reunions

I’m going to miss my ALC reunion.

I was looking forward to seeing everybody again but I’m going to be in Davao at the time. And, well, I miss my family more. Can’t wait to see my dad (speaking of which, I need to buy the things he asked), my two mokong brothers (who are avid golf players like pop) and my mom, who worries too much for all of us. Mina will, of course, be absent from our family reunion because she’s in New York right now. Damn it!

She sent me a text message early this morning (dinner time in NYC) saying she just watched the matinee show of Les Miserables in Broadway…with Lea playing Fantine!!! They were expecting her understudy to do the early show but she was the one who performed. Nice! And she went to The Met too…I hoped she checked out the Egyptian Art wing, which was where I met my museum guy. And the Impressionist wing where a French tourist took my pictures and talked with me about *sigh* Van Gogh.

Yes I know. I am an art dork. So sue me.

Anyway, it has been a hectic week. Steffi’s here and we’re seeing Kamille later. I wish Alet were here with us. Let, any chance you can come home for a night away from Singapore? I can’t wait to join you there! Hopefully soon!

I’ve already booked my ticket to Davao. Leaving this Saturday! Wheee!!!!

You know summer’s almost over when…

Grey clouds loom the horizon.

And you watch an outdoor concert in the rain.

Fete de la Musique was last Saturday and it rained. Not a heavy downpour but enough to get four people wet from sharing one faulty umbrella. The left side of my face, clothes and other body parts located on the left were drenched. The right side promptly followed after we decided to switch positions within the tiny circle of the umbrella.

I bet Alfred the Butler (a.k.a. Ryan)…

…didn’t mind holding the umbrella so long as he was sandwiched between three hot girls. And yes, I am under the delusion that I am one of them. Waha. Whatever, Armand. You’re so pacute in that photo, by the way.

Camwhores (me, Au, Steffi):

So. This year marks the second time in a row it rained during a fete event I attended. The last time I came to watch the bands was in 2004. It was held in Eastwood then and I went with my friends Alet and Steffi. It rained wild cats and rabid dogs (notice how I tend to exaggerate) and we were all forced to go inside the Eastwood mall. I remember seeing my philosophy teacher Mike M there with other people from the Philo department. He made it a point to shout my complete name (Bleep! Bleep!) in front of a throng of strangers. I pretended I didn’t know him.

2005 I didn’t get to go because I left for the States a week before the event. I remember wanting to volunteer as a production assistant then just so I’d get to meet the bands backstage—I had a thing for anything remotely related to Brandon Boyd then—but my grandparents informed me our flight was the week before so I didn’t bother applying.

2006, I think the event got cancelled.

So after three years, I only got to go again last Saturday. And it rained again. Which got my friends nonchalantly saying that maybe I shouldn’t go next year. Or the next. Or the next. Or the…I get it guys.

We didn’t get to see any good bands this year. I think it was mostly because we kept on moving from one stage to the next (there were four—universal(?), rock, world and hiphop) and maybe the good bands played during our muddy walk to the next venue. The highlight of the night was seeing a guy who looked a bit like Jerry O’Connel. The Jerry moment lasted around 10 minutes because some weird looking punks drove him away. So that was the highest point of the night for everyone.

Oh and I ran into my P4 blockmate JV…and he said “pumayat ka ah!”

Which did a lot of good for my ego. LOL He looks different now too. More clean cut and he lost weight as well. Hey JV, if you end up reading this entry, maybe we can meet and talk about forming a *ahem* weight-losers club. Hahaha.

I had a lot of fun last Saturday despite the rain. And the muddy waters that left a lot of grey splash marks on my legs (I went with the pambahay look so I wore shorts—yes, I am a genius) which proves my long standing theory that no one gets out of Malate a little bit dirtier.

I got to have a three-in-one reunion with three of my craziest friends Au (just in from Miami), Steffi (just in from Riyadh) and Ryan (just in from, wow, Pasig), who was a great sport about being the target of everybody’s servant/slave/French maid/driver/et cetera jokes. We’ll up your salary to 10% above minimum wage now Alfred! And we’ll get you a new uniform. Your old one’s begging to become trapo already. Kidding.

We finally gave our dying feet a break in Gloria Jean’s Coffee a little before midnight. Just us four reminiscing, making jokes, asking ridiculous hypothetical questions like Okay lang sayo asawa mo si Johnny Depp pero unano siya? Or Brandon Boyd na hindi unano pero every day of your life you can only eat TABA? And, haha senti, new memories and new friendships (I introduced Yanyan to Au to Steffi to Yanyan). It’s a good way to conclude a crazy month.

So June is ending and suddenly it’s jacket weather again. Which means you HAVE to go and get yourself a new jacket. It’s imperative. Last year’s trusty jacket will no longer suffice. The material’s not as good…there’s tastas already in the seams…the color’s faded…Well, those are my excuses for splurging on a new deconstructed MNG one, anyway. It was on sale…and it makes me look like a reporter. Hehe.

This brings me back to another reason you know summer’s over…Mid-Year Clearance Sales!

Adios, I’m off to the mall!

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Haven’t been able to blog much the past couple of days! I’ve been busy going to and from interviews (okay so there were only two) plus taking time to work on my new racket (thanks again hitme64!). I realize I haven’t properly bummed yet. And this is supposed to be my not-doing-anything period.

I didn’t go to the LEAP orientation today. It’s the third part of my leadership seminar trilogy–trilogies may not be a flop this year after all! I don’t really need to go the orientation anyway…they told me it’s optional and that it’s mostly to work out issues between those who are hesitant to join the program. And, well, I’m not. I’ve already decided I’m signing up for it. Matter of fact, I already did. Just need to pay the fee.

So I guess that’s it for now. Have to get back to my writing!

Oh and speaking of writing, one of my reporter friends from Business World texted me today. She was surprised to hear I wasn’t connected with Rockwell anymore. Awww. Hehe and she told me they have an opening for a writer in the publication’s Special Features section. I’m emailing the editor tomorrow.

Miracles do happen

I have done the impossible.

I have managed to get Haidee, never-wore-a-dress-in-her-life-Haidee, into a dress! And a lovely black number at that. AND real shoes. Not rugged rubber sandals! Haha Who knew Haidz could look like a real lady?? LOL

I can’t wait until she sends me a photo–you better Haidz!!!

I’ll post it in my blog, friendster, multiply and whatever online community I am a member in. Call it my greatest achievement! >:D

Bring it on

Ever since my minor bus accident the other day, I’ve been riding buses to places. I rarely ride a cab anymore. Well, except to go home because I don’t relish walking along the eskinita towards our house in Paranaque.

Is this me tempting fate?

Nah, probably just desperation. I am royally broke.

I’ve come to a decision. But I’m not posting it here until I talk to someone.

So I’m off to Shang to get Haidee into a dress! Come hell or fire(?), you’re wearing a dress to your graduation Haidz!

Just to answer Drei’s question

Andrei, my *ahem* cute (we have an attractiveness rating system at the office which Igor and I invented) officemate/seatmate/fashion adviser/marriage proposer idol (haha), asked me during my last week at work: Are you proud of this pic or something???

I’m contributing an article for Igor’s magazine and it was one of the photos I submitted to go with my bio. So anyway, when Drei asked me that particular question with his eyebrows raised (yes you raised your eyebrows!!!), I just mumbled something like “yeah yeah whatever it’s okay whateverrrr.”

So now I just want to clear things up…

Drei, if you’re reading this (I know you will because Igor will tell you I wrote a post about you), I just want you to know that HELL YEAH I’M PROUD OF THE FRIGGIN PHOTO!!!

I look so cute I want to kiss myself! Haha!

Shit you’re probably thinking I’m the most yabang person in the planet! LOL

Drei, when you do read this, drop me a comment. Miss na kita you big oaf!

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Pahabol: I’m also proud of this photo I took of the obviously man-made lake at the Chinese Gardens in Singapore.

And this one also of my sister trying to reach at least one part of the archway in the very same pagoda I was “meditating” in. I know it’s a bit skewed but she looks so adorable in it:

Haha miss you sis! Hope you’re enjoying (well I already know you are) your vacation in the States! You fool, you didn’t let me stowaway in your maleta when Mommy wasn’t looking. Say hi to the little cousins for me! *muah*

Reading Frenzy

Ever since my resignation, I’ve been devouring books (not literally because I find I don’t really relish the taste of paper in my mouth) as if my life depended on it. In a span of three weeks, I’ve read three books. Not bad. One a week. And that’s already on top of everything I’ve been up to lately.

It’s weird because I don’t really think of myself as “bumming around” because I’ve been busy! Not because I’ve done a lot of things like suddenly putting up my own business or doing charity work or networking or whatever. Rather, I feel busy. I feel productive.

I don’t feel like a degenerate, an amoeba (how is she by the way? waha joke) which was how I felt right before I got that job in PR. The lowest of the low. In fact, this was the reason why I took my time in resigning. I dreaded not doing anything. I feared being lethargic. In the end, I became what I feared most. Which I guess proves The Secret works. You end up attracting the things you focus on. Whether positive or negative. I dwelt on the latter. Imagine, I’ve wanted to leave since January 31 (that was the filename of my resignation letter haha) but I finally had the guts to say goodbye only recently. That’s five months worth of lethargy! lol

So anyway. I’ve rediscovered my love for reading. Here’s my latest read:

Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier tells the tale of the fortune of two prominent families through different perspectives–wives, husbands, mother-in-laws, children, servants and even the gravedigger’s son.

I actually started reading this eons ago but I was still in my ADHD phase so I didn’t really appreciate it enough. I just skimmed its pages without really reading it.

So anyway.

Set in London at the beginning of the 20th century, the book depicts the relationships between the Colemans and the Waterhouses, two upper-middle class households expressing radically different views. The Waterhouses revere the late Queen and cling to Victorian traditions while the Colemans look forward to a more modern society. To their mutual dismay, their lives are inextricably linked by the instant bond of bestfriendship between their daughters Maude and Lavinia upon their first encounter at the cemetery.

One immediately sees the differences between the two families when they first meet to honor the late Queen Victoria. Their graves happen to be right beside each other. The Colemans’ adorned by a simple yet elegant urn while the Waterhouses’ boasts of a statue of an angel. They do not see each other again until a year later (both mothers do everything in their power to keep the two friends apart) as fate again brings them back together when the Waterhouses move to the house right behind the Colemans’ three-story mansion.

What I love about the book is the shifting perspectives of the characters. It is quite different from Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, WHICH I absolutely adored by the way, where we only see Griet’s side of the story. Here we see the different points of view of all the characters and realize how miscommunication can ruin even the strongest of relationships.

A daughter ends up resenting her mother for thinking the latter placed more value on her suffragette causes when all the mom wanted was for her daughter to enjoy the end results of her actions. A husband pushes his wife into “swinging” partners thinking this will get her to “come back” to him. The plot speaks volumes.

And you get to appreciate it even more because you get insights into not just one but a number of the characters in the story. There is no one MAIN character. Each character is the lead actor/actress of his/her life.

Which, of course, I think applies to all of us.

AND, finally, it touches on the topic of death a lot. Which I think we ought to look in the eye at one point or another. Just to keep us grounded.

Carpe Diem

I went to Makati to get my ticket to Davao booked today. And the bus I rode on my way to meeting my ex-officemates for lunch hit another bus. It happened all too quickly. And it didn’t sink in until, hmmm, five hours later while I was sitting on yet another bus.

I was staring out the window–I always head straigth for the window seat–listening to whatever music was playing in my player when BAM!! Brakes screeching and me being halfway thrown out of my seat. The bus in front of us stepped on the breaks without warning that the driver was forced to make an unexpected stop. My bus didn’t collide too hard against the other one. Thank God.

So I got off Ayala Avenue, walked around five minutes to Kitaro in Dela Rosa Street where my friend Lea’s training to be the manager, had a reunion with my friends, saw my ex-Amex platonic-crush (is there such a thing?), walked around Greenbelt for a bit whilst thinking about how I was acting like a tourist in good ‘ol Manila (I realized I don’t have to be in a different country to act all tourist-ish because I can do it here), spent around an hour at PAL waiting for them to schedule a flight for me (I’ve always been a PAL flyer but their booking service is just plain DREARY) and finally hopped onto another bus heading towards the Mall of Asia where I am to meet my friend Haidz later to pay back the money I borrowed.

Oh, and I got my new ATM. I have a bank account now. lol Don’t ask.

So the point? There isn’t any. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that I WAS IN A FRIGGIN BUS ACCIDENT!!!!

And I just noticed that Netopia’s OS system is still MS Windows 97. And I know I’m supposed to be feeling positive right now–I’m trying!!!–but I need a moment to just sit back and acknowledge the fact that I want to SCREAM.

But I can’t because the mama sitting next to me is, well, I think he’s one of those types who chats with girls less than half his age. I know I know. I’m being a laitera again but it’s true! He’s been checking out friendster profiles of girls around 20!!! And he looks like he’s already in his fifties!!!

Ewww.

Ok enough. Maybe they’re his, er, daughters or something. And he’s just curious about what they’re up to.

Yeah that’s probably it.

Ground and Center. Ground and Center. Ooh I wanna learn Yoga. Hehe my cousin took Yoga for his PE class and I’m feeling a bit jealous. I wanna do Yoga. I ought to. So there.

Currently listening to Coheed and Cambria’s Wake Up. It’s freezing here at Netopia. Temperature’s probably below zero. And today I picked the perfect outfit to trigger frostbite. White blouse and shorts. Brrr.

I miss my camera. And my crazy nut of a sister.

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P.S. My seatmate’s taking photos of the young girls in the computer. The ones I earlier assumed were his daughters . Using his cellphone. Probably forgot his flash disk. Waaah I’m sitting next to a D.O.M!!!

Happy Birthday to me :)

No, it’s not my literal birthday. Haha but in case you want to know, it’s on the 8th of February. And yes I am an Aquarius. I am a water bearer. That is why bodies of water (both dirty and clean) are drawn to me. I am a water magnet.

Anyway, why the blog title? I will explain.

I graduated from the second part of my leadership seminar today. And it gave me a long overdue reality check. It said, “Wake up Tricia. Wake up and smell the Tall, Non-fat Starbucks Caramel Machiatto. I’ll add an extra helping of yummy caramel syrup if you bangon NOW. Bubuhusan kita ng Red Bull leche wake up! Or ion. Or Pepsi Max! Or…or extra joss!!!”

It’s “joss” right? Feel free to kick me in the behind and tell me, “bruha mali ka!”

I am just so overwhelmed right now. I really came upon a TON of realizations about myself the past four days. It was one of the toughest experiences of my life. I was very skeptical when I joined–hello? Can my life really change in four days?!

Apparently, yes it can. If I wanted it to. And I want it to so… continue tricia, continue.

Teka lang, I will clear my throat.

So…

A part of me died today. The angry, negative, pessimistic part. The biatch. BUT NOW, (and yes I know this is like the ultimate CHEESEBALL) I am (brace yourself amigo) REBORN. I’m a new person–Well, I’m still a bitch…but now, I’m a loving and positive one. Waha! I don’t think I can ever let go of my inner bitch >:)

Hence ergo therefore in conclusion–the entry title: Happy Birthday to me.

Mark that in your calendars people. June 17. Along with my REAL birthday–again, it’s February 8 just in case you forgot already or was unable to really read that part perhaps because you were distracted by flies buzzing by your bionic ears. Or something.

I want all of you to know…that from now on…I am expecting TWO birthday gifts from you every year. Not to mention a gift for Christmas, New Year, Labor Day, Valentines, Halloween, Linggo ng Wika, etc. etc.

You are all probably thinking…Is she high? And if so, what the heck is she on right now because damn I wants it too! Or did somebody brainwash Tricia the pessimist? Some of you would also probably postulate a theory about the real Tricia being abducted by aliens and the person writing this entry now is really a Martian and that anything is possible now that we are being silently replaced by aliens. Hmmm.

Anyway. Enough about me. Today’s really about celebrating everybody’s favorite man–our dad!

So…

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL YOU CRAZY FATHERS AND WOULD-BE FATHERS OUT THERE!!!!

Pic from Post Secret

Pahabol: And remember that guy I said I found cute in the seminar? I got to hug him!!!! YEEEAAAHHHH!!! And he’s STRAIGHT! I may not be the walking Gay Litmus Paper after all!

But he is…well, he’s taken. Engaged as a matter of fact. Wah. Haha. I’m still kilig.

Avenue Q and my pounding headache

Here’s a clip of Hugh Jackman with ROD (played by John Tartaglia) from AVENUE Q! This is really funny

And a clip of my favorite part of Avenue Q–Nicky and Rod’s “If you were gay”:

NICKY THAT IS WROOOONG!!!! LOL

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Fear leads to anger leads to hate leads to suffering – the indomitable Yoda

I have a pounding headache. I just came back from Day One of my leadership seminar and I swear it has been a struggle. Whereas the first part was very empowering and uplifting (they highlighted your “inner potential”), the second one’s really difficult (okay so far it has been TERRIBLE!!!) because they force you to face your inner demons. Your alter ego. The BAD one. The one that’s out to sabotage you.

We all have to do this in front of everybody while the life coaches practice TOUGH (annoying) LOVE on us. Although I haven’t had my chance yet, I’m really dreading the outcome. I mean, who wants to bawl like a baby in front of EVERYBODY?? That’s why I have these walls around me. I don’t like being made to be THAT vulnerable. Plus, er, here’s the shallow me talking again but I sort of like this guy I’m taking the seminar with. And I don’t really relish him seeing me at my lowest point. The Me that is the epitome of ANGST!

So I therefore conclude that this one’s another dead end. I have the worst commitment issues. And with me being the human Gay Litmus Test (as Igor concluded after seeing how my past 3 or 5 crushes turned out to be gay upon ample observing/stalking), he’ll just probably end up my new shopping buddy! lol!

Idina Menzel’s Acceptance Speech!

Idina Menzel plays Elphaba in the musical Wicked. She also played Maureen Johnson in Rent! Maureen’s my fave character there too!

AND I just found out after watching this clip that she’s married to TAYE DIGGS!!!! WAAAAAH. Makes me envy her even more! LOL

Awww. Taye was teary-eyed when she was announced winner of the Tony award.

Tears :”)