sickly christmas.

I've been working non-stop the whole month til the 23rd, which explains why my body/immune system gave up on me on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is a busy day for our family. We cook, prep gifts, dress up, hear Mass at 10pm, eat Noche Buena, and open gifts right after. Unfortunately, I was in bed most of the time nursing a fever and a very bad cough-colds combo.

I woke up with the sound of my dad's footsteps going to my room around 6 in the morning. It's pretty much rare for my parents to go up here (3rd floor kasi, nakakapagod) so in a way, I felt special. LOL. He checked my temp and it was 37.5--not so much high, but I felt really hot and heavy. Plus, I can't breathe coz of the colds and non-stop coughing. So, I slept again and around 10am, it was Yaya's turn to knock on my door, with my breakfast and meds.

I slept again and same thing happened for lunch. I was literally bedridden. Sucks, right? Sick on Christmas Eve?! That's a first for me. I hated it! After lunch I slept again, and a few hours later Mitor arrived with a Christmas card (I was secretly hoping that there's cash inside. HAHA). He stayed with me for a couple of hours then he joined his relatives for their reunion. My family, on the other hand, was busy dressing up for Mass. I promised my Ate days before that I'll do her makeup but I was still sick so our sis-in-law, Kim, did it for me.

My Ate's Christmas Look

I love dressing up pa naman during Christmas Eve. Haaay. Since I'm still not feeling well, I had to skip Mass. I was still in jammies when they left and my Mom told me to fix myself up for our photo op when they arrive. My effortless solution? Just powder and loud lips.

Sisters

Kim, Kuya, Dad, Mom, Ate, & Sickly Me

As usual, I forgot to take photos of the Noche Buena because I was busy eating. LOL. Then came the opening of gifts. I opened Mitor's card, no cash. HAHA! But look what he and my super friend Aai gave me:

The big box, with love. LOL
Well, I kinda know what it is... and I think you do, too.

Watch how I opened the box here.

FAX MACHINE!!!

Yaaaay!!! Finally! Hahaha! Kala ko Christmas card lang eh. LOL. Super thanks, Aai and Mitor! To Joyce, Dad & Mom, and Ate who gave me cash for my fax machine fund, I'll use it to buy an external hard drive OR have my laptop G-masked! Yahuuuuu!!!! :-)

Love love love!

I felt energized and excited to work na naman! Hahaha! Note to self though, must be on vacay at least 3 days before Christmas so I won't get sick ever again!

Merry Christmas, everyone! *hugs*

magnetic powers.

I can still remember my very first encounter with these special magnets. Mitor and I were still dating back then. I had a terrible headache and his first aid was not Biogesic, but this:

Nikken Titanium Link Bracelet

He just made me wear it, saying that his bracelet has "magnetic healing powers". I was skeptical, but wore it anyway. Did my headache go away? Not really. Actually, the first thing that came into my mind was "Why is he wearing a bracelet in the first place?" LOL

Then he told me about Nikken. Then his mom told my mom about Nikken. Our moms became Nikken buddies.

>>FAST FORWARD>>

I had my 3rd (and last!) cervical cancer vaccine yesterday. And boy, was it PAINFUL! I have very low tolerance with physical pain so I was really in agony that I can't even manage to sleep! I was feeling so hopeless then all of a sudden, I remembered our Magbiens! Might as well give it a try, right?

"Small yet mighty. The Magbien a.k.a. Power Patch features Nikken Magnetic technology in a convenient size, with an adhesive backing for easy application. At the center is a 750-gauss magnetic core, complemented by nodules on the surface. These high and low areas introduce variations in the shape of the magnetic field, producing a greater field depth"
Source: Nikken Website

I plastered 6 Magbiens on my left arm.

And believe me, the pain went away in 5 minutes. Seriously.

I really don't get the science behind it and I'm not really a scientific person to begin with so why bother? Haha. As long as it works for me, I am very happy. The fact that the pain went away in an instant is enough for me to believe that magnets are indeed, awesome pain relievers.

Curious? Let me know if you have a headache or something then drop by my house so I can lend you one. Hehehe.

the fax machine.

A few weeks back, I once said that "All I want for Christmas is a FAX MACHINE." You may be wondering why I badly need one. Well, I am a freelance stylist, which, requires me to pullout stuff from several stores to be featured in the pages assigned to me. Before I can pullout, I have to send request letters via FAX to those particular stores who, for the love of technology, still don't believe in the beauty of EMAIL and SMS. LOL. So every time I need to fax letters, I either course it through the ff:

A. Mitor - he owns one, I just go to his place (taxi ride not cheap) or sometimes email the docs to him then he prints it and he does the faxing (isn't he the greatest?). But I prefer sending the letters myself. I am weird that way. And he's often busy so he can't always do it for me, not to mention, I don't like bugging him for clerical errands because I know he hates it. LOL

B. My dad - he uses the fax machine in his office. But there was one batch that he said was successfully faxed but the receipient didn't get any. So that was a major hassle. I told you, I really prefer doing it myself.

C. Shangri-la Plaza Mall - My "opis-opisan". LOL. I fax my docs through Copylandia (costs P10 each) but the line's always long so when I'm in a rush, and that is all the time, I go to this computer shop a few steps away (forgot what it is). This particular store is always line-free, and there's a reason why. Their service fee for one fax is P20 PER FREAKING PAGE! Even if its the same phone number, they charge per page! Ain't that sh*t or what? And I fax about 5-10 pages! Pang-kain ko nalang sana, diba?

So there. I seriously need one already! HP Officejet, I want you in my arms!!!

Gimme Gimme Gimme!

Santa can you hear me?

I have been so good this year, don't you think? :)

I Like: Luxe Nail Lounge

I have a thing for pedicures. Ever since I jammed my toenail two years ago, I've been religiously visiting pedicure places around our area for maintenance. So you see, it's not really because I'm kikay, I just had to HIDE the poor dead toe under nail polish! And because I'm a cheaposaurus, I'm fine with pedicures at low-end salons. I mean, c'mon, most nail spas cost about P300 for a simple pedi! That's like two Big Mac meals already! LOL

Then a couple of months ago, I had another toenail emergency which required extra TLC and urgent repairing. The day after the accident, I went to Galleria to do my usual oculars and I came across Luxe Nail Lounge, an uber posh mani-pedi haven located at the lower-ground level.

The sofa. I know you're lovin' it!
(Photo grabbed from Luxe's Facebook)

I was instantly drawn by their Victorian interiors and very relaxing ambiance. It's soo chic! After checking their price list, I got more excited! Their Express Pedicure costs only P180! Pwedeeee.

My couch.
(Photo grabbed from Luxe's Facebook)

I was asked to take a seat in the comfy couch and was warmly greeted by my nail doctor, Precy. First thing I told her: "Ate, may malaking crack yung toenail ko, patay na ba? At parang umuuga na yung buong kuko. Buhay pa naman diba? Diba atee?" Didn't mean to scare her or anything, I was just really paranoid. LOL

Fortunately, my cracked toenail was still fixable...and ALIVE! *sigh of relief*

So, let me now show you how Luxe nail doctors do their thang!

Step 1: Foot bath

After the foot bath, Precy cleaned, cut, and shaped my toenails. No photos of the whole process though. I was so engrossed with the magazines that I actually forgot! My bad!

Step 5: Base coat
Look at the toenail! It's fixed! Ain't Precy the greatest? Haha.

Step 6: Nail Polish
I chose the Hard as Nails line from Sally Hansen in a purply shade.
They actually carry a lot of brands -- OPI, Orly, Essie, Revlon, and even Chanel.

Step 7: Air dry. This takes about 5 minutes.

Step 8: Machine dry! Didn't even know that there's such a thing.
It has two mini-fans with a built-in timer to efficiently dry your newly-polished toes.
Wow, hi-tech! :)

Step 9: Put on your slippers and you're ready to go! :)

I laaaveeet! Ang pedicures ko, lume-level up! LOL

Luxe Nail Lounge is located at Lower Level East Lane, Robinsons Galleria.
You may call 634.5395 for more details on their services OR add them on Facebook.

Fun Find: Showbizzz Nail Polish

Because I'm such a mall rat and window shopping is literally work + play for me, I'd like to share with you my quirky finds that you never really knew existed.

Presenting my buena mano...MWAH! Nail Polish in various showbizzz colors!

John Lloyd Blue, Sam Milky, Piolo Pastel, Diether O'Copper

Jericho Rose, Richard D'Sheerez, James Yam, Greenier Castillo, Mark Herrust

BWAHAHAHAHA! or should I say... MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Only Php 14.00 each in Mercury Drug Stores.

12 years and counting.

Once upon a time, a teacher told us that after graduation, our so-called all-star gang will go on our separate ways and lead separate lives.

Highschool Barkada pic, Dominican College, Year 2001
Estrogen overload!

Then college happened, work came along, boyfriends (and girlfriends) joined in, and after a decade we're still the silliest and loudest girls ever. Nothing changed, really.

Isang deKADA Costume Party, Tagaytay, August 2007
Ang daming EKIS sa pic na 'to!
For history purposes lang naman so wag nyo ko awayin. Haha!

Kadamates 11th Anniv, TGIF, August 2008
Ayan, hindi kasama ang mga lalaking karelasyon dito! LOL

We turned 12 this year, and we celebrated at Tetah's very cozy and sosyal Cavite home. Here's us... in our scruffy house clothes!

Daks + the gang in pambahay fasyon , August 2009

I just looove the fact that after all these years we still have each other's back. Amidst all the crazy decisions we've made and the struggles we've been through, we're still together--and that makes our friendship very REAL and very STRONG.

Thank you, my dear Kadamates, for being who you are and loving the weirdness in all of us. We've come a longgg way and there's no denying that our friendship will always be one of the best platonic love stories ever told.

Now eat your words, teacher! :D

travel factor olympics.

I am not sporty. Oh how I wish I am. I've always admired sporty people in general--athletes, varsity players, coaches, etc etc. For me, a 3-point buzz beater, a smacking smash, or a hardcore serve is just as thrilling as scoring a good find in mall-wide sales. But as I've said, I was never good at any sport. I hate P.E. classes because I'm just so bad at it (except for the dance classes, which, I believe is not a hardcore sport, anyway). I never had the guts to join any sports team because I know they'll hate me after the game just because I suck. Haha! Yes, I am that pathetic. Really.

So when Travel Factor, the coolest travel group in the world, invited us for their very first TF Olympics, I was so excited! Finally, a sports fest made for all ages and suckers were very much welcome to join! LOL. I signed up for the relay and frisbee games, knowing that with my built and all, I can at least run fast!

Team SNUBA! (photo by Deneb)
I'm the 4th person from left. Just look for the bangs, baby.

And now I shall post some of the event's highlights:

I caught a disc and we scored! We lost though. LOL
(photo by Ced)

My feet was completely dragged the by the boys (ouch!) then
I fell on the finish line and my toenail cracked. (double ouch!)
but it was all worth it coz... we actually WON!
(photos from Deneb and Brian)

The Dr. Quack Quack series. This game was just so funny.
(photos by Ced)

After the field games, it was badminton time at Sheridan! Of course, I didn't join. I just cheered, cheered and cheered for our team. :D

The last people standing.
(photo by Jun)

Our team ended up winning 2nd place, overall. We definitely did some justice to our yabang posters! Hahaha!

my rapunzel moment.

I am not a morning person. I usually sleep late and today was no exception. I slept around 5am and my Mom went up to my room around 8am to tell me this:

Mom: Are you going out today?
Me: (eyes still closed) Yes
Mom: Anong oras?
Me: Hapon.
Mom: Ano ngang oras?
Me: Mga 2 siguro.
Mom: Gumising ka na kasi babarnisan yung buong hagdan hindi ka na makakababa mamaya. Tas dalhin mo na lahat ng kelangan mo pagbaba kasi hindi ka na makakaakyat.
Me: WHAT? Eh I need to work in my room, I have a deadline today!
Mom: Can you just please cooperate? Tomorrow's the last day of renovations so there's no other time to get the stairs varnished.
Me: Fine. Padala nalang ng pagkain dito bago start yung varnish. Won't go out nalang. Will stay here hanggang matuyo yung hagdan.
Mom: OK.

I thought it was all a dream. By 11am, I woke up...hungry. Got up, went out the door and saw this:

The newly-varnished stairs

UH-OH. So my mom was really serious. My room's on the third floor so its not like I can jump somewhere to get downstairs. I looked around to see if they left food for me. But of course, my Mom forgot that very important detail. Aaaaack.

So I called for Yaya.

Me: Yayaaaaaaa!
Yaya: BAKETTT?!
Me: Pano ako bababa? Nagugutom na ko!

She went up to the second floor. Apparently, there were steps from the first floor going to the second floor na wala pang varnish. But the all the steps from second going to the third floor were covered up already. So we were talking na parang I was Rapunzel asking for help. LOL

Yaya: Ay patay kang bata ka. Dumaan ka sa gilid! Parang ganito *demo demo*

This is the "gilid" she's talking about.

Me: *tried it* Di ko kaya! Malalaglag ako!
Yaya: Eh wala kang choice!
Me: Ay nako anong oras ba matutuyo yung hagdan?
Yaya: Mga 4pm pa.
Me: What? So 4pm pa ko makakakain?
Yaya: Eh ikaw kasi ginigising ka kanina di ka gumising.

Ok fiine. My fault, again. So that's it. I'm dead. I'm gonna starve for hours just because of the stupid varnish. So I went back in my room to search my bags for food. I usually bring crackers every time I go out so I might get lucky. And voila, I saw this:

Thank God for OK!'s Kristine and her Meiji pasalubong!
These are really good stuff, I must say.

So I munched on the chocolates like there's no tomorrow. But after 5 sticks my stomach was still crumbling and worst of all, I got thirsty.

UH-OH. So what now? I told myself "mind over matter, mind over matter... I am not thirsty, I am not hungry..." LOL. Para akong baliw.

Then all of a sudden, Yaya shouted from the second floor.

Yaya: KARENNNNNNNN!!
Me: Baket?!!
Yaya: Kunin mo bilis!

Yaya + sungkit + basket + my food!

Ain't my Yaya so brainy and sweet? She just can't stand the fact that I'll starve for hours!

Meal for the day: rice + daing na bangus + luncheon meat + mango iced tea! :)

Thanks, Yaya! Another one for the books! LOL

Go Team SNUBA!!!

Are you ready for this?

More pics here.

GO TEAM SNUBA!

lola turns 89.

It's Lola's birthday today. :) Finally, she had a goodnight sleep yesterday so today she's expected to be back to her normal, jolly self. You see, my Lola has been sick for quite sometime. She had pneumonia and is showing signs of Alzheimer's disease. She was confined at the hospital twice, and since then, everything changed.

The pneumonia made her really weak--she can't do things on her own anymore, a fact that she really hates. My Lola is very independent. She likes being able to take care of her own needs and not bothering anyone to get things done. But that's impossible right now.

If pneumonia tore her physical health apart, the Alzheimer's messed up her spirit. It's really heartbreaking whenever she's having her usual "attacks". She will stay up for two consecutive days, won't eat, talk to herself, pick a fight with everyone she sees. She's tough to handle and if you don't have the patience, you'll definitely lose it.

But when she's normal, she's definitely endearing as always. I remember when she got back from the hospital, this was the first thing she asked from me:

Lola: Pangit na ba ako?
Me: Huh? Lola hindi 'no! Maganda ka nga ngayon eh, mas healthy na itsura mo compared before. Pumayat ka lang pero kain ka lang ng madami tataba ka ulit.
Lola: Asan na yung lalagyan ng cutix (nail polish)?
Me: Baket Lola, gusto mo lagyan kita ng nailpolish? Anong color gusto mo?
Lola: Red.

Lola and her red nails

She looks lovely, don't you think? I guess my love for fashion and beauty came from her. She loves to dress up, and hates it when people see her in her daster.

Now that she's 89 years old, I sincerely hope that she can fully recover from her sickness. I want her to be able to stand up again and do the things that make her happy--gardening, going to mass, and of course, dressing up and putting on makeup. Hehehe.

I love you, Lola! Happy happy birthday! :)

my 25th surprise.

I turned 25 last June 3rd. It took me more than a while--2 months to be exact--to write about this because I WAS WAITING FOR THE PHOTOS!!! LOL. Thanks Vina, nahanap mo rin, finally! Phew!

I seriously need a digicam. Really.

Anyway, it all started with this:

Mitor: Hey we'll celebrate your bday on June 5 and 6. Free your sched, ok?
Me: Baket 2 days?
Mitor: Wala lang, para masaya.
Me: Ok. :)

So June 3rd, we just had a simple dinner at home with my family. Then June 5th, he took me to my second home--Shangri-la Plaza Mall. LOL

Me: Ano gagawin naten dito? Sine? Bilhin naten gift ko? Sabi ko sa'yo GC nalang kasi.
Mitor: Basta.
Me: Fiiiine.

Lo and behold.. he took me to COLOR ME MINE! :-)

Paint-paint-paint! :)

During our first few months as a couple, we made a list of to-do things together and this was one of them. I actually forgot about this lets-paint-project thing and I was surprised that he actually remembered.

Our finished artworks (before going to the oven)

Me: Baket lighthouse?
Mitor: Kasi, when everything is dark, all you need to do is look for the light... and you'll remember me.
Me: Ooooh. :)

Happy painters

Then he took me to another favorite, and a must-have everytime we're at Shang... YOSWIRLS!

Yogurt + Mango is the best!

After that we did a little window shopping and he took me home. :)

Next, June 6th.

Mitor: I'll pick you up around 6pm.
Me: Ok, what do I need to bring and what should I wear?
Mitor: Basta magpaganda ka. And I'm taking you to The Spa so just bring whatever. What kind of massage would you go for?
Me: Ewan ko basta yung may oil. Yoko ng dry massage.
Mitor: Ok, then we'll go to Manang's party after ha. Btw, bring a scarf.
Me: Oks.

So he arrived. And first thing he looked for is the scarf. What for? To blindfold me.

He also told me to use his MP3 player and placed it in full volume
just so I'd get distracted and won't figure out where we're heading

When we reached the place, he was holding my hand and we were walking, and walking and walking. Finally, the door opened...

BULAGA!

I was in his lolo's house and MY FRIENDS were there! I was totally shocked. Bilib ako kay Mitor, I really had no clue that this was going to happen!

Thanks Kal, Dumol, Deb, Chippie, Vina, Jhel, Maita, Nix, Jep, Biggie, and Woshie for the super effort! Hehe, I missed having parties like these. I was super happy that day, as innnn.

Friends Forever!

And of course, my dearest Mitor.. thanks so much for making my 25th uber special. For the first time, your "schemes" were not busted. LOL. CONGRATULATIONS! (wowowee tone)

Cheers to love and friendship!

this is it.

I haven't been posting anything lately because I'm kinda confused as to where I should really blog--multiply? wordpress? blogspot?--and blogspot won. I used to blog at Blogdrive since 2005 but I just felt that I needed an upgrade as some of the features there are kinda outdated or user unfriendly. Or maybe I'm just lazy to figure it out. LOL. I just like blogspot's no-brainer layout. Kung baga, hindi sya nangangain ng tanga. Hahaha.

I've been meaning to write about my freelance adventures for quite some time. Life has been good to me, so far. Although things are not as consistent as before, I'm pretty much having the time of my life, nonetheless. I'm just glad that I can finally say that I'm doing well--career-wise. :)

I just came home from a very fun weekend. :) I'll wait for the photos to be posted then I'll get back to you guys for some juicy kwento.

Goodnight!

South Cebu, 10 mins late

I know, I know. This happened like almost 2 months ago and as usual, busy bee me had no time to write about our very "memorable" trip in South Cebu. I think only a few of our friends knew about all the drama (yet fun, in a weird way) that Mitor and I went through just to get to that place. Curious? Well, here's my tell-all for y'all. (Disclaimer: this is a long read!)

Our flight to Cebu was scheduled 04:50 AM via Cebu Pacific. We bought our tickets 5 months prior to the trip so we were really excited when the day finally arrived. So the night before, Mitor picked me up from work which was around 7:30PM and I asked if we can drop by this pedicure place nearby because my toenails were in dire need of attention. Knowing that it won't take long, as in 30mins max, he was ok with it. But, the 30mins became an hour and a half, because the lady also gave me a footspa (which I just inquired about but I didn't say I wanted one). I thought it was just part of the pedicure process but footspa na pala! So anyway, by the time I was done I knew Mitor was starting to get pissed because of the ff:

#1 He hasn't packed yet
#2 I haven't packed yet
#3 We were pressed for time because we have to attend a wake that night
#4 He needs to email proposals to his client before we leave for the airport
THEREFORE
#5 Pedicure just ruined our whole schedule

Hahaha! I guess it's just one of the girly things that men don't understand. I can't risk my toenails getting jammed into corals or anything solid again. My dead toe just came back to life after almost a year of waiting and hiding under nail polish so my pedicure request was really necessary. Not that I'm being defensive or anything... hehehe.

So anyway, after the pedicure we rushed to his place, so he can pack and freshen up. By the time he finished it was around 10PM. And now, the plot thickens.

Next to the itenerary was the wake of Hadrian's dad. But before going there, we decided to pass by an ATM first to get some cash. And because he was in a rush, he dashed from his car straight to the bank and was unaware that the entrance was a glass wall.. and NOT a glass door! So go figure what happened. He banged his head so hard that he fell lying on the ground! OMG!

I was horrified! I saw how the whole thing happened and it wasn't a bit funny at all. I went out of the car, rushed to his side, helped him up, and 2 good samaritans came to us to check if he was ok or if we needed to take him to the ER or something. Good thing nothing major happened... except for a black-eye and a bukol on his eyebrow.

My black-eyed baby

We sat on the car for like a minute and then suddenly he drove away from the place like crazy! I was like "dahan-dahan lang baka mabangga naman tayo" and he was like "nakakainis yang bank na yan, 'yan tuloy ang laki ng bukol ang panget ko na sa mga picture!"

AHAHAHAHA. O diba, vain din pala siya. But to his defense, that bank should put posters on that glass wall just so people will not mistake it for anything else. It was super clean and transparent, and can definitely invite more accidents in the future.

So we reached the wake around 11PM. We weren't supposed to stay long but my friends Aylin and Jeanie wanted us to wait for them since they were on their way already. By the time they arrived and our chickahan ended, it was around 12:30AM. Take note, we only have about 3 hours left before airport check-in time. But we got hungry, so...

We invited my friends to join us for a quick midnight snack at McDo. We ended around 1AM and since they were not in a rush to go home anyway, I asked if they can keep me company so Mitor can take a nap in my room while I'm packing. So off we go to my room and it took me an hour and a half to finish. It was 2:30AM when we left my place to go to his so he can do his last minute print/scan/email thing for his client, and to print our tickets before leaving for the airport.

By the time we were done, it was 3:45AM. 30 minutes left before the check-in counter closes. Thinking Cebu Pacific is known for being late anyway, we kept our cool. His mom drove us to the airport (another fast and the furious moment) and we arrived around 4:10AM. The whole bag x-ray thing took another 10 minutes so we reached the counter by 4:20AM. We were so giddy that we finally made it! But the happiness was not for long. We gave our tickets to the counter and I heard one of the most dreaded phrases ever--"Sorry but check-in for this flight is already closed". F*CK!

We pleaded Ms. Cebu Pacific to take us in, oh yes we really did. But rules are rules (accdg to the ticket, check-in time is 40mins before the flight) and we were 10 minutes late. Only 10 f*cking minutes. We were both in the verge of tears, especially Mitor who was so frustrated about everything. Who wouldn't be, right?

So we went to the rebooking station to ask how much it will cost us, if we can afford it. You see, both of us don't have credit cards (by choice) so we only have our pocket money to get by. And guess how much Cebu Pac's rebooking fee was? PHP 5,600 each! WTF!?!!

By then we were totally devastated. Obviously, we can't afford that. This was a budget trip for us to begin with, something we really saved money for. Not to mention, we were left behind by our Travel Factor (TF) group, which meant we needed additional money pa for the land transpo to get to Moalboal. We were both sooo frustrated that we just sat on the floor in the middle of NAIA 3. We just can't believe what had happened. For a moment we were speechless, no idea what to do next.

I knew that it was totally my fault. And I knew that Mitor was soo mad at me. As tears started running down my face, I looked at him, and told him how sorry I was. I never felt that vulnerable my entire life. I was expecting him to nag me, to blame me for everything--the stupid pedicure, the wake, my slow packing. I deserve the harsh words. But you know what he did? He just hugged me tight and told me he loved me. And we both cried.

Not naman the hagulgol type of crying ha. Just making sure you're picturing it right. Hehehe.

After a while, we were both calm and collected. Then we started to discuss what to do next. Without a doubt I wanted to push our trip, even if its not in Cebu anymore. Mitor, on the other hand, was thinking of going back home since we've only got Php 6,000 and that won't even be enough for transpo and accomodations to Batangas (the nearest beach we can think of). And what will our parents think if they found out that we didn't go to Cebu with the group and went on to a different place with just the two of us? Tsk tsk. Definitely, not a good idea. But still, sayang naman if we just go back home, right?

So we were back to square one. Dumbfounded. Staring at the floor. Had no clue what to do next.

Then out of the blue a lady who works at the terminal approached us and asked if we're ok, since we've been seating on the floor for like an hour already. I was like "ate, naiwan po kami ng eroplano at wala na po kaming pambili ng ticket." Yes, I sounded like a baby about to burst into tears again. Hahaha! Then she said "Na-check niyo na po ba sa PAL kung magkano? Baka mas mura po doon." And then Mitor and I both had a lightbulb moment. He ran to the PAL counter (good thing there were no glass walls there, can't afford another accident-due-to-running moment) and voila! Their one way ticket to Cebu costs only P2,653 each! SAKTO!

PAL saved the day! This is, by far, the most expensive 10 minutes ever!--Php5,306 to be exact!
(but its waaayyy cheaper than Cebu Pac so that was a total relief!)

We had to wait for a couple of hours for our flight though, but it didn't matter! As long as it would take us to Cebu, we were fiiine. As soon as we had our tickets, we looked for the lady who gave us the PAL tip to thank her. But we weren't able to find her though. I would like to believe that she was an angel sent from up above whose main mission is to help the two depressed and clueless lovers seated on the floor in the middle of the busy airport. Hehehe. :)

The adventure didn't stop there though. When we arrived Cebu, we we're like on Amazing Race with our backpacks running around and asking for directions. After a cab ride, a long walk, a 2-hour van ride (na super siksikan) and a tricycle ride.. we FINALLY arrived at the pitstop.

The dining area at Club Serena Resort

We were just so happy we made it. After all the hassles and drama we went through, just seeing the place and the people we're spending our vacay with just made everything worth it.

In conclusion, I have learned that...

#1 Cebu Pac happens to be on time when it comes to check-in cut-offs
#2 PAL tickets are relatively cheap
#3 Pedicures must be done at least a day prior to the trip
AND MOST OF ALL
#4 Mitor is the most patient man on earth.
I love him to death and he is definitely the man I'm gonna marry.

fun times with baje.

My dearest dancemate Baje went here for a short visit a week ago and this time around, she was able to fit me in her crazy schedule! She's been working in Dubai since graduation--which was about 4 years ago--and I totally missed her! We decided to meet up at Shang (my fave mall on earth) and I took her to Pepper Lunch. :) I love the fact that even if we haven't been in touch for the longest time, seeing her again felt like nothing has changed... except for her weight and my hair! (haha)

She wanted a photo with the balloons. How juvenile! Hehehe

Me at Pepper Lunch!

Her turn!

She asked me to sign her copy! Feeling celebrity!

Coffee at Starbucks

This was us, year 2005, at Orange Dance Studio

All sweaty during rehearsals, 2005

Here's us, making a fool of ourselves.. hahaha

I had a blast, Baje! It was really nice seeing you, and I'm really proud and happy for you. I know you miss dancing as much as I do, but you know what? It's not just the dancing per se that I miss... its more of my moments with YOU. (and Jo-e, of course!) ANG CHEESY!!! Hahaha! Anyway, I'll see you in May, okidoks?!

*one cartwheel for you*