Hello 2010!!!

It's a brand new year!

Twenty Ten!!!

First post for 2010. I really don't know what to expect in the upcoming months except long and tiring days in preparation for May. It'll be a tough year. But hopefully, all will be well.

Right now, I'm looking forward to The Killers concert at the end of the month. :) Haha.

I'll write something more meaningful when I feel like it. :)

Happy New Year!

Last day of the year

I don't know if it was being the last day of 2009 but it was the first time Lola appeared in my dream. I visited her in Times and she was lying down in her bed. She woke up smiling and then hugged me. She told me how much she was happy to see me after such a long time. I told her how much I missed her.

I vaguely remember her words but she did say something about me and politics. I'd rather not talk about it since I can't accurately describe what happened.

The important thing was that Lola seemed happy and ok. I know that meant she's up there with our Lord. She's happy where she is.

So this will probably be my final entry for 2009. Saying goodbye to this difficult year. Off to welcome 2010!

Happy New Year guys!

The Binondo Food Walk

I signed up with "Old Manila Walks" and took the Binondo Food Walking tour last Monday. It was something different for me. I'm not familiar with the streets in Binondo so it was rather exciting for me. It started at 9am so I had to leave earlier.

The tour will give you just the tip of the iceberg from the Binondo way of life, it's history, and of course the awesome Chinese food! The tour was good. Learned a couple of things. Ivan Dy knows his stuff about Binondo.

The food was superb. There were some Chinese dishes I haven't tried. The pan-fried siopao was good together with the bitso-bitso. The Dong Bei Dumplings were the ones that made the trip! Panalong-panalo! Why? They were all lovingly handmade. From the wrapper, to the grinding of the meat. They were all from scratch.

I was with a big group. It was nice seeing the balikbayans taking the trip. They seemed to have enjoyed the food.

My suggestion is when you take this trip. Don't eat too much at every food stop. Just taste. By the end of the trip, you won't be able to chow down on the final dish. Have a good eating pace :)

 

Click on the link to see more snapshots from the tour :)

2009 - Highlights

10. JAMES JEAN

I have to have something geeky in my highlights. Meeting and Interviewing James Jean was just AWESOME!!! Fully Booked has just been bringing the goods to the geeks of the Philippines. God bless them! I dream about meeting these Comic Book Celebrities at conventions but never did I think that I'd be interviewing one. It was just a fantastic experience!

9.  BACK 2 BACK

So frikkin happy my school won BACK 2 BACK in the UAAP this season! Both Juniors and Seniors! It was also the season wherein Ateneo and La Salle had a game where the crowd was in Yellow. When does that happen??? I think Cory Magic did that. Plus being sad when La Salle loses was something I never thought I'd feel. When does that happen? Cory Magic did that too. To explain to my fellow Ateneans reading this, The La Salle brothers were just so kind to her and they never left her side. They were there by her side in life and death.

8. Running

2009 was the year that I started exercising and wherein I really enjoyed running. I ran at several events this year. 10k at the MILO Marathon, 5k in Globe's Run for home, Kenny's Urbanite Run, GMA'S Tatakbo ka ba?, The Timex Run, Adidas King of The Road, and the 3k fun run at the PiNOY MARathon. It wasn't a bad year for me getting in shape.

7. Knowing who my real friends are, meeting A LOT of new people and new friends and even famous people!!!

This year taught me that you can't trust everyone. There are some people who will hurt you when you least expect it. It only makes you stronger. But God has His ways I guess. My real friends visited me during my Lola's wake and they never left me when I needed them the most. You guys know who you are. I met so many awesome people and I don't know where to start. I met my new team at work,  the Yo!Noy people, Entrepreneurs (Migs Naguiat of Analog Soul has just been the coolest guy!) I met Kapamilya and Kapuso stars and news teams. I even made some friends - Gang Badoy, Erwin Romulo, Lourd De Veyra, Manolo Quezon, TJ Manotoc, Tin Gamboa, and Bianca Gonzales! Plus Ms. Lea Salonga I met at the Tony Blair event and she even messages me on Twitter (Not all the time, but still! hehe). To top that, I met Efren Penaflorida!

6. Rock Ed Radio

Probably one of the things I never thought I'd actually be doing was being part of a Radio Show. It all started with Gang Badoy's tweet. I was asked to be a guest on Rock Ed Radio for the AUGUST 21 episode. I couldn't make it due to a committment to an online chat. But it started there. By the time you know it, the Cruz bros are part of the show. Gang, Lourd, Erwin, Leslie, Earnest and the rest of the crew have been just too awesome.

5. Twitter!

I got to connect to the Pinoys thanks to Twitter. I never thought I'd get these much followers. So to all the followers, THANK YOU for staying and not unfollowing me.

4. Getting my assignment at work

I got my permanent post at work and I get to work for CHOCOLATES!!! Hahahaha!!! It's been a challenging year for me but the learning I've been getting has just been so amazing. I owe a lot to the company I work for. My team is awesome too! The great thing about work is seeing my team as friends and professional colleagues at the same time. It's a good mix! You can't find that all the time!

3. Tito Noy's bid

Tito Noy declaring that he will run for the highest post in the country was me seeing a man rising to the occassion and listening to the people calling him. He didn't want it to begin with but he believes that something must be done. This brought a big change to the lives of my family but I think it brought us closer again. It'll be a challenging 2010 for me and my family. But the important thing is that we're all together.

2. August 1 - 5, 2009

The 5 days of the wake were the days wherein so many Filipinos (even non-Pinoys) showed their love and support for my Lola Cory and my family. People fell in line for hours just to see my Lola's remains for a few seconds. The trips from La Salle Greenhills to the Manila Cathedral and from the Manila Cathedral to Manila Memorila were 2 days that will forever be cast in my heart. I will never see anything like that in my lifetime again...  It felt like the world stopped when I was on the bus. People just stopped what they were doing to show respect to my Lola.

It was also the most tiring 5 days of my life but the experiences I got during those days - I won't get anything close to that ever again. Lola left a legacy that changed a lot of people.

1. Saying goodbye to Lola

This became the most difficult year for me because of August 1. The day I didn't want to come arrived and it was the day I said farewell to my Lola who I love so very much. I say it all the time and I'll say it again, I miss her very much each and everyday. My life changed when she left... I think I speak for my entire family...

During Tita Kris' speech at the Cathedral, that was the time where I really couldn't hold back the tears anymore. It was hagulgol...

Lola was the best. She loved us unconditionally. She displayed so much humility, courage, and faith that I wish I can just get a fraction of.

The road for my family is long.

Dear reader of The Tangled Web, I humbly ask for your prayers for my Lola and my family. Please remember her. Tell your kids about her. Please don't let her legacy go to waste and her death in vain. She loved the Filipino people so much with all her heart. Please don't forget her...

I wish you a blessed 2010!

A different Christmas

So this is the first Christmas without Lola. It was different. But nonetheless, the spirit of togetherness during Christmas made it better. It was the first time we had mass that wasn't in Lola's house. We had mass at 6pm at the Meralco Lobby since it was very near the house. I didn't see the usual people like the Jesuit Scholastics and Father Arevalo. I missed them last night.

Noche Buena was held at Tita Kris' place. Different food too actually. Except for the Turkey which is my other Lola's specialty. It was pot luck. Tita Kris provided the roast beef and callos (the callos of H CUISINE is the bomb!) Tita Viel brought Lasagna and Ninang brought the desserts. Damn! I was too full.

I think all of us handled it pretty well. I guess during the picture taking, it was when I missed Lola. She was always at the center...  Even though we all miss her dearly, I think she helped us a lot last night. Being together as a family made it meaningful.

Oh, Tita Kris showed us the premiere trailer of her new soap which will air on Jan 18. Kung Tayo'y Magkakalayo I think is the name. Basta, KTM. Baby James was glued in to YouTube with the MJ Videos. If it's Thriller, he'll run away. I couldn't even touch the mouse since he'd cry. When he wasn't looking, I showed him the Iron Man 2 trailer. THAT he liked! Hahaha. Gotta teach my little cousin the way of the geek.

One thing you won't find in an Aquino party is Beer. I'm sorry but we're not big drinkers. There was wine though which my Dad and Titos drank. Except for Tito Noy. He also can't handle alcohol.

After that, we went home. The Cruz celebration was held at our house. By this time, I was already full so I was just drinking Sprite. Hahaha.

At the end of the day, you think about the loved ones you miss. They're not here anymore, but they still live on in our hearts. I miss my Lola dearly. Each and everyday. I even went to the den which was her room and whispered Merry Christmas.

Anyway, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

 

 

What will make the Pinoy a better person?

This is entirely my opinion. I really feel that punctuality will make us better as a nation. It's a start! It's a small step. I think that a lot of Pinoys aren't time-conscious. People should respect the time of the other person. Time is of essence and I really feel time wasted cannot be brought back.


If you have a meeting at 3:30pm, be there at 3:29 :)

It sucks when people don't follow time.  A lot of my friends can attest to this belief of mine. I hate being late. I really really really hate it. It sucks being punctual though.

If you'll be late, have the courtesy of informing the person who will wait. It makes a big difference! :)

So if you have a resolution for 2010, I highly recommend that you be PUNCTUAL :)