Fete de la Tuss

It was a night of many celebrations: a vivid fete where our stamina, energy, and bursts of jovial youth took flight.

Jose Cuervo graced us with his presence as we drank to several occasions: birthdays, inaugurated love and the foundation of an existing friendship bound to experience a whole new set of adventures in the days and months to come.

All we needed was the right time, the right venue and the right set of people to make one night an epic one to remember! and maybe this was it, until we head to the beach two months from now. But till then, these are the faces that will be etched in my heart forever.

CHEERS.

Four people very close to my heart celebrated and will be celebrating their birthdays. I have been attached to them for as long as I can remember – Mikee, my boyfriend; Kaye, my co-writer and awesome friend; and two people I have come to love through thick and thin – Gina and her boyfriend, Aj (who is also Mikee’s childhood best friend.)

We had our solid get together in an airport terminal themed bar in the middle of a busy district up north of Metro Manila. A resounding strum of guitar and acoustics can be heard from outside Flight Lounge as you make yourself enter an environment which reeks of smoke and alcohol. It is a very upbeat setting of music, Asian fusion cuisine, yuppies and of course, BOOZE!

Most of us cannot really remember what happened that night, until we saw the photos the next day!

Gina and AJ

Gone stag: Bogsie and Ogh

Raf and Kat

Mikee and I

TIpsy Nel

Twin buddies Jim and Bam

with the rest of the crew!

Bottoms up!

After our session in Flight Lounge, we took a short trip to Mezza Norte, Quezon City’s version of Mercato (the night food bazaar.) Most of the stalls were already closed but we managed to chow on a few remaining food that were still being sold at a surprisingly expensive price.

We ended the fiasco at around 4 am. It was a good stress buster filled with extraordinary people with extreme personalities.

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” ― Anais Nin 

Go-To Girl

I spent my four years in college with a girl who looked like Zooey Deschanel. She seemed young to be in first year during that time, and even younger to say that she is a part of a TV network company earlier back, the moment we graduated from our school.

She came to visit me last night because she was bored, bummed out and bereaved – practically the same set of b’s I found myself in yesterday. She recently broke up with a lover and has been wanting to vent it out. As the hours progressed, we set aside depression and let loose our femininity, which resulted to this:

My house has been a go-to place of my friends, and I hope it stays that way.

Just Do It

In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.
– Robert Frost

Never has been Nike’s popular go-getter motto, “Just Do It,” been real to me since the day I lost my best friend and ultimate mentor, my mom. It’s been exactly two weeks of surviving in life camp and I feel as though I’ve been failing inadvertently. Every step I make sends me diving from heaven back to earth and my bones shattering in pieces as I crash and burn face first on the floor. Everyday is a challenge to get up and start over.

Robert Frost, the man behind the acclaimed, “The Road Less Taken,” speaks to me with discernment through the quote I posted prior to my expression of grief. Everyone I rubbed shoulders with for the past days had only one thing to say, “it takes time, but you’ll get there.” No, my experience cannot be sugarcoated by any Hollywood movie produced capturing the death of a loved one. I never saw my pain in widescreen cinematic measures; mine was different in odd heaps. Which is why the decision to move on drastically is a goal I have been pressing on to since my mom breathed her last.

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’.
– Erma Bombeck

Today, God weaves a new chapter in my history. One where my dad and I struggle to live a new, day after day. It is a good thing that I have a close relationship with my dad, he is my support and strength when situations are too impossible to bear.

I am excited for what He has in store for me, even if what I am about to embark on will be painted with tears every now and then. Joyce Meyer says and I quote, “Do what you believe is right, follow God’s leadership to the best of your ability, then leave the outcome in His hands.”

This is something I choose to arise from, not wallow in depression as expected after losing someone. Such expectation is overrated and really not necessary for grieving period. It may happen but it should not last a lifetime! Joy must immediately take place after a momentary solitude.

I am grateful for friends who have been filling my stomach with ‘gastronomic combustion’ and my thoughts with happy memories. I could not stop laughing whenever I am with them and for a few I forget the loneliness I see myself in.

With them, adventures are always something I can look forward to, no matter how bleak the future may be. Thanks guys for giving me a million reasons to smile!

To my one and only love, thank you for being there for me every step of the way. You have made every struggle lighter and worth enduring. I love you with all my heart.

What Neverland Taught Me

This is a very random post while I am waiting for my pie crust to set. It is around 10:12 pm and my mind loiters into empty spaces in the nooks and crannies of my room. They say an idle mind is a dangerous mind, ergo, these moments call for some creativity while my body still fuels on stored energy. Oh, I am making a Chocolate Ganache Tart. I am craving for something that I will not eat anyway. Lucky members of the house! I turn whisks to the tune of Your Heart is an Empty Room by Death Cab for Cutie. I know, its not really a melody that will induce you to jump off your chair and crack eggs. It is a song that is best suited for driving, but I enjoy quiet once in a lifetime episodes like these which I would describe as CHILL in one word. Again, Webster has not concocted the perfect adjective that will best describe my day! Stress is too prosaic! I want a word derived from gasoline incessantly being poured to belligerent flames.

On to my entry. 

While I was browsing the tv last night, I came across a 2003 year-old movie and nostalgia fell into place. The film brought back so much memories, not because I take joy in watching it numerous times when I was kid, but because I would give anything to exchange my age for a day. I must have been imbecilic to want to be older then. 13 going on 30 may be fiction, but I am pretty sure it was based on real teenagers’ desires, and I one of them.

Forget them all. Come with me where you’ll never, never have to worry about grown up things again.

If only that were possible, I would give up my right to be behind the wheel, the leisure of earning money at the end of the month just to be able to take pleasure in being out at night during summer and playing street games with neighbors. God, I miss being a kid. Being of legal age may have its advantages but such entail an even bigger amount of responsibility. Sometimes I just want to wake up each morning without having to worry if I was able to liquidate all our project’s expenses on time. JUST FOR A DAY.

Peter Pan also reminded me so much of young love, for some reason. It is sad that the youth of today (teenagers) have fallen short of what “love” is, or at least what it should feel like, other than sex. Should they even have an experience with it, to begin with?

Suddenly, I knew what I had to do. Love isn’t about ridiculous little words. Love is about grand gestures. Love is about airplanes pulling banners over stadiums, proposals on jumbo-trons, giant words in sky writing. Love is about going that extra mile even if it hurts, letting it all hang out there. Love is about finding courage inside of you that you didn’t even know was there. – Little Manhattan

When I was skyrocketing into my teenage years, I failed to take notice of the small details which later on became key patches of a tapestry called  MY life. I at times miss the thrill of young romance where the pursuit of someone would always mean being at your best and wishing that you can get a glimpse of his (in my POV) face even for just a second, and if you do see him, you will do whatever it takes for you not to be noticed that you are actually stealing a glint at his odd smile. Weird, but those are the sub-stories that make adolescence less painful.

I recall Jeremy Sumpter’s sudden jolt of excitement which sent him soaring into the heavens after getting a hidden kiss from Wendy. I cannot find any other image that best describes that feeling than what actually transpired in Peter Pan’s love episode. It may seem silly after a few years have gone by, but somehow you’d miss those childish feelings.

But then, even at the age of 24, I know all is not completely lost. That even at this stage, I can still allow myself to linger in those moments wherein I felt free, in love and unimaginably light- even when I am lost in the garbage of my desk called requirements. Bottom line is, somehow I temporarily set free of the child in me, when I should not have in the first place.

All children grow up, except one…

is not entirely true. We may grow up physically, but we must not allow our hearts to age. It is what keeps our love for life burning.

Boy Time

Mikee’s home!

I have not been this excited since the day I got my first salary (which was not much to begin with.) I have been missing him for ages! I guess when you long to be with someone, two months can be like years in counting (I am exaggerating, again.)

It was 10:30 pm on Wednesday when I picked him up at the airport. I am so sorry I cannot justify this paragraph with photos. He looked haggard and I did not want to ruin his image by posting it online. AND, I did not look my best either.

Rivotorto y Almirañez

Rivotorto is an italian word which means the “riverbend“. Rivotorto y Almirañez is a Spanish-inspired rest house exclusively built  for Almirañez Clan. It is specifically located along the riverbend of one prominent subdivision in Lucena City (a highly urbanized city in Quezon province).  A place where the clan’s affairs are being conducted. A perfect venue for wedding receptions. The place is landscaped with more than a hundred kinds of plant, furnished with Capiz shells imported from different places and the stands used for the tables are made with vintage brand Singer. What do we love most? It is the Best spot for cousins-bonding and pictorials for documentation! But of course, this very relaxing place is always welcome for our friends and loved ones. Get to experience the peaceful, calm and welcoming scenery of the place by taking a glimpse on the slideshow below. Enjoy! 🙂

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Int’resting isn’t it?

Today’s prescription, take thou,

Family is Love.

TFER. ♥

No great love ever came without great struggle

In my 24 years of existence, this God-given-life has been a storm in a teacup for me. Not until I realize that millions of people living in this world is more ill-fated compared to me. And that, I have had a lot of growing up to do.

Wayback college, specifically- from year three, I used to consider that love from a partner is the second most important thing on earth. Well, partly because I was seeking for someone that can fill an empty part of me (love inside our home). Regardless of my age back then, Love was enchanting. I used to believe that when you come to meet the parenterals of both parties and got their permission to date, life will be much more easier. I thought that love is as simple as meeting the old folks. And then everything else will follow. But I was wrong. Love was never splendidly perfect. I admit, my failed relationships took away all the love that I can give. I developed negative insights. I became untrustful of men. Nevertheless, those pain never stopped me from being capable of loving and believe that there is one person that is destined for us.

Most people would say, that the reason why we are left by the ones we loved is because we deserve someone better. I just have to say though, that i will not choose to settle with someone better since “better” is a comparative adjective. Instead, i will choose to settle with the one that would make me a better, worthier girl.