The past few years, I tend to either get bored out of brains or do crazy things on Holy Week. This year, as with last year, I did a crazy thing: stay awake and active for 38 hours. What started out as a simple get together with our poker friends ended up as a saga of stamina, strength, and willpower. I woke up 3 pm Thursday and started preparing to go out with my friend for the planned 4 pm meet-up. I got to sleep at 5 am of Saturday. What happened within those 36 hours of being together was nothing short of Big Brother-ish. Some of us went home for an hour or so to take a bath and change clothes. Some were not around for more than half a day. But most of us were just there, with each other. There were around 10 or so guys in the group, but only two of us girls. Most of us are in the same age group, late twenties to early thirties. And there were several points when I asked myself "How did I get to this point in my life and how did I even get to be friends…
Category: Friends
Kalilangan Festival in General Santos City Day 2
I didn't really do anything Gen San yesterday, February 25, 2010, except enjoy its food and the company of its people. I started the day early with a cup of coffee and some online work at Coffee Club 101 at Robinson's Place with Angel and Chattee. Then, I had very delicious lunch at Grab a Crab with my cousin, Nina and her husband Abe. We had Baked Scallops, Hototay Soup, Veggies, and Deep Fried Crabs. SUPER YUMMY!!! My favorite was the Baked Scallops it was so delicious! The crabs were also meaty, tasty, and not dry or overcooked. Then, I met up with a friend at Blu Gre and we had a fantastic guy conversation. The rest of the Davao Bloggers group followed and we ended by camwhoring and working online while waiting for the Manansala sisters. I was also able to buy a new headband and a top for belly-dancing at the Lonely Planet store. And we tried out the really yummy Bacon Melt Sandwich at Ice Crops. I love bacon and cheese. <3 And the bread was super soft and tasty! I heard the bread was bought from Giacomino's Pizza. Then we headed to O-ohlang Fishing Village Grill…
Kalilangan Festival in General Santos City Day 1
It wasn't actually Day 1 of the Kalilangan Festival in General Santos City. But it was our first day here. Kalilangan is General Santos City's annual foundation day headed by the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This year's celebration is directed by the Orman Manansala and celebrated with the theme, "Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Embracing the Future." Orman and his brother, Avel Manansala, with the support of Mayor Jun Acharon, invited Davao Bloggers to join in their festivities. So yesterday, at 7 am, me, Lyle Santos, Chattee Lara, Brendel Balaga, and Angel Abella boarded a van and, with so much chatter and excitement, headed to General Santos City. Upon arrival, we immediately settled in our rooms at the Family Country Hotel. Shameful but I took up most of the closet space. :P After resting, we ate lunch at Giacomino's Pizza at Robinson's Place. I had their lasagna and their chicken wings combo meal which was more than enough for me. Then, we prepared for our judging duties and a night out. Brendel and Angel had their hair and make up done at Envy Me Salon at Robinson's Mall while Chattee and I prettified ourselves with…
Hip-Hop Classes
I love dancing. I don't think I can ever say that enough. Anyhoo, I risked being humiliated and possible severe muscle pain when I joined my friends at the Project Kool-lab Hip-Hop Classes last Saturday at Metro Lifestyle Fitness Center. It is conducted by the Groove Unlimited Dance Community, headed by Bryan Grandeza. And well, it was not an utter epic failure. Or so I'd like to think. We had fun, yes? And it was very challenging. More importantly, we sweated (is that even a word?). A LOT! Before we proceed, let's play a game of spot the bloggers... We danced or attempted to dance to Janet Jackson's "Daybreak." That entire routine, as choreographed by Bryan, took a few minutes to perform, but it took us more than an hour and a lot of sweat and embarrassment to even just get a grasp of what we're supposed to do. FAIL! LOL! Most of us were cunning enough to stay away and position ourselves right at the back of the more skilled students. HAHA! I'll give you a clue though, I was one of the few wearing p*k-p*k shorts and the other bloggers are in the same group. We're kind of…
10 for 2010
In solidarity with my colleagues at Avatar Media, here's my list of ten things I want to accomplish in 2010: Wear a tankini. Which implies I must lose weight and stay fit and healthy. I hope to accomplish this by May 2, 2010, the date of a planned island tour. Buy a netbook. Save money. Budget efficiently. Do not create a new blog. I already have too many blogs on my own and I have several others that I am maintaining. I need to focus more in maintaining the ones I currently have. Read 5 books. Last year, I spent most of the year just re-reading books I have already read. Must read more. Attend dance classes. Last year, I made a goal of attending culinary classes and I would like to think that was a major success. This year, I want to re-kindle my love for dancing, learn new skills, and stay fit. Travel around Mindanao. Must visit at least 3 places. I want to travel but don't have much budget. Plus, I think Mindanao is a really great place to explore. Organize at least 4 events. The Davao Bloggers and the Avatar Media Team both have a lot…
Starting the New Year
I began the new year with this status message on my Facebook: Happy New Year! May 2010 be kinder, more fruitful, and more productive for all those who deserve it. A toast to beauty, truth, happiness, peace, and love! May we all get what we deserve. ♥ But here's how I really spent the last days of 2009 and first days of 2010... I was frantically busy in the kitchen cooking and baking stuff for my family and friends, most challenging of which was preparing the Noche Buena for the Abellas. Main dish was steak, served with a cheese platter, sashimi, mashed potatoes, gravy, and blue cheese sauce. I also prepared my famous beef stew and tiramisu for the Joses. And the pastry kitchen? I spent hell in it for four days... brownies, cheesecakes, chocolate cakes, OH MY! I also spent a lot of time with my classmates. Both my high school and grade school batchmates had 10 year shindig things. I was able to attend my grade school batchmates' party. I was able to re-connect with a lot of old friends. Had a fun time reminiscing. But I missed our HS batch's grand thing at Eden. I was too…