The June Gathering

It was coined The June Gathering. It was planned a month ago and got postponed twice. First, when Chewie (and her hubby, Joey) couldn't possibly attend as they might be gone for a vacation during that week and second, when the rest aren't available the week after that. It was tentatively set either on June 17 or 18. But nobody suggested another date and that only meant 1 thing: everybody was just too busy. (I couldn't find another word as commonly used these days!) So I didn't think it would push through. Then out of the blue, Dhonx texted (that's a rare occurence) an invitation (an even rarer occurence!) to a dinner somewhere in the heart of Makati. At last, the June gathering will no longer be a myth after all.

"I hav somthng 4 u u wud dfinitly like!", she added.

Now that line made me think what I and the rest of the guys would really like. Last week Dhonx & I met at a local billiard & bowling centre. That's when I knew she joined her company's billiard tournament that week. Her group must have won first place! That's one reason. But what's that got to do with us? Maybe their prize is a P3,000-worth of gift check to a local restaurant that we frequent. That's another good reason. Hmmm...what else could be very appealing to us, I wondered. Aha! I couldn't find a possible reason, but Flower might be in town. Flower (as we fondly call her) and Dhonx are best friends, who used to be roommates too when Flower was still working here in Makati. Presently, she lives and works in Iloilo. I'm sure the rest of the group would love to be surprised with her presence! These were my 3 best guesses and I couldn't help but text these to Dhonx. But her only reply was:

"Yes we won 1st place. As 4 ur other Qs, I'll answer them tom."

Though I didn't get enough info from her, I was glad one of my guesses was true. And at that moment, I didn't want to spoil the surprise. And so came the next day. Rolly & I went to Italianis, where the group decided to have dinner. As we were nearing the glass walls of the resto, I saw them walking towards a bigger table and then I thought I saw Teray, another batchmate of ours, who is getting married in October. But as we got closer, all I could say was, "Just as I thought!". Getting seated were Dhonx, Twinkle and ---- Flower! Shouts of joy reverberated inside the resto as the surprise finally unfolded. And amidst the joyful uproar, we gave each other the usual "beso-beso" and immediately started catching up on the latest news.

A few minutes later came Chewie & Joey, who both were truly surprised as neither suspected it was Flower Dhonx was referring to in her message. While dinner was being served we talked endlessly about all sorts of topics. We lost track of time as the conversations got better and funnier by the minute. Laughter filled our table, on which all that remained were glasses of water! It was such a wonderful dinner with friends who couldn't resist a surprise and another merry gathering.

That's Life

This has been a very busy week for me- so busy I wasn't able to make it to the free salsa dancing workshop offered by the organizers of the 1st Annual Philippines International Salsa Congress! Darn! It was a great opportunity for me to learn more salsa steps from basic to the advanced level without having to shell out some cash. Some cash, you say? You could hardly find such an offer at a low price in this part of the globe! Let me give you an idea (that is, if you have not yet accessed the website for this event)...to attend the salsa workshop alone and for a single day only (around 5 hours max.) during the Salsa Congress equals $50! For me that's a lot of money to spend on a few hours of dance lessons.

This free workshop was offered for only 2 hours/day for 2 days (Friday & Saturday) and I wasn't able to attend any! On Friday, I couldn't leave the office as I have lots of work to do. On Saturday, I had an appointment in Malabon but when I had to go back to Makati, it started to rain. Malabon + rain = FLOOD! (No offense meant) By the time I arrived home, it was 8:30pm and the free workshop already ended at 7pm. Lucky me. I was angry at myself for passing up that chance. I really do hope they'll have similar offers before the Congress starts in December this year (I'm keeping my fingers crossed).

Anyone offering free salsa lessons? ;-)

Reunion (Torn, Final Episode)

My sister was finally able to fly to Iloilo to see and fetch her daughter and I was so happy for her that at last, after 10 months of separation, they will be reunited.

It hurt me too that they had to part almost a year ago but that was a given. A common overseas Filipino worker (OFW) story where they sadly part with the promise of a better future and eventually meet again...the "better-future" part no longer even mattered right at that moment. That's because for our future, God will give us what He thinks is best for each one of us and in His own time, too.

What matters now is the present- the reunion of my sister and her daughter.

Good News, Bad News (Torn, Part 3)

And so came the hour of my sister's arrival, the same time Rolly & I arrived at the airport.

We have already had our dinner to make sure we won't get hungry while waiting (although I still brought a pack of chips, just in case). After just 15 minutes, the plane arrived. I'll have to wait another hour before she enters the arrival area, I thought to myself. Indeed, we saw her coming down the sloping ground with her pushcart almost an hour afterwards.

I waved to my sister and met her with a kiss and hug. We hurried into a Duty-free shop for some chocolates costing $26 a pack (the selection isn't that varied, though). Anyway, we finally hired a taxi to bring us home and while we were travelling, we talked and laughed and updated each other with news from each of our end. When we got home, we still didn't feel sleepy as we were still talking about a lot of things, trying to keep up with what's happening and what has been missed lately. Then we sorted through all the pasalubong for the cousins and uncle and aunt and especially for the little one, my dear niece, Mariz.

It was 4am when we finally slept then rested until quite late in the morning. My sis planned to go home to the province as she already missed her daughter. And being the mother, she couldn't seem to wait for another day to go by. But she was too tired from the travel and lack of sleep from the previous night that she slept again in the afternoon and quite early that evening. Next day, she bought a ticket scheduled for a 3:20pm flight to Iloilo. That's good news as she would finally see her daughter after almost a year of being apart. Since she's expected to arrive there at 4:30pm, she can still catch the last trip of transportation going to Sara, where Mariz is currently staying with our Aunt, Uncle & cousins.

I accompanied her to the airport and went back to the office at 1pm. At 3pm though, I received her text message: Call me, delayed flight. What! That's bad news as it would mean she could only re-book her ticket for the next day. The flight was moved to 4:30pm. That means she would not be able to proceed to Sara and she doesn't have a place to stay in Iloilo City either. Angry and frustrated, my sister had the date changed for the next day and went back home.

Excited! (Torn, Part 2)

Got a call from my sister (my niece's mom). She's coming home to the Philippines! So I hurried myself (every second counts), noting down all the flight details while listening to her dictate them to me through the cellphone. I was thinking then to myself how I was going to leave the office to fetch her at the airport on time without having to file even the shortest leave.

After our conversation, I realized I had 2 options: (1) come to office by 6am so I could leave early, too. But I don't think I can make it that early considering I am now so used to waking up late!; (2) come in around 7am, though I have to file a 2-hr leave (yeah, possible here). I don't like this option as I am currently preserving what's left of my Vacation Leave credits for the year so i could have a long vacation in October. Flashes of what's in store for me on this vacation came to my mind--attend a Boracay wedding and spend 3days-2nights there; on to Roxas City and nearby tourist spots; on to Sara to visit relatives; on to Iloilo City for some shopping and to meet friends--no, I cannot choose the latter option.

Day b4 arrival: Got a text message, "I'll call you. Change of plan."

Oh my, what change did she mean? Maybe I wasn't so happy about my options and maybe I was thinking that the change might be that the time of arrival would be moved a few hours later...hmmm...that's why I wasn't able to come in by 6am or even 7am. Then I got the call, which confirmed that, indeed, the flight's arrival moved a few hours later. Wow! I felt like I could see the future or something, hehehe...At least this became a Win-Win situation for us. The change happened indeed and I didn't need to adjust my work schedule for this change. Now, all I am feeling is excitement!

Then came the hour of arrival--See next post for the details, though. (Suspense, huh?)

Another Blogger

Just when I have almost given up, I found one. Yes, I did!

Although I know and invited lots, most were not as interested, others were hesitant, and the rest just didn't have the extra time to spend on it. I am talking about another "writer" who is very interested (you could see the look on her face!) in blogging and may have the time to update it. She accidentally saw me creating a new post and asked what I was doing and when she knew I was blogging, her eyes lit up with curiousity that I became as enthusiastic as her! I let her create her own blog then and we exchanged addresses so we could link our blogspots with each other.

I was really glad to know someone finally tried what I had been trying to share to friends! Till now, I have only been hoping against hope that at least one of them would take the time to do this. Guys out there that I have invited, I hope you create your own blogs now so we can update each other with the latest in our lives. To Maan, welcome to the blogging world. I look forward to reading your posts, so happy blogging!

Shyness Got the Better of Me

What I hoped was going to be a wonderful and fun night started out just like my Friday night out. Rain was pouring down so hard that even after the Mass ended (1 hour), Rolly & I had to wait at the door of the Parish of Saint Andrew at Kalayaan corner South Avenue (in Makati) until it kind of subsided into a drizzle. Only then did we brave the rain to walk towards the exit gates only to find out that both were quite flooded already!

Good thing we saw some tricycles coming in to get passengers. Getting one, though, posed a challenge as we weren't the only people lining the church's round structure and trying to get some form of transportation. Another good thing I noticed (although it's not really good to see them out in the rain working) were children running all over the place contracting with both customers and tricycles to earn some money. I consoled myself I will be helping them in a way, so we commissioned a young boy to get us a tricycle and he did and I paid him as I got in. Then we were on to our destination just a block away.

Wet from the rain, we went inside the Caffe Maestro, an Italian Bistro, which offered a "Red Hot Latino Night". I was so determined to get there on time because I heard free salsa lessons are offered. Thinking it might be quite a high-end type of establishment, I also prepared for possible expensive dining and I guessed right. No food was priced below P200 (no offense meant). It's just that the free-salsa-lessons phrase just put me in a trance and has drawn me to it blindly. Ok, ok, no more guilt feelings about this out-of-the budget expense (remember, you got yourself into this)!

Upon observation, I realized the crowd was made up of salsa enthusiasts. Seeing them on the dance floor just made me cringe and wonder what I was getting into. This is the first time I went into a club and didn't have the nerve to join the rest of the dancing bodies. I'd usually be there upon entering a club, enjoying myself and letting go. But that night was different. I didn't have a salsa dancing partner. Though I gave Rolly a crash course on the basics, it wasn't enough. So we chose to stay at a deserted area near the dance floor, ordered pasta & drinks then started observing the moves. I sought comfort in the richness of the flavor of spaghetti with seafoods in tomato sauce (I don't remember exactly what they called it) and kept an eye out for other beginners. Rolly and I danced to some Meringue, Bachata, Salsa and Cha Cha Cha tunes beside our table. We were the only pair dancing outside the dancing area but who cares? hehehe! So we tried to enjoy ourselves.

At one time, I saw a girl being taught by 1 good male dancer through simple patterns, which I was sure I would have performed better (down, ego, down!). It was quite comforting to know there was indeed somebody who's a beginner like me. The guy led the girl away from the dance floor and near our table for additional tips. I got ready to raise my hand but stopped myself from saying, "Please teach me, too!" when he didn't even turn his head in our direction and just walked straight out towards the bar. I was stumped! (...not sure if I used this word correctly...)

It was not until 10pm that a foreigner, a good lead dancer, started to call us up out of our seats to gather behind him for a few new steps. I was so happy and literally jumped out of my seat to get a good view. I could not hear all that he was saying but I followed his feet and learned 3 new steps. After that, Rolly saw that I was still dissapointed that I wasn't able to dance as I would have liked to. So he told me to approach that guy who was earlier teaching the beginner to dance with me and then maybe, I might learn more turning tricks. 15 minutes later I still couldn't get myself to do the asking that I gave up and, with a sad face, I asked Rolly to take me home. This night was a far cry from my gimik 2 nights ago, where my companions & I couldn't resist yelling "Ole!" & "Sige, sige!" while we were dancing as the band played on.

If only I had asked that guy to teach me even just through one song...but shame, my shyness got the better of me.

A Night Remembered

Last night, as rained started to pour on the street where I was waiting for my boyfriend to fetch me, I could not help thinking of going home to get some sleep. I was quite upset about the weather, especially on this night! However, I could not back out as I have already said "No" to the previous night's planned Videoke Gimik (which did not push through anyway as Freda & Verns decided to go to Cafe Havana in Greenbelt 3, Makati).

We arrived at Malate around 10:30pm, just as the band, Mai Castro y la Banda, was preparing to start their 1st set. Well! At least that was a consolation (although the rain had already stopped). We usually arrive here a few songs before the 1st set ends. We warmed our bar seats up first and ordered some drinks. I wanted Rolly to try the Mojito, the famous Cuban (national?) drink and he seemed to like it. Then the dancing started as the music was so tempting, making our feet itch to burn the floor with hot salsa dance steps!

After the band's set, Latin pre-recorded music filled the place and a pair started dancing gracefully and with style, which looks to me as performance and competition oriented salsa dancing. We learned later on that it was Miami-style salsa when the guy approached our table and introduced himself as a member of a salsa group we had heard about. He gave some tips on leading and style of dancing as opposed to Cuban-style, which is what we have come to love and enjoy (and which he must have noted when we were dancing)! But we listened to what he had to say and he invited us to the 1st ever Philippine Salsa Congress in December 2005.

I could not say that Vernie had been so exhausted (as he was the only guy who could lead us) dancing alternately with Freda & me because no matter how often he danced (almost without rest in-between songs) and how much he got sweaty, his adrenaline was still pumping. And ours, too! It was a shame Gail, Jory & Sir Francis could not make it last night. It would have been doubly fun!

After 4 mojitos, 2 beers, a mango shake and a bottle of mineral water, we proceeded to Cafe Adriatico across the street along Remedios Circle. We had some hot rich chocolate to match Pan de Sal with Quesong Puti as well as Pampanga's Tocino with Salted Egg and Fried Rice. It was definitely fulfilling just like our salsa night at the club. We needed to replenish lost energy and the food was just so yummy (even at 3am, mind you)!

That ends our "night out"...or let me say, From-Dusk-Till-Dawn Gimik. So guys, when's the next meet-up? Fridays, i hope. ;-)

Looking Back

At last I'm back from hibernation and this post shall be a summary of what has happened to me in the last few weeks. My friends might be wondering where in the world I've been but guys, here goes: I've

*been busy at work (that's old news...)
*been to my dentist's clinic twice (since my last post) for adjustments and tooth extraction
*been having lunch and snack breaks with my friend, Chewie, and our "kumare", Jhoanna

*been preparing for and co-organizing a summer outing
*finally gone to Pansol, Laguna for an outing with friends and their families (t'was a blast!)
*lazed around the house on weekends

*gone out with friends a few times for videoke, salsa dancing, window shopping or dining
*gone to a Malate club to dance with salsamates and meet new acquaintances

Tonight I'm all set for another night out with my salsamates. Not sure yet if it's gonna be a videoke night, a salsa night or, who knows, even both! What I'm sure of is that, it's gonna be another fun-filled night. ;-)

So now as I look back at my so-called "busy" life, I was actually just too lazy to type away on my keyboard or even take a peek here...so can you now forgive me?