Mon Amies

Amici per Vita

Jacqueline - my childhood bestfriend. We used to play with a lot of other kids in the neighborhood, but she was closest to me. No secrets though, at least none that I can remember. She has a baby now, all grown up and married.

Angel - We were pretty and popular, and she was my bestfriend in Elementary. We shared a lot of firsts, like our first "grown-up" trip to the city. Read: no parents. It was so funny. We only had a hundred bucks each, and we spent it on food mostly, and useless stuff. We still keep in touch, and it's nice to still be able to talk to one of my oldest friends ever.

Kate - Kate was also my bestfriend in Grade school. Looks sweet and really pretty too. There were three of us: (me, Angel, and Kate) and we were terrible. Wait...Kate was kind, and Angel and I were terrible. Lol. We thought we were princesses and we thought we owned the world. We were probably the "Mean Girls" in grade school then...

Olive - One of my closest friends from high school until now. Not married, totally single and available. Laughs a lot. Easy to get along with. Lost her mom a few years ago and I know it was a big blow to her and her family. She's tough and vulnerable at the same time. I'd kill for her.

Yna - One of my bestfriends in high school. We used to go to each other's houses, play volleyball, gossip about other people, read books, and do everything but study! She's a ball of fun and I love her to bits. Right now, we don't talk as much as we did back then, but we keep in touch. She's in the US Navy and a part-time model in the States too.

Christine - Pretty, shy, white, Chinese. Quiet, but can be very intense too. We shared a passion for music -- Backstreet Boys/3T/Boyzone -- back in high school. I dated her cousin before, and well...that's history now. Cheers!

O-Y - Athletic, a true friend, a rock. O-Y was my one true friend in school who I could talk nonsense to, and she'd listen to me and make me believe I had sense. She's in Makati now, and I'm sad to say I haven't kept in touch with her, and all because her email isn't active and I lost her phone number when I lost my phone. Boohoo.

Adelaine - Wildfire. Chatterbox. Ladymanchester. She's all that and more. Like Olive, she's single and available (or maybe unavailable because she only wants to date football players from England harhar). I just love her, and I miss her. I haven't seen her in a long time. We live in the same city, but we don't even have time to meet up. We update each others' lives online because that's the only way for us to keep in touch.

Lee Ann - Pretty as a swan but with a dark side. She's living my dream (work assignments in Europe, a top position, a Master's degree, and dark adventures to boot!) I wouldn't dare live her life though. Only someone with genious talent like her can pull everything off perfectly.

Daisy - My lawyer bestfriend. She lived my dream too, when she went to Sweden for a year and went to all these places in Western Europe. She was my shock absorber in school, and she was my angel-slash-devil friend. I could relate to her a lot. She's a spitfire, but she could be the sweetest thing on Earth too. Bless her.

Dorothy - My favorite friend and bestfriend. We have gone through almost everything - heartaches, crushes, street food, family drama, our own drama, marriages, kids...enough said.

Julien - Gorgeous sex kitten. From hopping financial jobs (Chase to RCBC to Metrobank) to hopping places (Singapore, Dumaguete, Cebu, Makati)...It girl, former model, bestfriend.

Michelle - Absolutely dependable. Trustworthy, and true friend til the end. She calls me Shwevil. We used to be called "tripod". Lol. It's so cheesy, but she and her ex-boyfriend Dave, and me were inseparable before. We used to eat out, watch movies, and loved and hated each other. I miss our moments.

Anthea - Impeccably pretty, and very smart too. She's one of my closest and oldest friends in PS, and she made me read books that broadened my horizon (from Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World to Gabriel Garcia Marquez' A Hundred Years of Solitude to Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray).

Sarah - Model, Musician, lover of life. Although we haven't had time to hang out recently, I know that she's just there. All I need to do is text, and she'd be there. She was the one who asked me outright if I was pregnant when I was unsure then. And when my baby died, she was the one who brought a priest to officiate a sort-of prayer that night. Everything was so sudden, but she was an angel in my time of darkness.

Mary Jane - My troubled friend. She's in Bacolod now, so we haven't had a chance to go out recently. She's a tart, but we love each other to bits. I know she'd kill for me.

Confessions of a WanderLust

I love to travel. Going places, visiting tourist spots, bumming in a world where no one knows you, it's amazing! I have not been to a lot of places, but I do try to go to a new place at least once a year (heck, I'd go to a new place every quarter of the year if I could afford it!)

Baguio and Metro Manila:
I went to Baguio with choice friends some 3 years ago or so...Had a blast with Michelle, Dave, and Les. Until now, I don't know where we got the energy to go around Baguio the night arrived there considering we all had to work for 8 hours before catching up with our flight, and had a 6-hour or so bus ride going to Baguio. But we did go out, and we weren't tired then, mind you. We ate at local restaurants, and went to all the crazy places.

Palawan:
A few months after that, I went to Palawan with the same group. This is different. There was no retail therapy anywhere, but their seafood was beyond delicious! Their shrimps, crabs, fish...the beach! Oh, the beach and their caves. The people, the staff of the travel agency...Everything was beautiful, and everyone was amazing. A lot of history in that place, but I can't seem to remember all of it, haha..

Fast forward to later, I met my hubby (my boyfriend then --duh!--) and everything changed. Suddenly, my life is all about him. I still see my friends, but not as often as I did before. I don't mind though. He is everything to me. He is now my travel buddy, and traveling with him is easily 10 times cooler!

Here are the places that hubby and I have traveled together:

Bohol:
Bohol, Bohol, Bohol. I just can't say it enough. Gorgeous place, lots of tourist spots, powdery white sand beaches, and it has a mall! I love the food in Bohol, but did not enjoy it as much as I did in Palawan. Bohol is hubby's favorite place, so there. Enough said.


Bantayan Island:
This was almost a retreat for us. Shortly a month after Baby Elle died, we needed to get out and revive ourselves. We needed to get away from everyone, and just be connected with nature. Plust the fact that it's famous for its white sand beaches doesn't hurt...


Cotabato City and General Santos City
This place isn't new to hubby as he's from Cotabato City, but totally novel to me. I was imagining all sorts of military visibility and warcraft. And these places did not disappoint. Needless to say, both cities are beautiful, but I'm just not comfortable living there. Can't catch up on my zzzzzs peacefully there.


Metro Manila (again)
Intramuros, Casa Manila, Greenhills, Quiapo church, Tomas Morato strip, Mall of Asia, Science and Discovery Centre, Luneta Park, Ocean Park, Star City. All the cheesy places couples go when they are in Manila, and more.


Next stop?...I want to go to Manila again (for Enchanted Kingdom, Montalban Zoo, Zoobic Safari and Ocean Adventure) and Camiguin, but hubby wants to fly out to Hong Kong or Singapore instead. We'll see, we'll see.

you are a child of the universe!

...this is so true. I'm sure you've read this before, but it does not hurt to go over this. Enjoy!

Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly,

and listen to others,even to the dull and ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own careerhowever humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind youto what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals,

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life,keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham,drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

by Max Ehrmann©1927 (renewed) Bell & Son Publishing, LLC Reprinted with permission.