PERSPECTIVE

Brother's All (Kuwentong Panganay):

L-R: CJ, Kuya Bo, Isay, Paul, Me

I come from a family with a diverse career background.

Our father is a farmer.

Our mother is into business.

My eldest brother, now working in Dubai, is a Chemical Engineer.

I am an employee. It sucks. With an economics degree.

My sister is all set to graduate with a pre-school education degree.

The rest of my siblings are still in high school and elementary.

Our father is like Father Abraham. He has seven kids.

Enough of the narrative.

Here's one anecdote I love to share:

Isabel (still well on her way earning a pre-school education degree): What goes up when the rain comes down?

Me (econ graduate): Prices ng vegetables. Mahirap mag-transport from Benguet and Baguio.

Kuya Bo (engineer): Flood level rises. Tingnan mo nangyari sa Marikina nung Ondoy.

My sister gawked in disbelief. Here's her punchline.

Answer: Umbrella.

Different careers. Different perspectives.

We're boring. And adorable.=)

WEEK

because i am most boring on weekdays...


Dear Weekday Self,


Sorry if I am too harsh on you.
Sorry for not keeping my promise that I will never ever put you under stress again.
I am still learning the process of learning how not to sweat the small stuff, how to pause and smell the roses and how to stop seeking how to impress he who loads my atm payroll account.
I am sorry if I am mean to you.
Waang panahon ngumiti.
Walang panahon makipagkaibigan.
Walang panahon magpabango.
Walang panahon magmahal. (naks!)
I will do my best to squeeze a little time for you. A time to just BE.


because i am too average on weekends...


Dear Weekend Self,


Please do not waste too much of your time on sleep.
I know you have a lot of snooze time to cover but think about it, you have only two days to be you.
Take a break from your weekday self.
Spend time with your family. With loved ones. With a loved one. With friends.
Spend your time on things which are impossible to do on weekdays.
Do yoga. Run. Eat. Pray. Love. Laugh. Quit on Facebook and get off that desk. Move.
You have a two-day loan to LIFE. 
Give it your all.
Pump it dry.
You like it that way. I know.


Dear Long Weekend Self,


I sorely miss you!
This son of a hero president of ours is ruining our relationship but please, we must fight it.
Let's make time.
I miss seeing your hotness on the beach (haha!), all godly in two-piece (pagbigyan!).
I miss seeing you all covered up on top of a mountain.
I miss your stories on how your drunkenness made you forget shame, how that food trip failed to un-sexy-fy you (thank you Bacud genes!), how that free fall from a cliff and dive under the ocean gave you that rush.
I miss you terribly.
And we have to meet soon.
Really soon.


All my love,


Tina

MONDAY

Because it's Monday and I'm feeling the blues, I am posting this to remind myself to loosen up a bit.

written: December 28,2010

I write this towards the end of the year, when work pace is acceptably slow and when those who spend the short days after Christmas and before New Year in the office are either hardcore workaholics or sorry newbies not yet entitled to vacation leaves.

Guilty of both charges.

I remember welcoming December feeling that if it were not for the festive anticipation of Christmas, I am 100% sure I will not survive the month.

But seriously, I have been  having thoughts of the same kind in the past months.

November 2010: I wouldn't have survived the month if it were not for the short trip to Baguio and my first shot at being a post-grad student.

October 2010: I wouldn't have survived the month if it were not for our surfing trip in La Union. Super fun.

September 2010: I wouldn't have survived the month if I do not get a job (which I eventually did towards the latter part of the month). And I would have died, had I not indulged in that solo muni-muni mode solo trip to Baler.

August 2010: I wouldn't have survived the month if it were not for my birthday =p, if not for my unplanned visit to Cagayan Valley (home!), and if it were not for our wonderful Sagada trip. But honestly, the best thing I have ever done in August, which has been my salvation for the entire year is when I quit my second job.=) I was every bit irresponsible but it was my saving grace for the rest of the year.

July 2010: I wouldn't have survived the month if it were not for our family trip to Quezon - and my first ever paycheck from my second company.

June 2010: I wouldn't have survived the month if it were not for the independence day spent lazily at home (I needed that) and if it were not for the new job I felt so excited about.

May 2010: I wouldn't have survived the month if it were not for the company bonus and the courage I mustered to finally submit to my boss my resignation letter. I loved my first company but I am nurturing some dream I could not even identify

April 2010: I wouldn't have survived the month if it were not for the holy week vacation. Long and Lazy vacation. Sometimes, it's nice to take a break from work without any agenda but to sleep. And pray. (syempre naman..=D)

March 2010: I wouldn't have survived the month if it were not for our Batangas trip. I love my friends. sobra!

February 2010: I wouldn't have survived the month if not for my busy-ness preparing for our cluster souvenir program. It required me to write and I fulfilled the responsibility with a happy heart. Words make me happy. Getting them printed makes me happy.=)

January 2010: The only month when i did not have this "I wouldn't have survived the month..."-feeling,. New Year's are promising and always radiate hope and positivity. That's why it's my favorite month of the year.=)

Read it backwards so you'll understand my 2010 life story.=p

It seems I get scooped up at every slump, picked up at every fall, painted in radiant colors at every darkness. One miracle at a time. That is how life works.

This year saw me through three companies and career shifts, major quarter life crisis, hardcore confusion, zero personal milestone to celebrate, humble attempts to explore other parts of the world (country muna pala =p) and though I have been selfish pacifying nobody else but myself - this year has shown me nothing but kindness.

And I feel happy that I am ending this year in gratitude.

To You up there, thanks for rocking my world!=)

And just like that, I feel good.=)

Super written in haste. You are free to edit.=)

PINHOLE

Playing with Pinhole Effect and all dressed down in the classy Manila Hotel.

Sana naka-costume kami.=)

Photo by Ray Andallon: Me, Farina, Rezza

MOUNT PULAG

In 2010, I signed up for a climb to Mount Pulag - the third highest peak in the Philippines, the highest in Luzon (or verify the facts nalang somewhere..=p) but it never materialized.

This year, I just haveto make it happen. Praise the Lord for my being stubborn.

They say how you spend the start of your year is how you'll spend the rest of it.

So my 2011 will be about fulfilling dreams, reaching summits and waking up to extremely beautiful sunrises.

I am not complaining.


Pictures!
(Because they tell better stories...)

Photo by Marvin Pangan: Ambuklao Dam

Photo by Marvin Pangan: Witnesses to the beautiful sunrise

Photo by Flo Clarin: Tents. We slept at the leftmost tent.

Photo by Kirk Villegas: Descent

Photo by Poltzki: At the summit

VALENTINE

Because next Monday is Valentine's Day, I thought of writing about the 25 things I look for in a special someone. Cheesy. Major source of goosebumps. So not me. But admit it, very timely.
But why 25? Not that I have a lot of criteria, it's just that I am obsessing over turning 25 years old this August and that, I thought of coming up with different set of entries that list 25 things of randomness.
Trip lang.
So here goes:


Dear Mister My-Future-Valentine,


You must have done something outrageous that made me fall for you.
I cringe at cheesiness, but with you, I'm all salty and creamy with finger-licking-good-cheese.
Lucky You.
Lucky me too.
You might have read my blog, madaya yun.
But good thing you did.


Love,
Tina


THE LIST OF 25 THINGS ABOUT MR. MY-FUTURE-VALENTINE  
(Before I start, tawa muna, haha!)


1) You are all loving and respectful of your mother. This speaks so much about how you will love me in the many years to come, not because I look like your mother nor I want to be treated the way you treat your mom (parang awa mo na!) but any man who holds his mother in such high esteem is worthy of my love.


2) You are passionate about something. Boxing, photography, art, business, motorcycles, pets, some advocacy - anything that will keep your hands off me (because I am so irresistible..haha!)


3) You are into cartoons. Or at least try to like them. You understand that your sexy other-half (aherm, as in me) likes all things childish.


4) You like the ocean. And the mountains. We like them both.


5) You don't mind jumping off a plane to try sky diving or swimming with sharks or diving some hundred feet under the sea. Because even if you are afraid to do such outrageous things, you are with someone outrageous. And that pleases you. (sorry for being so narcissistic!)


6) You have a nice surname. I love my father so much and my entire family but our surname rolls a little hard on the tongue. So if I am changing my surname with that of yours, it has to be nice.


7) You make me laugh.
8) You do not make me self-conscious.
9) You let me be. I let you be. 
10) You are very simple.
11) You are responsible.


12) You like kids. You know that it's one of my silly dreams to become a pre-school teacher. You understand that my family is composed of 80% children. You like them noisy and rowdy. You like them silent and adorable.


13) You are sexy. Syempre naman, kasi sexy din ako! haha!=)
14) You like my friends. And you super get along well with them. And they love you back.


15) You are smart. Not the I-was-an-honor student kind of smart. But someone who makes sense. Whose every word I will value.


16) For you, I am the prettiest, sexiest girl in the world. Because for me, you are the handsomest, hottest, guy in the world. I am fiercely loyal, lucky you.=p


17) You are taller or at least as tall as me. I have had enough nightmares with Jules Ledesma and Assunta de Rossi. I like to tip toe when we kiss. (shet, ang arte, haha!)


18) You like to travel. We'll travel together most of the time. But in some occasions when you feel like travelling by yourself or with your friends, it's okay. I like doing that too.


19) You tolerate coño speak and high-pitched voices. Because I sometimes do both. And I am not proud of it.


20) You like Backstreet Boys. Or at least try to like them. And if I insist that "As long as you love me", is our theme song, pare, okay lang naman sayo di ba? di ba?=p


21) You share my dreams.
22) Your text messages have "smileys" on them.=)


23) You like telling me stories about you. Not in a self-centered kind of way but in a manner which shows how much of yourself you want to share with me.


24) You like holding my hand.
25) You complete me.


Every girl has the right to dream.


Happy Valentine's Day!=)