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.