for the product - which most of the time ends up to be cheesy.
Well, there's still next year and I hope that the Salinggawi dancers will be back with a vengeance (with a more exciting routine). In the meantime, I'll just cheer for the UST Growling Tigers who made it in the final four for this year's UAAP Men's Basketball. Go USTe!!
My parents used to work as soldiers. No, they were not trained in prestigious military institutions such as the PMA or PMMA. They went under a rigorous training (bootcamp) before they became a sargeant. As you all know, the military life is difficult. But inspite of all the hardships that they experienced, I know that my parents enjoyed their independence (being in the barracks and living with their comrades). It may not pay them enough money but it taught them a lot of experiences and exposed them to a lot of things. My father is usually involved in fieldwork (which includes being sent to Mindanao to fight with the rebels) while my mother is involved in clerical work. Because of the demands of their job, I was always left at the care of a nanny since they need to be away most of the time.
When Cory became the president, they had a choice to work in the marines or with the Philippine National Police. They opted to work in the PNP since the responsibility is lighter, the pay is higher and they're not sent in the battlefields (unless they get involved in a shootout, but its still different compared to the army). Sadly, the police had a bad reputation. It is currently considered as one of the most corrupt institution in the country.
My father worked with the Intelligence department. I remember when I was a child, he brings me to his office, which is quite hidden as we have to pass several passages, and a lot of doors had to be opened (but mind you, it's not the fancy passageway that you can see in the movies). Inside his office, there were a lot of computers and audio devices (I won't elaborate what they do). To keep myself busy in their office, I would play in one of their computers or sleep since it was airconditioned. Unfortunately, since the principles of some of my father's colleagues is different from his, he left the unit and opted for an early retirement.
Meanwhile, when my mother worked with PNP, she worked in the women's desk. She deals with domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. At the end of the day, she would tell stories - some of them are absurd and funny but most of them are heartbreaking. I remember her story when one woman complained that her dead husband has a mistress. Out of anger, that woman put a chain on her husband's casket and locked it. Another time, my mother brought a young boy in our house. This boy is a victim of child abuse and needs to be handed over to DSWD. The boy was quiet when he stayed in our house, where he was provided with food, shelter and care for a short time. When he had to be turned over to DSWD, the boy does not want my mother to leave him. It was heartbreaking but its part of her job.
Due to the nature of my parents' profession, I somehow developed this kind of paranoia - I don't want to talk to strangers and I usually project that I'm intimidating. I wear the modest clothes to avoid any snatchers or pickup. At home, emphasis is given on security.
Aside from being scared of petty crimes, I developed this habit of connecting events, paying attention to details and thinking of any inconsistencies. No, I'm not referring to detective type of things like Nancy Drew or Veronica Mars. Simple things only. But don't get me wrong, I'm not that paranoid to suspect all the people of having a motive. It's all harmless :)
Inspite of all these things that I mentioned, most of my friends are surprised that my parents used to work in the military because they don't appear to be rigid. And if you're going to ask me why I did not become a military, well I can't imagine myself possessing a gun as part of my profession.
A few weeks ago, Mars and Agri went to Manila for a vacation at the same time. It was my first time to be alone in our unit for such a long time (actually, for more than a week). Since I am an only child, I am comfortable being alone, so its not really a problem for me. I can keep myself occupied and I'm happy.
This is not my first time to be alone. When I had my onshore assignment, I spent my first 2 weeks alone in my apartment. Imagine, being in another country for the first time and having the house all by myself. I kept myself busy with cable TV and learning how to do the household chores. That's what I call independence.
Anyway, while my flatmates are gone, I kept myself busy watching the first season of Heroes, doing the household chores (again), chatting with my friends and surfing the net. However, the thing with being alone is that I have so much responsibilities at home (and to myself). I need to ensure that all the sockets were unplugged, the gas stove was safely turned off and the doors and windows were locked. I was also paranoid during this time - no I am not afraid of ghosts or anything paranormal, I am scared with the bandits that might enter our unit. Well, its not only I who was paranoid, my mother always checks on me. If I don't reply to her text messages, she would call me right away.
Well, one thing that I don't like on being alone is that I come home to an empty house. I don't have someone to talk to when I need to tell something, especially when I'm upset (especially nung nag PMS ako hahaha). That's why I really appreciate my housemates and my family.
Well, I'm glad that Mars is now back here in Malaysia and Agri will be coming here in a few days. I'm looking forward to have our 'lively' unit back once again :)
I'm on night support this week. I received a page at 5 AM and I'm now having a hard time going back to bed. So that's why I have this post. :)
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A few weeks from now, my weekend classes will be over. I could say that it's been a humbling experience for me - meeting other OFWs and listening to their stories, who are mostly working as domestic helpers. But I don't think that I can do this for another year. I really wanted to do this for a long time (since I was still in Manila) and I'm glad that I was able to do so. I really enjoyed teaching but its not something that I considered as a passion for me to commit. I think it's time for me to try other things and explore my other interest (*wink wink*).
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It's been less than a month since I turned 26 and sad to say, my quarter life crisis is at its peak. Where will I go? What do I wanted to do? I still don't have a direction.
Here is one thing for sure and this is the first time that I'm going to say this - I don't see myself settling in another country since I need to take care of my parents when they grow old. The main reason why I choose to be away is because there are things that I can only learn if I'm on my own.
In the meantime, I'll just listen to Princeton while singing Purpose from Avenue Q.
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In another Avenue Q related "thought", I love the song "There's a fine fine line".. It's a very emotional song and the lyrics are great. I have a copy of the version by Stephanie D'Abruzzo which most people find to be pitchy.
I'm really curious how Rachel Alejandro (who played Kate Monster in the Avenue Q Manila) would sing the song. Luckily, I found this video from Youtube which I think is her audition for this musical. I think she did well.
I love food. You'll probably nodding your head right now based on my body built. Well, that's not what I meant. I love to taste different types of food and its flavor (yeah yeah, parang Ratatouille).
My father is a good cook. He told me that it runs in the family. My grandfather is a good cook whose talents were "inherited" by his children. I can attest to that because the food is really good after whenever we have our family get-together. My cousins were also interested in cooking as well and they love to experiment with cooking.
As for me, well, I'm not really pro-active when it comes to cooking. I let my father take care of that. Most of the time, he asks for my opinion about the food whenever he cooks. I am the "taster" of the family. I think this is where I developed my sense of taste - discerning good food from the rest :) Most of the dishes cooked by my father are Filipino and Chinese dishes (my grandfather is half-Chinese pero hindi halata sa mukha ko or sa tatay ko haha!) but he also loves to experiment with food. Meanwhile, my mother has her own specialty as well - I love her pinakbet and sinigang. She also makes great Filipino desserts as well - from her own version of Filipino fruit salad up to her maja blanca, which satisfies my sweet tooth :)
Actually, I really don't know how to cook since I've been passive when it comes to the kitchen. However, nobody knows how to bake in our home. I love dessert so my Tita Bing taught me to bake. My mother loves chocolate and she always asks me to bake some brownies, chocolate cake or anything with chocolate. My nieces and cousins do the same everytime they stay in our house for vacation (kaya gustong gusto nila sa bahay kasi nag-b-bake kami every week). This is the reason why I lost my penchant for chocolate because I always bake it and it became boring. I am now one of the few people who's not really fond of chocolate.
During my onshore assignment, I had no choice but to learn the "craft" of cooking. I heavily relied on the cookbook that I brought with me or the recipes that I found in the internet. Sometimes, I would call my parents for some cooking advise. It was a good thing that my roommate Hazel most of the food that I prepared :)
Since my father taught me how to distinguish good food from the ordinary ones, I love to try different restaurants. Whenever there is some dish that I like which my parents don't cook, I find the recipe myself. This is my way of sharing what I've tasted them - with my own touch of course. It's been a while since I last tried a different recipe.
Anyway, if you think that I can be a chef.. hell no! I can cook but I'm not really proactive about it. I don't really watch cooking shows or subscribe to a food magazine on a regular basis (wala rin kasi kaming cable hehe). Of course, nothing can replace singing as my passion :) As long as the people eating my food are happy with what I'm cooking, then I'm fulfilled :)
It's been a while since I posted my 'real' entry. Well, a lot of things happened recently which made me think about some things.
A lot of things have been going on recently, many things were said and some of them are quite hurtful. It actually came to a point where I don't know what to believe and who to trust. I hate this feeling that of paranoia that every word that I say will be taken against me. I've been consumed with this feeling recently, it really makes me wanna puke and told myself that I really wanted a diversion.
I think the problem here was that wrong people were trusted. People whom I thought were not capable of doing things failed me, which caused me to have this betrayed feeling. What makes matters is that I'm starting to doubt the sincerity of some people and to think of the motive for every action done to me. And I really hate this feeling.
For me, it's really difficult to earn my trust. It is something that is gained after sometime, if I'm comfortable with the person and based on my character's judgement. I think that the best indicator that a person is trustworthy is when they respect you if you're not comfortable telling him/her.
The last time that I went to confession, the priest told me that the hardest thing to forgive is the anger caused by betrayal, especially that it comes with trust. It takes time to heal and to finally forgive.
Anyway, I hope I'll get over this feeling of paranoia. I really hate it. I think I'm trapped and I'm really suffocated. I badly need a diversion.
As you all know, Hugh Jackman is my ultimate crush. Aside from the fact that he's sooo handsome, he's a very talented actor.
I admit that it was because of my huge crush on him that I got interested in musical theater. He was the main character of the musical The Boy from Oz (which is the reason why I went to Broadway but unfortunately, I was not able to watch), where he won the 2004 Tony's for Best Actor in a Musical. Also, he hosted the Tony's that year and I watched it because of him. Good thing that I did because I learned about Avenue Q and Wicked (these two were the strongest contenders for the Best Musical that year).
Anyway, I have this clip of Hugh Jackman performing as Peter Allen in 2004 Tony's. He's so brilliant with this performance that you would forget that he's the actor who portrayed Wolverine and Van Helsing. He sung portrayed a gay man so well, wore flamboyant outfits and shook his booty.
tony awards 2007 spring awakening cast performance
Tonight is the premiere of Avenue Q in Manila. As what I've mentioned in my previous entry, this is one of the musicals that I really wanted to watch. I was happy when I found out that this musical would be shown in Manila and it was tentatively scheduled to be shown on August, just in time for my birthday holiday. Unfortunately, it was postponed to September, a week right after I came to Manila.. DARN!!
Anyway, to comfort myself, I spent the night watching musicals in Youtube - from Avenue Q to Rent; and I'm proud to say that I have added a new musical that I wanted to watch - Spring Awakening, this year's winner of the 2007 TONYS for Best Musical =) It is based from the controversial German play of the same title, which tells about a teenage coming-of-age story in an age where a lot of things were taboo. The plot is really interesting and the lyrics are well, explicit. The music is created by Duncan Sheik so expect its sound to be on the alternative side - something that the youth can really relate to. This musical is said to be the next 'Rent' when it comes to its impact in the musical theater.
Anyway, I really wish that I could watch this musical onstage. I really enjoyed the videos that I've watched from YouTube. It seems that I'm just watching a concert or an MTV and buying the soundtrack will be worth it as it have wonderful songs such as It's the Bitch of Living, Totally Fucked and Mama Who Bored Me.
Well, I'll let you watch this video from the Tony Awards and let you see for yourself what's the fuss is all about. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did :)
I received 2 good news today.. my colleague Kathleen sent me an SMS this morning that she gave birth to a healthy baby girl this morning - the girl's name is Kareena Louis or Khloe.
One more thing, Sharon, my HS best friend, sent me a message in friendster that she had a caesarian delivery to a pretty baby girl named Grace.
Yesterday morning, I was listening to the soundtrack of Rent and I thought what would it feel to go back to New York City so I checked how much would it costs by visiting the Expedia website. Eventually, I ended up checking out the airfares of my other dream destinations. I was chatting with Gen on our itinerary and how much should we save each month to make it to our dream destinations. We even thought on the other options as well.
Haay.. libre lang naman mangarap, so bakit hindi na namin lulubusin di ba? =P
As what I’ve mentioned in my previous blog, I went to home to Manila without my parents knowing it. My plan was to surprise them. I got this idea when Cebu Pacific had a promo last February since I wanted to take advantage of the cheap airfares. I didn’t know when my planned vacation that I took last July would be approved. So the date that I thought would be the best to book a flight was during a long weekend - the Merdeka celebration which happened to be the weekend during my birthday. Woohoo! So I made this booking right away. I decided not to tell about this booking to my family and friends in the Philippines since I’m sure that a lot of people will think I’m crazy for going home for 2 consecutive months. But hey, this is MY birthday and I think that this is the best gift that I can give to myself.
A few weeks before my flight, Minnie met my parents because I asked her to give some stuff. She almost revealed about my plans of going back to Manila to celebrate my birthday. Good thing took it differently, so my plan to surprise was still in tact (whew!). A few days before this trip, I chatted with Eloisa, my cousin who’s studying in Manila and who stays with my parents during weekends. I decided to tell her about my plans as I want to go home to an empty house or my plans would get screwed (ako pala ang na-surprise hahaha). Good thing she was a good accomplice =) and she never told anyone about my upcoming appearance. I learned from her that my parents were clueless about my trip which made it more exciting for both of us.
On my birthday, my parents had a celebration because a series of divine statues that have been rotating in our neighborhood “visited” our home. In lieu with this, they invited some of their org mates from our parish. They cooked a lot of dishes and my cousin, Mark stayed in our house that night to help my parents with the preparation. Unfortunately, he had to leave early the next day to make some errands.
I arrived our home at around lunch time last Friday. I didn’t know where the newly-installed doorbell was located so I just knocked the gate and whistled to call my dogs, just like the way how I used to do it. Anyway, it was my parent’s siesta (afternoon nap) time and they were about to sleep. When my parents saw me, they couldn’t believe it. The first word that my mother said to me when she saw me was “Walanghiya ka! Bakit ka nandito??” to which I only replied “Kasi wala ako sa Malaysia”. Of course, I know that they were happy to see me ;) After they redeemed themselves, I called some of my relatives to let them know that I’m home. Mark, who left earlier that morning called me a liar and an impostor in disbelief. I was really amused on how people reacted when I tell them that I’m home since I just met them last month. On Saturday, we celebrated my birthday by going to Trinoma, the newest mall by Ayala situated right next to the MRT North Edsa station. In my opinion, this mall is a fusion of Glorietta and Greenbelt in Makati. I went with my parents and my cousins Mark and Eloisa. Good thing that my favorite restaurants have a branch is this mall so I decided to have my celebration here.
We had our lunch at Gerry’s grill where we had sisig, inihaw na pusit, kare-kare and crispy pata (pampabata! Woohoo!!). It was their first time to eat at Gerry’s which they found to be a pleasant eating experience. After that, I insisted on having dessert at Café Breton, where we had the famous La Pinay and Strawberry Short Crepe (yummy!!). It was great to eat in my favorite restaurants once again with my family. I hoped that they enjoyed it as well =)
After pigging out for food, we went to SM Fairview to buy some groceries that I need to bring to KL. I also recorded a song at the Karaoke King and headed to the parlor to have my long-overdue foot spa and pedicure.
On Sunday, I just packed my things, attended the mass (it’s good to sing Papuri sa Diyos after a loong time) and did my Sunday morning routine in the Philippines - reading the national broadsheet with a cassava cake (or any kakanin) and hot choco (yum!). In the afternoon, before I boarded to the bus that will take me to the airport, I dropped by at Jollibee near our village to buy a bucket of Chicken joy for my pasalubong and my dinner. Good thing that I saw Rachelle, my childhood friend whose the manager on duty of this branch. It was nice catching up with her one more time.
I made it in the airport just in time for the check-in at 6:55 PM for my 8:55 PM flight. But I decided to chat with my parents and checked-in at 7:30 PM, which is just enough to make it at the gate during the FINAL boarding call.
Now that I gave my parents a surprise, my mother is expecting that I’ll do it again - she said that she’ll give me the keys at home (hahaha, nag-assume!). Of course, this means that I have to think of a different strategy so that my surprise will become effective.
Overall, it was a fun trip for me. Well, I like to give surprises and a lot of my friends can attest to that. It’s because I love to see their reactions. It is priceless for me. This trip was rewarding for me because I spent my birthday with my family. It was funny because a lot of people asked me where I would spend my birthday this weekend, and my answer was “just stay at home and probably go to the mall“. If you hear that response, you’ll think that I would have a lousy birthday, but if you know me, you know that it’s the other way around.
The thing with having one’s birthday is that people around you will make you feel special. They try their best to be extra nice to you and they will spoil you and grant all the requests that you asked them J . Just like any normal people, I was able to have these advantages when I had my birthday a few days ago.
Last Wednesday night, I chatted with my few friends - Gen, Ryan and Jem, while I was writing my birthday blog. Gen and I called it as the birthday vigil. A few minutes before midnight, Dru greeted me with a text message. Gen can’t accept the fact that she was not the first one who greeted me, and she stressed that Dru texted me a few minutes BEFORE midnight when she made her call that night.
On the next day, it was like a normal day for me, except the fact that I received a lot of SMS from my family, friends and students. My parents called me up that morning to greet me. I went to the office and received a few greetings from my colleagues and friends via email. I was really not in the mood to work that day. One of the reason was because my task for that day requires me to do a lot of documentation and it’s the last working day of the week. Malaysia is celebrating its 50th year of independence on the 31st of August.
One of the pleasant surprises that I got that day was when I received an email from Agri. She told me that she bought me an ice cream and cake. She asked me if I saw the cake (white chocolate macademia from Secret Recipe - my favorite) in the fridge with a candle in it. I told her that I didn’t notice it. I found out that she planned to give me a surprise that night but since I came home late on the eve of my birthday and that she’s sleepy, she was not able to wish me a happy birthday that night. Also, Mars left me with a drumstick, a chocolate and an orange at my desk. To all my housemates, it’s very sweet of you to do this. Thanks a lot! =)
In the afternoon, my colleague from Hongkong Michael, treated all of his project mates with a cheesecake. It was his last day in Kuala Lumpur and he flew back to Hongkong on the next day. It was very nice of him to do this. Thanks for the cake Michael J Also, he’s aware that it was my birthday and I told him that I have a flight back to Manila that night (yes I flew to Manila for my birthday) so he allowed me to live early that day. Woohoo!!! Since it was the eve of Merdeka (Independence) celebration, a lot of parties were held for the countdown to Merdeka - like in KLCC, Merdeka Square and Putra Jaya, where a fireworks display will be shown to greet their independence day. My flight was at 1:20 AM in the morning but Putra jaya is located near the airport, I was worried that there might be a traffic jam going to the airport. So I opted to leave at 9 PM from our unit.
I met up with Gen at the Asia Jaya station at 9:15 and she accompanied me to KL Sentral (where the buses going to LCCT are located). I took the 9:30 PM trip to LCCT airport. The 1-hour & 30-minute journey was a good opportunity to reflect on my 25th year and think about the things that I wanted to achieve on the next few years. I got into LCCT a few minutes past 11. I was one of the passengers who checked in early for the flight. I ate dinner at McDonalds and surfed the net while I waiting for the boarding call.
Fortunately, I was able to take a nap in the plane. I arrived at 5:30 AM, which was enough for me to make it on my 7 AM meeting with Minnie and Ryan at Jollibee Boni Ave. The thing with this trip was that I didn’t inform my parents about this. Yes this is a surprise. Anyway, I am not really familiar at NAIA and I don’t know where I should take the bus that would take me to Boni Ave. Fortunately, with the help of the directions provided by some strangers, I was able to find my way.
At 7:30, I met up with Minnie and Rye, who both gave me a special gift. Minnie bought me a whole mango cake from Red Ribbon, which was her gift together with Gen and Dru. Meanwhile, Rye gave me sardines from bacolod and a half-dozen of doughnuts from Krispy Kreme, which I’ve been craving in the previous weeks J . It was great to catch up with you once again. Thanks for your gifts and most importantly, your time to meet up with me J By the way, Minnie and Rye are working on the same team and I’m really excited for them J Just like my previous birthdays, I’m thankful that I was blessed with my family and friends who made me feel special on my special day, which only happens once a year. Since they gave me a special treatment, it’s also my opportunity to express my appreciation on having them in my life and how they made it meaningful.
