For The Not-So-Into-Country Music

Just a while ago, I thought of updating my phone's playlist so I launched Limewire and downloaded some songs from The Devil Wears Prada and Legally Blonde soundtrack, and some Gavin DeGraw. Now here's something new (and unpredictable at that). I definitely didn't expect myself listening to this genre. Everytime I hear one, I'd go "ew!". It's one of those genres that I would generally not listen to BUT (raised brows, index finger pointing up) I found Taylor Swift to be an exception. To those who loathe Country music (like me hehe... sorry), you may want to give this a chance:

In fairness, natuwa ako dito promise! Well for one, it's not hardcore Country. It's kinda growing into me more than Colbie Caillat's hits. It's a must to listen to: "Teardrops On My Guitar", "Picture To Burn", "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" among many others.

I'm no expert at writing reviews. All I can say is just I liked it. See for yourself ;-)

Death By Laughtrip

I knew it! Saturday night's definitely something to rave about; and we actually expected less (and I quote Owen and Neil). I don't remember ever having so much tears and aches from laughing so hard the entire night out.

The night started off with me so pissed out of waiting... and waiting... and waiting... argh! That's it! #@$% I've had it! But that's another story hehe... good vibes, good vibes... After having a slice of the longest-time-to-eat cake, Rui came to the rescue. Imagine the relief; Rui is the best friend a girl-who-got-stuck-for-two-hours-waiting-with-a-slice-of-Coffee-Bean-Kahlua-Cappuccino-Mousse-cake-consumed-in-two-hours could ever have! Huwaw!

After calling up the rest of the gang to check where they were, we went straight to Kroc Grille to finally get started with the drinks while we, yes, wait for them to come in. More waiting! After an hour, Neil showed up, followed by Dyosa, and then Owen. Wow! This is the first time in a long time that we're all out on a gimmick! I missed this group; I miss my dear "Death By" pals.

So we drank. They had Jagermeister and draft. I had Light and Tequila. We also had some baked mussels and crispy pork ears. Pork ears... reminded me of Bora. And of course the favorite part were the traditional game/jokes-- as in MAJOR FUNNY. Banatan portion!!! We did "word of the day", "the uses of...", "beauty queen & place of origin", and "Windows NT Logins". So damn F.Unny!!! Too bad I can't share much of the jokes here because they'll not be as funny. Better approach anyone of us instead. Hehehe

Tonight's toast: Noticing the table of a large group behind us having a happy eating session at 1:30am, Neil toasted to "...para sa mga naghahapunan!!!" Bwahahahaha! Hindi pinatawad!

We were at Kroc til' they itched to get rid of us past closing time, then we hopped to Tianenmen where we did more "beauty queen's" til' we ached. Such a RIOT!!! (and I quote Allan) Later on I got a text from another "Death By" member, Ron, who said he's not gonna make it but that he misses us. Huwaw naman. Sige na nga Ron, miss ka na rin namin hehe. Kahit tinawag mo kong' matabarn the last time we met. Hahaha!

We called it a "night" at 5am with only the three of us left- me, Owen and Neil -- and still having jokes while waiting for my cab. Energizer bunnies! Finally, my cab came and we said bye. They gave me big kudos and tight hugs for organizing the gimmick. I left still having a big smile on my face.

I feel so recharged! Neil said that I'm now going to have something exciting to share when they ask me how my weekend went. Oh that's for sure! Actually it didn't even wait til' Monday. Reporting started Sunday afternoon haha! I sure can't wait for the next gimmick. But next time, I'm going to be late! :-p

"Death By" Gang rocks!!!

Prelude to a Happy Weekend

Impatiently waiting at 6:30am, I checked my YM list once more to see if Teban's about to fetch me already. And when I looked, woohoo! He suddenly switched to his usual weekend YM status: "No more working like a dog; No more leash. No more BOSS... I've got a WEEKEND full of nothing to do at all... YEEEHAW!" And he appeared at my station in no time pleading "Uwi na tayo". Yipee! I remember, I used to always shout "Weekend!!!" at the end of my Friday shift when I was an agent. Hehe.

I'm really looking forward to Saturday night (tonight) -- the "Death By" gang's reunion after how many months! During last night's shift, Neil and I were talking about it and we were having the usual jokes-- but of course! At long last, I'm going to be recharged! Been kinda losing my touch at the 4am Sessions. (Translation: ang corny ko na!) And finally, I'll have something to answer to the Monday question, "What did you do during the weekend?" Woot!

So without further ado, Teban and I scrammed. We're both excited; we're going to have gimmick with our respective circles. Troy didn't join us today so it's "Quality Time" for us this morning. But we took the long route and even had breakfast near the Legaspi Park (and I thought he was in a hurry to get sleep hehe). For some reason, today's chat has been extra nice. He "learned" new things from me today- like what "resourcefulness" can do; and about everyone being emotional. Then we talked about our friends, what he's going to wear at the gimmick tonight, the laptop we're gonna buy, my tentative next trip, his definite next trip, the basketball game next Saturday, and looots more. It never ends hehe. We agreed that if I do get that trip, we're gonna go out before I leave since our trip's going to overlap. By the time I get back, he'd still be on vacation. So we'll see :-)

After breakfast, we (guess what) walked passing through the park and of course still talking. The feeling was so light. A few steps later, it's Teban's stop. I hated that walk to end. We said bye and *hugs*. And before I could walk away, he called my attention and if I remember it right, he told me again about that shirt he's going to wear and how he's going to wear it. Haha. Eyng?

I thought, "Hmm... that was a good walk, wasn't it?" Hehe... I was supposed to text him that after I left but I thought, nah, I'll just leave him with his sleep hehe. Something tells me this is going to be a great weekend. And it just started!

Don't you just love "starting" the weekend like this? And I CAN'T WAIT for tonight!! Hope your weekend is as full of good vibes as mine :-)

It Rained On A Good Friday

Been going through a lot of unusual stress at work lately. My teammates and close friends can tell "ay mainit ulo" through the signs: (1) I would throw away whatever is on my desk that's not mine-- like Troy's still half-filled Starbucks coffee that he forgot about (so beware haha; but I wouldn't throw it if it was Coffee Bean hehe); (2) I turn to my comfort food-- popsicles! I had two last Thursday; (3) I would get my own bubble by putting on my earphones and listening to my walkman phone while working (do not disturb!); and (4) I recently reeducated Teban with the plain and simple text, "enge hug". I told him it means mainit ulo ko / I'm having a bad day. And of course, he granted my wish hehe.

After those quick fixes, here's something that cheered me up. This I heard a very long time ago. My mom's friend told her that she's been waiting for rain on a Good Friday because it means "blessing". I don't remember when; probably about 15 years ago, I experienced rain on that day for the first time. Last Friday was the second. I quickly went outside with my camphone. I thought it's "bloggable" hehe.

When I went online via YM, I changed my status to "raining on a good friday = blessing".

Teban: is it raining???
Myls: it rained at around 1pm
Myls: it hasn't rained on a good friday for a looooong time
Teban: wow you have a history of good fridays?
Teban: hehe
Myls: hahaha!
Myls: <- good memory

:-)

"Patawa"

A beloved long-lost friend and I finally met after what... 10 years?... and so we spent the whole afternoon having lunch, coffee, movie, and spa!

We saw Vantage Point. Such a kick-ass movie! Everytime the scene backtracks, it's "argh!!" Parang 24 naman to' sa bitin! But it's absolutely a must-see. The villain's predictable from the start but it still blended well with the story line. Watch it! Watch it!! ;-)

Anyway, that's really not my favorite part of the hangout. Of course, there's the laugh trip moments. But here's the best one:

Setting: At the spa and we just got ready for sauna or steam room.

Masseuse: "Ano pong gusto nyo, sauna o steam room?"
Me: "Steam room"
Masseuse: "...ay hindi po kasi gumagana yung steam room"

Sapakan na lang o! *cartwheel!!!*

March: Laguna Getaway

I was in Baguio last January; Cebu and Bohol on February; and for March, it's Laguna! Since Teban's itch to go to Pagsanjan, and my long-time wish of seeing a large waterfall coincided well, we pushed through with the overnight trip dragging Troy along of course. Timing could never be better.

Catching The Thrill. We were all first-timers but I took the lead in arranging for the trip (yeah and played "Mom" almost the entire time) and finding out how to get there. We didn't bring any guide; no map; no notes on directions. I was relying on memory. It was a test of our sense of direction (hehe)... only to find out that it wasn't that challenging. It only took us a 2.5-hour bus ride (because of traffic), a jeepney, and a tricycle (which wasn't really necessary by the way).

iPod session at the bus. Yes, Teban got me listening to country music.

Coming from the graveyard shift. He doesn't get eyebags. Unfair!

Teban got so ecstatic as soon as we saw the river from where we're staying. I thought, "josko, para akong may alagaing bata!" We didn't waste time so, you may have guessed it right-- photo op! Good thing Troy didn't forget his digicam hehe.

The view from the resto. Same view from our room. Nice ha?

Tired and sleepy but excited!

At 2:00pm, we're off to shoot the rapids and of course, get to the falls! Woohoo!!! I sat between Troy (behind me) and Teban (infront) who, had made his camphone waterproof. Coolness! Hence, the following pictures...Thrilling is an understatement. It was amazing passing a series of rapids in between calm waters. We're lucky to have good bangkeros. They never had to take out water from the canoe. And it got me thinking that we could go to Cagayan de Oro next for real white water rafting (I'm already trying to book Teban hehehe).

Finally, we reached the Pagsanjan (Magdapio) Falls. I was in awe! Then we quickly boarded the bamboo raft which will take us to the falls and inside the cave behind it. Dizizit!!

"Jeez I didn't expect it to be this cold!", said Teban who shivered so much I thought he was joking! Troy and I were doing fine. Teban couldn't hold his camphone anymore; manong was kind enough to take pictures of us :-)

And of course, more pictures!

It was faster going back since we're going with the flow literally. We even saw monkeys up the trees on the way back. Everyone had a great time; wish some of our friends were there too :-)

After dinner was supposed to be drinking session but we were so tired coming from the night shift. We decided to just have a good sleep. Time check: 7:30pm - we're off to bed hehe. Although! Teban woke up an hour later because I was snoring. Hee hee! At 3:30am, everybody's up. Teban tuned in to WWF, while Troy and I played cards. 4am Session at Pagsanjan -- kinda. Hehe! After an hour, we went back to bed and got up at 6:30am. We decided to walk going to bayan.

I Love Spontaneity. At a nonchalant moment during dinner, Teban asked where else we could go next. I said, "well, there's Caliraya..." I have no idea how to get there. It's not part of the itinerary-- so naturally, off we went the next day! After breakfast, we took a 45-minute tricycle ride going to the lake. Troy, who sat behind manong driver even had to text "Bukas makakarating na tayo sa Caliraya" hahaha!

Mommy mode. Doing the negotiations.

The winning pic. Hahaha!

Behind us: Laguna de Bay and Sta. Cruz where we came from!

Finally, we were able to answer "Are we there yet?". The place is fabulous!

Lake Caliraya. It was sooo windy!

Stopped by for some corn on the way back.

Last Adventure. Now I wondered where the stone arc had "gone". We weren't able to see it on the way to Pagsanjan-- prolly because we were having too much jokes. So we decided to go look for it and take pictures before heading back home. Here's the catch. Teban and I like walking. Troy does not. It's going to be a long walk and it was 12:30pm... Troy didn't have any choice. Off we go!

Finally!

*Sigh* another "whatta weekend!" and one of the best trips I've ever been. All good vibes and great time from start to finish. Can't go wrong with the three of us hehehe ;-)

Second Destination: Bohol

Getting off from Cebu, we took a 2-hour boatride to one of my most loved places - Bohol! - where we spent majority of the trip. As soon as we reached Tagbilaran, we went straight to Panglao to check-in at Lost Horizon resort (yes, I recommend this place!) and bum around the beach hehe...



The next day, we're off on an exciting tour. The unfriendly weather and the hassles that came with it didn't dampen our spirits. I love the simplicity of the place. It's where one will find an old church and a park, near the municipal hall, near the school, near the market -- a setting that we only used to sketch in elementary. It's real!




On the last day, we sailed back to Cebu and had a final dessert at La Marea (can't get enough!) and flew back to Manila. What an exciting trip! Now on to the next adventure!


Next post: Laguna Getaway

"Nakiki-Blog Lang"

Because he wants a separate entry and not just a comment, here's a reaction I got from a previous post's (4am Session Archive) comment. And his comment goes:

"Although i do not like my name too...pero kapareho mo ng name yung hardinero namin dati...pati spelling :) Bato bato sa langit matamaan wag magalit...PEACE!...:D"

-mula sa hindi nagpapakilalang affected

And here's another one for Return of the YM Archive:

[16:53] Anonimus: dagdag
[16:53] Anonimus: long mejias long mejias
[16:54] Anonimus: longkatuts longkatuts parang si ....
[16:54] Anonimus: long long winding road
[16:55] Anonimus: a lololololong a lolololong lolong long long

-again, mula sa hindi nagpapakilalang affected.

LOL

Rare Text

I heart this text message-- a rare one from Ron. I thought it's worth blogging...

"Why do I call you my friend? Is it because senseless thoughts turn into sensible conversations? Or because frowns become laughter no matter how painful the problem gets? Those are just a few of the many reasons. The best is that we may not be living in the same world, may not experience the same life, may not share the same memories but we're still the same, we're still friends no matter how vague life gets..."

It may just be forwarded, but still it's "aaaawww".

:-)

Return of the YM Archive

It all started with Ron and I finally having a good chat after a veeeery long time. Kaka-miss din. Just the greeting alone was funny so naturally, I'd share it to Dyosa...

Myls (12:05:23 PM):

Myls: tao po
Myls: hoy, kmusta ka na?
Ron: hoy mabuhaayyy
Myls: long time long time!
Ron: long live long live
Ron: hahahah
Ron: mabuhay nga eh
Myls: hahahaha!
Myls: sabi ko nga!

Dyosa (12:05:52 PM): hahahahahah (here we go!)
Dyosa (12:06:02 PM): long bottom long bottom
Myls (12:06:06 PM): hahahahhaa
Myls (12:06:11 PM): long nose long nose
Dyosa (12:06:12 PM): long silog long silog
Myls (12:06:18 PM): hahahahhahahaa
Dyosa (12:06:34 PM): long ba malalim long ba malalim
Myls (12:06:50 PM): =)) =)) =))
Myls (12:06:53 PM): hahahahahhahahahaha
Myls (12:06:56 PM): labit labit!!!!
Dyosa (12:06:57 PM): hahahhaahahh
Myls (12:07:02 PM): blog na to!!!
Dyosa (12:07:07 PM): hahahahahahha
Dyosa (12:07:09 PM): :))
Dyosa (12:07:32 PM): long bond paper long bond paper :))
Myls (12:07:36 PM): hahahahahaha
Myls (12:07:44 PM): long brown folder long brown folder
Dyosa (12:07:49 PM): AHAHAHAHHAHAH
Myls (12:07:53 PM): hahahahahaha
Dyosa (12:08:00 PM): long red folder long red folder
Myls (12:08:05 PM): long gown competition long gown competition
Dyosa (12:08:07 PM): long blue folder long blue folder
Dyosa (12:08:15 PM): long green folder long green folder
Dyosa (12:08:26 PM): hahahahahah tae ka andaming kulay nyan! :))
Myls (12:08:31 PM): long periwinkle folder long periwinkle folder
Myls (12:08:33 PM): :))
Dyosa (12:08:53 PM): hahahahahah
Dyosa (12:08:58 PM): long gown amf!
Dyosa (12:09:00 PM): hahahahah
Myls (12:09:03 PM): hahahaha
Myls (12:10:13 PM): long hichud long hichud
Dyosa (12:10:33 PM): long and winding road long and winding road
Myls (12:10:36 PM): =))
Dyosa (12:10:52 PM): long and lasting love long and lasting love
Dyosa (12:10:55 PM): =))
Myls (12:11:10 PM): mas maganda kung longalasting love longalasting love
Dyosa (12:11:17 PM): hahahahhah
Myls (12:11:19 PM): hahahahhahaa
Myls (12:11:23 PM): jologs ampf
Dyosa (12:11:28 PM): hahahahhah
Dyosa (12:12:18 PM): long time ago in bethlehem so the holy bible said mary's boy child jesus christ was born on christmas day long time ago in bethlehem so the holy bible said mary's boy child jesus christ was born on christmas day
Dyosa (12:12:21 PM): =))
Dyosa (12:12:25 PM): ang haba!!
Myls (12:12:29 PM): HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHA
Myls (12:12:53 PM): long ago and oh so far away i fell in love with you before the second show long ago and oh so far away i fell in love with you before the second show
Myls (12:12:55 PM): =))
Dyosa (12:12:59 PM): =))
Dyosa (12:13:26 PM): long ly im mister long ly long ly im mister long ly
Dyosa (12:13:29 PM): hahahahahahhahaha
Myls (12:13:38 PM): long kantang tong kay tsong kay tsang! long kantang tong kay tsong kay tsang!
Myls (12:13:39 PM): hahahahahaha
Myls (12:13:43 PM): long ly ampf!!!
Dyosa (12:13:44 PM): HAHHAHAHAAHH
Dyosa (12:14:04 PM): long long long long pakitong kitong long long long long pakitong kitong
Dyosa (12:14:08 PM): :))
Myls (12:14:13 PM): hahahahahhaa
Myls (12:14:21 PM): ayan na nagiging incoherrent na!
Dyosa (12:14:27 PM): hahahahahahahah
Myls (12:14:28 PM): hahahahahahha :))
Myls (12:15:36 PM): long long long your boat gently down the streaaam merrily merrily alix alix long long long your boat gently down the streaaam merrily merrily alix alix
Dyosa (12:15:49 PM): =))
Myls (12:15:51 PM): =))

This post is dedicated to Goya ;)

Congrats Owen!

I finally got the first ish Owen! Hehe... Congratulations dear! More issues to come! Don't forget the autograph now ;)

I suddenly remembered to blog about this when I dropped by your site.

Caught my attention. I'd like to think of this as a homage to the "Death By" adventures haha!

Grab a copy now!

4am Session Archive

One recent lunch break, we were having our usual chit-chats. I don't remember what exactly led to this conversation but I find it funny...

Troy: "(thinking hard)...sino nga ba yun... yung model ng McDonald's???"
Myls: "sino, si Ronald?"
Everyone: "HAHAHAHAHAHA"

First Destination: Cebu

Had a great vacay last weekend! The weather wasn't that friendly but it's still alright. Our first destination: Cebu! - where happy eating never stops. Let's talk in pictures (too lazy to write hehe).

Chi, welcome to Cebu! Hehe

Lounging at Magellan's Cross with Pakner (Van)

I couldn't resist buying a balloon. Hehe!

Meet JV. His hobby: Ask, ask, ask, ask and ask...

Preggy look. The reason why I was being asked for a waiver at the airport.

At Fort San Pedro

Dessert time at La Marea!

Chi: "Bakit wala sa Manila nito??? (La Marea)"
Me: "Uhm... I think blessing na wala sa Manila nito. Kung hindi ay lolobo lahat ng mga tao don!"

Could not get enough of Coffee Jelly w/ Ice Cream
(top to bottom: choco fudge, vanilla ice cream, unsweetened mousse, coffee jelly)

Aaah sarap! And we're just starting. We're off to Bohol the next day. And I'll post it as soon as I get the complete pics. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I'm preparing for the next destination. This coming weekend, I'm going to be at...

photo from www.digitalphotographer.com.ph