I seldom get the chance to talk to my friends and keep them up-to-date with what's going on with my life...
well, this is it. My online journal. Yah, another personal blog,just exactly what the world needs now. Let's be realistic, it's cheaper than overseas calls. Less tiring than novel-like emails.
About Me
Name: celgee Home: Philippines About Me: just read through my entries and you'll get to know me :) See my complete profile
I could still recall the first day I met her – she was introduced to me by our team lead, and she was quick to say her favorite line “Hi, I am Amana – not the aircon”. She was wearing a long floral dress that day – I thought to myself, she’s very conservative, looks like the silent type and very feminine. Well, only proves that first impressions are most of the time wrong.
I have known Amana since 2001. Amana and I have been teammates for 2 and half-years – our very first project.
We had our share of fun stuff and memorable moments...and it is fun to look back at all the nice memories we have shared with her. Amana and I would eat lunch together, and would go sometimes to Glorietta (since it’s just across the 6750 Building) for a quick day-off. We would just buy ice cream, stand somewhere and just watch people passing by. Our life was that simple. Sometimes, during lunch we would watch Meteor Garden or Alias. She’s also my toothbrush buddy.
She’s a fun person to be with… no dull moments with her. Her jokes and crazy comments always make me laugh. :)
Hardworking, dedicated and inspiring – no wonder a lot of people love working with her. I am one of those people. I am glad we became teammates again even for only 6months. She’s a great person and I am lucky to have her as my friend. She listens (even if you're not talking to her hehe – she’s pretending to listen to her iPod, but it’s on mute hahahaha) and also gives sound advices. I will really really miss Amana – our Friday night outs, our lunch chats, our monthly visit to the Spa, and all her stories about the latest buzz in Showbiz, politics and other people we’ve worked with. :)
Below is the picture that was included in one of the farewell gifts that the team gave to Amana. Special thanks to Don for creating this :)
For some reason, one of Wency Cornejo's songs got stuck in my head. I don't recall hearing it from somewhere... but I would sometimes sing it in my mind.
"What has life to offer me, when I grow old What's there to look, forward to beyond the biting cold"
Quarter-life crisis? Maybe. Maybe not.
So many things running at the back of my mind, that sometimes I even question my own plans. Lately that has been a hot topic between me and Jp... maybe he feels like I am pressuring him to lay out his plans. (which I feel I should know, if in case I am in that plan?!?) I have always been very transparent with what I want or where I'd want to be a few years from now -- and now he tells me that he might be headed somewhere else. :(
Most of us didn't want to go home yet, and we decided to stay a little longer -- Anna lives the farthest, and it won't be safe for her to travel so early in the morning...Safest time that she could travel would be around 4:30am onwards.
We just sat outside starbucks for while and talked about where we will be going...somewhere in Malate? Maybe Library? You can't leave this group idle even for a few minutes, or else they'll start clamoring to have their pictures taken. Good thing the team's official photographer is very patient :) (Don - ikaw na ang "Photo champ") After a lot pictures, we finally decided to just go on a joy-ride and maybe if we spot a place we like, we'll have Christian just drop us off. We're lucky we still have Christian to drive us around (he is waiting for his gf, who also works in the same company where we work, but in a different project...it's already 2:30am and she's still in the office) Christian was teasing us that he will kick us out of his car (whereever we would be at that point) once her gf calls.
We all kept quiet when we heard his phone ring (we were still in his car,in one of the streets in Malate), we all had a sigh of relief when we heard that it will take her 30minutes - 1hr before she gets done from work.
We then decided to just hang out in Blue's apartment. We saw her cute cats - Duke and Duchess :) and had a continuation of our chats about work, reminiscing about the past releases (or maybe were just setting our shadows expectations on weekend work), call centers, cats, and a lot of other topics.
We decided to go home around 4am. Christian, Don and Grace went back to Boni, while Jeff, Anna and I took the cab. Our route was Tayuman (Jeff), Monumento (Anna) and then my place.. got home around 5am. Good thing I didn't forget my keys... and even if in case I did forget about it, I won't have a hard time getting in because my dad fell asleep in the sofa while waiting for me (and then I gave him a short lecture about not waiting for me..hehehe. just kidding...)
Starbucks, Harbour Square -- The place where we all headed after our Star City adventures. After getting coffee, we just sat in the couch and had the spotlight on our shadows, Jeff and Grace. Amana, Aaron and I were taking turns interrogating the team about the most significant questions – their lovelife hahaha. Time for another open forum – we had questions thrown out at each other, and a lot of funny stories was shared. (My favorite was Christian's phone call to Bert...) Unfortunately, Starbucks closed at 1:30am so we had to move to another location.
Our team left the office at 7pm (we were supposed to leave at 6, but we all knew that most of us won't be able to get out of our cube at exactly 6pm)
We were divided into two groups. Don, Sheila, An and I were in Aaron's car. We picked up Blue near the LRT Buendia Station. Our new shadows,(Jefferson and Grace R.), Amana, Anna and Redge were in Christian's car. (Too bad Grace is sick and was not able to join us)
As expected, it was traffic. We reached the CCP Grounds around 8:30pm. Upon reaching the Harbour Square...the first thing that we did was (of course since we were all already very hungry) was to take pictures using their cellphones (?!?!) hahaha.. It was soo funny.. We then went to Iceberg's for dinner. Still a lot of teasing and jokes.. esp from the side where Christian was sitting. :) After dinner, the desserts came pouring in (Thanks to Sheila and Aaron for dessert treat!) We had 4 banana splits, 2 big bowls of ice cream (can't remember what it was called hehehe) and 2 chocolate fondue. It only took a few minutes for everything to disappear.. seems like most of us were not into sweets ;) hehe..
It was already 10pm when we went to Star City. Unfortunately, the theme park closes at 12, and we won't be able to fully maximize a ride-all-you-can ticket will only a couple of hours remaining. So, we just took the 3-cheers ticket.. inclusive of the Star City entrance fee and 3 tickets for any ride. First stop, the Viking* -- sad to say, it was only me, Aaron, Jefferson, Amana, Sheila, Grace and Christian who took the viking challenge. :) It was fun! I like the feeling of falling, the adrenalin rush plus getting to scream at the top of your lungs. :) Then, we all rode the Bump Cars. There were only 9 bump cars, so -- Christian and I had to share a a car (I was the one driving :)). Aaron - Redge (with Redge driving) and Amana - Blue (Amana driving) had to share cars as well. We then went to the arcade area, hoping to win a stuffed toy... Don, Aaron, Jefferson, Blue, Amana, Anna and Redge tried the 3-pt shooting (ay, nde pala.. mukha lang malayo hehehe). End result? No stuffed toy, but lots of fun (and cheers from the team) Next stop, Surf Dance. Only Sheila, Anna, Grace and I were brave enough to try it out. From a distance, it does look a bit scary. Unpredicatable and fast, I was already thinking if I'll get dizzy after the ride, but it's okay.. Anna recommended it.. so I guess it'll be fun. After they have locked us to our seats, I held on to the bar locking me to my seat... and all thoughout the ride, I wasn't able to let go of it. It was exhillirating... better than the Viking. I screamed so hard that after the ride, I felt like I was losing my voice... (What was I screaming? "Hindi ko na kaya!!!!"... )I felt as if I was at the edge of my seat.. well, there were actually 4 seats per row, and I was at the entrance/exit area, and should the lock accidentally open up, I will definitely fall from the ride... For a moment there, I forgot everything.... all I could think of is holding on and screaming my lungs out to get the fear out me. :)
When I got out the ride, i felt teary-eyed...and it was funny. Because even if I was so afraid of the ride, i still want to try it again :)
Amana, Aaron, Sheila and I then tried the Xyclone Loop. (Thanks Blue for the extra ticket..) It was my first time to try this roller coaster in Star City... same thing happened. Lots of screaming and head banging. I got dizzy afterwards, must have been because my head bumped a lot of times hahaha. Afterwards, some tried the Ferris wheel and the Lion King ride.
It's been a while since Nins and I have seen each other... (When was the last time I saw her? I think it was when we visited Lot in her new house in Parkwoods, that was last October)
Finally, after 5 mos, Nins and I were able to have lunch and catch up on what's happening in our lives and our other best buds. I would usually just see her and our friends in friendster and based on their pictures/updates see where they are and what they have been up to. I must admit I have been a lousy textmate for the past months, and most of the time, our friends would send us messages or invites to go out, but I seldom reply... :( My bad. (Really really sorry...)
Nins and I talked non-stop...only breaks were to chew food or drink, and one of us would continue talking while one is eating. :) Trying to use our time wisely since we only had an hour and half, and would have to go back to work after.
We talked about a lot of things.. about her and Con, me and Jp, our friends and our opinions on various topics (mostly about relationships, handling finances for married couples, future plans...) I really missed moments like these...I wished we had more time, and I know we have a lot more stories to tell. We did promise each other that we'll go out again soon... hopefully before she gives birth on August. :)
Amana, Yas and I went out last night for dinner at National sports grill, and then we watched a movie. Amana and I wanted to watch "The Pursuit of Happyness", but Yas wanted to see "Notes on a Scandal". Yas won, the movie that we wanted to see was already full, so we opted to see Yas' choice. :) I kept on checking my cellphone while watching the movie, still no text message from Jp, it's already 12:30am. He said earlier when we talked that he'll be in their school auditorium for the Mr. & Ms. Nursing pageant (where he is one of the organizers). Well, the last time we talked was 6hrs before I sent the text message asking if he got home already. He replied back to my text message saying that they were still tabulating the scores and that he hasn't eaten dinner yet... WHAT?!?! At 12:30am??? (what were they using to tabulate? an abacus?! grrrr...)
Oh, well... Amana, Yas and I were already on our way home when I got another message from him saying that they still have a mtng at 1am. (Meeting for what?) So I decided to call him to get the details... I sounded a bit like I was interrogating him, but who wouldn't, even the Ms. Universe or Bb. Pilipinas Pageant Finals Night does not take more than 6hrs, and considering the total number of finalists they had (12 guys and 12 girls), they should already been done at most by 11pm.
I wasn't in a good mood when I woke up today. I had a really bad dream last night. Not sure what triggered that dream.. maybe because of the things Amana, Yas and I were discussing last night over dinner, or maybe because of the argument Jp and I had before I went to sleep. :(
I guess by now you've noticed that I really like taking pictures... quite obviuos huh? Well, our 2nd night in galera wasn't very exciting. We just had dinner, checked the bars and went back to our room. Why? It rained :( Instead of feeling gloomy about the bad weather... we just took the time to share stories and take pictures (again?!) Well, this time we wanted to have a group picture. We haven't had a shot that all 5 of us were in it.. so I have set my camera on auto mode, and ran to my designated space. :) Seems like that it was our lucky night -- well, aside from the fact that it's raining outside, there was also a power interruption (blackout!!!). Time for -- pillow fight! (NO, I wasn't the one who started it...those kids!) Seriously, you might find this hard to believe, but the guys did start it. Good thing Jp reminded them that they are not allowed to hit me with a pillow... :)
We woke up at around 8am today (well that’s expected since we slept early last night). Again, the guys played cards early in the morning while I was watching TV. Funny thing is... I fell asleep again. Jp woke me up around 10 since it’s time for us to have our brunch. Before heading out for brunch, we already changed into out swimming attire so in case we want to run for a swim then we don’t have to go back to our room.
After eating, the guys scouted for shades. I wasn’t in the mood to shop...well, maybe because I already bought a bag yesterday. :-) Yup, the white messenger bag I have been carrying around galera (it holds all the important stuff -- my cellphone, camera and wallet.)
We then headed to the other end of the white beach. However, compared yesterday, it’s not easy to cross the beach on the other side. To cross the other side, you’d have to climb the steep rocks dividing the beaches. Well, I can’t imagine myself climbing those huge rocks in my swimsuit so I just decided to take a dip, while Manny, Jhim and Ryan tried to go to the other side. So where’s Jp? He was there on the shore watching me swim, my personal life guard. Anyway, while I was swimming, we saw Manny rapidly walking away... He just came down from their climb, and he suddenly left. I was thinking that maybe they had an argument or he got injured or got into a fight. We immediately talked to Jhim to find out why Manny looked so pissed -- the reason? He got angry at a guy on the other side of the beach. There were only 3 people on the otherside, 2 guys (or should I say gays) kissing torridly and another guy calling Manny and inviting him to join them. Haha..
We went back to our room and found Manny drinking scotch. (Nice.. scotch in the afternoon.) After talking to Manny, we found out that he was so close to hitting that guy who was calling out for him, and he had to go far or else he might not be able to hold his temper. :) hahaha... The guys decided to join Manny for a drink. I don't want to be a kill-joy and took one shot... actually, I am not really into hard drinks, so I had Jp buy me some iced tea, and I mixed the scotch in it. :)
My Galera trip would not be complete if I didn't get a massage on the beach. I didn't want to sleep with coconut oil on, so I brought my own lotion. The massage is cheap (just 200 pesos), it was cheaper before when I last went to Galera, but hey.. a 50 peso increase after 2yrs is not bad at all. :) I have asked the guys to check out the bars while I was having my massage. Had them have their "moment"... they at least have 1hr - 1 1/2hrs on their own. I just reminded them to come back for me, as I might end up falling asleep on the beach. :)
After my massage, we all went back to our room. Jp, Manny, Jhim and Ryan were playing cards, while I was supposed to watch american idol...yes, "supposed"...I missed AI :( why? because I fell asleep.
Now I am getting sleepy again... I'll post more of my galera adventures tomorrow. :)
White sand beaches covering the stretching coastline of Puerto Galera have always been a favorite destination for weekend trips. White beach is nice, with a lot of local and foreign tourists enjoying jet ski, snorkling, and other water sports. There are also challenging trails and tracks leading to other beaches... and that's what we tried in the afternoon. We strolled along the beach, and of course, my friends checking on the girls and their swimsuits :) We also had to pause a couple of times because I have to take pictures (or request to have my picture taken) Until we finally reached the far end of the white beach. White beach and Aninuan beach (Tamarraw resort) is only separated by a big rocks, and we decided to cross the other side of the beach since there are less people there. Aninuan Beach is short enough to walk from the rocks on White Beach all the way to where the fresh-water stream meets the ocean. But we didn't reach that part in the Aninuan beach, because after arriving there, we immediately ran to the water. Time to swim... :)
Yup, the henna tattoo is not permanent. Most of people I know who would go to the beach like Puerto Galera or Boracay would often get a henna tattoo. Just like Manny and Jhim...
Jhim had his girlfriend’s name tattooed on his arm. Manny had a jester… just like the picture he has on his friendster account. I also wanted one… the one I wanted to put on my back was a black-cat with a halo. Looks nice right... imagine having a guardian angel that brings bad luck when it crosses your path (that's me.. just kidding) Nah... Maybe next time :)
We have arrived!!! This is where we will be staying for 3 days and 2 nights. Upon arriving, we started unpacking, and rested for a few minutes. I almost fell asleep watching TV, but had to stop myself from sleeping since it's time for lunch. :)
We had chicken & pork kebab for lunch… it took a couple of minutes, but it was worth the wait. Service was okay, and the crew were friendly. We also noticed a couple of foreigners eating in the next table, and it seems that the crew knew them very well... oh, ok.. they were the owners. Could not get enough of galera, and they decided to own a place here? Wish I could do the same...
While waiting for our food, I decided to bring out my camera and start taking pictures.
We also had a nice view, we were at the beach front… so the guys were feasting their eyes on all the women passing by, and I tried to take pictures, but the smoke coming from the kebab that was being cooked made the pictures blurry. After eating lunch, it's my turn to have my pictures taken :)
We left Jhim’s place at 6:30am (as expected, Manny arrived late). We took the LRT to the bus station, and then took the 7am bus to Batangas Pier. Upon arriving at the pier, Manny, Jhim and Ryan were still undecided as to which beach we’ll be heading – White Beach or Sabang? Hmmm… I have been to White beach for 4 times already, and all I could share was what they can expect from there. None of us have been to Sabang, but from what I heard there are a lot of nightspots there, and would only be favorable for men. Ok… so they decided to go to Sabang. I had no issues going to Sabang, it might be a nice adventure as well, since it’s a new place... When we rode the boat going to Sabang, we immediately noticed that the group of people going there are mostly foreigners. We did notice a younger bunch of Filipinos in the waiting area, but they took the boat to White Beach. Jhim then tried to contact his friend in Sabang and inquired if we made the right decision. Ha-ha.. they said that Sabang only suitable for men who wants greater amusement or pleasure. And from a far, they appear to be right, as I could not see people swimming. All I could see were houses, restaurants and resthouses. When we arrived at Sabang, we saw Jhim's name being flashed in a white board. There was a young woman waving at us, accompanied by an American. Jhim made an arrangement that his contact will pick us up from Sabang and take us to the White Beach. Nice... we were fetched by the owner of the resthouse, and it was a bit funny to see that we are in the Phillipines, and we have an American (I think) taking us to White Beach. :)
