life in the city

When I was a little girl, wee bit tinier than I am today, I wanted to do the things grown ups do. I like it when my mom sips her blackest of black coffee in the morning as she blew smoke in the air. And so I would reach up for one or ask for a cup. But I always get turned down; coffee is not for little girls.

Imagine the disappointment and the building up of anticipation for this forbidden drink. Lo and behold, when I thought I was old enough to sit by the window with my black coffee in my right hand and book to boot, I dared to be just like the adults and tried to act like one.

Boldness, I believe got me through my coffee phase. And my love affair with caffeine has never waned since that time I bid goodbye to a glass full of white concoction. I think it's called, milk.

This brings me to my point of contention. The reason the latte factor is so part of my daily existence stems from the fact that I was deprived of it for so long. Aside of course, from the obvious that is coffee is so darn good.

It's a stimulant of the mind and triggers a happy mood. For me, at least.

How about you, what makes you drink coffee?

Try to close your eyes and imagine that everything around you is gray. It doesn't feel right; creates a wave of sadness to wash over you. Now, with eyes still closed, imagine that all around you there is a burst of color. I can imagine the happy feeling you get. That's the magic of color.

One fateful night, I dashed to the salon to update my hair texture. I felt I needed a change and it's been a long time coming. For the longest time, I had put it off because it's a huge responsibility. You need to constantly go to the salon for hair treatments, regular trims and cuts, and the special hair products one need to use and buy. It's taxing and daunting, not to mention it burns a hole in the pocket.

Time for a change. I had a long discussion with the color technician. He must have felt exasperated when I said that I don't want a color that screams. My operative word is subtle. I want it colored in a subtle shade. A color that gives character to my hair and persona.

I believed we both had achieved it. And my hair color has a funny way of defining my look. It grows on me and I am loving it.

I guess in a life, once in a while one has to dash to a certain place to thread the unknown. If only one could be assured of the outcome. But just like hair coloring, you could only hope for the best results even after a long conversation on the look you're going for, the kind of job you do and what your interests are. Still, there is no guarantee that the result is what you have in mind. Your collaboration will only yield when you actually allow things to happen. When you take risks because of and not in spite of.

Now, am sporting a new do. And a new resolve.

Today, I lost my voice.

No sound bytes, no melody. No beat, no rhythm.

Only the memory of a not-so-distant past keeps me going. It gives me confidence that it is just going to be a temporary setback.

In my non-talking existence, I found joy in the easy banter of others. And I became more patient in hearing others.

In talking less, I truly listened to other people's story. I had yielded to my plight, in order to gain a wider perspective of the world, outside the realms of my "me, myself and I" existence.

Whoever stole my voice must have already thought that I wouldn't mind it that much.

Afterall, there is more to life than endless chatter.

I had a wonderful time checking out Singapore, mostly on foot. My brief 4-day stay in this country/state was a breath of fresh air, figuratively.

In so many ways, it's different from my home country. A mere three hours away by air and yet, one could sense that it's not just your ordinary neighboring country.

While there, we explored its attractions, streets, marina, theme parks and night life. It was such a pleasurable experience, I will never have second thoughts in coming back, if the opportunity presents.

This country is such a melting pot of a cornucopia of asian and europian culture. You'll be amazed at its wide selection of ice cream from all over europe.

Danish ice cream

Ben and Jerry (Vermont in the US)

Scrumptious food such as in this upscale novel concept swiss market resto --

and the ever proletariat :-)

Shopping is not bad, either.

That makes all the difference. Come visit, Singapore. After you have a fill of wow Philippines.

I woke up this morning with a start. Not only did I oversleep and naturally, would be running late for work, I also forgot my makeup kit in the trunk of a colleague's car! In the short taxi ride to the office, I kept my fingers crossed. Hopefully, there’s an off chance that one, I am not yet late. Second, nobody will see me looking harried with my au natural look.

Lo and behold, my star up in the heavens might have been very happy with me. I am rewarded with two minutes to spare before the official time-in and a java fix from my former boss. My day could never be better.  In our fave Starbucks café, the baristas were looking for the usual suspects. That means my everyday companions to our daily pilgrimage to this place for a cup of macchiato.

Well, I couldn’t extend the invitation for a treat to them. So, off we went -- just me and my former boss. And of all days, the barista told me I had just won a cup of my choice. I had been randomly selected to answer their online coffee survey. When done, I could trek back to the café and get my freebie!

Lunch was relatively uneventful until a phone call interrupted the monotony. My friend wanted to step out for lunch. Though, I already had a full stomach, I agreed to brave the short walk to the nearest resto. Another friend joined us. So, we had a party of three. Sweet.

While our friend filled his growling tummy, we peppered our conversations with antics punctuated with a hearty laugh here and there. tsk.tsk.tsk.

And then, in the spirit of the season, my friend invited us for coffee – on him! Ah, the joys of the caffeine addicts. It seemed like music to our ears.

So, there. Three cups in one day, all free!

Its twenty-two days to go before Christmas. You can already feel the crescendo of excitement of people, young and old. The mushrooming of malls does up the tempo some more. All of them have made it known; mall hours are now officially longer to give more time for shopping to buy, buy, and buy.

Gone are the days of Christmas being a season of reconnecting with family and friends. These days, it has become a tradition of commercially-driven gift-giving. In my side of the world and in Asia in general, Christmas is a big event. It’s more than a month-long celebration.

In this bleak economy, a whisper of dread could be heard. Should I buy everyone a gift? Or should I merely share with them a heart felt Christmas wish. Others have resorted to checking out bazaars to save up on the season’s expense. I tried this path, one weekend. I had an ominous feeling when I was charged entry fee to the bazaar tent. Gut feel told me this is not going to be a thrifty experience. Lo and behold, merchandise worth giving to loved ones cost a day’s wage!

So, I went home with nothing to show for a day’s trek to the supposedly budget-friendly shopping mecca. And I spent for food, as my weary feet refused to step further without sustenance. Ha, the pitfall of thrift shopping.

I had an interesting conversation today with a colleague. Obviously, conversations nowadays center on plans for the merry season. Irony of ironies, she slipped the news that her Christmas bonus just went out the window, the day after we received it. After the bills were paid, all of what’s left went to the items on her shopping list.

Isn’t it a sad state of affairs, when even upwardly mobile young professionals feel burned and burdened with the pressures of tradition? These seemingly carefree people are crushed by the spending spree of the season.

You can only begin to imagine how strenuous it would be for financially-challenged families who are barely able to put food on the table.

Will all our Christmases be like this from now on?

the kota kinabalu experience was superb especially from the perspective of a clueless adventurer -- me. i thrive more in the conveniences of the city but i realized that the beauty of nature could unravel the appreciation of creation.

as they say, a picture speaks a thousand words. some great shots by our good friend and equally good photographer, Jeck "pogi" Simbulan.

enjoying a hearty meal with an equally hearty  bottle of beer

a sea of endless choices

loitering at the circular lobby of the "hanging building"

the "hanging building's" facade in the background and us girls -- check me out, in my rediculously mini-dress... what can i do, left my trousers in manila

another dose... just adding salt to ---

a vacay is not complete without a shot of espresso

a great find in the midst of a museum cafe; i love the texture of the post-war ambience complete with historical timelines of WW2

it has the vintage feel of a distant memory carnage superimposed with the aroma of a java robusta that brings home the story of its people and the mark it made in the history of mankind.

come, have a sip!

October 6 - 10, 2008 - Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

In this life's journey, we meet a lot of people. There are some who barely say hello. Others, they're like butterflies -- they brighten up your life for a while and then as quickly as they have came into your life, they flutter away. On their way to find the next life to color with. And then, there are those fellow travellers who share their stories on the roads that they've taken, the adventures that put excitement to their lives, the lessons they have learned so far and the prospects that they have for their future. Somehow, they touch your life in a more meaningful way.

Most of them, do not realize that by their stories, adventures and misadventures alone, they have enriched your life as well. This is the story of my dearest friend, Viv.

She is a spirited woman with so much passion for her family, friends and all those people she cares about. She responsibly balances work and play. And as young as she is, her courage is a testament to the strength of her character. Getting out of the comfort zone is a difficult thing to do. And most if not all, would agree to this. It takes so much bravery to risk losing or winning when you decide to look at the other side. When you explore the infinite possibilities of the world outside of your bubble. In the process, you sacrifice some things that are important to you -- it may be relationships that are made difficult because of the sheer distance from each other, time for yourself or even time for others that matter to you. But you take risks because you know that in sum, it would all be worthwhile.

When Viv faced a crossroad, she chose to pause for a much needed reflection on what truly matters to her. And realized early on that it's okay to take a breather to temporarily say goodbye to work and discover her other side, her other passions. And while learning, she takes with her the memories of her corporate life -- the hustle and bustle in the stillness of a working day and in the deafening madness of the events she had to participate in.

My dear friend, whatever path you take. Always carry your torch... standing up for yourself, enjoying a healthy dose of humor and spontaneously loving life's trivialities and exciting adventure.

Here's a toast to a woman of grace!