harley.

Inverness.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:32:00 +0000

Last 23rd of May, I made a visit to ga in the UK for a short vacation. All plans were set as she planned the itinerary for 10 days, a trip to Scotland, a guided tour from Glasgow to Inverness and to the capital Edinburgh. A week after that was a trip to city of Bath Spa, a Roman conquered city in its history.

Heathrow. 13.00. Lost Baggage. I was disappointed when I cannot find my luggage where my clothes were. Authorities said that it was aboard on the next flight from Dubai and scheduled for delivery after a few hours late in the afternoon. Unfortunately, that same afternoon was our flight from the recently opened terminal 5 to Glasgow. That disappointment though did not hinder my excitement and happiness to see her. :)

Staines. 14.00. Lunch Date. I fetched ga from her office. As always, she looked stunningly gorgeous. We had a lunch at the Portuguese restaurant that we have always been fond of and talked about the lost baggage experience and the schedule for the next 10 days.

Heathrow. 18:00. Walk. Ga and I explored the newly opened terminal 5. It is quite luxurious and from the looks of the interior, no one will never notice that it is a terminal not until you see the boarding planes outside. From high street shops to popular cafes and bistros, you surely thought that it is a mall. As we wandered around the terminal, we have spotted Godiva chocolates around the corner glittering to our own eyes. Yep we bought a couple of boxes of dark chocolates, our favourite that we savour each minuscule of it.

Terminal 5.

Glasgow Central. 22.30. ScotLAND. We have indeed landed in the 2nd most populous city of Scotland. The natural breeze was chilly but the crowd that we saw did not seem to stop them from going out to attend to their gimiks. On the other hand in the middle of somewhere, the gorgeous hotel seeker and the kargador (me :) ) had their own way of gimik, exploring the area and enjoying the picturesque city while looking for directions to hotel ga had booked. That took a while before we found the hotel. We have expected the same quality of hotel where we had our very comfortable stay in London last Christmas since it carries the same name but we were disappointed, it badly needed a total revamp on everything. Anyway, it was just for a few hours before we prepared ourselves for the guided tour the following morning. :)

Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station. 10.30. The Scottish Tour. All set for our much awaited trip to the famous Highlands of Scotland. The journey took hours but we never felt the tiredness. Every bit of Scotland awed us. The mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, marshes, waterfalls, the lush green fields, wild flowers such as thistle made us appreciate more of mother nature. Days before our trip, Scotland experienced lots of rain but since Mr. Sun was so kind to accompany us in our trip hence we had a very lovely weather. :) Lakes of Scotland are known for their beauty. The very famous Loch Ness (where the mysterious sea creature named Nessie was allegedly seen) is 42 kilometers long. Ga and I have ridden the boat cruise around it to hunt for her but none was seen (as if magpapakita at totoo hehe.)

Inverness.

Inverness. 4.30. In the Mouth of the River Ness. That is the meaning of this lovely and nice city along the river. As we arrived to the Bed and Breakfast shelter, I have told ga to look for a fine dining restaurant with a good view of the river to celebrate our monthsary right after we explore the city. I have brought with me my birthday gift to her which she have been longing to have, a hand bag. To make it more extra special, I gift wrapped it myself. :) So after a short stroll and searching of a restaurant with that kind of romantic atmosphere, we found ourselves one overlooking the river. They claimed that the restaurant have garnered prestigious awards, we cannot argue with that for the service and the food was just simply fantastic. After a sumptuous meal, I finally handed over my super delayed birthday gift to her. The funny thing was, she kept on smiling all the time. :p So she opened the gift delightedly. So delighted that she wanted to use it right there and then. As she opened the bag to put her things, she noticed a small box that I have placed inside. Puzzled, she asked me what was inside, I smiled and told her to open it. She was absolutely surprised when she saw what was inside, a diamond ring. I look at her, held her hand and popped the question that separates men from boys... and when she said 'yes', that gave me a huge relief, no, humongous relief. :)

Georgia and Harley.

We headed back to our place... walked along the river banks, savoured each minute of that very special moment of ours, visualized our future and made plans.. It does sound corny but for us, it was a blissful moment.

Yep we both love movies, dark chocolates, travelling and exploring new things together to name a few. Next year, we know we are going to discover more things and explore more places but the greatest discovery we ever had? Each other.

Three - Christmas and New Year in London 2007.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:20:00 +0000

A traditional UK postcard you see is the Tower Bridge. If you have seen Tom Hank's portrayal of Robert Langdon in the movie The Da Vinci Code, you will see well almost completely the bridge when he and his leading lady partner were in the black cab passing it. Another famous landmark of UK aside from Big Ben and the bridge is the Tower of London. This castle, home to the royalties and prisoners centuries ago still stands in central London, a few steps away from the Tower Bridge. Pangga and I visited the historical place which was swarmed by tourists lining up in queues. Luckily my genius gorgeous gf purchased us London Pass cards. Yup, having this card put us in a fast track lane. The tower has a moat around it as seen below and during winters, they turn this into a skating rink for kids to enjoy.

As we stepped on the cobbled stones inside the castle, a stray fox greeted us, scared from the crowd of people going in and out from the main gate.

Fox snot :D

The castle has towers within its huge walls. The Bloody Tower (pangga's favorite) where they house the prisoners and a place of execution, White Tower where the royalties stay and the Green Tower where they torture the prisoners. Most of the prisoners executed were of royal blood, Anne Boleyn was one.

Royal pose from one of the actresses

The Tower Bridge view from the Tower of London

The attractions that I liked most was the armory. Being fond of knights, the armor they wear and weapons they wield have always fascinated me. The armory was full of the breastplates worn by each king. Also on the display were the armors worn by each champion horse of each king. I have also known that the lance used for jousting weighs 20 lbs. No wonder in movies knights have difficulty in carrying them and once it hits the other knight, it has a tremendous impact. The different types of weapon were on the wall from morning stars, scythe and swords. It is amazing how they invented these weapons. The wielder must also have the physical strength to use them.

Inside the armory

The other armory however was a restaurant. It is a typical restaurant and nothing special about it. Rather than fish and chips (British de facto meal), we had for ourselves burger and fries (American counterpart).

It was almost 6 in the evening when we were almost done except for the jewel house of the queen. We have decided to skip it since the queue to that attraction was half kilometer.

Two - Christmas and New Year in London 2007.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:06:00 +0000

Our first stop was the National Gallery in Trafalgar. I never thought I would see the art paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh in my entire life. Pangga did surprise me taking me to a place full of masterpieces. Right then and there, we've seen the differences of their styles. Leanardo is not only good at paintings, his drawings exemplifies the brilliance of a genius. Some of his drawings were in the gallery displaying such awe and these drawings are at par against the other paintings in the gallery in fame. The sad thing though the famous 'Monalisa' painting is in Louvre, France. Our eagerness to view his work was turned to The 'Madonna of the Rocks', which portrays Mother Mary with angels around her in front of rocks. Picasso's style is cubism, a form of abstract. The gallery had a number of his colorful and abstract paintings. Van Gogh's style on the other hand is unique, well in my opinion. It's quite difficult to decipher his paintings of pure brush strokes of few colors. However, these paintings leave a 'mark' once you see beyond his painting the meaning it extends to the viewer. Unfortunately, no cameras are allowed in the premises of the gallery. The flash could destroy the paintings due to the sensitivity of the materials used. Below are some of our pictures outside the gallery.

The National Gallery entrance.

The towering Christmas tree behind pangga was a gift of Norway to the UK. I forgot the reason behind though of such generous act.

Trafalgar plaza in a very chilly night.

In front of the National Gallery.

One - Christmas and New Year in London 2007.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:26:00 +0000

The recent Christmas and New Year seasons, I was in UK with pangga. It was the 22nd of December when I arrived at Heathrow airport 7 am in a very chilly and still dark morning. After getting through the immigration crowded with tourists comprised mostly of Europeans and Asians, I was waiting for pangga to show up. It was already 8.30 am when I sent her an SMS 'ga asan ka ? nandito ako sa 'bureau exchange'. (Bumabawi ata si pangga sa unang date namin na na-late ako ang 1 hour). So I sat down on one of the benches in the waiting area under that big exchange sign while watching people pass. It's quite entertaining seeing a lot of people walking, running from all directions with smiles on their faces. As for me, I was searching for the gorgeous face of pangga. Ayun, there she was fully covered from neck to toe and flashing that smile. Nakalimutan ko na tuloy na nag-antay ako ng 2 hours. Nawala pala siya + masyadong maaga at madilim na akala niya e 5 am pa lang. Alibi accepted. Actually alam ko ng malalate siya. :p And besides, I was the one who asked for the favor. :) So off we go to the bus station, where our adventure in UK together start. Here's our pic in the bus bound to where she is currently assigned.

Upon our arrival, we journeyed by foot to her place. I actually didn't notice that it was that far at first when I get astounded by the area especially the river. The site of the river Thames walking along its banks is a pretty cool experience. :p Below is our pic at Nando's. It was introduced to me by a friend during my first visit. Famous for it's grilled chicken and peri-peri spice of Portuguese origin. And of course, it was my treat.

After that lunch, we were so full and pangga did love the food. Aside from the chicken, she loved the fries or chips as what the Brits call it and the corn on the cob side dishes. :) The chips had peri-peri spice on them that gives a spicy taste just right to tickle the senses. I was glad that she did. As we walked out from the place, the weather became chillier. She suggested that we'll just have to stay home and rest until we get to central and buy a pair of gloves and scarf from there on the following day.

Doink.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 07:28:00 +0000

After weeks of torture waiting for the results of my work permit application, I got the not so good answer. I got the big D. Yep, I got denied. The headhunter told me the news that I got denied from the Home Office, the UK's immigration agency. Reasons? They don't see a reason why the company should hire me and that I'm not capable for that programming/consulting job. Hmmm... Since when can they deliberate the technical qualifications of a person if they are not into that level of the field? They also say that the company should exert an effort searching for a resident or an EU national whilst running a job ad for 6 months. What really went wrong? Gia and I are still bewildered.

Whatever the reasons are, Gia and I know that God has a good reason behind it. We just thought that maybe it's not yet the time and God has something better in his bag for me.

In another bright side, I was able to see how the market demands for the area of expertise I'm in. That could only mean one thing, I'm in the right track. Gia knows that too and her support is unfathomable (Thanks ga!).

I also recently got my multiple entry visa, hence our original plan to spend Christmas together is right on target. Not even my denial is going to be a showstopper in our much awaited date of the year. ;)

Turks' Handicraft.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:07:00 +0000

Last week, we went to Kuwait's Friday Market to buy some carpets for our house in Philippines. This market offers all kinds of items, old or new, from pipes used for plumbing to hand down garments to LCD tvs at affordable prices. What we were looking for were carpets, Turkish in handicraft to be exact. I've heard that those kinds of carpets are extremely expensive in Philippines. Turkish I believe are next to Persian in terms of quality. Fortunately, there's an oversupply of these types of carpets in Kuwait hence the low price. It was a haven for our us and our fellow kababayans. Below are the shots I took while executing the Pinoy's ultimate way of buying, haggling. :)

Three - Sweet October.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:16:00 +0000

In the concluding part of the saga, I made sure that this blog will be more extra special than the previous two. It's now exactly a year when we made a promise to each other and to go this far and how we made it was a milestone for us.

Days after the remarkable dinner we had, I got her stuck in my head all the time (kahit nag-dodota kami ng brother ko sa r@pt). So i did what a guy has to do, I invited her for more dates wherein we really got to know each other more. Dates that doesn't only include romantic dinners, movies galore, lovely coffee sessions but also includes breakfast at Jollibee, Chowking and McDonald's since it lasted until dawn, hence mega-dates. :) We schedule our dates after 8:00 pm every day @ Forty Winks (somehow this has brought me charm with its logo is made up of stars). It continued until on this exact date last year, I confessed and yep she said 'yes'. It was a whirlwind thing for us. Like a leaf flown away by a gust of wind, it knocked me off my feet. She came into my life without any signs unexpectedly and I was caught off-guard.

To celebrate it, here's our pic of our ever first date right after the dinner @ Fuzion Greenbelt. (ain't she stunningly gorgeous?).

After a few days of being together, I took my flight back to Kuwait where I currently work at with 2 modes of face, a bit sad but that succumbed to the happiness I felt. At this exact date and time (don't know if she already read this), she is at a flight bound to UK for a project assignment. Our anniversary date is delayed nevertheless we will be celebrating this anniversary soon together.

Hello UK.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:14:00 +0000

Months after my birthday gift of being interviewed last July, I finally got a job offer from the company I'm applying for in the UK. They've finally decided to assign me in their head office. This surprise was a good one after all and my patience really paid off. I thought it was just a joke but when I received the offer via email, it was a serious matter after all. My very helpful and kind head hunter really nailed his job and I owe him this one. In fact he was the only person who contacted me via phone ever since I posted my CV in the internet. Cheers to that guy and cheers to Monster.co.uk (it really works. :) The first step is done, the offer letter. I still have 3 more steps to tackle, the work permit, the visa or entry clearance and the resignation letter to my current employer. It would take me at most two months before I see pangga in London and spend the yuletide season and in welcoming the new year with her. How exciting. God really blessed us. :) Anyway, the job is quite a challenge and I'm really up to it especially that pangga will be around. We really hope that this UK opportunity for the both of us would really push through. If she is itching to see the queen, I'm itching to eat halo-halo made of snow... :p

Life's Surprises.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 05:22:00 +0000

I've been waiting for my interview results for a long time until now. A week after the interview with the company's senior manager, the head hunter regularly called me to give me the updates and actions done. The first call after the interview gave me a positive feedback, he said that the work permit was already at the UK's home office and it's currently being processed. I was excited of course since UK is our dream work place for pangga and I. I fell in love with the country since I set foot on it when I was on a training course last year. A week after on a Thursday afternoon, I got an international call. It was the head hunter and this was our conversation, well kinda a bit of a conversation. :p

-ACT I-

Hunter: Hey there Harley. How are you?
Harley: Hey... blah blah blah.
Hunter: I got updates. I've spoken to blah blah blah. They are really interested in employing you blah blah... 3 people highly recommended you... blah blah blah. (all of a sudden) Do you want to work in a regional office of the company in the gulf particularly Bahrain?
Harley: What? Why is that? (a bit upset and shocked)
Hunter: The company's VP blocked your application. Terrorist blah blah blah.... it would eventually denied by the home office. And he wanted to hire a British or an EU national... blah blah.
Harley: But the original plan is UK. (Noooooo!!!!!!!!!)(How could someone like me look like a terrorist? this is discrimination! Grrr...)
Hunter: Yep I know that, UK has gotten strict in issuing work permits. It's a different world now as you see what's going on. (obviously doing his best to eradicate my disappointment). Since you have the right skills, if they cannot get you into the UK, they would like to utilize you in Bahrain for their upcoming projects. It's difficult to find someone like you with the right skills. (hunter style talaga oo.)

.. and the conversation went into an infinite loop of questions for 10 minutes...

Harley: blah blah blah.
Hunter: blah? blah blah.
Harley: blah blah blah. blah?
.
.
-Call ended-

Eventually I said yes. I told to myself if it's the first step to get me into the UK, I will take it. Besides it would still be considered as a good career move if all will turn out well. Patience is a virtue.

-Act II-

I received a call recently in the office so I hide myself in room away from my manager's site. (hehehe.) It was the head hunter and here was our conversation.

Hunter: Hey Harley. How are you? blah blah blah.
Harley: Good morning. blah blah blah.
Hunter: I was told that they are going to talk about it thru a meeting soon. (haaay ang labo nila.) and it would take more time as we expected probably end of this month. blah blah.
Harley: Really? blah blah blah. Just keep me updated. blah blah.
Hunter: I would definitely do that. blah blah.
Harley: Thanks. Cheers!
.
.
-Call ended-

Life is full of surprises and they come when you least expected them. Opportunities like these are some of these. A surprise though may lead to different surprises. Some outcome are good and some aren't. Hey, it wouldn't be surprise if you already know the outcome right? Who knows, those aren't good ones may be blessings in disguise and those types are the life's greatest surprises. I will leave you a quote about patience and its accomplice, perseverance. When pangga came into my life (she's my life's biggest surprise), this quote says it all since I had them.

Patience and perseverance have a magical affect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. - John Quincy Adams

Birthday Boy.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 03:59:00 +0000

Yesterday, I had a complete package of events that made my birthday special. First of all, I had a chat with pangga before my birthday until 12 am of 20th. She's such a dear sweetie plus the desk smiley box I received from her had our pictures in it attached with a great note. What more can I ask for? (uhm lower mo ga iyung budget pls. :p alam mo na iyun. hehehe.) Ga you are the greatest gift ever. ;) Mama, Hershey, bro and manang also called from the Philippines to greet me. It's a wonderful feeling being greeted by the special people in my life. My dad and his kumpares prepared a mouthful of dishes served as lunch. That day, I also had an interview with a possible job offer to work in UK. It turned out positive since the British told me that I have the right criteria. I hope I'm their choice for that position. The head hunter keeps on following up everything and said that they've already started the ball rolling. I guess I have to wait next week whatever the outcome may be. Around 5 p.m., my gaming friends came for my treat to them, a large pizza from Domino's as I promised them. Then we played a couple of games as we each savour our own slices. This day was made special because of them and I thank God for having them as my blessings. Indeed a happy birthday it is.

Travel Bug Rate.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 03:55:00 +0000

My Lakbayan grade is C-!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out atLakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Getaway Fever. - Northern Release.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:53:00 +0000

Yep I'm back... back in the writing mode again or mood whatever suits you. It's been months since my last 'real post' and had a couple of fillers prior to this post. It's been months alright but the summer getaway was so well spent and so memorable that it didn't even sink in up to this very moment. I promised ga to give her an unforgettable birthday and I sure did. Our plans, the northern and southern itineraries were indeed followed. These were the experiences neither I nor ga could ever forget.

Eating galore @ La Union - ga had her first taste of the native Ilocos dishes along with the traditional Filipino cuisine. The dinakdakan (pig's ears), pinapaitan, egado, pinakbet, sinigang na malaga and baboy made her drool all prepared by dad himself, manang and her associates (Hehehe). Sobrang dami na ang magluluto kung sisingit pa ako. Even one of my brother's friends who is in a discipline (no second plates) can't resist the famous egado of manang eventually breaking his rule.

Pangga's Mahjong Experience - ga actually played mahjong against my uncles, aunts and cousins. I taught her the basics and she easily grasped it. Later, she's already screaming 'pong', 'chow', 'kang' and the 'todas' cry. Promil user ata si pangga e. Did I mention that there are pusta and money pot here? Claire beware! :)

Trip to Baguio - we went up to Baguio to drive dad's friends and at the same time visit the city of pines on its peak season of summer. We strolled to Camp John Hay and had a great lunch @ Dencio's. Everything's great except the traffic though, tough luck since the president was @ Baguio that time for the Holy week season. Ga and I explored the haunted mansion where the caretaker narrated eerie stories and even showed us pictures of the spiritual world to his heart's content. He was really into it until the crowd began to pull away from him. The flower garden was next as the sun sets happily.
Vigan Trip - the historical place of Vigan puts me back in time when I was @ London. Cobbled stones and gothic architecture that withstood time. You'll feel the reverberation of history around these magnificent architecture as we did. Ga loved the friendly atmosphere offered by the town's folks, the food (empaynada and longganisa) and the historical city's entirety.
Manaoag Shrine - this place is known in the north as a famous place of worship for Catholics. It's been our family practice to visit the shrine whenever we go home for a vacation. We attended the mass and got ourselves sprinkled with the holy water afterwards. It was a week after the holy week, we do need spiritual healing from time to time not just our physical being. On our way home, ga experienced the buying of bangus (milkfish) @ the stands of Bonuan, Pangasinan highway road adjacent to the fish ponds The prices are good that lives up to the freshness of the fishes being sold @ these stands.

Food trip @ Manila - ga introduced me to Kopi Roti, UCC, Country Style and Italliani's. I call these restaurants and cafes the Big Four. Kopi Roti offers the best combination of the local pandesal-coffee 1-2 combo, commercialized version. UCC offers my favorite mango crepe. It's comparable to Pancake House's but it really beats up the later in the creamy and mango taste meters. Country Style offers the best sausages and hotdogs I've ever savoured, from Hungarian to German franks. And Italliani's? It became my instant favorite fine dining restaurant the first time I've tried their dishes. No wonder ga always insists on the salad being served there. Loved the salad, salmon and the steak!

Ga's Bankai - bro's graduation celebration @ La Union was never complete without the tossing of shot glasses. We had the usual drinks, tequila, bailey's and alfonso trese. Laughter was everywhere that it blends well to the videoke. After a few shots, ga and I sung songs and play billiards like there's no tomorrow. It was one heck of a night. That night, I've seen ga screaming 'bankai' (nasobrahan ata ng inom). The battle cry of Bleach anime's Ichigo that means 'second stage' of his sword's power. I was a bit surprised... but it's never a surprise that whatever she does, it always makes me smile with that feeling.

Harley The Easy Rider (not the motorcycle this time).

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 05:10:00 +0000

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Nash Attack.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Sat, 19 May 2007 09:42:00 +0000

This guy is one of the smartest playmakers in the NBA today and a two-time MVP (almost had this year's by the way trailing Duncan for just a few votes) and that caught my attention. I'm not a just a mere Hardaway fan anymore. Make that two now with Nash in my list.

Even Tim Duncan who was just proclaimed MVP last Wednesday is amazed how he plays. Just read what he said below.

"That kid's the greatest. He's unbelievable the way he makes his team run."

-- San Antonio's Tim Duncan on playing the Suns' Steve Nash. Nash powered a 20-7 run late in the fourth quarter that came up short as the Spurs ousted Phoenix on Friday.

Summer Getaway.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 09:26:00 +0000

In two weeks, I will see gia again for a summer vacation I-would-never-forget in the making. The lady once that I had crush on is now the lady who's going to fetch me at the airport with my brother. Yup we are together and for the readers out there (if there are) if you are wondering how and when, just wait for the concluding part of my special saga (ala Peter Jackson). I'm serious here. :)

Pangga (it's what we call each other, it means 'love or sweet heart' in Visayan language) already planned the itinerary we're going to have. We had an agreement of her taking on the planning for the Visayas region whereas for me, I will be handling the Luzon region. Hmm.... There is no such thing as boundary when that mysterious entity called 'love' comes into picture. Being Ilocano and her being a Cebuana, we are geographically separated but that didn't stop us in being together.

Okay, enough of that mushy stuff and let's go back to the itinerary that we've planned. I personally wanted to visit Cebu again and the islands around it and Bohol being the closest is in it. Besides most of her relatives are residents of that beautiful island and might as well visit them for the reason that she wanted me to meet them together with her mom and lil sister sugar. I do have gut feeling that all eyes will be set on me (gosh!), the same way we set our eyes on the Alona Kew resort in Panglao. Hence, pangga already made a reservation on that resort for the snorkeling activity and probably dolphin watching too. Hehehehe.

But before embarking for that fun filled trip to the Visayas which is the 2nd week of April, was holy week. I promised her to take her to La Union and Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines. And oh boy, Baguio during the holy week is heavily crowded. Foreigners, low landers especially people from Manila wanted to experience the cool climate (European summer weather). Aside from that, I will be taking her to places of interest. She mentioned the last time she was in Baguio was a stormy day, messed up their excursion plans. So this time, I will be her tourist guide. I stayed there for 4 years and since it's an hour and 45 minute away drive from our place in La Union, I was exposed to what Baguio has to offer. And of course, pangga will meet my dad who's also coming home, get to meet my relatives, will have the chance of playing billiards against me and sing her heart out to videoke to-sawa and of course, savor the lutong-bahay cuisine of manang, dad including myself in La Union. ;)

I'm wishing that everything will go according to what we've planned, and if it does, it would be the best summer yet for the both of us, a great gift for my beloved pangga who is celebrating her birthday this April for her to remember.

Two - Sweet October.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 11:01:00 +0000

The smile she gave me exhilirated me for a moment and she looked stunningly beautiful in a red blouse. I thought she's going to give me a sarcastic smile for being late but it wasn't, it was a cheerful smile and I exchange her with one too as we approach each other but deep down inside saying to myself, busted na ito dahil late sa unang date but I was carefully eyeing her reactions. I had perfectionist gfs in the past relationships and I don't want to be in the same seat again. So I told her that I was late due to traffic and she just nodded without any hesitation. That's a good sign because I'm the type of person who don't put the best foot forward first at all costs. But that day, being late was unintentional, and clearly she understood that. Lucky me.

I invited her in a Vietnamese restaurant called Hue. The ambience is romantically good and so far the best fine dining restaurant in its cuisine lane I've ever been to. The waiter handed us the menu. While she's carefully making her choice, I stole glimpses of her. 3 to 5 second glimpses to be exact before surrendering my flag and decide what I have to eat. I can't take my eyes off her. I wanted to impress her pretty badly that I ordered 2 glasses of red wine filled with one of their house specialties. That time, I said to myself I have to make it up to her being late in the first date. :) And besides, red wine is good for the heart although, she already captivated me. So then we had a lovely dinner. Really glad she enjoyed it. We decided to take a walk around greenbelt area.

We talked about a lot of things, we shared a lot of stories, talked about our own views in life, families and other things. Talking with her is so light and easy. She's the type of person that encourages you to be the real you to impress her. No pretensions. No masks. No goody goody-two-shoes acts... I felt that I found my bliss in her. Whatever we do and wherever we go, how many times we eat, went in and out of convenience stores, mcdo, jollibee and chowking that night until dawn, I had fun... we both had fun.

It was already 6 am when we call it a date. I walked her home until we get to her place. As we get there, I thanked her for the marvelous time and the pleasure of her company. She smiled and uttered the same line. We agreed to go together for a mass that afternoon and I clandestinely have my own intentions about what I feel for her. I smiled.

Time to go back from Makati to Quezon City where I momentarily stay with my brother. MRT is not crowded since it was a Sunday. I know it's a long journey but short in my world... like the time I've just spent with her, barely noticed the time, I was in a bliss.

to be continued.

One - Sweet October.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 13:38:00 +0000

It's been months since my last post, the month of October to be exact; it's also the month of the much awaited october fest for the drunkards who drink 'til dawn and rockers bang their heads like there's no tomorrow. I was so preoccupied and stunned with mind boggling ideas when I met gia for the first time, and how our paths crossed again for the 2nd time.

It all started way back to June 2001, as one of the pioneering engineers of our company branch in Manila which is under construction during that time, the managers have no choice but to dump as in the island paradise of Cebu for 6 months of training adventure. That was the time when I first met her. On the way to our lunch on the upper floor where the restaurant is, as my buddies and and I stepped out of the door and approach the elevator door, in front of the elevator panel was a gorgeous lady with glasses standing and gazing at the elevator floor indicator. Her pretty and angelic calm face while waiting for the elevator is a sight to see. Sounds like exaggeration but cupid's arrow must have played a part to get me attracted to her. Kumbaga iba ang aura niya. =) Yup, she was my crush that time in Cebu. I never gave it a meaning since I was on a relationship that time and I know that she was too. How I knew it? Her name is popular among the engineers and a name that is a word of mouth including the engineers back in Manila! Grabe jud ang popularity niya. So whenever I hear her name, my head's light bulb lights up of one thing, she's the crush ng bayan of Cebu.

Year 2006. After 2 failed relationships, I've decided to give myself a rest since those relationships really battered me. October. Dan, one of the best buddies that I have told me that he's going to hook me up with her gf Ria's friend. I was really reluctant that I really don't want to be a part of it but just to make my friend happy, I agreed. It all started with chat and emails. She's smart and I can easily tell that. Kind and thoughtful, relatively easier to tell that too. Then came sms and soon phone calls. I never thought this lady would really entertain me but whenever I talk to her, a light and calm feeling embraces me. Yup, she captivated me with her traits and amazing character, and how could I forget her good sense of humor.

October. Ramadan. Every season of it I go home to Philippines to relax a little. I had a 2 week break to enjoy it which is already enough for me. I had my plans set which includes the highlight of meeting her personally again after 5 long years. It was the 20th of October, we've decided to meet at Greenbelt Powerbooks around 7 pm. 6 pm I was already out of my brother's place, rode a jeep all the way to the nearest MRT station that I thought of is a breeze getting to Makati. My big mistake. Traffic was terrible and it took me 30 minutes to get to the said station. I forgot that it's a weekday rush hour I'm about to engage battle into so long queues for tickets delayed me for 15 mins. It took me almost 40 minutes to get me to Ayala station and yup I was running late, she already sent me sms letting me know that she's already waiting. Darn! Good impression is drifting away from me. Almost there, and as I about to send her sms asking her whereabouts, there, a lady standing, I saw the same angelic and calm face but this time gazing at me, smiling.

to be continued.

Clicked.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:30:00 +0000

Early this week, I had the chance to see the the movie flick 'Click' and since Adam Sandler is one of my favorite actors in terms of comedy, I watched it in no time after 12 am. :) I thought it has the same typical humor Adam delivers in his movies I'm a big fan of but I was partially wrong. First parts made me laugh my heart out but at the end I didn't expect that it draws strong emotions out from the spectators who are in the same shoes as him, a middle aged workaholic father who only cares of providing his family a general father dreams of for his family, all in one gush though. With the help of the 'universal remote', it provided him the power to control time, made sure he's 'present' at the time of his promotions for that big bucks and other milestones in his life. The 'universal remote' learned his routine (what an AI!), rewind and fast forward whenever he likes and yes he's in total control until the time it destroyed his life, his neglection of the simplest things like the birthdays of his son and daughter, the years raising them, the quality time with his beautiful wife, good old parents and loving kids... yep he missed all that. He wasn't there when his father died and how much his father wanted him to teach the coin munching trick. He wasn't there to watch his son laddered his way up to the corporate world. He wasn't there to see her little princess grew up to be the 'hottest chick in town'. He even lost his wife to 'Sam' the red thong guy.... lol. The only thing he possessed that was not destroyed was his love to his family. He struggled to catch things up with them, to get his wife and life back but it was way too late. Boom! He woke up on a bed somewhere in a furniture store and realized it was just a dream. Lucky him...

So what's the lesson here? We should stop comparing ourselves with other people as a friend of mine always remind me of. I think she already mentioned this a google times. :) Peace gia! If Adam was not envious of other people (the O'Doyles), he would have been contented with his life and appreciated what he already has and let time 'work' with him in providing the best to his family without overlooking those priceless moments with them. We have to accept the fact that there's always someone better than us or in better situations than us, this is what humility is all about. Another figure to draw here is of course the ever popular saying 'the best things in life are free'. These are just small things noticeable to the human naked eye but felt big by a human heart. Consider them as the priceless moments in your life but in God's given time.

Be The One.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 05:06:00 +0000

This song has been on my mind for many months now and if I have my own billboard charts, it would have shattered records for topping my list, not to mention my ipod number of plays! Its pretty nice tune and good set of lyrics mixture puts me in a good mood to start my day (ala nescafe :)). RNB/Soul genre lovers will definitely love this and I already began considering it as my all time favorite song from the artist. (It's best when you listen to the song as you go through it.)

BE THE ONE
TONY RICH PROJECT

I should be the one...

I can think of nothing better
Than to know the one you love
For as long as we've been together
We should open up my heart yeah

[Chorus:]

If I gave you my heart
Would you be the one that I love
If I told you my feelings
Would you be the one that I trust
Would you make sure everything's fine
Would you hold me close tonight
Would you be the one that I love
Will you hold me tonight

I feel like breaking down the walls
Welcome you into my world
I'm not afraid of what you find in me
I just want us to be closer, yeah

[Chorus:]

Confide in me, tell me all your fears
I wanna be, the one that you
depend on
To share a dream, forget about the
hard times that we'll face
Let's go all the way

[Chorus:] 2x

One Lazy Afternoon on a Saturday.

noreply@blogger.com (rah) — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 01:09:00 +0000

Today is supposedly my rest day but I couldn't refuse our department manager's request to report in the office to coordinate things before we move things to production tomorrow, and besides I need to jumpstart my workaholic nerves before weekdays start again. Here I am, sitting on my desk gazing out of my window, i see a calm ocean and just across the street is a lush green park and beside me, the afternoon rays of the sun partly lights up my desk. The person I am coordinating with just left me out for an Iftar meal, an evening meal for breaking the daily fast for Moslems in this holy month of Ramadan and promised he'll be back by 8 pm. Every Saturday, we go to mass but here I am in the office listening to my playlist over and over again, letting time pass by before I go to the church and meet up with my family for the scheduled mass. The result? My first blog entry. HOOYA!

I've always wanted to be a blogger but work, time and other factors hindered me from starting it. What's the feeling of having one? Well, it's a cool feeling. Finally have onE (Look Ma! I am a blogger now! lol) Imagine you have your life (not entirely) published on the internet what you usually do and sharing your life's experiences. Imagine yourself as Truman in the 'Truman Show' or Ed in 'EdTV'. The only differences are they are on the TV and watched every second and they cannot choose what they can televise, whereas here on blogging as a channel, it's text based and you can cho0se what you can publish.

Before ending my first blog entry, I would like to share to you partly the lyrics of the song that I am listening right now courtesy of Mr. Edwin McCain, one of my favorite artists, 'these are the moments, I thank God that I'm alive, these are the moments, I will remember all my life, I've got all I've waited for and I couldn't ask for more.'

All of us have certain dreams, we aspire to be someone, to be somebody on the chosen career that we are into. Most of these dreams are self-centered I admit it even I, aspire to be someone, to be somebody, excel in my field and successful in my own understanding. We all have the right to dream but we should never let our selfishness take over us (remember Gollum from LOTR? good way to motivate huh? :) ). As the sun's rays shed light on my back casting a shadow upon my wall facing towards me, I've felt that God is just right behind me embracing me with HIS warmth... I went into a deep thought, HE knows what is best for me according to HIS own understanding not my own. Right now, I'm already feeling how much I should be thankful for what HE had given me as the greatest gift, LIFE. At this very moment, I've realized deeper how grateful I am to be alive, to be here and to share you what I've just experienced...