bagong taon ay magbagong buhay

kamakailan lang, binuksan na nila ang skyway hanggang sucat. ang bilis talaga ng taon -- parang kailang lang na nabasa ko na magbubukas banda december 2010 ang skyway at napaisip ako ng "ngek, ang tagal pa nun!" tapos ngayon, ayan na siya. di ko naubos maisip na ganun-ganun lang lilipas ang 2010.

ang daming nangyari sa akin. madaming masaya, madami ding hindi. tulad nung isang kaibigan na hindi ko na kinakausap ngayon. tulad din ng perang nasayang dahil ninais kong mag-tipid sa gown. at wag na nating pag-usapan ang walang-kwentang tubero na kaaway ko na din ngayon. lahat ng yan, dapat ipagpasa-diyos ko na lang. at isipin ko na mamayang gabi, pag-dating ng alas-dose, bagong taon na.

at dahil bagong taon, bagong buhay na. diba yun yung lyrics nung kanta?

kaya, heto ang mga new year's resolutions ko para sa darating na taon. kung matupad sila, eh di mabuti. kung hindi, walang basagan ng trip. bakit, kayo ba ang mananatiling mataba? hindi naman diba? kaya yun.

o, heto na sila:

1. magpapayat

siyempre, napakawalang kwenta ko namang matabagang tao kung hindi ko papangaraping maging payat. aba, wala naman sigurong gusto na mahirapan bumili ng damit, o kaya hingalin ng bonggang bongga tuwing umaakyat ng mrt.

and so, kahit na ilang taon ko nang sinasabi na papayat ako, eto, totoo na talaga (then again, don't forget to read the disclaimer written above!). wag ka -- isinama ko pa siya sa discernment ko nung day of prayer ng mga lingkod sisters last 27 december 2010.

ganito yun: kailangan kong pumayat ng 50 lbs. para hindi na ako obese. ay, correction, obese II pala. ayon sa aking computations, i would have to lose 5 pounds for the first two months of the year, tapos, 4 pounds starting march. that's just one pound a week. siguro naman carry ko na yun.

isipin ko na lang na napag-aral ko ang sarili ko habang nagtratrabaho. nag-review ako sa bar habang nagtratrabaho. marunong akong umakyat ng bakod, gumamit ng drill, at gumawa ng gripo. suguro naman kakayanin ko ang pumayat ng 1lb. a week. aba, kung hindi pa, ang loser ko na.

2. moratorium sa pagbili ng damit

dahil papayat ako, bawal din muna bumili ng damit. read: muna. ibig sabihin nun, pag medyo pumayat-payat na ako, pwede na bumili. pero hindi masyado kasi 50lbs. ang target ng inyong abang lingkod. halos isang bata na yun. isipin mo mawalan ka ng isang bata. aba, malaki-laki din yun. kaya bawal mag-shopping.

3. matulog ng 7 hours each night

may nabasa ako, pwede kang pumayat basta matulog ka lang ng 7 hours each night. ni-try ko gawin yun, kaso, mahirap pala. as in. pero sa 2011, dahil gusto kong pumayat, gagawin ko yun. imagine mo, sarap na ng tulog mo, papayat ka pa, di ka antok-antok sa office. winner, diba? ka-level yan ng pasko na, birthday pa.

at eto pa pala ang bonus -- pag nakatulog na ako ng 7 hours each night, magagamit ko na din regularly yung kiehl's midnight recovery concentrate na napanalunan ko from frances last august. nabasa ko kasi that it wouldn't work as much kung hindi rin naman ako matutulog ng tama. so, papayat na ako, gaganda pa ang balat ko. aba, pag nangyari na yan, wala nang kalaban-laban yung crush ko. wahehehe.

4. wag masyadong magtipid

oo, tama ang nabasa mo. kung akala mo nagloloko lang ako, eto pa siya ulit: wag masyadong magtipid. na-realize ko kasi na baka sa katipiran ko, lalo pa akong napa-gastos.

tulad nung sa gown na na-doble ang pagpapagawa ko dahil chipangga at walang kwenta yung unang manang na nag-tahi.

tulad nung bidet ko na bonggang-bongga din yung tulo after just one week.

tulad nung mga bagay na binili ko dahil mura ngunit di ko naman pala ganun ka-gusto.

sasabihin ko sa aking sarili: rosa, hindi porke mura, okay na yan. okay lang gumastos. okay lang mahalin mo ang sarili mo. (at okay din aminin sa tatay mo pag gusto mo na siyang i-take-up on his offer to send money sometimes). at pag gusto ko talagang i-justify ang pag-bili, i can always tell myself that i'll be helping the philippine economy by shopping. sabi yun ni winnie monsod sa unang hirit. promise.

5. maging malinis sa kapaligiran

okay, parang di ata masyado maganda yung translation. ang gusto ko lang sabihin, keep the house clean. napaka-windang levels na maglinis the day of a party. or yung magpaliwanag ka all the time kung bakit madumi yung bahay mo. ngayong taon na to, bawal na magkalat. bawal nang hindi mag-ayos. bawal nang ipagpaliban ang maaaring gawin agad. todo na to.

after all, paano ako dadalawin ni prince charming sa bahay ko pag hindi ko siya mapapasok dahil parang dinaanan ng tornado ang gamit ko?

o, ayan na. lima lang. limang reasonable na resolutions. limang resolutions na super loser ako pag hindi ko magawa. pustahan tayo, kakayanin ko yan.

at kung hindi, eh di keber. usap na lang tayo ulit next december 31 pag nagsulat ako ulit ng resolutions.

maligayang bagong taon! sana ay maging puno ang inyong mga lamesa ng pagkain, puno ang mga wallet ng pera, at puno ang puso ng pagmamahal.

on shopping at ace hardware, turning into a domestic diva, and receiving a step ladder for christmas

a year or so ago, i told my cousin that i'd stop sleeping at the top bunk when i turn 35.* apparently, she thought i would be cause i was afraid i'd break an ankle or something going up the steps, so she gamely offered to sleep on the top bunk so i could take her bed instead. i had to explain: it's not the going up that i'm afraid of, it's the fact that i still hang out there pretty much the same way i used to do when i was still in college.** i'm hoping that by the time i'm 35, i'd be married to some fabulous man (read: man, not boy) who, for obvious reasons, can't sleep on the top bunk with me. we'd probably take over the sleeper sofa in the basement or something like that.

yes, i dream a lot when i'm awake.

anyway, i'm thinking that notwithstanding my oh-so-persistently-single status, and my penchant for hanging around my aunt's place like a college student, i'm making great leaps and bounds by "taking charge" of my home and just "working it." hence, the numerous repairs around the house, the buying of appliances instead of shoes, and learning stuff like organic cleaning solutions, microfibre cloths, and how high a towel rack should be from the floor. it's fun, i must admit, and yet scary. after all, the persistent question on my mind right now is whether or not i am learning all of these things now cause i'll have to take care of these things, by myself (read: no spouse) from now till forever? oh no.

so yesterday, tita mayu and i hied off to ace hardware to buy her christmas gift for me. i love it how she's so generous that she gamely agreed to cross off one item from my christmas wish list. now, i'm the proud owner of a step ladder -- here's to being able to easily change lightbulbs, clean the chandelier, and remove the curtains for washing! in the process of going around, i also bought this, this, and this. so they weren't exactly in my budget, but i thought, hey my lola gave me christmas money, and wouldn't it be soooo smart of me (yes, i love patting myself on the back too) if i just bought something that would be useful, rather than a new bag or a pair of shoes?***

the trip to ace hardware was soooo fun ... i'm actually tempted to spend more money, like on garden pavers (yes, garden pavers!!! like spike could accommodate them, right?) and laundry hampers (buti na lang, wala yung gusto kong kind) and brass house numbers. the array of faucets, as well as shower heads made me salivate, and i can't wait till i have enough money in the bank to actually renovate my bathroom and kitchen and actually replace the existing ones with uber gorgeous fixtures. *sigh*

anyway, today's the last working day of the year, and i'm not sure how efficient i was over the "working break".**** i have the car, though, and i've a mind to go to sm after work and buy some of the stuff that i want to get. or maybe go home to tita mayu's first and then go to work afterwards. i dunno. what i do know is that it's crazy fun to be living ten minutes away from work. sigh, i wish it were like this everyday.

happy new year, everyone. i hope to see you again tomorrow. mwah. mwah.

*i sleep on the top bunk in my cousin's room whenever i sleep over at tita mayu's house.
** i graduated from college in 1998. you do the math ☺
*** in the interest of full disclosure, maybe the reason why i didn't think of buying a new bag or a new pair of shoes was cause i just got a new bag from my uncle, not the mention i got to borrow a previously unborrow-able bag from tita celia, and i've splurged on way too many shoes in the past couple of months. yes, that would be the reason. hahaha.
**** officially, there hasn't been work since the 23rd. while i was able to go on leave on the 23rd (i previously worked on a holiday), i couldn't afford not to work from the 28th to the 30th, especially since they've deducted bazillions from my last pay for this year to cover taxes and what not. so i've been at work. and i've done some work. but not as much work as i would've wanted to do. sorry boss.

more, more

one of our favorite korean songs has a part that goes "more, more" and truly, after i thought that pipe repairs will be done and over with on the 23rd, here i am again, on the phone with my friend who owns a hardware store, ordering pipes and elbows and that t thing, pvc cement, teflon tape (side story: i had the old plumber make me a list of stuff i'll be needing and on the list he wrote tape long. kudos to the ace hardware guy who knew exactly what needed to be bought!) and ball valves. apparently, the gurgling sound i heard as i was doing my laundry the other day turned out to be a pipe that burst beneath the walls ... i'm half expecting my walls to cave in with the water pressure one of these days (i can't help but wonder where the water goes cause it ain't coming out of the faucet) so i'm just overjoyed over the fact that i got the plumber to agree to work for me on the 2nd of january.

another "more, more" moment is that the list of stuff i want for the house so that i can further personalize it. the more i read the websites i read, the more i can't help but want to do more stuff for the house. sometimes, i think i am awash with throw pillows already and yet i spy a new one and can't help but want to buy some more. i'm hoping that i can throw yet another garage sale on january 2, and i hope that more people buy stuff. i've gotten rid of about half of my giant pails already (memories of a past life with no water and just water delivery to rely on), as well as my old washing machine and spin drier. i forgot to get rid of the other stuff, like throw pillow covers that my other friends weren't too fond of, as well as the lamp i want to sell. there's this lamp that i soooo want to have from atc ... maybe with lola's cash gift i can buy the lamp already. then again, where will i put it? my house, for some reason, is sorely lacking in the electrical outlet department, making me terribly reliant on extension cords and octopuses. bad, i know.

home ownership, for lack of a better word, is a royal pain in the ass.

the year in review

ah, 2010.



you were the greatest, and you were the craziest. in a sense, you were the worse -- oh how you made my wallet bleed! -- and yet you were the most abundant.



here are the highlights of 2010:

i got that "job" with the supreme court and this NGO which allowed me to go to Bohol for a second time. Not only was the trip for free, i earned money from it which allowed me to pay for a whole lot of things that i wanted for this year. the money is all but depleted by this time, but let's just say that without the money i earned from that sideline, i wouldn't have been able to defray the huge mountainload of expenses that came my way this year.


mama came home! after seven years, i think, mama finally made good her promise to come visit. it was a hectic trip, filled with our usual issues and major disagreements with my brother, but at the end of the day, it was still precious time with my mom. i was happy that i got to introduce her to my friends, and that she met people who have been my family the last couple of years.


mama, kit, and i also found ourselves in hk disneyland! our family, save for my dad, has a thing for riding the craziest rides and the last time we were in HK, we got to go to ocean park. of course it's a dream that my brother and i will finally be in the US with our parents, and actually go to disneyland and/or disneyworld, but for now, hk disneyland is the most viable alternative. it seemed especially meant for us since at that time, cathay had this buy two take one promo which was perfect for our three-some. being the ride-crazed fanatics that we were, we made sure to book into a disney hotel and spend two days in disneyland. i don't care that they said it's tiny or that there isn't much to see. we loved every minute of it.


i also got to go on trips with friends this year -- to vietnam with the lingkod girls last august, and to kuala lumpur with the tuloy peeps last september. i don't even know how i managed to afford these things, i guess it helped that we purchased the tickets months in advance and the trips didn't take place until months later. plus, we all stuck to a miniscule budget which meant (at least in the KL trip) no taking cabs, eating at local places (instead of fancy schmancy restaurants), and minimizing the shopping (or so i'd like to think). all the times i've gone out of the country, i was either with my immediate family or with tita celia, so traveling with friends made me feel soooo much like an adult (shallow, i know. plus, yes, i AM an adult, but sometimes, i don't feel like it, like i'm still pretending to be someone i'm not.)


i switched jobs!!! when i first worked at the court of appeals, i knew that it was just an in-between job until i get my bearings, and when gay finally made me see the light and "forced" me to take the plunge, i actually did, and began working for a law firm that i've always had my sights on since law school because i was "in love" with labor law and believed that my labor law teacher was the nicest. and then i did litigation for two years, which, if my bosses were to be believed, i was actually great at. except -- something that i didn't factor in -- i didn't have the stomach for it. i couldn't bear doing stuff i didn't believe in, and hated billing a client especially when i knew the client could no longer make ends meet. there were a number of times i wanted to call the client in and tell him, hey, you should just stop cause you're fighting a losing battle (so not a litigation lawyer, i know). and there were times i also wanted to tell the client that what they did was wrong and that things would be better if they just owned up to the mistake and rectify it soonest (again, so not a litigation lawyer). there came a point that i hated every minute so much that i -- gasp! -- actually told some friends that i didn't want to be a lawyer anymore ... that i just wanted to be, say, an office worker who didn't have to think about her job the moment she left the office. then, one august evening, i got this text about a job. i sent my resume ASAP, got an interview ASAP, and got an offer. the only downside: the take-home pay was much smaller than i was used to. so not right, and so against every single thing that someone my age should be doing. but there was one major thing: i wasn't happy anymore, and i needed something new. so i took the job. and i'm loving every single minute of it. it was everything that i wanted -- super nice officemates, coolest boss ever (that's you, jewel!!), gwapo other boss (sigh ☺), and a job that stops nagging me after 5 p.m. and, oh, i'm still a lawyer, and i'm enjoying the lawyer stuff i'm doing here -- different, but in a good kind of way. so, i don't want to stop being a lawyer anymore. i actually want to become a better lawyer!



i finally got to cross off things from my "things to accomplish in 2010" list. one was to go to HK disneyland. the other stuff include finally replacing my 20-year-old television (which i got to sell for P500 to my neighbor -- hey, it was still working, and quite well, IMHO), having my sink re-attached to the wall once more (after one year and 4 months), getting an automatic washing machine, having a working kitchen sink, and get a new laptop (okay, the last one was courtesy of my dad, but it doesn't really matter as long as things get crossed off, right?). so, while i'm not 120lbs yet (a major major thing on my list), i think i've got that part covered in 2011 (yes, i have a plan! hahaha. the best laid plans of mice and men) so i'll get back to you regarding that next year, okay?


here's the biggie, i think -- we finally have running maynilad water at home! five (yes, FIVE!!!) long years after BF waterworks stopped supplying us with water, i finally got connected to maynilad. it's lovely, oh so lovely. and, while the repairs have set me back more than i bargained (and budgeted!) for, and while there are more repairs that would have to be done (gasp, said rosa's wallet), i am still thankful that water supply is now the least of my problems. i always think that money, i can earn, water, i cannot manufacture.

there's three days of work for me -- no vacation leaves yet for this probationary employee -- but it's all good. i'm working on two projects that i want to work on, although there are unhappy stuff that i have to finish. still, it's all good. after all, before i know it it'll be new year's eve, and new year's day, and then everyone will have a fresh new start.

2011, can't wait to meet you!

a belated very merry christmas to my five readers :)

belated merry christmas everyone!

the entire week has been hectic and stressful. as some of you know, i had scheduled the plumber to come in last sunday and again on the 23rd to complete the minor repairs i wanted in my bathroom, the kitchen, and the dirty kitchen. i had thought they were minor, except that there's still stuff to be done and the list just keeps growing. i guess that's the stressful part about house ownership (or in my case, house sitting for parents who don't seem to want to sell the house but have no plans of coming back to manila). i had a major tiff with the first plumber whose only goal was to get the better of me, so i changed plumbers mid-job. the second guy was so much better - i guess he didn't have much of a choice since he works where i work too and you don't crap where you work, right? - but it turns out he was a carpenter who just knows about plumbing so that's a bit of a bummer too. still, he did a great job (at least to my limited plumbing knowledge) and he was so agreeable that i want to contract him to do more repairs around the house. well, more repairs as soon as i find the money to pay him with.

anyway, the repairs that absolutely needed to be done were completed by the 23rd, just in time for the party. funny cause while i usually hate latecomers, i wanted all of them to come late on the 23rd since i got home from a mad rush to ruins/sm/bring home theo at around 8 p.m. already and i still had to wash the dishes and cutlery we were going to use, clean the bathroom of debris, and wrap some gifts. anyway, the party started at midnight -- yes, we're a late bunch -- and ended at 5 a.m. and it was everything i hoped it would be. lots of laughter, lots of food, lots of good cheer. i'm blessed to be surrounded by amazing people, and i just can't help but be thankful that i've got these people to call my friends.

the 24th meant cleaning up after the party (a chore i don't mind now that i have lots of water, thanks to maynilad!), wrapping up more presents, and going home to my dad's family in cabanatuan. our christmas fare was lovely, except that the lady who made paella made something more akin to biko instead, which was a huge disappointment! and yesterday, we all went to bahay ni san jose, a place my tuloy thursday friends and i visited for KAP 10 which, by some miracle, turned out to be a place where my lola and aunt have been doing their own mini outreach for years. it was especially touching that the kids still remembered me, notwithstanding the very brief moment i shared with them. i just hope that i'll be able to do more for them in the future. they're sooo special, and they deserve so much more.

the plans for the next couple of days are up in the air. funny how i've always wanted to spend time away from my home during the holidays, staying either in nueva ecija or quezon city, but recently, i just want to hole up in my house. maybe it's cause my bathroom sink's finally back on the wall, or maybe cause i now have running water. maybe it's cause of the book my mom and dad sent (book 13 of the wheel of time!!!) or maybe cause my car aircon's broken. a lot of maybes.

but if there's one thing that's for sure, it's that i'm having the most wonderful holiday season ever.

sheer randomness

since i am too sleepy to come up with a coherent post, and way too many things have happened since the last time i had the energy to write a post, here's to sheer randomness and to being updated about my life, twitter style:

♥ tubero came and said he'll charge me 2,800 for labor. do i have a choice? (posted 4 days ago)

☺uh-oh ... kuya ef and tita mayu said it's too expensive. but i've already said yes! bahala na si batman (posted 4 days ago)

♪ at ace hardware, buying stuff for the repairs. learned that nipple in plumbing terms is pronounced nip-le and not ni-pol. (posted 4 days ago)

♫ paid WAY TOO MUCH for repair stuff. ugh. (posted 4 days ago)

☼at the non-st. james bazaar at cuenca. too few nice stuff for gifts. (posted 4 days ago)

☻ooooh. nine west shoes for P800. guy said it doesn't fit his wife. it fits ME! sold!! (posted 4 days ago)

♦ where's the plumber????? (posted 3 days ago)

♣ okay. nagkakalokohan na ata kami. he said additional charge is for helper and the grinder, neither of which he brough. grrr. (posted 3 days ago)

♠ back at ace. had to return stuff and buy more stuff. magastos na to masyado. (posted 3 days ago)

§ ooooh. why didn't i go to wilcon sooner? this is sheer heaven!!! (posted 3 days ago)

☺okay, end of a long day with the plumber. i hate him!!! (posted 3 days ago)

☻i wake up and guess what -- bathroom's flooded!!! fudge. (posted 2 days ago)

♥ texted plumber. his only suggestion was turn off valve. ano baaaaah??? i need him to do his work right! (posted 2 days ago)

♦ enough about my plumbing woes -- must focus on christmas party stuff. performance level na i-tech. (posted 2 days ago)

♣ emcee time! (posted 2 days ago)

♠ nyak ... best in smile na lang ang nangyari sa akin. super fail being an emcee (posted 2 days ago)

♂ we won the grand prize!!! (posted 2 days ago)

♀hi-top ... arnott's mint stuff are on sale. 50% off!!! happiness (posted 23 hours ago)

♪ off to trinoma to return the oversized throw pillow covers (posted 17 hours ago)

☺oooh. more pillows! goodbye budget. (posted 15 hours ago)

☻shower curtain ... shower rods ... my bathroom will be soo pretty, once i replace plumber! (posted 14 hours ago)

☼ oooohhh... cutlery! bought a set for the party. tee-hee. (posted 13 hours ago)

♥ okay, i've discovered source of the leak. turns out plumber didn't do his job properly. grrr. (posted 11 hours ago)

♦ finally texted plumber. told him he's kaput after the shoddy job he did. (posted 4 hours ago)

♣ gave new plumber directions to my house. keeping my fingers crossed that everything will be done by tomorrow afternoon! (posted 2 hours ago)

and there you have it. see, you don't even need a twitter account.

the string of unfortunate events has finally ended ...

... i think. and i think it ended cause i finally got to wear the gold gown.

as for how the gold gown fared, let's just cross that off my memory bank. it was an unfortunate day through and through, beginning with expensive but not-so-pretty make-up, difficulty finding a cab going to the wedding, and almost taking the mrt back to qc in a gown.

i say "almost" cause you see, the gold gown, after it was worn, wrinkled, and utilized, stopped being a curse. the wedding ended at around 8, and we anticipated how difficulty it would be to get a cab at that time. and then my friends and i thought, hey let's try the back of the hotel, and there it was, a nice taxi with a driver who didn't blink an eye when i told him where i wanted to go, a driver who didn't ask for additional payment, and a driver who didn't complain when i missed a turn and almost couldn't find my way back home.

and then that same night, right after i washed off my make-up and took off the unhappy gold gown, my aunt arrived and gave me stuff from my family abroad: the crocs i asked my mom and dad to get for me, book 13 of the wheel of time series, a lovely coach bag from my ninong, and kisses in cherry cordial and mint truffle. it was pasalubong heaven, IMHO.

yesterday, i got to work with five minutes to spare. and, although i had to practice, pass by tita mayu's house to pick up stuff i forgot, and buy prixes for our activity in tuloy, i actually arrived at tuloy just in the nick of time. this morning, an empty fx was at the corner exactly when i needed it, and i got to sit in the train after one station.

life's good. life's fun. life is finally how i want it.

finally.

why does my life feel like lemony snicket's a series of unfortunate events?

over the weekend, the martian sent me a text message. he was worried over the status message i'd posted on facebook.

i can't exactly remember what it was, but i do know i used the word tragedy. because, truly, in my mind, i'm beset with a billion and one tiny tragedies these days.

it must've been effective cause yesterday, theonoski called (yes, called!) from halfway around the world asking me if i were okay and if there was something he could do.

both were apparently worried. i guess the rosa they knew was a far cry from the puddle of helplessness that posted that status message on facebook.

unfortunately, unless either of them could whip out a fabulous gown ala cinderalla's fairy godmothers in five minutes, there wasn't really anything they could do to help.

uhm, did you ask what gown? okay, here's the backstory.

a month ago, i finally got around to bringing the fabric my friend gave me to turn into a bridesmaid's gown to kamuning. i'm the ready-to-wear kind of girl, so i'm not exactly the person who had a list of gown makers in her cellphone waiting to be called. and then the gown is in gold, not exactly my favorite color, which meant that i wasn't really into bringing the fabric to some fabulous designer to whip into a gown for me. i wanted minimal expense, minimal worries, instant gown. hence, kamuning.

my friend and i settled on this lady who came recommended and who seemed professional enough. she took my measurements, looked at the cloth provided, and assured me that she could copy the gown i showed her a picture of. she likewise promised that it would be done in time for the wedding. so i gave her all the money i had in my wallet at that time -- P800 -- as deposit for the gown. we agreed that she'd call me when i can come over and fit the gown for the first time.

a week after i gave her the cloth and the deposit, she called me to confirm when the gown would be needed. i lied and said december 8. and then i asked, will it be done by then? and she said, yes.

so i waited. and i waited. and i waited some more. until it was december 6 and i sent her a text message asking when i could get the gown.

her reply should've sent a bazillion warning bells cause she was like, what gown? what color? what design? we exchanged several text messages, and she even called me once, cause she couldn't find/remember the gown that i was talking about. and then at around lunch time, she called and asked for my waistline.

more warning bells.

long story short, she assured me the gown would be ready. so i was calm. i said, i'd pick it up wednesday.

but then wednesday came and she called and claimed that she forgot i was going to pick it up and she'd left for the day to visit a client so can i pick it up the following day instead?

oh--kay .... warning bells, warning bells, warning bells. felt like i was inside the carillon.

thursday, she called again. she was going to be out, can she just deliver the gown to me. i said, bring it over to the office. but then she replied, uhm, i'll be late, like 8 pm. i'll bring it to your house.

my boss then said, ask her to bring it to my house. so i gave her my boss' address, and i waited, and waited, and waited for a text to arrive from my boss saying that the gown is there.

by 9pm, i couldn't wait any longer. so i texted modista again. 11 p.m. pa daw. i said, no, bring it over to the office tomorrow.

friday. it was the point of no return. this lady better deliver or i'd be dead. i texted first thing in the morning and she replied saying she got detained by a customer so she'd be a little late. by lunch time, she still wasn't around, so i texted again. she called and said, could i pick it up, she was busy.

i blew up. i demanded that she bring it ASAP cause it was her fault that everything was so delayed already. i confronted her by asking if she really had the gown ready cause it seemed as if she were stalling.

the gown finally arrived at 4 p.m. she basically handed it over to me and she ran away. without getting the balance of her payment.

that's the only good thing -- cause the gown was tiny. as in five inches too tiny. as in even if i did not eat for five days i still wouldn't fit inside the gown. as in i wouldn't fit in the gown even if i cut off my boobs.

long story short: i scoured baclaran for solutions. the following day, i was able to bribe a man into making an entirely new gown for me. i had to find tela and the closest available tela was a shade too light. i don't care. it would either be that or cut off a boob.

and we all know how expensive it is to cut off a boob. even more expensive than growing a boob.

i hope they'll just photoshop my dress to make it the same shade as the other bridesmaids. i hope no one will notice. i hope it'll be fine even if they notice. and if someone would ask me why my gown is a shade different, then i'll tell bore them with this story.

but wait -- where's the series of unfortunate events?
well:
1. my faucet broke.
2. my pipes burst.
3. my key broke.
4. my car battery died.
5. my car aircon will cost me 12.5k.
6. my window is broken cause i had to break in when i left my house keys inside my car which was parked 33kms away.

a gold (gold!!!) gown being five inches too small being delivered five days before a wedding ... well, that just kills me.

i dream of circles

... or more accurately, of the buffet at circles ☺

a long time ago, hotel buffets were just an offshoot of overnights with tita celia at various hotels. breakfast buffets meant all the bacon and corned beef i could eat, not to mention all the lovely fresh orange juice and waffles with whipped cream.

and then i worked for justice mpc, who loved to eat (but had a waistline way smaller than mine, so hateful, i know!). one day she told us she'd feed us at spiral, this fabulous (then) new buffet at sofitel.

what can i say? the world was never the same again. i fell in love with every single thing i shoved into my mouth. i remember being so full already, but then i spied pumpkin soup, so i ate once more, rationalizing the act by saying that the warm soup will melt all the stuff i had already eaten, thereby assisting me in the digesting process.

she fed me there again after i helped her with her mom's 80th (or was it 75th? 70th?) birthday party. but then she discovered more restaurants to bring us to, and that was the last time i stepped inside spiral (woe is me).

i switched jobs in 2008 and it came as a major surprise when, on my second day, the receptionist informed me that they will be having a welcome dinner for me at heat. oooohhh... i have had breakfast there, but never dinner. i was excited, and took it as a sign that i had made the right decision switching jobs.

but, boo-ness, since after that dinner, we never ate anywhere swanky again.

so i moved jobs again (no, there's no correlation between buffets and the jobs i accept) and what do you know ... my boss willingly adds to the december meeting budget and takes everyone to buffet at circles.

ooooohhhh. i can imagine it now.

steak.

lobster.

shrimp.

dessert.

more steak.

oysters.

prosciutto ham. (i hope)

more dessert.

maybe pumpkin soup.

and even more steak and more dessert.

i've got less than 24 hours to go. while i'm busy working, my mind is floating where no diet has gone before.

say it with me.

steak. oysters. dessert. shrimp.

i need a hero

yes, i am independent. i am able to do minor plumbing repairs.

and, yes, i know enough not to panic when the battery in my car runs out because motolite is just a phone call away.

and, so what if my key has broken in half? a side trip to ace hardware and some fidgeting with a scredriver and philips will give me a spanking brand new front door lock in no time.

i am an independent woman who thinks she can do it all.

except yesterday, i left my house keys in my car. and my car happened to be in the office parking lot. so, a trike ride away from the house, i began dreading the inevitable -- how the heck am i going to get inside me house?

i texted pazi, who panicked along with me. and i texted dek, who asked me what'll i do now. i didn't even text person x -- i knew him well enough to know he won't be able to do anything.

in the end, i texted my ultimate knight in shining armor. he's the friend who would wake up early in the morning to bring me and my family to the airport. he's the friend who'd not only lend me his maid to ensure my house gets cleaned big time at least once a year, but would also buy new drill bits when i borrow his old ones (not to mention buy screws and the thingee you insert into the holes you make with your drill so the screws will have something to hold on to). he's the friend who'd bring you home when you're car-less (and even when you're just too lazy to drive) and would listen to you repeat the same story twelve million times without telling you "oh, i've heard that already."

so my knight in shining armor arrived, and we climbed two gates and broke one window in tandem (yes, i make an awful damsel in distress -- i had to be in on the adventure with him) so that we could finally get inside the house. it was embarassing enough to have been pretending all this time to be an independent woman only to call him when the going gets tough, it was even worse that he had to see the gubat that i had allowed to grow on the path on one side of my house, as well as my laundry gaily swinging in the breeze. and let's not even get to the part where i climbed said gates in a dress -- i'm just thankful that i left my four-inch heels at work and commuted home in my crocs. otherwise, a lawyer in heels and pearls climbing up her home's two gates would've been truly tragic.

my knight in shining armor, in true hero fashion, even suffered a minor injury along the way. but, ever gallant, he brushed it off and said, it'll be fine in a bit. i hope it is much better now ... we can't have knight in shining armor getting tetanus or something like that.

the night ended with a much needed trip to secret goto place, and major laughs about the "tragedies" i seem to get myself into all the time. in the end, i promised to duplicate my keys and leave a copy where they'll be easily accessible (translation: with knight in shining armor, of course). hopefully, with that done, i won't have to go through the trouble of scaling walls and braving crazy growing plants in the dark.

then again, if something like this happens again, well, i know who i'm going to call. and it ain't going to be the ghostbusters.

*image from http://www.cartoonstock.com/

the weekend that was

after a bazillion fights, a million late nights, and thousands of meetings later, 4 december 2010 finally arrived. it was KAP10 finally.

31 centers, with a contingency of anywhere from 5 to 36 kids plus 2 to 4 coordinators each, 200++ volunteers, and almost a hundred guests. there was an opening program, arts and skills competitions, peryahan, sports, talentadong pinoy, and an afternoon cultural show. everyone arrived looking half asleep at 6 am, and everyone left looking just about dead at 6 pm. it was a wild and crazy day. but if i were to sum up the entire day in one word, it was FUN.

it so hard to put into words the chaos that led to the day itself, and the chaos that was the day itself. let me just say then that it's finally over, a lot of kids were made happy in a span of twelve hours, and finally, life can go on.

and for me, that means buying christmas presents, getting the house in order, finally contacting the plumber to get my bathroom and kitchen ready for the christmas party at home, getting my car fixed, attending a wedding where i'll do the first reading, be the program emcee, and be a bridesmaid for the nth time, and emceeing the office christmas party.

on early mornings, late nights, and physically hitting someone in between

when i started with this company, i told myself, i'll be a model employee. i'll arrive on time, i'll ensure everything gets finished before the deadline, and i'll go way beyond what is expected of me.

and of these three, being early requires the most effort from me. i'm not an early bird, neither am i a night owl. i'm the person who'd sleep every chance she gets, and lists down "sleeping" as one of her hobbies. so for some reason, i've always taken jobs that would allow me to work flexi-time, or at least one that wouldn't require me to time in and time out every day.

until now. while one of the perks of my position is that i don't get deductions for tardiness (or at least i believe it's one of the perks, i've never tested it yet), i have to ideally be in by 8 am.

that's everyday. from monday to friday.

and oh, my work is in qc. and i live in las pinas. that's 28.5 kilometers. with traffic.

since driving almost 60 kilometers (roughly the distance from my house to tagaytay) every single day with all the maynilad diggings and skyway construction and holiday traffic isn't exactly something that i relish, i've taken to riding the mrt. as a girl, i get to ride the first car which is generally less stressful than taking the cars with mixed genders. but getting to the mrt requires a trike ride then an fx ride then a bus ride, then a 300 meter walk, before i actually get to board the train. and once i get to my stop, i have to walk around a kilometer before i can finally place my finger on the machine that'll log my arrival at work.

on my first month at work, i did great. i even arrived an hour before work starts on my first two days of work. and, while it went downhill from there, i arrived before 8 every single working day of october.

which isn't what i could say for november. 3 lates. or 4. i can't exactly remember. one happened though on the day my key broke.

so come december 1, i said i'd aim for a no-late record once more. except that the first day of the month happened to fall on a wednesday, baclaran day. and the diggings in the area have begun to cause major traffic. so, notwithstanding the lead time i had, i was five minutes behind schedule by the time i got to the mrt.

thus, it should be quite understandable if i was not only impatient with, but downright furious with this group of guys who attempted to cut in line in front of me. when they wouldn't take the hint with "excuse me, may pila po," i resorted to violence.

yes, violence. i actually pushed-hit the guy cutting in front of me and shoved him aside. and i did not mince any words at all. i did not curse, but i think telling someone how he is uneducated and hindi na aasenso is equally stinging.

i'd like to defend myself and say that i'm under a lot of stress, with KAP obligations and with my former firm still asking me to do stuff. plus it's less than a month till christmas and i haven't even begun shopping. but ultimately, i really have a short temper, and it's even shorter these days, and yesterday, as i was mulling over the sheer inefficiency of this person who shall not be named, the guy cut in front of me ... and i snapped.

i arrived three minutes - THREE MINUTES!!! -- late for work, and there being no grace period in our employee handbook, i was late, late, late. so much for being a model employee for november.

so there, i almost had an early start, and i physically hurt someone to ensure i got to work on time.

as for the super late night, let's just say i finished up at work a little before 11 p.m. and got home half past twelve. as to what happened on my trip home, that's the subject of yet another post.