Changing Lives

The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that’s what you’ve given me. That’s what I’d hoped to give to you forever. --- Noah, The Notebook

Wow.

Ok, forgive me for getting all mushy and corny. I just finished watching The Notebook (yet again!) a week after my good friend, Giselle, got married to her very own chinky-eyed teddy bear. There’s nothing like seeing two people clearly in love & happy with each other.

It always gets me teary-eyed whenever I witness the Great Handover. You know, that moment when the parents of the bride turn over their daughter to the man she will marry. It says so many things, don't you think? Those last few steps towards the altar with parents of the bride on either side of her... that last hug they give their daughter before she turns her back and takes that first step towards a life of her own... that look they give their "new son" that says everything (here is our baby, we are giving her to you, take care of her)... and then... that instant when the bride and the groom's eyes finally meet as if for the very first time.

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Everyone got all dressed for this special occassion. I was part of the entourage, so I had clearly no choice! But gosh, most of the boys looked half-decent in their barongs (Vyke, ever stylish in black!) and the girls with their pretty dresses and stylish hair & make up. Even Liz-- oh horrors-- was in a dress, pearls and had make-up on! Whoohoo! (photo taken from Liz's cam)

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Funny how things are changing… friends moving out of the country, moving up corporate ladders, pursuing life-long dreams, getting engaged, getting married, having kids… Oh, how we sometimes catch ourselves pretending that we know what’s coming when most of the time, we actually… just wing it.

Someone wise once said that when you get better, the game only gets bigger. It’s in human nature to push ourselves everyday to seek new challenges. It will always be about looking forward and taking “the next step”. We know we will be less spoiled when we leave Manila for “a better life” in another country. We know the risks involved when you leave everything behind to pursue THAT dream. We know having more influence and responsibility at work means bigger headaches and longer hours. We know having kids will be expensive. We know the hardships and nerve-wracking challenges of married life.

But we dive in anyway. Why do we do that? Are we just being masochistic? Are we in denial? Or simply because --- we go back to the premise of these questions --- we are human. You dare not let yourself live without welcoming these challenges, risks, heartaches, and pains. Because without these hardships, there is no fulfillment, no bigger dream, no joy, no love, no life.

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cheers! seeing the Maras today, having a noisy lunch and a restful afternoon
it's ok... if things are not smooth-sailing. It's just a bump and it will pass.
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I was a complete slacker today. I was looking forward to this no-work holiday to catch up on my emails and clean up my desktop. I was even looking forward to listing down my expenses, doing my bills & balancing my accounts. I planned for a long craved-for massage in the afternoon. And what did I do? Surfed the internet, went blog-hopping, stuffed myself with junk food and watched 12 episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

As I said, not a single to-do checked today. Oh my.

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cheers! at least you were able to change your bedsheets!
it's ok... to give in to the temptation of a no-brains-required-day
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Catching Up

Whoa, it's been more than a week since I last posted something in here. So many things have happened the past days.. but for some weird reason, I found myself with with too many thoughts and things to express that I simply... just. got. stuck.

Hmm.. where do I begin? Ahhh... seeing that my last post was about Davao, it would just be right for me to talk a little bit more about my trip to the land of ---here I go swooning again--- the divine durian!

Liz and I spent 4 full days just stuffing ourselves with MSG-rich junk, fresh seafood, durian, pomelo, salads, a little bit of good 'ol American junk food and more seafood! We spent the rest of the stay going to this wonderful gym called Holiday Spa & Fitness Centre (PhP150 for a day, unlimited use!). It boasts of a badminton court, a swimming pool, a jogging track, first-class gym equipment, a boxing ring and an impressive dance studio. Not bad for PhP 150 a day, unlimited use... Not bad at all! We were in heaven for 2 afternoons trying desperately to burn off the calories from our countless gorging.

Lovin' Mistakes & Technology

Thanks to PLDT WeRoam, I'm able to connect my ThinkPad to the Internet and amuse-slash-entertain myself while waiting for Liz to arrive. The Go fare promo terms dictate that we are supposed to be checked-in 45 mins before the flight, otherwise, we run the risk of giving up our seat for someone on the waitlist. Well... it's 3:30 now and Liz is nowhere in sight. The good thing is, because we are holding identical e-tickets, I failed to mention during check-in that mine is not first name on the list. So the counter girl mistook me for Liz and checked her in before she realized her mistake. So now, I'm in the boarding area with the right pass and Liz's pass is waiting for her at the check-in counter. At the very least, Liz is assured that #1, her seat will not be given to someone on the waitlist and #2, she won't be left behind by the plane. At the very least, I won't find myself alone in Davao at 6:30 on a Thursday morning. Haha.

Yipee for mistakes we are more than happy to accomodate.

Dreaming of Durian

It's 12:14am and I've just finished packing for yet another trip to Davao. This time around though, I'm going there on vacation! I can finally visit the Philippine Eagle Center, the much talked about Eden Nature Park, go back for a day-trip to Pearl Farm Beach Resort and take a much-deserved (at least, in my selfish opinion) R&R.

Thanks to Cebu Pacific's Go Promos, travellers can now frequent Wow Philippines! *cheers*

I'm trying to just stay awake since my good friend Liz booked us for the 4:30am flight (excited ba?!). It will be pretty useless to go to sleep now if I have to get up a couple of hours from now anyway. I wrote about my favourite things about Davao in August (Wow Davao!), and all I can say is that even if this will be my third time this year to visit the place, I still cannot wait!

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cheers! finishing a comprehensive proposal for a Year Ender Program and getting the support of people who matter-- in opinion and financial backing!
it's ok... if you will not be able to go diving on this Davao trip since your diving buddy will not be making the trip. There will definitely be a next time.
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I Feel Like Dancing!

I love to dance. There's something so liberating about moving your body to music, no matter what genre. If you see a crazy woman driving a blue Civic and dancing behind the wheel, that's probably me (yeah yeah, I take that ol' 'dance like no one's watching' to heart!)

Genot and I were chatting about how guys who can move are sooo sexy. Give me a guy who grooves and I'd choose him over someone who can sing any day! No offense to those singers out there, but there is something undeniably attractive about someone who can really OWN the dancefloor.

I finally got to watch Step Up yesterday with my BFFs, Rica and Kris (more about them later). The story line left much to be desired but the dancing (oh, the dancing!) did not disappoint. Who cares if the girl, Nora (Jenna Dawan) wasn't all that pretty & interesting. To be partnered with someone as delicious as Tyler (Channing Tatum) was enough to make us wish we were her.

The movie started off with brilliantly choreographed segments contrasting ballet and hiphop. How interesting to see 2 very different styles merging and moving to the same beat and the same rhythm! It then shifted to a scene showing a hiphop party with Tyler himself dancing up a storm with some other guy's chick. YUMMY! Needless to say, he almost got himself killed when the boyfriend, in his jealous rage, pointed a gun to his face. Tyler, who, along with his 2 sidekicks, was obviously in need of some more excitement that night, that he decided to trash the Maryland School of the Arts. He got caught and got himself 200 hours of community service.

There in school, he meets Nora... and the rest... is an hour and a half of scene after scene of predictable & cliche-d conversations desperately wanting to be deep, but still lacking in impact. The wonderful and engaging dance routines, supported by a groovy soundtrack, save the movie. And we forgive Anne Flecher. She is, after all, a renowned choreographer more than a celebrated director.

I digress. So I'm going back to my original point, which is: Channing is gorgeous. And not because he has a cute mouth and a to-die-for body. But because the man CAN dance. Panty-peeler alert!

Okay. That's enough gushing.

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cheers! going back to my fitness routine by playing badminton and going to the gym *claps*
it's ok... if you are so tired that find yourself drifting off to sleep before you finish one blog entry (that it takes 2 nights to get a post up, haha!)
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photos taken from rottentomatoes.com

Cotton Candy Skies

On my way to Cebu, I woke up from my short nap and saw this wonderful sight outside my window...

It makes you want to dive into its soft folds and eat those cotton candy-like goodness!

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cheers! airport transfer drivers who are so passionate about their faith that they share their experiences with you on the drive to the airport.
it's ok... to be alone and harassed at times
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