Sweet Dreams or a Beautiful Nightmare?

When we went to Puregold Duty Free Clark this afternoon, I just knew I would have some fun shopping for chocolates. There was no pretending on my part. The moment we stepped in the place, I went straight to the chocolates sections. Haha!

And my, the Cadbury aisle was a revelation. It. Just. Blew. Me. Away!

Cashews. Top Deck. Black Forest. Peppermint. Caramello. Rocky Road. Old Jamaican. Macadamia. Tiramisu. Creme Brulee. I obviously can't take them all. I had to make the hard decision.



I will definitely go to sleep with a smile and wake up with a fat ass. Haha! Must find a way to eventually burn 5000+ worth of calories!

Mark this day -- November 22, 2009. Let's see til when these chocolates will last. ;)

Daytime Swimming "Soiree"

Last weekend, I had a fun time with some Aguman orgmates that I haven’t seen in a long time.

It all started when I, along with some recently graduated Aguman members, weren’t able to join the official Semstarter swimming party last May because it was held on a weekday. The weekday schedule did not mesh well with our schedule. Being the “pabida” that I am, I joked that we will just organize our own swimming party, haha! Months after, we decided to actually push through with that idea. Of course, it really wasn’t our ‘own’ party because everyone was invited. We just spearheaded the occasion.

Naturally, I was the self-appointed coordinator, haha. Planning the thing was fun for me. Images of Monica organizing Rachel’s surprise birthday party come to mind. Tuscan-style finger foods, anyone? Haha! Special thanks to my awesome sister Ate Joi for helping me with the grocery shopping and the cooking, and for Kuya Dennis for being my service, hehe!

We had Three-Cheese Tuna Penne courtesy of yours truly, Creamy Carbonara courtesy of Andre, Pork Lenggua courtesy of Ate Joi (Actually, it’s not really lenggua since the meat used was not really pork tongue, but Ate Joi cooked it lenggua style with cream, corn and mushrooms), and Chicken Asado courtesy of Yek’s mom. I also mixed Skittles Vodka in five separate bottles (one per Skittles flavor) which was actually a bigger hit than I expected, but not really for its taste but for what is caused! Haha! Rej also brought some ice cream.

The topic for most of the whole-day affair was mainly ‘catching up’. Like I said, many of us haven’t seen each other for months and years and so the usual questions were “Where ka mag-work ngeni?”, “Boy! Komusta na!” and “Ta y kayi (insert name of an old Aguman flame here), komusta na kayu?” followed with a naughty smile by the person who asked and a boisterous laughter by the rest! Haha!

It really felt like we were just in the old Aguman tambayan, especially with the structure and setup of the cottage. We ate, talked, joked, teased and laughed like we were in the old Aguman tambayan. The only difference was there was a swimming pool nearby. In some moments, it even felt like there was an application period going on. We were a mixture of young alumni and resident members – in which some of the younger ones never got to meet the older ones because by the time the former entered the org, the latter have already graduated. It really was classic Aguman tambayan fun.

Days prior the event was quite stressful, but with a tinge of excitement, haha! It was stressful because coordinating a party is never an easy task. But the thing is, it was more stressful mainly because of all the many weekends of the trimester, my subjects chose the weekend of our swimming party to pile up on assignments and machine problems. More so, sudden cancellations the night before (and even on the day itself) were unfortunate and disappointing. Most of them had the basic courtesy to inform me first hand, but I couldn’t help but still feel down because these people who had to cancel for valid reasons were the same people for whom we planned this party. Plus, logistically speaking, it meant some details for the party had to be adjusted. I ended up shouldering the excess costs. But at the end of the day, it was well worth it. A fun day well-spent with long-time buddies – you can’t put a price on that.

Let me end this post by sharing some juicy details!
*The party was initially dubbed "Swimming Soiree" even as it was to be held during the day, simply because yours truly wanted a rhyming title and that I didn't really realize that a soiree is held during the night and usually at one's own home. At least I really knew how to pronounce it! Haha!
*Two alumni were competing on whose pasta was more delicious. In the end, it was a tie. Or was it really? Haha!
*One alumnus quickly gulped three shots of concentrated Skittles Vodka. No wonder he behaved ‘badly’ after.
*Two alumnae came to the swimming party in sort-of party dresses. But they did bring swimming gear.
*One alumnus put pork lenggua sauce on the spaghetti noodles instead of the creamy carbonara sauce. “Eh sa masarap rin naman eh!”
*Two alumni and three members never actually swam. So they just manned the cottage! Haha!
*The cottage for the swimming party was reserved a month before. But as it turned out, it seemed the said reservation was good for the whole resort because no other guests were swimming with the AguPips in the public pools!
*The only noises to be heard throughout the whole resort were the frantic antics and the videoke wailing of the AguPips.
*In classic Aguman humor, old love teams were revived. AguPips really love their own brand of gossip and romance. Heck, even a new Aguman pair was born right there and then!
*An alumnus and a resident member, whose batches were 6 years apart got too cozy for comfort. Talk about “Love in the Time of Alcohol” (Gulapa, 2009).

And some quotable quotes:
”It was so much fun to see the alumni again and bond with them without being terrorized. Hahaha!”

“Ot minta ku pa keni nung ali ku mag-swimming ne?!”

“Kaya ba nag-med si Jean para gamutin ang sakit ni Dennis?”

“Wuy Cy, antayu ing panty ku?!”

“Oh, ikatamu mo? Antalu reng resident kids?” Everyone looked at Anj.

“Oh, asan na si Ngot, hindi ba siya darating?”

“Hoy! Sige, mag-swimming lang kayo diyan, basta huwag kayo mamamatay!”

“Aydamo, Porsh! Kapayat mo!” This was actually uttered by a number of people, hehe!




Photos courtesy of Cyrille, Denesse, Michael and Dawn. ;)
For more pictures, click here.

Random Stuff

I’ve been gone for many weeks again. I’m so sorry my dear blog for neglecting you again. But since you financed my recent fruitful trips to the mall, I must update you now! Haha.

It’s already 3.24am. I am already sleepy and I should be sleeping hours ago because I’m supposed to be up early tomorrow. I really feel the need to update but I don’t have enough time to mull over a post of considerable length. I’ll just post a series of random stuff, haha!

They say it's wise to know when to shut up. I say there's more wisdom in knowing when NOT to start talking at all. For the nth time, I found myself in a word match – and over the internet no less. My friends know that I have a lot of things to say when it comes to these situations, haha, but as I typed a lengthy contention I’m glad I stopped myself soon enough before I say something stupid.

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw, walang iba kundi Ikaw. Salamat sa liwanag mo, muling magkakakulay ang Pasko. Dahil ikaw Bro, ang star ng Pasko. ABS-CBN has released its Christmas station ID already and I really love the theme song. I really feel the Christmas season already. The song was playing on loop on my mp3 player while I was on a bus to Pampanga, and there was a moment when I got a little emotional as I was digesting the lyrics. The past year has been a tough one for me yet again. And while I recognize that it’s nothing compared to the horror and devastation that the Ondoy and Pepeng victims have experienced, I am still deeply thankful to Him for seeing me through the hardest times.

I’m a Lynette Scavo. I’ve realized more than ever, I have the need to control everything. Doing so makes me feel safe, as if I have a fear that everything will fall apart if I can’t control it. Is it because I don’t trust in other people? Maybe, haha. Joke. I guess that for the things that I know I do well in, I just feel the need to take over. But I am definitely not a know-it-all. For things I am idiotic about, I let the experts take control. Besides, doing what we do best gives us a sense of fulfillment, right? But more often than not, I end up being overwhelmed with responsibilities or stuff-to-do. Haha!

But on a different note, I love surprises – moments I have no control of! Haha. Well, at least the good ones. I mean, on top of the problems we already have, who would appreciate another dilemma that comes out in the left field?

Love has its limits (Cristina Yang, 2005). It does, doesn’t it? Why do people lose reason when they fall? But then again, I would know right now, hehe. Maybe it’s one of those mysteries of love you wouldn’t really understand once you’ve experienced it yourself.

That’s it for now. Super random stuff, right? Told ya.

List of Things I love about THE Pautakan

When I realize that October is approaching, two happy thoughts enter my mind: relaxation and excitement. Relaxation because October means sembreak and excitement because it is Pautakan month! Yey!

My love story with the Pautakan started when I was in Grade 6 and I was asked to be part of the elementary Pautakan team of Don Bosco Academy. I was no stranger when it comes to academic contests because I’ve joined quite a number of intra-school competitions but participating in Pautakan 1996 was my first time to represent my school versus other schools. I was fairly confident about our team because I thought we were smart enough. But I guess I over-rated us because our team placed a measly 5th out of a field of 6 teams, haha.

And now it’s October once again and while this month is no longer relatable to relaxation anymore (I’m on a trimestral schedule so October is actually a month of regular classes), I am still most definitely excited about THE Pautakan. So for this month’s column, I will list down the things I love about Pautakan which makes me this effing excited about it!

This post is actually for my column in my org's website, so to read the rest, click here.

"Kita niyo naman -- meynteyn!"

Salesian schools like my high school alma mater Don Bosco Academy believe in the Preventive System of Education. “Prevention” for Don Bosco is to help or educate the youth before he or she gets into trouble. So in line with this, I’ve decided to lose weight now so when the Christmas season arrives in all its culinary splendor of Christmas goodies and treats, I won’t balloon again to a waistline that would limit the number of pants I can wear by half. Haha!

I’ve always been the skinny type until my latter years in college. I really don’t know the turning point when I started to gain weight but I didn’t really mind because at least I wasn’t so thin anymore. But then I gained more weight than I wanted and soon found myself not being able to wear some of my favorite pairs of pants anymore, haha!

I ballooned to my biggest size back in January 2009. I don’t really know what happened because that Christmas wasn’t so different from the previous Christmases. Some friends say it’s because I ate too many chocolates (my parents are OFWs and they go home every Christmas) but the thing was, last time was actually the first time wherein there were still lots of chocolates even after the holidays. That means that relatively speaking, I was able to control myself in terms of sweets intake, haha!

The most perceptible indication of that record breaking weight gain in such a short span of time was when I tried on a new shirt that I bought before Christmas. My gad, it was already sooo effing tight! Haha! Back when I first tried it on when I bought it, it was just the right fit and now three weeks later, what the hell happened?!

So Oplan Diet-Dietan commenced immediately after. I termed it “Diet-dietan” because it wasn’t a real strict diet, because I knew I wasn’t disciplined enough to crash diet myself to my good old thin-dom days. Haha! I contented with a number of resolutions to gradually shed off the holiday pounds. I never ate second servings of rice anymore; I jogged around UP at least once week; I walked to and fro school buildings instead of riding the Ikot/Toki jeep (I almost resorted to also walking home, haha); and I started to opt for wheat bread again instead of white bread. My efforts weren’t as fruitful because the first quarter of the year was quite stressful for me (thus, increased consumption of comfort foods), so I just managed to lose around 5 pounds.

One time last summer, I decided to take out all my favourite shirts that I couldn’t wear anymore because I was too big for them. I took a picture and I made it the wallpaper in my cell phone, haha! I figured I would be more conscious of the need to lose weight if I am constantly reminded of the things I’ve ‘lost’ due to my weight gain.

The change in my daily routine when I transferred to AMA definitely helped. I was far less sedentary because my commute to and fro school was in itself tiring already. Plus, during my 1-hour vacant periods, I had to climb up to the 4th floor to hang out at the library because initially, I didn’t have friends and lunch buddies yet, haha! I also started to eat salad for dinner more often.

After a couple of months, I jumped with glee when I tipped the scale almost 20 pounds lighter compared to when I did so back in January 2009.

Although I haven’t checked my weight recently because our scale was borrowed by someone and they haven’t returned it yet, I feel I gained a few vacation pounds again (half of September was our trimestral break, plus the one week suspension of classes no thanks to Ondoy). It would take at least a couple of months to shed these off. And by then, it would be December already! I don’t want to deprive myself of abundant Christmas joy and cheer come December, so I definitely don’t plan to diet during that period. I mean come on! Who diets at a time when food is exceptionally bountiful and delightful?! So I am going to diet and do more exercise in advance. Haha!

Besides, eating less is beneficial not only to my waistline but also to my wallet.

PS. When I finished this entry, I refreshed my Facebook feed and found a link for an application that gives a random quote from the 2007 movie "One More Chance". Since the JLC-Bea starrer is a nostalgic favourite of mine, I tried it out for fun. I got “Bawal cholesterol, masama sa katawan”. This is definitely an affirmative sign. Haha!

And in case you didn't know, the title is a quote from Marian Rivera and all her English pronunciation and diction glory, in one of her Fit'N'Right commercials a year ago. =P

Take a bow

I love experimenting with tastes and ingredients whenever I "try to cook". And whenever I engage in these culinary trials, I am mostly my own guinea pig. And rightly so, because sometimes, what I mix and match are not your traditional combinations so if tastes awful, no other people would be adversely affected. Haha! But hey, for the most part, I do like what I come up with.

When my sister and brother-in-law leave the house to go somewhere or for errands and leave their three kids under my care, they often let me cook whatever I want for lunch or dinner. In these instances, my three nephews become my three guinea pigs. Haha! And hey (again), I haven’t cooked anything that they didn’t like. That could mean two things though – either I am really that good or they are just not too picky. But at the very least, children are honest, right? ;)

Take for example the lunch we had today. Ate Joi told me to just cook my tuna with tomatoes & basil dish for lunch. But there weren’t any tomatoes left in the refrigerator so I opt for just tuna with basil. And out of nowhere, I just thought of adding cream cheese and put around one and a half spoonfuls of it (for two cans of tuna). I cooked it until it was pretty dry and a little crispy (but not burned, okay, hehe).

And this was the result:

After they were through eating, I asked my nephews out loud, “Oh ano, anong lasa ng ulam?” (Note that I didn’t ask “Masarap ba ang ulam niyo?”, lest I be accused of conditioning them, haha).

Even if they were located in different parts of the house, they immediately answered in unison:
Jasper (who was already busy playing with the personal computer): Masarap!
Darryl (who was already busy playing with the PS3): Masarap!
Justin (who was near Darryl but busy with something else): Masarap!

Darryl: Diba yun naman ang lagi mong niluluto?
Me: Hindi, walang tomatoes eh. May iba akong nilagay. Wala ba kayong ibang nalasahan?
Justin: Meron, yung masarap.

Aww, aren't my nephews so supportive? Haha!
Bow. ;)


Eto na lang ang natira pagkatapos nilang kumain.