we won!

i was walking to greenbelt yesterday night when i remembered to call pogs. pogs asked me earlier that night for some information about amex and i forgot to call him before i left the office. i was just going to buy some go nuts donuts for pasalubong but pogs and i ended up making plans for dinner. i wasn't particularly hungry so we decided to go to chili's and just order chips.

as usual, the place was packed when we arrived. we didn't have to wait long though. we were ushered soon to our place and we were even given a booth! so we ordered the bottomless chips, pogs had cola and i had lemonade. we were thinking of getting some margaritas but decided not to because they were too pricey. after two bowls of chips, though, we were not yet full so we decided to split a burger.

then we heard someone announcing that they had some sort of a game during friday nights. pogs immediately asked if i had a calling card because the last night he was there, the chili's staff asked for the customers' calling cards and they drew lots to determine the winner. neither of us had a calling card. fortunately, though, they had a different game that night. we were to look under our tables and check if there was a card underneath. whichever table has the card would have a free meal.

i eagerly looked under our table and didn't see any calling card. i did see something in pogs' side that wasn't in mine so i asked him to take it off. it was a card with the chili's logo! our waiter went to us and said, "ma'am yan po yun. kayo po ang nanalo". that's when it hit us... we actually won!

then the manager went to our table to tell us that they didn't want to start when we only ordered chips. they were waiting for us to order something else before they started the game since they knew beforehand that our table had the card. good thing we ordered more food! we were so happy, not just because of the free dinner we're going to have that night but because we won! i never won anything before! so to celebrate, we did order our margaritas.

cheers to chili's!

too much tv

i just realized while blogging this morning that i have been spending too much time watching tv.  can anybody of you nice people be kind enough to lend me a really good book to read?  my eyes are having an overdose of radiation.

rose is going to a book launch today and i so want to go but i can't.  i have to go home early because pldt will finally be installing dsl at our house and they need my pc.  and my laptop can't walk home alone.

on the subject of marriage

i was watching oprah last night (though the shows are about two months late if you check it on the internet) and she had halle berry as her guest.  let me just say that i loooove halle berry.  i think she's a wonderful actress plus she's one of the most beautiful faces in the world.  they were talking about her divorce with her husband eric benet when she told oprah

i'll never get married again.  not that i won't have a committed relationship and be in love. but i will never marry again. i mean it with every bone in my body...
...i don't need to get married, but I do need a partner. i like to be in relationships and be committed. i don't need to be married for that.

 
i am a big advocate of marriage (well, as long as it is for the right reason) and i was disheartened that because of the heartbreak that she experienced, she did not believe in marriage anymore. 

the upside of it however, was when benjamin bratt said that he was saddened by halle berry's decision not to marry again.  he said that he hopes that she would change her mind because he wants her to experience what he has with his wife.  clearly an advocate like myself.  

not worth it

i was watching the tv last night while eating dinner.  it just so happened that the tv was turned on to 30 days, one of those reality programs that actually showcases actors that want to get back to showbusiness.  i did not know what they were talking about but what caught my attention was when kim delos santos, the wife of dino guevarra (one of the show's contestants) said something like this:

sabi mo, "kelangan ko ng anak".  at iiwanan mo ako kung hindi mangyari yun.

these were probably not the word for word account of what she said but nevertheless, when i heard this, i just blurted out "p*****ina!  anong akala niya sa asawa niya, anakan?!?"  i really could not contain myself!  how could someone say that to his wife???  it shows how lowly he thinks of her.  his wife is not a partner.  his wife is not his equal.  those words even tell me that he does not even think of her as his wife!  just someone who carries and gives birth to his kids!

i have heard a lot of times that you have to be married for the right reasons.  but in this case, is love enough reason to get married?

inggit ako e

everybody has a tagboard already so i added one here.  well hopefully, i'll see some messages posted there soon. :)

80's girl

do you remember this song?

gotta catch that plane at 7:30
why haven't you come to say goodbye
time is running out and i'm still waiting
i'm so lost without you, i could die
 
yesterday you said you loved me
everything seemed to be fine
today you're not here, i'm so lonely
it's the waiting that's driving me out of my mind...

...if you're not here, by my side
can't hold back the tears i try to hide
don't think i can take it
i know i won't make it, make it without you
if you're not here, by my side
only your love keeps me alive
no sense in dreaming, my life has no meaning
if you're not here

i was going home last night when i heard this song on the radio.  it's been a long time since this song was played.  well, at least it's been a long time since i last heard it played.  karla and i were actually talking about this a few weeks ago and we were telling faye that menudo was the first boy band, way before new kids on the block and backstreet boys.  talk about age gap! :)  we then started singing the menudo songs we knew from our early teenage days.  the lyrics were a bit lost here and there but we managed to sing some lines.  faye was looking at us like we were crazy when we were singing those "old" tunes.

i also remember irish leading the "what's so good about the 80s" conversations a while back.  here is part of my list:

1. pba in its prime, with ramon fernandez, samboy lim, yves dignadice, hector calma and.. ok, robert jaworksi as the stars of the league.  and i knew almost all (if not all) of the players back then.
2. kids playing taguan, habulan and langit, lupa and not cooped up inside their houses playing ps2 or computer games
3. the peso had worth.  a 10 centavos can actually buy you bubble gum and 2 pesos can fill your stomach with banana cue that you bought at the street corner
4. a car is not a requirement and going to cubao via the jeepney with your tito and tita is a breeze
5. tourist sites were actually good for sight seeing --- beaches were not polluted, the manila zoo was full of animals and baguio was not yet congested.

what's in your list?

maybe next year

i was watching the late news together with my sister faye when the "good news" was announced that fil-canadian alex pagulayan won the world pool championships.  according to the report, he was given a hero's welcome when he arrived in the country.  much as i would like to celebrate the victory of a fellow filipino, i could not help but wish that someone who represented the philippines was the one who took home the prize.  somebody like bata or django or orcullo.  anybody, in fact.  pagulayan represented canada in the the tournament. 

the report also said, however, that pagulayan was working to get his dual citizenship.  he said that he hopes to represent the philippines next year.

maybe then, i would root for him.

like yesterday

at this time four years ago, four of us (rose, irish, martha and me) decided to embark on another journey together in another japanese company.  this time, we were together in one place --- as opposed to the different sites we were thrown to in our first company.  this day, we met our other batchmates (pogs, vin, bert and reno) who would be my friends for life.
 
i could not express how grateful i am to have these people as my friends.  nor can i say how much they have affected the molding of the person that i am today.  a lot of times, they have been my cheering squad and my greatest advocates.  you do need those when you're battling the evils of the corporate world. :)
 
it's been a wonderful and interesting four-year period.  with a little bit of hardship, some drama and a whole lot of laughter and fun, it's simply unforgettable.  i am hoping that after some years down the road, we will still celebrate our "anniversary" and that time, we will have our partners and our kids in tow.
 
looking forward to the years ahead, mga tsong!

still hooked on guy

i was riding the jeepney, going to sucat road to meet my aunt when i was happily surprised by hearing guy sebastian's angels brought me here in the radio. it was the same feeling that i had when i was waiting for rose a few weeks ago to have some merienda at mcdonald's when i saw guy's album in a music stall inside paseo center.

i really have no idea why i feel happy when i see guy in the television or hear his songs played on the radio. maybe because i saw how he started and i am one of the millions of people who followed him through his journey and somehow he has been a part of my life. i know that is a stupid thing to say but that is really how i feel. and i am so glad that he is reaping the rewards of all his sacrifices and hard work.

i'm hoping that one day he'll have an asian tour and one of the stops would be here in the philippines. until then, i'll just content myself with listening to his album.

twenty nine happy years

i've been doing a lot of reminiscing entries lately and this is no different. simply because today, we're celebrating our parents' 29th anniversary.

yes, it's been 29 years since my parents walked down the altar and exchanged vows, promising to love each other for the rest of their lives. and i am happy to say that up to this point, they have been true to their vows. sure, they had their share of arguments and misunderstandings but what couple hasn't? but their communication lines have always been open and this is one of the reasons why they go beyond their differences and patch things up. well, of course, their love for each other makes up the rest.

i sometimes wonder how easily mom and dad can talk to each other about anything, from the important to the mundane. i still remember them keeping notebooks with their letters to each other, the starting point of their dialogues. there were even times that we were asked to write the same letters for our family dialogues.

mom and dad are both expressive of their love to each other. they are both malambing and sweet. sometimes, it embarrassed us when they start to become lovey-dovey in front of other people but most of the time we feel happy that they can openly show their love.

i haven't found the same love that my parents share with each other but i am hoping that one day i will. and i hope that when that time comes, our life together will be as happy as the one my parents have.

happy anniversary, mom and dad! we love you!

a few steps away to wedded bliss

a few days ago, raf sent us a link to sheryll and niño's pre-nuptial pictures. we knew long beforehand of the wedding plans but i guess not seeing them regularly, i was not really paying attention that the wedding is indeed drawing near. sheryll was radiant in white and was evermore beautiful. i can just imagine how lovely she'll look on her wedding day. going through the pictures, i can't help but feel extremely happy and excited for them. it's really evident that they love each other and the wedding is just one milestone in their journey together.

wishing shepot and monj a lifetime of love.

halfway there

i just realized that the year is half over. before we know it, christmas is here and a new year will be starting. time does fly fast.