my trip to manila-land and etc.

January 6, 2006

its 2006.

so much was said. so much was done. so much has happened.

its 2006.

i pray this would be a better year.

a kick-ass year at that!

~.~

we went down to manila on the 30th aboard Victory bus bound at 9:40pm. i was socked from work and so is geebee so as soon as the bus left the terminal, we were both snuggled into each other ready for a good 6-hour sleep. by the time we hit tuba, benguet we were dozing off. i woke up exactly 3 mins before we pull over into our first stopover at sison, pangasinan. time for juicy, juicy hotdogs and pork barbeque. i sooo loovvvee the hotdogs and barbeque in this place. i was hoping they have my favorite Lipton Green Tea but they only have the Lemon Ice Tea which i really don’t like but still since im not drinking any colas right now i still bough myself a bottle. after scoffing SCOFFING down 2 hotdogs and a barbeque, we sped off again and we dozed off again to neverland. the next few hours was a blur. i have a hazy 30-sec interval from sleep when we had the stopover at tarlac and found geebee deep in sleep so i snuggled closer to him and dozed off again. now, im supposed to call his dad once we enter santa inez…but…i was suddenly jolted from sleep…i saw the tollgates… passed through the tollgates…was about to contact geebee’s dad when suddenly geebee woke up, stared at the window and we saw the Marilao sign..good heavens! were we really that sound asleep?! so geebee called up his dad asap to advice them that we are past, i repeat, PAST sta. inez already! and it was decided that they’d pick us up and cubao terminal. by the time we got into balintawak the taffic was heavy at 3 in the morning due to people buying fruits for the media noche so we decided that they’d pick us up at Lemon Square instead. so there. by 3:30am we’re home, well rested and ready to go shopping! i was dying to get my hands inside the now-famous new and improved 168 Mall at divisoria and get to arangke to look for a gray mini poodle ive been salivating for since i re-watched IL MARE the week before. so i checked my emails first, blogged for my new year post, watched a couple of MYX and decided that im hungry. chowed at chowking at 5:30am and by 6am we’re on our way to divisoria. i know, its very pathetic. obviously, when we arrived there at 7am the shops are still closed so we trudged to arangke for the mini poodle im dying for and was disapointed because they just sold a 7-month old poodle the day before and they’re offering me instead a puppy w/c is a crossbreed b/w a st. bernard and collie…nope…then geebee was gravitated to a cage containing a 25k worth siberian husky with brown streaks…he was practically glued to the cage i had to pull him away. so we left arangke with broken hearts only to find out later when we got home that his dad’s friend can offer a 7-month old crossbreed labrador retriever for only 2k if we’re willing to wait until March. geezz. we also went to quiapo to indulge ourselves on bootleg (im sorry MTRCB but this is too sweet to pass) DVD’s for more than half the price. we bought tons of dvds. even found a simple life 1 and 2 and roadtrip 1 &2 series. coolness. anyway, by the time we got back to divisoria, 168 mall’s open and i practically skipped inside because #1: airconditioning is blasting inside and #2: i can’t wait to burn some cash. you put a girl, who hasn’t seriously shopped for 6 months, inside a shopping mecca and believe me, she’d go nuts. that girl is ME. and i was nuts. there was too many stuff to buy i was spinning dizzy. it was crazy. i ended up buying more stuff for my loved ones than myself. geebee even had to ask me now and then if ive already purchased something for me. i would love to post a picture of the stuff i bought but im too lazy to take a picture of them. but im dying to go back. because in the midst of all that bargain skirts and gypsy pants and tons of dangling earrings and beaded necklaces and sparkling accesories and cute slip-ons, i was too stunned to make any purchases worth posting. so i vowed. il go back. and when i do. il conquer 168 mall like a plague. can’t wait.

~.~

january 1 was trip to pampanga to meet the rest of geebee’s family on his mother side. this is a first. a major first. well ive already met a couple of them when they visited baguio. but a couple is like his 2 cousins, his ice queen aunt with her husband and kid and that’s it. so going to pampanga with his family is like a big BIG thing. im excited. i mean, its about time. we dozed off on the way and by the time we were like 5 minutes from the said place, i just woke up and was in panic. imagine a touch up in 3 mins inside a moving car. haggard. i was suddenly scared. but entering the family house was like a red carpet welcome. mano here and there on all the titos and titas and lolos and lolas. waving hello and hi to all the cousins and cousins’ cousins and cousins’ friends. it was amazing. it only took me 5 minutes to shoo away the butterflies fluttering inside my stomach. they were so warm and seemed happy to meet me. thank god. but the funny thing is, one of his lolas asked if im already pregnant. hahahahaha. yes, i laughed and said that i just got fat. FAT. you see, everytime geebee’s mom and dad visits us here in baguio, they take tons of pictures and videos and gives them a copy in pampanga. so i was slimmer then. in the pictures. then they see me in person. and im a fat-ass. wahahaha. i was not humilitated. i think its cute. i better squeeze shedding a few ounds on my 2006 Battle Plan. can’t believe i even forgot including that in the list. so anyway, these people loovee to cook. one of his cousins was even the one who taught me the wonders of a good tasting pork adobo while his mom furnished me with everything and anything that i need to know in whipping up geebee’s favorites: pork asado, afritada, menudo, rellenong bangus, chicken sotanghon and beef mechado. the kare-kare i yet have to master. so anyway, i ate like its my last day on earth. gawd. i was like a pig. but they loved it. they love it that i appreciate their recipes. they love it that i love good food. they love it that i love to eat. period. so all in all, the trip was a success. another ca’t wait. can’t wait to go back.

~.~

my mom’s in the hospital again. rushed her at saint louis university’s sacred heart hospital at 5pm tuesday afternoon. we got back to baguio at 4am. mom was feeling sick in the morning. i called her doctor. brought her to his clinic by 4pm. one look at my mom and he gave her pre-injections and concocted a referral letter to a cardiologist at sacred heart where we rushed her and she got admitted asap. minor cardiac arrest. my mom had pneumonia since november. she was treated with strong anti-biotics since then. but i guess the changing climate here in baguio took a toll on her failing health once again. im praying she gets better fast. she’ll be celebrating her 50th golden birthday on the 18th of this month and we don’t want to pop bottles of champagne inside a hospital room. please pray for my mom’s speedy recovery. i can’t stand it when she’s all sick.

~.~

special announcement: due to some circumstances (especially my mom’s failing health) all wedding preparations are suspended and the wedding is moved sometime on april or may. by that time, she should have recovered well already.