PG chronicles II - The 9:40 am/pm brouhaha

I told them my flight was on 30 April at 9:40am. They thought 9:40am was the plane’s touchdown at NAIA.

The moment I turned my phone on, I got a call from Gina. It turned out they - Johnee, Jannette and Gina - endured additional three hours waiting for me. I was so unaware of their ordeal.

What a total blunder!

After hurriedly packing our things in Johnne’s home, we boarded a cab that would take us to the bus terminal in Buendia. By 5:00pm, Johnee, JM, Jannette, Gina and I were neatly tucked in our seats as the bus began its bumpy ride going to Batangas port.

It was roughly 8:00pm when we reached the port. Thankfully, there was one last boat going to Puerto Galera. The five of us, plus the other five guys the boatmen fished from somewhere, were herded to a jeep that would take us to the dock where the our precious boat was anchored.
It was pitch dark but we were determined to reach White Beach so we were not deterred. I found out from JM that it was illegal for small boats to go out to sea at night. Thus, the absence of a single light on the boat! It felt real creepy but I was not the least bit jittery. I was, in fact, so happy. I dunno if I shared this strange excitement with anyone from my group. My urbane, proper and genteel friends were deafeningly quiet. Could they be praying for our safety?
Oddly enough, we felt that the boat was ‘moonwalking’, like, we were not moving. The lighthouse remained a dot in the horizon. I shut my eyes and silently uttered a prayer. A real adventure, this trip was turning out to be.

What should take an hour from Batangas port to White Beach took our boat close to two hours to navigate. I wondered if the boat did moonwalk…

We arrived at White Beach at 9:40pm, famished but quite relieved that the trip was over.
It was good that Gina booked a nice place for us. We dumped our bags, freshened up a bit, locked the door and went out to score some nice food. Get a little drunk, probably???

This night, we would find out, saw the biggest turnout of people yet. Good!

We managed to find our little space, settled down on the sand and immediately ordered - what else! - Mindoro sling. We just watched as the merry melee of younger and more daring crowd showed their moves on the dance floor..err..sand. Some gal even sent the entire male population whooping as she literally showed her wares.

With that, we called it a night. We had to. It was already 3am!!!




p.s.

what i went through just to make my wish come true:

plane from Singapore to NAIA – car from NAIA to Johnne’s home – cab from Johnne’s home to Buendia bus terminal going to Batangas port – bus from Buendia to Batangas port – jeep from the port to the dock – boat from the dock to White Beach!

if there's a 'wheel', there's a way. :)

PG chronicles I - thank God for friends!

But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine. Thomas Jefferson


By all accounts, it seemed like The Great Escape to Pagudpud was a resounding Go! Everyone was excited. Except me. I was ecstatic! I was timing my short visit to coincide with this much-anticipated event.

But, as fickle as a fashionista’s fashion sense, everyone suddenly had other prior commitments as the days to the Great Escape drew near.

Just like that.

Did they not know that going to the beach meant the world to me at this time? I was so desperate to break away from the pressure of work.

But I know there was no use forcing my case on them.

Like a selfish, inconsolable crybaby, I whined my cares away on Gina and Jannette.

Ever ready, Gina said we could squeeze ourselves with her friends who were off to Puerto Galera on those days. She would take care of the accommodation.

Jannette called long distance and committed Johnne and herself to go with us. She insisted on fetching me from the airport so we need not bother my parents. She offered her apartment.

I was utterly shameless and I knew it. But of course, characteristically they would hear nothing of it. For them, it was all part of friendship.

To be loved by friends like that! :)

I knew things were really looking up from here.

out of the (match)box

i have been a fan of matchboxtwenty for the longest time.

i have all of their albums - yourself or someone like you, mad season and more than you think you are.

i can say with certainty that i like all of their songs, no exceptions. they tell stories of love, loss and of life and how to live it. i can go on and wax poetic about how i like the lyrics and everything but i know i risk sounding tacky and second-rate.

i like rob thomas and his voice. angsty is how i would describe it. for some reason, and like maroon5's adam levine, listening to him sing is enough to jumpstart my typically humdrum day. and it doesn't hurt that he was once considered one of the fifty most beautiful people walking on the planet. not bad. he rocks. period.

my question is why did rob thomas think out of the (match)box and leave his bandmates? if not for yahoo, i would not have known that he is striking it out on his own via his something to be album.

of course i have the cd. i am currently listening to the 8th track and it is kinda hard not to think of the pop-rock band for which he has been the lead singer and songwriter since 1998. ever the same and when the heartaches end sound sooo matchboxtwenty. i cannot feel much less hear the difference. i thought lonely no more, although a catchy tune, was a tad too pop and mainstream. well, these are just my thoughts, so...

so why did rob rob matchbox twenty of its heart and soul? i wonder if there is really no turning back for him. that would be sad.

grey area

************************************************************************************
i knew it was coming.

i should get going by this time and make myself 'useful' but i don't want to. not yet.

this conversation with two dear friends, initially about something so simple as deciding what to do with my time during my short visit, has veered into the 'touchy' topic once again.

as usual, when it concerns the status of my lovelife (ugh!), we usually end up talking and debating about these two guys. but technically, if there ever are technicalities involved in the ever-confusing art of relationship, the other guy should be out of the equation because i do not see the two of us ever swerving from the friendship track. but as usual, and because i am outnumbered, according to them, what this guy and i have is enough reason to qualify for some discussion and dissection.

sometimes i just want to cut myself off from all form of communication and pretend i totally don't know these guys from adam. but it just takes one text, email or ym message and i am reminded once again of their existence. other times, i think i am overthinking, that there is really nothing there. nada. i try to play it cool but i know both my dear friends know that i am not ever going to get used to this 'art'. ever.

in truth, i am getting tired of being in this running-around-without-getting-anywhere state. maybe part of it is self-inflicted. maybe, maybe not.

gosh, i better stop.

in the end, as long as friends like them are there, i'll be fine. everything else be damned.

************************************************************************************************

i guess a lot of things are bound to happen when i go home for a short visit.

in the meantime, i better go.

************************************************************************************************



p.s.

let it be known to me (for future reference, hahaha) that i had second thoughts about posting this blog. but whadda heck.

so gina, if ever you are gonna comment on this one, don't do it here, please? email me instead. :)))

di elibs sa eLeave :))

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes,
and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.
A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief
that all's right with the world.


The thing with our very own eLeave is that it is self-approving, meaning, you apply and approve your own leave. The HRD absolutely believes it's a very smart idea and that we should be grateful since it's like saying that the powers-that-be are letting you take charge of your time, however way you want to spend it.

Of course the first time I heard it, and probably owing to my (almost) chronic distrust to accept things at face value, I didn't believe it for a second. There has got to be a catch-22 somewhere...

I found out when I applied for leave last year.

As it turned out, my immediate superior/s, Admin Manager and Group secretary would be simultaneously notified, thru email, that I was about to ditch my job for a teeny-weeny while so could they give me this break or else... That is the catch. Another 'trick' of the trade.

From where I stand, our seemingly 'smart' eLeave is nothing more than an electronic version of the old, used-to-be-manual form that snakes its way up the the 'proper' channels before finally being determined that, yes, I deserve a temporary break from permanent servitude.

Okay, I've had my fill of daily ranting.

Hmm...why did I end up raging against the machine, ooops!, establishment when I was going for a happy post because I have just applied for and approved (they should go together!!!) a one-week leave once again? I should be happy.

I am happy! :)




can't wait to buy my plane ticket.
of course, sunscreen, beachwear, dresses for my nieces.
something for my parents.
etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

hmm..my parents. i will be returning to Singapore with them! :)))

hopelessly lost in translation

first off, let me just say that i am, and will never, pretend to be an authority in grammar, phraseology, diction, etc. because i am not. it's just that sometimes, you get completely stumped by the way some people put into writing what they perceive are unmistakably coherent thoughts.

i have been staring at this email for the longest time but i still cannot decipher what it means. i am close to giving up. for chrissakes, i am not a cryptologist.

******************************************************************************
______________________________________
From: Staff (SG/AG3)
Sent: 18/04/2005 8:06 AM
To: Me (SG/AG3)
Subject: ISI and IAH

Hi ******(my name here),

This is the latest version by add in the Kamille's apologies on found the share certificate.
******************************************************************************

i think this one beats everything in terms of twisting my brain senseless trying to decode the words. no kidding, she wants me to decode the words!!!

for the record, i think i have let pass variations of this 'murder' (forgive me, bloggie, but i am really kinda floored by this entry). most times, i find humor in it, sometimes i think it's cute.

but this one???

does it ever have to come to this? do i actually have to 'crack the code' for scraps of meaning embedded somewhere in these pile of words?

sometimes i wish i were one of dan brown's incomparably clever characters.

help!

back on the friendship track

Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives, and remembering what one receives.


Back in high school, I knew that she was one person who was for keeps.

It came automatically. This 'for keeps' thing is so juvenile and as tacky as the entries in the ubiquitous high school slumbook go, but hey, I meant it.

I thought she made a lot of sense. I thought she understood me more than anyone else. It was just a pity we got to know each other in our senior year. Nonetheless, when it was time to say goodbye, we promised to keep in touch, no matter what.

Then again, growing up meant growing apart.

I forgot about high school and got too busy trying to grow up. Too busy, I guess, that we lost touch.

But I guess I could not escape high school even if I wanted to. There were the weddings, christening, house blessings and all sorts of milestones in the lives of people who once graced the pages of my own slumbook to keep me reminded. Yeah, I used to have one, so? :)

Anyway, these events always triggered memories of yesteryears and made me wonder whatever happened to those few precious friends I had then...whatever happened to Etta?

God bless whoever created yahoogroups. Someone from high school managed to track me down, asked for my email addy and the rest was history. All too suddenly, we became current...well, except for the faces I associate the names with. I wondered aloud how they looked now and what they made of their own good lives. It turned out everyone was on the same line of thought.

So we met up. And there was Etta! :) Needless to say, we chatted endlessly. When it was time to go, we promised never to lose touch. This time, the pledge was for keeps. Why, we are grown-ups and grown-ups have supposedly outgrown their erratic ways by now, keeping promises included. :))

Now, I am chatting away with her.

It feels so good talking to her because I can tell her everything. And I mean everything. I can write kilometric lines and she gets it. No matter is too trivial or unimportant to her. And each time, her riposte is so funny I sometimes forget my oh-so-important issues.

She is the reason why I write this blog, to thank her for just being there.

I never imagined just being there could mean so much.

amazing!

I just realize that I am talking, no, exchanging emails, with friends from different corners of the world. Right about now.

I particularly envy Lotta, a dear friend from high school. She has been in Switzerland since December doing SAP work. Of course, we do not discuss work (duh). We have totally nothing in common in that respect, anyway. Now, why do I envy her? It's the more-than-picture-perfect pictures and the totally exciting places she has been to eversince she was assigned there. Side by side, Singapore and Switzerland has totally nothing in common other than having S as initials.

Then there's this guy-friend who is on secondment in the U.K. He is from JCC. We just basically talk about nothing and anything. Anyway, he was able to convince me to try my luck there as the rest of Friday Club peeps are also interested in migrating there, with Supremo leading the pack. Let's see. I now realize I am not too sure if I want to relocate there. It's so far from home.

Still, there's Jenray, also from JCC. She is in Dubai. She seems to be enjoying herself immensely. She sez Pinays are 'mabenta' over there. Hahaha.

Awhile ago, I was chatting with Nette, another very good friend from JCC. Recently married and happily settled somewhere in the US of A, she has this way of always, always segueing into my lovelife or the lack of it. Hmmm...I might do a recording one day just so I would not repeat my standard reply over and over again until further notice, thank you. :)) (Not that there is totally no lovelife to speak of....I better shut up regarding this one...)

Amazing. ;->

One...Two...Three...Action!

Yup, take two

I looked back at what I posted on THE day. It was kinda sad and I hated it. I don’t want to remember my first birthday in Merlion country that way. No way, highway.

I was just so out of whack at that time because of some viral infection my doctor over here couldn’t quite identify. I couldn’t believe my ears when she intimated that I might have contracted dengue fever (!!!!!!) in KL. I would have objected and ruled that the rain did it on me, as I have proven countless times but she just kept rambling on and on I chose to shut my mouth. But dengue????? So utterly terrifying, don’t you think? But that’s another story.

I was in fact happy. A lot of my dear friends buzzed in, sent their kisses and said they missed me. Good. :) And those few dear friends who seemed to have forgotten? I made sure they remember. :))

The food? It was nothing fancy. I got myself the requisite cake and ice cream. And pasta in pesto sauce. The first two items were courtesy of a couple of newfound friends who somehow got wind of the fact that it was my birthday. (Until now, I haven’t told my friends here about my birthday. I’m quite shy. Yeah, right.) The third one was on me. Of course! :) If I told you these are a few of my favorite things, then they would have been enough to keep me grinning from ear to ear, my lousy state notwithstanding.

After four days

No dengue or anything remotely resembling the scary diagnosis (?) of my doctor, thank God.
I remember I promised Raya, a cousin who is in town to visit her hubby, that we’d go out on my birthday provided I wasn’t busy and she’d bring Twichie with her. Also, I want to check out how Jonah, a friend’s younger sister, is getting by with her new job here. Another thing, my brother-in-law has just arrived from a long vacation.

And yes, the icing on my cake was delivered one fine Friday morning, 31 March, in the form of an announcement by our partners that an ex-gratia equivalent to our full month’s salary would be credited to our account on a glorious Saturday, 1 April. The fact that they had no prior ‘warning’ of the news that it totally blew me away. Happiness. :))

Considering the godsend windfall, I am ready to burn a few hard-earned dollars to treat them. Hah! They can name the place for all I care. :))

Thank goodness Raya and Jonah have no idea yet where to go that they just pointed to the restaurant beside our meeting place. Mid-range, so totally within my means. :)

We dine at Crystal Jade Restaurant and stuffed ourselves silly. The pictures prove it.

Considering the absence of sickness and the more-than-pleasantly-surprising bonus, I am truly thankful.