Wonderful Weekend

scribbled on 27 May 2007 | 11:25 PM


Pirate Con | Big Sky Mind
I just had a long and fun weekend. I was on leave last Friday to join some of my friends from NWA for the Pirates Con. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" was funny. The effects and costumes were great as expected. I think it was just a tad too long. There were scenes that, I think, aren't really necessary. I guess watching Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom made it worthwhile. Hehe! Watching the movie with friends from NWA (including Black Pearl Philippines) made it extra special. There were probably 3 rows reserved for us and some were even in costume. That was cool!


I missed a couple of Pirate events before that so I told myself I had to be there. After the movies, we went to Big Sky Mind to listen to some groovy, old-school music, chat with more friends from the geeky circle and drink rum! Well, not really for me because I have been awake for almost 30 hours and I had to settle for strong iced coffee instead. Still, my sister and I had fun. (Pardon my squinting during photo ops, Gabe. I was temporarily blinded by those flashes. Haha!) The movie and the gathering were courtesy of Karen Kunawicz. Thank you very much and belated Happy Birthday! :)


We waited for The Luscious Malfoys to play live and danced to their music. Thanks for being such a sport and singing some of our requests. It was a natural high. We got home at half past 3 in the morning and my mother was ready to disown us. Yo ho! Yo ho!





[Pictures here.]
[Nick's photos here.]
[Gabe's photos here.]


The Philippine Tolkien Society Moot
That didn't stop us from going to the moot last Saturday. TPTS had one more moot before Laurice flies back to the States. My sis and I had to drop by and see some Tolkien friends before we had to run some errands. It was nice chatting over coffee again and seeing familiar faces that I haven't seen for a long time. We had to skip dinner though because my sis and I had some errands to do.





[Pictures here.]


Dinner with College Friends
Today, I met up with Laurice and Joy at Gateway Mall-- the same place where we first met up about 3 weeks ago when Laurice arrived from the States. We're having our dinner together. Too bad Joan couldn't make it was she is confined in a hospital in Batangas. We made it a point to call her instead. Hopefully, we can get together again next year. We ate at Ten Tita's and food was delicious but parting is such sweet sorrow. Laurice left early to pack up her stuff.


Joy and I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to drop by Timezone to let out some pent-up feelings. We just had to sing. They have these videoke booths where we can sing our hearts out. We chose sentimental songs usually about heartaches and such, but our final song was "I Will Survive" and it is still playing in my head now. I wish Laurice could've joined us. I still had fun.


Laurice is leaving for the States (NOTE: probably boarding right this moment as I type this). It has been 5 years since we last saw each other but the friendship remained strong. We may not be complete again but we are looking forward to the next time. For the past 3 weeks, I found myself seeing my college barkada every chance I get. I was on leave from work for several days thinking that this occasion calls for that. Besides, it's not everyday that we see each other as often as we like. I was almost always not at home on weekends and my mother probably disowned me already, but it was all worth it.


Back to the Rat Race
I will be back to my old routine: work and home, home and work. I'm actually feeling lonelier now and starting to have those "emo moments" I've been dreading when I'm alone (like a while ago when I was riding a cab home and the background music stirred up some memories). As much as I would always want to surround myself with people, I can't help but long for alone time. I guess it's ok to cry once in a while.


The past 3 weeks had been great. Thanks to my sister and my friends. Like the song in my head goes: As long as I know how to love, I know I'll be alive... It's time to face life once again.

Friendly Filler Post

I can't seem to complete my Puerto Galera post. I even saved it as a draft. I have also finished uploading my pictures but I'm still waiting to complete them by adding Laurice's pics as well. My O.C. nature can't move on without the complete pics to go with the narration. Haha! So, watch out for my post then! :)


I have been thinking about friends lately. I guess I am just grateful I have my friends to cheer me up. Yeah, being single isn't so bad. I haven't even had an "emo moment" and never had a chance to cry. What's there to cry about when I have my friends to lean on to, right? Oh well, there is a time for everything. The transition is a bit difficult but I can get through this.


Yes, looking forward to another weekend with laughs, stories and good ol' friends! Pirate time tonight! Yeah! :)

You Are a Good Friend Because You're Fun

You are energetic, amusing, and always up for a good time. Optimistic and genuinely happy, you help people see the sunny side of life. And you're always up for a party... no matter how big or small. You're usually the first one to celebrate a friend's success. Anyone who's interesting or fun is welcome in you circle of friends. You're not the type of person to exclude or make fun of someone who's a little different. Your friends need you most when: They're down or depressed You really can't be friends with: Anyone who's stuck up or chronically unhappy Your friendship quote: "It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

What Makes You a Good Friend?

One more:

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist. People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you. You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words. Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

What Flower Are You?

Puerto Galera Trip

May 18 - Friday


I got home after shift and didn't have the time to catch some sleep. I wanna watch "Shrek 3" with my Ma and sis. The movie was funny as expected. Good thing I have already packed up almost all of my stuff the day before. We watched the movie in a nearby mall and I met with my friends after that. I kissed my Ma and sis goodbye and went with my friends to buy some groceries we needed for the trip. We had our first dinner together after a long time. We had difficulty catching a cab and my body was already aching due to my heavy baggage and lack of sleep. We arrived at Joan's place really late that night. We were tired but excited. We cleaned up, shared stories and slept there. We were expected to wake up early the next day.


May 19 - Saturday


Woke up about 5AM. I still needed sleep but my excitement took over. We were in the hotel to catch the bus ride at 7AM. The bus left at 8. We encountered some traffic along the highway and were late. We got in the ferry in Batangas Pier after 3 hours or so and we were the last people to board it. The seats we got were uncomfortable. Ferry ride was about 1 hour. The view was superb and the ride was smoother than I expected. The ferry's first dock was at Sabang and we remained in the ferry til we reached Puerto Galera. A couple of men waited for us in the pier and provided us transportation to the resort. The van ride was about 20 minutes to the resort. They took us to White Beach, another part of Puerto Galera where there are resorts near the beach.





We arrived at the resort. It was smaller than I expected but it was cozy and quiet. It was a few meters away from the hustle and bustle of the beach where almost all the resorts and inns were concentrated. The room was cool and comfortable. After we placed our stuff, we were up and about after arriving. We got into our summer get-up and strolled along the beach. It was soo hot but people were still milling around and swimming. We were hungry and ate a really late lunch. We looked for ukay-ukay stands and bought shirts, bracelets and necklaces for our pasalubong. I found one that reminded me of Boone's necklace from "Lost".





We got back to our room and changed to swim clothes. We went back to the beach and looked for masseuses walking along the beach. We looked for a spot with a few people and had our whole body massage right there on the sand while listening to the waves. It was soo relaxing! I wanted to experience that everyday if only it's possible. After a while we had a short dip in the sea but since it was getting dark, we went to the resort's pool instead and continued our swim there. We went back to the beach and looked for a place to eat dinner. Since it was late dinner, we also checked out the night scenery by the beach. too bad the moon wasn't full but lights and music were all over the place. We sat by a bar and tasted the local Mindoro Sling and Island Sling. We were able to coax Laurice to drinking alcohol and our goal was to get her drunk. Haha! We're bad, I know. I haven't been drunk myself and I wasn't planning on getting drunk in a foreign place. I stopped taking shots when I felt tipsy. We got back nearly drunk but quite satisfied with our first day.





May 20 - Sunday


We planned to wake up really early for another swim but since we were too tired, we ended up having breakfast at about 7:30AM. After that, we just stayed in the room and hung out. We talked about a lot of things to get ourselves updated with our lives. We haven't been out of town and this was the first time. We haven't been together for more than 5 years. I was happy just being there. Lunch time made us leave the comfy room to go out in the heat. We looked for a place to get our henna tattooes. I got The Dark Mark on my left forearm like a Voldemort's Deatheater and the DNA strand on my right lower leg from "Heroes".





We went back to take recluse in our air-conditioned room. We slept that early afternoon and woke up at about 4PM and changed again to swim clothes. We went back to the beach for a banana boat ride. It was oh-so-fun minus the attempts to go back to the boat. My upper body was aching and I realized we should have gotten the massage after the banana boat ride. Haha! We swam again in the sea for a while and in the pool after that. We took some pics by the pool using Laurice's digital cam. The sun was already setting. That's why I didn't get much tan. I was having allergy attacks because of the vodka the night before (until now I am still scratching myself to death!). We got up the rooftop and took some wacky shots again using Laurice's digicam.


May 21- Monday


Wake up call was 5:30AM. Had breakfast at 6:30AM. We gathered our stuff. Joy and Joan bought some more stuff to bring home. The van left at 7:30AM. A part of me wanted to go home and another part wanted to stay on vacation mode forever. We were in the ferry at about 8AM. There was stop-over again at Sabang to gather more passengers (mostly foreigners). The sea was calm but became really choppy as we neared Batangas Pier. We were on land again soon after that. We arrived in Manila a little after lunch and ate again in the mall. I don't want that to be our last trip together. I wanna think of it as a beginning of a tradition we're going to do until we all grow old. I'm never going to forget this. :)


[Pictures here.]

Post-Puerto Galera

I woke up from a 15-hour sleep. I got home from our trip to Puerto Galera yesterday. I was so tired after washing all my clothes, so I slept. I didn't have any strength left to even eat. But it was one of the most memorable and happiest summer breaks I've had. I missed spending time with my college friends and that was one great opportunity for bonding. It was nice visiting Puerto Galera again after more than 10 years. Sun, sea, fresh air, friendly people, good food, stories and fun time with friends made all the stress and itchy prickly heat bearable.


Pictures will be posted as soon as I finish uploading them all. More stories about our Galera trip once I've got the time. I have to check all those emails and as much as I don't want it to happen, I'll be back to work tonight and my system has to adjust to that thought. :)

Rock Around the Clock

Tomorrow is Friday! No work for me. Puerto Galera, here we come!!!


Yes, I can't hide the fact that I'll be out of the office for 4 days and I'll be spending my time with (single) college buddies on the beach instead. Woohoo!


This week didn't go by without memorable experiences though. Last Tuesday night, I had to wake up earlier than usual to catch The Bloomfields perform live in Strumm's Jupiter before my shift. Ok, I have to admit, Ian and Laurice had to drag me, but I was glad they did. I had fun even if I had to leave before they even started their second set. I promise myself I'll be seeing them again perform live soon (hopefully). I promise I won't have to cut it short because of work. Hehe!


The Bloomfields pictures posted here.


Have a nice day everyone! :)

Hobbits on the Loose

The past weekend was one of the busiest and most enjoyable weekends I've had. Yes, there were low moments, we can't avoid that, but being busy made me momentarily forget about those.


I was on leave from work Friday, so I had enough sleep to last the whole day Saturday. I finally met one of my best college buds, Laurice, after 5 long years! She came from the States last Friday and we had lunch with another ka-barkada, Joy. My sis went with us. Laurice bought me "Children of Hurin" and I nearly fainted with happiness when I finally had the book in my hands. Yes, I love Tolkien.



Children of Hurin


After lunch, we stayed for a while to attend the Hobbiworx Tagcom convention in the Araneta Expo Center. My sis and I had our Hogwarts robes so we gave out some flyers for the reservation of HP Book 7. It was interesting and is a haven for anime fans, but the place was very hot. We were sweating in our robes, so we stayed near the air conditioner. Haha!



fandom crossover
me wearing my Hogwarts robe (Ravenclaw), a borrowed purple lightsaber with a Transformers poster as background


We had to leave early to buy for food and drinks for our TPTS Hobbit Party, a party to celebrate the visit of Laurice, who is actually one of our founding members, and the birthday of Data, also one of our members. We had mushrooms and potatoes and more. Hobbits dig parties! Haha! We watched "LOTR: Return of the King" extended edition and played charades. We went home about 2 in the morning because my batteries were running low but I had much fun being with friends. Photos from the TPTS website here.



with Joy and Laurice



group pic from Ian's cam


Pictures from my sister's camphone here. Sorry for the not-so-good photo quality. The lights were dim so the photos aren't too good.


Yesterday, I met up with Laurice and Joy again. This time, we had Joan with us. We roamed SM Mall of Asia. Laurice isn't used to crowded place nows. We were supposed to watch a movie but we wanted to be home early. We had dinner instead and talked. It was just like old times. Each of us changed somehow, but we still clicked and that's what matters.


On a not-so-happy note, I am learning to be officially single. I haven't had time to get all emo on it yet but I want to believe we parted in good terms so there is a good chance we can still be friends. I am so glad I have great friends. The distraction is more than welcome. I am enjoying my time right now. I think what I need is a weekend on the beach with 3 other single friends. I can't wait for next weekend!

Like My Mom

You Are Somewhat Like Your Mom

Believe it or not, you and your mom are pretty darn similar. It may not seem like it at times, but you and your mom have a lot of common ground. Over time, you'll probably get closer ... especially if you emphasize the things you like about each other.

Are You Like Your Mom?

Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there!

Harry Potter Must-have!

The ultimate Harry Potter boxed set, containing all 7 HP books, will apparate in U.S. bookstores starting October 1st.


The list price for the set is $195. Amazon is selling it for $116.99, and Barnes and Noble is selling it for $136.50 for non-members.





Product Details
ISBN: 0545044251
ISBN-13: 9780545044257
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Edition Description: Hardcover Boxed Set (Books 1-7)


Geez.... that's really expensive when converted to PH peso. But I want! I want! My preciousss... I wonder if I start saving now, will I be able to afford it? I wonder how much money I should save a day? Will I get thinner if I save the money instead of buying food? Hehe!

Opportunity Passes

I think I'm letting it go by.


There is a chance for me to be promoted at work. I really don't understand why I am thinking about this because I am not even passionate about my job. I guess I just need the money. They say "with great power comes great responsibilities" and I believe that. I don't think I can sacrifice time for myself and my family for a double or triple shift in the office. Not now... Not now when July is getting nearer and I'm not gonna miss that for the world! That's the only month this year that I, a self-confessed geek, am looking forward to (NOTE: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" movie release, 5th NWA Sci-Fi and Fantasy Convention, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" book release, and of course, my birthday!). I don't think I can survive this year without attending those events.


This position is actually the one opening I have been waiting for for the past 2 years and I am torn. It was announced a couple of days ago and tomorrow is the deadline for applications. I sometimes think the short notice means that they don't wanna give us the time to think about it because the don't wanna promote people. I was supposed to update my resume, but here I am blogging away.


I also haven't gotten any encouragement from the people who matter the most to me. That's also one of the reasons why I am not applying. Maybe I am too much of a coward... Or maybe this isn't really the job for me.

Falling Apart

I've been twisting and turning,
In a space that's too small.
I've been drawing the line and watching it fall,
You've been closing me in, closing the space in my heart.
Watching us fading and watching it all fall apart.
Well I can't explain why it's not enough,
Cause I gave it all to you.
And if you leave me now, oh just leave me now.
Its the better thing to do,
Its time to surrender,
Its been to long pretending.
Theres no use in trying,
When the pieces dont fit anymore,
Pieces don't fit here anymore.
~* "The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore" by James Morrison *~


I probably shouldn't have chosen a movie date. Maybe we should have gone some place where we could have talked things over. Maybe it was because I was mad even before the date had begun. Maybe because I was disappointed (again). Or maybe because I was distracted by an emo Tobey Maguire, a gorgeous James Franco or a venomous Topher Grace. Haha!


Maybe it was just "us". It was a futile attempt to make everything ok. I wish it was easy to make things the same as before. I'm really sorry.

Geeky Saturday

I got home from work yesterday and slept for about 3 hours. Then, my sis and I went to Fandom Cafe to meet with some of our groupmates from New Worlds Alliance (NWA) to discuss about some things we are planning for the 5th NWA Sci-Fi and Fantasy convention this coming July. It's always fun to hang out with our friends from NWA. We got news about upcoming events, got the latest episodes of "Heroes" (thanks, Beej!) and got spoiled about "Lost" (thanks, Gabe!). Hahaha! It was awesome! :)


Looking forward to more geeky activities in the future. So far we have:


May 25 : watch "Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End"!


July 11 : Hogwarts Philippines will be in Shangri-La Mall EDSA in costumes watch "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"!


July 14 - 15 : The 5th Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention (see the NWA site for updates)


July 21 : Potter Party! Book launch - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (see PHP site for updates)

Burning

The sun is burning hot and I am still burning out. It's true, I spent almost all of my weekend with my friends on a road trip to the beach. That was a sort-of belated and advanced birthday celebrations for 2 of my friends. It was such a welcome change in my routine and my environment.



posing in the van


We left after our shift Saturday morning. We stopped over Tagaytay for lunch and went straight to Nasugbu in Batangas. We got there tired but excited. After unpacking and eating, we went for a short swim the same time the sun was setting. It was a breathtaking view. We went back to our nipa hut and helped prepare dinner. After dinner, some of us went for a quick stroll by the beach and decided against swimming because the water was cold. The stars were out and they're beautiful. I would have wanted to sit on the sand and talk there but I was so sleepy. Then we, who still lacked sleep, went to our small room and slept. The remaining people shared stories over beer and munchies. We woke up really early the next day and prepared breakfast. Then we went again to the sea for a swim to catch the sun before it gets too hot. We were in the water to watch the sun rise. A lot of people showed up after a few hours. It was Sunday already and the beach was getting crowded. So, we packed up and prepared for home.



sunrise


It was a short trip but I enjoyed it. It wasn't the perfect, smooth-sailing vacation but I needed that. I actually think I need a longer time for things like that. I momentarily forgot I still have to go back to work. I didn't even hear news of any election-related violence. Life is beautiful there... But I got home and faced some problems with my parents. My watch, the one I saved up for, got broken. I went to visit the eye doctor and she told me I have to wear eyeglasses again. I just hope I won't go blind because I cannot afford a pair yet. Hah! Back to reality. My depression is settling in once more. Who says life ain't tough?



sand


Most of the pics can be found in Day's Multiply album, Maroi's Multiply album and Faye's Multiply album. Feel free to check them out. Click here to view my album.


I think I need more relax time for myself. I ought to see Peter Parker. What do you think?


P.S.
Price of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" has changed. Currently it is reported to be P1,450 still with P500 reservation fee.