MY CHRISTMAS WISHLIST

Christmas is a time of renewal. A time when the best in humanity is called forth amid the safety of traditions. A time when it feels good to give, when grievances are abolished, when Heaven comes to Earth for a moment.

We tend to think of Christmas as a time for children, but what if Christmas gives each of us the opportunity to be the Child? To have wise men bring priceless gifts to us, to be held by an adoring mother and father while shepherds and other good folk admire us, to feel that everything will be okay...forever? What if Christmas is a chance to start fresh? Clean slate. New.

During Christmas Season, i used to make a wishlist, more like a Christmas Wishlist. Written in there are the material things i wanted to have on Christmas Day. Writing the wishlist comes with hoping and praying that at least one or two of those will happen. I always pray and believe that Santa Clause would read it and grant my wishes, though i have some childish doubts that maybe Santa  couldn't give me my gifts because we don't have a chimney or he cannot come in because my parents are still up and things like that.

Time passed by and now i know that Santa Clause isn't real. it happened one Christmas eve, i saw my parents putting the gifts under the Christmas tree, maybe trying to make us believe that Santa went inside the house when we're asleep and put the gifts there. Though i know the truth behind the jolly old man, that didn't stop me from believing in him, it even changed my selfish materialistic wishlist into a noble one and i felt awesome about it! :)

1) i want a new pair of RED KEDS. but a pair of slippers for the barefooted children in the sidewalk would be much better.

2) i want to have a BLACKBERRY PHONE. but seeing all people smile at me with no hatred inside their hearts is the best means of communication ever that no single phone can do.

3) i want to go ABROAD. but seeing a mother and her lost child reunite in an empty street on a Christmas day would be the best.

4) i want new BRANDED SET OF CLOTHES. but by realizing that most street children always spend the night fighting with the tremendous coldness of the night, a pair of clothes for them would seem right.

5) i want a new JANSPORT BAG. but upon looking at a poor child wandering around the street and with nothing to eat makes me think that a bag of food for him and his family will be better.

6) i want to go to CHRISTMAS CONCERTS. but events that involves helping street children during Christmas Season is way more awesome than ever.

7) i want a MACBOOK. but a set  of knowledgeable books that less fortunate kids could use would be much better.

8) i want our house to be filled with LUMINOUS CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. but  upon looking at the other side of the street, there lies a family that even barely see each other because of the blinding darkness all over the place, making me realize that sharing light with them would be cooler than Christmas lights.

9) i want a new DSLR. but thinking that making a hopeless street child smile amid this unfair world would be a heart-warming feeling..

10) i want to have a LUXURIOUS NOCHE BUENA. but thinking that a poor family is spending the Christmas Eve outside the street with nothing to eat, not even a single loaf, it would be best if we learn to share what we have.

You see Christmas isn't always just about thinking what you want, it's about doing what is good. it's a perfect time for all of us to sit down, to think and to thank God for all the blessings we receive from Him no matter a big or small it is. sometimes, making a simple wishlist makes us realize that sometimes there are things in life that we thought we don't have yet, but in reality, we already have them. maybe not in the form we expected it to be, but in the form that particular thing should be.

yes, i know the truth behind the jolly old man, but that truth didn't stop me from believing in Santa and the power of the Christmas Season- the kind of joy it brings to everyone, either fortunate or not.

Christmas time is Wishlist time.  

Let the listing begins!

THE LUCKY ONES

and the camera flashes, make it look like a dream.

it was november 28, 2012, wednesday to be exact when osang jem yyen and i decided to bring to life our “it’s okay to treat yourself” day. among our 250 something restaurant partners, we decided to go to BANAPPLE, in greenhills. i thought this day would be boring, if not, ordinary. But as i step inside banapple, i suddenly realized that everything is happening the other way around. no exact word can explain what I felt that day, but I know one thing is for sure, it was more awesome than awesome. :D

banapple, AT FIRST GLANCE

AT FIRST GLANCE, BANAPPLE IT IS! :)

Our way to banapple was as easy as living in HELL. Tremendous heat is a welcoming site. And what made it worse? It took us almost an hour before we got ourselves at the café. We reached the place, but still we cannot order. Why? We’re waiting for yyen. It was 3.30 pm that time. While waiting, my peers took random photos. (friends surely know how to spend time waiting.) I was starting to get a bit irritated by the scenario of us waiting in vain while the café’s staff looking at us. I was wondering what was running on their mind that time. Maybe, they wanna ask us if we will order or we went there just to sit and wait for someone. (yung tingin na nakikiupo lang naman ata kami at walang balak umorder. Haha kahiya na kami.)

one of the staff there, gave us the menu, expecting us to order right away. lol

WHEN SOMEONE GIVES YOU THE MENU, IT'S LIKE ORDER NOW OR LEAVE NOW.

Waiting in there and doing nothing is killing me. So I brought up the idea of ordering our drinks first while waiting. We decided to buy iced chocolate.

UNDENIABLY CHOCOLATEY. :D

Iced chocolate. The taste of it is not exactly what I thought it would taste like. It’s not that it’s not scrumptious. it is. but I was just expecting a bit more from it. I’m a little upset about that. On the other hand, what else could I possibly expect? It’s chocolate. Nothing more, nothing less. I could really say that despite that, iced chocolate is very effective to ease someone’s thirst. :D

Time check, it was past 5pm when yyen arrived. (I almost thought she won’t show up. HAHAHAHA) that’s the go signal for us to order.

thinking that my friends will buy the best seller, i tried a different slice of cake which is the oreo brownie fudge cheesecake.

ONE SLICE OF CAKE  FOR A WHOLE DAY OF FULL SMILES! :)

the very thing which made me decide to try this cake is the oreo on top of it. i was expecting a whole oreo biscuit in the slice but only got the half of it. i was like "whoah. you got me there." and what amazed me also is the almost 1.5 inches icing of the slice. it was aslo sprinkled with pulverized oreo. if you have a poor appetite, be sure to have a partner when you wanna try this cake.

osang jem and yyen go for the banoffe pie, the cafe's best seller.

IF YOU HAVE THE BEST SELLER, WHY CARE FOR THE REST?

banoffee pie. at first look, the oreo brownie fudge cheesecake i bought was more appealing to the eye than the best seller itself. but when i got to taste it, a realization came to me instantly. what i like about this cake is the crispy chocolate on top of it. i like it than the cake it self. lol upon tasting it, i realized why  banoffee pie is banapple's best seller. i tasted something in it and i don't know what it is. maybe that's the secret of it. beauty over mysteriousness. terrific.

yyen doesn't want a cold drink so decided to buy a hot coffee. (old people likes that. HAHAHAHA)

CAFE LATTE BY SIX IN  THE EVENING? YEAH, NOT A WORD FOR IT! :)

4-5 packs of sugar to ease the pungent taste? yyen can certainly do that. the coffee part of the latte was overpowering, which makes it bitter. but it's good. the cafe latte itself was actually tasty. the bitter part was the after taste of it. that's were you will taste the bitterness. maybe it wasn't just really my kind of taste.

we were halfway eating the slices when someone ordered lasagna roll ups. by the time we looked at it, that's the time we made up our mind that we will order the same item.

ADMIT IT. YOU'RE A VICTIM OF THE ITS DELIGHTFUL AROMA! :)

EAT.EAT.EAT. now who wants greenwich's lasagna? HAHA yes. greenwich's lasagna is still better than that of banapple's lasagna roll ups. that's for sure. but of course that doesn't make lasagna roll ups less delicious over others. it's mouth-watering in its own way. :D one order of it is enough to feed 1-2 persons. i expected too much from it, so guess it's the reason why i get a little upset about it.

and there is a particular view in the cafe which made us really happy. somehow we realized that we are part of a big family. here it is.

HELLO! WE DELIVER TWOANYONE! HOW MAY I HELP YOU? :)

we really enjoyed our stay at banapple. our stay there was priceless. we will sure to come back there! :)

SWEET NOTHINGS TO THE ONES WHO MADE US FEEL SO SPECIAL THAT NIGHT! :)

RANDOM PHOTOS showing how much we feel welcomed at banapple. :D

 I'M HAPPY, FREE, CONFUSED AND LONELY AT THE SAME TIME.

it feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters and make fun of our exes.
it feels like a perfect night for breakfast at midnight and fall in love with strangers.

SIMPLE BUT SOPHISTICATED.

I'M HAPPY, YOU'RE SAD, I'M SOMEBODY, YOU'RE NOBODY.

GUESS WE'RE ALL TRAPPED IN A CYCLE CALLED LIFE. WHAT ABOUT THAT?

IT FEELS LIKE ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS, WE DITCHED THE WHOLE SCENE.

YES WE'RE MEAN. BUT YOU, ALL YOU ARE IS A LIAR, PATHETIC, AND ALONE IN LIFE.

to sum of it all, i really enjoyed this adventure with my MEANion friends. this one day millionaire experience of us is all worth it! :) efforts paid off. you will realize that some miserable and magical things are happening in your life right now. you will not see it the way it should be unless you start living your life the way you wanted it to be.

we have each other side by side, we are happy and we are mean because we are the MEANions, and we are THE LUCKY ONES.

now, are you the lucky one? :)

ALL TOO WELL

i remember it, all too well.

i have lots of other things to post on my blog site  like the T-Party, when i had a two-week misunderstanding with my close friend, my so-called mentor's post-birthday celebration, the day i said sorry to my close friend, the story of how our simple train ride became epic, and lots more. but recently, i experienced something that is somewhat more worth blogging for. maybe because i can no longer hold back the emotions i have been keeping inside ever since. i never thought that this would happen to me. i really feel bad about it.

"wala naman akong alam sa mga sinasabi nya. pero nakakalungkot lang pag naiisip kong ako lang yung pwedeng matamaan nung sinabi nya. andami ko ng problema dumadagdag ka pa. naiintindihan ko naman na hindi madali yung nangyari sayo  pero putting the blame on someone either directly or indirectly, nakaka-offend lang. nahihiya na ko kila ate kase pinilit ko sila sumama sakin. lumalabas na nararanasan nila yung ganitong klaseng pagpapahirap dahil sakin. alam ko namang hindi mo kami gusto kasama pero para iparamdam mo yun araw araw, nakakabigat ng pakiramdam. naaapektuhan yung buong araw ko. pakiramdam ko guilty ako sa isang bagay na hindi ko alam na nangyari pala. siguro masama na yung tingin sakin ng ibang tao pero wala na ko magagawa dun, nirerespeto ko yun. basta alam kong nagtitiwala sakin yung mga kaibigan ko, okay na ko dun."

this italicized part of this blog is supposedly my facebook post. but i decided to put it in here, to make it clearer. here's what happened. lor lost his 2000 pesos which, according to him was kept inside his bag in the living room. actually it was 18k, and when he looked at his money again, only 16k showed up. of course there is no one to blame inside the house except me. (he's freaking crazy if he thought his own brother took it.) he didn't say it to me directly but conveyed his message plastered on the wall.

i know that i know nothing about this but reading this makes me feel like i'm guilty. get my point? I'M SO GUILTY WITH A FUCKING THING THAT I NEVER DID! i  even tweeted a really harsh statement when i found out about this. not because i'm guilty but because i can't stand it anymore. can you imagine how extremely outraged i was about this. ugh.

i know somehow that i should have not tweeted that. but can you blame me? i was caught unguarded. felt like i was betrayed. i became so vulnerable that time that i wanna hit him and say. fuck you for this! you deserve that. and if i really took your money, you'll never have it again, i swear!

when this incident happened, i came to realize that it's more than easy for some persons to blame others without having any proof in hand. simply relying on what they want to believe in. without thinking that simply blaming an innocent person is way too painful and depressing at the same time.

but looking into the brighter side of it, (goodness, can't believe i realized something good about this horror) maybe this will also serve a lesson for me and as well as to other people who are reading this. before you conclude something, be sure you can support your conclusion till the very end, because wrong judgement over others, is not just painful, but also hurtful to the mind, heart, body, and soul of that person. if this would ever happen to me, at least i know how to handle this, i won't blame someone instantly, like what he did to me, because for a fact, i know how it feels to be accused and blamed with something you know you didn't do.

being accused just like that is not easy to forget. because up to now, i still remember it. ALL TOO WELL.

CROSSROADS

Crossroads.

I want a job. I looked for a job. I found a job. Now, I wanna quit that job.

This is exactly what I feel right now. My job is not as easy as I thought it would be. I thought being a call center agent is all about answering calls, assisting customers and things like that. But by being on the “floor,” I found out that my thoughts about it is way too far from what is really happening in reality. Pressure, sweat (in an air-conditioned office? haha) and tears is all part of that.

Having conversations with different customers with different personalities every day, six days a week, makes me want to give up my job. COME ON! I don’t know if it’s just me or every customer I am assisting is a challenge. As a call center agent I should provide customer with the kind of service, they think they deserve even if in the back of my mind I know they don’t deserve any of it. :D

But do you know what’s worse? BEING HUMILIATED BY SOMEONE YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW. that’s bullshit. I have this co-agent whom I thought, at first impression, was good, responsible and I could consider a friend inside the office. But when my first call of the day strikes, my first impression suddenly went missing. My co-agent interferes with my every call and I came to a point where in I put the customer on hold and told her “ate ikaw na kaya makipag usap sa customer ko.” I thought her meddling will end by that time, but I was wrong. It’s just the beginning. I went on a battle unprepared.

After that call, she started murmuring things like “nagmamagaling ka na kagad.” “ikaw na nga tong tinutulungan ikaw pa tong galit.” “kung magaling ka, dun ka na sa ibang station.” “alam mo, kung hindi mo kaya umalis ka na lang dito, hindi naming kailanagan ng tulad mo dito.” WHAT THE FUCK. You call it a fucking help? Interrupting me in the middle of a call? Is that how you define help? Thanks, but no thanks. Her atrocious manner isn’t the point here, my point is I worked longer than she and she acted as if she been there for like years. Damn it.

Things like that make me want to quit my job. When these things happened to me, a question unexpectedly pops out in my mind. “why am I working?” do I really need to have a job right now? Do I really have to divide my time for school and office? I know having a job isn’t just about earning money, it’s about knowing your self-worth. But sometimes proving your self-worth will actually open your eyes to the fact that it not easy to find your own place in this big world. You will encounter crossroads along the way and it is solely up to you on which path you’re going to choose. Up to now I’m still in the middle of my own crossroad, thinking if I’m on the right track or should I make u-turn and try the other way around. But to whatever decision I will come up, I hope I won’t regret it in the future.

SOGO deluxe

SOGO. madalas kong naririnig tong word na to kapag ang topic ay medyo x-rated. "sige pre pag nagkita kayo dalhin mo agad sa SOGO." "san kayo galing? nag-SOGO kayo noh?" "maganda ba? pwede pang-SOGO?" gets nyo? siguro naman diba? ako aminado naman ako na pag narinig ko yun, ndi ko din maiwasan na ndi yun mai-associate sa "place for sex." kasi parang ang kumalat dati SOGO is a good place for doing THAT. xD pero nagbago yung tingin ko sa place nung first time ko nagspend ng night dun. (wag muna mag-react. haha)

mga 9.30pm (August 25, 2012) na ng nagdecide kami ng ate ko (kapatid ko) na umuwi na ng bahay. habang papunta kami sa may sakayan ng jeep naisip ni ate na mag-SOGO. (sa tingin ko naisip nya yun kase una: kakauwi lang nya ulit ng bansa. pangalawa: maraming tao sa bahay nun kase yung isa kong housemate dun na sila nagreview para sa department tests nila kinabukasan. pangatlo: feeling ko nabigla lang si ate. may pera kasi xa e. haha)

so ayun na pumunta na kami sa sogo, (btw katabi lang ng SM yung SOGO Hotel na yun) at namili kung anong klaseng room ang ia-avail namin. e nung time na yun ang available room na lang ay DE LUXE room at REGENCY room. parehong mahal pero mas mura ng konti yung de luxe room (1170 pesos for 12 hours) ayun. nung andun na kami sa room 520, sabi ni ate pupuntahan daw muna nya yung mga friends nya at yun na nga ang nangyari, NAIWAN ako mag isa doon.

una kong napansin yung malaking kama na sa tingin ko kaya 3-4 na tao. laki nya! hahaha

at sunod kong tinignan yung bathroom nya. plain white lang yung color nung tiles. lahat puro white. malinis tignan at parang masarap mag-shower. :) yung mga gamit dun pang dalawahan lagi. toothbrush, slippers, towel, pati PILLOW dalawa lang. tss. :/ yung remote control nung tv parang nakatali sa isang table sa gilid nung bed, para siguro hindi gawing souvenir yung remote.

epic lang kasi sa ibabaw ng tv may channel guide. at 2 channel ang pinaka pino-promote nila. channel 121 at 125. yun yung mga channel for adults. channel 121 (asian adults) at channel 125 (us/euro adults). when i say adult, i am referring to adult sex. iba lang kase parang may basehan talaga kung bakit naging ganun ang reputation ng SOGO sa labas. naalala ko nga habang nagche check-in pa lang kami yung iba naming kasabay pakiramdam ko andon lang para mag-intercourse. haha out of curiosity tinignan ko yung sinasabi sa channel guide. at yun nga nakita ko. asian and us/euro adults doing that.

may wifi yung place. and it took me a lot of courage para i-press yung zero sa telephone at kausapin yung person sa front desk para itanong yung wifi password. (nahihiya ako tsaka baka kasi ndi naman pang lahat yung wifi. xD) good thing the girl on the other line gave me the password which is "*************" :) mga 11pm na ng nag umpisa ako ma-bored dun sa room. mag-isa lang ako e, so i decided na mag surf na lang sa net. after ilang hours, umorder naman ako ng isang spaghetti at isang mango juice. ndi naman talaga ako gutom nun e. for experience lang. at eto pa, ndi ko alam kung kelan ko yun dapat bayaran. pagkabigay ba saken or pag mag check-out na. nako nako. halatang first timer si gago. xD

while waiting, inenjoy ko na lang yung room i jumped up and down sa bed, nagshower habang nagpe-PERFORM. at pakiramdam ko nasa ARANETA ako. ansaya ng feeling kase i feel secured na walang ibang makakarinig ng "bathroom voice" ko aside saken. nyahaha :D

after nun, wala na naman ako magawa! tapos bigla ko na lang naisip na kunyari mayamang tao ako, pahotel-hotel na lang. kase pag andun ka mag-isa sa room parang lumalabas yung pagka-naughty mo e. naughty in a way na anjan na mag-iimagine ka as if you really own the place, na parang you have everything life has to offer. at masasabi mo na lang na this is the life. xD

tapos nun nag-decide ako matulog na. after ilang minutes, ramdam kong mahihirapan ako matulog. (namamahay e. lol) kahit gaano kaganda at ka-inviting yung ambiance nung room, kahit gaano kalamig yung aircon, kahit gaano kasarap yung sine-serve nilang food, parang may kulang parin. HIRAP NG WALANG KAUSAP. na-realize ko na ganito siguro yung hotel life ng mga independent people. parang ang option mo na lang ay kausapin ang sarili mo, mag internet at matulog. sanayan lang siguro talaga.

mga 5am na ng makatulog ako kase dumating na nun si ate. then nung morning, mga 15 minutes bago mag 12 hours. (yung hours na binayaran namin) tumawag yung nasa front desk and she informed us na we still have 15 minutes or we could spend another hour which will cost 150 pesos. syempre umuwi na kami, may pupuntahan pa kasi kami nun e.

all in all, kahit may times na feeling ko boring dun sa sogo, nag enjoy pa rin ako. kase not everyone is given the chance na mag-stay sa de luxe room ng 12 hours and do whatever you want.

and i therefore conclude, SOGO hotel is SO clean, so GOod. :D

FIRST TRY.

hey, so i don't have any idea about this blog thing pero gusto ko to i-try para maiba naman. i always spend my time tweeting nonsense things at kahit hindi sabihin ng mga followers ko alam ko minsan irritating na rin yung mga tweets ko.

i have lots of ideas na gusto ko i-share, but the thing is hindi ko alam kung paano ko gagawin yun. nung nakita ko yung blog site nung isa kong friend. i made up my mind na gagawa din ako ng sarili kong blog site. and here it is. yay.

through this, sana mas makita nyo ng mabuti yung klase ng mundo na ginagalawan ko. kung sino talaga ako, kung ano mga gusto ko, ayaw ko, mga naiisip ko sa mga bagay bagay at kayo na bahala dun. xD

dito na lang muna. first try nga diba? :)