investments...investments...

Every morning, I dread getting on the mrt. Either I get crushed, pushed, or leaned on by some stranger, and frankly, that isn’t really my idea of starting the day right. But then I’ve learned to accept this as part of my morning ritual. Until this morning.

I was already on the platform at 7:10, quite early for my 8:30time in (because it just takes me 45 minutes or less to get to the office). However, I still don’t know what it is, but the trains were just so slow and inefficient that it took more than 6 minutes for one to follow another. And the thing was, people gathered quickly. And there I was, all fresh in my corporate attire. When the first train arrived, I wasn’t able to squeeze myself in. I was crushed, yeah, but I failed to get on the train. I said, ‘that’s ok, maybe the next one will arrive shortly.’ Ha! That’s what I thought. Trains passed and I got pushed by people both getting off and on the train. Can you believe, only after 30 minutes did I get lucky. But not without more shoving and pushing…

So there I was, right smack into the sardine-like atmosphere so early in the morning. When we got to boni station, people who had to get off had to do so in the hardest way possible. Kinda like passing through the birth canal, I guess. It so happened that my bag (my precious red one), was blocking a man’s way out. People were telling him, “excuse lang ho, may bababa pa” and he said, “e may bag dito, e” (of course, referring to my bag). Lo and behold, this man from behind got my bag, lifted it (and I mean really lifted it in such a way that I hoped to high heavens my stuff don’t spill out) and said, “o ayan na ho, labas na kayo.” Alright, so he meant well…but hello…that was MY bag. And I’m so protective of my dear investments that I was shocked at how my beautiful red bag was manhandled (or should I say, baghandled, whatever). Oh well, the joys of commuting, I guess.

Tomorrow will be another day of commuting, but I have to be more careful because I’d be lugging around my other precious investment, my laptop. Today is its 1st birthday, and if my dad knew, he’d ask me where the party hats are…hihi…

the older i get, the earlier to bed; happy birthday, babe!

when i got back from the gym, i had a chance to talk to mai, my dearest hs friend. and although it was only 9pm, we were both already sleepy and were thinking, "oh well, we must be really getting old now." what can i say. this week, i was always sleepy: at work or even a little after getting home. i don't know what it is; must be age, indeed.

i now use phrases such as: back in college, when i was that age, when we were young, etc. it's weird, you know, because you don't feel older when in fact, you actually are older. i guess that's just how it is. in a few years, i'll be saying when i was in my 20's...hehehe...

speaking of growing older, my beloved boy is celebrating his birthday today. no age mention necessary, just his first since we hooked up...hehe (he sure will thank me for this). i feel that this relationship has gone on longer than it actually has (and i mean that in a positive light); it feels as though there's a lot of "past" to speak of. and i like that. i'm pretty comfortable with where we are; for me it even feels like this is my first genuine relationship.

to celebrate my beau's crossing over to the next number, i decided to come up with 15 random things that i adore about my beloved boy. here goes:

1. he mimics me when i baby talk or i bitch to somebody else (extremes, huh?)
2. he kisses my nose and never fails to say it's cold (because of the aircon in his car)
3. he never fails to send me a text that lacks a word or has jumbled letters (not deliberately done, though) so i have to "decipher" what he means
4. he always gives in to my cravings: bottomless hot chocolate, mcflurry, sinful desserts, etc., most of which he can't eat
5. he knows my regular Starbucks order: mocha valencia decaf, non-fat, no whipped cream, and i know his: cappuccino extra hot with one equal (though i tend to meddle and make his non-fat, too...hehe)
6. he thinks i'm pretty (which really isn't far from the general observation..haha)
7. he believes in me more than i believe in myself
8. he always asks for my help when it comes to his laptop/internet (i do get a kick out of seeing boys in distress..)
9. he gives me hugs from behind
10. he never wants to lose when we play games (thumb wrestling, what-movie-is-this-line-from, etc.)
11. he still argues with me as to who made the first move (give it up, babe. we both know YOU did!)
12. he loves me even when i can be suplada (he says he can tolerate it because he knows how much i love him)
13. he sings (and thinks he's good) to his heart's content in the car but gets the lyrics all mixed up
14. he makes me really lambing when he thinks no one is watching
15. he asks me to give him a hug even when he's driving just because he feels like it

there are a lot more reasons (and serious ones, at that) why i love my boy but i guess it really isn't difficult to love somebody who's genuinely nice. yeah, he may be grumpy when hungry/sleepy/bummed out by the traffic, but i love him anyway. we do all have our own quirks, don't we? hehe

so here's my little something for you, my man: as i told you on my birthday, i never thought nor imagined that we'd end up together but i sure am glad we did. everyday, i look forward to loving you more than i already do...

the week that was

it's a lazy, rainy saturday morning and i'm typing as i'm eating breakfast. i cannot be thankful enough that the week has finally ended. i hate underwriting. no, let me correct myself. i abhor underwriting. never want to undergo that training again. as a testament to how much we agonized over our underwriting training, we actually failed our hands-on exams...but we didn't care. hihi...we just can't be more relieved that we're done with it.

anyway, this week the mrt had two booboo's. monday, a train broke down. and dione and i could not have been in a more aptly situationed coach. we were right behind the malfuctioning train. so we ended up waiting for 20 minutes in buendia, then another 40 minutes to get to shaw. imagine, they wanted to get everybody off at boni because the train had to be hauled to shaw. the stubborn women that we were (at that time), we disregarded the order and sat our lazy butts down. so when we got to shaw, ohmygoodness. we stopped in the middle of the tracks and dione (stressful and freaked out) thought we were going to walk all the way to the platform. and me? well, i was laughing my head off. i thought dione was hilarious. hehehe... thankfully, we didn't end up trudging down the tracks. but it did take us a good one hour from taft to shaw (which should have been just around 15 minutes). at least the airconditioning didn't fail us. i feel sad for the people who had to wait in the stinking body heat of other people, if you know what i mean. (in other words, i felt for you, kerwin...hehehe)

and then, just a few days after, and this time, kerwin, dione, and i were surprised to find out at taft that the mrt only made taft-shaw and shaw-taft trips. poor dione had to take a bus at crossing...talk about hassle, huh?

friday. sales presentation. one that we all didn't prepare much for. what with our underwriting imprisonment, we weren't able to pay as much attention to our projects as much as we would have been comfortable with. BUT, being the winning team that we are, we pulled it off quite successfully and impressed the big boss. he even struck a deal with us re the ateneo-lasalle duel on sunday. mmm...i can already smell the italian lunch courtesy of the lasallians....hehe..go ateneo!

i'm glad the week's over. i'm now off to the gym with my boyfriend!

the wedding coordinator from hell

i was in Davao with my boy 2 weeks ago to attend my cousin's wedding. although it was only for four days, it was still a lot of fun because i got to act like a tour guide for him. and as my mom put it (but not fondly, i think), we were like honeymooners. so anyway, i was so excited for my cousin because his wedding is the first among us. we've known his girlfriend (or should i say his wife) for quite sometime now and we do like her for him, even if they're exact opposites of the other. what i didn't know was that she had evil sisters...

by evil, i mean bossy sisters who made me utos lots of things because i was a bridesmaid. heck, i didn't know bridesmaids had duties. i thought they should just carry bouquets or something. imagine, one of them (the self-appointed wedding planner) asked me to look for people for the offertory minutes before the wedding! and i didn't even know the people there who weren't family! the other sister, during the reception, wanted me to pass around that frame you write dedications on the way women pass around baskets for the mass collection! can you believe that! and that was even before we started eating (not that i'd do it after i've eaten, anyway). the nerve! i mean, me? i flew all the way from manila to do those?

there are lots of anecdotes pa from the wedding, equally horrible and unbelievable. i'm just glad i don't have to deal with those evil sisters anymore. they won't be part of my social circle anyway. what i realized, though, was that it's such a pain in the neck to coordinate something as big as a wedding. that's why people make a lot of money being wedding planners. i mean really, who wants all that stress?

i used to want a big wedding for myself. but after that experience (and i was only a bridesmaid, mind you), i don't know anymore. i'll probably just elope, fly to prague, buy a white gown off the rack, get married, then tour europe...hmmm...doesn't sound bad at all if you ask me.

i am not anorexic thin!

my friends at work are all saying that i'm too thin. ve's sister told me i look "unhealthy kind of thin" while ve said i got too thin too abruptly. well, whatever it is, i don't think i am. well, not anorexic thin as the MAPpers say. i'm not dieting, just so you know. i just eat tuna for lunch everyday and drink lots of water it kind of gets ridiculous because i have to pee every hour (and that's distracting when you're in a lecture, but what the heck, not that the lecture is all that engaging anyway...hihi)..

so anyway, i say maybe i'm thin because of my change of lifestyle (eating lifestyle, that is). my friends never thought i'd get this far not eating red meat but here i am! (thank you, thank you...) i didn't get into this to get thin, mind you. but that's what i ended up being so i guess that's an offshoot of the lifestyle change. the only problem i have right now is that my jeans don't fit well anymore as i'm down to 102lbs last time i checked. the thing is, i've become so dirt poor that i have to wait till Christmas to buy myself a new pair of nice jeans. oh well, 3 months isn't so far away...

this picture was taken when i attended my cousin's wedding and when i saw this, i was shocked to see how thin my arms looked! but i'm still not convinced that i'm too thin because it might just be the angle. hehe...the little girl i'm carrying is thin, too...i think she's going to end up in FHM someday because she's so timid we all think she's going to shock all of us when she turns 18 and grows boobs...hehe..


here's to green leafy vegetables...

maggie's greenbelt treat

dinner at Recipes GB3
(maggie, amirah, kitchie, and me)



dessert at Bizu, GB2

you know how people always say, "let's have dinner one of these days," out of courtesy or just because it seems like the proper thing to say to somebody you haven't seen in a long time? well, with these 3 girls, when we say, "let's have dinner one of these days," we really mean it. and of course, we make it a point to make that dinner a get-together/birthday celebration to make it more meaningful. and for this one, it was maggie's turn to treat us, yesterday being her birthday. there's nothing like good food and good friends!

ryki, maggie's boy (or should i say, fiance) was with us (i think he was our official photographer...hihi...thanks, ryki!) but saved himself from our girl talk (read: chismis), under the guise of smoking. i'm always happy to see this couple because they just look so comfy together that they're almost like kids, as if they don't have worries themselves. i've never really told maggie this but i think she's lucky to have ryki because he's so sensitive and such a gentleman (to all girls!) that it's so easy to like him. he's funny pa! and he holds her hand all the time, even when he's driving. sweet, huh? i can't wait for the time these 2 get hitched!

well, i'm glad maggie has found her perfect match. there's only one song that i can remember when it comes to finding the perfect one for you after a string of failed relationships:

Bless The Broken Road (Rascal Flatts)
I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true
Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

can't get more apt than that, huh?