26

And so my birthday month of May is almost coming to a close, and for a change I’m being [just] a little bit discreet as to how my birthday turned out. But let me tell you this much - it was one happy birthday celebrated in the company of new friends over tons of noodles and dumplings at the heart of Binondo. And of course, mom's bestest spaghetti just never disappoints.

Now I’d like to share my so-called 26 - realizations during the past quarter-life-and-a-year which I learned, be it the hard or easy way.

26. The fastest way by which I got used to wearing my 3-inch heels was to walk around SM MOA for two hours wearing them. By the third hour, walking around in them seemed a lot more natural.

25. Always keep a pair of flesh-colored band-aid ready in the bag coz you'll never know when your feet could use one.

24. A fat wallet with cold cash is a lot better than a stash of gold credit cards.

23. Concealers are the bestest cosmetics invented ever!

22. There's a HUGE difference between being MESSY and being MESSED UP.

21. The thumb, as restless as it gets during a texting frenzy, could do more serious damage than an actual slap on the face.

20. Playing a catchy song in your head while crossing the street helps in walking a little more gracefully than usual.

19. Guys and male ego are as inseparable as girls and gossip.

18. Remember the saying, "This, too, shall pass."? Well, it really DOES.

17. Once you graduate from the university, you realize that finding your place in the big world is harder to figure out than the most complex math theory.

16. It's not entirely true when people say they wouldn't change a thing about the past; there would be at least 5 things you wish you have/haven't done in an average lifetime.

15. The hardest part of a breakup is not actually the exact moment that you guys call it quits; it’s the morning after and the days that follow when you're forced to relate the demise of your relationship to at least a dozen friends and acquaintances who ask the same question - "What happened?"

14. People often blame it on the booze. Well, you might as well blame it on the raging hormones, too.

13. Being like most of the crowd will earn you acquaintances; accepting others for who they are and not minding your differences will earn you friends; accepting who you are and what you're worth will earn you self-respect.

12. Your most beautiful smile was when you were but a little child - so unaffected and true.

11. Each one has got that something - even if it's just one little thing - that makes all of us worthy of being loved.

10. There's no such course as How To Be The Bestest Girlfriend 101.

9. There's no such course as How To Be The Bestest Boyfriend 101.

8. There's no such thing as a perfect relationship; there's only what you call a relationship that works.

7. So how do you know that you've done your part in a relationship? It's when the time comes when all else fail yet you're never haunted by that ugly feeling of guilt and regret.

6. What-ifs are inevitable. After all, you can't have it both left and right or both black and white.

5. I can't blame anyone for not liking me and vice versa.

4. Ironically, the deepest shit you get yourself into could very well bind your family together at its strongest.

3. By all means, stalk your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend after a painful breakup. God knows when, but you'll eventually wake up one day and realize that you don't miss him/her anymore.

2. Life really DOES go on.

1. Life is good.

So there. It may not be much, plus I'm sure others will most likely disagree with some of the things I've mentioned. Still, I'm sharing it anyway. It's not that I'm trying to sound wise or anything; it's just that I'm at that point where I can't help but slightly look back on how the last 26 years have been. So far it's been far from perfect, plus it was never a charmed life since day 1. But nevertheless life has been fair and pretty good for me. Hopefully, so will the next 26 years ahead.

Cheers! ^_^

Song For Letty

Every year on Mothers’ Day, blogs that pay tribute to all the mothers of the world pour down on the net like cats and dogs. This year, however, I’m gonna deviate a little from the usual narratives and prose that give praises to the most important woman in my life and post the lyrics of the song “Mama” by the Spice Girls instead. Now, I know there are tons of songs for mothers by various artists out there – some with far more touching lyrics and meanings. But this particular song comes way too close to the very words I would want to say to my mum, if only she’d take the patience to learn the internet and read this blog. Haha! But seriously, quarter life can teach you a LOT of things, and the last twenty-five years hasn’t exactly been a perfectly smooth sail for me and my relationship with mum. Still, I’d like to think that in some ways I ACTUALLY grew up and began to see things in a more, err, mature perspective. And just as the song goes, “But now I see through your eyes…”

Simply Letty

My mother’s eyes, that is. ^_^

Mama (Spice Girls)

She used to be my only enemy and never let me be free
Catching me in places that I know I shouldn’t be
Every other day I crossed the line I didn't mean to be so bad
I never thought you would become the friend I never had

Back then I didn't know why
Why you were misunderstood.
So now I see through your eyes
All that you did was love.

Mama I love you; Mama I care.
Mama I love you; Mama my friend.
You're my friend.

I didn't want to hear it then but I'm not ashamed to say it now
Every little thing you said and did was right for me
I had a lot of to think about, about the way I used to be
Never had a sense of my responsibility

Back then I didn't know why
Why you were misunderstood.
So now I see through your eyes
All that you did was love.

Mama, I love you; Mama, I care.
Mama, I love you; Mama, my friend.
You're my friend.

But now I'm sure I know why
Why you were misunderstood.
So now I see through your eyes
All I can give you is love.

Mama, I love you; Mama, I care.
Mama, I love you; Mama, my friend.


Mama, I love you; Mama, I care.
Mama, I love you; Mama, my friend.
You're my friend.
You're my friend.

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS OF THE WORLD!!!

Cheers!

Dinner Out... NOT!

Friday night. By the time the system clock on my workstation showed a minute past five thirty in the afternoon, I shut down my pc, picked up my stuff, and hurriedly logged out of the office to meet up with Sandy’s mom, whose office was just a few minutes away from ours. It’s officially the weekend. ^_^

I promised Sandy that I’d spend dinner at their place, which is like five minutes away from our house. Good thing it wasn’t pouring during the time I was out of SMART Tower; Manila weather has been annoyingly unpredictable these past few days. I was supposed to meet up with Tita Rose at the lobby of the building where her office was, and by six we were already making our way through Ayala traffic and homeward bound to Cavite. We had a brief stopover at S&R Membership Shopping along Macapagal Highway to buy pizza and some other picas and chips that’s gonna go along with dinner later on. Too bad that by the time we hit Coastal Road, the word ‘traffic’ was a BIG understatement. In other words, we spent the next hour stuck in slow-moving traffic until, thank heavens, we finally arrived at their place around eight thirty. Boy, was I sooo hungry! Later on, I found out that we had other company for the evening – Tita Rose’s other siblings, Kay (Sandy’ cousin), and Uncle F (short for Uncle Francis). They were going to watch the Pacquiao-Hatton rerun on video. So, while they were going ga-ga over Pacquiao as if they were watching a live feed via satellite, the three of us (together with Kay) stayed out into the veranda to have pizza, chips, soda, and ice-cold San Mig Strong Ice. Best thing was, the night sky finally cleared up – a good sign that, at least for the meantime, the rain ceased to pour. Some dinner, eh?

Tsinitas

It was a fun and relaxing chillax for the three of us; I was sooo hungry that I helped myself into three huge slices of pizza. Oh, and the San Mig Strong Ice just never disappoints. I would’ve stayed longer, but I had photography class in Manila the next day so I had to refrain from too much of the booze lest I’d sleep off the rest of next morning and miss the workshop. Something tells me that there will be lots more sessions like this to come up soon. It’s really nice to be touching base with Sandy her groovy mom after all these years. I’ve missed my gurl, plus their house has always been something of a second home for me – then and now. ^_^

A So-Called Rat Race

Who haven’t seen the latest TVC of Senator Mar Roxas riding a pedicab somewhere in the metro that’s being driven by thirteen-year old boy who dreams of becoming a seaman and his little kid sister who excitedly blurts that she wants to be an artista? Later we hear the senator in blue, touched by the kids, utter the infamous lines,

“Anak, itabi mo. AKO na…”

The TVC closes with the senator doing his own version of pedicab padyak along with the rest of the padyak gang behind him.

Kinda funny, actually. Funny and a bit pathetic, if you ask me.

The upcoming Philippine presidential election does not commence until May of 2010, and already those so-called presidential wannabe’s are making their intentions of joining the race to the highest seat of power pretty clear by using the most effective means of mass communication in today’s era – the television a.k.a. audiovisual media. If I remember correctly, there’s one who stresses the country’s need for reform and to fight crime and poverty; there’s one who keeps on emphasizing how he used money from his own pocket to help out OFW’s in distress; of course there’s the padyak-themed TVC; and the most recent one comes from a local mayor of one of the prosperous cities in Manila.

*Sigh*

The so-called election fever is slowly creeping in, and as early as now there is almost a sure roster of presidential candidates up for the race.

To run and not to run...

Take your pick! :)