December Summary

Dec 7:
Pacquiao-dela Hoya fight.
Got to greenbelt at 8am, but NSG was already full so went to Capricciosa
So early... the fight started at past 12 noon.
But it was fun. We had great seats. Pizza was good, too.
And most importantly, Manny won.

Dec 12:
Went to a hearing,
Got a scolding from the judge.
It was totally not my fault.

Dec 14:
Went to Tarlac at Papa Jay's Pad.
Rockband to sawa.
Amazing view.
Lotsa food.


Dec 15:
Western theme OSG Christmas Party
images of Calgary stampede flashing in my head)
The team presented a dance routine, ASG included.
And so did every other teams.

click here for more pictures.

Dec 19:
Our division’s Christmas party.
Singing, games and a whole lot of prizes.
Did not recognize my boss as he was really “shaking” it.

click here for more pictures.

Dec 20:
Attended RJ and Dianne’s wedding (Joel’s HS friends from La Salle Antipolo)
The church and the reception venue was amazing.
Loved the photo-booth.
Was not prepared for the unbelievably cold weather.
Got sick afterwards.

click here for more pictures.

Dec 24:
Travelled to Candelaria Quezon.
Alone.
Joel took me to the bus station, though.
Had a window seat and a decent, thin guy sat beside me.
So it was a pretty comfy ride.
Still had sore throat so I had lots of water,
Lots of medicines, and lots of candy.

The church was ridiculously crowded during the mass
Slept thru Christmas eve coz I wasn’t really feeling well

Dec 25:
Read the 3rd book of the twilight series.
Went to my other grandmother in the afternoon
Spent time with my really cute 2-year old inaanak.

I don’t have pictures.
I have Christmas issues this year.

Dec 26:
FF Christmas party at the Pots House
Sara looked really really pregnant.

click here for more pictures.

Dec 29:
Went to Tagaytay with 4D friends.
At bulalo in lightning speed.
Drank coffee before beer.
Pretended we were in another country
Because it was just so friggin cold to be in the Philippines
For more pictures visit Eeza’s multiply site.

click here for more pictures.

Dec 30:
Went to Cainta to spend the New Year with Joel’s family

Dec 31:
New Year’s Eve at the Pagkatipunans.
I still refuse to touch any form of firecracker or sparkler.

November Summary

Nov 1:
Spent it with Joel’s family, went to South Cemetery to visit his dearly departed relatives.
Said a prayer for my dearly departed relatives
And considering my failure to visit them, I made a sincere wish that they don’t visit me instead.

Nov 7:
Attended Bunny and Jew’s joint birthday celebrations.
Pretended to be civilized and limited myself to drinking red wine.
Did not get drunk though.

For more pictures, click here.

Nov 8:
Attended Chi’s wedding at Folk Arts Theatre. (Yes. The whole theatre was devoted to her wedding.)
Felt like I was attending an awards night instead.
Tambay at the Pots house afterwards, drinking, talking, eating...
Went home at 6am.

For pictures, click here.

Nov 10:
Was the oath-taking in the OSG.
Parents were invited for the pining ceremony but since mine are a thousand miles away,
Momsy Dev and Joel went on their behalf.

For more pictures, click here.

Nov 16:
Went to the Rihanna and Chris Brown concert
Lots of people, heavy traffic,
and really cool music.

Nov 22:
Verdict – the first Med-Law Party!
Congratulations sisses!

Nov 26:
Watched Twilight.
Nice naman.
I wasn't that disappointed.

Moving Out

I can’t deny it. Moving out of this house was extremely sad.
It’s been my home for more than 20 years.
And the idea that this will be someone else’s home, pains me.

However, when I think about it, this house hadn’t been my home ever since we left for Canada. Even if it was the same exact house, it wasn’t my home anymore. I didn’t have my room (I slept at my parent’s) Mom won’t come out of their room to ask who wants to come with her to the grocery. Dad won’t be walking around shirtless looking for the most recent thing he has lost. Glenn won’t be sitting next to me at the dinner table. And Faye’s heavy steps would not come down the stairs anymore.

So even if I stayed there from August to October, in those three months, I still felt homesick.

But nevertheless, the idea of moving out was sad.
This house has been filled with our childhood memories. I’ve seen it evolve from being a 2-bedroom bungalow, to a 5-bedroom two-storey house. It’s been a home for a number of titos and titas, lolos and lolas, and few extended family. And now we are letting it go.

Moving on is good, I’d tell myself.
My family’s happy in Canada.
I’ll be happy in Makati.
I’m growing up and letting go is a part of it.

FF's BBQ

In celebration of Sara’s first ultrasound and the return of Via (Paul’s almost totally wrecked car) we decided to have a barbeque party.

Nope. Scrap that.

Paul wanted to showcase his barbeque skills so we planned to have a barbeque party. Between the planning and the date of the barbeque, Paul and Sara discovered they’re having a baby. One or two days before the party, Via was released from the talyer. And a couple of hours before the barbeque, Sara had her first ultrasound.

Now that sounds more accurate.

mommy sa and mari at the kitchen

yummy...

Oh! And Shel was bringing her new/first boyfriend, Luis, to meet us.
It was certainly a day of celebration.
Our FF family has grown. With Joel and Luis, Paul is no longer the only thorn among the roses. (In the days when Paul was the only guy, PSP was his reliable companion. We would girl talk and he would fidget and play with his PSP.)And with the frequent presence of Patrick his brother and Patrick his best friend, the girls no longer outnumber the guys.
Anyway, food was great.
Luis was really nice... and polite. ;)

yihee...

Poker was fun.
And Sara’s asleep by 12 o’clock,
Paul by 3am. (Sara was awake by then. Made us think they took shifts on us)
Everyone else stayed for breakfast.

Zoobic Safari

4D strikes again. They're out on another adventure. Today's conquest: Subic.
At dahil si Pau ay hindi pa nakakakita ng tigers, we went to Zoobic Safari.

hmmm... bakit di sya masyadong mukang masaya....

And because Pau wants to see tigers, we went to the tigers first. It was interesting. Kinda cool actually. If I weren't scared of big animals, I would want a tiger for myself. The first ones we saw were caged. And then we tried the one where we ride the caged jeep. Astig. The tigers jump on the jeep. Mejo scary lng ng onti.

in front of the caged jeep

view from the inside of the jeep

after the tigers, ostrich naman daw. we rode the pick up nalang kasi pwede naman daw yun. Again, Pau hasn't seen an ostrich.


So ang saya namin diba? lahat nasa likod. So fun!
Except when we actually drove thru the ostrich farm. My goodness, nilapitan kami ng ostrich. Nagpanic lahat ng nasa likod. Imagine naman... kung ganon kalaki yung ibong tutuka sayo... Mejo lang ha.

before the attack

After that we went to the crocodile farm. Cool din coz we get to see them attack the dressed chicken. (You buy the chicken, its attached to a pole and you lower it to the crocs)

croc in action

Overall, it was an interesting experience. In fairness, worth the money naman. Sayang lang coz I think we missed yung pwede hawakan na tiger cub.

OSG Celebrates with the President

As part of its 107th year anniversary, OSG celebrates in a formal dinner party at the Officer’s Club in Fort Bonifacio. Former Solicitors General were invited as well as other OSG alumna. As its guest of honor, the President of the Philippines herself attended the event. I must admit, I was excited. I’ve never seen PGMA – not up close in person anyway. Will I be awed by her presence?

Unfortunately, if one is a common person, the presence of a very important person like The President is not quite that delighting. On the contrary, super hassle sya.

Everyone must arrive before her but no one can eat before her.
All cameras are inspected and marked.
When she arrives, no one else can enter the venue after her. No one can leave either.
Her food is different, more special and pre-tasted.
She has a huge entourage who must be fed, too.

I know it’s not her fault that these things happen. I’m not complaining either. I’m just amused to see how much complexity is involved just for/in her presence.

Anyway, I wasn’t able to see her up close. I would’ve wanted to shake her hand and maybe take a picture with her. That would’ve been something. When she arrived, people just crowded at her. I didn’t get a chance to squeeze myself nearer.

I was able to see her about 5 meters away. She was really small. While she exudes power, I wasn’t awed. She didn’t really glow. But then again, she’s not Heart Evangelista or Katrina Halili. She’s not a movie star. She’s not required to glow and be radiant.

But even if I wasn’t awed, I was impressed. While I don’t exactly want a high-profile life, I find it very interesting.

First Appearance

How many young lawyers can say that their first appearance in court was before the Highest Tribunal in the land? Not many. I feel lucky to be one of them.

Of course my participation was negligible. I was one out of the twenty lawyers (more or less) that appeared for the State. I did not even speak. But despite the fact that my contribution was limited to helping the team carry voluminous files, I was ecstatic. I was in awe just to be there. I was fascinated by everything; the walls, the ceilings, the benches and the fact that those who sat in front had to wear togas. I tried to observe all the justices, the opposing counsels and all the other people watching. I was able to spot important government officials in the audience too. Honestly, I felt more like a kid out on a fieldtrip.

Anyway, the order of the Supreme Court stated the appearances made, what transpired during that session and required all the parties to file their respective manifestations. When a copy of that order arrived in my desk, I automatically highlighted my name, for I don’t know when a thing like this will happen again.

Finally, a Legal Career

Within only 10 weeks, the Sales Associate of Payless Shoe Source became an Associate Solicitor in the Office of the Solicitor General of the Republic of the Philippines. From working the cash register, I was now drafting pleadings. From selling shoes, I was now attending hearings.

It wasn’t easy. In my first week of work, I had a lot of practical realizations:

· For the first few days in the office, my secretary is my boss. She told me what to do.
· If you wanted to be treated as a lawyer, dress like one.
· A lawyer must have at least 1 black corporate suit.
· Office slippers are a necessity.
· Announcements are best posted in the elevator.
· One must ride the elevator once in a while so as not to miss out on anything.
· You can buy everything in the office: lunch, snacks, fruits, coffee, underwear.

Unveiled: Regina Iustitiae Anniversary Party

Regina Iustitiae have come a long way since Anna, Dev and Pat started it in 2005.
I was part of it's second batch so I pretty much saw how it came to be.
And despite of all the issues within and outside the sorority,
we pulled through.

at one point in time, i almost gave up on the sisterhood.
but i'm so glad i didn't.
coz now i'm super proud to be part of it.
so i guess ganun lang talaga.
there will always be tough times, clashing personalities, and harsh critics.
what matters is how we stick together.
we fight, we forgive, we forget, we even sometimes ignore.
but we never quit on being a sis.

To all the sisses who worked hard to make the party a success, i'm so proud of you!

To my sisses who are taking the bar, especially my batchmates,
goodluck and god bless.
kayang kaya nyo yan!

mike, me, dev and gelo below the sorority logo

me and momsy with batchies maj(top) and ria (bottom)

left to right: pat, nad, me, jelo, mon and ace

mon, gelo, mike and ace

me, papa jay, buns and dev

Mari's Poker Party

for the past 10 years,
there has been one event that we,
both my bff's and college friends,
all look forward to:
Mari's birthday party

Any party hosted in the Castillo's residence is famous for two things:
food and booze

i took joel with me for the first time at mari's
i told him, masarap ang food dun.
sabi nya, siguraduhin ko lang daw.

haha. saying 'masarap ang pagkain kina mari' is actually an understatement.
back in college, gusto ko na magpa-ampon sa bahay nila,
para tumaba naman ako.
you see, mari's family is involved in the restaurant/catering business.
and mari's passion is cooking.

so during the party,
simple buffet lang on one corner, mga 4-5 dishes,
pero si joel, amazed.
lahat daw kasi masarap.

true true.
i don't know what's with that house that makes every meal masarap.
swear, kahit lucky-me pancit canton, matatakam ka pag si mari ang nag-serve.

ff family
clockwise: me, sara, mari, paul, miguel, joel, lik and shel
(tyns, we miss you)

with regard to the drinking naman,
kahit anong trip mo,
if you want steady lang or drunk till you drop,
pwede. just remember to take the puke outside.

i remember in college,
hard drinks ang trip ng tao back then.
so ang line up ng drinks: tequila, ginpom...
gagapang ka talaga.

now, nag-mature na kami. beer nalang.
may redhorse or sanmig light depende sa trip mo.

dlsu friends
from left to right: pie, johnsy, me, zette, johnny, tina, joey and mari

oh. and may bagong trip sa castillo household:
poker.
complete with the velvet-y round table with cushioned ends.
you'll really get that casino vibe.

paul and sara's wedding

finally!
the moment we've all been waiting for...
the biggest event of the year...
Paul and Sara's wedding day!!!

the wedding mass was at Nuestra Senora de Gracia Parish.
that's the church in Guadalupe, near Loyola Memorial.
uber nice.

it was really old looking so i love it.
and there were only 2 columns
so although the church wasn't that big,
the aisle was relatively long.
it was the perfect church.
and if sara and paul hadn't gotten married there, i would have.

the bride and groom with their parents.

the reception naman was at The Loft.
It was on the 38th floor of the Manansala in Rockwell.
Mejo na-confused lang ako kasi sabi ng driver "sa ter-ti-et"
So hindi ko lam kung 30th or 38...

the bride and her maids

sara! kami rin penge!

second dance nalang to.
first kasi yung footloose nung gradeschool sila

ready... set...

go!

oh no!

after the reception, we - mari, shel, joel and i
went to the hotel suite with the newlyweds.
ang epal namin no?
well... ganun talaga... we're that close.



so na-postpone ang honeymoon till we had mcdonald's dinner,
and until matapos ang bubble gang on tv.

oh! the suite in makati-shang was really nice.
it even had an office.
it was so nice, we couldn't help it...

congressman pagkatipunan

congressman pagkatipunan at work

congressman pagkatipunan on the phone with the president

congressman and his 'sexy'tary

but my favorite part is the photo booth.
coz i'm really annoyed with photographers who force you to buy your pictures.
so here, they have this booth na mag-pose ka lang 4 times tas they'll print it instantly.
astig!
tas ok pa kasi unlimited pictures.
so pila ka lang ng pila for the pictures!