on the uaap championship

the de la salle green archers are the champions of the uaap once again.

i remember last sunday when we were watching the la salle-feu game when faye (who's studying in la salle) commented that it was expected that feu will win so that araneta coliseum where the games were being held will get more income. i had to stop myself from scoffing. sorry, but i could not really believe that a collegiate basketball team would be influenced by those things. isn't the finals more about pride than anything else? and wasn't the fact that la salle lost to feu by ten big points just proves that feu is every bit as deserving and as eager to get that crown. let's not forget that feu IS the defending champion.

i am not discounting the fact that la salle is a good team. cardona is probably one of the best, if not the best shooter in the league. (but i still think that santos was deserving of the mvp award since he's the more well-rounded player). i wouldn't dare doubt the abilities of coach franz pumaren. first, he was a great basketball player in the pba and i'm admittedly a fan. second, he's led the archers to six of seven finals and won five of that. how's that for a record? undisputedly, la salle has produced really strong teams and really good players.

writing this all down, i realized i could compare how i see the green archers to the ginebra san miguel team of the pba. you either love the team or you don't. probably the price for being at the top. and for all the years that the de la salle green archers have reached the finals, whether it's against feu or ust or ateneo, i have always been inclined to cheering for the other team. i have to admit, a part of me likes to see them in the finals simply because it would be a bit lame to watch other teams battle it out in the basketball court. even better if they were fighting for the crown against the blue eagles.

but whatever i think of the green archers, the fact remains that they ARE the champions again.

***

an added note: let me just say i am still waiting for the fighting maroons to get into the final four.

tomorrow

dear friend,

how have you been? we see each other almost everyday but i haven't asked how you are doing.

it's been a while since you told us that you were getting married. it was a shock to me, but i didn't want you to know. all i could say then was that i was happy for you. don't get me wrong. i am. but under the circumstances, my happiness was clouded over by my surprise. i just never thought that your announcement would be so soon.

the truth is, i am scared for you. scared that you might be going into a situation that you are not quite ready for. it's a big step. something that needs a lot of time to weigh things out and think things through. a lot of my other friends have told me that they are getting married. some of them already have. but i didn't have the same apprehensions with them like i have right now. please don't take this as if i do not have confidence in you. i do. in the little time that i have known you, i have learned that you are mature beyond your years. that you are loving and that you genuinely care for others. that you are thoughtful and you give so much of yourself. i guess i just wanted things to have happened in different circumstances.

i do stand by your decision and support you all the way. i pray that God will shower you with all of His blessings and love all the rest of your lives. tomorrow, you will be a husband and soon, a dad. take care of your family. love and cherish them as they are the most important blessings that God has given you. remember that i, together with your family and all of your other friends are here for you always. we love you.

sweet tooth

if ever you get to go to the bf homes paranaque area, go to conti's and try their cake mango bravo. it's heavenly.

au revoir

after sheryll and monj's wedding, we immediately made plans with the couple since we had very little time left with them. they were leaving a week after the wedding for the US.

when sheryll told me that they were relocating to the US after she was offered a job there, i was happy, excited and sad all at the same time. i was happy and excited for her because i knew that she wanted this for so long. and she really deserves it. i knew long before that she would be going places. but i was also saddened by the thought of not being able to see her for a long time. sure, we hardly see each other even when she was still here but then again, it was easier to get together if you're just an expressway away.

rona made sure that we would all be together one last time before sheryll and monj left. and true enough, everyone came. mr. and mrs. monje arrived at recipes a few minutes before i did. soon enough raf, grette, ginia and myn followed. we were our usual boisterous selves (which always happens when we're together). plus, we were all excited to talk to shepot about what happened after the wedding (wink!). we were enjoying ourselves so much ginia wanted to rent a hotel room and was willing to pay for it herself just so we can continue talking throughout the night. we were even taunting her not to attend her meeting anymore.

arnel arrived after we finished our sumptuous dinner so raf accompanied him to the foodcourt while the rest of us proceeded to go to starbucks (without ginia who reluctantly attended the meeting she herself set). but myn and raf didn't want to go to starbucks at 6750 because they were parked in greenbelt so we decided to just go with raf and arnel. and so the second round of stories and laughter ensued. ginia came back as soon as her meeting was finished to make sure she didn't miss much(well, after going to foodchoices in glorietta instead of where we were).

but as the song goes, some good things never last. we soon had to say our goodbyes. we were kissing and hugging sheryll to say our farewells when she suddenly said "nalulungkot ako..." and then we started crying. in the middle of the foodcourt! but we really didn't care about the rest of the people there. the idea that sheryll would be gone really dampened the evening. we told her however that we would soon see each other again, with our reunions located in different parts of the world (as jenp is in japan and jent is in new zealand and grette soon flying with rommel to bahrain).

farewell to you my friend. we'll see each other again. don't worry 'cause it's not the end of everything. i may be miles away, but here is where my hear will stay --- with you. my friends, with you.

yes, i believe so too.

staying put

a few weeks ago, our boss called our group together to discuss some plans for the coming months. i was actually looking forward to that meeting since i knew that i would again be assigned to SAP implementations (which i have come to really enjoy). it's been a while since i last did a SAP project and i was looking forward to it come next year.

then we had the meeting with the client. they were informed about the changes in our group beforehand and apparently, they were not agreeable to the idea. they wanted me to stay in my current role. it was a good thing on one hand because it looks like they believe that i can do the job well and the client said that they were happy with the way i handled things the past few months (though i am not sure if they were just saying that for me to keep put). and so my anticipation of being reunited with SAP went down the drain. that's what you get when you're dealing with the clients.

wedding bells

time really does fly fast. it's just been a few days since we held a shower party for sheryll and now she's walked down the aisle with the man she loves.

i remember sheryll asking me via sms if i could be one of the emcees in the wedding reception. surprised and touched at the same time, i eagerly said yes to her request. but at the day of her wedding, i was having second thoughts. i had colds and i haven't seen the programme yet. in other words, i was less than prepared for the most important day in my friend's life and i was scared of screwing up all the preparations they made for this day. but i already agreed to emcee and if being determined counts for anything, i was set not to mess up. or at least, try not to.

i arrived at the church a few minutes late, after all the traffic and closed roads dad and i encountered. but i didn't care. seeing sheryll all beautiful and radiant in white, with monj right by her side was enough for me. sheryll is the first friend i had in college, having met her during registration day during our freshman year. more than ten years later, we're still friends. as soon as i arrived, raf and i immediately went to work on the programme. i was so busy concentrating on the details, the ceremony was soon over with the traditional "you may now kiss the bride" finale. raf, as the lead coordinator for sheryll's wedding, immediately went to the front and started calling on the people to join the newlyweds for the picture taking. as soon as we were called, we came rushing to the altar, eager to congratulate sheryll and monj (plus the fact that we wanted to have our pictures taken with them). after that, we rushed outside of the church to prepare to greet them there again. sheryll and monj were met with a shower of rose petals and camera flashes as they walked down the church steps.

soon, we were on our way to the loft for the reception. i rode with lloyd and myn (who was one of the bridesmaids). bad idea since raf arrived at the reception ahead of us. and being so stressed with all the coordination she has to do, me being late a few more minutes was getting on her nerves. five minutes after she called, we arrived. and was immediately set to work.

there were glitches here and there but i have to say the program went well thanks in large part to raf and the rest of the wedding coordinators.

one of the highlights was lloyd winning the "garter toss". however, the garter was not actually thrown by monj to the bachelors. they tied apples to the belts of the guys and they had to push a rubber ball to a finish line. the last one to reach the finish line is the lucky guy. of course when lloyd "won", we were taunting myn that there should be no bouquet toss anymore since all the other girls would give way. the bouquet toss consisted of twelve single roses, and raf said that whoever does not get a rose would be the "lucky girl". but the truth was, there were enough singlre roses for the girls. there was definitely a conspiracy since at the start, ginia was holding on to two roses and didn't want to give myn any. since ginia was holding two roses with red ribbons (the "winner" should have a rose with a white ribbon), raf took one of ginia's roses, swapped it with the another girl's rose and gave the one with the white ribbon to myn.

another highlight was sheryll's dad singing instead of the usual father and daughter dance. hearing her dad sing with so much confidence and ease, i wondered how come sheryll didn't sing that much. her dad sang again as sheryll and monj had their first dance as a newly wed. the couple danced so elegantly, we were thinking they practiced a lot for it. after that, sheryll's and monj's parents joined them on the dance floor. the fathers gave their speeches, giving the newlyweds sound advice and touching messages.

it was a most touching and enjoyable evening. i was tired having to eat fast and run around and host the reception but it was all worth it.

to monj and sheryll, we're wishing you all the happiness and love in the world. congratulations and best wishes!

ninang

i just learned today that i would be a godmother again. i know it isn't final yet until i am in the church with my godchild and my kumares and kumpares. but the fact that my friend is considering me to be the godmother of his first born makes me glow with pride. i am honored and touched tremendously.

weekend

the weekend started on friday as pogs and i planned to get together a week before. he was bringing his boyfriend and i was bringing... rose. :) at the spur of the moment, we decided on cafe bola, bearing in mind that rose needs to go back to the office at a certain time or else she will get the heat from her evil boss once again. and so we met jonald over dinner. well, plainly that --- meet him --- since he hardly said a word all evening. probably got scared of us. or he probably figured out that we were talking enough for the four of us. :)

come saturday, i was looking forward to attending roy's birthday because this would actually be the first time i would be going out with my office friends. i've been in the company for over a month and the socializing i have done with my office friends occurs only within the office (the boracay offsite excluded). so even if i had to travel a long way from paranaque to quezon city, i really didn't mind. i was going to meet up with other friends on the way to the party and dad agreed to pick me up after. so everything was planned. or so i thought. the car suddenly had a flat and for some reason, they couldn't take out the tire out. i decided that i won't be going if i didn't have a ride home. quezon city is just too far away to take a taxi ride. alone. by myself. good thing tita baby willingly lent us their car so in no time, i was on my way.

we were the first to arrive at the party. roy and abby greeted us and led us inside the house. lo and behold! a billiards table! so while waiting for the other guests to arrive, we played pool. how i missed playing! :) soon, we were eating, drinking and chit-chatting. good thing dad was picking me up because i got a wee bit tipsy. blame it on sol who bought a bottle of tequila and a bottle of vodka currant. plus the kamikaze shot that roy's friend mized up. he said that he would be greatly offended if we didn't try it so we gladly obliged. :)

the next day, we heard mass and went to tita baby's house to celebrate reynard's birthday. as per usual get together of the marasigan clan, everyone was having fun while eating and updating each other with what's going on. tito rey called from the united states and talked to us. it's been a while since i last saw him and he's coming home next year for the marasigan grand reunion. i promised him that i'll take him out for dinner then.

i also went to alabang town center and sm southmall to find the (still) elusive dress to wear to sheryll and nino's wedding this coming saturday. no such luck. i'll try again later.

it has been a hectic and buzzing weekend for me but i am not complaining. i enjoyed it!

friends?

i was going through some of the blogs randomly when i chanced upon this site. one of his posts that really caught my attention was that asking if guys and girls can be friends. just plain friends. no romantic involvement at all.

i can surely say yes to this question. i have a lot of male friends through the years and a relationship beyond a platonic one never even entered my mind. there are even some that i think of as my older brothers. they have served as my teachers, my shock absorbers, my towerblock. i could not write all of their names hear for fear of missing out somebody who has made a big impact in my life so i'd rather leave their names unmentioned. in their heart of hearts, they know who they are.

admittedly, however, almost all of my past crushes have been my friends first. i do believe i only had one crush that i had romantic thoughts first before being his friend. i don't really know if it's a bad thing, falling for a friend. when the feelings are not mutual then in a way, it probably is. most of my friends who are in a relationship started out the same way. they were friends first and then it just blossomed into something more. and i do believe that this is the best way to have a relationship. it's much stronger, more grounded. it's based on something much more than physical attraction.

back home!

dad's finally home after almost six months in the united states! we missed him so much!

i'm just really really happy that dad's back. it's just isn't the same without him.

winners

our company's sportsfest has been going on for quite some time now but i have to admit, i wasn't involved at all. i did sign up for volleyball but that was just because there were no other girls who were willing to. i did play some volleyball when i was in high school and college but nothing near tournament level. anyhow, i've always enjoyed the sport so i'll make sure i'll do the same this time around.

last week, i was supposed to watch the badminton finals. i had it all planned. but plans were not being followed that day and i ended up in mamplasan with my aunts and cousins. i felt really guilty because i told eugene that i would go and watch. i heard they played really well but we still ended up losing to the yellow team.

today was the basketball finals. this time, i was determined not to miss it. so i hopped on a bus and went to metro badminton courts in mandaluyong to watch. roy, rodney, hoz and dale were all part of the red team and so were some guys from the 7th and 11th floor. we were competing with the yellow team once again.

the opposing team had the advantage since they have been playing together for quite some time now while players from our team only played twice. but that did not stop us. with full force of the cheering squad (that's us), we rooted for the red team until our throats were hoarse from alternatingly shouting GO RED TEAM! and DEFENSE! the players were encouraging one another, each player giving their all. but all our voices, efforts and prayers were not enough and we had to settle again for a second place in basketball.

even though we did not get the championship, our players have shown they were winners. they gave it their best and when that was not enough, they were very humble in accepting their defeat. WAY TO GO, RED TEAM!!! WE'RE PROUD OF YOU!!!

no, thanks

we had our monthly implementation team lunch, this time at chili's in greenbelt. i was enjoying myself with my teammates when the topic of a "field trip" came. interested, i started asking A about it. then all of a sudden R interjects and says "hindi ka kasama". i was taken aback but i pretended i did not mind and continued talking with A. he did retract it and said it was just a joke but for me, the damage has been done.

some people may say that i am overly sensitive about this. maybe so. probably because i am the kind of person who hates tagging along where i am not invited. yun bang pinagsisiksikan ang sarili niya sa iba. i hate feeling out of place, the feeling of being alone when you're in a crowd. that's why when R said that i was not invited, i said to myself "ok, fine. i am not going where i am not wanted."

he is not one of my favorite people but i am trying to get along with him because we have mutual friends. and in retrospoect, i think one of the reasons why i do not hang out with their group that much is because of him. why put myself in a "hostile" situation when i can be with other groups of people who openly accept me? i don't need to befriend him to continue being friends with the other people he hangs out with.

friendship is solely between two people. unfortunately, those two people will not be us.

sleigh bells ring

it's the start of the -ber months and soon enough, christmas will be here. i should start saving up soon...

the magic lives on

i rushed home last night to watch the replay of the finals of on cue 3. i didn't know who made it to the finals. i just knew from the end of the second day that efren "bata" reyes and django bustamante were already qualified for the semis. i was hoping that mika immonen would reach the semis, too. as it was, immonen didn't manage to squeeze through the four slots being defeated by alex pagulayan. the other semi-finals slot went to the youngest player in the tournament, 15-year old wu chia ching from chinese taipei.

fast forward to the finals. it's alex "the lion" pagulayan vs. efren "the magician" reyes.

it was a very tight race, reyes and pagulayan battling it out one set at a time. that is, until the magician made some unforced errors and gave pagulayan a chance to advance two racks. but with all the skill and experience reyes has under his belt, it was not long before the game was tied again. pagulayan had another two rack lead after that and the hero that reyes is, he quickly evened up the score. and so, until the last rack, they were tied. 12-12 was the score and the magician has the break. the lion watched like a helpless kitten while reyes weaved his magic on the table. and soon enough, it was finished. efren "the magician" reyes was crowned champion and the whole philippines rejoiced.