Sold my car yesterday… My very 1st!!! The secondary witness to my SUPER fun and colorful yuppie days (next to my “bachelorette pad” hehe)!!! It once symbolized my independent, carefree, perfectly FAB early 20s lifestyle (exactly the kind of life you would want to have between 23-26! Oh… yes… nothing beats the ultimate! hehe)– the craziest years of my life! Hahaha! **memories flooding back– winky wink!** 
Anyway, we’ve shared some really unforgettable experiences together—fun, sad, awkward, scary, angry, stupid, exciting, embarrassing, serious… and more importantly… happy… I just realized this morning how it had been really really good to me (all those years). To pay tribute to my car (for the last time), here are OUR Top 7 BEST (i.e. prior to family life J):
- Road Trip – I still vividly remember… my window was down… my eyes enjoying the beautiful scenery of Albay… I was feeling very lucky just being there, enjoying the fresh breeze…all the attention and pampering… away from the noise of the city… then, something hit me… I was falling for the man beside me! It was the day that changed my life forever…**Umay! J**
- First Love – he held my hand while the song “Paano” was playing over the radio… we were driving along the sbma expressway (before the tunnel) around 2am on our way to Manila… I looked at him… he looked at me… no words needed to be said. It was definitely one of the happiest days of my life…
- Beach Fest Baby! – the ultimate GIRL bonding! Almost every weekend we were in Subic/Zambales making plans and doing “stuffs” for our summer getaway. Note: This was at the height of NLEX major construction! Hehe Lyanne normally rides with me while Tatch rides with Annie. Every trip was a blast! At NLEX, cars would stop for over 30mins in one area. We would go out of our cars, in our short shorts, and wala lang! chikahan in the middle of the expressway like we were the only people there! Hehe Some stories are better left unpublished! Hahaha! (more…)
I think it’s time I clarify and put into record some things which have “confronted” me lately… mainly, on the subject of friendship. OH YES, this is all about friendship!!! (hello TITLE??? Hehehe sorry readers, private joke! *smiley*)
Firstly, I am not at all a friendly person. As in do not expect me to be mushy/flattery and all when I see you—especially if we’re not that close or if we just got introduced (though I will probably initiate a decent conversation to take away awkwardness or to live out good social skills). I am not the type of person who approaches a stranger and introduces myself, especially when I am not in the mood or if I am just in my normal mood (meaning, if I approach you and be all friendly—that is me in my hyper mood). I am not the “salesman” kind of person who can put on a friendly happy face at all times, manage to initiate small talks with just about anyone and then by the end of an event is already bestfriends with half the crowd. I do not say “love you girl” to all my female friends and acquaintances (because I take the L word seriously —contrary to popular belief! Hehe plus, I grew up in an environment of regionalism, sub-groupings and the so called A-lists (versus D-lists! Hahaha!). Anyway, so what does this mean? It means I don’t really keep a long list of very close friends. I haven’t won any “darling of the crowd” awards or any social awards to that effect. More importantly, it means: 1) I am not into flattery, I am 95% of the time, sincere with my compliments/praises; 2) if you ever make it (and manage to keep it) in my friends’ zone, expect loyalty, openness, thoughtfulness and “love” from me. So, this should pretty much give you an idea why I act like I do. Note that it’s not about being too “way up there” (in SAC vocabulary—masyadong nagpapataas ng billing) but rather it’s just me, being my unfriendly self (minding my own life and business).
Secondly, I finally realized what kind of “BESTfriendship” works very well for me (which grows closest to my heart) – the kind which involves the nitty-gritty stuffs – from the details of my mom’s illness down to the color of my nails today or my new fendi eyewear J. It’s the kind of friendship which allows me to just pick up the phone and call-a-friend from another time zone just to talk about a nice movie I just saw or about a 2-min. encounter with an ex. The kind of friends who: (more…)
1st, Lakers lost to Celtics, 98-88, last Thursday in game 1 of the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant, my favorite this season, only scored 24 (a hard “fought” 9 of 26 attempts). Boston’s trio (Allen, Garnett and Pierce) really stepped-up and gave the crowd a convincing win over Lakers— and something to look forward to — a more exciting match– again in Boston Garden later today for game 2 (Monday morning Philippine time).
2nd, Hillary Rodham Clinton is officially OFF the 2008 US presidential race, having “lost” to Barack Obama (now the official Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party in the November election). In a speech she delivered last June 7, at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. she said, “Life is too short to dwell on what might have been…” I have always felt strongly about “GIRL power” – so, I was really kind of hoping that Hillary makes history in this lifetime by being the very 1st woman president of the USA.
3rd, Roger Federer just lost the Men’s Draw Finals of the French Open. It was a very very disappointing game especially that I was expecting so much from Federer (not only from his being the world’s #1 but more importantly because he has been “trying so hard” to win his very 1st French Open title). Rafael Nadal won in 3 sets, 6-1, 6-3 and 6-0.
I have been feeling all sorts of emotions lately… the cause… Sex And The City. First on the list of course is the excitement and anticipation for the much awaited movie of the year. My friends and I have been waiting and waiting for it to finally “come together” even before season 7 ended. We have come to love every single episode and so when they decided to end it, it was very hard to let go. SATC is my 2nd all time favorite series (next to FRIENDS) so you can just imagine how much I’ve missed it over the years. The only consolation now is the movie, which I’m hoping would give some sort of “closure” to those who need it (myself included).
The second feeling is confusion. I wanted to do some preparation before the movie opening so I started watching the series again last week beginning with season 1. Watching the episodes again made me remember the “codes” which at some point in my life were the very basis and foundation of how I lived as a single, independent woman. Some of the codes are of course no longer applicable in the path that I have taken… yes, no longer applicable, BUT NOT totally off limits! Which is the main problem… Should I or should I not? What are the consequences? What are at stake? How many could get hurt? Questions which used to be “immaterial” to ask… In my old state, it was only a matter of living life to its fullest, experiencing and getting the most out of being young… a life of ME—only ME (with my friends on the side). But now it becomes a question of responsibility and yes, to some extent, morality. How far can I risk? Can I handle complications? (more…)
Yesterday, we had a surprise farewell party for one of my officemates. She has been with the company for less than a year, CPA by profession and is all set to begin a new life in British Virgin Islands to work as an auditor. Last month, another officemate resigned to move and work in Singapore with her sister and the month prior, another one moved to Australia, taking his wife and 2 kids along. (more…)
The loooooooong wait is finally over! On May 27, the series which revolutionized the “dating” scene around the world is finally airing its movie version. Since April, my friends and I have been scouting for a BIG, FAB event which would coincide with the movie premier but to no avail! (I’ve been asking around though and will surely post as soon as I get the info). What I have so far is an advance screening on May 27 @ 7:30pm in Glorietta— no parties, whatnots— again, so far! Yes, I kept saying “so far” because I’m convinced that Manila fanatics like me will not let this pass just like that! I think it deserves a more elaborate showing and commemoration! hehe After all, Sex and The City has been the “bible”– guiding star (whatever you want to call it) of most modern women of our time… PLUS of course, SATC is also about fabulous parties and social events (thus it’s just but common sense and a good marketing strategy to make a BIG deal out of it)!
Anyway, the global premier was a hit in London. The event was attended to by the 4 main characters, Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie), Kim Cattrall (Samantha), Kirstin Davis (Charlotte) and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda). Here’s the link to the official site: SATC The Movie
MORE SATC articles to come soon! 
For details please click here–San Felipe, Zambales
- May 1 is Araw ng Manggagawa or Labor Day in the Philippines. It is also often referred to as International Worker’s Day or May Day and is celebrated in most countries around the world
- This year’s theme (by DOLE): Manggagawang Pinoy: Kasangga sa Pagsulong ng Kaunlaran
- Protests rally in Mendiola (Don Chino Roces Bridge) around noon (among other protest rallies in different locations). Mendiola close to traffic beginning tonight. AFP, PNP on red alert.
- Various Labor Day sale: SM malls, Ayala malls, Robinson’s, etc.
- DOTC to give LRT free ride at 7am, 9am, 7pm, 9pm and MRT free ride at 7am, 9am, 5pm, 7pm.
- Job and Livelihood fair from 8am to 4pm at the World Trade Center (Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. cor. Macapagal Blvd.).
- Expect NO announcement of wage increase – however, an EO (executive order) for a 10% pay hike of government employees might be signed with effective date of July 1.
I encountered a small incident with my SM “advantage” card last Saturday. The incident left me with doubts as to the reliability and accuracy of their overall card and point system.
It was a 3-day sale at SM Bicutan and because Fran starts school on the 22nd, we decided to hit the mall and do some shopping. Everything was going on smoothly, we got Fran her school supplies (which were actually just a bunch of Barbie stuffs – trolley bag, wallet, pencil case set, lunch box and crayons; everything will be provided for by the school yet I felt we had to buy at least a few things to heighten her excitement—and mine! hehe). We also went to the hyper market to buy her “baon” for the week (snacks for school) and some supplies for the house. Anyway, since it was a 3-day sale, the mall had a few promos and raffle. So after spending more than 3,000PHP at hyper market, we went to the promo counter hoping to get some raffle tickets. While the staff was inspecting our receipt, she said something like this to Kiko, “Sorry sir, this promo is for SM advantage card users only.” Obviously we got confused as Kiko was still even holding the SM advantage card on one hand—fresh from the cashier. So we asked again what the problem was. She said that there was no note on the receipt that says we used the advantage card during payment. I started to get irritated. So I said, “what should we do then? As far as I’m concerned we gave the card to the cashier and we saw her swipe the card.” She replied by telling me to go to the customer service counter and explain the issue. At that point, my concern was no longer on the raffle tickets. My concern shifted to the fact that having your card swiped apparently doesn’t guarantee you getting the credits (you need to check for the advantage card number at the bottom part of your receipt every after purchase).
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