Wouldn't it be nice...

... to get married in Caleruega?

Double Celebration!

Jerome finally got his results . . . and he passed with FLYING COLORS! His exam score was even higher than the rest of us (may pakaba-kaba effect pa yan, yun pala tatalbugan kaming lahat. haha!) I'm so proud of you baby!

Thank you again for all your prayers. We could not have done this without all your support. With us passing the exam, things are starting to fall into place.

Our deepest gratitude too to our favorite teacher Fritz. The most fotent famotidine will forever be in our hearts.

Finally!

Thank you to all those who prayed for us during our exam. Thank you for all your support. After two months of waiting, I finally got my exam results this afternoon . . . and I passed! And the score that I got was more than what I hoped for!

Please allow me to extend my deepest, most heartfelt gratitude to all those who showed their unwavering love, support and patience during and after our exam...

...to my family for always, always being there for me and for believing in me and allowing me to chase after my dreams in my own time.

...to Jerome's parents, thank you for "adopting" me during our stay in the US and for showing us that there's more to US than Disneyland and Universal Studios.

...to my cousins, Kathleen and Karl, for the great time that we had in LA - at Disneyland and Universal Studios! Haha!

...to my blood sisters, Miel and Noemi, for their patience during my "windang" moments before the exam and for gladly taking over my job responsibilities for a month. No words can express how grateful I am to have you as my "sisters".

...to Dada and Tricia, for never doubting that Jerome and I can get through this. :-)

...to my boss, who inspite of everything, made us feel that she is behind us 100% in all that we do.

...to Rach, Gail and Chichi, for listening to my fears and anxieties over countless cups of Starbucks coffee. Wednesdays will always be FPGEE Support Group 101. :-p

...to Hubert and Susan, for reminding us to take a break from studying once in a while. :-)

...to Jimmy and Chiqui, for their constant presence.

...and to GOD, to whom we will forever be grateful for the guidance He provided during the exam. We could not have done this without You.

Author's Note: Jerome hasn't received his exam results yet. Please continue to pray for him although there's no doubt that he passed too. :-)

Coming Soon: US Trip 2008

Freedom at Last!

I just got home from a night of ktv singing with friends. After months and months of studying and weekends robbed off of rest and recreation, it was a relief to finally go on a gimik without worrying (and panicking!) that maybe I got my priorities screwed up - na dapat nag-aral na lang ako at hindi nag-enjoy. Not that I don't enjoy studying because I really do (nerd na kung nerd). Its just that masarap yung feeling na you can really have fun minus the extra responsibility of studying. I love it!

Earlier today, our college block had a mini reunion as one of our blockmates, Winlove, was visiting from Canada. We had lunch at the Marina and toured her around Mall of Asia. As we were passing by All Flip Flops, Winlove curiously asked, "Anong meron diyan? Bakit ang daming tao?". I replied, "Ah, panic buying ng tsinelas". I was surprised to learn that when she left for Canada three years ago, wala pa palang Havaianas. At wala din ito sa Canada. Kaya kinuwento na namin that Havaianas is super popular here in the Philippines and that in fairness, comfortable siya at hindi nabubura ang print. And that was enough to make Winlove buy her first pair of Havaianas. Hehe.

Also, I finally met Chichi's boyfriend, Joel. He was really nice and I can see that he loves her so much. Yun nga lang, hindi siya kumanta sa ktv, kaya Joel you owe as one!

That's it for now, I better go to sleep as I have to wake up early tomorrow for mass and some furniture shopping. Pictures to follow soon!

Manila Ocean Park

My cousins, Nicole and Fritz, came to Manila for a short vacation. Unlike last year where they stayed for almost a month, this vacation lasted only for a few days. So, we had to make it short but sweet! Haha.

We took them to see the Manila Ocean Park . . . and boy, was I pleasantly surprised! It was amazing to see soooooo many people visiting the park. At Php 400 per person, the place didn't come cheap kaya it was nice to see a variety of people from all walks of life "ooh-ing and aah-ing" to all sorts of Philippine marine life.

But of course, we went there for the fish and we were not disappointed at all! Below are photos of my favorites. (Note: Flash photography is prohibited kaya medyo malabo yung ibang pictures.)

The Giant Spider Crab

The Reef Fish

The Spotted Garden Eel

The Giant Grouper aka Lapu-lapu

And of course, the pretty colored fish (of which I forgot what they're called. hehe)

But the main attraction is underwater tunnel/aquarium where manta rays and sharks swim about giving that added thrill to the place.

Manila Ocean Park is a must-go-to-place for family and friends. Just be prepared for the crowds especially on weekends. The park is open daily from 10 am to 9 pm. Enjoy!

Me, Jerome and His Car

I have come to the conlusion that Jerome's car doesn't like me. Why? Because it always chooses to be uncooperative whenever I'm going to use it. Acting just like an ex- girlfriend - nag-iinarte, nagseselos at nagtatampo.

O sige na nga, not naman EVERYTIME. But for the past few weeks, something always goes wrong with it.

Say for example, during our Batangas trip last month, it decided to overheat. Yes, decided to. Not minding that Jerome had it checked days before the trip, spending 6k on repair, to make sure that it will perform smoothly. But still, its fan broke down, leading to a series of malfunctioning parts - a burnt engine head and a punctured radiator. Which cost Jerome again thousands of pesos on repair... and cost me to lose my cellphone (but that's another story).

And as if this incident wasn't heartbreaking enough, when Jerome was supposed to take me to the airport, it REFUSED to start. It did not even consider that my flight was at 5 am and finding a taxi at the ungodly hour of 3 am was to say the least, a hassle. I had to lug down my bags all the way to our street's gate kasi walang tricycle. Hay. Anyhow, I made it to the airport in time for my flight. But still can you just imagine the stress and pressure it caused?

The third and hopefully final rebellion happend last week when my lola woke me up at 5 am to say, "Mara, bukas ang ilaw ng kotse!". Grudgingly, I got up from my bed, my mind still in a haze, and made my way to the garage. At first I thought that the lamp post outside our house was just creating the illusion of lights on. But then I got to the car, ayun nga nga, the brake and tail lights were on in its full glory. The funny thing is, upon checking the switch (or whatever you call it), I realized that I didn't leave it on. The headlights were off too so paano nangyaring naka-on yung ilaw sa likod? Feeling ko tuloy nasa set ako ng transformers and the car had a mind of its own. So the inevitable happened, the battery's car got discharged. And this was when I was supposed to use it the next day to go to BFAD. Hmp, damot.

And when the above incidents happened, Jerome's words would always be, "Hindi pa nangyari sakin yan", further supporting my conclusion that his car doesn't like me.

So now that the car's been repaired again and working like brand new, sana naman magtuloy-tuloy na. *sigh* How do you befriend a car anyway?

Happy, Happy, Happy!

My birthday was just what I wanted - relaxing, stress-free and fun! Thanks to those who wished me a happy birthday! It was a pleasant surprise to see birthday greetings on my friendster page and several text messages when I woke up this morning. Thanks guys for making me feel special and loved. I really appreciate it!

Opening gifts from Jerome's family. This gift is from his sister, Wena. Thanks Ate Wena! I love it!

Will write about this special day as soon as I get down from my happy cloud. Thanks again guys!

Teaser

Our weekend getaway was a blast! Thanks to these three very dear friends who made my first birthday bash not only fun, but extremely meaningful and memorable.

Will write about this soon!

P.S. Turning 27 isn't so bad after all.

My Birthday Plans

Okay, my birthday's coming up in 2 weeks and Jerome has been asking me what I wanted as a gift. My first answer was, "Peace and quiet" and after a few seconds I replied, "A stress-free day". Honestly, I have never been really big on birthday celebrations. Unlike my lola who jumps at every opportunity to arrange parties at home, I, in turn, prefer dining out or just coffee at Starbucks with family and closest friends. I prefer several small get-togethers than one big party. My motto has always been to be completely relaxed and happy on my special day, while surrounding myself with loved-ones and friends.

So for this year, birthday plans are already underway.

1. Luckily, my birthday this year falls on Easter Sunday, so I feel doubly-blessed! Since its going to be on a Sunday, i'll be spending it with family and relatives over a simple lunch or dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. And since its my birthday, Arvin has allowed me to pick which one! Woohoo!

2. My office friends and I have been forever planning to go to Enchanted Kingdom but never gotten around to doing so (that, plus dancing lessons, cooking lessons, French lessons, go on an out of town trip, etc. hehe). So finally, it's settled, that on my birthday we're going to EK and celebrate my turning 27 with some kiddie fun! Can't wait!

3. When my college bestfriend, Rachel, and I decided to go out of town next weekend, it wasn't really for my birthday, but it was to detoxify and de-stress ourselves from our hectic lives in the city. But since it will be near my birthday, I'm going to count this one too! So together with good friends, Gail and Chichi, we'll be going to Batangas for that much needed "just-us-girls" vacation. Ah, glorious girl bonding session here we come!

4. Jerome and I haven't really planned on anything yet but I know I want it to be quiet, simple and just us. It seems like for the past few weeks either we've been studying or stressing about work, so it would be nice to getaway from it all for a while and just spend quality time with each other.

That's about it for now. I have yet to make plans with my highschool friends though. So Chiqui and Susan, any ideas?

Life Changing by Arvin John Serrano

I just want to share with you guys my brother's latest blog entry on his experience during their school's outreach program at Bilibid Prison. I'm proud of him for being able to feel and capture the essence of the activity. He willingly and unselfishly reached out to his inmate friend, Kuya Fernando. I hope his batchmates in Bene have learned a lot from this activity too, just like how life changing it was for Arvin.

Kudos to Bene for continuing to have enriching programs such as this!

And I hope this touches your heart, the way it has touched mine.

**********************

Life Changing by Arvin John Serrano

I was lazily seated on the tiled floor with my back rested to the door of the Prefect of Activities Office. I never thought that by the end of the day, my perspective about something would change completely.

My academic life in Bene was finally over, and the next twenty four days or so would just be spent to complete our clearance and rehearse for graduation. Today was our outreach activity. We were supposed to leave for the National Bilibid Prison at 7am, but at around 9, we were still stuck in school because of a miscommunication for our transportation.

For many reasons, I wasn't too keen on going to this outreach activity. Knowing my batch, I thought that some of us would just use this opportunity to do some kalokohan and so the very essence of the outreach would be lost because of the sermon we would be getting from Mr. Caballero afterwards. Second, I just thought that having a convicted criminal face-to-face with you would be frightening. Plus, I wasn't sure if it was right for me to ask how he got thrown in jail.

When we arrived, it was surprising to note that the Bilibid actually had a peaceful ambiance, nestled in a huge plain filled with trees and creeks. The only clue that we were near a prison was the two layers of barbed wire fence that enclosed the perimeter of the compound.

When we got inside the gates, the first thing I noticed was that the compound was very clean and the air was really fresh. We were greeted with smiles from men wearing white shirts. One wouldn't even think that they were inmates if their shirts didn't have a small print that said INMATE on their left chests.

We were assigned to go to an educational facility, the Muntinlupa National Extension High School (NEHS). We got into a large classroom and took our seats on clean monobloc armchairs. The program started with a prayer, and followed by a powerpoint of the NEHS' accomplishments for the year 2007. It was followed by a medley of all-time favorite lovesongs by their Glee Club, where they gave out flowers to our classmates (kinilig si hanboreum. haha!) and then they also sang Bilangguang Walang Rehas, complete with dialogues about the lives of the inmates. Lastly, their High School Dancers took the dance floor to the tune of a hiphop song. All the numbers, especially the two from the glee club, were well rehearsed and really conveyed a message for us.

Finally, it was time for us to interact with our partner inmate. The inmates lined up the chairs in columns of two, face-to-face. We lined up and took our seats first, while the inmates sit on the second column afterwards. There, I met Kuya Fernando. At first, both Jayson and I were assigned to him because the chairs were disarranged and Jayson didn't have a chair facing him. But after a while, he was already given his own partner.

In a span of about forty five minutes, I got to know a lot of things about the life of being a detainee at the Bilibid. I asked Kuya Fernando why he was thrown in jail and he told me that he had killed somebody and that he had been inside for the last six years. His sentence required him ten to twelve years. I did not ask him to elaborate much on the crime he committed, but I was rather interested with the state of his life ever since he came in Munti.

He talked to me how every prisoner interested would be given a directive where he can choose whether he would want to study or work. The institution actually offered elementary, high school and college education, aside from the six-month vocational courses. Kuya, just like me, was a high school senior - but in his late thirties. He told me that he'd be graduating during the first week of April. He also joked about how it was lucky for him that he got thrown in jail because he has got free schooling from that, unlike the rest of us who needed to pay a lot for our education.

I also learned new "prison terms, " but it was unfortunate that I don't remember any of them anymore. Haha. The only thing I remembered was talipapa which was already common, even for us in the free world. He also shared to me how the Bilibid has become more peaceful now and that the riots we saw in TV or the movies were unrealistic. Ever since the management imposed an order that an inmate will not hurt his co-detainee, unless he wants to get killed, the atmosphere has become more quiet for the past years. And those who attempted to escape from the prison walls will likewise, not be able to come back alive.

I guess the saddest part of our conversation was when he told me that he only gets visits from his family once a year because they did not have enough money to travel from Batangas to spend time with him. And I cannot even think how depressing it had been for him for the past six years, spending Christmas and his birthdays alone. He told me this, "Hindi ko nalang iniisip yung mga negative, basta para sakin palaging positive lang yung iniisip ko."

He told me that their only happiness during Christmas is when they sing on the videoke machine and forget all the pain and loneliness they feel. He explained also to me that he and his fellow inmates post their addresses on newspapers, hoping that someone would write to them and become penpals. When someone writes, then they would convince that person (I'm assuming women) to come by and visit them, just to alleviate the longingness they feel for their loved ones.

While eating our one-piece Chickenjoy and Coke for lunch, we were signaled to give out our gifts to our partners. Mine was two Cattleya notebooks, two black pens, a toothbrush, a blue Close-Up toothpaste, half a bar of Tide and a green safeguard in a plastic pack.

Kuya and I got more personal. He asked me, "Naniniwala ka ba na ang lahat ng masasamang tao may natitira pang kabutihan sa loob nila?" I answered, "Opo." He countered and said, "Ako hindi naniniwala. Kasi para sa'kin ang lahat ng tao likas na mabubuti. Ang iniisip lang kasi ng iba yung masamang ginawa nya, pero hindi nila naiisip yung rason kung bakit nila nagawa yun. Ako nagawa ko lang naman yun sa sobrang kahirapan."

Towards the end of our meeting, Kuya gave me pieces of advice, "Lagi kang makikinig sa mga magulang mo. Kasi minsan akala natin hindi nila tayo naiintindihan pero ang totoo naman ang gusto lang nila yung mabuti sa'tin." He explained that he rebelled against his father because he thought that he did not care for him. I added, "Wala namang magulang na naghahangad ng masama para sa anak nila."

He also warned me against bad influences because it was what gained him nothing but trouble. "Basta pipilian mo lang lagi yung mga barkada mo."

When we were about to leave, Kuya Fernando took out the notebook I gave him and told me, "Mag-sign ka." He gave me a multi-colored pen and using blue ink I wrote,

Kuya Fernando,

Salamat po sa lahat ng tinuro mo sa'kin. Dahil sa'yo, naging bukas ang isipan ko sa buhay ng mga bilanggo tulad mo. Salamat! -Arvin

He then took the notebook and started to scribble at the back page. While writing, he asked me again for my name and I showed him my ID. When finally he was done, he tore the part of the paper where he wrote gave it to me. It contained the address of his dormitory and a message that read,

Fernando M. Javier

Student Dorm 1-A

Camp Sampaguita

Muntinlupa City

1776

Arvin,

Maraming salamat sa konting panahon at oras na ibinigay mo sa akin. Kahit paano, para narin akong dinalaw. Salamat...

Kya Fernando

I thanked him for it and he answered me, "Sulat ka ha." And I vowed to myself that I will. Afterwards, he excused himself and sat with Lia, who was sitting by herself because her partner went somewhere else.

At this point, the student council president told us, "Sana po sa paglabas nyo dito, maging ambassadors of goodwill kayo para sa'min. Na sana sabihin nyo sa mga tao sa labas kung ano yung mga natutunan nyo dito sa'min at ang buhay namin dito."

The emcee, also an inmate, then closed the activity by telling us a story, "Napanaginipan po namin na darating kayo dito, mga taga-San Beda. Tapos sa pagdalaw nyo raw dito, namatay tayong lahat. Pagdating natin sa langit, nakasalubong natin si San Pedro. Ang sabi nya, isang grupo lang daw ang pwedeng pumasok sa langit, at yung isa naman mapupunta sa hell - yung grupo ng taga-San Beda o yung grupo ng mga inmate. Kaming mga inmate, pinili naming mapunta nalang sa hell... Kasi po sa pagbisita nyo sa'min ngayon, ginawa nyo pong para na rin kaming nasa langit."

On that final note, we were asked to stand and say goodbye to each other. Coming from beside Lia, Kuya Fernando walked to me and we shook hands for the last time. "Basta goodluck sa'yo ha. Alalahanin mo lahat ng sinabi ko sa'yo."

Before I finally left the room, Kuya asked me, "May babalik pa ba na next batch sa inyo? Kasi kung meron baka pwede kang magpadala ng sulat." I told him that we were already graduating and that the next batch would be for next year already. But I promised him that I would mail him a letter.

I raised a hand to gesture my last farewell and walked out of that room with my classmates -- to go back again and face my own world --- a world that is different from the one I spent time in for the past few hours --- a world that was once their own, as well.

When we were walking towards the gate that separated these two worlds, I still saw those familiar smiling faces everywhere, just like when I came in here earlier that morning.As I stared onto those faces, I didn't feel pity towards any of them, instead I felt the radiating hope that was coming from their hearts. And as the iron gates closed behind me, I knew that I was never going to look at Bilibid the same way again.

Tidbits

My mom managed to get an Abu Dhabi visa! Woohoo! I'm so happy! Welcome home Mommy! We missed you!

**********

Things were super hectic at work today, plus I had to rush to the bank during my lunch break to pay for my mom's visa application fee. As a result, I ate my lunch at 6 p.m.

**********

I think I acquired some bad toxins from the shawarma Jerome and I ate on our way home. Or was it from the sago? I'm feeling nauseous. Blech.

**********

I bought a nice velvet jacket from my officemate today, which in turn only cost me 500 pesoses. Saya! Can't wait to use it!

**********

Yun lang, that pretty much sums up my day. Here's to wishing that tomorrow will be a brighter and much less hectic day!

My Not-So-Uneventful Saturday

I woke up at 9 am today, had breakfast and watched The Prestige on HBO. I know the movie was good and would have enjoyed it if I wasn't dozing off every couple of minutes. I was sooooo sleepy *yawns* Although I saw how the movie ended, I think I was only able to watch excerpts of it. Sayang.

After the movie, I went back to my room and slept again until 2:30 pm. I would have slept even more had Jerome not called to say na mag-aral na daw kami at susunduin niya ko in an hour. *groans* Okay fine, makabangon na nga. Ako din naman ang nagsabing mag-aral kami today.

But it turned out, he picked me up 2 hours later. Nahiga daw ulit siya after calling me and had his car tires checked and vulcanized (which was loooong overdue). It was totally fine with me since after getting up from bed, I had lunch, watched some Wowowee, checked my e-mails and went blog hopping. I visited this blog which I ended up reading for an hour. The writer is the wife of Kenneth's friend. He was actually the one who introduced the site to me. Good read, her entries were very honest and sincere.

After picking me up, sinamahan ko muna si Jerome to have lunch at Vibang's It's a popular turo-turo place inside BF Resort. They serve a wide variety of home-cooked Pinoy food at in fairness, it tastes good and the place is clean. We ordered sinampalukang manok, liempo and inihaw na talong. Yes, I ate again. It was around 5 pm na din naman so I said to myself, after-six diet ito. Haha.

FINALLY, at around 6 pm, we got down to business and opened our books at Figaro. I don't know, but for some reason, I just didn't feel like studying today. But since Jerome was so bent on reading the chapter on COPD and Diabetes, na-force na din ako...which is a good thing actually. If he was as lazy as me today, we might have ended up just watching DVDs at home.

Feeling very proud of ourselves (we studied for three hours!), we treated ourselves to a nice movie, the Martian Child. It was a feel-good movie. I had a nice cathartic cry towards the end. Hihi.

I thought this day was pretty much uneventful but at around midnight I got a call from my mom, saying that she was already at the Abu Dhabi airport but was having trouble getting a visa. Her flights were supposed to be Kabul-Abi Dhabi-Manila. She thought that she could get a visa on arrival. If she won't be able to get a visa in Abu Dhabi, she would have to buy another plane ticket which will travel Dubai-Manila (she has a Dubai visa).

So here I am, at 2 am, anxiously waiting for an update from my mom. And this entry is the result of me trying to stay awake.

I hope things work out for my mom. *sigh*

And I hope to get enough sleep for tomorrow's mass.

Thank You!

I was down with the flu over the weekend and has not been feeling up to par since (I think I sang too much during last Friday's KTV session). I didn't go to the office yesterday to rest a bit more and almost didn't make it to work again today, as I was still feeling a little dizzy this morning. Pero buti na lang pumasok ako kasi I received two very nice things today! Yey!

1. Rachel and I had our respective wishlists for Christmas. She wanted laptop sleeves, while I wished for a pair of Havaianas. After ten years, finally, I received my over-priced slippers today! And it was just the color that I wanted! Thanks mare! I love them!

2. Our office issued me a new computer today - equipped with a 17-inch LCD screen! I won't go into the specs as I absolutely have no knowledge on computers. Basta maganda siya tignan. Period.

Thank you Papa Merck! And many thanks too to our IT guy, Lloyd, for making sure that I get my new computer today. Again, I love it!

For lack of a better post...

TOP TEN TEN THINGS ABOUT ME..

1. Are you single? -- In a wonderful relationship.
2. Are you happy about that? -- Super!
3. Are you bored? -- A little, I'm stuck here at home nursing a cold.
4. Are you sad? -- Thankfully, I'm not.
5. Are you Italian? -- Pure Filipino itetch!
6. Are you plastic? -- If there's one thing about me, I'm too transparent. Sometimes to a fault.
8. Are you cool? -- Siguro naman, hehe.
9. Are you Chinese? -- See answer number 5.
10.What are you? -- A woman with very little needs. Hehe.

TEN FACTS

1. Initials -- MNSG
2. Nicknames -- Mara, Mars, Ma
3. Birth place -- Quezon City
4. Hair color -- Dark brown
5. Hair style -- simple shoulder-length hair, nothing fancy.
6. Eye color -- Dark Brown
7. Birthday -- March 23
8. Mood -- Sick, I have colds and a slight fever.
9. Favorite color -- Green
10. Left or right handed -- Right-handed

TEN THIS OR THAT

1. Love or money? -- Love
2. Hard liquor or beer? -- Beer for social drinking
3. Cats or dogs? -- Dogs
4. A few best friends or many regular friends? -- Few best friends
5. Television or Internet? -- Both
6. Pepsi or coke? -- Coke
7. Wild night out or romantic night in? -- romantic night in
8. Money or Happiness? -- Happiness
9. Night or day? -- Night
10. AIM or phone? -- Phone

TEN HAVE YOU EVER

1. Been caught sneaking out -- I have never sneaked out. Does that make me a loser?
2. Been skinny dipping? -- No
3. Done something you regret-- Not really, although sometimes you would want to turn back time and do things differently.
4. Bungee jumped? -- Because of my fear of heights, bungee jumping is something I don't think I can ever do.
6. Finished an entire jaw breaker? -- Yup, is that something to be proud of? Hehe.
7. Changed a diaper? -- Yup, my brother's!
8. Wanted an ex back? -- No, when you break up there's no turning back.
9. Cried because you lost a pet? -- Yup, it was Jerome's dog actually. But I was the one who gave it to him. So there. :(
10. Wanted to disappear? -- I have my days. Hehe.

TEN PREFERENCES IN A RELATIONSHIP

1. Smile or eyes: -- Smile
2. Light or dark hair: -- Dont care
3. Hugs or kisses: -- Both!
4. Intelligence or attraction? -- Attraction to his personality
5. Hook-up or relationship -- Relationship
6. Trust or love?: -- Trust and love both come hand in hand
7. Long distance or close? - Close!
8. Call or text? : -- Both
9. Older or younger? : Older pero wag naman sobra. 1 - 5 years is A-ok.
10.Looks or Personality: -- Personality

TEN LAST

1. Last phone call you made : -- Jerome
2. Last phone call you received: -- Jerome
3. Last person/people you hung out with? - Jerome at Mocha Blends
4. Last person to text you: -- Jerome pa rin, to say goodnight.
5. Last person you tackled?: -- None
6. Last person you im'd?: -- My mom (through YM)
7 Last person you talked to?: -- Arvin and Lola
8. Last person you hugged? -- Jerome
9. Last person you slept with? -- Arvin, my brother and Baron, our dog.

I can't believe they lost...

I can't believe Marc and Rovilson lost The Amazing Race Asia Season 2!!!

These guys have been first almost the entire race! They only came in second twice! And it all boiled down to the LAST road block. The LAST task of arranging the flags of the different countries that they went to during the race in order. The LAST flag which Rovilson could not make out. It was the flag of Hong Kong for crying out loud! Argh, it's so frustrating!!!

I swear, after the episode, Jerome, Arvin and I stared at the credits for a solid 20 seconds. We were dumb founded. We were confused. We were nearly in tears.

And to finish third??? Where's the justice in that?

Post Christmas Dinner with Friends

Finally, my office friends and I had our post-christmas shindig last January 18. We all met up at Bonifacio High Street and hanged out at Starbucks for three hours while doing Kokology and learning more about each others' personalities (wink at Noemi...hehe).

Kokology happy @ Starbucks

Serious Kokology Session

Three hours and several psychological games after, we headed off to Serendra for dinner. We initially wanted to eat at Zao but had to settle for Polu Kai because the latter was packed, and thus had no tables available. But we weren't sorry we ate at Polu Kai, because their food was absolutely delicious! We ordered spicy shrimps, calamari, chicken and ribs and their special hawaiian fried rice. Their food is reasonably priced and the service was very good.

After dinner, we had our traditional gift-giving. It has also been our tradition to come up with individual Christmas wish lists at siyempre, we got the stuff that we wished for! Yipee! The gifts were a pair of Havaianas for Noemi, a shirt for Dada, a Kokology book for Tricia, Best of 100 Love Songs CD for Miel and Paulo Coehlo's Witch of Portobello for me.

And as usual, to cap off the night, we went to Music Match for some hard-core KTV! Surprisingly, it was a slow night for Dada, our resident singer, as Tricia and I hogged the mic most of the time. Hehe. We belted out a variety of songs- from Fergalicious, to Claire dela Fuente's Sayang and Timmy Cruz' I Love You Boy. Hahaha.

To Tricia, Miel, Noemi and Dada: I've been blessed to have found true friends at work. Thank you for the gift of friendship! :)

My First Baking Experience

I wish I can gush and write how succesful and delicious my first-ever creation was...but apparently, baking is not as easy as it looks. Lalo na kung yung brand-new oven mo ay hindi umiinit. Hay, Arvin and I were so psyched in baking those oh-so-perfect peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies only to find out that our oven was not working.

And we only found out when we've already molded our cookie batter and placed them on baking pans. Bummer.

But looking back, hindi din naman perfect yung cookie mixture namin. I had to call Miel twice, panicking. Kasi naman, the batter was forming clumps and was not the smooth mixture the recipe was referring to. And Jerome had to rub it in by commenting, "Bakit parang champorado?" Argh!!!

But Miel reassured me that as long as I would still be able to mold my batter into cookies, I was doing perfectly fine. Go lang daw. Ok, so go na ulit kami. After a few minutes of mixing, the batter began to get oily...as in really oily. Panicking, I called Miel again and she explained na baka naman its because of the peanut butter that we used. Go pa rin daw. Basta i-mold ko yung cookies at ipasok sa oven.

Yun lang, when we opened the oven door, hindi mainit yung loob! As in I can touch the wire rack without getting myself first-degree burns. Kamusta naman?!

So, I have to put off learning how to bake and have decided learn to cook na lang muna. Hmm, what should I cook kaya? Any suggestions?

Chef Mara???

One of the things I love doing is pouring over cookbooks and food magazines and thinking that one day I wish I could cook them all . . . or at least just one measly recipe of let's say, chicken adobo. Yes, I don't know how to cook. Although I know how to fry fish and chicken, but does that even count? I DO know how to cook rice. At in fairness kahit hindi gumagamit ng rice cooker. But aside from that, nothing. Not one dish that I can be proud of. Ano na lang ang ipapakain ko sa magiging asawa at mga anak ko? Pritong isda at manok? Hotdog?

I feel like the clock is ticking for me and my cooking ambitions. Not that I'm getting married any time soon or is planning to have my own family in the next year or so. I just feel like at 26, dapat marunong ka na magluto. Di ba?

So one of my New Year's resolution for 2008 is to learn how to cook and to bake. No ifs, no buts. (My lola will be sooooo proud of me. Hehe.)

The first step that I took towards my goal is to buy my very own copy of Yummy magazine. Hinihiram ko lang kasi kay Miel yung mga binabasa ko dati. Hehe.

Next was to ask Miel for help. FYI, Miel bakes very well. She makes super delicious revel bars and apple walnut cakes. She lent me a copy of her baking cookbook. She advised me to start with cookies and work my way up. Since I didn't have one single equipment for baking, she promised to lend me her electric mixer. Kasi she has three naman daw. Sosyal. Hehe.

Hopefully, I'd be able to start learning how to cook this weekend or the next. Will post pictures of my very first creation.

Happy New Year!

A Happy and Wacky New Year from the Serrano-Zozobrado Family!
(L-R: Me, Tita Evan, my Mom, our Lola, Tito Butch, my brother Arvin and cousin Kaye)