joy ride

While everyone was busy with the elections last Monday, i quietly left Metro Manila to accompany my pamangkins back to the province. Our bus left the station at exactly 7am and we reached Bauang, La Union in 5 hours. We had lunch and after saying hellos & goodbyes to my relatives, i again boarded a bus bound for Manila. By 7pm, i was back where i came from 12 hours ago!

I was alone during the trip back. I didn't exchange any word with the guy seating beside me who was busy with his iPod. I didn't sleep..i rarely doze when i travel. I always savor every tree, every stranger while i roll through each town. Usually when i'm stuck in a bus and my body is idle, i busy my mind with thoughts of what makes me happy, sad, my worries, plans, fears, immediate concerns, what to do as soon as i step out of the container. There was a time i worried too much that i didn't want the bus to stop. The ride was my easy escape. I wanted to stay there, go anywhere, run away from the world. One time i even wished for the bus to breakdown so i can step out for a while and breathe fresh air, wait for it to be fixed, kill time...postpone life.

It was different last Monday while i ponder on my life in a bus. I have no worries, no fears, no hate for anybody...just thoughts of how contented i am. My parents are healthy, my brother is in love. I'm no longer stuck in an 8-5 oppressive job. I have no deadlines to meet. I can do what i want, I own my time. I believe I've done my part in making other people happy. I have friends who will always be there for me. I'm in love and Fil is crazy about me! teeheehee...

It's a struggle how i got here - a battle between the pros and cons, making choices, stepping out of my comfort zone and facing the consequences, a series of trials and errors, having the firm resolve to say NO to temporal joys. In my past life i was stuck in a situation that is "pwede na" or "ok na kesa wala" but deep inside the molecules of me i knew i deserved to be in a better place. I was stubborn, never satisfied and knew very well what i wanted so when everybody wasn't looking, I shifted gear. My spirit never faltered...until i reached this point: I am totally at peace with myself now. No regrets, definitely. Believe it or not, everything happens for a reason :-)

Of course, I'm still wanting of many things. I want to have my own family, travel more, take pictures, make more money! I also think about my friends who are going through difficult times. I have a cousin currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Some parents i know worry about where to get the money for their kids' enrolment. I still need to lose weight. I have debts to pay. These are issues guaranteed to set me in a bad mood. But NOT NOW. I don't worry about them anymore. For the first time i actually believed it when i said to myself that problems are there to be solved - to make us feel 'alive' - and that things will come and happen at the right time. I am enjoying the moment now believing that the future will take care of itself. Naks, positive thinking ito! hehe :-) My seatmate must have heard me talking to myself 'coz he threw me a quick side-glance. Deadma!

I enjoyed the ride, yes, but i was relieved when we reached the terminal. End of the bus ride, continue with my life. Damn i'm so happy it scares me! hahaha...

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splash island

WE (me, mom, vincent, lourdes & maria) were at Splash Island in Binan, Laguna yesterday when Fil told me the news! Woohoo!!! I just couldn't contain my excitement after we talked on the phone and it's a good thing i was in a place where giant pool slides are abundant which gave me an excuse to scream. Aaaahhhhhhh.....(twists...turns) ...aahhhh...splash!!!

Who would have thought i'm 32? I resembled a 10-year old kid as i screamed my way down the giant twisting slides of the Tausug Trail and the Big Bamboo and got crazy riding the Rio Montanosa family raft ride which i took with lourdes and vincent. Of course, we didn't miss the fun machine-generated big waves of Agos Grandes, the massaging power of the Water Wahoo which attracted both kids and oldies and the Balsa River where we drifted along the gently-flowing water. The kids also tried the Magellan's Drop and the King Pilipit and the lifeguards had to literally pluck them out of the pool after they blew the whistle for the 5:00pm closing time.

What's fun is that Splash Island is just 10 minutes away from my parents' house in Muntinlupa. It's been there since forever and i plead 'guilty' for ignoring it all these years. I'm so happy to have finally experienced it!


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approved!

The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: XXXXXXXXXXXX
Application Type: XXXXX
Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On May 9, 2007, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this XXXXXXX. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from XXXX within the current processing time listed, please contact XXXX Customer Service at XXXXXXXXXXX.

YIPEE!!!! wow, that was fast...such a sweet surprise! I was expecting i'll have one foot caught in a quicksand and another on a banana peel by the time XXXX decides to act on my case. hahaha. i'm so happy!...

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bahay ni kuya

With the success of the Pinoy Big Brother reality game show, it is not surprising that the PBB House has become one of the "tourist" destinations in Metro Manila especially for those coming from the province. Located in front of the ABS-CBN Studio compound in Quezon City, some people would go there just to have their picture taken in front of the house.

And siempre, join kami diyan! The kids and i traveled all the way from my house to Quezon City to do just that.

It rained when we got there but it was a blessing in disguise because we were relocated at the Eviction Hall where the summerienda was served (ongoing PBB campaign for the benefit of a school in Iloilo). While waiting for the bananacue and samalamig, the kids had fun walking on the stage and stepping on the same spot occupied by PBB host Toni Gonzaga during eviction nights.

By the way, they are hoping for Bea to win. Go Bea!

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baywalk saved the day!

yesterday we visited manila zoo. it brought back memories of my 6-year-old self delighted by the big elephant and hippotamus and scared of the crawling snakes. upon seeing the lake, i instantly remembered riding a boat sandwiched by two overweight kids (daughters of my dad's friend) and enjoying the sight of birds and other land animals as we cruise along.

i couldn't tell how much the place changed but i do remember that 26 years ago, i went home from the zoo feeling happy and excited to tell my friends about the trip. yesterday, the kids and i were just too relieved to leave. it was too hot and we're all dehydrated and tired from the walk. even the animals failed to raise our spirits - we only saw a few basic birds, eagles, sleeping owls, a couple of peacocks showing off their colorful feathers, snakes playing dead, grandpa elephant's old big butt, a sleepy tiger, a snobbish hippo barely visible under the murky waters, a friendly ostrich, an aged oranggutan who hasn't lost her appetite and red-faced japanese monkeys skillfully catching whatever food thrown at them. of course there's the usual rabbits, hamsters, horses, deers.

outside, we scrutinized the animal drawings on the walls surrounding the zoo and felt cheated to see a giraffe, zebra, bear, kangaroo, etc. the kids then asked what happened to the other animals and i joked that some of them got bored, escaped, later became interested in politics and are now residing in Congress! hahaha! :-))

noticing that they're already tired and unexcited, i decided to bring the kids to Baywalk. i told them "remember niyo sa movie na Ang Cute ng Ina Mo, di ba naglayas si kristine (played by ann curtis) and nag-emote siya sa may tabing-dagat? sa Baywalk yon!" that did the job...in an instant the kids bounced back to life.

we first rested on a bench at the rajah sulayman park to watch the dancing water fountain then later crossed the boulevard and found the perfect spot to take photos of the setting sun. we were lucky to witness a wedding pictorial and vincent, who shares my passion for photography, excitedly took stolen shots of the lovestruck couple. as usual, sunset showed its best form.

after sunset we had dinner at Cafe by the Bay. we chose a table about 6 steps away from the live performing band and the kids loved it! they felt "mature" eating chicken barbecue by the bay listening to soothing live music surrounded by adults, our skin caressed by the cool breeze. definitely a night to remember. our theme song for that bonding moment: "baby, now that i've found you i won't let you go..."


rides galore
we were at Star City friday night. sobrang saya! with their ride-all-you can tags, the kids had an all-night-scream-and-laugh party, parang mga nakawala sa hawla, as they bravely tried almost all the rides - wild river, bumpcar, bumperboat, balloon wheel, blizzard, wacky dragon, red baron. they were too chicken, though, to try the surf dance, viking, zyklon loop and the gabi ng lagim but other attractions like hercules ice palace (ginawww...), lion king, peter pan, time tunnel and snow white kept them busy and entertained the whole night.

and when i say "kids", kasali ako don. weeeeeeeeee!




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spiderman 3

i watched spiderman 3 today with my pamangkins lourdes & vincent. the two arrived from la union yesterday and they will be spending the next few days with me for some taste of the urban jungle - my reward to them for doing good in school.

their knowledge of superheroes limited only to Super Inggo and Pedro Penduko, i wasn't surprised when they didn't show any interest or excitement after i bought the movie tickets so I just told them it's the "in" thing to do.

my take on it? it's a good movie but forgettable, the kind that excites you while watching it yet you forget about it as soon as you leave the cinema. but being a sucker for quotable quotes, i took a mental note of what Peter Parker said towards the end of the movie: "Whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a CHOICE...and we can always choose the GOOD one."

He meant it in the context of revenge when he entered the dark side wearing his black spidey garb and fought not only with his desire for personal revenge but also with others' desires for revenge on him. One can choose to succumb to that rage and suffer the consequences OR choose to forgive.

of course i know this already 'coz my life is a never-ending story of choices and decisions. It's still nice though to have an entry in my quotes notebook from Spidey.

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