Category: family

in photos

Wednesday. Cupcakes by Sonja at the office. Via City Delivery, P500 minimum. Yummeh.

Thursday. Kate borrowed this copy from the office library.

Because a close-up shot is necessary.

Friday. I went with my brother to have his eyes checked at an optical shop in SM North, and we saw a dancing robot.

We’re all bespectacled now. (Save for my mother, who needs a pair, but refuses to wear them. Istorbo raw.)

Saturday. Yakimix date!

We went to the Tomas Morato branch. They open the dinner buffet at 5:30 p.m. during the weekend. The place closes at 11 p.m., so you can actually pace yourself.

The remnants of my first plate of food (which, to my defense, mostly had tofu, veggies and seafood):

Sushi!

I wasn’t able to take a picture of my dessert, but I sampled their small chocolate cakes, a cream cup with fruits, and candy. Lots and lots of candy.

After that craziness, Jake and I will again try to eat healthy. (This is the nth time we’ve promised this to each other.) Oh well, good luck?

I am excited:

1) to buy a bunch of books by local authors and review them in the near future;

2) to go shopping this coming weekend;

3) to greet mid-October with our first-year anniversary celebration (We’ll probably go on a food-trip, lols.); and

4) to open November with my 24th birthday. *cartwheel*

meeting jessica zafra’s optometrist, and other adventures

Friday

I read Jessica Zafra’s blog because I remember loving the Twisted series, and the lady makes me laugh. One day she blogged about her optometrist, Nella Sarabia, who has a shop inside the Shopping Center in UP Diliman. I never needed glasses before, so I didn’t even know there were optical shops inside SC (Ha!). There were comments on Zafra’s post, all of them positive, and my astigmatic right eye is killing me,  and anyway we’d be in the UP area during the weekend because Jaykie is craving for Creme Brulee at Antas-bucks, so I decided to give it a shot.

Here’s my own picture of Ms Sarabia’s shop. Note the vintage cameras.

She’s nice and smart. I like her. What I don’t like is the fact that my eye condition has worsened. From 20/20 and 20/25 last year (hence, the anti-glare glasses to protect my eyes from the evil computer screen) my eyes are now 20/50 and 20/25  (plus another 25 grade for my astigmatism). So that means I have to wear glasses all the time, not just when I’m in front of the computer.

While choosing for a suitable frame for the lenses, Ms Sarabia invited Jaykie to sit beside me. “Are you the boyfriend? Hello.” Then she asked if Jaykie is also a Journalism student.

“No. I’m taking up Math.”

“Grad school,” I said.

“Math?” said Ms Sarabia. “Math?!?” (Pause) “Very good.”

Haha!

Ms Sarabia’s frames were on 30 percent sale, as it turned out, so all in all, I only paid a thousand pesos. The downside: I can’t claim it on the same day, like in the malls where you only have to wait for an hour. But that’s okay. I should have it before this week ends. My frame is a lovely shade of purple.

It’s caterpillar (higad) season in UP. I hate! Argh.

Saturday

Up early for the GA meeting at the office, the first GA meeting that I’ve ever attended that went smoothly. Post-CBA happiness haha! Met up with Jaykie in the afternoon, and watched too much Family Guy and World Poker Tour and got drunk on cheap brandy. That night we watched Episode 2 of Through the Wormhole, called “The Riddle of Black Holes“. Excellent mind-blowing stuff. This is a good show. It’s making me seriously want to take up Physics credits (or Astronomy classes, if there are any offered locally lol).

But then – the math. Shiver.

Sunday

I’m on leave! Ha! Met up with the siblings at the mall, had lunch at Pizza Hut, coffee and sandwiches at UCC, and shopped till we dropped. (I almost did. That was some workout.)

My brother had his eyes checked at the mall. The verdict: 20/175 and 20/50. It was so bad even the ‘E’ on the eye chart was blurred, he said. Wah.

So he got glasses.

I’m wearing my anti-glare glasses here.

They all got home safe and sound. I arrived at the unit, did my laundry, had a shower, and read a book until I fell asleep.

weekend in bullet points

  • My father’s birthday was on Wednesday, the 14th, and apparently he had this big party, involving lechon and two boxes of red wine and a huge-ass cake. Yep, right in the midst of a blackout after the storm. Pity the guy who reportedly brought an electric guitar for entertainment. Oh, well. You live, you learn.
  • I was supposed to be with friends for dinner on Friday, but I’d like to see my family, so I went home to Bulacan instead with cake. I ate my father’s leftover cake and leftover lechon for dinner. Chika with the sister and the mother, then Will and Grace and this new show called Pretty Little Liars, because I want to shut down my brain and look at pretty things.
  • On Saturday I ate leftover pancit palabok for breakfast and went to our store. My father arrived late on Friday after his lawyer friend threw him a party. I want to be friends with his friend. Anyway, my father and I went to visit my paternal grandmother, who no longer remembers people. Met up with relatives who were there, who all said the same thing: Bakit ang taba mo na?
  • Ewan ko! Kebs! Masaya ako! :-p
  • My aunt has this wittol African parrot, a wittol baby that can fit in my hand, eee so cute. (Forgot to take a picture.)
  • That same aunt said, May hubog ka naman e, kahit bumigat ka. Voluptuous, orayt, I’ll take et.
  • Off to QC later that day to meet up with Jake. Happy ninth monthsary, dear! He spent most of the day programming Math equations while I screamed at the TV, urging the Maroons to stop fucking up the game. (They eventually lost to Adamson. Did you see that? They tied with AdU after the 3rd quarter and then – argh. Hope! It is an awful thing.)
  • We ordered pizza and buffalo wings for dinner. The pizza joint (which I shall not name) had a policy where if they delivered the order late (i.e. beyond 45 minutes), you’ll get everything for free.
  • They were late! And we didn’t even lay out the obstacle course! I literally jumped up and down because I thought the rider would put up a fight. But we got the dinner for free! Hooray! And on our monthsary to boot! Tipid!

This has never happened to me before, so I was ecstatic. Look how happy Jaykie was:

Tardiness has never tasted this good.

So yes, that’s a party-sized pizza, 12 pieces of wings, and Coke. The pizza people provided four cups, as though to say, “Certainly this order was meant for four people”. I was ashamed. Not. ;)

We stayed in bed eating pizza and wings while watching Modern Family. The leftovers (There were leftovers!) we saved for breakfast. The life.

  • I am lucky to have the nicest parents.
  • Love is a good thing.

friday

I’ve a bunch of Peanut Kisses to bring home to the family, so on Friday Jaykie and I had a mall date before I boarded the FX to Bulacan. I’ve been meaning to have my hair treated, but alas (but really, yay!) I’m going with Jaykie and his family to Subic on Saturday for more sunshine and beachlove. So I just canvassed. I’ve had my hair straightened in Going Straight twice (or thrice?) before, but SM North Edsa’s third floor was temporarily off-limits, so I asked David’s Salon and Tony and Jackey. Tony and Jackey offers the lowest rate for rebonding, 3k, with hair manicure and haircut, any length. Not bad, really.

But when I got home to Bulacan, I had a haircut at the local parlor and wondered if I should have my hair treated again. I mean, ugh, chemicals. And I could use the 3k to buy, I don’t know, shoes. Haha.

This was what my hair looked like when I stepped out of the parlor:

(Bought new shades; ruined my only pair back in Bohol, igzk.)

Look at the straight, shiny locks! Then I had a shower and:

Waves! But then in this picture my hair had more…personality. Ha.

And anyway in this heat I need to have the option to tie my hair every once in a while. So.

It rained when I got home. It always rains when I get home. I didn’t appreciate the flood, but the cold breeze was awesome. My parents came home from the store, and when my father saw me, he said, Ay! Kaya naman pala madaling-madali akong umuwi.

Asus.

Had good food for dinner, and watched How I Met Your Mother on my parents’ kickass (and very new) dvd player. The speakers were huge. My father had his beer and ate the Peanut Kisses as pulutan. The next day my sister came home with pizza.

I love home. :)

In other news, I’ve decided to seriously invest in hair polish.

meet the parents

One Saturday I went home to Bulacan, and brought the boyfriend with me. Dun dun DUNNN.

Some notes:

1. FX ride from SM North Edsa to Malolos. Played this game to entertain ourselves: category, then give answers that belong to that category. Sample: Movies with Dustin Hoffman. “Rain Man.” “Sleepers.” “Uhh.”

2. Boy it was hot and crowded in Malolos.

3. Arrived at the home town after a jeepney ride. We were walking over to the municipal building when Jaykie suddenly pointed to the ground and said, “Tingnan mo o, si Villar lumalangoy sa dagat ng basura.”


4. Minimal flood, thank God.

5. Dinner was caldereta, which Jaykie liked a lot. Dessert was yema and my sister’s candy from Davao. We went upstairs, watched some 30 Rock, some TV, and Jaykie and my father sat on the terrace and drank beer. My father even told him anecdotes I didn’t even know about, like how my father at first didn’t want to man the store we own now. Gusto ko magtrabaho sa  munisipyo. Sabi ng inang ko, ano naman magiging trabaho mo dun? Alam mo ba kung magkano lang sweldo nila? Magaganda lang postura nila, pero wala silang pera.

6. Jaykie and my father got along pretty well. Marvelous. I can stop freaking out now.

7. My brothers just went, “Uy”, as boys were wont to do. Jaykie slept in my brothers’ room (he had the room to himself, as guest), and slept quite well.

8. It rained that night. Water outside the house swelled; the walkways disappeared under the flood. When we left we had to wear boots. Yikes.We dropped by the store, said hi to my father before going to the bus station. Inside the bus, we played a game where we guess what the radio station had in its playlist. Jaykie won by a point. (The station played Freddie Aguilar’s “Anak”. I called Roxette. How can this station not play a Roxette song, is what I want to know.)

9. About our house, Jaykie said, “I can imagine growing up there. It’s really nice.”

10. That weekend was ridiculously easy and fun. I shouldn’t have worried too much. Heh.

vacation, or this incredible heat

Bulacan till Easter Sunday. Halu-halo. My mother’s caldereta and kare-kare, yum. Sex and the City. How I Met Your Mother. Some Big Bang Theory. One story, done, but needs re-reading and edits. One story, edited, final read, done (hopefully). Silly computer games, like Diner Dash, to kill time. Jollibee with my brother. Re-read Atwood’s The Robber Bride. Drank Mint Choco Bailey’s with my father while watching a godawful action film.  Made my brother watch The Ruins, and of course he hated me for it, hehe.

The heat was torture. I’d take a long cold shower when I wake up and in a few hours I’d be swimming in my own sweat. I’d take a shower in the afternoon, and I’d start sweating while wiping myself dry. How can we live like this?

I hate the summer. I love beaches, the feel of the sand, the look of the water and the sky, but I hate the heat. Hate it hate it hate it. If asked to choose between an airconditioned hotel room and swimming at the beach under direct sunlight, I’d choose the hotel room in a heartbeat. I’m a worthless tourist like that. Seriously, we should hold tours at night, and swim only when it’s dark. (Boy, I sure hope the sun would hide behind thick clouds during the Bohol trip with Jaykie and Friends next month.)

Anyway, met up with the boyfriend after Lent. It was so hot during the commute back to the metro that I was SERIOUSLY this close to punching a stranger. Seriously. Seriously. So I had a shower first in my airconditioned room. Airconditioning. It is bliss.

Went to UP. Lunch at Choco Kiss (airconditioning!), had the Chicken Kiev. Some The Office. On Tuesday we planned to stay indoors, but ahoy rotational blackouts. Even a moron wouldn’t want to stay indoors in this heat, so off we go to UP, which also experienced a blackout (fuck – it’s as if it’s following us), played cards with Mark who happened to be at the HGC tambayan, then off to the mall.

We watched this! (Mark mentioned that Jme wanted to watch it on Saturday I’m sorry Jme it was hot and I was miserable and I wanted to laugh please don’t hate me for dragging Jaykie and watching it ahead of you guys. T_T)

As I was saying –

Photo from Filmofilia.

I love this film. (Despite the fact that the children speak with an American accent while the adults speak with a Scottish accent – despite the fact that they’re all supposed to be Vikings.) It’s  one of those few 3D films that you won’t mind paying extra to watch through the funky glasses.  (Now, if I can find me a theater where your chair tilts as the dragon spins and descends…)

3D tech has been abused lately, but in this case, it’s quite effective.

Oh, and have I mentioned that I was sweating while we’re waiting in line to buy our tickets inside the mall?

I was sweating. Inside. The mall.

It was seven p.m. when the film ended, so it was safe to venture out since the sun’s finally disappeared from the sky. But before we went home we tried eating at this Vietnamese restaurant (whose name I can’t remember! The heat’s killing off my brain cells!) for dinner. I enjoyed the salad. The vegetable’s really fresh, and the dressing’s light and tasty.

All in all, great vacation. (But still – the heat’s a real fucker.)

* * *

In other news, my story “Once They Were Gods” will appear in is in the April issue of Expanded Horizons soon. Watch this space.  Go click and read! :)

I’m also looking forward to the Summer Komikon and the Philippine Speculative Fiction V book launch this month. Yay!

temporal

I get bored a lot lately. I’m struggling with this story I’m trying to finish – I’d write continuously and just hit a brick wall. It’s infuriating. But then – Lent is coming, which means more time to sleep and be with the family in Bulacan. More time to write. Also, the boyfriend and I are celebrating five months today. That doesn’t sound too bad.

And I found this poem! Stunning. Boredom brings great things. Sometimes.

Source.

New York City as Temporal Measurement*

* This is not to be confused with the smallest measurement of time.

Hossannah Asuncion

______

Policy mandates a period of 30 seconds for subway doors to remain open to allow for the flush of entering and exiting people. An observational study has shown, though, that the doors remain open an average of 12 seconds. This is enough time for two people in love to separate, but as was one instance on May 18, 2007, it is not enough time to reunite.

______

You know you are close to the end when your train pulls into the station with droplets of rain clinging to its sides.

______

Ways we successfully pass time from Manhattan to Queens, Queens to Brooklyn, Brooklyn to Brooklyn:

The NYT crossword puzzle (Wednesday).

Cat Power’s rendition of “Silver Stallion.” (Repeat as necessary.)

A game of “Who would you eat? Who would you fuck?”

If, by chance, you have a moment to love something, anything, with heartbreak, choose
to do so. Exercise, though, what is advised and advised and advised as caution—
consider the consequences of such seconds.

______

Tapping the face of your father’s watch will not stop you from disappointing him today. You will do so again tomorrow. And the day after.

______