The World of Second Chances

Reason, Season and Lifetime

January 8, 2010

Life & Love

I feel bad when people dear to me lose
connection with me. I know that even the greatest
relationship can be strained due to a lot of reasons
like distance, lack of communication and shifting
interests.

Somebody wrote that people come to our life for
a reason, a season and a lifetime and that we should
be grateful that they came to our life whether
it’s for a reason, a season and a lifetime.

Instead of feeling bad about some friends who no
longer want my connection, I am grateful that they
were there during the lowest point in my life. It’s
time to move on and make new friends that will
hopefully be there with me for a lifetime.
Ala Paredes as Sketch Artist on Ampatuan Trial

January 6, 2010

Life & Love

A year ago and randomly, I thought of Ala Paredes. She’s the daughter of one of APO Hiking Society’s singer, Jim Paredes. Just very randomly, I asked myself where this pretty and curly-haired young lady is. From what I remember, she used to be a MTV VJ and an endorser of a shampoo brand. I used to read her blogs, too at her personal website.

I didn’t expect that I would see her on TV last night. According to the news, the 26 year-old lady is just on vacation from Sydney, Australia. Twenty-six? Time flies so fast, indeed. No, she’s not in town to shoot for another shampoo commercial. She’s not in town to endorse a political candidate. She is in town because a judge(?)-friend asked her to be the sketch artist of the Ampatuan trial.

Ala probably wants to embark on a career in the Philippines but from what I expect of her, she could be an effective talk show host like my idol Ms. Daphne Oseña-Paez. (Daphne broke my heart when she left Proudly Filipina. =[ )
Maguindanao Massacre On DVD

January 5, 2010

Life & Love

Gross! That’s how I feel about it. It is reported that some DVD vendors are selling the Maguindanao Massacre for PhP100. It reportedly contains the burying of the victims’ cadaver. Who exactly videotaped the incident and how the DVD leaked is still a puzzle. I can understand the evilness of the one who videotaped it as he is (and all the rest who participated in the killing) Satan incarnated. From the start, we know how they are capable of hurting and killing people. What I do not understand is how some people, the vendors and suppliers, are making profit at other people’s misery. These people, (the victims of the massacre), were harassed, tortured, mutilated, maybe even raped and murdered much worse than an animal. These suppliers and vendors are not empathic with the victims’ family. Then they would claim that they are just making money to earn a living? Oh, well…making money at other people’s misery.
Christmas Memories

December 19, 2009

Wedding & Family Life

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos

I belong to a religious group where Thanksgiving is celebrated instead of Christmas. For 31 years of my life, I used to celebrate Christmas with my family and childhood friends. I celebrated Christmas even if it’s just for socialization’s sake. What is so magical about Christmas? Isn’t it that the early pagans are the ones who first celebrated this supposedly holy occasion?

Ah, let me regress through the times that I celebrated Christmas with my family and friends.

The year was mid-80’s. I was in 3rd grade when I received a total of 700 pesos as Christmas gift. It was a big amount at that time. I was able to buy a new pair of Mighty Kid shoes because of that. It’s good to have generous relatives during Christmas. =)

When financial crisis hit our family in the late 80’s, I saw my mother’s worried face three weeks before Christmas. I overheard her talking with my father.

“Magpapasko na wala pang damit ang mga bata,” she said. (It’s about Christmas, the kids don’t have new clothes yet)

It was our hardest and poorest Christmas. Thank God, my father was able to get a commission a week before Christmas.

Early 90’s, when money flowed in like flashflood, was the first time that my brother and I got our first signature clothes and shoes. It was also the time when I realized that having signature items would not make me a bigger person especially if the people around me are not aware of what’s original or what’s fake. (Like hello, everyone can have fake LV’s but only a few can tell which is fake and which is not fake!)

My relatives from my mom’s side love to eat. We get together every Christmas and we just eat and eat and eat! Oh, I almost forgot that our family had Noche Buena.

My saddest Christmas was sometime in late 90’s when I pleaded hard to my daughter’s father to please stay with us and don’t go home yet to his parents in the province. It was so sad a Christmas that until now that I no longer celebrate it, I still feel that pain whenever I remember that day.

There was a time when an ex-lover and a current lover would race to give me a call at 12:00 AM or Noche Buena. I should be happy to have two men “fighting” over my attention and affection but the joy was superficial. Who wants to deal with an ex who could not move on and a current who competes with my ex?

Of course, pre and post-Christmas parties with my friends were one of the most memorable. My childhood friends are like my brothers and sisters; I can be my true self when I’m with them.

Christmas or should I say, December 25 would never be the same without my mother who passed away last May 2009. Generally, our home at the province will never be the same without her around. If there is one wish that God would give me, I would ask Him to tell my mother that her kare-kare is still the best. That her crema de fruta is what I can’t replicate. That her hundreds of godchildren appreciate her small tokens. That she doesn’t need to bother giving me Christmas presents. That she is still the BEST mother in the world.

*now I am crying*
Punta De Fabian

December 17, 2009

Travel

Punta De Fabian is an inland resort located in Baras, Rizal. Travel time is 90 minutes from Aurora Boulevard, Cubao. There are other alternative routes to explore though.

Dubbed as the resort where the “water meets the sky,” the place’s serenity is ideal for team building and business planning. Oh, I came there for business planning. (Thanks to my boss who brought me there.)

The things that I look for in a resort are the following:
Note: Ratings are the following:
5-excellent 4- good 3- fair 2- poor 1- very poor

1. Nice staffs – In Punta de Fabian, I had no bad encounter with their staffs. They are friendly and courteous. It seems like their management trained them well in pleasing customers; not one of them can be seen frowning.
Rating – 5

2. Accomodation – The rooms are spacious. Hot shower is available. There is cable TV. There’s complimentary bottled water and hot tea/coffee. But I was looking for a bar. Okay, maybe a bar is somewhat a luxury but what about a telephone so that I can order for food without bothering to walk from the hotel/cottage to the resort’s restaurant? The intercom was not working. What will happen if there’s an emergency? The bed is a little hard and the blanket, so thin so I requested for a comforter.
Rating- 2

3. Food- I am so much into Filipino foods and my palate usually craves for salty and sweet foods. I don’t know if Punta is into American cooking: less salt and less sugar. Personally, I didn’t appreciate their food save it for the very delicious clubhouse that they served at snack.
Rating- 3

4. Security- I wonder how Punta takes care of gatecrashers because I didn’t see much security personnels in the vicinity. The two swimming pools don’t have a lifeguard.
Rating- 1

5. Ambience- The ambience is definitely a “5.” You can see the Laguna de Bay while drinking coffee at the terrace. The air is unpolluted. The ambience reminds me of Tagaytay.
Rating- 5
Ikaw Sana

December 8, 2009

That’s Entertainment

I’ve never been a fan of tele-serye until I got hooked on GMA 7’s “Ikaw Sana.” Let me just clarify that I am not a fan of Jennylyn, Mark and Pauleen; I just learned to love their tele-serye.

Pauleen, in “Ikaw Sana” plays the role of Sophia Montemayor-Olivares. She is Eliza’s (Jennylyn) wicked half-sister. Like a true tele-serye that’s full of drama, the two women fell for the same guy, Michael Olivares (Mark). I’ve never appreciated Pauleen Luna’s acting skill until she played the role of Sophia. Pauleen can internalize and feel her role well. I wonder why she was not given any heavy drama role before. I can’t think of any actress who fits the role of the evil socialite Sophia than the pretty Pauleen Luna.

Mark needs to look matured as he’s still baby-faced; he can still be paired with younger actresses like Ynna Asistio. There’s no question that the Jennylyn-Mark loveteam is one of GMA’s bankable team. The couple (Jen and Mark) has evolved from portraying teenybopper to matured roles. There is chemistry between Mark and Jen. I wonder why Mark and Jen didn’t end up with each other in real life!

Jennylyn has grown prettier since her Starstruck days. I no longer read bad publicities about Jen and I hope that her reported mood swings won’t happen again. She is lucky because GMA gave her another chance after that unplanned pregnancy that gave her a very cute Alex Jazz.

Tirso Cruz (Gener Montemayor,father of Sophia and Eliza) and Maritoni Fernandez (Loretta Montemayor, wife of Gener and mother of Sophia) are seasoned actors and I think everybody appreciates the way they deliver their character. But honestly, my favorite is Ms. Marissa Delgado as Amanda Montemayor, the grandmother of Sophia and Eliza. Marissa is one classy lady that can effectively portray the role of a high-society matriarch. I always wait for her tarayan scenes with Maritoni Fernandez, who is also a classy lady and a LADY in real life. She is a daughter of a British aristocrat, Lord Anthony Moynihan.

Love, revenge and family issues; that’s “Ikaw Sana.”
Postpartum Calorie Watch

December 5, 2009

Life & Love

caloriewatch

If you are calorie-conscious like me, I am sharing with you the attachment that I downloaded from the net several years back.

On December 10, my baby boy will turn three months. That means that next week would be my third postpartum month! While I am among the very few mothers who didn’t gain too much weight during my pregnancy, I belong to the several many who find it hard to resume to our pre-pregnancy figure. Oh, don’t get me wrong that I have the same body type as Nicole Kidman or our local Aubrey Miles who were able to lose several pounds after giving birth. Nicole was said to be back to her pre-pregnancy figure two weeks after giving birth. As for Aubrey, she was proudly parading her post-pregnancy body during a lingerie modelling show some two months ago. If these women were able to shed several post-pregnancy pounds in less than a year, then why can’t the “several many” do the same?

I made a commitment to myself that I’m going to bring back my college days figure. It’s depressing to hear from college acquaintances that I’ve grown big. An old college friend told me not to mind those insensitive people.

“You’re not that big. You were just anorexic in college,” she would say.

Yeah, I was underweight in college. Blame that to those skinny fashion models! Lol!

I know in my heart that I could never bring back my old college figure. I gained weight after college and fortunately,
I didn’t gain a lot of weight during my second pregnancy. I’ll just have to change my idea of “how thin is thin and how fat is fat” and adapt it to my age.