Enjoying the Holidays!

It's been a great holiday week for me! So far, this has been the most eventful one in my life. Weee! :)

Went to Tagaytay and Lago de Oro with Rye and his friends yesterday and looking forward to another trip to Anilao this Saturday. 7th Year Celebration tomorrow and Angels' Party on Sunday. I'm booked! I can finally feel Daddy and Mommy slowly loosening their grip from their eldest daughter's hands, although I must say they're still not ready to completely let go. The idea of going out with Rye on New Year's Day (after "putukan") is still a blurry one for him. I tried, but I guess it's not yet time to change holiday traditions at this point. Anyway, I am happy as it is and didn't force the issue anymore. In time, I know they will let me. I remember Rye saying something like 'Pagbigyan mo na Daddy mo. Siya muna ngayon, kasi you're mine forever." Haha. Naks... Gumaganoooown!

I've been with Rye since Christmas Day and will continue to see him until January 3. The longest streak ever in our 7 years of existence.. and I am not complaining. Blame it on the new car! Congratulations, Rye! Good job!

Just a rundown of our activities...

December 23, XOXO Christmas Party
This is by far the most intense Christmas Party everrrrr. Hahaha. Everyone, well except the so plain prom couple, went all out with the disney costumes. Troy and Gabriella made up for their so plain costume by having their own tarp printed. Haha!

Intensity captured:

Because Rye was in Palawan that time, I made his ultimate dream of dressing up as Pooh a reality. It was really a spontaneous and impulsive decision that made me win the much-coveted KABUHAYAN SHOWCASE! Haha. I was supposed to go as Minnie Mouse or Belle from Beauty and the Beast.. But when I saw the yellow tights in SM, I felt a sudden rush that I just had to buy those. And lo and behold, the BEST COSTUME of the night with Piglet and my hunny pot:

The Winners!
Russel (1st Runner up), Cruela De Vil (2nd Runner up) & Best Costume Awardee Pooh, with her KABUHAYAN SHOWCASE.

I still can't believe I pulled that off. The jungle that is Market! Market and the annoying traffic that we went through was all worth it when I made my walk down the stairs, complete with my big tummy, props, and all. Making everyone laugh that moment was the best gift. Intense talaga! I love XOXO! Till next year!!

December 24, Brgy. Mendoza Christmas Eve Celebration
Our yearly get-together was made more intense by the intense games we had. I now know where the intensity everyone saw during the Youth Camp games came from! Haha. This was it.

The theme was Pinoy Christmas! Never knew Igi collected Philippine flags. Yes, that big one in the background is also his.

As usual, lamon galore before the clock struck 12. Got 3 gifts (mahina na talaga! haha.) and some cash from my 'ninongs'-slash-drunk uncles. Haha. We had our usual Hacienda Exchange gift. My Kabuhayan Showcase Gift, which Mae got, included a clock, kitkat chocolate and a bottle of The Bar. I got a palette of Lipgloss and hand sanitizer from Mae.

When we got home from San Pedro, we had our very first Fernandez Exchange gift. I got 2 tops from Mommy. Mommy got a bag from me. Kitkat got a pink journal and a set of Stabilo colored pens from Robby. Robby got earphones from Mico. Mics got a Nike shirt from Maan. Maan got 1000 bucks from Daddy. Daddy got a certificate from Ryan which entitled him to 8 movie passes, and Rye got a Springfield shirt from Kitty. It was fun! Next year ulet ha?!

December 25, Christmas Day
Rye went straight to our house from Cable Car. He's now known to the guards as Daddy's pamangkin because everytime we make bilin that he's coming in the wee hours of the morning, Daddy would say "Dadating yung pamangkin ko, si Ryan Matignas. Papasukin mo nalang." I don't know why. In denial pa din ba after all these years? Hahaha. He's funny like that.

Rye and I forced Mico to open his gift from us when we woke up. We gave him a pair of polka dot boxers and a DVD of Meet the Parents. Spent the morning watching it. Ben Stiller is just so funny! We love him!

Lunch with the Fernandez Clan - Mamita, Mama's family and Tita Precious' family.
We had Turkey, shepherd's pie, callos, and pasta. Made my special dessert - Oreo Banana Cream Pie, which was a hit.

My Oreo Banana Cream Pie. Rye had 10 servings that day!

Not ready... TAKAW kasi!
The Aga Muhlach Shirt. Mommy's yearly gift to Rye.

3 Generations of Fernandezes
(MIA - Tito Haj)

Highlight of the Day: During gift giving - Mamita to Rye: "Utang muna yung Christmas gift ko ah?"

Yes naman, friends na sila after 7 years!

Spent the rest of the day bumming around with Kit and Maan. Heard mass at 6:15 at the Cathedral and bought cheap toys (launchers with blue lights for 20 bucks each) outside the church. These toys kept us busy and sweating for around 30 minutes until they got destroyed one by one. Rye, Mico and Rob decided to play some ball after. Rye still got his moves. I am so proud.. Watch it!



By the way, we had dinner at Max's! I love their sizzling tofu! Never-ending kainan during the holidays... I warn you, more to come, more to come...

December 26, Tita Cora's Birthday Lunch
Left Antipolo early to make it to Better Living by 9am. We were supposed to drive thru Jollibee for some Pancake Sandwiches but Rye missed the stop along C5. It really wasn't meant cos Tita Cora made super yummy lasagna. Bought some pandesal instead from this bakery where Rye used to buy bread as a kid. Lasagna and hot pandesal = perfect combination :)

Highlight of the morning: Rye's neighbor, Tito Danny (Yes, nakiki-Tito! Haha) caught a snake somewhere in Better Living. Scary!

Philippine Python from China St.

We had lunch at SIS Restaurant, Dampa (along Macapagal). Yummy sweet chili crabs, buttered shrimp, crispy fried tilapia, adobong pusit, and sinigang na fish! Seafood fiesta!! Busog na busog, sumakit tuloy ulo ni Reinier. Finally got to meet Santi, his girlfriend.

The Yummy FOOD!

Reinier, Santi & Ate Ampee

Birthday Girl Tita Cora, Me & Ryan

Bought some DVDs from the nearby store. Movie marathon! Weeee!

After the filling lunch, Rye and I went to Rockwell. He finally found the perfect pair of jeans from Levi's. He couldn't get over it the whole afternoon that I wanted to punch him already! Hahaha. He was beaming with gladness.. like a little boy who got the toy he wanted from Santa. Cute but annoying after some time (I love you, bubbs!). Haha.

We were supposed to have dinner with the family at Seoul Barbeque at 630pm so we had merienda at Starbucks to ease the hungry tummies. After munching on some tuna pandesal, I got a text that dinner was moved to 730pm. It didn't take a minute for us to decide to eat ahead in Sango. Rye and I have this not so secret love affair with this burger joint.. Yummeh.

Sango is Love.

After yet another filling meal, we proceeded to Eastwood. Looked around for a bit and met up with the family. Rye bought the movie passes (his exchange gift to Daddy). We wanted to see I Love You, Goodbye but the parents wanted Mano Po, so Mano Po it is. They wanted us to see Beijing... Got to see Beijing for a few seconds towards the end of the movie! Good job. Mano po 6 was like a teleserye squeezed into 2 hours of film. Bad idea. The funniest parts werre when Sharon got arrested for camping out in front of her husband's family's house with no warrant of arrest, no investigation, no nothing, and when she was brought to the mental hospital, again, no questions asked, after doing it again. Love it. Pinoy movie at its best. Elch.

December 27, Sunday at Home
Rye was back in our home the next morning. We had a hearty breakfast of hotdogs, egg, and left-over Sizzling Tofu.

We just stayed at home the whole day and watched the DVDs we bought the day before. We all loved ZOMBIELAND! Cool movie! Watched Zoolander and this Parkour movie that Rye bought. Ben Stiller is really the best. "What is this, a center for ants?" hahaha. Laughtrip talaga.

Heard mass in San Antonio at 6pm and went to Shopwise after because Daddy wanted to buy chocolates! Filled our cart with fatty goodness once more. Too bad I wasn't able to capture it!

Our movie marathon resumed after dinner. We watched Revenge of the Nerds. We were supposed to watch Inglorious Bastards but Mico had a massage. We wanted to wait for him but our eyes became soooo heavy from all the eating we've had over the days. We decided to snooze for a bit and watch the film after the massage. The next thing we know, it was already morning. Oh, well.

December 28, Bum Day Monday
The Jimny got a taste of some offroad action that day. Rye and Mico headed to Perfecto's Farm, Tito Tony's farm in Tagaytay. I didn't go with them because Mico said that it was just for the boys. Later on, I found out that the only boys there was him, Rye, Patrick, Tito Tony and Gabe. Mia and Mae slept over as well. I should've gone with them!
They got to taste Tito Tony's Wagyu Beef Fillet Mignon and Salpicao, while Kit and I munched on junk back at home!

For Maan, Kit and me, it was just a Bum Day Monday. Watched the entire Season 1 of Glee. That was how bored we were. Maan and I have a crush on that mohawk guy, Puck. Haha. Just sharing. We all love the songs. The worst part of this day was - chomping down on some cookies, chips, chocolates, and instant noodles. Lagot. But who cares! It's the Christmas Season. According to Rye, it's Holiday Appetitis. Haha! Tsktsk.

***

I shall end my entry here for now and continue my holiday recap soon...
Mommy's badgering us to take a bath now. Off to San Pedro in a bit for our annual New Year's Eve party.

For now, I shall say goodbye to 2009 and welcome 2010 with a big smile.
Cheers to the year (and decade) that has gone and the year (and decade) to come!

Ciao!
2:48pm
December 31, 2009

Starbucks Planner 2009

Got my planner already... Got it last week, when we had coffee at Fullybooked, BHS, after Mommy and Daddy's 25th Anniversary Dinner at Gaudi, Serendra.


I'm not a fan of this year's design but will use it nonetheless. Hehe. Sayang!

Now, I have no more excuse to get expensive coffee! Time to cut down on sweet, creamy stuff anyway. Maybe I should learn to drink black coffee, which according to Rye has 0 calories. Hmmm.

You can do this, Trina.

Disclaimer: Sorry for the crappy phone photos. My camera got submerged in Palawan sea water. Underwater case failed me last time. Tsk. Need to bring it to Canon soon.

Ciao!

Rye Day!

After 2 weeks, I finally got to see and spend the day with Rye! The sacrifices we make for this thing called LDR. Haha. Well, what we have is semi-LDR anyway. Still a blessing that he gets to go home on weekends, most of the time. I love Papa Nestle for Rye's chartered flights to and fro Palawan. Hahaha. Kidding. But yeah, it's like going to work in Makati, only you're riding a plane. Sosyal.

So back to the story...

I was startled with my phone's ring at around 345am. Looked outside my window and saw headlights approaching the curb. It was my knight in shining armor coming to rescue me. Not. Yeah, it was Rye, waking me up in the middle of the night only to doze off on my sister's empty bed (for some reason, Kit has been sleeping on the floor these days. Weird person.) after "partying" at Beaurau (that's his version of BUREAU. haha.) So after waking up to open the door for my love, I went back to bed to get more Zzzzzs. After an eye's blink, my mother dear came knocking on my door to wake me up once more for the village fun run scheduled at 530am. Oh, dear Lord. I wanted to bail but our other jogging mates namely Kitkat, Mico, and Rye, flaked on us already. Sheer determination to be fit again made me leap from my bed in an instant. Haha. I hope that was what happened... I begged for another 5 minutes of sleep and then hurried to the bathroom to change into my jogging attire. Couldn't find my running shoes so I was forced to wear Maan's thick gum sole filas. Why the heck did you buy that, dear sister?! It's ginormously bulky. But I had no choice.

I was the youngest person present. After 3 laps around the perimeter of the village, the oldies were sweaty and energized. Me, to no avail. I was feeling cold and dry. Fail.

Proceeded to the clubhouse for light breakfast and drinks. I drank 2 glasses of four seasons juice, a cassava suman, and 3 tiny pandesals with butter. I think I gained more than what I was supposed to lose that morning. Fail number 2.

Went home and found Rye on my bed wrapped like a burrito beneath my comforter. He was shivering like a poor puppy in my sisters' room because he didn't have a blanket nor a pillow pala. Wawa. After taking a bath, I went downstairs and saw Rye by the dining table reading the newspaper. We ended up wearing the same shirts... It wasn't planned, promised. It was kinda funny. We looked like an "asian couple" daw, according to him. But aren't we asians, dear? Oh well. (He initially said Koreans but changed it to Asians, which he said was politically and racially correct. Well, check his blog nalang - The RPM Project).

Here we are in our terno Jesus My Superhero shirts:


No food was prepared (which was unusual, maybe because of the fun run breakfast) so I figured he was already hungry. Yes, he was already hungry because he came to me and whispered to my ear that we cook breakfast. He was shy to say it aloud in front of Mommy. Haha. So we raided the fridge and saw a big pack of uncooked goodness called bacon waiting for us. Rye got a couple of eggs to cook. I also saw a jar of aligue beaming at me and brought it out nonetheless. Rye suggested that we make aligue rice. Sure! Haha. So much for dieting and the RPM Project. Fail number 3.

Here is the finished product:

Yummmm. Guilty (dieter) Ryan and Happy (cheater) Trina.

After our champion breakfast, Rye felt so guilty and forced me to walk! AGAIN. My feet hurt already so I said no. But finally, he was able to convince me to go out once more. It was a fun stroll around the village. It was the first time we did it, in fact. We were able to talk, hold hands, and see unusual birds (I was so used to seeing the brown maya birds all my life that I didn't realize the different colored birds that flew around in our village!). Then Rye's knee began to hurt again when we walked uphill so we decided to go back to the house.

Now, it was my time to force him into doing something! REVENGE TIME. I told him that we will watch either PS I Love You or Definitely, Maybe. Those were the only two options I gave him for movie time. His aversion to chick flicks was evident on his face. He tried to divert my attention by telling me to get the DVDs from my parents room, but I remained firm. He said that we already watched Definitely, Maybe (we? I don't think so. Sino naman kasama mo nun?! Haha. Straighten up your facts, Mister!!!) so we ended up with PS I Love You, which was my first choice anyway.



2 minutes after... Rye was laughing. We can so relate to the fight scene! Hahaha.

10 minutes into the film... Rye was weeeeping!! He asked for a tissue, tears running down his cheeks. Hahahaha.

30 minutes down.. "Why did he have to die?... Kala ko pa naman makaka-relate tayo dito. Bakit ako namatay? Huhuhuhu"

1 hour and counting... "Bakit kasi siya namatay? Nakakainis naman. Huhuhu"

Credits...
We were laughing our butts off already. He cried in 10 (or so?) separate scenes. Benta talaga! Hahaha.

Good movie indeed! Thanks, Love, for granting my request to see it with me. Don't worry, I was crying buckets as well when I watched it for the first time.

Even if we agreed not to eat lunch anymore because of the super heavy breakfast we just had, we went down and ate with the family anyway. Menudo then banana fritters for dessert. Fail number 4.

After the movie and lunch, we went back upstairs to hibernate and FB for a bit. Rye posted the Palawan pics finally. A couple of hours passed until we declared it was MAC and CHEESE TIME! Cream cheese, milk, all purpose cream, quickmelt cheese and everything in between went into that pot of cooked elbow macaroni. Rye said "parang bitin" which is why we brought out a bag of king size bright red hotdogs to fry and toasted some bread. Oh my, we're toast. Fail number 5.

Rye and I, together with the gang - Mico, Robby, Maan, and Kit, gobbled down every bit of cheese, pasta, crumb, and meat there were on the table. Good job, kiddos!

(Pics to follow! Haha. The camera is still with Maan who's stuck in the village Christmas Party. Key is to slowly fade away...)

By the time we finished eating our homemade mac and cheese, in all it's rich, cheesy, creamy, fatty goodness, toasted bread and hotdog, it was time for Rye to go home. He needed to be in Better by 530pm cos his sister needed the car to go to work. So much for his plans of playing basketball, running, and swimming. Haha. Fail number 6.

But today was not a failure at all ... Though our time was suddenly cut short, I loved every bit and moment of our day. Time spent well I must say. I missed him and I missed doing simple, uncomplicated, and ordinary things with him. No big plans , no grand expectations (right, Rye?).. this actually works.

Till next week! Let's go Christmas shopping on Saturday, what do you say? Then, Marathon on Sunday? Hmmmm.

So much activities during the holidays. And so much food. It's going to be tough but I will start the TMF Project 2 a.k.a. the TMF Fitness Plan. Thinking of doing the 14-day Nestle Fitnesse Challenge with Mommy and jogging every afternoon (well, at least 3 times each week)... But then again, Christmas is in 12 days. Oh my, I anticipate Fail number 7 happening soon. Haha!

***
Side dish: Excited to see The Killers with Rye in January. 7th Anniv treat! Yey! We need to get tickets first though. Haha.


Ciao!
9:46pm
December 13, 2009

The TMF Project

Today, I did something I have never done in my life... I withdrew from my class. Being the conscientious student that I admit to be, to drop a course is not in my vocabulary. But I did. So be it.

It took a week of contemplating and months of stress to get to that point. Rye has been concerned for the longest time because I utter nothing but complaints and breathe stress these days. I know he only wishes me to be HAPPY. Now, I feel relieved for taking that bold step. People may not understand my reasons or may see it as running away from my responsibilities as a grad student, but I am happy with my decision.

Withdrawing does have its implications. My adviser had to reiterate that this will delay me in my grad track. Same concern was echoed to me by the Psych Dept. Chair. Beneath all this, I saw their "panghihinayang" for me cos I'm almost there, but honestly... not quite. I was about to bend to their advise for me to continue (the people-pleaser within me was nudging me to back out already) but I gathered the strength that’s left in me to stand firm with my decision. Yes, it will delay me for at least a year but at this point, I'm tired of rushing into things. I want to slow down. I finished my coursework in 3 semesters while having an almost full-time job with the hope of finishing this in the shortest span of time possible but look at me now... unable to catch my breath anymore. I'm running around headless, couldn't focus, overwhelmed.

I want time out. I want time to think, to discover, to contemplate, to know what it is it in my heart and where I'm headed to.

The Dept. Chair even gave me her two cents worth... emphasizing that going to Grad School is a COMMITMENT. Yes, I know that and I am not running away from it. I still intend to finish what I have started, but this time, using my watch, and not other people's timers. More than that commitment to study, I realized today that I also have a COMMITMENT to myself... to my own happiness, to building a future that I want, that will make me and others happy, too.

From this decision to withdraw from my initial plans, withdrawal symptoms are already manifesting. Since yesterday, I've been so tempted to map out my ‘revised’ plan for the next months and years, now that things have gone to a different path. I am really trying my best not to because I know it will just leave me frustrated and stressed even more. The desire for things within me and in my life to get better is now stronger. If Rye has his RPM Project (check out his blog: http://ryematignas.blogspot.com) - an effort to a sexier new Rye, this is now what I call the TMF Project - with the goal of becoming a better me. Haha!

On my way to Bo's Coffee (where I am typing this right now) after finishing the paperwork (load revision, going back and forth from Psych Dept, Grad Office, Cashier and Registrar), I came upon this thought and convinced myself that FOR ONCE, I WANT TO NOT HAVE A PLAN. I guess that’s alright, right? I say that with some internal struggle and discomfort. It can take some time getting used to but I want to stick to that plan for now. Haha. See, I told you it’s hard!

I am reminded of a tweet I got from John Mayer's page:

"Go easy on you. When things go wrong, remind yourself it's your first time through this life."

I haven't been the kindest to myself lately. I need to realize that it's okay to make mistakes, to get derailed from THE PLAN from time to time, to fail, to stumble… We learn from experience.

I guess it's safe to say that I am learning.


Ciao!
4:49pm
December 10, 2009

Live. Laugh. Love.

Live well. Laugh often. Love Much.
Saw these words at the resto in Eastwood where Maiki and I had dinner last Friday.
Just a little reminder for me.

Thought of the song by Kris Allen, "Live Like We're Dying"...
Here's an excerpt:

Yeah, gotta start
Looking at the hand of the time we’ve been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start thinkin’ it
Every second counts on a clock that’s tickin’
Gotta live like we’re dying

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we’re dying

It's Okay. It Will Be Okay.

I've been going through an emotional roller coaster ride the past days. No. Weeks. Actually, months. This has been going on for quite a while already and I know it's not healthy anymore and not doing me any good.

The stress that this sem has brought upon my life is pretty overwhelming that things are getting ugly. Research Sem is at the top of my list of stressful whatnots. To think it's not even thesis proper... but the thought that I have to stick to one thing, to commit to one topic for the next year and a half has deprived me of rest and sleep these days.

But I know it's not just the subject. This semester marked the end of my coursework. This semester meant that it's (almost) thesis time. This semester meant that I need to take my comprehensive exams this summer. Which just means byebye, Life. The pressure is on. The pressure is slowly killing me inside.

"Stick to the plan, Trina." has become my mantra. Time is ticking. Tick tock. Tick tock. 3 years is almost up. "The goal is to add letters to your name in the shortest time possible, remember?" I had to remind myself each day.

But...

Is it all worth it? What have I gotten myself into? I've constantly asked myself and bothered Rye with such pervasive questions and thoughts. The answer came tonight.

I need to stop rushing through life.

Since I quit my corporate job and decided to go back to school, I had my life mapped out for the next 3 years or so and committing to THE plan has not been so easy. Juggling a day job that extends to the night and being a grad student at the same time haven't been a breeze, as I thought it would be. Everyday, I pant and gasp for air. Everyday, I run and rush to do this and that. Everyday, I let life pass before my very eyes as I wallow in my discontent and distract myself with the endless tasks to accomplish. Everyday, I ask myself why I ended up here and what for?

Now, I have decided to finally stop...
to take time to breathe..
and give myself a chance to figure things out.

I know in the end, it will do me good. In faith, I know I am making the right choice.

Quitting or giving up, I believe, is not always an act of failure or a sign of weakness. Actually, it takes great courage to do such thing. Sometimes, we need to let go of a relationship, just so to save ourselves from further pain. Sometimes, we need to quit a job, just so we can end up in a better one. Sometimes, it pays to quit at the right time with the hope that it would lead to greater things.

I checked my calendar, and the timing is just perfect. It's like God, reassuring me once again that I can relax for a bit... that it's okay. It will be okay, I have nothing to worry.

Deadline to withdraw is on December 12. Deadline to get the form is on December 9. I have this week to fix everything... and the rest of the semester to take a breather from all these.

The best thing about this is I am at peace. I think I will be able to sleep well tonight. Finally, I don't need to set my alarm at 3am as I have for the past months. Finally, I get to rest tonight.

Thank you, Lord. I know you're on my side. Always.

Ciao!

11:49pm
December 6, 2009