Oath Taking

2 pm ang schedule ng oath.

But we have to be there 2 hours before daw for registration.

Ano to airport?

But anyways, i was there at 12:30.

Sobrang init! Tas kelangan pumila ang guests sa arawan.

Buti nalang yung mommy ko may dalang payong.

Girl Scout talaga sya.

So we were waiting there outside.

Mejo nasigawan pa nga kami ng usher.

2pm na daw, so kelangan na pumasok.

Tama na ang picture.

Anyway, mabilis lang sya natapos.

May mga speeches tas singing of Supreme Court Hymn.

Yes. Meron pala nun. Ngayon ko lang nalaman.

Ang importante dun eh accepted na kami to be members of the Philippine Bar.

Nung tinanong nga if there's any objections, natahimik lahat eh.

Pero buti naman, wala na nag-object. Mejo lang ah.

Anyway, the order accepting us, is immediately executory.

Meaning. Wala nang bawian. Woohoo!

Around 3 or 4 tapos na yung ceremony.

Ang matagal is yung paghahanap ng parents.

Pinaiwan kasi yung cellphones and camera.

Pero grabe ha.

I was wearing high-heals and more than 4 hours na ko nakatayo.

Intense ang sakit ng paa ko.

Whenever I sit down, I get this nangimay feeling in my feet. Yung prickly feeling habang bumabalik ang dugo sa toes ko.

Tas kelangan ko pa maglakad ng 2 blocks papuntang Harbor Square kasi coding kami.

Iniisip ko palang, naiiyak na ko.

Pramis, onti nalang, my feet will bleed.

Buti nalang, my mom has driving sandals.

di na nga ko umabot hanggang car namin, pinakuha ko nalang kay daddy.

syempre, di masyadong bagay sa cute dress ko, pero I DON'T CARE.

Anyway, napagsabihan tuloy ako ni daddy about wearing those kind of shoes.

It's unsafe daw.

Hmmm... I never saw it that way.

Parang hinalintulad nya ang pagsuot ng high heels sa pagsakay sa motorsiklong walang helmet.

Pero may point sya.

Dahil paglabas ko ng PICC, gusto ko nang maghanap ng wheelchair.

Unsafe talaga sya.

First encounter with a potato

I woke up one morning and was really really hungry.
Kaso, ang breakfast namin ay sardinas.
Eversince my immersion with the mangyans in mindoro,
(where we had to eat sardines everyday for less than a week)
I swore never to eat sardines again.

I didn't actually swear.
I just feel like gagging whenever I smell it, let along taste it.

But since it has been years,
and the fact that I was really really hungry,
I considered eating it that morning.

Kaso sabi ni mommy, pwede daw ako magluto ng corned beef.
Ayos yon.
Lalagyan ko ng maraming patatas so I won't eat rice anymore.

So naghiwa ako ng patatas. Mejo nilakihan ko yung hiwa para mas masaya.
Tapos sabi ni mommy, lagyan ko ng onting water yung pan para maluto muna yung patatas.
(alam nya kasi na ang experience ko sa kusina involves fried hotdogs and lucky-me pancit canton)

Ok... done.
Nung magevaporate yung lahat ng water, mejo mabilis lang naman pala,
nilagay ko na yung corned beef.
Since mejo luto na yung corned beef from the can, mabilis nalang from there.

Ang saya ko.
Nahihilo na kasi ako sa gutom so super excited talaga ko kumain.

Until I chewed on a piece of potato.
Paksyet di pa luto.

Apparently, nung sinabi ni mommy na lagyan ng 'konting tubig,'
she had no idea on how big the potato slices are.
Dapat pala mejo above the potato ang dami ng tubig para maluto.
Shooot...

Moral lesson:
may rason kung bakit hindi magkasing laki ang patatas sa nilaga at ang patatas sa corned beef.

Getting our Visa

Our long wait is finally over.
Grabe, five years in the making yun.

It was the day before my mom's birthday and she was on her way to makati kasi mag-de-date sila ng dad ko.
Tumawag yung agent namin telling na dumating na yung visa.
So I had my sister text her the good news. Tas yun, dumeretso na sya sa agent.
Sabi ng tita ko who was with her when she received the text message, di daw makapaniwala si mommy.
mga 3 times pa daw pinabasa sa kanya yung message just to make sure she wasn't imagining it.

Anyway, super saya nya to the point na hindi na nga nya napansin yung surprise na hinanda ng mga friends nya for her.
Pagdating nya kasi, binuksan at ininspect na namin lahat yung mga passport with visa's and all the other documents.
After nalang nun nya napansin na may poster na nakadikit sa wall behind her with all the birthday greetings.

The next day, it was her birthday.
Nag-confirm na sya ng bookings.
Nag-pa-sched sa mga seminars na kelangan before leaving...
Tas the day after that, bumili na sya ng plane ticket.
Talk about excited!
hehe.

First Sunday of April

It was the First Sunday of April, my parents went to a Christian gathering.
Me, I went out to drink.

Actually, we didn't really plan on drinking.
Kaso, mas masarap ang kwentuhan pag nakainom na sina Mari at Paul.
So bumili si Paul ng drinks and chips, tas nag labas si Mari ng popcorn

From left to right: Mari, Shel, Siela and Sara

At the bottom: Red Horse, Microwave Popcorn, V-Cut Potato Chips, red ice tea.

the only thorn among the roses

We called tyns via YM. Bagong gising pa nga sya eh.
Haay… miss her na. Sarap nya kasi i-grill for chismis now-a-days eh.

After a while, Paul invited his friends Patrick and Joms (hope I got the spelling right) over.
We’ve known Patrick for years pero si Joms, nun ko lang nakita.

From left to right: Patrick, Joms and Paul

After ilang bote at ilang games pumasok si Mari sa loob to get something, leaving half a glass of beer.
Etong si Patrick, kinuha yung beer at nilipat sa baso nya.
We warned him. Told him na knowing Mari, kahit na she’s really drunk, she’d notice the beer gone.

Si Mari kasi, she knows her alcohol – what’s in it, and where it went.
Isa sa mga hobby nya eh mag mix ng drinks. As in kina-career nya talaga.
She’s my favorite bartender nga eh, kasi tama lang sa taste mo sya magtimpla. Kung trip mo mejo matapang, yun gagawin nya.
Eh ako, ayoko ng nalalasahan yung alcohol so pag ako yung iinom, lasang candy na.

Anyway, when she came out, the first words that came out of her mouth is: “o asan na yung beer ko?”
And we broke out in laughter. Syet dapat nakipagpustahan ako kay Patrick, baka kumita pa ko.

Well the night ended very well. I was kinda drunk and was laughing at the silliest things.

Sara: First time mo ba uminom since the results came out?
Siela: Yup. (giggles)
Shel: Ahh…

The morning after, I had tons of work and a queasy stomach.
Parusa yun for not going to church on a Sunday, let alone a first Sunday.
Oh my... plus chances of going to hell. hehe.

Destitute no more.

For the past three months I have been living in extreme poverty.
I swear, pag aalis ako, kelangan ko pang humingi sa mommy ko.
Super nakakahiya talaga.

Buti na nga lang, andyan si Joel. He pays for ALL of our dates. He even took me shopping last Christmas.
My sugar daddy. J

Anyway, a few days ago, I got paid!

Of course I had to wait for like a million years for it. May technical difficulties daw kasi. Sabi naman ni mommy, baka daw na-scam na ko. Syet. Wag naman sana. Promise, a little part of me ay natakot.
But then again, it wasn’t a scam. I got paid. It’s not much though, tas andami pang bawas for bank charges.

It’s barya if you compare it to the salary I can get in a law firm.
Pero naman, I don’t have to leave the house. I don’t have to pay for lunch or transpo.

Anyway, the point is, di na ko ma-guiguilty umalis. Coz I don’t have to ask my mommy for money anymore. YEHEY TALAGA!

Oh! The first time na I knew na I had money na, nag flash sa utak ko ang aking shopping list: bikini, shades, eyeliner, bag, wallet, flip-flops…

Whoa. Sa Shopping list ko palang, kulang na yun.

Breathe…

I reminded myself that I don’t need all these stuff.

Haay… swear… I have shopaholic tendencies.