Our New Life Down South

Updates, updates, updates…

First and foremost, happy birthday to my Peter. He turned 29 yesterday. It was his wish to NOT CELEBRATE IT coz it depresses him so I relented. Even if I wanted to… so very much actually… but I love him… so… there. Still, I'm glad he had fun NOT celebrating his birthday. I love you baby!

Gosh, I missed blogging! Not a day goes by that I don’t think about posting my thoughts, feelings and latest happenings in  my life here on my personal site. Damn neighbor’s secured  wi-fi! I couldn’t get through it! Peter & I should really find time to apply for broadband soon. Sigh. For now (June 24),  after having dinner at Festival Mall's food court (there were so many to choose from by the way but we opted for HANDAAN that offers delectable Pinoy dishes — our fave as usual — and we had bopis, pakbet, bicol express, ginataang ampalaya, kwek-kwek, buko salad. What a feast indeed!), we drove around West Gate to see if we can connect to any available wi-fi. There were so many but their sites were secured! Darn! Talk about internet stalking, hahaha! And after a couple of minutes, we found one and lost it again. So it’s just now (June 26) that I am able to blog… after two days here at Harbor Square near CCP (when I'm supposed to be at home already, studying for our long test tomorrow). Sigh.

Left: front of the house;                Right: our own balcony 

About the house transfer, most of our stuff are already unpacked and put to their proper places. There are still a few boxes left unopened plus a couple more things that we want done like screwing bolts for the door to prevent intruders, the air well to be turned into an indoor rock garden with water fountain, well-designed flooring for the balcony and garage-turned  lanai, a huge painting for the huge wall in our bedroom and some more well-designed shelves for several blank walls inside the house, pin lights and drop lights for accent, etc.

The Master's Bedroom…. our bedroom! 

The door in the middle leads to the balcony…

the door on the left leads to our own bathroom, big enough to install  a bath tub in… 

We were supposed to do these activities last weekend but MDP and some partying got in the way, hehehe. Here's how the house looks like right now. I'll be updating you if ever we do have the chance (and the money) to have our other house plans concretized. 

Left: view outside our bedroom… Right: across is Papa's bedroom, his own CR and stairs going down…on the left of the stairs is the study room…

Our book collection…just part of it actually. 

the living room… 

dining room… behind the table is the airwell… 

kitchen & dining table

Yesterday, Saturday, we went to The Fort Bonifacio High City and met up with some of our college friends. Lora arrived last week from Jakarta and last night was her time with us so we just simply made the most out of it. I suggested for us to go to T.G.I.F. Apparently, most of the food places in the area were full so we walked all the way to Serendra. 

Walking to Serendra… 

Exploring Bonifacio High City… 

We found Chocolate with its very cozy ambience that kind of resembled a miniature SOUL Cafe in La Union (Gosh! I miss that place! I miss surfing too!). So that's where we had dinner. According to Lora (who is from Baguio), this place originated in her hometown.

Fun with friends at Chocolate… 

True enough, their Benguet Brew is to die for and their Tsokolate is the best! We also ordered desserts like Turon a la mode & Bibingka aside from their perfectly made Pork Binagoongan, Porky Pork Sisig and Bistek Tagalog. Oh, and I saw Planetlvin that night too!

Cupcakes bought from its own store… 

What diet? 

That evening was very special for me. Coz even if there were only a few of us who came — Lora, myself, Peter, Jowi, Peachie , Rea and Carlo, I had a pretty good time laughing and just telling each other stories and updates about our lives.  

With Lora (left most) and Rea (middle) 

Mischievous Jowi (left) & Peachie (right)

Lora, who’s been teaching for 8 years now (4 years in Ateneo Grade School starting the year after I left and 4 years in Jakarta) is currently considering taking up a design course and working part time as a designer for Victoria Secret  underwear line (which means that she is bound to give me Victoria Secret undies the next time she visits Manila, lucky me! Hehehe! Thanks in advance Lors!). Drawing is one of her ultimate gifts and I’m sure she’ll be very successful at this.  Rea is now managing another family business in the food processing industry while at the same time still managing her parents’ furniture business. Peachie recently changed jobs and is now a lot happier. Jowi also recently changed careers and is considering leaving one of her passions in life. Carlo left his previous job in an insurance company and pursued his love. He is now a full time photographer. While Peter and I are still the same (me, being trained for a future management position when all the while I just wanted to beach bum and travel. And Peter is getting more and more busy with his work as the product manager of i.ph blogs while at the same time, tinkering with other ways and means of earning more money for his company and himself so I can finally become a housewife.) Hay! We are definitely getting old! We’re no longer the wide-eyed-naïve-full-of-idealism-newly grads we once were  8 years ago. How time flies! Our other block mates are now doctors, managing their own businesses and leaders in their own professional fields.  

Inside Cuisine …

Anyway, after midnight, we all parted ways and promised to do this kind of bonding more often. Peachie, Peter and I however, still wanted to enjoy the evening so we met up with Ninette at Embassy Cuisine. And my golly! The last time I’ve been in this type of crowd was ages ago — back when we were still very young, club and bar hopping at  Malate  (when Insomnia was still open), Eastwood (when Blue Onion was still new) and also the Fort (when Big Fat Willy’s was still alive and kicking).

Left - Right: Peachie, me, Ninette, Trina, Jackie, Perry 

Anyway, Cuisine is definitely on a much higher level. The people inside consist mostly of foreigners and affluent Pinoys in their late twenties and early thirties as compared to the younger crowd inside Embassy (kids!). And what do you know, just beside our table is the party of Ruffa Gutierrez, Donita Rose, Arlene Muhlach and a couple of their celebrity and foreign friends. I was thinking of taking a picture of their group but their bodyguards all around us had this very intimidating aura that I decided to just enjoy the moment people-watching, chatting with my friends and of course, drinking my cosmo. I was content and happy doing just that. It’s been so long and I even came to a point when I thought that I am no longer fit to do the bar scene coz I felt so old already. Sometimes, even before going to Xaymaca, I’d have second thoughts coz I’d much rather stay at home, read a book or watch dvds. But last night changed all that.  

In the Dark… 

I am not old! And I am definitely no spinster! Please! I'm not just fab, I'm SENSAYSH!!! (hehe) So I might as well conquer the world and pahtee!!! In this scene, people go there to see and be seen. I still turn quite a few heads and so do my friends. And I definitely like looking at beautiful and handsome people strutting their stuff and doing their own thing so, yes… I will definitely come back for more! And I’ll try to bring my other friends with me.

With two of my bestfriends… Ninette & My Cosmo 

We got home at around 5am and slept like babies till Sunday afternoon. The rest of Sunday was spent doing some assignments for MDP while Peter was entertaining his TMB friends Fritz, Coco and Anne  who visited us late in the afternoon. They brought us Gonuts Donuts! Yay! They go down in history as our first ever visitors here in our new home. Thanks guys!  I hope next time, I can join in the fun and not be doing some boring MDP stuff.