Jem's Surprise Visit in Alabang

Jem has been one of my BFF's since forever! Okay, not really forever but since my call center days back in 2001. We are both graduates of Ateneo who topped (it was a tie) our batch in Etelecare at a time when it was considered as the best call center in the industry.  We were Quality Monitoring Specialists. We were both competitive and driven but that just all the more forged our bond as friends. She saw me through my ups and downs and has not forsaken me, not even for one second. Jem is my gem. She is one in a million and I will forever be grateful for her friendship. She has long pursued her career abroad and from time to time would come home and visit us. This year, I thought she was scheduled to go home in December like last year and we were supposed to do another Asian trip. But being the adventure seeker that she is, she surprised us by coming home sooner than expected. I was busy with work; I haven't had real sleep for three days now but for her, I will always, always make time. I just love her to pieces. 

Whenever I'm with people I love, it doesn't really matter what we do or where we go. I just want to be with the person and bond with him/her til we run out of stories to tell. I'm like this with Jem. So on this one special day that Peter and I were with her, we stayed at home at first and just bonded. 

La Union Things to Do

It was supposed to be a day full of sun and  surf. Yep, we had a ton of sun alright, but no surf. The waves weren't big enough to go surfing so the next best thing would be to bodyboard instead. Good thing that we always bring not just our surfboard and skimboard every time we go to La Union, but our bodyboard as well. At least there'd be other activities we can do in the water.

Speaking of other activities, going to La Union is always such a thrill. I'll just summarize here the highlights of our short trip and perhaps you can do these things too if you wanna go to La Union sometime soon. Here are the amazing things you can do when going to La Union:

Jayme Timbol, Yoga and Creative Dreams

It's almost the new year and I'm glad that I spent Dec. 29-30 with my friend, Jem, who came home from Utah, U.S.A. We've been friends since our Etelecare days back in 2001, meaning we've maintained our awesome friendship for a decade now! I may have very few NEW friends these days, but those I keep, I do intend to keep them for eternity. (^_^)

Weekend of Healing, Passion and Discovery

I went through a lot a couple of weeks ago but through the help of my husband's continuous loving support, care of my friends, and my own will and desire to battle the rut I was in, things have been getting better and better.

Just like these vegetable plants which I have grown from when they were just seeds despite the many typhoons and cold weather they have braved since day 1, (they are now growing so beautifully and standing tall against our balcony window -- a sight I always behold first thing when I wake up and last thing I check before I go to sleep)...

... I, too, have grown a lot the past few weeks. Like my plants which need to be transplanted to bigger pots soon, for them to bear fruits and continue to grow, I, too, need to be uprooted from my comfort zone so I may take root in a bigger, wider, and more fruitful enterprise that I am really passionate about. *crossing my fingers* It would of course take careful planning, organization, determination and a lot of hard work. I need to invest my time, energy and resources to building this thing and some of my other lesser passions may need to take a backseat.

How are you, Jen? (a diary entry on GERD, stress and happiness)

This is an entry that I thought long and hard about sharing here. Some things are quite secret and some information are quite sensitive.  Then I figured, not a lot of people can handle a very long post so I guess not a lot of people will really know what has been going on....

It's been 4 years since I started practicing The Secret. That was late 2007. Prior to that, I've been an emotional wreck (since my adolescent years actually) and I was always stressed out, if not in school (all the way to taking my master's in U.P.), then at work, which is why I like to write about my life be it in a notebook or in my online diaries that are my blogs. Writing has always been a form of catharsis for me.

The Power of Friends, Exes and a Smashing Good Time

Who would've thought that I'll be having a "date" with my husband and my ex-boyfriend all in one day? And no, they're not the same person. Teehee.

It all started out with the plan that my husband will accompany me to the doctor to check up my GERD symptoms that have been exhibiting since last month. Unfortunately, I also had a VTR to go to for a TV commercial. I rarely go to these things nowadays but since I'll be in Makati the whole day, I might as well try my luck. I didn't get the part but I was happy to see an old friend, Maricar, who has always been active in the TV commercial business. She's done a lot of TV and print ads already that I can no longer count them.We go way back since our Etelecare days in 2001 and those Embassy, Blue Onion party nights up until 2008.

(That's me and Maricar on the left and me and my hubby on the right... lots of waiting time involved when going to auditions and VTRs)

My Visit to Cagayan de Oro, City of Golden Friendship

My First Night in Cagayan de Oro

The moment my parents and I touched down CDO airport, I wanted to see my best friend. It's just that I dunno how I was going to excuse myself since the main reason why we visited CDO was to be with my grandpa. We arrived at 4pm not knowing if someone from my granny's household would pick us up. The oldies are not that good at communicating important things like this so we were prepared to take a cab and just check-in at some hotel in the city.

Luckily, my mom recognized one of my step grandma's teachers who came with their driver (my grandparents are educators and as much as possible they take in servants while helping them get an education degree. In fact, our former tutors/yayas/maids now have PhDs and I find that amazing.)

So anyway, we headed straight to Apovel Subdivision where my grannies live. Going back there is like a trip back to memory lane. How many times have I told myself before that I will never go back yet there I was eating (again) every word of my promise.

Birthday Dinner, Tangled, Hiatus

Happy Birthday Ninette! I was thinking of getting her a really kikay gift... something like a cute little bag or fashion accessory. Unfortunately, I was so over fatigued from a 13.5-hour/day work week, from taking care of Popsy, from taking care of Peter and from taking care of all the domestic stuff around the house that all I managed to do last weekend was sleep. When I woke up, I just wanted to get out of the house and have a relaxing evening. It's a good thing that Ninette's birthday was coming up (*It's today! Happy birthday, sis!*) and that she was free for a few hours that Saturday evening.


Originally, I wanted to check out the club scene but seeing that I didn't have the energy to shop for a new club wear, more so, party and drink all night long, I opted instead for a nice quiet dinner and coffee with one of my closest girl friends. I figured, since I didn't have any gift for Ninette yet, we'll just treat her out to dinner and coffee.

Talk, Listen and Bond

Spending time with our friends rarely happens these days. Blame it on marriage, kids, work, conflicts in schedules, moods and what-nots. But on those occasions when our friends do take the time out of their busy lives to bond with either me or Peter, we really do appreciate it. After all, the effort and sacrifice go both ways and what can we do is to make the most of the time spent together.


Koryn is one of those people in our lives who really make it a point to bond with us. We've been friends since 2005 but I never really told her about my past, my deep dark thoughts and my secrets. Come to think of it, I don't think many of my friends know a lot about me. Most of the time, I just keep it all inside, write it on my diary or blogs, and whatever personal dilemma I have, I just solve them all in my head. This is why I have tons of self-help books, why I took up Psychology in the first place, and why I have always been mature for my age. As a consequence, I tend to be the go-to person of my friends and rarely do I go to them for advice. Even my guidance counselor before applauded me for being self-sufficient, independent and for basically doing her job coz when it's my time to get counseled, I just sit there, talk to her and give her the solutions to my problems which I've come up with all on my own.


However, on those rare moments that I did try to bring up my issues to my friends, they unknowingly just brushed me aside and made the conversation all about them again. No wonder I like writing about me on my blogs because truth be told, I feel like I never really got the chance to talk about ME. They always do all the talking while I do all the listening and advising. Don't get me wrong though. I love my friends and I always give them what I can. But there are just moments, like lately, when I wish they'd listen to me for a change. Sometimes I think it's already too late.

The Last Time I Watched Brownman Revival Play

watching Dino Concepcion sing on stage still makes my heart skip a beat. ^_^

I was thinking of happy things to do when I realized I haven't organized my BMR photos yet nor blogged about the last time I saw Brownman Revival play. It was on Nov. 18, during their 16th anniversary. Wow! I can't believe I've kind of followed them since the first year they were just one of those Ateneo bands I first heard during orientation day in freshman year. Anyway, I wanna keep this post short since I still have a lot of photo organizing to do. I'd just like to share here my fave photos for that evening...

L-R: Princess, me, Dino & Ces

Ho Chi Minh City - Starting Day 2 Right

We just survived our first day at Ho Chi Minh. On our second day, Jem and I woke up early because we had a jam packed day ahead of us.

Jem started it with her usual morning meditation while I stayed at the balcony to have my instant breakfast of noodles and pastries.


Right on that spot, I noticed how narrow the street was below me, and how much it reminded me of Manila, at least those parts near slum areas where houses are small, cluttered and packed with lots of people.


However, looking at my surroundings that early morning, I also noticed the difference. From first glance, the view may seem blah, but looking at the houses more closely, they were actually narrow, tall buildings with a hint of modern style. That made me smile.


A few blocks away from where we were staying at Pham Ngu Lao District, we passed by ABC Bakery. The bread smelled so good even from the outside that we decided to take a peek and eventually decided to have some proper breakfast.

Celebrating John's Birthday and Balancing Blogging, Work and Home Life

I's true that sometimes I just want to sleep all day and do nothing. I don't know if I could ever do that with the zillion of things that are always on my list of to-do's that never seems to get finished.

Since that time that I got invited to tour Mines View Park in Baguio, to the SM Cubao blogging and shopping challenge, and the Focaccia Food tasting event last Friday, I seem to be saying yes a lot more these days to blog events than I used to before. Is it because I am getting better at managing my time? Or is it because I am getting bored just staying here at home, tinkering with my PC all day and all night, working like a dog?

Another Reggae Night with Brownman Revival

eBefore I head off to Baguio in a few hours, where I'll be with my fellow bloggers for the next two days, let me share here first another night that I spent with Dino... and Brownman Revival. (Haha... you thought... yeah... I wish! LOL!)

Brownman Revival and The 700 Club

Anyway, on Sept. 16, 2010, my favorite reggae band once again played at 70's Bistro. We were there early and we caught The 700 Club interviewing the band. I was like ... whut? Well, come to think of it, their songs do convey good values. Jah bless and Jah rules!


I must admit I thought I won't be able to make it. But because I was a bit sad the last time we saw them coz our friends weren't with us and there was this lady who danced with Dino on stage, I promised myself that I'd go see them, that I'd be early so I can get seats for my friends, and that I WOULD DANCE with DINO ON STAGE no matter what! Hehehe.

Me and My Friends

Me and My Girls... why do they look more wasted than me?

My boys (L-R): Brian, Peter and Dino

Merry Christmas girls! (L-R: me, Claire, Mau & Koryn)

Cheers! (L-R: Koryn, Mau, Brian, Tin, me)

It won't be my usual "pa-cute" antic where I'd go on stage, hug Dino and have my photos taken for a few seconds. This time, I will dance, if not a whole song, then at least from the chorus to the end of one reggae song. And that's what I did!

Suffice it to say that by the time I did this, I had already downed 2 bottles of Tanduay Ice and 2 glasses of Kamikazee. I ordered pizza but I didn't eat much. My head was spinning but I didn't care! I was having a great time! Hahaha!

Babies Make Me Sick

12:00 midnight, Sept. 20, 2010, I felt like writing down my thoughts after watching Runaway Bride on DVD with my hubby. This was the very first movie we saw when my hubby was still courting me back in 1999.

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The title of this blog post is not a metaphorical expression that means something else. I mean it like it is. Babies really do make me sick --- they make me feel lethargic, with clogged nose and it's like I'm coming down with fever or something. And I am never or rarely sick. It first happened that time I spent a day or two with my baby nephew a year or two ago. I thought I caught some virus and didn't think much of it, though, I already had my suspicions. Then yesterday evening until early this afternoon, my best friend stayed with us and she brought her cute little 8-month old daughter with her. By the time they left, I was having chills, my head was throbbing like hell, I couldn't breathe and then I fell into a feverish stupor. And no, I'm not exaggerating. It may be a combination of things like I was already over-fatigued to begin with, plus all this baby talk and the possibility of me getting pregnant and having kids in the future, and my hubby dropping this time bomb on my lap that someday, he may consider adopting, were really stressing me out.

Let me explain a little further first.

Resident Evil Afterlife 3D: Movie Date with my Best Friend

I was so happy to know that my best friend, Mer, is here in Manila. So when I got a chance to watch Resident Evil Afterlife 3D which I know she also loves, I grabbed the opportunity and invited her (thanks to SM Cinema and Az!).

St. Scholastica's 6-Patriotic '91 Reunite

I'm 4th from right to left, beside our teacher.
6-Patriotic Class '91
Class Moderator: Mrs. Malong
St. Scholastica's Academy of Marikina

I am amazed at how time flies so fast. One minute we were these cute 12-year old kids who couldn't wait to grow up and get out of the clutches of the Benedictine sisters, and now, here we are after 19-20 years, reminiscing the good old innocent days of our childhood, wishing we had the same metabolism, the same slim physique, and the same innocence about the world... or not!


20+ pounds heavier or not, we still exude the same charm and beauty, more so if I may say so. This is my verdict after attending our class reunion on Sept. 4, 2010. I honestly thought this was the only reunion I ever attended with them only to find out that there was another reunion I attended 10 years ago, which I can no longer remember. Is this a sign of an early onset of Alzheimer's? I hope not! ^_^

Brownman Revival, Alcohol, Friends and UNO Open Bar

Sept. 2, 2010, exactly a week from today, right after attending the CashCashPinoy launch, Peter and I headed to 70's Bistro to watch Brownman Revival play. Unfortunately, that particularly week has been very hectic and rainy that some of our friends got sick. It's a good thing then that we just replenished our stocks of Vita Plus so I was able to bring a box to one of our dearest friends, Koryn, who works at ABS-CBN and lives a stressful career life.

So that night, it was just Peter and I who went and watched Brownman Revival. We came in late and there were a few tables and chairs left. I wasn't in a very happy and partying mood. I missed my girlfriends! Especially my photographer girlfriends! Who will take my picture with Dino now? LOL.

Eleven Years of Togetherness and Going Strong

The Mafia couple, taken at 70's Bistro

On Aug. 14, 1999, after 12 days of courtship, I said my sweet yes to one of my best guy friends, Peter. I figured, we already know a lot about each other so why make the courtship long?

Before him, my ex courted me for twelve long years, had a relationship with him for four years and everything just went down the drain ...after college.

Then Peter came into the picture. He was my first crush back in freshman year. But I never thought he liked me too, until the day I broke up with my then long time boyfriend. Since then, we vowed to always stay true to each other in a non-conformist, non-traditional kind of way. Few people really understand the dynamic of our relationship. But we don't care. As long as we understand each other, as long as we love each other the way we do, there will always be us, just us two.

Party Weekend with Brownman Revival and Gab

What can I say? The month of July really paved the way for my old party habits. It's a good thing then that Brownman Revival does not charge high fees for entrance, otherwise, I might just find myself broke for attending their gigs 4 times in July! ^_^ And this August, they will be playing every Thursday at 70's Bistro. I just hope and pray that I'd have the energy and budget to see them regularly. They're one of the things that keeps me sane and happy whenever I feel so burnt out from everything. So anyway, the last time I saw them with Peter, our gf Koryn, our bf Joaqui and our new party friends Tin and Mau, I did something really... nice. LOL! But I think I won't ever do it again. Not in that kind of setting anyway. Hahaha!

Here are some of my fave photos from that last gig...

with Dino Concepcion

Music, Movies, Friends and Alcohol Make the World Go Round

I had my weekend all planned out. I was supposed to work for at least 32 hours to compensate for those days I was offline due to my intermittent internet connection all throughout the week. But then my body was crying for rest and I wanted to spend some quality time with my husband too. So come Friday evening, we attended the 2nd Banana Gangbang Rock Festival held at Mooters Bar beside Ortigas Home Depot.

Six things made me so happy that evening:

One - Cecille and Dino (vocalist of Brownman Revival) were able to make it. If it weren't for them, I'd still probably enjoy the music that night (I loved Giniling Festival, Mike Test 123, Lose Your Beer Belly and Marco Palinar's solo guitar act), but it wouldn't be 100x more awesome! It's really great when I can spend fun times with good friends (and my crush of all time! LOL!). So guys, thanks for taking the time out from your busy schedule and being with me that night. It was great catching up and having tons of laughter with you guys! Labyah mare't pare!

L-R: Me,Ces, Dino
Yes, I was in such a hurry that evening, I grabbed a white bra to wear instead of a black one.

At the background L-R: Mel,Bim and Mikey; In front L-R: Ces, Dino, Me and Peter

Good times with good friends: Ces, Dino,me

Two - Peter's cousin, Gab (guitarist of Parokya ni Edgar), was able to make it! Karen was with him and it was just so good to see them again and catch up.