ATC, Sky Ranch Tagaytay, Glorietta 4: a Busy but Relaxing Long Weekend with Baboo Peter

I booked a flight to Cagayan de Oro earlier this year for Oct. 26-31. I was thinking that since baboo is always busy with work, I might as well spend time with some of my friends I rarely see. The thing is they live so far away. But what's an hour of plane ride and a few hours of commute to the City of Golden Friendship if only to see them, right? 

Well, a lot of things happened in between. For one, I didn't expect to be attending training for NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) plus the heavy workload that fell onto my lap. To cut the story short, I had to cancel my intended CDO vacation and just make the most of the holiday. Honestly, with everything going on in my life, I totally forgot that it was a long holiday (Oct. 28 being the day for Barangay elections). So I guess that's where the silver lining was in all of this. At least I got to spend three happy whole days with my baboo. He was available to me, for my pleasure, at my beck and call (hehe) for 72 hours and I wasn't going to let those precious hours just pass me by.  But the thing was, WE DIDN'T MAKE ANY PLANS AT ALL. Oh bugger!

Fortunately, my baboo was very easy to please. If I am the O.C. type who prefer scheduling every last minute detail of whatever plans we have, baboo Peter is the opposite when it comes to domestic/marital/personal matters. He loves to chill and just relax and just let everything flow. So having had my Breaking Through Barriers (BTB) training with Train Station a month ago (while baboo Peter had his a few weeks ago), we learned to adjust to each other's preferences. That's what you call second positioning. It's when you take on the position of the other person, immerse yourself in the way he/she thinks and feels and from there, get an insight as to how he/she is thinking, feeling and seeing things. So in short, we came at a compromise and it all came out naturally and subconsciously, meaning, without even trying so hard like how we used to do it before we had the BTB training. 

So, what happened was, we both let everything flow while still maintaining some sort of schedule for the long weekend. 

Oct. 26

Seafood Ilsand, ATC

We stayed in bed most of the day. It wasn't until late afternoon that we showered and dressed up, hoping to catch a movie. 

But then what do you know, it's been a while since I last prettified myself and I was just being so slow. So we got out of bed, prepared for our date and got out of the house early evening, decided to just splurge on dinner and just do the movie date another day. 

Thoughts on My Grand Boracay Getaway

Peter and I at Stavros before watching I am Number 4

Peter and I have been going out on movie dates practically every weekend this month. I guess we just want to make the most of our time together as I will soon be going on a personal Boracay island vacation and my hubby and I will be apart for sometime.

I used to think that I can't live without Peter. When we were still newly married (2002), even if we have already been friends for seven years at that time and exclusively dating for three years, I physically felt paralyzed and out of my mind every time we were apart. We used to do everything together.

Thoughts on My Grand Boracay Getaway

Peter and I at Stavros before watching I am Number 4

Peter and I have been going out on movie dates practically every weekend this month. I guess we just want to make the most of our time together as I will soon be going on a personal Boracay island vacation and my hubby and I will be apart for some time.

I used to think that I can't live without Peter. When we were still newly married (2002), even if we have already been friends for seven years at that time and exclusively dating for three years, I physically felt paralyzed and out of my mind every time we were apart. We used to do everything together. Then come January 2008, I was given an opportunity to marshal the 20th Neil Pryde Boaracy Funboard Cup. It was the first time I've been away from Peter and it felt like the longest one week of my entire life! I was crying at the airport before I left but I knew I had to do it for the sake of reclaiming that sense of happiness, independence and individuality I once had on my own. Peter can't be with me all the time and I had to relearn how to take care of myself or be without him for a little while. I guess I'm lucky to have the most understanding, loving and supportive husband I could ever hope for. It was an emotionally difficult week. I was surrounded and being flirted at by tons of gorgeous and sexy men and all I could think of was going back home, back in my hubby's arms.

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!).

Ballet Philippines, Racks, Coffee Dream and Despicable Me: a Whole Day Date with the Hubby

It is quite rare that Peter and I would spend a whole day just having fun these days. Normally, when it's not summer season, we just usually stay home and lounge, do chores, rest or party at night in the city. So I was glad when one Sunday, Peter and I just spent the whole day together on a real date. It helps add a little bit more spark in our marriage, don't you think?

We watched Ballet Philippines' 41st Concert Season September Gala at CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo with my Grade 6 classmates. The show was so mesmerizing! We should watch these kinds of shows more often!

Before heading to Ortigas to check out Travel Mart, we first watched the sunset at Manila Bay...

Finding Balance In Our Marriage

Our Saturday started out a bit rocky. We woke up that morning and as what usually happens, Peter would beg for a few more minutes to lie in bed while I get up and start my day with chores like cleaning around the house, sweeping the floor, preparing laundry, etc. When he's up, he starts watching TV while I slave away around the house. It's been the melody of our marriage for as long as I can remember. And many times this year, this stark difference in the way we do things really started bothering me. I used to think I do everything around the house while Peter just lazes around doing nothing. If he did something, it's because I told him to. I felt like a mother nagging her son and I didn't feel good about it.

Until... we had this really serious talk and Peter pointed out all the things he didn't like about me. Like why everything has to be on my schedule or my way, why I get to be so mean to him, why I don't appreciate him, etc. etc. Naturally, this put me on a defensive stance but I learned how to keep my cool and really listen. He told me that it's not that he doesn't know what to do around the house because he does. Unlike me, he just needs time to get his system going at the start of the day. Unlike me, he's not an energizer bunny. Unlike me, he needs to feel loved and appreciated in order for him to be more productive (as for me, the more negativity I feel, the more empowered I am to do more than I have or need to). He wants to be able to work on his own time. And if I do remind him about his assignments at home, I shouldn't get mad about the fact that I am reminding him. Ahhh... the joys of marriage. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to marry someone who is more like me.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

It's August already! See here what I've accomplished so far and the things I plan to do this month (God give me strength).

Anyhoo, Peter and I had a big fight. But after those tragic hours, I feel like we've grown closer and more mature. Even before we got married eight years ago, and even before I said yes to him three years before that, we've already made it one of our principles that fighting is just another form of communication. It's similar with parenting, I guess. Sometimes, you have to let your kids have their tantrums so they can air out their grievances instead of letting them build resentment overtime which can cause more psychological damage to the kid (I think this happened to me when I was in high school, no wonder I never wanted to have kids of my own). Anyway, I digress. It's all better now and since then, Peter and I have grown more in love.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Opens June 18

OMG! OMG! OMG!!!

If only I have my visa and enough money, I will go to Orlando, Florida A.S.A.P. !!!

Any willing sponsors out there????

I am a die hard fan of Harry Potter and everything magical! I may not be a geek who memorized all those characters and plots and twists and turns all throughout these years, but every time I am sad or depressed, I watch all the Harry Potter movies in one sitting! If that's not enough, I also listen to the soundtrack until I fall asleep! Then the next day, all my troubles no longer matter.

Anyhoo, suffice it to say that I've watched Harry grow up from when he was but a young boy, up to when he became a man. I've always wondered what it would be like to live like a true blooded witch and have all those surreal, magical and deadly powers!

Lucky for those who can get to Florida. Because come June 18, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando will open its gates for everyone to enjoy! See this video here:

Camp Rock 2 Official Trailer

I was literally having goosebumps as I watched the official trailer of Camp Rock 2. I can't wait!

Like what Demi Lovato said, it's bigger and it's better! Everybody is pumped at the highest level of both singing and acting. I just love their voices (they give me the chills up and down my spine every time I listen to their songs) and the lyrics are just so meaningful and always relevant. My 16-year old soul may have been trapped in a 32-year old body, but whatever the case is, of all the aspirational teen flicks I've seen in my whole life, Disney's Camp Rock installations are the ones that make me wanna go back in time and change my destiny.

Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and all the cast and crew of Camp Rock 2, YOU ROCK!

Enjoy the video of Camp Rock 2's trailer:

Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato On Camp Rock 2

I'm a total fan of Camp Rock! Their hit single "THIS IS ME" is one of the two songs (Alone by Heart being the other one) I keep playing on my guitar. I have an original copy of their DVD and CD which I've kept somewhere safe and I can't wait to watch the second and final installment this coming June! See the interview about it below...

Zac Efron On Charlie St. Cloud

Zac Efron, one of my ultimate crushes of all time, grows even more and more handsome every time I see him on screen. My 22-year old celebrity crush stars as a young man in his new movie, Charlie St. Cloud, (official trailer below) showing this July 30, who suddenly gains extrasensory powers after he survives a tragic accident.