If you missed my previous post... read HERE. But if you already know the story then you may proceed. Check this out, ladies and gentlemen.



He went inside our car again tonight! But this time, I memorized the phone number of the police so I called them immediately, although it took some time for them to respond because they had a "situation" they had to take care of (a public fight between husband and wife somewhere in the Plaza). *rolls eyes* ... And so Noodle Boy "forced" him out of the car because the old man smelled so bad. I swear. It's indescribable. *shudders* So he went to our neighbor's garage instead. He couldn't open their Suzuki so he went and made himself comfortable inside the open jeep.

Some of the people around the neighborhood said he destroyed a monitor in one of the cars parked around here. And this morning this guy was also seen trying to get inside a truck parked around the corner. I guess that explains all the tools (screwdrivers, etc) that were in his pocket! Geez, that guy is carrying weapons!!! Okay, maybe not that kinda weapons but still, what if he goes crazy and starts stabbing people with screwdrivers?! WTF!


It's like deja vu; only the type that you don't want happening again. A passerby even stopped at the scene tonight and affirmed that he was also "victimized" by this uncanny burglar homeless guy. According to a guy, he said the old man is the one who took the two rosaries from his car... Hmm. So that explains all the rosaries he's got around his neck! And guess what? That's Joenel's helmet he's wearing diay!



And the sad part... the police STILL didn't do anything. They just let the guy walk away... again.


Can you say, OMGWTFBBQ?! This guy needs to be taken out of our streets! As in, NOW NA! Or this won't be the last time we'll be seeing him... Part 3 maybe? Gosh, I hope not.

Hoy, ORMOC CITY! Do something na oi!

If you're looking for information or eye candy to satisfy your filthy mind, you're not getting it here. Shoo! Go away, you pervert. I am blogging this entry because I think I've had the worst PMS of my life for the past few days and because it's that time of the month now, I am very, very emotional right now. ~_~ However, isn't it a wonder when boobs suddenly become a cup larger? I've become a C.. or almost a D now! Did you know that women have PMS once every month so that they can act like men do the rest of the month? Tee hee. I kid, I kid.


See? Even Noodle Boy had to make a remark.

I think I watched Miley Cyrus' The Last Song at a very wrong time. I got really emotional and all last night but I just can't resist watching movies set in small towns because I would always imagine it to be just like good ol' Ormoc City. And for a change of scenery, I also watched Sex And The City (Part 2). I know I'm really late in watching these flicks but I can't help it. I don't like going to the movies anymore because first of all, the "only" theatre in town does not really give me a cinematic experience and secondly, I think it stinks (literally!). So I would rather wait for an HD release or better yet, a Blu-Ray copy, so I can have total immersion on whatever movie I want to see in the comfort of SALA Lounge + Café. ^_^

Anyways, speaking of small towns, you really can't avoid any controversy and drama when you live in one. I mean, it's sort of given, you know. You live in a small town... and people talk... even before you actually do anything. What's worse than that? I'll tell you what. Growing up in a small town AND WATCHING SEX AND THE CITY ON HBO! I mean, seriously... I had raging hormones during that time those episodes aired on TV. What was I supposed to do!? On Tuesday nights, my girl friends and I would watch the show religiously and wonder what it is actually like to be independent, liberal, and highly opinionated women? Intimidating maybe but truly admirable. But what if you're in Ormoc City and you are just like that? Not a chance! However, crazy (and stubborn) as I am, I tried to give it a go... plus I was coming of age. Can you honestly blame me?

When you're a twenty-something, playing with fire is like a drug. You know you have to stay away from it but it draws you toward it like light to a black hole. Some are strong enough to resist it, but others are like moths to a flame. And when people start talking, it can get blown out of proportion even if you didn't actually get burned. It can get so far out that even I didn't get an exemption. I actually passed the Civil Service Exam (on my first take!) when I took it while I was working as the appointments secretary and the city mayor's speechwriter before I graduated college. I could have worked as a regular government employee should I have agreed to my mom's offer since she was in fact Human Resource Manager of the local government unit that time and I had my qualifications. But I declined. For reasons that I cannot think I would survive in a place where "chismis" is the absolute food for thought. And worse, I could become the "pulutan" of their gossip.

Now I don't really want to talk about past controversies and scandals in detail here because I'd like to keep people wondering what really happened. People around here can't mind their own business, so I'd like to keep the mystery. HAHA! The only thing left to do back then was skip town. So I ran away from it... Big deal! So what? *rolls eyes* It was too annoying to be around people who were nice to you in your face and then gossip behind your back all the time. It was tiresome. I get anonymous text messages! And I didn't want to endure all the "Tupperware" treatment from everyone. I needed to be in a place where nobody would give a shit about the things I do.

A trip to the US after my college graduation was in order and what better way to get away than head to the city that never sleeps. Hello, New York! Yes, I was in the Big Apple 6 years ago and I am definitely going back for more.


So now my last song syndrome is Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind Part 2 (what's with all the sequels?) and this version really blew me away.



The song also made me miss New York so much. Hence, the blog. I'll be sure to go back and visit NYC with Noodle Boy someday, but I think I can't actually live in a place like that. Life is too fast there and I'm really not cut out for that.

After watching Sex And The City 2, I had mixed emotions. Suddenly for a moment, I missed being "single" but more importantly, I am now even more excited to be married and I no longer want to go to Abu Dhabi or the Middle East anymore (just because it's too conservative there and I don't want to go to jail for exposing some skin). LOL! One thing I never learned from the movie over all these years was how to be a fashionista. It has never occurred to me nor did it ever cross my mind to sacrifice comfort for style. Although I'd love to have those Manolo Blahniks one day (if I can afford it). I'm quite happy with my jeans, tee shirts, and flip flops. Thank you.

Anyways, If you haven't seen the movie, maybe it's about time you should. In fact, Noodle Boy watched it with me even though he is absolutely clueless about SATC and cannot possibly follow the story of Carrie and the girls. I asked him why he watched it and why didn't he fall asleep. He said, "It's fun watching you get excited with your eyes becoming all wide and you with that silly grin on your face." As much I wanted to slap him in the face because he's making fun of me when I am emotionally unstable because of my period, Noodle Boy is just too sweet. He loves me... and I love him. Gosh, you should see his face when he watches me eat. HAHAHA! Well, okay, maybe not. That's just for me to see. Tee hee.



By the way, before I go let me congratulate Bebidas on their 5th Anniversary!!! ***HIGH FIVE***


xoxo,

Around Christmas time last year, my friend Claire asked me to get her a white Macbook. I told her it wasn't a good time to buy it because there's a new model coming out and well, if you're familiar with Apple, you know what happens when there's a product upgrade. Cheaper prices, much better features coming up next, etc... so she waited.

Summer came and she asked me again if prices have gone down or if it was time to buy one. I told her... "Wait for it..." 

Then a few days ago I told her about the education promo and told her it was such a good deal. So we finally bought one.

With all the waiting and anticipating, I present you Kleng and her new macbook (which she hasn't given a name yet!)...





That's an ear to ear smile she got there! See what I mean? Oh, the joy! And the unboxing scents... ahhh, it's heaven. I just love the smell of Apple products first time out of the box. I mean, doesn't everyone? ;)



It's the new model, almost the same specs as my Mickey! And better battery life, too! Booo!



Oh, the pleasure of helping out somebody make a switch to Apple. HAHAHAHA! (Spoken like a true fangirl?)


I just love showing people the way of the mac. I should work as an Apple Genius. Really. I must admit I am a convert, all because I think that a mac makes everything so easy and you get to finish your work faster... and boy, does it unleash creativity... ^_^ Plus, you gotta hand it to them. It's a work of art... it's just beautiful.

End of blog post. Time to work now. Ciao!

Tonight was a night like no other. Well, it wasn't as bad as that incident with the crazy lady back in 2008. But this was quite the adrenaline-pumping action I just needed to get the Cobra out of my system. I should stop drinking that stuff late in the day because it gives me insomnia at night.

Anyway, so tonight my yaya since I was ONE year old, who is our cook now, asked me if it was okay to let some of her relatives stay for the night since they weren't able to catch their ride back home and also they had an early appointment at the doctor because they had a sick kid with them. She had to ask for my permission since my parents were already asleep. Naturally and automatically, I agreed since I was raised as a sirado Catolico and I think my mom will be glad I practiced a corporal work of mercy tonight! You know, shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, etc...

It was fun watching them spread mattresses on the floor and camp like Girl Scouts in what used to be the bedroom of Lola (may God bless her soul).



It made me want to jump right in and tell stories under a blanket with a flashlight on.

Okay, so that was the fun part of tonight. The really messed up bit was when Noodle Boy's car alarm went off non-stop in a frenzy. He rushed outside thinking that a motorcycle must have hit it or something... Only to find out that some crazy dude went inside and tried to lock himself in. WTF?!

I rushed outside when I heard the alarm was still going off because I was worried my parents might get up and I seriously didn't want it to bother my dad since he needs to be up early for a tournament tomorrow. I think Noodle Boy's UFC skills (from playing PS3) got a hold of him and he was rather calm as he restrained the guy... BUT WITH A KNIFE!

I panicked, running back to the house and flipping over 3 phone directories looking for the number of the Police Station! WTF! I should really memorize that number. I was also yelling for Bobby, our driver, who happened to be taking a shower at the worst possible time and then I was telling everyone else who was awake to go outside and help Noodle Boy, unaware that I was also waking the neighbors up with my booming voice. That helped, okay!? So lots of people were already running outside including my aunts who heard my voice all the way from their bedroom in their house, I'm guessing, some 50 feet away.

By the time I went outside after informing the police of the situation, Noodle Boy had the door on the driver's side opened with the man on the driver's seat not moving or saying anything. Without waiting for me to ask, he said, "Buang mani siya nga tiguwang." (This is a crazy old guy.)

"How do you know that?" I asked as I made a beeline towards him. Then it hit me... Oh, the stench!!!! The crazy old man stunk like... like... I dunno... like nothing I've ever smelled before!!! Sheesh. *shudders at the thought* OMG! Then I said, "No shit, the car is gonna smell really bad!!!" Noodle Boy was giving me the squinting eye look as if to say, "You think?"

I couldn't see the man's face because he was wearing a freaking helmet!!! WHAT THE HELL!??! He was inside the car wearing a helmet! Okay, this is really crazy. Confirmed. So I stepped back to breathe some fresh Ormoc City air and heard my aunt say, "Kuhaa imo camera!" (Get your camera!) Or was it my yaya who said that? I can't really remember but I ran inside SALA Lounge + Café (yes, it's actually located beside our house, thank you very much) to get my cam.

We waited for the police to arrive because we didn't want to alarm the crazy dude since we can't possibly know what's going inside his crazy head!

A couple of minutes later, the Police arrived and so I snapped some shots.





Again, the helmet! I don't know if I should laugh or what.



Poor guy. But I mean, come on, what was he thinking? Okay, he's crazy... but what is the government or whoever is in charge with these people doing and why are they in our streets?!?



Shelter the homeless. I thought again. "But my house isn't a loony bin," said the right hemisphere of my brain. I think this is an exemption. This is way beyond me or my corporal works of mercy.





He had no shoes. :(



So I told myself, "Let the police do their jobs." And whoever else is concerned about this should definitely do something. Obviously, these crazy people are not from this part of town. I think that these are loonies who need special care or treatment and that the government (obviously since these people have been abandoned by their own families) should deal with this... you know, for obvious reasons.

Alright, that's the end of my adrenaline rush. Now, I think the Cobra has worn off and I'm hitting the sack... wondering what craziness is gonna happen next here in good ol' Cantubo.

Well, I didn't post a blog about that thief who tried to rob my aunt's store a month or two ago as it was raining pretty hard that time and it was almost 3AM. But I did manage to take a snapshot of the slippers the thief had left behind as he ran like mad when the neighbors caught him prying the door open. (I can't seem to find the picture now.) And that other incident when silly me left the electric fan in our terrace that one fateful night and somebody stole it! OMG. Someone must be in dire need of a cooling fan! Oh, please... (I'm being sarcastic here.) And where the hell are our barangay tanods? My neighborhood (or should I say the authorities?) really must look into this.

But for now, I'll go to a safer place in my dreams while I count sheeps. Goodnight, world!

When I first met Tito Rene Gacuma, who is a consultant of Guthrie-Jensen, he introduced the Birthday Problem. What is that? Well, according to Wiki:

In probability theory, the birthday problem, or birthday paradox pertains to the probability that in a set of randomly chosen people some pair of them will have the same birthday.

True enough, in our humble class of 42 students from St. Paul's School Batch '99, I share the same birthday with a good friend, April Marie Meneses. I only know of very few relatives who share the same birthday as me but having a classmate who celebrates it the same day as I do is something else. It's like having a twin, but you know, in a different kinda way. And every year during our birthday, I used to tell Ep-Ep (Shhh! She goes by that name around us!), "Hey, Ep... Happy Birthday. But you do know you'll always be older than me." Tee hee. All because she was actually born in 1982 and I was born in 1983.

Unlike most of my classmates who I've known probably since I learned how to read and write, April transferred to SPS when we were in the 5th grade.



My bestfriend back then automatically became her new BFF. I don't really remember how that happened but I'm guessing it was a case of "When BestFriends Fall Out" and then I found a new set of friends or barkadas. It was also that time when I realized that if nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. So it is true that the only constant thing in life is change.

Even our school has changed since we left SPS in 1999. They have a huge 3-storey building now.



But back then, our school was pretty small. We had only one section until we graduated high school. Everyone practically knew everybody inside and out. Like no stone left unturned, we had no secrets. We all knew our classmates' parents, memorized phone numbers and birthdays by heart, and if my memory serves me right, there's a big chance that everyone did know back then who we had crushes on and who were our first loves. (Ahem! Hi, Noodle Boy!)



During our unofficial farewell party, April and I had our picture taken together as a souvenir of the two who celebrated their birthdays on the 18th of April.



Time went by so fast and all of us went our separate ways... some left for the big universities while the others stayed in town to study in the local colleges, and then eventually some of us came back to work here. April left the country soon after she earned a Nursing degree. In my class prophecy that I wrote back in high school, I had written that she was going to be a child psychologist in 10 years' time.





Well, everything I wrote in that prophecy never came true. EPIC FAIL! But people changed alright; they just didn't change into what I had imagined them to be. Myself included.

Recently, I also found my high school slumbook while doing some spring cleaning and was amused at the stuff April had written in it. All 5 pages of it!











Until now, what's behind that envelope holds a secret that only the two of us know... Teehee.

*Sigh* Memories...

I tried to suppress most of my high school memories because I went through a lot and I'm just glad to have survived it all. I didn't see much of my classmates after SPS and we never really had a formal reunion even until now, just a handful of small gatherings whenever one of us is back in town.

But time does fly and after almost 11 years since we left St. Paul's School, guess who's back for a vacation? APRIL MARIE MENESES!!! And no, it wasn't anything like Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, April just called for a small gathering and it was just a couple of us around who showed up at SALA Lounge + Café for a mini reunion to catch up with good old friends. And when I mean, old friends, it's actually oldest friends since we've known each other for like... ever since... forever.

Noodle Boy, Joenel, and I planned a surprise for April. Although she was the one who invited everyone (as announced on our FACEBOOK group page) to come over, she didn't know we had other plans and some tricks up our sleeves.





But we didn't just prepare a welcome home banner, balloons, and colored papers, we went all out and got her a cake!!! Cute, huh?



Thank God for Goldilocks. They have just what we needed. Goldilocks truly reminds us of birthdays celebrated back in school as well as the yummy polvoron and caramel popcorn. We used to eat those during recess (and as long as we don't get caught, even inside the classroom!)... One bite of the cake and it's like we're students all over again! But you know what the best thing about the cake this time though, we got to customize it into this:



LOL! The Visayan message "Asa ang pasalubong!!" roughly translates into, "Where are our presents!!" Take note of the exclamation marks. Because we are THAT close, we get to demand our pasalubong [Tagalog word which means souvenir(s) brought for loved ones or friends]. Hehe! Onli in da Pilipins!

And then she arrived.



Although I'm not a huge fan of reminiscing the past, seeing your oldest friends, talking about changes, and having the time of your life really can't be beat.



















Everyone looks different now. Some gained weight, some lost some pounds. Some grew their hair out, some kept it short. But one thing stayed the same, we are still a bunch of people who can talk really, really loud. This is a set of people we can be with where we don't have to pretend to be somebody. It's just like being with your own family. 



Think of the Goldilocks cake, it may have changed over the years but it is a definite classic... it still tastes absolutely good! Now that's quality, baby! Memories came flooding back as soon as we tasted it, so if you're looking for that unique Pinoy flavor (especially for people who have been out of the country for a while), then Goldilocks will surely make your day. Just ask April. ;)



Now who says April and I only got one thing in common?



Also aside from being Monday Sweepers... we ended up with the same fate.




When love feels like magic, you call it destiny. When destiny has a sense of humor, you call it serendipity! What am I talking about? You see, we fell in love and ended up with our own classmates! Who says you need to go to the ends of the Earth to find Mr. Right when he has been with you all along?



There's April & Me... and then there's Noodle Boy and Enyong. Ayeee! That's a relationship change you don't see a lot happening everyday now.

With this reunion, only one song comes to mind. Here listen to this... you can sing along with the lyrics. This version is by a Filipino singer named Jed Madela.



Okay, boys and girls... This had been a long blog entry, so I better stop wasting your time now and leave you with the words of Marcel Proust... "Time, which changes people, does not alter the image we have retained of them."

 
xoxo,



P.S. Check out the new Goldilocks logo. Just like us, we changed the way we looked, we changed our addresses, we changed our goals in life, and some even changed their last names...! But we are all still the same inside... only better. Mabuhay ang Paulinians '99! Shout outs to Goldilocks! ^_^