coming back to good news

i am so tired. and achey.

i was duped. i was told a hiking weekend.

but we did not only hike. we went on hills and mountains.

it was so difficult. i was the most unfit person there ( i prepared to the utmost of my ability but still not enough,haha).

but i did it.

and surprisingly, i enjoyed more than i could ever describe.



*

today, for our last hike, we were trailing the foothpath on a steep hill of Millside Dale...

i received a text from my mama that my sister in law Mayel gave birth to a 7.8 lb baby girl (i know,shes big, liwat sa mga aunties,haha).

i was ecstatic.

we celebrated with coffee by the hill..




*


a weekend with friends, (and new ones) make one delirious with happiness.


*

i am back home, after driving crazily on the motorway to beat post-holiday traffic.

still achey and tired. yet certainly high.




i am glad to be home...and im so glad, i find a home in every part of the world i choose to.





the brother who is now a dad to a 7.8 lb Mary Dominique..Jo, Adrian is lighting up a cuban cigar for you=)

congratulations Jo, and love to Mayel and baby.

flower girl

childhood memories of having fresh flowers every week (from the sunday rose vendor), or when my mom comes home from church, always have a fresh bouquet of flowers for the altar, have probably meant that i carried that tradition on to adulthood.

adrian and i have have fresh flowers every two weeks (flowers last longer due to the climate) for the front room, hallway and dining area.

every dinner party, i sometimes cut flowers from adrian's flowers (but he gets angry everytime i do that, so i stopped), so i end up being friends with the flower market guy at the local market so i could haggle a fresh basket or two and do my own arranging.

everytime were invited to dinner, i bring fresh flowers to the lady of the house, wile adrian brings a bottle of french wine.


apart from my pots of plants by the kitchen where i could gaze lovingly at it, while doing the dishes.


so really, it was about time, adrian thought of enrolling me in a flower arranging course. sadly all the courses offered are VERY expensive and it was impractical too. there are cheaper ones, but i think the way they arrange their flowers put me off.

good thing, Whole Foods Market was offering flower arranging courses taught by their resident flower lady Wanda. it was cheap(er) and you could bring home the arrangement you make.


every month, they feature a module of arranging. last night was about modern hanging arrangement...


it was exciting. and i was engrossed that i didnt realize the 3 hour lesson just flew so quickly.

im excited to do the ikebana arrangement for the next lesson. ( i vaguely remember ikebana arrangement lesson from my elementary HE classes).




my own arrangement, prior to attending any class...a mishmash of flowers, and sometimes, no coherence,haha=)but i promise to improve from now on..=) i love lilies, carnations,mums..





i cant believe i made this...okey, it still look's too busy but Wanda (the teacher) gave me a two thumbs up and a wink saying it's good,LOL..:-)a combination of dahlia's,grandiosa's,rose, wildberries,eucalyptus and ivy=)




***

photos from the class.




wanda is the girl with the flower in her hair




some classmates..we got different ideas,lol




thats Corran, a classmate..she's so posh, you'd think she's related to the queen..and she speaks like her too=)





thats emma, Corran's niece..and they went to class together..




unfinished business..mine, what a mess, this class.






busy, they are=)





me with my take-home arrangement..


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care to come to the next session with me?=)


**

after that, i met with my husband who was faithfully reading a book and drinking latte by the foodcourt, and excited for an advenure to where to eat next=)

a simple philosophy

being friends, doesnt mean i have to like what you do..but it means, doing things you like so we can be together...

*

what does that entail?

i go to 'mosh pit' concerts which i dont normally go for, because you like it..

or you attend my 'silly' theme parties because i was the one inviting.


i go to boot fayres you dig for, and i drag you to country fetes i go gaga over.


i help you move your stuff when you move to your new crib

and you help me wallpaper my guest bedroom.



you sing me pop songs,

i read you poetry.


we dont have to like one another's job, appreciate one another's hobbies (and still be honest about it) but we respect and like each other, we just have to have a meeting point to be in each other's company.


all, because, we like the other. and we want to be together...


friendship is a simple as that.
let's not complicate it.


**

its funny, how our friends let us be who we are, even if at most times they dont "get" what we do, and dont understand why we like such things..but they'd suffer in silence /and be happy for us, while they let us be, and let us spread our wings..

just so to let us fly..no matter how askew the flight is, in their field of vision.


**

i thank you, Karla...and all my girlfriends (Lowen,Leah and Karen)...and the Supergirls for letting me be, the way i am.

i am a free bird because of all you.

these im missing

the house,

the people,

the events,

these...




adrian's and my little 'payag' in cebu...in daylight





better than renting a condo everytime we go home...during the night





the inside of the house...small but it works for little gatherings..






and if not, we spread to the outside=)


....i cant wait to be there this december..

and maybe do some little renovations here and there=)

magic

there is magic everyday.

you see it in growing bellies with people inside it, powder-white sand and sky-blue waters, the setting of sun and the cotton-yummy clouds.

you see it in innocent giggles and warm hands on a cold morning.

you see it on 'no-battery-needed', solar lights for the garden.



pardon my excitement. i just love it when birthday presents work as they promised in the packet...




we got 4 of these beauties...they work, like magic. this year's birthday present for adrian from his brother.

PS: and they last the whole night too

coffee talk

if you know me well enough, you'd know adrian and i are coffee drinkers. (and green tea drinkers too, but this entry is about our love for coffee).

more often than not, adrian and i will have our daily instant coffee or sometimes filtered one..but wait, its not your normal instant coffee.. its carte noir (instant granules and filtered). its strong, and just smells coffee heaven. when you have instant coffee using carte noir, youd have latte, with an extra dose of espresso.

one of the many things that make our luggage heavy to the phils, is because we bring carte noir over, and we give a big jar to each of our uncles, who love coffee too.(we spread this carte noir love so they get to taste something really nice without hvaing to go out and drink an expensive cup).

and weekends like today, we also have our slow and lazy coffee day, from our coffee machine..either an ordinary filtered, an espresso or cappucino). moreoften than not, its a cappucino for me, and an expresso for him. we use coffee beans from kenya which were our friends gifts to us (a bag lasts forever and we have about 6 bags).

i promise you, once you visit me (yes you!). you will be in coffee heaven. and starbucks wouldnt even be mentioned.




the barista at work




the queen bee for instant if you want instant coffee..carte noir

but we use coffee beans from kenya (gift from friends) for the coffee machine..


so, care for a cuppa?

can i be honest?

...and yet

stay silent?


*

(i know this is microblogging, but really, i cant be bothered posting cryptic messages on status posts.

i might end up annoying even myself).

dreams...wrong ones.

photos from my mobile phone--are as blurry as those in dreams...

*



i had the weirdest and the most disturbing dream.

apparently i posted a sex video (uh-huh, you read it right) of myself and a boyfriend of mine on this blog just before i slept last night.

in that dream, i thought, i was brave and was feeling too secure in my little blog,and that those that read this are people i know.
(weird right? well, read on, it gets weirder,haha)

okey, in my dream, apparently, i received a phone call, from a friend, to "please review your blog, its causing chaos on the internet"..[naunsa man ko oi, does that mean i have katrina halili-ambition?]


so i reviewed the video, and it turned out, it was a video of mine and adrian, and that it was causing sensation because it was a birthday party video...


first, let me laugh out loud.

secondly, let me reiterate, there is NO SUCH VIDEO. (on all levels, they were just concoction of a sleep induced brain...video's werent uso then..and my gosh, virgin pa akong beauty kaniadto,LOL *i swear on my neighbors life*).


third, let me laugh out loud again.--why on earth did i take out the video (angrily) because it wasnt a sex video??? hahaha, weirdness on all levels. why was i more disappointed that it was a birthday party? *see, my dreams of becoming a sexpot are coming out of my sleepy ears*.

and also, why would a birthday party video cause "national sensation"?? please explain.


but then,it was just a dream after all. nothing makes sense.

just like real life.


*

eat your heart out katrina halili...while you sang careless whisper in your bikini..i was singing, "happy birthday to you", and still caught internet sensation,LOL.


*

any weird dreams your end?*

for a laugh

im giggling.

one of the things i do when im bored and have nothing to do, is to look through holiday photos..and when i miss my family, i look through cebu photos...


there was an album (three actually) where the family were doing our weekly swim at the local pool just for a "swim" (adrian loves to swim). for three weeks, weve been going to this local pool near where we live in minglanilla.

its an average pool, has no star rating, but good enough for a nice lunch out, and a good exercise. plus no one is around during weekdays, you practically own the pool.

i cant really post all the photos as there are alot of "embarassing" shots in it. [paging Ana-the diving shot; Karla-the candid two piece; roi and suzette and of course, myself, where i look like a floating lilo]


most of the photos made me laugh out loud.

let me share you some funny ones (well, funny to me,at least).

it reminds me of how childish we get when we are with family.


tadahh!!!.

demonstrating to nieces and nephews how to swim,LOL...









**

i told you its funny...and slightly disturbing..hehe.

the difference between then and now

*

how can one's taste change?

i can't say for sure.

but all i know, that for the past few years, i am drawn to nice and 'buotan' people than the opposite.

when i was younger, i used to go for cool, interesting individuals (regardless whether theyre catty, or not their behavior is).

now, i still go for cool and interesting individuals, but most all of, i am drawn to someone's inside beauty and their demeanor more than anything.


if you're buotan,humble, and nice, you instantly become, genius, sexy and powerful in my eyes.

youre the coolest of the cool, the star in the bunch,and the cream on my pie. i'd fall head over heels in love with you. (and thats without a pun..ask my family how id "love" friends, youd think im a foolish teenager in love for the first time).


[your dress sense might be like you're in a time warp, your english might be broken as the cheap NFA rice, your IQ might be below national average levels or your face might look like angelina jolie after a botched up operation, but these wouldnt matter, you'd look the most gorgeous person on earth to me, and the most inspirational one at that].


afer all, unsaon man nang, bright, gwapa, pero ang batasan dili makaon sa iro?


*

there are values i want to instill in my younger siblings and the people around me, that i care for.

and if i start being with people whose values, id rather not show them, im actually contradicting myself.


i want to be with people that inspire me to be a better person. someone who will guide me to do good, than evil.

because if not, im sure giving my deposit to one big apartment in hell.


*

when i say nice/buotan, i dont even mean, a philanthrophering type, or the ones who are always giving to charities, or saving the world-kind. (charity is a way of life..some people give to charities but cant even give to their own relatives, talk about hipocrisy to the highest level.i always think charity starts at home).

i dont even mean someone who is religious or someone who goes to church everyday--no nothing like that (i hardly go to church myself). and as we all know, people can be religious without any spiritual effect.


what i mean with buotan, is simply that. buotan. dili mangaway, dili mag-una una, dili manghilabot basta dili hilabtan, dili mang judge, dili magbuot-buot, ug dili mag rumor mongering. (ive got those kinds in one "auntie" already, so i thank heavens im done with those type).


someone who just wants to deal with life, peacefully and lovingly, and who will be happy for others happiness, those to me are buotan. and i like that.

gaan dad-on ang buotan, dont you think? less drama. less chismis, less opportunities to sin against mankind. less headaches.and heartaches.


who said, i have big requirement criteria from friends?


*

because NICE is the new black.

reservoir dawgs

11th,aug,2009
hanningfield reservoir

**

A and i practiced hiking for 2 hours, around the reservoir area located locally to us..

good excuse to break our shoes in, to get used to hiking shoes, before going on our hiking minibreak at the Peak District on the bank holiday weekend...


before you're thinking im a hiking convert, not really. im just doing this for a birthday celebration for a friend who is turning 30 that weekend, Chelson.

Chelson is a hiking fanatic and he goes on these tours 4 to 6 times a year..his main goal is to do the Himalayas. but because he is with his "unfit" friends..he is doing a steady excursion in the Peak District this time.



*

these are photos done while practicing with our new walking shoes...and it wasnt that easy, *pant,pant*




into the woods





in the garden eden, adam was posing for eve..lol.





still summery





back to Adam and Eve..where's eve?




looking for clues





birdwatching...we didnt have telescopes..were not birdwatchers at all,LOL.





coming out of the dingy dark birdwatching box...(i forgot what it was called)






firelogs...=)


*

more photos..but im too lazy to load them.

there will be part two.

for now,let me sleep.

sweet dreams my lovelies.

dear ana, the squid

dear ana,

its now 7pm here. and i know its 2 am there.

i wish i could call you.

its an emergency.

i forgot how to cook mama's sizzling squid. and i heard you mastered it already.

its been a very long time since i last cooked it.

today i went to the fishmonger to buy fish for dinner, i saw the freshest juiciest squid.

i knew i had to have it.

i bought a third of a kilo.

then i realized, i vaguely remember how to do it.

i wish i could call you.

not only for the recipe.

but thats a good start.


sweet dreams little sis. and bid me goodluck for dinner.


love,

ate

xxx

[edit: hurot ang 1/3 kl. of squid...lami ra gihapon..naka-chamba]..=)

impromptu invite,impromptu sotanghon, impromptu bday party with longtime friends

yesterday, adrian thought of cheering me up by preparing a bbq for us. (he knows i looove my bbqs. "sugba-sugba" queen akong beauty).

[he planned something nice to do, but we cancelled it,because i was ill--the photos will prove it,LOL]

he got me fresh organic pork bellies, ribs, and chicken quarters.


i had a great morning, listening to classic fm in the kitchen, and by lunch time, til early pm, i was voicechatting with Ana and Mama over @ yahoo.


and ending up my day with a BBQ would have made it perfect.

so i thought.


*


by 5 pm, we received a phone call from glen. he sounded apologetic and sad that i was ill and that i wasnt able to celebrate the night before,his birthday in a restaurant.

i said,i was feeling ok, but not the best.

he gave an idea for adrian and i to come over because him and cheryl thought of putting still having an intimate bday with mself and adrian.

i said, adrian and i are bbq-ing too, why dont they come over.

but he said, their daughter Yentl is home from uni, and they already got the bbq hot and ready already, and wished we could celebrate his birthday with them, even if i would just sleep the whole time in their couch..(oh, isnt that sweet? you could tell, when people want you to be present, wheter you are awake or not).

the ending?

cheryl made potato salad, and the appetizers.they also have burgers and sausages from their freezer which they used.

adrian and i bought over our marinated food (belly,ribs and chicken quarters)...and i made mango salad, and sotanghon for glen for long life*lol* (in a dash)..




*

the mango salad, only glen and yentl and myself ate it, coz cheryl cant stand fish paste adrian too,LOL)

but the best hit of all, the sotanghon..it didnt make it to the main eating because cheryl,yentl and glen attacked it..

they love my sotanghon,LOL. (considering it didnt have all the ingredients because i made it impromptu).


*enjoy our pics from last night* excuse the horrible ill looking me...i am ill..



**

cuban cigars




the habana name..reminds me of a family i know=)




samosa's and chilli sauce




the birthday boy..in a hat we bought from the Phils as pasalubong to him




Glen likes his JD's..Adrian likes his scotch whisky





glen,yentl and i couldnt help ourselves with the mango salad...(i wished it was green crunchy ones though)





father and daughter..Yentl and Glen




the godfather




the very ill me...cheryl thinks i got temperature..i laughed.





cherie amor




he hams it up for the cam when he noticed





lovely man he is..him and cheryl, are people we want to take to cebu one day..theyre so busy redoing their house in france, they dont have time to spare for a cebu vacation (yet)..but someday, they promised us..





philippine place mats we got for them as pasalubongs..from our last holiday..





food and dining..thats what brought us close together=)





just lovely food, impromptu at that




my chicken quarters found its way to cheryl's kitchen today,LOL (unplanned)




potato salad..cheryl's specialty




daisy boo...i love her..





the nicest smelling dog..thats why i love her..=)


*

today i feel tired and sniffly. but its all worth it=)