girl bonding

Just came back from an overnight trip to Tagaytay. Funny how having visitors from abroad can make you appreciate what you have here in the Philippines more. There are places we went to, like horseback riding and going up the Taal V, that I wouldn't have gone to if they weren't here...

Anyway, I also spent the past few days bonding with my cousins, especially the 2 girls. I saw them last year when I visited Toronto, but I guess it's different when they're the ones visiting and I'm the one showing them around. Being the only girl in my family here, it's a little weird to have other girls in the house. I'll be the first one to tell you that, ordinarily, I'm very territorial when it comes to being the only girl in the family (also the main reason why I'm not too keen on having daughters-- I like being the princess of the house). But having them over has been super fun! We've been engaging in the high-points of girl bonding-- gossiping about celebrities, getting facials and manicures, talking about boyfriends and love lives (haha, a definite favorite!) and shopping. And, what's best, I got to bunk with women who're not my grandma or my mom! Haha! What fun it is to share a room with girls-- especially if they're family :)

Because of all this, I guess I don't mind as much not being the only girl in the family.. Maybe I should rethink this having-a-daughter thing. (wink wink)

ode to my filc girls

My Friday nights haven't been as much fun in quite a while as last night had been. All thanks to my FILC girls.

I don't know exactly what was different with us that night, but we were uncharacteristically game for round after round of drinks and staying up later than usual. We were just on a roll-- with the chatter and the ideas and the jokes and the stories. We would laugh (quite loudly at that) one minute, then be all contemplative the next. We'd argue on a point, then we'd later come to agreement. We'd be in touch with reality and update each other on what's new in our lives; then the next minute we'd be exercising our imaginations and dream of living abroad (and bunking together) and traveling for fun.

This morning, in fact, my mom asked how come I hang out with these girls more than anyone else in my life? Well, apart from my boyfriend, that is. And I just didn't know what answer is satisfactory to explain why. Underneath it all is still the bond we established in the 1 year we spent hip to hip. But it's a bond that transcended the internship and blossomed into a solid friendship. One that's based on trust, honesty and laughter. We may not be carbon-copies of each other, but we're complementary. Must be why we hardly ever clash. Or, worse, get bored.

More importantly, this friendship is one that's based on a true sense of solidarity and-- I dare say-- a deep commitment to one another. All too often, friendships water down through the years due to either lack of time or lack of interest. Life just gets in the way of things, and as time passes, most friends either don't have enough time to catch up or just don't even bother.

But the truth is, as is true with spouses, friends are people you commit to. But, with all that happens in our daily lives, that's a lot harder to put to practice as it is to preach. That's why it's quite admirable that the 4 of us make time for one another. As in purposely carve out a piece of our regular schedules to meet up and to have fun. We choose to stay relevant in one another's lives. And I think that's integral to the survival and to the upkeep of a relationship. Without that, all you have, really, are memories. And as nice and valuable memories may be, they're not enough to keep a friendship alive.

I know I may have gushed about this foursome more times than I can ever count, but it's just that I can't help but feel thankful to have them in my life. They say you'd be lucky to have at least 1 true friend in your lifetime. Well, guess what? In these girls, I already have 3.

10 pounds!

I gained 10 pounds without even realizing it! Oh my God, how could that have happened? 4 of my black slacks don't fit anymore and I've been wearing more skirts than before just to fit into clothes better. It's only this morning that I actually weighed myself, after my friends last night validated what my mom has been saying-- that I've gained weight. A lot of it. So I sauntered off to the scale this morning after waking up just to see....

OH MY GOD! It took all my willpower not to pass out in front of the weighing scale this morning. Whatthe...?! That's it, no more meryenda and no more late-night McDonald's. I'm going to take this weight off. Seriously.

sibling loyalty

We may tease each other endlessly and push at the other's buttons tirelessly. We may poke fun at each other and play dumb games. But at the end of it all, our loyalty will always be to each other. No one messes with my brothers without messing with me. And vice versa.

Such a nice feeling, to be honest. It's like growing up with 2 loyal bodyguards, both taller and bigger than me but both listen to everything I tell them =)

FINALLY!

The day has come :)

I even reviewed the plot of the 5th book to refresh my memory and prepare myself for this...

my wallet is bleeding....

Ever since I got my own credit card a year ago (and stopped leeching off mom and pops), I've always tried my best to curb my spending. My gauge with the credit card is to keep the outstanding balance within 4-digit figures. So far, I've been keeping within that limit. Maxing it out sometimes, granted. But still within 4 numbers.

4 numbers, good. More than 4 numbers, bad.

So you can just imagine my shock today when I received my statement and voila, 5-digits! OMG! I'm going to kill myself now.

I will not spend anymore. EVER.

for the nth time...

We've had a million of these conversations before-- talking about the past scenarios wherein we would've met each other sooner.. been together sooner.. loved each other sooner. Since it was a common friend who'd introduced us and fixed us up, the subject of conversation has often circled around the numerous past chances that we would've come to know each other. She was persistent-- this common friend of ours--and has the honor of being the first person who's ever been convinced we're perfect for each other (she pushed this idea for about a year or so). She created so many opportunities for us to meet. She presented us with one too many chances, actually... (thank God she still kept the faith!)...

One was during our many gimmicks with our Uno friends. One was during the Mr. Law School pageant. Another was during the celebration of his successful thesis defense. Another was during Li's last night here. So many would-have-been encounters that never happened. As if fate had other plans-- that we would meet under another set of circumstances-- circumstances that would let us know the other in the best possible light... to have us meet each other on our best possible days, in the best possible ways...

As if this was all meant to be. Wrapped neatly into life's best little packages...

I love you. And I love the way you came into my life.

award-winning!

Despite missing the offsite teambuilding outing yesterday, I've just been informed that I won 2 awards-- the first one, a rather serious award-- an acknowledgement of the stellar performances of 2 of the programs I handle (Hey, what about the 3rd one? I love my programs equally as I would if they were my children.. Oh, what the heck, appreciation is appreciation..). The second was for being Ms. Congeniality of the entire Cards Business Group. Hahaha! This caught me by surprise-- to think that it was reportedly a unanimous vote!

If only for that, how I wish I was there yesterday.
On the other hand, considering I got much-needed rest, maybe not. Hehe..

Oh, wait.. now, that's not so congenial, is it? Maybe they should rethink my award =p

the cleaning lady

I took the day off today because I could feel my body about to give way from all the stress and fatigue caused by OT work. My body was practically yelling out for mercy and calling me to put a halt (no matter how temporarily) to its misery. So yes, I happily obliged. After all, that's what sick leaves are for. And I am sick. Sick and tired.

Anyhoot, my most productive activity for the day is cleaning out my room. I started with the closet-- emptying it of clothes that either do not fit me anymore or have lost my interest in ever donning them again. The lucky beneficiary is our maid, who welcomed my discards with open arms.

Next was the rest of my room, including my desk and my vanity table. I realized midway just how much junk I had! As in, things that are about 6-8 years old were still kept. I ended up filling 3 big sacks with garbage I had coddled for way too long.

Made me think of how irrationally sentimental I can get, keeping things whose value I no longer have recollection of. There were some things I hardly even remembered having in the first place.

There were, however, items that held so much meaning, they almost made me cry. Most notable of such things was a Christmas gift from my recently departed friend, Missy. It was a simple gift-- a coffee mug set complete with saucers and teaspoons. I never ever thought of using it-- as if to use it would wear it down and compromise the last memory she ever gave me. It was from the Christmas immediately before she fell unconscious and slipped into a 3-year coma. It came with a card carrying a message I won't soon forget.

Funny how this simple thing can represent so much of the past, and can trigger so many different emotions. When others can easily lose their meaning at the snap of a finger or at the toss of a wrist.

Funny how we can house so much junk over the years, carrying them and keeping them without even remembering why. Funny how amidst all that junk, is a little treasure that holds more value than all the other items combined.

I miss you, dear friend.

nice!