My daughter's first boyfriend

She was actually betrothed by her own grandmother to Harry Charles Albert David, Prince of Wales even before she was born.  She , her Lola's Princess deserve no less than Royalty :)  But love's tricky, it will find its way.  Love conquers all.  How can you argue with that.  

She chose a Bee over a Prince.   And was head over heels.  

So  when  the TVC started airing last November, I got really excited.  Brought back memories, and the sparkle in her eyes each time ...

2013's Christmas offer --- batteries not included ;)  

I got her this ...

I got this from Jollibee Dasma Bayan, and was part of our Christmas table 

Thirteen years is a long time.  People change, feelings, too.  She denied everything about them.  :)   It felt like a love gone sour, that  did not leave her any aftertaste.  Plain and simple, memories gone.  Love no more.   

But I'm her mother, I've got solid proofs.  Proofs that will stand in court actually.  LOL  May be there is photoshop or all the other sophisticated apps to enhance or even completely alter photographic films and electronic images.  But it always boils down to the truth.  

She can raise hell and high water.   But as a matter of factly, at one point in her (baby, little) life, this Bee swept her off her feet. And in the annals of history, she was madly in love with Jollibee, her first boyfriend.

Pictures don't lie (even when homo sapiens do ;-) )

She was about to make her rebuttal, until I showed her all these ...

Love at first sight.  A social butterfly, she was barely 2 months old, and attending the 1st birthday party she got invited to.  I think that was Mareng Alma's eldest son's bday.   Soooo cute, look at her little sugar creme puff* miniature tote bag.

*Sugar Creme Puff items was then exclusively available in Gift Gate.  Aside from Rustan's, I  used to shop her stuff from Gift Gate.  Arte (magastos) ko lang na nanay heheh

Ever since she was born, automatic na, we dine at the nearest Jollibee resto hehe  That was heaven for her.  So when she turned 3, Dad and I gave her the ultimate dream of any little girl ---- a Jollibee parteeehhh!

Mommy holding her so she could blow her candles.  Behind her was Ate Inna --- who's now a full grown young lady and  so pretty at that (miss ko na din Inna namin :( ) ... and Remy's mom, Nanay Tacing (missing Remy --- i hope di na sya tatampo sa akin --- si Remedios parang ako lang ang tagaaaaaaaaaallll magtampo huhu)

The only girl in my life --- posing before her gifts in Jollitown, March 1, 2000.

They were so sweet --- Jollibee and Sophie.

Pixie dusts for Christmas

.

To my Mamang, Lolo Tatay, Lola Meding, Lola Bidang, my in-laws, Betong, Ronnie, Emer and Reden.  Celebrating your memories ...

To my homies ... 'in this together.

To my dearest darling, Sophie ...  i know, for her,  this sucks ... but a mother has to do what it's gotta do ;-)

to my best buds in the whole wide world ... thank you for all the lovin' ... dognuts, bok,  bengbeng, ML, batch, virginie, thermites, abiku, Phiayaya, Lolit Kulit, Lani Gel, Jena Gurl, Mykee, Nettchie, BenT, Fayie, CITEM luvies, GerryB, Minyang, Ca and GMA kiddies, GeloB, Davie, Laine,  Rye, Josh, Roxy Baby

To the love of my life ... love still

Me, cultivating solitude.

Face Off

Playful on another Sunday.  Tryin' to get my groove back after all that (oh jeezzz please tell me something i do not know) ... Guess, this star crossed streak lasts throughout December and January (so there ...), errr must say year round :( ... i will be immune some day, one day ... meantime, the best way is this way.  So this is me wrappin' up my Pre-Christmas weekend tryin' to break my own nut case ... gettin' back to pinnin' and tweetin'and goodreads and instagram and poetry and my online journal. 

Me and my new disease --- Narcissism  (lmao!)

Credit goes to my daughter, Sophia Clarisse, for putting together a massive amount of patience, teaching her ol' dog, how to use these apps in our desktop and my Iphone ... 

This was  profile pic (before all that)  of what used to be my FB :(

Spot the diff ...

Lookin' hot ...

Tagaytay High

even if half of my life spent in cosmopolitan Manila.  i always been a country girl and probinsyana by heart.  i love old  towns, lazy and vintage.   that explains why i never really went for condo living but always dreamt of that brickhouse up South.  The cold breezy weather's perfect for me.  I am the one who will never ever survive heat, humidity, sweat LOL .... that makes Tagaytay my ol time favorite place.  With all the flora and fauna, fresher, cleaner air, good coffee, good choc'late, good food.  To die for!!!aner air, good coffee, good choc'late, good food!!!   To die for! 

First Stop:  Kalamunda Farm

a view from the hallway --- a sprawling luscious greens

here --- we met, we dined, we laughed :)

spells COZY

maXimalist

milk-fed organic lechon --- this was short lived :)

Pavlova cake --- Josh and I, we plan to make this at home.  This, a more sophisticated version of our graham cracker sweets but with a very simple recipe --- simple nuff for kitch dummies like me hihi

Second Stop:  Ilog Maria Honey Bee Farm

we got scared .... Beng and I LOL

the bee haven smacked at the heart of greens

i have this thing with bricks :)

... and stained glasses, too

scented candles, scented soaps, pottery --- this is my paradise :) 

the counsel of elderly CAFOs, they say ... this is electric fan!!! hehe --- with my Brazilian babe --- this is centralized airconditioning lmao

wanna buy this for Christmas --- with all the food, the partyin' and my hatred for flying insects!

this is jusz close by ... my town and online ;)

Next Stop:  Massimo Farm

lookin' imported

a bit of romance

the bridal runway 

a nocturn always love sunsets

a cosmic greeting

a unique accent sits quietly somewhere

chimes on queue

fancy ... we adored this, Beng and I

i went to the loo, and caught a butterfly :)

of turkeys and doves :(

jusz close to three hours!

some Tango dancing

she posted these sometime on my wall in what used to be my Facebook timeline.  and we'd be pulling each other hairs over this Adam guy ...







she, a recovering addict ... me a backsliding junkie LOL ... 
we always plan to drink virtually, may be wine or beer, she in San Diego daydreamin' hehe, me here jusz gettin lazy,  us singin' .All those fairy tales are full of shit  ... One more fucking, love song, I'll be sick  ... 

she got me to Tango ... to try video calls ... me her guinea pig, she my (undercover) call center agent.  funny, i was in the office, she walking home.  in between intermittent wifi connection ... we went tango dancing one morning (Manila time), one evening (US time) ...

she said, moving on is out of fashion for midlifers.
i said, I'm damned!
i asked, will this be forever?  lifetime forever?  till death forever? ayokoooo!!!!
she reasoned, we don't have to move on.  we just need to live the lives we're assigned, too.
i refuted, that's not acceptable to me.  i want 2020.  we're 50 by then.  this should be long over or i should be dead.  either way, it's over.  it will be over.  di ba?  over, is a good goal.  why not?  i deserve my life back.  you know, believing on something.  trusting people (again).  me, falling in love.
she reasoned (again), sometimes or right now, wala naman din silang choice, wala din tayong choice.  kung ano and sino nandyan, eh di yun. :) ... we have roles to play. sometimes, we play that until curtain call.   
i, getting sarcastic, so best actress na naman tayo
she seconded, best actors din sila LOL
she called my attention, you left again, this time sabay. dati isa isa lang. ngayon pareho na at ang tagal na ha.  2 weeks na.  christmas na.
i sighed, those places make me sad.  i'm sorry.  may be, id come back. from time to time.  :) (or may be not)

This Eve ♥ Adam

effortlessly hot!  this man, Adam!

The Bookwhore strikes again!!!!

Waiting for Lucy's reply ...

I'm excited about this ...

Next stop the Amazon's for H. B. Gilmour's Pretty in Pink!

I'm trying to get my calendar full for 2014's readings!

Read on, Voyeurs!

Desperately Seeking Daisy

We were not the best of friends.   But as usual, fate has its own way of coming through.  For four years, we sat side by side each other.  From 1-1 to 4-1.  One room too many.  One high school.  One small town. We are each other's opposites.  She didn't have my humor.  But slowness when sincere is cute and forgiveable.  Well, some smart girls just aint funny, that's all. :)  But she was always good in Math, makes me jealous tho :)

We attended different universities but kept in touch the whole time.  In the absence of the internet, we wrote to each other all throughout college, the old fashion way :) ... we never became the best of friends, but we were steady close.  I moved to Manila workin on my MBA and a career in international marketing.  She flew in to process her CGNFS.  She, a registered nurse (am sure of the best  "thinking" ones :) ) .. and off to Chicago in a few weeks.

We caught up with high school friends in Manila and Jackson Mapua boys.  Damn and that was a dangerous meet-up!

They hit it off. They used to be paired in high school.  He was too "brusko" for her.  She was too fragile.  But may be 6, 7 years could change things, and people ... and feelings.  We were just teenagers then.  Must be different when you're 23. 24, so we thought.  It was a night of stories, alcohol, nicotine, dancing, night caps, spying and sleeplessness LOL  Damn didn't we all stay in one room so ...

We wished them well.  All of us from that night.  Life went on for everyone of us. Chasing after dreams, happiness, and ...

then i got an overseas call then a letter  ... oh no!

i did what a friend had to do.  but did not reply to that disturbing letter.  A question i left hanging  ... I was a good friend with a weak heart.

It took me 20 years for calvalry ... two decades to face a question I was not prepared to answer then... so here's to a heart that was broken ... hoping 20 years were kind enough to put the broken pieces together ...

"Pain contradicts love.  When we love someone don't we try our best not to hurt them in anyway, in words and in actions?  Don't we try out best to make them happy, shallow or significant happiness.  Don't we mean  every promise we make?  Try to make real each dream, dreamt together?  Don't we strive to be honest and loyal and sincere?  Dont' we avoid lies and cheating?  It doesn't make sense hurting the ones we love.  Pain contradicts love.

And may be, for some selfish reasons, too, we avoid hurting people we love and care about, for hurt has consequences.   It always does, hurt drives them away.  Too bad, especially the ones we said we loved.  We lose 'em, the ones we hurt.*

So the wise says, The love you lose may be the love you could have had forever.  Such an irony.

Twenty years, I still go around in circles huh, mincing words even when i really mean them.  So here goes ... the answer to your question ...

Not in high school.  Not after high school.  No.  He never loved you.
(he wouldnt have hurt you, if he did.)."



*never saw her again, never heard of again.  even with the internet, she's no where in cyberspace.  houses in Gordon Heights look different now. parents older and grouchier :) ...  that letter was her last.  she already missed our 25th HS reunion.  i still hope we find her one day.  and even if we don't anymore :( ... i pray that she found herself, of whatever was left of her.   life's tricky,  i know,  but i hope, like everybody else ... aint we all striving to be happy.

Irma V. and Daisy V. --- perpetual seatmates, from first year to fourth year, hanggang sa class pictures, magkatabi pa din :) ... 

  

turning Brazilian!

He got me into this (aside from cooking --- which I guess, for this,  I will be forever in debted to him :) ) ... and this, yes this ... well, may be his some kind of fetish LOL .. but must admit I did loveett myself.  It's fresh air, smooth like a baby hehe, and above all  smells a lot better , too!).  There was one downside of this LOL --- NO SEX, for the 1st 10 hours ... after ...

My home branch @ SM City Dasmariñas

The Room where the Green is :)

The Arsenal

My Bed

My Post --- suits me.

This too ... ♥ the scent of powder.

... and I was reading Greene while getting "it"

so i was thinking ... jusz may be, the best time to share this sweetie ... getting waXed brings memories of what used to be, (what i)  thought to be, Us.



*CREDITS:  Moira, hails from 'Gapo, and is professional singer of jingles in PI.  This TVC creatively done by Leo Burnett Manila.  I got to watch this only in cable TV, dunno why ... but loveeet from the start ... so feel good. --- makes me wanna cuddle ...

We go together, like
Like rama lama lama ka
 dinga da dinga dong
Together forever, like 
As shoobop sha wadda wadda 
yippity boom de boom
Chang chang changitty chang shoobop   
That's the way it should be