Blissful Ending To 2009

Contrary to previous years where I put much effort to making Christmas and New Year celebrations very grandiose and party-filled, I spent 2009’s yuletide season in a rather simpler way that just involves the people I value most – and I’m so glad I did as I was able to spend the last 11 days of the year with pure bliss.

First and foremost, being able to spend more quality time with family that I don’t get to do on a daily basis now was such a great present.  What made it more jovial is the new addition to us four, my sister-in-law and my extremely adorable nephew.  My family Christmas and New Year dinners had more pizzazz as the new dimension of now having six members indeed brought more laughter and closeness.  Some notable events and stuff were: (1) taking our new baby boy to the mall, (2) enjoying a new and bigger ride, i.e. my gift for the family – Starex van, (3) dinner at Kusina Salud, (4) post-Christmas lunch with extended family.

Secondly, vacation in the Philippines will not be complete without re-connecting with friends.  I spent a couple of days with my bestest college friends via a culinary tour in Tagaytay (Antonio’s, Bag of Beans, Leslie’s) and enjoyed some more food and booze at The Fort (Café Juanita, Establishment, Barcino).  Also met up with friends from previous work at Monde and Jollibee – simple dinner and rounds of booze (Abe, Sentro, plus two other places in High Street that I failed to remember the names of – one is the resto owned by Del Monte which is beside TGIF and the other is a Mexican spot near Nike) filled with stories and laughter made such immense difference.

2009 Grand Vacay (Part 2): Meeting my favorite people after 5 long months!

It has been a default – my second day (usually night) after coming home from Jakarta would have to be spent with the friends that I had for the longest time!  Another funny default is the venue, TGIF-Glorietta – since it had been the group’s hangout since 1997 (college years), it is a no-brainer answer whenever the question “where are we meeting up?” pops in.

Same place, same table, same food... But then, only 4 people left...

BFF Nons... We both gained weight over the last 5 months so you don't have the right to tell me that I'm fat!

Bestfriend Adrian, great minds think alike! Arriving both in white polo shirt without even talking about it!

Prayer Partner Cris, sana i-grant na ni God ang petition natin... Usapang profound na ulit ito!

Another default - Mocha Mud Pie plus X number of forks (depending on how many people are present!)

After the long dinner, it’s time to call it a night…  but only for TGIF since we all stayed in Adrian’s flat so that we can continue catching up!  Ended up sleeping till wee hours in the morning, which eventually led to having brunch in UCC Cafe.

Totally missed Pinoy breakfast! Thanks for this "lamon" option - longganisa, tapa, tocino, sinangag at itlog!

Apparently, we are all still sleepy... But then, forced to optimize the last meal together since I'll be gone again and won't be back after 2 weeks!

While it was a short 1 night + 1 brunch meal that we spent, being with these friends simply made me happy.  What became even more exciting was that I am leaving the Philippines after only 4 days of being home to see the other half of this group who used to occupy 2 tables in TGIF.  Where?  Move on to the next post… 

easter holiday sa pinas

the minute i found out that the easter weekend will also be a long weekend here in jakarta – thanks to their party elections that coincides with holy thrusday and their paying respect to christianism that makes good friday a holiday, i immediately made a booking to go back home in the philippines.  my luck even hit the skies when our managing director allowed me to extend my vacay at home until wednesday the following – giving me an opportunity to rejuvenate and catch up with relaxation after months of stress and pressure due to endless demands from work.  

over-all, it was a vacation very well-spent.  the moment i arrived in manila’s terminal 3 airport that holy thursday (yup, i used cebu pacific budget flight again), we didn’t waste any time and immediately hie-off to doing our annual family visita iglesia.  contrary to the usual churches that we go to around laguna and batangas, we decided to do it around manila.  after finishing the 14 stations, i just realized that little do i know about churches in manila – i was just accustomed to attending masses in the makati area, but there are still a whole lot more that manila churches can offer!  these churches gave me such lasting impression – san agustin church, manila cathedral and baclaran.

 

the new church in front of naia 3

 

baclaran church ritual

 

glorious san agustin

 

manila cathedral facade

 

manila cathedral bell tower

 

quaint san sebastian

 

3 generations of sampaguita vendors in sto. domingo church

another notable time is spending lunch with my brother and sis-in-law.  we are all excited about my soon-to-be-born nephew, a little less than two months from now and i will be a full-fledged first degree uncle.  just yesterday, my bro texted me the final name that they have chosen for the baby – knives acid river m. alcantara.  i would have to say that it’s pretty unique and sums up to an interesting set of initials.  knowing his non-mainstream taste, he would really opt for this as opposed to the current trendy names like miguel, joaquin, luis and mateo or the combination of his and his wife’s initials like vince sebastian or vincent simon.  on the nickname, he says that i would be ”buchukoy” but i also suggested ”riv” (from river) or ”cid” (from acid).  let’s see what the final name and nick would be come end-june or early-july.  

saturday to monday was spent with my favorite people.  same with how we spent the last year’s holy week, we all went to tagaytay just to have an early dinner and share our most recent life stories with coffee and dessert on the side.  the day after, its again dinner and after is a long ktv session.  it’s been months since i did karaoke, and i missed it too, so what better way to end my vacation with this fun groupie but to sing our hearts out in the usual ktv place that we frequent along jupiter street.  so, who says that finding ways to cope with ”homesick” is hard?  :)                    

 

 

will always have to take its shot!

 

 

with aids and cris @ josephine, tagaytay

 

one of the many reasons why i keep on coming back home...

 

cris, nons, aids and moi on an early "black saturday" dinner

 

aint tired of the volcano view...

 

 

BFFs reunited!

 

 

 

first time sa A-Venue, second time mag San Miguel Premium Beer - sarap!

 

 

 

360 - sa labas lang!

 

 

syempre di pedeng mawala ang videoke sa agenda

 

 

just before the concert starts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

first time hometown visitors

last 20-23 february, i was reunited with a group of friends – it was indeed a breath of fresh air to have your bestest friends back home visit you in the country where you are trying to thrive.

since it was their first time in jakarta, i had to give them a taste of how it is to be in this crazy, yet fun and dynamic city: a trip to taman mini (it’s like the nayong pilipino of manila), monas (a historical structure in the central area), high-end and low-end malls, clubs, bars, theme park, restos, and a whole lot more summarized the nearly 4-day break.

thanks again guys for dropping by – let’s see each other again very soon! where? uhmmmm, how about maldives? tara! 

welcoming committee - the placard states "mga baliw"!

welcome to jakarta, guys!

balinese-style facade of national museum

ang emblem ng indonesia - nun ko lang nalaman, sobrang symbolic pala yun...

picture na ang background e ang traditional wedding ceremony...

feeling heroes at monas

unang tikim nila ng padang food! ang anghang daw! wahahahaha!

photo op in my foyer bago gumimik

pinaglaruan ang laser lights ng x2

ang masayang kulitan sa dragonfly

with my 3 looovely ladies at dragonfly

a tactical display at grand indonesia - syempre, di nila pinalampas to! hehehe!

sa tuktok ng grand indonesia cineplex

chillout sa loewy

white team at loewy

let's call it a night...

dinner at social house

sampung araw na lang!!!!!!!!

simula pa nung 01 december, nagsimula na akong mag-countdown kung ilang araw na lang ang natitira bago ang christmas vacation.  sa wakas, sampung araw na lang, babalik na ulit ako sa pinas!  haaaay!

yup, over the last 3 weeks, sobrang homesick ako – siguro dahil na rin sa christmas mode at sa dami ng pressure at challenges sa trabaho.  kakapagod – kahapon, naisip ko talaga kung bakit ko pa ba pinasok to…  pero buti na lang, may pamilya at mga kaibigan akong nakakausap – kahit malayo sila, kahit sa ym man lang o blackberry messenger nakakausap ko sila para makapag-vent kahit papaano.

ilang tulog na lang…  ilang gising na lang…  haaaay…  sana 23 december na!

the first thing i see every morning... countdown thru "post it" notes... it's what keeps me going...

my li'l christmas tree... giving me a semblance of christmas here...

pumayat daw ako… :P

wala na yatang gaganda pa sa pagbating, “huy, pumayat ka!”…  wahahaha!

matapos ang mahigit dalawang buwan na di ko nakita ang pamilya at kaibigan sa pinas, ito na siguro ang pinakamagandang pagbati na narinig ko nung dumating ako ulit sa maynila.  well, ang sagot ko lang jan e, “mantakin mo ba namang, talong beses lang ako nakatikim ng baboy sa nakaraang dalawang buwan, isama mo pa ang stress at pressure sa trabaho at adjustment na rin na mamuhay mag-isa sa banyagang lugar – sino ba naman ang di papayat?!”.

ganun pala ang pakiramdam maging balikbayan – sobrang masaya at exciting.  parang gusto mong wag na gumalaw ang oras para di matapos ang bakasyon mo.  walang tigil na kwentuhan at tawanan – akala ko dati, exaggerated yung nga eksena sa pelikula, pero hindi pala – iba talaga yung pakiramdam na makasama mo ulit yung mga mahal mo na sobrang na-miss mo!  usual stuff ang ginawa ko kasama sila, pero naging masaya ako:

day 1 (umaga): pagkasundo sa akin ni dad and mom sa naia 3, dumeretso kami sa jollibee!  wahahaha!  default order – 2pc. chickenjoy meal, extra rice, soup at large coke light!  tapos nun, nag-check in na kami
sa intercon, nagpahinga muna ng konti then lumabas na ulit para mag-mall.  nagpunta kami sa landmark para bumili ng barong na gagamitin ko sa wedding ng pinsan ko kinabukasan, tapos nun, nag-lunch na kami – gerry’s naman this time!  sinigang, pata at bangus!  sarap!  ikot ulit sa mall, then nagpagupit ako.  nagulat ang favorite stylist ko na si aureo dahil nagpaalam ako sa kanya two months ago – told him na bakasyon lang ako, nakwento ko rin na nakapagpagupit na ko sa jakarta, kaso lang, iba pa rin ang nakasanayan ko ng gupit nya sa propaganda, so malamang ang next kong gupit e sa pasko na ulit pagbalik ko sa pinas!  balik hotel na ulit at andun na ang kapatid ko.  konting kwentuhan then nagbihis na ko.

day 1 (gabi): dinner with usual (but really longed-for) friends at gb5.  first time ko sa myron’s place – ok naman, overpriced nga lang.  importante, masaya ang kwentuhan at tawanan naming lahat.  kahit pano, ang dating 9 e naging 5 ulit – kaso lang, bago matapos ang taon, may isa na ulit aalis papunta naman australia.  so, 3 na lang sila matitira sa pinas.  haaaay, kakalungkot, pero ganun ata talaga, kanya kanyang alisan, ang importante, magkakaibigan pa rin – who would have thought that after more than a decade e kami pa rin ang magkakasama?

mabilis na kwento: bena-papunta ng australia sa nov, aids-bagong trabaho bilan abm ng tv5, cris-patiently waiting kung anong kasunod, nons-new work at shell

buti na lang walang tao - di nakakahiya magpapicture! wahahaha!

day 2:  wedding day.  yung details and pictures nito is in the previous post.  after ng event, umuwi na kami ng laguna.

day 3:  home sweet home!  na-miss ko ang bahay namin – ang kama, ang kusina, ang dining room, ang magic sing, at kung anu-ano pa.  syempre, di pedeng hindi magluluto ang mommy ko ng food na gusto ko – so we had adobong manok sa gata, galunggong, bangus, chopseuy, etc.

day 4:  balik manila para i-meet ulit ang mga pinsan at ibang kaibigan for the last time since malapit na ko umalis.  nag-late lunch kami nila pau and joan sa sentro at nag-cofi sa figaro.  sayang, di nakasama si tony at vic for valid reasons.  sa pasko na lang siguro kami magkikita ulit.  after nun, mga pinsan ko naman ang mineet ko.  nag-dinner lang kami at nag-two rounds sa eastwood.  needless to say, pinoy food pa rin (since kasama sina kuyas aloy and jun na galing amerika) – dencio’s this time.  after nun, konting inom lang – kurant 7 and bailey’s for me.

meeting up with the newlyweds at mccafe

dinner!!!

after dinner

day 5: huling araw kasama ang mga kaibigan.  eto ang naging mandatory glorietta day kung saan nag-dinner kami sa tgif, nag-kape sa starbucks at nanood ng movie na tagalog (request ko kasi – hehe!).  sinamantala ko na rin ang pagpunta sa sm para bumili ng mga pasalubong sa mga officemates ko – walang kamatayang dried mangoes, otap, rosquillios, sampaloc, t-shirts at bags na may “pilipinas”, pearls, at kung anu-ano pa.  after nun, nag-overnight kami sa condo ni adrian – konting inom lang ng gran matador with coke (skwaks!  hahaha!) at isang masarap na umagahan courtesy of the gracious host!

at aids' lounge

dating gawi... drinking while copying files - mp3s, tv shows, etc.

day 6: balik laguna.   natulog lang ako maghapon.  nakakapagod din na magpuyat para magsaya.  lalo tuloy akong inubo.  bumili rin pala ko ng 100 tablets/capsules ng stresstabs at solmux – eto ang mga kakampi ko sa pagkakasakit at depresyon!  hahahaha!  bukod sa pagkain, nag-marathon lang din ako ng abs-cbn shows – simula wowowee hanggang bandila!

day 7:   after lunch with my folks, luwas na kami manila…  hinatid na nila ulit ako sa naia 3.  haaaay…

yan ang naging isang linggo ko sa pinas noong nakaraang linggo.  ngayon, andito na ulit ako sa jakarta.  magtatrabaho ulit sa susunod na more than 2 months at pagkatapos noon, uuwi ulit ng pinas para doon mag-pasko at bagong taon.

just wondering, sa december kaya, maririnig ko pa kaya ulit ang komentong “huy, pumayat ka!”? 

of jollibee and wowowee…

the nice thing about knowing that you’ll be gone for a long time is the realization that you have to maximize the remaining days of your stay with the people that truly matter. over the last week (up to a few minutes ago), my social calendar became full – flying here and there to temporarily say goodbye to real friends and express the sincerest gratitude for making the word “friendship” defined and well-entrenched into my system.

to kickoff the despedida season, dinner with the monde group was arranged at larry’s, serendra (but we patronized the menu of abe so we could feast on pinoy dishes, which i would definitely miss!). what i love about this group is the fact that we all grew up together as we were starting to carve our careers in the corporate world. despite the moving-out which we all did (yes, ironic as it may sound, everyone’s out of monde already), the ties remained – a clear proof that the companionship was not meant to just be circumstantial. thanks guys for always being there (literally and figuratively), my life as a first-jobber would not have been fulfilling without all of you!

monde @ larry's, serendra: pau, jo, mira, vic, tons, me, franco

monde @ larry's serendra: tons, me, franco

monde @ larry's, serendra: jo, mira, vic

next pit stop is at burgoo, rockwell for my jollibee team. the nice thing about this set is the fact that we never ran out of stories to share with each other (admittedly, some are juicy grapevine infos and gossips, hahaha!). thanks to sir joel for being the kindest, most supportive and most generous boss of all-time (salamat sa libre and flattering words when i used you as my character reference). thanks to a.j. for training me to be the right boss – i learned so much from mentoring you. thanks to kay for being the most reliable event organizer and for being my big sister (since i don’t have one), and to trixie for being there after several years of not seeing each other (congrats on the baby, you don’t look preggy though. hehehe!).

jollibee @ burgoo, rockwell: trixie, a.j., joel, me, kay

then, it’s shiela’s night. this honey and i also came a long way after meeting each other back in 2003. from just mere acquaintances, our relationship evolved into becoming a great confidante to each other (though there was something juicier in between which at this point is buried in the past already, hahaha!). i will miss our coffee updates, insightful conversations and witty hirits. above all, i’m sure you’ll miss me! by the way, thank you for the nice shirt – it fits me right and it fits my new industry!

effortless funny faces

shiela: "awwww, i'll miss you july!", joseph: "awwww, kawawa ka naman!", wahahaha!

one last hug... (by the way, thanks to cityland's friendly manong guard for being our official photographer)

if there’s one thing that i cannot probably do on my own when i’m in jakarta already, it would be to do ktv! so, to my fellow frustrated singers – nons and aids, thanks for sharing this one last session. since my vocal chords will first hibernate, maghanda kayo pagbalik ko! hehehe! i’ll surely miss singing those 80s cheesy opm hits and the moments of agawan ng remote at mikropono.

threesome @ center stage, makati: one-man-audience josh, me, nons, aids

nons, still not belting it out

aids in his i-dunno-what-to-sing moment

finally, it’s the time for honeli/dlsu family. from nine (aids, bena, cris, j.a., laurence, mela, mitos, noel, nona), we are now down to five, and when i leave, there will just be the four of them left. time flies so fast – eleven years ago, majority of us were just naive college freshmen, today, we all have our own wide wings. the collection of long years together will definitely speak for itself – we’ve been there for each other for the best and the worst, the ups and the downs. thank you for being a part of who i am now and who i will become in the future, i owe so much from each of you (naks, senti talaga!). so to reminisce where it all started, we had our traditional dinner-with-waiters-singing-for-the-celebrant at tgif, glorietta…

5 out of 9 @ tgif, glorietta: bens, nons, cris, aids, me

with prayer partner cris and best bud aids

with dream mate bens and bff nons

then the waiters came in with a song and a scoop of ice cream

in-between is the going away and i’ll-be-gone gift giving session…

thanks for the photo collage, nons

thanks for the cookbook, bens

thanks for the ofw storybook, cris

thanks for the stress reliever, aids

sharing joel osteen's life-changing book

and just before i hie off to laguna to spend quality time with family and relatives, there was this one last hurrah over coffee and pasta. maraming salamat talaga, i’ll bring these moments over to my next life phase!

@ coffee bean, ayala: aids, nons, me, bens, cris

bff

whew! that was quite a long, wordy and busy week – but i would have to say, time very well spent. so, you are probably wondering what the connection of all these to the post’s title – simply put, just like jollibee and wowowee, bonding with great friends is an indulgence i’ll surely miss (pardon the mushiness, the occasion calls for it)!