Prom Night

Luis' big day finally arrived, and what can I say?...the pictures speak for themselves. His sister AND moi couldn't help but make a fuss and of course record every step for posterity... I took the half day off and frantically gave him last minute Emily Post instructions. Even after he had left with driver Cyril and the car which Jackie Aquino so thoughtfully lent, Nikki and I continued to text him his do's and dont's...the last call I made to him, I had to explain to him what to do with the bread he'll find sitting on a plate to his left. Do NOT slice it open and make it into a butter sandwich. Pinch it bit by bit and apply the butter sparingly prior to putting inside the mouth. Do NOT gobble the whole thing down no matter how hungry you are. My last text to him told him about the hotel prices of hard drinks, so PLEASE order softdrinks only and PLEASE text me if he runs out of money (As if!!! I can't imagine me running across the lobby to hand him additional "baon") . He didn't reply after that. Probably just deleted the message.
Nikki and I were wondering about the girl. We can't find her in multiply, in friendster nor in google search. hmmmmm... Hope she's worth all the fuss...
And now, some acknowledgements of sponsors...drum roll please!! To my very very generous, sweet and thoughtful sis in law Mel and brother Toddy for sponsoring the oh-so-smart looking suit!! We purchased a very very subtle kind of pin stripe and it made my son look extra dashing and guapo. To Jackie Aquino for lending both the car AND driver to create that pa-sosyal first impression, hehe..! Jackie Aquino for everyone's info is one of the TOP fashion show directors/choreographers in the country today, and also happens to be one of the sweetest nicest most thoughtful friends I have. To NIKKI for being the fashion stylist 'ate' who didn't want to let Luis leave the house until his hair was just right, his tie was just right, his shoes polished just right, and who repeatedly reminded him to brush his teeth and bring mints.
My goodness!!! All this fuss!! I really must meet that girl Tanya!

Chinese Proverb

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break."
-Chinese Proverb

My Tara, My Camelot

Unit 201 Mercedes I Condominium Annapolis Street, San Juan. That was our home for ten years. 1994 to 2004. Our tiny little shelter, our refuge (160 sqm, 2 br, 3t&b, 1mr). And oh those years, my age of innocence! I was talking to both of them earlier, and all we remember are crazy funny times, good times. all innocence and exuberance. It was our Camelot. Nikki, from age 6 to 16 and Luis from age 3 to 13!! The best years of their childhood. So many different stages of their growing up years which all three of us thoroughly enjoyed - mostly by ourselves. As Luis said when he was little -- 'our one SMALL happy family'. And the best years of my adulthood too! (nevermind the age range). I had just immersed myself in my fab merchandising job at Rustan's (was with the original cosmetics team - Rhoda Campos and Maribel Paterno as my peers and Malyne Fernandez as our boss - it was just the four of us handling that giant of a growing department), was travelling to Singapore and Malaysia in 95 and 96, was totally done with Guil (in 1992) and the boyfriend I had after him (TMG as my kids refer to him. or The Mon Guy). And for 10 years took a respite from heartaches and men. no boyfriend, no dates. Just Nikki, Luis and my job. Oh sure the last two years 03 and 04 were not without their dramas in terms of some men-matters, ah, but nothing my heart couldn't manage given time and my unwavering faith in Him up there (who has been with me ALL through these years mind you). Of course 2004 onwards is an entirely different matter now, and has presented so many challenges for me - as a parent, as a career person, and as a woman seeking - and hurt by - love.
But I digress. I mentioned Mercedes (ok, the pronunciation depends on who you're talking to. It's Mer-zey-diz for the sosyaleras and just plain Mer-se-des for the rest of the world). It was another lump-in-the-throat occasion for me when we decided to pay our last our very LAST visit to Mercedes the other day to take pictures. Mom (after one giant altercation - again, nevermind the details, will reserve for another journal..has to do with her forgetfullness) asked us to take pictures as Mercedes would soon be gone. Mercedes my Tara, my Camelot. It was finally SOLD last week. And so, here is Mercedes...it is totally bare now of course, but our spirits, our memories are still there. Our laughter, I think, got left behind in those walls. At least mine did.

dry run

Tonight was the dry run for Luis' first formal date. The suit fit perfectly - it went so well with the new tie and the new shirt and the old, refurbished-by-Mr.Quickie shoes. The girl Tanya had emailed him a map earlier since he had never been to her house...so, since the driver this Thursday is very new to Manila and only knows the san juan - makati route along EDSA, the three of us actually drove to her area (Marikina!!) this evening! Just whizzed by her subdivision, so Luis knows exactly where it is. Noted all the landmarks and studied the route so well he can actually go there blindfolded. And so here I am so excited, with happy-sad emotions. Dear sweet Jackie actually lent his car and driver for Luis to use. And Nikki said she won't allow him to get out of the house till he looks his very best. But he doesn't want me to take the half day off, I don't think he wants me to see him all spruced up while I coo and fuss ... I must stop this and realize he's 16 and not 6!! Tonight was also an excuse for the kids to get out of the house (where they've been cooped up the whole day!) and enjoy the traffic-less ride (we went at about 10pm!). Passed by krispy kremes on the way..yummy.

Gracie's birthday

What a lovely lovely dinner that was! Both the meal AND the company, most specially the latter. Mario K. of Bulgari hosted a very intimate birthday dinner for dear GGG of Star. And Gracie invited just a very intimate group of 11...to make up a lucky total of 13! There was Mattias AA the resident manager of the hotel, Audie G famous thespian, singer and director, Beth of Univ. Motors, her mom Helen, Arthur Y of Ace S. and wife Marie, businessman Russ A. -- whom I've known for the longest time, from a million persona changes ago hehehe -- the very famous ENT doctor Jimmy S. looking all dapper in his gelled hair and double breasted suit (Luis and I have been to him a few times for Luis' sinusitis), a young Paco something who's related to the Delgados and Magsaysays, and a Richmond something - very shy and quiet. And me of course. We were in one round table beautifully decorated by none other than Robert B, with candles and flowers that made me feel like I was peering at the other guests thru some enchanted forest. I was seated between two young (and newly wed!!) fathers -- very very personable Mattias (typical hotelier!) who had a 3-month old baby waiting for him at home, and shy Richmond with the preggy wife and year old baby - whatta guy. But early part of the evening (before he left due to another appointment) it was R who was beside me, who according to Gracie, is in a 'together but not together' status. interesting. Jimmy the doctor is in his third marriage, although he says he's just been married twice. interesting too. The conversation was great, but the highlight of the evening was when we were able to coerce Audie to sing for us!! Mattias had the string quartet called in from the lobby, and they accompanied Audie as he sang a very very lovely and enchanting rendition of "If ever I would leave you"....my god, I wanted to die, that happens to be one of my favorite movie songs, and I told him so. Never mind if I've never experienced winter, spring, summer and autumn like Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot did, I have no idea what the writer meant as he went through all those seasons, but I truly truly love that song and its powerful emotions. ESPECIALLY the way Audie sang it. hehehe. new idol. Audie. As I said, the conversation was great, never a dull moment. The meal was simply fabulous. Main course was a choice between Red Snapper and Lamb. I chose lamb of course. We broke up at about 11 all happy and content.... Oh I almost forgot - all this happened at Mi Piace, the italian resto of the hotel.

Two evenings before (Thursday March 22) was the cocktail / fashion show event we organized for our Greenbelt 4 customers...it was...well, so so... show was ok. We had all those Brazilian models we chose from the go-see. Of course I got chastised by Glenn Gale of Manila Times about our being partial to foreign models..told me it was very very unfair to the local models...that something should be done...that the modelling industry should regulate the sudden influx of foreign models who are taking jobs away from the locals. that we the clients should choose more locals over foreign, something like a 80:20 ratio..oh well. what can I say. . I think he also spoke to Anton about it.

Here's a pic of me with my team - Corinne and May Anne - during the evening... We all had to wear white as it was supposed to be in keeping with the launch of our Spring Summer Collection. boy I do believe I look rather ....mmm..healthy. ok FAT. I think it's coz the jpeg file got stretched a bit. yes maybe thats why. :)

Go See!

There are go-sees and there are go-sees. This one was the mother of all go-sees. It lasted two days, and included children. Yesterday was a lot of fun because the children were so spontaneous and cute, all except those tweens who thought they were America's next top models. Why can't child models be taught to act like child models?? The agents of those 3 or 4 girls have to be told that if client wants child models, then they expect children who act like children, or they would have gotten unanos like mahal and mura. The kids don't have to swivel their hips so exaggeratedly or do the click click thing with their heels when they walk.

It was tough choosing the adult models as we had close to a hundred people crowded in the lobby of the sixth floor yesterday and today. We had to shortlist 6 models for the Greenbelt fashion show, and 20 models for the Zara show. ahhhh..the men!! golly gee.. the testosterone level in that boardroom was so high..all those buns, pandesals, and those trim but well defined triceps and biceps (for some)...I just had to keep the set card of Julio - it is now my property since the man himself can never be. Will just be happy with the set card. Posting here the pics of some of our 'finalists'... boy did they stare at us 'judges' with their piercing eyes and smouldering looks..especially the brazilians. As for the girls..hmm...am sure the rejects wanted to make us sabunot..we were almost scared to leave the boardroom as we thought they'd be waiting outside for us with their taray moms.

Tanya's date

Over the weekend Luis and I went shopping for his first suit. For him it was just another weekend, but for me it was a happy-sad milestone. Buying - and wearing - their first suit is a rite of passage for most awkward high school boys as they finally evolve and get to look like grown up civilized men on the outside, even for just one evening... This is the same feeling I had three years ago when I brought Nikki to an atelier to get fitted for her first prom gown with the bustiere top and spaghetti straps. My children are growing up fast.
Luis needs the suit for when he becomes the escort of a girl named Tanya on March 28 at the ballroom of the Peninsula hotel. It's Tanya's school's junior senior prom, and she invited my 16-year old son to be her date. For one evening my son will have one and only one girl on his mind. Forget mom, forget his sister Niks, there is just Tanya, his first date. And his suit.
And so we went shopping for his suit just so he could look all proper and handsome for Tanya, lucky girl. We also inquired on the cost of corsages...(he didn't know he was supposed to give her one!) AND last Saturday, to Nikki's amusement, I rehearsed Luis on Rules when Meeting the Parents. Next weekend, we do another set of Rules..all to smoothen out the barbaric habits he somehow acquired while growing up thanks to my auto-pilot parenting style, my gosh I hope he does not remove his shoes and socks in public, I hope he does not pick his nose, I hope he does not brag to his date how he can manage to survive five days without brushing his teeth.
Here are some pictures taken at fitting rooms. We still have to buy his tie and his shirt. (he says he wants to check first on the color of Tanya's gown!)

Happiness and sadness

The one thing I look forward to in the Sunday morning papers, APART of course from the usual ditzy stuff in the lifestyle & entertainment pages, is Jim Paredes' column. He had a very nice piece yesterday, a very simple message which we've heard again and again in most articles about happiness. But for some reason, maybe because of the timing, it just hit home. With his permission, I would like to reproduce a few lines, just so I can come back to it again and again:

Happiness and sadness are simply states of being that, oddly enough, we choose to be in. But those who choose happiness choose it consciously, while lucid and awake. Those who choose sadness do so while asleep.
And there's the paradox. Man will always search for happiness as he has done since the beginning of time, even if the search, as immortalized in books and movies, like the search for God, is ultimately a lost cause. Why? Because you cannot find something that was never lost to start with. So stop searching. Instead, wake up to life as it is and see the grace in that, because therein lies deliverance.

Karl

Karl is my early morning visitor. Here he is in my dining room, taken just a few minutes ago. Somehow he always manages to waddle into the house while I am taking my breakfast every single morning. He lives two doors away with his Filipina mom and some un-smiling Caucasian dad. I say un-smiling because the few times I've seen the dad (a very thin man with piercing eyes and very serious face) he looks like the saddest man on earth.. I wonder what their story is. Karl meanwhile is a very cute and chubby Gerber baby, but unfortunately, un-smiling too just like the dad. How funny that a baby could be so cute and perfect yet never smile! So I try my best each morning to make him smile, I give him bread which he crumples up and treats like a toy. I coo and I sing and I smile and yet...he never smiles! Someday maybe before I leave this place I'll make it my business to find out what's going on over there. Or maybe that's just their genes.

Clustering, sleeping, cooking

I will have to decide very soon about Twee's invitation. Well, it wasn't exactly an invitation as there is a joining fee involved... an initial payment for the privilege of joining the group, and then a daily fee afterwards. She calls it The Joy of Self Discovery - which is actually an advanced version of The Joy of Writing which I took a year and a half ago (the reason behind all those wonderful poems, tee hee), and of course, the basic tool is "clustering". Twee is Barbara Gonzalez, famous writer and columnist for Philippine Star, also my writing teacher. As you can see I was not one of her top performers :) But if she feels I am qualified to join this advanced group it must mean something. Or maybe she just sent out the e-mail en masse to all her former students. I told her I hadn't been clustering much....completely out of practice.
As a matter of fact, just to get my clustering juices flowing I actually bought a yellow lined pad last Saturday complete with clipboard and very nice black pen. I sat at my desk, stared at the yellow pad, and started clustering around the word "stuck" - don't ask me why I thought of that word. Maybe it reflected how I felt about clustering.
Or maybe I just thought it would be a cool word, and that I would end up with really profound ideas that would cluster and break out into other clusters. Wrong, completely wrong move. wrong word. wrong move, wrong everything. I shall decide about Twee tomorrow.

School's OUT!!! and YES I get to sleep longer now. Luis' last day of classes was today. And Nikki's next week. Once that's over, I will go back to having marathon sleeping sessions. Can't wait!
Latest and greatest culinary discovery -- Delmonte's complete chicken mix. Tried it today and Luis heard bells. One pack has 4 mini packs inside - the marinade, the batter, the breading, and the gravy mix. dissolve, soak, coat, and fry...then voila! serve with gravy and you have the best tasting fried chicken ever.

Soooo.....clustering, sleeping, cooking - key words for today, March 15 Thursday.

I didn't talk about work. I forgot! It's just that it is so much a part of me, like breathing, that I don't think much of it anymore. Suffice it to say -- it's there. and it won't go away even if I dont think about it. It kinda operates on auto pilot now. know it like the back of my hand...WOW hopefully my boss Anton DOES NOT READ BLOGS.

Day 1

Beautiful Tuesday. Hello world. :)

The B word

B -- Why is "B" suddenly the most B-eautiful letter in the alphabet for me? Does it represent...
boys
beauty
brains
breeding
or maybe...bucks?
No. (but I wish)... how about
bimbo
blonde
bloom
blossom
bossom
boobs
bust?
... close...but not quite!
ok... let's see...
beloved
blue (california blue? hey I know you're out there)
betrothed
beholden
bewitched
bothered
bewildered
boyfriend (!!)

So many beautiful "b" words!!! but for me, as of 5:25pm today, the most melodious, enchanting, entrancing, satisfying, gratifying, the MOST beautiful b word in the entire universe was....... drumroll please!!......

BENIGN

hahahahahahaha. YES!!! benign!!! Those crazy "well-defined hypoechoic solid lesions" were BENIGN. I GET TO KEEP MY BOOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (of course! that's yet another b word)

Ok, I deserve a good night's sleep. gnight world. gnight moon. gnight everyone. Tomorrow is another B-eautiful day!!!

a bit of drama...

Well, finally, after the longest week of my life, it's the eve of what could probably change my life forever - how’s that for a sense of drama? (finally this boring blog has one). Mom, Dad, my brothers (I think), Meg (she texted just now), Nikki (I just told her today) have all been praying. Sister Catherine even had her Benedictine community offer one mass for moi, can you beat that. The funny thing is I feel quite calm, and in fact quite confident that everything will be just fine tomorrow. Of course it’s been fun being the center of concern for one week, too bad it's all going to end tomorrow when everything goes back to normal. Meg has very kindly offered to accompany me... she actually read my mind because I was really intending to ask her if she had the time. JUST in case the results are not what we want to hear, I would probably be too flustered to discuss options with the doctor. Before anybody gets me wrong, this is NOT life threatening at this stage in time. Come to think of it, the only thing it threatens is my vanity. hehe. There are always reconstructive procedures of course, but Meg thinks I should have that done abroad.
Mom was saddened that I didn't tell the family earlier, that I'd been carrying this by myself for almost a month. Well honestly speaking, I hate the fuss people make because they have the tendency to over react and tell other people, and the story just gets bigger and bigger, and that makes me more stressed out and worried than if I were the only one who knew about it in the first place .

Of course posting the above in my blog makes this piece of news no longer private. It's ok. It's the eve, and I'm entitled to be made a fuss over. Well ok, I AM just a tiny bit nervous. I will update you all as to what this is all about, by tomorrow, when the story's over. If you read this within the next 24 hours, do say a prayer! If I don’t make any reference again to this particular issue by tomorrow or Tuesday, that means everything is just fine, I’m ok and alive, and we can all go back to our tidy little lives while I wait for the next drama… I promise you there’ll still be a lot of that in the next 30, 40 years!

Captain America

Terrible news. I heard they killed Captain America. They made a sniper shoot him and now he's dead and gone forever. gone from the pages of american comics history. gone from my innocent, happy childhood and pre-adolescence days. He represented the many hours my brothers and I would stay glued to the tv jumping up and down on our parents' bed with each swing of Captain American's mighty shield! We would jump and fly thru the air! Oh how that theme song would thrill me no end. How tragic, he was my first crush, along with Mighty Thor..!! I mean, why didn't they shoot Barbie instead. hehe. Perfect boobs and body Barbie who made all little girls (like me) feel so insecure. Incidentally, some trivia -- do you know that Barbie was created the same year I was born. She was just a few months older. Captain America meanwhile, was created in 1941.

Anyway..in memory of Captain America, I will post here my poem - "Flying over My Lola's (My Grandmother's) Garden" . I have yet to research on whatever happened to Mighty Thor.

FLYING OVER MY LOLA'S (MY GRANDMOTHER'S) GARDEN
by me

Flying, soaring, gliding

Reigning over all of nature

Feel the rush of biting wind against your pores

As you give that final kick against the ground

to gain momentum while you feel your body

Rise and slowly shed off weight

Is this how it feels to finally grow wings and fly?

Many nights I’ve dreamt

Of rising high, high above the branches of

The tallest trees in my lola’s garden

Way past the rustling leaves, to get nearer the stars,

To untangle kites and play with lost balloons

See the people on the ground, so tiny

People turning into pebbles

Pebbles turning into sand

My rowdy cousins tumbling out of the lanai

Lola shouting herself hoarse

for them to slam the screen door shut

For I am no longer one of them

I am one of my tv superheroes --

Strength and might and power,

I ride on the crest of each breeze that goes by

Reveling in the mixture of heady scents that

Fill the air above my lola’s garden

The rowdy cousins have long since gone

Replaced by people whose faces

I do not recognize nor do I care to know.

Strangers with whom I share no common bond

I throw my weightless body forward

And once more I feel the surge and urge

To fly, to glide, to soar

And eventually forget.

So this is what it feels like

The many nights I’ve dreamt

Of rising high, high above the rustling leaves,

High enough to touch the skies and

Live and breath and play again

In my lola’s garden.

Melancholy Baby....

A melancholy Friday for me... never mind why. Anyway, it was so timely that May Anne e-mailed the ff to me the yesterday afternoon. decided to post it here (should actually post it on my dressing table mirror as well)

1. QUIT WORRYING:

Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST:

Something needs to be done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can’t help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize

3. TRUST ME:

Once you’ve given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE:

Don’t wake up one morning and say, “Well, I’m feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here.” Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It’s simple. You gave Me your burdens and I’m taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don’t you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME:

I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I’m in control. But there’s one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don’t forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH:

I see a lot of things from up here that you can’t see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I’m doing. Trust Me; you wouldn’t want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE:

You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven’t heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT:

I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND:

Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF:

As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only—to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me.

RUN OUTSIDE AND PLAY

Isn't this what we all want to do?
by: me, October 2005

Run outside and play. And just remember

What it was like to fly with the wind

As you released more string and the kite went up

And you felt the innocence and exuberance of youth

Run outside and play. And just forget

The adults’ admonitions as they called you in for supper

And you ignored them, consciously aware of how

Moments like this would not last forever.

Run outside and play. And laugh and cry at

The many times you fell and scratched your knee

You just picked yourself up, dusted yourself off

A simple bandage was enough to heal the superficial wounds of youth

Run outside and play. And just ignore

The way the bullies teased and taunted, for they did so

Only because they knew deep in their hearts

You were the better person all along

Run outside and play. Though years have passed

The streets and playgrounds are still there

In your mind, in your heart, for you

To swing high, and higher still

Despite the falls, the bullies, the heartaches.

NOW, run outside and play.

Thanks to Twee

I am so thankful I have a treasure trove of poems I can pick from at will depending on my mood for the day. Thanks to Barbara (Tweetums) Gonzalez under whom I took that beautiful Joy of Writing course in 2005. As a result I have a compendium of poems I wrote, tucked away in My Documents which I can simply cut and paste into my blog as the mood suits me. I have posted four so far. Right now I am in a "listen to the stillness" mood (see below). Tomorrow I may want to "live and breath and play again ...in my lola's garden". Of course I will have to write some new ones soon.

LISTEN TO THE STILLNESS

By: me

October 2005

Listen to the stillness in your heart

Hear the beating, close your eyes

Marvel at the symphony, the symmetry between the beats

Listen to the voice that whispers only

when you’re absolutely still

Move not, speak not and for the time being, feel not.

Just listen very well to the stillness that you hear

The stillness that will finally come

When there is nothing left to say

When devoid of all emotion, tired and exhausted

You look toward the skies and slowly feel the pain subside

As life’s experiences now grind you to a halt.

Listen since you have no other choice

Hear the voice and try to understand

The voice of pain has blended with the same one

that now calls and beckons you

to look at your experiences with pride and not regret.

to look inside and find the wisdom and the strength

that will enable you to

listen to the stillness and

listen for the music

In your heart.

Table No. 32

I was in such a hurry to leave for work yesterday morning that I completely forgot to explain what those krypton-like (superman's krypton!) pictures were in my previous post. Ok, they're a by-product of sitting at Table 32. Table 32 is the table I sat in during the grand grand celebration at the Sofitel Hotel ballroom last Wednesday Feb.28. The hotel was inaugurated under the new Sofitel name in truly lavish style -- out of this world performances, fantabulously delicious 7-course dinner, exhilarating display of fireworks, Las Vegas style dance revue by the follies de club moi....ANYWAY, as luck would have it I sat at a table of crazy funny must-write-about-in-my-blog kind of people. Susan Joven, Girlie Rodis, and some people I met for the first time --an Odette who her friends said was in the practice of 'stealing' everything from the table that could fit into her purse at any formal gathering...well, the floral centerpieces at wedding receptions are huge, but she manages to lug them away all the time they said. Ok, apart from Odette there were these two German bachelors - one, seated right next to me, so amiable looking, who looked like Hardy in Laurel and Hardy but a slimmer more attractive version, and the other (and this I mentioned to Susan J), if you squinted long enough and hard enough after gulping down a glass of red wine, actually looked like.. Brad Pitt! the hairstyle and the pagka-blonde. These two gentlemen kept sharing with us their thoughts on Filipino lifestyle and Filipino women...that Filipino women are by far the most JEALOUS women in the entire world.. that these women (their pinay girlfriends I guess) keep texting, calling, checking on them and so on. Sure enough, Mr. Hardy kept checking his cellphone for text messages! Well, actually he was alternating between checking his cellphone and checking out my - ehem - decolletage.

I tell you, those 15 pounds I gained have done wonders to this dowdy piece of black chiffon I've owned for 3 years but always just use to hang on me like a rag. Now it has been elevated to the status of a classic LBD (little black dress). Well, not dress, it's actually a catsuit that offers a flattering view infront but only IF you've gained 15 lbs. and have enough lakas loob or a great I-don't-care-if-I'm-an-"A"cup -atleast-I'm-perky attitude. hehe. See, it's all about attitude. Otherwise you have to wear it inverted OR with the biggest pashmina shawl you can find. Anyway...so... when the sherbet arrived (in between the lobster appetizer and the ohhhhhhhh so indescribably orgasmically delicious Angus Beef), we all ooohd and ahhhd at the presentation!! The sherbet rested so regally (??) at the bottom of a cup like thing that in turn rested delicately on top of another container that housed a...shining shimmering block of ice!!! it shimmered, it shone, it gave off a reddish pinkish glow...it had the entire Table 32 (a.k.a. table ng mga isip bata) enthralled, amazed, enchanted!!! Mr. Hardy, who probably had a very interesting childhood, dismantled the presentation, picked up the shiny shimmering thing..turned it over and over...and showed to us how it was powered by LED battery... AND so this in turn triggered Odette the wedding bouquet flower stealer to scoop hers out and pop it into her bag. Not to be outdone, the rest of us likewise scooped ours out and fiddled around with the mechanism, planning how to outwit the waiters who were ready to buss everything out so they could serve the next course...And just at that moment, the GM of the hotel decided to visit our table and ask how everything was. Apparently, Mr. Hardy was a childhood friend of the GM's!! Well, he didn't notice our shining shimmering kryptons and after a while moved on to the next table...
ANYWAY...the rest of the evening went ok...and we all went home happy with our loot. BTW when I brought it to the office yesterday, Corinne said it was quite common and you could actually find it at Shopwise.

my shining shimmering krypton

Nuts at the Coconut Palace