funny deposits

I have this "simple joys" journal where I write all the things, simple they may be, that am grateful for on a daily basis.

I also have this "funny" account where deposits made are in the form of amusing or downright funny moments in my life. I'd like to share a few of those moments...

My sister and I went grocery shopping recently and she was buying all these different foodstuff and assortment of goodies. I asked her what they were for and she said: "I'm trying to fill up the new cupboards."

Cupboard is, of course, pronounced as 'kuberd' - with a silent "p". But she mispronounced it and I took pleasure in correcting her for once (she's usually the one correcting me to her amusement)

I said, "Its kuberd, not cup-board".

Miles, being stubborn about it, insisted, "It's cup-board"

So we went, "Kuberd" "Cup-board" "Kuberd" "Cup-board"

So finally Miles challenged, "It's cup-board...spell it"

I challenged back, "Ok, spell psychology"

Miles said after a thoughtful while, "Sige na nga - kuberd"


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One time, I was singing to my two-year old niece, Isabel, the Alphabet Song. I sang, "A, you're adorable, B, you're so ...
K, you're so kissable,
L, is the love light in your eyes.
M, you're so...
M, we're...eeemmM....eeemmmM, is....M
Do - a deer a female deer, Re - a drop of golden suuuuun, Mi ...."

Gosh! I have to review my ABC's!!!

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Ricky, my bro-in-law, tells the story of how Isabel sings the Alphabet Song.

Isabel sings, "A, you're adorable. B, you're so beautiful...B, you're not beautiful..."

Well, at least she knows her grammar!

birthday suprise

A few months ago, I celebrated my birthday. For the first time since Mom passed away, I felt giddy enough to remember and celebrate it. But I didn't want to just celebrate my birthday...I wanted to celebrate God's goodness.

So I thought of holding a party...a big one! With 200 guests, I was thinking. Well, I was expecting 200 - but lo and behold, I was to celebrate the party with a little less than 300 partygoers. The guests? They're the lolos and lolas at the Lualhati ng Maynila, the home for the aged in the Boystown complex in Marikina .

I had really expected to party with only around 200 oldies, which was still quite a humongous number for me. But 300? The number was enough to give me palpitations. I mean that's like holding a debut or wedding reception.

For the past 10 years or so, my sister, Miles, has been throwing celebrations at Lualhati in honor of our dad's birthday. And for the past 10 years, I had never gone with Miles (who usually went with Mom, when she was still around, and Ricky) to any of the parties because just the thought of being with lolos and lolas who were abandoned by their families tugged at my heart and brought me to tears. I had only given support either in cash or in gifts.

I had originally planned on celebrating merienda with them. But the administrator requested if we could have supper instead. Miles, who was doing all the talking, agreed readily and even asked if there was anything else the oldies needed. Safeguard soap, we were told. I think my sister got so excited and carried away and forgot that I WAS GOING TO SPEND FOR THIS PARTY AND NOT HEEEEER!!!

Celebrating with merienda even for such a large crowd of 300 guests was manageable for me. But supper? I agreed anyway but not without some degree of panic.

My mom's favorite caterer and I agreed on pancit (for long life, op kors!), fish fillet and pineapple chicken. I wanted to give more than just food though and thought of giving them their requested soap. But providing supper to 300 people already streeeeeetched my budget.

But God knows the desires of my heart and surprised me with these miracles:

Drinks. Darling couple, Baby and Mon, didn't just join in the celebration...they provided the juice drinks in the party. Wow! Yahoo!

Clothes. Sweethearts, Evy and Henry, gave a bunch of nice clothes for the lolas. Woopee!

Safeguard soap. Now this was tricky. I sorely wanted to give the lolos and lolas their requested soap. So I went to the supermarket and canvassed. As I stood by the soap section, I computed like mad at how much it would cost me to supply each one with soap. Php8,000.00!!! Sigh! I whispered a prayer "Lord, I want to but...?

Miles’ friends, Ethel, Rica and Cindy wanted to go and party with the oldies but couldn’t. Instead, they gave their gifts (cash) to the lolos and lolas totaling – you guessed it – Php8,000.00!!! The lolos and lolas got their soaps.

Party people. The party couldn’t have been fun or special without my family and friends who took time to be with these lolos and lolas. Miles and Ricky, who were familiar faces to the oldies, chatted with the lolos and lolas like they were family. My friends, Baby, Mon, Mela and Atty. Kristy also became surrogate families as they chatted and cheered and danced and sang with the oldies.

I had expected to leave depressed and sad. Instead, I left the place feeling like a star. . . a Star For No Reason. I have never been kissed and hugged so much in my life. Every kiss and hug and smile humbled and overwhelmed me. Tears welled in my eyes and it took a Herculean effort for me not to give in to the tears.

I had not really intended to write about my birthday celebration lest it be told that I’m a show off. But I can't help but show off. . . show off God’s goodness and love, that is. How can I not tell friends of His loving kindness? Of His provision and of His miracles and gifts?

The lolos and lolas I'm sure were overjoyed with the visit, the food, the gifts, the dancing and the singing. Me? I (and I feel certain my family and friends felt the same) went away the richer and more blessed for it. It was indeed a celebration. . . of life, God's love, goodness and grace.

God is good!

food tripping

Last weekend was a weekend of celebrations. And what would a celebration be without food? Just thinking about what I had that weekend makes me feel stuffed!

On Saturday, to celebrate my sister's birthday, we had our lunch at Chef's Quarters at the Atrium in Megamall. I've tried this resto a few times before and though I'm not much of a steak lover, I must say how they do their steaks is masterful (though I'm no judge). We had Tessie Tomas Salad for starters which, I must agree, is their best seller, salad wise; then we had N. Carolina Pulled Pork in Cabbage Relish Tomato-Coriander Salsa and Rasperry Sauce (hew! that was a mouthful and the name says it all); a juicy and tender Churrasco Beef Tenderloin in Chimichurri Sauce cooked medium well; and some Seafood Paella. For dessert we had Banana Langka Crepe Samurai and Ube Cheesecake Creme Brulee. What can I say? Everything was delicious and had me full and going 'til dinner time.

My "Singles" friends and I had our Christmas dinner get-together at My Thai Kitchen in Eastwood Mall. We finished off our plates with Tom Yam Goong (shrimps in hot and sour soup), Khau Kluk Gapi (bagoong rice with sweet pork and green mangoes), Yam Pak Bung Grob (deep fried kangkong with spicy sour pork and shrimp dip), Gai Hor Bai Toy (Chicken in pandan leaves) Tod Man Goong (shrimp cakes with chilli sauce).

We had coffee and cheesecake at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to cleanse off our palates after that heavy meal...or maybe just to chat and catch up a bit more. I guess a four-hour meal just wasn't long enough.

On Sunday, a joint birthday party between my sister and her bro-in-law was celebrated at Bono Yaki Resto along Libis Road. We had a buffet lunch of Japanese, Korean and Chinese dishes. I'm still deciding which among the dishes was my favorite. I guess I would have to try them all out again! Every single dish including their dessert/pastries, I swear, was deeee-lish! We had fun grilling their wide array of seafood and meat dishes. By the time we were done trying out all their foods, we were the only ones left at the restaurant.

Well? Have I made you crave for steak or seafood or cake yet? I know I'm hungry for some!

What I had last weekend was more than just mouth-watering food to sustain the body...what I got was nourishment for my spirit! Laughter shared, catching up with amusing stories, fellowship, wide and unpretentious smiles, affecting concern, ghost stories, running after babies and kids - these, and not the food nor the places visited, made my weekend special. We celebrated more than birthdays or get together...we celebrated God's blessings - life, family, friendship!

six-hour Christmas lunch

I've had a wonderful Christmas season so far..."so far" because I have yet to attend a number of Christmas get-togethers with different sets of friends. I'd probably party 'til February 2011...yipee!

The Christmas party with the Samonte clan was fun with lots of laughter and singing and dancing and chasing around the kids. It was such a delight and a wonderful assurance to see the family grow - both in weight and size and in number. Christmas eve with my sister's family and in-laws was just as fun what with stories told and a new techie game, Kinect, played by kids and those "feeling kids".

I know I've used this word quite a lot but "fun" was exactly what we had when my friends and I had our party at the newly built house of my BFFeee. We played games not usually played during Christmas parties - hide and seek, Pepsi-Seven Up, etc. BFFee Baby and I joined 3-year old Erica in her Waka-Waka dance presentation. Erica looked so refreshingly cute dancing to the African tune while Baby and I...well, "nakakata-cute" may be THE word to describe us.

Although these parties were filled with fantastic food and exhilarating games and lively stories and melodic sound of happy laughter made more special by the presence of family and great friends, I'd have to say that the most meaningful Christmas get-together I've had has been the luncheon with my high school girl friends.

Like all the other parties and get-togethers I attended, it was also fun-filled. But what made it so profoundly heartwarming for me was not the scrumptuous meal at Cappriciosa, although it was, nor the delectable dessert at Conti's, although it was. Insights told, secrets revealed, fears and dreams shared, past unveiled and future plans confided - these, and not the food, made the six-hour lunch fulfilling. We dared. We dreamed. We planned. We laughed a lot. We thought some. We fretted over "lost" and troubled friends. We were saddened by loss. We "re-discovered" each other. We rejoiced! And we squealed in delight at a pregnant news (wink wink, Yeyet)

We left Greenbelt with more than full tummies (pun intended, Yeyet) and bagful of gifts. We carried with us a renewed friendship, plans for our dreams, hopes for our futures, fun-ny stories to look back to.

God, family, friendship...the real meaning of Chirstmas. Christ is indeed in Christ-mas!

It has been a wonderful Christmas season...so far!

on the NPC anniversary

Remember the Hotdog’s hit song ‘Manila’? “Manila, I keep coming back to Manila. Simply no place like Manila… I walked the streets of San Francisco, I've tried the rides in Disneyland… Somehow I feel like I don't belong…”

Well, I just realized that that song personifies the story of my relationship with NPC - I just keep coming back to it. I did try out the private corporate world for a few years, but I ended up back in NPC. Some years ago, I was shipped out, literally, to the US of A by my mom in the hopes (her hopes) of finding myself a “papa.” But all I got was a couple of offers from companies vying for my services (instead of a couple of guys vying for my heart - sigh). But - you guessed it - I found myself back in NPC.

I wondered out loud to friends this “I-keep-coming-back-to-NPC” fashion I seem to have developed for myself and a friend reminded and quoted back to me a lesson I had learned and shared: “I am exactly where I am supposed to be.”

After all that’s been said and done, I have come to realize that NPC has been good to me. Never mind the office politics. Never mind the MBA (may-backer-ako) system that seem to be prevalent everywhere anyway. Never mind the oftentimes confusing structure and system. Never mind the frustrations. It was here where I met some wonderful friends and mentors. It was here where work and life lessons were learned. It was the long tedious hours of work in NPC that had become my refuge when I suffered a devastating loss. NPC has been good to me.

Last November 3, NPC marked its 74th Anniversary. The weeklong celebration was the simplest NPC employees had seen or experienced. “Banderitas”and “tiangge” booths that usually adorned the office grounds during its anniversaries signaling a festive mood were nowhere to be found. Employees bemoaned the absence of bonuses. Many found the calendar of anniversary activities lacking excitement and thrill. Amidst the grumbles and the gripes, however, I found myself enjoying and feeling blessed for being part of the festivities.

I always say, “start any activity right – start it with a prayer.” And the anniversary couldn’t have kicked off more right than with a Thanksgiving and Healing Mass that was poignant and assuaging.

The 4 K Fun Run and Aero-Dance were other activities that highlighted the celebration. I was registered and suited up to join the Fun Run. But as soon as the sports official hollered "Go!", I decided to join the Aero-Dance. It was a blast! I simply looooved it. It wasn’t as punishing as the fun run but it was just as fun. I did get tired…from laughing! My cheeks hurt from laughing as I watched my boss do her own version of the dance moves. Now that she’s decided to join the regular dance workouts during Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I’ve also decided to join if only to watch her do her stuff.

The Fun Olympics was another activity I wouldn’t have missed particularly the “Umbrella-Tissue” relay. Everyone rolled in laughter as players of our group executed the game with "parental guidance" moves. I wish this was caught on video…it would have created a wave on Youtube.

Another activity I truly enjoyed (surprisingly) was the anniversary party/program. It had very little, if at all, dragging or boring moments (again, surprisingly). The band seemed to have upped their level a tinee bit as they restructured their repertoire. I danced my heart out, not on the designated dance floor, but by my lonesome on a mini-dance area by the bleachers I created for myself where I danced like a total fool (nothing new). I simply didn’t care…I was having fun!

And of course, my favorite part of the program was…drum roll please….the Footloose number by Mr. "Wiling Willie" Dolatre! Need I say more?

Cash and stuff were also raffled off during the party. And though I didn’t win a single thing, I feel blessed enough as Noel, my BBF (Boy-Best-Friend, a label he himself coined and tagged) won the personal refrigerator.

Maybe its this “simple joys”attitude I’ve recently adopted that made all these seemingly simple activities fun and blessing filled; or maybe I’m just a shallow and easy-to-please person; or maybe, the anniversary activities, simple they may be, were really fun and exciting after all.

Next year would mark NPC’s Diamond Anniversary. I may not be around NPC to celebrate such a momentous event. Or maybe, as many are wondering, NPC might no longer be. No matter where the road leads, both for NPC and for myself, I am grateful for the years with NPC.

Thank you, NPC!

simple joys...

Atty. Kristy went to the market and there she found her baskets.

That sure sounds like a line from a children's tale... and like all children's tales, that very, very short story has the makings of a happy ending. And happily her day did end with a plateful of pichi pichi from Amber's.

As she ticked off her finds for the day - the native baskets for her abubot,the baol made of yantok, the delish pichi pichi - I could practically feel her smile of delight through her text messages. She called her day out and her finds her "simple joys."

This got me to mull over the things that give me joy. Although I know there are countless things I should be thankful for, being content is something I'm struggling with. I have yet to learn "to be satisfied with what I have...whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little..." (Philippians 4:12).

Her "simple joys" (and the blog "Add to the Beauty") inspired me to start a Simple Joys for the Day/Week Journal which, I hope, could help me appreciate more and be thankful for the little blessings that usually go unnoticed.

So here goes my list of some of my simple joys (I'll start with some of the "joys" of last weekend-Oct. 23-26):

1. waking up to a beautiful sunny weather (when a storm was forecast)
2. being with my sister and her family
3. watching my niece hang at the bars, tumble on the mats and do other stuff at Little Gym
4. text messages about simple joys
5. bargains found at Eastwood Mall and at Landmark
6. preparing food stuff for the trick or treat at Valle Verde
7. dinner and a good laugh with "old" friends in a never-before-been-in resto
8. chicken burger with fries on the side and green tea
9. late-night bonding with my sister over a cup of coffee
10. attending a great party - the 7:30 A.M. Sunday Mass at Christ the King
11. malling and dining out with my sister's in-laws
12. safe drive home
13. Isabel watching videos of me dancing during the Homecoming (and calling my dancing "'ngit")
14. e-mails from friends in response to my posts
15. e-mails from friends I haven't heard from in a long while
16. an unexpected visit from a friend i haven't seen in long time
17. the chance to visit dad at Loyola
18. everyday Mass at NPC
19. lunch treat by a co-worker
20. the halloween show in NPC
21. kids' laughter and funny stories
22. work (as opposed to no work)
23. seeing nanay healthy
24. going home with friends
25. hearing from a mentor
26. my hilarious and forever "storytelling" boss and my cool co-workers
27. restful sleep
28. a good run
29. writing
30. conversations with Bro

more to come...

So what are your simple joys?