dancing like no one is watching.

Because this girl always managed to make me smile.

 

I believe that in your lifetime, there is this certain friend who comes into your life.

You become instant friends, and the moment you first spoke it was as if you had known each other for years.

Her excitement is contagious and her warmth is welcoming.

She moans, whines, and complains with you.

She laughs and cries with you.

She loves your husband. And he loves her just the same.

She comes over to your house (halfway across the city)  to raid your cupboards because she has no food in her hers.

You can both dance and sing around the room like it is a stage as if you two are the only ones in it.

She drinks wine with you.

She tells you she loves you twenty times a day.

She loves unconditionally and she does not judge.

A passionate one who brings fun into your life.

She is the one you talk to when you think you are pregnant, goes through every step of the pregnancy with you and is your first visitor besides family after you give birth.

She brings energy to the room when the silence is overbearing.

She is the one who you can speak to ten times in one morning before you meet up for lunch.

She is crazy. Totally melodramatic and expressive.

Her confidence radiates and lights up the room.

And she always dances like no one is watching her.

You are complete opposites.

Total opposites that fit together.

-rae, manila

Girlfriends

I have had several chapters in my life change, but one thing that has remained constant in the past 10 years has been these girls - Carla, Hanna and Reg.

It shouldn't really take a lot for someone to know which relationships should matter and which people are worth calling "friends".

 Girlfriends have a special bond, like sisters, that see you through every rough decision, triumph, and heart ache. We rejoice together and when the occasion calls for it, we cry together too.

In the past 8 months, I have learned to curl up and hide. I've become an expert at pushing the world away. So far away in fact, that only these girls have been able to find me.

I have never felt any more love than through the people who have continued to support me. Carla, Hanna and Reg have been strong for me. When I couldn't seem to bring myself together, they have rushed from all parts of the Metro to catch me just when I've lost my own strength. And best of all, when no one else understood, they did. And even if sometimes they could not wrap their heads around it, they embraced me when I did not know how to love myself.

LOVE is infinite.

I learned that from a homily at the Easter Vigil. Love, the priest said, was infinite because we were capable of sharing our lives with other people despite all the pain we may have been through.

Reg, Hans, Carl and I have certainly had our share of pains in the past 24 years. But it has been in the very way I've watched all three of them make such beautiful things out of their pains that has inspired me to make something just as great out of mine.

When they excelled, I drew inspiration from their successes, and when they stumbled, we taped it to our bulletin board of things to watch out for.

I thank God for each of them.

I thank Him for Hanna, who has inspired me to dance to the beat of God's drum under the tempo of positivity, Carla, who has inspired me to be head-strong and to push for any dream, and my bestest bestest friend Reg, who has inspired me to value FAMILY (among many other things).

Here's to our future girls!
And to looking back, only so often. ;-)

Gisa Paredes, Manila

I Heart NY

Growing up with three sisters, there were a ton of catfights.
We would all fight over anything and everything even when there was
nothing to fight about
Funny enough once we all began to go our separate ways we all started
to miss having someone to fight with. My oldest sister left the house
to start her own family, the other to start college and the youngest
joined the U.S. Navy and ended up in Italy.
The four of us would go for months not speaking to each other but when
they all came home for the holidays it was like we were never apart.
Late last year my sister was going through a tough time with her
marriage. She called me crying one day asking me for help. She never
asks for help so i knew she meant serious business.
She asked me to move in with her so I could help out with her son, my nephew.
I grew up in Southern California and have always said there is no
place i could ever see myself living in. My friends are all there and
its what i know. I've been to many places but i always come back to
California because California is home and home is where my heart is.
My sister lives in New York, now while anyone else would jump at the
chance i was hesitant to move across the country. I don't know anyone
in the east coast aside from my sister and nephew and i knew it would
be a huge adjustment. All my friends said i would hate it and i
agreed.
The first couple of weeks was horrible. I would cry for no reason, but
mostly because i missed California and everything i left there. It
also happened to be winter when i moved east so it was snowing and
that was depressing. They don't call it winter blues for nuthin.
Cut to three months later and i don't want to leave. Although i do
miss my life back in California I have fully adjusted to city life.
Nothing quite compares to walking at Central Park at 6am while
everyone else are sleeping. The city is beautiful in the morning when
its not littered with tourists.
There are so many things to see, I never get sick of anything. Nothing
quite compares to hearing 10 different languages being spoken all at
the same time. I don't even care that i don't understand any of it,
its just a beautiful thing to hear. Most days i just walk around with
no particular place to be at. Sometimes i go to a museum and stare at
a painting or hang around Times Square and people watch. It is in fact
the city that never sleeps and i'm glad to be one of its minions.
Now if only I could get my friends to come visit me

Julie - Oxnard, CA via NYC

LOL!

If there is one thing that made me laugh out loud several today it is this word:

Jejemon

Don't know what it means? Google it.

Happy Laughing!

Erica, Back in Manila

Mexican Fiesta

I think that sometimes (okay, most times) I thrive on stress. I can't seem to do things unless there is some kind of panic involved. This is why I am always lacking in sleep or getting headaches. My time management skills are pretty awful. I mean I get everything done, but I could have got it done at a more leisurely pace had I not procrastinated. This is a problem I deal with regularly and I know a lot of people are the same. Work becomes encompassing and all of sudden I find myself getting cranky and irritable and just not very pleasant to be around.

It's moments like these, that I have to go out of my way to remind myself to slow down and breathe. That it's all just work and that I have to stop and relax or I'll just drive myself crazy. And then, when I do manage to stop for a second, I find a few moments (hopefully a few hours or even a day) to just enjoy myself and spend it with loved ones doing things that make me happy.

One such example of this was Mexican Fiesta night! Family and friends and I had been planning to do this for weeks now and it kept getting pushed back. Finally last weekend though we decided to just do it and got everyone together for a delicious feast of Mexican goodies! My cousin, and chef extraordinaire, Barni put together her delicious Mexican specialties like quesadillas, burritos, black bean salad, homemade salsa, and shrimp fajitas and I added a few humble additions like tacos and tosadas. And my mom-in-law threw in her mouth-watering seven layer dip! We even downloaded an all Mexican themed playlist (insert: Bamboleo) and rounded up good friends and family to enjoy the feast, coupled with delicious frozen margaritas ala Nino.

Diets were thrown out the window and everyone helped themselves to Barni's delicious fare (all healthy mind you! I am still dreaming of quesadillas to this day!) and we just got to relax and enjoy good company for one night out of a busy and hectic week. It was a great evening with good friends and a perfect way to recharge for the stress that I know is coming.

Life can get hard - no doubt. And jobs can get taxing, but I think that if we all remember to take time out to remember what's worth living for - having family and friends who love you, a good night's sleep, and a delicious shrimp fajita  - then you are sure to appreciate your blessings no matter how stressed out you get! Don't forget to enjoy the little pleasures when you can! They are what make everything worthwhile :)

- Michelle, Manila

Age ain't nuthin' butta numbah

I was out at a dinner with family and a close family friend from Japan last night. He is a funny and charismatic 88-year old professor, advisor and may I add, is in great shape (despite his pace maker). He is my (soon-to-be) mother-in-law’s foster father in Japan during her college years.

At the start of dinner, sitting next to me, he whispered that he wants to order San Miguel Pale Pilsen, with a cheeky grin on his face! How can you resist that and say no! So we order him one. The first gulp he took, he closes his eyes, smiles and says a big “aahhhhh!” Three bottles later, he says he is in heaven! It made me smile that he was in total bliss and enjoying every single moment.

After dinner, we’re walking to the car together and he says to me….

Dr.: “I’m so very happy today, I don’t know why!”

T: “I think it’s the San Miguel, sir!”

Dr.S: “No, I think it’s because I was sitting next to you!”

Unexpectedly, that made me blush! I smiled and gently patted him on the shoulder, most certainly sure it was the San Miguel talking! Even if it was the first time to meet him, his charm and attitude in life certainly left a scar in my heart. 

Simple gestures and actions from people just make you appreciate life even more.    

- T, Manila -

No ordinary day

My day started out like most..woke up, got dressed, ran errands...

And then...after a late night grocery run, I came home to this....

My godchild, Kala-8 months. Today was the first time I met her, as I live in Manila and she, in Sydney. I haven't been back since this time last year so it was awesome to finally see her! The Christening is this Sunday...get ready for the ride called "being Erica's inaanak", Kala!

--Erica, Manila via Sydney

[Smile Project] Episode 3: The Case of the Berkelouw Bookworms

Reading Erica's entry below made me crack a smile and burst into a giggle.

You know you have found a friend for life when you take the same photos (on completely separate occasions) of a place you absolutely love!

Lisette's Love: Berkelouw Book Barn, Berrima

Erica's Love: Berkelouw Bookstore, Newtown

- Lisette (still smiling), Sydney

Sydney Smiles

I've been such a slacker with posting the past few days! So hard to sit still while on vacation but here are a few things that have made me happy/grateful/smiley/laugh lately.

1. I got to see a few of my friends the first day I arrived. We had a few drinks at the house :)

2. El Jannah-Seriously folks, if you are ever in Sydney, you MUST go to Granville and try El Jannah Lebanese Charcoal Chicken. Incidentally, El Jannah means "Paradise" in Arabic, and let me tell you, it it goes beyond its name.When I am in Sydney I eat this regularly, when I am not I dream about it.

3. Berkelouw Books in Newtown. 1st Floor-new books (great selection too!) 2nd floor-second hand books and cafe. Such a cozy place. I loved it :)

4. El Jannah. Yes, again.

5. The nice guy behind the counter at the Indian place in Westpoint who gave me free Gulab Jamun.

6. Shopping with my sister.

7. Cold weather!-I'm not usual a fan but it is a welcome break from Manila's heat.

Little things make me happy. Hope you found stuff to make you smile too :)

Peace, Erica-Manila (now in Sydney! ;p)

Take a Walk

When I was at my lowest, my bestfriend (other than my real bestfriend) was talking long, liberating walks. Whenever you're sad, whenever you're confused, or on the verge of blowing up in the middle of  fight,  feeling ancy or just plain down in the dumps, my advice is: take a walk. You know what they say: exercise=endorphines=happy.

Once in San Francisco, my bestfriends and I walked around and just let go. We actually bumped into a few hilarious/cute/quirky characters.

                                        

Mrs. (MR.) Potts hanging outside of H&M

Weird Fat Geisha Man entering his car

      And the cutest little mouse I've seen in Pier 39!!!!    

Talk a walk. It helps. :)

Cheerios, 

Andrea

Love is Bliss

It was like a loud drum beat that came ringing to my ears. It was so loud that I thought I was heading towards loosening my sense of hearing. I looked around, searched for where the sound was coming, pointing to where the waves are rooted from its origin and then I realized, it was coming from the left side of my chest. It was coming from my heart. I was in love.

It wasn’t that long since he first held my hand and carried through the winds to face the world as one with him. It was only three years and six months ago, but it already felt like forever. I haven’t notice the time was fleeting fast maybe because each time I am with him, every moment stops. Every single minute I lay my head on his shoulder, it feels like I am in a magical ball where the music is endless. Each note is like a tiny hearts and every melody is like a beautiful butterfly. Blissful!

Not all people are blessed with a kind of love that can take you to places far beyond reach, but I am thankful to God for giving me a man whose hand perfectly fits mine. It’s always a good feeling to have someone whom you can share your likes and dislikes, your heartaches and heartbreaks, your happiness and hatred, your dreams and your aspirations.  Yes, we have shared many things. We’ve laugh, we fight, we kiss and we make up.

For me, he is a lover, a teacher, a companion, a partner, an enemy and most of all, he is my best friend. He knows me inside out and accepts me for what I am. Even if I have a tan skin, even if I have flab, even if I cry easily, even if I am sometimes a brat, even if I annoy him sometimes, even if I pinch him, even if I eat a lot of chocolates and gain weight the nest morning, even if I write a lot of nonsense things, even if I sometimes open his social networking accounts, even if I don’t talk much and the list can go endless. I pray that God will embrace us as we both continue with our journey, until we seal our fingers with the ring of matrimony, until little “mini me’s” comes running around our house, until arthritis crawls to our bones at the end of the long day, until our hair turn silver and gray, and until we come home to heaven’s paradise.

--Julie Ann

Davao City, Philippines

Gabletop Taming

these fools. it's not even that they make me smile -- it's beyond that.
whenever we're together for extended periods of time, my throat starts
to hurt from laughing too loud and too often. happiness, pure and simple.

this is really my fiance's group of guy friends; since raf and i have been
together the longest, i've gone through periods with this group of fools
when i was the only girl, or i didn't like a certain girlfriend, or one of them
stopped hanging out with us regularly because he spent more time with
his girlfriend and her group of friends -- which are all fine by me, because
at the end of the day, they're my friends no matter what.

but in recent months it's really been great, hanging out with them and
their girlfriends. each of these girls is a perfect fit for each of these fools,
and i'm so happy that they've all found each other. and you know how
sometimes, you feel iffy about hanging out with your friend's significant
other without your friend, because the significant other doesn't really
have a lot in common with you? it NEVER HAPPENED with these girls.
if anything, we've all been pleasantly surprised by how open they are
to our silly little traditions, habits and quirks.

i guess i just want to say thanks to these three amazing women, for making
these three fools happy, and for being so AWESOME that i look forward to
hanging out with them every single weekend (even if i haven't known some of
them for very long).

-miao, manila

happiness = (food) + (kid) x (mess)

My 3-year-old niece.

She makes me laugh at every moment. Whether she is telling me a knock-knock joke, which always involves the caller being [insert random word here] poopie, or she's telling me a story, which always somehow involves creepy things (yes, she's a little bit quirky). She'll call me simply to say hello or ask me if I can sleep over. She's smart, animated, and so freaking cute – she makes every time I spend with her the most awesome day ever.

---cc, new york city

Sibling Love

I don't like in the same country as the rest of my family, so being able to fly to Sydney to see them, or them coming home is always a treat for me.

I am in Australia at the moment, and I had happy hour drinks in the backyard with my not-so-little brother, Mio, about life in general and his plans for the next year or so.

it was nice catching up with him and talking to him like an adult, which more and more I realize he is becoming. At 21, he has a long way to go and many changes that will happen to him, but it's nice to be able to have real conversations and give him advice as well.

Me (30) and my brother Mio (21) :)

--Erica Paredes

My Good NIght Buddy

enjoy the last few minutes (which sometimes stretch into a couple hours) of the night with my dear little boy. Here he is playing around with the pillows. We’ve got eight in our bed, and I only get to use one :P

 KV VIllareal, Manila

Will work for Chocolate

One thing that makes me really happy and fulfilled is working with my hands. I love creating things and getting my hands dirty in the kitchen. Above are Cafe Mocha truffles. I love it when people love what I make :)

--Erica Paredes

Love Story

What is a love story? And what is the love story? What is the difference?

Boy meets girl, girl likes boy, they fall in love, and live happily ever after. Of course, if it always turned out this way, then the world would be a much less complicated place. And then everything would be so predictable. And if you ask me, predictable is boring. Routine.

That vague equation leaves so much room for screw-ups in between. Starry visions gone wrong. What-if's. Maybe. Would-have-been's. Heartbreak. Regret. It's a wonder why anyone even tries. Statistically speaking, the chances are almost null.

Enter... Me. A pretty jaded yet still hopeless romantic. In love with the idea of love. With dampened spirits, yet still searching nonetheless. Afraid to settle, but wanting that someone special in life.

Who would have ever thought that I would have met him in a crowded room, senses tinged with alcohol, ready to pass up that chance encounter as another passerby? To think that this was the turning point of my life as I knew it, and I was hardly even aware. But of course, this is no ordinary story. Even a love story, at that. So of course, I discounted it. It was the only way to go.

And then we meet again. It was the conversations that got me, on a level that touched my deepest core. And from then, I knew that I could never settle for anything less than that explosion of when the minds meet, and the soul raptures.

It was the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginnings. That depends on which way you look at it. Either way, what matters is what happens from then on.

With him, I started to find myself. Through means that I would never have thought of before. Puzzle pieces started fitting. And from then on, I knew that I could start moving forward. I was becoming a better me. And it never had been clearer.

I'd see him. And by see him, I mean I'd understand him. I could see the core of his being. And it is with this, that I am in love. I did not fall in love. Spiral crazily upwards or downwards. I just simply am. As if there never was time that I was not.

The man of my dreams, and then some. You know it's true, when reality starts becoming better than your dreams.

There is a long road ahead of us. Both literally, and figuratively, because we will travel together and then grow together before that happily ever after. Is that the end? There is no end, just that journey together with the yang to my yin. The perfect partner, my twin.

Ananda. Bliss.  I’ve always known I’d name my little daughter that.

-Noelle, Manila

.those moments.

    I sat down one evening with my eighteen month old son, Cameron. We flipped through some of his favourite books and he starts pointing out all his recognisable objects and off he goes naming them all..... “ moom (moon), da (star), do(dog), bubba(baby), noh (cat).................”

....... off I slip into my collection of thoughts built up during the day. All the what’s, when’s where’s and how’s of my day and plans for the week began to take over. His recital of words were just echoes now in my busy, busy head. I then feel his tiny little hand on my face, he looks right at me and says “Mama??” Although that was all he said, it was if his eyes were begging me,  “None of those things matter at the moment, stop worrying. Please sit and just be with me.”

    Time moves too fast to neglect these moments. Our little ones grow too quickly and there is always another time to think about other things. This little moment made me smile and also made me realise that sometimes it’s just about the simple things that create happiness. Sometimes it’s just about moments that make you smile. Sometimes this simplicity is all you need.

--rae, Manila

Aural Crack

Music, to me, can be a very spiritual experience.

It's been awhile since I've listened to an album that made me wanna laugh, cry, groove and chill out-all at once.

I am currently listening to Erykah Badu's new album New Amerykah Part 2 (Return of the Ankh)

Oh My God. This is something else. I already know what I will be listening to over and over the next few days, weeks, possibly months, definitely years.

Instant Classic. Go grab it. Hope it makes you close your eyes, smile and remember life is good too :)

--Erica Paredes

My heart teaches my fingers to write

I love the way my mom gives me unconditional love. I feel the same way for her even if i can't show it everyday.

I love the way my uncles and aunts nag about how stubborn and irresponsible I am, after all it's guidance that they are giving.

I love how my cousins tease me about all the flaws that I have, in the end they never let me down.

I love the way my nieces/nephews cry when they see me, they're just too scared too see a cute guy like me. :)

I love the way my brothers/sisters (frat members) tend to make me forget that there is a real world that we have to face. They have always been the strength that i search for in times of sorrow, they have never failed to calm down the storm inside me. We might look irresponsible, still we we have our own dream that we know we will reach.

I love the way my friends and I share laughter and tears amidst every obstacle we encounter, amidst all the hatred we felt for each other, amidst all the cussing and the teasing. We all have the love for each other.

I love the way my ex-girlfriends made me smile, cry, wasted, angry and wild!!! I'm stronger than i was before.

I love the way people around me strive to be the best that they can, how they show off their positive side, how they overcome their fears and sorrows. How they have touched my heart is just amazing.

I love the way GOD puzzled up everything in my life, It's magical how he made simple things extraordinary. It's too plain to see how great the love he has given, too majestic to describe the touch of care and guidance for every tragic, devastating scenario that storms me. He simply does gives us a reason to live, smile and love. Positivity is what he teaches us, what he wants us to believe into..

I love the way YOU give me a reason to love you. Don't wanna lose you. NO EXPLANATIONS ON WHY YOU, 'CAUSE IT'S YOU. TOO MUCH REASONS AND MEANING ON THE WORDS I LOVE YOU.
(if ever you get across this article, you'll know its you.)

--Martin Targa, Manila

5 Things - The Easter 2010 Edition

Easter Eggies

Just got back on the grind after an awesome Holy Week vacation at our ancestral home in Zambales with my fam. I know I've said it countless times but God is so good. We are all BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF - real talk! 

Over the Easter break, I got to enjoy a lot of reading, meditating/reflecting, time with my loved ones (young & old), and eating (and eating & more eating). Here's the top 5 things that stuck out through my conversations & my reflecting (not in any order):

• Being with family is awesome! Late night convos, back-in-the-day reminiscing, teasing lil cousins, re-telling the same ghost stories, & all that good stuff is  really all priceless! It fills up voids inside you that you never knew were empty or even existed. 
• Don't try to solve life problems, just outgrow them. Don't look at life problems like math equations. Instead of looking for answers to plug in, find a way to outgrow life trials & challenges. All the answers will come at the right time. Just keep an open mind & an open heart. (I remixed words from Dr. Wayne Dyer)
• Time with Nature heals. The fresh air, the warm ocean water, the dope sunset/sunrise, & just being out in the countryside detoxes your mind, body, & soul! 
• Bless others to be blessed! When you open your hearts to help others out, multiply blessings will come your way. Try this out: The next time you're having a rough day/going through challenges, bless someone with no anticipation of being paid back. If you do it with your whole heart, it'll trigger a feeling that'll help turn things around for you. We all have trials & issues, just remember, this too shall pass.
• Love & be loved. I've learned to treasure my time with my family. I've realized that all I really needed was to "Just Be." Just love the people you hold close to your heart & be loved back by them. We all get caught up in a fantasy world, where we think we need to be someone/something we're not and when we do this for years, we start believing that that's who you are when in reality, you're far from the real you. Don't ever forget to keep it real!

My highlight of the weekend was walking through the front door back home with bags hanging off my neck, arms, & fingertips while carrying a big cooler and hearing Kaya tell Sarah "Mom, you're the best Mom in the World!" Then walking over to me & saying, "Dad, You're the best Dad in the World!" Dopeness! 


Let's keep being the best we can be! Here's to new beginnings! 

Kaya & Andre chalkin' it up

Peace & Blessings!

Banj, Man-ILLA

 

Happy Easter!

                                                           Today I won this :)

Because this little girl found one of the silver eggs at Mandarin's Easter Egg hunt. Didn't know mommy's of the grand prize winners got prizes too, so it was was a pleasant surprise for me :)

--Erica Paredes

Eternal sunshine of the puggy mind

They say happiness can be found in the simplest things and I have always known that to be true. Last week, in the midst of deadlines and stress I let our adorable pug Sebastian into the room and he nestled down under my laptop. I love this little guy. And when I stopped to take a nap he poked his head as if to see what I was doing. Sebastian is a gem! He and our chihuahua, London always make me happy!

- Michelle Katigbak-Alejandro, Manila

Chivalry is not dead :)

Happy Easter!

Every time I read this blog it makes me smile. No fail. Which is why I always click on the link everytime I've had a long and tiresome day. 

Tonight, something really simple and kind made me smile. In church, I saw an older fellow give up his seat for a young woman. Now men giving up their chairs for girls in this equal sex opportunity world is already rare, it is even rarer for an older man to do it for a younger girl. He was so kind and had a polite smile and I could see he was just really raised to respect women. Even standing (which I know was hard on his knees) he still had a smile on his face.

Moved by his act of selfless generosity, Nino and I gave up our seats so he could sit back down with his wife which he accepted with a smile and a polite "Happy Easter" and as he sat down, he and his wife held hands, while his other hand began rubbing his knees.

Oh what an amazing world we would live in if only people were always so generous and kind :)

- Michelle Katigbak-Alejandro, Manila

Landing: A Beautiful View

I'm an air hostess. Normally, during landing, parents do all sorts to keep their babies and toddlers as comfortable as possible...cotton balls in the ears, baby bottles, cookies, bouncing, distraction via safety card...all sorts. Landing is tough on babies and toddlers especially because a lot of them don't appreciate being strapped into their baby seatbelts, and pressure on the ears is hard to alleviate. On a red-eye into India, this little girl sat with her Mum, watching the screen in front of them, with the forward camera showing the runway. The little girl looked at her Mum, her Mum looked back at her. She was tired, having come from Toronto - a 15-hour flight away from Dubai, and another 3-hour flight from Dubai to India. But she had eyes of excitement and anticipation. The little girl gently locked her tiny four-year old fingers into her Mum's, and as we approached the tarmac, she motioned their hands towards her lips, and gave her Mum a kiss on the hand, as if to say, "hey Mum, it's okay, don't be scared." It made me smile. It amazes me, the true nature of people, and I love catching glimpses of it everyday when people don't even know that someone is watching and admiring from a distance.

--Kristine

Friendship

Almost 5 years ago, we moved from Manila to here in Australia. It hasn't been easy since we had to leave behind family, friends, and our house which we've lived in Paranaque since 2000. We also left behind the little luxuries we had i.e. drivers and house-help.

We basically had to start from scratch. Looking for a house to stay, schools for the kids, even acquaintances and friends we had to look for as well. True friends are really hard to find, but potential friends are everywhere.

 Fast forward to 2006, I met the most awesome barkada. My best friend Jess and my other good friends: Nathan (also my boyfriend), Luke, Reece, Corey and Thomas. They are the best friends I could ever have. We've only been friends for 4 years but it feels like we've known each other forever. They helped me adjust and assimilate into the Aussie culture and didn't make feel like a stranger at all. I trust them with my life and my secrets. I thank you guys for making my 3 years in Adelaide a meaningful one. I love you and miss you all.

Of course I still talk to my friends in Manila, who I've been friends with since the 2nd grade at CSA Makati and I thank them for still being there for me. Thanks Jacques, Geoffrey, Bernice and Carmela for still communicating with me through Yahoo Messenger and Facebook. You four really are the best! Our friendship transcends distance and time. I miss you and hope to visit you soon.

Now 2010, my family decided to move here in Melbourne for more opportunities and a new place I guess. I am still starting to adjust since we've only been here for 3 months and hoping that when I start uni in July I will meet friends who are as awesome and fantastic as the ones I met in Manila and Adelaide.

Kristin- Adelaide/Melbourne, Australia

My Black Saturday was pretty bright :)

 

I live for these lazy Saturday afternoons :)

--Erica Paredes

Growing my own Garden

I am a single Manila girl.  I think that being 28 and single nowadays has a lot of great potential! You can do whatever you want as long as you have the resources and are able to find the right opportunities.  With no one relationship to focus on, you also learn to appreciate the other relationships you have around you.  In my case, I was blessed to have three dates this week – a Romansa date with one of my favorite women, another with my best friend, Mike, and a date with myself. 
Romansas, a term coined by my friend, Riza, may come in different forms:  coffee dates, dinner dates, merienda, sitting under a mango tree, walking or jogging together, sharing a pack of cigarettes – it’s really up to what fits you and your date.  The important ingredients are conversation and connection. 
One of my romansa partners, a mom of 3, a wife for 11 years and lover for 14, never fails to amaze me.  Our most recent rendezvous was no different.  I came to our date with a lot in my head.  I was tired, very very tired. 

For more than two years now, I have been in love with Mark, a man who does not and will not love me back.  I was ready for a pity-party.  We sat at a corner table of one of our favorite restos along Katipunan Ave.  She listened patiently to my rants and my outpouring of emotions.  She said a few words and then went on to sharing about her own experiences, too.  Funny how she didn’t have to address my own concerns directly but inspired me nonetheless.  Instead of indulging into the pity-party, at the end of our little date, I was reminded of how beautiful I am and how much I deserve someone who will adore me for being me. What inspires me is how she is daringly and audaciously honest with her feelings, feelings I can imagine a lot of people being too ashamed to admit.

Every time I have moments like this with her, I always have a secret desire for her wisdom to magically rub-off on me.  My being friends with her is good for my womanhood.  It didn't really matter how filling the baked ziti and penne with chorizo Parmesan cream were or how fulfilling the chocolate marble waffle was.  What is of essence was the heartwarming discovery that our sharing a little part of ourselves to each other enriched us both. 

Connection.  A few days ago, a friend of mine posted a line from the movie, Before Sunset, in one of her blog entries.  The line goes :  "I guess when you're young you just believe there are a lot of people you'll connect with... later in life you learn that it only happens a few times"  I think I've lived my life long enough for it to become a testimony to that theory.  It’s one thing to connect with many people in different ways and another thing to discover connections that are consequential, even evocative, something that is almost life-altering, or is life-altering. 

My best friend, Mike, and I had a crepe dinner at our favorite restaurant along Tomas Morato.  We haven’t seen each other in a while.  That night, Mike told me that he was newly engaged.  I shrieked in excitement.  I knew I was going to miss the single Mike but I know he deserves no less than to be with the woman he loves. 
Because of this news, I got to thinking about my relationship with Mike.  I know I love the guy but what was the significance of his friendship to my life? 

I’ve always been most myself when I am around Mike.  I learned to love and like myself because he loved me well.  So now that he’s getting married soon, I know that we won’t be spending as much time with each other but, like he taught me through his friendship with me, I know that I will be fine because I have all that I need within me. 

Yay, ballet! I’ve been taking adult ballet classes for more than a week now.  This afternoon was going to be my fourth class, I wasn’t in the mood to go to ballet.  I just wanted to sulk in a mini pity-party that my mind did not approve of but my sensitive ‘id’ wanted to mull over.  I knew I was being silly, especially knowing what going to ballet class really meant to me - an exercise to love my body.  So I dragged myself to the studio.  I forced myself to get out of bed and grab my towel and prepare to go.  By the time I was putting on my leotard and jeans, I was already excited.  Yay, ballet!  I walked tall, closing my ribs, being careful not to over protrude my already sticking-out butt.  I did that while walking to the corner to get a cab.  Talk about psyching one self up. 
During the first three classes, I didn't seem to sweat at all and I hated it.  All this exercise and no sweat?  Awhile ago, I was sweating like a pig while doing the exercises.  Now that felt like a work out!  Then I realized it was because prior to today’s class, I was half doing the exercises and half watching to get them right, plus I was so tense I held my breath instead of breathing freely with the movement.  I wasn’t allowing enough oxygen to flow through my body, therefore, no sweat. 
At the end of every one of the first three classes I attended, we would bow as a group.  At the end of today’s class my classmates and I bowed one by one.  It was the closest to being the ballerina that I wished I had become.  It was wonderful to have been able to acknowledge myself in the mirror in front of the whole class.  It was an empowering experience.  

I always thought that I needed a man to successfully grow a garden – to till the soil, mow the grass and lift the heavy machinery, but I realized that I could do all those things myself.  I could plant the seeds, water the plants, weed the garden and grow my own beautiful garden with all my favorite flora…and then have picnics in it and take tours around it with a wonderful man in the future.  

--Joanna de Guzman, Manila

The Little Things

Everyday, I try and remember the things that I am grateful for.  Often times, these are the things that we are so accustomed to and take for granted.  Nevertheless, it doesn't make them any less valuable and so I try and recall all those blessings in life that constantly surround us everyday.  Here are some of the thinks I give thanks for today:

Thank you for the roof over my head.

Thank you for the running water.

Thank you for the food I ate today.

Thank you for my brother and sister.

Thank you for my mom and dad.

Thank you for my dog.
Thank you for grum.

Thank you for the clothes I’m wearing.

Thank you for the bed I am going to sleep on tonight.

Thank you for my toothbrush, and the toothpaste too.

Thank you for my health.

Thank you for my phone.

Thank you for my television.

Thank you for my computer.

Thank you for my internet-connection.

Thank you for my drinking water.

Thank you for the numerous blessing that we receive everyday.

-Abee, Manila

Thanks Mr. Cab Driver!

Last night started out so much fun as we drank and bowled for a friend's birthday. After that, we headed over somewhere to karaoke, and at that point, most people were already starting to get drunk and happy/crazy/ok fine rowdy. It was 330 in the morning and finally time to go home.

Abdul and I caught a ride with someone and left our car at someone's house, where the party started before we went bowling. On the way back there, the car we were in got a flat tire in the middle of Meralco Avenue. With 4 tipsy people, changing the tire became a futile activity, and finally, we called one of our drivers to come help us out.

While waiting, we had about 3 offers by different people (cab drivers, truck drivers) to help us out, but it being that time of the night, and us not being completely in our right minds, we just kept declining to be safe.

I had to use the bathroom really badly so I hailed a cab and asked him to bring me to the closest one, which was Medical City. I asked him if he could wait for me and bring me back to my friends, and told him to keep the meter running, since I was really probably wasting his time. When I came back to the car, I noticed that he did not turn on the meter at all! He drove me back to my friends, and wasn't expecting anything from me. Usually cab drivers are the opposite and keep asking us to pay them extra if they are driving us to places they don't wanna go to. I know it was a close drive (2 min each way), but still. God Bless you, Cab Driver Eric! :)