Pasko 2012

I woke up tired on the 24th because of the travel from Makati to Bulacan to Bataan the day before. I do not regret going to my cousin’s wedding and my niece’s dedication in Malolos though! I loved that the event was elegant yet casual. Ang sarap makakita ng couple na alam kong nagmamahalan talaga. Ang sarap rin ng may bagong inaanak lalo na kasing cute ng inaanak ko. At shempre pa, ang sarap ng pagkain sa Kulinarya Tisa, win ang pastel de lengua! Congrats and best wishes, Kuya Edmund and Herchell! Be dedicated to Jesus forever, Baby Alfa!

{with Lola na super bata with her jetblack hair / with one of my favorite couples / yiheee kissy!!! / with Alfa cutie patootie}

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I got my heart trampled on a couple of hours before the Christmas Eve Mass. God sent encouragement through an unexpected person. :p Sorry God for the brief moment of letting my heartache snatch the attention that’s supposed to be for Jesus’ very special day, and thank You for using my bestfriend as an instrument of Your unfailing love for me. 🙂

The message was this:

“Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days- when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you’re out of options, when the pain is great- and you turn to God alone.” – Rick Warren

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We didn’t have Noche Buena in Lola’s house because the family gathering was moved to Christmas afternoon. We found out the itself so we only had a short time to prepare. We had only 4 kinds of food but it was just right for us… hello, tatlong piraso lang kami sa pamilya! We had ham with honey glaze, Pinoy spaghetti (with lots of hotdogs and mushrooms), ice cream (Coffee Crumble and Cookies & Cream), and butterscotch! Saraaap! Ang lakas nga maka-children’s birthday party ng handa namin, ‘no? But sabi nga ni daddy, fitting naman daw kasi birth daw ni Baby Jesus. Oo nga naman!


{Merry Christmas from our family to yours… Malayo man kayo, malayo rin kami! Hehehe!}

Pero sa totoo lang, mas bet ko ‘yung food namin ng Christmas lunch… ‘yung nirequest ko na bulanglang (bunga ng malunggay + kamote + fish + bagoong), rigadillo, lechon paksiw, minatamis na saging… kaya naman ako nasasabihan ng mga kamag-anak ko na MALUSOG. :p Thank you Lord for the bountiful blessings! 😀

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Spent Christmas day waiting for my godchildren, nephews and nieces to visit me at home. The first kids that visited me were- my nieces Michaella and Madison. The little girls were accompanied by their parents Ate Ching and Kuya Shawn. They are very lucky to have such adorable daughters! I’m kinda bummed that I won’t be able to see them again before they go back to Greece end of this month. 😦

My other cute pamangkins Reese, Sean, Verene and Seth also came to visit. We saw the rest of the kids in the afternoon when we went to the beach for our clan’s get together.


{kengkoyan time with Ate Ching, Mica and Madie}

There were lots of food in the get together. Our contribution was my Mama’s specialty suman sa lihiya (that she made with the help of Tita Nida, and si Daddy ang pinagsungkit niya ng niyog at pinakuha ng dahon ng saging na pambalot, hahaha). There’s also puto with anise, cuchinta, lechon, chopseuy, menudo, dinuguan (my favorite), pansit malabon, fruit salad and lots of buco.

There were a lot of kids that attended the party becauseof the games. The event was spearheaded by my cousin Mafi and her hubby Jeric. Ako ang official photographer na taga-upload agad ng pics sa Facebook for the benefit of our relatives abroad that we miss so much  and sana makasama namin next Christmas!!! The games for the kiddies were basagang palayok, facedive sa flour, sack race, ang walang kamatayang Bring Me, and patagalan ng Merry Christmaaaaaaasssssss. There was also videoke for the kids at heart. :p


{with my nephew Rion / pabitin aka the hang-game nyahahaha / with my pudrakels, mudrakels, and grannygoose / cutie maddie!!!}

So obviously (and thankfully), YES is the answer if you ask me if I had a merry Christmas. I hope yours was merry, too. 🙂

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listening to: Wham! – Last Christmas

‘Tis The Season. ‘Tis The Reason.

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I saw this image on Pinterest and it instantly made me tear up. I am guilty of not always remembering why we are celebrating Christmas. God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to save us and someday bring all of us who believe home. It’s not just the highlight of, but the reason of the season.

We’ve become so busy making wishlists, buying gifts, preparing the noche buena, planning vacations, that most of us have forgotten to prepare ourselves in honoring the birth of our Savior. I’m sure that He approves of us celebrating this special occassion with being with our loved ones eating good food and exchanging gifts because we are sharing our blessings to one another, but hey… Wouldn’t He like it more if we’d all take a moment to reflect on who Jesus is to us? It’s His birthday. Do we already have gifts for Jesus? How about we start with a heart that remembers, recognizes, and rejoices that He is our greatest hope, strength, courage and joy!

Jesus, thank You for everything. May we honor You with how we celebrate Christmas.

Happy birthday, Jesus!!!

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listening to: Christmas carols

Friday Five: Birthday 2012

1 Surprises
I love surprises! I started receiving surprises a week before my birthday. Friends gave me pink and red roses, mango cake, caramel candies, bangles, chocolates, a portrait, cologne, perfume, make-up, et cetera! The biggest surprise was a voucher for Sofitel’s Sunset Buffet kasi talagang sa company email ko pa sinend ni Sarit. Hahaha! Bongga! 😀

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I wonder when I’ll get my tablet. :p

2 Salubong
I finally got the small get together that I always wanted. There were only 5 of us (me + Jap + Cindy = Donnie + Jan) in Chili’s. I expected 7 but 2 of them couldn’t make it. (You know who you are, I miss you both. Kitakits before the world year ends!) I posted an invite on Fb a couple of hours before the salubong but decided to delete it because it might turn into a drinking session. And well, you know that I am trying to control my alcohol intake. :p

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We were a fun bunch, especially when Donnie started talking about the end of the world, Palestine, Harry Potter and being a patrol ng Pilipino. Trust me, everything is connected.

After Chili’s, Jap and I had coffee in CBTL to catch up (haha as if hindi kami magkatelebabad ng madalas) and so I can stay awake for the…

3 Simbang Gabi
It was my first time to hear go to the dawn mass at St Paul Church. It’s a pretty church. Magaling pa ‘yung pari mag-sermon. 🙂 I should go there more! It wouldn’t be a problem since it’s very near where I live. As in isang tumbling at isang kembot away lang.

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Loved that I was able to hear the homily about Jesus being the reason for the season. This is the reason why I chose to have a small celebration this year. I don’t want to put a larger value on my birthday than the bigger party on the 25th ever again. 😛

4 Sine (at Soup)
After only 4 hours of sleep and a loooong time of finishing my McDonald’s lunch with Ate B, I rushed to Greenbelt to see Oryx so that we can see The Hobbit.

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Nothing to say but I loved it because of the part that it looked like a musicale. Nyahahaha! Dwarves are more awesome that Elves! Or Hobbits!!!

Went to Via Mare after. Yehey! Three of my favorite things: wild mushroom soup, bibingka, and talking to my favorite boybud about my favorite topic!

5 Senti/Saya
M y 31st birthday was most def the smallest and simplest I’ve had. It’s also the most special. I guess it’s because it’s the only one that didn’t stress me out. (Well, except for the short time when this person posted something on my timeline that made my head hurt. Anyway, moving on.) I may have not received all that I asked for but this birthday surely has made me feel extremely blessed.

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Belated happy birthday to me! Thanks to all those who remembered!

Thank you God for the privilege of living this life. 🙂

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listening to: One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful

My GS BFF’s Wedding

It was only July this year when I reconnected with my classmates from Mountain View Village School*. Jonalyn was one of my dearest friends back in gradeschool and Jero was  our classmate/my childhood enemy. Ang galing talaga ng social media. If it weren’t for Facebook, I wouldn’t have talked to them again and I wouldn’t be able to see Jhona get married last Friday. 🙂 

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{with SpiderKid}

It was the first Iglesia Ni Cristo wedding that I witnessed. It was a good thing I decided to bring a shawl. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be let in because the dress I wore was sleeveless. I removed the shawl as soon as I was seated though. Hehe. It was a small and intimate wedding attended by the couple’s closest family and friends. Feeling special tuloy ako na andun ako. Jero (my +1 by default) wasn’t able to wake up in time for the wedding because salbahe siya he was so exhausted from work. Okay lang. I befriended one of the guests– a five year old kid named Miguel who told me he’s Peter Parker.

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{with Andy the groom and Jhona the bride}

As expected, I cried when I saw my friend (who looked so radiant!!!) walk down the aisle with her dad. I think, when it’s my time to get married masisira ng bongga ang eye makeup ko. Nyahahahah! The service was short. As in parang kalahati ng sa Katoliko. The minister (?) talked about Adam and Eve and what  husband should be to a wife and vice versa. Medyo nagtaka lang ako na parang emotional si Brother. I forgot to ask if he’s a close friend of the couple or kung mabilis lang talagang siyang ma-move ng story ng first parents natin. 🙂

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{elementary batchmates}

The reception was held at the function room of One Rockwell. Seatmates ko si SpiderKid and his mom Ava. Miguel calls her Mary Jane. :p I had to meet Jero outside because maarte siya he’s shy to enter the venue alone. On my way outside, I felt a spray of identified goo, Waaaahhh! Yung isa sa mga kalapati na pinalipad ng couples shit on some of us! Hahahaha! mabilis pala tumigas ang poo ng dove. Anyway, hindi naman ako maarte. I just wiped it off using my bare hands. And I wanted to strangle Jero kasi malas siya.

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{childhood nemesis}

I liked that the celebration was short and sweet. Hindi ko kasi makita ang logic ng mahaba at madaming palabok na kasal. Seeing Andy gaze adoringly to my friend made me smile ‘coz I’m baduy like that. 🙂 And cheesy ako. I like seeing evidences of love. Natuwa rin ako to see their relatives get along. I felt that suportado talaga nila ang union ni Jhona and Andy. I pray that God will bless their marriage with a happy home, cute and kind kids, and great adventures!

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{I was in Makati but my heart was out of town. Nyahaha.}

Oh, and guess what… I caught the bouquet.

Ano nga uli ang sabi nila ‘pag ganon? :p

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* I transferred to Benedictine Abbey School (now San Beda Alabang) after 4th grade in MVVS.

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listening to: Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight

PacShet

Kung kailan naman first time ako manood from start to finish at mag-fully pay attention sa laban ni Manny Pacquiao doon siya natalo. ‘Di kaya ako abg malas? Ija-jab ko ang magsasabi ng Oo.

Natalo siya kanina ni Timothy Bradley. Ang tanong, natalo nga ba talaga? Maraming nagsasabi na luto ang laban. Kahit ako na isang hindi boxing expert o fan man lang ay kayang magsabi na akala ko talaga, ang decision ay in favor kay PacMan. He started off strong. By almost midfight, Bradley seemed to be bouncing back and throwing jabs at him but Manny was still giving the opponent his punches. Marami nga ang nakapansin na hindi masyadong nagpakitang gilas si Manny pero marami rin ang nagsasabi na karamihan ng rounds ay si Manny ang nanalo.

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Bukod sa trending topics na #PacShet #MannyPacquiaoIsStillTheWorldsBestBoxer at #EndOfAnEra, ilan pa sa mga nakapukaw ng atensyon ko ay ang mga reaksyon ng ilang mga becky (gay, bading, bakla) na buti na lang at natalo siya. Beh buti nga daw kasi masyado daw feelingero si PacMan. Sa isang banda, naiintindihan ko ang mga reaksyon nila dahil may panahon rin na hate na hate ko si Manny. ‘Pag may laban kasi dati si Pacquiao, hindi ko magambala ang Daddy ko na mamasyal. Pinagpapalit niya ang bonding time namin para sa boxing. Tsaka nadala rin ako dati sa sandamakmak na bad publicity kay PacMan. Hindi ko rin bet na kadikit ng pangalan niya si very shady Chavit Singson. But he earned my respect and admiration because he really is a damn good fighter. Even his loss now does not stop me from respecting and admiring him. Sana lang, ‘wag naman natin personalin si Manny. True, siguro nga dapat magconcentrate na lang siya sa pagiging congressman pero seriously, anong gambala na ba ang nagawa ng boxing niya sa pagrepresent ng Saranggani? Anyway, may mga beks naman na hindi pinersonal si Manny, God bless you all. Peace. 🙂

Ang pinaka-nakakapagpa-iling sa akin na mga comments ay ‘yung mga dinadamay pa si God sa pagkatalo niya. Nag-aagree ako na grabe sa pagka-vocal si Manny sa newfound faith niya kay Jesus, pero hindi naman siguro dapat dahilan ito para tirahin ng mga walang parehong pananampalataya ang pagiging boksingero niya. Hindi naman porke si Bradley ang nagtamo ng boxing belt na may bling-blings ay hindi na nakapagbigay ng glory si Manny sa Diyos.

Nakakalunod ang mga nagsulputang mga meme dahil sa fight na ito. Ang pinakanagkalat ay ang Claudine Barretto- Timothy Bradley fight. Hahaha iba talaga ang nadulot ng scandal ni Claudine sa NAIA. Kung magkaron ng mirakulo at matuloy ang fight na ito, kay Claudine ang pusta ko.

Nalulungkot pa rin ako na natalo si Pacquiao, lalo na first time manood ng mga anak niya sa mismong venue. Balita ko rin, nahimatay na namang muli si PacMom/Aling Dionisia. Wala akong balita tungkol kay Jinky maliban sa umiyak daw siya at pinahid ang luha sa pamamagitan ng silk hanky na galing sa kanyang Hermes bag. Life goes on. Tapos na ang laban pero hindi pa tapos ang laban. Rematch daw sa November. Isa pa ‘yang dahilan kung bakit daw ipinatalo ng judges si Manny. For money generating reasons at para may isa pang abangan ang publiko.

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Gusto ko lang rin palang isingit na kasama sa mga nalulungkot at hindi makapaniwala sa pagkatalo ni PacMan ang mga Hollywood celebrities na sina Justin Timberlake (eeeeeeee kinikilig ako!!!), Jessica Biel, Chris Daughtry, Devon Sawa at Katy Perry. Paano ko nalaman? Aba shempre, sa Twitter.

O ano mga kids? Ituloy na lang natin ito sa rematch sa November. For now, magdoble ibgat muna tayong lahat dahil baka bawiin ng mga magnanakaw ang mga natalo nila sa pustahan at tunaas ang crime rate bukas.

Ninong Manny, para sa akin, ikaw pa rin ang panalo. Time pers, time pers… Concentrate ka muna sa iyong congress duties, pagtulong sa mga Pilipino, pagiging isang mabuting ama at asawa at pagiging isang mabuting Kristiyano.

Hindi pa ito end ng boxing era. Naniniwala ako na babangon ka at dudurugin mo pa si Bradley sa Nobyembre.

Pahabol: Ang galing mo, Jessica Sanchez!!! Dapat talaga, ikaw naging American Idol eh!

At… DA HU si Kirby Asunto? Hindi ko siya kilala. Hindi rin niya ako kilala, so quits lang. :p

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listening to: mga opininyo ng aking nga kapitbahay at ang maingay na tahol ng aso nila na mukhang pro-PacMan rin

Jeric <3 Mafi

Less than 2 weeks ago…

Me: O, baket ka tumawag?
Mafi: I-invite sana kita sa wedding namin next week.
Me: Punyemas, next week na?!!????

She’s not pregnant. In fact, they were engaged for around a year before they tied the knot last Friday. Their original plan was to have a beach wedding in Bataan last March but it was postponed because Mafi had to go to Greece. I thought they moved it to November, but I was wrong. Good thing I was wrong because I really think Jeric and Mafi are made for each other and it’s just right that they seal the deal. 🙂

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May 25, in Tramway, Shaw Blvd. There were 20+ of us in attendance to bear witness to Jeric and Mafi’s Christian wedding. It was a simple, beautiful intimate gathering of family and closest friends. It was also the first wedding I ever attended that served food before the ceremony. I loved it. :p Plus, we also got to eat again after the Pastor declared them husband and wife.

Another thing I loved was I got to be the flowergirl!!! Chloe, the original flowergirl, was sleepy and didn’t want to go back inside to throw petals at the newlyweds. So what was a concerned secondary sponsor to do? I grabbed the flowerbasket and said, “Pwede po ako na lang? Matagal ko nang pangarap gawin ito uli eh!” Nobody seemed to mind. I said, “Wheeeee!!!” each time I threw petals at the couple. Ang saya ko lang talaga!

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It was a happy day. Another day that reminded me that love will always and forever triumph. My wish for the newlyweds is for them to never forget what is said in Ephesians 5:

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior… Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy…

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Congratulations and best wishes to the lovebirds! Jeric, welcome to the family! Take care of my baby cousin!

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listening to: Kelly Clarkson – A Moment Like This

Oishi: Nothing Short of O,Wow!

When my friend invited me to attend Oishi‘s new campaign launch, I said YES without asking for further details. My 3 reasons:

1. I’ve loved Oishi since I was a cute (walang papalag) little girl. I remember Oishi Prawn Crackers being my snack of choice whenever my parents and I would watch movies– in Betamax. So now you know how old I am and how long Oishi has been around. 🙂

2. Oishi is one of the loyal partners in our company events. I have seen thousands of our employees and applicants happy because of Smart C, Fiber & Fruit, and Gourmet Picks potato chips. My favorites among these are the Grapefruit Smart C and Natural Sea Salt chips– my current moviesnack of choice. :p tsaka Pillows rin pala.

3. I wanted to know who’s the mystery endorser of their O,Wow! campaign. I read in Twitter that it’s gonna be the Elmo Magalona but I wanted to be there to be sure. Mwehehe!

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So last Saturday afternoon, with my friend Homer, I went to Trinoma for the launch of Oishi’s O,Wow! Campaign.

The event was hosted by VJ Andrei Felix and sportscaster Rizza Diaz. The audience was treated to fun and games including the saksakan ng bago na Bring Me! :))

There were 3 humongous boxes at the center of the Activity Area that held the special guests of Oishi. They were cloaked in red when they entered. I knew Elmo was there somewhere. My guess was his onscreen sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose couldn’t be far behind. But who’re the boys that entered the 3rd box? Anong banda sila? Kasing yummy ba sila ng Oishi? Hmmmm…

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After loads of potato chips and screaming of O,Wow!’s… the surprise guests were unveiled. Elmo Magalona, check! Julie San Jose, check! Aaaaaannnnddddd… Callalily! So I was right about the yummy part! Kean Cipriano, double check! :))

Oishi gave us a high-energy concert experience. Julie performed several hits including the gasgas na but still fun to listen to, Super Bass. Callalily performed their songs and I was happy to hear Stars again. It transported me back to the time Kean looked so boyish at ‘di makabasag pinggan. Hahaha! Of course, Elmo sang a mix of covers and originals. The crowd (well, mostly teen girls) went gaga when he danced to Teach Me How to Dougie. I was impressed when he sang 3 Stars and The Son. You will be too. You can download the single for free here.

I looked around and saw Miss Pia Magalona with a big smile, looking oh-so proud of her son. Well who wouldn’t be? Elmo is a talented kid that is a fantastic endorser of an equally fantastic brand. His fun and adventurous vibe and Oishi’s variety of delicious and affordable snacks are nothing short of O,WOW!

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You can also give yourself an O,Wow! experience by treating yourself to Oishi snacks like– Wafu (gosh, I love these leche flan/cheese wafer sticks), Gourmet Picks (potato chips cooked in sunflower oil), Marty’s (veggie chicharon), or Porky Pops (baked not fried lean pork rind).

Beat the summer heat by drinking the refreshing Smart C. It comes in 3 flavors: lemon, orange, and pomelo-grapefruit. You can also choose the healthier alternative Fiber & Fruit. Here’s yours truly holding a bottle of apple-flavored F&F. There’s also peach and grape but this one’s my fave. This was taken in Market! Market!, in one of our job fairs. I grabbed one before thirsty applicants finish all of ’em. :p

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Share your O,Wow! moments on Twitter using the Oishi O, Wow! hashtag #OWow #Oishi and like them on Facebook. www.facebook.com/oishi.ph

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listening to: The Beatles – Love Me Do

Live AIDS 2012

“What??? Hindi ka pa nakakapanood ng Live A.I.D.S.?!??!”

That’s what JP, my Thomasian colleague shouted in disbelief when he found out that I haven’t watched any of UP SAMASKOM’s shows yet. I felt like a useless Iska. Natalo pa ako ng Thomasian na halos lahat ng performances napanood! 😦 So when Joko told me about Live A.I.D.S. (Ang Istoryang Dinebelop ng Samaskom) 2012, I said YES, utang na loob, kailangan ko nang makapanood!

We made it a point to sleep early on a Saturday gimik night (we went to a surf/skate/barbecue party in 121) so we can wake up early on Sunday. The got the 10am show so the plan was to take advantage of UP in the morning by eating breakfast at Chocolate Kiss. We had spanish omelet with ciabatta, french toast, devil’s food cake, tsokolate-eh and coffee.

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After a filling and oh-so satisfying Chocolate Kiss brekky, we went to Aldaba Hall for Live A.I.D.S. 2012: Before and Laughter. They made spoofs of the end of the world and the Mayan contribution in everyday life, MMFF and classic movies, Adele, Whitney Houston, and even the legend of the pineapple. It was not a perfect show, but I enjoyed it a lot! A true parody of life! The portion I liked best was Adele’s and then Whetney’s (yep, I spelled that correctly). You can check out Samaskom’s Adele here—> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BQx2lRS5hg =)

Sumpa ko, wala na akong papalagpasing Live A.I.D.S. kahit kailan! Congrats to the cast and crew of Before and Laughter especially to the head writer- the one who played jejemon in Alamat ng Pinya. Ang utak mo ay tunay na pang-Isko, bro! 😀

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Before Joko and I went back to Makati (to see In The Heights), we had lunch at Mister Kabab in UP-Ayala Technohub. Chelo Kabab! Keema! Stew! Yummeh! Like Chocolate Kiss, Mister Kabab never fails to make me and my tummy happy!

Aaaannnddd.. for dessert… halo-halo!!! At Razon’s of couse!

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That Sunday in UP was great! I should go to UP regularly for the nomnoms and theatre stuff. Gonna work on this! I’ve missed you, Peyups!!!

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listening to: Boys Night Out

Lifestyling: Surfers’ Hao/BSide Night

I was suffering from migraine last Wednesday but I forced myself to get better so I can attend the Manila Surfers Association comp kickoff party at Hao Diner.

It was nice to see my friends, drink alcohol,

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watch the couples pizza eating contest,

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eat leftover pizza,

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go to an afterparty in BSide,

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have one of the members of Salbakuta take a picture of me with Kuya and his “balls”,

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and continue to live a life of a poser-surfer. :p

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Lifestylin’ yeaaaahhh! Hahaha!

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THANKS TO BEA S. FOR THE PHOTOS! ❤

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listening to: David Guetta – Turn Me On

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